Six months had passed since the day Sasuke had been found bleeding to death on the bathroom floor. Six, long and painful months. Due to the suicidal nature of Sasuke's actions, he had been locked away as soon as he was better, so that they could monitor Sasuke's health.

The one that had found Sasuke laying on the bathroom floor was Itachi.

Itachi hadn't been sleeping – but had been very close to that point – when he'd heard Sasuke's scream. It was instinct and fear alone that had Itachi up in seconds, bolting to where the noise had come from. It was odd that it had come from the bathroom – hadn't Sasuke already gone to bed?

The elder of the two siblings was currently waiting in the lobby of one of the mental wards, his back against a wall and his fingers absently playing with the necklace that wound around his neck.

By the time Itachi had busted the door open, Sasuke had screamed again. When Itachi was finally able to get into the bathroom, he was horrified at the sight that met him.

Blood.

There was blood everywhere. Covering the sink, the carpet, and the pair of pajamas that barely clung to Sasuke's far too skinny form. Itachi was in a state of shock, and couldn't even process what was happening in that moment. His little brother...

Today was the day that Sasuke was going to be let out of his blasted place – after, of course, being 'Cleared' by the doctors as stable enough to rejoin the world outside of his building. Itachi still couldn't believe it – that day had been the worst day of his life, where it should have been the happiest day of his life.

Two weeks after the Incident, Itachi and his wife had a major fall out. After Sasuke's injuries and his depression revealed, Itachi had begun hating himself for not noticing how his little brother had withdrawn in himself. He'd chalked Sasuke's major weight loss up for another one of the raven's diets. Itachi had noticed the dark circles under Sasuke's eyes but merely thought that the man had been up all night playing video games, or chatting with Naruto.

How very wrong he had been.

His mother's scream was what snapped him out of his dazed, shocked stare. In a moment, Itachi went from shock and into doctor mode. Grabbing as many thick towels as he could and kneeling onto the floor beside Sasuke's barely-breathing form, Itachi assessed the damage as professionally as he could. He shoved the towels onto the male's arms, putting pressure onto the wounds to slow the bleeding, whilst trying to simultaneously get the man to respond to anything- touch, sound, smell. Nothing got the dying man's attention and for a moment Itachi thought that all hope was lost.

That moment passed quickly as he'd snapped at his mother to call 911, knowing that the woman was probably in a similar state that he had been in. By the sound of the woman's muffled sobs, she had begun moving and was on the phone within seconds. Everything else was a blur, all Itachi knew was that his little brother had tried to kill himself, had been depressed for months, maybe years. And Itachi had been none the wiser.

The sound of footsteps echoed down the hall, and Itachi's heart was in his throat as he waited. He'd gotten nervous over nothing, though, as two orderlies passed by without giving Itachi so much as a second glance.

A sigh left the Uchiha's lips as he pondered a few things, his mind far away. That fight that he and his wife had, it had ended their relationship as abruptly as it had begun. The divorce was mutual, and both felt like it would be better this way. Itachi for his own personal reasons, and Sky because she knew exactly why Sasuke had done what he had, and why Itachi was far too deep for it to just be a brother's natural reaction. Not only that, but she doubted all this stress was good for the baby – she was positive that Itachi would be a great dad, but perhaps not with her.

Of course, she would never bar Itachi from see his child, though.

Five minutes turned to ten, and then to twenty. Finally, at the half hour mark, Itachi heard a voice he hadn't heard in those six, long months.

"'Tachi?" Sasuke's voice was hesitant, and very soft, but Itachi heard it right away. The male jerked his attention away from the tiled floor and up to meet Sasuke's very hesitant figure.

This man wasn't the same Sasuke he'd known six months ago. He looked far healthier, for one, and the look in his eyes isn't nearly as dark as it had been six months ago. Itachi was shocked for a moment, before he found an old smile curling his lips. It felt odd, smiling for the first time in six months.

"Sasuke." Itachi murmured, hesitating for only a moment before he took a few steps forward and opening his arms. It took Sasuke barely two seconds before he flung himself into his brother's embrace.

For the first time in six months, both had a real reason to smile, and they weren't going to give each other up for the world.