Bloom – Red Tulip

With another domestic ANBU mission completed, Itachi made his way home with aching muscles. He supposed he was thankful for the fact that assassination missions outside of the Leaf had been few and far between. However, the little moments unfolding on the other side of binoculars in the ANBU tower troubled him. Turning the corner into the Uchiha compound, he mused about the clan's most recent meetings. Itachi kept his gaze to the ground and failed to notice the presence suddenly in front of him. Well, perhaps for a moment. He halted abruptly at the familiar feeling. Shisui.

The other Uchiha raised his hand in greeting. Shisui had been standing under a maple a ways ahead of him. He smiled a bit. "Yo, Itachi. Sorry for coming so suddenly. I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's all right. I was just occupied with some thoughts." Itachi relaxed his stance a bit more. "Anyway, I didn't expect to see you in the village so soon. Weren't you on a mission regarding the Hidden Mist?"

Shisui stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, I was. But we managed to chase them away pretty well. Konoha won't have to worry about any more Mist nin for a while. So I'm back early."

"I'm glad it went well." Itachi took note of how low the sun was in the sky. It would be a couple hours until he would be expected at home for dinner. He switched his focus back to Shisui. "Is there anything you needed to speak to me about in particular? I typically don't see you around this time of day."

Shisui hummed in response. "Right. Your family is due to eat soon, huh. But yeah, there is something I wanted to discuss, but not here."

Itachi's eyebrows furrowed slightly. He made his way a bit closer to the maple tree where Shisui stood.

"I see. Is it urgent?"

Shisui seemed to bite his bottom lip for a brief moment. "In a manner of speaking, yes. So if you'll agree to meet me at our usual spot you'll probably have to skip dinner. Sorry for that. I know Mikoto makes amazing meals and that your little brother is eagerly awaiting you."

Itachi's expression softened at that, but he still remained curious.

"Well, if this is important then I'll find some excuse to skip out on dinner. It's fine."

Shisui let his shoulders relax at that. "All right. In that case, give me an hour before you head over. I have to run an errand beforehand. I just got back probably when you were released from your duties today, so I haven't gotten the chance."

Itachi nodded. "See you th–"

"Older brother!"

Itachi blinked. Shisui had teleported away, no longer standing before him. His actions not betraying his mild surprise, he turned around to greet Sasuke. Shisui had likely anticipated this interruption. Sasuke ran towards him with bright eyes and hands clutching far too many shuriken. Itachi resolved to spend some of his hour with Sasuke, who very clearly was about to ask for more shuriken training. After all, the sun kept setting sooner and sooner lately.

Back in casual attire, Itachi had set off for the Naka River. There was no longer any light left in the sky, save for the moon's. His parents had not protested much when he had mentioned having to report back with his superiors regarding ANBU business. It bothered him slightly to have to make the lie, but he had wanted to speak with Shisui for a while now. Shisui's mission along the borders of the Land of Fire had kept them apart for a week and that had been plenty of time for Itachi to continue to observe the unrest among the Uchiha.

It was careless of him to continue to mull over these things at the cost of him attending to his surroundings. Therefore, he divorced himself from that line of thought as he made his way through the trees. He also regretted not grabbing an apple or something small from home before he left. Itachi's stomach growled at the loss.

Only a few minutes passed before Itachi finally stepped into the clearing. The soft roar of the river met his ears from down in the ravine. His eyes scanned the dim scene and quickly spotted Shisui. He was reclining closer to the edge of the forest on what appeared to be a blanket. He waved at Itachi to come over.

Once Itachi came close enough to be heard, Shisui spoke.

"Glad you were able to make it. Sorry again about you missing dinner. But, I tried to make up for that," Shisui said, patting a basket next to him.

Itachi blinked, a little taken aback. Moving to sit down on the blanket, he asked, "You can cook?"

Shisui laughed, a hand moving to scratch the back of his head. "Well, not exactly. I just made some sandwiches. That's the extent of my skills there, but they should still taste okay."

"Ahh." Itachi let a small smile come to his face. "Even so, thank you. I hadn't had much to eat today."

"Nice, so these will taste even better!" Shisui moved to open the basket and pull forth sandwiches for the both of them. "I'm kind of in the same boat. The food pills were, as always, pretty rough."

