When Kisame had first been partnered with Itachi had hadn't expected to enjoy his company but the cold faced boy was actually interesting and as powerful as the rumors had said he was. Kisame thought maybe even more powerful.
Itachi could offer some surprisingly deep commentary and perspectives also and it made a nice change of pace for Kisame. It was nice to have someone around that could come up with something interesting and still hold their own in a fight.
There were however, other things that the boy was not so knowledgeable about.
Itachi was young and despite his fearsome reputation that fact couldn't be gotten around. It amused Kisame in a way that the boy could be both deadly and inexperienced.
He'd taken him out drinking once and to his credit Itachi had come along and done well.
They'd been in a small town on the outskirts of the inhabited world after a mission and it had been Kisame's idea.
Itachi had followed quietly, perhaps curious and he doubted he'd ever been in a drinking establishment before.
Kisame had chuckled at the idea and the sight of the kid sitting across the table from him.
"Drink up, Itachi-san." He teased.
The boy had taken the cup and sipped, giving away nothing except a small blink of surprise and Kisame had chuckled, sharp teeth showing. "Not much of a drinker, eh?" He asked.
He saw red on the boy's cheeks and something considering in his eyes as Itachi shook his head. "No." He admitted. "Not much."
Itachi kept his thoughts to himself.
It made him more curious about his partner and perhaps it was all because they had some common ground and because they didn't fight.
"Everyone should try getting drunk." Kisame said, raising a finger educationally.
Itachi looked at him and then smiled softly before taking another sip.
He wondered if the boy had ever drank at all before.
Had the heir to the Uchiha clan ever gotten drunk with friends? If he had Kisame couldn't picture it now and Itachi's face was starting to creep towards pink.
All of the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan and he was a light weight when it came to drinking.
It was almost funny but the mission was done and Kisame felt that he could handle things.
He also thought the kid needed to relax. The Shinobi life was hard but Ninja who never took a day off. . . who didn't indulge in life at all. . . well they had it a lot worse and Kisame had come to feel slightly protective of Itachi.
It was true the younger ninja was the more powerful of the two, his eyes alone put him in his own class but there were plenty of things that Kisame had the upper hand in. Drinking was turning into another one of them and he didn't even want to theorize on the boy's sex life or lack there of.
Itachi coughed after a while and he laughed, pouring him more sake even though he knew the other ninja was drawing close to his limit.
Itachi raised a hand to stop him and around them they heard the soft buzz of chatter of other people drinking.
"Hey, you ever gotten drunk before Itachi-san?" Kisame asked, finally feeling his own face warm.
Itachi shook his head, blinking slightly.
When they had time the boy preferred tea shops and dango but he was an adult now and Kisame thought he should have a well rounded experience. . . even if he didn't look like more than a boy. Shinobi life was hard and childhood was short. Life was short in general and it was better to live while you could.
He chuckled and saw Itachi exhale, hair fluttering from the force of his breath.
The great and mighty Itachi Uchiha brought down by just a few cups of sake.
Perhaps no one in the Leaf would ever believe it.
"You've really never drank before, huh?" He asked, amused by the whole thing.
Itachi shrugged and leaned on the table, elbow propping him up in a way he probably wouldn't have done if he had been sober. It was almost sloppy. "Once but I didn't get drunk." He said.
He didn't explain more and Kisame let it go, pleased to learn just that little fact. "You look drunk now."
Itachi nodded and he could see something tense on his face.
"Don't worry, Itachi-san. I'll take care of things. I'm no light weight."
Itachi gave a small smile. "I think I am." He said, speech slurred.
Kisame poured him just a little more. "I think so too."
"Won't my head hurt tomorrow?"
It was too much. The all powerful Itachi worried about a hangover. God, the childhoods of ninja weren't enough. To never experience life to it's fullest was a tragedy.
"Probably a little." He said.
Itachi nodded as though he were trying to weigh the outcome but he knew he couldn't because he had never had a hangover and he wouldn't know until he had. Kisame smiled to himself, pleased he could give the boy this bit of life.
"Drink some water before you go to sleep." Kisame said sagely and the younger ninja nodded his head. It was the most uncoordinated he had ever seen the boy. Itachi usually measured every action and movement he made and he could see him here trying to still do that, trying to focus and hold himself together and stoic.
He chuckled to himself and drained the bottle.
No sense in letting things get too far out of hand.
The boy was not yet so drunk that he couldn't walk and yet he put an arm out and guided him out into the night.
"Ne, Itachi-san. . . can you see in the dark?" He asked.
Itachi shook his head. "Not without my Sharingan." He said.
Kisame laughed softly and they left the little town, disappearing into the trees to rest and wait for morning.
Itachi didn't stumble but he did hold on to Kisame's arm a few times and when they settled under a tree he could tell the boy was glad to lay down.
Kisame watched his partner sleep for a moment.
He might have been deadly, he might have been one of the most dangerous people listed in the bingo books but he was also still a kid and it was just enough to bring out some long buried part of Kisame.
He had been a kid too once, a long time ago and he could remember little snippets of those years.
When Itachi's breathing evened out he smiled to himself and settled back, folding his hands over his stomach.
He had gotten lucky with this partner and he thought that Itachi had probably gotten lucky too.
After all, once you ended up in a bingo book most people forgot that you were ever anything but a list of crimes. Fate would play out the way it was set to but at least for a night they had stepped outside of the ninja world.