[Fic] "Blood for wild blood"
Title: Blood for wild blood
Author: morena238
Rating: M
Summary: Shisui's life as a private detective is maddeningly boring until Uchiha Itachi commissiones him with a task that sends him headfirst into hell and back again. And before Shisui can even realize it, his life has been turned upside down and he will never be the same again. Ita/Shi. WIP. AU.
A/N.: So, yeah, this is what was titled "the one with the kink" in my WIP folder. I decided to not make it a OS but a multi-chapter story, and what you will find here is (logically) the first chapter. I can't promise I'll update/finish this story soon, because university is being a bitch, but I'll do my best. I hope that the fact that the first chapter is already published will give me the necessary motivation to keep writing and finish it as soon as possible, though.
And yes, I did change Shisui's family name, because he's not related to Itachi in this one. And ýes, i totally called him "Fukaigawa" because I'm oh so deep and creative. Don't kill me, please.
Blood for wild blood, Chapter I:
„Hey, wait up. I’m not that fast. Wait a second! Wait, Goddammit!”
Seriously, no animal as tiny as that rabbit should be able to run that fast. How was that even possible? Shisui’s legs were at least ten times longer and yet he still couldn’t keep up. This was not fair. The rabbit looked cute and fluffy and Shisui just wanted to cuddle it. After all, it must have been his rabbit, considering that it jumped out of his suitcase earlier. Plus, it had stolen his wine gums and Shisui sure as hell wouldn’t let anyone get away with that, regardless of how cute the thief was.
“Wait, please!”
That, oh wonder, seemed to work. The black rabbit stopped to look at him, eyes wide and ears twitching, and then suddenly the small body convulsed violently and an ear-deafening noise shook it to the core.
Ring- Ring.
Shisui frowned. Now that was a strange sound to come out of a rabbit. Something must be terribly wrong with it. Maybe it had swallowed something - and alarm clock, maybe, like the crocodile in “Peter Pan”?
Ring - Ring. Ring- Ring.
The noise only got louder and more irritating by the second. Stupid, shrill sound disturbing his peace. He had wanted to have a nice chat with the rabbit and tell him not to take other people’s belongings anymore. That would have been a successful day. But of course that was before the stupid animal began to sound like a telephone.
Wait - telephone?
Ring - Ring.
With some effort, Shisui forced one of his eyes open and groaned. Sure enough, he was lying halfway sprawled over his desk with papers and documents scattered all around his messy office and right next to his ear, the phone was ringing. Cursing, he sat up after peeling his face from the wooden surface it was somewhat stuck to and reached blindly for the phone, almost knocking it off the table in the process.
“Private detective agency, Fukaigawa Shisui,” he drawled, stifling a yawn and rubbing the side of his face to get the red mark of his table’s contours away. “How can I help you?”
“Good morning, Sir.” A female voice, almost as shrill and high-pitched as the ringing of his bloody phone, reached his ear and Shisui resisted the urge to just hang up again. Probably just another spoilt, rich girl who had lost her cute little cat and wanted him to search for her. Way to ruin his day. He only wanted to get rid of his hangover, which was suddenly very prominent again. Shisui had the terrible feeling that he was getting old. A while ago, he’d been able to party for days (or rather nights) in a row without being all too much affected by the lack of sleep and overabundance of alcohol and loud music, but now not even three aspirins and a liter of water in the morning could save him from the throbbing headache. “Am I talking to Mr. Fukaigawa?”
No, you are talking to Santa Claus. Shisui forced himself to be patient. “Yes.”
“I am calling you on behalf of Mister Uchiha Itachi, co-owner of Uchiha Corporation. He requests your attendance in his office. Would 15 o’clock be alright for you?”
Shisui blinked in surprise and threw a glance at the clock on his wall. It was two-thirty. Damn. He had slept for five hours and still felt like shit? Life was so unfair.
“…Sir?”
Oh. Right. He’d almost forgotten Miss Annoying Cheeping Voice was still on the line. “And why exactly would Mister…Uh…um” What was his name again? “um, he request my attendance?”
“Well, I was not told the matter which he wanted to discuss with you, but since you are a private detective I reckon he wants to hire you,” the woman replied coolly. Was she pissed because he was acting like an idiot or because her boss hadn’t deemed her worthy enough to tell her all the juicy gossip?
“Ah.” Shisui said non-commitically. “Well then, you can tell your boss that I don’t do house visits. If he wants something of me, he should come to see me at my office.”
