Hey guys! Sorry sorry for not updating in a long time. School for me has been crazy and also I am having a hard time building up to certain parts to this story. I have all the ideas for this story it's just getting there that is the hard part. But thank you so much for being patient with me! I am hoping to get another chapter up before Christmas! Hold me to it! Please! Well read on and enjoy! I think you guys will love this chapter. Woot! Woot!

Chapter 10: Unlikeliest of Responses

Sakura allowed the hot water to go down her tired and bloody body, as she contemplated what had just happened not that long ago. With a large amount of effort and strength, Sakura had made her way toward the bathroom.

As she further thought about what she said, it was stupid to say that to a S-Class Criminal. She had no idea as to why she stated a line from the Code of the Shinobi but it seemed fitting at the time.

Sakura slowly raised a hand, glowing faintly of green chakra, and finished healing her dislocated jaw. She was surprised that her jaw was only dislocated, but her saving grace was that Kisame's arm was not at full working capacity. Jade eyes gazed down at the open gashes on her arms, legs, and stomach. Her chakra levels currently would not allow her to heal her wounds properly but allow her to stop the bleeding and partially close her wounds. After taking her shower, Sakura would have to sew her wounds closed and bandage them.

"Damnitt," she muttered. "Why in the hell did I do that?"

She shook her head at the thought and gradually finished her bathing. Sakura had to hand it to her Shishou for further rubbing 'stubbornness' into her personality. Medic Nin's had to be in order to do their job correctly, but healing an Akatsuki member would be considered high treason.

Sakura pursed her lips as she further contemplated why she healed the murderer. As she thought about her reasoning a stray memory floated into her mind.

"A Medic- Nin must be prepared to heal even the unlikely-est of patients."

"But why?" Sakura asked her mentor. "Shouldn't we only heal those that are of importance to us and our village?"

Lady Tsunade turned her honey orbs onto her student. She then picked up the sake bottle and poured herself a cup before answering.

"Sometimes we are faced with circumstances where we don't know the outcomes and we have to make decisions which could change the outcomes of those situations."

When Tsunade said those words to her, she did not know what she meant. But now she had a possible inkling as to what her beloved teacher meant. Now that she thought about her reply to Tsunade's comment, she realized that it was naïve and childish of her to say that.

Sakura bit back a muffled string of curse words as she slowly stitched up a gash in her thigh. It was her third, and final, gash on her legs. She had some minor abrasions on her arms but had two gashes on her arms, which she still had to tend to, not including the gash on her torso. She had managed to use the last bit of her chakra to heal her jaw and close the wound on her torso but it was still tender and fragile.

Getting dressed was more of a pain than hassle literally. She couldn't dress as quickly as she wanted due to having to slowly and carefully pull on each article of clothing. The gashes on her legs were stitched and bandaged but the ones on her arms were still open but no longer bleeding. Her stomach wound was healed and bandaged but any abrupt and quick movements could easily tear it open. After getting dressed, Sakura looked at her face in the fogged up mirror and noticed the nice shiner going across her eyebrow ridge and down the side of her eye to stop at the top of her cheek.

"Lovely." she muttered as she slowly brushed her hair. She picked up the borrowed first aid kit and made her way into the kitchen for the better lighting and a bottle of saké.

Sakura had managed to get three stitches into her left arm when she felt a lingering presence in the doorway. He must have been standing there for at least five minutes and she was just waiting for a snarky comment to be made. Sakura had managed to ignore his presence by shielding his looming figure with her curtain of hair. She didn't want or need to say anything to Kisame because she had nothing further to say about what happened earlier that day.

Sakura had an incredible pain tolerance but patience was lacking due to having to make about fifteen more stitches without the use of an anesthetic and the inability of using both hands due to trying to stitch a gash in her upper arm. She was about to position her needle to make the fourth stitch in her arm, when she noticed that Kisame had come forward and sat in the chair in front of her. She tried very hard to not scoot her chair back and move to get further away from him.

"What the hell do you want?" she asked irritably not removing her eyes away from her stitching. At this point, she would not be surprised if Kisame pounced on her for saying smack things but at the moment she didn't care.

He didn't say anything but made a move to remove the needle from her hands, she evaded his hand and gave him a demanding look. He returned the look with one saying annoyance. His body language was relaxed and open, meaning that he meant no harm. His arms were open with his hands turned palms up, a traditional sign of trust.

No harm my ass

Emerald eyes stared into pearl and a stiff sigh escaped the lips of the woman.

Sakura didn't have the energy or chakra to deal with another fight, so she willingly handed over the needle and thread.

Kisame positioned himself a little closer to her so he could begin stitching her arm. Sakura noticed that his gaze was trained upon her arm. Sakura couldn't help but flinch seeing his blue fingers touch her cream colored skin. Her body tensed once she felt the needle connect with her skin. Kisame sensed her sudden tension and paused to give her a moment.

Another breath escaped Sakura's lips as she relaxed under his touch. Kisame's grip on her arm tightened slightly but soon relaxed.

Jade eyes watched the blue man in front of her. In the months that she had been imprisoned with Akatsuki, this was the first time that she was up close to her captor. Kisame's normal everyday attire ranged from black or dark blue jounin pants, with a matching fishnet collared muscle shirt. On his arms, he wore white arm cuffs that reached to his elbow. From what Sakura could tell, all his clothes were thin and well used but were carefully kept and mended. He didn't always wear his forehead protector, like now he did not wear it. His blue hair seemed to defy gravity, just like Naruto's, but she could see that only the top was short and the longer strands were collected into a low ponytail at the back of his head.

