Close to heart.. far from arms...| Sasusaku

Prologue

It was him, Itachi Uchiha. His red eyes with the three tomoe marks— that shone in the moonlight —were the color of the blood on their parents' bodies.

Sasuke, too frightened to move, uttered with his trembling lips on seeing his brother, "Big brother, Itachi... father and mother are both... I don't... understand... who could do all this?"
His question was answered by a flying shuriken that ripped apart a piece of his sleeve, the wound sprouting blood.

Sasuke dishevelled by the scene said, "Wait a sec, what are you..."
Not being able to speak anything more, he was met by Itachi's emotionless gaze, his red eyes gazing deep into his soul. Sasuke's eyes widened, and he covered his wound with his hands. "Oh no, what have you done?", he shouted with the little voice he had.

Itachi calmly looked at his brother, frightened to death.

"Foolish little brother, I almost pity you." He said as he closed his eyes, opening them slowly as his eyes changed pattern, "Mangekyo Sharingan." Suddenly, Sasuke's consciousnesses was shaken up. He was in the streets. It seemed like time flew backwards. He saw his clan members, dying. Shurikens pierced their bodies with their blood splashing on the walls. Sasuke saw what happened with his own eyes and felt like he was going crazy. A deep pain struck his head, and he shouted, "Itachi. Why are you showing me all this?" His screams were unanswered. Like the world he was transported to was being controlled. His voice fell into deaf ears as he faced the agony of seeing his loved ones being killed in front of his very own eyes.

He couldn't move. Itachi appeared in front of him and killed more of his clan members. Sasuke couldn't do anything but scream. The scene shifted to his parents as he saw Itachi holding his sword against them. Sasuke cried, screamed, begged for Itachi to stop, but everything was a worthless effort. Itachi cut through their parents and Sasuke fell to the ground from the mental havoc he faced. The same scene repeated itself countless time until his mind was shattered. When it finally stopped, Sasuke dropped low drooling and panting. Itachi's eyes restored back to the normal onyx shade.
Sasuke's vision occasionally blurred as he saw his brother silently standing and glaring at him. His mind was full of a single question, which in itself was a big mystery. The genius boy, the prodigy Uchiha, the perfect older brother, why would he do such things? He asked him, unable to sit upright.

"To test the limits of my ability."

The answer was more threatening than the question. He was puzzled by what had taken over Itachi. Is he not himself? Is he an imposter? The answer was uncertain. But this definitely was not the Itachi he knew. Sasuke asked him once again, "Is that why you did this? Is that why you butchered every single member of our clan?"
As Itachi replied with a 'yes', Sasuke dashed towards him to attack but was himself met with a punch in the gut. He coughed up saliva from the sudden thrust to his body and fell down, with his face just in front of his father's, a lifeless one. Tears fell down his cheeks. Itachi stepped forward and Sasuke lifted himself up to back away. Sasuke was the person most familiar with his brother's abilities. He left no openings, not for a kid like him, anyway. There was no way to take him out. Honestly, Sasuke was scared as he mumbled the same thing on and on.

He ran out of the house, making a way through the pile of corpses on the street, crying in disbelief on how his not so perfect life turned even more outrageous. It was a nightmare.
"Please. I don't want to die." He screamed with tears wetting his face, but Itachi blocked the way.

"I don't believe it! This is too unlike you big brother, I mean--"

"The only reason I acted as your gentle elder brother was to test the limits of your abilities. You have the potential to fight me so I can test my abilities. You hated me and you wanted to surpass me, that is exactly why I will allow you to live, for my own benefit. You are one of the few who can awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan just like me. However, there is a catch to it." His brows furrowed to show a more arrogant side. "You have to kill your best friend... just like I did." Itachi mumbled the last few words.
Sasuke was taken aback. He remembered people talking about the death of Shisui Uchiha. Itachi was suspected from the start, but it was too unbelievable for Sasuke.

"You... you really did that...," Sasuke's voice trembled.

"Yes, that's right. And that is how I obtained these eyes." Sasuke couldn't do anything except standing and shaking with fear.

"The main hall of Nakano Shrine, underneath the seventh Tatami mat on the far right, is the secret gathering place of the clan. There you will find the secret of the eyes we Uchiha possess. If you manage to attain these eyes, you will be the third person including myself to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan. If that happens, there will be a meaning in me allowing you to live. However, at present you are not even worth killing, foolish little brother." Itachi turned away. "If one day, you wish to kill me, then foster your hatred and despise me. By all means, flee, and cling to your wretched life. And one day, when you possess the same eyes as I do," his eyes changed into a shuriken like pattern, "come and face me." That was the last thing Sasuke heard before he lost his consciousnesses and fell on top of the ground.