eluvio | [TEXT] UN: STOPMESSAGES

Medical.

[ He was supposed to be dead, not sitting here while unfamiliar people poked and prodded him in an effort to rebuild the internal workings of his body left damaged by illness. It's kind of annoying, actually, but as soon as they decide he's not going to walk out the door, cough up both lungs and have his heart explode in his chest, he's leaving. Hospital areas aren't exactly enjoyable. ]

For the moment.

[ Not the answer he'd wanted and one that carries a few very unpleasant implications. Sasuke chooses to focus on the fact that that's far more public than he'd like rather than imagining the reasons behind it. ]

I'm in room 309. It shouldn't be hard to find, when you're finished. [ The cautious approach, rather than having a reunion in front of medics he doesn't care to know. ]

I suppose. Though, you assume I would care to find you.

[ Of course, once they're satisfied he won't up and die on them, he's gone. Sure, he's taking it a little easy due the whole "I was supposed to die" thing, but still gone all the same.

And despite what he says, Sasuke can expect a visit. ]

[ Somehow it's exactly what he expected to read. Having his prediction verified doesn't bring him any particular joy, however, not when his stomach is now knotted with anticipation and his eyes keep dragging over towards the door as if he should expect a knock at any moment.

There are too many familiar lines and ideals in his texts for it to be anyone else but still Sasuke almost catches himself hoping. How many more times can they go through this? Will he remember the Edo Tensei? What's the right way for him to feel about this? ]

It's your choice. But whether it's now or later, we'll see each other.

More assumptions. I could choose to actively avoid you instead.

[ As much as he doesn't like the idea of going through this song and dance again, and there are far too many unknowns to be certain, there's still a part of him that dares to hold out hope. Things will never be the way they were, but it's not like he's expecting everything to be easily smoothed over.

On one hand, some closure would be nice. On the other, this could be opening up a whole new can of worms, the likes of which he hasn't seen before.

By the time he actually reaches the door though, he's once again resigned himself to whatever fate throws at him. Find your answer and follow through. No weaponry and no Akatsuki cloak, but without the blood and burns - this time, he won't be staggering toward him and delivering a bloody poke to the forehead, just standing at a door and expecting to be faced with a blade. ]

But I won't.

[ Careful to keep his posture loose yet tense enough that he can dodge or defend if needed, he steels himself for the myriad of possible outcomes before lifting a hand to knock. ]

[ Could, would, should. The first message does nothing to make him actually believe in it as a real option, not with how it's worded. Sasuke knows his brother to be a man who makes promises he can't keep, bold in his language and his lies, rather than as someone who'd shield a potential outcome in soft language.

It's why the knock following the second text doesn't surprise him, but it does cause his entire body to tense. He'd heard the footsteps early enough to be up off the bed in advance of it, crossing the room with more confidence than he actually feels, hand outstretched to the automatic door's trigger. There's still a second's pause before he pushes it, the last barrier between them hissing away.

There he is, unscathed, frozen at an age he'll never surpass, eye no longer blinded. A healthier version of his brother, one that still makes him want to avert his eyes. The contrast with his own body, a loose sleeve knotted high beneath his left shoulder, is marked. ]

So it is you. [ The active sharingan in his eyes confirms that much; this is no illusion. However, contrary to at least one of Itachi's expectations, Sasuke makes no move to attack him. Even further from that, his eyes purposefully darken as he deactivates that last safeguard after Itachi passes his test. ] ... you can come inside, if you want. [ It's an offer that sounds clumsy to his own ears but what the hell should he say? ]

Better that than talking in the hall.

[ When the door opens but the only thing that follows are words, Itachi allows his guard to come down a notch. Still up, but a lack of imminent danger means he doesn't need to jump straight to defensive maneuvers. For the moment, he doesn't bother acknowledging any differences between the Sasuke he remembers and the one before him now -that part will come later- but the offer of entering makes him raise an eyebrow.

What could Sasuke possibly have to say to him that can't be said as they are now? ]

There is nothing I have to say that hasn't already been said.

[ As far as he knows, the lies are still intact. He hadn't imparted anything to him, besides the unspoken implanting of his own jutsu in Sasuke's eye. Because of that belief, the only reason he'd sought him out was for confirmation of his suspicions.

