Chapter 2

His life had taken quite the unexpected turn – the worst part about that being he couldn't even understand how or why it'd happened. Not fully, anyway. One day he was doing what he did best, fighting and protecting the secrets of his village, but then that traitor Fuguki had to go and sell said secrets to the other hidden villages, throwing his perception of their world off balance so hard it nauseated Kisame. So, what else was he to do, as a loyal Kiri-nin? Of course, he'd slaughtered the traitor and as a reward for taking him down, had taken Samehada, too.

However, he'd…

It was beyond frustrating, but that pitiful voice in the back of his mind grew louder each day since discovering Fuguki's deceit – no, since Fuguki ordered him to take out his own teammates. From that point, he'd been unable to stomach being in Kirigakure, for to him, the world and his village were filled with lies and he wanted no part of it. He wanted to cut his ties and be free.

The life of a missing-nin wasn't all that it was cracked up to be, though. Kisame had believed there would be more freedom in deserting his village, but damn, Kiri's ANBU were persistent bastards. One woman in particular appeared to have a personal vendetta against him, always so furious and persistent. He was tempted to cut her down and be done with it, but she was a slippery one, seemingly well verse with his attacks and always escaping even when the rest of her team was slaughtered by him. The weirdest part? He hadn't a clue who she was. How was a strange woman so aware of his techniques and fighting patterns?

Paranoia was a dangerous path to take, so from that point on, he avoided unnecessary battles with Kiri-nin and for the longest while, he'd roughed it out, going from pillar to post and constantly looking over his shoulder. Everyone was an enemy by that point.

Or so he'd thought.

Standing back casually, he returned Samehada to his back to show he was against entering battle with the young boy who left the shadows of the forest he'd been wandering.

"You're a long way from Kirigakure," Kisame pointed out, not unkindly.

"You've proven to be a difficult man to pin down."

Was he there to battle? What would he do if he was?

Yagura wasn't Mizukage out of coincidence or simply because of his surname. He was as sadistic as himself, ruling Kiri with blood and rage and whipping even the weakest of his shinobi into shape and while it wasn't set in stone, Kisame knew the young boy alone was the reason behind their infamous nickname the Bloody Mist. He was also in full control of the Sanbi and he knew that would be problematic in their battle, especially if he had outside help.

Life truly was a wild ride, Kisame thought to himself, deciding to keep Samehada resting on his back. Assessing the Mizukage through a stoic mask of indifference, he weighed out his options, though ultimately knew going up against him (even though he was just a child) would prove difficult. Should he win from sheer luck or stamina, then his ANBU guards would take him out in his exhausted state. And it seemed the Mizukage had upped his game with ANBU, for Kisame couldn't sense a single operative lurking in the shadows and waiting to strike.

Interesting.

"You have me now," Kisame stated with a grin. "What do you want, Mizukage?"

But the voice that responded was not that of Yagura and Kisame instinctively reached for Samehada, eyes narrowing in warning, when a shadowed figure stepped out behind the boy. All he could see of the man was a single, blood red sharingan.

"Who are you?"

It was quite the coincidence that none other than the alleged Uchiha Madara happened upon him, wishing to employ Kisame, boasting about a plan to create a world of truth.

There was no point in denying the notion enticed him.

After the past few tumultuous months – murdering his comrades to protect Kiri's secrets, cutting down the traitor he'd once admired, deserting the village he'd called home – Kisame had accepted the hollowness in his heart. As much as it frustrated him, he accepted that the world was filled with lies and deception and that there was nothing he could do to rectify it.

But then Uchiha Madara approached him, stating he had a plan to change the world to a place where even he had a solid place in.

Somehow, Madara was in his head, Kisame conceded. He could sense his own displacement in the world and knew what buttons to press to motivate him in aiding the man with his ideas. Was it annoying? Only if he allowed it to be.

What did Kisame have to lose, really? He was a wandering missing-nin. Nowhere to go. No comrades or friends. Just a persistent ANBU squad always captained by the same irate woman with her personal vendetta. That was his only human contact or goal. Attempting to defeat her or avoid her.

Well, Kisame supposed he didn't really have to worry about human contact any longer. Upon agreeing to working for Madara's organisation, he'd been assigned a partner and much to his amusement, it was none other than the infamous Uchiha Itachi, otherwise known as the kid who'd massacred his entire clan.

"I'll be teaming up with you starting today," he informed the still figure resting at the end of a pier.

Until that moment, the dark-haired man had been peacefully staring out at the sea, arm resting on his bent upwards knee comfortably. Kisame almost felt bad for interrupting the peace, for he also enjoyed time by the water, relishing in the salty air or the sounds of the gulls as they flew above the water, hoping for a fish to reveal themselves. It amused him sometimes when they were devoured by the sharks lurking beneath the surface that were also on the hunt for food.

He didn't look as young as Kisame had imagined him being, the lines on his face suggesting a stressful life. Though, he supposed, slaughtering a whole clan in a single night for seemingly no reason was a red flag that something wasn't quite right in a person's mind. That was probably why he looked older than he was.

Only when Itachi glanced over his shoulder at him did he continue introducing himself. "I'm Hoshigaki Kisame. Formerly belonging to Kirigakure, also ex-member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Pleased to meet you."

