Red eyes glimmered in the late afternoon light, the young Uchiha's face perfectly composed as he remembered the times he and his two friends had spent together in this place. It hurt his pride to realize how soft he'd gotten regarding the younger but taller girl, yet Itachi couldn't bring himself to care enough to prevent or reverse it; after all, it was unlikely that he and Ama would ever meet again. His eyes returned to their normal dark grey as a familiar chakra approached him and Itachi stiffened, the sorrow threatening to drag him under as Shisui drew ever closer to his death.
Shisui's eyes flashed dangerously as he caught sight of his younger cousing and best friend, unable to mask his anger as the heir to the clan refused to attend the clan meeting to discuss the coup d'état. Itachi turned to look at the older boy, his face hard and unreadable as the warm light turned to gold and cloaked the ground in its fiery warmth, signalling the end drawing near for one more day, and one more life. The river rumbled lazily, the only sound in the deafening silence as the two Uchiha's faced off. "Why?" was all Shisui could ask as his voice trembled, the betrayal now evident in his eyes upon the realization at what was going to happen.
"To bring peace to the village and its inhabitants, I will do anything," Itachi replied coolly, his cold mask dropping for a moment and revealing the young boy who did not want to hurt those he loved that sat at his core, resting and locked away until the deed was done. They said nothing more as the two shinobi jumped into action, Itachi mereley defending himself as they battled to the death. Shisui's eyes flickered red as he dove forward, a kunai in hand as he strove to injure the other boy, but to no avail. Itachi dodged and knocked the kunai out of his cousin's hand, his eyes already in their cold sharingan state as he carefully watched the other's movements and looked for a pattern in the attacks. They danced and wove in a ballet that would leave one dead and the other broken inside as Itachi and Shisui fought for what they believed to be just and true, and Itachi hissed as Shisui's blade sliced through the skin on his ribs, yet the wound was not deep enough to do any damage.
He readjusted his footing and finally attacked Shisui, never touching the boy and that's when the older Uchiha realized what was happening: Itachi, who had always had greater stamina, intended to exhaust him and then kill him. Shusui felt the fear begin to take root within his soul and faltered, giving Itachi the chance to make his move. He attacked him and shoved his head under the water, earning a look of utter betrayal from his cousin as the older boy began to stop struggling. Itachi released his hold on Shisui and allowed him to lift his head, gasping for air though he knew the battle had already been won, and he was the loser.
Shisui laid his head down on Itachi's lap, accepting his death and merely smiling at his younger cousin sadly. "Take care of yourself, and Ama too, Itachi. Tell her I'm sorry that we never made up, and that I didn't mean any of what I said. I loved her, you know." Shisui closed his eyes, the smile turning bitter as he grasped the kunai at his waist and handed it to his friend. "Even now I can't defeat you, and even knowing what you're going to do to the clan... How utterly like me to put my selfish desires before what needs to be done," he whispered quietly as he opened his now-ebony eyes and looked at his friend, his eyes soft. "Goodbye, Itachi, and make sure our deaths aren't in vain."
Itachi stiffled a sob as he moved and held Shisui's face under the water, apologizing as the minutes passed and life left the boy, leaving only an empty shell. The Uchiha cried and pushed his body into the swift waters tinted purple and gold as the light faded in a glorious harmony of color. He sat by the rushing waters until the light faded completely and gave way to the inky black expanse that blankets the sky when night falls and let the tears fall until he had none left to cry. Itachi smiled bitterly and stood, whispering a single verse from one of Ama's poems into the dark, hoping that Shisui would hear him somehow.
"When night falls and the whispering voices come,
will you still think of me after dusk?
Can you bring yourself to sing my name into the empty air,
even after my betrayal?
Forgive me and rest in peace,
and know your ghost will forever haunt my dreams."
I ended up re-writing it simply because the original was a bit much right now, but look for updates because once it is perfect, I will replace this.