[The man's face is so serious that Itachi almost thinks he reminds him of his own Father, but Itachi nods and does as the man says, because he is an Uchiha, and Itachi doesn't know anyone in his clan that he should distrust.]
Okay.
[The coordinates are dispatched, but Itachi stares in confusion when his location is displayed right before they are sent. He looks around him, not understanding how he could have ended up in this place.]
Water Country? How did I get here?
[He's a bit more wary, a bit more on edge. He knows that Kirigakure and Konohagakure continuously go against each other--always enemies. Had he been captured by shinobi from Kiri and brought here to be used against his family? Fear fills his chest.
...Then what had happened to Sasuke? He looks back down at the device in his hand--the Hitomi, he reminds himself after looking at the name--and at the man on the screen.]
Do you know of my little brother, Sasuke? Has my father spoken of either of us being missing?
[He hopes his father would. He knows his mother must be driving herself to exhaustion with worry.]
Re: Privatea_for_tioriOctober 31 2009, 05:03:36 UTC
[There is something disgustingly ironic about that question.
Father hasn't spoken of anything in a very long time - because you killed him. You killed him. And as for Sasuke, you didn't kill him but maybe it would have been better if you had, rather than leaving him broken the way he is now. But Sasuke does not say these things, not least of all because this isn't the Itachi who ruined him. This Itachi - isn't real, he isn't real, don't think of him as if he's real - is his brother who takes care of him and plays with him and loves him unconditionally.
This Itachi is innocent.
It's strange, to think that Itachi might have been innocent once.
Absurd. This is absurd. This is an illusion, and so Sasuke has no reason to be anything but cruel. How fucking ridiculous, to hold his tongue to spare the feelings of someone who isn't real. Why is he doing it? He doesn't know. He has no idea whatsoever, except that somehow - even if it's false, to say something like that to this Itachi.
Even now, he can't stop clinging to illusions. Sasuke is vaguely disgusted with himself.]
Don't worry about me -
[... Fuck.]
Sasuke.
Don't worry about Sasuke.
[Sasuke feels a strange twinge in his chest, knowing that Itachi doesn't recognize him. He dismisses it. This. Is. Not. Itachi.]
Itachi is staring intently at the screen now, because this man shouldn't have made a mistake like that and Itachi hadn't said he was worried about him at all. Itachi is worried about Sasuke. They had been together, and Itachi is in Water Country and Sasuke is nowhere to be found, and Itachi doesn't even know how long he's been here, or who brought him here or why. He has a lot to worry about, but this man tells him not to, and he looks familiar, but Itachi can't say who he is. Itachi knows everyone in the clan, but can't remember this one person who he should.
He looks like Mother...maybe he's a cousin.]
My little brother was with me. I'm worried he may have been left alone or still back where I escaped from.
[He wants to trust this man, because something about him says he should. He sounds so assured, so certain. He's strong, Itachi knows.
But there was a whisper in Itachi's mind that told him there was more to it than that. The man's own words implied it, and he looked--
Itachi knows him. There is something so deep within him that says he should know this person and his face is so familiar, beyond being an Uchiha and possibly his mother's direct relation. Itachi can't help staring at him.]
I know you. I don't know why I can't remember, but I know you.
Re: Privatea_for_tioriOctober 31 2009, 05:31:46 UTC
[You should remember me. But of course this Itachi wouldn't recognize an older Sasuke. Of course. Even if he was real. Which he isn't. He isn't. Sasuke is going to fight the enemy that is trying to deceive him, not to meet up with his (not) older brother. He needs to be ready to fight. To kill. He needs to fucking focus, and stop thinking in such a ridiculous, scattered way.]
We've met before.
[His voice is terse.]
Your brother is alive. I'll arrive shortly.
[Action]
[And so he does.
He doesn't bother to mask his presence. The enemy knows where he is coming from. Either this is a trap meant to kill him, and whoever has set it is more than cunning enough to know to expect him, know how to find him - or else this is the meddling of the gods, in which cases resistance is pointless. So there is no point in hiding. He will appear openly and fight openly, if it comes to a fight. He is confident in his ability, and so he walks along the shoreline towards Itachi without pausing, without attemping to hide.
Itachi is very small.
Sasuke thinks he might have been smaller at that age. But still small. A tiny little thing. He doesn't quite make it to Sasuke's sternum. Sasuke could pick him up and hold him so that they are face to face and his feet wouldn't dangle past Sasuke's knees. How light must he feel? Sasuke has no idea. He has, he realizes, never actually held a child. He was a child for a while, and then before his childhood was even over, he stopped being the sort of person who would do such a thing.
Which is why he is not thinking about this.
