*peeks out from behind a corner* Hi….anyone still there? …..Anyone?

*crickets chirping*

*sweatdrop*

"So give me hope in the darkness, that I will see the light

Cause, oh, they gave me such a fright

But I will hold as long as you like

Just promise me that we'll be all right."

-Mumford and Sons

Sasuke walked along the dark streets, illuminated by the light of the streetlamps. The day had been going surprisingly well until Yusuke had burst into Naruto's office and began explaining what had happened on his grandson's mission. Since then he had to go over mission reports, issue a second mission to track down the escaped nin and alert the elder's of the seal breaking, which they were not happy to hear about. Now he had to inform Leiji and Hachi that the elders had decided to give Haru the option to either learn to use the jutsu with complete control or have it resealed.

As Sasuke walked along the streets, he caught the sound of a familiar voice floating out from inside a bar and paused, waiting to see if he would hear it again. Curiosity getting the better of him, Sasuke poked his head inside the bar and frowned when he saw a flash of very familiar raven hair. Stepping inside, he strolled up to the woman sitting at the end of the bar and took her arm gently. "Leiji?"

"Hiya, dad," Leiji slurred, leaning drunkenly to one side as she turned to face her father. "What's going on?"

Sasuke wrinkled his nose at the scent of tequila hanging heavily around her. "Leiji, you're drunk."

"Why, yes I am," Leiji agreed, bobbing her head slightly. "So gloriously drunk."

Shaking his head slowly, Sasuke pulled his daughter's arm in an attempt to get her on her feet. "Come on, I'm taking you home."

"No," Leiji spat, jerking her arm away, "There's no point, no one's there."

"Leiji," Sasuke sighed and took the vacant stool beside her, "you have never been this drunk before."

"I know," Leiji mused, her eyes widening as she leaned back slightly in her chair. "Why doesn't everyone do this?" She reached for the nearly empty glass of tequila in front of her and took a swig.

"Stop that," Sasuke snapped, snatching the glass away from her. "Drinking does not solve your problems."

"Well it's been doing a great job so far!" Leiji retorted, trying to grab the glass back childishly.

"That's the alcohol talking," Sasuke informed her, holding the glass easily out of her reach. "In the morning you'll be sober and this issue will still be here. Where is Haru, Leiji?"

"Gone," Leiji replied, her face falling as she looked down at her lap.

"Gone?" Sasuke frowned, taking her chin in his hand and tilting her head up to look at him. "Where did he go, Leiji? This is important."

"To go be with Neji." Leiji pulled her face out of Sasuke's gentle grip and slumped against the bar, her lips set in a deep frown as she stared at a spot above Sasuke's shoulder. "He decided he'd rather live with someone he never even met instead of with us liars…"

Sasuke sighed. "You are not a liar."

"Oh, yes I am," Leiji scoffed, motioning for the bartender to pour her another drink. "I've only been lying to him his whole life. We lied about Neji, we lied about the dojutsu, we lied about Santa Claus, we lied about where babies come from-."

"Leiji, that's enough." Sasuke held up his hand to stop her ranting then turned a hard glare on the bartender who held his hands up in defense.

"I was going to cut her off anyway," he said before going back to his more sober customers.

Frowning, Sasuke turned back to his daughter. "You're being way too hard on yourself."

After a moment of silence, Leiji turned her gaze to her lap and sniffed. "What happened to me? I didn't want to be a mom. I didn't think I'd ever even get married. I don't know what happened…"

"Nothing happened, Leiji," Sasuke sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You just grew up. Too fast, if you ask me. Now come on, let me take you home."

"I don't want to go home," Leiji repeated, her gaze hardening. "There's no one there. You sent Hachi on that damn mission, and Haru went to be with that damn Neji." Suddenly a look of drunken determination crossed her features and she stood, wobbling slightly on her feet. "I should give that bastard a piece of my mind!"

"Sit down," Sasuke hissed, grabbing her arm and pulling her back into her seat. "You're making a fool of yourself."

"I am not!" Leiji whined, her anger growing. "What gives him the right to take my son away from me?!"

Sighing heavily, Sasuke stood and lifted Leiji out of her chair, throwing her over his shoulder and heading for the door. "We're leaving. I'm not going to let you embarrass yourself further."

