It's so pretty...

[stillpure]

He was dressed up. Where his mother had managed to locate anything to dress him up with on such short notice with he had no idea, but it meant when he took off roaming he was a streak of dark blue and red amid those at the festival as he went here and there, utterly fascinated by the new sights.

He'd been to festivals in Konoha, yes, but those were different. This was -new-.

It also meant he wasn't exactly being the most attentive person ever, and had escaped the people he'd been with. Unintentionally, of course.

Comments

[stillpure]

His eyes widened as he turned around to answer, and his breath caught. "Wait!"

He didn't give the poor boy a chance to escape, pouncing on him to hug his arm. They were about the same height, but Itachi had been a shinobi for a while, and that gave him some effectiveness to his hold.

"Don't go. What's your name?"

[unsealed_emotions]

His eyes widen at the short call, and he tried to pull away from that hand, while he shook his head against him.

[stillpure]

"Oh. I just... you look like someone older who told me his name was Sai, and there's future mes here so..." He paused, not relinquishing his hold, but sort of moving after him so that the other boy was quasi dragging him.

"He was nice, so I thought maybe you'd be too?"

[unsealed_emotions]

He tried to dislodge his hand, more subtly than before but nothing came of it.

"I don't--" Was he supposed to say anything? He looked beyond him. Was there someone watching him? Was this another test? What was he supposed to do? Where was Nii-san?

"... I don't have a name."

[stillpure]

He paused and his eyes widened before he released his hold and leaned forward to hug him instead. "I'm sorry! I wasn't trying to be mean."

[unsealed_emotions]

He rubbed his hand, looking nervous. He wasn't used to this. Crowds. It had always just been him and Nii-san and then he suddenly woke up in the crowded Village. He didn't know Konoha was this big. Nii-san had told him but he had never ventured out of the mountains, it was against the rules.

"... sorry about---!"

He went deathly still when the other boy hugged him. What was--what was going on?

[stillpure]

He pulled back and smiled at him immediately, a hand on either arm. "Do you want a name? I can try to think of one if you want, cause I don't want to just call you 'hey you' and well, nobody here knows how to go home yet or anything so..." He paused and huffed. "I'm rambling. My name is Uchiha Itachi, you can call me Itachi."

[unsealed_emotions]

He relaxed a little when he pulled away. He wasn't used to other people, not this close, not so talkative. Dazou-sama had always been a silent figure.

He shook his head. "I'm not supposed to have one yet," not until he was given a mission.

He looked back at him. "Itachi?" A small smile that shone clearly in his eyes lifted at the edge of his lips. "I don't mind it." He went off on any number of topics when he and Shin were alone.

[stillpure]

He shook his head firmly, but his own smile brightened on seeing one. "No no, everyone is supposed to have a name. Some people just have lots of names. Like nicknames, names friends give friends." He shrugged and huffed softly. "But mm. I'm Itachi."

[unsealed_emotions]

His smile grew a notch brighter seeing the other boys reaction.

"I don't remember it," not like Nii-san. He'd still been too young to remember his parents, all he'd ever known was ROOT and Shin.

"I don't need one." He held the book in his hands a little closer as he thought of his brother. "Nii-san never said I did." Shin had been older when he'd been recruited. He still remembered his name, what it meant to be free. Sai liked listening to him talk about it.

[stillpure]

"I have an otouto too." He smiled at him. "He's a lot younger than me normally but this place made it all complicated." He shook his head. "Can I find something to call you? So I can tell people about you and stuff."

He caught one wrist in hand and tugged on him. "In a good way though! I've never made a friend my own age see."

[unsealed_emotions]

"You do?" He looked up at him, a bright little smile shining behind the dark orbs as he regarded him with admiration.

"Shin calls me... otouto." That was the only name he'd ever known, the only he ever cared to have.

He blinked in surprise barely keeping a hold of his book as he was suddenly tugged forward. "Uhmm... friend?"

[stillpure]

"Otouto is a good title! But, you're not my otouto so I wouldn't feel right calling you that." He tilted his head a little. "Mm! A friend. It's... an attachment. Someone you want to spend time with and be close to."

[unsealed_emotions]

"Like with Niisan?" He only ever interacted with him, formed an attachment to him.

[stillpure]

He seemed to think about this. "Sort of. They're people who would make you very sad if they got hurt or died."

[unsealed_emotions]

His eyes widened slightly and he shook his head. "I don't want that to happen to Niisan!"

[stillpure]

"Right! And you don't want it to happen to friends either."

[unsealed_emotions]

"Does that mean you don't want me to get hurt or die?"

[stillpure]

He nodded once. "Right!" He took his hand and started through the crowd carefully. "And even if I don't know what to call you yet, that's okay right?"

[unsealed_emotions]

"It's--" He ran with him, "It's okay." He said in a puffed voice, as he tried not to run into people in their headlong dash through the crowds.

[stillpure]

"Hmmm can I name you then? I know if I don't and you don't then mom will." He looked over. "She'd be soo unhappy if she found out I didn't bring you home with me."

[unsealed_emotions]

His eyes widened, and he came to a halt, refusing to be lead any further.

He shook his head. "I can't come home with you. Danzou-sama won't allow it."

[stillpure]

"He's probably not here." He paused, looking over at him. "See, a lot of people aren't here, and there are people who -died- here. Or even different ages of the same person. So... if he's not here, then what do you intend to do?"

[unsealed_emotions]

"But... Danzou-sama is always there. Shin said so, even if we couldn't tell..." He didn't want to disobey. He didn't want to get punished.

[stillpure]

He shook his head at once. "Someone isn't everywhere. They -can't- be. Bad things would never happen to anyone if that was true, now would they? Besides... it's possible he might not know at all. There are older versions of me here who don't remember being here before."