Sasuke's sharingan spins, and he sees that Itachi is not a genjutsu. This proves little, in a world such as this. But Sasuke has thought about it, and it occurs to him that there is one very good way to find out if this is the real Itachi after all. Sasuke, in his long and various battles with the Hitomi, has tried to abandon the thing numerous times. He finds, however, that he is unable to part from it for a very long time, and for any significant distance. So it ought to be quite possible, he figures, to identify a person based off their Hitomi, since getting rid of the fucking awful things (and thus having them stolen) appears to be impossible.
Still staring at Itachi, without speaking a word, he takes out his Hitomi and selects the first option on his contact list. Itachi's Hitomi should start ringing any moment now...]
[Before Itachi can ask the man what he means about his brother, he's already there, chakra untamed and his presence easy to detect. Purposeful. Intent. This man doesn't care to hide himself, doesn't feel the need.
He arrives and Itachi can only stare at him because he's not exactly an adult, but not a child. His eyes are cold, blank. But he looks so familiar--so much like Mother, he has to be related to her--that Itachi can't bring himself to feel frightened. He's wary, yes, but that's instinct, and it's instinct that tells him that this man would never hurt him...at least not intentionally. He can't explain it, but Itachi has never felt this way about anyone.]
Who are you?
[It's soft, maybe not even loud enough for the man to hear, and so Itachi doesn't know whether to expect and answer or not. Even if he had asked directly, this dark-haired Uchiha does not look inclined to have responded to him. He seems preoccupied with the black object in his hand anyway.
But Itachi wants to know.
He's just about to ask again, louder this time, when there is a beeping sound breaking into the air and the sudden vibrations against his leg and hand and he jumps back, looking around for what caused the noise--the thrumming feeling--only to realize it's just the device in his hand that is identical to the one the man is holding and his reaction is one of someone who is on too high an alert. He stares at the Hitomi in confusion and the screen brightens to blink as it continues to ring and a name appears on the screen. His eyes widen.]
Sasuke! He's contacting me!
[Immediately, Itachi pushes the accept button, the man a few paces away from him no longer even on his mind.]
Sasuke! Sasuke, are you there?
[But he does not hear the sound of his little brother's voice. He tries again, urgent.]
Re: [Action]a_for_tioriOctober 31 2009, 05:41:54 UTC
[For a moment, Sasuke can't actually believe it.
I must have miscalculated. Because there is no way. No way, no possibility that this wide-eyed child is Uchiha Itachi. Maybe Itachi is close by, hidden somewhere. Someone is hiding him near, using him to fool Sasuke. Or this is the doing of Itachi himself - Itachi trying to confuse him, trying to manipulate him like he might a doll because that is what Itachi does - toys with him and leaves him and how fucking stupid could Sasuke have possibly been to have fallen for the same trick twice, to have fallen again for that act, that "kind older brother" bullshit, what the hell was he thinking -
Sasuke swallows hard against the panic. He's panicking. Like a genin on his first mission. He is standing before a seven year old and he is as tense as he's ever been. Sasuke has faced Akatsuki with more confidence then he has looking at this boy. This ghost.
This memory.]
Itachi.
[Sasuke ends the call absently, and put his Hitomi away. He is quiet for a few moments, while his mind races. Trying to make sense out of this insanity, this impossibility. A dream? Normally he would say no, but in this world dreams are rather more real, less inclined to disappear when morning comes. So maybe it's just that reality is more like a dream now. Maybe this whole world is a dream. Sasuke never managed to break out of Tsukiyomi after all, is still in a coma, and this is all part of his feverish nightmare that lasts for months and months on end. Maybe Sasuke has cracked and is seeing things that aren't real. Maybe Itachi has used a henge on himself. Maybe the gods did this.
Maybe this is actually happening.
In which case - what can he possibly say? What should he do?]
Tell me the last thing you remember, before ending up here, with that device.
[It's gone. Sasuke's name disappears from the screen of his device as Itachi feels a deep sense of No. And then he notices that the man has put his Hitomi away and Itachi can't help getting the that whatever has happened he knows. He has something to do with all of this.
It's not unheard of for Uchiha to betray Uchiha. Father had warned him of it.]
We were playing in the forest. Sasuke was trying to find me...but I used a clone.
[He's staring distinctly at this man and steps closer to him, his eyes determined.]
Who are you? Where is Sasuke? You know where he is.
[There is something in him that tells him this man will not hurt him, but with Sasuke missing and the brunet as his only link to finding his little brother, Itachi cannot afford to let his optimism guide him. He can't give in to that urge to believe when Sasuke could be held capture, or trapped somewhere and Itachi isn't there to protect him. He can feel his sharingan behind his eyes, but Itachi doesn't let it appear, knows that he can't, because he's not ready, his chakra is still too weak and it will take more time for him to master it. Using it now would be silly, but he can't help wanting to, wanting to show that he can be just as dangerous, just as much a threat.
