Itachi watches silently as his little brother turns an interesting shade of red. Uchiha's may not show their emotions clearly on their face but that doesn't mean that they are void of all outward show of emotion.

"No." Says Sasuke. The single word sounds strangled.

Itachi can't stop the slight twitch of his lips. "Do not lie to me little brother, it will not do you any good." Sasuke's face turns an even darker hue if possible.

"Where did Naru leave to?" He asks the younger Uchiha.

Sasuke's blush immediately disappears. "She went to talk to Pain, like an animal into a trap." Sasuke grinds his teeth together furiously. "She said she'll be back in an hour."

Itachi sees his little brothers problem. "You don't think she'll keep her word?" He asks. Sasuke's gaze meets Itachi's. "If she is even five minutes late, I will not hesitate to look for her." Itachi is slightly startled by this declaration. The two of them have barely begun to get to know each other. It has only been a week at the most.

"What makes you so ready to protect this girl while not a single one of the others has caught your attention?" He asks the younger Uchiha carefully.

Sasuke looks at his brother, with sincerity in his ebony gaze. "She treats both of us like we're human. She could see past your defenses and gave you a reason to come back to me. She also saved me from myself." He admits quietly.

Itachi sets one hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Are you sure what you are feeling is not just gratitude and lust rather than the beginnings of affection?" He asks carefully.

Sasuke finally looks away from his brother and into the forest where the blond disappeared into. "If I'm only grateful to her then why am I so worried? I know that it has not been a very long time, but I can't help but to feel like something is missing right now. I didn't feel it when she was here but now..."

Sasuke trails off. Itachi tightens his grip briefly before he lets go. "It is your and Naru's choice about where you take this relationship, if it should go anywhere. I will support you both in your decision in any way that I can." He tells Sasuke.

The younger Uchiha nods. "Thank you." He tells his brother. He climbs out of the large crater that was once Konoha's center and stands on the section of the wall that is still intact.

Itachi watches his little brother go with a small ,proud, smile. His little brother has finally learned what it means to live for another person. He climbs up the opposite side of the crater and stands beside the two Sannin and a team of med-nin. Sasuke's pink-haired team mate is working on Tsunade silently, but with a slightly troubled expression.

Itachi sits opposite from her. "Will she be alright?" He asks the girl. The pinkette looks up for a brief moment before she shies away from the eldest Uchiha. He may have been declared innocent but there were many who were still afraid of him, and more still that still thought he was guilty. Sakura seemed to be one of the ones that feared him.

"She should be fine, though it will take her a while to heal completely. She is completely out of chakra, so it's actually a miracle that she is still alive." She tells him.

Itachi nods before he looks at the other sannin. "What about him?" He asks the girl.

"He'll be fine too. He has a broken arm and a couple cracked ribs, but other than that he will be okay." She tells him.

Itachi quickly thanks the girl and leaves so that she won't be as uncomfortable. He walks silently through the abandoned streets, past crumbling buildings and other debris. Seeing his home in such a state makes him incredibly sad. He sees a hand sticking out of the rubble and runs to it as fast as his feet will carry him. He carefully digs around the hand to reveal a shoulder, which is quickly followed by the rest of a body. For a moment he just stares at the body but a wave of pain washes over him. It's the third.

He bows his head in respect for the older man. He mourns silently over the others death before he gently picks him up and carries him to the edge of the crater. He sets the thirds body gently on the ground and rearranges it in a way that he looks peaceful, despite the fact that he is covered in rubble and dust.

Itachi turns and walks back down the same street, now searching for survivors. A young girl runs around a corner of one of the buildings and runs into Itachi. The girl looks up at him and he down at her. Then she unexpectedly throws her arms clumsily around his knees and sobs into his pant leg. He stands stunned for a moment before he manages to snap himself out of his trance.

He gets the girl to release his legs and kneels down so that he can speak with her face to face. "What happened?" He asks her.

The girl hiccups and her small fists come up to rub her eyes. "H-Hokge-sama s-saved me but the r-roof fell and he wouldn't answer me." The girl breaks down into heart wrenching sobs. Itachi panics slightly. How does someone calm such a young child? Then a memory of one of his own mothers hugs comes to mind. He hesitates for only a moment more before he reaches out with unsteady hands and wraps them around the small girl. The girl reacts instantly. Her arms wrap around his neck and she buries her tear stained face into the spot between his jaw and his shoulder. The two hold each other tightly as the girl continues to cry.

