I'm alive!!!!! I know, I know...haven't updated in about a year...SO Sorry!!!! GOMEN!!!!!!!!!!! I want to thank all of the people that have faithfully waited for the update! Thank YOU!!!!!! And it's not that I didn't want to write, college took over my life, speech and debate team, boyfriend, and well.....sleep. But this chapter was hard to get going because of how I want the KisamexSakura interaction to be like. It's just hard to write as OC as possible...but not that they ever would get together. BUT!!!! That's what is for!!!!! Okay! Well Read on people. Oh if you're wondering when Metamorphosis is going to be updated....yeah...I have no idea...but I have a start on that too!!!! Well thanks for waiting and have fun reading!!!



Chapter 7: Blurry Lines

Sakura glanced back over at Kisame as he silently watched her from near the kitchen doorway.

Talk about stalker Inner Sakura affirmed as she turned back to her inner pacing.

Sakura's mouth twitched slightly hearing the statement. Her gaze returned to the pathetic vegetables she was chopping. She still could not believe that Akatsuki was allowing her to cook for them, let alone use a sharp object.

"Hence, the reason why Kisame is watching you." She thought sarcastically to herself. Sakura quickly chopped up the bok choy she was working on and added it to the large pot behind her.

"Kisame's presence is not the thing that I'm worried about."

Inner Sakura stopped pacing in her mind and regarded her conscious self.

You're talking about the kitchen right?

Sakura landed the knife that she was holding down on the cutting board a little harder than normal referring to Inner Sakura's comment.

"Yes…"

Kisame's presence was only adding to her uneasiness, but she could easily deal with him when she wasn't in this particular room.

The kitchen was very spacious and adequately equipped, but for bachelors. Every square inch of the kitchen was covered in mold, slime, and dirty cookware. Sakura's green eyes swept over the nuclear area one more time before she returned her attention back to the meal that she was trying to create. She knew how to cook but with the lack of the proper pots, cooking items, and clean surfaces, the food that she was making was a thin tasteless gruel. It was only a matter of time before some of the green slime/mold started moving on its own.

"I don't understand how they can stand it in here." She muttered more to Kisame than to her herself.

Things never bothered Sakura that much, but dirty kitchens peeved her to no end. Whenever she went over to Naruto's flat, she always cleaned the kitchen because the sight of a dirty kitchen bothered her more than all the blood she saw at the hospital.

She heard Kisame huff from his leaning position, a sign to her mentioned comment. She moved the vegetables from the cutting board and added them to the thin gruel. As she stared at the contents of the soup, she heard Kisame move from his leaning position. His silent footsteps moved across the floors surface effortlessly as he brought himself closer to the Kunoichi. At the moment he was leaning up against the kitchen island.

Sakura turned her head to the side to take a side profile at the shark.

"So I have a question for you." She asked as she returned her gaze to the pot in front of her.

Kisame leaned against the island counter with a grace only a killer like him could achieve. His lounging position would tell anyone that he didn't want to hear the question but his hard jaw line told her likewise.

"How do you eat around here?"

The Akatsuki merely chuckled at the question as he reached forward and snagged a loose carrot from the cutting board and plopped it into his mouth. She could have sworn that he preferred meats over vegetables any day.

"Tobi does the cooking." He replied as he chewed on the carrot.

Sakura halted her stirring on the gruel and fully turned her attention to the killer behind her.

"Who's Tobi?"

Kisame nodded his head toward the door; she turned her head in the direction that he was referring to.

Sakura turned her head and just caught a glimpse of black spiky hair and an orange mask dart away from view in the kitchen doorway. She continued to stare at doorway and saw the spiky hair and orange mask reappear. Again the person darted back from view, as if they were caught doing something sneaky.

Sakura turned her head back to Kisame.

"Who's he?"

Kisame tilted his head slightly, and leaned his back against the counter.

"A nuisance."

He then walked toward the doorway to take his leave from the kitchen.

"A nuisance?" Sakura muttered as she returned her attention back to the pot behind her. "You're more of a nuisance than that Tobi."

