車輪の兄弟
Sharingan no Gokyoudai
-Brothers of the Sharingan-
Summery: In which, Itachi has been captured and is being held in Kumogakure. Sasuke must travel to see him, in the hopes of bringing him back to Konoha, or gaining information about Akatsuki. Having to visit the man in his holding cell, with the Raikage refusing to give over the Uchiha murderer, will Sasuke find he still holds a bond with his brother
Disclaimer: This product is meant for entertainment purposes only. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Some assembly required. Batteries not included. Use only as directed. Flammable.
A/N: Sorry for the long wait on an update, but I finally got past this chapter, and it should clear sailing for a while now... so review for me, and I promise I shall come back with more chapters! And all the precious Uchihacest, and all that.
I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Oh, and in case any of you are interested, I've started a one-shot collection of the Naruto characters in University, which I'll update occsionally. Go check it out for me!
Chapter 7: Create a Change
The sound of rushing water filled his ears, the clang of metal and ceramic plates chiming, accompanied by the loud chirping of the birds outside basking in the afternoon sunshine. It was a more peaceful scene than Sasuke had witnessed in many years.
Busily scrubbing the plates he had used for a late breakfast, the young Uchiha felt the warm water run down his fingers as he blew a lock of dark hair out of his face, and allowed his thoughts to wander.
He had slept in that morning - a fact of which had shocked him upon waking, considering he had hardly managed a comfortable eight hours of sleep per night for the last six years, and had for the first time in his teenage life, woken in the late morning instead of at sunrise.
Needless to say, after a good nights sleep and with the events of the day before now settling in his mind, Sasuke was in a particularly good mood. Repeating the words he had had with his brother, the young Uchiha hardly dared to believe all that had happened. He and Itachi had actually... reconciled. They had spoken of things that had lain as forbidden subjects between them for years, and agreed to try again.
Could they really do this? Sasuke wondered; would they still have anything in common? Would it be too hard rebuild their relationship, after everything that has happened between them?
He didn't know. But in any case, despite his worrying over the way in which they would reconnect, Sasuke couldn't quite shake the feeling that what was happening was right, and that he might actually be able to do this. They could do this.
But what's more - Itachi had said they could. And for one reason or another, that meant a lot to Sasuke.
Hearing the front door open and close, followed quickly by heavy footsteps towards the main room, Sasuke's immediate reaction was to flicker his gaze to the clock which hung above the sink in front of him. It was almost noon - and as the Uchiha heard Naruto's footsteps hit the tiles of the hall and the blonde call for him, it occurred to Sasuke suddenly that not only was it about the usual time that he went to see his brother, but also that he hadn't seen Naruto since the day before yesterday, and the blonde was probably wondering where he had been.
"In here, dobe." Sasuke called from where he still stood in the kitchen, as he turned off the faucet of the sink and grabbed a towel to begin drying the dishes he had just washed, his mind already wandering to thoughts of going to visit his brother.
Naruto's footsteps became clearer as he stepped into the kitchen behind Sasuke, and the Uchiha could immediately hear the relief in the blonde's voice. "Teme," Naruto sighed, "I didn't think you would be here!"
Sasuke turned around to face the blonde, leaning back against the sink as he saw Naruto's bright grin, and returned it with a smile of his own. "I'll be setting off soon." He informed the other boy.
Naruto's grin faltered then, as he stepped further in to the kitchen, leaning against the countertop as his expression then changed to show concern. "Ne, about that, teme," The blonde rubbed a hand through his hair, "I wanted to ask, where were you yesterday? Nobody saw you all day!"
Sasuke's eyes dropped then to the towel he held in his hands, and he hesitated to answer. What would Naruto think of him going to see Itachi again, after everything that he had said the day before, and after Naruto had worried about him? "Actually..." The dark-haired boy answered slowly, "I was visiting Itachi again."
Naruto's eyes became wide at that, and he stopped still. "You what?" He asked in surprise, "I thought you weren't going to put up with that bastard anymore!"
The young Uchiha suppressed the wince that almost overcame his features as he heard the blonde's sharp tone, his heart giving a surprisingly painful pang at his friend's description of his brother. Things certainly had changed.
"It's alright now, dobe." Sasuke shrugged, attempting to appease the blonde's concern, "I talked to him. It's... a lot better now. Things have changed."
Naruto's expression showed that he found this information doubtful. "But you were so upset the other day..." The blonde trailed off, and became silent for a moment - before coming over to stand close to Sasuke, a firm frown on his features as he told the other boy quietly, "I just don't want to see you get hurt by him again."
