When I'm Gone (part 2)
"Daddy where's Mommy? I can't find Mommy where is she?"
I don't know go play Hailie, baby, your Daddy's busy
Daddy's writing a song, this song ain't goin' write itself
I'll give you one underdog then you gotta swing by yourself
Then turn right around in that song and tell her you love her
And put hands on her mother, who's a spitting image of her
That's Slim Shady, yeah baby, Slim Shady's crazy
Shady made me, but tonight Shady's rocka-by-baby...
"Itachi, where's mother and father? I wanted to tell them goodbye before I left, but I can't find them anywhere." Sasuke asks. He's eight years old. He's got his school bag on and is standing in front of the doorway. He knows, if he doesn't leave soon, he'll be late for school. But he hasn't said goodbye to his mother yet, and she always sees him off before he goes to school. Sometimes, she even walks him down the driveway, and to the Uchiha compound door, just talking to him about things and letting him know she cares.
"I'm not sure, Sasuke. Why don't you just head off to school? I'm sure they'll be here when you get back." Itachi assures him. Sasuke looks put off by the suggestion, like he doesn't really want to go without saying goodbye to his mother. Once, she had told him, it made her sad when he didn't tell her goodbye before he left for school. Whenever he didn't, she said she'd wonder all day if he had been late to school, if he had remembered to pack his lunch (sometimes he'd forget), and if he was doing alright when he left.
Sasuke says nothing for a while, thinking over Itachi's suggestion. There's a small frown on his face as he chews on his bottom lip in thought. After a few minutes, he finally relents. "Alright..." Sasuke says, pouting slightly. He hoped his mother hadn't just forgotten about him. His father did enough of that, and it always made him feel like he wasn't good enough. He didn't want his mother making him feel that way too.
"Would you like me to walk with you? I'll even walk all the way to the Academy, if you like." Itachi asks.
Sasuke's frown turns into a large grin. "Seriously?! You're not too busy, Nii-san?!" Itachi's heart aches at the question. He was always busy, wasn't he? Always too busy for Sasuke, the one person he cared about most. What made it worse was, he couldn't even say to Sasuke that things would change. He couldn't tell him he'd start making time for him; it would only be a lie. Because things were about to get significantly worse for them tonight, and they were going to get even farther apart. Sasuke may not see him again for years after tonight, and even if he did, he'd hate him.
"No, I'm not. Come on, you don't want to be late, do you?" Itachi asks, getting up from his spot on the sofa. He puts his book down on the coffee table, and walks over to join Sasuke at the door. They head off to the academy together, talking about everything under the sun.
"And that's how I was able to beat everyone at throwing Kunai!" Sasuke says finishing his story, as they approached the Academy building. The bell had just rung, so there was no point in trying to make it on time anymore.
Itachi smiles down at Sasuke. "That's very impressive Sasuke. I'm proud of you."
Sasuke beams up at his older brother, basking in his praise. "It was nothing!" He says smugly.
Itachi chuckles. "Careful little brother, power can cause you to become isolated and arrogant." Itachi warns him gently. Sasuke blushes at this. "Well, off you go, little brother. You don't want to be even more late." Itachi tells him.
Sasuke nods, his blush fading away. He runs off towards the school. Then stops, having forgotten something. He turns around again, running over to Itachi. He throws his arms around his brother, giving him a hug. "Thank you, Itachi nii-san. I love you." Sasuke tells him.
"I love you too, Sasuke, more than anything." He whispers the last part so softly, he doesn't think Sasuke can hear it, but he does. Sasuke doesn't tell him that though, just holds onto him longer, because for some reason, he feels that his brother needs the extra comfort. Something's wrong; he knows that. But he can't figure it out now, he has to go before he's late. So, Sasuke does. He goes to class, and Itachi goes back home on his own. And come nightfall, Itachi murders their entire clan. "I'm sorry, Sasuke." He says as he watches their parents' lifeless bodies fall to the floor.
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