Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Time and Time Again ❯ One-Shot

“Mother, it's raining outside...”

 

The said woman turned from washing the dishes to look out the window her son was lazily entranced with.

 

“Oh. So it is! Poor Sasuke-chan, I didn't give him an umbrella! He must be freezing to death! Itachi...”

 

“I'll go get him one,” he said as he stood to better convince her. She watched him as he swiftly made his way to the door, pulling out an umbrella from the bin filled with them by the door. As he turned to her, she smiled.

 

“Aw, Itachi, you're so cute,” she said as he opened the umbrella, stepping outside. The boy chuckled quietly to himself, going into the heavy rain.

 

 

“Sasuke-kun, do you want to share my umbrella?” A pink-headed girl asked him. The boy in question turned to her, tilting his head to the side before looking away.

 

“No thank you. I'm fine,” he whispered. The big forehead girl stuttered.

 

“But you'll get sick, Sasuke-kun!”

 

“That's okay. Thank you for your concern.”

 

The girl would have kept going if a tall woman weren't calling out her name. The kunoichi smiled at Sasuke and waved.

 

“Well, bye bye, Sasuke! Try to stay warm!” and so she was gone.

 

Sasuke looked out into the foggy streets. The rain was heavy; you couldn't see anything in front of your face. Bravely, Sasuke stepped off the porch and into the rain, soaking him almost instantly. He kept his head down so it wouldn't get in his eyes.

 

But it didn't matter since he was crying.

 

He couldn't remember why he was crying, he just was. And as the rain got impossibly heavier, he got just a little bit louder. Until he was crying as loudly as his vocal chords and pride would allow.

 

He was shaking now, and resembling that of a lost puppy.

 

“What are you crying about, Ototo?”

 

The rain was gone all of a sudden. And as Sasuke looked up with blurry eyes, he saw his aniki. Itachi was holding the umbrella over their heads. His Ni-san.

 

He clung to his leg and cried. His Ni-san was never there when he cried.

 

“...Are you hurt?”

 

The concern made Sasuke cry louder.

 

“Oh, don't cry, Sasuke-chan,” the teenager told the child as he lifted him up with one arm to rest against his chest. The child held onto his neck tightly as Itachi turned and began walking home.

 

“Why are you crying?”

 

“...Ni-san...”

 

“Hn?”

 

“...Do you hate me, Ni-san?”

 

“Now, why would I do that?”

 

“Because...You're never there...And I think you hate me or something...”

 

“I'm always there.”

 

“No...No you aren't.”

 

“Name one time.”

 

“Yesterday. And the day before that. And before that...And before that...”

 

As he continued, he began crying again.

 

“...And the day before that...”

 

“Sasuke...”

 

“And before that day...”

 

“I'm sorry.”

 

He hugged the cold child in his arms tighter, breathing warmly on his neck.

 

“I should be there more. But you have to learn, Sasuke that you can't always rely on me to be there when you want me to be there, or miss me...Or cry...”

 

He brushed a tear away from Sasuke's face with the words.

 

“...You can always be hopeful.”

 

Sasuke's eyes were so red; he thought he'd actually developed the Sharingan. Jumping him to keep him in place against his chest, they walked through the foggy streets.

 

Sasuke gently leaned up to place a kiss on his Ni-san's lips, and the teen immediately froze. Sasuke flinched away to hide in his arms.

 

“...Sorry, Ni-san. I love you.”

 

Itachi loosened considerably and kissed the top of his head.

 

“...Nothing to be sorry about, ototo.”

 

“...Really?”

 

“...You should never say sorry for loving someone.”

 

“But what if they don't love you back?”

 

Itachi stared down at the charcoal eyes staring back at him.

 

“...Well then, they have to deal with it.”

 

“...Isn't that rude though?”

 

“Never.”

 

“...That's very simple.”

 

“Oh, but it gets difficult. Believe me. Especially if you try to keep it a secret.”

 

Itachi kissed Sasuke, on the lips. Sasuke gasped and pulled away for a moment, staring with wide eyes.

 

“...I'm not trying to keep it a secret to you, am I?” Itachi smiled as he said this. Sasuke blinked as he touched his red lips.

 

“...No, Ni-san.”

 

“Now, I'll hide it from mother and father, and that's the hard part. You should too.”

 

“Hn...” Sasuke was still feeling his lips tenderly. Looking up at Itachi, he smiled widely.

 

“That felt nice. Do it again.”