[Video Call] Private to Kisame

[seeing_only_red]

[Itachi is trying to get to his feet, somehow managing to avoid the glass littered around him, but his too weak to stand on his own. His body is exhausted and his face is covered with dried blood. He feels around and finds a solid object at his side. His Hitomi. He grabs it, holding tightly in his fist, but doesn't realize it's on, and by touching

Comments

[seeingeyeshark]

[Kisame hadn't been expecting a call at all, and he certainly hadn't been expecting this. For a moment, he stares, lips parted and eyes wide with dismay and shock, frozen in silence. Itachi looks terrible--bloodied face, bloodied hands, reeling in exhaustion and weakness, collapsing to the ground amid fragments of glass.... a mirror?]

Itachi-san? What happened? What didn't work?

[His misery washes away in an instant, and he feels almost ashamed as surprise and concern crash down to replace it. How selfish could he be? Wallowing around in his own self-pity like this, cringing and cowering in his house alone like some hermit.... Fool was more like it. He should have called Itachi, should have reached out and made sure he was alright, should have.... should have done something. Something to help him, protect him, take care of him. Anything. Itachi was his partner, after all. He should have been his first concern.]

[Kisame was up before he even got an answer, moving to grab his cloak and hat.]

[seeing_only_red]

[Itachi's eyes widen, but there is a glaze over them. They are not their normal black, but a murky, dirty grey. He still lays slumped over on his side, unable to stand. With his chakra almost completely gone, he lacks to energy to do much more than breathe.]

Ki...same?

[His hand tightens on the Hitomi, suddenly realizing what he must have done.

No.

He doesn't want Kisame to see him like this, to worry about his as he undoubtedly will. Itachi did this to himself, he does not want his partner being dragged into this. Kisame has his own demons to slay from the gods'...lesson.]

I am fine, Kisame. Just weak.

A jutsu...I attempted...did not go...as planned.

[His voice is soft, dazed. His eyes are looking down toward the Hitomi, but staring off the the side, not getting the angle of vision right.]

[seeingeyeshark]

[Kisame knows this. He has been here before. He remembers the glazed eyes, (if not the dingy grey color behind the glassy gleam this time) the skewed line of sight, the weakness and shortness of breath, the collapse. He knows what it is like, to speak with someone whose sight has abandoned him, who is too weak, too ill to properly care for themselves. A jutsu "did not go as planned", hah.... It must have backfired. Horribly so, to cause this sort of condition. He's not even sure if he wants to know what sort it was--would that knowledge even help?]

[Itachi doesn't even sound completely aware.... The Hitomi is set down on a table as Kisame fastens his cloak and buckles Samehada onto his back. It's picked back up off the table as he settles the hat onto his head, and Kisame is gone with a whirl of cloak and a soft jingle of bells, out the door and heading for the edge of the island. He can bring a boat to the mainland, so Itachi won't have to waste any chakra walking across the ocean--he doubts the man has enough to spare.]

[Itachi

[seeing_only_red]

[Kisame is speaking. It's rather hard to focus, and Itachi realizes he's probably done more damage than he realized, especially with the obvious affects of chakra exhaustion bearing down on him. But he listens and finally processes what he had been asked after a moment.]

It's...all right. It's safer...that you...don't come...here. They could...see you.

[His thoughts and words are unfiltered, honest. He's in Konoha. Kisame can't come to Konoha.

His partner can't put himself in harm's way. Not for him.]