This story will focus on ShisuixSasuke. I've only seen one fanart and one fanfic for them, which is weird, since there are weirdest pairings out there.
I like the concept of crack pairings because they force to imagine a scenario for them to happen and it takes a lot of world building and character building, to make it happen in the most "realistic" way. To me imagining the circumstances that led to a particular moment and a particular kind of intimate relationship, is very fulfilling.
I am not a fan of most PWPs, especially for rare pairings, so this story is going to have a slow development and a lot of introspection, to convey the character's thought process and evolution.
Those who already know my writing know that I write a lot of those.
I am unable to write Sasuke loving someone else more than Itachi, just like I am unable to write Itachi loving someone else more than Sasuke, be it romantic or platonic I just can't. So don't expect this story (and every other non Itasasu things I wrote and will write) to be a classic romance, but also don't expect it to be a sex-only thing, because it's not.
As a confirmation of what I said, in this fanfiction there is also going to be ItachixSasuke and ShisuixItachi; thusly written it seems like this story is going to be a soap opera or an Uchihacest-fest which it's not, I swear (or, for those who'd prefer such things, I'm sorry).
Also, there is going to be some Itachi/Izumi. I don't like this pairing at all and I don't like her character much either. Yet, she is going to be a main character, and they're going to be a couple, but their story is going to be more like a brotherly/friendly relationship.
In short, if you're looking for a classic Itasasu or Shiita fic, or Itaizu, or some Uchihacest with random hot pairings don't read this.
If you're looking for a slow developing plot, if you like alternative universes, characters' introspection, non detailed sex that expresses feelings, dynamics of power sort of like dom/sub, states of mind more than hotness for hotness' sake, if you don't mind to see a different perspective/interpretation of some characters, in this case Shisui, because in this story, not dying and living in a non-massacre world necessarily shapes his personality in a different way, I hope you'll enjoy reading this story.
"I saw its birth, I watched it grow
I felt it change me
I took the life, I ate it slow
Now it consumes me" (AFI, The Leaving Song)
If a traveler arrived from a random village in the Fire Country he would certainly notice how different Konoha was. He would not be able to pinpoint exactly why at first, because the buildings, houses and shops are similar, just like their gardens, fields and animals.
Only after some thought he would understand that the difference is in their people: other villagers are relaxed and casual, even loud. Children run around the streets, chasing each other, playing tag or hide-and-seek. Their fathers bring them presents and their mothers buy them new clothes.
Konoha villagers are shinobi. They are composed. There are occasional outbursts, because eventually people get excited or angry or drunk no matter who they are, but they are rarer.
Children play make believe, pretending to be ninja like their relatives, hiding in silence and sneaking up on each other.
They rarely receive presents or new clothes. Their fathers give them weapons, their mothers soon start patching up their wounds.
Not surprisingly older generations find the younger ones worse compared to theirs, like the group of old men sitting by a food stand, who watches passersby with evident disapproval, from the apprehensive mother holding her sons' hand to the rude children laughing too loud and the disrespectful teenagers not bowing when they cross eyes with veterans such as them.
Back in their days, with war raging, silence was essential if they wanted to stay alive and respect was indispensable.
The same people greet with a hand gesture Itachi's polite bow as he passes by.
He saw the war too. He knows respect and silence just like them.
Besides, everyone respects the Uchiha prodigy.
Everyone respects the Uchiha clan after what was called the bloodless revolution, that culminated in Danzo's elimination and the capture of an Uchiha traitor who pretended to be Madara, of all people.
Without the primary source of hostility towards them, after a demonstration of good will such as ensuring to justice on of their own people, the council's attitude towards the Uchiha changed.
Fugaku was granted a seat in said council, amongst Konoha elders.
He chose Itachi as unofficial counselor, not his warmonger clansmen anymore.
His son is young but it doesn't matter: everyone knows that it's because of Itachi's efforts that things changed.
Everyone agrees that Itachi is perfect as a shinobi and as a son, and that he is the ideal heir for the clan.
