Chapter Text
Uchiha Ichigo is weird, deeply, and irreverently strange.
It’s not just on the surface.
There’s something more to him than just the rude and confrontational punk that Shisui knows he is. On the surface, he’s a rebellious delinquent who only marches to his own beat.As Itachi said, Ichigo never does what he’s told.
There’s something else there.
Something is not right about Ichigo
All Shisui can do is watch in abject horror and confusion as his cousin jumps up and down in joy, pumping his fist. The little piece of whatever it was, it looked like bone, dissipated away but that doesn’t seem to bother Ichigo one bit.
He cheers, “Hell yeah! Now, we're getting somewhere!”
Deep down, Shisui knows there’s something very wrong with Ichigo. It’s not just his weird defiant attitude or his fighting tricks. There’s something dark, and primal.
Shisui doesn’t quite know what he saw. He doesn’t know how to describe it. It must be a trick or genjutsu of some kind. Still, Shisui does know the feeling of cold steel poking against his throat.
That felt real.
Inside Ichigo, there is a brutal animal hiding within a deep dark cave.
It felt like looking at something he shouldn't see, wasn't meant to see.
Part of Shisui feels like he should report this, even if the thought makes his stomach turn.
He doesn’t intend for the question that slips out.
“What even are you?”
“Uchiha Ichigo.” He answers, “I’m human, last I checked.”
Shisui snorts in disbelief. Of course, Ichigo can’t be serious for even one moment.
Ichigo protests, “I’m serious! I don’t get why everyone thinks I’m not.”
It’s an answer that Shisui doesn’t want to accept. It’s the most logical one. It feels like storm clouds are covering his mind. There’s something very wrong about Ichigo. He intends to find out what that is.
Shisui’s line of thought is thrown off again as Ichigo proceeds to ask the weirdest question imaginable.
“Can sharingan see ghosts?”
Confused, Shisui blinks slowly and furrows his brow.
“Excuse me?”
Ichigo repeats himself, like he thinks Shisui just didn’t hear him.
“Can the sharingan see ghosts?”7
Family helps one another.
Shisui repeats that to himself like it will ease some of his concern. Aunt Mikoto told him he was mature, and helpful. She said she didn't trust anyone else to look after her eldest son.
Maybe she just thought she could foist the trouble off to him for the day.
This is who will lead the clan after Fugaku. Maybe there is a better choice out there---Shisui just doesn't want it to be him.
“Do you…need help?” Shisui has to force out each word, “ like someone to talk to about these...” He doesn’t really want to even say the words, “ghosts, you call it?”
“I’m not crazy.” Ichigo asserts.
Maybe this is why he wasn’t sent to the Academy. It’s disheartening. It really won’t help their case at all.
Ichigo seems to deem the conversation unimportant if Shisui can’t provide an answer to his ridiculous question.
“Do you know where Masato is?” He asks.
“No…not really.”
Ichigo stands and dusts the dirt from his clothes.
“Look, you can either help me or not. I’m gonna go see if Masato’s out on a mission. I wanna ask him something.”
He probably is going to ask if Masato saw the creature inside his head.
Shisui really doesn't get it. For all intents and purposes, the odds are stacked against him. That doesn't seem to bother Ichigo at all.
The big grin plastered across his face is excited and genuine.
He says, “Thanks for training with me.”
He walks off as nothing happened.
His cousin is a truly weird guy.
Shisui doesn't want to. He really doesn't want to . He still follows after Ichigo anyway.
“You're not leaving the compound! I'm supposed to keep an eye on you!” Shisui shouts.
“Masato better be in the compound then!”
Ichigo doesn't even bother to look back.
This is that unwarranted nonchalance that never fails to get under his skin.
None of them know why the fainting spells keep happening. What could explain the lack of vitals? Nothing that Shisui knows of. It must be some sort of illness affecting his chakra.
