Your Hand

By: Midnight'ssong22

Disclaimer: I, like many other people, do not own Naruto.

-O-

When I was born, the first thing I saw was our mother's face. She was so beautiful. She was also the first one to hold me. But you Itachi, not our father, were the second one to hold me.

You had never held a newborn baby before but your face lit up with joy when mother asked if you wanted to hold me.

You took me in your arms carefully, almost timidly, as if you might accidentally hurt me. You looked down at me with awe and you quietly whispered my name. At that moment I opened my eyes and saw you for the first time. You gasped as my black eyes locked on yours.

I reached my fingers up to your face and grasped your hair. You flinched as I pulled down on it. You reached up your own hand to pry my fingers away from your locks of hair and as soon as your hand touched mine, I immediately let go of your hair to grasp your hand instead. My little fingers curled around yours.

You smiled at me and whispered, "I'm your big brother, Sasuke. I'm Itachi. I'll protect you no matter what."

I fell asleep in your arms, my hand still gripping yours.

You were five years old.

-O-

When I was three I went through a hide-and-seek faze, making you play it with me constantly. And even when you were busy, you would just drop what you were doing and start counting.

One time, we were in the back yard and I tried to be sneaky and hide in the bushes just outside the property. But I was running so fast that I didn't notice the small hole in the ground that made me fall down and twist my ankle. I cried out in shock and pain and you were there in an instant asking me what was wrong.

Since our parents were away on a mission you put me on your back and carried me all the way to the hospital. The doctors said all I had done was slightly twist my ankle but you refused to let me walk home. So with my arms around your neck, you started the long trek home.

Your hand reached up and touched mine as you told me, "Make sure to be more careful next time, okay?"

I quietly replied yes and then fell asleep on your back.

You were eight years old.

-O-

When I was five, you invited your friends over to the house to work on homework together. I was there with you to greet them. But when you left the room to go get refreshments, your friends turned on me, calling me names and pushing me around.

When you returned you loudly set down the tray on the table. Your friends turned to you while I watched from the corner that they'd backed me into.

You walked up to them with you head bowed low and said in a calm but menacing voice, "If you find it necessary to pick on my little brother, you can get out of my house."

Your eyes lifted to them, the sharingan activating in a blur of black and red. They ran out so fast they were a blur.

You walked over to where I was standing. I was crying softly but I tried to hide my tears from you. I failed miserably.

You kneeled down to my height and reached up your hand to wipe my tears away. Your hands were so warm. You took my hands in yours and you assured me that everything they said was a lie and that they were all bakas. I laughed when you called them that.

After that day you never invited them over again and you always did your homework alone. All for me.

You were ten years old.

-O-

When I was seven, I woke up from terrible nightmares that terrified me and caused me to start sobbing.

You came running to my room, our mother following close behind. Our father decided to walk since he didn't really particularly care that I'd had a nightmare. He only scoffed at the sound of my crying.

Mother sat on the bed beside me. You stood in front of us, watching me as I sobbed from the dream. She put her arm around me and told me it wasn't real and I was going to be okay.

When I finally quieted down, she stood up after a few minutes and told me goodnight. She gave me a kiss on the forehead and left the room.

As soon as she was gone and it was just us, I started to cry again. You knew me better than our parents did. You knew that I didn't like to bother anyone or show my tears so I'd fake being okay and suffer alone.

But you wouldn't let me.

You came up in front of me and sat down on the bed beside me. You picked me up and put me in your lap and rocked me back and forth as I cried. You didn't try to tell me the same lines mom gave me; you just sat in silence, watching as I finally stopped crying.

I grabbed your hand and held it to my face. It was so warm. You stood up with me in your arms and placed me in bed. I whimpered as you left the room but you soon came back with your sleeping bag and set it down next to my bed. You slept there with me and I slept peacefully for the rest of the night, my little hand in yours.

You were twelve years old.

-O-

When I was eight, you did it.

You massacred our entire village. Our parents, our friends, everyone. No one was left, except for you and me.

I asked you: Why did you do it? Why would you kill everyone?

You answered: To measure my power.

To measure your power? You killed your best friend. Our relatives, my friends, our parents! To obtain power!

Your answer fueled my hatred. I had never felt a hatred so intense. As I stood there, tears streaming down my face, I hated you. For the first time in my life, I despised you. And for many years, that hatred did not change.

By your hand, I suffered great pain. And there were so many things that I wished could have been different that night.

The obvious fact that I wish that it could have been someone other than you. At least if a stranger had mascaraed everyone, I wouldn't have felt hatred and betrayal. I also wished that you could have left our parents alive, so I wouldn't have to be completely alone.

