Hi everyone! Okay, so this is the first Naruto fic I've ever posted, it's not the first I've ever written, it just happens to be the one that got finished first. I hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, Itachi and Jirya would still be alive, Sasuke wouldn't be such a butt, and Madara and Kabuto would be dead, their corpses rotting in the Hole of Epic Fail.
And on that happy note...ONWARD!
~~Warmth~~
Sasuke stared blankly out the window. He sat there, a bored expression on his face, head resting on his hand, thinking.
It had been a year. One year since Madara had been defeated, one year since the war ended. One year since Naruto brought him back. He frowned mentally at that; he couldn't figure out if he was upset or not. He had exacted his revenge on his brother, only to be told that everything he had done was to protect him. Everything he had known was flipped upside down. And now here he was, sitting in the very place he had made himself hate because of what it did to his brother, of what it did to his family.
Naruto had been the one to drag him back of course. Sakura and Kakashi had been with him as well (not for their fight, but they arrived after). And then there was Kisara. If Sasuke only blamed Naruto for half of what happened, he'd blame the other half on her. Itachi's childhood friend and his secret guardian: Hatake Kisara. He couldn't believe it when he found out she knew everything from the start. Then again, he had to remind himself that Itachi had placed a seal on her mind before he left. But that was beside the point.
His chakra and sharingan had been sealed and he was under the constant watch of the ANBU Black Ops. He didn't really do much; he'd train, walk the outskirts of the village, try to ditch his guards whenever he could (though that last one got him in trouble more than once with the Hokage). Naruto and Sakura visited him almost every day and, surprisingly, he found himself growing less annoyed with their presence. Kakashi visited as well, though not a frequently, and occasionally Sai or Yamato would tag along. He was surprised, to say the least, when the shinobi of his year accepted his return so easily. He could still sense some mistrust from them, but, as explained by Naruto and Sakura many times, they were waiting to see if he would try and leave again. Sasuke figured, though, if he tried to leave a second time, it would be a lot more difficult. Not that he was going to attempt anytime soon. Naruto had almost killed him after all. Not that the blond shinobi had been in any better condition. Still, not something he wanted to repeat.
If Kisara hadn't shown up when she did, they both would have died. She didn't look it, nor did she act like it, but she was an extremely powerful shinobi. She had two kekkei genkai, one that dealt with light and energy, the other sound. Her abilities were rare and her history just as, if not more, startling than his own. Her parents had come from clans with bloodline limits and she had somehow inherited both of them. Her mother had been the last of her clan and married into her father's family. When she was only four, she witnessed the slaughter of her entire clan at the hands of some missing nin. Even though she herself had been severely injured, she managed save the bodies of her parents and give them proper burials. ANBU had arrived on the scene by then and the small, frightened girl had been found by none other than Hatake Kakashi, who later adopted her after she refused to leave him.
Quite the astonishing story, he had to admit.
His musings were interrupted when the door opened and he was met with a pair of startling, cat-like, green eyes. Long purple locks with lavender streaks framed her smiling face. Kisara. The last time he had seen her was ten months ago; he was still in lock-down and was still severely pissed at her for helping Naruto drag him back. So when she told him she was engaged, naturally he snapped at her. She hadn't visited him since. He assumed that she was mad at him, but seeing her smiling at him made him second guess himself.
"Mou, Sasuke, have you been pouting in here all day?" she asked, her voice soft and sweet. Probably due to the fact that her sound kekkei genkai was directly related to her voice; her voice always sounded like a perfect melody. He kept his face blank, his only response to her his silence. She sighed and frowned. "I'll take that as a yes."
She came all the way into the room and walked right up to Sasuke, making him turn to her. Sasuke stared at what he saw. He had always thought that Kisara was beautiful, so it wasn't her looks that made him stare, eyes wide, mouth slightly open. Oh no. The thing that made Uchiha Sasuke stare was the obvious bump at Kisara's stomach. She was pregnant. She and her husband move fast.
