A/N: Thanks to all followers, favoriters and reviewers. Again, be sure to read The. Teal. Rose's "Illusions of Serenity" and Lehrain's "Vigil of Sorrows." Enjoy the next chapter.

Emulation of Apathy

Chapter VIII

"The Result of Forgetfulness"

…

"Ahh, Kabuto! You've returned."

"I have," the Genin glanced over at Orochimaru with a smile, his arms full of groceries, which he set on the kitchen counter. It was currently early afternoon, and Sasuke and Orochimaru had decided to take a break from training for lunch, which Kabuto was supposed to cook. Of course, Sasuke was planning to make his own lunch, but that was beside the point. It was a lunch break, nonetheless.

"You acquired all the necessary ingredients, I trust?" the Sannin was asking him.

"Of course, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto told him with a proud grin. "You gave me that list, after all."

"Kabuto," Orochimaru smiled fondly. "I can always count on you."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the exchange of compliments, before focusing his onyx gaze on pile that had been set on the counter. As he perused through it with his eyes, he arched a curious brow and then brought his stare back to the smiling Genin. "Did you manage to get anything on my list?"

"Oh," Kabuto's eyes widened at this, and he ran his hands down his attire, checking his pockets. "Um…your list…," he muttered to himself, looking about him in perplexity, and then he slid his hand over the surface of the fridge. "Ah! There it is!"

The older ninja shook his head, with a clearly impressed smile in place, "You always do manage to find everything."

Find everything? He would not need to find anything if he had not lost it in the first place! Wait…lost it?

"You didn't even take the list with you?" Sasuke asked, his eyes narrowing into a glare.

"I must have forgotten it," Kabuto informed him.

The young Uchiha snapped to his feet and crossed the kitchen, inspecting the assortment of groceries with his eyes. He could feel the anger rising in him as he scanned over the contents, realizing that not a single thing he had requested was amidst this pile. Just sweets, some herbs, more eggs, fruit, vegetables, and some kind of beans. He rounded on the older Genin with a scowl.

"Of course you forgot it!" he snapped. "You forget everything! You're such an idiot!"

"Now, now, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru chided him with a shake of his head. "Kabuto is not an idiot. No need to let your temper get the best of you simply because you're so picky."

"You're picky, too!" Sasuke rounded on the Snake Master in a fluster. "He just happened to get everything you want! I'm sure you'd be pretty pissed off if he forgot your list!"

"You're very grumpy today," the Genin mused behind him. "It's not even morning."

Sasuke felt his eye twitch, and he focused his glare on Kabuto once more. "That's it!" he snapped, snatching the list out of the medical ninja's hands and storming toward the door. "I'm going to the store myself this time, because, obviously, you can't even manage that."

"He's throwing a bit of a tantrum, isn't he, Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto mused in an undertone.

"Kabuto, your powers of deduction astound me," the man told him.

'I…I swear, I'm going crazy,' Sasuke thought in wonderment, his black stare fixed on the door in front of him, and he could feel his eye twitching again. 'That's all there is to it. I'm losing my mind. These two are driving me insane!'

He leaned forward in frustration, resting his forehead against the door and trying his best to ignore the two idiots behind him. He tried to calm himself, taking slow intakes of breath, and he tightened his grip around the list in his hand. Go to the store himself, huh? How was he supposed to do that? He did not even know where it was! Why was he behaving so irrationally? He needed to get his mind back on track, he could not let them affect him like this. He needed to have his wits about him if he ever expected to defeat Itachi.

"Sasuke-kun."

The boy held back the heavy sigh that threatened in his throat, lifting his head and turning around to face Orochimaru, who had called his name. "What?" he asked dryly.

"If you really want everything on that list, we'll just send Kabuto back to the store," the Sannin told him with a pleasant smile.

Send Kabuto to the store. After he had already forgotten the list once. And even if he did manage to remember the list this time, which was doubtful, would he remember to look at it? And even then, would he get everything on it, or would he overlook some of the items, assuming he had already grabbed them? This was a very poor plan, indeed. Then again, it was not as though Kabuto's plans were ever much better.

"Kabuto," Orochimaru glanced back at his assistant, "take Sasuke-kun's list, and go back to the store, won't you?"

