(sigh) I know I should post another prompt for my 100 oneshots challenge, but I wanna write at least one more before I do that, and I need to find a moment in which I can relax properly without being too tired so I can get that done! (However, I do promise to update this week; I'm sure I can manage that.) That's the only thing I don't like about work...

Anyway, this oneshot is dedicated to a good friend of mine, SkywardShadow! I do hope you'll like it, because you truly deserve something good for being so supportive and purely awesome! (hugs)

"I still think you should come along, Itachi."

"But otosan, I really don't mind looking after Sasuke."

"Dear, you heard him. It's not fair that you constantly swamp him with work and training – after all, he should spend some time with Sasuke as well," Mikoto told her husband.

"Itachi is a prodigy, and prodigies need that kind of education and raising."

"But that doesn't give you the right to neglect your other son!"

"And it's not your right to tell me what to do!" Fugaku yelled back at her.

"I just want the best for our boys!"

"You think I don't?! That's why I'm doing this for Itachi!"

"Itachi, Itachi, Itachi! It's always just Itachi! Do you even know what your other son is called?!"

While the grown-ups yelled at each other, Itachi casually fetched a bit of scrap paper and wrote a short note in his neat handwriting. He deposited it on the table, then left the room in his usual calm pace.

In the living room, Sasuke was standing completely in the open, looking bewildered and anxious, undoubtedly because he heard his parents shouting so much. Itachi couldn't help but think that Sasuke looked incredibly cute as he gazed into those inquisitive puppy eyes.

"Aniki, why are haha and chichi so loud?" he whined.

"No need to worry, otouto, they're just exchanging opinions. Come, let's go outside."

Seeing his brother being so calm about the yelling in the background made Sasuke smile again, and he gladly took the hand Itachi had extended. Leaving their parents behind, the two brothers left the house.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Nii-san, can I have something sweet? Pleeeeeeeease?" Sasuke begged, tugging at his brother's hand.

"Sasuke, don't you remember how angry haha got when I last fed you something sweet?" Itachi asked instead.

The younger Uchiha contemplated this for a moment, but after deciding that no, he didn't remember that, he grinned deviously and pointed. "But those dango over there look so good!"

Dreading what he would see, Itachi looked in the appropriate direction; and sure enough, Sasuke had spotted a store where one could purchase dango. And if there was one thing Itachi was known for besides being a prodigy, it was the fact that he downright loved dango. It was only with great reluctance that their parents bought any more at all, for when it came down to the last one and both brothers were present in the kitchen, all hell tended to break loose.

"You pointed that out on purpose, didn't you?" he asked the youngster with a sigh.

Sasuke giggled. "Maaaaybe," he replied. In other words: yes, he had.

'Must say no… bad idea…!' "Alright, I'll get you a few." 'Darn!'

"Yay!" Sasuke cheered and quickly proceeded to drag his brother to the store, where he was all over the treats like a honeybee over new blossoms. Trying to look bored, but in reality straining not to behave like that himself, Itachi followed him, mentally counting up the money as Sasuke carelessly picked out which ones he wanted. Luckily, what little money Itachi had brought along as a precautionary measure was sufficient, and a few minutes later found the two brothers walking down the street again, Itachi clutching a plastic bag in one hand and Sasuke's hand in the other. The small boy kept peering around his brother's legs, longingly eying the plastic bag.

Of course, Itachi didn't fail to notice that.

"You'll have to wait a bit longer, Sasuke, okay? As soon as we've –"

"Ah, greetings, Itachi-san!"

"Good day to you too, Kichirou-san. As I was saying, you'll get one once we've –"

"Itachi! Itachi! Hey, wanna hang out at the river? We could even go for a swim; the weather's perfect!" none other than Shisui Uchiha asked, running up to them.

Sasuke pouted a bit. His brother was always getting interrupted… why did he have to be so popular? Was that what it meant to be a prodigy? Narrowing his eyes, he looked up at Shisui as if to say: «Can't you see that he's with me now?! Go find someone else!» At the same time, he tried to ignore a feeling of disappointment that rose up within him; Itachi was very close to Shisui, and Sasuke dreaded getting rejected again because of that. It wouldn't be the first time.

Itachi felt how a small hand grasped his own more tightly, and he stole a glance at the youngster beside him. A smile spread across his face when he noticed that defiant look, and he could clearly imagine what Sasuke was thinking.

"Sorry, Shisui, but I'm taking Sasuke somewhere. It got too loud at home. Some other time, maybe."

