A/N Okay, well that took a little longerthanit should have. Though I had a lot of conflicting interests about it going in, I think it turned out okay. I'm also trying to make the plot go a bit faster so I did some rearranging. Anyway, I really don't know what to say here at the moment. I usually have this list of things I need to say, in fact I probably still do, but they're just not going to come to midn until later tonight. Oh well. (Oh yeah, thanks to some of you who reviewed later on to remind me to update and toget my butt off the X Box.

DISCLAIMER: I think I've been forgetting to put these, whoops. Anyway, since I'm writing on fan, I think its a fair bet that I don't own any of this.

Anyway, go ahead and read. :D

I was almost afraid to come out of Kisame's room the next morning. I had barely slept last night, even with Kisame sheltering me, and I could feel the bags under my eyes. When I had finally succumbed, it had been a shallow and fitful sleep that barely passed as sleep at all. I felt as though I had stayed wide awake for weeks.

When I had woken up it had been just as eerie. It was as silent that morning as it had been loud last night, and it gave me chills. There were no rustling of the leaves and no bird song either. It was almost as if nature was aware of the hideous atrocity that had been committed last night. It felt like we were all in this cold place in between the time of the act, and before the fiery anger could set in.

My Hyuuga pride though refused to let me hide and cower, and I forced myself to step out of the room. I held my head high, and let a steely gleam seep into my sightless eyes. Kisame didn't take my hand this time. I think he realized that if he were to do that, my resolve would crumble and all I would want to do was just fall against him and let him make everything all better. But that couldn't happen. I needed to be strong, because of my pride.

We didn't go directly to Itachi's room. We just went to breakfast. I made the meal as usual, and as usual, Deidara came in just as I was completed. No one ate it of course though. I had promised myself that I wouldn't let Itachi ruin my appetite, but even I couldn't force myself to consume the foul concoction I had created. I guessed that my cooking skills depended on my mood.

I sighed as I gathered up the still full dishes and dumped them out the window. I had never actually been taught where the garbage was, despite Itachi's usual attention to detail. I scrubbed the plates clean as I tried to focus on the soap wrinkling my skin it was better that than focusing on where I was about to go.

"Hinata," Kisame's deep voice rumbled as he advanced tentatively on me. It was the first thing anyone had said since Deidara had come in. We had all eaten in an awkward silence. We hadn't even spoken to ask someone to pass the salt. Deidara had left just as wordlessly. I felt Kisame place his hand on the sink on one side of me, and then stand on the other. I could feel his comforting warmth, and bulk hovering close. Even it wasn't able to calm my nerves though.

"I should go change Itachi's bandages," I said simply as I placed the plates in the drying rack and dried my hands on a towel. My own voice sounded almost robotic to me, and I winced slightly at it. I twitched in surprise suddenly as I felt Kisame clench his other hand on the other side of me. He had drawn closer and was boxing me in now.

"You don't have to do that," he said firmly, unhappily. I frowned and twisted in his arms to face him. I looked up and felt my nose touch his chin. It was then that I realized just how big he was and just how close he was.

"Yes I do," I insisted softly, but determinedly. I would not let Itachi's doings deter me from what I needed to do. I pushed on Kisame's chest as I tried to get out from the cage he had made. "Let me go, Kisame."

"Fine," Kisame finally relented. "Stay here, finish the dishes, there are still some in the sink. I want to talk with Itachi first." And then he was gone. I sighed and turned back to the sink. I frowned as I reached in to grab whatever dishes there may be. My scowl deepened as all I encountered was the slimy metal surface.

I finally drew out my hand with my mouth slightly agape in indignation. Kisame had lied to me! There were no dishes in that sink. With a small growl, I wiped my now disgusting hands on a towel and stomped out of the kitchen.

I understood that Kisame wanted to keep me away from Itachi and to help me, but to go 

so far as to lie to me? And for what; to stall me for just a little while? It was infuriating and degrading. I wasn't a pathetic little girl. I knew that Kisame wanted to protect me, and I was touched. But it made me feel weak, and a little angry.

I took off down the hallway, not quite at a run, but not quite at a walk either. I was eager to tell off both men for their disobedience and wrong doings. Inside though, the truthful seed of doubt was growing. I was angry because I was afraid and hurt. And as Sasuke and Neji had seemed to see it, the best thing to dispel fear and hurt was anger.

