Story 2: The Little Mershark

Chapter 5:

Kisame was not sure what he expected. For Itachi to fall in his arms and give up his entire world to join Kisame in a life under the sea like Haku had for Zabuza?

Surely not.

Kisame just came to the realization that he wasn't doing himself any favors wallowing in self-pity all the while dreaming of Itachi in every other moment. He allowed himself to tolerate Orochimaru long enough to get what he needed, then he sped away, straight to the dock.

Well, stopping by Hidan and Kakuzu's for a moment to briskly apologize. Kakuzu understood, and though his outward remarks were cynical and discourteous, there was a softness to his jabs that told Kisame he was forgiven. When he made haste to leave their home for the shore, Kakuzu had a knowing glint to his piercing green eyes that revealed his understanding.

Doubts tried to invade Kisame's mind all the way to the dock, like algae that gathered if one remained still for too long. Itachi had probably moved on. There was no guarantee he still came to the dock. He had probably long forgotten about Kisame. He kept moving, kept his thoughts in motion to dispel the doubt and insecurity. He tried to focus on the things he knew.

Itachi's scent. Itachi's voice. Itachi's dark hair against his alabaster skin. The way Itachi would sometimes absentmindedly hum into the wind as it billowed about him on the dock.

Before he realized it, he was approaching the dock—a small, perfectly delicate shell on a string as fine as hair held gently in his hand.

Kisame breeched the surface a ways away from the shore, a habit he had acquired throughout his years of coming here. He peeked around a rock that was positioned with a perfect view of the dock, checking to see if someone was there before he ventured any closer.

What he saw made his tail freeze in the water.

Itachi was running—not walking or jogging—running along the rocky shore towards the dock. Kisame thought momentarily about how quickly he had found the Red Fan, and wondered again if fate was on his side. That thought soon flew from his mind because it was clear to Kisame—Itachi was in distress.

He dove beneath the water, flicking his tail harder than he usually did to reach the water beneath the dock before Itachi could. It was habit, hiding from his human paramour. Though Itachi had seen him once before and even knew where he hid, Kisame hadn't been back to the dock in some time. He was unsure how the boy would react to him. When he poked his head up out of the water it was just in time to hear the boards overhead creak as Itachi's feet pounded on them, much heavier than his usual footsteps. Itachi didn't stop until he reached the very edge of the wood, where he appeared to crumple to his knees, hands digging into the last plank of the dock. Kisame could see his fingers from underneath, locked like talons over the side of the pier.

Kisame had no time to think or act before Itachi's voice rang out like a canon over the crash of the water and soft whisper of the wind,

"Are you here today?" he asked, pleading with more emotion than Kisame had ever heard lacing his voice. "I need you to be here, Shark. I need—need to talk. Please, come back and listen to me!"

"Itachi…?" Kisame began slowly, unable to resist a direct command from his love. Itachi seemed to freeze, and Kisame used this time to slide out tentatively from beneath the dock. He stayed close to one of the posts, but Itachi could see him, and Kisame could see Itachi. They locked eyes, black pouring into predator yellow, and they were so close, Kisame could have reached up and placed a hand over one of Itachi's, still clutching the end plank tighter than a barnacle.

"You're here," Itachi gasped, eyes wide and shoulders hunched. He didn't miss a beat. "Where have you been?"

Kisame was instantly struck by the sincere hurt that framed Itachi's words. Apparently this struck Itachi as well, as his face registered expressions of confusion and panic before soothing back to it's usual state of emotionless. Kisame's heart leapt in his chest, and he genuinely wondered how he had thought he was ever going to abandon this human. He was never going to try it again.

"Something's happened, hasn't it?" he asked, because the evidence of this was all there, from Itachi's frantic state to his distressed posture and the vice grip he still had on the end of the dock. When Kisame asked the question, that grip somehow tightened until Kisame was worried Itachi was hurting himself.

There was a moment of quiet where Itachi seemed to galvanize himself to the idea of speaking to Kisame instead of the flat ocean. When he was sure he could manage, he looked into Kisame's eyes and began.

"There was a… mutiny." He closed his eyes, biting his lip against the word. "Against my father."

"Who led it?" Kisame asked gently, trying to remember the voices and faces of the men aboard Fugaku's ship. Which of them was most likely to rise up against his unworthy captain? Itachi inhaled deeply, opened eyes as black as coal that stared fiercely, right into Kisame's soul.

"I did," Itachi replied calmly.

Kisame held his breath. That was a shock, but at the same time it wasn't. He'd heard Itachi complain about his father countless times. Sometimes Itachi thought that the only thing that kept Fugaku from abusing his mother and brother was the fact that his father knew Itachi would never allow him to do that. Perhaps Fugaku had finally gone too far and Itachi had decided to rise up against him.

"Shisui," he added, fingers relaxing from the wooden plank, "came to me last night. He told me that he and the crew were planning to mutiny against my father unless I did something about it."

He sat up straighter, eyes looking off into the distance. Kisame only noticed then that the sun was setting, burning red on the edge of the horizon. Itachi's voice was soft, careful, but Kisame knew better; Itachi was broken inside.

