It was the light of change in his life; Indecisiveness. It was having light again, and forever more, in general, and yet he still felt so empty inside. Curious fingers wandered up to stroke over his face- That thin skin surrounding his ruby sharingan eyes. He wanted to touch them, he wanted any solid way to be with him once more. He blinked; They were still very sore- Perhaps his body hadn't fully accepted the new addition yet? He knew deep inside he could never ever adjust to the traitorous knotting in his gut, forever haunting him.
Itachi- He was dead now, and though Madara had spoken of Sasuke's elder brother having lived the last months of his life suffering most horribly from a devouring illness, Sasuke still could never forgive himself for being so blind. He recalled, when he was a child, he felt he had known his precious Niisan so very well. He didn't question what had happened, and why that ability left him- No, he knew. The little voice in the back of his head, the heart that beat in time with his older brother's, it had all been shut away in a single night. Terror, and pain, and chaos can really change a child.. It can take away the perfection every child houses within himself.
Regardless, the younger of the two brother's was eaten away by his guilt. He caused Itachi's death. -He could blame whoever else he wanted, but it never made him feel any better for not seeing through Itachi's emotionless act.
And now Sasuke had gone against his initial wishes, and taken Madara up on his offer to aid in replacing the young Uchiha's eyes that would soon fail. Yes, Sasuke now had a piece of his brother within himself that he could keep for as long as he lived, and yet... That knowledge that no matter how remarkable his vision, he could never truly see Itachi again- That made his self-preservation feel worthless.
But being lonely and depressed- Those together can form an intense hunger. One hardly ever knows what they want in life, but Sasuke wanted something very simple now. The entire time he had allowed himself to be sheltered by his ancient relative, he had known Itachi was being kept in the very same facility, but.. He never requested to see his brother again. He just went about his business, completely without knowledge of exactly -what- Madara may have been doing with Itachi's body. It was funny how little Sasuke had thought of it, but he could blame that on the little mechanism he had gained after his family was killed- When something hurt him, he just didn't think of it at all. Truly, perhaps he was afraid.
Maybe.
Maybe he was afraid to look at his brother again- His cold, lifeless, brother. At least now Itachi wouldn't be able to stare at him with accusingly empty eyes. Still, how ever was Sasuke to take this- Looking down at a person who had loved him so, and died for him, without ever asking for any gratitude? Faintly, Sasuke tried to imagine his dead brother.. That pale skin, completely drained of what color it had held when the elder was alive; cold to the touch, and probably still marred here and there from their battle.. Itachi's very last battle.
Sasuke shuddered, but maintained his cool indifference. He couldn't allow anybody to see his lapse, even though he also knew that nobody was lurking the halls to see him anyway. It was only him, and Madara waiting alone in his chamber, waiting for Sasuke to finalize the long trek down the hall, so he could make his request.
Sasuke wasn't sure how Madara felt about being disturbed, but.. He could care less. This was a first for him, anyway. Never before did Sasuke have any reason to make any private requests from that man, in his own time, but Sasuke felt as if all the world owed him something, so the elder Uchiha could deal. All he wanted was to know where Itachi was. He needed to be with his brother one last time.
At last he came to the end of the hall, and with quick confidence the young Uchiha slid open the door that hid Madara's room from the rest of the world. With a single step he stood in the doorway, on the threshold separating the light in the hallway from the darkness Sasuke found within Madara's private area. Politely, the boy waited in the doorway for his presence to be acknowledged, but his manners would only stretch so far. Luckily, Madara's voice echoed calm, and darkly from the abyss he was hiding within.
"What do you want..?" The ancient Uchiha spoke up, addressing the younger male in his doorway. He had been aware of Sasuke's presence long before the boy even arrived.
