"Merry Christmas, Little Brother"
All of Konoha was covered in a delicate, soft, perfect blanket of white. The first snow of winter had fallen the previous night; all the children of the village had watched it fall, and many of the grown-ups had too.
Last night, in the little section of town nicknamed "Uchiha Village," Itachi had sat on the back porch, his little brother on his lap, watching the snowflakes tumble down, like the cherry blossoms of spring. Sasuke had fallen asleep with his head on Itachi's shoulder, a small, sweet smile on his face. Itachi looked down at his younger sibling, and smiled. "Good night, little brother," he whispered, and, scooping the boy gently into his arms, carried Sasuke off to bed.
The next morning, Sasuke woke to a wonderful sense of excitement, the kind a child gets when something special is coming and said child can't wait for that something to arrive. Sasuke leapt out of bed, then, with a yell of shock and discomfort, shot right back off the freezing cold floor and back under the covers. Once his feet had thawed sufficiently, he stretched out a tentative foot and felt around for his slippers. His search successful, he quickly tugged them on and ran out the door, colliding with his elder brother in his haste.
"Wha--? Oh, Sasuke, you're awake? Watch where you're going, Father's working and won't appreciate you knocking things over," Itachi said with a slight, fractionally surprised smile. "Aw, you're no fun, 'tachi!" Sasuke complained good-naturedly. "Race you to the kitchen!" he shouted, then took off running full speed towards the delicious smell wafting from what Sasuke assumed was Mother's excellent cooking. Itachi sighed and followed him at a leisurely pace. After a few seconds, Itachi made a swift hand sign, and used the Art of Teleportation, disappearing and reappearing at the kitchen table, startling his mother.
When little Sasuke arrived in the kitchen, Mother was smiling cheerfully, humming a merry holiday tune and stirring something on the stove. Itachi was already seated at the table, calmly sipping from a steaming cup of hot chocolate. "Huh? How'd you get here before me? I never saw you go past me on the way here!" Sasuke exclaimed. Itachi never even looked up, just continued drinking the hot cocoa, his slight smile hidden by the cup's rim.
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Little Sasuke dashed happily around the snowy lawn, his new snow boots (his older brother's hand-me-downs, already soft and well-worn and falling apart at the seams) crunching delightfully on the new-fallen snow. Sasuke stopped, bent down, and started rolling some snow up into a great, big, white ball. He kept rolling it until it was three feet wide, then stopped and started on another one. Once that one was finished, he picked it up, groaning a bit from the weight, and set it on top of the first one.
Itachi walked out of the house and stood perfectly still, breathing in the frigid morning air and watching his little brother roll a ball of snow around the yard. Sasuke persistently pushed the little sphere around and around until it was as big around as his head, then carried it over the little mound of snow-spheres he had already made. At that point, Sasuke noticed his mistake. At five feet tall, the snowman he was building was taller than he was. He struggled in vain for a few minutes, trying to get the snowball onto the top of his incomplete creation.
With a shove that was slightly harder than necessary, Sasuke tried one last time to stuff the head of the snowman on. To his relief, it held for about five seconds. Then, the huge chunk of snow began to fall right back toward him. Just when it was about to land on his head (most likely causing a lot of pain from its weight), a pair of strong, gloved hands caught the gigantic snowball, stopping its descent. "Be more careful, little brother," Itachi said. "Itachi!" Sasuke exclaimed, thrilled that his older brother, his idol, had decided to help him.
Itachi carefully lifted the snowball and placed it directly on top of the others. He said softly, "I think your snowman's missing something." The younger Uchiha's face lit up. "Of course! A face!" he cried, and dashed off into the house, reappearing later with an armload of various objects: a paper cone, two black beads, and a handful of shiny stones that he and Itachi had collected from the river during the summer.
Sasuke's bright smile vanished as he reached the snowman, which, with the head attached, now measured six feet tall, almost two feet over his head. "…I can't reach it…" he said in dismay. Looking down at his sibling, Itachi thought for a moment, then bent down slightly next to Sasuke. The next instant, the little boy felt two warm, strong arms wrap around him from behind, and lift him into the air. "Can you reach it now, little brother?" Itachi's soft, calming voice asked. Sasuke's response was a childish laugh as he began to stick the odds and ends he'd brought to his creation's new face.
