Relish the Moment
Chapter One – Unconscious Again
Knock. Knock.
"Fuck off." Kisame grumbled moodily.
A sigh could be heard at the other side of the door. "Leader-sama wants to speak with you." It said. Kisame groaned and cracked an eye open. As he heaved himself up from the dusty old mattress beneath him he squinted to read the fine print on the bottle of sake that was glued to his hand. He mumbled something incoherent and then brought it to his lips to take a swig of the drink.
Empty.
Kisame threw the bottle at the wall opposite him and watched carelessly as it smashed into a thousand tiny pieces he knew he'd only step on later that day. Sliding off the springy bed he got to his feet and stumbled towards the door and winced as he held his head. He kicked his front door open and with a booming thud, it hit the ground.
Kakuzu lifted an eyebrow from beneath his bandaged face. "I'm not paying for that." He sneered. Kisame moved forward and the older man stepped to the side; Kisame towered above him. With a menacing snarl, Kisame skirted pass the man and again stumbled for a second time. He swore under his breath and then made a resolution he knew he'd fail to keep as it entailed not drinking so much later on in order for him to keep a clear head.
The day Kisame didn't need a long bottle of sake was the day he'd win the lottery, only of course to spend it on more alcohol anyway. As he walked towards Pein's office he couldn't help but wonder why the man would summon him at this time. It was the afternoon where everybody within the household knew that Kisame would be unconscious from his latest binge. And by the common instruction of Pein, Kisame would only receive a new mission just after he returned from one. This must be serious.
He smirked. He tried to tell himself that he should care but right now he was in the right mind to slaughter everyone within the household. And he would, straight after the meeting.
As he approached the door that would lead him to Pein, Konan emerged from the shadows. "Fucking hell woman, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" he asked angrily.
Konan made no sudden movement but stared at Kisame with her lifeless caramel coloured eyes.
"Pein has been waiting for you long enough, do not make him wait any longer." She said, and then she turned and with a key opened the lock on the door to reveal Pein's office.
The door shut behind him and in the darkness it took a while for Kisame's eyes to adjust. His sight was better underwater, not so much in the dark. "Kisame." Pein said. "Sit." The man instructed.
"I would if I could see a fucking chair." The blue man commented. Instantly ten candle's flickered across the small room and just barely Kisame could make out Pein sitting in a chair with a table before him and another chair at the opposing side of him.
He dumped himself on the chair and felt his weight creak the old wood.
"Your last mission was a success." Pein commented. Kisame scoffed; had he called him all this way to congratulate him on an easy assassination? He hoped not because he could feel his anger rising as his head continued to sway from the alcohol that plagued his body.
"I have a new partner for you." Pein then said. Kisame almost choked on his own spit.
"What?" he spat.
"Do not make me repeat myself." The orange haired man said. He was almost as serious as Kisame most of the time but unlike Kisame, never had he seen the man lose his temper and he really didn't want that day ever to come.
"Why me? Just give the bastard to Kakuzu." Kisame said impulsively.
"Kakuzu has killed all of the partners I have given him and as of now he does not require one. As of now, you do."
"Oh, fuck me." Kisame swore. He reached to his side, almost forgetting where he was, hoping there would be a drink of alcohol below him to drown his sorrows but unfortunately his blood was no longer full of whiskey. "Why do I need a partner?" Kisame asked, dreading the answer.
"I have a new line of missions for you, in order for them to be efficient, you require a partner and just now we have already gained the right person." He said simply. Kisame sighed and leaned back in the chair that creaked whenever he moved.
"Have you read the news?" Pein asked him. Kisame raised an eyebrow to answer then realised that the man in front of him probably couldn't see the angry display on his face and so he replied.
"No, why?"
Pein then handed Kisame a thick newspaper. This ought to be interesting, Kisame thought taking the paper. He squinted for a moment to focus on the thick heading of the newspaper and promptly recognised it to be that belonging to Konoha. Why was Pein showing him this?
And then he read the words he never thought he'd ever see: Uchiha heir massacres clan.
Again, he raised his eyebrow in disbelief. "Massacre?" he whispered lowly. "What happened?" he asked, obviously not registering what he had just read on the paper. Pein took it from him and then plainly explained in a flat tone.
"The Uchiha clan were massacred last night by their clan heir."
"The clan heir did this? Are you pulling my leg?" Kisame scratched his head. "Wow, why did he do it?"
"His reasons for doing such are unimportant. But what is important is that he is now your new partner. As of today he has joined the akatsuki and will be your partner until further notice."
"No, no, no!" Kisame cried angrily. "I'm not babysitting a little rich brat. What is he? Ten? Can he even throw a kunai?" he groaned miserably. How could his day get any worse?
The air was humid and Kisame was dreading meeting his new partner. He wasn't sure whether he'd kill the bastard at first glance or have the boy faint from seeing such a scary shinobi like himself – it had happened before and frankly Kisame was used to it.
