Chapter Two: A Father Son Moment

"Hahahaha!"

The sound of cruel laughter echoed through the air, blending with the chirping of birds and the rustling of the leaves of the trees as a small boy was beaten in the small atmosphere of the playground.

"Haha! Sissy! Are you gonna go crying home to your mommy?" a boy around the age of ten mocked, kicking the boy already on the ground.

Shin tried desperately to get up before they hit him again, failing miserably as he collapsed on the ground. Another boy kicked him in the side again. He winced, trying hard not to cry.

The older boy knelt down and grabbed a large amount of Shin's pink hair, pulling it. His head tilted back until he was facing the cruel child. He smirked and snarled, "Why don't you cry, little girl?"

Shin knew he shouldn't cry. They would only beat him harder. He knew it so well, it wasn't funny. It was likely these boys were students at the ninja academy; they were about the age appropriate to enroll. He searched for a way out.

Shin calculated the likely events if he tried to fight. It didn't hurt to have two well-trained ninjas as parents, either.

He shot his leg out, kicking the boy's legs out from underneath him. He stumbled onto the dirt. The pink-haired boy knew he had seconds to react.

He quickly scrambled up, running as fast as he could. He could hear the sounds of footsteps as the boys chased him. He only ran harder.

Shin knew he was fast, was proud of it. It came in handy, like when he got caught playing pranks, or taking candy. But it was especially useful when he was trying to escape bullies, and he was glad.

He ran along the familiar route to his house, his petal-colored hair flying. He didn't run in a straight line, zigzagging in hopes of confusing his followers. He did this skillfully, after years of practice. It usually worked, but these bullies were smarter than your average neighborhood variety. Apparently they were worthy of the title ninja-in-training.

One of the boys found to energy to speak during the chase. "Ha ha! You think you can outrun us, you wimpy girl?" He was gaining frighteningly fast, his cronies not far behind.

Shin snarled. Didn't they have anything better to do besides tease and beat on him? It seemed to only get worse as he got older. And he knew he wouldn't always have his parents to protect him. He ignored the pain in his side, running faster still.

He felt a hand try to grab his arm. He knew he was slowing down, his energy running out. Shin wrenched his arm out of the hand's grip. He felt sure they had already passed his house, and they were nearing the center of Konoha. He sincerely hoped they would give up the chase for fear of being caught.

He really didn't mean to, really. He was just trying to confuse them by jumping over things and ducking under booths and such. He really didn't see the rock, innocently sitting in the middle of the road. That was precisely why he tripped over it. He skidded to a stop, sustaining more injuries in the process. He winced and waited for the pain that was sure to come.

But it never came. Shin raised his head from his arms, and looked up. What he saw was his father, holding two of the boys up by the scruff of their necks. The third one had somehow managed to escape.

Shin stared at his father's face. His expression scared him. Oh no. Was he mad at him again? Shin looked at the ground. Great… otou-san is mad at me again.

Sasuke glared at the boys intensely. They trembled in fear, their feet flailing uselessly in the air. He hissed, "Go. Home. If I catch assaulting my son again, I will not hesitate to discipline you. And trust me, you won't like it." He emphasized every syllable.

He dropped them on the ground. They scrambled to their feet and ran away. Sasuke turned.

Shin slowly got to his feet, keeping his eyes on the ground. He raised his gaze up to meet his father's. He began, "Gomen, otou-san…" His father's arms wrapping around him cut him off. Shin looked up at him in confusion.

Sasuke merely smiled and knelt down to his eye level. "It's not your fault, son." He said gently. "There's nothing wrong with your hair." He grinned lopsidedly, ruffling his pink locks to emphasize his point. Shin couldn't help but smile in return.

The six-year-old grunted good-naturedly and pushed his hand off. He said mock angrily, "Stop it, 'tou-san. You're embarrassing me."

His father chuckled and said, "Trying to impress the ladies, eh?" His son turned pink. "'Tou-san!" Sasuke laughed again.

"Sorry. I couldn't resist. I was always attracting attention from the girls when I was young… as unwanted as it was." He scowled. It was Shin's turn to laugh. Sasuke smiled again. He stood up, patting his son's head. "But hey, that was how I met your mom!"

Shin made a disgusted face. "Ew, Dad, you're grossing me out." Sasuke just scooped him up and playfully ruffled his hair again. "Aww, c'mon. Don't be like that!"

Shin winced, pain rushing up and down his side. Sasuke noticed his expression and immediately let him go. He looked on worriedly as his son knelt down on all fours, cringing. He said apologetically, "I'm sorry…"

He only smiled at his father, one eye closed in pain. "I'm fine otou-san…" but he only winced again when he tried to move. Sasuke quickly knelt down and lifted up his shirt, inspecting his wounds. Dark bruises adorned the petal-haired boy's side and stomach. He cursed inwardly; suddenly wishing he hadn't let those boys go.

He stared at his only son in worry, wishing that he hadn't been born with pink hair. Oh, he loved Sakura, but…

"Otou-san," Shin said, snapping him out of his revere. He smiled reassuringly. "I'm fine. Really. It doesn't hurt so much anymore…"

Sasuke just stared at him. It was so unfair. Why did his son have to go through this? It seemed every single day he was teased for his hair. He was called a girl, a wimp, a sissy, a mommy's boy, anything you could think of. Kids these days were so cruel. Again and again he asked him to dye his hair, but again and again he would say the same thing:

"It would hurt okaa-san's feelings. I don't want to do that." He was so considerate. So why did he have to suffer. He clenched his fists. He asked the same question everyday that many had asked before him: "Why do bad things happen to good people?"

