IC Contact / Appointments: Luceti

[fantheflame]

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[Luceti Valley, Day 5/August 6, Trafalgar Law]

[fantheflame]

[Continued from here.]


I'll work.

[The words are out before Sasuke even thinks to move, and he continues even as he steps over to slump onto the indicated cushion.]

I'm not asking for handouts and Itachi wouldn't take them, but if you need anything done I'll - I don't know I'll mow your lawn or wash your dishes or whatever, I don't care. I just want him to be okay.

[Itachi's the most important thing in Sasuke's life. Nothing's ever going to change that.]

[Luceti Valley, Day 3/August 4, Itachi]

[fantheflame]

[Continued from here.]

[It's a little while before Sasuke responds at all, thinking over the second question first. Because the answer is shitty as hell and he feels like a shitty person for the truth of it.]

...Not really.

She's nice I guess, but I just kind of... went with it when she asked me out.

[For a cover. Itachi has that much perfectly pegged.]

There's like three or four guys... I dunno, one of them was only once and he got cold feet and ran off. [He doesn't name names other than Neji though. He's not sure who's out and who's not.]

[Luceti Valley, Day 3/August 4, Itachi]

[yourhatred]

[His poor confused, foolish little brother.]

You're just going to have to speak to her. Resolve this matter between you and figure out where everyone stands.

[He reaches over to give the boy's shoulder a light squeeze, trying to be supportive.]

Have you eaten?

[fantheflame]

I'm not hungry.

[It's partially true and partially bullshit: he hasn't eaten since breakfast, but he also feels too goddamn queasy to want to think about food.]

...It's gonna stand with everyone at school thinking I'm a shitty human being. [And they're right.]

[He drops his head enough to run the fingers of both hands back into his hair, elbows on his knees.]

Fuck, I'm an idiot.

[yourhatred]

Everyone makes mistakes. You'll just have to own up to these.

[Sasuke's just a teenager, after all. He knows he can pull through this - and hopefully be in a better position once he comes out of it.]

Well, it's about time for supper anyway, so I'm going to fix something. If you change your mind, it will be waiting for you.

[Itachi smiles and pats his brother's knee before getting to his feet. He can feel a light chuckle forming in his throat, but holds it in because he knows the boy won't appreciate it.

Unfortunately, holding that back causes something else to force its way to the surface and he pales, fingers gripping the arm of the sofa as he tries to keep from coughing in front of Sasuke.]

[fantheflame]

[Sasuke doesn't see the smile, too busy wallowing in his own self-pity and self-hatred and self-accusation, all teenager-shallow but swirling hot in his chest all the same. His voice is tight when he speaks.]

I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. When you and Law -

[But then he looks up and catches sight of Itachi's face, and his heart almost stops.]

...Itachi?

[Sept. 21st, level 1 event, backdated]

[yourhatred]

[By the time Itachi realizes this probably isn't a good time to be out and about (too many ninja of various younger ages) he'll already be in the center of town.

Time to grab groceries and head back home as swiftly as possible.]

[tomatosasu]

[Unfortunately for both of them, Itachi isn't quite swift enough.]

[Sasuke's on his own way to find supplies - food, more than one set of clothes that fit (he's not sure why there are so many larger clothes in the apartment where he woke up, doesn't entirely believe that he could have been here before but older - that's insane) - when he spots the other. Just a glance, just the back of a brunet head and a familiar ponytail, but it's enough. His heart stops, his stomach lurches, and the whole world turns immediately upside-down.]

[No.]

[He isn't ready. He's not nearly ready for this; he hasn't even activated his Sharingan yet.]

[But that first reaction of sinking fear and horror only lasts a second before it's drowned in a boiling blood sea of hate. The rage wells up in his throat until he nearly chokes on it, until he sees through the red haze of it whether his eyes match the color or not.]

