Even at night the beauty of the Land of Flowers was absolutely incontestable. The colors of the forests and rivers had even Kisame captivated as they travelled in silence to the next bounty that had been assigned to them, which was placed on the other side of the continent to where they had been, much to their dismay. Even with the trek through the Lands of Wind and Desert, Kana found herself almost immediately grateful for the assignment from Pain once the trio had stepped into the country.
She looked down at a bright purple and blue flower that seemed to almost glow in the moonlight, and a gloved finger gingerly grazed the very edge of the petals, careful to not disrupt the small caterpillar resting in the center. At first Kana considered picking it to bring it with her, but decided to not ruin the beauty of the clearing they sat on the edge of.
A cool breeze rolled through to where they were perched in the trees; it was just warm enough for Kana to not shiver and she almost wished to have the liberty of shedding her cloak and masks so she could revel in the mild weather.
"Remember, this one is to be taken alive," Itachi's voice was like dark velvet in the comfortable silence, snapping her attention away from the beautiful flower.
Kisame grimaced, knowing full well that the statement was directed at him, before sneering, "But that doesn't mean we can't kill the guards on our way in," he purred.
Their teammate sighed but shrugged half-heartedly, "Do what you want."
Kana lunged forward just a second after Kisame, with Itachi hot on their heels. For a brief second she thought about pulling out her katana as to avoid getting herself covered in blood, only to remember that her skills in kenjutsu was one of her two hidden skills she kept from the rest of the Akatsuki, and she released the handle. Instead she just focused enough chakra to her gloved hand so that she could form a small barrier around her arm that extended into the blade of her Chakra Demon Arm.
The guards at the door only had seconds to prepare for the three shinobi that suddenly appeared before them, and could only raise kunai in a feeble defense that the two swordsmen quickly cut through, moving onto the next merc-turned-guards before their companions had even finished falling to the ground.
Blood splashed over the arm of her cloak as Kana drove her chakra blade through one guard's chest, the rest splattering over her mask when she pulled out. There was a small sense of satisfaction felt as the glimmer of life faded away in his steely gaze that spurred her into running faster down the hall to grab at the man still sipping on his tea.
"What kind of guard takes a tea break?" she purred in his ear just a second after flickering over to his side, one hand gripping his throat while five black chakra claws formed over her fingertips, slicing his skin open as they grew. He struggled once but stopped when he realized that the movement only caused for more tears in his throat to form. "Can't expect much more than that from some shit-for-brains ex-merc, I guess."
Kana almost laughed at the look of horror on the man's face as he watched Kisame slice his friend into ribbons, but quickly frowned instead. If her math was correct then that mean that Kisame was on his eighth kill, while she was only on four.
A competitive spark from years of training with Guy and Kakashi ignited, and Kana suddenly felt incredibly agitated for her lazy performance. Without another word she closed her fist around the guard's trachea and other major components that got in her way, tearing them out and swiftly sprinting around the curve of the hall to tackle the next guard to the ground, her demon arm buried into his gut before he could even register what was happening to him.
Somewhere there was a gurgled shout that was obviously meant to alert the rest of the guard of intruders, and Kana couldn't help but feel a new rush of adrenaline at the idea – she was good at stealth, damn good, but she'd rather fight someone that fought back every now and then.
Sure enough, the sound of multiple heavy footfalls echoed off of the cramped halls just moments later; it was like music to her ears.
She looked over her shoulder just long enough to make sure that the two men were still with her before activating her Kurogan to figure out where the group was and track them down. The demon arm quickly changed shape to that of a whip so she could have one medium-range and one short-range weapon, and Kana wasted no time in cracking the whip into the first guard that turned the corner.
Kisame was soon on her heels and they quickly turned the chamber they had entered into a bloodbath, leaving bloodied corpses still twitching in their death throes while Itachi watched from behind; his Sharingan gleamed in the dim lighting but he made no effort to join the fray.
The lack of participation on the Uchiha's part came as no surprise to Kana, considering he had always been a pacifist that disdained violence – it was part of why they worked so well together. On missions they were assigned to, she almost always would allow Itachi to come up with the plans, and she would do as much of the killing for him as possible. It wasn't as if Kana had liked killing back then, she just didn't want to see Itachi suffer any more than he had to.
Though, as a coping mechanism, she began to enjoy the killing. There was a sense of accomplishment and power that Kana felt as she climbed up and around the body of one of the larger guards like an insect so she could put hands on either side of his body, and pulse her black chakra into his body; she couldn't help but feel a thrill race up her spine when his body collapsed to the floor, organs bursting and bleeding into one other like a fountain.
It made her feel powerful when Kana focused chakra to her leg and released it so that black flame-like energy arced with her foot as she imitated her father figure's Leaf Hurricane.
It told her that she was still alive, that she hadn't been defeated just yet, when she felt her opponent's sternum cave in on itself while the chakra burned at the two others that had attempted to flank her.
Only a few minutes passed until the three were outside of what she presumed to be a well-created entrance to a safe room, only two bodies lying in a small pile together in their target's bedroom. With her Kurogan activated Kana could easily see that the gang leader was behind the wall she was staring through, but she couldn't figure out how to activate the door's mechanism to open it.
"He's back here," she said a little too breathlessly as the high of combat began to wear off and Kana was forced to feel the effects of using that much chakra without absorbing any to replenish her stores, "It's some sort of hidden door… To a safe room."
"That jutsu you used when we were pinned down by the sannin a year or so ago, can you use it?" Kisame asked while readjusting the bloodied wrappings on Samehada.
Itachi placed a hand on her shoulder that she instantly jerked away from, "I can take care of it, you've-"
"No, I just…" she doubled over to place her hands on her knees, "I need a second. That's all. Don't use Amaterasu for something as stupid as this." Her body was beginning to ache and she felt tired – too tired for how early into the night it was – thanks to the mild chakra depletion that was rapidly catching up to her, but Kana was more than aware of the effects the Mangekyo had on its wielder. Unlike Danzo, Itachi didn't have a collection of spare eyeballs just floating around, so she didn't want him to permanently damage his eyesight over something as stupid as a wall.
