Play with Fire
"Do you remember the first person you've killed?" The words rolled off her tongue with chilling ease as if she were asking him about his favourite meal.
Sasuke's jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing "I don't kill people. There's only one-"
"I know, I knoooow" Izumi cut him off, waving a dismissive hand. It reminded him of how she'd used to dismiss his bouts of anger whenever their play would end up in her winning when they were 6. "But surely, there must be someone-"
"I don't. I haven't," Sasuke replied curtly, unpacking provisions as they sat on the steps of the old pagoda after hours of training. They set their weapons down carefully, leaning them against the house walls, and sat just as they used to sit when they were little. The familiar habit they began to recreate brought pleasant memories.
"Then why do you carry this long and sharp sword around?" The playfulness in her voice both annoyed him and made him unable to resist the urge to give her a playful nudge with a snort under his breath. He hadn't felt this strange longing for her playful nature in a long time, until now. Someone who asked uncomfortable questions without cowering in fear under his reserved and dark gaze.
Izumi's lips curled into a mirthless smile that looked out of place on a suddenly much older face of hers. "You'll have to start killing if you want to be truly ready to face Itachi."
The eternal light of the violet moon in Izumi's illusion brought single drops of rain, which quickly turned into a downpour. The air grew cooler. They both tucked their feet under themselves on the wooden steps of the pagoda. Sasuke crumpled the rice cake wrapper in his hands and tossed it aside. After a moment, it disappeared, melting in the rain.
Silence stretched between them, broken only by the relentless patter of rain. Sasuke's mind raced, memories of Orochimaru's similar words echoing in his head: "Unless you become heartless, you will not be able to stand up to Itachi..."
Izumi's eyes glazed over, lost in memories that weighed on her mind like heavy boulders of burden. Her voice, barely audible over the rain, carried a weight. "Sometimes I dream of things I've never experienced, yet they feel like my memories," she continued, her voice taking on a distant quality. "The Moth's memories and thoughts pour into my reality. The barrier between her and me blurs… I forget who Izumi is."
Sasuke remained silent, his face an impassive mask, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of concern for the companion next to him. "If it helps you, so be it," Sasuke finally said, his voice softer than before. "But I'm not interested in that path."
Izumi's eyes snapped back to Sasuke. "But it makes it easier. I remember the blood, the life fading from their eyes. So when I first went to fight with the intent to kill... when I first killed... what I remember... it was... easier?"
"I thought the Moth takes over when it's time to kill," Sasuke replied.
"She does now… but before… I learnt to do it myself. With Orochimaru’s help... Although… it does take away my sanity. I think? Akira would talk about it a lot. ‘Be careful, little sister, you'll get burned in the darkness if you continue that path, bla bla bla…’" she mocked her sister while Sasuke turned his eyes towards her.
She leaned closer to Sasuke, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Besides, if you don't practice, how can you be sure you'll be able to kill the one you're hunting? You have no idea how you'll feel when it comes down to it. He's your brother—"
"My brother is dead to me, just like the rest of my family," Sasuke cut her off, his voice cold and hard. The rain seemed to fall harder, matching the intensity of his words.
"I'm alive. And so is Akira," Izumi retorted, her eyes challenging him.
"Tch. You're not my family," Sasuke sneered, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice. "Orochimaru tried to convince me of the same thing, but I'm certain. I'm not the same weak pup I was a few years ago. I will be heartless when the time comes."
Izumi studied him for a moment, contemplating pushing further yet she didn't feel like she was in the mood to spoil the night this time. A couple of moths appeared fluttering above them and then moving inside the house through the open doorway as if trying to grab their attention to follow.
Finally, she sighed "Whatever. Let's go inside." The rain fell in heavy sheets now, creating a sombre backdrop for the pair getting up to explore the abandoned cabin. The moment they stepped inside, the rain stopped completely, as if entering a new realm, despite open spaces.
Sasuke conjured a small ball of fire to light the room to which they turned into from the main hallway but found nothing of significance. The place seemed abandoned long ago. Yet, an ethereal presence lingered, an ancient chakra that felt otherworldly. He felt impressed by the extent of Izumi's imagination. Every detail was a creation of her mind, the boundless Shinengan genjutsu. Izumi touched the wall with her fingers, trying to sense the house's chakra energy, to read it. Sasuke turned to her, and a silence settled between them.
"I swear, I saw glyphs on this doorframe the last time we were here..." Izumi mused aloud.
"You said yourself that you don't remember some memories like they're someone else's. Is it possible Huranaishi is adding to the world with her influence?" Sasuke approached, touching the wood, but he saw nothing either.
