It's been 84 years…

Well not really but it's been enough so hi guys! It's been a while since I've been around here and actually since I just wrote something, it's just been a couple of complicated years for me so I didn't really have the time or the inspiration to write. This is the first thing that I've brought myself to write in 2 years so I hope that the very little talent I had back then, didn't die during my absence.

The idea itself for this story came when I was listening nuvole bianche by Ludovico Einaudi (you guys should definitely give it a try) but it was something that I thought about a couple times before actually giving myself the chance to write about it. Again, I could never consider that I'm an expert or even a decent person writing a character as complex as my baby Itachi or Shisui, so I can only hope I didn't ruin it too much.

If you have read any of my previous stories and are currently waiting for me to update the ones I still have open, first off, thank you for actually reading and following it, and second, I promise you I'm doing my best to continue them soon.

As always, all feed back it's more than welcome, just don't be rude okay? Let's keep things civilized and respectful. Without anything else to say, I hope you guys enjoy!

There was not a single movement in the clearing and it the next couple feet surrounding the area, except perhaps for the ones of the animals of the woods and his own. Shisui felt himself grow anxious as he took a kunai from his pouch and threw it without really aiming at anything to his left side. As it was expected, the small dagger flew through the air and landed effortlessly in the very middle of a target a couple feet from the raven haired boy that just threw it.

"He's never late".

Another kunai was extracted from the pouch and just like the one before it, it landed perfectly on another target. This of course, continued to happen for at least another 9 times and it only ended because of the sole reason that he couldn't find more when he reached for the next one.

"That's it, I'm looking for him" he finally decided with determination.

He abandoned the clearing he was in and where he was meant to meet with his cousin and best friend, itachi, for a training session like they did every day. That until the later decided to not arrive after 20 minutes of shisui waiting and successfully losing his patience after using every weapon he had on him to distract himself from the sounds of the woods that were not itachi arriving to their meeting.

After a just a couple minutes of sprinting through the forest, he arrived to the edge of the village where he debated where to start looking.

'Maybe Fugaku held him to do some clan affairs' he mussed as he headed towards the Uchiha compound.

He decided that his first stop would be the military police headquarters to see if he was right after all and his cousin was being held by pointless political matters for an 10 year old, only to find out that he was wrong and itachi was nowhere near that place.

'He's probably with Mikoto and Sasuke-kun' he decided, heading this time to his cousin's home.

And for the second time that day, he found out he was wrong, again, something that was starting to irritate him having in mind he got stood up by his little cousin and this was just an extension of said action.

Upon arriving at Itachi's house, he sneaked upon a window expecting to see the reason why he was left to train alone but the only thing he saw was an annoyed yet somewhat amused Mikoto, trying to make little Sasuke eat something that wasn't tomatoes, and for the looks of it she wasn't really succeeding at the given task given that Sasuke had half of the food on his face and half was scattered around the little table he was sitting at. Shisui suppressed a smile and left the scene to give a little privacy to his defeated aunt.

Once he was back at the rooftops of his clan compound, he tried to elucidate one more time where Itachi could possibly be. If he wasn't caught up in a clan meeting and he wasn't at his house, and for gods sake, he wasn't as his training session with shisui, then

"Where the hell is he?!" He thought to himself out loud trying to come with a reasonable explanation.

After a moment of consideration, he went for the safest choice and closed his eyes, letting his senses expand and search for a particular chakra signature. The truth was that Itachi had always been really good at concealing his chakra, even while being in the village, but he wasn't an expert just yet and shisui knew his signature almost as well as his own.

A minute passed and he found what he was looking for. It was very faint and he guessed there was a good amount of shinobi that would completely miss it if they didn't try hard enough, but it was there and it was more than good enough for him. Now the only problem was that there was something wrong with it…well, not specifically with it but more of where it was coming from.

"The civilian side of the village? There's no way".