Kisame shifted suddenly causing Sakura to move to the left in the direction of the cooking knife that she put down in a minute ago. Sakura lifted her head to stare at the blue man in front of her. He returned the gaze with a pearly glare of his own. He let a sigh escape his nostrils as he leaned a little more onto the counter.

"Kunoichi, you and I are going to be living together for some time and it is up to you to make that 'living arrangement' as smoothly as possibly."

Sakura allowed herself to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Kisame."

He in turn raised an eyebrow.

"Don't think that I don't find this 'arrangement' as troublesome as you do but I plan on leaving this shithole before my nine months are up."

Kisame looked at her, jaw hardening as he stared at her.

"You sound confident Leaf, what makes you say that?"

"I have friends," she said turning her back on him to address the boiling pot behind her. "Something that you don't have."

She felt his presence instantly behind her, with her being in front of the stove; she was pinned in-between the stove and Kisame. Sakura turned her head slightly seeing the black and red wall behind her.

"Keep talking Leaf."

Sakura felt a puff of breath blow across the back of her neck. She took a breath and steeled her instincts to land a blow to his gut before adding,

"Then I would be only adding to your own amusement."

"Then stop while you are ahead."

Sakura lifted her head a little straighter as she heard his soft footsteps leave the kitchen, he said that right into her neck before he silently left the room. Inner Sakura watched her for a bit.

Creep.

Already a month and a week had already passed and Sakura had just about everything that she could take.

"That's it!" she yelled on particular day. "I've had enough of this!"

Sakura bolted up from her spot in Kisame's room and darted down the hallway in the direction of the kitchen. As she turned the corner into the kitchen, she ran into an Akatsuki member. She blinked seeing the orange masked man, two weeks previously. He looked at her and made a quick move to disappear from the angry kunoichi.

She grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the kitchen with her.

"No, I'm cleaning this kitchen and you're going to help."

(2 weeks prior)

"Leaf, I need to talk to you."

Sakura lowered the book that she was reading and lifted it back up to hide his blue profile from her.

"Go ahead, I have all day."

She heard the sound of sliding clothing and the scuffling of dresser drawers.

"I will be leaving you for a couple of weeks."

Sakura lowered the book completely but only to see a naked Kisame in front of her. She had given up on showing her discomfort around him. She was going to be living with this thing for the next couple of months, plus she was a nurse and she had seen everything revolving around the human body both male and female.

But one thing was for certain. Kisame did have a good-looking body for how old he was.

"Whatever he does, keep on doing it please." She thought as her eyes followed the curve of his muscled back.

"Kunoichi."

"Can it shark," she said as she returned to her reading, clearly peeved at his finding her watching him. "What about you leaving for a few weeks? I thought that you were permanently assigned to me."

He turned his head to look at her as he rummaged around his closet. Sakura returned to reading her book again.

"A mission which should have been dealt with was not handled in a sufficient manner."

Sakura looked up at him again seeing him looking at her, this time fully dressed, with his arms crossed over his broad chest.

"So in other words. You are leaving me and I'm going to be babysat."

"Missing me already Leaf?" he asked with a smirk.

Sakura loudly flipped a page.

"Hell no. Go ahead. Kill yourself while you're at it."

Sakura could have heard she heard a sigh come from the shark in front of her.

"You will be in the care of another Akatsuki member while I am away."

As he said this, Sakura could hear Samahada be strapped onto his back. It grew silent between them as he walked over toward the door.

"Question."

She lowered her book one last time to address her captor.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Kisame looked at her with his known pearly gaze.

"Don't get yourself killed while I'm away Kunoichi." Was his reply as he closed the door behind him.

(End of 2 weeks prior)

Sakura had been wondering why he told her to not kill herself. She had factored in that Pein could not have Kisame be assigned to only her for the entire nine months, without having some kind of other side mission be thrown in. His comment was more laced with sarcasm than be advice, not like she wanted to hear his advice anyway.

But her 'relationship' with the shark was becoming interesting of late.

