Chapter Seven: Here's to You, Silly Girl

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"Oh come on, Sakura-chan! You can do better than that, yeah."

The teasing voice came somewhere from her right, although she couldn't see or sense it's owner. Flicking a couple of well placed kunai into the trees above, she smiled in satisfaction when she heard a yelp and it seemed as if she had barely missed her training partner. She gathered chakra to her feet, racing up the tree and tackling him from behind, wrestling him down to the ground. She was situated on top of him, both knees on either side of his waist, a kunai held against his throat. She gave him a large, eye crinkling smile.

"Got you, Dei-kun."

With that she leapt up and offered a hand to pull him up. They had taken to training with eachother quite alot, finding that they were both very formidable opponents to eachother, and both had grown in a pretty easygoing friendship. Or as easygoing as two people who were supposed to be enemies could be. It was a complicated thing and Sakura had decided this about two weeks in. Nearly a month after her 'initiation' she could honestly say that she and Deidara had gotten pretty close and that fact didn't bother her as much as she knew it should.

Now that she thought about it, she had gotten that way with both Deidara and Kisame, Konan too and even Tobi - though he was kind of annoying sometimes. There was the exception of Pein which was to be expected; the day she labeled him as a friend would be the day that flying dumplings soared out of her ass, it was that unlikely. And Zetsu of course. She didn't know why this bugged her so much, but there was just something about him, he was so mysterious and intriguing and it made her want to learn more about him. She hadn't had the chance to try to approach him what with her training sessions with Deidara and her weapon sessions with Kisame, not to mention the time she spent with Konan and Tobi following behind her like a lost puppy. All in all though, she could say that she had grown much more attached to the members than she would have cared to, not that that made a bit of difference as it seemed she couldn't cut off the attachment if she tried. What was the point now?

Honestly she didn't want to. They were the only semblance of friendship that she had now, the only people that she could relate to anymore. She would be the first to admit that they were bad, criminals, and all around vicious when it came down to it; but they really weren't evil. Their goals and maybe their ambitions were somewhat disorienting, and their fighting styles were brutal, but they were still human.

All of them.

She had especially grown attached to Kisame and Deidara.

Kisame was like an older brother, or even a close uncle. He was like a mentor and sometimes she even felt compelled to call him Kisame-senpai, but didn't considering he wasn't much for honorifics. He gave her tips and helped her learn how to store up her chakra and make it larger, he helped her with her weapon mastery, and with her kinjutsu. They exchanged friendly jokes and barbs over sake on various occasions, and even a game of chess or shogi. He wasn't really brutish, or unintelligent like most would perceive him. He taught her and even helped her hone her skills, and was quite informative when need be.

Deidara was like more like a kid brother, but one that wasn't that much younger than her. If anything she had to describe him as a very close cousin. He also helped her train, helped her with her ninjutsu and taijutsu, he even became a guinea pig of sorts for some of the new medicines that she would create. He took her on rides on his birds, and even showed her how to infuse chakra with clay to make some little explosives that they often would take out side and play with, almost like shooting off fireworks. They used teasing nicknames, like 'Cherry-chan' and 'Dei Dei-kun' and never took it seriously. Deidara had even saved her life one time. Of course it was from his own explosive but still the sentiment was not missed.

All in all, Kisame and Deidara both had won the sisterly affection of the cherry blossom haired girl.

However it never strayed from that point. She wouldn't lie and say that Deidara wasn't quite gorgeous, or that Kisame wasn't completely overrun with alpha-male quality, she couldn't lie and say that if they weren't as close as they were that she might feel some sort of physical attraction for either of them.

But that simply wasn't the case, she didn't feel that way because she didn't see them that way. They were her mentors, her helpers, her trainers, her friends and maybe even the best friends that she would have anymore.

Besides that, she found it harder and harder to ignore the odd, misplaced feelings that one particular man kept bringing her.

