Woot! Sorry this took so long! (yes, it was long for me. I like updating super fast, it makes me feel proud)

And so here we have the second part of Our Reasons for Being Here.

Sorry, but Kakashi's group isn't covered in this chapter. They are in the next. No, not more background stories. I'm saving that for something...special. *grins wickedly*

Also, to all my reviewers thank you so much! I love getting your reviews, but sometimes I can't always aswer them...so I'll say thank you right here! THANK YOU!

And, once again, a very, very SPECIAL thank you goes out to SilverXStarlight. She ROCKS! *huggles her* it's thanks to this chickie right here that I get so fired up to write long chapters! PRAISE HER PEOPLE!

Okay! I've delayed for long enough, have I not? No more waiting! Here's the next update!

READ ON!

Our Reasons for Being Here 2

The air surrounding them was thick with tension. Fiery magenta eyes burned into calm green ones. A shaking hand carefully picked the small wooden piece up.

A single bead of sweat dripped down a peach forehead. Suddenly, the hand moved, slamming the small piece down and making a loud 'tap' sound echo in the otherwise silent room.

"HA! Check out that move! Fuck yeah!" Hidan called triumphantly, enjoying his moment of genius.

"Checkmate." Kakuzu said nonchalantly, placing his own piece down on the board. Hidan froze halfway through a victory dance, his eyes bugging out of his head as he stared at the chessboard.

"NO FUCKING WAY!" he screeched, pointing at the board. "There's no way in hell you won again!"

Kakuzu shrugged, staring at his nails. "It's not my fault you suck." He said.

"Fuck you, Stitches! I want a rematch!" Hidan demanded, slamming his hand on the table. Kakuzu rolled his eyes.

"You've 're-matched' me about eight times now. Just admit defeat before you hurt yourself." He said.

"No fucking way! I'm going to beat your hacked up ass! Just you wait, asshole!" Hidan declared, resetting the board viciously.

Kakuzu sighed as he watched his partner. 'He's such an idiot.' He thought.

They were sitting in the living room, or 'Home Base' as Kakashi had called it. The toher teams had been gone for a while, but no one had called in asking for help, so they were simply waiting. They had found the chess board and decided to use it to pass the time. It was fun the first three times, but Hidan kept losing so easily, Kakuzu had lost interest.

Ignoring the grumbling of his partner, his eyes travelled to the doorway.

For a split second, he swore he saw a flash of orange.

'I think my eyes need to be tested.' He thought again, turning back. He blinked.

"Hidan...why is my King surrounded by your Pawns?"

"Hush fool! They're performing the ritual of Lord Jashin on your pathetic King!" Hidan said excitedly.

Kakuzu groaned and face palmed. 'I really, really want a new partner.' He thought miserably.

Itachi was getting annoyed.

Sure, he could understand the desire to see his opponents move first but...

-An owl hooted in the distance.-

This was just ridiculous.

Kisame was standing beside him, his eyes large and wide and dry from the effort of not blinking too much.

Itachi, well practiced at not blinking for long periods of time wasn't suffering as much.

"Itachi."

"Yes?"

"I need to blink."

"Okay."

Kisame blinked. A lot.

Itachi kept his eyes open the whole time, making sure he didn't miss anything their spectral opponent might do.

The ghost of Kimimaro was just hovering there, still holding that bone-sword in his hand. He just stared at them, his eyes never moving from their forms.

"I'm getting really tired of playing this 'glare-game'." Kisame muttered bitterly as his eyes watered. Itachi had to admit that even his eyes were beginning to get itchy.

But...he really didn't want to make the first move.

"Kisame...just hold out for a little longer okay?" he murmured.

Kisame whined pitifully. "But I need to pee!" he hissed.

Itachi couldn't stop himself.

He blinked.

And the ghost moved.

"Shit!" Kisame yelled, diving to the side as the bone-sword jabbed into the air his head had been moments before.

Itachi pushed himself to the side, his feet sliding along the ground and kicking up dirt and dust as he did so. He crouched, grit his teeth and launched forwards, hands reaching in his pockets for the small holy-water bombs Deidara had provided to him.

He threw one, his aim perfect. It reached Kimimaro's forehead and exploded just before touching.

A spray of water filled the air, and Kimimaro jumped back, his spirit-skin burning and boiling.

Kisame cheered from his spot on the ground, and Itachi smirked.

Both victory actions were brought to an end when Kimimaro raised his hands. Small, bullet like bones shot out, thudding loudly into the surrounding trees, ground and, with a loud screech, Kisame's foot.

