Encouraging Quiet

Visiting her was like a ceremony now. The older he got the more clearly Sasuke remembered her. Almost as though her presence manifested more tangibly the closer he came to joining her. The years provided him with a clearer view of who she really was beneath his perception of her.

He seated himself in the dirt beside her memorial stone, his palm down against the dirt as though he could feel her through it, and he turned his gaze up to the sky so the sun warmed his face.

"Kaa-san."

Sasuke closed his eyes, feeling the gentlest summer breeze swirl about his shoulders. He knew he could feel her in nature. That she would always answer when he called for her, just like she was in the other room attending to chores around the house when he returned from school.

"I need your advice today," he prayed. Since he came back to Konoha for good, he had brought her only the day to day, superficial chatter that comprised a casual talk with one's mother, a few gifts and offerings, or he would just lie on the ground with her in silence and soak up her presence. That was all that he needed to make her smile from her place amongst their ancestors, and to restore his will to go on.

But on this day he felt more candid. He had some things that he needed to share, with someone he trusted. Someone with the experience and wisdom to straighten out his limp backbone. He had been delaying this conversation long enough.

"I want to marry her." The air was still as nature waited for him to go on. "What do I have to offer her as a man? As a husband? I can't give her a luxurious life, I'm not sure I can give her a comfortable one. I know she'd say she doesn't care, but she deserves it. She deserves better than a man who wants to replace her good name with the one he dragged through the mud."

Clouds drew over the sun, casting shadows on his face as his worries spiraled down.

"I know you would love Sakura. But things aren't like they used to be. This isn't about matchmaking or finding a matriarch for prosperity. I just want to understand why loving her feels like selfishness."

The light wind returned, cooling the sweat from his brow. "Kaa-san. Can I ask her to connect her feelings with mine? She has other bonds, family, friends. Am I just an anchor on her that drags her down away from what she has?"

The clouds blocking the sun rolled on, light radiating down warm on his skin. Wind chimes rang softly in the distance.

"Sasuke?" He turned to face the voice. Sakura strolled toward him, carrying a bundle of daffodils in her arms. When she reached his mother's headstone she crouched on the balls of her feet beside him. "I thought I'd find you here. I brought these for her." She arranged her flowers neatly in the vase on the ground, and bowed her head reverently.

"Sakura…"

"Are you having a good talk?" He nodded. Sakura smiled. "The weather is beautiful, I had to visit too. I got off work at the hospital early. I thought we could grab lunch once you were ready."

"I'm ready," he said, laying his palm on the stone affectionately.

"I'll have to come back for a longer visit soon then." She stood up and held out a hand to him. He stared at it for a second before taking it. She pulled him up so fast his head rushed, almost like being pulled out from under the water. He swore the sun shone all the brighter. And when he was on his feet she didn't let go of his hand in hers.

A/N: Just a little oneshot although the idea of Sasuke going to his mom for comfort will probably pop up now and again in my writing, I'm a ho for Mikoto