yourhatred | appointment's post

[Itachi, taking the apartment's other bed, doesn't enter the room much aside from the occasional pause in the doorway. Every so often he monitors the pirate's chakra, but he has no desire to risk waking him.

Eventually, he makes a fresh pot of tea and leaves it on the stove in the kitchen for when Law awakens. He himself relaxes with a book in the living room, reading glasses on and face very close to the pages.

When he realizes Law is beginning to stir, he sets the book aside but doesn't yet rise from his seat.]

[There's a soft groan that escapes him before he can manage to stifle it. His head is pounding and sharp pulses of pain blast in intervals along with his heartbeat. Migraine. Of course. And he is still shaky, but the trembles are not just of pure exhaustion, but of a drop of blood sugar.

Ace had shoved some food into him before Marco had taken him, right? But his body had been living off its reserves for so long that it would take more than a few bites of food for things to return to what served as equilibrium for him.

Moving, for he needs to move, just brings more pain. Muscle aches - another symptom of more than moderate sleep deprivation setting in. And cold. An increased sensitivity to cold is another, and he curls despite himself in the sheets. It is not cold in the apartment but the bed is warm and he is fighting off trembling from another source.

And he is in an apartment.

Apartment. He does not live in an apartment.

Where--?]

[When Itachi enters the room, he's retrieved the kettle, which gets placed on the nightstand, and has a cup of tea ready in his hand.

He stands near the bedside, getting a better idea of his friend's condition.]

Law.

Itachi... [He sits up, eyes still screwed shut. Light is filtering through his lashes and he has to wonder what time it is. He doesn't dare open them - he knows he'll only be recoiling in agony and slamming them closed in seconds. Law's voice doesn't raise beyond a rasping whisper - sound hurts as well and his throat is dry.]

... how long was I out?

[He pushes out with his sense of space, and tries not to tremble more. There, there, there, the perception of how things relate to him and what he can grab and move and manipulate filters through, and he realizes just where he is in Itachi's apartment.

Oh.

Oh.

Ow. That was a particularly painful pulse. He rubs at his arms and feels the rough mesh beneath his fingertips. Yeah. Stripped down to that, the t-shirt over top, and his boxers. The rest of his layered clothes, his cloak, and his weapons, he had laid beside the bed. Probably still soaked through too.

Yet he couldn't bring himself to care. Just be relieved he hadn't gone all the way and ended up naked.]

A few hours. A few more wouldn't hurt.

[He sets the cup on the night stand as well. Law needs water more than tea. This will be his next trip.]

An acquaintance of yours brought you here.

[Fingers feel around, brush fabric from clothes in that pile. Yes. Wet. Won't be dry for hours. Tremble. Reach up for the tea and take it gratefully. Cradle it in his hands.]

Thank you. I... ah... I might need to borrow some clothes as well. Please.

[His wings twitch and Law shifts slightly and unfolds them, and holds them open to stretch the muscles back there. It does not do much but it relieves at least a little of the ache in one part of the body.]

Aa. Mister Marco. He's Whitebeard's First Division Commander... or was, anyway. Bet he came in trailing fire. [Fire that Law had not been burned by in the least. Siiiip. Good tea.] Hope it wasn't too much of a startle. He likes doing that.

I will see what I can find for you.

[There is the slightest of smiles at the mention of Marco.] No, it wasn't too terribly startling, though I admit I was somewhat confused by the location he decided to bring you to.

Thanks. Again.

[Oh that. A small chuckle.] I don't think Mister Ace told him where I moved to. Or was aware I moved at all. He knows I used to live here, was here when I was... [He doesn't need to finish that sentence, you know full Law means 'when I was kidnapped'] when I blew out a good chunk of the building. Probably didn't expect me to leave. We're territorial people.

Most of the rest of them probably know where I live. As I know where they are. [He shrugs.] We keep tabs on each other. We're just careful that our home addresses aren't released into the community at large. Never can tell who's holding a grudge.

This is understandable.

[He moves to the closet now, sorting through what few articles of clothing he has. A light robe might do the trick for now, so he pulls one out, dark blue in color, and sets it at the end of the bed.]

I won't be rushing you out, so feel free to stay and recuperate as long as necessary.

[As long as he doesn't have to run around naked, he's good. Sliding out of the sheets slowly, eyes still shut, he puts the drained cup on the nightstand and dangles his legs over the side of the bed. His toes curl. Nngh. Cold.

He will simply have to adjust.

Stop trembling, Law. Stop.

He folds his wings neatly and begins to start to strip off the t-shirt. Mesh armor will be next.]

I... thank you... [Thank you, that's all he can come up with? He should be doing better than that. There's a flush of shame. He's being unforgivably weak.] I'm grateful. [It's unnecessary? Isn't that what you use on him?]

[He pauses once he finally has the t-shirt off, black material suddenly bunching in his hands.]

I meant to find you when I got back, anyway. I met someone from your world out there.

[Itachi stands patiently, letting Law handling the matter of undressing himself unless he asks otherwise.

The statement catches him a little off guard, but it's nothing unheard of.]

There are several others here from my world.

[Law's eyes stay shut, and he stills. Nods. Yes, there are. But. He doesn't know how to break it - so he will be blunt with it. He busies himself with folding the t-shirt, a useless gesture, and puts it on the floor.

Mesh armor next. Do that next.]

He was Malnosso.

And he was Uchiha.

Edited 2012-01-16 23:06 (UTC)

[Red seeps into Itachi's eyes involuntarily, and he stares at law.]

...I was unaware that the Malnosso were comprised of the same sorts of individuals as those that lived in the village.