Re: [Action]a_for_tioriOctober 31 2009, 05:50:51 UTC
[Sasuke remembers.
He remembers. That very time, that very game they played. How absurd - they must have played hide and seek a thousand times. To remember one particular instance was just - he probably wasn't even really remembering. He couldn't have really remember such a thing. It's his own mind playing tricks on him.
He remembers how annoyed he had been when he had found that Itachi had used a clone.
There is a wild moment during which Sasuke very nearly says the words that are hanging on the tip of his tongue, that are begging to be said - you cheated. He has to bite his lip to stop himself.
He has to explain this, somehow. He doesn't know how. He doesn't even understand what is going on himself. But he has to explain this to Itachi, somehow.]
This probably won't make much sense to you.
[A warning, and a preface. And maybe something of an apology. Someone else might be able to explain this better, but Sasuke is Sasuke, in the end.]
This place isn't really Water Country. Not the one that we know, at any rate.
We're in another world. It's mostly empty. Those of us who are here were... taken. From other places. From different times. There are people here who died a long time ago. [He pauses.] Yondaime Hokage is here. And other people.
I - Sasuke is -
[How the hell is he supposed to tell Itachi this?]
... not a kid anymore. Even though for you, it's been a few minutes since you've seen him. He...
[Itachi doesn't really understand at first what the man is saying, because it sounds...unbelievable. He wonders if this is all just an elaborate illusion that someone made to trick him, to use him against his clan. But everything feels so real, and Itachi has been good at catching genjutsu even without his sharingan.
But he keeps wanting to trust this man and he says Sasuke is--
... not a kid anymore...
I've grown up.
I. Sasuke.
Him.
Itachi keeps staring at him and the realization of what his words mean hits him and his eyes begin to widen. That familiar face, those eyes--]
You're Sasuke.
[It's even more unbelievable than what he'd said before, about the different world and times and Itachi doesn't believe him. But looking at him, he can see it so clearly.
He still looks like Mother when he grows up.
But Itachi can't accept this, because those eyes are so like his little brother's--only blank, cold, everything hidden away inside where Itachi can't find it, but Sasuke doesn't hide from him, no like this. He's the big brother, his little brother shouldn't hide things from him. The look in his eyes is one that Itachi knows, one of someone who has seen things and done things and lived a life that he can never go back from. This Sasuke is one who has been hurt--a lot.]
How? What's happened to you? Why--?
[What's happened to my little brother? Why didn't I protect you?]
Re: [Action]a_for_tioriOctober 31 2009, 05:55:22 UTC
[What's happened to me?
Sasuke isn't altogether sure what Itachi means. Many things have happened, of course. Things that this Itachi doesn't know about - and can't know about, Sasuke realizes. There is no way that this Itachi can ever find out about what happened. Ever. Sasuke is going to have to figure out some way to make sure that it's hidden from him - which is far from easy, since Itachi has that damn device which can put him into communication with anyone - and Sasuke will have to deal with that.
Later. Because for now he's wondering what the hell Itachi is talking about. Things have happened, of course, but Itachi doesn't know about them. Why would he ask Sasuke what happened when he couldn't possibly know that anything happened?]
Nothing's happened to me. I just got older.
I realize that this is - hard to swallow. To believe.
[Sasuke's eyes slide off to the side. He is unsure how to proceed. Itachi is... upset. ]
I was taken from the real world - our world - when I was seventeen. You...
It's strange. You were there. In the real world. Older.
But now you're younger again. And you don't remember anything.
[Sasuke shakes his head, frustrated. None of this makes any sense at all. He has no idea why this is happening to him - whether it's some sort of punishment from the gods or what. But he doesn't like it. He doesn't like the way seeing this Itachi makes him feel. Like there's something sharp lodged in his chest.]
[Itachi's words were not meant to be spoken. They were not words that would help, but only to heighten the tension in the air. He doesn't know what to do now because Sasuke isn't looking at him anymore and there's this...this...
Something is wrong with Sasuke.
It's so easy to think of him as Sasuke, because he can see it and that strange feeling of trust and knowing makes sense now, but Itachi is still very confused. He doesn't know what to think about all of this, he doesn't understand all of the strange things that are being told to him. Only one thing is obvious.
Sasuke is upset. At him. About him.
Itachi upset Sasuke. Again.
It's strange to see because Sasuke should be little but he's not. Sasuke should be pouting with disappointment, but instead his eyes are darkened and his face is drawn and there's that crinkle in between his brows that he always does when he's confused and uncertain about something. Itachi doesn't like it.