Itachi nodded solemnly. "I completely understand."

This prompted another short laugh from Shisui.

Itachi received his sandwich and began to unwrap it, but paused to watch Shisui. He was looking back to the basket and hesitating. About what, he was not certain.

"Did you forget something, Shisui?"

Shisui looked surprised at the question for a split second but regained his composure. Perhaps they had a similar problem, then.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't forget anything. Rather, I brought something extra and was debating on whether or not to try it."

"And that would be…?"

"Well, since you asked…" Shisui reached back into the basket and pulled out a small bottle of sake. He rifled through a second time and procured two small cups. "I kinda grabbed this from my parent's cupboard on a whim. It's practically empty so I doubt they'll miss it. And yes, I realize we are technically still underage but… I guess I figured I might as well try it tonight, you know? There should be just enough for these two cups. Oh, I have a thermos of mugicha, if you want that, too."

"I...sure. I suppose there's no harm." Especially that small of an amount, he thought. But despite the cheerful demeanor Shisui had kept so far, Itachi was not entirely at ease. They had not discussed whatever it was that Shisui had hinted at an hour ago.

Shisui appeared to have no expected Itachi to acquiesce so easily, as he had also already pulled out the thermos of tea. "Oh! Nice. Well, give me a sec with that then."

He poured the two cups with what little the sake bottle contained, handing one over to Itachi. They both eyed the clear drink with caution.

"So."

"Am I going to have to do this first, or…?" Shisui raised a brow questioningly.

"I guess that isn't fair. Same time, then?"

"Agreed."

Opting out of a countdown, they both went ahead and threw back the sake. As soon as it started crawling its way down their throats, Shisui visibly shuddered and put his hand to his mouth. Itachi fought to keep himself from doing the same. He realized that it would be rather strong the first time, but he had not anticipated this. As soon as Shisui recovered, he looked at Itachi and laughed.

"Oh man, Itachi. You look like a kid trying his damndest not to pucker after some sour candies. You really don't have to hold back like that in front of me." Shisui was already reaching for the mugicha again, pouring it into separate cups. He handed one to Itachi who took it without hesitation.

Itachi immediately took a gulp of the mugicha and went to take a few bites from his sandwich. Shisui followed suit.

"I suppose…it's supposed to grow on you."

"Ha, yeah. And if you actually have a decent amount to drink, the end result outweighs the experience," Shisui reasoned. He sighed. "Well, at least I can cross that off my list."

Itachi hummed in agreement.

"Any other surprises in that basket?"

"Let's see…" Shisui set his drink down, opening the basket again. "Just a few extra sandwiches and…ah, this. It was in my mom's garden out front and –"

"It was on a whim?" Itachi finished for him, smiling a bit. Shisui had a red tulip in his hand.

He closed the basket and set the tulip on top. It appeared to have just blossomed that morning.

"I figured it would be a nice accent or something. To the picnic, I mean."

"It does look nice. But…I have been meaning to ask." Itachi put his drink and sandwich aside and turned his gaze to Shisui. He resumed, "What was it that you wanted to talk about? Typically when we meet here you don't set up picnics."

Shisui let out a sigh. He broke the gaze and looked at the river instead.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about putting that off. Part of tonight was me wanting to get the chance to just hang out. But, I'm sure you have been thinking about it just as much as I have since the last clan meeting."

"The coup?" Itachi answered.

Shisui nodded. "Just how serious do you think Fugaku is?"

Itachi moved the tip of his finger around the rim of his cup in contemplation.

"Dissatisfaction towards the village is growing among the Uchiha. If the village doesn't change, the Uchiha won't stand for it anymore."

Shisui replied, "If the village changes, so will the Uchiha."

"But if the Uchiha doesn't change, neither will the village. As long as the two sides distrust each other, things will only get worse." Itachi moved his hands back to his lap. "Personally, I'm very against a coup d'état."

Itachi noticed Shisui nod in his periphery.

"As am I. But also I want to try to clear up the suspicion. A coup d'état will bode badly for both sides. It doesn't matter who comes out on top; Konoha will have enemies at its doorstep as soon as the word breaks."

Taken aback, Itachi turned his head to look more directly at him. "Are you certain you can do that?"

