Itachi+Shisui fic: Friendship
Title: Friendship
Author: selena_star
Rating: PG-13 (Some violence and swearing)
Pairings: Nothing explicit, Itachi+Shisui
Warnings: None, both the manga and anime are past this point.
Summary: This is a fic reflecting on the relationship between Itachi and Shisui. I started thinking about what sort of person Itachi would make friends with, and this is the result.
Perviously posted to churchofuchiha.
It took him one minute to decide he wanted Mangekyou Sharingan, and one month to determine the identity of his best friend. The first part was easy: Itachi's purpose in life was to push his strength to its limits, regardless of any consequences. However, the requirement of killing his friend was more troublesome. There was no one Itachi could think of that he would call a friend.
He had an idea of what a friend was: someone you spent time with, usually around your own age, whose company you enjoyed. He felt that if he just thought about it logically, a candidate would come to mind. Over the next four weeks, all the people he had ever come into contact with passed through his mind.
His classmates from the academy were stupid and slow, and he had as little to do with them as possible. He had detested them for holding him back even at the time, and the intervening years had not changed his views. His team-mates were similarly loathsome. The practise of balancing students' abilities across teams had left Itachi with the most unbearable deadweights. It had been fun to test their potential for a while, but like trapping spiders under a glass, it quickly lost its novelty. His teachers were slightly more interesting, but as he barely knew more about them than their names, he doubted they could count as friends.
ANBU was not the sort of work environment where friendships were made. The nature of the work led to people switching off after hours; taking off the mask and replacing it with a smile for their family; not socialising with colleagues. Still, since he was so young when he started, other ANBU members had made a special effort to talk to him and help him adjust. He had brushed them all away; disappointed to find that even amongst the ninja elite there were few who could beat him. Eventually people had realised his aloofness was not the result of shyness, but arrogance, and left him to himself.
He wondered who he spent time with, if he didn't socialise with anyone from school or work. There was his immediate family...
His mother elicited no emotional response when he thought of her. She had chosen to stay home and keep the house rather than continue her ninja career, so Itachi had no respect for her, and barely noticed her these days. She was not a friend.
He had nothing but contempt for his father: an excellent ninja who let his skills go to waste while running the clan and police force. Petty criminals did not need such a superior Uchiha to track them down, and as for running the clan... As far as Itachi could see, the clan was past its peak. The only "running" it needed was to cut free the driftwood and make sure the ones remaining were worthy of the Uchiha name. But everyone had gone soft, and these days even the incompetents were allowed to stay in the compound. Itachi vowed that when he was in charge, things would change. He just had to wait patiently for that day. In the meantime, he could not count his father as a friend.
Sasuke. When he thought of his little brother, he felt he might have identified his friend. He got a tightness in his chest, especially when imagining killing him. This was unexpected: he felt sorrow at the thought of Sasuke dying. Why would it affect him so much? He did spend time with Sasuke, but it wasn't because he enjoyed the boy's company. He was so talkative and bouncy and unskilled; yet he had vast potential that Itachi was desperate to unlock. Unlike his former team-mates, it was a pleasure to measure Sasuke's abilities, prodding him in certain ways to see how he would respond.
However, that was not friendship. Friendship implied some sort of mutual respect and goodwill, Itachi thought, and he was fairly certain that Sasuke hated him. He couldn't blame the boy: the clan and most of the village only had eyes for the eldest son, and Itachi could see the frustration in Sasuke's face whenever he was ignored or forgotten. Much as Itachi would like to command Sasuke's affections, he couldn't believe his brother would ever find him likeable.
Perhaps one of his numerous relatives? There was one cousin whom he admired, but their relationship was too dysfunctional to be called friendship.
It had started the day after Shisui's parents were killed, five years ago. Itachi's mother had made some food, and asked him to take it round to his cousin's house. He didn't know the elder boy very well, and felt uncomfortable at the thought of intruding: Shisui would probably be crying or something, and Itachi would have to think of something to say. When he arrived, he was somewhat relived to find his cousin throwing shuriken alone in the back yard.
In response to Itachi's mumbled greeting, Shisui said, "Why does everyone bring fucking food? I've lost my parents, not the ability to cook." Itachi had found this reassuringly practical: the elder boy didn't seem like the delicate ornament his mother had assumed him to be. Thinking of the disasterous meal Shisui's mother had burnt last New Year, he replied, "I don't know. But perhaps you will find it better than your mother's cooking."
