Itachi greets the MollyNet with a fiercely disapproving look on his face. As a girl, his face hasn’t changed that much. His bone structure is more refined, his lashes a little longer, and his lips a little fuller. He reminds himself guiltily of his mother, but, for now, he conjures his father’s look of stern reproof.

“I’m sure everyone’s very aware by now of the division between the two groups that have changed this week.” Itachi glares. “All I have to say about this is, if anyone is contemplating virgin sacrifices, they had best be prepared to burn on their own altars.”

There’s a screech behind him, and Itachi twists his face away with suddenly wide eyes. The screen shudders and becomes a blur of color as something keeps making high-pitched noises, then something intelligible.

“Itachi, Itachi, what’s that? It’s all up, is it--” The sound cuts off as a small hand clamps over the screen.

In the act or twisting his ring, Itachi has managed to turn it on. For a moment, the image projected is his face, lips drawn down in a frown as he stares at something. Itachi starts to reach for something, hesitates, then drops his head. Itachi grimaces, then twists his ring again.

"This is stupid, isn't it, Nii-san?" Itachi speaks softly and the ring now faces a shallow porcelain bowl on the window with a small floating candle in it. "Is it bad luck? Should I stop honoring a shadow and look to the sun? Or will it burn me to ash after so long in the dark?"

"It doesn't matter, does it?" Itachi lights a match by pressing it to his lips, then leans forward to light the candle. He settles back again. "You are dead." Itachi's thumb rubs the ring, blurring the image of the flame. "You--"

The candle suddenly sputters and the flame dies. Itachi jumps, his thumb slides from the ring and shuts off the video.