Itachi lived in the downtown, on the last one of the three floors in a tenement house. The neighborhood was quiet and a little bit neglected. It was one of those district that survived Pain's attack, where the streets were narrow and shaded by the canopies of aged trees. The houses entertained the viewers with their once imposing and now rather shabby facades and with multiple alterations and extensions they gathered throughout years of use. But that was just fine for Uchiha. All he ever wanted was peace and privacy.
Their building was at the end of a row, furthest from the main street and closest to the park. Itachi led the way and Sasuke followed him silently, devouring the new surrounding with all his senses. They got in through the heavy wooden gate and climbed the stairs, accompanied by the sounds of their stomps and creaking of the boards.
"So we're here," the stairs ended. "Come in," Itachi open a door to their left and slightly pushed Sasuke in.
The flat as the building itself was old and its conditions left a lot to be desired, but the smell of musty wood, strongly pervading the staircase, didn't reach the interior. Sasuke received a full guided tour, even though there wasn't really much to show as the flat consisted of one bedroom, huge living room of which one side was a kitchen corner, a balcony and a small bathroom. Curiosity won over teen's sulking or apathy (whichever it was, Itachi honestly couldn't say) as the boy inspected his new home, touching shyly furniture, probing textures, taking in the colors.
In the living room at the corner near the window there were two scratched armchairs and a sofa between them. You could see around some huge exotic plant for decoration, a book-case full of stuff and a highboy. The bedroom, at the left from the living room, was big enough to roll out futons and fit a small table covered with tons on books and papers, serving apparently both as a nightstand and a working place. The wall at the left was covered with a ceiling-high white wardrobe. The shifting doors to the bedroom when left fully open made one big space with the living room. On the right, there was the kitchen made of cupboards set in the row and a low Japanese-style table at the center. Beside the abundance of papers and books you couldn't spot any unnecessary or doubled stuff , what was typical for people who moved often. The whole flat spoke both about Itachi's perfectionism and minimalism, but he had made visible efforts to turn it into quite comfy nest, like putting a new carpet and tasteful decorations.
"So, what do you think?" finally the proud owner sprawled on the nearest armchair and smiled delicately. Bit by bit he started to unwind in the familiar environment of his home. He gestured Sasuke to follow him.
"Mhm," answered Sasuke, standing still, but Itachi guessed this meant approval. Things would get just better from now on, so he didn't intent to press for a more engaged behavior today. He didn't want the repetition of their almost-quarrel from the morning.
"Do you like it? It's small but we have to manage. There is still the shortage of flats in Konoha."
"Mhm. It's big enough," the boy sat tentatively on the sofa.
"You must be hungry. I planned you would arrive later so I only have yakisoba from yesterday but I could prepare you something more appropriate for breakfast." Sasuke nodded signalizing that the dish was ok." But don't get accustomed to it. I'm not going to be your cook," Itachi bantered, realizing he was forceful trying to lift this sober mood between them -or precisely around otouto. Fake it till you make it?
They ate in silence and then Sasuke said he wanted to rest. Itachi rolled him a futon and showed him his stuff. He handed him some clothes so the boy could dispose of the ones he received in prison. They were a mix of new and Itachi's old ones. He had absolutely no idea what teenagers wore these days, so he waited with the big shopping for Sasuke's return.
"When you're ready, we could go out, I'll show you the neighborhood," Itachi offered before closing the doors to the bedroom.
The silence took over the flat, interrupted with the ticking of the clock.
[***]
Afternoon visit at captain Yamato's office took no longer that half an hour. Itachi insisted to accompany his brother, who agreed with curt "whatever". It was enough to miss one important event today. After all it was his job to watch over Sasuke and the authorities should know that he had everything under control. Either way he had a day off.
Captain Yamato resided in the official ANBU quarters just next to the Hokage Tower. The real locations, like training fields, archives and command center were in the different - confidential - places. Probably that was why nobody invested in the building for a long time.
Itachi knew the way by heart so he and Sasuke just went through the maze of the scruffy corridors right to their goal. Yamato received his visitors in a small room with only a desk and a few chairs that too well resembled interrogation room. The office was in no better condition than the other part of the building. Brothers were given a cold welcome both from the sordid surrounding and the supervisor, whose face congealed in haughty expression as if carved in the wood.
The man kept professional mask, but he must have been under much stress as well, Itachi assessed. No wonder. Holding the controversial position of Konoha criminal number one's supervisor was a heavy burden on his shoulder. They exchanged greeting and the jounin kept reading them terms and conditions, system of evaluations and assigned works. Yamato was respectful toward older Uchiha and somehow impersonal when talking to Sasuke. Maybe even a little bit contemptuous, if Itachi read the microsignals well, but when you are criminal you can't expect a friendly chat. The parole was part of the punishment after all and the supervisor should be a figure of authority, not a pal.
The older Uchiha was quite pleased with the Hokage's choice after all. The supervisor was under Hokage's influence and not Root leftovers or other clans. In addition Yamato was not somebody Sasuke had known, so it would be easier for him to respect him. As much as Itachi was concerned about otouto's well being, he was convinced that strict approach with clearly set boundaries was for teen's own good.
"Do you understand?" Yamato finished reading and gave the boy documents to sign. Itachi grabbed them quicker and looked through them before passing them to his little brother. Sasuke just quietly nodded, and put his name on the papers.
"Good. Tomorrow you'll start at 6 a.m. at the hospital. You'll check in at the reception. After work you'll show up at my office and when all is well, you'll have a free evening."
