Chapter 3

I just woke up to white walls and a strong septic smell and I know exactly what this means… hospital. Damn now they have my blood samples it will be hard to avoid getting injured on a mission, I can't be DNA matched to any of my crimes. If they catch me then it wont be hard to find any other Gemini associates and that means the end of Gemini. I try to sit up before someone grabs my shoulders and helps me up. I turn to my left to see Shisui, he's still in his bloodied clothes and looks exhausted. I can't believe he hasn't even left yet, is he just doing his job or does he feel responsible? "Hey Sakura take it easy… How do you feel?" He sounds tense but much more relaxed than he was when I was bleeding out. "I feel like I lost all my blood and got it pumped back in with extras… how longs was I out for?" I timidly reply. I don't even know why I'm so shy, he's my mission I need to get my priorities straight. "You were out for nine hours" I have never been out for so long before from an injury "You should close your mouth, you'll start catching flies…" He chuckles out. I close my mouth and pout with my arms crossed over my chest and bursts out in full blown laughter and I can't help but smile and he grins right back. "I got your name last night but not your age like you got mine" I say and stick my tongue out and shift forward to lean my elbows on my thighs away from the bullet wound in a comfortable position. "Alrighty then young lady, I'm twenty two years old" I'm a little shocked, he looks around nineteen and as if he reads my thoughts he replies with "yes I know I have a baby face" and grabs his own cheek with his thumb and finger and tugs a little. "Oh my gosh he's adorable!" Inner squeals in my head 'priorities mate… priorities' I say back to her. I'm grinning like a mad women at his weird fanatics and he's grinning right back. This assignment might be easier than I thought it was.

My stomach hurts like a bitch, I'm starving and I refuse to eat hospital food. I swing my legs over the edge of the hospital bed and put my feet on the floor, Shisui is immediately up an by my side "Hey where do you think you're going girl?" he says to me a little alarmed at my sudden movements. "I'm really damn hungry and there is no way in hell I am eating shitty hospital food" I reply as I hobble over to the door. And then I hear him burst out laughing "what…?" I cautiously ask. He points at what I'm wearing… the hospital gown that's open at the back… Thank the lord the doctors left my undies and bra on or that could have been very awkward. Down side is they don't really cover much at all… Well shit. I growl and continue to walk out the hallway and to the nurse's station for some scrubs to wear, but they all fussed about me walking on my injured leg but I want a damn burger and I want it now. I grab the scrubs and sign my release papers and hobble out the door to get my damn burger with Shisui hot on my heels.

I arrive at Macca's and order a large bic-mac meal and a 10 pack of nuggets, and get Shisui a regular quarter pounder meal. He looks at me a little startled at how much I manage to eat considering how small I am "What? A girls gotta yak know…" I say to stop him from staring but he just smiles and shakes his head at me. Was that approval or something else? Oh well, we finish up and Shisui offers to give me a lift home to which I gladly accept, I hobble out Macca's and over to Shisui's Nissan GTR for the drive back to my house.

The drive wasn't really long, we talked for most of the drive about how the 'Gemini men' got away from Shisui's team and about how sorry he is that I got injured because of them. "It's fine Shisui, I was at the wrong place at the wrong time" I said as I tried to reassure him. He dropped me off at home, said he would call me later, I'm not really sure how it happened but we exchanged number and he promised me a date.

As soon as he left I bolted down to the base, I am going to kill Zabuza for that shot, maybe a spar will be nice. With that in mind I manically grin at the thought of kicking his ass before Sai ran up to me saying something about seeing my father for an urgent assignment… Great. I head to my fathers office to see what shit I've gotta do this time. "Sakura, you're going to intercept a deal with an Akatsuki and a weapons dealer." By the way he said it, I'm going to guess I don't have a choice in this. "No backups either, this needs your precision and accuracy and anyone else would just get in the way." Dammit, I hate solo missions they're so boring. "Yes Sir" I stiffly reply, Right now he is not my father, He is my superior and I must show him the respect he deserves. I head out to my compound in the base (my real house) and grab my Gemini Bloody Blossom gear, this mission is going to be hard so I pack an arsenal. I've got as many throwing knives as I can carry and my two trusty desert eagles with extra magazines for them on my utility belt. As always I've got my swords on my back so I walk with purpose towards my bike, I cannot fail this.

