As promised here is the second chapter to "In A Year" Shisui plays a little minor of a role in this one. But I rarely write a piece focusing on Sasuke. I hope it came out good

The title is inspired by Matchbox 20's "I'm Not Crazy"

Please enjoy~Chi

In the academy there was one lesson they went over no matter what level you were at. Every year without fail the instructor for the year went over: How to help a comrade through PTSD. It was an intensive lesson and well...no one really understood it. Not unless you were from a clan. Then you were one of the few who dealt with if first hand.

You witnessed the breakdowns. The glazed over fear your loved ones experienced as their memories whisk away their present. You knew that you knew nothing of the horrors they had endured. You knew it was hard for them and that everyone coped in different ways. That being said it did not make it much easier.

Uchiha Sasuke could hear his brother coping. He was down the hall in the room they had turned into the study in their apartment. It sounded like a heated conversation tonight. Normally, Sasuke would brush off his brother's nightly talks but an itch had settles in his throat recently. He wanted to know who his brother was talking to. He wanted to know why he was getting worst. If he could help.

Because Uchiha Itachi was in fact heading for a meltdown. His sharp eyes always seemed to linger off into space. They were constantly focused not on the person he was talking to, rather just behind them. As if he was carrying on two conversations as once.

Sure the older Uchiha hid it well. His distraction. However, Sasuke knew his brother too well.

Rolling over in his bed Sasuke stared out the had a view of the rain drenched Konoha. He also could see his door reflected in the glass. He was worried about Itachi. He would not be around as often once he graduated from the academy in a few weeks. He also dreaded the idea of becoming like his brother. A selfish thought Sasuke tried to bury as quickly as it reared it's ugly head.

His brother was working hard to rebuild their once proud clan. Only the children were spared. At first Sasuke hated his brother for what he had done. At first he did not know the sacrifices his brother and his brother's best friend had made to save them.

Sasuke paused in his musings. It was silent. Itachi had stopped speaking.

'Did he go to bed?' Sasuke check the clock on his side table. 'No he couldn-'

"WHAT COULD I DO!" Itachi's voice suddenly rang out. Sasuke shot out of bed. He was at his door in seconds wrenching it open. His feet made little sound down the hardwood floor.

"Aniki?" He questioned hesitantly in front of the shoji door. There was silence beyond the door save for a hushed rustle of papers. Sasuke's hand rested on the door handle for a moment before opening it swiftly. In the center of the room sat Itachi. Just as the soon-to-be genin pictured him to be; bent over a scroll alone. His eyes darted around the room to verify that his brother was truly along.

"Did you need something, Sasuke?" Itachi looked over his brother one eyebrow cocked in question. The bags under his eyes deepened in the flickering light of his lantern. Sasuke wondered how he had never noticed how much older his brother looked for his youthful age.

"I...er...who were you talking to?" Itachi stared at him. Sasuke could not see the emotions his brother was feeling but he knew they were there. There was a pregnant stall in conversation.

"I was just reading a letter." He finally lied lamely. Sasuke frowned nodding slowly. "I'm sorry for waking you." He murmured standing. Sasuke watched his brother's lopsided apologetic smirk stretch across his features. He braced himself for the expected jab to the forehead but it never came. "Come on otouto. Let's get some sleep." Instead he felt a warm arm wrap protectively around his slim shoulders. Sasuke watched his brother with surprise in his eyes. He caught Itachi's eyes flicker for a second too someone just over his head.

"Yeah." He said walking back towards his room. "Itachi, if you ever need to talk..." he said softly facing his door.

"I know Sasuke." He felt Itachi place a kiss in his unruly spikes. A blush crept over his cheeks. He still treated him like a little kid. Who ever held his brother's attention. He knew he was competing a with a ghost. And it brought out a different side of Itachi. A side he rarely saw much of anymore. Sasuke listened to Itachi disappearing into his own room before turning away from his door.

"You're not crazy, Aniki." Sasuke crossed the hall to step inside Itachi's room. He crawled under his covers curling tight to his brother like they did when they were small. Before it all went to shit. 'I'm going to help you. No matter how bad you get.'

I hope you enjoyed.

Chapter 8 of "Running" should be up before the next installment for this. If you have any ideas for this story shoot'em my way^_^