Sasuke continued his calm walking pace towards the house he, his wife and child lived in. He kept walking past the eerily empty houses, almost feeling as if someone or something was watching his thoughtful expression as he walked. He blinked and halted, looking to the side at the house on his right. His eyebrows furrowed and he turned towards the house.
"Makoto?"
The name was whispered softly from the man's lips, the four-year-old boy in question picking that moment to walk out of the house calmly. He beamed when he caught sight of the adult who had his arms open invitingly.
"Daddy!"
Sasuke smiled and knelt down slightly to pick his son up and hold him to his chest, standing up straight again and pinning his gaze to the small child in his arms.
"Makoto, what were you doing in there?"
"W-Well..."
He raised an eyebrow at the clearly embarrassed child.
"You wouldn't believe me daddy."
"Where on earth did you get that idea from? Try me."
Sasuke smiled softly at his beloved child and looked nostalgically to the house, before his onyx gaze slid to his son again.
"Well...I thought I saw someone outside of it, but he walked in before I could even say hello! I followed him in because he left the door open, but...I couldn't find him after that! It's like he vanished!"
"Hm, is that so?"
Sasuke lifted his head and tilted it to the side, staring at the open door of the house.
"I can't imagine why someone would go in that house. What did he look like?"
"Umm...well, gonna sound strange but...I know I've seen him before daddy! Like, in a picture somewhere! He seemed so familiar..."
Sasuke looked down to his son, who was staring at his chest, no doubt lost in thought as he trailed off.
"Do you want to go look for him again?"
Makoto instantly raised his head to look at his father.
"Will you come too, daddy? Maybe he'll come out if you're there!"
Sasuke blinked at his son's logic, but smiled and nodded all the same. He let his son down on the ground again and took his hand as the pair walked into the long-abandoned house.
"He came in here daddy, I know it!"
Sasuke nodded his head, wondering briefly if they would find someone here, or if he was humoring a goose-chase.
"Well midget, where do you think our friend would have gone?"
He smiled down at his son as he raised his head, giggling at the loving nickname.
"I don't know daddy, but you'll find him, no doubt!"
"Oh?"
Sasuke tilted his head to the side as they stopped briefly.
"Yeah! You can do anything!"
Sasuke laughed and picked his son up again, his gaze drifting over the walls he used to call home when Makoto's age.
"Anything, huh? Well I don't know if I'd give your old man that much credit."
"But you can! And you're not old daddy!"
Sasuke laughed again, feeling a strange tingle run up his spine. He ignored it and placed his son back down on the ground, both of them walking to the kitchen and small dining area he remembered.
"I'm glad you think so."
"I came in here first, because I thought if he came in the house he'd be hungry, right? But he wasn't here..."
Sasuke smiled softly at the room, his eyes drifting over every detail. He didn't know why, but he felt he was being watched. He had the strange sensation of eyes digging into his back.
"Well it was a good guess. How about we look elsewhere?"
He looked down at his son as he turned around to say something, but stared wide eyed just past himself. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him.
"What is it?"
"Hello! Daddy, look! It's the man I saw earlier!"
Sasuke blinked and turned to face what was behind him, stilling completely as his eyes landed on a spitting image of his father, his mother right beside him.
"Eh? I didn't see her before daddy. Daddy?"
Makoto looked up at his frozen father, blinking and tilting his head at the sight. He tugged on Sasuke's pant leg, gaining his attention but not his gaze, which stayed fixed on the images of the man and woman in front of them.
"Daddy do you know them?"
Sasuke flinched and closed his eyes momentarily, before opening them with the Sharingan, seeing no chakra signatures in front of him.
"...Yes."
His whisper did not go unnoticed by the three, Makoto tilting his head again at his father's stiff form.
"What's wrong daddy?"
Sasuke deactivated the Sharingan and looked at the smiling woman and the thoughtful man.
"Can you speak?"
As little Makoto was about to ask what he meant, the man gained his attention when he answered his father's query.
"Yes. Sasuke, is that you?"
He stared wide-eyed at the image of the man.
"...Father? How...can this be possible? You have no chakra signature..."
"I don't know either. You shouldn't be able to see us, you never have before."
Sasuke froze completely, his eyes widening at the statement.
"...Before?"
"Daddy!"
Sasuke looked down to his son and blinked, smiling at his confused offspring before kneeling down.
"This is the man you saw before, right?"
