Chapter 22: Talk
The Cutty Sark crew was utterly exhausted. The remains of Tamatoa's Horde were shrinking into the distance. Good Riddance as far as most of them were concerned. Not helping their mood was the fact that their best healer was unavailable. Out of all the injured, he was in the worst shape. At the very least, Sasori had made sure he was out of danger. Once he woke up, the Ninja was honestly eager to discuss Hanataro's treatment with him. After all, he'd never made a prosthetic for a Soul Reaper before. It'd be a wonderful challenge to distract him from losing Circe. Oh yeah, Circe was gone, did I mention that? If it wasn't for just how devastating the previous battle was, the rest of the crew would've had his hide. Anyway, Sasori was currently screwing his Third Kazekage back together in the lower levels.
Next to him, Franky was having to buff out his own face, what with Cipactli briefly squeezing it. Beside him, the General Franky had a gaping hole where the cyborg had been ripped out of it. That would certainly take some time to repair.
On the opposite of the ship, Usopp had taken position at the Crow's Nest, nervously glancing up at the green sky. When it came to injuries though, he'd gotten off with nothing more than scrapes and bruises from when Cipactli had directly assaulted the ship.
Also on lookout were Apacci and Juvia. Aside from exhaustion, the Wizard had managed to avoid any physical energy. As for the Hollow, she hadn't suffered anything beyond what a few bandages could fix.
The last person on deck was Nami, currently at the helm due to Jinbe still recovering from the fight. Remarkably enough, she hadn't suffered a single scratch in that final bout with Cipactli's avatar. Something which Apacci didn't seem to appreciate, if the 'evil eye' she was giving was any indication. Anyway, Nami was a little perplexed. She couldn't feel the wind on her face. Looking to the side, she saw that there was wind, given how the waves were rolling and the sails flapping. Shaking her head, Nami chalked it up to whatever that dark green in the sky was. Maybe a good meal could set her mind at ease.
Speaking of which, Sanji and Mirajane were in the kitchen. The Pirate was currently using crutches with one leg in a cast. Mirajane had one arm in a sling. She'd nearly passed out when her hand was twisted back into position. Not a word passed between the two as they focused on making dinner, doing their best not to think about their fellow cook.
In the infirmary, Brook was watching over the last three patients. Well, he was trying, struggling with just how exhausted he was after pushing his Devil Fruit for so long. Hanataro was still out like a light. Miraculously enough, Hisagomaru had shown back up at his side once things settled down. Sasori's magnetic Iron Sand may or may not have had something to do with that. Concerning Tsuyu, she was just now starting to stir. As for their 'guest', Grimmjow had already woken up, groaning as he rubbed the bandages over his midsection, where Cipactli had slashed him.
"Ugh…what the hell happened?" His confusion was understandable, considering the last thing he saw was Cipactli charging headlong at the overturned ship.
"Oh," Brook shook himself awake. "Well…we managed to get the ship up and running."
"No duh!" Grimmjow shouted. "I meant that damn crocodile!"
"Well, from what I heard…Jinbe shattered its tail, Kisame chopped off its legs, and Halibel sliced it in half before blasting it to oblivion," Brook recalled as he counted off with his fingers.
"Holy shit," the former Espada started to stand up. "Where are they now?"
In Jinbe's room, the Fishman, Hollow, and Ninja were all sitting around a steadily dwindling bottle of sake. Kisame was the only one who managed to avoid needing treatment, thanks to Samehada's healing. Said sword was snoozing in the corner, all tuckered out. Jinbe left hand was all wrapped up, minus one missing finger. Halibel had the worst of it, with her whole midsection having to be wrapped up.
"Kisame, do you mind if I ask you a question?" Halibel broke the silence.
"What about?" the Ninja cautiously asked.
"Well," she hesitated. "When I was fighting Kakuzu, he said something."
Kisame raised an eyebrow, but he egged her to go on.
"I know you don't like talking about your old world, so I'm sorry. But I have to know," Halibel gave an apologetic look. "He called you 'the monster your old village made to kill snitches'."
Taking a deep breath, the Ninja downed the rest of his sake. "I know you've both been wondering ever since White Castle…so just come out and say it."
Jinbe's grip on his armchair tightened. "Was Kakuzu telling the truth?"
"Yeah," Kisame said in an unusually morose tone.
A moment of silence.