Itachi finally stands. "We should look for anyone else that made it." He whispers gently. The girl nods and she slowly begins to calm down. He waits until she stops crying to stand. He moves the girl gently so that she is riding piggy back. "Where are your parents?" He asks her. Then he winces. What a stupid question they were probably killed in the attack. He mentally smacks himself for the blunder.

"I don't have a family." Whispers the girl.

Itachi turns his head to look at the girl but her face is buried in his shoulder, making it impossible to read her face. "I don't understand." He admits to her.

"My mother died when I was born, and father went to work four years ago and never came home. I saw him two years ago and tried to talk to him, but he hit me and walked away with his new family. I've been in an orphanage since I was five." She explains. Itachi hears the rustling of fabric as her hands tighten on his shirt.

"How old are you?" He asks the girl while picking around debris. "I'm nine." Whispers the girl timidly. "My name is Kariya, what's yours?" She asks.

"Itachi." He answers curtly. A large building has fallen over into the path so Itachi gathers the chakra needed to hop over it. He lands smoothly on the other side and continues down what is left of the street.

"Do you want to help me look for people?" Asks Itachi, trying to get the girl to relax a bit more.

"I... can't." Says the girl quietly.

Itachi begins to worry about the girl. "Why not?" He asks her.

"'Cause I can't see. Father used to hit me before he left and one time I fell, and when I woke up I couldn't see. He left the month after that." She tells him. Itachi stops in his tracks and pulls the girl to his front. She whimpers but doesn't move when he stands her on the ground and kneels in front of her.

"Open your eyes." He commands. Kariya hesitates but then slowly opens both of her eyes. Her forest green eyes stare sightlessly back at him. The girl begins to shake so Itachi takes ahold of her hand. "What's wrong?" He asks more gently than he though he would ever be able to manage.

"Are you going to leave me now too?" She asks him in a feeble tone. He tightens his grip on the girls hand as anger overwhelms him. Her father made the girl think that there was something was wrong enough with her that no one would want her. He forces his emotions to become calm and rational.

"No, I won't leave you." He promises.

The girl nods in silent understanding and closes her eyes again. Itachi swings the girl back onto his back and looks up at the sun to judge the time. It's been about an hour, so Naru should be coming back any second now. With that in mind Itachi feels around for his brothers familiar chakra signature. It comes as no surprise when he finds the youngest Uchiha at the wall where Naru disappeared.

He makes his way steadily across the debris strewn village to stand beside his brother. Sasuke doesn't show any sigh of noticing his presence, so he sits down and pulls Kariya into his lap. The girl is sound asleep, and snuggles into the startled Uchiha's chest. A fierce ,overwhelming, urge drives him to gently wrap his arms around the girl. He frowns as the sun comes out from behind a cloud and it's rays dance across the silent trio.

The girls brown hair is matted and dirty and several bruises haphazardly decorate her skin. He grinds his teeth, but doesn't move for the fear of waking her. A golden flash in the dark forest draws his attention from the girl. At first he thinks it was his imagination, but when he sees the flash for the second time, he knows that Naru has returned.

Sasuke jumps to his feet and races into the forest even faster than when he runs away from his many adoring fangirls. A startled shout echoes through the trees. Kariya immediately wakes up and looks sightlessly in the direction the noise came from. "What was that?" She asks Itachi with fear evident in her quivering voice. Itachi opens his mouth to respond when the sun is once again hidden by clouds. He glances up at the sky and notices for the first time, the storm clouds. A foreboding feeling races through his body, making his pulse reach a faster tempo.

"Naru!" Screams a voice. Itachi barely recognizes the voice past the emotional turmoil. When he does manage to recognize it his blood runs cold. Another piercing shout rings through the forest. "NO!" It's Sasuke, and something is wrong.

=D =D =D =D =D =D =P

Sorry for the wait, but there has been a ton of stuff going on and I'm finding it harder and harder to keep up with it all. Luckily School ends next week, so I should have more time to write. Thanks for being so patient!

Kariya is pronounced Car-eeeeeee-ya.

Let me know what you think!