Sight and Sound

Coming Together

  Sunlight fell over Sasuke's eyes as he lay, half-asleep, next to his brother. Rolling over, he looked over Itachi's silhouette in the dim light. Itachi would never let me stay in his room... What happened last night? His curiosity compelled him to wake Itachi, but he fought it, slowly sitting up in the disaster area known as a bed. He was about to slip out of the room when a horrible bout of pain came over him. A sharp, stabbing sensation started in his head and moved down his back. Overcome with it, he crumpled back down to the pillows, curling and holding his head. Itachi was up in an instant. "Sasuke, calm down." Itachi had his shoulder. "I-it hurts!" Sasuke bit his lip, angry at himself for crumbling under the pain. Itachi slipped his arm around him, sitting him up. "Calm down. I know it hurts, let me help you." He had been expecting something like this, but it was still unnerving. He hoped everything had worked during the sealing; he hoped this was normal. "Where does it hurt?" Sasuke ran his hand over the back of his neck. "A-all through my head and my b-back..." The pain was only getting worse, and becoming harder to endure. "Move your hands." It was an order. Sasuke obeyed, still fighting the urge to curl into a ball with the agony. Turning him slightly, Itachi felt along his spine, sure enough, there was a small knot of chakra in an awkward place, caused by the sealing. Rubbing it softly with his forefinger, Itachi worked out the small knot. Sasuke visibly relaxed as the pain faded. "Better?" Sasuke leaned into his brother, still tired. "Nii-san... Can I go back to bed?" Itachi sighed. "Yeah, why not? Just go back to your room." Sasuke sat back up, shooting him a pleading glare. "Why?" he asked quickly. "For my sanity," Itachi muttered, waving his hand lazily. Sasuke sighed, sliding off the bed. "You're mean." There was a second of silence as Itachi stared at him, tension thick in the air. He's never acted like that before... Sasuke bit his lip, nervous of his older brother's wide-eyed gaze. Itachi watched Sasuke tense, and it was a moment before he realized he hadn't meant anything by it. "Just go back to bed..." Itachi rubbed his forehead, a headache was coming on, and a bad one at that. Still watching him nervously, Sasuke nodded. "Yes niisan..." He walked out the door slowly, shutting it softly behind him.


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Itachi pushed open the door silently, letting Sasuke step inside before him. The only thing he saw in the room was a bed with a lump of rumpled sheets. As he moved closer, he could see that Aster was lying beneath the mess. Her red hair was fanned out behind her, and she was laying eagle-spread, the neatness of her bandages emphasizing her furrowed clothing.
Sasuke stopped, not sure what to make of her. The last time they had spoken, he had told her that she was failure, that she was worthless. He had been ready to accept death. It's odd... Things change so quickly... Blinking the thoughts away, Sasuke glanced at Itachi, wondering what they would now.

Itachi moved beside him, looking her over. It was moment before he said anything. "She won't be up anytime soon."

"You're sure?" Sasuke didn't know whether to be relieved or worried.

"Yeah." Itachi stepped away, toward the door. "Sasuke," He stopped, catching his younger brother's eyes. "You wanted to ask me some things, correct?"

"Yes." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He hadn't forgotten his questions; in fact, he had come up with more.

As Itachi left the room, Sasuke followed, giving Aster once last glance of apprehension. The worst part of things was still coming. Itachi slid back onto the couch, motioning for Sasuke to have seat also. Reluctantly, he slipped into the corner of it, leaning against the armrest.

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke tried to decide on what he would ask first, but Itachi cut him off. "Before you start demanding answers, I need to know what happened before I found you and Aster."

He blinked. Great. This had to be where the conversation began.. "We... fought." Sasuke diverted his eyes, resting his chin on his hand.

Itachi shifted on the opposite side of the couch uncomfortably. "Aster went after you. Last time I checked, her intention was to bring you back safely. Somehow I think there's more to it than you're telling me."

Sighing heavily, he crossed his arms. "I thought... I thought you were dead." Sasuke crossed his legs, hoping Itachi would pick up the discussion, but it quickly became clear he was waiting on him to elaborate. "Aster thought you were dead too."

Chewing his lip, Itachi sat, still waiting for Sasuke to continue. "What does my 'death' have to do with anything?"

Sasuke glared at him, not wanting to say more than he had to. "Did you ever listen her? She was always going on about how she'd never let anything hurt you... Aster was very adamant on about that." Sasuke paused again, hoping Itachi would finally put it together. He probably already had, but he knew his brother would want to confirm his thoughts instead of relying on assumptions. "When she found me... with my arm in you... She was upset to say the least."

Itachi glared at him this time. "That still doesn't explain what I came across."

Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke scooted slightly more into the corner of the couch, away from Itachi. "You already know what I'm going to say. Why are you still asking?"

"True." Itachi crossed his legs for the sake of movement. "So, you did antagonize her..."

"I had thought..." No that's wrong... Sasuke corrected himself, "I had hoped it was over."

