Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto or Sandman.

Our Brothers' Keepers

Sasuke climbed the hill in the darkness, his Sharingan keeping him from stumbling over stones or tree roots. He climbed because he was searching for something. Or rather, for someone.

Even in his dreams, Sasuke chased Itachi.

At the top of the hill was a house, large and tottering, its yellowish-brown paint peeling. The sound of people arguing could be heard from inside.

Sasuke turned away from the house, intending to continue on his quest, but was distracted by the sight of a very odd creature sitting at his feet. It was a vivid yellow color, with a head that was rather too large for its body and a pair of membranous, batlike wings that were rather too small. The...thing...blinked up at him. "Peep?"

Sasuke swerved around the creature and strode towards the stone wall that marked the boundary of the house's property.

"Peep?"

Sasuke looked back over his shoulder and saw that the whatever-it-was had followed him. He took a couple more steps away from it, and it flapped towards him, half-hopping and half-flying.

The door to the house slammed, and a man came out onto the porch. "Honestly, sometimes I could just murder that lunkhead..." he muttered to himself, and then noticed Sasuke. "Oh. I see you've met Goldie."

"What?"

"Goldie. The baby gargoyle." Seeing Sasuke's blank look, he elaborated, "The tiny yellow thing."

"That's...a baby gargoyle?"

"Yep. Gift from me to my brother. Not that the idiot appreciates it. Do you know what he wanted to name it? Irving. Irving. Have you ever heard of a gargoyle named Irving?"

Sasuke had never heard of a gargoyle being named anything, so he just shook his head.

"Neither have I. Luckily, I was able to talk him out of it. Anyway, what's your name?"

"Sasuke."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Sasuke. Ordinary dreamers rarely come to this particular part of the Dreaming. I'm Cain, by the way."

"It's good to meet you, Cain-san."

"So, may I ask what brings you to our little corner of the dream realm?"

"I'm looking for someone."

"Oh? And who might that be? You can find almost anyone in the Dreaming, you know, if you happen to be here at the right time."

"I'm looking for my brother. His name is Uchiha Itachi."

"And why, pray tell, would you be looking for him?"

"I want to kill him."

"Wanting to kill your brother? Ah, that takes me back. Mind you, you can get in quite a bit of trouble for doing it. Hmm...it seems to me I've heard that name before. Now why would that be?"

Sasuke's eyes flashed with eagerness and his heartbeat grew faster. "You know something about Itachi?"

Cain tugged on his beard thoughtfully. "Ah, yes, I remember! Did you know, Sasuke, that my house is called the House of Mystery? I'm the keeper of mysteries, you know."

Not willing to be distracted, Sasuke demanded, "What does that have to do with Itachi?"

"Why, my dear boy, it has everything to do with Itachi! To everyone but himself, Uchiha Itachi is a mystery, and as I said, I'm a keeper of mysteries." A faraway look entered his eyes for a moment, and then he turned to Sasuke and placed one hand on his shoulder. It was a strangely paternal gesture, and Sasuke didn't know what to make of it. "Sasuke. There are things about Itachi you don't know yet. He's a mystery even to you, and you shouldn't kill him without knowing the truth."

"Truth? He murdered my family! What other truth is there?"

"Ah, there are many, many truths. There's a truth for every mystery, even if no one alive knows what that truth is. I can't give you the answers you're looking for--I'm not permitted to--but I can tell you that there's more to this mystery than you know. Don't do anything rash before you solve it. You...might find that you regret it."

Sasuke was about to retort angrily--what could this man possibly know about what I'm feeling?--but he was interrupted by the arrival of another man on the house's porch. "Uh, C-Cain, have you s-seen Goldie, by any chance?" The newcomer was somewhat plump, with a nervous-looking face.

Cain whirled around to face the other man. "Yes, I've seen him, you nincompoop, he's right here! Honestly, are you blind or something?"

