Natsumi Hitori here with her first KisaIta story! VOOT!! I know, you're all crying tears of joy right now... -sigh-

This story is dedicated to MY Ita-kun, bluedemon92! I loves you!! Thanks for making me fall head-over heals for this couple!

Summery: Itachi is forbidden from the sea, which he loves, because of a childhood accident in which he almost drowned and was saved by... a mermaid? Was it really a mermaid? All he can remember is sea-shell blue skin. Will he ever meet his guardian mermaid again?

WARNING: Do you REALLY think there is even the SLIGHTIST chance that I own Naruto or any characters from it? If you do, you are sadly mistaken and I'm going to have to sick Itachi on you.

Let's go... on with the... SHOW!!

Guardian Mermaid

A mermaid is a mythological creature; half human, half aquatic creature. Much like sirens, mermaids will sometimes sing to sailors and enchant them, distracting them from their work, causing them to walk overboard or cause shipwrecks. Other stories tell of them sucking the life out of drowning men while trying to save them; they are also said to take men down to their underwater kingdoms. Some believe mermaids forget that humans can not breath underwater, others say that they drown them out of spite. A few believe they can even disguise themselves as humans and walk the land among men.

Itachi new the legends well, everyone in the village of Sakana did. Sakana was located on the coast of The Country of Flames, which is funny, because it was a fishing village, dependent on water more then anything else. The little village was self-sufficient, growing and catching it's own food, making it's own supplies and housing. It was practically it's own country, as far as the villagers were concerned. It was always peaceful in Sakana, not even the wars or boundary disputes between it's country and others reached it. Everyone was happy, always happy.

Except Itachi.

Itachi was never happy. He hated this village, with it's stupid folklore and obsession with the mythological. He hated that everyone was happy and stupid. Yes, everyone in Sakana was an absolute imbecile, Itachi was sure. How could anyone but an imbecile be happy in such a boring, old fashioned, lame-ass little fishing town? Itachi didn't even like fish. He hated fish.

Itachi hated a lot of things; some would argue that he hated everything. The other villagers avoided the young man like the plague, ducking into shops or alleyways whenever he happened by. Older woman would shake their heads sadly, babbling on about how it was a shame such an attractive boy like him had to go to waste. He ignored them, or shot them one of his famous 'death glares' which shut them up rather quickly, he was proud to say.

"Onii-sama!"

Then there was Sasuke, one of those far and few exceptions of the world that cracked even Itachi's logic. Sasuke was his younger brother, a spitting image of him many would say. But they were wrong, so wrong. Sasuke was beautiful, happy, and kind; whilst he was ugly, depressed, and an all-around awful human being. They were polar opposites, and that was the truth. But, he loved his baby brother, more than anything else in this pitiful shit-hole they called a village.

"Hey, Sasuke." Itachi smiled, patting his brother's head fondly as he removed his shoes at the door.

"Mom's making sushi tonight!" the younger boy exclaimed, grinning broadly as he followed his older brother into the kitchen.

"Ah, Itachi, welcome home." their mother, Mikoto, smiled.

"Hello, mother." Itachi nodded, leaning in to kiss her cheek. His mother was a kind woman, not unlike Sasuke, and so she was somewhat of an exception as well.

"Itachi!"

His father was another story altogether. Fugaku Uchiha was the embodiment of everything Itachi hated. He was an imbecilic, superstitious, abusive, fish-lover.

"Greetings, father." Itachi muttered in acknowledgment of the older man as he entered the kitchen, perpetual frown in place.

"Where have to been? You were supposed to help me at the dock today! Did you forget or are you just too busy stuck in that little world of yours?!" Fugaku growled angrily.

"I'm sorry father, it must have slipped my mind, please forgive me." Itachi murmured, head bowed slightly.

"Don't let it happen again." Fugaku commanded, eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Of course not." Itachi nodded, sitting down at the table across from his brother.

Mikoto set out the dishes and food before she too joined the family at the table. The family of four clasped their hands together and bowed their heads.

"Thank you, oh temptress of the sea, for allowing us to reap the fruit of your watery kingdom once again. We thank you and pray that you will allow us to continue coexisting with you for many a year to come." Fugaku recited, everyone lifting their heads and unclasping their hands as if on cue. They had done it enough that it may as well be called rehearsed.

"I still do not understand why you insist on saying that before every meal…" Itachi grumbled.

"Then you are denser than I thought!" Fugaku spat.

"Why are you thanking a temptress?! That doesn't even make sense!"

"It is so she shall not find the need to tempt me! I am making myself immune to her, by befriending her. It is because of our thanks that she has not brought ruin to us yet! She is like a gift of heaven, sent here to protect this village from harm. If our prayers to her do not make sense to you even now, than you are naïve beyond my help!"

"A temptress… the gift of heaven? Let me tell you this father: you are a fool. She does not exist and you know it, making you even more foolish." Itachi sneered, rising from his seat, Fugaku doing the same.

"What is this you spout?! You who should believe more than any other- you who have your life to thank that temptress for! You are the fool!" Fugaku bellowed, the palm of his hand connecting with Itachi's cheek before the young man was able to react. He took it stiffly, not even flinching.

