008 -- [Voice || Action]

[its_troublesome]

[Voice]

Oi. What's easy to make for dinner, besides sandwiches and microwave dinners?

[Let's face it - Shikamaru can cook for himself if need be, but Chouji's the food lover. Unfortunately there comes a point where one gets bored of the dishes they know how to make - particularly when those dishes are sandwiches and instant food.

Speaking of instant

Comments

[yourhatred]

[There's a sound, perhaps like the rustling of feathers or maybe that's just a light footfall, and there's someone else in the clearing. One arm resting loosely out of its sleeve and in the opening of a blue silk overshirt and red eyes cutting through the shadows, Itachi takes only a few steps in before stopping to watch.]

[yourhatred]

Fairly pointless, yes.

[He moves now, stepping forward in order to sit down across from Shikamaru.]

[its_troublesome]

[He doesn't look up from the board, straightening out the tiles to make sure they're all there before reaching for the small bag he keeps them in.]

How about asking what it is that you want.

You saw nothing.

[yourhatred]

[Itachi listens to him for a bit before answering.]

...If I knew the answer to that I'd share it with you.

Pfft. It actually took me a second to figure out what it is that I didn't see.

[its_troublesome]

Thanks. That really makes me feel better.

[Common sense dictates he should be less sarcastic.]

[yourhatred]

I expected it to do no such thing. After all, you don't trust me as far as you could throw me. And rightfully so.

[its_troublesome]

Which is why I have to question it. Whatever motives you had back home may be meaningless here, all things considered, but it still makes no sense.

[There's a creak from the turn table, as he turns it around so he won't have to reach across it for the remaining pieces.] Why bother with any of us? Luceti doesn't change the fact that we should be enemies, just that there's no reason to act on it.

[yourhatred]

[Once again, Itachi is quiet. He reaches down and takes a piece off the board before the other ninja is completely done turning it.]

...Have you seen my brother recently?

[its_troublesome]

[He has the grace to look slightly annoyed at the removal halting progress, you are, and he knows it) before his expression settles into something more thoughtful.]

I haven't heard from him since Hal- [No, that's not right. It's been more recent than that. It's just difficult to keep your dates straight when the memory feels ten years old.]

Not since I saw him at the bar - that would've been over a month ago.

[yourhatred]

[Itachi rubs his thumb over the playing piece, feeling for the label if it isn't as flat as the rest of it.]

He is no longer here.

[He'd know if he was. And this after he'd told the boy he'd do his best to keep him there.]

[its_troublesome]

[And you know that how?

But there was the experiment. Shikamaru looked back over his journal after he'd returned to his proper age again and had seen the message 'Sasuke' had sent to him and the other Konoha-nin. He and Itachi had switched bodies. Theoretically, Itachi would know where to find Sasuke after that.]

You sure he didn't just move?

[Plausible or not, Shikamaru's running on the information that Sasuke still hates his brother. He killed him, didn't he? He might have little respect for him, but why stick around when your location has been compromised.]

[yourhatred]

I'm certain.

[Even if he had, Itachi is a magnificent stalker.

He places the piece back on the board.]

1/2

[its_troublesome]

[Shikamaru ponders that. As far as he's concerned, this is good news. He never cared for Sasuke much - his presence here with Naruto taken from such a different point in time likely would've made things complicated.]

All right. I'll take your word for it. [...except not quite. He'll have to do some investigating of his own later. The absence of Uchiha Sasuke isn't something he should count on just because someone told him so.]

So much tl;dr, I'm sorry. >.>

[its_troublesome]

[But Itachi's demeanor is curious. The man is quiet by nature, Shikamaru knows, but there's being coolly self-controlled and then there's being somber.

And if he is to take Itachi's behavior throughout this into question - his statements at face value - that's what he would call it. Somber.

...which all things considered is baffling. He's tempted to ask what happened between the two of them recently, but they've already determined for the day that those kinds of questions would be pointless. Also, he doesn't have a death wish. Something like that is a bit personal to ask of a deadly missing-nin.

After a moment, the silence is broken as he resumes picking up the shogi tiles.]

And not that I'm ungrateful - [If it's true.] - but why tell me?

[yourhatred]

[Another moment of silence and Itachi stands again, brushing himself off.]

If he returns, the likelihood of him purposefully contacting anyone is small. But, if he does, I'm sure it won't be me he goes to first.

[its_troublesome]

So, what. You want someone to let you know if he does show up again?