Instead of insulting one another like they previously had been doing for the first two weeks of her imprisonment, they had resulted in testing each other's boundaries with one another. Seeing how far each one would go before an insult or pointed threat came to the surface.

But with each passing day she was learning a lot more about Kisame than any other Shinobi. She knew for a fact that he slept alert like any shinobi would in unfamiliar circumstances. The weapon that he wielded was just as unique and powerful, but likes its owner, Kisame was not as easy to fully understand.

Since the day Sakura asked Kisame about his beloved weapon, she wanted to know more about the blade and wielder.

The information that she obtained was more along the lines of a dating blurb than a Bingo Book report. Kisame had a hell of a wall around himself and the only information that she had was not enough to fully figure out his battle tactics, style, and preferences.

She needed to see him actually fight. She could learn a lot about a person if she just simply watched them fight. She could see where he guards more, which attacks they favored, and where were their weak spots.

If she was able to figure out Kisame, then she could figure out the rest of the surviving members of Akatsuki. Then hopefully she could learn about this groups inner networks and what holds this organization together so efficiently.

Sakura's eyes glided over to the mask man working beside her. She was very much surprised that he willingly decided to work with her on cleaning up the place. Her eyes watched his movements. She could not tell his age from the cloak that he was wearing but she could tell that he was young due to the youthfulness of his voice.

"Tobi-san."

He looked in her direction.

"After you finish sweeping up the floor I then want you to wipe down and scrub all the counters."

Sakura looked up at him from her cleaning out the refrigerator (which was beyond a mess and disaster zone).

"Hai, Sakura-chan."

Sakura faltered her cleaning to look at him. That was the first time, in a month, that someone actually said her name. Tobi noticed her faltered movements.

"Did Tobi say something wrong, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura shook her head.

"No, Tobi-san. It's just that it's been a while since I last heard my name around here."

He stared at her a bit before continuing on with his work.

"Sakura-chan can Tobi ask you something?"

Sakura backed out from cleaning the frig.

"Go ahead."

"Why are you doing this?"

Sakura looked at him like he just sprouted wings. It wasn't long ago did she ask that question herself.

"Because I'm living with you guys for a while and I might as well make myself as comfortable as possible." She said returning to her work.

Tobi stood there taking in her words before returning to his work. Tobi had to be the youngest one in the group and probably the most gullible and naïve, but he was still a killer, she couldn't trust his innocent character just yet.

The kitchen took up most of the day and part of the next day. But at the end of the week the entire compound was a lot cleaner and smelling nicer than it was when Sakura first arrived there. She still was being watched over, Zetsu made sure of that every time she left Kisame's quarters to do that days cleaning. It was strange, because she never saw him at any course of the day except when she left Kisame's room in the morning. Deidara made his presence known every now and then but they did not exchange too many words due to Sakura being reminded of what he did to Gaara so many years ago.

Sakura soon found herself stumbling into a routine. She would wake up, do her morning stretches, shower, start breakfast and prepare lunch, clean if needed, read about two books from Kisame's bookself, make dinner, sleep, and repeat the cycle all over again the next day.

It was going on about the 7th day of Kisame's absence did she begin to notice that she was running low on books to read.

It was laundry day and she passed a note onto Tobi to let the other Akatsuki members to know that she would be needing their dirty clothes.

She already could see hampers or piles of clothes appearing outside various doorways. Already she could tell whose clothes belonged to which Akatsuki member. Deirdara had pieces of clay or paint clinging to his various garments, Zetsu had blood splatters and dirt smudges all over his, Tobi had clothes ranging from black to more black clothing, and Kisame's (which she noticed upon washing them last week) were large in size and ranging in the colors of blue and white.

As she stooped down to get Deidara's clothing, she heard his door suddenly open. She looked up from her stooping position and gave him a hardened glare. He returned the glare with his own and walked down the hallway toward the living room. Sakura caught a glimpse of a worktable and easel in his room before he snapped the door closed.

Sakura watched the blonde walk down the hallway before continuing down into the laundry room at the end of the hallway.