"OW! He's using bones as bullets!" Kisame yelled.

Itachi's eyes widened and he ducked to the ground, three bullets whizzing over his head loudly. Kimimaro shot towards him, leaving a slight after trail of grey blur.

Itachi climbed to his feet in time to see a pair of burning grey eyes, and feel a very solid hand pressed against his chest. He grunted as a tremendous pressure pulsed through his chest and he was thrown backwards, landing painfully on the hard ground.

"ITACHI!" Kisame called, pushing himself to his feet and limping over to the raven.

Itachi groaned as Kisame helped him into a sitting position. "I think we were better off with the 'glaring-game'." He wheezed. Kisame grimaced.

"Sorry."

"It's not your fau-" Itachi cut himself off when he felt something rise up in his throat.

He twisted over just in time, retching onto the grass beside him. Kisame cursed from behind and Itachi grit his teeth, trying to will down the shaking.

'Whatever that spirit did, it's not good.' He thought as another wave of nausea washed over him.

Kisame was rubbing his back, keeping his eyes on the enemy.

Kimimaro was gliding over the floor, a blank look on his face. He still held the sword, occasionally slashing through the air as if to test it. Kisame growled, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the protective charm.

He placed it in front of him and muttered a few strange words. The air around them shimmered as an almost invisible barrier formed.

"Itachi, are you okay?" Kisame asked once he was sure the barrier was stable. Itachi coughed a bit, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and nodded.

"Yeah, I think so." He murmured, sitting up a bit. He looked forward, seeing Kimimaro through the hazy air of the barrier. "We need to come up with a plan." He said.

Kisame snorted. "No shit."

Itachi glared at him for a moment before returning back to his target. 'Okay, think. He utalizes his bones as weapons. Judging from those projectiles earlier, he more than likely has an unlimited supply.'

Kimimaro slashed the sword near a tree, and after a few seconds the sound of creaking reached their ears. They watched in awe as the tree slowly slid down before crashing to a heap on the ground.

'And it seems he can control the density as well. This could become a problem if we don't deal with it soon.' Itachi concluded.

He climbed to his feet, his legs feeling weaker than earlier. He cursed mentally. Whatver Kimimaro had dealt to him was affecting his bodies functions. He felt weaker and exhausted.

Leaning onto Kisame slightly to remain standing, he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"So, what's the plan?" Kisame whispered.

"We have to use close combat with him. Judging from earlier, it takes some time to re-arrange his bones and extract them from his body. We could get an opening then." Itachi explained in a low voice.

Kisame groaned. "I hate the up close and personal battles." He whined. Itachi elbowed him in the side and Kisame sighed unhappily. "But, I guess I've got no say in the matter."

"That's correct."

"Bastard."

"That's what I've heard." Itachi smirked. Kisame grinned beside him.

"Let's go then, Itachi-san." He said lightly.

They broke out of the safety of the barrier, running full speed. Kimimaro turned his body, raising his left hand.

Kisame dodged to the right while Itachi went to the left, the bullets whistling over head and between them.

'Now! He's open!'

Itachi ducked low, pulling out another holy-water bomb. He knew it would hurt like hell, but he was focused on getting a good hit.

He pushed himself forward until he was almost beside Kimimaro before slamming his hand, palm-down, onto the spirits chest. The small bomb exploded, pain shooting up Itachi's fingers, but he didn't remove his hand. The water, with no place to really go, burst against Kimimaro and Itachi's skin.

Immediately, Kimimaro writhed as the skin around Itachi's hand began boiling and bubbling, slowly burning away to reveal the next layer of tissue.

Itachi grimaced at the more than disgusting sight and pulled his hand back, ignoring the stinging pain in his hand.

Kisame ran up beside him, stopping to watch in mild disgust and mild satisfaction as Kimimaro screamed soundlessly.

"Did we get him?"

Itachi watched as Kimimaro sunk to the ground, hands clawing at the burning skin. He smirked.

"I believe we did."

They smiled happily, turning to leave.

The air grew icy in seconds, causing the boys to freeze in their tracks. (Puns...you gotta love 'em! XD)

"Uh-oh." Kisame hissed.

The two swung around, only to see a blur. Dirst, dust and bone was tossed up around them, confusing them. They couldn't tell where the other was, and all sound was limited to coughs and hacking as dust poured into their mouths.

Itachi scrunched his eyes, trying to see something, anything, through the mass of dirt. He could vaguely make out a shape of what he assumed, and hoped, was Kisame.

"Kisame!" he called out.

"Over here!"

The voice...came from the left.