"Madara- I want to see Itachi." Sasuke's response was quick, and demanding, but very calm. He was straightforward, but polite just the same. He made sure everybody understood the seriousness of his words and actions, but he restrained that side of him that pushed him to merely overlook the feelings of others, and be a complete jerk. Still, he felt his request was very simple, and he was well within his rights to just stand in the same room with his fallen elder. However, his ancestor took his time answering, as if he were truly thinking about what his response should be, and then after at least a minute of contemplation, he spoke up lowly.
"Why now..? Why have you waited so long, Sasuke?" The ancient male's tone was dark and faintly curious, but his voice also sounded very tired, as if he truly did not wish to be asking such a question, nor did he care about the answer. More so, he seemed very unwilling to even be in Sasuke's presence now.
The younger male instantly seethed in agitation, stepping forward into the darkness of the room, invading the older man's privacy without a care. Brilliant crimson bubbled up in the depths of Sasuke's usually inky black eyes, a mix of anger making itself known, and a rise in perception, allowing Sasuke to travel more comfortably through the darkness Madara liked to surround himself in. Those luminous sharingan broke through the black haze, glowing in the lack of light, and within a few extended paces, Sasuke had made it flawlessly over to a large chair in which, Madara was very comfortably positioned.
With the aid of Itachi's eyes, Sasuke could see remarkably well- Yes, there in front of him was the elder Uchiha. His sleek form was clad in black, as usual, and his posture was that of a person who had nothing more to do than rest, and ponder. His lower body was forward in the seat, allowing him to lean at a more comfortable angle so that just his upper back was positioned against the cushy back of the overly large chair. His elbows were propped on the arm rests, and his gloved hands were folded neatly in his lap. Faintly, young Sasuke had to ponder such a position- It struck him as a deja vu. He felt he had looked upon somebody else who always sat in this same position when they got comfortable. However, the boy's memory failed him, and more than likely the imagery was insignificant anyway. This was just some lapse of the mind, distracting him from his purpose here and now.
Once back in a state of concentration, Sasuke didn't allow too much of his emotional side to show, but unlike his elder brother, he always slipped in the faintest traces of what he was feeling- Being human, rather than a robot, helped to emphasize your points, and how very serious Sasuke was at this particular moment. Crimson eyes had narrowed slightly, and the faintest wrinkles between his brows as he formed a sort of glare could be detected. "What the hell does it matter? He's my brother, and I want to see him. It isn't as if I'm asking much."
The younger males tone was laced with poisonous fury- Sasuke had a passionate edge about him, and tended to be much more rebellious, oddly enough, in comparison to Itachi. Still, this didn't seem to faze Madara, because he merely continued with his detached attitude. "I just wanted to know what it was you were feeling.. Perhaps I could show more sympathy.. But I'm afraid those eyes were the only part of your brother that was preserved.."
That masked face turned more toward Sasuke as the young Uchiha reacted with inward violence- His array of emotions were like an intricate spiral locked within his heart. What had happened to Itachi? Was he thrown out like garbage? How dare somebody disrespect him like that! Why would anybody do that? The young male took a deep breath, however, though he was still glaring straight at that mask- And what was with Madara's mask tonight? It had changed, for now he was wearing a solid black cover, one without eye holes, even. Sasuke scoffed at that; The damned twisted old bastard couldn't even see how bristled Sasuke had gotten at such news. The boy wasn't sure to be grateful or most livid. Still, somehow he managed to find it within himself to remain calm, and ask one more question. "Then... What happened to him?"
The cruel elder Uchiha gestured lazily as he spoke up, tone as nonchalant as ever. "I just.. Gave him to Zetsu.."
Not even a fraction of a second was allowed to pass after Madara spoke up before Sasuke launched himself at the man. The boy had enough, and was offended, and emotionally distressed. Madara had actually allowed that plant-freak to eat Itachi! Sasuke wasn't sure what to think of such a situation, other than to feel anger- Such an anger was blinding, and surged through the boy's system, taking away any hope for logical thought or reason. He just did what he felt was necessary, right at that very moment, and that was to take out his hatred on the nearest target, the one who had put the rage there.
