Angelas's Notes: Omg! My first Kisa/Ita! xD hehe I've been meaning to make one of these since god knows when! x3 Well, this idea suddenly popped up two days ago when I couldn't sleep and when I had finished reading chapter 364 of the manga. So it's pretty much just a continuation of that rain-scene, with yaoi implied and all. :P
I tried keeping the characters IC as much as I could. Especially Itachi since he's so damned quiet and stoic, so hopefully I executed it well, un. ;) Please, enjoy. :D
Disclaimer.
OoOoOoO
The bitter winds and harsh masses of rain plummeting from the sky were more than expected from the two figures wandering about the forest floor.
The sky was already black with the colorless emotion of the night, and large daubs of grey hostile clouds covered the moon. There was no light to clarify upon the massive environment surrounding them, making their attempted steps into the cosmic area meaningless and without gain.
They had been strictly ordered by Pein-sama to bring back the 4-tailed Jinchuuriki, Yonbi, before Sauske's supposed 'death' was announced; and as expected of both highly skilled ninja, it was defeated, and brought back alive to the Akastsuki hideout with its heart vaguely beating in its chest. The job was harder than expected; the old man was actually quite strong, and his chakra power was immense. Just like any other Jinchuuriki, that is.
Nevertheless, the two Akatsuki members gained the upper hand throughout the battle, and the demon was defeated with ease as a pleasing result. The larger of the two had then picked up the frigid body and carried it off on the Samehada, displaying it to the smaller of the two like a trophy of accomplishment. Then, with a mere nod coming from the eldest Uchiha, they disappeared into the distance of the nearby forest, earning nothing but feared stares from the villagers who had witnessed the battle.
When the demon was extracted from the Yonbi Jinchuuriki, no words were exchanged since the past battle and ritual, and eye contact was avoided between the two ninjas after Pein-sama had demanded them to try and find the location of a certain scroll. It was nothing to be surprised about anyway. It was always like this. Their partnership had always been…silent.
It was the casual and rare conversations, or mere exchange of words, that had made the two feel so close and familiar with each other those past six years, though. Just the insignificant sound of the other's voice was a comforting reassurance that both were content and still focused on the same goal.
But this was kept anonymous between the two.
In other words, it was kept a secret, and neither of them would say a word about their secret 'communication'. After all, words were never needed in their allied relationship…and it was kept that way; even to that particular night that had made so much of a difference in their past days of being at each other's side.
"It would be wise if we stopped here,' was the monotone voice escaping from the youngest of the two, "the rain will not let up as it seems."
Knowing it was most clever to follow the Uchiha's words, Kisame stopped in his tracks, resting his large figure beneath the dry refuge of a nearby tree, "Yeah, it seems; although it's strange for it to be raining so much here, especially at this time of the year…"
With no further reply, Itachi silently approached the open area of the vast forest, looking up into the callous sky with what seemed to be a blank expression on his face. He felt his lips itching at the side, as if tempting him to give in and smile. Yet, he would do no such thing.
Smiles were for the weak…smiles were a sign of emotion; an emotion that he had disposed of long ago, or so he thought.
The soothing feeling of rain streaming down his cheeks and soaking down into the skin hidden underneath his Akatsuki cloak was something he had yearned to feel for a long time.
To be able to feel…it was a nice sensation.
"…", Kisame stayed silent at the sight, his deep golden eyes staring at the angelic being before him, "We shouldn't stay out here for too long…"
There was no response; the young Uchiha only stilled even more in his spot, not even bothering to wipe away the water cascading inside his eyes. This was strange to Kisame. When he recalled, Itachi never liked the rain, and as embarrassing as it sounded, he had noticed from his 6-year partnership with Itachi that he didn't like taking showers often either. So this proved to be a little uncomfortable…unless…
"Look I'm not sure what you're thinking, and given how ruthless you are, it's strange to say this…" Kisame continued, looking closely ahead of him as if deeply searching for a sign of movement or a glint of emotion on the Uchiha, "but from here, it looks like you're crying."
