[Open] Er, this is mainly just a voicetest. Hi ^^

[elegantlymasked]

Uzuki Yuugao woke up. Without opening her eyes, she could tell that she’d been sleeping on hard earthen ground- somewhere unsheltered, judging by the harsh sunlight. She must’ve been more tired than she’d thought, to fall asleep in a cemetery. But when her eyes grew accustomed to the light, she didn’t see Hayate’s gravestone, or any of the familiar surroundings of Konoha. There was definitely no one around the.. park? that she was in. It was impossible to move her without noticing, and this wasn’t a genjutsu, so what had happened? A knot of worry formed just above her stomach.

Standing fluidly, she reached back to make sure her katana was still in place, and adjusted her kunai pouch. It took a second for her to decide to wear her ANBU mask- it’s a part of her uniform, and she might need it, whether she was in enemy territory or not.

It was still fairly early, but Yuugao was sure she could hear the sounds of a market to the right of a bunch of buildings. Taking a few deep breaths, she headed in that direction, where there had to be someone who could tell her what was going on. Her body was tense and ready to evade any surprise ambushes, her left hand constantly hovered above her kunai pouch. However, the few civilians that she passed seemed completely uninterested in her, nor did they react to her uniform.

She had no idea where she was, or how she got here, but she could deal with this. She was one of the best kunoichi in Konoha. All she needed to do was find out where she was, and then the direction that led to home. Easy. Even a genin could do it. Yuugao flexed her fingers and marched right into the market.


//Points if you know who this is from the picture? :P She probably has 5 minutes screen time across the whole anime. Here's her wiki page though, I'm taking her from the end of the timeskip.

Comments

I'm really uncoordinated, but it's on my bucketlist!

[elegantlymasked]

She clenched her jaw in frustration. She was essentially paralysed- completely defenceless- and he wanted her to relax? Seeing him in the ANBU uniform only reinforced the feeling. After everything he'd done, it was like pouring vinegar into a bullet wound.

"Did you or did you not massacre your entire family, except your little brother who was essentially emotionally dead after the event? You joined the Akatsuki, how can you say you deserve to live?"

[itachi_san]

Still the genjutsu continued.

"You are ANBU. Do you... or do you not... go where they tell you to go? Kill whom they order you to kill? Carry out the mission regardless of your personal feelings or the amount of sacrifice involved?"

The questions echoed. They implied a great many truths - that the massacre was an order. That turning rogue was an order, which would have meant his time in the Akatsuki was also an order.

"Even if I could do it all again, I don't know if I could have found another way... Which is why my time here is so precious. My family... is here now... All is finally as it should be."

[elegantlymasked]

"I joined the ANBU to protect my friends." Which wasn't much of an answer, but she was stung that he'd compare the two of them. Until she realised exactly what he was implying. She felt icy cold dread creep up on her- it wasn't possible, was it?

"You're saying that you were ordered to kill one of our most powerful clans. That every single one of them was a danger to the village? Who would..." She trailed off. Yuugao wasn't stupid, she was older than him, and most importantly, she listened. "Let me go."

She needed to find the truth. He could stay here with an illusion of his family, or whatever he meant, but she would go back and find out if Konoha's most infamous missing nin was a lie, set up by the authorities.

[itachi_san]

"It's a very long story..." he whispered. "One that I don't have the chakra right now to tell... At least, not like this."

The figures around her disappeared, one by one, into crows. And as they dispersed, the illusion did as well. He let her go. No injuries, mental or physical, no harm done at all.

Itachi, however, was completely spent. And just barely holding on to consciousness.

[elegantlymasked]

She finally believed that he wasn't going to hurt her when he let go of the genjutsu. If he hadn't attacked her when she was completely in his power, when else would he do it?

She breathed a soft sigh of relief, rubbing her left shoulder and looking around to find him. He was a lot easier to spot without the crows.. But he wasn't moving from the spot, and barely reacted when Yuugao walked up to him. "What's wrong with you?"

She was just a little confused.

[itachi_san]

Chakra exhaustion from an S-rank shinobi like Itachi Uchiha from just a few moves? It really didn't make sense. If anything from this place actually did...

He leaned back against the wall, eyes half-lidded, but sharingan still active. It looked as though it was taking an incredible amount of willpower to keep them that way. His breaths were shallow and labored. His haggard body trembled as he clutched his chest. No. This was far more than chakra exhaustion. He was seriously sick.

"A lot... I'm afraid..." He coughed out a few answers. "But I'm... making the best... of the... the time I have left..."

