[Log] Younger Still Who: Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi When: November tenth Where: Infirmary, around the third floor, Itachi’s room. What: There’s an accident, and Itachi’s called. He comes upon Shisui and gets a shock. Warnings: Screaming children. Open or Closed: Closed Observable: After the infirmary, before their room.
The first thing Shisui was aware of was that his toes were cold. He pulled them up closer to his body, felt the tug of a sheet, and startled up. His head gave a throb, and he wrinkled his nose. Why was he in a bed?
Why had he even been asleep in this place? Shisui glanced around sharply, in little jerks, taking in the area. There were walls and a table by the bed and when he went upside-down to check under the bed, he found wheels. It all felt familiar, but Shisui didn’t think about it as he slid off the bed. First his right foot, then a hand down while he clutched the bed with the other, and then his left. At his full height, the bed-on-wheels came up to his bellybutton.
He was in weird clothes. Shisui picked at them for a moment, pushed at the bed to see if he could make it roll, and took a breath. It smelled weird. Like soap - he still remembered the smell of Mama’s soap! - but different. Even cleaner than that, with a biting tinge. He didn’t like it much.
As soon as Itachi got the message Shisui had come back, but something had gone wrong, he’d run. New body be damned, he ran. He wished there were stairs. Itachi couldn’t ask the drone what had gone wrong, but as soon he hit the infirmary, he intended to get answers. Nevermind he wasn’t supposed to see Shisui for another few days, but something had happened. Itachi needed to be there
Yes, he was a girl--not much shorter, smaller hands, but he hadn’t changed enough people didn’t recognize him. He was dressed the same.
“Where is he?” Itachi demanded.
“In the third room, but...” Before the medic could finish, Itachi was away. He snatched open the door.
“Shisui!”
Itachi froze and stared.
They had shrunk Shisui..
Shisui’s head twisted as someone called his name. Name, how did they know his name? Shisui realized what that meant with a jolt. They’d caught him. He wasn’t supposed to get caught.
With a shriek, Shisui’s head twisted around, and then he tried to launch himself through the legs, flickering just out of arm’s reach. He could only go a few feet with the flicker, but he might get out.
Itachi’s eyes twisted into the Sharingan as Shisui screamed. He twisted around and kicked the door shut--the last thing he needed was to let Shisui loose on the world.
Shisui hit the door heavily, and bounced back against the woman’s legs. He twisted away and darted towards the left, not catching sight of the sharingan yet.
Itachi sighed and crouched down, back to the door. He turned off his Sharingan and breathed out. It was okay. It would be okay.
“Shisui, can you calm down please?” Itachi asked softly.
A twist as Shisui both tried to face Itachi and run, and he fell again. He didn’t react much, and stared at the person. They seemed familiar, but distantly so. Like someone he might have stolen something from who’d noticed, except he wasn’t as afraid.
Except this person was worse, because she knew his name! Shisui scooted backwards. “Who’re you,” Shisui asked, voice hig, childish, and stressed. “One--one’a them?” Through a heavy Mist accent, he spoke with a childish lisp.
“My name’s Itachi.” Itachi tried to smile gently. “I’m not sure what you mean by one of them, but I’m here to help you, okay? We’re friends.” Itachi didn’t know if that would hurt or hinder his cause with Shisui. He didn’t remember Shisui being like this, though he’d heard tales of how wild Shisui had been.
Shisui stared at Itachi, and he felt a rush of happiness at the name. He half smiled, then it shuttered over. He did his best to scowl. “No, you’re one of--one’a them, with the, red eyes and now y’catched me and I wasn’t s’posed t’get catched!” With that, Shisui backed up further against the wall and considered trying to escape again. He wasn’t supposed to be here!
“No, you’re too fast for anyone to catch, aren’t you Shisui?” Itachi smiled a little and sat down, back still pressed against the door. “I’m not here to catch you. There’s a lot of bad things going on, and since your mom isn’t here to watch out for you, that’s what I’m going to do. None of the people with red eyes like me very much, so I thought we should stick together,” Itachi suggested, just wanted Shisui to stop looking at him like that. He thought Shisui had almost remembered something about Itachi. He’d smiled like he remembered.