No movement, no sign of breathing, Itachi just stood there, searching for what seemed to be nothing in the oblivion of the skies above them.
"It's certainly a shame about your little brother", the blue nin tried again, restraining from giving out a loud sigh, "You're now the sole member of the Uchiha clan."
There was predicted silence, but to Kisame's surprise, a deep resonating voice danced through the harsh winds, and into his ears moments later, "No…he's not dead yet…and besides…"
"…", Kisame lifted an indigo eyebrow, a bit taken back at the sudden comment, yet, not completely, "…What?"
There was a slight pause, and all movement was ceased. Kisame even restrained from breathing, fearing the fact that he had pissed off his partner with such a straightforward comment. He was clearly out of his place to say that about Itachi's brother now that he thought about it.
Kisame gulped inwardly, fearing the possible gravity of Mangekyou Sharingan befalling his mind any minute now.
"The storm has passed."
Relieved from the tension, the blue nin looked up, only to see Itachi's claim correct. The sky was suddenly cleared and the winds that were once blowing at their hair with masses of rain dancing through them had ceased to plummet from the heavens.
With not so much of another word, Itachi noiselessly made his way towards what seemed to be a nearby village, gracefully slipping on his traditional bamboo hat, "Let's go."
With a silent sigh escaping his nose, Kisame followed along, slipping his own hat on as well.
Rest was definitely needed; after all, there wasn't much they could do in the middle of the night.
oooOOooo
They had reached the village with no obstacle to come across; apparently, all of the villagers were resting at home, and the only moving objects present on the silent alleys were the two soaked figures wandering around aimlessly.
"Are you sure there's an inn around here? I mean, we've looked everywhere now", Kisame drawled, his legs stinging at each passing step as he noticed just how long they had been walking.
Had it been an hour? Maybe two? He'd lost count, but truly, it seemed like a day had passed by.
"I'm sure", came the passive reply.
The shark-nin held back a sigh, cursing the Leader for partnering him with such a stubborn person. Hell, not only that, but such a wordless one too. He couldn't even hold up a decent conversation with the kid (yes, Itachi was still a kid in his eyes), it seemed as if everything he said escaped his mouth and was left forgotten in the midst of the air. Kisame was pretty damned certain Itachi never listened to what he had to say, much less, care.
It ran him crazy at first, but then he had gotten used to it as the years went by. Ignored or not, his thoughts would at least be said and thrown out his chest.
"How much money do we have left?" Itachi suddenly asked, stopping in front of a lighted building.
As a reply, Kisame grunted out a random number, only to earn himself a glare from the Uchiha. The blue-nin quickly shrugged it off, though; those glares no longer had any affect on him.
After all, how could he care after having to dealing with the same thing repeatedly for over 6 years? Come on, you're bound to get used to it and not care anymore sooner or later.
With a slight grin, Kisame followed Itachi inside the building, handing him the small amount of money they had left in their bag. As both drenched figures entered the warm room, an old lady appeared to be sleeping on the counter, yet it seemed she was suddenly sitting up in alert when she heard the bells jingle from the opening door.
Damn those annoying bells…
"Welcome", the old woman said warmly, a small smile surfacing on her aged lips, "Is there anything I could do for you kind gentlemen this evening?"
Itachi stayed silent, not even budging from the spot he had been standing on. Knowing the Uchiha wasn't going to say anything, Kisame approached the counter, forcing on a toothless smile (he didn't want to reveal such sharp teeth to such an old woman), "Yes, we would like 2 rooms please."
"Oh, but of course", the woman kindly answered as she began to dig through the many pages of a handheld notebook, Kisame frowned quietly to himself when he noticed the old woman begin to put on a disappointed expression when she stopped at the middle of a page, "I'm sorry, kind sir, but we only have one more room left, and I'm afraid it's the one with no water facility."