He felt bad saying this but the reality was that Itachi was a lonely soul and sadly did not have many friends, in fact, he was certain he was his only friend because his family did not really count, so for him to be somebody else, let alone a civilian, was pretty much out of question. So you will excuse him if he thought that Itachi being on the civilian side of the village was just almost impossible, but his senses weren't lying, that's where Itachi's signature was coming from and at this point even when he wasn't too keen to admit it, his curiosity was getting the best of him.

In the blink of an eye, he body flickered to the other side of the village, once there, he tried again to pinpoint where the chakra was coming from. After a few seconds, he was able to tell it was coming from a building a couple blocks from where he was standing and so he began his way there.

He didn't know what to expect now, he had no clue as to what reason Itachi possibly had to be in this part of the village or with whom, if he even was with somebody. Getting on this line of thoughts, he tried to sense if there was someone else in the building with Itachi, but he couldn't feel anyone else, the only thing he could feel was Itachi's aura and once again during this day, he found himself being surprised at the fact that his little cousin seemed…calm. But not Itachi's type of calm, which meant being low key on edge, no, this calm was actually just calm, even relaxed, and that was strange. Don't get him wrong, he was partially happy for the fact that his cousin was allowing himself to actually feel like that, but the whole context of the situation just added more questions to the already growing pile.

'What can he possibly be doing that has him this calm on the civilian side?'

'And why didn't I know about this?'

'Does anyone knows he's coming here?'

And it just keep adding and adding more questions, all of them without a satisfactory explanation.

While being so caught up in his inner turmoil of questions, Shisui didn't realize when he got so close to the building, being less than 6 feet away from the door, and that's when he finally heard it.

Music.

'Did itachi really just come all the way here to hear music?' He questioned in disbelief and a little bit offended. But with each step he took closer, he realized that the sound was too clean to be coming from any electronic device, and also he realized that itachi was the only person in that building.

Now, getting to use the best of his shinobi abilities, Shisui snuck in smoothly like a breeze through one of the windows downstairs. Once inside, the music became more clear and so it did the source of it, which Shisui came to conclude was a piano…and at this point denying or even questioning it was not an option anymore.

'Itachi and a piano' even as the words were slapping him in the face and his mind was trying to refuse them, the truth was right there, more specifically upstairs, since that's where the music was coming from.

As he made his way very quietly to the room upstairs, he was still trying to wrap his mind around it because it was hard to process. First off, shinobi were usually meant to protect, kill, to destroy, not to be talented in an art like music or painting or whatever, that was more the area of kunoichis and it was something that most of the time happened due to undercover missions; so, for his cousin to know how to play the piano was just absurd, which brought his second point that was the fact of how on earth he got the time to learn to do that.

At the end, there were too many questions and just very little answers by time he got to the room where everything was coming from, and as soon as the questions formed in his mind, they left as quickly once he got to see what was in front of him.

The room seemed like a music classroom, there were various instruments scattered here and there, and in the very center there was a big and shiny piano. But that wasn't what left him speechless, that was something to be expected, what was not expected even when everything was leading to it, was the fact of seeing Itachi's small figure compared to the instrument in front of him, sitting at the piano, playing it.

Marveled, Shisui observed the whole scene, taking his time to take in everything that was happening before his eyes. Itachi was sitting in front of the piano, his hands were effortlessly hovering above sea of white and black keys. His fingers, fingers that Shisui saw countless of times hold deathly weapons, were now gracefully dancing above the keys, so fast and delicate that it almost seemed like he wasn't touching them at all even when the sound emanating from the instrument said otherwise. That by itself was already memorable for Shisui, until he noticed the next thing that made a chill run down his spine. In front of Itachi was what he guessed had to be a music sheet, but when he took a look at Itachi's face, he realized his eyes were closed, he wasn't looking at it at all and yet he was playing the piano non stop.

Now, Shisui was a guy pretty sure of himself, but looking at Itachi in this very moment was nothing more than breathtaking. The way his body moved as he played, the way his fingers brushed so carefully the keys of the piano, the way he seemed to be feeling the music in his soul, was just absolutely magnificent and Shisui wondered how it was possible for a shinobi to be able to create something so beautiful. It was only then when he became aware of the song itself, the melody and the rhythm, so he allowed it to wash over him and reach his bones. He felt it was a song meant to comfort but also there was certain nostalgia in it that made him ponder about maybe just how little he understood Itachi so far.