Maybe the rumors were right, maybe they’re seeing the results of another kekkei genkai. As they walk through the roads of the Uchiha district, Ichigo politely greets children and elders they pass. Shisui goes through the motions of doing the same. It’s what his dad would want. Ichigo laughs when Shisui gets his cheek pinched in greeting.
It’s pleasantly warm, so many people are out running errands today. Children are underfoot, running about playing tag. Ichigo stops to ask some kids playing with jacks if they’ve seen Masato.
One kid thinks she saw him head into the neabrby dango shop.
That lifts Shisui’s spirits, just a little, until his hopes are dashed by a passing elder.
“I just saw Masato bring dango over to the billiards club. If you need him, I’d check there.”
At least, he’s still in the compound.
Shisui is grateful for small mercies.
He can’t make any sense of it. There’s no good reason that explains why Masato didn't say anything. After the training incident, his uncle had been quiet and simply said he’d handle things.
Shisui accepted it, not sure what to do otherwise.
There is no logical explanation to why his cousin could be dead one minute and fine the next.
Shisui asked his uncle.. Masato kept silent, when Shisui asked if he'd noticed anything strange. There was something there. He must’ve seen something . Masato still only said there was nothing to worry about.
Even if he didn't say it, Shisui knew he was lying.
The billiards club is less a club and more like any other grubby bar. The tables are splintered, covered in stickers and graffiti. What separates it from the rest around the district are the two scavenged billiard tables. None of the balls and cues match.There’s an small kitchen and bar, but Shisui’s only seen greasy fried buns come from it. The meat was questionably listed as beef.
Shisui, who doesn't quite get the appeal, still accompanies his dad when he asks to go.
Masato sits at the bar, gently spinning back and forth on the red topped stools as it squeaks rhythmically.
Drinking during the day probably isn’t a good sign.
He raises his glass to them, “There are my cute nephews! Out playing and getting along, hm?”
Ichigo cuts right to the point.
“Uncle Masato, Shisui said I stopped breathing. Why didn’t you say anything?”
Jerked from his lazy stupor, Masato hastily looks around, making sure no one overheard. There’s only one other person aside from the bartender, who they can hear busy in the small kitchen. Shisui can’t tell who it is, but they seem asleep, slumped against the old jukebox. It hasn’t been fixed in a while.
Masato says, “Look, I don’t know what I saw. I just couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to scare your brothers. You didn’t just seem dead, all vitals were gone, but like…I dunno. It was like a shell . I tried everything to wake you up. You were suddenly perfectly fine. I can’t say that I understand it. Perhaps, there could be issues with your chakra. I’m not an expert on the subject.”
Shisui rubs his stomach. There’s a bruise forming from one of Ichigo’s hits. He mutters, “Maybe his real family can tell us why he’s like that.”
It earns him a flick to the ear.
Masato says sternly, “I told you to stop spouting gossip and superstitions. You’re smarter than that.”
That hurts more than the flick.
Ichigo ignores the comment. He says, “Don’t worry. I’m trying to figure it out. I want to do better---for everyone.”
Masato quickly downs the rest of his drink.
Gesturing to the empty seats beside him, he says. “Sit down, boys. Keep your dear uncle company for a little while.”
Ichigo asks bluntly, “Do you want us to drag you home once you’re too drunk?”
Masato retorts,“I heard you fucked up relations with the Hyuuga clan. I don’t see how that’s called doing better. You can train to be strong, but that’s never enough. You need to be smart too.”
“They enslave their own!” Ichigo counters, “does that seem right to you? What do you think it would feel like to live like that?”
There might always be bad things in the world. Ichigo should realize that.
He’s stupid for saying something like that out in the open, even if they’re in the Uchiha district.
It’s foolish to assume anywhere is truly safe.
Masato probably had too much to drink to care.
“Things are…complicated right now.” Masato says, “Your parents must’ve told you, at least Mikoto. I know she would. Let me ask you, Ichigo. In your mind, what does it really mean to be a clan head?”
