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For most of his life Kisame has known the water.
His first memories are of time spent on his dads ship helping the crew in ways he's sure now weren't really helpful in the slightest. Of standing on the dock holding his mothers hand watching the ships coming in. Seeing his dad's ship was a highlight of his early years.
The mans passing in Kisame's youth, compounded by his mothers grief and depression, had lead Kisame to a life on the water himself and he'd never once turned back.
His boat was nothing big. After his dad's accident Kisame decided he didn't want a crew, he wanted just enough space for himself and Samehada.
She was a seaworthy dog, fond of the water and swimming but not so fond of other people. She was prickly, good at keeping unwanted people away from his rig, though he did sometimes worry just how much time she spent in the water. Sometimes he was half convinced she was a shark herself.
He didn't mind, he was weird in his own ways too. The Hoshigaki clan always had been a little on the strange side. Gray blue skin, shark like eyes, and weird ridges on his face that dad had always told him were gills.
"Sealed up when we came on land," Kai used to say, ruffling Kisame's hair fondly as they walked along his ship checking the lines and nets hoping for a good catch.
Kisame's never been sure how much of those old tales he really believes, but dad did and that's all that matters really.
He doesn't spend his days around other people for it to even matter. Since losing both parents Kisame's been the loner type and the coast lines between Konoha and Kiri are enough to keep him busy and to make a living with the added bonus of not being overcrowded.
Not many people like to venture out here in the stretch of ocean between the two countries and that's fine by him. The islands dappling the area keep him well in business and better still they offer him access to the best fishmonger around--
Itachi Uchiha.
Itachi pays well and never turns down any of his catch, unless of course they’ve gone bad. Those times Itachi just looks at him stoically and says his name… “Kisame,” as if he can hardly begin to believe Kisame would have them audacity to bring them bad fish.
It’s cute, Itachi's cute. Kisame's always thought so.
The other fishermen that do venture out here don't seem too keen on Itachi though, which doesn't bother Kisame in the slightest either. They go as far as to avoid Itachi's shop, sailing hours out of their way to the mainland ports to sell.
Kisame isn't fond of the main ports and unlike everyone else, goes out of his way to avoid them. His tall build, strange skin, and even stranger dog garner a lot of odd looks in Konoha. In Kiri there were one too many memories of what used to be to draw him back there often.
As his luck would have it, that's exactly where he's heading.
It’s not a dangerous trip but it is a long one. The seas aren’t the friendliest to people who stay out on them at night. Sailor’s and fisherman alike claim to see glowing red eyes out on the waves. Kisame isn’t scared, he’s a strong swimmer, from the Hoshigaki line.
Reaching up he strokes his fingers along the raised ridges of his face.
"One day you’ll hit the water and they’ll open up and save you." Kai's voice is filled with excitement and confidence that, at the young age of nine, had filled Kisame's mind with wonder.
The thing with age though is that at a certain point you stop believing in such stories and Kisame stopped believing the legends of his clan a long time ago.
Some nights, when his thoughts are too much and the memories of his dad linger too heavy on his mind, Kisame lets himself believe. He lets the thought wash over him, imagines his dad lost out at sea and sinking into the water but at the last second his gills open up and he lives.
Tonight Kisame won't sleep, and he thanks the sea for that because his thoughts are already too heavy. Tonight he'll keep watch and a steady hold on his boat as he navigates through the sea making his way closer to the coasts but longing instead for the familiar small islands and a break from the darkness of his thoughts.
The rocks come out of no where.
Kisame's made this journey a million times. He knows the path, he knows the landscape, and he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that there was never rocks there before.
Of course he's heard the stories before. Strange rocks coming out of nowhere along the coast, whirlpools that suck wayward ships down to the depths, ghost ships and strange old buildings that seem to rise out of nowhere.
There are stories of an old village, a sister port to Konoha out on the waters. Some say it comes back at night, that it juts from the ocean water when you least expect it causing wrecks and claiming lives.
Kisame doesn't believe this anymore than he believes in the red eyes or in his gills. He knows what this is, a miscalculation and nothing more.
His boat shudders and his heart hammers in his chest as the water begins lapping at his ankles, filling the cabin quickly. Beside him Samehada whimpers and nudges at his leg.
"I know girl," he says and reaches down to pet her.
If there are rocks then there should be land nearby but with the way the cabin is flooding Kisame isn't sure they have time to orientate themselves. Clearly he got something wrong, clearly he miscalculated.
