(sigh) Forgive me for not updating in almost a week, but I've been very busy and very tired upon getting home in the evening. I hardly ever turned on my laptop, even! But I hope I won't have to let you wait like this so often anymore. My parents are back from their cruise, and I'm still alive, even after I forgot to water the plants and let quite a few of them die (luckily for me, they weren't the tropical ones and would have died soon anyway).

So now that everything's back to normal and I feel refreshed again and ready for a new week, here's another prompt for you guys! Sorry it's a short one, but sooner or later, I'll have to "get rid" of those too, ne? ;)

Note: AU, I suppose - because of the song mentioned at the end. I don't own it, by the way.

Prompt #31: Flowers

"Nii-san, I wanna go on the swings! Will you give me a push? And can we go on the see-saw? I'm so happy that we finally have an afternoon to ourselves…!"

"So am I, otouto. But do remember to breathe – I don't want you to drop dead because you forgot about respiration," Itachi replied, fondly ruffling his overenthusiastic little brother's hair.

"Really? Oh, okay. I'll try to remember. Hey, do you think we should go on the swings first… or on the see-saw? And maybe I could have another go at the spring riders, I'm sure I won't fall off this time –"

"Itachi! Over here!"

The older Uchiha looked in the direction of the voice that called to him, and for a moment, he looked stunned before exclaiming happily:

"Shisui!"

"Nii-san?" little Sasuke questioned, pouting a bit upon losing the other's attention so abruptly.

Before Itachi could answer, Shisui had run over to them and immediately gave his friend a bear hug.

"Man, it seems ages ago when I last saw you!"

"Oh, don't be a drama queen; I've just been gone for a couple of months!"

"Well, excuse me that you're my best friend…!"

They laughed loudly as Shisui cuffed Itachi's shoulder in a playful manner.

"Nii-san!" Sasuke chimed in, impatiently tugging at his sibling's shorts.

"Oh… um, listen, otouto, could you excuse me for a few moments? I'd like to exchange a few words with Shisui…"

The pout returned ten-fold to the youngster's face as he crossed his arms, sulking. Why was it that every time he wanted to spend some time alone with his brother that something interfered?! And since he knew how much Shisui had been missed, he was rightfully suspicious of the "few words" part.

Itachi knelt down in front of Sasuke, sensing that he wasn't being trusted. "I promise I won't be long. Honestly. Just go play with the others a bit, okay? You should start hanging around other people anyway."

Sasuke glanced at the other children and frowned. Itachi sighed. Their mother was right; apart from Itachi, the boy hardly socialized with anyone. Why on earth their younger son was so drawn to him, they didn't know or didn't understand.

"Please, Sasuke. I promise I'll get back to you. Unless you want to come with us…"

Cocking his head at that suggestion, Sasuke looked at Shisui, who grinned and saluted him.

"Hiya, squirt!"

Even when Sasuke scowled angrily, he looked rather cute, Itachi thought amusedly.

"Alright. But remember your promise, nii-san," Sasuke agreed, trying to sound threatening.

"I will."

Reluctantly, Sasuke slouched over to the other little kids while Itachi and Shisui stretched out beneath a tree, catching up on things that had happened since their last meeting.

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

Later, Itachi bade Shisui goodbye, keeping the promise he had made. And no sooner was he alone when Sasuke came running towards him as if stung by a black adder. He wasn't a happy camper at all: a bunch of flowers had been stuck into his hair. Evidently, the culprits were a blonde, her pink-haired friend and a blond boy, all three of them snickering gleefully.

"See what happens when you leave me alone?!" Sasuke screeched, pointing at his hair.

"What's wrong, Sasuke? Don't you like flowers?" Itachi asked, reaching out to touch one of the daisies.

"Not in my hair, no! You owe me big time for this!"

"Hmm… fine. How about an ice cream?"

It was remarkable how much Sasuke brightened at that suggestion. "Yay, ice cream!"

"Come, otouto," Itachi invited him, and a split second later, Sasuke had jumped on his back – he loved piggyback rides. As Itachi headed for the nearest ice cream parlor, Sasuke grumbled about the "stupid flowers", trying to get them out of his hair. Suddenly, Itachi was reminded of something, and with an almost dreamy smile, he began to hum a tune under his breath.

"What are you singing, nii-san?" Sasuke inquired.

"Just an old song…"

Sasuke shook his head, not understanding what made Itachi suddenly want to sing, and continued to fiddle with his hair while Itachi kept on humming:

"If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair…"

(word count: 700)

Somehow, this just popped into my mind when I was recently listening to Scott McKenzie's "If You're Going To San Francisco". Lol, little Sasuke with flowers in his hair...! XD Gomen nasai, Sasuke, but that's just my weird fantasy! ;)

Review, please! Oh, and many thanks to susana - I really appreciated the additional reviews I got from you! :)

(P.S: I've rediscovered an ItaSasu oneshot I had started quite a while ago, and I'll probably finish it sometime soon - it's too long to belong in this collection of prompts, but what the heck...)