Itachi was bored. A bored Itachi was not a pleasant thing anyone wished to encounter. It was with this train of thought that Kisame told an even more distant than usual Itachi that he was going to do some reconnaissance. Itachi saw straight through the lie but said nothing. Knowing a mere nod would be too much to ask for, Kisame fled.
Itachi, once Kisame was out of ear shot, let out a sigh. He gazed up at the sky. So, even Kisame had abandoned him. Itachi blinked, absently surprised at the thought. He was not prone to self pity, believing it to be a weakness.
It was only once Itachi had lain down on the grass, arms by his side, fingers idly pulling at the grass, did he close his eyes. He supposed he owed it to himself to indulge in memories of the past.
Ever the genius, Itachi knew it was always a good thing to unwind. Nothing helped the Uchiha unwind better than sifting through his thoughts, as his hands had once carded through the silky strands of black hair that belonged to only one person.
Itachi remembered being the prodigy of his clan, he smirked to himself; he probably still was. He wondered, briefly with a stab of something that feels, maybe, like remorse, if he ever felt anything.
And suddenly, he remembered feeling many things. It was a little overwhelming; all the feelings he had suppressed for so long, slowly rose to the surface. It was as though once Itachi allowed himself to remember, he couldn't stop.
He remembered loving the feel of awe he inspired, loved the heady feeling of being the best, the strongest, the ANBU captain. He also remembered, perhaps a little bitterly, as the respect and reverence turned to fear and trepidation. He reflected; it was not a good feeling, the knowledge that he would grow so strong that those he, sometimes, loved would one day look upon him with fear, with hesitance and disdain.
Eyes flew open at this thought. Since when had he loved anyone other than himself and the feeling of power he held over others? Those thoughts, as they often seemed to whenever Itachi part took in this activity, turned to his brother. Sasuke Uchiha.
Sasuke, his Sasuke, was everything Itachi was not and never wished to be. He was weak; he felt things and made mistakes.
True, Sasuke eyes were black like Itachi's, but that was the only similarity. Sasuke did not have the tomoe, but that was not the only difference. His eyes were not blank in blatant hatred and resentment, hid not shadows nor were they swallowed in darkness. Instead, they spoke of sunny skies and, and here Itachi's stomach twisted, hope and trust and all those things which Itachi had long ago dismissed as weakness.
But Sasuke was his brother, he was really all Itachi had left of his family. Itachi could not dismiss Sasuke so easily. Sasuke, who had once made Itachi feel heady with power, he could not ignore. Itachi did not like feeling powerless. It was no different than before.