Rain cascaded down from the heavens, droplets of water rapidly landing on the rooftops and ground, a soft tapping on the rocks in the garden, a splash into the pond within them. Water dripped off of the awning of the house in streams. It was tranquil.

But everything else was anything but.

Sasuke stood on the outer walkway of the household, sheltered from the rain by the slanted, shingled awning. Black spiky locks were sticking to his face from the moisture in the air. His eyes were closed in concentration.

'We know that you were like brothers.'

'Yeah, well… I haven't seen him lately… It's a tragedy.'

His eyes snapped open and he let go of a long held breath.

His elder brother was the suspect of Shisui's death. And as much as Sasuke wanted to trust Itachi…

Something made his skin crawl ever since he saw Itachi's behavior.

"You're going to catch a cold if you stand out here barefoot like that."

Sasuke jumped about a foot in the air and turned around to face the other person. "I-Itachi nii-san! You're back from your mission already?"

Itachi stood about three feet away from Sasuke, long black hair matted to his head from the rain, bangs around and before his face. His clothes were slightly torn, and part of his ANBU mask was cracked off. He noticed Sasuke's uneasy stare and tilted his head to the side slightly in puzzlement. "Something the matter, ototo?"

"Nothing, Aniki."

"I see…" Itachi's voice trailed off thoughtfully. He extended an arm and beckoned Sasuke towards him with the sweep of his hand. Reluctant at first, he went up to his older brother.

Itachi poked Sasuke in the forehead. "I can tell you're lying. You move your left foot back and forth when you're nervous."

"No I don't!" Sasuke replied stubbornly. He rubbed his forehead in frustration.

"Your nose is growing." Itachi smirked.

"Is not!"

Itachi ruffled Sasuke's hair fondly. He noticed his younger brother flinch and stopped. "Are you sure that you're-"

"ITACHI! ARE YOU HOME?"

Sharingan snapped into Itachi's eyes and he glared towards the sound of the voice. Sasuke's face grew pale and ashy. "A-aniki…"

Itachi turned to Sasuke. Blood red stared at him emptily. "Yes?"

"Did you…?"

"ITACHI! COME INSIDE NOW!"

Itachi sighed. "We'll talk later ototo." He smiled slightly. "Go put some shoes on." With that he walked away.

As he walked away, Sasuke watched him and tilted his head down in defeat.

"…Did you really kill Shisui?"

***

Itachi went inside of the house. Fugaku was waiting by the kitchen doorframe.

"Where have you been? Your next mission starts in two hours!"

"Sorry, father," Itachi said calmly, "My last mission lasted longer than usual. Besides, you shouldn't worry so much."

"Were you talking to Sasuke?"

"…Yes."

"This is completely irresponsible! You shouldn't be dealing with that waste of time-"

"He's not a waste of time; he's your son."

Fugaku rubbed his face in his hands, clearly frustrated with his eldest son. "There's been a lot of talk due to Shisui's death, and you still are a suspect. Watch yourself before things get worse."

"What?" Itachi said through gritted teeth, "Are you going to report for something stupid? Oh, I'm sorry; I was late because of my idiotic father's constant babbling over my life!" With that Itachi saw his mother step out into the hallway.

"What's going on?"

"I'm fucking tired of you all treating me like some type of prize!" Itachi shouted. "I'm human; what do you expect from me?"

"I expect my son to exceed expectations and make himself known as a great shinobi!" Fugaku yelled back.

Mikoto, Itachi's mother, simply gave Itachi a sad glance and pulled her husband to the side. "Leave him be for now, dear; you're not helping the situation."

Fugaku stormed off with his wife. Itachi turned to face the sitting room door.

"You can come out now, Sasuke."

Sasuke gingerly stepped out into the hallway, obviously upset because of the argument. Itachi crouched down and patted his brother's head softly.

"Don't worry too much; I'm sorry you had to hear that."

Sasuke's eyes were unusually cold. "Nii-san, tell me the truth."

Itachi arched an eyebrow. "About what?"

"Did you kill Shisui?"

Itachi stayed silent for a moment. "…No."

Sasuke's voice was icy, but with a shaky undertone. "Are you sure?"

Itachi ignored the question. "Is this what's been bothering you?"

Sasuke lowered his head. "Yes."

Itachi was about to say something else until Sasuke spoke first. "You probably should go get ready for your mission. Besides, I'm going over someone's house later anyway." With that Sasuke walked off, leaving Itachi alone to contemplate one of the biggest lies he'd ever told.