A/N: I started the flashback here as chapter 25 of Moments, but once I saw what it had turned into, I spliced it into this chapter. I really like it (Hmm, a perfect explanation for his obsession with chidori and kirin, ne? Seriously, he uses chidori for, like, everything. Drives me crazy.) Kakashi will be talking to duckbutt next chapter – if everything goes as planned – so you're not missing anything.
Remember to review! (I think I might submit the flashback section of this as the 25
th chapter of Moments anyway…I like it that much!)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything associated with it, including Itachi/Sasuke fluff. How sweet.

Breaking Point
Chapter Nine

Memories

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The rain continued to pour down, crying the tears of the heavens down upon the village. Kakashi had already left, according to Tsunade, to go drop in on his brother and inform the teen that he'd have his brother back, but it came in a two-for-one deal with his lazy sensei.
The hokage had decided to visit his room and tell him what had gone on and what condition his body was in. He didn't know why she cared so much about his old injuries, but he couldn't exactly ask her, and he was content enough with being talked to at all. But when she had mentioned Sasuke, everything had blanked out in favor of memories of his beloved little brother, spurred on by the torrential downpour outside. It was a time to think of moments long past, of a night he had shared with his little brother that served to comfort them both at the same time.

---

"Nii-san?"

Itachi ignored the small voice calling his name pleadingly and continued to stare out the rain-slashed window deep into the night. Pretending to be asleep was almost too easy, especially since Sasuke was in the doorway behind him – Itachi was laying on his side in his bed and watching the bright white of the lightning as it seared through his retinas.

More, more, he thought. If I can hurt my eyes, destroy my ability to see, Father will stop depending on me. I won't have to bear the responsibilities of the clan or the fact that I'm betraying every single Uchiha come tomorrow night. Something will turn out right. I won't have to kill them, I won't have to hurt Sasuke, I won't have to hurt the village. I…I won't have to join the most dangerous criminal organization in existence.
I'm afraid to go through with this. I don't want to destroy people's lives. Why can't they just…not rebel in the first place? Why do they have to involve everyone I know and love? The village I know and love?
I'm scared.

"I'm scared."

Itachi jerked up and twisted around, staring at Sasuke with apprehension and fear in his eyes. How does he know…? With an intake of breath he realized that Sasuke hadn't been reading his mind or emotions at all; his little brother was scared.

Of thunder.

Itachi rolled his eyes in a rare display of outward exasperation and collapsed back onto his covers, now mussed from his frantic movements. He gestured with a limp hand and spoke through the covers to his little brother. "Fine. Come on over, otouto. You can sleep with me tonight." He held back the covers to provide some space on the window side of the bed and Sasuke walked around to the proffered side, putting his hands on the mattress. Scrambling up to worm under the covers, he crawled next to Itachi, small hands going automatically to a comfortable position around his older brother's waist.

"Sasuke, you're six. Why are you still scared of thunder?" Itachi settled into his former position of looking out the window and cradled his younger sibling toward him, the boy's head tucked into his chest as if searching for warmth.

"I…It's too loud," Sasuke answered, voice muffled. "It makes me jump. I don't like it!"

Itachi shook his head as his brother's voice cracked in fear. "Paranoid of lightning. Wow, you'll be a great ninja."

Sasuke pulled his head out and sat up in indignation. "But nii-san, you were telling me just the other day that all ninjas are scared of something, and that's not necessarily a bad thing!"

Like me. I'm scared of tomorrow.

"Sasuke, it's not necessarily a bad thing because you can't judge fear as bad or good in the first place. And there's always a good side. Here, turn around." Itachi sat up and turned his little brother around so they were both looking out the window.

The good side to my fear of tomorrow means my love for Sasuke and Konoha and peace is revealed. In the same way, there's a good side to thunder. A more beautiful side.

"Otouto, next time you hear thunder, keep your eyes open instead of scrunching them closed and huddling down like normal, okay? Just watch."

Sasuke nodded hesitatingly. Almost immediately, the loud rumble of thunder made itself known, and a flash of burning white electricity tinged with blue followed the noise.

