"Hey, you're Kyousuke Rehara, aren't you?"

Kyousuke turns at the sound of the voice, looking up at the taller boy standing behind him. His first thought is that the boy is quite handsome. With a blush he pushes this thought aside, trying to figure out who he was. Kyousuke recognized his face, but he wasn't quite sure who he was. He lets his gaze travel over the older boy's face, settling on his black eyes for a moment before taking in the rest of his appearance. The long black hair tied back drew Kyousuke's attention for several moments, a twinge of something akin to jealousy flaring in him. He'd always wanted to let his hair grow long, but he'd never had the nerve to. He didn't think his auburn hair would look good long. Tearing his gaze away from the older boy's hair, Kyousuke remembers that the boy had asked him a question. Cheeks heating considerably, he turns his gaze aside and shifts nervously as he finally utters a reply.

"Sorry... yes, I'm Kyousuke."

Itachi shifts himself until he catches the younger boy's gaze again then smiles down at him, instantly setting him at ease, the blush fading away to nothing once again. Kyousuke's fair complexion was a curse, and the red of his hair only made the red in his cheeks stand out more when he did blush, which he did entirely too often in his opinion. Kyousuke returns the older boy's smile, playing his fingers over the headband he was currently wearing around his throat in a fashion he thought was cool. It hadn't been long since he'd earned the rank of Chunin, and when he did, he decided that it was time to make some changes to himself. He was growing up, and growing as a ninja. The position of his headband was just one of many small changes he'd made.

Just as Itachi is about to speak again, Kyousuke's mind finally clicks, and he remembers where he knew this older ninja from. For an instant he's embarrassed for not recognizing him, then he feels as if he was going to faint. This boy had been his idle since he'd joined the ninja academy. He'd never seen Itachi Uchiha up close, always from a distance as the village celebrated yet another of his many accomplishments, but he'd heard so many stories about the older boy, he always felt he'd known him his whole life. It was Itachi that drove Kyousuke to be the ninja he was. He wanted to be successful, hoping to one day be almost as good as Itachi, because he didn't think anyone could ever be as good as Itachi. If he could, then he'd have a better chance of actually getting to be his idol's friend.

"You're Itachi Uchiha! I can't believe it! I've loved you since I joined the ninja academy! I want to be as good as you one day! Well, I don't think I'll ever be as good as you, but I want to get as close as I can."

Itachi chuckles, mildly surprised by the outburst, but more amused. He inclines his head in a nod, acknowledging he was who Kyousuke said he was. "Yes, I'm Itachi. It's great to meet you, Kyousuke. I've been trying to find some free time to meet you. And a time when you weren't busy as well. Not easy since you made Chunin I've noticed. I saw your fight in the final round of the Exams. I have to say I was very impressed with the way you beat that Grass ninja. I don't think I've ever seen anyone handle a katana so masterfully, and at such a young age! It's no surprise you were one of the only ones to reach Chunin this time."

Kyousuke blushes again, cursing silently as he feels the heat crawl up his cheeks. He turns his gaze to the ground in front of him, shifting nervously at Itachi's praise. He'd never dreamed that he'd find himself standing in front of his idol one day, much less being praised by the older boy. Moving to clasp his hands behind his back, Kyousuke forces himself to lift his head, returning Itachi's gaze levelly. He felt like he was being a fool and ruining his chance to be Itachi's friend, and he wasn't about to let that happen.

Smiling again, Kyousuke nods to the older boy. "Thank you, Itachi. My uncle has been training me to use the family katana since I was strong enough to hold a practice blade."

Itachi nods at this, a knowing look in his eyes. "That doesn't surprise me. The Rehara Clan have always been known for their abilities with a blade. So Kyousuke, I was wondering if you'd like to..."

Kyousuke is pulled from his memory, and groans, the sound nearly a sob of pain. He didn't want to face reality. He wanted to live in the memories of his time with Itachi. That first day was one of his favorite memories. He'd spent hours talking to Itachi, getting to know the older boy, their new friendship growing rapidly. They'd spent every free moment they could manage together after that. It hadn't taken Kyousuke long to fall in love with Itachi over that time either, though he'd never said a word. Not until the night his world was shattered along with his heart.

A soft knocking at the door draws Kyousuke's attention. Knowing that's what drew him from his memories, he debates just ignoring the knock. He figured it was Sasuke, as he was the only one that came by these days. He wasn't really in the mood to talk with his friend tonight, but he couldn't just ignore him. None of this was Sasuke's fault, and his friend didn't deserve to be treated so badly. Pushing himself up from his bed with a soul weary sigh, Kyousuke moves across the room to the door, absently pushing his long red hair back from his face.

Tugging the door open, Kyousuke begins to speak before the door is even completely open. "Sasuke, I don't think I'm up for..."

Kyousuke's voice trails into silence when his gaze settles on the one standing at his door. It wasn't Sasuke. In fact, it was the last person he'd ever expect to find standing at his door. As if it were a repeat of a few weeks before, Kyousuke only stands, staring in disbelief and surprise at the older man standing at his door. He takes a step back unconsciously, allowing Itachi to move into the room. The door slips from numb fingers as Itachi slowly pushes it closed behind him, taking his time about it. Slowly, he turns and looks at Kyousuke, his face a blank mask, but his eyes showing a wild tumble of emotion. Pain, uncertainty, fear, confusion and a faint trace of hope.

Kyousuke felt that dream-like lethargy wash over him again as it had the first time Itachi had come to him. This time however, he doesn't let himself dwell on the wish that this were a dream. He can't bring himself to hope that anything good would come from this visit, just more pain. Turning, Kyousuke moves across the room, standing at the far side of the room, leaning against the wall between the foot of his bed and the door that led into the bathroom. Crossing his arms over his chest, he hunches his shoulders and tries to prepare himself for what was about to come.

As if he'd felt Kyousuke's reluctance, Itachi takes a few steps back and leans against the door in much the same manner Kyousuke was leaning against the wall. Itachi let his shoulders slump as well, but rather than crossing his arms over his chest, he clasps his hands behind his back. After a few moments he moved his arms, letting his hands hang at his sides, then again moves to clasp his hands behind his back. Nervous energy radiated from the older man, and even across the room Kyousuke could feel it, but still that lethargy kept it's hold on him. After a few moments, Kyousuke stirs, slowly lifting his head look at Itachi.

"Itachi? What are you doing here?" Kyousuke hears his own voice as if it were coming from a long distance off.

"Correcting a mistake I made so many years ago, and then repeated a few weeks ago."