Brothers Until The End
The twenty-third of the seventh month.
It was supposed to be the happiest day of the-now- eight year old Sasuke Uchiha.
But how could it be when everyone you cared for didn't?
Sasuke gazed into the water's reflection, wiping tears away stubbornly.
"Father didn't mean to…miss my birthday…" he whispered, trying to convince himself it was true; it had to be true.
It didn't work, the tears kept coming.
He threw a rock into the water angrily, distorting the image.
"Sasuke? What are you doing here? We've all been looking for you." Itachi says gently, coming up behind the said younger Uchiha and sitting down.
Sasuke glanced at him, before looking away, not even bothering to deny the 'we' bit. "Oh, sorry Niisan."
Itachi softened, looking out over the lake. "It's pretty tonight, isn't it?"
Sasuke looked up at the full moon, before averting his gaze to the surroundings. "Yeah."
Here was a rustle of clothes as Itachi stood, smiling down at the gloom younger.
"Come on, I want to show you something."
Curious, Sasuke followed, forgetting about his problem for the time being, as they walked through the empty street.
It was almost midnight, and everyone was surely asleep by now.
"Niisan, where are we going?" Sasuke asked timidly, clinging to his arm almost pathetically.
Itachi kept walking, merely glancing down at his younger brother, who flushed and looked away. "Somewhere."
"Oh come on, Niisan!" Sasuke whined, forgetting his embarrassment. "Tell me!"
"Mmm…" he pretended to consider it. "…nope."
Sasuke persisted to whine as they reached their unknown destination.
It seemed like hours, but it was only minutes and Sasuke knew it.
"Now Sasuke, you have to promise not to tell anyone about this place, all right?" Itachi warned, smiling down at him as they stopped.
Sasuke nodded, grinning, and Itachi smiled in response. "Good. This is our secret spot."
And he pushed aside the bushes to let Sasuke through.
A gasp escaped his lips at the sight.
.:A few years later, Sasuke's Thirteenth Birthday:.
As soon as practice was over, and before the group could question Sasuke on his birthday plans, Sasuke escaped his team to go to his 'Birthday Spot' as he had named it.
Every year, ever since his brother, Itachi, had shown it to him, Sasuke had gone to his spot alone.
Visiting it gave him a chance to think and get away from those fucking fangirls.
No one had ever found it, and he'd taken care of it like...his brother did.
Periodically weeding it on Saturdays, even going so far as to water the grass and cut it, he had kept it in good shape.
Like Itachi used to.
Their own little serenity garden.
His own little serenity garden.
Sasuke laid down, his hair falling across his face, as he surveyed the grass sprouting around him.
It was in need of a trimming, he mused, looking at the extra long blade growing just in reach of his hand.
A moment later, he had plucked it from it's perch and pushed it between his lips, chewing thoughtfully.
He could almost see his brother, teaching him to pull those annoying weeds, that always grew in the same spot, and a faint smile flitted across his face.
Not five minutes later, he had his eyes closed, and the blade of grass between his lips was shifting back and forth slowly, as a quiet peacefulness settled around him.
"...Sasuke?"
Sasuke's eyes remained shut, almost squeezed tighter at the annoying voice resounding in his head.
"Oi! Sasuke!"
"Shuddup, loser." He murmured, turning his head to block out the interruption.
There were a few moments of silence as his brain processed this information, before he jolted up, connecting foreheads with a surprised Naruto and sending him flying backwards with a yelp.
"Naruto, what are you doing here?!" Sasuke yelled, standing up quickly and, despite the large pounding in his forehead, gripped Naruto by the front of his shirt, pulling him up when Naruto shook his head, not answering.
"I-I followed you." He stuttered, eyes wide as he stared into the Sharingan.
He'd never seen Sasuke this angry, and it kind of frightened him.
Sasuke realized what he was doing and relaxed, deactivating the Sharingan as he dropped Naruto, quickly backing up.
Naruto snapped out of it and blinked at Sasuke, amazed.
"Go away. Now." He muttered, turning away and surveying the ground.
"What...why...why are you here? Isn't it your birthday?" Naruto asked quietly, standing up.
Sasuke didn't answer, instead pushing his hands deep in his pockets, and starting off, his mood ruined.
"Sasuke! Why do you come here every birthday?"
The innocent question made the said Uchiha stop in his tracks, he slowly turned around to stare at his team mate.
"What?"
