Okay, I'm gonna be honest, you guys. Reading all the reviews really made me smile. It's just so nice and warm to see you invested in the story and the characters! Much, much love. Obrigado! Gracias! :')

Without further ado.

Interlude I

CHAPTER 11

Naruto tops the year, and becomes the valedictorian for their graduation ceremony.

"Hi," he laughs nervously in the mike. "This is slightly surreal, to be honest. I didn't think I'd be the one summoning up the high school experience for us all. Because that's the thing, isn't it? I'm only one person – one student, and what the hell do I know?"

The crowd laughs softly.

"So I'll talk about my personal experience," he continues, "and you guys are free to take whatever you want from it. Okay? Let's do this." He pauses to breathe in and exhale slowly. "When I first entered high school, I came on a scholarship. My parents own a bookstore – look, there they are, waving enthusiastically. Hey, mom and dad!" He grins. "Firstly, I have to say, I received a massive cultural shock in my first week. I'd never seen so much money on one student before in my life. Everywhere I turned, it was all designer brands and expensive cars and fancy drivers. Even the food, for god's sake! And then I learned that this was nothing new for them. It was their normal. I was the abnormal one – so to speak.

"Then I met Uchiha Sasuke, and oh my god, he was one of the most annoying people I'd met in my life. You know whom I'm talking about, right? The pretty boy who can flatten you single-handedly, all the while painting a Mona Lisa with the other."

The crowd laughs again.

"Yes, the very same. We became friends way too late in my high school, but that's beside the point. When we did, though, I was introduced to his life – his brother, his friends, his way of living. Being with them made me realise this one thing. You want to know what it is? I'll tell you.

"Each and every single person sitting here today is the same freaking person – with the same problems, same complaints, same battles in life. Yes, I did not have the same kind of money that they did. But the thing is, they had the same insecurities. The same emotions. The same heartbreaks. The same drive to prove themselves. That's the beauty of growing up, I feel. It's the same pattern for everyone, regardless of our backgrounds."

He takes a pause.

"I feel honoured to be standing here today, not because the school chose me. Not because of my grades. But I'm here today because I went through that cultural shock, because I struggled to adjust. It gave me the perspective that I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. Because this might have been their normal – it wasn't mine, and it makes me feel so damn special. So yes, I can't tell you how to live your life, or what the real world is like – because what the hell do I know? What I can assure you of is this: wherever you go, whomever you end up with, know that they're the same as you. And you just might get through the day."

Yahiko's parents gift him an apartment in Vegas, and the entire group flies to the city to celebrate their graduation. Jiraiya sponsors Naruto's trip as his personal brand of present. The moment they step inside the house, Kisame declares that no one will stay sober throughout the trip.

Itachi doesn't mind. He hooks-up with a woman called Tayuya, whom he meets at the gambling club. She's wearing a long red dress with a deep V cut on the front, and calls him pretty.

When they're lounging on the large balcony one night, Nagato opens the topic of their plans.

Itachi and Sasuke have already been accepted in Otsutsuki International University in Konoha itself, for Bachelor of Business Management degree. It's one of the best campus in the country, and nothing like Konoha International School. It's not made for wealthy kids, but competent students. The competition is on a completely different level this time around.

Naruto got into Kiri University for his Bachelor's degree in International Relations on another scholarship. "I want to get into policy making at the UN. It's a long freaking road, though. One upside to Kiri is that I at least know some of the students there."

"Who?" Sasuke inquires.

"You remember Fuu?" Naruto says. "Yugito, Bee, Han, Roushi, and Yagura? We met them during that trip to the mountains. I've been in touch with them ever since. They've already made my itinerary!" he laughs. "It would suck not to have you there, though. Teme, you have to stay in touch. No excuses!"

Sasuke smirks and smiles at the same time. "Obviously, dobe."

Hinata will be joining Neji in Iwa, for her Bachelor's degree in Marketing. "I think I'll leave the operations to Neji. He's better at it than I am, anyway. I'll stick to Marketing. Besides, it's what I'm interested in the most. It will be hard to convince our parents, but Neji has promised his support."

Nagato and Zetsu will be attending college in Otogakure, with Nagato pursuing a degree in Psychiatry and Zetsu in Philosophy.

Same as Itachi and Sasuke, Kisame will be doing his Business major, although in a different college than theirs, but in the same city.

