Dream ЖЖ 008
It's raining, but it is a gentle rain, falling down softly, pitter-patters making no more noise than the sound of his own breathing.
It's peaceful.
He's sitting by the underneath the tree in the training grounds--the overgrown ones that are slowly returning to the wild after years of disuse--watching the rain fall.
He doesn't know why he's there.
At first Itachi had just wanted to get away. To leave so he wouldn't have to see that demanding look in Father's eyes--the expectation, the pressure to fulfill the orders handed down to him that he shouldn't, couldn't agree to--or that sad, helpless look in Mother's--she doesn't know what to do, wants to get involved, but they are his sons now and her time with her child has long passed by the ways of their clan. He's too old for her to hug and coddle now--and escape to a place where he could just not think about it all.
Itachi had not even meant to come here, but the silence, the anonymity of nature had been both alluring and welcome.
So as he sits there, he allows the gentle breeze and light, cool droplets wash away the stress and uncertainty he feels. They shouldn't matter here, now, in this place. But they follow him everywhere.
He almost doesn't feel his presence, but there is a purposeful flare of chakra in the air. Tentative. A greeting.
He doesn't react, barely shifted his weight from where he was leaning against the tree. He waits.
There are soft footsteps now, barely noticeable, but Itachi is listening for them.
"You seem very good at finding me, to the point I would have to wonder if you have put a location seal on me somewhere."
He wants to apologize for his recent behavior, the aggressive and the obsessive recklessness, but he can't, so he doesn't. It would bring up more questions then he is willing to--able to--answer. It's better that he not be pulled into Itachi's own troubles.
"I wouldn't have bothered, I was nearby. You do know it's raining."
Always so flippant, disregarding, but Itachi doesn't believe him.
He sits down next to him, not bothering to ask for the permission Itachi would not have given--even though he never would have denied him either--and stretches out underneath the protective boughs of the tree. Itachi notices that his clothing is more than a little damp--hair wet and heavy as it fell over his face--so he has been outside in the rain for some time. Itachi wonders what he was doing before he found him.
Then he spies the bag sitting beside him on the ground. He doesn't mention it, so neither does Itachi.
They sit quietly for some time, and Itachi feels more calm and at peace than he has in days. Just him being there has such an affect on him--he needs him, wants him there, is so glad that he's come, he always knows when Itachi needs him the most--Itachi blinks a little, removing the dampness from his eyes, wondering when the winds picked up. He reaches up and has to tuck his long bangs behind his ear, to keep them from obstructing his vision.
"Here."
There is the bag again, suddenly dropping in his lap. Itachi stares at it. It feels warm, and there is an aroma to it. Food?
"I saved a woman who almost got ran over by a wild cart and she bought me this as thanks."
Itachi is opening the bag and the scent hits him directly in the nose. He can tell what they are so easily now.
"I hate dango, but you like them."
Itachi is smiling now, softly, but still so very obvious. He doesn't know how to respond at first--he thinks he wants to kiss him, but knows that it's not allowed, too off limits, too far into territory he's afraid to tread--
But Itachi can't help it.
"Are you sure this isn't an apology for forgetting my birthday?"
He doesn't respond, and Itachi doesn't take it to mean more than it does. What he has done is more than enough. So they sit, protected by the thick leaves of the tall tree, watching the refreshing rain, as Itachi eats his treat--at one point even trying to coax him take a bite--and Itachi wonders when he last had such a perfect day. His problems seem so far away and insignificant--he knows they exist, but they cannot touch him now.
All because of him.
I don't know what I would do without you...
Kakashi
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[Itachi awakens and is filled with a sense of contentment--and then abruptly his mood darkens. He didn't want to see this, to remember those times when things had been different... The Before. But it's too late and now--
Then Itachi realizes that everyone could see that dream. He reaches for his Hitomi and stares deeply into the screen for a moment. It's too late. He'll have to deal with the reprecussions when they come. The screen goes black.]