Kisame was pissed.

Well, more so than usual at least.

Itachi had used his Amaterasu in order to escape from Jiraiya after they had tracked down the Nine-Tails. This mean that they had failed, again, to capture the Nine-Tails, and Leader was going to be pissed.

This put Kisame in a bad mood.

And Itachi was now uselessly draped over Kisame's shoulder as he had passed out shortly after they escaped, which meant Kisame had to rush as quickly as possible back to their new base in River Country.

This put Kisame in an even worse mood.

The only good thing about this situation was the fact that the new base was near Tanigakure, which meant the whole area in general would be moist and wet, much preferable spending so much time in the hot air Fire Country. Then again, anything was better than going to Wind. Thinking of the desert almost made Kisame shiver. Instead, he held Itachi tighter over his shoulder as he raced to get Itachi back to the base. He just had to overexert himself by using Amaterasu...

It took the rest of the day and half of the night to travel, but Kisame arrived very early in the morning at the Akatsuki base. Tobi was waiting outside, bouncing up and down as Kisame approached with a still unconscious Uchiha. "KISAMEEE! What's wrong with Itachi?!" Tobi called as he quickly dashed over. "Shut up, would ya? He needs medical attention," Kisame snapped before shoving Tobi aside with his shoulder. Tobi didn't seem to mind as he quickly followed Kisame through the base to Itachi's room. After Kisame laid Itachi down, Tobi immediately began checking his head and vital signs.

Completely exhausted, Kisame left the room and found his own across the hall. The only thing he bothered to remove was Samehada before collapsing on the bed and falling asleep.

That building had not been there yesterday.

At least... Koia was pretty sure it wasn't there yesterday.

She paused...Was it?

No. It definitely was not there yesterday.

Koia look up at the giant, square wood building that has suddenly appeared at the edge of my lake. Her lake. She hoped they didn't expect her to share. Koia hated sharing.

Koia pushed myself up to peek around a large rock that rested near the edge of the water. Had that building been there yesterday? Maybe it had. Maybe she was the one confused.

No, it was definitely not there yesterday. She would have remembered.

At least, she probably would have remembered... Would she have?

Koia flipped back into the water and dove to the bottom. Then she swam back to the surface and peeked around the rock. The building was still there.

Cautiously, she reached across the bank and picked up a large pebble. Then, with all her might, Koia threw it towards the building. The rock sailed halfway there before falling soundlessly to the grass. Koia quickly darted behind the rock. Had someone heard that!?

Nothing moved. Koia tried tossing another rock. It didn't even come close. The building was much too far to hit. She could barely make out the wood porch that surrounded it. The mist that had formed across the lake didn't help, either. This mist wouldn't clear until the sun was high in the sky.

Koia dove down into the water. She waited. And waited. Then she swam back to the surface and peeked out from the rock. Nothing. No one appeared, nothing made a sound. And the building hadn't moved. She let out a breath and pushed back. Koia floated on her back for a bit, gazing up through the mist. The sun was just appearing over the tops of the trees, beginning to light the sky. It was a calm morning. A few birds chirped, but it was still too early, even for the birds.

Feeling bored, Koia swam back down to the bottom of the lake. There wasn't much to do in the lake.

She decided to swim in circles. That was always fun.

By the time Kisame had woken up, his anger had lessened but in its place was an awful migraine. Groaning from the position he slept in, he rubbed his head before reaching for the medicine he kept by his bedside for such headaches. He gulped down two before getting up and stretching. His back popped in various places and he winced at how sore he was. He quickly went into the bathroom to shower, knowing the hot water would help.

After a shower, Kisame noted the sun was getting high in the sky, signaling it was almost noon. He left his room, noticing Itachi's was still shut as he was probably still recovering. Kisame went to the kitchen and made himself a quick breakfast. Then he decided to train.

