An autumn eve:

See the valley mists arise

Among the fir leaves

That still hold the dripping wet

Of the chill day's sudden showers.


I cough, painfully.

Everything hurts, stinging from the cold and the salt. My lungs, my nose… my throat…

And…

"I think you broke my sternum," I murmur hoarsely, coughing.

My eyes hurt, and they tear up as I blink.

I roll over onto my back… only to hiss and turn back. The grey, overcast sky is surprisingly bright.

A hand reaches under my neck and helps me pull myself into a sitting position.

Itachi.

I rest my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes.

I'm still so tired. And cold. My head hurts. And…

I pull back, blinking, and stare at Itachi, pushing the pounding in my head aside.

We're alive.

Those two words rattle in my head, and I open my mouth to verbalize them, but what comes out is… "You jumped in after me."

I blink, and a wave of panic washes through me.

I lean back, flinching as the sudden movement jarrs my head, and scan Itachi.

His clothes are damp, and the texture of his hair's weird, and his eyes seem a bit bloodshot, but… sighing in relief, I slump forward again.

Oh, thank the kami.

"We're alive," I murmur. "We're alive."

Tears bead up again at my eyes. I'm… I'm scared.

"We're not on the boat, are we," I ask rhetorically. "Itachi… do you know where we are?"

I mentally cast my mind for hints. Otou-san had shown me the path the ship would travel on a map, but… it's all hazy. Still, based on what I can remember…

A cold feeling goes down my spine. "We're not in the Land of Fire anymore, are we?"


Itachi thinks we're in Mizu no Kuni, the Land of Water.

At first, I feel almost relieved… but then I remember something, and I pale.

The Bloody Mist. The civil war. The Academy graduation exam. This… Kirigakure no Sato, the Village Hidden in the Mist, is in Mizu no Kuni and that's bad.

It's only when I open my mouth that I realize… I didn't read about that in the books.

Still, I have to tell Itachi.

"Itachi? Kirigakure doesn't like… other shinobi to be in Mizu, right?"

He stills.

Okay, that's good. Maybe…

"We should find a village, with people. They might be able to—"

"No!"

The refusal bursts out of my mouth. I can't think clearly, and my memory's fuzzy, but… Kiri's bad. They don't like outsiders. They're scared. Xenophobia, you might say. Strangers… even if they don't know that the Uchi—

Bloodline limits. They're bad to have. Season 1, Haku, ice. Bloodline limit… kekkei genkai. Sharingan. And my hair… I don't know if white's normal or not. Still, better not risk it. We'll need to hide. Itachi can't wear that shirt. And the shinobi supplies… that's dangerous, too.

I snap out of my mind when Itachi shakes my shoulder.

"Itachi, you need to get rid of the Uchiha crest. And the weapons pouch, and the bandages. Probably not the shoes, they're pretty common… I think." My mind races. "Is there mud? I need… ashes or soot or something. And we'll need different names. And…"

Two hands clamp down on either side of my head and a face moves to right in front of mine.

"Makoto. Don't panic. Breathe. In… out… in…"

As I instinctively obey, I suddenly realize that I was hyperventilating. And my heart… it's so loud. And it's beating too fast. B-but…

"...in… out…"

After a few moments, I've calmed down.

I grab Itachi's hands before he moves away. "Itachi… thanks. I was panicking. But this is important. Mizu's dangerous. We… we need to try and get home. I don't know how. But what I told you? Why I panicked? It's important."

Itachi pauses.

"Please. Trust me." I hold my breath.

Slowly, Itachi nods.

I slump in relief.


After either five minutes or thirty minutes later, the clouds darken, no longer refracting as much light as earlier, and we're safely disguised next to a small fire below the branches at the base of a particularly large pine tree. I've carefully, deliberately frayed the kunai-cut fabric— thank goodness for frayed jeans DIY videos on YouTube— and rubbed ashes and mud through my hair, which is gross, but… my hair's no longer ghost-white.

We've hidden anything identifying, up near the top of the tree, tied to the underside of a branch and camouflaged by dense pine needles. It should be safe until the end of winter, especially if it snows. It was terrifying to watch Itachi climb that high up, and it's only thanks to how light he is that he even got that far up. A grown shinobi, or even a teenage one? Psh.

