Dawn;

The Morning Sun;

The Calm Before The Eminent Storm;

Pretenses;

The Fact Within The Fiction;

Reflected Truth;

Symbols And Foreshadowing;

A Secret Moment Shared Between Brothers

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” The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it.”

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Free time was a rare occurrence for Uchiha Itachi. It seemed he was always training or doing missions; A constant struggle to become better. Perhaps not so much a struggle, per say, but the boy was constantly up to his neck, drowning in tasks that he was expected to perform. He suspected that all those fools that surrounded him thought he was merely some machine, working, and working and always doing his job without flaw, and without tiring. He was utterly perfect in every task he performed, but it had become tiring. Physically it wasn’t really a strain, but mentally it truly was; Itachi needed time to himself, time alone to think about whatever he wanted; Time to daydream, and do things that he found enjoyable.

Some people were so bored with their lives, but Itachi didn’t have the time to be bored. If people did half as much as he did, then they might not have taken simple leisure for granted.

It was warm out, though it was still early; The sun had never truly slept, but she seemed much more alive in the mornings, as if she had rested though the night as humans did . She was more golden-yellow, and brilliant than she appeared as the day wore on; It was just a peaceful time of day. The gentle warmth of the mornings made Itachi strangely content, so much so that if he woke up to dismal, gray clouds it could cause him to be bitter throughout the entire day.

The elder Uchiha son sat just beneath an ume tree, shaded aside from a few golden streams of the sun’s light that managed to slip through the leaves, dappling the boy’s skin with its warmth. It was peaceful; It deserved to be taken advantage of. Cradled by Itachi’s delicate-looking fingers was a book that fit within his grip to perfection; It almost fit as well as a kunai, perhaps more so.

Abyssal pools gleamed down at the pages like dark chasms, absorbing everything they fell upon, yet now they looked strangely serene, framed by those long dark lashes in a concentrated stare. True happiness; It even showed if you looked at the young shinobi from the right angle. The momentary glimpse of Itachi at peace was disturbed, however, by a creature who had not missed it, though he destroyed it.

Sasuke- He had paused before approaching his brother, quick to take note of how Itachi seemed perfectly content. Not that Itachi ever seemed nervous, or enraged, or anguished, but there always was a sort of stormy side to him. You had to look deep inside him, straight through those stone cold eyes, and that was the place Itachi kept hidden, because it housed all his mysterious troubles that were undoubtably there, though they were never spoken of, and never to be figured out otherwise. Now not even a trace of that was visible to the young, intuitive, Sasuke. Still, he did his best not to disturb his brother, though it was irresistible bait, seeing Itachi in such a peacefully pensive state; The kind of thing that was so rare, and welcoming that it always made somebody want to come closer. The younger Uchiha padded up softly, positioning himself comfortably at Itachi’s side without a single word, legs sprawled out in front of him, and his wide innocent eyes gazing up at his brother.

It took only a moment for Itachi’s attention to migrate from his reading to his younger sibling who was gazing, looking almost as if he were in awe. It made the elder brother arch a delicate brow curiously. Inquisitive- What went through his little brother’s mind while he gazed up at him like this? Why did the boy look up at Itachi as if he were the most interesting thing? Itachi almost smiled- Not a single soul could read him except for the boy right in front of him, and Itachi himself didn’t seem to have a clue about the inner workings of his younger brother.

For a failure it seemed bittersweet.

“What is it, Sasuke?” Itachi spoke lowly, his voice lacking emotion, though he was not cold despite the fact that his seclusion had been disturbed. While he spoke his eyes scanned subtly over the younger boys cheeks, observing the rosy color that flushed over them any time he was noticed in a positive light. Did Sasuke really feel so gifted in merely receiving a speck of attention?

Sasuke shook his head softly, smiling in response. He hadn’t meant to draw attention to himself, he only wanted to share in Itachi’s momentary happiness. He hadn’t been stealthy enough, though, apparently. “I just wanted to be near Nii-San, is all...” He paused, unsure of what he thought to say next, just in case he had been mistaken, still, it couldn’t do much harm. “You looked ...happy.”