[Quiet.] The former Malnosso CEO always said, 'we are you', and their party line has always been we're all trapped in this world. [A line he's always been on the fence on - still is.] Us and them.

... I never wanted to believe that. But. This.

[It hurts, the light hurts, but he forces his eyes open, ignores how they water and how bloodshot they must appear, and tries to focus on Itachi's face.]

... you doing anywhere close to alright?

[It's not alright. It can't be alright for him. He can't fathom how not alright this must be.

... but between ignorance and knowing this, despite how hard and painful the knowledge is, he can't imagine Itachi wanting to live in ignorance, or wanting to be protected from the truth.]

[Itachi doesn't seem to be doing anything more than pondering over this news, brows slightly furrowed. The red fades from his eyes.]

This Uchiha... did you get the rest of his name?

[He's having still having trouble with focusing, so he'll get to his feet. Still concerned.

Doesn't seem. Seem being the key word, right, Itachi?]

No... he told us to call him Commander. Never gave us a name. I only know he's Uchiha because I saw his Sharingan.

Sit back down. You don't need to be up.

[You are the immediate concern, Law. Unknown Uchiha's that may or may not be sided with the enemy can be handled as necessary.]

There's a chance he's not actually Uchiha. Eyes can be transplanted. I've seen this done more than once in the case of my clan. I would need to see him for myself.

If it is an Uchiha... well, there are many ways the Malnosso could easily get someone from my clan to lend them aid, especially with myself listed among the citizens.

[OW! Eyes open too long. They slam shut again.

The pain clashes against the internal irritation of order, and he sits. He is. Not going to make a fuss about that right now.]

They probably won't let you near him. [He won't comment on the fact that eyes can be transplanted. Not with the Malnosso's surgical skill. He saw no sign of transplant, but well... how could you tell with them?] I only have a suspicion why they assigned him as my mission leader in the first place.

...

[Maybe... but he thinks the answer is something a little different.

He begins to strip off the mesh armor slowly.]

I think he's old, Itachi. Doesn't look it... but I felt it. An old soul. [Here we go. Remember the boat? And talk of souls.] Been around a couple lifetimes. Might be part of why he's with them.

Edited 2012-01-17 10:14 (UTC)

[Itachi is immediately reminded of Madara. Could this be that particular Uchiha, or someone else entirely? Is it really an Uchiha at all, or were the Malnosso playing against what Law knew?

It seems a little coincidental. He could make no assumptions yet.]

This is a curious situation. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.

[He needs to get more involved. Put things together.]

[Curious. Okay. We can call it that.

The mesh, after a few awkward tugs, sits removed on his lap. Law folds it and places it on top of the t-shirt. Reaches for the robe, and is very grateful for its presence suddenly.

... well, it isn't like Itachi hasn't seen him practically naked before anyway. Or cared. And it's not like he's in public and flashing the battle scars adorning his front and back.

Like Halloween, it's a stupid, pointless feeling. He shrugs on the robe and banishes it from his mind.]

No problem. I thought you'd want to know. [Yeah... this has you damn bothered.] Anything else you need me to tell you about the guy?

Any sort of description would be helpful, if you were able to actually lay eyes on him.

[Though if he'd been wearing a mask, Law would have said by now.]

Mmmm... thirties. Black hair - short... not as short as I normally try to wear mine, but very clean cut. Spiky though. No facial hair. Dark eyes when they don't have the Sharingan activated. Average height and build. If I had to compare him to you and your brother... there's enough similarity in things like facial structure, that, yeah, someone could think a distant relation.

[There's a dip in his shoulders as he says this and the tone is... yeah, the Malnosso could have been messing with me that way, but that's how it was.]

Pale though. Maybe he hasn't seen the sun much recently.

[He turns his attention to finishing dressing himself.]

Not much of a talker. He only spoke really to give us orders, or brief us on our next objective, or when we were reporting to him. Pretty taciturn in manner. There... was... something to how he spoke though. Old fashioned speech patterns? It's difficult to put a finger on.

...

...

I saw him fight. I probably saw the most of the three of us with him. The others were long distance fighters. I can do long distance, but well, I saw much more close and mid range action. So, well, fire techniques. He uses the regular gear from your world - kunai, tags, and shuriken - and he also favors wire. Genjutsu. Given how the Third Party started acting in a lot of cases, I'm willing to say he hit them with genjutsu.

Strong guy. Very strong. Not in your range, or in mine, if I had to put a definite marker on his power... which I don't want to do. I have a feeling he never showed all his cards. But.

Strong.

[Not Madara. Or rather, Madara if he was playing the fool, but somehow Itachi doubted it. None of that really matched with the elder Uchiha's style.

The man he described fit a couple of memories he had of clan members, but the problem with this place is that it could take people from any point in time. The Uchiha were an old clan. He can't rule out the possibility that this is someone who was around before he was born.

He thinks this over.]

...I would have to see him for myself, I think. Too many of my clan members share similar appearances and techniques, and we were an old, old clan.

[Law nods again and reaches for the teakettle placed on the nightstand, and pours himself a new cup of tea. He's pleased he has the tremors under control enough not to spill. Pouring tea blind is not an issue... he's using another type of sight after all. And even if that sense was denied him, he'd manage none the less.

More liquid in his system might help dull the migraine.]

If I see him again, I'll tell you. [He doubts he will, though.] I don't know if I can getting him chatting, I'll try, but the Malnosso security forces keep the talk to a minimum as a rule, generally.

...

... you gonna sign up for the missions yourself?

If I hadn't been considering it before, I seem to have little choice now.

[He nods somberly.]

I will look into them at the first opportunity.

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