So this chapter's title is from an Art of Dying song…every chapter will be inspired by a song title…If you haven't heard of this band and like rock music you should check them out – I love his voice and they have a song with Adam Gontier from Three Days Grace which is used later in this story as a chapter title and one of their songs did inspire the title of this story

As always I own nothing, enjoy and please review

Kakashi isn't very in character this chapter, he will be when used in later chapters, but these first chapters are just too somber for me to use the kind of Kakashi I would usually write in my stories – somewhat perverted and always poking fun at the other characters

As always I own nothing regarding the Naruto characters – if I did it would be a very different story :)

One last note – reviews would be appreciated – especially if you review on the newest chapter it would also be appreciated if you reviewed on the previous chapters – I am updating quickly after all…

Chapter 3: Get Thru This

Kakashi looked at the youngest Uchiha. The young boy was sitting in his chair, looking down at his hands. He had been playing with his hands for the past ten minutes, thinking about something that the older man couldn't figure out. It was like the young man had a secret, as he was hiding behind his long, dark bangs and his black eyes were shining with sadness, not hatred.

For only being eight, everyone knew that Uchiha Sasuke knew how to hold a grudge. Kakashi had no doubt in his mind that if Itachi had killed his parents, he'd be angry with him. Even though Itachi was the one person Sasuke looked up to more than anyone, Kakashi knew that he wouldn't be able to forgive him for killing his parents right in front of him, especially his mother. The silver haired man took a deep breath, quietly saying to himself, "Damn it, he didn't do this." It saddened him to know that neither of the Uchiha brothers was speaking up.

Kakashi looked over at the older Uchiha, who had been handcuffed and was being interrogated one last time. The cops weren't supposed to continue to interrogate once there was a confession, but they did because none of them believed the confession. Sasuke hadn't wanted to leave his brother; he practically refused the night that Kakashi had come to get him. The only way he got him out of the police station that day was by telling him that they could come see him the next day.

"What are you doing back here?" one of the police officers asked Kakashi. "Sasuke doesn't need to see this," he added. The officer sounded annoyed with the other man's actions. He felt that Sasuke didn't need to be scarred more than he already was. Everyone knew that the incident would change Sasuke forever and the officer didn't want it to be worse by watching his brother be taken to jail.

"I promised we could come back, that's the only way he'd leave yesterday," Kakashi explained. "I'm just not sure what to think of it, Asuma," he then added. It was his way of saying that he didn't believe that Itachi had done it.

The other man looked over at Sasuke as he shrugged. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it up, "He's the only family the kid has left." He offered Kakashi one, but the man just turned it down, "Don't dwell on it. Just get the kid out of here." Asuma wasn't willing to think about what else may have happened in the Uchiha house, he didn't want to believe that an innocent man was going to go to prison.

Kakashi nodded as he watched the dark haired man walk away. "Easier said than done," he said, knowing the boy would put up a fight. He sighed, 'Maybe I should have taken that cigarette.' He stood up straight and walked over to Sasuke, "Come on, it's time to go."

Sasuke just looked up, but he didn't say anything. He shook his head and looked back at his brother, showing that he wanted to be there for him. The kid was stubborn, everyone knew that and in that moment he was showing just how stubborn he could be. He didn't want to abandon the only family he had, especially since he knew the truth.

"Don't make me carry you," Kakashi warned. The Uchiha just stared him down, not believing that he'd do it. "Don't say that I didn't warn you," the man said as he picked Sasuke up and threw him over his shoulder. "Time to go," he grinned.

"Put me down," Sasuke yelled as he kicked. "Kakashi this is embarrassing," he added as he saw everyone staring. None of the Uchihas were easily embarrassed, but he had known the family well enough to know that his actions would definitely be embarrassing. Uchihas had too much pride and being carried out of a police station was one way to hurt anyone's pride.

"Will you be a good boy and do what you are told?" he asked with a sly grin. He was having too much fun with torturing Sasuke, especially considering the situation.

"I'm not a dog," Sasuke growled. He tried to squirm out of Kakashi's arms with no success. "Let me go," he demanded.

