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Ugh, I hate this part. I do not own Naruto or anything related to the franchise, nor am I making any profit for writing this. Anyone who does not like yaoi is advised to hit the back button now. Still here? Enjoy.

Dashes (-) denote a passage of time, change of scenery, etc.


Prologue: The Difference between Then and Now



Itachi Uchiha had always wanted a pet. It was perhaps the one material thing he had been denied in life. Though the Uchiha family was extremely wealthy and could easily afford pretty much anything, Itachi's father disapproved of pets and had firmly put his foot down. So it came as a great surprise to the Uchiha heir when his parents decided to adopt a third child, on his thirteenth birthday no less. Itachi remembered the moment well.



Flashback



"Could you please repeat that Father?" Itachi asked, unsure if he had heard right.



"I said that your mother and I have decided to adopt another child." Fugaku replied, looking at his eldest son strangely.



"And why have you decided this without even asking me?" Itachi asked coldly, giving his parents the family glare.



"Well...it's actually because of you that we decided this was best Itachi." Mikoto, his mother answered. "You see, the real reason that we are adopting this child is so that Sasuke will have a playmate. We've seen how distant you can be because of the way we raised you and we want to stop that from happening to Sasuke. We only need one heir, so why go through all of that again with Sasuke? Anyway, the matter has already been decided and the boy will be arriving here next week."



Hearing the finality in his mother's voice, Itachi knew that the subject was closed. Resentment burned within him and he fought to keep his normally emotionless expression.



"I see." the teen said as he withdrew from the room, seemingly unperturbed by what had occurred. In reality, Itachi was furious. Once again his parent's incredible stupidity had managed to surprise him. 'They raised me to be their perfect little heir and now they dare complain about it?!' he thought savagely, remembered how his parents had isolated him in his childhood. When other children had been out playing and having fun, he had been forced to remain at his studies or perfect one of the many skills and activities they forced on him. "I'll get them for this. And whatever brat they adopt too." he announced to his darkened bedroom



End Flashback



In the years since that day Itachi had calmed somewhat. He was now seventeen and had just finished his accelerated graduation program at Konoha University, the most prestigious college in Japan. His parents expected him to start work at the family company by the end of the summer. Sighing at his fate, Itachi leaned over the balcony and watched his two brothers playing below.



Uchiha Sasuke reminded Itachi of himself to a certain extent. His biological brother was reserved, arrogant, selfish, and had a tendency to be quite rude to anyone who displeased him. Itachi supposed that it was because of their parent's neglect that Sasuke became so distant. He was only friendly with their adopted brother, Uchiha Naruto, who had been adopted precisely to prevent Sasuke from becoming like he had.



In contrast to Sasuke, Naruto was loud, outgoing, kind, and very affectionate. His warm nature had slowly but surely endeared him to everyone at the Uchiha mansion, their parents included. The aura of childish innocence he exuded was simply too strong for anyone to think badly of him.



It had come as quite a shock to the eldest Uchiha when he had realized that he loved Naruto. He had treated the boy as an invader; an insect not worth his time or notice, but as Naruto grew, Itachi found himself admiring the blond more and more with each passing day. As was the case with Sasuke, Naruto was the only one Itachi really cared about in the world. Though he did possess some degree of affection in regards to Sasuke, it was nowhere near as strong as what he felt for Naruto. The little blond truly made him happy.



"Itachi-niichan!" Naruto yelled from down below, finally noticing that he had returned. He ran into the house, closely followed by Sasuke.



Itachi turned and braced himself for the inevitable running hug that Naruto was so fond of giving. Sure enough, within moments Naruto burst onto the balcony and flew through the air, landing safely in Itachi's outstretched arms.



"Itachi-niichan is home!" he squealed happily, burrowing his face into his older brother's chest. Itachi smiled at Naruto's familiar antics; he had greatly missed the boy while away at school.



"I missed you to Naru-kun" Itachi whispered, setting his brother down and ruffling his blond locks. He glanced up just in time to see the jealous expression on Sasuke's face replaced with a look of indifference. Of who Sasuke was jealous of, however, Itachi wasn't sure. "Sasuke, you're looking well." he offered in greeting. The boy nodded and turned to head inside.