"Put me down!" Leiji cried, propping herself up on her elbows in an attempt to raise herself up. "This is embarrassing, put me down!"

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke placed her carefully on her feet once they reached the streets. "Now come on, we're going home."

"I don't want-."

"You're going to your home home, Leiji," Sasuke interrupted, quickly becoming fed up with her attitude, "with your mother and I. Now walk."

"Hn." Leiji crossed her arms in defiance and stumbled along beside Sasuke, who only rolled his eyes and grabbed her arm for support.

"I can't believe you did this, Leiji."

"I can't believe home is so far away!" Leiji cried in astonishment. "Are we there yet?"

Shaking his head slowly, Sasuke led her through the emptying streets until they reached the original Uchiha home, which was once full to capacity with children, but now held only two occupants. He helped her through the door and motioned her to the couch. "Go sit, I'll get you some water."

Sulking, Leiji walked to the couch and sat down harder than she intended, leaning back against the back her arms crossed. When Sasuke brought her the water, she swiped it from his hand with a hard look and drank it quickly, leering at him over the rim of the glass.

"Don't give me that look," Sasuke rolled his eyes and glanced over his shoulder as Sakura walked in from her office.

"What's Leiji doing here?" she asked, eying Leiji's red eyes and mussed hair curiously.

"She's wasted," Sasuke replied simply. "Haru got angry and went to stay with Neji, and Hachi had to leave on a mission…"

"Oh," Sakura sighed and took a seat beside Leiji, placing a hand on her arm. "Come on honey, let's go to bed. It's late."

Scowling, Leiji jerked away from her mother's touch. "I don't want to go to bed. There's no place for me to sleep here."

"What are you talking about?" Sakura frowned. "Your room is still upstairs. You can sleep there."

"It's not my room anymore," Leiji murmured, her eyes drooping slightly from the alcohol. "It's Sango's."

"Fine then, sleep in one of the other rooms," Sasuke said with a shrug. "Or sleep on the couch. It's up to you."

"Couch," Leiji replied stubbornly, leaning to her side onto she fell onto the throw pillows and closed her eyes.

Sighing, Sasuke shook his head slowly and picked up her empty glass before going into the kitchen with Sakura trailing behind him. "I'll let Hachi know she's here. He shouldn't be gone that long."

Sakura frowned. "She's really upset, Sasuke. I've never seen her like this before."

"She has a lot on her plate, Sakura," he sighed and leaned against the counter, pulling out his cell phone and sending Hachi a quick text message. "Just let her sleep for now. Hachi will get her in the morning, they'll get Haru back, and she'll be fine."

"You make it sound so easy," Sakura mused, glancing into the living room where Leiji slept deeply, her head turned towards the back of the couch and breathing evenly. "I just hope she'll be all right."

"She will be," Sasuke assured her. "You worry too much."

"I can't help it," Sakura replied, a light smirk playing at her lips. "It's a mother's job."

-0-

When Leiji cracked open her stinging eyes the next morning, her hazy vision greeted her with the sight of Hachi, giving her an amused smirk. "What are you doing?" she groaned, closing her eyes against the headache beginning to radiate its way through her temples.

"I just came to wake you up with some water, coffee, and a whole bunch of aspirin," Hachi replied with a smirk. "How did your night go?"

"Shut up," Leiji growled as she struggled to pull herself into a sitting position. "You know how my night went." Once she was fully righted, she swiped the water from Hachi's hand and popped the aspirin into her mouth. "I'm more concerned about your night…"

Hachi softened, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. "We got him," he assured her. "Haru's secret is safe. I talked to my mom too. She said he was up all night talking with my father."

"Wonderful," Leiji murmured, swinging her legs over the side of the couch and reaching for the mug of coffee. "That's the last thing we need."

"I don't even want to know what lies my father is telling him," Hachi sighed. "Do you feel up for going over there now and bringing him home?"

Leiji sipped her coffee carefully, staring into the deep blackness of the mug. Her father had made the coffee. She didn't know how, but she could tell. He must have been worried about her, especially after the stunt she had pulled the night before. The always stoic Uchiha Sasuke didn't seem like a worrier, but didn't all fathers worry about their children sometimes? Even someone like Hyuuga Neji?

