Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach obviously. If I did, the story-lines would probably be a bit different.
A/N: Since this is a fanfic and all, there's bound to be some inconsistencies, and I apologize for that. I just felt like doing this since both Kisame and Halibel are kind of shark-people. And I know alot of this is pretty cliche stuff, but at least I'll try to have it make sense. I'm also really bad at fight scenes that involve so much crazy shit like ninjutsu and stuff, so please forgive me. This will be the only fight scene as far as I have planned, and it's not much of one.
This little story begins in the dense, foggy wetlands on the Kirigakure border. It would be a long time before Hoshigaki Kisame would join the ranks of the Akatsuki, and even longer before he would take his own life instead of divulging vital information to the enemy.
The shark-man had spent the past three weeks alone in total seclusion from society, training diligently with the chakra-eating blade he called Samehada. At this point, he was still a faithful ninja of his country. He had his own opinions of government and a ninja-run nation, but he still followed the orders of the Mizukage faithfully, if not grudgingly. His power was so great despite his youth that he was already considered one of Kirigakure's greatest and most vital assets. He even received the title as one of the 'Seven Swordsmen of The Mist'. He struck fear into all but the bravest of men and women who approached him, although they still died easily all the same.
Several times he was given the offer to take on an apprentice, someone capable who would essentially be able to replace him in battle if he were to fall, but Kisame was adamant in his desire to work alone. After all, he would probably end up killing any apprentice of his before they even had a chance to try and get on his good side. Nothing pleased Kisame more than to see the blood of his victims gush out like streams of crimson water; it was quite exhilarating. He was truly a monster, inside and out.
Nonetheless, despite Kisame's protests, there was a certain kunoichi who was far too stubborn to let herself be denied the chance to be tutored under his guidance.
Kisame, who had been meditating in silence in the center of a small lake, slowly opened his eyes. "I could sense that blazing chakra of yours from a mile away, you know. Samehada wouldn't stop whimpering about it." he stated with a tiny grin, revealing his jagged, razor-sharp teeth. For a moment, it did not seem like he had been addressing anyone, but then a lone figure emerged from the surrounding fog. It was a young woman of about 16 years. Her hair was the color of gold, messy with three short braided locks, and her eyes a sparkling green. The girl's skin was noticeably tan for a citizen of Kirigakure. She wore a plain black outfit that did little to hide the bulge of the well-endowed chest she possessed. The headband that all ninja received on graduation from the academy was wrapped around her left arm. Kisame recognized her as a stalker of his from a point in the past.
"My name is Tia Halibel, and I want you to make me your apprentice," the woman named Halibel stated, getting straight to the point.
Kisame snorted. "Why should I?"
"You have to," Halibel reached behind her, and unsheathed a small, yet wide sword that was completely hollow in the middle, "Or else I'll kill you."
"If you could kill me, then why would you want to be trained by me? You should think more about what you say BEFORE you say it!"
"I'm already strong enough...but what I'm interested in knowing is your ninjutsu techniques. If I can't learn them from you, then I'll make sure that no one else can!"
"You're gutsy for a chick-"
"JUST TELL ME IF YOU'LL MAKE ME YOUR APPRENTICE OR NOT!" Halibel interjected. Her eyes showed not even the slightest hint of inner fear as she stared down the man who was known as one of the most powerful ninja in all of Kirigakure. Samehada let out another high-pitched whimper; it was dying to feast on this girl's immense chakra. The shark-faced ninja was also intrigued by the woman, but in a different way. She didn't hesitate with anything she said or did. She was different from the others. It was all in her expression.
In any case, Kisame flashed his deadly molars again. "Nope." he chuckled heartily.
"Then...you will die here and now, and it will be by my hand!"
Focusing her chakra into her blade, Halibel swung, flinging a crescent-shaped blast of bright-yellow energy flying towards the unmoving Kisame. The instant the attack cut into him, he burst apart like a balloon, water flying everywhere. Halibel gasped. A pair of water-condensed sharks came charging at her, but she swiped them away easily. She didn't have enough time to react before she felt a hand emerge from beneath the depths of the lake and grab tightly onto her ankle. She could see her true target smiling back at her underwater.
Halibel's mouth, ears and nose were immediately filled with dirty water as she was pulled under. She could seen nothing but ink-black darkness as she was dragged further and further to the bottom. It would not be long before she was completely out of air. Her head was pounding, and her chest hurt when she tried to hold her breath. She could feel all of the water rushing around her. Her skin was being pricked at by the unusually sharp currents, like falling into a sea of ice-cold needles. Kisame was manipulating the very lake to tear her apart slowly and painfully.
'I need to do something...and fast!'
She was about to perform a jutsu when she realized that she was just floating idly underwater, no longer being dragged around. She looked around briefly but then a large shark, completely out of place in a fresh-water lake, chomped onto her ribcage. It didn't take long before blood started to seep from the wound. Several more sharks came swimming in without warning. They sunk their teeth into her shoulders and her right leg. She tried to shake them off, but they were relentless. Halibel fought back the urge to scream in agony. It was all happening so fast without a moment of hesitation between attacks. Their fight had just begun, but it was already over so quickly.
The loss of blood, compounded by her exhaustion and being unable to breath properly, soon forced Halibel to lose consciousness.
"...Wake the hell up!"
Tia Halibel was abruptly forced out of her coma-like state by a swift kick to her ribcage. Groaning, she slowly pushed herself up to a stand. She was lying a few feet away from the lake, completely drenched but still alive. Even her sword was still intact. Hoshigaki Kisame was smiling down at her with a blood-drenched Samehada by his side. Finally, Halibel saw a mutilated corpse lying nearby in a puddle of its own blood. Halibel leaned forward and coughed up some of the water still festering in her lungs. Kisame chuckled under his breath.
"You should be thankful," he remarked suddenly, "I decided to spare your life, and forced that Konoha medic ninja I had caught a while back to heal you up. He tried to run away afterward, but I let Samehada loose on him. It won't be long before you'll have enough energy to walk again."
Halibel couldn't help but feel disillusioned. "You...you saved me after you just tried to kill me?"
Kisame's grin became so wide that Halibel almost feared that he would swallow her whole. "You were a boring fight," he explained, "But I think that if you travel with me for a while, you can be alot more fun to tear apart...I hate fighting weaklings after all."
"O-Oh..."
"Now get off your ass and let's go."
And thus, Halibel was taken under Kisame's wing for a undetermined period of time.