"Will…will you let me ask just one more question?" Halibel quietly asked.
"What?"
"Once you left the Mist…did you ever murder a comrade again?"
"No, I did not."
Halibel took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright…I believe you. Thank you for answering. It really does put my mind at ease."
Kisame gazed at her for a bit, before shaking his head and pouring himself another sake. Having someone trust him this much was unusual enough to warrant a drink.
Jinbe himself was torn. His own mind certainly wasn't put at ease. If anything, he almost paled at the implications.
Kisame noticed, and came to a decision.
"Jinbe, I'll tell you everything. No more beating around the bush," he suggested after downing his cup. "Though we might need another bottle."
The Fishman was noticeably taken aback. Even Halibel looked surprised.
"Why the sudden willingness?" Jinbe couldn't help but wonder.
"Those Zombies got me thinking…or maybe it's the booze." Kisame shrugged in an attempt to sound casual. His eyes wandered back to Samehada. Next to it was his Akatsuki cloak, almost torn to shreds. Pausing a moment, he turned back to the conversation.
"That fight with the crocodile…you really pulled through for us, huh Halibel?"
"If you say so…" she wondered where he was going with this.
"But…if Hanataro hadn't been there, you wouldn't have…not after taking on Hidan and Kakuzu," Kisame pondered. "We'd have been down one of our best when Cipactli came at us."
Another pause.
"To put it simply, I don't want to leave things to chance like that again…not when I can help it," Kisame got a serious look. "We can't afford to waste our time or strength on people from our worlds when something like Cipactli is after us. And the way this Sea works…I'm sure we'll be seeing the rest of my 'colleagues'."
"Kisame," Halibel's voice became more firm. "I don't want you reliving your past just because you feel like you have to."
"It's fine," Kisame took another sip of sake.
"For what it's worth," Jinbe interjected. "I'm honored that you trust me enough to talk about it."
"Yeah, yeah…" the Ninja waved his hand, although there was still a slight smirk.
Kisame's expression became more neutral as he began. "First thing you need to understand about my world…is that most of our history is nothing but bloodshed. For a long time, Ninjas only came from gifted clans. These clans were constantly in conflict with each other."
Halibel couldn't help but mentally compare the 'dog-eat-dog' setting to that of Hueco Mundo.
"Eventually, some of those clans started to unite and come to an agreement, with their combined strength finally bringing the first recorded years of peace. To maintain this, one of those alliances had the bright idea of creating a Hidden Village under the rule and protection of a Kage…where Ninja could be trained in peace and learn the values of camaraderie. Lot of people claim they were the first with the idea, but from what I heard…it was Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha who created the first Village, the Hidden Leaf."
While Jinbe liked the sound of what the Hidden Villages could do for a conflict-ridden world, he was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Before that though…
"Uchiha…isn't that the Family name of your partner?" Jinbe wondered.
"Yep…I don't really know Leaf history in depth…so you'll have to ask him yourself," Kisame continued.
"Shortly after that, 5 Great Shinobi Villages had finally established themselves. The Leaf's Hokage, Sand's Kazekage, Rock's Tsuchikage, Cloud's Raikage, and the Mist's Mizukage…where I'm from."
Kisame's mood darkened. "It didn't take long before the 1st Shinobi World War began. All the Hidden Villages did was bring war to a whole new scale. Ninjas were organized into armies under the Kage. New Jutsu and weapons were created. Take Samehada for instance," he gestured to said blade.
"The 1st Mizukage, Byakuren, created her and six other Ninja Swords to be the Mist's ace in the hole in that 1st War. And it worked to the point of keeping our borders secure, but not quite enough to fulfill his dream of securing a land empire," Kisame revealed. "And those 7 swords became the mark of the Mist's most elite…the Seven Ninja Swordsmen…excepting the Mizukage of course."
"Anyway, the war never really ended. Sure, there was negotiated peace and treaties, but it didn't take very long for the next World War to start up. The Mist was starting to get desperate to find a way to consistently make soldiers that could finally give them that decisive lead against the other Villages. And that's the situation I was born into…"
Both his listeners were at the edge of their seats.
"Honestly, with my appearance, being a Ninja was the only career path available. At least, the only respectable one," Kisame mused.
Jinbe felt the need to finish off his own drink, being uncomfortable at the reminder of such prejudice. He poured more for himself.
