[About half an hour later, Al gets in, half-soaked and shivering and wearing a hoodie backwards for some reason, having gotten caught in the beginning of the storms. Teeth chattering, he slides a hand into the hoodie without a hello, and brings out a newborn kitten smaller than his palm, and a hot water bottle, and a towel, which has been keeping the little guy warm. Thankfully, the baby's dry, even if Al's soaked. He really made sure to protect the kitten.]
H-here, hold onto him wh-while I get out of this...?
[Sasuke had been watching the storm, silently curing Naruto for being unable to wait. When Al came into his room, get got up and hurried over to take the kitten and bottle from him. Cradling the runt carefully and holding the bottle in the crook of his arm, Sasuke reached over to get a towel for Al to use in order to dry off. He wasn't going to be the reason he got sick.]
[Al shifts and tugs off his hoodie and his shirt, hanging them over the back of a wooden chair and shaking his hair out of his face. He gratefully accepts the towel, still shivering, but calms down quickly enough, frowning out the window.]
Thanks -- It hadn't started when I left! There was just this crack of thunder, and suddenly, rain! I got here as quick as I could...
[He chews his lip a little, also worried about Naruto, but he wasn't going to say it. Instead, still rubbing his hair dry, he comes over to inspect the kitten Sasuke's holding so carefully, his face softening.]
Poor little guy... glad it's not wet too.
I'm bringing this little one with me for now, it's smaller than the others and can't push its way to the food, so... I'm bottle-feeding.
[Sasuke casts another glance out the window before glancing down at the kitten. The runt of the litter. Almost...exactly like him. Unable to mature as quickly as the others, needing help along the way...
Sasuke's eyes soften a little as he thinks back to his childhood, what he remembers of his toddler years.]
...Hey, Al? Would you mind if I kept him? I can wait, if he needs it.
[... to be honest... Al was kind of hoping Sasuke would want one of the kittens. He needs something love, something to soften him up, keep him human. Al's eyes soften a little, and he beams, running a finger along the tiny body as the kitten squirms and tries to suckle.]
... of course you can. I need a special home for this one, and I was worried someone might not take him.
[Al's voice softens.]
Hear that, little guy...? Sasuke wants you to make it, too. You're going to be the strongest in the end, I just know it.
[Sasuke couldn't help but smile a little, feeding the kitten its milk. He'll have to be careful with the kitty, though. Watch it carefully and make sure it isn't seen by Madara or Itachi. Can't let them know.
He doesn't want to grow to love something and then have it taken away from him. Not again.]
[Al settles down, pulling on a spare shirt while his dries, watching Sasuke with the kitten. He wants to hug him. Both fragile, both needing help and care to become stronger. Both desperately needing love. Al knows, however, that he's not the one Sasuke needs. All he can do is be there for him.]
[Sasuke watches the kitten for a few minutes before deciding on a name. He's still holding the smile, stroking the kitten with a finger as he feeds it.]
[Even around the previous Sasuke, Al rarely got to see him smile like this, fresh and innocent. Now, he can't stop his own grin. Cats and Uchihas. They went together so well.]
[Sasuke glanced over at Al for a moment before glancing down at the recently-named Mouko. The dull sound of thunder can be heard outside, the wind gradually picking up.]
It means fierce tiger. I don't why, but I've always liked the name.
[Sasuke pauses for a moment to consider this, taking a seat in the chair next to his bed. He's thinking about what Al had just said, and there's a goofy-looking smile on his face as he tries to keep in the laughter.]
[Alphonse sits down on the bed itself, since there's nowhere else, and for a moment, their faces just about match in expression. Then Al loses and bursts out laughing.]
Th-That's... oddly... fitting.
[He reaches up to hide his smile with a hand, still giggling at the mental image, before he looks up again.]
[Sasuke chuckles before stopping, his smile turning into a sad one as he thinks about it. Weasel is the perfect name for his brother. Cunning, quick, deadly. Traitorous.]
Yeah.
[Sasuke wipes the smile from his face all together as he glances back out the window, just watching the rain against the window.]
My father picked it. It's supposed to be the name of a legendary ninja.
[Al studies Sasuke's face for a moment, then looks out at the rain. It's a little strong, and rainy nights still make him distantly both nervous and excited.
After Sasuke tells him this, Al draws his legs up, sitting with his ankles crossed, holding onto them, and regards Sasuke with a soft, thoughtful expression.]
It's just a matter of time.
[The way he says it isn't in the reassuring, matter-of-fact way he has when he's soothing Sasuke's feelings. He says it with assurance, like it's a fact, like he knows.
I know. That's why... I've asked Madara to help me train.
[Sasuke avoids eye contact with the blond, knows he won't like it. When the kitten mews weakly, Sasuke glances down, taking the bottle from her as he leans down to check on her. Pets her, telling her it's all right.
Distractions. He's taking the easy way out. The easy way to get stronger.]
[Al's fingers tighten around his pale ankles, biting into the skin with his nails, until he carefully removes them so they won't bleed, clenching his fists in his lap instead, staring down at them. He takes a deep breath. Lets it out. His voice is dark with barely concealed disgust and hatred, a strange, unsettling and frightening tone for someone with a normally kind, sweet voice.]
... Madara's no better than Orochimaru. He'll hurt you.
