Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, Itachi and Sasuke would be the main characters, with Neji and Hinata (because there has to be a girl on the squad, and I need to put Neji with someone- I like Hyuugacest) as co-stars. That would be my teem seven (despite the fact that Itachi is an S-class missing-nin and Neji is a year older than Hinata and Sasuke). Kakashi would also bee a co-star, because Kakashi rocks. So, yeah, I really don't own Naruto.

A/N: This will take place after teem seven gets back to Konoha after the mission in the land of Waves. I only saw the dub for that part, so forgive any dubbie-ness that shows through if I mention that part. I've only actually seen up to episode eighty-eight in the anime, although I have read a lot of spoilers, so there may be inconsistencies. That doesn't really matter, as I am making this kind of AU-ish. Those points will be easily identified and explained within the content of the fic, so don't worry about misunderstanding anything.

This fic is unbeta'd, so don't mind any grammar or spelling mistakes, please. If I screw up in the Japanese, kindly point it out for me, and I may fix it (or not, who knows). Please enjoy.

Chapter One

"Sasuke-kun…"

Pain. It was consuming him; he couldn't think or breath, the only thing he could focus on was the burning. He felt as if someone had lit a fire within him and it was slowly moving throughout him, and soon he would be nothing more than a pile of ash. He wanted nothing more than to escape the hell he was in, but he couldn't even remember how he had come to the be there…

"Let it all go, Sasuke-kun… you won't have to hurt anymore if you do…"

That voice… it broke through for a moment, and Sasuke was able to collect his being enough to know not to trust it. But the moment of coherency faded and all he could think about was how he wanted nothing more than to escape. Suddenly, he couldn't quite remember why he had been suspicious. He decided to trust the voice, if only for a chance at peace.

"Good, Sasuke-kun… just forget it all… move past it, and abandon this…"

And he obeyed. He detached himself from the pain, made it so it was nothing but a tingling, so his thoughts were so quiet he couldn't even hear them himself. For a moment, he thought he saw something: a face, a malicious smirk etched into the pale skin, with the most disgusting eyes he had ever seen… There was Death in those eyes…

And he was numb.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

In the middle of a peaceful forest, a figure lay still. The sun shone on his face through the trees, revealing pale skin and raven hair. His clothes were nothing out of the ordinary, save for the odd symbol of a fan on the back of his dark blue shirt. He wore on the leg of his white shorts a shuriken holster, and he also had on a forehead protector with the leaf symbol of Konohagakure, indicating he was a shinobi of that village.

With his lack of movement and pale complexion, some might assume he was dead, but on closer inspection would discover that his eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and his fingers twitching somewhat, as if he were experiencing a nightmare. Then, suddenly, he stilled, a peaceful look on his face. It was but a moment later he stirred, lifting his lids to reveal stunning obsidian eyes.

He lifted himself up and glanced around, a look of confusion on his face. Frowning slightly, he picked himself up, only to collapse a moment later, coughing up a small amount of blood before his already unfocussed eyes drifted closed once again, and he lost consciousness.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Uchiha Itachi was annoyed. Although having the Akatsuki splitting into pairs was not exactly annoying in any particular way, Itachi found that the person he had been partnered with made that completely invalid. Kisame was, in a word, irksome. His voice grated on Itachi's nerves (mostly because of his constant use of the damn thing), and his conversations were pointless and only meant to pass the time.

And they did pass the time. They made it go twice as slow, but it still passed.

Now, after about a month of the idiot's company, Itachi was very close to using the Mangekyou on the first living thing they encountered; whether it be a shinobi, a traveler, or a bunny rabbit.

As they headed for Konohagakure- the goals of the Akatsuki to acquire the Kyuubi had been pushed up do to the fact that someone- Itachi didn't care who- had brought up that the Chuunin exam would be coming up soon, and so security would be tighter around the boy, as he would be taking part in the event. The Akatsuki hadn't wanted to have to deal with an extra problem, so they had sent both he and Kisame to take the boy beforehand.

Itachi had been pleased, and almost surprised, when he discovered that Sasuke would be taking part in the event. He wasn't even a year out of the Academy, and yet his teacher- Kakashi, if he wasn't mistaken- had found his teem fit to take place in the Chuunin exam. Itachi himself had waited for a few years before entering, although he had still been almost three years younger than Sasuke when he had passed.

He had also thought it ironic when he found that the Kyuubi vessel was on his brother's teem.