Shisui stopped paying attention after she said mother. Instead, he fussed with the seams on the clothes he’d been given. They were blue. He liked blue, but these were stiff. “No one was’re when she left,” He protested, insulted that someone should come now and not then. Even if they were going to do bad things to him. “Do I have to wear this? S’all weird.”
“I know I didn’t know about you then, or I would have come for you, Shisui.” Itachi promised. “You know I would have.” But Shisui didn’t know tghat. Itachi sighed and resisted the urge to rub his temples.
“We can go get you some better clothes in a little bit, okay?” When Itachi was sure Shisui wouldn’t run from him.
Shisui frowned at Itachi, then shook his head. Edged further away from the woman. “I wanna go back.” Home. In the cove, even if he was running out of food.
“I know, but I can’t get you home right now. Next week we’ll take you home, okay?” Itachi spoke softly and held out a hand.
Shisui bared his teeth at Itachi, like he’d seen a dog do once, and didn’t go towards him. After a second he stopped, but his nose stayed wrinkled. Glanced at the lights above their heads. “Are we’ina star?”
“No. Do you remember a place called Pacis Urbs?” Itachi asked. Itachi pushed his hands through signs and created a clone. His clone quickly translocated outside. Itachi as going to need help with this one.
Shisui opened his mouth to reply, then was distracted by the clone. He watched it with an open mouth, and then turned to Itachi with a look of pleasant surprise. “Hey, hey, my um, my Mama! She could’o, do that too!” He didn’t pay attention to how loud he was, instead needing to tell Itachi right now that he knew what that was. “She could go an’make copies an’ flicker! Where’d it, it, um, go?” He was wiggling, pleased by this turn of events.
“To get a surprise.” Itachi grinned and winked. “It’s a secret~” He held up a finger to his lips and just smiled.
“Is not,” In spite of himself, Shisui giggled a little, and fell on his side, still laughing. He wasn’t a pudgy five year old, with almost a concave stomach and his ribs showing, though not sharply. “It’s so not!”
“If it’s not a secret, then do you know where it went?” Itachi asked, putting his head to the side. he had to smile. Shisui was a warchild. He wouldn’t be round and well fed.
Shisui nodded, unable to keep a straight face. The movement was fun, so he kept nodding vigorously. His legs followed suit, and he managed to wriggle through a whole rotation in his corner before he laid on his back, looking up at the woman. “Yeah, I know where’t is!”
Itachi watched Shisui, then rolled over onto his back, letting his legs rest against the door, feet pointed towards the ceiling.”Where is it?”
Shisui giggled again. “It went...” He curled himself up and put his arms on the wall. It felt weird, too smooth, not good for climbing. “Away!” He jumped up, stuck his hands to the wall, and his feet scrambled for purchase against the wall. There was none, and he was literally left hanging by his palms. He dropped to the ground and gave Itachi a sullen look, as if it was her fault his escape didn’t work.
“I see. You’re much too clever for me.” Itachi pointed his toes to the opposite wall, making a small platform with his feet. Itachi held out his hands to Shisui. “If you stand on my feet, can you reach the ceiling? Can you balance really well?” Itachi asked, wiggling his fingers at Shisui.
Shisui wrinkled his nose and looked at Itachi. Glanced up at the ceiling and shook his head. “Two of your legs wouldn’t make it.” And he was smaller than her legs. Maybe. “They’re all tall’n stuff.” He sat down again and looked at his toes. “Can I leave?”
“If we leave, are you going to run away from me?” Itachi asked solemnly. He sat back up and looked at Shisui carefully.
“Why d’I have’ta go with you?” Shisui frowned at her. A huge frown. He didn’t go with people.
“Well, you don’t.” Itachi sat up. “I can’t make you stay, cause you’re so fast, but I’d really like it if you’d stay with me sometimes.” Itachi sighed.
“See, I’m mostly all alone right now. My best friend had to go away, and he left me without anyone to help me. I have a little brother to watch out for, and it can be pretty dangerous here. When things are dangerous, it’s a lot better to have someone to watch your back,” Itachi explained, feeling like he was now floundering.