"Well, I'm not sure. Though I have to try." Shisui switched his focus from the Naka River back to Itachi. He fixed him with a serious expression. "Just promise me to not get involved with this."

Itachi frowned. "Why's that?"

Shisui's face did not falter, but he took a moment to respond. "Some members on the Police Force are suspicious of you…and I've been ordered to spy on you."

Neither said a word for a short while. Itachi's eyes had widened at the revelation. He had foreseen something like this occurring, but for things to be set in motion so soon…

Shisui's face softened a bit. "I'm really sorry, Itachi. I know that you still have your mission to the clan and Konoha's council on top of this… I will continue to leave that out of my reports, rest assured."

"It's…fine. Thank you for telling me this, though." Itachi moved to bring his legs closer to his chest. "I suppose then that this picnic and the drinks are not as simple as a hang-out."

Shisui attempted a small smile. "I figured you'd probably pick up on that. I'm not really good at hiding these sorts of things from you. Where to start, though." He grabbed his cup of tea and took a sip before resuming, "Honestly…this whole business has me anxious. Hell, probably a little afraid. When I decided on being a shinobi, I accepted the fact that I'd be putting my life in danger. My colleagues would be doing the same. And we wouldn't be completed guaranteed the ability to come back home once we set foot past Konoha's gates. Any mission is not without its risks. But…to consider instead that we could still face the death of our comrades and families without even going past that threshold…"

Itachi spoke softly, "I feel the same. Since you left for your mission after the last clan meeting, there have been subtle changes in the Uchiha day by day. As a member of Konoha's ANBU, I've had to monitor the village as a part of my domestic duties. Nothing drastic has happened as of yet, but-"

"-who knows when it will, right?" Shisui put his things to the side. His sandwich was only partially eaten and he had not attempted to eat very much. "I don't think we're going to see any action as soon as tomorrow or anything like that. The council and the clan are still mulling things over, from what we've both seen. Though we could still get blindsided by something as quick as, I don't know, a week from now? Being alert for another clan meeting is probably advisable. And any summons you get from the council, too."

Itachi merely nodded this time in response. Still, something was missing… What could be left that Shisui chose to withhold?

Shisui gripped the blanket absently as he continued to speak. "I get that you and I are both competent shinobi. To be perfectly honest, we're very competent shinobi. Even so, I can't help but shake the feeling that things could go horribly wrong. And – okay, let me rephrase what I was going to say originally. I know you're a guy who prefers to not sugarcoat things so I won't do that. I'm still going to try to find a means for finding peace for Konoha and the Uchiha, but I consider there to be a possibility that one or both of us may not survive this. It's likely a really small chance, but it's there. I wanted to spend time with you before things begin to fall apart."

"Shisui…"

Shisui attempted a weak smile. "Hey, don't look at me with such a sad expression. These aren't our last moments together or anything. We'll find time. And if I can hold up on my end of things, we won't have anything to worry about at all."

"I want to agree with you and I hope that you're correct. Still, I feel like there is something else you wanted to discuss?" Itachi probed. He watched Shisui carefully. The other Uchiha fidgeted and was clearly displeased that he had done so.

"Okay, I'll admit there's just one more thing. I'm going to have to apologize ahead of time in case I end up offending or upsetting you with this. So, I'm sorry if I do. But please just hear me out on this, all right?" Shisui put his hands together in supplication, awaiting Itachi's reply.

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure how you could but…that's fine. Please continue."

"Thank you, Itachi." Shisui lowered his hands back to the blanket, drawing in a deep breath and seeming to collect his thoughts. "There's been one last thing gnawing at me for a while now. To tell you the truth, it came to my attention quite a ways back. And I've decided to finally let you know about it, considering the circumstances."

Shisui moved his body to face Itachi more fully and fixed his gaze on him. He felt something shift in the mood of the conversation, but he couldn't precisely pin what it was. Itachi remained still and awaited whatever it was Shisui continued to dance around.

"This is something I don't feel entirely comfortable saying freely, even out here, so I'll need you to lend me your ear for a few seconds."