Maybe it was his utter mystery, maybe it was his look, exotic as it was. Maybe it was the way he only spoke when spoken to, one side mechanical and sometimes polite, the other being rough and tough, but laced with emotion. Maybe it was the simple way that he would look at her, those bronze eyes making her feel something that she hadn't felt in a long time, or maybe had never felt before. Maybe it was because she saw something in those depths of gold, something that to her read frustration with his tormented double personality, and maybe even irritation with his past. Things he could never say but had wanted to, if just to clear the air.

Maybe it was that she wanted to help him, just like she had wanted to help Sasuke.

Maybe it was the way electricity would shoot through her spine when they brushed against eachother in the hallway from time to time, however brief it was.

Maybe she had lost her fucking mind.

Maybe it was just all of those things. Whatever it was though, Sakura knew that she couldn't ignore it anymore. She couldn't tell herself that she hadn't developed a desire to know him better, she couldn't tell herself that sometimes she felt she needed to.

What was stopping her now anyway? He couldn't really be that adverse to having a friend, could he?

Could he?

She looked up at her blonde counterpart, suddenly remembering where she was, and he smiled sheepishly, admitting defeat.

"Okay, okay, maybe you did, yeah. But you did cheat you know."

A mock indignant look crossed her face and they started walking back from the training fields. She nudged him in the ribs.

"Yeah, yeah whatever. I did no such thing. You're just a sore loser and can't handle a little girl kicking your butt."

"If it's you, I don't mind it much. You can kick my butt anyday, babe."

He wiggled his eyebrows and Sakura just laughed out, shoving him lightly again.

They walked silently for the rest of the way, and Sakura relished the slight rays of sun that were peaking from behind the clouds, however brief they were. She didn't really want to go back inside, but she knew she might as well, seeing as she was starving and she had promised the rest of the members that she would make dinner tonight.

Once back inside she began to gather the ingredients out of the refrigerator for the meal, and waved to Deidara when he mentioned something about going to take a shower.

As sudden as if someone had dropped a bag of bricks on her head, she was assaulted by the most uncomfortable feeling. It was low in her stomach, twisting and churning and she almost felt sick but not quite. A small wave of lightheadedness swirled around in her head, making her clench the counter in retaliation. In that small moment between the almost-sickness and the dizziness she realized what exactly it was that was bothering her and the realization only served to intensify that feeling.

Guilt. She felt guilty. She felt incredibly guilty but not for the reason she should have felt guilty for. She should have been having second thoughts about her situation, for siding with the enemy as easily as she had. She should have felt guilt over trying to form bonds and relationships with these people, these criminals. She should have been scolding herself for committing such an obvious and terrible brand of treason, she should have felt bad for not being in Konoha where she belonged, even though she knew she couldn't be if she wanted to be a free woman - or alive. No, she wasn't feeling remorse over that, or at least nowhere near enough remorse as she should have been feeling and that was the reason this surge of guilt was settling in her gut.

She simply didn't feel guilty enough.

She wanted to slam her fists down on the countertop or even brashly start a goddamned war right there in the kitchen with every member in the base to somehow persuade herself that she wasn't the same as these people. She wanted to cry or scream or run away back to Konoha to prove or beg her innocence, if just for the simple fact to prove to herself above anyone else that she wasn't the dirty traitor that everyone probably thought she was.

She did nothing of the sort, deciding instead to sigh deeply and grab a pepper to start cutting up for dinner.

As she chopped up the vegetables she purged her brain to force herself to forget the thoughts that would ultimately make her job harder and instead came up with a safer topic. Honestly she couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't been partnered up yet and it was something that had been bothering her for some time. It had been over three weeks since she had set foot in this place and she had yet to be sent out on a mission. She didn't have much time to wonder though, as she felt the ominous chakra seep through the halls, almost predatory. She addressed him before he even came through the door. Good thing she didn't start that pseudo-war then.

"Hello, Leader-sama."

He popped out through the doorway, and smiled a tiny little smirk. He looked almost approachable for a minute. Almost.

