topsyturvy-dream Updated as fast as I could! :)
Pinklips90- Thank you! :)
Arianna Le Fay- Coming soon I promise! :)
When I found Sasuke a little later on in the bedroom trying (and failing) to apply his own ointment I put aside the negative emotions swimming inside me and took the small tub from his hand. As I gently massaged it into his shoulder, his body began to relax against my fingertips.
"I didn't mean what I said."
If I didn't know him any better, I could have sworn he sounded nervous. I wasn't going to deny that his words had hurt me but for them to have come from his mouth they must have held some truth.
"It's okay. You were right." I replied sadly.
He suddenly spun round, eyes blazing. He was so angry, not with me but with himself for not being the husband he wanted to be, for being just as absent as he was in the beginning of our relationship and most of all, for being the one that made me cry.
"No. I'm just-" Scared of losing you. The words were on the tip of his tongue but his manly pride was preventing him from being so honest. Even with his soulmate he hated showing vulnerability.
I quickly placed my lips on his, caressing them softly with my own. I didn't like seeing him in distress and luckily for him I knew exactly how to help. It wasn't often that we kissed like that, beautifully, knowing that it didn't need to lead to anything more. I gently sucked on his top lip and he started to smile. It was a shame he didn't smile more often, when he did his entire face would light up, revealing the lovely, kind hearted person he kept hidden away from others.
"I just want to keep you safe, that's all. I can't ever lose you again...I just can't."
I thought back to what Hinata had told me, how Sasuke was when I was missing. The look in his eyes when he mentioned losing me must have been the same one she had seen- it sent shivers down my spine. I buried my face into his chest and wrapped my arms around him as tight as I could.
"You're Uchiha Sasuke, I'm always safe with you."
Sasuke squeezed his burning eyes closed, rested his chin on my head and held me close. Our breathing fell in sync and after a while he felt a wave of calm wash over him. Now he knew just how badly I had missed him, he knew what he needed to do.
"I'm going to take some time off. We can go away for a while." He already had the perfect place in mind, he had passed it years ago and it had looked so peaceful it had always stuck in his mind.
"But what if Naruto needs you?"
The thought had occurred to him already but he was sure that the village would manage without him, especially now they were enjoying peace. Just to be on the safe side he would make sure Naruto knew where to find them. Besides, they wouldn't be too far away, they would still be in fire country, along the bottom by the sea.
"Then we can come back but I doubt he'd need me here that badly. For a week or two I'll be all yours and you will be all mine, just like how it's meant to be. Yoichi's going to have so much fun too, he's going to love it there."
I was absolutely buzzing. Sasuke, me and Yoichi alone for a whole week? I couldn't have wished for better news!
We were going away just in time for Yoichi's birthday which meant we had to make sure we hid his gifts away really well with the few things we had packed to take with us. Sasuke had a refreshing and surprisingly carefree attitude when it came to packing, he was determined to travel as light as possible and offered to just buy whatever we needed when we got there...wherever 'there' was, he still refused to tell us exactly where we were going.
A couple of miles outside of Konoha, I decided it was time to tell Yoichi about his Grandfather and demonstrate the style of Jutsu he would have used that I had learned from Taku. Sasuke activated his sharingan and stood aside with our son.
"Doton Doryōheki" I announced, slamming my hands to the floor.
The earth wall that protruded from the ground was twice the size of me and much thicker than the last one I had produced. I smiled, everytime I tried I got a little better. I would show Sasuke that I wouldn't always be so far behind him! Next up was a jutsu that I had found considerably more difficult, it drained a lot more chakra too but it looked too impressive not to show.
"Doton Tsuchi Nami no Jutsu!" The ground around me began to resemble small waves, then rose higher in front of me and rippled towards the trees in front of me knocking several over.
"Teach me!" Yoichi started squealing, running over and trying to balance on the moving ground.
I immediately stopped the jutsu before he could hurt himself and before I used up too much chakra. Opening my arms, he ran to me and the way he looked at me could have made my heart melt. It was the same look of awe he usually gave Sasuke. My eyes shot to the face of my husband and he too was looking similarly impressed. Without saying a word he came and planted a kiss on my lips, there was a sparkle of recognition in his eyes. It was an amazing, wonderfully unique feeling.
Yoichi leapt down from his father's shoulders as soon as he caught a glimpse of the sea and started speeding towards it. The only two other times I had seen him so excited was when we reunited and when he had started the academy, it was really cute. Once his feet hit the sand, he started tearing off his clothes, still heading towards the water. He had never been swimming in the sea before and clearly couldn't wait to try it out! The only problem was that the sun was already starting to set so the water was going to be freezing.
"Yoichi!" I called but it was no use, excitement had gotten the better of him.
"I'm on it." Sasuke grinned, appearing in front of our son in a second. "Not today. Let's settle in first, okay?"
Yoichi gave him the famous Uchiha pout and stamped his way back towards the path.