He disagrees; to him there is no such thing as a perfect being.
Except for just one.
One who didn't see the war, its noise and smell, and reds and blacks everywhere.
One who couldn't remember the endless clan meetings to set up a rebellion against those who discriminated them.
One who was too naive to understand that his brother was a double agent whose only weakness was him.
One who was too pure to realize that he would be used as leverage to force his brother to choose between his life and his whole clan' and that the choice would be his life, no matter how many lives would be sacrificed for him.
As long as Sasuke can remember he always hated sweets, but there was a time he didn't dislike them at all. In fact he was particularly fond of mochi.
Then something happened.
That day his mother took him and Itachi to visit a relative.
The woman served tea and put on the low table a plate full of dango.
Itachi's face beamed up at the sight.
A strong shinobi doesn't give in to temptation.
Controlling his own impulses is the first thing a shinobi learns.
No matter how badly he wants something, no matter how easy it is to have it, a strong shinobi must resist.
His father taught him this and he was good at it, he was good at everything after all.
Nevertheless the strong shinobi was also a child who loved dango, and there was a plate full of them, and that plate was for him, because the gentle lady said it was and she also added that he could eat them all if he wanted because she didn't like them.
"Help me finish them" She said. She needed help.
It was a shinobi's duty to help people in need.
Shyly, he ate one sticky rice ball, then another, then another.
The gentle lady told Mikoto that her son was a really good boy. Then the two women went to another room to do something, leaving the boys alone.
"Do you want some, Sasuke?" Itachi asked Sasuke with a big smile, because dango were the best thing ever, and the little child who wanted to do everything his brother did, accepted.
At a first bite they seemed weird. At a second bite their texture seemed funny. At a third, their sticky sauce was all over Sasuke's face.
He decided he liked them. Maybe.
Maybe he liked being in a stranger's room with his big brother, eating sweets and laughing.
Maybe he liked to see his big brother smiling.
He asked for another stick, trying to reach Itachi who was way past his second serving.
When they arrived home he felt sick.
Itachi got scolded by their mother only lightly, who was surprised he didn't get sick as well. He stayed by his little brother's side, saying "I'm sorry, Sasuke" more than once.
Sasuke wasn't angry at all. Why should he be? They spent the best of afternoons together.
He hoped they would spend more days like that.
Only, without sweets, because even the thought of them disgusted him.
Ironically sweets seem to plague him, as he often receives them as gifts.
Most people like them and they assume that everyone does.
He doesn't bother informing others that he hates them, when he can make Itachi happy with them.
His brother gently teases his grumpy attitude as he mentions those he received them from, before teasing back mentioning the elder's childish sweet tooth.
He isn't grumpy anymore while he says so.
Sasuke is grumpy towards everyone but Itachi and Itachi feels lucky.
Everyone in the clan treats him as a prodigy. Sasuke thinks he is a prodigy too, but his admiration, his affection, are heartfelt and warm like the sun during that happy afternoon in their relative's house.
"Am I wrong or you have more admirers than usual, little brother?"
Itachi jokes.
Sasuke scoffs; he told his brother many times that girls do this because he's Uchiha.
He is completely oblivious to the way they look at him and Itachi finds it endearing.
He has always been conscious of people's feelings towards him.
People were easy to read, since he was a child.
Only Shisui wasn't.
His cousin claimed it was because he was the best shinobi around, repeating it for days, before explaining him that sometimes it's paradoxically harder to read the ones we feel closer to, because even if we know them better, we project our perception of them, our expectations for them, instead of seeing what they really are.
His admirers didn't give him sweets, only praises.
His generation was less careless and more composed.
They didn't have time for sweets. There was a village to rebuild.
He felt uncomfortable receiving them anyway.
It didn't last long. His Academy and genin days ended soon. He became Anbu, growing up faster, leaving classmates and comrades behind to age and do things in due time.
If they didn't die first, like his team mate Tenma.
The war was over but they weren't normal children in a civilian village.
They were shinobi. Death could catch them at any time.