Suigetsu is joining Hinata in Iwa, just for the hell of it. Now, he elaborates. "My parents want me to take over the company at some point, but I'm not too sure I want that. Staying away from them might put things in perspective for me. Let's see."

"Are you having a moral crisis, Hozuki?" Kisame teases.

"Actually, yes," Suigetsu frowns. "I don't think I'm comfortable with manufacturing weapons that commit genocide in another part of the world."

"Hear, hear!" Naruto raises his glass in a toast. "To actual peace. You might come in handy someday, Suigetsu. Don't lose touch."

"Am I only a commodity to you, Kitsune?" Suigetsu says with mock hurt, placing his palm over his heart. "Have you already forgotten our adventures in the closed rooms of the resort, surrounded by the mystical mountains?"

Naruto laughs. "Of course, not. I will forever cherish those moments," he says with a wink.

Yahiko and Konan will be attending college in Ame, with Yahiko pursing a Product Design degree, and Konan pursuing a degree in Finance.

Before they depart, they promise to stay in touch, despite the distance, despite the new beginning of their lives, despite the fact that they'll be "adults" now, and adults cannot take random road trips to the mountains, or Mauritian beaches, or South African safaris just because they feel like it. They'll have responsibilities, and the pressure of being a future Heir to their family businesses – except Naruto, who, ironically, is shooting for the highest star amongst them – and they cannot afford losing sight of their goal.

Itachi meets Nara Shikamaru on the second day of his college classes. He's a Business major, just like Itachi, and has a high school sweetheart called Temari, who has been accepted in a different college in the same city.

"She's a Fine Arts major," Shikamaru says. "Theatre."

Temari is a blonde, green-eyed beauty. Itachi asks her about her favourite dramas, artists, genre – and she laughs, countering him with her own rapid-fire questions. He tells her that he's competing in the upcoming Youth America Grand Prix for male ballet, and Temari offers to help with practice sessions in her free time.

So Itachi finds himself trying to balance his college classes, the gruelling sessions by Utakata, and theatre lessons by Temari. If he'd thought his high school schedule was nearly unmanageable, he is proven brutally wrong by the end of two weeks.

Temari doesn't bother explaining ballet to him, because that he knows. Ballet – he understands. However, Temari takes him through different theatrical scenes and guides him on expressions, body language, emotions, the tiny movement of the eyes from right to the left, the placement of his chin. They stick to dramas, and dramas alone, until one day, after practice, they're lying down flat on their backs on the wooden floor, panting.

"Damn," Temari laughs breathlessly. "Never thought ballet takes such an enormous effort."

"This is just your first time," Itachi tells her. "It gets better."

"Of course, you'd say that. You've been dancing your whole life."

"Theatre is hard work, too," Itachi reminds her. "All those dialogues. The monologues. Breaking out in songs. I don't think I could ever speak so much in one go."

"It gets better," she says in an amused voice.

They stare at the ceiling, evening out their breaths.

"I don't mean to kill the mood," Temari says. "But I saw your ex-girlfriend's video."

Itachi's teeth clench. He doesn't respond.

"You don't seem very misogynist to me."

Silence.

"I see it's not a topic you love to discuss."

Sasuke spawns his own social circle once more – this time of three boys and one dog.

Itachi looks around their new "mixed gang" with a sense of loss and cautious relief. Temari is sitting on Shikamaru's lap, laughing at something Kiba is saying. Chouji is engrossed in his cookbook on the other side, and Shino is trying to tame Kiba's large, snow white, blue-eyed Siberian husky named Akamaru.

They're nothing like Itachi and Sasuke's high school friends. Shino is typically aloof, but has a sharp tongue that puts an obnoxious Kiba in his place in two seconds flat. Chouji, on the other hand, is severely unidirectional and doesn't really bother himself with topics or activities that are not food related. Shikamaru and Temari are one unit, and Itachi has never seen a couple as healthy and fun as them. Shikamaru has a dry sense of humour that Temari seems to love, and Temari's liveliness motivates Shikamaru to do things.

Despite the novelty, Itachi finds himself relaxing in their company quicker than he would have thought.

Itachi and Sasuke have decided to share a dorm room in college, primarily to get away from their parents. Which is why Fugaku is genuinely surprised to see them wandering through the front door one day with their new friends, and Sasuke calls for the cook, saying, Meet Chouji.

And then Akamaru dirties their swimming pool one Sunday, when Fugaku informs them that he'll be out for another trip with Mikoto.

