[He doesn't delay in sending a response, then. If it's important enough to warrant a direct message, there's no time to sit around asking why.
He was out in the Shadowlands earlier; a return trip doesn't take long. Knowing the terrain as well as he does by now, Sasuke cuts a path straight toward the mausoleum, figure soon dashing into sight, silhouette sharp in the hazy fog of their eerie surroundings.]
（ once she feels the spark of the familiar chakra, she orients herself in that direction. she won't see him coming unless he wants her too, of course, but unless he's being generally cagey there isn't much reason to avoid her.
once he's visible, and the fog releases its hold on him, she gives him a nod. she's clearly on edge, there's no friendly smile or outpouring of her normal adoration, there's tension in the set of her shoulders and in the ridigity of her spine, and she's sitting perched on a piece of crumbling stone with her hands twisted into a knot in her lap. ）
I'm worried about Naruto.
（ it's a bit bluntly said. there's no point beating around the bush. ）
He's avoiding me for some reason — which tells me he's hiding something I'd notice if I saw him — and with the way he's focused on doing everything himself here... I think there's a high likelihood he's going to put himself in unnecessary danger trying to figure out how to return us home.
[He can sense the mood as soon as he's near, and it reflects his own, although that isn't much of a deviation from his usual dour mind. Dressed in a dark blue shirt with an open collar, the left sleeve is knotted off and he's without his cloak; a glance-over would tell Sakura that he's been out and about in the wild, exerting himself, given the unkempt state of his appearance in general.
There's also a new sword at his waist. The blade is straight, undecorated. Not dissimilar from the one he used to carry back home.]
He's avoiding me too. He keeps making excuses when there's any chance that we might see each other. So I went to look for him, and he ran away. He was angrier than he should have been. [Sasuke turns his head, gaze pointed toward the direction he knows his own door lies. With reflection, he wishes he hadn't lashed out in return.] I think he's hiding in that place behind his door.
（ the sword gets a look. she knows, too well now, just what it takes to make a lasting blade, but she isn't going to say anything about it. she can recognize that utility requires sacrifice, even if she disagrees with how that sacrifice occurs.
naruto will see it differently, but she has a series of soulforged glass bottles that she's using to store blood. there was no other choice unless she wanted them to degrade to uselessness almost immediately. so she understands why sasuke would make such a choice, and can't condemn it. ）
He's doing the same with me.
（ bleak confirmation. ）
And yes, he did tell me — but even if he hadn't — it's Naruto. Of course he's going to believe he can get us all home if he just tries hard enough. I've seen what happens when he's willing to tear himself apart for a goal, and I don't think that ends well here.
（ her shoulders hunch a little in misery as she pulls herself in nearer her center, like she's trying to fold into nothing, head resting briefly on her drawn-up knees. it's a moment of self-soothing, and then she consciously exhales. flattens out her shoulders, and stands up. ）
I'm going to see if I can get an audience with the Hierarchy.
[She isn't wrong. Whether Naruto said it in as many words or not, it is a decision he would make unilaterally and all of them know it. Frustration climbs in Sasuke's chest; he's annoyed, more so now than before, that Naruto wouldn't come out and face him. Hadn't he said they were in this together? 𝐋𝐢𝐚𝐫, comes the black thought. He doesn't try to shake it off. His mood lately has been like a roiling raincloud, persistent and dark; but that isn't anything new, after all.
Eyes pass over Sakura briefly, noticing those subtle movements and change in posture. Her statement arches a brow.]
Why? You can't think they'll grant it, or that they have any power to return us. They don't care at all. To them, we're useful tools against Oblivium and nothing else.
Everything they do or don't say might still be useful, even if I'm turned away.
（ furthermore, it's still an opportunity to get the partial layout of the building, the approximate number of servants and guards in that section. she's innocuous enough, who would ever suspect her? she's the better choice rather than naruto or sasuke in that regard. she may lack the sharingan's perfect recall, but it isn't as if her own memory for that sort of thing is poor. ）
It's just something I know I can do. I want to be useful to him. He's spent so many years protecting me, I want to give back.
