Renai gaped ceaselessly at her pinkette medic.

"You're awake." a soft smile adorned Sakura's face. She came to her side and checked her vitals on the beeping monitor. "How are you feeling?"

"Terrible." Renai spoke in a low,cracked voice, her eyes following every little movement made by Sakura.

Sakura kept the plastic bag on the steel table beside her bed. "That's... expected, I guess. After the trauma you went through today." she grimaced inspecting the dark purple bruises on Renai's neck, recalling the gruesome stunt pulled by Pain earlier that day.

"T-Thankyou." Renai said softly, "...for saving my life."

"Its... Its fine. Don't thank me." Sakura's sombre gaze fixed on the steady heartbeats on the screen.

"What is that?" Renai asks changing the topic.

Sakura follows her line of sight and sighs. She opened the bag, rummaging through its contents. She pulls out two sets of clothes, shampoos, soaps etc. "I guess its all for you." Shrugging absent mindedly, she kept all the things on the table one by one. "You need to take a warm bath and change out of those clothes as soon as possible." Sakura says seeing the pitiful condition of Renai's outfits. Its not healthy for her to stay in those dirty and damp clothes. Especially for her recently treated wounds.

Renai sat up on the bed with some difficulties and picked up one of the two dresses, feeling its soft fabric. "There are two sets." She stated.

"So?"

"I guess...the other one is for you." Renai says eyeing the pinkette's own prisoner like appearance.

Sakura blinks a few times flabbergasted. She looks at her and then at the clothes and other items. Indeed, there were two of everything.

"And you look like... you need it more. No offense." She adds looking away with a slight upward curve of lips.

Sakura gaped at her for a few seconds and then sees her own reflection on the glass paneled window and sweat dropped. "Eh... I suppose you are right." She intoned, smiling sheepishly "we both kinda need it."

After both the girls were done with bathing and changing, Kisame showed up and Sakura wondered if the shark man was waiting outside the door this whole time, standing guard.
Apparently, he was given the task of escorting the girls to their respective rooms.

"And this is where you are expected." Kisame said as the metallic door of the elevator opened to a lavish hallway on the topmost floor of the colossus building. "Go to room number 3." he, not so softly, pushed her out of the metal box as the door closed behind her.

If she wouldn't have landed face-first on the carpeted floor, she could have seen the worried look on Sakura's face as the door of the elevator closed behind her.

"Why did you just leave her there like that?" The pinkette finally voiced her concern after the elevator started moving again.

"Because the Demons who live in that place... scares a Monster like me too, pinkie." The ex-Kirinin answered in a grave, serious voice, his beady eyes fixed on the juncture of the heavy metallic door.

Renai picked herself off the ground after she heard the elevator door close behind her. She turns around seeing the red blinking arrow signifying that the elevator was going down as the numbers on the screen kept changing at a steadily fast rate. She stood there for a little while staring blankly at the decreasing numbers, tightly clutching the hem of her little dress with rose prints all over it. She gulped down her nervousness and turned around when the countdown of the digital numbers stopped at 40. She was now far away from the brief but comfortable company of her recent acquaintance (not Kisame).

There was a sick feeling of constant trepidation as she walked through the spacious hallway. There weren't many rooms on that floor and the hallway was eerie quiet. Even though the place was fairly warm, she felt a wave of chill run down her spine as she reached the door with number 3 marked on it. She fought against the little voice inside her head that screamed for her to run away and hesitantly knocked on the heavy oak door. The door opened slowly, but to her surprise there was no one on the other side.

She cautiously steps inside the room that seemed to have came out of some high society's lifestyle magazine. Everything about this room had a regal vibe to it even though it was very simply decorated. She wondered if just the couch in that room is worth more than the entire house of the Chief of previous village. The same house she wished would burn to the ground.

She kept her hands to herself, afraid to touch anything there, as her eyes took in the rich interior. The most prominent thing about the place was the somberly alluring view of Amegakure showcased through the floor-to-ceiling windows which didn't fail to stir her.