Kisara noticed his staring and blushed, running a hand self-consciously over her belly. "I see you noticed." She said, her voice holding embarrassment, but pride as well. Sasuke tried to find something to say but could only nod. Kisara laughed at his response.
"So…how far along are you?" Sasuke had no idea where that question came from, but the words passed his lips before he could stop them.
"I'm six months in." she said, beaming at him. "It's not what I expected at all. And the morning sickness is a bitch." Sasuke couldn't help but smirk at that, she sounded like her old self. "But…it's, I don't know, it's…nice. I'll have a family again." Kisara held her arms around her stomach, a secret smile on her lips as she looked at him.
Sauske blinked, he hadn't expected that.
Kisara suddenly grabbed his wrist and pulled him up, startling him. "Come on, we need to get you some fresh air."
She all but dragged him out the door. Obviously, her strength had not decreased, despite her pregnancy. As they walked, hand in hand just like they used to, Kisara told him what he had been missing. She told him stories about some of her missions and apologized for not coming to see him sooner. There had been some complications during her early pregnancy and she had been confined to the hospital. When he gave her a worried look, she told him she was fine and that there was nothing to worry about.
When they stopped, Sasuke had to resist the urge to smirk when he saw where she had taken him. He did roll his eyes though; earning a chuckle from his companion. The Ichiraku Ramen Bar. Sasuke looked down at her and she smiled innocently before entering the stall still latched to his arm. The owner, Tuechi, smiled when they entered.
"Here again, Kisara-san?" he asked, a teasing grin on his face. Kisara stuck her tongue out at him and the man laughed. "And Uchiha Sasuke. Been a while since I've seen you around kid. You've grown quite a bit since the last time I saw you." Sasuke raised his eyebrows, surprised that the man remembered him. Then again this was Naruto's favorite place to eat. Tuechi raised an eyebrow when he noticed Kisara clinging to Sasuke's arm. "What's this? On a date, Kisara-san?"
"Yup!" Kisara said, popping the "p".
"Oh, cheating now, are you? What would your husband say?"Teuchi asked, his tone teasing.
Kisara looked up at Sasuke for a moment, staring at the sixteen year old for a good minute before smiling deviously. "Since it's Saskue, I think he'll forgive me. But just to be on the safe side, let's keep this between us."
The man laughed and winked at her. "Your secret is safe with me."
Sasuke remained silent throughout the whole exchange. When they finally had their food Sasuke gave Kisara a look. The amount of food in her bowl was ridiculous.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm pregnant. I get cravings." She scolded. Sasuke smirked in response and started eating his food.
Kisara went back to telling stories and Sasuke was content just listening to her talk. Eventually, though, she coaxed him into telling a few stories of his own, though he used less words and he tried steer the conversation away from him as soon as he was done. When they finished, Kisara paid Teuchi and thanked him for their meal. She then proceeded to drag Sasuke out onto the street and to one of the more secluded parks in the village. As they were walking, they passed some children playing. One of the girls spotted them and waved.
"Hi, Uchiha-san!"
Sasuke blinked. Was this kid talking to him? But he didn't even know who she was. There was no way she was talking to him. To his surprise, Kisara waved back to the little girl.
"Hello, Yuki-chan!" she called.
She started walking again, but Sasuke was rooted to the ground. The girl called her Uchiha-san. Her sir name had been Hatake ever since she had been adopted by Kakashi. Which meant her husband's name was Uchiha. But with Itachi and Madara's deaths, he was the last Uchiha. What was going on?
Kisara noticed his glare, demanding an answer from her. She gave a small, secretive smile, her eyes laughing, as if she was in on some joke. "That's right," she mused, "You've never met my husband have you? We should fix that." She started walking again and gave his arm a meaningful tug. He followed her to the center of the park.
