An Unexpected Legacy

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. We hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 2

A grin spreads across Shisui's face as he scrolls through all of his social media feeds, bringing them all up on the three monitors angled around his desk. A full setup to do his nightly streaming. A chance to play some games, hang out with some good people, and it even had the perk of making him some decent money on the side, especially now that his face was a little better known.

It had taken him four years working a part-time job at a restaurant while he finished high school and started his training to fight professionally, but he'd managed it. True, he'd had his dad's support the whole time, but he was all Shisui really had, and Shisui knew that he was all his dad really had too. Especially after his Mom died.

His mother's death wasn't something Shisui really thought much about. He'd been so young when she died that he only had the vaguest memories of her. But it was fine, he and his dad had managed on their own. And, in a way, Shisui found it sort of poetic, another thing for him and his dad to bond over, something to bring them closer. His dad had grown up with only one parent, so Shisui saw no issue doing the same. Besides, Shisui was twenty-three now, and someone had to look after the old man.

One post in particular catches his eye as he scrolls down the feed, and Shisui's grin spreads right into his onyx eyes.

bladebuster23

Look at Shisui punching above his weight again. Isn't he ever going to give the big guys a chance to win for once? Or is he just going to keep trouncing their asses like a champ?

Shisui chuckles and raises a hand to his mouth. It wasn't the first time he'd heard something like that. A lot of professional fighters would intentionally drop their weight before the weigh-in to participate in a lower weight class. Though he'd been pressured to follow suit, Shisui had never caved to that pressure. If he was going to compete, he was going to be brutally honest about it.

Besides, he could absolutely punch above his weight. He'd trained his body to have as much densely packed muscle as he could without sacrificing an ounce of the agility and speed that made him a formidable fighter. And Shisui was proud of that, that all of the efforts he put into his training since the time he could tie the belt of his gi hadn't gone to waste.

A small creak of the door was the only warning Shisui head before he was no longer the only person in the room. His father might have been fifty-five but he had the stealth expertise of an eight year old champion Hide-and-Seeker. The man was behind him almost before Shisui could blink.

"Shisui, I'm going to order some pizza. Would you like anything?" Kagami rests his chin on Shisui's shoulder with a sly smile. "I'd ask your friends in the live chat as well, but I'm afraid you're getting just a bit too popular these days for me to get enough for everyone."

Shisui chuckles and rakes his fingers through his hair, a sparklingly cheeky smile on his face. "Well, I guess the viewers saw my pretty face and spread the word." He…might have helped it along a little. "But if you're buying, I'll have a pepperoni with three cheese, peppers, tomato, and onion."

"That's my boy. A healthy appetite is a true sign of a champion, you know?" He pokes Shisui's forehead with a smile, chuckling. Kagami had lost his sense of shame a long time ago. He was too old to worry about pretending to be a 'respectable adult.'

"And tell bladebuster that he hasn't seen anything yet. I'm sure you'll do even better in the next match. That last one was just a warm up." Which was why Kagami didn't bother to hide that he was reading the feeds. Shisui was smart enough to know that he was going to do it anyway.

"Yeah, yeah." Shisui shakes his head, not minding the inevitable red spot that would be adorning his forehead all stream. "I'll make you proud, I promise."

While it was encouraging to have his dad showing such faith in him, his last match definitely hadn't been some warm-up training match. The man he'd fought, Stone, he'd been enough of a handful to keep Shisui busy all match. It was nothing short of a miracle he hadn't been seriously injured.

But that was how it went sometimes. Though he might make fighting look easy to those watching, he never went into a fight giving any less than his all. Because he knew that the day he didn't would be the day he lost spectacularly. And not just the match, he'd lost actual matches before. No, the day he truly lost would be the day he walked out of an arena, knowing that he hadn't deserved to be there and hadn't given a fight his all.

"You always make me proud but if you keep frowning like that you're going to get wrinkles." Kagami pokes him again for good measure before taking out his phone and placing the order. "And we can't have my son looking older than me. I know I look good for my age but that would just confuse people."

