thenearshore | [closed] But I don't need no money

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[closed] But I don't need no money

Who: Sasuke and Itachi
What: The naming of a shinki! And general god/shinki things
When: May 12th
Where: Kali's Temple
Warnings: None that we know of!

He was waiting around for Sasuke in his temple, currently sitting on the ground as he rode out the wait. He was dressed in a blue samue--his new god had yet to get him new clothes, but he would worry about that much later. Right now, he was just glad to be in a new place, and more importantly...

Getting a name.

He wondered exactly what kind of name he would be given. It would be one thing if he had his memories and could remember things about himself, but he couldn't. So the name would have to come from what Sasuke thought of him, which...

He didn't know how the other saw him just yet. But the young god must have seen something, in order to have taken him in. That was his hope, anyway. He wanted to be needed. Was that... too much to ask? Why would a god need a shinki, other than combatting ayakashi? He heard shinki turned into weapons or objects. What would he become? What would he become for his god? Would he be useful? His head was churning like gears with questions he had yet to have answers to. Perhaps today, he would get some.

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It actually felt good to get away from people for a while, retreating into his temple and tending to what remained of his injuries. The majority had already healed, but the deeper ones still itched, and the only way he could reach them was to extend his wings... but doing that where others could see was not something he was interested in. The temple allowed for a more private area.

Except for the fact that he's not alone here. Then again, if Itachi is going to be his shinki, then it's probably better to get this part of the awkwardness out of the way.

Hands don't fold like wings, though, and he won't fit through doorways with them spread out, so when he finally decides to meet with Itachi, they're held held back behind himself as if in prayer. It means he's got a wider turning radius, but at least he won't get stuck in a door. As for whether or not Itachi would recognize him like this, well, he'll cross that bridge when it comes.

He's quiet as he approaches the seated figure from behind, still a bit hesitant about what's to come, wings fanning out flat with palms up now that he's in an open area. Naming Itachi would bind them together god and shinki, and the idea kind of terrifies him. He's not used to having to look after anyone but himself, and he's really not too great at that. When he finally decides to speak, his voice is calm but hushed.

"I still can't figure out why you think I'd be any better than Lance."

At Sasuke's appearance in the unfamilar form, when he looked back, Itachi rose quickly to his feet, taking a few steps back. He looked a little frightened at the form Sasuke was showing him. His red eyes were wide as he looked over the form, and...

"...S..." What? "...Sasuke-sama...?" What was... how did... but his body relaxed, and he turned to face the other fully. Now that he wasn't in any danger, he could look over the other with a more critical eye.

"Is this..." And he tilted his head. "...What you normally look like, Sasuke-sama?"

Edited 2016-11-06 03:33 (UTC)

He really isn't surprised by the reaction -it was kind of expected, actually, and it's part of why he's never bothered to try and look in a mirror because he really doesn't want to know what it looks like- but the question startles him, making him blink wide eyes at the other. Oh, right. No memories. It's okay, though. He can explain this easily.

"...If this were what I normally looked like, I'd never go outside." He gives him a small, one-shouldered shrug before twisting one wing to show him the back, the healing gouges streaking the surface, leaving thin scars in their wake. "They itch and I can't reach them otherwise. When the itching stops, then they'll go away." Not that he can really reach them now, but it's easier to ignore the itching when it's on the wings instead of on his back. Mementos of his encounter with Zero.

Though, now that Itachi brought it up, he's kind of morbidly curious. "Is it really that bad?" He's not even entirely sure if he looks remotely human anymore. All he knows is that his hair is longer because he can see it when it falls in his eyes or over his shoulder, there are wings because they throw his balance off a little, his skin is darker, and he's got claws. The rest... is entirely a mystery.

"I'm unsure. I was startled at first, but..." He shook his head. "If you were trying to hurt me, I would still be frightened. But I was frightened of Zero-san when he attacked me, but he looked as handsome as ever."

The shinki put a hand on his hip. "So to answer your question... I... suppose not. You look more... formidable, this way.

"But I do prefer how you looked before."

