I have never understood why they have always insisted on teaching us, with such tenacity, that angels must necessarily have blond curls and blue eyes. They bombard us with this stereotype from an early age, at school, in fairy tales, in cartoons and children's books, in religious texts, even in art. You may believe me or not, but I am a witness to the fact that angels can have any appearance. The one who came to me to tell me that my heart, although shattered many times, still had a chance to beat, has straight ebony hair. He tried to teach me that the future is not written even when it seems to have no way out, he did it while allowing me to get lost in his eyes as black as the night where it is impossible to understand where the iris ends and the pupil begins . He was able to understand me so well because even angels can suffer and make mistakes, even in them this generates pain and feelings of guilt. He lifted me up through his flaws and weaknesses. I am sure of what I say. He has the ability to fly, he was born for this and manages to do it despite no longer having his wings. Perhaps this was the condition he had to accept in order to reach me.

Having finished changing after the shower and training, Kisame smiled as he spotted his first friends arriving through the windows of the gym. Thanks to Kakuzu's generosity, he had now even been able to build a garden next to the parking lot.

Now that he was ready to try his hand at the bodybuilding competitions he had already signed up for, Kisame felt a bit like a sort of student about to face an important question or exam, with that feeling of not being ready or not never having done enough.

Itachi, following the exercises that Kisame had tailor-made for him, had finally managed to free himself from the pain in his right shoulder by once again mastering what seemed to be the constituent element of his body, the air. The wing of the gym where he, Shisui and Yahiko were supposed to teach was not yet finished, however the three trained daily. Even that Friday, Kisame heard the sounds of the workers at work mixed with the music that Yahiko played on his portable stereo. The two dancers who trained on the floor occasionally giggled or gave each other explanations about the movements to do. However, they were two different disciplines, which is why at a certain point they inevitably took different paths. Yahiko grabbed his dumbbells for the dance work out or, alternatively, the step. Shisui threw his long, thin body into a wild modern dance.

Kisame had walked to call them, in the body building room that Friday there was no one training, it was in fact a very special day. Kisame and Itachi had organized a beautiful reception for the couples who were getting married on September tenth which were also joined by Sasuke and Hinata. They would take the opportunity to give Kakuzu his thank you gift, it was a fifteen day holiday in a wonderful spa from all of them. Kisame and Itachi had also wanted to add the infinite gym membership with the possibility of choosing between the various disciplines or even, if he wished, to follow them all. Kisame also considered the idea of hiring him as a gardener both there and at home, after all, after he had resigned from Susanoo, he had been left without a job. The other friends who owned a garden had also been enthusiastic about this proposal, Tsunade even more so, the park of her large villa needed constant maintenance.

"Well, Itachi, can you really see Kakuzu twirling with you on the silk ribbons hanging five meters in the air? Imagine if he wanted to try just that."

The dark-haired man had laughed amusedly while they were relaxing at home, in the hammock in the garden.

The first to lie down there was Itachi. He arrived barefoot, walking on the lawn. Wearing very thin, very tight dark blue elastic jeans and a black polo shirt, his hair pulled back in a practical low ponytail. Meanwhile, Kisame was watering his lush deep purple hydrangea bushes. Itachi had immersed himself in reading a book without even calculating the devastating effect he was having on his companion. Kisame's mouth immediately dried at the sight of his ass, perfectly shaped by the resumption of sporting activity, sinking into the elastic net. Kisame swallowed hard getting his job done as quickly as possible. He then disappeared into the house to reemerge with a bottle of prosecco and two glasses, Itachi's smile had lit up both of them as he lay down next to him.

"Whoever follows my courses doesn't necessarily have to be an acrobat, Kisame" the dark-haired man put the glass on the ground after finishing the last sip "I also do acrobatic dancing on the floor."

"Then it will mean that I will try to imagine Kakuzu while he dances Rock'n Roll with lots of somersaults."

They laughed again, looking intensely into each other's eyes, the sunset was now giving way to a warm summer evening, a cricket concert was playing in the background. The smile turned into languid glances, Kisame had turned his back to attach his powerful body to that of his companion. His right hand had moved the raven locks from that angelic face, then coming down to remove the elastic to free the rest. Itachi was beautiful in the milky light of the moon, as white as his skin. That was the sweet face that had been hidden behind the sinister weasel mask, like those moist, soft lips that Kisame's plump ones greedily took possession of. His muscular arms encircled the brunette's slim waist. Their clothes had flown to the ground and piled up on the grass, one piece after another, one on top of the other. Kisame found his waist of steel tightened by those athletic and slender legs, with the toes tense as if Itachi was also on his airy fabrics at that moment. Itachi's buttocks fit perfectly with his partner's pelvis.