"Yes," she said after a few moments of careful consideration. "But let's stop at home first. There's something I want to get."

-0-

Two hours later, Leiji, freshly showered to rid herself of the smell of alcohol and sporting a pair of dark Coach sunglasses to hide the evidence, walked beside Hachi on the way to the Hyuuga compound, carrying an old shoebox under her arm.

"Are you sure about this?" Hachi asked, his eyes casting nervous glances at the box. "Do you really think he should see this stuff?"

"Yes," Leiji replied matter-of-factly. "It's time for us to stop hiding things from him. He needs to know the truth. All of it."

"All right," Hachi said, still sounding a little unsure. "He might be pretty upset. This is some pretty heavy stuff."

"I don't care," Leiji said simply, and they entered into the Hyuuga compound together. She always felt unwelcome stepping on to these grounds, and today was no exception. She felt the eyes of Hachi's relatives boring into her back as they walked, and she felt the familiar wave of relief wash over her as they stepped onto the porch of Neji and Tenten's home. Being a nonmember of the Hyuuga family as well, Tenten always succeeded in making Leiji feel welcome on the property.

She was waiting in the doorway for them, a light smile touching her features as she motioned towards the back door. "They're on the porch. They've been talking all night."

"Is he all right?" Hachi asked, craning his neck to try and see them through the window.

"Of course he is," Tenten assured them. "Your father is not a monster, Hachi."

Without waiting for Hachi, Leiji walked through the house and slid open the door that led to the porch. Haru turned his head at the sound and frowned, crossing his arms over his chest and turning his head away. But Neji, sensing that Leiji wanted to talk, stood quietly and walked past her into the house. As Hachi tried to brush past him, Neji placed his hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"You've done well raising him," Neji murmured before letting go and walking into the next room.

Hachi paused for a moment, allowing his father's words to sink in before looking down at his feet, making his way slowly out to the back porch, where Leiji had taken a seat next to Haru. Silently, Hachi lowered himself to sit at his son's other side.

"There are some things you should know," Leiji began, placing the shoebox on her lap and running her finger along the lid. She stared down at it for a moment before sighing and slowly pulling the lid off, raising a small plume of dust.

Haru cast a side glance at the box, curious but still angry. His eyes followed his mother's hands as she reached into the box and pulled out a single photograph. She stared at it for a moment, biting her lip before handing it over to Haru.

"This is me," she said quietly, "pregnant. With you."

Haru took the picture, still staying silent and stared down at it. It was obviously taken by surprise, for Leiji wasn't even looking at the camera. She was laying in bed, a light blanket draped around her shoulders with an exhausted look in her eyes as she stared down at a book in her lap. The swollen mound of her stomach indicated that she really was pregnant.

"I was so sick," Leiji explained quietly, "I was put on bed rest. I was so weak I couldn't stand for long. All I could do was just lay around in bed…"

"She didn't want any pictures taken of her during it," Hachi continued, looking down at the picture in Haru's hand, "but I snuck that one in when she wasn't paying attention."

Haru frowned, shifting slightly at his stared down at this new piece of information. "But what about-?"

"Here," Leiji sighed, handing another photograph to him. "That's you, right after you were born."

Haru's brow wrinkled in confusion, staring down at the photograph of a tiny, translucent-skinned infant surrounded by machines. Various tubes and wires were stuck all over the infant's body and his eyes appeared to be glued shut. "What…?" he turned his head up, looking to Leiji for answers.

"You were born thirteen weeks early," she said, staring down into the box. "We were so scared for you…you were in the hospital for three months. Your heart…"

Hachi frowned and reached over Haru to place a hand on her knee. "It stopped twice while you were there," he continued. "You actually have a patch on your heart from it…"

"I do?" Haru asked, looking down at his chest with a frown.

"Yes," Leiji frowned, raising a hand and placing it over his heart. "The doctors didn't think you were going to make it…but you beat the odds."

Haru looked back down at the pictures in his hands, feeling tears stinging at his eyes. "What else is in that box?"