Formidable, huh? That's an answer he can accept as he leans back against a wall, letting its surface help soothe the desire to scratch the hell out of his wings. "I figured I wasn't the only one." But he's not entirely sure what to make of the rest of Itachi's words, a little curious and a little confused.

"I don't have any reason to hurt you, so you don't have to worry about that."

And the moment the itching fades away, he's moving away from the wall and retracting the wings to go back to normal, the long gouges marring his skin like an irritating road map. "...and I'll tell you the same thing I told Keith." Time to get honest. "I've abandoned most of the teammates I've ever had at one point or another, so I'm not about to force somebody to stay if they don't want to. It's your choice whether or not you want to be here. I won't make that decision for you."

Abandoned them? He wondered what that would entail if such a thing occurred to him: an abandoned shinki left to the wayside. He made a visible expression. His eyes slipped to the side in thought.

"And why did you abandon them, Sasuke-sama?"

Ouch. The answer to that question is not something he's proud of, but he wants Itachi to know what he's getting into, so he answers it truthfully, lowering his eyes to stare at the floor. This isn't easy to say.

"The first time? Because I wanted revenge for something that I only knew part of the reason for. The second time, I don't really know. I threw away everyone around me and tried to do everything myself. I've killed and hurt people for reasons I can't explain." This is harder than he thought, and his voice falters slightly as he continues. "I'm not going to throw you away, and I'm not going to cast you out. I know you don't really have any reason to believe me, but..."

His words trail off and he bites his lower lip to keep from saying or doing anything stupid. Itachi is the one person he can't bring himself to ever let go of. Not this time.

Silence followed. He watched as Sasuke seemed to struggle with telling him why he had abandoned his teammates. Revenge, unexplainable reasons... and he was right. Itachi had no reason to take his word for it, not given the track records the god was laying out for him, brick-by-brick. But...

The shinki took a deep breath.

"I trust you."

The words were easier to say than he thought it would be... so, he elaborated, just in case Sasuke found him to just be too trusting.

"You telling me this confirms what I felt... why I wanted to be your shinki in the first place." A beat. "...I feel as if you need me. It's presumptuous to say... but talking with you, and even when you've touched me..." And all of their other small interactions, from the very first, helping Sasuke with a bento, seeing him grab onto his shirt, and the faces he made that he probably didn't realize that he did... "Though we were not bonded, I felt as if we were. I believe it is called the red string? Somehow, we are linked.

"Now, I will be able to prove my mettle and my abilities as a shinki both here in your temple and to the Near Shore, where the ayakashi are." Fighting, if he must. "So please.

"Name me, Sasuke-sama. Make me yours."

Hearing those words makes him wish so badly that he could say it - that he could tell him the truth and have everything be okay - but he can't. Even if he were willing to disregard everything for the sake of that one fleeting moment, because that's all the more it would be, it's as if there's a disconnect between his brain and his tongue, and the words won't come. He's managed to carve out that familial bond with others before, he can do it again. It may even be easier this time, because they already are.

But no sooner has he drawn breath to actually go through with this than Itachi asks him to name him... and he promptly chokes on said breath, coughing and sputtering, eyes wide, blushing furiously. Give him a moment to regain some semblance of composure.

Ah, there we go.

"Did you have to phrase it like that?"

"There is no other way to phrase how I feel. I want to belong to you." Itachi didn't see anything wrong with it. He was a shinki. Sasuke was a god. That was how it was. He watched as his young god flushed pink.

"...Are you embarrassed? Don't be. I will do my best to be worthy to be at your side."

"It's just a name, it's not like we're--!" Oh yes, he's flustered, making wide gestures with both arms and trying to avoid looking directly at him. "I'm not-- This isn't--! You're not...!" How does he even begin to tell him how awkward and weird all of this is sounding? He hasn't been the excitable, expressive one since he was a child -and after that, it was always Naruto who flailed and yipped about things- but right now, he'd be giving the boy a run for his money.