When the kunoichi had caught her breath, she straightened and flicked her black ring open so Kana could nick her scarred thumb while pulling her other glove off with her teeth, swiping the blood over the tattoo that circled her fingers and the back of her hand. Danzo's idea, of course.
When her hands had been placed against the cool stone wall, glittering eyes slid shut in concentration while Kana began to carefully form a chakra barrier prison around the door to the safe room, making sure that it was solid enough so that none of the rubble could fly out and render their target's head into a pile of rock and smushed brain matter.
A hand placed between her shoulder blades snapped her concentration in two, and she grit her teeth while simultaneously twisting away from Itachi's touch.
"You're reaching your limit. Let me help you," he said sternly. Kana only shook her head and focused her attention back on the wavering barrier. With a deep breath to brace herself against the feeling of her chakra levels dropping into the red zone, she pushed as much into her hands and arms as possible.
A thin groan pushed up her throat at the discomfort of dropping to zero but the subsequent rush of energy from the Earth curse mark on her chest soon replaced the sensation. When there was enough build up of the still unfamiliar, almost slimy-feeling chakra, Kana released it in one massive burst that completely obliterated the wall and entrance to the safe room.
Itachi's hand was soon pulling her back as Kisame rushed in, and he turned her body to give her a look of disbelief, "Why would you-"
"I can control it," she cut him off, jerking away from his touch, "I just needed more than what I had. I'm fine."
Truth be told, Kana hated using the mark and avoided doing so as often as she could. Every time she found herself being forced into a situation that required its usage, Kakashi's warnings and Guy's pleads rang in her head like goddamn curse marks of their own. However, the kunoichi had been doing very well on keeping herself closed away from both Itachi and Kisame and had no intention of opening up to either of them – not when Itachi was so close to death and Kisame was, well, a man that betrayed his own village's Anbu.
Not like she knew much about the shark man, she noted, as he knocked their target hard enough to render him unconscious before slinging him over one of his broad shoulders like a ragdoll. The most information Kana had learned about Kisame other than his battle tactics was that he had been a part of Anbu before going rogue, though she didn't exactly find out why. It was almost ironic, really, that the three of them were assigned together.
'Well, not really assigned together…' Kana mused. She knew that Zetsu was technically her teammate, but their assignments required them to be far apart and on their own so they rarely ever actually met in person. With her former connection to Itachi, no one seemed to really question it when there was a meeting and Kana just happened to be with the pair.
Still, taking a comrade's chakra was too intimate for her to be comfortable with it.
Looking somewhat miffed, Itachi turned on his heel and followed Kisame out of the bedroom chamber without another word, something that Kana was definitely grateful for.
"Are you going to kill me?"
An irritated sigh escaped her lips as their captive asked the same goddamn question he had been asking every few hours over the last couple of days, "I don't know, you tell me. Are you dead?"
The daimyo's son furrowed his brow in confusion and cocked his head to the side, somehow able to look casually curious while still looking as if he was about to crap his pants at any given moment. Which he had already done. Twice.
When he didn't answer, Kana reached over to grab the base of his skull tightly, "Whoever you pissed off wants you alive. Probably so he can kill you. I don't give a fuck. But you're not dead yet, which means we won't kill you. Now shut the fuck up or I swear to god I will break every single one of your ribs."
With that, she channeled enough healing chakra to his brain to knock him back on his ass; all three of them were tired of listening to his whimpering.
"I was wondering when you were going to snap," Itachi commented, dropping down next to where Kana was sitting at the base of the tree, "Your patience seems to have only gotten worse with age, it appears."
While that was probably true, most of the irritation she felt came from the fact that she hadn't slept properly since leaving the village – at best she would allow herself a few cat naps while in the shower, and everything else was pushed off with food pills, stealing enough chakra from random people on the street to keep her going, and sheer willpower.
When Kana didn't respond, he reached over and slipped his hand beneath hers with a soft sigh, "I don't suppose I'll be able to convince you to let me take watch?"
"I'm basically a sensor type. I should be the one on watch," she muttered, pulling her hand away from the inviting warmth of Itachi's and folding her arms over her thin body.
As opposed to looking annoyed and put off like before, he only seemed to look disappointed when Kana pulled away from him yet again; the sight sent a pang of guilt through her chest. "Why do insist on refusing to sleep?" Itachi's voice was low as he spoke, probably to avoid waking their companion, "It can't be just uneasiness from being away from home, still, can it?"
When they had been on a team together, Kana had no qualms about sleeping out on missions. There had always been a part of her that completely and absolutely trusted Itachi and Guy to keep the group safe, or at least warn them of impending danger should it ever arrive. When they had been separated to different Anbu squads, she had to learn to trust others to do the same – no easy feat on her part, but one that had been successful.
However, now that they were out on their own there was something that kept her too on edge to fully allow herself to relax. Rigid muscles had begun to knot up under the constant stress of being tensed, and there was a constant throbbing in the center of Kana's skull from the level of exhaustion she felt. Despite the discomfort, there was no way she could bring herself to just stretch out in her bed roll and submit to the ever-present call of black unconsciousness.
"You know we would never allow anything happen to you," Itachi murmured after a few long moments of silence, "Kisame, I know, comes off aggressive, but he isn't very different from you and I. He is a trustworthy ally. You're safe with us."
It wasn't just a matter of her safety, though – Kana could easily be woken from the light slumber shinobi were trained to put themselves in, with one ear actively paying attention to the sounds around them. The fact of the matter was, she just wanted to be home and the thought of not being able to for the rest of her life was something that had been slowly poisoning her heart.
With her lip hooked under a sharp canine, Kana drew her knees up to her chest as if to shield herself from the longing that had begun to stab at her chest like an icy blade. "How… How can you deal with this?" she whispered.