The elder brother blinked twice, a sort of habit he had for whenever somebody said something that somewhat intrigued him. Sasuke had noticed Itachi’s content mood easily enough- Did that mean that he noticed that Itachi was unhappy most other times? It was almost a good enough question to be asked aloud, however, Itachi wouldn’t allow anybody such an intimate view into his mind. He felt things were safer this way. Itachi nodded to his little brother, then turned his dark eyes back to his book.

It didn’t take long, however, for Sasuke to seek out his brother’s attention again, wanting to be fully submerged in the moment as Itachi was. Slowly he scooted closer, huddling against Itachi’s side. The younger boy was waiting to be noticed as he clung to Itachi, trying to look at the same pages. He half expected his brother to get fed up with his presence, and move, or else coldly request that he back off. When that didn’t happen Sasuke pressed his luck further, just to see how much Itachi would allow, and for how long.

“What are you reading, Nii-san?” Sasuke’s voice was quiet, shy-sounding almost, though it was more of a reflection of his reluctance to aggravate Itachi, and therefor lose the privilege of being near him. The question was made so it could be easily ignored if Itachi didn’t feel like acknowledging his brother’s words. Something about this added to Itachi’s intrigue, though. Was his brother trained on a mental level to make himself easy to overlook? It would make sense considering Sasuke hardly ever was paid any attention, and half of the attention he got would be viewed to him as harsh and negative. Itachi glared down at the pages he had been scanning; hating his family, and everything it stood for.

His parents hadn’t been satisfied with one perfect child, they insisted on trying yet again, and now that they had their second chance they were wasting it- Itachi felt himself able to relate to his misfit brother in this way; It was as if neither of them were viewed as human beings.

Itachi felt Sasuke shrink away a bit, his eyes downcast, and the elder brother’s exterior softened slightly as he glanced over. He hadn’t thought that he really liked Sasuke- The child who was waiting right there to replace him one day if he made one mistake, and his image was tainted. He rationalized those thoughts away, however; There was little chance of Sasuke being anything like him, so he didn’t worry about competition anymore.

Undeniably though, there was something about Sasuke’s beautiful innocence that made Itachi utterly jealous, he was so pure and naive and breakable, yet Itachi almost yearned to possess such a thing. Itachi couldn’t remember having ever been as soft, and charming as his younger brother was now; Just like a puppy that had been kicked one too many times, wary, but still so desperate for affection.

Itachi knew now that his brother had noticed his moment of anger, though Sasuke didn’t know it hadn’t been his fault. The elder Uchiha felt it was easily enough fixed. “I’m reading about Mythology..” Itachi’s voice would have sounded the same to most, but the barely audible benevolent ring about it struck a soothing sort of chord in the younger boy’s ears. Sasuke glanced up, his eyes looking slightly confused, but still willing to walk toward the bait laid before him, risking falling into whatever trap may lie ahead.

There was a momentary pause, and no vocal response from Sasuke, so Itachi pressed further, not wanting to waste his previous efforts to restore Sasuke’s comfort, and selflessly share his contented pleasure with the younger boy. He felt it was well-deserved, though for entirely different reasons. For Itachi because he wanted to be left alone, yet his accursed perfection never allowed him peace, and for Sasuke because he only wanted to be loved, but because of his brother he wasn’t so much as noticed most of the time. Their fates rubbed together, causing inevitable friction, but in this they could relate peacefully for now; The calm before the storm. “Do you want me to tell you about it?” Itachi’s voice wasn’t quite joyful, because showing such an emotion would not be like him, but he offered kindly enough, and didn’t seem bothered. Sasuke beamed, grinning up at his brother, and he nodded.

Slowly Itachi let the book descend into his lap, laying it carefully so that it remained on the page he was looking at, and Sasuke could get a better view as well. The younger boy looked down eagerly, studying the colorful detail painted onto the pages; Imaginative images thought up by those who made mythology into a professional study. Itachi waited a moment, watching with keen interest as Sasuke repositioned in order to see what was so generously being shared with him. The younger boy was suddenly so interested in that book, and yet now Itachi was having a moment’s lapse of concentration. It was distracting how Sasuke invaded Itachi’s personal space, only hoping and assuming it would be alright. Itachi allowed it, of course, because he himself had welcomed it. It would be unfair for him to reject Sasuke’s close proximity now. But the way Sasuke’s delicate little fingers came up to be placed against the elder brother’s thigh as the younger leaned in, his head against Itachi’s shoulder, it was almost awkward for the elder brother, though it seemed fairly natural for the younger. Perhaps because Sasuke was still young and innocent enough to long for cuddles and affection, whereas his brother, Itachi... He wasn’t so innocent.