When I started down the hallway towards Itachi's room though, I declerated down to a walk. I could hear voices from inside, and I hated to disrupt. I slowed to a crawl as I began to identify them. It was Kisame and Itachi, and neither of them sounded particularly pleased.

"It is neither your business nor your concern," Itachi's voice seethed. His cruel voice seemed to freeze my blood in my veins. It brought back horrible memories of the first time I met him. Before he had turned kind in my eyes. My resolve plummeted suddenly as I stopped at the door way.

My footsteps were silent as I drew to a halt. I pressed myself against the wall outside of the door. I was afraid to go in. I hated to eavesdrop, but I couldn't leave, and I couldn't go in. So I had no real choice.

"The hell it doesn't," Kisame lashed back, making my heart pound again. Itachi's icily abnormal voice paralyzed me, while Kisame's animalistic snarl made me feel like a rabbit about to bolt. Both of them terrified me, and I hated them both. "If it concerns Hinata, it concerns me!"

"Hinata," Itachi snapped back patronizingly. I winced at the sharp sound of my name on his lips. "Was not the one spending the night with me!"

"But she can still hear you, you bastard," Kisame yelled. I fell to my knees, covering my ears. I just wanted them to stop. I couldn't take this. I hated the fighting. It was breaking my already taut nerves. "And I will not let her be subjected to that!"

I stifled a gasp as I heard a sudden crash and guessed that Kisame had been slammed against a wall. The building around me shuddered with the impact. Itachi's voice was a low slither. I couldn't make out the words; all I knew was that it was cruel. I wouldn't have put it past Itachi to be threatening his partner.

Then there was an up surge of chakra that almost knocked me down even though I wasn't trying to sense it. I heard a thud as Kisame threw Itachi off of him and he fell to the ground with a thump.

"I don't give a damn how many girls you satisfy yourself with," Kisame snarled. I flinched at his voice and my realization. Kisame was no knight in shining armor. He didn't care about the girls Itachi harmed. It hurt to think that Kisame was that apathetic. "As long as Hinata is never exposed."

I forced myself to stand up quickly as I heard Kisame's pounding foot falls coming towards me. I clenched my fists as they came to a stand still directly in front of me. I faced the ground, feeling my heart pounding. It felt like it wanted to rip out of my chest.

Neither of us moved at first. I could almost imagine the stricken look on Kisame's face as it all came together in his head. He knew that I had heard the argument I had heard about how he didn't care how many girls Itachi raped.

Then in a sudden rush, I felt Kisame hands rest on my waist as he pulled me close. I faced up and could feel Kisame's eyes boring intensely into my sightless ones. I twisted in his grip. His touch was gentle and tender, like always, but I didn't want it. I gave his chest a little 

push.

"Come on, Hinata," Kisame prodded quietly. He tried to gently pull me down the hallway and away from Itachi's room. I frowned as I shoved his arms off of me and tugged myself out of his grip.

"N-no," I insisted firmly. I gave a little gasp at what came out though. A stutter. I hadn't stuttered in a month at least. Why had it come back? I felt Kisame's hand reach out to touch my arm and I pulled away again. I clutched the door frame hard, just in case he tried to pull me away again. I didn't want to touch him right now and I didn't want him to touch me. I just didn't want him right now. I was unstable enough as it was. "I t-told you. I w-want to h-heal, Itachi."

"But-"

"N-no."

"Fine," Kisame finally relented. I loosened my grip and gave him a miniscule little smile. "Do you want me to stay with you," Kisame asked in one last try to help me. I shook my head determinedly. Itachi was incredibly frightening, but I did not thing that he would try to hurt me. Kisame growled a little in frustration, but gave a grunt of admission.

I felt him lean forward to kiss me forehead, and I ducked away from him. This surprised both of us, I had never not wanted Kisame's affection, and not once had Kisame had his affection denied. How could I accept that right now though? He wasn't…he wasn't who I wanted him to be right now. I heard him sigh almost silently, and then his heavy foot falls recede down the hallway.

