Eclipse

Prologue

Sasuke is thirty-nine years old and he's tired. He's so, so tired and every day pains him. This isn't how things were supposed to turn out. Sasuke fucked up a lot in his life, but his most recent fuck up is, by far, his worst. Now he has nothing left. He has an ex-wife, a daughter that hates him and an uptight Hokage who has long lost respect for him. Sasuke got what he wanted all those years ago. Now, he truly is alone. He never expected it to hurt this much.

Right now, he's standing on the remains of Madara's statue at the Valley of the End. Sasuke can't help but think it's a fitting place to finish things. Here, there's history - his history with Naruto... with the world. This is where he last formed the seal of reconciliation with Naruto. He thought, for a moment, that was how it would end - with just them. He wouldn't have minded. There were times he wanted Naruto to kill him, just so the pain would stop. But it never truly stops.

Sasuke returned to Konoha for Naruto, but also for himself and for his daughter. It was a promise he made and it was a promise he vowed to keep.

He returned home with a baby, a tiny bundle with dark hair and equally dark eyes - just like Sasuke's. The circumstance of her birth was a secret he kept for a long time. It was silly of him to think that things would be the same when he was returning with a child.

So, he spent most of his time on the sidelines raising a daughter. Sakura helped, always by his side. Naruto had other responsibilities. He was now a village leader. Sasuke tried being happy for the fool because to simply exist together in a world with Naruto would be good enough for Sasuke. He knew Naruto would never be his. He tried to get used to the idea that Naruto would someday fall in love with a girl and he'd give himself away to her.

Sasuke remembers the day it happened. With the biggest grin, he approached Sasuke. "Guess what, guess what?" he had asked giddily. Sasuke wasn't one for guessing games, so Naruto relented and told him. "I'm getting married."

Sasuke couldn't help but think that the woman Naruto was to marry would be very lucky. He remembers the day it happened, the day of Naruto's wedding. Hinata looked so beautiful dressed in lace and Naruto smiled the entire time. Sasuke could see the love in his eyes. He watched Naruto fall in love all over again. Then there was Sakura, sitting right next to Sasuke during the ceremony. The next wedding in Konoha was theirs. It had to be this way.

Sasuke remembers when Naruto came up to him once again asking, "Guess what, guess what?" Sasuke shrugged and Naruto once again relented. "Hinata's is pregnant! I'm going to be a father!"

For Naruto, Sasuke mustered up one of his rare smiles and he told his friend he was happy for him. Once again, there was Sakura. They tried to have a child together. Sakura wanted a child with the man she loved, but she could never get pregnant. Nonetheless, they were happy... for a time, at least.

Sasuke remembers all of these milestones. He remembers watching his daughter grow up from a distance as he played the part of an absent father and absent husband. She's no longer a little girl now. She's a woman. He sees her around sometimes, mostly with Naruto's children. His gaze will linger and she'll sneer. The last thing she said to Sasuke was, "I hate you."

It didn't surprise him. He always knew his constant absences would take a toll on their relationship. When he separated from Sakura, it only got worse. She couldn't bear to look at him. "I hate you father," she whispered wetly. "I hate you." And Sasuke knew they were words he deserved to hear.

"Sasuke, you keep fucking up," Naruto said to him and Sasuke couldn't deny it. "I can't keep forgiving it."

Sakura's parting words were what hit him hardest. "You would knock me down continuously and then get frustrated when I could no longer stand back up," she had said shakily. "And for some reason, I still loved you. I still married you. I still raised your child a child you had with another woman. I played housewife to a man who did nothing but hurt me for so long... and I don't know why."

"Do you still?" he had asked, sounding cold.

"What?"

"Do you still love me?"

"No," she confessed. "No, I don't. I'll always feel something for you... but it's not love." And with that, she took Sarada and they were gone. Soon enough, Sasuke will be gone, too. He stares up at the orange sky, squinting. The sun is going down, then the moon will rise.

He already knows how everything will play out. A stranger will find his body perhaps an ANBU. Sakura will mourn, even though she shouldn't. She and Naruto will comfort one another while Kakashi tries to tell them it's not their fault. But still, there will be blame. The funeral will be small. There won't be any tears. He's fine with that. He doesn't expect anyone to cry for him. Too much has happened. Maybe this is what he has to do. Maybe it's all he can do. For Sakura, for Sarada... and for Naruto, he'll go away. He'll become nothing more than a memory. Hopefully, when they think of his name, they'll remember some of the good and not just the bad.

He takes a deep breath. "I'm ready," he murmurs to himself, spreading his arms before letting himself fall forward.

Going, going, going... gone.

“Have you ever heard the story of the sun and the moon?”