[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

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!"

[elegantlymasked]

Right- what he said. She couldn't imagine having to go through all that without resenting Konoha. It made her respect him infinitely more- considering what she'd originally thought of him.

"Yes, I know. Nothing's ever fair though. But at least here, he has you to protect him?" Yuugao was relieved he looked less upset, although she still wasn't sure what to say to him. That was her awkward attempt at being positive.

[itachi_san]

"Sasuke... Sasuke, it's all right..."

His voice was too weak to really be considered soothing right now, but the intent was there. He let Sasuke bury his face in his cloak. He rubbed his back a little. Compared to what he used to endure, this was paradise, even with the occasional attack (provoked or not). But Sasuke could never see it that way. Nor would Itachi expect him to.

[one_without_wings]

"Protect'im how? M'never here when bad stuff happens..." just like a few days back with this other kid, and now... "M'never ever leavin niisan's side again" he resolved. "Never ever!" he repeated, turning hardened eyes to the world, to anything that would even dare hurt his brother again.

Congratulation, Itachi. You now have your own guard chibi.

[elegantlymasked]

Yuugao felt really out of place, intruding on their family moment. She was actually considering translocating away to leave them alone but she thought it might be easier if she helped take Itachi to the medics.

"Sasuke, it's impossible to stay with him all the time." She began, before realising explaining logic could make this more complicated. "Don't blame yourself, okay?" And she glanced at Itachi again, who wasn't looking any better.

"I think we should head to the medics first though. Can you tell me which way they are?"

[itachi_san]

"She's right, Sasuke..." Hearing those kind of words from his little brother was painful. And he spoke from experience when he insisted, "When you blame yourself, you cannot forgive yourself... and without forgiveness, there is nothing... to lessen the blame... You wound yourself... with every thought... until you bleed yourself dry..."

Itachi slouched in his seat, so very exhausted. He could barely keep his head up. But this was important.

"You are stronger than that, Sasuke." He scolded his little brother. "Do not... lose yourself... like that..."

[one_without_wings]

Stronger than that? How much sense did it even make? He wanted so badly to protect his brother... "If this isn' the right way then...then what do I do? Niisan... always gets hurt..." he moved away to claim the grocery bags, suspending them on the chair's handles before starting to push it forward.

He felt powerless, even though he had been called strong. His brother scolded him, and that long-haired neesan too. he couldn't help not being there all the time, but it angered him that these things kept happening because no one knew better or cared to. "Niisan's not a bad guy..." the more people hurt his brother, the more he found himself angry. It was a misunderstanding, and he knew... but he also knew that someday, one of these misunderstandings might not have the chance to get explained.

"...medic's Sakumo... should be home." he murmured, headed that way.

[elegantlymasked]

Yuugao trailed after them, wondering who Sakumo was. Surely it wouldn't be Kakashi senpai's father? Because she hadn't heard of his skills as a medic... She would've offered to push the chair herself, but she suspected that it'd make the frustrated boy feel more useful.

"You need to learn that some things are out of your control, no matter what you do." A harsh lesson, perhaps, for someone his age, but it was necessary to say. Whether Sasuke accepted her quiet words was another matter.

[itachi_san]

It was a harsh lesson for someone of any age. Itachi had never really learned it before coming here and it took drastic measures for that to even happen. He spent his entire life trying to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders, whether he could control it or not. The Uchiha Clan massacre, his time in the Akatsuki, protecting his little brother and his village at any cost... He understood, now, the consequences of that mindset, especially when it was coupled with illness.

"You take things... as they come, Sasuke... Good things... and misunderstandings too..."

[one_without_wings]

There were things he couldn't help.... things that would happen regardless of him wanting them or not because he couldn't be there all the time.

"....yeah..." he could only gulp a big, big lump and sniffle lightly. with what happened recently, he could only wish misunderstandings wouldn't be what would take his brother's life, because he was aware of a body's limits. All things come to an end. He knew that.... but some ends were unfair.

"Niisan....?" his voice was a tiny mew. "...is it okay if I... sleep in your bed tonight?" he knew it was always okay, but he always asked.

There were things he couldn't help... but those he -could- help, he would.

[elegantlymasked]

And here, it was too much for her. It seemed like such a private moment.

Yuugao stepped backwards unobtrusively and formed the hand seals to disappear. She'd just keep an eye on them from a distance, to make sure they actually got to the medics without any trouble.

You just wanted to see my cute new icon, didn't you.

[itachi_san]

"Of course... Sasuke..." He whispered as his head drooped. He finally let exhaustion win.

Mister Roary shrunk in the wash~

[one_without_wings]

The youth, of course, would see to it that Sakumo would give his brother a look once they got home. No one could get to third floor quicker than him, when his brother was concerned.

And after everything would be over with for today, it might be the first time he would go sleep with a hint of cruel fear on the edge of his thoughts.