"Of course, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto nodded, a smile forming as he walked over to the young Uchiha. "May I have the list, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I'm coming with you this time."

"That won't be necessary, Sasuke-kun," the Genin chuckled, holding out his hand forcefully. "The list."

"I think it's necessary," the Uchiha informed him dryly, focusing his glare on the man, and Kabuto took a step back in a sudden start. "I'm coming with you, and that's final."

"Kabuto, I believe the child should accompany you," Orochimaru stated. "After all, he's been cooped up here training all day. In fact, he's done nothing but train and travel since he joined us."

"Ah, that's very true, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto realized. "He probably needs a bit of fresh air and a good stretch of the legs. It will probably do him some good. You know, it's no wonder he's so grouchy."

"Oh, Kabuto," the Snake Sannin smiled at him fondly once more, "I never have any cause to doubt your reasoning, do I?"

"Ugh, let's just go!" Sasuke snapped, sick to his stomach of the two exchanging compliments, and he pulled the kitchen door open, nearly slamming it in Kabuto's face in the process and then trudging down the hall. He buried his hands in his pockets, along with the list, and was soon joined by the older Genin.

"What is it exactly that's on this list of yours?" Kabuto focused his eyes on the boy with his usual pleasant smile. Pleasantly condescending, that is.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, not even turning to face the man beside him. "If you had bothered to look, you wouldn't need to be asking."

"Sasuke-kun, I'm starting to get the feeling you don't appreciate all the work I put into our company," the older shinobi mused, and, at this, Sasuke turned his black eyes to award the man a particularly arrogant expression.

"You're just now getting that?" the Uchiha drawled.

"Yes, and I think you're gravely mistaken," Kabuto stated matter-of-factly, as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "You see, I'm in charge of all the paperwork, which is clearly beneath Orochimaru-sama to need to worry over, the planning, managing these hideouts and keeping them well-supplied, all medical procedures, overseeing experiments, writing up the reports, providing and repairing the appropriate clothing to all the jailers, cooking-"

Sasuke cut him off with a chuckle, and Kabuto stared at the boy in bewilderment.

"Sounds like your Orochimaru-sama has you whipped," Sasuke noted, clearly amused.

"Do not be absurd, Sasuke-kun," the Genin waved his words away. "He values my ability to coordinate all of this. After all, he constantly informs me that I'm the only one who could do it."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted again.

"Don't give me that," Kabuto awarded him a chastising look. "But, back to…oh, what was I saying? See, now you've made me forget."

"You don't need me to help you with that," the Uchiha remarked dryly.

"Oh, yes!" the medic smiled. "Now I remember. You see, Sasuke-kun, I overlook all of that, and Orochimaru-sama is clearly the mastermind. He oversees everything, and I report to him. He's the one conducting the experiments, the one whose genius is behind it all, and, without whom, I would not even know what was needed for all this."

Sasuke stared up at him dully, quite certain that if he heard one more word of praise from these two men about each other, he would bash his head against the nearest wall. "What is your point, Kabuto?" he demanded.

"My point is that both Orochimaru-sama and I are very important to this organization, and we both have very pressing duties," the Genin explained. "And you need to be more appreciative of this, because you clearly do absolutely nothing for us. If anything, you take away Orochimaru-sama's time, which could be spent conducting more experiments."

"I don't give a damn about any of that," Sasuke told him dryly. "I didn't come here because I believe in any of the shit you or your master stand for, I came here to obtain power."

Kabuto heaved a sigh, lifting his eyes to the ceiling in a melodramatic manner.

The young Uchiha narrowed his eyes into a glare but made no further comment. He was tired of listening to Kabuto, and he certainly did not need a lecture from this moron about how to properly conduct himself when with Orochimaru, of all people. He owed the man nothing. Orochimaru had approached him, come to him offering power. All he had done was accept the offer. If he was hindering some sort of research, as the idiot beside him so clearly believed, then it was the Sannin's own damn fault. Kabuto should be taking it up with Orochimaru, not him.

"You're such an ungrateful young man," Kabuto was musing to himself.

Something about the way Kabuto said it, something behind the words, spoken so blatant and offhandedly, sparked something in the Uchiha, and he found it took all his force of will not to lash out at the imbecile. He could feel his hands shaking angrily in his pockets, but he buried them deeper and faced away from him. It took a moment, but when he managed to place the particular feeling, he was actually a little surprised at it.

