AN: Hope you guys enjoyed the holidays! This chapter is inspired by other fics I've read so I hope you enjoy!

Itachi: age 13

Sasuke: age 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Sasuke was walking home from a long day at the academy. A huge yawn erupted from him as he made his way around the village, eager to be in the comfort of his own home.

As he passed the hokage estate as he always does on his way home, the young raven saw what

seemed to be a group of ANBU exiting the building. One of the members being Itachi.

Sasuke immediately broke into a smile, glad to see his big brother for the first time in three days. Maybe they could walk home together?

The young Uchiha was about to approach his brother when he suddenly stopped.

Who's that? Sasuke wondered a bit bitterly.

Walking beside Itachi was a girl with long brown hair and deep blue eyes that were strikingly similar to a certain dobe Sasuke knew. The girl was talking away as Itachi politely listened.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

Not wanting his brother to spot him, Sasuke rushed into a small alleyway that was conveniently near him and observed from there.

Who is that girl? A fangirl, perhaps? Both him and Itachi had a big problem with annoying fangirls.

Maybe one of them has somehow wormed their way into ANBU and was now torturing his poor brother. Yes, that had to be it.

As soon as Sasuke had come to that conclusion, he almost immediately had some sort of heart attack as he saw the girl slither her slender arm around his brother's own arm.

Sasuke gaped. What?

What made this whole thing worse was that Itachi didn't even attempt to pull his arm away. In fact, he smiled at her.

An unfamiliar feeling washed over Sasuke as he continued gaping.

If this girl wasn't a fangirl, then who was she?

Sasuke's eyes widened.

No.

She couldn't possibly be? There was no way Itachi could actually have a-

"Yo Sasuke,"

Before he could drop dead, Sasuke flinched as he was brought out of his thoughts. He turned around to see Shisui standing behind him.

"Whatcha lookin' at?" Shisui asked him playfully.

"Hey Shisui," Sasuke said dismissively as he turned around to continue spying on his brother.

Curious of what his baby cousin was looking at, Shisui followed Sasuke's gaze to find him looking at Itachi.

"Ahh, spying on your brother, are we?" Shisui asked with a smirk.

"Ah… no. I would never do that to nii-san."

Shisui raised an eyebrow having a hard time believing that.

Sasuke sighed.

"Fine, I am." Sasuke admitted. "But it's only because of her."

He pointed towards the girl.

Shisui chuckled.

"It seems my boy Itachi has finally got himself a girlfriend." Shisui joked.

Sasuke nearly choked on his own saliva. He whirled around to face Shisui.

"Is she really Itachi's girlfriend?" Sasuke asked a hint of jealousy in his voice.

Shisui shrugged.

"Maybe, but I highly doubt it. Itachi is too focused on training and stuff to even care about having one."

Relief washed over Sasuke, but he still couldn't shake the feeling of jealousy away.

The emotion must have shown up on Sasuke's face because Shisui was soon on one knee in front of Sasuke as he put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry kid. I'm a hundred percent certain that Itachi would tell you if he had a girlfriend or not." Shisui reassured. "Plus if he did have girlfriend, there would be no way she would ever replace you. You are his precious otouto."

Shisui flashed Sasuke a smile as Sasuke reluctantly smiled back.

Shisui was right, Itachi could never forget about him, right? And he would have told him if he had a girlfriend.

Sasuke was silly to ever think Itachi could forget him.

"Thanks Shisui."

A few minutes later, Sasuke had made it home. Itachi had come home before he did so he decided to go look for him.

Sasuke found his brother in his room reading some scrolls, his back facing the door. As soon as his eyes fell on Itachi, a wave of possessiveness washed over Sasuke and the urge to glomp his brother came over him.

The young Uchiha walked towards the elder's back and engulfed him in a hug as he buried his face in his brother's soft hair.

Itachi, who didn't seem the least bit surprised, smiled as he put a hand on one of the small arms wrapping around him.

"Welcome home otouto," Itachi greeted. "How was your day?"

Sasuke moved so that his chin was now resting on the top his brother's head.

"The same as every other day," Sasuke replied. "Boring."

Itachi chuckled.

"Boring, huh?"