He can't find the words to say what he wants to, or how to make it sound less like something else entirely, so instead, he heaves a frustrated sigh and hugs his arm tightly around himself, turning his head away sharply, unable to look at Itachi, his face still burning, his voice an awkward mumble. "You're making it sound like we're getting married or something."

If he'd known naming a shinki was some sort of intimate thing, he'd have punched the messenger who told him he was a god and demanded to go home instead.

"Married..." He seemed to consider the comparison. "I suppose... I understand. I will be taking a name you are giving me... and then we will walk together side-by-side. That is what you side, was it not? That you do not want a servant, but someone who will walk with you.

"But it would be something more than marriage. Once you name me, you and I will be connected not by something as flimsy as a promise. There is more to it than that. It will be something greater." But he watched the other flailing about. It was cute, that he was embarrassed.

"Are you saying you do not what to do this, Sasuke-sama?" How could he be denied twice? Perhaps Zero had been right about gods...

The words are right there on the tip of his tongue -we're already connected by blood!- but he doesn't give them voice. Instead, he resorts to something he hasn't done in years, puffing out his cheeks and pouting. Just like before, it's so easy for him to fall back into the past when he's around Itachi. So very easy.

The question makes him get a bit huffy, actually turning his back on his brother, still pouting and if he could cross his arms, he'd be doing that too. "I didn't say that." He falls silent for a few moments before pausing to peer back over his shoulder at Itachi. It's not that he doesn't want a shinki, he just doesn't know how to tell him that he hadn't come up with a name he liked enough yet, so he's stalling for time.

Itachi was still standing there, though his attention had turned the ground. He was waiting patiently. He didn't know how long he would be standing there, but at the moment he couldn't bring himself to look at... who he hoped would be his god. He supposed Sasuke wasn't his god yet. He hadn't named him. He could leave right now and search for someone else, or wander around until he found someone that wanted him. But once again...

The thoughts that Sasuke needed him prevailed. He had seen the way the other's cheeks had puffed out when he turned away. It reminded him of a child. It was clear the other was younger than him... not that he really knew how old he actually was for sure. But even so...

"I'll wait, as long as it takes." There was a pause. "...I want you."

He sucks in a breath at those last three words, debating whether or not to drag things out. Yeah, he can't do that. Sighing, his shoulders drooping in defeat, Sasuke turns to face him again, resting his hand on his hip. "No offense, but I've had to deal with people either chasing after me or hanging on me for years, so I'd kinda prefer you not make it sound like some sort of schoolgirl fantasy."

Is this what his brother would've been like if things hadn't gone the way they did at home? He probably would've got along great with Kakashi...

"Rephrase it?" The and I'll give you what you want is just going to be left unsaid. Bratty teenager is go!

He just looked at him for a moment at his request.

There was a smile.

"Then..." And he held out his hand, for a handshake. "Will you allow me to be your teammate...Sasuke-sama."

He's not entirely sure why he'd thought Itachi would listen to him, given that he never really seemed to before, but this time, he got lucky. There's a moment where he stares blankly at the extended hand as if trying to decide whether or not it's one he can grasp without having to twist his wrist, and he has to fight the urge to completely bypass the other's hand in favor of poking him in the forehead the way Itachi had always done to him.

And instead of taking that hand, he lifts his own, the actions and words unfamiliar yet automatic and coming just as smoothly as if they were ingrained in him. He'd made an unspoken promise, and he intends to keep it.

"You, who have nowhere to go and cannot pass on, I’ll give you a place to stay.
My name is Sasuke. Lingering here gripping thine true name…
I make thou mine servant with thine alias… thy name is follower, thy vessel is sound…
obey mine order and become my shinki.
Come, Eiki!"

He's never done this before, so whatever comes next is entirely new territory for him.

Itachi's eyes light up along with his body when he is called by his new name--Eiki, and he suddenly finds himself no longer standing but in some sort of white subspace, yet he can see everything.

On Sasuke's hand, on the middle finger was silver-and-garnet finger armor, with a sharp curve that made a sharp and deadly claw. The red garnet gave an almost ethereal glow.

