Now this was irritating.

[sparkplug_chan]

She had been within sight of her apartment. In fact, she'd been able to see her bedroom window from the street below said apartment before a breeze had kicked up. Unfortunately for her, she had been under the mistaken impression that closing her eyes against the dirt stirred up in this fashion would not be to her detriment.

She was wrong.

Her rather unimpressed gaze swept around the open area she found herself in the middle of, trying to pin down anything that might look like a seal. Anything to explain -how- this had just occurred. Her search turned up nothing, instead leading to her resting her fingers on the hilt of her blade, relic that it was, to feel the hum of leashed electricity that always answered the gesture.

It was soothing, and she could use that just now. After all, she wasn't the diplomat of her team. No, that was, contrary to popular belief, actually Naruto's job. Shaking off the thought, she headed toward what looked to be shops. She was going to interrogate a local.

Now to remember not to look like she was threatening them while doing it.

Comments

as promised~

[itachi_san]

One of those said locals was walking back from the market. Even though he probably shouldn't have even been out of bed, he still insisted upon doing at least a few minor chores around Mikoto's house. She begrudgingly allowed him to go pick up a few groceries, just as long as he didn't overtax himself.

Bwahaha

[sparkplug_chan]

The last thing she'd expected to see was Him. Her breath froze in her chest as her entire body stiffened and she drew in a sharp breath as first rage, then the sharp intensity of -wanting to know- hit her.

Fingers going painfully tight on her weapon, she stalked up to the man, ready to defend herself if needed, or to attack. No contingency on that, just -ready-.

Her voice was low, almost a growl as she go within easy speaking, and for her striking, distance. "You."

[itachi_san]

Itachi looked up sharply. The voice was completely new, but the chakra was oddly familiar. The person standing before him was obviously a young girl, but she looked so very much like Sasuke... right down to the sharingan!

He knew it was possible for multiple versions of people to appear in this village at any age. The younger versions of Orochimaru and himself were proof of that. But was it possible for people to appear in different genders as well?

"... Are you... Sasuke?"

[sparkplug_chan]

The question made her twitch, and her fingers went white knuckled on the hilt of her blade as she gave a single sharp jerk of her head. "We're talking. Now."

[itachi_san]

He kept his sharingan firmly on this strange girl. Whereas he could generally keep Tenten from actually attacking him, he wasn't so sure about this female Sasuke... if that's who she actually was...

After all, his death would be the goal of any Sasuke, male or female. But he hated to simply hand it over to one he didn't even know.

"Fair enough."

[sparkplug_chan]

"Good. Why? Answers. Now." She was practically vibrating in place, and all she could think was that her anger would be so much simpler to check if Naruto were with her. But he wasn't. No, whatever happened had effectively cut off -that- option.

[itachi_san]

He supposed this Sasuke meant the obvious... the massacre, the death of their parents, their family, their entire clan. It would be easy to lie, to say it was merely to test his strength, his capacity. He'd said it a thousand times to his own Sasuke. This girl probably heard it all too.

But what would that solve? What would his own death solve? Would vengeance be enough to take away the pain? This was a village of second chances, right?

"... Come with me. This is not a conversation to have on the streets."

[sparkplug_chan]

She narrowed her eyes but just jerked the hand not on her blade to indicate he should get walking.

[itachi_san]

"Follow me." he motioned her to walk with him.

He was heading toward toward the Uchiha house. Explaining this would be much easier there... especially considering that his mother, one of the people he killed, was now alive and well.

[sparkplug_chan]

She fell into step outside his immediate reach, clearly impatient and coldly silent as she kept pace with him, eyes never waverign from crimson.

[itachi_san]

It wasn't long before they reached the old house. Itachi stopped at the door, glancing back at the girl.

"I do not expect you to believe what I say. You likely know me as a criminal and a liar. But this place... this place makes its own truth. It pulls things... it pulls people... out of the shadows. I can't lie here, not about who I am, not about what I've done... That night has haunted me for seven years, Sasuke."

He rested his hand on the door for a moment. It felt very strange to call her that, but forced himself to say that name.

"The clan was on the verge of staging a revolt. When the order came down, and it was an order... The Hokage, the village elders, the mission they gave me was very clear... There were to be no survivors. It was all I could do to bargain for your safety. I did everything I could to protect you, to protect the village, to protect the Land of Fire from war... But none of that matters here."

[sparkplug_chan]

Her hands clenched more tightly and she took in a sharp shaky breath. "It's a lie."

It was an accusation, a demand, but she didn't follow it with an attack.

[itachi_san]

Itachi didn't confirm or deny the accusation. After all, she would either believe him, or she wouldn't.

"I had to resort to threats, but in the end, the Hokage promised to keep you safe and watch over you. I did too... from a distance." he continued. "It broke my heart, but I had to make you hate me. I had to give you something to live for... even if that something was my own death..."

He opened the door.

"I wish I could have done better, then. But I can't change it. All I can do... is try again, here... do things right this time around..." he looked inside, his soft voice raising a little. "Mom? I returned with the vegetables you wanted. And... with someone else..."

[sparkplug_chan]

Whatever she was about to say was smothered under pure shock, and if she hadn't been tense before, her body was utterly rigid now. It was a trick, it had to be a trick... but the sound of her mother's voice was distinctive, even if she couldn't quite hear the answer the woman gave over the dizzying rush in her head.

"No, no, it's a lie. It... It -has- to be. She can't- She's -dead-."

[proudofmybaby]

But no, the woman was perfectly alive, and as she came into the room, she blinked at the girl standing on the other side of her eldest. "Hello there. So you came back with Itachi?"

[sparkplug_chan]

But, she wasn't dead. She was standing right there, alive, and breathing and -there-, and Itachi was given barely a second to get out of the way as the girl moved forward to throw herself at the woman in a hug. She was solid, and even the sharingan didn't see through her.

She'd deal with Itachi... later. "Mom."

[itachi_san]

Itachi gave them a moment, and then walked toward the hug.

"Life, death... age, gender, world... I'm still not sure what this village is. But perhaps... it is a place to bring people back together."

He put his arms around both his mother and his... sister? If the woman could welcome two different aged Itachi into her home, this shouldn't be so hard.

"Mom. This is... Sasuke..."

[proudofmybaby]

She managed to shift her grip to tighten it on the girl before Itachi made contact, noticing the way that she'd stiffened when her son had started speaking. "I'd guessed as much. I'm just happy I'm not dead here."

Maybe that would help?

No, no the girl didn't relax at all.

[itachi_san]

"I'm sorry, Sasuke..." Itachi whispered. "Perhaps... we can all have a second chance here..."

[sparkplug_chan]

As her mother had too tight of a grip on her for her to escape or attack without hurting the woman, she instead sidled away from him. "Don't touch me."

[itachi_san]

Itachi pulled back.

"... Sorry, Sasuke."

[proudofmybaby]

Mikoto sighed, then freed a hand to touch her son's arm. "Go on and put the groceries int he kitchen, okay?" She gave him a sad smile. "I think she and I need to talk."

[itachi_san]

"I understand." he replied politely, and did as he was told.

Feeling fatigued from the errand, he decided to go lay down for a while. They would find him when they were through. Right now, if anyone could help the poor Sasuke he found, it was their mother.