What we did was wrong, so wrong. Hiding Grandma's body would haunt me forever. We knew it was the worst thing to do but at the time it seemed like the best thing for Yoichi. Was it better to
He was so happy about moving to Konoha, chatting away about the new life we were going to have that he didn't even notice that she wasn't there. I was a bundle of nerves, my eyes constantly darting between the breakfast table and the cupboard under the stairs where Grandma was. Sasuke was as cool as a soda on a hot summer's day. Chilled and calm, he didn't seem phased but I knew that he was deep down.
"I had a weird dream last night. Grandma was standing next to the bed smiling, so I asked her why she was so happy." Yoichi paused to force another pancake into his mouth, finding that four large pieces was his limit.
"What did she say?" I gasped, my throat tight. He looked up at the ceiling puzzled, his short term memory was terrible.
"That she was with Grandpa." He eventually declared through sticky syrup covered lips. Sasuke and I looked at each other, was this too much of a coincidence to be untrue? My resolve started to weaken, lying to my son's face was alot harder than Sasuke made it look. We had decided to tell him that she had changed her mind about coming with us and then Sasuke would bury her in the garden, without Yoichi seeing, where her husband was buried but it seemed almost cruel to deceive him now. Perhaps the truth was kinder after all, he was a tough kid.
"She is with Grandpa, Yoichi." I admitted sadly. To our surprise he just nodded and said, "I know." before running off to finish packing. They were so close he must have just known that she was gone.
Sasuke took care of the burial and afterwards me and Yoichi came to pay our respects. Yoichi spoke about some of the things I had never heard about before like learning to walk just to be able to fetch her a glass of water after a heavy drinking session and the time she had forgiven him for punching another kid in the face for laughing that he didn't have a mother. Not one tear was shed, not because we weren't sad that she'd passed but because we believed she was finally at peace, she had always been a tortured soul.
We departed soon after, saying no goodbyes and travelling light. The journey took around three weeks but it wasn't a struggle at all, in fact it was one of the happiest times of my life. With only the three of us, no comforts, no distractions, we bonded beautifully.
We stayed up late talking, played games whilst we travelled during the day and me and Sasuke took it in turns to give him piggy backs when Yoichi's little legs were tired. Sasuke was so relaxed, I don't recall him frowning even once.
By the time we reached the gates of Konoha our little family felt like it had achieved a perfect rhythm. We were a family that wouldn't be broken, not even a new home could topple us.
The sun was sinking into the pinky hues of the sky, the gentle push of the wind against our backs ushering us inside. The hokage himself came to greet us at the gates. After a moment of awkwardness Sasuke offered his hand for a manly shake but the leader of the village jumped him with a brotherly cuddle instead. Sasuke punched him lightly in the shoulder when he finally let go but there was the hint of a contented little smile on my husband's face.
"Welcome home!" Naruto cheered. He bumped fists with Yoichi and attempted to throw his arms around me.
"No." Sasuke bluntly stated. "Hokage or not, that's my wife." A woman who had been hovering in the background flushed brighter than a beacon and she shuffled a little closer. "Besides you have your own wife now, right?" Sasuke added, nodding to her, naruto's dark haired wife.
"I'm Hinata…don't worry, he hugs everybody." She squeaked at me with an anxious little grin.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Emiko and this is our son Yoichi." I smiled back confidently. On the inside I was more nervous than I can ever remember being before, I was entering the life Sasuke had before he met me. It was surreal. The village looked beautiful, clean tree lined streets, tall majestic buildings and enormous cliffs engraved with the faces of the current, and past leaders. I felt out of place, I was a long way away from the tiny rural village I had grown up in.
Naruto and Sasuke's bond surprised me, Sasuke was openly friendly with him, something I hadn't witnessed other than with me and Yoichi. They chatted away as we headed towards our house, Sasuke held my hand and I held Yoichi's. Construction of the former Uchiha estate was the main topic of discussion, something that Sasuke was clearly very excited about. So far it was just the one house for us but unlike years before it was more connected to the rest of the village, the would be no segregation anymore.
"Anyway, I'm really glad you found her. You were in a really bad way." Hinata was telling me all about daily life in konoha but my ears were tuned into the conversation of our husbands, especially what naruto had just said. Sasuke glanced at me and a warm smile settled onto his perfect face.
"Me too. I wouldn't have come back if I hadn't." Despite his positive smile, Sasuke's words were grim. He often told me that he couldn't live without me, turns out it was true.
We walked on in contented silence for a pleasant few minutes until we arrived at our enormous two story home, then the quiet was shattered with excited yelps. I'd like to say that they all came from Yoichi but I think I was making more noise than he was. Forgetting our manners we both bombarded inside. I shot straight into the kitchen, Yoichi dashed upstairs to find his very own bedroom. The kitchen was perfect for us, the layout was very traditional, a low table where we could kneel around for meals ontop of plush tatami flooring, the stove was the only modern appliance but it was brand new and in perfect working order. The shoji opened up onto a tranquil garden, clearly designed with Buddhism in mind. I stepped outside to take a huge, deep breath of the new air I would be breathing for the rest of my life. I could hear Naruto talking but his voice was deliberately quieter.
"Sakura-chan couldn't face it yet. She still can't believe that your married…or that we never managed to find you before…Itachi." Sasuke snorted in response. I glared at the flowers in my new garden, Sakura was definitely a girl's name. Who was this person?