As Itachi now took his turn being silent, Sasuke spoke to bring Itachi out of his supposed trance. The little boy’s voice was soft, and undemanding, questioning without the usual aggressive curiosity of a typical child. “Nii-san, who is the man standing there in the clouds?” Sasuke’s other hand reached out, his arm brushing across the elder Uchiha’s chest as he reached to touch his fingertips to the picture in the book. Itachi blinked, refocusing on the item in his lap, and his brother’s fingers laid against it. With eyes like cold black stone Itachi gazed at the picture Sasuke was pointing to, needing only a moment’s pause to respond to the younger boys question.

“Izanagi.”

Sasuke pulled his hand away, cupping his fingers against his lips as he laughed softly, then he looked up with eyes just as dark as Itachi’s, but somehow, brighter. “You marked this page, Nii-san... Is the man in the clouds your favorite?”

Itachi’s shoulders moved in a slight shrug as he indulged his little brother with his answer. “The stories of Izanagi are interesting.”

Sasuke’s eyes looked back down at the picture, trying to see what had been so consuming of his elder brother’s attention, though, not finding it, he glanced back up at Itachi through inky black bangs falling loosely in his face. “Can you tell me the story?”

Itachi’s fingertips ran along the edge of the page, barely touching it as he slowly took in a deep breath, then let it out, not sounding agitated, really, hardly making a sound at all. “I can tell you... Some things.”

Sasuke moved a bit, cuddling closer to Itachi, and Itachi just let his eyes flicker down to look into Sasuke’s as the younger boy did so. Normally the continuous reminding of this personal invasion would push Itachi to the edge, but right now he was able to deal because he found he had adjusted to that strange radiating warmth at his side, and for Sasuke to move away would leave Itachi feeling cold and empty. But, the little boy was waiting for Itachi to continue, so the elder brother wasted no more time.

“Izanagi and his wife Izanami were deities that together created many things we see on Earth. They were parents to other deities, and many grand bloodlines..”

“Like the Uchiha?” Sasuke interrupted, already feeling too excited to contain himself. Itachi’s eyes moved from the pictures in the book back to Sasuke’s pools filled with wonder. The elder brother stared with glassy eyes, but he nodded, not allowing the interruption to annoy him. Why bother- This was for Sasuke anyway, the kid may as well have asked a hundred questions. Still, Itachi found something oddly troublesome about the way Sasuke was so quick to compare the entirety of the clan with the all-powerful kami. None the less, he humored the child.

“Yes- Like the Uchiha.” he paused, waiting for further questioning though Sasuke only nodded, wanting him to continue. “However, Izanagi’s wife died while giving birth to one of those grand heirs, and Izanagi dove into the depths of the Underworld in an attempt to save her..”

“All the way into the Underworld..?” Sasuke’s voice was still soft, though more enthusiastic. Itachi nodded. “Mmhm... All the way into the Underworld.” Sasuke seemed to shrink back at this idea, shivering as Itachi turned the page, and he stared down at the depiction of the Underworld. A fiery place with an ominous castle mounted atop jagged peaks, bodies littering the open grounds, and demons swooping to and fro, tormenting any soul they pleased. Sasuke spoke again, his voice now a bit shaky. “Why would anybody go there?”

Why indeed. Itachi looked over at Sasuke again, waiting a moment until the younger boy seemed to notice that he was being stared at, and looked up, his eyes meeting Itachi’s own questioning ones. Itachi's own answer to this question wasn’t near as interesting as what Sasuke would have to say. Reaching careful fingers up, Itachi brushed Sasuke’s bangs back out of his eyes, his voice an all-knowing purr, confidently answering Sasuke’s constant inquiries. “It was because he loved her... But that was only his reason. I don’t think I would have went into the Underworld myself, because you can never count on the one your trying to save not to drag you down with them..”

Sasuke straightened, comfortably rested against his brother’s side, though he seemed surprised to hear Itachi’s words. He tilted his head slightly to the side, lifting it from Itachi’s shoulder. “Wouldn’t you dive in for Chichi-San or Haha-San or me, Nii-san?”

