Number five, baby! And at one in the morning.
Author notes: Needed to kill some time waiting for Amber-chan to get back from whatever she was doing. I just wrote until I couldn't anymore, I guess. Based on a few of those stories I've read. You know the ones. Watch out for OOC Sasuke and Itachi, but mostly Sasuke.
Chapter Title: Lies Make the World Go 'Round.
Chapter Rating: I'd say a general K-plus, since there's mentions of violence, but otherwise it's pretty tame.
Genre: General
Chapter Summary: Itachi lies to protect Sasuke. He lies to keep his otouto close to his heart. But most of all, he lies because he's good at it.
Disclaimer: Don't own the lovely Uchiha boys. If I did… Well, some things are better left for fantasy.
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"Niisan, do you have to go on a mission?" Sasuke asked, pouting in a way that made Itachi want to stay home.
"If you want to keep eating three meals a day, yes. And don't pout, your much too old for that." Itachi corrected, offering his younger brother a rare half-smile.
Most seventeen-year-olds wouldn't have enjoyed being thrust into the role of parent when they were only thirteen. They wouldn't have been able to explain to their then eight-year-old brother why Tousan and Kaasan were gone. But Itachi was not called a genius for no good reason.
After all, he got away with the murders. All of them. Blamed a rouge ninja, convinced Sasuke he would find and kill the bastard, and then moved them both far away from the bloody old estate, full of such bad memories.
Far away meaning into an apartment complex across town. One that, ironically, also housed Sasuke's best friend, a boy named Naruto. Itachi had heard rumors about that boy, that he was the demon fox container, but he didn't see any harm in allowing his little brother to have a friend.
"If you get lonely, invite Naruto-kun over, or go see that girl you like, Haruno Sakura." Itachi said as he finished donning his Anbu uniform, looking over his shoulder as his little brother stood in the doorway of their bedroom. Even through the bangs that framed his face--he needed to trim those, again--he could see his little brother blush.
"I don't like her, she likes me." Sasuke muttered, poking at the thin carpet with a toe. Itachi shrugged, pulling his mask down from the shelf, not bothering to put it on yet. Sasuke didn't like his mask.
"Fine, fine. Go see that girl that likes you, Haruno Sakura. Anyways, I've talked to your teacher, and Iruka will be coming over to check on you every day while I'm gone. Mizuno-san across the hall has offered to cook for you, so go over there and bother her if you get hungry--at decent hours. If it's any time that she might be asleep, get some ramen at Naruto's, or something. You know where the emergency weaponry and money are, make sure you get to school on time, and study hard. I want to see improvement when I get back." Itachi was moving towards the door, his eleven-year-old brother trailing after him like a lost puppy, though he didn't doubt Sasuke had taken in all the information.
"How long will you be gone on this mission, Itachi?" The spike-haired boy asked, watching as his brother pulled his sandals on. He didn't see it, as he was facing Itachi's back, but something dark flashed across the teen's black eyes.
"I don't know, Sasuke. Maybe a week, maybe more. Hopefully less, it feels like I never get to stay home anymore." Itachi would keep the good news for when he got home. It would be his little surprise to remind him that quick completion of the mission was best.
"I hope it's less than a week too, niisan," Sasuke proclaimed, looking at least a bit happier. Once Itachi had stood up again, he moved forward, giving his brother a tight hug, feeling the pat on the shoulder that was the return hug--or as much of one as he'd get--and letting go. It had been rather frowned upon before, such open displays of affection for his older sibling, but Itachi never seemed to mind. Sasuke was glad, he secretly thought the hug was good luck.
Itachi put his mask on then, adjusting it before walking out the door, not pausing to wave to his little brother, or looking back. Yes, he'd have to be back in less than a week. At least he was working with Kakashi-san this time. For a whacked-out pervert, the man could get things done when they needed to be done.
A week passed, and Itachi didn't come home. Sasuke spent time helping Naruto study, mostly yelling at his friend for being a dunce. He ate meals cooked by old Mizuno-san, which were better than anything he or Itachi could cook--neither of them had use for learning domestic skills beyond laundry and washing out bloodstains--but nothing compared to what he remembered his mom cooking. He even went over to see Sakura one afternoon, and ended up taking her on a 'date' to the park. It wasn't a real date, as he caught her on the way out the door, and she asked if he wanted to take a walk with her, but it was nice.
Itachi had left on a Sunday, and now it had been an entire week, and was Sunday night. Itachi wasn't back. Sasuke wasn't worried, though. He had said that the mission might take more than a week. Sasuke curled into the large bed the two brothers shared, on his side, and sighed. It felt lonely, without the reassuring warmth of his brother a little ways away. (1) He didn't feel as safe, and slept with a kunai under his pillow, something only Itachi normally did. (2)
Wednesday, Itachi still hadn't come home, and Sasuke went to see Hokage-sama, to see if the old man had word on Itachi's mission status. He knew, from past experience, that all that information was classified, but sometimes if he threw away his pride and asked nicely, the old man would drop a hint. Something like 'their last report was filed this morning, everything is going well'. Sasuke wasn't allowed to know the details of an Anbu mission, no one but the Hokage, the nins doing the mission, and the person who requested the mission knew that. (3) But sometimes he'd get hints.
Wednesday Hokage-sama was busy, with some small crisis on one of the borders. Sasuke decided that if Itachi didn't come home that night, or the next day, he'd try first thing Friday.
