Hi everyone! First off, I want to apologize a million times for not updating in quite a while, but I had darn writer's block! :( And it didn't want to go away... it is a bit better now, but I'll tell you something: I am extremely nervous about this chapter and don't even dare to cross my fingers when I think about what your opinion might be. The first part... when I finally managed to start writing again, it came along fairly easy, but the last part realy was tough. And please don't expect too much. I just hope I didn't destroy the fic with one crappy chapter -.-; And in case that might have just happened, I'd like to seize the opportunity and thank everyone who has reviewed/alerted/faved this story!! It meant - and still means - so much to me! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

In my dreams, I'm already a few steps ahead of this scene and am thinking about the end of this fic. The way I imagine it, there is a very high chance that I will be making a sequel, though. Still, I'd like to know what you guys think of that idea, so please give me your opinion in a review or by taking the poll (lol, my first poll! Never thought I'd need one... XD).

And now... the thirteenth chapter! Gah, I don't like the number thirteen, but if this happens to be a dud, I shall blame it entirely on myself and not on an innocent number! ;)

Misaki said he was just «being unnecessarily paranoid», but Itachi was quite sure that they were being followed. A couple of times, he believed to see a shadow moving in the woods surrounding them, and he was convinced that a mere deer had no reason to stalk people.

They were on a mission north of Fire Country. Winter had come and gone, and not much had changed; at least, until now. Itachi and Sasuke were back to being more secretive about their relationship, and although those moments were still enjoyable as ever, dark clouds were approaching on the horizon. The clan was mobilizing all its forces, carefully planning their revolution. They didn't want to risk striking too early and thus risk failure, so there was still no guarantee that it would happen that year.

Still, that didn't change anything for Itachi. He knew that this undercover mission had top priority, yet he dreaded carrying it out all the same. Because of Sasuke. Promise or not, he was having ever-growing doubts that his brother would forgive him and remember that he loved him. After all, slaying one's entire family was an act that typically had little to do with love. But leaving Sasuke behind – let alone kill him – those options weren't any more appealing.

Getting proper rest was pretty much the very last thing on his mind when they stopped in a fishing village. His teammates were already asleep, but he was sitting on the hostel's roof, staring absent-mindedly into the night. The sea was not all that far away; the crashing of its waves got carried to the little inn by the wind, and the white foam that glistened in the moonlight could be seen from the balcony – or the roof, likewise. Itachi figured that in a way, the sea was quite comparable to life: both could be serene and pleasant while at other times being harsh and cruel. The tide was beginning to come in – and by the time it would crash upon the shore, it would be a tsunami, Itachi thought as he tried to picture the ocean as a mirror of his life.

'Why so gloomy, Itachi?'

Itachi frowned as an unwanted guest came to bother his already troubled mind some more.

'Like you'd need to ask.'

'You should regard the matter in a better light. By accomplishing the mission, you're doing people a favor.'

'If you intend to cheer me up, you're not doing a good job.'

'Well, you're a tough customer, so I have to take chances. You never know what might cheer some people up…'

Itachi closed his eyes when a small gust of wind blew against him as if offering comfort. "Bastard," he whispered.

"Now, now… didn't you have a good holiday, even though it is quite a bit late to ask?" a voice whispered back, and suddenly, two hands laid themselves on Itachi's shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze.

Almost instinctively, the prodigy froze, his onyx eyes narrowing in shock and immediate disgust that nobody saw.

"I knew we were being followed," he said softly, barely suppressing a growl when Madara squeezed his shoulders again, acting weirdly as if trying to give him a massage. As if he wasn't creeped out enough already…

"You don't sound too happy to see me."

"What are you doing here?"

"I figured you might want some company. And besides, we need to talk."

"What about? Somehow, I doubt it'll be about how your Christmas was, for instance," Itachi retorted sarcastically. To his genuine surprise, his life had been Madara-free (except for the aforementioned one's disembodied voice in his mind) since Christmas, and… dare he say that he hadn't minded that at all, that he was actually almost getting used to it? So much for temporary salvation…

"What about, you ask? Tut, tut… our mission, of course. The clan is planning, so we should do the same. Any preferences?"

"Preferences?"

"Oh, come on… as in, do you want to take out the elders? Or some other specific characters? Suppose we should divide the district in two halves? And about your father, your mother and Sasuke…"

"Don't you dare touch Sasuke!" Itachi hissed, trying to turn around and glare at Madara, but the older Uchiha was gripping his shoulders tightly, keeping him in place and steering clear of the loathing glance.