Itachi knew he wouldn’t dive into the Underworld for the sake of his mother or father; There were lesser things he wouldn’t even do for them. His relationship with his parents was one that could never be mended, not even if he wished it were possible. For Sasuke, however, well, the child couldn’t really do anything to wrong Itachi on a heavily personal level, and truth be told, Sasuke probably deserved at least one single hand held out to him, because nobody else would bother.

“..Maybe for you, Sasuke... ... How about you? Would you come in for me?” The tiniest hint of a smile tugged at the corner of Itachi’s lips. He turned that impossible question around on his little brother, and Sasuke’s eyes widened at the sheer burden the words themselves.

Sasuke felt very strongly for Itachi- He looked up to him, he wanted to be everything that Itachi was. His brother was the one always silently rebelling in order to take up for him, the one who listened to any ridiculous nonsense he could find to chatter about, the one who was there for him when Sasuke felt as if he had nobody.

Itachi was his brother, he loved him, and he believed he always would. Undeniably, Itachi was more close to Sasuke than anybody else. In a strange, distant sort of way, Itachi was always so accepting. In a subtle, affectionate manner Sasuke snuggled close enough to wrap his arms around his brother’s upper body, clinging.

“I would be afraid, but I think... I would try. Even though... if you couldn’t get out yourself, then I doubt I could save you..”

Itachi shifted a bit, trying to adjust to the way his brother was clinging to him, though he did it in a way that he hoped wouldn’t allow Sasuke to see how the contact effected him. He was mostly accustomed to how touchy his little brother truly was by this point, but every time Sasuke moved in, getting impossibly close, Itachi found himself surprised at how easily it broke his inner calm. Funny- Itachi was so uncomfortable with these innocent displays of affection, and Sasuke was completely starved for contact. Would the younger brother evolve into his elder if he spent the rest of his life without close interaction? There was something troubling about the thought of this benevolent creature being reformed by life into what Itachi was presently.

Despite that Itachi reached up, and gently pushed Sasuke’s arms away, breaking the momentary hug. Sasuke just hung his head as if he were guilty for overstepping boundaries he was well aware of. Itachi just attempted to overlook this utterly pitiful moment, lest he make himself feel more like a monster than he usually did.

“As I was saying...” Itachi continued to speak, pausing and waiting for his little brother to look back up attentively. The younger brother indeed gave in to his brother’s request by looking up into his eyes, though he still had ‘I’m sorry’ painted all over his expression. “Izanagi dove into the Underworld to save his lover, but he was unsuccessful, and could not bring her back..”

The younger Uchiha pouted more strongly, apparently disappointed by the outcome of the story. Luckily enough it wasn’t over quite yet, and Itachi allowed himself the slightest grin; He rather liked this part of the story, and he wanted his little brother to understand it in the intricate way he himself did. “However, when Izanagi returned from the Underworld, he cleansed himself in a river, washing out his eyes as if to remove the horrific visions of it..” Itachi smiled just a tiny bit more so that it was a bit more detectable, and he let his own eyes shut, those long black lashes looking only more onyx against the pale skin of his cheeks. “Then, from his right eye was born Amaterasu, Goddess of the Sun..” Itachi opened his right eye in demonstration, the single pool rippling brilliant red, dotted by the multiple pupils of the Sharingan. “...And from his left eye was born Tsukuyomi, God of the Moon..” The elder brother switched, shutting his right eye, and opening his left, still allowing Sasuke a glimpse of his red stare.

The younger boy stared up, aghast; He knew his brother had the ability to use Sharingan, but he had never actually seen Itachi’s dark eyes flicker ominous crimson. And the young boy didn’t for one moment take for granted the fact that he could gaze up into his brother’s deadly red orbs; He didn’t know exactly how much those ruby red eyes could do, but this was the kekkegenkai of their clan, and it was almost mythical because of its immense power. Itachi could probably kill Sasuke now if he wanted to, and the younger boy was clever enough to assume Itachi probably had killed with the aide of this power before, but regardless, Sasuke trusted his older brother with something as delicate and irreplaceable as his life, even.

“..Nii-San..”

