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Part 1 - "Persuasion"
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How long had it been since that day? That same day he had wiped out his entire clan, that same moment he stared with pure psychotic glee at the disaster laid out behind him. Sheer exhilaration at the imposed test of his abilities, fulfilled in a matter of but a few hours of work. Ten seconds to kill the parents. Five minutes to wipe out the station. Enough time to lie in wait for the boy to come home and witness his power. Enough time to gain the attention of the Akatsuki. And in that same week, he gained a partner.
At first, he had been a little uneasy around this older man who appeared to be half shark. The guy had fangs, after all! But what surprised him far more was that after getting briefed about Itachi's techniques in great detail, he merely shrugged it off and said that they would manage. He didn't praise the boy for being so talented at his age, he didn't declare him a genius, he didn't even glance at him twice. Kisame just took what was given to him and didn't question its worth. Itachi couldn't have been happier. Finally, a respite from fools who didn't understand their place. Kisame knew his place. He knew that he was the Leader's subordinate, and that he would follow his orders accordingly. And Itachi quickly noticed that his partner had the attribute he favored most - wisdom.
Though Kisame didn't seem to be a deep thinker, he would often go into a bit of a trance at night on their missions, staring off into the distance and thinking. For a long time, Itachi had suspected he just enjoyed the view, especially if it contained any large body of water. But after all these years of Kisame always watching but never speaking, he finally spoke after his long thought process.
"Itachi-san... do you ever wonder what the stars see when they look down on us? Do they even see us at all? To them, we must be so... insignificant."
Itachi sat up with a start, shocked at this moment of analyzation. Even after these past few years, Kisame still had so much hidden beneath. "No. I never think of that. What the hell caused you to be so dramatic like this?"
He smirked, a slight chuckle making his massive chest shake. "A big guy like me can't help but wonder if there might be something bigger out there, right? Even a shark can't go without predation in that vast ocean. Something's always bigger."
Itachi put his chin on his knees, thinking. In the past, HE had always been that bigger fish in his village. He had been the predator that preyed upon the weak, the crow that scavenged after the limping deer that falls so easily. Most importantly, he was also an opportunist, using his intelligence and skill when dominated in the area of strength. "I guess you're right. But what do you do when there isn't anything bigger? What do you do when you've finally reached perfection?"
Kisame paused for quite some time, and Itachi knew better than to think the older man wouldn't answer him. He simply liked to take his time. "When you reach perfection, something bigger sneaks up in your blind spot and proves you wrong."
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When morning came, the two met with Sasori near the Iwakagure border. Today they would be picking up a new Akatsuki recruit. Someone with a talent for explosions, or something peculiar like that. Itachi wasn't too concerned. He had the sharingan and great skill with genjutsu. Few could match him in battle.
The Iwa nin was a bit more determined than he had expected, insisting that his art was above being judged by his unappreciating eyes. And yet his own, cold sharingan eyes stared right back emotionlessly, his penetrating gaze quickly crossing into a genjutsu technique, causing the boy to nearly blow himself up. In just a few minutes, the battle was over and the boy was finally recruited into the Akatsuki. Itachi would never know the secret plot of vengeance that Deidara planned against him.
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It had been a few years since the day they had recruited that boy, now coming into his own stage of adulthood, just a bit younger than Itachi. Kisame couldn't help but wonder at how quickly Itachi had abandoned everything he knew before Akatsuki, his normal life, his hopes and dreams if he had any. Maybe that had been his dream all along. Maybe all this time, he had hoped for nothing more than to kill from the shadows, unknown and unseen, ignored in his self imposed reclusiveness. Even Kisame more or less ignored him unless it was for the benefit of Itachi's health. After all, if he used those eyes too much... But no, Kisame wouldn't let that happen if it could be helped.
Itachi glanced up at Kisame as they walked along towards their next mission. No doubt the older man was concerned for his well-being now that he had told him about his condition. He had mentioned his eventual blindness if he used the Mangekyou Sharingan too much. To his relief, Kisame shrugged it off as usual, telling him they would deal with it when the time came. No "Poor Itachi" or any stupid condolences. They would just cope. That's what he appreciated most about his partner- no, his friend. Yes, a friend...
Kisame did it for both of their sakes. He knew well that Itachi hated to be the center of attention and pitied by everyone around him. The young man had undoubtedly gotten an overload of this in his clan, being as insanely talented as he was. It wasn't because he didn't care that he ignored the man's talents, but rather because he DID. He respected Itachi beyond what the Leader required, on a personal level that the other Akatsuki teams hadn't reached yet. Even Deidara and Sasori frequently argued about what true art was. Only Itachi and Kisame were on the same mental wavelength. That same function that said in a symbiotic way 'You don't ask, I won't ask.' It was that perfect balance of apathy and ignorance.
Their mission was to assassinate a band of rebel missing nin from the mist country. Leader had been quite clear that the Akatsuki didn't need any competition from these second rate rogues. They were to be finished off at any expense. Itachi didn't even need to speak their plan out loud. Kisame knew what to do. They communicated on a level that didn't require the waste of words, knowing perfectly what the other had the capacity to do. Itachi would cast a genjutsu to distract the ninjas long enough to get nearly in their faces, and Kisame would kill the only awake night guard in the meantime. After that, it would be complete chaos as each of the ninjas woke up and fought, but neither of the men doubted their capability of handling the situation, nor did they doubt each other. They trusted their partner completely.
The genjutsu worked as planned, making it seem as if nothing had changed. Even the guard was completely fooled, and Kisame took the woman out easily. Their stealth guaranteed a safe mission. Before any could wake, the two had taken out three more ninjas swiftly and silently. Finally, the rest awakened, and Itachi counted them out to be close to twenty. He had no idea there would be so many, but again, he didn't doubt his own capacity.
They both worked back to back, playing an odd dance of death to all that opposed them, their long experiences together easily overpowering these ninjas that held the ideal of every man for himself. Nothing could compare to the trust and harmony that they held on this twisted wire of time and distance. They were upper class murderers, traitors to their countries, torn inside by the sheer madness that would result if one of them died, lost in purposeless drifting when a chord of the song was gone.
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Next time: The result of the battle, and other things that happen. This first part was a bit of a teaser, don't get mad at me because it's short. I'm just seeing if people like this so far. Next chapter will be longer!