Before I knock out for the night? Thank you for reading and reviewing, truly!
Disclaimer: I suppose since these are required, I must say, "I do not own anything of this fic but the idea!"
xliii — purgatory II
Sasuke wrinkled his nose in disdain, dangling the offensive object mid-air in front of him. It was jewelry. His grandfather had given him a necklace as a reacquainting gift, while Itachi received cash in pure and other far more interesting trinkets. Hell, to be honest, it was just outright degrading. Was the old man on the precipice of going senile, and thus mistaken his younger grandson for a female? Sasuke gave said offender a sidelong glance, watching as the portly male engaged in animated, coherent chatter with his father while they both occupied a single sofa. Itachi, standing as he leaned casually against the back it towards them, jumped in the conversation now and then to contribute a 'witty' comment. That show off.
He may have been excellent at feigning impeccable modesty and honor, and diplomatically danced in front of anyone and everyone wherever possible, but Sasuke knew his elder brother too well. The bastard was an actor, and a damn good one.
"Why the long face, Sasuke-kun?" said his jolly grandfather, his neck craning back to face his youngest grandson. He was a thickset man, and Sasuke mentally cringed at all the creased layers of excess fat on his neck. It seemed he grew bigger with every passing year.
"Oh, so it seems you didn't forget my gender," the boy remarked dryly.
His father and Itachi both entertained surprised expressions on their faces, before assaulting him with matching glares. Sasuke knew he would be getting it later after the old man left, lectures on 'proper etiquette'.
For a few seconds his grandfather blinked rather vacuously. Then, he burst out in hearty laughter.
"Sasuke-kun, you're as snippy as ever!" he wheezed, a plump hand set over his bulging belly. "This is why you're my favorite."
Itachi's face contorted as if he had just bitten into a lemon.
"Nani?" demanded Sasuke with an incredulous look. He thrust the ruby-diamond necklace towards his grandfather. "Ojii-san, if I'm your favorite then why the hell did I get jewelry?"
Fugaku growled lowly, his arms folded across his chest in tacit disapproval.
The aged man lifted himself up off the couch in favor of rising to his feet and walking—waddling—to Sasuke, his near-bald head glinting under the overhead lighting.
"Listen, Sasuke-kun," he said cheerfully as he joined the boy on the other sofa, his body sinking into the lush material upon contact. "That there is no ordinary 'jewelry', it's an ancient, coveted artifact that's been passed down through pure, undiluted generations of Uchiha. It is a genuine, priceless treasure, one of but a few that had been valued greatly by our progenitors." The tightness in Sasuke's face unraveled, though the opposite was in effect for Itachi. Fugaku smiled pridefully at the mention of his ancestors.
All was quiet save for the sound of Mikoto washing the dishes in the kitchen, humming a musical tune to herself. Sasuke pressed his grandfather to continue with an inquisitive gaze. The latter grinned, a charming twinkle in his eye.
"Not to mention, it is a very special item… This is no common necklace, Sasuke-kun." There was a puzzling mysteriousness to his words that neither Sasuke, Itachi, nor Fugaku could interpret. They all wore varying expressions of either deceptive blankness, mild confusion, or—
"Who wants dessert?" chirped Mikoto as she pranced out of the kitchen, donned in her pink housewife apron.
"Oh—I do, I do!"
Sasuke stared at his epicurean grandfather, considering to perhaps warn him against eating again (lest he should suffer a heart attack sometime next month) as he had already shoveled into his belly during dinner enough to feed a dying continent. He looked to Itachi, who might have also been thinking the same thing. Or not. Two identical sets of onyx orbs locked, before the older of the pair slid downward to the ruby necklace displayed in Sasuke's unfurled palm. The boy closed his fist over it to deliberately hide it from Itachi's view. His elder sibling frowned.
Jealous, Itachi? The younger brother smirked. Not every day that I end up with the better prize, is it?
All right, that was good; he had something over his older brother to gloat about for the next several weeks or so. It was more than enough to make his evening.
Cynicism is full of naive disappointments.
—Mason Cooley
Author's Note: Waaaah.
7 Cardinal Sins Suggestions Corner:
1) Minato (as requested by AnimeFreakAmanda)
2) Suigetsu (as requested by Thyme Spirit)
3) Kakashi (as requested by darksilvercloud & Speedykitten1643)
4) Itachi (as requested by an anonymous reader)
5) Yahiko (as requested by Sin of the Fallen)
6) Kiba (as requested by Kag Fan)
7) Open slot; one request per person, just to be fair!