"Why don't you like sweets, mommy?" The little girl asked. An ice cream cone sat in her hand, with a scoop of both chocolate and strawberry inside of it. Most of the top has already been licked away, with the remnants all around her lips, chin, and even cheeks. Oh what a messy eater she was! That didn't seem to bother her though. It was a warm summer day, and all of the children were out eating their own cold, delicious treats that their parents bought them. Her dark eyes were filled with curiosity as they continued to stare into the other pair. Being six-years-old, she sure did ask a lot of questions.
Six years ago she was accidentally conceived when her parents so carelessly had sex, and did not wear protection. How were they supposed to know that Sasuke could bare children? They thought that nothing would happen. Sure enough a couple of weeks later, he wound up hugging the toilet every single morning until his lover urged him to go in and get himself checked out. It was difficult getting him in there at first, since he absolutely hated hospitals! It did help that it was their former teammate examining him though. That is what they thought, that is. Until she found out what was causing his sickness. It was also the day when she found out that she will never, ever, get together with her childhood crush.
Sakura was torn. Heartbroken.
It took Naruto multiple times of him going over to her place to apologize for not telling her sooner. How does one even say that they were screwing someone else's love? However, he couldn't apologize for it. He refused to feel sorry for making love to him that night, which then resulted in them creating a life. It just meant that they were able to be a family again! One that he never had, and one that his lover had ripped away from him at a very young age. This baby was not going to feel unwanted, no matter what! And they were going to make sure that it was filled with so much love...
Now look where they are at. They have a beautiful daughter who is six, and boy was she smart! Despite having her mothers dark eyes and dark hair, she did have two whisker marks going along each side of her cheek, and even had her father's eye shape and signature grin. Not to mention she loves ramen on top of it! Both her and Naruto love going to Ichiraku's and pigging out on bowls-full of ramen. Well it's often hard to spend time with him, what with him being the Hokage and all. So he is always a busy man, trying to protect the village and whatnot.
"Hm?" The Uchiha turned his gaze over to the little girl, and blinked. To think she noticed something like that at such a young age. On the other hand, he really couldn't blame her. Never has she seen him eating anything sweet, unlike both her and his knucklehead of a husband. That is why whenever they go out for ice cream, or anything involving desserts, he just stands back and tries to find something else to snack on. Usually he buys some form of vegetable... But mainly tomatoes. Yes, he knows they are a fruit. But to him he didn't like considering it as such, since it didn't really taste sweet.
Those dark eyes of his shifted away from her, and he tilted his head back so that he could look up into the sky. 'Why don't I like sweets, you ask?' His facial expression became blank the more he thought about it. Sure you can't just tell a six-year-old anything! But, he really didn't want to lie to her about something like this. It was an innocent question, after all. Despite it being so innocent and simple, it still made his heart ache. It made his head spin, and all he wanted to do right now, was to go back inside and crawl into bed with the blankets covering his entire body. His mind was beginning to go somewhere he wished it wouldn't have.
Sasuke's hands gripped at his shirt, right over his swollen belly as he tried to keep all of his emotions under control. Right now he was expecting their second child, a boy this time. Already being about five months into his pregnancy, he could already feel him kicking the crap out of his insides. At times it felt very nice and gentle, and other times, especially at night, it was painful. He sure did love to get his foot stuck right in between his ribs, which hurt like hell! Thinking of his brother made him feel many different ways. Sure he was in a better place and was most likely watching over him and his growing family, but it still didn't fill that hole in his heart. He missed him more than anything, and wished he could have him back.
But that was an impossible wish. And he knew that.
A shaky breath escaped his lips, and when he looked at his daughter next, he had a small yet gentle smile on his face. "Your uncle loved sweets..." He murmured very quietly. Any normal person could see the hurt in his eyes, but not a child of her age. That is why he felt so grateful that she was still so young, so that she wouldn't call him out for such a thing. His hand rubbed small, soothing circles onto his belly since his unborn son could feel everything that he was feeling. This made him feel bad, and he hoped that this motion would help keep him calm and relaxed. Last thing he wanted right now, was for him to start kicking the crap out of him for feeling his mother's emotions.
"Uncle?" Aya muttered to herself, bringing a finger up to her lips as she thought deeply into it. And when it finally clicked in, her eyes widened with pure joy and excitement. "I have an uncle? Where is he, mommy? Can I see him?" Here she thought her parents didn't have any family. All the other kids have grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc... But not her. No, she had no one. So when she heard about an uncle, she couldn't help but feel very happy.