I slowly turned to the room I was about to enter. Itachi knew I was out here, and I knew he knew, that much was obvious. I didn't know if I was ready to see him just yet though. But then again, would I ever be ready? Probably not. I took deep breathes and braced myself. A voice in my head asked me why I was doing this, but I couldn't answer. I didn't know. I gritted my teeth and pushed the very question away from me. It was too hard to answer.

Something that was much more simple and easy for me to feel was anger; an irrational and volatile anger. Something that didn't need to be explained with any sound logic. I could just feel it and draw temporary power from it. After all, I had long given up the thought of permanent power.

"Y-you b-broke your p-promise," I accused as I stepped into the room. I resisted the urge to clap my hand over my mouth in shock. There it was again, the stutter. No! No, no, no, why was it coming back!? Please not again. "You p-promised that you w-would d-do as I said for t-two weeks. I t-told you to stay in b-bed and you d-didn't…" My self confidence drained steadily with each shaky and tremulous word from my mouth. Why was I so pathetic?

"You cannot expect me to stay in bed for two weeks. I am a ninja, I need exercise," Itachi pointed out patiently. I balked at his voice. It was the same as every other day I had healed him. Gentle, soft, almost kind. A little annoyed at my rules, but certainly not violent. It was almost enough to make me think that he and everything else was the same as always.

But then again, he was the same. Nothing had changed for him. He had been fooling me all along, and I had fallen for it: hook, line, and sinker. He had always been cruel and violent, ever since he was a child. I had just stupidly over looked it, because I didn't want him to be that way. I wanted him to be the one I had seen in my head, so I had disregarded everything else so that he was. No wonder he was no different now. Nothing was different after what had happened last night. Except that now, I understood, I was no longer blind.

"N-no," I mumbled dumbly in agreement to his comment. It was like I had been broken 

merely by the sound of his voice. I was still reeling with the hurt and shock of the realization. It had been two painful slaps in the face in one period of twenty four hours. Both about the men I had come to see as family. "I s-suppose n-not."

"I barely moved after all," Itachi continued. It was an effort to defer my wrath, but instead, it instilled my fear. Just the sound of his voice tugged me back to the icy land that I just found out I inhabited. It filled me with a cold sense of reality.

What was wrong with me? I struggled and struggled with my emotions, but no matter how hard I tried, I could not sort them out. I was scared, and then was I furious and I then I was hurt. And now I was scared again. I didn't want anything to do with Itachi, and then I needed to heal him, and now I was torn.

"Come now, Hinata," Itachi coaxed gently. "These bandages are chafing."

As my mind and heart tried to work themselves out, my body was preoccupied nodding and moving over to sit next to him like it always did. It pulled out the bandages and salves it used, and began readying them as half of my mind told it to stop and the other half told it to continue.

As soon as Itachi's hand brushed my inner thigh though, whether by accident or on purpose, it was decided. I dropped the medical supplies and leapt off the bed suddenly. I shook my head violently. I was in shock at my sudden refusal, but I couldn't let it go any farther.

"I shouldn't be doing this," I yelped as I tripped over an article of clothing on the ground. I didn't want to think about whom it had once belonged to. I fell back and hit the ground hard. I scrambled backwards as tears stung my eyes.

"What do you mean," Itachi demanded. His voice was suddenly sharper, harsher. He had been kind when he had needed me to heal him, but now that I was refusing, my usefulness was ending. I backed away, literally, blindly, trying to find the door.

"I-it's my f-f-fault you h-hurt that g-girl," I whimpered. I realized just how stupid I had been when I healed Itachi. I realized how utterly guilty I should feel. I knew that Itachi was a serial rapist, murderer, and a criminal. Yet I had kept him in this world. I had kept him free to rape whomever he chose, to kill, to hurt. "It's a-all my f-fault."

"Hinata," Itachi snapped. I gasped as I heard a thud as he stood up. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain as his hand grabbed my arm. A stab of fear hit my heart, and I twisted and screamed. He yanked me up towards him and I felt his other arm wrap forcefully around my hips. He had trapped me against him. "You will do as I say," he hissed into my ear. His hot breath made my skin crawl, as though millions of millipedes were crossing it.

"N-n-no," I managed as I thrashed violently. "L-let g-go, Itachi!" In a desperate attempt, I gathered chakra into my hands and flung them at him. He grunted in pain and his grip loosened. With one final tug I managed to rip myself from his grasp and bolt out the door.