His aunt.

The way Kabuto had said it, and perhaps even the words themselves, reminded Sasuke of his aunt. She had been a self-righteous, meddlesome little nuisance, too. She could never possibly be at fault—not in her own eyes, at least—and she took praise with the same, self-satisfied expression as this moron. She would never hesitate to lecture him any opportunity she had. For that matter, she lectured everyone. If one could even call that lecturing. It was more like complaining. But she always seemed to find something especially wrong with him.

And, almost as much as his father, she would compare his eternally inadequate achievements to those of his older brother.

Sasuke scowled at this thought, a sudden feeling of inferiority rising in his chest, as he trailed through the dark hallways. He had always been beneath his brother. He had been reminded of this constantly. Uchiha Itachi was the great prodigy, the treasure among their clan, the boast of their father.

And what was Sasuke?

The great prodigy's little brother.

His own father had viewed him in this light. He was never quite good enough, never quite as good as Itachi. If he made a mistake, he was compared to his brother, in that Itachi would have never made such a mistake.

"As I thought. You can't do it as well as Itachi could."

If he managed to accomplish anything, he was compared to his brother, either because the accomplishment was not quite as adequate as it would have been if it was Itachi's, or, if it was, because he was clearly following in his older brother footsteps.

"Become a fine ninja like your brother."

"You can become a fine ninja like Itachi one day."

"Continue at this pace and become a fine ninja like your brother."

It was always like his brother. He had never been worthy of any praise in his own right. His instructors at the Academy, his clan, his aunt, and even his own father—they had all looked at him as nothing more than a shadow of his older brother. And, because he was a mere shadow, he was so easily forgotten…

…

He had been attending the Academy for about a month, now. Mikoto had been the one who came by every day to pick him up and walk him home, and she made it her duty to be prompt. She enjoyed laughing with the other parents, boasting over her son, who always had top marks in the class, and, of course, offering any praise for the other children. That was the type of person she was, after all.

However, on this particular day, his mother was busy. She had an errand to run, and she had told him that morning that his father would be the one to walk home with him. Sasuke was excited at the prospect, as it would be an opportunity for his father to see him at the Academy, to see how well he was doing, to hear the other parents and perhaps even the instructors to speak their praises of him.

The boy smiled, tightening his hold on his book bag, as he swung his small legs back and forth at his desk. Maybe his father would see he was different than Itachi, that he was also a son for whom he could be proud.

His dark eyes wandered out the window, where he saw the other children rushing out of the building, greeting their parents with wide grins. He kept his gaze attentive, scooting forward on the edge of his seat to get a better view of the grounds, but he did not see his father.

'He might have been caught up with business for the Police Squad,' the young Uchiha thought to himself. 'He's probably just running late.'

As he continued to watch, however, as the throngs of people slowly diminished, as, one by one, each and every student found their parent and left the school, the man he was waiting for still did not emerge. Sasuke furrowed his brow, leaning back in his desk, but he kept his hopeful stare on the window. The clock hanging over the doorway continued its incessant ticking. With nothing to do, he found himself slowly counting the seconds as they ticked away.

Still, his father did not appear.

He noticed several of the teachers standing at the front of the Academy, laughing amongst themselves over some intangible concept, and he watched as they crossed the school grounds and then disappeared from sight. The child leaned back in his seat, realizing that even the teachers had left for the day. Was his father's business really taking that long?

Suddenly, an idea came to him, and the boy's face brightened. Since his father was late, he could head out back and practice his shuriken training. That way, when his father did arrive, he would see how hard he was working, and then he would not even need to worry about having been so late because Sasuke had been busy as well.

Rising to his feet and hurrying out of the classroom, he shut the door behind him and then made his way down the hall, to the back door. He pushed it open and let his eyes wander over the yard. It was completely deserted. It felt strange, now that the school was empty. He was so used to it being a place filled with noisy classmates, with yelling, with teachers shouting instructions. Now that it was quiet, it felt foreign. And, in a way, peaceful. The boy smiled at the thought, taking a handful of shuriken from his bag and crossing the yard.

He placed his feet firmly in the ground, his black eyes fixed on the targets in front of him, and he drew a slow intake of breath. He closed his eyes only for a moment, to recall what his brother had told him, about the proper stance and execution, and, his eyes snapping open, he threw the shuriken.

