Night Rain

Night #7

"What did your father mean when he said he used to be a shinobi?" Kisame asked Amaya absentmindedly. His thoughts had drifted to what had happened a while ago. Time had passed and they were about to graduate the academy.

"Daddy used to be a ninja. He said he quit because he had to take care of me. So...basically, I'm the root of all his non-ninja stuff?" Amaya cocked her head to the side with a weird expression. "Yeah, I guess I am." She nodded to herself.

The shark boy nodded his head slowly. He stood up and started making his way towards the classroom, leaving Amaya behind.

"Kisame!" The female shouted, running after him. "Wait for me! Friends are supposed to wait for each other!"

Kisame held in a chuckle and continued walking. "Not my fault you're slow..." He smirked.

A friend, hm...?

Years passed. Kisame and Amaya had graduated from the academy and had become rookie ninja. The time they spent together was less, but it didn't stop Amaya from constantly bugging Kisame whenever she was free (and him, too, for that matter).

Kisame had risen above the ranks quite quickly and had become very strong. Amaya was slower but she never gave up. She wanted to get to the top and be there to support Kisame. That was one of her reasons.

Kisame had gotten used to her presence. He still saw her as an annoyance and wanted to swat her like the annoying little fly she was, but he didn't.

Eventually, Kisame was let into the Cypher Division, which was the secret intelligence squad of Kirigakure. At that time, Amaya had become a Jonin. Kisame had told her that he was the squad's bodyguard and that he'll be gone for a few days, maybe weeks, for the mission.

"Stay safe, you hear me?!" Amaya poked Kisame's shoulder. She had forgotten how tall he was compared to everyone else. He was at least a good head taller than her.

"Yeah." The blue man nodded curtly.

Amaya sighed and placed her hands onto her hips. "Remember to look out for the people in the division, okay? That's your job now. Also, remember to eat well and be careful of getting hurt, and if you do, make sure to bandage and clean your wound properly, and also make sure that you don't get caught in any traps or those explosive bomb tags that are always set up at random spots, oh! And remember to clean your swords and weapons so that the enemy doesn't know where you guys are, especially if they have someone with a good nose of their squad, and remember to keep the information safe!"

Kisame had risen an eyebrow at her long lecture, before a smirk made its way onto his face and he chuckled lightly. He nodded. "You talk too much."

He saw her dark blue eyes widen. Her mouth her opened in surprise before she pouted, running her hand through her shoulder length purple hair.

"Yeah, yeah, and you talk too little! So you got it, yeah?" Amaya craned her neck to stare straight into his dark eyes.

Kisame nodded. "Yeah. Got it."

Amaya grinned and patted his shoulder. "Alright, good luck on your mission then! I'll see you when you get back!" She waved at him before jumping off.

That mission was the beginning of Kisame Hoshigaki's downfall.

"Wait...WHAT?!" Amaya exclaimed, slamming her hands down onto the table.

Sho sighed deeply and beckoned her to sit down and not make a ruckus.

The retired shinobi stared at his daughter, who had become more feminine as the years had gone by. Not as feminine as other girls, but a little less tomboyish than when she was a kid. Even though she had matured greatly over the years, her positivity and spontaneousness and loudness did not.

"Sit down, Amaya. You heard me. You would have heard the same thing tomorrow." Sho sighed through his nose. His purple brows had furrowed together.

"So Kisame killed the whole of the Cypher Division?" Amaya gaped and sat down slowly. "What did the others say about it? It was the Intel squad, wasn't it? Did he kill them because information was leaked?"

Sho thought for a brief moment, "Something like that. I'm not too sure of the major details."

Amaya opened her mouth to say something, but then decided against it. She pressed her lips together into a thin line and stared at the table.

Should I ask Kisame about it? He must have had a reason...

"If you want to talk to Kisame, he should be in his house." The father tilted his head to the side.

Amaya nodded and stood up. "Thanks, dad!"

Sho smiled and heard the door closing.

She's grown up already.

Sho looked out the window, seeing the clouds drift away from the sun's sight.

How long has it been, since you've left this world? 21 years? Time sure flies by quickly...doesn't it, Hikari?

"Kisame! You there?" Amaya knocked on his door. She waited for a minute or two before knocking again, waiting for the man to open up. But he didn't. She didn't even hear his footsteps coming down the hallway.

"Where is he...?" She muttered under her breath. She sighed and went back to her house, keeping a watchful eye on her friend's house.

