"Itachi? What was your life like when you were alive?"
Itachi hit his head on the shelf storing all their pilfered food. He hissed silently, rubbing the throbbing area on his skull. He wasn't expecting the sudden question from the seven-year-old. Renji had never enquired about his time alive before. He returned to grabbing the bread he had dropped before turning to Renji's expectant face.
"Why the sudden interest?" Itachi asked, still rubbing the bruise that was slowly forming on his scalp.
"Well, it's just that you never talk about it. I only know really vague stuff about you. Like, you said I reminded you of someone but you never said who. And you know this chakra stuff as well and all these strange and awesome jutsus. And you said you hurt people too. I don't like not knowing stuff. You're the biggest mystery to me, nii-san. In fact, I don't even know what your favorite food is! So...can you for once be honest with me about yourself?"
"I remember my life alive," Itachi replied as he shifted through the contents of the pot that Renji stole from the market earlier that day. He placed the food on the shelf as he spoke. "Although, I wish to forget most of it and the finer details are slowly eluding me as time goes on."
"Why?"
"I'd rather not say..."
"Why?"
"It's a bit dark."
"Why?"
"Don't even try it, Renji," Itachi said, throwing a knowing glance at the redhead. "I had a little brother and he pulled the 'Why?' game with me all too often. I've learned how to handle it accordingly."
"Really!?" Renji blurted out. "You had a little brother before?"
"Yes...though I wasn't the elder sibling I should have been to him..."
"Well if you're not gonna talk about him, how about more general stuff?"
"Well, since you insist," Itachi conceded as he broke apart the bread he had dropped earlier and handed a piece to Renji. "I like cabbage, onigiri with seaweed in it, and dango while I dislike steak. I hate violence and needless bloodshed. My dream for the future...I wish to atone for the mistakes that I made and protect those important to me. And I loved my younger brother Sasuke dearly; I gave up my life to protect him and our home."
"Wow..." Renji muttered. "You mean you died protecting your brother? That's so...awesome. You must be the best big brother in the world if you did that, nii-san. Anyone who says otherwise is a dumbass."
"I guarantee you...I wasn't..." Itachi said softly, his gaze hardening and becoming more distant. "I guess I would be one of those dumbasses in your opinion then."
"Don't look like that! Just you wait, Itachi-nii! I'm gonna be the strongest Soul Reaper ever!" Renji boldly exclaimed, standing up proudly and puffing out his chest. "I'll get rid of all the bad things that make you sad! Then you won't have to worry about feeling sad anymore!"
"Well, 'strongest Soul Reaper ever'; would you care to sit down and eat? You're not going to get anywhere on an empty stomach," Itachi chided lightly, eyeing the embarrassed look on Renji's face as the redhead sat back down. The child began muttering under his breath as he ate his bread.
"Nii-san, what were your parents like?" Renji asked suddenly.
Itachi stopped mid-bite at the question.
"You told me you had a brother, but you didn't tell me about your mom or dad. Were they nice?"
Itachi said nothing, his mind delving into the memories of his past. He remembered that night clearly, no matter how much he wished to forget it. The silent swish of a ninjato through the neck, the sickening thunks of shuriken being embedded into bodies, the splashing of blood onto the soil; he remembered it all, the images forever burned into the retinas of his Sharingan.
