Underneath It All

Author's Note: This story is designed to have a sci-fi and nature documentary feel to it, but it will also be a romantic tale. This is my trial run for Kisame and Itachi getting a fic of their own. So feedback will determine, if I continue with this one or try something else. If any of that bothers you, you might want to turn back now. For those of you still here, I hope you enjoy this story and reviews are always appreciated.

Special Thanks to celestia193 for all her support and for encouraging me to get out of my comfort zone.

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no profit off of any of my stories.

Chapter 1

Itachi Uchiha was well aware that if humanity was to have any future at all, it would have to evolve. Living on the Earth's land simply wouldn't be enough. They would run out of room, food, and other vital resources. The scientists of the world, seemed to agree.

They knew that they would have to take to the sky, the oceans, or both in order to save humanity from its own success. The Earth's population was simply too large and growing too fast for there to be any other option. In the end, most of the scientists chose the ocean over the stars as a matter of practicality. (It was simply closer and more easily inhabitable).

"And you've had successful trials before?" Itachi asks Dr. Sannin warily.

There was certainly lots of space and potentially food underneath the ocean's surface, if humanity made an effort to care for it. Unfortunately, humans just weren't naturally adapted to surviving in an aquatic environment long term. So they had had to improvise.

Genetic engineering was thought to hold the key to their survival. Humans were being interjected with the DNA of marine life and turned into something else entirely. Ironically, science had merged with fantasy and spawned a "new race" or a very old race. Mermaids and mermen were now very much real.

"Yes, we've already got two generations out in the wild now. The First Generation is the most animalistic. The second are far closer to us than their animalistic counterparts. We believe that the Third Generation will retain everything that makes them human, save for their legs." The scientist assured him.

Itachi didn't trust Orochimaru. He'd seen those kinds of eyes before. The man was clearly in this type of research for the fame. He wanted to be known as the man who helped to save the human race from potential extinction.

That was why he was so wary of taking the injections that would transform her into a merman. Thankfully, Orochimaru wasn't the only scientist who was in charge of the program. Tsunade and Jirayia rounded out the Legendary Three as they were known.

"What happened to the First Generation?" Itachi demands.

"Some of them are still being monitored. Some are not because they either lost their trackers on accident due to their more feral lifestyle or they removed them. The ones that we are still able to track seem to live more like animals than people, but the human intelligence is still there. It's just largely been superseded by instinct. They're also far more aggressive than the Second Generation. I would avoid them, if at all possible." Orochimaru says.

Itachi frowns. The scientists had at least partially failed the first trial cases. Those men and women were brave. Extremely brave to take the injections without really know what was going to happen to them. They had deserved better than that.

"I know what you're thinking. I'm not particularly happy with what happened to them either, but we do try our best. In any experiment, there are always unforeseen variables." Jirayia says as he approaches Itachi.

Unlike his counterpart, the Uchiha truly believed that Dr. Sage had a good heart. The man was in this for the right reasons. He wasn't in this for glory, but to save their people.

"Of course. What happened to the second?" He inquires.

"They're minds are largely human. Occasionally, their new animalistic instincts take over. They look far more human than the First Generation though. Most of them are still being successfully tracked. Some of them have even formed schools or pods." Jirayia explains.

"Well that's good at least." Itachi says, sighing slightly.

Jirayia nods in agreement and Tsunade makes her way over to the three of them. Itachi was a bit relieved that an actual medical doctor was one of the three people leading this project. Dr. Gambler was a major asset to this scientific venture.

"Are you still willing to become a merman? Once you take your first injection, I don't think there is any going back. We've never had someone stop treatment, after beginning it. There is no telling for certain what the effects of such a decision would be on the body." She warns him.

"I'm willing. What animal's DNA would I be interjected with?" Itachi asks.

He wondered if he would be given a choice that would be nice. He just hoped that he didn't get some strange curveball like a lobster or an octopus. He didn't think of himself as particularly vain, but he would like something aesthetically pleasing.

"A dolphin. It's a rather popular choice. They're intelligent, fast, social, and cute." Tsunade says with a wink.

"I can live with that." Itachi says as he sighs in relief at the knowledge that presumably, he wasn't going to look like something out of a horror movie.

"Good. Let's get started. Shall we?" Orochimaru asks with a sly smile.

Meanwhile Kisame was swimming off the coast of Australia. He had become a merman a few years back. He was a First Generation. They were known as the Akatsuki and the most feral of the two batches, though he suspected a Third Generation would be coming soon.

"Scientists aren't necessarily known as being a very patient bunch." He mutters to himself as he swims closer to the shore.

