"Never let a fool kiss you, or a kiss fool you." – Joey Adams
|Sarada|
I woke up to the sound of coughing beside me, and as I rubbed my eyes, I remembered what I'd last seen and immediately sat up. Beside me was an empty space where Inojin should've been and a quick peek let me know that he hadn't fallen off the bed.
I swung my legs to the side and got up, calling his name, "Inojin?"
Opening my bedroom door, I glanced at the bathroom and saw that the light was off.
'Maybe he went downstairs?' I guessed as I walked down the hall.
By the stairs, I found Mama's room door slightly open, with a crack so small I barely noticed it, but one tap on the door and it immediately swung open. There wasn't a sign that anyone had been here recently, so I knew he couldn't be in here.
Shutting her door, I went downstairs and found the ground floor to be in total darkness. I thought I saw something move down the hall but shook my head and discarded it as my imagination.
"But where the hell is he?" I asked out loud, switching on the hallway light and checking the kitchen.
Had he gotten up and left while I was asleep? Then who had coughed and woken me up? Why was I suddenly in some second-rate horror film?
At night, the whole house gave me the creeps. Once I made sure he wasn't in the kitchen or the living room, I turned off the lights and went back up.
"I guess he did leave." I sighed as I shut my room door.
"Who did?"
I almost jumped into the ceiling before turning around to find Inojin sitting on my bed.
"Kami in Heaven!" I screamed before lowering my hands from their instinctive fighting position. I cast an evil glare on him, "Where were you?"
He yawned, "Using the bathroom."
"No but…when I checked the lights were off."
"You turn on the lights to use the bathroom at night?" He raised an eyebrow as he got up, "What is it? Scared of a monster in the dark?"
"Fuck off." I shook my head, smiling lightly.
"Maybe the Big Bad Wolf?" Inojin spun me around and picked me up, "Or maybe a serial killer waiting in the shower?"
"Come o—stop!" I started to laugh as he tickled me, "And that's actually one of my worst fears!"
"Or maybe a vampire." His hot breath brushed against my ear before I felt his lips on my nape, "Come to suck your blood…"
It sent a tingling sensation down my spine, like the kind Mitsuki gave me when we kissed, but I bit down on my tongue and let it pass.
Laughing it off, I tried to pull away, "Okay mister, you've got all these—"
"Does it have to be him?" Inojin cut me off, tightening his hold on me.
"What?" I asked, trying to look up at him, "What do you mean?"
"Does it have to be Mitsuki?" He asked plainly, resting his chin on my shoulder, "You guys met at the party, right? Did you hook up? Is that how he got to you?"
"Inojin, what're you—"
"I thought about it. There's only one thing to talk about with Sumire. After all, she and Iwabe aren't exactly secretive." He muttered, "Mitsuki did something to you? Made you feel good, that's why you're with him, right?"
"What? No!" I squirmed, "Even if that was the case, what does it—"
"Because that means it doesn't have to be him." He released me and I turned around to look at him, "I can make you feel good, Sarada. I can make you feel really good."
I stepped back and felt the closet door press against me.
'What are you stepping back for?' I chided myself, 'This is Inojin, he wouldn't hurt me.'
It had to be the shabu. I'd managed to subconsciously calm myself while we were joking, but something like that couldn't just go away, especially when he'd only slept for three hours.
"Inojin, you're not thinking straight, okay? It's the drugs, so once you get some more sleep, you'll—"
"It's not the drugs!" He raised his voice, "Fuck, I mean, okay maybe it is but, I've always…felt this way…about you."
"Huh?"
He wiped his face, sweat accumulating on his forehead as he rushed his words, "All this time I've been with you, I tried to let you know without saying it but I guess I'm like Tou-san in the sense that I'm not good at putting my feelings into words; I'm more of an action person. Walking you home from school, getting you food…any time I made fun of you I was trying to—"
"Inojin, you have to slow down." I held up a hand, "I can't understand half of what you're saying."
He grabbed my forearm and yanked me closer to him so that we were barely inches apart, "I love you, Sarada. Break up with Mitsuki and go out with me. It'll be the best decision you've ever made in your life."
I shook my head, "Let's talk about this later. You're practically drenched, come on, go back to bed."
He let go of me to wipe his forehead and when he brought his arm down, it was glistening like a smoked sausage. This was another effect of the shabu, but it was an alarming one.
