Stockholm Syndrome

A/N: This is something new, I wanted to try! Please do read and enjoy!

Sasuke's POV

"So, you think that he'll go out with me?" Sakura asks again for the umpteenth time. I sigh.

"Sakura, I don't know, please stop asking." I rub my face with my hand. She smiles at me sadly.

"Is there still trouble at home?"

I rub my temples and stare at the ground for a moment. "Yeah.... he's not getting any better. He still hasn't uttered a word to anyone. He won't even talk to me. It's like, whatever he saw," I look up at her, my brows coming together. "it's like he was really traumatized by it."

"At least he now sees people talking to him, instead of staring off into the distance. Summer is almost over, is he going to school?" She asks, putting a conferting hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah, as far as I know."

Sakura smiles. "Everyone misses him, it'll do him good to be around his friends." Instead of in a mental hospital, she didn't add. I know she doesn't want to look at the dark side of this situation, and just mentioning the mental hospital he's been in for the last 23 months, would just be casting yet another shadow on my familys' life.

The bell rings. I turn to look to the door at the customer. I knock a folder off the counter. I kneel down to pick it up when I see a pale hand with long fingers picking it up for me.

I look up a little to see my brother, Itachi. His black eyes trained on me. He stands straight and offers his hand wordlessly. I take it and stand up, slowly.

Itachi cocks his head a little and offers the folder. I find myself looking at his lips, waiting for him to speak. It's hopeful and wishful thinking. Itachi hasn't spoken in a little over 2 years.

He was sent home about a week ago. He was mently stable, he just won't talk, the doctor told us. They would continue their sessions here. They believe Itachi will start talking if his life begins to return to being the same as it was before that night.

Flashes of Itachi cotted in blood come and go like a heartbeat.

"Itachi!" Sakura cheers. She scoots off the counter and jumps onto him, wrapping her arms around his waist. This releases me from my thoughts. I mentally thank Sakura.

Itachi hugs her back, silently.

She looks up at him. "How do you feel?" she asks.

Itachi stares. "..."

She smiles agian, still looking into the light and ignoring the dark. "I can't wait for school! I met this extremely cute guy! Oh, you'll never believe! Ok he's about yay tall...." her voice trails on. I just watch my brother.

He and Sakura split apart as she starts to explain this guy she met at the camp she went to last week and how he was coming to our school at the beginning of the school year.

He stares at her, listening to ever word she says.

I'll never forget that day and night. I was sick and felt absolutely terrible. Mom stayed home with me all day while Itachi went to school and dad went on a short business trip. I didn't get any better so late at night, mom asked Itachi to go to the store and get me headache medicine. He did and took about 2 hours. We were both worried, the police were called and they came right away. As we were giving them our information, Itachi walks into the house. I will never forget my mother rushing to the other room to greet him with a scream.

At that moment, I panicked. Forgetting my head ache, the police and I ran into the hallway that leads to the front door. Itachi stood there, unmoving. Blood coating every inch of his body. His face paler then what it used to be, even beneath a centimeter of blood.

Doctors said that none of the blood was his own.

Sense a week after the incident, no one could get Itachi to talk to them. He wouldn't even look at them. Physical contact with unfamiliar people was a big no-no.

The next day he was sent to a mental institute. Mom and dad were both heartbroken. I was only 13 at the time, my brother was only 15. Now, I'm 15 and he's 17.

I want my brother back. He used to smile all the time, and crack jokes, and even stayed up late and talked to me. Now he's sleeping more and staring at nothing. He acknowledges people, now, but he still doesn't respond. It's like he's an empty shell of who he used to be. He hasn't seen any of his friends in almost 2 years.

Does he miss them? Does he even know he had them? Or still has them? Does he even realise what people are saying to him? Is he completely brain dead? Will he ever recover? Will he ever again be the brother I love and adore so much?

No matter how much logic I try to throw into this, it makes no sense.

Sense that day, no one has found anyone dead. No one is missing. The blood is without a doubt not his, then who's blood is it? Was it even a human? What if it was an animal?

When Itachi was released, the news was all over it. They still are.

"Traumatized Victim has been released to his family and friends after 2 years of useless probing and diagnostics in the brain. Yet to learn more on the incident that has accrued only 2 years ago." The T.V anchor woman for the news says. "Young 17 year old, Itachi Uchiha, has yet to speak with us on the matter, or anyone at all for the matter. We will have more in the upcoming days."

The woman disappears from the T.V in the corner of the room on the wall.

I glare at it. I grab the remote from behind the counter, under the cash register and turn the T.V off.

