1st fan

[fantheflame]

[Action: Awakening ((Closed))]

[Sasuke is not enjoying getting used to being unsure of things. But he is - unsure - and finds that while the things he is unsure of are troubling, the state of unsurety isn't as terrifying as it used to be.]

[Right now, there are two very important things he's unsure of: whether he's alive or dead, and, if the second, whether this is heaven or hell.]

[The last thing he remembers? His deranged excuse for a... cousin of sorts? Taking on the ten-tails as its container. And now he's here - wherever here is - standing in a stranger's bedroom, holding a photograph of his brother with (presumably) that stranger. He awoke nearly naked with a pair of wings sprouted from his own back, and now he's somewhere with evidence of one of the dead. What else could have happened?]

We lost, huh...?

[Something like guilt makes a feeble case for life in his chest, but it's hard to feel guilty when you don't remember an ending. Instead he's just... staring at this photograph. One thumb swipes idly across the cool glass, over Itachi's face, half-expecting it to vanish once obstructed. It doesn't.]

[He's not sure whether to feel a sense of final relief - he's here, and, it seems, so is Itachi - or sick doom - who the hell is this complete stranger who's gotten to share in his brother's... something. Not life, maybe, but...]

[The Itachi in the picture is almost smiling, and his eyes look more alive than Sasuke remembers since they were very small.]


[Action: Examination ((Sometime Later; Open))]

[Sasuke is - a little bit of everywhere. He doesn't exactly believe... most of this. Half thinks this is some sadistic side-plot in Obito's (Madara's?) ridiculous Moon's Eye genjutsu (keeps having to remind himself he wouldn't know that exists if that were the case). So he's exploring - barracks, apartments, the shrine, the forest - here one moment, maybe lingering to examine (Sharingan blazing red the entire time) - and then gone in a flicker, off to the next place. He's not taking particular care to remain hidden (really, he doesn't care who sees him in what may be a fake or an illusion or a dream), but he's not being loud about his presence either.]


[Follow-Up Action: Drained ((Closed to Sakura))]

[One thing Sasuke should maybe have done was paid attention to the tidbits he's heard about halved powers, weakened chakra, difficulty... being, as a shinobi.]

[Because now, feeling more physically real than he has the entire time he's been here - how could he be this bone-tired in a dream? - he's slumped on hands and knees on the riverbank just to the north of town, eyes fading back and forth between blazing red and dim grey-black, breath harsh in and out of his lungs. How did he run so quickly out of chakra? How did Sharingan run him so quickly out of chakra?]

[His eyes fade back to dull black and stay there at last, and he lifts a hand to brush sweaty bangs out of his eyes, feeling at once overheated and clammy. Maybe he's had his question answered, finally, and this is hell.]


[Voice: Greeting ((Sometime Later; Open))]

--believe this thing - hm.

[It's a voice some will recognize.]

If paper can really record - whatever. I'm told I've been here before. I don't think I believe that. I certainly don't remember it.

Some of you know me. That's fine. Some of you would rather you didn't, and that's fine too.

I don't know what you know and I don't know what kind of bullshit this jutsu or hell or whatever it is is pulling, and I don't entirely care.

You should know I'm no longer an enemy of Konoha.

Believe me or don't, but I don't intend to fight you.

[There's a shift, and a few long seconds of tape-recorder not-quite-silence, followed by a muffled shuffle of movement over paper before the recording ends.]

Comments

[action]

[yourhatred]

I couldn't say.

[The presence of another close by drew Itachi's attention to the bedroom. Sasuke's voice, of course, is unmistakable. The spoken question is all his brother needs to hear to tell him that whatever memories he might have had from his previous times here are gone.

It's not surprising, given his absence.

He stands framed in the doorway, eyes dark, waiting to see what Sasuke's reaction will be this time.]

[action]

[fantheflame]

[Sasuke's eyes flare to Sharingan instantly, last spin of tomoe settling just as his eyes light on the other's face. But unlike many of the times they've met before now, the red is not for offense, nor defense. It's just so he can see.]

[The other looks real. Sharingan tell him this is no one but Itachi. Here. Whole. If possible, alive. But Sasuke doesn't know whether to believe his own vision on that last part.]

...Didn't expect to see you again this soon.

[What else do you say to your dead brother when you might be dead yourself?]

[action]

[yourhatred]

That seems to be a common trend as of late.

[Nagato had believed himself dead, as many did upon arrival. Sasuke likely thought the same.]

I try not to expect anything when it comes to who is brought here.

[He steps a bit further into the room, his own Sharingan activating in return. One eye spins to red, while the other remains unchanged.]