"You don't want to eat them for real, they look like Sakura's food pills."
Sasuke comments when Itachi opens one of the little boxes.
The elder is unfazed by the ugly little things inside it.
It's not easy to make confectionery, especially for his comrade, trained to be strong and effective, not detail-oriented and artistic.
Besides it's really good, he reassures after a bite.
They still look disgusting, Sasuke rebukes, adding that Sakura hit Naruto in the head with that box, before making a meek face and giving them to him.
He doesn't like girls, he says, because of this kind of attitude.
Too soft, too compliant, too fake.
Shinobi aren't supposed to be weak.
He doesn't understand why they act weak and submissive when they are able to fight.
He can't tell which one is real, the weak or the strong one, and he is not interested in finding out.
Unlike Sasuke, Itachi knows.
Females are expected to be strong yet weaker than men; to be subordinates, ready to give up to their personal dreams and ambitions to support their husbands and serve their family.
They are raised to breed and enlarge their clan.
He tells Sasuke to not look down on them: it's not their fault if they act weak when they're strong. It's their world's fault.
The same world that he wants to change.
It's normal to have a better understanding and a closer bond to same sex comrades, especially after having fought side by side with them, risks and dangers making it natural to find comfort and relief with them.
Even physical.
No one mentions this unspoken reality because shinobi are private creatures by definition, it's a commonly accepted practice.
At least until they marry.
If they don't die first. Death could catch them anytime.
Shinobi's duty isn't just to protect the village, but also to provide said village with new soldiers, and to keep their bloodlines alive through their offspring.
A same sex bond is fine unless it becomes a hindrance to their duty.
Itachi doesn't tell Sasuke that if he succeeds in changing the world this sort of mentality will disappear.
In a truly peaceful world there is no need for everyone to become a shinobi. Only those who want to will become one. Procreating to enlarge the clan won't be important anymore.
Clans won't be important anymore.
People will be free to choose their path and their loved ones.
Sasuke will be free to choose.
Unlike him.
When he was a child he dreamed about becoming a diplomat, bringing peace everywhere, seeing the world, negotiating with people, finding common ground despite their different habits and mentality.
As an adult he achieved peace -not the one he wanted. Not yet- but he is tightly tied to the clan as the heir and future leader, and to Konoha as Anbu captain and future Hokage.
It was not a rumor anymore that he would be the first of his clan to rule the village.
He ensured safety for Uchiha and other people alike, he inspired everyone with his long term vision of peace and prosperity, and the price he paid was reasonably cheap.
Only one sacrifice was needed. His own life.
Sacrificing himself was a small price for what he got in exchange.
For Sasuke he would have paid much more than that.
His brother deserved to live in a better world, he used to tell himself when he came home after a mission and despite being tired and sore he had to discuss with his father, secretly eyeing Sasuke's closed door, wondering if he was already sleeping.
His brother deserves to live in a better world, he still tells himself.
He enjoys the time he gets to spend with his little brother more than words can express.
He can't tell Sasuke. He can't say it out loud.
He can't flaunt his only weakness.
He can't give in to temptation.
Since they were children he used to go to Sasuke's room while he sleeps.
Since they were children the younger can sense him in his sleep; he wakes up and they talk for a long time, whispering in order to not wake their parents.
Sometimes Sasuke returns from a mission or even an evening out -his generation is allowed to act like civilians and have fun at times -bringing dango for Itachi.
He heads straight to his bedroom whether he is there or not.
Sometimes he falls asleep in his bed, waiting for him.
His sleep is not as light as he'd wish, surrounded by his brother's comforting smell.
Itachi doesn't wake him up when he arrives.
His bed is smaller but also warmer like this.
Even geniuses may have a blind side.
Even Itachi, who can't see that he hasn't sacrificed only himself.
Sasuke lived in his shadow since he could remember. He grew up admiring, adoring Itachi, feasting on the crumbs of attention the elder gave him, forever trying to shorten the distance he set between them.
He wanted to be like him.
It was impossible to be better than him anyway.