"Good evening, Sakura-san. Ahh, takoyaki and stir fry? Smells wonderful."

Sakura couldn't help the confused look that overcame her. Well he was certainly being awfully chatty today wasn't he? She smiled a small yet still wary smile and nodded respectively. Or as respectively as she could anyway.

"Yes sir, although I doubt the reason that you sought me out was to talk about dinner." She said with as much respect as she could. No need to stir the pot...or something.

"You wouldn't have gotten as far as you have if you weren't perceptive, Sakura-san. Yes, I did come to speak with you about something. Sit."

He motioned to the chair opposite of him at the large table. Sakura merely put down her knife and brushed her hands on her apron. Her cloak was in her room, and most of the members didn't really wear it around the compound. She sat across from him, her green eyes lit with interest.

"I have chosen a partner for you."

"Oh." She was surprised indefinitely, here she was thinking about it a few moments ago and he comes in and tells her that he has found a partner for her.

She couldn't help but feel a little nervous about it. The only two options were Kisame and Zetsu, and although she doubted that she would get paired with the latter, she couldn't help but know that it was indeed an option, however small of an option it was.

"I have assigned you to a mission with Zetsu. A little trial run if you will. Of course I haven't told him yet."

Wow. She didn't know if she was lucky or unlucky, though something told her to settle for the latter. That previous gut churning returned with a surprising amount of force.

Unknown to Sakura he had noticed the rather friendly way that she was getting on with Kisame and had decided that such emotions - be they platonic or not - would only get in the way of a successful mission. At least with such a fresh member. She was still new to the world of nukenin and his trust of her didn't extend beyond more than a very tight and short leash. That leash just happened to be Zetsu. While Kisame was a wonderful shinobi - not that he'd actually admit that aloud - he knew that the shark-man was quite the free thinker and he couldn't let Sakura roam about without someone he knew for a face would keep her in line in her path. Zetsu wouldn't hesitate to yank the proverbial leash if he had even an inkling that she was getting too antsy for her own good and if she got a mind to go running back to her village with any information she might have that could get her off the hook he wouldn't hesitate to silence her completely. Sakura hadn't committed the crimes she had been accused of - something he had known from the start - and she might still have it in mind to be on the prowl for something that could prove her innocence. And he simply couldn't allow that. Despite walking out of Konohagakure with the intention of running from the law, if she were to gain the upperhand on one of their most dangerous enemies - and the information was valuable enough - she might just be welcomed back in with open arms. Uchiha Sasuke had done the same and he was allowed back in when he killed Orochimaru; it didn't go above his reasoning that Konoha would want one of it's promising shinobi back, especially if she had important information on the Akatsuki.

That would only prove far more troublesome and detrimental to his plans and he couldn't have it happening. It was the reason he had been on the fence about extending an 'invitation' to her in the first place but Konan had argued in her favor and the compliments that she'd bring to the organization were far too alluring to let fall into anyone else's hands. She was a young and bright kunoichi indeed but adding in that she had near impeccable chakra control and was one of the best medics in the entire shinobi world - one of only three that they knew of - and well she made a wonderful selling point. That still didn't mean she wouldn't act out dangerously and if she was paired with Kisame well...

While Kisame was indeed loyal enough and usually he never witnessed him getting particularly chummy with anyone, the pink haired girl seemed to have a way with getting under his skin. It was somewhat alarming but not unexpected. Anyone would have a difficult time trying to dissuade an attractive woman from being close to them, especially one with such a quirky and unusual attitude.

Anyone except Zetsu.

Partnering her with Zetsu would not only be a more apt choice due to his excellent skills with keeping her in line but on a unrelated note it might also prove her worth to the organization if Sakura would be able to work with someone who was only accustomed to working alone - if she made it out alive.

"When are you going to talk to him about it?" She inquired, trying to ignore the anxious bubbling in her stomach.

"I'm not. You are."