"So, I went to the Academy, got pretty good grades, made a friend or two who thought my looks were the coolest thing," Kisame went on.
Halibel did not like where this was going.
"Then, the Graduation Exam. See, near the end of his reign, the 3rd Mizukage was looking for a way to make better soldiers. So, he came up with an idea. Every student would have to kill at least one of their friends…to show they had what it takes to be a 'great ninja'. It was kill or be killed."
Halibel looked furious at the idea, while Jinbe's eyes widened in horror. Needless to say, they'd love to get their hands on this 3rd Mizukage.
"Apparently, I impressed the proctors enough that I was chosen to be an apprentice to one of the Seven Swordsmen, Fuguki Suikazan."
Samehada chittered at the name.
"Sensei kept me by his side until he felt that I learned all I could before taking to the field. Then, once I'd proven I could handle myself, he gave me a…special assignment."
Kisame paused again.
"See, the Mist felt that it absolutely could not let its Ninja fall into the hands of other villages. So, I was assigned to be that guarantee…repeatedly."
The room was dead quiet. Halibel and Jinbe were smart enough to get the implication. The Fishman found himself starting to compare Kisame's old situation with that of the worst rumors associated with the Cipher Pol.
"The last assignment like that was guarding the Cypher Corps. We were found out by Leaf Ninja. When we couldn't run, I did what I'd been trained to do. But there was this one woman, Miru. She wanted to socialize with me, even tried to ask me out for dinner before everything went to hell," Kisame gave an incredibly bitter laugh.
"When I cut her down, I told her my assignment. Everyone else I'd been assigned to had either begged or cursed me, and I expected no different. Miru, she just smiled…and pitied me. Me, her own killer."
The Ninja's voice had become uncharacteristically quiet, and he didn't speak for a whole minute. Halibel reached out a hand, but Kisame gave her a sharp look. "I don't need your pity too. Hers was quite enough for me."
"Anyway," he continued. "That shook me enough that I started digging around. I wanted to find out why I had to do what I did. Turns out, my own Sensei was the one who sold us out."
Jinbe couldn't stop himself from gasping.
"So, I did what I'd been trained to do. I lured him out to a trap and skewered him right through that bloated gut of his," Kisame spat out.
Jinbe felt sick to his stomach, not wanting to even imagine his own mentor, Fisher Tiger, betraying him like that...or how he'd handle it.
"I took Samehada as my own, and was just about to leave the Village. Then, the 4th Mizukage showed up, congratulating me for doing the Mist's 'dirty work'. I saw no way out with him there, so I wondered how I could escape this Ninja world of lies where comrade killed comrade. That was when Madara Uchiha, who'd been controlling the Mizukage, showed up with an offer. He asked me to join his Akatsuki in a plan to create true peace."
"Akatsuki?" Halibel wondered. "What kind of a 'true peace' could be obtained by working with people like Hidan and Kakuzu?"
"Our goal meant that all the Hidden Villages were our enemy, so we had to ally with whatever strong outcasts we could," Kisame glanced again to his torn black cloak with red clouds.
"So, after establishing our organization's reputation and money base, we set out on our final goal. We aimed to take 9 Tailed Beasts of incredible power from the Villages. Combining their strength would give Madara the ability to create an Infinite Tsukuyomi…a worldwide illusion that would finally give me a 'world without lies'."
Halibel twitched at the thought of this Madara. A man with the power of illusion finding Kisame in the depths of despair and promising a new, better world. The parallels were quite unsettling to say the least.
"Is this when you met Itachi?" Jinbe deliberately avoided the contradiction of the words 'illusion' and 'world without lies'.
"Yeah…the Akatsuki had us do missions in teams of two, and Itachi was assigned as my partner," Kisame gave a genuine smile for the first time in his retelling.
"Did you succeed?" Halibel asked.
"I don't know," the Ninja looked down. "After Itachi died, there were only two Tailed Beasts left to collect, but thanks to previous botched attempts, the Villages tightened security around them and prepared to go to war with Akatsuki. So I was assigned a mission to fake my death in a fight with the Eight Tails. I hid in Samehada, which he took for a prize, and I listened to every war meeting and strategic conference he went to. His brother was the Raikage and Commander-in-Chief of the Shinobi Alliance, so I got everything I needed."
