AN: Just a short warning. The story contains some depressing fragments and the characters don't follow the best way to adress their emotional traumas. There is a lot of introspection into character's negative emotions.
Disclaimer: Obviously, Naruto's characters and Naruto's world were created by Masashi Kishimoto and they belong to their respective owners, not me. I borrow them to my story on the grounds of fair use.
Itachi was walking in circles in front of the Konoha Prison gate. The town was slowly waking up with the sounds of workshops and businesses being open, but this part of the sato, surrounded by the remnants of a forest, was still quiet. Beams of the rising sun fell almost horizontally, lying long shadows of trees and of the waiting man on the prison wall. Early morning carried sultry air, even though it was already the beginning of autumn. Itachi pulled the collar away from his neck, moved a loose bang from his forehead to his ponytail and then searched through his pockets. He already knew he had no cigarettes on him, but he needed to occupy his hands with something. He was not a regular smoker, but now a smoke would do him good. Today his younger brother Sasuke was to be released from prison.
Soon Itachi once again checked his watch nervously, straightened his jacket and corrected the tie. Everything was so calm except the man himself. For the tenth time he questioned his clothes choices. He was wearing a uniform he usually used at work, dark suit pants and a navy jacket embellished with Konoha's crest and POD acronym on the pads. The letters proudly stood for the Public Order Department. He wasn't the type to use his status in private life, but Kakashi advised him that this (not so) sublte reminder of Itachi's loyalty and position might help the Council reach a positive decision about Sasuke. From the other hand it might further strain his relationship with otouto, who apparently still kept a grudge against Konoha.
Truly, the man didn't know what he should expect after Sasuke's one-year detention in that place. They didn't part - lightly speaking - in best terms and the whole political turmoil around otouto's release had been giving him sleepless nights for months.
Then, what was Sasuke's true condition? Undoubtedly the town stood out from other satos regarding penitentiary policies, but still prison was not a 5-star hotel. He would never allow anybody to harm his otouto directly, however taking into account Sasuke's emotional vulnerability, the boy could have had a particularly harsh time there.
Itachi received periodical reports on his brother and they exchanged few letters, but they didn't see each other face to face. Young Uchiha was kept in one of the secret detentions centers under Hokage's direct command and was transferred to official Konoha prison only recently for his release. Only a few trusted people knew the exact location of the adolescent. At the beginning it was sato's security measures to keep the brothers separated and later it was to prevent remanants of Root or anyone holding grudge against Sasuke from hurting him. Somehow the siblings ended up not seeing each other for almost a year. Itachi would rather believe it was for Sasuke's safety and because of unfavorable political tide. However maybe it was otouto's reluctance he had read between the lines in his laconic letters that scared him off from seeking a chance for a meeting.
He was full of regrets, but he bet if he had turned back time to the last year, he would have been as lost with everything concerning Sasuke, as he felt now. With otouto there was just no right answer. If Itachi had insisted on visiting him, despite the objective obstacles, he would have probably only antagonized their relationship even further.
The gate finally grated and Itachi brought his attention back to reality. Slowly, the crack between the massive iron kept growing wider and wider. Uchiha's heart rate sped up and stress caught him in its grip, turning his hands into shaky leaves. What would he tell him? Would he manage to face him? No... It was just a warden standing between half-opened door, waving at him with his white-gloved hand to come closer. Disappointment hit him like a fist to the chest, knocking his breath out, and for a moment Itachi thought he was not going to make it, not going to cover these five meters to the guard.
"Uchiha-san! The inmate Uchiha Sasuke has been taken to Hokage," the warden said, not waiting for a question. Everybody knew Itachi because of his job and it was more than obvious why he was here today. The prison officer made a quick bow to acknowledge the visitor, looking apologetic as if it was his fault he let Sasuke to be lead away.
"Already?! When?" Itachi chewed on the information.
"About half an hour earlier. I am sorry sir, it was a sudden order."
Itachi had been preparing for today's meeting for days and the alteration to what he had projected hit him hard. He'd imagined he would talk to his brother before and then he would support Sasuke in his confrontation with the Council. This meeting could determine otouto's future, besides Itachi just wanted to be there for him. And to be completely true, he naively hoped for a happy reunion. Now all the plans turned useless. Kuso! The sudden change unnerved the experienced warrior more than it supposed to.
"Do you have a cigarette? Thank you."
The guard lit a cigarette for Itachi and hid behind the gate. The door closed with the sound of a thunder and silence fell to the world again. Uchiha breathed in deeply, trying to calm down and think as smoke filled his lungs. Maybe they didn't want villagers to see the escort and pushed it to an earlier hour. Itachi should have come earlier, should have predicted it.