The man on the porch cringed backward at Cain's verbal assault. "O-Okay, I just w-wanted to make sure that he's alright. He's s-still very small, you know." He seemed to notice Sasuke at that moment and added, "Who's that? A d-dreamer?"

"No, it's Lord Morpheus in disguise," Cain answered sarcastically. "Of course it's a dreamer. His name's Sasuke."

"Oh. Well, my name's Abel. Would you like a cup of t-tea, Sasuke?"

"No, thank you. I'm in a bit of a hurry. I'm searching for my brother."

"Oh, that's n-nice! You w-want to be reunited with him, is that it?"

"Oh, God, I don't think I can take the stupidity anymore! No, Abel you ninny, he doesn't want to have a happy-sappy reunion with his brother! He's searching for him so that he can kill him! A sentiment that I can fully empathize with, listening to your mindless chatter!"

"Oh, b-but, I don't think that's a g-good idea, Sasuke! I mean, it isn't very nice to kill your brother. And I'm s-sure he'd be very sad if you killed him. B-Being killed by your own brother isn't very fun at all. It hurts r-rather a l-lot, actually."

"Isn't very nice?" Sasuke's voice was incredulous. "It isn't supposed to be nice, and I hope it does hurt a lot! And why on earth would you say that it would make him sad? If you knew anything about Itachi at all, you'd know that he isn't capable of human emotion. Otherwise he wouldn't have murdered our family and made me watch!"

Sasuke and Cain's combined anger seemed to have cowed Abel. He stared down at the ground, and his voice was very small. "T-the reason I said he'd be sad is that I know what it's l-like to be killed by one's own brother, and i-it made me s-sad. It m-makes me sad every time."

Sasuke's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean, you know what it's like to be killed by a brother? You don't look very dead to me."

"Oh, don't worry Sasuke, he'll look very dead in a moment." Cain snatched a kunai from Sasuke's weapons pouch and marched towards the porch.

"N-No, Cain, p-please don't! N-Not in front of a g-guest! P-Please!"

Sasuke didn't really know much about these two men, and thought they were very strange, but the sight of Abel begging and pleading with his older sibling aroused a memory in him.

"Why, Nii-san! Why did you...why?"

Sasuke's fists clenched, and he charged towards Cain, who was advancing on Abel with the kunai. He swung, but was astonished to find his fist stopping an inch from Cain's temple as solidly as if it had hit a brick wall.

"What was that?"

Cain turned to him. "That was the effect of the Mark. No one, be they god or demon or mortal, can harm me."

Sasuke's response was immediate. "Where can I get a mark like that?"

Cain laughed bitterly. "Well, my boy, you may be on the fast track to getting one already. I received this Mark the first time I killed Shit-for-Brains here. It was...compensation for my punishment."

"I don't understand," Sasuke said.

"I was given this Mark so that strangers wouldn't kill me as I walked from place to place. That was my punishment, you see. I was cast out from my home and forced to wander the world for all eternity. I can never return to familiar lands, or to the people that I care about." He handed the kunai back to Sasuke hilt-first. "So tell me, Sasuke, are you still so eager to earn my Mark?"

"I...I have no bonds to my birthplace or my old friends anymore," Sasuke responded defiantly.

"Oh? Is that really true?" Cain leaned in close to Sasuke, their faces only a couple of inches apart. "Is it?"

"Gah!" Sasuke sat bolt-upright in bed, soaked in sweat. What was that? After the Massacre, he had grown used to nightmares, but this was by far the most bizarre one yet. He climbed out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom, where he splashed some cool water on his face. In the mirror over the sink, he caught sight of Orochimaru's Cursed Seal on his shoulder.

"So tell me, Sasuke, are you still so eager to earn my Mark?"

Sasuke shivered.

A/N: ...It's too bad Sasuke didn't listen to them, isn't it? Oddly enough, he lost his mark during his last battle with Itachi. Maybe that's Kishi's hint that Sasuke, unlike Cain, will be able to return home in the end?

Sorry I haven't updated this in a while!

Happy Valentine's Day to all!