voice. ☣ nnngh

[pacificism]

[The video crackles on. The voice sounds... rather unimpressed,. Because for some reason the greeter who had accosted him within the first five minutes of his arrival -- out of some freakish form of luck and against all odds, recognized him -- and had attempted to sling an arm over his shoulders. A few seconds later, the greeter found his arm slung

Comments

[audio]

[noboatbigenough]

[Kisame is... very, very surprised, but he's pretty sure he's dead too so, why not?

He's quiet for a minute--the only audible sounds being the faintest rustle of cloth as he shifts and a deep breath--debating the situation, and then he speaks.]

Itachi-san.

[Someone who knows him very well can hear a faint hint of uncertainty under the casual tone.]

[audio]

[pacificism]

[... well, he can understand the uncertainty. He's rather uncertain himself, having been dead within the last three hours, and miraculously alive again.]

Kisame-san. [There would be a nod here, if this had been, well, you know, video. But otherwise, he jumps straight into business.]

Location.

[audio]

[noboatbigenough]

Some apartments for newcomers. If you arrived in the same field as I did, they shouldn't be hard to find.

[He follows that up with some quick directions and the number to his room.]

I'll let you in when you get here.

[He would come down, but he hadn't stayed at the hospital long enough to get more than basic care and he won't be fully recovered for a while, or until he fuses with Samehada again.]

[audio] --> [action]

[pacificism]

[Amusement in his tone that only those who know him well would be able to detect.] You seem to have adapted admirably.

[Soft murmur--] I shall be there shortly.

[True to his word, he is. And since shinobi are not known to use doors under any circumstances, he manages to land on the right balcony.]

[audio] --> [action]

[noboatbigenough]

[Kisame chuckles softly.] Adapt or die, Itachi-san.

[He's waiting at the window to let Itachi in and gives his partner a nod as he steps aside.]

Have you been told about the things that come out at night?

[Kisame is shirtless, as is usual, but his chest is bandaged and he's covered in bruises. His voice is still slightly thick from the nearly bitten through tongue.]

[action]

[pacificism]

[A nod in return. He notes the bandages and bruises, but does not comment. Not yet, at any rate. He also notes the thickness of his voice, however. This makes him frown imperceptibly.]

In general terms. [A brief glance around the room. To be fair, he doesn't see much. Most of it is blurry. It frustrates him.]

Have you verified the claims for yourself?

[action]

[noboatbigenough]

[He catches the frown but doesn't say anything.]

Have a seat.

[He gestures to the chair and takes the bed for himself. Samehada is tied up thoroughly in the corner. Somebody is having issues with his weapon.]

I haven't had a chance to go out and test the strength of the things that have appeared every night after dark but... the whole city seems to decay--water is undrinkable--and there definitely are creatures out there at night. I don't know what to make of it yet, but the warnings all seem to be entirely true.

[action]

[pacificism]

[A glance at the chair. A polite nod. He murmurs--]

Thank you.

[Buuuut otherwise does not make any move towards it. It's not out of mistrust, though he's generally full of that nowadays. It's simply implying that he does not intend on staying here for long. Rather, he simply takes in Kisame's words, and considers them quietly.

He doesn't have to warn Kisame about blindly trusting unreliable sources, since this is Kisame we are talking about. Instead, he glances towards the corner where Samehada is tied up casually. There is question in his glance, but he voices another set of thoughts all-together.]

You must have received the injuries prior to you arrival.

[action]

[noboatbigenough]

[Kisame kind of frowns; he knows what denying the chair probably means. He'll never admit it to anyone, but he kind of...missed Itachi just a little. He'd gotten used to the other man. He does answer both the actual question and the unspoken one at once.]

I think... I'm dead--at home. I remember it anyway. My mission weakened me severely and then Samehada betrayed me. I survived the initial fight with these injuries and was able to escape long enough to summon my sharks.

[He figures he doesn't need to explain what happened next.] You were right, all those years ago.

