The sun started to rise over the mountains, in the distance. It turned the sky beautiful shades, of dusty pink, Blossom orange and a light cherry red, that just lined the mountains. Looking out it seemed the mountains were asset in a beautiful blaze sent from some grater power. The air was cool, crisp when inhaled, that would send just the slightest shutter through a person, to remind them they were alive. The grass littered in small drops of fresh dew, perfect rounded clear, spears that easily were, swiped away.
Few knew such a perfect beauty, a perfect calm that seemed to flood over the earth at such an early time. Few bothered to take in the sight, for a multitude of reasons, from laziness to ignorance and many others in between. Humans were beings that looked long term, so few took in the small pleasures it seemed, until their days were coming close to an end. However, there were a few rare humans, which never over looked it. They stood apart, appearing as creatures amongst man instead of man themselves.
Itachi Uchiha stood looking at the sight before him; he took all of it in. His eyes were their natural dark gray, instead of the fiery, blood red of the sharingan. He watched the sky variation in colors, noticed even the smallest change in the hues. He felt everything around him, his body, mind and soul completely connected to the earth he stood on. His mind was at peace a rare occurrence that he took great pleasure from. He inhaled deeply, taking in the cool air, which seemed to awaken every fiber of him.
He listened to everything around him; the silence that greeted him was, welcomed. The only sound that was, heard was of the smooth flowing river that lay at his feet. He was alone, not being bothered by Kisame or any of the other members of the Akatsuki. For a short time, he was granted a small sanctuary to himself within the chaotic world. That was something he had truly lost the privilege of having years ago now. Back when his clan was still alive, back when things seemed black and white to him. Back when his sharingan was in fact stronger then his natural eyes.
He inhaled deeply letting out a long sigh, his gaze drifting from the mountains and sky. He looked into the water of the perfect blue river. It was untainted by pollution of the constant fighting that took place around it. It made him wonder for a moment how much blood had, been spilled in it, how much flesh had rotted and it washed away the vile evidence. He wished he could have been like the river, witnessing such cruel acts yet never having any memory of them.
Memories for Itachi, only haunted him now and so few good were in his mind. The good were as shallow pools yet far more painful to think on, more painful than the riptides of the bad. He did his best to avoid the good ones, to remember that at one point for what seemed like a very short amount of time he had been happy. A pure happiness had used to dwell in him that very few ever truly felt in their lifetime. Yet it was, ripped away from him, swallowed up right in front of his eyes, and he had needed to be the one to finish the whole ordeal, stain his hands with blood, as always.
It was something only a lover would understand. It was a sin, a lover's sin.
"I miss you my sin" Itachi whispered a harsh morning breeze suddenly whipping by him. "Shisui, my Lover." He spoke in a single breath. The words carried away in the wind like seeds of a dandelion.
Itachi closed his eyes, wanting to block out the memories, that slowly started to surface to the forefront of his mind. He felt like they burned him, as if it was not just a memory, but really happening to him all over again.
Itachi lay in the long wild grass, it concealing his form from any prying eyes. His eyes closed a content expression on his face. He hummed lightly feeling strong hands run over his bare sides, thumbs caressing his defined abs. It made the slightest of smiles cross his pale lips, he opened his eyes just a crescent moons amount. He gazed up into eyes that looked so much like his own, yet they were so very different. The lessons they had to teach, the hope they seemed to radiate like the sun's raises, tenderness and yet strength far beyond the person's age.
"Shisui?" Itachi says his voice laced with sleep it was hushed, though it had no need to be.
Shisui let out a deep chuckle. The moon light above his head, casting a silver halo over them both. Shisui did not feel the need to talk, he dipped his head and captured Itachi's lips in a gentle kiss that made Itachi melt. Shisui was the only one that could make Itachi melt, the only one that could understand why the younger Uchiha was so difficult to grasp. Shisui moved his lips against Itachi's in a slow sensual manner. It drew the smallest of moans from the perfect Uchiha under him. Most would have missed the soft sound, like silver bells ringing in the distances.
Once he pulled back Itachi lay panting ever so slightly, Shisui all to easily much to Itachi's 'dismay' could take his breath away with the simplest of gestures, smallest of kisses, and lightest of touches. Itachi slowly opened his eyes, greeted with a grinning Shisui, he rolled his eyes mentally at the cockiness of the other. Itachi would have rolled his eyes for real, though Shisui very easily made it very clear what he did and did not like Itachi doing, early on in their relationship. In addition, although from time to time Itachi did enjoy pushing Shisui's buttons to relive a few of the ways, Shisui taught certain things, tonight was not a night Itachi wanted to be, treated with a rougher hand.
"We have been out here for the whole day." Shisui suddenly spoke drawing Itachi from his own little world.
They had left the village very early that morning, before the sun had even peaked over the horizon. It was very rare but from time to time, they both were, granted a short leave of absence from missions. It meant that even though Itachi was an ANBU on these absences even ANBU could not go out and tell him to head into a life of death mission. It was insurance that all ninja in the leaf would get a much-needed break to keep up their strength in mind and body. It allowed them to see their families, visit with friends and for however long the absence gave them it meant they could live as normal citizens of the leaf. They were not protectors, they were not heroes, and the burdens they always needed to carry could for a while be set aside and possibly even forgotten.
This current time Itachi and Shisui had both been given a full week, a very rare thing to be given. For the first two or three days they did what was expected of them, visiting with family chatting with them of how they were, how they were holding up. They would go and mingle with friends even venture out to one of the small bar stands and through back a few drinks. They spent these first few days apart from each other physically, yet never leaving the other's mind. However, by the fourth day they would start to see each other again, going off and sparing for hours or just would walk around the village or clan district talking as if no one else in the village or even the world existed to them. No one found this odd; no one would question the two being together, for the simple fact that when they both normally had a moment to spear they were always spent with the other.
