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Dark Waters

Chapter 29 – Shattered Dreams

Part II

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It takes a long time to visit all of Shisui's favorite places, even with Kirā and Itachi's help. By the end of it, the sun had already long disappeared from the sky, the kids were dead on their feet and Kurai's worry had reached epic proportions, a thousand scenarios of what could have happened to Shisui running through her mind like a never-ending horror movie. She has to constantly remind herself that this is Konoha not Kiri, so half of the imaginary in her head is not even possible, but that is not enough to calm her racing heart.

Where are you?, she thinks, eyes darting from one spot to another, trying to find any type of clue that could help.

It is in vain, and Kurai forces Itachi and Kirā to go back to their homes, least they too are added to the list of missing children.

"Promise you will find Shisui-nii?" Itachi stares at her with dark eyes too old to belong in such a young face.

"… I will try," she doesn't like to make promises she might not be able to keep.

Apparently, that is good enough, and Itachi nods once, bows his head and lets himself be dragged towards the Uchiha compound by the Hyuuga girl.

For a moment, Kurai stands there, listening to the night sounds of a Konoha illuminated by the moon's shine. Heaving a sigh, she turns around and enters the hotel, wanting to change from yesterday's clothes and pick something to eat before going back to combing the village for Shisui.

Only to stop in her tracks when she finds Kaguya Hiori leaning against the hotel's reception desk, talking with the woman behind the counter. When he sees her frozen form near the double doors, his lips curl in a smile and he stalks away from the receptionist, much to the woman's obvious relief.

"There you are, little hime. I questioned your friends earlier, but they told me you parted ways with them before entering here."

Warily, Kurai refrained from stepping away. She wouldn't give him the pleasure of seeing her discomfort at his proximity. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"Me? Oh no, no, no, no. Not me. Yondaime-sama in the other hand..." he trailed off, watching her closely for a reaction. "He wishes to speak with you."

Kurai nods stiffly, thanking him for the message, before going around him and continuing on her way. Only when she had turned on a hallway and away from Hiori's eyes did the tension leave her shoulders. She never did get over that rescue mission shared with the man.

(Hazel eyes looking up at her hopefully, red poison ready for the picking at the other side of the stream, a pale hand still clutching at half-eaten berries, Mei looking at her with lost eyes while guilt weighted heavily in her heart and Hiori shaking his head in false sorrow

"Such a pity")

Shaking her head free of the memories, Kurai walks down the corridor, passing by one, two, three doors before stopping in front of the biggest suite in the hotel. Bracing herself for what might be waiting for her at the other side of the mahogany wood, she knocks.

Later, she realizes that she might as well have just pushed the door open, for nothing could have prepared her for the sight of her Father sitting in the window's rail, with a sleeping Shisui cradled in his arms.

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For a second, she just stares, her mind trying to make sense of the image her eyes insisted was right in front of her. Licking her suddenly dry lips, Kurai asks hesitantly, still disbelieving.

"… Otou-sama? What… Is that-?" She can't even finish the sentence, completely robbed of proper speech.

Her bewilderment seems to be a great source of amusement for Yagura. Her Father huffs a laugh (shocking Kurai further) and gestures for her to get closer. She does, having enough presence of mind to close the door behind her as she enters the room.

"Fuguki and Hiori found him trying to sneak inside our rooms," Yagura tells her when she gets near. "He claimed to be searching for you."

All Kurai could think of in that moment was to face-palm, because of course Shisui couldn't leave things well enough alone.

She was so going to throttle that little brat when this mess was dealt with.

"What is the nature of your relationship with him, Kurai?"

The girl lets out a nervous laugh. "Relationship, Otou-sama? I've known him for some days, at most. I would hardly call whatever acquaintanceship we have between us a proper relationship."

Her Father lifted an eyebrow. "And yet, the boy was brave enough to enter unfamiliar and potentially dangerous territory just in the off-chance of being able to see you again. Correct me if I'm wrong Kurai, but I don't think that sort behavior is common between mere acquaintances."

What was she supposed to say to that? Saying that the two of them had just clicked wasn't an answer that would satisfy her Father. In fact, it might displease him further. Yagura wouldn't believe that Kurai had felt a connection to Shisui that only grew stronger the longer he was in her presence. Hell, she barely believed it. It sounded too shady to be the truth, no matter that in her case, it was.

"He… grew on me. You know, like a fungus."

