Blood saturating thin, paper walls. The piercing shrieks and screams followed by sounds of blood gurgling. The sickly sound of a sword penetrating human flesh. Life fading from dark eyes. A dark-haired woman and man falling forward as their lifeless bodies hit the ground. The Mangekyo Sharingan, blood dripping down a milky white cheek.
Itachi gasped as he sat up in bed, eyes shooting open. A feeling of anxiety weighed down on his chest and he took several deep breaths to calm down. The same nightmare. Three days had passed since Itachi's last episode. This time the dream was more vivid, almost as if it was a faded memory at the back of the Uchiha's head. Itachi rubbed his eyes with the base of his palm. The sides of his raven black hair stuck to his temples. Once again, Itachi would have to change the sheets.
Shisui strolled through the streets of Konoha, his gait upright and firm. It was his day off in weeks and Fugaku had so graciously assigned him the morning patrol of the Konoha Military Police Force. The streets were mostly deserted so Shisui could take it easy. Amongst the elder merchants, Shisui was treated like a son. Everytime he walked by a merchant's stall, a little gift would be bestowed upon him such as some onigiri or mochi as a 'thank you for his hard work in keeping the village safe.' Shisui munched on some onigiri as he hadn't had time for breakfast that morning. His patrol would be over by five if he had no incidents to report. Shisui spaced out and found his mind drifting away.
Itachi…
A goofy grin stretched onto the man's lips. He was hopelessly in love with Itachi Uchiha. What started out as a brotherly bond only escalated for Shisui as he saw more of Itachi's sides. Shisui soon realised that Itachi was no longer a boy he could carry on his back, a blissful innocence once forgotten. When Shisui was 18 and Itachi was 16, he soon realised that what he felt for the boy was no longer platonic. Itachi's body was no longer slender and svelte. Muscle began building on his once childish frame and light scars began marking his pale skin. The gleam of innocence in his eyes was replaced by maturity and knowledge. Itachi's once soft features sharpened and became more prominent. The air around Itachi became more refined.
Shisui recalled the way Itachi's sharp tongue would poke out and lick the corners of his lips, lapping up all the remaining sauce from his favourite treat, dango. The way he would sigh in content and smile as he savoured every bite. The way Itachi's eyes flashed red intimidatingly as he fought with all his might on the battlefield, his comrades' safety being the number one priority to him. The way Itachi's neutral expression occasionally cracked as Shisui teased him and his cheeks would be painted in the most beautiful shade of red, contrasting against his snowy complexion. The way Shisui could practically hear the gears in Itachi's head sputtering to a halt as soon as he scrutinised the younger under his burning gaze. The worried expression that would paint Itachi's ethereal features whenever he visited Shisui in hospital. The smile full of adoration that would etch onto his features whenever he spoiled Sasuke. The wrinkles that would embed themselves into his brow as he frowned when he had his blue days.
Shisui wished he could shield Itachi from the cruelness of the world and kiss all his pain away. He wished he could run his hands through those silky locks of his, hold him to his chest and whisper words of healing into his ear. Shisui wished he could cleanse all of the darkness in his heart with fluttering touches and gentle strokes. But Itachi was like a rose with thorns; dangerously beautiful to the eye yet one would cut their hand if they got too close. Shisui sighed melancholically. It would take a miracle for Itachi to love him back as more than a brother. It would be best if he kept his love a secret for now; the younger Uchiha was already stressed to the max with his position as an elite ANBU serving the Hokage. He didn't want to add more weight onto his shoulders. However Shisui decided that he would continue teasing his friend, his reactions were too adorable and he needed an outlet to release his frustrations for the past two years.
The sun was beginning to set, soft ambers and pinks painting the sky. The soft breeze blew gently past the windchimes of Itachi's favourite dango shop, Kobayashi, a gentle melody soothing the younger Uchiha. Itachi took a seat in the outer area, under an umbrella. Nervousness began pooling into his lower stomach and he felt his innards tie in a knot. Shisui had told him to meet up at the eatery at 7pm, it would be his treat. When Itachi had questioned him as to why, Shisui had simply replied with 'you're like a younger brother to me and I felt like spoiling you today.' Itachi wasn't sure why he felt so disappointed. Itachi leaned his cheek against his palm and sighed. He felt even more on edge today due to the reoccurrence of that nightmare. The images were burned into his memory. Despite training with Sasuke for majority of the day, he hadn't expended as much energy as he would when Shisui was his opponent. Itachi tapped his fingers on the wooden table, feeling more restless than ever. As usual, the latter was late.
Where was Shisui?
That afternoon, Itachi had bumped into his ANBU team captain, Kakashi Hatake, while sent out on errands by his mother.