We're really tired, now, though. Itachi has some ration pills, or food pills, that are still okay, so we're not hungry. Not really. And we also found a small river leading to the ocean, with fast-moving water, so we're not thirsty, either. It's just… I kind of wish I could go to sleep, and wake up on the boat, or even in Konoha, and realize it was all just a dream.

It's cold, but itchy, and our clothes are too thin, even if Itachi managed to grab my thin jacket, and they're still damp from our dip in the stream after drinking to get rid of the salt, but… it's small in the hollow under the tree, and we dug it out and packed the earth and mud so that there was almost no gap between the ground and the circle of the bottom branches, and a bit of a hole in the space around the trunk of the tree.

With the fire, carefully made from the driest wood we could find, so as to limit the amount of smoke produced, and each other… we're comfy. The soil's just damp, not muddy, and we're more than a bit sticky, and I really don't want to think about the microorganisms and the bugs and everything in the soil, or how messy my hair's going to be in the morning— hopefully very, actually, considering the circumstances— but… we're warm.

My hands aren't numb. My nose doesn't sting. And yet… tears still well up in my eyes. It's not home. I can't even pretend it's home. I bury my face in Itachi's shoulder, swallowing hard. He wraps an arm around me and pats me on the back, comfortingly.

"Don't worry Makoto," he murmurs. "You'll be home, soon."

I shake my head, head still buried in his shoulder. "We'll be home. In Konohagakure."

I feel him shift.

"I've only ever failed one mission, Makoto," Itachi whispers. "I won't fail this one."

I fist my hand in the fabric. "You… you jumped in after me."

He doesn't move.

I swallow past the lump in my throat. "If it weren't for me…"

"Don't apologize."

Itachi gently peels me off and sets a hand on my shoulder. "I should have gotten you inside, below deck. I should have caught you before you fell. My mission is to take care of you, Makoto. Don't apologize."

"...Still… I should have…"

His hand squeezes gently, and I curl forward again. "I'm sorry," I sob. "I'm sorry I'msorryI'msorryI'msor—"

"It's not your fault, Makoto," Itachi sighs, hand on my head. "It's not your fault."

I shake my head. "If I had done things differently, then, this wouldn't have… this wouldn't…"

Itachi stills. "The Hyūga affair was not your fault. This is not your fault, either."

I swallow hard. "You… you're both in trouble because of me. Because… I'm silly and I don't do what I should do, and… and…"

"You try your best, Makoto," Itachi whispers. "That's all that matters. You'll learn. You'll improve."

"I don't want to go to your funeral!" I sob.

Itachi stills.

I take a shuddering breath. "I… I can't…"

Two arms wrap around me, pulling my closer, until he's squeezing me in a hug that almost makes it hard for me to breathe, but then he wriggles up? Huh? "Listen, Makoto."

I frown, wondering what I'm supposed to…

Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dumpba-dumpba-dump

I relax.

...ba-dumpba-dumpba-dumpba-dump

Itachi's alive.

...ba-dumpba-dump

That's his heartbeat.

...ba-dumpba-dumpba-dumpba-dumpba-dumpba-dump

So he has to be alive.

"I'm alive, Makoto," Itachi whispers. "I won't die."

I take a deep breath. "You can't promise that," I sigh. "You're a shinobi."

I lift my head up, a corner of my mouth raised. "And that's why I need to be one, too. Because I'm not letting you die. Understood?"

Itachi laughs slightly, pulling me up. "Hai, hai, Makoto."

I grin through my still-damp eyes. "Got that? You're not allowed to die."

He laughs again, and I grin wider, and for a moment… we're happy.


The next morning is freezing. We wake up in a tangle of arms and legs, but even that's not enough to fend off the cold from what must have been a night downpour. The ground is a bit muddy, and it stick to our clothes. I should be grateful that we look completely anonymous, but… I'm tired. My throat hurts slightly, and my nose is running slightly, and it's gross, even if Itachi doesn't seem to mind. He's got a slight cough.