Sasuke however, just shook his head. "No sweetie, you had an uncle. My older brother, Itachi, is no longer with us. He died years ago." Seeing how happy his daughter got sent a jolt of pain going right through his heart. What parent liked crushing their own child's happiness like this? That is why he brought his free hand over to place on the top of her head, and began to run his fingers through her long dark hair. "But he would have loved you very much. Actually, I'm sure he knows you exist, and is watching over you..." He corrected.
Her lips formed into a frown, and she forced herself to look away from him. So she had an uncle who was no longer with them? Never has she felt so disappointed before! And to be honest, it only made her want to cry. "N-no uncle. No grandma, or grandpa. No one..." You could hear the amount of sadness in her voice. Could you really blame her for feeling that way though? For a moment she really did think that she had another family member out there somewhere... And here he too, was gone. Just like the others. Just what happened that neither her mother or father had family that were still alive? Why were they all dead? So many questions swam through her mind right now. But as she opened her mouth to start asking, none of them came out. She felt speechless right now. "..."
This made Sasuke feel very bad, and he cursed under his breath for it. 'Damn it, Naruto! Why are you always gone when shit like this happens? I don't like dealing with these types of situations by myself...' He thought bitterly. How does he even make his own daughter feel better now? Clearly she was saddened by this sudden news, and probably didn't want to talk anymore. He bit down on his lip as he sat there in the complete silence for another minute or so, before bringing both of his arms over to wrap around her small body. From there he pulled his precious little girl into him so that she was leaning against his body, and placed a kiss on the side of her head.
"Why don't I like sweets, Aya? Because eating them reminds me of my late brother. Your uncle was a huge fan of them, and his favorite food was even dango. He liked the sweet, colorful ones. Our mother would make it for him often, and I would eat whatever was placed in front of me... Including the dango. But since his...passing." Since he didn't want to say since he slaughtered their clan, knowing it was too soon to start talking about that, he just went ahead and said his passing. "I refused to eat desserts. Hn, I didn't even want to look at them. And it is because they reminded me of him." Memories always filled his mind whenever he would see someone chowing down on a stick of dango. Every single time he is forced to look away from them.
"I was very close to my brother when we were little. So close, that at times I felt a bit too clingy. Itachi was born with an enormous amount of talent and skills, and so our father took advantage of that. He was always gone on missions, and left me waiting for him. Even when he returned home, he would tell me next time... But next time never came. I never got to train with him like I wanted to. It felt as though I never got the chance to be with him as much as my heart desired. Till this day I wonder what my life would be like, had my brother lived..." But deep down he knew that he wouldn't have lived long. For many years his body was wracked with a terrible disease, and he was even taking supplements to increase his life span. It was all to stay alive so that he could die by his brother's hands.
"..." So they were really close, huh? Her eyes immediately drifted over to her mother's belly then. Inside was where her brother was safely nestled. He seemed to be growing more and more, because now she could barely even sit on her mother's lap! One of her favorite things to do now, is to actually feel him moving around in there. Her hand slowly reached out to touch the mound underneath his shirt, wondering if he was awake and active right now. But as she sat there waiting, she couldn't feel anything. Will both her and her baby brother be as close? Or will they be distant? It was up to her to protect him though! He's going to be so small after all.
"So mommy doesn't like sweets cause of uncle Itachi?" Thinking about him caused him a great deal of pain. At least that is what she got out of the things he was telling her. Her large black eyes continued to stare at his belly, since she couldn't stop thinking about the baby growing inside of it. To think at one point in her life, she was in his position. Of course she wondered how he felt, and how he took the news. But she just never thought to ask him those questions. Maybe another day, taking as how his mind was elsewhere.
Sasuke silently nodded his head. "Eating, seeing, or even thinking of anything sweet reminds me of him. It mainly bothers me when it comes to dango, though..." He explained quietly. His hand moved down to rest over his daughter's, and he wrapped his fingers around hers to squeeze it a little. It was probably a good thing that the baby wasn't awake right now anyways. Because if he was, he would be feeling the sadness that his mother was currently feeling.
Aya's eyes began to well up with tears then. "M-mommy hurting..." And just then out of nowhere, she chucked her ice cream cone in front of her. It landed on the pavement before her, since they were sitting on the front steps. Oh, but that wasn't all though. She even stood up and went over to it, using her foot to stop it to a mushed pile. It didn't matter that her shoes were getting all dirty. They can just be cleaned with some water and soap. But if this was making her own mother feel sad, then she didn't want to eat it in front of him. No, never again will she be so careless when eating something sweet.