[Sasuke watches her for a moment longer, those words touching upon what sentiment she has tacitly shared with him before — as well as the recollection of his own dismissal time and time again. I want to be useful to him. How has the relationship between Sakura and Naruto changed, grown, and matured when he wasn't looking? He can't know; neither does he ask now.]
Then if you find anything out, let me know. [Saying this summons another thought to mind, one that has been hanging sore on a hook ever since he last spoke to their mutual friend.] ... I confronted Naruto when he posted publicly about other worlds, he became upset quickly. He said you and I had been discussing him behind his back.
Do you know what he meant by that?
[Well. Now they are proving that point, but if the sin is seemingly committed in Naruto's mind, it needs to be addressed.]
（ there's no surprise on her face to hear it, just a sort of innate wariness that shifts her expression. it's the same sort of mien she'd adopt if she were to tell someone they weren't going to survive their injuries — resolute, sympathetic, and self-protective, in that it's a way to mask her own emotions. ）
No.
（ she and sasuke discussed soulmates as relative to naruto, which she supposes counts or could be taken that way... but there wouldn't have been any way naruto could have heard or known of that.
it does make her stomach twist uncomfortably in guilt, though. more that naruto may have found out than the fact the conversation existed at all. ƞecessɑɾʮ eνils. ）
I know he hides a lot from us, about what he's truly feeling inside. If he's losing control on that, I would suspect the influence of his Shadow at work. （ one hand goes to her forehead, finger and thumb splayed across it so she can press in against her temples. ） What did you say to him?
[Her assumption reflects his own, with as much reluctance as he feels to face it. About Naruto, they seem more closely aligned than on any other topic. And he's not unused to the effort of trying to puzzle out his closest friend's feelings, but... even then, Naruto was within reach. It's difficult to describe the disorientation of that being taken away. Of Naruto hiding from him, and running away. It feels like rejection.
The unhappiness sits in Sasuke's posture like it belongs.]
I was asking what he's said about us to the other Restless, since it's obvious he can't keep the secret of our backgrounds. [A look: You saw.] He was unusually combative about it. If it is his Shadow, then something about that conversation agitated him further. I don't know what it has to do with you and I.
[I mean... What is there between him and Sakura?]
I'm going to remain in the area until I can sense him again. He can't stay hidden from me forever. [Don't say that like it's a threat, Sasuke.] I'll find him eventually.
（ thank god one of them has a reasonable EQ. sakura gives him a long look, and then very gingerly: ）
Remember, he's used to being alone. If he thinks you and I are spending time together, for whatever reason, that may be upsetting to him. I think he worries about...
（ being forgotten. left behind. abandoned. he may hide the hurt from her, but hindsight has afforded her clarity the acquaintance of their youth never did. behaviour at the time she thought was just uncivil was actually a cry for any sort of attention at all. ）
— anyway, the specifics don't matter at the moment. You should try reaching out to him via the phone as well. I don't think I should, because how would I know? It would just fuel his concerns that we're discussing him. So, it's up to you to work this out with him.
ash pls accept my handwaved unanswered sasuke texts to naruto
[It's difficult to fathom how Naruto could believe they're spending time together; shouldn't it be the other way around? Naruto and Sakura are a unit, after all, with no seeming need of mending. But he had shared with her concern over Naruto's state earlier on, after he'd witnessed his friend lose control of the bijū chakra... If the situation were reversed, wouldn't Naruto have done the same? Surely they've discussed him. That wouldn't surprise or upset him at all.
Then again, he and Naruto are different — a fact not to take for granted, even after all that's happened between them.
Cool eyes drift over to Sakura as her sentence trails, frowning. He wants to know what she was going to say, but he doesn't ask.]
I've already tried. He hasn't answered. [How would I know? He continues to look at her with an evaluative cast, as though in doubt of that lack of confidence after her previous statements.] That's why I'm waiting until I can sense him again.
Why is it up to me? [Frown intensifying.] You're his teammate. He's avoiding you just the same. If this is how he feels about both of us, then both of us should be involved.
I will. But if I do it right now after you've had this discussion with him, don't you see how that will just make it worse? He'll assume — correctly — that I only know about what's going on with him because you came to discuss it with me.
