Konaha

The Situation

"Itachi! Itachi, something horrible has happened! Itachi! Wake up!" The boy's mother was fidgeting outside of Itachi's locked door. "Open the door mister!" She tugged at the handle with no respond. She pulled harder and harder, then gathered all her strength to bust the door down. The door slid smoothly open, Itachi standing on the other side.

With her energy already gathered, she roughly grabbed the young man's shoulders and cried hysterically. "You're brother's not in his room! I looked everywhere, but he's not anywhere! He must've run away! Oh, I'm such a terrible mother!" She leaned her head forward and cried on his shoulder.

"Mother..." Itachi started. "I think I need my bed replaced. There are one too many bugs sleeping in it. I don't have enough room" The woman sniffled, and wiped her eyes. She glanced over to the bed. Right there in the middle of the bed, semi-hidden by a twisted blanket, was the missing boy. She looked back at her eldest son laughing at her.

"Do you really think I'd let him run away?" He mused. His mother cleared her throat and fixed her hair.

"Well, everyone seems to be accounted for. I expect both of you to be on time for breakfast." She resisted the urge to sniffle once more. And with that, she was gone.

Wonder why she was so lively this morning. Itachi thought. Is something happening today? He looked back at his slumbering brother, and tip-toed back to the bed. His precious little brother. Hopefully nothing too extravagant. He sighed as he stroked Sasuke's raven hair away from his face. His peaceful face. Don't ever change, little brother. Itachi wished, as he cuddled warmly with his younger sibling.

He heard him mumble something. I wonder what he's dreaming of. Itachi sighed.

"Wh-who are yhhh...?" He slurred. Itachi chuckled at his brother's innocence. He shifted positions to get even closer to his brother. He leaned his cheek against Sasuke's forehead. He hugged him protectively from all sides. Dreaming. Sasuke was dreaming.

I wonder... Itachi smirked. "Well, who are you?" Sasuke frowned.

"I'm Sasuke... Uchihhh... whhho are yhhhh...? Whhht... are you doin'... under the sink...?" Itachi had to hold back a laugh.

Who would be under the sink? Itachi chuckled to himself.

"I don't care... that you're hurt... Get out... of my house... Before... I call my... brother..." Itachi was shocked at what he said. Would my brother really kick out a hurt person? Itachi gasped. "I said get out... Out! Don't touch me!" Sasuke grabbed his brother's arm and shook it violently. "Who do you think you are?" Sasuke screamed. Itachi frightened for a moment, began to try and wake him up.

"Sasuke! Sasuke, wake up! You're hurting me!" Despite how little and weak his little brother was, his grip on him began to ache. "SASUKE!" Itachi blasted angrily. Sasuke woke wide-eyed and jumped back, only to fall off of the bed. Aw, man! I went and scared him. Itachi groaned. He looks like a little puppy.

"W-wha... Why did you yell at me?" The innocence of the little brother tore Itachi's heart to pieces. Itachi stood up, and walked to Sasuke's side. He extended a lifting hand. Sasuke willingly took it.

"You were attacking me in your sleep, twerp." Itachi chuckled. Through groggy state of mind, Itachi deducted that he didn't understand. He sighed, and showed him his arm. A red imprint of Sasuke's hand was imbedded into Itachi's mid-forearm. Sasuke gasped.

"I hurt... you?" He whispered. Itachi nodded once. The little brother immediately dropped to the floor, his head my Itachi's feet. He can't be...

"Please forgive me, brother!" Sasuke cried. Itachi just stood there. He smirked.

"It's all right. You were attacking an injured person underneath the sink. Not me." Itachi then lost his humor. He squatted down next to his brother, and with a dead-serious face he said, "If you ever find an injured person," he paused, "You are to help them. You got that?" He let Sasuke process this. Soon he nodded his head, unsure of what to say. Itachi smiled brotherly. "Good." He stood up and headed for the door. "You better get ready for breakfast, or mother will kill you." He winked over his shoulder at Sasuke, who was still on the floor.

It was about 9:45 in the morning. Everyone was just finishing breakfast. Itachi noticed that his mother and father looked especially vacant during the meal. Were did mother's spunk from earlier go? Father too. He's not usually this withdrawn. It's as if they're both avoiding talking to us. What's up with that? He looked over to his little brother eagerly finishing his meal. Then switching his gaze at his mother, who quickly reverts her attention to her food. Father, taking unusually long to finish, took a long sip of his tea.

"Okay, what is going on?" Everyone looked at him, except father, who looked up for a second then left the room. Mother shot him a deadly look. "Both of you have been ridiculously reserved. What is the matter?" Having father abandon her at the table, mother shifted her eyes guiltily.

"There happens to be... a certain... situation... that your father and I have been forced into. I'm... We're not too sure how you boys would handle it," she managed to say.

"And what situation is that?" Itachi interrogated. Mother took a deep breath.

"We, your father and I, have been forced to adopt a daughter," she said matter-of-factually. Itachi's jaw dropped. He was in disbelief. Sasuke looked at his mother, then Itachi, and back again.

"What does that mean?" He asked innocently, looking at his role model.

"It means you are going to be a big brother," mother said calmly. Sasuke's eyes brightened.

"Where is she?" Itachi asked.

"We're going to pick her up, your father and I. We've met her before, and we decided that having so many people around her would frighten her. You two will wait here," she finished.

"What's her name?" Sasuke asked eagerly. Mother seemed thrown off by the question.

"The thing is," she hesitated, "she hasn't been given a name yet. For five years all the people in the orphanage called her 'girl', or 'missy'. The Hokage made a decision to give orphans that are five years of age, or older, a home," she paused. "Of course, he chooses the home that he believes to be the most suited for the child. It seems that 'missy' was appointed to us. Also, as a request of the Hokage, we have to give her a proper name," she finished.

"How old is she?" Sasuke asked cutely.

"She is six years old," she replied, smiling at her son's excitement.

"She's a year younger than me!" He beamed.

"Yeah. You're going to be a big brother," Itachi brought up.

"Yeah!" He smiled. "But wait, why did the Hokage choose us?" Sasuke wondered out loud.

"When he contacted us, he told us, 'love her as you love your own, and treat her like you treat yourself.' And that was the end of it. We don't have a say in the matter." She looked down.

"When are you going to pick her up?" Itachi questioned. She continued looking down.

"One-thirty in the afternoon," she whispered. Itachi processed this information.

"Can't wait to meet her," he grinned. Mother just nodded her head, as if he hadn't heard him, but pretended she did.

"If you'll excuse me," mother quickly stood up and cleared the table.

"I wonder what she's like!" Sasuke beamed. Itachi put his hand on his brother's head.

"We'll see."