Sasuke fell to his knees when the prodigy child stepped from his sight, seeping back into the darkness of the woods he came from. Covering his eyes with shaking hands, he failed to even attempt to stop the tears, deciding now was as good a time as ever to mourn for the big brother he had lost so long ago...and would come to eventually lose again.

Itachi paused to watch Sasuke cry, watching with tired eyes as the teen morphed into the weeping child he had left among blood all those years ago. Wiping at his face with his sleeve and sobbing hopelessly as he tried to understand what had happened, what was happening, and what was going to happen. He listened to the phantom cries that had haunted his dreams every night ever since the incident, "Nii-san! Nii-san!"

Itachi watched the boy gather himself up after a while, becoming the teenager he now was, still rubbing his robe sleeve over his weeping eyes. A small smile trailed the eldest Uchiha's lips, flickering in his eyes when his little brother looked around for him a final time before turning and walking back through the archway. Slowly, as his serene piece of Edan walked away from him, walked back into the lair of the snake that was corrupting him, he became the tiny boy once again.

Little pack strapped across his chest, flapping at his short clad hips, too big black T-shirt encasing his strong little form in effort to look like the nii-san he so blindly idolized. Turning, Itachi walked through the woods with that image still playing in his head, softer, happier echoes of "Aniki!" trailing through his mind.

He had often thought of leaving Madarra and the Akatsuki...of stealing his baby brother from the pit of the deceptive snake...Of starting a new life with his little ototo.

~~**~~The End. lol So, I know it was short, but I think it was pretty and hope y'all enjoyed it if you read it! Thankyou so much for reading and commenting!~~**~~