He watched her from across the food court of the Otogakure mall. It was dark, about time for the shops to be closing up. Kisame lounged back on a bench in the tiled courtyard, face and bare arms thrown into added shadow by the sapling situated artfully beside it. Hyuuga Hinata was all smiles and giggles behind the counter of her second job at the cookie shop there. She had grown up from the little girl he remembered seeing at Uchiha fundraisers. Naturally, the Hyuuga would be at the top of the guest list, and with a powerful merger hanging over the two families' heads, Hinata was invited to befriend the heir to the Uchiha, Itachi. She always ended up running off to play with the Inuzuka and Aburame heirs, since they were closer to her age and the Inuzuka had a puppy he was never separated with.

Once, on a whim and bored out of his mind, Kisame had followed the children into the rock garden and watched them play. Such naïve little brats. At that age he had been beating other kids his size (not his age) bloody. Here they were splashing with the koi fish. Even little Sasuke had joined in the antics.

Then the tiny white puppy had sniffed the air. The Inuzuka child's head had lifted and he'd scowled at Kisame, who's bulk was leaned against the doorway with his arms and legs crossed. Sasuke had muttered something and hunched back in distrust. Kisame smirked darkly. Good. They should fear him.

Except, here came the little girl. Hiking up her yukata skirt to keep it dry from her wet legs, struggling up the bank, and stumbling her way toward him. He stared her down with his beady, hateful eyes and yet here she still came. Until she was about three feet away. He crouched down on one knee as she took one more small step forward.

"H-hi."

"Hey there," Kisame answered in feigned kindness. He rested a large hand on top of her tiny head. The Inuzuka boy growled.

Hinata just beamed from under the blue hand. Her eyes, already too large for her baby round face, widened even further when they found his gills. She had reached a tiny hand up and touched the ones ruffling his left cheekbone. Touched them. Kisame's grin widened, and yet she seemed unfazed by the rows of daggers gleaming just inches from her cherubic face. What an interesting little brat.

It seemed the more interesting the person, the more Kisame wanted to kill them. And he had wanted to crush her cute little skull and see what made her tick.

The feeling had never gone away, apparently. Here she was, twelve years older, and his calloused hand itched to squeeze something and snap it on her soft little body. His long legs stretched out before him, Kisame watched her smile and laugh and trip over herself to keep everyone else happy. She would make a good mother. It was a shame, but she would have to die. And, with a sudden rush of possessiveness, he promised that she would die by his hands. There just was no other way for her to die gloriously. He could make it look like a mugging or whatever, but when the impulse hit him, he knew there would be no other way for him to react. Like a starving shark with his first whiff of blood in weeks.

Whispers to his right caught his attention. He turned wide, beady eyes and his best sneer on the three teen girls behind him, causing all three to flinch and hustle by quickly. Damn pests. They were lucky he had a mission to do and couldn't become their worst nightmare stalking them to their car.

Lights flickered in his peripheral, returning his attention from three retreating backs to the cookie shop as it closed down for the night. Bloody fuck, finally.

He stood slowly and stalked the length of the outer sidewalks, taking the long way, gaze unwavering from his target as she cleaned. She paused and seemed to rub her swollen stomach beneath the counter. She glanced at a tray of pink-frosted sugar cookies. Kisame stilled until she was moving again, cookie perched happily between her lips.

Strange girl. He knew through the gossips of the Uchiha household that she had been banned from living with her family on their own land until after the bastard child was born, and even then, the child wasn't permitted to be given the Hyuuga name or reside on the property. She was forbidden to see her younger sister or elder cousin, though rumor had it none of the Hyuuga youths got along very well anyway. She had fought hard just to be able to get a place of her own within her old school district. From his observations of her throughout the day, she tried in vain to greet her cousin after school, who wouldn't even look at her despite the murmurs of his friends.

Not to mention the thin line she walked with the Uchiha. Which, obviously, had been pulled out from under her feet with the dispatch of their secret weapon. Himself.

And yet there she was, swiping cookies and cleaning and humming like a normal teenaged sweetheart, like the naïve little girl she wasn't anymore. Killing her would be a mercy. She was too weak for this world.

He stole through the swinging door silently while her back was turned. There was no tilt of her head or hitch in her humming to indicate that she'd become aware of his presence. He placed his hands on his hips, acting for all the world like a manager overseeing his employee, and looking the part. He wore baggy black slacks with a matching jacket, a white shirt stretched tight across his bulging muscles, and heavy-soled boots with a secret hidden in each sole. Generally what he'd seen managers wearing around here. He wasn't employed by the Uchiha for nothing.

Suddenly beady yellow eyes met blank grey. She gazed steadily up, neck craned completely just to meet his gaze. Adrenaline flooded his limbs. She was going to scream. She was going to run.