Hopefully, it's pass by later in the day. This has happened to me before, on vacations during the winter, and… it doesn't last. Usually. I hope this time won't be the exception to the usual rule. We don't exactly have honey and lemons and hot ginger tea and tissue boxes here.

We each swallow another food pill with water, and we make another fire. It's smoky, but… we're not under the tree with it, so we don't mind. Besides, it doesn't smell bad.

Speaking about bad smells… one thing that's extremely good about food pills? There's not enough… stuff… to exit the digestive system.

Yeah. I'll leave it at that.

But now… it's time to figure out what to do.

Using a stick— and a flash of Sharingan-red— Itachi traces a map onto the ground, complete with the boat's expected path.

"We should have been about here when the storm came," he gestures. "We should… probably be around these islands, in that case, but…"

I grimace. Ambiguity is not fun. Still, islands… "Itachi?" I ask. "Is there any way we can look out and see if there are any islands around?"

He frowns. "It's still overcast, so I don't have the best grasp on where the sun is. I believe that is north, but… I cannot be certain. You have a point, though."

I nod slowly. "Or… I guess we could try and find a village?" I chew at the inside of my cheek. "I could… it makes more sense for family to travel together. I can pretend to be your younger brother?" I scrunch my nose. "That'll be really weird, but it's a good way to make sure we don't get separated."

Itachi nods, a ghost of a smile on his face. "I doubt Sasuke will mind too much." The smile drops. "The food pills won't last very long, though. I only brought a week's worth."

I sigh, rubbing my face… and grimacing, because my hands and face are both streaked in dirt. "We've already used up four. They're supposed to last…"

"I think shinobi usually take up to two a day. The stronger food pills can sustain someone for a full day. These are not the stronger ones, but given our smaller size…"

"One per day should be enough," I murmur, holding back a sigh. It works. It doesn't really taste like anything, but… it works. I should be more thankful.

"We should try and find a village. Perhaps… perhaps there is something we may do for food?" he wonders.

I frown. "Maybe. We need a backstory we both agree on, for when we get asked questions. And it's definitely better to do stuff than just to take what we need, even if it might be easier for you, since… you know. Still…" I hesitate. It's only a feeling, but…

"What, Makoto?"

I slump. "It's just… I don't think they're going to be… in the best condition. Or that they'll welcome us."

Itachi closes his eyes briefly. "Then let us pray that Amaterasu will gaze upon us kindly. We cannot do much more than that. If they don't… we shall face that problem when it arrives."

I gaze at the sky. "The sun isn't out. And… the Land of Water worships… the kami of the sea." I frown. "Amaterasu isn't really on good terms with her brother, Susanoo. He doesn't seem to like us either, given the fact that we're here because of a storm." I shrug. "Or maybe that was just bad luck and he simply doesn't care about us. But even then… that's kegare, right? And the kami hate kegare."

It seems silly to argue technicalities about something that might not even be real, but… kegare is like… uncleanliness, usually caused by natural stuff that happens to you. Like natural disasters. It's perfectly normal, just like getting dirty, but you need to get rid of it (usually by washing it off), because it's not good. It's definitely better than tsumi, which is the bad stuff that sticks to you because you did something bad.

"We're alive, aren't we?" Itachi asks. "Maybe that's a sign that Ryūjin likes us."

I look over. "I didn't think… do shinobi also pay attention to… to the kami?"

Itachi smiles. "The Uchiha worship Amaterasu. By extension, they at least acknowledge the others… even if they consider them to be significantly weaker."

I nod slowly, before pausing. "Wait. They? So… not you?'

Itachi looks up at the sky. "What is the sun without the moon? What is the sky without the wind, or the storms, or the lightning and thunder? It seems foolish to me to risk making an enemy out of anyone, not when being a shinobi is so dangerous as it is."

I sigh, squinting up as well. "Well, we did take a dip in the cold stream-water… and smoke and fire are usually good, too, I think? So…"

Itachi stands up, brushing dirt off. "Do you have any ideas for the cover story? You had mentioned different names?"

I hum. "Does the Land of Water have any different names they prefer to use? I think I'm okay… Makoto's super common, according to Tou-san."