"I knew my father wouldn't listen if I tried to talk to him, so I tried to talk to the crew instead. They got angry, asked where my loyalties lied." He stopped, frowning just slightly when he continued, "My father found out about the mutiny. Instead of firing his men, he came to me. He told me that a captain does not stand for that kind of treatment. If I wanted to be captain someday, I would need to learn that.

"He knew that Shisui was the leader. He was going to kill him as an example to the others. I knew how it would end, and if my father followed through with his plans, the Uchiha trading company would cease to exist. My family, Sasuke, would lose everything. I couldn't let that happen."

He paused, glancing from the ocean to Kisame. Tilting his head to the side, he asked,

"How do you feel about me, Kisame? Will you save me?"

The mershark swallowed.

"What did you do, Itachi?" he asked, voice low and gravelly.

Itachi's eyes flashed as he looked away again.

"I beat them too it. I killed him before they could." He stopped, and Kisame was unsure if he would continue when he spoke again, "Only Shisui knows the real reason. Everyone else knows about an argument my father and I had earlier. They will think that was the reason. Kakashi will be the new captain, and Uchiha trading company will survive, along with the credibility of the Uchiha name. I will disappear, the murderous son who betrayed his own father. I will be the dark, dirty secret no one talks or thinks about. It was the only way."

Kisame's voice was soft when he spoke, now fully aware of the trials Itachi had been through that brought him where he was now. He knew perfectly well that Itachi had given up in order to save the person he cared most about.

"What about Sasuke?"

Itachi's carefully constructed expression seemed to cave in on itself for a moment, but it was gone soon enough.

"Sasuke has Naruto now. He will never forgive me. He will probably spend the rest of his life hating me, but he will be safe, and secure. He will forget about me, eventually."

"Are you… okay, with that?"

"It is for the best," Itachi murmured. "I never truly believed I was destined for the life of a sailor. Sometimes when I would sit on this dock for hours, not saying a single word, I would just stare out into the water, feeling like I was meant for… something else."

He looked down at Kisame, then glanced at the water. Slowly, he moved towards the edge of the dock. His feet dangled over, then his legs, and as Kisame watched with wide eyes, Itachi slid his body gracefully into the water, so close to him Kisame felt his body heat through the cool liquid separating them. Itachi reached up and untied his hair, letting it flow out around him, the tips dipping into the water and spreading like seaweed.

Kisame sucked in a long breath, Itachi's dark eyes on him. Carefully, timidly, Itachi reached out his arms, the white clothe of his shirt see-through and sticking to his wet skin. Kisame had never smelled Itachi's scent this closely before; when he had carried him in the storm he'd been too distracted to appreciate it; now it was all he could think about. Two delicate, pale hands slowly made their way up to his shoulders, resting on either side of his head.

Itachi's eyelashes fluttered as he lowered his lids, eyes hazy in a way Kisame only saw in his dreams.

"I'll ask again. Kisame, will you save me?"

"Yes," Kisame breathed out, every inch of his body on sensory overload. Yes, yes, of course he would save Itachi! He had come to the dock today willing to give up everything in order to be with him. He thought about the shell still held tight in his hand.

Orochimaru had known. As Kisame was leaving he'd said something. Something like the shell's power working both ways. Kisame was prepared to give up his tail and live a life by Itachi's side on land, but now Itachi was floating in the water beside him, already given up everything he had.

"I—I have something," he said, still unable to believe this was real, that Itachi was so close to him, touching him, his lips moist and cheeks flushed pink. He held up the shell and Itachi eyed it with sudden confusion.

"What is this?"

"Something that will save you," Kisame replied.

Itachi frowned, shaking his head. He appeared frantic, as though he'd done something wrong, made a grave mistake.

"No, no," he murmured and repeated, clutching at the coarse hair at the back of Kisame's neck. "Th—this isn't what I wanted. I—"

He leaned in suddenly, before Kisame could react, and pressed his lips against the cold blue of Kisame's. The shark was so taken by surprise he couldn't react before Itachi's warm, sweet tongue slid between lips, pressing gently against his tongue then bumping against his teeth. Just as Kisame was considering deepening the kiss, Itachi pressed his tongue far too hard against the sharp point of Kisame's dagger-like teeth.

Kisame tasted blood.

In a flash he pushed Itachi away, breathing heavily as he gripped the wooden pole in the water beside him. He stared at Itachi floating a few feet away like he was insane. Itachi carefully licked his bottom lip and Kisame saw red.

"Stop that! What's wrong with you, do you want to die?"

As soon as he said it, Kisame knew exactly what Itachi wanted. Itachi did want to die, and he wanted Kisame to be the one to do it. Some deep part of his chest felt cold and hard, and he ground his teeth together, refusing to succumb to the smell and taste of Itachi's blood.

"You said you would save me, Kisame," Itachi whispered against the sound of rough waves crashing underneath the dock.

"You want me to eat you, Itachi! How the hell is that saving you?"

"I am meant to die," Itachi replied calmly. "I was meant to die in that storm, but you saved me, and now you must correct that mistake and take my life." He frowned, deadly serious and calm as the eye of a storm.

"Why do you act this way every time I offer myself to you?"