"Then stop making me treat you like one," the man simply said. "I mean there is a fine line between dog and child. I could always demean you by getting you one of those leashes for kids," he grinned. He knew that he shouldn't be smiling at that moment, but messing with the young Uchiha was just too much fun.

"Fine I'll behave, just let me go," Sasuke cried, as he looked around, incredibly embarrassed at his situation. He hunched over, trying to hide behind his dark bangs.

"Promise?" Kakashi grinned, knowing how much the young Uchiha hated his predicament.

"Yes I promise," Sasuke cried out. Kakashi just chuckled and put the boy down. Sasuke turned and kicked the older man in the shin before crossing his arms stubbornly.

Kakashi looked at the boy with disapproval. It didn't really hurt, so he didn't yell at him. He knew, just by looking at him, that Sasuke had been through enough. "Come on, let's get out of here," he said. Sasuke just nodded before taking one last glance back at Itachi.

They walked out to the car; Sasuke remained silent the entire way. While it was normal for an Uchiha to be quiet, it was still a signal to Kakashi that something was wrong. He tried to make conversation, but nothing he brought up would make the boy talk. The only thing Sasuke would say was "Hn" or "Whatever." The only way he had gotten anything resembling a full sentence was when he embarrassed him; it made Kakashi believe that there was more to the story.

When they got to the car, the silver haired man looked over at the young boy, trying to decide whether or not he should ask the question. "Tomorrow we're going to find out your brother's sentence," the older man said as he looked back at the young boy. He didn't start driving; he felt that the conversation was too important.

"Hn," Sasuke said, looking out the window. He was frowning as he stared at the police station that he knew held his brother. Sasuke knew they were trying to find out the truth, but he also knew that they wouldn't break him – they wouldn't get Itachi to tell what truly happened that night.

"Your brother could get sentenced to life in prison Sasuke," he said, hoping that the boy would show some kind of emotion. He wanted him to say something. To tell him that he deserved it or that he didn't do it, anything to show that Sasuke knew what happened. Sasuke looked down at those words and so Kakashi pushed further, "If you know something that could change that, you need to tell me."

"I can't," Sasuke said quietly. "I promised Itachi that I wouldn't," he added meekly. He didn't want to break his promise, so instead he sat quietly in the back seat, playing with his fingers.

"How about I guess and you just nod if I'm right," Sasuke just nodded, figuring it wasn't telling if he didn't actually say anything. "Am I right in thinking that Itachi didn't kill your parents?" Sasuke nodded in response and Kakashi just frowned again. "Is your mother still alive?" he acquired another nod. "Did she do this?" earned him yet another nod. "Will you tell the judge and jury this?" Kakashi asked, but Sasuke just shook his head no. "Why not?" the older man asked. "If you tell us where your mother is then all charges will be dropped against Itachi," he tried.

"Itachi told me not to," Sasuke said. "He doesn't want them going after our mother," the young man explained. He was close to crying, but he wouldn't allow the tears to fall.

Kakashi frowned as he thought about what Itachi was doing, "If you tell me then we can get a lawyer to help her. She could claim temporary insanity or self defense." He'd known the Uchihas for years and he'd never thought that Mikoto would let her son take the blame for something she did. When Sasuke didn't say anything, he sighed and looked straight ahead of him as he said, "Don't worry Sasuke, you'll get through this." Sasuke didn't say anything and didn't look like he believed him. Kakashi wasn't even sure that he believed himself.

NS

As they sat in the courtroom all Kakashi could do was hope for a good outcome. He knew that with a signed confession, Itachi would probably be going away for a long time. But he also knew that the community loved Itachi and that most couldn't believe that he would do something so crude as to murder his parents. If he were to have denied it, he certainly could have gotten off by the mere fact that most people just didn't want to believe it. He just hoped that the judge had the same view.

"He's being prosecuted as an adult," an officer informed them. Kakashi just nodded and put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder to comfort him. The man wasn't sure why Itachi had refused to have a lawyer, they could afford the best and he knew that it would definitely help in his sentencing. When the officer left, he tried to make everything appear okay. "It'll be okay," he once again assured Sasuke. He knew Sasuke didn't believe it, but at that point he was trying to assure himself as well. At that point the young Uchiha had stopped responding. He just looked forward and pretended that everything was okay.

