#cause we lived with my grandpa and he couldnt deal with the fireworks

[akatsukirites]

Last entry for @sweetspicybingo - Fireworks!!! Happy new year bitches BLACKOUT BINGO!!!!!! im so proud of myself lol Narutoverse | KisaKonan | G | ~700 words | CW: PTSD response

It's not the flare. Konan has seen flares before. She shot them in the air yelling 'RETREAT!' until she lost her voice, signaling the second advance squad to pull back to the recall point. It's not the plunging thud of the cannon launch. Nor is it the whirring of the rocket as it shoots into the sky. It's the boom. Deep and echoing through the ravine as they cross on a wide bridge. Booming once, twice– she hunts down where the explosions are coming from. When she finally sees the origin of the sound, it's one of the most awesome things she's ever seen. A bomb in the air raining down starlight.

Her heart tells her otherwise, screaming that she's in danger, pushing blood and endorphins to her muscles. Even though it is clearly not a flare in a place where it is clearly not raining and they are clearly not at war. At least, not today. Yet, her body reacts nonetheless; mouth agape and pupils dilating. Her foot pulls back into a defensive stance as paper starts to roll off her clenched fists.

Kisame knows better than to intervene. In Kirigakure, shinobi who were afflicted with this … condition … wasted away in the slums; unfit to be useful. In his youth, he made the mistake of confronting one of them only to get the shit beaten out of him. In such a state, she might also mistake him for the enemy. Although he admits Konan is a formidable shinobi, he'd rather not kill her today.

Instead, he looks up to the sky and says simply, "Fireworks. … Probably for the New Year." Keeping his attention on the display.

Konan's eyes dart between Kisame and the 'fireworks'. Not flares. Not bombs. Fireworks.

"I guess you wouldn't see them in Rain Country since, well, it rains all the time there." Kisame huffs in irony. 

Meanwhile, Konan reels herself back to the present, starting with sliding her foot back into place. Calls her paper back to her; clutches her heart and takes deep, shuddering breaths.

"I've seen them in Water Country before." He continues, "Was on a mission to the daimyo's manor. Stupid old man loved shit like that. Real flashy. … But they're very effective distractions when you need them. Just walk right up to the target and–" He pulls his finger across his throat. It's a story in poor taste, but it's all he has.

Konan wrings her hands, trying to play along. "Is it…Are they… expensive?"

He shrugs to reply. What does he care if the daimyo spends gold on stupid toys? Not that there was a daimyo left once Kirigakure installed their puppet.

"I see."

Another firework launches into the sky, its flame illuminating the outline of a thin cloud. It booms and crackles, followed by a second explosion that slipped past her observations. Even if she knows they're just some expensive decoration, her body seems to not care. Every cell tells her to run. She grips the railing of the bridge trying to steady herself.

"Have you ever spent much time underwater?" He asks in a casual manner. Of course, the answer is no. The only time she's spent underwater was before they knew how to catch fish in the lake with shinobi techniques. But she is fond of a warm bath and knows that when one sinks beneath the surface, all sound gets washed out. Kisame walks up to her. "May I try something, Konan-san?"

She looks up at him with suspicion. "What is it?"

"A bubble. Just around your ears."

Konan nods, wincing as another firework explodes across the sky. He stands behind her and weaves. SnakeRamHorseRabbitRamHorse– holds a hand to the sides of her face. He pushes out a small water prison on each ear. Easy to make and easy to control. A strange weightlessness comes over her. Like vertigo, only less nauseating. The next wave of fireworks rain down on the horizon. In purple and silver flowers; in different shapes and sizes. They are nothing short of miraculous. And blissfully, it is silent. She can't hear a single thing. Not even when she says softly, "They're pretty."

'Yes, they are. But–'

"Not more than you, Konan-san."

Kisame knows she can't hear him, but he says it anyway.

#sweetspicywinter #[♣️–vdwrites] #♣️–kisame #♣️–konan #naruto fanfiction #kisakonan #konan #hoshigaki kisame #♣️–challenge #you know i just had to make this sad right? #when i was a really little kid we didnt get to go to firework shows #cause we lived with my grandpa and he couldnt deal with the fireworks #understandable but i was also disappointed #i wonder if he had had those big ear muffs if it wouldve helped