[FIC]: Burning Alone

[victimofmywoes]

Title: Burning Alone

Rating: M

A/N: Sequel to "Stitches". The story contains archaic language. Yaoi.

Summary: Because I was an ass enough to forget it the first time.

Shisui watched in some kind of stupor as Itachi's eyes widened at the sight of Shisui's bloody tunic and his bottom lip trembled slightly when he reached forward to touch Shisui's chest. He could almost hear Itachi's fears.

Disclaimer: Naruto and all it's characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto.



"You might want to come out now if you do not wish to peeve your brother further," Shisui warned his lord's younger brother, who was presently huddled beneath his very table hugging his knees in distress, seeking a means to avoid Itachi's wrath.

From his hiding place behind the mercenary's legs, Uchiha Sasuke scowled at the offered hand and then worried his lower lip between his teeth.

"I know you are frightened. But what must be done must be done. You knew that you were going to have them removed someday, why not now?" Shisui tried reason.

"'Cause"

"'Cause what?"

A muffled response, "It will hurt."

Shisui sighed. "Not overly much."

Shisui glanced around in his hapless dilemma seeking support from the other onlookers. He knew that the assurance had not comforted the four-year-old.

"At least come up on the bench. My neck grows stiff with the strain of leaning down." Once again he held out his hand to the tiny lad.

Finally, the small fingers grasped his and the dark head emerged. The smooth brow furrowed in a frown similar to the lord of the mansion and the huge dark eyes filled with apprehension and the pupils dilated with fear. The mouth was set in a grim line and the pale hands wrung nervously.

So much like his brother, Shisui smiled inwardly.

The moment Sasuke came out, his eyes darted towards the direction of the bedchamber as if expecting his brother to storm out of their any moment. When Itachi's dark head did not emerge, he breathed in a sigh of relief and reluctantly took a spot beside the mercenary.

They sat in an awkward silence. Shisui thinking about what to say to his lord's brother so as to ease his plight and Sasuke evidently seeking the closest escape route.

Outside, the rain poured so hard that one couldn't see beyond a point; making searching for the thieves an impossible task. Consequently, Shisui was given no choice but to eavesdrop on the feud between the lord of the manor and his brother.

"Sasuke your stitches have to be removed" Itachi had spoken in a firm voice that brooked no argument.

"But I don't want to have them removed." Sasuke had whined.

Sasuke hadn't resorted to tears-yet. Itachi had not resorted to threats-yet. Shisui had been grandly entertained by the feints and parries of the combatants. One of them was going to lose this war and Shisui had already placed a wager on who it would be.

That was, till Sasuke pouted and ran to hide beneath Shisui's table. Shisui's heart had constricted when that small bottom lip stuck out just a little and he'd turned to look at the elder brother to see the effect. Itachi had stood mute just glaring at Sasuke unperturbed by the childish antics.

Then, he'd turned towards Shisui, who at this point had been grinning broadly and the amusement vanished at the flash of those dark eyes. With that, Itachi moved back into the bedchamber.

It's your duty mercenary to get him to the bedchamber now. Those dark eyes promised a sweet and torturous death if Shisui were to disobey.

Shisui shifted uncomfortably when his gaze dropped to the neat and precise stitches on the small arm. He carefully studied the pattern and proximity between each stitch and memorized it for future reference. Pray the fates, he wished he wouldn't need that information anytime soon.

"Seventeen hmm?" he observed bemusedly.

In response, the four-year-old lifted his arm to offer some closer inspection. The meal Shisui had devoured for noon churned uncomfortably at the view and Shisui all but placed the pale hand carefully in the tiny lap.

Silence prevailed. Both seeking a means to escape this perilous situation and yet trying to figure out the best way to go about the ordeal.

It was Sasuke who broke the silence this time. "I'm scared."

Shisui's chest tightened at the young boy's distress. Instinctively, his hands reached out and pulled Sasuke to his lap. He could discern the amount of courage it must have taken for the child in his arms to admit it.