（ she'll have to wait, or find something innocuous enough it won't be upsetting. but she doesn't want to put herself in a position where she needs to lie to him, either. she's done enough of that.
anger flickers beneath her otherwise calm veneer, catching like a spark on a thatched rooftop. it's an effort not to lose her temper, something she's become increasingly aware of in recent days. so when she speaks, there's a bit of a bite to it, the emotion not able to be entirely undercut by cool rationality. ）
And we're both his teammate. Stop acting as if you aren't.
[She isn't wrong. Sasuke's head turns, in time to avoid the brief flash of emotion on her face – however he hears that subtle change in the tight cord of her voice. His own frown is a permanent curve on his mouth, more comfortably fitted than any other expression and worsened by the topic of their conversation. Navigating this new dynamic between the three of them is difficult. Burdened with the actions of his past, not so distant even now, he can only wonder why Sakura would bother to speak with him on this, if not for the seriousness of their friend's current state.
Teammates. They were teammates, but they have never formally returned to that. They aren't performing missions here together as a unit. They have no common sensei. Is it because she sees him as belonging again to the village? It must be.
His eyes close, momentarily.] Fine. I'll speak to him first. But there's no guarantee he'll even listen to me. [Talking is not an activity the two of them are especially good at. It isn't as native or as comfortable to them as battle.] After that I'm telling him to go to you.
If you meet with the Hierarchy, what will you ask?
（ helping naruto is more important to her now than being in sasuke's good graces — but that was not always true of her. now it feels a little like naruto and sasuke are weighted scales on either side of her — celestial reflections of each other's souls — and she's left trying to balance what remains.
she exhales, and scrubs a hand through her hair, fingers stuttering briefly over the spot she usually wears her forehead protector and now wears nothing at all. her fingers scrunch up her hair in frustration, and then: ）
I've gone over a few possibilities in my mind, but I think in this case putting them in a position to answer the questions I'm not asking is going to be the best approach.
（ she's already noticed the tendency of the hierarchy to step around what they don't wish to answer. it's telling, and it can give them a lead. she just has to pay attention.
sakura's always had a knack for making her vulnerabilities do the work for her when she's trying to get answers out of someone, and she sees no reason it won't work in this instance just as well. ）
I've asked someone else to go with me — a diplomat — so I can focus more on observation and the occasional interjection. I don't expect he'll get anywhere, but that's not really the point. Is there anything in particular you'd like me to ask?
[His gaze wavers on her longer than usual, scrutiny double-edged now that he's occupied her body, if not her mind. He's tried to shake himself of the memory, but it becomes more difficult in proximity. The ache of muscles, the chakra tangled up in threaded patterns that had felt senseless to him, the gesture of fingers through longer hair an echo of how he'd done the same to rake it back away from his face. They haven't spoken to any extent about the exchange; he doesn't expect they ever will, but he saw her experience through his eyes once they were rightly returned to themselves. The horror of the Forges.]
Who is the diplomat?
[He knows only one of them in the Netherworld, but he has not seen Laurent use those skills, and frankly has trouble with the imagining.]
It would be useful to learn the Hierarchy's knowledge regarding the Labyrinth, if they have any at all. Has anyone survived trespassing those boundaries? Has anyone attempted to map its layout, or does it change frequently, or is as impossible an effort as tracking time in this place? I understand the Hierarchy claims that Oblivium is our greatest enemy, but the Labyrinth is a physical manifestation of it, so we need to be prepared at what we may face in the future. I've found little information on what is actually down there so far. [He pauses, thinking.] There's an entrance guarded in the Barrens.
[Not that he's dared cross into the Labyrinth himself yet. Even he knows it would be foolish without knowing more.]
Claude — he's been going by 'undying' on the Netherwork.
（ if sasuke's come across him, he'll remember. her fingers fuss along the hem of her shirt, stilling when he mentions the labyrinth. of course that place would draw his attention. she's only more surprised he hasn't walked through that entrance yet. almost as surprised as the fact he's asking her to canvas for information on his behalf. ）
[The name isn't one he recognizes, but he files it away all the same]
If you can learn more, then should there come a time we'll have to navigate that place, we'll be prepared.
[As it is now, he knows little better than nothing about the Labyrinth outside the warnings and dread expressed by the current citizens of Stygia. Entering on his own has occurred to him, but even he isn't willing to take that risk without sufficient evidence he would be able to return.]
