A/N: I really shouldn't be putting this chapter up yet until I can be certain that this is the route I want the story to take, but... meh, what the hell! It's my story, so I'll pay the consequences if I screw it up. Besides, I feel weird when I don't update quickly... T.T

The smell of salt water was strong as Itachi and Sakura strolled out of the forest to be met by a mist-cloaked harbor, an awaiting ferry at the dock, ready to transport them to their new home.

"'Lo thar!" the captain of the ferry greeted exuberantly in an overly-thick sailor accent, "Come aboard the ferry express, yer little feet won't be regrettin' it!"

With a shared look of skeptical amusement, the two boarded the ferry and sat down to enjoy the ride to Waves. The blanket of mist left their skin moist and their hair damp, the rocking of the ship was somewhat uncomfortable and the captain's "Songs of the Sea" were endlessly annoying, but the couple could not have cared less. They could only keep their eyes trained on their new home.

"This yer first time to Waves?" the captain asked solicitously, "Or are ye comin' back again 'cause ye loved it so?"

"This is my second time," Sakura admitted with a shrug, not bothering to admit her only time other than this one had been a mission that left Waves a free and potentially wealthy island. That the island's famous bridge had been named after her once best friend.

"I've been here many times," Itachi added, "Before and after Gatou's rule."

"Ah, yes, Gatou, I remember the old bastard well, a real piss-in-the-fountain type, he was."

Sakura smiled at the man's sailor language and decided that she liked him. He seemed friendly enough and she hoped that others in the village were as open as he was.

"I suppose yer from the main land, yes?"

Sakura nodded. "Um... does everybody here have your accent? Because the last time I was here, they all seemed to talk pretty normally."

The man laughed and answered without the accent, "Nah, it's just my boss' idea of getting more customers. Apparently it adds to the whole ship motif thing."

She giggled. "You do it very well."

"Why, I be givin' ye thanks, Missus, not many a customer comes by an' compliments me accent. Quite a jolly feeling it is."

Sakura giggled even more and even Itachi smiled with amusement.

And then they were across the water and the captain pulled the ferry up to the dock, causing a large wave to hit the shore and splash a few bathing suit-laden strollers.

"Here we be, maties," the captain announced with a large grin that Sakura couldn't help but compare to Lee's. "The island and all its wonderful glory."

"Thank you," Sakura said, standing from the floor, Itachi right behind.

When Itachi tried to pay him, the man only waved the money off with a shake of his head. "On the house, friends, a welcome-to-the-island present. Now you two go and enjoy your stay, maybe we'll run into each other again soon."

The former kunoichi nodded and replied, "I hope so. Thanks again!"

And, with that, Sakura took Itachi's hand and they stepped off the boat onto the dock. When they made it to the sand, they turned back to wave to the captain and the boat that was now disappearing back into the mist.

"He seems nice," Sakura commented, squeezing his hand, "Maybe it's a good sign? Maybe we'll get lucky here?"

Itachi smiled softly and nodded. "I think so."

"So, show me this new place of ours. I can't wait to see it."

Taking out a folded-up piece of paper, he opened it to show a map of the island. "This is where we'll be living. Apparently it's a really cheap apartment building and, for right now, cheap is our best chance for a place until we get some jobs. But it's pretty close to the harbor on the other side of the island, so we'll have some walking to do."

"Well then, what're we waiting for? Let's go! Home, ho!"

Itachi chuckled and led the way, following the instructions on the map to a tee. And then, not long after (since the island is quite small) they found it. It was a shabby old building, five stories high with a balcony on each suite, the metal bars of the ledge wearing chipped paint and rust. The windows seemed a little dirty and the paint on the walls of the building was peeling, most likely from the constant humidity.

"Well..." Itachi murmured, "At least we'll have a nice view of the ocean."

Smiling at her lover's weak attempt at positive-thinking, Sakura nodded in agreement and walked into the building to find their suite.

