Look at that another update! You guys are getting spoiled. Wanted to double treat you all with a very early update. Thank you so much for the reviews. I really do enjoy reading them, they actually were the reason why I updated so quickly. Please review! They really make a difference.
So enjoy! I am not sure if I will be updating so soon after this. Reason why I took so long on Chapter 11: Animal Instincts was because it was a major turning point for both Sakura and Kisame. It took me a long time to create the build up to the incident. Again thank you for being so patient with me! Loves!
Chapter 12: Dealing with the Aftermath
Tobi was the one that found her. Sakura felt his signature not that far from her, but she allowed him to approach. She then felt something fall on her bare shoulders and looked up to find his Akatsuki cloak covering her still bare torso. She looked up at the masked man hovering over her, she tightened the cloak around her shoulders.
"Tobi was worried."
She stared at him with glazed over eyes.
"I'm sorry Tobi." she whispered.
A pair of large hands gently deposited themselves onto her shoulders. On reflex she tensed feeling the contact.
"Tobi is here. Come inside Sakura-chan."
His voice was soft and gentle as he tried coaxing her into standing up, but her legs wouldn't listen to her minds instructions. Her mind recollected being half carried back into the compound. The hallways were silent minus their soft footsteps. The memory of that day's incident flashed through her, causing her feet to become planted. Tobi looked at her and tried ushering her toward the kitchen, but Sakura refused and pulled away from him.
Her grip on the cloak was tight as she stared mindlessly down the hallway. Tobi only looked at her with, what she hoped, a worried expression. He approached her again but Sakura took a step back from him.
Memories of Kisame's bruising grip and sharp teeth came creeping into her mind. More than ever did she want to get away from this place and the people within it.
"Tobi won't take Sakura-chan down to kitchen."
Sakura turned her pale face to look at the young man in front of her.
"Tobi wants Sakura-chan to follow."
He didn't try approaching her again but went around her and back in the direction of the library. She silently followed him, jade eyes darting around her half expecting someone to grab her from the shadows.
"Tobi wants Sakura-chan to feel comfortable."
Sakura suddenly didn't like the idea of being in the library. The rows of books held too many shadows, but right now she didn't have anywhere else to go. The idea of being in a bedroom still frightened her. Tobi briskly walked in front of her and started a fire in the fireplace. Sakura found herself sitting down on the small sofa, still wrapped up in the cloak. She heard Tobi's soft footsteps walk down the row of books and leave the library.
Cold green eyes stared at the red clouds that were printed on the cloak. Countless lives were taken from the people wearing these cloaks. She didn't know who was worse at the moment Akatsuki, Orochimaru, or some unknown enemy of Konoha. Her fist tightened and smothered the little red cloud.
Tobi decided to reappear at that moment with a few of her clothes. He silently handed her the pile, she recognized the clothes being in the laundry room a few days previously.
"Tobi can help Sakura-chan clean her..."
Sakura looked up at him, noticing his awkward body language. She blinked and realized that he had been referring to her wound.
"Oh. Thanks Tobi."
He nodded his head.
"Tobi will give you a minute."
He left again. Sakura looked at his empty spot. Her mind was a jumble of pain and confusion. The wound on her shoulder still throbbed, but it stopped bleeding a half an hour ago. Her hands fumbled with the pile of fabric in her hands, trying to locate some type of article of clothing that exposed her shoulders. She carefully slipped on a tank top and waited for Tobi to return.
As Tobi cleaned her wound, Sakura allowed the silence to consume her. Her mind and body was still in shock. She didn't know if she should feel infuriated, disturbed, or violated. It all just… happened. She didn't know what to think. A breath filled her lungs as thoughts slowly started to form.
The fire crackled as Sakura's thoughts swam. Sakura watched Tobi and her shadow's dance across the wall. Her thoughts remembering how Kisame's voice shook and wavered as he instructed her to calm down. It was if he didn't have control over his own body.
Tobi touched a delicate part of her wound causing her to flinch suddenly. He apologized profusely and tried treating her more gently.
"I can't control myself much longer."
Jade eyes stared deeper into the flickering flames.
"Sakura. Please. Calm Down."
His words made her stomach turn in uneasiness. She didn't know what to make of the incident. She didn't know what emotion she was supposed to feel. Another sigh escaped her lips. She just didn't know.
Sakura spent the next few days confided in the library. Tobi brought her food a couple times a day and he waited for her whenever she went to the bathroom. Deidara even sensed something was wrong with the woman.
