Helloooo

I took into consideration what some of the reviewers said, and might I say, I was Wow-ed to have 16-and-counting reviews on the last chapter.

This one is my longest yet and I tried to make it good. There shouldn't be as many spelling mistakes, missing words, or awkward sentences in this one.

Thanks to all of you who reviewed, my artist's block is now in the Critical Care Center of Literary Hospitals, but that doesn't mean that I'll be uploading everyday like I did with the first 9 chapters. More like every few days, but my chapters will be longer and (hopefully) better developed.

I would have uploaded earlier but my stupid internet service provider is fing constipated and refuses to connect. I do have a question(s) for readers this time

QUESTION is at the end so as not to spoil.

PLease please review D I love it when you do. And if you followed the linear logic from the last A/N, you'll understand that more reviews equal more motivation equal Faster chapters

And your time starts...Now!

Sakura stormed into her room and tossed her backpack (with Hidan still in it) onto her bed. She had managed to stave off some of her anger during the trip and simply let out a frustrated sigh as she let herself drop on to the bed as well. She could hear Hidan muttering to himself from within the confines of her backpack. Sakura frowned to herself, thinking, How could I have thought that this would be easy?! I mean, he's an S-Class criminal for god's sake! Criminals like him never do anything for others. She shifted on the bed and the muttering stopped.

Hidan couldn't believe they were going to bribe him with his body for helping them. Of course, to Sakura, what she was doing didn't seem like bribery, but to Hidan, it was a whole other matter. Jashin-Sama…I live to serve only you. For them to sink so low…I know we're all ninja…but I am a man of god, I don't want to have this on my conscience for all eternity. To live on, knowing that I agreed to split my loyalty to you with others, just so that they could give me something that I want.

"You can take me out now. I know you're there." Hidan's muffled voice exited through the folds of her khaki backpack. Sakura moved towards the bag at the foot of her bed but stopped herself, pulling back, she folded her arms across her chest and thought, what am I going to do? The only card I have is 'returning his body' and he doesn't like the idea of working with us at all. Why? That idiot, he doesn't even realize that we could be doing him a huge favor. Our interests are the same. What the hell is wrong with him?!

The only reason Hidan could tell what was going on was because the entire bed moved when someone got on or off or shifted. Wait…why isn't she taking me out?, Hidan wondered as he felt her body move away from his again. Oh, fuck. She's mad at me. She must be pissed off as hell.

"Sakura? Seriously, take me out of here!" came a slightly strangled voice. Sakura let the silence seep in a little before answering curtly,

"No."

"What?!?!" Hidan's eyed widened in the dark. He couldn't believe she was doing this to him. Konoha ninja weren't like this, were they? But then again, she had proven his 'Konoha Ninja are…' theory wrong before. She had dug him up when nobody else would. And now, she was trying to get him to help them. Those same 'Konoha Ninja'. A bead of sweat formed as he realized how potentially hazardous this situation was to the only part of him left. His head.

"Not unless you think about what we're offering you." Sakura tinny voice entered his confines of darkness once more.

"I did think about it! And I already told you, no!"

"Hidannnn, you're being an idiot!" Her voice had become dangerously low and had somehow gotten a lot closer. Whoa! When did she? How the hell did I not feel her come close? Shit. This is bad. Help. Me. Jashin. Hidan then decided that the best thing for him was to give in to her so that he could serve Jashin another day. But, he couldn't be a sissy about it, he had to back down with his pride still in hand …er… his pride still about him.

"Fine…uh…can you repeat all parts of your offer?" Hidan bit his tongue after hearing his voice sound so timid to his own ears. But then, he was suddenly lifted out of the darkness. He winced and blinked a few times to clear all the spots he was seeing, immediately after, her face came into view right in front of him and Hidan had to do a double take.

Hidan could have sworn that Sakura's voice sounded like she was about to figure out how to kill him, but her face showed none of those same feelings. Instead, her brows were furrowed and she was frowning at him. Perhaps the anger was only in her voice, and it was only there because of her frustration with himself.

"Hidan. The choices you've been given now are as follows: Prove to us that we can trust you, then you'll get your body back permanently. Prove it to us by doing something for Konoha, in this case, help us in taking down the remaining members of Akatsuki. You'll be doing, not only yourself a favor, but the rest of the world as well. Now…Do you agree to this?" She spoke patiently, as if to a child.