She let go of his hand and walked over to a man that was leaning casually against a tree. Kisara tugged on his arm and pointed in Sasuke's direction, an excited smile lighting her face. Sasuke felt something tighten in his chest as Kisara made her way back to him, the shadowed man following behind her. The man was surely her husband. But what was this feeling? Anticipation filled his stomach as he tried to control his nerves.
"Sasuke," Kisara said, her smile now sincere and gentle, rather than secretive, "this is my husband."
The man stepped out of the shadow of the tree and Sasuke swore his heart stopped. Jet black hair framed a stoic face with familiar, intense, but gentle, onyx eyes. His own onyx eyes widened when he realized that the man before him wasn't disappearing. He attempted to release a genjutsu when he remembered that his chakra had been sealed.
Kisara gently laid a hand on his arm. "He's real, Sasuke."
Sasuke didn't turn to her. He couldn't. He was frozen, unblinking, holding his breath. It wasn't possible. He was dead. Sasuke had been there when he died. It was impossible, there was no way the man standing in front of him was real.
"Hello, Sasuke."
But he was. Sasuke closed his eyes and released the breath he'd been holding. Composing himself, he opened his eyes again, his face a stoic mask. Ready for some answers, he acknowledged the man's presence, though his voice came out more broken and vulnerable then he would have liked.
"Itachi."
Itachi's lips twitched upwards. Kisara smiled. "I'll let you two talk. I have an appointment with Tsunade-sama anyway." She leaned up and gave Sasuke a quick peck on the cheek and Itachi a kiss on the lips before turning and walking off. "Try not to break anything while I'm gone!" she called over her shoulder with a wave.
Sasuke was surprised when he saw a faint smirk on his brother's face. Slowly, his smirk faded and he glanced at Sasuke. They stood in silence for a moment before Itachi sighed, a ghost of a smile on his lips.
"Walk with me." He said, turning and walking off, sticking his hands in his pockets.
After a moment of hesitation, he followed. They walked in silence. Sasuke didn't know what to say, didn't know what to think, didn't know what to feel. Itachi had lived his life protecting him, even if he never knew it. He had sacrificed everything for Sasuke. Yet it didn't change the fact that Itachi murdered their family (even if it was under someone else's orders) and Sasuke gave up everything Itachi did for him by trying to take revenge on Konoha. What was one supposed to do in situation like this?
"Are you mad?"
Itachi's calm, level voice broke through his thoughts. Sasuke turned to him and noticed that, while his expression was blank, Itachi's eyes held a certain sadness in them.
"I don't think so." He answered honestly.
"You don't know how to feel." It was a statement, not question. Itachi watched his face carefully, looking for anything that would betray his thoughts.
Slowly, Sasuke nodded. "How am I supposed to feel?" he asked, a sliver of frustration creeping into his voice. Itachi stopped and looked at him as he continued. "Why didn't you tell me what was going on? Why did you let me think that you -" Sasuke stopped, clenching his fist, his anger and frustration flashing across his face. Itachi stared at him for a moment before reaching over and tapping him on the forehead with two fingers. The gesture made Sasuke's eyes widen in surprise.
"Tell me." Itachi said.
After a moment of silence, Sasuke began to tell his brother everything that happened after his "death", ending at his fight with Naruto and how Kisara had saved their lives. When he finished, Itachi watched him thoughtfully, his expression guarded. Sasuke was trying to figure out if he was disappointed.
"Are you mad?" he asked, repeating his brother's question.
Itachi sighed. "No. Thinking back on it, I should have considered the possibility that you would react the way you did. Kisa gave me an earful about that after she brought me back. She's quite fond of you."
Sasuke let himself smile at that before asking the question that had been on his mind since he saw his brother. "How are you alive?"
Itachi almost smirked at that. Almost. "Kisa told me how she saved you and Naruto. Do you remember what she did?"
"Vaguely. I remember she used her Junsui no koe kekkei genkai to force our injuries to heal."
Itachi's lips formed a small, sad smile. "Not quite. Her voice is powerful, yes, but not enough to remove pain or heal injuries."