"Then, I was discovered by the Nine Tails' host and his fellow Leaf Ninja. One was able to beat me and brought me back for interrogation. They were scanning my mind for Akatsuki's secrets."
Kisame took a deep breath.
"I had no other choice, so I bit off my own tongue to stop the mind-reading, broke free long enough to create a Water Prison for myself, and had my Shark Summons devour me."
With that, Kisame finished his drink. Jinbe looked particularly downcast.
Halibel swirled her own sake. "I heard Sasori talk about this Edo Tensei Jutsu that brought people back from the dead to fight for them…did that ever happen to you?"
Kisame shook his head. "No. Thank God, I only got one life in the Ninja World. One minute, the sharks are closing in. The next, I'm falling from the sky and land in front of you."
Another long silence.
"Kisame, I won't offer you pity," Halibel looked him straight in the eye. "But I can offer you understanding. I know what it's like to be forced to kill your own kind. I know that feeling of wanting to do anything to stop that." Her own mind wandered back to the day where she knelt before Aizen.
He gave her a puzzled look.
"Hollows…are not the most compassionate of creatures. From the second our souls transform, we are consumed by hunger. I don't know how many centuries it was until I regained a consciousness as an Adjuchas. But even then, I had no choice but to keep killing and devouring my own people," Halibel recalled.
"At some point, my body changed into that of a Vasto Lorde. That meant that I didn't have to consume any more Hollows. I wouldn't grow in strength anymore like the other few Vasto Lorde, but that didn't matter to me then. I was just glad to no longer be bound to my hunger."
Halibel took a sip.
"But there was always something missing. Something I couldn't pin down for centuries."
Once again, Kisame and Jinbe were reminded just how old and world-weary Halibel was.
"Then, I heard a woman screaming. It was Sung-Sun. She was being attacked by a male Hollow. It would've overpowered her too. But for some reason, seeing that sparked something in me," Halibel sighed at the memory.
"Maybe it was my own selfish desire for a companion, maybe I was just sick of Hollows doing nothing but killing and devouring each other, maybe I wanted to see if I could gain more power as part of a pack. Even now, I'm not sure what I was thinking then."
Halibel briefly looked out the window, wondering once again where her two companions were.
"The two of us travelled together for some time. After all, female Hollows are usually seen as easy prey, so it was only natural. Along the way, we picked up Mila Rose and Apacci. Then, we ran afoul of Baraggan, the God-King of Hueco Mundo. He sent some of his men after us for daring to try and live outside his rule," she paused.
"Even though it was a losing battle, those three stuck with me. We would've all died, until Sōsuke Aizen showed up."
The glass in Halibel's hand shattered, she was holding it so tight. "Sorry," she quickly grabbed the broken glass and scooped it all up into the trash. Once she sat back, Kisame had already gotten her another glass and filled it up. She swallowed the whole thing in one go, giving him a grateful look.
"Aizen offered me the strength to protect those three girls if I joined him. I was so grateful, and I had the hope that this might be the way to finally change Hueco Mundo."
She unzipped her collar.
"He turned me into an Arrancar, giving me this human body and strength beyond what any Hollow could naturally achieve. This mask is all that remains of my old Hollow form." She gestured to said mask before pointing to the tattoo on her breast. "I was ranked 3rd Espada in his army of Arrancar, and I was marked as so."
She began pushing her bandages apart, revealing a long scar under her left breast.
"When our army had finally taken the offensive against the Soul Reapers, their Captains were managing to beat the other Espada. So, Aizen said he was done with me, and cut me down…here." Her fingers traced the scar, trying her best to mask the anger at the memory.
"When I came to, Soul Society had already defeated Aizen. By some miracle, my girls and I were the only survivors of that battle…at least on our side. Because of that, I was now the strongest Hollow left alive…so I became Queen of Hueco Mundo by default."
Halibel poured the last of the bottle into her cup, and was quiet as she sipped.
"Did you get to see the Hueco Mundo you wanted?" Kisame asked, genuinely curious.
Halibel seemed to actually consider that. "Well, at the very least, I managed to make sure Hollows and Soul Reapers stopped slaughtering each other in droves. And my girls were finally able to live out their lives in peace after things took a few years to settle down." She deliberately skipped over her ordeal with Yhwach…there'd be time to discuss that later.
"Heh…well cheers to you for making your own 'world without lies'," Kisame raised his own glass, getting a bit tipsy.
