Shisui was already on the bridge when Itachi arrived.

For a moment, he wondered if he were late, only to remember that Shisui was notorious for being impeccably early. The older boy turned toward him with startled eyes, as if he hadn't expected to find him there.

This was odd, considering that it was Shisui who had asked to meet him there.

"Itachi," Shisui smiled, almost relieved, as his cousin approached. The wood creaked beneath their weight, and below the bridge, the Nakano River rustled and ebbed. "There you are."

"You say that as if I were late, cousin," Itachi mirrored his smile softly, coming to his side on the bridge. Shisui shrugged, propping his elbows against the guardrail.

"Well, we better make this quick. The meeting is going to start soon, I think," Shisui murmured suddenly, glancing up at the sky. It was nearing dark, and orange clouds streamed over the blue and violet sky. Itachi tilted his head to the side, appearing more curious than he actually felt.

"Make what quick?" he asked, watching Shisui's face in the dark water below them. "You summoned me here, remember."

"I know, I know…" Shisui shook his head, sighing quietly. "Look. Um…Itachi, I need to tell you something."

Itachi said nothing. His dark eyes slid to the side, and he regarded his friend with absolutely no change in expression. It was Shisui who faltered and looked away, brushing his hair back and straightening his forehead protector nervously.

"The police…some of our cousins…they asked me to keep an eye on you," the young man admitted, in a rush of breath. He stared down at the water as Itachi only continued to watch him impassively. "We've all been concerned. You've been acting so strange lately, you know? Well…" his eyes flickered briefly towards Itachi and just as quickly away. "I've been following you after missions, shit like that. I just wanted to tell you. We're friends."

I know. Itachi thought, turning his head to the path he had come from. He wondered how many people had crossed the bridge while Shisui had waited for him, and he wondered how many may still cross before dark.

"Itachi…"

He turned his head at the sound of his name, meeting Shisui's eyes. Silence. He had nothing to say. "Did you find anything of interest, Shisui?"

His cousin flinched. He made no move to hide it. This was difficult for him; pain was evident in his black Uchiha eyes. For a fearsome ninja, Shisui was a surprisingly gentle man. There was a reason many of their family cared a great deal for him.

There was a reason they were friends.

"You know I did, Itachi," Shisui answered, fingers clenching on the guardrail. "I'm making my report to my superiors tonight. I don't think I need to share the contents of the report to you."

"No," Itachi agreed calmly. "I understand."

"I don't think you do," his friend hissed suddenly, shutting his eyes. "Itachi, they're trying to get the Hokage's permission to have you arrested. They're talking to other Anbu members for information. I'm not the only person watching you."

The timing of the meeting made sense to Itachi now. The only people with interest in his activities were his relatives, and every member of the police force was hidden underground in a temple a few sparse miles from here.

Itachi, upon entering the area, had ascertained that he and Shisui were alone but now he knew for sure.

He was silent for a long time before he finally whispered, "Why are you telling me this, Shisui?"

The young man opened his eyes, staring down into the river. He was searching for his reflection, but the growing darkness around him had hid it from his sight. He sighed, smiling weakly down at the rippling surface of the water.

"I finished my report and I've left nothing out. I've completed my duty to my village." Shisui answered him almost inaudibly. He ran a hand through his hair before turning to Itachi and offering him the most genuinely sorrowful smile he'd ever seen. "But I've now completed my duty to you as my friend. I've given you fair warning. Think of something, Itachi."

Itachi narrowed his eyes. The air suddenly felt odd and cold on his skin.

"Think of something?"

"Yeah." Shisui glanced back towards the water. "Write out your resignation to the police force, apologize to your father and your superiors, I don't know. Just do something before they label you a traitor to our clan, Itachi."

He turned away from Shisui, then. He took a single step away, listening to night falling around him. For at least a mile in either direction, there was only the chirping of insects, the howl of some dog, and the warm rustle of water beneath their feet.

They were alone.

"And if they did?" he asked, staring up into the clouds. They'd shifted into a deep shade of red, while the sky behind them had deepened to violet. He smiled absently at the sight.

Itachi couldn't see him, but he listened as Shisui whirled around furiously and stared at his back as though he had heard the greatest blasphemy uttered under the sun.

"They'd put you in fucking jail, that's what!" Shisui snarled. "You can't turn your back on your blood. Your clan is your life. Don't you understand that?"

Is that what they teach you? Is that all that you are meant for? Another pillar in the great House of the Uchiha?

Itachi turned back to Shisui slowly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I am more than just this blood, Shisui," he whispered, "or I shall be."

Shisui's eyes darkened as they narrowed. "What are you talking about, Itachi?"

He held out his hands, offering a slight shrug of his slender shoulders.

"I am tired of being measured by the greatness of my blood. Of my clan as though I am nothing without it. There is more… I am more than just this." He murmured, taking a step toward his cousin and meeting his eyes. "It is a shame for things to die, become stagnant and cease to grow when there is so much room for growth. There is no greater crime than allowing potential to be unfilled."

"Itachi…"

"Yes, Shisui?"

He had never seen his cousin grow quite so still. His pale skin seemed transparent and sickly in the dwindling light. He was frozen in place as Itachi approached him, and while he was several inches taller than the boy, he had never seemed quite so slight and insignificant.

"What are you thinking these days, Itachi?" Shisui whispered softly, refusing to be terrified of this…child. Visions of Itachi growing up fluttered in his mind. Who was this person? He didn't recognize these eyes.

"Your clan," Itachi whispered in return. "This blood of ours. It has ceased to grow, have you not seen it? Have you not felt it? You are the strongest of your generation, cousin. I am the greatest of both."

He raised his hands, clasping Shisui's face and meeting his wide eyes. His own eyes had brightened into the crimson Sharingan, and he was seeing through eyes that had become more than a second nature for him. He watched as chakra swam violently under his cousin's skin and weave up toward his eyes.

Itachi slid his hands delicately around Shisui's throat. He did not tighten his grip. He waited, and his friend was silent.

"I will become the greatest of all. I am the future of this clan. It is only in my blood that the capacity for growth still resides, Shisui." He murmured, tilting his head curiously to the side. "Don't worry. This will hurt me a very great deal more than you."

Shisui knew that Itachi was not lying. He had seen the scrolls and the scriptures on the stones, he understood, in that moment, exactly what Itachi was doing and everything that his younger cousin was hoping to gain from it.

Mangekyou Sharingan, Itachi? He almost laughed. He had come to understand what Itachi did.

The greatest of strengths were often those born in the very worst of suffering.

Shisui was almost honored.