His best friend blinked, then smiled at them so genuinely that for a split second, Sasuke felt guilty for believing that everyone else was just selfish and trying to separate him and Itachi whenever they could.

"Oh, I see. Well then, have fun, you two!"

Itachi raised his hand in a salute before he devoted all his attention to Sasuke again. He could tell that the little one had almost interrupted his peer, jealous about the distraction. He also knew that he was his sibling's undisputed idol; their father had never carried that role. All Sasuke ever talked about was being like Itachi someday, and so he hung around the elder as often as possible in order not to miss a thing.

"Nii-san, you know so many people…"

"You're jealous, little brother, aren't you?"

"Sort of. I'll never be as popular as you."

Itachi briefly released his hand to ruffle the black hair. "Nonsense, Sasuke. You're popular too – or at least, you'll be popular someday too. Who could possibly resist you?"

Now looking very pleased at that comment, Sasuke beamed at his brother. Itachi found that those little cheeks looked rather pink, and if he wasn't badly deceived, his own face felt somewhat warmer than usual.

Shortly thereafter, they had left the crowds behind them and reached a playground close by the border of the village. By sheer coincidence, it was empty.

"Aniki, will you push me?" Sasuke asked, apparently having temporarily forgotten about the snacks as he ran off to the swings and claimed one as his own.

"Of course, otouto. Hold on tight," Itachi smiled, putting down the plastic bag and moving behind the swing. He grabbed his brother around the middle and pulled the boy closer to him, enjoying that feeling for a second. Then he gave a hearty push, and Sasuke flew forward with a delighted squeal. When he swung back, Itachi raised his hands in time to lay them on Sasuke's back and pushed him again, making him fly even higher and laugh louder.

"Is that enough, Sasuke?"

"One more push, please, nii-san! And maybe you could join in too! It's lots of fun!" Sasuke answered. A few seconds later, he felt the other's hands on his back again as another push was given. "Wheeeeeeeee!" he squealed once again as he went skywards again. Then he continued to swing by himself, like Itachi had taught him to. It wasn't long before the latter was swinging just as high too, perhaps even a bit higher.

Itachi was relieved that their father wasn't there to see them; he would have highly disapproved of his older son pursuing such an activity. Now that he thought about it, it had indeed been a long while since he had done something recreational; he had even forgotten what it was like to swing since the last (and only) time he had been on them was as a very, very little boy. And now that he was experiencing it all over again, but this time with his treasured younger brother, he felt just wonderful.

Sasuke was all smiles and laughed every now and then, having the time of his life. He was happy to see that his sibling seemed to be enjoying himself as well. He tried to adjust his swinging until they were synchronic, then he held out one of his hands. Smiling his distinctively small smile, Itachi took it, and while maintaining that contact, they waited until the force of their swings had come to an end.

"I think you've waited long enough now; would you still like to have something sweet, Sasuke?" Itachi asked, digging his heels into the ground to end the swinging for good.

"Oh yes, I had almost forgotten!" Sasuke exclaimed and jumped off his swing. Like a little ball, he bounced excitedly around Itachi, who rooted around in the plastic bag. He could almost picture Sasuke drooling as he removed a dango from the bag's contents, and after sitting down tailor fashion in the grass, he hoisted Sasuke onto his lap and gave him the treat. As he watched how the stick was eagerly shoved into the small mouth and soft sucking noises could be heard, he thought back on the time when Sasuke had been a really small infant and he had held the little bundle in his arms, hearing similar noises when the younger Uchiha had sucked on either his pacifier or his thumb. He had loved those moments very much…

"Aniki, do you want one too?" a voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts, and Itachi found a dango taking up his entire field of vision.

"Otouto, I bought them for you…" he began, though he was awfully tempted to accept the offer immediately.

"But you're looking at it so longingly!" Sasuke protested.

'Actually, I was looking at you,' Itachi thought, and he shook his head again a bit.

Sasuke activated his puppy-eyes and begged: "C'mon, Itachi…! You always give me so much, I'd like to give you something back!"

"I always give you so much? I believe you're exaggerating: haha is the one who buys your presents and such."

"But you give me things too! And I enjoy all the time we spend together! You're the best big brother in the world, and I want to be the same for you!" Sasuke said.

Very pleased by that statement, Itachi hugged Sasuke tightly yet tenderly and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. "You already are the best little brother I could ever wish for. I have loved you from the moment I first laid eyes on you, Sasuke. Words cannot describe how much you mean to me – remember that."

