Nostalgia

I realise that AFF doesn't have the italics function. Argh. So excuse the fact that some of the fic may appear abstract. *insert sad face* Oh well.



***



The Kazekage would stay in Konoha for three days, and Sasuke was to pick him up every morning for those three days to give him a tour of Konoha, with Naruto’s aid, of course. They had largely spent the three days talking, catching up, and walking around town.

“However did you become ANBU, Naruto?” Gaara titled his head a little to look at the blonde, distracted from his plate of Takoyaki, his face expressionless with a hint of wonder.

Naruto’s eyebrow twitched.

“Just what do you mean by that? I got in the way no one else could! By sheer COOLNESS.”

Sasuke couldn’t help but raise a slender eyebrow.

An action the other two men almost didn’t catch.

A nudge almost made him chuckle, a small smile sent his way by the Kazekage, and he felt strangely content, even with Naruto’s overly loud voice making a racket in his ear, he felt content, happy, sitting at a Takoyaki stand with Gaara and Naruto.



This is...nice.

This was what life was supposed to be.



Sasuke took another bite of his Takoyaki, smiling a little on the inside at the foolish and somewhat childish exchange between the quiet red head that sat to his right who was chewing on his food demurely and the loud blonde that sat to his left, facing the other way, leaning against the little long table they were all eating at as if owned it, long legs spread out beneath him, in a relaxed manner.



And then they all felt it.



A cold, powerful sharp look from somewhere nearby that screamed killing intent.



They had all immediately readied themselves unconsciously, though not moving a muscle.



Sasuke felt a sense of familiarity, an uncanny sense of nostalgia.

He knew this gaze.



Naruto snapped them all out of that trance, speaking softly.

“Where do you think it’s coming from?”

Gaara had remained silent, Sasuke turned to his side a little, almost as if he had something to say to Naruto, instead his eyes searching, Sharingan on.



And he saw it.



The cold, expressionless face of his older brother staring straight at him, from behind the people who were walking about doing their daily business on the street, and he whirled around to face the man completely, in more disbelief than anger, but his brother had gone as suddenly as he had appeared.



A hand from his left startled him.



“Sasuke?”



Wide scarlet eyes looked to Naruto, before turning to spare a glance at Gaara, and he lowered his head, as if thinking about something that pained him, before he turned again only to say,

“Don’t follow me.”



And he disappeared.



***



He had followed Itachi’s faint chakra signature all the way to the old Uchiha estates, the place where his entire family was murdered.



The place where he was forced to become what he was.



A small frown took over his lips as he made his quiet way inside the old estate, a hundred memories crashing into his brain, haunting him, mocking him.



This was the first tree he climbed.



This was the place where he hid the stray kitten he found in the rain.



This was the place he would go when he didn’t want to be bothered.



This was the place where he first learned how to make a paper boat.



This was the place he flew his first kite.



This was his entire world.



And the person who took it all away from him had come back.

The person he vowed to kill.

His brother, Uchiha Itachi.



And he would do it.



He made his way into the thicket, one of the places only him and his brother and a few of the other Uchiha knew.



But the others were all dead.



Familiar grass crunched under his feet, familiar smell of the air, familiar landscape and trees.



He spotted the figure in black by the small pond, his black high-collared cloak was off his shoulders and on the floor, laid out neatly beside him as he stared out at the fishes in the water, red eyes not bothering to greet the younger Uchiha that had just intruded, his posture completely relaxed, the water reflected the sun’s orange rays onto his pale, expressionless face.



He almost looked normal.

Like a normal adult, a normal man. Someone who didn’t slaughter his entire family for power.



Sasuke finally found his voice.

“What are you doing here?”

There was no answer, not even an acknowledgement that he was there.

A small little speck of anger flared in Sasuke’s being.



How dare he come back, how dare he come back to this place, how dare he not acknowledge me!



Sasuke pulled out a kunai when the other Uchiha turned away from him, a soft, deep voice greeting his ears.



“I came for you because you didn’t come for me, Sasuke.”

A look of confusion flashed in Sasuke’s features, a look of irritation and then anger.

“YOU were the person who kept running from me! Now that I’m taking a break and actually LIVING MY LIFE, you have to come back and wreck it all, AGAIN?”

A small chuckle left his brother’s lips, a cold, unfeeling sound.

“You aren’t living your life, Sasuke. You’re living the life I gave you.”