'Eiki...' Was the soft voice that filled Sasuke's head. 'So you've named me. I can see everything from here.' So this was what it was like to be summoned. No longer a creature standing but something bound to his god. He was hyperaware of where he was and how it felt--almost as if he was hugging the other.

It's kind of an odd feeling, wearing someone else like armor and hearing their voice in his head... and then the memories hit. He's seen it before -he was the cause, after all- but it's different seeing things from someone else's point of view. Not even Keith's memories had hit him this hard, and that had been difficult enough. This, though... this almost makes him sick.

Even worse than when the Edo Tensei was released, this is like killing his brother all over again.

The emotional impact drops him to his knees, doubled over until his forehead is only a breath away from a floor dotted by tears, arm hugged tightly about himself, fingers digging into his ribs. If he feels the claw of Itachi's vessel form sinking into his skin, he doesn't show it. It hurts more than he'd expected it to.

This is why he'd hesitated about taking Itachi as his shinki -because it meant facing a part of his own past a second time.

He can feel the piercing of Sasuke's flesh, and he lets out a heavy breath as he feels the others blood dotting him. He's silent, letting him cry, and he feels awful... because he knows what is happening. He knows Sasuke is seeing something... that he cannot, and... and...

He feels awful. Which gains Sasuke a slight sting.

'Sasuke-sama...' He let out softly. 'Is what you see... so awful? I...' He didn't want to know. He didn't want to know what had happened in his past life, but...

'Forgive me. I must be causing you a lot of pain.'

His own emotional state is a hot mess already, but combined with Itachi's own feelings that Sasuke can feel even if he doesn't completely understand them, it's all he can do to choke out a response. He knows what came afterward, the reality of what he'd perceived as truth. Itachi himself had shown him that, and although his voice is shaking and broken, he refuses to let this overwhelm him. "Don't-- 'm fine... and what di- did I tell you... about calling me that?" It's something so silly to focus on, but it helps to ease the pain somewhat. A distraction, however slight it may be.

But because Itachi seems to be worried, he'll throw out an excuse in hopes that it slaps enough of a bandage on things to keep questions from being raised. "Besides... 's not your fault. 'm just... not good at dealing with this stuff..."

The jewel on Sasuke's hand glowed a little brighter as Itachi spoke.

'It is like I said. There's something about you that calls to me... that makes me feel as if you need me... and that I need you, as well.

'Whatever form I take, whether as Eiki or as Itachi, please rely on me.'

Although the words are calming, he can't handle the emotional backlash from those memories as well as he'd hoped. Before, he'd let himself sink into the darkness, swallowed up by vengeance, but now...

"Revert, Itachi."

Right now, at this moment, what he needs isn't a bejeweled armor.

What he needs is his brother.

And then, he is no longer a glittering silver bit of armor but a young man again. He materializes in front of his brother. He feels a strong heat at his core. His hands gently pat along, down his stomach, past his navel, and--

...Ah.

He doesn't say anything, just lowers his hand.

"...Sasuke-sama," He calls out to him. "...What do you need?" He can see the other is in some sort of... internal conflict. All he can do is try to relieve it.

He doesn't move from his place on the floor, unsure of how to answer the question without making a mess of things. Instead, he settles for reaching out to grasp at Itachi's fingers, wanting some sort of means of knowing that he was actually there. How long has it been since he's actually had any sort of real contact with him that didn't involve fighting or getting the shit pounded out of him? Even just this much is fine.

"I..." His voice drops to barely more than a whisper, the words surprisingly difficult to say. "I don't want you to go."

He lets the other take hold of his slender fingers. He gently squeezes them to let Sasuke know he accepts the contact. He wondered exactly what made his god the way he is. Obviously, something happened to him. He didn't know if he'll ever find the answer. All he can do is be there for him.

"...I'm not going anywhere," he stated firmly. "Not without you."

A tug at his fingers since he can't find the words to ask him to sit. There are a lot of things he'd like to tell him, but not one of them is something he can actually say, so he'll settle for this instead. Or maybe there is something...

"You know how to fight, right?" Okay, it's kind of lame, but it's important to know, especially if Itachi is going to be his shinki. The least he can do is make sure the guy remembers how to defend himself.