Belatedly he also realized that never in his life had he held a child in his lap and thus he had no idea how small yet how solid a body could be with every muscle quivering in tension. His heartbeats turned irregular as his heart throbbed madly when the tiny head rested on his shoulder. How impossible it was to prevent himself from giving a hug to the petite frame while wiping away the tears with the hem of his sleeve.

"It will be over quick and then you will be free of those irksome stitches." Shisui tried.

Sasuke sighed, clearly not willing to reconcile. However, Shisui was worried that Itachi would come out any moment now and upon seeing his brother in the mercenary's arms mistake him as Sasuke's accomplice and duo would be in for a scold.

He wildly wracked his brains for anything to bribe or threaten the child into surrendering and the answer came to him in a blinding flash.

"I see no reason for you to get your stitches removed too, unless you do not wish to go to the fair," Shisui spoke with an air of nonchalance being very well aware of how much Sasuke had set his heart in going for the frivolity.

"Itachi is not planning to go anyway." Sasuke complained.

"Hmm. But better not to give him another reason to decline." Shisui spoke with his eyebrow raised.

Immediately the small ears perked up and the eyes lit up with interest. Shisui marveled at the change a few words could bring in a child's emotions. Gone was the huge burden of fears weighing down on the small shoulders. Instead the eyes focused entirely on the mercenary's as if hunting for lies and deceit.

"I can convince His Lordship to allow you to go if you will have your stitches removed," Shisui bargained, whispering the words secretly into Sasuke's ears.

Two huge eyes stared at the mercenary as if seeking answers to everything the man had to offer.

Trusting eyes so similar to his brother's, Shisui sighed.

"Could you do that for me?" if possible, the huge eyes went impossibly bigger and against his will the mercenary found himself drawn into the innocent depths.

"Aye Milord; and I vow to you that I will give this my all," Shisui uttered. An avowal he hoped to honor for this little one's sake.

"Will you come with me?" The littlest Uchiha meant the bedchamber and not the fair. Shisui had won but he didn't feel too happy about it.

"Certes. If you want I will stay with you the whole time." The offer brought a small smile to the cherubic face causing the mercenary's heart to soar.

"Alright," Sasuke clung closer to the mercenary and wrapped his arms around the man's neck. It then struck Shisui that not only must he stay with the brat but also carry him to the bedchamber.

He sighed and stood up from his bench and reluctantly strode towards the bedchamber. In his arms Sasuke held on like a frightened child would to a father. The pale face was buried in the mercenary's neck and he breathed shallowly much to the Shisui's chagrin

The moment he stepped through the threshold of the bedchamber, two pairs of eyes turned to survey him. The chestnut-colored eyes of the foul-mouthed housekeeper, Mitarashi Anko, gazed into his almost challengingly and disbelievingly as if assessing the mercenary's worth. The mercenary thoroughly annoyed by the gaze raised his eyebrows back and clutched the bundle in his arms tighter. He then narrowed his eyes reluctant to let this woman treat Sasuke.

The other pair of eyes, the dark pair belonging to Uchiha Itachi studied the man before them with a soft smile of appreciation and a tinge of some emotion Shisui couldn't quite fathom.

He pondered over the foreign emotion as he absently took his seat on the bed and settled the little brat across his lap.

He looked up towards the lord of the manor to decipher the emotion when his heart almost stopped in his chest. Fright. Itachi was frightened for Sasuke's well-being. Itachi had one hand clutching the pale and slender neck while the other held the middle of his torso as if supporting his frame. It also came to him that by seating himself on the bed with Sasuke, he had also taken Shisui's place.

A twinge of guilt raced through his spine and he made to stand but sat down when Itachi shook his head and bade him to stay seated.

Ahead of him, Sasuke sat with his injured hand clasped tightly in the other hand, unwilling to present it to Anko, who Shisui noted looked cross at Sasuke's lack of trust.

"I will warrant you that this part does not hurt at all." He assured Sasuke. "All you will feel is a little tug."

Anko huffed. "May not even feel a tug. I have stitched many a cut in my time and know how to get the thread out. Not like some others."

Shisui refused to feel guilt over declining to have the housekeeper tend to his stitches. All his good reasons for spurning the offer faded when Anko gently took Sasuke's pale wrist and lifted the blade under the first stitch.

