Don't Stare at the Sun or You'll Go Blind

Chapter 15

His mother was the first to speak. "Oh, Itachi," Mikoto whispered her hand gently running over Itachi's cheek. Itachi looked resigned as he lowered his eyes from his reflection and returned the kunai that Sasuke had lent him.

"I believe that now is not the time to discuss this," Itachi hinted as his eyes faded back to black. His mother nodded mournfully in response while doing her best to wipe away her tears. Sasuke pushed himself onto his feet when he saw Itachi start to rise, and they both helped their mother to her feet when she shakily tried to stand.

"But there is much to discuss," Fugaku said with a deep frown. He gave Itachi an even stare for a few beats until Itachi gave the smallest nod of acknowledgement. Sasuke was mildly surprised to also receive Fugaku's heavy stare, instinctually wanting to roll his eyes with a sneer. But upon catching Itachi's silently beckoning look, Sasuke paused. While he was displeased at Itachi's request, Sasuke did nod with a deep sigh. He was not looking forward to the coming exchange.

"It would appear that you were not the only one brought back," Itachi said, now looking off into the distance. They all turned to watch as a small crowd was starting to gather, survivors climbing out from the piles of rubble. Even from where they stood, the voices in the crowd sounded energetic and loud.

Sasuke still wasn't sure just what had happened to him. He knew that he had used the last of his chakra to subdue the kyuubi, a choice that meant certain death by chakra exhaustion. He still clearly remembered every vision he'd seen afterward- glimpses of possible futures and alternate pasts. They had all started peacefully enough, frequently featuring Naruko or Itachi. But they all ended the same, with him surrounded by death until his own life ended. Sometimes, it was Itachi slaying their entire family before killing him. Other times, the kyuubi had managed to escape, killing Naruko and destroying the village in the process.

It had been hell.

As he walked with his family towards the crowd of survivors, Sasuke was doing his best not to display any of the panic that was sitting in his chest. There was a voice in the back of his mind whispering that this wasn't real and Itachi was only seconds from attacking him. Fortunately, his mother's tight hold on his arm was providing some comfort and helping him ease back into himself. If he wasn't careful, Itachi would sniff out his strange behavior within minutes.

Sasuke scanned the faces in the crowd, recognizing only a handful of people. He could see his former classmates amongst their respective families, some Uchiha clan members embracing each other while shooting their family less than subtle looks, and-

"Mikoto!" Kushina's loud voice exclaimed seconds before the red-haired woman was tightly embracing his mother. "I'm so glad you're alright, 'ttebane! Itachi-kun! Sasuke-kun!" Kushina shouted before quickly embracing him and his brother. Itachi hadn't had enough time to react before the whirlwind that was Kushina struck. The woman had even managed to pull Fugaku in for a quick hug. If anyone hadn't been looking their way before, they were now.

"Minato went to find Naruko. I can't believe that she managed to slip away from me! I thought raising a girl would be easier than raising a boy. But that girl's going to be the death of me, dattebane," Kushina said with a deep exhale and a hand over her chest," Kushina moaned.

"I know what you mean," Mikoto replied and softly pat Kushina's back soothingly. Mikoto shot a meaningful look his way, making Sasuke straighten with a small frown.

"Itachi!"

In a rare show of vulnerable emotionality, Itachi fully welcomed Izumi's teary embrace with a loose one of his own. Sasuke felt almost uncomfortable to witness such a publicly affectionate display coming from his brother, but the feelings were squashed by a tight squeeze from Shisui. "You scared me half to death, Sasuke. How was I supposed to explain anything to Itachi?" Shisui said jokingly while nuzzling into the top of his head.