Sasuke felt his heart rate increase at the blonde's tender words and close proximity, folding and refolding the towel he held in his hands as he focused on looking down and avoiding his friend's concerned gaze. "I won't, dobe." He answered quietly, "I had a real... talk with Itachi, I promise." He added when he heard the blonde make a disbelieving noise. "I think it's going to be ok. And anyway, I still have my part to play in this. I want to see if I can get information out of Itachi still." He lied evenly.
Naruto hesitated for a moment, as though about to argue the subject, before he smiled acceptingly instead. "Ok, teme." He relented, allowing one hand to rise and settle on top of the other boy's to steady them, allowing his warm fingers to overlap Sasuke's, "If you want to, then keep visiting him. We'll win the case against him soon, for sure. And then you wont have to worry about him ever again." The words were meant to be soothing.
Taking a deep breath, Sasuke pushed the worry out of his mind that the words had enduced, as he allowed his gaze to flitter up to Naruto's face, and was rewarded with a gentle smile and a gaze filled with acceptance. Rolling his eyes in return, Sasuke punched Naruto lightly in the arm, "Stupid dobe. Stop being supportive."
Naruto grinned brightly in response, slinging an arm around Sasuke's shoulders as he then placed a sloppy kiss on the Uchiha's cheek. "Never!" He proclaimed amusedly in reply.
Sasuke cringed exaggeratedly, wiping his cheek of the affection the blonde had placed there, and poked his tongue out at the taller boy with a glare.
Naruto smirked, before poking his tongue out in return, and then laughing haughtily, releasing his friend from the half-embrace he held him in, as he walked out of the kitchen with a grin still on his features.
Sasuke grinned lightly as well, folding his arms across his chest. For some reason, it really did matter to Sasuke that Naruto understand his reason for seeing Itachi, or at least accepted it. Probably because Naruto was one of the few who really knew how much Itachi had hurt him, and had been there to pick up the pieces last time the older Uchiha had left. In truth, Sasuke didn't blame Naruto for disapproving of the visits - after all, for all the blonde knew, Itachi was still the same manipulative, criminal bastard everyone expected him to be. And how was Sasuke to explain that the man he saw in that cell was closer to the brother he had lost than he ever expected to see again? That this was something Sasuke could no longer afford to let go? That he simply couldn't bring himself to lose Itachi again?
Naruto would just have to trust him for now. And it seemed that the blonde was willing to, at least for now.
The blonde puffed lightly, his breath only slightly hindered under the fast pace by which he flew threw the forest surrounding him, tearing across the air and sweeping under the high branches of the trees, leaping and landing in a continuos rhythm as he pushed onward.
Soon enough, the boy came to the side of a building, the forest ending where this outcrop of the village began. Naruto slowed his pace, as he moved around the side walls of the structure, until he came to an easily-reachable balcony. Leaping once more out of the trees, his feet were careful to make barely a sound as they hit the sudden flat, solid tiles under him. The blonde boy walked a few paces, before coming to a stop, leaning against the railing of the high balcony beside a familiar figure as he spoke softly.
"Ne, you sounded pretty urgent when you called for me, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto commented with an undertone of serious curiosity. "Is something going on?"
Kakashi turned his face from where he gazed out over the village of Kumo, and threw Naruto a bright smile which belied the concern he felt. "Nothing too serious," The man replied instead though, belittling his own worry, "But, negotiations between the Raikage and Tsunade are not looking good."
"What?" Naruto asked with immediate disbelief, his large blue eyes clouding with unhappiness. "I thought it was going well!"
To hear of any trouble in the current mediation between Kumo and Konoha was inconceivable for the blonde boy, who would have it all done with as soon as possible, diplomacy be damned. More than anything, Naruto wanted this to work out for Sasuke's sake, so that the younger Uchiha could move on and forget his older brother. Naruto, more than anyone, would love to see Itachi hanged for what the man had done to Sasuke.
"Apparently not." Kakashi replied with a sigh that revealed his own weariness over the issue, "The very charitable Takasugi Raikage-sama seems not to agree with Konoha's view that Itachi is still one of our citizens, and that we should have first word on him."
Naruto thought about this for a moment, before he asked with an almost desperate tone; "But, there has to be a law or something, right? Tsunade-baachan must know some way to get Itachi back!"
