THE LAST SMILE

It all happened in a hut in the forest near a beautiful large prairie that seemed always green all the time except in the winter. The hut is where the lovebirds lived for a quite while to avoid any contact with other people, especially to avoid Kisame as the Blue Shark-like man was his partner and the other members of Akatsuki. Itachi would always say that he had to spend the night somewhere else, not in the Base of Akatsuki. After all, Kisame wouldn't be bothered even though he had a little curious that grew up inside his head when The Uchiha told him about this for the first time. As time goes by and Itachi did this every time they had done their missions, Kisame understood and just let him, not even bothered to ask once. The other members noticed this but they didn't give a damn as they had their own partner as well. So no body knows the Prodigy of The Uchiha had a lover.

She had found out his truth, a miserable and horrible truth about his past. He told her about the deadly plans his family had planned to do with The Hidden Leaf Village, The Akatsuki Organization he joined as a cover, his disease that had been eaten him from the inside, and his beloved otouto, Sasuke Uchiha.

It was just another beautiful night when she had been waiting him for so long because of his mission. He hadn't come back for about six weeks and she started to feel worry although she knew that he was so strong no one could beat him. When she saw him through the window approached the hut, she almost cried as he was still alive. She ran quickly, opened the door and ran to him and hugged him, tightly as tears finally streaming down her cheeks. She wrapped her hands around his neck, and buried her face on his neck and while he wrapped his hands around her body and buried his face in her soft long hair. Neither he nor she said anything for a quite while. They just held each other tightly as they were afraid they would be separated. After couple minutes, she stepped back and held his hands, they walked hand in hand to the prairie.

After they reached the shaded spot under a big yew which was their favorite spot, they laid there with the beautiful girl on his chest. He stroked her head gently as she caressed his upper body through his black shirt. She had stopped her crying and just enjoying every minute, no, every second she had with him. They enjoyed this starry night when the moon shone softly and the stars twinkled on the sky, and the wind would pass their faces and hair, blew up fallen leafs. Everything seemed to be perfect.

Minutes passed and none of them said something. But they already knew they missed each other, too much. A thought crossed her mind as she remembered the last day they laid together like this, on the same prairie and the same tree, only one thing that always change everyday, their love. It grew up, getting stronger and stronger everyday, even every time. She remembered when he took her here for the first time and her surprise when she saw this beautiful, lovely prairie. She remembered when she walked hand in hand with him, crossed the grass to reach his favorite that soon became their favorite spot. She remembered when they reached the tree and he smiled to her so gently while staring into her eyes. She just stared back into those dark eyes, amazed by his gentle face, and unable to say a single word. She melted under his loving stare. Unable to move or say something she saw his face getting close to her. Her heart beat twice faster as she felt his lips touched hers. She closed her eyes slowly as she felt his warm mouth kissed her tenderly. He held her waist and pulled her body closer to him. She brought her hands slowly and wrapped it around his neck. Their kiss getting deeper each time as wind passed them blew out dandelions. That was their first kiss. The most beautiful memory they had with each other.

"My love… Honey…?" a soft undertone voice blew out her thoughts.

"Oh. Yes, my dear…?" she subconsciously answered him.

"Are you okay? You're crying" he said as he sat up with worried look on his face. Quickly she brought her palm to touch her cheeks and felt tears had streamed down her cheeks.

"I… I'm okay. I just… I just remember our first kiss…" she said with a blush and shy smile sat on her face. He smiled back at her. But soon, his smiled turned into sad face he hardly hid it.

She noticed and asked him, "Hey, is there something wrong?" Itachi just looked down on the grass beneath them, not daring to look into her dark brown eyes.

"I… I have… something…to tell you…" he said with a doubt voice in it. This isn't like him, she thought. He had never been sounded doubt before. This is the first time and she was so curious.

"Then tell me, my dear…" she cupped one of his cheeks.