This only proved to confuse Itachi even further. Could it be something so horrible that Shisui couldn't risk someone overhearing? They had already discussed very sensitive information regarding clan and village affairs. No one else was even remotely close to where they sat next to the river. He considered voicing these points, but ultimately decided to abide by his friend's wish. Itachi had to shift his own sitting position on the blanket to lean closer to Shisui. He began to bridge the gap between their two bodies, head turned to expose an ear. A spark of resoluteness flashed through Shisui's eyes as he moved to say whatever it was that needed to be said, a hand moving up as well (to cover a side of his mouth, likely). However, the hand that Shisui had brought up had instead somehow made its way to the side of Itachi's face. It guided him to look at Shisui rather than away. Before Itachi could manage any sort of coherent thought regarding why this might be, he suddenly felt a warmth connect with his lips. He stopped moving entirely.

Oh.

…Oh.

Itachi found himself unable to move. Shisui's lips remained cautiously pressed to his a moment longer, but it felt like ages. Itachi remained still occupied by his incomprehensible thoughts and the sensation of his best friend kissing him as Shisui finally chose to draw away. His friend was now thoroughly flustered, especially after taking note of Itachi's blank expression and wide eyes. A small amount of pink rose to Shisui's cheeks.

"Sh-shit, I'm sorry Itachi." He backed up enough to where their closeness wasn't so overwhelming. "Did I upset you with that? I probably did, didn't –"

"No," Itachi found himself saying quietly. It came from his lips almost immediately, causing Shisui to be startled. He was confident that he had not hated what just happened. He was not confident about anything else that he felt about the situation, however.

"You're…not…?" Shisui ventured.

"I am not."

"Then, um," Shisui realized after a second that his hand was still touching Itachi's face, so he quickly brought it back down to fiddle with the blanket. He continued with some trepidation, "Then, was it something you liked, or…?"

Itachi glanced in the direction of the tulip before speaking again. "I'm…not entirely sure right now. Give me a moment. But in the meantime, why did you choose to do this now?"

Shisui released a gentle sigh. "That's fair. I guess…it was because of all that's been going on. To tell you the truth, I started developing feeling for you quite a ways back. Probably around when we first became teenagers. But I figured you didn't feel the same and I wanted to keep staying close friends, so…"

He drummed his fingers on the ground in contemplation.

"Though the possibility of conflict and death in our clan in has become more and more of a threat. I decided that this was something I needed to do while I still had the chance." Shisui kept his gaze steady on Itachi. "And, I elected to kiss you first since it was going to be a lot easier to get across how I felt across. Opposed to actually explaining it, I mean. I thought I might chicken out otherwise."

"I see…" Itachi decided to switch his focus from the flower back to his friend's face. Deep worry was etched up it again, having replaced his previous embarrassment. Itachi allowed his eyebrows to knit together, rather than masking his own concern. "You really think that you might die, don't you?"

Shisui let out a nervous laugh.

"It's possible. I've been getting these really dangerous vibes from certain individuals, especially Danzo…" Shisui paused. "Whenever I bring up the concept of assuaging the Uchiha he never seems content. He doesn't always object out loud, is what I have observed. I feel like he might be directing a lot of hostility towards me. Hopefully I'm just imagining it being that personal. I guess it's just kind of unnerving that he has the entirety of The Foundation at his disposal, and I'm just one person."

No traces of the laugh remained on Shisui's expression. How often his friend had contemplated his own death recently, Itachi wondered. It felt like a dull stab to his own chest. And here he was, asking Itachi to keep his distance and remain uninvolved with Shisui's efforts…

"I can't say, since I wasn't there with you at those meetings," Itachi said. "However, I have faith that you can do this. I wish you would let me help, though. I fully understand why I can't, but –" Itachi let the sentence hang in the air, unfinished.

"It's not fair, is it?" With some hesitation, Shisui brought a hand over and let it rest atop Itachi's. It had been flat atop the blanket between them. When he noticed Itachi making no effort to draw away, he carefully laced their fingers together. "I want to thank you for hearing me out on these things. For being the best friend I could ever hope for. For being understanding and…and…"

Shisui's touch and words made something flutter in Itachi's stomach. Long forgotten was his hunger, so it couldn't be that. Perhaps acting as well could confirm his suspicions and make up his mind. He noticed a flash of confusion spread across Shisui's face as he took their hands apart. He nearly opened his mouth and spoke but was stopped. This had allowed Itachi to move closer to Shisui, wrapping his arms around his chest and resting his chin on his shoulder. He felt Shisui's body relax in degrees before a pair arms came to rest on his own back. Itachi was feeling incredibly warm now, and the feeling in his stomach had not let up. He sighed.