"Yo, Itachi." The younger Uchiha crisply bowed.
"Good evening, Kakashi-san." Said man waved his hand in a dismissive gesture.
"You make me feel so old whenever you address me like that," he light-heartedly joked.
"I apologise for causing you discomfort." Kakashi simply ruffled his hair affectionately.
"No need to be so formal, Itachi. How are you handling the break?"
"Well… if I'm honest… not very well. I haven't been doing anything for the past few days except spar and help my little brother train," he sheepishly admitted. Kakashi chuckled in amusement, a glint of mischief shining in his eye.
"Well lucky for you, I have something you could occupy yourself with. Helps time go by faster." Kakashi reached into his bag of freshly purchased goods and took out a green book, identical to the one he always held. He handed it to the Uchiha and a look of confusion made its way onto his face.
"It's a book, Itachi."
"Well yes, I gathered that much. But isn't it-"
"Oh my, would you look at the time! I promised to help an old lady carry her groceries. See you around!" There was no mistaking the apathy in his voice. With a poof, the copy-nin disappeared, leaving a gust of white smoke behind. Itachi stood glued to his spot, not knowing what to make of the situation. His team captain had just handed him a book that contained… questionable content and had encouraged the younger to read it. When he arrived home, Itachi had procrastinated from reading the book for as long as possible. Eventually he gave in and opened the first page.
"Icha Icha Paradise…"
Itachi had to admit, the first few chapters were written very well and the heroine's character was impressively complex. The cliffhangers drew him in but about six chapters in, the lewd content began. Itachi's eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets when he read the first line and he hurled the book against the wall in embarrassment. He felt his cheeks heating up. Never again, he vowed to himself. The thought that Kakashi gave him the travesty of a book because he was 'innocent' and 'inexperienced' did cross his mind. Lost in thought, Itachi didn't notice Shisui appearing in front of him out of nowhere. The younger Uchiha yelped and almost fell backwards. Shisui cackled, holding his sides.
"Nice to see you too 'tachi," amusement present in his tone. Itachi took a deep breath in to calm his pounding heart.
"Can you at least, warn me next time? A tap on the shoulder would be nice instead of a sudden apparition…" Shisui smirked. Was he pouting?
"Sorry princess, got a little held back with your father. Had to re-submit a report." Itachi grimaced at the nickname and glared at Shisui in a way that said 'call me that one more time and I swear to god-'.
"Anyway, what'cha do today? Sorry we couldn't spar."
"It's alright, I understand. I trained Sasuke for most of the day." Shisui raised an eyebrow.
"Heh, that's it? I don't know how you live like this 'tachi. I'd be bored outta my mind." Itachi sighed.
"I am. I can't wait to get a mission. I'm going crazy from boredom." Shisui waved over one of the waitresses.
"Shisui! Itachi! I haven't seen you two here for a while." A high-pitched voice pierced through Itachi's eadrums. The waitress smiled brightly and adjusted her hair self-consciously. She placed two cups of matcha in front of the two respectively.
"Yeah we've been busy with missions, Aiko." Shisui flashed her his lady-killer smile, intended to charm women only. Aiko giggled and pulled a curl behind her ear. Itachi felt anger bubbling up within and he glared disdainfully at her.
"The usual?"
"Yep. Oh and make Itachi's sweeter, you know how much of a sweet-tooth he has."
"Of course!" Aiko disappeared into the back. Itachi cleared his throat.
"Nice girl, isn't she?" Itachi felt himself getting even more irritated.
"Mm. She reminds me of a dog. Wagging her tail like that," he spat. The younger Uchiha simply sipped on his tea elegantly. Shisui simpered and put his calloused hand on top of Itachi's.
"Aww, is my princess jealous?" Itachi nearly spat his tea out. He quickly retracted his hand, a light blush surfacing on his cheeks.
"Who would be?" He asked, indignantly. Shisui inwardly laughed. Oh, how he loved Itachi's innocent reactions. He longed for the day where they could hold hands and intertwine their fingers together.
"Hmm, you're right. Who would be?" He echoed vaguely. Aiko reappeared and served them their order.
"Thank you," Itachi politely said, trying to keep the chagrin out of his tone. Aiko smiled sweetly at him.
"You're welcome. And please be careful on your missions, we wouldn't want to lose a loyal customer." Itachi felt his anger subsiding instantly. How childish, he thought to himself. Getting jealous over what? For what? A comfortable silence enveloped them as the two began savouring the dango. Itachi shared the anecdote of Kakashi and his erotic gift and Shisui comically snorted tea out of his nose. The two were in peels of laughter by the end of the story, tears streaming down Itachi's face. No amount of training made the younger Uchiha's abdomen ache so badly. Shisui threw his head back, coughing and hacking from the excessive laughter. Itachi hadn't felt so giddy in a while.