Shisui looked at Itachi for a long moment, going still. Then he took on an exasperated tone. “I was’lone an’I was’all fine, and’ur ol’er than me!” He rolled his eyes, then paused. “But I guess if’’y’re really scared, I can kinda stay ‘round...” He eyed her, stood up, and patted her knee. “If y’can go do the same thin’ Mama can, ya’don’t have’ta be scared, y’know.”
Itachi smiled. “I know...but sometimes I get scared anyway, even when it’s silly. Having a friend makes me not be so afraid.” And that...was all kinds of adorable. Itachi just wanted to hug Shisui, but he knew it wouldn’t go over well.
“Could you be my friend?” Itachi asked, trying to make herself seemed smaller than she was. “If you’re my friend, I can tell you secrets.”
Shisui hummed. “I don’t want your secrets.” He had a sudden feeling that they were bad. “It’s bad... I don’t have any.” He frowned and looked away.
“I’ll only tell them if you ask,” Itachi promised. He paused and looked to the side as his clone appeared. It handed Itachi a little bag and then vanished. Itachi peered into the bag.
“But...I think you might like this secret.”
Shisui edged backwards as the clone appeared. “I don’t want it.” He made a face, and retreated to the bed. “I never ever like secrets.” He didn’t want to see; it was going to be something gross.
“Okay.” Itachi shrugged and pulled out an orange. He began slowly peeling it, humming an old tune Shisui had taught him as he worked.
Shisui’s eyes grew wide as he took in the orange, and he pointed at it. Bounced on his toes, looked at Itachi, and tried to get her attention. “Um.”
“Mm-hm?” Itachi asked, not looked up. It took a lot of control not to smile.
Rather than being verbal, Shisui walked forward, opened his mouth, closed it, and tried to snatch the orange from her hand, not caring if juice got everywhere.
Itachi easily yanked his hand out of the way, holding it over his head. He gave Shisui a level look. “You don’t want to my secret.”
“It’s not a secret, it’s an orange!” Shisui tried to joke, but his voice went into a high pitched whine. He wanted--it, the orange. He wanted it! He stomped a foot.
“Sh.” Itachi pulled the orange back to himself. “Ask, Shisui. Don’t just snatch things. Please ask.” Shisui or not, kids needed rules and guidelines. Itachi didn’t want to have Shisui running roughshod over him.
Shisui nearly growled, and when he spoke, his voice went high and rough. “I want the orange!” With that said, he turned and tried to shove his way out the door, completely upset.
Itachi sighed and leaned back against the door. It opened in. Itachi peeled off a section of orange and held it out.
Shisui gave the door two yanks, and then gave Itachi a nasty look. His gaze caught on the orange, he stared at it for a second, then crossed his arms and leaned against the door.
Itachi shrugged and at the slice of orange, making sure to look as near to bliss as possible.
Shisui smacked a hand against the door. “I want out,” He shrieked, not happy at all. Itachi was tricking him, and the food would be something bad!
“You’ll run away if I let you out,” Itachi pointed out solemnly, taking another slice of orange. “You said you’d help me, Shisui.”
A scowl, and Shisui slapped the door again.”No,” He shoved himself against the door. “I want toleave! It’s, you’re lyin’!” He pushed at Itachi, trying to get her out of the way. “No, no, no!” A hand flew towards the orange, trying to knock it out from Itachi’s hand.
Itachi sighed and moved to the side, ignoring Shisui as he ate the orange.
Shisui gave up after a few seconds, and watched Itachi eat the orange. “You’re gonna get sick.”
“Why?” Itachi pulled off the last slice and popped it into his mouth.
“It’s bad!” Shisui protested, and literally ran in the other direction as Itachi ate the orange. He dived into the bed, clutched the one pillow, and hid his face.
“It’s not bad. I got it from a safe place.” Itachi watched Shisui and raised his voice. “Do you want the last slice?”
This was going to be very, very difficult.
Shisui peeked from his pillow, and nodded. Made no move to go closer to Itachi.
Itachi shifted and pulled one foot close. He propped his arm on his knee and held the orange slice out, then dropped his face to red on his arm, so he wasn’t actually looking at Shisui.
