Madara wanted nothing more than to kill that smug Hyuga bastard. However, he was continually reminded of the promise he made to Sen before her passing. A promise to never kill her brother. It was damn near impossible for him to keep it, but even now he could never forsake her trust. So instead, he forsook the Hidden Leaf Village and damned them all to hell.

His leaving took a heavy toll on Karasu and Yama, who had not only lost Sen, but now Madara as well. They begged to come with him and for a moment he considered bringing them; however, he knew Sen would never want them to live as rogue ninja. The clan leader severed his bonds with the boys by telling them they would only be in his way. As he left, he could feel their anger and sorrow. As strong as those same emotions were radiating through him, he was positive they could sense his as well.

Mizura had refused to give Sen a proper funeral and banned her from being buried in the Hyuga clan cemetery. Sora fought him tooth and nail against the decision; however, as a member of the newly established branch family, the younger twin had no say in the matter. Sora was branded with a seal, forever cementing his position as a servant to the main family.

An immense sadness hung over the Hyuga compound after Sen's death. Sora attacked his brother after learning he had murdered Sen; however, their mother had distraughtly pleaded for the two to stop. Upon hearing his heartbroken mother's screams of anguish, Sora bowed out of the fight but promised that one day Mizura would reap what he had sown. Lady Hyuga passed soon after this encounter, leaving only the polarized twins.

In the years that followed, all three of the boys grew up to be exceptional shinobi, just as Sen had expected. Sora knew she would be so proud of their accomplishments and he wished she was there to experience each one with them.

However, tragedy had stricken Yuudai during an S-ranked mission to the Land of Earth. Whenever the news reached Yama and Karasu, they were heartbroken; however they knew they must immediately inform Sora of his beloved student's demise. After they revealed this news to Sora, he broke down into a fit of sobs, feeling that he had finally lost any semblance of family he had ever known. Soon after, Sora left Konohagakure with permission from Nidaime Hokage. He was unsure of what was left for him in the world, but he did know that there was something out there waiting to be discovered. In the end, he found solace in writing about his experiences and became a wildly successful author.

The Uchiha boys had struggled severely after losing Sen. Karasu had frequent night terrors after the incident and during each one, Yama helped him find his footing again. As time passed and tragedies continued to occur, the boys' bond became stronger than iron. They were thankful to still have one another and prayed that nothing would ever take the other away.

They grew into strong jonin, leading their own teams and becoming integral parts of the Leaf Village. Yama became the Uchiha clan leader and head of the Konoha Police, while Karasu became chief of the Anbu Black Ops and then Tobirama's right hand upon his succession to Hokage. Karasu's main goal through his position was to facilitate peaceful negotiation and conversation between the Uchiha clan and the village. He could bear no more turmoil; he only wished for harmony.

Years passed and Konohagakure evolved. It grew into something spectacular that Karasu wished Sen could see. He hoped she would be proud of him and Yama. They had trained hard every day to honor her memory, to never let all of her hard work with them be in vain. Karasu treasured his memories with Sen above anything else in his life.

He often visited her grave and recalled the days with her. Life had been so simple then. They had all been happy. Him. Yama. Yuudai. Sora. Sen. Even perpetually brooding Madara. He longed for those sunny days once more and visiting her grave was an easy way to relive them, if only for a moment.

As he strode the familiar path through to the graveyard, he saw someone sitting in front of Sen's tombstone. Upon nearing, he realized it was someone he had not seen in many years. He stepped closer and heard their gentle voice speak, "It's been a very long time, Karasu."

He swallowed hard and nodded, "Indeed it has, Sora."

The Hyuga man stood and turned to Karasu before deactivating his Byakugan and bowing lightly. Sora had aged well, fine lines were imprinted into his face, yet he looked as warm and kind as ever. Whenever he smiled at Karasu, all the Uchiha man could see was Sen's glittering grin. Karasu's eyes dropped to her gravestone and he noticed a full cup of sake sitting on top of the rock.

With a small smile, Karasu asked, "Did you tap your glass twice, Sora?"

"Of course," he responded with a light chuckle. "Only and always for her."

"You know, I never understood why you two did that."

Sora laughed again and replied, "To be honest, I don't think we did either."

They were silent for a few moments, both of their gazes locked on the name carved into stone. Karasu whispered after a while, "I miss her every single day."

Sora nodded. "Me too."

Silence blanketed them once more.

"Why did you leave, Sora?" Karasu asked, a tone of frustration lacing his voice. "Mizura has gone over the edge of madness. His own children are now subjected to his branch and main family philosophy. It's terrible what he's done to your clan."

The Hyuga man shoved his hands into his pockets and sighed as his mouth twisted. Truth be told, he had felt guilty about abandoning the rest of his clan; however, he knew his hands were tied after the seal had been placed on him. In a breath of a whisper, Sora answered, "We all coped in our own way. We had to. Losing someone like her leaves an impossibly vast hole."

