Chapter 11

A black haired boy walked outside onto the porch, a rice ball in his hand. He took another bite, chewing it slowly, lost in his own thoughts. The afternoon sun's warm rays beat down on his face, warming his body. He stared at a cloud as it lazily drifted by, seeming to not have a care in the world. He swallowed the mush that used to be rice and took another bite.

"Niisan..." He muttered as he saw the cloud disappear behind a tree.

His brother was out on a mission. It was not anything dangerous, just a simple escort mission; he should be back by dinner. Sasuke let out a small sigh. It was not a long mission, but it was too long to wait. He has always hated it when his aniki was out; he always had a sense of rejection just before he leaves.

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"Hey aniki, where you going?" Sasuke asked his small hands folded neatly behind his back.

Itachi slipped on his shoes and turned to his younger brother. He did not answer.

"Aniki, where you going?" Sasuke persisted. He saw he was not getting a reply from his brother and ran up to him. "Where you-"

Sasuke stopped and tried to move back when he saw his brother raise his hand; two fingers held out and faced towards him. Sasuke shut his eyes as his brother's fingers poked him hard in the forehead, before returning to his side.

"I'm going on a small mission. I don't have time for you now; I'll be back by dinner."

Itachi stood up and headed out the door, leaving Sasuke alone rubbing his forehead and muttering about his brother not having any free time anymore.

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Sasuke touched his forehead remembering how his brother had poked him. He always hated it, but this time, it was different. It was not because he was rejecting him, it was most likely out of habit, but...Sasuke could not help but feel like something was not right. What was his mission about anyways? That look in his brother's eyes...it seemed almost...sad.

Sasuke shook his head. No, he should not be thinking about what is bothering him. No, he did not want to. Sasuke sighed, stuffed the rest of the rice ball in his mouth, put on his shoes, and told his mother he was going for a little walk.

He headed to the riverbed outside of town. Watching the water rush by under his feet always calmed him and allowed him to think clearly. He kept his hands in his pockets and his eyes on his feet as they disappeared and reappeared under him.

When he got to the river, he sat down and watched the water and his reflection. He seemed hypnotized by the rushing water, how it distorted his reflection and it seemed like he was always moving when he was not. He looked at his eyes. Black. He wanted them to be like his brother's so badly. To have them be able to turn into the Sharingan, for them to be a crimson red with swirling black specks.

Sasuke squinted his eyes, focusing and desperately trying to get them to change. Nothing. They remained their natural dark colour. He sighed and pictured the red Sharingan eyes in the place of his.

His mind eventually drifted off back to his brother, of the times he saw him with the eyes. His heart ached; he could not help but feel so alone right now. No one was walking by and the sun was setting. He should be heading back home, but his legs just would not move. He did not want to leave.

Down at his feet, another reflection appeared. The image of his brother was right above him. Perhaps he was seeing things, his mind playing tricks on him. Two arms wrapped themselves around Sasuke and he was pulled into someone's lap.

"Why so down, otouto?"

It was not in his head, his brother was actually there. Sasuke smiled and snuggled in the comfort of his brother's arms.

"I was just missing you."

Itachi held Sasuke close, resting his chin on his small shoulder. He turned and kissed Sasuke on the cheek and pulled off a piece of rice off his cheek.

"You need to stop being so messy when you eat, Sasuke." Itachi laughed.

Sasuke frowned and turned around in his brother's lap. He smiled and hugged him, pressing their foreheads together before kissing him. Sasuke gave Itachi several slow kisses on the lips. Itachi felt like he could not control himself, he let his tongue slip into his brother's mouth and pulled their faces closer to deepen the kiss.

Sasuke almost saw it as a game to wrap his small tongue around his brother's larger one as they engaged in a small battle of which no on would see. He obviously lost, but he did not care. He could taste his brother and he tasted sweet, he wondered if he had candy before he came.

Itachi broke the kiss so they could get a fresh breath of air before returning to each other's mouths. Having Sasuke in his lap and to kiss him in such a way; was beginning to turn him on. At that moment, Itachi gently pushed Sasuke away, realizing that what they were doing was wrong, and of course, the fact that kisses like this could lead to...

"Sorry. I-I forgot we aren't supposed to..."

"It's ok aniki. I still promise not to tell anyone."

Itachi stood up, keeping Sasuke in his arms and carried him home, knowing the fit their mother would throw if they were late for dinner.

to be continued...