Regrouping [Completed]

[weeatbodies.livejournal.com]

Character(s): Zetsu and Itachi, plus anyone else who wants to harass join them. :D
Content: Talking and heading for the hotel, unless they happen to get sidetracked.
Setting: Vanaheim area, between the gate and E2's Actua Are.
Time: Late afternoon/early evening
Warnings: None yet.

 Itachi was right--a stationary ninja was a dead one. Nevertheless, without a secure base of operations to retreat to, they might as well be dead, even if it was only a hotel room. They would need a place to rest eventually, and at least a modicum of privacy and protection. He was used to making do in forests and such for that--who would dare to attack him, when the forest itself would rise to his aid?--but he wasn't sure what Itachi's experiences were with that. Besides, he wouldn't dare to do it in here, not when he couldn't sense a single plant in the vicinity. It was profoundly unsettling to him, enough so to prompt looks of veiled disgust at the so obviously fake plants they passed, even if they were beautiful. A twisted mockery of life made from lifeless things, a substitute for the lives they refused to let flourish within their precious painted domes.... It made him angry, even if he didn't show it. He would rather the most gnarled and dead tree made of real wood over a gorgeously wrought tree of gold--he could at least revive the former and breathe new life into it.

He efficiently typed out a message board post, having figured out how to use the camera feature on the journal; that let him pull out a few Bingo Books to capture the pictures of his partners included with their descriptions, last but not least pulling out a glossy photo of Sasuke to finish the list off. He gave it a thoughtful look as the message was posted, before offering the picture to Itachi as they walked. "You can keep it, if you'd like--he's 13 in this, like you." He figured it was a nice thing to do--whether or not Sasuke was actually here in Paixao, at least Itachi would have some little token of his presence. And it would be interesting to hear just what the young man had to say about Sasuke's growth, considering the age difference.

Comments

[redeyesatnight.livejournal.com]

Itachi had stuck with Zetsu, not only because the older ninja's familiarity with him, though unsettling at first, was something to draw comfort from, but because he knew that being alone in this strange place was not a favorable situation, ANBU captain or no. The Uchiha watched in a mix of amusement and amazement as the other shinobi typed out a message and took pictures of people from the Bingo Book. Itachi wondered who they were, but he was sure that he could find out once they got to where they were headed.

The younger shinobi was surprised when Zetsu offered him the picture of Sasuke. "Thank you," he said as he accepted it. He looked over the picture with the critical eye of one trained to notice the unnoticeable, which, of course, he was. This Sasuke looked so much unlike the Sasuke he had left behind, and it made him wonder what the self Zetsu knew had done to create such changes. They had to be subtle, he was sure, just little things that were different from how the other-Itachi had done things and the way he had planned them out. But it made him wonder if things wouldn't turn out the same way in the end.

"...he looks so different from the little brother I left behind..."

[weeatbodies.livejournal.com]

Zetsu lapsed into silence once again as Itachi took the photo, the beter to let his young companion consider the image presented to him. It was an odd thing, wasn't it? Gazing into the face of someone you knew, and seeing how they had changed.... It was like the reverse of what he saw whenever he looked at Itachi--an etching of experience and the strength and anguish that came with it, rather than a backslide into relative innocence. It made him wonder which he should feel more sorry for, of the two Uchihas. Was it better to lose what you had learned over the years, or to learn things that children should never have to know?

"In this case, looks aren't so deceiving." Zetsu agreed neutrally. "We think you'd be surprised at just how different he must be--not that we knew him at the age you know him, of course, but it's easy enough to guess. Perhaps you should consider yourself lucky."

[redeyesatnight.livejournal.com]

Gazing at the photo, the realization hit Itachi that, were Sasuke to end up in Paixao, he had no guarantee that it would be the 8-year-old little brother that he knew in Konoha. What would he do, the young shinobi wondered, if confronted with the boy in the picture? Would he be the caring Aniki, ready to scoop Sasuke into a hug like nothing had happened? Or would he confront him with the care of a shinobi facing an unknown opponent? Right now, he couldn't say what his course of action would be. But, much as he wanted to find his little brother, part of him was coming to hope that there wouldn't have to be such a confrontation.

"Hn..." Itachi replied, considering Zetsu's comments. "Lucky how? Lucky that I haven't met this different Sasuke? Lucky that the Sasuke I know is not the one I see in the picture? Lucky that he's not here for me to find out which it would be..."

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"All of them, we would think." Zetsu agreed after a long moment, his brief, thoughtful silence broken only by the soft tapping of keys as he responded to the Mad Hatter's comments. "Lucky too, perhaps, that we're able to show you glimpses of the future like this. And accordingly, lucky to be able to change your plans to change this future in ways that would better suit you. You might be able to shelter Sasuke's mind and eyes, for instance. Or even get him to join you, if you so chose."

He had to wonder just what things would be like if Sasuke hadn't taken to the path of the avenger. Would they be having these problems with Orochimaru, when there was such a lowered chance of him getting the sharingan? Or what if Sasuke had been brought along by Itachi to join the Akatsuki as well? His lips curled into a small but undeniably vicious smile as he imagined the benefits that might have, eyes a bit distant. They could send him to Orochimaru, with no mind altering jutsus over him so that nothing could be broken, and the snake bastard's greed for the sharingan could be used against him, to kill him for good and recover the ring he'd taken. That would be a relief, having a tenth member again....

And who better to inherit the ring, but the one who would earn it? It would be useful to have a second Uchiha in the group, especially one with Sasuke's natural talent. With sufficient motivation, as he had in training to take Itachi down, the boy might even exceed his older brother.... Mmmm, only a pipe dream at the moment. But who knew?

