.:.:SasuNaru:.:.:Sounds of Sweetness:.:. Cht. 10

                                          Chapter Ten
                                     I Will Have Vengeance
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~Flash Back~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
  Itachi and I sat on the porch, watching at the sun started to set. I wanted to talk to him about different things, but I just didn't know how to say them. When I looked up at him, the words seem to slip out. "Father only talks about you."
  Itachi didn't seem fazed at all. He just looked up and watched the birds fly by. "Surely you hate me." He said it with such ease, it took me by surprise. I snapped my head up and looked at him. How could I hate him? He was my older brother.
  I took interest to the ground. "That's okay. I'm always going to be there for you." He paused, looking at nothing, while I watched him. "Even if it's only an obstacle for you to overcome." He seemed lost in his own thoughts.
  "Even if you do hate me." The sadness in his eyes were hidden by a wall of hair, but if you looked close enough, you could see through it and hear the sadness in his eyes. "That's what big brothers are for."
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~Flash Back End~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
  Itachi was different, he had changed since then. He has become a heartless criminal. As a child, I wished for nothing more than to have my brother back. Now, he stood no more than ten feet away.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~Flash Back~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
  "Brother… Will you train with me again?" Itachi was carrying me after another day of training. "Yeah…" Kindness filled is smile. "But I'm assigned to missions and starting tomorrow, you will be attending the Ninja academy." It was sad, but it was truth.
  I took a moment, taking my time to choose my words. "That's okay, As long as you can stay with me once in a while."After that, he carried me in silence. That was fine with me, I enjoyed being with my brother.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~Flash Back End~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
  I have to take this chance to stay alive. No matter what happened in the past, that was then and this is now. We're two different people; the only thing keeping us together is blood and air.
  Itachi was calm, cool, and relaxed. Everything I wanted to become. I'm my own person, a father, and lover. I don't care about being my brother. I want to be me. If I die tonight, I want to die as Sasuke Uchiha.
  "I'm only here to tell you one thing." His voice was smooth, just like it use to be. I raised an eyebrow, curious to what he was about to say. "I'm too weak to fight now; I am recovering from another battle." It wasn't like him to turn away from an opportunity.
  I didn't believe him one bit. "Give me a year to recover. That way you can spend time with your child and say goodbye." He said it as if it were an everyday sentence.
  Just as soon as he appeared, he disappeared. Just like that, in the blink of an eye. I didn't know whether I was thankful for the time I was given, or if I was in a state of panic because he knew about Ryu.
  A glance at the ground, where he once stood, I thought to myself 'I swear I will kill you when the time comes.' With that I headed for home. I was eager to see Naruto.  
  At Sakura's house, I picked up my blued son. "How was he?" I asked, giving him a small kiss on the cheek. "He missed you." She smiled sweetly. "Believe me, I missed him too." I glanced down into his eyes, thinking about all that I wanted to teach him.
  I knew right away that once I got home, I would write two letters; one to Naruto and the other to Ryu. Just in case I was going to die. I think I would also write one to Kakashi and Sakura, because they were important in my life too.
  On the way home I decided to visit Naruto. "Hokage." I bowed to him. "Sasuke, how many times do I have to tell you that you don't have to bow to me?" He got up with a smile on his face. "A lot." I grinned.
  Sooner than I expected, a year had come and gone. Leaves changed colors and fell from their homes, snow fell from heaven and melted away, grass grew and flowers bloomed.
  Ryu was only two and was walking and talking. Naruto was still busier than ever. I still hadn't told anyone about how close time was caving in on me. It was close to being time.
  I avoid many missions; knowing that when the time came, I would know when to go. For now, I would love my family. I would spend every waking second with them and hold the memories we make close to my heart.
  That would keep me strong. That is what will keep me alive. I even trained late at night, when everyone was in a deep slumber. I wanted to be strong in every way possible. I wanted to be able to come home and watch Ryu grow up and maybe even watch as a little girl grows up with him.
   One after noon, I took a walk over to Kakashi's with Ryu. I had brought it upon myself to tell him about the letters and about what Itachi had said. "Morning S'uke." A grin formed under his mask. "Good morning Kakashi." I smiled.
  He welcomed me into his home and offered me a cup of coffee. "Iruka, would you mind watching Ryu for a moment, I would like to talk with Kakashi." I waited by the door, not really taking no for an answer.
  He nodded with a smile and minutes later Kakashi was at my side. We walked awhile in silence. I needed to figure out how I would present this to him. When we reached the bench down by the river, we took a seat.
  "There are four letters hidden inside a book that lies on my nightstand." I blurted. Kakashi looked at me with a quizzical expression. "Last year, on one of my missions, I ran into Itachi. He gave us both a year to prepare ourselves for whatever is going to happen.
  I decided that if I die, I would leave a letter for Naruto, Sakura, Ryu and you. My goodbye letters." I took a moment for Kakashi to let it sink in. "You're not going to die, because you're not going to fight him at all." Kakashi said all too quickly.
  I sighed out a laugh. "I don't want to live in fear that my brother might at some point kill my family in the middle of the night like he did with the Uchiha family. I don't plan on dying but it's just in case." I placed an encouraging hand on his shoulder.