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Itachi watched as Sasuke scooped huge chunks of snow into little snowballs. His little brother had already formed two dozen of them, and was diligently working on yet another one. Making sure his brother couldn't see him, Itachi crouched down silently, his hands grateful for the new pair of gloves Father had given him. Poor Sasuke only had hand-me-downs. After a bit, Itachi straightened up, took aim, and… SMACK! A large chunk of carefully molded, spherical snow smacked the younger Uchiha in the back, knocking the snowball he'd been making out of his hands. Startled, Sasuke scooped up the snowball again and turned around, catching sight of with a small, evil (in the prankster sense) smirk on his face, before Itachi's second snowball went piff right in little Sasuke's face.
"Itachi!" he yelled, grabbing an armload of snowballs and hurling a few at his brother. Laughing, Itachi dodged them and ran off through the yard, pausing only to bend down and scoop up more snow, shaping it as he ran. More snowballs whizzed past the elder Uchiha, one grazing the sleeve of his new winter coat. More than once, Itachi was grateful for his long legs making him able to run faster than his brother. Finally, as Itachi was turning, Itachi slipped on a patch of ice, and Sasuke nailed him in the head with a particularly large snowball.
Itachi tumbled onto the snow covered grass, and Sasuke leapt on top of him, cramming a snowball down the back of Itachi's shirt. Resisting the urge to yell with discomfort, Itachi grabbed hold of his sibling, tossing the little boy off his back and struggling to stand up on the slippery ground. Sasuke yanked on his leg, sending Itachi crashing back down. The older Uchiha rolled over towards his brother, and the wrestling match began.
Five minutes later the brothers separated, breathing hard, their breath forming puffy white clouds of mist in the freezing air. Sasuke was laughing; Itachi smiled and sat up. "I think… it's time we went inside, brother," Itachi said breathlessly, and stood up, Sasuke doing the same. The two brothers walked inside together, Sasuke still laughing, Itachi just smiling at his little brother.
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Itachi walked quietly past Sasuke's room, his hands full with a long green garland. "Whatcha doing, 'tachi?" a sleepy Sasuke asked, having just woken up from a nap that had followed the snowball fight earlier that day. "Getting ready," was Itachi's reply. "For what?" Sasuke asked, curiosity aroused. Itachi smiled, "Have you forgotten, foolish little brother? Last night was the first snow of winter. After the first snow…" "Christmas can't be far off!" Sasuke exclaimed, finishing his brother's statement, bouncing on his bed in obvious glee. "Yes, now you stay in your room so you don't get in the way this year." Sasuke pouted. "Aw, why do I have to stay here? Why can't I help you?" The older brother looked at him and said, "You're not tall enough yet. Maybe next year, Sasuke."
Sitting sulkily on his bed, little Sasuke pouted for a bit before being startled out of his sulk by a loud thunk outside his door, followed by a pause, then a series of tapping noises. Sasuke dashed out of his room, colliding with the ladder Itachi had set up next to the doorframe. Itachi had a wreath over one arm, and was diligently hammering a nail into the doorframe when Sasuke bumped the ladder, knocking him off balance.
The wreath fell out of Itachi's hand and landed neatly around Sasuke's neck, like a giant dog collar. Itachi fell off the ladder, landing on the floor with a light thud. And the hammer that he'd been using seemed to hang in midair for half a second, then it too fell and bonked Itachi on the head. Sasuke couldn't help giggling at the dazed expression that suddenly appeared in his brother's eyes. "You OK, 'tachi?" he asked. "I'll let you know when my vision settles…" Itachi said, his words slightly slurred. Sasuke's childish giggle became a laugh as he helped his dazed brother to his feet. "Sorry, Itachi. Your hammering startled me, so I came out to check what was going on." Sasuke eyed the floor sheepishly. Itachi gently tugged the wreath off Sasuke's neck. "It's alright, little brother. Just be more careful next time."
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One week later…
The entire Uchiha section of Konoha village was swept up in the Christmas spirit. Mother often sang a quiet holiday melody, Father whistled cheerfully, Sasuke could often be found joining the carolers as they patrolled the streets, hoping to find an occupied house or a group of people to sing to for spare change. Even Itachi could be heard humming "Deck the Halls" under his breath as he helped Father hang garlands across the doorframe and walls. Christmas was tomorrow, and everyone wanted to be ready. Nobody wanted to have the only house without decoration, to be the odd one out.
