Title: Raising Ravens
Fandom: Naruto
Rating: T for graphic violence, some language
Summary: There are no snakes in this Garden of Eden, only dubious scarecrows. AU. [Sasuke-centric]

Chapter 1: The Bus

"Cría cuervos y te sacarán los ojos."

"Raise ravens and they'll take out your eyes."

~Spanish proverb

It was happening again. And he knew he was doing it, even as he watched it happen. As he let it happen.

Perhaps he was distracted by the black crows in the gutter across the street. Can't look where you're going if you're watching birds claw each other over garbage. They were shrieking at each other. Or at him. Greedy scavengers. They were disgusting and they distracted him. So maybe he never even saw it coming. Maybe he did. Regardless, that last casual step off the sidewalk was one too many.

Realization hit him along with the bus.

His body splattered across the windshield, bones shattering against the unyielding surface. The impact sent his shoulder through the glass, removing a chunk of wet flesh and muscle before flinging him twenty feet forward through the air. His skull split open instantly when his head cracked against the wet asphalt. His broken body skidded pathetically another ten feet or so before coming to a stop. Blood soaked his jeans, ran into his sneakers, dyed his black hair bright red. He could not feel, could not hear the rising screams around him, nor see the traumatized faces of the unfortunate witnesses to his sudden, violent death. He did not care. With his final effort, he turned his eyes upward to the gray afternoon sky stretching out listlessly above him. The image, his last one, was ruined by a crow drifting indifferently across it.

And Sasuke died.

Sasuke blinked.

A sidewalk. A street. The crosswalk, the oncoming bus down the road. And there—there was the glaringly red DO NOT WALK sign. Red and shining, like his blood. Across the street the crows laughed at him.

Sasuke's foot froze mid-step, hovering for a long, almost indecisive second above the pavement. He blinked again and carefully placed it back on the sidewalk, stepping safely away from the curb. He felt the wind from the too-close bus rush past his face as it sped through the intersection. He stared blankly at its retreat. On its rear, a woman's face smiled enthusiastically at him from a faded advertisement for toothpaste.

He patiently waited for the light to change to cross the street, ignoring the incredulous stares of various passers-by, no doubt stunned by his apparent near-demise. It was not the first time this had happened, nor would it be the last. He did not remember when his waking dreams had started, whether they were a recent development or part of an older madness. However, he did know his daytime nightmares were just that: madness.

But Sasuke could not care.

"The cereal."

Predictably, his brother did not turn at the sound of his voice. Sasuke asked a question instead, knowing that would be more difficult for Itachi to ignore outright.

"Is it all gone?"

The older man stared unblinkingly at his newspaper as though in deep concentration. Sasuke did not miss the fact that his eyes failed to move across the page. Itachi took a sip of tea from his chipped yellow mug before responding.

"Yes."

Sasuke waited for him to elaborate, knowing it was futile. "Well, when will we have more?"

Another sip. Another swallow. Another too-long pause. "Friday."

Sasuke knew that. Itachi always got paid on Fridays. He just wanted to hear him say it, for some reason. Maybe he'd hoped that this morning would be different, that Itachi's answers would be longer than one word. Hah.

Sasuke gave up and left the tiny kitchen. Looking at Itachi not-looking at him was too hard. It had been years since the incident—Sasuke wasn't sure how many, he did not keep track—but Itachi had not changed. He had never been the warmest person to begin with, but since their parents' deaths he was like a lifeless doll. Expressionless, emotionless, empty. An imitation brother. He still did his duties as Sasuke's caretaker diligently,going through the motions and supporting him as best as he could on his measly income. They didn't go hungry or anything, but maybe that was because the government helped them out. High-paying jobs were not for high school dropouts like Itachi.

Back in his room, Sasuke flopped heavily onto his springy mattress and turned to stare at the blank expanse of his wall. He told himself he was lucky to have Itachi, or else he would surely have gone into the state's foster care system all those years ago. He was lucky that Itachi was willing to work so hard for them, to sacrifice his future at such a young age so he could take care of his little brother. Yes...

He shifted his gaze to the window knowing full well it was impossible to see the sky from his bed. He would have to get up and go outside to really see. Sasuke figured there was nothing better to do—it was Sunday so he didn't have school. Not that he really went when he did. It didn't matter.

Sasuke pulled his clothes on and went for a walk outside under the gray sky. They lived in Seattle, so it was always gray. That was just normal.