Nonou hadn't been into the basement for two weeks. As soon as she descended the stairs, Kabuto ran over to her, holding out his pale arms or a hug. Nonou shoved him roughly to the side. "Don't touch me," she snarled. Her son's face fell, and he stepped away, fidgeting with his glasses-the only gift his mother had ever given him. She looked around, taking in the small mattress pressed against the wall, the books and flashlight placed neatly on the ground next to it, the tiny bathroom off to the side. There was one window in the basement, but she had boarded it up years ago. Finally, she turned to her younger son, who was staring at her hopefully, snake-like eyes wide behind his glasses. "Urushi had an idea," Nonou said coldly. Kabuto grinned at that and started to say something, then remembered the rules and pointed to his mouth. "You may talk when I'm done. He's going to take you outside today-only the backyard, and only for a few minutes." "Really?!" Nonou sighed. "Yes, Kabuto, really. You'll have to wear something with a hood, obviously."

Just then, Urushi poked his head through the basement door. "You ready, baby brother?" He called down the stairs. "Y-yeah!" Nonou muttered something under her breath and handed Kabuto a long red cloak, which he quickly put on, beaming. "Thank you! Th-thanks!" She just shook her head and gestured to the stairs, giving him permission to leave. Kabuto ran upstairs, taking Urushi's hand when he got there. Urushi smiled and led him to the back door. His younger brother's breath caught as they stepped outside, and he clung to his arm, looking around in delight. "You can let go," Urushi told him gently. Kabuto released his arm and stepped forward, looking around in unconcealed wonder. He stepped slowly onto the grass, giggling at how it felt under his bare feet.

As Kabuto was experiencing the outdoors for the first time in his nineteen years of life, Itachi Uchiha was coughing up blood in his kitchen. His parents were at work and Sasuke at school, but Itachi was homeschooled due to his poor health. Maybe fresh air will help, he thought without much conviction. The first thing he saw upon walking outside was a small figure clad in some kind of robe sitting in the Yakushi's backyard, turning a leaf over in his hands. Itachi frowned and walked over, mildly concerned by the strange scene. "Who are you?" The person jumped slightly, scrambled to their feet, and pulled the hood down, trembling. "Hey!" Urushi ran over to them and put a hand on Itachi's shoulder. "You should go," he muttered, glancing back at the house. "What's going-" Itachi was cut off by a hacking cough, and he bent over slighlty, covering his mouth with a handkerchief. "A-are you alr-right?"

Kabuto stared at the pretty boy coughing in front of him. He looked too fragile to be outside. "I'm fine," he muttered, meeting Kabuto's eyes and gasping. Urushi looked terrified, and Kabuto realized that he'd let go of his hood. The frail stranger could see him, but he didn't look disgusted or scared. Actually, he looked concerned. "Are you alright?" Itachi took in the other boy's strange appearance- he had scaly white skin, horns, and yellow eyes with slitted pupils. In addition to his reptilian attributes, he was tiny, short and unhealthily skinny. He looked like he might burst into tears at any moment, so Itachi held his hand out to shake. "My name is Itachi Uchiha. What's yours?"