He sighed wishing he could just turn back and go home but this is where Kakuzu had told him the boy would be and by Pein's orders he had to meet him before they were sent on their first mission together.
The forest surrounding was lush and green. As he walked through to the clearing he was met with the yellow sky, burning with the rise of the sun. And in the distance by the pier he could see a figure sitting down and in front of him a crystal clear, blue lake.
With the boy's back facing Kisame, he decided he'd rather introduce himself quickly and get it over with. He noticed the fact he was already wearing akatsuki robes, the same of which Kisame didn't care too much to wear himself – they were itchy and ugly. "So you're my new partner." He said walking across the pier.
The boy turned ever so slightly but did not face Kisame - fear probably. "My name is Kisame Hoshigaki of the Hidden Mist. I used to belong to the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. It's a pleasure to meet you." He droned on.
Seagulls squawked and fluttered around the crystal lake. "Itachi, of the Uchiha clan." He said, addressing the boy. Kisame chuckled, "I've heard a lot about you, you know. Slaughtering your whole family, that's not something you hear every day." At this the boy again turned around slightly, obviously touched in some way by Kisame's words.
Kisame laughed.
"I can understand you." He said. "There's a…sensation that comes from killing your comrade. It's indescribable, isn't it, Itachi?" Kisame licked his lips remembering his latest kill from the day before. A man had spat on the ground in horror after seeing Kisame walk through the town. Catching him at the wrong moment, Kisame ripped his head off with his bare hands and then kicked it towards a group of hysterical children.
"Did you look them in the eyes when you stabbed them in the heart? Did your mother cry out for her young boy? Because now she can't protect you, and you're all alone with me." He laughed. Still, the boy said nothing: Kisame's smile disappeared.
"Are you deaf boy?" Kisame snarled; he hated to be ignored. He licked his long sharp teeth and then moved closer to the boy, he bent down and sat beside him and very slowly did the boy reveal his face.
Kisame was shocked; he looked nothing like what he had expected. He was young but not a child, not really, with long dark hair that framed his pale face. His lips were perfectly shaped and his eyes were a soft grey. He could have easily been mistaken for a girl.
"Well, well, well. Won't it be dangerous to have a pretty girl such as yourself staying with us big bad men?" he grinned. The boy gave him a dull stare with his large grey eyes but continued to revel in his silence. Kisame wondered just how far he could push the young shinobi.
This one was full of pride, he could tell.
"Pein never told me I'd be looking after a pretty little girly. Oh well, that at least means I'll have other uses for you later. You'd like that, wouldn't you?" he leered. Uninterested, Itachi once more cast his gaze out to the horizon.
"You talk a lot." Itachi finally said. His voice was soft and quiet and Kisame could feel his ears already strain to hear him. "You sound like you have done a lot of research on me, but what about you? How much do you know about yourself?" he asked.
"After all, you're just a shinobi that became lost in the mist, and here you've found yourself. That is quite pathetic." He said. Kisame was surprised with himself that he'd been able to hold back from smacking Itachi.
"Watch it, boy. Don't forget who you're talking to. Didn't your old-man ever tell you to respect your elders?" Kisame wrinkled his nose as he leaned closer; the boy's scent was something he had never smelt before. Something sweet.
"Be wary of me." He warned.
"That goes for you as well." Itachi commented.
Grinning, laughter exploded from Kisame's throat. "Oh yes, we're definitely going to have fun together. Just hope we're not the last two facing each other." He said.
"A man who raises his hand against his comrade, never meets a decent death. Remember that." Itachi replied; he seemed so sure of himself as he stood finally. Kisame watched him get up.
"Which means you and I are both so alike. We're both worthless." Kisame said.
"No."
"No?" Kisame snickered.
"We are human, but you will never know what kind of human you are until you're faced with death." He continued softly. He began to walk away and at the sound of his footsteps Kisame stood to follow the young Uchiha. What could he do? Itachi was speaking in riddles!
"Kakuzu you can go fuck yourself." Kisame groaned, downing a large bottle of whiskey. Kakuzu, unfazed by Kisame poor choice of vocabulary, could only repeat what he had said before.
"Pein's orders; the boy has to stay in your room until another is made for him."
"Fuck you. He can sleep in the garden, just warn him about Zetsu's midnight feasts and he'll be fine." Kisame said slamming the bottle on the table before him the minute it was empty. He reached under the table and pulled out another drink.
"Kisame, I'm not going to tell you again." The man said.
"You can tell Pein to go fuck himself." He spat.
"I'm not your messenger boy, don't test me." Kisame smiled. He really did wonder how he'd even been able to avoid Kakuzu's wrath for so long considering out of the two, Kakuzu was far more violent and brash.
The bandaged man left the room soon after and then Kisame realised he had a problem on his hands. He stood swiftly, knocking over his chair. The boy wasn't about to set foot in his room if he had anything to do with it.
Racing up to his bedroom, Kisame planned a short effective strategy which would keep the boy from entering his sanctuary. There was no way he'd get passed him.