"We're strong swimmers yeah," he tells her as he strokes his hand along her and pats her side. "Abandon ship?"
He should stay, he wants to stay.
A captain never leaves his ship.
And he loves the ol' girl. She's served him well ever since he bought her and brought her out on these waters. She's home, she's everything.
Making his way through the water, Kisame ushers Samehada out of the cabin and into the open air. He can see the rocks and the damage to his ship and it pains his heart to see her like this.
The water is rough when they hit it, too rough for him to know where to swim and he pats Samehada's side as she swims around him chirping her weird little sounds.
Kisame is a good swimmer but tonight the waves crash over his head and his clothes are heavy and it's too dark to see the land.
He sinks quickly, breath caught in his chest till it aches with the need for release. Samehada swims around him, round and round and her concern is palpable. He wishes she wouldn't be there to see.
Strangely he feels a certain kind of peace as his vision starts to blacken at the edges. If this is the end then so be it...he only wishes he'd seen Itachi one last time.
Kisame is being pulled through the water.
There are thin fingers wrapped around his wrist, pulling him along. Their hold is crushing and tight. He doesn't try and fight them off, he's too exhausted for that.
Kisame takes a shuddering breath and water filters in through his mouth and over his tongue, carrying the sharp metallic taste of blood and salt. His chest doesn't ache with the need for air and he feels them; his gills.
Opening his eyes he tries to see but he can't make out anything through the inky darkness of hair that sweeps over his face and sticks to his gills.
Somewhere around him he imagines he can hear Samehada chirping happily. The sound lulls his tired mind back to the darkness of sleep.
When Kisame next wakes he's laid out on a something soft and warm.
A bed
His mind supplies with ease and he lets himself relax a little more against it. His body is swore, exhausted from the ordeal of almost drowning, and all he wants to do is sleep. But his face hurts and he needs answers.
What happened out there? Who saved him? Where is he?
Kisame tries to remember but he's only met with black hair, a strong hold around his wrist, and blood on his tongue.
Reaching up to his face he traces his fingers over the raised ridges of his face, feels the gills he so clearly remembers fluttering in the water to help save him. They're the same as always, sealed tight against each other the same as they have been his whole life.
A dream then? Wishful thinking? The lingering whimsy of a child's dreams during a moment of panic?
A soft but bitter laugh tears it's way from his dry throat.
Forcing his eyes open Kisame takes in the small room he's in. There isn't much to give away it's owner, a few shelves lined with some books and various trinkets, a desk wedged in one corner and a low sitting table in another with cushions around it for seating.
The room rises and falls with the waves of the ocean, the window by the desk gives way to a setting sun.
Not a boat then, but a house.
Kisame knows only one person who has made their home out on the waves, platform stationed on large buoys that keep it afloat.
Sitting up, Kisame stretches out his weary bones.
He needs to see if his hunch is right, if he's where he thinks he is but before he can stand the door to the room is opening and Itachi is standing there.
“You’re awake,” they say. “I made you chowder.”
“Itachi," Kisame greets with a small incline of his head, a smile stretched across his lips pulling at the ridges that still ache just slightly. "Did you save me?"
He hadn't thought he was anywhere near any of their various pontoons. If he had been he would have planned to stop for the night verse making his journey in the dark. It's an odd detail but one he once more chalks up to a miscalculation on his part.
"I did," they nod. "You crashed not too far from here, I heard you collide with the rocks. I've hauled your ship here. It's in bad shape but nothing we can't fix."
Kisame doesn't remember anything of being saved. He only remembers long fingers around his wrist, inky hair, and blood in his mouth.
"I'm glad to hear that," he says, forcing a smile. "Samehada did she..."
At hearing her name the large dogs pushes her head past Itachi's legs and bounds into the room, up onto the bed to greet him. Her tongue lulls out of her mouth as she licks at him and chirps in her happy little way.
She really is such an odd dog.
"Thank you, Itachi," he says, words fond as he looks up from petting Samehada.
From the doorway Itachi gives a nod in reply and if Kisame isn't mistaken the smallest trace of a smile is on their lips.
It's easy to fall into a daily rhythm with Itachi.
They salvaged a lot from Kisame's ship, including his fishing poles, so he spends most days out along the coast fishing.
The Dusty Pontoon, the shop and home Itachi owns, is anchored to a small island half a days sail to one of Konoha's smaller ports. It leaves ample land for Kisame to explore and plenty of coastline for him to fish everyday.
