A/N: Try, try again until you get it right. Or at least tolerable.

So tie me to a post and block my ears
I can see widows and orphans through my tears
I know my call despite my faults
And despite my growing fears-The Cave

"The contact is a missing-nin?" Itachi hated getting his debriefing on the move. Perhaps the whole point was to teach him to take in information while travelling, but he would rather have sat down and talked in private. The swaying motion of the boat was making him slightly sick. At twelve, he was still awkwardly trying to make his way prematurely from child to adult, which made him overly conscious of what he said, did, and showed those around him. Kakashi was in ANBU, and Itachi suspected, though no one has said as much, this was his initiation trial. That made how he presented himself and his performance especially important, something his father had been careful to tell him after Itachi had officially submitted his request to join ANBU.

There could be no other reason the man had roused Itachi from his bed at midnight a week ago, telling him only it was time to go and giving him no time to ask questions. Itachi had had everything ready since he'd turned in his application and left his room perfectly ready for anything that would be thrown at him. What he hadn't expected was to be taken to the border, placed in a boat, and begin island hopping. He'd thought the evaluation would be something shorter than a mission, something less complex and long, where he'd have fewer chances to screw up on. He'd left his parents a note, but a week was the longest Itachi had been gone from home, and the mission hadn't even started.

On top of that, things were tense back home, and he worried something would happen while he was gone. He knew a twelve year-old worrying about politics seemed ridiculous, but he was heir. Also, the older he got, the less he agreed with the things his elders did or their ideology, and the less he felt he could trust them to properly direct the clan. Itachi focused his mind and pushed aside the worry for what he could not help. He instead focused on Kakashi, who looked as inscrutable as he had for this entire trip. His demeanor wasn't unfriendly, but the blithe expression hid more than any Itachi had run into except his father's

"Well, technically he isn't associated with a village, but neither has he betrayed one. His mother, on the other hand, did." Kakashi looked completely at ease in the rocking boat, slumped and casual. He could probably fight on this thing. Itachi got the feeling he would fall on his face if he tried. While he could swim and walk on water, being in the middle of so much water made him nervous. He didn't know if he could walk on the green tinted waves that rocked them about.

"So he's a completely unknown quantity," Itachi added, hoping to prompt more information, because he didn't want to askKakashi and seem naïve or childish.

"Rumor says he's an Uchiha-or half of one," Kakashi shrugged and leaned with the sudden surge of the boat. Itachi gripped the side of the seat with white knuckles. After getting tumped over backwards, he'd rather have sore hands than fall. Kakashi couldn't see Itachi's hands anyway. They were under his cloak, which hid many short comings and provided protection from the winter sea wind.

"If every rumored Uchiha were one, then the world would be filled with them," Itachi pointed out softly, mostly to keep from opening his mouth for more annunciation and volume. He was beginning to feel a little green. Kakashi's eye smile suggested that he knew something Itachi didn't, or Itachi was actually turning green. Itachi wondered if he could 'accidently' kick Kakashi in the knee cap. He did not like feeling patronized. No one everpatronized him in the clan.

"These rumors are very . . . trustworthy. That's why I asked for you to come with me." Kakashi waved his hand. Itachi didn't know if that was true, or just something thrown out to confuse him further about what he was doing out here. Perhaps they wished him to act as if this was any other mission while ANBU evaluated him. Or maybe Kakashi told the truth.

Kakashi didn't notice Itachi's racing thoughts. "And of course to try to convince your errant relative to come back to Konoha. The Hokage did give us permission to offer him clemency for any wrongs during our negotiations."

"First you tell me that he's done nothing wrong, and then you tell me that we're offering him clemency? Do you have any idea what we're getting into, Kakashi-san?" Itachi asked with an annoyed drag in his tone. He didn't like surprises.

Kakashi just smiled. Itachi didn't much like Kakashi either.

As Kakashi paid the ferryman, deaf and mute but very clever when it came to currents, Itachi pulled his hood higher and started across the rocky shore. Black rocks and sand covered the island, the only vegetation harsh and scrubby as it struggled up from the black ground. For one uses to Konoha's giant trees and green, it looked like a place barely alive. It didn't surprise him now that Kakashi had said the little town was dying. How could this island support anything?

