AN: Alright this drabble is set three years after the Uchiha Massacre.

So Itachi: 16

And Sasuke: 11

Enjoy

Blood. Bodies. Severed arms and legs spread a crossed this huge opened field. And smack in the middle of it all was Itachi, who watched it all happen. Watched all the killing, the murder, the screams of pain and the sound of gurgling blood spilling from the mouth. Bodies of his own people lay upon bodies of the enemies they were fighting. The cries of agony echoed a crossed the field, indicating there were still of few people alive.

But then those cries died out too. Cut off mid-scream, as if someone or something gave that person an abrupt quick end.

He was the only one left. Four years old. And he saw all this destruction, all this pain and loss. He just couldn't take it. Then off in the distance, something caught his eye. He squinted to get a better look, and to his horror it was Sasuke, it was his otouto. But why? Why was Sasuke here? More importantly why did Sasuke look so much older than what he was suppose to be? His otouto was only a baby, not even big enough to crawl yet. But their was no mistake, that young, soft innocent face, that spikey black hair. Itachi knew, he just knew it was Sasuke.

Then he heard it, a horrible cry of intense pain, and what was worse was that it came from his little brother. The cries grew more loud and straggled as the more Sasuke awake. "Nii-san!"

Itachi ran forward. He ran like his life depended on it, like his life was in danger, only... It wasn't his, it was his otouto's. Itachi collapsed on the ground by Sasuke's older self. He was so confused, so scared, he didn't what to think, or what to do. All he could do was lift Sasuke's head with his small hands-

Itachi's eyes widened. These weren't his hands, they were way too big to be his, they looked too adult to be his. He looked down at his otouto, his eyes were bleeding, as was the rest of his body, and right in the middle of his chest was a puncture wound. Red liquid poured from his little brother's body.

"Otouto?-" Itachi jumped at the sound of his voice.

Was that really his voice? Why was it so deep sounding?

"A-A-Aniki!" Sasuke coughed a thin trail of blood spilled out of his mouth.

Itachi tighten his old on his otouto. "I'm here..." What was going on? Why was this happening? "Please, otouto. Stay awake. Help will be here soon. Just...please don't die!" He said desperately, tears formed in his eyes as his throat prevented from speaking for the moment.

Sasuke smiled. It was a small pained smile. "...Ve you." Came his barely audible voice.

His body stilled.

Itachi thought his heart actually stopped beating when his brother stopped breathing. "Sasuke?" His voice crack as he shook his little otouto. Tears fell from his eyes when his brother did not wake. He pulled Sasuke close to him, laying his head in the boy's hair he sobbed.

"Sasuke! Otouto! I-I don't understand! I don't know what's going on!" Itachi cried out as his body began to shake. He stroked Sasuke's already cold cheek brokenly.

"Why? Why you, otouto? I don't want you to die! Please! Come back! Just- Why!? WHY! WHY!?"

"Itachi!"

The sixteen year old Akatsuki member jerked awake when he felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned his head toward the voice that called him. Kisame. It was just Kisame. He moved to stand up, but was surprised to see that he already was.

The monster of the Hidden Mist gave him a look with his white shark-like eyes. "How you and some people are able to sleep standing up is something I'll never get."

Itachi didn't answer. He whipped the sweat that was plastered on his forehead away. And rubbed the same hand over his tired, haunted eyes. He gazed at the distance in front of him. The Leaf Village. Where Sasuke was, where his otouto lived all alone.

"You comin?"

The sixteen year old once again didn't answer or did he move. He just kept staring at the Village, the temptation to go there, to go see his brother was always so strong, and it was always a battle to walk away. So why was it that he couldn't do so now? It took a moment for him to realized that his hands were shaking, that his whole body was shaking.

Could it be the nightmare? Is that the reason why Itachi has the sudden desperate urge to see his brother, to know he is alright, is it because of the horrible nightmare he had of watching Sasuke die?

Itachi visibly shook, and it wasn't because it was a cold night. He turned to Kisame. "You go on ahead. I'll... catch up with you later."

The rouge Mist Ninja gave him a look of warning. "Don't get caught."

He nodded and disappeared. And reappeared inside Sasuke's apartment. Itachi silently walked into the room he knew was his otouto bedroom. He forced himself to stand in the doorway, telling himself that this was a far distance. He watched Sasuke's chest raise and fall as he slept, all the while fighting the urge to go over to his brother and brush the long bangs out of his face and stroked his cheek.

He did this for a few minutes.

And then the thrashing started. It was small at first, then it rapidly intensified to a degree that Itachi was worried that his little brother would hurt himself. Nightmare. It was completely obvious. It would be the only cause for his otouto's frantic thrashing.

