Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I wished I owned Sasuke, though-so I could send him straight back to Konoha!
A/N: This is my first attempt at the glory that is Itachi and Sasuke brotherly fluff. I hope very much that you'll like it.
Oh, and before I forget-this oneshot is dedicated to devotedtodreams, for getting me into brotherly fluff. Arigato and enjoy!
The Big Brother
Today is the day.
Eleven-year-old Uchiha Itachi had been repeating those words over and over again in his mind, like some sort of mantra.
He was so excited he could hardly stand it. For months now he'd been trying to stay relatively calm so he didn't put more stress on his mother, Mikoto. But when Fugaku, his father, told Itachi that it was time for Mikoto to go to the hospital, the young prodigy could no longer contain himself. Fugaku almost had to throw something sharp at the boy's head to get him to calm down.
And ever since they'd left, Itachi had all but been dancing around his room in anticipation.
He wondered what name his parents would choose. Was he going to have a little brother? Or a little sister? Itachi started to make a face-girls were number one on the list of things he would never understand-but quickly stopped himself. It would be his little sibling either way, and he would love it.
Even if it was a-he winced slightly-girl.
Little Itachi looked up at the clock on his wall. Hmm, he thought. Mother and Father left almost thirteen hours ago…How long do these things usually take?
Worry bubbled up in his throat, but he forced it back down. Nothing's wrong, he told himself firmly. Any minute now Mother and Father will walk through the door. And they'll be carrying my new baby brother. He paused. Or sister, he added, somewhat reluctantly.
Hours went by. To stave off the ever-growing anxiety, Itachi tried to find things to keep himself occupied. He went to his calendar and circled today's date-July 23rd. He trained in the backyard until he almost collapsed. He sat around thinking up baby names. He even came up with a few girl names, purely out of desperation.
Finally, when poor Itachi was about to snap from nervousness and being up all night, the door opened. He leapt up off the bed and shot to the door like a black rocket.
There stood Mikoto, holding a bundle of blankets and looking happy, if extremely worn out. Fugaku stood beside her, smiling proudly.
"Let me see! I want to see!" Itachi yelped, knowing he sounded childish but not caring, jumping up and down impatiently.
"All right, all right," Fugaku said, chuckling. "Settle down." Obediently the boy froze.
Mikoto lowered the bundle she carried down to her eldest's eye level. Itachi's eyes grew to gigantic proportions. "Wow," he whispered in awe.
The baby was so cute! He had pale skin and a few messy tufts of blue-black hair poking out at odd angles. He was also the tiniest person Itachi had ever seen. The best part? He wasn't a girl. Itachi breathed a sigh of relief at that.
"His name is Sasuke," Fugaku said. "Uchiha Sasuke," echoed Mikoto, beaming tiredly at both her precious boys. Itachi smiled down at the newest member of the clan. "Uchiha Sasuke," he murmured thoughtfully, trying out the name himself. He liked it.
Later, after Mikoto had put Sasuke down for his nap and gone to have one of her own, Itachi crept in and crouched down by the cradle. He watched the tiny Uchiha sleep.
"Hey there, little brother," he whispered. "I'm Itachi. Your big brother. That means that I'm the one who's going to take care of you."
Sasuke's dark eyes popped open. He stared up at the prodigy.
"I'll train you and protect you," Itachi continued. "Maybe when you grow up we can train together. I'll teach you how to activate the Sharingan, and maybe we can even become ANBU Black Ops together! Wouldn't that be cool?"
Sasuke reached up with a chubby little fist and bopped Itachi on the nose. "That's the idea," Itachi laughed. "You'll be a good rival. And I'll be the best big brother ever, I promise." Sasuke blinked, as if to say, Really?
Itachi leaned over and kissed his brother's forehead. "And I'll always love you," he whispered. "Always. Got it?"
Sasuke smiled.
Itachi smiled back. It felt good to be the big brother.
A/N: That wasn't too horrible, was it? ; Reviews are appreciated, but don't feel like you have to. Thanks for taking the time to read. -SS