The attack was powerful to the point that it flipped the chair onto its back, and it sent the older man rolling a good distance across the floor, up until his body harshly met with the wall. The wooden mask that had been covering his face even split into two halves, and a dozen tiny splinters. Sasuke took a breath as ruby sharingan beamed down on the destroyed scraps of facial covering, and feeling a tiny hint of satisfaction with his deed, he allowed a smirk to trail maliciously across his pale countenance. He said nothing to the disrespectful bastard that was laid out on the floor now, but he did try to collect some fraction of amusement by wandering closer, to inspect the damage. He hoped he had busted Madara's ugly face up good.
Sasuke practically counted the paces it took to close the distance between himself and the other male. Every step was another victory, and he was sure that if there hadn't been a wall to stop to rolling body, the other man probably would have gone on for a bit longer. Still, a harsh clash with an unpleasantly solid surface was just as well, if not better. At last the young Uchiha halted, standing with only a few feet separating him from his current enemy. He waited then, hoping Madara would try to preserve some of his pride, and get up off the floor, but to Sasuke's surprise, the man didn't budge. He was still perfectly conscious, but as the seconds ticked by, he showed no sign of moving at all. Finally, impatience got the best of the younger male, and he reached down to grab Madara by the shoulders, and with a brutal tug, Sasuke pulled him up into a sitting position, shoving him so that his back met the wall behind him with a painful slam.
Once the young Uchiha's new sharingan eyes met with that previously hidden visage, however, he could not restrain the reaction that followed. Sharply he inhaled as his crimson optics widened, unsure of what they were seeing, and he sank down to his knees, down to the other man's level so he could get a better look, so he could try to comprehend what it was sitting in front of him, or rather.. Who it was. And, yes, a heavy change had occurred, but still the figure was unmistakable- Even beyond the now shortly cropped hair, and the more sickly-pale complexion, marred slightly violet with bruising and trauma, and painted on just a bit by a thin trickle of blood coming from the man's lip. And most ghastly of all was the thin, white bandages wrapped around the man's head, and over his eyes, or rather.. Where his eyes should have been. There, stained into the crisp wrapping were two circles of crimson- Evidence of there having once been eyes where now there were none. Ruby sharingan moved lower to take in those signature dark lines trailing from just beneath the bandages, and lower, down along the man's cheeks. Yes, this was a face that Sasuke recognized, though the comprehension of this matter was another story. It must have been obvious in the way his body grew very still, and even his breathing stilled in the shock of the moment. With guilt-laden, and yet highly confused sharingan eyes he stared, until finally his lungs escaped the grasp of shock, and he took a breath, barely uttering the name of the man that sat before him now.
"...Itachi..."
Sasuke's spoken word seemed to echo forever in the dark emptiness of the dismal quarters, but at last the two brother's were once again surrounded in silence. Neither budged for a very long time- Itachi, having not even wanted to be discovered, and merely waiting for Sasuke to make his next move, and Sasuke himself still trying to wrap his mind around what these new eyes were telling his fragile consciousness. The space within his skull, all at once buzzed with questions, though his tongue hesitated. The man he was intending to speak to now was one he had known forever, and at the same time, this person was an unknown soul to him as of this very moment. Sasuke didn't know what to think or believe, but that small fraction of trust beat within his heart. That tiny piece of confidence came in the form of Sasuke's newly acquired vision- The fact that he had been gifted a higher realm of sight, and power, and here sat his brother, completely blind, and likely in a great amount of pain.
The younger male's first question poured out in such a feeble tone, he almost cringed at how closely it could be matched to the voice of that child who had walked in to find his parents dead, and his brother standing there suspiciously. Bitter, weak, and confused- Sasuke hated the way it came out, especially now that he knew it was Itachi he was addressing. "...How? Was it you the entire time..?"
