1"Shall you tell them or shall I?"
"Let's both tell them."
"Okay."
"WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!" exclaimed both Kisame and Deidara.
"WHAT!" was the reply of the other eight Akatsuki members. All ten members were gathered in their cave hideout, which was only illuminated by a small hole in the ceiling in which light poured through.
Kisame bared his sharp teeth in a wide grin, "We're getting married," he repeated. He then wrapped an affectionate arm around Deidara and rested his chin on his shoulder.
There was an awkward silence among the ground until. CLAP CLAP CLAP. Eight-teen pairs of eyes turned to the source of the noise. Tobi. The newest Akatsuki member was on his feet, clapping his heart out. Soon he was joined by Zetsu, then Kakuzu. And before you knew it, every member stood up to clap, cheer, and whistle at the new couple. All except one, who remained silent.
"Way to go, Deidara!"
"Red states be damned, you show 'em Kisame!"
"Ha, I knew it! Hidan you owe me ten bucks, pay up!"
Grudgingly, Hidan reached into his dark robes, and tossed Tobi ten dollars. The former scout then proceeded to do his victory dance around Hidan, who was none to happy about losing money and was quickly becoming irritated, telling him to shut the hell up and taking a few swings at him.
The Leader shook his head at the immaturity of his agents and decided to change the subject. "So how did all this happen?" he asked, curious as to how something like this managed to slip under his radar for so long.
"Well," Deidara started to explain, nuzzling closer in Kisame's chiseled chest, "remember last year on Tobi's birthday, when we all changed partners for a day as a gift?"
"Hell yeah!" Tobi shouted, recalling that days adventure with his temporary partner for the day—Itachi. Which, had ended up with Itachi punching a nun, and Tobi robbing a diner for pie. A groan was audibly heard in the cave as someone else remembered that days events. (But that story will be saved for the sequel.)
Flashback
"Come on Kisame, they're gaining on us!" Deidara yelled.
The two temporary partners wove between the many trees of the Fire Country, an Anbu black OP squad close behind them. Kisame panted as he sprinted through the forest, clutching the sacred scroll they had stolen like his first born son. They had used a lot of chakra just getting the scroll; they couldn't survive a confrontation with an entire squad of Anbu.
They needed a place to hide. He looked back to see their masked pursuers following or closing in. With a mighty battle cry, he spun around and took two of them down with a giant sweep of his samahada, before flitting away into the forest. But as he looked forward again, he noticed that Deidara had disappeared. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked around, trying to find any sign of his partner. He could hear the Anbu in the distance; they would be right on top of him in a few seconds. But he had to find Deidara.
Suddenly, a hand clamp a hand of the shark ninja's mouth, and another wrapped around his waist pulling him into the bushes. A voice whispered, "Stay quiet."
Kisame calmed down a bit when he realized that it was Deidara who had pulled him into the shrubs. But there was a slightly bigger, slightly more embarrassing problem. Deidara had actually tripped while pulling Kisame into the bushes, causing him to land flat on his stomach and Kisame land on top of him.
But neither of them dared to move. The Anbu squad had arrived, so they just hid their chakra and stayed quiet. Kisame silently watched, as they Anbu searched the clearing where they had hidden in. If one of them decided to look behind this bush, they would definitely be caught; 'what a turn on' came to mind cockishly. And Kisame had no trouble making his desire known. It was about that time when Deidara felt something hard press itself, against the small of his back; and it was getting bigger.
Deidara's eyes widen as he realized what was Kisame's throbbing hunk of man shark meat poking him in the back. God he was loving this. He turned his head around to stare seductively at the mist shinobi, that was currently semi-startling him from behind. Once the Anbu left Deidara tried, to turn around and sit up; but Kisame would have none of it. "You're not going anywhere" he growled in Deidara's ear. He then snaked a hand around Deidara's waist.
A few miles ahead, the Anbu squad was still searching for the two escaped fugitives. "We've lost them," one of them said.
"I know" the other said, hanging his head in defeat. They were obviously very skilled, and were not likely to give their position away easily.
"KISMAEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
"What the hell was that?"
End Flashback
"And we've been lovers ever since," Deidara finished. "Then last week, Kisame asked me to marry him." He squealed, showing everyone the bright diamond ring the shark man had given him.