  I smiled, more for myself then for him. "Sasuke… You have a family to think about." He continued to argue with my non changing plan. "That's exactly what I'm doing." I ran a hand through my hair.
  "You're not like a father to me Kakashi, you are my father. I'm not asking you, I'm telling you that I might die soon. If I do, I want you to be there for Naruto and for Ryu."
  After that, it was settled. On the day that I leave, I would give my letters to Kakashi. I was not to think that I would die, because I wouldn't and if I did, Kakashi was going to bring me back to life and kill me all over again just because.
  A few weeks later, it was the night before I would leave. Like usual, I was eating my meal with Ryu and Naruto. Out of nowhere, Naruto broke into sobs. "Naru, what's wrong." I was by his side, comforting as best as I could.
  He was unable to speak through his random crying fits, so I waited until he could get it under control. "I had a dream last night." He finally spoke. I almost started laughing, but the look Naruto had on his face said that it was no laughing matter.
  I looked into his ocean blue eyes; the emotions they held practically touched my heart, filling it with what they were silently screaming. "Tell me about it after we put Ryu to bed." I patted his hair.
  Once we finished our meal, we waited for Ryu to drift off into his dream land. After he was tucked in, Naruto and I resorted to the couch. I held him in my arms, patiently waiting for him to fess up.
  "Last night I had a nightmare, you were fighting Itachi and in the end, you were dead. It was like five years had gone by and Ryu and I were standing at your grave." He broke into more sobs. I shushed him and ran a soothing hand up and down his arm.
  When he quieted down with only a few tears falling down his cheeks, he continued on. "I told Sakura about it this morning and she said she had the exact same dream a few nights ago. I even talked to Kakashi about it and he had the same dream. Sasuke, I think you're going to die soon." He cried into my chest.
  I shushed him again, and this time ran my hand across his back. "I'm not going to die anytime soon." I spoke sweetly into his year. I could help think that the dream was a warning sign. I shook it off as nothing but their minds playing trick on them.
  Going through that process on and off, we both fell asleep on the couch. Naruto had his arms wrapped around my waste and I had a gentle hand resting on his back. It was long after we fell asleep that the scream of Ryu jolted us awake.
  We rushed into his room after scrambling to get off the floor, and he was crying just as hard as Naruto had been earlier. "Hey buddy, what's the matter?" Naruto picked him up in a hug. Ryu shook his head violently, squirming in Naruto's arms trying to get away.
  Just as quickly as Naruto had picked him up was he handing him over to me. "Hey, what's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?" Ryu was clutching my shirt tightly. "Daddy died." He shouted. His tears were cold as they dripped on and rolled down my back.
  "Daddies right here though." Naruto rubbed his back in small, circular motions. "Daddy, don't go. Pwomise you won't go!" He looked at me with big sad eyes. I sat down on the bed, ripping him away and setting him down on one leg.
  I smoothened out his hair, pushing it to one side. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here and when you wake up tomorrow, I'll be right here. While even go visit Grandpa Kakashi." I tried to ease his worry.
  He shook his head once again. "We go to Kaka's place when you leave." He lurched forward, wrapping his little arms as far around my waist as he could. "Daddy doesn't go!" He cried into my chest just as Naruto had done.
  I lay with him while he cried, and even after he fell asleep. I stayed with him until the sun came up and Naruto took him. I felt bad for leaving him like this, but it was time to go.
  Before I left, I kissed them both on the forehead, and told them that I'd be back soon. I made my way to Kakashi's to deliver the letters, and shortly after that, I was leaving Konoha gates.
  It wasn't long until I was face to face with Itachi once again. He seemed ready, almost like a suicidal teen. "I don't want to kill you and take you away from your family." He said after a long minute of silence.
  "You didn't seem to mind it much the first time." I shot him down. He just half smiled. "I didn't do it. I just told you I did it so you would hate me. I needed you to hate me so that I could leave for a long period of time to find the real killer." He said with an easy ring.  
  I was lost and confused and he could obviously tell. "I had just gotten home from a mission and found everyone dead. I heard a scream from our house and when I got there, mom and dad were dead. You came through the doors not long after I did."
  Everything he was saying was going in one ear and out the other. My mind didn't want to think about this now. "Sasuke, I told you from the very beginning that I was always going to be here for you."
  "Then why try to kill me all these years? Why try and kill me now after you told me the truth?" I yell in frustration. "Because I'm not going to kill you. I want you to kill me.
  I found the killer and I'm going to tell you in hopes you'll kill him instead. I just can't go on anymore. Kisame and you were the only motivation I had but now you have a family and Kisame has gone missing." Itachi was almost in tears.
  Did he not know that I killed him? If he didn't, he should have a right to know but if I do tell him, he'll kill me and then I won't be able to go home. 'Suck it up and tell him. He gave you a year.'
  "You and I are unique brothers… And even if I end up just becoming an obstacle you need to overcome… I will always love you." I start out with. From the expression Itachi made, I figured the words shocked him.
  I looked at the ground, not being able to look him in the face. "You should know that Kisame isn't missing but that he is dead and I'm the one who killed him. He attempted to attack me a few years back and-" An attack from Itachi cut me off.



                                'Ryu, Naruto, I'm so sorry.'