Sasuke had only been 9 when a soldier, dressed in the uniform of a marine, had came to his home, stating his elder brother had died in battle. They were given the purple heart in honor of him, as well as a flag and a beautiful funeral service. 

Unlike his other family members, Sasuke didn't cry, as he truly believed that Itachi would keep true to his words: Maybe Next Time.

Every time he was down about it, Naruto had been there to cheer him up, hating how sad the Uchia could get.

Naruto was, as Sasuke learned, stange in every way. The blond always visited him at night in the woods, in place of his elder brother, never mentioning where he came from, or who he was. It wasn't all that important to Sasuke, so he never bothered to ask, and frankly, he didn't care.

All that really mattered was the he had someone to talk to.

They had talked about many things, everything, in fact. Sasuke would go on about his elder brother, telling tales of how amazing he was, although it did him no justice. 

When Itachi had died, Sasuke continued to tell his stories as if he never died, still in denial of his big brother being gone for good. 

Of course, Naruto had never minded the stories of Itachi, even if it was mostly to brag about having an amazing brother like his. Something about the way Sasuke lit up at the very mention of Itachi made him happy, and he wondered if others felt that way too.

"There was this one time he took me hunting, and a wild boar came along. He was huge, and I was trying to take him down with a bow and arrow. I missed and hit the tree, so Itachi had to step in and save me, like always. I broke my leg that day, but it was worth it." Sasuke giggled as he unconsciously rubbed the leg he broke. 

Naruto smiled, his eyes shining under the light of the moon.

"I remember this one time I met a fox, a fox that was meant to be killed. Everyone thought he was killing the other pets, but I knew he wasn't. I played with him, even fed him. One day I came home to hear a fox had been killed, my fox. After that, I vowed to never harm an animal, as they feel what we feel" Naruto whispered, that goofy smile never leaving his face.

Sasuke looked at Naruto as if he had grown a second head. After the time they spent together, Naruto never revealed something personal like that.

"How did you find this place?" Sasuke asked, causing Naruto's smile to falter a little, vanishing as soon as it had come, replaced once again by a cheesy smile.

"I stumbled upon it looking for the fox, even though I knew he was gone. I still looked, and instead of a fox, I found a duck" He giggled. 

Sasuke rubbed the back of his head, pushing his lips out into a pout face. He hated when people called him a duck; it made him self-conscious about his hair as he had no control over the shape it had took.

"Well, I'm glad you came here. I've never had many friends, only elder brother." Sasuke said. 

Naruto nodded his head as if to agree he was happy as well as he, too, didn't have any friends. The blond then pulled Sasuke into a hug, tightening his arms around him, and it reminded Sasuke of Itachi.

"Thank you, Sasuke" Naruto whispered