Who: Uchiha Itachi itachi and Death deathiskind When: April 5th Where: Just outside of Hope Springs Apartments What: Itachi meets Death, and lives to tell the tale. Rating: General Audience Warnings: Talks of death, and talking with death. Status: Closed/Complete GDoc
He could hear people talking, not that he was very far away from the apartment building, but he could hear them inside their safe little spaces. Not that he was trying to overhear any of their conversations, no, Itachi didn’t really care what they had to say or who they were saying it to for that matter. He sat on the ground with his back against a tree, his legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles and eyes closed.
The communication device in his hand went off again with a buzz. Itachi made a few quick swipes with his thumb, not even bothering to open his eyes as the text automatically read. His brow twitched at the second voice post, but he muted it before putting the device into his pocket. Nothing of importance had happened.
He had honestly thought as much, but still, he wanted to be aware of what was going on here.
Itachi shifted, bringing his left hand up and out of the confines of his robe only to rest his forearm through the front opening. Itachi’s body ached all over, and he was exhausted. Dying was terribly troublesome. Since his arrival he had wondered if he should’ve taken the monster’s offer of blood, but nothing came without a price.
Itachi wasn’t willing to owe anybody anything, especially not here and he most certainly wasn’t going to die while he was there. There had to be some way that he could live without owing any person there a debt.
Somehow that seemed doubtful, but Itachi would figure it out. He always did.
Taking in a shallow breath, Itachi slowly opened his eyes. They had, at one time, been pure black, but now they were cloudy due to use of his Mangekyō Sharingan. Itachi didn’t move at the approach of a newcomer, even though all he saw was a gray shape moving towards him.
Itachi just sat there, watching their movement without saying a word.
~*~ Death was, well, Death. She wandered the place in a weird sort of haze. How had someone like her, a literal personification, get stuck? She could vaguely feel her other aspects, parts, pieces, doing their job so she didn’t feel like she was backing up the souls of the dead. That was nice, at least, she could let worry go and treat it like her one day every hundred years that she was human. Although she was not human right now, though, she was just here.
It was a strange sort of vacation.
She paused and looked over the man before her, she hadn’t meant to stumble upon him but she had and she was smiling gently at him, dark eyes trying to place him. She’d met everyone at least once, if you were born, and twice if you’d died. (or multiple times if you died multiple times. It did happen.)
“Apologies, I didn’t mean to interrupt you.” she said as she realized she must have interrupted some quiet repose or something. She wasn’t exactly good at reading the subtleties of people yet. She tried very hard to understand people, but she hadn't had a lot of time to learn.
She was learning though. This place was good for that. “You look pensive.” she said, honestly. She was somewhat blunt. It was alright. She felt bad if she angered someone. ~*~
There was something dark, and yet not about this person. Itachi held the Sharingan in check, his eyes were still bothering him from his arrival and he’d spent the last few days recovering. He thought maybe a little time out in the fresh air would help, and so far the only thing it had done was make him miss his home.
Itachi gave a subtle shake of his head, eyes closing once again. “You did not. I was merely enjoying the warmth of the day.” That was true enough at least.
“That’s just the look I normally have.” There were very few times, especially these days that Itachi smiled or looked completely relaxed. He was always trying to figure out his next move, Sasuke’s next move, for that matter anyone’s next move and it had become all he knew.
Right now he had no idea what he was going to do. He needed more information, more knowledge in general about this place. There was no better time than the present to start trying to learn. “I was actually doing a little bit of thinking. About this place.” He opened his eyes, head tilting a little bit to the side as he looked in her general direction. “Do you have any idea who or what could’ve brought us here?”
~*~ She was the most nonthreatening person around. She couldn’t look more gentle if she’d tried. Death was strangely kind hearted and while she had a wicked streak if people pushed her wrong, or went after her siblings, generally she was too sweet for belief. So she sat herself down across from him, not too close or in the way if he chose to leave.
Death offered him a half smile. “Glad then, it is a lovely day.” she mused for a moment before shaking her head. She’d only stopped to enjoy the days the very few times she had been human. Once every hundred years or so, it really wasn’t enough to fully enjoy the days as they came. “Ahh a thoughtful person. Not a bad thing in my book.” she said honestly as she watched him then nodded. “I’ve wondered the same. Who can trap a being such as I? That takes some serious backbone and power.” she said with a slow shrug. “I’ve come no closer to an idea than anyone else, unfortunately. My apologies.” she said gently as she looked out around them.
She then looked back at him and instead of just assuming she could place the face (so many faces, so many names, so many millennia.) she asked. “What name can I use for you?” she didn’t want to offend by guessing, either.
~*~
A being such as her, eh? Itachi thought curiously. What sort of being was she then? That he could not answer at present.
He gave a small inclination of his head, “There is no need for apologies. I think we are all at a loss as to what is going on here.” That was the pure and simple truth as far as he could tell. No one had any idea, or if they did, they were keeping quiet about all of it. The truth would eventually be revealed. Those who had power liked to run their mouths about their plans.
He’d seen that enough to know that to be truth. Unless they happened to be like himself, in such case, they would not speak of anything.
“Uchiha Itachi.” Opening his eyes, Itachi looked before him at her. “Itachi is my given name.” Itachi didn’t believe that everyone was stupid to think his clan name was his first name, but people here were not from home.