The woman gasped in shock. “But Sir, we are talking about Uchiha Itachi, one of the richest and most occupied men in the country and-“
“He could be the President of the United States for all I care,” Shisui interrupted her lackadaisically. “I don’t do special treatments either. He can damn well get his mighty ass down here just like everyone else.”
There was another harsh intake of breath and then some shuffling and then all Shisui could hear was somewhat muffled, probably because she held her hand over the speaker. “I am so sorry, Mister Uchiha, that you had to hear such a rude remark.” Oh, so she’d had the loudspeaker turned on. Maybe this would get him into trouble, but right now, Shisui couldn’t care less. “Maybe I should call someone else...”
Someone else was talking then, but Shisui couldn’t make out what the other person was saying at all. A second later, the woman was speaking to him again. “I’ll put you through,” she hissed viciously, as if to remind him not to do or say anything stupid or disrespectful, and before Shisui had the time to process her words, there was a quiet toot and the sound of someone picking up the phone.
“Good morning, Mister Fukaigawa.”
Shisui gulped. Damn. He didn’t have the nerve to deal with some self-righteous prick who would most likely sue him for any rude word that escaped his lips right now.
“I understand you declined my request to come to my office.” Well, at least Shisui didn’t get a tinnitus from listening to this guy’s voice - that was a nice change for once.
“Indeed I did, Sir. I am very busy at the moment. If you there is anything you want, please come to my bureau during office hours. ” To be honest, Shisui wasn’t busy at all, but the guy didn’t need to know that. Shisui didn’t make house visits. Period. Okay, so he might have, had he been in a good mood. And if he had needed the money urgently. Which he kind of did, but still. This was about getting a point across.
“This is very inconvenient.”
This entire bullshit was inconvenient. Shisui shrugged before remembering his conversational partner couldn’t see that through the phone. “You are the one who wants something, so you should be the one to come to me. That’s how I work. If you’re not okay with it, that’s not my problem.”
There was a short pause. “You do realize that I could simply hire another private detective who is more cooperative, don’t you?”
“Sure.” Shisui stifled another yawn. “Go ahead. But let’s face it, there’s a reason you called me, and there’s a reason you are still trying to persuade me to come to you - which is not happening, by the way, just to say it again. However, since you picked me out of at least a hundred private detectives in Tokyo, I am pretty sure you know that what you need is something only I can do; and therefore you will come to me, just like every single one of my clients would.”
The silence that followed his words was so long that Shisui already thought the man would have ended the call, but just when he was about to put the receiver down he spoke again. “Would six-thirty be convenient for you?” the man asked smoothly. “I am afraid that I will not be able to make it earlier due to a conference.”
Shisui blinked, taken aback. He was actually agreeing to this? “Um....yes. Yes. I think six-thirty would be fine.”
“Good. I will see you then.”
There was a quiet click and then nothing but silence. Shisui stared at the phone in disbelief. Was this really happening? Not that he was complaining. Sort of. The good thing was that this job, if he accepted it, would most likely fill his account for the first time in ages, or at least get him over the rest of the month. The bad thing was that he’d have to actually work. And to get rid of his headache now, because he couldn’t go to bed early like he’d planned to if this guy was coming over at six-thirty. Taking in the mess that was his office, Shisui realized he might want to clean up a little. And take a shower. And another aspirin. Or two. And coffee. Coffee sounded good.
xxx
Nearly four hours, two aspirins, one long, hot shower and six cups of coffee later, Shisui patted the dust out of his jeans and looked around his bureau with a look of satisfaction on his face. It looked way better now that he had cleaned it up (read: gather the scattered papers and shove them into the nearest drawer). Bigger, too.
Not that “bureau” was actually a fitting term to describe his work place. In truth it had used to be his small living room that he had just converted into an office when he had decided to go into business for himself. Not that that was working out very well for him. He hardly earned the money to cover the expenses and pay for the rent of his tiny flat, much less to afford some of the urgently required purchases on his list. At least he still had the money to fill the fridge, and as long as that was the case, Shisui wasn’t going to complain. Furthermore, he didn’t have to kiss the asses of some arrogant, slimy old men anymore, which was a huge plus.
Shisui glanced at the clock on the wall. Six twenty-five. He sighed and took another sip of his coffee. If there was one thing he hated then it was waiting. He had never been a patient man so this prick better be on ti-
There was a sharp knock on the door and before he could answer it was opened to reveal a young man standing on the threshold.
Shisui promptly choked on his coffee.