[elegantlymasked]

She stared at him, eyes darting around from his face to his chest as if there would be an indication of why he looked like he was about to pass out. She'd never been able to learn any medical ninjutsu and she definitely couldn't diagnose anyone, but this looked really serious.

It was, however, clear that he was exhausted, yet still using his sharingan. Yuugao crouched beside him, one hand rummaging through her pouch for chakra pills. "You can turn those off, Uchiha, I'm not going to do anything to you." As she handed the pills over, all she felt was pity.

[itachi_san]

He pushed her hand back weakly. He knew all too well what was in those pills. He used to depend on them during his missions, but to use them now... The rush of stimulants alone would be more than his body, especially his heart, could handle.

"No... I can't. The medics... said... those would... kill me... If I tried using them. But I appreciate the offer..."

He smiled softly, grateful for the gesture itself. It meant there was a truce between them, and at least some level of trust. When his sharingan deactivated, it didn't take long for her to realize that it wasn't a matter of trust. The way his eyes moved, the way they followed her, or rather, the way they merely tried to... Without them, it was as if he was almost blind!

On the bright side, he did mention medics. He was under the care of someone here. Which meant he was receiving treatment of some kind.

[elegantlymasked]

It'd be a lie if she said she didn't think about forcing him to eat a few of the pills (it was difficult to forget years of conditioning, but she stuck them back into her pouch. That was when she noticed he wasn't following her movements properly.

"Can you even see?" she asked with a hint of disbelief- how did he survive as one of the most wanted ninja while staggering around blindly..

"Look, if you can stand up, I'll help you to your medic." Yuugao could probably carry him, considering his withered frame, but she'd rather not.

[itachi_san]

"...Barely. But it's better... with the sharingan..." he admitted weakly.

He both grunted and groaned as he struggled to get up from the ground. Itachi's body had clearly taken all the abuse it could take for a while. To do anything else, even something as simple as standing, was a battle in its own right.

[elegantlymasked]

She caught one of his wrists and helped pull him up, pulling his arm around her shoulder. He really was way too light for someone his height.

"Would you like me to carry you? Or.. I suppose you could give me directions to find someone."

[itachi_san]

He leaned on her, trying very hard to stay on his feet. He tried to point, but coiuldn't quite see which was the direction from which he'd come.

"Sasuke... left me across the street... to finish... picking up the groceries... Should be back... soon..."

That must have sounded strange to Yuugao. Itachi on good terms with Sasuke?! Since when? And... Left?! At least that last one made a little more sense when there was a wheelchair sitting beside one of the little cafes. If the fact that there was a wheelchair at all made sense in the first place...

"Thought I'd... walk a little..."

[elegantlymasked]

Honestly, he looked so unsure of the direction that she opted to stay put and let him catch his breath.

".. your brother Sasuke? He's here too? We were told he was with Orochimaru- learning techniques so he can kill you." Yuugao glanced around warily. If he was coming back soon, she should leave. Just because Itachi wasn't hostile, didn't mean his brother wouldn't be, and she's not sure if she could take him out by herself either.

The least she could do was take him to the wheelchair that was presumably his. "Okay, you still up for walking?"

[itachi_san]

"There... Is more... than one Sasuke here..." His comments just seemed to get stranger and stranger. A product of illness and delerium? Or was he actually telling the truth? "There is more than one... of... many people here..."

He held on to her as he took a cautious step forward. He didn't have much of a choice but to depend on her to be his eyes. And a significant part of his strength too...

Threadjacking with a bittybro!

[one_without_wings]

Near the wheelchair was a little boy with a mop of ever-spiky black hair, having gotten out of a store carrying two bags of things. He'd blinked at the empty wheelchair and left the bags upon it, knowing there would still be space upon it for its occupant, before large dark eyes scanned around...

...and found the one they seeked. Those eyes widened as he saw a masked person onto which his brother held on. "Niisan!" there was alarm at the scene, and he decided bringing the wheelchair to them would be faster. "Hold on, I'm comin!" When he'd left him, he was fine, but now he looked so exhausted!

Aww too cute! <3

[elegantlymasked]

Yuugao had no idea what he was on about, just making a quiet non-committal noise. "Right- uh perhaps you should concentrate on walking?"

A child's voice caught her attention, and stared right at the kid- who was undoubtedly an Uchiha. "Who the hell is that?!" He could be possibly be Itachi's son, if he hadn't referred to him as 'nii-san'. Still, she gently manoeuvred Itachi into his wheelchair when it was brought over.

Isn't he?! I *heart* my outoto!

[itachi_san]

Itachi pretty much collapsed into the wheelchair, completely and utterly spent. (Sasuke barely had enough time to move the groceries out of the way.)