Kisame took a deep breath—a mistake, Itachi's blood was in the air—cringed, and replied thickly,

"I don't know. Why do I keep thinking I deserve to be happy?"

"Will killing me not make you happy?"

Kisame took his time to reply, glancing Itachi's way from the corner of his eye. He was older now, life had aged him beyond his years and though his body maintained it's perfect youth, his eyes could not hide the maturity of his soul. Kisame thought about the first time he laid eyes on Itachi, still young and innocent, full of life.

"I thought it might, the first time I saw you," Kisame said faintly. "I thought you were going to be my greatest meal, a legendary kill… and then you laughed."

Kisame shook his head weakly, chuckling without any real amusement.

"In that moment it didn't matter that you were the best thing I had ever smelled, you were special, and I wanted something different from you, I wanted—"

"To sleep with me," Itachi added softly.

"No," Kisame growled, loathing how Itachi saw him. Like he was just a monster who could only eat and fuck, that was all.

"Believe it or not, I do have more thoughts in this skull of mine besides food and sex. I wanted… I wanted to be there for you, whenever you needed me. I never wanted anything in return."

"Everyone wants something in return," Itachi said, eyes dark, like they weren't seeing at all.

Kisame shrugged. Maybe Itachi wouldn't believe him, but it was true. Kisame had never expected anything. He was going to watch Itachi grow up, live his life, and then die. And Kisame would die fulfilled because he was there for the one he loved unconditionally.

But he had failed, because Itachi wanted to die and there was nothing he could do about it.

"I don't understand you, Mershark," Itachi exclaimed. He sounded vaguely frustrated, almost angry. "You should want nothing from me but my flesh and blood, yet you appear to want everything but that from me. Are you really a mershark, or some other beast with less predictable behaviors?"

At that, Kisame laughed.

"This coming from the human who wants to be eaten. Why come to me? You want to die so badly just do it yourself."

Itachi's eyes shuttered and he stared into the moving water. Almost imperceptibly he bit his lip, cheeks tinting a pink flush. It set Kisame's heart ablaze with affection. He'd never before seen this side of Itachi—innocent and unsure. Itachi blinked twice and looked back up, affirming some thought in his head before replying brusquely,

"I suppose there's no point hiding anything now. I… thought you might have more than one kind of craving for my flesh. It seems I was… incorrect."

"The hell you were," Kisame growled in reply, his tail twitching back and forth like a riptide beneath the water. Itachi's eyes widened and he appraised Kisame carefully, working to stay afloat in the constantly moving tide.

"If so, why do you keep pushing me away?" the words have unexpected venom, and it takes Kisame by surprise. Why in all the seven seas would Itachi be upset in any capacity by the fact that Kisame had not, as of yet, decided to rip off his clothes and abuse his body in ways that Kisame had imagined many times when the sensuality of Itachi overwhelmed him.

"Why do you not want me to?" Kisame finally asked, narrowing his gaze perceptively, nearly unaffected by the blood in the air and water. Itachi flushed again, averting his dark gaze.

"I thought… perhaps, that dying in your arms would be an exhilarating way to end. If I'm determined to die I may as well enjoy my last moments."

"Stop—stop saying you're going to die, that you want to die! You want me to save you but you won't even give me the chance."

Itachi huffed.

"I supposed 'save' wasn't the proper term. I meant it metaphorically more than literally. Is it possible you are unable to sleep with me?"

The question caught Kisame off guard. It seems out of place. Itachi's expression is curious and frustrated all at once. The cold of the water must have started seeping into his body because he was shivering the slightest bit and his skin paler than normal. It is his tone and expression as well as his physical state that force Kisame to react the way he does.

Kisame is fast; faster than Itachi thinks he is. He gasps slightly when one second, Kisame is feet away from him and the next, wrapping arms and tail around his limbs, holding him tight and whispering in his dainty ear.

"Oh, it's possible," he purrs, attempting to frighten, though he knows there is no point. "I could take you so fast you would be screaming before you even realized what was happening. I could drag you beneath the water and be inside you before you could think to take a last breath. I could make you cry from ecstasy and you would think it better than the wildest dream…"

Itachi's breathing was haggard, his chest pushing helplessly against Kisame's as his pulse raced, practically stirring the water.

"Do it, then," Itachi replied in a husky whisper, tilting his head so his lips touched Kisame's ear. Kisame couldn't believe how much he wanted this human. He was sure that no creature, myth or not, had ever desired anything the way he desires the soft skin and supple body of the young man in his arms. A sound between a groan and a hiss left his lips and Itachi arched his body, exposing his long neck as he replied with an equally desperate sound.

"You're warm," he murmured breathlessly, squirming closer to Kisame, allowing the merman to keep him floating above the water. Kisame could feel Itachi's body through his soaked clothes, could feel everywhere; the places he was soft and cold, and the places that were hot and hard. He shivered and chuckled.

"I am half human, after all."