Sasuke sat down beside his brother and leaned up against him.

The young raven couldn't help but feel the need to ask Itachi about the girl he saw. The feeling was eating him up inside and he didn't know what to do.

He didn't want his brother to think he was jealous or anything, but he desperately needed to know if Itachi had a girlfriend or not.

Sasuke hesitated.

"Ita-nii?"

"Yes?"

"We tell each other everything, right?" Sasuke said trying to find a way to approach the topic.

Itachi looked over at his brother feeling a twinge of worry.

"Of course," Itachi replied. "Why? Is there something bothering you Sasuke?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"No, I'm fine," he answered. "I was just wondering…"

He hesitated, not knowing how to word his question.

"You would tell me if you had a girlfriend, right?"

Itachi raised his eyebrows at the sudden question.

"Sasuke, where is this coming from?" Itachi asked, genuinely curious as to why his otouto was asking him such questions.

The younger of the two shrugged.

"Just wondering," he lied. Hopefully Shisui won't mention anything to him.

Itachi smiled.

"Foolish otouto, I could never keep something like that from you." he said. "You're my brother, of course I would tell you if I had a girlfriend."

The prodigy wrapped his arms around Sasuke and put him his lap.

"Besides, I'm not really interested in finding one right now."

Sasuke smiled as the unfamiliar feeling of jealousy left him. He was stupid to think Itachi would keep something like that from him. They told each other everything, and even if Itachi did have a girlfriend he knew his aniki could never forget about him.

A gasp escaped Sasuke's lips as he sprang up from his bed, his heart thundering in his chest.

Another nightmare.

Sasuke tried to go back to sleep but his imagination wasn't being kind to him. Horrible thoughts and gruesome pictures swarmed his innocent little mind.

After a couple minutes the little Uchiha gave up on trying to go back to sleep and got out of bed. He needed his brother's warm hugs.

As he approached the elder's room, Sasuke realized that his brother's lights were still on.

What is nii-san doing up so late? he wondered.

Reading some more scrolls, maybe? He does that sometimes.

Sasuke reached for the door, but his hand abruptly stopped as he heard voices coming from inside.

"Ah, you're so smart Itachi!"

The young raven felt sadness grip his heart when he realized who that voice belonged to.

It belonged to that girl.

Tears silently streamed down Sasuke's face as his arm fell limp beside him.

Itachi had lied to him. He did have a girlfriend. Why else would that brother-stealing person be here in the middle of the night?

Of course Itachi didn't tell him he had a girlfriend, he was just his foolish, insignificant younger brother after all.

Itachi might as well just forget about him.

Sasuke clutched his chest as the thought crossed his mind. His little heart ached terribly.

The little Uchiha silently made his way back to his room, choking down any sobs that rose in his chest.

He felt so alone. Itachi was always there when he had nightmares, giving him hugs and kisses, telling him that everything is okay.

Now he's gone.

I guess I'll have to endure the night alone this time.

A few days passed by and Sasuke hasn't gotten any sleep.

The same nightmare has been keeping him up at night and he can't exactly go to Itachi anymore. The girl is either with him or Sasuke just couldn't bring himself to do it, even though he really wanted to.

So needless to say he was exhausted.

The little Uchiha was currently fighting off sleep as he waited for breakfast.

Itachi walked into the kitchen and watched with amusement as his otouto began nodding off. He sat across from Sasuke and quickly slid his hand in front of him to act as a cushion as Sasuke's head smacked the table.

The child's eyes popped open as he became alert again. He then tensed up as he realized who was sitting in front of him.

"Somebody's tired," Itachi teased as he poked his brother's forehead.

Sasuke touched his forehead, missing the affectionate interaction from his brother. However, he was still salty about his brother lying to him.

"Yeah," he answered vaguely.

Itachi took a moment to take in his otouto's features. His little face was pale and he looked awfully tired. By the looks of it, it seems like he hasn't been getting enough sleep lately.

If something is keeping him up at night, then why hasn't he come to me like he always has? Itachi wondered.

The prodigy was about to voice his question, but decided to let it go. He'll come to him when he's ready.

"We barely have to time see each other anymore," Itachi said instead.

Because you spend all your with her, Sasuke thought bitterly.