I've encountered spectres in some of the openings that lead down into it. [One hand moves to the sword at his waist.] They're numerous in those broken passages. And they're a substitute for soul-forging, rather than using Restless like you or I. If you need anything in the future, I can hunt them.
（ she can't remember the last time he offered to do anything for her, to help. she doesn't quite know how to react — ultimately, she just works her jaw off to one side speculatively. she's torn between... fond warmth and fleeting annoyance that he very likely thinks she can't do it herself. ）
They are Restless. Just ones that have been lost to Oblivium.
（ what they might all become, if they aren't careful. it doesn't exactly make her shy away from the concept of using them in this manner, but it's not quite as black-and-white as being restless or not. even if there's no way to bring them back to themselves, it's still...
(but wasn't that what the white zetsu were, ultimately? people, lost to the previous infinite tsukuyomi. she hadn't flinched from killing them. ) ）
If you're going into the Labyrinth, just... please make sure Naruto or I know in advance. I don't care if you want to go alone — （ she does, but she knows better than to say it. it's never stopped him before. ） but I think we can agree that the Rinnegan falling into the wrong hands isn't something we should take lightly.
[He points a look at her as if to say, You know what I meant. The difference between a spectre and one of the existing, not-yet-fallen Restless is night and day. Killing the corrupted beings at all is a necessary evil. He wouldn't do it if he didn't have to, but they need tools and supplies to survive.]
We can agree. [A mild statement. Remember when you took his Rinnegan for a joyride in the Forges? Then again, that wasn't truly Sakura's fault, so he lets it slide.] I'm not going to act recklessly.
[The power of his eyes, desired by others, has been a burden he's carried his whole life. It doesn't feel any different here.]
（ 'not going to act recklessly' boy her ptsd says otherwise. ）
No.
（ there are a thousand things she wants to ask him. a thousand things she wants to say. but it isn't as if he's going to start listening to her now. she just shakes her head, and uses shunshin to vanish.
to be honest — it feels good to be the one leaving him standing there once in a while. ）
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
I'm in the Shadowlands, near the mausoleum.
no subject
He was out in the Shadowlands earlier; a return trip doesn't take long. Knowing the terrain as well as he does by now, Sasuke cuts a path straight toward the mausoleum, figure soon dashing into sight, silhouette sharp in the hazy fog of their eerie surroundings.]
no subject
once he's visible, and the fog releases its hold on him, she gives him a nod. she's clearly on edge, there's no friendly smile or outpouring of her normal adoration, there's tension in the set of her shoulders and in the ridigity of her spine, and she's sitting perched on a piece of crumbling stone with her hands twisted into a knot in her lap. ）
I'm worried about Naruto.
（ it's a bit bluntly said. there's no point beating around the bush. ）
He's avoiding me for some reason — which tells me he's hiding something I'd notice if I saw him — and with the way he's focused on doing everything himself here... I think there's a high likelihood he's going to put himself in unnecessary danger trying to figure out how to return us home.
no subject
There's also a new sword at his waist. The blade is straight, undecorated. Not dissimilar from the one he used to carry back home.]
He's avoiding me too. He keeps making excuses when there's any chance that we might see each other. So I went to look for him, and he ran away. He was angrier than he should have been. [Sasuke turns his head, gaze pointed toward the direction he knows his own door lies. With reflection, he wishes he hadn't lashed out in return.] I think he's hiding in that place behind his door.
Has he told you he's looking for a way back?
no subject
naruto will see it differently, but she has a series of soulforged glass bottles that she's using to store blood. there was no other choice unless she wanted them to degrade to uselessness almost immediately. so she understands why sasuke would make such a choice, and can't condemn it. ）
He's doing the same with me.
（ bleak confirmation. ）
And yes, he did tell me — but even if he hadn't — it's Naruto. Of course he's going to believe he can get us all home if he just tries hard enough. I've seen what happens when he's willing to tear himself apart for a goal, and I don't think that ends well here.
