On his way to the kitchen, Itachi found himself walking with Karin; she apparently had heard the whole thing from down the hall. "Are you alright Itachi-kun?" she asked, noticing how his walk was a tad bit slower then his usual quick stride. Itachi nodded mutely and led the way into the large kitchen, he was quite amazed with Sasuke's choice of place to stay.

His little brother seemed to have found the villa the Uchiha owned that was boarder line with the land of tea; the mansion was still within the land of fire but was far from Konoha. "Would you like help with cooking dinner?" the red head offered, she wanted to help Itachi so much.

"That will be unnecessary miss Karin, Sasuke has asked me to make the dinner and so will expect I have no help at all." he said as he went to the cabinets and pulled out a larger pan along with a few smaller items to aid in his somewhat good cooking.

Karin frowned, "But you don't look so well Itachi-kun, please, let me help you." she said as she walked up to him. Itachi flipped around from the stove after he'd turned it on and passed the red head as he moved to the sink with the pan. Karin turned around to follow Itachi around the kitchen; he worked fast for what had just happened.

"I'm sorry Karin but I do not need your help, you may not wish to hear it, but, I am fine on my own." he said casually, watching the water fill the pan before shutting it off and carefully heaving it back over to the now waiting stove.

The girl pouted, feeling useless as she stared at Itachi's back, then she noticed something when she moved further to the side to look at his side profile. "Hm..." she hummed as she walked right up to him, surprisingly supporting a straight face. Itachi tried to ignore her as much as he could while he stood there and thought of which he could attempt to make, he'd seen the pantry and it was filled with food that might be use-able.

He started when the girl grabbed him, passed the waist line, I mean, "Well if you won't let me help you in the kitchen...I could try to fix your large problem then, maybe?" she said sweetly, soft hand stimulating him sensuously. Itachi gently grit his teeth and grabbed her hand, face towards her in a mask of indifference, "You are distracting me Karin, please leave and kindly keep your hands to yourself." he bade her, but he couldn't deny his body enjoyed the softer attention.

Karin didn't seem like she'd back down this time, Itachi felt himself become rather uneasy at having not only his brother touching him but Karin too. "But I can feel that you need release, c'mon Itachi-kun, Sasuke's not here and I just want to help." she said in his ear as she continued to stroke him.

Itachi tightened his grip until it hurt and he felt her stop and let go, "Get out." he hissed out, he didn't want to be touched, he didn't want her, and he swore if she didn't stop he was going to turn to violence to make her keep distance.

Karin whined softly at his cruel grip and was glad when he let go and quickly strode off from her to the pantry. She glared softly at his back, she'd get her some action too if it killed her! Huffing, Karin flipped her hair out of her face and strode off; maybe Sasuke would prove to be an easier target then his unreasonable brother.

-

Itachi heaved a soft sigh; dinner had gone over without anymore hassle and the Uchiha was ever so grateful. He was now retired to his own room; it was the only place he seemed to get a rest from all the chaotic mess outside the four walls surrounding him. He'd already taken the coldest shower he could handle and was sitting on the soft pallet he was to call a bed.

He wore nothing but his own skin for the night as he didn't wish to wear the kimono anymore then he had to. His passive eyes looked out the silted window and out to the garden and the night sky. The lack of glass had the room at a cool temperature and that was fine for the silent Uchiha as he listened to the sounds of small animals, the wind, and the soft lull of water tipping the bamboo fountain this way and that.

'I am wondering about this woman's curse... she said I would suffer nightmares I thought impossible...but other then my brother's sick obsession with touching me surely there is other things much worse?' he thought in his peaceful paradise. 'What could be something else that might happen...?' he wondered worriedly as he turned from the screen and lay to his bed.

"Surely there is nothing more unpleasant then Sasuke's raping me..." he hoped as he stared at the ceiling, thoughts centered on what he thought that could happen now that he was to suffer. As he began to nod off, Itachi was worried to catch something like laughter in the wind; that was unusual...

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"Get up." A harsh command awoke Itachi from sleeping but the following foot to his side was certainly unnecessary. Deep obsidian pools looked up at Sasuke's stoic expression, Itachi felt a stab at his heart at how much Sasuke looked like one of the expressionless Uchiha. Sasuke had always been so open with his emotions but Itachi only saw the mask and hate now, "What is it little brother?" the elder said as he raised himself to a sitting position.

Sasuke took notice that Itachi seemed to be without clothing with how the bed sheets shifted to reveal nearly everything. "I want to talk with you." Sasuke said as he took to sitting on the floor next to Itachi. Sitting like this, Itachi found his brother was actually smaller then himself, it looked like the younger was all legs then anything else. "..." Itachi waited, curiosity burning in his usually stoic gaze.

Sasuke looked up at his brother, "Why are you so wishy-washy?" he asked, his brother kept changing in front of Sasuke so many times he didn't know what to think and his hatred was suffering from the confusion. "What do you mean Sasuke?" Itachi replied, even with his ability to come to conclusions quickly, he hadn't thought Sasuke would choose a topic like this.

"You never make up your mind around me... first you're my aniki... then a murder... then, then-well I don't know this time. Why do you always lie to me so much?" Sasuke said quietly, his own dark pools searching for an answer. Itachi stared quietly at his little brother, he could see the hurt through the veil Sasuke hid behind these days,"...To protect you otouto." he said finally which had the other frowning.

"I don't need to be protected!" he said firmly, feeling suddenly weak because Itachi felt he always had to protect him. Itachi looked away, the window proving to interest him more then Sasuke's presence, "You may not now, but, before I did it to protect you." he murmured.

Sasuke knitted his brows and felt that damned question burning on his tongue; he had to get this out, "Why'd you kill them? Why did you kill our family Itachi?" Sasuke had to know the answer to this one question if there was any question he could have answered.

Itachi did not reply, sitting there in his silence and ignoring Sasuke. The confusion soon burned into anger for Sasuke as he punched Itachi hard in the side, "Answer me, damn you! I have to know!" he yelled at Itachi, eyes tightly closed. Itachi caught himself with both hands before he was forced to the ground and he once again looked at his distressed little brother. The elder sat up and faced Sasuke, "Sorry Sasuke, maybe some other time." he said and stabbed the fuming boy in the forehead.

Thump

Sasuke froze at the words and then winced at the affectionate tap to his forehead. He opened his eyes and looked up at Itachi in an odd mixture of shock, happiness, and disappointment. Itachi looked away once again but Sasuke caught the rare smile only he was gifted to see. The teen gawked silently at Itachi for that, only his brother would say those words and make him feel all happy at being disappointed.

The shock melted into hurt after a moment and Sasuke quickly got to his feet, this man always played with his emotions! That evil little smile was proof of his enjoyment as he twisted Sasuke this way and that,"I hate you..." he said as he backed a couple of steps from the male he might once have called brother. "I hate you, you lying bastard!" he yelled at him, acting like a teenage girl throwing a huge temper tantrum.

Itachi listened to Sasuke's thudding footsteps before he was left in silence once again. Itachi sighed, "Still not enough hate little brother..." he breathed out as he stared at the grass outside."When will you realize I'm not the only one lying to you?" he wondered, knowing well Sasuke was lying to himself so hard it must have hurt.

I love the poke scene. It's my favorite uchiha moment. ^w^