The shape...was to his right.

Itachi felt his breath catch when the shape disappeared. He spun around, aiming to run to Kisame when he was overwhelmed with pain.

The dust began to clear, revealing the scene.

Kisame had stumbled and fallen to the ground. He looked up, and his eyes bulged.

"No! ITACHI!"

Itachi stood, a look of shock and pain contorting his normally stoic face. He was glaring in front of him, his hands reaching up to his chest to clutch...at the handle of the bone-sword that was lodged inside his body.

He coughed, blood spurting out and onto the floor. Kimimaro's spirit stared at him impassively, his hands hanging by his sides almost lazily as he surveyed the Uchiha.

Itachi grit his teeth, trying and failing to pull the object out of his chest.

He could hear Kisame struggling to get to his feet, and glanced over at his blue-haired friend.

In that split second of broken eye contact, Kimimaro spun, bringing his leg up and delivering a powerful blow to Itachi's stomach, sending the raven skidding across the ground and coming to a stop a few metres away.

"ITACHI!"

Itachi felt heavy. He couldn't lift his arms and keeping his eyes open seemed much to tiring. His vision was already blurred and all he could feel was a creeping cold.

"ITACHI!"

"ITACHI!"

Kisame was still calling him, but he had no strength to answer. As the voice continued, he noticed it seemed to change from a deep voice to a higher one...one of a young child from his memory.

"ITACHI-NII-SAN!"

'Sasuke?'

There was a loud crash, soon followed by a squeal of fright. Ten year old Itachi's head shot up from his book and he quickly jogged out of his room. Running down the hall, he followed the sounds of crying until he came to the nursery.

Opening the door, he looked inside and gasped.

The crib near the far wall had caving in on its legs, sending it crashing to the floor. Behind the bars, resting on the soft pillow was a tiny toddler, wailing in fear at having been tossed to the ground so suddenly, and so noisily.

Itachi darted across the room, leant over the wooden bars of the crib and scooped the terrified child into his arms. "Ssh! It's okay, little guy. It's alright!" he cooed nervously.

The baby only continued to cry, clinging to his shirt. Itachi swallowed, unsure of what to do. There came a soft sigh from behind him. He spun around to see his mother, Mikoto, leaning in the doorway and watching him with a soft smile.

"M-mother!"

"He can sense you're nervous." She replied, nodding towards the tiny baby. Itachi blinked and stared down at the small thing.

Rosy cheeks and pale skin clashed, along with a light coating of raven black hair. Itachi looked at his little brother and took a breath, knowing he needed to calm his nerves and be strong.

"Hush now, Sasuke. I'm here. It's okay." He cooed again, rocking the wailing baby gently. Sasuke cried for a few more seconds before it slowed into a few light sniffles. Large onyx coloured eyes opened up and stared at Itachi.

Itachi stared back.

Mikoto smiled warmly at her two sons. "Good job, Itachi. Remember, babies are able to sense the emotions of those around them. When a baby is scared, it only makes it worse if the people around them are scared too. When Sasuke gets a fright, he'll want someone strong to latch onto and keep him safe." She whispered, patting both boys affectionately on the head.

Itachi nodded, never taking his eyes off the innocent black orbs watching him. A tiny, chubby hand reached up and grabbed his cheek, pinching. He grunted as the hand pulled, spreading his cheek out.

A delighted squeal erupted out of Sasuke's mouth as he made Itachi 'smile'. Mikoto giggled at her oldest son's expense. "He really likes it when you smile, Itachi." She said.

Itachi blinked down at the child, before grudgingly placing a smile on his lips. Sasuke laughed happily.

"Tach!" he squeaked.

Mikoto and Itachi gasped at hearing the first word-like noise coming from the young boy. Mikoto smiles wide.

"That's right. This is Itachi!" she said, motioning to said boy. Sasuke smiled innocently and tried again.

"..'Tachi!"

"Close enough!" Mikoto giggled, utterly overjoyed at the fact that her baby was saying something. Her heart warmed at the fact that Sasuke's first words were attempts at his brother's name.

Itachi was stunned, wondering why on earth the young child would want to say his name first. He was sure his first words were 'play with me now'. At least, that's what his mother told him.

His father said it was more along the lines of 'serve me'.

Somehow, he believed his father more.

"'Tachi!" Sasuke called happily, slapping the older Uchiha on the cheeks to get his attention. Itachi blinked out of his thoughts and looked down at his little brother.

A small smile made its way onto his face. "Hello...otouto." he whispered.