"So when's the big day?" asked the Leader.
"Actually," Kisame said, turning to face the Leader, "we would like to get married tomorrow, if it's okay with you."
The Leader put a thoughtful hand to his chin mumbling slightly, and after a few seconds replied "Sure, what the hell."
Kisame picked up his "bride" to be, and started spinning him, before capturing his lips in a light kiss. Each member came to congratulate the new couple, clasping hands, patting them on the back, wishing them luck. All except one. Uchiha Itachi. The Uchiha stayed back; trying to cope with shock of seeing someone else in the arms of the person he too harbored feelings for. While everyone else's 'WHAT!' had been one of shock and confusion, his had been that of the deepest sorrow and fiercest anger.
How could he not have known—his own partner was in love with another man, when he so desperately wanted to be in Deidara's place. It should be him in Kisame's arms not Deidara. He hated seeing this, and was about to speak out when he noticed something. Kisame's smile. Kisame was actually smiling. And it was a different smile from the one Itachi knew. This wasn't the smile that the shark shinobi dawned on when he prepared for battle. Not the sadistic smile he wore when slicing threw several opponents.
Kisame looked happy, genuinely happy. Itachi's emotions thrashed on his inside, unseen to onlookers. Wondering if it was worth it to ruin his friends' happiness for his own selfish needs. Just because he and Deidara shared the same feelings for the same Mist ninja.
"Congratulations, Deidara, Kisame," Tobi said, shaking both their hands.
"Thank you Tobi," Deidara thanked his partner.
"Maybe you could name on of your children after me," the masked ninja joked.
"Tobi," Deidara said, blushing slightly. Kisame just laughed and held his lover tighter.
Then Kisame felt a hand on his shoulder and an all too familiar voice say "Congratulations Kisame."
The shark ninja turned around, only to find that no one was there. But he was sure that he had heard his partner's voice. He looked around the cave searching, for his lost comrade.
"Hey where's Itachi?" he asked aloud. Everyone looked around as well.
"I don't know" Deidara responded.
"Leader-sama's gone too" Kakuzu added.
"...Uncomfortable?" Tobi said in a sing-song voice.
Itachi trudged down the cave, heading for the exit. He could not bear to stay; he had to get out of there. The Uchiha took a shaky breath as the image of the happy couple embracing kissing, and loving entered his head. But he couldn't show it. He was a member of the Akatsuki, an Uchiha, and most of all a shinobi. "A shinobi must never show his emotions, and think only of the mission at hand," he repeated again and again. Recalling his earlier days at the academy, before his betrayal and before Kisame.
Itachi sighed, remembering the connection he had felt with the Mist ninja when they first met. He was the first person he didn't absolutely detest. To the contrary, he was actually the only person he liked. And the only he remembered the surprise and joy he felt when he realized that those feelings he had felt were those of love. And that love only grew stronger with each day. Each mission, each victory, each new jutsu, each enemy defeated. Kisame was there to share the moment, and pat him on the back.
Though Itachi always said he hated it when Kisame did so, secretly it was his favorite part of the mission. But that part of his life was over now. The sharingan user's heart had shattered the moment the shark nin said he was getting married. And pain and sorrow had replaced love in Itachi's heart.
It was so strange, the moment Deidara and Kisame made their announcement—hiis eyes…they had started to hurt, and he had no idea why. It was the same sharp piercing pain he had felt in his heart the more he watched, and the more his eyes hurt. They hurt so much that he could hardly keep his eyes open. It was one of the reasons why he had left in the first place. He stopped to rub his eyes with his thumb in fore finger, hoping that it would relieve the pain, and prevent the flow of tears that threatened to break through at any second. He had felt this pain before. But where? He couldn't quite remember. But he was sure he had felt it before, it was so familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Whatever it was, he did not like it one bit.
"Kisame…" he whispered.
"What about him?"
Itachi spun around and activated his sharingan, to face the person who had snuck up on him, but immediately turned them off when he saw who it was. Of all people, why did it have to be him?
"What do you want, Leader-sama?" Itachi said, turning his head back to the Akatsuki leader.
"You're in an awful hurry. It's kind of...fishy."
"I don't appreciate the pun," Itachi responded through gritted teeth.