"Perhaps. It's like the Abyss lives its own life sometimes, you know." Izumi's hand was still on the old door frame, her skin illuminated by the warm glow of his fire. "Some of those details are apparently memories, details added by the previous heiresses of Huranaishi. Like, each one of us have been building the Abyss, leaving some trace for the future ones." she turned towards Sasuke.
They suddenly felt a closeness, a shared stillness. They stood in silence for a moment, staring at the wood, when Izumi turned her back leaning on the wall resigned, suddenly tired. Despite this being her domain, sustaining the illusion has been impacting her chakra levels. She lifted her eyes shyly meeting his. Sasuke lowered his gaze, held his breath, and extinguished the flame, leaving them in darkness. Weirdly, she did not comment, feeling they both needed… no, wanted this now.
This…
They did not need light; the darkness was sweet, safe, comforting... away from prying eyes, shame, and fear. Darkness was simply the absence of light.
Sasuke stood just a step away from Izumi, who leaned against the wall, slowly lowering her arms. Their eyes began to adjust to the gloom, illuminated only by the starlight filtering through the gaps in the window shutters.
The moonlight from the veranda illuminated the hallway and the entrance to the room, resting timidly on their toes. Izumi watched their feet, her heart beating faster. They could have switched to using their dojutsu, but they didn't need it now. Gazes were unnecessary, stressful, unwanted.
His foot moved slightly towards hers, and she felt his toes touch hers. Sasuke stepped closer until their hair strands lightly brushed against their cheeks. They felt each other's warm breaths on their skin, though they tried to control them at all costs. Izumi observed his every move intently, her eyes wide open, sensing that he finally felt more confident away from the light. She gifted him this moment by closing her eyes and tilting her face upwards as his breath near her neck and right ear.
Their fingers intertwined timidly, as she carefully placed her left hand on his chest, trying to gauge his reaction, cautiously... not to startle him. But he stayed, allowing her touch. They stood there, slowly tracing each other's bodies with fingers that, initially cold, quickly warmed with desire.
As she gently moved her fingers to the edge of his collar, she hesitated for a moment before touching his skin and slowly tracing along his collarbones and neck. Sasuke let out a soft murmur, exhaling as he involuntarily brought his face closer to hers.
Despite feeling more confident, the fear of such intimate proximity still paralysed him. Izumi tried to ease his tension by turning her face towards his, closing her eyes, and brushing her nose against his. They lingered like this for a moment, and then she began to find his lips, unconsciously licking her own. She first brushed his cheek with her lips, continuously observing his reaction until her lips finally met his.
His hand tightened around her fingers in anticipation. It didn't last long, but the moment—this long-awaited connection, their first extraordinary kiss—overwhelmed them both.
Sasuke reciprocated the kiss, their lips and tongues intertwining in a passionate dance. Izumi pulled away briefly, releasing his hand and smiling softly to herself. She grabbed his helpless arms, guiding them to her back, until he embraced her more confidently, his movements still shy but learning from hers.
She found his lips again and pressed against the wall of the darkened room as he held her with his heated body, kissing her more confidently and exploring her curves, this time not in the context of sparring.
Everything began to fall apart, scattered moonlight started illuminating them both, casting irregular spots on their faces, gradually brightening the room.
"Please, not yet..." Izumi moaned, pulling Sasuke closer.
Like pieces of a puzzle, the walls, wooden ceiling, and parts of the floor began to float away into the space, dispersing into dust, allowing more and more of the cosmic expanse to seep in...
Izumi squeezed her eyes shut to focus on the kiss, determined not to pay attention to the changing surroundings, but Sasuke was already distracted. He pulled away from her lips, his glazed eyes staring at the girl increasingly illuminated by moonlight, unable to fully shake off the intense sensation. His hands still held her, though he stepped back as reality started to reach him with each passing second. They were losing the ground beneath their feet; the veranda was gone, everything slowly replaced by the cosmic void, the endless starry night.
Izumi placed her hand on Sasuke's cheek and looked into his eyes with tenderness for the last moment before the illusion tore her from his embrace, ejecting them both from the Abyss.
Three weeks earlier, Tenchi Bridge/Reunion Arc
"Sasuke!!" The dim candle flames flickered ominously as a scream echoed through the narrow underground tunnels. Strands of golden hair glinted in the firelight, while the rapid footfalls of several pairs of ninja boots scattered the mice that had felt safe in the dark corners of the abandoned passageways.
Naruto gritted his teeth, his breath coming in quick gasps as he sprinted forward without slowing down. He swallowed hard, tears welling up in his eyes. The light at the end of the tunnel grew brighter, and his gaze, filled with hope, fixed on the sight before him. Is this true? Have they finally found him?
And so they did.