His stomach went suddenly unsettled.

Sasuke winced when Anko cut the first stitch. Shisui wanted to yell at the housekeeper to take better care, but his mouth was too dry for speech.

"That was not so bad." Sasuke commented.

"You brother and I tried to tell you so," Anko countered. "You sit still and this will be over in a trice. All clamor over naught. A body would think I was putting them in and not taking them out."

A second snip. A third. Sasuke's body relaxed, melting into him.

Sweat broke out on Shisui's brow. This was ridiculous. Anko wasn't hurting Sasuke. He had no reason for either sweaty brow or palms. He valiantly tried to bring his emotions under control.

Soon, Anko had all the stitches efficiently snipped. Then she bent down and picked up the pincers. In his lap Sasuke tensed as she carefully plucked out the first stitch.

"Ow"

'Struth. He'd have hit the housekeeper if Sasuke's protest had any strength behind it.

"Like a pinprick is it not?" Anko asked Sasuke. "See there was no blood too." Good thing or else Shisui wouldn't have stayed upright for the remainder of the process. He had to physically prevent himself from yanking out Sasuke's arm from the housekeeper's grip.

The next stitch came out mercifully easily and Sasuke once again relaxed against his being.

Shisui looked up Itachi for courage and found his lord standing calmly, and tried not to worry too much over the young brat in his lap.

Itachi's concern for Shisui increased as his concern for Sasuke lessened. Sweat glistened on his forehead and his skin had on an unhealthy pallor. The poor man hadn't behaved so markedly while having his own stitches removed.

He gazed at the stitches and Itachi swore that Shisui-not Sasuke-winced with at every pull of the thread.

Ye Gods, the man was a mercenary! He had probably seen more death and carnage than Itachi would in his entire lifetime. One would think that he'd be hardened at the sight of something as petty as this.

Apparently not.

Mayhap 'twas because of the injury of the child that was causing so much of distress. Normally adults, usually parents tend to get agitated when their child is hurt even minutely.

Could it be that Shisui looks upon Sasuke as his son? Itachi frowned contemplatively.

Whatever the reason for Shisui's anguish, he hoped the man wouldn't allow it to overcome him till Anko was done.

Sasuke didn't protest after a meager outcry without any credence to it, allowing Anko to tend to the stitches quietly all the while hurled up against the broad chest of the mercenary.

The stitches were coming out without any bloodshed. Itachi frowned. Shisui's had bled. Could it be because of the longer thread? Or because the blood had hardened the thread? Itachi carefully studied the procedure mentally comparing it to his work on the mercenary's thigh.

"There, we are done." Finally Anko announced her voice sounding musical to Shisui's ears. "'Twill leave a scar on your hand. Otherwise you mended well."

"Will I have the scar always?"

"Aye. This should serve as a reminder for you to never throw rocks at horses again."

Shisui frowned, "You threw rocks at horses?"

Sasuke nodded, grinning cheekily.

"What for?" Shisui asked.

"The horses belonged to the bandits who were masked." Itachi answered for Sasuke as he stepped forward to examine the scar on his brother's arm.

He sighed and spoke, "At the first light on the morrow, we will set out to search for the bandits." With that he strode out the bedchamber apparently going to make some preparations for the mission.

Shisui hunched down to run his fingertips over the hoofprint he found by the temple hardly believing his good fortune.

"The thieves take the path to the next village." He turned to Itachi and the few men who had refused to stay behind and were now on the search for the missing bandits.

"Or close to it," Itachi agreed studying the surroundings.

"Must we part in groups to search for them Milord?" a soldier asked.

Itachi nodded. "Aye. Shisui will accompany me in the hunt."

Shisui nodded, mounting his horse once again and turned in time to watch Itachi swing his leg over his own stallion's back and settle into the saddle.

Sweet rump. Shisui sat on his stallion transfixed at the sight before him, a comment sitting at the tip of his tongue he wouldn't voice aloud. At least not in front of all the men standing there. In private he just might, in order to enjoy Itachi's blush.