（ her shoulders hunch a little in misery as she pulls herself in nearer her center, like she's trying to fold into nothing, head resting briefly on her drawn-up knees. it's a moment of self-soothing, and then she consciously exhales. flattens out her shoulders, and stands up. ）
I'm going to see if I can get an audience with the Hierarchy.
no subject
Eyes pass over Sakura briefly, noticing those subtle movements and change in posture. Her statement arches a brow.]
Why? You can't think they'll grant it, or that they have any power to return us. They don't care at all. To them, we're useful tools against Oblivium and nothing else.
no subject
（ furthermore, it's still an opportunity to get the partial layout of the building, the approximate number of servants and guards in that section. she's innocuous enough, who would ever suspect her? she's the better choice rather than naruto or sasuke in that regard. she may lack the sharingan's perfect recall, but it isn't as if her own memory for that sort of thing is poor. ）
It's just something I know I can do. I want to be useful to him. He's spent so many years protecting me, I want to give back.
no subject
Then if you find anything out, let me know. [Saying this summons another thought to mind, one that has been hanging sore on a hook ever since he last spoke to their mutual friend.] ... I confronted Naruto when he posted publicly about other worlds, he became upset quickly. He said you and I had been discussing him behind his back.
Do you know what he meant by that?
[Well. Now they are proving that point, but if the sin is seemingly committed in Naruto's mind, it needs to be addressed.]
no subject
No.
（ she and sasuke discussed soulmates as relative to naruto, which she supposes counts or could be taken that way... but there wouldn't have been any way naruto could have heard or known of that.
it does make her stomach twist uncomfortably in guilt, though. more that naruto may have found out than the fact the conversation existed at all. ƞecessɑɾʮ eνils. ）
I know he hides a lot from us, about what he's truly feeling inside. If he's losing control on that, I would suspect the influence of his Shadow at work. （ one hand goes to her forehead, finger and thumb splayed across it so she can press in against her temples. ） What did you say to him?
no subject
The unhappiness sits in Sasuke's posture like it belongs.]
I was asking what he's said about us to the other Restless, since it's obvious he can't keep the secret of our backgrounds. [A look: You saw.] He was unusually combative about it. If it is his Shadow, then something about that conversation agitated him further. I don't know what it has to do with you and I.
[I mean... What is there between him and Sakura?]
I'm going to remain in the area until I can sense him again. He can't stay hidden from me forever. [Don't say that like it's a threat, Sasuke.] I'll find him eventually.
no subject
Remember, he's used to being alone. If he thinks you and I are spending time together, for whatever reason, that may be upsetting to him. I think he worries about...
（ being forgotten. left behind. abandoned. he may hide the hurt from her, but hindsight has afforded her clarity the acquaintance of their youth never did. behaviour at the time she thought was just uncivil was actually a cry for any sort of attention at all. ）
— anyway, the specifics don't matter at the moment. You should try reaching out to him via the phone as well. I don't think I should, because how would I know? It would just fuel his concerns that we're discussing him. So, it's up to you to work this out with him.
ash pls accept my handwaved unanswered sasuke texts to naruto
Then again, he and Naruto are different — a fact not to take for granted, even after all that's happened between them.
Cool eyes drift over to Sakura as her sentence trails, frowning. He wants to know what she was going to say, but he doesn't ask.]
I've already tried. He hasn't answered. [How would I know? He continues to look at her with an evaluative cast, as though in doubt of that lack of confidence after her previous statements.] That's why I'm waiting until I can sense him again.
Why is it up to me? [Frown intensifying.] You're his teammate. He's avoiding you just the same. If this is how he feels about both of us, then both of us should be involved.
no subject
（ she'll have to wait, or find something innocuous enough it won't be upsetting. but she doesn't want to put herself in a position where she needs to lie to him, either. she's done enough of that.
anger flickers beneath her otherwise calm veneer, catching like a spark on a thatched rooftop. it's an effort not to lose her temper, something she's become increasingly aware of in recent days. so when she speaks, there's a bit of a bite to it, the emotion not able to be entirely undercut by cool rationality. ）
And we're both his teammate. Stop acting as if you aren't.
no subject
Teammates. They were teammates, but they have never formally returned to that. They aren't performing missions here together as a unit. They have no common sensei. Is it because she sees him as belonging again to the village? It must be.
