I gasped, head breaking through the wet surface as I shot up.
My legs furiously kicked under the waters surface as I desperately tried to keep myself afloat, hands frantically swinging at my sides to aid my legs.
"W-Where..?" I stuttered, lips blue as the words stumbled out. My dark eyes roamed the area, nothing but water coming into view as I did so and panic once again nestled itself into my heart.
"Ah. I was waiting for you to show up."
My head snapped towards where I thought the voice to have come from and my eyes widened in shock. "I-Itachi...?" I whispered.
He tilted his head with a small smile and nodded at me. "Hai. Hello there, Eloise-san."
My mouth lay agape at his presence before I coughed and spluttered, frantically spitting out the water that flowed into my mouth as I was once again reminded that I lay in a pool of water. "Uhm, hello..?" I asked, unsure of myself.
I slicked my wet hair back and away from my face and peered up at Itachi from his perch atop the water. 'Damn Ninja...'
"I'm dead," he blurted out, looking down at me with a forlorn expression.
Wait. If he's dead then what am I doin-?
"I'm afraid to say that you're dead, too," he softly spoke, answering my unasked question.
"What the-?" I choked, water once again going in my mouth as it lay open in surprise. "Seriously?!" I coughed, eyes wrinkling at the taste of salt lingering in my mouth.
His lips tugged downwards and his eyebrows furrowed as he stared over the top of my head. "Seriously."
I pursed my lips as my eyebrows twitched in annoyance and my gaze went to the water. "Why am I in water..?" I asked, eyes rapidly blinking as I saw my body below the surface, the wet substance clear as day. "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL?!" I shrieked, noticing my naked form. "WHERE ARE MY CLOTHES?!"
A smirk appeared on his lips and he tapped my forehead with his finger and I frowned at the prickling sensation.
"This is the rebirthing pool," he stated, hand dropping from my head and he lay it across his thigh. "Last time I checked, births didn't come with a set of clothes. Sorry, I did ask."
I opened my mouth to speak, but he held up a hand to stop me and loosely shook his head.
"-And before you ask, I'm here as a guide to your rebirth."
I blinked, disbelieving of his words before groaning. "Pool? It's a frickin' Ocean," I slurred, unimpressed and nervously bit my lip at not seeing a bottom nor any sign of containment. The water stretched on for miles- hell, I couldn't even see anything apart from the bloody thing!
"Why you?" I narrowed my eyes at him suspicion. "Why do I get Itachi-bloody-Uchiha and not your old run of the mill Steve?" I frowned, thinking just how impossible my situation is. "Are you even real? Or just a figment of my imagination..?" I said, eyes roaming his form to look for some sort of lie.
He just blankly blinked at me, not at all surprised at my reaction. He took a deep breath and brought his face closer to mine.
I did not blush. No, sir-ey.
"Well, Eloise," he droned, gaze piercing into my own as he let out a sigh of exhaustion. "If you must know, I wanted to meet the person who will be inhabiting the body of my younger brothers."
My body shut down at his words, arms and legs freezing up in their ministrations and I didn't even panic as I was swallowed whole by the water.
I did, however, let out a soundless shout as hands wound themselves around my, bare mind you, torso. "Oi!" I coughed, hands unwillingly laying against a chest. "I'm naked; don't touch me!" I cried out, wriggling against his chest.
He actually had the gall to look amused. "Are you?" He chuckled. "Why, I never noticed," he dryly snarked.
'Is it just me, or is this Itachi more... Sarcastic? Cynical? Than the original...' My wriggling promptly stopped and I glared up at him, highly unamused. "Let go," I blanched, on the edge of sneering at him as he chuckled at my embarrassment.
"Unless you want to go back into the water, I don't think that's a good idea," he mused with an up-tilt of his lips.
I cursed him under my breath and slumped in his grasp. "Asshole, I don't care," I sniffed, embarrassed beyond repair. My eyes suddenly lit up as I recognised the fabric adorning his person. "Hey!" I grinned, eyes twinkling with mirth as I stared at him. "Gimme your cloak," I demanded with glee.
"Hn.."
