A/N: Going through old stuff from my lap-top and found this unexpected bit of writing. There was only a little more typed up, but I've lost the direction of the story. Actually, I thought this was someone else's writing when I was going through it and had to google bits of it to make sure! Although it has obvious darkness to it, this is actually some lighter writing from me, so I hope you can get the same bitter sweet smile that I did reading the first part. Maybe you'll recognize some of your own family interactions like I did, too.

For now, it's rated lower than my normal stuff. There isn't any foul language or sexual situations in this bit. I may never take this further, so there shouldn't ever be blood, either. See, I can write clean stuff, too!

"Where are you going, Itachi-chan?"

"I promised Sasuke we would go fishing, Kaa-san," I answer my mother honestly, smiling as if nothing had just happened a few seconds ago in the other room. She didn't need to see me cry. If she saw me cry, she would tell Otou-san about it. Me crying was just another thing for him to get angry about. "Are you going to come with us? You did promise to come sometime this month."

"Not today," Kaa-san sighs. She does that a lot lately. "Your father and I need to have a long discussion about how things are going around here. He needs to lighten up on you."

So, she knew. How stupid of me, of course she knew. We had been arguing right in the very next room. How could she not know? The sink faucet wasn't nearly loud enough to drown out the sound of my father's booming voice when he chose to yell. Still, I love both of them, and I do not want to be the cause for them to argue.

"He was just really emotional about it, Kaa-san," I tell her, again it is the truth. "I really do need to focus more on the clan's internal issues."

"You're still a boy, ANBU captain or not," Kaa-san says, stepping up to muse my hair. "He needs to learn that."

"I am next in line for his position, Kaa-san. I have to live up to his standards, not use age as an excuse to trail behind. I have to be strong, like him, stronger even so that Sasuke does not see our father's anger, too."

"Brave words," she thinks out loud, "from a brave young man. I think you'll do more than surpass him. You'll help your brother be even stronger than yourself some-day."

"I hope he is," I reply with a smug smile. "If I turn sour like Otou-san keeps saying I will, somebody's got to bring me back around again, even if it is by force."

"I'll speak with your father while you are away," she tells me with yet another sigh, then turns away to finish watering the plants. "Have fun with your brother, Itachi-chan."

I know better than to smile at her in thanks. Fist of all, she cannot see me smile with her back to me. Second, my father is entering the room, glaring at me still. It is time I leave and take my brother with me. I don't want him to know about the issues I have with Tou-san. He looks up to him. Sasuke loves our father without fear. There will be time enough for fear to grow in his heart along with the love. Best not to start it sooner than it has to. Maybe it never will.

It takes me about fifteen minutes to track Sasuke nii-chan down. He is not in his room. He is not in the living area. He is not with Teiso and bothering her little brother. Where I find him is waiting for me. He has both our fishing poles ready, and a tackle box is is impromptu stool as he stands on top of it and waves to me with enthusiasm.

"Nii-san, it took you long enough!" Sasuke pouts, the expression completely false. "Where were you?"

"Talking with Tou-san inside," I tell him flatly. This way, he will know that the conversation wasn't happy, but that it wasn't really too terrible either. "I went looking all over for you. How did you reach the tackle box?"

"I got Kaa-san to help," Sasuke says, bouncing along beside me as we walk out of the Uchiha compound. I have both our poles, and he's struggling with the tackle box. I know from past experiences that it is safe from his youthful clumsiness. After it busted the first (and only, mind you) time, I made sure it would stay shut even if he tried to chuck it across the park and into a tree or something. Only two people in the whole village can now open it, and it is all for Sasuke's safety it was done.

Teiso has commented in the past on how many fish I bring home some days. She says it's because I have some sort of special bait hidden away in the box now banging against Sasuke's knees. If she knew I was actually using genjutsu to impress my brother (and help him catch more than his fair share), she'd have a heart-attack I'm sure. She always says not to use techniques on mundane things like fishing that a civilian would not be able to use. Who is she to talk, though? Wasn't it Teiso who used her sharingan to make that Sarutobi guy keep smacking himself into a wall instead of a door last week? All he'd done was hit on her in front of me. I was willing to punch things out like any other half-lit boyfriend would. Still, she used a genjutsu on him.

Poor man. Seriously, I pity him and any other man who crosses her. I should be more careful to remember which brand of chocolate is her favorite during my monthly deliveries to her bedroom door. Maybe she'll think of something nice as a reward for me? I doubt it would work though...no matter her intentions. Genjutsu are boring when someone silly or less imaginative is behind them. Teiso can be quite imaginative, but very silly.

"Itachi-nii-san!" Sasuke pulls me out of my thoughts as we reach the creek. "We're here, so stop sulking already!"

"I am not sulking," I reply automatically. "I'm thinking of ways to torture you on your birthday."

