Sharks in Sunny Places

I'm not quite sure what to put here. Oh, I started college, so I'm probably going to put out one chapter a week, or maybe bi-weekly.

Kisame is 31 years old.

Itachi is 20.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or Naruto. Boo.

Chapter Three: Presents and Presences

Kisame Hoshigaki laid on the couch, thinking about his task. Itachi-san would certainly find this odd, now wouldn't he? He was actually enjoying this babysitting job, even though he had grumbled about it when Itachi-san and Pein-sama informed him of it.

Come to think of it, this relaxing mission was nice compared to previous ones. Genesect, he remembered, was quite a handful. Thank Jirachi that Konan-san had captured it. Now he and his charge could travel on to Striation City. Starting tomorrow, he and her would both travel up Route 2 to Striation City and look around before Hinata-san would challenge the Gym leader.

A small smirk curved his lips upwards. She certainly had gotten more confidence, after beating her two friends in battles and catching her own Pokemon. He wondered how much more confident she'd be in a month from now, instead of just one day after her journey had begun. He was even able to share a room with her, for which he was both worried and grateful for.

The two had decided to share a room, since most of the Center's rooms were full due to the holidays and the attack of that damned Genesect. Plus, workers to repair the Pokemon Center had arrived around noon to begin fixing up the place, and it was noisy. They hadn't stopped working yet, and it was nearly 10pm. Kisame was just glad he'd gotten a room so far away from the lobby, unlike Hinata's former room which had been only a few doors down from the lobby. He was actually surprised that she hadn't fainted when she had asked to share a room with him, though she had certainly turned an interesting shade of purple.

His eyes traveled over towards the door, which was opening, interrupting his train of thought. Hinata walked in, her feet bare and clad in soft-looking lavender pajamas, her hair swishing every time she took a step. He stared at her as she crossed the room, and a hint of nervousness filled the air. But she still spoke.

"K-kisame-san, the kitchen cl-closed, so I wasn't able to g-get any food." Hinata informed, and he shrugged nonchalantly as she sat down across from him and made herself comfortable. She was getting more relaxed around him, for which he was grateful. He could have smelt the anxiety and nervousness a mile away when he had approached her before, but now it was more subdued. But he could still sense her paranoia and an underlying sense of distrust. Kisame realized that he probably had a long way to go until she fully trusted him. And eventually, she would ask about his ID. He knew she would, and he was not looking forward to that.

"Not a problem. Just wait until morning, then." Kisame said, turning his eyes back to the television where the News was playing. Hinata let out her Lillipup and pulled it onto her lap, stroking the puppy Pokemon softly, humming quietly as she did so. Time passed, both relaxing and the drone of the TV filling up most of the silence.

"Kisame-san, wh-what type of Pokemon do you h-have?" Hinata asked, half an hour later.

"Type, or specific Pokemon?" Kisame asked back, still laying on the couch, his arms propped behind his head in a more relaxed position.

"Pokemon." Hinata said simply, and Kisame thought of all the Pokemon he'd caught over the years.

"Hmm. My starter was a Mudkip. Currently, though, I have a Surskit, Croconaw, Tirtouga, and an Eevee. Rest are all in the PC." Kisame answered after a minute or two, looking over at Hinata.

"O-oh. So you're training y-your Pokemon?" Kisame grunted an affirmative. "Wh-what Pokemon are you wanting to c-catch, then?"

"Sandile. Maybe a Spheal, once I head over to Undella Town. Probably gonna catch a Ducklette." Kisame said, pulling out his Pokedex from his pocket to look over Pokemon in the Unova region. Now that he thought about it, what Pokemon could he catch? "What about you, Hinata-san?"

"U-uhm." Hinata's lips pursed, and Kisame watched her thoughtful expression as she considered all the Pokemon she knew. "P-petlil, definitely. M-maybe a Sandile. Frillish, I th-think."

"Heh, sounds like a good team." Kisame commented, before getting up and turning off the TV. "Gonna hit the hay." Hinata nodded, and got up as well. Kisame easily hauled himself up to the second bunk and laid down, while Hinata went and turned out all the lights. She crawled into the bottom bunk, pulling down the covers and cuddling up to Mimi before dragging them back up again.

"G-good night, Kisame-san."

"G'night."

Hinata awoke during the middle of the night to the sound of the bunk bed creaking. Kisame was thrashing around in his sleep, muttering incomprehensible things. Next to her, Mimi whimpered and cuddled in closer.

