respiteden | [closed to Ollitachi]

No, he hadn't been here for long - but already he'd managed to acclimatise to the differences in this world from his own. There were some things, things people hadn't wanted to tell him that he was oblivious to. In time, he would accept and move on in the knowledge of those things, but for the time being he had one thing very stubbornly awaiting his attention.

The single goal was to make contact with his little brother, and once he'd managed to work out where he was, there was nothing that would stop him from finding him. If he had to fight through blockades and barriers, or even Sasuke himself he would find him. Perhaps it would be against Sasuke's will - to have his brother with him at a time when their relationship was so fragile, but logic told Itachi that there had been no other time in their lives than this. The things that went unsaid, the unspoken truths, the lies he'd held to his chest, and the scars of the things he'd done wrong.

Perhaps. Here. There was the opportunity at least to do something right - but even now, as he moved in toward the last few feet of the place Sasuke was he had to wonder if it would not be best just to stay out of Sasuke's way entirely.

When his heart won the internal struggle, it seemed like a weight had been lifted - and he gingerly turned toward the cave, stepping through the huge mouth quietly, except for--

"... Sasuke?"

That voice.

Sasuke had been spreading a mat out, working it into a crevice just large enough for him to sleep in and trying to make himself comfortable. But that voice froze him in his tracks and drew his eyes toward the cave opening as quick as if someone had fired a gunshot.

Whatever change he was going through now, he wasn't losing his mind. Not yet. He was sure of that much, at least. Could whatever had brought him here have brought his dead brother also? Was that even possible? Asking how he'd been found was meaningless. If it really was Itachi, the other ninja was capable of finding anyone.

He shifted back, shrinking against the wall as if the darkness might keep his brother from finding him, and said nothing in response. He had to see if it was the real deal first. He had to know for sure.

And then what? Sasuke hadn't forgotten Itachi's last words, but this... this was something different. This was turning into something not even human anymore.

His steps were cautious, but there was no denying that Sasuke was here. Here and now.

The question of just what time Sasuke was from concerned him only when there was no response. He found it difficult to believe that his little brother had ever harboured the potential for the energy he could feel now before the incident in Konoha - which only left him the time after he'd been killed at his brother's hand and the final time.

Unless there was another problem?

A sigh escaped him, quiet - yet enhanced by the close cave walls around them. He continued on all the same, keeping right to the middle of the cave - if Sasuke saw him first, that was fine. If Sasuke struck out at him, that was fine too. If he backed away and begged him to leave... he would accept it.

What finally brought him to a slow stop was the flicker of something out of the corner of his eye. He was right in the middle of the cave now, and maybe five years ago he would have made out the shapes and contours of the cave... but his eyesight failed him.

He would just have to wait.

"You're here."

"... Itachi."

The response came out finally. His eyes, though lacking the Sharingan, now saw through the dark as clear as if it was day. That was definitely his brother, or at least a very good imitation of him. (And if it was the latter, he would be hunting down the one responsible.) If it really was him, he wasn't going to be meeting him huddled on the ground.

Sasuke stood up, back to the wall, ears flattened back in the hopes that they would get hidden in his hair.

"I am. You shouldn't be."

It was a relief to hear his name in that tone, that his senses hadn't been alluding him, that even here they still had that vague connection that went beyond being brothers. Even if it had been a messy relationship to begin with.

Itachi lifted his head slightly to look toward Sasuke, and instantly took the few steps it took to be able to see him properly - not an easy feat when you had bad eyesight in the middle of a cave.

"... The first time?"

The movement automatically caused Sasuke to attempt to back up when he couldn't. Itachi shouldn't be seeing him like this, and of course his older brother already knew a lot about what happened here. Of course. Why wouldn't he?

The feeling of being pressed up against a wall while Itachi approached him was still all too familiar, however, and he relaxed if only to shed those images from his mind. There was no danger.

At the question, he turned his head away without thinking. That just made the dark feline ears more visible, along with the black fur running from them down the back of his neck to his shoulders.

Rather than answer, he just repeated himself. "You shouldn't be here."

That wasn't terribly informative - except for the information he can gather simply from Sasuke's body language. He would have expected him to back away between their fight at the Uchiha hideout, but not after.

