10: Together

As usual, many thanks to my wonderful beta reader Bonnie-san and to you wonderful readers! ^^

Being a prodigy, an ANBU member and heir of the Uchiha clan was not as easy as Sasuke had imagined it to be. He had thought that everything was easy for the one who was a genius but he realized that it required more work than anything. He started to understand that his dreams would be harder to achieve than he had thought by just watching Itachi. Even to him it became impossible to not notice how hard his brother worked.

Itachi became more and more stressed with each passing day. He was gone for week-long missions and often didn't return until late night. He rarely ate dinner together with his family; mostly because he wasn't even at home. But he still tried to spend all his free time with his little brother. Now and then he had a day off and that was like a glimmering sun in the brothers' schedules, but the opportunities were few and rare.

Their father didn't approve of the time Itachi spent with Sasuke. It was really bothering him in fact. He wanted his sons to get physically stronger and not waste time with strengthen their bonds to each other or play. Sasuke heard that his brother often was reprimanded by Fugaku for this.

It was evening and the youngest in the family had just come home from the training grounds. On his way to his room he heard voices coming from their father's office. Sasuke recognized Itachi's voice and stopped.

Nii-san and Father were having an argumentation again.

"I have already told you – strength and power are not achieved by playing those foolish games!" Fugaku barked. "You are a member of the ANBU, you represent our clan and you connect us to the village! Do your work properly and stop wasting time with your brother! Do you understand?"

Itachi's voice was quiet and restrained. "I'm only doing my job."

"What do you mean by that?" Their father's voice was harsh. Fugaku was used to being completely respected by all of his subordinates and the fact that his own son defied him aggravated him beyond words. Sasuke wanted them to stop fighting. He hated that his father was angry with Itachi because of him.

In the office Itachi looked his father straight in the eyes.

"To reach the heights you want is not simply done by getting power. One must see what's truly important in life," the young teen said sedately.
My brother is more important than the clan to me, more even than the whole village. And you, Father, cannot change that, he thought. My job is to be there for Sasuke, to be his brother.

Fugaku's voice raised and he clenched his fists. "Such arrogance! What is wrong with you, Itachi? Do as I say!"

Itachi sighed inwardly. Their father was never going to listen, would never understand. He had been like this for many years. Even before Sasuke was born. Fugaku didn't see the personalities, the individuals in every person. He only thought about power. A person with no physical strength had no worth at all in his eyes.

You are too kind, Itachi. You're far too kind. It's a shame that you let your feelings get in the way for the work. The work is more important. That was what he had told his son his whole life, even when the child only was four years old and had committed his first murder during the war.

The clan was so important for Fugaku; nothing else seemed to matter. Mikoto kept on telling Itachi and Sasuke lies. Lies about how worried their father was for them and how hard it was to be the clan leader. Itachi didn't believe in that, no matter what his mother said. But the worst thing was that Sasuke bought the lies completely. Would that adorable, innocent, happy part of Itachi's little brother disappear when he grew up? Would Sasuke end up just as power-seeking and harsh as their father was? Fugaku just wanted more power; all of the grown-ups in the clan wanted it except Mikoto and some old aunt of theirs.

The situation was rapidly going out of their hands and Itachi was more than worried. Danzo and the other elders were upset by the information he had brought them and different strategies were considered. At any moment one part could decide to act and an incomparable civil war would blossom, turning whole of Konoha to a living hell and the Uchihas to criminals. And then Sasuke would end up right in the crossfire, just as he had.

Itachi knew that he must stop it before that happened. He just couldn't let Sasuke come between the Uchiha Clan and the village. He had to stop his father and the others in the clan or peace would never be seen again.

The prodigy had thought about all this in just two seconds. He continued the discussion with a quiet and emotionless voice:

"There is nothing wrong. As I said, I'm only doing my job. And I won't attend the meeting tomorrow, I have a mission."

"How dare you –"

Sasuke's eyes were wide as he listened to the conversation from afar. What would happen? He didn't have to wonder long though. Through the thin rice paper door he could see the silhouette of his brother rising. The child was astonished that Itachi actually dared to leave the room in the middle of a discussion with their father.