Sasuke spoke after a moment, his voice telling that he was clearly still in awe of his brother’s Sharingan, and curiously his fingers wandered up to be traced along those dark lines on Itachi’s visage, as if he could steal a little piece of his brother’s greatness by getting closer to those powerful optics. Ruby red eyes narrowed at the fingertips against Itachi’s face, and at first he reached up to remove Sasuke’s hand, but thinking back to his earlier rejection of Sasuke’s touch, and the effect it had on the boy, he halted just as his own fingers wrapped around Sasuke’s wrist. Gingerly he let his fingers remain wrapped around the delicate joint for a passing moment before he slid his own touch away from the younger boy’s, and allowed him to do as he wished. The elder brother sighed before speaking softly. “What is it Sasuke?” The smaller boy pulled his hand away, smiling slightly as his cheeks flushed an embarrassed pink once more. “Could you... Continue the story now, Nii-san?”

Itachi nodded, wondering momentarily if Sasuke had something different in mind to ask.

“Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi also had another brother named Susano’o.. He was the God of the Storm. Amaterasu was greatly troubled by both of her brothers, however..” Sasuke listened though he crossed his arms, pouting once more, and Itachi stopped, already knowing that Sasuke had a new question in mind.

“Amaterasu didn’t like her brothers?” Sasuke questioned in a slightly disappointed, but extremely innocent voice. He couldn’t imagine having to live hating a sibling. Siblings were the only ones that could be equally good at being your family and your friend at the same time. It was like imagining life without Itachi around. The thought of that was so alien to the innocent Sasuke, but understandable to the omniscient Itachi.

“She probably liked her brothers at first... But they did things she didn’t agree with, things that hurt her, and she had to turn her back on them for her own good..” Itachi answered quite simply, though Sasuke was still looking up at him in a displeased, and somewhat confused manner.

“What did Amaterasu’s brothers do to her?” The younger boy questioned his wiser elder, still very interested in finding out what Tsukuyomi and Susano’o did to make their sister hate them so badly.

“..Well..” Itachi began, his voice still sounding calm, and all-knowing, rationalizing these complicated things for his naive little brother. “Tsukuyomi killed somebody that had been his friend.. And when Amaterasu heard about her brother’s cold brutality she refused to ever see him again... Can you blame her?”

Sasuke took in his elder’s words, pausing a moment to think before he spoke. His voice was sullen, but at least he understood now, though one explanation led him to more questions. “I suppose not... But why would Tsukuyomi kill his friend?”

Itachi shrugged a bit, even though he knew the answer. It made sense to him, but he would pretend he agreed with Sasuke just to keep the little boy from growing more upset over the outcome of these stories. “I believe Tsukuyomi’s friend did something to offend, and enrage Tsukuyomi... He apparently deemed his friends death a necessary sacrifice... Perhaps Tsukuyomi was too angry to reprimand his friend and allow amends to be made... Perhaps he regretted it later on... Who knows.”

Sasuke shook his head, still obviously not very soothed by Itachi’s explanation. No, the young boy still didn’t believe that the Moon God had acceptable reasons to kill a friend. “Tsukuyomi must have been really mean.”

Itachi nodded his head slightly, lifting a hand to push his bangs back out of his eyes as he responded to his brother’s statement. “Yes, Tsukuyomi was most likely arrogant and cruel... Sometimes there are reasons, and they can be just as torturous as the things they create.”

The elder brother looked down at Sasuke, noticing the way Sasuke had his head tilted, his expression twisted in confusion. The boy had no clue what Itachi was trying to say, and it was utterly obvious. Itachi just laughed softly, and laid his hand against Sasuke’s head, curling his fingers gently into Sasuke’s raven locks. “Never mind, Sasuke..”

Sasuke grinned a tiny little grin, his delicate emotions mended by his brother’s rare gift of affection. He leaned against Itachi’s hand for a moment, savoring the contact, and once again looking like the puppy that had been kicked one too many times. Then, when it seemed as if Itachi was about to pull his hand away, Sasuke threw his arms around his older brothers wrist, holding onto his arm, and not wanting to let go. Patiently Itachi stared at his younger brother until eventually Sasuke let go of him, the cutest little grin written over his face, and that same blush painted on his porcelain doll cheeks.

The elder brother fell silent, contemplating while just watching Sasuke, seemingly in some sort of daze. Finally Sasuke shifted a bit, uncomfortable being stared at, and he broke the silence. “So... Nii-san?”