My terror put wings on my heels and I flew down the hallways as fast as I had my first day here. I didn't know where I was going, I had no idea. I just knew that I had to get as far from the Uchiha as possible.

Suddenly, I slammed into a hard object and we both collapsed to the ground. I scrambled away from the item as quickly as possible. Part of it had been hard as muscle, while the other had been squishier and almost waxy. Then a stream of curses erupted from the thing and I leapt to my feet.

"The fuck is wrong with you, whore," Zetsu snapped. The light side didn't say anything, and if it did I was too far gone to hear it. I continued to sprint through the hallways until finally I was forced to stop and catch my breath.

When the sound of my own breathing and the screaming of my muscles were no longer clogging my ears, the hallway was silent and empty. I squeezed my eyes shut and with a whimper I braced my back against the wall, sliding down it to slump on the ground. I struggled to breath with my sore throat.

And that's when I let myself crumble. The ragged sobs ripped through my chest and I was reduced to a shuddering heap on the floor. The hot tears streamed down my face and my whole being shook. My chest was pained, almost agonizingly so, but I couldn't stop. It wasn't supposed to be like this! We were supposed to be like a happy little family. Perhaps we had our problems but every family did. But this…this was wrong. And I knew why it was wrong. It was wrong because we most certainly were not a happy little family. They were evil, and I was vulnerable. I had thought it a thousand times, but never once had it truly hit home. Even now, I wasn't sure if it had…

Kisame, Deidara; they were just as bad. They didn't care about the girls; they had killed their fair share of people. For all I knew they had raped their fair share of girls too. And yet here I was, trusting and loving them. It was all so absurd. I was so, so stupid. I curled up in a tight ball in the middle of the hallway, and sobbed.

Over the next week or so, I refused to treat Itachi. I couldn't go near him after that. I suddenly felt how Sasuke must have felt. Hurt and betrayed by someone who I trusted. But yet I still cared so much about Itachi. It was a quality of mine; sometimes it was a weakness, sometimes a strength. I couldn't help but accept people as family, perhaps too soon. I couldn't help but think of Itachi as an adoptive older cousin almost. I loved him unconditionally. And I still clung to my gentle picture of him, even if it had been proved to be false. It was all foolish of me, and that was what made me such an unfit ninja.

That did not mean though, that I could possibly face him. Perhaps I could eventually, but not anytime soon.

The week after passed by smoother than I had thought possible. Zetsu hadn't been as much of a problem as I had thought he would be, though he was hugely unpleasant. He couldn't seem to resist the urge for some snide comment when the opportunity presented itself. He also gave them all a hard time about the treatment of the hostage. Apparently I was being given far too much freedom. Luckily for me though, Deidara, Itachi, and Kisame didn't do anything to oppress me. Zetsu didn't do anything to reprimand them about it either.

The whole time Zetsu was here, his mind seemed to be elsewhere. It was like what was going on here was not his main concern. He always seemed distracted, and when I would pass him in the halls he would be muttering to himself about something unrelated. Of course, I avoided him as much as possible. When he left though, he promised that he would be back soon, and that that was when he would truly evaluate them.

I was waiting impatiently in the kitchen. I had fixed myself a cup of tea, because Deidara had warned me that sending Zetsu on his way may be a lengthy affair. Apparently Zetsu was a fan of long good byes. I was slightly bugged though that it was taking so long, as though to enforce that prospect, I tried to take a sip of my tea, and got a mouthful of dregs.

I gagged and hastily spit the foul leaves back into the cup. I stuck my tongue out in distaste as I took the cup back to the sink and began washing it methodically. The slower I went the longer I was entertained. I wished I had a watch that I could see. It was so frustrating not being able to know how long something took or what time it was.

All too quickly though, the cup was washed and I had to sit back down. I gave a small yawn as I found a comfortable spot on the bench that I could sit and wait on. I closed my eyes and strained my ears.

It was a hobby I had developed recently. When there was nothing I could do to be useful, and nothing I could entertain myself with, I fine-tuned my hearing. I remembered my grueling training sessions with Deidara, and I didn't want them all to go to waste. So I would sit silently and unmoving, trying to identify and pick up all the sounds and noises that I could.

