((Hi, guys! Sorry this took so long to update! I've been so busy! But while i was home sick from school, I decided to update this quickly. I know that this may seem a little rushed, but I promise to work on a longer chapter hopefully this weekend. Reviews are welcome! Tell me what you think!))

Chapter 4:
Day 2: Afternoon
Only a Real Man Wears Pink

"Kisame, must you splash around like a drunken seal?"

"It's very shark-like movement," Kisame retorted matter-of-factly to his partner as he swam to the perimeter of the in-ground pool, crossing his arms on the edge. Using the edge of the pool as an anchor, he shifted his weight off of his feet, allowing him to lay stomach-down atop the water's surface. Resting his chin in his arms, he grinned up at Itachi.

Itachi sat peacefully a few feet away from the splash of Kisame in the pool, finding refuge under a large tree to protect himself from the strong rays of the mid-afternoon sun. His hand protruded from the front of his cloak as it delicately held a book up to eye-level while his eyes lazily scanned each page, occasionally stopping to turn pages in-between. "If that's what you call it," he muttered back to Kisame.

Kisame, displeased that his partner was more absorbed his book than helping Kisame train, gave out a huff. "Itachi," the blue pigmented man crooned, kicking his feet slightly to keep him afloat, "You said you'd spar, but for the past half an hour, you've been absorbed in that book of yours."

Itachi's eyes momentarily drifted from the page they rested on to dully stare at his partner with a stoic intensity. "You're entertaining yourself in the pool," he explained simply, returning to his book.

Kisame let out a grunt and rolled onto his back to watch the string of white, puffy clouds float lazily overhead. "You're a pain, you know that?" he asked rhetorically.

"I'm aware," Itachi responded listlessly.

"I'm heading back inside," Itachi announced after about half an hour, slamming the book shut with his exposed hand and rising from his perch. He was simply bored with the book by now, and had no intention to stay out any longer and train. He finally had a week off, and even yet he was being bombarded with sparring requests, mostly from Kisame.

"You're weak," Kisame responded, his lips twitching into a mocking grin. He still lay on his back atop the surface of the water, leisurely floating wherever the flow of the pool took him, until he had to push off of the side of the pool to avoid collision with the walls.

"Don't stay out, too long," he instructed, ignoring Kisame's playful jab, "You'll shrivel up."

'Seems like you've already begun to,' is what Kisame would've responded with, but he respected his partner too much to prod at Itachi's distinct facial lines that ran either side of his nose to his cheekbones. Although Kisame knew that he'd simply reply with an impassive explanation of his "tear troughs," he didn't want to overstep his boundaries with his partner. After all, he knew that if Itachi truly became angry and decided to pick a fight—which wasn't likely of him considering he preferred to keep out of confrontations or keep them short—he'd be in trouble. He was aware of his superior comrade.

"Cool," was all Kisame responded with as he watched his partner shake his head and disappear toward the base.

"Pink is better than blue!" Kisame heard a soft voice whine. He had seemed to lose track of time and consciousness for a while, for he found himself with his eyes closed once he came to. Had he accidently fallen asleep in the pool?

"No! Pink's girly!" another voice retorted.

"Mummy says that real men wear pink!"

"Well that's stupid."

A gasp emanated into the air proceeded by, "I'm telling Auntie Konan you said the 's' word!" and was finished off by the sound of clomping footsteps as they trudged off into the distance.

"I did not!" the other voice squealed angrily, and more footsteps reeled after the ones prior.

Kisame opened his eyes with a groan as he rose an arm and hauled himself up out of the pool. What were the two rugrats arguing about, anyway? The color pink? Shaking his head, Kisame threw a towel over his head and another around his waist before retiring back to base.

Upon entering the back door, Tobi—who had been attempting to bake something by the look of dishevelment the kitchen was in, with flour covering the floor and countertops, broken eggs and shells littering the tiles, and numerous amounts of measuring devices tossed aside—poked his head out to greet Kisame. "Hello Kisame-san! Enjoy your swim—" Tobi's voice trailed off as he stared at the taller man in front of him.

Kisame cocked an eyebrow at Tobi's inability to finish his train of thought. "Yes, I did enjoy my swim," he spoke deliberately, finishing Tobi's assumed question.

"Uh, Kisame-san, I—"

Now, this time Tobi was cut off by Deidara, who had snuck into the kitchen and wrapped an arm around his partner's shoulder. "Tobi, my man," he begun suspiciously, referring to his partner with a title he often reserved for members who had earned his respect, "I bet Kisame's tired. Why don't we let him take a load off?" A corner of his lip rose into a crooked smirk and a soft "hn," rose from his throat as Tobi obediently obeyed his senpai.

Kisame stared wearily at the blond haired man. Something fishy was going on, and this time, it had nothing to do with him. "Okay," he drawled, shooting Deidara another suspicious look before exiting the kitchen. As he did so, he could hear the annoying chuckle of the feminine-man behind him followed by Tobi's nervous stuttering. What was going on?

Kisame trudged through the living room in search of Itachi. He was wise, and was usually on top of things at base, so maybe he'd be able to figure out what was going on. Upon entrance of the den, the "zombie duo" sat perched on either couch, Kakuzu counting his money while Hidan laid down on the other couch angled toward him, snickering and muttering things that appeared to piss off Kakuzu; for every once in a while, Kakuzu would stop counting his money and kick at Hidan's head muttering a speech about money laced with a few curse words here and there. As Kisame passed the couches, Hidan's snickering grew louder, and Kakuzu paused his rant.

"What?" Kisame asked, suddenly aggravated. What the hell was going on?

"Feeling a little blue?" Kakuzu questioned, struggling to keep his tone reserved.

Kakuzu's comment seemed to amuse Hidan, for he cracked a large grin and let out a brief chuckle. "Or, a little not blue?" he snickered at his own joke.

"What are you talking about?" Kisame fumed. He wished for nothing more to have Samehada by his side so he could clop the duo over the head—Hidan especially.

"You mean that wasn't a choice?" Hidan chuckled mockingly.

"Are you going for a new appearance, Kisame?" An impassive voice rose from behind him.

Kisame spun, allowing a glare to pierce at his partner. "What the hell's going on?" he demanded. Hidan snickered again, earning him a glare from Kisame as well. Itachi simply shook his head, tucking his arm in the opening of his cloak. "What?" Kisame all but hissed.

"Kisame, you're pink," Itachi informed bluntly.

"WHAT?!" Kisame exclaimed.

"How didn't you catch on?" Hidan snickered from his perch.

Sure enough, once Kisame looked down, he could see that the back of his arms, calves, and assumingly his entire back were colored a fluorescent pink hue. Kisame then recalled the conversation he overheard once he woke up from his nap. "I'm going to kill those kids!" he exclaimed, darting out of the living room.

"Kisame, don't hurt the children," Itachi warned half-heartedly as he indolently walked after his partner.