Discclaimer: Kishimoto Masashi own Naruto, I don’t.

I wrote this a while ago and never posted it, so I’m doing it now. That’s about all I have to say. It’s pre-time skip, cuz I wrote it before the time skip existed.

“Demon”

"You always were too innocent, Sasuke-kun." He says affectionately, and I imagine him poking my forehead like he used, before he killed them. The smirk on his face tells me he knows what I'm thinking. He meant for me to think it. He made me.

I ignore his confident smirk and charge head on, chidori crackling around my fingers, raging with the chirping sound that named it. I know I’ve twisted my face in anger and hatred, a quick glimpse of Sakura's eyes would show me, even if I couldn’t feel it. They’re frozen terror, and her mouth hangs open as she clings to Naruto, who looks to be comforting her, telling her everything will be fine, I’ll be okay, safe, unharmed, alive. He does that too much.

I turn back to my brother, aiming the chidori for his heart. For a fleeting second he looks annoyed, like he's staring down at an ant with the audacity to bite him. Then he grabs my wrist and throws me into a tree.

"And always too weak as well."

Flames of anger spread through my body as my vision turns red. My fists shake, not from fear, but from my need to pound Itachi's face in. "Why won't you just DIE!” I scream at him, and launch myself off the ground as my team watches helplessly.

"Because," He mocks me, effortlessly dodging my attack. "You aren't strong enough to kill me."

I growl at him and ready another attack.

"But I can make you stronger." He whispers. I barely hear his words, but I could never miss what he did next.

I run as fast as I can, trying to reach them before he does. Even though I started closer to them, Itachi reaches my comrades, my friends, first. He brushes past Naruto and grabs Sakura's throat, squeezing tightly. "LET HER GO!" Naruto and I scream, both shooting towards the red eyed monster holding her. Together, we attack him, somehow moving as though we knew what the other planned to do at any moment in time.

We rarely ever manage to fight like this; usually, we only fight each other. For now though, we attack him as hard and as fast as we can, using a number of techniques we never even knew the other had before.

When Itachi falls, the Mangekyou Sharingan fades from his eyes, leaving them an almost forgotten black. Naruto and I stand covered in blood, drenched in sweat, and panting so heavily I doubt anyone would be surprised if we passed out right then and there on top of our first kill.

The adults arrive now, all but Kakashi watching us warily, afraid of what we might do to them since we had just managed to defeat Itachi. They include me in the fear they always harbored for Naruto.

I guess I'm a demon now too.