As he approached his door he felt a presence on the other side. He swung open the door, wondered who had put it back in its original place and screeched to see Itachi standing in the centre of his bedroom, observing the mess that belonged to him. "What the hell are you doing in my room?" Itachi gave Kisame a dull stare.
"As you have been told, I am to share a room with you." He said softly.
"You can't honestly expect me to welcome you with open arms!" the blue man replied. Itachi walked passed Kisame and attempted to leave the room.
"Don't worry; I have no desire to share a pigsty with you." He said calmly. "I will happily sleep outside." He informed Kisame. The shark man was shocked but as the boy slipped past him, found no words would form in his mouth to argue with him.
The door shut behind the young Uchiha and only then did Kisame realise just how much his room's odour affected him.
It was time for a clean-up.
About an hour later Pein summoned Kisame once more to speak with him. But not like Kisame had previously thought, Pein wasn't so convinced he wanted Kisame going on a mission with Itachi just yet and otherwise had a plan to send him on a solo mission where he would retrieve needed information from enemy ninja.
Kisame cursed. When he got back to the base he was going to murder everyone, no excuses this time.
How Pein had thought it funny to send him into a death trap was beyond him but he certainly didn't find it humorous.
The minute he'd set foot in the lightning country, bolts of every size began to zip past him. He could feel his robes burning and his skin peeling at the sudden lick of temperature. Forget the rest of the mission, get home. He had no other choice, if he didn't, he'd die.
Kisame was used to working alone but in the back of his mind there was a nagging voice which told him maybe having someone else with him would be helpful in situations like this. Oh well, he'd think it but he'd never admit it aloud. He had a reputation to uphold after all.
Kisame breathed heavily. It was freezing outside now and he was all by himself. And he had to admit, if there were any enemy shinobi watching him right now, he wouldn't be able to put up much a fight against them. Approaching home, his breathing became more erratic.
Stumbling on his feet, Kisame could barely see anything in front of his as his vision began to fog. He tripped over his own feet twice and as he approached the stairs, came tumbling down on his knees with a crash. "Ugh." He groaned.
In and out of consciousness, Kisame felt the room spinning around him and the urge to vomit was upon him. But he could not move to find some medicine for himself or energy to pull himself onto his mattress in hopes he could just sleep it off. Kisame could feel his tongue growing dry like the plains of Suna – maybe he was reaching his death? He closed his eyes; at least he could reach some form of a release in his demise.
"What are you doing?" Itachi asked gently. Kisame's eyes snapped open and above him he could see Itachi bending over him.
"Huh?" Kisame replied groggily, his tongue still dry.
He watched as Itachi peered down to give Kisame a clear view of his serene face, examining him with his eyes. He held his breath in awe; no one had ever willingly come so close to him – even his own mother had abandoned him the minute she saw the kind of monster she'd birthed.
There was something off about this boy. He hadn't run from him yet, nor had he began his assault. And why not? He was in a distressed enough position and he knew himself that if it had been one of his past comrades, he'd have easily killed them already and relished in the moment.
"You've gone cold." Itachi said placing his hand on Kisame's blue forehead. The man could feel a cold sweat begin to coat his entire body. Kisame bared his teeth – why was Itachi touching him? Didn't he know he was risking his life? He growled but before he could say anything, his world went black.
Itachi managed to carry Kisame to his bed and with a heave, dropped him. He was surprised; he believed the blue man would have been able to last longer. But at least he wouldn't have to listen to his partner moaning and groaning as he tended to his wounds. With him asleep, cleaning him up would be much easier.
First Itachi stripped Kisame of all his obstructing robes to get a better look at the burns he'd received. Obviously he hadn't prepared himself well before leaving for the lightning country where receiving burns was almost completely imminent.
Itachi reached into his pouch and empty it out before him. He looked up to Kisame. He was much more peaceful when asleep and not just casually cursing everything and everyone. His body was huge and muscled, the likes of which Itachi had never seen, at least not up close. And every vein in his body seemed to be proudly on display beneath his thick blue skin that was tattered with scars.
Itachi sat beside Kisame and began to clean his wounds with a white cloth and sterilised water. He observed the man's face as he continued touching the pink and white flesh. Thankfully he could not feel it. Plus, it was best he took advantage of the quiet before the man woke up and started swearing about not needing any help.
A chill ran through the room. Looking around Itachi could not find any robes or blankets he could cover the man with but he needed to keep him warm. That was his first mission; keep his new idiot partner alive even though he may not deserve it.
Itachi sighed. Maybe only this could help. He scooted closer to the swordsmen and then lifted his huge arm to rest in the curve of his body. Again, he looked to the man's face, fast asleep. Itachi placed his small hand on the rippled chest of Kisame and rubbed it. Maybe if he could warm him, he'd wake up quicker and then he could leave but until then – he yawned – he'd get some rest.
A/N: Hey guys, what do you think? Review please :*