"Oh!" Sasuke let a smile creep over his face. He'd never seen that before. "Big brother, what is that? It's so cool!"

Itachi leaned forward, quietly hugging his younger brother. "It's lightning, Sasuke. It's electricity produced by the storm. You've heard of it before, you've just never seen it because you always hide away from the windows or close your eyes."

"But…" The light was still engraved in the blackness when he closed his eyes. "It's…beautiful! It really is. Is there more?"

Itachi smiled slightly at the sight of his brother's wonderment. "Yes, Sasuke. Lightning always follows thunder. Do you see what I meant when I said there's always a good side to your fears? You don't like thunder, but you can bear it because it brings with it such an amazing sight. There's a saying – 'every cloud has a silver lining' – that amounts to much of the same thing. Whenever you are confronted with something bad, there will be something good hiding just past it, like your lightning."

Sasuke stiffened as another bout of thunder rolled by, and then sighed as lightning took over the sky , illuminating the village below them and making the constant rain appear all the more beautiful. "Brother…Are there any lightning jutsus? So I could see it up close?"

Itachi chuckled, slightly startled at his counterpart's fascination with the force of nature. "Yes, actually. I don't know of many – and most are A- to S-rank - but one of my friends knows a close-range lightning-style jutsu called 'chidori', or one thousand birds. If you ask, maybe he'll show it to you."

"Really? Who? Do I know them? Is it an Uchiha?"

Itachi's thoughts soured slightly at the mention of Uchiha. "No, Sasuke. It's Kakashi-san, my teammate in ANBU. The dog-summoner with the single Sharingan? You've met him once or twice when I've come home with him from missions."

"Wow, aniki! You know cool people!" Sasuke grinned. "I wanna meet him!"

Itachi frowned slightly, but not enough so that his little brother would notice. "If you see him, you can ask him. I probably won't be going near the Hatake compound or on missions for a while."

"What? Aniki, are you ok?" Sasuke asked worriedly, his concern for his brother overpowering his obsession with the lightning.

Itachi fell back and brought his covers up, pulling Sasuke down with him. "Shhh. I'm fine. It's time to go to sleep, okay otouto?"

Sasuke snuggled in and yawned tiredly. "See you in the morning, Itachi-nii…"

Itachi had already left for training when Sasuke got up, and when he came home after the Academy, he found their clan dead and their parents slaughtered at the hand of his brother.

From then on, lightning had become a tool of revenge.

---

Itachi sighed mentally and wished his brother were with him. He missed the little Sasuke that had leant himself to warmth on cold, rainy nights, and he missed their big brother-little brother conversations.

But he wasn't scared anymore. Just resigned.
And hopeful.
For the future.

His future…their future.

Sasuke…

--

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Review Responses:

KakashiKrazed: Ah-ha! You're back! It's fine, I know what you mean. Hope everything gets better on your side :) *snorts * Oh, pssh. I love giving my favorite characters various maladies and weaknesses. I have to keep myself from laying it all on too thick sometimes… Heh, yup. You got me. Poor Kakashi. But we'll get to see what Sasuke can cook. Yum.
Yeah, the Uchiha compound is haunted, I swear. Either they'll all be stiff for a month or they'll all break down sobbing and have a comfort-food-fest. Chocolate and movies all around!

Valitiel: Of course it can't be bad. I'll put up with anyone who can cook properly. And it may be big, but (as I mentioned to your friend Krazed above) it's…haunted. Totally.
Boo.

deviline12.1: Sunsets, huh? There's an idea…. :P (Refer to first review response above.) Of course he's good at cooking! He has to do something with all the honey and chocolate syrup and whipped cream his fangirls give him. Yeah, you've mentioned it before, but I won't die from repeat praise, don't worry. I like replying, anyway, so I'll do it the entire story.

DarkAngelJudas: Yeah…'m such a sadistic author. He goes through all this pain during his life, mentally and physically, and then I grab him and pile some more on. I feel so guilty.

Thank you guys for reviewing so regularly! See you next chapter!