A/N: Hi guys, well this is the second part of the prologue, I split it into two parts because it was just so long. I had to make sure I could even call it a prologue, lol. I hope you guys enjoy this second part. I hope the line breaks aren't too annoying, and if there are any mistakes, I apologize for those too since I tried my best to correct any, but there must be more that I missed. Also I'm pretty happy 'cause it's my birthday tomorrow so I really wanted to get this chapter out quickly (as a present to myself because I do like reading my own stories heh). Please leave reviews guys! Thanks!

Before he knew it, he could already see dawn breaking in. He had fallen asleep without realizing it. His head was throbbing and his eyes felt swollen. He wondered if he had experienced a nightmare.

Not knowing what else to do, or how to confirm it, he grabbed his phone. He checked his call history and saw the last call. His hands began to tremble and he dropped his phone.

There was no mistaking that it was a reality. Itachi had in fact died.

He ran quickly to his living room where he had left his laptop. He opened it and typed in the website address for an airline service. He booked the first flight he knew he could make it to and then ran back into his room to pack and get ready. He wanted to be there as soon as he could.

Ready with his suitcase, he exited his apartment and locked the door.

"Sasuke?" He heard a female's voice say.

He turned around and saw that it was Sakura, one of his neighbors. She was someone who spoke to him from time to time, nobody important to him, but not someone who bothered him tremendously.

"You going somewhere?" She inquired pointing to his suitcase with one hand, and playing with her pink hair with the other.

"Uh, yeah." Sasuke replied. He and Sakura both realized that his voice was completely hoarse.

"Is something wrong?" She asked with a look of true concern painted across her face. Her green eyes searched for an answer in his face.

"My, um, brother passed away."

"Oh my god I'm sorry." Sakura said as she walked over and embraced him.

Sasuke mentally scorned her for being overly familiar, but he took comfort in her warmth and embraced her back. He knew it took all he had not to cry in front of her. He felt out of place quickly enough and he pushed her away.

"I have to leave to catch my flight."

"Right. I'm sorry Sasuke, if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know, you have my number don't you?"

"Yeah."

He noticed she was blushing although she still held a serious demeanor.

"I'm sorry for you and your family's loss Sasuke. I'll always be here for you. May your brother rest in peace, and please, have a safe flight."

"Thank you." He muttered and continued on his way.

He had already arrived John F. Kennedy airport and was seated in the airplane. He felt completely anxious and he just wanted to arrive at Puerto Rico already. It felt like the three hours on this flight would be the longest of his life.

Sasuke went to pick up the car he had rented out when he booked his flight. He got in and drove towards his hometown. It was relatively near to the airport located in Ponce and he was suddenly filled with a feeling he could not quite identify.

He knew it would be odd to arrive and not see Itachi's smiling face. Instead he would be confronted with a harsh reality. He felt like crying again, but he knew he couldn't as he had to focus on his driving. The thought of ending his own life briefly crossed his mind, but he knew it wasn't what Itachi would have wanted. He kept driving.

He made it to his family's estate and was instantaneously hit with a wave of anguish. He again felt his heart drop.

"Itachi…" He whispered silently to himself.

He cut the engine to the car and looked at himself in the mirror, what stared back at him was what seemed to be a ghost of himself. His usual spiked hair was almost completely flat and ruffled, and his dark obsidian eyes were rimmed in redness and he had bags under them. Although he was already pale, he looked even more pale than usual.

Kakashi and some of his family members had already made their way to his car. He stepped out and they greeted him. It felt weird to him. Not only was Itachi not there to greet him, but the greetings he just received were lifeless.

"Come inside, you should probably rest first." Kakashi said to Sasuke.

Kakashi looked completely composed, but Sasuke knew he was trying his hardest to maintain the act. His silver hair wasn't as neat as usual, and his only visible eye was red and swollen. He was Itachi's lover after all. While a majority of Sasuke's family knew that Kakashi was Itachi's partner, there were others who did not know, so Sasuke realized that Kakashi had to keep himself as composed as he could.

"It's okay, I'd like to finish the arrangements as soon as possible."

The next few days passed in a complete blur. Sasuke was there but it felt like he wasn't. It felt like he was watching himself from the outside, unable to do anything at all.

There were a lot of people who went to the funeral, Itachi was truly a loved individual. Sasuke could not remember anyone who had been there or how he even acted the whole time. All he remembered was hearing a lot of "Sorry for your loss," or "Itachi was such a good person, it's such a shame," or "I can't believe it, it's truly a difficult time," or even a mixture of all three.

What he remembers most is something that would most likely haunt him for the rest of his life.

Itachi's face wasn't battered to the point where it would be required to have a closed coffin strangely enough. In fact, when Sasuke first laid his eyes upon Itachi, he was surprised to see that his face looked almost normal.

The peaceful look Itachi had on his face was what left the biggest impression on Sasuke. Since he was laid back in the coffin, his long black hair was out of his face. As always, a distinguishing feature on Itachi's face were the two diagonal lines making their way down Itachi's cheeks. Sasuke knew it was no mistake, and that Itachi was indeed lying silently in front of his eyes. The peacefulness Itachi's still body emitted made it seem like he was just simply asleep. It seemed too unreal. Sasuke wondered how he could have remained looking so calm at such a critical time.

Sasuke shed absolutely no tears during those days. He felt the urge to weep many times, but he could not for the life of him shed a single tear. Even after Itachi's body was cremated and he held the urn in his own hands, he still couldn't seem to believe that it had happened at all.

"We're going to hold a Novenario." Said one of Sasuke's oldest relatives Madara.

Sasuke wasn't particularly religious, but he wasn't against the idea of holding one.

"Okay." Sasuke said in response.

"They'll begin tomorrow then."

"Okay, I'll help you with the arrangements Madara."