Hinata bit her lip and tried to go back to sleep.

Kisame woke up from his nightmare, a grimace on his face. "Dammit, can't get one night of good sleep..." He muttered, before swinging his legs over the bed and pushing himself down.

Kisame turned to look at Hinata, staring at her. Her brows were tightly knitted together, and she was biting her lip. Hinata inwardly prayed that he didn't know she was awake. Kisame sighed, and ran his hand through his hair, before going to the bathroom.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you." He muttered to her, his rumbling voice sounding distant, tired, unhappy. Hinata's heart fell down into her stomach. He'd known she was awake...

Hinata forced herself to relax, and tried to go back to sleep as she heard the shower turn on.

Kisame leaned against the shower wall, enjoying the feeling of hot water hitting his back. He tried not to think of the nightmare he'd had, but like every night, he failed.

Gruesome images kept popping into his head. Gruesome memories. Some were his, some were of...Another life.

A cold shiver went up his spine, and he grabbed the handle and pushed it to the hottest temperature it would go.

He still felt cold.

He walked out of the bathroom, clad in the clothes he wore yesterday. It didn't bother him.

As he walked over to the other side of the room, the Hyuuga heiress caught his eye. He walked over to her, a mix of emotions stirring up in him. She looked...So peaceful, laying there with her arms around her Pokemon.

"Kasan..." She muttered, and Kisame smirked. Such an innocent little girl.

Kisame walked over and sat on the couch, preparing to wait until she awoke. At least one of us can have good dreams.

They embarked on their journey just an hour or two after the sun had risen. They had approximately one day before Winter would officially here, and they needed to make quick time. Traveling through Route 2 would take approximately two hours, not including Trainer battles and other distractions.

Hinata was ready. That bubbling excitement was there, threatening to burst out of her stomach. The route was calm, for now, but she knew something exciting would be happening any moment.

She kept up that mentality for the first twenty minutes of Route 2.

They were passing through very thick grass, and the trees were so tight together that it made traveling into the forest difficult. Frequently, the cries of Pokemon could be heard. Occasionally the trees would rustle, and a Pokemon would dart across the path, in brown or purple blurs. Kisame always stood a few steps back of Hinata, letting her lead as he leisurely kept up. They traveled in a quiet manner, neither knowing quite what to say.

Eventually, they reached their first Trainer. He was a small boy, in shorts and a baggy t-shirt. Hinata had to wonder how long he'd been waiting for someone to come, dressed in an outfit as ridiculous as that in this weather. He turned to look at them, and he spotted Kisame first by the look on his face, and then regained some color as he saw Hinata.

"H-hey! Lady!" He called out, drawing their attention to him. "I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!" Hinata merely nodded, and grasped Mimi's Pokeball. She glanced over at Kisame, who rolled his shoulders nonchalantly and went to go stand out of the way, leaning against the trunk of a large tree.

"Go, Patchy!" The opposing Trainer called out, throwing a Pokeball onto the makeshift field. A small Patrat appeared, looking not-quite-adorable.

"Mimi, let's go!" Hinata said, throwing her Pokeball into the air. The small puppy appeared, and growled lightly at her opponent. The battle begun not seconds afterward.

She had defeated that Trainer, and a few others, with relative ease. It was now about mid-day, and the two were halfway to Striation City. They had both decided to take a break for lunch as they reached the small clearing.

Hinata sat on a small boulder near Kisame, eating a bit of travel rations, glancing over at Kisame every so often. His appearance was certainly still frightening, and he intimidated other Trainers enough that they wouldn't challenge him. But she couldn't fear him as much as she did when she first approached him. However, he still gave her that nervous and wary feeling. He looked so much like a shark she had to wonder if she was his prey, sometimes. He had a few responses that seemed outright feral, and when he grinned Hinata felt like she was about to be eaten. And yet, she was not as nervous and paranoid and fearful as she had been when she first encountered him.

She briefly wondered if Neji's sensory adaptation to Lee could also affect her adaptation to Kisame, and giggled slightly. Kisame gave her a weird look, before taking a swig of his drink. The silence remained.

She had to admit, that did seem like a logical explanation. Lee, when she had first met him, was nearly as intimidating as Kisame was. Sure, he seemed more dorky and creepy than outright intimidating and predatory, but he was enough of a monster in his own right. She had had many nightmares about being eaten or sucked into Lee's eyebrows before, she remembered with amusement. And to be honest, Kisame didn't seem like too bad of a guy, other than his fearsome appearance and his rare predatory responses.