The shark nin suddenly gripped the handle to Samehada, his expression quite fumed. He had asked for a room and was willing to pay for it, only to be told this!? Damned old woman!
"We'll take it, thank you," was the unexpected reply coming from Itachi, "How much will it be?"
Kisame growled silently when he felt the longhaired Uchiha take a firm hold on his hand, most likely threatening him in his mind that if he moved or said anything further he wouldn't hesitate to chop his head off and roll him up into sushi. Now fully aware of the consequences, Kisame stood frozen.
"Oh don't worry about such nonsense," the old woman replied, not at all aware of the Uchiha saving her pathetic life, "it's free. You're free to go in and do as you'd like. The room is just upstairs, 4th door to your right."
"Thank you", Itachi silently replied, glaring secretly at the shark nin behind him before making his trip upstairs.
"No problem", the woman smiled, sitting down yet again to continue her slumber.
Kisame just grunted at this, he was much too annoyed and tired to even care about the incident anymore. So without further delay, he followed Itachi upstairs, a frown present upon his blue watertight skin.
This was going to be a long night.
oooOOooo
Once the room's door was unlocked by Itachi and then closed by Kisame, there was dead silence, making the moment quite uncomfortable.
You see, the two had never before had to stay in the same Inn room before, much less, share the same bed, since Kisame had noticed there was only one (which was rather small) footed at the very corner of the small room. There was just no way in hell Itachi was going to share that bed with Kisame.
Although…if he did…then…well…it wouldn't be that bad, right?
After all, they've been traveling together for a long time now. It wouldn't hurt to share something once in a while.
"Well, I get the ground, you get the bed", Kisame quickly interjected, not even giving Itachi the slightest chance to have a say in it.
The Uchiha gently put down his bamboo hat on the nearby counter, only to reveal a gorgeous regal face towards Kisame's direction, "No. I get the ground."
The blue nin quickly frowned at this, "No. Why would some arrogant-ass Uchiha want to get his pretty little hair messed up? You should be honored I'm offering to get the ground."
There was profound silence, and then, deep remorseful regret.
Oh shit…
"What…did you say?" was the deep angered voice escaping Itachi's lips, his glare impaling Kisame's own scared-to-death one.
Why had he just said that? Had he forgotten just whom he had been speaking to? He had clearly forgotten his place, and now he was probably going to get killed for it.
"Itachi-sama I apologize, it was-"
"Shut up and sleep on the ground."
Not daring to argue any further, Kisame grunted lowly and threw one of the bed's blankets on the floor. Itachi had a strong urge to chuckle when he noticed the way Kisame had been throwing out all of his anger on the poor blanket by violently trying to set it down on the wooden floor. It was undeniable that Kisame could in fact be…adorable sometimes…
Feeling a subdued amount of blood rushing to his cheeks, Itachi quickly turned away, quickly occupying himself by unbuttoning the Akatsuki cloak from off his slim figure.
What was he off on thinking that Kisame could be adorable? If anything, the man was ruthless, heartless, and merciless.
And there was just something about those characteristics that put the longhaired beauty into deep thoughts…thoughts that an Uchiha, such as himself, should be ashamed of even thinking up.
Was it really all that bad to be curious once in a while? When Itachi recalled, he was forced since childhood to be rid of emotions and ignore them during battle, which he later adapted into his own personal life. He'd never fallen in love, he had never loved, and he had proved just that when he had slaughtered his entire clan, his family. He didn't need what they called 'emotions' or 'love'. As he had said before, emotions are for the weak, and also a quick route towards the path of failure.
But…he couldn't deny that he had grown attached to the shark ninja after 6 years of traveling side-by-side. Kisame had been the only real communication he was allowed in the Akatsuki, and he was also the only person he was able to interact with throughout his life since he had murdered his clan. In other words, Kisame was his only friend. He was the only person he could fully trust and have admiration upon…
Admiration. Ah, something he had held very close for the man named Shisui. To be completely honest, Itachi was sometimes gleeful for the fact that he'd known Shisui first than Kisame…because if he hadn't, it would've been Kisame who was left to drown on that forsaken river.