Itachi considers for a moment. "I believe they prefer names with relation to water, but… there are no set rules."

I frown at him. "Do you spell your name like the weasel?"

Itachi flushes pink. "It is a good name for a shinobi."

I look at him. "And?"

After a brief pause, he answers. "...yes."

I blink. "Huh." But in that case… "Do they have weasels on the islands?"

"I… believe so," Itachi answers hesitantly.

I pout, pulling at some of the grasses. "Guess we don't need fake names, after all. But… if we do, I'll call you Tachi. And I'll be Mako. But we do need a story for why we're here and to explain…" I wave a hand at us. "This."

"The best lies have a basis in truth," Itachi offers.

"I think it makes sense to say that we got caught up in the storm," I muse. "But then… they'll ask where we came from. So, maybe say we come from a different island?"

Itachi frowns. "They might ask us which island. As well as the names of our parents and the village we're from."

"And maybe how we got caught in the storm," I sigh. "I think I'm young enough… and maybe you hit your head? Maybe… maybe we were fishing? Actually… nah, better go with playing. By the water. There are really rocky beaches and cliffs and tide pools with cool stuff, right?"

Itachi pokes at the ground. "I… do not know. My team and I have been to docks and harbors, and lakes and rivers, but… I thought that there are beaches by the water, with sand? Or simply grasses and plants."

I wince. I grew up with the internet… which doesn't exist here. "Okay. Just… trust me." An idea forms in my head. "We were playing. It was rocky. It started raining, and we tried to run home, but the rocks were slippery. You fell and hit your head. The waves got super big and we were swept out to sea." I pause. "You're… eight, right? No, you turned nine. That's old, but not too old. You're not that tall or… strongly built either, so we should be good."

I take a deep breath.

"This might be too much for me to ask, but… let me take the lead if we meet anyone? Just… don't look in their face or talk. Make it seem like your head hurts."

Itachi's too smart to know how to pretend to be not smart. On the other hand… I've had over three years of constant experience and prior reference. I should be fine. Just…

"Oh, and forget about all of your manners. Don't bow, don't worry about covering your mouth when you yawn or cough or sneeze… and don't be afraid to be messy. Or clumsy."

Itachi blinks, frowning slightly. "As in…"

"We're trying to be normal kids. Which means playing dumb, not acting like you spent every minute since being born training to be a shinobi, and not being well-mannered. Because normal farmers, especially poor ones, can't afford to teach their kids to read or speak really well… ahem, talk real good, and they don't have… don't got time for good manners, either." I resist the urge to wince at my own horrific grammar. "I've had time to play nice with 'normal' kids, and I hear a lot 'bout how I'm diff'rent, so… I think I might be a bit better than you." I pause. "and don't hold anyone's hand, either."

Calluses are hard to fake, and I've read enough that I know that calluses form different on different people's hands. My own hands aren't much better.

"...that makes sense," Itachi murmurs, sighing… and then he smiles, a small, almost-rueful smile. "I'm supposed to be taking care of you, Makoto," he murmurs.

"Why don't we worry about after we get home?" I ask, grinning. "I'll take repayment in onigiri and dango."

Itachi laughs. "You're too similar to Shisui."

"If he likes Mikoto-obasama's cooking too, I'll take that as a compliment," I reply, smiling. Inside, though… I'm worried. At this point...even Itachi's going to have questions. I'll have to explain. And to explain, I'll have to Remember. I don't want to remember. But…

In canon, Itachi dies. It's hard to Remember. Itachi's short and nice and has really big dreams and has eyes that see the world so clearly and makes time for me and likes me and is the first friend I met. In the story… he looks different. He looks tired and scary and he never smiles. And… and he dies. I don't want Itachi to die. But I don't want Itachi to… to stop being my friend.

I know a lot of stuff that might be useful. But… it's also dangerous, for Konohagakure. I love the village, but… that might not be enough. They might not believe me. I've read horror stories. Inoichi-jisan's nice, but… he's a shinobi. I don't want to leave Okaa-san or Otou-san. I want to grow up and be a shinobi and… and I want to spend time with Shino and N— and Itachi and Shisui and Kagami-jiisan and… and everyone. I want to explore this world, to learn everything about it.