"We will be gone for about three days. Make sure to keep an eye on your brother and get him to bed on time." Fugaku Uchiha ordered. The fourteen year old boy before him nodded silently.

Mikoto frowned at her husband's strict voice. "Fugaku, dear." She subtly scolded. Fugaku glanced at his wife and sighed.

"Take care of yourself, Itachi." He said, a bit softer. Itachi looked up and nodded again.

"I will, father. And Sasuke too." He promised, determinedly. Fugaku smiled down at his son, patting him on the shoulder before heading to the car. Mikoto smiled.

"Be good now, Itachi. And make sure both you and Sasuke have something good to eat! Also, don't let him watch too much T.V!" she called as the car started and rolled down the driveway. Itachi waved and waited until his parents were out of sight before heading back inside.

"Sasuke?" he called.

There was a smattering of footsteps before a loud battle cry was heard. Itachi spun around in time to catch the blur of black and blue that had jumped onto him from the nearby staircase.

"Nii-san!" the blur called happily.

Itachi held Sasuke securely to his chest, looking down at the boy. "Don't you think you're getting a bit heavy to jump on me like that?" he asked.

Sasuke shook his head. "No. Nii-san is strong enough." He assured.

Itachi sighed and walked towards the living room, carrying the five-year old in his arms easily.

"What do you want to do?" he asked.

"Can we watch T.V?" Sasuke asked excitedly. He hardly ever got to watch T.V. His mother said it wasn't good for him.

Bah...what did she know?

Itachi nodded and let Sasuke fall onto the couch before taking a seat next to him and flipping on the big screen television. Sasuke watched the screen, his eyes wide and glossy and his mouth hanging open. Itachi observed his little brother, noting how his mother was right. T.V really did make Sasuke brainless.

The show that was airing was one about ghost hunters. Itachi sighed, raising the remote to change the channel to some cartoons when Sasuke's hand shot out, snatching the remote from his hand. Itachi blinked at his now empty palm before slowly turning to his brother.

Sasuke was clutching the remote to his chest, staring at the screen with rapt interest.

"Sasuke?" Itachi questioned. The smaller raven shushed him loudly.

"I want to watch this!" he whispered, never moving his eyes from the screen.

Itachi raised an eyebrow but kept quiet. He turned t the T.V, watching in slight fascination as the crew explored an old warehouse that had been said to be haunted.

When it got to the part where things began flying around on their own, Sasuke gasped loudly, slapping hands over his mouth and his eyes bulging. Itachi almost laughed at the overly dramatic expression. It was so unlike an Uchiha to show such emotion.

"Nii-san! The chairs are floating!" Sasuke squeaked, staring at his brother in awe. Itachi smirked and nodded.

"Yes. It's because of the ghosts." He said seriously. Sasuke twisted around in his seat until his whole body was facing Itachi's, and he looked at the older raven intensely.

"Are ghosts real?" he asked. Itachi thought about it, wondering what to say.

"Well, I'm not sure. I've never seen one, so I can't say from experience." He said slowly. Sasuke looked disappointed and Itachi felt a pang of remorse. He could see his little brother loved the idea of ghosts, if the excited gleam in the younger raven's eyes as they watched the screen was any indication.

Suddenly, his incredible Uchiha brain dinged with an idea, and he hid a smirk from his smaller copy. 'Time to make a call.' He thought.

"Where are we going, Nii-san?" Sasuke asked, swinging his and his brother's hands back and forth as they strolled along the empty pathway.

Itachi smirked. "You'll see. It's a surprise." He said. Sasuke grinned in anticipation, walking just a bit faster.

Itachi hoped that his friend had gotten everything ready in time. He would hate for Sasuke to discover his little plan before it could take place. That would result in a very upset and angry five year old raven that Itachi really didn't want to have to deal with.

Slowly the old warehouses came into view, and Sasuke gripped Itachi's hand a bit tighter. "Those are like in the T.V show!" he said. Itachi nodded.

"I heard a rumour that there was a ghost. We're going to go and find it." He said. Sasuke looked up at him, his eyes wide.

"You mean like the people on T.V?" he asked in awe. Itachi nodded.

"I even brought a camera with me." He said, holding up the small video camera. Sasuke opened his mouth wide in a happy sigh, his eyes shining with excitement.

He turned to the warehouses, his round face bright with determination. "We're going to hunt a ghost! We're the Awesome Uchiha Ghost Busters!" he cried, starting to jog forward a bit. Itachi chuckled, following behind his brother.

"Awesome Uchiha Ghost Busters?" he questioned. Sasuke nodded eagerly, dragging his older brother along.

