This does not look like Konoha. [Active/Open]

[simpleambitions]

Who: A seven-year-old Sasuke Uchiha and anyone who'd like to join him!
Where: The parlor. He's freaked out and not moving a whole lot just yet.
When: Day 02
What: Sasuke is lost, confused, and definitely not happy.
Warnings: Uhh. Lost children!

Comments

(assumed sometime later /o/)

[vindication]

With Shisui safely ensconced in bed, drugged to the gills and hopefully recovering from the horror he'd experienced, Itachi had assumed the mission of scout, keeping to the shadows as he wandered the hallways of this quiet, eerie place.

Though ... it had been less mission and more escape, hadn't it? At least here, in the near silence, in his own company, he could admit that much. Threaded through with fear that there would be no one there upon his return, that it had just been a ... twisted, triggered memory, seized upon by genjutsu --

-- he still hadn't found a way out of it. Granted, there had been distraction, but he'd even managed to lose track of the time.

Itachi shivered as he retraced the steps he'd taken, not so long ago. He was building a map in his mind, peeking his head into rooms with cracked doors, almost aimless. Even if he knew the precise number of steps to bring him back to that cluttered room, he had not felt so lost in years.

He'd almost made it back to the beginning, back to that entryway, likely still stained with Shisui's blood. He shivered at the thought, and briefly considering turning away; the dust had been thick, and Itachi's lungs still ached from those long, painful minutes spent there. It wasn't so much avoidance, as --

-- Itachi paused, motionless, suddenly silent. He thought he heard a voice, familiar and ... painful, staggeringly so, the yawning ache of finding one lost companion driven even wider.

Genjutsu, again. Here, it seemed, he'd found a second test.

Itachi took a deep breath, struggling to center himself -- suddenly glad that he'd stowed the badges of affiliation with Akatsuki, not that most would understand the significance. It did not matter, he thought, and realized it was a lie. A strange feeling twisted in his gut, and he pushed it away, fiercely.

Time to do this, then.

Silently, he padded toward the open door. The voice he'd heard was his little brother's after all, and he knew that Sasuke had ever been an impatient child.

[simpleambitions]

The shadow fell across the room, menacing in its sudden silence, and his breath instinctively caught in his throat. He had to stay quiet, get to some place safe where he could observe the situation. That was what a ninja was supposed to do, right? He was scared, though, scared to move, scared of drawing attention to himself.

The man slipped inside the room, and Sasuke immediately felt himself shrinking back. He was tall, and there was something about him that was almost intimidating. But, the longer his dark eyes flickered over the man's face, the more the fear began to fade, choked out by an unexplainable curiosity.

"...Nii...san?" The word trembled in the still air.

It was him! It was!! But he was taller somehow, his eyes marred with the bloody red of the Sharingan, but Sasuke didn't care about any of that at the moment. He all but threw himself at his brother's legs with the ferocity only a younger sibling could muster, clinging to him as though afraid Itachi would suddenly sip back into the shadows.

"Nii-san! You're here!" Everything was going to be fine now, somehow. Itachi would make it better. He was the best ninja in all of Konoha. Whoever had done this--they wouldn't stand a chance against his brother.

[vindication]

Itachi could not stop the tremble that stole into his limbs, matching that soft, quavering voice. This wasn't real. Wasn't real, was ... genjutsu, the brutal plundering of those things kept tightly locked in his mind.

Amazing, the perspective maturity -- years and experience -- could grant a person. If only he had gained wisdom, as well.

His eyes flickered to the plush, the tiny, chubby arm that encircled it. Roary, his mind offered, and he could not hold back the faint twist of a despairing smile that touched his thin lips. All that energy and enthusiasm ... it had felt endless, then, like that promised next time really was only tomorrow away. "Sasuke," he said softly -- recalling what it felt like to close his fingers around fragile bones until they gave.

It seems your brother has killed Orochimaru, Itachi-san.

Knowledge was a knife, and its blade scored deep. He looked into those wide, dark eyes, still unbroken by the terrible power of their bloodline, still absolutely trusting in the sanctity of their bond as brothers. Still --

Innocent.

