It Started With A Kiss (A Kisame Story)

Chapter 9.

“Wait...you’re okay with this, Umi? I mean, you’re not going to protest?” Kisame shot back in confusion, only for Umi to smile and shake her head, shrugging as she responded simply,

“I don’t really have much idea about the world up here, Kisame-san. I mean, I know stuff about ninja abilities and things that have occurred in the world like wars and stuff...but there’s so much I don’t know. The village isn’t my home, either—now I’m out of the lake...there’s nowhere for me to go. But you’ve given me a place to stay and are willing to help me out, so...I don’t see any reason why I should say no.”

Laughing at her explanation, Kisame admitted Umi had a point—halting himself from going to tell Pein that she was willing to stay as he realised that now she was joining the Akatsuki, she was going to have to deal with the rest of them, too. As such, he turned back, offering to give her a little advice on the personalities of each member of the Akatsuki and what it was best to do to keep them calm—a beginner’s guide, really. And giggling at the idea, Umi nodded and confessed she’d probably need it, inviting Kisame to sit down when he simply stood by the side of her bed. At first, Kisame hesitated, unsure whether to do so or not, but as he looked back into her deep sapphire eyes he gave in, that connection between them overriding any reluctance he may have had before. But as he spoke and told Umi about the organization, she couldn’t help but laugh at almost everything he said. For an S-class criminal, she had to admit, he had a pretty good sense of humour. By the time he had finished, Umi was wiping her eyes free of tears, sliding her legs off the bed and placing her feet on the floor as Kisame went to the door to tell Pein. Stating she was just going to the bathroom, Umi stood up and began to head over to the bathroom; forgetting completely that she hadn’t quite got used to her legs yet—which ultimately meant she instantly collapsed towards the floor.

Though she didn’t quite make it there.

Without her having even noticed, Kisame had come back, having noticed Umi falling, and with his strong arms now wrapped around her waist, he gently lifted her back up until she was standing, smiling gently when she looked over sheepishly to joke softly,

“Not used to being vertical yet, huh?”

Giggling, Umi's laugh petered out a moment later as she fully noticed the way Kisame was holding her. Being a mermaid—in a lake where there were no others, only fish—she didn’t exactly get much human contact. Even when she changed into a human on her birthday, the villagers didn’t exactly give her hugs and link arms with her when she arrived; anything but. So overall, in Umi's life, she hadn’t ever really gotten close to people; so to have Kisame's arms around her like they were now; with his torso pressed against hers and their bodies this close to each other, she couldn’t help but blush and look away, not knowing what to do. She might know the English language back to front, but some words hadn’t ever meant anything to her, and regardless of how many humans she watched for their behaviour together...it was altogether different when she herself was in that sort of situation, prompting her to merely mumble a thank you in return. Spotting her reaction, however, Kisame decided to cut her a little slack, stepping back a little as he suggested sweetly,

“Don’t worry about it; but considering you’re not too great on your legs yet, it might be best if I help you out a little before I go to find Leader. Come on, let’s get you used to your legs.”

Nodding in agreement, wanting to be able to use them without help, Umi braced herself against the floor, allowing Kisame to hold her arm gently and prop her up as she walked slowly across the floor and into the bathroom. Even when she went in, Kisame stayed put outside, knowing she’d need help walking back over to the bed, which he did once she was finished, finally going over to the door as she got back into bed, pointing out that all Umi had to do was ask for something if she needed it as he left, bowing sarcastically as he closed the door.

Laughing to herself in the silence, Umi laid back against the pillows as she waited for ‘Leader’ to finally appear, the smile still evident on her face as she remembered everything Kisame had said about the Akatsuki. ‘He’s silent and solemn, but he’s alright; he always tries to stop anyone from arguing, anyway. But, uh...he’s got the Rinnegan, and orange hair...and a ton of piercings; they’re like all over him—well, as far as I know, anyway...’ Giggling once more as she remembered his words, Umi shook her head at the memory and looked over to the window and the outside world, contemplating how things were going to go from here. With what she had experienced from Kisame, things didn’t look like they were going to be too bad. If she just continued being nice to him and treating him well, she’d be able to figure out what it would take to remain human, and she’d have herself a place in the Akatsuki. Smirking as she noted the change from having been swimming around in the lake yesterday to being offered a place in the Akatsuki, Umi settled down in the bed and enjoyed the silence—only for it be cut off a moment later as the door opened again, Pein himself entering the room and nodding in greeting towards Umi. Doing so in return, trying to hold back a smile as Kisame's words ran through her mind once again, Umi said nothing as Pein began simply,

“I gather Kisame has explained everything, then, Umi? Good. And I’m glad to hear you’ll be willing to stay with us when you’re human. But; there still is the topic of how that is going to happen, as I know you won’t stay this way forever, and you can only use your abilities while in your human body. So what exactly do you need to do?”

Glancing down, feeling his Rinnegan eyes remaining on her even though she looked away, Umi thought over how to word things, before finally just stating bluntly in return,

“Well...I don’t actually know. There was never any scroll, or story or rumour about what I would have to do to remain human, and apart from my visions, there haven’t been any clues. But that doesn’t mean I won’t be able to figure out, Leader-sama. The longer I stay human, the more I will understand about what is around me, and will most likely be able to figure out what I need to do to become human; there’s scrolls and stuff about my legend in the village, so I can look through those, too.”

Nodding in acceptance of that fact, Pein remained silent for a moment afterwards as he processed that information, considering what to do. It was good to see Umi was so willing to do what she could to help, and it was much easier that she had agreed with this all willingly so quickly—one of his main concerns had been that she would continue struggling and they would have to spend half their time convincing her to stay. But with that out of the way, it meant they could focus on the task of getting her to remain human—they couldn’t exactly have a mermaid as a member of the Akatsuki; and although it didn’t seem like an easy job, Umi would work hard; Pein could tell. He’d get whoever he could to help out in providing the answer; but he couldn’t help but be slightly concerned.

There were still those other guys out there—guys who had had the Henka stone, and therefore understood and knew about the legends surrounding Umi. Though she had broken free and run away from them, and the others had dealt with them coming after them for now, they still remained out there, and Pein got the feeling they weren’t about to just give up like that when they had been the ones to turn her into a human. Umi might have incredible power, but she was still unsure, and with her lack of knowledge of certain things, it might be harder for her to escape—she needed protection for the time being; and somebody to help her out with things in general.  And Pein had just the person in mind...

“That’s fine, then; once you’ve got used to being on land, you can start to figure out what you need. But there are still people after you, Umi, and there are things you need to learn...so I think it’s best if you have...a guide, of sorts,” He finally answered, causing Umi to look up and respond, shrugging,

“Of course, Leader-sama.”

But neither Umi nor Kisame had been expecting Pein to simply turn around and face Kisame, stating bluntly and straight to the point,

“Then Kisame; considering you two have gotten acquainted with each other, it’s easiest if that job is handed to you.”

For a moment both of them were silent, blinking in surprise at this new knowledge; before Kisame finally turned back to Umi with a grin, nodding and agreeing firmly. He had no problems with it, and as she looked over at him, she merely did the same, not bothered in the slightest at having Kisame be her ‘guide’.

Though no matter how hard she tried to focus on keeping him close to figure this out...

Umi couldn’t disguise the surge of happiness that flared up in the pit of her stomach upon finding it out.