Oneshot - Heat Wave - Kisame, Itachi
Title: Heat Wave
Characters: Kisame, Itachi
Rating: PG
Summary: In which Kisame ponders.
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Characters and locations all property of Kishimoto
A/N: I used to wonder why somebody would post a story only to have a really long A/N stating how unhappy they were with it. Now I totally understand them. (And I really want to get on with the sequel...)
He had never really minded the travelling life of the nuke-nins. The moments that he did were few and far in between and this was one of them. Even a mad killer to a S-ranked missing nin deserved a cool place in the shade in the backyard and a refrigerator to call his own during heat waves like this, right?
Kisame drew a deep breath and glanced at his partner. The heat didn't seem to face Itachi at all, but then again, he was from the Fire Country. Maybe he was used to this kind of heat, this dry, agonising heat which left you constantly short of breath, though Kisame doubted that one ever could be. The Uchiha had his coat faithfully buttoned all the way up, his face remaining hidden behind the collar at all times. Had Kisame known about the trademark Uchiha fashion, he might would have spent a moment contemplating that particular habit of his partner, but he didn't and the quirk went unnoticed.
The mist nin studied his partner out of the corner of his eye. He didn't really know why and he was sure Itachi could sense or even see him doing so but it was too hot out and he felt somewhat secure that The Sharingan User wouldn't lash out on him in the middle of an open street. He let his eyes wander over the boy, taking in his appearance. It wasn't often that he did so, their 'line of work' and Itachi's silent nature made it hard to get close. Not that they should get close either, it was just a matter of time before one of them got killed. Sometimes it didn't matter how great your skill or your stamina were, sometimes it was just up to fate and some kind of unlucky circumstance could at any time bring forth your own destruction. It just didn't do to get close but Kisame still watched Itachi today, still let his eyes observe the little details on the Uchihas body. As his eyes reached the hem of Itachis cloak he noticed that it came to a short quite some inches before it should. He let his gaze travel back up, to the hem of Itachis sleeves. Yes, it was the same thing there. Itachi's cloak was indeed too...short. The rouge nin were suddenly hit with the realisation that if it was too short, it must mean that Itachi was still growing and he felt something he had only felt once before.
He had woken up in the middle of the night, alone in a room which should have contained one more person. The door to the balcony had been ajar and Kisame's curiosity drew him there. Outside, barely visible in the darkness, he saw a sight he'd never imagined seeing. The boy was leaning against the railing, eyes fixated on something far, far away. He rested his head on his left hand, while the other were slowly stroking the soft fur of a cat, sitting on the railing next to him. There was something serene over the scene, something tranquil. As Kisame quietly observed the Uchiha he suddenly realised he felt a strong surge of wanting the protect the boy, save him from the heartbreaks and struggles that came with being a wanted man. He didn't understand where the feeling would come from because the times you had protect Itachi from others were greatly outnumbered to the times you had to protect others from Itachi. In the end, Kisame decided to blame the feeling on his just-awoken state and on the fact that Itachi's hair was not pulled back in his usual ponytail and made his way back to his bed, before his mind could play another trick on him.
This time, it was probably just the heat. There was simply not enough oxygen to go around. As he averted his eyes from the boy, watching the road ahead of them instead, Kisame still made a mental note to figure out a way to imply his experience of these feelings to Sasori the next time they all gathered. Just to see if he too had felt the heat sometime.
~
I think LJ must hate me or something. Or it's in a really, really bad mood right now.