"Was Aster there during the entire fight between you and Kabuto?" Itachi inquired deliberately.

"No..." Sasuke tensed, turning back towards him. "Kabuto?"

"I went after you and Aster about midday," Itachi leaned back into the couch cushions. "I ran into... minor trouble... before reaching Orochimaru's poorly disguised hideout."

"He was expecting you." Sasuke injected.

Itachi sighed tiredly. "I know. I walked into a trap, knowing full well what I was doing."

"You're an idiot."

"I can see how grateful you are to be alive at the moment, my dear little brother." Itachi twitched in annoyance as Sasuke tightened his folded arms uncomfortably. "Back to what I was saying, after I reached his lair, I ran into Kabuto." Eyeing his brother suspiciously, Sasuke made a mental note to ask about the 'minor trouble.' "I was able to... er... coerce him into letting me use a technique on him."

It was Sasuke's turn to ask the irritating questions. "What do you mean coerce?"

"Kabuto was rather fixated on killing you, if you didn't notice. I played into that, telling him I'd help him, give him power. The technique was one I had copied from Pien." Itachi narrowed his eyes with distant thoughts. The Akatsuki are still a concern...

"Pien?" Sasuke's face contorted in frustrated confusion as he tried out the name.

Itachi ignored him. "The technique made him look exactly like me, and gave him all of my skills and knowledge. In exchange, I gained complete control of him and any information he had. From the way I had played it up, it seemed like a good deal." Itachi trailed off, still livid at having lost control of the jutsu.

"What went wrong then?" Sasuke was no longer making a conscious effort to distance himself from Itachi.

"I was... overconfident. I thought I had it under control and picked a bad time to let my guard down." Itachi closed his eyes tiredly. "You fought Kabuto after I lost control of him... You killed him."

Sasuke blinked. It hadn't been Itachi he had fought at all. Suddenly he felt much more inferior. "I killed Kabuto, not you..."

"Yes."

There was a long silence as the information sunk into both of them. My fight was... in vain. I'm still weak. Still looking up at Itachi, just like I've always been... Kabuto was nothing compared to him, and I just about died during that battle. Itachi watched Sasuke's thoughts play across his face.

"You're not weak." Itachi caught his eyes as he turned, shocked. "For someone without proper training, it was an admirable feat."

"Proper training?" Sasuke glared at him. He's just patronizing me... Bastard.

"I'm not patronizing you." Sasuke jumped slightly as Itachi seemed to read his mind. "Kakashi's training with the sharingan was much less than you would have had with another member of Uchiha. The things you have learned are nowhere close to your potential."

Sasuke continued to glare at him. "Where are you going with this? Do you plan on training me?"

Itachi sighed, resting his elbows on his knees. "Sasuke... The Akatsuki are going to give me hell for this. That is, unless I can come up with a good cover story."

"Cover story?" Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke gave him another skeptical look.

"Someone will also need to replace Kisame." Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"Me?"

"Who else otouto?" Itachi put his chin in his hand, staring head with a worried look on his face. I don't know if he's ready for this... But with a little more training... He might make the cut.

Sasuke's features hardened. "I'm not going to join the Akatsuki, if that's what you're trying to say."

"Why?" Itachi gave him a look of calm triumph.

Grinding his teeth, Sasuke racked his mind for a good reason against it; one that Itachi couldn't argue. He was silent in thought for few minutes before Itachi smirked, leaning back and tucking his arms behind his head.

"If it takes you that long to come up with an argument, I don't think I need to tell you why I'm suggesting this." His older brother was suddenly serious and dour.

Giving him another scathing look, through gritted teeth, Sasuke replied, "It would be nice if you did explain."

Sighing in annoyed resignation, Itachi decided on where to start. "I need an... excuse, if you will. I'm assuming Aster killed Kisame, correct?"

Blinking his eyes in slight confusion, Sasuke answered slowly. "I... I don't actually know..."

"Doesn't matter," Itachi pushed his bangs out of his eyes. "I'm almost positive of it, it's a pretty safe assumption. Because of Kisame's... absence, I need a new partner. The Akatsuki also need another member. A replacement is essential."

"Why me?" Sasuke emphasized, still unsatisfied with Itachi's explanation.

"Why you?" Itachi muttered sullenly. "Because I know Aster would try to kill herself again before joining Akatsuki, you're strong enough, and most importantly..." Catching his eyes, he continued in a softer voice, "I can trust you."

Again, Sasuke felt as though he was being looked down on somehow. "You honestly think you can trust me...?"

Itachi laughed softly. "I don't have much choice, do I? Trust is my only option, whether you like it or not."

'Whether you like it or not'..? Interesting choice of words. "Akatsuki..." Sasuke mulled over it for a second.

"It won't be for long." Itachi narrowed his eyes, pondering what was to come more intently. "I don't plan to be part of this organization any longer than I must."

"Temporary Akatsuki member..." Sasuke thought out loud.