Unless, of course, Sasuke had a reason for inquiring as to his whereabouts and providing him a location. They've never been normal siblings, so the idea of having a perfectly normal conversation doesn't actually cross his mind. ]

[ Likewise Sasuke has no reason to believe that Itachi doesn't remember their latter conversations, having yet to meet anyone from their world who exists outside of the timeline he knows. He shifts one foot back, readjusting his weight onto it in order to subtly make more room for his brother to step inside should he change his mind. ]

... I see. [ It hurts, of course. Everything with Itachi does, at least a little bit. Even after everything he still wants acknowledgement, whether it's an embrace or just his brother's eyes and attention fully on him while he yells about shared injustices, but new understanding keeps him calmer. Itachi's not the only one that could use closure; seeing him again just dredges everything back up. ]

But I don't believe that. You came here, didn't you? Besides, even if you don't want to see me, there are some things I should tell you about.

[ He doesn't technically need to do this, but at the same time, he wants to. For all intents and purposes, he should be dead now, not standing here unscathed, yet here he is, alive and unharmed... and free of the restraints placed upon him by his clan, by Akatsuki, and by Konoha. He's free to move, act, think, and feel on his own. For the first time in his life, he doesn't have to be anyone but himself, and that self wants to know what it is that Sasuke deemed important enough to call him out. ]

Fine.

[ They're both shinobi, capable of moving faster than normal eyes can follow, but he doesn't bother with that as he accepts the offer of entry, a way of showing that he doesn't feel threatened by the other's presence.

Once inside, he doesn't bother turning back to Sasuke, instead focusing his attention on the room itself. This is the first time he's actually been out of the confines of Medical, having been stuck there while they worked to rid him of the disease that had destroyed his body, so it's still brand new to him. If his own lodgings are anything like this, it'll definitely take some getting used to, because this is far nicer than what he's accustomed to having. ]

I'm listening.

[ There are no decorations to speak of and no personal affects to make it seem unique apart from a scant collection of weaponry in the corner. It's otherwise untouched, generic, and might seem as if no one occupies it at all... for now; it's only a matter of time before he starts installing traps out of paranoid habit.

He shuts the door after a quick glance into the hallway, an even more noticeable silence filling the room as he chooses his words. ]

... the war's over. You didn't have the chance to see the effects of your work, but it paid off. You deserve to know that, first. [ Sasuke remains standing rather than making for the bed, watching him out of the corner of his eye, quietly wary in his unease. ]

[ He's listening, still wandering the almost inn-like room, half expecting Sasuke to launch into questions or another 'I hate you die please' rant, so when he actually does speak... ]

What?

[ It's not often that he can be caught off-guard, but Sasuke's just succeeded admirably.

That was not what Itachi was expecting to hear. What war is he talking about? Effects of what work? He didn't do anything other than separate Orochimaru from Sasuke and allow his brother to get the mangekyo, so what in the world happened after that? ]

[ Likewise, hearing Itachi of all people sounding confused throws him off, immediately looking over. ]

The war. We fought Kabuto, you ended the Edo Tensei-- [ His brother's expression causes him to falter, and that alone makes a few gears turn in his head. If he's right, then... this will make much more sense. ]

... You don't remember.

[ This is all new to him. New and very confusing. ]

... I have no idea what you're talking about.

[ It's almost embarrassing to admit that he doesn't know what's going on. Did he somehow survive their fight when he'd intended to die? How would he have-- Sasuke's words are only presenting more questions to which he has no answers.

He's pretty sure he doesn't know the seals for the Edo Tensei, but something more important that needs addressed right now. ]

"We"?

[ The fact that Itachi doesn't know settles on him like a heavy weight, bowing shoulders as he leans back against the far wall to give him even more space. He doesn't remember their fight, their reconciliation, his simple statement that he loves him... None of it. ]

... Yakushi Kabuto. He used the Edo Tensei to bring back shinobi to fight for his cause following the declaration of a new war. You were among those brought back... and you made it your primary goal to stop him.

As soon as I realized that you were back I chased after you, and we fought him together.

[ Not a word of what Sasuke says strikes a chord with his memories. Not a word is familiar, though it sickens him to hear that yet another war occurred. More fighting, more death, more suffering... just a vicious cycle that keeps repeating itself. Even his last memories are like that, but that was his own choosing. There had been a reason for his actions.

He doesn't know what to say to any of this, and repeating that he doesn't remember is pointless. It's obvious that he doesn't, so what good would the repetition do? Instead, he turns his attention back to an "interesting" spot on the wall, in part to focus his thoughts, but also to keep himself from wanting to say something that would make everything he's done until now utterly meaningless.

Perhaps it would be better to state what he does recall and let Sasuke fill in whatever gaps he sees necessary to fill. He still doesn't understand why Sasuke would choose to fight alongside him, but there are pieces of information that are still missing, little snippets that would bring the puzzle together just that much more. ]

I remember dying.

[ Of course.

