Hello readers! As a heads up I have once again started up school, so I'll try my best to get the chapters out as soon as I can, but it might take a bit longer, which also leads me on to my apology. I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter out and I hope no one's given up on me yet!

I promise this story won't end soon or sporadically, I'm not giving up on it. It might just take some time to get the chapters out, since I like to keep my length consistent.

But so I'll stop boring you with my life issues, please enjoy the chapter, I worked very hard on it!

I am Taimukipa.

Barbed Collar

Chapter 4

Shisui had a wide smile on his face. He had woken up an extra hour early to get his work done in the morning before and after breakfast so that when noon chimed in, he and Itachi could, as promise, go to town for lunch and to buy Itachi some clothes and things.

He already felt guilty for Itachi being alone the first half of the day, so he made it his self mission to spend as much time that was left in the day with his new friend. He had decided to put off his work until an hour before bed. It wasn't the best idea since he had about three hours of work left to do, but he just couldn't bring himself to ignore Itachi. He wanted them to become closer.

The carriage rolled down the cobble stone streets, heading into the middle class part of town to go shopping. Each section of the town had it's own shopping districts, but Shisui found the rich shopping district to be over priced and stingy, especially when clothing made form silk- his silk he might add- was extremely over priced. Besides that... what society deemed 'middle-class', Shisui found to be much warmer and brimming with exciting characters.

Shisui watched out the window, looking at the busy streets, his carriage got a few looks of course, but he ignored it, instead looking happily at the stands in the street selling their wears and dealing with all kinds of people. He glanced over to Itachi to see if he was just as excited, but his hopes were dashed as Itachi only sat there with that same bored look on his face. He held back a sigh of disappointment and look back out his small window.

What could Shisui really be upset about though? It wasn't Itachi's fault he was like this... he'd been through something traumatizing, something awful. He'd lost his entire family. His gaze fell to the floor for a moment before he shut his eyes. Reaching up he tugged on a small cord, which would signal the driver with a small bell to stop the carriage.

As the carriage shuddered to a stop, he caught Itachi looking to him somewhat out of the corner of his eyes. He smiled and then stood up and reached for the door handle, looking to Itachi.

"Come on, let's walk around instead!" He said excitedly. Before the cat could answer Shisui had already hopped out of the carriage and looked around at the familiar streets happily. He looked to his driver. "We'll be walking from here on, please feel free to return home or whatnot, just make sure the horse gets some food and water, and return within two hours to retrieve us." He said. The driver nodded to him before whipping the reigns and carting the horse off to turn around somewhere and head back.

Shisui smiled more and then turned to Itachi happily. "So, are you hungry?" He asked him, debating on what to do first, eat or shop.

Itachi gave him a wary look that confused Shisui. Maybe Itachi didn't like crowds that much, and especially on the street where they were selling food, it was certainly over-crowded. Shisui smiled comfortingly to Itachi before he reached out and gently took the mans wrist. Itachi, he felt, flinched back and tried to pull his hand away the first moment, but as Shisui guided him through the people until they were thinning out, Itachi seemed to play along and allow himself to be pulled. Shisui had to keep the stupid grin from coming to his face at the prospect that Itachi was allowing him to touch him.

Eventually as they were soon on a street that had a small number of people walking about, Shisui let Itachi's wrist slip gently from his hand before turning to face him.

"Ah, sorry about that, I figured you didn't like it being around so many people. I would have just told you to follow but, I was afraid you'd get separated from me..." He said sheepishly, glancing around somewhat, trying to explain his reasoning to Itachi so he wouldn't become disliked by the man. He waited a minute before hearing Itachi's voice.

"Thank you."

Shisui blinked and then looked up to the man who had set his gray eyes on the sidewalk, and not Shisui. He watched Itachi for a minute before smiling more.

"How would you like to get some lunch with me, Itachi?" He asked him lightly, waiting for a response.

Itachi lifted his head and looked at him for a moment calmly. Shisui only kept up the smile on his face and waited, until Itachi was nodding at him. He felt relieved, and at the same time happy.

