My Snippets: Part 2

Dating Woes

Break-ups can be difficult, but especially when you don't really understand why it happened in the first place.

A sasusaku snippet, but told in Itachi's pov as he has a conversation with Sasuke about it.

Young, academy aged Sasuke and Sakura. Non-massacre AU. Attempting to make it a wholesome brother moment. (I have probably done something similar to this already... but hey... it's the idea my brain came up with so I'm going with it.)

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When Sasuke came home from school that day, Itachi was immediately alert to the overly dramatic actions... and dark aura surrounding him... as he dropped his pack roughly by the front door, threw his shoes to the side before coming to sit across the kitchen table from him with a low, and clearly frustrated, huff. The dark-haired decided to quietly observe for a moment, while he contemplated how to approach the situation properly.

He knew that Sasuke could be a bit sensitive when it came to discussing his deeper feelings, and didn't want to upset his youngest sibling any more than what was necessary to get the information that he required.

So instead, he took notice that the normally gentle frown on his brother's lips was more pronounced this afternoon than usual, and any attempt that he had made to converse with the youngster... had gone relatively unanswered; it turned into a mostly one-sided conversation... with the occasional disgruntled snort or rather indignant huff from his youngest sibling. Their mother's daily 'after school snack'... that she had painstakingly spent hours making wasn't even enough to brighten the boy's soured mood.

Yes, something was definitely wrong.

Itachi cleared his throat and decided to try again, only this time he would be much more blunt... since subtle gestures and off-handed comments obviously weren't working in his favor. When Sasuke finally returned his gaze... he decided to probe him; calmly stating, "Sasuke, what's wrong?"

He expected zero response in return, even going so far as to picture the little boy rising to his feet in an angry huff... yelling out something along the lines of "it was none of his business", before quickly exiting the room with the graceful flourish of a childhood tantrum. But instead, he watched as his brother's shoulder sagged in defeat, his head hung low as if he was ashamed.

When he spoke, he sounded completely disheartened and sad. With his voice barely above a whisper, Sasuke said, "I got dumped today."

Itachi blinked, confused. "What?"

Sasuke sighed and placed his head on the table in front of him, not so gently, before shaking his head. "Sakura broke up with me today...," he mumbled, and Itachi couldn't stop the corner of his lips from lifting ever so slightly. So...this is what was causing his little brother so much strife. His cute, little pink-haired companion, (Haruno, was it?) had decided to dump him, and his brother was taking it rather hard.

Trying to see this from a six-year old's perspective... Itachi schooled his expression, and continued their conversation with a follow up question. "Why?" Sasuke tilted his head to the side, cheek resting on the wood; his eyes dark and lips pulled into a deep, unsettled frown.

"She said that I'm too clingy...," he grumbled, before sitting up again. His eyes flashed with determination. "But I don't think so."

"How so?"

"She says I don't let her talk to the other boys. I hog all her attention. But...I don't like it when she talks to Naruto!!! He likes her too! He might steal her away from me." His brows drew down as his frown deepened. "I won't let him!!! She's my girlfriend, not his!"

"I thought you said she broke up with you," Itachi stated as he tilted his head slightly. "That doesn't make her your girl anymore, does it?" This set his little brother off into a fit of frustration... and his head once again banged roughly and loudly against the surface of their kitchen table.

"Girls are... annoying. How do you do it? Deal with them I mean."

Itachi placed a hand over his mouth to hide his smile and cleared his throat as a means of giving himself some time to gather his thoughts. "Women have complicated minds, Sasuke. You can study them for years...and even then, not fully understand their complexity and way of thinking." The youngest Uchiha frowned, a loud groan leaving his lips, as he sat up slowly and scrubbed his hands down his face.

"So, what do I do?"

"Do you like her? Sakura, I mean."

"Yes."

"A lot?"

"Yes."

Itachi fluently rose to his feet and reached across the table to ruffle his brother's hair with left hand, before tapping him gently on the forehead with two fingers. "Then tell her how you feel. She'll come around, I'm sure. Just remember, you can't control who she talks to or what she does, Sasuke. If you like her and she likes you... it'll all work itself out in the end."

His brother scrubbed at the spot on his forehead furiously with a tight-lipped frown, but seemed to take his words to heart as he let out a soft sigh seconds afterward. "I guess you're right. I'll tell her... tomorrow."

"Good, now eat your snack or mother will throw a fit...," he said as he placed the plate of goodies on the table in front of the youngster. With a renewed sense of determination, Sasuke practically dove into his snack hungrily... eager for the day to end and for what tomorrow would bring.

Itachi could only shake his head and smile.