A/N: I dunno, really. I always thought the song 'By the Sea' from Sweeney Todd would fit KisaIta nicely, so I set out to write something with that as the title. And this was the idea that I came up with first, so this is what you get. Enjoy!
Arufabetto
"Kisame, where is the place you hold most precious to you?"
The shark nin glanced up from his book and towards the black haired man who was seated next to him, his head resting on Kisame's shoulder. "Hm… I suppose it would be –"
"No. I don't want to hear it, I want to see it." Itachi closed his eyes and sighed at the ceiling. "While I still can." Kisame said nothing, just nodded and gave his partner a sympathetic look. He slipped his bookmark into his book and wrapped his arms around the Uchiha.
It had been nearly a year since Itachi had been diagnosed with some rare, un-curable disease that directly attacked the eyes, causing blindness in twelve months or less. At first, Itachi had attempted to keep it a secret, to keep Kisame from finding out and worrying, which was something he did non-stop anyway. But try as he might, as his eyesight deteriorated, it became harder and harder to keep quiet. When you can't even walk from your room to the kitchen without walking into something or tripping, it's hard to say that "nothing's wrong."
Upon finding out, Kisame had been furious at Itachi for not telling him something so important, for not letting him help. He'd then managed to calm down and set off, interrogating Itachi with dozens of questions.
Flashback
"So... Itachi-san, is there anything we can do about this?"
"No, Kisame. I'm afraid there's no cure for this yet."
"Oh… So, how blind are you?"
The corners of Itachi's mouth twitched. Obviously he was amused by the childish wording of the question. "Well, it's a bit like watching an old black and white movie, but… No, that's not quite it. Everything's much darker, colors less saturated, and sometimes… Sometimes it's just black." He bit his lip and his voice quavered slightly. The prospect of being blind, if seeing nothing but darkness terrified him.
Kisame leaned forward and embraced the Uchiha. "It'll be ok. I'll help you, be your guide dog, ok?"
End Flashback
"Kisame, please. Where are we going?" The Uchiha was obviously annoyed, and an icy tone bit his voice.
The ex-mist nin only laughed. "I told you already, we're going to see the place I hold most dear."
Itachi sighed. "I already know that, I was hoping for a bit more detail." He leaned back against the leather car seat and occupied himself with staring vacantly out the window, hoping he might see something he recognized. Unfortunately, he found nothing familiar, only a long stretch of road ahead of him and scruffy looking trees bordering the highway on either side.
Suddenly, without warning, the car swerved, making a sharp left turn onto a dirt road that was barely visible through the covering of trees. They drove in silence for another few minutes before the car pulled to a stop at the end of the road. "Alright, Itachi-san, we're here."
Itachi blinked a few times, refocusing his eyesight, then turned to stare out the window. Before him lay miles of nothing but beach, of dusty looking yellow-gray sand and dark, blue-green waters that gently lapped against the shore. He turned and glanced at Kisame. "This is your precious place?"
He grinned, staring out the window at the beach fondly. "Yes. This is where I grew up." He glanced at Itachi, smiled, then opened the car door. He circled around the car, and opened the door on the other side. He held out his hand to Itachi. "Let's go, I'll show you the house."
The house was just a small beach house, the outside faded white and surrounded with scraggly brush and long sea grass. It looked like something off of a post card, the epitome of a beach house. The two stood there, Kisame beaming proudly, Itachi simply staring at the house with his usual stoic expression. After a moment, Itachi broke the silence. "Well, that's cliché."
Kisame chuckled. "Wait until you see the inside."
And just as Kisame had promised, the inside was just as cliché, if not worse. The walls were painted a pale blue that matched the couches and carpeting. The walls were covered in paintings of beaches, seagulls, and the like, and every flat surface held a shell of some sort.
"So, whaddya think? My childhood home compare to yours at all?" The shark man laughed and took a seat on one of the couches, moving a few of the throw pillows to make a place for Itachi as well. The other man ignored the open space and instead took a seat on Kisame's lap, leaving him pleasantly surprised.
"Well…" Itachi leaned against Kisame, settling into a comfortable position. "I can understand why this is your most precious place. It's such a calm place, and very beautiful." He closed his eyes and smiled faintly.
"Itachi, I have to admit something."
"Hm?"
"I lied, this isn't truly my most precious place."
"Oh, and where is then?"
"Anywhere, as long as I'm with you." And with that, Itachi could feel another pair of lips pressing against his, and the familiar feel of Kisame's body pressing against him.
"I-I love you too."