"You already know my previous answer…but what are you going to do if I don't agree?" Hidan was testing his ground. He really didn't want to give in to Konoha. But what if he had to? Jashin really didn't care for useless martyrs. They simply died and their memories died with them.

"I wouldn't do anything if you don't agree. I would just hand you over to Tsunade or Ibiki, our Interrogation Squad Captain. After that, I have no idea what they would do to you. But if I had to guess…" Sakura's tone gradually changed from cryptic to conversational. As if the subject was not about Hidan's impending doom, but of how the weather was that day or how many copies of the latest Icha Icha book had sold. "I would say that Tsunade-Sama would just have you tossed back in that hole in Shikamaru's giant backyard, but Ibiki…I can't really say. He's an interrogations and torture specialist. He likes his job. If he's really hell bent on torturing you, he'll say that your head isn't enough, he'll probably have you reattached to certain sections of your body to better torture you with."

As Sakura went on explaining what the phrase 'certain sections of body' meant, Hidan's face got paler and paler, he tried to gulp down the lump in his throat, but considering that he didn't have much of a neck, all that swallowing did him no good and he only managed to emit an unusual clicking/gurgling noise from the bottom of his neck. Sakura tried to ignore the fact that Hidan, the helpless, disembodied head in her hands-Hidan, was nervous, and perhaps a little frightened by some of the unthinkable things she described. Until now, she had been holding Hidan by his temples because she wanted him to pay attention, but her own caring nature took over upon seeing his badly hidden distress, so she let up on the descriptions and considered the situation from his perspective, which was very difficult for her to do. It's not like she could… say 'Step in someone else's shoes for a change', could she? Well…I guess, if I were a bodiless head, I wouldn't be able to do anything but think for myself. I would have to depend on others for everything. Transport, Protection, Sanity…I'd be scared tooTo have to trust the same people who defeated you. I bet it's because of his pride/dignity/whatever-men-have issue. No. It has nothing to do with being a man or woman. Then what? It's because having to choose sides…it's a big deal…and once you make a choice, it's a fucking big change. sigh I guess you win this round. Until next time.Sakura set Hidan down with one hand and pinched the bridge of her nose with the other, hoping to get rid of the budding headache.

"Ok, I understand that this is difficult for you…I guess…I'll give you three days to come to a decision now that you know all of the choices. Until then, I'll leave you alone to think." Sakura said looking down at Hidan. The hand resting on the side of his head shifted and she unconsciously wove her fingers through his hair while her thumb gently drifted over his temple, almost caressingly, before pulling her hand away, getting off the bed, and leaving the room with an expressionless face.

Hidan watched her leave, his expression frozen between shock, uncertainty, and pleasure. As soon as the bit of pink was out of sight, Hidan let out a breath that he hadn't even known he was holding. The kunoichi that took care of him confused him far more than his muddled mind could take, and to top it off, now he had to pick which path to take and seal his fate that way forever. Literally, forever, since he'd be around long enough. Then, that thought led him to thinking about her life. She wouldn't be around as long as he would. Then who would he talk to? Being stuck in that hole for two years had been a very lonely experience, and now that he was out of it, he craved attention from other people, especially her. Unlike any other people he'd met, she actually talked to him as a person, not as ninja or the man of god that he was. But, she was gone for now, she said she'd leave him alone to think. The problem was, he didn't want to be alone and he didn't want to think right then either.

"Sakura…" he called out tentatively. He wasn't sure why he wanted her back with him. It's not like he'd come to a decision already. He waited a minute. No answer. He tried calling out once more. Still no answer. Hidan sighed down at the covers, discontented. He didn't know where she was. She hadn't told him when she left. He didn't know if she was still in the house or not. He wanted to send out his chakra and sense for her, but he couldn't because his chakra resided in his body. At a loss for what to do, Hidan frowned down at the swirling leaf patterns on the bedspread.

----------

Sakura kicked a rock as she walked around in the playground by her old academy. It was late afternoon and the air was still. She could see the sun getting closer and closer to setting behind the academy building. All the children had gone home to their families a few hours ago, now, all that was left of their presence were a few messy chalk drawings on the asphalt.