"Huh…you were right," Jinbe got up.
"Wha..?" Halibel didn't get to finish.
"We did need another bottle," Jinbe set it down. Both Kisame and Halibel started chuckling despite themselves.
"You know," the Fishman mused. "Both of you have sacrificed so much for the worlds you wanted, maybe that's why I was drawn to you two."
"You sure it wasn't for our stunning good looks?" Kisame laughed as he pointed at his and Halibel's teeth, earning a low chuckle from the others.
"Seriously though," Halibel settled down. "What about you, Jinbe?"
"With all your talk of comrades…this might sound strange to you, but I think my biggest regret is not killing one of my comrades when I had the chance." Jinbe looked down, almost ashamed at admitting such a thing.
Kisame and Halibel were just surprised that Jinbe, of all people, was the one saying it.
"Fishmen…are not the most favored people in my world. The World Government was dominated by humans ever since its creation hundreds of years ago. It did nothing to stop the feelings of prejudice and fear against my people. Even worse, it ALWAYS turned a blind eye whenever one of us was enslaved. That's not to say Human slaves didn't suffer just as much, but our kind was seen as 'exotic goods' as it were. The going price for us was 1 Million Beri…for the 'average' specimen."
Even the hardened Kisame got quiet at the thought of slavery. He took a sip to steel himself. "Were you...?"
"No…I was raised an orphan on Fishman Island. But the situation between the humans and fishmen utterly dominated our way of life…and fed a cycle of hatred between our people. We had no choice but to stay hidden at the bottom of the ocean…hoping beyond hope to one day live in the sun."
Kisame found himself pausing at that phrase, 'cycle of hatred'.
"One day, a man I looked up to, Fisher Tiger, returned to Fishman Island. He had just burned down Mariejois, the World Government's Holy City, and freed all the slaves there, including himself," Jinbe recalled just how young and eager he'd been when he heard the news.
"So, I resigned from King Neptune's Royal Army and joined up with Tiger's Sun Pirates," Jinbe paused for a sip. "Quite a few former slaves joined us. So, to hide them from the W.G., Tiger came up with an idea."
The Fishman bared his chest, the Sun Pirates' tattoo plain to see. "Every slave had been branded with a symbol of the ruling Celestial Dragons. So, everyone in the crew got the brand to hide it…making sure the Marines could never know which of us were the slaves they were looking to reclaim."
"We spent a few years raiding and striking back against the Humans, but Tiger made it clear we were NEVER to kill them. That'd make us no better," Jinbe took a sip.
Granted, Kisame and Halibel didn't really understand Fisher Tiger's reasoning, but they accepted it.
"I even got my very first bounty," Jinbe remembered just how proud most of the crew was for him. "Around that time, we were asked to bring an ex-slave girl named Koala back home. She was…mentally…she still acted like a slave. She just kept smiling and apologizing for her own wounds making a mess."
Kisame and Halibel downed their sake, trying not to think about such an image.
"It took Tiger branding the Sun Pirates' symbol over her own mark, and him throwing away his pistol, to show that she really was free. It was only then that Koala became our friend, but she loved Fisher Tiger most of all."
Jinbe's small smile began to fade.
"We finally reached Koala's home. Tiger dropped her off. The Marines were waiting for him afterward. Apparently, the civilians had sold him out in exchange for them never taking Koala as a slave again."
The table started to crack under both his friends' grip.
"The fight mortally wounded him. Due to his own experience, he couldn't bring himself to accept human blood to save his life, but he begged us not to tell the world what happened, wanting the next generation to be free of this 'cycle of hatred'…even though he couldn't free himself."
Jinbe quickly rubbed his watery eyes, taking a swig.
"But there was one crewmate, Arlong. He simply could not accept that. After Tiger's death, his hatred for humans consumed him. He went on a rampage, and spread the lie that the Humans had deliberately denied Tiger the blood transfusion. The Marines quickly caught him."
"At the same time, I became the next Captain of the Sun Pirates, making a name for myself. Taking notice, the W.G. offered me a position of Warlord. My crew and I would be given full pardons, which meant my men could go back home to their families again, in exchange for me only plundering other pirates and doing the occasional task for the W.G, while also acting as a deterrent to other pirates. In my hope of bridging the gap between Humans and Fishmen, I accepted."