Sea lions were definitely one of his favorite types of prey. Fortunately, he was a Great White Type. That meant he had quite the impressive set of teeth that he could use against said prey. (Thankfully, they were retractable.)

"Dinner is served!" He growls as he lunges out of the water and at a rather unfortunate Sea Lion.

One swift bite was all it took. Kisame had had a lot of practice with this over the years. Oh he ate many other kinds of prey, it's just these were his favorite. That was one of the reasons why he hadn't really seen a reason to leave the Australian Coast much. Well that and what remained of the coral reefs were beautiful.

Kisame smirks and drags his pray into the water, after successfully killing it. Ah there was nothing like a good hunt. He knew that some Second Generationers didn't really stray too far from the scientists. They preferred to have food brought to them. They really didn't know what they were missing though.

"Nothing like a good hunt to get the blood pumping." He muses as he quickly carries his pray back to his underwater cave.

Unlike actual sharks, mermen shark subtypes didn't have to keep constantly moving. Regular sharks would drown, if they stopped moving. Luckily, he didn't have that problem. That would have been annoying as Hell.

Thanks to that, he was able to stop swimming around long enough to properly store the Sea Lion for another day. Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about keeping it stored for too long. He had a big appetite, but not as big as his animalistic counterpart.

"Nice catch! Yeah?" Deidara says as he swims inside Kisame's cave.

Deidara was another Akatsuki. The blonde had been interjected with octopus DNA. His tail was made out of suction cups. The man had a pink tail, blonde hair, and bright blue eyes.

Perhaps it only made sense that he was venomous merman. After all in nature, it was quite common for venomous animals to be brightly colored as a way to warn other creatures that they should leave them alone. Deidara definitely fit that mold. He was crazy, but that was why Kisame liked him.

"You want some of my catch, you better have something worth sharing it for." He says smugly.

The eccentric octopus merman was a riot. Honestly, Kisame didn't know why Sasori got so annoyed by him. Anyway, the blonde had a habit of bringing him some really cool stuff in exchange for food. It worked out nicely for both of them.

"Oh yeah! I brought something you'll like. What you think? I call it the Samehada!" Deidara says excitedly as he shows Kisame a sword that appeared to be made out of coral, shark skin, and metal.

Corral might be pretty, but it was razor shape. If you cut yourself just right on it, things wouldn't end well for you. That was part of the reason why Deidiara now had Kisame's undivided attention.

"Gotta admit. That looks like it could be fun. You can have some Sea Lion. So did Sasori say anything? If I know those meddling scientists like I think that I do, they should be trying to make a new batch of mermen and mermaids right about now." He says as he swings the sword experimentally.

It was incredible really. It was almost like it was an extension of his body. Samehada just moved so naturally with him. Really, it was almost as if the sword was made just for him.

"Yeah. He's been talking to the birds. They've been watching the scientists. Looks like they are gearing up for a third trial run. My guess is they are probably going to sign up more people this time than last time. We're getting old, yeah? In a way, we're kinda grandparents now." Deidara laughs.

Kisame shakes his head. He wasn't nobody's grandpa. That was just stupid. Though he supposed that was certainly one way to look at it.

"Think we should greet any of the kiddies or let them sink or swim on their own?" He asks with a smirk.

"Oh we're definitely going to mess with them." Kisame says with a smirk of his own.

There was nothing more amusing than screwing with the heads of Second Generation mermen. Kisame didn't really chase the mermaids. It was more fun to go after the men.

Old habits died hard, he supposed. Some glimmer of humanity still believed in chivalry. Besides, it wasn't like he was actually going to rough up the newbies. Well not too much anyway.

"This will be fun! Yeah! I'll see, if I can talk Sasori to join us. He's so serious all the time. He might enjoy it." Deidara exclaims.

A few weeks pass and Itachi had taken several injections. Currently, he was at the beach. An Australian beach. He figured that if he was going to be a merman, what better place to do so than by the Great Barrier Reef?

"How does your tail feel?" Jirayia asks in concern.

"It feels foreign. It doesn't hurt. It just doesn't feel like a part of me yet though. I guess it'll take some getting used to." Itachi muses.

At the moment, he was in about three feet of water. His human half was above the water and his dolphin half wasn't. That was going to take awhile to wrap his mind around, really.

The lower half of his body looked almost exactly like a dolphin. It was all smooth silvery gray skin, except for some white flippers and a strange matching belt like material that was wrapped around his waist. He really did look like something out of a fairytale.

"Well if it's any consolation. I've seen a lot of mermen and a few dolphin types. I've rarely seen a tail come in that nicely though." Tsunade assures him.

"Tsunade, did you inject yourself with cougar DNA?" Jirayia asks in amusement.