When they reached the large warehouse door, he paused, looking around. "Ne, Nii-san. It's getting dark. Are you sure we can do this?" he asked. Itachi nodded.

"I also brought a flashlight, so we can see. And I'm going to be right beside you the whole time, so you don't have to worry." He said, holding up the object. Sasuke grinned and turned back to the warehouse, taking a deep breath before trying to pull the door open.

Itachi watched in amusement as his brother pulled, pushed, scratched and did everything else imaginable to try and open the door. He even pounded his small fists on the metal, as if someone inside would open the door. Finally, when he had made zero progress, he sat down, crossed his arms and pouted childishly, glaring at the sheet of metal preventing his entrance.

"Stupid door." He grumbled.

Itachi laughed lightly at his little brother's antics before walking over to the large frame. He made sure his brother could see him before flipping the latch and...unlocking the door.

Smirking at his brother's gaping jaw, he easily slid the door to the side with one hand and bowed dramatically. "Ladies first." He smirked.

Sasuke puffed his cheeks out in indignation, but upon setting eyes on the spooky and dim interior, his anger diminished to be replaced with excitement.

He carefully tiptoed into the building, pausing to wait for Itachi to come inside. Itachi slid the door closed before clicking on the flashlight and sweeping it over the room.

Sasuke shuffled over and gripped his brother's jacket tightly, his eyes wide as they adjusted to the darkness. "Nii-san...how are we going to find the ghost?" he whispered.

Itachi stepped forwards, Sasuke following like a shadow. "Well, we'll explore for a bit to see if the ghost will come out on its own. If not, then we can try calling to it." He explained.

Sasuke nodded and together they slowly moved further into the warehouse, stopping to examine a, as Sasuke described it, 'suspicious object'.

Itachi wasn't sure how a cobweb, a wrench and an old Hustler magazine were suspicious objects.

Of course, he didn't let Sasuke really look at that last one. Instead he snatched it up and tossed it clear over his shoulder in one sweeping movement, his expression blank the entire time.

They had explored most of the warehouse when Sasuke suddenly grabbed his hand, freezing.

"Sasuke?"

"Shush! Listen!" the small raven hissed. Itachi perked his ears and indeed he heard a faint noise. Almost like someone coughing.

"It must be the ghost." He whispered. He was glad the dark hid his face, for if Sasuke could see his triumphant smirk, it would surely have given the game away.

Sasuke gasped, waving his hands for a moment before dragging Itachi towards the noise. "Let's go see! Let's go see!" he chirped.

Itachi set the video camera to night-vision mode and recorded their steps. They travelled all the way to the opposite of the warehouse, passing storerooms and small offices as they went before finally reaching the last room. The newspapers had reported a fire in that room, and one person had died.

Itachi had to admit his friend had been clever to use that room. It would be all the more convincing.

When they neared the door, the sound of someone coughing reached their ears again.

Itachi frowned at how realistically painful the noise sounded, and hoped his friend Kakashi hadn't made the disguise gruesome to see. He only wanted to entertain his little brother's current fascination with ghosts, not scare the living shit out of him.

Sasuke slowly peeked through the doorway and stifled a gasp by slapping his hand over his mouth. He motioned frantically for his brother to look, and Itachi did.

He blinked.

At the other side of the room was a pale figure. It was a man. He looked to be quite old, with wispy white hair. He wore a very light uniform and was coughing into his hands.

Itachi was wondering how Kakashi had managed to convince some old geezer to help them with his plan. Then again, his friend did have a way with words. He shouldn't be too surprised.

Sasuke suddenly stepped into the open and cleared his throat. "Uh, excuse me?" he called, his voice higher than normal.

The old man slowly turned around, revealing a gaunt face. He didn't say anything, but only stared at them blankly and coughed a bit.

"You're dead." Sasuke said. Itachi saw how the small boy's hands were trembling, and he stepped next to his brother, placing an encouraging hand on his shoulder. Sasuke relaxed at the warm touch and continued. "You died a while ago, and you need to leave this place. Okay?"

The old man seemed to think about it, coughing a few times. Finally, he looked directly at the two boys and nodded. His mouth formed the words 'thank you' before he faded away into nothing.

Itachi's eyes widened. How in the hell had Kakashi pulled that off?

'Must have been a hologram or something...' he thought, trying to ignore the feeling in his gut.

Thankfully, he was distracted by Sasuke tugging on his arm. "I did it, Nii-san! I helped the ghost!" he squealed excitedly. Itachi smiled.