One day she found a small bouquet of paper flowers on the library desk. The flowers were shaped into gladiolus that had the meaning of strength of character. The gladioli were in shades of yellow and blue. Sakura gazed at the little paper bouquet and wondered if Deidara knew about the meaning behind the flower and color's he chose. He had to, he was an artist afterall.
Sakura's wound was completely healed but a few times she imagined feeling scar marks. On top of that, she knew that she couldn't stay cooped up in the library forever. Someone, either Kisame or Itachi could easily drag her back to Pein and kill her right then. Thankfully Tobi stayed around her during most of the day. It had been days since the incident between Kisame and her had occurred. She had to yet set foot back in their shared quarters.
With a combination of Sakura's strong will and Tobi's gentle words, she managed to get down the hallway and into the kitchen. Even though she would have wanted to stay forever locked in the library, Sakura knew that she had to brush off what happened to her. Her pride and will as a Fire Country Shinobi told her that she could get through this. She had experienced much worse situations.
Tobi was allowing her to slowly pace herself from bouncing back from the incident, and she was grateful for his patience. He currently was in the living room trying to match all his washed socks. She didn't know what the fuss was about because they were all in shades of black, but apparently they all were drastically different.
Sakura was in the kitchen peeling potatoes getting ready to make dinner. Her thoughts were busy trying to figure out what projects she had to complete due to her previous absence. She brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, remembering that it was due to clean the large bathroom. The sound of boiling water hitting hot metal reached her ears, she turned around but then froze.
Standing at the kitchen stove stood Uchiha Itachi.
His dark eyes remained calm as he turned the stove heat down. Sakura relaxed her clenched fist.
"Thank you Itachi."
He only stared at her. Sakura fought the urge to lower her gaze away from his deadly eyes. At any moment he could easily turn his eyes into deadly swirls of red. She didn't know if she should hold her ground and wait for him to leave or continue on with her dinner planning. Instead she went across the room, toward the refrigerator and began rummaging around inside it to hide her discomfort.
"Something has happened between Kisame and you."
Sakura halted her rummaging, tension crawling into her shoulders. It wasn't a question but a statement. She found a breath escape her lips as she straightened up and turned to face the man behind her.
He had sat himself down at the table to address her. She didn't even hear the table legs scrap against the floor. Sakura had been around Kakashi long enough to sense his almost invisible presence, Itachi was able to completely erase his. It was beyond unnerving. She only knew he was there due to his chakra signature and actually being in front of her.
"Judging by your tension, I assume you have discovered his bestial qualities."
She slumped against the refrigerator. He only gazed at her and gestured for her to join him at the table.
"Kisame in many ways lives and acts like a jinchurik. His body is able to hold an excessive amount of chakra and he can physcially transform into the creature that resides within him.
Sakura sat down at the table, silently listening to the Uchiha's explanation.
"As you know, each jinchurik has a specific number of tails. The more tails, the more powerful their carrier becomes.
Sakura's eyebrows furrowed. She considered herself pretty versed in jinchurik's, Itachi had to know that. He must have seen the expression in her face.
"Kisame is said to be the Tailed Beast without a Tail.
Her eyes widened. Itachi remained relaxed as he told her the information; his smooth voice mirrored his body language.
"At one time, the demon that resides in a jinchurik was a living creature. Therefore entitling that creature a soul and conscious."
Sakura sat back in her chair trying to grasp onto what he was telling her.
"In other words a mind of its own." she clarified.
He only nodded and swept his hand in front of him to continue his explanation.
"Unlike the other jinchurik's, Kisame does not have a living demon being housed within him. Since that demon does not have a tail, it has become a part him."
Sakura leaned forward and propped her elbow up onto the table. She then rested her face into her hand, trying to gather this new information.
"Become?" she said pinching the bridge of her nose. "You mean to tell me that he is part Shark and man?"
She looked up at him. His dark eyes confirming her question. Sakura leaned back in her seat, completely bewildered about what she had just learned.
"As a human sacrifice," Itachi started again. "A jinchurik is able to completely separate their mind and will from the demon within them."
"But their carrier has to have the will power to not allow their demon to overpower them," Sakura stated, remembering a previous conversation she had with Naruto. "What are you trying to tell me Itachi? That I should forgive Kisame for what he did because his animal side took over?"
The remaining Uchiha gazed at her with a blank expression.
"You stated yourself that Kisame is only part human. That should rightfully include his mind being partially human as well."
He silently rose from his seat. Sakura's eyes followed him.
"Who really gave you that mark?"
Her hand rose and rested on her shoulder. She turned her head away from the former Konoha shinobi. She didn't turn her head to see if he left, he had said his share. Sakura got up to tend to her forgotten cooking. Thoughts slowly synthesizing what Itachi had just told her.