He stared into her eyes. His staring is kind of...different, she thought. He leaned against the tree trunk and let out a tiring sigh. He gestured her to lean against his chest and she did, feeling warm between his chest and his arms.

"Hikari…" he started. She looked up at him.

"I have to go…tomorrow", he finished his words.

She sat upright no longer leaned against his chest and opened her mouth to say but nothing came out of her pink lips. Her eyes shaded with sadness, and a slight of anger.

"The time has come. This is the time when I have to fulfill my destiny to my otouto" he continued without hesitation. She said nothing, only stared.

"Hikari, my love… I'm so sorry" he pleaded as he cupped her face with his large palm. She looked down but her mind wasn't there.

She remembered that day, the day when he told her about his truth, the day when her heart fell into pieces, the day when she couldn't do anything but crying, and the day when she had to let him go already. And now, this is the day, when she had to face the reality, the reality she knew she had to face since that day. This is the day when she had practice her heart to be faced. She came back to reality as she felt one hand caressed her cheek. He looked up at him with an unpredictable expression. She smiled so beautifully at him.

He himself was shocked by the expression she showed him but he kept it inside his heart. "Itachi, do you know how much I love you…" "Yes, I know, Hi…" his words were cut by a soft finger of Hikari on his mouth, told him not to cut her words. "Hush. I love you too Itachi, so much. You knew it. And…And if this is what you want to do, what you have to do, I already knew this is the best for you. You've told me, Itachi, long time ago. And I'm ready for this Itachi…because I love you" she finished her words. He couldn't say anything. He just stared at her lovely eyes, and his mouth slightly opened because of his shock. The tears welled in their eyes. Even though she said it with smile, their heart broke into pieces. The tears never rolled down on their cheeks as they went deeper into each other's eyes, sinking down into each other's eyes. Slowly but sure they closed the gap between them. The kiss was deep and meaningful. She lifted up her hands and wrapped it around his neck as he held her waist and her neck tighter. Finally, the tears streamed down their faces. They could feel their tears, washing their entangled mouth.

"I love you, my Hikari…" he mumbled between their kiss.

"I love you too, my Itachi…"

And the true darkness claimed once again at the end of the day.

The following day…

The sun came too fast for them this morning. The sunshine slipped inside from the window and washed over her face while she was sleeping peacefully. He woke up, slowly opened his eyes and sat on the bed. They were fully naked beneath their blanket. He remembered what happened last night and smiled softly. He turned his head and looked down on his now mate and unable to say something as the sun shone her face in the most lovely way. Her sweet young face illuminated in yellow crystal morning color, made her face looked like had its own light. Her naked body covered in same blanket from her chest to knee. She had her hands on either side of her head. She looked like an angel and he thanked for he had her as her mate, no, partner of his life. He brought his finger to her face and brushing it slowly across her jaw line softly. He leaned down to kiss her on the cheek lightly because he afraid that he might woke her up. He closed his eyes as he felt his lips touched her silky skin. After a moment, she finally woke up as she felt something on her cheek. She realized it and smiled. Itachi lifted his head and looked at her smiling face. He smiled back at her. He stroked her strands over her face behind her ear, "Good morning…" "Morning…" she sounded like mumbled, still in the middle of slumber and conscious but he without fail caught her word.

She lifted up her slight body and sat on the bed, making the blanket fell of her upper body and pooled on her slim waist. Her supple body now visible to anyone, anything in that room, even the sun that shone her body seemed jealous of her velvet skin because of her body seemed glowed underneath morning sun. Her long black silky hair framed her face and some strands covered her eyes. She looked like hadn't notice that her naked body visible to him. While she smiled at him lovely, he looked at her, with his eyes open wide, heart beat faster and stunned. What is this man in front of me doing? She thought and giggled. She realized that her naked body visible to him, what she didn't realize is the way he would react. They had seen each other's body naked and he looked funny on that expression. She chuckled loudly and it made him out of his stunning. "Oh boy, what did you just think about?" she asked between her laughing. He looked embarrassed, no flushed crossed his face but he joined her to laugh at himself. "I was just thinking about you, cupcake" he finally stated in between joking and serious tone. She crawled onto him and made him laid his back on the headboard behind him. He covered their exposed bodies with the blanket. He buried his face in her hair while his hands wrapped around her body and stroked her back and arms. She buried her face in his chest and wrapped her small palm around his muscular body. The silence was the only thing in that room for about five minutes. It was just that they both had everything now, someone to be loved, in their arms.