"I suppose you are…" Itachi replied, pressing kisses to his ear in earnest now. Kisame allowed him and reached below the water, one hand holding tight to Itachi's slim waist while the other ducked lower, grasping roughly Itachi's perfect ass. Itachi moaned, lower this time, the intensity of his kisses growing. He was mouthing the skin at Kisame's neck. It took Kisame a bit by surprise. He knew that his skin did not feel the same as a human's, but to Itachi it seemed not to matter. Kisame still didn't quite trust himself to touch his mouth to the skin of the human in his arms; he was still too unsure of Itachi's motives, though his mind was growing foggier with the human's every move.

"I won't kill you," he said suddenly, wondering (or maybe hoping) that this might make Itachi cease.

"I don't care," Itachi replied, rutting against Kisame's taut stomach.

"I love you," Kisame whispered, closing his eyes. At this, Itachi did pause. He sucked in a shuddering breath, wrapping his arms around Kisame's neck, burying his hands in Kisame's coarse, blue hair and forcing Kisame to look in his eyes.

"Then make love to me."

"Yes," Kisame breathed, unable to resist any longer. Then he stopped, thinking about the possibilities, and frowned. "But not here."

He turned in the water, back against Itachi's chest.

"Hold on to me and I will take us to a safe place."

Itachi said nothing as he did as he was told, holding his hands across Kisame's chest. Kisame grabbed securely to one of Itachi's wrists for extra protection. He would not lose his human now.

Kisame swam for less than 30 minutes when he found the place he had been looking for—a ways up the coast and hidden beautifully by tall, dark cliffs, was a small cove. Kisame swam into it; careful to be sure no one else had thought to use it first. On the far end of the cove, away from the rougher ocean waters, was a sandy bank just big enough for two people to lie on comfortably.

"I wonder if this is the same cove where Asuma met his mermaid," Itachi muttered as he and Kisame floated calmly towards the small shore. He seemed to be asking himself, as he couldn't have known that Kisame had been eavesdropping on that particular conversation, but Kisame shrugged and replied anyway,

"It's possible. This place is called Mermaid's Cove."

The water was getting more and more shallow the closer they got to the sandy bank. Kisame's tail was brushing the sand and rocks at the bottom of the pool and eventually he would be unable to swim any further. Itachi seemed to notice this, and slid off of Kisame's back and around to his front once the water was shallow enough for him to stand. He stood in front of Kisame, head just above the water, and stared into Kisame's eyes completely without fear. He took Kisame's hands and slowly walked backwards towards the shore, pulling Kisame along with him. Kisame could feel Itachi's racing pulse from where their hands were holding on to each other. Finally they reached shallows where Itachi could sit and the water only went up to his chest. Kisame lied next to him, dipping half of his face beneath the water a few times, breathing in through his nose to revitalize himself.

He stared up at Itachi while breathing calmly underwater. The sun was out and pouring into the cove to shine right on the bank. Kisame could understand why this was called Mermaid's Cove; he didn't know a single merperson who would miss out on an opportunity to sunbathe somewhere they wouldn't likely be seen. Itachi's hair was down and long, flowing across his back as he looked with closed eyes into the sunlight. Kisame thought he had never looked more beautiful.

He rose from the water and Itachi turned to him, face impassive. Kisame pushed himself up; sitting he was taller than Itachi, and if he kept his tail flicking smoothly along the sandy bottom he could keep himself balanced without his hands. He reached forward, cupping Itachi's face gently. Itachi leaned forward to meet him, hand grasping Kisame's wrist. They met, and it was their first perfect kiss. Itachi tilted his head, deepening the kiss as Kisame drove his other hand into the long black hair of his lover—something he had longed to do for as long as he could remember. It wasn't long before the little space between heir bodies was heated and tense once again.

Kisame slipped a hand from Itachi's throat into his waterlogged, loose shirt. He was gentle, moving his fingers over the sensitive skin of Itachi's chest. He knew his skin must feel strange, but once again Itachi seemed not to mind. He reveled in the touches Kisame granted him, bending forward to kiss him again when Kisame ripped open the front of the shirt and slid it sensually from Itachi's thin shoulders. Itachi shivered, but when Kisame faltered in response he shot him a look, clearly telling him to not stop. Kisame chuckled deep in his chest, pressing kisses—carefully, so not to bite and break the skin—to Itachi's chest. The shirt floated off and washed up on the shore, though neither of them noticed at all.

Kisame continued kissing down, further and further until his head was submerged. He could no longer hear Itachi's reactions, but he could feel how his chest expanded and contracted in response to every touch Kisame gave him. Kisame then continued even lower, pressing his mouth against the rim of Itachi's soaked pants. He felt Itachi's stomach clench and suddenly Itachi's hands were fisted in his hair.

Slowed by the water, Kisame moved his hands around to Itachi's back, slipping them inside the back of his pants and pulling them off. He wished his could hear the sounds Itachi made as he undressed him and touched the sensitive lower parts of his body. But Itachi's hands in his hair were enough. They tightened almost painfully when he stroked Itachi's length, pressing a chaste kiss to the dip between his thigh and pelvis. Kisame smirked, kissing the other side as well.