Itachi's ninja gear and anything that would identify him as Konoha had been stowed in his pack. He was dressed as a civilian in loose baggy pants after the Mist style, sandals when the weather should call for boots, and a heavy turtleneck under his waterproof cloak. The black rocks of the shore were slick and sharp. All in all, this little island looked dangerous and barren.

A perfect place for a missing-nin to hide out.

"We'll canvas the town and settle ourselves and our story. Tomorrow we'll meet with the contact," Kakashi suggested. His white hair was dyed black, hidden mostly under a cap. It was harder to hide the signature scar and red eye, but an eye patch worked. Kakashi assured Itachi that no one would comment on the eye patch. Kakashi pulled up his scarf, practically fretting to keep his lower face covered. Itachi was perfectly comfortable playing the teenager with his hair braided completely back from his face to disguise it a little. It was unlikely that anyone here would recognize the Uchiha heir. As long as he kept his Sharingan covered, he'd be fine.

The little town was perched higher up on the rocky island, closer to the protected little cove the fishermen worked in and merchants sometimes stopped in for water or, even more rarely, to trade. As they wound their way up to it, Itachi wandered from large rock to large rock, rocking a little unsteadily on the elevated sandals. They were supposed to keep him out of the mud. They felt like they might dump him down the steep path and back into the sea at a moment's notice.

Itachi stopped and turned his head a fraction. He thought...he could almost feel...something about the cold air suddenly changed, and he became certain someone was watching him. Where they watched from he didn't know, but something was out there, watching with enough intentItachi could feel it crawling all over his skin.

"Inari! Hurry up!" Kakashi called. Itachi looked back and realized Kakashi was yards away.

"Coming Kaika!" Itachi called back. He dropped back onto the path and jogged up to where Kakashi waited. It pleased Itachi he didn't trip on the loose gravel of the path. Kakashi glanced down at Itachi as he drew even with him.

"Having fun?"

"I felt something watching me," Itachi replied, resisting the urge to look back up at the towering rocks.

Kakashi simply smiled winsomely and started walking again in his long, swinging stride. "This is Mist. Something is always watching you."

The town was smaller than Itachi had expected. Itachi realized as worn and rough as he'd thought his clothes were, he and Kakashi stood out in quality. Above the little town, on the black cliff stood the small time Lords manor-fortress, built with black stone instead of in the more traditional bamboo and rice paper of the other buildings. It also looked to be in better repair than some places. The streets were rough and dirty, garbage littering alleyways and less used streets. Itachi expected the closer one got to the manor, the better maintained the town would be, but around the town square things were clean enough, but very worn and ramshackled .

Kakashi left Itachi to get what he called, 'a feel' for the town while Kakashi secured lodgings for them. Their cover was surveying a mining prospect on the other side of the island for a very rich man with money to blow. There had been nothing mined here for years, but Kakashi assured Itachi that no one would question a rich man's idiocy. Itachi assumed their contact was on that side of the island, giving them a perfect excuse to be gone for hours at a time.

Itachi wandered about the village, noting what he saw, especially the people. There were not many children his age or younger about, but plenty of older people bustled around doing business, mostly women. Five times someone offered him 'the best charms in the village.' Itachi politely turned them down, and was assured he would come to harm if he didn't have a charm. These were wild shores, filled with creatures that would love to dine on his soul and flesh.

Itachi did purchase a hot meat bun filled with fish and vegetables to eat and sat in an out of the way corner of the square. He wondered what kind of vegetable these people had to put in the bun, and then decided he shouldn't ask. It was noon, and most of the people here seemed to be eating or resting now. Some did work, hawking fish or other goods. Mostly fish. Everything here smelled of fish and brine or seaweed.

"Heyla, get that from Old Lady Badger? Better watch for bones!"

Itachi jumped, his hand going for a dagger before he stilled the motion. He berated himself for not noticing this one sneaking up on him, and glanced at the man before actually looking at him. Young, late teens, wild bush of curly dark hair with twigs and leaves knotted in it. He wore a patch work cloak over his grey and blue clothes, a heavy knife at his side, but no other obvious weapons on him. His face was weathered and tanned, nose slightly flat, ears set just a little crooked, and hands shaped with callouses and scars. In a fishing town, such scars were not uncommon, as Kakashi's comment about the eye patch had suggested. Gutting fish, baiting hooks, and working nets could be dangerous.

