Chapter 11

"Ne … Ne … Brother ... give it to me … Please."

"Ahaa … Haa … Reach for it now kiddo."

"Wah. You're so mean." Kick.

"Goah…" A teenage boy with shoulder length hair was holding his knee in pain from his four-year-old brother's kick. "Gah. Kiddo." The little boy grabbed the toy easily from his hand.

"Bleh." Chibi Sasuke stuck his tongue out at his older brother. "That's for being mean." He flopped down on the soft grass.

Lightly chuckle. "I was just helping you. You need to jump to grow taller. You know."

The little boy's eyes widened. "Reeeallly?"

"Yup. See. How I am so tall now?" Itachi tried his hardest to hold in his laughter at his brother's naive mind.

Jump. Jump. "I'm going to be taller than you." Jump. Jump.

Dark orbs looked at the little child. "Here." He then leaned down to lift the tiny body and placed him on his shoulders.

"Whoa!"

"Here…Offfp!...You go buddy."

"Yay. I'm taller. Now march! I'm hungry." The little cheerful boy pointed the direction of the Japanese style manor.

Itachi listened to the Sasuke. "Alright." Having a big brother was the best thing.

To Sasuke, life in his cozy house surrounded by his loving mother and brother was the best, even if his father hardly ever showed up. It was alright; he knew his father was a very important person. Even at a young age, Sasuke was more matured then most boys his age. Much, much more.

All his life, he was wrapped in the nurturing wall of his mother's care. His friends, even when he refused to admit it, were the irritated eight years old Neji and the four years old Hinata of the Hyuuga family.

o-o-o-o-o

o-o-o-o-o

"S-Sasuke" Hinata worriedly looked up at the raven boy mischievously climbing the wall into a peach garden of a farmer. It was the summer before he had to enter pre-school. His mother took him to the summer home to celebrate his birthday.

"Shh… stay there. Don't worry. Be a good look out. I'll get you the biggest, yummiest one." He jumped off to the other side.

"O-okay."

[…]

"Gahhhh!"

"Huh?" Hinata startled at the sound of the screaming boy and the barking of the guard dogs.

"S-sasuke!"

"Catch!" A few peaches were thrown over the wall.

"Wahh!" She tried her best to prevent the pink fruits from hitting the ground.

Jump.

"Run Hinata … run!"

The two kids dashed for their life.

"Get back here you punks!"

They could hear the screaming of the farmer from behind.

[...]

"What did you two do this time?" Tsunade stood on the front steps of the summerhouse, hands on her waist, looking at the two children.

Dirt and tree leaves covered Sasuke, and Hinata was a mess from running.

"Sasuke … Hinata … go clean up for lunch. Please."

The two hurriedly ran away.

"Mikoto … You really shouldn't let those little brat runs around wild like that."

"Oh. Tsunade, they're only little kids, let them enjoy it." She smiled at her childhood best friend.

Sigh. Tsunade took out her car key. "Well, gotta go and picked up the other Hyuuga brat. I have no idea why I'm doing this."

o-o-o-o-o

"Happy birthday to you … happy birthday… happy birthday … happy birthday to you … blow the candles now. Yay! You're 7 now."

"Yes!"

"Wait a minute there, you … special guest." Tsunade stood behind to stop the 10 year old Neji from pushing the birthday boy into his cake.

"Pictures first guys!" Mikoto held up her camera to snap a shot of the adorable scene.

"One … two … three… " Flash!

"Okay ... Another one. one … two… !?" Flop!

"Gah!" Sasuke's face was impaled in to the cake by … Tsunade.

"Ahhaaahaaa…!" The blond busty woman was laughing her head up along with everyone else in the room, except "I wanted to do that!" Neji stood up his seat, pointed his accusing finger at Tsunade.

Cake fight began.

o-o-o-o-o

"Here you go, all nice and clean for the birthday boy." Mikoto was softly drying her son off using a big fluffy towel.

"Hee."

"You're a big boy now." Hand delicately tapped her son's drench locks.

"Mom? Why isn't Itachi here? He's always showed up for my birthday. Even if he's away, and he has been away for too long."

Sad eyes were looking at the poor boy. "He … He has to continue his studying. You're brother is going to be a great businessman."

"Just like Daddy?"

"…"

"No, better than Daddy."

"Ha … He's the best!" Sasuke cheered for his big brother.

"Of course he is. He got you a gift. Look." She pointed to a wrap present on his bed.

"Cool." The boy ran to his bed, opened up the neat surprise.

Mikoto stood on the side, quickly hid a tiny piece of white paper.

[…]

Tucking her son in bed, Mikoto was worried what would happen to him in the near future ... if it didn't get worse already.

'The child didn't once ask for his own father.'That proved something.

She restlessly rubbed his back as he curled up protectively into her. 'I'm sorry.'

A streak of tear was running down her cheek.

o-o-o-o-o

"Now be careful. Sasuke don't hurt yourself." Mikoto stood back as she watched her son running around happily with his new kite. His laughter filled the sullen hole in her soul, damaged soul.

Today was the perfect day for flying kites. It was bright with an easy breeze. Spring, the time filled with Cherry Blossom. Rows and rows of sakura trees fluttered its beauty in the wind. Pink petals carry its essence to soothe the minds.

As Mikoto turned around to place the water bottle away, she returned to notice the boy was out of her sight. 'Sasuke?'

Standing up from her seat on the picnic cloth, she rushed around to find the little boy. 'Where did he run to now?'

'Sasuke, I can't take my eyes off of you at all.'