Why don't they just dropped the matter? Why can't they wait to see if Itachi will talk? Why do they have to push it? So what, Itachi doesn't want to talk about it. It was most likely very traumatizing. He most likely doesn't want to even think about it! People keep asking him and it's all over the news! How is he to cope when everyone is trying to crawl into his mind to find out his thoughts because they doesn't seem to want to be formed into words.

Itachi touches my forehead. I look at him. His entire hand lays on my forehead and nose.

"What is it?" I ask, confused by his movements. Itachi tilts his head a little to the left then to the right, then back again, seemingly thinking.

He frowns like something he thought has bothered him.

He then glares at me. I blink.

"What?"

"...."

"Itachi," I slap his hand away. "What is it?"

He glares more. Slowly, he puts his hand onto his forehead and nose like he did to me. He keeps it there for a few moments before dropping his hand and stares blankly.

I raise my eyebrow. "Uhhh..... sure....."

Itachi frowns. He does the same movement again.

I cock my head. "What are you trying to say?"

Sakura joins my side and watches as Itachi does it again. Sakura smiles and snaps her fingers. "Aha!" She turns to me. "You were glaring, he doesn't want you to glare." she informs me.

I blink. "Oh, sorry, Brother."

Itachi stares at me blankly. He reaches out and pats my head twice before turning on his heel and walking to the back of the store.

Returning a few minutes later, he carries baking oil. He pays for it and leaves the store.

I watch him leave.

"It's sad...." Sakura says sadly. I nod.

"He's not the same." I agree.

"But with the frowning thing, he is." Sakura points out. True, Itachi always wanted people to be happy. I used to be very grumpy and easily irritated. Itachi always reminded me to stop frowning.

"You'll end up looking as happy as father." I mummer.

"What?" Sakura asks, looking over at me from her nails which had previously occupied her attention.

"Itachi said that to me once." I tell her. Sakura doesn't say anything.

"I'm home!" I call walking into the mansion. Itachi walks around the corner and stares at me. He turns and heads for the stairs.

"Itachi!" Father's voice booms. "Stop and come back."

Itachi stops and turns around. He looks at me for a moment, then walks back up the stairs ignoring our father.

"Where is he?" mom rushes in, hysterically.

"He just went upstairs, mom." I say calmly, trying not to set her off.

She has been extremely fragile the last few years. She has always been very protective and fearing the worst but sense the accident, she has been off the walls.

She visibly calms down. "Fugaku, please be more gentle with Itachi, he just got back, he needs time to adjust..." her voice fades as she heads into the other room where father is no doubly sitting or pacing, angrily.

I head up the stairs and down the hall to Itachi's room. I knock gently.

No answer.

I open the door and walk in. Itachi sits on his bed. His book in his lap.

Itachi has always liked writing. He was also very good at it. Like everything else that he did. Everyone was worried that Itachi won't be able to keep up this year, but I know he'll be fine. Itachi was originally 2 years smarter then his own good.

Itachi started writing this story two days ago. He's been persistent on finishing it. He's almost done with it, I think.

He looks up at me. I walk over and sit next to him. "Can I read it?" I ask, nodding to his book.

Itachi shakes his head. An emotionless stare.

"When it's finished?" I ask. I love reading the brilliants that my brother has created.

"...." Itachi nods slowly, still not speaking.

I start telling Itachi all about my day. He lays the book down and leans back, listening. His eye never leaving my face. No matter how hard I try, I cannot look him in those sad black eyes. Those lonely black eyes. Those scared black eyes.

So I talk and talk. Trying to fill the silence. The entire time, I do wish for Itachi to poke my forehead and tell me that I talk too much then smile and say that he loves it when I talk on and on.

But he doesn't. He just sits and stares.

No matter the amount of wishing, Itachi doesn't move toward me in anyway or even opens his mouth in an attempt to speak. Mother calls us down for dinner.

As we sit around the dinner table, no one says a thing. It's been like this every meal for the last week. Ever sense Itachi returned home. It feels kind of sad. No one has anything to say to him after the years he's been gone. I mean, they seem to have given up already for any hope of getting Itachi to say something.

Mother tries to start up a conversation. "So how was work, Sasuke-kun?" she asks, looking at me sweetly.

"Slow." I mumble. I should try and help her, but well, I've already spoken myself out of my comfort zone when I was upstairs with Itachi. I'm tired of talking. I don't know how Naruto can talk all the time. He seems like if he doesn't speak 15 of the 24 hours in the day, he'll die or something.

A/N: How was it? I really have high hopes for this story! I really hope people will like this. Please let me know if you want me to continue!!