Who Said Idiots Can't Be Decent Parents?

"One Late Night."

If I owned Naruto, it would be as sappy as this story.

A/N: Sooo while I was getting busy in trying to write up the next chapters of the stories that still needed to be finished (LIES), this story came at me and wouldn't let me go on until I wrote this one. Enjoy!

Naruto sighed, rubbing the back of his neck in order to fix a sore. Lately, he's been staying late at work, bombarded with paperwork and mission reports, even with his Kage Bunshins' help. As the Hokage he had to look through every single one of them, as much as he died a little every time he touched one, since his assistant had gotten out a few years back.

He stood in front of his house in an instant after he made just one hand sign. After a few couple nights of reading through old material, he had learned his father's famous technique, the Flash Step. Naruto opened the door as quietly as he could and slipped in, locking the door behind him as soon as he stepped in, kicking off his shoes.

"I'm home." He whispered to the dark before he flipped a nearby lamp on.

The house was silent, a lonely feeling gnawing at him. The dim lighting made him aware of the emptiness of the living room he had just entered. His family was probably all fast asleep by now. They always were when he came back home. In fact, he rarely saw them. When he comes home, they're all sleeping. When he wakes up, they all have gone to their places to go that day.

"Welcome home." A voice startled him, his hand immediately readied a kunai he hid in his sleeves.

He turned to see his wife by the doorway leading to the stairways just in time before he threw the kunai her direction. "You guys aren't asleep?"

Hinata shrugged, shifting the two children in her arms, which Naruto hadn't noticed earlier. "Had a feeling you were coming home."

He walked over to the three and gave them each a peck on the forehead. "I haven't seen you guys in a while."

"A whole week's worth." Hinata sighed, giving a small smile, motioning for him to follow her. "And let me tell you, a really troublesome one at that."

"Why?" Naruto wrapped an arm around her waist as they made their way upstairs. When Hinata didn't answer, he furrowed his brows. "Hina?"

Hinata just continued in giving him a smile. They were finally upstairs where all the bedrooms were located. She walked to the joined room of her two other children. "She's why."

Naruto followed the direction Hinata had jutted her chin out and saw his seven year old daughter bouncing on the bed.

"Daddy's home!" She squealed, jumping of the bed and ran to him.

"Hey!" Naruto opened his arms and caught her in a hug, picking her off the ground. "Nice to see you awake, my little Kanon."

Surprisingly, Naruto was met by a soft punch on his chest.

His daughter looked angrily at him. "Daddy's mean! You're always sleeping when I see you! Why do you have to go away for a long time and get yourself tired?"

Naruto gave a laugh and kissed her forehead. "Daddy's sorry, but it's his job."

"I'm mad at you, but I still like you." Kanon huffed, crossing her arms.

Naruto ruffled her newly chopped hair styled in a hairstyle most children had to go through sometime in their life. (A bob.) "We have to be quiet for a few minutes while Mommy puts your twin brothers to sleep, okay?"

Kanon gave a mock salute. "Roger! You can count on me!"

"What happened to the quiet part?" Naruto gave a playful frown.

"Whoops!" Kanon covered her mouth with her hands and was shaking, obviously trying to silence her laughter.

Hinata began humming and rocking the babies while Kanon and Naruto pulled out a game in a means to make Kanon quiet down for a bit while Hinata was putting the babies to sleep.

"She's hard to put to sleep and always distracting the boys." Hinata said before she went to the nursery to drop off the now asleep babies. "Especially Nanaki."

As if on cue, his first son came out of his room, shyly making his way to him.

"Hey there champ!" Naruto stood and scooped him up with his free arm, since Kanon decided to climb him like a tree to be held in his other, and also pecked his forehead. "I missed you guys so much!"

Nanaki stayed silent as he avoided his father's eyes, his light blue Hyuuga eyes blinking constantly.

Hinata shut the door quietly behind her and smiled at the nostalgic scene. "And we did also."

Naruto walked over and leaned down kissing his wife on the lips softly, but quickly to the point it wasn't even considered a peck. He then turned and went to the children's bedrooms. "Go and rest, I'm going to put them to sleep."

"But you must be exhausted from all your Hokage matters, Naruto, I can—!" Hinata frowned a bit.

"It's no biggie." Naruto winked at her. "I'll be joining you later."

Hinata sighed, seeing that Naruto was already dead set with what he wanted to do. "You have till ten-thirty."

"Just enough time." Naruto disappeared inside the older children's room. "Now who wants to hear a story?"

"And so I kicked his butt so hard that he stopped terrorizing people!" Naruto made a crashing noise with his mouth and waved his arms overdramatically. He was finally finished with another of his tall tales, staring him as the hero who awesomely kicked villain butt.

"Wow! Dad's a hero!" Nanaki marveled, causing Naruto to grin, finally getting his son to break from his shell a bit with him. He really was such a gentle boy.

"If you're a hero that must mean you weren't afraid, since heroes aren't afraid of anything!" Kanon hugged her pillow and leaned forward. She sat crossed legged on the top bunk of the beds.

Naruto laughed, tucking in Nanaki who had begun to rub his eyes. "Ha ha, no, that's not true. I was scared for my life!"

"What? No way!" Kanon frowned, her eyes disappointed.

"It's true!" Naruto looked up and found himself amused by her expression.

"But you beat him up!" Kanon punched at the pillow. "You kicked his butt good!"

Naruto smiled softly as his actions in tucking in his son slowed. "Everyone has a fear, Kanon."

"Even you?" Nanaki timidly asked, his eyes clearly getting heavy.

"Yes, even me." Naruto tried to keep himself from yawning just after he had seen Nanaki yawn. "You see, the thing that makes somebody a hero is the fact that they overcome their fears."

