Till Doomsday (ShiIta/Shiitachi)

2 ~ birth

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.