Me- ne, ne, Kisa-Nii, can u do the disclaimer for this chapter?

Kisame- Uh, sure, why not? *looks around suspiciously*

Me- whatcha lookin' for?

Kisame- Hidan, who else?

Me- *sigh* That idiot ruins everything…

*Hidan creeps out of bushes* I do not!

Me- do too

Hidan- If anything, I make things better with my sexyness! *strikes a good guy pose*

Me- *double sigh* Hidan, get out of here, or I'll hit you with a shovel.

Hidan- so what? I'm a masochist, baby! I like pa-

WHACK!

Hidan- OW! What the fuck was that for?

Me- for fun, what else?

Hidan- fine, I'll leave, but *cue dramatic music* I'LL BE BACK!

Me- whatever. Aniki, if you please…

Kisame- Kurohime1024 does not own Naruto, the Akatsuki, or anything like that. The series belongs to Kishimoto-sensei, no one else.

Me- thank you, Kisame. You can go back to the tank now.

Kisame- awww.

"-How can you do it?"

Hinata cocked her head at him.

"The answer is simple, don't you see it?"

Kisame shook his blue head in confusion.

"You silly squirrel-shark, I can't get mad at you because I love you. Duh."

Kisame's face showed shock. How could this beautiful creature love him? It was such a foreign idea, that he couldn't help but let out a laugh.

Hinata's face colored.

"Why are you laughing at me, Kisa-Chan?"

"Oh, I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you."

"Yea, that excuse would work, except for the fact that I'M NOT LAUGHING!"

"Oh…"

"Jeez, It's like you don't even know what to say! Anything would work, but you have to laugh at me, I don't know why I even said anything at all!"

Kisame froze.

"You're serious, aren't you, about loving me?"

"OF COURSE I'M SERIOUS, YOU BAKA-SHARK!" She barked out angrily. Then in a softer voice, she said, "I'm serious about the butterflies I get in my stomach whenever you smile at me, and I'm serious about the way I feel so safe when I'm around you, and Damnit, I'm serious that something is totally out of wack with me, because whenever I'm with you, I feel so fucking…GIRLY!"

Kisame watched Hinata rant around his room, cursing and pulling at her hair.

Hinata was in full out rant mode now, and about a step away from chucking things across the room.

"Fuck! Why the hell do I have to feel this way? About a damn shark that laughs when you confess to him? I don't know, cuz I'm stupid? Yea, that's it, it has to be it! Shit!, I feel like I'm gunna throw up…No! Don't throw up, it shows weakness! Yea, well, so does telling someone you freaking LOVE them! What was I thinking, I should of just kept my damn mouth shut, he cant possibly feel the same way! What was I thinking? Great, now I'm talking and answering myself! Gods, what am I gunna do? He'll think I'm crazy for sure, oh wait, it doesn't matter what he thinks, he already laughed at me, I'm so fucking stu-"

Kisame cut off her rant with his lips crashing on to hers.

Hinata gasped in surprise, allowing the blue man access, of which he took full advantage.

Hinata's eyes closed at Kisame's touch. She leaned into him, wrapping her slim arms as much around his large frame as she could.

He held her close, but not roughly. He held her as if she were a piece of priceless glass that he would break into tiny slivers if he held her too tightly.

The two parted, and Kisame leaned into her slightly.

Nuzzling her ear, he whispered, "Hime, don't ever think that you are stupid. I simply didn't know what to say. It's not every day that a beautiful girl confesses to you, especially when you are a giant walking blue skinned shark like me. Please don't think I don't care about you. Just, please."

Hinata said nothing, but buried her head into Kisame's shoulder, savoring this warm feeling in her gut that just felt, right.

The pair held each other for what seemed like forever, until they were separated by a loud and slightly angry throat clearing from the doorway.

Itachi stood in the ruined doorway, face impassive as ever.

"Leader is looking for you two. He wishes to have some sort of important meeting, and everyone is to be present."

The way he said this made Hinata's skin prickle. Ever since she had met him, Itachi had never been so monotone, so inhuman. It kind of gave her the creeps.

Kisame nodded, and the three made their way to the large, dark, and extremely important looking meeting place of the Akatsuki.