She set the broom quietly to the side and shuffled to the back room, pausing at the door and twisting her head in a gesture to follow. Kisame was shocked, to say the least, yet obliged. Perhaps she was one of those smart types who calmly accepted their fates and died quietly.

The mop handle sailing towards his face dismissed that theory.

He saw it coming from the corner of his eye, and animal instincts kicked in. Feet were a no-go. Arms were too slow. Kisame caught the wood between his dagger teeth and crushed it in a grin. Unfazed, she swung a metal oven paddle. This he caught between his palms and wrenched out of her hands. She stumbled slightly, but used the momentum to duck under his arms when he made a grab for her.

He swung his knee up towards her extended stomach, too caught up in the moment to reconsider hitting a pregnant girl in the gut. Not that he would, anyway.

She surprised him again. Her arms went up around her stomach protectively and she ducked down, taking the knee to the face instead. Her head snapped back, small body tripping back to crash into a set of ovens. Her head bounced off the glass, leaving a crack in the window. Her arms only tightened around her stomach as she slid to the floor, blood dribbling from her nose and down her chin to stain the soft yellow polo she wore. Her head was bowed, dark curtain of pretty indigo hair hiding her face.

Kisame exhaled slowly to calm himself down. His fingers were so stiff that when his fists clenched, every knuckle cracked. He walked to her limp form and crouched, reaching one trembling fist out and unclenching enough to lift her chin with his index finger. Her jugular pulsed rapidly just inches from his thirsty fingers. It was a sweet torture, forcing himself not to squeeze that soft, pretty neck.

"You look so much prettier dripping blood," he said quietly, thumb running over her plump lower lip. Her blood to him smelled sweet. Not sickeningly sweet, or sugary sweet. More like strawberry Zebra-cake sweet. He loved those little pink cakes.

"Kisa.. me…"

As she spoke, the blood flow changed, running over her lips and his thumb. Kisame purred. She lifted dazed grey eyes, dark brows furrowed in pain-induced confusion. The hit had been meant for her stomach, so it had been pretty power-packed. He wouldn't be surprised if her skull was cracked.

"That's my name," he rumbled, head cocking to the side as he inspected her. Her nose was broken, obviously. Maybe shattered. So satisfying.

She really was a pretty little thing. But not beautiful. Pretty, yet unremarkable. Plain, with a few beautiful features rolled together to make something presentable. Her eyes were that dull grey, but the lashes were dark and thick and curled. Her face was too round, almost fat were it not for the slender neck. Her lips were full, a nice touch to the paleness. His inspected went lower. He tipped her head to the side none-too-gently, smiling at the way her tendons stretched. She really did have a lovely neck. Such a pity she hid it behind that hair. Was that hair sparkling or was it just his bloodlust playing tricks on him?

"D-don't…" She tried tipping her head away, but he held firm. He wasn't done yet. He leaned forward, eyes on hers. Clarity and horror seemed to seep into her stare as her depth perception kicked back in and she realized how close he was.

Kisame's big, sharp nose pressed against her throat, where her fear radiated the most intensely. A vicious tremble wracked his big body. Hinata tensed and squeezed her stomach, leg rearing back. He caught the kick, shocked at the power behind it that rattled his arm. He squeezed, and she went still.

His free hand slammed into the metal oven beside her head, causing her to flinch and yelp. He leaned close, holding her leg out to keep any surprises at bay. His body was so close it was impossible for her other jean-clad leg to retaliate. It would have been such a provocative position had he not been licking the blood from her chin.

"S-stop… Stop…!"

"You're in no position to be making demands, snack."

"Pro… Proposition…"

Kisame lifted his head and sneered down at her, licking the blood from his lips and teeth. "Oh?"

She closed her eyes, panting quietly. "I know.. I know they sent you… The Uchiha…" Her lips curled in a wry smile that he thought suited her innocent little face. "I-it was… inevitable. Too many risks… The power…"

She shook her head to clear it better, uncurling an arm to wipe her mouth. She left her hand there, as if to put a barrier between them. He allowed her the luxury. "B-but, Hyuuga law states that… Any child I have, in wedlock or not.. If I give them the Hyuuga name at birth, they inherit.. Everything. My family knows this. The Uchiha know this." She sank back against the oven tiredly. "D-don't… K-kill me… Protect me.. Please…"

He caught her chin again, this time between his thumb and forefinger in a grip tight enough to bruise. "What the hell would a disowned little girl like you have that the Uchiha don't?"

"My life," she whispered.

Well, hell. Stupid italics. Anyway. This one was posted rather fast and on-the-go, as you could probably tell. XD I fixed it.

Hope Kisame turned out okay. I wanted to do some kind of action, without Hinata seeming too strong or too weak. I mean, really, if Kisame's STILL not dead (Spoiler!) then what chance does little chuunin Hinata have of nailing him?

Hope it is loved still. XD Hope I got their character's right, hope I don't tire of it, hope I get the next out soon. n.n Gooood night, all!