A Uchiha To Remember

Prologue: Part II

"What do you mean, none of my concern. As far as I know, I am apart of the Uchiha Clan just as much as you and Father are. Just because I'm not a man-" 

"Amasaki, that is not what I meant and you know it. Father just doesn't seem to understand, and I'm trying to explain, but he- he," Itachi suddenly cut off. I dropped my arms as I realized that Itachi was struggling to reign in his emotions. Was it this bad? So bad, that Itachi, the master of all poker faces, was finding it hard to hide what he did not want to reveal.

I furiously blinked my eyes at the sudden moister in them, and attempted to remedy the situation.

"Itachi, it's fine. you don't have to explain it to me. I get it. None of my concern."

However, my social skills obviously needed some practice because the pain in Itachi's eyes seemed to become more intense. I reached out my hand in an attempt to sooth him, but he flinched away. I slowly retracted my hand, swallowing the sudden lump in my throat.

"It's getting late. You should return to bed before Father finds out," Itachi said, his voice devoid of any inflection. I looked into his eyes and held back a gasp. They were stone cold, a dead look in them that was overflowing with darkness.

I know I appear to be overreacting, but Itachi and I were usually close. Him shutting me out like this was abnormal. We tell each other everything. The fact that he ended that conversation by indirectly threatening me using Father's authority was the cherry on top. I wouldn't say I was rebellious, but my father and I don't get along very well. He has a tendency to boss people around, and I have a tendency to ignore orders. Essentially, we're like water and oil. We don't mix together.

Confused, sad, and frustrated, I hurriedly jumped to the ground and ran in the opposite direction of the compound. I waited for Itachi to chase after me, but he never did.

The next few months were strained between Itachi and I. In front of everyone else, we acted normal. However, our usual jokes and interactions sounded dull and fake to my ears. Once more, his deteriorating temper and increasing amount of time away from home was causing me to worry.

For the most part, nobody seemed to notice,  but Sasuke showed he knew more about what was going on than I thought.

I was giving Sasuke company while he was at the dock, practicing his Fireball Jutsu because our father was being an uncouth and emotionally impaired potato.  While he was taking a break, he casually brought Itachi up.

"Hey Amasaki, Itachi doesn't seem to be home as much lately. I miss him."

I glanced at the raven-headed child beside me. For being so young, he's had to endure a lot of things he shouldn't have to.

I sighed and leaned back on my hands, stretching out my legs on the dock. "Me too, bud, me too."

"Why is he gone so much lately? And why aren't you guys getting along anymore?" he asked innocently, the pain in his voice evident.

"Siblings fight all the time Sasuke, it's nothing to worry about," I said, subtly evading his first question. I didn't even know where Itachi was going nowadays.

The conversation lulled afterwards, and the silence gave my thoughts plenty of time to disorient me. Everything seemed to be going wrong in the clan lately, and it was causing me to question the future and the repercussions that might follow any rash decision-making. The atmosphere of unrest was just continuing to grow, and on more than one occasion, arguments have broken out.

That following week, I finally got a reprieve from the constant worrying when my team finally received our first mission outside the village.

I was in my room packing whenever I heard a knock at my door. Turning away from my bag, I rose my eyebrows in surprise when I noticed who it was.  Itachi stood in the doorway, looking slightly uncomfortable, but calm nonetheless.

"What do you want?" I asked, sighing and slumping my shoulders. While waiting for his reply, I turned my back to him and continued to pack my bag with everything I would need for my mission.

"What's wrong with a brother coming to visit his sister right before she leaves for her first mission outside of the village?" he asked. I slowly turned back around and scoffed at his reply.

"Seeing how we haven't exactly been talking lately, I didn't expect you to see me off." 

The small grin that had been present on Itachi's faced quickly fell, and the same overwhelming sadness that was present on the night I was eavesdropping settled into his eyes. I was taken aback at the emotion and turned back around, not liking the feeling of guilt that began to settle in my chest.

I heard Itachi clear his throat, and I fumbled with the weapons on my bed as the awkwardness I had instilled into the room became almost tangible.

I felt more than heard Itachi move further into the room. His years spent in the ANBU Black Ops had basically eliminated all sound from his movements.

Another lurch of guilt motivated me to turn around and face him. I spun on my heel and opened my mouth, an apology on the tip of my tongue. Instead, a squeal escaped as I realized how close Itachi was.

"Geez Itachi, have you ever heard of personal space?" I asked, slightly irritated at his proximity. However, my irritation melted away as Itachi suddenly kissed my forehead.

"I apologize, little sister. I know these past few months have been rough between us. I should have attempted to remedy the problem the next day, but other things came up, and it appears I've run out of time."

My confusion continued to grow as Itachi wrapped his arms around me.

"Wait, Itachi, what're you talking about? What do you mean, you've run out of time? You're scaring-"

"I'm sorry, Amasaki. I truly am, and I hope you know that. I cannot elaborate on the current situation, but between the growing unrest within the clan, Father's constant rebuttal, and Shisui's recent death, I needed to see you. Siblings shouldn't be fighting like this. Even Sasuke has noticed the tension between us. Speaking of Sasuke, make sure you take care of him. He can be a little hard headed, but you know that better than anyone. He needs guidance from time to time along with the occasional helping hand. He'll especially need the help as he begins this journey ahead of him. I love you both. More than you could possibly imagine. No matter how much you hate me, I will always care for you and Sasuke, and nothing can change that fact. Nothing."

I opened my mouth and tried to reply, but nothing came out. Itachi rested his chin atop my head and tightened his hold on me for a moment before releasing his grip completely.

"Goodbye Amasaki."

With that, Itachi disappeared out of my room without a trace. I looked for him all evening, but I failed to find him. That following morning, I left for my mission.

That was the last I ever saw of my older brother.

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Hello everyone!

It's been what, 3-4 years? I was scrolling through Wattpad after the longest time and stumbled upon this old thing, and I decided, why the heck not?

Anyways, I don't know if I'm gonna continue this or not. I was just procrastinating my homework and this was the result.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed reading!