Silence.

So, he was one of those guys. No bother, Kisame thought to himself. He wasn't opposed to taking charge if the clan murderer happened to be intimidated by him, though he would get a reaction one way or another.

"And you are Uchiha Itachi. Formerly of Konoha, defecting after slaughtering your clansmen."

Again, silence.

But that time, Itachi faced forward once more, seemingly dismissing him.

Kisame refused to react, instead pushing on in his reading of the younger man, more determined than ever to get a reaction so that they each knew where they stood. "I understand you well. That's the reason why I agreed to teaming up with you in Akatsuki."

Nothing.

His lips split into a sadistic grin, revealing his razor-sharp teeth. "The sensation that comes from killing your own comrade is indescribable, isn't it, Itachi-san?"

"You talk a lot."

Finally.

The Uchiha's voice was deeper than he'd expected for being so young, he noted. "You may know a lot about me, but what about yourself?"

Oh? Was he trying to turn the situation around? How interesting.

"You got lost in Kirigakure and ended up here. You're just a thug who couldn't figure out where to go. Isn't that so?"

Kisame's grin vanished, eyes narrowing as the words hit too close to home. The thought of Itachi knowing he was lost or troubled displeased him greatly, especially considering he failed to view the whole forest.

Also, it wasn't as he'd predicted. The fact that he allowed Samehada to touch him meant he didn't view Kisame as a threat.

It would be a battle for control.

He was vaguely surprised a big name like Uchiha Itachi didn't dodge as he reached for Samehada, because he was certain that a person who was capable of committing such unforgivable crimes, would be wiser or more alert. Alas, he managed to place his sword onto the boy's shoulder, hand twitching with the urge to take his head off there and then.

"Do you want to know something interesting?" he questioned, his sneer returning at their clashing. "Some sharks are ovoviviparous, which means the eggs hatch inside the female's body, then are born. However, with some kinds of sharks, the numbers of eggs that hatch don't add up to the number of pups born. Do you know why?"

In response to his building ire and discontent, several sharks revealed themselves in the sea Itachi had been enjoying, swimming beneath him threateningly. Should he wish to, Kisame could have effortlessly kicked him into the water, allowing them to feast on him. It would be quite the spectacle.

"Cannibalism." There was no amusement within him or in his grin. Just straight up malice that he knew the Uchiha would not miss. "When the eggs hatch, the pups resort to cannibalising their siblings in their mother's belly. From the moment that they are born, the fratricide begins. Other than itself, every other pup is fodder."

Like we all are.

Images of the comrades he'd been ordered to slaughter ran through his mind, solidifying his ideals, embedding them deeply into his heart and mind.

They were all fodder to their villages, utilized while they were useful then cast aside, or in some cases eliminated, the moment they showed vulnerability or indications that they were drifting.

He supposed the same could be said to Akatsuki. For the sake of Madara's goal of changing the world, of creating a world of truth, he would once more be utilised.

"From today, you and I belong to Akatsuki. Please be wary of me."

And then he sensed it. The same powerful shift in the air, in the Uchiha's eyes, as that man's from a while back. The change that told Kisame to never look into Itachi's eyes, despite having followed the same instincts previously and still falling victim to it. It was no ordinary sharingan, just as that man's hadn't been. It was a product of their darkness.

And he hadn't even seen Itachi's yet.

Briefly, he wondered if Itachi had also killed the one who'd ensnared him, though there was no time to fully indulge in the thought or the implications.

He took his following warning seriously.

"That goes for you too."

Perhaps Uchiha Itachi wouldn't die so easily, then. Maybe he would even be useful to him.

Chuckling at the realisation he'd met his match, Kisame returned Samehada to his back. "Anyway, let's have fun together and hope that we're not the last two facing each other."

But it seemed the Uchiha wouldn't drop their former conversation now that Kisame had evidently finished saying his piece. Was that how he functioned, he wondered? Was Itachi one who remained silent until all was said and done, then stated his own opinion or side of things? It certainly explained his silence up until that moment, as well as his allowing Samehada to touch him, despite its infamous reputation.

It seemed Uchiha Itachi had been sizing him up.

He grinned again.

"Anyone who has raised their hand against a comrade, even once, never dies a decent death," Itachi informed him while standing, eyes closed like he was resigning himself to working with Kisame. "Remember that."

How amusing, such a young boy possessing such deep, dark thoughts. "Which means you and I are both worthless."

A face empty of features framed with lusciously long hair flashed through his mind, throwing Kisame off balance for a moment in their battle of wills, until he forced it from his mind.

"No," he disagreed calmly. "We aren't fish. We are human."

His grin once more vanished. Somehow, somewhere, he'd heard those words before – or words along those lines, at least. But where? And by who? What was that face just now that filled his mind with unsettling nostalgia? Why couldn't he get it back?

"No matter who you are, you do not know what kind of human you are until the very end."

Kisame couldn't respond, not even as Itachi walked away with the last word, his mind almost burning with the pressure as he tried to remember the strange woman's face.

A/N - I'm doing my best not to write from the anime word for word, but since this is currently sticking kinda close to canon for now, it's a bit of a struggle. Regardless, hope all enjoyed!