It landed directly in the center of the target.

Sasuke nodded his head in determination, readying the next weapon in his hand. He took care to steady his breathing, before tossing it at the target as well. It landed slightly off-center, but still within the target. The boy tightened his grip, lifting his eyes to a higher circle and making it his new target.

He continued in like manner until he realized the sun was getting rather low in the sky. Glancing around him, he realized his father had still not arrived. But then, maybe he was in front of the school. Maybe he was worried because he could not find his son. Sasuke had not meant to make him wait.

After retrieving his shuriken from the wall, Sasuke rushed back into the school building, making sure to close the back door behind him, and then hurrying down the long hallway. When he reached the front door, he pushed it open and shut it, before running across the grounds. He searched the expanse, his dark eyes wandering in every direction, but he could not seem to catch any glimpses of the man who was supposed to pick him up. He hurried forward, coming to a stop beside the large tree, in the hopes that looking at the school from a different angle would suddenly make his father manifest into being.

But Uchiha Fugaku was nowhere in sight.

'Tou-san…isn't coming,' he realized, and his head fell in disappointment. Suddenly, he found himself wishing that his mother had never arranged for his father to pick him up. He wished his mother had not been busy today. She would have been early, waiting outside the front doors the moment class let out, waving at him with her kind smile and trying to get him to make friends with the other students. Instead, he found himself, once again, faced with his father's negligence.

"Um…Sasuke-kun?"

The young Uchiha lifted his head, and turned to glance beside him, where he realized a young girl was sitting on the swing. He had not noticed her before. She had short, rose-colored hair, with a dark magenta ribbon, and her teal eyes stared up at him in concern. Who was she? He could not remember her face. Did she even go to the Academy? What was she doing out here?

"Do I know you?" was all he asked amidst his confusion.

"N-no," the girl stumbled over words. "Well, sort of. We're in the same class together."

Were they? He could not seem to remember her. But then, he did not pay much attention to anyone in his class, his focus set on his schoolwork. Even so, a girl with pink hair should have stood out. But then, she had no reason to lie about being his classmate, so she must be telling the truth.

He therefore proceeded to nod his head, and returned to glancing around him once more. It seemed as though he would have to walk home on his own. If he had known, he would have left earlier, because it would be getting dark soon.

"I think it's fantastic how talented you are!" the girl beside him continued. "Where did you learn to throw kunais like that?"

Sasuke brought his onyx gaze to rest on her once more, taking in her curious expression, before returning his stare to the Academy entrance. "My brother," he answered.

Not that he could even compare to his brother. Itachi was much better with kunais than him. Better than anyone, probably.

"Really?" the girl on the swing asked. "He must be a very good teacher."

He was. Now that he thought of it, he wished his mother had sent Itachi to pick him up instead of their father. His brother would not have forgotten him, and he would not need to walk home alone in the dark.

Even as he thought this, though, he noticed a figure walking around the corner of the school. It took him a moment, but when he took in the long hair, the kind smile, the distinct lines running down his cheeks, Sasuke's entire face lit up.

"Nii-san!"

He ran to the man immediately and threw his arms around him, pulling him into a hug.

"Sasuke," Itachi smiled back, though Sasuke could detect there was something else behind it. There was a certain sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry I'm late. Tou-san just told me."

"It's okay, Nii-san," Sasuke shook his head, happy at the prospect of seeing his brother. "Tou-san's busy, right?"

His older brother released a sigh, "Yes."

"So, he sent you to come get me!" the young Uchiha pulled out of the hug to grab his brother's hand.

Itachi hesitated a moment, before offering a slight shrug of his shoulders. "More or less."

As they walked away from the schoolyard and onto the road, the child's eyes widened suddenly. "Nii-san, aren't you supposed to be on a mission today?"

"Well," Itachi glanced back down at Sasuke, and the smile returned, "I couldn't let my little brother walk home alone, could I?"

"But…," Sasuke's eyes fell to the ground, "isn't the mission important?"

"Perhaps."

There was a silent pause between the two, but it was broken when Itachi poked his little brother on the forehead. As Sasuke's dark gaze shot up to meet the older boy's once more, he realized the kind smile was still in place.

