Aetas Volat

By TwinEnigma

Warnings: Post-Series, SasuKarin, Familyfic; Related to my In Memoriam Tales fic, but does not require reading it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters therein, I do this for fun and no profit.

Karin looks up from the scroll she's reading when he enters. "I didn't hear you come in."

Not that she ever needed to, Sasuke notes as he sinks onto the cushion opposite her. She always knew when he was there and what sort of mood he was in, sometimes even before he did. Everything he cannot say she already knows: he is like glass before her.

Tired, he is tired. He knows that. The mission was stupid, the mercenaries his team had encountered were far too organized, and that imbecile of a client was so infuriating that he'd almost said to hell with the money, let them have him.

He keeps his eyes closed but lets the Sharingan whirl underneath and he remembers why he does this, why he puts up with nightmare clients and cold missions huddled in the mud and freezing rain: they need the money, now more than ever.

"Don't do that," she says, unfurling the scroll a little more. "It's creepy."

He lets it go as he releases the chakra powering the Sharingan and opens his eyes to a softer, more muted world that is still baby-proofed around the edges. "How's Rinji?" he asks.

"He missed you," the as always is left unsaid but implied.

He resists the guilt trying to worm its way into his gut because he shouldn't feel guilty about providing for them.

"It seems he's also got a crush on a girl at school," Karin says, smiling a little.

"Isn't it a little early for that? He's only four and a half," the distinction comes out automatically, because these things are important to little boys, he knows that, and the half makes all the difference in the world. He makes himself remember these things; a good father would remember these things and he wants to be the best father he can be, better than his own, at any rate.

"Yes, well, he's dead set on marrying her," she says, smiling wryly, "And he threw a tantrum that would do you proud when I said we couldn't take her home with us."

Sasuke narrows his eyes at her and resists the urge to say he's never thrown a tantrum, but she's just teasing him a little and he does deserve it after all he did.

Some days, he thinks he'll never make up what he did to her.

"So where is he?" he asks, instead.

"Oh, I sent him off to his room to sulk," Karin waves her hand in the direction of the hall. "He's currently trying to beat your record for the Longest Pout in the History of the Uchiha. Personally, I don't think he stands a chance."

He smirks at her teasing, stands, and leans across the table to caress her face, his fingers gently pulling her closer. She leans into the touch instinctively and he quickly presses his lips to the crown of her head before pulling away and starting for the hall. They will have time to themselves later, when their son is asleep.

The door to his son's room slides open with a soft click. His son has his back to him, head drawn to his knees, but there's an unmistakable twitch that races down that small spine in recognition – a growing talent he takes from his mother – and then Rinji is scrambling to his feet to get to him on small limbs.

Sasuke stoops with arms outstretched and rocks back on his heels a bit as his son practically slams himself against his chest to hug him.

"You're back!" Rinji says happily. "Was it dangerous?"

"Oh, yes, very dangerous," Sasuke tells him, scooping him up carefully. Children were so fragile, so very fragile. "I had to fight a dinosaur."

"A dinosaur?" his son's eyes widen as his imagination takes hold. "What kind of dinosaur? Was it purple? Purple dinosaurs are scary. Green ones are good guys, though."

"It was pink," he lies, relishing the moment to not be adult.

"Daddy!" Rinji whines, smacking a small curled fist against his shoulder. "You liar! It was purple!"

"Oh! And how do you know that?" he asks, looking right into his son's dark eyes.

"Daddy only fights bad guys and purple dinosaurs are bad guys," Rinji explains, as if it's patently obvious. For a child, it is the truth of the world as they understand it – a far simpler and more fantastic world than that of adults.

"Well, I've had enough of fighting bad guys for today," Sasuke says, setting his son down. "What's this I hear about you meeting a girl?"

Rinji squeaks and quickly turns his head away to hide the red on his cheeks. His tiny arm curls over his head, chubby little fingers threading in his dark, spiky hair, and mumbles that it's nothing and girls are stupid anyway.

"Your mother's a girl and she's not stupid," he points out, poking his son on the forehead.

Some people think she is for letting him back into her life. Sometimes, he worries they might be right, but he really knows better.

"That's mommy," Rinji whines. "Mommies are different than girls."

