Uchiha Itachi walked slowly through the empty streets of Konoha. The night was quiet and he enjoyed the peaceful serenity that was not present during the hustle and bustle of the daytime. The air crisp and cold, winter was on its way. He raised his eyes to look at the full moon as he headed to his family home in the Uchiha Compound. He was tired and looking forward to a warm shower before bed, although he knew the first thing he would actually do was go and see the one person who meant more to him than anything else. He lowered his eyes to the path once more, though he wasn't looking at it. A small smile graced his lips and his eyes glazed over as his thoughts wandered to his beloved little brothers reaction to his return from his long mission - six months was far too long for him to be away from his baby brother and he would absolutely not be doing it again.
"Sasuke…" He whispered to the night. He sighed a content sigh as he came to his home and headed inside, taking off his shoes as he shut the door. He headed down the right hallway and stopped when he came to his brothers room. He eased the door open slightly to look in on his little brother. He frowned as he opened the door fully, looking at the empty bed in confusion.
Where can he be? His eyes searched the room for his brother as his panic began to rise. He ignored it as best he could and drew a kunai as he activated his Sharingan and left the room quickly, moving silently in the shadows. He felt for his families chakra and found his parents familiar pattern in their room, presumably sleeping. He stretched his senses, desperately trying to find his little brother. He felt a faint signature out at the training area he and Sasuke used and set off in that direction fast, forgetting his shoes in his haste to get to Sasuke. He flew out the back door and raced through the garden before leaping into the trees and dashing through the branches. His emotions were spiralling, rapidly swirling between confusion, desperation and pure fear as he sped his way closer to his destination.
Sasuke, why are you out here? Please don't be hurt! He thought to himself as he finally leapt into the clearing, landing silently behind his unaware little brother. He put away his kunai and let his Sharingan fade and then hesitated as he looked at his baby brother, who was oblivious to his presence as he stared at the moon with a longing expression on his face.
"Aniki…" Itachi's breath caught in his throat as he heard his little brother whispering into the night. He sounded as if he was close to tears. "Please come home… I'm sorry…" Itachi frowned at his words but pushed it aside as he could tell the first tears were running silently down his brothers face and it broke his heart to see him hurting so.
"Otouto…" Sasuke seemed to go rigid as he heard him speak. "What are you doing out here? Its late, you should be in bed"
"…" Sasuke whispered something inaudible to the elder, still not moving. Itachi walked around his brother and knelt down in front of him. Sasuke had his eyes screwed shut, tears leaking through them and streaming down his face.
"Sasuke…?" Itachi asked as he raised his hand to the boys cheek. Sasuke gasped at the contact and his eyes flew open as his own hand shot out to cover Itachi's. Shock and surprise swirled in his eyes as he stared at Itachi, seeming confused. Itachi sighed heavily as he wrapped his arms around his baby brother and pulled the younger into his lap.
"This is not the welcome home I was hoping for…" He said half teasingly, smiling softly as he rubbed his hands in soothing circles on Sasuke's back, hoping to calm the boy enough to get him to speak. He shifted his weight so he was sitting cross legged with Sasuke in his lap, looking up at him. His heart felt broken as his little brother looked at him with disbelief.
"Really Sasuke, do you think I'm a mirage or something? I was hoping you'd be pleased to see me! I've been looking forward to coming home and seeing you again…" He said his small smile fading from his lips as his concern for his brother grew. He watched as Sasuke reached up and touched his face, tracing one of the light marks beneath his eyes. Itachi felt a faint tickle of arousal at the gentle touch to his more sensitive skin, but he pushed it aside as his panic over his brothers state grew.
"Aniki…?" Sasuke finally asked and Itachi sighed heavily, mostly from relief that the boy had finally spoken.
"Yes, Sasuke… Now what is-" He was cut off from completing his question as Sasuke flung his arms around his neck, knocking him off balance and sending them both crashing to the floor. "Sasuke!" He managed to choke out as his little brother grasped him tightly, almost cutting off his airway in his apparent need to be as close as he could possibly get. He felt the younger shaking and tightened his hold on the boy above him as he laid still and waited for his baby brother to calm down.