"I bought it from the woman with the cat," Itachi offered hesitantly. Most of the other people he'd met had been politely dismissive of him unless they were trying to sell him something.

The man-boy laughed. "Wow, but you talk funny! I knew you were new!" Itachi was slightly offended. He'd worked on his accent for a month and had been told it was perfect. Then again, this young man sounded like nothing Itachi had ever heard or would ever care to imitate. He more spewed the language than spoke it, tossing things out every which way. He flopped down beside Itachi, as if someone had suddenly pulled his bones from his body. That cocked grin was flashed at Itachi. "That's Old Badger Lady. You should watch what you eat if you get it from her."

The man-boy's finger's flashed, brushing Itachi's lips. He held a delicately carved fishbone between his fingers. "See?"

"Nice trick," Itachi murmured, jumping a little as the man-boy's fingers flashed against and he tucked the bone into Itachi's breast pocket.

"To remember me by," He explained.

"Why would I want to remember you?" Itachi pressed, shifting himself away from the other. He smelled strongly of brine and seaweed and fish and sweat. Despite being inundated with them, those were not Itachi's favorite smells.

"Everyone remembers me. I'm the most interesting person here, don't you know it?" Another roguish smile, bright flash of the eyes as the man-boy leaned closer. It was so odd to have someone meet his eyes so fearlessly. Itachi had been taught at the Academy that meeting someone's eyes could assure them that you weren't lying, but Uchiha had a different set of rules for eye-to-eye contact. Mainly it didn't happen unless someone was challenging you, or among other Sharingan users-though that didn't happen often either. Itachi was used to keeping his eyes down, not looking anyone in the eye for any reason. People didn't meet his eyes out of fear, even his elders avoided his gaze now. He thought it a little silly. He could put a genjutsu on someone with much less than a little glance.

"I'm afraid I just got here, so I wouldn't know," Itachi took a very small bite of the bun. "But you seem as forgettable as everything else."

"Oooh, ouch," The dramatized wince preceded a laugh as Itachi's companion inched closer again. "Now that's just cruel. You didn't even let me get into the good stuff."

"You do a dishonor to your home by assuming it's forgettable." Itachi raised an eyebrow, which was copied perfectly on the face across from him. The eye contact was beginning to unnerve Itachi. Eyes were fascinating. The color patterns in the other's brown eyes were complex and varied, each eye different. Light brown arrayed out from the center, shading into darker strokes. There was even green mixed into it. If people could be so distracted by normal eyes, it was no wonder the Sharingan had such a devastating effect.

"Oh, so I'm not forgettable, ah?" Another tipped smile, an almost fanged little grin. Very unique.

"You have the makings of a bird nest in your hair. That alone makes you stand out from the usual crowd of forgettable things," Itachi offered as he scanned the square. More people gathered there now, business seemed to be picking up, but the people about were still mostly women. Itachi supposed that the men, the fishermen, worked the mornings and evenings, maybe even all night, and now they were resting. Or they had been taken by the sea.

Itachi earned a laugh. The man-boy ran his hands through his hair, releasing a shower of dirt, black sand, sticks, leaves, and even a bit of string onto Itachi's shoulder. Itachi snapped the other a glare and brushed his shoulder off, pointedly moving to the end of the bench. Another laugh, and his companion slid down to sit right beside him again, close enough their shoulder's jostled each other. Wrapped in his cloak as he was, the proximity made Itachi a little too hot. His new unasked for friend radiatedheat like a furnace.

"Come on now, don't be like that." A hand brushed Itachi's. "What're you here for? Visiting relatives? Exciting career opportunities?"

"The last," Itachi confirmed. "My partner and I are surveying a mining prospect."

"Your partner, eh?" The other's eyebrows went up. Itachi nodded, eliciting another smile. "I guess I should have known, given your charming personality."

"Known what?" Itachi asked, slightly annoyed. That crooked smile widened, the crooked canines flashing white against chapped lips.

"What's your name?"

Itachi blinked, shifting away again with annoyance. "You should give yours before you ask for someone else's name."