"...Fight?" He says the word as if it is foreign. Well, in this life it is. "...I don't, no. I know I have... from what I can tell, very good reflexes... and I can somehow... feel energy inside of me, but that's all I know.

"I have used it to move from place to place, in trees and on rooftops."

Training someone else is not a thing he ever thought he'd be doing, but training his own brother of all people? This is going to be weird. At the same time, there really isn't anybody else who could do it. How far is too far, he doesn't know, but at the same time, he won't know unless he's willing to take the risk.

Twisting himself around so that he's lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling, Sasuke sighs and rakes his fingers back through his hair. He can do this.

"You're probably fairly similar to me." --in more ways than you know. "Either way, you're learning whether you want to or not. I can only show you the things I know, obviously, and I might be a lousy teacher because I've only ever taught myself -not to mention the whole one-handed thing- but at least you'll be able to do something."

And maybe this time Itachi just... won't discover that he can use the mangekyo, because even though Sasuke's ironed things out with him for the most part, he's still a bit sore about the whole mind-fuck thing he'd gotten one too many times when he was younger. Sorry, bro.

There was a slow nod. He didn't want to be defenseless. He had barely gotten out of that scrape with Zero... and all because he didn't know how to protect himself. He had power in him, be could feel it, but...

Now he just needed to know how to use it. He nodded his head.

"All right." He offered a faint bow. "...Then I will make sure to do my best to learn under you, Sasuke-sama.

"I'm certain you'll be a fine teacher."

Wrinkling his nose at the slight bow, Sasuke fixes him with a look. "First, though, we gotta lay down a few guidelines." He's not upset, not at all, but he wants Itachi to know that he doesn't need to walk on eggshells around him.

"Don't bow to other people. I can't make stop doing it to me, but you're stronger than you think, so don't lower your head to others so easily. You don't belong to anybody but yourself, and I'm not out to take that from you. And don't worry about stinging me or whatever they call it. I'd rather just get it over with than having you tiptoeing around me. I'm not a huge fan of secrets, and I'd rather have things out in the open... unless it's something that would get someone killed if they knew."

He doesn't really know what he's saying, making decisions on things on the fly and filling in gaps as he goes, trying to elaborate things without sounding like he's being bossy. Being in a position of authority that he can't back out of or step away from is new to him -even when he was running with his own team, he still deferred to others if they could contribute something. Is there anything he's forgetting?

"If there's something you want, tell me. If it's something doable, then it's yours... even if it's that you want me to let you go." Okay, so maybe that's not so important, but he wanted to say it anyway. Just a way of saying that he won't deny him anything. "Oh, that reminds me. I'm gonna be relying on you just as much as you're relying on me, so don't expect me to go easy on you. Got it?"

It's not much for now, but as soon as he's healed, he's going to be dragging Itachi through a lot more. Once he can move without the cuts on his back driving him crazy with their constant itching, he's giving him a crash course in chakra control and basic jutsu.

"Yes, Sasuke-sama." He was a little surprised by all the rules the other had laid out... not the fact that there were so many, but because they weren't... what he was expecting. He was expecting to be utilized much like a tool, and he was a shinki but Sasuke, ah, Sasuke was a god. His god now. He wouldn't lower his head to just anyone. Sasuke deserved the highest respect, more than anyone in his opinion. He was a wonderful person. He had taken him in. It wasn't anything to take lightly. So he wouldn't.

"If there's something you want, tell me. If it's something doable, then it's yours... even if it's that you want me to let you go." Why would he go so far as to please his shinki? He was the one that held the power over him. But perhaps that was another reason why he wanted to keep Sasuke for himself. Not that he couldn't have other shinki, no, that wasn; it, but to be able to call himself Sasuke's. It was important to him.

Hearing that the other would rely on him made his heart swell. Sasuke trusted him enough to rely on him. Who wouldn't want to hear something like that? It was... heart-warming. It made him feel needed. Special, even.

"...Thank you."

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[closed] But I don't need no money

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