I do not own Naruto nor any of Kishimoto's characters

Dang, I'm on a role today.

-xXXXx-

Thicker than Blood

Shisui can't remember when Itachi was born. It would be weird if he did, actually, considering he was a few months from turning three at the time. His Mom told him that Shisui was the first person Itachi had smiled at, and that small fact stayed in his mind the rest of the day and undoubtedly pleased him. Itachi didn't remember either, of course, because that would be even more weird, but there were these certain moments when Shisui would find little Itachi doing something and the younger Uchiha would just grin at him. Those moments would remind Shisui of what his mother told him and it would make Itachi seem like even more of a little brother.

But those kinds of smiles faded after the war. Any kind of smile faded, really. Some people just thought Itachi was odd, being such a sober child at the age of four. Shisui, however, knew it was because of the battlefield they ended up getting caught in the middle of during the Third Great Shinobi War.

Shisui still blamed himself for that, actually. Though now that he thought on it, Itachi wouldn't be the kind of man he was today if he hadn't gone through that.

Shisui and Itachi had been anxious for their fathers to return. Their mothers told them to stay inside the house because 'the fighting was too close,' which Shisui didn't understand back then and assumed she meant the fighting was almost over. Itachi didn't understand at all. Shisui was impatient and left to go wait at the gates and Itachi followed him. When they were within ten feet of the gates they were knocked out and held hostage.

They weren't injured and were rescued quickly, but that didn't stop them from seeing the blooddeathgore all around them. Shisui knew that man; that woman used to be his and Itachi's nurse; that woman is his first hour teacher at the academy; that man used to work in the restaurant his family liked to go to; that man looked just like his uncle except he was pretty sure his uncle had the lower half of his body intact so it couldn't have been him.

He didn't know why they weren't moving at first, but apparently Itachi had some kind of innate human instinct that let him know exactly why, because he was suddenly shrieking and writhing and crying and scaring Shisui so much that he started crying as well.

No, Itachi didn't smile at all after that. Shisui started to, after a while, to make up for the smiles his younger cousin was missing. The smiling helped, and he slowly managed to push the mental images of bodiesbodiesbodies out of his mind until he could barely remember them. He didn't think Itachi ever managed to forget the bodies even the slightest. He had nightmares for months after that day.

The nightmares finally stopped almost a year later when Mikoto, who's stomach had been steadily growing larger, suddenly came home one day with a much flatter stomach and a baby. Both Shisui and Itachi were amazed by little Sasuke, much to Mikoto's enjoyment. Shisui didn't think he had ever seen such a fierce look of of protectiveness on Itachi's face.

Itachi started smiling, after that.

Of course it had made Shisui jealous, that this baby who hadn't known Itachi for even half of how long Shisui had known Itachi could make the young Uchiha smile, when Shisui himself had to bend over backwards to just get him to raise his head. But still, Itachi was smiling, and Shisui couldn't bring himself to hate little Sasuke at all for that.

The planning of the coup had been hard. Itachi had just been promoted to chuunin, Shisui had been one for a year or so, and both were being approached by Anbu in hopes of recruiting them. It was dangerous times, hoping that the Anbu wouldn't notice the coup plans and that the Uchiha clan wouldn't notice the Anbu constantly scoping the two prodigès out.

They were accepted into Anbu, with the encouragement from the clan members when they were discovered, and both found themselves quickly rising through the ranks. With special training in Anbu as well as training in the clan, they quickly found themselves captains of their own teams.

It was putting a lot of strain on Itachi, Shisui could see. They were both asked to spy on the village. Sasuke had started the academy. Fugaku was always comparing the younger to the older. If it didn't stop, Sasuke would grow to hate his brother and envy him. The thought was agonizing to Itachi.

And then the night Danzo confronted Shisui. He had found out about the coup, threatened complete and utter destruction upon the clan if all plans were not scrapped immediately. Shisui played dumb, and Danzo took his eye.

The last night he had with Itachi was something he would never forget, even in the afterlife. They were missing a meeting, Shisui knew they would get in trouble. Himself, more so than Itachi. Because he had sheared Danzo's right arm clean from his body, and Anbu Root was tracking him down.

He gave a brief summary of events to his cousin. Itachi was horrified. And this is where they met their problem. Danzo was furious; he would not stop until he had Shisui's head on a silver platter before him. Shisui could not run, because then Danzo would just go to the clan.

