A/N: This is based off of my Gender Bender Naruto Series that can be found on DeviantArt. (I also go by kiotsukatanna there and there is a link in my profile.) So, if you don't glance over there, you might be confused, but you might not. It's up to you to decide if you'd like to try and read it or not...


Lullaby (Kishi's POV)

Summary: Even the "Bloody Mist" can have its lullabies...

Words: 831

Characters: Kishi (FemKisame), Ichiko (FemItachi)

Warnings: None (Unless you don't like Gender Bending, then you can leave if you wish.)

Pairings: None (Lol. I may like KisaIta, but not in my GBNaru.)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Original Naruto characters. They belong to Kishimoto, but this GBNaru series is mine. You take it, I hurt you. That is all. (And the lullaby is mine! *grins* I made it up.)


Large golden eyes in a sea of black gazed at the ceiling, wide and unblinking. A small blue chest heaved up and down as its owner gasped for breath, sweat beaded on chubby cheeks and a small brow. The tiny girl shivered and pushed herself up, sniffling as she scrubbed at the tears that wet her eyes and clung to her lashes.

The scent of the ocean drifted through the girl's open window and she inhaled deeply. The waves crashed upon the beach in the distance – which did little to comfort her – and the girl sniffed once more, glancing about the darkened room. The emptiness brought her dream – Better yet, her nightmare – back into mind and she shivered again, clutching her knees. Tears gathered in her large child's eyes once more and she hiccupped, burying her face in her hands.

Shoulders shaking as she bit back her terrified sobs, the tiny girl jumped as a large hand set itself gently on her head. She instantly relaxed on recognizing the touch and tilted her face to stare up into the eyes of her father.

"What's wrong, Kishi-chan?" her Papa questioned. He didn't bother with useless questions like "Are you alright?" Why ask something he already knew the answer to?

The tiny Kishi hiccupped again, cheeks wet and lips trembling and, rather than answer the older man's query, climbed into his lap instead.

To any onlooker, the sight might've been considered comical. Though the dark-haired Hoshigaki was only 5'9", he greatly dwarfed his daughter's small, toddler size, and his large hand almost completely covered the back of her head. Even so, there was no one there to observe the scene and the child simply placed her head against her father's chest. His heartbeat pounded in her ear and, thankfully, drowned out the crashing waves.

Her eyes closed and she inhaled once more, pleased by his scent which was Papa's alone and the strong arms that kept her safe.

"Sing to me, Papa," she muttered, sniffling again. "I can't sleep..."

The older man's face softened – a strange change to his seemingly fierce features – as he cradled his daughter's tiny form. Placing his chin upon her blue hair, so much like the ocean she both feared and loved, he rocked his body back and forth, throat vibrating with a song from his childhood and now that of his daughter's.

"The sea, the sea reaches out to the sky,

But water can't reach for the sky is too high,

The birds laugh down at the fish below,

And each how draws on far too slow...

The sea, the sea reaches out to the land,

The water creeps up on the lonely sand,

The land creatures laugh and dismiss with a wave,

And the water returns like a weary slave...

(The water returns like a weary slave...)

The sea, the sea is forever alone,

Trapped and bound in its watery home,

Through air it sprays, but the sky it can't touch,

Upon sand it crashes, but land it can't touch,

The waves, they churn and the wait is too much,

For only through rain can sea reach either,

For only through rain can sea reach either...

...For only through tears can sea... reach either..."

oxoxo

"...What is that song?"

Kishi slid open her eyes to glance at her newest partner.

The dark-haired child stared at her silently, eyes blank and face bare of any emotion, a mask more suited for a well-versed killer than a 13 year old girl, though the teen was in fact both.

The thought almost made Kishi sad.

The girl was so young, her face still softened by baby fat and her dark orbs unbearably large on her impassive visage. Barely in adolescence and she'd already seen more death in one night than many shinobi saw in a year. Really, it almost tugged at whatever heart strings Kishi had left...

Almost, that was.

The older woman grinned at the petite girl, her junior by nearly 7 years and still a better shinobi than herself. "It's a lullaby from back in Kiri. I heard it often as a little girl."

The Uchiha's expression altered ever so slightly, but the two had not been partnered long enough for the shark-like woman to tell. The teen turned her eyes away to instead return to the book her hands, which she had been reading mere moments before.

"So, even rogue nin from the "Bloody Mist" can hold attachments to their village?" Ichiko said cooly, flipping a page.

Kishi frowned and narrowed her eyes at the faintly condescending tone, but also turned her gaze away, giving the wall a thoughtful glance.

"Sing to me, Papa. I can't fall asleep..."

The woman hid a smile, thankful that her face was out of sights so that her young companion couldn't see the affection in her eyes.

"No," Kishi said. "Not really."


A/N: This is only Part One to the story. I plan on having a Part Two with Ichiko, so be on the look out!