It was a struggle to draw breath through his clenched throat, though the devastating sickness in his lungs lay mostly quiescent. A hand reached out, resting on top of that shock of dark hair, and he extracted himself just enough to bend on one knee, eyes almost level with his brother's.

"I'm here," he said simply, and perhaps Sasuke was too young -- too inexperienced, still -- to recognize all that lurked beneath the surface of that soft pronouncement.

[simpleambitions]

He took the kneeling to be some sort of invitation, wrapping his arms around Itachi's neck and clinging to him with open, joyful relief. Roary has fallen to the floor at this point, entirely forgotten with the arrival of Sasuke's favorite person.

"You're taller," The boy finally muttered after a moment, rocking back on his heels while his fingers curled into the fabric covering his brother's shoulders. There was a beat of confusion, his eyes flickering over Itachi's face again and again as though to sort out exactly how and why his brother had changed so suddenly. He seemed older somehow--sadder, too. Sasuke didn't know why he was sad, and, after a moment, seemed to brighten.

Lifting his fingers, he very gently made to poke Itachi's nose, a parody of bruised forehead that Sasuke was still sporting. "Can... we go home now, nii-san? I don't like it here." He asked tentatively after a moment, unwinding himself from Itachi long enough to gather up Roary again. If his older brother wasn't careful, he was going to get that dinosaur shoved lightly in his face.

[vindication]

Stunned beyond measure, there was little Itachi could do against it. Like Shisui, Sasuke could have been an exploding clone, and Itachi would have walked right into it, arms curling around fragile shoulders half a breath before the blast.

Almost poetic, really.

But there was none of that, only Sasuke and his trust, impossibly small as he clung to Itachi, still smelling of shampoo and home. Sasuke, studying him now with worry creasing his forehead, making the obvious observation even as he sought out the rest.

What do you see with those eyes, Sasuke?

Itachi blinked at the gesture, offering a faint smile in return. The question was a serious one, and Itachi wasn't sure how to answer; he had no idea where they were, much less how to get ... home. Instead, he tilted his head, waiting while his brother gathered up the plush, unable to look away.

Were their parents lurking somewhere within this sprawling house? At the moment, it seemed unbearably likely. "We'll have to stay for a little while," he said at last, carefully choosing his words. "But I'll take you somewhere better than this, okay?" Would the others be there when he returned?

Itachi did not want to voice impossible promises. He'd spent enough of his life lying to the boy, in one way or another.

[simpleambitions]

They had to stay? His brows furrowed into a frown as he thought about that, settling his chin on Roary's soft head to better contemplate. He didn't want to stay here. Not really. But that wasn't Itachi's fault--no, after what Nina had said, it sounded like everyone was trying to look for a place back home...

They just hadn't found it yet.

So, the boy merely let his face break out in a smile, reaching out to grab a few of Itachi's fingers in his fist so that he could be led to this better place. If Itachi had said so, then he'd trust him.

"Alright, nii-san. But<," And this was a very serious pause, Roary's face being pushed against his brother's cheek to solidify the weight of his words, "You have to show me how to do the kunai trick when we get back, okay? You promised."

And Itachi had been busy, he knew that... but hew as still a little boy, who's entire world selfishly revolved around himself, and his family. The thought of something bigger and darker overshadowing them all wasn't something he could comprehend.

[vindication]

Itachi shouldn't have been surprised, but he was -- sheer will keeping him from flinching back from that greedy, tiny grasp. This was ... cruel. For a brief moment, Itachi wondered if it wasn't Sasuke -- the Sasuke of his present -- who had done this.

But Sasuke lacked such subtlety. Besides, Itachi was confident he knew the limit of the boy's power, and he was not yet capable of this, not even with Orochimaru's instruction. Leaving ... what?

He endured the press of the worn toy against his face, closing an eye lest it be injured in Sasuke's enthusiasm, fingers twitching as they finally closed around the boy's hand, encircling, offering silent reassurance. Safety.

