Shadows
Disclaimer: Still nothing.
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"I'm tired of playing your game of good and evil. Farewell, my shadow. You, who stand at the end of the path I chose not to follow." –Mithos(Tales of Symphonia)
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Itachi looked at his brother's blurry outline. How much he had grown. Sasuke's hair was a little longer and he still wore it in that strange style, his face was just as pale as his own, but the younger brother's eyes were filled with hate and anger, not the peace and blankness that Itachi's had. Sasuke's face had sharpened at similar angles, but still retained some of their mother's softness.
He'd grown into a fine young man, Itachi thought with pride, but he regretted that he wouldn't be able to finish watching him grow up.
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Itachi remembered hearing about the team Sasuke had been put on. Hatake Kakashi would take care of him, he knew and he trusted Kakashi to do just that.
The blonde, Naruto, was a good kid. Most of the village hated him, but Itachi had seen him playing on his own or with the few friends he had, like the Nara genius and Hana's little brother. He had played fair and hadn't been anything like a demon. Itachi had a feeling Naruto would be a brother or best friend to Sasuke in his place.
Itachi remembered Sasuke telling him about the girls in his class one time. "The pink-haired one is really annoying, Nii-san." Sasuke had said. It was his bad luck that he got put in a team with her too.
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"I don't like sweet things."
Itachi and Kisame had been sitting in the restaurant, enjoying their lunch. Itachi reflected that Sasuke had gotten tall and he would probably be taller than the missing-nin when he was done growing. Kakashi knew he was there, watching them. Kakashi had known about the mission of course. He had been in ANBU back then, and was one of the few who actually knew.
Sasuke had looked curiously inside the restaurant, black eyes so like his own confused. Asuma and Kurenai had left, and Kakashi and Sasuke went to have their lunch that was destined to be cut short.
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Itachi sensed the familiar chakra long before he turned to see him. His little brother with the Sharingan glaring with loathing at him.
"He has the Sharingan and he's very similar to you," Kisame had said, probably already having a feeling of who it was, describing him in few words for Itachi, "Who is he?"
"My little brother."
Naruto had looked startled. Sasuke hadn't told him? Then again, he probably hadn't told anyone and probably never would. The Chidori had begun to crackle and Itachi had smiled mentally at his little brother's achievements. Sasuke had ran at him and Itachi had caught his wrist, marveling slightly at how big Sasuke's hand had gotten.
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"He took all kinds of medicines just to keep himself alive…all for his beloved little brother. All so he could die at your feet."
Madara's words rang through Sasuke's head. Just for him? Memories began flashing through his mind. Itachi's excuses to not train him. Sasuke realized it was so he wouldn't be used in the same way Itachi had. Itachi carrying him home, him staring out at the sky on those days that he didn't have a mission. The final image was of Itachi's peaceful, bloodstained smile.