"You're a stickler for protocol, aren't you?" Instead of being affronted, he seemed amused. Horribly amused with something like a glint in his eyes that could very likely lead to trouble. He stood up, then fell into a low bow, stretching his hands out on the ground. Itachi pulled his feet up and looked at the other like he'd grown another head. Other paused to look, but all passed by fairly quickly, some shaking their heads or smiling at Itachi's discomfort.

"Please forgive me for my offense." The chant like cadence of the words made the formality seem even more ridiculous. "The name of this worthless one is Shisui." Now Shisui looked up, bright brown eyes laughing. "Tsuyu Shisui, at your service."

Itachi stared at the man kneeling at his feet, that tousle of curls, tilt of the head, and even more crooked smile turned up at him now. "I-nari. At your service." Itachi inclined his head and glanced back to the square, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Itachi breathed out with relief as he saw Kakashi coming. He stood and carefully stepped around Shisui.

"My partners back. I have to go," Spoken like an apology, certain dismissal. Shisui stood.

"Yeah, yeah...that him?" Shisui flicked his long fingers at Kakashi. Itachi nodded, and Shisui's smile turned scornful. He touched Itachi's shoulder and leaned forward, flicker-fast to whisper: "You could do better."

Then he was gone.

The rain started the day after they arrived, carried on the very winds that had pushed them so speedily to the island. From what Itachi understood, the storm would blow itself out in a few days. Now all the villagers were cooped into the village and the path to the manor treacherous, Kakashi and Itachi's mission was on hold-or that was how Kakashi had acted the first few days of rain. Personally, Itachi saw their missions as something larger than was written explicitly on the paper they'd been given.

They had been ordered to remove the current overlord of the small island, creating a space for a neighboring lord to take over. While the island itself wasn't a strategic spot or wealthy anymore, it served as a launching platform to another island and would consolidate the small time Daimyo's power over this area. The problem was, the vulnerable harbor was impossible to get into with anything larger than a small fishing boat, and risky even with that. The calmer waters on the other side of the island allowed for a better landing, but that would mean the invading army would be seen coming and have to fight a heavily fortified manor after climbing a small mountain to get there.

If the current lord and his officials were dead when the new one arrived, who would fight?

They'd also been asked to make a general estimate of the town's feelings towards their current leader. Itachi thought properly gauging the situation would take a month, Kakashi a week. Itachi felt that, with enough intelligence and some rumor planting, they could make the take-over practically bloodless, except for the lord and his officials. Kakashi had given him the empty look of a war-raised child that seemed to say war was inevitable. Death would happen. Why go through so much trouble to stop something they couldn't stop?

Itachi wondered if he had transgressed somehow by showing weakness. Was it truly a weakness to be averse to killing? He would fight when he was told, and he saw why he must do that, but should he embrace the wanton killing of civilians? He burned to ask the question, but shut his mouth and listened to Kakashi tell Itachi what he had learned about the town. The meeting with the informant was delayed, and Kakashi would set up another meeting for when the rains ended.

The second rainy night, Itachi left the inn he and Kakashi were staying at and headed for another. He was soaked and cold by the time he got there, despite the fact that his cloak was waterproof. The common room of the pub he entered was smoky and warm-not as clean as the one he'd left, but not so dirty as to bother him. He'd be washed clean by the rain on his way back anyway. It also meant he'd probably reach a different crowd and class here. Itachi slid off his wet cloak, handling it carefully though he didn't think he could get any wetter.

Itachi found a seat at a small table in a corner near the fireplace. It was warm, smelled terribly smoky, but let Itachi see most of the room. Even in disguise, it was hard to give up the instinct to put his back against a wall. After he'd let Shisui sneak up on him, Itachi wanted to be certain it didn't happen again if his attention became distracted. He also didn't feel brave enough to walk up and join an occupied table his first time out. He'd drink and listen for now. Next time, perhaps, He'd join a table and talk.

It was hard to get the waitress to notice him, but she smiled when she spoke to him, and Itachi felt it was genuine. She quickly brought him a small tea pot with its own happy bundle of hot coals to keep it warm andwarm Itachi's chilled finger tips. The tea cup was a plain clay one, well washed and inscribed with the little pub's name and symbol—a flying fish fancifully curved and dyed purple as the dye the island made from shells.

