p class="MsoNormal"Kisame wasn't quite sure how to feel about things at the moment. Sure, it was good to move on from high school, and even from Kirigakure entirely. The moment he'd graduated, and it came time to choose where to go to college and Kisame knew right away he wanted to get away from Kirigakure. It allowed him to leave behind a whole load of bad memories and things he'd rather forget. College was an entirely different set up, after all, with an atmosphere and circumstances that Kisame was certain he would like better. Kirigakure had always been rather severe—almost military—in the way their education system worked, so subsequently researching what options were available, Kisame had chosen Konoha. There was more freedom and not so many regulations, and Kisame had felt more relief as the date drew nearer than he had expected. There would be no more assumptions about how he was supposed to act or look or be. Everyone could be their own person in college, and that was what Kisame was looking forward to. A chance to move on and find his own niche to fit into./p
p class="MsoNormal"Of course, that state of mind had wavered as Kisame had made his journey to Konoha. People were people, when it came down to it, so there were always going to be those who judged you. But when Kisame looked the way he did, it seemed a lot easier for people to do that. There was no reason to believe things would be different. No one had ever expected anything of him; they took one look and that was it. It was what his parents had done. Kisame had never really wanted much from life, apart from being accepted and feeling like he belonged. Even if he'd been alone at the start, he'd made friends, having always been easy going and enjoying joking around. The only problem was that it had changed as he got older. Throughout middle school and high school suddenly it didn't matter what he was like or whether he was easy to get on with; he was a freak, simple as. People he'd thought were friends abruptly turned on him and even those he begun hanging out with seemed to abuse his friendship to practically use him as a hired thug./p
p class="MsoNormal"Still; he enjoyed the fights./p
p class="MsoNormal"It had been hard to trust people in a situation like that, and Kisame remained feeling that way as he sat on the plane, staring out the window and lost in his thoughts as he got closer to Konoha. Why should he trust anyone there after all that had happened in the past? No one had ever paid attention to what he did or anything he was good at because of what he looked like—would that even change just because he was in a different location? But realising what he was thinking, Kisame forcefully shook it off. He'd left Kirigakure to leave that all behind. He didn't want to focus on the past, so he'd deal with what was in front of him—whatever that may be. Coming to Konoha meant he could get away; start afresh. The city itself was bigger and more diverse than Kirigakure, so, along with the college, that made for a pretty multifarious collection of people. If there was anywhere he could belong, why shouldn't it be here?/p
p class="MsoNormal"Though a shiver of anxiety ran up his spine as Kisame stepped out of the cab, handing the fare to the driver and facing the gates of the college, it didn't stop a smile from breaking out on his face. Nerves were to be expected, but they didn't have to hold him back. With that in mind, after taking a deep breath, Kisame stepped forward and made his way onto campus. He pulled out the letter he'd received from the college as he did so, flicking through the information they'd given him to note where he needed to go next. Immediately he headed over there, the weight of his bags not bothering him in the slightest, to collect the information pack that would give him all he needed to know about the college. He didn't notice the glances in his direction; after having dealt with it his entire life, Kisame had learned to block it out and so went on his way as normal, being given the envelope, flicking through to see what was in there and then picking out his dorm on the map. It made sense to make it his next destination. He wanted to unpack and put his stuff somewhere, as well as settle in to the new environment, and therefore set off again to find it./p
p class="MsoNormal"His dorm was Ame Hall. He liked what he knew about it so far; it was on the edges of the campus, hidden among a copse of trees that secluded it from the rest of the college. It might have been a bit of a longer walk to get to classes, but Kisame hadn't liked the idea of being put in the thick of it, right in the centre of the campus. His dorm was a place he could get away, and Kisame wouldn't have to deal with so many people. Another smile flickered across Kisame's features as he finally reached the building, his nerves disappearing further into the recesses of his mind as he continued up the path and made his way inside. It was quiet within the dorm, but as Kisame walked down the corridor and looked around, he couldn't see anyone and gathered he was a little early. Shrugging it off for the time being, he took a look around the communal areas and got himself a glass of water while he had the chance, before eventually opting to head to his room./p
p class="MsoNormal"Pulling out the paper with the information on it, Kisame glanced over it and noted it was first floor, number 7 as he simultaneously picked up his bags and tucked it back into his pocket as he made his way to the stairs and ascended. Whistling as he went along, he fell silent as he reached the first floor, glancing around to get a look at the numbers on the doors, before determining his room was down the left corridor and turning to go that way. He'd been too focused on finding his room to really pay attention to what was around him, so it took him a while to noticed there was someone headed his way. Evidently, they'd been concentrating as little as he had, however, as it wasn't until they were a few steps way from each other that they came to a halt, Kisame watching as his head tilted back as he registered how tall Kisame was to finally make eye contact./p