The village by the sea was small, maybe twenty homes if that but the people were very friendly and welcoming. A couple roughly the same age as us showed us to the Inn, they had three children, two girls and a boy, who were already asking Yoichi to play with them at the beach the next day. They also pointed us in the direction of the only restaurant in town, which is where we ate before finally heading back to the Inn. It was a traditional style building with ten small rooms, our room was beautifully decorated, clearly well cared for and the beds were so comfy!
Yoichi was out cold the minute his head hit the pillow, it had been a long journey after all, we had spent the whole day travelling. Over dinner he had asked a hundred questions about Grandpa, which I answered the best I could and then it had suddenly occurred to him that Sasuke's father would also have been his Grandfather but other than telling Yoichi that he was no longer with us Sasuke was reluctant to add anything further. I managed to distract Yoichi from interrogating his father anymore but I couldn't help but notice a trace of hurt in his eyes caused by the man he idolised hiding something from him.
Only once I was sure Yoichi was fast asleep did I say, "It's not fair on him, you know?"
"It's better than me telling him the truth." Sasuke sighed, holding me a little closer against his bare chest.
We were snuggled up in bed, listening to the sounds of the night and enjoying each other's innocent touch. I wasn't sure if it was because Yoichi was in the same room as us or if he was sticking to my rule but so far his fingers hadn't wandered their usual trail along my body. Apart from a hint of disappointment, I was happy with my decision. It was nice to know that there was more to us than just physical intimacy after all.
"Don't you think it would be better to hear about your clan from you rather than from someone in the village?"
He adjusted his position to lean over me, showing me the frown that had settled on his face.
"Our clan." He corrected me sternly. "Anyway, no one would dare to say anything to him."
Sensing the switch in his good mood, I pulled his face to mine and ran my finger across his lips. "You're really cute, you know that?"
"Stop." he chuckled, falling back down onto his back and gazing through the open window at the big full moon against the dark sky, surrounded by thousands of bright little stars. He wondered if Itachi was still watching over him and if he would be proud of the man he had become.
I rolled on top of him to study the look of contemplation that had fallen on his face. Recently it was rare for him to become so lost in thought so when he did it worried me.
"Am I a good husband?" he asked softly, fixing his eyes on mine.
"Of course." I replied without hesitation. When he was home I couldn't have wished for a better husband.
"Am I a good father to Yoichi?"
Sasuke was always confident in everything he did so I was a little surprised that he was doubting himself at all.
"The best!" I assured him, nodding to our special boy snoozing away a few feet from us.
Taking my hand, he gently curled all but two of my fingers into a loose fist and then guided those two fingers to tap himself on the forehead. The gesture sent a comforting warmth through his body. It reminded him of his childhood, his days spent chasing after his older brother, spending time with his mother and trying to win his father's attention. Things had been far from perfect but there had been a lot of happy times as part of the Uchiha Clan and now me and Yoichi were part of that too. Together we could make the clan great again.
"I want us to have more children, Emi."
He was prepared for me to be a little shocked, he wasn't prepared for the laughter coming from my mouth. I couldn't help it, after what Sakura had said about him only wanting to be with me for Yoichi's sake and how much it freaked me out to think of him only using me to raise his children it just seemed ironic that he was suggesting it.
"Sorry!" I whispered, drying the tears from my eyes. "I think I need to tell you what happened before you left."
"Tell me." It had been bothering him for days. He had planned to use this trip to get the answer from me, either by waiting for the right moment to ask again or by giving me plenty of alcohol.
It was difficult repeating those words to him, even though I no longer believed them. When I had finished speaking a dangerous mix of anger and sadness brewed inside of him but he didn't let it show on his face, he made sure he had a patient smile that would encourage me to tell him everything.
"I was kind of upset because…"
He was already calculating a hundred different solutions to sort out the problem.. Now that he knew she had made me unhappy he wasn't going to just let things like that slide anymore. Still, it surprised him that such an insecurity had been dwelling in the back of my mind in the first place. As far as he knew, he had never behaved in a way that would make me believe that he didn't truly love me. He began to question his own actions, especially since returning to Konoha. Granted he hadn't been home as much as he should have been but it wasn't like he could help it. If he had it his way he would never, ever be apart from me or Yoichi.
"Because you believed her? Why?"
When I just shrugged he found himself getting annoyed. He couldn't stand it when I tried to shut him out. With strong firm hands he grasped my face and spoke from his heart.
"You are my everything. From the day we met, there wasn't a moment that I didn't love you. When I asked you if we could have a child together it wasn't just about reviving the Uchiha clan, it was so we would be tied together forever."
His beautiful words destroyed the last ounce of doubt that I hadn't even realised was hiding in my heart. I had never realised it before but it really had been love at first sight with us.
"Forever sounds good." I smiled, blinking back tears.
He quickly rose from the bed, made a clone and began putting his clothes back on. Everything made perfect sense to him now.
"Come on. I've got an idea." The mischief in his grin was enchanting.
The second I was fully dressed, my legs were swept out from underneath me. I curled my arms around Sasuke's neck as we exited the room through the open window, leaving his clone to watch over Yoichi.
Guess what they're up to...finally! :D