Itachi settled back to listen. Most of the talk seemed to be of the fishing luck, the weather predicting powers of old bones, who had slept with whom lately, and the newest prostitutes for sale. Utterly enlightening. A high-class whore made more in this town in a week than Itachi would on a mission. Fascinating. Perhaps he should have gone into Eros after all. Or maybe it wasn't too late to sell himself on the black market and avoid the moral dilemma of whom to kill and whom not to when something screamed not to kill at all. In the heat of battle he forgot his scruples with killing, but afterwards he often felt weak and sick. He'd been assured that was normal and it would pass. It only seemed to grow stronger with each kill.

Itachi had been there about an hour when Shisui swept in with a renewed thundering of rain, much of which blew in the door with him. One of the waitresses had been convinced by a smile, a glance, and a hand on her wrist, to pay attention to Itachi. He had new coals and a light meal of fish, rice, and some tough tuber looking vegetables. No one had yet to pay him any mind, but as Shisui's eyes swept the establishment, his eyes stuttered to a stop on Itachi. He changed his obvious intent of joining a card game then. Shisui grabbed a waitress and made much of teasing her before she gave him a drink from her tray intended for someone at the card table. Shisui made his rounds, stopping to chat with more than half the people in the place before he finally 'seemed' to notice Itachi was there. He didn't fool Itachi.

"Well, well, Inari. Fancy that." He didn't wait to be invited, just slid into the seat next to Itachi, somehow making it come much closer than it had been before. "I thought you were staying at the Dolphin's Spout?" Shisui's patchwork cloak was soaked. Itachi edged away to avoid being dripped on. He was mostly dry and warm now.

"I am," Itachi conceded, wondering why Shisui knew or cared.

"Too classy for you?"

"I wanted a change of scenery," Itachi explained. "I thought I might get a different perspective here."

"A different perspective?" Shisui glanced about the room and slumped. "What for? Or is that rude to ask?" Shisui brought some mocking fingers to his face.

"I am trying to eat," Itachi gave Shisui a pointed look, who shrugged.

"So I should sit and stare while you eat? That's more polite?" Shisui propped an elbow on the table and gave Itachi a look as he cradled his chin in his hand. "Huh. These manner things are fascinating."

"No. What would be polite is for you to talk about yourself, or the town, or the weather until I get done eating, and then you may ask me questions." Also, it would be an excellent way to learn things. Shisui seemed the sort who could talk for hours on end. All he needed was a little push, and Itachi might be able to glean something useful from the prattle.

"Weeelll, talking about me's a little personal for a second date, so I'll bore your ear with talk of the town. You see, this little town mainly sustains itself with fishing, a little mining, and little bit of dyeing from time to time as the sea cooperates, but mostly fish. We trade lots and lots of fish. And prostitutes. Slave trading used to happen a lot. Sometimes sailors come in on the big merchant ships to get water or sometimes dye or shells, wherein all the whores came from. Fishermen don't make such good payers, so bad business in between the sheet lately, but...what else is a whore to do?" Shisui shrugged, sliding further down into his chair. "Pretty boring, actual."

"You seem so disparaging of the normal."

"Are you talking or are you not?" Shisui asked, cocking his head and propping the other elbow on the table. His hands were long, thin, and spiderish as he moved them, which he did as he talked. "What's great about normal? Normal is boring, normal is bland. Normal. . ." Shisui gave Itachi a pointed look. "Is forgettable."

"I'm glad you somehow managed to remember me, then," Itachi picked out another small bite, intending to make his meal last as long as he could. "I find nothing distasteful about a calm, normal life."

"You've never lived one, have you?" Shisui leaned back in his chair, which creaked. "You've never tried to hawk fish or wait tables, or even fish, have you?" Shisui's upper lip rose, like he'd smelled something bad. "What are you? A scholar? With your big words and accent. Where are you from, anyway? Grass, must be. I've seen your type before. You have this idealized view of how 'common' people live. So rustic and picturesque, but you've never lived it. That's why you see nothing wrong with it."

Itachi couldn't decide if Shisui was simply trying to get a rise out of him, or if he meant his words. Either way, the rant was revealing. "Are you so desperate to be remembered?"