"Let's go Naruto." Sasuke called from inside the house.



"But I want to play with Itachi-niichan!" Naruto whined, clinging to Itachi's leg.



"It's all right Naru-kun, go with Sasuke. I have some business to take care of now anyway. We'll play later ok?"



"Promise?" the boy asked, eyes hopeful.



"I promise." Itachi smiled. Sometimes Naruto was just too cute for his own good.



"Yay! Ok, I'll see you later niichan!" the blond yelled as he raced off after Sasuke.



Feeling strangely more confident than he had before, Itachi headed towards his father's study, ready for what was to come.



-



"The matter is closed Itachi! I am your father and my word is final. If you don't like it then find somewhere else to live!" Fugaku Uchiha screamed at his eldest son from across his desk. They were currently in his study, discussing Itachi's future at Uchihatech Industries. Itachi had no interest in joining the family company and as usual his father would hear none of it. Seeing that he was wasting his time, Itachi rose to leave without another word.



He headed out the elegantly carved doors and started towards where he was sure his brothers would be; the pool. On the way he stopped by his room and changed into his swimsuit, a black Speedo with a red streak right across his...well you know. He paused for a moment to admire his body in the mirror; all that extra work at the university gym had definitely paid off.



Somewhat cheered by the prospect of spending time with his brothers, he left his room and headed outside. Sure enough, Itachi spotted his two brothers laughing and splashing each other playfully in the shallow end of their Olympic-size swimming pool the moment he stepped out onto the veranda.



"Itachi-niichan!" Naruto yelled excitedly when he spotted his eldest brother approaching. Somewhere around his 5th birthday he had taken to announcing the older boy's presence whenever he appeared. Itachi didn't really mind; it was very cute after all.



Itachi waved at the two and continued walking towards the deep end of the pool. He got onto the diving board and executed a perfect dive. Naruto applauded wildly while Sasuke tried and failed to look unimpressed. Itachi meanwhile, swam all the way to the shallow end and came up under Naruto. The startled blonde suddenly found himself three feet above the water on his brother's shoulders. His surprise quickly turned to happiness and he cheered as Itachi walked farther out into the water.



"Wow I've never been out this far before!" the blonde gasped, wrapping his tanned arms around Itachi's neck.



"That's a nice tan you've got Naru-kun." Itachi complimented, noticing the stark contrast between Naruto's and his own skin. Uchihas didn't tan. Period.



"Thanks! Sasuke tried to get one too but he couldn't!" the blonde giggled. He looked back and waved at the forgotten brother, only to find he had disappeared. "Hey where did Sasuke go?" he asked, leaning forward so that his face was only inches from Itachi's, albeit upside-down.



"Oh he's gone? He must have had to use the bathroom or something I guess." Itachi drawled, not really caring where his other brother had run off to. He had what he wanted already. Suddenly the wind picked up and Naruto started shivering.



"I think it's time to get out niichan, it's getting cold!"



"Would you like to go to the Jacuzzi instead?" Itachi asked, heading back towards the shallow end.



"I'm not allowed to go in there. Papa will get mad at us."Naruto warned as Itachi



"What he doesn't know won't hurt him will it?" Itachi answered, setting the blonde down.



"Um, I guess its ok. But only if you give me another piggyback ride!" Naruto giggled, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief.



"Deal." Itachi laughed, picking the blond up once more.



-



Meanwhile back in his and Naruto's shared room, Sasuke was crying, something he always seemed to do when Itachi was around.



"Why why why!? Why does he love him more than me?!" the second Uchiha screamed, punching his tear-soaked pillow.



"Sasuke-sama are you ok in there?" a maid asked from outside.



"GO AWAY!" the brunette screamed, throwing the pillow at the closed door.



"As you wish Sasuke-sama." the woman answered, shaking her head and walking away. "Someone really should do something about that little brat." she muttered angrily. "Oh well, I'd better go and check on the other one."



"I'll get him for this! I'll figure out something somehow..."Sasuke told himself over and over again. Before long, he had cried himself to sleep.

-



"Wow, it's really warm in here! Thanks niichan!"



"You're welcome otouto." Itachi smiled, amused as always by the childish amazement he had come to expect from his adopted brother. Said brother was currently occupying himself with one of the many hot water jets.