"Alright, I know a great little cafe, they serve great tea and cakes and breads!" He said happily turning and then after a second headed towards said cafe. He heard Itachi speak up behind him though.

"Cakes, and breads for lunch... I don't think that your staff will appreciate you coming home any more hyped up than normal..." Itachi joked lightly causing a laugh to come from Shisui.

"Well I suppose not, but they don't let me eat them so often!" He said pouting sadly, looking to Itachi behind him for a moment. "But don't worry, they have normal dishes there as well to choose from." He said to Itachi. "Do you like sweets?" He asked his companion.

Itachi seemed to debate the question for a moment before looking to Shisui and speaking up.

"I've never had many... so I suppose I couldn't say I dislike them. But I haven't tried enough to say that I do like them." Was his answer. Shisui felt his heart drop, a life without sweets? How awful! Even the less fortunate had something sweet to eat every so often. He nodded though and allowed himself to keep up an energetic appearance as to hopefully lift Itachi's spirits.

"Well we'll just have to get you a sample tray when you're done with your lunch then!" He said happily turning back around. Though he didn't miss the way Itachi's ears twitched at the words.

"... You don't have to spend so much on me, Shisui..." Was what he heard from the man behind him. He waved his hand though.

"Nonsense Itachi, I don't mind it at all." He said comfortingly as they turned a corner. He smiled more, seeing the cafe up ahead. "There." He said, leading Itachi over to it.

They entered and then took a seat in the back. Shisui smiled to Itachi as a waiter came and handed them menus before leaving. Shisui opened his up and looked at the lunch specials.

"Hmm... what looks good..." He mumbled to himself looking over the dishes they offered. Shisui scanned his eyes over the pictures and descriptions of all the cakes. It all sounded so good, he felt like splurging a bit today, even if he ended up getting sick later on of course... He glanced up to Itachi to see the cat looking thoughtfully over the menu as well.

"Are you gentlemen all set?"

Shisui blinked, a bit stunned as he registered the voice of the waiter and then looked to the man a bit confused.

"Oh.. what?" He asked lightly. The waiter smiled at him professionally and repeated himself. "Oh, I'm sorry... um..." he glanced down to his menu once more. "I suppose I'll just have the strawberry shortcake with a cup of tea please!" He said to the waiter a bit flustered. He'd been watching Itachi that whole time, how much time had passed then? It seemed like seconds, but was it longer? He knew he'd only been staring at the menu for a minute or so, and they were usually given five minutes, wasn't it? He shook himself out of his thoughts as Itachi ordered.

"Green tea layered cake and a cup of mint tea." Was what he heard from him. The waiter nodded and wrote down their orders before leaving. He sighed faintly and then focused his attention back to making sure he tried to get more acquainted with Itachi. Though as he looked back to Itachi, Shisui couldn't help but smile and relax a bit more.

"Hm, so Itachi.." He spoke out, catching the mans attention as he saw one of Itachi's ears flick a bit. Shisui smiled more. "What kinds of things do you like to do?" He asked curiously. Itachi blinked and then shifted thought hazy coal eyes up to him.

"Being a slave doesn't come with the options of hobbies..." He said causing Shisui to back off a bit, sensing the hostility. Though he saw something flash through Itachi's eyes, maybe regret? Then Itachi had lowered his head, thoughtfully. "Though..." He continued. "When I still lived with my family, I did enjoy reading and writing." he said lightly.

Shisui perked up at this news.

"Should we go to a bookstore?" He asked causing Itachi's ears to perk up a bit as the man looked up to Shisui interestedly, almost fighting with himself to accept or give into his stature and decline the offer. Shisui pressed on. "I know a really good one Itachi... we could get some reading material for you, especially since I do work and won't be able to spend time with you... you could read instead." He offered, trying to make Itachi agree with him. "After we go clothes shopping, what do you say?" He grinned.

Itachi still hesitated bit slowly nodded. Shisui beamed at him, ecstatic over the sudden breakthrough. Just then, their cakes arrived, and Shisui wondered if the day could have gotten any better.

Eating the small portions of cake and tea didn't take much time, and Shisui was paying the tip and bill with a happy stomach. As the two stood up to leave he looked to Itachi.