Kakashi gave Naruto a doubtful sideways-glance. "If she does, she certainly hasn't shared it with me." He answered the boy, before giving a resigned sigh. "The most likely outcome will be some kind of compromise. Such as Konoha awarding Itachi to the state of Kumo, in exchange for future co-operation and some kind of compensation, perhaps a lesser criminal of some sort."
"But, that's not good enough!" Naruto yelled, throwing his arms into the air in absolute frustration, "And as if this wasn't enough! I'm already worried about Sasuke going to see his brother all the time and what that bastard might be saying to him, dattebayo!"
Kakashi gave Naruto a curious look at that confession, his eyes watching the blonde boy as he fumed, storming around on the balcony. "It's hardly all the time." The older jounin argued gently, "I was under the impression he only visited Itachi every other day, and didn't he say only recently that he wouldn't be going again?"
"Yeah, well, he is seeing him again." Naruto replied snappishly, the topic obviously sensitive for him, "And forget every other day, more like every single day! He spends more time in that damn cell with that man, than he does in our apartment!"
Kakashi turned to face Naruto fully at this, and though the boy didn't notice the other's reaction in his own upset, concern registered fully in the grey-haired man's eyes at the blonde's words.
'Has it really gone that far, and I haven't noticed?' The man wondered, thinking back on all that Sasuke had said the day before, when he had spoken to the young Uchiha about his brother. Perhaps the situation was more out-of-hand than Kakashi had given it credit for.
But pushing such thoughts out of his mind again, the man instead focused on calming the boy in front of him. He knew that Naruto cared for Sasuke perhaps more than anyone else - they were closer than siblings, had grown up together, trained together for years - and now Naruto was doing the most natural thing in the world for him; protecting Sasuke from what he saw as a threat.
Kakashi placed a hand solemnly on the boy's shoulder to stop his pacing, and Naruto stilled obligingly, his young face turned upwards to gaze into his teacher's reassuring expression.
"Settle, Naruto." The grey-haired man told him serenely, the edge of a gentle smile present under his mask, "You must remember that Sasuke and Itachi's past together is something neither of us, nor anyone else, can touch. What has happened before, what is happening now amid the visits and conversations they are having - it is all between them."
And for all that he had known the truth of these things, Naruto was momentarily devastated by his teacher's words. "But," The blonde argued weakly, "Can't we have any part in it? Can't we try to look out for Sasuke as well?"
"Of course," Kakashi answered the boy softly, holding the bright blue eyes in his gaze, "We must do all we can to ensure Sasuke's safety, and fight to have Itachi brought to Konoha for his own sentencing. But in dealing with the relationship between the Uchiha brothers, we have no right to interfere."
After a long moment, the blonde boy sighed at this, and nodded obligingly. "Alright, Kakashi-sensei." He muttered, like a child who had been told the exact reason why he couldn't eat cookies before dinner - his childlike manner giving little credit to the seriousness of the agreement.
Kakashi smiled lightly under his mask, then placing his arm securely around Naruto's shoulders, he pulled the boy to his chest in a parental half-embrace. "I know it is difficult, Naruto. But we must give them their space for now."
Naruto didn't answer, although his answer was obvious. He wouldn't do anything to interfere with Sasuke's visiting Itachi, no matter how much he wanted to - unless, of course, there was reason to do so.
For now, he would simply have to watch like a hawk for any strange goings-on between the Uchiha brothers.
The wind was dull and warm as it blew down the hallway, passing the various doors which led the cells of the institution, to the criminals kept there, in the heart of Kumogakure. The weather had warmed, as summer had finally come, and the sun beat down relentlessly on the Land of Lightening.
Sasuke felt a warmth spreading throughout himself which had nothing to do with the new summer though, as he made his way down the familiar halls, turning memorised corners with Yamada walking at his side, towards the ninth cell of the building - Itachi's holding room.
The younger Uchiha had thought of nothing but his last visit since the day before, and even as those same memories replayed themselves in his mind - of what had been said between them, and the renewed relationship that seemed to have been established - Sasuke's heart leapt in his chest as he came to stand before the door to his brother's cell.
"You know the drill," Yamada told the boy good-naturedly, as he slowly opened the heavy cell door, gracing Sasuke with an easy smile. "I'll be waiting here for you."
The Uchiha simply nodded, as he concentrated on schooling his expression, a giddiness that he had scarsly ever known rising in him for the first time in too many years - the same excitement, the boy came to realise, that he once used to feel when his brother would return home after a long mission.