"And I've got it all on tape too." He said, holding up the video camera. Sasuke laughed in delight, and together they left the warehouse. After closing and locking the door, Itachi knelt down and let Sasuke climb onto his back.

The slowly made their way back home, with Sasuke chatting excitedly the whole half hour walk back. Often the small raven would ask if it had been real, saying that he could hardly believe it. Itachi just smiled.

By the time they arrived home, it was already quite dark, and Sasuke was tired, his eyes drooping. Itachi carried him all the way into his room and gently lay him down on his bed, pulling the blankets over him and brushing his hair out of his face.

"Goodnight, otouto." He said softly and left the room, turning out the light as he went.

Once downstairs, he sank down onto the couch and sighed, rolling his shoulder slightly. 'Sasuke's getting heavy. I should tell him to stop sneaking the cookies when mother isn't looking.' He chuckled to himself.

His eyes swept through the room and a flashing light caught his eye. It was his cellphone. He had a message.

Hoping it wasn't his father or mother, since they would be worried when he didn't answer right away, he flipped open the phone.

He sighed in relief. It was only a message from Kakashi. He looked at the time of retrieval and frowned. It had been sent half an hour after he left the house with Sasuke.

The same time they'd arrived at the warehouse.

Wondering what Kakashi had wanted to tell him he clicked the 'read' option. His eyes scanned the words, but by the end they were huge.

No. Way.

He couldn't believe it. It couldn't be.

The message read:

Hey Itachi. Sorry, but I've got a mid-life crises.

I won't be able to pretend to be the ghost and I can't get anyone else to do it in such short notice. I can't make it today, but maybe tomorrow.

Sorry.

Kakashi.

Itachi ran as fast as his legs could carry him.

His breathing was ragged and his legs hurt like hell, but he couldn't stop. He had to get home.

He had to get to Sasuke.

The entire morning, he'd had a bad feeling in his gut. Something was terribly wrong. He had tried to ignore it, saying he was just having one of those days, but as the day wore on, it only got worse.

By the time school ended, he'd given in. He knew something was wrong and he knew he had to get home now.

When his house came into view, his stomach plummeted. He could feel it. He could feel the evil arua surrounding his home. He knew something had happened.

'Shit! Shit! Please don't be too late! Sasuke!' he thought frantically, pushing himself to go even faster.

He ran up to his front door, and pushed through it, coming to an abrupt halt as a wave of freezing air and pure evil washed over him. He stumbled, feeling dizzy, but kept his balance.

'Sasuke. Sasuke. Sasuke!' he chanted in his mind, reminding himself what he had come to do.

Trying his best to ignore the feeling of dread, he ran into the hall and screamed "SASUKE! SASUKE WHERE ARE YOU!"

"ITACHI! IT'S MOM! SHE'S HURT!" he heard Sasuke scream from upstairs. His heart plummeted and he shot towards the stairs, taking them two at a time and ignoring the screaming protests of his muscles.

He had to get to Sasuke. He had to protect his little brother.

He sprinted down the hall and crashed through the door to his parent's bedroom, turning in time to see the white blur slashing down towards his baby brother.

Sasuke let out a loud scream as a claw came towards him, his eyes shutting in terror. His scream was accompanied by Itachi's shout of "NOOOOOO!"

There was a painful burning sensation in his eyes, as Itachi stared at the thing about to hurt his brother. It was all going in slow motion to him. He watched as the claw slowly descended, almost mocking him with its speed. And Sasuke was screaming. And he was yelling.

And the burning in his eyes got worse to the point he was blinded by the pain. He saw flashed of red, then black, then white and more red. When it cleared, almost as soon as it started, the spirit was disappearing in a cloud of black flames. Sasuke was on the floor, his eyes still shut tight and still screaming.

When the ghost disappeared, Itachi rushed forwards, pulling his terrified little brother into a strong embrace. He didn't bother to wonder how he'd destroyed the spirit. He didn't want to think about it.

He just wanted to get his brother to safety.

Sirens sounded loudly in the distance, alerting him that a neighbour had called the police, and maybe an ambulance.

Hopefully.

But when he looked up, past his brother's head, he froze. His mother's blank eyes stared back at him, lifeless and empty.

He felt the tears well up, but kept them back, choosing instead to pick the sobbing child up into his arms and carry him downstairs, away from the scene.

"How are you holding up?"

Itachi looked over the paperwork in his hand to see his old friend Hatake Kakashi sitting across from him, still reading the erotic novel he carried with him everywhere. He sighed.

"Better. Sasuke's talking again." He said.

Kakashi nodded, a smile behind his mask. "That's good."