A beat of silence where her Father stared at her before his shoulders started to shake. It wasn't until she heard the sounds coming from Yagura's mouth that she understood what was happening.

Her Father was… laughing. And not his usual quiet and short chuckles, but a real, honest-to-god, long sincere laugh.

The shock. This can't be good for her poor, frail heart.

(I… I want… I want to hear more of his laugh)

Once his shoulders stopped shaking, Yagura looks down at the boy drooling on his clothes. That makes Kurai wince, not only for the clothes, but for the reminder that they weren't alone in the room.

Misinterpreting her wince, her father spoke calmly "Don't worry. He's not hurt. I wouldn't harm a child," he pauses, as if realizing that that is a lie, and emends with "Not unless absolutely necessary anyway."

"I wasn't worried about Shisui."

"Don't lie to me."

The sharpness in his voice almost causes Kurai to take a step back. She shakes her head. "I'm not lying. Now that I know he has been with you all this time, I'm not worried."

She trusts her Father. She will always trust her Father.

And Yagura might have seen the truth in that, because his eyes soften as he looks between Kurai and Shisui.

"Do you know who he is?"

"He's Uchiha Shisui."

"Kurai," a warning, and the last one of the night.

The girl lets out a shuddering breath, and dares to give voice to the seeds of suspicions that have taken root and sprouted inside her mind since she met Shisui for the first time.

"He is… my brother."

It feels real now that it has been voiced. Kurai has a brother; a little, half-brother with whom she shares a mother. Shisui is her otouto. Shisui is family.

Like Otou-sama.

Her world doesn't change, because her world is her Father, but it does seem to shake a little.

"You two look so much like your mother, you know. Had you been born together, you could have been twins," Yagura's fingers card through the mess of black curls that is Shisui's hair, gently, slowly, savoring the moment. "If I close my eyes hard enough, I could almost pretend-" he stops himself, abruptly falling silent, but Kurai doesn't need him to continue in order to understand because,

It's the same for me.

A pang goes through her heart as she watches her Father close his eyes, never stopping petting Shisui's hair. It was not jealousy, though she will not deny that it was there. But it was so petty, so absurdly small compared to the rest of the feelings swirling inside her chest as she sees Yagura almost hug her half-brother.

It was a mix of sorrow and grief; a desperate longing that put together formed a lump in Kurai's throat, making it hard to breath. It was everything she has ever wished for and at the same time so wrong that it made her eyes tear up.

"Kurai."

Eyes snapping open (when had she closed them?), the girl had to blink in order to get her vision into focus. "Yes, Otou-sama?"

He lifted one hand, calling her to his side. With no hesitation, she approached him until she stood right in front of her Father and a still sleeping Shisui.

"Do you want to hear a story, my daughter? I promise this one will have a happy ending."

Blinking, Kurai nodded, making herself comfortable on the ground. Once she settled, Yagura's hand fell to brush her curls away from her eyes. "Your hair is getting longer again," he whispers quietly. "It's a shame that you plan to cut it. It looks good on you this way."

The girl blushed at the compliment and couldn't stop from inching nearer, until her back was against the wall and Shisui's limp hand was only a few centimeters away from her face.

Then her Father began his story and all that mattered was the sound of his voice.

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Many years ago, a little after the First Great War but before the Second, there was this team of three genins led by the Mizukage. Two boys and a girl, as is traditional, and they were awe some in their power, the strongest in all of Kirigakure, with their hopes and ambitions always driving them forward even when faced by the world's ugliest sins. Had they stayed together, they might have been the ones to receive the title of Densetsu no Sannin.

But alas, whatever they might have achieved had they stayed the way they were at the beginning was lost the moment they grew up and learned about love. Two thirds of the team fell in love and married each other, abandoning any dreams of greatness in favor of living in peace and raising a family together, while the most talented of the three followed in their sensei's footsteps and became the leader of their home, in the hope that having a whole village to look after would make him forget about an unrequited love that never was. A futile hope, as he would come to realize later on.

For a time, there was peace between the three. The girl of the team became pregnant, and the proud parents-to-be named their other teammate their child's godfather. The new Mizukage, though still bitter, accepted the position, and in that instance it looked like all would be well.

And then, as is wont to happen, tragedy struck.

The husband died in what should have been a simple mission when his squad ran across a S-ranked missing-nin, who decided to take his head for as a bounty reward. The wife, stressed and grief-stricken, went into an early labor at the news and died before she could even name her son.