That was another thing that picked at Itachi's cool nerves, had he actually considered Kisame 'precious' to him?
No. There was no absolute way he loved Kisame. The Akatsuki was made up of cold-blooded murderers, psychopaths even, and these types of people were forbidden to love. Much less, care about absolutely anything. So it made no sense trying to understand these 'facts' and dwell deeper into them. It was meaningless, pointless even, to even consider the possibility of that ruthless shark to even be able to understand the words 'love' and 'compassion'.
Although…Itachi couldn't deny the fact that he very much wanted that. He really did want that 'ruthless' shark to open up to him more. Hell, he was dead-tired of hiding these emotions away from himself. He was tired of avoiding the hard-cold truth and face the fact that he actually cared about his partner. He just couldn't imagine life without the blue creature by his side.
When Kisame talked on their missions, Itachi had listened. He might've not commented on what Kisame had to say, nor answered any of the questions, but he really did, in fact, listen. He had listened so carefully that he could practically be able to recite every single story Kisame had told him, word by word.
Scared by the intense interest and conflicting emotions, Itachi had forcefully isolated himself away from the shark-nin. He didn't want to dwell deeper in those strange emotions, much less have Kisame suspect something of him.
Itachi was a kid during that time, and well, as any other kid, he needed friends; Companions, someone, anyone, that he could talk to and trust. And so he did. He'd chosen Kisame and he stuck to that decision, but he never anticipated that when he reached adulthood he would grow something deeper than just companionship for the blue-skinned man.
It scared him. The fact that he wanted that soft blue skin against his own pallid one scared him.
"Whatcha staring at?" was the sudden question escaping Kisame's rough vocal cords, making Itachi notice the locked gaze he had on the currently undressed Kisame.
A slight shade of pink forced its way on the Uchiha's cheeks when he noticed the blue man standing in nothing but black boxers in the middle of the room. Failing at being discrete and graceful as always, the longhaired man quickly turned away, hiding his expression from behind raven locks of hair.
He had never seen Kisame like that…he had never seen, nor imagined, Kisame could be so…sexy in his undergarments, "N-nothing."
Now he's stuttering…? What hell's goin' on?
"Hey, Itachi, what's with the stuttering?", Kisame asked, oblivious to the fact that his question was making the Uchiha turn even redder from under black tresses of hair.
"It's…nothing", Itachi quickly replied, shaking the image of Kisame in nothing but pure underwear out of his head.
"Whatever", the blue nin sighed, continuing his process of undressing.
Itachi noticed this from the corner of his eye and gasped secretly to himself, "What…what're you doing…?"
"Eh? Getting naked. Why?"
"…Why…?"
"To sleep, why the hell else?"
"You sleep…naked?"
"No DUH."
Silence filled the room once more, and Itachi felt like cringing into a corner and dying there. Why was he getting a weird butterfly feeling inside his stomach…? This was so out of his character! Uchiha's aren't supposed to…feel…this…
"I mean, don't you?" Kisame asked passively, slipping the pair of boxers from off of his rather muscular hips.
"No…", Itachi quietly responded, trying his best to hold back the strong urge to take a peek at the other man's length.
"Hm, well, suit yourself."
Without any response, Itachi continued preventing his peeks while he silently pulled at the tie holding his long hair in place. He held back a relaxed sigh when he felt the tightness of his scalp begin to disperse and then replaced with the soothing feeling of freed strands of hair. Although, he was completely oblivious of the fact that he was making a show of his own while he raked slim hands through ebony tresses of hair.
Kisame found himself staring intensely at the sight, as though the man before him was suitable for his next lunch.