"Itachi-nii-san! I missed you! I missed you, so much! You were gone so long… I thought you weren't coming back!" Sasuke sobbed into his chest, struggling for breath in his desperation. Itachi looked down at his distraught little brother with wide eyes, his fear rising in the face of his siblings despair. "Nii-san! Don't go away again! Don't leave! I'm sorry! Please…!" Sasuke begged as he sobbed desperately, making Itachi frown again as his words came streaming out in between harsh and ragged breaths. He struggled up so he was again sitting cross legged with Sasuke in his lap, which was no easy task considering he couldn't move his arms from around his little brothers wailing form without making the situation worse. Once he managed to wriggle his way upright, he used both hands to take hold of Sasuke's face and tried to force the boy to look at him. Sasuke however continued to writhe and fidget in the elders grasp, averting his overflowing eyes from his elder siblings gaze.
"Sasuke… Shhh…" He said softly. "Sasuke, look at me… Sasuke… Calm down, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere… Sasuke, what's wrong? Has something happened? Why are you sorry? Sasuke… Please, look at me.." He begged of his little brother, who slowly stopped his fidgeting and raised his eyes to his older brothers face. Itachi could see deep anguish and pain in the boys eyes and it tore him apart to see his beloved younger brother in such a traumatized state. "Sasuke… Please…" He said again as he looked his brother in the eye, his voice breaking as he begged his little brother to tell him what was wrong. Sasuke looked up at him for what seemed like an eternity, he saw the concern and fear in his brothers eyes and his sobs grew less as he took a deep breath before speaking.
"Nii-san… I'm sorry." He said quietly.
"Why?" Itachi could barely fight back his impulse to hug his brother, needing to make sure he kept his eye contact.
"I… I.." He looked confused for a moment. "You don't hate me?" Itachi actually flinched as if the boy had slapped him, his eyes went wide and he stared at the boy as if he was insane. He pressed his forehead to his brothers and closed his eyes for a moment as he took a deep breath to try and calm himself.
What the FUCK is going on? His mind screamed at him as he fought for his last ounce of control.
"Sasuke, why the hell would I hate you?" He asked, wincing when it came out in a harsher tone than he originally intended. He pulled back slightly and opened his eyes to find his brother was blushing light pink. "What is going on Sasuke? Tell me… Now." His patience was waning but he would not let himself shout at his younger brother, especially when he was already distressed.
"Shisui…" Sasuke bit his lip and forced his head to turn away as he shut his eyes, refusing to say more and looking as if he was kicking himself for mentioning Itachi's best friend. Itachi's heart froze, he let go of Sasuke's face and put his hands on his shoulders, gripping tightly and making Sasuke look back at him as he winced.
"What about Shisui? Sasuke, if you don't tell me right now - then I'll go wake him up and get him to tell me! I don't care what it is Sasuke but please… Please just tell me!" He begged his little brother. Sasuke stared before taking another deep breath and closing his eyes.
"Shisui said I made you mad… He said you sent him notes to tell our parents you were having trouble on your mission but that really you just… You just couldn't stand coming home to see me!" Tears poured out from the boy as Sasuke started to cry hard once more. Itachi was numb, he pulled his brother close and wrapped his arms tightly around him in a daze as his words sank in. He subconsciously started rubbing his baby brothers back in soothing, circular motions. After a few moments he started to shake, as his fury began to break through. He held his broken-hearted little brother tightly against his chest, as he fought to suppress his own emotions. He forced his fury aside and did his best to soothe his little brother, rocking them gently and making soothing sounds as he continued to rub his back in gentle circular motions.
Why the hell would Shisui do this to Sasuke? He knows how much he means to me… For a prank this is pretty low, even by his standards…He looked down at his little brother, who was sniffing quietly now that his sobs had subsided once again. Sasuke risked a glance up at his older brother and saw him smile down at him, his special smile. The one he only ever used for Sasuke, the one that always managed to make him feel like he was right where he belonged and it made him feel safe once more. Itachi raised one hand to Sasuke's cheek before he leant down and kissed his tears away. He then began wiping under his swollen, red and puffy eyes with his thumb. He noticed again that Sasuke blushed pink as he smiled sheepishly and looked up at him shyly.