And my most desperate wish?

That you would've killed me too. So that maybe I wouldn't have to grow up without my parents and my once loving brother.

You were thirteen years old. Yet none of our people had a chance of survival against you.

-O-

When I was thirteen, I met you again for the first time since the massacre.

Naruto had been with master Jiraya and for a reason I didn't know until now, you were after him. Some could say that I went after you out of concern for my friend, and I suppose at the time, I might have been slightly concerned for that idiot. But my main reason was to finally settle matters between us.

I was planning on killing you.

I had learned new skills, and my hatred for you had more than doubled since the last time I had seen you. I felt as though I was ready. I thought I could finally destroy you.

I had grown so much stronger since that day.

I had gained my sharingan in the middle of the battle with that Kekkai Genkai user. And the only reason I lost was because of that idiot Naruto. If he hadn't of been such a loser, I wouldn't of had to save him. And whatever anyone says, I only saved him because of…

Well that's beside the point.

Not only had I gained the sharingan, but I was able to create my own taijutsu move. An ability I call Lion's Barrage. I had created it after witnessing the taijutsu user, Rock Lee, start using the original move before being interrupted.

From what I was able to see from his first move, I was able to complete it with my own new move.

And then there was the Chunin exam, where I had held my own against one of the three great Sannin, Orochimaru. I may have been defeated in the end, but I was also able to survive against his damn curse mark.

Finally, I had learned a new amazing ability from Kakashi. The Chidori.

But in the end, as I tried to use it against you, you easily deflected it, and before I knew it, you had me pinned against the wall, calling me weak and telling me that my hatred was not strong enough.

That I needed to have eyes like yours to succeed.

I passed out, and my chance to kill you had passed right through my fingers. Although, I suppose I never had chance against you in the first place back then.

You were eighteen years old.

-O-

When I was sixteen, I killed you.

It was the final battle between us. You had told me to meet you at an old Uchiha base. I had gone alone.

I fought you with everything I had.

I used fire abilities, lightning abilities, taijutsu, genjutsu, weapons, my sharingan.

I threw everything I had at you. Including my curse mark.

I had gone through so much to obtain my abilities.

I had left my village, almost killing Naruto (who I will admit was my best friend) and left my old life behind.

I had joined that sick madman Orochimaru, to learn how to control the curse mark.

I created a new ability that spun off of Chidori, called Chidori Stream.

I was more than ready. Your time was up.

But you know what? You probably could have won. You had the Susano'o, the Totsuka Blade, the Amaterasu, the Mangekyo Sharingan, and incredible fire attacks.

You destroyed my curse mark and I was out of chakra.

Yet I still won.

Your hand raised up, and I actually thought I was going to die. But all you did was tap my forehead like you used to and then collapsed to the ground. Lying dead at my feet.

I was happy, I guess. I had finally done it! My goal of killing you was finally a reality! Yet as my purpose left me, I felt empty. The only thing that had kept me alive was gone. So as my purpose left me, no emotions were felt as I passed out onto the ground.

You died at the young age of 21.

-O-

Now, your body lies before me, the truth of what really happened has finally been revealed to me.

You went so far so that I would never find out the truth, but Madara was able to, even with all the safeguards you put into play.

I am still 16.

And revenge is my goal yet again.

Tears streak down my face as the anger wells up inside me. More than I felt at your betrayal.

Because you had been ordered to kill everyone! I was left alive because out of everyone, you couldn't kill me!

You were ordered by the council members of Konoha to destroy everyone in our district!

And you prolonged your life as you were ravaged by sickness, just so I could kill you. Just so I could return to that accursed village as a hero! The village that had been the cause of the destruction of my life.

I will destroy the council members and the village for what they did to you! What they did to the entire Uchiha Clan.

Itachi, as I sit next to your lifeless body, I realize that I will never be able to apologize to you. I hated you, when all along you were just trying to save me.

My Nii-san. My one and only brother.

-O-

Sasuke's tears continued to flow even in slumber.

After spending an hour alone with his brother's lifeless body, he had finally fallen into a dreamless sleep, his head resting on the side of the bed.

One of his arms was lying further up onto the bed, his hand unconsciously grabbing onto his older brother's cold hand in his sleep.

"I'm sorry, Itachi."

A hand that would never again regain its warmth.

"I'm sorry."

-O-

A/N: So this was one of my first just angst kind of story. I feel kind of sad that I'm posting something like this on Christmas...

This was a story I had come up with a while ago, but I hope that you guys liked it. Please review! :)