The last remaining teammate found himself alone and friendless, with a child he never wanted to be responsible for and whom he blamed for his love's death. The orphan boy was left at an orphanage, where he grew up alone and in desperate poverty, never knowing what a home was, or the feeling of a full belly and the warmth of a parent's hug.

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There was a pause where Kurai spoke up. "That doesn't sound like a happy ending," she says softly, eyes half-lidded as she peers up at her Father.

He sighs, ruffling her hair. "No, it doesn't. But who said the story's over yet?"

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As time passed the boy grew up, becoming a skilled ninja like his parents and gaining some friends and many enemies along the way. His friends were few, and almost all of them died or went rogue before he reached his twentieth birthday, though one, the oldest and most loyal of them all, never once left his side, despite all the dangers and trials they had to face together. It was amidst all those fears and insecurities that the boy got to know love once; he found it in a pretty girl that made him laugh for the first time in what felt like years and whose smiles caused him to redden and make a fool of himself because of his embarrassment. An "adorable, sweet fool", as the girl would whisper in his ear, but a fool nonetheless.

What a beautiful love it was that they shared. Brief, yes, but beautiful. Beautiful enough to make the boy forget all about his growing worries and fears, and dare to hope for a future where he would finally have all he dreamed of as a child; a house big enough for all to live comfortably, a large hearth to sit around when the nights grew cold and snowy outside, a table overflowing with good food and a beloved family to return to after a long mission.

But as it always happened in his life before, it was too good to be true. Their happiness was not meant to last.

The girl who he planned to marry turned out to be a traitor to his village; a spy sent by the enemy to report Kirigakure's weakness and strengths, any type of information that could help their side win in case war between the two forces came to be. The boy, devastated by his lover's betrayal, hunted her down relentlessly, wanting nothing more than to break her heart like she had broken his. When he caught up to her though, he realized that he couldn't do it. He had already lost so many precious people to his heart, how could he cut down the most precious of all? And so, as his first act of betrayal against his home, he allowed her to escape, while vowing to never again open what was left of his heart to other people, choosing to be alone and bitter instead.

But even though his dreams of a family were swept away by the wind, the boy didn't regret loving his girl. Because in the end, he discovered that she had given him the most precious gift he could ever ask for. A little blessing that made all the pain and hurt worth enduring.

It took him much longer than he would have liked, but he found that little blessing eventually, hidden away in a dark hole much like the one he grew up in during his youth. And much like his brief love, she was also beautiful, inheriting the best parts of them both. A brave and strong little girl, that gave the man hope for a better future one more time.

And that, my daughter, is the happy ending I have for you.

(Did you like our story?)

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"I hated your mother as much as I loved her. She betrayed my trust and left me alone. She also taught me how to smile and laugh and appreciate the good things in life. She was a light in my world, burning so brightly that I became blind to all but her. Shisui spoiled me to any other woman who came after and I couldn't stand it. Because of her, my loyalties were put in question, and I could have been branded a traitor to the village I dedicated my entire life to serve. And even then, a part of me loves her still. Because with her life was worth living… and because she gave me the most precious gift I could have ever hoped for."

Kurai chocked back a sob, eyes tearing up at the implications. Surely he didn't mean…?

"Go. Take him back to his mother. And tell her…" he stops, a confused, pained and wistful expression taking hold of his face but for a moment, before smoothing into a blank mask once again. "Tell her that I'm tired. Tell her that I don't want to live in the past anymore."

With Shisui safe in her arms, Kurai looks at her Father, who is back to watching the sky outside the window.

"Tell Meimu that I understand."

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She thinks she should have been surprised, at the very least, but the only thing she feels at the sight of Uchiha Meimu waiting outside the Turned Leaf was relief that she wouldn't have to walk all the way to the Uchiha compound.

Still, it was better to ask what the woman was doing so close to their temporary lodgings. When there was a ten feet distance separating the two kunoichis, Kurai demanded "What are you doing here?"

Meimu looked at her, coal eyes flickering between Kurai and Shisui. "I came to help in the search. When Kirā and Itachi-sama told me you were searching for him, I knew you wouldn't stop until you found Shisui."

"How could you know?"

The Konoha-nin shrugged slightly. "If there is one word to describe Yagura, it is determined. And you are your father's daughter." She says that as if it was the gospel truth, as if it was obvious to anyone who glanced at her. The sky is blue. The grass is green. Kurai is her Father's daughter.