Itachi gave his brother a pointed look. "I had something more important to do."

…

When they had returned home, their father had scolded Itachi for not completing his ANBU mission, for ignoring his assignment, and he had cast his displeased eyes on his younger son. As it was, Itachi would not have abandoned his duties if not for his little brother. Clearly, the mission, his oldest son's success, had been more important to Fugaku than remembering his younger son.

"What do you think, Sasuke-kun?"

"What?" Sasuke's black eyes snapped up from the ground, and he realized he was no longer standing in the dark hallway. Rather, he was standing outside, and he could hear the crashing of waves. He was not sure what the hell Kabuto was asking, but, although he would never admit it to the imbecile, he was a little grateful that he had called him out his reverie before they started walking across the water.

"The design," Kabuto replied, staring down at him in confusion. "The one I was just talking about."

"Huh," Sasuke considered the matter, before proceeding to shrug his shoulders. "I wasn't listening."

The older Genin tsked the boy, pushing his glasses up the brim of his nose as he remarked, "You really should pay more attention, Sasuke-kun. This is your outfit, after all."

"Just repeat whatever you said about it," the Uchiha urged him in a disinterested tone.

"Very well," Kabuto nodded. "I was actually trying to show you the design itself. Look," at this, the man opened a small book he was carrying, and Sasuke focused his black eyes on the drawing.

Well, one could say whatever negative commentary they wanted about Kabuto, but he did have one talent. He could draw. In surprisingly good detail. Not that the drawing itself was any good. In fact, it was one of the worst designs Sasuke had seen yet, and he let this show through annoyance on his features.

"You can't be serious," he drawled.

"Oh, come now, Sasuke-kun," the Genin looked disappointed. "I thought for sure you would like this one. I designed it specifically with you in mind."

"That's just a vest!" Sasuke gave the man a look of bewilderment. "And barely, at that! It wouldn't even reach my midriff!"

"Yes, but that's why I thought it would be so suitable," Kabuto informed him, and, when the Uchiha's expression remained unchanged, he shook his head. "In regards to your power, Sasuke-kun. As I understand it, the cursed seal gives you wings. You'll need something that won't hinder the wings. That way, we won't have to worry about constantly replacing or patching up your shirts."

Even as he said it, he gestured to the blue shirt Sasuke was wearing, and the boy felt the back of it with his hand. He felt the seam where Kabuto had replaced the fabric.

"That…," he lowered his hand and buried it in his pocket once more, "makes sense, I guess."

The man's face brightened in excitement, and he asked, "So, this design?!"

"No!" Sasuke snapped. "Definitely not. You can keep that logic, but come up with something else. Maybe…I don't know, something I can slip off easily?"

"Oh, that might work," Kabuto nodded. "Yes, I like that. I will get to work right away."

"Fine," the Uchiha rolled his eyes, before setting his gaze on the shoreline. "Now, where's the store, exactly?"

"If you're not going to buy it, stop staring at it," Sasuke found himself telling Kabuto for what felt like the hundredth time that afternoon.

He was standing in the middle of an aisle, a shopping basket in his hand, his list still only half filled, while the idiot Genin contemplated over a purchase of the newest dish soap.

"I've heard it's the best," the man was currently musing, more to himself than the frustrated Uchiha beside him. "But advertisements can be deceiving."

"So, don't get it," Sasuke snapped.

Kabuto turned his eyes to award the boy a dumbfounded look. "Sasuke-kun, what if it really is the best? I'll never know if I don't buy it, will I?"

"It's a marketing scam," Sasuke shot back. "They tell you that so you will buy it. It's all about capital with these people."

"And, is that a fact, or your own speculation?" Kabuto eyed the boy critically.

"It might as well be a fact, because anyone with any sense speculates the same thing," the Uchiha informed him dryly.

"Hmm…," Kabuto returned his eyes to the soap container, lifting it in his hands and looking it over. "But I've heard it's the best…."

"Oh, screw it," Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I can't shop with you anymore. You stay here and decide, and I'm going to go do something productive."

He shook his head at the idiot, making his way down the aisle and glancing over his list briefly. What was next? Tea. Now, where would be the tea be? He scanned the rows of aisles with his eyes, before nodding his head when he came to one that looked appropriate. Before he had even walked three feet, however, he heard Kabuto's voice behind him.