Shisui hadn't even realized he'd been frowning. But the easy smile that comes to his face is genuine. "Sorry, I just had a few sobering thoughts, that's all." He reaches for his headset and tosses it around his neck, his cheek smile returning with a vengeance. "Now get out of here, old man, I've got a show to do and I don't want you upstaging me."

"Well, I understand the VERY valid concern but if your pretty face is enough to get extra viewers, I'd probably get you a million subscribers by the end of the day." Kagami smirks feeling rather pleased with himself. Shisui might have the cougar and gamer demographic on lock but he was confident in his own charisma. After all, he was an artist at heart. He knew how to give the people what they wanted. It was his job and he was damn good at it.

"Get out of here!" Shisui laughs and gives his dad a shove as the automatic timer on his studio lights dims the overheads. "It's time to make the magic happen." He pulls his headphones on and drops the mic, booting up his game for raid night.

It had taken having Kakashi explain this "streaming" service to him twice for Indra to grasp the full concept of this website. As much as the internet was a technological marvel, Indra did lament when things were simpler. Also, when humans were dumber.

He clicks through the adjoining sub-pages of the channel, studying up on what information Shisui had posted there. Shisui Suzuki, twenty-three years old, and the boy was now living in Sydney, Australia. How he had ended up there, Indra had yet to find out, but it would explain why they hadn't found him until now.

He'd spent the morning researching the boy, and upon discovering his fighter's biography and several news articles, Indra had surmised a number of things. First, that Shisui lived with his father, who had raised him alone since the death of Shisui's mother. Indra had tracked down her death certificate, and it appeared her life had been ended by a large traffic accident that had claimed the lives of several others.

Second, Indra had discovered that Shisui's father, Kagami, had old ties to the Yakuza. Not in any illegal capacity, but rather as a tattoo artist to make ends meet while single-handedly raising his son. When the law began to crack down on Japanese tattoo artists, it seemed that Kagami had packed up his son and everything of value, sold the house, and relocated to Australia, where his talents were recognized and his livelihood was no longer in danger.

Lastly, the boy had come onto the mixed martial arts scene when he was eighteen and thrived in the spotlight. The boy was charming and charismatic, and from the interviews he'd given in the years since, was earnest and straightforward, but also very intelligent and with no small amount of cunning. Honest though the boy might be, he was one who knew how to play to his strengths and let his opponents underestimate him.

How very like a ninja he was…

A soft knocking sounds on the door and Indra raises his gaze from the screen, glancing at the double doors as the left one opens a crack. "Come in, Itachi."

"Good evening, Indra." Itachi chuckles, gliding into the room with the grace granted to him from both his natural and supernatural talents. Indra was good. Other than Sasuke, he was the only person Itachi couldn't sneak up on anymore.

Speaking of his beloved... "Sasuke sent me to check on you. He said you'd been hauled up in your room all day and you missed Asura's call." Which was to say the least, highly unusual. Itachi still wasn't entirely certain what was going on with the two ancient vampires but it was obvious that they were a 'package deal' as Suigetsu would say. You couldn't have one without the other.

Arching an eyebrow, Itachi glances at the computer. He was dealing with an ancient vampire. Pretending not to snoop on him would have been pointless. Indra knew damn well that Itachi was going to do it anyway. "But it seems his concern was for naught. It appears you've gotten lost down the internet rabbit hole."

"I assure you that there is nothing to worry about, I'm merely doing research." Indra scrolls back up to the stream window, watching as a red and white logo dances across the screen. "Would you like to watch a livestream with me? This boy has caught my interest, and though I've little interest in these video games he plays, I would like the chance to get the measure of him."

Itachi had never known Indra to care for video games. He doubted his ancestor really understood the principle behind them. And for some perfect stranger who was just doing something as 'normal' as streaming video games to capture Indra's attention was odd to say the least. "I'd love to. After all if he can hold your interest, I'm certain this will prove fascinating. Are you planning on trying your hand at gaming, Indra? There are a few that I could recommend for you to try your fangs at if you like."

