It's only late 'cause I couldn't think of a ZestuxSakura moment and didn't want to postpone it until the next chapter. I usually try to avoid things like that.
Title: Sakura and her merry band of misfits
Summary: I've never done anything bad ever. I always do my work, listen to my elders, and shown respect to everyone I've ever met. So why am I in a mansion with a bunch of freaks that are at least seven years older than me? sakuraXmultiple
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
"Talking"
'Thinking'
Emphasizing
"Dark Zetsu" 'cause he's kickass like that
Chapter 9: Bad little stylist
Sakura, unlike most people, actually liked her job. The hours weren't half bad, the pay was good, and her boss was very understanding. He'd even sign her book in place of the Akatsuki and her she was sure principal would allow it. Too bad the Akatsuki still managed to find her. "You're a fucking sample girl? Seriously?" Hidan openly laughed as Sakura's cheeks flushed, partly in embarrassment but mostly in anger. "Yes, I am for the moment. Got a problem with it?" She sneered at the rude male until her manager spoke up. "Sakura-chan, smile and be nice to the costumers." She faced her back to her manager and fully scowled.
"Welcome, sir, to Siren's music café/book store." Hidan grinned at her forced politeness and started fingering a piece of her hair, making her face darken. "Would you like a free sample of our product?" He looked down at her in her hipster clothing and his grinned widened. "Fuck yeah!" Sakura followed his gaze and when she found him looking at her chest turned a very fetching shade of red. "N-Not me!" She sputtered and practically smacked him with the tray of iced coffee. "The drinks, the drinks!"
Hidan looked up at the building behind her and slightly scoffed. "Your job fucking sucks, seriously. What fucktard serves drinks around damn books with fucking music playing? How the hell does that shit work?" Sakura frowned and shook her head before she lowered her tray to her waist. "There's actually two floors. Top floor is for the book store, second is the music and café. That way if you want to read inside you can without disruption and get food and a show." She piped up before a sudden thought came to mind making her glare at him.
"Why're you here? Did you come here just to mess with me?" Hidan smirked and threw an arm over her shoulders. "How damn rude. I just came across this shithole on a fucking coincidence. Guess it wasn't that damn bad since I get to see your sexy ass without any of those other ass-hats." She blushed at his comment on her attire and turned her head the other way. "You're so irritating!" Sakura complained and sat her tray down not wanting to spill the drinks and have it come out her salary. "Shut the fuck up, you know you fucking love me." He grinned as her cheeks not-so-subtly turned red.
"Why are you here?!" Sakura loudly repeated and when passer-byers gave her odd looks she blushed harder before quieting down. "You're going to talk to your best bitch like that? After all the shit I went through to get you this damn thing." Hidan reached into his pocket and tossed the square object to the unsuspecting girl. She clumsily caught the small box and looked at it in confusion. Her eyes left the box and looked at Hidan in a questioning manner to see him looking in a different direction.
Shrugging off his odd behavior Sakura opened the white box and saw a black mp3 player looking back up at her. It couldn't be any bigger than the size of her palm and across the tiny screen were the digital words "Hello!" in a bright blue. She plucked it out of the box and turned it over to see her name engraved on the back. "No way!" Her eyes scanned the mini music player in disbelief as her fingers brushed over the glossy surface. This wasn't even out in stores yet!
"You wouldn't stop bitching about your damned mp3 player and I was passing the stupid ass store so I got the shit." Hidan mumbled and scratched the back of his head. "This... this! I mean, it isn't supposed to be available in stores for like...three more months! How'd you get it?" He opened his mouth to say "I stole the shit" but the overjoyed, almost proud look in her apple irises had him hesitate. "Don't sweat the small shit, where's my fucking thank-you?"
He demanded trying to put up his asshole persona and take the attention away from the bridge of pink across his nose. Sakura looked taken aback by his sudden rudeness and stopped trying to untangle the noise cancelling head-phones that had come with it. "You owed me this anyway." She was going to say thank-you but with how rude he was being she didn't want to. "I still expect a fucking thank-you." Sakura placed her gift back in the box and slipped it into her pocket. "Fucking thank-you, bitch."