"Ah, there you are Naruto-san! I was surprised to find you and Sasuke-sama apart. Did something-oh! Itachi-sama I didn't know you had returned. Welcome home." the maid bowed when she spotted Itachi.



"Thank you. Yes, Naruto is with me and everything is fine."Itachi drawled, his emotionless expression back in place.



Very well sir, can I get you or Naruto-san anything?" she asked courteously. Naruto was still too preoccupied with the wonders of the water jet to hear her, so Itachi shook his head and she walked off towards the mansion. He watched her for a minute or two, wondering what was going on with Sasuke, when suddenly Itachi noticed that the only thing he could hear was the Jacuzzi jets.



Alarmed, Itachi looked around wildly but didn't see the blond. Naruto never left him, regardless of what they were doing. Tiny alarms went off in Itachi's head and he realized that Naruto must have fainted from the heat. He quickly searched underwater and pulled out the unconscious blond. He wasn't breathing.



Fighting back panic, Itachi laid his brother on the ground and began giving him mouth to mouth and chest compressions. Somewhere in his subconscious, it occurred to Itachi that the blonde's lips were amazingly soft. To his immense relief, Naruto began to breathe again almost immediately. He coughed up some water and gradually opened his eyes.



"Itachi-niichan?" he asked weakly, wondering why his older brother was looking so much paler than usual.



"Thank god you're ok Naru-kun." Itachi rasped, visibly breathing a sigh of relief. He embraced his little brother tightly. "Now Isee why you aren't allowed in there." he whispered. "Let's go back inside." Not waiting for an answer, Itachi picked him up carefully and started walking back to the mansion.



"Ok." Naruto agreed tiredly, letting his head rest on Itachi's shoulder. After a minute he was out like a light, safely sleeping in his brother's arms. On the way the same little thought about the blonde's lips kept bothering Itachi. 'Best not to think about it.' he decided after depositing the sleeping blond in his bedroom. He glanced over at Sasuke and couldn't help but marvel at how different they looked while asleep. Sasuke looked fitful and angry, while Naruto, despite what had just happened, was the very picture of innocent happiness. 'I wonder how they'll take my surprise.'Itachi thought fleetingly before closing the door.



-



"I understand Uchiha-san. I'll take care of it right away."a rather sinister-sounding voice echoed through the study.



"Very good. See to it that there are no mistakes." Fugaku warned, turning off the video phone. He turned around in his chair to stare over the mansion grounds. Folding his hands under his chin, he began to chuckle deviously. "We'll see what you have to say now Itachi."



-



Since he had come to live at the Uchiha mansion, Naruto had gained the love and respect of the entire staff. The only exception was in the mornings when they had to wake him up. It was a painstaking process to rouse the little blond and those given the task had nicknamed it "Waking the Beast." So you can imagine their delight when Itachi announced that he would be waking his siblings every morning. Of course, they wondered why the Uchiha heir was taking such a menial task unto himself, but they didn't dare to ask. Who wants to ruin a good thing ne?



Itachi was very pleased that the servants had been so agreeable to the new change in routine. He didn't want to admit it, but he wasn't sure what he would have said if they had asked what he was doing. Explaining that he wanted Naruto's first smile every day to be for him and him alone didn't seem like it would be an especially easy task. Not to mention the embarrassment and questions such a statement would raise.



Itachi entered his brothers' bedroom and found that Sasuke was already awake and reading a book in bed.



"What do you want?" the younger boy asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously the second he spotted Itachi.



"Watch your tongue otouto. You shouldn't speak to your elders so rudely!" Itachi snapped. He had never been the nicest person in the mornings. Or at all really. Seeing the hurt in his biological brother's eyes, Itachi sighed and sat down on the end of Sasuke's bed. "Sorry." he offered, trying his best to look apologetic. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin the big surprise.



"It's ok." Sasuke mumbled after a moment of tense silence. "You're here for Naruto right?" he asked, glancing over at his brother's bed. Spiky blond hair was just visible through the covers.



"No, I'm here for both of you actually. I have a surprise planned for today."



"A surprise? What is it?" Sasuke asked skeptically.



