impulse
Sasuke is a man of discipline. Itachi believed in harmony. They both decided the path they were to walk. Yet, in their hearts, they both knew this was wrong.
Of all the elements, lightning is the emblem of raw power. Bright, dominating, terrorizing, its speed is unsurpassed, its attack devastating. The energy liberated by a single lightning bolt is enough to power an entire city, or destroy it. For millenniums, lightning has been the arsenal of the gods, the strike of divine judgment, lawful force, absolution.
Lightning is not meant to be controlled by men. By nature, men are two-faced. They are sightless, indecisive, walking the paths of yes and no as if they were one. As a power which is linear and definite and direct, lightning is not meant to be controlled by those who hesitate, regret.
Sasuke has decided to harness lightning.
His eyes can discriminate the right and wrong, the good and evil. In his mind, there are words such as justice, order, and should. Most importantly, there is the objective, a vision so concentrated and concise and unequivocal that leaves no room for questioning.
As such, lightning obeys. It forges the fastest route to its destination, a gravitation so compelling it has thoroughly penetrated, obliterated, erased the target within a nanosecond.
Sasuke feels the discharges at his fingertips. This is only one path; lightning leaves no room for doubt.
.
.
.
Of all the elements, water is the queen of versatility. Colorless, odorless, tasteless, water is the placeholder for the void, the breath of existence. What lies within is potentiality: to create, assist, carry, shield, reenforce, disappear. Water is a latent power, the threshold between the worlds of reality and possibility.
Water requires flexibility, conformity, and continual readaptation. It requires patience, balance, the perfect equilibrium between attraction and repulsion. Those who struggle, confined in thought or practice will have water slip between their fingertips. Water is given to those open to be molded, pushed and pulled in accordance with nature.
Itachi chose the guidance of water.
His eyes has gained insight, beyond refracted illusions and deception and into the greater flow of the world. For him, there only remains beliefs, capacity, and could. Freedom of choice is in breadth, every aspect and consequence encompassed as a self-contained whole.
Water is willing to lend itself to complete this future. Like ripples, it obscures the truth underneath, casting an overarching mirage that showers and drenches the earth.
Itachi feels the rain fall down his cheek. This is the convergence of fate; there can be no resistance in water.
.
.
.
Lightning strikes water.
Water is too insulated, hidden from the truth. Lightning can only skip through the surface, unable to illuminate and shed light into the concealed depths. Lightning cannot win against water. Which is why lightning can obliterate the skin of Akatsuki, but Itachi will always face the roar of a deity without fear.
Thu-thump.
But only if water remains pure, free of contamination. Water is a flow of absolute surrender.
Could there have been a different ending?
A single beat of resistance, a single impurity that draws lightning straight to the heart, then painfully tearing down every cell. It is resistance that gives lightning a target to pierce, and the electricity to take hold and course through. It is resistance that makes Itachi feel pain now when nothing else could.
Even after all these years, Itachi is in defiance.
Thu-thump.
Though Itachi is finally open, Sasuke's hand has gone numb. Lightning is an attack of absolution.
Do I have to do this?
A second of hesitation, a single second when he doesn't breathe and it's not from fear, nor anticipation, nor surprise, but dread. The same dread which is displaced not by fear, nor anticipation, nor surprise, but relief that he missed. It is this falter that causes lightning to rip from his command and into harmless water droplets.
Even after all these years, Sasuke loses control.
.
.
.
The moment of silence within the thunderstorm, when the two elements stop clashing, just coexist. The moment when Itachi closes his eyes and understands he does not want to die, and Sasuke swallows and realizes he does not want to kill.
And yet, they will nonetheless execute this play before the conclusion of the storm. Only then can the sun reappear once more.