Yet he doesn't seem perplexed by his presence. Which obviously means there is something else the matter here and he gets his truth as Sasuke turns his head away.

All the expression in his face sinks away in a rare display of emotion, and instantly he is torn. Move closer to Sasuke, watch him regress further against the wall, or stay here. Sit, and let Sasuke come to him.

Itachi takes a step back without thinking, shaking his head gently. "Neither should you."

Itachi was dead already, though, he wanted to argue. He'd done enough. He should be free of all this. Who got to decide he was to be brought back again? Who got to decide to bring him here.

This wasn't right. His brother was here and he was cowering away like a child. He was beyond this. No matter the circumstances, Itachi was here in front of him and he needed to address that. Sasuke straightened, raising his head.

"But you are, and I can't change that." Not yet, anyway. "Are you alright?" Are you alive? Are you well? His ears pricked up, and he listened for anything that might be off about his breathing, his heartbeat.

Itachi would much rather be here, supporting if he could. Death was supposed to have brought him peace, and with it - perhaps. There was no knowing what happened after, not until he got there, and still - he was waiting.

"I'm well." He forfeited finally. Which was true, mostly. He didn't seem to be having trouble breathing, just the inability to see. Which was odd. Defied logic really.

"... You're changing."

One hand automatically went up to his neck, fingers brushing against fur, the feeling unnatural. Yes, he was definitely changing into something. And what should he say about that? He couldn't stop it. He tried.

"... Yeah. It started a few days ago. Comes and goes." There was no need to balk. He faced his brother directly. If he could be slowly turning into some indeterminable creature, then how did his brother being here make any less sense?

"I want to learn more about it. See if I can't find out what's behind it all, but I figured I'd need a place to hide out, since..." He gestured to his ears. Any regular human was going to have something to say about those. It would make asking questions a lot more difficult.

The urge to reach out himself to investigate was a difficult one to quash. They may have made their amends, and the truth was now out - for the both of them to appreciate and he imagined that by now Sasuke would have had time to think over and process that truth.

Whatever conclusion he had drawn seemed to be far more positive than the last time they'd bumped into one another, and perhaps it was a step forward but he didn't think there was anything that would ever bring them as close to one another as they had been. It was a selfish notion anyway.

"Are you the only one?" He asked quietly, instead. Watching Sasuke intently with what he could make out of him - the dark didn't help.

"I will inquire for you."

The only one? No. Sasuke shook his head. "Anyone else who arrived when I did..." He stopped then, blood running cold, and immediately turned his full attention to his brother, taking a couple steps to close the distance between them.

"How did you get here? Were there others?" If this process repeated itself, if Itachi arrived in much the same way he had, then it was possible that he would be going through the same thing. He did not deserve that.

The flash of strong emotion that followed those thoughts caused a completely different reaction and he stopped, grunting in pain with an arm across his midsection before he even reached the other ninja.

His eyes dropped to focus on Sasuke as he neared, resisting the urge to move, although he wasn't sure if he wanted to take a step back, reach out to drag him in for a hug or-- something else.

That look was intense, reminded him of so many other times he'd seen his little brother - with a similar expression, often directed at him, mostly angry.

"... There were others." He explained, about to continue. How could he when Sasuke had reacted like that. Alarm swept across his face and without care for Sasuke's mental structures he reached out, catching his brother by the shoulders in an attempt to support.

"What is it?"

Dammit, not now. Grimacing, Sasuke allowed his brother to help support him momentarily. With his lips pulled back, it was apparent that all his teeth had sharpened into fine points.

The pain didn't last too long, and he was soon able to straighten himself again. He did keep one arm held across the front of him as he shook his head to let his brother know he didn't need the assistance anymore. "I told you... It comes and goes."

But other things were more important - Itachi's answer being one. He would address that soon. Right after he sat himself down on the cave floor.

He watched. Itachi was astute, no matter the state of his eyes - and he'd seen. Seen plenty in such a short time and was coming up with all sorts of conclusions of his own to parry with.

Sasuke was an advantage of course - he'd been here longer. Would know more.

Gingerly, he let go of his brother, standing by his side until he managed to find the floor. There was little point in reminding Sasuke that his question had been unanswered, clearly this was something he didn't want to discuss. They would have another battle on their hands momentarily, but for now - he sank to the save floor.

"In your own time."