"Hn."

"You know, Obito never used to use that noise. He always gave a real answer. Why is it that he succeeded where every other Uchiha failed?" Kakashi asked seriously.

Itachi smirked. "Because Obito was almost always high on medication." He said.

Kakashi chuckled. "Well, I can't argue with that. But it can be really annoying sometimes." He said.

Itachi continued reading the document, a frown marring his features. Suddenly, he stood up, scrunching the paper into a ball and tossing it across the room violently with a frustrated grunt. Kakashi was staring at him, his visible eye wide in surprise at the sudden show of emotion on the normally impassive raven.

"Itachi...?" he began slowly. Itachi fell back into his chair and placed his face in his hands.

"Sorry." He murmured. Kakashi closed his book and leant across the table.

"What's wrong?" he asked seriously. Itachi took a breath, letting it out slowly.

"The...the social workers...they want to take Sasuke away from me." He said, his voice strained.

Kakashi blinked. "Wait, what? Why?"

"They say that since I'm still just a student, and am unemployed, that I'm not capable of taking care of him by myself."

"...Where do they want to send him? I thought you didn't have any living relatives."

"We have one...our great grandfather Madara."

"So, why not just go to him along with Sasuke? You have the choice to stay or leave, I take it."

"There's a reason we haven't kept contact with him." Itachi said darkly. Kakashi leant back, taking this new piece in.

"What'd he do?"

"...He was the one who abused Obito."

Kakashi's face turned stony. "And the fucking social workers want to send Sasuke to him? What the fuck is wrong with them?" he spat.

Itachi shook his head. "I don't think...the social workers are the ones to blame here." He said carefully.

Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow. "...Madara?"

"Yes. He's powerful. He's got tons of lawyers working for him. He didn't even get punished after the case with cousin Obito. He just got off with a warning while Obito's mother took him back. I'm more than certain that he's the one trying to get Sasuke. He's pulling the strings and manipulating the social workers in an attempt to gain guardianship over Sasuke." Itachi's face was twisted into a vicious scowl. "Like hell I'm letting that monster anywhere near my little brother."

Kakashi entwined his fingers, thinking hard. "So, what do you need to do to convince the social worker's that you're more than capable of taking care of Sasuke?"

"The only real worry is money. My parent's owned the house, and it was put under my name after they died. However, the money they left is kept locked away until I'm eighteen. So for the time being, I've got no funds."

"But surely in this case, they can make an exception?"

Itachi laughed bitterly. "And once again, my great grandfather is pulling the strings. He's made sure I can't access that money ahead of time. He's planned this all out. He's desperate to get Sasuke, for some reason."

"So basically, you need a job and you need one today."

"Basically."

They lapsed into a heavy silence, both thinking. After a long moment, Kakashi cleared his throat.

"Well...I...I do have...I do have an offer for you." He said, almost awkwardly. Itachi looked up and nodded for him to continue.

Kakashi shifted in his seat, causing Itachi to raise a questioning eyebrow.

"What is it, Kakashi?"

"Well...I've recently started up this new business...It's actually really successful, which is surprising considering what I do. I've only got a few other people and I'm looking for more. The pay is good because, like I said, we make quite a lot."

Itachi perked up. "So you want me to join?"

"Well..."

"Okay. What do you do?"

Kakashi avoided his gaze, and Itachi smirked. "Don't tell me it's a gay stripper service?" he asked, amusement tinting his voice.

Kakashi laughed. "No, not quite. But that would be an interesting side-job." He mused.

Itachi chuckled before going serious again. "So? What kind of company is it?"

Kakashi sighed, looking as if he was about to drop an A-bomb on a poor, unsuspecting orphanage. "...It's a paranormal investigation and hunter service. It's called Rei-Senzai Inc."

The room went dead silent. Itachi sat rigid in his seat, his eyes blank along with his face. Kakashi waited nervously. He had hoped this wouldn't get to awkward. He was wondering if it had been a good idea to offer.

Itachi, meanwhile, was having an inner turmoil. He needed a job in order to keep Sasuke. But...he really, really didn't want anything to do with the supernatural. After all, the supernatural is what put him and his baby brother in this situation in the first place. He had so far tried to avoid all things ghostly, spiritual and paranormal, and hell, he'd done a bloody good job until now.

But...He had no idea if he could find another, well paying job in such a short amount of time.

He sighed loudly and wearily, laying his head on the table. Kakashi kept silent, watching his friend think to himself.

Finally, Itachi looked up and gave a short, curt nod. "Fine. I'm in."

