thirty crows (朱) action/video (time shift catch-all)

[yourhatred]

September 22nd - closed to Law

[Itachi leaves his bedroom as usual, but exits it at death's door.

The time shift, catching him moments before he would conclude a fight with his brother, moments before the time he was brought from into Luceti in the first place, dumps a bleeding, wreck of a man out the other side of the doorway. The ninja staggers, a bloody arm that had been held out in front of him catching onto the opposite wall of the hallway.

So ready. He'd been so ready. What's going on? Literal moments away from dying, prepared to give into the inevitable, Itachi now finds himself having to do his damnedest to keep himself breathing. The orange glow of Susano'o at first barely surrounding him as he arrived, fades away into nothing as he fights against the darkness at the edge of his vision.

Where is Sasuke?

Coughing, his free hand covering his mouth as blood ran through his fingers, the man leaned further against the wall, the last of his adrenaline leaving him.]

September 23rd - OTA

[Late in the day, after a fair amount of rest, Itachi finds his journal and spends a while reading through it. The other entries become too confusing after a while, but he at last tries to make one of his own. After all, it does seem to be a form of communication.]

I'm looking for Uchiha Sasuke.

September 24th - OTA

[After a failed attempt at trying to get up and make his own breakfast, the ninja will eventually escape the house by way of a substitution technique and wander the town. The clothing is slightly ill-fitting, as the Itachi that's been living in Luceti for the past four years is a fair bit healthier than the one walking slowly through it now.

Don't worry. The cough isn't contagious.

He can be found in basically any building around the town center, and eventually sitting wearily at the fountain.]

September 25th

[Officially banned to the house, but still this older self until he wakes up the morning of the 26th.]

Comments

[deathsdoctor]

[The tea is on the nightstand in a moment before Law's pushing himself from where he's seated and into Itachi's arms. He's back to normal, thank the seas.

This whole thing has been hell.]

[yourhatred]

I'm sorry.

[He and Law both know there's nothing he could have done to stop a shift from happening as it did, but he still feels a need to apologize for all the pirate had dealt with.

Itachi holds the other man tight, speaking against his neck.]

I'm sorry for putting you through that.

[deathsdoctor]

[Holding on just as tight.

It had been a taste of what it would be like if Itachi had been returned home and come back without his memories. But Itachi was blameless for that.

Alright... not completely blameless for being a rotten patient. But even then, the pirate knew where he was coming from.]

I know. But it's not your fault. You didn't know me.

[yourhatred]

You shouldn't have had to deal with that.

[Things Law never needed to see: Itachi's condition upon death.

Showing him the events after his revival was one thing, but that...]

Thank you. For all you did.

[deathsdoctor]

Well... let's say the experience wasn't kind to either of us, and leave it at that.

[In which Law means the operation and what he had to do to save Itachi. He doesn't regret what he did, would do it again - but the whole process wasn't exactly pleasant for his husband.]

I'm just grateful we could pull you back. That was close.

[Too close.]

[yourhatred]

That you could do it at all says much for your abilities.

[He'd been clinging to nothing, literal seconds before his body gave out as he remembered it. What little energy he would have used speaking to his brother and then transferring his eye techniques had been used instead to keep himself breathing long enough for Law to provide aid.]

I know you realized when I'd been shifted to.

[deathsdoctor]

[Not alone though.]

... yeah.

When I saw the polish everything I was seeing clicked.

[He had been too caught in the moment before to realize exactly what had happened.]

... that looked like it had been a hell of a battle.

[yourhatred]

It was supposed to be.

[It's too much to go into. Too much Law already knows and too much he doesn't want to keep reliving.]

Nothing else would have sufficed.

[He had feared at some points that he wouldn't even make it long enough to do what needed to be done.]

[deathsdoctor]

Nothing else would have been convincing.

[Also that. He just lays his head upon Itachi's shoulder. Keep up the lie to the end. Itachi couldn't have a merciful death - no, he had to go down looking like he was fighting like mad for his life.

Anything else would have been too suspicious.]