"I'm going to bed. Goodnight Sasuke, mother." Itachi spoke softly, gliding around his still-livid father. He ascended the stairs to the second floor, entering his room and closing his door behind. He sighed and fell onto his futon, gazing up dully at the ceiling over his head. He raised one arm, as if reaching out for something that was just beyond his reach…

Itachi loved the ocean, he loved his home in the village by the sea, seated directly on the beach. He loved the feel of salt water over his skin, itchy, but cool and pleasant all at once. He loved the foam it made along the shore and the things it washed up after a storm. He loved everything.

"Mommy! Look at this seashell I found!" a four-year-old Itachi exclaimed, running over to his mother who sat some distance up the beach, resting her sore legs and massaging her impregnated stomach.

"That's beautiful, Itachi… what a pretty blue," Mikoto smiled, examining the shell, "I bet it belonged to a mermaid!"

"A… mermaid?" Itachi frowned, as he had heard the word before, but still didn't understand what it meant.

"Yes, a mermaid," Mikoto smiled, taking her son into her arms, "They're everywhere in these seas, in this village especially. They're like the guardians of Sakana, they protect us… and, sometimes, they leave us gifts. Like this shell." Mikoto explained, handing the shell back to her son.

"A gift… who's it for? Maybe I should put it back," Itachi frowned, knowing he really didn't want to leave the pretty shell back were he had found it, but knowing it was the right thing to do if a mermaid had left it for someone.

"No, no… it's for you. A mermaid must have wanted you to find it, or you wouldn't have." Mikoto laughed quietly.

"Oh… then I want to thank the mermaid!" Itachi grinned, jumping to his feet, shell in hand.

"Itachi, how was it possible for me to be blessed with such a wonderful son?" Mikoto chuckled, making her son frown slightly in confusion, "I think she would like that very much, just be careful, okay?"

"Okay! I'll be right back!" Itachi vowed, running off towards the water and the cave he had been exploring. He climbed easily into the space, waves echoing off the slick walls of rock that surrounded him. He found a fairly flat outcropping and perched upon it, watching the water slushing in and out.

"Mermaid…?" he called into the pool, tilting his head slightly as he tried to make out the shapes beneath the surface. He caught a glimpse of movement and leaned closer. "Hello, mermaid… I came to say thank you for the shell! It's really pretty, I-" Just then a large wave broke against the cave opening, sending in a surge that submerged the young boy up to his crouching knees. Dark grey eyes widened as the water began to pull out, taking him with it. He let out a small cry of surprise before he was pulled under the surface. A swimmer of experience has little hope of escaping the surge of an underwater cave, and so Itachi, who had only just begun to learn, had very, very little hope.

Pale lips parted in a silent plea for help as he was sucked farther and father into the cave. His body was in danger of smashing to bits against the jagged rocks at any moment. Still, the fear he found most pressing was his inability to breath, his lungs filling with water instead of the air they craved. He found himself reaching out, upwards he thought, towards the light above him. Thinking back, he must have been sucked clean out of the cave at this point, and was now in open water. No such thoughts crossed his mind at the time. He only wanted to breath, he wanted air. He wanted not to die. He wanted to meet his baby sibling and see his mommy again. He would even miss his dad, who was always yelling at him. He wanted to live.

Suddenly, a slightly different shade of blue shifted in the waters around him, and he felt as though he was being pulled upwards. Yes, the light was indeed getting closer, just a little farther…

His head broke the surface and he caught a glimpse of sea-shell blue skin before he passed out.

He woke up some time later in bed, his mother sitting at his side, stroking his face as she hummed one of her old lullabies

"Mommy…?" he breathed, face scrunching at the roughness of his throat.

"Shh, shh…" Mikoto hushed, still stroking his face, but he couldn't stay silent.

"Mommy! I fell in the ocean… and then… someone saved me!" Itachi cried, sitting up in bed, desperately trying to remember everything.

"Maybe it was the mermaid," Mikoto smiled gently, pushing him back down. She looked so sad.

"Mommy…?"

"I'm just glad you're safe…" she sighed, kissing his forehead.

"The mermaid was blue, mommy, just like the shell… so pretty," he explained, eyelids feeling heavy all of a sudden.

"I bet she was, they usually are… you're a very lucky little boy, Itachi, with your own guardian mermaid." she smiled.

"Hmm." Itachi smiled, yawning.

"Go to sleep, okay? And wake up feeling a bit better." Mikoto stated, standing and walking to his door, glancing over her shoulder to make sure he was settled before leaving.

"My… guardian mermaid…" Itachi breathed, eyes sliding shut to dreams of blue skin.

Itachi let his arm drop to his side, eyes sliding back into focus. His father had forbid him from going anywhere near the ocean after that. He was no longer allowed to feel the salty water, the moist sand, the push and pull of the tide that seemed to be at one with the very core of his being, with his heart. Everything he had loved had been taken from him because of an accident. He blamed his father, of course. For his fear. The stupid old man had ruined his life because he was afraid of a repeat of the accident. This from the man that preached daily of the mermaids and their power and helpfulness. What a hypocrite. Itachi let out a mirthless laugh, his whole body shaking with it's force. It was several minutes before he was once again quiet and stable, staring up at his ceiling.

Now the closest Itachi got to the sea was when he was working for his father or from his window, which directly overlooked the beach and ocean. He envied the other villagers who got to frolic within it's depths whenever they wanted. They took it for granted, he knew it, and for that reason he hated them. It was around this point that he drifted off into a fitful slumber.

I hope you all enjoyed it... especially now that you've read it all the way to the end! I would be ever so happy if you would review... please?

Natsumi Hitori