There is a deep intrusive sensation that cuts wildly at his core. The culprit is the sudden radiating emotions of fear and trepidation that engulfs Izumi's pale visage. He vaguely recalls her disembodied voice. The darkness of this cavern have swallowed their physicality - spare the sounds of their words that echoes cautiously against the insidious emptiness.
But the moon's ray illuminates, like the sudden flick of a light switch. Itachi cannot disengage from the stricken look of despair that lingers across Izumi's features. She is staring frantically at something behind him, yet when he tracks her gaze, the vacantness is as vast as ever.
"Izumi."
His voice is oddly tentative, as if a part of him has disconnected from the composed portion of his mind.
Izumi does not respond to Itachi's calling. Even when he stands before her with both hands gripping either side of her shoulders, the terror laden, detached expression does not falter.
Though Itachi cannot fathom Izumi's consternation, instinct pushes him for the quickest escape route. Without further contemplation, he drags her towards a deeper opening that runs parallel to the very distant entrance.
The air turns thick with every step, and by the time they stop out of exhaustion, their lungs have opened to full capacity, greedy for every molecule of oxygen.
Out of his pocket, Itachi extracts a match and candle. In one strike, he illuminates the cold darkened tunnel and exposes the musty surroundings. The very little space between them resembles a claustrophobic expanse that stretches narrowly into the blackness.
Every now and then, Izumi stares warily over her shoulder, as if a non-existent shadow is stalking her.
"Izumi, can you hear me?"
He steps close and surveys her erratic gaze. Then, she lets out a blood-curdling screech that penetrates past his skin and sinks maliciously into his bones.
Hysterical with unseen anguish, Izumi digs her fingers into her hair and presses them firmly against her skull. In one agonising motion, her upper body heaves forward and she expels a mouthful of black liquid.
"Izumi! Izumi!"
Itachi's loud voice does little with her attention. In the same moment, he feels the radiating unease flowing from her body. His Sharingan tracks the abnormality in her chakra to an invisible force that is disrupting its movement.
"Izumi, look at me, stay with me!"
With minimal time and limited understanding, Itachi makes a last ditch attempt to regain Izumi's conscious. He holds her face and pulls her mind into a deep genjutsu.
For several seconds, she remains disturbingly still. Then, her shoulders relax and her stiffen body loosens under his grip.
And just like the soft flow of gentle water, her chakra stabilises and she falls unconscious into him.
x
Izumi does not wake for several hours. Despite the gentleness she exhibits in the unconscious world, her waking profoundly contrasts.
With a sudden frantic yelp, she sits upright and releases her head from Itachi's shoulder.
"Izumi," he says firmly.
Two sets of candles exude a warm light to their surroundings, albeit they sway dangerously at Izumi's unexpected movement.
She gazes steadily at the jagged rocks of the cavern walls before acknowledging Itachi's presence.
And though her body is composed, she is looking puzzled.
"Itachi."
Her voice trembles weakly, as if every ounce of energy is used to speak his name.
"D-Did you see?" She whispers.
There is a look of horror that inundates her pasty features. She averts up, then darts frantically from left to right.
"No. Izumi, what is it?" He asks quietly.
She shakes her head, perhaps as an attempt to thrust the distressing thoughts from her mind.
"I saw things…t-terrible things…and I…"
She inhales sharp and grips her knees with more force than necessary.
"I…I…"
Her stutter worsens, until Itachi takes her hands and encloses them in his.
"Don't force yourself to remember, I don't think what you saw is something that needs to be re-told," Itachi says.
Izumi is looking slightly mollified at his comment, but her watch is now fixated on his hold.
"I do not like being afraid, but the more I feel fear, the bigger it becomes. It is like an uncontrollable terror that grows in aggression the more I fight it," she says brokenly.
The context of her fears may differ, but her words and the accompanying feelings of apprehension resonates strongly in his core. Fear is a feature he can objectify and conquer, yet it is the only thing that he, as an individual, can handle.
"If this was a perfect world, we could all learn to fight and conquer our own fears," Itachi pauses and stares dismally at the empty blackness that is the darkened path to the underground, "some fears have that untold advantage, so the closest victory you can ever get with those types of fears is to walk beside them."
Izumi stares idly at the ground.
"I am scared I won't keep up," she whispers shakily.
There is a perplexed expression embedded in the furrows of her frown.
At her words, the deep foreign feelings he has suppressed re-engages with a jolt of warranted desire. It morphs into an emotional protective barrier that manifests in the firm hold he has on Izumi's face.
"It's okay, Izumi. I will walk with you so you don't fall behind."