Day 6

Piercing smiles shrivel and flow through my body. Numbing my brain and sending shocks through my heart, a heart aching pain that will not leave my chest. Millions of shooting pains stinging a vile that wants to crawl up my throat. Begging, wanting, needing, a longing that wont dissipate.

Crawling fingers, wreaking sobs. Jeering emotions that will not end, you know my fondest memories; it was that one time, I had pulled you to my chest. Held that smaller body to mine and held on tight, a reality that wouldn't let me breath and overworked my heart, I could hear it singing in my ear.

You were there, you held me back, held me just as tightly and welcomed me into your small little frame, melting into me.

Then we kissed, and when we did, every time I must admit, it was as if you were shooting me at gunpoint at the center of my soul.

So, I'll search and do all I can to find you and hold you once more, to pull you to me once more and feel you once again, place that feeling over me, and completely blow me away.

Chapter 6

Growing Suspicion

Itachi made a face as soon as the sun touched his skin of his cheek and warmed it. He slowly opened his eyes and simply laid in bed for a minute or so, giving his body a moment to fully awaken. He then turned on his back, stretched out, and then got off the bed. He rushed to the bathroom and did all he needed to do, shower, comb his hair, change to proper clothes and taking his time. Just as he was walking out, he paused and looked at the sun outside glaring to make the day glare. At that moment, he truly wished that it would rain and cover the sun by gray and cold clouds, the day in a rush of water.

Those were usually his favorite days, but it was also the days were he felt the loneliest. He no longer had his baby brother to share them with, and there was no one else he rather share those days with, on one. Picking up his backpack he headed down stairs and sat down for breakfast, his mother was moving around like a zombie again. He did not remember when she had started acting like this, but it seemed that she always had a smile and a kiss on the forehead for him. "Good morning my dearest Itachi-chan" His mother cooed and he swore she was going to go insane.

"Are you feeling alright mother?" his voice was low but firm, it was only the morning. She grinned as she set his plate of breakfast before him.

"Never better" She suddenly glanced down at her watch "Ah! Fugaku I am leaving now" she smiled and waved at them. That was when Obito walked in and smiled at her. They both exchanged some words, briefly and quietly in a tone that was deaf to Itachi. Obito then started to make his own food and fed himself. "Oh!" his mother walked back in "Have a nice day Itachi, and behave yourself"

Itachi had gone through this too many times he did not care anymore, he knew he was being treated like a small child, but there was nothing he could do about it. His parents were insane. "Eat up Itachi, no staring out to space now boy," His father spoke this time as he sipped his coffee and let out a satisfied sigh "What time are you getting home?" He then asked.

"Right after school, I have some projects I wish to start on" Fugaku nodded and barely glanced at Obito who had taken a seat and was now eating silently.

"Ah, very well, but remember your curfew" Fugaku said sternly "Don't stay up at night trying to finish it, be in bed on time"

"Yes sir" Itachi stood up and walked near the sink, he was about to grab a cup to get some milk, when he saw a cup half full with milk. He grabbed the cup and glanced inside, the milk in it was starting to smell foul, as if it had been there all night long. Still…that was impossible right. He only drank water before bed. No one else but he used this cup. Looking at it, he just gave it a suspicious look over and then dropped the suspicion.

He dumped the milk in the sink, washed the cup, and got fresh milk for himself.

Time soon came for them to walk over to school. The cool fresh morning was soothing and way different from the fresh night. The air was still cool, from the night before, but the sun was also there to warm your face. It was a nice change, Obito had to admit, but part of him still longed to stay up at night and watch the millions of twinkling lights the stars created. Maybe someday he could share that world with Kakashi as well, make him see how beautiful the world could also be with the lights off. Sighing, other thoughts re-entered to weigh down on his mind.

Obito had been pondering, and every few minutes he would throw a glance at Itachi. Itachi still remembered Sasuke, but he had not remembered Kakashi until he saw him. It was almost as if seeing him for the first time in so long. It was also as if they were first meeting. He liked this feeling, but he had to wonder what Kakashi had thought, felt, and knew when he first saw him. He wanted to ask before he decided to say anything that might get him into trouble. For that case, he might as well not ask a single question, but he could not help himself. "How old were you when you and Sasuke were separated?" He decided to ask, taking precaution. Itachi glanced up, surprised by the sudden question.