This didn't remain unnoticed by the Uchiha, since the Sharingan was in his possession; and he had slyly grinned to himself when he noticed those deep golden eyes gawking at the sight before them, "See anything you like?"
Kisame was quite thrown back from the sudden seductive question. Since when did the Uchiha have a thing for him? Meh, it was probably just one of his stupid games anyway, "Yeah, I see a blanket waiting for me on the ground that I would very much like to sleep on."
Itachi frowned at this, and his sudden urge to glomp the shark man began to disperse.
What a way to ruin the moment.
With a nonexistent sigh, Itachi silently threw himself on the bed, not even bothering to take off his sandals or the uncomfortable netted shirt wrapped tightly around his torso. What was he thinking he could be able to seduce Kisame like that?
If anything, Kisame seemed like the straightest man he had ever met, unlike Deidara, Sasori, Hidan, and all of the other Akastsuki members. Yet, he cursed himself for not being able to seduce a simple shark man. After all, Itachi knew he was to an extent, quite handsome, and he knew he had made many men stare at him with lusted eyes when he walked around random villages. Besides, he was an Uchiha for crying out loud! Uchihas' get whatever the hell they want, whenever the hell they want.
But Kisame was a different case. It seemed the shark man could care less about Itachi's bloodline, much less, his beauty. Kisame just didn't seem like the kind to go for men, especially after the many times he had told Itachi all of his small crushes on women. It was hopeless, it really was. Besides, Itachi hadn't been so nice to the shark man these past years, if anything, Kisame thought he was annoying and an arrogant little brat.
Another thing that the Uchiha found rather attractive of the shark-nin was the the fact that Kisame was older than him. That meant Kisame was an experienced person with many strong opinions about almost anything… Wait, that's it!
"Kisame…"
"What?", the blue nin grunted, trying to desperately make himself comfortable under the blanket on the wooden floor.
"What do you think of…men?", Itachi quietly asked, his voice barely audible.
This was a bit surprising for the shark man. Since when did Itachi give a flying shit about his opinion on things? Most importantly, since when did the stoic Uchiha start building up conversations?
"Men? Well, they er…um, well…", Kisame pondered the question deeply, what did Itachi mean by that in the first place? "What the hell do you care anyway?"
The Uchiha stayed silent, a bit hurt from Kisame's sudden harshness. Had he really been that cruel to the shark nin to the point that he disliked him…?
"I was just…wondering", Itachi quickly replied, trying his best to avoid eye contact with Kisame as he sat up on the bed.
"Well, it's not like you to 'wonder'. Besides, why the weird intake on 'men'?", Kisame asked curiously as he raised up an indigo eyebrow. What did Itachi mean by that anyway?
There was an awkward silence at first, and Itachi stared blankly at the wall beside him. Should he really tell Kisame once and for all what he had been hiding from his companion all of these years? Was this the right time to bring up such a serious statement he had been meaning to tell? Most importantly, would Kisame accept his confession?
"I…"
The shark nin listened carefully, after all, it was rare the times Itachi replied to any of his questions; and when he did, they were either important or necessary, "Yes…?"
Itachi shifted uncomfortably on the bed, trying his best not to choke on his words or pass out from an overwhelming amount of blush, "Kisame…I…", before he let the other words out, the Uchiha quickly looked down to his crossed legs, closing his eyes in what seemed to be shame and embarrassment, "I'm gay."
A silent gasp had escaped Kisame's throat, and his golden eyes widened in surprise.
Was the-all-powerful Uchiha prodigy in fact…gay?
OoOoOoO
Mwahaha! Evil cliffhanger. xD lol Ne'ways, yeah, this isn't a one-shot. I was planning on making it one, but then I figured it would just be too long. So maybe there would be either one or two chapters more to this story. I don't plan on making it a long-term project since I didn't plan to take this anywhere further than it is. xD Ne'ways, reviews make me so damned happy. ;D Thanks so much. Regards. :)