The first thing that always popped out easily to me were the birds. They had such pretty voices, and they were a joy to listen to. Their shrill voices, also easily penetrated the muffling of the air and windows. I couldn't just sit and listen to birdsong though. That wouldn't get me anywhere. I had to dig underneath that.

The second thing that popped out were the rustling leaves. I had learned that this particular Akatsuki compound was in the middle of a forest. So no matter how light the breeze you could always hear the leaves.

Once you finally bypassed all of the normal things though, you began to hear more interesting things. Like the squeak of a mouse as it was caught, or the creak of the building as something or someone moved around inside of it. Once thing I rarely heard though, were conversation. There was always a tinge of guilt when I heard people talking if they didn't know I was there. Even if it was just Deidara vehemently accusing Itachi was stealing his razor.

Slowly, I heard the rumble of voices approaching the kitchen. I grinned and was about to stand up happily, when I thought better of it. I had been more wary, and less open around them recently, and it was some how difficult to open back up again. And besides, they were discussing something important, and they were coming this way anyway, so perhaps it would be best not to interrupt them. I waited patiently, and eagerly as I heard the two people draw closer. Judging by their voices, I was proved correct in my assumption that the two people were Deidara and Kisame.

"So, you want to tell her, or should I, yeah," Deidara was asking. He sounded solemn, as though he had just been given some bad news, and was now trying to figure out how to deal with it. I hadn't been trying to eavesdrop, but now that I had heard, I couldn't help but continue. I had developed quite the knack for over hearing things though. I frowned.

"No ones going to tell her anything," Kisame snarled back quietly, but intensely. I bit my lip at Kisame's violence and hostility. My eyes had been reopened to the monstrous side of Kisame, which I had been ignoring for so long. I shivered at the sound of his rough voice. He was angry, and he was keeping something from me. I was the only one that came to mind when they spoke about not telling 'her.' What was Kisame unhappy about?

"So what's going to happen, yeah," Deidara began in a harsh whisper. They had stopped just outside of the kitchen and were continuing in low and angry voices. I chewed on my lip as I strained my ears to catch what they were saying. Deidara was continuing furiously, his voice barely a whisper. "She's just going to wake up one day and-"

"Don't let them take her," Kisame cut in suddenly. His voice was somber, and soft. It was pained and made my breath catch. What was happening? I couldn't make it out through the conversation. Something bad was going to happen, and Kisame wasn't telling me about it.



Then another, hurtful thought entered my mind. What it Kisame was not talking about me after all? What if there was another woman in his life, the one he truly cared about? Perhaps that was the girl he was talking about, the girl that he wanted to make sure wasn't taken away from him. Perhaps I cared a lot more about Kisame, than Kisame cared about me… That thought made my heart twist painfully, even as I tried to convince myself that there was no way I could care more for Kisame than he cared for me, because I didn't care about Kisame at all!

A pregnant silence followed Kisame's heartfelt request. It was so thick one could probably slice it with a kunai. I was too hurt though, to try.

"I won't, yeah," Deidara replied sincerely. His rage of only a few seconds ago had dissipated. They were about to come into the kitchen. I hurried to pretend that I had not heard them. I wasn't supposed to have, and I didn't want to be caught. "So, you're not going to tell her, yeah?"

"Not right now," Kisame replied. The conversation was with that. I was still confused, but that was what happened when you listened in to conversation that weren't meant for your ears.

I looked up as I heard their light footfalls enter the room. I beamed up at them. For a second, the smile on my face felt false. After all, my heart felt heavy from the snippets of conversation I had heard, and the thought of rivalry for Kisame's attention, but soon, the grin felt right. I had to remember my original, purpose in waiting for them.

They were announcing that Zetsu had left.

"And he's finally gone, yeah," Deidara exclaimed loudly and jubilantly as he strode into the kitchen and sat down across from me. It was slightly unnerving the way that his outward mood could be controlled so amazingly. It made me more wary of him. "Didn't I tell you he wouldn't cause problems?"

"Yes, I suppose you did," I replied quietly. It had turned out that my stuttering relapse had been short lived. It had only lasted for about a week tops, but then it had left when my confidence returned. But still, my reply to Deidara had no feeling in it, because it was no longer Zetsu that was my main fear. Zetsu was constant, constantly horrid. It was the other three men that I lived with that were my greatest fears.