"I'm just going to buy it," the Genin informed him as he placed the container in the basket. "If it doesn't work as well as they say, I won't get it next time."

"But we don't need soap," Sasuke drawled. "You just went shopping."

"Yes, but I didn't see this when I came last time," Kabuto explained.

"Whatever," the boy replied in annoyance. "If you have buyer's remorse, don't blame me."

He halted in his steps and let his gaze wander over the options in front of him a moment. When he spotted what he had been searching for, he reached forward and grabbed the box that contained the jasmine tea. After tossing it in the basket, he then turned and left the aisle.

"You didn't stop to look around," Kabuto remarked, as if it was some great offense. "What kind of shopping is that?"

"I hate shopping," Sasuke replied easily, glancing over the list again and then heading toward the produce section.

"Hate shopping?" the Genin tsked the boy with a patronizing smile. "Goodness, Sasuke-kun. You hate quite a few things, don't you?"

Sasuke offered no response. He kept his eyes forward and walked toward his destination.

"I suppose it really is no surprise how hard you are to shop for," Kabuto continued. "I mean, if you hate shopping yourself, then, clearly, the person left with the task will have a difficult job, as well. There must be a few things you don't hate, though. I mean, you already named apples. Anything else?"

Still saying nothing, Sasuke proceeded to hold the list up, and he waved it in the air once, before stowing it back in his pocket.

"Oh, that makes sense," Kabuto stated with a pleasant smile. "May I see the list, Sasuke-kun?"

"No," the boy answered shortly.

"Well, how am I supposed to know what you like?" the Genin asked.

"I already gave you that opportunity," Sasuke reminded him in a dry tone. "You forgot the list. In fact, you didn't even look at it after I gave it to you the first time."

"Sasuke-kun," Kabuto readjusted his glasses, "I do believe I've already informed you of the many tasks I have in this company. That being said, is it any wonder it takes me a little while before I remember some things?"

Sasuke rounded on the man with a glare. "Is it physically impossible for you to admit a mistake?"

"A mistake?" the man stared at him in perplexity.

"Yes, you made a mistake," Sasuke stressed the word. "You make a lot of them, actually."

"Oh, Sasuke-kun," Kabuto's condescending smile returned. "How little you know. There really are no mistakes. There are simply things that happen in life, which we can often learn from. One should never look at an action as a mistake, but, rather as an alternate means of doing something."

The Uchiha stared up at the man in silence a moment, before turning his back to him and proceeding forward. He was not going to even award this idiot an answer. Breaking down that ridiculous logic was not even worth the effort. Rather, Sasuke stepped forward and grabbed a bushel of apples, which he proceeded to place in the basket as well. The older shinobi was saying something else behind him, but he had decided to stop listening. He should have done that from the beginning, because listening to Kabuto only wore him out. Was it even possible to be this annoyed by one person?

As he reached for the next item on his list, he was startled into listening, however, because Kabuto was now mere inches from his ear.

"Sasuke-kun, do you like tomatoes?!"

Sasuke shot the man a glare, but he made no further response. He simply placed the tomatoes in a bag, which he set in the basket, as well…

…

"Sasuke! Don't venture too far."

He was standing in an open field with his brother. Itachi was keeping a careful eye on him, a gentle smile in place. In the older boy's hand, he held a collection of flowers. As it was, the two brothers had decided to spend the afternoon picking only the most perfect flowers for their mother's bouquet. It was a gift for her birthday.

Sasuke turned back to face his older brother and grinned up at him. "I won't, Nii-san," he assured him. "I promise."

And with that, he scampered off. A pretty patch of flowers had caught his eye, and he wanted to grab them for the bouquet. As the small child came upon them, he stopped short and knelt down to rip the plants out of the earth. He pulled up each flower with a jerk, down to the root, and he spat when some of the dirt splattered in his face. Nevertheless, he was determined to grab all of them, because they were all so pretty, and his mother needed the prettiest flowers. That was what he and Itachi had agreed upon.

Suddenly, a striking blue blossom caught his line of sight, and the child hurried to his feet. Looking down at the flower, he let the grin spread across his face again, and he reached down to pluck it up. He tried to be more careful this time, because he did not want to get dirt in his mouth. It had not tasted very good.