Itachi took two steps forward, wanting to calm the eleven year old down. Itachi froze when Sasuke jerked awake, shooting upward so fast the sixteen year old didn't have time to hide as his little brother's eyes immediately landed on him.

"Itachi." Sasuke snarled out. Anger appearing in his eyes almost instantly. He rushed forward arm drawn back in a punch that was meant to hurt. But Itachi easily dodged it.

"Sasuke." He said sadness lingered in his voice as he spoke his otouto's name. "I didn't come here to fight you."

It's not time yet.

"Liar!" Sasuke yelled rushing forward once again. "WHY!? Why did you do it, Itachi!? Why did you kill mother and father, and the rest of our clan!?" The side of Sasuke's fists hit Itachi's stomach. "Why! Why! WHY!?" He shouted. Tears of pure anguish fell down his cheeks. And Itachi felt his heart break as he let his otouto beat on his chest.

"Why did you have to change? Why did you have to go rouge!? Why did you have to leave me all alone by myself! You're the one who said you'd always be there for me! Why...aniki? Please...tell me why!"

The punching stopped and short arms wrapped around him. Itachi closed his eyes and returned the embrace just as fiercely. He laid his face on the top of his little brother's head. "Otouto, I am so sorry. I truly am."

Sasuke continued to cry. He cried and sobbed against his nii-san's chest. They held each other. Both lost in a wave of hurt, pain, loss, betrayal, abandonment and loneliness. His brother's grip was slowly becoming lighter. Itachi picked him up in his arms and carried him to bed. He laid Sasuke down and pulled the covers over his otouto's body.

The sixteen year old laid on his side next to the bed, he brushed Sasuke's cheek with his hand gently, his little brother gripped his sleeve And leaned into the soft touch.

"Nii-san?"

"Yes, otouto?"

"Is...Is this a dream?"

Itachi wanted desperately to say no. He wanted to tell Sasuke that what was happening wasn't a dream. That it was real. He wanted to tell him why he did what he did. That he was so incredibly sorry. Itachi wanted to hold his otouto and never let him go ever again.

But he didn't. No matter how badly he wanted too. He pullef the best fake smile he could muster. "What do you think, Sasuke?"

Sasuke's face turned sad and disappointed. "Why can't I hate you in my dreams, aniki? When I'm awake, I'm an avenger, I want to avenge our clan, and I'm angry, I act older than I'm suppose to be, and I hate you. But in my dreams... In them I'm just a little kid who admires you and everything you did, who loves you like no one else did. I want you dead, because of what you did to our people, but then I don't. Because I know once your gone I'll truly be alone. Why can't I hate you like I need too? I don't think I'll ever fully get rid of the love I had for you when I was younger."

Itachi couldn't help the tears that fell from his eyes as he listened to Sasuke's words. He leaned his forehead against his otouto's and closed his eyes. Why did this happen? Why did Danzo have to take Shisui's right eye, if he hadn't, maybe the deaths of everyone from the Uchiha wouldn't have happened. Because Shisui could've stop it all, could've brought peace. Because Shisui was the better Shinobi, he was the better Uchiha, the better best friend.

Why couldn't there have been more time, another way?

It wasn't fair. He never wanted this. He never wanted this lonely life for Sasuke. But couldn't kill his otouto, he just couldn't, he could not murder his sweet, innocent, loving, beloved little brother.

He loved him too much to even think of ending his life.

When Itachi reopened his eyes he saw that Sasuke had fallen asleep again. He placed a soft kiss on his otouto's forehead. This was just another thing to add to the list of the haunted thing he had to carry on his own. Hurting Sasuke like this, when he promised long ago he would always be there for him. It was just another thing, one that kills him on the inside. But he'd bare it, he had too. For his otouto.

Forcing himself to leave the apartment he made his way back out into the forest where he saw Kisame was waiting for him. "You sure took your damn time." He said with a smirk on his face.

"I had to check on him."

Kisame snorted. "If your not carful you'll end up getting caught. Then what?"

The sixteen year old didn't bother to answer. He knew what would happen if he got caught. The monster of the Hidden Mist sighed annoyingly. "Well at least you've only gone to see him just this one time."

Itachi walked passed Kisame, and didn't talk to him for the rest of the trip.

No. Itachi thought to himself. This isn't the first time I've gone to see him. You just weren't there Kisame.

Whenever he needs me, I'll be there. Even if he can't see me.

AN: I got really sad while writing this. After he killed the clan Itachi's life sucks And it's completely unfair, Itachi was good from the start, he didn't deserve that!

*sighs* Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed another drabble, please leave review. Helps me out a lot.

And I'll see you guys soon.