A/N: This one-shot just wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it. It's pretty vague, but I'm slapping on a spoiler warning anyway for recent manga chapters. Also feel free to interpret it how you want; brotherly love or shounen-ai.

Inochi means "Life".

Enjoy XD

REVISED: 5/8/08

Disclaimer: Itachi and Sasuke both belong to the wonderful Masashi Kishimoto.

Since that night so long ago, when you took away everything and made sure that you were the one constant in my life, I was unable to dream anymore. Years went by, and instead of nightmares of that night or dreams of my victory over you, I slept soundlessly, wrapped in a void of complete endless black.

It was an odd feeling, then, to find myself back at our old house, with the sun shining bright above me. Immediately I knew the exact place where I could find you; ever since we were little I was always able to find you, to sense you, but I wanted to savor this moment. I spent a fair amount of time walking through the dusty streets of the old market and the hallways of the main house. There was no life to be found here, except for you and me, but it seemed as though time had simply decided to stand still- that the occupants of this old compound had temporarily left and were to return shortly.

I wondered if they would return as soon as I left. I wondered if you would still be here as well, if they returned. Would they begrudge you? Would they welcome you with open arms?

It was you. Of course they would welcome you.

Will they welcome me, too, when it's finally my turn to come here?

I took a right through the kitchen, a left through the door to the outside, and followed the floorboards all the way.

You were there, waiting for me.

You looked the same, but different at the same time. The robe that encompassed everything you stood for, and also what you stood against, was of course absent. It had nothing to do with you now, nor would it later. You wore clothes from the old days, but they lacked the proud symbol of our clan. I smirked.

Of course that, as well, would be absent from your wardrobe.

I sit down next to you, and neither of us says anything at first. There was a distinct relaxed air about you, and I drank it in. You'd never had this air about you after that night; the few times I saw you, you were always so controlled, so reserved.

I suppose you were also like that before that night as well, but never in my presence. You were you, and you noticed me, protected me- your foolish younger brother.

It saddens me to know just how far you went to protect me, and how I had hated you for it for so long. But the feeling doesn't last long, you're here now, you're with me now, and I am content with this.

Finally, it is I who breaks the silence.

"Madara is dead."

A pause. And then, "Aa,"

"I killed him, with my own hands."

"Aa, I know."

"I did it. Everything. It's all over now, there's nothing left to be done."

"Yes. You did well, Sasuke."

"So… so…"

My hands clench the fabric of my pants, my voice breaks with emotion. Fear and uncertainty is bubbling up inside me, threatening to spill out and I don't know how to suppress it. I've never been able to suppress things like this as well as you could.

"So what do I do now, Nii-san?"

Everything in my life has always centered around you, and now with you gone, and my purpose gone, the meaning of my life is also gone.

I am alone, the last Uchiha.

A world without you is a world I have never known. After your death, after I learned the truth, my purpose became to avenge you, and because of this renewed purpose I had no need to think of what would come next in my life. I would kill Uchiha Madara or die trying.

He is now dead, and I… I am still alive.

I am alive, and now facing a world without you. And I don't know what to do anymore.

You take awhile to answer my question. I wonder what's going through your head, what you want me to do now, now that you're here and I'm not.

And then, you answer.

"You live."

Your voice has a hard edge to it, a finality that meant there would be no room for questions.

I look at you with wide eyes and voice my thoughts.

"Live? But how? How am I supposed to live without you, your shadow, your back always in front of me?"

Then you turn to look at me. There is a peace in your eyes I've never seen before, a contentment you never had in life. It stills my vibrant, warring emotions.

"I am dead, Sasuke. Do you intend to always chase after my ghost?"

I look away.

You are right, you are always right, but…

"What if I don't want to let go?"

You let out a sigh, and also look away from me. You are displeased with me, but you won't scold me for it or raise your voice at me; you never did.

"Don't chase me anymore, Otouto... I don't want you to. I want you to live. It's all I've ever wanted for you."

I feel your presence next to me start to fade. When I look over at you, you are already disappearing. I try to move, to stop you somehow, to keep you there, but I can't move. I try to scream at you, but nothing comes out. I'm paralyzed in that spot, watching you disappear, watching you leave me behind.

There's a smile on your face, a smile I haven't seen you with since before that night, and you look happy. You look like a man with a place in the world. You never had one in life, so I suppose it's fitting that in death you've finally found one, but I can't bring myself to be glad for you.

How could I when you're leaving me for good?

There are no finals words from you before you're gone, but that's to be expected from you.

It's only when I can no longer feel your presence that I can finally move from my seat. I get up and start screaming and clawing the air like a mad man, but I don't care because you're gone and I'm still here.

The torment and the pain of your absence is too much for me to bear, and I finally wake in a cold sweat.

I'm breathing hard and clutching sheets.

Sheets?

I had lost consciousness in the forest, probably next to Madara's newly dead body, and now I'm in a bed?

"SASUKE!"

"SASUKE-KUN!"

Those voices. I know those voices.

My eyes open fully and I look at the people sitting next to me.

Naruto and Sakura, my old teammates.

They are wearing matching expressions of relief and joy.

I must be back in Konoha again. This thought irks me and I begin contemplating how I will escape this village until your words reverberate through my mind again.

"Live. It's all I've ever wanted for you."

As I look at the faces of my old teammates, I can feel their excitement at my presence, their happiness at having found me at last and finally returning me to the village.

Could I, though, Nii-san? Could I really live in a world that didn't include you anymore?

Could I be happy here?

I honestly don't know, and somehow I find myself too tired to find out.

"Naruto, Sakura…"

My voice is raspy, laced with lethargy, and I don't care. I turn over onto my side, away from them, ignoring the searing pain that the action induces from my body. Wounds from my battle with the Uchiha who really, truly, took everything away from me.

"Leave me be..."

They both begin speaking to me, but I don't hear it. I can't hear anything except the memories of you that I recall in my head. I hear our last conversation, and I find myself longing again to enter that realm where time stood still, where it was just you and me.

My eyes shut and I let myself slip into a slumber that would not include you. You had made yourself very clear and would not show yourself to me again, I knew.

I also knew that I would do what you told me to do.

A/N: Just a couple things. First, as you may have already guessed, Sasuke has some serious "Itachi tunnel-vision" going on in this one-shot. I spent less time describing things outside of the dream realm, namely Naruto and Sakura, after he wakes because he knows that Itachi is no longer in the real world anymore, so these things no longer have any interest for him.

Also, because of how things have apparently turned out for Itachi in the manga, instead of him staying at the Uchiha compound in the dream I had him leave it altogether. It seems like Itachi had no real place in the world, not with either the Akatsuki or the Uchiha clan, so for the sake of this one-shot I had him abandon these altogether in his after life and spend it somewhere completely different.

Anyway, thats about it... please review and critque where necessary, I do love getting constructive criticism XD