Sakura thought over the countless times she came in contact with Kisame. In all of her previous encounters, Kisame did not react in any predatory way toward her or her actions. The only other time she had physical contact with him was when they sparred. Could that have been the trigger? By simply being physical with him sent him over the edge?
Their late night conversation came to her mind then. About how she offered him the hot chocolate, how their fingers touched… Sakura brought a hand to her face remembering that little detail.
Really?
A sigh escaped her lips. She didn't know what to think.
After dinner, Sakura made her way back to the library. Whenever she passed Kisame's room, her feet naturally quickened to pass the room. She noticed that Tobi was giving her more personal space. He must have noticed her change in mood. Sakura wanted to get back to normal as quickly as possible but she was being selfish for making Tobi take care of her for so long.
Slender fingers skimmed the backs of books as she browsed through the shelves. The information that Itachi told her about jinchurik's had left her uneasy. Naruto on the occasion discussed with her about the demon inside of him, but that was only a handful of times. He had told her that he was comfortable talking with her about the Nine Tailed Fox but he said it was difficult to explain.
Emerald eyes quickly glossed over the titles of the books as she continued her way up and down bookshelves. Her eyes light up when she had found what she was looking for. She pulled a small hard backed book off a shelf and glanced at the cover.
"Xavier Maniguet's Jaws of Death, Sharks as Predators, Man as Prey," she read. "Couldn't have picked a more cliché title."
She quickly flipped to the Table of Contents and scanned over what was listed on the pages.
"Shark hearing, smell, social behavior, the shark's brain…the sequences of a bite…reproduction…"
A sigh escaped her lips as she flipped another page of the continuing table of contents. It was beyond ridiculous that she was reading this, but Itachi's advice was sticking to her. If she wanted to understand Kisame she had to understand the animal within him. And that animal happened to be the King of the Ocean, the Great White Shark.
Her feet led her to the small sofa in the back of the library.
"Great White's are naturally curious creatures and can display forms of intelligence. It is theorized that they have ways of communicating with each other if the situation demands it. Scientists have observed that some White Sharks can function in 'clans' of two to six individuals that appear on a yearly basis. Clan relationships are unknown at this moment but each individual shark, within a clan, appears to get along peacefully. Marine Biologists believe that the structure of a shark clan is similar to that of wolf packs. Each member has an established rank and is lead by a distinguished leader.
Sakura dropped the book onto her face. She had spent a large portion of the previous night reading the beginning chapters and currently she was chapter hopping. The book in many ways was fascinating but she was becoming impatient.
An exasperated sigh escaped her lips as she stretched her body out on the small couch. After refreshing her stagnant limbs she picked the book off her face and continued reading.
"Unfortunately Great White social structure and behavior is mostly not understood. There is an established hierarchy which is determined by sex, size, and individual rights. Females dominate males, larger sharks dominate smaller ones, and veterans overpower newcomers. Great White's rarely bite their own kind, however, some have been seen with marks matching to other Great White's. A White will only bite a fellow shark if they are approached to closely or to establish dominance among the ranks. These bites are called 'warning bites'."
"Warning bite my ass." she muttered.
"Even though Great White sharks are large predatory hunters, they are not man eaters. Biologists and animal behaviorists conclude that the reason why there are so many shark attacks is due to mistaken identity. Sharks mainly eat seals, fish, birds, turtles, and sometimes whales but not humans. When a shark attack occurs, a Great White normally disengages their attack after the first bite, which are normally called 'test bites.'
Scientists believe that Whites don't like the taste of human flesh due to humans not being fat protein enriched seals. Jimmy Hall, a shark conservationist, actually swam with a Great White and reported that the Great White was naturally peaceful and curious. The documentary received global attention due to Hall's ability to successfully document a human-shark interaction without the use of a cage."
Sakura snapped the book closed and sat up on the couch. Thoughts swirling together all the information she had just learned. She got up and stretched. So far all the information she had learned made little to no sense. The bite that Kisame gave her was a warning bite, which was the natural result of a male shark wanting to establish dominance. Everything up to Kisame slamming her up against the wall made sense. Dominance needed to be established and the bite was the result but what was the trigger?
Sakura had to recollect her thoughts and think back to the previous week.
"There is an established hierarchy which is determined by sex, size, and individual rights. Females dominate males, larger sharks dominate smaller ones…"
She lifted her head. The day when she touched his scars. She had directly approached him instead of allowing him to approach her. Then there was their late night conversation; she had directly approached him again. A palm connected with her forehead.