Sasuke's eyes widened. "Then how did she…"
"She took them from you." Itachi said simply. "She took your pain and made it her own."
Sasuke stared at him. "That's not possible. Naruto and I were both dying. And she healed both of us."
"She only took half of Naruto's injuries; she knew that he would be able to heal faster and easier than you because of the Kyuubi sealed inside of him."
"That still doesn't answer how she survived."
Itachi smirked. "It's really quite simple, little brother. She has a strong will to live, she fought back death until Sakura had gotten her out of critical condition."
Sasuke was silent as he digested this information. He wasn't even aware Kisara had that kind of power. It was amazing, but dangerous; a double-edged sword. She had risked death to save him and Naruto. He knew she had saved him, but he had never known she had gone to such extremes. His eyes widened as he remembered something.
"Then when she saved you-"
"Yes." Itachi nodded. "I was ready to die. Then she shows up out of nowhere and heals me. She took everything Sasuke. My injuries, my blindness, my illness…everything." Sasuke stared. Kisara went to such lengths for them. Why? He didn't understand why she risked so much for them after everything they put her through. Itachi chuckled at his expression. "She loves us, Sasuke. I thought you would have figured that out by now. We became her second family and she didn't want to lose us." Itachi's expression became serious, a slight frown on his lips, as he looked up at the sky. "She was terrified, Sasuke. When she arrived after our battle, after you had passed out, she looked like her heart had been ripped out. She looked like she was about to break. I had never seen her so…fragile. I didn't even think she was capable of being fragile."
"We hurt her…" Sasuke said slowly, shocked by what was being said to him. Kisara had never shown any sadness or anger over what had happened to her family. Sasuke had never understood why or how she could just let it go. But he was starting to.
"I was supposed to die that day, Sasuke. I was supposed to die with you hating me. I was ready to make that sacrifice. Kisa was never supposed to intervene. But…after seeing her like that…I couldn't bring myself to leave her alone again. She gave me a second chance. And I plan on using it."
"I can see that." Sasuke said, a smirk on his face. "I always knew you liked her, even though you would never admit it." Itachi rolled his eyes, a small chuckle escaping his lips. "But wait, if Kisa took everything to heal you…wasn't your illness fatal?"
Itachi watched as Sasuke's eyes filled with a sudden panic. "Relax, Sasuke. She doesn't just take pain, she can give it away as well." Sasuke raised his eyebrows, his eyes asking for an explanation. "Shortly after we had escaped Madara's reach, we were attacked. Some missing nin. I was still low on chakra from our battle and Kisara was in no condition to fight. Still, she attacked them anyway. When one of them grabbed her, she latched onto him and wouldn't let go."
"Well? What did she do?" Sasuke asked, frustrated that he just cut off like that.
"She gave everything she had taken from me and gave it to him."
The brothers fell into a moment of silence, the sun painting the sky with twilight as it set.
"That means…she's safe, right?" Sasuke asked, his voice soft.
Itachi nodded. "Yes. She is perfectly healthy."
Sasuke let a small smile grace his lips. Itachi watched him for a moment before poking him in the head again. Sasuke made a noise of protest just like he used to when they were little. Itachi smirked. "Come on. Kisa's waiting for us at the house."
Sasuke followed his brother out of the park, an unexplainable warmth blossoming in his chest.
When the brothers entered the front door, Kisara all but flew into Itachi's arms, kissing him full on the mouth. Itachi was so shocked, he didn't react. Sasuke stood there awkwardly before clearing his throat. Kisara pulled away from the older Uchiha, a bright smile on her lips.
"Hi, Sasuke! Come on in! I made some dinner!" she exclaimed, excitement clear in her voice as she dragged the two males into the kitchen. "Go head and sit down. I'll get everything ready."
They both remained standing. Itachi gave his wife a cautious look. "Did something happen?" he asked slowly.
