Wow, I didn't mean to go so long without updating this story, but I'm committed to finishing it. This will be the final chapter but I hope you enjoy it :)

Retrospective

It took two hours for all of Konoha's doctors and medical nin to put Sasuke back together again. Afterwards, he walked a walk of shame to apologize to his family and clan for his slip-up, retiring home for the night soon after.

He was woken up much earlier than he cared for the next morning by a knock on his bedroom door and a voice calling out, "I have a summons for one Sasuke Uchiha! Please report to your front door immediately!"

"Screw you, Itachi; I think I've earned the right to sleep in," he called back, burrowing deeper under his blanket.

Itachi threw open the door without permission but still, Sasuke didn't stir. "Mom and dad are gone again for the day so come hang out with me," Itachi informed him.

There was a brief rustle of the covers before it jerked to a stop and Itachi smiled to himself; Sasuke just fought back an impulse. Contradicting his gesture, Sasuke told him, "Go have fun without me. I'm going to Netflix and chill by myself today."

Lounging around to watch TV went against everything Itachi knew about his brother. Instead, he sat gently on the side of the bed, then laid down close to where he knew Sasuke's face was at. "Sasuke. Get up. If you don't, I'm going to do something you won't like."

In preparation, Sasuke shuffled to where all the edges of the blanket were now pinned under him. "So long as you don't challenge me to a stupid eating contest again, I don't care."

"Okay, it's your demise," Itachi shrugged. He grabbed the covers and grinned fully when he saw Sasuke stiffen. Then, with as much force as possible, he ripped the blanket off, exposing Sasuke curled up on his side in his plaid pajamas. He easily tracked the kunai Sasuke withdrew from under his pillow and knocked it out his grasp before he could even throw it.

Using one hand, he pinned both of Sasuke's arms above him and used the second to lift his shirt. He almost stopped when Sasuke screamed "No, not incestuous hentai!" but continued anyways. With Sasuke unable to move, he lowered his mouth to his bellybutton and blew.

To his honest surprise, Sasuke actually laughed. In fact, this wasn't just a laugh; Sasuke was giggling. Sasuke continued to kick and scream, begging Itachi to stop as he tried to get away and while uttering death threats but the fact of the matter remained that Itachi managed to get his brother to giggle. After several minutes, he finally pulled back and gave a flushed and prideful smile back. "Should've just done what I asked."

"Haha…ha…I really hate you, you know," Sasuke said with no conviction, his face still grinning. Sitting up, he wiped his stomach off and pulled his shirt down, then attempted to flatten his bedhead. "What the hell gave you the idea to do that anyways, of all things?" he asked, once he was as presentable as he was going to get for the moment.

Itachi shrugged, turning away in embarrassment. "You used to love that when you were a kid. And based on that reaction, I'd say you don't mind it even now," he teased, despite himself. He patted Sasuke on the head, standing up. "I go back to school next week so this will be my final weekend before things become chaotic for me again. We have this entire weekend; let's end it with a bang."

With resistance now proven to be futile, Sasuke followed him out the door, noticing that Itachi too hadn't bothered with getting fully dressed. Downstairs, Sasuke offered to be the one to make breakfast this time. However…the results were up for debate.

"Sasuke, you really amaze me sometimes. Scrambled pancakes? This is definitely a first," Itachi murmured with amusement, forking a piece and giving a chew. "The taste isn't affected though so I guess it's alright."

Sasuke stared at his own plate of scrambled pancakes, scrambled over-easy eggs and scrambled toast and sighed, his shoulders falling. "The pancake fell apart when I tried to flip it—"

"Meaning you tried to turn it over before it'd fully cooked on that side," Itachi knowingly provided.

"—And the egg yolk didn't want to stay inside when I tried to pull the egg white over the top—"

"You should've made the over-easy egg with two eggs instead of one—"

"—And the toaster decided on trying to keep the toast so I had to use a knife to pry it out," Sasuke finished explaining, by now staring at his plate with flushed frustration.

"…It wasn't still plugged in, was it?" Itachi asked, pausing.

