Sasuke made frequent visits to a certain part of the cemetery in Konoha

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

A/N: Just a leetle warning, it's a weeny-teeny clichéd

Sasuke made frequent visits to a certain part of the cemetery in Konoha. He always had to make sure that something was there. He'd enter the graveyard nervous, expecting to see nothing in Itachi's burial spot. But it was always there, the dirt, the stone slab, the epitaph. Always, he'd go back home feeling like a fool for doubting his greatest kill.

"Hahaha, what am I always doing this for? I know he's dead!" But there was always a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that, after all, his brother wasn't really dead.

Sasuke found himself in the graveyard one summer night when the moon glowed silver in the sky. It was cold despite the season. Clear-cut ivory slabs cut across the darkness looking very much like ghosts. Ghosts heaven forbid! The entire Uchiha clan buried there and in the center of the graveyard was a tall monument dedicated to the founder of the clan. The tip of the monument pierced through the clouds and sky and for a moment lightning flashed through the graveyard revealing all its naked forebodings. Sasuke shivered.

He turned around to face Itachi's burial spot, nervous lest it might not be there. But it was. And he gave a sigh of relief. He put his hands in his pockets and pivoted to the exit, whistling a carefree melody.

A sudden tempest threw him out of balance, pushing him back. For a split second Sasuke saw piercing eyes in the shadows. He steadied himself and trudged on to the exit like an Eskimo in a snowstorm. Woooooosh! The wind was relentless, it sent him flying backwards. Sasuke landed on dirt, and the wind stopped. A sudden shiver went down his spine as he realized whose dirt he was on. Wide frantic eyes turned around to face the stone slab.

Something strange was happening. Green and purple smoke rose up from the grave and a skeleton hand pushed up from underneath. Sasuke was paralized with fear and he felt his heart stop; logic would not let him believe that the dead was actually rising.

Two hands were out by now, bones with loose rotten flesh hanging. Sasuke saw a shiny glint on one finger. Arms pushed up, arms with ragged black and red cloth swathed about the shoulders. And soon it was all out. The skull was broken and rotting with black moving bugs crawling about and a spider web in one eye. The ragged cloak reached the ankles but failed to cover the broken ribs and gunk, and slime. And then it was all there.

Worn-out hitai-ate.

Black and red cloak.

Akatsuki ring.

Mangekyo Sharingan.

Sasuke gasped and Itachi cocked his head sinisterly. The wind stopped, the clouds froze, the silver moon turned blood-red and the graveyard smelled more of death than it ever did.

"Hello, brother." It was Itachi's voice, but it couldn't be, the voice was tinged with death. Itachi held out his rotting hand, the gesture breaking a finger.

"I-it can't be you!" Sasuke yelled frantically, he couldn't move. His eyes felt like they were pegged open, he couldn't even blink.

"Oh?" Itachi spread his arms wide, bugs scuttled and fell in the process. "But it is."

"No. I killed you." Sasuke's voice was weak and husky, his throat felt dry and his breathing shallowed.

"No you didn't, I'm still standing."

"I DID! YOUR'E DEAD! I KILLED YOU!" Sasuke moved now. Anger replaced his fear, just as pain did so many years ago the first time he met Orochimaru.

"Then why…AM I STILL ALIVE?" Itachi thrust his claw-like hand at Sasuke.

Sasuke dodged the attack. He activated his Sharingan and felt chakra surge through his arm. Itachi cocked his head, feeling the bloodlust emanating from his brother. Blue bolts of chakra lighted up the graveyard and the sound of a thousand birds rang in their ears.

"I'LL KILL YOU!!"

"Hm?" Itachi taunted. "Now where have I heard that before?"

Sasuke made no answer. He charged at Itachi with one chakra-fied arm dragging on the dirt. "CHIDORIIIIIII!!"

Itachi didn't move. Sasuke thrust his arm in what used to be a chest and where the chakra touched bones disintegrated. It was as if Itachi was being sucked into a vortex and pretty soon there was nothing left.

Sasuke panted. It was over. Itachi's dead. He put his hand in his pockets and walked away. The wind blew softly about, gently, it was safe now.

"What the--" He couldn't move, something grabbed his leg. He looked down. It was a skeleton hand, not Itachi's. "Aah!" Another hand grabbed his other leg. And another grabbed his shoulder, dead hands that came from nowhere. He looked around and all over the Uchiha graveyard, corpses were coming to life. Just when he manages to shake one off another comes up to grab him. Tch, I can't even perform any jutsus.

The Uchiha corpses overpowered him and he fell flat on his face. They kept coming and coming and piling on top of him and soon they were as tall as the monument itself.

Lighnting cracked the sky.

Sasuke lifted his head; a bony hand lay heavily on his head trying to push it back down. The stench of rotten flesh choked him and his face fell again. Then he heard a low, sinister laugh. "Die brother, you are useless…"

Sasuke gasped. He was being pushed down to the earth. The ground opened up and Sasuke saw fire, black fire that smelled like burning flesh. The most bloodcurdling moans and screams rang in his ears but the worst of all was Itachi standing, waiting, beckoning.

"Welcome home…"

Sasuke felt his flesh burn, he couldn't breath, he couldn't see, it was total blackness. And he burned and burned and burned.

"LET ME GO!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO--"

"--OOOAAAAAH!!"

Tweet tweet went the blue jays on the window sill. Sasuke was sitting up straight in bed and he was wet with sweat. The sun flooded the room and perfumed wind blew through the window.

He touched his arms, his legs, his everything, it was all normal. Had it all been a dream? Sasuke knew in his subconscious mind that it was too real to be just a dream, but logic pervaded and he excused the thought. He got up to do his usual morning rituals. When he was ready he opened the door to leave his flat, and it was all there—

Worn-out hitai-ate.

Black and red cloak.

Akatsuki ring.

Mangekyo Sharingan