The sun hovers low over the horizon, over the quiet outskirts of Konoha. Itachi steps out from the small dango shop, carrying in one hand a ceramic plate holding three sweet dango, lowering himself beside you on the wooden bench under an awning.

Without the Akatsuki cloak and forehead protector slashed through the middle, he looks nothing like a man wanted across nations. The old owners don’t recognize him. It’s the same with you, no risk on the surface. To anyone passing by, you’re just another pair of travelers resting after a long day. That illusion, even if it only lasts for an hour or two, is enough.

He wants to live in the feeling you bring him, the one that silences everything else.

Then, Itachi extends the plate toward you, “Here.” Your eyes meet, and for a moment, the world is quiet. The curve of his mouth shifts into a smile, the kind of expression he almost forgets how to make until he sees you again. What peace feels like.

Every visit is a borrowed moment, and you both know it. Years ago, you didn’t have to hide. But he’s not the person he used to be. And yet, when you look at him, you see something worth returning to. He still can’t figure out how. Maybe that’s why he keeps coming back. Not because he deserves you. But because with you, for a little while, he can believe he’s still human.

He picks up one of the remaining dango and rests the plate on the bench between you. His gaze lingers on it for a second, before shifting back to you. “Thank you for coming,” he says. His words are simple, like the life he wishes he could offer you.

Despite everything, his choices and the silence he must keep, Itachi can’t stay away. You’re the one thing he cannot sever.