Sasuke continued to stare at Shin and his continued to smile. He knew it was only a matter of time before the constant teasing and beatings would harden his son's heart. Sasuke didn't want his son to end up like… like him. He knew if that happened, only one thing thing could change him. Like Sakura had changed him.

Love.

He sighed, the future weighing heavily on his mind. But for now, he had better concentrate on the present. He smiled at his son, and helped him up. "Hey Shin, how about we get some ice cream?"

As Sasuke watched his son rejoice, his worry subsided.

For the moment.

l….i….n….e….b….r….e….a….k…..!

"What happened!" Sakura shouted.

"Ssh!" Sasuke said, looking into the dining room. Apparently, Shin had not noticed. He was still sitting at the dining table, idly playing with the salt shaker as he waited for dinner.

They were in the kitchen, and Sasuke was explaining to his wife the events of the day. Sakura had stopped attending to the soup she was currently stirring, and was now staring at him, the ladle still in her hand. He was standing next to her, a worried expression on his face.

"Its been happening more and more Sakura… he doesn't tell you because he's afraid you'll be mad at him. Hell, when I caught those damn kids, he apologized to me. Can you imagine? He apologized to me, after what those…" Sasuke paused, knowing Sakura wouldn't approve if he used a vulgar word. Sakura noticed this and smiled slightly. He continued, "kids… did to him. Those kids don't even to deserve to be in the ninja academy."

She sighed and said, "Why doesn't he just dye his hair or something?"

Sasuke also sighed and said, "Because… because he doesn't want to hurt your feelings."

She looked at him as if he was crazy. "Are you serious? He would rather go through that than hurt my feelings? He would rather suffer everyday than upset me?" She was touched. Truly, really touched. She almost felt like crying.

She then straightened up, looked him in the eye, and said solemnly, "That is the most idiotic yet sweetest thing I've ever heard." Sasuke nearly face faulted. Sakura smiled and added slyly, "He's just like you."

"Hey!" He protested, but he was smiling. Sakura had already walked out of the kitchen carrying the pot of soup.

"Yay!" Shin cried, finally seeing dinner. "I'm starving!" He jumped up to help his mother. She smiled gently at him. He's so considerate.

As they all settled down for dinner, Sakura and Sasuke exchanged uneasy looks. Shin immediately began eating his dinner, albeit rather noisily. Sakura frowned and said, "Mind your manners, Shin." He smiled apologetically and said, "Gomen, okaa-san." He quieted down.

About halfway through dinner, and after about three servings, Sakura cleared her throat. Both her husband and son looked up from their food, Shin with a confused expression and Sasuke with an expression that said, please-tell-me-you-aren't-going-to…

She only smiled at him and he groaned. Shin was still looking at her with a questioning expression. She tucked her pink hair behind her ear and said, "Shin, have you ever thought about dying your hair?" He looked down at his food and mumbled, "But I like my hair… if you want me to… but I don't want to hurt your feelings…"

Now, neither Sakura nor Sasuke expected that. She locked eyes with him, and they both had equally surprised expressions. "I don't hate my hair or anything… but if you really want me to dye my hair… oh I know!" His tone was enthusiastic. He suddenly stood up, the silverware tinkling as he dropped his spoon. He ran up the stairs to his room, leaving behind a surprised Sakura and a bewildered Sasuke.

"Okay… what the hell was that about…" Sasuke murmured. Sakura looked at him. "I know… he said he liked his hair…" She fingered a few strands of her own pink locks, which was now reaching down to the small of her back.

Sasuke stared at where his son had been sitting. "You know Sakura… I'm really worried about him… I know he seems fine on the outside… but…" he paused, and looked at her. Green eyes only stared back at him in concern. He looked away. "He's crying on the inside…"

Sakura's worry grew as he continued talking. "I'm really worried that he'll really be affected by this… that he'll end up like me." He looked at her again, and this time she spoke. "Really?" He nodded. She bit her lip, and started picking at her food. "Oh boy… if that happens…" They looked at each other and they both sweatdropped.

"Okay, I'm back!" Shin called from the top of the stairs. "What took you so" Sakura gave him a warning look. He sighed. However, Shin seemed to have heard anyway, and answered as he skipped down the stairs. "Oh sorry," he said cheerfully. "I had to look all over my room for it, you know?" His parents once again sweatdropped. His room was a pig sty.

"Ta da!" he said, pulling out from behind his back what appeared to be a hat. Sasuke snatched it from him despite another look from his wife. He examined it closely. It didn't seem abnormal, it was simply a black hat that was adorned with the symbol of the Village of The Leaf. He face faulted. Why didn't I think of that? And I'm supposed to be a genius…

As he continued to stare forlorn at the hat, she took it from him and placed it on Shin's head. She beamed. It fit like a beanie, hugging his head, but it was somewhat big. The bottom of it covered his eyes. He rolled it up and smiled.

"There! Problem solved." The six-year-old said happily, with Sasuke still muttering in the background.

Little did they know…

To Be Continued…

(A/N: Originally I wasn't planning to continue it, it was supposed to be a one-shot. ; But what can I say, I can't refuse my beautiful readers! (Gai mode) Yes, children! Go and review, with the firey passion of your youth! Yes! I must beat my rival, (insert author here)! Let your words flow with the firey passion of youth!)