She Has Your Smile
By: Regina Guthrie
He stood there without a sound as he peered into the small window before him, a smirk planted on his face as his sad eyes scanned the scene before him. He could hear her giggles and small whispers as the man laying beside her only grunted, trying to hold back his smirk as he snuggled his nose into the bare skin of her neck. They were happy; he was happy.
His eyes drifted to the two small children planted on the ground, laughing and playing with the youngest ones new toys she had just received. The little pink and black haired adorable little girl's birthday was today. She had just turned three and was all to excited about it. Her brother, who took on the appearance of his father, only grinned at his smaller sister as she began to stack her blocks.
A gust of cool spring breeze blew over him, swishing his black cape around him as his dark bangs began to move across his forehead. It had been forever since he had seen his brother. He missed him, there was no doubt about it. Sometimes he wished he could just knock on the door and walk back into Sasuke's world. But just to know he was happy was enough to keep him from trying to press back into his younger brothers life. Sasuke had found the love he needed in these three small people who meant to world to him, as he meant the world to them as well.
His smirk widened as he gaze shifted back to the couple cuddled closely on the couch. He watched as Sasuke's mouth moved in a whisper, not even an inch away from his pink haired wife's ear. Her cheeks turned pink as her emerald orbs widened and she slapped his upper arm playfully before whispering one word to him. Sasuke smirked, kissing her chin softly before looking at the two little babies playing on the floor. Itachi smirked.
He had probably suggested another one. And his wife must have called him a pervert right after. But what did she expect? He wanted to restore the Uchiha clan. She had to have known that two children wasn't all she would be having. Itachi shook his head in amusement. Of course she knew, she just didn't care. She loved his younger brother with everything, even he knew and could see that.
He turned back to the little girl who started to giggle loudly while pulling her small body off the ground. Itachi watched as she ran unevenly over to her father, planting a kiss on his cheek as he took to opportunity to snuggle his nose into her neck causing the baby girl to squeal and pull away with a goofy grin on her face. Her mother just laughed, reaching out and running her fingers through the little girls ringlets, whispering something lovingly to her.
It wasn't long until the little Sasuke-look-a-like ran over to them, begging of attention too. His father only smirked before poking him in the forehead as his older brother used to do to him as a child. His mother only smiled while pulling her son closer, planting a kiss on his cheek. Itachi gazed at them longingly. How he wished he could be apart of that. To be able to celebrate his nieces birthday with his brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew.
He gazed at them as the little girl only smiled and said something to her parents before running out of the room. Itachi watched her until she was out of sight. He loved that little girl to death. Sayuri. Sayuri Uchiha meant the world to him. That little girl who he hardly ever got to see was his everything. Her smile warmed him and her laughs made him feel happy.
"Ichi!" A squeal came from behind him. A smirk overtook his features as he noticed the small voice. She had figured out his presence faster this time. Much faster. He turned around to face the little pink and black haired child who smiled up at him with gleaming eyes that looked just like her mothers. "Me knew you'd come!" She squealed again, running towards him.
"I always do." Itachi whispered back as he scooped the child into his arms. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she held onto him with all her strength. Her warmth radiated off her body and collided with his. This little child made him feel like he had a reason to be in the world, just as his brother made him feel a long time ago. She was his family. The only piece of family that was left and didn't hate him... yet.
"Addy got me a dolly! With black hair like yours!" She told him happily, pulling away to look at him with a smile. Itachi chuckled before pressing his forehead to hers.
"Oh wow. How could I ever compare to that?" He teased, kissing her cheek as she giggled.
"You always do! Me love your presents!" She squealed happily while pulling back and planting a small kiss on his forehead. Itachi stared at her seriously in deep thought. He absorbed her presents and the look on her features as she stared back at him. She knew he was thinking and she wasn't going to bother interrupting him. He did this every time he came to visit her.
"You know you look just like your mother." He whispered out. A goofy smile over took the young child's face as she nodded. Everyone told her that. It wasn't a normal day unless someone told her that. "A lot fail to see that you look like your father too. I can see it." Itachi announced, still scanning her features. Sayuri looked at him in confusion. No one had ever said that before.
"Really?" She asked in disbelief. Itachi nodded.
"No one is able to tell now because Sasuke is different then he used to be. But every time you smile or laugh I see him as a younger child in you. Everyone might think you have your mothers smile, but they obviously haven't seen your fathers. You have his smile." Itachi smirked as he watched her huge emerald eyes sparkle as she smiled widely.
