Author's note: If you are unaware that Suikazan (Kisame's boss) has been cremated instead of being given a traditional funeral with a casket and everything, then I strongly encourage you to go back and read the chapter 15 edit (and by edit I mean most of the chapter has been revised). Thanks! ~Sasori33-001
After being home for an hour and a half and with two hours to go before he met up with Itachi again, Kisame sat amongst his old apartment above the auto shop and marveled how a little tidying up could transform the space into something completely different.
Ever since he could remember, the place had always been a mess. Even the day he moved in, the place was trashed with old car parts, discarded soda cans and beer bottles, stray cigarette butts, tools, crates and tires.
"It's a little messy, but then again, I don't have to give you a place to stay now do I?" Suikazan said and clapped him on the back with a wheezy laugh.
Suikazan was right, though. As long as he had a place to call home, Kisame didn't mind the mess. Overtime, he was able to clear out the clutter and find creative ways to organize it in the shop itself. Not that Suikazan ever really cared. And with the clutter gone, Kisame busied himself working to pay his rent while saving up his money for a few other luxuries like a mini fridge and a cell phone. The TV was at least a decade, maybe even two decades old and had been among the clutter when Kisame moved in.
Surprisingly, after twenty-two years, the thing still worked save for during inclement weather. For that reason alone, Kisame was packing it up as well and taking it to Itachi's apartment in case Itachi himself didn't own one and for sentimental reasons.
It made sense that if Itachi could afford to live in such a luxurious apartment building that he could afford a nice big screen TV. However, Itachi didn't strike Kisame as the type of man to enjoy such a "mindless activity like watching TV for hours on end" he could hear Itachi saying.
Without the TV as its focal point, the beaten recliner he'd purchased from a yard sale several years ago now sat staring into blank space. Of all of the possessions he was going to be leaving behind, the recliner was what he was going to miss the most. He'd eaten many meals sitting in that chair and watched so many television programs that the thing always sat reclined due to the mountains of clothes piled high all around it; an island in and of itself.
Originally intended by the architect as an in-law suite built above the garage, Suikazan never used it for that purpose, or at least, not to Kisame's knowledge. It was equipped with a full bathroom and a small kitchen complete with countertops, a sink and overhead cabinets but lacked a full-size fridge and an oven to cook with. Instead, he'd compensated by filling the gap meant for the refrigerator with the mini-fridge he'd saved up his money for and opted to microwave all of his meals (another amenity he'd saved up to buy).
The microwave, he could bear to part with. The mini-fridge, however, was a different story, and one that he'd weighed the pros and cons of bringing along with him to Itachi's apartment. On one hand, Itachi most likely had a full-sized fridge. On the other hand, how convenient would it be to have a fridge in his bedroom for when he got hungry in the middle of the night?
He chuckled to himself. I'm already turning it into my apartment above the shop, and I haven't even moved in yet, he thought.
That left only the broken bedframe and mattress he'd found amid the clutter when Suikazan took him in. Again, he assumed that he would be provided a place to sleep once he moved in with Itachi (the man didn't explicitly tell him what he was to bring with him.) Worst case scenario, he'd spend his first couple of nights or so sleeping on the couch until he found the time to transport his old mattress there.
If that was case, he needed to find a way to conceal the large spaghetti stain adorning the mattress's surface from when he was too impatient to wait for his sheets to finish drying (also stained from the same dish that evening). That was back before he'd located the recliner he currently owned today which sported its fair share of stains from over the years.
In the end, Kisame left everything be. He didn't know what would happen to this place now that Suikazan was dead. He feared that if (or when) the state arrived to claim the property, they wouldn't hesitate to kick him out like the squatter he was.
Kisame knew that he wasn't a squatter. He worked for Suikazan in return for a place to live. But without Suikazan's will concerning the fate of the property after his death, Kisame didn't have much of a fighting chance explaining that he himself still lived here.
And still wanted to.
Kisame arrived at Itachi's apartment building at 5 p.m., half an hour earlier than the time that he and Itachi had agreed upon simply because he was hoping that Itachi would arrive sooner than 5:30 so that he could review his employment papers and Kisame could quickly move in his possessions and get to Hozuki's in time for his evening shift.