Kisame tugged on a stitch a little harder than what was necessary to get her attention. Sakura punched his leg in response to the tug as a slight chuckled escaped the sharks lips.

"Feisty aren't we?" the shark stated. Sakura caught his gaze and saw the taunt in them. She really didn't want to start another fight especially in the kitchen.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked wanting to get to the point as to why he was acting humble before her. He paused in his stitching to tie a knot and cut it free from the needle. He didn't say anything for a while but continued on onto the next cut on her arm. Sakura waited a few minutes more but was greeted with silence.

"Why did you become a ninja?" Sakura nonchalantly asked.

There was another pause in the stitching. She was prepared for another lengthy pause from the shark but she was surprised by the answer she received.

"My mother."

Again jade eyes examined the man in front of her. He didn't say anything more than just those two words. Sakura's jaw twitched slightly from the pain.

"I became a ninja because I didn't want my friends to think that I was weak." Sakura added.

Kisame didn't make any move as to if he heard her but kept on stitching.

"I was considered the cry baby in my group of friends and when I became a Genin I thought that my days as a child were over."

Kisame tugged on another stitch, which caused another string of curse words to slip out of Sakura's lips.

"But I was shown through various events that the child in me was just hidden under naïve thoughts of heroicness."

Another round of silence passed between them.

Sakura stared at her stitches in an absentminded manner and then broke out in a fit of laughter. She sounded ridiculous telling a mass murderer her life story.

"Stop moving Leaf."

Kisame gave her an annoyed look when she made eye contact with him. Sakura felt that this conversation was already awkward and she was bored with the silence.

"What did your mother do to make you want to become a ninja?" she offered.

Sakura knew that she was venturing into rather murky waters asking Kisame such a question. He again didn't say anything to her question but kept stitching up her arm. About five more stitches and he would be done.

"I wanted to protect her.

Sakura turned her gaze onto him. She felt another tug on a stitch but she ignored it.

"She protected me and gave me strength when the world did not offer it."

He reached over and picked up the medical scissors and cut the final stitch on her arm. Instead of finishing the conversation, Kisame picked up a gauze roll and started to wrap her cuts. Sakura couldn't help but notice how careful he was when he wrapped her wounds. He finished her left arm and motioned for her to turn slightly so he could wrap her other arm.

"I take it your childhood was not an easy one."

He gave her a blank expression. Sakura bit her lip knowing what the answer was to her obvious question. Kisame went back to wrapping her wounds in complete silence. He finished wrapping her wounds and made a move to get up and leave. Sakura heard him move over to the sink and the sound of running water meet her ears as she cleaned up the first aid kit. She slowly stood up right as Kisame was heading toward the kitchen doorway.

"Sakura."

She turned her head in the direction of the doorway. She could see his tall visage standig awkwardly in the entrance of the kitchen.

A moment of silence passed between them.

"Thank you."

Sakura turned her head at him. Again emerald eyes connected with pearl. She only nodded her head at him and returned back to cleaning up her kit. Kisame still lingered in the doorway a bit watching her, but then silently left.

Kisame silently entered back into the bedroom a few hours after he left the kitchen. The Kunoichi lay asleep in the large bed, her even breathing and lack of movement showed how deep of sleep she was in. Pearl eyes lingered on the women as he silently undressed in the dark.

"What did your mother do to make you want to become a ninja?"

His mind went over their conversation and found her comments naïve, but another part of him kept telling him that her comments were completely honest.

"Typical for a woman." he silently thought. As he silently undressed in the dark, Kisame could not help but wonder what caused the woman to risk her life in spar to simply heal his arm. He finished undressing and made his way over to his side of the bed and sat down.

"Why would she go through all this trouble for such a small thing?"

His healed arm tingled in response to the thought. He unconsciously rubbed his dominant sword arm as he shifted to gaze upon the sleeping woman. He could sense that her chakra reserves were steadily being replenished as she slept, come morning her chakra would be back to full working capacity.

Her breathing steadily grew deeper, showing that she had reached the deeper stages of sleep. A bold decision to make when you are rooming with a murderer. The Leaf slept on her back with a arm gingerly slung over her stomach as the other lay curled palm up near her face. Kisame pushed back the covers and silently laid down to sleep, thoughts silently thinking over today's events. He stared up at the ceiling, thinking over what had happened.

This arrangement was becoming more unnerving and unsettling as the days progressed and he wasn't sure if he would like the outcome.

He turned his head and looked at the sleeping kunoichi's profile. He couldn't help but remember how the woman's body looked while fighting with him. His body reacted in an excited manner when the fight became more and more physical. The sensations of the fight was unnerving and exhilarating. Kisame's pearl gaze calmly shifted down the form of the woman lying next to him. He could have described her as unique and beautiful, but under the circumstances she was a mission. Meaning Hands Off.

He unconsciously raised a hand and extended it toward her face. Pearl eyes gazed upon the now purple and blue mark near her brow. The hand froze realizing the mistake he made.

His hand clenched into a fist as he moved it away from the woman's bruised face. Kisame turned over so that his back was facing the woman.

"Stupid Leaf."