A/N: I began writing this before the Ninja War began. Basically, this is what would've happened if I was Kishimoto.
Set sometime after Sasuke kills Itachi, before all the exciting stuff happens.
Aniki: Japanese for "big brother"
Baka: Japanese for "idiot"
Otouto: Japanese for "little brother"
Warning: Contains mentions of a homosexual relationship. If this offends you, please don't gripe at me about it.
Unbeta'd. I do apologise.
Sasuke lay awake, tossing and turning as indecision wracked him. All these needs, all these plans, ran through his head, and he begged to know what the right thing to do was. Sometimes he wondered if he had any control over his life at all or whether he was being guided by the all-seeing hand of fate.
"What do I do, brother?" Sasuke thought, a sort of prayer to his dead aniki. How was he supposed to know what the right thing to do was? Torn between his love for the brother he killed, and his desire for revenge upon the village that caused it, Sasuke didn't know what the right thing to do was.
Itachi's eyes lay somewhere in Madara's hold, Sasuke knew. Somewhere that Madara could get to them as soon as Sasuke decided he wanted to use them - as soon as Sasuke decided he wanted to be strong enough to defeat Konoha.
"What do I do, big brother? What do I do?"
Sasuke fell asleep pleading for an answer.
Darkness reigned in the wasteland, casting shadows across the monotonous expanse of land. Dawn was just breaking over the horizon and Sasuke stared warily as he examined his surroundings.
"Little brother. How good it is to see you once more."
The voice was chilling, mocking and full of the love Sasuke had not heard in it since that fateful night. He spun around to see his brother standing behind him.
"Itachi…" He croaked, wanting to run forwards and embrace the elder Uchiha but finding he couldn't. He couldn't make his feet move forwards.
"You killed me, Sasuke."
"You planned it."
"Indeed. Madara has got to you."
"He wants me to take your eyes."
"Does he now?"
"Yes."
"It would cure your blindness."
"Yes."
"But you haven't."
"No." Sasuke felt his throat choke up as he considered taking Itachi's eyes. "It's just…they're a part of you. I took everything from you, including your life. I don't think I could take this too. It seems so…disrespectful."
"So you want my permission?"
"I suppose I do."
Itachi paused, and Sasuke looked down at his feet. If Itachi said no, that would be the end of it.
"Do you know how I got my Mangekyo, little brother?" Itachi asked. Sasuke frowned.
"You killed your best friend. That's how any Uchiha gets it."
"Shisui was…more than my best friend. He was the most important person in my world, second only to you."
"More important than your lover?" Sasuke asked remembering what Madara had said. Itachi hesitated.
"Shisui was my lover."
Sasuke's eyes widened. Had he known anything about who his brother was?
"But…."
"Sasuke, you have to stop doing things for revenge." Itachi's words were cold and cut through Sasuke like a knife. They weren't philosophical or conversational; it was an order. "You can't live the rest of your life trapped in the shadow of the past. I gave everything so that you could live and be happy. I gave everything, except you, for Konoha. And all you're doing is making yourself miserable and trying to destroy the thing I gave my happiness to save."
"They won't take me back."
"Won't they?" Itachi said, without batting an eyelid. He sounded so sure that Sasuke hesitated.
"No." But even as he said it, an image of a smiling, blond boy flashed in front of his eyes.
"Be happy, otouto," Itachi whispered.
The image of Itachi began to fade, and Sasuke stumbled towards him. He felt like the little child he'd been on the night Itachi had killed the clan. He didn't know when he'd started crying, but "Don't go, Itachi! I'm sorry!"
Sasuke sat bolt upright in bed, every single detail of his dream whirring around in his head. Had it been real? Or was it only in his head? Did Itachi really want him to cease his endless quest for revenge?
He reached for his Konoha headband that lay next to his bed and stared at the deep scratch ingrained in it. The scratch that marked him as a missing nin. Naruto had made that scratch; why would the blonde baka take him back?
But even as he thought it, Sasuke knew that he would. Sasuke knew that 'taking him back' was all that Naruto wanted to do. Sasuke didn't pretend to understand it, but he knew it was the truth.
His hand grasped the metal so tightly that he knew it'd leave marks in his hand. "What do I do?" he whispered, but he'd already had his answer. And the answer hadn't made things any easier.
"What do I do, Itachi?"
Three days later a lone figure with raven hair walked wearily up to the gates of Konoha. A katana was strapped to his back, and he walked with the athleticism and confidence of a ninja. He presented himself to the gatekeepers, who both did double takes at the sight of him.
"I wish to speak with Uzumaki Naruto."