"I love you too, nii-san," Sasuke murmured happily and nuzzled Itachi's neck.

For a moment, they were silent, but then Itachi spoke hesitantly: "…Sasuke, I wonder if you could promise me something."

"What, Itachi?" the boy asked curiously.

"…Please promise me that even if I ever would hurt you, you will remember my love. My love for you. Can you promise me that?"

"Hurt me?" Sasuke repeated innocently, clearly not able to imagine that that would ever happen. "Why would you hurt me?"

"Sasuke, please just answer my question," Itachi repeated seriously.

"…I promise, aniki."

"Thank you," Itachi whispered, then he leaned down and kissed Sasuke on the lips. Even though the touch was short, he could still clearly taste the sweetness of the dango. And those smaller lips were so soft, so pleasant to touch… dammit, he was already craving it again as soon as he drew back…! In addition, a dark thought in the most shadowed depths of his mind sent a tidal wave of guilt rushing through him when he saw the now clearly evident blush on Sasuke's face and the way the boy looked at him so fondly, so full of adornment and innocence…

"Itachi?" the little one asked timidly.

"What, Sasuke?"

"You don't look so happy; did I say something wrong?"

"No, I just was lost in thoughts for a moment. You don't need to worry about me."

"Yeah, I do! You worry about me too, after all!"

Itachi hugged him tightly again, fortunately preventing him from seeing the most certainly visible pang of sadness and worry that appeared on his face. It didn't stay there for very long, however, for he knew how much Fugaku hated to see him openly show emotions like that. When he relaxed once more, he felt Sasuke's hands playing with his ponytail.

"Nii-san, your hair is coming loose… may I tie it together again for you?" Sasuke asked eagerly, fitfully freeing himself from the embrace.

"You may," Itachi told him with a small smile, putting the boy down again and turning around so his back was facing him. Before his hairdo underwent its treatment, however, a hand reached over his shoulder and once more shoved a dango into his face.

"Enjoy, aniki! I know you like them as much as I do!" Sasuke chirped cheerfully.

"Thank you very much, otouto," Itachi said softly and accepted the offering. As he put it into his mouth and hummed contently when the sweetness tickled his taste senses, Sasuke got to work and untied the loose ribbon from the elder's dark hair. Mostly just listening to the delighted noises his brother was making, though occasionally also singing a random tune under his breath, he ran his fingers through the long, silky hair, neatly arranging the strands again. Once everything was okay again, he stuck out his tongue a little bit as he concentrated hard on tying the ribbon properly – of course always taking care not to hurt Itachi.

The elder had almost finished his treat when he felt a nose nuzzling his neck, then a kiss was breathed right on that same spot. Itachi paused, his tongue still glued to the dango.

"Your hair is so soft, nii-san… I wish you'd let me handle it more often," he heard Sasuke whisper with more longing than one would have guessed to hear in the voice of a six-year-old.

"Why didn't you ask me, then?" Itachi asked, carefully shifting until he was cheek-to-cheek with his brother.

"Because you're not around so often," Sasuke answered sadly. "Whenever I want to spend some time with you, chichi finds something for you to do, and then you're gone again."

Itachi lightly kissed the corner of Sasuke's mouth. "I know, otouto. I wish I wouldn't have to let you down so often, but chichi just won't listen to me when I ask to stay with you every now and then."

"I'm sorry I'm not a prodigy like you," Sasuke mumbled. From his current location, all he could see were his brother's dark eyes, which instead of being rather void as Fugaku wanted them to be, were filled to the brim with ruefulness and undisputable love for his sibling. A slender hand caressed his cheek in a soothing manner.

"Sasuke, that's just about the last thing in the world that you should apologize for; after all, it is not our decision to make whether we are prodigies or not. Do you think I have never wished that I weren't one?"

The younger Uchiha shrugged uncertainly.

"I have. I have wished for that so chichi wouldn't be so hard on you. Now, don't go saying this to him, but: he is a bit narrow-minded in his priorities. I once heard him tell haha that for him, only the best is good enough. But even if you're not one of his best in his book, always remember that you are the best in haha's book – as in mine as well."

"The best?" Sasuke repeated with a small smile. Obviously, he liked the sound of that.

"The best. For many reasons," Itachi confirmed in a whisper.

"I'm glad, nii-san. As long as I'm with you like this, the whole world could be against me… and I wouldn't mind so much."

"Moments like this could last forever, hmm?"

"Why shouldn't they?"