A light smirk touched Leiji's lips and she reached into the box again, pulling out a faded orange scrap of fabric. "This is what's left of your baby blanket," she said, running her fingers over the fabric before passing it to Haru. "You wouldn't go anywhere without it."

"But then one day your mom put it in the dryer after washing it," Hachi added with a snicker. "You'd worn it out so much that the dryer just ripped it to shreds. You were so upset you cried for days!"

"I-I did not!" Haru stuttered, his face flushing slightly as he looked down at the scrap and tried to recall the memories.

"You did," Leiji confirmed as she reached into the box again and pulled out an old teething ring with a few of the water bubbles popped. "This is from when you were teething," she said, her smirk becoming more prominent now. "Your teeth were so sharp that you broke through the rubber on this thing in three places."

"That was the worst!" Hachi went on. "Your teeth hurt you so bad you screamed all night and day, and you wouldn't let anyone but your mommy hold you!"

Rolling her eyes, Leiji reached into the box and pulled out a light blue pacifier with a little brown dog on it. "This was the only pacifier you would ever use. We bought you a ton, but for some reason, this is the only one you liked."

Curious, Haru took the pacifier from her, turning it over in his hands and examining it carefully. He noted nothing extravagant about it, nothing that would make him favor this pacifier over others, but for some reason the color appealed to him. He paused and closed his fingers around it, looking back up at his mother. "Why did you keep all this stuff?"

"Because these things were important to you," Leiji replied with a shrug. "I couldn't just bring myself to throw them away."

After a moment of quiet contemplation, staring down at the items in his lap, Haru muttered, "Thanks, mom…"

Leiji placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly. "You're welcome."

"Feeling better, mini-me?" Hachi asked with a smirk.

"Yeah," Haru nodded, carefully placing the items back into the shoebox. "Sorry I ran away like that, but" he hesitated, staring down at his feet, "can I see grandpa more?"

Hachi hesitated, glancing back into the house and catching a glimpse of Neji standing in the hallway with Tenten. Sighing, he turned back to his son. "Yeah, mini-me, you can. I shouldn't have tried to keep you away from him. I guess I just-."

"It's okay," Haru interrupted. "Grandpa told me everything. He said it was mostly his fault you didn't tell me about him. He said he was really sorry."

"Did he?" Hachi mused, glancing back into the house and catching Neji's eye, who gave him a light smirk. Turning back to Haru, he placed an arm over his shoulder, suddenly turning serious. "There's one more thing, mini-me."

Haru's face fell, suddenly feeling the worst. "What?"

Leiji sighed. "The elders know about your seal breaking, Haru. They want you to make….a decision."

"What kind of decision?" Haru asked suspiciously.

"Well, you have two choices," Hachi began. "You can either have the seal put back on, or you can learn to use it, to fight with it…the elders seem to think it would be an excellent asset to the village."

Haru frowned, staring down at the objects in her hands. "But…I made those guys kill each other. I didn't even do anything. I just thought about it and it…it happened. I don't want to be able to do that…"

"So you think you want to get it sealed again?" Leiji asked, and when Haru nodded she added, "It'll hurt. A lot."

"I don't care," Haru replied, pushing his palm into the middle of his forehead. "What I can do can really hurt people…I don't want that kind of power. So, I want to get it sealed, and fast."

"All right," Leiji agreed, breathing a sigh of relief. "I'll let the elders know then."

"Well what do you know," Hachi smirked. "It seems that all is right with the world!"

"Dramatic as always," Leiji muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes as she stood.

"I'm just trying to spice things up!" Hachi defended himself, standing as well and pulling Haru to his feet. "Come on, mini-me, let's go home!"

"Okay," Haru agreed, a smile touching at his lips as he hugged the shoebox to his chest. And as he walked between his parents on the path home, he really did feel like all was right with the world.

And there you have it! Finally the series ends! I'm really going to miss writing this… But I hope everyone enjoyed! I'll continue to update "Piece by Piece" as I randomly get inspired (which happens a lot), so keep checking there for more of the next generation of Uchiha's!

As always, you guys are awesome. Thank you for supporting me through this (longer than intended) project. Your reviews really encouraged me to just keep writing!

You're the best!