"Aw, crap, yeah…I had used a plastic knife though. I'm sorry," Sasuke lowered his head further, placing his face in his folded arms on the table.

Continuing his meal, Itachi shook his head at him. "I swear you have a death wish. Either that, or you're a masochist. Either way, please don't die on my watch. Mom and dad would then kill me and then I'd have to haunt you forever in the afterlife. But your scrambled breakfast is still delicious and the real focus is your intention instead of the result. So, thank you, Sasuke." He toasted him with his glass of orange juice and Sasuke smiled reluctantly, clinking his glass against his brother's.

Afterwards, they retired to the living room where Itachi challenged Sasuke to a few rounds of playing a fighting video game. Sasuke would've taken his loses graciously except Itachi would finish with a special move every single time. Even this would've been tolerable were it not for how infuriatingly casual Itachi was at playing it off.

After the tenth time he lost, Itachi yet again turned to him with that same seemingly sympathetic smile and said, "It's okay, you'll get me next time."

However, Sasuke was close to chucking the controller against the wall. "What time did you even have to practice this?! I thought you were soooo busy?!" He criticized.

Itachi shrugged lightly, again picking his same character on the character select screen. "I told you about my…associates…in the Akatsuki, right? Well, one guy, Hidan, had Mortal Kombat and we'd play in his dorm room. We used to have competitions to see who could win the most with Fatalities and so…I kinda got good at it. I mean, we can play something else if you want—"

"No, don't! I won't get any better if I just quit," Sasuke grit his teeth. He buckled down and paid close attention to the unique moves of Itachi's characters and his own, studying each with the ferocity of training for an exam.

In the end, it still did him no good. The final record after three hours of playing was 108 to 0. "That's it, I've had enough! Just play by yourself!" Sasuke declared and stomped outside to go fume.

Itachi turned off the console and went to sit next to him on the outside walkway. He put an arm around his little brother and pulled him close. Sasuke had just released a resigned sigh before Itachi then whispered, "I'm sorry for being so good and that you suck."

Instantly, Sasuke hopped up and kicked Itachi in the back, causing his brother to fall over and place a hand over the location for his left kidney, all the while laughing. "Okay, okay, I'm only sorry! Hey, don't leave! We should do something else!"

"Go do something with Shisui!" He called back but winced the moment the words were out.

"You don't mean that," Itachi said and the laughter subsided. He stood up and caught up with Sasuke, standing in front of him to block his path by putting both hands on his shoulders and looking into his eyes. "Our lives are only going to get busier and busier from this point on. Even if I quit school, I still have my ANBU assignments and you're about to become a chuunin and I have no doubt that you'll then want to become a jonin. I don't want to look back with any regrets when it comes to you and me. I want to know that I've spent as much time with you as I could before that time comes when it'll be nearly impossible. So, no Shisui today. It's just me and you, the duo."

Sasuke shook away from Itachi's intense stare, doing what he could to hide his blush. "Friends are still important too, you know," he muttered halfway under his breath.

"They are, and you could take a lesson from that," Itachi ruffled his hair. Sasuke blushed all the more but didn't fight him off. "I'll see Shisui way more than I'll see you, though. Anyways, I promised you during the festival that I'd treat you to something after the performance. Your 'suicide' was even more authentic since you stabbed yourself so I'll say you've definitely earned a prize." He stood up and Sasuke curiously followed him inside.

Itachi disappeared upstairs for a moment and when he came back down, he was dressed for going out. When he saw his brother slip on his shoes, Sasuke became even more curious and, like a dog anticipating a treat, he too ran upstairs to get out of his pajamas. Coming back down, he joined his brother in the entrance, putting his own shoes on. Knowing he was failing at hiding his energy, Sasuke went ahead and asked, "Do I get to pick my prize?"

As they left out, Itachi took a moment to peek inside his wallet. Making a face, he looked up at Sasuke with a sheepish smile. "Within reason. Your bro doesn't have much left on him. I'm already going to have to take out a loan from mom and dad." Looking back at his wallet, he sighed. "Damn, looks like it's going to be cup ramen and convenience store lunches for awhile."

