brothers shouldn't hate brothers | closed
S.L. was starting to think that there was no such thing as an innocent request. One newcomer, in quarantine, asking after his people from home wasn't unusual; in fact, most everyone did that upon arrival. But this time her answer had been met with such rage and desperation that she honestly thought Sasuke would break out of his cell and make good
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And who would honestly create such an illusion? What purpose would it serve? To destroy Itachi's relationship with his new allies? But that was unlikely to work, given how crazed Sasuke had sounded.
The boy who arrived at S.L.'s office looked far more his age than he had before, outwardly calm, but his eyes downcast and his hands curled into fists despite his attempts to maintain his poise.
He looked up at her stoically as he entered the room, then turned to close the door for privacy. "You sent for me," he said, his voice almost a whisper.
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Though it's far from a pleasant explanation, and she was therefore hesitant to bring it up, it wouldn't do any good to drag it out either. Best to just state it. "There's no guarantee that it's the truth, of course. But at times we have had people taken from different points in time from the same place. He... may honestly be saying what he believes has happened in your future."
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He sighed and lowered his head, rubbing at the bridge of his nose.
"That...is an explanation that would fit all of the facts," he said. His lips thinned. "In which case, I owe you an explanation. But I beg you...if I tell you what I think may have happened, it must not leave this room. There is every chance that others from my home could come here, if Sasuke has."
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"I won't speak of it to anyone but my brother," she promised. "Aside from the obvious security issues, it isn't my business."
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"My...family is planning a coup," he said. "The history behind it is long and irrelevant at this point. Because of my position as an ANBU Captain, I've been placed as a double agent, watching their planning and reporting back to my government. This is part of a plan to try to negotiate and fix the problems that have caused resentment in my clan, to prevent war."
He bit his lip. "I don't know for certain, but if the negotiations fail, the results would be dire. A civil war in our village could ultimately destabilize the entire world. Perhaps...they were murdered to prevent war, and I was blamed for political reasons. Or perhaps I wielded the knife as well. I could do it, with help."
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She stuck to what was within her purview. "I'm sorry circumstances have forced you to reveal this to an outsider. It does explain things. Are you planning on telling him?"
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He was pleased she didn't try to express sympathy. He wouldn't have been sure exactly what to do with it. To him, it was only a hypothetical that hadn't even happened yet.
Her question presented him with some difficulties, though. "I don't see that I have a choice," he said slowly. "Sasuke seems bent on killing me, and for the safety of others here and the harmony of the Compound, there has to be some kind of resolution." He looked up, and pain was visible in his dark eyes. "We have always been very close... I only hope that he believes me."
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"We can't allow him to leave quarantine," he said firmly. "For all we know, some of this has to do with the zombie virus." He shuddered at the thought, but he forced himself to be realistic. "A guard is vital. And I'll supplement the guard personally, just in case, without allowing Sasuke to know I'm nearby. I know what he's likely capable of, and can deal with him if he gets past the guard."
The truth was, though, he had an ulterior motive behind that statement. He just wanted an excuse to be nearby, to listen and watch, and find out as much as he could about this strange, angry, older Sasuke.
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"And... on a more private note, I hope this is resolved between you." One of the hands in her lap tightened. "I know when I believed my brother capable of such things, it hurt me as well as him." It had been disorienting, unsettling even, to find herself unable to trust the one person she'd always had. It had changed her.
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He was relieved that S.L. seemed to understand, to sympathize with his position, though he hadn't expected it to be this easy. But as S.L. continued, his head came up and he looked at her anew, no longer surprised that she was being so understanding.
"I won't ask you about the circumstances," he said. It wasn't that he wasn't interested, but he figured it was far too private for him to ask. "But...I'm glad that the two of you were able to move past that."
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"I'm sure with time Sasuke will feel the same way." Especially if he didn't have any other family at all, that they'd all died. S.L. knew all too well how desperate that made someone for what few connections they had left. Of course, she was likely projecting too much in this case... how could she know anything she'd felt in a vaguely similar situation was at all true for him? Intuition was a weak answer to that. She just couldn't separate herself from the circumstances.
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"I hope you're right. If Sasuke's determined to kill me, I won't be able to stay here." There was no question that Sasuke would be the one to leave. Itachi's life meant little to him compared to his brother's safety.
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"I hope that with your influence, I'll be able to see him that way myself some day."
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