"I don't remember…" He said and thought about it "Maybe about when he was three or two…" Obito tilted his head. How old was he when they took him into the night, had it been when he was eight? Sasuke had been too young when he was taken, would there be a chance that he remembered Itachi? How far back could one remember when they were still a child, feelings might not be the same. "Why do you ask?"

"No, just wondering, Sasuke was so young" He remarked and Itachi nodded.

"How has he been?" Itachi wanted to know, know all he could about his younger brother. Obito was well aware of this, but he was not sure what he could say. All he could do was fabricate the story and make sure Itachi never found out.

"Fine, you don't have to worry about it. He's been getting along alright without you" Obito smiled and walked on ahead, unaware that his words had just hurt Itachi more than made him feel relief. For if Sasuke didn't need him, then how was Itachi going to be in his world? Itachi already could not stand a world without Sasuke…he could not live in one where his brother was with another person besides him. That killed him.

He needed Sasuke and he needed Sasuke to need him. It seemed selfish, but there was nothing more he could ask for, he did not want Sasuke to get along all right without him.

Once they were in class, the usual group of people came to greet them. This was something that Obito wasn't used to. During the night people usually kept to themselves and rarely made many friends "Hey, where is Shisui?" Naruto asked as he looked around but couldn't see him anywhere. Itachi shrugged and Obito didn't show any signs of saying anything. It made the others feel confused, the others consisted of Sakura, Sai, Naruto, Ino, Shikamaru, and Neji. "That is odd, maybe he got a job"

"Perhaps" Obito said, that was when the door opened and in came Kakashi, a cheerful aura all around him. Obito on the other hand ignored him as he kept talking "Don't worry about Shisui, he's fine" Although in his mind he was wondering if he'll be able to stay up late enough to talk to him about the new matter that was concerning him.

Sasuke's lack of memory.

"My sweet Obito!!" Kakashi yelled and the silent Uchiha simply moved out of the way letting Kakashi fall on the floor.

"Morning" Obito murmured the word still strange in his tone on his tongue. Everyone sweat dropped as Obito sat himself next to Itachi and waited for class to begin. Kakashi was more than pleased to comply and allowed class to start. What made the class feel completely perplexed was the fact that Kakashi had made to class on time, the silver haired man was on time for once in his life!

Later That Day

Fugaku was walking around his silent home, thoughts about his sons filling his mind with worry. Both his boys were not dumb, he was sure that they would notice the sudden change in cousins. After all, Shisui was so talkative and a day dweller, if he were to enlighten Sasuke nocturnal life, Sasuke could come undone prematurely.

He could not allow his boys to become corrupted and died. They were still too young and he was going to have to talk to Obito and Shisui to stop meddling. Late that afternoon he had called Obito to his office, and he was sure that the boy was waiting there. He then walked up to one of the rooms, Obito's/ Shisui's room. Once he walked in, he closed the window and allowed darkness to prevail in the room, changing its contents like magic.

Suddenly the bed was not empty and Shisui was tossing and turning on it. Fugaku walked over to him and shook him awake, the boy gasped as he sat up with wide eyes. "Uncle, what is the matter?" he asked, his voice groggy from sleep, but he looked tired and Fugaku could tell that he was not used to his new schedule. It was going to be his second night, but so far, he was doing well. Tossing and turning was part of it, but soon he would get used to it.

"We need to speak about some matters, come, stand up" Shisui nodded and got out of the room. Once they were walking down the hall they passed Itachi's room, the younger Uchiha was there doing his work, emerged in one of his books to even look up to see him. What they did not know was that Itachi was thinking about the glasses of milk that he left in the counter and how they changed from containing either water to containing milk and if not containing milk instead of water. It all happened over night, while he was asleep; he had made sure of that one and little fact.

He noted that when he came home from school, if there was a glass there it stayed there with no one disturbing it as if it were invisible. If he left water there or milk in the morning it was the same for the afternoon, and the same before he went to bed. Therefore, whatever was changing it, it was happening during the nights while he was asleep, and question was who could be doing this. Now he really wanted to stay up to see what happened at night.

Oblivious to Itachi's calculating thoughts and back out in the hall Fugaku and Shisui reached his office, he walked in to see Obito there looking disturbed. He walked in and settled down in his chair, with a solemn look on his face. Both young Uchiha cousins stared at him, ready to figure out what their uncle had to say "I have called you in here today to tell you to refrain yourselves of speaking to Itachi and Sasuke about themselves." Obito narrowed his eyes while Shisui was surprised.