Indra sighs and shakes his head. "It is not his games that interest me, but the boy himself. It seems that while the young fighter is difficult to approach around the time of his matches, he makes himself publicly available nightly on this convoluted platform."

"That's not unusual. Streaming has become a common hobby and even a source of income for people these days." Itachi pulls himself up a chair and stares at the screen. There had to be more to it than that. "That can't be the only reason for your interest."

"Wait. Did you say matches?" Ah. So, that was it. Though the era of the shinobi had long since faded, Indra's ninja spirit never had. "He must be an extraordinary fighter if you're going so far as to stalk him online."

"He is. Had he been born five hundred years ago, I have no doubt that he would be as fine a shinobi as Sasuke." And Indra most certainly would have snatched him up for his own and turned him when the time was right. "As it is, the boy is a martial artist who competes regularly in Australia."

"You think he could have matched Sasuke?" Thank the universe he hadn't been drinking or eating anything when Indra said that. Itachi knew he would have choked. Such a thing was almost unheard of.

Despite his own best efforts, he knew that if it came to a test of physical prowess alone, Sasuke would win. Of course, Itachi had other techniques that could swing the tides of battle in his favour. He wasn't above playing dirty if the situation called for it. But still that was...interesting. "Shame that he's streaming and not fighting tonight then. I would have paid to see that."

"Then perhaps when this livestream is finished, we might-" Indra snaps his mouth shut as the timer on the screen grows, counting down the final five seconds.

The screen flickers, and the camera flickers to life, fireworks blooming as special effects across the screen. From in the midst of the fireworks, their host appears. His glossy raven curls and deep onyx eyes gleam under the reddish purple light illuminating the space around him "G'd evening from the land down under and welcome to the stream. For new viewers to the channel, I'm Shisui, and tonight we're hosting our weekly trials night. The rules are simple. Team Darklight will be running normal and veteran level raids to introduce everyone to the newly released trial, then we'll split into groups and take all newcomers to storm the dungeons and teach everyone how not to die. Now, who's game for stompin' some bosses?"

Indra raises an eyebrow as messages shoot wildly through the live text chat. And if he were to judge by the quick flickering of the boy's eyes, he was keeping up with the comments with ease.

Itachi blinks. The special effects and lighting were well chosen but that wasn't what had seized his attention. Hell, it wasn't even the streamer's charming accent that was getting to him.

No, it was the martial artist's looks. It wasn't a romantic attraction. Sasuke had his heart, soul, and well, everything else. The young man was rather blessed when it came to his physical appearance. But there was something else. "...He looks familiar."

"He does, doesn't he…" Indra muses with a smile on his lips. He wonders how long it will take Itachi to realize what he had the moment he first laid eyes on the boy.

"Unfortunately, Rozania couldn't make the stream tonight, so I'll be main-tankin' in her place." Shisui's fingers fly across the keyboard as the group begins to assemble in-game and port to the dungeon location. "Kregan, can you off-tank for me?"

A deep, thrumming voice echoes into the room as a dozen disembodied voices join the stream, cameras slowly flicking on around the edges of the screen. "No problem, Shi. I got your back."

"Excellent, then shimmy in and we'll blow this trial outta the water." A wide grin spreads across Shisui's face as he flexes his fingers. A fierce intensity burns in his gaze. "Three, two, one… Let's play!"

The chat explodes with capslock and exclamation points, echoing the fighter's words as if they'd done it a thousand times.

Itachi couldn't for the life of him explain the feeling. It was as if he had seen Shisui somewhere before. Like he knew him. But that was ridiculous. He'd never even been to Australia. And yet, he couldn't shake the sensation.

He knew that he was staring. Itachi knew that Indra knew it as well. And they both knew it wasn't because of the game. Shisui was an engaging host to be sure. Easy on the eyes, generous with the attention he lavished on his viewers, funny, and from Itachi's own adequate knowledge of gaming, an excellent player. And yet all of that was nothing more than background noise to him.