'When somebody sweats that much in a couple minutes, they can get dehydrated quickly.' I remembered one of Mama's random biology facts.
"Sarada?" He turned to me suddenly, "I don't feel so good."
"Wha—?" As his mouth bulged, I grabbed the waste bin and held it up in front of him just as he cleared out his stomach.
He took the bin from me and continued to hurl, and I opened my closet and grabbed a box of tissues from the top shelf.
"Sarada?" Inojin called me again, and I turned around with the tissues in hand.
"Yeah?" I almost dropped the box when I saw him.
Blood was running from his nose like a leaking pipe, and Inojin set the waste bin down before coming over to me and grabbing some tissues. He plugged both nostrils and I noticed he was slightly swaying as he did so.
'Is this a side effect of shabu? But he should have slept most of it off by now.'
"This way." I took his hand and led him to the bed, laying him down, "Tilt your head like this. No, to the back."
Once I had positioned him the way Mama had done to me once, I stood up, "You need an ice pack. And some water. I'll get you some."
Inojin grabbed my wrist and I looked back, worried that another issue had come up.
"Arigato, Sarada. For taking care of me."
"I told you, Inojin. I…" I hesitated for a moment but decided to go through with it, "I love you. Family, right?"
"I don't—"
"Let me get that ice pack." I yanked my arm free and left the room.
|Sasuke|
"In any case," Kakuzu said as he sat down, handing me a glass of Umeshu, "That's the situation. You in?"
"Pain's asking, right? Do I even have a choice?" Gekkō grumbled, taking a sip from his flask, "How much are we getting for this again? I wanna be sure the money is worth the risk."
"13 Million ryo." Kakuzu smirked, "That enough for you?"
Gekkō scowled, "You know I don't like big shit like this. I may be a thief, but I like a quick in-and-out job. Blowing up a bank and taking hostages isn't in-and-out."
"Relax. We're giving you some men for crowd control, we're buying off the police for delayed response…all things considered, this is the easiest money you'll ever make in your life."
"Except if it was that simple, Pain wouldn't even be asking me." Gekkō crossed his arms, "He wants a the Byakuya Ganga to take the heat."
Kakuzu rolled his eyes, "Is that really a problem? You've been on the police's radar for a while, now you'll just be making headlines."
"Headlines brings tips, tips lead to raids, and raids lead to money lost!" Gekkō slammed his fist down on the bar, "The police are gonna be all over us!"
Kakuzu's phone vibrated and he brought it out to read a text message. Shortly after, a grin broke out on his face.
"Looks like the police will have more pressing matters to attend to than a bank heist." Kakuzu looked at me, "Misaki-san really pulled through."
My confusion must have been etched onto my face because Kakuzu sat up, "Wait, she didn't tell you?"
Gekkō looked between the two of us, "Who's Misaki?"
Kakuzu jerked his thumb at me, "His wife. She went out this morning with two of our guys to smooth over some negotiations with the Mujina Bandits."
Gekkō made a face, "Shojoji's a sleaze bag, your wife's got bigger balls than most me 'cause if I were a woman, I wouldn't be caught dead in a room with him."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
Kakuzu and Gekkō exchanged looks and Gekkō cleared his throat, "Ah, y'know, there's no use in talking about him since she already did her job. She'll probably tell you about it when you get back. I wouldn't want to poison your mind or anything."
"You already poured two drops, why not empty the cup?" I crossed my arms, looking from one to the other.
"Not when I know how you care about your wife." Kakuzu shook his head, "The last thing I need is for you to storm overshooting because of some rumors."
I stood up, "If you two aren't going to tell me, I'll find someone who will."
"Ah, alright, alright!" Gekkō groaned, and I sat back down, "This guy…why do you even, ah fuck it. The man's a rapist, in my opinion, at least."
"What?" I turned to Kakuzu and Kakuzu nodded.
"Although they never press charges, none of his victims would be able to get him due to his methods." Gekkō continued, "I think the fancy detective word is coercion? First, he's all sweet about it, then when they say no, he brings up their jobs, their aspirations, and they give in."
I tightened my fist, "He sounds like scum."
"He is scum." Kakuzu agreed, "There are three main reasons for theft: greed, women, lifestyle. Some just want what others have, some want to indulge, and Gekkō and I want a private island to fly to if shit hits the fan."
"I'm guessing Shojoji wants to indulge."