He felt Itachi's fingernails digging into his scalp and knew he had teased his love enough. Dipping his head fully between Itachi's legs, he swallowed the hot, aching member, and Itachi bucked his hips, toes curling against Kisame's sides. He sucked again, swirling his tongue, careful—very careful—of his teeth. He worked away for another minute, Itachi's squirming only growing worse until he had to grasp his hips tightly and hold him still as he licked along the length once again. Itachi shuddered and Kisame felt his groin tighten, and he prepared to finish it off when suddenly he was being pulled back up into the cold air to face his heavily panting lover.

He barely had time to realize what had happened before Itachi was kissing him again, hard and possessive, both hands in Kisame's hair. He pulled away just a fraction of an inch, still desperately hard and full of desire, murmuring breathlessly into Kisame's mouth,

"You—yours. I want yours, Kisame, you—show me."

Kisame hesitated, but that pleading look in Itachi's eyes couldn't be denied for long.

"Merpeople… have the ability to hide our genitalia until it is needed," he explained calmly.

"It's needed now," Itachi asserted firmly, and Kisame saw stars. He swallowed and nodded. Itachi looked down at the water, but nothing could be seen because of all the sand their moving had kicked up. He slowly let his hands fall down Kisame's chest, then below the water, pausing only a fraction of a second when he felt the slight change in skin texture of Kisame's tail. Kisame let his own hand trail down and placed it on top of Itachi's, guiding it lower, farther down his tail until he could grasp the large, pulsating member jutting impressively from Kisame's body. Itachi took in a shaky breath, but his eyes were determined. He stroked up and down the length, and Kisame had never felt anything like it before.

Sure, other merfolk had done exactly what Itachi was doing, but it was the fact that Itachi was the one doing it that set Kisame off. Itachi stroked him a few more times, then decided to surprise Kisame again and in a flash had moved one leg over Kisame's tail and firmly placed both hands on Kisame's chest. His eyes were blazing.

"I want you inside me," he said flatly, and Kisame had whiplash. Before he could resist (or think up a reason to resist, now that he thought about it), Itachi grasped one of his hands and slid it around until it was cupping his ass. Kisame involuntarily squeezed and saw Itachi smirk.

"I could hurt you—kill you."

Itachi stared blankly at him.

"You won't. And even if you did, it's not as though I have anything to lose."

"You have your life," Kisame murmured; gently cupping Itachi's pale cheek in his large, blue hand.

"So sentimental for a murderous beast," Itachi countered coolly.

Kisame smiled and shrugged.

"What can I say? I live to destroy all your illusions."

"Then fuck me," he said, fingernails digging into the skin of Kisame's belly. "Destroy all of my illusions about this life. I'm asking you, Kisame."

Perhaps it was the way Itachi spoke his name, so calm and sure but with a burning desire bubbling underneath the surface, that made Kisame lose his defiant stance. Itachi was like the ocean. As seen from above he could be as ambivalent as the waters surface, but below he was teeming with energy, rippling with life and love and everything Kisame could ever dream of.

Slowly, he slid his hands back down to the soft skin at Itachi's ass, wasting no time as he found Itachi's entrance and circled a finger gently around the outside. Itachi gasped, clawing harder at Kisame's chest.

"It will hurt, water is not a very good lu—"

"Get on with it," the young human commanded through gritted teeth. Kisame noticed that he was denying himself pleasure from his own touch, his still aching manhood just barely poking from the water. Kisame wrapped one hand firmly around the length and received a pleasant moan in return. He used Itachi's distraction to press one finger as gently as he could inside. Itachi only moaned and pressed it deeper, wincing the slightest bit at the intrusion. Kisame knew better than to let that stop him. He added a second finger and moved, curling them the slightest bit and earning his own satisfaction from the sensation that must have coursed through Itachi when he did.

"Kisame!" Itachi gasped, and it was like nothing Kisame had ever heard before. Itachi's arms went weak and he nearly fell onto Kisame's chest, barely holding himself up as Kisame moved his fingers and stroked gently along his length.

Itachi's lips looked so supple, so moist and red and delicious that Kisame could not resist but to lean forward and capture them in his own. Blood was racing through him as his fingers continued to prepare Itachi. Itachi bit his lip into the kiss, drawing in a deep breath through Kisame's lungs, like he could suck the very life out of the elder mershark. His eyelids fluttered open, deep and dark and enchanting. Kisame deepened the kiss, always careful of his teeth, until Itachi pulled away slightly to mutter in a frantic rush,

"I'm going to come if you don't stop now, Kisame."

Kisame understood and removed his fingers, though he kept his grip on Itachi's member as he deftly lifted Itachi, caught his eye, and pressed his own tip to Itachi's spread entrance. He allowed Itachi the power to choose when to lower himself, and surrendered himself over to his love as he would the oceans currents.

Itachi didn't make a sound but Kisame couldn't contain his voice. He moaned as Itachi rode him, slow at first, then building and building as much as the friction from the water would allow; the sound of it splashing against their skin was mesmerizing, as was the feel of Itachi's warmth around him.

Itachi's body rolled against his, soft and hard all at once, and Kisame couldn't help but buck his hips up, meeting Itachi's hips with his own. He stopped stroking Itachi's length to grasp possessively at his thin waist, fingers digging in. He would own Itachi, and then Itachi could never leave him, never be anywhere but with him.