The battered elder male sat unmoving, even after his little sibling began to question him. He looked just like some beat-up doll; Completely lifeless, and torn apart, and still somewhat beautiful just the same. However, eventually his body shifted, and pale, but blood-stained lips could be seen parting just slightly as words hovered on the tip of his tongue.
"Not the entire time.." He spoke up softly, his true voice now echoing forward in the clutches of the lonely space surrounding them. The resonance of his spoken words were silky in tone, yet very quiet. Despite all the damage he had allowed to dealt upon himself, he didn't seem very distressed, just.. Tired, disappointed, maybe. "The man you saw at first had been Madara, though he perished in the flame of Amaterasu I implanted in you... It was then, once he vanished from your visual spectrum, that I carried on in his place, masquerading in his identity.."
"Then.." Sasuke began to speak again, his curiosity still rippling within his mind. "..Was everything you told me... True?"
The Uchiha heir answered promptly, seeing no reason to withhold the answer. "It was, yes."
Sasuke took a few deep breaths, feeling he had gotten behind on his breathing whilst he was locked up in surprise- But now he had calmed himself, and slowly he inched forward, crawling toward Itachi, wanting now to touch the older male, just to see if he truly was there, and this was not just some trick of the mind. And if this was some sort of cruel genjutsu, then Sasuke would have the heads of whoever had put him under such a spell, as soon as he escaped. "And you did all those things you spoke of.. And.. You truly were the kind brother I remember from my childhood..?" The young male reached out, fingertips connecting with his elder siblings cheek, and gingerly they traced up to the stained bandages, probing in an attempt to unwrap them.
"..Don't." Itachi jerked his head to the side slightly, trying to escape from his younger brother's invasive physical questioning. This resulted in those delicate fingertips being drawn back slightly, but it did nothing to halt the process of Sasuke acquiring further knowledge.
Sasuke rebelled against his siblings wishes, though as he spoke up he lacked the aggressive tone he had taken when he assumed it was Madara he spoke to. For once his tone was undemanding, while at the same time he was pushing his wishes most insistently. Sasuke was now accustomed to getting what he wanted, and he knew with some delicate urging, his brother would not deny him. "What I said before still stands, brother... I want to see you. I need to see."
Giving in, Itachi turned his head back to face Sasuke, and carefully the younger boy went to the task of unwrapping the tainted bandages. Sasuke was fearful, yet driven at the same time. He knew what he would find beneath the wrapping, and he felt he would be greatly disheartened to see his brother in such a condition, but just as much he was too inquisitive to deny himself this knowledge, and also he knew in his heart he had to be grateful- If things had not happened this way, then both brothers would have been stuck blind as bats.
Once the gauzy material was removed, Sasuke stared with an indifferent expression at the pitiful image he beheld. Sightless Itachi was without eyes, and his lids were sewn shut. The skin around the still-unhealed area was discolored from the blood, and from the bruising of that sensitive flesh. But the younger boy sighed, not wanting to patronize his elder with unneeded pity, and he raised a tender hand up to stroke along the elder's cheek.
"Why, Itachi?" Not meaning to be unappreciative, Sasuke questioned his brother's selflessness, hoping that Itachi would understand why Sasuke was asking. He just wanted to know what had driven the elder to be so giving, when Sasuke had been utterly demeaning of his previous sacrifices, plotting to seek further revenge in Konoha, since it was all he knew in life- An avenger's destiny.
Itachi had just given Sasuke exactly what he needed to go against his elder brother's wishes. The younger male desperately needed to know why.
The heir allowed a mischievous smile to tug subtly at his lips as he answered Sasuke's question. "To save you... From your blindness."
The two brother's hovered in silence as Sasuke tried to comprehend his siblings cryptic words- As it now stood, nothing to do with Itachi was what it seemed. No, there was always a hidden meaning behind sensible literal definitions. Despite the younger boy's endless visual power, his brother never let things hover in plain sight.
Sasuke would never see clearly after all.