Her eyes softened with relief at the sight of the familiar hair. Sasuke was bending over to pick up his fallen kite on the road.

'Ah this little guy.'

Suddenly, a truck came out of nowhere, zooming down the road. It did not show any sign of slowing down from the sight of the child in the middle of the road.

'No!'

o-o-o-o-o

"Tsunade, is my mom going to be alright?"

"I promise I'll be a good boy now."

"I'm not going to leave her side anymore."

"I won't let my mom get hurt."

"Mom is going to take me home right?"

"Tsunade?"

o-o-o-o-o

In a white private hospital room, Sasuke was sitting on the bed waiting, swinging his legs on the side.

His tiny hands were clutching a bundle of good health charms he got. The past days, he made Tsunade and Kakashi drove him from temples to temples to wish for his mother's health. Well, all his thoughts paid off. His mom was saved. In perfect health, her smiling face and her warming hug was in reach, he pictured it in his mind. Sasuke truthfully was a true mama's boy.

"I'll give all of these to her, she'll live forever!"

[…]

Too bore at waiting, Sasuke skid off to peak in the hallway. His eyes widened to see ... 'Mom… And dad?!' The boy was so happy, he ran back inside, frantically jogging in circles. 'Wait… I know … I'll hide and surprise them.'He climbed into the nearby closet. At the hearing of the opened door, he wedged his body deeper to prevent being caught.

"Thank you doctor. I will take care of my wife."

"Yes. Please rest well." The doctor walked away.

Door closed. The little boy was about to jump out to surprise his parents when…Crash! His ears perked at the violent noise. 'What?'Quietly tapping on the opened closet door, he looked through the small opening to be shocked by the scene. His mother had been forcibly thrown on the ground next to the bedside.

"Hm. Annoying." The fragile woman whimpered from her wrapped wounds. "It's a pity. He didn't die." The brooding man put his hand in his pocket and walked toward the woman.

"Why ... why won't you believe me? Up until now …" She tried her best to stand up.

"Believe you ... a woman who crawled into other men's beds." He viciously grabbed her lifeless body, screaming in to her face.

"But he's your son!" She choked out the words.

"What make you so sure? Fucking all those dicks." Harsh hands gripped her collar.

"I w-was framed-d." Sobbing through each word, she no longer could take it.

Chuckle. "Framed? By whom."

"I-I Don't k-know."

"Nonsense." He glared right at her. "It must be revenge isn't it."

"N-no."

"You want me to raise another's son. Thinking it's my own blood."

"N-no. He's your son."

"Lies!"

He threw her down the floor again.

"Seven years had been enough. I've been a fool to ignore it." He turned to walk his way of the room.

"No … I am… being the fool who married a … monster." She heavily sobbed out that truthful word. He whipped around at her words, to see …"Why… won't you believe me? Even since Sasuke was born, you never once paid the slightest bit of attention to him, saying that I crawled into another's bed. Then what about you? I thought if everything would be kept quiet, it would be fine. You can do whatever you please. But why … just because of that woman's words … some accusations … those wretched pictures you called evidences …" She slowly backed away.

"It's a wonder how he could live the past gruesome years. Ten times... No, a thousand times worse than what you've done to me. Sasuke is an innocent child. Your child! Then, why must you pull Itachi into this? What have they done to you? Why must you separate them?" She was at the rim of the open window.

"Test. Do a test, Uchiha. You will regret it." She growled the last few words at the awestruck man.

"There are times I do want to believe that Sasuke is not your son. I deeply wish it was the truth. But sadly, in reality ... he is. He will always be. I need leave this harsh reality. I can't stand it." She let her back fall freely down.

"!"

'I'm sorry, my son. I can no longer take care of you. I'm too weak.'

Thud.

"Eeeeeeeeek!"

"Someone get the doctors!"

[…]

Fugaku Uchiha helplessly stood there at the emptiness of the window stand, aloof. In a quick second, he dashed outside, running frantically to the ground where a body lay motionless. His exit left the room to a pair of hidden shocked obsidian eyes, now dreaded with darkness.

'I should have given these to her, when she was there in front of me.'Small hands gripped the charms in a tight fist. Eyes blurred from the shock. Body shakily immobilized.

o-o-o-o-o

o-o-o-o-o

"Sir."

"How is everything?"

"All has been taken care of." Kakashi returned to his stance, keeping his head low at a respectful angle.

"Hm."

"All the hush money has been giving out. Nothing will be leaked beyond the hospital. No one will know of the incident."

"Good." Fugaku turned around in his high status chair to find Kakashi stood with a white envelope in his hand.

"?" He was curious of its purpose.

"Oh. The result is here sir. Would you like to see it?"

"…" The man foully stared at the folder. "No. Put it away." He, Fugaku Uchiha, was afraid to see the answer.

"Yes sir." As Kakashi walked out of the room, Fugaku flopped a stack of morning newspaper on his desk. The headline was: WIFE OF UCHIHA CORP CEO DIED FROM TRUCK DRIVER'S RECKLESSNESS.

o-o-o-o-o

o-o-o-o-o

[Ten years later]

A teenage boy was standing in the rain, in front of a grave site.

Sasuke, in his hand was also a white envelope. He slowly knelt down in front of his mother's grave. Hand dug a hole beside her tombstone. Not until his fingertips were bleeding, he was then satisfied with the side of the hole he dug on the ground. Putting the white envelope in the hole, Sasuke buried the piece of info that would one day sway his mind.

No.

He would never let anything get in his way.

Dun Dun Dun...