The words make her chest swell with pride. And then she deflates when she remembers who was saying those things.

"And what a beautiful love it was. Brief, yes, but beautiful."

Back stiff, the girl closes the space between them with quick strides. "I'm sorry Shisui didn't tell you where he was going. It won't happen again," Kurai says, handing the boy over to his –their- mother.

Meimu picks him up, gently cradling him to her chest like her Father had done earlier. "I'm sorry as well, for any inconvenience he might have caused. I should have kept a closer eye on him."

Yes, you should was on the tip of her tongue before Kurai bite it down. There is no reason to continue this conversation. She wanted nothing to do with the woman.

(Nothing. Really. She didn't.

Stop lying to yourself)

There was just one last thing to say before she could return to her Father.

"Otou-sama said… he told me to tell you that he's tired of living in the past. He says that… he understands."

She looks up at the sound of Meimu's gasp, catching the shocked surprise in the woman's face before tears pool at the edge of her dark eyes. Alarmed, Kurai steps back, hands raised in a placating gesture, still not knowing what to do when-

A hand seizes her shoulder, stopping her from moving further away. Meimu kneels in front of her, Shisui still sleeping and cradled in her lap. The hand moves from her shoulder up to her head, tracing the lines in her face and caressing the wild mess of curls that is her hair.

"… Uchiha… san…?"

"Kurai," her name slips past Meimu's lips like a chocked prayer, like begging, voice watery despite its joyous tone, and it sends a jolt of surprise up her spine. "My daughter's name is Izumi Kurai and she has her father's eyes."

Kurai looks at her mother's face and sees a Sharingan other than hers for the first time in her life.

"Why-?"

"I want… I want to memorize every line of your face. Please. My precious baby girl…"

"… he found that little blessing eventually…"

"I love you, Kurai. I love you so much. So much."

"A brave and strong little girl, that gave the man hope for a better future one more time"

"I know that you might never forgive me for… for losing you so many years ago, but… Please, answer me this, just- just answer me this one thing. Are you… Are you happy, Kurai?"

Am I… happy?

She stares at the woman kneeling in front of her with dazed eyes, searching desperately for an answer, any one. Kurai went as far as to reach out to Elyse, wanting the other girl's opinion. But of course, just when she needed her the most, the ghost shied away, offering only silence.

Am I happy?

"I…"

Kurai thinks of the orphanage, of the cold and the crushing loneliness, of the constant feeling of hopelessness. She thinks of waking up in the middle of the night, covered in sweat and gasping for air, shaking from nightmares of sinking downdowndown into the ocean. She thinks of children starving in the streets, bony hands wrapped around her own empty stomach. She thinks of blood on her hands and on her clothes, tiny bodies splayed around her inside an arena where children become ninjas or become nothing. She thinks of a man with half his face melted off, crazed eyes and a deranged smile, dragging her towards him and trying to force her legs open.

"I am…"

She thinks of Mei challenging her for a spar near their river, of Takara with a shy smile as she offers her a handshake. She thinks of Kisame taking her hand in his and putting a shark tooth in her palm, promising to stay with her forever.

Kurai thinks of nights spent in her Father's lap, learning how to read. Thinks of her Father's hands gently guiding her through her first steps in taijutsu, of a hand petting her head and a half smile aimed her way. She thinks of strength and safety, of purpose and meaning in life.

She thinks of a man kneeling in front of her, offering everything she never dared to ask for.

"You are Kurai and my daughter."

She looks at her mother and smiles at her for the first time.

"I'm happy."

When the tears come, they are from both of them.

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"Okaa-san…? What… what are you doing here…? Where are we?"

They were walking in a peaceful silence towards the Uchiha complex when Shisui finally awakens.

Meimu laughs at her son's badly concealed yawn, the sound reminding Kurai of tinkling bells. "You don't need to worry, Shisui. We're going home."

"Were you crying, Kaa-san? Your eyes are puffy… Did someone make you cry?! Who was it? I will beat them up!"

"There's no need, my hero," the Konoha kunoichi says dryly. "I'm sure you're too tired right now, with all those many other adventures you had today. Let's not add more violence to the list, yes?"

"Heh…? Wait-! I remember now! I was in a hotel… and there were these scary guys…" his voice trailed off and went quiet as he slowly recalled the events that happened in the afternoon. Paling, he looked up at his mother, gulping.

