Third person pov

Sasuke awkwardly shuffled through the Uchiha Clan Compound with his body wrapped in his sheet, his head ducked, and his eyes on the ground. He heard people call greetings his way, and he was sure people were waving, but looking at them ached far too much. It had been a long time since he'd seen them all. Still, he had lost them. Looking at them was an itching reminder of everyone else he'd lost in his life, part of the Uchiha clan or not. Or maybe part of him was ashamed of his clan, who betrayed the village so easily. Or tried to.

Sasuke navigated through the compound with surprising ease. He was a bit proud that he remembered the way to his house. Not that it was something one could easily forget. Getting there was easy. It was the least painful part, despite the friendly greetings and bright smiles sent his way. Going in would be the worst. Seeing his loving mother, his prideful father, and most of all, his caring and loyal older brother. Itachi would be the hardest, especially since Sasuke had been the one to kill him. 

Regret filled the young Uchiha, as did guilt, and he sighed heavily. As though the weight of the world had been placed on his shoulders and his shoulders alone, and he was being forced to haul it miles and miles uphill. That's what it felt like staring at that door. Just staring. Not even opening it or entering the building. Just thinking over all the possibilities of what could happen, and trying to imagine what would. It was nearly painful. How was he going to explain his arm? Tripping definitely wasn't a plausible enough excuse. Just last night he'd had an arm, and this morning he was covered in scars, and had a perfectly healed stump. He momentarily wondered if there was a way to explain. Sasuke, who was quite good at acting and coming up with lies on the spot, didn't know.

Taking in a deep breath, Sasuke reached out and pulled open the door. He was expecting just to walk in. Instead, he was pulled in and captured in a warm hug. It made his entire body go stiff, and his hand whipped down to where his weapons pouch should have been. His panic nearly set in when he didn't feel the familiar sack hanging on his thigh. "Oh, Sasuke, you're alright!" Mikoto pulled away, grabbing Sasuke's face and turning it about. The boy opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it again when nothing came to mind. This was... his mother. He should have been crying, but all he really felt was relief and joy. No tear-jerking emotions that were so intense they made his knees week. 

"Sasuke, we were just about to go look for you." Fugaku's voice was stony, but relieved. Sasuke peered over his mother's shoulder. "You worried us." Itachi's tone was chiding, and it made Sasuke's entire body freeze. His coal eyes widened, and he sucked in a sharp breath, as though all the air had been sucked out of him and he desperately needed to refill his lungs. He stared at the teenage Itachi, so young, and so happy. With his hair already long enough to be put in a ponytail, and a caring smile on his face, it was the same brother Sasuke remembered from the very last moments of their fight to the death.

"I-Itachi-nii." Sasuke stuttered, blinking rapidly. The teen blinked at him in a clueless sort of way, completely unaware of what he was doing. "What's wrong, Sasuke? Did something happen?" Itachi quizzed. Sasuke hugged his sheet tighter to his body, looking down. He took a slight step back to better look at his mother, who looked on the verge of tears. Sasuke scolded himself for nearly forgetting the sound of her voice. "Where were you, boy? And why are you wrapped in a bed linen?" Fugaku's questions had a sharp, demanding edge to them. 

"You let the end drag on the ground! Give it here, I'll put it in the wash." Mikoto fussed, pulling at the sheet. Sasuke jumped slightly as it was tugged away from him, sliding awkwardly over his shoulder. His only remaining hand immediately went to cover the stump, as though that could hide it. Sasuke winced when he saw his father's eyes widen. Mikoto let out a very loud gasp, and Itachi sucked in a sharp breath of air much like the one Sasuke had taken in when he'd spotted Itachi. 

"Y-Your arm!" Mikoto wailed, standing up. Sasuke stumbled away from her in panic, falling against the door and sliding down. Itachi rushed over, bringing tears to Sasuke's eyes. His breathing increased considerably. "D-Don't touch me!" The boy pressed himself against the sliding door as much as he could as Itachi reached out to him. The boy's older brother flinched slightly, eyeing Sasuke's stump with well-hidden horror. However, it wasn't hidden enough. Sasuke could see it clearly. He'd gotten used to looking past people's walls with Shikamaru and Naruto over the years.

"Sasuke, what happened to you?" Fugaku's words were full of concern, but still demanding, as though he were trying to live up to his name as clan head. Somehow, he still sounded strict. "I-I-" Sasuke found it hard to form words, instead staring at his brother, mother and father with all his emotions out in the open for them to see. The sudden confrontation about his arm and the sight of his dead relatives had made him vulnerable, and Sasuke knew he'd be cursing himself once he gathered his feelings up and locked them back away.

Itachi's heart dropped at the emotions swimming in Sasuke's eyes, and on his face. Those eyes... Itachi couldn't help but think of war. The war veterans he'd seen, the ones who'd been on the front line, they'd looked just like that. Hell, Sasuke looked even worse than they did, and it was horrifying to see. To see such a young boy with such a haunted look on his face, and in his eyes. Something bad had happened. Something that had been traumatizing. Did losing his arm have something to do with it? Had something happened last night? 

"Sasuke-kun." Mikoto wiped at her eyes as her five year old got up on shaky legs, clutching the remains of his left arm. "Sasuke, did something happen?" Itachi asked softly, crouching down. Complete and utter concern was plastered on his face, and that made it worse. It made it so much worse. "It's... hard to explain." Sasuke coughed a little as he regained himself, looking at the ground. "We have time." Fugaku assured. Sasuke gnawed on his lip.

"It all started last night, when I tripped."