"Yes, but he's…the worst kind of indulger." Kakuzu lifted his beer to his lips, "When the three of us were younger, we met in our early stages, and I knew he was weird. But he was poor and weird, with no connections, so women didn't stand for his shit."
"We should've turned him in at the start." Gekkō grumbled, "The thing about thieves is they can turn a cent to a, a dollar to ten, and ten to a thousand. Once he got off the ground, he never saw it again, and that's when we really started to hear stories about his…engagements."
I nodded, "I don't know why you guys wanted to keep this from me. All I'm hearing is he's a scum bag, I've met plenty of those. But Misaki can handle herself, she'd never allow him within two feet of her personal space."
"Are you sure she wouldn't compromise for a mission? They went there to negotiate and knowing him, he probably told her to stirp, and he'd agree to anything we have for him." Kakuzu mused.
"But she went there with two guys. Is he so brazen that he would try that in front of them?" I questioned.
"She's not their wife, it's not their job to protect her." Gekkō chuckled, "They were told, get Shojoji to say yes. You think if he shows interest, they won't tell her to take one for the team?"
"No…well, they could tell her but…she wouldn't do it." I was beginning to feel sick about the situation.
"Really?" Kakuzu perked up, "She'd rather come back and tell Pain that Shojoji asked her for sex and she couldn't bend her code? Then have that reflect on you?"
"Me?" I pointed to myself, "Where do I come in all this?"
"You're one of the Gedo." Gekkō nodded at the ring Pain had gifted me, "Paint rusts you, and she's your wife so in a sense, Pain trusts her to do whatever is best for the group, whatever gets his tasks done. She comes back and says she couldn't bust it open—"
Kakuzu choked on his drink, and turned to the side, coughing.
"Anywho, if she comes back and says that, Pain might not discipline her out of respect for you, but your rank starts to go down." Gekkō took a swig of his flask, "I'm gonna guess that you didn't marry a dunce. So would she have all this on her mind and still say no?"
I couldn't answer, a large part of me fearing that he was right.
'Not to mention I said something insensitive last night.' Karin had tried to play it off like she wasn't fazed, but after our talk at the drugstore, I'd come to be made aware of how my comments messed with her mind.
Kakuzu placed a hand on my shoulder, still wheezing, "See why we didn't tell you? No point in mulling over it when we got confirmation that everything went through."
Gekkō got up and went around the bar to grab another bottle, "Get it out of your mind. She's your wife, yeah? You trust her, yeah? Then she's fine."
"Mm." I stared into my glass, "She's fine."
|Karin|
"Misaki-san." Suigetsu entered the bathroom, "I managed to get something. The clothes are here on the toilet seat."
"A-Arigato." I thanked him as I shut the hot water off.
I grabbed a towel from the rung and patted myself dry as I stepped out of the shower. I lifted up the extra-large brown tee and wrinkled my nose at the black basketball shorts. The clothes Suigetsu had brought me weren't exactly fashionable but their smell hadn't been tainted, and that was enough.
Catching a glance of myself in the mirror as I pulled the t-shirt over my head, my eyes immediately went to the cut above my right eyebrow, and I saw that it had managed to reopen. Blood was slowly tinkering down the side of my head, reminding me of how Jun had looked that day. We even had our wounds in the same area.
'So, it happened again.'
The bathroom started to shake, or maybe it had been me. Whatever the case, I managed to open the bathroom door and get out into the motel room.
"How are the clothes? Do they—" Suigetsu cut himself off as I fell forward, and he scampered to catch me.
"Misaki-san? Oi! Get a hold of yourself!" His gaze went to my wound and he cursed, "Shit. Jūgo! Jūgo, get me a…"
Somehow, it was like I had been submerged underwater. I could hear his voice, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. Jugo had come into the room now, and he motioned for Suigetsu to move as he picked me up and set me on the bed.
I tried to sit up, but my arms had no strength. Suigetsu shook his head at me, signaling for me to stay down and he turned to talk to Jūgo. My eyes began to shut as I watched them converse, and when they finally closed, I wished Buddha would've opened them again.
It was a dream of what had happened at Shojoji's house.
We met Kokuri the butler and I saw Shojoji for the first time and noted that he was large, very large with yellow, almost green hair that was styled in an absurd Mohawk, paired with sideburns and a muttonchop. There were some hairs on his chin but either he had failed to grow or beard or he had been pleased with his out of touch style.