The heavy, solid door to the cell came to a stop, wide open and inviting as Sasuke then took a step forward - drifting into the strangely comforting room once again in what seemed a single stride, before he heard Yamada close the entrance behind him, and he was locked inside.
Despite the warmth of the world, the coolness of Itachi's cell room was as ever unyielding, and Sasuke felt the air of the room nip at his fingertips as though it were surrounding him with the mist of his brother's very presence.
Of course, Itachi himself was easily spotted within the room, as the elder Uchiha had - before Sasuke's entrance - been sitting in the centre of a large mat beside his bed. Now, though, as the man stood at attention, facing the younger, it sent a tingle of recognition throughout Sasuke's body. Itachi was looking at Sasuke with an expression of pure appreciation, relishing the boy's arrival - his eyes filled with such an adoration as he gazed on, that Sasuke felt that same giddiness he had tried to suppress bloom within his chest.
They stood still for one long moment, simply looking at one another, enjoying the fact of each other's presence; before, without a single word exchanged, they walked slowly towards each other - Itachi taking greater strides to close the distance between them - and they suddenly embraced. It was unexpected for the both of them, and neither had a greater reaction of surprise than the other, but they held on, arms wrapped firmly around each other - both sincerely revelling in the newfound warmth and affection found there, and feeling suddenly the unexplainable need to touch.
An aching filled Itachi's heart as his hand came up to rest on his brother's soft hair, feeling the boy's thinner arms wrapped around his waist, Sasuke's head resting on his chest. And though you might not have been able to tell, the entire experience brought about a strong emotional reaction within the Akatsuki ninja, and he felt suddenly helpless in his need to hold on to the boy in front of him, his dear little brother. Sasuke's heart pounded against the taller Uchiha's chest as he pushed himself into Itachi's arms, their embrace silent and intense, no words needed to express the depth with which they felt each other.
Before long, though, the moment ended. They parted, arms slipping from around the other's body, and they came to stand together. Itachi's hand lingered for a moment, letting his fingers comb once through the younger's soft locks, and Sasuke had to suppress the blush that very-nearly coloured his cheeks - before they were no longer touching, and they could breathe again.
Itachi smiled in slight amusement, and great pleasure, as he then turned and gestured to where he had been sitting - and now that Sasuke cared to look, he saw that his brother had been painting.
"Come, sit with me." The older spoke the first words since Sasuke's entrance, as he sat down on a mat in the middle of the floor, where he had assembled in front of it a large canvas, picking up his temporarily forgotten paintbrush.
The younger Uchiha slowly came to sit beside the larger man, and looked to the painting with curiosity. Itachi had painted when they were younger, when he had the time, but it had been many years since Sasuke had watched him - and a part of the boy felt a great thrill, as he witnessed his brother dipping the tip of the brush in the coloured ink pots once again, bringing colour to what had only a short while ago been a barren canvas.
Sasuke remembered, it had been like glimpsing into Itachi's very mind when he watched the older Uchiha paint. His brother had always been very private about his hobbies, and when he had been little, Itachi had once told him that he had been the only one to ever see him paint. In some small corner of his mind, Sasuke wondered if this was still true.
Itachi's movements were fluid and controlled, his fingers moving the brush into long strokes of colour, manipulating the image of the canvas expertly. Sasuke sat in awed silence, his eyes wide as he attempted to take in every slight movement, his gaze following every gesture of the brush. Looking up to his brother's face, Sasuke marvelled at the peace in Itachi's expression, the serenity with which he watched his arm create, and the younger felt in that moment something he had long forgotten he had ever felt with his brother - he felt close to him.
"How long... have you been painting?" Sasuke asked hesitantly, reluctant to break the peace that had settled.
Itachi's eyes did not shift from his painting, his arm unceasing of it's movement, but his voice was soft and attentive as he answered;
"I have never stopped painting."
Sasuke was slightly surprised by this, though he supposed he shouldn't be. Silence fell between them once again, though it was not empty, as they both watched with enthrallment as Itachi continued to paint, colour and shape slowly beginning to form on the face of the canvas.
Itachi's eyes shifted to him suddenly then, and Sasuke felt a minute sense of disappointment when the paintbrush stopped it's strokes, only to be pulled away from the canvas as the elder Uchiha's attention was now focused solely on him.
"Do you paint?" The elder asked him inquisitively then, and Sasuke was stumped by the question for a moment.
"Oh, ah... no, not really." He answered, for some reason feeling suddenly embarrassed by this, as he felt his cheeks lightly flush.
