Uchiha Shisui

"You can count on me like one, two, three
I'll be there."

The first time Uchiha Toshiko had changed Shisui's life he had been ten-nearly eleven years old. Uchiha Toshiko had just been born and he had been ushered into the hospital room with Itachi and Sasuke by their father, his Clan Head, Fugaku. Mikoto, the Uchiha Matriarch, was upright in the hospital bed looking far more tired than Shisui had ever seen her look— and he had seen her look tired, Sasuke had, after all, been a rather colicky baby —holding a bundle of bright pink blankets.

A baby girl.

Toshiko; a name that could either mean longevity or clever child depending on the kanji her family planned on using.

Itachi had held her first, he clutched the baby to his chest and froze. Itachi held the newborn Toshiko like she was made of the finest glass and even the gentlest of movements could break her. His hitate glimmered under the August sun that filtered into the room through the blinds.

"Itachi," Mikoto said; Shisui looked away from Itachi— who had been looking down at the baby in his arms with the sort of mesmerized look Shisui only ever saw in war; it was the look men would give the morning sun after having survived what'd looked like a hopeless battle —and to the Lady of the clan.

She had a fond smile on her face; most mothers looked at their children like that. Shisui couldn't quite remember if his mother had ever given him that look before she had died. Perhaps she hadn't or perhaps he had just never been paying enough attention; he'd been young when his mother had died, no younger than Sasuke was; four at the most.

"Let's not hog her, let Sasuke hold Toshiko."

Itachi was a good child. He never argued, never rebelled and always did the things expected of him without question. He also adored Sasuke; he revered the two year old more than Shisui had ever seen an older sibling love their younger counterpart and yet Shisui saw Itachi's eyes flicker over to the toddler shiftily.

Uncertain. Untrusting.

It was honestly laughable in Shisui's opinion.

"What if he drops her?" Itachi asked, Toshiko still against his chest.

Fugaku snorted; a rare sound that made Shisui's spine straighten; no matter how much time Shisui had spent around his friends family over the years any kind of emotion from his Clan Head was surprise.

"He's in your mothers lap Itachi," Fugaku said; Itachi simply blinked in response and Shisui swore— and he would continue to swear it until the day he died —that the corners of Fugaku's lips turned upwards in amusement. "I'd like to believe that between you, your mother, me, and Shisui-kun one of us would be fast enough to catch your sister."

Itachi was a good child who never asked questions. Who never talked back and always graciously did as he was told; yet Shisui saw the younger boy's cheeks puff out outwards as he reluctantly handed over the bundle of blankets.

Fugaku looked up at the hospital ceiling as Toshiko was placed gently into Saskue's lap; almost as if he were praying for more patience.

Sasuke's tiny arms couldn't fully wrap around the blankets; the round tips of his fingers stuck out from the underside of the blanket.

"This is your sister Sasuke, your imoto," Mikoto said. "Her name is Toshiko."

"Imoto?" Sasuke repeated, his eyes never wavering from Toshiko's face. He brought his hand up and gently— the same way Shisui had seen Itachi do several times over the years —pressed his middle and index fingers to the center of the newborn's forehead.

Itachi, a usually expressionless child— even at seven Itachi so rarely gave up what he was feeling; Shisui always had to pull it out of him, every smile and laugh was a gift presented so sparsely —beamed at the sight.

"Imohiko," Sasuke verbally stumbled, making the room chuckle. "I'm your onii-san, Sasuke."

The baby didn't respond; she didn't cry or babble out a response the way Sasuke would have as a newborn infant. After a few moments of Sasuke holding Toshiko, Shisui felt a hand on his shoulder.

Fugaku's hand to be exact.

A goodbye began to build on his tongue; the only reason he had been ushered into the room was because he had come to the hospital to help Itachi with Sasuke while Fugaku helped Mikoto through labor; he hadn't been asked to. Shisui was sure he was about to be asked to leave; to be told that this was a time for family.

"Sasuke," Fugaku said and Sasuke looked away from Toshiko— Itachi and Mikoto both looked away from them —and to his father. Shisui blinked up at his clan leader, wondering why his hand was on Shisui's shoulder if not to address him. "Why not let Shisui-kun have a turn holding her."

Oh, that was why.