"I need you to decide now."

Sasuke chewed his lip, still hesitant, but there really seemed no sincere alternative. "I'm in."

"Let's go train." Standing quickly, Itachi's words caught him off-guard.

"Already?" Sasuke asked, slightly aggravated.

"You have a lot to learn in a day or so." Itachi wasted no words.

"Day or so?!" Swearing, he jumped up, following Itachi out a door in the dining area.

The elder Uchiha stopped and they both came to a halt. "The Akatsuki probably already know Kisame is dead. We don't have time to waste."

A look of despondent determination came over Sasuke. It was a moment before he responded. "Yeah. Let's go."


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Naruto climbed out of the hospital bed quickly. I can finally get out of here! The bandages had been off for quite some time, but Tsunade had personally kept him here. Pushing the door open, he grinned out into the empty hallway, happy to free of the annoying bright white of the room. Without hesitation, he dashed down the corridor, anxious to find Sakura and Kakashi, who had been released earlier.
He was still in the clothes given to him by the hospital as he burst out the front entrance. The world was bright, full of warm sunlight and enveloped in a baby blue sky. Sakura and Kakashi were nowhere in sight, but Naruto figured it might be better to get home and change before tracking them down.


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Night had fallen long ago, and even though it was only the second day they had done this, Sasuke was barely standing. "Ready?" came Itachi's breathy question. They were tired beyond belief, but they had no time to waste.
"Yeah," Sasuke readied his kunai.

Itachi came at him with blinding speed, even with his full sharingan activated. Swinging his knife upwards, Sasuke narrowly caught a vertical slice aimed for his head.

"Little brother-" Itachi told him between breaths, "You're slow."

"Bastard!" Sasuke opened his eyes wider, focusing his kekkai genkai with more intensity. "I'll show you 'slow'!"

Itachi laughed, creating something that almost looked like a dance with his moves. "You already have."

Gasping with shock and determination, Sasuke watched a stab come in toward his stomach. "BASTARD!" He caught Itachi's wrist, pulling him with his own momentum. Itachi went with it, catching himself on his hands and immediately coming around Sasuke from behind.

Feigning a kick to the thigh, Itachi aimed an elbow to Sasuke's ribs. To his surprise, his little brother side-stepped the kick and blocked the elbow. "Good." Itachi twisted out the hold he was about to attempt and took a step back.

Sasuke stared back in shocked silence. "W-what... What did you say?"

Putting the kunai away, Itachi grinned at him. "Good job, otouto. You're ready."

Astounded, Sasuke stood, staring dumbly at Itachi. "Good job?"

"It's over, for now. We're done, you're ready for the Akatsuki." Itachi turned his back, beginning to walk back to the house where Aster still lay comatose.

Stumbling over his feet, Sasuke followed, still thoroughly shocked. They were back inside before he said anything. "That's it... For real?"

Sighing in an aggravated way, Itachi looked him in the eye. "Sasuke, do you realize I almost went full-force on you? You were able to hold your own at the end. If you can stand against me, no one else will be a difficulty."

Glaring at him, trying to hide his ever-growing astonishment Sasuke mumbled, "Almost?"

Itachi scowled back. "Do you really want me to go full force?" Sasuke was silent, not wanting to show weakness and say no. "Don't be a fool."

Trying to veer the conversation in safer direction, Sasuke inquired, "What do you consider almost?"

Itachi knit his eyebrows, thinking for a minute before answering. "Almost the full potential of my sharingan."

Sasuke gave him another dirty look. "That long for such a simple answer? You're lying."

Itachi shook his head, annoyed at his brother's nagging. "No, I'm not lying. I never mentioned anything about the mangekyo sharingan."

The mangekyo sharingan... Biting his lip, he wondered what would happen if he asked more about how Itachi had obtained it. After a moment, he decided he might be happier not knowing, at least, for now. "So..." Sasuke had no shortage of irritating questions for Itachi. "How does it look when the mangekyo is factored in?"

Itachi sighed again, getting more and more aggravated. "Probably... About half of my potential, if you must be such a pessimist."

Crossing his arms, Sasuke leaned against a wall. "You're supposed to be cheerful?"

Suddenly Itachi seemed drained somehow, unnerving him. "No," he answered slowly. "That's Aster's job."

He felt abruptly awkward. "How... How is she?"

"Better." Itachi was walking away, toward his room.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, talking to Itachi was like pulling teeth. "Define better."

Itachi gave him a tired glare. "An improvement compared what she was, but still not too great. Are you about done?"

"Bastard." Sasuke muttered. "Yeah, see you tomorrow."

It was awkward to tell each other 'good night' after not having lived together for seven years. "See you." Itachi started to open the door, but stopped, giving Sasuke an irritated look. "Please, don't tell me you're planning to use 'bastard' as my new nickname."

Sasuke smirked at him, "Why not?"

Shaking his head, Itachi shuffled into the room, shutting the door behind him.