[The sword he found in the apartment is almost bigger than he is, but it's on his belt anyway because it was all he could immediately find. His unsheathing of the blade manages almost (but not quite) perfect silence as he wills his hands not to shake, and he ducks into a run at once, tunnel vision, blind to the streets around as he aims to stab his brother in the back.]

[Fitting. Especially if he can hit the other's heart.]

[yourhatred]

[Itachi's acute hearing pics up the sound of light approaching footsteps soon enough to turn his head and catch a glimpse of Sasuke with one active Sharingan. He immediately closes his bad eye.

This is what he'd been fearing. The last thing he needs is to be dealing with a brother that, from what he can tell, is even younger than when he met and tortured him so long ago. Angry. Filled with that growing seed of hatred he'd planted. Before the curse mark and before his own Sharingan.

He can't throw the lies back at him. He just can't. But he can't be friendly with him either. Sasuke wouldn't accept that.

Itachi twists, catches the boy's wrist with one hand, stomps a foot down hard enough to stop one of his brother's, and holds his shoulder with the other hand.]

Foolish little brother. What are you doing here?

[tomatosasu]

Fuck you!

[The boil of his hatred is the only thing that's keeping Sasuke from outright panic, teeth gritted and eyes narrow as he twists in Itachi's grip. He is very, very deliberately keeping his eyes trained on the folds of the other's shirt, avoiding eye contact. Not that it matters, does it? If he didn't kill Itachi with his surprise attack there's little he can do as he is. But fuck, he had to try.]

Don't give me your mindgame bullshit. [And at the least he can keep the fear out of his voice if he buries it in enough rage.] If anyone knows why I'm here it's you. Is this some new genjutsu bullshit you've cooked up?

[yourhatred]

Not genjutsu. This time it's an illusion of a different kind.

[With that, he releases Sasuke and steps back to regard him with an unreadable expression, making no other moves.]

[Action, Battle Dome] Let us be awkward turtles

[fashionably_strong]

[All of the other five rooms are already in use and right in the middle of a training simulation. It doesn't look like this one's occupied, though, so Bulla walks right in. She spots someone there in her peripheral vision, but she's tying her hair back in a ponytail so it doesn't get in her face while she trains.]

Hi there...all of the other rooms are in use. Mind if I join you here?

[And it's only as she finishes tying her hair back that she catches a clear look as to just who she spoke to. That sure is some duck butt hair there. Oops. Aaaaawkward.]

...um, I can leave if it's a problem, though.

[In fact, leaving sounds like a good idea and it's only stubborn pride that keeps her here waiting for a reply. She wasn't some coward who'd run away just because a situation was awkward.]

[Action Forever] I'm so sorry this is so late RL ate my face

[fantheflame]

[Sasuke has just finished up a session - or rather, it timed out after a certain number of kills - and is checking his sword with a frown (it's strange not to need to clean off the blood) when Bulla steps in. He doesn't turn toward her at first, not sensing a threat in her energy, though he frowns at the intrusion.]

[When she speaks, though, he goes dead still. It's jarring, having spent so much time around someone and not recognizing their chakra signature. It leaves a physical sour taste in his mouth, and he frowns.]

[But, when she offers to leave, he shakes his head.]

Everything that happened there was bullshit.

[He glances her way, Sharingan-red eyes active, expression on the hard and of impassive.]

Doesn't sound like you're holding a grudge. No reason I should, either.

[fashionably_strong]

Of all the possible reasons to hold a grudge, getting mad at you for what happened in a fake reality is a pretty stupid reason.

[It is undeniably weird to have all these false memories of going to school together, cheering on the football team with the rest of the squad, being in classes together...and then realizing that she doesn't actually know him at all.]

The only people I'm holding a grudge against are that Zompano loser and the Third Party cultists who attacked everyone later.

[In fact, many of her training sessions since then have involved beating the crap out of cultists.]

As far as I'm concerned, the only things I know about you is your name and that you've got enough combat training to be comfortable practicing alone here.