WHACK! That was the sound that Itachi hears as the doctor whacks her colleague behind the ears. In her defense, he probably had that one coming.

"Owe!" Dr. Sage whines.

"Jirayia, you really should know better than to make cracks like that. Now, Itachi. Your collar will allow you to get in constant contact with us. It's waterproof. You merely press the green button if you want to communicate with us normally. Red is for emergencies." The other scientist explains.

"Red for emergencies and green for everything else. Got it." Itachi says.

He touches his collar for reassurance. It was his link to civilization. Of course, he could always swim back to the coasts if something happened. Maybe, he'd stick fairly close the shore to start off with.

"I would recommend sticking close to the shore to begin with. That way we can observe you better and give you food. Do you think that you'll try to hunt or gather on your own?" Orochimaru inquires.

"I'll probably try. Though it is nice to know that I have the option." Itachi says.

"Alright. Well good luck, kid. Why don't you try going for a swim?" Tsunade suggests and Itachi nods as he swims off.

It was amazing. He felt so graceful and weightless. There was a wondrous joy in the simple motion of swimming. Itachi wasn't sure if he would ever fully be able to articulate this feeling, but he liked it.

He liked it a lot. Everything was so colorful as well. He saw corral, kelp, and schools of fish here and there. The waters on the surface might look calm, but underneath was teaming with life.

"Beautiful." He whispers.

What he didn't know is that he was being watched. Hidden behind the coral were two mermen. One blonde and one blue.

Kisame and Deidara had been watching the coasts for awhile now. If the scientists were going to release new mermen and mermaids, they would likely do it there.

"Ooh a dolphin. That's pretty. Yeah!" Deidara observes.

Kisame couldn't disagree. There was something very enchanting about that silvery tail. It probably had something to do with the fact that the owner of it was moving in a rather graceful fashion.

Kisame himself wasn't really graceful. He was all power. Dolphins were different in that way from Great Whites.

"Yeah. Definitely a looker." The Akatsuki agrees.

A male looker at that. Despite the silken locks of raven black hair that could make any mermaid jealous, that sleek muscular chest was most assuredly male. That and he was too large to be a female. His tail was too long and his flippers were too large.

His eyes were certainly something else too. The man had crimson red eyes. Eyes that were alight with happiness at the moment and also taking in his surroundings rather thoroughly. Intelligent eyes.

"Yeah. Not more than me though." Deidara says smugly.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Deidara. If our people had Beauty Contests, I think you might have to settle for runner up against that one." He says with a smirk.

He knew what would happen as soon as he said that. Riling Deidara up was all in good fun. The blonde was just so wonderfully entertaining.

Kisame wasn't attracted to him though. Deidara was a bit too feminine looking for his tastes. That long blonde hair could have passed for a mermaid's easily and Deidara was a bit more lithe in frame than he preferred.

"What?! You take that back!" The Octopus Merman demands.

"I'm not going to take back the truth. Be quiet. We don't want him to know that we're here yet." Kisame says.

At that moment, Itachi tilts his head to the side. The first few times, he thought that he might be imagining it. Now, he was certain that wasn't the case though.

He was hearing voices. Not one, but two. Human voices. Could it be possible that he had somehow stumbled across a Second Generation Pod? With that thought in his mind, the new merman decides to investigate and what he heard amused him.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Deidara. If our people had Beauty Contests, I think you might have to settle for runner up against that one." The larger merman said.

"What?! You take that back!" The second replied furiously.

"I'm not going to take back the truth. Be quiet. We don't want him to know that we're here yet." The obvious Akatsuki retorted.

Well it was a little late for that. Itachi had already found them. The fact that they obviously wanted to remain hidden made him anxious though. There was likely a good reason for that.

Despite his hesitation, Itachi was never one to shy away from a challenge. These two were certainly a challenge. One had skin the color of a sky and the other had suckers all over his tail. They were both a mystery for him to unlock.

"It's a little late for that. Are the two of you the Welcome Committee?" Itachi asks slyly.

"Damn. You already saw us? You're quick. Good hearing, but that won't save you." Kisame says with a smirk, flashing his massive teeth.

Itachi raises an eyebrow. Those teeth were intimidating to say the least, but the other merman appeared to be having fun threatening him. Was this similar to scaring Trick Or Treaters on Halloween for him?

"Your teeth are impressive, but they don't scare me. If you wanted to attack me, you had ample opportunity. That and I know that you aren't a cannibal. The fact you're clearly socializing with another merman is proof of that much." He says smoothly.

It was probably best not to show fear. Surely, the scientists would have mentioned if Akatsuki ate the other generations. Right? Well at least that was his hope.