"How do they do that?" Kanon stopped punching the pillow and looked at her father curiously.

Naruto got a hold of the pillow in her grasp and placed it on its rightful spot. He then tapped on his daughter's forehead with his fore and middle finger. "They gather enough courage and will to face their fears head on."

"Like Mommy did when she jumped in front of the enemy to save you?" Kanon asked as she complied with Naruto making her lay down.

Naruto lifted the covers and placed it on his daughter. "Yeah like that—hey, wait, how'd you hear about that?"

"Sakura-oba-chan." Kanon yawned, making Naruto yet again try to keep himself from yawning. "She said that everyone was afraid to go help you in the battlefield and out of nowhere, Mommy jumped in to help you."

"Huh," Naruto tucked the covers under her form, clearly remembering the incident and not really saying much about it. "Well, it's time to sleep."

"Hey, daddy?" Kanon said quickly, just right after he had spoken.

"Yes?" Naruto walked to the table and grabbed their nightlight, plugging it into an outlet. He then flipped on, walking towards the light switch

Kanon looked at the ceiling, basking the light before the lights were turned off. "What's your fear?"

"Uh, that's—!" Naruto halted and began to think. What am I afraid of?

"I'm scared of bad people." Kanon interrupted him as she shuffled in her bed in an effort to look at him.

Naruto halted before he switched the lights off, the nightlight's dim glow being the only source of light in the room. He turned to look at his children and gave a sigh. Nanaki was already asleep.

"Now that I told you what I'm afraid of, you have to tell me your fear!" Kanon yawned yet again.

"So that's how it is!" Naruto could tell she was getting sleepy. He walked over to her and lowered his voice. "Between you and me, I'm scared of Mommy when she's moody."

"I heard you!" Hinata's muffled voice called out.

Naruto gave a half smile to his daughter. "See what I mean?"

Kanon giggled at her father. "She is pretty scary, but not that scary! Daddy's such a wimp!"

"Not too!" Naruto mocked a shocked face.

"Yeah you are!" Kanon continued to giggle. "A really big one!"

Naruto pretended to be offended, though he was a bit. "Not even!"

"Scaredy wimp!" Kanon smirked as she gave her father a sleepy smug look.

"I am not a—!" Naruto began but was cut off.

"Naruto! Just put her to bed!" Hinata ordered, making sure that she wasn't that loud but still able to be heard.

"Well, have to go now, good night!" Naruto said in a rush, knowing that Hinata was cranky.

"Night, daddy." Kanon struggled to take her arms out of the blanket, letting them get air. "I love you, mommy!"

"Love you too, baby." They heard a muffled reply.

"What? No love for the father?" Naruto raised a brow.

"I love you too." Kanon stuck her tongue out.

Naruto gave a soft smile and leaned down, kissing her forehead. He did the same to Nanaki before he walked out of the room. "Sweet dreams."

Naruto entered the master bedroom and navigated himself in the dark to the bed where his wife lay.

"Is she finally put to sleep?" A mutter came as soon as he bumped softly to the mattress.

"Tucked in to the point where the blanket is like a straitjacket." Naruto began to take of his jacket.

"That's hazardous! What if she chokes?" Hinata bolted up, startling Naruto.

He laughed, putting his jacket on the corner of the bed. "Relax. You're being too paranoid! I was just playing around."

Through the crack in the curtains, moonlight seeped in, allowing Naruto to see Hinata glaring at him a bit before she laid back down. "You don't play around with mother, especially ones that recently gave birth."

Naruto finally got in the bed and under the covers, grabbing his wife in an embrace, his arms encircled on her shoulder area. "Well I'm sorry."

"With that being said, we better stop at four." Naruto froze at that statement not just because of what she said, but how she said it, and began to snicker.

"I thought Hinata-chan liked having big families." Naruto poked at her cheek, which she swatted angrily at. "Besides, it's out of my control, y'know. It depends on you also."

"Just go to sleep. You must be exhausted." Hinata sighed, simply putting her hands on the forearms of Naruto that were squeezing her shoulders.

"Good night, Hinata-chan" Naruto murmured as he nuzzled her hair, trying to get comfortable.

"Night." She yawned and closed her eyes.

After a week of staying up late in trying to put all her children to sleep, Hinata was finally sleeping earlier than normal, and as a bonus, with her husband on the same bed rather than waking up and finding him sprawled all over the couch in the morning.

Just as sleep was going to take a grasp of her, Hinata was awoken.

"Hey, Hinata?" Naruto shook her a bit.

"Whaaat?" Hinata asked, irritated.

Naruto slowly asked, as if he were choosing each and every word carefully. "What are you afraid of?"

Hinata grumbled, her eyes not even open. "Naruto, if I answer, will you sleep?"

"Whatever you say, love." Naruto chuckled. Hinata could feel his breath hit her ear.

She opened her eyes, glancing to her side and caught sight of her husband's yellow locks. "I'm afraid of the same thing you are."

"Ghosts? Really?" Hinata felt his smile come on.

"No, Naruto-kun, losing our family."

There was a pause, and Hinata felt the smile grow small. He shuffled a bit, loosening his grip before he answered. "You're right."

The way he had said it made Hinata feel guilty. She gave a final sigh and tiredly said, "Now go to sleep. You need to rest."

"Just one more thing." Naruto sounded as if he was pleading.

"What is it now?" Hinata inwardly groaned.

Naruto tightened his hold on her, bringing her closer to him. "I just wanted to say that I love you very much."

"Mmmn, I can't live without you either." Hinata mumbled, giving a smile when she felt the kiss on her cheek.

Her voice suddenly became serious, the smile gone from her face, the sweet and pleasant mood from earlier was long gone. "Now seriously, go to sleep."

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