(Author's Note at the end)

Blood Doesn't Mix With Roses

Chapter 2

'Love Rhymes With a Hideous Car Wreck

Hidan, Tobi, and an asleep Sakura finally came in sight of the cave that they were currently using as headquarters, and Tobi cringed, seeing as Pein was standing on the grass in front of the cave, glaring at them with his silvery ringed eyes.

"You're late" he stated simply, his emotionless voice showing no hidden emotion, no emotion at all.

"Tobi is sorry, Leader-sama! It won't happen again! Tobi is a good boy, really!" Tobi rushed, trying to save his hide, trying the classic 'Tobi is a good boy!'.

"Psh. Yeah, sorry Leader. Can I go in now? This bitch is getting heavy as hell" Hidan said, shifting the asleep kunoichi for emphasis, trying to find a more comfortable position. Seriously, who wants to carry a bubblegum haired chick who is worthless for everything except for sacrifices to Jashin? Not Hidan.

"Yes, Hidan, you may go in"Hidan rolled his eyes, his attitude becoming slightly less annoyed. But directed to Pein, he mumbled "Annoying dumb fucking prick"under his breath.

The silver haired man started to walk inside the cave.

The orange haired finger held up his finger for pause, so Hidan stopped briefly, huffing in annoyance.

However, Hidan, as a consequence of being late, when the retrieval mission was given to you, under the pretenses that you will not be late and she will not be harmed, you mustput her in your room as punishment"

Hidan groaned, and let out a long string of curses under his breath. He stayed put, though, sensing that there was more to his punishment, and he didn't want to further the consequences by ignoring his 'Dickweed of a leader'

"You also have bathroom and kitchen duty for a month, including cooking meals and shopping for supplies, getting all the money for that from Kakuzu"

Hidan stared at Pein in horror.

"There is no. fucking. WAY that ill ask that asshole for money! And even if, Jashin-sama forbid, I had to get on my knees and beg for it, the bastard wouldn't give it to me anyway" Hidan stated, looking smug, since he thought that he had won the argument.

"True. But you must get money from him nonetheless. And if you don't...well...Hidan...there are ways to cause pain that don'tinvolve feeling the sting. Such as Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan. Ive seen the horrors that it can create in one's mind"

Hidan whimpered at the thought, then prayed to Jashin-sama that this was all a dream. Then he gloomily dragged himself and the sleeping pinkette into the maze of scantily lit tunnels and caverns.

Pein then turned his eerie ringed eyes to Tobi, looking at him in a nonchalant manner.

"And you, Tobi, will clean Deidara, Kisame, and Zetsu's rooms for a month, as well as laundry duty" he ordered, naming the three messiest rooms and the horrifying laundry room.

"Yes, Leader-sama!" Tobi replied, glad that the punishment wasn't too serious, at least not as serious as Mr. Masochist's was.

Tobi then skipped inside, heading to the old janitor's closet at the end of the hallway that was home to all of the Akatsuki's bedroom entrances.

The swirly-orange masked man took out a mop, a bucket of water, Scrubbing Bubbles, and a giant scrub brush. He even went so far as to change into the old janitor's suit, which was slightly bloodstained from the 'mysterious' disappearance of the previous janitor.

Then he went off, skipping to Deidara's room. As soon as he opened the door, Deidara knew that Leader was behind it, and was instantly plotting revenge on Pein, for making him endure the hours of non-stop chattering coming from the spiky-haired man.

XXXX

Hidan and Sakura had a relatively easy-going captor-captive relationship. She would wake up every morning and examine him from her viewpoint from his dark gray couch, and he would wake under her gaze, smirk, and say something along the lines of 'I know I'm sexy, bitch, but its not very polite to mentally undress someone, whether they are in fucking dream-land or not', and Sakura would reply with something like 'I wasn't mentally undressing, ogling, or doing ANYTHING along those lines. Jeez, I'm just merely examining my captor'. He would just smirk, in his all-knowing way, and accept her answer, deciding to humor her.

Then they would take turns in the shower, dressing in the bathroom so as not to make either of them uncomfortable, and he would attach a chakra leash to her, tie the end of it around his wrist and the other around hers, and he would drag her to breakfast in the relatively small kitchen, whether she was awake or not.

Their days continued like that, Sakura occasionally worrying over the goings-on of the shinobi world outside the cave.

When Hidan left on a mission, he would leave her with either Deidara or Kisame, who she had grown close with quickly.

Deidara was passionate about his art and compassionate about the ones around him, even if he preferred not to show it, and hid it well behind his poker-masks and his annoying smug, cocky attitude And he was a very good listener, and Sakura would find herself pouring out her troubles to him without hesitation, and receiving insightful advice in return. And it went both ways. The two would also make digs at each other, and get each other all worked off and pissed, but then they would laugh it off until they fell over comically, where they would just laugh harder and harder until they just plain couldn't breathe. They developed an almost brother-sister relationship.