"Faster," Itachi pleaded, dipping his head low to mouth at Kisame's neck. Kisame obliged, thrusting up more insistently. Itachi mewled and threw back his head. Kisame was growing nearer and nearer to the edge. A hunger pierced him suddenly, like a bolt of lightning, and he growled, pressing himself so hard into Itachi that the young human cried out in pain. Kisame found that he barely cared anymore. He thrust and thrust, Itachi riding him effortlessly from above.

He saw red and bared his teeth, aiming at the area of papery skin between Itachi's neck and collarbone. He inhaled Itachi's scent deeply, a scent that had dwelled in his dreams longer than he could even remember, and he bit down. Itachi let out a strangled cry as he came—Kisame tasted blood.

"Yes!" Itachi cried, giving himself over to Kisame's hunger, still wearily lifting his hips as Kisame felt the peak of his release coming and coming, and imagined the pleasure he would get from coming inside Itachi the moment he started devouring him. He groaned and thrust, tongue licking at the wounds his teeth had inflicted on his lover's pale flesh.

"No!" He shuddered suddenly, growling the word as his entire body shook with the force of his climax. He held Itachi close to him, blocking out the smell of his blood as he focused only on Itachi, on the human he loved—the human he refused to let die.

Itachi's body jerked in response to Kisame coming, a gasped cry escaping his lips. He let his head fall against Kisame's shoulder, his eyelids fluttering closed.

"I won't kill you," Kisame breathed softly into the damp strands of Itachi's raven hair. To his surprise, he felt Itachi bite his shoulder softly in reply. He chuckled, a great weight lifted from his shoulders as he allowed feelings of pleasure surge through him.

"I know," Itachi murmured. "What is that shell you have tied to your wrist?"

Kisame had almost forgotten about the Sea Snake's gift. He lifted his hand from where it had been resting underneath the water against Itachi's hip. He carefully slid himself out of Itachi and balanced the young human on his tail as he lifted the shell so both he and Itachi could see it. He tried to ignore the red spots from where his teeth had sunk into Itachi's flesh—a few of which were still slowly pouring bright red blood—and look solely into Itachi's eyes.

"This can save you," he explained carefully, "if you'll let yourself be saved."

"How?"

"You would become like me."

Itachi's gaze flickered briefly from Kisame to the shell, then back.

"A mershark?"

"Probably not a shark. That Haku kid didn't turn into a shark."

"Who is—"

"Doesn't matter. I think you would become a merman though. Close enough to being like me that we could… be together."

"We just were together," Itachi stated flatly.

"Yeah," Kisame chuckled, "but I can't stay out of the water like this forever. Itachi—you asked me to save you, and I'm offering this so that I could take you away from here."

"You had that before you knew about how I killed my father. Were you going to force me to change for you?"

Kisame shook his head and replied honestly,

"No. I would never do that to you. This shell, it works both ways. I was going to become human for you."

Itachi's eye did widen at this, just the smallest bit.

"Don't you have family that you would be—"

"No family. I was kicked out of my old home so long ago that I've forgotten why. I would be leaving behind my friends, but they would understand. I would still do it, if you wanted that. Anything to stay with you, Itachi. I only thought, maybe, this would be a good way out for you, if you want—"

Itachi cut him off with a kiss, a deep, deep kiss that reminded Kisame of the dark depths of the ocean, and he wondered if someday he and Itachi could go there together, and maybe then those depths wouldn't seem quite so dark.

"I never thought my life would turn out this way. I imaged many things, Kisame, but never this. I think this would be better than anything I had imagined. What do I do?"

It took Kisame a moment to recover from Itachi's impromptu confession, and another to realize that Itachi had agreed. He held the shell in shaking hands, breaking it open to reveal a tiny green ball. To Kisame it looked like a fish's egg and to Itachi like a pill. Both were unsure, but Itachi snatched it from Kisame before he could question it. He held it tight in his hand and closed his eyes.

"What will I look like?"

"I don't know," Kisame answered. He couldn't even begin to imagine, but he knew one thing: Itachi would be beautiful not matter what. Itachi nodded, a slight smile brightening his face as though he could read Kisame's mind. He closed his eyes again and placed the pill carefully on his tongue, then into his mouth. Kisame saw him swallow and pressed a deft kiss to his slender neck, then waited.

At first, nothing seemed to happen, then all of the sudden Itachi began to convulse, grasping at the throat Kisame had just kissed as though he couldn't breathe. As Kisame watched, gills appeared very faintly in Itachi's skin, and Kisame realized what he had to do.

He flicked his tail against the sandy bank, hurtling he and Itachi into deeper water. He continued swimming until they were out of the cove, then plunged the both of them underwater. At once, Itachi stopped holding onto his neck and took a deep breath, feeling it flow through his gills for the first time. The next second he began clawing at his legs as though they were burning. Kisame didn't know what to do but watch as his lover struggled through what looked like a terribly painful process.

"Burning!" Itachi said, and both of them were surprised by the clarity of his voice. But only for a moment, and then Itachi curled into a ball, holding his legs to his body.