Itachi smiled gently at his brother's reaction, and before Sasuke could question him, he raised once delicate hand to gesture the boy closer. The younger Uchiha was slow in moving, wondering on his brother's intentions, as he stood on his knees and shuffled himself closer to the elder.
Itachi's smile remained soft as he let his arm come to rest on the boy's shoulder, and told him; "I will show you."
Sasuke's eyes widened at that, and an expression of wonder came over his face. Itachi wants to... teach me to paint? The boy nodded slowly in acceptance.
Itachi's smile grew wider, as he let his arm slide down to Sasuke's waist, and he told the boy quietly in his ear; "You have to sit closer then, here." And he lifted the smaller male, to Sasuke's surprise, until he sat the younger Uchiha directly in front of him, his legs draped to either side of the boy, Sasuke's back pressed against his chest.
Sasuke stilled with surprise, as he felt his brother place him almost in his lap, and fought the blush that might overtake his face at the intimacy of such a position. The warmth of his brother's chest against his back was comforting though, and gentle was the voice that spoke into his ear, as hair as soft as his own brushed against his neck.
"It is easy, once you know how to do it." Itachi told the boy, one arm remaining wrapped lightly around Sasuke's waist - almost as if it had been forgotten there, although Sasuke could not imagine that it was - as the other hand slid down the younger Uchiha's arm to hold his hand, and place within his small grip the paintbrush.
Sasuke grasped the wooden handle, trying to form a comfortable hold on the brush, though immediately he heard his brother chide him;
"Not too tightly, or you'll break the brush. Hold it gently, but firmly." And with these words, Itachi's fingers slid over Sasuke's pushing his fingers down to hold the brush just so. The younger adjusted his grip accordingly, feeling his brother's fingers over his own, and felt Itachi nod against his shoulder.
"Good," The elder praised lightly, and Sasuke's mouth twitched upwards in a slight smile of awe. Itachi moved their hands towards the canvas then, resting the tip of the paintbrush against the painting. "There," The man smiled, slowly retracting his own hand from Sasuke's to ensure the boy held the light grip. "Now, paint as you will."
Sasuke hesitated then, unmoving, as he felt suddenly unsure without his brother's guidance. "But..." He spoke worriedly, as he turned his head to look into the elder Uchiha's eyes, suddenly aware of how close their faces were, "What if I ruin it?"
Itachi smiled warmly then, and Sasuke could have sworn he felt the arm around his waist tighten reassuringly, as the elder merely told him; "You won't."
And as simple as the words were, it was more the gentle smile that accompanied it, the warmth in Itachi's gaze as he looked at him, that gave Sasuke confidence.
Slowly, the boy moved his hand, concentrating on holding the paintbrush as Itachi had showed him, as he simply let his hand move. Black was the ink that covered the majority of the painting, bold strokes shaping the base image on the canvas - next there was white, thinner and more delicate it was, as it turned and shaped the black of the painting, forming the image of a large swirl. But most important, it seemed, was the colour that Sasuke was now adding - a bright, blood red; it added life to the painting, somehow making it real, as the boy slowly added colour where it had been devoid.
He took his time, and in no small measure, he allowed the feeling of the paintbrush in his hand, the emotions the painting induced in him, to guide him. Itachi was silent as he now became the watcher, Sasuke utterly enthralled in the sensuality of it all - and before long, it was finished.
Sitting back against his brother's chest, the elder's arms resting still around his waist, the man's head on his shoulder, Sasuke felt a warm sense of utter completion - resting against his older brother, staring with awed wonder at the painting they had created.
A whirl of rotary current, it seemed as though the image on the canvas were tangible, the very painting becoming a window to some strange vortex of the mind. Strokes of black and white creating the image of the swirling tunnel, with Sasuke's light curls of red thrown in with great purpose - the two brothers sat there together for the longest time, considering all that the painting meant.
Before Sasuke left that day, he knew what it was that they had done. They had worked together to create something, and had been successful. And it was with that image in his mind, that of the swirling black and red painting, that he promised to his brother that he would return the next day - the image which, now that he thought of it, so reminded him of them; so reminded him of the sharingan.
Yes, brothers of the sharingan.
A/N: Hope you all enjoyed! Be sure to let me know what you think so far, as it spurs me on! Like a whip to a broken soldier! Oh yeah!
And don't forget to check out my new one-shot collection, called 'Don't Panic'. Thank you all!
-Emerald-