He allowed Itachi to lead them across the open fields towards the Nakano, mostly because Itachi would know what spot in the woodland he must go to but partly to admire the way Itachi handled the beautiful Arab stallion and how strong his thighs must be to handle the horse with such expertise.

He tried not to think of how Itachi's thighs might feel when wrapped around him, securing him between his legs and urging him onward.

Shisui abruptly brought his stallion to a halt to put certain space between himself and Itachi and to collect his thoughts.

"You all right back there?" ahead of him Itachi called.

"We will be. Lead on."

They rode silently for sometime before Itachi came to a halt and dismounted. Shisui's heart beat faster now. The secluded spot Itachi had chosen implied what Shisui could only pray to be a place to extinguish the fire that burnt deep within him ever since that night by the Nakano. And, sweet mercy, he wanted Itachi.

Itachi's hand came to lightly brush against his shoulder. Shisui's breathing picked up a new rhythm and he felt himself tense. The hand moved from the mercenary's shoulder to his neck massaging gently. If Itachi looked up at him now and came a little forward, Shisui would capture the lush mouth with his and-

"You've done well Shisui."

"Er, Milord-"

"I cannot praise you enough."

"Itachi cease talking and kiss me."

Itachi seemed hesitant but after an instant Shisui loved the way Itachi followed his commands with earnest eagerness. Shisui kissed him passionately, with a demand for a like response which Itachi gave him almost instinctively, most willing to be led astray. 'Twas frightening and exhilarating, and made him feel both powerful and helpless at the same time.

When Itachi felt Shisui shrinking away, he grabbed fistfuls of his tunic and pushed him to the ground.

Shisui's arms wrapped around Itachi, one across those broad shoulders and one lower, pulling Shisui towards himself so tightly that he could almost measure Shisui's hardened length.

Shisui stepped away from the kiss but not the embrace. "Ye gods! How I want you Itachi."

Itachi unpinned his cloak and lay it down on the floor. They unstrapped their weaponry and laid it against a tree and then Shisui held out his hand to Itachi, who took it quietly and moved in the embrace greedy for Shisui's touch, his kiss, his possession.

Itachi's eagerness drove Shisui wild.

Somewhere in the far reaches of Shisui's mind, a voice warned that coupling with Itachi on a forest floor was not right, that his lord deserved better as he tore open the fastening of Itachi's white shirt while Itachi worked on Shisui's breeches urging him to hurry, silencing the misgivings he didn't want to heed.

Too eager to fully undress Itachi, he made a quick work of removing the breeches and quickly lay Itachi on his back. The ground beneath his hip was hard, the air cool on his skin but the desire for Itachi so potent that he didn't care.

Nor it seemed that Itachi did.

Itachi's hand racked across Shisui's clothed chest sending a shiver of pure pleasure singing through Shisui's veins. The need to take Itachi raw became almost overwhelming.

The mercenary drew in a deep breath to calm his nerves and with a fierceness of purpose vowed to take Itachi beyond the edge now. He would give Itachi fast and hard if that's how he wanted it but by damn he'd also give him completion. If this was their one and only chance to couple then he'd make it worth it.

For Itachi and for himself.

Not that his own completion was in doubt. 'Struth. He was going to have to exert rigid control to hold his ultimate pleasure in abeyance.

With that goal in mind, he bent down and pleasured Itachi with all the expertise he'd gathered and judging from the sounds Itachi was making, he doubted if Itachi disliked the ministrations, especially when Itachi yanked too hard and thrust his hips upward pushing himself deeper into the mercenary's mouth.

"Nghn...Shisui." was all he uttered in a voice low and thick with ardor, fanning the flames in his loins deepening the ache in his privates.

He slowly slid his hand down his lord's torso till he found the entrance he was searching for.

Itachi hissed when Shisui's fingers prodded his entrance slowly opening him. He lifted his hips up urging the mercenary telling him he needed little preparation for the joining.

The plea of his own organ nearly overwhelmed him but first he had to prepare himself.

Panting, he rose up on his knees and spat into his hand stroking himself before pushing his knees between Itachi's thighs.