Instinctively, she walked to its brim, mesmerized by the brilliant scenery outside. She watched with the same wonder of that of a child, a ghost of a smile coming upon her lips and eyes twinkling in amazement. The village lit with endless lightbulbs and lamps, in striking contrast with its equally dark surrounding same as the cloud covered skies above. It felt to her as though the entire landscape is shifted upside-down. The stars twinkling on land instead of the sky. There were many other skyscrapers in this metropolis village like the one she was currently in. Only, this one was the tallest. So of course, the view from here was simply stunning. She couldn't help but wonder if one can see the entire Amegakure from up here. How is the view at daytime? Does it change entirely? Does those people on the street look like ants? Can she hear the bustling village from so far up? Can anyone hear her?

"Beautiful. Isn't it?"

She jumped at the sudden interruption of her musings. The same dreadful feeling returning to her with full force which she forgot about for a while.

She gulped down the dry lump in her throat as she heard Pain's footsteps approaching her. She didn't dare to turn, or make any kind of movements at all. It was as if she even forgot to breathe.

"I like this view too. Its so peaceful up here. Don't you agree?" he intoned eyeing her intently.

A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead, travelling its way down the side of her face. She didn't know how to react. Or should she even react? She knew playing possum wouldn't help here here, in this situation.

The little hairs on the nape of her neck prickled as she felt his presence behind her. He pushed all of her slightly damp hair to one side of her neck, resting on her shoulder, leaning close so his breath fanned out across her skin.

"Are you good at keeping secrets, Renai?" he asked, his breath tickling the soft skin of her neck, making it more sensitive than usual. His voice was low and smooth, like a raunchy growl, loose of its previous authorative innuendo.

Renai became stiff as a statue. Her heart beating at such a speed that she thought it might jump out of her chest, tearing through her flesh and bones. She closed her eyes painfully tight, wishing this was all just a dream.

"Answer me, Kitten." Nagato smirked sinking his teeth on the tender, supple flesh of her neck. She whimpered quietly, trembling. "Will you keep a secret for me?" his hands snaked around her petite waist, pulling her comparatively smaller frame closer to his.

Her chest expanded taking in a sudden deep breath, her body responding to the proximity of his by sending goosebumps racing across her skin. She responded to his question in a raspy hum accompanied by a little nod.

She could feel his smirk widening against her skin. In a swift motion he turned her around, trapping her between the cold glass of the window and his own warm body pressing against her.

"Wha-" the words got caught in her throat and mangled themselves into a strangled noise of surprise instead when she saw her captor. This was a different man from whom she had seen before. Completely different. Though he had the same ringed eyes and dangerous aura as the Pain she had encountered before.

How could this be?!

Nagato saw her eyes widening in slow motion. The sapphire orbs filled with questions and bewilderment.

Just like before. He sighed inwardly. Those eyes... They are still just as bright and beautiful.
"Do you know who I am, Renai?" he asked with an indefinable gleam in his purple-ish godly eyes that she couldn't quite place. "Do you remember my name?"

Renai's dubiety only increased with those questions of his. "R-Remember?"
she asked baffled "D-Did I ever knew y-you?"

She saw his facial expression immediately changing into an incomprehensible one. It seemed almost sad. But it was gone as soon as it came, instead being replaced by an enticing devious ghostly smirk.
"Perhaps, this will answer your question." His fingers entangled themselves into her hair, grabbing a fistful. Tilting her head to a comfortable angle, Nagato crashed his lips on hers with searing possession. His passion and hunger exploding with each slow, deep lick as his tongue explored every corner of her mouth.

And yet once again, Renai didn't knew how to react to such boldness. She was perplexed, no doubts. But a fact was that she had never been kissed before. Not as far as she could remember (Which wasn't all that much). At first, she was shocked at being taken by surprise. But, the longer it went, the more she found herself melting into the kiss and eventually kissing him back. Her hand clutched his sweatshirt pulling him closer, and the other one went in his long scarlet hairs, caressing the scalp softly. A low, beastly growl emerging from him resonated throughout her being and her core tightened in response to the roughness of his voice. If only his eyes weren't closed, he could see the faint light glowing wherever he touched her.