"Yes, Shisui-chan. You, your father and I will sit down and have a long talk about the meaning of the word 'grounded' and what you decide to do in your free time."

Cue more paling.

"B-but, I was just, I just wanted…" the boy looked around him, searching for an excuse that could appease his mother, and finally realized the presence of the silent figure that had been walking alongside them for the past ten minutes. "Kurai-neesan!"

"Hello Shisui."

He gaped at her. And then let out a pitiful whimper.

"I'm so confused right now…"

You and me both, little brother.

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"You can come in, if you want. I'm making dinner." The offer is hesitant, tentative, and the look Meimu gives her tells Kurai just how badly she wants the girl to accept the invitation.

They are standing in the porch of Shisui's house, the boy clutching his mother's hand and giving her an imploring look of his own. Kurai looks at the mother son duo, and with a start, realizes that she wants to say yes. She wants to enter that small house and dine with her family. She wants to sit at the table with little Shisui by her side, babbling about nothing and everything, with their mother listening attentively with a small smile before scolding him about table manners. Kurai would laugh at her brother's pout before returning her gaze towards the head of the table. There, sat like a king atop his rightful throne, Yagura would have his eyes closed, looking as calm and strong as always, and methodically eating rice ball after rice ball, appearing completely unaffected by the commotion going on around him. But then she would see the slight upturning of his lips between bites and she would know how happy he was. Not the fleeting humor that would disappear in seconds, but true and complete happiness.

Deep down, Kurai wants to see her family together. Deep down, she knows that what she wants is an impossible dream.

It is driven home just how impossible it is when the front door opens and a man stands in the doorway, black hair disheveled and coal eyes wide.

"Meimu! Shisui! There you are! I was beginning to get wor-" he stops abruptly when his eyes land on her. An awkward silence falls on them, and even Shisui, who knows absolutely nothing, can feel the sudden tension in the air.

"Tou-chan?" her half-brother asks, eyes darting from his parents to Kurai, and the girl's heart clenches at the world.

Wrong, she thinks. It's not fair, she adds bitterly to herself.

When has life ever been fair? Elyse retorts, voice faint in the back of her mind. There is nothing Kurai can do but agree. When, indeed?

"Thank you for your offer, but I must be going. It's getting late," she bows, giving a last goodbye to Shisui, and walks away.

She can hear the adults whispering to each other behind her and before long, Meimu is walking alongside Kurai. The girl turns around in time to see Shisui's father herding the boy inside before closing the door, sparing one last glance at his wife. For a second, their eyes met, and Kurai breaks contact before she can tell what the man is thinking. She doesn't want to know.

"I can walk back on my own," she tells the woman neutrally.

Meimu nods placidly. "I know you can. But you were kind enough to walk Shisui and I home. I want to do this for you as well," she pauses, casting a glance at her. "If you don't mind, that is."

"…" Kurai turns her head forward, evading Meimu's eyes. "Do whatever you want."

There is the quick shadow of a smile in the Uchiha woman's face before disappearing. They walk sedately out of the clan grounds, Meimu nodding at the guards posted on the entrance and then they were in the village's streets, heading west towards the Turned Leaf.

"Could I… ask you some other questions? You don't have to answer them if you don't want to," Meimu hurries to explain.

Kurai cocks her head to the side, thinking back on her Father's words.

"Tell Meimu I understand."

"I will try to answer your questions truthfully. What do you want to know?"

She watched as Meimu's face brightened.

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After taking many detours in their way to the hotel, milking this moment for all it was worth, they finally could delay no longer. By that time, the moon was already lowering from the sky and Kurai's voice was raspy from so much talking. It had been a long time since she had to talk this much, but for some reason the girl didn't mind. Meimu had wanted to know everything about her and she felt… somewhat flattered at the amount of attention. While the two were careful to never talk about their villages or to give away any info that might prove to be harmful and, of course, never even mentioned Yagura, everything else was fair game. Kurai talked about her favorite dishes and sweets, what she couldn't stand and what she adored. Meimu regaled her with tales of her youth, traveling around the world during missions and experiencing many varies and exotic cuisine that the girl had never even heard of, as well as describing all the wonders she had seen in the world. They talked about what they did in their free time when there were no missions or training to do. Meimu told her about her maternal grandparents, who died a little after she was born, as well as Shisui's antics when he was a little baby and Kurai talked about her team and friends, and, especially, Kisame. Every time his name was mentioned Meimu would get a glint in her eyes that confused her. When Kurai tried to ask about it, Meimu would just laugh and shake her head, telling her that it was nothing, though she did comment on her shark tooth necklace.