"Sakura-chan you alright?"

Sakura looked over at Tobi before she hung up another Akatsuki cloak on a rack to dry.

"I'm fine Tobi-kun," she said giving him a slight smile. "It's just that I'm finding that I'm running out of books to read."

Tobi handed her another cloak.

"Did you try the library?"

Sakura shook out the cloak before turning her attention to the masked character.

"You mean the scroll room?" she asked as she shook out the cloak again.

"Same thing, have you tried it?"

Sakura thought about it. Actually she totally forgot about that room. She remembered Kisame telling her about it the first day she got there but she never got around to actually finding it and checking it out for herself.

"Tobi show you when done here." Tobi said happily as he moved a basket of dirty laundry.


Kisame walked into the compound relieved to finish one mission and annoyed that he had to deal with the one awaiting him once he returned back to his room.

"I do not want to deal with her right now." He muttered to himself. Itachi looked up at him with his red-eyed gaze. He didn't say anything but Kisame knew what his partner would be thinking. He watched his partner walk in front of him and shut himself up into his room, like he always did. He sometimes would worry about his partner, he would never voice it but he knew that some things haunted Itachi from his past in Konoha.

He made is way toward his room and opened the door to his quarters, awaiting to hear the insults that the woman living there would be wanting to say upon seeing his return. He entered his room expecting to see the Leaf in her usual spot on his bed with a book in hand. Instead he found himself alone in the room.

He narrowed his eyes slightly as he made his way deeper into the room. His gaze wandered around the room, now noticing a slight change in the air. As he busied himself into unbuttoning his cloak, Samehada was deposited in its spot beside his side of the bed. Pearl eyes gazed about the room, now noticing the washed bed sheets and comforter, dusted bookshelf, and folded clothing on the table.

Kisame huffed seeing the touches of femininity about the room. He was wondering how long it would take for her to snap and clean up the room.

"Speaking of Kunoichi." He thought to himself. "Where is she?"

Kisame walked in the direction of the living room. He expected her to be in the living room reading as she normally did during the course of the day. As he walked past the kitchen doorway he saw Tobi inside standing in front of the stove. He reversed and stood staring at the other Akatsuki member.

"Tobi."

His eyes darted around the kitchen, seeing that it too was clean and smelling like lemon and bleach. Pearl eyes landed on the lone person standing in front of the stove.

"Tobi." He said again walking inside the kitchen, the young member acted like he didn't hear him the first time.

"Tobi what are you doing?" he finally asked, seeing that he wasn't acknowledging his name being said. Tobi continued on staring at the pot of soup in front of him, he stared at it as if something would hopefully pop out and say hello.

Kisame waited for the shinobi to respond, he didn't acknowledge the older members presence.

"Tobi watching soup." Was the masked mans final response.

Kisame stood there, hearing the man's words. It suddenly grew even more silent between both Akatsuki members.

"Tobi where is the Kunoichi?"

"Out."

Kisame's eyes narrowed hearing his words.

"What do you mean 'out'?"

"Tobi says she is not here."

Kisame's hand wanted to very badly clamp around his windpipe.

"Tobi," he said running a hand through his hair. "Where is the Kunoichi?"

He changed his tone of voice, showing his aggravation from the masked man in front of him.

"Tobi says out."

"Tobi."

He took a step toward the young member. Tobi darted from the taller Shinobi's path and headed toward the doorway. Kisame caught him and pinned him against the refrigerator.

"Tobi was told to watch over the soup as Sakura-chan went and read." He pleaded as Kisame raised his fist.

"What?" he asked tightening his hold around the man's neck.

"Tobi was told--"

"I heard you." He said as he let go and left the kitchen. He made his way back up the hallway.

It was annoying that Tobi answered in third person and always in some kind of riddle or joke. It was beyond annoying, and it made Kisame wonder just what kind of family upbringing the Shinobi was raised in. But his thoughts dropped the aloof masked man and focused on the one person that he needed to locate.

If the Leaf was not in the living room or in his room there was only one more place where she could be.