When we get back. "Of course," he agreed softly, his face softening as he stood and glanced back at the door. That crushing feeling, he thought, would pass -- should he be granted time to get used to it -- as all pain must pass. Depressingly, it seemed that fate demanded he lie once more. "When we get back."

[simpleambitions]

Sasuke beamed at his older brother for that, squeezing said fingers with obvious affection. "Nii-san," He began again, peering up at Itachi's face. "Why are you so much older now? And what are you wearing?" The clouds were kind of pretty.

Sasuke kind of wanted one.

"Have you been here a long time? Were you all alone?" His brother was a ninja--he was used to it, but that didn't mean Sasuke had to like the thought. This place was creepy. "Oh, nii-san... Someone said there are monsters here. In this house. But there are safe places we can hide when that happens, so they shouldn't find us..."

[vindication]

...and then the questions -- Sasuke had been so full of them. Unfortunate for Itachi, that he had no answers, nothing to ease the boy or himself. "I guess I grew up a little fast," he admitted with a shrug -- encouraging the boy to move beyond the question. How was he supposed to answer that? "Or maybe you're just dreaming, Sasuke. It's a little weird, don't you think?" Itachi arched an eyebrow at that second question. "A cloak. It's warm, at least."

At least he'd left the scarred, pitted remnant of his hitae-ate in the room; Sasuke would certainly have questions about that, the kind that Itachi didn't think another fifty years would prepare him to answer.

"I haven't been here long, no -- and I was alone. For a little while." Seconds, really, but the boy did not need to know that, not yet. Besides that, it was far more satisfying to surprise Sasuke than to disappoint, and even Itachi was not immune to the hint of indulgence that crept into his attitude when it came to dealing with him. More importantly, though --

"Monsters?" Itachi felt uneasy enough in the house, certainly, but had not encountered anything dangerous. "Who told you that?"

[simpleambitions]

"M'not dreaming." He insisted with a huff, reaching out to touch the said cloak in order to feel for himself if it were warm or not. To his surprise, it was. "You're always weird, so maybe it makes sense." He grinned a little cheekily, and clearly he thought he was clever. Oh, the things that Itachi was going to have to deal with for who knows how long.

His face fell a little, but he was glad that his brother hadn't been by himself in this place for too long. "Nina did. She's stuck here, too. She said she's been here a whole day already, and at night time, the monsters came out."

Sasuke looked uncertain again, his grip tightening minutely on Itachi's fingers. "But she said that the monsters stayed away, 'cause Edward told her where to hide."

[vindication]

"Are you certain, Sasuke?" Itachi asked lightly, glancing down as the boy reached out to take hold of that cloak, unknowing what it represented -- and seemingly pleased with it. He did not believe in omens, but he held back a shudder of revulsion, nonetheless. "It's heavy," he warned absently, as if that was enough to keep him away.

And his lips quirked at his brother's clumsy attempt at cleverness, though he was charmed nonetheless -- amazing, that with everything, that had not faded at all. He watched the sudden drop of expression, heart clenching briefly; Sasuke wanted their parents, he was certain. For all Itachi embodied to the boy, they were the wellspring of safety and comfort, and in a place like this, both would be wanted. Still, he was somewhat surprised to learn that his little brother had been collecting information --

--and none of it pleasant. Genjutsu, he reminded himself, but a part of his mind was beginning to know doubt.

"Is Nina a friend of yours?" He glanced at the hallway -- quiet, somewhat eerie but otherwise unremarkable, wondering what was meant by monsters. A euphemism? Strangely uniformed ninja? He felt the concern in Sasuke's grip, and glanced back at the boy with a troubled look. "Did she say what sort of monsters?"

'Monsters'.

And I have left behind two injured men, unattended.

[simpleambitions]

"If I were dreaming, you'd look exactly the same!" He insisted, but now he didn't look quite as certain. There was a soft huff at the mention of the cloak's weight, and Sasuke knew enough to take the hint. He'd leave it alone--for now. He had better things to focus on, like Roary in one hand, and Itachi's fingers in the other, after all.