Everyone knew them as thinking of each other as brothers. Everyone knew them as being close, when even Itachi's father could not be as close to him as Shisui. However, somewhere down the lines, weather it was because of the hot summer sun, or the lining of the planets, one day they crossed yet another line, taking the step, from closeness to intimacy with one another.
"We have." Itachi says simply. However, he was not complaining. It had been one of the best days of his life. Shisui came, woke him up; bringing them to the current clearing, they were in.
The clearing was one even Itachi had never found before. Large cherry blossom trees that were in full bloom, surrounding the clearing that was a shaped like an oval. The grass in the clearing was tall and very soft like rabbit fur almost. Small patches of clove grew along with bushes of of azaleas and hydrangeas. A small stream flowed just at its edge. In the day butterflies and hummingbirds had been everywhere in the clearing pollinating the flowers and even a few deer and rabbit had come to drink from the stream. Now at night the sound of crickets filled the night air with their song.
Itachi and Shisui had spent the day sparing and talking with each other. They had talked about everything. The missions they had been on, the time they spent apart, what they had to do after the end of the week came. Shisui made Itachi laugh with the jokes and over exasperated stories he would tell. He also surprised Itachi with breakfast lunch and dinner that they could share in the clearing without needing to go back to the village and run the risk of someone wanting them to join them in heaven only knew what. They had also kissed, touched and made love to each other, in the clearing.
"I wish the sun would not rise for tomorrow." Itachi suddenly spoke making Shisui look at him.
"If tomorrow does not come we can't have another day like this." Shisui replied simply. He moved himself so he sat by Itachi, who stayed lying on the ground. Both were shirtless only wearing a pair of simple black pants.
"But with tomorrow our week comes closer to an end. We will only have three days left. Then we go back to putting out lives on the line, risking everything….Risking losing you" Itachi spoke his voice quite. He let out a light sigh though he did not notice it himself.
"I'll never leave you Tachi." Shisui says he moved and pulled out a pack of cig from his pants pocket and a litter. No one knew he smoked from time to time other than Itachi, it was something he did not want getting around.
"How won't you?" Itachi asks ignoring the fact Shisui called him 'Tachi'. The older one knew how it annoyed him, which was one reason why he did it.
"What do you mean 'how won't I'?" Shisui says chuckling deeply. He pulled a cigarette from his pack setting it between his lips. He put the pack and flicked the litter setting the small flame to the end of the cig. He took a few puffs watching the cig turn an orangey red, smoke started to slowly, curl into the air. He set the litter away taking a long drag; he looked up the clear night sky. He slowly exhaled smoke passing his lips and disappearing. "I love Itachi, you are my angel. No matter what I'll be with you and in death I shall wait for you." Shisui spoke; he kept his eyes on the sky.
Itachi looked at Shisui intently for a moment. He saw something flicker in Shisui's eyes as if he was carrying a grate burden and was trying to decide how to handle it. Yet every time if Itachi asked him if something was on his mind he was, always given the same short answer of no. It had been going on as such for almost 3 months now.
"You promise my sin?" Itachi asked his voice almost sounding like it wanted to creak. He moved himself up on his elbows. Shisui looked down to him smiling.
"I promise." He says moving and kissing Itachi on the forehead. Itachi hummed lightly pulling himself up to sit with Shisui. He smiled when Shisui wrapped his arm around him drawing him close into his lap.
They sat in silence looking up at the night sky, Shisui smoking his cigarette. As they watched the night sky a shooting star they saw followed by another and another. Soon the sky was lit with countless shooting stars that seemed the rain down. They did not need to be talk they just stayed in each other's arms watching the beautiful natural night sky show. They enjoyed being with each other no words were needed. They loved each other and simply saying it for them was not enough. They had to feel it and when they just sat and were able to hear the other's heartbeat, they knew. They knew they had something special, that could only be found when an 'angel' fell into 'sin'.
Neither of them knew then, that it was going to be the last night they spent together. In two days' time, Shisui would be coming to Itachi again with his eye missing from Danzo stealing it. Shisui would only then tell Itachi what had been plaguing his mind for months. Tell Itachi to take his other eye for safekeeping and tell him he loved him before asking his angel to do one of the hardest things of his life. He would ask Itachi to take his life, which he would do, stain his hands with his sin's blood, make it look like Shisui killed himself in the river. It would lead to him traveling a new journey that would feel like it was killing him with every breath he took from that day on.
Itachi opened his eyes pulling himself from the last night he had been with Shisui. He allowed a small smile to come to his lips. He looked at the river, then back to the sky, the sun had rose the skies hues dimming turning the sky into its natural blue of the day. He turned and started for the camp he and Kisame had set up for the night. He would wake his partner so they could leave.
"I hope you have kept your promise Shisui, my sin and are waiting for me." Itachi spoke to the forest around him. "Today feels like a good day to die." He spoke. He was going to find his little brother, Sasuke today. Sasuke was now old enough and strong enough to kill Itachi to learn the truth. "My sin I will be coming soon." He added the small content smile still on his face.
As Itachi walked the forest, a light wind blew around him. Now perhaps it was his imagination playing tricks on him. Or maybe it was only the whistling of the wind in the tree tops above. However, if you had asked him in that moment, he would tell you he heard Shisui's voice in the wind whispering to him.
"My angel, you'll be in my arms again soon."