It shouldn't have been possible, but Kisara's smile became even brighter.
"Yes!" she squealed, much to the shock of the two in front of her.
"So…are you going to tell us?" Sasuke asked as she went right back to setting the table. Kisara tried to reach the plates, but it was proving difficult with her stomach. Itachi reached over and grabbed three plates, handing them to her.
"Hm? Oh yes, I suppose I should. I'm sorry! I must have startled the two of you." She laughed. "I didn't mean to, honest. I couldn't help myself. I'm just so happy!" She twirled around and gave Sasuke a kiss on the cheek, much to the boy's surprise.
Itachi sighed, used to his wife's random behavior. "About what?" he asked patiently.
Kisara's smile became smaller, but it was just a radiant, as she took one of Itachi's hands and placed it on her stomach. "It's a boy." She said softly.
Itachi blinked before leaning down to kiss her swiftly on the lips. When he pulled away, his lips were curved up in a smile and his eyes shone with pride. He turned to Sasuke. "Congratulations, Sasuke. You're going to have a nephew."
Kisara laughed as Sasuke's eyes grew wide. "You're just registering that my baby will be related to you, aren't you?" Sasuke shot her a half-hearted glare, earning a chuckle from his brother, as the trio sat down for dinner.
"Have you told anyone else?" Sasuke asked.
Kisara shook her head. "No. But Kakashi-nii knows because he went with me to the hospital."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "He was on time for something?"
Kisara laughed. "I know, right? But, yes, he was on time."
The three began eating as Kisara served dinner. They talked about nothing and everything, and it was enjoyable. Kisara could still sense some tension between Itachi and Sasuke, but she expected that. She didn't think that they would have resolved all of their issues after being alone for a couple hours, but it was obvious they had made some progress, or else they wouldn't be sitting at the same table.
When the finished, Kisara began to clear the table, Sasuke helping her, and Itachi washed the dishes. Suddenly, Kisara lurched, grunting, holding her stomach as a slight grimace of pain marred her face. Itachi easily caught the plate she dropped placing it on the counter and giving his wife a concerned glance.
"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked, startled by her sudden outburst.
She chuckled. "I'm fine. He's just reminding me he's there." She said fondly, referring to the baby. Itachi relaxed and returned to washing the dishes. Sasuke looked on in confusion. Kisara smiled at him as she sat down, holding a hand out to him. He put his hand in hers and she placed it gently on her stomach. At first nothing happened; but then something pressed against his hand. Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. "He's saying hello, Sasuke." Kisara said, her voice soft and light. Itachi smiled at them from where he stood, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned back against the counter.
Slowly, a small smile made its way to Sasuke's lips and warmth blossomed in his chest. He wasn't alone anymore.
He had a family.
/9 years later/
"Ryou! Get down from there!"
"But Sakura-neechan, Onii-san always climbs trees."
"What?"
"Hai! I can to, look!"
Sakura watched as the five year old attempted to run up the tree, only to fell flat on his back. "Kotaro, who in the world told you you could climb a tree?"
"N…Naruto-niichan…he said if I practiced really hard I could climb all the way to the top."
Sakura glared at the blond standing next to her. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly right before Sakura punched the top of his head. "Naruto! You idiot! What were you thinking! He's only five! Are you trying to kill him?"
"No! Sakura-chan, it's not like that!" Naruto stuttered, trying to defend himself, "We were just training-"
"I don't want to hear it!" Sakura yelled, punching Naruto again.
Yamato sighed as he watched the two go at it. "It's been almost nine years and those two are still exactly the same." He muttered as Kotaro ran over and hid behind him.
"Sakura-neechan is scary." He whispered.
"What was that?" Sakura asked turning her glare on the five year old.
Kotaro gulped. "I j-just said that you're r-really pretty, Sakura-neechan."
"Aww! How sweet!" Sakura smiled at him before returning to beating the crap out of Naruto. Kotaro gave a sigh of relief as his death grip on Yamato's leg loosened. The wood element user chuckled and ruffled the boy's dark, lavender-gray hair.