And it's reflex to walk up to him--even though looking up is anything but--and he reaches out, grabbing the loose shirt his brother is wearing and pulling him down to look at him. His other hand is already moving and two fingers poke Sasuke on the forehead while Itachi stares at him sincerely.]
It's okay. I'm the big brother so I'll figure it out, right?
Re: [Action]a_for_tioriOctober 31 2009, 06:00:21 UTC
[For a moment, Sasuke is frozen - unable to move, unable to breathe.
Itachi doesn't know what this means to Sasuke. He can't possibly know that this was the last thing he did before he died. Those fingers prodding his forehead - the last time Itachi ever touched Sasuke before he died. That moment that Itachi had given up his entire life for, when he gave everything he had to Sasuke. This Itachi doesn't know this, of course - for him, this is just a childish gesture of affection.
Itachi is looking at him with bright, open eyes. Eyes that shouldn't be burdened with worry, but are. Sasuke doesn't know what he's done, but somehow, he's managed to upset Itachi. He seems bothered by something Sasuke is doing, but Sasuke isn't sure what. It's not as though he is acting strangely. This is how he always acts. And he hasn't said anything that seems especially offensive. So why...?]
You're a kid.
[He says this flatly, as if it isn't one of the most bizarre statements he's ever made.]
I'm ten years older than you are. And I'm a shinobi now. I have more experience. [And for a moment Sasuke wonders what this Itachi would think of his experience. Running away from the village to train with a convicted criminal, all so he could kill his older brother. How horrified would he be? Should Sasuke just lie to him? Act as though he hasn't comitted any crimes?] So.
[He stops his protest. It makes sense, what his brother is saying, because Sasuke is older, stronger, but Itachi can't accept that. Sasuke's not the older brother, not the one who is suppose to handle things. He can't let Sasuke do that, can't let Sasuke put himself in danger in any way for him. He would never be able to let such a thing happen.
Mother always told him that it was his duty to protect Sasuke--he's the big brother that Sasuke will always look up to for everything. Once he had thought it was such a strict code, such heavy obligations, but Sasuke made it seem so natural, so easy.
Even now, when his little brother looks down on him in that way, Itachi can't help, but want to do something. But his actions before only seemed to have made things worse. What did he do? What can he do to fix it?]
Re: [Action]a_for_tioriOctober 31 2009, 06:19:44 UTC
I'm... used to you being older.
[And more to the point, he is not quite sure how to react to this younger Itachi. This Itachi who knows nothing. How much can he possibly hide from this child? How much should he hide? He can't let Itachi know about what he's done, about how he killed Mother and Father, about what he's done to Sasuke - but should he pretend that the clan is still alive? Could he get away with that much?
Just what should he do with Itachi? Take him back to his house in Kiri? That seems a likely option, but Kisame will be there. What might Kisame tell him? Sasuke isn't sure, precisely. He can't really predict how Kisame might react - or Valeria, for that matter. They seem to like Itachi well enough, but would they be willing to corroborate whatever lies Sasuke decides to tell in order to protect him?
To protect him, to protect him - but in truth some of the lies that he considers, lies about how Sasuke has lived his life, about the choices he's made, some of them are out of shame, aren't they. No - Sasuke won't hide that. Won't make excuses for his defection, or try to cover it up. Sasuke doesn't feel shame for his decisions. Sasuke does not regret his choice to live outside of Konoha, to reject them.
Would Itachi be ashamed of him, though?]
I'm not sure how you ended up this way. Who made you this way.
Or why.
It's just that - things have changed. I'm not sure how exactly to explain this to you.
Does that mean he wants Itachi to be older--stronger--than him?
Itachi doesn't know what to say to that, because he doesn't remember being older, doesn't remember anything after dispensing the clone in the forest and Sasuke looking for him and in so many ways he wants to go back to that. His clan is not here, Mother and Father must be wondering where he is--Are they wondering about Sasuke too? Mother will be if he's gone without saying anything--and nothing is how it should be. This place is not Konoha. This place is not home.
In many ways, this man is not his Sasuke.
He is Sasuke, Itachi believes now, but he's grown, changed, so much has happened, Itachi can tell, because his eyes are not the exact same as the wide, trusting ones of the little brother he has been forced away from. And even though he's older and stronger, Itachi still has the need to help this Sasuke. This Sasuke that his own will become.]
Yes, things have changed.
[He nods in agreement as he repeats the words, as if to himself while looking into the distance, but not really seeing anything. His mind in filled with questions and doubts, but he has to be strong. He can't let Sasuke think his older brother is weak...even if this Sasuke is older than him.
Itachi looks back at Sasuke with a smile.]