Even if Konoha decides to trust me and doesn't… doesn't k-kill me for being dangerous or on suspicions on being a spy or something… well, Danzō's already interested in me. I could be really useful. I don't want him to use what I know to do more of what he does. I am useful. I don't want to be useful for him.

And… if I'm useful… they'd treat me well. I don't want to be like one of those… those rare objects or manuscripts that you find in museums, locked up in carefully-monitored, heavily-guarded places where access is limited and people are scared to even breathe wrong. Okaa-san and Otou-san already can be really protective, but that's because they love me and because… well, I am three years old.

If they knew… they wouldn't want anyone else to risk anyone else being able to use me against them. I can think of way too many ways as to how someone with even limited resources could get rid of Konoha.

I don't want to be a Rapunzel. Or… I don't know, but maybe there's a way to get rid of memories. I treasure everything I remember. I… I don't want to lose anything. And those are my best-case scenarios. My worst-case? … I don't even…

I blink.

Itachi tugs at another knot in my hair. "Don't worry, Makoto," he smiles. "But first… it might be useful to cut our hair, too?"

I slump. Yeah. I'd realized, but… "I like my hair," I whisper.

"I know," Itachi replies, still trying to untangle my hair.

I hesitate, swallowing around a new lump in my throat. "Can… can you… make sure it looks okay?"

Itachi nods. "Of course. I'll do my best."

I take a deep breath. "In that case… okay."

Itachi grabs the one kunai we'd kept, which we'd have to bury later, but could theoretically be explained as a leftover from a war, and I probably should be more wary of someone literally holding a kunai by my neck, but… I trust Itachi. I feel short tugs… and then my head feels lighter, and there's a slight itchy feeling around my neck.

I brush away the cut hairs from my neck. At least there's no mirror for me to see how it looks.

Itachi turns and offers me the kunai, and… "I'm not sure this is the best decision," I laugh awkwardly. "it might be better if you're the one holding a kunai next to your neck."

"I trust you," Itachi says simply, and wow that's a lot of trust and pressure on me.

I practically hold my breath as I cut sections of hair. He even lets me shorten his bangs, and I carefully use a bit of water to change the part, and…

"Wow. That's looks really weird on you," I comment, leaning back. Itachi with short hair parted to one side and mussed up a bit in front? "I can safely say that you do not look anything like you do normally."

"As that is our goal, I shall take that positively," Itachi replies, dusting himself off, before shooing me aside and aiming a small fireball at the ground to char any pieces of hair. "Well, if we are ready… shall we?"

I take a deep breath. "Okay. No point in waiting. Hide the kunai… hide the cloth with the three food pills… and let's go try and and find some people!"


I mean, we found people? Technically.

We walked along the coast, trying to find a boat, or maybe a dock, or maybe smoke from a fire, or even the sound of people talking, but it's only around sunset that we see smoke. It's not big, probably not much bigger than a campfire, but…

It's people, and to two kids who've been walking around all day, that's already an accomplishment.

We quickly whisper, going over our plan, and then hurry over.

We arrive at a campfire on the beach with no sign of people around. It's darkening, and there seems to be a fog settling in, but hopefully not rain. It seems like a failed attempt, but… it's getting cold, and the fire's so warm, and the fact that it's still lit implies there are people who built it and would come back for it. Plus, it's big and warm… and so we decide to stay.

We've almost fallen asleep when… something crunches, like… someone walking on the sand, and I open my eyes, feeling Itachi stiffen, too…

"AHHHHHHHH!" I screech, flailing backwards and falling over Itachi and then dragging him back with me and…

I gulp as my eyes take in the armor and vertical stripes and general blueish-grey clothing. These look much more intimidating in person than on a screen.

I feel my breathing stutter and tears come to my eyes and I let them, because that's the most realistic and surely they won't kill a kid, and I let them bead up and fall and I let out hiccuping sniffles that build up as I grab onto Itachi and… "Wahhhh! Okaa-san was right and we were bad and now the scary Kiri-nin are going to kill us and eat us!"