Like the lines of your tattoo.

Kisame had slipped gently inside him without their eyes opening or the kiss being altered. He let Itachi lead completely in his movements, the way that elastic body arched, moving his pelvis only slightly back and forth, had the power to drive Kisame out of his mind. Itachi, when he was in the throes of pleasure, had the habit of sinking his buttocks, letting them fall plumb. The ropes of the hammock creaked under that mischievous pressure, Kisame's hands greedily filled that part of his partner's body, his tanned skin became hot. The air was filled with their sighs and the chirping of crickets, the night protected them from the gazes of their neighbors, they didn't think that the street lamps could have betrayed them. Itachi's reaching orgasm, trembling and moaning slightly as if he were losing his strength, had always represented the last irresistible spark for Kisame. Their pounding hearts slowly stopping were the caress they often followed to drift off to sleep.

Not that evening. Although both had looked at the stars and the Milky Way on countless occasions in life, they had the impression they were doing so for the first time. They lay there, gently entwined, pointing to the constellations and remembering their names for a good hour.

The best night of my life, I'm not exaggerating at all. It has everything, it's perfect.

Kisame, passing the door that divided the body building room from the one under construction, stopped enjoying his dream as a spectator. He had the right, he felt he fully deserved it. He smiled shaking his head seeing Yahiko and Shisui now dancing hook each other with their hips. They were kissing, the dark haired's man hand was caressing the head of flame red hair at the back of the neck. Yahiko's hand gripped his companion's waist with decision and gentleness at the same time.

Everything was definitely beyond my expectations. Not only did I realize my lifelong dream, I gave these kids a future. One of them is the love of my life and I will have him next to me every day forever.

His ice blue eyes moved to the only person who didn't make a noise in that room. Itachi seemed to merge with the air, with the light that slanted in from the high windows, even with the echoing sounds emitted by the others; they, placed as a background to his fluid movements, even seemed pleasant. He was only wearing what at first glance might appear to be jeans but which were actually elastic and very tight trousers, his feet bare, his torso bare. Itachi's body was thin and he always would be, but no longer unnaturally and with bones protruding from all sides. He took his pills for his heart problem, the absence of stress and correct nutrition allowed him to live a normal life now. His straight raven hair, loose, opened like silk in the rays of the sun. His hands gripping the two red ribbons hanging from the ceiling, Kisame watched the muscles in his shoulders tense as he pulled his knees to his chest, his toes still impeccably tense, the purple nail polish Kisame loved. Itachi's slender legs opened in a perfect split, Kisame could see the muscles tense beneath the light blue fabric. With precise and quick gestures, the dark-haired man had wrapped the two ribbons around his ankles, detaching his hands from the fabric so that the split was suspended in the air, worthy of an angel. No one knew better than Kisame how much physical effort there is in sport, yet Itachi managed to completely erase it from both his face and his movements.

A sharp metallic thud brutally tore Kisame out of his dream, one of the workers had missed a bucket of paint from the scaffolding. It fell to the floor, the white they were using to paint stained the floor which in the future would be covered with soft carpets.

"Damn, look at the mess you made!" the older man, from below, had scolded him.

"I am sorry."

The dark-haired young man who had leaned out of the scaffolding, with skin practically the same color he was using, was called Sai. Kisame remembered that a few nights before, at home, Itachi had confessed to him that he had seen hidden abilities in his way of climbing. According to him, Sai possessed talent that he wasn't aware of and would have gladly given him a try.

Shisui and Yahiko burst out laughing, Kisame also had an amused face. Itachi didn't seem to have heard or seen anything, he hadn't jumped at the crash of the jar crashing to the ground. He had joined his legs again, holding on to just one of the red ribbons, and was fluttering like a flower in the wind, letting the fabric slide around his body.

"Hey guys, almost everyone is in the garden, let's go"

At Kisame's call, Shisui and Yahiko happily ran towards him. They gave him a hug in unison so energetic that he almost fell before disappearing into the locker room.

"What are you doing, staying up there all day?"