Action | 1/SOME NUMBER IDEK

[medicalpunch]

[So Sakura's heading down to the river; it's a nice place to get some peace and quiet.

But peace and quiet doesn't really count for much when she spots a figure up ahead, dressed in ambiguous, poorly-fitting clothing, down on all fours and looking like they're about to either throw up or pass out. At least from what she can tell, coming up from behind.

She's not about to sneak up on whoever it is, so instead of approaching directly, she circles around a little to the side...]

[medicalpunch]

[And that's a duckbutt.]

[medicalpunch]

[She wants to tell herself it has to be coincidence; that can't be Sasuke there with his face still mostly hidden from her view, spiky black hair damp with sweat.]

[medicalpunch]

[But somehow the sound of panting is enough to tell her that yes, that's Sasuke, that has to be Sasuke.

And from the looks of it, he's not in good shape.

Her mind is swimming with questions -- what happened, how, since when...

But it's Sasuke, and she doesn't exactly know what that means yet. It's obvious enough that he's not thirteen, so he's going to be an enemy...]

OKAY I'M DONE

[medicalpunch]

[But he also doesn't look like he's in much of any shape to pose a threat right now. And it's Sasuke.

And he's... different. There's something about him, some kind of aura hanging around his head, that tells her he's profoundly different than the last time she saw him, the laughing madman who cheerfully, coldly sacrificed his own subordinate.

And that's enough for her to step forward -- though still out of arm's reach -- and speak.]

Sasuke?

OH GOOD I CAN TAG THIS NOW

[fantheflame]

[He felt her coming. Even through the blur of just-trembling muscle and hot-hazy vision and the sluggish struggle of far-depleted chakra through his coils, he knew someone was approaching, and once she steps close he knows it's her before she speaks.]

[He should be on his feet right now. He should have a kunai in his hand and caution in his stance because everyone is different here and one foggy glance (his eyes are almost more grey than black) tells him that her forehead is bare and does she know?, he has no idea, and this time if she wants to kill him it will take all he has left to prevent it -]

Sakura.

[He forces the word out to cut himself off as much as anything, stop his thoughts before they can crash and tangle onto themselves.]

I'm no threat to you.

[He wants to elaborate but he needs his air to breathe. Fuck, he hopes she'll at least hesitate.]

video;

[believeit]

[WELL NOW. That sure is a voice that Naruto recognises. He's gripping the journal pretty tightly as he listens to it- Sasuke's here. Where? Is he going to try anything?

Of course, seconds later, he gets to the part where he says he's no longer an enemy of Konoha. That only brings up more questions (What happened? What changed?) but he can't but smile. Because that means Sasuke's back.

Have one (1) hopeful looking ninja in yo' face. Or your journal, anyway.]

Sasuke?

[audio forever]

[fantheflame]

Dobe.

[Yeah, it's Sasuke, all right.]

Should I plug my ears? You about to get noisy on me?

video forever;

[ura_no_ura]

[ No longer an enemy of Konoha.

I don't intend to fight you.

Kakashi doesn't know what must have changed between the last time he saw Sasuke and when he arrived here. He doesn't even know if he's still alive back there, or if he'd succumbed to the last attack. But this-- whatever it is-- he can be grateful for it. At least a little, because it means Sasuke's... returned. (Naruto and Sakura, wherever they are, must be so happy now.)

There's a part of him that never thought he'd live to see this day. That didn't think it would really happen, because he'd felt the killing in Sasuke's blood the last time they saw each other, and knew it the moment they crossed fists. Sasuke had really intended to kill Sakura. To kill him, too. And it didn't matter to Sasuke one bit that all they wanted was to bring him home because home to Sasuke was filled with ghosts, and all he wanted was to burn Konoha down. And everyone in it.

But here he is, declaring himself not an enemy and Kakashi feels something like... happiness. Just a small flame of it, sparking to life in his chest, even if he thinks, perhaps this wasn't something he was meant to ever see.

A small kindness, then.

He lets out a slow breath, then picks up his journal to respond. ]

Sasuke.

[ Try as he might, he can't hold back the softness that enters his expression. ]

You're late.

[audio forever]

[fantheflame]

[Even after the recording for audio clicks on, there's a beat or two of silence.]

[Sasuke doesn't know what he expected from Kakashi - but somehow, this wasn't it.]

[He's not sure how to feel.]

[But he can't entirely stop the tiny upward quirk at the corners of his mouth, nor keep that from entering the sound of his voice.]

Never thought I'd live to see myself show up later than you, Kakashi.