[yourhatred]

He'd really improved.

[And he had. Sasuke had gotten much stronger. It was just good enough.

It wouldn't have been, had he been at his peak. He knows this, but he'd still been proud of his brother's improvements.]

[deathsdoctor]

Yeah. He is strong. Very, very strong.

[Truth. And the potential for a whole lot more growing, not that it needed to be said.]

He's going to be something at his peak.

[yourhatred]

Yes... He will be.

[He falls silent, but doesn't pull away yet. Law needs this more than he does, but having re-experienced that...

He can do with the comfort too.]

[deathsdoctor]

[Falling silent as well and playing with Itachi's hair with one hand even as the other hand is still against his back. A tell that's something on his mind even as he's being comforted and is comforting.

They've had a lot of close calls lately, haven't they?

Maybe not by the standards of the lives they used to lead (certainly not by those), but by the standards of the one they live now.]

[yourhatred]

[Itachi knows this tell, and shifts back ever so slightly to get a better look at his husband's face. A silent inquiry.

He knows there must be a lot on his mind. That's a given.]

[deathsdoctor]

Just thinking about the last few months and things. Everything that's happened.

[yourhatred]

... It's been difficult, I know.

[He brings a hand up, brushes a thumb against the side of Law's jaw.]

This can't have eased your worries any.

[deathsdoctor]

Mnn. One close call too many lately.

[In other words, yes, the cages have been rattled.

His fingers come up to brush Itachi's own.]

It'd been far too quiet for far too long after TERRACE. Like the quiet before a maelstorm. Now things feel like they're slowly building up again.

[yourhatred]

Such things are impossible to plan for, aside from hardening your heart - and that's too important here.

[He shakes his head.]

We'll do our best, but we can't dread the future.

[deathsdoctor]

Just be prepared as well as we can, I know.

[Worrying is pointless - Itachi's right to remind him. What will come will come, as there's little either of them can do to prevent anything.

But it's also human, and Law can't completely banish the fears that Zompania left with him, with its ranks of dead and being seperated from his husband from most of it. It's odd he doesn't fear Itachi dying so much. Not after so many years in Luceti.

It's Itachi being captured alive and sacrificed. Subjected to It. Unmade. The residual impressions and nightmares from that, imposing themselves again and again unexpectedly, renews that dread.

That is the worst demon to struggle with.]

[yourhatred]

[The ninja shares many of those fears, but shoves them aside as he has for a long time. A ninja can't allow himself to dwell on anything that might slow them up in combat or keep them from making the right decision.

But things are different here than they were back home, and he has more reasons to press on than just to die facing his brother. He has new people to protect.]

I'm here with you, and I'll do what I can for things to remain that way.

[deathsdoctor]

[Law breathes, and tightens his embrace momentarily. Trying to get recentered.

Same here, same here.]

I know you will, partner.

[... even if your options for doing so are limited.]

[yourhatred]

[Not too tight. He just got these lungs back.

Itachi smiles a little moving in to give Law a proper kiss on the lips. He has what he considers to be a better change of subject once he pulls away again.]

I should make you breakfast. It won't make up for all you did for me, but it will at least let you relax. Eggs, perhaps.

[The correct response to this is 'no'. The correct response to this is 'no'.]

[deathsdoctor]

[Aha, but Law has a better out.]

I think all my system can handle is yogurt right now. Maybe soup.

[He hasn't really been eating for days. His body can't handle it right now.

Admittedly, Itachi should be terrified when lunch rolls around.

Terrified.]

[yourhatred]

[Itachi frowns. While usually he'd pay more attention to his husband's eating habits, he'd been a bit too tired and distracted over the past shift to really notice.]

Was it that bad on you? I'm sorry.

I can get you some tomato soup at least?

Apparently this thread might be the reveal

[deathsdoctor]

Tomato soup's good.

[...]

... it just... [And it's obviously difficult to even talk about.] ... I let myself get too caught thinking...

[And it's been a long, long time thanks to Luke, but you have to wonder how bad the nightmares would be now if they weren't suppressed.]