Sasuke turns his phone so that Naruto, Suigetsu, and Hinata can see what the whole ruckus is about, and Itachi is telling one of the helpers to clean it up, Kiba is apologizing profusely, Shino is chilling on the pool chair with sunglasses on, and Chouji is laughing his ass off. Shikamaru and Temari are making out on another pool chair, indifferent to the world around them.

Itachi is at Kamui with Shikamaru and Temari. It's late into the night, and he's drunk and dancing, and Temari nudges his elbow at one point when a girl is staring at him with obvious intent.

So Itachi throws her a seductive smile, and later, he sneaks into his house, to his bedroom, and she's in the middle of appreciating his vinyl collection but that's not important, is it, he wants to say, but instead pushes her on the bed, stripping off his shirt.

The next morning, Fugaku catches them sneaking back out, and offers tea.

Turns out, Shikamaru is smart. As in, smart smart.

Itachi learns it when he foolishly challenges the man to a round of chess one evening, when they're lounging in the dorm room, and Shikamaru raises one cool eyebrow before obliterating Itachi's game plan in under ten minutes.

Sasuke clicks a photo of Itachi's dumbfounded expression gleefully. A few minutes later, Itachi's phone beeps. It's a message from Naruto.

Cat got your tongue, Uchiha?

Itachi and Sasuke fly to Norway for Konan and Yahiko's wedding. The ceremony is held on a cliff that overlooks iced water below and snow-capped mountains in the background.

"Can't believe her parents actually went through with it," Naruto says as they're each holding a glass of gin and tonic in their hands, watching Konan and Yahiko have their first dance as the wedded couple.

"At least it's Yahiko," Sasuke says.

"I wasn't aware that they were dating," Naruto chuckles. "The invitation honestly came as a surprise to me."

"They weren't," Nagato tells him. "It's an arranged marriage."

"Shit. Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"So what now? They'll just pretend to be a couple?" Naruto frowns.

No one knows the answer, so they watch the dance floor a bit more in silence. Sasuke soon directs the conversation to their college lives. Even though it's only their first year, everyone has plenty to share.

A woman approaches Itachi after dinner. Her name is Tsunami. She asks him for a walk around the venue, and Itachi agrees. Tsunami is thirty years old, widowed, has a son, and is a family friend of Yahiko's parents. Itachi tells her that he doesn't care about any of that.

Kakashi stands with his back to the car, a little ways down.

Itachi slides off the straps of her dress down her shoulders. She hitches up the hem, and sits on his lap.

"God, you're sexy," she moans, as she rides him. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No."

"Pity. You shouldn't let this body go to waste."

He doesn't respond. Digs his hands in her full hips, almost painfully, and she quickens the pace.

When Samui visits him at the dorm, she rages over her married boyfriend. She says that he's an asshole, a complete jerk, who was only looking for young meat. She bemoans about her parents being right all along, and what the fuck am I supposed to do now?

They end up with Itachi bending her over his desk, and bunching her blonde hair in his fingers.

"Can you calm down with your fuck fests?" Sasuke says one day in November, as they prepare dinner in the kitchenette of their dorm room. Chouji has taken it upon himself to teach the two at least some basics in cooking, horrified that they had never bothered to learn it from their house chef. Not that they've been using this newfound skill all that much.

"Samui is my girlfriend, Sasuke," Itachi says. "Of course she's going to be over a lot."

Sasuke doesn't budge. "Girlfriend? You both only hook-up whenever she's here. I've never seen you go out for dinners, or even watch a movie together."

"Fine. I'll make plans."

"Itachi," Sasuke says impatiently. "Don't do it just because I'm saying it! Don't you want to go out for dinners with her?"

Itachi grabs two plates from the cupboard. "Sure, I do. She's an interesting person."

Sasuke stares at him, holds his gaze. "Yes, she is," he says. "Give her a chance."

Itachi looks away.

Itachi is trying not to sigh.

His laptop screen is divided in parts, and his friends are staring back at him angrily.

"How the fuck did that even happen?" Nagato is cursing. "He didn't even say anything to us! And now, all of a sudden, Izumi and he are what? Best buddies?"

"I know, right?" Yahiko says heatedly. "I distinctly remember him calling her psycho when we were in school."

"Guys –" Zetsu tries to interfere.

"What are you going to do, Itachi?" Konan cuts in.

They've been speaking the same things in a loop for almost half an hour now, he wants to point out.

"I don't care," he tells them. "She's out of my life. Kisame is free to do whatever the fuck he wants."