Thursday was spent practicing his ninjutsu, as he had a test coming up on transformation techniques. The only time his brother really crossed his mind was when he and Naruto--who were practicing transforming into each other--stopped to take a break, and Sasuke offered to make some food for them. He spotted the shopping list, written in Itachi's neat lettering, tacked to the bulletin board.
By the time he fell into bed Thursday night, he had almost forgotten it had been over a week and a half since he'd heard from Itachi.
Friday, before classes started at the academy, Sasuke was at the Hokage's tower. In fact, he had been there since the sun rose, sitting outside the old man's door, waiting to be able to talk to him.
He must have drifted off, because the next thing he knew he was being shaken gently awake. As soon as Sasuke's obsidian eyes opened, he was on the defensive, as he had been taught to be.
"Take it easy," a voice said calmly, sounding a bit muffled, "you're Uchiha Sasuke, right? What are you doing here, you should be in class." Sasuke was able to focus enough to get a good look at his almost-assailant, and he blinked. He didn't know of any other nin in Konoha who had spiked silver hair, a hitai-ate covering his left eye, and a mask covering most of his face.
"Y-you're Kakashi-san…" He muttered, voice still tired, even if his mind was wide awake. But Itachi had said that Kakashi-san was on the mission with him… Did that mean…?
"I have to get home, Itachi-niisan is there!" Sasuke exclaimed, jumping to his feet, trying to push past the man. Kakashi caught his arm, raising his visible eyebrow.
"Of course Itachi is home. The mission's been over for three days now. Are you feeling okay?" The older ninja reached a hand forward, as if to feel the young Uchiha's forehead for a fever.
"Three days…? But when why hasn't Itachi-niisan some back…?" Sasuke heard himself asking, looking around as if expecting the answers to be written on the wall.
"Yes, I think you have a fever. Here, I'll take you home." Kakashi said, lifting the unresisting Sasuke into his arms. The poor boy must have been exhausted, he was asleep even before they got down the hallway.
Back in the apartment, Kakashi let himself in through the window, setting his small burden down on the bed presented to him. He'd have to find Itachi and tell him about that, undoubtedly.
When Sasuke awoke, he felt lost. Wasn't he supposed to be at the Hokage tower, asking about his brother? And why was he smelling his brother's shampoo so strongly, if he was in bed? Even when Itachi had just washed his hair, his pillow absorbed most of the scent.
"Well, you're finally awake. You had me worried for a moment there, otouto." That was Itachi's voice! Sasuke's head whipped around, so fast he got dizzy and fell back into the vanilla-scented pillow, blinking a few times to bring the form above him into focus.
Itachi sat on the other side of the bed, leaning over his little brother, genuine concern etched into his normally blank features. Slowly, his hand moved forward, and Sasuke felt something cool and damp on his forehead for a moment. What was going on?
"You've been asleep for about twelve hours now, Sasuke," Itachi said, as if reading his mind, "When Kakashi-san found you earlier today you were burning up with a fever. You should have told Hokage-sama if you were sick, I would have come home sooner." Itachi whispered, stroking Sasuke's hair out of his face.
"But… But Kakashi-san said you have been home for three days…" Sasuke whispered, realizing then just how dry his throat was. Itachi helped him sit up for a moment, and held a glass of water to his lips.
"I think you were hearing things, Sasuke… We'd both gotten back that morning. Kakashi-san was on his way to report our mission, and I was on my way home to see you." Itachi gave his little brother an almost-smile, standing up from the bed. "Rest now, Sasuke. I'll bring you some soup."
Sasuke lay back down, again missing the dark look that passed through his brother's eyes as Itachi left the room.
Itachi paused in the doorway, glancing back at his brother. "Oh, and Sasuke, happy birthday." He'd save the rest of the news--how he had demanded a week off, so that he could spend some time with Sasuke--when his little brother was feeling better.
Lying to Sasuke all the time killed a small part of his heart. But every time Sasuke would smile at him, or hug him, or do anything really, it made up for it. He lied to Sasuke, sure, but it kept his otouto close to him. It kept him safe.
Most of all, it kept Sasuke as Itachi's, and Itachi's alone.
--
Whew, not where I thought I'd go with that. To clarify, Sasuke was sick, but Itachi had been home for three days, like Kakashi said. He had been hiding out at the Uchiha estate, practicing Mangekyou Sharingan, or something. Pretty much everything he says to Sasuke is probably a lie, but Sasuke's so devoted to his brother, he's not entirely able to put the pieces together just yet.
Keep in mind, Sasuke thinks some rogue ninja killed his family, so he's still rather untainted.
And now for the notes.
(1) they share a bed for monetary convenience, not because they're incesting.
(2) Again, Sasuke is still pretty innocent, so he doesn't sleep with a knife under his pillow 'just in case'. Itachi, however, does.
(3) I don't know much about the inner workings of Anbu, but I image their jobs wouldn't be public knowledge.
Just as another note, when Sasuke calls Kakashi 'Kakashi-san' he does it because his brother does it, and I'm pretty sure it'd be the generally respectful thing to do. When Itachi calls Kakashi 'Kakashi-san', he's being sarcastic. It's just that the monotone hides it.
By the way things have been going so far, this fic should probably be Itachi-centric, if you happen to notice that pattern in my drabbles. Well, I went against my own grain, and made it center on both of them. It's told more through Sasuke, but there's quite a bit of crazed Itachi introspection there, I think.
Yup, I edited it myself after I realized how many mistakes I had. Changed it a bit, too, since it was originally supposed to be a bit mroe light-hearted.