"Fate rarely asks who we want to be bond too. The lucky or brave are able to choose who they will be bound to, but most of us make do, or must make do, with what we're given." Like being born into a clan. A village. Itachi watched Ashiko trace a pattern on her sleeve.

"We are very different, then," Itachi began, then realized that might be too true a thought to share. "But, I travel by my own choice, and you do not, so maybe that's why it's different." Truly, lately Itachi had begun thinking he was more at home away from home. He became so used to playing roles that it was almost easier to be who the people back home wanted him to be--perfect son, heir, brother, friend...whatever the role he played in their lives. There were many secrets he couldn't tell people. From everyone he kept something secret and hidden. Maybe Uchiha Itachi was no more a real and honest person than Iori, but another elaborate lie.

Itachi's lips twisted into a grim smile at the thought. A shadow in the shadows, unknowable. That was what he was becoming.