It felt like an eternity since they were kissing, but it still wasn't close to being enough. He broke the kiss on the sound of a coded knock on the door, leaving her craving for more.

Deidara walked in a brisk pace covering the distance from elevator to Leader's personal quarters. He knew very well that Nagato said not to disturb him tonight. And it was really late too. But it was an urgent matter that could not wait until morning.

As he reached his destination, he knocked on the door twice-once-twice and then waited patiently for it to open. After a minute or two, the door opened to reveal the Uzumaki he had came to both fear and respect.

"What is it, Deidara?" Nagato asked in not a very happy tone.

"Sorry for the inconvenience, but the night patrolling team found a spy lurking too close to Site-13." Deidara spoke in an even and disciplined manner, a proof of his militarian upbringing. He stood with his legs joined and hands held at back. He was still in standard Shinobi uniform clad with the Akatsuki cloak which meant he was still on duty. "We got him detained in one of the cells. Waiting for your orders." he said with a blank, expressionless face.

"Any idea which village he belongs to?" Nagato asked.

"Presumably Konoha. Though we found no headband or mission scroll or any other documents on him that could confirm it."

"Hm." Nagato contemplated the provided information. "Go get Sasuke Uchiha and meet me at interrogation room 1."

Deidara nodded in understanding and left. Nagato waited until he saw Deidara getting in the elevator and the door closing behind him. He then went towards the stairs. He doesn't need to go too far after all.

It was all black. Nothing but darkness all around. She heard the sound of her own heart pounding in her chest hard and fast. It was almost deafening. She put a hand over it in a childish hope to somehow slow it down. It did nothing to help. Only making it worse because there was a humming in her head. It started out faintly, becoming louder and louder until she crashed on her knees sobbing, palms tightly pressed against the sides of her head covering her ears. But the sound wasn't from outside. It was inside.
It was as too loud, the simultaneous sounds of humming and thumping, driving her crazy.

Then suddenly it stopped. Everything went back to being quiet again. The humming was gone and the thumping slowly coming back to normal, steady beats. She opened her eyes and looked around and a shadow looming over her. It was still dark all around them and the only thing that was visible to her were its eyes. Eyes as red as blood, glowing like sinister flames. Sinful and mesmerizing, is how she would describe them.

The shadow seemed formless in the pitch black surrounding, but its aura was inexplicitely iniquitous. It radiated an ungodly warmth, like the searing flames of hell. The warmth slowly wrapped itself around her, seeping into her skin slowly but surely. But instead of being terrified of it, she found it somewhat soothing and familiar. It settled over her like a heavy blanket and she sighed softly in content. She felt her body being picked up by a pair of strong arms. The same arms wrapped around her tighter, like a protective and comforting embrace.

"My little princess." an ominous whisper echoed in her ear, warm breaths tingling the sensitive skin. It had a sweet undertone which made her heart tug in yearning. "You did a good job."

She could almost feel the wicked sneer in that voice. Her her brows furrowed and lips twitched in confusion.

The owner of the voice seemed to have sensed her perplexity. The same strong arms of the faceless shadow turned her around gently, "Look for yourself, princess."

All of a sudden, there was light all around and the darkness, the shadow and all its warmth was gone. The girl saw the barbaric despoliation she was standing right in the center of.

The decimation she saw made her stomach turn and bile rose up in her throat. Her hands automatically rose to cover her mouth and she saw it covered in vile, thick rustic fluid. The smell of iron and death filled up her nostrils and she felt more sick finding herself soaked in the same rufescent liquid. Screams and sobs choked in her chest when her eyes darted around and all that she could see was death. Flayed, charred and mutilated bodies as far as eyes could see.