p class="MsoNormal"Kisame didn't really do anything to begin with; a smile on his face by way of greeting, but nothing more. He had learned that it was best to wait for them to make the first move, meaning he stood there in silence, seeing an unusual intensity in the guy's dark eyes. With his long dark hair and admittedly handsome features, Kisame could guess he'd be pretty popular, which gave him ever more reason to be wary, especially as the guy looked him over and something flickered through his eyes—before suddenly it faded, and his expression became more open. Taking this as a good sign and beginning to find the silence a little awkward, Kisame finally managed to greet quietly,/p
p class="MsoNormal""Uh…hey."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Hello. Sorry I bumped into you. I'm Itachi Uchiha," he responded simply, breezing past any awkwardness there may have been before. Kisame hesitated slightly, his eyebrow raising at hearing the name 'Uchiha', but immediately noted the look on Itachi's face; inwardly hoping for them not to mention anything, to just act like it wasn't important—he'd made the same expression enough times when meeting new people. As such, he switched to another smile, responding warmly,/p
p class="MsoNormal""Nice to meet you Itachi. You on this floor too?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Right away the look in Itachi's eyes became sincerer, a small smirk appearing as they did so, and nodding, he pointed to the other end of the corridor, explaining simultaneously,/p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah. I'm the last on the right. Is yours this way?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Kisame responded by walking to his room and unlocking the door, stepping inside and turning around with a grin to state playfully,/p
p class="MsoNormal""Right here."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Shaking his head with a smirk, Itachi came to the doorway to watch as Kisame threw his bags on his bed, turning back round to question,/p
p class="MsoNormal""So, are you the first one here?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Shaking his head, Itachi gestured with his thumb behind him, beginning to elaborate,/p
p class="MsoNormal""No; well, I was here before anyone, but the room across from you—number 9—that's now occupied. He—" but before Itachi had a chance to say anything more, Kisame spotted blonde hair behind his shoulder, and abruptly Deidara stepped out and announced triumphantly,/p
p class="MsoNormal""That would be me, un."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Smirking at his ego, Kisame introduced himself as Deidara did the same in return. Just as with Itachi, Kisame paused to see what Deidara's reaction would be to meeting him, but was relatively surprised to find that he merely seemed curious, and nothing more. This automatically relaxed Kisame further, and they remained where they were, casually making small talk with one another, until the sound of footsteps echoed out and they unconsciously turned to see what was making the noise. There was no guarantee that this person would be on their floor, but it appeared to be the case as they stopped at the top of the stairs, showing no signs of ascending any further, and scanned the hallways, his eyes eventually alighting on the three of them./p
p class="MsoNormal"He certainly didn't look old enough to come to college; Deidara barely looked sixteen, but this kid was practically child-like. His red hair was tousled, as if he had woken up like that, and he was about half Kisame's height, but there was something about the expression on his face that gave Kisame the feeling that not only was he older than he looked, but a lot more mature, as well. For a moment there was silence as they looked each other over, before the guy frowned and murmured softly,/p
p class="MsoNormal""Guess I'm late." span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"Of course, that state of mind had wavered as Kisame had made his journey to Konoha. People were people, when it came down to it, so there were always going to be those who judged you. But when Kisame looked the way he did, it seemed a lot easier for people to do that. There was no reason to believe things would be different. No one had ever expected anything of him; they took one look and that was it. It was what his parents had done. Kisame had never really wanted much from life, apart from being accepted and feeling like he belonged. Even if he'd been alone at the start, he'd made friends, having always been easy going and enjoying joking around. The only problem was that it had changed as he got older. Throughout middle school and high school suddenly it didn't matter what he was like or whether he was easy to get on with; he was a freak, simple as. People he'd thought were friends abruptly turned on him and even those he begun hanging out with seemed to abuse his friendship to practically use him as a hired thug./p
p class="MsoNormal"Still; he enjoyed the fights./p
p class="MsoNormal"It had been hard to trust people in a situation like that, and Kisame remained feeling that way as he sat on the plane, staring out the window and lost in his thoughts as he got closer to Konoha. Why should he trust anyone there after all that had happened in the past? No one had ever paid attention to what he did or anything he was good at because of what he looked like—would that even change just because he was in a different location? But realising what he was thinking, Kisame forcefully shook it off. He'd left Kirigakure to leave that all behind. He didn't want to focus on the past, so he'd deal with what was in front of him—whatever that may be. Coming to Konoha meant he could get away; start afresh. The city itself was bigger and more diverse than Kirigakure, so, along with the college, that made for a pretty multifarious collection of people. If there was anywhere he could belong, why shouldn't it be here?/p
p class="MsoNormal"Though a shiver of anxiety ran up his spine as Kisame stepped out of the cab, handing the fare to the driver and facing the gates of the college, it didn't stop a smile from breaking out on his face. Nerves were to be expected, but they didn't have to hold him back. With that in mind, after taking a deep breath, Kisame stepped forward and made his way onto campus. He pulled out the letter he'd received from the college as he did so, flicking through the information they'd given him to note where he needed to go next. Immediately he headed over there, the weight of his bags not bothering him in the slightest, to collect the information pack that would give him all he needed to know about the college. He didn't notice the glances in his direction; after having dealt with it his entire life, Kisame had learned to block it out and so went on his way as normal, being given the envelope, flicking through to see what was in there and then picking out his dorm on the map. It made sense to make it his next destination. He wanted to unpack and put his stuff somewhere, as well as settle in to the new environment, and therefore set off again to find it./p