Shisui's gut felt heavy; he'd never held a baby before. He'd held his teammates in his arms as they bled out and onto him. He had held the body of the men he'd killed so that they wouldn't drop with a thud and give his position away. He'd never, though, held a newborn. He'd never had the chance. Sasuke hadn't let anyone but his parents and Itachi hold him.

Even at two Sasuke knew that his father wasn't a man to be defied, that letting Shisui hold Toshiko hadn't been a request but an order; so petulantly, the same way Itachi had, Sasuke's cheeks puffed outwards and he allowed Itachi to take Toshiko out of his arms.

Shisui felt himself tense as he held his arms out for the baby.

"She's not a bag of rice Shisui," Itachi said before handing his newborn sister over, "Fold in your arms." Shisui did so. "You're going to need to support her head, raise your right arm." Again, Shisui did as instructed. He heard his heart pounding in his ears.

Slowly, Itachi placed Toshiko in his arms and Shisui, once the baby was settled and Itachi's hands hovered felt his heart explode in his chest because the baby in his arms didn't cry or wail the minute Itachi pulled away but instead opened the eyes that had been closed.

They were dark. Her nose was tiny and she had so much hair. Shisui hadn't known babies could be born with that much hair.

Her tongue poked out from behind her tiny lips.

"Hi," Shisui whispered. He wasn't sure why, but he understood why neither Itachi nor Sasuke had been able to look away. "Hi, I'm your brother's friend Uchiha Shisui. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Hime."

Princess.

She was the clan leader's daughter; heiress to the Uchiha clan. The title had just rolled off his tongue; he wasn't sure why, it wasn't as if he'd ever call Itachi or Sasuke Prince.

Toshiko squirmed in Shisui's arms and for a minute his heart stopped; he thought she would begin wailing for Itachi or Fugaku but she didn't. Unlike Sasuke, Toshiko snuggled deeper into Shisui's arms, her eyes closing once more.

Shisui hadn't even realized he'd been doing it until mid-way through but as he clutched a once more sleeping Toshiko in his arms, in the back of his mind and in the depths of his heart, Shisui swore to protect her. To keep her safe.

No matter what.

.0.0.0.

The second time Uchiha Toshiko changed Shisui's life was just over a year after her birth; Shisui still wasn't yet a teenager but he had a flee on sight order attached to his name in the Bingo Books.

Shisui didn't bother to shiver as a freezing gust of wind and snow blew past him. Trained shinobi could regulate their own body heat by using their chakra to do so.

The order under his name in the Bingo Books wasn't the only thing to change in the sixteen months since Uchiha Toshiko's birth.

Since then Shisui had become one of Konoha's many orphans. His father had died; the man had finally succumbed to the wounds he had received in the Second Shinobi war. His mother had died years ago. She been the only person to die on the White Fangs final mission; the former Hatake leader had been the only reason a body had been brought back and while his father and him— and their clan —had never outright said it, they had all been grateful.

Shisui and his father because they had a body to bury and the clan because they had a body to bury. Like the Byakugan was to the Hyūga, the Sharingan was the most important thing to the Uchiha.

Some would say it was the only reason they had lived so long. Others would say— Shisui would; he had seen horror in the world and injustice against his clan but he would still say —that the reasons the Uchiha survived through every advertisement they faced was because of how much they loved.

Other clans might have dōjutsu but none loved like the Uchiha except perhaps the Hatake's and even then, the Hatake had fallen because of how they loved— Kakashi was the only one left —but the Uchiha had thrived. Because Madara-sama had loved his brother so much and the pain of losing him had been so unbearable, Uchiha Madara had made sure no one would go through pain like his. Peace had been reached Konoha had been founded because of the Uchiha's ability to love.

Shisui felt the end nose twitch as a snowflake fell on it. Between his Shinobi training and the thick mourning robes he wore the only part of Shisui that could feel the cold were the tips of his ears and the end of his nose, and even then it wasn't anything more then a tickle.

A wail broke out across the otherwise quite night; Shisui's brows knitted because he knew that voice. He knew— he knew that he knew; that he wasn't mistaken —that cry.

Toshiko.

But— Shisui's brows knitted together —She couldn't be outside. It was the middle of the night and nearing negative temperatures.

"Will you shut her up!" A voice hissed quietly. If it weren't for the fact that it was so cold and even the smallest of creatures had taken cover Shisui wouldn't have heard them. "She'll give our position away!"