He was constantly reminded how different they were, meaning how insignificant he was. Despite Academy and comrades considered him a prodigy, for his clan he was nothing like his brother.
Sasuke didn't mind being in Itachi's shadow, as long as he had him in his life, but his brother had things to do to give him the best future.
He needed to be perfect so that Fugaku, Konoha, everyone would focus on him, counting on him, leaving Sasuke free to be himself and live his own life.
Everything for Sasuke has always been his mantra, yet in order to give his brother everything, he took everything his brother wanted.
Sasuke doesn't mind waiting weeks to spend some time alone with Itachi.
He does mind but he knows his brother has many important things to do and he can't ask him for more, even if he would like to.
They spend a day outside the village, in the woods near an ancient Uchiha site, looking for a rare medicinal plant.
Sasuke feels like a child, helping his brother hunting the giant boar -he hopes he won't screw up this time.
After they fill two big baskets with the herb they decide to spend the night there, camping and talking under the moonlight.
It's Sasuke who talks the most while Itachi listens, happily, because his brother is safe in a peaceful village.
As safe as a shinobi can be, for death could catch them anytime, a scary voice tells him from time to time, so he works harder to make the village and the world a better place.
Sasuke hands him a small metal box with colorful confectionery. He bought it the day before for him, after hearing some girl praising these seasonal sweets.
Itachi thanks him with a warm smile.
"They're delicious, and you might like them as well. They're not excessively sweet."
He tells the younger, gesturing him to choose one.
Sasuke picks the smaller one and smells it before putting it in his mouth, grimacing as he swallows it.
"I guess they're better than homemade ones but they're still too sweet for me. How do you even eat those things?"
He gulps down some water.
When asked about Sakura and the other girls who gave him sweets the last time, Sasuke mentions what Itachi explained a few weeks before.
He doesn't say anything specific, besides repeating that he doesn't like the company of the girls he knows.
Sasuke seems slightly confused; he never talks about personal matters with anyone.
He is a good shinobi and a good student. He spends all his time training when most of the other boys and girls use their free time to have fun like adults would, drinking or dating, if not having sex.
He wants to become like his brother so he focuses on training.
He ignores that Itachi was precocious in every field.
Besides, those were different times, and Anbu were a different kind of shinobi.
Is he attracted by a comrade? Itachi wonders.
Is it the 4th Hokage's son, Naruto? Is it someone else? A pang of jealousy hits him and he shouldn't feel this way. Everyone experiences attraction and affection sooner or later. Even he did.
Did he?
Somehow the thought of his little brother having feelings for someone unsettles him, like the thought of someone doing things with his little brother's beautiful pale face, his hair, black as the night sky, his lips that so far curved upwards only for him, his neck, long and frail and tempting.
He can't betray Sasuke's trust with his selfishness. His brother is growing up: sex and romance are a part of it. He just needs to get used to it.
"Father would tell you to never give anyone reasons to talk ill about the Uchiha clan, because even though we are no longer discriminated, it only takes a minor mistake to change the masses' opinion."
Sasuke always wanted to be like him. He would never do anything to discredit the clan.
Even with Itachi's constant intercession, Fugaku was strict with him as well.
The boy admires and respects his father. He works hard to be acknowledged by him.
So far he only obtained an almost indifferent approval and countless comparisons with his older brother instead of praises for his successes instead.
Sasuke never complains. He is used to his father's treatment since he was a child.
Yet Itachi knows that it stings to never be enough.
He can see it in his brother's look every time it happens: the hope crumbled one more time, the defeat, the unconscious jealousy towards him, even if Sasuke himself doesn't realize that because he admires and loves Itachi.
Maybe a romantic interest will make the frustration more bearable.
Besides, Itachi worked hard so that his brother wouldn't have to live like him.
"But, I am not Father. I know you would never do such thing anyway. I trust your good judgment, little brother, so follow your heart and be happy."
It's not unexpected that Sasuke follows his suggestion.
He has always been told to obey to his older brother, after all.
It's unexpected that Sasuke kisses him.
