4th of January, 2015

The snow had covered pretty much everything around at this point. It was falling so peacefully, so gracefully... Kisame loved it. He stretched his hand and let some snowflakes fall on it as he watched them with a smile. This big, muscular boy was in a playground, sitting on a bench. Right before his eyes was his best friend with his cute little brother, playing with snowballs. It looked like they are having a lot of fun, from which Kisame smiled once again. He reached into his bag and got himself a book. He was always reading while waiting for the game to be finished. This time it was Wuthering heights by Emily Bronte. The romantic genre was his favorite, which contrasted with his strong, manly looks. He got totally immersed in it, but as he turned the pages, a deep voice distracted him from the reading.

- Sasuke, let's end it for today.

Itachi was breathing heavily, holding to the wall next to him.

- Nii-san, are you tired already? We still don't know who won!

Sasuke ran closer to his brother, who gave him a sad smile and patted his head.

- Sorry, Sasuke, maybe next time.

Sasuke showed off his annoyed look for a second, but then jumped into the embrace of his brother, hugging him tight.

- Okay, next time I'm going to win for sure!

As he said this, he ran to the other side of the playground again and started making a snowman.

Kisame, noticing that something wasn't right, got up and rested his hand on Itachi's shoulder, which made the smaller boy flinch, as he didn't see him coming.

- Are you okay?

Kisame asked with a concern in his voice. Itachi quickly separated himself from the wall and removed some snow left on him from the snow battle.

- I'm fine.

He started walking to the bench that Kisame was sitting on a minute ago.

- Itachi, I'm worried about you.

- You shouldn't be, I'm alright.

Kisame just sighed and sat next to him while bringing out his book again. He could see clearly that lately Itachi wasn't feeling well and was getting worse with every single day, that's why he was constantly worried about the raven. Itachi, on the other hand, hated being pitied and seen as a weak person. Kisame was his best friend, the one who has always been by his side, always helping and protecting him, but sometimes, the overconcering was crawling on his nerves.

- You should go see a doctor. -Kisame said quietly, aware of the fact that the other won't listen no matter the tone.

Itachi was just silent. He couldn't stand hospitals. The thought of being in one was making him even sicker than he actually was. He was sure that it was nothing, he didn't need to go to a hospital.

- Let's get home. – Itachi stated with a monotone voice.

He got up and suddenly felt dizzy, losing his balance. Two strong hands caught him by the shoulders.

- I see how alright you are.

After regaining his balance, he moved away from Kisame's grip.

- Thanks.. - Itachi mumbled and immediately felt embarrassed. The good thing was that Sasuke didn't see anything.

- Sasuke, let's go home!

^^^

Soon, they were in front of the Uchiha's door. The two brothers basically lived alone, as their parents worked outside of the town and were rarely home. Kisame used this as an opportunity to be around the raven more, almost every day. Sasuke burst inside the apartment, still excited from the playing.

- Be careful, Sasuke!

The little boy just nodded and continued jumping around. Itachi got his jacket off and untied his hair. It was a little wet from the snow, so he traced his fingers through it to help it dry quicker. His long black hair was hypnotizing Kisame, who just stood there starring at the beautiful sight. The big boy was deeply in love with his best friend, but he knew damn well that it wasn't the case on the other side. This hurt like hell.

Itachi left his hair untied, falling all over his chest and shoulders. Kisame thought that this look suited him more, but he always wore it in a ponytail.

After an hour or so, Sasuke stopped whatever he was doing in his excitement and yawned.

- Who is sleepy? – Itachi asked, picking up his brother.

- Definitely not me!

As he said this, Sasuke yawned again, leaning his head on Itachi's chest.

- Let's get you to bed.

The two brothers had a very strong connection. The amount of love Itachi had for Sasuke was tremendous and sometimes Kisame felt jealous, as inappropriate as it sounds. He wanted to look at his beautiful onyx eyes forever, playing with his long shiny hair, feeling his soft pale skin, kissing his small lips... He would give anything for Itachi, even his own life.

The raven got back from the bedroom and sat on the couch.

- What are we going to do?- He asked.

- I don't know, maybe a movie?

Itachi nodded and started digging through the channels to find a decent movie to watch. Kisame's gaze was pinned away from the TV. He was mesmerized by the boy next to him, who had already changed into the t-shirt and the sweatpants he was sleeping with. After a while, he noticed that Itachi was rubbing his forearm.

- Are you cold?

Itachi didn't answer right after, but eventually, he did.

- A little.

Kisame got up and opened the drawer under the TV, from where he pulled out a blanket. He gently covered his friend whit it and sat back down. The smaller boy immediately relaxed under the warmth.

- Thank you.

- Everything for you, Itachi...

Little did they know what a disaster was waiting for them in the future...