I drive my bike down to the marina where the deal is to take place. I'm lying on top of a few shipping containers to have a clear view of the surrounding area. I see the dealer stepping out of the shadows waiting for the Akatsuki member to show up to make the deal, speak of the devil here he comes. I'm not sure who this member is. He has dark hair and wears the Akatsuki cloak, I'm behind him so I can't see his face but I know he has a small ponytail at the base of his neck and a silver chain around his neck with three silver rings on it. They talk for a few minutes but I can't hear what they're saying. Silently I climb down from the containers and make my way through the shadows toward them and as I do, I head a fragment of a sentence, just a single word "…Gemini…" and that's when I attack. I throw a knife at the dealer and it pierces his throat, it's a killing shot and I know it. The Akatsuki on the other hand is a lot harder, he's fast and is like me, prefers to fight with knives, we go at each other in a death dance of blades, small cuts and blood. We're pretty evenly matched but then he jumps away and stands his ground. "Ah the Gemini Bloody Blossom, It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard many stories of how you've ruined many of Akatsuki's plans." He sounds overly polite and it freaks me out. "Why don't you take off the mask and wig and show me who you really are" he suggests, this man is different, I don't know who he is but he is getting on my nerves. I charge at him and bring out one of my swords and he does the same, we match blow for blow for a few minutes and I don't see him grab a knife until he swings it at my face where he slices my mask away. "Hn, A surprisingly pretty face…" I hear him mumble. I know I can't win this fight so I turn and go to run, he grabs my wig and stabs my shoulder but I keep running, even with my waist length pink hair flowing down my back. Dammit! He's seen me!

I ran straight to my bike and headed right back to the base. I ride as fast as I can and take all the back streets in a confusing way just incase he was following me. When I got to the base I bolted to my father office, no mask, no wig and bleeding. I slam open the door and scream "My identity has been compromised!" Zabuza and Haku were already in the room and all their faces were covered in shock. "Who the hell did you get in a fight with?!" My father screams at me. "A male Akatsuki, six foot one, semi long black hair and a scarily polite personality. He was incredibly strong, I had to run from the fight, he was strong enough to kill me and he looked like he wasn't even trying." I report back, He looks furiousand grunts something and sends me to the medic to patch me up.

I walk into Tsunade's office for my patch up job and she just looks pissed. "How the fuck do you manage to get hurt all the damn time?" she asks me in a furious tone. This woman scares the absolute shit out of me. And for good reason too. That woman could rip you apart, put you back together and do it again without you dying. "It was an Akatsuki…" I slowly say to her all the rage she had before drained from her face "Oh… Well in that case I'm glad you're okay…" she softly replied to me. It was awkward but it just meant she cared, this woman was like her mother to me and she had all my respect. I got up and left after she finished treating me injuries, she was right how the fuck do I get injured all the time?

Two weeks have passed since then and I've been on lockdown. All my assignments have been cancelled other than my one with Shisui, which has been going well. He's taken me out on a couple of dates and they have all gone well. He picks me up from school every now and then, much to his younger cousin Sasuke's displeasure. It's actually pretty funny to see such a usually stoic man so pissed off. Today Shisui wants me to meet some of his friends at a bar in the city, near the one I got shot in. He said that he was bringing his two best mates and I agreed to meet them there. I arrive at the bar 'Paradise' and see Shisui at a table near the back with two other men. I walk towards the table with my eyes on Shisui, he looks a little surprised that I actually came, but had a big goofy grin spread across his face. As I get closer to the table something doesn't feel right but I ignore it, I didn't think it was important. "Hey Sakura! These are my best maes and collegues: Shikamaru and Itachi." He says to me with a bright smile. I look to Shikamaru and say Hi, he smiles and says hi back to me. But then I look at Itachi and I recognize him immediately and he seems to recognize me too. This was the Akatsuki I fought…