"Really?! Everyone says Ryu only has addy's looks." She looked at him is disbelief, causing the man before her to chuckle. He shook his head. Ryu was the spitting image of Sasuke but his daughter had him in her too. No matter what anyone said, it was the truth.
"Like I said, people probably haven't seen your dad smile before. Ryu looks just like him, but he has your mothers smile. I can't see Sasuke in his smile at all. You, my dear, have your fathers smile." Itachi assured her. She giggled in happiness. It was no lie that Sayuri wished she had something of her fathers like Ryu did. And now that Itachi had told her she did, she was on cloud nine.
"Oh! Look! Me learned how to do it like you teached me!" The child squealed at him, closing her eyes and reopening them. Itachi's eyes widened as his eyes met with red. Sayuri's eyes weren't green, but red now. She had learned how to activate the sharingan and was quiet pleased about it. Itachi was too. He had tried to teach her it the last time he had come to visit, but she couldn't grasp it.
"Wow. How long have you been able to do that?" He asked in amusement as his niece giggled. She tapped her chin slightly with her pointer finger but then through three fingers into his face.
"Three months! A week after you last came." She told him. Itachi smirked at her with an impressed look on his face. One week after he had tried to teach it to her and she had grasped it. She was truly an Uchiha. No doubt about it.
"Can Ryu do it yet?"
"Yea, he learned a month before me. Addy hasn't tried to teach it to me yet. He too busy with Ryu." She explained, looking down a bit with sadness but then quickly covered it up. Itachi caught it instantly though.
"It's okay. When your Ryu's age, he'll teach you stuff. He'd be very impressed if you showed him what you could do though." Itachi offered his words to the girl. He watched a smile over take her features as she nodded. She was happy again. He hated it when she was sad. It meant her smile wasn't real, which meant the world had stopped.
"I love you, Ichi." She murmured while laying her head down on his shoulder, lacing her fingers into the hair that was trapped in his ponytail. Itachi glanced down at the small girl and smiled.
"I love you too. But I must go. I think your dad has figured out you were taking too long." He whispered, glancing towards the window only to watch as his younger brother climbed off the couch and started to make a move in the direction his daughter had went. Sayuri looked up at him with sad eyes, but nodded. She knew he couldn't stay. He had told her why a hundred times. Her father hated him because he destroyed everything he loved. But for good reasons.
Itachi would never understand how such a Small child had enough smarts to understand everything he had ever told her. She was never confused about any of it. All he did was explain it to her once and she knew. She understood. She was truly a smart child. She never once brought it up to her parents, knowing that she wasn't allowed to know.
Itachi gently set the girl to her feet and kissed her forehead gently. He was going to miss her dearly. He pulled something out of his pocket and smiled down at her as his hand cradled a small necklace with the Uchiha fan charm hanging around the chain, made of diamonds and stones.
"This was my mothers, Sayuri. I was supposed to give this to my lover before I murdered the clan. But as I can see, you are the only one I love enough to give it to. Maybe not as a lover, but as the only family I have." He whispered to her, hooking the necklace around her neck gently. He watched the little girl look down at it and smile with happiness.
"It's so pretty! Thank you Ichi!" She squealed while running to him, hugging him for the last time until they met again. Itachi chuckled, but wrapped her small body in his arms. She was so small and cute. He drew back, offering her a smile once more.
"I love you. Until next time." And he was gone. Sayuri stood there, smiling at the empty spot before her. He was gone but she was happy he had came. She twiddled the small pendent between her fingers as she gazed into the night.
"Sayuri Uchiha! What are you doing out here?!" Her fathers Stern yet concerned voice rang out to her. She twirled around, the smile still intact as she gazed up at him with her red eyes, taking her father by surprise.
"Me sorry. Me won't do it again." She told him sweetly before skipping past him and about to enter the house when he grabbed her upper arm, pulling her to him. She stared up at him in shock as he knelt down to her level.
"How'd you learn to use the sharingan?" He whispered to her. She was so young and yet she had it perfectly. Not a sprinkle of green in her eyes. She had perfect control over it. But he hadn't showed her how to use it. She couldn't have learned it on her own. He watched his daughter squirm under his gaze, trying to think up a lie and he knew all to well that the truth was going to be hard to get out of her.
