Hmm... where did the inspiration for this one come from again? I can't recall it... well, then I'll add this one to the category "where the inspiration source got forgotten". It happens.

But aside from that, all is good. I hope you'll enjoy it! :)

Prompt #55: Waiting

At nightfall, Mikoto Uchiha walked through the streets of Konohagakure, heading for the village's gates. It was the fourth night in a row that she was taking this path. To her, it felt like some sort of odd ritual. A few years earlier, it had been the same; except that nowadays, she had to walk to the village's gates instead of simply to the front door.

Part of the ritual was stopping at the ramen shop, where she would exchange a few words with Teuchi. The discussions were very trivial, but for reasons she couldn't quite explain, they cheered Mikoto up somewhat, even if it was only for a moment. When she left the light of the ramen shop, the smile would fade from her face and get replaced with a stoic expression that served as a cover for her concern.

Several minutes later, she had crossed the bridge and was now approaching the gates. Even though it was dark, she was close enough to see what she sought: a small shadow leaning against the wall just beside the gates.

Mikoto stopped right in front of that shadow and waited briefly before saying softly: "Sasuke-chan, it's time to go home now."

The small boy at her feet looked up. His eyes were filled to the brim with sadness and longing. "Already, okasan?" he asked sadly.

"Yes. It's dark, and you shouldn't be outside on your own. Come; tomorrow is another day." She offered her hand to him.

For a moment, Sasuke didn't budge, but then he slowly reached out and took her hand, allowing her to help him climb to his feet. "Okasan, how much longer do I have to wait until aniki comes back?" he inquired.

Mikoto could tell that he was desperate for an answer, but no matter how much she wished it would be different, she couldn't give him what he desired. "I'm sorry, honey, but I really don't know."

"What about tomorrow?" Sasuke asked, as if he hadn't understood what she had just said.

"Maybe."

"The day after tomorrow?"

"Sasuke, please don't ask me that. You know I cannot answer it. I know you miss your brother, but believe me: he will be back."

"I want him to come back now," Sasuke whined, snuffling.

"I know you do," she whispered and knelt down so she could embrace him properly. "I'm sure that he wishes to come home too, but this is a really important mission, and those things take time."

"But he's been gone for almost two weeks now!"

"Those things take time," she repeated and kissed his cheek. Her expression fell even more when her younger son quickly closed the little distance that had gotten between them because of her last action, and he buried his face in her hair as he fought against tears, mumbling something about how time wasn't fair.

Deciding that they could linger just a little longer, Mikoto comfortingly rubbed his back as she held him even closer. Looking over his shoulder, she saw the same things she had seen ever since she had needed to come here to pick him up when another day without Itachi was over: tic-tac-toe grids traced in the dirt from when he had played against himself out of sheer boredom, various doodles of random things, and quite a few messy swirls where he had written Itachi's name or one of the terms of endearment. It pictured all too clearly how much Sasuke missed the elder, and yet whenever Mikoto saw what her son had done while he waited at the gates, it touched her anew, almost overwhelming her at times.

"We should be on our way now before your father gets worried," she finally spoke.

"O-Okay, okasan," Sasuke agreed and let go of her, albeit somewhat reluctantly.

Smiling warmly, she took his hand in hers, and together they began to walk away from the gates. Of course, she didn't fail to notice how Sasuke looked back a couple of times until they had rounded a corner and the gates had vanished from sight.

"Sasuke-chan… I know you always miss Itachi when he has to go on missions, but this time you seem to miss him more than ever. Is there a particular reason for that?" she asked with hinted hesitance.

"Yeah. He… Aniki promised me that as soon as he is back, he would spend an entire day with me, regardless of what others might want from him," Sasuke answered, remembering his brother's words, the words he had been told upon saying goodnight to the elder before Itachi would depart early the next morning.

"I can imagine that your father might beg to differ," Mikoto remarked as they passed the ramen shop, where they both waved at Teuchi before what little light had reached them made way for the darkness of the night again.

"That's what I said too, but aniki insisted that he would keep his promise," Sasuke assured her. As he said this, a smile that mirrored his anticipation lit up his face. Mikoto gladly took notice of this – she definitely preferred to see Sasuke happy instead of sad.

"That's nice, dear. But how about if you would spend tomorrow's time differently than simply waiting at the gates?"

"But okasan, I don't wait at the gates all the time!" Sasuke protested. "Naruto always comes along eventually and drags me to the ramen shop! How can someone eat so much ramen?" he wondered. He sounded annoyed, but Mikoto could tell that it wasn't genuine annoyance; Sasuke most probably didn't mind the distraction all that much.

The rest of the walk home, the discussion continued in a similar fashion. It was a welcome change to the quite depressing walks of the other three days. When they got home, Fugaku was waiting for them. Sasuke yawned heartily and bade his father goodnight, receiving a short ruffle of his hair, then he went to his room to get ready and later get tucked in by his mother.

"Waiting at the gates again?" Fugaku asked his wife.

"Yes. He just misses Itachi so much…"

"So I presume, but why won't he see that just waiting there won't make him come back any faster?"

"He's looking forward to his return more than ever this time," Mikoto replied. "And besides, this is the longest absence of Itachi yet."

Nevertheless, Fugaku shortly shook his head, not quite understanding his younger son's notion. Smiling, Mikoto gave him a quick kiss before she went to put Sasuke to bed so he could get some rest before he would wait again the next day.

(word count: 1,100)

As usual, I'm looking forward to reviews. You guys are simply the best...!

That would be all for this input from me. Until next time, take care! ;)