The Leader smirked slightly, "My apologies," he replied.
Itachi started to walk again, only to be stopped by the Leader's voice. "Where do you think you're going, Uchiha?"
Itachi stopped. Well right now, Itachi had planned on getting so drunk he would forget Kisame entirely, then rob a diner for pie like he did with Tobi. "Out," was all he said.
"Where to?"
"To get drunk, if you must know."
"Still drinking like a fish I see."
Itachi glared at his leader with swirly eyes that flashed between normal and the Mangekyou sharingan.
"Sorry couldn't help myself," he said, chuckling slightly.
"I did not join this group to be ridiculed, I joined because…" he stopped mid sentence.
Luckily, the Leader was there to complete his sentence for him. "You wanted to get in a little sharky's pants," he finished in a sing-song voice. Itachi did not look amused as he turned to leave.
"I'll be going now," he said bitterly as he began to walk out. But as fate would have it, he was once again stopped by the Leader's voice.
"Yes, you are, but not to get drunk"
"What do you mean?"
"The Kyuubi; I need you to capture the boy who carries him."
"Why me?"
"Well, seeing how it's your mission, I figured you'd probably want to do it."
"Make Hidan and Kakuzu do it."
"They've already captured their's"
"Why don't you ask Deidara to get it?"
"He and Kisame are getting married, so quit complaining and carry out your mission."
"Are we done here?" Itachi asked indignantly.
"Your free to go, just don't go fishing for trouble," he replied, as he disappeared into the darkness of the cave. "Bring back a souvenir, will ya?" he added through the darkness. Then, "And don't forget to buy Kisame and Deidara a wedding present!"
"How the hell did he become leader," Itachi mumbled angrily to himself, before continuing to walk onward.
"Itachi!" a voice called out.
"For God's sake, WHAT NOW!" he shouted, assuming that the Leader had come back with another shark pun.
"I just wanted to know where you went," the voice said. Itachi turned around in surprise, as he recognized the voice to be Kisame's.
"Kisame..." he said breathlessly. The shark man had appeared behind the weasel man, slightly out of breath.
"Wait up," he panted.
Itachi waited, but turned around. He couldn't see Kisame right now; he just couldn't, not like this.
"Listen I want to ask you something, something important," Kisame said, once he had caught his breath.
Curious, the Uchiha turned around, wondering what his partner had to ask of him. Kisame approached him with a serious look on his face. Itachi flushed a little, wondering if Kisame had somehow learned his secret. Kisame took a deep breath.
"Itachi," he said seriously, "I would like you to be my best man at the wedding."
At that moment Itachi fell to the ground in agony, as a searing pain attacked his eyes. He clenched his teeth, and clutched his eyes, trying to get rid of the pain that was ripping his eyes apart.
"Itachi!" Kisame yelled, bending over to scoop up his partner. He held his injured teammate, clutching to his chest, while Itachi bared the pain in his sharingan. Itachi shut his eyes as tightly as he could, and buried his face in Kisame's chest. Soon the pain began to subside.
"Itachi" he heard again. Itachi looked up into Kisame's eyes, before immediately turning his gaze away. "Itachi look at me," he commanded, trying to get Itachi to look at him so he could see what was wrong.
Itachi bit his lower lip, no wanting to do so. He had to wiggled free of the firm grasp Kisame had on him, before starting to rub his eyes again. He felt a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" he heard the shark man ask.
"I'm fine" he replied, shrugging his hand off his shoulder.
"It's the Mangekyou, isn't it" Kisame said knowingly. Itachi continued to rub his sharingan. "It's getting worse isn't it?"
"I'm fine," was all Itachi said.
"Are you going to be alright?" Kisame continued to ask.
"Don't worry," Itachi responded, getting a little irritated with his questions.
Kisame heaved a sigh. He knew it was pointless to argue with an Uchiha. "You Uchiha's are as stubborn as hell," he told him.
"Anyway," Itachi said, trying to changing the subject, "I'm sorry I can't be your best man...I have a mission."
"But you'll miss the wedding," Kisame blurted out.
"I know, I'm sorry," he apologized but didn't really mean it. He didn't really want to go to the wedding. The pain in his eyes when Kisame asked him to be his best man was unbearable.