[twinlionfists]

[And there's a voice that Hinata will forever been conflicted over hearing. Naruto-kun's most important person. His first real friend and his first enemy. His eternal rival and the only person he really allows close to him beyond general friend.

Truth be told, Sasuke-kun has been more of an obstacle to getting Naruto-kun's attention than Sakura-san ever was. Especially after his defection from the village.

However, she remembers him as a lonely boy after his clan's demise too and she sympathizes with him as well. Sometimes she wishes she could hate, since this is the boy whose careless behaviour nearly got her best friend killed and had attempted to kill both Naruto-kun and Sakura-san, but she cannot hate Sasuke-kun. The Juubi and Tobi/Madara/Obito/whatever Uchiha? Maybe. But not someoene who she grew up with.

But that doesn't mean that she has to be the most polite either. Something that Ino-san and Tenten-san had been trying to drill into her head for years now.]

I am glad to hear that you will not be a problem now that you are here, Sasuke-kun. However, I feel it necessary to tell you that we are not currently stuck in a genjutsu. We are just...stuck here.

[fantheflame]

I'm not believing anything on words. When we figure out how to leave, then we'll know what the hell this place is.

[Sasuke doesn't exactly put much store in being polite, himself. If Hinata isn't polite to him - well, it's not like he expects it of anyone.]

video foreverrr

[floralogy]

[It's been ages since she last heard that voice, or at least it's really been so long for Ino. She can't remember when exactly she saw him last in this place or the last time he even spoke a word to her. Never mind the fact that it's also been too long if she accounts all the happenings back in their world.

So hearing his voice should have sounded foreign to her, if it didn't actually spark a familiarity she can't (and will never) shake.

His words were what seemed foreign, though. Back in their world, Shikamaru told her that he was declared a criminal, something she would have lived through if she wasn't suddenly brought to this place. So to hear him say he's no longer an enemy of Konoha perplexes her.

What more happened in their future?

But she won't address that for now because his mere presence stuns her briefly.]

Sasuke-kun?

okay no for real also audio forever!

[fantheflame]

Ino.

[There's some time between her response and his. He's still trying to figure out his way around this... chakra-infused book, or however it works.]

It's been a while.

[He's not got much to say, unless she does. He was never one for small talk.]

1/2

[endgames]

[--the fuck.

"You should know I'm no longer an enemy of Konoha."

The fuck did he just hear. And what the hell happened to bring on this change of tune?]

[endgames]

[He doesn't buy it. Not after everything.]

Bullshit. You don't get to make that call.

action

[stilldontgotit]

[Sasuke might not be loud, but when you've got a candy colored bat hanging with you, it's hard not to notice the presence of someone else. Riku's just slipped out of Community Housing 1, in fact, to head out for a romp around the village when his Dream Eater's ears twitch, and the little guy starts chirping and trilling.

Doesn't take long before Riku does spot the guy; red eyes kind of stick out, and he's never seen Sasuke before, despite hearing about him from Ino.

Riku makes no move to sudden his Keyblade, and he keeps his thoughts hidden under a cool demeanor before taking a step closer.]

See something that interests you?

[It's a New Feather season; this guy's probably brand spanking new to the village. Might as well keep it casual for the time being.]

[action forever]

[fantheflame]

[Speaking of hard not to notice, all the noise the bat-creature is making definitely attracts Sasuke's attention - and its coloration doubly so, once he bothers to light eyes on the thing.]

[There's a lot of strangeness in this place, that's for sure.]

Not so much.

[Sasuke's reply is equally cool, though his red gaze flickers to the fluttering thing every now and again as he speaks.]

Nothing useful means nothing interesting. My only interest is getting out.

voice; SORRY ITS LATE backdated to when he arrived ;;

[fervidity]

[It isn't a voice she knows.

But she knows 'enemy of Konoha' and that rattles her already frayed nerves from everything ELSE that has happened this week.]

Who are you?

voice forever; NO YOU'RE FINE I'm even worse this week

[fantheflame]

[Interesting. Not a voice he knows at all.]

Who are you that you expect me to answer without your name first?

voice; an even later tag!!!

[derpivity]

No longer an enemy of Konoha?

[Well, that certainly gets Minato's attention.]

Let me be the judge of that.

[Even if this person's probably someone during the sixteen years he's gone. But really, seeing as he's been dealing with people in his future that became enemies of Konoha left and right, Minato will deal with this one too.]

voice forever; also <3

[fantheflame]

[...Now this, this is a voice Sasuke recognizes.]

Fourth Hokage.

[Somehow having met the Fourth in the spell of the Edo Tensei is less bizarre than everything that's happening here...]

You didn't have much objection back home.