It was odd, watching the man before me. Right in front of me was none other than Kisame Hoshigaki, one of the strongest shinobi in the world. It was strange to meet someone that for so long was just another name in the bingo book. A light smile adorned his face as Tsunade-sama introduced him, and an almost gentle look brushed across his face before quickly disappearing. It was easy to alienate others in this world, to think of anyone not from your village as nothing more than an evil enemy. But seeing him reminded me of the complexity of the world.
That apprehension that had been following me around for a while now had faded the moment I looked at Hoshigaki. Silently checking in with Sakura, I could tell she felt it too. Having the three of us together felt like the world finally clicked into place, as if everything was as it should be.
Standing up, I give Hoshigaki a light bow, giving him a grateful smile when I look back up at him, "Thank you, Hoshigaki-san. I'll forever be grateful to you."
I could tell the man before me was unused to such praise, he shifted slightly, not knowing how to accept it. His once confident demeanor falters slightly before righting itself, "Call me Kisame. Hoshigaki is way too formal." His voice had a light and unfamiliar accent to it, the way he pronounced 'k's had almost a click sound to it.
"Kisame-san, I owe you a debt."
"You can repay it by letting me get to know you and Sakura-san," he looks towards Tsunade for confirmation, clearly unsure if it was okay, "Only, of course, if it's okay with your Hokage."
Tsunade let's out an exasperated sigh, "Fine. Consider it part of your payment."
A mischievous look makes its way onto Kisame's face and he leans towards Tsunade, "You could make the official payment by making me a protected asset of the village."
Tsunade gives the man a look, something of mild dread but also one of understanding, "Fine. But only because the person currently trying to kill you could possibly be a rouge from my village."
Sakura and I give each other a look, clearly knowing we're out of the loop on something important. We both turn towards Tsunade, the same curious look on our face. Catching our look, Tsunade massages her forehead, a headache forming from this crazy series of advents, "To put it simply, this idiot pissed off some dude in the Akatsuki, possibly a shinobi that we thought was dead from our village, and now has the anger of a batshit crazy guy focused on him."
Both Sakura and I tense up slightly at the mention of the Akatsuki. They had attempted to take Naruto once before, and I'd been on missions that bordered on impossible because of that organization. Almost anyone that has crossed path with anyone involved in the Akatsuki has ended up dead. Kisame was lucky to still be alive and I'd make sure he stays that way. Sakura and I share another look, the same thought going through our mind.
The sun was beginning to set and the temperature was quickly starting to cool off. I shiver, not able to keep as warm as I used to. "It's getting late. I'd be happy to offer Kisame-san to stay at my house until other arrangements can be made."
Tsunade looks surprised at my offer, and Kisame practically glows with a mix of happy and smug. Tsunade looks between the three of us, measuring the risks and trying to figure out the reason behind this. Her shoulders slump forward slightly and she gives in, "Fine but I'm keeping an ANBU near by to monitor Hoshigaki at all times." Without even a goodbye, Tsunade walks off and quickly makes her way out of the compound.
Picking up my book and glasses, I make my way back into the house, Sakura and Kisame following not far behind. Stepping into the house, it's a lot warmer than outside and the tense cold leaves my body. We all slip off our shoes, and Kisame takes off the giant sword from his back and props it again the wall. He gives it a pat, like one would a pet and the sword purrs and chirps.
The sound spooks Sakura, making her turn around quickly to face the sword, "Please tell me I'm going crazy and that sword didn't just make a sound."
Kisame let's out a laugh, a grin lights up his face, showing off his shark like teeth, "It's name is Samihada. A sentient sword, so sorry to say but you're not crazy. It really did make a sound."
Sakura places her hand over her heart, "Dear Kami, that's gonna take some getting used to."
Turning towards the kitchen, I hide the smile that I can't stop from making its way across my face. I open the fridge and pull out leftovers to heat up for dinner. Joining me in the kitchen, the two observe what I'm doing, "I'm heating up some dinner. You two hungry?"
Kisame looks at the food, "Absolutely starving. It's been forever since I've had a real meal."
"Today has been exhausting and I completely forgot to eat lunch, my stomach feels like it's eating itself."
I give them both a look of worry and mild disappointment, "You two need to eat better." I make up two plates over flowing with rice, fish, green beans, and pickled beets. And make up one for myself that's smaller. I heat them all up in the microwave quickly and by the time they're done, the whole kitchen smells amazing.
We each grab our plates and make our way to the table. The three of us sit in silence, enjoying the food. I try my best to eat all the food, but I become nauseous and quickly loose my appetite. Half way through my plate I'm unable to eat any more. Kisame and Sakura are having no problem eating there food, shoveling it down so fast it makes me wonder if they're chewing at all. Seeing them enjoy the meal makes me smile.
Sakura looks at my plate, and frowns, "Are you getting nauseous again?" She stops eating to talk to me.
"Just the usual. Nothing to worry about."
"I'll go make you some tea," she says, and moves to get up.
I stand up before she can, holding onto the edge of the table when I get light headed, "It's fine, I can make it myself. Do any of you want some?"
Kisame watches the conversation between Sakura and myself, and I can tell he's unsure how to go about my illness. With the mention of tea, his attention is set solely on me, "I'd love some tea."
Sakura shrugs, "I guess I'll have some too."
It doesn't take long for me to steep the tea in the pot and bring it and three cups to the table. I set a cup in front of each of us, filling Kisame and Sakura's before my own. Once I'm done pouring the tea, I take a seat. I take in a deep breath, smelling the tea before taking a small sip. Looking back up, Sakura is sipping on her tea but Kisame is staring at the cup, a whole storm of emotions making its way across his face.
His face finally lands on something close to embarrassment, and what I'm assuming is a blush makes its way across his face, his blue skin making it challenging to tell. I stare at him, utterly confused at his reaction, "Uh, is something wrong?"
Kisame snaps out of whatever trance he was in and looks up at me, "Ah sorry, just a cultural difference that surprised me."
Sakura looks to Kisame, curious, "What sort of cultural difference?"
"Where I come from, the only time tea is poured at the table is during courtship. It's kind of like a marriage proposal," Kisame says, making it apparent that he very much so is embarrassed.
Sakura lets out a laugh, and quickly slaps her hand over her mouth to get herself to stop, "I'm so sorry, that was an incredibly inappropriate reaction. I wasn't laughing at your culture. It just must of been such a shock to be bombarded with a marriage proposal out of the blue and I couldn't help but find that comical in a way."
A blush makes its way onto my face, and I hide my face with my hands, "Oh my gosh, I'm so embarrassed."
A grin crawls across Kisame's face, "There might be some culture shocks for both of us in the days to come. I was raised in a small village, in an incredibly traditional clan. A lot different than probably anything you've experienced."
I try my best to push aside the embarrassment, removing my head from its hiding place behind my hands, "I'd really enjoy learning more about your culture."
Sakura gives a sound of agreement, "Same here, I love learning about other cultures."
Kisame takes a moment to take in our responses, "I've never shared much about my culture with others, even after I moved to the mist village from my small village. And since I defected I never really had anyone to share it with. It'd be nice to share it with others."
***
Disclaimer: The tea courtship is something I completely made up for plot.