He wasn't sure he would be able to take much more of it. Especially if he was forced to watch and pretend to be happy as the love of his life married another man. "You know, I could always postpone the wedding," Kisame started. "You know, so I could go with you."
"I can't ask you to do that," Itachi replied. In truth, Itachi would love it if Kisame could join him on this mission. But he knew it would be wrong and selfish of him to ask that. Especially on his wedding day.
He had to accept the fact that he and Kisame could not be lovers, no matter how much Itachi wanted otherwise. "If you're sure," he said with a small smile. "Just focus on your wedding, I'll try to be back." Itachi forced a smile of his own, and patted his sharky companion on the shoulder. 'Oh well' Itachi thought, 'at least we'll always be partners'.
"By the way" Kisame mentioned, "I have something for you." He then placed a small object in Itachi's hand. The Uchiha's eyes widened as he saw what that small object was; Kisame's ring. "Since we're getting married, I've decided to become Deidara's partner," he explained, showing his new ring to Itachi. Tobi's ring. "Can you give my ring to Tobi when you see him, he's going to be your new partner from now on."
"Sure," Itachi choked out trying to fight the rising pain in his eyes, absolutely crushed he would no longer be Kisame's partner.
"It's been fun," Kisame said cheerfully.
"Yeah," Itachi responded.
"Come on, I'll at least walk you to the exit," Kisame started to walk toward the cave's exit.
Itachi soon followed. After a few moments of awkward silence Kisame broke it by saying, "Thank you."
Itachi looked at his partner in confusion, "What for?" he asked perplexed.
"For being you," Kisame replied.
"I don't get it" Itachi said, still confused.
Kisame just chuckled, "Itachi; I've been a part of this group for a long time, and I have to say after a while it gets kind of boring."
Itachi blinked in a kawaii way.
Kisame continued.
"But when you came along; I don't know it just... became fun again," he finished, nervously scratching the back of his head. Itachi's lower lip trembled slightly before he quickly suppressed it. He had to tell Kisame how he felt, even if Kisame didn't return those feelings. Itachi took a deep breath, ready to finally confess the feelings he's felt ever since he has joined the Akatsuki.
"Kisame...I..."
But before he could complete his confession, Kisame cut him off and said, "You're my best friend, Itachi."
At that moment it all became so clear as Itachi realized that 'friends' was all they could ever be. Friends. What a horrible word.
"Mine too," Itachi said weakly, his bangs covering his eyes.
Soon Itachi saw a beam of light up ahead as he continued on the rocky path, and knew that they had reached the hideouts exit. Although it was morning, and misty outside, they two narrowed their eyes, adjusting them from the pitch blackness of the cave.
There they stood, in silence watching the white clouds pass by, instead of the red ones that they were accustomed to. Neither of them saying a word, neither of them knowing what to say.
"Well," Kisame said awkwardly.
"Well," Itachi replied.
"If you finish early, try and make it for the wedding," Kisame pleaded.
"I'll see what I can do," Itachi replied gruffly.
Although Itachi knew that he wasn't, he wanted to be as far away from that wedding as possible. Kisame once more place a hand on Itachi's shoulder has he always had done. This time, Itachi did not shrug it off, or tell him to stop. He just stood there with the knowledge that he would never again have the joy of one of Kisame's patented shoulder pats.
"Goodbye Itachi."
Without a word and with a flick of his cloak, Itachi flitted away into the misty forest; carry the hurt of that goodbye with him. Now Itachi remembered the pain in both his eyes and heart. And Kisame was right; it was the Mangkeyou. The pain of severing all bonds with someone you care about. Like he had done with Shisui all those years ago. Except this time was different; there was no limit to test, no power to gain. Only emptiness.
Now his eyes pained him yet again as he was forced to separate himself completely from someone that he loved. This was indeed the end of that love and bond. And he could never make new bonds again.
After this mission, Itachi knew what had to be done. He had to once again sever all his ties with those he had considered family. It would be the end of him and Kisame. The end of his Akatsuki days. And the end of all his missions. His reasons for being.
As Itachi jumped over the treetops, a single tear fell from his sharingan. The droplet landed for a brief moment, before dripping off into they layer of mist that floated below.
"Goodbye Kisame."