Edited: To defeat writer's block I will rewrite this story. Significant changes have been made but not necessarily plot-wise.

Chapter 1- I Can't Just Leave Him

It was a full moon. The pale light spread across the surrounding landscape, giving everything a somewhat eerie glow... as there should be on such a night...

I sat atop the tall power pole, gazing down at the Uchiha district. I had the Mangekyou Sharingan activated. I could see that everyone was dead… there could be no mistake.

At least that's what I thought until I saw a chakra signature. It was small in stature and the way the owner's body moved was highly inexperienced and clumsy. Of course, I would recognize that chakra anywhere for it was that of my younger brother.

I briefly wondered why he had been out so late, but a more pressing thought soon interrupted. Had Sasuke noticed that everyone was dead yet?

I saw his physical body sprint around the corner amongst the shadows, which fell across the street. I could tell he knew something was wrong. Soon he would enter the building we resided in. Soon he would see our parents' corpses… soon.

I realized he was finally catching on to my presence. Before he could raise his eyes to the top of the power pole, I had moved. I continued to move on to our place of residence, the place he would refer to as 'home'.

When I entered the dining room for the second time that night, I automatically focused on my parents' bodies. I didn't want to leave them in a gruesome heap on the floor, but if my plan were to succeed I would need to scare Sasuke as much as possible.

"Kaasan? Otousan?" I heard Sasuke's small voice question the empty house from the main entrance. Our parents would never answer him again… Not that my father used to answer him all that often…

I heard small feet pound against the smooth wooden floorboards as Sasuke desperately sprinted and searched around the house. Undoubtedly he had noticed signs of killing by now. This room wasn't the only one in which Uchiha blood had been shed.

I heard his footsteps approach the dining room. I shifted further into the shadows, preparing myself for what was to come. I did not want to mentally damage my brother for life, but he couldn't know the truth.

The truth about the Uchiha must be erased. Our terrible history and motives could not be recorded. The knowledge must not spread beyond the Elders.

The sound of footsteps came to a sudden halt right outside of the dining room. He must have sensed my presence. Was he brave enough to enter the room?

The answer was yes. One of the double doors slowly swung inwards as Sasuke hesitantly entered the room. I saw his visible eye widen when he saw the bodies.

"What… how…?" he muttered incoherently as he hid behind the door. He couldn't take his eyes off of them.

I moved from the shadows and into the beam of moonlight, which dimly lit the small room. I heard a small gasp of surprise escape my brother's lips in response to this action.

"Niisan? What happened?" he asked, expecting me to have all of the answers… as per usual. His eyes continued to dart between the corpses on the ground and myself, standing beside them. Fear was radiating off of him in waves. I could see it all in his eyes.

I could not offer the true reason as to why I had killed our entire clan. He would never understand… all of my plans would be ruined if Sasuke possessed that knowledge.

But the longer I gazed at him, the more I took in his small, trembling, vulnerable form… I was beginning to rethink my plans. I just could not find it within myself to leave him here alone…

I held out my blood-flecked katana as my resolve continued to crumble.

"You did this?" he asked, taking in the stained blade. He trembled at the knees as his eyes glazed over. His lips began to uncontrollably spasm as though he was trying to hold back sobs.

"Don't cry Sasu chan." I answered softly. "It's better this way."

"What do you mean? They're dead!" he said, stating the obvious. He was beginning to panic. I heard his breaths become shorter. If left alone, hysteria would definitely follow.

I quickly moved forward, to Sasuke it would seem as though I had suddenly appeared before him, kneeling on the ground.

He jumped and pulled the door towards himself, trying to use the heavy wood to create a barrier between us. But before he could slam the door shut I grabbed at the wood and held it fast. My brother couldn't escape the reality that I was both faster and stronger than he was.

He desperately tried to pull the door back and protect himself, but I would not allow it. I sheathed my sword and pulled the door with a little more strength. Sasuke's resistance inevitably gave and he pitched forwards onto my knees as the door swung inward.

I wrapped my arms around his small frame, trying to give the message that I was not going to hurt him. His body was stiff with fear and I could feel his tears dampening the shoulder area of my ANBU uniform.

"N-niisan, why?" he choked out between sobs as he slowly relaxed in my embrace.

I could not explain such things to a seven-year-old. He had never seen war, he could not possibly understand that this was nothing compared to the magnitude of death he could have faced in a few year's time.

"It is… difficult to explain to one so young." I finally replied as I idly ran a hand up and down his back in an attempt to comfort him further.

A strangled cry of grief escaped his throat, but I quickly shushed him before he could alert anyone to my presence.

Eventually he stopped shaking so violently and I stood with Sasuke in my arms. "We have to leave now Sasu chan." I whispered in his ear.

"Where to?" he muttered in return as we made our way over the walls of Konoha and passed through the surrounding barrier without alerting anyone.

"Away, far away. But first I think you need some rest." I eventually replied as we entered a small clearing. I knew there were supplies hidden here and with my Sharingan it was an easy task to find them. The items were hidden with chakra to prevent theft after all.

I pressed my hand to a thick tree trunk and was rewarded with some food, water and shelter. My little brother was beginning to drift off to sleep despite the horrifying events, which had taken place earlier. He was still a child after all. Rest came first.

I sat down and pulled the warm, waterproof length of material over us. Now that I was still, my brother was able to sleep properly. It wasn't long before his breathing steadied and regulated

I would have to continue with my original plan of action. That was, of course, heading to the last rumoured position of the Akatsuki… Amegakure. Over the years this organization had become an ever-increasing threat, particularly to Konoha. The most I could do for my village now was to keep an eye on this growing threat.

The inside eye was always a dangerous position, but it was an extremely knowledgeable one. I had to find a method to keep Sasuke safe and myself inconspicuous. Once again I would be acting the double agent…

As I began to lightly doze off myself, I wondered what nightmares would haunt us.

Survivor's guilt is a terrible thing.

Feedback on the changes I've made would be fantastic.