Sasuke reached behind himself, scratching for a moment at a spot just between his shoulder blades with a frown before he let both hands fall into his lap.

It would take some getting used to, his older brother acting this way again. He could admit that. They'd at least been in combat before, something that felt more natural to him, but this... With everything that had happened between them, it was still a little hard to believe he'd see his brother like this again. But it made him feel better about his decision. This is the brother who's dreams he wanted to help make reality.

Unfortunately he still had to get out of his current situation before that could happen.

He calmed himself, slowed his breathing, and relaxed into a better position with his legs crossed in front of him. "... You said you arrived with others. Then you could also be in danger of this."

As long as Sasuke seemed not to have an issue with either his presence, or the support he wished to offer, Itachi would continue to act like the big brother he'd missed out on being.

Things had been tense, even at the end - and despite understanding the reasons behind it, and that Sasuke could well still decide he wanted nothing to do with him, he hoped it would become easier.

Still, they had a predicament on their hands, and despite the fact that Sasuke was talking to him, and seemed more relaxed, he had to wonder how much time the boy had like this.

"Is there anyone who... isn't changing?"

"The townspeople who were here before. They seem unaffected." It was just those who didn't belong here, for whatever reason it was that they'd washed up on shore in the first place. Itachi would make that connection easily.

"It's not the same with everyone. Whatever's happening to me, it isn't happening to all the others. Their's are different." Their changes, whatever better term there was for it. "It's not a curse mark. I couldn't find anything like that. Whatever it is, it... infected all of us. Broke my connection to my chakra."

He glanced up at his brother again at that, squinting unnecessarily. "Yours too."

Itachi said nothing for a considerable amount of time, head simply dipped forward to process the information he'd been given. From Sasuke, there was no need to concern himself with the legitimacy of such information - trusting his word was a comfort, and made the entire process easier to talk through.

"Mn." He was well aware that he was disconnected from so many of the senses he'd been able to use to his advantage, even after his resurrection. It was silly to think that Sasuke wouldn't have done his fair share of information gathering and made his own assumptions - so he nodded and looked back up at him.

"How are the others different?" He wasn't too concerned about himself.

Sasuke had to take a moment to recall the few others he'd seen so far. "There was one who was growing horns. One who... seemed to be morphing into something plant-like, and one who was becoming completely non-corporeal. The others weren't as obvious yet."

The thought of his brother becoming something like that last one... There was nothing right with that. But then, there was nothing right about any of this.

"... I don't know how far this will go." And that bothers him worst of all.

Itachi was already deep in thought over it, but there had been no clue along his way as to what could be doing this, or why. There was obviously something about those who had arrived here by force, rather than nature if the changes were anything to go by...

Frowning, he spent some time studying Sasuke quietly, aware of the tension in his tone. There were some things they could hide from one another, but Itachi knew fear in Sasuke, no matter how small the slice of it.

"When did the pain start?"

With nothing else to say for the moment, Sasuke was quiet for as long as Itachi was. The situation should have been far more awkward than it was, but with everything that was unfamiliar here, having his brother near him again was an odd sort of comfort.

"A day, no, two days ago. Worse yesterday. Before that it was just a lot of itching." He pointed to the back of his neck again, where the hair had grown. That sort of thing wasn't particularly painful, though still bothersome.

And this wasn't complaining, he told himself. Itachi needed details. "It's my spine, mostly." But of course everything was attached to that in some way. There was something going on with his tailbone and shoulders. He could only imagine what.

"... May I?"

Words like those were reminiscent of every single relationship he'd had since that night. Perhaps, even before then. Where once upon a time he'd known the limits and allowances his friends and family had of him - and practically over night the trust had been broken. Itachi had spent far too many years thinking over when it had started, what he could have done to prevent it, what he should have done to stop things escalating as they had done.

Hindsight was a wonderful thing - and all he would have done if he had the chance to go back, even knowing what he knew now, was very likely to make sure he eliminated Orochimaru.

Itachi was already making his way closer to his brother, eyes on his face rather than taking in whatever changes had been happening.

Whatever Itachi planned on doing, Sasuke wasn't sure. He didn't scoot back, though part of him wanted to fight against this under the sheer insistence that he didn't need his big brother's help anymore. The louder part didn't want him to disappear again.