Inside:

Pein sat at the head of the imposingly long black granite table, flanked by the rest of the Akatsuki. All looked up when the trio came in, and all but Pein and Tobi raised their eyebrows.

"Where where you two?" Pein asked, using his leadery voice again.

"Probably fuckin' in a closet somewhere." commented Hidan crassly.

Pein hummed in annoyance, but said nothing.

Itachi spoke up.

" I found them in Kisame's room, tightly holding one another, whispering sweet nothings into each other's ears. It nearly made my stomach roil in protest." Itachi said in that flat, emotionless voice, betraying nothing of his burning rage inside.

"Wow Itachi, didn't see you for one to be a dick about it." commented Hinata with a glare.

Pein, sensing the building tension in the room, cleared his throat.

"Well, now that all of the conversation is done with, I think we should discuss the Akatsuki's future plans."

"Future plans?" questioned Hinata curiously.

"Yes, the Akatsuki's next goals and such." said Sasori with a wave of his hand.

Hinata eyed Pein curiously. "What is the Akatsuki's next goal?"

Pein stepped forward and leveled her with his Rinnengan gaze. Our next goal is to destroy the Leaf Village.

….

"WHAT!" Hinata shrieked, jumping from her seat between Kisame and Deidara. "Your gunna destroy my village? I was born there, I have a few things I care about there, why would you do that! What the hell man, just, what the hell?"

Pein scrunched up his usually handsome face in confusion.

"Wait, that's not right…Tobi! Where's my itinerary?"

Tobi appears with a large planner and pen, and hastily hands it to his leader.

After some page flipping and a few annoyed grunts, Pein stops.

"Ah-ha! Here is it." he then scribbles something out, and rewrites something on the side.

"Someone forgot to change our world domination plot after our treaty with Leaf. Hehe, sorry about that. Now…"

Pein stepped forward and leveled her with his Rinnengan gaze.

"Our next goal is to…"

A loud explosion shook the compound, interrupting him mid-sentence.

"Goddamnit! We're goind to attack the sound village, ok? Frickin explosions…Deidara! I thought I told you, stop putting fucking bombs in the mailbox! But do you listen? Nooo, who would listen to me? I'm just the LEADER! I'm leader. Boss. Big man on Campus. The Big Cheese. The Man! I'm-"

Everyone else filed quietly out of the meeting room, leaving their delusional leader to his ranting.

Settling in the living room, the Akatsuki lounged on the big leather couches with nothing to do.

Hinata sighed. "I guess we'll just pick up the meeting later, then. Can anyone tell me why we are planning on attacking sound?

Itachi answered her, even though he was still pissed about her and Kisame's "moment".

"The sound village is becoming dangerous. We let it go because Orochimaru feared us and had no reason to attack us. Now, my brother is in charge, and he doesn't have the same fear to bind him. He wants to attack the leaf village for the clan's death, but he also wants to take us out whenever possible. He's acting irrationally, contradicting himself and attacking anyone who vexes him, friend or no. I think if we attack the sound village and take Sasuke alive, sound morale will go down, and they might settle. I think Sasuke's sick. I want to heal him. He doesn't have to be killed."

"That's bullshit, n you know it!" Hidan contradicted.

"That's right, un. The fucker blew off my arms!" Deidara said with a frown.

Tobi stepped forward then, looking much more mature in posture and mood. Even the bright orange zeal of his mask couldn't dampen the power and authority he exuded.

" I think it would be foolish to kill him. He is one of the last Uchiha, after all. Capture first, then we'll figure out what to do with him." His voice was deep and rich, and rang with knowledge that Hinata could only guess at.

Everyone was quiet then, absorbing this new development when there was a loud crash.

Hinata ran to the window to witness another fork of white lightning strike the rock face three miles away.

The Akatsuki weren't all that interested, but Hinata couldn't contain her excitement.

"Wow! Did you guys see that?" she said in awe.

Hidan flipped his hand dismissively.

"Yea, yea, we get freak storms like this all the time. No biggie."

"But lightning is so cool, though!" she gushed, childlike.

