Disclaimer: The Uchiha clan belongs entirely to Masashi Kishimoto-sama
10: I'll miss you
"Itachi, you can't go!" Sasuke yelled, barging into the room where his brother and father had been speaking, having been eavesdropping on the conversation from outside the door.
His sibling didn't turn to look at him--his father, on the other hand, was irate.
An extremely long stern talking to later, Sasuke sat on Itachi's bed, waiting for his brother and father to finish their previous conversation. It seemed like a long time before the older Uchiha returned, walking in as if he already knew Sasuke would be there--which, granted, he probably did.
"Itachi!" Sasuke cried immediately upon seeing him, "You can't take that mission!"
Moving to sit on the side of the bed, Itachi pulled Sasuke over to sit beside him before replying, "Why not?"
"Because!" the smaller boy shouted, tears forming at the corners of his eyes, "You can't, you just can't! A month, a month-long mission, they don't need you for that! Leave it to the adults, leave it to the ANBU, just please, please nii-san!"
He was clutching desperately at the fabric of his brother's shirt, now, tears cascading down his cheeks and leaving damp prints where they fell, "Please, nii-san…"
Hand slowly rubbing his brother's back, Itachi's face remained as emotionless as always, eyes focused on an unspecified point in the distance, "…why does it matter how long the mission is?"
Sobbing now, Sasuke clambered into Itachi's lap--look at me, look at me when I'm begging you--and closed the distance between them with a harsh, inexperienced kiss, the force of his weight toppling them over onto the bed.
Startled, Itachi stared up at his sibling with near disbelief, speechless for what was quite possibly the first time in his life.
"Because I'll miss you, nii-san…"