Itachi spoke in a hushed tone next to his ear, "You're not too bad yourself, Shisui. Perhaps your fears are not unfounded. Even so, we have tonight. And, granted nothing else happens in the meantime, we'll have many more days or nights. But again, I have faith in you. If there's anyone that can bring peace between the village and the Uchiha, it's you."

Itachi felt Shisui bury his face a little into his hair. He said, his voice a bit muffled this time, "Thank you, Itachi."

For a split second Itachi entertained the possibility of allowing Shisui to toy with his hair. Surprised by the thought, Itachi bit his bottom lip slightly. He was perfectly content holding Shisui like this for an indefinite amount of time. He could feel his steady heartbeat against his chest and his breaths would tickle Itachi's ear from time to time. Neither of them were in danger in that moment and neither wished to draw away from it. A comfortable silence wrapped around them as they only listened to each other and the river.

Perhaps…

Several minutes passed. With great care it seemed, Shisui felt Itachi begin to pull away from the embrace. Shisui opened his mouth a fraction as if to speak but was silenced at once. Itachi had moved apart just enough to face Shisui, then leaned back in to kiss him gently. Now it was Shisui's turn to be immobilized by surprise. Once he managed to snap himself out of the daze, he immediately returned the kiss and allowed his eyes to droop closed. Itachi felt a foreign hunger and curiosity rise up in him when Shisui began to reciprocate the touch. Resolving to act on it, Itachi cautiously opened his mouth a small amount. He ran the tip of his tongue across Shisui's bottom lip and felt him react almost in an instant. Hands moved farther down Itachi's back and now Shisui's mouth had opened for Itachi with eagerness.

Itachi's head spun as they deepened the kiss. His tongue slid against Shisui's, a low moan coming from the other's throat. They were both overwhelmed by the sudden sensations but had no intentions of stopping things. Shisui did not resist at all as Itachi's tongue explored the inside of his mouth. He fought the urge to moan again whenever it glided across the sensitive roof of his mouth. He had burned it far too many times after years of abuse from katon jutsus and piping hot foods – he had no such patience for those to cool – and it remained incredibly sensitive to Itachi's touch. Itachi shuddered as he continued to feel Shisui's hands wander down even more. He was beginning to allow Shisui to take the reins in their kiss, but gasped lightly at where Shisui's hands had halted. A few fingers had slid below the waistband of his pants, fingers burning against his bare skin. Shisui did not notice all at once, but drew his hands and his face away with haste once he realized.

"Shit, I'm sorry Itachi," Shisui rushed to say. "I wasn't really paying attention to what I was doing and –"

"It's fine." Itachi found himself unable to breathe steadily right away, head still swimming as well. "It is a bit too fast for something like that, but I'm not angry with you. Really."

Shisui sighed, "Thank goodness." He looked at Itachi with warm eyes, pressing his forehead against his. "So, do you think we could have another picnic sometime again soon?"

Itachi let a soft smile spread across his face. "I would like that."

A/N: I'm back from an incredibly long hiatus! I've been rewatching this series while simultaneously introducing it to a friend, and during that these two Uchiha dorks prompted me to write this. Knowing what Itachi had to endure and watching the beginning of Naruto and Shippuden a second time has been incredibly sad. And, when Tobi revealed to Sasuke on-screen that Itachi had faced the death of a lover, I got hooked on this prompt.

I am unsure of the degree of relation among these two. They're clearly from the same clan, but I am choosing to tweak the canon a bit for my own purposes so they're not closely related at all (I'm not into incest fics, sorry). Anyway, the close bonds and dynamics between Shisui and Itachi made for a really wonderful and tragic couple.

I also have switched my penname from MadameJelly to pumpkinspice-unicorn, for those who may have read my Death Note fic. Sorry for the confusion.

A few parting things:

mugicha - barley tea (really yummy stuff, and drank a lot in hotter weather chilled)

red tulips - symbolize a declaration of love