It brings in enough money for them to buy the parts for his boat and in turn for him to pay Itachi to store it in the shipyard. They don't seem to mind and Kisame has a hunch they're giving him a deal anyways.
Where and who Itachi sells the fish to Kisame doesn't know and he doesn't ask either.
During the mornings Kisame fishes and Itachi uses some of the catch to make their meals. Their afternoons are spent either on land scavenging the old wrecks for wood and metal or on Itachi's small boat dredging the waters for old parts they can restore.
Evenings are dedicated to work in the shipyard, painstakingly piecing together the remains of his girl. She's in bad shape will take a while to repair.
Itachi assures him they don't mind the company.
At night, Kisame dreams of the wreck.
He feels his boat shudder as it collides against the rock, the sound of twisting warped metal and rushing water meets his ears and panic rises in his chest as he ushers Samehada out of the cabin. His clothes weigh him down as he dives overboard and the disorientation of the waves throw him off. He wakes every night gasping for air, arms flailing as he tries to swim towards the surface.
Itachi tells him it's mind trying to make sense of what happened. His waking mind can't remember but his unconscious sleeping mind is relentless in it's attempts to remind him.
It takes a few nights but his mind works him beyond his dive into the water, memories slowly weaving into what he can only assume is fantasy as Samehada swims around him. She's more shark than dog and she nudges her face against his as he sinks deeper into the water, chest painfully tight and mind foggy with the need to breath.
There is a familiarity to her actions and another memory surfaces...
Kisame is five and he's waiting on the dock for his dad.
It's like any other day, busy with fishermen and crew walking to and from their boats. Kisame's small and does his best to stay out of their way. He shifts to the side when a group comes walking through and he's too close to the edge.
Half his foot steps off the dock and he can't right himself before he falls into the water.
Kisame's swam since he was old enough for Kai to toss him into the ocean but the currents are strong and the waves are choppy. He can't make heads or tails of anything as waves crash over his head and pull him further out. Something bumps against him, raises him to the surface to breath and he can't see what it is but he can hear it making happy chirps. It pushes him along to the shore.
He collapses on the sand, gasping for air. As he passes out a large wet tongue licks his face.
Samehada never left his side after that and Kisame isn't sure how he ever forgot.
Other times when Kisame dreams of the wreck, he has his gills.
His face hurts and he can taste blood in the water as it washes over his tongue. In these dreams he knows his gills are working, can remember them tearing themselves open to save him.
The strange part is that he's never alone.
A figure swims before him, webbed fingers reaching out to him, holding him close as he orientates himself to the water. Black hair blocks his vision but bright red eyes peer at him curiously.
The figure reaches for him and he lets it curl it's fingers around his wrist and drag him forward, a strong black tail fin where legs should be push the figure on wards.
Kisame trusts them, Kisame knows them.
When he wakes from these dreams, it's with Itachi on his mind.
Some days the raised ridges on his face bleed.
Itachi always cleans them for him, careful only to use salt water. They say the ocean will heal him and Kisame doesn't disagree. Those days when he stands at the shoreline fishing, when the mist of the ocean hits his face he swears he can feel them flutter.
Two weeks into staying with Itachi and Kisame's confident he has a crush on them.
He knew it would happen, he'd even suspected he had a crush but their relationship is a working one and he'd never allowed himself to even consider more beyond his realization of such. The cramped space of the Dusty Pontoon pushes them closer to each other every day.
When their hands touch over dinner, Kisame lets his linger for a moment. He settles a hand against Itachi's back when he moves around him here and there throughout their day. Itachi doesn't seem to mind and more often than not they reward Kisame with one of their small smiles.
They reach for him more often too, letting touches stay just shy of too long to be only friendly.
Kisame wonders when it will break, when one of them will push for more.
In truth, it scares him.
Something lingers in Kisame's mind alongside the memories of that night. The ocean calls out to him, the need to follow it's call sits heavy in his chest.
The call is so strong that some days it's a torture to linger on the coast fishing.
It feels like he's fighting against himself and he thinks he loves Itachi but he can't risk dragging them to the depths with him.
The day it all comes to a head it's raining.
The waves crash against the rocks and shoreline as the wind blows in a heavy mist. Water laps at Kisame's legs as he stands out fishing, too lost to his thoughts to notice the tide's come in.
The bite hasn't been good, he's sure most of the fish have swam lower for cover from the rain that pelts the surface of the ocean. He should have turned in hours ago but the call of the water's kept him stock still, eyes fixed on the waves.