[fantheflame]

[A little surprise shows in the slight raise of Sasuke's brows. Well then. Between letting it all go like that, and the flip way she describes Zompano, Sasuke's respect for Bulla has just risen a great deal. It's also... well, it's surprising how good the feeling is to have someone openly choosing not to judge him. He'll take that.]

I appreciate that. The sentiment is entirely mutual.

[Taking a moment to shrug a little stiffness out of his shoulders, he glances to the control box for a moment, and then back to Bulla.]

Care to take next choice?

[ Mistletoe, December 26 ]

[ura_no_ura]

[ Christmas and Santa are all things that are new to Kakashi, but he figured that as long as he was in this world, there wouldn't be anything wrong with maybe playing along with their holidays. Besides, Christmas sounded like a nice enough holiday. Even if he's a little late with it.

So, here's Kakashi, knocking on Sasuke's door with a festive red and green bag in hand. Inside the bag are a few choice plump tomatoes, and a few instructional scrolls on S-rank fuuin jutsus he'd put together for Sasuke last minute. He's not entirely sure how much knowledge Sasuke has in fuuin jutsu, but he hopes that these particular seals would be of some use to him. ]

[fantheflame]

[Sasuke isn't t really expecting a visit from anyone, especially in the quiet of today after all of yesterday's apparent loud holiday festivities. So when he answers the door, he's in loose pants and a zipped-up hoodie with his hair looking more disheveled than usual, and the bed-screen is open behind him, rumpled edge of blankets visible. He blinks to see Kakashi - and then the bag catches his eye. He remembers the last time Kakashi showed up with a bag in hand, and the one Kakashi's carrying now looks like it bulges in a similar manner to the last. This seems to be a theme, huh? The corners of Sasuke's mouth shift a little. It's not a smile, but it's... well, it's something.]

Morning.

[ura_no_ura]

Mm, morning.

[ A convivial hum of sorts. ]

I know it's a bit late, but.

[ Kakashi holds the bag out towards Sasuke. ]

Merry Christmas.

[ It feels a bit odd saying that, but then, it's his first time. Christmas isn't something that Konoha celebrate, after all. But it's a nice enough idea. ]

[fantheflame]

["Christmas." Sasuke's heard others mentioning that here and there, outside and on the network, but he's still not really sure what it's about. Law had teleported food into his room the day before. It's still such a foreign idea, though.]

[He reaches out to take the bag, less awkwardly than the last time they did this, if also less certain of the reasoning.]

Thanks... I guess? [Not trying to seem ungrateful, just honestly confused.] Haven't heard much about what this "Christmas" entails.

[Still, he pops the bag open to look inside - and is pleasantly surprised to see the scrolls sitting on top of the tomatoes. There might actually be something like a smile on his lips when he glances back up at the other.]

...You wanna come in?

[Valentine's Heart Shift: False memory dated to 1/22]

[fantheflame]

((ooc: Dated to have happened during this log.))

[fantheflame]

[Levi waits for Sasuke to approach the bar, leaning back with one leg crossed and one elbow on the edge, relaxed and deceptively ambivalent.] You don't seem like the type that comes to a place like this often.

[Sasuke glances at Levi, then back to the bartender and orders his drink, waiting for the bartender to hear him and turn away before even responding. He doesn't look at Levi when he does.] I'm not.

[Levi glances over the the group Sasuke's left. It's been too loud for him to catch much of the conversation going on, watching body language and facial expressions instead.] Friends from home?

[The pause is longer than it should be.] You could say that.

[That gets his attention, and a sidelong glance.] Sounds complicated.

[Sasuke finally glances at Levi again before turning around to lean back against the bar, also watching the noisy crowd while waiting for his drink.] More so than I'd like.

[Levi turns his full gaze on Sasuke, taking in his appearance close up rather than at a distance. He's used to seeing the more subtle ways people express themselves.] Is it possible that it's not as complicated as you think?