"I don't know why you have to think so long and hard on stuff like that," Sasuke grunts, taking his pole from my hand to check the hook and clean it of any old food bait that might have been there last time. "You always find the best ways to make Kaa-san laugh on her birthday. It's not much harder."

"But it is, ototo-kun, it is," I say, opening the tackle box and letting him pull out a long, purple worm with a couple bells on the tail. He hands it over to me to put on his hook. I have no need to tell him of the pain and dangers of rusty (or even clean) hooks when they get caught in your flesh. He suffered it once, along with a nasty infection, and he hasn't slipped up since. My brother is very smart. Certainly, Sasuke is not a "monkey-see-monkey-do" kind of person. No, he sees and does not do. He does and never lets others see it happen to him again. "I like making Kaa-san laugh, Tou-san proud, and you grumpy. You're so much fun to torment!"

"Well, don't do it today, okay?" Sasuke begs me with those much too knowing eyes. He reads me so well, it's a miracle he still hasn't fully understood how Tou-san and I are drifting apart. "Let's just have some fun together. Besides, I told Teiso-chan where we were going. She promised to bring lunch."

"And here I thought I was going to get to take you out for dumplings this afternoon..." I pretend to be sad. Honestly, having Teiso bring something would give us more reason to stay away from home longer. I know she means well, but Kaa-san is only going to make things worse between Tou-san and I today. Teiso should provide another time consuming excuse to stay out later.

"Really?" Sasuke looks up at me expectantly. "She's only bringing lunch. Can we have dumplings for dinner before we go home? Kaa-san is making baked fish again. You know I don't like her baked fish."

This child is my savior, I swear. He may not know it yet, but Sasuke is more than a loved brother to me. He is my sanity. He is the one making sure the lights within the tunnel are lit while I'm walking through it towards the sun. He protects me from depressions in the best of ways. He's worth protecting from my squabbles with Tou-san. Maybe by the time he's old-enough to understand what all the hush hush arguments are about; they won't be an item any longer.

"Oi, Nii-san!" Sasuke tugs at my shorts a few minutes later, a strong fish hooked to his line. "Help!"

"You're stronger than the fish, Sasuke," I remind him. "You have more stamina than he does. Remember, he is bleeding and in pain, so he wants to fight you. You can wait him out and bring him in slowly."

I watch my brother as he learns to take his time. This is the first time that I will not bring a fish in for him, even one as big and strong as this. I have faith in my little brother, and it grows even as his patients wears thin with the fish. He is reeling it in too quickly. I tell him this. He huffs about it for a second, then does as I instruct. Smart child. The fish takes out a lot of energy from Sasuke, meaning that I will have a less hyper charge for a while. Tired itself, the thing gives up most of it's fight long enough to be brought to shore and unhooked, and then it is thrown into the bucket. First one of the day. First one of my brother's life. I know he will go home proud today between our fishing trip and getting those dumplings I promised.

Even with a stomach full of the fish he caught the day before, Sasuke still wants me to take him on our weekly dumpling run. It's getting to be more than weekly. More like daily. Maybe I should learn to make the things myself. It would certainly lower expenses on my end of raising the kid. Kaa-san does nothing to discourage him from the fattening treat. Not like he needs to lay off any, though. He has far too much energy to worry about getting fat. Today, though, she hands me enough to buy not only for Sasuke, but myself for the week's needs. She claims it's mostly from Tou-san, but I'm not sure I believe her. Either way, I thank her for the gift and take Sasuke out.

Teiso and her parents are at the dumpling stand when we arrive..They're in a heated argument with a couple of Hyuuga. Even Teiso is flushed red with anger, her Sharingan coming out unbidden. Her parents do nothing to stop her from torturing the child with the Hyuuga couple's boy. I cannot stand to see this. She needs to learn that she is not above the law just because she is a part of the village's police.

"Teiso, what do you think you are doing?" I demand, standing between her and the screaming child no one else was willing to step in and protect considering there were two other angry Uchiha involved. "Stop it now!"

"Come, child," Teiso's mother grabs her by the arm and jerks her out of the stand. "Let him find out himself what this village thinks of its protectors."

"You're not protecting them by attacking them at a food stand just because of a few hot tempers," I tell the woman with a growl. "You're taking things much farther than even my father suggested!"

"Like you would know what your father suggests," the woman's husband spits at me. "You're too busy coddling your brother to even think about the rest of the clan."

"Come," Teiso's father catches both women's arms and lead them away.

I know my father will be first person they will speak with after this. Too bad he will have to wait. I have an appointment with Sandaime to go to before bringing Sasuke home this evening.

"Nii-san?" Sasuke is careful with his steps as he approaches me.

"It's alright," I answer, lying to my brother one more time. I hate lying to him as much as I hate lying to Kaa-san. Maybe it's because he looks so much like her. I don't know. It's easy enough to lie to Tou-san. He doesn't expect the truth from me, though. Sasuke always expects the truth. He's too trusting. "Come on, let's eat."