He had to admit, this base was probably his favorite by far, but his mood increased considerably when he saw a large lake outside the back of the hideout. Perfect for practicing his water jutsu's, and he wouldn't have to flood the training grounds like he usually did. The lake was a short walk from the house, but still far enough that he hadn't appreciated its size at first glance. It was very large, it stretched from near the base far into the distance. He could just make out the tree line on the other side. There was a collection of large rocks sticking out of the water where he was standing, and a few kilometers away, a large, rather flat boulder stuck out of the water. Across from the boulder was a rather empty field before the forest began again. It was a perfect training ground for the shark nin.

He grinned as the felt Samehada's pull from his back. The scales clicked together happily, as if his mood had affected the sword. Walking slowly to the open field near the lake, he set down his pack and pulled out a few kunai for his warm up.

What was that man doing?

He's throwing knives at trees?

That seems stupid. As soon as he throws them, he has to just go dig them out again.

He's very large. But why is he blue.

Oh! He has gills! How fun! But why is he blue?

Koia quickly disappeared from the lake's surface as the man began to turn. She waited, swimming around carefully, before she decided it was safe to peek again. Why was this man here? Did he make the building appear? Koia frowned. She wished he would make the building go away. It was much prettier without it.

And she hope he knew this is her lake. She doesn't like sharing.

Koia glared at him. He was still throwing knives. Then something caught her attention. A giant sword made from scales was set against a cropping of rocks near the lake. It gleamed in the morning light, and Koia felt a sudden compulsion to touch it. She swam closer. As she swam closer, she almost felt the sword pulling something from her. Koia changed her mind; No touching the sword.

This man didn't really scare her. As long as he didn't get in her lake it was fine. Koia swam back down in the water. After she swam a few circles, she got bored again and resurfaced. The man had that sword in his arms and was now whacking on those innocent trees. Poor trees.

Koia watched lazily. As long as he didn't whack her lake, she didn't care all that much. Koia swam over to her favorite boulder. Oh, that's hers too. No sharing. Using her triceps, Koia pulled herself up on the boulder. With her tail slipped halfway under the cool water, she twisted her hair over her shoulder and began playing with it. The sun hit her back as Koia turned her face upwards. The sun was nice. But water was better.

Kisame could have sworn he saw something. But all he saw was ripples across the lake's surface. It could have been a leaf.

Or a fish. That idea made him grin evilly as he grabbed Samehada. The sword clicked at his touch as he quickly went to work chopping at the trees. A few minutes later, he heard soft splashing, and he spun around, ready slash at whoever it was.

And then he froze.

Sitting atop the boulder directly across from him was a women. No, wait. It wasn't a women, it was...

A mermaid? Did those even exist?!

And then he realized she was nude. Or rather, topless, as all he could see was a smooth back that lead down to scales beginning along her hips. Her hair was a brilliant shade of coral, and water droplets fell from the ends. The scales, from what he could see, were various shades of blue, teal, and gold, and they shimmered in the light, reflecting dazzling blue lights across the water's surface. And then she turned to look at him and he caught his breath. Her eyes were enormous, much larger than a normal human's, and they were a light shade of purple, lilac it seemed. Her eyes were framed by thick lashes, and her pink lips were parted as she turned.

She turned her head to the side, giving him a curious look. Then she completely turned herself to face him. As she settled herself, her tail revealed itself to have a large, delicate looking fin that dipped in and out of the water.

As she continued twisting her hair, Kisame's eyes were drawn to her bare breasts. He noted that her skin was rather pale, but it was flawless. Her whole frame was small and smooth. In all honesty, she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

She didn't seem to notice. "Did you create that building?" she asked softly. He voice had a musical lilt to it that made Kisame speechless. He just stared dumbly at her as she looked at him. She let go of her hair and leaned forward. "Can you speak? Or do you not know how?" Her musical voice continued on. He noticed there were gills on the side of her neck that flared when she talked.

"Why are you blue? And why are you throwing things at trees?" Those questions seemed to knock some sense into Kisame as he suddenly frowned. "Is this some kind of genjutsu? It's not gonna work," Kisame growled as he lifted Samehada behind his back. That's what it had to be, a genjutsu.

