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Morning mist was just starting to spread from the surface of the river as Sakumo returned to his river-side camp with a fresh bundle of firewood. There wasn't really a morning or an evening in this nether-land between the living and the dead on the banks of Sanzu, rather a constant twilight, skies reflecting the light of Paradise tantalisingly just behind the horizon. Not that Sakumo was tantalised in the least - Paradise held no attraction to him. Oh, he did go there after finally settling things with his son during Kakashi's thankfully temporary visit to the lands of the dead. Dutiful as always, he did what was expected: rejoined his wife and his predecessors to spend the eternity in their blissful company. But all his wife's attachments were to her own folk: parents, siblings, childhood love. Sakumo couldn't begrudge her that - they married out of convenience and family obligations, she with nostalgic memories of her dead sweetheart, he never really having loved at all. Had she lived, they would doubtlessly have bonded over their shared life and children. As it was, their marriage was much too brief, and she barely had time to hold their son before she was gone.
As for Sakumo's own family, they were estranged while he lived and remained so even after his death. They praised his resolve in lifting the shame from the family name by committing suicide, not realising that was the one thing Sakumo regretted the most. As much as being a son of a disgraced man had hurt Kakashi, finding his father dead in such a manner was many times worse. Sakumo had years of anguish on the banks of Sanzu to come to peace with what he did, but he was still uncomfortable talking about it, or his failure, or the glory and perpetuation of the Hatake name (Kakashi certainly accomplished the first, although the second... eh). Since his priorities kept clashing with those of his predecessors, Sakumo found himself returning to the solitary calm of the riverside and continuing his watch over his son's life. Several times it seemed Kakashi would join him, and Sakumo found himself torn between yearning for his company and wishing him a long and happy life.
And now it seems that happiness was at hand - the war had ended, the peace among shinobi nations likely to last, and Kakashi had someone waiting for his return, for which Sakumo was thankful from the bottom of his heart. He watched that romance blossom and grow through the years, and if Kakashi had found the courage to make it "official" after his brush with death, well, Sakumo couldn't help being a little smug. He did regret it somewhat that Iruka wouldn't be able to give Kakashi children of his own, but he still held hope of eventually becoming a grandfather. Kakashi deserved to know the feeling of holding his child in his arms...
The fire started and the kettle arranged above it, Sakumo stretched in the grass and contemplated the wisp of smoke as it rose from the fire. Making tea in the afterlife was still amusing to him - kettle, cups and tea-leaves were always there in his pack when he needed them. He supposed that was his idea of Paradise - enjoying a calm cup of tea - and so he carried his Paradise with him when he returned to Sanzu. All he lacked was some company, the second tea-cup remaining sadly unused. He was just getting into a properly melancholic mood when he heard grass rustling along the shore. Visitors were rare here, most people simply continuing on to Paradise (or the other direction) and not lingering on the bank. Those that did linger were focused on their attachment to the living world and mostly stayed put to keep watch over the ones they left behind, as Sakumo himself did. Therefore it was with mixture of trepidation and excitement that Sakumo rose to meet the visitor.
Man walking towards Sakumo's camp-fire looked so much like a freshly-drowned rat that the trepidation turned into amusement, and Sakumo greeted him with a smile, offering a cup of tea. The man looked at him impassively, bowed in thanks and gracefully sat by the fire. Sakumo started arranging several pieces of firewood into an improvised rack for the soaked robe the man was wearing while introducing himself and inquiring about his guest's name. After a thoughtful pause, the man introduced himself as Uchiha Itachi and lapsed back into silence. Sakumo knew the name, of course. He was focused mostly on Kakashi during the years he spent by Sanzu, but the Uchiha Massacre was hard to miss. Watching the war he grasped some of the complexities behind Itachi's massacre of his own family and genius Uchiha's apparent defection from Konoha, but that didn't explain what the man was doing here, drenched through as if he waded ashore. After a closer look at Itachi's clothes, everything pointed to the same conclusion, so Sakumo finally yielded to his curiosity and asked.
Itachi, who was regarding the flames in the gathering dusk (the twilight on the banks of Sanzu was quite responsive to moods), raised his gaze to Sakumo. Those dark eyes pierced through Sakumo and for a moment he felt unnerved, but he held Itachi's gaze with a patient, benevolent look of his own. Itachi blinked, and answered. "It seems you do not get a boat ride the second time."
