respiteden | [closed to Ollitachi]

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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