Shisui didn't take it very well. In a flash he was in front of Itachi, grabbing his wrist, spinning him and pinning him against the wall. Twisting his arm up his back with one hand and holding a kunai to Itachi's throat with the other, he growled, "Don't mention my mother ever again."
Itachi was tremendously impressed. He had barely realised Shisui was about to attack him before his face was pushed against the wall. It was a long time since someone had taken him by surprise, and even longer since someone had bested him with their speed. He tried to sweep Shisui's legs out from under him with his foot, but Shisui dodged and took the opportunity to immobilise Itachi's other arm. Astounded and delighted, Itachi had admitted his defeat.
Since that day, neither had gone out of their way to meet the other. Whenever their paths did cross, Itachi would say something provocative and Shisui would attack. To begin with, Shisui proved to be rather weaker than Itachi after all, but he rapidly improved. After a year had passed, Shisui was winning around one in every four fights. Other clan members noticed his remarkable progress, and he was swiftly promoted through the police force.
Something puzzled Itachi, and one day he finally asked what it was that had sparked the sudden surge in Shisui's abilities. Shisui had shrugged, saying ruefully, "Anger. A desire for strength, so I don't die like my parents. I dunno." Then flippantly, "I haven't much to do these days except train." Itachi wondered what it was that Shisui was angry about.
He continued to be impressed by Shisui's dedication to self-improvement, and over the years they had become semi-regular training partners. He liked the way Shisui was never deferential towards him or acted scared of him, unlike everyone else in the clan. In fact, Shisui never seemed to think much of him at all, defiantly shouting, "Who's the fucking genius now?" whenever he managed to win a fight. Itachi reluctantly concluded that being strong caused people to dislike him, and settled for simply enjoying the challenge of battles against his cousin.
He didn't think Shisui could be regarded a friend when all they did was fight.
Impatient after four weeks of deliberation, Itachi decided he needed some assistance in identifying a friend. Shisui may not like him, but his cousin would certainly understand the desire to perfect his talents. He would explain his plan to Shisui, and hopefully he would be able to throw more light on the problem. Itachi chose a time and place with little chance of them being disturbed: on Nakano Bridge during a clan meeting. No one should be around to overhear them talking.
"Are you out of your fucking mind?" was Shisui's first reaction. "For being the genius Uchiha, you can be so fucking retarded at times! The difficulty of Mangekyou Sharingan is not in deciding on your best friend, it's in deciding to kill someone you like purely for your own benefit! Are you honestly so emotionally detached from life that you didn't realise that?"
Itachi tried to explain that killing wasn't difficult for someone as strong as himself; he had to kill people every day as an ANBU member.
"Fuck! And I thought we were friends! I can't believe I understood so little about you. You can't do this, Itachi, it's wrong and I won't let you."
Itachi tensed momentarily, seething that Shisui would presume to tell him what to do, or dare to try and stop him. He narrowed his eyes and activated the Sharingan, advancing towards his cousin. Quietly, "I would be very careful what I said if I were you, Shisui."
"Oh shit, Itachi, don't do this, you can't be serious. They already suspect you're dangerous and unstable. I stuck up for you; I tried to persuade them that being solitary didn't mean you were disloyal to the clan. Don't prove me wrong now, think of the clan. Think of your father!"
Disappointment pricked at Itachi: Shisui didn't get it at all. Without his support he was a liability; Itachi had better finish this quickly. Shisui was prepared for his attack, activating his Sharingan as Itachi continued towards him.
Like a frantic echo of their normal fights, the two cousins grappled on the bridge. Finally Itachi gained the upper hand, trapping Shisui against the low parapet with his body, gripping his collar and pushing his head back over the edge. Itachi remained impassive as desperation gave way to sorrow in his cousin's eyes.
"It seems like you get your wish, Itachi. Why didn't you think I was your friend?"
Itachi didn't reply, simply punching Shisui to wind him and pushing until he overbalanced. As he watched his cousin fall to the water far below, he considered how this was neater than using a weapon: it could be made to look like a suicide. This night had turned out much better than expected.
The body hit the water, sinking and being dragged downstream. Unsure for how long he should watch, Itachi stared into the torrent. Presently, he felt a pulse of chakra through his body: a sudden sharpening of his senses.