Sakumo quirked his eyebrow questioningly as he added tea-leaves into the kettle and settled it to seep. Itachi's eyes returned to the fire as he briefly explained his temporary resurrection. Sakumo had certainly noticed all the resurrected Hokage joining in the fight, so he fought down a brief attack of giggles at the image of four dripping Hokage wading through the shallows of Sanzu. Itachi glanced at him with, Sakumo guessed, an inquiring look (he had certainly mastered the blank ANBU expression, even without a mask). Apologising to Itachi for a possible insult, Sakumo shared his giggle-inducing idea with him and was rewarded with a probably-amused expression.
The tea ready, Sakumo now poured a cup each for his guest and himself, and blew gently at the steaming drink. Itachi grasped his cup with both hands and inhaled the aroma of tea deeply, closing his eyes in appreciation. They both proceeded to sip their drinks in companionable quiet, and Sakumo felt truly at peace for the first time since long before he died. Itachi also seemed to relax imperceptibly, letting his eyes wander to the wide river. To Sakumo's surprise, it was Itachi who finally broke the silence with a question.
"What are you doing here, Hatake-san?"
"Please, call me Sakumo, Uchiha-san." was out before Sakumo realised.
Itachi nodded, with a "then, please call me Itachi" and an expectant look at Sakumo. So Sakumo gave a brief overview of his afterlife and his future plans (stalking Kakashi as long as he lived while carefully avoiding accidental voyeurism).
Sakumo was too polite to openly inquire back, and more than experienced enough to know that it wasn't mere curiosity that led Itachi to start this conversation. So he wasn't surprised when, after a brief silent interlude, Itachi gazed back into the fire and started talking.
"Then you will understand, Sakumo-san. When I died, I half-expected to end in Hell. Once I found myself among Uchiha in Paradise, it was hard to tell the difference. Most of those I killed bore a grudge against me, the ancestors were displeased by the destruction of our clan, so it was impossible for me to stay. I was accompanied for a while by a few relatives who cared for me still, but I wouldn't make them stay away from people who were their Paradise. It was almost a relief to be plucked away from there when I was resurrected. So when I returned to the land of dead, I turned away from the Paradise... and noticed smoke rising a distance away."
Sakumo could hear the unspoken "So here I am" and his heart swelled. He drained his cup and smiled at Itachi. "You're welcome to stay as long as you want, Itachi-kun. I certainly welcome the company."
Itachi's eyes widened in obvious surprise. "I wouldn't want to intrude, Sakumo-san..."
"Nonsense!" Sakumo grinned. "I need some distraction if I'm not to become an obsessive stalker. I can guide you in fine art of watching over those you left behind."
Itachi's face softened, and he looked so beautiful Sakumo was left breathless. With a trace of bashful smile, Itachi looked askance at Sakumo. "Sasuke could certainly use some watching over." He quickly sobered at that. "I didn't do a very good job of that while I was alive."
Sakumo leaned over to pat Itachi's knee. "We are never as good to those we love as we intend to be, and we only realise it when it's too late. But I got my second chance to set things straight... maybe you will, too."
"I already did", Itachi smiled, "thank you."
"Well, then", Sakumo reached into his pack and pulled out a bottle of sake with matching cups, "let's drink to that!"
Some more rummaging in the pack unearthed a beaten-up metal pot which Sakumo filled with river-water and hung over the fire to boil, all under Itachi's confused and amused gaze.
"You certainly pack for all occasions", Itachi remarked with a growing smile as the water heated. Sakumo's heart leaped at the sight, and he resolved to do his utmost to keep Itachi smiling. Lifting the pot from the fire, he carefully placed the bottle in it, steadying it with several pebbles.
"It's not that difficult once you get the knack of it", he winked at Itachi, passing him one of the sake cups. After a couple of minutes he took out the bottle and poured them both a drink.
"Kampai!" They drained their cups in unison and Sakumo sighed with appreciation - his pack provided quality supplies, whether it was tea-leaves or sake. Itachi looked amused at that, which Sakumo counted as a win in his newly-imposed quest, and didn't demur when offered a refill.
"Drink up, there is more where that came from!" Sakumo realised that he was getting loud. It was such a long time since he drank with a comrade, he forgot how talkative he got. Itachi didn't seem to mind, soaking in the warmth of the fire and the drink. Sakumo grinned at him, toasted again, and added "I'm glad you came here."
"Me too", Itachi answered softly.
Sakumo leaned back, supporting himself on one arm while holding his sake cup in the other, and enjoyed his newfound Paradise.