[A/N: Writing from Shisui's POV is fun. Writing about Shisui and kidling!Itachi is also fun. So now you've got this. Will probably be updated sparsely, though.]

Graduation Day:
Shisui huffed in boredom, staring around the crowded examination room as he waited for his turn. Itachi was standing behind him, being far more still than Shisui had ever thought was possible for a seven-year-old. For both of them, the graduation exams were only a formality—Shisui was second-best in the class and the only thing preventing Itachi from being a mid-level Chuunin already was his small size and still-limited stamina. The Hokage had purportedly had to pull a lot of strings to keep him from being graduated at five.

The examiners were not being particularly strict this year (Ibiki had finally been transferred to T&I where he belonged), so only a few children so far had been denied a headband. That, of course, was not a sure ticket to genin, but Shisui didn't have any worries on that score.

Nara Ayako caught Shisui's eye from across the room, and he gave her his best 'fetching smile', the one that got him fussed over at parties. She smiled back. Before Shisui could do anything else, however, a very familiar small hand tugged at his jacket.

"What is it, Itachi?" he whispered in annoyance, then suddenly realized that there wasn't anyone else in front of him. Yuugao snickered, and Shisui glared at her before stepping forward to face the examiners.

The three jutsu required for graduation were very easy. In fact, they were absurdly, painfully, ridiculously easy. He almost considered trying out his sweet new fry-every-circuit-in-the-room jutsu just to show them what he could really do, but decided that that might not be a very good idea. The examiners might not look too kindly on him if they had to finish the exams in the dark.

After he finished, he got his headband (duh) and went over to see if he could sit next to Ayako. He didn't watch to see how Itachi did, but it wasn't as if he needed to or anything. Predictably, Itachi appeared next to them after a few moments, headband in hand. Ayako immediately started cooing about how he was so grown up now, and he must be so excited, and could she help him tie his headband on?

Shisui really hated it when the girls paid more attention to his baby cousin than to him. Sure, he liked Itachi, but he could be a bit of a drag sometimes.

Soon, everyone had a headband who was going to get one, and the head examiner shouted for everybody to shut up. Since Ibiki wasn't there to terrify them into silence, this took a little while, but eventually it was quiet enough for the teacher to make himself heard.

There was a not-especially-interesting speech about blah blah blah you are now genin (yay!) blah blah serve the village, etc., etc. After that, the jounin senseis started coming in to get their teams.

This year, there were thirty graduates. Somebody had to be fudging to make it come out even every year. Shisui had hoped to end up on a team with Ayako, or barring that Yuugao, but they were called for the first two teams.

Finally, the only genin left were Shisui, Itachi, and—oh no. This could not be right. There had to be another girl in the washroom, or the nurse's office, or something! There was no way he was stuck on a team with Hyuuga Kimiko. Right? Please?

"What's this, babysitting duty?" a sharp, frigid voice said from beside him.

Shisui jumped. She must have snuck over while he was panicing. "Uh, no. This is my cousin, Itachi." There was no way Kimiko did not know this. She had sparred with Itachi—and usually lost.

"Really," Kimiko scoffed, transferring her glare to Itachi. "How old are you, five?"

"Hyuuga-san, I am seven years old." Ouch. When Itachi spoke that politely, he was probably planning a demise (figuratively. Figuratively.).

"Whatever." With neither Shisui nor Itachi rising to her bait, Kimiko stalked off to the corner of the room to sit by herself.

Shisui banged his forehead onto the desk with a groan. Why him?

"Is something wrong, Shisui-san?"

"For the last time, Itachi," Shisui said, sitting up and rubbing his forehead (he really should have put the headband on first), "Stop calling me Shisui-san. And yes, something is wrong," he added, gesturing to where Kimiko was ignoring them.

Itachi raised one eyebrow, in an expression that looked entirely too adult. "What's wrong with her, Shisui-san? She is...competent."

"Yeah, at being a total pain. Where's our sensei, anyway, shouldn't he be here by now?"

Nobody answered Shisui's question, of course, so he began poking around for something to do. There was nothing to read besides the same dull textbooks, so he occupied himself be setting an elaborate trap for their sensei. He was asking for it by being late, anyway.

"Shisui-san, I think you should leave the wiring alone," Itachi said once he noticed what Shisui was doing.

"Oh, come on, Itachi, it'll be fine. It's not like they can't fix it or anything."

"Are you trying to fry our sensei?"

Shisui winced at Kimiko's shriek. "No! I mean, any jounin worth his rank should see it coming, right?"

"We will find out very soon," Itachi said quietly.

"Shisui, get the wires away from the door!"

"Don't you tell me what to do!"

Kimiko dove for Shisui. Shisui ducked, and she fell flat on her face, getting up furious. Neither of them paid any attention to where they were, or Itachi's warning. At last, Itachi tried to pull them out of the way, but was too small to make any headway.

Shisui hit the wire first. Yeah, that was pretty stupid, was his last coherent thought. Kimiko, whose arm he had been holding at the time, was in a similar state.

Finally, the power shut off, and both of them sank to the floor. Unfortunately for Shisui, Kimiko recovered first and got a few good clouts in before he could grab her in a headlock.

"Children, please..."

Shisui dropped Kimiko and both turned around to see who their sensei was.

"Hizashi," Kimiko drawled, her voice fairly dripping with contempt.

Shisui moaned inwardly. Their genin career had already gotten off to a horrible start, and now it seemed it was getting worse.