Scared Silly Demons
"Itachi? I'm scared",said little Sasuke.
Itachi glanced up from the scrolls he was studying only for a second to observe his brother standing on his doorway.
"Why are you up, Sasuke? It's late. Go to sleep."
"I'm scared. You're up, too."
"It's not late for me. I don't need as much sleep as you."
"But…" Sasuke didn't end what he was going to say, as a thunder chose that moment to roar. The child cringed and gripped his teddy bear strongly against his chest. "I'm scared!"
Itachi looked outside his window. Normally, he would have been able to see his uncle's house, but a heavy summer storm did not let him see it. He got up, took the candle that was giving him light and walked near his brother.
"I'm scared. Will you please let me stay with you?" Itachi looked at Sasuke with a look the child recognized as disapproving. "Uh, please?"
"You are scared of the thunder." Another roar from the sky made the child whimper."I'll take that as a yes".
"Please, let me stay" Sasuke said. He was gripping his bear so hard that it was beginning to rip at its seams. The light from lightings flashed intermittently the room, that otherwise was only lighted by Itachi's candle.
"Why are you scared of them?" Itachi asked. Sasuke didn't answer, too busy being scared to actually pay attention to what was being asked. "They cannot hit you, you're under a roof. And there is a lightning rod down the street. It is because they're loud?"
"Yes… no, kinda? I dunno. I'm scared."
"Stop saying that. You mustn't be scared. The lighting can't touch you. The thunder can't bite you." Itachi suddenly realized something, "It's not entirely for the lighting, is it. Don't tell me you're still scared of demons that lurk around houses and hide in dark corners."
Sasuke flushed, but nodded. He did not look at his brother in the eyes and his grip around the teddy had not relaxed.
"Sasuke. You are studying at the Academy now." The child looked up at that, confused,"That means you're a Konohan ninja. An Uchiha. You cannot be scared of lightings. You must respect their power, not be scared of them. They are not alive. And about demons…" Itachi took a glance trough his room with an expression in his face that Sasuke was too young to recognize, but made him take a step backwards anyway. " Demons! They are scared from you. You are worse than them. All ninja are. And we Uchiha are worse still, aren't we. "
"Demons are scared of us?"
"Yes. What they teach you at the Academy to do to your enemies you can inflict on them too. If you look at them in the eye, they'll whine and run away."
"Really?"
"I already said yes. Now, are you scared still?"
"No!" Sasuke exclaimed, "No I'm not! If demons are scared of me because I'm an Uchiha ninja, then I'm alright! Thank you for explain that to me!" The teddy now hung from one of his hands, and he was smiling.
"If that was all, "Itachi said, "Go to sleep, Sasuke", he said, "And goodnight." then went to his desk, and started studying the scrolls again.
Sasuke closed his brother's door, and went to his room trough the dark corridor. The lighting flashed, the thunder roared and shadows moved sneakily around him. But he wasn't scared now. He laughed at the lighting and its thunder, and stared meanly at the shadows. He went to bed, tucked himself, and immediately fell asleep.
He never realized that the reassurance he got wasn't the one that he had expected. After all, Itachi had never said that demons did not exist.
He had said that they were scared. And one of the first things that he had been taught at the Academy was that a scared enemy could cower and hide, but also may attack desperately with all its might.
He never thought that. Why would he? He was safe because he was scary!
After all, Uchiha ninjas were the scariest of them all.