"Foolish otouto… How could you believe such things?" He said softly as he moved his hand from his cheek to poke him gently in the centre of his forehead. He let his hand rest on his cheek again as he gazed lovingly at his brother. "Did you really believe I would ever hate you? How many times have I told you that I love you? You know me better than anyone Sasuke, why on earth did you believe him?" Sasuke seemed uncomfortable and apparently chose to ignore the questions, squirming slightly as he curled himself into Itachi's comforting hold. His eyes reflected love back at Itachi, though there was still underlying pain and sadness. Itachi sighed as he wrapped both arms around the smaller boy and pulled him closer, resting his chin on top of Sasuke's head. He felt Sasuke snake his arms up around his neck and pull himself as much closer as he could possibly get before he shifted and planted a kiss on his cheek. Itachi smiled and drew back from his little brother.
"How about we go home? We should both get some sleep." Sasuke's face betrayed the briefest flicker of fear, making Itachi curious as to why the boy wouldn't want to go home. "Why are you out here at this time anyway?" He asked suddenly. Sasuke looked away from him, examining the grass behind him.
"I come here when I cant sleep." He replied simply. Itachi frowned at the vague and emotionless response, he knew that his little brother was keeping things from him but, it would have to wait until morning, as he was clearly not going to talk about it tonight.
"Otouto." Itachi said seriously, making Sasuke snap his eyes back to his face. "If I let you stay with me tonight, do you promise to tell me what's bothering you tomorrow?" He asked softly. Sasuke's face lit up immediately as an enormous, happy grin spread across his whole face. Itachi was pleased to see his little brother was at least momentarily distracted from whatever worries he had.
"Really?" The excitement and joy now plastered over Sasuke's face was heart-warming for Itachi.
Sasuke is so adorable when he's happy… Then again he's adorable anyway… He cut his thoughts off as he gave a mock sigh and turned his head as if contemplating taking back his offer. Sasuke's smile dropped slightly and he bit his lip slightly as Itachi gave him a sly look out the corner of his eye.
"So long as you don't snore otouto… If you do I'll be forced to…" He paused as he looked back at his little brother with a smirk on his lips and raised a hand slowly to hover in front of his little brothers torso. Sasuke recognised the look and squealed happily as Itachi gently jabbed his fingers to his ribs, making him squirm and attempt to disengage his smaller body from Itachi's. He managed to get out of his lap and ran to hide behind a small bush that was on the path back to home, Itachi chuckled as he stood up.
"Sasuke…" He called seductively, trying to lure the younger of them out of hiding. Sasuke giggled slightly and covered his mouth with his hands to muffle the noise. Itachi heard him and pounced on his little brother, gently grabbing his wrists with one and holding them above his head as he straddled his little brother and tickled him with his spare hand. He sniggered quietly as Sasuke futilely attempted to wriggle out of his hold and made pathetic attempts to dislodge him as he laughed. Once Itachi decided his little brother was suitably exhausted and saw he was once again his usual, happy and beloved little brother he let out a soft chuckle and released him. He got into a crouch and picked his little brother up bridal style, placing a kiss on his cheek as Sasuke wrapped an arm around his torso. Sasuke used his other hand to hold the cheek Itachi had kissed, blushing again. Itachi noticed but didn't let it show, he simply started walking towards home and kept his smile in place so Sasuke didn't realise.
Gonna have to see if I can get him to open up tomorrow… Can always try getting him loads of tomatoes… But something tells me this is going to take more than that…His thoughts distracted him from the trip home and they arrived sooner than he would have thought. He carried his little brother to his room and had Sasuke help him by opening the door, seeing as his hands were occupied with said little brother. Once they were inside, he shut the door with his heel and walked to his bed. He gently laid Sasuke down on the mattress and drew the covers over him, wanting to warm the boy up after his unknown amount of time outside in the cool pre-winter air. He was about to stand when a small fist gripped his wrist, making him look back at his brother with a raised brow. Sasuke looked panicked, like he thought his brother was going to leave him there. Itachi sighed and raised a corner of the covers, sliding in under them and stripping to his boxers while he sat on the edge of the mattress - throwing his clothes on the floor beside the bed.
