respiteden | [closed to Ollitachi]

[closed to Ollitachi]

[SCENE: Sasuke is slowly transforming into a manticore, having been in Ryslig for a while. For the time being, he's hidden himself away in a cave some distance from town. Itachi, having just arrived, has found out his brother's location.]

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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."

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[closed to Ollitachi]

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