She didn't know why, but this is where she always came when she was worried. Waiting for the inevitable to pass. It was as if all the memories of her pre-shinobi days were still there. They were happy memories of the times when she was really carefree. When she had a family to go to at home. Had friends like Ino at school. The only worries she had was getting an A on her next test and finding a way to get Sasuke to notice her. Remembering her happier past calmed her down. As her brain slowed down, she realized that there was another presence nearby. Looking around, she saw its source sitting lazily on a swing, his face leaning against one of the chains.

Naruto lifted a hand and smiled slowly at her before extricating himself from his seat. It was a little bit harder now that his legs were longer and got caught in the swing a few more times before he was finally able to step away, almost tripping over his own feet in the process.

So much for being a top shinobi, she thought as a smile crept over her face at the comical sight.

"Sakura-Chan…" Naruto said as he straightened up and stood in front of her.

"Tsunade-Baachan explained everything to me."

"Really? So you know why we dug him up?"

"Yeah, so you could get information from him about the Akatsuki. But now that he already told you, she said you're trying to get him to help us. Oh…by the way.." Naruto looked around for the talking head, "what did he say?"

"You heard him already, he said 'no'." Sakura told him indifferently, Naruto got a mischievous glint in his eye,

"So what did you do? Throw him back in his hole? Do his hair again?"

"Naruto! Ok, I guess it looked like I was about to do throw him back in there when I left earlier, but no, I didn't, I've given him three days to choose." Sakura smiled a little.

"Then what are you going to do if he doesn't want to help us?" Sakura's smile faded,

"I don't really know. I mean, I threatened him a little. He thinks we're going to torture him, but not really. We, ourselves don't really have a choice. Him helping us is essential to our next move against the Akatsuki." Sakura sighed as Naruto walked next to her and put an arm around her shoulder comfortingly.

"If it's that important Sakura-Chan, then you're just going to have to convince him to help us. You're a kunoichi, you're Sakura-Chan! I know you'll figure it out."

"I guess you're right Naruto. This was all my idea, anyway. Thank you."

"No problem, anything for you Sakura-Chan!" Naruto grinned happily as they walked around in friendly silence towards Ichiraku's Ramen for dinner. Of course, Naruto wasn't buying, but still, it was nice.

---------

Four hours later, Hidan heard the front door click shut.

Thank You, Jashin-Sama, Hidan prayed, rolling his eyes towards the heavens. When he looked towards the doorway, the hallway light had been switched on. He saw Sakura's shadow on the wall before he saw her enter the room. She was rubbing the back of her neck when she flicked the bedroom light on, when she saw Hidan lying right where she left him (at the foot of her bed), she smiled.

"Hey Hidan, thought about it yet?" Hidan watched as she walked to her dresser and started picking out her pajamas. The change in her demeanor was astounding, he judged that if he told her what he thought right now, nothing bad would happen to him.

"Not really, so my answer is still 'No'"

"Oh really? Not at all?" She asked turning around.

"Nope." He deadpanned.

"Well…that's too bad." She walked over with her pajamas thrown over one arm and bent down to his level and put a hand on his head, "But it's ok, you still have three days to reconsider." With that, she turned him around to face the blank wall.

"Uhhh…Sakura, what are you doing?" She was behind him, the light was behind her, and her shadow fell on the wall ahead. He had no idea what she was doing.

"I'm changing my clothes, idiot. I don't want you to see." Sakura raised her arms and began pulling off her shirt. Hidan was intently watching her shadow mimic her movements. However much he tried to stare at any other blank spot on the wall, however indecent this felt to him, he couldn't keep his eyes away, but managed to ask his next question. His voice came out slightly quivery, but he masked it with feigned anger.

"Then why the hell didn't you just go the bathroom to change?" Sakura pulled her shirt off, took a step towards the bed, and picked up the new one.

"Cuz it's easier to just turn you around then for me to go all the way to the bathroom." Hidan saw curves and his eyes widened exponentially. Hidan saw those curves move around and he shut his eyes. Tight. He could still hear her moving about behind him in the room. He could hear the rustle of fabric and the snap of something. He tried to push all thoughts of what exactly that something could be. There were just so many possibilities.

It seemed like forever to Hidan when he saw Sakura bent over him, staring in confusion, and thankfully, 100 percent clothed.

"Hidan…what are you doing?"

"Oh, ahh, just thinking of something." Well, that wasn't a complete lie.