That night, Sasuke sat on his bed, unable to sleep, thinking about his brother Itachi. He thought about how Itachi was always better than him, earning his Father's praise in everything, while Sasuke got the 'just like your brother' and 'Itachi was better' looks, the hand-me-downs, the back end of the glory his brother always won. It was easy to forget this during a playful romp in the snow, or while Itachi was away on an ANBU mission, but at night, when Sasuke was alone, Itachi always outshone him, even in the boy's dreams.
"Stupid older brother," he whispered. "Always getting the best of everything, while I get nothing but what you've left behind." Sasuke sniffled, then rolled over and fell asleep watching more snow drift down by the light of the full moon outside his window. And a silent, dark figure crept away from the little boy's door, thinking about what it had just heard.
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Christmas morning, and Sasuke could hardly wait for the sun to rise. He checked his clock, 5:30 am. Sasuke bounced on the bed for a bit, then checked again, 5:39 am. "Come on, come on, come on," he chanted. The words were repeated over and over again, becoming an endless mantra as the little Uchiha stared into the east, willing the sun to peek over the horizon. Finally, the first rays of light were accompanied by a soft tap on the door to Sasuke's bedroom. "Sasuke, may I come in?" Itachi's quiet voice said, muffled by the wooden door. Sasuke smiled. "Not even going to check if I'm awake, 'tachi?" He heard a light chuckle, barely audible through the door. "You, asleep? At O dark thirty in the morning on Christmas Day? Spare me, little brother." A quiet click heralded Itachi's entry as he turned the door knob and walked silently to sit down on his brother's bed, just behind the impatient Sasuke.
"Are you ready yet, Sasuke? Mother and Father sent me to get you." Sasuke's eyes lit up at his brother's words. "They're awake already? They're never awake this early!" Disbelief was etched into Sasuke's young face. "Yes, little brother, they're awake. Let's go." Itachi responded. Together, the Uchiha brothers walked down the long hallway to the kitchen.
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The four members of Sasuke's family gathered in the large room usually reserved for guest visits. Father and Mother sat in the chairs across from Itachi, who was sitting on a short stool, and Sasuke, who was on Itachi's lap. "Merry Christmas, my sons," Mother said, smiling. "Merry Christmas, Mother!" Sasuke replied, while Itachi returned her smile. "Here, I thought you might like these," Mother said, taking a small box from Father and handing it to Itachi, who thanked her and opened it. Inside the box was a necklace, made of a fine silver chain and three silver rings bound to it. Itachi smiled and, moving Sasuke gently off his lap, fastened it around his neck, where the little charms glinted beautifully in the sun. "Wear it proudly, Itachi."
Sasuke squirmed slightly with impatience. "My turn!" he exclaimed cheerfully. Father handed him his own box. Little Sasuke impatiently tore off the lid and lifted his first Uchiha crest printed shirt out of the box. Itachi felt a pang of guilt as he realized the shirt had once been his own, but Sasuke didn't care. He just slipped it on over his pajamas, grinning from ear to ear.
Present-opening continued for half an hour. Sasuke received more hand-me-downs, and Itachi got a new set of kunai and a katana. Father and Mother each received a pair of winter mittens. Finally, when it was all over, the brothers went out onto the porch to watch the sun rise and enjoy the snow. "I like the necklace Mother gave you, 'tachi," Sasuke said, though his smile clearly stated because it makes you look even girlier than me. "Thank you, little brother," Itachi responded, smiling. "Oh, I almost forgot! I got you something too, Sasuke. Here…" Itachi handed Sasuke a parcel, wrapped in red wrapping paper and definitely containing more than one item. Sasuke said, "Wow, for me?" and, not waiting for an answer, shredded the wrapping paper, clumsily catching the two boxes that fell out. Inside the first box was a set of shuriken, newly polished. "You're starting at the Academy in three months. I thought those would be useful," said Itachi softly. Sasuke smiled cheerfully at him, then turned his attention to the other box. He was more careful this time, tearing a long rip down the middle. When he lifted the present out, there was another, smaller box waiting. The same happened for boxes three and four. Just as Sasuke was getting frustrated, the object inside the fifth box stunned him; Sasuke stared open-mouthed at it.
Inside that last box was a simple charm. And on that charm was engraved All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them. Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.
Itachi smiled softly and whispered, "May your path take you far from my shadow's reach, so you will be Sasuke Uchiha, not Itachi's little brother. Don't repeat my mistakes. Never forget your dreams. I have overshadowed you for far too long. Forgive me…" Sasuke looked up as Itachi finished speaking. "Thank you, Itachi," he said, a small smile forming on his face. Itachi nodded and said, "Merry Christmas, little brother."