A little story about Itachi before the Senju brothers hit the show. Kind of sad, but hopeful too. Please enjoy!

It was a normal day; no one was here. It's been like this for a whole week, but none of the Uchihas minded. Rikudo Sennin always tortured them to with each customer, because every one of them was someone from their past, each guided here to torment a specific person. Most of the time, they were grateful for the absence of customers. If anyone who had also sinned got in, they stayed and most of the Uchihas don't enjoy that. Sinners were always ill-mannered and bitter.

Swoosh

Everyone looked up as the revolving doors spun open and a man in his twenties with black hair and eyes walked in. He looked like a regular traveler guy with an ordinary backpack, jeans, and a t-shirt, but all the staff tensed. No one was here for no reason. Rikudo Sennin was not so kind to the people he punishes.

"Um… I'm here to check-in." The man announced nervously, as if he was afraid of them, which was pretty normal because the staff manning the front desk was near identical in all physical traits: pale-as-paper skin, obsidian eyes, and spiky raven hair. In short, they all looked like vampires without red eyes. Well, sort of. "I hope this isn't Hotel Transylvania, or is it?"

Izuna, the cheery girl, was the first to unfreeze. "Of course not, sir." She smiled brightly. "Welcome to the Mangekyo Hotel! I'll manage your check-in." She clicked a few times on her mouse and pressed a few keys. "Your identification card or something like that please."

The man handed her the card just as Itachi walked out of the bar, still drying his hands on his handkerchief. Deidara had been teaching him stuff about cocktails, and he had been shaking away until he had finished a perfect mojito, which he gulped down immediately after Deidara had approved. He took a glance at the man, and let out a small gasp. He immediately went to his desk at the concierge without the man seeing, and watched him out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh, Mr. Shisui, ne? Single room, correct? Your room is number 1003." Izuna chirped cheerfully. "Breakfast and dinner included? Alright. That's everything. Let me show you your room, sir." She walked out of the front desk and escorted him to the elevator, which was located at the right end of the lobby. After Izuna left, Itachi stared after them in shock. Madara glanced at him and sighed.

"Yours?"

"Yes, unfortunately."

"Who?"

"Uchiha Shisui, my cousin."

"Any idea whether he would stay or not?"

"I don't think so. He was a saint and died for peace." Itachi replied, trying to shut out the image of his cousin plummeting into the waterfall as blood flowed freely down his cheeks from his eye sockets. It happened about a hundred…no, perhaps hundreds of years ago, but the scar never left.

"You died for it too."

"Go check the data book and you'll understand."

"You know I hate doing that."

"He didn't kill a whole clan." Itachi relented, knowing the older female would not look at it for her life. The data book was too torturous to look at even for a glance: generations of Uchihas killed by his hand, his young friend Izumi, who now had probably reincarnated into a beautiful woman, and most painful of all: his brother, Sasuke. He had given up so much for him, but he would never understand. Maybe he did, but he knew his resentful brother could never look at him the same way ever again. He was probably enjoying life now, free of the memory of him. It was worse for Madara, because the war she caused by releasing Juubi was so deadly that about one third of all deaths during the war were by her hands.

"Rikudo Sennin is so unfair sometimes." Obito butted in, rolling his eyes as he passed them with a towel in his hand. He was heading off to the pool, where he would proceed to sit his butt off for roughly five hours, staring languidly at the shimmering waves.

"That I agree." The pair said in unison.

Itachi watched Shisui through the corner of his eye the whole time he stayed. He hid behind the glass sculptures when he dined in Sasori's eerie restaurant. He told Konan to pay him close attention when he had breakfast. He even substituted with Hidan to be the bar musician in order to be near the raven. Yet Shisui paid him no attention and showed no signs of regaining memory. Most people, who were meant to stay, regained memory and all the pain that accompanied. Then they proceeded to stay forever in this place. Itachi secretly wanted him to stay, because he felt really lonely amid the Uchihas and past Akatsuki members. Shisui was like his brother, and perhaps even more than that. He was what Itachi held on to aside from his brother when he felt like he was falling apart. He tried his best to talk to him as they passed each other in the hallways, sang together during bar hours, and registering for gym and pool. Shisui still just saw him as the friendly hotel staff which he was actually not, and nothing more. Madara always looked piteously at him, and Izuna didn't seem to find the connection.

"You should stop getting attached." She scolded. "He is going to leave. I know he will, because he's so pure."

