Author's Note: I have been gone for a long while, but I am back it seems. This was written in a couple of hours, so there may be errors. I checked but I cannot be certain. It is set when they are eleven and six years old, soon after Shisui's death. Constructive feedback is appreciated. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Summary: One morning in the Uchiha household. Itachi is rather stressed and tired. Itachi and Sasuke's brotherly love.

Morning

A young man, a boy really, made his way from one room to another with silent footsteps. He was weary from a day's hard work, too strenuous and stressful for one of his age. He was clad in pyjamas, his hair slightly messy, but he did not care. At that point, there was only one thing on his mind.

He slid the door open, and the moonlight allowed his trained eyes to see the shape of the even younger boy in amongst the covers. His precious little brother.

Itachi crept closer to the bed and lifted the edge of the covers slightly. He carefully and gently slid into the bed, and encased his brother in his arms. He was a bit big for the bed; he was still not comfortable with the large growth spurt he had undergone around a year ago, but he fit curled up, which was how he wanted to be. The small boy, Sasuke, shifted slightly in his sleep, and Itachi held him closer, curling around him and breathing in his unique scent.

Sasuke's eyes groggily opened, his head tilting upwards, and Itachi looked down at him calmly. The younger male recognised him instantly, and changed his position slightly to be more comfortable, his head resting against his brother's chest, and he drifted back into a peaceful sleep.

Itachi closed his eyes, his body tense. He took a deep breath, Sasuke's smell calming him as he did, and relaxed his muscles. He moved his thoughts away from the day before and all his responsibilities, and focussed on the precious boy in his arms. With Sasuke happily sleeping against him, Itachi knew the boy was safe, and his grip loosened slightly as he fell into a deep sleep himself.

Come morning, the boys' mother went to wake her youngest son and was surprised to see her older son in bed with him. She was aware that it happened, and she was glad the boys were so close, but Itachi should have been on his way to work already. She knew how hard her son worked though, and he must have been exhausted with everything that had happened recently.

Mikoto made her way to the side of the bed and crouched down, resting a hand on Itachi's upper arm. "Itachi, dear, it's time to wake up." It had been a while since she had spoken those words to him, almost four years when she thought about it, since he had been in the academy. Since then he had needed to get up earlier, and had woken himself with an alarm.

Itachi gave no indication that he had heard her. Usually ninja were alert when touched in their sleep, and Mikoto was not sure if he was so exhausted that he did not feel it, or if he recognised her and felt safe enough to not be alert.

She shook him lightly, and spoke slightly louder. "Itachi, it's time to get up." At that, her younger son shuffled a little and murmured, causing Mikoto to smile. "Yes, you too Sasuke."

Sasuke opened his eyes and peeked over his brother's shoulder at her, then came out of his sleepy daze and realised his brother was in bed with him. His eyebrows furrowed, but he made no attempt to move. His brother was warm and soft, even if this was odd. He had suspected his brother still slept with him, but he was never sure if it was a dream or not. He certainly knew Itachi used to sleep with him, and he liked that very much.

Mikoto leaned over to talk to Sasuke as well. "I think your brother's very tired. He's late for work, so we have to wake him." Sasuke gave a small nod, and Mikoto shook Itachi again. "Itachi, wake up dear." She spoke gently but louder.

Sasuke joined in as well, speaking into his brother's face. "Itachi, it's time to wake up. You have work."

Hearing his little brother's voice finally got a response from Itachi. He wearily opened his eyes, and blinked away the sleepy fuzziness of his vision. He saw his little brother's face close to his own, and just stared at him. He was tired, but comfortable, and did not want to move at all. He simply wrapped his arms tighter around Sasuke and closed his eyes again.

Sasuke blinked in confusion, not recognising the strange behaviour in his brother. His brother, who always worked hard and completed his duties. He thought perhaps he was ill.

Mikoto frowned in concern, and moved her hand to his forehead, checking for a temperature. He was warm, but that was to be expected when he was in bed with someone else, and the temperature was not worrying. "Itachi, is something wrong?" She questioned, sliding his hair back from his face and watching him for any response.

Itachi held Sasuke tighter and just laid there. Sasuke clung to his brother's pyjama top and looked up at him with a worried expression on his face. "Are you all right?" He spoke hesitantly.

Itachi could sense their worry, and did not want them to be worried. He wanted Sasuke to be happy and content. "I'm not going to work today…" He replied, his eyes still closed. He took a deeper breath, and could feel his little brother also breathing. It was comforting; his little brother's back under his hands, the feel of his chest moving against Itachi's with each breath.

The boys' mother was very concerned, as it was not like Itachi at all to miss work. However, judging by the grip he had on Sasuke, which was gentle but tight, there was another question to be asked. "Is Sasuke going to the academy?"

Itachi did not waste time before replying. "No."

Sasuke was very, very confused. "But I'm not ill." He protested. He loved spending time with his brother, that was certain, but he wanted to go to the academy and get stronger. That was his goal; to be strong.

Mikoto had wondered when a situation such as this was going to arise. She had not expected this one, but she knew that Itachi was under a lot of pressure, and she expected it to get the better of him at some point. She understood, so she tried to explain it to Sasuke. "Sasuke, Itachi's not feeling well at the moment. I think he just wants to spend the day relaxing with you. Is that all right?" Her voice was calm as she looked over her boys.

Sasuke took her words in and thought about it, looking at his brother while he did. "Of course." He decided, gently shuffling closer and resting against his brother. "If he needs me, I'll be here."

Mikoto smiled and touched both of their heads, before going over to close the curtains, blocking out the morning light. "Goodnight, Sasuke, Itachi. Rest well." She smiled and left the room quietly, and went to explain the situation to her husband, trying to keep him as quiet as possible, to not disturb them.

Itachi kept his brother close, and used the day to try his hardest to forget his troubles and just remind himself of his brother, how much he meant to him, and the fact that he would keep him safe. He cherished the moments he spent with him.

Come the next day, things went back to normal. The stress and strain returned, and time with Sasuke was scarce. Itachi remembered though. He remembered his little brother's smiling face, his soft body, and his personality. Itachi would always love his little brother, Sasuke.