He felt a single tear slide down his cheek and in that moment the music ceased.

"Aa Shisui-nii I'm glad you got to hear the song finished for the first time" Itachi spoke bringing him out of his musings.

It took a second for Shisui to get back to reality just to see an smiling Itachi meeting his eyes from his position at the piano. That's when he registered the fact that he didn't hide as he should've done as soon as he stepped inside the building and he just stood there idiotically at the door looking at the display, his cousin knowing this the entire time.

"I apologize for being late for our daily training, I got carried away for a moment" Itachi spoke again before he was able to say anything.

"Did you know I was here the entire time?" His mouth echoed his thoughts before he could stop it.

"Yes?" Itachi seemed a little puzzled.

"You had your eyes closed the entire time" Shisui defended.

"I sensed you outside the building and I heard you when you came in through the window" Itachi supplied, shrugging a little as he closed the music sheet in front of him.

"Of course you did" Shisui rolled his eyes. "Why didn't you do something?".

"What was I supposed to do?" Itachi inquired very serious, standing up but staying around the piano.

"Something…just so I knew I wasn't interrupting anything" He said in a lower voice as he scratched the back of his neck, feeling suddenly like an unwanted spectator.

"Why would you believe that?" Itachi asked genuinely curious.

"Well, for starters I didn't even know you knew how to play the piano" Shisui supplied crossing his arms.

"Oh…that of course" realization seemed to hit Itachi as he fixed his gaze on the floor.

"Well…?" His cousin pushed.

"What do you want to know?".

Even as he said that, Itachi really hoped Shisui would let the matter go and just forget about it. He didn't really had the desire of anyone finding out this particular side of him, not even his best friend, simply because the piano was something he meant for it to be his and only his. He wasn't eager to explain the reasons behind it but he should have know his cousin would have more than one question for him after this, so he took a deep breath and waited for Shisui to speak so they could get this over with as fast as possible. Shisui on the other hand seemed to want the opposite as he took his sweet time to formulate the questions that were spinning in his head. So after what felt like an eternal wait, a single word was freed to the space between them.

"When?".

Itachi blinked once, carefully thinking about his answer.

"A year ago".

"A year?! You have been doing this for a year and I never knew?" Shisui lost his cool demeanor for a moment but quickly recovered. "How?".

Again, Itachi didn't feel like explaining the whole story of how a day when he was running an errand for his mother on the civilian side, deep in thought, he got lured to the building they were currently in by the exquisite sound of a piano played by an old woman. This woman managed to caught him eavesdropping while she was playing one afternoon right before closing her classroom and gently invited Itachi inside, and so he did. Then after giving him what felt like an unnecessary long stare, almost like if she was looking for something inside him, she asked him if he liked what he heard and he said yes, then much to his surprise, the woman offered him to teach him, nothing in return, just for him to come back whenever he could to a learning session and surprising himself even more, he agreed. He got to assist to this secret agreement 3 times, whenever he managed to sort everything else but also curiously whenever he felt he needed it the most, and as it was to expect that's really all it took for itachi to be able to master his way on the piano. The woman was impressed of course, but it was almost like she had expected it as well, that's when she told itachi he didn't need anymore classes, the only thing left for him was to practice and play whenever he felt like it, and for this purpose, she gave him a key of the classroom, that way he could come in whenever he wanted without her having to be there. When Itachi asked her why, why she would do this for a complete stranger, to which she simply said "it looks like your soul needed it" and then left. After that day, he never encountered her again but he kept coming to play, to feel. So now, to spare himself from a long talk, he picked his words carefully.

"One day while I was around this area, I heard the music playing and I stuck around to listen. I kept coming back a couple more times until I picked up the technique and started doing it myself".