Shisui eyed Itachi, got up, and padded closer. He slowly brought his arm up to touch it. When Itachi didn’t wrench it away, he plucked it from the fingers and shoved it into his mouth, biting down and eating it in quick scarfs. His eyes went wide.
Itachi looked up as Shisui took the orange. He smiled softly, even as Shisui probably came near choking himself with the orange. Itachi let his hand drop, but kept his posture slumped.
“Should we go find another orange?” Itachi asked.
Shisui looked at the woman, and nodded as he licked his fingers. “Never had one like that.” He remembered that he was supposed to be waiting for something bad to happen, and he set his face into something mean again. But he still licked his fingers.
“Do you like apples too?” Itachi asked as he stood. Slowly, he opened the door, fully prepared that Shisui would bolt as he stepped outside into the infirmary.
Shisui paused.”Um.” He didn’t know. Stepping outside, Shisui blinked up at the room, counted to three, then took off running to the left.
Itachi watched Shisui go. He stopped and waited, giving Shisui to the count of twenty to decide he would come back. After that, Itachi would go. In the infirmary, Shisui would get into no trouble. Well, no one would hurt him.
Thirteen seconds later, a high-pitched scream sounded, and Shisui came rocketing back the way he’d come. He flickered a grand total of five feet, stumbled and rolled to a stop at Itachi’s feet, and then scrambled past to hide in the room.
A moth-man poked his head around the corner and gave Itachi the equivalent of a confused look, compound eyes shifting slightly.
Itachi gave the man a wave and tried not to laugh. He felt a little smug that Shisui had scared himself, but he also felt guilty. Shisui, Shisui...
Itachi turned and walked back into the room. “I told you this was a scary place.”
Said boy didn’t respond, as he was curled up against the wall, sniffing and trying not to cry. Bad things would happen if they heard him. They would. He muffled the noise in his hands.
Itachi sighed and slowly walked towards Shisui. He crouched down a yard in front of the boy. “Come on, little minnow, let’s get you someplace better and some food.” Itachi offered his hands out, gently tapping his palms together as Shisui had when they were younger. It signalled it was time to get picked up.
Looking up, Shisui watched Itachi for a long moment, before crawling forward and letting Itachi touch him. Pick him up.
It reminded him of Mama, and he buried his head into her shoulder as his arms wrapped around her.
“Okay, little minnow,” Itachi couldn’t stop the grin that Shisui had come to him. Itachi slowly stood, shifting the boy to rest on his hip, holding him carefully so Shisui wouldn’t feel trapped or smothered.
I have you. I will keep you safe.
“Let’s go find some more oranges.” Itachi murmured.
Shisui whimpered softly, then fisted his hands in her shirt. “Don’t drop me.” Punctuated with a glare, and he felt uncomfortable enough to hide his face and sob silently again.
“Never.” Itachi kissed Shisui’s wild curls and slowly carried Shisui out of the room, extremely pleased with himself and how things were going. He did feel intensely guilty because Shisui was crying, but Itachi had him.
So Shisui would be okay in the end.
They would both be okay.
Shisui eventually settled, and brought up one hand to play in Itachi’s hair. As they passed others, he went more and more quiet, his eyes turning as full as moons as he took in tentacles and feathers and strange things. “Why’s it so weird, Ita?” The name rolled without thought.
“Because everyone here is from a different world, so they’re all very different. Some of them are nice.” Itachi stopped and touched the round button for his floor and waited for the elevator to come back down. Itachi gave Shisui a little bounce, pleased with the use of the nickname.
“His eyes were all bloop.” Shisui told Itachi, seriously, and peered at the elevator. Wiggled his feet a little, and decided that he was starting to get a little uncomfortable. “What’s this?”
“An elevator. It goes up and down like stairs, only you don’t have to walk.” Itachi stepped inside the little box and looked at Shisui wiggling feet. “Need to get down?” Shisui could never be still for very long.
Shisui’s mouth opened, and he nodded. He wiggled down, walked around the place, and then looked at the elevator before pressing every button in it that he could reach, grinning.
“No!” Itachi sighed and leaned back against the wall. “Well, we’re going to be in here for a while, Shisui. Thank you.”
“Where’re we going?” Shisui asked, putting his hand on the elevator door as it closed. “Or s’posed to go?” As the elevator started moving, Shisui stumbled and then jumped, deciding that this was even weirder than the weird people outside.
