Revised the notes on this fic 8/10/2010. This fic was originally dedicated to Kaikouken, one of my favorite authors here, and still is. Unfortunately none of the aforementioned authors' stories are here anymore but the memory shall forever linger. XD Due to some random urge I've been yanking and rewriting a bunch of my old stories I wrote quite a while ago but have decided to leave this one as is. This was a "Final Showdown" fic written before I knew the actual outcome of the fight between the Uchiha brothers in the manga.

"Can..."

Night against night.

Fire fighting fire.

Blood versus blood.

Put simply into words, the battle of two moons. One sphere, pale as pearls, emotions bared for all to see: the ivory moon, the younger of the two. On his countenance is written a tale of betrayal and self sacrifice. In his eyes; the flames of anger and determination. Hatred is what he has grown to love to the point of it being his only desire. To gain hatred, loathing, disgust and to morph and meld it into the fuel that feeds his will for revenge, taught to him by the one he so craves to...

"Can you..."

Nothing like the first - save for its coldness and shape - the second moon, a bloody red, emits no such emotions. He waits, subdued, for the beginning of the end. Surely this boy before him could perform the simple task he set forth for him years ago. His face is a mask of tranquility, the budding seed of pride lying just beneath the surface. A ripple on the mirror-like surface of his mind, and he recollects a faded memory of tinkling laughter and a smaller hand clasped within his own. He can almost feel the tiny digits curl around his thumb even as his eyes bleed red; a sign of his...

"...hate?"

Immediate reaction.

Ivory moon's eyes are now blazing crimson.

Identical cries of the power that surges through both their bodies...the power that sprouts forth from a common lineage...

MANGEKYO!

A twin surge of energy and the night collapses, two entities sent spiraling into their common past. Side by side the boys deemed men stand, unable to fight one another in the alternate reality of their minds.

" Niisan, niisan! Look what I found!"

A chuckle and then, " Ah, what is this Otouto?"

" I found it over by that tree over there! Isn't it pretty niisan?"

" Beautiful."

" Bewtiful?"

Another chuckle. " Yes Otouto, it means pretty."

" Oh...niisan?"

" Hmm?"

" I want you to have it!"

Reality shakes. It quivers and bends, blending two into one and seperating them once again. The brothers watch as yet another mirage takes shape before their minds' eyes.

" N-niisan?" a young boy calls out from the safety of his room. He involuntarily shivers as the door slides open to reveal an older version of himself: the same pallid complextion, deep ebon eyes, and midnight locks. The only differences between them is the one lingering in the doorway has a larger build, sliky elbow length hair, and one delicate line beneath each eye. He pads over to the bed and the small boy shivers again; the steps of his brother produce no sound. Even as the elder takes a seat beside his sibling, the only things to be heard are the youngers' harsh breathing and the occasional twitter of noctournal birds. The phantom-like boy gives a miniscule smile, sliding to the head of the bed to rest his back against the wall as a small body curls up against his own. Arms wrapped snugly around a living pillow, head resting against the steady beat of it's heart, the little boy sighs contentedly, eyes straying to an open window and the moon outside.

" Niisan..."

" Hmm?"

" Remember the pretty rock I gave you?"

" Of course."

" It looks like that one." A tiny hand raises in the darkness, one chubby finger angled towards the heavenly body lurking in the night sky.

" Ah, the moon."

" The moon?"

" Yes."

There is silence as the small boy ponders this new information. He shifts a little, his hair tickling the chin of the larger male.

" Niisan...where does it go in the daytime?"

" Where does what go Otouto?"

" The moon."

Silence once again permeates the room and it is the elder's turn to ponder. After a moment he shifts to lie down, bringing his brother to lie beside him face to face as he tells him the tale of the moon. He smiles softly in the darkness, even though the other cannot see it.

" It gets lost..."

Innocent coal eyes widen in the darkness.

" ...and the sun helps it find it's way home..."

" Every single day?"

" Every single day."

" Aniki?"

" Hm?"

" Will you be...my sun?"

" Only if you'll be mine."

Darkness warmly engulfs both heirs as the effects of their techniques dissipate. At the loss of energy, the younger's knees buckle and he collapses. He closes his eyes, preparing for impact with the cold, hard ground and groans subconsciously when he suddenly stops. The scent of peppermint and blood invades his senses as a strange warmth surrounds him. He stumbles before clutching onto something for support before realizing it was just the one who he had been trying to eradicate before. Darkest night meets blackest coal and all time seems to stop. For one split second the world ceases to spin as a silent pact is made. In order to be a sun, one must first find their moon...

" All..."

Put simply into words, the reunion of the moon. One half, pale as pearls, emotions bared for all to see: the ivory half, the younger of the two. On his countenance is written a tale of regret and longing. In his eyes; the flames of hope as well as the freezing shards of despair. Understanding is what he has grown to crave to the point of it being his only desire. To gain compassion, tenderness, and care; to morph and meld it into the fuel that feeds his will to live, taught to him by the one he so craves to...

"All I have is..."

Somewhat like the first - save for its uncertainty at what is to come - the second half, a bloody red, emits the same emotions. He waits, anxious, for the beginning of the end. Surely this boy before him could will himself to abandon the simple task he set forth for him years ago. His face is a mask of tranquility, the budding seed of doubt lying just beneath the surface. A ripple on the mirror-like surface of his mind, and he recollects a faded memory of horrified screams and rivers of bloody destruction. He can feel the slender digits curl around his own as his eyes drain to a soothing onyx; a sign of his...

"...Love."

This was inspired by the whole "The sun helps the moon find its way home," thing that I heard somewhere before. I think I might have been reading myths or doing random searches on the internet, I can't really remember. My friend, Mimi2, made the suggestion for Itachi smelling like peppermint…quite frankly all of my other choices were kinda weird.

First it was crushed pine, but that didn't quite fit. Then it was lavender and finally pocky. - -; Yes, pocky. Oh, and the paragraphs between the sentences in italics and bold were set up so that their final words match up with the final words of the sentences. So the first two paragraphs have "hate" as their final words, and the last two paragraphs have "love" as their final words. Just though i'd put that in there just in case.