"So did you like it?" He asked. He noticed Itachi chose something with more of a flavor that a sweet taste and that was fine, he just hoped Itachi didn't force himself to eat something he didn't like. Though he felt relieved as Itachi nodded his head.

"It was good, thank you... I appreciate you bringing me out like this..." Itachi spoke calmly as the two re-entered the streets. Shisui smiled to him.

"It's no trouble at all!" He said and then happily led the way down to the shopping center. Turning the corner, Itachi would see a bunch of small shops and boutiques with their clothes and accessories lined up for purchase. Shisui smiled and then headed towards specifically clothing stores, pulling Itachi in.

"Alright, let's look around, what do you need..." He mumbled, more to himself than to Itachi. He was nit picking through the racks of course, only pulling out a handful on pants and shirts. Maybe a nice jacket or two. He smiled when he'd gone throughout the whole store and handed the armful of clothes to the cashier.

Being the owner of a silk company had it's perks. When shopping for clothes Shisui didn't have to waist time trying things on. He'd gone through many different kinds of clothe lines that wanted to use his silk. He'd learned how to differentiate between what would and would not look good on a person. Itachi stayed quiet throughout the shop, only answering Shisui when asked if he liked the bunch of clothes that Shisui had chosen.

When the price came up though, Shisui pulled out his wallet, ready to pay until he felt a tugging on his sleeve. He paused and then glanced behind him to Itachi, who was looking down.

"... Itachi?" He said lightly turning to him somewhat. Itachi seemed a bit flustered, though he hid it well.

"... Isn't that too much, to spend on me... I'd prefer it if you didn't..." He said in a quiet voice. Shisui stared at the man a bit surprised before he smiled comfortingly.

"Itachi... it's alright. Really." He said to him. He hesitantly reached out and patted his head, being mindful of his ears. "It's no trouble, and I'm glad to do it." He said trying to sedate Itachi's anxiety.

He knew Itachi relaxed about the idea when he looked up to him. Shisui smiled brightly to him before turning back to the cashier and handing over the amount. The items were all bagged up and handed back to Shisui, who thanked them before ushering Itachi out of the shop.

"Hmm, alright. Well why don't we hit the book store and call it a day?" He asked looking to Itachi who he could tell was getting tired from all the social activity he was being pushed into. Shisui was also starting to get worn out, and he still had so much work to do.

Itachi looked up to him once more and then nodded. Shisui smiled.

"Alright, and if there's anything else you need then we can come back in a day or two." He said nodding.

He led Itachi towards a small, family owned book shop that he knew of. He visited it every once in a long while, but he enjoyed the atmosphere. He glanced to Itachi.

"And this one is up to you, Itachi. I want you to choose how ever many and whichever books you wants." He said smiling to his cat.

Itachi looked to him and then nodded lightly.

"Thank you..." He said before falling silent. Shisui stopped at a shop and then slipped into the open door. He looked to Itachi as signal for the man to go about his business and pick whatever he wanted while Shisui hung back near the register.

Itachi walked silently around the stores, the walls were lined with shelves, and the shelves were piled with books. Romance to horror to fantasy and fiction, non fiction and history. Itachi enjoyed books of all kinds. They were one of the only things he managed to easily acquire when he was younger. They took up time and gave him a broad spectrum to learn and indulge in.

As he sifted through the books, he let his mind wander a bit. He felt, relaxed. Shisui took him somewhere fancy to eat and he really enjoyed it, and Shisui brought him to a good clothing store and picked out a bunch of nice shirts and casual pants, nothing too fancy, but comfortable and Itachi was grateful. Though suspicious. But as Shisui had brought him here and given him basically free reign? Itachi felt, happy.

He'd met maybe one or two genuine people in his life. They were so few and far between, honestly trying to be a good persona nd help Itachi... but he never got so lucky. Maybe he could think Shisui was one of those kinds of people, and maybe he could think that he had for once, found some luck in his life, something to look foreword to now.

Or. Maybe he was being a naive fool. Maybe Shisui was just incredibly good at acting, and pretending. Maybe he was just waiting for Itachi to get comfortable enough just to finally take him down, to do something horrible and break the faint gleam of trust still left in his body-

"Itachi!"