Itachi's hands are buried in Akamaru's white fur, as he sits on the floor of Kiba's dorm room early December.

Shino joins him when Kiba's voice becomes too shrill to endure. The man has been arguing with Sasuke over some trivial things for the past hour.

Chouji stands vigil with them after another half an hour passes.

"Why don't they just date?" Shino muses lowly at one point. "Kiba is no longer dating that chick."

It's Christmas when Itachi and Sasuke return home for the holidays. Mikoto is happy to see Samui holding his hand, and she asks Sasuke, "When will you get a girlfriend of your own?"

And Sasuke doesn't care that they're sitting at a long table, with at least twenty-five other guests. He doesn't care that he's supposed to be there to support the underprivileged as part of the Uchiha family. He doesn't care that being an Uchiha means to uphold certain values, certain rules, because he glares at Mikoto, and says in a clear, carrying voice, "Mom, you are perfectly aware that I'm gay."

A silence falls over the table. Mikoto's face whitens with barely restrained fury. "Sasuke, let's not –"

"Discuss it right now?" he cuts in. "Yeah, thought so. When shall we discuss it?"

"Sasuke," she rebukes. "We have company."

"I'm aware," he says flatly. "Is that why you thought you could pressure me with a girlfriend? Did you think that I'd keep quiet and go along with your crazy plans?"

"I'm your mother," she hisses. "You will treat me with respect."

"I'm your son," he snarls back. "You will treat me with respect."

"This is not the time," Fugaku interrupts harshly. "Sasuke, calm down."

"When is the time?" Itachi wonders aloud, and Sasuke quickly shoots him a look of don't get pissed off. Itachi ignores it. "Dad, it will be very helpful to have an appointment. You see, Sasuke and I seem to keep missing the allotted slot."

"Itachi," Mikoto barks. "Stay out of this. This is not about you."

"It's not about you, either," Itachi points out. "This is Sasuke's life, not yours."

Samui is clutching his hand tightly under the surface of the table.

"What has gotten into you two?" Fugaku says dubiously. "Has the college life made you forget manners? You're not high school kids anymore. You're adults. Behave like adults."

"You mean, like you?" Sasuke says loudly. "No, thank you."

"Sasuke, that's enough," Mikoto raises her voice. The guests squirm in their seats. "We're here to help the underprivileged, not listen to your woes."

"Tell me," Itachi says dangerously and his parents flinch at the tone, "how the fuck is this helping the underprivileged? You're sitting there holding a spoon that costs hundreds, and you know what those people are going through?" He laughs, unrestrained and coldly. "Give me a fucking break!"

"Fugaku," Mikoto turns to her husband. "Are you going to let them talk like this? In company?"

Fugaku is about to open his mouth, but Sasuke beats him to it. "Why, mom? You didn't hesitate in asking your gay son about a goddamn girlfriend! Are you going to speak this way in company? Everyone knows that I'm gay! And no one gives a shit, apart from you! And I don't even know why!"

"Both of you," Mikoto snaps. "Out. Now. You've forgotten your place, it seems. You're kids. What do you know about the real world?"

Itachi lets out another bark of laughter, and he's unsure of whether it's sarcastic or not. Maybe both. He wants to point out that not a minute ago, her husband reprimanded them for not acting like adults.

"You want to talk about the real world? You – you, who have kitty parties with the other women? With your gambling and diamond rings and Gucci purses? Have you ever even been to an orphanage? Or a trailer park? Have you ever seen how the homeless kids live? Because I have! And let me tell you, the real world that you speak of is nothing – nothing like the one they go through! That she went through! It's because of you two – you, who convinced me that power, and status, and money is everything, and I went along with it! I drowned in the feeling it gave me! And now-! Now, SHE'S GONE! AND WHO THE FUCK DO I BLAME? YOU WANT TO TELL SASUKE ABOUT THE REAL WORLD? Newsflash, oh dear parents, THEY LOVE SASUKE MORE THAN YOU EVER DID! The underprivileged that you fucking pity have bigger hearts than you ever did! Sasuke is the best person in the world, and you always, ALWAYS MAKE HIM FEEL WORTHLESS JUST BECAUSE HE'S GAY AND I'M DONE LETTING THAT SHIT GO! When you get a chance, pay a visit to Naruto's house! At least, Minato and Kushina know how the fuck to be decent parents!"

Sasuke is clutching at his other hand, because Itachi doesn't like to get angry. If he gets angry, he does stupid things – things that come and bite him in the ass later. But this is Sasuke, and maybe some bites are worth it.