I had thought that he couldn't decide which era he was in. The gold chain around his neck screamed that he was dying to be a youngster of this time, the beard and his suit belonged in the early 20s, and his hair was something out of this world.
He'd welcomed us in and the first thing I noted about him was his weird way of speaking. He sounded like a radio host from the 1950s, and when he invited us to dinner with, "come along," I tried to get Suigetsu's attention for a joke, but he was stone cold.
That was the first sign.
We sat down to dinner and Suigetsu tried to bring up the topic of business but Shojoji had said he "wasn't one to talk on an empty stomach." He sure had a lot of words for me though. While we were waiting for his servants to prepare the food, he interrogated me about my connection to Akatsuki and what a "pretty woman" was doing with them?
I'd explained that Sasuke and I had joined together and when Shojoji quipped that Sasuke "couldn't have been very smart" for allowing me along, I had started to rebuttal but Suigetsu shot me a look and I let it fly.
Kokuri entered the dining room followed by four servants with trays of rice, fish, broccoli, and beef. Two bottles of wine were set down in front of us, and the servants left as quickly as they had come. Suigetsu and Jūgo hijacked the conversation from then on, and I ate in silence.
Somehow, Shojoji managed to keep his eyes on me while talking to them and his eyes seemed especially invasive whenever I poured myself some wine, so I never let my glass leave my sight.
It was sometime after I'd finished my second glass that Kokuri came in and whispered something to Shojoji. His lips twitched as if he wanted to smile, but instead he frowned before turning to me.
Forget a sign, that was a red flag, but I had caught that one.
Shojoji had said that his daughter upstairs was "in need of assistance" and that if I could help for a moment, he would greatly appreciate. I turned to Suigetsu, hoping he would see the obvious plot, but Suigetsu mouthed for me to "go."
"It's his daughter. You help her, you leave." His eyes seemed to be saying, and I reluctantly followed Shojoji.
Once we were in the hall, he told me that his daughter's problem was feminine related, and I foolishly softened my stance. I climbed the steps with him, and he pointed to a room down the hall. I looked around and found a little girl's room, but the style of it was odd.
Instead of it being like that of a middle schooler's, I was guessing the girl was in first grade due to the stuffed animals in a heap on the floor, as well as the picture books on the shelf. Another thing set off alarm bells — there was no girl.
Shojoji shut the door and I cursed myself as I turned to him. He grinned and walked past me before taking a seat on the twin-sized bed. He sarcastically commended me for having fallen for his trap, and then moved on to what I knew he was after.
After ordering me to sit beside him, he lifted his hand to caress my hair and told me that if I let him feel me up for five minutes, I would be free to go and Pain could count on him for his support. I declined and he swore on his honor that it would only be five minutes. When I still declined, he wondered aloud whether Pain would be happy with me after hearing he said no.
I placed my hand on my stomach and almost vomited as I gave him permission. The first thing he did was uncross my legs, saying he "wanted to see all of me."
Once his hands touched my thighs, I shut my eyes and began to count the five minutes. I thought I could endure, I knew I could endure, that is, until my arms uncrossed themselves and fell to my side. I wondered what could be going on as I tried to cross my arms again, but they wouldn't budge. And this wasn't because of my nausea, it was like they refused to listen to me.
Shojoji chuckled as he touched my face, saying that he was wondering when the drugs were going to kick in. I asked him to explain and he smartly stated that he'd drugged my wine but feared it would take too long to show up, and that thanks to my minutes of refusal, they had worked.
This made no sense. I had watched my glass, all night. Shojoji laughed, telling me that I had watched my glass to see if there would be something in the wine, I didn't think to check the glass itself. "Articaine and a Quaalude" were coated on the inside.
I was unable to offer up much resistance as he laid me down, then watched in horror as he unbuttoned his pants. He told me not to worry, that he would use protection, he would be gentle, and that I would like it. I gritted my teeth.
How many times had I heard that at Shiawase? Too many times to count. All I knew was that it was all lies. All men ever did was lie.
Shojoji pushed my pants down to my ankles before pressing his hand against me. I shiver and tried to cross my legs, and very weakly, they shifted but Shojoji pressed them apart again, telling me not to be obstinate.
Once he slipped the first finger in, I asked myself if, 20 years later, I was still powerless to do anything. My joining the police force, working my way up the ranks, I did all of that just to be made helpless again?