Sasuke’s muscles tensed, an unspeakable fury boiling in his spirit.

“Shut up! You have no right to say that to me.” His voice was trembling, he knew it was, but no, he wouldn’t give way. He stormed toward the older Uchiha, who made no movement whatsoever, grabbing the mesh shirt he was wearing; he shoved his brother against the closest tree, pressing the kunai to his neck, he glared at that all too familiar face from under ebony locks.

He wouldn’t let the tears in his eyes start to fall.

“...You bastard! You didn’t give me a life! All you gave me was a bloody excuse to keep my heart beating; nothing more, nothing less.”

Itachi raised a fine eyebrow.

“...And that is not life, Sasuke?” A warm hand moved to cover his, but he pulled away, taking a step back.

“No, it’s not.”

The Akatsuki member took a step towards his brother, who in turn stepped back, away from him.

“Then tell me, Sasuke...”

“Stop, stop all this.”

“Tell me, what is life?”

“Shut up, bastard.”

“What is life to you, Sasuke?”

“Why won’t you just leave me alone?”

“Is life something I can’t give you?”



Sasuke was silent; he was at the edge of the pond, looking into the water.



“Is it something I can’t give you, Sasuke?”

Sasuke turned away from his brother, angry, confused, and hurt.

“Yes, Niisan. It’s something you can’t give me.”



A look of anger and disappointment crossed Itachi’s features.



“Even if I tried?”

Sasuke paused, turning to look at his brother, a little stunned.

Silence greeted the older Uchiha’s ears, but somewhere deep inside; he thought he knew Sasuke’s answer.



...Even if you tried.



“Leave me alone, Uchiha Itachi. I want no more to do with you. I will no longer be that foolish child that’ll follow your lead, no longer be that ignorant idiot that vowed to gut you for the massacre of my family.”

Every word seemed to drip with hate, but something warm peeked out from underneath.



“Sasuke.”



A familiar hand touched his wrist; he let familiar arms close in around him, that familiar voice whisper sweet words into his ear.



“Sasuke?”



He immediately broke away from the older Uchiha, eyes darting to the source of intrusion.



Uzumaki Naruto.



He looked to his brother, angry with himself that he had almost let himself fall back into what he used to be, angry with Itachi for coming back, angry with Naruto for following him.



“Why are you here, Naruto?”

“I....followed you, but that’s not important. That’s Uchiha Itachi!”

The older Uchiha chuckled at his name being mentioned, before starting to turn and walk away.

Sasuke’s irritation flared up again.

“Where are YOU going?”

The older Uchiha didn’t bother to turn, instead, just said simply,

“I’m leaving you alone.”

“What?”

“I’m not going to let you be that foolish child that followed my lead, or the ignorant idiot who vowed to gut me for the massacre of your family. Our family.”

Itachi smiled, a weak smile.



This has been dragging on for much too long.



The blonde boy made his way to Sasuke’s side, earning him a glare from the older Uchiha, feeling that bloody gaze on him sent shivers down his spine – the Akatsuki member almost looked possessive.

Sasuke had kept silent, his elegant brows furrowed with a myriad of emotions that bordered on fury.

“I’ve outgrown all this shit, Itachi. I won’t be controlled anymore.”

Sasuke turned away, touching Naruto gently on the arm, almost affectionately, pulling him towards the exit.

“Do what you like.”



Uchiha Itachi was left standing alone, in the place he had held most dear, by the one single person he continued living for.



It was...over.



***



They were walking in pregnant silence, two shinobi, two men, two friends, two lovers.

Sasuke began speaking first.





“Why did you follow me?”

Naruto had looked up surprised, confused, and a little afraid.

Sasuke spoke again when he received no answer.

“I asked you a question, Naruto.”

The blonde had opened his mouth to say something, but stopped.

Sasuke took note of this, and tried to improve things by taking Naruto’s hand in his and squeezing it encouragingly.

“Are you scared of me, Naruto?”



Please don’t be.



The Kyuubi vessel made no sound, but instead pulled the raven-haired boy into an embrace, tighter than any had been so far.



Naruto was so close it felt real.



“I’d never be afraid of you, Sasuke.”



I’m afraid of losing you.



The smaller shinobi smiled a little, his breath ghosting over the younger boy’s ear.



“Promise me.”



Naruto pulled away to look Sasuke in the eyes.



“I promise.”