Piecemeal, scarlet spread beneath the clouds dragging them into a new day.

Sasuke squatted down on the mattress staring at the clock beside him.

6:45...

Obviously, insomnia had taken over Sasuke all night long. The reason felt gloomy to him. A tingly feeling, a painful-rated sensation made his core quake each time his glare fell on Itachi. It was strong, too strong for him -the one who has always denied feelings. A perfect recipe, made of worry, anxiety, complexions and an endless flow of empathy was able to steal his sleep and make his mind go blank.

Once more, just once more, he gazed at his straight raven hair...

His hair has gotten so long...

Then shifted to stare at his body full of knits growing stiffer with each mission...

ANBU missions shall be exhausting...

Sasuke never had an opportunity to observe his brother for so long.

Sometimes he wasn't even able to recall his details. It was a nice opportunity; he spent it to print Itachi's new image in his memory.

Then...his hand slid -reluctantly- to meet Itachi's. Playfully, Sasuke pulled on his fingers, ran his index's tip on Itachi's palm, poked his wraist, tweaked his thenar...

Teasing Itachi felt nostalgic.

But something was worrying; a constant shade of red took over his brother's cheeks causing Sasuke to drag his hand towards the feverish forehead then plaster his palm on it.

Sasuke winced for a second. Forcingly, he shook his Aniki's shoulders, yelped his name trying -in vain- to wake him up.

Dammit! Itachi!

No matter how hard he tried, Itachi remained in his dreamland wandering around in his kitten pyjamas.

Till Sasuke heard him mumble some words hard for him to register and torturing to believe...

'S-Sasuke...I'm sorry...I never meant to leave you behind...'

Itachi kept hallucinating through heart-tearing whimpers.

'I just didn't want...Tou-San to argue with you...'

Motionless, Sasuke stared at his brother tripped out because of fever; honestly, he thought Itachi was somehow immortal; through his short lifetime, he could never recall seeing him lay down because of an illness.

That sunrise, his Nii-san was writhing in pain in front of him.

He had to do something but his limbs have gotten paralyzed due to shock.

It was probably adrenaline that pushed him to run like a crazy right forth the kitchen.

Tou-san and Kaa-san shall be there...

Once his destination reached, sasuke stormed in. Still panting due to the overdose of epinephrine, he howled.

'TOU-SAN! KAA-SAN!'

Mikoto and Fugaku were chatting nonchalantly.

Through the mess in the barthroom, Mikoto knew her beloved son was back. With Fugaku on her head almost all the time, supervising her acts and forbidding her from having the mere contact with Itachi...She had to act careless too.

Itachi knew it, and knew also the scars hidden beneath her love.

Fugaku was squatting down having his breakfast.

Mikoto was clumsily washing dishes; Itachi has never -not even for a second- forsaken her mind.

Things seemed serene, deep inside each one had his own unsealed wound. Deep inside, they were still bleeding.

Snow didn't cease to fall, yet.

Parents glanced at their kid as his worry skulked to them in the speed of light. Eyes wide open, Fugaku inquired about Sasuke's sudden entrance and bemused state. Sasuke shrieked; you could easily define grief through his voice.

'I-Itachi-Niii!...Nii-san is so ill!!'

Fugaku shrugged.

who cares about traitors anyway...

Mikoto was somehow ready to hear something of the like. She knew her son the most.

Lately he wasn't fine.

He wasn't fine at all...

The more she spent time with the negligent mask, the deep her wound grew.

Till that final shattering blow given by Sasuke's replica.

Tears reluctantly crossed her cheeks in a non-stop pace.

Luckily, her back faced Sasuke and Fugaku. She could hide her distress more.

'It's a mere cold...honey...Itachi-kun will be fine...'

Despair surmounted her voice as she uttered anxiously the few words she was able to arrange into a sentence.

Fugaku stood, with certain steps, he strode towards the door where Sasuke was still standing, mind-puzzled; the predicament they were in wasn't easy to understand.

Fugaku declared he was going to work when he passed Sasuke to reach the hallway.

Mikoto knelt. face beneath folded hands, she sobbed. Tried hard not to wail out loud but it couldn't be helped, she was going to lose her son.

Forgive me...Itachi...

Sasuke -torn between his careless father and crying mother- sharply thrusted his fist through a nearby wall.

'What's with the negligent mood...Tou-san?'

Sasuke questioned roughly, so roughly that it irritated Fugaku.

'I have no intention to play father with a traitor'

Fugaku shouted. It was unlike his father to raise his voice. Whenever he did, they knew things were serious.

A deep hush ruled the situation for seconds till Fugaku's footsteps broke it as he restared moving towards the main door.

Each word his father said kept fuelling the fury inside of him. An image of Itachi side by side to another of Fugaku kept flashing within his memory; Itachi, the brother that beared the responsibility of allying Konoha and Uchiha clan again and Fugaku the authoritarian father who sees his son as a traitor for protecting the clan, the village and the shinobi world from a possible fourth world war. He clenched his fists when that image pushed him to mumble furiously:

'YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE ITACHI'S FATHER!'

Fugaku rolled his eyes to meet his son's as if he was defying him to repeat what he said. Sasuke accepted the challenge and with a certain-toned voice he declared:

'You never deserved to be his father!'

Surrendering himself to anger, Fugaku lost control on his reflexes which lead him to raise his hand. Sasuke was smart enough to guess the upcoming events and he was ready. When Fugaku's hand started making its path to meet his face, Sasuke closed his eyes firmly anticipating the harsh slap. He waited, it felt so long, too long that he decided to open his eyes. These widened in shock when he saw Itachi standing in front of him, sharing death glares with their out raged father.

~~~~~~~~~

AN: we all know how Itachi died. Sasuke didn't slaughter him but rather assisted his death due to an illness. My story won't be so different from the original plot, it s kinda another storyline with Itachi and the clan alive.

epinephrine: adrenaline.

Hope you like it despite my silly way of writing :')

please review...