Jinbe sighed, regret beginning to become evident.
"As a result, Arlong was released. But he ranted and raved at me for becoming a 'government dog'…saying that I dishonored Tiger's memory. He made it absolutely clear to me that he would rather go to a Pirate crew of his own, and that he would embody the hatred of the Fishmen towards Humans. He even egged me on to kill him then and there, or forever stay my hand."
Jinbe tightly gripped his near-empty glass.
"I beat him to a bloody pulp, but I couldn't bring myself to stop him. Even after all this time, I still saw Arlong as a brother."
He gulped down before reaching for the bottle, filling his own cup back up.
"Years later, I found out what happened to him. Arlong had gone into the East Blue, taken over a small village, shot a woman dead, and basically enslaved her daughter for nearly a decade…all to assert his superiority over an 'inferior race'. "
Jinbe bowed his head in shame.
"That girl is at the helm right now."
"Nami?" Halibel's eyes widened.
"Damn hypocrite," Kisame spat in indignation.
"I'll admit," Jinbe hesitantly called out to the Ninja's attention. "One of the reasons I was so cautious around you for so long…you reminded me of Arlong. That bloodlust and resentment of the world you both share…I'm sorry that I made assumptions about you off of that, but I didn't want to get burned again by a crewmate."
"It's all right," Kisame waved it off and scooped up his cup, his other hand supporting his head. "Still, I'll give Nami some space for now."
"Thank you, and don't worry about Nami too much…she even forgave me after all," Jinbe chuckled.
"No, there was nothing to forgive," Halibel reassured the Fishman. "He was like a brother to you…and I don't think anyone wants to imagine family doing something so horrible. You couldn't have known."
"Maybe you're right…or maybe I should've hardened my heart then and there. Too late for that now," Jinbe gulped down.
And the second 'Jinbe-size' Sake bottle was now empty.
"I don't know about either of you, but I think that's enough of that sort of talk for one day," Kisame stood up and grabbed Samehada.
The ship shifted in the waves, sending the Ninja stumbling. Even Halibel and Jinbe had to grab the table so they wouldn't fall down.
"Wow…that really is the good stuff," Kisame chuckled.
"Well, I have been called a Sake connoisseur by my crew," Jinbe shrugged.
"Oh…so this is what happens after drinking so much?" Halibel wondered aloud.
"Wait…Hueco Mundo didn't have any sake?" the Fishman asked.
"Nope," Halibel confirmed, earning a downright offended look from Jinbe. "Anything of the sort had to be brought in from the Human World or Soul Society in small quantities. So I never had the luxury of indulging myself, only having around a cup at a time."
"Oh man," Kisame chuckled. "You're definitely not going to enjoy tomorrow morning."
"Why?" Halibel just sounded confused.
"Don't tell her," Jinbe gave a crooked grin…a rare show of mischief. "She should find out on her own, just like we did."
"Alright, alright," Kisame held up his hands in surrender. He took a few steps. "Jinbe, next time we have a drink…you better tell us how you became a Straw Hat. I want to know just how you got mixed up with these clowns," he chuckled.
"I'll let you know if I find a good bottle at the next island," Jinbe promised.
"But seriously, once we're all sober, I'd like to get the whole crew together. I'll tell you all everything I know about any Kage, Akatsuki, and every Jōnin worth a damn," Kisame reminded them. "At least so you'll know who to look out for.
"I'll do the same for every dangerous Pirate or Marine I can think of," Jinbe promised.
"Once I tell you about everyone I know, I'll try and persuade Hanataro to open up about his superiors in Soul Society," Halibel assured them. "And Kisame…"
The Ninja paused.
"I'm grateful that you're trusting us with this. Perhaps…this is the first step in giving you your 'world without lies'," Halibel didn't really know why she said that, but she did regardless.
Kisame's face turned a very interesting shade of purple. "Right…well, umm…maybe," he settled for that and reached for the door.
"One more thing," Halibel stood up. "When we were fighting Cipactli, right as I got slashed, I thought I heard someone call out my first name." She looked Kisame right in the eye. "Was that you?"
The Ninja shook his head a little too hard and tried laughing it off. "What are talking about? It's really rude to address someone by their first name, isn't it? And besides, I know you can take care of yourself. Worrying about you would just be insulting, wouldn't it?"