Itachi spent most of the stream memorizing every detail of Shisui's face and his mannerisms. Everything from the way he laughed, to his smile, the messy curl to his hair, and how he savaged his keyboard whenever he got particularly excited about something. Hell, he'd even noticed a minor bruise on his forehead. But for all his observations, Itachi was still perplexed. "Well, if he fights half as good in the real world as he does in cyberspace, I'm certain he'll win himself a championship."

"No doubt. From the looks of his professional career thus far, I would say he's well on his way to competing internationally." Indra leans back in his chair, his ego swelling with pride. "I would expect nothing less from a child of my blood."

"...Child of your blood?" Itachi chokes on air. That couldn't be possible. "But he's human isn't he?" It was hard to tell just looking at a stream but Shisui hadn't done anything that would lead him to believe otherwise. "Are you saying that he's a descendant of yours?" That shouldn't be possible, though. Itachi remembered well how Sasuke's reaction at discovering their distant familial ties. If there was another Uchiha out there by blood then...surely, it would have been mentioned before now.

"I've not yet tracked down his ancestry," not definitively, in any case, "but you have to admit…" Indra smiles smugly. "Even after fifteen hundred years, the Uchiha genes are still strong. I had thought all of the lines were wiped out, but…as your own existence has proven, at least one survivor existed."

"...I'd normally say that's quite a leap to say someone is related to you just by looking at them." Itachi frowns, he knew that logically. There were an infinite number of reasons why what Indra was proposing bordered on insanity. But how else could he explain this pull he felt towards Shisui? "But it would explain a great deal. Have you told anyone else of your suspicions?"

Itachi could only imagine his love's reaction to this. Was it possible that Sasuke had sired a child while he was human? He'd been rather young at the time but certainly he would have been physically capable of it. Itachi had a hard time believing that Sasuke would be so careless, though. Also, he was certain that his mate would have told him he had a child long before now. Or else his favourite ninja was going to have a GREAT deal of explaining to do.

Could Shisui be from Asura's or Indra's line? Itachi couldn't rule it out. He knew little about his ancestors' pasts. However, given their zealous focus on blood ties...it seemed unlikely an entire line of descendants would have escaped BOTH their notice... Perhaps, then…cousins of his that he'd never known about? Itachi supposed it was possible his grandfather might have had a sibling.

"I've told no one yet, however the it was the merman who inadvertently alerted me to Shisui's existence." Indra pulls up a fresh tab, leaving Shisui's gaming stream to the background. He types in a few words, and the face of Shisui's father, Kagami appears on the screen. "This is the boy's father, Kagami Suzuki. And this…" Indra pulls up another picture, this one an early colour photo from many decades ago, a photo of a Japanese girl in a University of Miami sweater with long, curly hair pulled back in a ponytail. "This is one of the few pictures I could find of Kagami's mother, Naomi."

"Naomi..." It was as though Itachi had been pierced through the heart by one of Sasuke's beloved katana. It had only been one night.

Granted it had been quite the fantastic event and he would have called her had fate not intervened. He'd just been so excited about the moon landing, had too many drinks, and hit it off with a beautiful woman. "I... remember her. From when I was human. We met during the celebrations after the moon landing," to his horror, Itachi's cheeks burn under Indra's scrutiny, "well, I don't think I have to go into great detail about what happened. We did use protection, though..." Apparently, it must have failed.

"By the universe, I can't believe this." Itachi sinks to the floor and. doesn't bother to get up. "All this time, I had a son and grandson and I never knew. Poor Naomi..." He could only imagine the pain she'd gone through as a single mother during that era.

Indra sighs, for he had suspected as much. It was the only way that another survivor could have slipped past them. He closes the tab, returning to the screen where the livestream was still in full swing. The lights in Shisui's room flare, casting shadows that could not possibly dim the brightness and excitement in his eyes.