The ravenette girl froze on the spot seeing the massacre. Her eyes widened and her whole body trembled in disgust and disbelief. She threw up all that her stomach held ,but all that came out was more blood mixed with saliva. She fell on her knees, only one question she had.

"Who did this?"

A malignant voice inside her head cackled, telling her the answer. But she wasn't ready to believe it.

She watched the rivers of blood. A woman split in half and countless other flayed limps and bleeding bodies. A girl with gaping gash going from her neck to navel, her innards popping out. A body with no head. A head with no body. Some were burnt beyond recognition, and some still ablaze. The smell of burning flesh fresh in air. Some were unfortunate enough to be smashed by boulders completely and were now nothing but a pile of human mush. The more unfortunate ones were partly effected by those same boulders. She could feel the anguish and pain of those as death came slowly for them. It was still evident in their dead eyes. At least those whose eyeballs didn't pop out of their skull. Some drowned and inflated, others were sucked out of life.

'Want to know who did all this?'the wicked crackle echoed in her head again.
'It was you, Renai.'

Renai woke up with a jolt, breathing heavily. A layer of sweat covered her body and were dripping of her forehead and neck. Her heart was racing in unstoppable speed and her body felt numb and stiff. She looks around pulling her damp hairs back and found herself in the same room as last time.

"It was just a dream." She said in shaking voice in an effort to calm her staggered self.
She looked out of the widow across the room, the soft sounds of raindrops pattering against the thick glass soothing her restless heart. This view really does calms me down. She thought with the smallest smile coming upon her lips as she lied down again, snuggled up in the softness and warmth of the blanket and cozy bed.

"Huh?!" her eyes snapped open. "How did I get in the bed!?" she asked quietly, quirking an eyebrow. She distinctly remembered being sitting on the couch, waiting for Pain after he abruptly left after that... incident.
Her face flushed remembering their little make-out session. "I must have fallen asleep there." she mumbled slamming a palm on her hot, red embarrassed face. Both the memories of last night's incidents and the dreadful dream flashing in front of her eyes like a slideshow. She felt tired even though she just woke up.

Her sense of alarm took the best of her when she nearly shot out of bed at the sudden unexpected ringing of the intercom. She looked around the empty room with a hand over her racing heart and breathing heavily, and then at the noisy phone kept on the dresser near the bed like it would jump at her to bite any second. After some thought, she hesitantly picked up the little black wireless phone, pressed the button and bringing it to her ear. "Um...h..hello?" she spoke softly.

"Since you're awake, freshen up and go to the dining area on 40th floor. Itachi will be there. You have 20 minutes." Nagato said and hung up.

"Huuuuuh!" came Renai's intelligent reaction as she looked at the little black telephone in her hand like its a tiny alien with two heads. One thing was sure after all of this.

She does not like being so fucking clueless.

The midnight haired girl wandered around the grayish themed hallways of the 40th floor looking for the damned dining hall she was asked to go to. This whole floor was like a fucking maze to her where every turn, every corridor and every door looked exactly the same. "They could have at least named the rooms. None of these doors even have fucking numbers on them." she stomped her foot on the ground, scoffing. But then having no other option, she sighed tiredly resuming her search. Going around yet another turn, she felt like she might have came to this long corridor before, but it was hard to tell since they all look exactly the same to her. I am definitely lost and going in circles. She sighed inwardly again.

Her paths were lighted from natural sunlight coming from the glass paneled windows at one side of the hallway. Or whatever little semblance of sunlight that could make its way up to here after being obstructed by the heavy cloud cover over this godforsaken village. Man, its depressing. The uniformly constructed windows showed the view of outside, though not as perfectly as the room she was in previously.

Gray. It seemed to be the theme of the entire village and not just this particular building. Gray clouds, gray roads, gray buildings, gray lakes, gray smoke, gray... Everything. She wondered if the grass here would be gray too. And the people.
I don't think its possible for people to be gray. she sweat dropped awkwardly at her own thought.

Walking aimlessly and lost in thoughts, she collided against a broad, firm and muscular back of someone and bounced back landing on her bottom.