For a few long minutes Kana wondered if he had even heard her, or if her words had been lost behind the masks she wore. It wasn't until she cleared her throat to force herself to speak louder that Itachi finally responded.
"I remind myself of everything that is worth protecting," he reached up to play with one of the few braids in her black ponytail as he spoke, "The ninja academy, the seasonal festivals, the Will of Fire that each and every one of our comrades carry within them… When the loneliness and the despair from being away from home begin to weigh down on me, I remind myself of why I became a shinobi - of everything that I hold dear."
"Come on, we're going to be late!" Tenten's warm brown eyes almost glittered with excitement as she ushered Kana down the street, who felt seven million shades of uncomfortable and exposed.
She tugged the lacy hem of the dress down for the umpteenth time in the last hour, marveling at how the fabric had yet to tear beneath her frustrated movements. Somehow, the genin had convinced Kana to don a lavender colored skater dress that fell mid-thigh, where it was lined with a green lace that was very similar to her eye color – hardly a coincidence, she figured. The dress was considerably longer than the shorts Kana normally wore, which cut off just below her butt, but there was something weirdly exposing about wearing something so… Open.
Despite being the one insisting that Kana wear something other than pants, Tenten had donned a yellow Chinese-style shirt and black capris, with her long hair uncharacteristically cascading over her shoulders and blowing in the gentle breeze.
Kana couldn't help but smile at the sight; the genin was remarkably gorgeous even at only twelve.
"Heeeyyy! Tenten! Kana!" Lee's voice rang through the busy street to get their attention, waving one arm as if his high-pitched voice wasn't enough to direct them. When they had caught up with the group, he handed them both two sticks of dango; Tenten was handed green balls of matcha dango while the skewers given to Kana were covered in what looked like a sesame glaze.
She looked up to giving Neji a knowing and appreciative smile, who returned it with a pleased expression. It seemed that even his lack of patience with Lee couldn't spoil the good mood set by the beautiful day, and Kana couldn't help but lean over to place a quick kiss on his cheek when the others weren't looking as they walked down the sidewalk. Neji made a small noise of disapproval in the back of his throat as he wiped away the salty glaze that had transferred onto his face, but his smile widened nonetheless.
It wasn't long until they encountered Guy and Kakashi, who were accompanied by Asuma, Iruka and Kurenai. A few months back Tenten had made a comment about how seeing the teachers in normal street clothes was akin to, "Seeing a turtle walk on its hind legs," – why she had chose a turtle over the traditional dog for the saying was beyond her – but Kana couldn't help but appreciate the casual nature of their meeting. Even Kakashi had abandoned his shinobi uniform for a much more practical t-shirt and jeans, most likely due to the request of the chunin that was practically hanging off of him; she smiled at how his silver bangs flopped over his forehead and left eye.
"Well, well, well, look who actually showed up," a familiar voice drawled just before lightly tanned fingers plucked a dango off of her skewer, "I didn't even know you owned a dress, lady."
Kana frowned as Genma peered over her shoulder with his trademark smirk, "I didn't until yesterday."
"Awww, you bought a dress just for lil' ole me?" he teased before softening his smirk into a content smile, "You look nice in colors - should wear them more often."
With Neji's hand placed on the small of her back in a familiar and protective gesture, she turned to see Hayate and Yugao walking up, munching happily on street food. A light blush crossed her cheeks at the sight of Raido next to them, whose eyes lingered just a little longer than they probably should have, and felt a small flutter in her stomach. They both looked away quickly when their gazes met, muttering polite greetings while hoping no one suddenly developed telepathic powers and figured out that the reason Kana was walking with a slight limp, was because of scarred tokujo taking her supposed virginity the night before.
When she noticed that a certain pair of pet chunin were missing, Kana furrowed her eyebrows, "Where are Kotetsu and Izumo? Wasn't it their idea to have a meetup?"
In fact, literally the only reason she was here was because it had been Izumo that said she could bring along her friends so that she would be more comfortable during the outing. Granted, he probably wasn't expecting a group of genin, jonin-sensei and the romantic partners of said jonin-sensei, but... Kana couldn't invite Kakashi without Iruka throwing a fit, who invited Kurenai, who wouldn't attend without Asuma. Thankfully, though, Iruka and Kurenai were good friends with the magpies.
Genma shrugged, but had a knowing glint in his eye. "They needed some extra time getting ready," he said casually before popping the stolen dango into his mouth.
Eventually the group made their way to one of Konoha's larger parks, which was lined with blooming sakura trees that scattered petals over the clearing. Lee and Tenten were prattling off to each other about different combat techniques, with Guy and Asuma jumping in every now and then to add their two cents, while the rest of the group was locked in a casual conversation that frequently jumped to different light topics.
Kana couldn't help but smile to herself at the situation as she slipped the last of the sesame dango off of the skewer and into her mouth, bringing one finger up to her mouth to lick off the glaze that had dripped onto her hand. Kotetsu caught the sight and wiggled his eyebrows with a smirk, only to be met by a rather vicious hail of slaps from his best friend, who gave an amused but apologetic smile from across the circle that the group was seated in. Not like Kana minded, really, considering she was becoming more and more comfortable around the chunin and their friends. Even though she wasn't exactly close with the group, she was glad she accepted the invitation that had been extended to her.
A gentle breeze rolled through the clearing and dozens of pink and white petals fluttered through the air like small butterflies, many of them settling into the group's hair, which earned a few laughs as Kakashi tried to pluck them out of his bushy silver locks, only to somehow push them further in. He eventually blushed and gave Iruka a sheepish look, who only smiled while burrowing his tan fingers into his lover's hair.
"Leave them," Neji tugged Kana's hands away from the braid she had been pulling petals out of before tucking some of them between the woven locks, "The senbon guy is right, you look lovely with colors," he said softly, a fond smile dancing over his lips.