"Sorry, Sasuke..." he whispered as he tried to catch his breath. That answered one question right there. "I thought I'd... walk across the street... stretch my legs a little. Things got... complicated after that."

The way he spoke was strangely forgiving. There was no hint of malice toward the woman who basically tried to kill him with no provocation other than sight alone.

Therapy+happy=Terhappy!

[one_without_wings]

"...complicated?" the boy whimpered. "Niisan, I know you don't like worrying me, but you can tell. Besides..." he blinked, and then activated his sharingan before giving the most adorable pout. "Where did you chakra all go?" that sharingan didn't stay on long, really.

...neither did the pout, because then, he grinned. "Aha~ It's rare that I can scold you. You're gonna be okay, right? We can get you home and you can rest."

Then, he finally turned to Yuugao and offered her the brightest, happiest smile ever. "Thank you for taking care of niisan, neesan!" and then he bowed.

I really want to hug him.

[elegantlymasked]

That's Sasuke? ... No way. After letting go of Itachi, she knelt down and examined him. He was much too young.. but she was also fairly sure it was him. "Why are you so young?" The question didn't make much sense but after observing their interaction, there wasn't much else to say.

While she wasn't going to apologise for trying to kill him- it was a part of her job- Yuugao also didn't expect complete forgiveness. Either way, she wasn't going to lie to a kid without a good reason. "Nice to finally meet you, Sasuke, but I'm the one who attacked him." Her sentence was halting, unused to talking to children.

There needs to be a daily recommended allowance of BittySas hugs.

[itachi_san]

Itachi was stuck somewhere between insisting that he would be all right and confirming that what Yuugao said was, in fact, the truth. So after a somewhat uncomfortable silence, he settled on, "That... was the complicated part..."

Best part is they are free!

[one_without_wings]

"Huh? Why woukld I be older?" he blinked up at the masked lady, puzzled, before... "Oh, you're new here! It's really weird but I'm me, and there's others mes, who're older... probably the one you're thinkin of. There's other niisans too." he gave a nod.

And then?

Congratulations. You just summoned the saddest of expressions onto his face. "...why's everyone always attacking niisan?" Careful, there's tears hanging in the corner of his eyes. "I'm sure niisan did nothing to you, just like how that other kid attacked him last time! Why is it always niisan?"

(necessary insert)

[itachi_san]

Itachi, meanwhile, looked back at Yuugao with an expression that begged, that pleaded, 'Please... Please don't tell him what I did. Please, don't tell him about the massacre.'

he has a dinosaur ahhh!!!

[elegantlymasked]

Sorry Sasuke, but your explanation isn't very helpful. "Where are we? Do you mean there's more than one of you?" She automatically checked whether she was still in a genjutsu, but no.. this was reality.

One where she had to deal with crying kids, apparently. She stared with wide eyes between Sasuke and Itachi's beseeching look. What do you want her to do, Itachi?! He's about to cry.

Yuugao took her mask off to buy time, and gave him a wavering, rarely practiced, smile. "Your brother- uh, he .. He looks like someone who isn't a nice person. But now I know he's a friend, so I promise I won't do it anymore." Please don't cry! She looked back at Itachi, hoping he'd say something a little more reassuring.

[itachi_san]

Itachi knew why people attacked him. But explaining that to a child while leaving out the massacre that he avoided experiencing by a matter of minutes?

Fortunately, he was far better with children than Yuugao was. He immediately steadied Sasuke with a fragile hand, letting the boy slide in as close as he wanted. He didn't really have the strength to pull him in right now.

"Remember... how I told you... that I was a spy within the Akatsuki? Part of being a spy is that nobody knows you're a spy. The Akatsuki... they were a group of powerful... very dangerous criminals... And that meant my face was in the bingo book... for just about every village." he explained, while rubbing Sasuke's back a little. "Most people here... They know the truth. But new people... They don't know. And as a Konohagakure ANBU, she would be... be considered a traitor to her village... had she not attacked me."

Itachi wasn't resentful of that fact, as surprising as it seemed. It's just how it was. And he'd accepted the risks it carried.

[one_without_wings]

He gave a light whimper and sniffled. His brother's explanation made it better.

"I... can understand... I really can." his voice was tiny and broken. "I swear it makes sense, but.. but..." and then there was a choked sob and he hid his face. "It doesn' make it fair for anyone... not for niisan, or.. or for long-hair ANBU-neesan..."

Indeed. No one had ever said the world of shinobi was fair.

"Niisan's already hurt enough! He doesn' need any of that!"