p class="MsoNormal"His dorm was Ame Hall. He liked what he knew about it so far; it was on the edges of the campus, hidden among a copse of trees that secluded it from the rest of the college. It might have been a bit of a longer walk to get to classes, but Kisame hadn't liked the idea of being put in the thick of it, right in the centre of the campus. His dorm was a place he could get away, and Kisame wouldn't have to deal with so many people. Another smile flickered across Kisame's features as he finally reached the building, his nerves disappearing further into the recesses of his mind as he continued up the path and made his way inside. It was quiet within the dorm, but as Kisame walked down the corridor and looked around, he couldn't see anyone and gathered he was a little early. Shrugging it off for the time being, he took a look around the communal areas and got himself a glass of water while he had the chance, before eventually opting to head to his room./p
p class="MsoNormal"Pulling out the paper with the information on it, Kisame glanced over it and noted it was first floor, number 7 as he simultaneously picked up his bags and tucked it back into his pocket as he made his way to the stairs and ascended. Whistling as he went along, he fell silent as he reached the first floor, glancing around to get a look at the numbers on the doors, before determining his room was down the left corridor and turning to go that way. He'd been too focused on finding his room to really pay attention to what was around him, so it took him a while to noticed there was someone headed his way. Evidently, they'd been concentrating as little as he had, however, as it wasn't until they were a few steps way from each other that they came to a halt, Kisame watching as his head tilted back as he registered how tall Kisame was to finally make eye contact./p
p class="MsoNormal"Kisame didn't really do anything to begin with; a smile on his face by way of greeting, but nothing more. He had learned that it was best to wait for them to make the first move, meaning he stood there in silence, seeing an unusual intensity in the guy's dark eyes. With his long dark hair and admittedly handsome features, Kisame could guess he'd be pretty popular, which gave him ever more reason to be wary, especially as the guy looked him over and something flickered through his eyes—before suddenly it faded, and his expression became more open. Taking this as a good sign and beginning to find the silence a little awkward, Kisame finally managed to greet quietly,/p
p class="MsoNormal""Uh…hey."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Hello. Sorry I bumped into you. I'm Itachi Uchiha," he responded simply, breezing past any awkwardness there may have been before. Kisame hesitated slightly, his eyebrow raising at hearing the name 'Uchiha', but immediately noted the look on Itachi's face; inwardly hoping for them not to mention anything, to just act like it wasn't important—he'd made the same expression enough times when meeting new people. As such, he switched to another smile, responding warmly,/p
p class="MsoNormal""Nice to meet you Itachi. You on this floor too?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Right away the look in Itachi's eyes became sincerer, a small smirk appearing as they did so, and nodding, he pointed to the other end of the corridor, explaining simultaneously,/p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah. I'm the last on the right. Is yours this way?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Kisame responded by walking to his room and unlocking the door, stepping inside and turning around with a grin to state playfully,/p
p class="MsoNormal""Right here."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Shaking his head with a smirk, Itachi came to the doorway to watch as Kisame threw his bags on his bed, turning back round to question,/p
p class="MsoNormal""So, are you the first one here?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Shaking his head, Itachi gestured with his thumb behind him, beginning to elaborate,/p
p class="MsoNormal""No; well, I was here before anyone, but the room across from you—number 9—that's now occupied. He—" but before Itachi had a chance to say anything more, Kisame spotted blonde hair behind his shoulder, and abruptly Deidara stepped out and announced triumphantly,/p
p class="MsoNormal""That would be me, un."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Smirking at his ego, Kisame introduced himself as Deidara did the same in return. Just as with Itachi, Kisame paused to see what Deidara's reaction would be to meeting him, but was relatively surprised to find that he merely seemed curious, and nothing more. This automatically relaxed Kisame further, and they remained where they were, casually making small talk with one another, until the sound of footsteps echoed out and they unconsciously turned to see what was making the noise. There was no guarantee that this person would be on their floor, but it appeared to be the case as they stopped at the top of the stairs, showing no signs of ascending any further, and scanned the hallways, his eyes eventually alighting on the three of them./p
p class="MsoNormal"He certainly didn't look old enough to come to college; Deidara barely looked sixteen, but this kid was practically child-like. His red hair was tousled, as if he had woken up like that, and he was about half Kisame's height, but there was something about the expression on his face that gave Kisame the feeling that not only was he older than he looked, but a lot more mature, as well. For a moment there was silence as they looked each other over, before the guy frowned and murmured softly,/p
p class="MsoNormal""Guess I'm late." span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p