"Sasuke!"

He heard his brother calling his name, and he quickly added the blue flower to the pile in his hands. The boy then ran in the direction of the voice, where he found Itachi with a relieved smile. Grinning triumphantly, Sasuke held out his handful of flowers for his brother to see.

Itachi patted him on the head and then knelt down on the ground, which he beckoned his little brother to do, as well. "Alright," he instructed, "set you flowers next to mine, and we'll arrange them all together."

Sasuke nodded his head eagerly as he set his flowers beside his brother's. His large black eyes inspecting the pile, he asked, "Kaa-san is going to love these, right?"

"Of course," Itachi nodded, and he began cutting off some of the flower stems, which were too long. He then started arranging them in some manner that was lost to the small boy, and Sasuke let his eyes wander to the discarded pile of stems.

He cocked his head to one side in curiosity, as he recalled something his brother had once told him, about how tomatoes come from flowers. The child reached forward and lifted the stem in his tiny hand, and he proceeded to inspect it with curious eyes. How did a tomato come from this? He wondered if it tasted any good.

CRUNCH.

Well, it was not quite as good as a tomato.

It was then that he realized his brother had paused to stare at him, and Sasuke turned to gaze up at Itachi innocently, still chewing the bite in his mouth.

"Sasuke," Itachi sighed, reaching forward and gently removing the stem from his brother's mouth. "That is not meant to be eaten."

"It's not?" Sasuke asked, feeling downcast by this news.

"No," Itachi shook his head, as a smile formed. "It didn't taste any good, right?"

Sasuke jutted his lower lip out in a pout. "Hmm," he considered the question. "I guess not. It looked like it might, though."

"Flowers are meant to be observed," his older brother explained. "They might look appealing, but that doesn't mean they taste good. Outside appearances can often be deceiving."

"Oh," the child dropped his eyes. As if suddenly remembering, he asked, "Well, aren't tomatoes flowers at first? How come they taste good and I can eat them?"

With a soft chuckle, Itachi again shook his head at his little brother. "Some flowers turn into fruits or vegetables, but you can't eat them before they change," he informed the child. "You have to know the difference between those types, and the ones that stay the same. It is the only way to not be deceived by their appearance."

"So…," Sasuke began, his small mind deep in thought, "there are more types of food that were flowers first? Not just tomatoes?"

"Right," Itachi nodded as he held up his index finger. "Such as apples, a-"

"I like apples!" Sasuke exclaimed, his eyes widening in excitement.

"Yes, so do I," Itachi replied. "Plums, cucumbers and even cherries were all flowers first."

"Cherries?" the young Uchiha mulled over this new piece of information. Something about it sounded familiar. "What sort of flower do those come from?"

Lowering his hand, his older brother smiled. "The cherry blossom tree, of course. Like the one by our house."

"Oh!" Sasuke's eyes lit up in excitement once more. "Those are the prettiest ones."

"Yes," Itachi nodded in agreement. "They are the prettiest."

The child glanced down at the pile of flowers between them, considering the matter carefully, before bringing his gaze to meet his brother's once more. "Nii-san, we should put some of the cherry blossoms in the bouquet! Since they're the prettiest ones, Kaa-san needs those, too!"

Itachi released a light laugh, but he nevertheless nodded his head, indicating his agreement. "We'll add a few sakura blossoms, then."

"Sakura?" Sasuke titled his head to one side in curiosity.

Itachi's gentle smile returned, and he proceeded to explain it to his brother.

"Nii-san," the young Uchiha smiled up at Itachi, his eyes fascinated. "You know everything."

…

Sasuke narrowed his eyes into a glare. Yes. It always seemed Itachi knew everything. Even then, when he was young enough to not know better than to put a flower in his mouth, the man had been playing the role of the caring older brother he wanted. Of the caring son who would pick flowers for a bouquet, to be presented to their mother on her birthday. The hands he had used to present those flowers to the smiling woman were the same hands he would use in only a few short years to raise the katana and cut her life away.

"You bastard."

"I'm sorry, but I just don't think we should trust this advertisement," he heard Kabuto tell him, and the boy brought his gaze back to the man in perplexity.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"The soap," the Genin clarified, his condescending smile in place once again. "You don't need to get so upset with me just because I decided not to buy it, Sasuke-kun. Really, you shouldn't trust those marketing labels. It's all a scam, really."

