Ummm… yeah, sorry for accidently uploading CH4 in CH3s place. I believe I have fixed that now. Thank-you AntivanArainaiHime for pointing that out and your many reviews, I'm glad you like it and I wish I could PM you to reply properly, same to you too Vivid, but I'm happy you reviewed. After CH9, I won't update very often because I haven't written any further and I've gotten myself stuck in a rut again. Anyways, onwards with the story!
Chapter Six: Lamentations of lost pride.
"Is this what he meant by 'talents'?" She whispered, her voice ghostly in the darkness. Kisame stared, taken aback by her appearance. This was obviously new to her too. "Natsuki, are you-" "Well? Is it?" Her voice raised and broke in anger. Her fists clenched and she limped a step or so closer. He stepped inside and shut the door. He was sure she didn't want any of the other members knowing about her... new appendage. "Get out." She shook with barely restrained anger. When he didn't budge, she said it again. Louder. More ferociously. "Get out! Get out, get out get out!" Kisame grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into his chest, one hand holding her head in place, the other arm wrapped about her shoulders to keep her still. Her muffled shouts wouldn't be heard now. She could keep her pride. She pushed with all her strength to escape his vice-like grip. She screamed and yelled and bit and scratched. She kicked and kneed and punched and screamed some more. He was impervious to her actions though. Through all her pain-stricken lamentations, he looked down at her small form, her fragile being. The real Natsuki. When she finally calmed down, had finally shed her last scream-laced tear, he loosened his grip on her. She shivered before him, tail hanging limp, arms dangling just as limply by her side. She sniffled, dried her eyes and then did what Kisame least expected. She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him. She had been reduced to a much weaker form of mentality. She needed comfort. That's all she wanted for the moment. "Please Kisame-san, please stay with me."
"Alright."
Natsuki groaned quietly as she peeled her eyes open. She jolted a little when she found herself curled up into Kisame's side. He was leant in the corner of the bed, fast asleep still with one arm hung over her back and waist. She had fallen asleep with her head on his chest. How embarrassing. She felt her face heating up, but didn't dare try and shake the flush away lest she wake him. She didn't dare even twitch that... that monstrosity of a tail that was now a part of her, for fear of waking him up. She instead let her eyelids slide back down and listened to his heart beat until she fell back into a deep slumber.
Kisame woke up an hour or so later. He looked down at Natsuki's twenty-three year-old body and allowed a light smile to catch his lips, the smile that he didn't show to her face. Never to her face. He carefully used his free arm to pull her blanket over her, after all, she was only in a dress. She shifted a little, her fingers curling around a fold in his cloak. That same smile etched across his face and he waited for her to wake back up. After all, he had said he'd stay with her.
She woke up not too long after. Her bleary eyes cracked open and she looked up at the criminal. It was hard to believe that that was what he really was sometimes. He grinned down at her, bearing his sharp teeth in his trademark way. She tried a smile and sat herself up. She was grateful of the blanket, it was warm and hid her tail. "Thank-you for staying with me." She mumbled, hiding her face. He shrugged it off as if it were nothing and stood to leave. "Any time." Were his last words before leaving. Even before the door shut behind him, he was berating himself for saying something so idiotic. Natsuki waited until the door shut before she let her face turn crimson. She didn't quite understand why though. Why did she flush red when she woke up cuddled into his side? Then the memories washed over her from the night before. Her weakness, showing it to someone else. Someone she, in reality, had known for only a few months. She was humiliated even without anybody else there. Casting all of those depressing thoughts aside though, she went to take a shower. Maybe that would help clear her head.
Natsuki regretted ever even so much as thinking of the idea. Her tail would not dry. It refused point-blank. No matter how she attacked it with the towel, it kept dripping out more water! And her spine and arms hurt from twisting around to reach the higher parts of it. Eventually, she settled for wagging it about like a flipping dog. That, surprisingly enough, worked pretty well. She changed into her ordinary clothes and, after checking that her tail did not show, walked out of the room. She was immediately whisked away down the corridor by who she thought to be Itachi. "Hey! Injured person here, be gentle!" She snapped, focusing most of her energy on keeping her tail down instead of escaping. Itachi gave his usual silent answer and stopped. He knocked on a door. Leader-sama's door. Natsuki could feel the dread seeping into her. Great. Punishment for escaping? Torture maybe? Probably. "Bring her in." Leader-sama's irritated voice called and Natsuki was pushed into darkness. The door shut behind her.
"Natsuki, I do not appreciate such rebellions in my organisation." Leader-sama spoke, encircling Natsuki as she knelt there on the floor. "I will spare you some dignity this once." The whip dragged across the ground tauntingly. "You will not be flogged before the others. However, if you dare disobey my orders again, your punishment will be all the more severe." He stopped in front of her.