So that was Uchiha Itachi. Shisui had to admit that he was nothing like he had expected him to be. Co-owners of big companies were, as far as his experience went, usually old, gray-haired slash half-bold men with swim rings of fat on their bellies which were forced into too-tightly fit suits. Itachi was none of that (except that he was wearing a tuxedo, but that one fit him perfectly so that didn’t really count). He was young, probably even younger than Shisui, tall and slender, with long black hair that was tied back into a pony tail and a pale, delicate face that might have made him look girly if not for the two lines under his eyes. And pretty damn hot.
Right now, though, he was casting him a vaguely concerned look, as if to determine whether or not there existed an imminent danger of Shisui suffocating and whether he should do something about it or just wait and see what happened.
“Mister Fukaigawa?” It wasn’t so much a question to verify his identity but rather a polite inquiry about his well-being, so Shisui figured he didn’t really need to answer it.
Still coughing, Shisui gestured towards one of the chairs. “Have a seat,” he managed to croak out. Itachi merely threw him another glance, eyebrows raised, but proceeded to sit down while Shisui walked around the table to sit down on the other side of the desk, desperately trying to get his coughing under control. As well as his hormones, which currently seemed to dance a lambada in his cells. Yeah, great, that was exactly what he needed right now.
“So, Mister Uchiha,” he said slowly once he had regained his breath, “what can I do for you?”
Itachi’s eyes moved from taking in the surrounding to focusing on his face. “I have to admit I was expecting something slightly more...impressive.”
Shisui shrugged. “Size doesn’t matter.”
“Maybe it isn’t only the size I am talking about,” Itachi replied, looking him over sceptically. “I want to be honest with you: I am starting to question why I am here.”
“You are here,” Shisui answered, settling back on his chair, “because I am the best private detective in Tokyo.”
“And not at all conceited.”
“It’s not being conceited if it’s the truth,” Shisui countered, unfazed. “And you know it is. You wouldn’t be here if someone hadn’t recommended me.”
A small smile tugged on the corner of Itachi’s lips. “Indeed. But I also did some research on my own. I like to do things thoroughly.”
“Ah, pray tell, then. I’d love to hear all the juicy gossip they tell about me out there. It’s been a while since I’ve been updated on the latest rumours.”
“I am not taking rumours into my consideration,” Itachi remarked. “I did, however, make sure I was well informed about your previous employments and achievements. And I have to admit, the file reads like a golden book of success. Graduating high-school with the best results, then police academy, also graduating being top of the class, one of the most effective and most praised agents throughout Tokyo with the highest detection rate in years - and then, all of a sudden, you dropped out a year ago. It makes me wonder why. For this?” he asked, gesturing around the room.
Shisui smiled bitterly. “I see you’ve done your homework well. Ninety-nine out of a hundred points, I’d say. There is just one tiny detail you got wrong. I didn’t drop out all of a sudden.”
“So you were fired?”
“No.” Shisui shook his head. “No, I wasn’t. I made the decision to quit the job myself. Of course, running your own business isn’t always exactly a piece of cake, but I’d choose it over going back to the police force a hundred times. My bosses are - were hypocritical, corrupt assholes, who made deals with the criminals we were supposed to be chasing and nicking and filled their pockets while sending the fresh meat out there in the line of fire without hesitating, knowing very well that most of them would be eaten alive. And that’s not what I signed up for. So I quit.” He frowned. “Bootlicking was never my speciality anyway.”
Itachi raised his eyebrows. “You didn’t strike me as the idealistic type.”
“That’s because I’m not. I might have used to be, but those times are long gone. I work with what I can get. I’m on a first-name basis with most of the smaller and also with some bigger fishes out there, too, which is why I am always up-to-date when it comes to what is happening in this city.”
“That is a double-standard; complaining about your superiors cooperating with criminals and then doing so yourself.”
Shisui shrugged. “I don’t think so. Most of these acquaintances go way back to when I worked undercover. At least I am not pretending to hunt them down anymore, and neither am I stabbing them in the back. And I never would, because some of those small criminals are better people than the ones pretending to be the good guys. Anyway, it’s not like I’m doing anything illegal. It’s mostly about nice long chats and favours. If that bothers you, well, tough luck, because that’s how I work. “ He tilted his head. “But somehow I don’t think you’ll mind too much, considering that you came to me instead of turning to the police force for whatever you need help with. Which brings us back to our original topic: What do you want?”
Itachi leaned forwards. “What do you know about Uchiha Madara?”
xxx
It turned out that Shisui, despite being generally well informed about what was going on in the city at any given point, did not know much about Uchiha Madara. Not nearly enough to fathom what Itachi could possibly want him to do, that was for sure. He only knew what was public knowledge: successful businessman, smart, wealthy and powerful family, good plastic surgeon that he totally should have recommended to Michael Jackson when that guy was still alive.