"But uncle, Sasuke hardly remembers Itachi, how can you not want them to know about each other" Shisui said as he slammed his hands on the table, obviously displeased with what Fugaku had just said "Here Itachi is missing his younger brother so much when right now Sasuke is asleep somewhere in this house. So close to Itachi who is longing to see his younger brother, why are you being so cruel?" Obito nodded feverishly in agreement with his cousin.

"Itachi himself has asked me about Sasuke, and he wishes to see him on his twentieth birthday" Obito said in a much lower, colder voice that scared the hell out of Shisui. He had never expected his cousin to sound so cool and collected at the same time, it was such a new development, it was the same as Sasuke. It was scary. Fugaku was used to it though and he only rubbed his temples in distress, these boys did not understand.

"You guys do not understand, do you?" He asked and shook his head "How would you since apparently you guys don't remember as well" this confused Obito and Shisui greatly, they looked at each other and then their uncle. "It was when you guys were still eight years old, for a moment there we thought that Obito belonged in the world of the sun, but he would cry and cry every day for no reason at all. It was your emotions being highlighted under the sun, your eyes becoming irritated, you were uncomfortable. Your skin crawled, you had high headaches, and strong stomach aches and shriveling pain in your chest Obito" Fugaku leaned back on his chair "It seemed the only reason you were still up suffering was to be with that damned silver haired boy Kakashi"

"I uh" Obito looked displeased with his own actions back then, for they led to a painful heartbreak. He remembered it vividly now that he was not hiding under the darkness, but he had to wonder what in him had changed. "Please continue"

"Yeah, well" Fugaku said in a low grunt, "if it was not for Kakashi being infatuated by Rin at the moment, you would have shriveled up and died to stay by his side. You were still young and had no idea, after Kakashi rejected you and made fun of you, humiliated you, only then did you stayed in bed at day sobbing into your pillow and stopped coming out. We were surprised by your sudden change, but you looked more at peace, even if you still cried every now and then, you look comforted in the darkness and you started to flourish and thrive"

"What happened to Rin?" Obito decided to ask as he remembered even more parts of his past. Kakashi had really hurt him once upon a time, and it was hard to even trust him now. But he had to make the effort, to live or die. He had to.

"Well, she was in love with Kakashi that she denied going into the night to search for her partner, to make her stable. She died a shriveled up old lady without her love being returned, since Kakashi never showed any interest in her" Obito flinched at that. How could she allow herself to die so easily…is this what his uncle was saying about understanding. Shisui on the other hand crossed his arms, he had never felt that kind of heartbreak for he had never felt that way for someone and it irritated him that he had no clue.

"I see" Was all Obito said as he looked at something in the far distance that Shisui still could not understand, because he could not see it. However, he was still thinking about it. He and Obito…how old where they? He was twenty-five, Obito must be younger than him. Kakashi was barely going to turn Twenty-five this year and he already had Obito.

"Does age matter?" Shisui asked out of nowhere.

"In some cases, yes" Fugaku said "If you are years apart with the one you love it can diminish you to nothing. One year in difference is nothing, but several can be drastic." He nodded towards Obito "Obito is soon going to be twenty-four and Kakashi twenty-five, but that is the difference in months" Fugaku was fully aware of Itachi's and Sasuke's huge age gap that could kill them as well.

"So what about the age differences between Itachi and Sasuke, Itachi will be twenty-five in three more years, Sasuke still has five more years to go…how can you match them up to have a stable age where they are to meet?"

"That is what I am afraid off" For Itachi would die if he reached twenty-five and Sasuke was still not at his side, ready to be with him forever. The loneliness already in his chest would be overwhelming, and he could not allow that to happen. If Sasuke and Itachi were meant to be, they would be ready for each other at the same time and seek the other one. That all would be left up to Sasuke's twentieth birthday of course, even if Itachi was twenty-four, it would have to work. It was not so bad, he guessed. Itachi and Sasuke were about only three years apart…Though the fact that they were brothers had to be taken into account.

Would that also impede in them becoming lovers?

Shisui and Obito looked at each other with distressed. This had only placed pressure on Shisui the most; for he still had not found love and he was reaching his limit faster than anyone else was right now. After a brief moment of silence, Fugaku dismissed them as he went on to thinking about his sons and how he was going to prevent their deaths, most of all how they were going to bring them back together in a peaceful way.