She stuck out her tongue and Hidan scowled. "I want better than that shitty ass thanks." He grabbed Sakura by her wrist and pinned her to the brick building behind her. A small surprised sound escaped her lips and she looked up at her wrist in his tight grip. Hidan silenced all protest in a harsh and bruising kiss. His kiss was hard and rough and demanding, not at all surprising considering how he acted. She bit the tongue wiggling its way around her mouth and the metallic taste of blood replaced Hidan's taste of coconut.
Sakura expected the male to immediately retreat but he only let out a surprised and pained grunt before moaning awfully loud. He meshed his body with hers letting her feel everything before someone interrupted. "Sakura-chan, spend time with your boyfriend after work hours." Hidan released her and she looked at him in shocked confusion as the look in his eyes resembling a dog in heat. Without breaking eye contact Sakura spit his blood at his feet and he stuck out his tongue, the appendage still bloody. The red faced pinkette watched him go and a few minutes of shocked silence ticked by before she screamed. "THAT ASSHOLE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND!"
The usual yelling and shouting that was heard throughout the Akatsuki's was, surprisingly, replaced by the sound of laughter. A feminine laughter, as rare as it was. Kakuzu glared up at Sakura from his spot on the toilet's lid. She held her sides with tears in the corners of her eyes her face was thoroughly flushed. A wide and toothy smile covered her face as a genuine laugh fell from her lips. Her laugh was awfully high pitched and sounded oddly unused for a girl her age. Even though it was directed at his misery and she didn't even attempt to subdue it, he begrudgingly thought it made her look beautiful.
"I don't see what's so funny." His eyes narrowed more when her laughter escalated and her tears followed freely. "I-I'm sorry!" She paused to take a deep breath and fell to her knees in her laughter. "B-but, why is there gum and a comb stuck in your hair?!" Sakura pointed at the angered male's head and quieted to giggles to hear his answer. "Tobi was chewing gum and blew a bubble near my head when I was asleep. I thought if I used a comb that would get it out but it only made matters worse." Kakuzu all but growled out and imagined all the ways he could kill the orange-masked man.
Sakura bit her bottom lip to try not to laugh but failed epically. "I can't…I can't…b-breathe!" Her laughter abruptly stopped when Kakuzu yanked her to her feet by her overall strap. "Are you going to help me or die laughing?" She wiped the tears from her face and uncurled his fingers from around her clothing. "Yes. But only so you won't hurt Tobi-senpai." He raised an eyebrow as she smoothed out her clothing. "Senpai?" Sakura blushed a little before she wildly shook her head. "This isn't about me! It's about you're gum filled head!" He scowled and she could tell because this was one of the few times he wasn't wearing his mask.
"You-" She held up a single finger and left the bathroom making Kakuzu growl lowly in annoyance. 'Is this little girl really worth the free labor?' A few minutes later Sakura returned with an ice tray. "Please sit." He raised an eyebrow causing her to frown. "I'm trying to help. I didn't think you wanted to cut your hair so I'm going to freeze the gum out." She twisted the ice tray and nodded towards the toilet's seat. He gave her another long stare before complying with her instructions. "Since you don't have any peanut butter it's going to take a little longer." Sakura sat on the back of the toilet and let her legs dangle on either side of Kakuzu.
"You're an odd little girl." He muttered and missed the offended look she wore as she placed an ice cube to the large wad of gum around the comb. "Me? You have stich tattoos all over your body." She emphasized her point by running her fingers along the stiches coming from the corner of his mouth to his ear lobes. He shivered, from the coldness of her hands or her light feathery touch he wasn't sure. But what he was sure of was his face tingled from where she touched him.
It was silent aside from the sound of Sakura lightly humming and soon enough Kakuzu's head was no longer gummed up. "There. Now you're sugar-free." He didn't find her pun funny and stood to see his reflection in the mirror. True to her words, his hair no longer held the sticky substance and was back to its original state. Sakura stood beside him at the sink and rinsed out the comb. "And…sorry for laughing at you but, when I walked by and you were getting gum out of your hair it was funny because it was the first time I had seen you lose your cool like that."
He took the comb back from her and tucked it in his back pocket. "That was the first time I've seen you laugh." Sakura gave him a confused look and shook her head from side to side. "I laughed in front of you and everyone else. That one time when-" Here she paused and cupped her chin with her hand. "That time when…" Her brows furrowed and Kakuzu could practically see the wheels in her head turning. 'Wait…I have laughed in front of them…right? Now that I think about it, I haven't. Don't tell me-' "You're getting comfortable here."