Sakura felt the bile rise up in her stomach, nauseousness taking over. The smell of the sizzling food on the stove quickly becoming more overbearing than appetizing. It was no secret that Zetsu didn't really do the partner thing. Not to mention that the only words the two - or three if you wanted to look at it that way - had exchanged had been very few and very brief and had been almost a month ago.

"And if he declines?" Sakura asked, fiddling with her black arm warmers. Seriously, then what?

"It's your job to see that he doesn't. Keep in mind, Sakura, that he has never had a partner before, and he will probably protest to it. I suggest you don't wear anything..revealing while speaking with him. He has a thing for skin...and not a good thing."

He watched as a strange look overtook her face, becoming pale and flushed at the same time. He stood up and she nodded demurely, watching him walk out of the kitchen and back up to the rooftop he normally spent most of his time at.

Sakura returned to the sizzling on the stove and tried desperately to keep her mind off of what was about to ensure, hoping that it wouldn't end as terrible as her stomach kept telling her it would. With whatever resolve that she had left, she sighed deeply as she stared into the pan, the little voice echoing throughout her brain with a somber tone.

'Well here it goes, Sakura. The first day of the rest of your miserably awkward life.'

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Dinner passed by in what should have been a fairly easy affair but to her it was just an uncomfortable delay to a disaster. One that left her swirling in thoughts of what exactly she would say to her new 'partner' when she sought him out. She had really tried to get into the conversation that Deidara and Kisame were immersed in - something about steel weapons over titanium - but found her mind drifting off in other directions. Every other meal she had spent in the compound had been strangely comfortable, like she hadn't been sharing her meals with S-Class criminals. Tonight it was different, she felt completely out of her domain and it had nothing to do with the people who were surrounding her and everything to do with the one who wasn't.

Zetsu never ate with the rest of the members - even Pein occasionally came down from his hidey-hole on the roof to join them when Konan asked him to - and usually she found herself wishing that just one time he might but tonight she was infinitely glad he hadn't. Briefly she wondered if he ate anything but...people and just remembering that little fact caused her skin to itch in what felt like was the onset of hives. She really had to get herself together if she was going to do this. She exhaled loudly, wishing that she wasn't so nervous as she climbed up the several flights of back stairs that lead to the greenhouse. Konan had told her that when he wasn't out on missions or asleep that he could usually be found in the strange indoor botanical garden. She hadn't been there yet, having spent most of her own time blissfully lost in the huge library on the third floor but she had been meaning to visit. She knew the plant-man relished his privacy and that had also kept her away, despite the itching to get up there.

To see the greenery of course - the non-walking, non-talking greenery.

Her hands were sweaty, her stomach was churning and she knew she shouldn't have eaten dinner before she brought herself to come up here. Everything she had just nervously thrown back haphazardly was threatening to be thrown up, so to speak. She shouldn't be so damn nervous over something as simple as a mission! She clutched the scroll in her hand much tighter than she had meant to but had convinced herself that letting go of it would mean letting go of her nerve. If he got angry about her invasion she could just throw her hands up in defense and indicate that she had orders from Leader to do so. Maybe she wouldn't have to say anything, maybe he'd just see the scroll in her hand and get the point, he seemed to be perceptive like that.

She strode down a well lit hallway leading to the double doors that lead to the greenhouse - or it should if she had followed Konan's directions correctly - and stopped directly in front of the doors. Her eyes were fixed on the knob but she didn't make any move to open it.

Aren't you going to open it? Her inner voice remarked snidely and she frowned deeper.

'Of course I am.'

Anytime soon? Today perhaps? You have a mission in the morning and it's pretty late as it is...

'I'm working on it, okay! Geez, I just needed some...reflection.'

You're scared.

'Well of course I'm scared. Nobody likes seeing a set of teeth before they die...'

Maybe but that's not all you're scared of. Huh?

She knew that if she didn't open the door right at that very moment, her obnoxious inner voice would torment her forever. How funny, she thought, Zetsu's not the only one who's got a schizophrenic thing going on.