"The time has come, I have to go", that same words he had told her yesterday slipped out of his mouth once again, and broke the silence for a moment.

But now after that words slipped out of his mouth it made the solitude got more in their way. It sounded like it was a curse words that would silence anything in this world. She stared blankly into the space. He glanced down on her face and he saw nothingness, nothing left in her brownies color eyes. He caressed her back, "Love…," he called her and got her back to earth. She gave him unreadable look and brought her body sat upright, eye level with him. She brought her palms to each side of his face and brought it close to her, slowly she covered his lips with her own pink tender ones. He returned the kiss shakily and buried his hands on the silky black hair. She deepened the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck. After some passionate moment she was the first broke the kiss and stared at him with her hands on his shoulders. He kissed her forehead after nothing happened. She lifted her lithe body off of him and on the floor, picked up her clothes all over the floor and put them on. He lifted himself too and started to pick his own clothes when she grabbed his clothes first and helped him to wear his clothes. He just stood there and watched as she put his Akatsuki cloak on him from behind and after she was finished, they walked to the front door and stepped outside.

The nameless wind blew their hairs; distant sky unfurled its splendor upon them, and the smell of wet grass floating around them. She put her palms on his shoulders as he glanced over his shoulder. She rested her head on his shoulder and let out a heavy sigh as she closed her eyes. He reached a hand and put it on her smaller one as he closed his eyes. This was one of rare time they always searching for, the moment of tenderness. When they could lean into each other and feel the other's breathing, when the time passed through their fingertips and went away, when the cruel world seemed to be fair even only for once, when the nightmare had gone and replaced by sweet dream even if it just an illusion. He was the one broke that last moment by moving his body away from her, let her hands go and then turned around to gaze her face. She stood still, waiting for…anything. He reached out a hand and caressed her cheek with the back of his palm and she leaned into his tender touch.

"Open your eyes…"

"…", she said nothing and held the urge to cry again in front of him. She had to be strong, for herself, for him. She opened her gazed eyes and dark onyxes locked into the brown ones.

"I always love you…"

She wrapped her arms around him firmly and buried her head into his chest in a sudden, but no tears ever rolled down her eyes. He buried his face into her locks, "Tell me that you love me, and I will be okay" he said with heavy breath. She backed away and looked up at his face.

"I always love you too…"

He smiled softly and closed the gap between them, claimed her lips once again in a loving sad kiss. After minute passed, she broke the kiss, reached out a hand and caressed his cheek as she smiled at him. He covered her hand on his cheek with his bigger one, and put it down on her side, caressed it.

"Goodbye, my dearest one…"

He said shakily, his body trembled as he let go of her palm.

"Goodbye, my lover…"

He started to step back and then turned around, moving forward to his final destination. He glanced over his shoulder once their distance far enough but not too far as he still could see her standing still. No tears, it's good, he thought as he smiled to her, the smile he only gave to her, the last smile. She smiled back at him as she saw him continued his walking, getting far and far as time passed, and finally his figure was out of her sight. She got down on her knees and the tears broke onto her face.

7 years later…

A young woman knelt down in front of a tomb, a small bright white flower in her grip. The tomb itself situated in the middle of grassland close to an abandoned hut, pink and white flowers grew randomly all over the ground. She leaned down and placed the flower on the tombstone along with her eye drop that accidently fell off her eyes. She caressed the tombstone with her fingertips.

"I miss you, Itachi…so much" she whispered shakily, her body trembled slightly.