Sasuke thought of his own stash and felt guilty. "How about…I treat you instead? I mean, living with mom and dad, I've been able to save quite a bit…"

"No, no, I have a little bit squirreled away," Itachi waved his hands in protest. "It's for when Shisui and I move out together but—"

"You're moving out with him?! Why?"

Itachi put his hands in his pockets, staring up at some of the decorations that still adorned the village. "It's more cost effective. Not only that, but between the two of us, we can get a bigger and nicer place. I'll admit I'm spoiled on our house. The one-room apartments most of the bachelors have would make me claustrophobic. And I like the convenience of my own bath instead of a bathhouse. It's just better all-around for us to be roommates," Itachi shrugged but his cavalier attitude faded when he saw the rage building up with Sasuke.

"Let me move in with you then, instead of that arrogant prick! You don't need Shisui!" He hated his petulance but it couldn't be helped. If Shisui moved in with Itachi, he'd never be able to see his brother again with as much as the two coordinated going on missions together.

Reaching over, Itachi pulled Sasuke to him with his smile renewed. "Aww, are you trying to defend my honor? That's sweet, Sasuke, but I assure you I can handle Shisui. Besides, enjoy not having to pay bills." His face darkened. "You'll miss that freedom in due time."

Making a reluctant noise in his throat, Sasuke allowed himself to drop the issue. Now that they were fully in the village, he began to focus on what he wanted as his prize. They passed the uniform shop where they'd made the pizza bet and he briefly considered having Itachi wear the girl uniform they'd discovered, but discarded it. He wanted to create nothing but good memories this time, for once.

However, he realized there was nothing in particular that he wanted. His biggest wish was one that couldn't be had: to have more lazy days like these with his brother. And so, after window-shopping for an hour and treating his sibling to lunch and several sweet dumpling sticks (Itachi's favorite), he suggested they go back home.

Itachi glanced at him in concern, wondering where his enthusiasm had disappeared to. Once they reached the house, he skipped going inside and instead went around the back. From the shed, he pulled out a rake and wordlessly began to rake up the autumn leaves that had begun to cover the ground. Without helping, Sasuke watched him until a rather massive pile had been formed.

"There we go," Itachi dusted his hands off, leaning the rake against a wall. "Alright, kiddo. Jump in."

"Or I could just get a bag and put the leaves in it. Thanks for doing the raking for me, by the way. Mom's been nagging me to do it for weeks." Sasuke made to go get the bags but the moment he turned his back, he heard a loud crunch and turned to find that Itachi had thrown himself in the pile instead.

"Come join me, it's big enough for two!" The older brother called out, picking up some leaves and casting them in the air. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

"It's a pile of dead leaves, what adventure?" Sasuke countered. But…his brother did look like he was having fun. Aw, hell, you only live once. He charged full force at the pile and dived right in, wriggling further inside until he'd hidden himself from view. He stayed that way for a moment until Itachi tried to dig him out in which he popped up with a "RAWR!", flinging leaves at him. The resulting leaf battle destroyed the tiny mound, leaving the yard in a state more or less how it was previously.

Using the moment's momentum, Itachi ran into the house and came back out with a box of miscellaneous odds and ends that looked to have come from his room. Of all the things that were in it though, what he pulled out was a headband fitted with a pair of black cat ears. He held them up with a knowing grin and asked, "Do you remember these?"

Sasuke did but he wished he didn't. "I was hoping the days I used to wear those were just a dream," he flushed, putting his face in his hand. "Where the hell did those come from anyways?!"

"A very old mission assignment I had," Itachi shrugged. He refused to let the reminder creep in that it was shortly after that mission that his teammates had been killed. "You came up with a game for these as well…do you remember what it was called?" he grinned, knowing full well Sasuke knew.

Reluctantly, his younger brother muttered, "'Where're you at, kitty cat?' Oh my god, stop…the cringe…"

"Let's play it! For old time's sake. I'll even start off with wearing them. Turn around and close your eyes."