"Great job Sakura. No wonder he lost it."
Kisame's shark side did not like her feminine rank coming to equal status with his own; the bite was to reestablish his alpha position. Sakura found her feet pacing back in forth in the library.
The obvious trigger was her just simply being a woman. The second, was challenging his alpha status.
But there had to be something else that would cause Kisame to go over the edge. What else had she done that day? She had an awkward experience, avoided him for two days, took his shampoo…
Sakura's fists clenched.
"And forget the fact that sharks have a sensitive sense of smell."
She had used his shampoo causing his scent to mingle with hers. Way to go Sakura!
She pivoted on her heel to leave but suddenly stopped. Jade eyes stared at the doorway, now noticing the tall dark figure.
Sakura automatically tensed once she saw him. He only stared at her; his body language was relaxed but she could still see the tension. She saw one of his hands clench and then move to rest against the doorway.
Sakura didn't even know that he had left the compound. She had expected him to stay put due to orders. Now that he was in front of her, Sakura could tell that he had a rough trip wherever it was that he went. His clothing looked to be in the same condition that he left them minus the slight smell and staining on the knees and lower parts of his pants. He looked haggard but his eyes still had the firmness of a shinobi. His normal blue skin had paled since the last time she saw him. Sakura almost found herself taking a step toward him, her medical side taking over. Her hands fisted into her pants, preventing herself from taking that step.
She had naturally lowered her gaze but slowly raised her eyes to meet his. He only looked at her for a moment before shifting his gaze away from her. A blue hand rose and rubbed the back of his neck. Sakura had been trying to control her heart beat and breathing to stay at a steady relaxed pace. The silence between them was deafening.
"How are you doing?"
She blinked hearing the question, surprised that he even asked. He didn't seem the type to ask personal questions.
"I've been better," she quietly replied. "And you?"
He lowered the hand from his neck and shrugged.
"I've had worse."
Sakura didn't know if she should smirk or remain impassive at the comment. The tension between them was awkward and uncomfortable. Her hands moved from fisting themselves into her pants and she began mindlessly twisting her fingers. She didn't like the awkward silence.
"Itachi told me everything after you left," she bit out. "He told me about…."
Sakura looked up, seeing Kisame's gaze on her. He only sighed and looked to the side. His jaw hardened as the uneasiness vanished but was replaced with indignation.
"…well…he told me—"
"I'm sure he didn't tell you everything."
Sakura closed her mouth. He was right, Itachi couldn't possibly know everything about his partner. Kisame shifted and leaned his shoulder against the doorframe. A long sigh escaped him as his eyes glanced about the library.
"Can I come in?"
Sakura found her eyes darting about the room. She nodded her head as she took a few steps back. Kisame silently walked in and made his way down the aisle until he came toward the fireplace and small sofa. Sakura watched him look about the small room; clearly seeing it be used as her temporary bedroom. He sat down on the couch and waited for her to join him. She allowed herself to come closer and sat next to him but she still had her guard up.
Kisame sat with his elbows propped up on his knees, hands dangling down. Sakura found her hands fidgeting in her lap; she rubbed her palms on her legs to still her thoughts.
Kisame sighed.
"I want to apologize for my earlier actions."
Sakura turned her head to look at him. He only stared ahead of him, but she could tell from his body language that he meant it. She was silent for a bit.
"Is there any way of preventing another….incident?" she quietly voiced. She saw him look down at his upturned hands.
"Currently, the shark is satisfied with what happened. I don't see any reason why another incident would occur."
Sakura pushed some escaped hair behind her ear.
"But we can't be too careful?" she offered. Kisame turned his head to look at her.
"I would advise you to not use any of my things from now on."
"Understood."
His gaze moved to look at her shoulder. A hand rose and moved toward her, Sakura tensed seeing the outstretched hand. Kisame paused and looked at her. Pearl and Jade silently looking at one another. The hand continued to reach for her and rested on her shoulder. Fingers softly ghosting over the now healed bite mark.
Sakura took a breath to calm her nerves. She hadn't realized, that the time she spent there, his presence and scent had become so familiar to her. He had been only gone a week but during that time, Sakura noticed that the compound lacked a potent presence among the halls.
"Kisame…"
He turned his gaze from her shoulder.
"I'm sorry."
Blue fingers softly stroked her collarbone.
"I'm sorry for hurting you."
What is this? A possible spark? What?
A little note. All the info about Great White Sharks came from Wikipedia and the book that I mention actually is a real book. Haha.
So review my lovelies!