[Sasuke snorts. The otherwise deadpan expression on his face shifts just a little as his brows draw down a fraction.] Hard for it not to be.

[He's quiet for a moment, gaze drifting back to the group, reflecting on what he's seen just minutes ago.] Perhaps that just reflects how important they are to you.

[Now that gets a reaction - Sasuke turns his head quickly to look at the other, surprise written on his face. It takes him a moment to compose himself, parted lips meeting and forming a line. He means to say Who the hell are you but what comes out instead is:] I didn't expect them to be.

[It's more of a reaction than he expects, but Levi's expression stays even, neutral, almost before it shifts to the side. He huffs slightly - not quite a laugh, but as close as he gets.] You never do, with the ones that end up being the closest. [Speaking from experience? Yeah. Pretty much.]

[At that, Sasuke 'hmphs.'] I don't think I know anyone who qualifies as close.

[Levi glances at Sasuke again out the corner of his eye.] By your decision, or theirs?

[Sasuke's eyes narrow a little, still looking at Levi. Trying to read him. It's a little harder with the alcohol in his system, and the alcohol of course makes it harder for him to note that.] ...Both.

[Levi's inscrutable to most people, though he can't help but feel an odd resonance with Sasuke, similar and yet different in the way he normally can pick out young people with troubled pasts.] So what do you want?

[Sasuke takes a moment after that question to consider. To take Levi's measure one more time before looking back toward the group. The bartender sets the tokkuri-sized bottle at Sasuke's elbow, and he picks it up without looking, takes a slow sip, eyes moving across the people who once called him friend. It would be lying to say he'd ever really called them that.] I don't know.

[Levi glances once at the flask, but doesn't comment on it, waiting silently for Sasuke's answer.] Do you know what they want?

No. ...Yes. I don't know. [Another sip.] They want things that mean changing the past.

[Interesting, though somehow Levi doubts a whole group of people could be that naive to not accept things that have happened and move forward - or perhaps that's because he doesn't know how to be any other way.] ...Explain.

Che. [Normally Sasuke wouldn't. But really, what does it matter? And why the hell should he care what a nosy stranger thinks if he wants to nose in, anyway? Sasuke's done being silent about these things.] They want me not to have left. To stay put and be good. [More bitterly:] Some of them would probably rather I didn't know the truth.

"Good" is a relative term. Some people are only as good as they are useful. [His eyes narrow slightly] What truth is that?

[There's really only one response to that, as Sasuke turns his head just enough so that, while still mostly sidelong, he can look at both of Levi's eyes with both of his. Sasuke's spin red and black in an instant, straight from quiet grey-black to the whirling blades of his Mangekyou, and both men and the world around them rip into negative black-and-white. Scenes flash, and most of them involve a man who looks terribly similar to Sasuke, though with a deeper exhaustion in the lines of his face, and a longer angle to his jaw.

Hugging a small child who can only be Sasuke by the spike in his hair.

(flash) Face suddenly darkened into hard lines, cruel, blade in his hands and bloodied bodies at his feet. The woman has Sasuke's face.

(flash) She's pretty when she smiles.

(flash) "Run. Run and cling to life."

(flash) A large hand on a preteen's wrist, and a snap that jolts the world in real, tangible pain that Levi will be able to feel for that split second.

(flash) "You will be my new light."

(flash) The same bodies as before, alive, people, on their knees. Tears on the older teen's face, now so young. "You really are gentle."

(flash) An older man with a cross-shaped scar on his chin, all scars and bandages, giving the order nodded to by the other old men and woman at his sides, a thirteen-year-old boy helpless on one knee before them. "Even the unknowing children."

(flash) A smile, the warmest yet, on the face of that same older teen - now much older, paler, with lines like cracked pottery in his skin. One of his eyes is blind. "I will love you forever."

(flash) In the distance, the sound of a small child crying.]