"So that's how the boys are doing it these days, hn?"

Needless to say, Kurai was at loss.

It wasn't until they were standing right at the door of her hotel that Kurai worked up the courage to ask the question that had been plaguing her the minute she had met her little brother.

"Why did… why did you name him Shisui?"

The answer wasn't what she had been expecting.

"I didn't want to forget," her mother began with faraway eyes. "That moment before I met Kagami and had our son. When I didn't think I could be happier."

"When I had you with me."

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"I want to ask for your permission," she began the next morning, bowing before her Father. "To inform Team Thirteen, Azayaka Takara and Terumi Mei the truth about my heritage."

Dead silence met her bold request. The two of them were inside the Mizukage's suite, with her Father sitting at a table laden with a hearty breakfast. He looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

To be completely honest, she wasn't certain he was wrong in thinking that.

Slowly putting his utensils on the table, Yagura raised an eyebrow, asking for elaboration without words.

Hastily, Kurai attempted to explain her sudden need to spill their most guarded secret to a bunch of children and one jounin.

"I've known Kisame for almost as long as I have known you Otou-sama," she begins, wincing slightly when she saw the way Yagura's eye twitched. Maybe it had been a good idea to remind him of that. "I trust him with my life, as well as Akihiro-kun and Ao-sensei. As for Takara and Mei, they are also two of my closest friends. They would never think of betraying me. I know that I can trust them with the truth Otou-sama. I know I can."

Her Father sighed, eyes closing for a brief second before focusing on her once again. "Not too long ago, someone told me that I should put my faith on the younger generation, if I could no longer trust in my own men. At the time I scoffed at him, saying what fool would believe in children? But perhaps he was right. Perhaps I should believe more in my daughter and in your… friends." He says the last word hesitantly, but Kurai doesn't notice because her heart is soaring. There is only one thing in her mind and it is

Kisame.

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"I don't understand. Why can't you just tell me? Don't you know that I would never tell anyone your secrets?" he raised his hands to grip her shoulders. She can feel how warm they are through the cloth covering her skin. "Don't you trust me?" he asks, eyes searching hers.

"Don't you trust me, Kurai?"

"Kisame,"

He turns to look at her, a sword careless thrown over a broad, naked blue shoulder. She had found him in one of the training grounds reserved for the teams from Kiri, shirtless and dripping after hours of tough practice. She knew, logically, that they had spoken to each other just yesterday, but she had missed him, terribly. She racked her gaze over his body as if they had been apart for years instead of just a day, if that. For some reason though, her eyes fixed on a bead of sweat running down the hard and defined planes of Kisame's stomach, past the belly button and down, down, down-

A cough broke Kurai from her staring. She wrenched her eyes away from their downward path, blushing furiously for reasons she couldn't determine.

Was this puberty?

"Did you want something?" he asked her warily, though she could detect a faint red on his cheeks too. Good, at least she wasn't the only one.

It hit her then, what she was about to do. Here she was, going to tell her best and oldest friend the secret that could ruin her life if it was ever disclosed to the public and-

Kurai wasn't afraid.

Oh, she feared that Kisame might get angry at her, for lying to him all those years, hiding something so important away. She was terrified that he might even decide to break their friendship because of that, but she wasn't afraid of him telling the world about her Sharingan.

Because while she knew Kisame could kill her someday, Kurai also knew, without a doubt, that he would never betray her.

Hoshigaki Kisame, the only other person in the world apart from her Father that Kurai might love more than life itself, would never betray her trust.

That Kurai might love more than life itself…

Ba-dump.

Love? Is this... love?

Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump.

Do I... love... Kisame?

Kurai opened her mouth and said the words she never thought she would whisper to another person. She did this because-

Yes. Yes, I trust you.