"Uh-huh," Sasuke said almost absently, glancing towards the piano as if Nina would suddenly reappear there. "I met her before you showed up. I don't know where she went..."

He shook his head quickly. Nina hadn't said a word about what kind of monsters they were. Monsters were monsters. They didn't need to be labeled, did they? The look in Itachi's eye made him cringe inwardly, just a little. He should have asked more questions, been able to provide more information.

"She said they came out at night. She hid... in the study." He could recall that much, at least.

[vindication]

Some long-buried instinct urged him to push, to ask if Sasuke was absolutely sure, but those were thoughts from the mind of a boy who no longer existed -- was no longer allowed to exist. He set aside the temptation, unwilling to disturb the boy any more than necessary, especially with talk of things like monsters.

Oh, he was curious -- not enough to risk confrontation with this child in tow. Not enough to leave the others unknowing of potential danger. "Is Nina a child?" It sounded like it, the way Sasuke described her -- an adult would have been met with more suspicion, he was certain. Itachi did not need to rely on that dusty sense of almost preternatural awareness of the boy to sense his chagrin, and offered a quick smile to soothe it. "You've learned quite a bit -- a lot more than I have. You've done good, Sasuke."

All the while, he was filing away information in his mind, trying to get a feel for the hidden dangers of this place. Literal or not, there seemed to be an enemy. But why -- why them? Why like this?

And where was this study?

[simpleambitions]

"Yeah." As though he himself wasn't a child, though he was only two or three years older than Nina at best. "She said she couldn't find her dad, or her dog. And she came from a village I never heard of." He blinked a minute at the praise, almost as though taken aback, and then beamed up at his older brother. He had found out a lot, hadn't he?

He could tell that Itachi was thinking, and rocked quietly on his heels for a moment in an attempt to be patient. It wasn't particularly successful, but it would buy the older nin some time to sort through all of this new information.

"The door wouldn't open." Sasuke pointed out as well, twisting around and glancing at what had to be the exit. "Maybe they're stuck. Or locked."

[vindication]

A quiet sigh -- a damning thought, one he felt disinclined to share with any of his associates here, but Itachi had little time to worry about other children, not with the specter of his own younger brother here. Another handicap, really, but at least Sasuke wasn't anywhere near as observant as Shisui or Kakashi.

So. Other people. He'd never met anyone named Nina, much less a child, thus -- what? Was this an illusion that trapped indiscriminately? "Did she say what village, Sasuke?"

Perhaps who was wrong. Was it possible he'd tripped some sort of ward? It seemed incredibly unlikely; he'd have known, given the power needed to invoke it.

"That might be true," he said absently; he'd not had much time to spend looking at escape routes, with the excitement of Shisui and Kakashi's arrival ... nor did he think he'd have much time now, with Sasuke clinging to him. Things had become quite complicated, quite quickly, and Itachi could feel how off-balance he was -- any one of these recent events would have been enough to give him pause, but all of them, all in one continues tumble ... well.

Itachi had needed somewhere quiet, to think, to plan. It was beginning to look like he was ever to be denied. "We'll just have to find a key then, won't we?"

[simpleambitions]

"No... In fact, she said she didn't come from a village. She didn't even know what Konoha [i]was[/i]. She was from a city." The name already escaped him, but he did have another important piece of information for his brother! "And she has a dog! His name is Alexander, and he's big and white." Yes, vital information indeed.

There was a low, contemplative sound at the mention of a key. Sasuke somehow did not seem convinced. "You couldn't just break it down, nii-san?" Or burn it down, but that might catch the entire house on fire, and put everyone at risk. That was why he hadn't tried it himself, after all!

But. If Itachi wanted them to find a key, then Sasuke would make sure to crawl under all of the tables and into all of the closets to look for it. He'd show Itachi how useful he could be now!

"I'm glad you're here, nii-san." The boy felt like he owed his brother an explanation. "I was... I was sort of scared before. Not really, because I'm almost a real ninja now--but a little." Only a little.