That was another thing he couldn't really forgive himself for, either. Itachi had enough on his plate, without adding the murder of his cousin by his own hands. Yes, giving Itachi his Mangekyo and Shisui's remaining eye had been necessary, but he didn't think he had seen Itachi look that agonized. Ever.

When Shisui remembered that night, he could still feel trembling fingers wrapped around his neck, holding him under the surface of the water. His arm was gripping the fabric of Itachi's shirt and he felt wetness on his skin that he knew wasn't the river's water.

It was nice, Shisui mused, the feeling of dying. If you ignore the panic, that is. At least he was dying on his own terms. At least he was dying so that Danzo wouldn't go after his clan if he ran. At least he was dying for Itachi and for little Sasuke.

Don't cry, Shisui mouthed, Itachi's wet face and blood red eyes, bleeding, twisting into different shapes, the last thing he saw before he saw nothing.

He still watched him after that. He had promised to take care of Itachi, and he would do it, even dead. Itachi couldn't see him, he knew, and it's not like Shisui could just reach out and pull him out of danger, should he walk into it. But how was he supposed to just sit there?

The massacre was hell. It was nine years ago, all over again, but this time he couldn't comfort Itachi. He couldn't save Sasuke from the web of lies Itachi had conjured. All he could do was sit beside Itachi, leaning against him though Itachi couldn't feel him, and hoped he stopped shaking so violently and silently.

Please, cry, he wanted to beg, because anything would have been better than the absolute deadness in his cousin's eyes.

After that, he was torn. He wanted to keep his promise, but he felt as if he owed Itachi for being one of the reasons he was suffering and ought to look after little Sasuke, who Itachi had given everything up for.

Sasuke won out. After seeing the massacre, Shisui didn't trust Danzo at all. Even though his cousin had clearly threatened the man to not lay a finger on the youngest Uchiha, the man was greedy and bloodthirsty. So Shisui kept watch over Sasuke the next few years, agonizing over how their little Sasuke was growing up so full of hate. Every now and then he would check up on Itachi, but there was never really any change. He was emotionless, he slept, he trained, he ate, he fought. But the disease was a shock, and he couldn't bear to make himself watch Itachi choke down enough medication for it to count as a small meal.

He was admittedly pissed that day, after Sasuke's chuunin exams, when the two brothers met for the first time in years. He knew Itachi had to make his act perfect, but did he have to hurt Sasuke so much? No, he didn't watch Itachi for a while after that, but eventually he went to him after Sasuke had joined Orochimaru. He wanted to smack the little Uchiha for letting his hatred get to him like that, for leaving the safe haven Itachi had created for him. He wanted to beat Itachi for encouraging and stirring up that hatred.

The next few years were painful for him. Several times, he found himself in the run-down Uchiha compound, just remembering. He knew brooding about the past wouldn't get you anywhere, but that really only worked for the living, didn't it? The dead didn't have an 'anywhere.' They had Eternity and Death for company.

And then the time came for the final battle. That was one of the most painful experiences of his afterlife. He wanted to scream at them, to scream for Itachi to fucking stop already, for Sasuke to look past his goddamned hatred and see the truth, before they completely destroyed the other.

Itachi died, and Shisui hated himself.

He sat beside Itachi's body, scowling at that bastard Madara as he took their bodies. When he was gone, he leaned against the wall, watching the rain wash the blood off Itachi's eyes.

Images of them, from so many years ago, flashed in his mind. Itachi as a baby (how did he even remember that?), both of them playing ninja together, Itachi's bright little smile. The pure joy that enveloped his young face as he held his baby brother for the first time, the pride as they all congratulated him for graduating from the Academy in record time.

"You were always selfless," he murmured, a light smile playing on his lips. "It would have done you good to do something for yourself for once."

Itachi training with little Sasuke, all three of them playing together.

He looked up at the sky, closing his eyes as he tried to imagine what the rain would feel like on his skin if it wasn't falling right through him. "Guess it's too late, now..." He couldn't help but smile bitterly at the sudden patter of the rain on concrete next to him, instead of the previous sound of the drops hitting Itachi's still skin.

"Shisui...?"

He looked down to meet wide onyx eyes staring up at him, and he felt a gentle smile spread across his face. Shisui reached down and ruffled Itachi's hair fondly. "Sup, Cuz?"