Shisui stopped at stared. For a moment, Itachi thought he saw something real. Something raw and painful under that smile he hadn't actually meant to dig out. He didn't need Shisui to be real. He just needed information. Then Shisui tossed his head back and laughed, loud enough to make people stare at them both. The noise grated on Itachi's nerves-too loud and rough, like waves crashing into a tunnel.

Shisui finally quieted. He shoved Itachi's plate away. "You're done eating. Now you talk."

Itachi gave Shisui a long enough stare for the other to look a bit uncomfortable before he laid his fork down. "What am I supposed to talk about? The weather? I think it's rather fascinating you expect it to rain all week."

"People talk about the weather when they have nothing more interesting to say. You can do better than that," Shisui goaded.

Itachi decided that he really had stung some part of Shisui. He gave the man a tiny smile. "I'm afraid I'm not very interesting."

Shisui gave Itachi a long, contemplative look as he chewed on the inside of his lip. The waitress came by to fill up his drink, and seemed highly put out when Shisui ignored her in favor of staring at Itachi. When Itachi gave her a smile, she seemed even more offended and went off with a scowl.

"What are you?" Shisui ask, lips twisting and brow knitted tight. Itachi shrugged and took his last sip of tea.

"I thought we weren't talking about ourselves tonight." Itachi raised his eyebrows. He earned a scowl, and then Shisui hadhis wrist. Faster than Itachi could react, and he'd started moving break Shisui's wrist before he recovered and let himself be yanked to his feet. His hip banged the table, almost upsetting the tea pot and coals.

"Come on, I'll teach you how to play Cuckold," Shisui flashed Itachi a wildly suggestive look Itachi didn't fully understand, and slammed them both down at a table filled with men and covered with a complicated array of game board, pieces and cards. Itachi noted the piles of money and sighed. This was going to be a very expensive night out.

The next night, Itachi sat in another bar (one of four in town), drinking better tea and ignoring the offers of food. He was aware of the money he'd lost yesterday playing games, and while he had to order a drink to sit, he couldn't justify the expense of food to himself tonight. Kakashi hadn't made mentioned of it, and Itachi had expected some kind of scolding for losing a week's wages in a gambling game. They had limited funds to complete this venture, but Kakashi simply made a note of it and asked Itachi questions about his night out.

Itachi spent just as much time tonight contemplating what Kakashi thought of his performance as he did contemplating those around him. They were a cut better dressed than the crowd from last night, but they talked of all the same things: the aches of old bones, the whores of the town, the affairs of its people, and the changeable luck of fishing. It seemed the towns luck and trading had only run out within the past five years, and people hoped it would return. Most young people left as soon as they could, meaning young prostitutes were in high demand now. After an hour of making light conversation with someone, Itachi found he wasn't totally surprised to see Shisui walking in, just as wet as he had been last night.

Shisui made his round more discretely tonight, checking in with only five people before he made his way to Itachi's table, sitting without invitation. Itachi filled the second cup with hot tea, and placed it in front of Shisui.

"That confident, huh?" Itachi felt the cocky, mocking look in the tone of Shisui's words, and simply smiled without giving Shisui the satisfaction of looking.

"I am confident in my ability to gauge people."

Shisui snorted and turned the tea cup a quarter turn before sipping at it. He grumbled something about bitter flavors, but took another sip before cradling the hot cup in his hands. He looked at Itachi for a moment, and when Itachi glanced his way, he flashed that cocked grin, practically fanged and wicked tonight.

"What is our protocol dictated subject of conversation for tonight?" Shisui asked in a stuffy voice, sniffing in a way he must have thought was aristocratic.

Itachi hid a smile in his cup and thought a moment before setting it down. "You could tell me more about the town." He stilled Shisui's protest with a look. "My employer wanted us to...make sure that all was well here."

Shisui's crooked grin widened. "Aaaah, that's what you meant be a different perspective." That elbow came up onto the table again, supporting Shisui's neck as he looked at Itachi. "Ask away. We'll call this a business meeting."

"Everyone seems content enough, but is that because of Shishio-sama's rule or the lack of it? I haven't seen any of his guards of officials about since I've been here-at least no one bearing his crest . . ." Itachi looked at Shisui expectantly. Shisui took a few moments to ponder the question, though Itachi got the feeling it was all show. Shisui had to be clever. That was one of the reasons Itachi had chosen him for this. After last night's game, he also gauged the man something of an outsider in this town while still inside enough to know what Itachi needed to know.