Mikoto is glaring at them. "You mean that girl you used to fool around with?"

Itachi stops breathing.

"We're your parents. Did you honestly think that you were smart enough to get away with it? The way you used to sneak out at nights, skipping dinners, being tired throughout the day. Kakashi must have slept in the car more than his own house!"

"What? How did you-?"

Mikoto tsks with irritation. "It's good that she's gone. Samui is a wonderful girl for you. She'll remind you what it means to be an Uchiha, if nothing else. You got carried away like a stupid child chasing after a forbidden candy, but that's over now. Always remember your name, Itachi. It doesn't suit us to be interacting with the likes of them. It's time to grow up. Both of you!"

Itachi thinks that he might faint. "Did you send her away?" he chokes out. "DID YOU SEND HER AWAY?"

"No," Fugaku cuts in sharply. "But it's a good thing, son. It's good that she left on her own accord."

"How-! How the FUCK IS THAT GOOD?" He scrambles to his feet, and Samui's hand slips from his. "I can't stay here. I just. I can't. Sasuke, let's go. They're never going to learn. They're never going to accept you. They're content in their caviars and their champagne."

"Itachi!" Mikoto snaps.

"You want us to grow up?" he sneers with such venom that Mikoto shuts up. "What the fuck does that even mean?"

Silence.

Sasuke stands up, too, and Samui joins them. Karin hesitates slightly, but then she's placing the fork and the spoon back on the table. They watch as Suigetsu, Hinata, Konan, Yahiko, Nagato, and Zetsu slowly rise up, ignoring their parents' protests. Kisame remains seated. And Itachi knows, he knows that it's over between them.

Naruto's face flashes in his mind, and he's mentally cursing the blonde for his passionate speeches on every goddamn thing in the world, and they're almost at the door of the ballroom when Dr. Orochimaru stops them.

"I'll tell you a secret," Dr. Orochimaru says and leans forward to whisper in his ear. "No one is a grown-up, Itachi. No one ever was. If you want to get through this phase in one piece, remember this at all times."

He pulls back and Itachi looks, really looks at this man, in his Hawaiian shirt and cargo pants, his black hair and colourful beads, smiling conspiratorially as though Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar, ADHD, Learning Disabilities – none of it, none of it ever fazes him; because he is a child at heart, trying to explain to Itachi that whoever said being a child is a bad thing? Whoever said that adulthood is the next step of being a teenager, when the two are not interrelated, but exist simultaneously?

Itachi doesn't want to, he honestly doesn't – it's been one whole year, but Sakura comes to mind unbridled. The girl who wanted to know how Elsa deals with being the reinstated Queen, the girl who walked a reindeer, the girl who wore a banana costume to distribute flyers. The same girl who worked hard to earn money to survive, to put food on her table, to buy Sasori his cherished pair of sunglasses. The same girl who undressed with no disposition and challenged Itachi defiantly with eyes that are melting trees in burning snow. Sakura was the girl who was forced to grow up, but no one was ever a grown up. She was simply a girl who captured his attention, enchanted him with her wild stories, and sang in her broken notes.

And Itachi feels it. He feels it thrumming under his skin, the same nervous energy coursing through him whenever he would look at Sakura and finally realises what it is. It's the battle that Hashirama told him about. The battle that is not to be won, but to be fought, every day, until it becomes a part of you. The battle that Sakura fought. The battle that he now has to fight.

Fugaku visits them both at the dorm. Itachi and Sasuke stand side-by-side, shoulders tense and jaws clenched.

"I come in peace," Fugaku raises his hands in defence and chuckles. It falls flat. "Okay, listen, you boys," he sighs. "Your mother … she means well."

"Yeah, right," Sasuke scoffs.

"Alright, let's keep her aside for now. I'll speak for myself. Itachi … that girl you were fooling around with – she was never right for you. Tell me, how could she have possibly understood our way of living? You can get anyone in life, son. Look at Samui. She comes from our culture, our lifestyle. She has the capacity to understand your needs because hers are the same. But that girl that you seem unable to forget about – I get it. She was new, and you got carried away. It had to end someday, though. You were always meant to return to the real world. Our world. You'll take over the company soon, and you'll barely have the time for such nonsense. Focus on the future. That's where you belong."

"Is that all?" Itachi asks with deceptive calm.