Not missing a beat, Itachi’s eyes flickered across Sasuke’s face, observing the child, and he quickly responded. “Hmm..?”

Sasuke looked up again, noting that he was still being stared at, though he managed to meet his brother’s unreadable stare with his own humble coal-black eyes. He bit at his own tiny finger, absently fidgeting, then spoke, curious and innocent. “So what did Susano’o do to Amaterasu?”

Itachi finally shut the book and laid it at his side, pausing to think before he answered his brother. He knew that telling Sasuke anything further about this story would probably make the kid pout again. The young child apparently only wanted to hear pleasant stories, but Itachi only knew things that revolved around death, and other such horrors. Still, he obliged his brothers questioning. “Susano’o was Amaterasu’s greatest rival, and eventually their rivalry caused a dispute to break out between them... Susano’o, in his anger, destroyed things belonging to Amaterasu, and killed attendants she thought of as family.. Amaterasu was so upset that she hid herself inside a cave, never to cast her light upon Earth again... And without the sun, life on Earth began to wither and die.. Luckily there were others that were like family to Amaterasu, and they were able to lure her out of hiding.. If they hadn’t then all life would have been lost, and the world would have become a cold, dead rock of a place..”

Itachi had tried his best to make the story sound a bit more pleasant, but he noticed, he did have a rather pessimistic view on things. He liked it better that way, though, so he wouldn’t make it a point to try and fix what wasn’t a problem to begin with. However, Sasuke still didn’t seem pleased by the outcome of the story, and the elder could tell by the look of confusion on the boy’s face that he was about to ask some moral question.

“But...umm..” Sasuke began to say something but seemed to lose his train of thought. Itachi raised a single brow at this. He wondered why Sasuke wasn’t so sure of his question this time, though he had a few ideas.

Sasuke was slightly more disturbed by this part of the story than the rest. He hated the thought that the sibling rivals caused one another so much pain. One intentionally tried to harm the other, and the other almost isolated herself from the rest of the world, locking herself away to drown in her angst forevermore. Sasuke looked up to Itachi, but Itachi was also his greatest rival, just like Susano’o and Amaterasu. Itachi was the reason Sasuke was never noticed, and no matter what Sasuke felt he would never be as good as his brother. Would he one day isolate himself as Amaterasu did? The bigger question was, would anybody care enough to lure him out of hiding?

“Why did Susano’o have to be so horrible to Amaterasu? She was still his sister.” Sasuke sighed, unable to work out the complicated way he was trying to compare himself to the story. And once more Itachi made things more confusing for the kid.

“Maybe Amaterasu did something selfish... Maybe she did something that a true sister wouldn’t do, and Susano’o stopped thinking of her as a sister, and reacted in sheer anger..?” Itachi watched as Sasuke lowered his eyes, looking at the ground in disappointment. Softly, and sadly he muttered his words of defeat. “That’s not very fair.”

Itachi’s come-back was quick; He knew the answer to this all to well, even if it hadn’t exactly been a question, but rather, a statement. “Hardly anything in life is fair.” To these words Sasuke was even more sullen, and Itachi sighed as he forced a tiny smile. “I think that is enough for today.”

Sasuke looked up at his brother, dark eyes glassy and morose. Now Sasuke was the one sitting in silence, and the elder brother was the one searching for the greater reasoning behind his lifelessness. He figured Sasuke had started to relate the stories to himself, and while that sometimes helps to make things more interesting, obviously for Sasuke it had negative effects. Itachi looked up; The sun had now fully risen into the sky, and was well on her journey across the horizon, on the same path she took each and every day. Vaguely Itachi wondered how much more he and his brother had in common with the sun that trailed across the eternal blue of the sky. Would they follow her in that everlasting path?

Itachi’s thoughtful moment was broken again, though, by nobody else but Sasuke. His little brother seemed to be very good at distracting him right as he turned inside himself to contemplate. The smaller boy still appeared to be feeling gloomy because of the mythology stories, and in an thoughtless stream of movement he crawled up into Itachi’s lap, and made himself comfortable curled against his brother’s lean chest. The elder just sat there for a moment, not quite stunned by Sasuke’s sudden disregard for the boundaries that had been previously laid down, but still a bit taken by surprise.