He did have a weird obsession with fish, though...

"Hinata-san, let's continue." Kisame said, breaking her out of her thoughts. He stood up and dusted himself off, before offering a hand to help her up.

"O-okay." She agreed, and took his hand. As she did so, she noticed how small her hand was in his, how rough the callouses on his palm seemed, and how warm it was. Her eyes flickered over to his, and she mumbled her thanks. His eyes lit up a bit, and he grunted contentedly, before turning towards Striation City.

Maybe he just wanted someone to see him as normal, she wondered. After all, she certainly knew he didn't have to travel with her...

Kisame wasn't quite sure what to do in this situation. Hinata had seen a girly-man she recognized, and dashed over to hug him. Kisame was tempted to follow, but he stayed back, not wanting to frighten off...whoever this was. He knew he had scared a few Trainers off just by the sight of him.

"Neji-ni! I d-didn't know y-you'd already made it t-to Striation City!" He heard her exclaim. Her brother, then? They parted from the hug, and Kisame could see the similarities between them. Long hair, in a girly fashion, white, pupil-less eyes that stood out against his fair-colored skin.

"Hn. You're late, Hinata-sama. I expected you to arrive with Kiba-san and Shino-san." Neji said stiffly, causing Hinata to freeze noticably before Neji patted her on the head. "Come. I have a present for you at the Pokemon Center."

Hinata relaxed and smiled up at the man, before turning to look back for Kisame. She spotted him, trying to stay hidden under the treeline, and cocked her head in confusion. Kisame shook his head, and stepped back further into the trees, vanishing from sight. Yes, he definitely didn't want to scare him off, Kisame decided. He was sure Hiashi hadn't told her brother about him, and he didn't seem like the type to allow his little sister to travel with a giant fish-man.

"Hinata-sama? Did you hear something?" Neji asked, looking out past her towards the trees.

"N-no. Just s-seeing how far I'd c-come." Hinata lied, feeling strangely disappointed that Kisame wouldn't be coming with her. She knew he didn't have to come with her, but did he really not want to...? Then again, she considered the possibility that he didn't want to scare off one of her family members. Just because Kiba and Shino treated him normally didn't mean Neji-ni would.

"Ahh. Shall we go, now?" Neji asked, understandingly nodding.

"Y-yes, Neji-ni." Hinata replied, turning away from Route 2 and looking towards Striation City.

Kisame watched her depart, cursing himself in frustration.

This would make things more difficult.

Hinata arrived in the Pokemon Center, closely following Neji. He lead her over to the waiting area, where she was surprised to find TenTen, Lee, Shino, and Kiba all sitting around the table, talking animatedly.

"Hinata-sama has arrived." Neji announced simply, and everyone's gaze turned to them. Hinata was met by vibrant grins, and TenTen patting the seat next to her.

"Come sit by me, Hinata-chan!" TenTen urged, and Hinata complied with a smile. Neji vanished, saying he had to go grab something, while Lee and TenTen asked how she was enjoying her journey.

"I-it's going well s-so far. I c-can't wait to ch-challenge the Striation g-gym." Hinata said, smiling softly.

"Did your adventurous voyage to this lovely city venture well, Hinata-sama?" Lee asked, and Hinata nodded. Hinata still didn't understand why he had to speak so weirdly, but Lee was nice. Even if she had had nightmares about him when she was younger.

"Sorry about ditching you in Accumula, Hinata-chan, but Neji really wanted to make a surprise party for you." Kiba apologized, rubbing the back of his neck with an apologetic expression on his face.

"He threatened to burn my Bug Pokemon." Shino explained, his tone venomous. Poor Neji, he was going to have to make that up to Shino...

"O-oh! I'm sorry, Shino-kun! I-it's okay though, h-he wouldn't have m-meant it."

"I'm back, Hinata-sama." Neji appeared, a small box with a bow on top of it in his hand. Hinata tilted her head to the side in confusion, as Neji placed the box in front of her. "Happy birthday, Hinata-sama."

"O-oh! Thank you, N-neji-ni!" Hinata said, realizing what the box was for. Hinata opened the box, to see a Pokeball inside. She bit her lip, staring at the ball.

"Open the ball, Hinata-chan! We worked really hard to find that specific Pokemon!" TenTen exclaimed, nudging Hinata. Hinata reluctantly pressed the button on the ball, watching as the light formed the shape of a Pokemon.