"Have you made a decision? You want to kill him yourself?"

Itachi closed his eyes tightly and tried not to think about his brother while replying: "…Leave my family to me."

"As you wish," Madara answered calmly. "So, then you'll take over the half of the district in which you live? You'd also have to take care of Shisui's family if that's how we're going to do it. He'll be dead by then anyway, but…"

Oh God, yes. He would have to kill Shisui's parents; and his little sister as well. The mere thought of mercilessly slaughtering children made Itachi sick to his stomach, but make that double for Natsuko. On the other hand… in a very twisted way, perhaps Madara had been somewhat right before, and he would be doing her a bit of a favor: she would be reunited with her brother again. There was no doubt that she would be heartbroken once he was gone, so it might just come that close to putting her out of her misery. But that was a very small, miniscule comfort.

When Madara didn't get a reply from Itachi, he quickly drew a correct conclusion about the reason for that. In a dark voice that sounded oddly soothing – which was quite unfitting to his words – he said:

"Itachi, this is not the time for having sympathy. We could have had it all before, but by backing down, they disgraced themselves. It was betrayal, and betrayal must be punished." His voice became even darker and colder as it dwindled to a whisper which had an unexplainable, almost hypnotizing effect. Itachi got goosebumps from it. "Sympathy is not meant to be given to traitors. They must pay – and they will. With blood. Their blood. They will drown in their own blood, choking on their screams." Madara gave a low laugh, a devious "Kukuku", before saying almost dreamily as if in perverted satisfaction: "Oh yes…"

'He is mad,' Itachi thought as he listened even though he didn't want to. That the clan had to be stopped was not what he doubted; but he did doubt that they would be the ones to bring them to divine justice, as Madara's description sounded.

"I thought we were doing this to prevent a war from breaking out," he muttered.

"Yeah, yeah, that too…" This was said rather hurriedly, as if it were a small side note that didn't deserve much attention, and that made Itachi wonder what exactly Madara had been talking about when mentioning a past betrayal. He didn't know too much about this man, but he hoped to eventually find out what other possible motivation he had to slaughter the clan. His musings were interrupted by Madara, who continued in a different tone of voice:

"Listen, I hope this is the last time I have to remind you to put more heart into this matter. This is an important turning point in which we cannot afford to make any mistakes. Oh, and by the way, I thought I should tell you that you should report to the Akatsuki as soon as possible. You will be fully recruited then."

"…That wouldn't even be too far away," Itachi commented. Indeed; the village they were currently in was right at the border to the nameless headland, and he would have less than half the journey ahead of him than it would be from Konoha.

"Exactly. It would be foolish not to take advantage of this opportunity. So here's what we'll do: I'll transform into you while you go get the recruitment business over with," Madara told him.

"Can you pull that off?" Itachi asked.

"Hi, my name's Itachi. I'm a prodigy who doesn't know whether I want to become blind or not, even though I know fully well what I could do to prevent that from happening. See? Piece of cake."

"Very funny!" Itachi hissed angrily.

"Relax; I was only fooling. I certainly will be able to play your part to your satisfaction," Madara drawled.

"Now it's your turn to be careful about screwing up," Itachi grumbled. In private, he gave Madara ten seconds to finally let go of him. He was sick of feeling the other's breath on the fine hairs of his neck.

"Me? Not a chance. It's still you we should be worrying about." Ignoring the glare from Itachi, Madara let go of him and transformed into a clone of Fugaku's older son. The resemblance was perfect – at least, as far as physical appearances went. Itachi was sure that Madara would never be able to play his entire part perfectly, because nobody could imitate how much he loved Sasuke.

"There, all done. Go now. We shall see each other soon again. And remember my words, Itachi: traitors deserve no sympathy. Their fate is written in blood." Then he smirked in a most wicked way; there was no doubt that he was actually looking forward to the massacre, at least to a certain degree.

Itachi found himself looking at how Madara wanted him to be: cold, merciless and free of any guilt. Any other kind of conscience got in the way of performing such a deed, and it was with bitter realization that Itachi concluded that especially in order to put an end to his own family and Shisui's – not to mention his cousin himself – he would have to work on pushing his true nature aside. He would have to become exactly like his temporary partner-in-crime, at least for a while. It didn't sit well with him at all, but it was for the sake of completing the mission. Itachi had never failed a mission before.