After a few moments of molestation, he positioned himself in between my legs and pushed forward. Arching my back as the tip came in, I lost it. It didn't matter that my arms felt like balls, it didn't matter that my stomach was eating itself, I couldn't let this happen again.
I turned my head and bit his arm as I clawed my hand down his face. He cursed and tried to restrain me, but I wasn't backing down. I took a jab at his eyes and he moved back, yelling.
"Would you…" I heard something get grabbed off the shelf before something heavy hit my forehead, "Stop that?!"
The sudden strength I'd mustered from adrenaline went away like the morning dew and I went limp. Shojoji muttered that I had ruined everything, then cursed again as he touched my head, saying that I was bleeding.
That meant nothing to him though, as he repositioned himself and prepared to enter me again. I gave up and shut my eyes tightly as tears came streaming down my face. I surmised that I must have been destined for this and prepared for it to happen again.
Just as he began to enter, the door burst open and he stopped, turning to ask which servant had dared to interrupt.
"ARE YOU CRAZY?" Suigetsu yelled, yanking Shojoji off of me.
Shojoji tried to hurriedly explain that it wasn't what it looked like, but Suigetsu cut him off with a punch. My eyes switched to Jūgo entering the room. He dressed me quickly and picked me up, realizing that I was unable to move.
"You drugged her?" Suigetsu asked him when he saw Jūgo carrying me, "You fucking drugged her?"
Suigetsu kicked Shojoji while he was on the ground, and as Jūgo left the room, the last thing I saw was Suigetsu stomp on Shojoji's head.
"Misaki-san, can you talk?" Jūgo asked, and I nodded, but when I tried to speak, no sound could come out.
My throat had clammed up and instead all I could do was cry. Jūgo apologized solemnly as he took me to the car, and once he set me down in the backseat, he closed the door and told me he would be right back.
I wanted to tell him to stay, to not leave me alone, but I couldn't speak, and I couldn't grab him. I sat in the car in silence and prayed that either of them would come back soon. Buddha heard my prayers, because moments later, Suigetsu strolled to the car, wiping his hands with a red handkerchief.
As he got closer, I realized the handkerchief wasn't naturally red, it had been stained by blood, some of which was still on Suigetsu's hands. He got into the passenger seat and Jūgo got into the driver's.
"Drive normally." Suigetsu said quietly, and as I lost consciousness, I remembered he had said the same words in junior year.
"…san…Misaki-san…" I woke up to someone shaking me and instinctively sat up, breathing heavily.
"Hey, it's me." Suigetsu rested his hand on my shoulder as I recognized him, "I didn't mean to scare you, I just…" He brought out a bandage roll.
I nodded and swung my legs over the side of the bed, and he stood up and began to wrap my head. It was quiet, too quiet, and I asked where Jūgo had gone to snap the tension.
"Ah, I sent him to get some ibuprofen." He clapped his hands as he finished up his handiwork, "Does it still hurt?"
"I've been through worse."
At that, Suigetsu clasped his hands together and bowed before me, "Gomen, Misaki-san. Hontōni, gomen. If I hadn't encouraged you to go upstairs…no, if I hadn't brought you along—"
"Stop." I place my hand on my stomach as I remembered, "It wasn't your fault. I had a feeling he was…anyway, it wasn't your fault."
He raised his head, "But he almost raped you."
When I heard that word, I closed my eyes and looked away.
"Misaki-san?" Suigetsu's voice got closer as he stood up, "He didn't get to do anything, right? I got there just in time, didn't I?"
"He…before, he put the tip in so yeah you basically…" I trailed off as tears began to pour out of my eyes, "Gomen, uh, you're right, he didn't get to do anything…"
"No, don't apologize." Suigetsu hugged me, sending shivers down my spine, "It doesn't matter if it was just the tip, nothing was supposed to happen."
I raised my hands to hug him back and my conscience stopped me, 'What are you doing? You have Sasuke-kun. What good will it do if you give Suigetsu the wrong impression?' I dropped my hands as Suigetsu pulled back.
"Anyway," Suigetsu continued, "He's gone now, and you won't ever have to worry about him."
"You…killed him?" I asked as I sniffed, recalling the bloody handkerchief he had been wiping his hands with.
He nodded, his purple eyes staring firm, "That guy's had it coming for a long time. The world won't miss him."
"No, no, Suigetsu…w-what about Pain's plan?" My throat began to clam up again, "How are we supposed to…?"