"Fuck, your annoying. If you like storms so damn much, go stand in it, why don't you." Hidan said smugly, thinking he finally shut her up. Instead, she agreed.

"OK! See ya later, Hidan-baka!" and she ran from the room.

Later that day:

"Hey, un, anybody seen Hina-Chan?" Deidara asked after a particularly jarring thunderclap.

"Hey yea, I haven't seen her in a while." added Kisame

"WTF dude! A girl finally tells you she loves you, and you don't know where the hell she is?" Itachi questioned sourly.

"Itachi, I think you should back the hell up for a sec. What we said to each other isn't any of your damn business, so just back off. If your not careful, people will start to think your jealous." Kisame shot back with a glare.

Just in time to stop the testosterone-fueled brawl, Kakuzu pops his head around the corner.

"Hidan sent her outside," he said in a bored tone.

"she's probably still out there."

Another crack of lightning erupts from somewhere outside, followed by what Zetsu suspiciously thought was his ex, a large pine tree close by the compound, crashing to the ground.

"She's outside, un?"

"In this weather?"

"I hope Hina-na is ok."

"I'm gunna kill Hidan."

As if he heard his name being called, Hidan came around the corner with a plate of pancakes in one hand and a fork in the other. Sensing the evil glares, he stopped

mid-bite, his fork suspended in the air.

"What?"

"If I hear even one sniffle from her when she gets back, I'll tie you up with your own bloody innards, and throw you into a pool of piranha." Kisame said menacingly

"Yea un, what he said, only I'd wear gloves, cuz that's just nasty. But when the piranha are done with you un, I'll BLOW YOU UP! BWAHAHAHAHAH!"

"O-k, back up off the crazy man." Sasori said as he edged away from his partner.

"Too much?" Deidara questioned.

"Yea, a little."

"Whatever man, she's still out there!" Kisame reminded the group.

"Well shit, go look for her then, ya buncha pussies. What? You too afraid to get wet in the little storm?" Hidan taunted, when in his mind, he was really planning on having the whole place to himself while everyone else goes out "hunting".

"We'll go, un, but you better go too." Deidara said.

"Wha? Why the fuck do I hafta go?" Hidan whined.

Suddenly, Pein appeared.

"No one is going anywhere, I'm afraid. The weather is much to fierce, and if any of you try to disobey my order, I'll have you detained and punished. You all should know that I didn't choose Hinata to fill our ranks just because she's cute, or sexy, or a total babe, or whatever nonsense you all think of her. She's a skilled ninja, and she should be able to find shelter somewhere safe until the storm blows over. That is all." And then he disappeared like the ghost-ninja he is.

"Well fuck, what now?" Hidan said in an annoyed voice.

"Now." Kisame started.

"We wait." Itachi finished solemnly.

With Hinata:

The storm howled voraciously, stripping leaves and felling trees so big Hinata couldn't even put her arms around them, (which doesn't say much, since she's so small anyway, but whatever.)

The pale eyed girl stood in the midst of it all, practically feeding off the tempest's energy. How she longed to spread her arms and fly through the downpour on chakra enhanced leaps and bounds, to feel the sky's sweet tears slick on her skin, but she knew she couldn't. Even a fledgling sparrow knew when bested by the weather.

Hinata sighed then, as a sharp wind tangled her blue tresses around her face. After leaving the compound, she managed to find this little cave. A depression in the rock carved out by many years of elemental abuse.

'Just like me.' she mused.

After so many years of nothing but scorn, of being loved only by her brother and best friend, a new form was born, leaving the old Hinata to be crushed by the weight of time.

She moved to sit down on the cool stone when she heard a noise. Normally, the little sound would go ignored, but Hinata knew this sound. She knew it as well as she knew the blood hammering in her ears.

It was the sound of a blade being drawn.

Quick as a pit viper, she drew two kunai from her holster, and rolled to the darkest corner of the little cave.

Out of the rain appeared a figure dressed in a long black cloak. The hood was pulled up, but the figure held an air of confidence and light hostility that made Hinata tense up. This is no wayward stranger, this person has a purpose.

Slowly the figure looked up, and Hinata was caught in the Sharingan's red night.