Obsidian eyes looked back into Itachi's darker ones. His little brother tilted his head, as if sizing Itachi up. The little Uchiha had such intense eyes. His orbs looked out of place in the chubby, dimpled face, crowned with hair that looked like a duck's rear end. Itachi couldn't help but laugh.
Fugaku and Mikoto turned to look at their pair of sons. Mikoto couldn't help but smile at the five year-olds attempt to calm the now wailing Sasuke. Yes, Itachi could do wonders with a kunai and a shuriken, but let him hold his baby brother for two minutes and the younger starts to cry. Itachi was frantic, looking around for anything to distract the kid. He had never held a child before, heck he didn't do so well with the kids his age at the Academy! How was he supposed to soothe an infant?
Itachi tried everything. He had heard Shisui complaining about babysitting his little sister, Mizuru, and Itachi tried to mimic everything his best friend had described. Crossed his eyes, stuck out his tongue, made odd noises that always seemed to work… and still Sasuke howled. Giving up, he held the wriggling newborn out to his parents.
"Oka-san, Otou-san, please take otōto-chan. He does not like me." Sasuke's eyes glazed over and the infant allayed as his older brother spoke, as if hearing bells for the first time. Itachi watched his child brother carefully, cautiously. The newborn stared back with wide, expectant eyes.
"Actually, Itachi, I think he does like you!" Mikoto didn't have to work very hard to sound pleased at the new bond the two Uchiha brothers had. "Why don't you hold him for a little while longer?"
Itachi glanced doubtfully at Sasuke who was now obsessing over a lock of hair which had fallen out of Itachi's ponytail. The tot was twirling the tress around his little fingers. "I guess it couldn't hurt," Itachi responded to his mother.
The look of wonderment on his baby brother's face was priceless and he couldn't help it; Itachi laughed. Sasuke looked up from his brother's strand of hair to his upturned face. Sasuke beamed too.
Itachi did truly love his brother and that moment blossomed their domestic relationship, of brother to brother love.
That was 16 years ago. 16 long years had passed since his little brother's arrival to the Uchiha compound and was welcomed with open arms.
8 years ago Itachi had killed his whole family. He slain them, murdered them, slaughtered them, exterminated them. All of the Uchihas. Save one little child, who Itachi would not bring himself to kill. Save Sasuke.
4 years ago he had seen his only family for the first time since that irreconcilable night on which he had erased the name Uchiha from Konoha. Then he had been with the Akatsuki and hunting down the Jinchuuriki, including one Uzumaki Naruto.
3 years ago Itachi had herd rumor of his brother going to join the ranks of Orochimaru. Sasuke had followed the path Itachi had set out for him stone by stone. Sasuke was now considered a missing-nin of Konoha.
Itachi had loved his brother until the last moment he died. He died protecting the Uchiha legacy and more importantly, his little brother. Itachi couldn't undo the wrongs he had done in life. Like murdering all those considered his kin. Or those who he had killed on the battle field. Itachi never condoned violence. But he had to keep up his façade. To protect Sasuke. Itachi had the whole thing planned out. And he followed it through until the end.
If he could only go back to those precious moments spent with his brother on the front porch in the glowing twilight after training. If only he could go back to those days where he would carry Sasuke around the compound and buy the chocolate pocky for them both and wander around, among their family. If only he could go back to those moments. If only.
AN: I really hate author's notes, so I'll make it short. Pleaseb r&r. also I wanted to point out the fact that the story is 666 words. Ironic, no? I didn't plan it but I love that it happened. Anyway. Thanks for reading!
~Angelique /3