His eyes close, momentarily.] Fine. I'll speak to him first. But there's no guarantee he'll even listen to me. [Talking is not an activity the two of them are especially good at. It isn't as native or as comfortable to them as battle.] After that I'm telling him to go to you.
If you meet with the Hierarchy, what will you ask?
no subject
（ helping naruto is more important to her now than being in sasuke's good graces — but that was not always true of her. now it feels a little like naruto and sasuke are weighted scales on either side of her — celestial reflections of each other's souls — and she's left trying to balance what remains.
she exhales, and scrubs a hand through her hair, fingers stuttering briefly over the spot she usually wears her forehead protector and now wears nothing at all. her fingers scrunch up her hair in frustration, and then: ）
I've gone over a few possibilities in my mind, but I think in this case putting them in a position to answer the questions I'm not asking is going to be the best approach.
（ she's already noticed the tendency of the hierarchy to step around what they don't wish to answer. it's telling, and it can give them a lead. she just has to pay attention.
sakura's always had a knack for making her vulnerabilities do the work for her when she's trying to get answers out of someone, and she sees no reason it won't work in this instance just as well. ）
I've asked someone else to go with me — a diplomat — so I can focus more on observation and the occasional interjection. I don't expect he'll get anywhere, but that's not really the point. Is there anything in particular you'd like me to ask?
no subject
Who is the diplomat?
[He knows only one of them in the Netherworld, but he has not seen Laurent use those skills, and frankly has trouble with the imagining.]
It would be useful to learn the Hierarchy's knowledge regarding the Labyrinth, if they have any at all. Has anyone survived trespassing those boundaries? Has anyone attempted to map its layout, or does it change frequently, or is as impossible an effort as tracking time in this place? I understand the Hierarchy claims that Oblivium is our greatest enemy, but the Labyrinth is a physical manifestation of it, so we need to be prepared at what we may face in the future. I've found little information on what is actually down there so far. [He pauses, thinking.] There's an entrance guarded in the Barrens.
[Not that he's dared cross into the Labyrinth himself yet. Even he knows it would be foolish without knowing more.]
no subject
（ if sasuke's come across him, he'll remember. her fingers fuss along the hem of her shirt, stilling when he mentions the labyrinth. of course that place would draw his attention. she's only more surprised he hasn't walked through that entrance yet. almost as surprised as the fact he's asking her to canvas for information on his behalf. ）
And if I can learn more... what then?
no subject
If you can learn more, then should there come a time we'll have to navigate that place, we'll be prepared.
[As it is now, he knows little better than nothing about the Labyrinth outside the warnings and dread expressed by the current citizens of Stygia. Entering on his own has occurred to him, but even he isn't willing to take that risk without sufficient evidence he would be able to return.]
I've encountered spectres in some of the openings that lead down into it. [One hand moves to the sword at his waist.] They're numerous in those broken passages. And they're a substitute for soul-forging, rather than using Restless like you or I. If you need anything in the future, I can hunt them.
no subject
They are Restless. Just ones that have been lost to Oblivium.
（ what they might all become, if they aren't careful. it doesn't exactly make her shy away from the concept of using them in this manner, but it's not quite as black-and-white as being restless or not. even if there's no way to bring them back to themselves, it's still...
(but wasn't that what the white zetsu were, ultimately? people, lost to the previous infinite tsukuyomi. she hadn't flinched from killing them. ) ）
If you're going into the Labyrinth, just... please make sure Naruto or I know in advance. I don't care if you want to go alone — （ she does, but she knows better than to say it. it's never stopped him before. ） but I think we can agree that the Rinnegan falling into the wrong hands isn't something we should take lightly.
no subject
We can agree. [A mild statement. Remember when you took his Rinnegan for a joyride in the Forges? Then again, that wasn't truly Sakura's fault, so he lets it slide.] I'm not going to act recklessly.
[The power of his eyes, desired by others, has been a burden he's carried his whole life. It doesn't feel any different here.]
Was there anything else?
no subject
No.
（ there are a thousand things she wants to ask him. a thousand things she wants to say. but it isn't as if he's going to start listening to her now. she just shakes her head, and uses shunshin to vanish.
to be honest — it feels good to be the one leaving him standing there once in a while. ）
no subject
(He deserves this.)]