At first she wanted to protest, because she was still somewhat uncomfortable from having to wear something as girly as a dress – which was a victory in itself, considering Tenten tried to attack her with makeup – but seeing Neji with the rare glow of genuine happiness on his face was such a rarity anymore that Kana couldn't bring herself to deny him anything. Her hands fell into her lap obediently so he could work.
When the petals had been woven into the silver locks to his liking, Neji sat back to admire his handiwork before looking back at the group as a silent observer, but not before slipping his hand into hers and interlocking their fingers.
The memory of the cherry blossom festival only sent another sharp pang of longing through Kana's chest, and she buried her masked face into her knees. "You were always so much stronger than I was," she whispered.
"I promise it will get easier," was Itachi's response, "Your body is still having trouble replenishing its chakra levels – you need to get some rest."
As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. Chakra was best restored through rest and nourishment, both of which Kana had been denying her body over the handful of weeks she had been away from home. Her body ached, her head throbbed and there was the constant threat of her body forcing itself into unconsciousness from both physical and mental exhaustion. Despite all of that Kana knew there was no way she could just fall asleep, given the aforementioned reasons, so she turned her head enough so that Itachi knew that she was looking at him.
"Can you just… Can you do it for me?" she asked feebly, avoiding the pearly black eyes that gazed down at her sadly.
He brought his hand to the back of Kana's neck to place his thumb and forefinger at the base of her skull, "Whenever you're ready."
With a deep breath, she nodded just before the world went black.
Kana chewed unhappily on her soba, hardly paying attention to the near-boiling broth that seared her lips and the insides of her mouth. Why the fuck Pain had assigned Kisame and Itachi to a bounty that was literally across the continent, only to bring it back across the continent again to fucking Zangei's bounty collection establishment, for only fifteen million ryo was not only something that was baffling, but it was almost infuriating. The daimyo's kid had been nothing but a pain in their necks the entire goddamn journey, and it had taken both Kisame and her more than an impressive amount of willpower to not slit his throat halfway through their trek.
Now, they were back on their merry way to another bounty in the northernmost part of the fucking Land of Earth.
'At least we're staying in an inn with room service,' she thought to herself grumpily. Even for someone that loved the outdoors and exercise, Kana was sick and tired of camping out in the woods and and caves; it wasn't as if they could just walk up to a motel with an unconscious political figure and rent a room.
It didn't help that every time they entered their home countries, Anbu was on their tail faster than they could blink. Kana had thought that Leaf Anbu were fast and persistent, but the Mist's hunter-nin moved faster than lightning itself; there had been multiple instances where they would have been caught if it hadn't been for Kana's ability to confuse the Kiri shinobi with her Ishikigan long enough for Itachi to throw her marked kunai as far as possible. Even then, it was rough to have to teleport with multiple people.
Even Kisame was beginning to look as if he were being run ragged, and Kana had almost been certain that the man never tired. Ever. There were bags under his usually bright eyes and his mouth seemed to have begun to curve down into a permanent discontented frown; his entire body just looked tense and uncomfortable to live in.
Itachi's health wasn't faring any better, really. They had been running around so much that Kana had to begin lessening the doses of medicine she gave him in an attempt at making it go longer, but she was still running low as his health began to deteriorate again. This had been the only real chance the trio had been given to get some sort of rest so he was sprawled across the bed where he had passed out after finishing his lunch, slumbering quietly beneath the two blankets Kisame had draped over him while Kana removed his shoes. Looking back on it, the scene had almost been like they were two parents putting their child to sleep.
A dry smile crossed her lips as she sucked up the last of her noodles, but it was short-lived as she focused on the blue-skinned man before her; he really did look like hell.
"Are you feeling okay?" she asked while collecting the now-empty dishes to set them back on the tray they had been brought on.
Kisame sighed heavily and leaned back against the foot of the second bed, rubbing at his face with one of his massive hands as he did so, "Been a rough couple of weeks, is all."
While she certainly did agree with him, things had been like this since Kana had unofficially joined the Akatsuki. "Isn't it always like this, though?"
"Nah, I think Pain's preparing for something - it's been years since he's given us back-to-back assignments like this," he said in a low voice as he stretched, "I feel like I've aged ten years."
The kunoichi stood up, tray in hand, and walked over to the door to set them just in the hall before walking back to the bed and patting the duvet, "Here, lay down." When Kisame eyebrows furrowed, eyes darting over to Itachi's sleeping form, she narrowed her uncovered eyes and frowned behind her cloth mask, "Don't be weird. I'm just gonna help you relax." Kana had half of a mind to stab him in the dick when his look of confusion turned into his typical wolfish grin, painfully aware of how she had set herself up for some dirty joke of sorts. Years of hanging around Genma and Kakashi had apparently done nothing to teach her to watch her mouth around men that smiled just a little too much...
She didn't even hear the joke Kisame made as he obediently draped his large figure over the too-small double, his Akatsuki cloak having been discarded. The reminder of her friends caused a wave of sadness to wash over Kana, and it wasn't until the man made a curious hum and peered over his shoulder that she snapped out of her daze. Mumbling an apology, she sat down on the bed next to him and placed a hand on the back of his arm.
The gentle flow of normal healing chakra being worked into Kisame's tight muscles was met with an appreciative groan. As her hand smoothed over the curve of his shoulder, over the the black markings that turned into gills when he merged with Samehada, he sagged into the bed with a heavy, exhausted sigh; Kana couldn't help but feel the edges of her lips tug upwards into a small smile.
"He isn't very different from you and I. He is a trustworthy ally."
Pale, tattooed fingers rose to hook under the black mask that kept her face constantly covered, eyes flitting over to the window and door to make sure that the trio was securely hidden from the rest of the world. Paranoia was a real bitch, she found out, and Kana finally understood why Kakashi had always been so insistent on keeping his on, even when around comrades. She had only ever worn it when she was out on missions, and only began to regularly keep her face covered after joining Root as a sort of preparation for when she left the Leaf, but there was still a small panicking feeling that clambered its way up her throat as Kana very, very, slowly tugged her mask down so that it bunched around her neck.