"Yeah, but I didn't see her, daddy..."
Sasuke blinked and looked to the woman who also knelt to his son's level.
"Daddy, who are they?"
Sasuke smiled at his son, hiding his amazement as his father actually knelt down beside Sasuke. He felt his father's gaze on him, but didn't say or do anything based on the fact.
"They're...your grandparents, Makoto."
"Ehh!?"
Makoto turned to the two figures now looking at him.
"But...aren't grandma and grandpa supposed to be dead?"
Sasuke sighed and ruffled his son's hair.
"Well, yes. But they're not...alive."
Makoto turned his head to regard his father.
"So they're ghosts then?"
Sasuke smiled, amazed at how logical his son was being with this.
"Yep. Why don't you say hello?"
Makoto fidgeted nervously and clung to Sasuke's chest, his eyes fixed on the figures smiling at him. Sasuke held back his astonishment that his father was actually smiling.
"H-Hello. I'm Makoto Uchiha."
Sasuke smiled at his parents and wrapped his arms around his blushing son.
"Hello, Makoto-kun. I'm Mikoto, and this is Fugaku."
The woman kindly smiled at the small boy and nodded her head towards the man beside his father.
"Daddy, our names are really close..."
Sasuke laughed and kissed the top of his son's head.
"So they are."
Makoto grinned sheepishly at his grandparents and beamed at them the next instant.
"Have you been watching over daddy and mommy and me forever!?"
Sasuke sighed and smiled at his little boy, ruffling his hair again before his mother spoke.
"Well not forever, sweetie. Just since we...died. We watched over your daddy first, and then him and your mommy, and now we watch over all three of you!"
"Whoa!"
Makoto seemed extremely impressed at this news and grinned up at his dad.
"Hey dad! Can mommy meet grandma and grandpa?"
Sasuke flinched and sighed, kissing his son's forehead before looking him in the eyes.
"Well, maybe. Why don't you go get her? Tell her I said for her to come, okay?"
"Okay daddy!"
Makoto looked up at his grandparents and smiled brightly.
"I'll be right back with mommy! Okay!?"
Sasuke smiled as his mother laughed and his father nodded.
"We'll be here."
Sasuke watched his son run out of the house on that note, immediately turning towards their house. He stood up after, his parents following suit and turning to look at him. He grimaced slightly before looking down, avoiding their eyes.
"Have you really been...watching me?"
"...Ever since our death. You've grown well son, I'm proud of you."
Sasuke looked up to sadly regard his smiling father. His father's face fell slightly as he regarded Sasuke. His mother stayed silent beside Fugaku, wanting her son and husband to have their much needed understanding.
"I'm happy to hear that...but how can you be? I...I murdered Itachi..."
He watched his father sigh and step forward, wishing he could touch Sasuke, both sharing a silent understanding that he couldn't.
"It's what Itachi wanted Sasuke. He's been watching you too, you know. I don't know why he's not here right now, but we've been with him. Son, he loves you so much. You know that. We all love you. We understand everything that you've done. It...hurt to watch you in so much pain all those years."
Sasuke smiled at his father, feeling a weight lifted off of his chest when his father told him about Itachi.
"I love you all too, so much. I wish I could touch you...I wish I knew how this was possible, why I could never see you before."
Fugaku nodded and held his wife's hand. Mikoto looked to Sasuke who smiled at her warmly, a tear falling down his face.
"Mother."
"Sasuke, it's true. We love you so much. Remember what I told you, about your father only talking about you when we were alone? Do you believe me now?"
Sasuke laughed at the curious face of his father, and nodded to the ghost of his mother.
"Yes, I believe you. I guess you knew I didn't then, huh?"
"I didn't think you would, but I wanted you to know regardless."
"I'm glad you told me."
Sasuke smiled and wiped the tears off of his face before turning to the doorway of the house, hearing his son animatedly informing his wife of the situation, from his point of view. Fugaku chuckled and he looked to his father curiously, Fugaku shaking his head at Sasuke's stare.
"It's nothing. Makoto amuses me, is all. He reminds me of you, too."
Sasuke laughed and 'oof'ed as said child nearly attacked his leg and clung to it. He watched his wife blink at the two ghosts in front of her before she made her way to Sasuke's side, sharing a small kiss with him before turning her attention to them.
"Sakura-san."
Sasuke smiled softly as his mother greeted his wife kindly, a smile gracing her face as she did so. He saw his father look to the entrance and smile, turning back to Sasuke.