In either case, showing fear would likely elicit rather disastrous results. Itachi needed to stand his ground (well water) here. So that was exactly what he was going to do.

"Damn. Beauty and brains. That's pretty rare. They must have made a lot of improvements this generation. Usually, it's one or the other." Kisame says boldly as he circles Itachi.

Itachi would have thought that it was like a predator encircling his prey, if it wasn't for the cheerful tone in his voice. The man was having fun. He was toying with him.

"You aren't going to get under my skin that easily." He mutters.

"Scales or fins." The blonde suggests helpfully.

"What?" Itachi asks, not at all sure what the other merman was talking about.

Apparently, he had a lot to learn about this new life. That was alright though. He had always been a good student. That and he doubted the scientists would have sent him here, if he didn't have a real chance of survival.

"It's a more accurate expression. Instead of skin, scales or fins." The blue skinned one clarifies.

"Oh right. Well that still doesn't answer my question. Who are you two?" He demands.

"I'm Deidara. Yeah? Oh and that's Kisame. We're Akatsuki. Hmm. What are they calling your Third Generationers anyway?" Deidara asks.

They were definitely Akatsuki. He already knew that though. Despite the blonde pointing out the others, Itachi was grateful to finally have names to go with faces. Kisame and Deidara.

They were certainly exotic names. The Uchiha couldn't help, but wonder if they were the pair's birth names or not. Perhaps, they had simply given themselves new names. Who could really stop them from doing so, if the whim struck them?

"I'm Itachi and I don't think that they have a name for our generation yet." He answers truthfully.

There really was no need to lie about such things. It wasn't as though they could use that information against them. Though Itachi was truly at a loss as to what to classify them.

Were they friends or foes? He simply didn't know. It seemed unlikely that they were going to attack at the moment, but that didn't necessarily make them his friends.

"Ah. Well I'm sure that they'll come up with something. Yeah?" Deidara says diplomatically.

Well at least, Itachi suspected that was the blonde's intent. That was likely the closest to diplomatically that he could get. Whether he was naturally eccentric or that was just a product of him becoming an Akatsuki, he didn't know yet. He'd find that out later though.

"They can call them The Princess Generation. God knows, that Itachi is prettier than any princess that I've ever seen. Look at his tail, hair, and eyes. If the others look anything like him, that's what they'll call em." Kisame says with a smirk.

"I'm not sure whether to feel complimented or insulted." Itachi mutters in irritation.

Kisame was certainly even more exotic than Deidara, Itachi observes. He had light blue skin and darker blue hair. There were gills upon his face and he was well…large. Everything about the other merman was massive.

He completely dwarfed Deidara and Itachi was reasonably confident that he was also much larger than himself. That did make him feel slightly nervous. Though judging by the princess crack, Kisame didn't seem to be in the mood to start a fight for the moment and that was certainly good news for him.

" It's a compliment. So Princess, were you planning on staying by the coasts like a good boy for the scientists to watch you or were you feeling more adventurous?" He continues.

"I'll likely stay by the coasts for now. Easy access to food and I'm still getting used to this form." Itachi answers.

He didn't know why he answered. He probably shouldn't have. That or Itachi should've lied. There was just something about Kisame that was so primal and honest, that he felt compelled to respond in a similar manner.

"Probably a good idea. Well I'm fond of these coasts myself. Lots of good hunting. You're a dolphin type. So our prey probably overlaps a bit. Though I doubt you'll go after my favorites. Too big for you." He says with a smirk.

"Well if we are going to be neighbors so to speak, I do believe that in the interest of fairness, I should clarify a few things for you." Itachi says with a sweet smile.

"Go on, Beautiful." Kisame says as Deidara watches like a child absorbed in a fascinating movie.

Itachi pauses. Kisame was a far more experienced merman than him. He was bigger. He was also more familiar with these waters than him. The Akatsuki would have ever advantage over him, if he provoked him. Still his pride demanded a few things be addressed.

"First of all, I am not a Princess. I'm a man. Kindly address me by my name. Secondly, I still have my tracker. So it would be in all our bests interests to coexist peacefully." He states.

"Oh alright. I guess the Princess Thing was going a little far. Itachi it is then. Don't worry your pretty little scales. Deidara and I just like to mess with the newcomers. I didn't have any actual intention of hurting you. You're a feisty little thing though. I think I like you." He says with a smirk.

Wonderful. A prehistoric merman liked him. There was no telling what the other man meant by that exactly, though Itachi figured he was going to find out soon. He just hoped that the other merman would play nice. If he didn't, well Itachi would just have to slap some sense into him with his new tail!