Cool air rushed to meet her cheeks, which only amplified her paranoia, and she had to focus on keeping her hand steady as the healing energy worked at a particularly tight bundle of knots in Kisame's shoulder. Why Kana had made the decision to pull her mask down was beyond her - it had really just been a whim, if nothing else. Maybe it was a way for her to challenge herself. Maybe it was to challenge whatever trust she held in the swordsman that was sighing encouragingly beneath her hand. Whatever her reason was, it now felt stupid. What if someone ambushed them, or just walked in, or-
"Relax, little girl," Kisame murmured into the arm that was pillowing his face, "I won't look unless you want me to."
The hand that was now hovering over the back of his neck froze. It made sense that a shinobi of his caliber would have heard the slight rustling of fabric so close to him, but for some reason Kana felt as if she had been caught stealing, or something. A warm feeling in her cheeks told her that she was blushing in embarrassment, and she decided to just focus on something else.
That something else apparently was a song. Kana began to hum the first song that came to mind while her hand glided beyond the black fabric of his turtleneck, smoothing over the blue flesh of Kisame's exposed shoulder. It was warmer than she had anticipated, though, when she thought about it, it wasn't as if she had imagined the way his skin would feel. Still, if Kana had been made to wonder at some point, she probably would have expected him to feel cold and clammy, and maybe a little rough. Like a shark.
Chapped lips stretched into a grin at the thought; she was real fucking lame.
"Mm... That sounds nice."
Kisame's praise snapped her out of the fantasy of him swimming around as a baby fish, and her fingers flexed ever so slightly as the feeling of being caught red-handed rose up again, "Uh, what?"
A lone white eye cracked open to peer up at the wall, obviously resisting the urge to look up at her, "That song. It got a name?" his voice was gruff, and she realized that he was beginning to fall asleep.
She looked down to where her fingers were kneading away at his lower back, "Yeah. The Slightly Chipped Full Moon. I don't remember where I heard it - I think my mother sang it to me or something," she answered softly, careful to not wake their companion.
"How'd she die?"
His question caught Kana completely off guard, and if she didn't have sage-like chakra control then she probably would have accidentally cut his flesh open or burned the hell out of it in surprise. Instead the kunoichi cut off the green glow and gaped down at him in shock. Kisame almost looked guilty when he saw her response, but only shrugged casually and slid his eyes shut. "Your village was attacked by the Nine Tails when you and Itachi were just kids, right? If you don't remember where you heard it, then either your parents died before you got to know them or you heard it in passing," he explained as if he were sharing something as simple mochi ice cream recipe.
No matter how much Itachi trusted him, Kana didn't have much interest in explaining how her parents died to someone she hardly knew. She removed her hand from his tricep, which suddenly felt searing and made her skin crawl, and pulled her mask up, "Do you feel better? I don't want you to pull a muscle on the field."
Kisame adjusted himself into what she assumed was a more comfortable position, looking somewhat put off by her refusal, "Yeah," he answered gruffly.
"Then I'm going out to train for a bit. I'll bring by dinner on my way back. And probably some cough syrup."
He didn't answer, and the room was silent as Kana shut the door behind her with a soft 'click.'
Among the many number of things she truly missed about Konoha, Kana missed having access to a training field.
Itachi's and Raido's words still loomed over her thoughts even as she finished her thousandth pushup on the roof of the inn they were staying at. She had decided to work out during her watch in an attempt to direct her mind in some other direction, but it seemed that no matter how hard Kana tried she couldn't get herself to think about anything else. Robotic exercises like this weren't enough mental stimulation – she needed to spar. Kana needed to be a shinobi and beat the shit out of someone that was fighting back just as hard.
Sure, they had been in fights over the last couple of months, but they weren't even remotely challenging – they mostly just included the bodyguards of whatever sap was being assassinated or captured to collect a bounty, none of which were more than just shitty rogue-nin with subpar skills. No, she needed a legitimate challenge. She needed something that posed some sort of threat, and required all of her attention.
Kana activated her Kurogan to scan their surroundings before setting her attention on the flock of birds gathered in a tree about fifty meters away. Considering Neji took some sort of bizarre pleasure out of counting birds when he was training, and how Itachi continued to tease her about her poor bukijutsu, she reached into the pouch on the back of her hip and began counting. A couple of the pigeons cooed and fluttered about, pushing a few out of the way to reposition themselves, and Kana swore when she lost count.
Twelve shuriken cut through the still night air in the direction of the tree, nine of them connecting with their intended targets and the other three hitting branches. Kana rolled her eyes with an angry sigh – not only did she miss three of the pigeons, but now she had to go climb the fucking tree and get her throwing stars back. Why had she considered this to be a good idea was beyond her.
Hissing various swear words under her breath, she looked down at where one of the shuriken had cut through her glove and sliced the side of her finger open. Blood dribbled out of the wound, which was relatively deep, and Kana could only angrily tear the glove away to throw it onto the roof. The anxiety that had been building up over the last month or so was morphing into a searing rage, and Kana had to bite back the shout that was tearing its way up her throat.
She was so angry at the situation that the kunoichi, who was basically a top-tier sensor, didn't notice Kisame's approach until he was standing by her side with a curious expression. Startled, Kana reactively jumped back and grabbed the handle of her katana.
The shark man only folded his arms over his broad chest and grinned impishly, "It isn't like you to be caught off guard," he purred, clearly enjoying the reaction he had instilled.
"What do you want?" Kana released her sword before smearing the blood over her jumpsuit, "You should be sleeping."
Kisame shrugged, "It's not like I can sleep with you jumping around and swearing up a storm," he said casually, sitting down on the highest point of the roof and placing Samehada next to him.