"You did not know, Itachi." Indra would have to head this off early. "How could you have? A vampire tried to murder you that night. And she effectively succeeded. Even if you had known, had managed to convince her you hadn't actually died, you would have put both her and Kagami in danger. A young family is not the right place for a newborn vampire. You've seen for yourself what havoc newborns can wreak, even without meaning to."

"That might be true but had I known, I could have done SOMETHING. Or at least had Kakashi intervene." He could have at the very least provided some sort of financial support until he got his bloodlust under control. Sighing, he shakes his head. Of course, he knew this was all a moot point. "But I know you're right in my head. It's just," he places his hand on his heart and stomach, "harder to convince the rest of me of that."

It wasn't as though he could go and see her. He still looked exactly the same as the day they met. She'd have to be in her eighties, if she was still alive. What did he really expect? To waltz up and apologize? "...Perhaps I shouldn't have asked that. Were you able to find Kagami's birthday?"

From there, he could get a rough approximation of his conception. Though looking at Shisui and Kagami, Itachi knew a DNA test was a mere formality. Itachi would bet his existence on it. "He looks rather...young to be my son and to have a full grown child of his own." And the Nile wasn't just a river in Egypt.

"April 24th, 1970." Indra hardly felt that doing any further math was necessary. "I'm sure that he thanks his excellent genetics every day. After all, Uchiha men age like fine wine." A soft little smirk curls his lips as he tries to lighten the mood a touch. "And Shisui will be turning twenty-four in half a year."

"The timing lines up far too well." It would have been nearly impossible for anyone else to have fathered Kagami. "I suppose if nothing else, I gave them my good looks." Itachi forces himself to smile, still not having bothered to get up from the floor.

Itachi manages to look Indra in the eye, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. "I know the responsible thing to do would be to leave them alone. Kagami likely thinks I'm dead or that I abandoned him. He's survived over half a century without my presence. And as for Shisui, well, they're BOTH still human." How on earth could Itachi explain this to them? To expect them to accept him and thrust the supernatural world on them?

"But I have to at least reach out to them." Itachi knew that he'd spend the rest of his ridiculously long lifespan regretting it if he did otherwise and he couldn't afford to waste even more time. Kagami was already well into his fifties. Shisui was an adult with a career of his own. "I've missed so much and if they want nothing to do with our world then I'll have to accept that. They deserve that much at least. A choice."

Itachi had become a vampire because it was that or perish. That wasn't the case for Kagami or Shisui. They had the luxury of time. Of freedom. He wouldn't take that away from them.

Indra watches calmly as little pieces of Itachi crack and fall apart. The child had taken it about as well as could be expected. Still, pain was etched into every anguished inch of Itachi's face. And it was not an expression Indra wanted to see one his descendant's face ever again. "Here." He writes a few notes down on a scrap of paper and hands it, folded neatly, to Itachi. "If you discover how to navigate this confounded internet, you'll find the websites for Shisui's livestreaming channel, his fighter's biography, and the business site for Kagami's tattoo studio in Sydney."

"Thank you. I think I can manage that much." Itachi whispers, rubbing the corners of his eyes as he takes the paper. If he started to let the tears flow, he'd be in danger of flooding Indra's bedroom. And even worse, Sasuke would probably hear him. Supernatural hearing was as much a curse as a blessing sometimes.

"Then go, if you feel it's time." Indra rises to his feet and pulls Itachi to stand. He presses a kiss to Itachi's hair and pulls the fledgling into his arms. "Just know that I am here, should you need an elder to listen."

Itachi returns the embrace. It was comforting. Whoever would have thought that Indra could be so...gentle? "I know. It means a great deal. Well, I suppose in a way I'm lucky this happened during the Age of the Internet. It'll make learning about them a lot easier. That, and I did work for NASA. Research has always been my strong suit."

"Then I wish you the best in your research." Indra steps back to look at Itachi, pleased with the blooming determination in his descendant's eyes. "I know it's difficult right now, but I believe that with all of the love you possess in your heart, that you will do splendidly, Itachi."

Of that, he had no doubt.