Now, both Halibel and Jinbe were staring at him.
There was a noise behind the door. 'Oh Look, Convenient Distraction,' Kisame thought. He opened up.
"Hi there, Grimmjow! How you doing, buddy? Great! You know, I should take on a tour of the ship, let you get to know the place! Come on! Time's a wasting!"
By the time the former 6th Espada comprehended the words, he was already being dragged back out to the deck. "Wait! How…what…why?"
Back inside, Halibel turned back to Jinbe. "It was Kisame, wasn't it?"
"It was totally him," the Fishman only lasted a second before he started laughing. It was contagious, as Halibel started chuckling too.
"Anyway," Jinbe tried to sound serious again. "I do feel like I should thank you. I'm not sure Kisame would've ever opened up or trusted us without you pushing him."
Halibel shook her head. "Please, it was a group effort. You're overestimating my importance in the matter."
"I don't think so," Jinbe gave a small knowing smile as he disposed of the now-empty sake bottles.
"Well…you were still willing to give him a chance, and that's what was really important," Halibel countered.
"It was you trusting him that sold it to me. I'm…still not sure what happened between you two around Shipwreck Cove, but something changed," Jinbe recalled.
"He…promised to help me find my three girls again. I just knew that he meant it," Halibel remembered.
"Well, I suppose that he did make it clear that he's a man of his word," Jinbe conceded.
"Although, I also promised that I'd give him a one-on-one fight afterwards," the Hollow gave a little smirk under her mask.
"Okay, now that sounds more like it," Jinbe laughed.
"And Jinbe," Halibel paused as she decided to head on out. "Thank you for giving both of us a chance."
The Fishman chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I suppose your desire to reunite with your girls reminded me of myself desiring my own crew. And I could tell you were a good person."
"Hmm…you're honestly the first person I know who assumed that about a Hollow," Halibel mused.
Jinbe simply raised an eyebrow.
"Anyway, I really should get some rest," Halibel walked out.
"You and me both," the Fishman agreed as he collapsed onto his wonderfully soft bed.
OoOoOoO
Later, after dropping off an incredibly confused and dizzy Grimmjow in the dining room, Kisame went back to his room.
Even now, he wasn't entirely sure what had just happened. He had absolutely NEVER bared his soul like that in his first life. Maybe the Sake was just that strong…
The Ninja had been trained to consider himself as an emotionless tool, as his old comrade Zabuza would constantly remind him of. So why?
Regardless, he'd made the decision not to have his crew walking in blind against anyone from the Ninja World. Not if he could help it.
Kisame paused as he came to a realization. 'His crew'. He'd just called this bunch of crazies 'his crew'.
He looked down at his torn Akatsuki cloak. Then, his eyes wandered to the window, watching as the waves rose and fell.
For the briefest moment, he felt the temptation to just throw the cloak out the window.
He reconsidered, letting the cloak fall to the floor. Besides, even he wouldn't stoop so low as to litter in the ocean. Trash should be properly disposed of after all.
"TIME FOR DINNER!"
"Oh, that's Mirajane," Kisame got up, kicking the cloak into the corner while he strapped Samehada on.
"Raurgh!"
"I'm sure I can find something for you too," Kisame assured his sword.
"Chi-chi-chi!"
"Don't worry, Apacci can shoot that cannon of hers at ya."
"Urgh!"
"Come on, Halibel needs her rest. It'll probably be a couple of days before she can use a Cero, so be patient."
"RAH!"
"Look…you can either have Apacci's Reishi…or no Reishi at all, your choice."
"Raww."
"That's what I thought."
As Kisame left his room, his Akatsuki cloak sat in the corner, left behind in the dark as the closing door cut off the light from the hallway.
Omake: Halibel Vs. Writer
Halibel was utterly furious as she stomped her way off set. She was currently dragging Kisame along (quite literally) to have a 'word' with the Bleach screenwriters.
"I mean, REALLY?!" she ranted. Kisame got back up, and quickly started rubbing her shoulders.
"Alrighty, let's calm down. You'll get nothing done at this rate."
"You're right, I've always been more effective at terrifying people when I'm quiet," the Hollow decided.
"That's the spirit!"
Patting her hair down (only for it to floof back up), Halibel took a deep breath and opened the door to the office.
"Welcome, Mrs. Halibel, I've been expecting you," the office chair swiveled around.