"Kisame." Itachi's voice breaks though his thoughts and he turns slightly towards them when he feels them beside them.
"Are you ok?" They ask and Kisame nods, then shakes his head.
He isn't ok. He's not sure he's been ok since he crashed his boat but he doesn't know how to fix it.
"I think I need to go back," he says and it doesn't make sense even as he says the words.
"Go back where?" Itachi asks and Kisame gives a short wild laugh in answer because he knows his next words are going to sound insane.
"To the ocean," he answers when he's finally stopped laughing over the absurdity of it all.
Much to his surprise Itachi only nods in answer, as if they knew this was coming the whole time.
"I thought, when I found you, that this might happen," Itachi says as if it's the most common conclusion for one to have come to.
Kisame stares dumbfounded not even sure what to make of Itachi's declaration and before be can even say anything they're suddenly stripping from their clothes and heading towards the water.
Closing his mouth, Kisame's brain finally catches up to what's happening.
"Itachi," he says. "You'll make yourself sick."
It's cold and rainy, the water is much too rough to go swimming. It's dangerous.
"Kisame," Itachi stops when the water is at their waist and holds a hand out to him.
Like a fool, Kisame follows.
Water plasters his clothes against his skin as he takes Itachi's hand and lets himself be lead deeper into the water.
The waves crash over them and the familiar panic starts in his chest as his mouth fills with water. He wants to go back, wants to drop Itachi's hand and flee.
Itachi's fingers tighten against his, keeping him anchored as more water fills his mouth and lungs.
It happens in a quick second; he can't breath and then all at once he can. His gills flutter open and let water rush in, his eyes adjust and the water that had been dark and inky is suddenly clear to him.
Itachi's hand feels weird in his and when he looks down he sees the webbing between both their fingers forcing them apart, unable to hold each other the way human hands could. A long black tail replaces Itachi's legs and their eyes glow red.
Leaning back Kisame laughs, the sound coming out in a stream of bubbles from his lips and gills.
Around them Samehada swims. She's once again more shark than dog. She's beautiful, Itachi's beautiful. Kisame won't let himself forget them again.
“I had a cousin, he was only half mermaid,” Itachi says as they lay out on the deck of the Dusty Pontoon drying off.
They had spent hours swimming around the area, Itachi showing him all their favorite haunts under the water.
“He taught me how to shift between human and mermaid. He taught me how to love the human world, but then he died and I never felt I was apart of the humans…not till you came along," Itachi continues to explain. "Your clan, it's rumored they're shark shifters. I always wanted to ask, but I assumed you didn't know."
It explains so many things about Itachi, things he hadn't even found weird at first.
"Is that where the fish go?" he asks and Itachi nods.
“My family,” Itachi explains. “My little brother. He has a gentle heart, he doesn’t like to kill.”
Kisame has never felt bad catching fish, but he doesn't judge or fault Itachi's brother either. He's just happy he's been able to help.
"The red eyes sailors see?" he asks and Itachi nods again.
“The clan,” Itachi says with amusement. “They hunt at night, not human…never human, but it doesn’t stop us from being seen.”
Kisame smiles, amused and happier than he has been in a long time.
"And the ruins, the story of Whirlpool…was that where I crashed?" he's curious and a part of him wants to go back there to see for himself.
"It is," Itachi answers. "You picked a bad night to be out. Whirlpool used to be filled with our kind, until it fell, betrayed by land walkers. Some nights when the tide is low, it's ruins are visible. You just happened to be there. As soon as I realized where you ship was heading, I tried to swim out to warn you."
It's a sad story, one Kisame will want to know more of later. He has so many questions about their kind, about his clan too.
"My dad," he says, finally asking the one other thing that is on his mind. It's unlikely Itachi will know what became of him but he had gills too. Kisame has to ask.
Itachi surprises him once more with a smile.
"His gills saved him," they say. "My father found him, he's very excited to see you again."
Sighing happily, Kisame shifts to lay on his back, staring up at the clouds above them. They're dark and filled with rain, promising more storms on the way. It's a stark difference to the happiness he's feeling.
It all sounds too good to be true and for a moment he wonders if he died that night. Perhaps this is all the dream of a man in a coma or a beautiful afterlife.
Itachi shifts next to him, coming into his view with a smile. They lean down and slot their lips against his and Kisame lets go of such crazy thoughts.
The waves lap gently at the dock, the floating platform lifts them with each roll of the ocean. Kisame kisses Itachi back and surrenders to this life.