Pretty Lights?

[one_without_wings]

Sasuke really, really wanted to see the lights. He heard about how autumn was coming and how pretty it would be. After dinner, which he had eaten very slowly, he sat outside on the porch to wait for these lights to come out.

Somewhat uncharacteristically for him, but a trait that may be believed shared for the Uchiha since it happened so often... he fell asleep. He had taken a blanket, perhaps feeling too warm, too comfortable, and not all that good. He still did want to see those lights... He was definitely feeling all too nice and warm right here.

Comments

[itachi_san]

"Easy there. You were... feverish all night... I'll make some rice porridge." he offered instead. "Though, I think Mom brought in... a fresh basket of tomatoes yesterday."

He paused for a moment.

"That's if... I can get up first..."

Sleeping on the floor/Mister Roary left quite a crick in just about everything.

[one_without_wings]

"What's the difference between the rice porridge and the omusubi?" there was the slightest child-like pout. "They're both rice, aren't they?" He was right in a way, wasn't he?

He frowned lightly, pondering. "If I eat the rice porridge then, it means I can have tomatoes later?" This sounded like a good trade-off.
Getting off his brother, he made an attempt to help him up, although the effort left him panting. "..w-whoa... sort of dizzy.." he did feel better though, but just a tiny bit of that sickness still stuck. Nnothing that would stop him for long, though

[itachi_san]

"One is easier... to digest..." Itachi would be the expert on that. He smirked a little. "...Might let you sneak a tomato now."

Getting up wasn't easy. But seeing Sasuke fatigued from attempting to help him was even harder.

"Careful there, Outoto..." Itachi ran a hand through his hair. "Don't exhaust yourself if you're... not feeling well. You should probably get back in bed... I can... bring something up for you..."

Itachi glanced out the door with a worried look on his face. Climbing up the stairs was quite a challenge, but for Sasuke, he'd do it again, down and right back up.

[one_without_wings]

"...but niisan..." he protested weakly. Going back in bed? So what if he was feeling no so well? He actually was better than yesterday. Plus, there was indeed the matter of his brother needing to get downstairs, then back up and down again whenever he would need.

[itachi_san]

"I'll... be back in a few minutes, outoto. You just... take it easy..."

He stretched his sore muscles and made his way down the hall. A few minutes, of course, would stretch on for longer than that. But Itachi did move as fast as he could, while trying to balance both himself and a couple of bowls of ridge porridge (and one tomato).

[one_without_wings]

Sasuke gave a happy cry when he spotted his brother rounding the corner. He would have gotten out of bed and raced to hug him if he didn't feel slightly lightheaded. It may just be a matter of him being too hungry or dehydrated. "Yay! Niisan's back!" he did get out of bed to relieve him of one of those precariously-balanced bowls.

[itachi_san]

The fact that he'd managed to get them up there without a considerable mess was commendable. The fact that he got back up at all was probably due in large part to snatching the portable oxygen tank from his room on the way to the kitchen. It made physical exertion far less exhausting. Tubing under that mask, though, felt a bit awkward.

"Here you go..." he handed Sasuke his bowl. A big tomato was sitting on top of the porridge. "Thought I'd have a little myself."

He sat down at the foot of the bed. It was much more comfortable than the floor for a body that was both sore and stiff.

"That's... much better."

[one_without_wings]

He scooted closer, sitting near his big brother to eat... the tomato first, of course. There was a happy sigh as he did, as if it had been months since he had them.

When he thought back on how his brother was the first time he saw him, he -was- getting better. He could move around, and now he had even walked up the stairs twice. Maybe there was some trick, along with that oxygen tank, that would help. He paused as he recalled how scared he was when the doctor announced his back-then little big brother had not much left to live...

But then he shook his head and started on the porridge. After all, this time was behind them, and his niisan was still here!

[itachi_san]

There were a few tricks really. The medicine that kept his body from destroying itself. The kotoamatsukami jutsu that kept his mind from destroying itself. And perhaps the most important thing of all - a precious little brother to turn living into thriving. Itachi was still a long way from thriving, but there was no question that without Sasuke, he wouldn't have recovered nearly this much.

"Breakfast is better when I get to eat it with you..." He smiled, eating a few bites of the porridge.

[one_without_wings]

"Yea! It's more fun with more people." he gave a light nod indeen bites. "...is it me or things've been real quiet in that house?" he was not going to say it, but he did notice many people seemed to have simply vanished...

[itachi_san]

Even though he spent most of his time resting in his room, sitting on the porch, or attempting small walks into the marketplace, Itachi had noticed it too. Some were simply busy, he knew that. But others had gone away as quickly as they came, never to return. He wouldn't say it outright either, but...