"Classic Kakashi," Shisui managed after all the laughter.
"For a minute I thought he gave me the book with the message that I'm too innocent and inexperienced," Itachi mused. Shisui shot the younger a look.
"Well I mean, he's not wrong. How many people have you kissed?"
"...that has nothing to do with being a shinobi. I've killed hundreds on the battlefield so I highly doubt I'm 'innocent'," Itachi quoted with his fingers in the air.
"But that doesn't change the fact that you haven't kissed anyone," Shisui sang. Itachi chose to remain silent and continued eating. He licked the sweet soy sauce off of his lips. Shisui watched, his eyes smouldering. He gulped. Itachi was way too defenseless around him. He had primal instincts as well, needs that he was constantly suppressing. He didn't want to risk getting tortured in an infinite time space, but either way, Shisui would be able to pounce on him and win through sheer strength. Not that he would, Itachi would kill him. The two finished eating and sipped on the remaining tea. The younger Uchiha basked in the gentle breeze, tendrils of his sleek locks gently swaying, gazing in the distance. Shisui swore he had never seen a sight as bewitching and divine in his twenty years of life. In that moment, Itachi looked like an angel, a higher power from God. He hadn't realised he was staring.
"Is there something on my face?" The younger enquired, mirth evident in his tone.
"Yeah, soy sauce," Shisui countered back.
"Oh." Itachi started blindly wiping his mouth.
"Is it gone?"
"No, it's right there- No, there-" Shisui sighed impatiently after the younger's failed attempts to wipe it off.
"Stay still." Shisui stood up and reached across the table. He cupped Itachi's cheek with one hand and with his thumb, he gently wiped the sauce off. He sat down and licked it off his thumb, making eye contact with the younger. A feverish chill ran up Itachi's spine and he couldn't hold back the shiver. His cheek tingled pleasantly. He felt heat crawling up from his neck to his face and he was sure he was bright red. Itachi cleared his throat, controlling his expression and moulding it back into his neutral one.
"We should probably get going."
"Yeah, it's getting dark." Shisui took out some coins and left them on the table before departing with his flustered friend.
Shades of navy and indigo painted the sky, stars delicately adorning it. The chilly breeze nipped at Itachi's back as it blew through his turtleneck shirt. He would have brought a jacket had he anticipated he would be staying out longer. Shisui had been smart enough to bring one wrapped around his waist. The two walked down the well-lit streets of Konoha, visiting stalls, Itachi stocking up on more bandages and camelia shampoo. Loud drums and flutes could be heard in the distance.
"What's with the music?" Itachi mumbled to himself as they lazily strolled.
"Hmm? Ahh, it's a parade to honour the 2nd anniversary of the Sandaime. If we stick around for long, we may even see the fireworks display..." Shisui replied. He glanced at Itachi beseechingly through his lashes. The younger softened.
"Shisui, it's late. I have to get going soon..."
"Pleaaaase?" Itachi sighed. He was always weak to Shisui's puppy eyes. It was almost tragic how easily the latter managed to manipulate him.
"Fine, fine. Just... stop looking at me like that." Shisui grinned.
"You're the best, y'know that?" Itachi simply hit Shisui's shoulder in response and the latter's grin widened.
"Let's watch the fireworks from the Great Stone Faces!" Shisui suggested. His tone was that of an excited child and Itachi shook his head but found himself smiling endearingly. The two jumped from rooftop to rooftop, the March breeze nipping at the pair's exposed arms and legs. Something about it felt so liberating. They reached the Great Stone Faces within minutes and Itachi perched himself atop the sculpture of Sarutobi Hiruzen. Shisui sat closely beside him, the two being shoulder-to-shoulder.
"5 more days until you get back to your usual ANBU activity." Itachi stretched his arms, a sweet sleepiness suddenly washing over him. He yawned.
"Yeah. Can't wait," he replied.
"But then we won't be able to see each other for a while," Shisui softly uttered. Itachi's somnolent state of mind didn't register the underlying sentiments in his friend's voice. A silence enveloped them for a moment.
"Just be careful out there 'tachi. I know you're an excellent shinobi but I really don't want to wake up with Kakashi at my door telling me you've died heroically in battle. I'd be devastated." Itachi chuckled.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Everything will be fine." And with that, beautiful patterns of bright oranges, reds, pinks and purples erupted in the sky in spirals and whirls, twinkling and blazing just like Shisui Uchiha's heart whenever he saw Itachi Uchiha.