Karasu blinked tears away as he sniffled and said, "I was a lonely, timid, and weak child, but Sen loved me regardless. She saw something in me that I never knew was there. Upon meeting her, I felt loved again for the first time since my family's passing. I owe everything I am to your sister."

A pleasant smile pulled on Sora's face and he thought, I hope you're listening, Sen.

"Would you like me to show you where Yuudai is buried?" Karasu asked.

Sora nodded and followed the Uchiha through the rows of graves until they reached his former student's resting place. With his eyes closed, he knelt in front of the grave and pressed his fingers to his lips before laying them against the cold stone. He said a small prayer and stood once more as Karasu patted him on the shoulder.

"He never forgave himself," Sora stated sadly. "Every moment after Sen's death, he blamed himself. He was racked with guilt and felt responsible because he asked Mizura to help find her. I told him countless times that there was no blood on his hands, but I never got through to him."

"He changed after her passing..." Karasu whispered. "Hell, we all did."

Silence hung over them once more. The two men walked through the graveyard, paying their respects to those gone on. They stopped once more at Sen's grave and Sora let out a long breath before saying, "You don't have to wonder if she's proud of you, Karasu. I know she is."

Karasu grinned and hummed lightly. They stood for another moment and watched as the sun dipped low in the horizon before Karasu asked Sora to join him at his house for a cup of tea and a meal. The Hyuga man graciously accepted.

Upon entering the house, Sora immediately noticed a fan that looked identical to the one Sen used to have hanging in her own home. He inquired about it and Karasu answered that he had taken it from her living room and hoped that Sora wasn't upset by his actions.

"Of course not," Sora answered. "If anyone should have it, it should be you."

"My family used to have one just like it when I was growing up. It reminds me of them as well as her. It's my most prized possession."

Sora continued browsing around Karasu's house as he prepared a kettle of tea and a light dinner. The Hyuga stopped in front of a bookshelf and gazed over the objects on the shelf. His eyes landed on a framed note with what looked to be Sen's handwriting. He smiled as he read it:

Karasu,

Went out for a bit. See you soon.

I love you!

Sen

Karasu broke the silence in the room by saying, "I never saw her again. She wrote that the morning she left for your old home. It was the last thing she gave me... A simple note that I treasure so very dearly."

Sora looked over his shoulder and noticed the sorrow in Karasu's eyes. The Uchiha man quickly shook away the look and brought Sora a cup of tea. Sora thanked him and took small sips as he continued to look around Karasu's shelves.

A smile broke onto Sora's face as he stated happily with a bit of surprise, "You have my books."

"I love them," Karasu replied, sipping his own tea. "Sora... In your first book..."

Sora grimaced, knowing what was coming next. He closed his eyes and waited for the rest of Karasu's words.

"You wrote about a brother who offered his sister poison as an escape..." Karasu paused and made eye contact with Sora. "A lot of people in the village believe this was more fact than fiction." Karasu took another sip of tea and finished by asking, "Did he do it? Did Mizura give Mina the poison?"

Sora blankly stared back at Karasu, remembering during the heat of a particularly nasty fight between the brothers after Sen's death whenever he learned of Mizura's despicable action. He sighed lightly as he answered with a nod, "He said he only gave her what she wanted... A way out of the marriage."

Karasu gulped and whispered that he was sorry Sora had endured so much at the hands of his own twin. With a dry chuckle, Sora replied, "That man is no brother of mine. Not anymore."

They then sat for dinner and ate quietly while discussing lighter topics such as Sora's travels, Karasu's duties, and Yama's success as the clan leader. Both men were happy to have ran into each other today, as the long-awaited reunion had been pleasant.

As they finished their meal, Karasu asked, "Will you be staying in Konoha, Sora?"

The Hyuga man shook his head and said that he was only here until after his meeting with the Hokage to discuss the states of the other Hidden Villages. Karasu gently pleaded with him to stay for a while; however, Sora replied that his place was no longer in the Leaf Village, but under the stars littered above a vast and open sky.

"Under the stars?" Karasu asked absentmindedly, remembering Sen's affinity for the night sky. Sora smiled, thinking of the countless nights spent gazing up at the little specks of light.

After dinner, Sora packed his bag back up and thanked Karasu for his hospitality.

The Uchiha man stood at the threshold while his guest stepped out on the porch. He called out as Sora was leaving, "When you see all the world has to offer, you're always welcome back to the village, you know."

With a charming smile reminiscent of his younger sister's, Sora replied, "There's more than the world out there, Karasu. I have the entire sky to see as well."

Sora disappeared, leaving Karasu in the doorway. With a chuckle, the Uchiha man looked up at the dark void dancing with twinkling stars and mumbled to himself, "The entire sky, huh?"

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And that's it, folks. Thank you all for your reads, votes, and comments. I hope this wraps everything up nicely for you guys.

PS - I have a Kakashi x OC fic in the works! Follow me to stay tuned for more of your favorite masked shinobi's messy love life. This one is gonna be a doozy.

xx