I rolled my eyes at him, grin still on my face. "Oh, come on!" I shouted. "Don't go all 'Uchiha' on my ass!" I cried, slapping a hand against his chest to emphaise my point. 'Oooh~! Nice muscles..' I inwardly giggled, unashamed blush on my cheeks as I gently curled my fingers into his chest.
"What are you doing?"
I froze like a deer in headlights and nervously laughed. "N-Nothing...?"
"Ok..." He eyed me warily before shaking his head in disbelief. "Would you mind if I shifted your position?"
I pursed my lips out of curiosity and wearily nodded. "... Alright..."
I rapidly blinked as he crouched down, me still in his arms and flinched as my feet and calves sunk back into the water. "Hey! What's the big idea?!" I shrieked, instantly curling up into his hold.
"Calm down, Eloise-san," he clipped and I tensed as I felt his hands slither under the back of my knees.
"Oh." My eyebrows raised in indignation and my mouth lay agape. "That makes sense," I mused as he suddenly straightened up and held me against his chest. "Why, Itachi!" I teasingly grinned, wiggling my fingers at him. "Where are you taking me~?" I almost cackled at his blank face.
"I am taking you to the soul-transfer centre."
My grin promptly dropped from my face as I took in his serious tone of voice. "You weren't joking about me stealin' Sasuke's body, were you?" I frowned. "Wait!" I spluttered, narrowing my eyes at him. "You didn't even answer any of my questions!"
He smirked at me and started walking. "What were they again...?"
My eye twitched at him and I crossed my arms. "Little bitch," I grunted, peering over his shoulder. "I asked, why you? And are you real or nah?"
He shifted his left arm so it lay on my shoulder blades as his hand wrapped around my bicep to keep me secure.
"Like I told you, I wanted to meet the person-"
"Who'll steal Sasuke's body, yada, yada, yada." I rolled my eyes at him repeating himself. "Yes, I know that bit. Ok, wait." I heavily sighed and tiredly rubbed my forehead. "Let me rephrase it; why me?"
He slowly stopped walking and frowned, a faraway look in his eyes. "You were who Sasuke should've been." He pursed his lips, eyes flickering down at me before his face became stoic once again. "All the small decisions, all the 'what ifs'.. You are a product of what he didn't do."
I blinked in confusion at him. "But, uhm... He's a fictional character and I'm... not." I bit my lip. "How does that work?"
He hummed in response and loosely shook his head as the slither of light in his eyes dimmed. "For every Universe, there is an alternate one; a mirrored version, perhaps."
I slowly nodded at his explanation, not voicing my blooming confusion lest he stop.
"Sasuke's big decisions became your minor decisions and your minor decisions became his big decisions."
I looked at him strangely and snorted. "So, what. When I wondered what I was gonna have on my toast, Sasuke was shitting himself?" I almost laughed at the mental image.
Itachi shook his head and I pouted in disappointment.
"No. Obviously the decisions have been altered-"
I snorted.
"-to fit the 'theme' of said Universe." He sighed and shifted his hold on me. "So, when you were deciding whether or not you wanted to go to University, Sasuke went to the Ninja Academny while you did not. And when you wanted to move out and didn't, Sasuke left the village. When you-"
"I get it!" I cried out, brain swirling in confusion. "It still doesn't explain why I'm getting reborn... Like, why aren't I, ya' know, dead? As in, dead, no soul or any other freaky shit."
"You died when you should not have. Sasuke made a decision opposite to the one the Universe had predicted."
I inwardly groaned and dragged a hand down my face. "But you said his big decisions became minor ones for me, right? How could it have caused me to die?"
He peered down at me and slowly blinked. "It threw the balance off kilter, but you don't need to worry about it."
I tiredly sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. "I still don't understand why I'm being reborn or how it's even possible," I mumbled.
"I told you not to worry about it."
I let out a shout as he once again stabbed my forehead with his finger and scrunched my nose up at the weird sensation. "Can you not?"
He quietly chuckled at me. "I can, but I'm not going to."
I tut at him before my eyes suddenly widened in realisation. "How are you holding me up if- oh." I stopped halfway in my sentence as I noticed I stood on land. "When did-?"