As Obito and Shisui silently walked out, they were surprised to see Itachi leaning on the side railing of the stairs, looking at them intently "What were you and my father talking about? It sounded intense" This made their eyes widen and they rushed towards the long raven haired Uchiha, clamping a hand around his mouth and started to tug him downstairs and towards the kitchen. Itachi was startled by their actions and they only succeeded in making him even more suspicious.

Once they had made it to the kitchen, they let him go with a sigh of relief "Damn Itachi, you should not be eaves dropping on other people" Obito scolded in a low hiss that made Itachi glare at the both of them.

"I was not eaves dropping" Itachi hissed, after all he had more honor than to lower himself to snooping "I had something to ask my father when I heard you talking about mine and Sasuke's age difference. Why would you guys be talking about that? Where is Sasuke really? What the hell is going on here?" The atmosphere got tense.

"Well you see" Shisui started and bowed his head as Obito placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We can't tell you" the other boy finished smoothly "You'll have to live with it being this way for a while Itachi, it is something you'll have to figure out on your own" Or at least, until Sasuke turned twenty. Itachi narrowed his eyes and looked to the side, unsure. There was only one thought that kept repeating itself in his head and it would not stop, it never stopped.

I want to see him, I want to see him, and I want to see him…I need to see you Sasuke….

Obito looked out the window to the dusk, and turned to Itachi once more "It is almost time for bed, you better prepare" Itachi hated it, how they always told him what to do. How they seemed to care, and how at the same time he hated them because it felt that they were keeping Sasuke to themselves, and he was not allowed to be his younger brother.

He's always asked himself, why it mattered. It was not like Sasuke was supposed to mean much, he was just his brother. Yet, that feeling in his chest that had grown since he had lost Sasuke would persists over and over again reminding him of how much he longed to see the younger boy. It was crazy, he was sure of that. It was insane, he was insane. However, he could not fathom living a life without his brother, he was done.

Sasuke had to come back to him, and soon.

"Whatever" he said, it was too painful that he wanted to forget Sasuke and move on…but something pulled him back. He couldn't let go, never. For he feared he would not survive if he did.

When night came, Sasuke had woken up to the voice of his father gently calling him. He was surprised that the old man was there again. Was this time to tell him that Shisui was going to leave? Because, that he wouldn't mind. Shisui was too loud and he got on his nerves, and it was obvious that Shisui also hated being there "When is homecoming Sasuke?" His father asked. Sasuke nearly pouted, but sighed and decided to respond to his father.

"Oh, in two days" he said and stared at him. "Father…"

"Yes Sasuke"

"Cousin Shisui was telling me yesterday that I have a brother…is that true?" Fugaku was taken a little aback to find that Sasuke didn't remember that much. The boy had been young back then, but to forget Itachi completely to not remember him at one mention was something else all together.

"Yes, Sasuke" Fugaku bowed his head down in shame "Please disregard it for now, but don't forget" Sasuke nodded his head with a gentle smile. His father ruffled his hair and then silently left the room. Sasuke got up, washed and placed on a fresh uniform. He walked around the kitchen, his mother had already washed the dishes, but one. His favorite cup. It was full of water, as if someone had been drinking it just a short while ago. He raised a brow, wondering why his father was here.

"Father, where is mother?" he asked as he looked at the glass and sniffed it.

"She already left to work" Sasuke nodded his head and kept looking at the water. He then dumped it into the sink and washed it before going to go get some milk. He still wondered why his glass had been used. Well, it was not exactly his glass, but it was his favorite one and last night he was sure he had left it with milk. Something happened during the day to change it's contents, but who would be up during the day? As far as he knew, no one here really was.

"Father, cousin Shisui mentioned something like this…but do people walk during the day?" Shisui had walked in just as Sasuke asked this. Fugaku glared up at the boy as he sat down to eat the cereal in front of him. He shrugged and Fugaku sighed deeply.

"That is something you'll have to decide on your own to believe in or not" Looking at his glass as he drank his milk, he had no doubt in his mind that there was something going on that he was still not aware off. Shisui looked up and saw Sasuke glaring at the glass in his hand…the glass clearly distinguished as the one Itachi used to drink all of the time, the red rim of the cup was indication of that…it took some time to comprehend why Sasuke would glare at the cup, but then his eyes widen…was Sasuke becoming aware?

Hey there one and all, what are you guy thinking? Not many review this story, but I find it that I don't mind. Thank you for your reviews : Akira Nishikawa, Mer-des-Miroirs, Blackrose215 , velvet-prosthesisand thank you for sticking to this story the most. Means a lot.

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