Realizing there was no escaping this, Sasuke did as he asked, putting his hands over his eyes and counting down from thirty. He heard his brother slip into the cat ears and then dash away, going to go hide. The premise of the game was a combination of hide and seek and Marco Polo; the one wearing the ears would go hide while it was up to the other person to find them, periodically chanting the name of the game. If within earshot of hearing the chant, the "cat" had to meow, aiding in being found.

Blessedly, this made the game rather fast and once Sasuke finished counting down, he yelled out, "Where're you at, kitty cat?" in a ringing voice that had to have been heard over the entire property.

However, Itachi remained silent.

Straining his ears, he still heard no reply. "Okay, no cheating! If you hear me, you have to answer!"

Still, silence. So that meant that Itachi likely wasn't even at the house anymore. He clicked his tongue, pissed that he hadn't laid down the rules before beginning the game and setting the parameters. With it being too late to complain, he dashed out to the main road to begin looking.

Going down the busy street, he called again "Where're you at, kitty cat?" with many of his clansmen giggling as he passed. See, and this is why I didn't want to play this damn game! Worse still, he received no answer to his call. Unable to take the scrutiny of everyone else anymore, he made his way down a side street, opting to instead just physically look instead of continuously using that horrific mantra.

From behind a trash can, he saw two black ears sticking up and without thinking, he pounced. He only had a second to realize his mistake before he accidentally landed upon a real cat, which screeched menacingly at him before batting his face like a yarn ball. He flung the cat away and it hissed a final warning like a curse before scampering off.

Eyes watering, he stumbled his way back to the road, making his relatives howl all the more at the tic-tac-toe board that was now his face. He officially decided to list this game as an occupational hazard and gave up. Upon reaching the yard again, he announced, "I'm not searching for you anymore! You win, alright? Another damn game you've beat me in." He went into the house, eager to get to the kitchen to put a cold cloth over his face.

Just as he was walking down the hallway though, the coat closet opened up and Itachi sprang out. Sasuke screamed before letting the sound die in his throat in favor of pounding on Itachi's chest. "Don't give me a heart attack! And also, I know you heard me calling for you in there!"

Itachi removed the ears, throwing them back into the closet with little care. "It's actually pretty sound-proof in there. I honestly thought you'd decided to not play the game at all but I didn't want to reveal my hiding spot until I was absolutely certain. Where all did you go? I was in there for like an hour!" He froze though when he saw Sasuke's face. "Oh."

"Yeah. 'Oh'. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sit and relax with my Netflix like I originally wanted to do." He stopped in the downstairs bathroom for a wet towel for his face before flopping limply on the couch.

A few minutes later, Itach joined him, holding out a plate of cut ginger. Sasuke took it wordlessly, still sulking, and placed a slice on his cuts. "I'm sorry," the older brother said, feeling like it was his fault his little brother had gotten hurt. "You're always getting injured on my watch."

Sasuke grinned, wincing. "Very true. I think you're dangerous for me."

They fell silent for a while as they hunted for something to watch. Then Itachi spoke up again. "Hey Sasuke?"

"Hm?" Ooh, a new season for House of Cards, perfect!

"I love you."

Sasuke lowered the Playstation controller he'd been using as a remote and stared at him, too many thoughts flashing through his mind. Itachi refused to look his way though except to pluck the controller from him, queuing up an episode. The tension continued to build until Sasuke finally just sighed and nodded slowly. "Yeah. I know you do. But don't get sappy on me. You're going back to school, this isn't the draft."

Itachi still smiled, settling in to quietly enjoy each other's company.

The game 'Where're you at, kitty cat?' was something I came up with in my story Diver, but I initially was inspired by it from Shippuden episode number 453. At the end, little Sasuke puts the ears on and cuddles with Itachi, which was probably the cutest damn thing Sasuke ever did :) I wanted to create something that would expand upon the usage of those ears and that moment of brotherly bonding.

Anyways, thanks so much for reading and final questions and comments are always appreciated!