The truth about the massacre of our clan had finally been revealed to Kohona. Danzo was dead and I was a free man. As soon as I returned to the Leaf Village, I rejoined the ANBU squad and returned to the Uchiha compound to start over.
As I walked to the house we used to share, I saw my brother sitting on the walkway dressed in a black kimono, the mark on his neck clearly visible as he looked up at the twilight sky above. He did not move as I sat beside him.

If you only knew
I'm hanging by a thread
The web I spin for you
If you only knew
I'd sacrifice my beating
Heart before I'd lose you
I still hold onto the letters
You returned
I swear I've lived and learned

"I heard the news." he said.

I hung my head in shame. "I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault."

"I know, but I should have told you."

He turned to face me. "It was because of you that I'm this strong, Itachi." It was the first time he said my name with such pain and intimacy in his voice. Even all those years before when we saw each other for the first time since the slaughter, his voice was full of hatred, never suffering.

If you only knew
How many times I counted
All the words that went wrong
If you only knew
How I refuse to let you go,
Even when you're gone
I don't regret any days I
Spent, nights we shared,
Or letters that I sent

I had other concerns as well. "Orochimaru?"

"He's dead. I killed him."

"Naruto?"

"Tsunade is giving him the title of Hokage." he replied.

"Do you miss him?" This had been a theory of mine for some time; that Sasuke liked Naruto.

"Not as much as I missed you."

If you only knew
I still hold onto the letters
You returned
You help me live and learn

I smiled forlornly. The air between us was heavy with electricity. You see, to me, Sasuke would always be more than a brother. I understand this is wrong, but I could not care less. I was in love with my little brother. Had been for years. When our clan was destroyed, and I saw the horror in his eyes...

"Why did you want me to kill you that night?" his voice brought me back.

"I was unable to stop Madara in time. I hated myself for it." The truth escaped before I could stop it.

It's 4:03 and I can't sleep
Without you next to me I
Toss and turn like the sea

I paused. The tension could have been cut with a kunai. I took this time to study my brother. His hair was slightly longer and framed his face flawlessly, gracing him with the beauty of a fallen angel with a broken wing. His muscles were well defined like mine and his skin was paler than my own. He caught my gaze and turned away. I could still see his profile so clearly in the moonlight. The moonbeams fell on his parted lips and I began to wonder what they would feel like against mine.

I wanted to stroke his silky black hair and feel the smoothness of his skin against mine. I wanted to hold him tightly and never let him go, inhale the wonderful scent of cedar and earth and blood that radiated from his skin.

"I came to tell you I had no need of you anymore." he said. I knew this, yet the words struck my heart like a dagger. He hugged his knees to his torso and I watched as his muscles rippled from the slight movement. He continued. "I've been alone so long I was convinced it was all I wanted, all I needed.

"But I was wrong, so very, very wrong. Seeing you like this, I realized, I missed you more than I ever knew."

If I drown tonight, bring me
Back to life
Breathe your breath in me
The only thing that I still believe
In is you, believe in is you
I still believe in you

I felt tears begin to form in my eyes. I gently touched his hair and cheek and spoke. "I love you."

"Show me."

That did it. I pressed our lips together, feeling his lashes against my cheek as we closed our eyes. He tasted of chocolate and cinnamon. I had to get a better taste. Our tongues began to clash. I decided to give him the upper hand and let him explore me, moaning into the kiss. His hands found their way to my hair tie and removed it, allowing my mane to fall to my shoulders.

At last the need for air became too great and we pulled away. "Don't ever leave me again, Itachi. I love you too much to go through this again."

"I'll never leave you, Sasuke. I swear on the blood that flows through our veins."
He buried his face in my chest and kissed it through my top. I smiled. He wanted more. And I would give it to him. After all, we had all of our lives.

Oh, if you only knew