But he had, and he heard Toshiko whimper following the hissed order.

So he moved; flickering to the closest roof Shisui saw two burley men in an alleyway. Shisui saw their headbands; even with no moonlight it was easy to see that the crossed out symbol engraved into the hitate showed the men had once come from Kumogakure; the Village Hidden in the Clouds.

"And how do you expect me to do that-its not like I can put her in a sleeper hold!" The second man— the one holding Toshiko —snapped back in a hiss. He was ugly, they both were but there was something almost putrid about the man; just looking at him made the skin on the back of Shisui's neck crawl.

"I don't know! Figure it out!" The other shinobi snapped. His eye were golden; they reminded Shisui of the sun.

Shisui didn't say anything as he drew his kunai from the pouch on his thigh. His own eyes— bloody red and cold; murderous because how dare they —never wavered from the whimpering Uchiha Toshiko.

Aiming for the back of the enemy nin's head, Shisui threw the kunai at the Shinobi not holding Toshiko, the one with golden eyes and olive skin. It hit its mark, metal wedged into the back of the man's skull, killing him before he had even begun to drop.

With a gurgle the man dropped dead; the second Shinobi, the one holding Toshiko jumped, his eyes flickering from roof to roof until they landed on Shisui who had body flickered to stand in front of him.

Shisui's had his tantō was out and in his right hand before he had even landed on the ground.

Toshiko was wailing, bound to not just wake someone up but to draw the attention of any officer patrolling.

The enemy nin was quick to whip out his own blade and point it at the very tip of Toshiko's cherry red nose. A fire, angry, roaring, came to life in Shisui's chest. A pressure pressed itself against the back of the young ninja's eyes; there were no more stages to the Sharingan after the mangekyō and yet Shisui was sure if there was, now would have been the time he found out.

"Give me the baby."

Shisui was someone who always smiled, who bound around the village laughing because that was how his cousin Obito had shown him to live life. Obito had taught him that there was always a reason to smile.

But there wasn't; Obito had been wrong. This wasn't a moment— there was no reason to be found —to smile. Toshiko, his sister in all but blood was in danger and to Shisui there was seldom anything more terrifying then a loved one at the wrong end of an enemies blade.

Shisui had spoken so coolly, with a voice so void of emotion and with an aurora leaking murderous intent that the enemy ninja shook where he stood

"I won't ask again."

"You're pretty gutsy," the ninja said with a false bravado in his voice. "Making demands when I have the brat."

Shisui was nearly thirteen. He was the youngest ninja in leaf history to have a flee on sight order attached to his name, not even the Yodiname had that, his had come when the Hokage had very much been in his late teens.

And Shisui had that order for a reason.

Before the ninja could blink— could threaten the Uchiha Hime once more —Shisui had flickered behind the man. The sharp of Shisui's blade dragged across the enemy shinobi's neck.

Dying men always made such ugly sounds. This one let out what should have been a scream. It was a bloody gurgle that only ever got quieter the closer the enemy-nin got to the ground.

With one arm— because he had yet to put his blade away —Shisui caught Toshiko before she could hit the ground with the man. She was covered in enemy blood. Her hands, which had come loose from the swaddle, clung to Shisui the moment he brought her against his chest. Despite the blood she was covered in Shisui let the infant burrow herself against him.

"Who goes there!"

Shisui, with Toshiko in his arms and his Sharingan active turned. His blade flared out on instinct— someone else could try to take the Uchiha Hime again but they would pay —only to pause when he realized it was Fugaku-sama's cousin and Military Police officer Uchiha Tekka.

Tekka's mouth fell open. His eyes flickered between the bodies that laid sprawled out and in pools of their own blood and Shisui's blade, and then to the bloody infant in the young boys arms.

Toshiko was still crying. Her body shook against Shisui's. He just held her close, the way he'd grown accustomed to over the past year.

Sasuke had always been so finicky, never letting anyone but his parents or Itachi hold him. Toshiko wasn't like that though, in fact she was practically the exact opposite, practically climbing into complete strangers arms

"Shi-shisui-kun?" Tekka breathed, "What the hells is going on?"

"Alert Fugaku-sama and the ANBU, at least two rouge Shinobi have broken into the Leaf," Shisui ordered the older man.