Kakuzu interrupted her train of thought and smirked at the shocked look on her face. 'Am I that obvious?' She let her hand slip from her chin and glared down at her feet in thought. "You really should keep your guard up." He reached behind her and lightly pulled her hair making her lift her head. "Yeah, well…you shouldn't pull a girl's hair!" Sakura ignored the heat rising to her face and glared at the handsome man. "I'm a sadist, remember?" She blanched slightly and he chuckled lowly making her eyes widen.
"You laughed!" He raised an eyebrow at the surprised look in her eyes. 'Odd little girl indeed.' Sakura saw his calculating look and laughed in embarrassment before stepping round him and out of the bathroom. She stopped feeling her bra strap being pulled and turned twenty different shades of red. "Wha-" He turned her around, index and thumb still pinching her bra strap, and leaned down close. "Next time, make sure your shirt and bra agree."
Her hands flew to her chest and Kakuzu laughed making her blush darken. Kakuzu lightly bit her bottom lip and pulled back slightly, watching her cheeks burn and her eyes widen. He added more pressure and saw her wince before he released both her lip and bra strap. Sakura hissed as her lip and strap snapped back in place while Kakuzu left with a wave. "Thank-you for your hard work." She sharply turned and stalked around the house inwardly pondering what was up with Kakuzu before she tripped over a mop bucket. She reached out for something as she fell forward and knocked down the brooms and mops that were propped up against the walls.
She stayed flat against the ground as the mops and brooms fell on top of her. After a few moments of silence Sakura took a deep breath and let out a stream of incoherent pained mutters. "Sakura-kouhai-chan?" She stopped and turned to the hallway closet in a bewildered manner. "T-Tobi-senpai…?" The closet door slowly creaked open and Tobi peeked his head out. Once he saw Sakura propped up on his elbows his eyes watered. "Sakura chan~!" She blushed at his puppy dog look and looked at him in concern. "What's wrong?"
Tobi stepped out of the closet and pushed the brooms off of her back. "Tobi did something bad! Oh, but Tobi can't tell Sakura-kouhai-chan out here!" He helped her to her feet and suddenly pulled her in the closet with him. "What-" It was too dark to see anything and she heard the door close. The room flooded with light before her face flooded with color. Though Sakura was becoming more comfortable in the close company of others older than herself, she considered this far too close for comfort. The closet was small and no matter how much she pressed herself against the wall he was still too, too close.
"Kakuzu-san is mad at Tobi when Tobi just wanted to show Kakuzu-san how Tobi blows a bubble!" He pouted and Sakura silently wished Tobi wasn't blocking the door. "H-he's not mad anymore…I got the gum out of his hair, and he isn't after you." Sakura watched as he brightened up and threw his arms around her. She gasped and was sure her face was going to melt as he pulled her to his chest. "Best friend Sakura-chan is so sweet!" He hugged her to the point where she could feel him as much as he could feel her.
'H-He has abs?! And h-his chest and arms are so…so muscular! Th-this doesn't make since!' As her brain tried to process the new found information Tobi released her. "Is Sakura-chan okay?" Sakura shut her eyes and nodded, missing the doubtful look on Tobi's face. "Sakura-chan is really really red." He smoothed back his bangs and put his forehead to hers making her inhale sharply through her nose. She was already flat against the wall so there was no way for her to escape. "I-I'm fine!" Sakura squeaked out and as he studied her face. "Then why is best friend Sakura-kouhai-chan's eyes shut?" Her fist were tightly balled and she turned her head to the side.
"I'm…um…claustrophobic…." Tobi tilted his head to the side, not realizing Sakura was lying, and smiled brightly. "Tobi will make Sakura feel better." At the missing suffix Sakura turned to look at Tobi in confusion just to feel his lips press against hers in a chaste kiss. He pulled back and smiled again at the red-faced girl. "What t-the hell? What was that?!" He pouted and looked down at his hands. "Tobi always feels happy when Tobi kisses Sakura-chan and Tobi thought it made Sakura-chan feel happy too." She pushed past Tobi and walked out of the small closet.
