"Sasuke, what –" Itachi stopped mid sentence. He stood in the doorway of his room and stared.

Sasuke whirled around, looking guilty. He relaxed when he saw the faint twitch of Itachi's lips, which betrayed his impassive face by showing his amusement.

"Here, let me help you." Itachi stepped forward and slipped the mask over his face. He arranged the cloak so the hood fell back, revealing a glowing Sasuke.

Sasuke was thrilled; not only was Itachi not angry, but he was helping him! Sasuke looked up at Itachi with adoring eyes. He turned and looked in a bowl of water at his reflection.

"Don't I look like you, niisan?" Sasuke implored, voice a bit muffled by the mask.

"Yes, you do," commented Itachi with the faintest hint of affection in his tone.

Sasuke took off the mask and placed it gently on the bedside table. He looked back at his reflection and smiled but then quickly stopped; he did not look like Itachi when he smiled.

A thought occurred to him. "Oh, niisan, why are you home early?"

Itachi, moving to sit on the bed, was quiet a moment before saying slowly, "I have to go on a mission, I thought I'd say goodbye."

Eyes widening Sasuke wriggled out of Itachi's cloak and clamored onto his lap. Sasuke slipped his arms around Itachi's strong shoulders. He rubbed his face into the crook of his neck, smelling his hair.

"Sasuke, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to remember your smell," replied Sasuke.

"You're what?" repeated Itachi. Sasuke had said it as though this was perfectly normal. And maybe it was. Itachi did not know what was considered normal as he himself had always risen above and beyond what was normal.

"I don't want to forget you."

Itachi blinked. How could anyone forget him? Sasuke was so strange. It surprised him (as much as anything could surprise Itachi) that he did not want Sasuke to forget him either, so he allowed Sasuke to do as he pleased.

Almost tentatively, as time passed and it was clear Sasuke was quite content where he was, Itachi slowly encircled his arms around his brother. Just as slowly, he lay down, pulling a happily sighing Sasuke with him.

Itachi had to go on a mission in a few hours, but for now, for some reason he could not quite explain, he was happy like this. So few things made him happy that Itachi accepted it as just one of those things that were unexplainable.

His brain, always calculating, knew that it had something to do with his brother. Sasuke Uchiha.

Sasuke, Itachi mused, was interesting. He was not like Itachi; he did not have ulterior motives or back up plans. He was not as uniquely brilliant, his spark did not burn as hot.

Itachi had their parent's approval, their worship but it was Sasuke who had their love. Itachi was a genius and Sasuke was smart. Itachi had inhuman skills; Sasuke was talented for his age. Sometimes, Itachi did not like the comparisons but it was the one thing he couldn't control. And it bothered him. If people were going to compare, Itachi wanted Sasuke to at least be on his level.

There are times, though, when Sasuke made Itachi's heart ache, that Itachi thought he might just forgive Sasuke for not being as inherently superior. There were times when he cannot fall asleep because his baby brother is curled by his side that he will admit Sasuke might just be related to him. After all, not just any ordinary person could pull Itachi's heart that way. A way which some might call, if Itachi were just a little bit more human, love.

~Fin