Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Someone else does.
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Sceptical black eyes framed by a pale feminine face and soft pitch black hair regarded the slightly older boy of the same colouring and basic facial features. The boy opened his pouty but pale lips.
"You're not a weasel. You're a fucking stoat!"
The older boy blinked at the Branch House member crouched on the wall. "…Stoat?"
Uchiha Shun nodded cheerfully; seemingly smug that he had placed the young ANBU's animal counterpart.
Itachi's eyebrow rose curiously; a great feat as far as the stoic boy was concerned. "And you came to this deduction, how?"
Shun settled into a sitting position. "Well, the average Uchiha is most often in sync with either the ferret or the weasel as their animal counterpart, because they like to kill things but still retain a little affection and love attention. You, however, are a minority of the clan, in sync with a stoat because you live to kill and love it, you dislike attention, you're solitary and when something happens that you don't like, you get downright vicious."
Itachi pondered this for several moments before he conceded that the boy had a point. He gave a slight nod of acknowledgment. "And what, pray tell, are you?"
Shun looked vaguely startled as he had never really contemplated it before. His head tilted to the side as he thought.
Black eyes regarded the Uchiha Heir for a moment before he offered, "What do you think I am?"
Black eyes regarded the Uchiha Pest for a moment before he confirmed, "If I am a stoat and everyone else is a weasel or ferret, then you are a fox."
Shun blinked in surprised. A fox? "A fox? How'd you come up with that?"
Itachi smiled mysteriously, causing the world to tense in preparation for the apocalypse. "Figure it out. I'm sure you're smart enough."
Shun frowned thoughtfully at his older cousin's back as he walked out of the Zen garden.
(space)
Shun had contemplated Itachi's meaning behind calling him a fox for three days, nagging at him like a hangnail.
Only at the tender age of ten, Shun was three years younger than Itachi and two years older then the other one-Daisuke? Kosuke? Sasuke?-, and thus had never really had much contact with his third cousin aside from the odd clan function, but that didn't mean he hadn't watched and observed the prodigy, because, let's face it, Shun watched and observed everyone. The boy was a prankster and had to select his targets carefully, each prank designed expressly to get the maximum reaction.
Though, granted, Shun found it odd that in the activities requiring a partner at the functions, Itachi always homed in on the younger boy and never accepted no for an answer. Furthermore, as he pondered over the past few days, he had become aware that Itachi was, and had for some time, watching Shun with the same intensity Shun watched potential targets.
This made the younger boy feel funny; not bad, but he wasn't entirely sure it was good either.
After he realised this, he found himself blushing just thinking about the older boy.
Shun huffed and plonked down on the root of the oldest gingko tree right on the edge of the garden pond and fiddled with the soft sleeve of his totally black yukata as he watched a triad of koi fish swimming through the myriad of roots that grew into the water, absently chewing his lip in thought. He never noticed the object of his contemplation watching him from the shadow of a Sakura tree.
Itachi gazed long and heatedly at the boy beside the lake. He had no doubts that Shun had no idea how beautiful and alluring Itachi found the younger boy. The Uchiha Prodigy found everything about the boy captivating; the way the silky-soft smoky hair hung just past the slim shoulders and fluttered in the breeze, how the thick lashed ebony eyes half closed and those lips partially opened as he thought, the intensity of that black gaze as he stalked his targets, the lithe angle of those pale limbs, the long, delicate artistic fingers, the porcelain skin revealed as the yukata slid carelessly off a shoulder and the pale hand that absently played with a soft forelock.
Itachi pulled the ANBU mask over his face as he left the garden to complete the task at hand: The genocide of the Uchiha Clan.
Shun continued to watch the fish ponderously, unknowing, until the sky was a bright fiery orange. He stood and made his way out of the garden.
(space)
As soon as he left the garden, Shun knew something was wrong.
The air was still and quiet, but some heavy coppery scent hung strong and rank.
The ten-year-old moved forward cautiously into sight of the main street. There was someone on the ground and they didn't appear to be moving. The child's movement slowed to a crawl and his breathing became erratic. He reached the person.
Shun gagged, his hand flying to his mouth and he rapidly back peddled, his eyes caught on the gaping hole in his aunt's throat.
His gaze tore itself from the scene before him to an even worse one as he took in the many bloody corpses along the street. Young and old, male and female, Main House and Branch House, all lay in mute testament to the saying 'Sooner or later, graveyards are filled with everybody'.
A child started screaming up in the Clan Head's house.
Without hesitating, Shun took off running towards the sound. He barely paused as he reached the open front door. As Shun quietly approached the room the screaming was coming from, the sound stopped.
Shun froze with his had about to open the sliding door as Itachi's voice sounded from inside the room. Trembling, Shun let his hand fall away from the door and he backed up slowly, too in shock to realise that he really should have been running away.
The ten-year-old got barely five feet down the hall when the door slid open and a blood-covered Itachi stepped out.
There was a soft scrap as Shun stumbled trying to reverse fast. Itachi turned at the sound and Shun was caught by the red gaze of the Mangekyou Sharingan.
Itachi smiled.
(space)
Shun shivered and reached for his clothes, thankful that they were at least wearable. The muscles in his lower torso screamed in agony and the bite marks on his shoulders and neck shot lances of pain at the slightest movement, but still the boy struggled to his feet and dressed.
Itachi was long gone, and for that he was thankful. The Uchiha Monster had left Shun on the hallway floor nearly an hour ago after using him multiply, promising that he'd be back, and the boy was in so much pain that he hadn't been able to bring himself to move. But what about the child who was screaming earlier?
Shun staggered forward and pulled the door open.
The bodies of the Clan Head and his wife lay towards the centre of the room, but the younger boy, Sasuke, was curled on his side next to the door, out like a light. Shun shuddered and swayed a moment before he painstakingly pick the younger boy up bridal style.
Half and hour later found the boy staggering out of the Uchiha District with the child and down the empty streets towards the hospital some six blocks away.
He had no idea how long it took him, but before he knew it, Shun had wandered into the brightly lit area in front of the hospital and been spotted. Someone took the unresponsive Sasuke from him and pushed him down to lie on a stretcher.
He was vaguely aware of someone saying it would be alright, so he let himself succumb to the darkness that was calling his name.
(space)
When Shun woke, it was to a band of bright sunlight shining into his eyes. It was several moments before he became aware of agonising pain barely held in check by painkillers.
A keening sound escaped his throat and a cool hand was laid across his forehead soothingly.
"Hush, now. You're alright. You're safe now." This continued for a while before he fell back into a darkness haunted by what Itachi had done to him.
(space)
Shun awoke again, only this time it was night and his body was as numb as his emotions.
There was a slight shift of cloth to his right and Shun turned. The Sandaime Hokage was settled in a visitor's chair and was regarding the boy mournfully. The smaller form of Sasuke could be seen curled up on a two seater, sound asleep.
Shun turned his gaze back to the old man. He tried to speak but only a rasping sound came out. The Sandaime helped him sit up and sip from a glass of water. Shun tried again.
"Ho…How…lng…"
"How long have you been here?"
The boy nodded tiredly. "Yess."
"A little over a week. Sasuke hasn't left the room for anything since he woke six days ago." Sarutobi rubbed his eyes tiredly. "The medic-nin still have no idea how you walked here with a cracked pelvis, let alone carrying him." The old man gestured to the sleeping child.
"Di…did anyone else…?"
"No." Was the quiet reply. "Just the two of you."
Shun absorbed this for a few minutes before he spoke again.
"He said he would be back."
The Hokage stilled before responding carefully. "I see."
There was no more talking, just silence broken by Sasuke's occasional whimper.
(space)
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