A hand found the front of his shirt - buttons, as it was the best replacement he could find - and began undoing it. This would let Itachi know the extent of the damage, and how far the fur went down. He didn't know if this was what the other ninja was even going for, but it was at least the best he could do to show him that he trusted him enough for this.

"Yeah."

He'd understand. Itachi tried his best to understand everything his brother had done, whether it be from the rumors he'd heard of him, or the truth he'd seen.

This was different, this was personal, and between the two of them - although there wasn't much that would stop him from using what he'd learn to get answers. It didn't matter where from, and he had tact enough to make sure no one knew who he was asking for.

Sasuke was incredibly compliant, but still Itachi refused to touch just yet - watching as his little brother bared his chest to him, managing to hold back the foul expression the sight was trying to etch on his face. He'd never seen anything like it.

"Have you spoken to any of the others?"

"A few, when we started out. Before... this." He didn't even bother to hold his grimace back when he looked at himself. He could only imagine what his brother was thinking, seeing him like this. It was disgraceful that he didn't even know what caused it. "A lot of them stayed in contact with each other, since we were all in the same predicament. I could still get a hold of some if I wanted to."

And he should, if only to see what was happening to each of them. Any little bit of info might help him get behind what was really going on. It should have made him feel better, knowing that he wasn't the only one going through this, that he wasn't weak for not knowing how to stop it, but it didn't.

"They aren't even ninja, most of them. I don't know what the point is." What the binding factor was. He was a threat. He understood that. But these other people weren't anyone he recognized as important.

What he read from Sasuke's words was simple. He'd seen himself as above them all of course, and for whatever reason - he was unable to bring himself to contact them. He could understand it, in part. He wasn't terribly keen on befriending people - and in a world like this, where they were practically alone aside from each other.

Still, Sasuke's pride probably had a lot to do with it.

"Most of them? Who do you know?" He asked, stood behind Sasuke now, finally able to frown at his back, yet resisting the temptation to reach out.

Sasuke's back was completely covered in that dark fur. At the shoulder blades, there were black but hairless patches of something more like leather. They were bare, as though waiting for something to be placed on, or grow out from, the location.

"There were a few. Couple teenagers. A girl. They all wanted to chat with me more than once. I kept up conversation because they were good at finding--" He cut off, curling in on himself for a moment, shaking slightly as another wave of pain hit him. He had to take another minute to breathe again after. "...At finding out things."

He didn't even care to talk about them.

There was no way Itachi could stand here and not reach out to feel that fur, the temptation was far too great and he wasn't even sure whether his brother would feel it.

The last time they'd made contact was supposed to have been the very last, and he could even recall the feeling of his body and soul lifting up off the floor as he disappeared.

Whatever was happening to them now, it was as real as everything else had felt. Questioning it was ridiculous, and question what was right or wrong between the two of them should have been just as unimportant.

"Have you been in contact with them... since?"

He froze up at the touch, heightened senses still picking it up through the pain. If it had been anyone else, he might have snapped at them - but this was his brother. He, at the very least, was allowed this much. So Sasuke tried to relax again.

When Itachi spoke up, he shook his head. He hadn't been doing a good job at all when it came to keeping up with others. He was too ashamed, even if he wouldn't admit it, and had too many things on his mind as his body went through this unfortunate metamorphosis. Now he worried that had been even more of a failure on his part. He had very little to offer his brother in the way of information.

"...Sorry."

Itachi didn't need to give too much thought to the matter to know that Sasuke had frozen at his touch, and although he wanted to comply with Sasuke's evident wishes that he stopped touching him, he also felt a sense of wanting to show Sasuke that it would be okay.

Rather than push it, his hand dropped away, and he wandered around to face Sasuke again, unable to help the slight quirk of his lips at the information that Sasuke had been unable to keep up communications with these people. That, was his doing as well, he supposed.

All he did was nod, once - and very gingerly made his way down to the floor, sitting with his legs crossed, hands outstretched in front of him. There were plenty of things for them to be dealing with. Being alive again, feeling very much alive again, being here, being here together.

Sasuke's current condition was his first and foremost concern however, but he had a feeling that perhaps his brother would be more concerned about other things.

"I'll find out more information. Go back and find some people to talk to."