Kakashi grinned beneath his mask and held a hand out over the table. "Great. Welcome to Rei-Senzai, Itachi-chan."

Itachi shook his hand, scowling. "Don't call me that, Hatake."

Kakashi laughed.

"I've got a new job."

"Hn."

"So you'll be staying with me."

"Hn."

"Don't you want to know what it is?"

"Hn."

Itachi frowned. 'Kakashi might have a point. That is pretty annoying.' He thought.

"Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

"Can you stop with the grunting? You sound like some sort of ape."

"...Fine."

Itachi sighed sadly. His little brother was so serious and cold. He was no longer the happy little boy he used to love. Itachi almost missed the surprise attacks Sasuke used to do. Sure, if the younger raven were to jump down the stairs and into him now, he might die, but at least it would be a quick death.

Watching his baby brother's slow descent into asshole-hood was killing him slowly.

They were sitting at the kitchen table, a plate of chicken strips, fried rice and stir-fried vegetables placed before them. Sasuke was eating his food mechanically, while Itachi watched him.

When he was done, the younger raven carried his empty plate to the sink before nodding thanks and heading upstairs to his room. Itachi finished his food quickly, dumping his plate in the sink.

He would do the dishes later.

Deciding he would check up on his little brother before going to bed, he quietly made his way upstairs.

He knew Sasuke fell asleep quickly, so he didn't call out or make a noise. Instead, he eased the bedroom door open until the light from the hallways illuminated the room.

His heart stopped.

Sasuke was sleeping peacefully in his bed, his face calm. Hovering right above him was a pale body, a gaunt face and white eyes.

It was reaching towards Sasuke, hands flexing slightly.

The room was freezing cold.

Itachi was rooted to the spot. He didn't know what to do. He glared at the white monstrosity, and everything slowed down.

His eyes began to burn again.

He glared harder, and once again the flashed of red, black and white occurred before the pain became blinding.

When his vision cleared, the thing was gone, a single black flame lingering in the air for a second before vanishing without a trace.

Sasuke slept through it all.

Itachi backed out of the room, letting the door shut by itself. His back hit the wall and he slid down slowly, his breathing slightly ragged now that the pain caught up with him. He placed a hand over his eyes, trying to calm the lingering burn.

"...What is this?" he questioned to himself.

He stayed in the hallway for a while, before slowly making his way to his own room.

He needed to sleep.

He started work the next day.

He blinked, looking around.

He was on the ground. He was covered in dirt and his chest was hurting like a bitch. He grunted, barely lifting his head to stare disdainfully at the bone sticking out of his chest. He grunted, reaching up and grabbing the exposed object.

The sound of someone getting kicked made him look up.

Kisame was a few meters away, running with a slight limp to catch the other person that was flying through the air.

"Gotcha!" the blue-haired man yelled as he caught the person.

Itachi scrunched his eyes, trying to see through the dust and darkness. He could make out crimson hair.

"Thanks." A new voice said. The person stood straight, raising their hands. Itachi saw they were holding to curved blades. He recognized those weapons.

They were the ones that had ancient inscriptions etched into the blades. Prayers, to be exact. They were used in holy sacrifice rituals in ancient times.

He blinked, watching as the newcomer twirled the blades, almost tauntingly before running forwards with a battle cry.

The pain pulsing through his chest brought him back to his reality, and he once again tugged at the offending item. It took three harsh tugs, during which his one-now-two comrades continued attacking Kimimaro, before the stupid thing relinquished and came out.

He coughed and grunted as the sword left his body and leant over to spit out the blood in his mouth. "Fuck." He cussed, glaring up.

"Itachi!" Kisame yelled upon seeing the raven climbing to his feet. Itachi raised a hand in acknowledgment, but kept his eyes focused on the grey spirit.

Kimimaro slowly turned to face him, eyes flashing in the moonlight.

Itachi glared and smirked at the same time. The longer he glared, the more profound the slight itching in his eyes became.

"No more playing around. This is over." He hissed.

His eyes began to burn.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!...and that's it for this chapter. So, how about that? Was it worth the wait? (I hope it was)

Well, I hope you all enjoyed the newest chapter! I really had fun writing the childish Sasuke. I had such a cute mental image in my mind of baby Sasuke *cooes and giggles* aw. Cute.

Uh, er...yeah, anyway. *clears throat* So, I'm not sure when the next chapter comes out, but I'll try to get it done soon! Please review, since they inspire me so!

Thanks again to all those that have been reviewing as we go along! You all ROCK-WITH-TOTAL-ROCKATUDENESS! (that is a compliment!)