"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise now would it?"Itachi chuckled, ruffling his brother's hair. "Come on, help me wake Naruto. I heard from the servants that it's become quite the task nowadays."



"They just don't know how to do it right." Sasuke giggled. He got out of bed and crossed the room to Naruto's bed. He yanked away the covers and revealed the sleeping blond. "The trick is to tickle him!" Sasuke yelled and began tickling Naruto's stomach. Almost instantly the blonde's eyes shot open and he began to laugh hysterically.



"Stop ha ha it Sasuke ha I can't ha ha breathe!" Naruto gasped through his fit of laughter.



"Hurry up and get up then or you'll ruin the surprise!"Sasuke ordered. That got Naruto's attention.



"Surprise? What surprise? Is it food?" he chirped, sitting up so fast that he narrowly missed head butting Sasuke.



"Watch it! I don't know what the surprise is yet that's why you have to get up idiot!"



"Ok!" Naruto chirped. He really loved surprises after all.



Itachi, meanwhile, watched his brothers' antics in silent amusement. Though he found their interaction to be undeniably cute, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous that Sasuke had built up such a level of intimacy and trust with their adopted brother. On top of that, he had claimed Naruto's first smile of the day. "If you two are done, we need to get going." Itachi told the pair.



"Itachi-niichan! Are you the surprise?"



"No Naruto, I'm the one giving you the surprise." Itachi chuckled. "But we really have to get going or we're going to be late. Hurry up and get ready to leave."



"But niichan, I haven't had my morning bath yet!" Naruto protested. He loved baths and he needed one every morning to properly wake up. "Where's Achika-neechan?" he asked, referring to the servant that usually helped bathe him.



Itachi was at a loss. He hadn't known about Naruto's new bathing habits. Well, there was only one thing to do he decided. "She's busy Naru-kun. I'll help bathe you for today." Though he was able to keep his voice from betraying any emotion, Itachi was feeling intensely uncomfortable with the situation. He knew that he had an unhealthy love for the adorable little blond and something like this would only make things worse.



"Yay niichan is giving me a bath!" Naruto screamed and scurried off into the adjoining bathroom.



Itachi watched him go and turned to look at Sasuke, unsurprised to find the boy glaring at him. "Something wrong?" he asked coolly.



Sasuke shook his head. "No, nothing. I think I'll take abath too since we're going out." he decided after a moment and followed Naruto into the bathroom. Sighing, Itachi got up and walked into the bathroom as well. This was going to be awkward...



"I want a bubblebath!" Naruto exclaimed, running over to the cabinet and pulling out a bottle of strawberry-scented bubblebath solution. He opened it and dumped nearly half the bottle into the quickly-filling bathtub. The soap started foaming instantly and by the time Sasuke turned of the water the giant tub was nearly overflowing with bubbles. "I forgot Iruka!" Naruto exclaimed, referring to the prized dolphin toy he had lovingly named after the man who ran the orphanage. He ran into the bedroom and retrieved the toy, tossing it into the tub where it floated merrily. Then, shedding his clothes with the kind of shamelessness that only young children possess, he hopped in the tub himself and began splashing about. Sasuke and Itachi just stared, similar thoughts running through their minds. Sasuke turned to look at Itachi and cleared his throat loudly.



"Oh. Right." Itachi breathed, figuring things out quickly. He turned around and stared into the bedroom until he heard Sasuke lower himself into the tub as well. He turned around and, pulling over a stool, sat down next to the tub. "Come here then Naruto." he ordered, grabbing a bottle of shampoo from a nearby shelf. He squeezed out some of the fruity substance and began to wash his brother's hair. Itachi found himself amazed at the silky softness of Naruto's blond locks. After he had finished washing Naruto's hair, Itachi beckoned Sasuke over and was surprised when the boy complied. "You guys can take care of the rest right?" he asked after he had finished washing both of them. The pair nodded in unison. "I'll meet you downstairs then. Do hurry up though or we'll be late." With that he left the bathroom.



"You heard him, we've got to hurry and finish washing Naru-gah!" Sasuke suddenly found himself the lucky victim of a bath glomp courtesy of Naruto. "What are you doing Naruto?!" Sasuke asked, trying to keep his cool and failing spectacularly. He was sure that he must be beet red by now.