"My body is on fire," he cried, and Kisame could do nothing but watch. He hoped the process didn't last very long; he wasn't sure how much more he could take, though he knew Itachi was much stronger than he looked. Just as he thought it, he saw a ripple of light hit Itachi's legs and where before was pale pink skin, now shone perfect black scales, the exact deep black of Itachi's eyes.

Those very eyes were shut tight, Itachi's mouth open in a silent scream as his legs fused together, the scales shimmering as they spread over him. At his feet they sprouted beautiful tailfins, so much more elegant than Kisame's. They looked sheer, like Kisame could almost see through them, and Itachi flicked them once, involuntarily, and they caught the light that shone through the water above head. Kisame felt blinded.

The water around Itachi suddenly swarmed with bubbles, nearly obscuring him from view. Kisame flicked his tail nervously, propelling himself around the bubbling cocoon with Itachi at its center. It seemed as though nothing moved for a moment but the bubbles that appeared from nowhere and then popped as more replaced them. Kisame stomach clenched painfully; he didn't like being unable to see Itachi. This went on for several minutes and all the while Kisame spent circling the bubbles, drawing nearer a few times, but then backing up quickly when he felt the insane increase in temperature of the water the closer to the bubbles he got. It was as though it was boiling. He couldn't imagine what Itachi was feeling inside that, but it worried him enough to regret even giving Itachi the choice to use the shell. He should have been the one to change. He could have become human and travelled with Itachi on land. He wouldn't have minded, and he was sure the pain of the transformation would have been easier on him. He was no stranger to pain.

Kisame ground his teeth, toying desperately with the thought of diving inside the bubbles. He only held back for fear of disturbing the transformation. Suddenly, without any warning, the bubbles exploded outward, crashing against Kisame with the force of a blisteringly hot wave. He held out his hands to cover his face until the explosion subsided, and when he lowered his arms saw the fully transformed Itachi Uchiha.

His tail was black as night and sparkled brighter than any star, all at the same time. There never seemed to be a moment when the light didn't catch against his scales and gleam like diamonds beneath the water. The black faded beautifully into the pale pink skin of his stomach and chest, thin and taut, but deceptively so. Itachi's long, raven hair, still untied and billowing about his shoulders, neck, and face, looked as if it were made of some yet undiscovered element that moved with inconsistent patterns with the water surrounding it.

Then, there was Itachi's face. Kisame knew that nothing about it had probably changed, but somehow when he saw it now beneath the water, it was different—and mesmerizing. Kisame imagined he could spend hours at a time just staring at it.

Itachi had his eyes closed. Kisame could faintly see the freshly grown gills moving on Itachi's slender neck, showing that at least Itachi was breathing. Kisame dared to swim in a bit closer. The water surrounding Itachi remained warm and Kisame guessed that if he were to touch Itachi, his skin would feel as though he'd been lying in the sun all afternoon.

"Itachi?" Kisame asked cautiously. He saw Itachi's brow twitch in reply, and then very slowly, Itachi opened his eyes.

Kisame was struck so hard it was like a blow right to the chest. Those dark, penetrating eyes he'd always known were gone, vanished along with Itachi's two slim legs. Now, when Itachi stared back at him, he fixed Kisame with a gaze of the deepest, most frightening red—blood red.

Again, Itachi left him feeling like prey.

"Itachi?" he murmured, drifted subtly closer as Itachi blinked his new eyes experimentally at the light coming from above them. Kisame wasn't sure why his eyes changed color but he couldn't deny it sort of turned him on when Itachi flashed them his way and fixed him with a sharp stare. Kisame was close enough now to see the odd pattern his pupil had been distorted into, almost like a pinwheel. Itachi blinked again and tilted his head.

"Do I not look as you expected?" Itachi asked, voice cautious but warm.

Kisame grinned, finally closing the distance between them sweeping one hand through the wild mane of Itachi's hair.

"I hadn't really had any expectations—though this would have blown them all away even if I had. Do your eyes feel any… different?"

"I can see perfectly clearly underwater, but I would have thought that was supposed to happen? Why? Do my eyes look different?" he frowned.

"Yes," Kisame breathed honestly. "But I don't think it's anything we need to worry about right now. The rest of you looks different as well, so it's probably nothing. How does it feel?"

Itachi gave an experimental flick of his tail, spinning his body around Kisame's playfully.

"I've always loved the water. This feels… natural." He paused, searching Kisame's face before quickly pressing their lips together, wrapping his tail tightly around Kisame's. "So does this," he added softly, pulling his fingers through Kisame's short hair. Kisame grinned, took Itachi by the hand, and pulled him deeper into the water, neither of them casting a second glance back towards the ocean's surface.

With Itachi by his side, Kisame was never happier. He introduced the new merman to Hidan and Kakuzu and even found them a place to settle nearby. Not long after, Zabuza and Haku arrived and decided to settle down as well. The mermaid capitol took notice of them after a while, even though they were on the outside of the city limits. But, they were content and didn't disturb anyone or cause any trouble, so the merpeople of the city made the decision to let them be.

Time passed strangely with Itachi for companionship. Before he realized it, years had passed since Itachi had made the decision to change his species. There were rumors from time to time, floating up from the deep pits of the sea snake's hideout. He wasn't done with Kisame or Itachi, but thus far he had stayed in his dark pit, and Kisame was content to leave him there.

