Dream ЖЖ 004
"Thanks Nii-san, but I already have plans for today."
He was surprised by this rejection--unsure how to handle this unfamiliar situation.
His little brother had never turned him down before. Normally he was the one asking--begging--him to train with him, to let him follow him, and Itachi would sometimes be forced to refuse him if he was practicing something too dangerous, or if he was called away on another secret mission without warning. And then he would see that look in his little brother's eyes, see the sadness and disappointment as he was once again pushed to the side--but never intentionally, never with malice, Itachi would have spent all of his time with his little brother if he could---and Itachi would have to soothe his ruffled feelings of abandonment wondering if they were caused by his overindulgence or the lack of attention from their father that his brother so coveted.
But this. This was not something he had prepared for.
And just when he was about to question his little brother--only casually, he was just curious--about what his plans were for the afternoon, there was a loud shout that broke through the general quiet of their clan's small corner of the village.
"SASUKE!"
There he was, blond hair and blue eyes and a wide grin, hand flailing about for attention like the tail of a neglected puppy. His little brother turned and raised his hand in greeting, when normally he would have tilted his head and gave a soft "Hn" to anyone who was not their family.
"Ready to go?"
It was wrong to keep staring at them, but it was not something that Itachi could stop himself from doing. His little brother gave him a brief backward glance before turning to face him, giving the blond a sharp nod.
"Yeah, let's go."
As they walk away his little brother stops and turns back to him once more.
"Sorry Nii-san. Maybe we can train together tomorrow?"
Before he could respond they were already on their way, his little brother extending a hand briefly in farewell as they exited out onto the main road of their compound. He told himself that he was only being a good older brother by keeping an eye on them, that he wasn't waiting for his little brother to turn around and return--to tell him that he hadn't known what he was doing and he would always choose his Nii-san over everyone--
--But his little brother never looked back.
Instead he was given a strong stare from blue eyes that seemed so much closer and more piercing than ever before. They continued to shoot through him, never leaving his gaze as they turned to corner, and the phantom of them remained behind even after they were truly gone from sight.
"He's more of a brother to me than you are to him!"
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*He didn't bother opening his eyes, although the screen clearly shows the surrounding woods, dimly lit as the sun begins to rise in the distance. For a second he raises his hand bringing it to his face to rub at his eyes that remain closed, as if to banish the images behind the lids from his mind. He moves his hand away and opens his eyes finally, arm reaching out to the side to grab the Hitomi. The screen shakes and moves as he brings it closer, the screen going black a second later.*
He was surprised by this rejection--unsure how to handle this unfamiliar situation.
His little brother had never turned him down before. Normally he was the one asking--begging--him to train with him, to let him follow him, and Itachi would sometimes be forced to refuse him if he was practicing something too dangerous, or if he was called away on another secret mission without warning. And then he would see that look in his little brother's eyes, see the sadness and disappointment as he was once again pushed to the side--but never intentionally, never with malice, Itachi would have spent all of his time with his little brother if he could---and Itachi would have to soothe his ruffled feelings of abandonment wondering if they were caused by his overindulgence or the lack of attention from their father that his brother so coveted.
But this. This was not something he had prepared for.
And just when he was about to question his little brother--only casually, he was just curious--about what his plans were for the afternoon, there was a loud shout that broke through the general quiet of their clan's small corner of the village.
"SASUKE!"
There he was, blond hair and blue eyes and a wide grin, hand flailing about for attention like the tail of a neglected puppy. His little brother turned and raised his hand in greeting, when normally he would have tilted his head and gave a soft "Hn" to anyone who was not their family.
"Ready to go?"
It was wrong to keep staring at them, but it was not something that Itachi could stop himself from doing. His little brother gave him a brief backward glance before turning to face him, giving the blond a sharp nod.
"Yeah, let's go."
As they walk away his little brother stops and turns back to him once more.
"Sorry Nii-san. Maybe we can train together tomorrow?"
Before he could respond they were already on their way, his little brother extending a hand briefly in farewell as they exited out onto the main road of their compound. He told himself that he was only being a good older brother by keeping an eye on them, that he wasn't waiting for his little brother to turn around and return--to tell him that he hadn't known what he was doing and he would always choose his Nii-san over everyone--
--But his little brother never looked back.
Instead he was given a strong stare from blue eyes that seemed so much closer and more piercing than ever before. They continued to shoot through him, never leaving his gaze as they turned to corner, and the phantom of them remained behind even after they were truly gone from sight.
"He's more of a brother to me than you are to him!"
------------------------------------------
*He didn't bother opening his eyes, although the screen clearly shows the surrounding woods, dimly lit as the sun begins to rise in the distance. For a second he raises his hand bringing it to his face to rub at his eyes that remain closed, as if to banish the images behind the lids from his mind. He moves his hand away and opens his eyes finally, arm reaching out to the side to grab the Hitomi. The screen shakes and moves as he brings it closer, the screen going black a second later.*