NS

Itachi stood in front of the judge. He had confessed to murder, there was no need for a jury to decide the verdict. It all depended on how the judge felt about the case. "Never in my life have a seen a case such as this," the judge told him. "You have admitted to killing two of the most prominent people in the community, your own parents," he continued, a stern look on his face as he examined Itachi. He looked over the evidence that was collected and felt as if he had no choice. "I hereby sentence you to life in prison," he stated. "With the chance of parole in 25 years," he added. "Court dismissed," he finished as the officers of the court started to handcuff the Uchiha.

Sasuke looked as if he were about to cry as he watched his brother be taken away in handcuffs. Their eyes met as Itachi walked passed him. Sasuke was silently pleading for him to say something, to take back his confession, but he did no such thing. All Itachi did was look at him as if to say, "I'm sorry" and then continue on to his new destiny.

"You can say something you know," Kakashi said as he looked down at the youngest Uchiha. The young boy finally let a tear fall from his eye as he shook his head. He didn't trust his voice in that moment, knowing he wasn't truly strong enough to watch his brother go away for something he didn't do.

NS

When Sasuke went back to school, he didn't know how to take all of the sudden attention. He felt awkward as he sat on the playground in the morning with all eyes on him. They may have all been young, but it was all that all of their parents had been talking about. Everybody knew what had happened and everybody was looking at him with a look of extreme sorrow. He could hear people say, "Poor Sasuke" and "How could his brother do that?" Even the teachers pitied him. If there was one thing Sasuke truly hated, it was to be pitied.

"Hey Sasuke," a voice said, far more timid than he had ever heard her voice. He looked up to see a red head girl, light haired boy, and a blonde boy. They were his only three friends: Karin, Suigetsu, and Juugo. "How are you doing?" she asked gently.

He looked at her as if she were crazy. Not only was the question crazy, but the way she was acting was also. The girl was usually quite loud and somewhat obnoxious, as he found all girls to be. Juugo was the only one acting normal, as he was being quiet, as usual. Suigetsu and Karin would usually be fighting or talking about something, but they were acting as if he were too fragile for any of that.

"I'd be better if you'd acted normal," Sasuke answered as he looked at the ground. He didn't meet their eyes. "Everyone else is already acting weird, you guys don't need to," he said sadly. He was truly vulnerable in that moment, but he refused to let it show. He had pulled his knees into his chest, wrapping his arms around them as if he were protecting himself from everyone.

Karin looked at the other two boys and nodded, "Well, then you got it." She sat next to him, "Just remember you asked for it." She tried to make him smile even though she knew the boy didn't want to; she knew she had to make everything as normal as possible. It was difficult for her to act normal when everything was far from normal, but she tried for Sasuke's sake.

The other two sat down, following her lead. "Don't yell at us later when we're being annoying," Suigetsu added with a smile. Though the words were forced. He knew they were all trying to act normal, though none of them actually felt that anything was normal.

Sasuke forced a small smile on his face as he looked at them, "Thanks guys." Everybody had been on pins and needles around him; it was nice to have a few people who still treated him as if he were a human being. It wasn't as if he were broken just because his brother was suddenly in prison. "Please don't make me regret it," he added as he saw Suigetsu and Karin already starting to get into an argument over something he thought was stupid.

NS

Sasuke sat in his room at Kakashi's house that night. The walls were blank, his things were still packed in boxes, and none of it made him feel as if he were at home. 'Is this where I'll live from now on?' he wondered as he looked around. 'I miss my old room,' he continued to think. 'I miss Itachi,' he added as an after thought. He looked down at his backpack, knowing he should do his homework and wishing that Itachi would be around if he needed help. 'I just wish none of this had ever happened,' he frowned. He curled up on his new bed and closed his eyes, 'Why couldn't we have just be a normal family?'

TBC…?

The next chapter is another added chapter…you'll see a little bit of Sasuke in high school, including Sasuke's first boyfriend