Sasuke himself expected to be thrown onto his back momentarily, knowing that his brother, like most of his other family members, didn’t like a lot of contact. Still, it was worth a few bruises to be close to Itachi for just a moment, but as the moment extended itself more and more, Sasuke was mixed with curiosity and dread. It could have been good or bad that his brother hadn’t chosen to push him away immediately. Dark and wary eyes slowly glanced up from beneath obsidian bangs, looking up at Itachi’s face. It was mostly unreadable, as always, but Sasuke saw not a single trace of friendliness. Ashamed, he lowered his eyes, though he still pressed his face against Itachi’s chest. He spoke, his voice muffled, and quiet. “..I’m sorry, Nii-san..”

Sometimes Sasuke wasn’t sure his brother was human, because Itachi was far too great and perfect to be a human being, but right now was the only time he actually had reason to believe Itachi was just another mortal man. Itachi could bleed, and feel pain, and be hurt, or killed, and Sasuke could tell now because he was so close to him. He could hear his brother’s heart beating just beneath its cage of bones and flesh. Perhaps this was why Itachi hated letting people near him, because he didn’t want anybody to know he was less than perfect. But was he going to allow Sasuke to go unpunished now that he knew the secret? Sasuke almost cringed, clasping Itachi’s clothes without even knowing he was doing it; Sasuke could hear every detail of the way Itachi was taking a deep breath now, as if to release a sigh of agitation right before he threw Sasuke off of him.

To Sasuke’s surprise, however, rather than being hurled off and rolling painfully across the ground, he felt Itachi’s arms wrap around him, holding him, and keeping him there where he was. Some part of Sasuke thought this must have been a trick, or an illusion, but he quickly wiped those negative thoughts away. It was genuine, and he was far from the dangers he feared. Right now he was safe. For now, Itachi not only accepted his contact, but he welcomed it.

“..Nii-san..?” Sasuke’s voice was practically a whisper, unsure.

“Hmm..?” Even the hum of Itachi’s voice was different. He sounded so content. He sounded.. Just like he had looked when Sasuke first came up to him. It made Sasuke wonder if Itachi had that certain softness mixed into his usual neutrality, such as he had when the younger boy watched him read his book.

“Did Amaterasu ever try to get her brother’s back for what they did?” The younger boys voice still spoke softly, as if he were afraid to disturb the moment with his words, and he shivered as he felt Itachi’s fingers move to be curled in his unruly ebony hair again. Itachi’s fingers were like the fingers of a ghost, since you couldn’t feel or hear his movement hardly until he was touching you.

“I don’t believe so.” Itachi answered Sasuke’s question, and it was almost instant that the boy cheered up, squirming just a bit so he could lift himself, and wrap his arms around his brothers shoulders, his warm little face laying against the cool skin of his older brother’s neck. Itachi could feel his little brother’s smile pressed into his flesh as the tiny boy nuzzled him affectionately.

“I’m.. Glad.” Sasuke spoke quietly, almost inaudibly, but still the rush of breath against the elder brother’s skin caused it to prickle in response, and he couldn’t help but know that Sasuke had said something. He was just glad Sasuke wasn’t keen enough to notice how his older brother’s body wasn’t quite so trained to be neutral when other humans were allowed to be so near to him. Yet another bittersweet imperfection.

“Why are you glad, Otouto?” Itachi’s low purr of a voice spoke quiet enough to match Sasuke, but with genuine interest. He wasn’t merely making simple conversation, it was obvious.

“She was different... Better than them.” Sasuke answered with ease. This time he was sure of what he was saying, though his brother laughed lowly, seeming somewhat amused, and in response Sasuke whined “Nii-san..” as if to plead with Itachi not to make fun of his answer.

“Your naive, Sasuke.” Itachi spoke simply, and to the point, though it confused Sasuke nonetheless, and he lifted his head so that he could look into Itachi’s eyes questioningly. “What do you mean, Nii-san?” Sasuke’s voice was still a bit whiny, and a good bit confused. Itachi just shook his head as if to say ‘Forget it ’ and pressed Sasuke’s head back down against his shoulder, finding that his book was not the only thing that could be perfectly cradled in his grasp. He moved so that his lips were almost against the younger boy’s ear, and he whispered to him, his voice strangely sweet, but undeniably ominous; Sasuke shivered.

“You’ll understand someday.”