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[kiba_wa_gizagiza]

Kisame wondered, then, if this was it. If this was just a place one went to after death.

Because surely he was dead. Oh, yes, he'd made sure of that. And yet...strangely enough, he was in tact, and Samehada was on his back like it had never left. He reached back to rest a hand on the sword, but then the sky caught his attention. Slowly, he lowered his hand to his side.

But Kisame didn't often care about beautiful things. Such was the case now, for his attention had turned to the buildings around him, and he realized he was in a completely unfamiliar area.

"...what the hell?"

Comments

Kisame!!

[itachi_san]

The littlest Itachi was right about where to find all those versions of himself.

One of them, the oldest Itachi to arrive here, stayed on the first floor. It wasn't difficult to find him. The door was slightly ajar, and the room inside looked more like a hospital room than a bedroom. There was a wheelchair in one corner, medical supplies scattered everywhere, an IV set up next to the bed... and in bed, was a very familiar face.

Recovering from being poisoned, the boy had said... From the looks of it, either that wasn't the whole story or that was some poison...

[kiba_wa_gizagiza]

And naturally, the shark man, being of ever curious nature, opened the door a bit more to peer inside upon sensing Itachi's chakra in there.

Kisame didn't know what to think about this new Itachi, as he stepped inside. Surely he carried the figure of his partner, but...he just couldn't be. He'd gotten what he wanted, and he had died. He couldn't be here now...like this. Kisame wasn't sure that he liked this Itachi...or any of this world, really.

"Itachi-san?"

[itachi_san]

His eyes were closed, but he wasn't asleep, merely resting. He stirred when he heard his name. That voice... Could it possibly be? His sharingan spun to life as he shot straight up in the bed. The chakra was bright and unmistakable, even to deteriorated eyes. Only one man could ever be considered a tailed beast without a tail.

"Kis...Kisame?" He gasped, excitement visible on a pale, thin face. "My... my Kisame?"

It was a strange way to ask when, where and from what world one was pulled from. But he had longed to see his partner again, to the point that he found himself hoping this wasn't a poison-fueled hallucination.

He climbed to the edge of the bed, stopped only by the tug of the IV line on the other side.

"You're here... You're really here?"

[kiba_wa_gizagiza]

"Your Kisame...?" he asked, brow furrowing. He almost took a step back, but instead moved forward when that IV tugged against his arm. "For Kami's sake - lay back down," he barked, frowning.

[itachi_san]

Itachi shook his head. That didn't come out quite the way he meant.

"No, no... This place... It pulls people from different worlds, different timelines... ages, genders..." He clarified, slowly easing himself back. The choices were almost infinite. There was a good chance that he was wrong. "Are you... were we partners... in the Akatsuki? Where you came from? Were we..."

He held back for a moment, then chanced it.

"...Were we friends?"

[kiba_wa_gizagiza]

"...yeah," he said, relaxing a bit. "You died." He had, too, but he was going to leave that part out for now. There was something more than just his death, however, something he was still trying to figure out.

[itachi_san]

Itachi looked away. That part wasn't a surprise to him. He'd met quite a great many people here who confirmed his death at Sasuke's hands. Even from a couple of Sasuke's.

"I haven't..." He whispered. "I was pulled here... after I'd left you to go... after Sasuke. He... I... we never fought."

And given the childlike drawing of Itachi and what looked like a young Sasuke hanging over his bed (one of the very few possessions Itachi had in that sparse, sterile room), that fight wasn't going to happen any time soon.

[kiba_wa_gizagiza]

He noted the drawing, but chose not to mention it. Instead, he replied with, "...then you're not the Itachi I know."

As ridiculous as it was to believe, he supposed for now he would just have to accept the rules of this world. Which, in part, meant accepting that the person he knew wasn't here; this wasn't the same man he met and grew to respect. Until he got proof against that, he would abide by this.

[itachi_san]

There was regret on Itachi's face. He let his emotions show here, in this world, in ways he never would have before.

"No. I suppose not..." He eventually replied. Labored breaths broke up his phrases. "Death changes a man..."

It was easier with the Sasukes. The little ones loved their niisans, all their niisans, unconditonally. The older ones, ones who had killed him in their world, were simply grateful to find him alive again. Those in the middle... well, they hadn't killed him on sight, so that could be considered acceptance, if you squint.

"Though, if you wouldn't mind... I suppose we could have much to... potentially catch up on?" He offered softly, the hint of a smile on his face. "We are humans, not fish. And humans... miss their friends when they are gone."

[kiba_wa_gizagiza]

"Tch." He frowned, looking away. Using that line on him again. "Death didn't change me. How is this place any different from home?"

He looked at Itachi again. "Maybe we don't have the same employers, maybe we're not even the same people, but I haven't changed. This world is still as full of lies as the other one was. Besides, the only thing you need to catch up on here is your breath."

He wanted to walk away. But he also knew this Itachi was right...maybe. A little bit. He probably kind of missed him. He didn't need to know that, though.

"...you're a little pathetic like this, you know."

[itachi_san]

"I've been called worse..." He smiled a little. Hearing his partner's gruff, blunt, matter-of-fact tone again was nice.

It wasn't a perfect place. There was still war, people still struggled. If he could have deluded himself to believe it a few weeks ago, he certainly couldn't after the recent attack. But one thing was certain.

"To me... this place is a second chance... To find a little bit of happiness with the time... I have left." It was a strange thing to hear Itachi say that, but it was true. Maybe this place had changed him more than death ever could. "I don't lie to myself here. Or to anyone else."