"It's fine, it's fine." He waved his hand, "That fat fuck's lieutenant Tsukiyo, showed up after and he agreed to help. He said it was the least he could do after his sudden promotion…Misaki-san?"
I wiped my eyes, "You shouldn't have killed him…you shouldn't have…"
Suigetsu took a seat beside me, "I'm a yakuza, Misaki-san. Killing is nothing, especially a guy like this. Besides, your husband's done it too."
"…What?" I looked at him in disbelief.
"You don't know?" His eyes widened as he covered his mouth, "Shit, I shouldn't have…"
"What are you talking about?" I asked, my hands trembling as I recalled my conversation with Sasuke last night, "Toshiaki-kun would never—"
"Forget what I said." He cut me off, "I might have the details wrong, if you ask him, he'll give you the whole story."
Jūgo unlocked the door just as Suigetsu finished talking, and I stood up and took the bottle of pills from him.
"Then let's go." I took two tablets of ibuprofen dry.
Suigetsu started to protest, saying I should rest, but I shook my head.
"I want to see my husband."
|Sasuke|
I turned around when I heard the door open and watched as Karin dimly lit the lights. I started to get up from the bed, but she held a hand up.
"Stop." Setting down her purse and a paper bag with some clothes, she closed the door and came around the side of the bed, "Move over."
I obliged and noticed her head was wrapped in bandages, "What happened?"
She said nothing and got in bed, turning her back to me.
"Misaki." I called her by her false name but got no response.
'Why is she acting like this?' I wondered.
I hadn't figured out where all the bugs were in this room, so I lowered my mouth to her ear before whispering, "Karin, talk to me."
She turned around and I saw that her face was slightly red around her cheeks, and her eyes were puffy as if she had been crying. She looked at me for all of about two seconds before she shut her eyes.
"I'm really tired, we can talk in the morning." She said, her lower lip quivering.
"No, we can't." I lowered my voice, "And I thought you said you were running an errand for Pain, why didn't you tell me you'd be negotiating with some big guy, Shojoji's his name? I had to find out from Kakuzu and his connect, and they had a lot to say about him."
"I didn't know…well, what does it matter? I got the job done, didn't I?" Her brows furrowed in anger, "Do I have to tell you everything? You didn't mention Kakuzu to me."
"Are we really going to play this game?" I asked as I sat up, "I didn't know I would be talking to Kakuzu until way after you'd left. Why are you acting like this? Did something happen with Shojoji."
Again, when I mentioned his name her eyes flinched, and I thought back to all the things I'd heard about him from Kakuzu and Gekkō.
"He…Did he do something to you?" I questioned as the possibility suddenly dawned on me.
I had considered it while in Kakuzu and Gekkō's presence, but on the way back I'd managed to convince myself that Karin would never allow herself to be in that position. Even if she was willing to take the risk, I wouldn't want her to.
Karin sucked in a sharp breath, "Nothing…really…"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
She turned away from me again, pulling the covers over her shoulder, "Toshiaki-kun, please, I'm tired."
"Tell me what happened." I persisted, "I've heard he's a scumbag with women. Did he…" I swallowed hard, "Did he rape you?"
"N-No…"
'She stuttered. She only stutters when she's overwhelmed or lying.'
"Please Misaki, tell me." I brushed her hair back behind her ear, "I'm here for you, just confide in me."
"…love me." She murmured to herself and lowered my head to hear her.
"What was that?" I asked tenderly.
She threw off the covers and got up, "Bathroom. I need to use it." She squeezed my hand as she got up, and I realized it was an invitation.
Once we were both inside, I turned on the shower for good measure and turned to her. She was at the sink, splashing warm water on her face and scrubbing extravagantly.
"Karin, what happened?" I immediately asked her, and she shut off the sink.
Taking a towel from the hand rack, she wiped her face and turned to me with a slight smile, "Ah, nothing really happened. I was just upset from something Suigetsu had said later. Really, Shojoji wasn't a big deal. He was creepy, but I got through it."
I knew for a fact she was lying. To the untrained eye, her smile and visage may have been genuine, but the corners of her eyes didn't crinkle in accordance with her lips. They should've if this was a genuine smile, but a forced one only works on the mouth. Her lips may have been curled up, but the rest of her face told a different story.
"Don't lie." I held her arms, "What is it? He touched you? Molested you? Raped you?"