"YOU!" Halibel screamed, the only reason she didn't run forward was Kisame giving her a full nelson.
"Wait a minute, since when could characters write for their own shows?" the Ninja asked confused.
The writer stood up, and was none other than Sōsuke Aizen, in all his gelled-up and smug glory. "My dear Ninja, since when were you under the impression that I wasn't the writer for Bleach?"
"NO! NO! NO! Don't you DARE pull that 'It's all going according to plan' BULLSHIT! I am sick and tired of you using that excuse to cut my scenes!"
"But it is not bullshit," Aizen kept that infuriatingly calm demeanor. "After all, it's true. I'd have thought you'd learn that lesson by now."
"GRRRARRGH!" Halibel had now devolved to angry gibberish.
"Come on, Tia," Kisame pulled her out the office. "If there's one thing the Uchiha taught me, it's 'Don't feed the Troll.'
It took a few minutes, but Halibel calmed down. She was still glaring though. "Just for not letting me at him, you're sleeping on the couch tonight."
"Whoa there, I never said you couldn't get back at him…just be patient about it. Besides, I've got an idea…"
Kisame whispered into Halibel's ear. The longer it went on, the more evil Halibel's expression looked.
"Kisame, you're a genius."
OoOoOoO
A few days later, Aizen had just finished filming his first scene with Yhwach. Work was done for the day, so the Bleach crew began to pack up so the next crew could use the stage. That is, most of them were packing.
"Umm, guys?"
Nobody was doing anything to take Aizen out of his chair.
"Hello? I'm still here! Can somebody untie me?"
Turns out, the Bleach director owed a favor to OceanLord, so a word with his cast convinced him to call it in. In fact, it was taking extraordinary effort on everyone's part not to bust out laughing. Besides, he had it coming anyway.
Before he knew it, Aizen was left all alone.
That is, until the next movie crew came in for filming.
"I can't believe it! They're actually going to let us use all these props for free?"
"Yep! And they've even got an animatronic man in a chair for us to play with!"
Aizen's situation began to dawn on him.
"It's going to be so cool Mr. Director!"
"Yes indeed, Mr. Producer!"
"Excuse me, but what film is this?" Aizen desperately prayed for a rom-com.
"Oh, it talks! Well, Mr. Robot. It is…" the producer stopped for dramatic effect.
"Sharknado Infinity: Rise of the Ninja Sharks!"
"Let me out! LET ME OUT!" Aizen struggled, but Chair-sama was stronger than him.
"Alright…3, 2, 1! READY WHEN YOU ARE!"
Aizen looked up at the ceiling towards where the director shouted.
"Oh no."
And Kisame and Halibel were up there, giving him audaciously pleasant smiles. The Hollow even waved at him.
"And…ACTION!"
Then, they did their thing. Some Water here, a Summoning there, and the wonders of modern filmmaking tech right there.
Aizen, still stuck to his chair, was pulled into the 'Ninja Sharknado' by the artificial wind. "FFFFUUUU…" And his curse was drowned as he began to spin around with Kisame's sharks…like a screaming sock in a washing machine…with sharks.
Up above, Halibel gave Kisame an affectionate squeeze. "Best idea ever."
"I try."
Far away, as he filmed a fight with the Beast Pirates, Jinbe felt like he was missing something right now.
A.N. Alrighty, this chapter was a struggle to get out…even if it was a bit shorter. I don't know if it was just the lack of action, or because most of it was a long conversation. To be honest, this is my first time writing a conversation that long. Let me know how it turned out. I hope it at least came off as natural.
Now, as much as I love showing off other crews and future villains. At the end of the day, this story is about Kisame Hoshigaki, Tia Halibel, and Jinbe. I felt a conversation like this between the three of them was overdue. Granted, I was mostly going over stuff you probably already know, but I felt it relevant to go over that, if only to have the reactions from the others. But let me know if you think this came too soon, or not soon enough. At the very least, I wanted to solidly establish the sort of relationship they have…and let each other know what they've been through. If it came too soon for your tastes well…you can just blame the sake.
Expect the next few chapters (aside from a possible interlude) to be more chill than usual...so I can have the chance to really get into this crew. Granted, there might be a few short fights, but it'll be a while before we do something on the scale of Tamatoa's Horde again.
Til Next Time…Have Fun! Stay Safe!