"To-nee!" The Pokemon greeted, and Hinata squeaked happily, hugging the Pokemon. It was a Cottonee, an adorable, soft-feeling Grass-type Pokemon that evolved into a Whimsicott.

"Her name is Poofeh." Neji said proudly. Hinata froze, and looked up to see if he was serious. He looked completely serious. Hinata inwardly groaned. Neji had never been good at naming things...

"We couldn't get him to change the name. I'm sorry Hinata-chan." TenTen explained, glaring lightly at Neji.

"May we partake in eating the glorious cake now, Neji-san?"

"Yes Lee, we can eat the cake."

"YOSH!"

Kisame and Hinata met up again, later that day, as Hinata was taking in the sights of the city. Kisame had been lurking in the alleyways behind a row of houses, and Hinata had barely seen him before entering the Dream Yard.

From afar, Hinata watched him, trying to decide if she should approach him or not. His attention was focused on something out on the street, and he wouldn't notice if she just walked away. But something in her told her to go speak to him, and before she could stop herself she was calling his name.

He turned to her, a surprised expression on his face. Hinata bit her lip, mustering up all of her courage. and bravely started to walk over to him.

"Kisame-san!" She greeted again, as he stood there. He had a light scowl on his face, watching her as she approached.

"What're you doing?" Kisame asked gruffly, crossing his arms. Hinata bit her lip. That pose made him look more intimidating. Her thoughts raced, trying to think of something she could say. Really, she ought to have thought more before coming over here, she chided herself.

"Uhm...I w-was about to g-go into the Dr-dream Yard." Hinata said truthfully. She pressed her fingers together nervously. She honestly didn't know what to do, and this was making her feel anxious and oh Arceus he looked intimidating right now. He had added a scowl to the look, and Hinata wished she'd thought this through more.

"It's that way, y'know." He said, motioning to the other direction. Her face flushed, and she thought of something else to say. She was briefly annoyed at his slight rudeness, and pursed her lips together before speaking.

"I-i know, but I s-saw you over here a-and..." Hinata trailed off, not knowing what else to say. Kisame snorted when he released she didn't have anything else to say. Suddenly, Hinata had a flash of insight. "C-could you accompany m-me to N-nacrene City after I ch-challenge the Striation gym?"

Hinata couldn't believe she had actually just asked him that. By the look on his face, he couldn't believe it either. "Uh...What about your brother?"

Hinata's mouth formed an 'o' in surprise, and waved her hand in a negative motion. "N-no, Neji-ni isn't m-my brother, he's my c-cousin!"

"And?" Kisame asked, slouching slightly as he raised an eyebrow. Frustration bubbled up in her, before she realized that he was probably having a horrible day. But that was not enough reason to treat her rudely.

"He only w-wanted to see me to g-give me a b-birthday present!" Hinata exclaimed, still in panic mode. Her face was starting to get a tomato-red color, instead of just a light-pink. "H-he forced Kiba-kun and Shino-kun to l-leave me last t-town, but th-they had all planned to t-travel on their own after St-striation City anyway!"

"So they just ditched you?" Kisame said bluntly, disbelief on his face. Hinata gasped, horrified that he'd accuse her friends and cousin of that.

"N-no, it's not..." Hinata realized it probably did seem likely that they would do that. "O-okay. Maybe they DID ditch me, b-but they didn't m-mean to! W-we all agreed on i-it!" Hinata defended. Kisame stared at her, before snorting and shaking his head.

His large hand rested on her head and messed up her hair, chuckling as she frowned at him, her lips pursed. "You're weird, y'know that?" Hinata's face, which had lost some of its rosy color from before, flushed a deep red.

"I'll be waiting at the Center when you need me," Kisame said as he walked away, "Hinata-chan."

Hinata stood in the alley, her limbs shaking as she tried to process what just happened. Oh, Arceus... She thought, slumping down. Why in the world did I do that...

Kisame couldn't thank her more. His thoughts had been taking a turn for the worse, when she appeared out of nowhere. She had looked extremely uncomfortable and flighty, and he had probably made talking to him awkward, but he certainly appreciated what she had done. Not only that, but it made his job a hell of a lot easier.

That was why he was following her. The Dream Yard was generally a safe place for novice Trainers to go and train, but Kisame knew today would prove otherwise. After all, those two were suppose to be having a meeting here...

Kisame lurked in the trees, carefully watching Hinata battle her way through. She had acquired a new Pokemon, it seemed, and Kisame had a hunch that it was the present "Neji-ni" had been talking about. Kisame unfortunately had to admit it suited her.