[redeyesatnight.livejournal.com]

Itachi regarded the picture of Sasuke for a moment more before tucking it away. While this would require far more thought that he had already put into it, Itachi was coming to the decision that he might have to alter his plans a little bit. Either that, or finalize the one part he had left open to interpretation, what he was going to do after killing the clan. Anything that he could do to stop his little brother from becoming the boy in the picture, he was sure, would be a step in the right direction. After all, that was the kind of thing he was trying to prevent in the first place.

Oh, he had seen it in Sasuke's eyes in the picture, the expectations of others for him to live up to a standard he didn't know. Itachi was sure that he was trying to prove himself to someone, but he wasn't sure who. And certainly, he would never guess himself, no matter how true it might be.

"These are things that I will need to consider more," Itachi said. "I may have to adjust my plans when I get back... if I can still go through with them."

[weeatbodies.livejournal.com]

"We think it would be wise of you, for your sake and his." Zetsu nodded his approval as the hotel came into view. One hand disappeared briefly into his robe to check how much money he had; easily enough to pay for a room, he was sure, especially in a downscale area like this. He had no qualms with staying in slightly shabby housing. They would need to get more money eventually, if they stayed here very long--but he had few worries about that. What was a ninja good for, if not sneaking and stealing? He would have to practice transforming into something that looked closer to the citizens here, to draw less attention to himself....

"We're here to help with whatever you'd like, for now. Maybe longer." The last comment wasn't so much benevolence as it was practicality; Zetsu was already trying to think ahead, about however they might leave here. "We might end up getting back to our own times, but chances are, we might end up with both of us in one--and that sort of displacement would probably be harder to deal with than this one." It would be awkward, for sure. What would happen to the person who was actually supposed to be in a different time, and the version of them who was existing in the one they'd ended up in? It would be.... awkward to have two of somebody running around....

[redeyesatnight.livejournal.com]

"I..." Itachi began, though he managed to trail off in thought almost immediately. Was it actually possible that they would end up going to the same place and not both returning to their own? What would happen if he ended up in Zetsu's time? Would he meet his other self? Would he like his other self? And what about Sasuke?

Itachi shook his head, stopping his thoughts from wandering in circles. "Thank you," he told Zetsu, finally. Truly, he did appreciate the assistance that Zetsu offered and would probably be willing to help with anything that Zetsu needed him to. He did feel bad, though, that he couldn't pitch in for the room. Sneaking across the Uchiha compound had been something that he'd had to do without carrying any money with him. And since he hadn't been planning on taking out the clan for another day, he hadn't needed to have it with him.

Well, he would just have to help earn money later. Thinking back to all of those D-rank missions that he completed, he was sure there had to be something that he could do.

[weeatbodies.livejournal.com]

It was hard not to be sympathetic, though Zetsu didn't think he could do any worse than he already was. Itachi had plenty to lose, of course--his family, his little brother, his normal life.... he hadn't yet cut his ties to all that, so it was perfectly understandable that he might be worried. But on the other hand? Zetsu knew that he had pretty much the same life six years ago that he had now, so neither position would trouble him too greatly. He was sure he could get along with himself, after all--didn't he do that every single day of his life, with two minds in one body?--and that the Akatsuki could benefit from having two of him around. They could also benefit from having two Itachi's around, even if this one wasn't yet a criminal, and didn't (he felt fairly sure) yet have his eyes. Whether those two would get along, though, was a good question.

"We wouldn't consider doing anything less--perhaps it's us that should thank you." Zetsu smiled quietly, giving Itachi's shoulder a brief squeeze; the human contact seemed to be good for the both of them. After all, it wasn't as if he had to go too far out of his way to help Itachi, even if it was a little strange. And moreover, it was..... nice. Nice to have company after all this time. It felt good to know there was at least one member of the human race whose company he was able to appreciate. Heaven knew he'd had enough trouble with most of the rest of the species; if they weren't people he worked with or for, then it was more likely than not he was killing them, because his job required him to, or because they just pissed him off. He was almost ashamed to count himself as a human being, sometimes....

All in all, today had been a pretty decent day, in spite of the fact that they were evidently stuck here for the time being. The pair reached the hotel lobby soon enough, and Zetsu paid for a night's stay so they could head up to their room. "We'll probably want to start evaluating our options tomorrow. Gathering information through the city's journal network is probably the most efficient way to go about it."

[redeyesatnight.livejournal.com]

Itachi nodded as they headed up to the room that they were staying in. The young Uchiha was exhausted from the strenuous day, far more tired than he thought he should be. Naturally, he didn't count emotional and mental exhaustion into the mix and therein lie his problem.

Itachi barely had enough energy to make it to the bed and he collapsed upon it. Really, he probably should have felt bad for not thanking Zetsu or at least saying good night. However, by the time he would have realised such a mistake, he was already asleep.

[weeatbodies.livejournal.com]

Zetsu shook his head at the collapse, smiling wryly to himself. Emotional upset strong enough to override all else, even the danger instinct..... He could barely remember the last time he'd been thanked for something, or traded good nights with anyone. Sometime in his youth, before the change.... Either way, it hardly mattered. What mattered was that he was still alert and active, thankfully, enough so to keep both of them safe. He made a few silent handseals, watching a clone appear, a few wisps of smoke rising as the form solidified, and indicated the door and window. "Guard duty." The clone nodded its understanding, and simply sat to watch the entry points, as it would for the rest of the night.

For his part, Zetsu took a moment to lift Itachi into his arms, long enough to get him settled onto the bed in a more comfortable position and pull the covers over him. At least now his sleep should actually be restful.... The plant-nin sat on the other side of the bed, flipping open his journal to glance at the message board for any new information, and perhaps update his private journal with another entry. He doubted he'd spend too long at it, though; it promised to be a long day tomorrow, and he fully intended to get some sleep as well.