You're still my little brother, so don't think things have changed too much. We'll find out what's happened and a way to get home. Mother won't let us leave for months when we return.
[Even if they return to different times...if Itachi has understood things correctly.]
Re: [Action]a_for_tioriOctober 31 2009, 21:14:52 UTC
Itachi.
They aren't -
[He can't say it.
It hasn't even stopped hurting for Sasuke, after all these years. To tell this Itachi? No. He can't. Not now.]
Listen. Going back to... to home. [It isn't how he thinks of Konoha. But Itachi might not understand that anymore.]
To Konoha.
I can't.
[Sasuke isn't ashamed of what he's done. He made his decisions freely, did what he had to do. He won't apologize. He won't excuse himself. And he won't lie.
And he would rather tell Sasuke about this than about - Mother and Father. And so:]
Itachi, this is probably - surprising.
But I can't live in Konoha anymore. Not the real Konoha. Not the one here, either.
Okay.
[The coordinates are dispatched, but Itachi stares in confusion when his location is displayed right before they are sent. He looks around him, not understanding how he could have ended up in this place.]
Water Country? How did I get here?
[He's a bit more wary, a bit more on edge. He knows that Kirigakure and Konohagakure continuously go against each other--always enemies. Had he been captured by shinobi from Kiri and brought here to be used against his family? Fear fills his chest.
...Then what had happened to Sasuke? He looks back down at the device in his hand--the Hitomi, he reminds himself after looking at the name--and at the man on the screen.]
Do you know of my little brother, Sasuke? Has my father spoken of either of us being missing?
[He hopes his father would. He knows his mother must be driving herself to exhaustion with worry.]
Reply
Father hasn't spoken of anything in a very long time - because you killed him. You killed him. And as for Sasuke, you didn't kill him but maybe it would have been better if you had, rather than leaving him broken the way he is now. But Sasuke does not say these things, not least of all because this isn't the Itachi who ruined him. This Itachi - isn't real, he isn't real, don't think of him as if he's real - is his brother who takes care of him and plays with him and loves him unconditionally.
This Itachi is innocent.
It's strange, to think that Itachi might have been innocent once.
Absurd. This is absurd. This is an illusion, and so Sasuke has no reason to be anything but cruel. How fucking ridiculous, to hold his tongue to spare the feelings of someone who isn't real. Why is he doing it? He doesn't know. He has no idea whatsoever, except that somehow - even if it's false, to say something like that to this Itachi.
Even now, he can't stop clinging to illusions. Sasuke is vaguely disgusted with himself.]
Don't worry about me -
[... Fuck.]
Sasuke.
Don't worry about Sasuke.
[Sasuke feels a strange twinge in his chest, knowing that Itachi doesn't recognize him. He dismisses it. This. Is. Not. Itachi.]
Wait where you are. It won't talk long to arrive.
Reply
Don't worry about me
Itachi is staring intently at the screen now, because this man shouldn't have made a mistake like that and Itachi hadn't said he was worried about him at all. Itachi is worried about Sasuke. They had been together, and Itachi is in Water Country and Sasuke is nowhere to be found, and Itachi doesn't even know how long he's been here, or who brought him here or why. He has a lot to worry about, but this man tells him not to, and he looks familiar, but Itachi can't say who he is. Itachi knows everyone in the clan, but can't remember this one person who he should.
He looks like Mother...maybe he's a cousin.]
My little brother was with me. I'm worried he may have been left alone or still back where I escaped from.
[He wants to trust this man, because something about him says he should. He sounds so assured, so certain. He's strong, Itachi knows.
But there was a whisper in Itachi's mind that told him there was more to it than that. The man's own words implied it, and he looked--
Itachi knows him. There is something so deep within him that says he should know this person and his face is so familiar, beyond being an Uchiha and possibly his mother's direct relation. Itachi can't help staring at him.]
I know you. I don't know why I can't remember, but I know you.
Reply
We've met before.
[His voice is terse.]
Your brother is alive. I'll arrive shortly.
[Action]
[And so he does.
He doesn't bother to mask his presence. The enemy knows where he is coming from. Either this is a trap meant to kill him, and whoever has set it is more than cunning enough to know to expect him, know how to find him - or else this is the meddling of the gods, in which cases resistance is pointless. So there is no point in hiding. He will appear openly and fight openly, if it comes to a fight. He is confident in his ability, and so he walks along the shoreline towards Itachi without pausing, without attemping to hide.
Itachi is very small.
Sasuke thinks he might have been smaller at that age. But still small. A tiny little thing. He doesn't quite make it to Sasuke's sternum. Sasuke could pick him up and hold him so that they are face to face and his feet wouldn't dangle past Sasuke's knees. How light must he feel? Sasuke has no idea. He has, he realizes, never actually held a child. He was a child for a while, and then before his childhood was even over, he stopped being the sort of person who would do such a thing.