How would that be possible? Years and years of admiration and regret, years and years of heartache and pain, how could anyone get over that? Compounded with the years of being apart and forever longing, he haunted him in his waking hours. He couldn't just let go like that.

"You will never get what you want, Itachi." Madara's voice sounded behind him whenever he wanted to advance on Shisui. "You will lose more if you try harder. Rikudo Sennin wanted to punish you, and if you resist, you will have more heartache than ever. You will never win." She seemed to realize what he felt for Shisui went way deeper than brotherly love. Itachi was thankful that she didn't judge, but he was angry at her for warning him over and over. He didn't need such a Cassandra in his already miserable life.

"Madara, I know, okay?" He had shot back. "I know what I'm doing. I'm not trying to bring him back."

"Listen, Itachi. I was the original Uchiha forever tethered to the hotel. I've seen people suffer terribly because of the very same reasons. Obito no longer found peace after the encounter with his old love Rin. He tried so hard to win her back, Itachi, so hard. Like you, he tried to claw his way out of his own punishment, but he failed. Rin was already engaged when she came to the hotel, and she died a noble death in the Shinobi era, as a loyal shinobi of Konoha. Obito died a traitor, even though he protected two of the most important fighters of my original plan, Eternal Tsukiyomi Keikaku. He is forever shattered, forever in pain now. Do you want to suffer the same fate, Itachi? You are no different from Obito, even though you do not realize it yourself." Madara's Sharingan flashed in their sockets, their glow casting haunting shadows on her face. "We are the condemned clan of Konoha, the cursed Uchihas. We will never escape our fate."

He had been speechless, unable to retort even a single word. In the end, however, he disregarded Madara's warning and went on approaching Shisui. Madara said nothing to his actions, but only shook her head.

Shisui's checkout day came. Izuna was the one who managed the checkout process. Itachi watched on with a stoic face, even though he felt extremely sad. Shisui gave him a slight wave, even though it didn't mean anything to Itachi. He had left his history behind.

"And that is the last step! I hope you enjoyed your stay!" Izuna concluded as she handed him his passport. Shisui accepted and walked towards him.

"Um, I don't actually know how to get to the Memorial Rock. Can you show me?" He asked, slightly sheepish in the face. Itachi took out a map and explained all the routes, his heart wrenching. He didn't remember him: Itachi, who was his cousin in his past life. To him, he probably was Itachi, the friendly hotel staff.

"And you take the bus." He finished, mustering a smile. "Three stops and you're there."

"Thanks!" Shisui smiled and put the map in his backpack. He walked towards the revolving doors. Itachi's heart raced, and before he could stop himself, he burst out of the concierge desk. This was his last chance; his last chance of seeing Shisui and perhaps making him remember.

"Shisui! I…"

Shisui turned around and Itachi backed away in shock. His eyes were blood red: the color of the Sharingan. As a normal human, he shouldn't be able to do that, but somehow…

"Itachi, it is time you let go of your past." Shisui's voice seemed kinder and livelier: the way Shisui sounded when he was still a shinobi. "Farewell, cousin." His eyes curved into a crescent as he smiled, and when he opened them, they were the same black orbs again.

"Hmm? Did I forget something on the desk? I'm a really forgetful person." He said jokingly. Itachi's eyes began to moisten. His vision suddenly became blurry with unshed tears.

"No, you haven't forgotten anything." He squeezed out. "Everything you should be bringing with you is all packed up." What a fool he was, to think it would be painless…

"Oh, okay, thanks. Hope I come here again." With that, he walked out the revolving doors, his silhouette forever imprinted into Itachi's mind. It was no different than so many years before, when he plummeted to his death, except Itachi had been able to see his face. Itachi's knees gave out beneath him, and he started bawling in the middle of the lobby under the beautiful stained-glass window. His mind went to and fro in time, reaching for his deepest more painful and treasured memories: Shisui teaching him how to throw shuriken, Shisui smiling… Shisui hadn't forgotten anything; Itachi did. He forgot how Shisui was no longer Shisui Uchiha, and would never be again. It was embarrassing to cry like a little kid on the floor, but Itachi couldn't help himself. He didn't know how long he cried, but after some time, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Um…are you alright? I need to check-in and I assume you are one of the staff? My name is Kisame, Hoshigaki Kisame."

So, how was it? Does it connect to Youkoso Mangekyo Hotel nicely? Review!