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Chapter Two

Masks

Itachi sighed turning over the porcelain mask in his hands, the wide grin and dark holes for eyes mocking him. He scowled placing the mask onto his dresser, what was he going to do now?

The Hokage had him removed from AnBu temporarily until he was calmed down, Itachi snorted. Until he was sane is what he meant, that much Itachi was sure of. Of course how could he be so sure, when he wasn't sure of whom he was?

Sane? He wasn't too sure he would be sane again, not after what had happened. What father does that to his own son? What mother just watches it happen, without speaking up? Itachi's fist curled, his nails biting crescents into his palm drawing blood.

Red, Red blood.

'Calm down' he thought hissing as he forced himself to take a deep breath, his fingers slowly uncurled from his hand he winced. Bringing it up to his eyes, he saw that they were deeper than before. When he was ridged from training or frustrated he had done so and left light scratches without intending to. This however was far worse, was he really so affected?

'Why did it hurt so much? Why is it even bothering me, they got what they deserved didn't they?' He choked down a sob, his jaw tightly locking into place. It hurt, it hurt so much.

"Tachi? Tachi are you okay?" a voice whispered softly, the door to his room creaked open, making Itachi freeze.

"This clan...is nothing but a pack of wolves." Itachi hissed towards the intruder, who froze at his doorway. The figure moved into his room causing Itachi to scowl, though the sobs wouldn't leave him.

"Tachi, I'm sorry it had to be done…" Itachi's head snapped up the cursed Mangekyo activating and reacting to his anger.

"Necessary? You call beating down a child, necessary?" He spat, curly black hair moved as Shisui shook his head.

"We only wanted to help." Shisui whispered, Itachi froze his fingers curling into his hand once again. Blood seeped from his fingers dripping onto the floor; Itachi knew it would stain the wood.

"Help? Did you think that for one second, that killing me would solve your problems?" Itachi choked out betrayed and battered from his closest friend's betrayal.

"I was out voted Itachi, I had no choice." Shisui stated, authority lacing his tone, Itachi almost flinched. But his loathing rebounded and he once again looked Shisui in the eye, the threat of the Mangekyo hanging in the air.

"Is this clan so important that you would kill me? Is it Shisui? Is this what you want, for the nations and lands to fall back into war? This is ludicrous, we'll be turned into nothing but dogs fighting for the peace we already have." Itachi hissed trying, pleading for Shisui to understand. Shisui's eyes narrowed, before he picked up Itachi's mask. The weasel mask grinned at them both, like the mask held secrets all on its own. When it really did, to Shisui who had figured out exactly what his cousin was told to do.

"So killing us all would have solved things?" Shisui whispered, a sad frown marring his face. Itachi froze, the mission paper falling right into Shisui's open palm.

"Where did you get that?" Itachi asked, voice hollow and monotone void of emotion.

"I found it, clutched in your hands. You were crying in your sleep, and I heard you when I was walking by. Would you really do this, to protect this village? What have they done for us? What will they do for us in the future Itachi? Why do you have such blind faith in an old man?" Shisui stated his own Sharingan activating the blood red of his Sharingan revealing his own pain.

"It was to prevent war, do you think I would have wanted to? It was the last thing I would have wanted Shisui, it was the last thing the Hokage wanted! Why do you think I spoke up during the clan's meeting with the elders and Hokage? It was to prevent any of this from happening!" Itachi's breathing was shallow, frantic as he tried to defend himself, his village and his own self-loyalty.

"Well, it happened." Shisui muttered collapsing against the wall, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. Itachi froze, the look in his eyes was almost like that night. It felt as if his chest was constricting, he suddenly couldn't get enough air. His hand reached for his throat, his body trembling with fear.

~Flashback~

"I'll go get Sasuke today, you just relax okay Itachi?" Itachi nodded his mother smiling as she left the Uchiha's private training grounds. He took a deep breath, hoping to clear his thoughts.

He pooled water into his hands from the nearby pond, splashing his face with the cool water. He sighed, the cold water trailing down his neck, perhaps he should take a break. Just for tonight, he was on a time limit anyway. So Itachi thought he should try to spend as much time as he had left in a sort of relaxed state.

He had already begun to close the distance between him and his family; it wouldn't be long before he had to pick up the blade. Time was all too short.

"Itachi, will you come here for a moment?" Itachi looked up; his father was beckoning him to the secret part of the Uchiha training ground. Perhaps he should just tell him he was going home? Deciding against it and his better judgment, he got up he owed his father this much at the very least.

"Yes father?" Itachi answered, Fugaku gave him a long hard look.

"Gomenasai, Itachi. But it was decided and it cannot be changed." Itachi's eyes widened as he heard the tell-tale signs of a whistling mass of shurikan and kunai. Fugaku vanished from sight as Itachi narrowly dodged the sharp metal objects.

"What is this?" Itachi questioned as the warriors of his clan, his family surrounded him. He could pick out a few he knew, Shisui, his father, his uncle and his aunt. He could see even more of the clan that he had never seen or known in the trees.

"Burned away." Shisui whispered, Itachi froze, the amount of loathing in his cousin's eyes, gave them all the advantage. Jumping down onto him, Itachi was quickly buried in a mass of Shinobi and Kunoichi. His Katana was out instantly as he realized the meaning of the phrase 'Burned away' it was used for suspicious or traitors to the Uchiha Clan.

'They could have stopped this, if they didn't have so much pride this all could have been prevented.' Itachi thought sadly as he quickly knocked unconscious a majority of his attackers. Itachi's form suddenly went ridged as pain spread from his chest to his throat and body.

A jagged kunai had become embedded mere inches from his heart, a pale hand was wrapped around it connected to an arm.

"S-Shisui?" he choked into a cough, blood sprayed from his mouth staining his lips a dark rust red. He was going to die, because of his closest and only friend. The thought caused something to become haywire, as he felt his Sharingan morph into something stronger.

~Flashback End~

"Gomenasai...Gomenasai Gomenasai!" Itachi choked throuh his sobs, blood coating his throat, painting his lips dark ruby red. 'Just like before, am I condemned to death?' Itachi thought as Shisui's hands tightly held him up, forcing him to breath even if Itachi felt no need to survive.

Author's Note: The Mangekyo's appearence explained! The reason why Itachi is losing his sanity? half-explained, I hope you enjoy and as stated before this is a dark fic.so don't expect a rainbow anytime soon. Rain however, you can expect that. A lot of that.