One day seemingly out of nowhere, Itachi came to Kisame, fixed him with the now familiar deep red stare, and said simply,

"I would like to travel somewhere."

Kisame nodded slowly. He knew he would allow Itachi anything; he needn't even ask.

"Can I come with you?"

Itachi smiled a small, amused smile, and kissed Kisame lightly on the cheek.

"I want you to come with me, Kisame."

Kisame smiled and kissed Itachi back, taking one of his love's pale hands in his.

"We can leave today."

And they did. Kisame didn't ask where they were travelling to, nor did Itachi say, but it didn't take long to figure out.

"The dock," he said simply, following just behind Itachi as they swam through forests of seaweed very familiar to Kisame. He just barely saw Itachi nod his head in reply.

They continued on their way for a little while longer, but Kisame knew better than anyone that they were drawing close. He didn't ask Itachi why he wanted to return here, even when their heads breeched the water's surface and the beat-up old dock came into view. They remained at a distance, head bobbing just above the waves.

"I'm surprised they haven't destroyed it by now," Itachi said calmly. "The wood should be rotted and dangerous."

"Maybe they just forgot about it," Kisame offered gently. "Not many used to visit here but you—"

But just as he said it, he saw two figured walking along the beach, headed straight for the dock. One of them had hair of such a deep black that there was no way he could be anyone but Sasuke Uchiha. Kisame tensed, but Itachi seemed to be beyond that. He sunk back below the water, and Kisame nervously followed.

"I didn't know—" Itachi choked out the moment Kisame's head was below the waves.

Kisame nodded solemnly, hands firm on Itachi's shoulders.

"Do you want to go closer?"

Itachi looked him in the eyes and swallowed thickly. He turned his head to the surface and rose just enough to see above the water. Kisame followed in time to see Sasuke sitting down at the end of the dock, just like Itachi always used to, and a blond boy of about the same age sit down right beside him. Sasuke looked older in several ways, from his longer body to his eyes that seemed to have much less child in them than anytime Kisame had ever seen him before. The boy sitting beside him seemed worried.

Itachi ducked his head under the water and was already heading quickly towards the dock by the time Kisame sunk below the waves after him. They swam, silently, cautious as they slipped beneath the dock, settling themselves against the concrete poles used to keep the dock steady—the same place Kisame used to sit and listen to Itachi for hours on end. The water splashed rather violently against the underside of the dock; it was a windy day. Just over the sound of the water, Kisame and Itachi heard the voice of the young man who was not Sasuke.

"Teme?" He asked, sounding nervous. Kisame assumed it must be a nickname. "Why did you want to come here all of the sudden today?"

Sasuke hesitated and Kisame wondered if he would answer at all when he reluctantly replied,

"Today… is the day Ita—my brother, he—"

"Disappeared," the blond finished for him, and Kisame glanced at Itachi, knowing that he was thinking the same thing; the kid hadn't wanted Sasuke to be reminded that his brother killed their father.

"But why come here? What's special about this place?"

"My brother used to visit this place often. When I was little we would come together, but as he got older I knew this was the place he came to think about things. His solitary dock."

Ironically, it had never been all that solitary.

"Do you miss him?"

I felt Itachi's hand suddenly holding my shoulder tight, red eyes fixed on the crack in the wood that let him see the backs of his brother and the boy who was with him. Again, Kisame thought that Sasuke wouldn't reply—he seemed about as talkative as Itachi was—but then he murmured quietly, just above the crash of the waves.

"I never got to introduce him to you. I think he knew about you anyway, Naruto. All those times I was sneaking off to see you. Once, my father almost caught me, but I—Itachi, he covered for me. I could see that he knew. Sometimes I wonder… if that's why he did it. If that's why he killed Father. To protect me…" he trailed off. He seemed to be thinking.

"I guess I'll never know. If he's out there, though… I almost hope that he's happy. Even after everything he did, he was still my brother."

Kisame felt Itachi's fingers meld with his, and then Itachi was pulling him beneath the waves and away from the shore. He stopped a little ways out, nearly causing Kisame to crash into him. Before Kisame knew what was happening, Itachi's hands were holding the sides of his face and pressing a deep kiss to his lips. It was a haunting kiss, the kind which Itachi had only graced Kisame with maybe once before. When the merman pulled away he gasped; bubbles rose from his mouth to the water's surface high above.

Still holding tight to Kisame's face, tail wrapped lovingly around the awed mershark's, he whispered softly,

"I am happy."

And Kisame, well, as soon as he heard that he didn't think he would ever be unhappy again.

And so, the once-human merman and lovelorn mershark lived happily ever after.

The end.

Hi! Yes, aren't you surprised I actually finished this story? (To be honest, I kind of am). Sorry, sorry, sorry it took so long, but I stick by that all stories I start I WILL finish. I even plan on writing the rest of these fairytales... at some point. May not be soon, but it will happen. For now though, consider this collection on temporary hiatus until I work on some of my other fics, k? Thank you and please review to tell me if you liked the ending to The Little Mershark! XD