That alone brings a flood of painful memories rushing back, cloaked in ash and drowning in the rainfall that had hissed against black fire. ]

Aa. [ Fingers ball into a fist at his side that he forcibly relaxes, taking a slow steadying breath with the goal of getting through the retelling without the need for further pauses. ]

I watched as you fell, and in that moment... I felt like everything was complete. I thought it would be fine to die alongside you, but I was found by someone else. [ Here his expression darkens, momentarily. ] The one you meant to stop by implanting your Amaterasu into my eye. "Madara", to you.

He told me what really happened that night, and why. I know all of it.

[ It would figure that the one thing he'd wanted to keep from happening would have happened anyway. The story of his life, really, but those last few words set him on edge. He doesn't trust that man any further than he can throw him, and having him get his claws into Sasuke had not been part of the agreement. ]

Do you now?

[ Maybe it's for the best that Itachi had died after all, because if he'd survived that, he'd have gone after that man with everything he had. That had been the condition between them - if he so much as laid a hand on the village or Sasuke, he was as good as dead.

Still, he's lived a lie for so long that it's difficult to let it go, if in fact Sasuke does actually know the truth. ]

[ That enduringly neutral response prompts a surge of anger that he fights back down with a moment or two of silence, eyes narrowing down at the floor. ]

You need more proof? Of course, the version he told me of things wasn't entirely accurate...

But it detailed how you'd been operating at the village's behest, how he'd helped you that night, and why you really spared me. Of course I didn't want to believe it, not after what I'd done... but I had it confirmed through Shimura Danzou. Is that enough?

[ Ah, Danzou. There's a name he hasn't cared about in a while, yet another one he'd taken it upon himself to threaten should anything happen to Sasuke. While he carried some level of respect for the man -he was technically protecting the village in his own way- he still didn't like him.

But Danzou also wasn't one who would spill secrets without good reason. ]

Shall I assume he's dead?

[ ...because that's the only way he could see him giving up any semblance of information. ]

[ Ah. Perhaps he should've expected Itachi to draw that conclusion so quickly but he hadn't, feeling a dual twinge of regret and sick satisfaction. Existing in the same world as that man, someone who'd raided their family's corpses for extra power and caused his brother to suffer so much, would've been impossible. ]

It'd be a correct assumption.

... I know this is a lot to process. [ A bit lamely, but he's still getting his own bearings in this conversation. ]

[ A lot to process is an understatement. He'd failed, Danzou was dead, Madara had gotten hold of Sasuke, and somewhere in all of this, Kabuto raised an army of corpses and Sasuke lost an arm. There are far too many questions here, and he honestly has no idea where to start, but at least now he has some of the pieces so that he can make a guess as to what occurred.

It's... not exactly a pretty picture. ]

May I ask how?

[ Best to stick to formality, because it's familiar and easier to fish for answers that way. ]

[ The politeness puts a different kind of distance between them but the shift to him is obvious; Itachi realizes now that keeping up the other facade is pointless. Good. They've spent enough time lying to each other. ]

... I lost my way, after your death. I blamed Konoha for how you'd suffered, and for the fate of our family... and in some respects I still believe that that blame's deserved. But after Danzou was named hokage, I hunted him down with a little bit of help. [ From "Madara", of course. ]

My killing him succeeded the war's official beginning.

[ Somehow, he really can't say he's surprised. Given everything else that happened, of course it'd have been something like this. At the same time, though... he really kind of hopes the man either wasted or didn't get to use Shisui's eye that he stole.

But there's only so long that he can keep his attention focused on the room itself, so after drawing it out for as long as he could within reason, Itachi turns his attention to Sasuke, keeping his back to the wall. ]

That was my choice.

[ The words, though few, are the only acknowledgement he makes about the situation, and whether they're in reference to his own death, to what happened with Konoha, to their family's fate, or as a means of expressing disapproval at Sasuke's actions is anyone's guess. If he's honest with himself, he really doesn't fault Sasuke at all -what happened was a direct result of his own actions and chosen course, so it's more his own fault than it would be Sasuke's. ]

[ Sure enough Sasuke doesn't know exactly how to take those words or what their intended meaning is, mulling them over and almost wanting to fight them. No, it wasn't entirely his choice. Itachi had been a child forced to make an impossible decision, and hadn't he been manipulated too? ]

Is that all you want to say?

I have more to share still, even beyond what happened in our world.

[ Cocking his head to one side at the question, Itachi's expression remains neutral, allowing Sasuke's words to settle for a few moments. He was right -it is a lot to take in, and he's doing it the only way he knows how, keeping himself at a distance and not allowing emotion to override. Observe, listen, deliberate, decide, act. ]

No, but it's not my place to do so. You may continue.

[ There's a lot that he'd love to be able to say, but he's used to keeping things to himself, so none of it is voiced. ]

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i vanished for 84 years but I am alive

\o/

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