Shifting her weight to her other foot, Kana couldn't help but feel her anxiety and anger to merge in a boiling mess now that her alone time had been ruined by the white-eyed man peering up at her. She scowled as if he could see it and walked over to pick up her Akatsuki cloak, but Kisame snatched it up just as her fingers grazed the fabric.
"Don't fuck with me right now," she hissed, reaching for the cloak again. A low growl escaped her clenched teeth when it was yanked out of her reach again, "Kisame, seriously, quit being a fucking prick!"
There was the faint sound of cloth stretching as Kisame's other hand grabbed a fistful of jumpsuit as his grin widened. To her horror, the kunoichi realized that he had been using her cloak as bait to get in close enough so that he could get a hold on her, and Kana had been so lost in her frustration that she allowed it to happen. It didn't stop her from swinging her elbow back to drive it directly into his cheekbone, though, and she made sure to grip his wrist with her other hand, digging blunt nails into his flesh to force him to release her.
He released what sounded like an excited growl, and his white eyes obtained a mischievous glint just before Kisame picked Kana up and threw her off of the roof with one hand. She slid her katana out of its sheath as she caught herself on the roof of another building, using the momentum to swing up and around to stand on the corner, "What the fuck is your problem?!"
Kisame didn't answer and, instead, lunged at her with her cloak still in the hand that wasn't holding Samehada, his sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight with his smile.
Kana activated her Ishikigan and locked eyes on the large man just before creating two Shadow Clones; the first split off to the right to make it seem as if they were flanking him while the other jumped into the air.
Kisame only saw the one on the right, though, because that was the only one she wanted him to see. He twisted his body and raised his sword to swing it around and block both of their attacks, but the clone in the air was on top of him too fast for Kisame to perform any sort of counterattack.
Lunging to the side to narrowly avoid being sliced in two, he could only continue reeling backwards as Kana created two more clones that rushed at him, making sure she stayed out of his sight by hiding behind the fourth clone and erasing herself from Kisame's mind. Applying enough chakra to her legs to jump back up to the rooftops, she waited until the four clones forced the man to jump up out of range before propelling herself forward fast enough for him to only see the afterimage of Kana crouching on the gutter.
She spun her katana once and held it back for just a second before raising it up in a vertical strike that split Kisame from hip to shoulder; Kana watched as the chunk of his body detached from the rest of him and fell to the ground with a satisfied smirk. In a final move she swung her leg around to connect her strapped boot with his clavicle and slam Kisame into the ground hard enough for the ground to cave in around his body.
Dropping back down, Kana dispelled her clones and leaned over the heaving figure that was covered in blood and dirt at her feet; she yanked the Akatsuki cloak out of his now-loose grip. "Quit dicking around and go back to bed," she hissed, watching his wounds heal as the dust settled.
Mirth was replaced by irritation at her words, "You told me your kenjutsu was only average," Kisame looked down at the ribs that were regrowing, "That sure as hell isn't just average swordsmanship, and that isn't just an average sword."
"Gen, you're late!" Izumo scolded with a frown as the older tokujo entered the living room, shrugging his flak jacket off of his broad shoulders.
He shrugged with a sigh, "No kidding. Can you believe they made me work the mission room today?" he complained while untying his forehead protector, "I didn't even have time to put on my ugly Christmas sweater. I had it all picked out and everything." Genma pouted as he spoke, looking almost dejected over the situation.
Kotetsu scooted over on the sofa to make room for their friend and handed him a well-deserved beer before looping an arm around Izumo's shoulders, "He's just fussy 'cause Kana made us wait until you got here before we could eat and open presents."
"We couldn't just start without him!" Kana cut in a little too loudly as she set down her third empty glass of apple pie moonshine. Her exclamation caused the chunin to chuckle, knowing that it was Izumo's magical concoction that caused the jonin's flushed cheeks and slightly raised voice, but Genma only smiled warmly and reached down to where she was sitting.
"Well I appreciate it," he wrapped an arm around her slender shoulders and hugged Kana tightly, "Merry Christmas, lady."
Raido, who had also expressed displeasure over waiting, ran a hand through his spiky hair, "Food's already cold, so how about we open up these presents and then we can heat up dinner?" he asked before taking a swig of his own moonshine.
"Presents!" Kana rushed over to the ornately decorated tree so she could bring the chunin two specially-marked boxes, setting them in their laps with an excited smile. She had never bought presents for anyone other than her childhood friends, and her stomach fluttered in a nervous excitement when they both chuckled in unison while pulling at the wrapping.
Raido handed Genma his gift, "You have no idea how hard it was for me to keep Kana from peeking," he said in a humored tone before taking a small box from his named lover, who was frowning at him, "Next year, we're keeping them at your place."
A small slap drew their attention back to Izumo, who had his hand covering half of his face in a vain attempt at hiding the blush that spread over his cheeks and down his neck. Curious, Kotetsu and Genma both looked away from the presents they were unwrapping to peer into the open box in his lap; a few second passed before they broke out into a fit of roaring laughter that only intensified the chunin's blush.
"D-Did you…" Kotetsu somehow managed to force words out through his laughter, "Kanaohmygod… You really…"
Genma wrapped an arm around his waist and doubled over, "I didn't th-think you were serious!" he guffawed, slapping his other hand on the arm of the couch.
Silver eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "It's just a book…" Her response only caused the two men to laugh harder, and it occurred to Kana that she had wrapped Izumo's book on utilizing water releases in combination with bukijutsu in a blue wrapping paper, but the paper in his lap was red…
She blushed hotly and buried her face in Raido's shoulder with a squeak, who had figured out the situation by that point and joined in on the laughter, "That… That was for Tetsu…" Kana mumbled into the sleeve of his Christmas sweater.
By this point Izumo had started chuckling at the situation and carefully placed the vibrator back in the box with its other contents, "That explains the syrup-flavored lube…" Kotetsu shrieked in response and collapsed onto the wood flooring in a cackling pile of limbs and wrapping paper, which earned him a kick in the flank from his flushed lover.
