Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Itachi paused outside his little brother's room in puzzlement when he heard a groan from the room and wandered absently what was happening. It was already eight o'clock and normally at this time, Sasuke was already on the way to school.
Pushing open the door, he walked toward the bed, his brother barely noticeable under the buddle of blanket.
"Sasuke, it's time for school." He said shaking his brother awake but to no avail.
Itachi sighed heavily. He still had report to do for his previous mission and he was certainly not going to waste his entire morning away. But on the other hand, his parents were away from the village for some mission and he was supposed to take care of Sasuke.
"Aniki?"
Sasuke's adorable black eyes slowly open.
Itachi's mouth curved into an amused smile. "So you finally decided to wake up? Well, hurry up or you'll be late."
"What's wrong?" Itachi asked with concern as Sasuke continued to lie in the same position.
Sasuke gave his brother a sheepish smile. "I can't move."
Suddenly alarmed, Itachi immediacy began feeling his brother's body for any broken bones. "You're not injured but Sasuke, did you hurt anywhere?"
"I'm fine." He quickly assured his brother. "I just don't have strength."
Itachi smiled while stroking Sasuke's hair. "Next time eat more; see you're skin and bones already." To emphasize his point, he touched his brother's back feeling more bones than skin and then in an abrupt motion, he pushed Sasuke into a sitting position.
With his brother supporting him, Sasuke slowly stood up but before he could take a step, the room spun and vaguely he realized his face was going to slam onto the floor when just in time, his brother yanked him up.
At this point in time, there were plenty of stuff Sasuke wanted to say to his brother but suddenly, he felt too tired. His eyelids felt heavy, his entire body felt weak and uncomfortable but his brother's arms were strangely warm and comfortable luring him to sleep...
His teeth were chattering and he was drenched in sweat. Tossing around, he tried to find some comfort but finding none. The icy coldness and blazing hotness of the fever gripped him tight and began pulling him down into the darkest sea.
He tried struggling, tried resisting but the feeling so torturous that it wasn't long before he gave up and he began falling... and falling... until a hand plunged through the water and lifted him out...
"Sasuke..."
He opened his eyes slowly but painfully. Everything was in a blur and he could only make out a vague shape of his brother.
"Aniki?" he croaked out weakly as he felt something cooling pressed on his forehead.
"Don't talk, Sasuke you have a fever you know that?" His brother's hand was surprising gentle and his voice was warm with concern.
"A fever?" he asked blankly.
"You've been asleep for the whole day." Itachi replied worried. "Are you feeling any better?"
Sasuke's eyes widened in horror just the thought of that. From the look of it, his brother had wasted an entire day looking after him. He was normally so busy that he couldn't even spare an hour for him and now he had wasted the whole day?
For the thousandth time, he cursed himself for being so useless, for being nothing but a burden to his brother.
To his utter dismay, he felt tears welling up in his eyes.
Itachi tensed up immediacy at the sight of his little brother crying. "What's wrong?" he asked alarmed then chided himself for asking such a stupid question. Sasuke had a fever and of course, it must have hurt a lot. He wished that he could do something, anything to relive him of the pain.
His heart ached as Sasuke continued crying. Tenderly, his thumb wiped away those tears before pressing a chaste kiss on his cheek. "Don't cry okay?"
It only made Sasuke cry harder. No one had been so kind to him not even his parents. Normally when he was sick, his mother would call for a doctor before tucking him to bed without making the effort to stay with him or even if she wanted to, his father would object thinking that it was unnecessary to spend so much time with him and his mother had no choice but to obliged his wishes.
But not his brother, he would even defy their parents for him if he had to and today was one of those examples.
Itachi had done so much for him yet all Sasuke had done was to be a burden to him.
"Don't cry anymore, I'm here and the pain will go away." His brother murmured in a smoothing voice that never failed to assure him.
"Aniki, I..." Sasuke trailed off when Itachi covered his mouth gently. "Don't talk, Sasuke just sleep, everything will be fine."
After tucking Sasuke to bed, Itachi make a move as if to leave but instantly Sasuke tightened his hold on his hand.
"Don't leave me."