His eyes widened in shock when she started doing this, and he too, stood up to go right over to her. He grabbed at her shoulders and spun her around, looking his daughter right in the eyes. "Aya, stop it!" He scolded softly. That wasn't what he wanted her to do. The poor girl deserved to have treats like that in her life, and he didn't want to be the reason for her not enjoying them anymore. Now he felt bad for telling her this, and wished he could take it all back. "You're making a mess. Plus I went out and bought that specifically for you. You don't want to waste daddy's ryo, right?"
The six-year-old knows how hard her father works to earn his paychecks. That is why she stopped crushing the ice cream below her foot, and settled for looking right at her mother. "N-no..." She replied very quietly. Now she felt bad for doing something so stupid! "I just...don't want mommy to hurt cause of something I'm eating. I don't like seeing mommy sad!" She said, staring to cry now. The tears spilled over her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. It seemed like she couldn't get them to stop, no matter how hard she tried to hold them back.
"Shhh..." Sasuke used his hands to wipe away at his daughter's tears. Yes it made him feel sad to think about his brother, but it also made him feel that way whenever his own child would start crying before him. "I'm okay Aya. See? I'm not crying. So you shouldn't. Don't you want to be strong like me? Like your father? If so, then please stop..." He stopped crying over his brother a long time ago. The last time he cried, was when she was born. Seeing the baby he carried around inside of him for so many months brought out those emotions, and he just laid there and cried like a baby as he held his own in his arms. He remembers how beautiful she was, and how small she was too! Never had he held something so fragile before.
In just a couple of more months, he will be going through all of that again. It made him feel both excited and nervous. Excited to see his son, but nervous to go through all of the pain and agony just to bring him into the world. "I want you to continue eating sweets, okay? So don't worry so much about my feelings." The world can't just stop all because of something so silly. His daughter asked him a question, and he simply answered it. Well this is what he gets for being honest with her, because now she didn't want to eat anything that reminded her mother of his dead brother... And that wasn't something he wanted.
His gaze softened then, and he grabbed her hand again. "Come on, Aya. Let me tell you some of the good things about my brother. Maybe that will change your mind, and your view on him." This wasn't something he was prepared to do. He thought that he had more time to explain things to her. Suppose he couldn't fool someone as smart as his little girl here. Already she was advancing so much faster than all the other kids her age. It was to be expected, what with her having both Uchiha and Uzumaki blood running through her veins. Someday she is going to become an extremely strong and powerful kunoichi, and so for now both him and his husband wanted to enjoy her being young like this. You know, when she isn't out going on missions and risking her life...
Was he really going to tell her all about her uncle? Hearing that was starting to make her feel better, and she sniffled a bit while wiping away at her own tears. "O-okay mommy. I...I wanna hear about uncle Itachi." Her father probably knew it wasn't his place to tell her about him, which is why he never said anything. Thinking about him also saddened her a little, but only because she wished that he was around more. His job takes up most of his time, and he doesn't always return until late at night when she is already in bed. Her mother does take her to his office every week to visit with him though! And sometimes he is there with them when they eat breakfast. Those are the times that she cherishes the most.
"Good. Let's go inside." Sasuke pulled her along as they made their way back inside the house. It would be bad if someone were to listen in on their conversation, since no one else was supposed to know the truth about Itachi. He wanted the village to remember him as a traitor. A murderer. Someone who joined the Akatsuki, and tried to kill off his younger brother. It was very unfortunate, but he had to respect his wishes and keep everything a secret. Now he just hopes that his own daughter can keep those very same secrets to herself. It was going to be a long night, but oh well. This counts as bonding time, right?
He wanted his children to know of his most precious person. The Uchiha stopped once reaching the door, and looked back up into the sky. His hair blew back against the wind, and he closed his eyes for a few seconds. A sudden warmth overcame him then. 'Is that you, nii-san? I hope it is. I hope you can see how well I am doing right now, and can see the family that I have created. I hope you can see just how happy I am, and it is all because I fell in love and accepted it. I hope...to see you again someday. But not for a long time though! I want to spend as much time as I can with my husband and children. Because...I'm not even done yet. I have so much more to live for. My daughter, my son...and any other future children will help restore our clan. And who knows, maybe someday...one of them will even become Hokage.'
All he could do was hope.