The cute Pokemon, which she called "Poofeh" (he certainly hoped that she hadn't picked out the name herself, or he'd kill her future Pokemon out of pity) made a good addition to her team, and would assist her in her first Gym battle. It was a Grass-type, and since she had chosen a Fire-type for her starter, she would be battling Cress. And Cress was a Water-type Trainer, he remembered. The Cottonee made a very useful gift. It was a Pokemon that could heal itself, to boot, so she wouldn't have to worry nearly as much about potions and such.

Kisame continued watching her from the trees as she explored the ruins of the abandoned building. She seemed to be looking for something other than just training. She had repeatedly pulled out her Pokedex, but Kisame couldn't think of any special Pokemon that resided here off the top of his head. Eventually, she trailed out of sight, and with no other decent hiding spots available, Kisame was forced to do something he wasn't fond of.

He used his human body to do something entirely inhuman. He pooled his chakra into his legs, took a running start, and leaped up onto the concrete that was nearly twenty feet above ground. And he did it all without breaking a sweat.

Kisame felt a rush of pride swell up in him at his amazing feat as he looked back from the spot that he had formerly resided in. Then he felt a crushing disparity as he remembered that normal humans didn't do that. He shoved those irritating feelings aside and went to go watch over Hinata.

Hinata was looking for a Munna. Not just any Munna, either. She was looking for one with the ability Synchronize. Unfortunately, she hadn't found a single Munna. So she was forced to search every corner of the Dream Yard, and hadn't found much success.

That was how she stumbled upon this situation. All she had been doing was searching around the Dream Yard, and running out of places in sight she had turned a corner to see...those two.

Currently, she was hidden behind Kisame, who was glaring fiercely at the two men across a set of sunken stairs. A predatory energy leaked out of him, and it was as fearsome if not more so than the two across from them. Hinata shook with fear, not knowing what to do and fearing the outcome if she fled. She felt sick from the fear coursing through her as she observed the two men that Kisame was protecting her from.

One of them had dark-colored skin, the color of bark, with large, black-stitching covering what parts of his body that she had seen. Most of his skin was covered, but he wore a tight-fitting vest and a large hood over his face, his jade eyes gleaming out with greed, while his pants seemed to be mere sweatpants. An odd-looking bandage was on one of his legs, and Hinata briefly wondered if he was injured.

The other male had almost gray skin, and his face was concealed by bandages, cold, fearsome coal eyes glaring over everything he could see under a messy mop of black hair. Amazingly, he was shirtless, but had baggy cow-print pants and sandals covering his feet. A thin material formed a cross over his chest, and Pokeballs were attached to it.

They both reeked of intimidation, and they seemed viscous and predatory. They were terrifying. Hinata could feel her heart beating rapidly, and she was afraid it might burst out of her chest if it beat any faster. These two were just so...Predatory, the air around them reeked of it. And they seemed to enjoy what little of her terrified expression they could see.

"Kisame-san, what are you doing?" The one with stitching growled raspily. Hinata bit her lip, worried. They knew each other? Thoughts started to race in her mind, before one in particular stood out. Of course they knew each other, predators like these would obviously be aware of other ones. Territory... Territory laws of Pokemon went through her thoughts, and she was finding it hard to breathe.

"Keeping a little mouse from being eaten, Kakuzu-san." Kisame replied, his eyes darting between the two. Dammit, this was exactly what he had hoped wouldn't happen. And he just knew Hinata would ask questions about this later.

"Taken a little bird under your wing, have you?" The other one sneered, taking an aggressive pose. Oh Arceus. Hinata thought. This man wants to hurt us, doesn't he? Hinata whimpered, placing herself more behind Kisame.

"It's not like you haven't done the same." Kisame shot back, snorting. Dammit, dammit, dammit. I should have stalled her from entering. We wouldn't BE in this mess if I hadn't thought they'd have already left. Kisame thought angrily. He knew Hinata was scared. He knew she could sense the killing intent radiating from Zabuza. He just didn't know how to prevent a battle from occurring. He hoped Kakuzu-san would restrain Zabuza-san.

"True, but at least mine could have defended itself." He said, laughing cruelly. He reached toward his Pokeballs, but Kakuzu halted him, an arm outstretched.

