Night Rain

Night #4

Amaya pulled out the kunai stuck in the bullseye. It was her first bullseye and she was proud. Looking over to her side, she gaped at how many bullseyes her blue friend had gotten. Well, technically it wasn't multiple bullseyes, but one with many kunai stuck into it.

Kisame threw another one. It lodged with the other kunai. He had a scowl on his face.

"Kisame?" Amaya called. If he got the bullseye, why was he frowning? Wasn't he supposed to be happy?

"What?" His tone was sharp when he turned around. A kunai he held was clenched tightly in his hand, making it go white.

Amaya didn't speak for the moment, trying to think of something to say. She originally wanted to exclaim how good his kunai throwing skills are and that he must be a prodigy (since it was the very first lesson for kunai throwing), but decided against it.

Kisame furrowed his brows when she didn't immediately give an answer.

"Can you help me with kunai throwing?" She asked, picking up a kunai that had completely missed.

The shark boy just blinked at her. He had seen her throw one and it hit the bullseye dead on. Why was she needing his help if she can do it herself?

"Why?" He quizzed. His hand involuntarily relaxed and held the kunai loosely.

Amaya stood up straight and pointed to all the kunai stuck on the board in front of Kisame. "I want to be able to do that but I can't. You're good at it so I want your help." She said straightforwardly.

Kisame's mouth opened in surprise. His brows jumped. She was very straightforward – as if he didn't know already. But it still surprised him how much determination the girl had. Did she want to be a ninja that badly?

"...fine." His eyes trailed to the bunch of kunai she held. His eyes narrowed when he imagined blood on them.

Tch...!

"...and then he threw it and it was really cool!" Amaya clapped her hands together excitedly.

Kisame rolled his eyes and shook his head gently. Of course she'd make a big deal out of it.

Sho smiled and ruffled his daughter's hair. She grinned at his touch. Her father's attention then drifted to Kisame. Like he did with Amaya, he placed his hand on Kisame's head and also ruffled his hair.

The boy stared up at Sho with surprise. He was staring down at him with a closed eye smile. Kisame glanced to the side, where he saw Amaya's cheerful smile. She was happy watching them.

"You did well, Kisame. Thank you for teaching Amaya." Sho chuckled. "Alright, are we ready to head off?" He asked the children.

"Yes!" Amaya nodded.

The blue skinned child watched as Sho and Amaya walked ahead. He had slowed his step and observed them quietly. Even though it was the afternoon and classes have ended, he found that the light that they emitted was too bright.

The dark eyed child stared at his open palms, seeing them stained with blood. He blinked and the image was gone. His teeth clenched slightly. Those images had been appearing more often.

Why?

His eyes trailed to the family who had gone ahead.

Kisame mumbled a small reply to Sho, "Yeah..." He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed deeply, trying to calm his irregular heartbeat.

No...

"Kisame, come on!"

The kid's eyes snapped open as Amaya hooked her arm through his, dragging him with her as she continued down the path. He nearly tripped over at the sudden pull. He didn't hear her come up to him.

"H-hey! Watch it!" Kisame regained balance and followed her brisk pace. However, he didn't shake her arm off.

"We're going to the restaurant, remember?! We have to order together! So we can enjoy our meal together!" Amaya almost sounded like she was scolding him. Her pace slowed as she arrived to where her father stood.

"Let's go, Kisame." Sho extended out a hand and took Kisame's in his own.

Kisame's face was full of shock at the unexpected notion. Nothing came out of his mouth as he opened and closed it like a goldfish.

Amaya giggled and unhooked her arm, holding his hand instead, just like her father. She swung it back and forth, finding it fun.

The blue child just stared at his occupied hands, gaping. His chest felt a little warm and he started to feel embarrassed by the display.

He tensed when another image haunted him; but this time, it made his blood go cold. He abruptly pulled his hands from Sho and Amaya's hold, causing them to look at him in question as they stopped.

"Kisame?" Sho and Amaya spoke simultaneously. Confusion racked their face and voices.

"Is something wrong?" Sho asked gently. He saw the troubled expression Kisame harboured, and the cold sweat that had slid down the side of his face.

"...nothing...let's, let's go..." Kisame's voice was empty, almost fearful.

Coming home after dinner with his neighbours, the Hoshigaki stood in the middle of the doorway to his room. He didn't want to go inside; he would see his distorted vision and the kunai.

That kunai.

Kisame stared down at his hands and closed his eyes. The warmth that he felt when they each held his hand. It was almost as if he was part of their family.

The image that had flashed through his mind at that time was of Sho and Amaya lying on the ground, several stab wounds in their abdomen as thick blood drained out of their bodies.

Kisame shook his head to rid himself of that horrid image. His mouth was dry and he gulped thickly. His lips pressed together into a thin line.

I shouldn't have gotten so close to them.