She wiped her mouth with her gloves as she marched down the hallway. 'I do not like it when he kisses me. I do not like it when any of them kiss me! I'm just not use to be showering with so much attention, that's why I get so embarrassed!' As Sakura drowned in her own denial she stopped when she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye. Outside, she saw Zetsu entering his green house with a newest plant for his collection. 'That looks really pretty.'
Curiosity got the better of her and she made her way to the green house. Zetsu was usually pretty tame but Sakura still felt like stepping on egg shells around him. It wasn't his black side that scared her, it was his eating habits. She had heard how he liked to eat raw meat, added with the fact he always has this hungry look when he stares at her and said she looks delicious, Sakura was afraid he was trying to eat her.
Sakura tip-toed outside of the green house and hope shined in her eyes until she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Sakura-san, I am glad you're still here. I need your help with some shit." She smiled, hoping to appeal to Zetsu's white side. "But I really should be getting home, the children worry and need someone to get them ready for bed, so..." Here she trailed off and looked up at the tall male to see his reaction. Zetsu looked amused but didn't look like he was actually going to let her leave.
"The brats can wait, Okaa-san. I promise it'll only take a minute of your time." He turned the reluctant girl around and she helplessly let him push her in the direction of an old tool shed. Her eyebrows rose in surprise at the beat-up condition of the metal shack. The shed was tucked in the back in a canopy of trees and you wouldn't really notice it unless you were looking for it. But the surprise appearance of the shed isn't what had her raising her eyebrows. It was the fact that the shed looked ready to fall in on itself.
"I need you to help me organize the contents of the shed." A centipede crawled over the door's handle and practically screamed danger. "The faster you do this the quicker you can return to candy land." Sakura didn't appreciate the jab directed at her home or the previous jab at her siblings but thought he'd make her clean the entire shack if she angered him. Zetsu placed his hand on top of Sakura's own to open the door and she yanked it to her chest as if his touch burned her.
He stared at her for a long while before turning the door knob and politely held open the door. She nodded her thanks and walked in, fully intent on hurrying and getting this little inventory check over with. "I want you to tell me everything you see inside and I'll record it." Zetsu pulled a small notebook out of his back pocket along with a red pen. Sakura glanced up and looked at the many cracks in the rusted ceiling.
"A spider web, a big crack, an even bigger crack," When she heard him chuckle Sakura turned and looked at him in confusion. "I meant things like plows and shovels, Sakura-san." "O-Oh...I know...I was just, lighting up the mood." She cleared her throat and started announcing the needed contents. "Three shovels, five fertilizer bags, a lawn mower, two pesticides on one wall," She spun on her heel and let out a startled squeak when a black widow was mere millimeters from her eye.
Quickly backing up, Sakura slipped on a watering can and fell backwards. Just as she caught herself, Zetsu dropped the notebook and gripped her shoulders to balance her. Again, she quickly distanced herself from the half albino man and gulped. 'Stupid sexist sadist got in my head and then my "senpai" went and kissed me messing with my head even more than before!'
"A...arigato..." Her gaze snapped up from her feet when she heard Zetsu take a step forward. "Are you afraid of me?" He stepped underneath a crack in the ceiling and the sun light landed on his face. His eyes shined like melted gold and his darker half looked more devilish than she remembered. Zetsu roughly cupped her chin and forced her eyes to meet his own. "Tell me. Do I scare you Sakura?" He leaned his lips down to brush against her own in a feathery light touch. "Yes." He released her with a knowing glint in his eyes. Sakura's answer was instant without a trace of doubt.
"I was afraid of you. Just like I was afraid of making ties with you. With all the Akatsuki." Zetsu searched her eyes and was surprised at how blank they looked. "Shouldn't we get back to the inventory?" He blinked as she smiled and tilted her head innocently. "Its fine, Sakura-san. We can continue tomorrow." She looked at him in surprise before simply nodding. "Good-bye." He watched her go and looked at the notepad on the ground. "She's stranger than she looks. Yes…"
Kissy face filled chapter! Tobi always gets all the kisses, I just love fluffy Tobi moments! Next is Sasori's date, PeinxSakura moment and an ItachixSakura moment. Sorry if this one seems a little different than usual, I've been reading this really good shoujo manga.