"Zabuza. We will continue this elsewhere." Kakuzu said strictly, and Zabuza's eyes narrowed, his eyes darting over to Kakuzu with defiance in his eyes. Zabuza reluctantly dropped his hand, and sneered over at Kisame. Kisame inwardly sighed with relief. Kakuzu went down the staircase, looking Kisame in the eyes as he did so.

"Keep your mouse out of trouble." He warned, before his head departed from view. Zabuza glared over at Kisame, his pose still aggressive. He was practically seething. Hinata could see his neck veins bulging in anger, and it terrified her. She wondered what exactly he had against Kisame, and made a mental note to ask him.

"You got lucky this time, fish-boy. Next time, you'll pay." He growled, before following Kakuzu down the stairs.

Hinata exhaled shakily, not realizing she had been holding her breath the entire time. She suddenly collapsed, and retch up the contents of her stomach. She heard Kisame curse, and felt her hair be jerked out of the way of her face. She looked up at Kisame fearfully after she finished. He was looking down at her, firm expression on his face. She shuddered as she realized his eyes were boring into her face, and Kisame frowned.

"You alright?" he grunted, and she nodded slowly. He grimaced as he looked down at her. She looked like she was on the verge of tears, or worse, fainting. He could see her entire body trembling, and a pang of worry went through him. She wasn't ready to deal with those types of people.

"Wh-who w-were th-those p-people?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She was surprised she could actually manage to talk, even if she had butchered the words. She didn't care about her stutter at that moment. All she wanted to do was curl up into a ball and hide.

"Old friends." Kisame replied, glancing back over to the stairs, as if to assure himself that they were really gone, before focusing completely on Hinata. He needed to get her out of here, and fast. "Why were you here?"

"I-i wanted some training, a-and I w-was looking for a M-munna."

"Let's go find one and get out of here, then." Kisame said gruffly, and Hinata nodded meekly. He helped her up, noticing she almost collapsed again as he did so. He grimaced made sure she was steady, before he started onwards. Hinata kept shaking, following as he led with uneven footsteps. Kisame kept an eye on her the entire time, not knowing what to do with the still-trembling girl. He hoped she would be strong enough to continue, at least until they got back to town.

They had finally found a Munna. The cute purple and pink Pokemon floated in the air, nonchalantly staying as the two humans approached. The silence in the air was deafening, and the Pokemon looked like it was going to flee at the slightest loud noise. Hinata quietly summoned Pepper, and ordered him to use Growl.

The small pig walked over to the floating elephant, and growled cutely at it. The elephant Yawned, causing Pepper to yawn as well. Hinata frowned, and ordered Pepper to use an Ember attack.

The pig breathed fire on the elephant, causing it to hiss out in pain and hover away. Hinata, seeing that the Pokemon was slightly burned and close to fainting, grabbed a Love ball and tossed it at the Munna.

The ball shook three times, and dinged. Next to it, Pepper fell asleep, due to the Yawn attack that the Munna had used on it. Hinata quietly returned Pepper and picked up her new Munna's ball. She briefly marveled at how easy it had been to catch the Pokemon that had taken such a long time to find. She glanced over at Kisame, who was leaning against a concrete wall, watching.

"W-we can h-head back now, K-kisame-san." Hinata said quietly, walking over to him. He nodded, and pushed himself upright and began walking towards town. Hinata kept his easy pace, noting that he was walking leisurely enough that she wouldn't have to rush to catch up. She didn't know how he could be so casual sometimes.

"Challenging the Gym tomorrow?" He asked gruffly as they walked, and Hinata nodded."Good. Next is Nacrene City, isn't it?"

Hinata nodded again, relieved that he was actually going to come with her. She was still having mixed feelings about it all, but she was grateful he'd come with her. With him looking over her, things seemed a lot less scary. She just prayed to Arceus that there wouldn't be any more people like Zabuza and Kakuzu to run into. But even if there were, Kisame could probably defend her from them.

"Th-thank you, Kisame-san. For everything." She said, smiling up at him brightly. Kisame glanced down at her face and blushed slightly, the appreciation and warmth in her eyes not something he was use to.

"N-no problem, Hinata-chan." Kisame muttered, speeding up a bit. Hinata smile grew, and sped up to match his pace, stifling the urge to giggle at his reaction.

They were at the Pokemon Center, both of them preparing for tomorrow. Hinata was in the shower, while Kisame was looking over their supplies. They had everything they needed for the trip tomorrow. Now, all he had to do was wait for Hinata to free up the shower.

Twenty minutes later, he was slightly agitated. She still wasn't done with her shower. "Did you drown?" He asked loudly, knocking on the door.