He must have struggled because after Itachi's speech he falls in a silence that speaks of inner turmoil, before he gets closer, kneeling in front of his brother, lightly touching his crossed legs to prop himself towards the elder's astonished face.
It's just a peck on the lips but the look in his eyes reveals all his want and need and fear.
When he tries to kiss Itachi again his mouth is slightly open.
"Sasuke, we can't."
Itachi's voice is barely a whisper.
Sasuke just kissed him.
His brother just kissed him.
The brother Itachi had wanted to kiss since he grew up into a beautiful teen, but he was ashamed of his own sick desire so he resisted to this new temptation, because that's what strong shinobi do, just kissed him.
"But you just said follow your heart!"
Itachi is the one he wants.
Itachi, amongst all his comrades, is the one he needs.
The elder's heart can't suppress a surge of pride thinking that no matter how much time has passed, for Sasuke he is still the most important one.
No matter how much time has passed, in Sasuke's heart there still is the little child who looked at his big brother like a god because he could walk and run while he could only crawl and reach out his tiny arms to be lifted.
"Not on this. This will ruin you."
No more fleeting pride.
He must fix this. Sasuke is pure, he can't taint him.
"Why?"
So naive, his little brother. There is no right or wrong. There are no problems, no consequences.
If he wants something, he wants it.
Itachi caresses Sasuke's cheek.
He can't help it.
He traces his lips with his thumb, Sasuke closes his eyes.
If only he could trace them with his mouth and tongue...
He traces his jawline, descending to his neck.
If only he could graze his teeth over them...
Under his fingers, Sasuke holds his breath, waiting.
Waiting.
He waited months, years, maybe his whole life for this to happen.
There is no wrong or right, no problem or consequence.
He loves Itachi. Like a brother, like something else, what does it matter?
They are the same ones anyway.
Love is love.
Need is need.
Want is want.
Yet nothing happens.
A strong shinobi doesn't give in to temptation, no matter how easy and willing it is.
A strong shinobi must focus on the final goal and Itachi's goal is the best life for Sasuke.
Everything for Sasuke, he tells himself, ignoring the need to kiss back those lips begging for him to come in, to ravage that thoat tensing towards him, to explore his body, to take him, to claim him as his own.
Itachi knows that if he gives in to temptation -if he gives Sasuke what he wants -he will desecrate the pure perfect brother who never saw war, who can't remember discrimination, whose missions are never assassinations.
Everything for Sasuke, he tells himself as he stands up and pokes the boy's forehead whispering: "Sorry Sasuke, I can't."
A/N:
The events that shaped their universe will be specified later on.
This Naruto universe and its relation ship and ethics are also loosely inspired by Ancient Japan, Ancient Greece and Rome, but it's my creation, it doesn't want to be accurate and realistic. I decide what to bring to life according to my vision, which is personal and influenced by different things.
The random traditions and etiquette I describe are a mix or Japanese and Mediterranean-generic, don't expect accuracy. I want to convey a traditional Japanese feel to my story because it's Naruto, but I don't care about being exact, on purpose.
I don't want to describe an existing society. I decide what to bring to life according to my vision, which is personal and influenced by different things.
The society I am writing is a militaristic one where men and women are considered different, not much unlike Naruto society, unfortunately.
Everyone is potentially bisexual; men and women are considered different from one another they relate better to the same sex than to the opposite. Same-sex relationships are accepted, for comfort and a better understanding of each other.
Age is not a problem here, like in ancient societies, the lifespan is shorter and everything starts earlier, which is more or less what happens in Naruto anyway. If kids are old enough to go to war, pre-massacre Shiita can happen as well. I don't like shota though. I don't specify ages and I imagine characters to soat least look at teens, just to make this clear.
I am going to use the word "pure" a lot in this fic. Please keep in mind that it's not meant as a sexual reference or a judgement: I would never bash anyone's preferences or lifestyles. It's a mental thing, mostly. Itachi sees Sasuke as pure because he hasn't seen the war and its horrors, his soul is untainted by it.