[Al's hands are tightening again. He's been there. Seen Sasuke's eyes when he wakes up after nightmares about Orochimaru and what he did to him. Seen the dead, blank look that comes over his face when he talk about his training. About the snakes. About being alone, and giving up literally everything of his innocence and self-worth and willingness to live.
Al doesn't know if he can allow that to happen, right under his nose, no matter what Sasuke wants. No matter what he thinks is right. He just saw him smile. He can't let that innocence and joy slip away.
He feels his nails pop through the skin, and a slight warmth that quickly cools.
Careless. Weak. He feels pretty much like both right now.]
There has to be someone else who can train you...
[But there isn't. He knows it. No one who is strong enough.]
[Sasuke's stroking Mouko, keeping her warm as he continued to eye contact. That brief glimpse of joy is gone now. Locked away.
He'll do what he has to. He's been pretty much unproductive since his arrival almost two months ago. He's had one training session with the person that he hates the most. Gave away the knowledge of all his current abilities in order to hear a tiny bit of praise.
Naruto's much stronger than him now too. He can see it, feel it. The last of his class, better than him. It's humiliating. A blow to his pride, his clan.
He's inferior now. Not taken seriously. He's never taken seriously anymore.]
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[Voice]
[Voice]
Want me to visit sometime soon, or are you busy with other things?
[Voice]
You can visit. Just been training a little, anyway.
[Voice]
Do you might if I bring a guest with me?
[Voice]
Uh... sure.
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[About half an hour later, Al gets in, half-soaked and shivering and wearing a hoodie backwards for some reason, having gotten caught in the beginning of the storms. Teeth chattering, he slides a hand into the hoodie without a hello, and brings out a newborn kitten smaller than his palm, and a hot water bottle, and a towel, which has been keeping the little guy warm. Thankfully, the baby's dry, even if Al's soaked. He really made sure to protect the kitten.]
H-here, hold onto him wh-while I get out of this...?
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How bad is it outside?
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Thanks -- It hadn't started when I left! There was just this crack of thunder, and suddenly, rain! I got here as quick as I could...
[He chews his lip a little, also worried about Naruto, but he wasn't going to say it. Instead, still rubbing his hair dry, he comes over to inspect the kitten Sasuke's holding so carefully, his face softening.]
Poor little guy... glad it's not wet too.
I'm bringing this little one with me for now, it's smaller than the others and can't push its way to the food, so... I'm bottle-feeding.
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Sasuke's eyes soften a little as he thinks back to his childhood, what he remembers of his toddler years.]
...Hey, Al? Would you mind if I kept him? I can wait, if he needs it.
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... of course you can. I need a special home for this one, and I was worried someone might not take him.
[Al's voice softens.]
Hear that, little guy...? Sasuke wants you to make it, too. You're going to be the strongest in the end, I just know it.
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He doesn't want to grow to love something and then have it taken away from him. Not again.]
Thanks, Al.
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Anytime.
[He smiles, a little distantly.]
I know I can trust you.
...
What do you think would be a good name?
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[Sasuke watches the kitten for a few minutes before deciding on a name. He's still holding the smile, stroking the kitten with a finger as he feeds it.]
I think... Mouko's a good name.
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What does that mean?
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It means fierce tiger. I don't why, but I've always liked the name.
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In my country, parents often name their children for qualities they hope they'll grow up to be like. So I think that's a great name.
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That'd make Itachi nothing more than a weasel.
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Th-That's... oddly... fitting.
[He reaches up to hide his smile with a hand, still giggling at the mental image, before he looks up again.]
What's your name mean?
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Yeah.
[Sasuke wipes the smile from his face all together as he glances back out the window, just watching the rain against the window.]
My father picked it. It's supposed to be the name of a legendary ninja.
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After Sasuke tells him this, Al draws his legs up, sitting with his ankles crossed, holding onto them, and regards Sasuke with a soft, thoughtful expression.]
It's just a matter of time.
[The way he says it isn't in the reassuring, matter-of-fact way he has when he's soothing Sasuke's feelings. He says it with assurance, like it's a fact, like he knows.
And he does.]
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[Sasuke avoids eye contact with the blond, knows he won't like it. When the kitten mews weakly, Sasuke glances down, taking the bottle from her as he leans down to check on her. Pets her, telling her it's all right.
Distractions. He's taking the easy way out. The easy way to get stronger.]
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... Madara's no better than Orochimaru. He'll hurt you.
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I'll take the risk. I've gotten careless, weak.
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Al doesn't know if he can allow that to happen, right under his nose, no matter what Sasuke wants. No matter what he thinks is right. He just saw him smile. He can't let that innocence and joy slip away.
He feels his nails pop through the skin, and a slight warmth that quickly cools.
Careless. Weak. He feels pretty much like both right now.]
There has to be someone else who can train you...
[But there isn't. He knows it. No one who is strong enough.]
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He'll do what he has to. He's been pretty much unproductive since his arrival almost two months ago. He's had one training session with the person that he hates the most. Gave away the knowledge of all his current abilities in order to hear a tiny bit of praise.
Naruto's much stronger than him now too. He can see it, feel it. The last of his class, better than him. It's humiliating. A blow to his pride, his clan.
He's inferior now. Not taken seriously. He's never taken seriously anymore.]
Kakashi? He's busy. Always. Gai, haven't seen. Anko, crazy.
None of them have what I need, anyway. Maybe a year ago, but not now. Not after I've shown him everything I'm capable of.
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