Tears were streaming from his almond-shaped eyes as he crawled over to Kana, having relaxed somewhat, to pull her into a hug. "Y-you're my fave-orite jonin… In… The whole wide world," he snickered, "I'll be sure to put those to good use! His dick will smell like syrup for a month!"
"Ko!" Izumo looked as if he was going to die of embarrassment and crumpled up some of the wrapping paper to throw at Kotetsu, who tugged Kana with him as he ducked out of the way and caught it in a loose fist. The chunin looked over at the book sitting on the table and his eyes lit up as he read the title, "This is actually really cool, thank you!" he said happily, his blush receding as he flipped through the pages.
Having calmed himself down to some light chuckling, Genma finished pulling apart the green wrapping paper and opened the dark wooden box. "Oh, shit," he mumbled as he delicately lifted one of the razor-sharp niobium senbon and replaced the one in his mouth.
"I remembered you pointed them out but complained that they were too expensive to buy in bulk," Raido explained while pulling the top off of his box, "Figured I'd get you a set to get you started."
Genma clicked the senbon between his teeth with a wide smile, "They're perfect. Thanks, man!"
Kotetsu reached over for the long, skinny box that had been propped up against the wall behind the Christmas tree and dragged it out so that he could find the label. When he found none, he frowned and looked over to the tokujo that was seated on the floor with them, "Who am I handing this to?"
Looking up from the cheek he was nuzzling after seeing the assortment of rings Kana had gotten him, Raido hummed and pressed a kiss into her temple, "I must've forgotten to put a sticker on it. That's Kana's."
For some reason it hadn't occurred to her that she would actually be receiving any gifts, having been entirely focused on watching the others open theirs, and Kana just stared stupidly at the box as it was placed into her lap. It was a few feet long but only maybe six or seven inches wide, and when it shifted as she moved there was some sort of heavy sound of something sliding around. Raido and Izumo were both pretty damn good at gift wrapping, and Kana almost felt bad as a finger slipped under one of the ends where the paper was folded into a tab and taped down.
"Lady, we're gonna be throwing out the paper anyways so quit trying to save it," Genma drawled amusedly as he brought his beer bottle to his lips.
Kana frowned but tore at the paper anyways, pulling at the chiffon ribbon with her other hand with a dissatisfied hum; the wrapping really did look nice.
At first she could only dumbly gaze at the katana perfectly nestled in purple tissue paper. The tan hilt was tightly wrapped in a worn black fabric that Kana immediately recognized as the same cloth that she knew many kenjutsu specialists in her platoon preferred on their custom swords, because of how great the traction was no matter how sweaty your hands became. The guard was square and red, and the end of the hilt was wrapped in a white cloth.
When she lifted it from the box, the thin black blade glinted a little in the warm lighting.
"Now you can stop undressing Kokuto with your eyes," Raido smiled while closing the box of rings, "Every time you clean my sword I feel like it's being molested."
It was made of the same metal as Kokuto, she realized, and Kana carefully bobbed it up and down to test its weight – the katana felt as if it were made of air, but it was still perfectly balanced in every way. As she focused on how the grip felt, though, she almost dropped it in shock and had to use a vast amount of self control to make sure it was gingerly slid back into its sheath and set into its bed of tissue paper.
Her bangs were changing color rapidly on the edges of her vision as she gaped at Raido, "This… This is…"
Genma set his bottle down on the coaster his friend insisted on using, next to his box of senbon, and pushed his own bangs out of his face, "Yeah. Hayate left me his sword in his will, so when Rai started talking about making you a custom sword to replace your standard-issued one…" he shrugged and smiled sadly, "Thought it would be an insult to his memory to just have it sitting in the corner of my room, you know?"
Suddenly afraid to touch the sword for fear of ruining it, Kana delicately traced the blade's handle with the tip of her finger.
"Whoa, that's really Hayate's?" Izumo asked in a soft voice, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. Kotetsu remained silent for the first time in hours and just rest his head on his lover's knee while watching the others.
Kana's voice was barely louder than a whisper as she spoke, "I… It's fantastic, it really is…" swirling eyes flitted between each man in the room, "But… This… It feels wrong… I mean, I didn't really know Hayate. I only knew him as your friend… And someone I trained with…"
Genma's gaze warmed and Raido turned his body so that he could cup her jaw in his hands, "I know you regret not having become closer with him, but he was actually pretty damn fond of you," he explained, pausing long enough for the lovers to seal their lips together in a chaste kiss, "He was the one that kept trying to get me to invite you out when the Hokage's magpies were busy."
"You're a good swordsman, and you two would have been fantastic friends. He would have wanted this," Raido finished before sneaking in another tender kiss.
"If anything," Genma added, "Think of it as a gift from all three of us."
Tears spilled over her eyes and Raido smiled warmly as he pushed white bangs away from her face before leaning in for another kiss, "Merry Christmas, kitten."
Kana leered down angrily at the shark man that was lying at her feet. She shook the blade enough to remove some of the blood so cleaning it wouldn't be as messy later, "Its name is Kioku. I lied about a few things, just like I know you've lied to me."
Kisame's eyes narrowed, "I was right about one thing, though – you're dangerous."
"Why did you attack me?" she asked in a low voice that carried her threatening tone.
The shark man's grin returned, "I was bored."
The anger and frustration that had been building since the incident in the forest just a couple of weeks ago reached a peak that cast a red haze over Kana's vision. Her hand was nothing more than a blur as she reached down to grab Kisame by the throat and slam him back into the small crater, feeling her nails break his skin and his windpipe collapse under the pressure; a pained grunt somehow manage to squeeze its way up Kisame's crushed throat. His hands were pulled above his head less than a second before Koiku drove through them and pinned them to the ground.
