#selfinflictedagony

It's a chilly night tonight, even with the window closed and a warm fleece blanket upon my form, typical of any evening settled within the Winter season. If not for the blanket, my bones and flesh would be all but benumbed, though that numbness was something I savored. The pain that came beforehand and the unfeeling sensation that came afterwards, only one who understands great pain could even think to relish such a notion.  The temptation to simply toss the blanket aside was great. Instead, I allowed my eyes to flick nonchalantly to the side as a subtle knock on the bedroom door and the call of an all too familiar timbre as the door had opened. My lips immediately pursed as the other had walked in, carrying a tray with what appeared to be a piping hot bowl of soup and some tea. Such a meal would be ideal for a potently icy night like this.

"Make sure you at least try to eat something tonight. They say it might start snowing soon." The same as every night, sincere concern hidden almost perfectly behind a mirrored visage.

"Samu-sa ga watashi o ki shita koto ga nai, sore wanaideshou." I replied, turning my gaze away from the food I was offered. I wasn't in the mood to eat at the moment. "....Just eat it when you feel like it then." Came his somewhat dissevered response as he folded his arms across his chest. It was at this moment that my hand shot forward with almost inhuman speed and fluidity, effortlessly capturing a svelte wrist before applying a gracious amount of pressure, enough to cleanly snap the appendage if I so wished. It was oddly pleasing, yet irritating to see that such actions gauged nary a strand of pain from my duple's features. He showed no sign of being in pain save for the scowl that now graced the ivory visage. Soon his own dactyl was upon my own.and the familiar chirping of the Chidori could be heard. I simply smirked at the motion, allowing the sparks to dance across my flesh, giving me the precious bout of pain that I had been craving. Once the sensation dulled and my skin numbed, I applied more force to his wrist until a fairly potent cry coupled with the sound of a perfect break echoed into the air. "Dakara yowai..." I stated, taking my chance to shove the younger aside as he now held onto his wrist, rubbing it in attempt to make the pain subside. Yes, he was weaker than me, but his power was not what I was commenting about. Even after I had just broken his wrist and beyond the twisted curves and cues of anger and pain evident upon his face, my double still showed no hatred against me. Those obsidian hues of his bore no hatred towards me while my own carved animosity and loathing into his very core.

"Ima. Mama ni shimasu." Was all I said before turning my gaze away from my twin once more. I could easily feel the glare he shot at me bore into my skull before he left to tend to his injury, however I didn't care. The high I obtained from the pain caused by the Chidori wouldn't last long, and I had to savor every precious second.

—☾—

I have no idea as to how much time has passed since the other Uchiha had left, though if I had to guess, I'd estimate at around at least two or three hours seeing as the moon has risen high into the sky now. My pleasure had become worn, my body finally numbing the euphoric sensation of pain and returning me to this wretched hell hole. "....?" My head immediately perked up, my trance now completely broken, at the faint noise of what sounded like whimpering echoing passed the thin walls. What coaxed me into standing and leaving the warmth of my futon was the simple, but overwhelming fact that these subtle cries came from a certain someone.

Slowly and stealthily my feet carried me to that of my duple's bedroom, and indeed the faint wails were his doing. He was asleep, however we were essentially a mirror to one another, I could easily read each delicate feature etched into his visage, even if he was trying to hide it like he was now.. My twin was being plagued by nightmares. A frown crossed my tiers at this notion before pursing somewhat. There was a reason I didn't sleep often. Either the nightmares would come and haunt me, or I would dream of happier times, times I could never experience again and would only bring me melancholy. With the latter, the Tsukuyomi was often employed as a perfect escape, even if I had to force it.

Apparently whatever nightmare was ailing him, had taken a turn for the worst as I noticed the younger raven began to shake while he slowly started to curl his body into a ball, being mindful of his noticeably bandaged wrist. "I-Itachi..stop!" So it was a nightmare about that night? ... That's right, he doesn't know the truth about our brother, and I have no intention of telling him. At this time, a thought occurred to me, was my twin directing any hatred he held for me towards Itachi? After a moment of thought, I concluded that this was not the case. His eyes were always soft save when he became angry with me, in which they'd harden and narrow dangerously. He may have been tainted, nay stained with darkness, but the light inside that I had banished remained with him.

My eyes closed and enamel slowly started to sink into my lower lip as I tried to ignore the now harsh cries of the younger, but to no avail. I soon found myself looming over his slumbering form, with thin digits brushing away silken locks before gently stroking his cheek. Sadly these actions alone weren't enough to quell my duple's terrors, something else was needed to soothe the other Uchiha. "Hn." I took a deep breath before exhaling and deciding on another method. Usually such a luxury was reserved for the fallen who were buried within the Uchiha compound, but so long as he was asleep, he would never know and simply think it was a dream, allowing the illusion to never fade.

I craned my head down, with ebony tresses trickling down unto immaculate porcelain while my lips ghosted along the shell of his ear, close enough to where he could easily hear my voice, but far enough to where heated breath couldn't reach. Somber yet subtle lyrics left my lips, the gentle notes strung together to form a desolate, almost beautiful ballad. Almost immediately the whimpers started to fade before they were no more, his shaking has soon ceased as well and his face started to soften as I continued, only stopping once the other raven's frame had uncurled and relaxed.

"Yoku nemuru, Sasuke." I whispered softly before pulling away now that the other was coaxed into a more tranquil state of sleep. As I left the room to head back to my own and curl under the covers, a thought refused to leave the forefront of my psyche. Why did I do that? Why do such a thing for him? He needed to hate me, resent me, and yet he didn't. No matter what I did, he harbored no ill-will towards me. Why?