With her jaw firmly set and her her back absurdly straight she pushed the doorknob and entered the room before she could turn back. A small gasp of awe left her as her eyes took in her surroundings, previous reservations forgotten for the slightest moment.

It was like something in a fantasy book, an indoor paradise encased in glass and doused in so many shades of green she couldn't name a fourth of them. Sprinklings of colorful flowers and other plants settled amongst the green and though she couldn't see one she could have sworn that there was a waterfall somewhere, the sound of flowing water splashing into a pond alighting her ears delightfully. She looked up, noting with astonishment that there were actual rays of sun peeking in through the domed glass ceiling. How odd, considering it had been raining about five minutes ago. A genjutsu maybe? Did genjutsu work on plants? She hadn't the slightest idea seeing as she had never tried. She had to resist the urge to form the signs for the release to check her assumption, deciding that if it was indeed a genjutsu that the plants were obviously relying on it and she didn't need Zetsu angry with her for breaking it. She didn't need Zetsu angry with her at all.

Speaking of the plant-like shinobi, where was he? She could sense his chakra here but it was different from before, much more calm and sedate as a whole. Sometimes it was as if he had two different chakra, each fighting to take priority. She knew that was probably ridiculous but when she usually felt around for it, or encountered it as they passed one another, she would feel it in seperate waves. The first was dark and somewhat torrential but almost hot, almost invading, sensational to feel; the second was completely calm and sort of dribbled into her like a slow moving stream of water into an a larger body of water but on the other hand was somewhat cold and very hesitant.

She caught something black in the corner of her eye and saw him leaning over a table in the far corner of the room. His back was to her and his cloak was off, lending her an interesting view of his surprisingly muscular back beneath it's thin mesh shirt. His carapace wasn't in it's usual place and Sakura briefly wondered why that was. She had never once seen him without it and honestly she didn't even know he could make it retreat. And where did it go anyway? Did it disappear into his body? How odd.

Then again, when faced with the oddity of a half-man half-plant...plant man, not to mention the other strange qualities in this organization, something as strange as disappearing venus-fly traps shouldn't be so alarming. She watched for a moment, making sure her chakra wasn't imposing but nor was it particularly masked, as he leaned over the counter further obviously quite ensnared with what he was doing to not have noticed her. Hesitantly she reached a bit out with a thin chakra tendril, calm and soothing, to let him know that he wasn't alone.

And what a mistake that was.

Before she could blink she felt something smooth whip up her body and entwine itself around her wrists, ankles and throat. With a loud 'oomph' she was sent back against the glass, struggling for air as the vine - she had clearly identified it as such - tightened threateningly around her neck.

"Zet-" She tried calling out but in vain, as her air supply was cut off. Of course she hadn't needed to call out to him as he whipped around, his eyes widening slightly and suddenly the pressure around her throat and appendages lessened and disappeared altogether, travelling back down into some unseen crack in the floor. She dropped to her shaky legs, gasping and choking on air as if it were the first time she had ever taken a breath, greedily gulping while she ignored the burning in her eyes. Normally she could have done something about an attack like that but as soon as the curious vines touched her they seemed to begin sucking her chakra away. Though not defenseless and not chakraless she had been so surprised that she didn't know how to respond anyway.

"Sakura...what are you doing here?"

She looked up at the man still several feet away from her, his even level voice breaking through her thoughts successfully, his chakra swarming around her slowly. It was the more polite side of his personality that had spoken but at that moment it didn't have the same calm, collected tone. He sounded angry and perhaps indignant for having his privacy intruded upon. He even dropped the polite honorific he had always used when addressing her - though it wasn't as if he did that often, address her that was. She ignored the fervent burning in her cheeks and looked up at him, not surprised to find the carapace back in it's usual place, his Akatsuki cloak looked as if it had never been off in the first place.

She said nothing as she tentatively approached him, picking up the scroll from the floor where she must have dropped it when she was nearly strangled to death. Coming to stand a few feet away she held the scroll out to him, finally speaking.

