A/N: This was originally posted on tumblr around a year ago but my blog was purged, so I decided to post it here due to renewed interest. Honestly haven't written anything fanfic-like in almost 10 years. Sorry it is sad and kind of sappy. Thanks for reading!
Like clockwork, you see him sitting there on the stone bench facing the hospital on your way home. He always wears hand knitted sweater vests that even you can tell were made with love. His cane is resting on one side, a bento box in his lap, his lone hand resting on his knee.
And he waits.
Sometimes you see a frazzled nurse come to coax him back to his house. Other times, his gaggle of grandchildren and great-grandchildren cajole him to leave with them. His veteran friends occasionally convince him to come have a bowl of ramen with them. Even the Hokage, will come down from her tower and gently probe her father to return home.
But without fail, the next day he is back.
Old man Uchiha is a controversial figure. Some consider a hero, a legend, a man who sacrificed his family and life for the sake of peace. Others describe him a man of wretched blood. A boogeyman, a ghost, a phantom, the last of a cursed clan.
But when you see the parade of people worrying for the old man, you can't help but find that those rumors seem silly.
You sometimes wave to each other as a greeting in passing, sometimes you exchange pleasantries. But today, feeling more brave than usual, you ask him who he is waiting for.
"My wife." he answers.
Three days later when you ask again, he says "Dr. Haruno."
The next week, he is blushing and states he is waiting for Sakura, his teammate.
A month later, he replies confidently, almost smug, "Sakura Uchiha."
When his escort of the day comes to retrieve him, they thank you for keeping a senile old man company.
As the months wear on and the seasons change, his attendants become more and more concerned. Although his wanderings become less and less frequent, more often than not he is on that stone bench, blurry eyes fixed on the hospital exit, waiting.
He may be old, but he is still a shinobi, he tells you.
One day, you ask him why he waits.
"I have made many mistakes, but she always is waiting for me. She stood by my side and loved me even when I gave her no reason to." he pats the bento box on his lap, which you notice has a more feminine design than you expected, "I just want to be there for her like she is for me."
And you think, ah...how in love they must have been.
On the coldest night in years, a blizzard occurs, covering the world in white. You are on your way home, because your job doesn't care if you live or freeze as long as they turn a profit, when you spot him at his usual spot.
He is wearing layers upon layers of hand knitted sweater vests and a heavy winter cloak. His cane rests one side. A bento box sits in his lap. His lone hand lies on his knee. His hair is dusted with snow and the white piles on his shoulders. How long has he been waiting?
You are frantic. You flag down the nearest ANBU and request that they immediately notify the Hokage, his family, his nurse, his friends...anybody!
The Hokage is in hysterics when she arrives. She is worried. She is enraged.
She screams. She rages. "Do you have any idea how worried we are?!... how worried I am?! What do you think you are doing?!"
So he tells her, "I am waiting for my wife."
And the Hokage looks so sad. She kneels down to his level and grasps his wrinkled hand in hers.
"Oh Papa... Mama passed away last year." she says, "Don't you remember?"
The old man looks so confused. And slowly, clarity returns to his eyes. He crumbles. So heartbroken.
His daughter thanks you and gently guides him back to his empty home.
You don't see him much after that. Then you don't see him at all.
Sasuke Uchiha is buried next to his wife.
Ah… how in love they must have been.