Which is why he is not thinking about this.
Sasuke's sharingan spins, and he sees that Itachi is not a genjutsu. This proves little, in a world such as this. But Sasuke has thought about it, and it occurs to him that there is one very good way to find out if this is the real Itachi after all. Sasuke, in his long and various battles with the Hitomi, has tried to abandon the thing numerous times. He finds, however, that he is unable to part from it for a very long time, and for any significant distance. So it ought to be quite possible, he figures, to identify a person based off their Hitomi, since getting rid of the fucking awful things (and thus having them stolen) appears to be impossible.
Still staring at Itachi, without speaking a word, he takes out his Hitomi and selects the first option on his contact list. Itachi's Hitomi should start ringing any moment now...]
Reply
He arrives and Itachi can only stare at him because he's not exactly an adult, but not a child. His eyes are cold, blank. But he looks so familiar--so much like Mother, he has to be related to her--that Itachi can't bring himself to feel frightened. He's wary, yes, but that's instinct, and it's instinct that tells him that this man would never hurt him...at least not intentionally. He can't explain it, but Itachi has never felt this way about anyone.]
Who are you?
[It's soft, maybe not even loud enough for the man to hear, and so Itachi doesn't know whether to expect and answer or not. Even if he had asked directly, this dark-haired Uchiha does not look inclined to have responded to him. He seems preoccupied with the black object in his hand anyway.
But Itachi wants to know.
He's just about to ask again, louder this time, when there is a beeping sound breaking into the air and the sudden vibrations against his leg and hand and he jumps back, looking around for what caused the noise--the thrumming feeling--only to realize it's just the device in his hand that is identical to the one the man is holding and his reaction is one of someone who is on too high an alert. He stares at the Hitomi in confusion and the screen brightens to blink as it continues to ring and a name appears on the screen. His eyes widen.]
Sasuke! He's contacting me!
[Immediately, Itachi pushes the accept button, the man a few paces away from him no longer even on his mind.]
Sasuke! Sasuke, are you there?
[But he does not hear the sound of his little brother's voice. He tries again, urgent.]
Sasuke? Little brother, answer me.
Reply
I must have miscalculated. Because there is no way. No way, no possibility that this wide-eyed child is Uchiha Itachi. Maybe Itachi is close by, hidden somewhere. Someone is hiding him near, using him to fool Sasuke. Or this is the doing of Itachi himself - Itachi trying to confuse him, trying to manipulate him like he might a doll because that is what Itachi does - toys with him and leaves him and how fucking stupid could Sasuke have possibly been to have fallen for the same trick twice, to have fallen again for that act, that "kind older brother" bullshit, what the hell was he thinking -
Sasuke swallows hard against the panic. He's panicking. Like a genin on his first mission. He is standing before a seven year old and he is as tense as he's ever been. Sasuke has faced Akatsuki with more confidence then he has looking at this boy. This ghost.
This memory.]
Itachi.
[Sasuke ends the call absently, and put his Hitomi away. He is quiet for a few moments, while his mind races. Trying to make sense out of this insanity, this impossibility. A dream? Normally he would say no, but in this world dreams are rather more real, less inclined to disappear when morning comes. So maybe it's just that reality is more like a dream now. Maybe this whole world is a dream. Sasuke never managed to break out of Tsukiyomi after all, is still in a coma, and this is all part of his feverish nightmare that lasts for months and months on end. Maybe Sasuke has cracked and is seeing things that aren't real. Maybe Itachi has used a henge on himself. Maybe the gods did this.
Maybe this is actually happening.
In which case - what can he possibly say? What should he do?]
Tell me the last thing you remember, before ending up here, with that device.
Reply
It's not unheard of for Uchiha to betray Uchiha. Father had warned him of it.]
We were playing in the forest. Sasuke was trying to find me...but I used a clone.
[He's staring distinctly at this man and steps closer to him, his eyes determined.]
Who are you? Where is Sasuke? You know where he is.
[There is something in him that tells him this man will not hurt him, but with Sasuke missing and the brunet as his only link to finding his little brother, Itachi cannot afford to let his optimism guide him. He can't give in to that urge to believe when Sasuke could be held capture, or trapped somewhere and Itachi isn't there to protect him. He can feel his sharingan behind his eyes, but Itachi doesn't let it appear, knows that he can't, because he's not ready, his chakra is still too weak and it will take more time for him to master it. Using it now would be silly, but he can't help wanting to, wanting to show that he can be just as dangerous, just as much a threat.
He'll kill this man if it means finding Sasuke.]