“To the third floor. That’s where I live,” Itachi explained. “We’ll get you some nicer clothes and something to eat. Does that sound good?” Itachi asked as the elevator stopped at the first floor and opened its doors.
Shisui nodded. Wiggled his feet a little and looked up at Itachi. “You aren’t as tall as her.”
“As your mom?” Itachi smiled and shook his head. “No, I guess I’m pretty short.” Itachi had thought himself pretty tall for a woman.
Shisui shrugged and sat down on the floor of the elevator. “You wouldn’t have to bend at home. She did.” The doors closed and they rose again. Shisui thought the next floor would be theirs.
“You lived in a cave, didn’t you?” Itachi tried to remember what else Shisui had told him about his past.
“A cove!” Shisui insisted, loudly. “A bunch of them!” He knew the difference. A cave didn’t have the water to lull you to sleep, and it had weird things. His Mama had kept things clean. It was always better with her. He sniffed, the doors opened, and he jumped to his feet. “Is this it? Is this it?”
“No, no, no, next one!” Itachi crouched down and grabbed the hem of Shisui’s shirt, smiling. “One more, then we’ll be there, okay?”
When he wasn’t frightened, Shisui could be rather precious. He would needs lots of exercise. Itachi would probably doing little but taking care of the brat for a while.
Shisui made a bad face and leaned against Itachi’s touch, but it wasn’t earnest. “We’re never gonna get there.” He smacked at Itachi’s hand to make him let go, and turned to walk around the space again.
Itachi kept his hold on Shisui, rotating as the boy moved. “This is what happens when you press all the buttons, Shisui. Things take a long time.” As the door opened again, Itachi grinned. “Okay, now go!” Release the hellion on the wooooorld!
Shisui wrinkled his nose, but promptly forgot about it as Itachi released him. Obeying his words, he went scampering off to the right, having no idea where their room was. “Is all this yours?” He went to open a random door.
“No, not all of it.” Itachi hurried up behind Shisui and scooped him up, hoping the kids wouldn’t stab him. “I’ll show you my room--our room. It’s not as good as a cove, but it’s pretty nice.”
At the sudden movement, Shisui twisted and tried to land a bite into the nearest part of Itachi, that being his upper arm.
Between dropping Shisui and being bit, Itachi chose being bit. He wasn’t used to kids who bit. Sasuke, well, Itachi had flipped his baby brother all over. Shisui had manhandled Itachi like a doll most of the time, and Itachi hadn’t minded.
“Ashes.” Itachi hissed. Ow.
Shisui kicked at Itachi and screeched wordlessly, before trying to wrench himself out of the other’s grasp, letting go of his shoulder. “Down!”
Itachi held Shisui at arms length, waiting for him to stop screaming.
With a practiced movement, Shisui raised his arms above his head and tried to let himself slide out of Itachi’s grasp. His shirt would be left, but he didn’t really care.
Itachi let his hands buzz with chakra and stuck his hands firmly to Shisui’s sides.
When chakra was applied, Shisui really panicked, shoving at Itachi’s hands and wailing loudly. “Stop!” Bad things were going to happen, he was going to be dead and he wasn’t like Mama so he would be dead forever, and he wasn’t down!
Afraid he would lose Shisui if he let the kid go, Itachi crouched down and set Shisui’s feet back on the ground. He shifted his hold to just hold onto Shisui’s shirt, ready to grab again if he needed to.
“You’re down.” Itachi spoke softly, ignoring the people who were staring at them.
Shisui wrenched against Itachi’s pull, then collapsed onto the ground, crying into his own shirt. The words he spoke were incoherent, and he clung to Itachi’s wrists.
Itachi stared in muted horror as Shisui just melted onto the ground in a sobbing heap. Itachi glanced around furtively, then sat down and wondered if he should pull Shisui into his lap or just let him lay on the ground.
Slowly, Itachi released Shisui and gently brushed a hand over his curls. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Shisui let himself fall over onto the ground, and didn’t look at Itachi as he took several deep, startled breaths. “I--want--to--go--home,” He gasped roughly, and clutched at Itachi’s hand. Clung to her fingers, and whimpered slightly.