"What kind of job it would be?" Itachi inquired.
"Who knows. Hokage-sama has always plenty of work to do at her domain." Only when mentioning Lady Tsunade, captain brightened up a little bit. The meeting was coming to its end and the stress that kept the man stiff seemed to be leaving him. "So, any other questions? Uchiha-sama? Uchiha Sasuke?"
They shook their heads and Yamato stood up expressing they can leave.
"Thank you for the meeting, Captain-san," Itachi bowed respectfully and eyeing Sasuke, wordlessly ordered him to follow his example. The boy complied.
"Thank you for your time, Uchiha-sama," Yamato bowed back to Itachi. "I hope that you will rethink your behavior, Sasuke."
[***]
The first day of living together was plenty of awkward situations. Sasuke apparently felt like a guest, and so he didn't know how to spend his free time, moving from place to place like a ghost He didn't talk a lot, and if he did – he rather asked Itachi and encouraged him to speak about himself, but didn't seem interested in Itachi's answers. The older brother tried not to insist on getting to know everything. The younger Uchiha's past and his detention in Konoha automatically became taboo topics for them. Instead they shifted to easy topics like the house chores and Itachi let Sasuke in on the Konoha's news, just to kill the silence.
He saw that little brother was making a lot of effort to behave properly, to interact. He still occasionally fell into moments of silence and stared blankly in the floor, though. His quiet demeanor was so much different from the angry, hateful image Itachi recalled from one year ago. The man was at a loss to how to behave towards otouto. Sasuke's passive attitude was like an armor against initiating more profound conversation or physical contact. If he saw some sparks of rebel in the morning, now little brother too well resembled a hounded animal. Stop. Itachi was overreacting again, bending the other way.
Maybe things weren't good between them after all. Itachi had thought that they reached a silent agreement to start anew, living together like a normal family supposed to, besides where else Sasuke could go? But what if otouto wasn't really happy about sharing a flat with Itachi and was here only because of the current circumstances?
[***]
The older Uchiha, as promised, visited Kakashi tonight. The invitation, so inconsiderate in the morning, happened to be a blessing. Till the end of the day both brothers grew the need for some time alone, and the meeting with Hatake provided such opportunity.
Itachi had become good friends with Sasuke's former teacher, maybe because they both were the lonely ninjas marred with personal loss. Hatake probably stuck so much to Uchiha because of his failed relations with Obito (and probably also with Sasuke) and Itachi stuck to him because his distorted relations with his little brother. They were for each other like a keeper of memories, a proof these persons existed. Or maybe because silver-haired jounin was the first person to see Itachi as a human and not a monster?
When Itachi came back, Sasuke was reading peacefully a random book he picked up from the shelf. In the kitchen there was a pot with onion soup, boiling merrily.
"You see? I haven't burnt the flat. Yet," Sasuke said instead of 'hello'. Now he seemed just a tiny bit relaxed and open.
"I appreciate," honestly, Itachi was surprised and glad that Sasuke showed some initiative. Or that he behaved normally at once. "Hey, I haven't tell you this properly yet, but I'm really happy to have you here and be able ..."
"Oh, come on. I don't want to hear this sentimental talk," No talk? Ok. Instead Itachi came closer, sat beside Sasuke and embraced him from behind. "I don't want this sentimental hugs either," younger Uchiha pushed him away with visible irritation and to break the awkwardness he asked his brother to bring the soup.
"Ok, ok," he moved away to the kitchen, afraid he crossed the boundaries.
Being at each other side beside a table, instead of being at each other throat. Cutting bread and passing it to another instead of cutting wounds and passing death threats. Washing dishes while Sasuke was wiping them instead of washing swords from bloodstains and wiping tears. They were siblings but such normal things as sharing a flat with a brother or living steady life seemed a sweet absurd now.
[***]
Itachi woke up at night, lost of breath and heart speeding. The cold moonlight flooded their shared bedroom, carving shapes form the dark. What time was it? Why these nerves, as if the death waited for him behind the corner? Everything was already ok, Sasuke was finally home, the lump under the duvet within the reach of hand.
He got up, went to the kitchen to drink some water, then he stepped out to the balcony. Cold air freshened him up, chills stung at his bare feet. The town visible in the dim light slept peacefully. Only owls and some unknown night creatures played their concert now. There was almost full moon, but gosh, how he hated that that lunar time. Even now, after the whole year had passed since he returned, he had these moments when unwanted feelings budded in his heart – that he didn't belong here, that the settlement that lay before his eyes was not his beloved town anymore. Just a poor imitation of childhood memories.
He went back to bedroom hoping that his sleeping brother just by his presence would bring him some solace. When he lay down and was about to fall asleep he got an idea what could have woken him up. He heard soft, muffled sobbing. His brother was having a nightmare. Was it normal? Should he wake him up?, Itachi wondered, but before he dared to shake Sasuke or to do anything, his brother tossed and the sobbing stopped.
So apparently both of them decided to pretend things were more or less ok with them - and between them. If Sasuke wanted to fight with him again, with full hatred, he probably wouldn't... make it? Even as a thought it sounded so cheesy. But... let just say Itachi decided to consider himself very lucky, because no, he didn't earn Sasuke's reluctant acceptance. He knew only how to destroy.
AN: Thanks for reading, it would be so nice if you sacrifice a little of your time and share your thoughs on this chapter. :)
This is the re-writen chapter 3 v2.5. updated 08012019 2.6. 20190603