Itachi looked down smiling, his raven locks falling in front of his eyes. Wrapping the tape around one thigh, he used it to descend, letting himself slide silently inside it. Kisame had approached in order to land him in his arms, he grabbed him on the fly, neither of them taking his eyes off the other. Itachi's arms wrapped around his partner's neck, Kisame's muscular ones hugged that body, hot and tired from recent acrobatics, his weight made him arch his back backwards. Itachi was no longer so undernourished as to be impressive. They looked at each other again, motionless. At the exact moment their lips made contact, unexpected applause exploded at the entrance. The first ones in front, to take the initiative, were Deidara and Hidan, all the others were behind immersed in the light. Yahiko and Shisui smiling and looking out the locker room door. Kisame, not at all surprised at having been observed, placed Itachi on the ground and remained to admire him as he reached his cousin and his friend.

"Don't you know what a great pleasure it is to see you again after all these years, Hinata."

Sasuke looked bewildered at the two who sat in front of him and his girlfriend. That blond was truly a force of nature, not only was he extremely flashy in appearance, but also crazy, dragging like a train and with the ability to transform everything he touched into an earthquake. The table where Sasuke and Hinata were sitting was the only one still quite tidy, the only one that wasn't filling up with bottles of all kinds and piles of plastic plates. The dark-haired man was certain that he would end up like the others in no time now that that blond, blatantly chewing a large strawberry gum, had decided to sit there with his partner.

"Nice to meet you, Deidara. She is my girlfriend Karin" the blond had held out his right hand to Sasuke "While Hinata and I... we have already met."

Sasuke impatiently searched for an answer in that oblique smile that was widening. He didn't even find it on Karin's face; you could tell that the redhead, previously a shy girl, had changed radically since she had formed her bond with Deidara. Her kind but amused smile was the flip side of Hinata's sweet and calm one. The brunette had turned for a moment in search of her cousin Neji as if he was seeking his approval, she saw him not far away, standing in front of Konan. He raised a small hand to greet them, Neji responded by raising the glass of wine while the blue-haired woman smiled almost maternally. Looking back at her table mates, Hinata's cheeks had been invaded by a light blush. She grabbed Sasuke's hand, smiling at him to reassure him, she already understood the direction Deidara had taken and, both she and Karin, already knew that there would be no way to make him go back.

And so Kiba's New Year's tale came out once again. It was inevitable, not only had many of them met right there, but also Deidara had felt at the center of the scene like never before due to the wonderful fireworks display that he had put on. As soon as the blond had finished speaking, a dead silence fell for a few seconds, the wait for Sasuke's reaction generated such tension that he could literally cut it with a knife.

Her loud and sincere laugh relieved Hinata and Karin of their embarrassment, making them sigh and smile in unison. Sasuke was laughing so hard it brought tears to his eyes. He dragged the other three boys to the table with him, even his Nii – san who, in the meantime, had come to surround his shoulders in a hug. He dragged Kisame and Tayuya, the direct protagonists of that crazy scene from many years ago. Tayuya's laughter pulled Hidan in. Kiba and Naruto, who had followed everything by pretending nothing had happened behind Deidara's back, also let themselves go without restraint.

"I won't be able to do without you anymore" exclaimed Sasuke, continuing to laugh, "Hinata and I will also gladly enroll in your courses."

Oh yes, they're all there.

When the hilarity had died down, Deidara took the opportunity to take back all the attention: "Since I'm starting my own business, starting a fireworks company, I could do something wonderful at our weddings even though I myself am one of the spouses."

"Excellent idea, Deidara" Tayuya's scratchy voice supported him "I could contribute in the same way by playing some of my pieces."

The redhead held out her fist smiling, the blond's had met it with a small tap. Hidan kissed her enthusiastically and full of admiration.

"Are you having fun?" Kisame's voice turned helpfully to a tall dark haired man who had his back turned. He was slowly helping himself to a plate of curry rice.

Madara managed to be elegant even on a hot day like hers, dark gray sleeveless shirt, matching cotton trousers. His hair now reached far beyond his butt, always as much as anyone would ever have.

"This is one of my favorite dishes, I know it's thanks to Itachi."

"In fact it's so."

Madara sighed bitterly without lifting his eyes from his plate, he had hurriedly put down the large wooden spoon, with which he served the rice, before the tremor of his hand became too visible. However, it had been so sudden and violent that Kisame hadn't missed it.