Itachi stared at the length of him. "Whole and in working order".

"And eager to please. Spread your legs for me Itachi before either of us comes to our senses."

Itachi complied readily. Shisui entered him an inch at a time, feeling Itachi tense at the intrusion but a moment later Shisui felt him rise beneath himself welcoming the penetration. Buried to the hilt he paused to catch his breath desperately grasping to the shards of control.

Itachi's eyelids fluttered close waiting for him to move.

Rashly, Shisui wanted Itachi to remember which man now partnered him on a forest floor.

"Open your eyes for me Itachi."

He obeyed, his dark eyes clouded over in lust peering deep into the mercenary's. Whatever Itachi saw in those depths was enough to heighten his need and clench his passage around the part of Shisui almost ready to burst.

"Shisui," he whispered, a supplication.

He answered, slowly at first, then faster and harder. Itachi met each stroke, both taking and giving back, his expression turning to wonder and at the pinnacle, with Shisui's stimulation, to amazement.

Itachi closed his eyes as he went over the edge, the heavy clenching taking Shisui with him. The mercenary didn't object, too overcome by the fierce pounding in his loins to give into the thoughts slowly plaguing his mind.

The truth that he had been enticed by a man he should have much less wanted than taken. But now that he'd taken him, he was reluctant to pull out of the heat just yet, praying fervently that the moment leaves a similar mark on Itachi.

"We need to make haste and leave. The others must be hunting for the bandits," Itachi's cautionary voice cut through Shisui's thoughts. He nodded pulling himself out with a final kiss. He knew that once they were out of here, Itachi would once again be the lord of the manor and he his hired mercenary.

And in the depths of his soul he knew that for certain, even if he didn't yet know how or when, they would again be lovers. This couldn't be their only chance of so spectacular a union.

Shisui rode slowly as he approached the village, his senses tuned to his surroundings. The place appeared silent much to his dislike and he quickly moved towards the location Kakashi had spoken of the previous day.

He saw no horses where he was expected to see two. This led to several possibilities.

Either the horses stood hidden in the brush with the outlaws inside the warehouse holding Hozuki-the commander of the Uchiha manor as captive; or they had moved to a separate location and waited for Shisui to arrive so that they could ambush him.

He'd searched this warehouse once as a means of precaution before he began rendering his services to Itachi. There was nothing inside the warehouse then which had led him into believing that this couldn't be a possible hideout. Kakashi's knowledge put things in a new light and the mercenary knew he had no choice but to search the area again.

Fact was, no matter what place these bandits chose as their hideout, they would regret choosing Uchiha manor as their target.

Shisui dismounted and tied his horse to a nearby tree. He quickly crept towards the brushes careful to stick to the shadows while edging closer to the warehouse his sword at the ready to strike. Once he ascertained that there was no bandit in the brushes, he sheathed his sword and walked to the entrance of the warehouse.

He studied the roof, still intact atop the sturdy timber building and frowned. There could be a bandit at the top waiting to jump once Shisui got too close. His left hand dived towards the hilt of his sword ready to unsheathe the weapon if the need arose.

He waited with bated breath for what seemed like the quarter of an hour for assurance, his eyes never leaving the rooftop. His hand lightly touched the pouch of money he had on his waist pleased to find it still secured to his tunic. He sighed to himself. Perhaps he should have give the money to the thieves for Hozuki as Itachi had insisted the day before, but letting the villains have their way didn't sit well. At all.

Shisui listened to the door and heard no sound. He opened it slowly to see Hozuki sitting on the floor against the opposite wall-hands bound behind him, mouth gagged with a strip of cloth, uncomfortable and distressed.

Shisui stepped across the threshold purposely leaving the door open.

The other man in the room-garbed in ragged black with shrewd yellow snake-like eyes leaned against a lone pole on the other side. This must be their leader-Orochimaru.

Shisui assumed the other guards must be out guarding the horses.

Orochimaru pulled himself upright, his eyes narrowing. "Who are you?"

Shisui frowned judging the content of the message, Orochimaru's question seemed odd. "Shisui, mercenary, currently in service to Uchiha Itachi of Uchiha Manor."