The outstretched hands left Sasuke torn. He stared at them, unsure how to handle that gesture coming from his brother. Showing affection wasn't one of his strong points, and even being able to share it with Itachi still didn't seem real.

But Itachi wasn't pulling away from him. He didn't seem revolted by what was going on. Sasuke shifted, ignoring the dwindling pain for the time being as he found his way onto his hands and knees. The movement was rather catlike without him meaning it to be. Eyes focused on the man in the dark, watching his body language.

No matter what you become...

It was half a pounce when it happened. There was no one else around to see it but them, so what did it matter? Sasuke wrapped his arms around his brother and buried his face into his shoulder, breaths shaky.

Gathering information could wait.

Perhaps, on reflection, they were a little old for this.

If he could go back, this would be how he would embrace him - and this was the brotherly love he would show him, this was how he would comfort his little brother and they'd missed out on so much time. Time they would never get back. It didn't feel awkward, and he certainly wasn't unsure about holding his brother like this.

That Sasuke had practically pounced at him filled his chest with a feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time, but the moment there was weight in his lap he wrapped his arms around his brother's waist, pressing his mouth down into Sasuke's shoulder, aware that it would probably hurt Sasuke in doing it... but if this was only for the moment, he was sure that Sasuke would put up with the pain.

"I'll figure out how to fix this." He muttered quietly, a promise he was desperate to keep.

"Not by yourself..." This was muttered into Itachi's collar, as Sasuke didn't plan on moving for a little while longer. It was also a very hypocritical thing to say. Still, hadn't his brother said that some of the mistakes he'd made before came from doing too much on his own?

Sasuke was here. He was capable of helping too, despite his current state. He wasn't suffering all the time and at some point the transformation had to stop, right? It had to.

His grip tightened even as the pain subsided completely. He could tell other senses were sharpening, as he was taking in his brother's scent. He'd find him again by that alone if need be.

"No... of course not." He muttered quietly. Of course not. He had Sasuke right here with him, and he knew there was more strength in the both of them when they worked together.

A long time ago, whenever Sasuke was distraught about something that had happened, a toy that had been broken or some friends that mentioned his hair or his family he'd had to console him not too unlike he was now, but he'd always cradled Sasuke's head against him then. He would have done the same now, if it weren't for his awareness of the state that Sasuke was in. This transformation concerned him more than he cared to admit.

Would Sasuke remain human... or would this take him over completely, and - if it did... would he be in his right mind?

"We need to act fast."

Still not moving from that spot, Sasuke nodded against Itachi's shirt. That wasn't a point that needed to be argued. His worries mirrored his brother's, and it wasn't as if he had any more of an idea how far this would go than he did, despite having been there longer.

And yeah. It did frighten him. Who in their right mind wouldn't be frightened? There was a part of him that also worried he might be hallucinating all of this, and if he let his brother go he'd disappear again. He could get by without him, had for years, and he never expected to see him again, but having him there now was a great comfort - even as he worried about what might become of him in this place.

"I'll show you the map." The still relatively useful one he'd found in the library early on.

Itachi didn't have to guess, or even hear from Sasuke himself that his little brother was frightened. He'd seen this enough times, although usually it was from thunder and lightning or some other natural occurrence that was difficult for a child to rationalise. Even then Sasuke had been indignant that he wasn't frightened as he crawled up beside his older brother and shivered until he fell asleep.

Right now, it was no more genuine a fear, but he wouldn't be able to soothe Sasuke in the same way, and in the face of not knowing the truth, he couldn't even offer the solace of his words.

"A map. Yes." He muttered, hesitating for only a moment before he let his arms loosen up their hold - waiting on Sasuke to make the next move to pull away. He would always be there, for whatever comfort his brother sought - even if that was far above Sasuke.

It took another few moments for Sasuke to get himself to pull away. The moment didn't have a right to end, as far as he was concerned.

He stood, only unsteady for a moment, and turned to the back of the cave, where he kept a satchel and a few items he'd collected while there. The map was just a simple folded up tourists map, stuck in one of the side pockets. He pulled that out, along with a container full of water that he felt he desperately needed just then.

Returning, he handed the first to his brother and sat back down with the other, taking a long sip. "It's a peninsula. The whole area is cut off at the end by a mountain range."

[closed to Ollitachi]

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