Suddenly, they heard a yawn from below, and a brunette stepped out onto the balcony.

"Itachi?" she asked drowsily. "Is someone there? Who are you talking to?"

Madara grinned as if to say «let's start this show», then winked at Itachi and jumped down to the balcony.

"No, no one else is here. Who else would I be talking to, besides myself?"

"I was just wondering. Now come on and get some sleep so we will get a word out of you tomorrow," Misaki said with a shrug before giving him a little push. She herself lingered for one more moment, trying to peer up at the roof, where the real Itachi quietly crept to the other side of the roof, from where he made his secret getaway, soon vanishing into the shadows of the night. He strongly hoped that Madara's self-confidence wasn't exaggerated.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

By daybreak, he arrived at the Akatsuki hideout, where Konan welcomed him. She brought him straight to Pein, who seemed to be at least mildly pleased that Itachi had come so soon.

"Very well then," the pierced man said. "There are just a few more little things that need to be done –"

"Forgive me for interrupting, Leader-sama," Itachi cut him off and knelt down. "But before you recruit me, I wonder if I could ask a favor of you."

Pein was slightly irritated by the interruption, as a twitch of his right eyebrow signaled. "A favor?" he repeated, not sounding very enthusiastic.

Itachi nodded, then voiced his request. When he had finished, he bowed his head, waiting for Pein's response. At first, there was silence, then some muttering. A female voice that joined in told him that Konan was also giving the issue some thought and comments of her own – whether it was in Itachi's favor or not was yet to be seen. Finally, Pein raised his voice again:

"Wait outside, Itachi. This is a decision that I do not want to make too hastily."

"Yes, Leader-sama," Itachi replied and left the office. There had to be some hope yet for him, otherwise he certainly would have gotten a «no» by now. Wondering how long he would have to wait, he wandered off and ended up in the living room. Most of the Akatsuki were gathered around a miniscule TV with bad reception, having a heated argument. Zetsu was playing a card game with himself, as Itachi noticed when he took turns in closing first one eye, then the other with every new card he played.

'All right, that's it: definitely a schizo…!'

Sasori was watching this with the same expressionless face like when Itachi had last seen him.

"Ah! You cheated!"

"Did not! You cheated!"

"I know you peeked! Admit it already!"

"Zetsu, you're playing against yourself, so evidently, you are cheating yourself and arguing with yourself about it… You really are a freak, have I ever told you that?" Sasori interjected.

"Oi! Pipe down over there! We can't hear the TV!"

"Come on, Sasori… didn't he blink just before?! I swear he did!"

"Why, I'd eat you if I could…!"

"And besides, I'm not that much of a freak, thank you very much. …And ha, not if I eat you first!"

"This is exactly why Leader-sama has given up on partnering you, you know?"

"They said they couldn't take it anymore, so what else should I have done?"

Sasori sighed.

Meanwhile, Itachi redirected his attention to the other, more normal argument.

"Come on, man, this sucks!"

"Would it kill you to invest a little bit more in our welfare?"

"You already spend enough on shampoo, so don't get started on welfare… And besides, I got you the TV, so shut up already."

"This piece of shit? You really are a cheapskate, Kakuzu!"

"Oh, suck it up already. If it weren't for me, we'd have gone broke ages ago."

"Looks like we've got company," Sasori suddenly commented flatly as he got up, about to leave this never-ending squabble behind. Four heads turned to see the half-shadowed figure of Itachi in the doorway. Clearly, bad eyesight didn't get you very far in this hideout.

"Itachi! Zetsu, why didn't you tell us that he's coming?" Orochimaru exclaimed, swiftly rising and practically pouncing on the Uchiha to drag him over.

"I'm a scout, not a messenger. And besides, Leader-sama told us he'd be coming; you just happened to be in the bathroom at that time, as usual…" Zetsu retorted huffily.

Itachi tried to protest against Orochimaru's handling – his body language couldn't be more explicit – but the snake-sannin ignored that completely. He even made Itachi have a seat right between him and Kisame.

"You sure came quickly. So, had a good New Year?" the shark asked casually.

"Quite. You?" Itachi asked back curtly.