"Mercenary?" Orochimaru spit out. "Itachi was supposed to send one of his guards! Can the man not follow simple instructions?"

Shisui took umbrage on Itachi's behalf. "I was told the note said to bring the mercenary, meaning me, so here I am."

Orochimaru's mouth thinned, then he spun around and kicked Hozuki in the shin. "You fool! I should slit your throat for your trickery. What else did you write that I know naught of?"

Gagged, Hozuki didn't answer. Shisui wondered if Itachi knew that his commander was compelled to write his own ransom note. Was Hozuki unwilling to risk the members of the Uchiha manor or did he have another good reason?

Orochimaru gathered himself. "No matter. Did you bring the ransom?"

Shisui wanted to answer in definite negations, but the thief was angry and too close to Hozuki. Angering him might further get the commander killed, so Shisui decided to stall in order to be able to come up with a plausible strategy.

"Thirty gold coins is a damn high price for a man who is not only worthless but also unfaithful."

Hozuki's guilty expression was all it took to confirm Shisui that the commander was involved with the bandits.

Orochimaru crossed his arms, "We asked a pittance sum of what His Lordship was able to pay."

"Only if I allow him to pay it. Verily I advised him against it."

"He does understand that his commander dies if the ransom is not paid. Or did he change that part of the note too?"

"His Lordship understands. Unfortunately he has a soft heart and wants Hozuki back. What I propose to you is a compromise. I take Hozuki with me and I allow you to live."

Orochimaru waited for more to come but when no money matter was discussed, he threw back his head in laughter.

"You bargain badly mercenary. My men and I have come too far to leave with naught. Better we kill you both and take the money."

Shisui moved two steps sideways, closer to Hozuki.

"You're welcome to try but I urge you to take my offer."

Orochimaru pulled out a short sword and shouted, "Ukon! Tayuya!"

Shisui inched closer to Hozuki taking advantage of Orochimaru's monetary distraction.

The last member of the band entered quickly and closed the door behind her, shutting out most of the light.

Damn. Shisui blinked quickly to adjust to the darkness.

"Where is Ukon?"

"He has not come as yet."

"Nor will he," Shisui spoke. "We captured him earlier and he rests uncomfortably in the Uchiha Manor."

A portion of Orochimaru's bravado slipped. "Damn. Well, then only Tayuya and I share the ransom. 'Tis time you hand over the money mercenary."

From the way the bandits held their swords Shisui judged them as inept as Ukon. He made a show of pulling out his broadsword and flicking his wrist so that the blade made arcs in the air.

Shisui bent his body in a fighting stance. "I suggest you put down your swords and come peacefully."

They didn't listen to the good advice. They rushed him, brandishing their weapons awkwardly. Even together they were no match for Shisui and he struggled not to kill them outright. He met their ungainly attacks with a flurry, hoping they would realize they were badly outmatched and retreat.

He blocked stroke after stroke, fending them off one after the other, allowing them to expand their vigor.

Then Tayuya tripped, and Shisui pulled back hard to check his slice-to no avail. The edge of the sword met cloth and skin and Tayuya's forearm slashed from the elbow to the wrist. She lay writhing on the floor her screams reverberating throughout the warehouse.

Shisui stepped away, his attention on his remaining foe. Orochimaru stared at Tayuya whose screams weakened to moans.

"Time to surrender Orochimaru."

Orochimaru bolted for the door. Well, hell, Shisui thought as he pulled out a dagger from his boot and aimed low, neatly slicing through Orochimaru's calf.

"That's enough Shisui," Kakashi's voice sounded from the doorway. Behind him, Asuma looked relieved.

Shisui lowered his hand. "There were only two of them you shouldn't have come."

Kakashi smiled slightly, "We were not given a choice."

Itachi had sent them, and if they were sent as reinforcements, Shisui did not know if he should be pleased that Itachi had cared enough about him to send them here or he should be angry that Itachi didn't faith him enough to know that he wouldn't need any help.

He sighed wearily. "No matter. Now that you're here help me toss their bodies on their horses. I imagine they are nearby" He bent to untie Hozuki.