Shisui wasn't stupid, he was a prodigy after all, but above all, he knew his best friend too well and he knew that wasn't the whole story, but just because he knew Itachi that well, he knew he wasn't going to get anything more than what was already said and he respected that, even if it slightly hurt him. He took a moment to think about his next question, even when he figured he wasn't going to get much out of it, he still fell the need to ask it.

"Why?".

To be honest, that was the very question Itachi was dreading the most and was seriously hoping that wasn't going to be asked, but at the end, he knew better. The majority of the reason why he didn't want to answer that question was because he just didn't know how. How to explain to his dear cousin that even when he was only 10 years old, he had already contemplated about the dangerous yet alluring though of stopping…of just ending it all, and there was at least one time when he had been really close to achieve it. He didn't know how to explain that to him, how could he? How could he tell him that there were still moments where he entertained the idea even when he didn't want to admit it to anyone, not even himself? He would look weak, he would look like a coward to everyone he cared and loved, and he didn't want that, especially not to someone he looked up to like Shisui, his best friend, his big brother. He couldn't allow that, ever, and yet…he needed an escape, an escape from his thoughts and obligations, from his duties and expectations set for him even when he was just a kid, and he found that in that piano. Playing that piece of wood and metal and plastic, allowed him to feel free like nothing else did, free from his mind as the music poured through his skin and reached his soul.

Shisui could only observe his cousin, the way he seemed to be fighting with his deepest thoughts and he decided he didn't really need to know why. He would settle for the comfort that brought him seeing itachi happy and calm, something he just didn't get to see these days, if ever. He smiled at the boy in front of him.

"Itachi-kun, it's okay, you don't need to t-" He began but was quickly cut off by a deep breath and Itachi's voice.

"I would like to believe that these hands, are not only meant to cause suffering and damage" He began looking at his hands in front of him, then as he began to follow the shape of the piano with his fingers, he continued. "But that they can create something beautiful too, even if it is just a soothing melody".

Itachi mussed that maybe that wasn't the answer his cousin was looking for, and even if it wasn't the entire truth, what he just said was part of it as well. There were times when the voices in his head would get too loud with the things he had done so far, and it tormented him to think that even when it was his duty, the only thing he was going to do in his life was to destroy and kill. So after a moment of brief hesitation, he looked up at Shisui, part of him expecting him to look disappointed for some reason, but there was none of that as the raven haired boy made his way closer to Itachi, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You know something my dearest cousin? I think you're right. Even if our line of work asks for unspeakable things, that doesn't mean we have to let it define us because we too can be capable of beautiful things, and you are the very proof of that" Shisui stared deep into his eyes, wanting him to know that he meant every word he said. "I couldn't be any prouder of you".

"Thank you Shisui-nii".

"There's nothing to thank me for itachi-kun…but you do owe me a sparring session and probably a dango for leaving me stood up" Shisui grinned and began his way downstairs.

"I don't carry any money with me, I'm only 10!" Itachi rushed after his cousin with a pout forming on his mouth.

"Well, if you are allowed to carry weapons with you, you should be more than capable of carrying money, but fine, I'll invite this time" Shisui teased him, poking him softly on the forehead in the process.

Itachi frowned at the small poke but soon he smiled as he followed Shisui out of the building and into the street as they made their way back to the Uchiha compound. Then a sudden thought hit his mind.

"Shisui?".

"Yeah?".

"It's just…"

Shisui took a quick glance at itachi walking by his side. His small face was contorted in a worried expression. He stopped walking and held Itachi's shoulder to stop him as well, looking at him in the eye.

"What's wrong?".

"I don't want anyone to know about this, not even my parents and Sasuke" Itachi said firmly and then saw as Shisui's face went from concern to one of his genuine smiles.

"Don't worry about it Itachi-kun, I'll take your music to the grave" He promised solemnly.

Itachi then smiled at him too, one of his own genuine smiles that reached the heart, blissfully ignorant of how Shisui's promise would come to be written in stone in a couple years ahead of them, because after Shisui's passing, Itachi never allowed himself to escape from his mind anymore and his music drowned along with his best friend.