"Oh? What were you thinking of?" Sakura lifted him up, then getting comfortable against the wall and straightening her legs out in front of her, she set him on her naked knees. She was still wearing pants, but not much of any. They were a pair of loose sleeping boxers adorned with colorful stripes. They would have been long enough to cover her knees if she hadn't shifted against the bed.

As soon as Hidan felt her skin against his own, his mind froze and his eyes began to travel up her knees and into the shadows of the boxer fabric's folds, but he quickly snapped them up to her own eyes before his eyes got any closer to the shadows.

"Nothing important." Sakura urged him to explain good naturedly.

"Aww come on, there isn't much that you could be thinking about that isn't important."

"No really, it's not that big of a fucking deal." Hidan tried to brush her question off and raced through things to say since he knew she would persist.

"It is a big deal, I've given you three days to think about helping Konoha. If you're thinking about anything else, it must be just as important. What is it?"

"Fine, if you really think it's important… I was…thinking about thepatternsinyourcarpet." Sakura's brows rose at the unexpected response.

"What?...the patterns…in my carpet?"

"Yes" Hidan looked at her in earnest, hoping that she wouldn't catch on to his actual thoughts.

"Why?" Hidan mentally sighed, he hoped the conversation would just end there, but no…

"Because…it's…out-of-date. I was around fifty years ago. That's the same one my mother picked for our house." Sakura was flummoxed. This wasn't what she expected Hidan to be thinking about at all, let alone have any thoughts on what the latest styles in interior decorating were. She didn't even know what those were. That's why she had Ino.

"Oh…ok."

"Yeah, you should change it sometime." This would have been the worst lie that Hidan had ever pulled out of his proverbial ass, but the fact that she believed it at all, well…that really boosted his confidence at least.

"Well…I don't know much about interior design…but if you like that sort of thing, I should take you to meet my friend Ino, maybe you can give each other pointers or something. That is…if you stick around Konoha long enough." Sakura really didn't know how to hold a conversation with Hidan at this point. Do S-Class ninja seriously care about this sort of thing? Well, you've never met one before, so who knows? Maybe they have other hobbies, too?

Hidan on the other hand was having a silent panic attack. He cursed himself several times for his stupidity and during those thoughts of self-hatred the following thoughts also popped up a few times: Sakura expects me to stick around Konoha? Sakura wants me to meet her friends? What kind of name is 'Ino'?

"So…do like anything else? Have any hobbies?" Sakura's voice cut through his thoughts.

"Umm…Not… Really. My only purpose is to serve Jashin-Sama. I like to collect rosaries…for him?" The first part of his reply was automatic, the second part, he filled in, unsure of what she expected to hear.

"…rosaries? Oh, sounds nice." Sakura was feeling a little awkward. She knew she had to convince Hidan. She was hoping to sway him a little by finding out a little more about him and then using that knowledge against him. But knowing things like 'he likes to collect rosaries' was a little beyond her.

"What about you? Any hobbies?" Hidan voice sounded strange since he was trying to have a normal conversation like any two people have, but the situation between these two was anything but normal. He used to be shinobi but was now a disembodied head resting on the nearly naked legs of a pink haired kunoichi who was trying to get him to help her village. She was sitting with the head of an S-Class criminal on her legs talking about interior design.

"umm…well…I like to read. A lot. I like helping people…I'm almost always at the hospital since I'm a medic-nin…"

"That's great. You help people." Hidan gave a crooked smile. Sakura smiled back but brought her hand forward to fake a yawn.

"mmmm….I'm really tired…It's been a long day. We'll talk more tomorrow."

"Ok" Hidan felt relief wash over him in waves. She picked him up and set him in his little 'bed' on her dresser then headed back to her bed with a

"Goodnight"

"Yeah…goodnight"

Then the lights flicked off and all he could hear was Sakura's light breathing.

Things are about to get pretty fast, there will be more action and a lot of time-skipped sequences, and of course: HUMOR

have you noticed that I tend to include the dry, cryptic humor? I hate the cheesy, up-front, in-your-face, laugh-at-me-now-because-I'm-a-joke deals

anyways

QUESTION : Does everyone seem in-character as older versions of themselves? I know I had problems last time, but I tried to fix it without breaking the flow.

Do some of the characters' thoughts and actions not match? Or maybe their thoughts not flow? If so, does this disturb the story?

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEWs please D D much love