Pairing: Itasasu (lite)

Rating: T

Summary: -Itasasu- Some times, there isn't a world of difference between waking up dead and falling asleep alive. Luckily, for these two, there is. -slight spoilers-

Waking Up Dead.

BREATHE INhale.

"There's a whole world between us."

BREATHE OUT . . . that's exhaling.

"What is this 'us'? There is no us."

"You and I . . . brothers . . ."

". . . I see . . . and what is the world between us?"

BREATHE IN. NO TALKING ON EMPTY /HEARTS/ LUNGS.

"The world between us."

"There will be no world between us in Hell."

BREATHING OUT. He shifts, not able to move but doing it anyways. Sasuke wishes for no more air to fill undeserving lungs. Neither should live – though Sasuke has been /dying/ dead for years now. (For a corpse, the heat of desire is unexpected.)

He woke up dead in a hospital (so far from now), bandage on his arm. He woke up wishing that it has all been a lie /a lie is truth we choose not to believe/ and he is sorely disappointed.

He is sore, here and now, but fading fast. This body, so much like the one beside him . . . a sigh, a twitch, intertwining fingers. (Desire burns wounds not etched into his skin.)

"How sentimental," Itachi purrs, and Sasuke wishes there was NO WALL and he could check to see if his brother's face was showing amusement at the idea.

"No, I just want to make sure you don't run away." Sasuke whispers the words, his throat screams at normal speech.

". . . I cannot run." Sasuke feels like fighting the feeling / fighting the world / fighting his own heart / because its telling him / that he loves his enemy. However, an organ can only tell as much truth as your parents can, he reflects. Sasuke believes nothing, Sasuke did not believe "I'll always be here." Sasuke does not believe I. LOVE. YOU.

"I hate you." Itachi makes a noise at this statement that makes Sasuke laugh that makes Itachi squeezesqueezesqueeze his fingers. This is hate, this is the reality, this is not love.

Itachi doesn't love Sasuke doesn't love Itachi.

"I hate you too." Yet everything there was not truth, because they live in a world (a life) where hate is love and love is hate. The confusion seizes Sasuke, and he wishes he could move closer to Itachi. (How strange.)

"Big brother, is this waking up dead?"

Breathe out.

"That . . . already happened. No, baby brother, this is falling asleep alive."

Breathe out.

Only one breathes back in.

La fin.