"Just make sure you stay on her good side." He told the boy. Kotaro nodded furiously before running over to his older brother. Ryou stood watching the two with a stoic expression, his onyx eyes bored.
"Sakura-neechan, we need Naruto-niichan to help us train. You can't kill him." Ryou deadpanned. He paused before adding, "Or give him any serious debilitating injuries."
Sakura turned her sickly sweet smile to the eight year old, who didn't even flinch. Kotaro, on the other hand, hid behind his brother. "Don't worry, Ryou. Naruto will still be able to train you." She said, a dark aura surrounding her.
Ryou sighed when the woman turned away from him. He looked over to the other side of the training ground, where Sai (surprisingly enough) was playing with his little sisters. The identical twins giggled and clapped happily as Sai drew pictures of small animals and brought them to life with his jutsu.
"Well isn't this a lovely picture."
Sasuke turned to the side to see Kakashi leaning against a tree. He smirked. "Lovely for who?" Sakura was still busy beating Naruto. Kakashi chuckled.
Saskue turned back to the group, watching as his team played with his two nephews and twin nieces. It had been about nine years since Saskue had been reunited with his brother. A lot had changed since then and a lot hadn't. For one thing, his chakra and sharingan had been unsealed and he was free to go on missions again. They were all still members of Team Seven, even Sai, who had grown more social over the years and was much better at expressing emotions. Nrauto finally realized that how Hinata felt about him and the two had started dating; the two were married about three and a half years ago. Hinata had given birth to a healthy son five months ago and they had named him Kohaku. Tsunade was still Hokage, though she appeared to be growing tired of the job. Everyone knew who she had in mind to replace her, but she seemed to be waiting until she was absolutely sure he would get the position. Sakura had surpassed her master as a medical ninja and, Sasuke noted with a smirk, had been his girlfriend for the past four years. Kakashi and Yamato still served as captains of the team and, occasionally, father figures; after all, the four of them may be in their twenties now, but let's face it, they still acted like they did when they were sixteen.
As for Kisara and Itachi, they were both members of ANBU and were currently on a mission. While they were away, Sasuke was stuck babysitting. He didn't mind though, and apparently, neither did his team; they usually lent a helping hand whenever the four munchkins needed looking after.
Ryou was the oldest at eight years old and was definitely the most mature. He took after his father in the looks department, with black hair and onyx eyes. He also had his father's personality, he was quiet and reserved, but little escaped the boy's attention. About a year ago, he had awaked his sharingan, and Itachi, Sasuke, and occasionally Kakashi, all trained him with it. Kotaro was five and definitely had his mother's personality. His eyes were gray-green, rather than onyx, and his hair was dark, almost black, but was tinted with lavender. According to Kisara, he had inherited the sharingan from Itachi, though he had yet to show any signs of it; she seemed able to tell which kekkei genkai each child would inherit, though no one, not even herself, could explain that knowledge. Most just guessed that it was mother's intuition.
The youngest were the twins, Hikari and Melody, who were only one and a half. Both had their mother's cat-like green eyes and purple hair. Personality wise, Melody was the quieter of the two and Hikari was a lot more active and curious than her identical twin sister. As their names suggest, Melody inherited Kisara's Junsui no koe, while Hikari inherited her Hikari no enerugī.
The four were extremely affectionate and considered everyone on Team Seven as part of the family (though technically speaking Sasuke and Kakashi were already part of the family), which in turn made the members of Team Seven care for them as well.
Sasuke was torn from his musings when he felt a small tug on his pants. He looked down to see Hikari's innocent green eyes gazing up at him, her small hands tugging on his leg. She smiled up at him. "'Suke-ji." She said, her lips stumbling over the words but still managing to make a coherent sound.