"Oh yeah?" Natsuki challenged. The back of his hand cracked into the side of her face and sent her sprawling across the ground. Before she could lift herself up, his foot slammed into her ribcage and knocked out the air from her lungs. She gasped unintentionally and blood painted the floor. "Yes." Leader-sama hissed in her ear. "The next time you step out of line, I will take that miserable wretch you call a fox and I will have it tortured and killed." Natsuki bucked beneath his foot in a vain attempt to show her disgust for him. The whip sliced across her head. Her skin flared up immediately and she squirmed to avoid screaming out. The pressure of his foot vanished, only to be replaced by the searing agony of it ramming into her abdomen. More blood flew from her mouth. She felt as if an organ had been ruptured. Her breaths came harsh and ragged and the impact of her back against the wall almost ceased the actions completely. The whip slashed across her bare ankles and this time she did cry out. Once more the whip was brought down, her thighs burned, then her shoulders and arms. Her clothes became rags in a matter of ruthless minutes. "You see girl," He spat, "It will do you no good to defy me. Now get out of my sight before I find you utterly worthless." Natsuki was servile for once and fumbled her way to her feet. She swayed from blood loss and the dizziness caused by the beatings, and stumbled out of the office. Her hands shook as she tried to recover Sasori's map. Of course she had forgotten even shakier legs, she staggered down through the halls, droplets of blood trailing her.
Kisame stepped out of his room to go and get some food. He stopped, frozen in his tracks when he beheld Natsuki, her clothes with multiple rips and tears adorning them and her skin bloodied and bruised, trying to find her room. He ran to her before she toppled over and caught her by the shoulders. Her hazy eyes looked up and sharpenned a little. "Kisame-san, let go." She managed to say, tugging away a little.
"Stop trying to be tough." He ordered back, leading her to her room. He sat her down on her bed and flicked the lamp on. Chikakon, who had previously been staying in Sasori's room after being found, nuzzled into her hand in comfort. "Kisame-san, I am fine." Natsuki bit out, this time a little clearer. "You do not need to help me, I can bandage my wounds myself." He ignored her and pulled out the medical kit that every Akatsuki member was supposed to have. Hidan of course gave his a ritual burning after stabbing it a couple of times with his scythe. "Undress." Natsuki burned red at his blatant order.
"That's absurd! I can dress my wounds myself, now leave!"
"From the blood around your mouth, I can tell he either kicked or punched you somewhere around the ribs and/or stomach area. You won't be able to tend to that yourself. The back of your clothes is also torn, the wounds there you won't be able to treat properly. I'm not going to look at you in any inappropriate way, now for God's sake Natsuki, let me help you." She sat there begrudgingly for a few minutes, ignoring Chikakon's whining and Kisame's staring. Dying or succumbing to a deadly illness caused by her inflicted wounds would just show everyone that she was weak. If she could just swallow a little bit of her pride for now, she would save a lot more of it, and more of her dignity, in the future than if she didn't. "...Fine." Kisame nodded and started sorting out the medical kit whilst Natsuki peeled her blood-stained, tattered clothes off. She may have agreed to let Kisame help her, but she refused to take her underwear off. That would destroy her very soul. He turned back to her and, like promised, didn't leer at her in any lascivious way. The water and alcohol being wiped over her exposed wounds stung and Natsuki found herself flinching half the time. Her skin burned wherever Kisame's fingers touched her and her heart wouldn't stop pounding from nerves. She never ever wanted to be seen by anyone in only her underwear ever again. It was awkward and humiliating. Kisame remained reassuring however, which she was partially grateful to. He kept his eyes on hers, only ever looking away to find or dress the next wound. When the scrapes from the wall and the few whip marks on her back had been tended to comfortably, he lay her flat on the bed. Natsuki's face really did burn red this time and she looked away. His fingers glided over the tender part across her abdomen where Leader-sama had kicked her. She knew there was very little he could do for her, but he still rubbed some kind of soothing liquid on it and the pain released it's grasp a little bit. Then he moved on to her ribs. There was a nasty bruise swelling up across her skin and she didn't like to look at it herself. Again, he massaged to liquid into her skin and the pain lessened. With some help, she sat up again, face downcast. His hand gently cupped her face and if it weren't for fear of more pain, she would have jolted. Instead, she let him tilt her head up. "What are you-"
"He backhanded you, didn't he?" Kisame asked, already knowing the answer.
"...Yeah." She admitted reluctantly. "It's not so bad."
"You're lucky." He dabbed away the sore skin with that cool liquid again before rubbing it in a little. "You don't have any fractured or broken bones and you haven't ruptured anything."
"How can you tell from just-" He looked her in the eyes.
"I'm an S-ranked criminal, remember?" Natsuki stared back at him challengingly,
"You don't act it half the time." He chuckled and shook his head. His hand left her skin and she felt a sudden pang of longing to have him touch her again. She quickly berated herself for feeling like that and waited until Kisame had gone into the bathroom to put the medical kit back before she leapt up as fast as her wounds would allow her, and pulled on some fresh clothes. Relief swept through her. No-one could see her tail now and she didn't have to deal with extreme amounts of humiliation either. Kisame came back into the room and grinned in that cocky way of his. "Don't be an idiot." And he left. Natsuki stared at the door and wondered, would Kisame keep her tail a secret from Leader-sama? She hoped so. Whatever her 'talents' were, he wanted them and she was sure it was connected with her tail.