She shoved me off of her, "You're really persistent, Sasuke-kun. I said nothing happened, so nothing happened. Why do you keep trying to…"
Tears streamed out of her eyes and she cursed herself, "Trying to…"
I pulled her into a hug and patted her back, "Daijōbu. Daijōbu."
She hugged me tightly and cried into my chest, before pouring out the truth, "He got me alone in a room and he said to let him feel me up or he wouldn't work with Pain and then he drugged me and he got on top and he started to put it in but Suigetsu came before he could really do anything…I was so scared, Sasuke-kun. I…"
I tightened my grip on her and nodded my head, before trying to figure out why she had taken so long to confide in me, "Why didn't you tell me when I asked? Because of the bugs?"
Sniffling, she held my shirt, "I'm not…I'm not your wife. This is just a mission, we're just an act. But even an act has its rules. I thought that if you knew what had happened and you knew what he'd done, you wouldn't…wouldn't wanna be around me anymore."
I was shocked, "Karin, do you think I'm that callous? Even if this is an act, I still care about you."
She pulled back and looked up at me, her crimson eyes still glassy from crying, "Do you really?"
"I do…" I assured her as our lips drew closer, 'I care about her, but what the hell am I doing?'
I didn't know, and once our lips touched, I didn't care. Hers were plump and soft, and with a little push, my tongue was pressing against hers as it entered her mouth. How long had it been since I'd had a sensual kiss like this? Ino's dinner? When I'd told Sakura I was leaving?
'Sakura.' I remembered her and started to pull back, but as our kiss intensified, I pressed forward again.
"Sasuke-kun…ahn…" Karin moaned my name, "Sasuke-kun…"
'Am I an animal?' I asked myself as I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close, 'With a wife and daughter at home, am I still going to do this?'
I backed Karin up against the door and held one of her hands over her head before continuing our kiss. A lengthy erection had grown while our lips were entwined, and it was starting to get uncomfortable. I lifted one of her legs onto my shoulder and pressed myself against her. At this, she broke off the kiss to let out a shaky breath.
"Ha…ha…" She exhaled heavily and I touched my forehead to hers.
"We shouldn't do this." I said aloud, partly to convince her, but also to convince myself, "We shouldn't…"
I trailed off as Karin lifted my hand to the side of her face, and closed her eyes, holding it there.
"Now I'm sure of it." She nodded, lowering my hand, "Since I was 15, every time a man touched me my body would shut down. Even with Suigetsu, things didn't change. But when I'm with you, I don't feel like that."
"Karin…"
"You're married." She nodded sadly, "I know. Sakura-san's a great woman, and she's got a wonderful husband who'd never betray her. I just…wish I had met you first."
What could I say? With nothing that useful to respond with, I kept quiet.
She pushed me back and opened the bathroom door, "Gomen, Toshiaki-kun."
I turned off the shower before following her out of the bathroom.
"Ka-Misaki," I grabbed her wrist, "I'm still…here for you, you know? I…love you."
Karin smiled that fake smile of hers, "I love you too. But let's be in bed and in love, okay?"
I climbed into bed beside her and she pressed her back against my chest. Before I would've hesitated, but this time I put my arm over her like it didn't matter and pulled her close.
"Goodnight, Misaki."
Karin squeezed my hand, "Goodnight, Toshiaki-kun."
|10 Minutes Later|
Though we'd said our goodnights, my brain was still wide awake, as well as my lower region. Karin's lips were fresh on my mind, and with her body pressed up against me, I was up against a constant stimulation. I slowly slipped my arm out from under Karin and started to get up.
"Wait." She held me back, "You can't sleep either, right?" Her eyes drifted to my erect member, and I cleared my throat.
"Gomen, it's been bothering you, hasn't it? I was going to take care of it." I apologized.
She kissed me before saying, "Why don't I help you?"
"Misaki…" As I shook my head, Karin tugged me on top of her and threw her arms around my neck, pulling me down on top of her, "We discussed this."
"I know but…just this once." Karin said, lifting her knee to my groin, "Just this once, and never again."
She kissed me again, this time entangling her fingers in my hair, and I could feel her legs wrapping around my waist and trying to pull me in. Tugging my shorts down, I felt for her entrance and prepped her with two fingers, drawing some vocalizations.
Once I felt my fingers had become sticky enough, I held my member and guided it to her entrance. Lust was flowing through my body, but I had enough sanity to confirm.