Kisame was the second choice for 'babysitting', as Sakura called it. He was easy to get along with, cracking jokes at anyone and everyone's expense, though no one was offended by them. Even though the jokes sometimes held hidden meanings or a sadistic edge. Their relationship was relatively brother-sister as well.

And Sakura and Hidan...well...lets just say that Hidan got very attached to the pinkette, though he wouldn't let it show at any costs, because it would probably be considered a scratch to his stupid male pride, or a sin to his god.

Yes, they usually argued over minor things, and then he would casually insert an invitation to join him in his bed, or join him for a ritual, because 'IT just feels so damn good, like he was fully alive for the first time, every time'

Which Sakura refused with a polite 'no', and if he insisted and tried to force her, he would usually find himself embedded in the wall.

Yes, it was a relatively peaceful captor-captive relationship.

XXXX

'Dammit!' Hidan thought, strolling through the bustling streets of the marketplace.

Sakura had been with the Akatsuki for a few months now, and her birthday was tomorrow. All of the Akatsuki had gotten her something, even Kakuzu, for Jashin-sama's sake! All, except for our favorite Jashin follower named Hidan.

So that's how he ended up here, in a marketplace full of heathens and hypocrites, to find a last-minute gift for the Akatsuki's prisoner/captive/almost trusted person/friend.

The silver haired man scanned each of the vendor's stalls quickly for something suitable, something that screamed 'SAKURA!', but didn't see much.

There was a colorful fine clothes shop, but he knew she wasn't crazy about clothes, so he didn't bother even scanning the racks. There was a book store, but he could tell that there were no heavy tomes on medical jutsu, which she absolutely adored. He knew that there would only be travel guides, tourist things, and trivial nonsense.

His purple eyes scanned countless food stalls, trinket shops, gypsy and fortune teller stands, and clothes shops, with the occasional religious vendor or book store thrown into the bundle of 'overflowing joy'

After awhile of non-stop searching, his eyes landed on a weaponry stall, and he strode over to further examine the vendor's wares. The merchant, a bald, skinny man with a brown wild beard and chocolate-colored eyes bounced over to the less-than-happy potential customer.

"Hello, sire. May I help you find anything?" he asked. Hidan glanced at him, then continued examining his wares, ignoring his optimistic attitude and happy demeanor.

"Is there a special something you are looking for? Maybe for a special someone?" he asked, -always persistent with the wealthy-looking customers.

"No. Fuck off" Hidan replied, keeping calm somehow, but his nerves were quickly fraying.

He kept searching,occasionally holding up a finely crafted weapon to examine more carefully. Soon the merchant approached him once again.

He handed Hidan a sword wordlessly, and Hidan unconsciously reached out and grasped it's hilt.

The silver haired Akatsuki member examined the sword closely, his finger lightly tracing the patterns.

The blade had red cherry blossoms engraved in the charcoal black metal, and the hilt's grip was made of a crimson and black silk, but a kind that you can easily hold for hours without losing your grip. The hilt guard was the shape of a four pointed star, and on the back of the hilt was a chain of pure black metal cherry blossoms extending. Over all, the sword was beautiful, and anyone could tell that it was lovingly crafted by the one of the finest metal workers in history. The sword was also amazingly light and easy to handle, sharp enough to cut through anything, and by the unnatural glint of the metal, Hidan could tell that the blade would never break, the edges never dull.

He instinctively knew that she would love it. He payed the vendor after selecting a red sheath with a black engraved cherry blossoms, and 'poofed' away, back to the Akatsuki hideout, and back to his (self-proclaimed) little cherry blossom. Yes, his, but she didn't know it yet.

XXXX

Sakura awoke in her and Hidan's room, and she noticed that the great, grumpy, lump of wasted space was not sleeping in like usual, so there was no extra warmth radiating from his side of the room, which was awfully cold.

She shrugged it off, then just sat there, her mind still groggy from sleep. After a few minutes, she stood up and went to the bathroom to get ready for the morning, namely to take a shower and brush her hair and teeth.

The kunoichi took the shower, a long, warm one at that, and wrapped a towel around herself then went to the dresser to get her clothes.

She opened the bottom drawer of the wooden dresser and took out her new pair of pants that were midnight black, with rips on the sides so that it showed off some of her creamy white skin, with buckles attached to the fabric for a rougher appearance.

Then she closed the drawer, and opened the drawer directly above it. Sakura pulled out a dark maroon shirt, that was cut in a similar way to her pants. The fabric had rips on the side so that her porcelain skin showed through, and the top of it had no sleeves or straps, much like a tube top. Also, the shirt was VERY form fitting. She smirked. Hidan wouldn't ignore her now, and he would offer the same once again, and she would decline, and continually tease him throughout the day.

Then she went into the bathroom to change.

XXXX

The Akatsuki members were gathered in the living room, a red-walled room with dark gray couches and recliner chairs. The ninja were talking and updating each other on the newest things happening in the ninja countries, when Sakura walked in.

The men stopped talking immediately, some covering their thoughts behind masks, but some were openly staring. She waved, and walked over to talk to Konan. The older kunoichi smirked, knowing she was trying to tease Hidan. Konan talked to her , not mentioning the fact that Sakura's mind trick had been noticed.

