Word Count: 901

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor will I ever.

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The man kept going on and on after she had found him. On about what you may ask? Why, he wouldn't quit talking about all the bounty he had taken in his entire life and how he hated half of those 'fucktards' back at the base. Scatters of never meeting a girl who wouldn't be scared of his stitches and other various things were stuck into the conversation as well.

Sakura never got in a word, but it was nice to listen to him ramble on. It didn't really matter, seeing as her life was never an interesting one to begin with. Seriously, no one ever loved to hear sappy love stories that she would spill out at the clubs when Ino oddly got her drunk, just before she had to go to work for another few days. Tsunade-shishou would very well let her off of work, proud she had actually taken one drink to many for the good and innocent pink-headed girl she was.

When she requested to be brought back to meet all those people he had spoken of, he looked a bit dumbfounded. After awhile, per say, he obliged and escorted her back as if she was the love of his life, and it was his duty to protect her from the dragons and demons that could be out wandering the paths of forest green.

"You know…" she whispered, gaze locked on the dirt at their feet while they walked, not bothering to rush anything. "Your stitches are really, um… interesting, Sir."

He gave a low chuckle, something that wouldn't regularly come out.

"I- is there something wrong with that?"

"Not at all," was his short reply; he seemed to be a man of few words, opposite of his Jashinistic partner he would rant about.

As the hours passed, they soon found themselves in a lair that looked a bit too dirty and odd for her tastes. Compared to her house, it came off as if a herd of cattle had recently taken to wander the rooms and stomp around. Her hands ran across the cold walls as he led her down the way, into a brightly lit kitchen with a group of Akatsuki members mulling about; some were eating, some were talking, and others were just staring off into space as if thinking on a deeper subject.

Her optics traced paths from Kakuzu, the stitched man, to people she had recognized from descriptions put off from the man. One with bright orange hair and closed eyes was sorting his thoughts, from her assumptions; he was the leader. Two were fighting in the corner about sculptures and puppets; Sasori and Deidara, the artists of Akatsuki. Near Pein sat a woman with blue hair on the counter, looking at the pinkette with interest; Konan. There was someone cursing at another, violet-pink eyes vibrant as she had ever seen; Hidan, the immortal. The other was taking it as if it didn't bother him one bit, his multi-personalitied self resilient as ever; Zetsu, the plant man. The blue one who looked peculiarly like a shark sat near someone with black hair and Sharingan eyes; this automatically hinted at the fact it was Itachi and Kisame. The only person left was carelessly tugging at blue's sleeve, begging for candy because he was a good boy; Tobi.

"This is quite a family, Kakuzu…"

Once more, he laughed, attracting the attention of the silver-haired man and those around.

"What the fuck do you find to be so funny, you dumbass? You know, some people were fucking concerned enough to looked around for your damn self that you can't seem to take care of. Shithead. You need to go to hell, because frankly, Jashin wouldn't find such a thingworthy," Hidan spouted. "Why do you even have a fucking girl with you, anyways?!"

Sakura blinked slowly at this man's tone, wondering if he was always spitting out curses as if it was a part of his soul. Her cheeks were once more covered with a red colour, almost matching her sweater.

"I brought her with me because she wanted to meet you guys," he shrugged. "I didn't think it'd be that big of a deal, plus, she's a really sweet girl once you get past the pink hair and pretty green eyes."

"W- what?!" she squeaked, hands flying to cover her mouth.

"You think she's pretty, un?" the blonde cocked his head while leaning down on his knees.

The Leader spoke up, eyes finally opened to reveal a swirly-silver colour. "She can stay with us for awhile, Kakuzu… Just don't take her in as if she's a pet."

"You never know, she could be a great addition to the group, even if she wouldn't be a fighter," Sasori retorted, looking as if he couldn't show emotion. It oddly reminded her of Gaara.

"It would be nice to have another woman around, Pein…" Konan smiled, pushing a few strands of blue hair back into a paper flower.

The fish spoke for Itachi, shouting something along the lines of, "We need a pretty girl around here to entertain us!"

That earned Sakura a second dash of paint to her cheeks, escalating her heartbeat as well.

"Could she stay around, Leader?" Kakuzu questioned, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Fine."

And that was a start of what could maybe lead up to a new life with… Akatsuki members?