So much for my shower… He thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Oh well, I'll just have to do it in the morning. Sasuke is clearly in a pretty bad state about something, so I'll have to make sure not to make him feel any worse. Gods, Shisui… What the fuck have you done to my otouto? He wrapped an arm around Sasuke's waist as he snuggled down beside his baby brother, pulling the boy closer to him. Sasuke immediately wrapped his arms around Itachi's neck and buried his face in his brothers chest. Itachi chuckled slightly, enjoying the feeling of having his baby brother so close to him. He held the boy close with one arm around his waist, while his other hand gently swept the bangs from the boys face. He looked down at his brother, while the younger stared up at him. Their eyes connected and in that moment Itachi felt his heart swell, he was unable to squash his feelings as he usually did and before he could stop himself he had swooped down to gently press his lips to his brothers. He heard Sasuke gasp slightly, before the sound became a soft moan. He groaned quietly himself as Sasuke kissed him back, pressing his soft and velvety lips to his with a little hesitancy. He forced himself to pull away from those delicious lips, managing to keep the kiss at least moderately innocent. Sasuke looked up at him with mixed look of confusion and hurt, so Itachi smiled softly at him and pressed another kiss to the boys cheek to try an alleviate his obvious fears. Sasuke flushed pink and Itachi couldn't help but chuckle.
"Your so cute, otouto…" Itachi said quietly, earning a pouting glare from the younger. Itachi rubbed Sasuke's side gently and pulled the boy close, as the younger yawned. "Sleep Sasuke, we'll talk tomorrow…" Sasuke managed to nod his head, before his eyelids slid themselves closed and sleep overcame him. Itachi was left to watch his little brother and wonder about the events that had occurred during his absence. Three things were apparent to him, one of which was bothering him more than the others.
One was that Shisui had apparently decided to make Sasuke suffer for whatever reason, something Itachi was going to discuss with his cousin tomorrow. The second was that Sasuke seemed fearful of being in the house, something he was going to be talking with his brother about tomorrow - no matter how much the younger tried to wriggle out of it. The final thing, the one that was bothering him the most was that; Sasuke had not responded to his kiss how he had expected him to. He had expected the boy to push him away, to shout and scream at him if he should ever be so foolish as to reveal his true feelings to him. He never would have expected his brother to actually kiss him back. But it could just be that the boy was too shocked by the sudden kiss and so Itachi eventually forced this third issue from his mind, deciding to forget about it unless Sasuke brought it up. With his mind finally eased a little, he felt his fatigue and weariness catch up to him. Itachi smiled as he gently kissed his baby brothers cheek once more, before sliding his eyes shut and allowing sleep to pull him into his usual dreams about a certain little brother.
Sasuke's eyes shot open as he panted harshly, one hand flying to his chest as his heart tried to escape its confines. He hated these dreams, they always made him feel so pathetic. It was all his fault after all, he had been the cause of everything. His eyes drifted to the photo that was on his dresser, the one of him and his team shortly after they were told they would be Team Seven. He felt sick to his stomach from recalling his brothers return that night - it had after all been the night that everything changed, the night he had first caused everything to change. Now a decade older, he was still just as much a whimpering child as he was then. Only this time there was no big brother to hold him as he drifted back to sleep, his brother was gone and he was alone. But he couldn't help but wonder, just how much longer his loneliness would last.
A/N:~ Well, this was meant to be my first ever fic - but it got lost somewhere and I never got around to finishing or posting it... So I decided to see what you think of it!
I am unsure about the title, it was origionally going to be something entirely different but then I thought perhaps I could work one of my other ideas into this idea and now I'm not too sure if it all fits the title - but seeing as how the story has only changed a little I hope it still fits... please let me know if you think otherwise.
As for the perspective - I was going to write it switching between the first person POVs of Itachi and Sasuke but I suck at first person, so instead you will be getting my usual third person perspective but slightly tilted so that you can understand what they are feeling... if your confused by now then dont worry - I am too, so feel free to ignore my rambling...
Please Review - it helps and it means alot to hear from you! My love to you all x