"I'm so excited Sasuke! I wonder what the big surprise could be!" the blond chirped, still attached to the brunette's midsection. He seemed unaware of how dangerously close he was to Sasuke's...ahem. After another moment of random glomping, Naruto released his brother and climbed out of the tub. He ran into the bedroom, tracking water everywhere, but Sasuke couldn't find it in himself to be angry just then. He stared after the blond and gradually melted back into the bathtub. Was it normal for a simple hug to have such an effect on him Sasuke wondered, a big grin gracing his normally stoic features as he rose to follow Naruto into the bedroom.



-



Twenty minutes later found an impatient Itachi waiting for his brother's in the main hall. It seemed to him like an eternity since he had left them to finish getting ready. The two finally appeared just as Itachi had decided to go and check on them.



"We're ready Itachi-niichan!" Naruto piped up merrily, noticing the annoyed look on his eldest brother's face.



"What took you two so long anyway?" Itachi inquired as the pair descended the staircase.



"Well, we would have been ready a lot sooner if Sasuke hadn't taken forever deciding what to wear!" Naruto teased. Sasuke blushed and said nothing. He wanted to look good on whatever outing Itachi had planned! He was wearing his favorite blue t-shirt, the one with the Uchiha symbol embroidered into the back and a pair of comfy black shorts. Naruto on the other hand, was wearing a loose orange tank top and very short blue shorts. Sasuke's outfit was stylish; whereas Naruto's was...well he was just Naruto. It didn't need any further thought on Itachi's part.



"Finally ready?" Itachi asked when the two stood in front of him.



"Yeah let's go niichan!" Naruto cheered wildly. The suspense and thrill of the unknown surprise was really starting to make him hyper. He ran to the door and opened it, only to collide with a little girl in a Girl Scout uniform who had been standing there about to knock.



"Owww!" the little girl cried as Naruto landed on her. Naruto quickly got off of her and apologized.



"I'm so sorry I didn't mean to!" he said again and again, helping her up. The girl, who was angry at being knocked over, took one look at the blond and instantly lit up. Sasuke and Itachi easily identified the starry look in her eyes; love. And they didn't like it one bit.



"It...its ok." the girl reassured Naruto breathlessly. "It's my fault anyway. I was going to knock and see if you wanted to buy some cookies, but now they're all crushed..." Naruto looked at the destroyed boxes of cookies and pouted. Then, he had an idea.



"Itachi-niichan, can this girl come with us?" Naruto chirped, surprising both of his brothers and the girl herself.



"I don't know if that's such a good idea Naruto." Itachi started to refuse, but upon seeing the earnestly pleading look in Naruto's eyes, he sighed and nodded his agreement. Sasuke was shocked to see his normally inflexible brother bend to Naruto's will.



"Yay!" the blond cheered, grabbing the girl's hand and racing off towards the garage.



By the way, what's your name neechan?" Naruto asked happily on the way to the car.



The girl blushed before replying, "My name's Anko. Anko Mitarashi."



Itachi and Sasuke meanwhile, gave each other knowing looks and silently agreed to a truce. This girl had to be dealt with...



-



As he watched the car pull away from the mansion's elaborate driveway, Fugaku Uchiha sighed and wondered if this was really the best thing to do. Despite their disagreements, he loved Itachi and did not want to have to go through with his plan. But as usual, the tiny little voice in his head that told him to forgive his eldest son was silenced by his overwhelming pride.



"You will have to learn the hard way just what it means to be an Uchiha my son." he murmured before turning away from the window and heading into his study to make a call.



-



"Are we there yet?" the trio of children chorused, causing avein in Itachi's forehead to throb violently.



"No." he hissed, trying to master his annoyance and concentrate on driving. He didn't want to get into an accident...or did he? No, he decided, crashing the car wouldn't be the best way to silence the three children. 'Why didn't I just have the chauffeur drive?' he wondered in vain.



"Are we there yet?"



"No!" Three giggles answered him. Itachi was no fool; he knew that they were trying to piss him off on purpose for their own entertainment. Or at least Naruto and Sasuke were; the girl was probably just going along with the crowd. Damned mob mentality.