He wanted to be a supportive big brother but he suddenly realized that his legs refused to move and the tight collar was suffocating him even more. That was not how it was supposed to be. Without Itachi Sasuke would make a scene before the Council, would have a tantrum, spit venom; to put it short - he was afraid that his younger brother would destroy their chance. The whole year would go to waste. Sudden dizziness hit his head. Was it from rising fear or nicotine kicking in, he couldn't tell. He leant against the wall for support, but the striking beams of the sun were like headlights of the upcoming danger. He was a rabbit caught before a force much bigger than him. The sole thought about what might go wrong immobilized him. That was not how an adult should act!
He let himself waste as much time as to finish his cigarette, meanwhile trying to collect his fidgety thoughts. He was a ninja who had gone through impossible missions, he was an officer who ensured safety for the town, he had... done what had to be done then. And now he was shaking like a leaf, afraid to meet his beloved brother and give him his support. He bitterly realized that more and more often he was thinking of Sasuke as a burden - that he would need to take care of him, worry about him, and probably try to fix him. Wait. No, the problem was all in Itachi, not Sasuke. He was just so stressed that he couldn't control himself anymore. Persistent thought from the back of his head had been questioning whether now he could do what he couldn't a year ago. Odds weren't really at... No. Stop!
Uchiha finally moved and now was passing through green alleys. The distance he had to cover from the prison, located at the outskirt of the town, to the center meant nothing else than that he was already terribly late. Maybe it was all over now; the life slipped through his hands again. He could feel he was slowly boiling in the jacket, shirt already drenched with sweat. Humid air and intrusive smell of decaying leaves didn't offer any respite. Still, he was meeting otouto today, wasn't he? But the thought didn't bring any joy right now. If Sasuke messed up with the Council, or if he was going back to prison... Kami, please.
Suddenly he felt he was no longer in hurry just like a child who tries to put off the need to go to school. He tried thinking about meeting Sasuke as a mission and it slightly helped. He gathered what had left of his courage and hastened to the downtown, armored in pretended confidence.
Itachi finally reached his destination. As always village leaders' stone faces gazed at him critically from above the Hokage Tower. He offered them a fleeting look. Wasting no more time he entered the round building and ran up the stairs to where the council meeting should be taking place. He knew the office layout almost by heart and dashed through the maze of wooden passages, afraid that any pause or detour would crush his resolve.
He turned the last corner and balked at the sight. Sasuke was there, a lonely figure sitting in the long corridor near the heavy oaken door. The teenage boy was clad in black, not exactly in a prison uniform, but a generic plain clothing, given to released prisoners or hospital patients that didn't own their own clothes. Black color of Sasuke's cloths matched his hair, now long enough to lie on his shoulders and hide his face from unwanted looks. His dark slim silhouette was like a stain of ink against bright walls, interrupting the monotony of space. Of course Itachi had cared to asked him what he would like to wear on that day, and having received no answer, he sent him a bright blue shirt, a gray cardigan and dark jeans - a normal neat set that to his mind would help the Council see otouto as a person, a lost boy and not as a vindictive criminal. He bet the only reason the teen didn't wear them was to show Itachi he didn't need him.
The ocean of conflicting thoughts and emotions overflew Itachi's mind. Old memories resurfaced, fears tangled with hopes. He was angry, because the whole year was stolen from them, excited at the meeting and at what would it bring, sad at the losses he didn't want to name this day. Now his steps became careful as if he walked the tightrope, world around unreal. Only one person mattered.
The boy was staring lifelessly at the floor and turned his head up only when Itachi already stood before him. Their eyes met. The man knelt before his brother to matched his height. Effusion of emotions hit the older Uchiha. He didn't care if the boy was angry at him or not. Otouto was right here and that was enough! They're finally together!
"Sasuke! Otouto!" Itachi whispered. He indented to go with a more appropriate greeting but his tightened throat allowed only as much. Reality called him back soon though. He sensed the uneasiness of the body in front of him - in haze of emotions Itachi had put his hand on Sasuke's forearm.
"You've come," said the younger Uchiha with a flat voice, averting his eyes. Did he doubt? After the first moment of affection awkwardness emerged. Itachi finally sat beside him, panting from the outburst of emotions. Once again he caught himself on putting a hand on Sasuke's elbow, willing to keep physical contact, but the boy withdrew it from the brother's touch.
His practical mind made him assess the situation. The young Uchiha was not handcuffed and the guards at the corners seemed to be just normal security measures for Hokage. Itachi took it as a good sign. Having eased his initial fears a bit, he re-focused on the little brother, taking in how Sasuke's cheek bones were painted in intricate, flowery patterns of seals. Of course Itachi knew they were there, had seen them, but he was not used to them yet. He couldn't do anything to prevent it back then.
"Sasuke? Things are good between us again, right?" he asked straightforward. He needed to know.
AN: Please share your thoughts on the story, I constantly review it and collect ideas for further chapters, so your feedback is alwas invaluable help for me.
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