Chapter Four
Their Predicament

The walk to the Land of Fire was a boring one. Kisame had hoped to reach the border by the time the sun set, but he wasn't sure he was going to be so lucky. Itachi had kept silent the whole trek, making for an exceptionally awkward and boring mission. Kisame tried different subjects to get the Uchiha talking, at least in the least amount, but it never worked. Itachi gave one-word answers, or just didn't speak at all. Kisame was well aware of the raven-haired man and how he enjoyed his silence, but he was unusually quiet today. Kisame couldn't help but think it was because of his erection earlier that morning. That couldn't have bothered Itachi-san that much. Kisame assured himself; he didn't want to be the reason his partner was sulking.

Kisame accepted the fact that he was not going to get Itachi to converse with him, and so he dropped his head and watched the road as he walked along it. Every once in a while, a rock would come into view and Kisame would kick it until he accidentily kicked it off the road - but then he would just find another rock to kick. Some rocks were bigger than others and offered more amusement to the blue-skinned man, as childish as it seemed. Kisame toddered along quietly, almost as if he was a child who had gotten scolded by his teacher or parent. He found small things to amuse him until they got to the border - a wide blade of grass, a wood chip shaped like a fish (Kisame found this especially amusing), or a rock that reflected the sunlight - somehow finding them all on the road. He didn't stray far from the edge of the road. He didn't want to piss Itachi off anymore than he might have been.

Finally building up the guts to look ahead instead of at the ground, Kisame watched for any sign of assurance that they were even on the right path and going the right way. Itachi had been sure of it the day before, but he hadn't said anything recently. This made Kisame nervous - if he had to continue this mission for any longer than he had to, he'd probably go insane. After all, he was quite the loquacious guy... He enjoyed talking to others. He often made bets with the others at the hide-out, showing off how sociable he could be.

Spotting a suspiciously large rock possibly twenty feet up the road, Kisame took off at a trot, ignoring Samehada thumping roughly against his back. He turned his head back to glance at Itachi and saw that his eyes were closed as he walked - he hadn't seen Kisame take off. Shrugging, he closed the distance between himself and the rock. He kneeled down and touched the surface of the rock gently and recognized it as a marker. They were indeed, on the right track. The Land of Fire was up ahead. Kisame grinned to himself. He knew Itachi was right all along. I didn't doubt him for a second. The blue man purred to himself. He turned to where Itachi was walking along the road, his cloak billowing in the gentle wind. His eyes were open, so Kisame decided to reach his arm up and wave to his partner. He looked back down and continued to check out the object as he waited for Itachi to approach.

After a few minutes of no rapidly approaching footsteps, Kisame glanced up. Itachi was close, but he wasn't looking at Kisame. He was looking straight ahead, his onyx eyes seemingly fixated on something. Kisame cocked his head and furrowed his brow as he watched his raven-haired partner walk right past him, apparently without even seeing him. Kisame cleared his throat after Itachi had walked a fair amount of distance, frustrated. Quit playing jokes on me Itachi! Kisame thought, irritated at this point. Itachi had no right to fuck with him like this after ignoring him for an entire day. Fortunately, Itachi heard Kisame clear his throat and whirled around.

"Kisame? Where are you?.. Quit fucking around, lets go. I already told you, we have to get goi-" Itachi started bitching, looking at Kisame. No.. he was looking through Kisame, past him. Kisame frowned, unnerved by this.

"'Tachi..." Kisame said, his voice quivering. He stood and took several steps toward his partner. "You can't see me, can you?" Itachi stood still suddenly, his eyes straining to focus on Kisame. His face looked the tiniest bit scared for less than a second, but when Kisame blinked, the emotion was gone from the Uchiha's face.

"I can see you... my eyesight has... just ... hasn't been the best lately." Itachi said, still obviously struggling to see Kisame. He's lying... He can't see me for shit. Kisame bit his lip and looked at his partner with concern. Blood pooled in the pocket of his bottom lip, but he ignored it. He's used his Mangekyou Sharingan too much. He's going blind. The realization hit Kisame like a brick and made the large man shudder as if there was a chill in the air.

"You're lying Itachi, I can tell. You can't see me..." Kisame whispered, his voice shaking. "How bad is it? Tell me, Itachi. How bad has it gotten?" His voice had become firmer as he spoke, but it still vibrated in the warm, summer air. Itachi stood still, not denying Kisame's accusation. He lidded his eyes for a moment as if lost in thought. Kisame took a step closer, and Itachi must have heard it because he snapped his eyes back open. "Itac-" Kisame started to say when he was cut off by Itachi's cold voice.

"It's bad." That was all that Itachi said. He turned away from Kisame, possibly to hide his expression from his partner, and strode away. Kisame stood bewildered. How had this happened? Just not too long ago, Itachi could see fine. Now he couldn't see three feet in front of him. He hadn't even used his Mangekyou Sharingan in the past few days. This was the first mission they'd been on in a week or so. Kisame bowed his head, confused and scared for his partner. He lifted his head up despite his concern and jogged to catch up with Itachi. The man seem unnerved - the first thing Kisame did was examine his face for any emotion. He tried to do so sneakily, but failed miserably.

"Quit looking at me like that. I will live." Itachi mumbled, his voice as cold as ice. Nothing had changed between the two; Itachi still couldn't stand the thought of opening up to his partner, even about something like this. Kisame was concerned but didn't know how to address the situation without coming off as a creep.

"Itachi-san... what will you do? If you go blind, your Mangekyou Sharingan will forever be sealed away." Itachi didn't flinch at any of Kisame's words, but rather snorted. He didn't seem concerned at all - maybe the Uchiha had seen this coming for quite a while. After all, the Uchiha clan, or what used to be the Uchiha clan, inherited the Sharingan and knew of it's consequences and advantages. Kisame waited for a response but realized that Itachi was ignoring his question. Obviously, he had ran out of questions that Itachi would answer. The pale man was walking calmly, his arms at his sides. Kisame continued to watch him curiously. Itachi uttered a "Hn," and reached into his pack. He pulled out his straw hat and set in on his head, tilted forward so Kisame couldn't stare at him anymore. Kisame grunted in response and turned away.

"Anyway, I found a marker a while back. We're close to the border." Kisame said quietly, an offer for peace between the two before they had to get another room together. He didn't think he could handle a night with a pissed off Uchiha in the same room as himself. Unfortunately for Kisame, Itachi still did not answer but continued to walk.

"Why are you always mad at me..." Kisame sulked.

"We should skirt around the Valley of the End. It will only cause issues for the both of us." These were the first words Itachi spoke since he quit talking hours ago. They were just a mile or so away from the edge of the Land of Fire. The Valley of the End was formed shortly after the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha founded Konohagakure, and it spanned between the Land of Sound and the Land of Fire. Itachi was wise to suggest skirting around it. Kisame nodded in agreement but didn't speak a word. He was tired from walking in the heat - the Land of Fire was named so due to it's warm weather and its base element - and wanted to find a room as quickly as possible to house in. His face showed his irritation and exhaustion, so when Itachi glanced at him, waiting for an answer, he discovered everything Kisame was feeling at that very moment.

"Let's find a room to stay in for the night, Kisame. You're tired and sweaty. I'm sure you would enjoy a shower..."

A/N: How did you all like this chapter? Dramaaa. Review, please. (:
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