"The usual. Leader-sama hit the roof, though; Nanashi is dead. It wasn't exactly a good Christmas present, admittedly…"

Itachi raised an eyebrow in silent questioning. But now that Kisame had mentioned it, he too noticed the absence of who had seemed to be the most "normal" Akatsuki member.

"Kakuzu snuffed him. Geez, man, I don't think anyone will ever beat your record," Kisame explained before addressing the masked shinobi in question.

"I told him not to set me off." Kakuzu didn't even look up from the money he was counting. "He can be proud of himself; he lasted longer than most." As if he had sensed a certain someone's unspoken question, he added after a pause: "Half a year."

"Kakuzu changes partners like others change their underwear – the ones who change them daily, I mean. He's about as picky as one can get."

"I'm not picky; I'm merely a bit selective," Kakuzu defended himself.

Kisame shook his head. "Picky."

"Selective."

"Picky!"

"Selective!"

Itachi decided that some of them had serious issues and had just started wondering if Pein had made a decision yet when he felt someone fiddling around with his ponytail and inhale deeply while doing so. He turned around slowly, and when he laid eyes on the culprit, he backed up against Kisame with what sounded suspiciously like a yelp.

"What the heck is wrong with you?!"

"Why wrong? I'm just getting to know you better," Orochimaru protested.

"By sniffing my hair," Itachi stated disbelievingly.

"I would have preferred your neck too –"

"Don't you dare come near my neck. In fact, don't come near me at all!" Itachi warned, cutting Orochimaru off just as he opened his mouth to reply. To his faint dismay, the other man appeared to be far less unsettled than he should have been, given that Itachi's eyes were once again Sharingan-red and bore a particularly vicious glare; in fact, he even seemed to be downright intrigued, almost ogling the youngest soon-to-be group member.

"Hey Orochimaru, stop freaking my new partner out already, okay?" Kisame asked. "He's not even officially recruited yet…"

"Freaking him out?" Orochimaru leaned in, getting much too close for Itachi's comfort as he inspected the teen's pale face. "He sure doesn't look freaked out to me."

"You sure?" Kisame looked the Uchiha over skeptically. It was the bazaar situation all over again, and as the other two began to debate on what actions might have freaked him out and probably should be refrained from in the future, Itachi's infuriation ebbed away until only annoyance was left. Being part of the Akatsuki sure required nerves of steel – if they would ever need to recruit new members (which was almost definite, since Kakuzu was on his own yet again), he would be sure to tell the candidates that beforehand.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Back in Konoha, the sakura trees had begun to blossom. Being outside and walking underneath their canopies had its own special magic, like Christmas, and it was the time aside from Valentine's Day on which one could find quite a few happy couples kissing in the midst of pink and declaring their love or admitting their admiration for each other.

Shisui and Sasuke were walking down a tree-lined path, surrounded by all of that. As they passed a young couple passionately kissing each other, Sasuke couldn't help but watch, cocking his head a bit and blushing a faint, cute shade of pink. If Shisui hadn't been holding his hand, he probably even would have stopped.

"Sasuke, keep walking; it's not polite to stare at people, you know? Even if the people in question are too preoccupied to notice that in the first place."

"Sorry, itoko…"

"Don't sweat it. …You're thinking about him, aren't you?" Shisui asked with a grin.

Sasuke was too caught up in daydreaming about his brother to remind himself of answering such questions cautiously – and so, with a soft sigh, he said: "Yeah. I wish he were here so I could kiss him like that too."

"I bet anything that he's thinking of you right now as well."

"Aniki…" But as it tended to happen in such situations, Sasuke suddenly remembered where and with whom he was and what he had just said. With a startled squeak, he covered his mouth with his free hand, and the blush darkened with embarrassment.

Concernedly, Shisui raised an eyebrow and stopped. "What's wrong, Sasuke? Was it something I said?"

"N-No, it's just… I-I shouldn't have said… what I said be-before," Sasuke stammered, staring at the ground.

"Oh?"

The boy nodded nervously. "Nii-san told me not to tell anybody… because they… they wouldn't understand."

"Ah, I see. Come here, Sasuke. Sit down for a moment." Shisui guided him to the nearest tree, where they sat down. In little more than a week, the ground would soon be covered with fallen cherry blossoms as the end of this short period of bloom will have come.