"So I thought that maybe we could do some training today when you're finished at the academy." The older Uchiha finished.

Sasuke's eyes immediately lit up.

Itachi wants to spend time with him?

"Really?" Sasuke asked excitement in his voice.

Itachi nodded.

"Meet me at the Uchiha training grounds after school." he said as he ruffled Sasuke's hair.

Sasuke beamed. "Okay!"

The older Uchiha smiled as he stood up. "Have a good day at the academy otouto."

Sasuke watched as his brother left the room. He then smiled as the saltiness from before washed away.

Itachi hasn't forgotten about him after all. It felt as though a weight has been lifted off his chest and he could finally breathe again. Knowing that his big brother still cared about him made Sasuke's chest fill up with warmth.

He felt terrible for feeling angry towards his brother, but that doesn't change the fact that he lied to him. They would have to talk about that later, but that doesn't matter. Itachi actually has time for Sasuke and that in itself is great.

Sasuke was definitely looking forward to this.

Sasuke practically sprinted out of the academy once Iruka had dismissed everyone. He was beyond eager to meet up with his brother.

When the training grounds came into sight, his heart leapt with excitement. He slowed down to walk and entered the training grounds.

He looked around for his brother and spotted two figures in the distance. As he drew closer he realized it was Itachi and-

Sasuke stopped.

His face went pale as he resisted the urge to start crying like a pathetic loser, but it was no use as tears began rapidly spilling out his eyes.

Right in front of him stood his brother and that damn girl Sasuke was positive was Itachi's girlfriend.

His heart was hurting in a way he couldn't even describe and he had no idea why he was feeling this way.

Sasuke whirled around and bolted in the other direction, wanting to get as far away from his brother as possible.

He wasn't surprised when he heard Itachi call his name, the sound of Sasuke's footfalls were pretty loud.

But that didn't matter now. Itachi had forgotten about him. He didn't care about Sasuke. He was replaced by his witch of a girlfriend.

Why did he even want to meet up with Sasuke anyway? Was it so he could reveal to him that he actually has a girlfriend and that he was actually lying to his face the whole time?

A choked sob escaped Sasuke's lips as he jumped up on the rooftops. Itachi would eventually catch up to him. He was an ANBU captain, catching a seven year old would be nothing to him.

Tears continued to spill down his face as he ran across the buildings. Sasuke wished he could fall off one these rooftops and break his neck or something just so he wouldn't have to face his brother.

The young Uchiha's heart stopped when he felt himself stumble as miscalculated the distance between two buildings.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he began plummeting down to the ground.

As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for.

Itachi had just finished his own training and was now waiting for his otouto to get to the training grounds.

If he was being honest, Itachi felt really bad for not spending time with Sasuke lately. Maybe that's what has been keeping Sasuke up at night. If that were the case, it would make Itachi feel even worse.

In the distance, the older Uchiha saw a figure approaching him. He soon realized that it was Imari.

"Imari?"

"Hey Itachi!" Imari said, pep in her voice. "Kakashi senpai sent me to tell you to meet him at headquarters tomorrow morning."

Itachi nodded taking mental note of that.

"Thank you for telling me," Itachi replied. "Is this about the mission in Iwa?"

Imari nodded. "We start tomorrow."

"That was quick." the Uchiha stated.

"It's good thing I know the formations." Imari said gratefully. "Thanks again for going over the formations with me all those nights, I don't know what I would've done without you."

"Just doing my job. You're an important asset for this mission, it wouldn't end well if you didn't know them."

Imari giggled.

"If that were to happen, you and Kakashi senpai would be forced to pull out your mad ninja skills and obliterate any shinobi who dare cross your path." she said dramatically with gestures, earning a small smile from Itachi.

The prodigy's head then jerked to the side when he heard running footsteps.

Was that Sasuke? Why was he running away? He seemed rather upset.

"Sasuke?"

It was no use, he just kept on running. Itachi felt a rush of protectiveness and couldn't suppress the urge to run after him.

"I'm sorry Imari, but I have to go. Thanks again." Itachi bowed his head slightly as a form of thanks then shunshined away.

He ended up in the middle of town and looked around for Sasuke.