Yet it was a love and hate relationship. While I feared, and on some occasions truly hated them, I couldn't help but still hold them close to me. I knew it could only end in me being hurt; whether physically, emotionally, or both. I felt Kisame sit beside me, and just how I used to, I scooted closer to him until I could feel his comforting bulk beside me. He reached across the table to grab, judging by the crunch he made when he bit into it, an apple and I subconsciously handed him a napkin.

"Have we got anything else to do today, yeah," Deidara asked, presumably, Kisame. There was a silence. "Good, Hitomi had something planned today" I cocked my head in confusion, at the receding footsteps. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." And then he was gone. That was always annoying. Not that it particularly mattered, but I couldn't help but feel irritated when I was left out of a conversation because I couldn't see half of it. Like right there, I was sure that Kisame had shaken his head, but how could I know? I couldn't.

"Things are back to normal now," Kisame noted, after a pause, as he pulled me closer to him. I couldn't help but smile happily up at him. In a way, he was right. I had been so set on everything being happy and right again when Zetsu left, that even though it was untrue, I could still believe it. Itachi was still a rapist; Kisame and Deidara were still merciless murderers. But they had been that way before as well. If I would just let myself slip back into that naïve little 

girl's mindset, then I could be as happy and as content as I had thought that I would be at this time, back two weeks ago.

"Kisame," I asked, some of my former innocence creeping back in. He hummed in expectant question, and I gave him a tiny smile. "Can we train?"

That had been the number one reason I had been so eager to have Zetsu leave. I hadn't been able to train since Sasuke had invaded, and I was eager to get back to it. It had been so long. Well, except for the spar with Kisame after Sasuke attacked me, but that was only one time, and it had been overshadowed by Itachi's proclamation of his brother's death, and then his collapse.

"Of course," Kisame agreed readily. I could hear the amusement in his voice and it gave me a fuzzy feeling inside. Under the circumstances, it was not so hard to forget just who and what Kisame was. I smiled eagerly and stood up from my place at the table. I sensed Kisame do the same. "Come on then."

He took my hand gently and then led me down the hallway. He had to lead me, because I had never learned the way out of the base. I could only imagine how pale I must be. But I couldn't see myself, so I couldn't judge. Perhaps it was nice to be in denial about one's appearance. I wondered then if maybe Kisame wished he was blind, so that he wouldn't see himself. I, of course, didn't know what sort of disfigurement he had, but it had become a bit of a forbidden topic, so I could only assume it was horrible. Yet he was handsome to my touch…

As soon as we stepped outside I felt all worries melt away. The sun warmed my face deliciously, and the cool air blew over my skin. I breathed it in with a sigh of release. I forgot how fresh air was. I was so used to the stuffy air of the lair. It was another thing that marked me as a hostage: my lack of fresh air. But now, maybe I would be able to get out more. There was no way I could run away while I was blind, and I had no desire to anyway.

"Did you have a training schedule in mind," Kisame asked after giving me sufficient time to revel in the joys of the outdoors. I just shrugged and shook my head. Honestly, I hadn't thought of it at all. I had just wanted to train.

"Spar?"

My suggestion sounded more like a question than a statement. I heard Kisame chuckle and agree though. I nodded happily and set into a defensive position. "Rules," I asked before he could attack me. Neji had always warned me that you had to have rules when sparing, otherwise it could get out of hand.

"No weapons, and no jutsus," Kisame replied immediately. I bit my lip and nodded. Pure taijutsu it was then. I would lose, but I knew that going in.

I suddenly gasped and side stepped to the right as a rush of wind passed my left, unbalancing me. As usual, Kisame made the first move. Just like he had done our last sparring session, and just as he had done when he had kissed me. A kick clipped my right hip and I spun out, quickly trying to get my footing again. This was not the time to be thinking about that.

For the next hour or so, it was a game of cat and mouse. Kisame attacked, and I dodged. I wasn't stupid enough to try and block, I knew that would only end in getting my forearms demolished. I remembered Sakura telling me about using chakra to cushion blocks and give more power to strikes, but my chakra control wasn't quite up to that level yet. Maybe one day, but not yet.