"I'll explain more once we go inside," he hummed, shuffling me towards the glass door. "After you." He held the door open for me and I curiously walked in.
"WHAT IS THIS?! A NUDIST GET TOGETHER?!" I shrieked, not at all expecting the place to be riddled with naked human beings. "My eyes! They bur- GRANDMA?!" I dropped to my knees in dispair at the image before me. "Why are you even here?!" I sniffed. "You died like forty years ago!"
She cackled at me and slapped me on my back. "That I did, dearie!" She cheerily agreed. "Apparently, I'm too good of a soul to just 'stay dead'," she mused.
I rolled my eyes at her statement and slowly stood up, not once meeting her gaze. "Ok, Gran." I slapped Itachi on his arm. "You can give me that cloak now," I stated, not liking the bareness. "I am not comfortable."
"There's no point, you'll be going soon," Itachi mused.
I looked at him bewilderedly. "Where-? Oh, right. Sasuke."
"Sasuke?" My grandma mumbled. "Where have I heard that name bef- AH HA!" She gasped, snapping her fingers as she realised something.
"What?" I skeptically asked, squinting my eyes at her as I wobbly stood up. "Gran, why are you lookin' at Itachi like that...?"
She had a faraway look in her eyes and I frowned in concern. "Gra-"
"Oh! Sorry!" She jumped. "I got a little lost in my memories!"
I snapped my mouth shut. "Are you sure you're ok-"
"I was his Mother two lifetimes ago!" She cackled, eyes twinkling with mirth. "Oh how I loved him and Itachi," she sighed with a loose shake of her head. "Oops!" She giggled. "Can't forget about Fugaku, now can we~?"
I groaned at her batting her eyelashes. "Gran, no." I shakily shook my head as Itachi to a step to the side and behind me. "Just- no."
I felt a tap on my shoulder and blinked.
"We have to go now, Eloise-san."
"Hai, hai," I drawled, swatting his pesky hand off of me. "I gotcha'." I winked. "Gran, we gotta go! I'll see ya' later or something!" I waved at her as I started to walk off, stumbling as Itachi dragged me by my elbow.
"Ok! Bye, Elle-belle!" She called after me, blowing a kiss.
I choked on my spit at the name. "What the hell?!"
"So I guess this is goodbye?"
He chuckled at my joke and ruffled my hair. "Yes; I'm afraid it is," he solemnly answered, eyes staring into my sou-
Shit. That has more truth to it than I thought.
I pat his hand that was atop my head and slowly curled my fingers around his wrist. "Don't worry, Itachi." I grinned. "I'll take good care of Sasuke." I laughed at his flabbergasted expression and lifted his hand off of my head. "What," I blanched, rolling my eyes at his obviousness. "You thought I didn't know that was what you were gonna say next?"
"I-," He stuttered, lowering his arm and clenching his fists at his side. "I know you will," he whispered. "Just- please don't wreck too much havoc, ne?"
I burst out laughing and took a step back and swiftly turned around to face the black void. "No promises~"
"Sasuke-kun!"
"Oh my god!"
"Are you ok, Sasuke-kun?!"
"NA-RU-TO!"
I promptly opened my eyes, only to be met with bright blue ones. 'You're shitting me!' I mentally cried out.
"T-Teme!" He spluttered out, scrambling down off of the desk.
"Uh..." I cleverly replied, dozily standing up from where I was sitting. "Naruto?"
"... Yeah?" He meekly replied, eyes flickering around him as he noticed the girls surrounding us. "What do ya' want, Teme?!" He suddenly shouted.
I frantically blinked at the crowd hovering around me- us- and slowly sat back down, folding my hands in front of my face as to hide my blush. 'Crapping crap.'
"Sasuke-kun?" A meek voice spoke up, their pink hair instantly catching my eyes. "Are you ok?"
I looked at her from the corner of my eyes and my mouth dropped open in shock before I snapped it shut and slammed my head down on the desk as I figured out what just happened and why the bloody hell Naruto looked so god damn embarrassed.
"Shit!" I swore under my breath. 'Itachi, you screwed up the timeline!'