They were on the third floor, apartment 3A. The paint on the door was no better than the balcony railing, the numbers made of rusted metal. The door looked like it hadn't been touched since the turn of the century.

Crouching down, Itachi removed the Welcome mat to find a key there and used it to unlock the door. When he tried to open said door, it made a horrible scraping noise of wood rubbing against wood and the hinges creaked in complaint from having to work around the rust.

The inside of the apartment was no better than any of the other parts. It was furnished, but sparsely so. There was a couch, a coffee table and a chair, each of which wearing a wealthy coating of dust. Walking into the kitchen, they found nothing but the bare necessities: counters, cupboards, fridge and stove. The floor was grimy and disgusting and the carpet of the hallway was no better. There were only two rooms at the end of the hall which they assumed were the bedroom and the bathroom.

Neither was brave enough to go see what state the bathroom was in, but they did brave the bedroom. It had a small bed, completely bare except for a couple pillows and a blanket, and a tiny little closet.

"Well..." Itachi murmured, "At least there's a fine view of the ocean."

This time Sakura neither smiled nor agreed. The place was a dump, it was disgusting, probably infested with bugs and rats and other such lovely things. How much were they expected to pay for this place?

"I know it's a bit of a fixer-upper," a voice from the doorway said and the couple whirled around to find a smiling little man, "But every thing's in working order, I made sure of that."

"And you are...?" Itachi asked dryly, pushing Sakura behind him even though it was obvious the stranger posed little threat. It was useless anyway, she just ended up poking her head around the man to eye the stranger curiously, noting the kind smile and the merry glint in his old eyes.

"Oh, where are my manners?" the stranger asked with an amused shake of his head, "These old brains of mine are growing more and more useless as the days go by. My name's Shindou Kira, the rent supervisor, maintenance worker and go-to guy for anything you might need for the apartment. In other words, I'm your new landlord."

Itachi nodded and lost some of his tension. It would seem that he was just as wary of anything that might pose a possible risk as Sakura was. But, in all honesty, it was to be expected.

"Fuujiwa Ritsu," Itachi introduced himself, "And this is my wife, Reina. A friend of mine spoke with you over the phone, apparently?"

"Ah, yes, Hiro. A good lad, that one."

The former Uchiha nodded his agreement.

"So, um," Sakura murmured, looking around the room, "How much is the rent here? For curiosity's sake, completely."

"Oh, well..." the landlord wore a thoughtful expression and he pursed his lips as he tried to figure the expenses in his mind, "Once at the beginning of every month, you'll be expected to pay three-hundred. But the first three months are always free, it's a sort of incentive to get tenants in here considering the poor state of repair. It works, though, since most who come to live here are fresh off the boat and have yet to find jobs."

Sakura smiled. For that rate, this place was the Ritz!

"Well, I'd best be going," Kira stated with a warm smile, "I just wanted to come by and see if you two were here yet. If there's anything at all you need, don't be afraid to knock at my door. I live in 1F."

"Thank you," Itachi and Sakura replied in unison, producing a wider grin from Kira.

"You two really are newlyweds. What a treat, it will be wonderful to see the nice Missus over there have a couple kids and whatnot. Well, I'll leave you to it." And, with that, the landlord disappeared just as quickly and silently as he had appeared.

"Everybody here's pretty friendly," Sakura mumbled, a little red from the children comment. "Looks like we should be safe."

Itachi nodded. "Yeah."

"Something wrong, Itachi?"

He shook his head. "No, I guess he just caught me off-guard... not just anybody can do that. Think he might have been a shinobi at one time?"

The black-haired female shrugged and flopped onto the bed, coughing as a cloud of dust rushed into the air to suffocate her. "Dear Lord, we just got here and the place is already trying to kill me!"

A/N: A homicidal bed! XD Fly, my little dust-bunnies, fly! Muwahahahaahahahahahaaaaaa!!!!!!1!!!one!