Epilogue: Darkness Overcome By Love

After the death of Itachi, Sasuke continues on, finding out the truth of his brother's actions, and along with Aoi, decides to help his old friends and former village in the time of their greatest need, becoming once more a member of Team Seven while she was left in a zone of relative safety...

After the war, returned to the village as a hero and welcomed shinobi once more, Sasuke makes good on the promise he made to Aoi, and together they worked to find her path, raising a new generation of Uchiha...

"Mommy?" A young boy in his first year at the academy pulled at his mother's side, scarcely heeding the smaller bundle in her arms, "Nariko and Hanzo said that you were crying at uncle's grave yesterday. Is it true?"

Aoi looked down at her small son, his black eyes so gentle it almost hurt her to admit the truth, "Itachi was a very brave shinobi, and the price he paid was more than anyone can ever know." She saw that he was not taking the bait, so she sighed at her son's stubbornness, "Your uncle was very close to me once, and your father knows that I can never forget everything he's done for me, and I know that a part of your father can never forgive me for it, so this stays between us, ok, my love?"

Swayed by his mother's pained smile, he nodded, taking her hand as he lead the way back home, "Father should be back from his mission soon, right mommy?" He had a way of lifting her spirits, just by his wide grin.

It was a grin she hoped he would never lose. Adjusting her youngest son without having to pause, Aoi fell into step with her middle child, waving at Sasuke's friends as they passed her in the street. She wondered if any of them believed the rumor that Sasuke's eldest child was really his brother's...

Sayuri was born so close to the end of the war, many had to wonder, but the only ones that really needed to know the truth knew exactly who the little girl's father was, so the rumors could swirl as much as they liked, because she was loved, and that was all that mattered.

Speaking of Sayuri, she was waiting by the door for her mother to return from taking her younger brothers to the doctor for their checkups. Only so old, and she was already a shining example of what a good wife should be... Too bad she wanted to follow in her father's footsteps and become a shinobi... Well, no matter, because Aoi would love her daughter no matter what path she chose. Sasuke had done the same for her, so it was the least she could do for her husband, to pass down the greatest gift he could ever give a wretch like her.

"Welcome back," Sayuri bowed her head at her mother, "You have a guest."

Looking sideways at the dark haired beauty, Aoi saw out of the corner of her eye a fetching man with obsidian locks and onyx orbs, so she nodded a thanks to her daughter and passed her the infant in her arms, "Go with your sister."

Rolling his eyes, he did as he was told and followed his sister inside the house. Making sure that the children were inside, Aoi approached the man, "You should know better than to come here. If my husband were to see you, he would probably kill us both."

He smirked, taking her face in his hand, the skin gloved in a battered glove in desperate need of repair, "Its a good thing he's not expected back until tomorrow then..."

She kissed him, dropping all pretense, "I missed you while you were gone."

"I know, but we both know that that blockhead hokage of ours isn't strong enough to deal with half the stuff he sends me in to do." He smirked, taking her in his arms, not caring that they were still in perfect view of the street as he kissed her back.

She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder, "You are terrible at trying to comfort me about the dangers of your job. You should be thankful that you are so good at everything else."

"We can't all be perfect," He lifted her chin up so that their lips met with little resistance, "Not even the light."

Shaking her head, Aoi spotted two pairs of black eyes peaking out of the window, which made her laugh, "I think I've hogged you enough for now. Go see your children - they missed you almost as much as I did."

Sasuke released her without a word, leaving a small hollow feeling in his wake, looking back over his shoulder at his wife, "After I put them to bed, I promise I'm all yours."

Aoi shook her head, "No, you will always be mine - even the Hokage can never change that."

"Naruto would be an idiot to try," He agreed, "There are things that change in this world, but one thing that will never change is you. The darkness can take many forms and twist its shape, but the light will always be there by the darkness, caressing its side and giving it life. Say what you will, but you will always be my light."

Aoi kissed him once more, following him back inside their home, "And you will always be mine."

And so ends my longest running fic! Tell me what you think, if you haven't already!

I just can't believe it's over :(