posted un-bettaed, so if you spot any errors, let me know.
As always, thank you for your support (and reveiws... ) "You make me like this pairing" is the utmost compliment to a crack writer, and I've received it twice. Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading.
-cp
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She wasn't sure why she was surprised to see him there when she woke up after the deep doze she had fallen into earlier that day, but there he was, stripped down to his undershirt and pants, sleeping in the chair next to her bed. He snored softly as drool colected at the corner of his slightly agape mouth and, as she watched, dribbled down onto his bare shoulder. He snorted and twitched out of sleep, instantly awaked by that barest touch. He looked around blearily, tensed as if ready to strike, before his brain processed where he was and he realaxed.
The light was golden coming in through the lone, high-set window, and she couldn't tell for certain if it was dawn or dusk. He smiled at her, that big cheezy, flash of very white teeth in the yellow light, and she couldn't help but return the grin, albeit much deluited. His smile fadded and he looked guiltily to the side, shoulders slumping. "I..." he started, "I have to tell you something." She watched him attentivly, still not fully trusting her injured voice box. He breathed a deep sigh and ran one rough hand through his scraggly navy hair. "I'm a missing nin." He started, and she raised an eye brow at him, she coughed softly and rasped , "noooooo..." with as much sarcasm as she could muster. He shot her a half-hearted glare, "I'm also...was also part of the Akatsuki..." She rolled her eyes at him. He flushed slightly "Shut up!" she just smiled. He huffed and his lips twitched up breifly before he continued. "I'm being hunted. I ...left...the Akatsuki and they will inevitably bring me down. In fact," he continued, "just my being near you puts you in danger. I left you here, to heal you know? And it wouldn't be right for me to let you die just because I was..." He stopped before saying 'lonely.' She didn't need to know that much. "Because I was used to working with a partner." He amended. "I just wanted to say good-bye."
She tried to gather her voice as he picked up his big black cloak and assorted gear. As he neared the door she finaly managed to choke out "Wait" He paused and turned slowly around, a look of surprise on his face...wait? "You ev..." she swallowed the pain and gasped "ever think how I feel about this?" She paused to catch her breath, "Used to working in a group of at least three? to back me up..." her face scrunched as she swallowed again "could use ...the back-up..." she stuttered, her voice giving out, "if you're not doing anything"
Days passed into weeks, the wounds on her back faded from red to angry pink, just four more scars among tens to adorn her body. With nothing to do they wiled the time away learning about eachother. At first it was just his voice echoing in the room, but as hers healed they learned about eachother. She felt as if she knew him, inside and out, and simutaneously not at all. He laughed softly when he told her she was just as Itachi had said her family was, strong, proud, he had paused, beautiful. And that she was also very different. He smiled as he proved, or disproved, every rumor she had listed about him and his dark haired partner. He had a nice smile.
The last day of her stay he wasn't at her side when she woke up. She blinked and looked around, thinking her eyes must have deceived her, but her sizeable companion was no where to be seen. She shrugged and sat up. She winced as the new patches of flesh pulled tight. It would take some getting used to, and a good deal of stretching, before she was ready for anything any more severe than mild training. She worked the aches out of her disused joints before standing and wandering over to the tea pot on the counter in what she suposed passed for a kitchen-et. She closed her hand over the handle, with every intention of making some lavender and chai, and jerked it back again. Hot? She used the edge of her pajama top, seemingly provided by the hospital, to grasp the top and peak inside. The steam that wafted out was sweet and aromatic and she sighed. Not quite what she had had in mind, but it would do nicely.
As she poured herself a cup she concluded that she must have been woken by the sound of the door closing as Kisame had left. He must have made her the tea in antisipation of her imminent arrival into the realm of conciousness, but shortly after had left. She shrugged. Either he would be back or he wouldn't. She sat down on the rocking chair in the corner of the room, sipping tea, with the day's news in one hand, and tried to tell the bitter lump in her throat that neither it nor the tears that pricked her eyes were welcome.
Neither listened.