Kisame clenched his fist and almost threw it into the nearest wall. That bastard! Didn't he understand that Chikakon was like a second half to Natsuki? Why the hell did he have to go and nearly flog her to death for trying to find her fox? She even came back off her own accord! He gradually got a reign on his temper and stalked off to the kitchen. He was still hungry and he was sure eating would calm him down a little.
Since Natsuki had pretty much 'passed' her tests, she was able to become a fully-fledged Akatsuki. Of a sorts anyway. She wouldn't go out on many missions (What a surprise there), but she would become the organisation's weapons repairer and in her spare time, she was to train with Itachi and a few of the other members. It had been only three days since her punishment for her so-called 'rebellion' and her wounds had begun to scab over a little. Her face was mildly bruised up, with the exception of the large purpley-greeny-blueish colouration embarking it's way across the right side of her face. Her ribs and abdomen, however, had fared much worse. Her actions were severely impaired and the wound itself was inflamed and sensitive to touch. However, she was still made to work. She had been given a room of her own to set up her tools instead of having to work in her bedroom and it wasn't half that bad. It was kinda small and was only dimly lit, but she was used to those kinds of conditions. They were easier to work with. There was very little furniture in the room though. A wooden bench to work on, wide and long and already with scratches scarring it's surface and a desk with drawers in it and a stool to sit on. With a sigh, Natsuki went to collect her tools.
Chikakon 'helped' her to transfer all of her work stuff. 'Helping' meaning: he trotted alongside, head held high with a spanner in his mouth. They dumped it all in the small room and wasted no time in putting it away. All of the blueprints and circuit maps went in drawers with the most important ones being left on top of the desk for easy access. A few of her tools, likes spanners and allan keys, weighed them down. Her welding mask and other tools were placed 'neatly' on one side of the workbench. "Okay, all done!" Natsuki stated. She would have stretched, but that would have inflicted massive amounts of pain upon her body. She couldn't really train with her injuries and nobody seemed to need weapons repairing, so Natsuki decided to do something productive. She started making nine metal boxes out of some scrap material she had brought along with her. On each one, she carved the name of one of the members and hinged it on a metal flap over a hole. They vaguely resembled post boxes, but instead of putting letters in them, you put weapons inside. They were attached to the wall outside the door. The task took Natsuki only half the day and after that she went to the arena. Chikakon came with her and they climbed up the steps to the broken ceiling to lie out in the cool air. Even though the weather was a bit dismal and grey, the wind that drafted by was cool and made a difference to the usual stuffiness of the base. Natsuki fiddled with a bit of vine as she looked up at the vast expanse of grey cloud. Chikakon bounded around on the rocks after a rogue grasshopper and life seemed alright again. Her mind wandered to Kisame and she huffed in annoyance. Why on earth did she think of him? He was a good friend, yes, but so was Sasori and she wasn't thinking of him now was she? But then her thoughts dug up the recent memories she shared with him. The whole sleeping next to him because she felt weak and vulnerable, letting him dress her wounds with her only in her underwear. The blood found it's way to her cheeks. Why'd she let him do that? At the time, she knew it was to save her pride and dignity later, but it was still embarrassing. Before she got herself into the entire mess of being abducted, she would have dressed her own wounds no matter what. She had been more stubborn. The bottom line was, she was becoming more dependant on Kisame. She didn't quite understand why, it was true that she had never really had any friends as a child, her only friend before the abduction had been Shoji but she had never relied on him. So why now? Why did she become so... weak by him? She hated it! She wasn't weak, she was strong and downright stubborn! With a sigh, she let it all go. She wanted time to herself, right? She didn't need to think about stupid things like that. Suddenly, she heard voices down below. Deidara and Sasori were facing off in the arena. "Art is a fleeting moment in time, un!"
"Don't be stupid, brat. Art is eternal and you know it." Natsuki blinked as she looked over the edge. They were having a fight over art? That was... odd to say the least. She thought Akatsuki members were supposed to be at least relatively sane, but then again... Hidan was a religious weirdo who thought sacrificing people was a gift. Like a present, only stinkier and rotting. Imagine that on your birthday. She sighed again. Well, she certainly wasn't risking losing a limb walking around that fight. She'd just have to stay on the roof for a while.
Yay! Kisame Natsuki floofiness! Tell me if I overdid it or anything and
ANTIVANARAINAIHIME! IF YOU HAVEN'T READ SO ALREADY, I REUPLOADED CH3 IT SHOULD BE UP NOW!
I hope you got that! 3 reviews and I'll upload CH7 (this is me trying to pace myself, I just love uploading).