Author's Note: Alright, I'll admit it—I've gotten so lazy lately. I'm asking too much for getting at least five reviews :( Patience is the key… So here's the thing, I've got to go to bed in less than thirty minutes because school starts to tomorrow and I have god damn fluffin' 0 period PE (yeah, sucks I know) in the freezing cold California morning…

Thanks to SakuraXAkatsuki, XxCatalinaxX, and InnerCookie for keeping this fanfiction going!

Between the Walls

Chapter 3 – Is Communication

The past few weeks have been pure bliss for both Sakura and Pein. She was the listener, he was the talker. For the past week, the orange haired young man had been slowly regaining memory of his past. However, they were neither very good nor very bad… He could remember glimpses of faces, guns, knives, laughter, smiles, but the thing that kept reoccurring in his thoughts was that pastel colored pink and jade orbs that stared down into his inner soul. Those green eyes penetrated his being and made him feel awful. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" His eyes widened as he could see the shocking green come back to invade his thoughts.

Behind his wall, was hers. Sakura blinked and placed a warm hand against that corner. She heard faint apologies that just kept running through her ear drums. She bit her lip and her throat tightened as she tapped the wall. At first, the apologies from the boy kept streaming out of his mouth, never ceasing until she gave a louder tap. This apparently caught his attention as it became silent once again. Sakura was surprised at the outcome of her tapping and gleefully gave the wall two taps.

On the other side, Pein blinked miraculously. There was someone else behind this wall? Did he or she live in the same sanctuary as hers? But of course not… He or she must be living somewhere else, beyond his world… Why could he hear him or her then? "Who's there…?" There was silence. He sat there and thought through things again and bit his lip, maybe the person couldn't speak. "Tap once for yes and twice for no." He muttered at the dark wall. "Are you a boy?"

Sakura was thrilled to receive some attention from the male behind her wall. Listening carefully to the question he had asked her, she tapped the wall twice. She was certainly no boy! Maybe, just maybe she could possibly meet this interesting figure… He only spoke of reassurance, hope, and safety in his own dark little world. It gave her hope that someday she would find out what was outside of her own world. She waited quietly for his next question which was, "Do you live in the dark too like me?" He lived in the dark? How awful… She pitied him and gave two slow taps in response to her sympathy.

Pein was shocked to find out that who he was communicating with was a girl! A girl. For some odd reason, he felt nervous but the nervousness left automatically when he found out that she didn't live in the same darkness he did. She lived in the light. "Are… Are you…" He bit his lip, unsure how to phrase his question. "Are you in heaven…?" He muttered, hoping she could hear his ridiculous question. If she was in heaven, the city of light, then he must be in his own dark hell. Funny, hell should be much… warmer than this.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at that question, unsure how to answer it. There was an awkward silence for a good five minutes until the boy replied, "If you don't know then tap three times… My bad." She smiled and gave gleeful three taps. From the other side, she could hear a nervous chuckle that was also full of relief. Of course… He couldn't be dead. Not yet.

Seconds ticked by and soon the minutes turned into hours as Pein kept giving her questions in exchange for the silent answers. By the end of the day, he learned that she was a girl, she was not dead, she lived in a room of white, she didn't know how to walk or speak, and that she also didn't remember how she ended up in her white prison. Soon enough, he grew tired, and as did she. Yawning, the orange haired young man laid down by the corner, muttering so she could hear, "Good night… Tenshi-san." To him, the girl behind this wall was an angel, hence his nickname to her. She listened, answered his questions, and her presence made him warm and secure, just like an angel should do.

The pink haired girl's jade eyes gleamed at her new nickname. Now that she thought of it, she only remembered her first name: Sakura. Did she have a last name? Where was her family? Where exactly IS she? Was she safe in here? Who was watching over her? Who was the one sending her food? So many questions invaded her thoughts that insomnia took over question-filled head. Restless, she just closed her eyes and attempted answering her questions herself.


Jotting down three pages of notes, Tsunade heaved a sigh and took out a sake bottle hidden underneath her drawer. There was a ton of communication between the two that she had never thought would ever happen. The only thing she wanted to achieve from this experiment was how these two would last in two different environments due to their mental state.

Shizune walked into the room and screeched as soon as she took a whiff of the strong alcohol, "Tsunade-sensei! You can't be drinking in a place like this! This is absolutely inappropriate!" She scolded and quickly took away the empty sake bottle from the desk, leaving the room to dispose of the trash.

The blonde sighed and shook her head, smirking as she pulled open her lower drawer and grabbed another bottle of sake. When will her apprentice and assistant ever learn that she'll never stop drinking and gambling? As soon as the onyx haired woman walked in again to see another sake bottle Tsunade just chuckled as Shizune left, screaming in frustration.

Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed this! (: The next chapter will be a BIG change in the environment they're both in now. I appreciate my reviewers and readers. My apologies for the slow update! Like I said, the more reviews, the better~