"You don't know how happy I am that you are back, you have always been very important to me and my point of view has certainly not changed" Kisame's eyes and face were the picture of serenity "The fact that you and Izuna have decided to stay fills me with even more joy."

"Only my brother will remain, not me" Madara finally decided to raise his black eyes towards Kisame, they were shiny, he smiled with melancholy. He stared for a second at the skull bracelet still on Kisame's right wrist "I have a company I have to take care of. Izuna and Sasuke have bonded a lot and this makes me very happy for both of them."

"Madara, we shared an important part of our lives, our most complicated years. They know a lot of each other's secrets, it would kill me not to see you again. You are one of my fondest memories."

The dark-haired man had lowered his eyes again in silence, his handsome face had become a little pale.

"You could be another one who needs my help" Kakuzu's voice broke the icy shell in which he had the impression Kisame was in and made Madara lift his gaze from the table again. No one had seen him approach, his expression was happy and kind.

"Everyone is fighting a bit to hire me. I love the countryside but unfortunately I have never had the opportunity to experience it. Kisame, you can be sure that we will come back to visit you every week."

The other two laughed.

"Of course, why not? I'm sure you'll like it" Madara's face had been abandoned by some of those stormy clouds that darkened him.

"Thank you for coming, Madara. Thank you for everything" Kisame hugged him tightly. The immense transport of that gesture had made them remain still and with both their eyes closed.

"Kisame, I also thought about giving my contribution to our beautiful ceremony."

Sasori's voice had awakened him, the small redhead was smiling blissfully, holding Sarana by the waist: "If you come to the car I'll show you our masterpieces. Yes, ours. Even Sarana, when she has time, gives me a hand."

After a few steps, Kisame had turned for a moment to look at the refreshments in the garden of his gym. Obito and Rin had reached Madara, husband and wife had cheered him up in a few seconds with their cheerfulness. Izuna had taken a seat at the table where Sasuke was, also giving in to the hilarity that Deidara bestowed. Itachi was talking to Kakuzu. Yahiko and Shisui were joking with Konan and Neji, who knows, maybe they were convincing them to take part in some course. Kiba and Naruto, after not having had the opportunity to meet for a long time, were joking around making fun of each other while Nagato watched them amusedly while sipping a beer leaning against the column of a small fountain. They hadn't changed much from the young boys they were when Kisame had met them.

A dream this big can be scary. I know, it seems like a paradox, but very often it is like this. Many people, afraid of suddenly waking up, don't try hard enough, convinced that nothing is real. Well, if that were really the case, I'd prefer to continue sleeping, even forever.

"What do you think, Kisame?"

As soon as Sasori had opened the trunk of his car, a very pleasant scent of high quality wood hit Kisame's nostrils. It was mixed with the fragrance of the cup and those of other colored paints. Pretty little dolls, so perfect that they seemed alive, rested inside a large box, also made of wood. They looked like little elves or fairies. Only from the strings coming out of their bodies could it be understood that they were actually puppets. The clothes are made with attention to the smallest details, complete with lace, lace and little roses.

"Sarana sews the clothes, I do the rest. Together we can maneuver ten at the same time. We too will be one of the couples who get married, however remaining passive does not give us satisfaction."

The two engaged couples looked at each other beaming, Sarana trilled a laugh, then they kissed.

A little further on, in the sunny parking lot, the thuds of two doors opening and closing had sounded. Footsteps clad in heels began to approach soon after, they were two people. Tsunade's beautiful face, well cared for in perfect makeup, appeared radiant, her hazel eyes shone in the sun. In his hand Samui's. They were wearing the same shirt, identical model, open at the front with a bow under their large breasts. Samui's pink, Tsunade's mint green. The doctor was wearing tight, shiny black leggings, her partner was wearing a fuchsia miniskirt.

"I can't wait for my villa to be filled… with you. Sometimes it seems so empty to me. If Samui hadn't been there I probably would have already moved."

Tsunade kissed Kisame, Sasori, and Sarana on the cheeks, his strong scent hitting them all. Samui's blue eyes shone like glass as he waved them off to follow his partner towards the gym's garden.

I started from scratch, managing to put my difficult past behind me. This doesn't mean that I deny it, on the contrary, without it I wouldn't be the person I am. And today I feel proud of my way of being, of what I have achieved. All this thanks to you. In one way or another and, each of you in your own way, you have allowed me to start again. But maybe... the credit is also partly mine.