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"So, let me get this straight. Your mom was an Uchiha spy, from that clan of the freaky red eyes users, who fell in a doomed and forbidden love with your dad when they were younger and accidently became pregnant with you. That means, obviously, that you too have those freaky red eyes. Mere hours after you were born, something happened that caused your mother to lose you in the freakin' sea, where you drifted away in a basket, surrounded by shark-infested waters everywhere until an unwashed and gruff sailor happened upon you and had enough humanity left in his heart to fish you out, before dumping you in an decrepit orphanage without so much as a by-your-leave. There, you had to wait for three miserable, long years until Yondaime-sama finally realized he had become a daddy. Since our last Mizukage, who was certifiably insane and had, for some reason, a personal vendetta against you and Yagura, besides Kiri itself having an admittedly justified grudge against kekkei genkai users, your dad, in his infinite wisdom, decided that you should shun and hide your bloodline from everyone, including, and specifically, me, your oldest friend who also saved your lives multiple times at the risk of my own. Your bloodline, which you activated after a group of filthy bastards sonuvabitches, may their souls forever rot in Hell, kidnapped and tried to kill you."

"Then here we come, to Konoha, your mother's home village, for the Chunin Exams, where you manage, in the span of a day, meet two members of your mom's clan, one of whom is your younger half-brother, son of your mother's Uchiha husband, who she married later on after escaping from Kiri and Yagura. All would have gone well, if said Uchiha husband hadn't seen you in the finals, punching the shit out of the Hatake kid, and saw just how much you looked like his dear wife. This, of course, prompted the Uchihas to question your mother about any illegal dalliances she had had during her youth, which caused her to discover that you had not, in fact, become some shark's dinner or drowned in the sea. Huh, now I can kind of understand your fear of water. Anyways, it all culminated in you ending up in the middle of a custody battle between your father, the Hokage representing Konoha, and the Uchihas, besides having to face the woman you thought had abandoned you to die the second you were born, only to later find out she very much wanted to have you and now wants to try to make up for twelve years of absence. Did I get something wrong, Sukoshi?"

Kurai stared at him, stunned. She opened her mouth, closed it, and tried to open one more time before giving up and simply nodding. Kisame was pretty much spot on.

He huffed, placing his sword to the side and picking at his nails. "Tch, anything else?"

She gaped "I beg your pardon?"

Kisame gave her a pitying look. "There's no need to beg, Sukoshi. I already forgave you."

"What." She could feel her brain frying. Elyse was hopping around the place, trying to put out the fires.

"Your eyes can turn a freaky red color when you're pissed. So what? You're still my Sukoshi. Nothing is going to change that." He paused. "I just want you to trust me more from now on."

Kurai never thought there would come a time where she was glad for being called little.

"Oi, Sukoshi. Are you crying?"

"D-don't be s-so stupid, Kisame. I-I'm not crying. There's d-dust in my eyes, that's a-all."

"… Heh, of course. I'm stupid for even suggesting such a thing, right?"

"D-damn right you are."

He grinned at her suddenly. "I just remembered something. Back in Kiri, I promised that I would take you to eat dango after whatever Yagura wanted with us was over, didn't I? So, Sukoshi, want to get out of here and go eat with me?"

Her heart fluttered a bit as she placed her hand in his offered one.

Ba-dump.

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AN: … Please, don't kill the author? I can't write more if I'm dead!

So guys, it's been what, three four months? I'm really, really sorry, but my life is hectic at this point and I don't see an end in the horizon, so I have no idea when I will be able to write again. It might be this week still or maybe in the next month. Though you don't have to worry, I have no intentions of abandoning this story. Dark Waters is my first baby, and I will finish it.

On another note, thank you all for the continuing support. Your reviews always managed to brighten my day and give me hope that I would manage to sit down on my chair someday and finally finish this chapter. An especial thanks to TheCupcakeViking, whose review made me laugh so much and gave me the final push I needed. I hope that I'm not too late and that your corpse has stopped rotting, since I do not have any penicillin on hand, nor do I own a gun to kill any zombies that might come after me in revenge. Does this chapter works as a acceptable substitute?

In the next chapter of Dark Waters:

This is how it goes for them.

The day begins normally enough for class B-2. The teachers are making the roll call, students are already being paired up with their usual training partners and the clouds are the same dull, grey blobs in the sky, blocking the sun.

It is slightly unusual, for the teacher to leave them alone barely five minutes into the lesson, and it makes a few of them nervous, but it is quickly forgotten when they have to suddenly roll out of the way of a punch or kick coming from that day's opponent.

For the first half an hour, everything seems normal, even though the mist has managed to enter the classroom again. Some wonder how, since all the windows are closed and all the doors leading to the outside firmly locked.

And then the screaming starts.