"Now take a deep breath." Sasuke obeyed and inhaled deeply before exhaling slowly. His nervousness only ebbed away a tiny bit, if even. "Listen, you don't need to be unsettled about this subject in my presence. I had a talk with Itachi, and I know that he loves you more than most people would want him to. And you want to know a secret, Sasuke?"

"Yes…"

"C'mere." Shisui waved him over, then whispered into his ear: "I'm okay with that. I am on your side."

An expression of utmost relief appeared on Sasuke's face as he sat back again. "You are, itoko?"

"Sure. I know that Itachi has always loved you, so what right would I have to say something against that? When you were born, the first thing he said to me was how thrilled he was to have such an adorable younger brother. You were always so special to him… and now, looking back, I'm very tempted to say that I should have seen it coming that he loves you more than in just a brotherly way."

"Is it that much of a difference?" Sasuke wondered.

"Well, love is love, but there still is a difference. He loves you like your mother loves your father and vice versa. Now you, Sasuke… judging by your question, I'm sure you don't know any different because you think that love in all its forms is okay. You didn't think it was strange when your feelings for Itachi got deeper and stronger, right?"

"No…"

"Of course not; you're still so young. But trust me, if you had been older – Itachi's age, let's say – then I am positive you would have thought about it differently."

"…But why wouldn't others understand? I still don't get it, and nii-san said he'd explain when I'm older. But I wanna know now!" Sasuke exclaimed.

Shisui sighed. "As wonderful as love is, it can be just as complicated sometimes. You see… when people talk about love, write about it, sing about it, they usually think of a boy and a girl. A man and a woman. And when a man and a woman love each other – like your parents – they often decide to have children. Now, I won't elaborate on that any further because you really are still too young for that…" (Sasuke pouted as if in disagreement, but when he noticed how serious Shisui was, he decided not to speak up. As long as he would receive an explanation someday…) "The fact is that the same can't happen when two people of the same gender love each other. Like you and Itachi. And especially within a clan, having children is important to preserve the bloodline, which is why practically everyone wouldn't approve of you two being together."

"…Is it that hard to have a kid?" Sasuke asked, clearly giving that quite a bit of thought.

"Let's just say it's not as easy as buying groceries in a store."

"But itoko, that's not fair! I love nii-san, I really do! I can't pretend as if I don't! And we always have to be so secretive about it… why can't we just be like the others?" He gazed wistfully over his shoulder at a pair of teens who were kissing on the other side of the path. The two Uchihas paused their conversation. Sasuke watched how they ended the kiss and how the boy said something to the girl that made her very happy. They were looking deep into each other's eyes, just like he sometimes did with Itachi. But they rarely (if ever) did that in public when they could be watched; Itachi repeatedly reminded his younger brother that it was safer for them to do that in privacy. Looking rather forlorn, he regarded Shisui again, the still unanswered question written all over his face.

"I'm sure it's hard, Sasuke, but this just is the way things are. However, I am fairly sure that someday, you two will be free. Someday, you will be relieved of all the secrecy. Trust me," Shisui said quietly, giving Sasuke's shoulder a comforting pat.

His cousin averted his gaze briefly before muttering: "I hope you're right. And thanks for being so… understanding…"

"Don't mention it. Now, how's about cheering up a little bit again, hmm? Think about your brother; he should be back any day now," Shisui told him, gently lifting Sasuke's chin up so the other would see his encouraging smile.

A second or two passed without anything happening, but then Sasuke gave in to Shisui's request. And really, when he thought about Itachi, how could he be gloomy? "Better?"

"Lots. What would you say if I'd offer to treat you to something?" the older Uchiha offered.

"Really? You'd do that?!" Sasuke repeated with that brilliant smile once again as he resumed his previous cheerfulness.

"Of course! Anything for you…"

With a happy cheer, Sasuke quickly rose and grabbed Shisui's hand again. Side by side, they returned to the lively streets, not looking at all if they had just had a serious conversation. But it was only short-lived, as they soon found out.

"Itoko, look! It's nii-san!" Sasuke cried suddenly. They had only just reached the main street when they saw Itachi and his team standing there, talking idly.

"Well, speaking of the devil!" Shisui whistled. It was as if fate was on their side, having come to cheer Sasuke up as well and return the love to him that he had been musing about.

With excitement kicking in full-blast, Sasuke let go of Shisui's hand and had already begun to run up to his sibling, eager to fling his arms around his waist in a typical welcoming. But then something happened that made him stop in his tracks, something that chased away his joy instantly. His eyes widened in confusion and incredulity. He thought he had stumbled right into a bad dream.