Itachi's eyes widened somewhat at the cry and then he looked up, noticing a tall stack of books shaking and then falling over, onto him.

Shisui was intently watching Itachi, hoping he wouldn't suddenly decide he didn't want to bother Shisui and such. Though he noticed that while Itachi was working on getting a nice armful of different books, he seemed extremely distant. Deep in thought.

So deep in fact that at one point he saw Itachi's shoulder bang into one of the shelves, apparently unnoticed by him, and continue on. But the hit had reverberated through the shelf, causing a tall stack of hard covered books to shake and sway. Without thinking, he only called out Itachi's name loudly to catch his attention.

The man looked up and Shisui had dropped the bags of clothes and rushed over to him, just as he saw Itachi's little black ears press against his head.

Itachi could only close his eyes, feeling apprehensive of the bruises he would probably receive. But he could handle it right? It was his own fault for spacing out. He felt himself being engulfed by something, and he heard the loud clatter of the books streaking across the floor and onto him. But strangely enough, he didn't feel any of the sharp corners or different weights of the books as they fell onto him.

When the avalanche had ceased, he finally opened his eyes and blinked. His eyes widened as he was staring into Shisui's face instead. The man had seemed to tackle Itachi to the ground, protecting his head with his arms, and shielded Itachi from being hit by the books by hovering over him. Shisui smiled to him, though Itachi saw the slight pain in his eyes.

"You okay?" Shisui's voice came out concerned. Itachi blinked to him and then frowned confused, his hand reached up to touch Shisui's face.

"Oh dear!" He heard, cutting him off. The two broke eye contact as they turned to the book store owner who looked frantic and worried. Some books fell from Shisui as the man slowly got up, taking his hand and gently pulling him up as well. "Oh I'm so sorry! Are you hurt? Are you okay?" The frantic woman went on, dutifully looking over the both of them. But Shisui went and diffused the problem by pulling out one of his fake charming smiles again.

"Yes, we're fine. Sorry about the mess, it wasn't intentional." Shisui said and then woman seemed relieved.

"Oh thank kami." She sighed.

"Ah, but yes... we actually will be purchasing some books, right Itachi?" Shisui said, pulling Itachi from his thoughts once again. He looked to his master and then nodded, holding out the armful of books he'd cleaned up from the floor. The women, who was still a bit flustered, and debating cleaning up the books and checking them over once more, soon conceded and took them to the register, apologizing once again.

Itachi kept his head lowered as Shisui took care of the price and calmed the woman down. Itachi stayed close behind Shisui, his mind wandering off with his as Shisui handed him the bag of books, picked up the clothes once more and then ushered him out of this store as well.

As they headed back towards the place they'd been dropped off at, Itachi glanced to Shisui a few times before he stepped closer to walk beside him. He glanced over to him.

"Shisui... are you hurt?" He asked him.

Shisui seemed to blink and looked to him curiously, before giving him a small smile as well.

"Don't worry, I'm built tough. I'm alright. Are you though? You didn't get hurt when I tackled you to the floor did you?" He asked sheepishly. Itachi watched him and then shook his head, looking down.

"No... You... You protected me well." He said, the words feeling foreign to him. He hoped it was the right things to say... But Shisui seemed pleased with his words...

"I'm glad." He heard Shisui and then went to glance to the man, who was looking foreword once more, in thought, though he looked content. Itachi watched him for a moment longer before looking down calmly once again, and a small smile twitched onto his face briefly.

And there we have it. I hoped you all enjoyed the fourth chapter! Hopefully the fifth will be up soon. And I'm allowing a vote!

Coming upon the fifth chapter, and the characters have only known each other for two days already. What would you as the readers like to see more of?

I don't mind starting off the next chapter with a bit of a time skip, so that their relationship can be stronger and I can get into more detailed chapters. Or, would you all prefer to continue reading through day to day encounters between Itachi and Shisui? :)

It's up to you all, and I'd love to hear it, otherwise I'll just take things into my own hands. So please review for me!

I am Taimukipa.