[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

[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.