An Illusion
He looks at her and then, he looks at him. He sees her belly and he knows what it means. Next to her is him, smiling and holding her hand. They look happy; they look like they have everything in the world.
And, he should be happy for them, he is his friend after all. Friends are happy for their friends when they have a child on the way. Friends aren't envious or jealous of their wives. Friends don't curse fate, and love, and whatever reason why between them is not working, will never work; just because they are both men and because he couldn't ever give him what he needs; a child, a legacy, an heir.
He betters his mask; he makes it look whole again; and, he smiles with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. He congratulates them while his heart is breaking, hurting more than it ever hurt before. He feels this sickening feeling in his chest, and he is ashamed that it hurts more now than when his own flesh and blood died. It is pathetic really, and the pieces of his soul are dieing; but he still smiles even if he doesn't know where the strength for pretending comes from.
He knows that he will fix this, make a new world; the better one; the one where the dreams are real and where it is ok for a boy to love another boy, a world where he will be loved just as much as he loves. It may be an illusion, but it will be as real as possible.
That little thing is what makes him able to take another breath, and it is the only reason why he hadn't slit his own wrists a thousand times over. He nods his head at them, watches her smile and looks at his hand in hers. Tomorrow he will leave in order to start with his plans. He couldn't possibly live another day here; he couldn't possibly see them happy one more time.
And, as he walks away, he sees blurry images through his beautiful eyes. And, he doesn't realize that he is the blindest man alive. He doesn't know that a boy who threw rocks with him on the riverside loved him just as much, cared just as much, would give anything, even his own life if he would simply ask.
He walks away and doesn't realize that the baby in the woman's belly exists just because of the jutsu that allowed her to look like him, and he doesn't know that his friend and Mito Uzumaki don't even talk when not pretending to be a Hokage and his wife. He doesn't know that the woman is more jealous of him than he will ever be of her; because, his friend's heart has always belonged to him since they were just two boys who didn't know each other's name. The tears are leaking thru his eyes, the same eyes he is so proud of and he doesn't realize that those eyes are simply blind and unable to see what is right in front of him.
The illusions are unnecessary, unneeded. The love they have is real, even if the fate is laughing at them. If he were to turn around and to look at his friend right now, he would see the same crying and blind eyes under the cracking mask. But he doesn't turn away; instead he turns on the sharingan and looks at the moon. He will cast an illusion on that same moon and even if it is just made up, it won't matter. All he wants is one kiss, one hug, and one "I love you" whispered with the first light.