The door slid open and the elder walked past the child. Sasuke looked up at him and saw how grim his nii-san looked. He wanted to say something but Itachi strode past him without a word and went into his room. The prodigy shut the door firmly behind him. He would never slam it shut, but this time it was close.

Left in the hallway was the youngest Uchiha, confused and worried. He was deeply affected every time their father would complain at his brother. His shoulders drooped and he felt really dispirited. Fugaku had risen as well and stared after his eldest son with a scowl.

xxx

The darkness was slowly sweeping over the country of the Sand. Enormous dust storms far away made the horizon adopt a dull beige color and if they hadn't had a sensor type among them they would be completely lost in the massive sand covered areas.

The ANBU members were hiding near a rock as they waited for the night and the signal from their leader. They had lit a fire to keep warm and keep wild animals away.

Soon the night sky was hovering above them with an indestructible blackness and the stars hid themselves behind dark grey clouds. The moon wasn't even visible. Everything hid away; the world that surrounded them didn't want to witness this.

The air was cold and the soon-to-be-shed smell of blood could already be sensed by the shinobis. They could never know what the night had in store for them. Anything could happen. The hardest part of being a shinobi was to be able to face everything, no matter what.

The young Uchiha was standing near the rock wall with a couple of his comrades, preparing and planning for the other group of ninjas they were going to finish off tonight.
Itachi pulled out his katana, getting ready to set off. The cold, hard metal gleamed slightly from the faint light coming from the campfire. Some of his subordinates covered it with sand to suffocate the flame; it was time to go.

Their weapons were now invisible in the darkness, hiding away the shinobi's actions from the ordinary world. Itachi shut off his thoughts and his blood-red eyes scanned the area for signs of life.

Not a single one of their targets was going to survive.

xxx

"Kaa-san… I have nothing to do." Sasuke sighed bored. Was nii-san ever going to return from his mission? He had waited three days for his brother now, wanting nothing but to talk to him about everything. Itachi had had so many missions for the last weeks; he hadn't kept his promise to spend more time with his brother.

The kid was feeling bad. He had trained most of the day, as usual, and then he had just sat down on a park bench and waited. The hours were endless; nothing was fun when nii-san was away. Now Sasuke was sitting in the kitchen, his head resting on the table, eating a snack.

Mikoto sighed too and smiled pityingly at him. She knew who he was waiting for and why he was so restless.

"He will be home soon, Sasuke."

She started to prepare dinner and the youngest Uchiha didn't know where to turn. Sasuke strode out into the hallway and stared longingly at Itachi's closed door. He needed his brother's comfort right now. He swiftly stepped into the elder's room and shut the sliding door behind him so his father wouldn't wonder what he was doing.

The elder brother's room was clean and tidy, very impersonal. It was hard to tell who was living there if one didn't know. The child stepped over the wooden floor and knew that there was only one thing that could remind him of Itachi when the other was away.

He sat down on his brother's bed. Here nii-san slept every night when he was home and here Sasuke used to sleep pretty often too; he always came to Itachi's room during the night when he had nightmares, couldn't sleep or for no reason at all.

The child lifted the covers and crawled under them. He nuzzled the soft pillow, closing his eyes. Itachi's scent was lingering around him. It felt as if the elder was here, embracing him with that scent of older brother that was so reassuring to the child. Sasuke hugged the pillow tightly.

"I miss you, nii-san."

He rested safe, remembering a time when Itachi didn't have any missions and they could be together every day. But it was so long ago and now it only existed in his dreams.
Sasuke was worried. Father and Nii-san never seems to agree, he thought. What was going on with them, really?

Just when he was about to fall asleep, he heard Mikoto call his name. The child rushed out of the room with eagerness glowing around him. Itachi had finally returned home!

"Nii-san, welcome ho-"

Sasuke stopped shocked.

Itachi's ANBU uniform was bloody and his long hair was messy. He hadn't even cared to deactivate his Sharingan. His heroic appearance seemed almost frightening in their plain hallway, as if he was a dangerous intruder and not a young teen who just had returned home after a usual work day.