After another half hour of pure dodging and failed dodging, my normally dormant frustration was mounting. I had been hit dozens of times and I had numerous bruises. Yet, I was still to land a single punch or kick on Kisame. It was then that I registered the jangling of metal.



It cost me a few more bruises, but by listening hard to the noise, I could pin point it to a pouch around Kisame's thigh. Bingo. Now I had a plan, a purpose. I continued to dodge, waiting for just the right twisting of his body to allow me access.

Kisame suddenly punched forward, stretching his body out. It was just the opportunity I had been waiting for. I ducked and dived towards him. My lithe fingers darted into his pouch and drew out a kunai. I clutched it to myself as I broke my fall with a roll. I didn't give him a chance to counter or even register what was happening. I came to a crouch and swung the kunai recklessly out towards his legs. I felt it slice his pant leg and I lunged forward again.

Despite my aching muscles, I found a source of renewed energy, and pressed forward. I spun and twisted, and slashed and swiped with my stolen kunai. I felt myself driving Kisame back as I dodged the weapon. I had to act quickly, before the surprise of my weapon wore off and he managed to react.

I sprang suddenly forward with my blade and aimed to thrust it into Kisame's chest. Just as I predicted, he turned to the side to avoid it. I caught his shoulder with my free hand and used both our momentum to swing myself onto his back, with my blade at his throat.

He surprised me though by swinging his arm behind him, and forcing me to drop to the ground to avoid it. I had to improvise. As I hit the ground, I knocked the back of Kisame's knees to unbalance him. It was when I felt him about to crush me by falling backwards onto me that I realized my mistake.

I used my smaller size, finally, to my advantage. I dodged in between Kisame's legs and turned to spring onto his chest. I shoved his torso to force him back onto the ground and braced myself in case he balked. I sat on top of him, straddling his hips as he had done to me when he had pinned me. I poised my kunai over his neck.

"Got you," I said with my chest heaving. I was too afraid to pull the kunai away from his jugular though, just in case he flipped us. As my adrenaline slowly faded, I could feel that warmth in my lower stomach beginning to form. It was putting all my senses on high alert. I stifled a gasp as I felt Kisame's calloused hand brush mine as it went to his throat.

"Yes you did," Kisame replied with a chuckle. The noise made him vibrate beneath me, and I steadied myself by putting my hand splayed on his chest. Slowly, I felt a certain pride beginning to creep into my veins. I had pinned Kisame! "Of course, I was going easy on you, and you did cheat. I said no weapons," he reminded me.

"I know," I said as I blushed and nodded. "But I still got you." I heard Kisame chuckle and grunt in agreement. I grinned down at him, both pleased with myself, and excited by his close proximity. I became aware of him shifting beneath me and I removed the kunai.

"I'll be taking that back, thank you," Kisame said as he sat up and plucked the kunai from my hand. I was a good thing he grabbed it too, because as soon as he sat up, I yelped and grabbed onto him. My legs wrapped around his waist and my hands fisted in his shirt in response to the sudden lurching. Kisame chuckled and I blushed as he placed the kunai back in his pouch, and tossed the pouch aside.

"Sorry," I apologized habitually. I wasn't entirely sure what I was being sorry for though. For grabbing onto him? I loosened my grip on his shirt in response to this thought. "For taking your kunai?"

"It's no problem…"

Something akin to an awkward silence ensued then. The logical thing to do was to now get off of him; but then, nothing about how I reacted to Kisame was logical. Instead, I perched there, with my legs straddling him, and my hands still loosely holding the edge of his shirt. That 

warm feeling in my stomach was spreading, and filling me with a desire I knew wasn't right. I pretended to be completely engrossed in fiddling with his shirt, until I finally built up the courage to bite my lip and face up at him expectantly. I was just waiting for him to do something, because I certainly didn't know what I was doing.

Facing up at him was like a trigger, or a sign that I wasn't going to run from whatever was running through my body, and seemingly bypassing my mind. I didn't know what it was, but I was ready. One of Kisame's big hands rested on my thigh, and the other cupped the back of my neck. I turned my face upwards just in time to meet Kisame's lips.

He was so gentle. It astounded me every time. The tenderness of his affection made me feel like I was melting. But at the same time, it made me hungry for more. The feeling in my lower regions felt so immoral, but so perfect. There was only one man, only Kisame, as far as I knew, that could make me feel like this; so out of my element, but so empowered.