"N-no! I'm f-fine, Kisame-san!" Came her muffled reply.

"Then what's taking so long?" He grumbled impatiently.

"I n-need to sh-shave, Kisame-san!" Kisame got a confused expression on his face, and then rolled his eyes. Women and their perpetual need to be pretty when it wasn't practical.

"Why? Winter starts tomorrow. You'll need that body hair." Kisame pointed out gruffly. Kisame honestly didn't understand why she needed to shave.

"I n-need to shave!" Hinata insisted, and Kisame rolled his eyes. Kisame pulled over a chair and straddled it, preparing for her to exit the shower. He heard the shower turn off a few minutes later, and the curtain pulled open. She opened the door a minute later, frowning slightly at him. He gave a smirk to her, causing her frown to deepen, as expected.

What he didn't expect was what she said next. "I-i hope you h-have a c-coat, K-kisame-san, if y-you're going to le-lecture me about sh-shaving." Kisame blinked.

Inwardly, Hinata prayed that he wouldn't get angry for her boldness. In hindsight, saying what she had said was very stupid...But she had been irritable. All girls shaved, no matter what the season! Generally, for a male's approval! Males were the lucky ones, they got to keep their body hair, while females had to freeze! All of that irritated train of thought was what had motivated her to speak in such a way to Kisame, and yet now in hindsight she had probably just done something that would make him angry.

However, all of that fear and anger was blown out of the water by his next statement.

"No. I don't need one." He stated bluntly, staring at her. She stared back. He didn't need one? He didn't even HAVE one? Oh no, she couldn't let him travel without one! She always had to have her coat, just for modesty's sake, and he didn't have one because he thought he didn't need one? She couldn't comprehend that logic. So, her mind made up a solution for her.

"You d-don't have a coat?" She asked again, her eyes looking him up and down, and he nodded. Hinata bit her lip, and nodded with what looked like determination in her eyes. Kisame was confused. He was more confused when she grabbed his hand and started to tug him towards the door.

"Uh, where are we going?" Kisame asked, letting Hinata drag him along. Kisame felt a sense of impending doom approach him. This was awkward and confusing and dreadful and oh Jirachi that look in her eye worried him.

"To get you a coat." Hinata said firmly. Oh Jirachi this was going to take a long time, wasn't it? Kisame thought worriedly. I should have just lied...

And that was how they ended up at a random department store, Hinata forcing him to try on coats while not looking proper to be in a public place. She was in her pajamas, for Jirachi's sake...

"How is this one?" She asked, handing him another jacket for him to reluctantly put on. He didn't know his size anymore, so they had been searching for the right one. Hinata had actually scared away the department store ladies, shooing them off and saying she'd help him herself. If he wasn't the one being forced to try on coats, he'd have found the entire thing amusing. And yet Zabuza said she was defenseless, ha!

"Uh, a bit tight-fitting?" He replied, taking it off before she handed him another one. He tried it on, answering that it fit fine. She looked him over and asked him politely to turn around, and he complied.

"Hmm. It l-looks good on y-you, Kisame-san." She said, her face lighting up. Kisame grunted nonchalantly.

"I guess, but it's expensive as hell." He muttered, looking at the price tag.

"O-oh, don't worry. I-i'll handle that." Hinata reassured, taking the coat off of him. Kisame stared at her.

"Uh...Please don't." He asked, scratching the back of his head. This was embarrassing and he really didn't want her to spend that much money on him. He still didn't see why he needed a coat.

"I'm n-not letting you o-out of my s-sight without a c-coat, Kisame-san." Hinata said firmly, looking him directly in the eyes. Oh Jirachi she learned that from her dad, didn't she? Kisame thought, shifting in discomfort.

"...Can we at least look for a cheaper one?" He asked, and Hinata shook her head.

"No, th-this one looks n-nice." She repeated, and grabbed his hand and led him to the front of the store.

Kisame grumbled all the way there.

Hinata crawled into bed after washing her feet, resting her back against the wall as she watched her Pokemon play with each other. She smiled softly, watching Poofeh float away from Pepper, who was snorting smoke out of his nostrils.

Today had been good, for her second day as a Pokemon Trainer. It had been really scary at times, she admitted, but the good moments outweighed the bad ones. She loved battling with her Pokemon, and she loved seeing the sights of the towns she visited. Battling with Pokemon was the only thing she seemed to do with confidence.