He must have witnessed really bad things on his mission; he seemed so cold and distant. There was something indescribably dark in Itachi's red gaze. The darkness from killing another human.
Sasuke couldn't remember his brother looking so stern for a long time. What happened to the warm hugs and the genuine smiles he used to receive from his nii-san when the elder came home?

Crimson eyes met Sasuke's when he greeted his older brother at the door. They looked through him and not at him, as if he was another target. The child instinctively took a step back, surprised and hurt by the cold stare.

"Nii-san, a-are you alright?"

"Quiet, Sasuke." The voice was also uncharacteristically cold. The younger's eyes widened horrified. Mikoto who was standing behind him said: "Welcome home, Itachi. Dinner is almost ready –"

The older boy swiftly went to his room, ignoring his mother's greeting. He just shut the door behind him without further actions towards his family.

Sasuke stared at his brother's closed door, appalled. Why had Itachi...?
He felt his mother's hand rest slightly on his shoulder. "He is just very tired after his long mission. Don't worry, Sasuke. I'm sure he isn't angry with you."

"But nii-san w-was so c-cold, he told me to be quiet!"

Mikoto smiled reassuringly to her youngest child and patted his hair. She wanted to wipe that unhappy facial expression of her child's face so badly.

Sometimes she wished that Sasuke could see what she saw. Itachi's behavior had been impolite, yes, but his gaze had softened considerably as soon as Sasuke came into his sight. Mikoto had a whole different view on him than Sasuke had. She could see the dimensions of emotions, hurt and happiness in her oldest son. What was visible on the surface was often not what he really thought. Little Sasuke couldn't understand that yet.

"Just give him some time to rest and your brother will go back to normal." With that she went back to the kitchen.

x

Itachi was exhausted. The last mission was really tough and he had lost almost his entire team. He sighed when he thought about it. Their enemy had struck unexpectedly and almost every one of his comrades had lost their lives. Only the Uchiha prodigy and another skilled member from Anbu had survived the attack, so the two of them also had to manage to kill off all of their culprits on their own.

Itachi was physically unharmed, he just had some few scratches on his body but his mind was hurt. He hated to kill, hated to see blood flowing from people's limp bodies. But he had to fight. He had to defend himself. It was a part of the mission; surround the targets and rip them to pieces.

Now he had finally begun to exit his mission mode. His heart beat calmer when he was in his home, surrounded by familiar scents, rooms and people.

The young teen sat down on the bed. He knew that his little brother had been in the room as soon as he entered it, the chakra even easier to detect with his Sharingan. He deactivated it somewhat guiltily. He realized that Sasuke had been lying in his bed quite recently. The way the sheets were wrinkled sent a wave of tenderness through him.

Sasuke...

Itachi knew that he had behaved badly to his little brother. He would apologize later. But now he needed to get rid of the smell of blood before he went mad. It felt as if the very substance had eaten into his skin and disappeared into his bones, marking him as a murderer forever.

Itachi threw his uniform at the floor, not caring to fold it properly. He would clean his sword later. He felt much more comfortable when only wearing his usual t-shirt and trousers. He left the room and went to take a shower. He struggled with getting the dried blood and soil from his hair and skin. His guilt and sorrow for the last missions and all other hard times were fretting into his soul.

A while later he exited the bathroom with a towel around his waist. It was a bit surprising that Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. Usually the child would crave his attention the first thing he did when Itachi came home, but considering how he had behaved towards his little brother it wasn't strange that Sasuke avoided him, the prodigy thought shamefully. He must have scared his little otouto…

He went to his room and changed to clean clothes. He didn't care to comb and tie his hair up, it wasn't important. Feeling how tired he was he lay down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling.
Too tired to think, too guilty to face himself.

"Nii-san?" somebody mumbled softly. Itachi hadn't even noticed that Sasuke had come into the room. He must have been really exhausted.
His little brother sat carefully down on the edge of the bed, looking at him. Sasuke wasn't afraid anymore. His big brother's eyes were black and kind again.