In the back of her mind she knew that she wouldn't really be able to kill him as long as Samehada was nearby but, in reality, Kana just didn't give a fuck. She wasn't trying to kill him as she sank chakra claws into his blue flesh to curl around his sternum. It wasn't her intention to end his life as she yanked it away from his ribs and drove it into his abdominal artery. Murder didn't cross the kunoichi's mind when her demon arm nearly cut him into two pieces, severing the intestines that spilled out from his torn belly.
No, Kana just wanted to see him hurting. She wanted to see him feel just as much pain and misery that had been gnawing viciously at her heart over the last year.
She wanted that fucking cocky smile wiped off of his stupid arrogant face as her bloody fist crashed through healing ribs to grip his erratically beating heart and crush it in her fist.
Kisame chuckled and Kana knew that he knew what she was doing. She pulled the squished, deflated muscle out of his chest and slapped it across his laughing mouth with a strangled cry. His cheek caved in under her fist with an audible crack and burrowed into his sinuses, but it only seemed to fuel Kisame's amusement. Even when his lungs were pummeled into a chunky paste, partially melted by chakra, his wheezed gasps were still so clearly forming strained chuckles.
Every injury inflicted onto the blue man immediately began to heal itself, and Kana was soon too breathless and worn out to keep up the onslaught. Knocking her Anbu mask away and dragging her cloth one down to her collar so she could breathe, the kunoichi fell to the side and into the pool of blood and shredded organs that surrounded the two shinobi. She released the chakra that reinforced Kioku so Kisame could finally pull his hands up to move.
The pair laid on the bloody ground wordlessly; the only sounds were their pants and the wet, sickening sound of the Mist-nin's body repairing itself. A breeze rolled through the empty street and Kana shivered.
After many long minutes Kisame slid his hands up the length of the thin black blade that kept his hands pinned, pushing up against the hilt and pulling it out of the rocky ground. "You're real messed up, little girl," he purred, pulling his hands off of the katana. She only hummed in a futile attempt at growling and snatched Kioku away from his hands. Kisame's lips stretched into another smile in response, "It's almost feline, the way you move and sound," he said while rising to his feet, "There's something grotesquely beautiful about the way you fight. Frenzied, but lithe, and graceful."
Kana grunted but made no move to follow his example by standing up. She wasn't willing to admit it, but the kunoichi had overdone it; her body ached from the mild chakra depletion and physical exertion it had been put through. As much as she wanted to be angry over how Kisame acted as if that was just some performance for him to enjoy, there was no way in hell Kana would be able to muster up any feeling other than exhaustion.
"You made a real mess, you know," he continued with that stupid shit-eating grin plastered on his face, "I'm gonna have to get a new cloak after this, and the villagers are going to throw a fit over this bloodbath..."
Some of the amusement that glittered in his beady white eyes faltered when she remained silent, and he reached out to bump her shoulder, "You alright?"
With a huff, Kana used the Body Blow technique to send the still-injured man stumbling away. The response must have confirmed whatever suspicion about her well being he had, because Kisame hooked Samehada onto his holster with a frown, "I suppose now that you've thrown your tantrum you're gonna pout. It's whatever you want, little cat, but-"
"Don't call me that," she hissed.
He shrugged, "Whatever. You can't just lay in the street like that, but you can't move, can you?"
Through some inhumane display of willpower, Kana somehow managed to push herself up from the pool of blood with a spiteful glare. Her fingers trembled around Kioku's hilt and her legs quivered beneath her weight, but she was able to force screaming muscles to work through the discomfort and lurching towards the inn. As capable as she was of moving, though, Kana couldn't do much when a large blue hand gripped her shoulder to pull her to a stop. The force sent her staggering backwards and the kunoichi fell into Kisame's outstretched arms with a swear.
"If Itachi sees you like that he'll put me in the Tsukiyomi for a week," he chuckled, "Can you use a suiton to rinse off?"
Swirling eyes peered down at her body - Kana looked like a murder victim with all of the blood and mushy tissue that covered her front and hands. The scowl turned into a dissatisfied frown at the predicament, knowing full well that Itachi really would have a heart attack at her appearance. "N-no... The chakra from my bloodline trait only allows for yin and yang releases," she murmured slowly, still too uncomfortable to speak.
There was a quick movement from Kisame before the kunoichi felt lukewarm water splash over her head. A startled gasp escaped her lips, but she was too tired to give much more of a reaction as the man literally showered her off. Gross. As much as the thought of him basically spitting water onto her body was, Kana couldn't help but admire his thoroughness as the last of the gore dripped onto the ground with a wet slap.
With Kisame supporting her by the shoulders the pair walked back to the inn, thankful for the emptiness of the streets that came with the late hour. Kana somehow managed to find the presence of mind and determination to clean Kioku thoroughly before sheathing it and setting it in the corner with the rest of her gear. Itachi didn't stir as the pair peeled out of their drenched - and shredded, in Kisame's case - clothing to wearily towel off and slip into the only spare set of clothes they owned.
She didn't even think twice about how the shark man helped her to the only other bed, as there were only two beds due to their watch rotation, and slipped under the covers to curl around her small frame. All Kana knew was that she was still chilled from being wet in the dead of winter, and Kisame's body was like a furnace that enveloped her body with a welcomed warmth. A content sigh passed through her parted lips when strong arms wrapped around her waist to press her against that delicious, comforting heat. She smiled weakly at Itachi, who had cracked an eye open to peer curiously at her, just before consciousness escaped her.
For the first time in months, Kana spent the night in a relaxed, dreamless sleep.
Note: Fixed that typo. Lol. Waffling. That's what happens when you're writing a story while hungry, while watching the Capcom Cup 2015. Which, by the way, holy crap Kazunoko really played like a God. And not, like, a deity. I mean like one of the Five Gods of Street Fighter lol. Google it if you're confused.
Anyways, I've been having like some really harsh Christmas feels so keep an eye out for a Christmas extra chapter on Growing Up. It's gonna be cute and shit. Not like this story, where for some reason I just get a kick out of keeping Kana miserable. *shrug* What can ya do?