“I know, but I can’t get you home right now.” Itachi pushed Shisui’s curls back from his face. He curled his other hand into Shisui’s. “We’re just stuck with eachother.”
And Itachi was not doing a good job. Once again, he was stuck with someone not his Shisui, and he couldn’t balance it.
With a rather pathetic noise, Shisui crawled closer and set his head against Itachi’s chest. Then he hit Itachi in the shoulder with all the force he could muster, and told him in a very loud voice, “Bad!”
Itachi stared for a moment, startled into silence for a moment. It hadn’t hurt, but he got the feeling he shouldn’t let Shisui hit people like that, so he should correct him.
Instead he laughed, only twice before he choked it back and bit his tongue. “Yes, bad.” Itachi giggled.
“Only--up--when--I--say--so,” Shisui informed Itachi, still half crying, but able to make the words utterly dramatic. He burrowed closer to Itachi, now fairly certain that he wasn’t going to be dropped or have nasty things done to him.
“I’m sorry,” Itachi apologized sincerely. Itachi shifted so he could see more of the hall behind them, and gingerly wrapped his arms around Shisui, loose. He expected to be rebuffed. He expected screams.
Shisui half pushed Itachi’s arms away, then decided it didn’t matter and hid his face in Itachi’s armpit, not caring about any weird smells. It was better than blood all over, everywhere. Suddenly anxious at the thought, he peered up at the woman. “Is there blood in my hair?”
Itachi paused for a moment, then bent his head to peer at Shisui’s head carefully. He ran his hands over the hair and found nothing sticky or stiff or wet. “No, there’s no blood, Shi.”
Shisui decided that Itachi was telling the truth, and settled himself a little more heavily into her lap. “Can we go to your, um, place?”
“Yes.” It would be a relief to get there. “Do you want to walk?” Itachi asked, still fluffing Shisui’s curls a little.
Shisui nodded, even though he was comfortable for once, and unfolded himself from Itachi’s lap. He stood, looked anxiously down the hall, and then twisted his fingers into Itachi’s shirt as she stood. He didn’t want to be carried, but now he didn’t feel up to charging forward.
Itachi tried to replace his hand in Shisui’s fist instead of his shirt. He guided the child down the hall, which was mostly empty, and stopped and his door, opening it carefully. No one else was inside, and the little frog-cat was hiding somewhere.
“This is it,” Itachi herded Shisui inside.
Shisui let go of Itachi’s shirt once they got inside, and looked around. He found the place as odd as the rest of it; too small but too tall. There was only one room. He gave it an unsure look, then moved to look out the window. It was too tall for him to get a good view.
“The bathroom’s in here.” Itachi pointed to the small room and went to crouch beside Shisui as he tried to look out the window. Itachi kept the window open for his crows to come and go. Itachi looked at Shisui and smiled.
“Up?”
“I can do it,” Shisui proclaimed, eyed the windowsill, and then backed up. He took a running jump at it, using chakra to stick his hands to the far end of the sill. He dragged himself and one leg up, easily able to manuver. When he sat, there was enough room for him to cross his legs loosely and lean back. It was only then he looked out the window.
His heart nearly stopped. “Where’s the ocean?”
Itachi watched Shisui with a faint smile, then rose to look out the window as well. “Well...you can’t see it from here.” There had to be oceans here somewhere, but none seen from this window.
“Oh.” Shisui squinted, as if that would help. “Can I go swim in it later?” He assumed Itachi meant that you couldn’t see it from this side. He had never been in a place without an ocean. When he really thought about it, he couldn’t hear the ocean. It made him nervous. He’d never even been anywhere where it wasn’t all around him.
Itachi slowly shook his head. “There’s...it’s outside the walls. We can’t get to it.”
Shisui turned sharply to look at Itachi. “Why are there walls? Can’t we just, just go?” No, no, no, there had to be an ocean. Had to be. He had to be there, because if not... Mama wouldn’t be there. He wouldn’t have the ocean.
Itachi shook his head again. “We can’t. We have to stay inside the walls.”Itachi search desperately for something to compensate this fact. “There’s a pond.” That had to be better than no water at all, right?