Naruto bit his lip, hoping he hadn't made a mistake. "Why do you come here...every birthday? You say you're busy when we ask you to do something for your birthday, and you just come here."
"Y-you followed me?!" Sasuke yelped in panic, eyes wide.
Naruto averted his gaze guiltily, drawing circles in the ground with his foot. "Y-yeah. I started following you about three years ago."
"Three...years...?" Sasuke shook his head in wonder. "...and I didn't know..."
"Sasuke, I didn't mean to..."
"Don't tell anyone about this spot. Ever."
Naruto stopped, and suddenly grew angry. "What's with you? How are you an even bigger ass on your birthday?!"
Sasuke sank to the ground, looking around fondly. "Because. This is my peace. This is where I come to think."
Naruto softened, sitting down a foot away and crossing his legs, curious. "But why on your birthday?"
"My brother first took me here on my birthday. My eighth, when everyone else forgot."
The air around them grew silent, Sasuke's eyes glazed over with what Naruto recognized as sadness.
He remained silent, only breaking it when he noticed the condition of the garden.
"Do you..." Naruto glanced at Sasuke, whom was just coming out of his trance. "...take care of it?"
Sasuke blinked, that faraway look returning to his eyes, and nodded. "My brother showed me how."
"It needs to be trimmed."
Sasuke nodded. "I know. I'll get to it later."
There was an uncomfortable silence, until Naruto shifted, leaning forward slightly. "Can I help?"
Sasuke blinked at him for a moment, before nodding slowly. "I'll teach you."
He got up a second later and made his way over to the edge of the garden, before beckoning Naruto and bending down.
Naruto went over and kneeled next to Sasuke, who merely glanced up and nodded, pulling out a kunai.
"You have to get the weeds out first..."
They talked as they worked, and soon enough, it was dusk.
Wiping sweat from their brows, they glanced at each other, and Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle at the dirt smearing Naruto's face from the many time's he'd scratched it with a dirty hand.
"What's so funny?" Naruto demanded, hands on his hips.
Sasuke shook his head, chuckling, as he turned back to the garden. "You have dirt on your face."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, glancing at the upturned dirt next to him. "Hey...Sasuke..."
"Wha..." Sasuke was cut off abruptly when a handful of dirt slammed into his face, the cause being a giggling orange and brown blob next to him.
The clearing echoed into silence and Naruto smirked when it came off the said Uchiha's pale face, giving him a dirty complexion.
"Naruto..."
"Yes, dirt-boy?"
"Run."
And with that, Sasuke chucked a handful of mud at the surprised Kyuubi vessel.
Naruto was still laughing by the time their little mud fight was over, and Sasuke smirked, wiping the mud from his face and shirt.
"That was awesome." Naruto laughed, laying down on the grass. "It's dark."
Sasuke frowned, laying down a bit away, and examining a flower. "Yeah."
"Hey, that's a pretty flower. Look, it's blue. A blue rose."
Sasuke glanced over, smiling faintly. "I planted those."
Naruto laughed, tracing the stars with his hand. "You're good at this."
Sasuke chuckled softly, and turned back to the sky.
A few minutes later, Naruto got up tiredly, yawning. "Let's go back, it's late."
"Nah, you can go. I'm going to stay a bit longer." Sasuke told him softly, watching him leave.
"All right...oh, and Sasuke?"
He got a quirked eyebrow in response.
"Happy birthday, bro."
Sasuke's eyes widened and he shot up, watching Naruto's retreating back and raised hand.
When he disappeared from sight, Sasuke looked back at the rose, relaxing. "Yeah..."
A silence settled, until one last word was echoed around the small clearing.
"...Bro."
Years later from that, Naruto stood, hands shoved deep in his pockets, as he shook his head.
Having just got back, his new headband strings flew in the wind as he surveyed the ground before him.
It was sad, really.
The once bright green and lush grass had long ago turned a light brown color, and all the flowers were dried and wilted.
He shook his head, turning to leave, until something caught his eye.
He stepped forward, squinting through the setting darkness.
A smile tugged at his lips when his eyes finally adjusted.
Chuckling softly, he turned and left.
In his wake lay one single rose.
A blue rose.
'Hey, that's a pretty flower. Look, it's blue. A blue rose."
'Sasuke glanced over, smiling faintly. "I planted those."
A/N: Wow, that turned out better than I'd thought. I hoped ya like it! Please rate and message!
-ICT