37. Eyes

Sometimes the eyes made him remember. Whenever the raven looked into a pond, a puddle of water on the floor, he could see his brother staring back at him rather than himself. They looked so alike, even more so now that Sasuke had taken the older man's eyes. He silently wondered if Itachi ever mused about their similarities using these same eyes.

Perhaps, in a way, they did share the same vision.

49. Stripes

Mikoto had always had a strange affinity for striped pajamas. Maybe it was because such a pattern was always made from the softest material, or that it was what she grew up wearing, but it was always strangely comforting to her. The boys she called her sons would often bemoan the fabric – Itachi happened to be quite a whiner at the time, and Sasuke wished to be just like nii-san- claiming it was old-fashioned, but the woman held her ground and insisted that they continue to wear the matching nightclothes. She honestly believed, however, that as soon as they moved out of the house the articles of clothing would find a new home in the trash.

That's why it was shocking to both of her adult sons curled up together under a blanket wearing striped pajamas.

8. Innocence

Itachi had only held on to his innocence for a few short years. Images of fluffy kittens and warm blankets were replaced with gruesome scenes of war at a very tender age. The boy lost the few years of being oblivious to the world's horrors he was granted as a ninja child. His younger brother, on the other hand, had been far too little to remember the graphic scenery of that time. The naivety that shone through his big coal eyes and high-pitched voice made his heart weep with an emotion he was not yet able to comprehend, an incredible feat for a genius like himself.

After a particularly nasty mission at age 12, Itachi returned to his family's home covered in bruises and deep lacerations. While his mother scampered around the house searching for first-aid materials and his father sent him a disapproving look (the man was satisfied with no less than perfection and his son had returned with too many wounds for his liking) young Sasuke shyly meandered up and tugged on the tight black pants he was dressed in. Motioning first for his aniki to crouch down, the child began to kiss, one by one, all the cuts that adorned Itachi's face.

Quite alarmed, the elder pulled back and wiped away the blood that made the lips of the younger a cherry-red before asking in his quite voice what in the world his younger-brother thought he was doing. The child had blushed softly and looked away before muttering " When 'niki kisses my boo-boo's they feel better, so I thought if I kissed 'niki's he would feel better too."

From that moment on, Itachi had silently and solemnly swore to himself that he would protect his brother innocence to the best of his ability from then on.

91. Drowning

Once in awhile, Itachi would take a trip down to the pond behind his home. The water there was always clear and calm, even during the harshest storms. He had to wonder if maybe the strange phenomenon was created by all the souls that had escaped from their lives by throwing themselves into the brutal waters and never returning. The raven knew not all the people who had died in this lake had been suicidal. His cousin, Shisui, had drowned after getting caught at the bottom by some discarded barbed wire. The first pet their family had owned, a kitten his younger brother had dubbed weasel, had fallen in and succumbed to the cold before anyone could find where he had wandered off to.

Sasuke, his wonderful, beautiful, sweet little otouto, had been one of the few to purposely sacrifice their life however.

It made the man's heart ache terribly when he thought about the day anyone had noticed the boy was nowhere to be found. The family had been busy the last few weeks, preparing for Itachi's graduation and other events that occurred during spring at the Uchiha manor (it was one of the busiest times of the year) so nobody noticed how Sasuke had abruptly stopped showing his face. Several weeks later, just a few days before the eldest son of the family was to depart, the question as to where his brother had been hiding dominated his mind. The two had always been rather close, and the 18 year old wished to spend time with his sibling before he left.

After his search of the mansion and its various gardens ended up fruitless, the raven headed down to the lake. It was Sasuke's favorite place, so he was honestly not surprised when he spotted the younger male lounging face down on its shore. Itachi smirked only slightly, as the 'Uchihan Mask of Indifference' was firmly in place by his age, before racing down and giving the body a hard shove into the water. Sasuke despised his hair getting wet, so an enraged screech was expected. However, the shore was still silent.

Nothing.

Staring at the form in the water warily as the peaks rocked its locks gently, the eldest Uchiha child crept up beside the youngest. He quickly flipped his brother over and was both shocked and horrified by what he bore witness to see.

Sasuke's onyx eyes were glazed over, and his usually porcelain skin had taken on a dull, grayish tone. His clothes were ripped in multiple areas and some of his flesh was missing altogether. The boys chest ceased to rise and fall at all.

His beloved, foolish little brother, was dead.

(To be continued?...)

A/N: I wrote these for a friend who is an Itasasu/Uchihacest fan as part of her Christmas present. I figured there was no harm in uploading them, as they weren't terribly written and she seemed to enjoy them. There's several more, but I decided to just test the waters with these four. Please take some time to review if possible! I will love you forever if you do so!

I do not own Naruto or any characters associated with the series. The plots of these, however, are my own.

Flames are accepted and will be used to ignite the candle I use to write content such as this during the wee hours of the night.