"Leader-sama sent me to speak with you. He said that you and I have a mission tomorrow."

The surprised and disbelieving look on his face was not unnoticed and Sakura felt that thick coil of anxiety wrap around her insides again. He was certainly not going to be pleased about this. He reached out with a black hand and snatched it away from her, unrolling it as Sakura watched as saffron eyes skimmed over the mission details.

"That won't be necessary, I have completed far more dangerous missions on my own."

"We don't need a partner." He spat the word like something foul that was making his mouth taste bad and she almost cringed.

The cringe-worthy feeling was soon replaced though and she found herself getting quite irritated with this situation; maybe she could just ask Leader if there was any way she could get paired up with Kisame instead. It was obvious that the man in front of her had absolutely no interest in working with her and she didn't have the patience to sit here and try to coax him into a situation he didn't want. She blew out hard and placed her hands on her hips, previous anxiety replaced with her usual fiery manner.

"Well, you'll have to take that up with Leader-sama. He was the one who insisted we work together, it's not as if I specifically asked to be partnered with you."

Zetsu let out something that sounded like a huff but she couldn't figure out exactly which side it had come from, perhaps both.

"You act as if working with us would be problematic for you, Sakura-san."

"Does it make you uncomfortable, kunoichi?"

His eyes had locked onto hers and she found herself shivering. It wasn't that his glare was frightening or even intimidating, it was something altogether different. It only exacerbated her irritation that she couldn't accurately describe it.

And honestly she didn't care for the use of the honorific he tagged on, it just sounded the opposite of what it was supposed to be. She had almost preferred the sound of 'kunoichi' to 'Sakura-san', at least it accurately conveyed his feelings towards her which, while apparently not pleasant, were at the very least honest. There was nothing respectful in the way he said her name, it was almost syrupy sweet, so sweet she knew it wasn't sweet at all. Like a razorblade in a sugar bowl. How funny considering he had been awfully courteous when he had brought her here the first time, well at least half of him had been.

She furrowed her eyebrows at him, well more like at his sandals, and came up with the best retort she could think of at that moment.

"Well...look who's talking."

It was more of a mumble than a malicious lashing out but it was rude nonetheless; she was sure that Zetsu didn't take too kindly to rudeness.

"Hn."

He swept past her, his cloak catching hers for a split second and she briefly pondered going after him but decided against it. She just stood there as he whisked off, back straight and jaw set and didn't move until she felt his eyes on her back.

"Come on we don't have all day."

She turned towards him and blinked, "What? You're not going to give me a tour?"

His only response was a crooked twist of his mouth, which sort of looked like the white half was frowning and the black half was almost smirking. She sighed and walked forward until directly beside him.

"Stop pouting, you look like you've just eaten something rotten." She bit her lip, just now aware of what she had said. She knew she shouldn't have taken to being so bold to him but she just couldn't help it. Stupid, stupid girl. The small chuckle from the man was something rather unexpected indeed and she almost found herself gaping at him.

"Not today, kunoichi."

As he strode past the doors, Sakura couldn't help but smirk, even if the thought of him eating human flesh was disturbing. Okay it was downright gross but honestly she had seen things far worse than cannibalism. This of course was a different story for another day as she didn't want to relive the images of that particular mission in her mind.

She followed him down the steps, neither speaking even though she had no idea where they were going or why he had wanted her to follow him. It was probably because he didn't feel comfortable with her alone in the elaborate greenhouse that seemed to be his sanctuary. He was probably taking her to see the Leader, to complain about his new buddy system. Still though, as the anxious feeling had effectively dissolved, she couldn't help but give herself a silent pat on the back for handling an explosive situation as well as she had. He had been obviously miffed and judging from the aura he radiated from in front of her, he still was. He wasn't as irritated as he had been when she had told him the news and he hadn't really hurt her. That in itself warranted a little self-toast.

'Here's to you, silly girl.'

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