Tell me where my little brother is.
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[Sasuke remembers.
He remembers. That very time, that very game they played. How absurd - they must have played hide and seek a thousand times. To remember one particular instance was just - he probably wasn't even really remembering. He couldn't have really remember such a thing. It's his own mind playing tricks on him.
He remembers how annoyed he had been when he had found that Itachi had used a clone.
There is a wild moment during which Sasuke very nearly says the words that are hanging on the tip of his tongue, that are begging to be said - you cheated. He has to bite his lip to stop himself.
He has to explain this, somehow. He doesn't know how. He doesn't even understand what is going on himself. But he has to explain this to Itachi, somehow.]
This probably won't make much sense to you.
[A warning, and a preface. And maybe something of an apology. Someone else might be able to explain this better, but Sasuke is Sasuke, in the end.]
This place isn't really Water Country. Not the one that we know, at any rate.
We're in another world. It's mostly empty. Those of us who are here were... taken. From other places. From different times. There are people here who died a long time ago. [He pauses.] Yondaime Hokage is here. And other people.
I - Sasuke is -
[How the hell is he supposed to tell Itachi this?]
... not a kid anymore. Even though for you, it's been a few minutes since you've seen him. He...
It's been well over a decade since that time.
[How to say it? Just out with it.]
I've grown up.
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But he keeps wanting to trust this man and he says Sasuke is--
... not a kid anymore...
I've grown up.
I. Sasuke.
Him.
Itachi keeps staring at him and the realization of what his words mean hits him and his eyes begin to widen. That familiar face, those eyes--]
You're Sasuke.
[It's even more unbelievable than what he'd said before, about the different world and times and Itachi doesn't believe him. But looking at him, he can see it so clearly.
He still looks like Mother when he grows up.
But Itachi can't accept this, because those eyes are so like his little brother's--only blank, cold, everything hidden away inside where Itachi can't find it, but Sasuke doesn't hide from him, no like this. He's the big brother, his little brother shouldn't hide things from him. The look in his eyes is one that Itachi knows, one of someone who has seen things and done things and lived a life that he can never go back from. This Sasuke is one who has been hurt--a lot.]
How? What's happened to you? Why--?
[What's happened to my little brother? Why didn't I protect you?]
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Sasuke isn't altogether sure what Itachi means. Many things have happened, of course. Things that this Itachi doesn't know about - and can't know about, Sasuke realizes. There is no way that this Itachi can ever find out about what happened. Ever. Sasuke is going to have to figure out some way to make sure that it's hidden from him - which is far from easy, since Itachi has that damn device which can put him into communication with anyone - and Sasuke will have to deal with that.
Later. Because for now he's wondering what the hell Itachi is talking about. Things have happened, of course, but Itachi doesn't know about them. Why would he ask Sasuke what happened when he couldn't possibly know that anything happened?]
Nothing's happened to me. I just got older.
I realize that this is - hard to swallow. To believe.
[Sasuke's eyes slide off to the side. He is unsure how to proceed. Itachi is... upset. ]
I was taken from the real world - our world - when I was seventeen. You...
It's strange. You were there. In the real world. Older.
But now you're younger again. And you don't remember anything.
[Sasuke shakes his head, frustrated. None of this makes any sense at all. He has no idea why this is happening to him - whether it's some sort of punishment from the gods or what. But he doesn't like it. He doesn't like the way seeing this Itachi makes him feel. Like there's something sharp lodged in his chest.]
I don't know.
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Something is wrong with Sasuke.
It's so easy to think of him as Sasuke, because he can see it and that strange feeling of trust and knowing makes sense now, but Itachi is still very confused. He doesn't know what to think about all of this, he doesn't understand all of the strange things that are being told to him. Only one thing is obvious.
Sasuke is upset. At him. About him.
Itachi upset Sasuke. Again.
It's strange to see because Sasuke should be little but he's not. Sasuke should be pouting with disappointment, but instead his eyes are darkened and his face is drawn and there's that crinkle in between his brows that he always does when he's confused and uncertain about something. Itachi doesn't like it.
And it's reflex to walk up to him--even though looking up is anything but--and he reaches out, grabbing the loose shirt his brother is wearing and pulling him down to look at him. His other hand is already moving and two fingers poke Sasuke on the forehead while Itachi stares at him sincerely.]
It's okay. I'm the big brother so I'll figure it out, right?
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[For a moment, Sasuke is frozen - unable to move, unable to breathe.
Itachi doesn't know what this means to Sasuke. He can't possibly know that this was the last thing he did before he died. Those fingers prodding his forehead - the last time Itachi ever touched Sasuke before he died. That moment that Itachi had given up his entire life for, when he gave everything he had to Sasuke. This Itachi doesn't know this, of course - for him, this is just a childish gesture of affection.