Her face was serious. "I'm sorry, I do not know what a genjutsu is. But I would like you to know that this is my lake. And I don't like sharing. Also, please remove that building. I liked it better when it was not there." Her face was serious but every word she spoke was like music to his ears. He was starting to get pissed. This must have been a high level genjutsu.

He put his hands in a handseal in front of him and shouted "Release!"

Nothing changed.

The girl looked around the clearing. "Why are you shouting?" she asked, her fin continuously slapping the water. Kisame blinked. If this wasn't a genjutsu, what the hell was going on?

"What are you?" he snarled towards her, pointing Samehada dangerously towards the girl. "Be honest, or I'll cut your head from your shoulders."

She didn't seem at all bothered by his words. Instead, she started playing with her hair again. As serious as Kisame tried to remain, the sight of her bare chest was incredibly distracting. If this was genjutsu, the enemy at least gave him something nice to look at.

"I'm a mermaid, obviously," she stated, a bored look on her face. She crossed her arms, lifting her breasts further. "You act as though you've never seen one." Kisame growed again. "Well I haven't," he shot back as he slowly lowered Samehada. It didn't look at though she was going to attack him at least.

"Are you going to answer any of my questions?" she asked and her fin seemed to smack the water harder. Kisame frowned. "This building was created by my Leader. This is our new hideout." She nodded, taking in the information. "I see. Well this is my lake, you can't have it," she replied seriously and turned her back to him again.

Was this girl serious? Well, technically she wasn't a girl. Was this mermaid serious? Kisame rolled his eyes to himself. Yeah, because that doesn't sound insane.

Kisame stood there, unsure what to do.

The mermaid turned her head back to look at him. "Will you be here long?"

Before answering, Kisame carefully looked around the clearing. He didn't see any other sign of life except for the stunning creature sitting atop the lake. He was certain that if any enemy were nearby, he would've felt their chakra. To be sure, Kisame flared up his chakra to make sure he hadn't missed anything. As he suspected, he felt nothing.

As he turned back to the mermaid, he felt himself frown. "How did you get here?" he asked cautiously as he placed Samehada in its holder along his back. He took a few steps closer as the girl-mermaid huffed quietly. "I live here. I've been here for a long time," she said in that musical voice. "What's your name?" Kisame asked again as he stepped closer. His guard slowly lowered, but not enough to be caught completely surprised.

"Koia," came her reply and he finally stopped at the edge of the lake. For a few moments, the two stared at each other.

"You never answered any of my questions," Koia said with another slap of her tail. Kisame's lips curled up into a snarl. "I don't have to answer anything I don't want to," he growled. Koia didn't respond, instead, the girl looked taken aback before uncrossing her arms and diving into the lake. Kisame watched as her form disappeared into the depths of the lake.

He rubbed the back of his head. He was a bit rude to the poor creature. It wasn't like was showing him any disrespect, but her questions annoyed him. Before he could think more, a loud splashing sound met his ears and water hit his face.

Koia watched as Kisame spluttered, water dripping down his face. Koia sat in the lake, her laugh light and tinkling, her breasts just above the water quivering with her laughter. That's what he deserved for being so rude! She noticed Kisame's eyes linger a bit too long on her bare chest as his lips pulled back once again into a fierce look. His arm shot out and grabbed the hilt of his large sword.

Suddenly realizing her actions have consequences, Koia propelled herself back towards the middle of the lake, but remained on the surface so she could watch his movements. She watched him draw the sword from its holster, the man's eyes filled with rage.

But before the man could do anything, a voice rang out from the direction of the house. "KISAME! WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU GO?!"

The man spun around towards the voice, giving Koia time to dart below the waves and out of sight. She could just make out a shouting match between the two men as she swam deeper into the lake.

By the time Kisame had finished his shouting match with Hidan, Koia had long disappeared, leaving Kisame more confused than before.