"And you?"

"I'm going to take the Hime home, if they managed to take her Sasuke could be in trouble." Uchiha Tekka didn't blink before summoning a crow; it was a tiny fledgling of a bird, nothing to marvel at, and yet Tekka spoke to it so seriously, Shisui wondered if the officer and bird were more partners than contractee's.

"Mirio," Tekka said to the crow, "Alert Fugaku-sama that his family may be in danger, Shisui-kun had thwarted an attempt to kidnap his daughter."

"Roger!" The crow cawed before taking off and flittering away into the night, Tekka then took out a kunai. Shisui, on instinct, tightened his grip on his tanto.

Tekka's face momentarily softened.

"If Sasuke-kun is in danger you can't take the attackers and keep both children safe, I'm coming too."

"Alright," Shisui nodded; there was no point in arguing because not only did Shisui not want to argue— all he wanted was the family he had left to be safe, all he wanted was his siblings to be okay —but he knew Tekka was Fugaku's man through and through.

He was Toshiko's godfather for a reason.

"Come on."

And then they were off and Shisui's fate became cemented because after Tekka and him had found sixteen year old Uchiha Umi, Fugaku and Mikoto's go-to babysitter dead on the kitchen floor, throat slit from ear to ear— but Sasuke okay in his room, sound asleep and alive —Uchiha Toshiko had changed Shisui's life once more.

Sitting in Fugaku's office as Mikoto fawned over her children and the police force and ANBU swarmed the home Shisui and Tekka both stood with their hands behind their backs and their chins held high.

Fugaku rested a hand on Shisui's shoulder, the man squeezed Shisui's shoulder firmly. Thankfully.

"You have done my family an unpayable service Shisui-san," Fugaku said and Shisui blinked at the change in honorifics. Just the day before Fugaku had been calling him Shisui-kun.

"It's no service sir," Shisui said to his clan leader, he still had the enemy ninjas blood on him. "I care deeply about Toshiko, I'd never let anything happen to her, not if I could help it." But even then; even if he couldn't help, Shisui knew he would give it his all, even if that meant his life. To him family meant everything.

Fugaku's own chin tilted upwards, "Tekka, give Shisui-san and I a minute alone."

"Of course sir," Tekka said automatically, though his eyes did shift over Shisui half a second after he had uttered those words. He left a moment after that, leaving Shisui and his clan leader alone in the older man's office.

"Sir?"

"Fugaku, Shisui-san, you can call me that, you've saved my daughter today." You've earned it, was heavily implied.

"Oh, okay." Shisui didn't test out the name though, instead he let his heart hammer in chest loud enough his ears began to ring as Fugaku fished a scroll out of his desk.

"As you know from being friends with Itachi for so long, being a clan leader's child means something."

"I do." Itachi tried not to complain but there were times he couldn't help it; times when the pressure on his shoulders started to become too much and the façade of perfect heir— perfect Shinobi, perfect son —slipped. Shisui would never admit to it but he loved those times because his friend seemed so much more like a human when he was being nothing more than a brat.

Fugaku nodded.

"One of them is marrying right, for heirs like Itachi it's of the utmost importance. Continuing the Uchiha line-Madara's line is important." Shisui's eyebrows knitted together, not quite following where his Clan Leader was going. "I'm sure you're not surprised when I say that Mikoto and my own marriage was facilitated through the clans council?"

"No sir." Fugaku was nearly a decade older than Mikoto after all; when they had gotten married Mikoto had only just been made a jōnin while Fugaku had already been a distinguished war hero, climbing the ranks of the Konoha Military Police.

"The council, ever since Toshiko was born has been hounding me to marry her off to an ally," the way he stressed the word Shisui knew he didn't have to guess too hard what kind of ally the council wanted Fugaku to promise Toshiko to.

Ever since the Kyuubi attack and the village's rebuilding— ever since the council had claimed that the village had turned their back on the clan in fear of baseless rumors —they had been urging Fugaku to go to war.

To stage a coup.

Something that everyday drew closer, Shisui fought more feverishly against because he loved his village but Shisui knew in his heart he loved his clan so much more and no matter how much it pained him, if a coup happened, Shisui knew where he stood.

"But I'm not going to do that, I won't use my daughter as a stepping stone for the council's agenda," Fugaku said sternly.