"I don't know if we'll ever understand the rules of this... strange world. But perhaps... it means that every day we have here should be a gift worth treasuring."

He put an arm around Sasuke and nuzzled his hair with a surgical mask.

"...I'm not going anywhere."

[one_without_wings]

"Not going anywhere either, niisan." Sasuke assured him, leaning into the touch, and somewhat even more than he should. This world did work in strange ways indeed... "I don't wanna go, else Miki, Akemi and Hiro just aren't going to know what to do either."

good thing that sickness came on the few days they had inbetween classes...

[itachi_san]

Honestly, this world was a far better alternative than their real ones. Itachi would return to his death and Sasuke would return to a fate worse than that. But here... here they were family.

"That's right. They need their team leader..." he smiled. "Have you been practicing hard? Now that I've got this... I might be able to actually come out and watch you practice more..."

[one_without_wings]

"Yeah, I've been practicin." he gave an enthusiastic nod. "We found out something awesome the other day! There was stuff about sensor-types!" which is exactly what Hiro was. They knew he could tell the chakra reserves, but his team member was pretty happy to explore any other possible things he could try and achieve with this. "Now, if we play hide and seek, he always wins cause he can tell where we are if we're in his range!"

[itachi_san]

"So Hiro's a sensor type, hm?" Itachi smirked. "I'm glad he... finally found his affinity. If we ever run into bandits on a survival weekend again, he'll be... sure to tip us off."

Yes, that was a nice thought - someday getting to have another shot at the survival weekend. With the portable oxygen, Itachi could probably last much longer... Assuming they didn't run into any more cave-ins. Speaking of things they learned that weekend,

"Have you been able to practice any lightning jutsu?"

[one_without_wings]

"It's hard." the boy made a face. "And it feels all.. tingly and weird. Is it supposed to do that the fist times? At least I guess it doesn't roast my insides like my first missed attempts at fire did, but... lightning is something I can practice anywhere, not like fire that burns anything."

[itachi_san]

"I wish Kakashi came around more often... He was better at lightning style techniques than I ever was." Itachi sighed a little. "But you are focusing your energy in the... high frequency vibrations of your chakra... So at's probably where the tingling sensations come from. Don't push it too hard though... and stop if you start feeling numb in that limb."

He nuzzled Sasuke again.

"My hand was asleep for two days once when I was back in the Academy... Not that Mother or Father ever found out!"

[one_without_wings]

Right. Not gonna push anythin. I promise." There was a vigorous nod and he shoveled some of that rice porridge in his mouth again, chuckling at the anecdote. "So they only ever found out what you wanted em to find out?"

[itachi_san]

The sigh in his voice was nostalgia tinged with a bit of regret.

"You know how Father used to be..."

Used to be. That was the key word there.

"I couldn't let him know that I might have... made a mistake. Now, though... It seems a little silly to keep that kind of secret. We all make them... No shinobi is perfect. It's why we have teams. Or at least... Why we have brothers."

[one_without_wings]

"Yeah." the boy nuzzled into him again with a happy sigh. "I'm really glad I got a big brother." he more or less mewed. "Besides, when I make mistakes, you help me fix em." so he wouldn't keep any secrets from him.

[itachi_san]

"I'm really glad I've got a little brother... And hanging out with your little team... Well, it kind of makes me feel like I'm making a real difference." He smiled. "Maybe... if I could have gone into teaching instead of into ANBU..."

Of course, at the time, there was no choice. Fugaku and the Hokage had both pushed him into the Black Ops for entirely different reasons. His destiny was written in stone, much like the secrets on the Uchiha monument.

"I'll come practice with you. When you're feeling better."

No hesitation there. Just desire.

[one_without_wings]

"You will!?" his face lit up like the sky upon a volcano erupting. "I'm feeling better now!" yes, he was. Truly. maybe not completely totally better but could anyone blame him for wanting to practice with his brother right at this one moment..?

[itachi_san]

"Sasuke..." He laughed a little under his breath. "I've lived a lifetime of lies. I think we both know... you're not well enough to be out practicing today. Tomorrow, on the other hand..."

That was a much more likely result.

And in the back of his mind, Itachi wondered if supplemental oxygen could help his fire jutsu as much as it did his exhaustion.

[one_without_wings]

He gave a light pout, although it lasted but a second before he gave a chuckle. "Aha, yea, I knew that wouldn't work." he leaned lightly on his brother's side and started eating the last of his porridge. "Tomorrow then. Yeah!" he was already looking forward to it.