[It takes seconds. It takes seconds and when it breaks it's as though nothing happened. No one around them has so much as glanced their way. And when it breaks, the next breath into Sasuke's lungs sucks in over parted lips. He turns his head away, a dark flush sweeping fast over just the lines of his cheekbones. That was more than he meant to show, more truth than he meant to give. He'll blame the alcohol later, and not the fact that he's so much worse than Itachi ever was at controlling his own will. After a beat, he tips his head back to knock back half the bottle in one hard gulp.]

[For someone who's never experienced illusions, let alone those from a Sharingan, the whole sequence is entirely surreal, to say the least. It takes Levi a few seconds to understand what he's seeing: Sasuke's past. Much of it is too brief for him to fully comprehend, and there are finer details that he notices but can't quite piece together as it all rushes before his eyes. Family - siblings, parents? A hint of betrayal and loss. Incredible, incredible loss.

Levi doesn't understand family as most people know it. Blood relations, if he ever knew them, hadn't played any sort of role for most of his life. His family is scrapped together, ripped apart and destroyed so often that he's had to force himself to be careful with how much he attaches himself to people. Though - as he'd hinted at earlier - he often inadvertently cares more than he intends. He'd been reminded of this fact the other day, and has been since doing his best to ignore it.

When they return to the present again, he feels a strange sense of disorientation and nausea. Levi grabs for the water that's been sitting neglected next to his hand and gulps it as Sasuke downs his flask. His jaw clenches tightly as he fights to control his breathing and his pulse.]

The fuck did you just do?

[It takes Sasuke almost a minute to answer that, and for that minute, his jaw is set hard, and his eyes are shut. His breathing is controlled, even, and very, very slow. A few of the breaths shake slightly on their way out. The hand gripping the bottle: the knuckles have gone white. His voice is extremely tight when he speaks.] Mangekyou Sharingan. Genjutsu. It means illusions, but that word is bullshit. I showed you what's inside my head.

[His eyes are still shut.]

Itachi - my brother - eradicated our entire clan on orders from our village elders. Because my father was going to lead a coup. They decided the best answer was genocide.

I spent ten years thinking Itachi did it on a whim.

[It won't be until tomorrow when Sasuke will realize that just now, he's maybe a little more drunk than he thinks.]

[Years of experience against motion sickness means that he recovers fairly quickly, but it's still incredibly unnerving, like Sasuke had reached into his mind and forced a vision in front of him. Illusions - but what Sasuke had shown him were memories rather than illusions. Genjutsu - the word is familiar and Levi racks his memory a moment for where he heard the word before.

Kakashi. He and this kid must be connected somehow. Kakashi had indicated that all but one of the sixteen here were from his village, and insinuated that they were allies. Yet there's clearly discord between Sasuke and the others - though not by choice, it seems. But there's an obvious question that needs asking:]

Why? What was the reason for lying to you?

[Levi watches him carefully. If there's something hidden about this group that he needs to know, something dangerous, he'd rather be aware of it before it potentially comes around to bite him in the ass. Kakashi had been careful and guarded - more interesting information is often gathered when tongues are loosened with alcohol.

Even so, Levi can't help but find himself a little drawn in, curious about Sasuke's story and experience.]

[Sasuke's frown is deep. When he opens his eyes, it's to stare into his bottle, rather than at Levi or the rest of his teammates, though he's not really seeing what's in front of him.] Most of the village didn't - doesn't - know about the coup. I was supposed to die. Itachi bought my life and made the elders promise I'd be able to remember our clan with honor.

The price was Itachi being exiled as a criminal. I spent ten years thinking the person I loved more than anyone else turned into a monster and I'd been too fucking blind to see it.

[A beat. Another slow, deep drink from his bottle.]

I left the village at thirteen so I could find the strength to kill him. And I did. And only after that did I learn he was still Konoha's the entire time. Just more Konoha's than Uchiha's.