Sasuke gave her a small smile and bent down to pick her up. Out of all four children, Hikari was the most attached to him, which he found ironic given her name and his years in darkness. The small girl curled into his arms, content to just lay there and watch her siblings play, as she played with the fingers on Sasuke's hand. She planted a kiss in the middle of his palm with a loud smack before placing his hand on her head. Sasuke smiled and ruffled her hair, earning a bubbly giggle from the small girl.
Kakashi watched the scene with a smile tugging at his lips behind his mask. Kisara was right, it really was adorable the way Hikari clung to Sasuke. Kakashi was lurched forward as Kotaro grabbed his hand and started dragging him toward the rest of the group.
"Kakashi-jichan," he said, his voice slightly worried, "come look at Naruto-niichan! He's not moving!"
Kakashi looked over to see Naruto lying on the ground, Ryou and Yamato standing over him. "I'm sure he's fine, Kotaro. Sakura wouldn't kill him."
"That's what Yamato-jichan said. But he's not moving!"
"He'll be fine. But I'll come look anyway."
Kakashi let the boy drag him over the unconscious blond, Saskue watching with amused eyes. Sai glanced up toward the group while Melody played with a butterfly he had brought to life, and rolled his eyes.
"I don't see what all the fuss is about. I didn't kill him!"
Sasuke turned to the side to see Sakura, arms crossed over her chest, glaring at the blond on the ground.
"You may have overacted a little." Sasuke told her in a monotone. Sakura turned her glare on him and he simply stared at her blankly.
Hikari smiled and pointed at the fuming girl. "'Kura-nee!"
Sakura softened and smiled at the girl, watching as she went back to playing with Sasuke's hand, holding his palm to her cheek while she held his thumb. "She's quite fond of you."
Sasuke smiled. "I know."
"Awww! Aren't you two just adorable!"
Sasuke and Sakura turned to see Kisara and Itachi standing behind them wearing their ANBU gear. A smile tugged at Itach's lips and Kisara was grinning from ear to ear. Hikari let out an excited squeal and held her arms out to her mother. Sasuke relinquished the girl to Kisara and smiled as she hugged her daughter close to her.
"Kaa-san! Oto-san!"
Kotaro had spotted his parents and was running full speed at his mother. Kisara quickly handed Hikari to Itachi and knelt down to catch Kotaro in her arms. She laughed and picked him up, spinning him around. Ryou walked over and hugged his mother before standing by his father, who ruffled his hair affectionately. Sai walked over with Melody in his arms and handed her to Kisara after she put Kotaro down. Hikari held her arms out to Sasuke, and Itachi smirked as he handed his daughter to his brother.
"It appears you are her favorite." Itachi said as he watched Hikari hug Sasuke's neck. Sasuke smirked as Naruto and Yamato walked over. Kakashi hugged Kisara around the shoulders and she gave him a kiss on the cheek.
The boys soon went back to playing, dragging most of the boys with them. Melody went to Sakura and Sai, who painted her some flowers. Kisara came to stand by Saskue.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
Sasuke turned to her, then looked at the small girl in his arms that was slowly drifting off to sleep. "Hikari has a strange attraction to darkness."
Kisara laughed. "Maybe she is just trying to find a way to bring it some light."
Sasuke smirked. As he looked up around the training ground, watching his teammates and friends play with the kids, his eyes softened. "Kisa," she looked up at him, "Thank you. For bringing me back."
Kisara smiled. "I wonder what Naruto would say if heard that." Sasuke rolled his eyes. Kisara giggled. "But, you're welcome. You just needed someone to pull you out of the dark. And we were happy to oblige."
Sasuke let a small smile grace his lips. He was surrounded by people who cared for him, people who would fight for him. He looked down at the slumbering Hikari in his arms. His teammates, Kisara, Itachi, Ryou, Kotaro, the twins; they were his family. They made sure that he was never alone.
After years of living in darkness, he had finally found his light, and it warmed him inside and out.
So that's my fic! Hope you enjoyed it! ^^