It was meant to come out to be a request but it sounded more like a pled. Sasuke knew that he should let go, his brother had lots of work waiting to be done but just the thought of being alone was enough to scare him into tightening his hold.
Itachi settled down besides his bed with a small smile. "I won't leave you."
It should be enough to assure Sasuke but somewhere in his heart, he knew with certainly that once he let go, once he closed his eyes, Itachi would leave and then the promises wouldn't matter anymore did it?
Exhaustion washed over him and as hard as he tried to stay awake, his eyes were almost closing but he didn't sleep, couldn't sleep knowing his brother was going to leave if he did.
As if reading his mind, Itachi scooped closer to him, his hand stroking his hair. "Don't worry Sasuke, I promise you I wouldn't leave unless you want me to."
"Really?" Naked need and hope flared in his eyes.
"Really." Itachi said in the same smoothing voice that break his resolve and against his will, sleep overwhelm him. I'll sleep a while, just a little while...
He awoke with a startled and just as he expected, Itachi was nowhere in sight. He knew that from the beginning so why did it hurt so much?
Ignoring the pain behind his eyes, Sasuke picked himself and made his way out of the room. Every step was an agony and it took all his will power not to return to his bed.
But just when he reached the door, his legs gave way and he collapsed. His hands shook as he attempted to get up.
"Sasuke?"
Itachi stood a few feet away and instantly, a wide smile appeared on Sasuke's face but it faded almost immediacy when he realized that his brother was not alone.
Upon a closer look, he saw that the other person was Shisui.
"I'll call you later." Itachi said his face impassive as he turned away and walking toward Sasuke. With a nod, Shisui closed the door behind.
"What..." Itachi was cut off abruptly when Sasuke grabbed him into a tight hug. "I just had a nightmare." Sasuke whispered clutching him tightly.
"What happen?" he asked softly turning Sasuke's face until their eyes meet. "I dream that you are leaving and I tried to stop you but..." Sasuke trailed off unable to continue.
"It's just a dream."
"But when I wake up, you were not there so I thought..."
"I made you a promise didn't I?"
"But aniki?"
"What?"
"Why did Shisui san come?"
"It's nothing important." Itachi said with a reassuring smile holding out his hand. "Come; let me bring you back to bed."
Sasuke's heart sank as he felt Itachi's arms enveloped around him before lifting him up and walking into his bedroom. His brother was always like that, not telling him anything or just evading his question. Shisui almost never came to their house except for special occasion or meeting...
Sasuke's eyes widened at the thought. He remembered vaguely but if he wasn't wrong, Itachi had a meeting today.
"You had a meeting today didn't you?" he asked his tone accused as Itachi released him onto the bed.
"It's not important."
"When father finds out, he would be very angry. He hated you for skipping meeting."
"I know."
"How could you so calm about it, how could you act as if it was nothing important?" Sasuke trailed off as his voice broke into something resembling a sob. "Why would you do so much for me? Why are you so good to me?"
"Don't cry Sasuke, I would be sad if you cry." Itachi said brushing away his tears before drawing him into an embrace.
"But why?" Sasuke's words were muffled by his brother's clothes.
He had a faraway look in his eyes before his mouth was curved into a familiar smile. "I don't know." Itachi said finally. "Do I need a reason to?"
"Aniki, I..." Sasuke's breath caught in his throat as he realized how dangerously close he was to his brother.
Dazedly, he realized that he was mesmerized with his brother's eyes.
Sasuke whimpered in protest when Itachi stood up as if to leave and his brother must have seen the panic in his eyes because he looked at him knowingly. "I'm just going to close the window, Sasuke I'm not going to leave you; do you want anything to eat?" Itachi's voice was tender as his hand touched Sasuke's forehead.
"I'm not hungry," he said recoiling at the thought of food.
"But Sasuke, if you don't eat, you can't take your medicine." Itachi's voice was torn between amusement and exasperation.
"I don't care." Sasuke said stubbornly clutching his brother's hand.
Itachi sighed exasperated as Sasuke snuggled up closer to him. "Then what do you care?"
"You." he whispered turning around until their eyes met, until everything seemed to fade to nothingness. "I care about you."