Behind him, Shisui's jaw dropped, making him gape like a fish.

Itachi was kissing Misaki. He was kissing her, and not just by means of a peck on the cheek. And even though he wasn't exactly ravishing her mouth, there was no doubt that this kiss was the type that could also be described as "swapping spit".

Time really seemed to be standing still as the other two Uchihas gawked at the scene. Both were too much in shock to react immediately. Sasuke had the dim, strange feeling that his legs were gone – because whatever was supporting his weight as he stood there, he couldn't feel it. He felt numb. Even his heart might have probably stopped if it hadn't been beating all on its own. His mind was chanting in an increasingly desperate manner:

'This can't be, this can't be, this can't be…!'

The kiss was ended, and Sasuke still couldn't move. He could only stare in horror as his brother looked at Misaki in a weird way, a way in which he had never looked at Sasuke before (at least, not that anybody had seen). It was pretty much a lascivious look, even though the youngster hadn't yet heard such an expression before.

"…Holy shit!" a voice said beside him, and a hand was put on his shoulder.

Very faintly, Sasuke registered it to be warm. A comforting touch. Feeling alienated to his own body, he looked up to see that Shisui was standing beside him once more. His cousin had a look on his face that couldn't be described in one word, so Sasuke took notice of the ones he could recognize, naming them separately: shock, disbelief… and anger. No matter how unexpected this situation was, Sasuke was startled to see his cousin being angry with Itachi. It was so unfamiliar… and given their closeness, it also seemed unrealistic.

"I don't believe it…"

And along with Shisui, Sasuke finally found his voice again. But it was little more than a whine, drenched with hurt. "Itoko, why…? It hurts… it hurts very much…!"

"Sasuke…" Shisui knitted his brow in worry and sympathy for the boy, and looked down only to see him emphasize his point by clutching at his shirt, right where his heart was. His big eyes were widened in bewilderment and desperation, and as he looked right into them, seeing no walls of any sort built around Sasuke's core, he remembered a question he had been asked, one that he hadn't expected to hear from his other cousin:

"Have you ever felt like you were suddenly losing ground?"

"Hush, Sasuke… we'll sort this out…"

Looking utterly lost, Sasuke gazed at Itachi again. And held his breath when the elder just happened to look their way, spotting them. He looked just like Itachi… every bit… and yet it simply couldn't be him. It couldn't be true. He was looking Sasuke straight in the eye, but there was no love in those black depths. It was a blank expression, like one had when simply acknowledging another being in one's presence. Nothing more. Sasuke wildly wondered if love could die so suddenly, because he doubted that this was some sort of joke – and if it was, it certainly wasn't funny.

"I'll be right there, I just need to go write the mission report first," Itachi said, raising his hand in a simple salute before turning away, heading off with his teammates.

He even sounded like Itachi! And yet… "Who is that?" Sasuke whispered, watching his sibling go. "He looks like nii-san… he sounds like him too… but he… he's so strange."

"I agree," Shisui replied, tightening his grip on Sasuke's shoulder a bit as his emotions threatened to get the better of him. "Something is fishy. He didn't even say hello."

"Itoko?"

"Hmm?"

"I wanna go home," Sasuke murmured, bowing his head as he felt his eyes become wet.

"Want me to come along for a while?" Shisui offered.

"If you don't need to be someplace else…"

"I have the day off, remember?"

"…That could be…"

It pained Shisui to see Sasuke being so confused and distraught. His thoughts were racing as he tried to come up with an explanation for Itachi's behavior, but so far without success. He sure had appeared to be sober… and as far as he knew, Itachi hadn't ever hinted at being attracted to Misaki. Had someone drugged him, perhaps? And if so, who? Shisui swore to cut the culprit's neck with a newly sharpened kunai. Or a katana. That would be even better.

They walked all the way back to Sasuke's house in silence. The atmosphere around them was cheerful and light-hearted, but it couldn't get to them anymore, as if it were repelled by an invisible wall around them. Neither one of them felt like laughing after what they had just witnessed.

"Ah, you two are back already? I thought –" Mikoto began, but silenced the very instant she saw the looks on the boys' faces. "What's wrong? Sasuke…?"