[action]

[pacificism]

[He listens to the tale quietly, and lowers his head imperceptibly out of respect. At Kisame's last statement, he merely gives a non-committal sort of sound. He doesn't see a need to repeat himself, nor does he see a need to comment on it. A murmur--]

And yet, here we are. [Ironically, they both died for their beliefs. Of all the things to do, they did it honorably.

A look.]

Who was it? [Who was it that killed you?]

[action]

[noboatbigenough]

Maito Gai.

[Kisame feels comfortable enough with Itachi to show the amount of respect he has for the man now (if mixed with some annoyance).]

He opened those gates again--seven this time--and it looked like chakra. I've never seen taijutsu so powerful and overwhelming. [A chuckle.] He called it an instant kill but he had to hit me again to finally knock me unconscious. They were so surprised when I fought my way free of the interrogation jutsu and the restraints.

[action]

[pacificism]

[It's so incredibly easy to forget that just three hours ago, both of them were dead men, at least in Itachi's eyes. And now, they are simply amiably chattering within an odd and unfamiliar room, which is nothing unusual, but in an unfamiliar world, which is the likes of something that only a twisted mind such as Madara would come up with. While Kisame spoke, he nonchalantly fished out a kunai from... wherever he kept his kunais, and, after a brief twirl in hand, stabs it into his arm.

Pulls it out, and examines it. The pain is familiar, at least.

It's not a genjustsu. Well, that certainly takes care of one thing.

A small smile at Kisame's words. He merely wipes the kunai clean on his other sleeve, and replaces it.]

As expected of Kisame-san. [His quiet but meaningful compliment. He rarely compliments sincerely outside of battle. In other circumstances, he probably wouldn't. However, they were both dead men. There isn't much sense in keeping such words from prying ears.] Your name will be remembered.

[The world blurs before his

[action]

[noboatbigenough]

[Kisame watches the kunai, slightly confused, but he realizes what Itachi is doing quickly. He had checked for genjutsu his first moment alone, but hadn't been sure he could trust the results. He smiles at the compliment, knowing how rare it is, and then chuckles.]

Maybe he will remember this time.

[He was clearly about to say something more but goes silent when Itachi closes his eyes. He was expecting that to come up.]

I know. He doesn't remember anything after he killed you.

[action]

[pacificism]

[He turns, slightly. It's a gesture of irritation, mild as it is. Just when he had thought that everything had ended, it merely had begun once more.

In hindsight, he should have expected an outcome like this. He just wasn't sure how he was supposed to take into account being pulled into an alternate world after his death. It's enough to make a lesser man's head spin, and for Itachi, if nothing else, it makes his Sharingan spin.]

It is likely that he was pulled here directly after that. [It's the whole thing with the time paradoxes. He's had two separate sources explain it to him, and he is about interrogate a third. A pause. A grim smile.] It so seems that the cycle shall continue.

[action]

[noboatbigenough]

[Kisame can read Itachi fairly well by now and sighs. He likes Sasuke well enough--fun to tease sometimes, at the very least--but Itachi is in his opinion far better and more sensible.]

You did everything for him, didn't you?

[He doesn't know the details, but it's not hard to figure out the gist of things. Something made Sasuke ally himself with Akatsuki, and given how obsessed the boy was, Kisame strongly suspects it was Itachi-related. He'll tell Itachi what he knows, but first...]

Letting him kill you again won't help him any.

[action]

[pacificism]

[... he figures that Kisame would have put together the pieces eventually. It's true that people do underestimate the other ninja because of his strength, thinking him a brute. It just so happens that those who do generally don't live very long at all. However, he has taken great care to hide his resolve -- and thus, he has a suspicion that something happened back in their original world, after his death, that made such a fact clear to Kisame.

He knows Kisame will tell him whether or not he brings it up, but he uses the question as an excuse to ignore Kisame's statements.

He's not certain what answer he should give. His eyes open, and focuses on Kisame's face.]

Something happened after my death. [It's a question, and it's a statement. He is waiting for Kisame to elaborate.]