Shisui turned away from Itachi and keened wordlessly, putting his hands over his ears. It was grief that drove him to the noise, not fright.
Mama was gone, everything she was was gone, and now he was left with a faintly familiar woman who he didn’t know. Shisui didn’t have tears left to cry, but he was still sad.
Itachi gently touched Shisui’s tiny knee. He didn’t know how to make this better. He couldn’t take Shisui to an ocean. As far as he knew, no one had ever broken out of this place.
Eventually, the noise settled and Shisui turned around to look at Itachi. “How do I, I leave her any offerin’s? She only likes seafish, and you gotta do it by the ocean, ‘cuz she’s there, but, but there’s no ocean here!” In a sudden fit, he reached out for Itachi, clinging to her shoulders.
Itachi shifted one arm around Shisui’s back. “I have a friend who went away, and I would always see him at the rivers, so that was where I left him offerings, but then I was in a place with no rivers, so I had to find another way to honor him. It’s not as good as the rivers, but it’s better than not being able to do anything at all...” Itachi shifted a little.
“Could we try that for your Mom?” Itachi asked, though the thought of making an offering to Shisui while the man was alive made him nervous.
Shisui looked at Itachi. “How’d he die?” Mama said you only left offerings to dead people and spirits and gods. Sometimes they were the same thing, but he didn’t know if Itachi had made friends with a spirit.
He shook his head. “Has to be an ocean. She didn’t die there, but she’s there ‘cuz I’m not dead, so she’s there and it has to be the ocean.”
“He drowned.” Itachi nodded and tried not to look as sad as he suddenly felt. “What if we had a piece of the ocean here? Would that be okay?”
Shisui found that sad. Water was nice, and you just had to do what it told you. He wondered if Itachi’s friend knew that before he died. “I don’t know,” He admitted, then sat up and honestly hugged Itachi. The reason for it, though, was to use her to shimmy down from the sill.
Itachi didn’t really care about the reason. He would just be happy for it. “Well, let’s try it.” Itachi ruffled Shisui’s hair, then stood to find something for Shisui to wear that wouldn’t be scrubs. Everything he had would be too big, but at least it wouldn’t be scrubs.
Itachi pulled out a shirt he had out grown, but that would still be huge on Shisui. He eyed the boy. “I think I need to go find clothes in your size, little minnow.”
Shisui sat on the floor, and looked up at Itachi. Paused, then took off the tear-stained scrubs and held out his hands for the shirt. He didn’t care. “Do I have to go back out there now?”
“No, you can stay here.” Itachi handed the shirt over. “You can stay here, and I can go get some food for us, if you’re hungry.” And maybe if Shisui got full, he would fall asleep!
Shisui nodded, and pulled the shirt over his head. It fell like a dress. He stood up and went to investigate the bathroom, not thinking that he should say goodbye to Itachi. She would come back.
But Mama hadn’t. Shisui stopped short at the doorway to the bathroom and gave her an anxious look, afraid that he would be left alone again.
“Don’t drown in the bathtub,” Itachi admonished as he opened the door. He hardly thought that would happen, but a crow came to roost on the window and stare at Shisui as Itachi closed to door and sprinted for the cafeteria.
Shisui didn’t respond, just paced around the bathroom for a while, poking through things before stepping into the bathtub. It was cool. Here, the normal temperature was far warmer than at home, unless there was a fire. But he didn’t know how to make one of those without supplies, so he spent the last while at home without a fire. It was always cold and damp, but there were places to keep warm in, in the coves.
This felt more like them than anywhere else. He sat down, then laid, feeling the material touch his skin. It was nice like this, not with too warm stuff and soft sleeping places. Within minutes, Shisui had fallen asleep on his back, arms sprawled out.
Itachi arrived with food before very long, and the quiet made him suspicious. Itachi set the food down on the bedside table and poked under both beds before checking the bathroom.
Itachi smiled as he saw Shisui in the bathtub. He crouched down beside the tub, propping his arms on the edge as he watched Shisui sleep. Itachi reached down and brushed his hand over Shisui’s curls, humming softly. He’d rather have his Shisui back (if he really knew what that meant anymore), but any Shisui would do.