As he stared up at the imbecile beside him, the boy's eye twitched again.

He pushed the kitchen door open and did not bother to hold it for Kabuto, who was struggling with most of the groceries. The boy proceeded to walk straight to the counter and set his load down, before quickly unpacking everything and placing them in the appropriate drawers. Finally, there would be decent food to eat around this damn place.

"Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru greeted him in his low, raspy voice. "I trust you managed to find everything you needed?"

"Yes," the young Uchiha answered shortly, not turning his gaze from the task before him.

"Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto rested his eyes on his master as he set his handful of groceries on the counter as well. "Did you know Sasuke-kun hates shopping?"

"Does he?" the Sannin sounded genuinely curious.

"He does," his assistant replied. "He also didn't like my latest outfit design."

"Kabuto," Orochimaru chuckled softly to himself. "Didn't I tell you that he'll only accept the best? I have great faith in your ability, though, so there is no need for concern."

Kabuto fixed his glasses and then turned to help Sasuke with the groceries. After they were finished, the Genin took three apples from the fridge and handed one to each of them, before walking forward to take his seat at the table beside Orochimaru. Holding back the sigh, Sasuke took a seat as well, finding he had nothing better to do.

"What did you have for lunch, Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto asked the Snake Master, his tone pleasant.

"Leftovers of that natto you prepared last night," Orochimaru replied. "It was delicious, of course. You always do make the best meals, Kabuto."

"It was still on par, I trust, after a night in the fridge?" the medical ninja checked.

"Oh, yes," the Sannin assured him. "As I said, it was delicious."

Kabuto smiled proudly, before turning his gaze to focus on Sasuke. "Do you like natto, Sasuke-kun?"

Not bothering to hide his look of disgust, the young Uchiha replied dryly, "It's not exactly my cup of tea."

"He's right, Kabuto," Orochimaru informed the man. "His cup of tea is jasmine. I've learned this from firsthand experience."

"Oh, is it?" Kabuto asked curiously. "That's certainly an interesting choice, especially for someone who doesn't like sweets."

"Kabuto," his master smiled fondly, "though I don't doubt your reasoning, I daresay it has little to do with anything logical. In fact, I believe it is a matter of the tea being habitual."

"Habitual, is it?" the Genin inquired. "How so, Orochimaru-sama?"

"It was a personal favorite of-"

"Shut-up," Sasuke glared at the man beside him, and he could feel his hand twitching angrily. He did not want to hear any mention of that man's name. He was affecting him far more than he would like, without Orochimaru bringing him up every time he drank a mug of tea.

"Oh," Kabuto lowered his voice, as if he actually believed that Sasuke would not be able to hear him. "I see who you mean."

"Dear Kabuto," the older ninja nodded his head in approval. "You are always so quick. I never even need to explain anything to you. It's as if you already know what I'm thinking."

"I have been with you for some time, now," his assistant pointed out. "It only makes sense that we would be able to understand one another without even needing words, after a certain span of time."

"Of course, Kabuto," Orochimaru grinned.

Did these two idiots actually believe half of that nonsense? Clearly, it was an obvious guess who Orochimaru had been referring to. In fact, Kabuto was just that much more ridiculous for not being able to realize sooner. Why Orochimaru felt a need to praise him for every mistake was beyond Sasuke's capacity to comprehend, and he shook his head of the thought as he lifted the apple to his mouth and took a bite.

He chewed it slowly, ignoring the conversation unfolding beside him, as he considered some way he could speed the process of getting this seal under control. The stages made sense, there was no denying that, but perhaps there was some way to speed the different stages. He was eager to move on, to learn the advanced techniques. Techniques Naruto had clearly been taught by the Frog Sannin.

The young Uchiha glanced over, watching in silent disgust as Orochimaru devoured his apple. He was eating it ravenously, saliva dripping from his tongue, which he wrapped around the fruit on occasion. Biting into a particularly succulent portion of the apple, juice suddenly flew out, and it hit Sasuke in the eye.

Orochimaru glanced over at this, releasing his customary throaty laugh, and Kabuto joined in on his master's laughter. Saliva was dripping from the apple in the Sannin's hand.

Sasuke felt his eye twitch.