Disclaimer: Don't own

Chapter Three

Where is his savoir?

Itachi burned in his dreams, the cries of birds mixing with screeches of people he swore to protect. The fire burned and burned ceasing to stop, Itachi yearned for the rain.

Rain to fall, extinguish the fire and wash away the bloody tears. But now the world was burning, he continued to walk, his back turned away. He couldn't stop, his heart yearning for rain, rain that would never come. He breathed and choked, on what he did not know. He knew this was a dream, yet the world, Itachi himself, continued to burn.

Mad laughter grating at his ears, shadows dancing before him as bloody Mangekyo taunted him with gory eyes. Clawed fears dragging him down, deeper into the abyss. Itachi ran, ran as his clothes began to grow. Slowing him down, his mask shattered, cracked porcelain falling into the dark the white gleaming in the darkness.

"Itachi!" he couldn't stop, he wouldn't stop running. He tasted blood, and fell tripping over nothing but himself. His hands scraped and his body twisted at such an unnatural angle, he watched as the ground became dark murky water. His reflection staring back at him, a stoic older mask.

A black coat with bloody red clouds.

The older smiled the grimness stretching wider and wider before his jaw fell in a manic laughter. "You, you are my new light!" "We are of a defiled bloodline that has flaunted its strength in such a manner throughout the ages!" "You too were entwined in its blood soaked destiny!" "This is my reality, give me your light!" and all went dark.

XXX

Itachi snapped himself awake his eyes wide and the Sharingan activated. What sort of nightmare was that? Why now and why show him running, growing into a child?

"Here, take this." Itachi saw Shisui and instantly shied away, the earlier anger and frustration coiling around him, fear grasping his heart forcing it to quicken. Like a trapped animal, was he truly trapped? He forced himself to open his eyes, slowly forcing away the burning chakra that had flooded his veins.

"Its medicine, to help fight off your attacks." Shisui elaborated slowly, gently handing him a bottle. Dark cream colored gel pills were seen through the clear plastic, Itachi grimaced.

"I know, you hate pills. But it's to help you." Shisui laughed, an uneasy grin on his face. It reminded Itachi of that man, the older Itachi in his nightmare. That was a new one, the deep ridges in his face were almost as deep as his own now. His eyes were ancient pools of onyx, seemingly endless in depth and hidden agony.

A necklace was looped around his neck, three silver circlets tied into the strong black string. A slash was deeply engraved into his leaf insignia on the Konoha headband.

It was so crooked, easily not made by his older self. But it served its purpose as well, the older Uchiha Itachi, was obviously a missing shinobi. It was there, the same wary look etched into his eyes. The tightness in his jaw, even the way he moved. It spoke of betrayal at its finest form, a buried truth amongst a thousand (if not more so) lies.

Would he become that person?

"Arigato, Shisui-san." Itachi managed to say, despite the alarm bells clanging loudly in the back of his head. A warning as clear as day, not the medicine, but Shisui himself. His eyes were too honest, too desperate for Itachi to buy that he was sick.

Was he sick?

He felt fine, honestly his head felt as clear as it had been in months despite the occurring nightmares and 'attacks' as Shisui called them. It didn't make sense, nothing did. But whatever was clicking into place in his mind was broken apart by Shisui's hand clasping over his shoulder a warm (But not friendly) smile on his face.

"You're welcome; we had better clock you out now. Come on let's go soldier boy." 'Come marching home.' Whispered in his thoughts like a thin feeble mist, wringing his thoughts into a death like vice. That phrase was important, Itachi's head throbbed and he winced cursing as Shisui glanced at him in concern.

"Let's go then." Itachi told his cousin, shaking off his pain and molding his features in a schooled expression. Smoothed and polished into the blackest stone, jagged and piercing, slippery and subtle. That was what he was trained and forced to become.

But he didn't mind that much, not any more.

He gave a wicked grin, wild and psychotic he didn't know why. But he did, and he felt a dark satisfaction as nurses scrambled away from him and Shisui, who had looked upon him with surprise. How easy would it be to snap everyone's necks with a sharp crack end their suffering, end their pride? End it all; take it back to the other world where he would ultimately be condemned to forever suffer. Where everyone else would survive an eternity in complete and utter content.

'Fool! Fight back for once!' a dark cold voice smoother, colder than his own AnBu cover snapped, a sharp white hot anger coiling tightly in his chest making his thoughts snap like tightly stretched wire. Itachi's grin faltered and dropped like deadweight, his eyes narrow to hide away from the scared expressions from the humans around him.

Shisui's hand was like a tight vice grip around his wrist, a stern angered expression etched into his face. Fury dancing like flames behind his eyes, a touch of scarlet beginning to bleed into the normal pitch black irises.

Itachi was only human, he had his faults. But, never should he have thought of such betrayal to his people. To those he was supposed to protect, where had his legendary self-control gone? Where had his humanity gone?

He was a Shinobi for the will of fire's sake!

'That is exactly why, you are far too gentle too caring and loyal for the life of a Shinobi.' Itachi's eyes snapped open meeting instantly with Shisui's Sharingan.

Author's Note: Short I know! I'll make it longer next time!