The Hyuuga family left rather soon after we sat down. The mother held her son's hand tightly as they left, scared that we might attack her next, I guess.

I have no time to spend with Sasuke now. Avoiding my family has become my primary, self imposed mission for the past year.

"You will eat dinner with your mother, brother, and I this evening," My father cuts of my next thought as I sit at my desk, cleaning my ornamental knives. "I have news concerning your brother you will wish to hear. I am sure he has not told you himself. I have ordered him to wait until tonight."

"I know of his completion of his first fire technique," I tell my father. After all, I did see the light by the water last night. The whole compound did. "I hoped to take him out to the fair next week and buy him something more expensive than usual in celebration."

"You know that is not possible," my father says blandly. "The festival will not happen. You will stand with us. Do not disobey your own word, Itachi."

"I have no intention of breaking my promise to attend every meeting within the next few days, Tou-san," I reply cooly, trying my hardest not to snap.

"You may not speak any more at them, not unless you agree with what is being said," he commands, arms crossed over his chest.

I know why he wants me silenced. He wants it to look like I am coming over to his way of thinking and doing things. Of course, it would not do for either of us if I suddenly started openly helping in their plans. It has to look like I'm starting to cave and come to sense- his kind of sense.

"I will see you again at dinner. Wear something good. We are going out tonight after dinner."

That is something new to me. He wants to celebrate so soon?

"Not with your mother and brother," father adds, changing my view completely. "I believe Teiso has something important to ask of you. Also, we will be meeting with Sarutobi-san quietly. Hyuuga members have approached him with something he wishes to ask of us as well. I want you there to mediate."

"Father?" I ask, confused at his request. He's never asked me to do what I've been trying to do this whole time. Not once.

"I want you to make sure they do not attack us foolishly," he clarifies for me. Of course, I am the youngest person to become an ANBU captain, so he wants them intimidated by me. He wants me for muscle instead of intelligence even though I'm more known for intelligence than muscle. Idiot.

"They will not," I reply with a grunt. He doesn't need to know that just bringing Teiso will be enough to hold the Hyuuga off. "Should I wear a kimono, or something more suited to movement?"

"Don't act like that is even worth a smile, Itachi," his frown deepens. "You know we will not attack for another four days. Wear the one that matches mine."

"Hai, Otou-san," I nod, turn around, and return my attentions to my knives.

Two hours later I sit across from the man whom I match in clothing. Both of us are silent.

"Itachi?"

Mother is surprised to see me taking my meal in the same room as my father. We both smile at her at the same time when she wraps her arms around my shoulders. Our smiles are just for show, though she should not be able to tell. Her eyes are closed with her own smile, anyway. Any imperfections in our expressions are only visible to Sasuke. Sasuke, by the way, is extremely quiet, staring back and forth between Tou-san and I. He knows something is very wrong, even if he only thinks it is something I'm doing for him again.

"Nii-san, guess what I did this morning!" Sasuke speaks up not that Kaa-san has let me loose to take her place at the table.

Tou-san gives me a stern look, though this time it is about Sasuke. I know I am to indulge the boy's pride now, but I can't help the taunt to come anyway. "What is that, Sasuke? Finally hit four targets in a row?"

"No," Sasuke gives me a dirty frown, one I was expecting. "Something more important."

"More important... You finally decided to stop sleeping with your baby blanket?" The taunt starts to make him laugh. He has caught me twice sleeping with my own lately.

"I completed the Katton!" Sasuke smiles brightly at me.

"Which one?" I ask, knowing that there are many.

"Goukakyuu!" Sasuke clarifies. "Tou-san says that I am an adult now. That means I'm catching up to you, too!"

"Not hardly, Sasuke," I flick him in the forehead like usual when reminding him I'll always be ahead of him no matter what. How can I protect him if I'm not stronger than he is anyway? "But I am happy for you. Maybe I will show you the next one sometime soon?"

I look up to my father now, the first time I have asked for his permission in anything for a very long time. He is confused by my questioning look. Does he realize that I now understand his plans concerning Sasuke? I hope so, but I also hope he does not deny me the opportunity. With Kaa-san here to witness his answer, he can only answer in the affirmative.

"You are going to be very busy for some time, Itachi," he reminds me.

"I will make time," I tell him.

"Go easy on him," Kaa-san says. "He will hurt himself otherwise."

Tou-san is upset that my mother has stepped in and allowed me what he wishes to stop, but he says nothing.

"I will not!" Sasuke speaks up again, then winces as the burns around his mouth sting with the strain of being used in too wide a range.

"Yes you will," Kaa-san tells him with a kind smile. "Now eat up. You may be an adult according to Uchiha tradition now, but you are still a growing boy in all other ways."