He paced the length of the lobby, clad in his khaki pants and green polo shirt. He knew that compared to the well-to-do business men and women who passed him by in their freshly dry-cleaned suits and expensive briefcases, he looked like a delivery boy without anything to deliver.
He didn't belong here, and he knew it, but he earned the chance to stay here and would do whatever it took to keep that opportunity, even if it was only for a little while.
He pushed his hand into his pocket and fingered the folded piece of paper that stated that he was an employee of Terumi Convenience. As an added measure, he brought along his nametag pin which he kept in his other pocket.
"Sir? Do you need directions?" A woman behind the receptionist desk was asking him.
Kisame shook his head. "No, I'm just waiting for a friend." He answered.
The receptionist nodded. "Okay." She said and busied herself with a pile of paperwork.
It felt weird to refer to Itachi as being his friend when in reality he was just a stranger Kisame had only met two weeks ago. Besides Miru, Suikazan was the only person Kisame considered as being a true friend.
"Oh. You're here." A familiar voice said from behind him.
Immediately Kisame pulled himself out of his daydreaming and pivoted on his heel to meet eyes with Itachi.
Itachi glanced at his wrist watch. "You're fifteen minutes early."
Kisame shrugged awkwardly and produced his employment papers from his pocket, handing them to Itachi. "My shift at Hozuki's starts at six so I thought I'd come a little earlier."
Itachi briefly glanced over the papers Kisame handed him and slowly nodded before giving them back to him. "Yes, I remember discussing that over the phone last night." He said. "Your papers seem to be in order too."
Is it really that easy? Kisame wondered when Itachi produced a golden key from his pocket. As if on auto-pilot, Kisame extended a hand to receive the proof that he actually had a home to (partially) call his own now, a confirmation that things were starting to look up for him.
"Where are your things?" Itachi asked, glancing around the lobby. "Did you bring them with you or were you planning to bring everything later?"
"They're down the street." Kisame answered. At Itachi's blank look, Kisame elaborated. "I drove here, but I couldn't find a place to park, so I parked down the street."
"You drove here?" Itachi asked. "You never mentioned that you had a car."
What is the best way to word this? "It's not technically my car; I borrowed it so I could move my stuff back and forth. I'll be returning it after work tonight."
Itachi nodded, satisfied with Kisame's answer. "That's good, because if you did own a car, I'd have to get you a parking permit, but since you don't, I don't need to worry about it." He said and checked the time. "How long does it take to get to Hozuki's from here?"
"10 minutes by car."
"Then we have approximately twenty minutes to move your things. Do you have much?" Itachi asked him.
He shook his head. "Just one big box and a television set."
Itachi nodded. "Let me put my laptop bag upstairs and I'll help you move your things."
"Okay." Kisame replied, content to wait in the lobby for Itachi to return. Although he might have gotten the box into the truck with very little difficulty, transporting it down a crowded street by himself might prove more challenging, especially without the help of the dollies at the shop.
He was brought to attention when he noticed Itachi holding the elevator door open for him to follow. "Coming? You might as well familiarize yourself with the place while you can, right?"
It took a moment for him to fully process Itachi's words before he jogged to catch up with him. "Right." He parroted. That's right; I live here now, don't I? He thought to himself and waited for the elevator door to close before them.
Once the carrier started to ascend, Kisame was reminded of the age old adage. When one door closes, another one opens.
And with that, we conclude the six chapter Kisame arc and embark on Itachi's pursuits next time! (Meaning, the next few chapters will be Itachi chapters). I'm really excited for what's to come, which means that y'all should be excited too!
Also, I'd like to give a really big shout-out to The Secret Sal for being the ONLY person who reviews this story. For the other 11 - 30 people who care enough about the plot to continue reading past chapter 2 on, please leave a review telling me what you liked/didn't like or what could've been done better. I created an account to get feedback that my friends don't have time to give me, and seeing as you people read this story because you do have time tells me that you can give me some sort of feedback or something. It would mean a lot and probably help me update faster. Thanks!
Until next time!
~Sasori33-001