Shisui couldn't help but smile.

"Which is why I'm asking you to marry her." The beating that had been drumming in Shisui's ears stopped because his heart had sputtered to halt in his chest.

"I'm sorry sir?" What!

"You just said you would do anything to protect my daughter, Shisui-san, if you agree to marry her when she comes of age, the council has no leg to stand on in demanding I marry her off to someone from the Village Hidden in the Mist because I owe you her life. You understand, don't you?"

Bile rose in the back of Shisui's throat because he did understand. Yes, Toshiko was an infant. Of Course she was someone Shisui thought of as his own little sister. Marrying her would be like wedding Sasuke or Itachi; it would be wrong. But so would allowing the council to bully Fugaku into handing Toshiko off to some lowly bastard from the Mist because if that was where they wanted her to go than that would mean she could never be a Shinobi. She would never learn to properly defend herself against whoever the council was bartering her off to.

She'd be defenseless and alone with no one to protect her in a foreign land.

At least with him, it would be for show. With him she would be safe with her family. She could live whatever kind of life she wanted; Shisui knew he would never hold her back from that.

"Of course Fugaku-sama, how could I say no?"

Fugaku didn't smile, but his eyes shined brightly. Thankfully.

.0.0.0.

The third and final time Uchiha Toshiko changed Shisui's life was years later. He was sixteen, on the edge of seventeen, standing on the edge of a cliff, hurting in ways he'd never hurt before. HIs knee's were shaky, his breathing was labored. The socket his eye had once been throbbed; his veins burned as the poison pumping through his body rushed through his body.

Itachi stood several feet away from him; the proverbial walls seemed to be caving in.

"There's no way to stop the coup," Shisui whispered. If the coup continued and neighboring countries got wind of a civil war Shisui knew not a single other elemental nation would hesitate to attack.

War would break out once more. Bloodshed would be get bloodshed.

Toshiko and Sasuke, direct descendants of Uchiha Madara would be targeted.

Toshiko, the only living female descendant, more so. High ranking clans in other nations would kill to have her in their ranks, passing not just their clan jutuss down but the stolen Sharingan.

Shisui's stomach churned at the thought of what he knew would happen to Toshiko— not if the coup failed but —if the coup went through with happening because even if their clan won other nations would try to worm their way in through the village gates trying to grab what they could, not caring it was someone as young as sweet as Toshiko.

"Danzo will probably come after my left eye like he's come after my right," Shisui said with shaky breaths.

When you're a Shinobi you know you can die; it's inevitable. Death is the one thing in life no one can escape and yet, as Shisui stood on the edge of the cliff— stood on the edge of deaths door —his heart clenched.

He didn't want to go. Not yet; he was sixteen, he had a life to live. A family to see grow; perhaps he wasn't Itachi's blood brother, perhaps his parents weren't Uchiha Mikoto and Fugaku but he had a room in their home. That's where he ate his meals and laid his head.

He had a family. He didn't want to leave them, not yet.

And yet, they were why he had to do this.

He'd made a promise after all; to protect Toshiko— his sister, the brightest light in his life of shadows and darkness —no matter the cost.

Despite the pain Shisui tore his left eye out of his head; he turned to where Itachi had been standing and stretched out his hand so his friend— his brother —could take the eye from him.

"Protect the clan Itachi. Watch out for Toshi and Sasuke. Do—" Shisui choked, "—Do what's right Itachi."

"Please," Itachi begged, Shisui felt his heart clench in his chest. Itachi, his brother, his friend, his partner should never sound so broken. "We can figure something out we can—"

Whatever else Itachi had been meant to say caught itself in the shinobi's throat as he watched Shisui fall.

Shisui had gotten used to the feeling of falling. Over the years jumping around, not just during training and missions but with Itachi and Sasuke and Toshiko, racing through the tree's having fun, Shisui had grown accustomed to the swoop in the lower part of his stomach. He hadn't though, grown, used to the felling of water hitting his back hard enough to knock the air from his lungs.

Water ripped over him, through him, as he was pulled away from Itachi and the cliff side. Shisui as he sank lower and lower into the river felt himself slipping from the land of the living thought of Itachi; he hoped Itachi stopped the coup.

He hoped Toshiko and Sasuke got to live a long happy lives.

He hoped in his next life he could come back one day to see it.