That night, Itachi stayed at the shrine along with Shisui, who did not want to let his cousin have all the fun. Itachi's father was staying the night at the hospital with his wife and newborn son, and it was decided that Itachi was still too young to be left home alone all night. So Heiwa had extended an invitation to the young Uchiha and his cousin.
Kaede led the two boys to the guest room they would be staying in, dragging a reluctant Koka behind her. The older girl chatted with Shisui as Itachi followed quietly, amused by the youngest girl's predicament. Blue eyes caught his own dark ones and he smirked at the glare he received. Koka huffed and looked away. His smirk broadened into a grin.
It was late, but Itachi was still unable to sleep. Thoughts ran around the four year olds head. Would he be a good brother? What was Sasuke going to be like when he was older?
The young boy got up and left the room, taking care to not wake his cousin, who was snoring on the other side of the room. Itachi wandered out to the garden and sat in the spot he and the other three children had sat in earlier that morning.
"Would you like to hear a story?" The four year old jumped, having not heard anyone coming. He looked up at Koka, who stood there as if she had been waiting for him. It was in that moment that a cloud, which had been covering the mood, shifted, allowing the moonlight to shine down on the girl. Mesmerized, Itachi was struck with the thought that Koka felt like an adult to him.
For that split second, he was reminded of his mother. Blue eye's gazing down at him as if they just knew his thoughts and feelings. But then the cloud was back and the feeling left, leaving Itachi with the three year old girl far smarter than most her age. He silently nodded and Koka sat down beside him.
The gazed up at the cloud spotted sky as Koka began to weave a story for Itachi.
"Once upon a time there were two brothers. They loved each other very much. But they were from a very powerful clan and Big Brother was very busy with clan duties and he job as a shinobi. Little brother wanted to play with Big Brother, but it was very hard to do as they grew older. Little brother joined the academy to be a shinobi like Big Brother, while Big Brother rose through the ranks of the shinobi until he came to work with Mr. Anbu and others like him."
Itachi silently listened, making no comment on the uninventive names. Koka continued.
"But things in the clan were turning bad. For you see, a few years ago, a demon under the control of a sad man ruined the village, and the village blamed them. The clan grew angry and hurt. For the clan loved the village very much, and the village pushing them away made them very hurt and angry. The clan wanted to revolt against the village. Big Brother was told to spy for the clan.
However, the village leader already heard what was happening, and also asked Big Brother to help him. Big Brother loved his clan, but loved the village more. It was where Little Brother lived and where the Will of Fire burned. He helped the village leader, along with his friend.
But there was a man in the Underground. He wanted to protect the village his way. When Big Brother and Friend came up with a plan to stop the clan with the village leader, he got in their way. Underground Leader stole the eye from Big Brother's friend. The friend knew the Underground Leader would come after him again. So he gave his other eye to Big Brother, and fell into the river where he died."
By this point, Itachi knew this was not a happy bed time story. But he still found himself enraptured by it as Koka spoke, not once missing a word.
"Big Brother grieved. But he did not have time. For soon, his clan grew restless again. He was only thirteen when it happened. He was ordered by Village Leader and Underground Leader to kill his clan. He agreed on the condition that Little Brother be spared and taken care of. If not, then Big Brother would take out the village himself. For Big Brother loved the village more than his clan, but he loved Little Brother more than anything else.
He was crying, but he killed them all, with the help of the Sad Man. But then Little Brother came home. It broke Big Brothers heart, but he had to protect little brother. So he showed Little Brother the images of him killing their clan and family, over and over. He hurt Little Brother to protect him and told Little Brother to hate Big Brother until he was strong enough to kill him. Then Big Brother left.
Little Brother was taken care of, but he had no one to love him, no one to show him how to love. So he began to hate. He became a genin with Fox and Flower under Mr. Anbu's guidance. He hated them and called them weak. But Fox was strong, stronger than Little Brother, for Fox had a demon in him. Little Brother and Fox formed a bond of brotherhood. Flower loved Little Brother and Fox. Fox became her brother while she wanted more from Little Brother. Mr. Anbu became their father.
Until Snake came. He was very evil and hurt them and cursed Little Brother. Little Brother grew more hatred. He and Fox fought, but Fox was getting stronger than him. Little Brother hated it. He needed to be stronger so he could kill Big Brother, who had joined an evil organization.
Snake told Little Brother that he could make Little Brother stronger if he joined Snake. It was night time when he left. Flower tried to stop him, but he knocked her unconscious. Then Fox found him and tried to stop him. They fought and Fox almost died. Little Brother left and joined Snake.
Little Brother turned evil, trying to get stronger so he could kill Big Brother. Big Brother hoped that if Little Brother killed him, Little Brother would go home. Little Brother grew stronger and older, until finally the two brothers fought. But Big Brother was already dying from sickness. Before the last blow could be exchanged, Big Brother smiled and poked Little Brother in the forehead, giving him the protection that could only come from an older brother as he died.
It was then that Sad Man showed up. He told Little Brother the truth about Big Brother. Everything Big Brother had done was to protect Little Brother. Little Brother began to hate the village and wanted it to be destroyed.
Little Brother killed Underground Leader and hurt Fox and Flower once again before joining the evil organization. Everything Big Brother had worked for became nothing. But Fox never gave up. He would save Little Brother, even though all of the other villages wanted him dead.
A war came and the dead were brought back to life. Big Brother was one of them. But Big Brother was smart. He escaped the control of the bad guys and found Little Brother. He told Little Brother he did not want revenge. The two of them fought against a bad guy, Big Brother protecting Little Brother Once again until the end. It was only then that Little Brother understood how much Big Brother loved him and how much he wanted to protect the village. But by then it was too late. Little Brother had done so much, he could never return to the village his brother had loved so much. But Fox worked hard until at last, Little Brother could come home. He, Fox and Flower were reunited. But nothing would ever be the same."
After the story, Itachi looked at Koka. Neither of them said a word as they sat there, a single tear falling from her blue eyes, still focused on the moon. They stayed like that, even as two more people came and joined them. The four sat in silence until at last, sleep claimed them all. Four small bodies, who for that moment alone were safe from the dark world that awaited them.