Sasuke can't help the smile that breaks on his face. Oh yes, he thinks, mommies are definitely different than girls. "Ah, Rinji, some girls are smart, some are stupid and some are silly. Is the girl you like smart or silly?"

Rinji's expression turns thoughtful, his tiny eyebrows furrowing. "She's... warm."

"Warm? How so?" Sasuke asks, curiously raising an eyebrow. Warmth is something ascribed to chakra, as he'd learned from Karin.

Rinji shrugs and he wonders if his son even knows how to describe what he's feeling. At last, his son says: "She's like hugs and warm cookies and summer. It's the best feeling ever."

"Is that so?" he asks.

"Mommy says I can't marry Hana, though," Rinji pouts. "She says it'd be k- um... kid-napping!"

Sasuke listens to him feel out the sound of the word and smiles a little as he tries to remember which of his son's classmates was named Hana.

"And Mommy says she's not letting me kidnap the Hokage's baby girl," Rinji adds petulantly. "But Hana's not a baby, so that's stupid!"

Sasuke freezes at the word Hokage. He has a sinking feeling he now knows exactly who's kid his son is talking about. "Hana... as in?"

"U-zu-ma-ki," Rinji recites diligently, tracing a spiral in the air. "Like naruto in the soup!"

Sasuke feels his right eye twitch.

Like naruto in the soup, indeed. Maybe this was some form of karma. His baby boy – his, mind – wants to marry that idiot's brat? It doesn't seem like it was that long ago that he was changing diapers and could test milk bottles for heat in his sleep. And just think, in a few years, his son would graduate Academy and start going on missions...

Then again, they were only four and a half. Clearly, this was a case of puppy love (and thankfully, not with an Inuzuka, or Rinji would have wanted a puppy, too) and the two would grow out of it. Given Naruto's description of his daughter as a right little hellion, she'd probably get bored playing house before the week was out.

"Can I though? Can I marry her?" his son asks, crawling into his lap and turning to sit with his back against his chest. "Because Hana says I'm hope- um, hopeless without her and Mommy says that you're hopeless without her and you're cookies and sunshine for Mommy and Hana's cookies and sunshine for me."

Sasuke pauses a moment and then slowly smiles, wrapping his arms around his son and lifting him up to giggles and squeals. He falls backwards, letting himself hit the floor, and then rolls, over and over. All the while, Rinji giggles and squeals in play-terror as he clings to his arms. And then, he stops and he and his son stare up at the small ceiling. Rinji squirms, wriggling himself around to look at him.

"Yes, you can marry her," Sasuke says, chuckling as he ruffles the hair that's so much like his own.

Rinji's face lights up like it's his birthday and every holiday ever rolled into one. He wriggles to get free, clearly intent on running to tell his mother its okay because Daddy says so.

"Oi! Don't you run off yet!" Sasuke grins, sitting up. "It's our secret!"

Rinji mouths an ooh of understanding and nods.

"Now, you know, since she's your wife, she has to wear a fan on her shirt," he adds, pointing to the one on his own sleeve.

"I can give her one of my shirts!" His son is practically bouncing in place.

Sasuke gleefully nods and helps him pick out the one with the biggest red and white fan on the back and hide it in his schoolbag. He can't wait to see the look on Naruto's face when that idiot's daughter shows up at the end of the day wearing an Uchiha shirt. Sure, it's childish to exploit the opportunity to pull a little prank, but kids may play as they will and a good father should encourage his children, right? So, the fact that he can prank his old teammate is just... well, it's not all about pranking Naruto. It's mostly about making Rinji happy, so really there's nothing wrong with it.

Mostly.

When they're finished, he takes his son by the hand and walks back down the hall to the kitchen, smiling and chuckling at his excited chatter. Karin gives him a look like she knows he's up to something and she does not approve, but he just smiles at her and gives her a hug. He doesn't feel quite so tired anymore. He feels lighter and happier. "You're sunshine and warm cookies," he whispers in her ear.

"Hopeless," Karin says and swats him gently.

"Without a doubt," Sasuke agrees, winking at his giggling son.

"Absolutely hopeless," she sighs and kisses him on the cheek.

AN: I... yeah.

I just...

Yeah.