Shisui must have been his friend after all.
Author: selena_star
Rating: PG-13 (Some violence and swearing)
Pairings: Nothing explicit, Itachi+Shisui
Warnings: None, both the manga and anime are past this point.
Summary: This is a fic reflecting on the relationship between Itachi and Shisui. I started thinking about what sort of person Itachi would make friends with, and this is the result.
Perviously posted to churchofuchiha.
It took him one minute to decide he wanted Mangekyou Sharingan, and one month to determine the identity of his best friend. The first part was easy: Itachi's purpose in life was to push his strength to its limits, regardless of any consequences. However, the requirement of killing his friend was more troublesome. There was no one Itachi could think of that he would call a friend.
He had an idea of what a friend was: someone you spent time with, usually around your own age, whose company you enjoyed. He felt that if he just thought about it logically, a candidate would come to mind. Over the next four weeks, all the people he had ever come into contact with passed through his mind.
His classmates from the academy were stupid and slow, and he had as little to do with them as possible. He had detested them for holding him back even at the time, and the intervening years had not changed his views. His team-mates were similarly loathsome. The practise of balancing students' abilities across teams had left Itachi with the most unbearable deadweights. It had been fun to test their potential for a while, but like trapping spiders under a glass, it quickly lost its novelty. His teachers were slightly more interesting, but as he barely knew more about them than their names, he doubted they could count as friends.
ANBU was not the sort of work environment where friendships were made. The nature of the work led to people switching off after hours; taking off the mask and replacing it with a smile for their family; not socialising with colleagues. Still, since he was so young when he started, other ANBU members had made a special effort to talk to him and help him adjust. He had brushed them all away; disappointed to find that even amongst the ninja elite there were few who could beat him. Eventually people had realised his aloofness was not the result of shyness, but arrogance, and left him to himself.
He wondered who he spent time with, if he didn't socialise with anyone from school or work. There was his immediate family...
His mother elicited no emotional response when he thought of her. She had chosen to stay home and keep the house rather than continue her ninja career, so Itachi had no respect for her, and barely noticed her these days. She was not a friend.
He had nothing but contempt for his father: an excellent ninja who let his skills go to waste while running the clan and police force. Petty criminals did not need such a superior Uchiha to track them down, and as for running the clan... As far as Itachi could see, the clan was past its peak. The only "running" it needed was to cut free the driftwood and make sure the ones remaining were worthy of the Uchiha name. But everyone had gone soft, and these days even the incompetents were allowed to stay in the compound. Itachi vowed that when he was in charge, things would change. He just had to wait patiently for that day. In the meantime, he could not count his father as a friend.
Sasuke. When he thought of his little brother, he felt he might have identified his friend. He got a tightness in his chest, especially when imagining killing him. This was unexpected: he felt sorrow at the thought of Sasuke dying. Why would it affect him so much? He did spend time with Sasuke, but it wasn't because he enjoyed the boy's company. He was so talkative and bouncy and unskilled; yet he had vast potential that Itachi was desperate to unlock. Unlike his former team-mates, it was a pleasure to measure Sasuke's abilities, prodding him in certain ways to see how he would respond.
However, that was not friendship. Friendship implied some sort of mutual respect and goodwill, Itachi thought, and he was fairly certain that Sasuke hated him. He couldn't blame the boy: the clan and most of the village only had eyes for the eldest son, and Itachi could see the frustration in Sasuke's face whenever he was ignored or forgotten. Much as Itachi would like to command Sasuke's affections, he couldn't believe his brother would ever find him likeable.
Perhaps one of his numerous relatives? There was one cousin whom he admired, but their relationship was too dysfunctional to be called friendship.
It had started the day after Shisui's parents were killed, five years ago. Itachi's mother had made some food, and asked him to take it round to his cousin's house. He didn't know the elder boy very well, and felt uncomfortable at the thought of intruding: Shisui would probably be crying or something, and Itachi would have to think of something to say. When he arrived, he was somewhat relived to find his cousin throwing shuriken alone in the back yard.
In response to Itachi's mumbled greeting, Shisui said, "Why does everyone bring fucking food? I've lost my parents, not the ability to cook." Itachi had found this reassuringly practical: the elder boy didn't seem like the delicate ornament his mother had assumed him to be. Thinking of the disasterous meal Shisui's mother had burnt last New Year, he replied, "I don't know. But perhaps you will find it better than your mother's cooking."
