I haven't written in a long time, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it pretty quick! The first couple chapters may be short, as I really should be studying... But I'll try my best to keep 'er going!

Itachi lay across Kisame's chest, his arm slung over the blue skin and his delicate chin perched on his arm. He stared intently at the tiny scales covering Kisame. His eyes narrowed slightly, finding it difficult to focus. He brought his other arm out from underneath him and ran his fingertips ever so lightly across the skin, making Kisame shudder slightly at the gentle sensation. He found that stroking downwards, the surface was smooth yet hard, while it was sharp and rough going against the direction of the scales. Itachi's thumb nail came to rest on one scale in particular. He slid his nail under the edge of the sharp, tooth-like surface. With a flick of his thumb, he pried the scale up and it broke. Kisame flinched with a sharp intake of breath, looking at Itachi with slight annoyance. A tiny speck of blood appeared where the scale had been removed.

"What did you do that for?" Kisame asked in a low voice, trying not to sound too annoyed, lest he anger Itachi.

"I was just wondering," he replied quietly, "What would it feel like if I got a knife and scaled you like a fish?"

With a swift movement, Itachi had picked up a kunai from the pile of their clothes and proceeded to run the flat edge slowly over Kisame's skin. Kisame's eyes widened. He could never be sure when Itachi was serious. On top of that, Itachi had hit a nerve when it came to comparing Kisame to a fish. With a strong arm, he pushed Itachi's body away and slid out from underneath him into a sitting position on the edge of the bed. He faced away from Itachi, but looked at him over his shoulder, his eyes dangerous.

"I'm guessing it would feel the same as if I were to skin you like a little pig," he growled.

Kisame turned away, standing up and reaching for his pants. Itachi's long silence started to make Kisame nervous. There were very few people that could make him as uneasy as Itachi could. He hurriedly put his clothes back on, slinging his akatsuki cloak over his shoulders.

"We need to be heading out. I'll go pay the bill."

He left the room swiftly, heading to the front desk of the small inn in which they had spent the night. As he shut the door behind him, he paused for a moment to sigh. Why was Itachi always so cold toward him? Even after they share a great night together, he remains so detached. It was to be expected, however. If Itachi could be emotionless enough to slaughter his entire family, leaving his younger brother orphaned and alone, then how could Kisame expect much more from him? Still, the two had been partners for so long. Years later, their intimacy remained purely physical. Kisame had never expected to fall so hard for Itachi, longing for more than just his unfeeling touch.

The lobby was empty. Kisame chose to leave their fee on the counter rather than wait for the innkeeper to appear. He left the building to wait outside for Itachi. He put on his bamboo hat, quickly removing it when he discovered that it was raining. It had been weeks since it had rained last and Kisame wanted to enjoy it while it lasted. He turned his face toward the clouds, letting the downpour soak his blue hair. A moment was all he needed to put thoughts of Itachi out of his mind.

The sound of the inn's door opening in closing brought Kisame back to reality. Itachi stood beside him, letting out a groan, presumably unhappy with the weather. Kisame ran a hand through his hair so that it stood up again, rather than laying flat from the water. The two exchanged no words, but proceeded to set off at an easy pace down the dirt road. Puddles were quickly forming large potholes, deeper than they appeared. While Itachi was careful to avoid these for the sake of the cleanliness of his clothes, Kisame simply walked straight, ignoring the growing pools of muddy water. Kisame's lidless eyes remained fixed on Itachi. This was how they usually walked, Kisame watching Itachi while his head remained facing forward and Itachi unable to see well enough to notice.