Chapter 1
Family
"Itachi-niisan! Itachi-niisan!" A small boy with raven hair bounds out of the house I was about to enter. He peers up at me with coal-black eyes not yet tainted with Sharingan. I ruffle his hair briefly and walk into the house. Down the hall, around the corner, through another door into my room. I can hear small footsteps thumping after me, but I shut my door against them. It's not that I don't like Sasuke. Actually, I think he's adorable. But that's not something I'll readily admit to anyone. It's actually just easier to ignore the kid.
I cross the room and collapse onto my bed. Close my eyes and drift along. Think about my future. Anxiety threatens to overwhelm me. In a few months, I'll be applying to join ANBU and-
"Itachi-nii!!" The voice is accompanied by a small fist thumping on the door. "Open up, open up!" With a sigh, I swing my legs over the side of the bed and cross to the door. Open it a few inches. As soon as it opens, the kid's talking.
"Listen, listen! I have something really, really important to tell you!" He tugs on the hem of my shirt.
"What is it?" I ask without expression.
"Mom signed me up today! For the Ninja Academy !" Sasuke crowed triumphantly, "I'm gonna be a ninja just like you, Itachi-nii!" His eyes glow with excitement and visions of adventure. My heart sinks a little, but I don't show it. I just look at him and say, "Don't mess it up." And close the door. Walk back to my bed. Lie down again. The small fist pounds on the door again but this time I ignore it.
"Tachi-nii! What do you mean?! Hey, open up...!" I let Sasuke's protests fade out of my hearing and then I turn to what he just told me. The Ninja Academy, huh...? That'll be interesting.. I can't help but think that this was a bad choice. Sasuke's just too... cheerful. He's too upbeat to be a shinobi. Or rather, the life of a shinobi is too depressing for him. But he is an Uchiha, after all. If he wasn't a shinobi, what would he be? An outcast, most likely. That would be even worse. And who knows? Maybe he will make it as a shinobi...
~*~*~*~*~
"Nii-san? Niiii-saaaann," My younger brother calls. I watch him from my perch high in one of the trees on the outskirts of the training ground. I came here to train but ended up taking a break to read. It turned into a very long break.
"Nii-saaan!" His voice has taken on a whiny note, "Come out already!" I sigh tiredly and shut my book. Jump out of the tree silently, landing right behind Sasuke.
"Nii-sa—agh!" Sasuke turns around to find me staring at him. I shake my head.
"What do you want?" I ask.
"Mom wants you inside for dinner," Sasuke says, "It took me forever to find you!"
"Then you should have looked harder," I reply; surreptitiously slipping the book into my pocket, "Anyway, let's go home." Sasuke nods and takes off in the direction of the house. I follow him. I may not show it like he does, but I'm just as anxious to go home. Go home to a family.
~*~*~*~*~
If only I had known... I think now. If only I had known how it would all be broken. I would have made so much more of those last few months...