I gasped in emotion as Kisame massaged my thigh and pushed my backwards. I pressed against him, being more forward than I had ever been before. I fell onto my back as Kisame began to crawl over me, and I felt Kisame's hand slide from behind my neck to stroke my throat. It was amazing I could even register his thrilling touches, through the sensation of his lips moving with mine, pulling me into a place I had never been to.

Finally, Kisame took his mouth off of mine, and my breathing caught as I felt it rest on my neck. The tables had been turned; now he was on top of me. His lips were soft against my skin, and I was glad I was blind. If I hadn't been, the world would be spinning. I felt him kiss the underside of my jaw, and his hand kneaded my thigh. I bit my lip to unsuccessfully try to stop the moan of want and desire that managed to escape.

"I have something to give you," Kisame murmured. I felt my breathing hitch at his warm breath and lips against my ear. But it was such a wonderful feeling, him being so near to me. I wanted more of it. I reached my face up to nuzzle his neck, and even going so far as to kiss it tenderly. I heard Kisame's own breath catch.

"What is it," I asked quietly, but curiously. I felt, with a tiny measure of disappointment, Kisame move off of me to sit at my side. I sat up to face him. He took my hand, and gently kissed my fingertips. My brow furrowed in confusion as to what it was he was going to present me with.

There was something about his tone, and the vibe he was giving out. He sounded serious, and somber. Thoughts of what I had heard him and Deidara discussing came back to me. Did this 'something' have to do with that? I moved closer to him, my hand clutching his pant leg. I didn't want to lose him.

I drew in a breath, and faced down at my hand suddenly. He had slipped a cool band onto my finger, and then he had let go. I drew my hand up closer to me so that I could analyze it. I twisted the smooth ring around my finger with a sudden, sickening recognition.

"Why are you giving this back to me," I asked in quiet, strained voice, with a pit in my stomach. It was my engagement ring. The one Neji had made me wear when I came on this mission. Kisame had freed me from it; why was he giving it back? "I don't want it," I insisted, the pit making its way into my throat. I didn't want to be reminded of my forced marriage; I didn't want to be reminded that even as I sat here with Kisame, I was being adulterous, and unfaithful to my future husband.

"Shh, wait," Kisame replied, taking my hand again before I could yank the ring off. "It's the same one, yes, but there's something different about it. I frowned in confusion. I felt Kisame twist the ring around to a more easily accessible angle. He took my other hand and 

guided my fingers across the smooth metal. I slowly let my finger move, feeling the engraved characters.

Engravings? My ring didn't have any engraving on it. It had been perfectly plain. I felt the characters with my finger tip, trying to decipher what it said. Ki…sa…me…Kisame. He had engraved his own name into my ring.

"You're mine," Kisame murmured in my ear devotedly. It was a mark then. Kisame wanted to make sure that I was his and that all knew it. I was sure now, that I had no rival for his attentions. I giggled suddenly as he nuzzled my neck, it tickled.

"But why are you just giving this to me now," I asked, before gasping in surprise as he was suddenly on top of me again. He laid open mouthed kisses on my neck and throat with such vigor that I clutched his shoulders and arched my back. An erotic moan made its way out from deep within my throat. How could he make me react this way?

As his hand fondled my thigh up to my waist and he continued to tease my throat I almost forgot what I had asked him, until he spoke next.

"Because they're coming to take you," Kisame told me. His voice sounded like he was in such agonizing pain. I halted, and my heated stomach suddenly froze to ice. My hands slid from his shoulders, and my body fell almost limp to the ground.

"Who is," I finally managed to choke out. Kisame's hands slid away from my body as he drew in an aggrieved breath. Time froze as I waited for him to tell me who was taking me away from him.

"Konoha."

A/N Okay, and there was the fifteenth chapter. How'd you guys like it. I strongly recommend that you review and tell me. Even you shadow readers, because I know you'reout there! Anyway thanks to all of you who favorited and alerted (also a great thanks to Kenta Akatsuki who went through and left a review at every chapter; also those of you who sent supporting PMs or reviews after the people who didn't approve of the ending of Chapter 14)

But now moving on, so please please please review, and I'll see you all next time. :D bye bye