Suddenly someone turned out the lights, and turned on a black light instead. Sakura looked around with her eyes wide, and suddenly the floor around her was covered in boxes wrapped with brightly colored paper. Okay, it wasn't brightly colored, it was all black or red, with a few Akatsuki patterned ones thrown in, but still!

Anyways, she looked at the Akatsuki members, her eyes filled with questions. Their facial expressions were in varying degrees of happiness, contempt, and smugness. Even Itachi was smiling. And yes, he was smiling, not smirking, even though the smile was so slight that it was barely detectable.

"What are all these for?" she asked.

"For you. Its your birthday, right, yeah?" Deidara said.

"It is?" she asked. If it really was, she hadn't noticed.

"Yup. Today's March 28th. Thats you're birthday, right?" Kisame asked.

"Yeah"

Tobi chuckled a little, and Sakura whirled around and asked him what was so damn funny.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan. Tobi thinks that Sakura-chan sounds like Deidara-senpai, since she says 'yeah' a lot, too"

Sakura blushed, then she shrugged it off, and turned to stare at her new 'friends', who were eagerly awaiting the present opening with varying degrees of intensity.

XXXX

Sakura sat on Hidan's bed, the gifts she received spread out around her. She was sure he wouldn't mind, she had been invited in many times, and now she was, but for different reasons entirely.

She had gotten a detailed sculpture of a cherry blossom tree from Deidara, a delicate puppet from Sasori that she accepted ONLY after she made sure it wasn't made from a once-living creature, and a mini cherry blossom tree that would never grow large from Zetsu. From Konan she had received an unreleased book on medical jutsu, which had been personalized to the point where it didn't show ANYTHING about what she had learned, instead showing forbidden but effective jutsu that could heal in a second.

Her gift from Pein just blew her away. He had handed her a small box and a flat, square one. She had opened the small one first, and she saw Orochimaru's old ring, which had the kanji that meant 'Sky'. In the other box was an Akatsuki cloak, that fit her perfectly and hugged her curves, but not enough do that she couldn't hide multiple weapons.

Kakuzu had been cheap, but she was grateful for what she got. He had gotten her a fake silver bracelet that was inlaid with small onyx and ruby stones. Even though they were fake, she still thanked him, while Deidara had muttered 'cheapskate'.

Kisame had gotten her a beta fish, where its colors changed every time it moved, so that it would be pink one minute, and green the next, and Itachi had given her a simple silver necklace that had a circle with a metal cherry blossom that was silver and had dark metallic pink shadowing.

Tobi had promised to take her shopping, since he didn't know what to get her . Sakura had laughed, and then agreed. But to hold her over until then, Tobi had given her a pretty silk green scarf.

Sakura was grateful for everyone caring, but she felt sad that Hidan didn't care enough to get her anything, when she cared about him infinitely, beyond just a mere attraction to his features, but he didn't feel the same back. It was just like with Sasuke. She had fallen head over heels, but he didn't care about her in return.

But now Sakura knew the difference between love and a simple crush. She had cared about Sasuke, but her young and naïve mind thought that she had been in love, when in truth she was just crushing on a cold man who would never have an inkling of feeling back. With Hidan, she would do anything for him, without him having to ask. He seemed to balance her out, and he seemed to have become a part of her. She knew that the two men were a lot alike, yet on totally opposite ends of the universe.

But Sakura knew that what she felt for Hidan was a lot deeper and more heartfelt. She liked Hidan for who he is, what he is, and what he does. Though he was very attractive, that wasn't why she liked him, as she did Sasuke for his appearance.

Suddenly Sakura's tears began to flow freely, and she curled up in a ball. She grabbed the fuzzy duck that Deidara had given her for Easter, and tried to find comfort in that.

But her feelings were so mixed up and confusing that she couldn't go to any other Akatsuki member for comfort, because they wouldn't know what to do since she was so sentimental. Except for Konan, who had to leave on a long mission as soon as Sakura's party had ended, or Deidara, but the Deidara option had one drawback- the blond couldn't handle the waterworks. He would go all awkward, then find an excuse to leave.

Sakura was crying so hard that her entire body racked from the sobs, and her eyesight had become watery and blurry.

She didn't notice when someone entered the room, instead she could only focus on the thoughts running chaotically around in her head, some painful enough to sting. Her tears still flowed freely, and she didn't notice when the person sat down on the bed, and waited, as if silently asking if she needed them for anything, or for a shoulder to cry on.

After a few minutes, the pinkette was picked up by the person, and was shifted into their lap. She still sobbed uncontrollably, then fell asleep, with the mystery persons arms around her, humming a strange song and giving her an odd sense of normalcy, which was totally out of place in this situation.

Okay...um...not much to say about this chapter. I combined 2 chapters together...and...yeah. Well, please review, and the song is Love Rhymes With a Hideous Car Wreck by The Blood Brothers, i think. Anyways, please review, and maybe Tobi will take you shopping! Anyways...yeah. Bye!