"It's raining. You just haven't seen 'em cause you haven't been hiding out in the brothels. When it's raining, what is there to do but screw the wenches? Hardly any different from what they do on a daily basis." Shisui dropped his voice low, leaning closer. Itachi glanced around the room, but only a few people seemed interested.

"Worried someone might overhear you?" Itachi asked, leaning away a bit.

"You're right, this is sensitive information, and if you want the whole truth and nothing but, we need some privacy," Shisui nodded towards the man behind the bar. "Lucky for you, they have private dining rooms here."

Itachi shook his head. "You cleaned me out last night."

Shisui chuckled, a much better sound than his brash laugh of last night. It sounded like a busy brook, amiable and gentle. "More luck for you, I feel guilty about taking all your money. I'll pay. You can make it up to me later." Another suggestive flash of a smile, mirrored by the crinkle of his eyes. Shisui downed the rest of his tea. Itachi left a tip for the server and stood slowly. He didn't know for certain what Shisui meant, but he did feel confident that he could get out of any situation he was pushed into.

Shisui chatted animatedly with the man behind the bar for ten minutes before he turned away, swinging the heavy wet cloak around him. Shisui flicked a hand for Itachi to follow and hurried up some stairs. Itachi shook his head and followed more slowly. Now he got a few curious glances, but he ignored them as he walked up the wooden stairs. As he topped them, he found Shisui waiting, shifting from foot to foot.

"Well, come on, didn't you want to know?" Shisui caught Itachi's arm and pulled him along. He was still wet enough that it soaked through Itachi's sleeve before they reached the door. Shisui yanked the door open, bowed, and motioned Itachi inside. "Ladies first."

Itachi sent Shisui a disparaging glance and walked in. The room had a large window, and the rain beat steadily on it. A table sat in the middle, thick rugs covered the floor, and a very interesting reclining couch rest by the window. Private rooms. Itachi shook his head and took a seat at the table, sliding his damp cloak over the back of his chair. Shisui flipped his own off and hung it up on the wall. Instead of sitting on the chair, Shisui flopped down on the table.

"So, what are you?"

"A scholar." The lie came easily. Shisui looked skeptical. Itachi shrugged. "I was studying when my father fell into debt. I took this job to help him pay it off." Itachi tipped his head and looked up at Shisui. "I still hope to go back to that."

Shisui scoffed. "And what did you study? Rocks?"

"Ideas, mostly, the condition of the human mind, but some about rocks," Itachi sat a little straighter in his chair and shrugged casually.

"And what is the condition of the human mind?" Shisui countered, challenging look in his eyes.

"Depends on the man," Itachi forestalled Shisui's protest by holding up a hand. "Before you ask, I have yet to decide on more than generalities for yours."

Shisui leaned back. "Well, aren't you a quick study? What are my generalities?"

"Inconstancy," That earned him a sharp look. "Inquisitiveness, wit, pride, and selfishness."

"You certainly know how to compliment someone." It amused Itachi that Shisui should look so put out.

"I could be wrong," Itachi shrugged as if it didn't matter. "I think you're also hiding twice as much as you've told me if that makes you feel any better."

Shisui scoffed. "You think I'd give you the cards this early in the game?"

"Oh, you don't have to give them. I can find them for myself." Itachi folded his hands in his lap. Shisui's bright eyed, no doubt scathing comment was cut off by the arrival of dinner. Shisui turned his attention to the women then, flirting and teasing, standing too close and chattering the entire time they were in the room. As they left, Shisui snapped the door shut and then turned on Itachi with a grin.

"Now that we're alone and assured of no interruptions, we can get down to serious business." Shisui sat on the table again as Itachi pulled a plate to himself. His mouth was watering.

"You were going to elaborate on the true political state of the town?" Itachi prompted softly. Shisui looked at him hard for a moment, and then sat on the other side of the table with a sigh.

"If you insist..."

"So, you want to know about Shishio, hm? All the ins and outs of the political waves here?" Shisui leaned back on the table. "Well, you've come to the right place." Shisui's smile stretched wide, and Itachi knew he'd picked a good informant. Clever only began to cover it.