Itachi is looking at him with bright, open eyes. Eyes that shouldn't be burdened with worry, but are. Sasuke doesn't know what he's done, but somehow, he's managed to upset Itachi. He seems bothered by something Sasuke is doing, but Sasuke isn't sure what. It's not as though he is acting strangely. This is how he always acts. And he hasn't said anything that seems especially offensive. So why...?]
You're a kid.
[He says this flatly, as if it isn't one of the most bizarre statements he's ever made.]
I'm ten years older than you are. And I'm a shinobi now. I have more experience. [And for a moment Sasuke wonders what this Itachi would think of his experience. Running away from the village to train with a convicted criminal, all so he could kill his older brother. How horrified would he be? Should Sasuke just lie to him? Act as though he hasn't comitted any crimes?] So.
Just - I can handle this.
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[He stops his protest. It makes sense, what his brother is saying, because Sasuke is older, stronger, but Itachi can't accept that. Sasuke's not the older brother, not the one who is suppose to handle things. He can't let Sasuke do that, can't let Sasuke put himself in danger in any way for him. He would never be able to let such a thing happen.
Mother always told him that it was his duty to protect Sasuke--he's the big brother that Sasuke will always look up to for everything. Once he had thought it was such a strict code, such heavy obligations, but Sasuke made it seem so natural, so easy.
Even now, when his little brother looks down on him in that way, Itachi can't help, but want to do something. But his actions before only seemed to have made things worse. What did he do? What can he do to fix it?]
Why do you look so angry to see me?
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[And more to the point, he is not quite sure how to react to this younger Itachi. This Itachi who knows nothing. How much can he possibly hide from this child? How much should he hide? He can't let Itachi know about what he's done, about how he killed Mother and Father, about what he's done to Sasuke - but should he pretend that the clan is still alive? Could he get away with that much?
Just what should he do with Itachi? Take him back to his house in Kiri? That seems a likely option, but Kisame will be there. What might Kisame tell him? Sasuke isn't sure, precisely. He can't really predict how Kisame might react - or Valeria, for that matter. They seem to like Itachi well enough, but would they be willing to corroborate whatever lies Sasuke decides to tell in order to protect him?
To protect him, to protect him - but in truth some of the lies that he considers, lies about how Sasuke has lived his life, about the choices he's made, some of them are out of shame, aren't they. No - Sasuke won't hide that. Won't make excuses for his defection, or try to cover it up. Sasuke doesn't feel shame for his decisions. Sasuke does not regret his choice to live outside of Konoha, to reject them.
Would Itachi be ashamed of him, though?]
I'm not sure how you ended up this way. Who made you this way.
Or why.
It's just that - things have changed. I'm not sure how exactly to explain this to you.
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Does that mean he wants Itachi to be older--stronger--than him?
Itachi doesn't know what to say to that, because he doesn't remember being older, doesn't remember anything after dispensing the clone in the forest and Sasuke looking for him and in so many ways he wants to go back to that. His clan is not here, Mother and Father must be wondering where he is--Are they wondering about Sasuke too? Mother will be if he's gone without saying anything--and nothing is how it should be. This place is not Konoha. This place is not home.
In many ways, this man is not his Sasuke.
He is Sasuke, Itachi believes now, but he's grown, changed, so much has happened, Itachi can tell, because his eyes are not the exact same as the wide, trusting ones of the little brother he has been forced away from. And even though he's older and stronger, Itachi still has the need to help this Sasuke. This Sasuke that his own will become.]
Yes, things have changed.
[He nods in agreement as he repeats the words, as if to himself while looking into the distance, but not really seeing anything. His mind in filled with questions and doubts, but he has to be strong. He can't let Sasuke think his older brother is weak...even if this Sasuke is older than him.
Itachi looks back at Sasuke with a smile.]
You're still my little brother, so don't think things have changed too much. We'll find out what's happened and a way to get home. Mother won't let us leave for months when we return.
[Even if they return to different times...if Itachi has understood things correctly.]
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They aren't -
[He can't say it.
It hasn't even stopped hurting for Sasuke, after all these years. To tell this Itachi? No. He can't. Not now.]
Listen. Going back to... to home. [It isn't how he thinks of Konoha. But Itachi might not understand that anymore.]
To Konoha.
I can't.
[Sasuke isn't ashamed of what he's done. He made his decisions freely, did what he had to do. He won't apologize. He won't excuse himself. And he won't lie.
And he would rather tell Sasuke about this than about - Mother and Father. And so:]
Itachi, this is probably - surprising.
But I can't live in Konoha anymore. Not the real Konoha. Not the one here, either.
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