It was a long wait. The sky had darkened considerably and she was worried he wasn't coming back yet. After all, he should have come back from his mission.

"Amaya, are you still waiting?" Sho asked.

The woman nodded. She turned to her father and saw that he had already changed into his pyjamas. "Are you going to bed?"

"Yes. Remember not to sleep too late, okay? Make sure to say hi to Kisame for me." Sho gave her a small wave before heading off into his room.

"I will." Amaya nodded.

Amaya stood up after sitting for hours. Kisame hadn't come back yet and she needed to stretch. As she was, she spotted a dark figure making their way slowly towards Kisame's house. She recognised the silhouette immediately and rushed to the door.

"Kisame!" She breathed.

Said man turned his head. He stopped on his step and turned to face her. "Amaya."

"Welcome back." Amaya grinned. She examined him from head to toe, but her eyes widened when she saw his clothes were bloodied and he had a large bandaged sword on his back. "Are you okay?! You have blood on you!" She fretted.

Kisame let out a tense sigh and nodded his head. "I'm fine. What are you doing up at this hour?" He questioned.

"Actually, I was waiting for you. "Amaya pointed at his direction. "I wanted to ask you if what I heard was true."

"What you heard?" He quizzed. He had a feeling he knew exactly what she was talking about. "Enlighten me."

"Dad said that you had eliminated the Cypher Division." Amaya went straight to the point. She didn't want to sugar coat anything.

"Yeah. I did." Kisame spoke honestly.

Amaya didn't hesitate to ask why. "Was your reason what I thought it was?"

"Depends on your reasoning."

"I think you had done it because you had no other choice."

Kisame's brows raised a fraction, before he stared at her expression. Her dark blue eyes had kept their strength over the years. His arm raised and he stared at his hand. Even in the dark, he could see the blood. It was dried and felt like a powder, thick on his skin.

"Why don't you get yourself cleaned up? Let's talk after you do." Amaya suggested.

"Yeah." Kisame went inside.

Amaya stared at the sword on Kisame's back as he walked into his house. She saw it slightly move and make a light gurgling noise. Her eyes narrowed.

Is that sword what I think it is...?

"...is that sword what I think it is?" Amaya asked, pointing to the large sword Kisame had on his back.

Kisame had come back with clean clothes. He sat down on the steps beside Amaya on the doorsteps of his home.

The male glanced over at his neighbour and leaned on his elbows on his thighs. He looked up at the sky, seeing it cloudless and starless. "Yeah. I'm part of them now."

Amaya let out a small chuckle. Confused, Kisame looked over with raised eyebrows.

"What are you laughing about?"

"How quickly you're going through the ranks! You managed to get into the 7 Ninja Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist! It didn't take you that long." Amaya patted his back in congratulations. "You did well."

Kisame's eyes narrowed a slight fraction and his lips curled into a small frown. "I killed somebody over this, too. I didn't get it by having it handed to me, you know."

"...you killed Fuguki to obtain Samehada, didn't you? You replaced him."

"I guess I did." He was surprised she knew of those details.

"...things are going to get really dangerous." The female spoke gently. Her fingers intertwined together as she leaned her arms on her thighs. "Everyone knows that the 7 Swordsmen of the Mist are highly targeted because of their swords and strength."

"You think I'm weak?" Kisame raised a brow.

Amaya shook her head. "You're not weak. You're the strongest person I know. But you're also my friend. I can't help but worry for your wellbeing if you're going to be undertaking dangerous missions or battles. I don't want to see people I care about get hurt."

Kisame relaxed his shoulders at her response. Here she goes again with her melodramatic lectures.

"Don't you dare take this lightly!" Amaya bumped his shoulder roughly. Kisame didn't budge at all. She pouted. "You're like a statue!" She added, "A really tall statue!"

Kisame chuckled at her. Amaya stood up and rocked on her feet, smiling. Even though she had learnt of what Kisame had done, she didn't care too much of it. As long as her good friend was fine, she was happy.

Amaya felt the seed of worry grow inside her. She had a bad feeling about what was to come, but she didn't know what it was.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Kisame. Make sure you rest up. Come over to ours for breakfast." Amaya remembered, laughing, "Oh, and dad says hi."

When she disappeared off into her own home, Kisame sighed deeply, hearing her laugh ringing in his mind. He stood up and went inside, shaking his head gently.

"A tall statue, huh?"