What you should know about me, as a writer, is that I fail with conventional multi-chapter works. I usually write snippets and skip transition scenes, and that is basically what this will be: a collection of snapshots from an alternate reality. Updates will be sporadic and sequences won't necessarily be in chronological order. There are no spoilers right now, but I write with current manga perception so there's bound to be some present in the coming drabbles.
The pairing is Kakashi/Sasuke, but considering Sasuke's age, their relationship is very much platonic right now. Consider it brotherly if you wish.
Things as They Are
Title: I Spy
Summary: Itachi has a new friend. Sasuke wants to know who it is.
Nii-san, Sasuke thinks as he peers out from behind the trunk of the tree, has very strange friends.
There's a person crouched on the narrow ledge of the compound wall, wearing a hooded cloak that's covering every inch of skin. Sasuke can make out the white of a porcelain mask painted thickly with red streaks. It's like the one his brother's wearing.
When Itachi's within close range, the person shifts. A sparkling of silver cascading over the mask catches Sasuke's eyes. He dares to peak out just a tiny fraction more, watching eagerly as the hood is pushed back by half-gloved hands to reveal a canine mask and jagged hair. A steel-guarded arm, just like Itachi's, throws down an identical black cloak. The motion is fluid and careless, and Itachi catches it just as easily by the clasp.
A face is revealed when the hand reaches up to readjust the dog mask on a slant. The better half of the man's face is covered by another black facemask, but his eyes—Sasuke holds his breath. He can't stop staring at the one swirling-red Sharingan. He wonders if this is something he's not supposed to be seeing. Sasuke had never met any of his brother's friends besides Shisui, but he didn't really count because they were family.
Sasuke has certainly never seen this man before. He looks like the complete opposite of Itachi, the complete opposite of nearly everyone but the old elders of the clan, but he doesn't look old, nowhere near as wrinkly as Yashiro-san. But he has the Sharingan. His father had told him it was the Sharingan that made the Uchiha bloodline special. Does that, then, make this man family too?
An involuntary gasp escapes from him when the heavy-lidded gaze centers on him. He takes a step back, body suddenly quivering with slight trepidation.
"Neko-chan," the man murmurs, but it's loud enough that Sasuke can hear it without straining his ears. Sasuke feels a small rush of indignation pass through him because the man is calling his brother Neko-chan when he knows for a fact that Itachi's name is supposed to be Tora-san because Itachi told him so. His brow furrows together while a scowl threatens the corners of his lips.
"Neko-chan," Itachi says with a passively neutral tone. Sasuke can't see his brother's face.
The mismatched eyes flicker towards Itachi before they curve into twin smiles. It brings Sasuke another step backwards, foot silent among the long, wild grass as the hairs on the back of his neck prickle upwards in agitation. It takes all his willpower not to run away because this man knows that he's there and Itachi will be so mad at him if he finds out he followed him and—
"Cute kid," the man says as he tilts his head towards Sasuke. The eyes aren't completely closed anymore. Slits of grey and red focus intently on him.
He makes a noise of protest at that, because boys are not meant to be cute! And then a rush of anger floods through him, because he's just realized that it hadn't been Itachi the man had been addressing at all.
"Otouto," Itachi says, glancing over his shoulder. His eyes are narrowed in that way that shows Sasuke all too clearly that Itachi is not mad but not happy with him either.
He makes another sound from the back of his throat, shamefaced, and reluctantly steps away from the cover of the tree, shuffling a fraction of a step closer to his brother while simultaneously trying not to move from his spot. Really, he likes the distance. It makes it harder to see Itachi's face. It's shadowed nicely by the brim of the tiger mask on his head.
"You shouldn't be out here." In five quick steps that Sasuke misses because he's looking determinedly at the scattered leaves on the ground, Itachi is holding him by the shoulders and bodily turning him around. "Go back home."
Sasuke turns around in his brother's loose grip, and manages to say, "But—" before Itachi pokes him in the middle of his forehead. He cringes, hand automatically going to his head to soothe out the sore spot. "Nii-san!"
"Home," Itachi repeats, and pushes him encouragingly in the direction of the village.
Over Itachi's shoulder, Sasuke sees the man waving cheerfully at him, dog mask reflecting thin rays of dimming sunlight filtering through the canopy.
Sulking, Sasuke starts trudging back towards the village, but not before he sticks out his tongue at the figure on the wall because it was the stupid man's fault that Itachi had found him out. He hears Itachi sighing softly, and quickly breaks into a run before his brother can reprimand him.
With a little huff and a fierce scowl on his face, Sasuke decides he hates dogs.