As he and Kisame moved through the forest, Itachi took note that they were now less than an hour's walk away from the village. At their current pace, it wouldn't take them more five minutes. Slowing down suddenly, Itachi was vaguely amused to see Kisame nearly crash into him, grabbing hold of the branch he had previously been standing on to keep himself from leaping into the Uchiha, and dangling there for a moment like a fish on a hook, before lifting himself up onto the branch.

"What did you stop for, Itachi-san?" Kisame questioned him. Itachi didn't answer, but simply jumped down to the forest floor and continued on at a more leisurely pace. Although he didn't show it, Itachi was tense, feeling nearby a familiar chakra of someone he didn't wish to encounter.

He preferred to watch from afar.

It took him a moment to realize how weak the chakra felt. He stopped again suddenly, causing Kisame to once again almost ram into his unpredictable partner. Itachi's eyes narrowed as he reached out his own chakra slightly in an effort to better sense his brother's chakra. His eyes narrowed further, and a frown appeared on his normally stoic face when he felt the slight tint of the chakra: an unnatural subtraction and dulling of his brother's own.

He turned to the direction which he sensed the disturbance from, and once again leapt up into the trees silently, wanting to keep his presence from Sasuke, or possibly whoever had done it to him. They could have been cloaking their chakra and still been in the area, although Itachi doubted it.

When he arrived at the scene, Itachi found something he hadn't been expecting: Sasuke laying there on the ground, clutching his stomach, and coughing up blood. It was just a moment after Itachi arrived that Sasuke promptly passed out, a small amount of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Itachi found it oddly beautiful.

Walking towards his unconscious brother, Itachi found himself frowning once again, the disturbance in Sasuke's chakra more noticeable now that he was closer and could sense it better. Itachi picked him up, and started out of what he then noticed was a small training ground, most likely set up by his brother so the boy could have private training. There were a few shuriken and kunai imbedded in a tree trunk, falling near and around the center of a small drawn target.

For a moment, Itachi found himself reliving one of the many times his brother had come to him, asking for him to help him with shuriken practice….

Ten-year-old Uchiha Itachi read slowly through a book he had been given by his father, bored with the text concerning the Chuunin exam (in which he would be soon participating- his otou-san wanted him to be prepared). He looked over to the entrance of his room as he heard his otouto slowly push it open and poke his head in shyly.

"Ano… aniki? Will you help me with my shuriken practice? Otou-san is busy, and Okaa-san is out right now…" Sasuke said. Despite the excuse he used, Itachi could tell that he really wanted to spend time with his older brother. He almost smiled at the thought: Sasuke's attachment to him was just so… and he couldn't believe he was using this word… kawaii.

Turning his attention back to his book, Itachi tried to ignore the pleading look in his brother's eyes. "Gomen, Sasu-chan, aniki is busy right now. Maybe tomorrow," Itachi said, trying not to let his brother down too much, but knowing that if he didn't refuse, Otou-san would punish Sasuke later for interrupting his studies.

Sasuke's eyes drifted to his feet, and he fidgeted nervously, his disappointment obvious. "O-oh… Sorry for bugging you, aniki… I'll go away now…" he said, turning to leave the room.

"Wait," Itachi said before he could stop himself. He hated to see Sasuke sad. "Come here," he commanded. Sasuke stepped towards him, stopping next to the chair Itachi sat in. He reached over and poked his brother hard in the forehead before he had a time to react.

"Itai!" Sasuke exclaimed, rubbing his head. Itachi couldn't resist smiling at how adorable his brother looked like that. Attempting to glare at Itachi, Sasuke asked, "Why do you always do that, aniki?"

Itachi simply continued to smile at Sasuke before turning back to his book and dismissing his brother.

It was a good memory, from a time when Itachi still respected his clan, and his otouto still adored him. There were moments when Itachi wished he could return to that peace and ignorance, and that he hadn't had to go to such drastic measures. It was only his knowledge of what the consequences to Sasuke could have been that he was grateful for his decision.

Feeling his younger brother stir in his arms, Itachi let Sasuke down and kneeled in front of him, ignoring the fact that Sasuke would most likely not take his presence well. As his otouto's dark eyes fluttered open, he was surprised to see that Sasuke didn't immediately lash out at him when he saw Itachi crouched before him.

Sasuke next words were by far more surprising.

"Who are you?"

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

To be continued…

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

A/N: This fic will be updated chaotically because right now I'm working on another fic, so please don't mind if the chapters come at odd, irregular intervals and vary in length. I will write this when inspired so I don't screw it up with a forced chapter.

Please read and review!