"Are we-"



"NO! And stop asking or I'm turning this car around right now!" he added for good measure. That did it all right.



"But you promised us a surprise!" Naruto pouted and turned to his newfound friend for comfort. "Anko-chan, Itachi-niichan is being mean to me!" Anko patted him on the head like one would a noisy puppy and shot an angry glare at Itachi, a glare he happily returned full force via the rearview mirror. Unsurprisingly, he won.



Sasuke, meanwhile, peered jealously over at Anko, who was now cradling Naruto's head in her lap. Naruto himself had closed his eyes and was making small noises that greatly resembled purring as Anko played with his hair lovingly. The younger Uchiha wondered briefly what it felt like to hold someone like that.



"We're almost there. You can see it out the windows if you look." Sasuke couldn't help but appreciate Itachi's ability to ruin a moment, though he didn't blame his older brother in the slightest. Quite the opposite in fact. This girl was fast becoming a threat in Sasuke's eyes. She had to be stopped and soon...for the good of their baby brother! At least that's what he told himself and after all; ignorance is bliss.



"Wow!" Naruto and Anko gasped together as their destination came into view. Sasuke turned to look out of the window and dropped his mouth in awe. They were fast approaching the happiest place on earth...



"Disneyworld!" Naruto screamed, managing to jump in his seat despite the considerable obstacle his seatbelt imposed.



Itachi couldn't suppress the smile that fought its way to his lips on seeing their reaction. They all looked so perfect like that, innocence and anticipation in their eyes, their cute faces radiating happiness. They were going to have the time of their lives, or they would have, if only Itachi had been watching the road just a bit more closely.



"Niichan lookout!"



Too late...



-



When Itachi came to it took him a minute to remember what had happened. They were approaching Disneyworld, the kids were ecstatic, Naruto had looked positively breathtaking and then... and then they had been hit by a massive transport truck and been sent flying off the road



"Naruto!" Itachi screamed, springing up and wincing in pain. His left arm was definitely broken and his leg didn't seem do be doing too much better. He craned his neck around to look in the backseat and found another pair of eyes identical to his own staring back at him. Sasuke. His little brother's eyes were filled with so many emotions that they made him pause, despite their situation. Fear, hurt, anger, sadness; all were present and made even worse because Itachi knew that he was the cause. But that wasn't what was important now. "Sasuke are you OK?"



The younger Uchiha nodded and pointed to the floor behind the driver's seat. "Naruto." The tone of his Sasuke's voice made Itachi shiver in fear, something that he couldn't ever remember doing before.



Completely forgetting his own injuries, Itachi got out of the car and opened the rear door. There on the floor, covered in glass and blood, lay his unconscious baby brother.



"Shit, Naruto! He fished his cell phone out of his pocket and finding it miraculously undamaged, tossed it to Sasuke. "Call 911 and tell them to get an ambulance out here immediately." Itachi ordered, picking his unconscious brother up and laying him down on the glass. The blood was coming from a nasty gash across the blonde's forehead and a series of smaller ones on his cheeks.



"Itachi-niichan..." Sasuke said, sounding sick. Itachi would have disregarded him if not for the fact that he had called him 'niichan', something only Naruto was prone to do.



"What is it Sasuke?" he asked, looking up from Naruto's unconscious form.



"The ambulance is on their way but..."



"But what?"



"I think Anko is dead."



Itachi said nothing; he only went back to checking over Naruto. This couldn't really be happening. It had to be a horrible dream! Itachi kept repeating the mantra over and over again, willing his mind to believe it, but unfortunately it didn't stop him from passing out a few minutes later, just as the ambulance arrived.



"Naruto..."



-

Beep. Beep. Beep.



The monitoring machine in the hospital room chirped on, heedless of the silent struggle taking place within the mind of its occupant.



Uchiha Itachi was currently lost in the dark sea that formed his subconscious, battling against his inner demons. Anger, fear, guilt, along with a hundred other emotions flooded Itachi's dreams, despite his best efforts to suppress them. And through it all, Itachi saw Naruto again and again, unconscious and bleeding, and remembered that he was the cause. His adorable little brother had been hurt, maybe even killed, because of his negligence. It was a bitter pill to swallow.