As he made his way toward the library he saw its door cracked ajar, his assumption being proven correct. He quietly opened the door to the library.

The library was nothing special in the compound. Like any library it had large rows of books, except when you walked into the room a desk was placed in the corner of the room across from the doorway and a fireplace was set into the farthest corner of the room with a couch placed in front of it.

Kisame did not see the girl at the desk nor standing in any of the rows of books. He feet led him to the corner of the room in the direction of the fireplace. It was in the middle of fall, but it still was too warm to be lighting any fires in the hearths placed about the compound. This one, like many others, lay in darkness and ashes.

He footsteps stopped at the end of the rows of bookshelves, seeing his targeted assignment. The Kunoichi was sitting on the coach with a book on her stomach, showing no signs of moving upon him entering the room. Both signs showing that she was asleep. He watched her for a minute, surprised to see the girl so relaxed in her current position. He allowed a breath to escape as he moved out of the library and back into his quarters.

"Don't get too comfortable around here Kunoichi." He thought to himself.

The Leaf did something while he was away but he could not place what exactly she did. She cleaned around the compound but she did not do any extensive cleaning in any of the rooms that she was forbidden to enter into. He was surprised she did not thoroughly clean his room; she did the basic maintenance cleaning like changing the sheets and folding laundry.

She did something to the place and for some reason, Kisame did not like it.


Sakura glanced over at Tobi peeling the potatoes that she asked him to do. Already it was two days since Kisame arrived back from his mission and already it felt strange having him be around her again. She felt that she knew a predator than an actual person.

But she had to keep reminding herself that she was a in a den of killers and murderers. But it felt, comfortable around Tobi and a little less hostile around Deidara whenever they ran into one another.

You're in a prison Inner Sakura kept reminding her.

"Reason why I can't stay comfortable around here." She thought back to her inner half.

She heard a clatter from Tobi and looked up to see him clutching one of his fingers.

"Tobi is bleeding!" he exclaimed holding up the cut finger. Sakura allowed a smirk to grace her lips as she moved him away from the island counter and over to the sink.

"Remember cut away from you," She said as she rinsed his finger off. She moved him over to the dinner table to get a further look at the wound. It wasn't too deep but it still would bleed if not taken care of. " Just pay more attention next time."

Sakura's hands suddenly glowed green as she healed the small cut, such a minor cut for her needing her jutsu. But she still had to locate their first air kit around the compound and Kisame was not going to give back her medical kit.

"Unless I ask him." She muttered to herself as she watched over Tobi's healing.

"Ask me what?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes at the wound before she turned her head toward the kitchen doorway. Kisame looked at her with an expression of his own. He had been standing in the doorway for some time watching the two prepare for that nights dinner. Sakura found that his presence was becoming even more menacing than it was the first time she arrived there. It already was her second month in her imprisonment and their reactions towards one another was becoming more and more barbed and stand off-ish.

"I was just saying that you would never show me the outside of this place." She replied flippantly.

Kisame did not respond back with another flippant answer to her sarcastic one.

"Find me when you're done." Was his reply before he left the kitchen completely. Sakura watched the empty doorway wondering if she just caught what he said to her.

Tobi withdrew his hand from hers, pulling her back to reality.

"Sakura-chan alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine Tobi-kun," she said getting up from the table and moving over to the sink. "Just a little confused."

Sakura busied herself into finishing dinner and get it cooking on the stove. Once everything was prepared, Tobi would be the one in charge to make sure that everything wouldn't be burnt by the time it was done cooking. Sakura checked the dumplings one more time before going to find Kisame.

"Sakura-chan."

Sakura turned her head. Tobi looked at her and tilted his head a little.

"Tobi says it's just that Kisame-sama doesn't trust you or find you as a mission. He just wants to see what you do before he makes a final decision."

Sakura blinked, taking in his words.

"Thanks Tobi-kun for telling me that." She said leaving the kitchen. As she walked down the hallway, her thoughts about Kisame became even more blurred.

"It seems that lines that I've established about him are becoming more and more harder to read."