Hinata was also honestly grateful for Kisame's presence. She didn't know if she could even successfully navigate to Striation City by herself, and he had allowed her to not get in to too much trouble while still letting her explore. She had been worried about Kisame when Neji had dragged her to the Pokemon Center, and she was concerned when she saw him alone in that alleyway. Most of all, she was grateful to him for saving her from those two men.

Hinata reached over and grabbed Mimi, holding the puppy Pokemon to her chest. She bit her lip, staring down at the small puppy, who stared back at her in confusion. She...didn't know what would have happened if he hadn't appeared, hopping down from above with ease, and landing in-between her and her two would-be attackers. She assumed they would have harmed her, or maybe stolen her Pokemon. Zabuza...Might have even killed her.

Hinata shuddered. Those two were so frightening, Hinata couldn't do anything when she encountered them.

"Oh, look what we have here. A little rat." Zabuza rasped, his eyes narrowing as he spied Hinata. Hinata's blood froze, and she backed into the wall. Across the clearing were two very intimidating looking men. One, she knew from her father's books, was a professional mercenary. The other reminded her of Kisame, with his fearsome-looking skin and bright eyes.

"What's that? Itachi's pet Hyuuga?" Kakuzu snorted, his eyes glittering as he saw her. "Ohhh, now I know why he chose you instead of the elder boy."

"Back off!" Kisame growled, as he landed in front of her. Hinata whimpered, grateful to see him. Or, at least she HOPED he was here to save her. If not...She was terrified at the thoughts of what could happen.

Hinata heard the water stop, and brought her knees up to her. She slowly petted Mimi's head, causing the puppy to yip in delight. A minute or two later, Kisame strode out, and glanced over at her.

"You alright?" He asked gruffly as he walked across the room, landing on the couch.

"Yes. Th-thank you for s-saving me earlier, K-kisame-san." Kisame inwardly grimaced. No wonder she was out of it. She was thinking about those two. Kisame grunted nonchalantly, before spying the floating cotton-ball.

"That your present?" Kisame asked, flicking on the television and switching over to the weather channel. Looked like there wasn't going to be snow for another week, which made a nice hope for decent travel.

"Poo-poofeh?" She asked, hesitantly. Kisame stared at her in disbelief. Hinata was unsure how to interpret the expression he was using.

"Please tell me you didn't name it that."

"O-oh. N-no, Neji-ni named her th-that." Hinata said, shaking her head as her face became a rosy pink color. "I wouldn't n-name one of my Pokemon l-like that."

"Thank Jirachi. If you did, I would have to kill them out of pity for them." Kisame said, his facial expressions quickly turning into one of relief. Hinata giggled.

"Neji-ni was n-never very cr-creative when it c-came to naming." Hinata informed. "H-he hasn't named a-any Pokemon since h-he was a kid."

"Thank Jirachi." Kisame repeated. There was a comfortable silence for a while, the mood much brighter in the room. "By the way, what're you going to name your Munna?" Kisame finally asked, as he climbed up to the top bunk.

"Y-yumeko." Hinata replied, getting herself settled under the covers. Kisame groaned, and Hinata could hear him smacking his face with his palm.

"...Well, I suppose it's better than Poofeh." Came the muffled reply. Hinata giggled, and started to try to go to sleep.

"Good night, Kisame-san."

"G'night." A few minutes later, she heard him speak again. "If your Munna is dead in the morning, I didn't do it."

"D-don't you d-dare, Kisame-san!"

This chapter was fun to write. XD Hinata got kind of bold-ish near the end of the chapter, which is kind of my fault. I managed to fix most of their OOC-ness, but I really didn't want to change the coat scene at all. And hah, it all started because Hinata needed to shave. Kisame should've offered to shave her legs for her. :P

I also started to work on more of Akatsuki's info. It's pretty fun to come up with mini back stories for them. XD My favorites happen to be Zetsu and Tobi's. Oh, next chapter will have more plot. Hinata's first Gym battle, awwyeah. I've been outlining a few chapters, too, so I know what I want in the next few chapters. More Akatsuki. ;D

I've decided to update this every Friday, which can be both good and bad. It means more editing time (yay), but I have to resist the urge to shove all the chapters up at once, which is harder than you'd think. And I keep forgetting to take my flash-drive with me to places, so...I get the urge to write, and then I can't. Sadface.

By the way, college is really fun. It takes some work, but I really enjoy it. Though, the lady at the bookstore gave me the wrong textbook for my online class...-sigh-

Anywho, leave a review please~