As such, they did not know his story or the weight he’d carried for too many years. Itachi wouldn’t wish that burden upon anyone.
“What is your name?”
~*~ Death smiled. “Fair enough. A land of strange happenings, it’s rather normal, I suppose, to be a little off balance.” she was incredibly off balance. She had no idea what to do. She’d never been trapped like this before. No one trapped Death. No one!
“A pleasure to meet you Itachi.” she knew the proper order of things - she’d seen every culture. Ever. It was kind of a habit really. You learn when you help people. Dead souls like to talk a little on their way to the next destination.
She smoothed her hair and offered him as gentle a smile as she could manage. “I’m Death.” she said with an honest shrug.
“And yes, I’m being serious.” ~*~
A rarely seen smile tugged up the corners of Itachi’s mouth. The irony of it all was not lost on him. He’d been racing towards death before being brought here, he knew what the cost would be in fighting his brother, but he didn’t care.
He had every full intention of dying the day he’d fought Sasuke, but instead he’d been brought here only to want to live so he could go back and die.
Now here he was, face to face with Death, and wasn’t that something?
“Death, hm?” His head tilted to the side, “You’re kinder than I would’ve imagined. Although it would likely help the passing of one life to another.” He’d known that someone powerful was before him, but he hadn’t known what. Now he knew exactly what she was, or who rather, and it did very little to comfort him since Itachi knew his time was limited.
“It’s strange. I was ready to die before I came here, and now that I am here, I am not so willing to let that happen.” His lips were still curled up into a smile, “Then again, no one except for you knows when time is up, do they?”
~*~
Death smiled a bit. “I try. It’s hard enough to die. Why should the person you meet on the other side be scary?” a slender hand waved idly, as if to say it didn’t really matter. She watched him patiently, kindly. Everyone wanted to fight death. It was nature - human or not. Even animals often fought. After all, a Swan Song was the last song a swan sings before it dies. An ode. A protest.
She nodded lightly. “You are in no danger from me at this time.” she said simply. “I only know where I am needed, and who for. Even if it was your time right here, right now, I do not take your last moment from you. I merely collect you when your soul leaves.” she said softly.
“Although in a twist of Irony, I am there when everyone is born too, first breath and all.” she smiled. “So I meet everyone at least twice.” Dark hair fluttered a touch in the wind as she shifted her weight. “Although to be honest? This place… I cannot tell if anyone will die here. I can’t feel it. So I think everyone should be safe from me. Here.”
~*~
Death was a constant in his world. People were always fighting, always after something and the plans that Madara had were -- a lot of people were going to die. Their nation would not know peace until he and the others were dead. Itachi knew he would not be around to see that day come.
He gave a small inclination of his head toward Death, “It is comforting to know that.” There was so much more that needed to be done, and here he was stuck. Itachi listened carefully to the words Death spoke, a line appearing between his brows as they drew together. At birth and death, hm? That made sense to Itachi in a way, he’d read that some clans believed their ancestors were present during childbirth, so in that vein it would make sense that Death would also be present.
He missed reading. When he was younger Itachi would spend hours upon hours absorbing everything that he could lay his hands on. Itachi still could technically do it, but only if he activated his Sharingan.
That was strange. If Death could not feel death, then were those that had been brought here immune to it? He’d heard people talk of a cemetery, but what did that mean exactly? “Hm, that is quite strange. Do you think it’s possible that those that have been brought here cannot die, or is it just this space that is making it hard for you to sense that?” He meant no harm by his question, Itachi was merely curious. If he didn’t have to worry about dying, then he would feel better about the situation at hand.
~*~ Death smiled gently. She was really a kind thing. Weird in her line of work, and with her siblings, but that was alright. She didn’t mind being more compassionate than they were. “It can be, or so I’ve heard.” she shrugged gently. Death brushed her hair back and looked around lazily, as if looking for her purpose here.
“I think it is this place. I am sure people aren’t immune to death here, but things are fluctuating here, I can’t really explain it. I can’t figure it out. And it’s throwing me knowing if I have a job here or not.” she frowned deeply. It wasn’t a nice feeling for her to be this uncertain.
“I think… that unless someone does something to get themselves killed, this place is different. I can’t figure it all out and it’s driving me crazy.” she laughed softly, though, it wasn’t all bad, not really. “It’s a new experience, being this unsure.”
~*~
Closing his eyes again, Itachi took in a deep breath. He could hear the uncertainty in her tone, it was enough to cause him pause. There really was no knowing about this place. Too many secrets, too many unknown factors and Itachi knew that nothing but waiting would do the trick.
It was unlikely that the people, or beings that brought them all together left much information behind. Itachi didn’t believe they were that foolish, but he did believe, that in time, they would reveal themselves.
They would make a grave mistake when they did manage it.
“I understand.” Itachi stated, eyes still closed. He was normally several steps ahead of everyone, but here? No, that was definitely not the case. Itachi opened his eyes and stood in one fluid motion. “May we both in time figure out what is going on here.” He looked down at her, a half smile barely touching one corner of his mouth. “Until next time, Death. It was a pleasure speaking with you.”
He was tired, and the sun had began to hurt his eyes. It was time for him to go back to his apartment to sleep and hopefully heal a little more.