"Can I sit here for a while?" he asked shyly. The elder nodded kindly. "Sasuke… I'm sorry for my behavior before. I was tired, but that's no apology."

"It's okay, aniki." Sasuke crawled over to his brother's side and gently stroked his wet bangs out of his face. "And you still are tired. You need to rest, nii-san," he told his brother precociously.

"Come here." Itachi beckoned him to lie down beside him and the younger obliged. Sasuke rested his head against his brother's chest and snuggled to his body. Itachi placed his arms around him and held him close.

"Little brother?"

"Yes, nii-san?"

"I love you." Itachi pressed a firm but still so soft kiss to his brother's forehead. The younger smiled and they fell silent.

They lay there without saying anything, just resting in each other's presence. Nothing more was needed and Itachi relaxed completely. He buried his face in his brother's soft hair, smelling the beloved scent of his Sasuke. It was amazing how he always felt much more light-hearted when his little brother was in his presence. He couldn't explain how he felt right now – he only knew that it was so right. Sasuke made him feel right.

The younger smiled happily. He loved these kinds of moments when only he and Itachi were together. It was worth all wait for him when he was away.
He was safe in his brother's familiar grip, lulled by listening to his calm, slowing breaths.

x

Mikoto had called that the food was ready quite a while now without getting any answer from her children. Fugaku was sitting impatiently at the dinner table, muttering about undisciplined kids. Wondering what her sons could be doing, the mother knocked on Itachi's door. She had already checked Sasuke's room, which was empty. Frowning when she got no answer, she decided to enter.

Mikoto stepped into the room and looked around. "Itachi? Sasuke?" she asked softly. "Dinner is…" She gasped at the stunning sight in front of her.

It wasn't everyday she saw them like this, actually she couldn't remember something similar happening for years. Her sons were fast asleep on Itachi's bed.

The elder was holding his brother protectively against himself and the younger hugged him in return. Their mother had never seen anything cuter. Itachi looked like an innocent child and the lines on his relaxed face only made him look more angelic in his mother's eyes.

The younger snuggled to the elder like a sleeping puppy. Putting a hand over her mouth to not wake them up, Mikoto giggled softly. Her angels! Maybe she should take a picture?

She was standing where she was, both shocked and blissful. She enjoyed the sight of her sons getting along so well, nothing made her happier. Itachi seemed much calmer and relaxed now; most of his tension seemed to be gone. Just as she knew it would be once the brothers got to be together for a while.

Sasuke's satisfaction was clear even in his sleep – his older brother was finally spending time with him, even if it wasn't in a conscious state.
Mikoto carefully shut the door behind them and returned to the kitchen.

"What are they doing?" Fugaku asked suspiciously, he had already started eating when his wife came back.

Mikoto smiled dreamily and turned the stove off. "Sleeping."

"What?" Fugaku almost spat his food back on the plate in shock. "It's seven o'clock! It can't be possible -"

His wife didn't care about his important opinion right now and that annoyed him greatly. Mikoto was in her own thoughts; she brought the camera and went to Itachi's room. She couldn't keep herself from chirping about her 'baby angels'. This moment needed to be archived.

So cute they are, my boys, Mikoto thought cheerily.

Fugaku decided to check out the scandal but soon realized that it did not turn out to be as awful as he had imagined. He stood behind her and they looked at their children. Not even he wanted to interrupt this moment; there was something stunning about it. Few times they had seen their sons so harmonized, and Itachi's guard was completely down.

Itachi turned around in the bed, still sleeping, and Sasuke snuggled instinctively closer to him. Together they created the picture of complete safety and innocence.

Together, that was how their mother always wanted to see them. She got a strange feeling sometimes; that something was missing when her children were apart. It was almost as if… as if they were each other's other half. She had no idea why she thought like that, but she couldn't shrug it off.

Fugaku took a step back.

"Let's… not disturb them", he said finally. Mikoto was a little surprised. She knew that her husband cared deeply for his sons but she had never thought that he would accept this. She smiled and took hold of his hand. "Yes", she agreed. "Let's leave them alone for a while."

xxx

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