I hear them burst into laughter, and I let my eyes open slightly from how they were scrunched up, even as I rub at my eyes with my hands and, "I-it's my fault, not Nii-tan, so you… you meanies can't hurt Ita-niitan!" I cry, adding in a bit of a lisp.

I curl up, sobbing, praying that my charade would work and Itachi wouldn't do anything and… and a gloved hand rests on my head, patting it gently.

"We won't hurt either of you," a voice says softly. "Sensei… neither of us would do that."

I allow my eyes to open and my head to lift from my hands. "B-but… shinobi are scary and do bad things, like hurt people." I'm assuming, but since this is known as the Bloody Mist, and there was that graduation exam…

"Not everyone's like that," the nice person says. "I mean, I'm not scary, right?"

I blink amazed. His eyes… they're just like Otou-san's. I… I hadn't realized I'd find someone else with orange eyes. His face looks strangely familiar, but… "N-no. You're… you're really pretty!" I blurt, before ducking my head. Gah. Don't call strangers pretty.

Luckily, he laughs and doesn't take offense and… he's nice. That's so weird.

"What are you doing here, little girl?" He asks.

I pout, rubbing at my face. "I'm a boy. And… and…" I let my face crumple.

"Hey, shhhh… shh… it's okay, it's okay." He hesitates. "Was it the storm?"

I nod, hiccuping. "We were playing, and it was raining and Nii-ta… Nii-chan fell, and his head hurts, and the waves were super big and it was cold and… and… I want Okaa-san," I sniff, wiping my face with a sleeve.

"Here… my sensei's getting some food," he offers. "Why don't you two stay with us, and we can figure out how to get you back?"

I nod, beaming. "Food! Ta-chan, Ta-chan, food!" It's too dangerous to call him Itachi, especially if he ends up in the bingo books eventually and people draw links. Same for me, for that matter.

Itachi nods slowly, knuckles white where he's got a hand fisted in my shirt, acknowledging both the food and my silent advice to hide his name. "Thank you."

"So, what are your names? I'm Utakata, and I'm fourteen."


His sensei's weird. But cool. He's got these round glasses, and these big black eyebrows and his weird mustache, and he wears blue kimono, or probably yukata, and purple haori jacket over it, and… he blows bubbles. Isn't that so cool?

I don't know much of what we eat, other than the fish, but it's hot and filling.

As we eat, we trade information. They learn that we don't know where we came from, that I'm a bit of an absent-minded kid, and that Itachi's basically a very polite rock in terms of expressiveness. We realize pretty early on that there's no way they're going to successfully find our parents, but that they might be determined enough to realize something's wrong, and so we say that Okaa-san died last winter (it was really cold even in Konohagakure, and that probably felt over here, too), and that Otou-san went fishing the day of the storm.

I'm the one who talks, and I go on tangents about things that fundamentally tell nothing… except for Itachi, for whom they convey a lot.

Thankfully, he doesn't talk.

I realize I might have done my job a bit too well when they offer to take us to Kirigakure.

Itachi and I share a look of absolute horror.

If we were actual shinobi trying to infiltrate? Bravo, A+, outstanding, standing encore!

Two lost kids trying to get home? Oh, %*#&.


An autumn eve:

See the valley mists arise

Among the fir leaves

That still hold the dripping wet

Of the chill day's sudden showers.

— Jakuren


むらさめの

露もまだひぬ

まきの葉に

霧立ちのぼる

秋の夕暮

— 寂蓮法師


Murasame no

Tsuyu mo mada hinu

Maki no ha ni

Kiri tachinoboru

Aki no yugure

Jakuren Hoshi


Author's Note: Thanks to all the guests who commented! ^_^

I'm glad you enjoyed my story!

And really, if you're reading this... please leave a "hi?" Just that will do, one simple two-letter word.

I hope you're all having a splendid new year, and to those of you who, like me, have to go back to school:

...

...

...

MUAHAHAHAHA! I'M NOT SUFFERING ALONE!

(And best of luck with making it through to summer. You're almost there!)

...

Best regards,

ShadowAccio6181