"Are you sure about this?" I questioned Karin, giving her enough time to say no and save both of us.
She nodded, "I'm sure."
With that, everything else was pushed to the back of my mind as I slowly entered her.
|Karin|
Pleasure. Pain. Promises. These three things hit me once Sasuke pressed forward.
He was gentle, and slow, a fact I was grateful for. Every other experience I'd had, men just wanted to rush right in. But I felt bad for him, maybe if he had just slammed it in, he would've gotten some kind of relief before I kicked him off.
I didn't even realize that I did it or that I had frozen up until he snapped me out of my trance. What had I seen in the meantime? Zōsui, and I'd recalled my first time.
"Gomen." I bowed before Sasuke as I got off the bed, grabbing a bathrobe from the couch, "Gomen, hontōni."
"Ka-Misaki, wait!"
I closed the room door on him before he could follow and sped down the hallway to the elevator. But on second thought, I took the stairwell and raced to the ground floor. Patting the pockets of my bathrobe, I was glad to have found a pair of car keys.
Deidara had gifted us an Akatsuki car, and finally, I was going to use it. Except for the night's watch, there was nobody in the lobby. After all, it being 3 a.m., the only people up at this hour were workaholics or lunatics.
'And I know where I stand.' I thought to myself.
"Misaki-san." A voice called out to me just as I reached the main door, and I turned to see who its owner was.
A lavender-haired woman with sharp grey eyes stepped off the wall. Why was she vaguely familiar to me? As I racked my brain for answers, I realize she was the Konan Sasuke had told me about.
"I know how you're feeling." She took one of my hands and clasped it tightly, "But don't leave, at least, not how you are right now. Come, stay with me a bit."
My suspicion must've been written on my face because she smiled lightly, "Heh, I don't bite. Come on."
She tugged me to the elevator and once we were inside, pressed the door close button twice, the alarm button once, then looked at the floor counter. A green light scanned her retina and the door shut properly. Even though we were already on the lowest floor, we started going down. And we went down for a long time.
The elevator finally stopped and when the doors whirred open, I found myself looking at an underground laboratory, the type that you only saw in the movies. But instead of smelling like disinfectant and metal, it smelled like mangos.
"Lady Konan, what is this place?" I asked as I stepped out beside her.
She raised an eyebrow, "You mean your husband hasn't told you already?"
At the mention of Sasuke, I lowered my eyes, but she took my hand again, "Gomen, that was insensitive of me. If you knew, you wouldn't be asking. This is a lab my…husband built. I come down here when I want to be alone."
"But…you brought me?" I tilted my head in confusion.
"Because I heard you and your husband's situation." She led me to an office-like room and went over to a coffee machine in the corner, "I've been in similar positions myself. I had a feeling you'd try to leave, and I hoped to intercept you beforehand."
She turned the coffee machine on and inserted a French vanilla pod, "I hope you'll humor me this time."
"Of course, but…you heard?" I feigned ignorance of the bugs and put on my best innocent look.
Konan looked to the side, "I…may have done something inappropriate in a moment of rage, of fear, and I haven't been able to fix it…Ahem, in any case, I know it's not easy, rejecting your husband's advances. But it's even worse when it's not on purpose."
I thought of Sasuke again but quickly shook him out of my head as I sensed a way for me to grow closer to her.
"Have you also turned down your husband, Lady Konan?" I questioned, my eyes watching her figure for a change in body language.
She took a seat, "Many…many times…Maybe this is oversharing, but we haven't slept with one another in three months."
"Why?" I covered my mouth as I realized I had asked too quickly.
"I just…can't." She shrugged her shoulders as she placed a mug under the machine, "But I don't want to let him down every time so if he says he wants to do it, I try and do him with my mouth or my hands. But penetration…makes me sick."
'That makes two of us.' I nodded in empathy, "Toshiaki-kun and I are on the same path. Even when I want him to do it, my body has other plans."
Konan handed me a mug of coffee, "At least you two are still cordial. I've been fighting Pain constantly now, and I'm sure this is partly the reason why. He can say he doesn't care or that he wants me to be happy, but I know this is taking a toll on him."
I took a sip of the coffee before holding it out to her in a toast, "Cheers to two wives that can't have sex with their husbands."
She clinked her mugs with me, "How will we ever survive?"
I looked at my darkened reflection in the coffee and watched it morphed into the thirteen-year-old me, "Yeah. How will we ever?"