"I think your brother is reluctant to show himself."
"Oh is he now?"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"Aniki! Get your a-...butt in here!"
His father laughed at his near mistake, his wife huffing and smiling down at their son who looked up at him confused. He looked to his mother and blinked.
"What was daddy about to say, mommy?"
Sakura softly punched her husband on the arm, smiling down at their son after he flinched and pouted at her, muttering an 'ow' and recieving a 'big baby' in return.
"Nothing honey, I'll tell you when you're older."
"Aww!!"
Sasuke smiled and let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding when Itachi walked in, looking to Sasuke with a silent apology written all over his face.
"Aniki..."
"Sasuke, Otouto. I'm so sorry..."
"I know...I love you Itachi."
"...I love you too, baby brother..."
Sasuke felt tears run down his smiling face again, and couldn't bring himself to care this time. He turned his head to look at his wife curiously.
"You can see and hear them too, right? Tell me I'm not crazy."
Sakura smiled and kissed his cheek, holding his hand with her own.
"You're not crazy. Don't ask me to explain any of it though."
Sasuke smiled at her and kissed her forehead, turning back to his smiling deceased family members. He blinked and looked at all three of them.
"...What?"
"Nothing. It's just that you two are so cute together."
Sasuke quirked an eyebrow at his brother who just smiled in return.
"I'm surprised you're not all commenting on our wedding."
He smiled as his brother laughed, his father smirking and his mother smiling fondly at her son and daughter-in-law.
"That was so wonderful, Sasuke. I was so happy to see you like that."
He blinked as tears lined his mother's cheeks, smiling as Fugaku sighed and received a punch in the arm for his next remark.
"Women cry about everything."
"Oh shut up. If I remember correctly, dear, you were laughing like a fool."
Sasuke had the great pleasure to watch his father blush and glare at his mother.
"Oh be quiet."
"Would you two stop?"
Itachi smiled and turned back to Sasuke, recalling the moment they were all thinking of. Sasuke had picked Sakura up in his arms bridal-style, and twirled her around in circles, both smiling and laughing happily. A few minutes later, when few were looking, he'd taken her face in both hands and kissed her as if his life had depended on it, tongue and all. It had elicited quite a reaction from the crowd, and he didn't pull back until they were out of breath.
"Good times."
Sasuke smiled and kissed his wife on the lips briefly, laughing as his son scrunched up his face.
"Eww! Daddy!"
He picked up his son and held him in his arms as he whined. He looked to his family and smiled. He received sad stares in return from all three, and knew what they were going to say before they even said it.
"Son...It's time. I think our little reunion is just about up. We love you so much, Sasuke. We're so proud of you son. Never forget that."
Sasuke smiled and nodded, saying his goodbyes to his parents before turning to his beloved brother.
"Don't look at me like that, little brother. I love you, don't you dare be sad on my account anymore."
Sasuke smiled at his brother and nodded, wrapping an arm around Sakura's waist, trapping her to himself.
"I love you too, Aniki. Goodbye."
"Live long, Sasuke. We'll always be there. When you need us, just remember that."
Sasuke nodded, and was able to smile as the three images in front of him disappeared, leaving him with his wife and child.
"Eh!? Grandma, grandpa and uncle Itachi are gone!"
Sasuke smiled and kissed Makoto's forehead, looking at him after, finally feeling content.
"Yes, but they'll always be with us. Remember what uncle Itachi said? He was talking to you too."
His son beamed in his arms, and the three walked home, happy and together. Sakura turned to Sasuke before entering the house, smiling beautifully at her husband.
"Sasuke...I'm pregnant."
He blinked and stopped, staring wide-eyed at his wife, unbelieving at first.
"Wh-what!?"
Sakura giggled and looped her arms around his neck, leaning up slightly to press her lips to his, smiling as he wrapped his arms around her waist a moment later.
"Everything is working out, you can be happy now, Sasuke. Come on, let's tuck Makoto in."
Sasuke laughed and picked her up, twirling her around again in pure joy. He knew he would from now on have no problem enjoying his life to the fullest, knowing that his family, all of his family, would be there with him.
"I love you, Sakura."
"Love you too, Sasuke-kun!"
He swore that he would never let anything happen to his family again on his wedding day, and he was going to keep it. The Uchiha family would never end in disaster and misery again. It was finally time to start it all over. This time, it would end well.