"…mmy…" a voice heard by her ears. She didn't recognize it as it was only an unclear voice, but she reflexively wiped away her tears. She looked around and saw no one, then glanced over her shoulder and saw through her slight watery eyes a little boy rushed on his little feet toward her. She smiled happily and turned around, reached out her hands as the little boy approached her. He opened her hands and wrapped it around her neck. "Mommy, I was looking for you" the little one said sleepily as he looked up at his mommy. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, you were asleep" she said as she tucked the strands behind his ear. She lifted him up and carried him like every mother always did. She was just going to turn around when the son asked to stay a little longer in front of the tombstone. She smiled at him and granted his son's request.

"Mom, I miss father…so much" he whispered as he stared at the tomb through his half-lidded eyes. She held back a shock gasp as he heard the words slipped off his son's mouth. She looked away briefly and then to her son. She caressed his smooth cheek and hugged him tighter; the little boy rested his head on her shoulder. "I know, sweetheart, I know. You should tell it to you father, like we always do. He would hear it" she said whilst stroked his back calming his sad son, and more over her self. "Father, I know we've never been met before, because you went to heaven so quickly to protect the village, like mommy said" he started his speech in his kid's tone and she nibbled her bottom lip. "But I know that you were so nice, caring, and brave."Her body little bit tremulous but she kept his gaze to the tomb as she heard the words. "Mommy said that you could see everything from above, so you know everything about me and mommy and everyone. And mommy said that you love me so much even when you're not here right now to say that you love me and mommy. Father, I miss you and I love you…so much" he completed his words as the last word has slipped off of his mouth. She shut tight her mouth and held the urge to cry out. And she made it. She was just going to say something to soothe him when she heard footsteps grazed over the grass approached not too far behind her. She turned her head and her eyes widened in joy as she knew who was coming but said nothing to surprise her son because it seemed that the little boy still didn't notice the figure behind them. A bright smile on her face could be seen by the figure as he came nearer to the mother and the child. He himself smiled a little to her and wave a hand as a greeting but said nothing as if he knew that they wanted to surprise the child. The woman turned her head back and whispered to the child as the figure finally stood about 6 feet behind them.

"Look who is coming…" she whispered calmly in his little ear.

The little boy turned around and his dark brown eyes widened in a cute way as a bright smile appeared on his face, appearing his white teeth. He struggled to get down from her mother's carrying and when his mother put him down he rushed to the smiling man the moment his feet hit the ground. He ran on his little feet to the man as he reached out his hands.

"Uncle Sasuke!"

The man knelt down and opened up his hand when the boy reached him, then wrapped his hand around the small body as the boy wrapped his little arms around his neck.

"It's been a long time, Itachi. You've grown up…" the man known as Sasuke said in his deep tone to the boy's ear. The boy released his arm around his neck and looked at his uncle. "Of course I've grown up, Uncle. I have same name as my father, so I have to be very strong like him too…" he pouted in his kid way and made the man chuckled. "Of course you are. You will become a very strong and brave man like your father" he inspired the little boy. And someday you will come to defeat me. He thought. Sasuke rose to his feet and lifted the boy to carry him. "Oh, you're much heavier since the last time we met. I couldn't carry you anymore soon" he said in a kidding protest tone. "Hehehe… I told you I've become stronger. And someday, I will defeat you, Uncle…" the boy said and giggled. Sasuke gazed at his nephew's face, so innocent and so pure. Yes, you will. He thought as he came to stand beside the woman.

"It's been a long time, Hikari."

"Yes, it is, Sasuke."

Sasuke leaned down to pick up a small white flower and put it on the tomb and caressed it with his palm while still carrying the little boy then stood again beside the long haired woman. She glanced up at the taller man beside her and smiled softly at him. Whilst his left hand carrying the little boy, he reached up his free hand to the woman and she came closer to him and into his warm embrace but never left her gaze to the tombstone of her lover as he put his hand on her shoulder.

"I miss you, Itachi-niisan…"

Owari