"We have already found their horses." Itachi's voice sounded from the doorway and Shisui's heart slammed violently against his ribs.

Orochimaru made a pitiful whimper from the floor as he clutched his leg in agony.

It happened all too suddenly. Kakashi was pushed towards Shisui and Asuma and at the next moment,

Itachi's blade sliced neatly into the bandit leader's throat. A moment later, the head was separated from the body.

Much to Shisui's shock, Itachi kicked the head away. And what came next was even more shocking, when Itachi looked down at the pool of blood, wrinkled his nose as if he'd smelled some foul odor and turned pale.

Shisui watched in some kind of stupor as Itachi's eyes widened at the sight of Shisui's bloody tunic and his bottom lip trembled slightly when he reached forward to touch Shisui's chest.

He could almost hear Itachi's fears.

"'Tis not-"

He did not get the chance to finish his reassurance. Itachi's eyes rolled upward and Shisui caught him just in time before he hit the dirt.

Itachi roused from his stupor at the sound of Shisui calling his name, the distinct sensation of rocking and the unmistakable feel of his cheek against warm skin.

"Wake up Milord. We are nearly returned to the manor."

Since Shisui insisted, Itachi opened his eyes and blinked the haziness away. Indeed the voice belonged to

Shisui and they both swayed atop Shisui's horse.

He leaned forward to savor the heat of Shisui's body and the feel of Shisui's bare chest.

Shisui's bloody chest!

The memory shoved him upright and he stared at the expanse of muscles stretched taut over bones searching for the wound.

Shisui smiled. "You swooned before I could finish what I was saying Milord."

"So I see." Shisui's amusement annoyed Itachi even as it assured him of the man's well-being. He sat back and squared his shoulders huffing slightly.

However, a moment later his breath caught in his throat when Shisui's arm curved around him and pulled him close. "You'll be safer here Milord."

"I'm no woman." Itachi's voice sounded curt even to his own ears.

But Shisui was not to be deterred. "A man is entitled to his weak moments Itachi."

Immediately Itachi let go of his façade and relaxed against Shisui. "You worried me Shisui."

"Clearly you doubt my abilities Itachi," Shisui scoffed with a raised eyebrow in challenge.

"Nay, I do not." Itachi shook his head for emphasis.

They rode in silence for a few moments. "What will you do now?" Itachi's question surprised even him.

Shisui stiffened lightly before shrugging. "I'm thinking of foregoing my life as a mercenary. I might go to Spain or maybe France." Shisui sounded unperturbed which bothered Itachi immensely, especially now when he thought he had the perfect plan for the mercenary.

"Sasuke will miss you." Itachi had not meant to say that when he knew how much of a bait it was in trying to lure Shisui to stay with him at the manor.

Shisui sighed. "Aye, I will remember him too. Make a fine lad out of him Itachi the boy has spirit and he loves you." Shisui's voice sounded small.

"And me? Would you remember me?" Itachi's spoke without thinking.

A slow smile crept over Shisui's face and he pulled Itachi closer to himself. "Aye Itachi. Forever." He whispered placing a small kiss against Itachi's temple.

"The general's post is empty. You could join my ranks too." Itachi offered grasping at anything that could lead Shisui from his plan to leave Uchiha manor.

"Your people would never accept a lowly mercenary like me." Itachi marveled again at how Shisui had thought things through.

"They will have no choice but to accept."

"You ask too much of them Itachi."

"I'm their Lord Shisui, they abide by my laws."

"Someday you will have to marry Itachi to produce heirs."

"We will have Sasuke take my place." He leaned forward and kissed Shisui.

"I'm willing to say if you will have me Itachi."

"Aye." Itachi kissed him again.

"But I refuse to become anything other than the Lord to these people. I love you Itachi I will have no other." Shisui kissed Itachi back with all the passion he could muster.

Right now, Itachi had no choice other than to be content with the fact that Shisui was willing to stay as the commander and his lover. But later, when the time was ripe, he'd once again make the proposal and maybe then Shisui would accept.

He was after all at Uchiha Itachi's service.