But he refused to look at her, fearing that if he did, he would tell her everything and thus break his promise to Itachi. He held on tightly to Shisui's hand in a silent plea for help. His cousin gave it a reassuring squeeze. It felt almost like when Itachi did the same thing.

"I'll handle this, Mikoto. Sasuke just… isn't feeling so well at the moment." And that was the truth, even though his reason differed from what Mikoto believed to be the cause.

"Are you sure? He isn't about to fall ill again, is he?" Mikoto asked worriedly.

"No, no… it's a mental thing," Shisui told her before he and Sasuke rounded the corner to go upstairs.

"I really don't understand… was that really him?" Sasuke muttered incredulously as he curled up on the bed.

"Something was off, yes… but you do seem to be strongly doubting that that was Itachi," Shisui remarked, flicking a stray bang out of Sasuke's face.

"He has never looked at me like that before, itoko. When he looks at me, I can tell I am appreciated… that I am… special. But now, I saw nothing of that. It was as if that was just…" Sasuke struggled to explain what he meant. The word was on the tip of his tongue, but it apparently had decided to stay there as he racked his brains. "Not him, but someone else who merely looks like him…"

"You mean an imposter?" Shisui exclaimed.

Sasuke shrugged helplessly. "Or do you think that nii-san wouldn't love me so suddenly anymore?"

Slowly and silently, Shisui shook his head, looking dead serious.

"I don't know what to think right now," Sasuke sighed miserably. "Nii-san said he loves me more than I can imagine… and when we… um… kiss," (he blushed slightly as he said that) "it feels so good that I wish it would never end. I don't want to lose that…" He faltered. The thought of losing Itachi, losing this special love that he cherished so much, it scared him. When he thought about that, he felt as if he could never be happy again.

"You won't, Sasuke. Something about this ordeal stinks to the high heavens – tell your parents I take full responsibility for having defiled your vocabulary with an expression like that –" (Sasuke giggled feebly in spite of himself) "– and I will try and get to the bottom of this. Just hang on, little buddy, and don't give up on what you two share. Itachi still loves you, and I'll eat my hat if that really has changed!" he declared in a very valiant way, raising his index finger as well.

"But you don't wear a hat. Not unless you have dressed up as Santa," Sasuke pointed out.

"…Um, it's just a figure of speech, Sasuke." Shisui sweatdropped, but was glad to see that he was managing to cheer the younger one up a bit anyway.

"Oh. Okay. I hope you're right…"

'So do I.' "That's the spirit. Give me a minute; I'll be right back."

With that said, he shortly left Sasuke to tell Mikoto that there was practically nothing she had to worry about. But he also asked a favor of her:

"When Itachi comes home, stall him. I need to talk to him, preferably before Sasuke does."

"Are you having a row with each other?"

"No, but there is something very important that I need to discuss with him. Please, Mikoto."

"…Alright." She didn't sound very thrilled; then again, Shisui couldn't say anything different of himself. But this had to be done. And now all he could do was wait.

Several hours later, night had fallen, and Sasuke was asleep, tossing and turning in his bed in his slumber as his dreads followed him all the way to his dreams. Mikoto was getting ready to hit the hay herself while Fugaku was in his study doing God-knew-what. It was then that a familiar prodigy approached the house. Shisui had been keeping watch and took his place behind the door, standing there with his arms crossed. A few minutes later, the door slid open, and a rather weary-looking Itachi stood there. His senses shot to red alert when he suddenly found himself being greeted by a bristling shadow with Sharingan eyes.

"What on earth…?!"

That was as far as he got before the shadow lunged at him – and as it advanced into the moonlight, he recognized his unexpected attacker.

Um... (timid voice) how was it? One thing is for sure: I have done better. But currently, this is all I can do. This is when it bugs me that my thoughts are racing ahead... who wants to bet that once I have caught up with them, they will already have raced off again? ^^;

The first part came to my mind when I listened to "Reise, Reise" by Rammstein. There's a line that kinda fits Madara, if you ask me, and I'm considering to somehow include that somewhere along the line. It doesn't sound as good in English as it does in German, but I'll just hope it'll do the trick. As for the third part, I got that idea on Friday, so it's still fairly new. More scrap work from me...

I'm almost afraid to ask, but I'll do so anyhow: review, please? And don't forget your opinions concerning a possible sequel.

Gotta go now, or I'll really be dead meat tomorrow (and something tells me that I'll need my strength then -.-)!

~devotedtodreams