“I thought it was to protect the clan?”
“You’re right, but that’s not all. The clan head must lead the clan through hardship, keep us together. There are many ways to do that.” Masato explains, “ Lady Otohime before your grandmother knew diplomacy well. Some say her wit is why we’ve held on this long after Madara in the first place. Your grandmother, Lady Torabana, was built for war. She could carry us through it. Your father did admirably during the Third war, but a diplomat he is not . Those who prosper in wartime, don’t often know how to manage in peace.”
He raises a hand for another glass.
Perhaps he speaks so freely, because the bartender is an Uchiha too.
“Your mother is planning on increasing your tutoring I hear. You should pay attention, and do your best. If you intend to be a clan head, forge forward with everything you’ve got. I know you want to look after everyone, but sometimes we’ve got to use more than just our fists.”
Masato studies Ichigo. Maybe he doesn’t mean to do it, but Ichigo seems unbothered by the gentle swirl of Masato’s sharingan eyes.
“You kids like stories, yes? Let me tell you one. It used to be told a lot at the Solstice. Lemme think…”
Shisui thinks he has them confused with Aunt Momo’s kids.
“What's it matter?” He asks.
Ichigo shushes hum.
He still rolls his eyes. Shisui thinks that the adults just love telling stories.
Masato continues in a soft and serious tone, “Our clan once wore masks into battle. Our enemies would see nothing but our eyes shadowed in coal. People have long feared our eyes. They say we crawled out of hell and that is why we are people of fire. The stories say the fearful would drown our children because they would not burn.” He swirls his drink in his hand before setting it down, “Our clan said if monsters are what you want, then monsters we shall be. That is still not all we are. We did not start out a clan of warriors. We have been fighting for every inch that we’ve gained. The Gods often have funny ways of showing us what we need.”
They’re not really supposed to be telling these stories.
Did Masato see what he saw?
“What are you getting at?” Shisui demands.
Masato pokes his forehead in response, “We try to serve well, but remember no one is infallible. We have been brought low before. Have some faith in us all. You don’t need to carry it all alone.”
He pokes Ichigo’s forehead too, “That applies to the both of you. No matter what anyone says. Try to help one another, won’t you?”
Ichigo nods without a second thought.
Shisui stares at his feet for a moment before he solemnly nods too.
Uchiha Ichigo is undoubtedly strange.
He's too impulsive and reckless when the shinobi way is anything but that. He’s headstrong to the point of unimaginable stubbornness.
Shisui still doesn’t know what to make of that thing . He doesn’t know what he saw. It felt twisted, bloodthirsty, and nothing like the weird cousin he knows.
Ichigo may be a bit of a freak, but he’s not malicious.
He will not serve the village, and even if Ichigo had explained why Shisui still doesn’t get why. His strength could be utilized to its fullest if pushed, but Shisui’s starting to think pushing Ichigo is the last thing the village needs.
Shisui does know his cousin isn’t a bad guy.
Even with all his faults Ichigo is a member of the Uchiha clan. Ichigo wants to get stronger, better, to protect the clan.
Shisui does know that his own duty is to the village…and to his clan.
Ichigo says firmly, “I don’t care what it takes. I’ll do whatever I have to if I’m going to protect everyone. I know I can do it, so I will.”
He turns to Shisui, “would you help me?”
Masato looks at them both with such a warm smile before he downs the rest of his drink.
It feels like he can’t say no. Those brown eyes of his are too open and willing to give him a chance.
Shisui asks befuddled, “what made you feel like you could ask?”
It’s not like Shisui went out of his way to be nice.
Ichigo answers simply, “you helped me today.”
“And I have regretted it ever since.”
There might just be something deeply wrong with Ichigo. Even so, Shisui figures he can at least be strong enough to stick around and find out what it is.
He can think optimistically. Maybe it will go well.
If it doesn’t--- Shisui knows it will be his job to clean up the mess.
It’s what family is for.