Suddenly, Itachi was aware of distant voices. They sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite recognize them due to the fog surrounding his mind.



"-could have been killed!"



"Dear calm down."



"-told you he was unstable! This tears it Mikoto, this time I'm really serious! For everyone's sake Itachi has got to go."



A pause.



"Very well, I'll give my consent. Go and inform them."



Footsteps and a heavy sigh.



"Forgive me Itachi and goodbye. It's for the best this way."



Silence.



-



When Itachi finally came to, he remembered nothing of the overheard conversation. He opened his eyes to find a young nurse arranging some flowers on the nightstand beside his bed.



"Oh, you're awake Uchiha-san! I'll go and inform your parents at once." she said upon noticing her patient watching her.



Itachi tried to remember why he was in the hospital and for five glorious seconds drew a complete blank; then it hit him.



"Naruto!" he cried, sitting up only to wince as a wave of nausea and pain washed over him.



"Don't try to move." a gruff voice came from the door. Itachi looked over towards the source and was met by the hard gaze of his father.



"How are they?" he asked at once, not bothering to hide the worry in his voice.



His father sighed wearily and moved to sit down beside the bed before answering. "They'll be alright. Sasuke only had a few minor cuts and bruises and Naruto is stable now. He'll carry the scars from this accident the rest of his life though."



"And the girl?"



"She's alive, but barely. They're monitoring her in the ICU. She had a lot of internal bleeding, but they managed to stop it and repair the damage during surgery. That Dr. Tsunade really is a marvel."



Itachi breathed a visible sigh of relief at the news. Everyone was ok. Everything was going to be fine...



Seeing his eldest son smile after so many years almost broke Fugaku's resolve, but in the end he held firm. "There's something else we need to discuss Itachi."



That tone, Itachi recognized that tone. It was the same one his father used on so many occasions during his ruthless transactions. Oh yes, Itachi knew that tone...



"For awhile now your mother and I have been concerned about you. There's no doubt in either of our minds that you're gifted beyond compare, but you lack discipline. So, I've decided upon a solution." He paused, waiting for a response from his son and, receiving none, continued on. "A friend of mine in the military has been interested in you for quite some time now. I think you've met Major Orochimaru once or twice before haven't you? Anyway, he believes that you would be a fine addition to his unit and Ifor one agree with him.



"You can't be serious." Itachi replied, shocked at his father's tactics. He had expected some kind of retaliation, but not /this/.



"I am dead serious Itachi. You haven't shown any interest in joining me at the company or any career of your own. What's more, you're abad influence on your brothers, especially Sasuke now that he must take your place as heir. This incident was the last straw. Your mother and I both agree that the strict training regimen of the military will be just the thing to straighten you out."



"But you can't just force me to join!" Itachi protested, still too dazed to come up with any other argument.



Fugaku smiled grimly at his son's desperation. The boy was normally so unshakable that this was a refreshing change. He was backed into acorner now and they both knew it. "Ah, but I can. You're not 18 yet and I'm still legally responsible for you. And the Major is making a special exception in your case."



"But..."



"No buts. The decision is final. When you are well enough the Major will be coming by to get you. I'll send your necessities after we return home."



"Do I even get to say goodbye to Naruto and Sasuke?" Itachi asked, his voice cold with the realization that he had finally lost to his father.



"No, they're coming home with us tonight. You've done enough damage to them already. We're going to tell them that you've died from your injuries and hopefully spare them any further damage on your part."



Itachi couldn't contain his anger any longer. To be forced into the army was one thing, but to lose his brothers, to lose Naruto... "What!? You can't do that to them, I won't let you!" He tried to rise and strike his father, but fell back, too weak from the crash to manage anything other than asingle swipe.



Fugaku easily avoided the feeble attack and sighed with resignation. "I'm sorry it had to be this way my son, but you've left us no choice." Without another word, he got up and left, leaving Itachi all alone in the world and at the mercy of his emotions.



Beep. Beep. Beep.





There, now that the prologue is finally in order, we can get on to the actual story. I'm kinda pissed that the hits count for this story has dropped from 15000 to 4000 thanks to my chapter merging, but oh well. Please review with any questions, comments, or criticisms.