Disclaimer: I own nothing but 'Ichiru', everything else belongs to the creators of the Naruto series. Also, if you like let me know, I'll try to update as often as I can, once a week most like. ***Things in bold are Ichiru's thoughts to herself.
This doesn't even make a bad punch line. Her thoughts were frantic, every fiber in her body had been telling her to keep her distance, but like a disobedient child she had to get closer. She had spent days in the forest following rumors she'd heard from travelers and merchants, rumors that spoke of a monolith of a man covered in scales. He'd apparently spent his time wandering less beaten paths and making easy targets of supply caravans; but in four days she'd found no sign of anyone at all. That was until now. The trees along the roads hadn't been sparse and for that she had been grateful, moving through them like water came naturally to her and she found it particularly agreeable to maintain a height advantage. Still, it was far too quiet. She could hear the running waters of the creek below, the simple crackling of dying embers in a makeshift campsite and the rough voiced humming of what might have been a lullaby had it been sung by a more feminine voice; however, what caught her attention were the animals. Or lack thereof. Whoever this was, he was menacing enough to keep them hidden. Quietly she passed from branch to branch, calmly maintaining her chakra, moving with the wind; all the while attempting to get a closer look at the mysterious man who had been diverting supplies from her village. She could hear him, but she couldn't see him. So much for easy recon…ha. Too late to turn back now I guess. It was the waiting that killed her. If only he'd show his face, if only she could see him. Minutes passed, five, ten, twenty, it was hard to tell while she waited for the stranger to reveal himself; yet he never did. Instead, the humming had ceased, slowly the tiny voices of animals began to reappear and the creek continued to babble on. That was when she decided to make her move. The fall from her position was much shorter then she had anticipated, and, looking back on it she might have taken a more indirect approach to cover herself; but the shortest way to get from point A to point B seemed just as feasible now. There was nothing in the campsite, nothing out of the ordinary. The smell of freshly caught fish slowly roasting on the open embers drifted gently towards her on the breeze from the creek and her stomach reminded her of just how much her hunger pains did in fact exist. Great. Not only am I alone, but now my own body is my enemy. She continued to examine the camp despite the protests of her body looking for anything, anything at all she could use to help identify this stranger. To the left of the creek mouth sat a great black lump. Bingo! She thought as she raced towards it. Picking it up she discovered it was remarkably light, and cloth; it bore red clouds. This was something she had never seen before, and the sheer size of it was perplexing.
"Is this a tent?" Realizing the exclamation had been aloud she promptly covered her mouth and surveyed her surroundings for any sign of movement. She had done it now; whomever had set that camp surely would have heard her. Nothing. Good. Continuing to examine the black cloth she found her mind wandering back to the smell of fish. It was becoming ever more difficult for her to keep her mind on her mission and not on her stomach. A clouded mind led to death. She had been so focused on the cloth, so concentrated on trying to keep her hunger quiet that she hadn't noticed the animals had disappeared again, only this time with good reason.
"Well well…what have we here? It would seem a rat has found its way into my home." His voice was thick, almost a whisper as he spoke. There was no answer she could provide, no time to reason or run, he'd had her trapped the moment she'd found his camp. It was instantaneous, she couldn't even remember letting go of the cloth before his hand had found her throat. In what seemed a split second she had been dragged along the ground and pinned against the nearest tree by a massive palm that threatened to crush her without remorse. She struggled to breathe, struggled to stay conscious under the demanding force of this relentless adversary, and then the weight lifted. Sputtering, coughing and gasping for breath she kept her attention focused on the man who'd only moments ago held her life literally in his hand. Move god damn you move! She demanded of herself as she wrestled with her body, even making it rest against the trunk of the grand tree had been a task she wasn't able to perform without difficulty. Everything was in excruciating agony. Still she remained focused on the creature before her as he slowly sauntered to the spit where his fish remained untouched. He watched her from the corner of his eye as he took up the spit. Flashing her a toothy grin of jagged teeth sent a visible shiver through her body, one that was acknowledged by the chortle of laughter that escaped his lips as he approached her again still holding his spit of roasted fish. He'd cracked ribs, she was sure of that, unfortunate. Still she was glad he hadn't killed her on sight. And now, he was taunting her, waiting to see how she responded to his intimidating stature; yet, despite all of her fear and the agony her body was in, her face remained cold and emotionless, her eyes focused. "Hm. You're not even worth the effort it would take to kill you; stop playing so hard to get. Instead," a hint of laughter filtered through his words as he spoke, "why don't we play a different game. You answer my questions, I give you food. Seems fair no?"
She coughed, blood trailed out the corner of her mouth. "I'd rather die." She managed in a whisper.
Taken aback by her response the strange man flashed her another toothy smile, only this was full of malice. "I can make that happen. All you need to decide is whether it happens quickly." He devoured one of the fish without a second thought. This conversation was only a game to him, the result would be the same regardless of the information she gave him. Might as well die on a full stomach, she thought as she eyed the second fish. He was aware that her attention had gone from focusing on him, to the food he possessed; but that wasn't all that had changed. Her resolve hadn't broken, but it had weakened, just enough for him to put his foot in there and take what he needed. "Tell me something. When did your village start teaching babies to be monsters?" he questioned. It was meant as an insult, just as a simple statement, an observation, regardless of how misled that observation may have been.
"I'm not a baby," she chortled through a haze of blood and fatigue. "There are few things in this world looking young is good for, but deception is one of them."
He was surprised. She'd given him that much without having to prod too long. He turned away from her and removed a piece of the blackened fish from his makeshift skewer. Holding it out to his right he watch intently as she leaned to the side and took it in her teeth; her perfect teeth, from his fingers. Bemused he sat idly, watching her actions as she ate the fish, watching as she grimaced with every motion she made, watched as she refocused on him. "You're strange." It was a statement, with an underlying curiosity ringing through.
"Look who's talking." She couldn't hold out any longer, her body was wracked with agony, her mind clouded by despair and defeat. What was it he wanted her to say? Would he kill her once his interrogation of sorts was finished. The answers were painfully obvious. He didn't want her to say anything and still he wanted to know everything, he couldn't release her, she had become collateral damage. Still there was something serene about this situation, that was when the world went dark. Seconds turned into minutes, minutes into hours the nearest she could tell. She hadn't completely lost consciousness but rather drifted through a world of fuzz and muted chatter. When she found the strength to open her eyes again she found herself lying with her face against the cold dirt, the tree had not moved and neither had the scaled man, but she had fallen. "Make no attempt to help…" she muttered lazily in his general direction. His deep throated raspy voice hummed gently with the sound of strained laughter at her sarcastic position, but he had been acutely aware of her the entire while she had been swimming between worlds she knew. It was true, he'd been watching her; or rather he'd been intoxicated by her. She was beautiful, for such a small creature possessing such strong spirit. Her hair was the color of fire, dark and vibrant; her eyes amber and burning with intense curiosity. She wasn't tall by any means of the word, at least, not when he compared himself with her petite frame, and her skin a fine sheen of silk…like porcelain or marble. Her body was fine toned and curvaceous. It was evident she wasn't lying when she said she was no baby.
"Hm." Was all he managed to utter before averting his attention to the creek.
"Ichiru. My name is Ichiru. I know who you are…Hoshigaki Kisame." Lying face down in the dirt had its advantages. Everything you said was half muffled. Every expression you made was concealed. Most importantly, it's was dark and cold. Slowly she closed her eyes once again as the fatigue overtook her broken body. Shuffling footsteps. Shuffling away. The water must feel nice this time of year.