He spotted him running across the rooftops, tears streaking his face.

Itachi jumped up on a building and went after him. Why was Sasuke acting like this all of a sudden? Wasn't he supposed to meet him at the training grounds?

The older Uchiha managed to catch up to him pretty quick causing the younger to run faster.

He then felt his heart drop as he watched his baby brother stumble, causing him to fall off the building.

The prodigy didn't waste a second and went full speed to catch the child in his arms, holding him in a protective embrace. He then landed safely in a nearby alleyway.

Itachi let go of his brother and quickly scanned for any injuries. When he found none, he looked straight at him with worried eyes.

"Sasuke, what's wrong?" He asked trying to wipe Sasuke's tears away, but they came down too quickly.

The little Uchiha pushed the hand away and took a step back, his body shaking with sobs.

"Don't touch me."

Itachi was shocked by the sudden statement. "Otouto?"

"Y-you lied to m-me Itachi! You s-said you didn't h-have a g-girlfriend, but y-you lied! You d-don't love me! W-why even bother s-spending t-time with m-me?! You h-have that girl!" The child yelled, tears bitterly falling down his face.

Itachi was taken aback as he stared at his otouto in confusion. "Otouto, I-"

"Why n-nii-san? Why did y-you have t-to f-forget about me?!" Sasuke fell to his knees, his legs unable to hold up themselves. "I m-miss you. You're n-not there w-when I have nightmares anymore. Y-you're too busy w-with her."

He put his face in his hands. "It's like I lost my big brother…" he said quietly.

Sasuke's sobs were now mixed with violent hiccups as he continued crying in his hands.

Itachi watched his baby brother break down in front of him, completely at a loss for words. His heart was contorted with pain as he couldn't bare looking at his brother this distraught.

The prodigy had no idea that Sasuke was acting strange because of this.

"Otouto,"

Itachi kneeled in front of his brother. His arm reached out to touch him, but he quickly decided against it after what happened earlier.

"Don't say those foolish things. Of course I love you, you're my otouto." Itachi tried, but the child continued sobbing. "I'm sorry you feel this way Sasuke, but I think you got a few things a little mixed up. That girl you're referring to is a new ANBU recruit and it was my job to teach her our formatons quickly. That's all she is, nothing more."

Sasuke's weeping abruptly paused with a small gasp as he took in what Itachi had said.

"I guess I am partly to blame. I haven't been there for you lately and I should have introduced Imari before she came over all those nights." Itachi continued. "I'm really sorry otouto."

The older Uchiha held out his arms, hoping his little brother could find it within him to forgive him.

He then couldn't even begin to explain the relief he felt when he felt that familiar little body hold on to him, clutching his shirt as if his life depended on it. Itachi immediately returned the hug, rubbing circles on his brother's back.

"Ita-nii!" Sasuke choked out, his voice shaky. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"It's okay, it's okay," Itachi reassured. "I'm here now."

"I thought you l-lied to me and replaced me with that girl!" Sasuke sobbed.

"I could never lie to you about that Sasuke." Itachi said as he ran a hand through Sasuke's hair. "And more importantly, you could never be replaced. You're too important to me."

Itachi instinctively tightened his grip around the small, trembling body in his arms.

Sasuke was so innocent, so fragile. All he wants to do is protect him from the evils of reality, but it seems impossible. Especially when he himself has such a huge impact on him.

Itachi continued comforting his brother until his violent sobs turned into small sniffles.

"I'm glad you don't have a girlfriend." Sasuke stated suddenly.

The elder chuckled.

"Was somebody jealous?" Itachi asked playfully as he looked at his brother.

Sasuke pouted. "Maybe…" he mumbled

Itachi laughed then kissed his temple.

"I feel delighted otouto. But just remember I'm always going to be here for you, okay?"

Itachi was expecting an answer, but when he didn't get one he found Sasuke fast asleep on his shoulder. He couldn't blame him, with all that crying and sleepless nights his brother must have been exhausted.

Itachi stood up and carried the sleeping child home, making sure his brother wasn't alone the next time he had a nightmare.

AN: Hey guys! I'm super sorry for the crap ending I will make sure to fix it right away! Stay tuned until then!

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