[Levi is quiet for a long time, listening, absorbing. The deep seated anger and pain are nearly tangible, but he doesn't reach out to attempt any kind of comfort. Aside from the fact he's rarely the type to do so, he has the distinct feeling that Sasuke wouldn't accept such a blatant display of sympathy from a stranger.

Coming from a world with widespread death and suffering, he's seen and experienced his fair share of suffering, but he's also careful to know that there are levels of pain he simply can't understand - killing someone you'd once loved above all others because you'd been convinced they were evil, only to find out afterward that you'd been deliberately deceived by people you should have been able to - even wanted to trust...]

What did you do when you found out the truth?

I promised myself I'd kill every single person in the village so that maybe they could start to grasp a single fucking fraction of my pain. [There's no hesitation there, and no embarrassment or shame. It's what happened. Sasuke can't undo the past. And if he could, he wouldn't stop at something so paltry as belaying his rage; he'd go straight to the cornerstones of the village first.] I started with Danzou - the man with the scar on his chin.

[Another sip.]

Things happened. Forbidden jutsu. "Edo Tensei." I talked to my brother. I talked to the dead founders of our village. I went back. [One beat.] I want to fix it. [Then three.]

I don't know where to start.

You talked to the dead... [Levi murmurs it to himself, wondering at how that could be possible, but cutting that off abruptly. Death is supposed to be final, and here it isn't. Whatever he might want to ask the dead is probably best left unasked.

He glances back over to the table Sasuke had come from, one of his companions glancing back at them in clear curiosity of what could be taking him so long.] It looks like you already have.

[It takes Sasuke a long moment to answer that. He nods to the person glancing over toward him, lifts his bottle slightly in indication he'll be over in a moment. When they wave and go back to their conversation... Sasuke just spends a minute or two staring at the group, thinking deeply and yet not really thinking at all.] It's not enough. [Before Levi can ask whether Sasuke means for himself, or for them, he just shakes his head and levers himself up off the bar, making his way back to the group.]

Hey. [He calls it clearly enough for Sasuke to hear him, though Levi isn't sure if he'll wait. If he turns back:] Didn't get your name.

[Sasuke does pause, and he does turn. Once more, one calculating once-over.] Uchiha Sasuke. Yours?

[Levi doesn't flinch at all under those calculations.] It's Levi.

[Another beat, and Sasuke just nods before returning to his table, his movements all much more sober and calm than his words so far.] Be seeing you.

backdated to... december.. shh

[believeit]

[It's been a while since he's seen Sasuke, so one afternoon when he's close by to the apsrtment building, Naruto decides to stop by and pay his friend a visit.

All that weird stuff with the mistletoe is still going on but it's okay, he just needs to be careful and watch where he's going and everything will be okay, right?

So there's a knock knock knock at Sasuke's door once more. He even brought food! (It's ramen, deal with it.)]

♥♥♥

[fantheflame]

[It's weird, to Sasuke, noting that it's Naruto's chakra in the hall and not immediately feeling a sense of annoyance.]

[...It's not bad. But it's definitely weird.]

[He puts down the coat he'd had in his lap, needle and thread, having been sewing a handmade Uchiha crest patch onto the back, and goes to answer the door, stretching as he walks. Lazy afternoon. He's not sure he'll ever really get used to having those.]

Hey, dobe.

♥ oh hi

[believeit]

Hey!

[Greeting him with a flash of a smile, Naruto casually leans against the doorframe, peeking over Sasuke's shoulder and into the apartment behind him. Not that he particularly expected to see anything, or anyone, out of the ordinary.]

Can I come in? [He holds up the bag in his and, the smell of cooked ramen should be obvious.]I even brought lunch.

hey hey ♥

[fantheflame]

[Sasuke can't totally keep the one corner of his mouth still in the face of Naruto's energy. That's weird too. But again... it's not bad.]

[He steps back out of the doorway, holding the door itself open.]

And it's not even my birthday. [A lame quip, but whatever.]