Originally Published: 12/28/05
Title: Red Innocence
Fandom: Naruto
Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Itaichi/Sasuke (slight incest)
Summary: "Nii-san what's your favorite colour?" Sasuke asked innocently.

Red Innocence

Itachi relaxed into the tree he was currently leaning upon. Relaxed won't be the right word, Uchiha Itachi did not relax, he did not let his guard down. Eased back into the tree would be a much more appropriate word. Since Itachi did not relax nor let his guard down he wasn't at all surprised when his younger brother had sat next him at the base of the tree. Itachi eyes didn't even leave the mission report he was reading.

"Yes, Sasuke?" Itachi asked calmly.

Sasuke fidgeted a little with his hands and then stared at his brother.

"Umm, Nii-san can I ask you something?" Sasuke said nervously. He hoped he wasn't annoying his brother. After all his nii-san was an Anbu captain and had a hard job. He needed to get his work done so he could save the village. Sasuke smiled at the thought. He wished some day he could save the village like his brother.

"Of course." Itachi reply held no emotion nor did his eyes leave the report.

Sasuke smiled brightly at the approval go continue his question.

"Nii-san what's your favorite colour?" Sasuke asked innocently.

This surprised Itachi greatly. His expression showed it. His eyes left the mission report and trailed over to his younger brother. Now he assumed that Sasuke would have asked him to help him with his kunai throws or teach him some new justu not asked him favorite colour. Itachi scowled himself for showing a surprised look. 'A ninja must not show emotion'. Itachi regained his emotionless expression.

"Why do you ask this Sasuke?" he asked calmly. He didn't understand why Sasuke would ask the question a child would ask. Sasuke was a child but he was a Uchiha child. The child of the Uchiha clan leader. He was supposed to be like... well him not a child. But yet here he was disobeying everything he was thought by asking a simple childish question. If Sasuke asked this to their father he would probably get hit or given a disapproving look and be scowled and yelled at for hours. If he had asked their mother she would smile but Sasuke would know what she thinking behind her fake smile 'Why isn't he like Itachi?'. Sasuke was innocent and being innocent in the Uchiha clan was a sin.

"Because I want to know more about you Nii-san." Sasuke said with a light blush on his cheeks.

Itachi smirked inside. So Sasuke was interested in him, it was likewise for him. He was interested in Sasuke. Greatly interested.

"Red." Itachi answered with a little bit of emotion Sasuke couldn't quite interpret.

"Why?" Sasuke asked curiously. Why did his amazing brother love this particular colour so much?

"I love red just because I think it's beautiful." This was part of the reason Itachi loved red but he couldn't exactly tell his eight year old brother that he loved the colour red all over his hands. He couldn't tell him that he loved blood all over his hands and how it excited him and made feel alive because before Itachi killed he couldn't prove he was alive, he felt nothing and if you can't feel, you aren't alive. But to take the lives of others proved his existence - the red on his hands prove his existence.

Sasuke smiled in approval at his brothers answer. Then they sat there for a few minutes with a comfortable silence between them.

"Sasuke what is your favorite colour?" Itachi asked suddenly.

Sasuke looked at his brother in amazement. It was usually him that asked the questions and started the conversation. It made Sasuke feel good that his brother wanted to talk to him.

Sasuke thought about it for a moment.

"Red too."

Itachi looked puzzled. "Why?" Did Sasuke actually like the colour red or was he copying him? God knows how much Sasuke tries to be like him just like everyone else in this clan. They all try to be the perfect shinobi, like him. He sighed. It was a little annoying at times. Didn't these fool have a mind of their own? Sasuke does try to be like him but Itachi sees that more as a little brother trying to impress a big brother. It's normal, he sees it all the time but no matter how Sasuke trys, he can't be like him. He is too innocent.

Sasuke smiled. "Isn't red the colour of the heart? The colour of love? I love to be loved Nii-san and thats why I love red."

Itachi smiled a small smile. Innocence. Pure untainted innocence. He knew the clan would destroy that innocences but he'd destroy them before they could do that. If the innocence must be tainted he'd do it not their foolish clan.

Itachi is a perfect shinobi. Excellent swift killer, no emotions and the only colour he could see was red. iPerfect./i Perfect ninjas saw red.

He thought he was the only one that could see red but Sasuke could see it too. He could make him perfect.

Even though they both saw red it was for entirely different reasons.

Itachi would make sure Sasuke would experience his red.