"Because nothing does. Nothing lasts forever," Itachi answered, staring into the distance as the dark thought from before returned to spread more of its poison which made him feel guilty.

"But haha said that love does last forever," Sasuke argued, hugging Itachi from behind.

When another one of their moments of intense closeness occurred, Itachi swore that he heard an evil cackle in his head, a voice that wasn't his. He hated it, and he closed his eyes tightly as he tried to blot it out. How dare it taint a moment like this! And yet: trying was one thing – succeeding another.

"Aniki?" Sasuke asked worriedly when the elder shuddered.

"Nothing…" Itachi murmured.

The soft pressure around his middle went away when he was released from the embrace, and the next thing he knew, a black shirt replaced the view of the swaying blades of grass that had caught his attention seconds ago. Looking up, he came face-to-face with a clearly concerned Sasuke.

"Otouto?"

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Do?"

"You know, to help you. You've started to act kinda weird, so I'm wondering if I can help in some way."

Without letting his expression change in the slightest, Itachi raised his eyebrows – but so minimally that one could have easily missed it by merely blinking.

'He shouldn't have noticed… Maybe chichi is right, and I need to work on my self-control a bit more. I mustn't tell him… the reason… that's so risky!' he thought, silently reprimanding himself for having let this situation come to be. But he also knew that what he was feeling now was only half of what it would be like all too soon (for him).

"It's alright; I'm just preparing myself for joining the ANBU. After all, that is a big step with which comes great responsibility, and I must live up to that. However, if you still want to help me –" (Sasuke nodded eagerly) "– all I ask of you is to live for the moment and enjoy your childhood while it lasts."

Sasuke frowned. "What kind of favor is that? I was thinking more along the lines of distracting you or something."

Itachi smirked. "What's on your mind?"

"Well… I was thinking that we could play a game." Upon receiving an all too familiar look for that suggestion, Sasuke already initiated protest: "Come on, nii-san! You never have time to train with me, so at least play with me! Just this once! Pleeeeeeeease!"

As he watched his little brother beg for his agreement, Itachi couldn't resist smiling. He doubted that he would have managed to prevent that even if he had tried his hardest. Making up his mind, he beckoned Sasuke to be quiet as he stood up.

"It should be illegal for you to beg like that," he remarked with a shake of his head, though the smile never left his face. "Alright, let's play a game. But this is exceptional, and you mustn't tell chichi unless you want both of us to get into trouble."

"I'll never tell! Thank you, Itachi! Thank you so much!" Sasuke cheered and practically glomped his sibling. This impetuous reaction raised a blush from said sibling.

"So… what do you want to play?"

Sasuke froze, and after thinking hard for a moment, he replied in a bashful mutter: "Um… to be honest, I didn't think that far. I didn't think you would actually agree to play."

"Foolish little brother…" Itachi chuckled. "Since you haven't given it any thought yet, would you mind if I'd do so?"

"Not at all! I'll play anything!"

"Good. Let's play «take the long way home»."

Now it was Sasuke who raised his eyebrows. Itachi continued:

"It's quite simple: you just have to do whatever it takes to make the way home as long as possible. «Lost» time may be considered «good» time."

"What are the rules?"

"The rules…" Itachi thought for a moment while staring at Sasuke – and when he remembered a feeling he had thoroughly enjoyed earlier on, it hit him. Lowering his voice a bit even though nobody else was there to hear him, he said: "A kiss obligates you to stop. You mustn't take another step until the kiss is over."

So that meant that if he kissed his brother, they would have to stop, and the more they would kiss, the longer it would take them to get home, ergo the more they could be together! What a great game! When this thought entered his mind, Sasuke's face lit up like a dazzling Christmas tree.

"Got it! Sounds like fun!"

"Fun indeed… Let's go, otouto."

Hand in hand, they slowly began to walk back home. Barely ten steps later, Itachi bent down and softly kissed Sasuke's cheek. Remembering the rules, the boy stopped instantly – and no sooner had Itachi begun to draw back when he was forced to stop as well as Sasuke kissed the corner of his mouth. Itachi hummed contently and shifted until he could relish in the taste of his sibling's lips again.

This would be a very, very long way home…

...Well? Liked it? Hated it? That's the thing with dedications; I'm always a hell of a lot more nervous about posting these than just general things.

Please let me know what you think! It would be very helpful so I can determine if I could consider dedicating more things in the future or if I should stick to the "general" mode.

Signing off now because it's very late and sleep is needed,

devotedtodreams

(P.S: A million thanks to everyone who reviewed! That never fails to make my day!) :)