Shisui didn't take it very well. In a flash he was in front of Itachi, grabbing his wrist, spinning him and pinning him against the wall. Twisting his arm up his back with one hand and holding a kunai to Itachi's throat with the other, he growled, "Don't mention my mother ever again."
Itachi was tremendously impressed. He had barely realised Shisui was about to attack him before his face was pushed against the wall. It was a long time since someone had taken him by surprise, and even longer since someone had bested him with their speed. He tried to sweep Shisui's legs out from under him with his foot, but Shisui dodged and took the opportunity to immobilise Itachi's other arm. Astounded and delighted, Itachi had admitted his defeat.
Since that day, neither had gone out of their way to meet the other. Whenever their paths did cross, Itachi would say something provocative and Shisui would attack. To begin with, Shisui proved to be rather weaker than Itachi after all, but he rapidly improved. After a year had passed, Shisui was winning around one in every four fights. Other clan members noticed his remarkable progress, and he was swiftly promoted through the police force.
Something puzzled Itachi, and one day he finally asked what it was that had sparked the sudden surge in Shisui's abilities. Shisui had shrugged, saying ruefully, "Anger. A desire for strength, so I don't die like my parents. I dunno." Then flippantly, "I haven't much to do these days except train." Itachi wondered what it was that Shisui was angry about.
He continued to be impressed by Shisui's dedication to self-improvement, and over the years they had become semi-regular training partners. He liked the way Shisui was never deferential towards him or acted scared of him, unlike everyone else in the clan. In fact, Shisui never seemed to think much of him at all, defiantly shouting, "Who's the fucking genius now?" whenever he managed to win a fight. Itachi reluctantly concluded that being strong caused people to dislike him, and settled for simply enjoying the challenge of battles against his cousin.
He didn't think Shisui could be regarded a friend when all they did was fight.
Impatient after four weeks of deliberation, Itachi decided he needed some assistance in identifying a friend. Shisui may not like him, but his cousin would certainly understand the desire to perfect his talents. He would explain his plan to Shisui, and hopefully he would be able to throw more light on the problem. Itachi chose a time and place with little chance of them being disturbed: on Nakano Bridge during a clan meeting. No one should be around to overhear them talking.
"Are you out of your fucking mind?" was Shisui's first reaction. "For being the genius Uchiha, you can be so fucking retarded at times! The difficulty of Mangekyou Sharingan is not in deciding on your best friend, it's in deciding to kill someone you like purely for your own benefit! Are you honestly so emotionally detached from life that you didn't realise that?"
Itachi tried to explain that killing wasn't difficult for someone as strong as himself; he had to kill people every day as an ANBU member.
"Fuck! And I thought we were friends! I can't believe I understood so little about you. You can't do this, Itachi, it's wrong and I won't let you."
Itachi tensed momentarily, seething that Shisui would presume to tell him what to do, or dare to try and stop him. He narrowed his eyes and activated the Sharingan, advancing towards his cousin. Quietly, "I would be very careful what I said if I were you, Shisui."
"Oh shit, Itachi, don't do this, you can't be serious. They already suspect you're dangerous and unstable. I stuck up for you; I tried to persuade them that being solitary didn't mean you were disloyal to the clan. Don't prove me wrong now, think of the clan. Think of your father!"
Disappointment pricked at Itachi: Shisui didn't get it at all. Without his support he was a liability; Itachi had better finish this quickly. Shisui was prepared for his attack, activating his Sharingan as Itachi continued towards him.
Like a frantic echo of their normal fights, the two cousins grappled on the bridge. Finally Itachi gained the upper hand, trapping Shisui against the low parapet with his body, gripping his collar and pushing his head back over the edge. Itachi remained impassive as desperation gave way to sorrow in his cousin's eyes.
"It seems like you get your wish, Itachi. Why didn't you think I was your friend?"
Itachi didn't reply, simply punching Shisui to wind him and pushing until he overbalanced. As he watched his cousin fall to the water far below, he considered how this was neater than using a weapon: it could be made to look like a suicide. This night had turned out much better than expected.
The body hit the water, sinking and being dragged downstream. Unsure for how long he should watch, Itachi stared into the torrent. Presently, he felt a pulse of chakra through his body: a sudden sharpening of his senses.
Shisui must have been his friend after all.