Aside from that, Shisui had never taken much interest in him. He’d never heard any rumours about him being affiliated with any of the bad guys, so there had never been any reason to take a closer look.
Itachi, it seemed, thought differently about that one.
“Okay, so just to make it absolutely sure that I am understanding you correctly: you want me to keep tabs on your relative Uchiha Madara.”
“Correct.”
“Who is not only your relative but also owns another company and has a considerable influence on the city’s politicians, and, as I might add, has a perfectly clean state.”
“Correct.”
“And you want me to prove that he is mired in some dirty business.”
“Correct.”
“Okay.” Shisui said slowly, tilting his head. “Why?”
Itachi frowned. “I don’t think my private motives should concern you at all. All I want you to do is to do your job.”
“On the contrary. I think your motives are very important to me. I want to know what to expect from this man. And I need to know what it is to you and what you are willing to risk to find out the truth - provided that he is indeed a villain, of course,” Shisui explained matter-of-factly. “I won’t take the job unless I know you’re being honest with me.”
“You need the job,” Itachi stated calmly. “There’s no denying that. It will pay you well and it will be more exciting than chasing down run away cats or keep wives under surveillance to prove their infidelity, which is, as far as I am aware, exactly what you are doing at the moment. You might be the best private detective in Tokyo, but it doesn’t help you at all. All I want is for you to not ask unnecessary questions.”
In this very moment, Shisui hated Itachi, just because he was right. He was the best private detective in Tokyo, and he was thoroughly and utterly bored, not to mention that he was almost constantly broke. He hated the ridiculously easy jobs he occasionally had, finding run away cats or rebellious teens and being hired by overprotective and jealous husbands to keep tabs on their wives. He hated his life, which felt so fucking meaningless to him. When he had joined the police force, he had believed he could - and would - change the world, make it a better place, blah blah blah and when reality crashed down on him he had thrown it all away. Sometimes, when his usual relaxed and cheerful mask disintegrated, he felt like life had already made him bitter, which was ridiculous because he was only twenty-five, and then he hated himself for being a whiny idiot and the only things that helped then were a lot of alcohol and a quick fuck in some dark corners.
Yes, he needed the job. But if Fukaigawa Shisui was one thing, it was stubborn, and now he was also pissed because Itachi already seemed to read him well enough rub salt into his wounds and he would not give in.
“It is also way more likely to get me into trouble or even get me killed if what you say is true,” Shisui retorted coldly. “So no, I’m not going to not ask questions. If you don’t want that then congratulations, you have just wasted forty-five minutes of my precious time as well as yours. But let’s face it; the thing is that there is no one else who can do the job. That is why you are here. And that is why you’re not going to leave and find yourself another private detective, because that would just be a waste of even more time and money.”
Itachi’s contemplating stare was becoming vaguely unnerving. “Can I trust you to keep this to yourself?”
“I’m as silent as a grave,” Shisui promised. Ha. Gotcha.
The businessman sighed and rubbed his temples. “It is complicated,” he murmured. “Madara has always played a major part in the Uchiha Corporation and has, in fact, co-founded it. However, some years ago there was a big quarrel between him and the rest of my family, and he eventually left the business. Ever since, despite pretending to support us, he has been constantly working against us. There have been various occasions that indicated his success is not due to his skills and experience but instead has been achieved thanks to various deals with criminals. Unfortunately, we were never able to find any proof of that, but until now, it has never been necessary.”
“And why has it suddenly become necessary now?” Shisui asked curiously.
“Evidence suggests that Madara is trying to either take over our company or destroy it altogether. I will not allow that to happen. And...maybe there’s even something more.”
Shisui’s head perked up. “Like what?”
Itachi shook his head. “I don’t know. Rumour has it that he is planning something bigger, but until now I have not been able to find out what this could be. Maybe it is nothing. People enjoy gossiping. But...” He trailed off.
“But you think there’s more to it,” Shisui finished his sentence.
Itachi’s gaze was calm and steady. “I know my uncle,” he said cryptically, as if that explained everything.
Shisui nodded, and then shrugged. “I hope you realize that this will not come cheap.”
“Money is no object,” Itachi cut in and fished for something in his pocket. A second later, he handed Shisui his business card. “Here is my card. This number is for a direct call into my office so that sidestep my secretary. My cell phone number is also listed - you can call me anytime if you have important news.”
When Shisui took the card out of his hands, his fingers accidentally brushed against Itachi’s. They were cool and soft and left his skin tingling, and Shisui had to resist the urge to snatch his hand back before he was tempted to do anything stupid. “It’s a deal.”
continued