"Yes," Fugaku replies. "Sasuke, as for you … I know that we have never discussed your choice-"

"It's not a choice," Sasuke snaps.

"Alright, fine," Fugaku backpedals. "My apology. Sasuke, I never truly had a problem with you being gay."

"Then why did you keep quiet?" Sasuke asks incredulously. "Why didn't you ever say anything to mom?"

"She has the right to have her own opinions, her own beliefs."

Itachi laughs without humour, and Sasuke groans.

"You're such a hypocrite, Dad," Itachi says.

"No, listen," Fugaku insists. "I'm not saying that it makes everything alright. Your mother is never going to accept you, Sasuke. Talking to her was like pouring fuel over fire. I didn't see the point of it. But yes, I apologise for never approaching you on my own. I should have comforted you. I should have openly accepted you. I admit my mistake. I came here today to tell you this. Don't hold back, son. Date any young man you want to."

Sasuke is staring at Fugaku. Eventually, he gives a short jerky nod.

Itachi doesn't accept it easily, though. "You're still a hypocrite, Dad. You're ready to accept that Sasuke is gay but you put limitations on me for my choices in women?"

"Itachi, did you really believe that the girl liked you?" Fugaku says impatiently. "You gave her a job! She felt obligated to you, and nothing else. You're a fool if you think there was more to it than that."

"You don't know that!" Itachi says angrily, suddenly choking up. "You don't know her!"

Fugaku gives him a cold stare. "Haruno Sakura, seventeen years old, grew up in the Geroa trailer park. Her parents were killed in prison when they were taken in for unlawful possession of two military rifles. The entire Geroa trailer park was disrupted by the orders of Shimura Danzo, a powerful builder who wanted that piece of land for his suburban project. The Harunos were refusing to do so, and the others followed their example. When the rival gangs approached Danzo, he decided to use the opportunity for his own benefit, making the six children homeless and without parents."

Itachi's heart hammers inside his chest.

"And before you ask, no, I had nothing to do with it. This is the information that I dug up when I heard that you asked Obito to give that girl a job. I do know her, Itachi. I know her type. You're an Uchiha. All she wanted was your influence. They're leeches, and you were more than a willing participant. She took advantage of your kindness, and that's it. That was all there was to it. I suggest that you forget her as soon as possible, and get on with your life. That's the best thing to do now. She left. She's gone."

Later that night, Sasuke creeps to his bed and sits on the edge of the blanket. "Do you believe him?" he asks in the quiet.

"Which part?"

"That she took advantage of you?"

"No, I do not."

"That she's gone?"

A few beats of silence.

"Yes."

Temari doesn't shy away from him, but holds his gaze, and Itachi stares back, absently noting that the green of her eyes is wrong.

"You really won't be looking for her?"

"I promised."

"You're dating Samui now."

"I am."

Temari hugs him, and Itachi's hands are trembling slightly as he returns it, and Shikamaru claps him on the shoulder, promising in an uncharacteristically strained voice, You'll be okay.

He shuts his eyes and takes a steadying breath.

The spotlight on his body feels warm and cold at the same time. He's glad that he can't see the audience, though. This is not Itachi's first competition performance, of course, but this is the YAGP finale and that's a big deal. He can't afford to get distracted.

A second later, the opening notes for The Night We Met by Lord Huron begins to play and Itachi thinks of mud and stones, of open skies, of space flooded with bright white. He thinks of the girl sitting on the bumper of his car, playing a song on his phone. He thinks of the girl who bandages his feet, saying, Never stop dancing. And, really, who is he to deny her of anything?

All that exists is the calmness inside his mind. The calmness that is filled with her voice, her freckled cheeks, miles and miles of pale skin, of did you miss me?, of Let the storm rage on.

Itachi allows his mind to wander freely, as his hands and feet move in time with the music, almost as a reflex, almost as if his every breath is made for this, this very moment, where nothing matters but melting trees in burning snow, nothing but the love that exists even before the person himself existed. And so he thinks of Pretty Boy and Your Majesty, of Pinocchio, and of Beauty and the Beast. He thinks of Harry Potter, and of Severus Snape clutching Lily's dead body, and of trailer parks that he's never been to but where Sasori, Deidara, Kakuzu, Mei, and Karui grew up in.

When the music stops, Itachi is on the floor, head bowed, breathing rapidly, his tears mixing with the trail of blood on the wooden floor.

This is not wooden floor, he thinks, but mud and stones.

Do check out – The Night We Met by Lord Huron.

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