004 | [Action/Voice]

[savethelastchip]

[ Chouji did not make it home last night. And this is a fact he is quite aware of, seeing as it's daylight and the last thing he really remembers had a lot less of that. That's what happens when you storm off into mystery fogs in the middle of experiments

Comments

[Voice]

[consultmybooks]

If only we didn't have to figure these things out by trial and error.

[Voice]

[savethelastchip]

Yeah, that would be really helpful. I guess a few people just have to learn the hard way sometimes, though.

Re: [Voice]

[consultmybooks]

Including me, unfortunately.

Still. I haven't seen half the village all week, so it's good to get the warning out.

[Voice]

[savethelastchip]

The more warnings, the better.

You didn't get hurt, did you? [ Knowing people when asking these kinds of things? Pff. Details. ]

[action]

[yourhatred]

[Itachi isn't in costume, and he's walking calmly through town apparently unbothered by the occasional hallucinations.

Only apparently. He stands amidst a sea of the dead, and every living soul he passes is seen first as an enemy. Outwardly, he looks no different than ever.

Though he stops as he sees Chouji, as if having a hard time registering a familiar face.]

...Chouji-san.

[action]

[savethelastchip]

[ Stopping merits a stop in turn; it's a really pleasant atmosphere to meet in, isn't it. ]

Itachi.

[action]

[yourhatred]

[Is he not bothered by -- no, none of this is real. It's a genjutsu he's unable to break out of, but it isn't real. That's whay Chouji isn't reacting at all to the dead man propped up against the building beside him, listless eyes still managing to meet Itachi's own...]

...You've been into the fog.

[action]

[savethelastchip]

Ah- yeah. [ He's quiet for a few seconds, eyes drifting some distance to the left to something bloody, broken and distinctly silvery-haired. But Ino's not even here, she never was; he blinks and it's gone.

He's never been so happy for the former fact before. ]

...I probably should have known better, but it's kind of late for second-guessing.

[Voice]

[its_troublesome]

Where are you? [What happened; are you all right. There's something hard in his voice, but past those edges is something like relief.]

[Voice]

[savethelastchip]

[ He'll match that tone with one much more apologetic and his own brand of relief. Shikamaru sounds distinctly not-dying, after all. ]

I'm on the way back to the building. [ I'm fine. ]

[Voice]

[its_troublesome]

[He breathes a sigh -inhales and tastes blood and ash on his tongue- and tries to grin.] ...I'll meet you there.

[Or somewhere along the way.]

[Voice]

[savethelastchip]

[ He should take grinning lessons from Chouji. Then he could just always manage. ] I'll keep my eyes open.

[ And not on anything particularly dead-looking that might turn up while he does. Good to have something. ]

voice

[ahappylie]

What happened?

voice

[savethelastchip]

I don't remember, exactly; I kind of ended up out in that fog. But maybe not really knowing is as good a reason as any not to go in the first place.

voice

[ahappylie]

You don't...?

[He considers this for a moment.]

I see. Thank you. With all the other warnings out there, having another never hurts to spread the message.

voice

[savethelastchip]

Yeah, sorry. [ He's not a huge fan of memory gaps, personally. ]

That's what I was hoping. When people hear something enough, it can really help.

[count_gardios]

It doesn't hurt to have more than one reminder, not with how harrowing it's getting out there.

[savethelastchip]

I hope not. It's never done much harm before.