It wasn't until she shifted slightly, causing the light from the house to hit the pendent at a certain angle, did he notice the necklace laced around her neck as it shined brightly. His eyes widened. That had belonged to his mother a long time ago. She had given it to Itachi months before he had destroyed everything. But how did Sayuri get it?
"Where'd you get this?" He whispered to her as his fingers grasped the Uchiha fan between his fingers as he examined it. He looked up at his daughter as she just looked back at him. Her eyes had returned to there green form and she was staring at him.
"Why don't you ever smile?" She whispered, looking down at the pendent that was cradled in his fingers. Sasuke's eyes widened as he looked at her.
"What are you talking about?" He whispered back. Taking his free hand to lift her chin softly so their eyes made contact. Sayuri shrugged.
"Me have your smile. But you don't ever use yours so everyone thinks me have Ommy's smile." She told him with hurt eyes. Sasuke rose an eyebrow. Where in the world did she get that from? Sure, he and Sakura knew she had his smile but no one else did. They decided to let people say and think what they wanted. What did it matter who's smile the little girl had, as long as they both knew she was theirs?
"Sayuri, who told you that?" He asked her in disbelief. He was getting angry. His little girl was communicating with someone he didn't know about. And that someone knew a lot about him and the Uchiha's. And honestly, if Sasuke had to guess who it was, he was pretty sure he had an idea on that someones name.
"No one important." Was her response as she smiled sadly up at him.
"Itachi's been talking to you." It wasn't a questioned, it was a fact. Sayuri looked up at her father, her mouth a gap. She couldn't believe he guessed so easily! And he looked so sure! "Sayuri, there is a reason that I made sure you and Ryu weren't any where's near him!" Her father scolded, trying to get a hold of the necklace around her neck but she only squirmed away.
"No! Ichi gave me this!" She squealed, trying to fight back her fathers hands. Sasuke's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.
"Sayuri Uchiha! I do not want you communicating with him!" His voice rose as he glared at the child who had tears prickling her eyes.
"He did it for you!" She screeched, causing her father to freeze. He glanced down at his daughter with wide eyes, taken aback by her words. What was she talking about? "He killed the clan cause they would have started a war with Kohona! And if that happened everyone would be gone. You wouldn't have been safe. So he was told to kill the clan by Kohana and he did, but he made them promise not to hurt you." She murmured, gripping her necklace tighter in her balled up fist.
"That's not true, Sayuri." His eyes were empty and his face blank. When the child before him looked at him, she froze and her eyes widened. The frown on his face only grew and his eye brows were knitted together as he stared at her and yet, it seemed as if he wasn't looking at her at all. She could tell his mind was racing; trying to find answers. "Go to bed, I'm sorry for raising my voice to you." He whispered to her, gently bending forward and planting a small kiss on her forehead.
Sayuri only smiled at him sadly before nodded and heading inside. The older Uchiha stood there for a moment, staring at the sky as he listened to his daughter close the door behind her as she raced into the house. In his mind he could picture the man he had once looked up to, the man who made him think everyone should have been like him. His welcoming smile, his soft eyes. But it was all a trick. He wanted you to think he was a great guy when, in truth, he was just the opposite.
"You can't have her Itachi." He whispered into the night as the cool breeze whipped over his skin. He continued to stare out into the night. He didn't know how long he stood there, but when a small hand gently settled onto his shoulder, he guessed it had been a while.
"You should come back inside." Her voice whispered out as her fingers danced across his skin soothingly. Sasuke glanced down to the woman before him. Her green eyes twinkling in the moonlight.
"What if he hurts her?" Was his only response. He watched the woman before him shake her head with a small smile.
"If he was seriously going to hurt her, don't you think he would have done it already?" She asked him. "Don't you think if he was planning on hurting her he would have done it when she had gotten lost in the woods two years ago? He brought her home remember?" She whispered, leaning towards her husband and placing a kiss on his shoulder tenderly.
"That doesn't mean he won't hurt her Sakura." Sasuke countered, placing an unsure arm around his wife's waist, pulling her to him. She giggled before shaking her head again, causing the man before her to glare at her. "It's not funny. I'm being serious."
"When are you ever not serious?"
"hn." Was his reply as he pulled her closer.
"He won't hurt her because you won't let him." When the words left her lips, she watched as the man before her let a smile slip up, but only for a matter of seconds before it disappeared. Sakura giggled before reaching up, kissing him softly on the lips.
"She truly has your smile."