Chapter 15

The soft sounds of footsteps walking- no, running down the halls made the pinkette stir from her slumber. She lifted her head and saw the puppet man still sleeping calmly on the bed. Sliding smoothly and quietly out of bed she walked out into the hallway. Noting that it was definitely footsteps that woke her she looked up and down the hallway. She rubbed her eyes when she thought she saw a white flower flutter in the air. The pinky sighed to herself, assuming that it was her half asleep brain playing cruel tricks upon her. Yawning a bit she walked heavier footed than any kunoichi should to the kitchen. The quietness eased itself into the scene as she walked to the fridge.

"Yay, cherries," she murmured to herself and pulled a few out along with a glass of water. The footsteps came down the hall again. Now she was almost fully awake, despite the last bit of sleep the numbed her senses. Sakura walked out into the hall, half expecting Tobi to be making his way to the kitchen and half expecting it to be her imagination.

SAKURA, I'M YOU FROM THE FUTURE! If you go out in that hallway you'll get killed! Don't do it!

'Inner, isn't it a bit late for you to be pestering me?'

It is never too late!

'I'm going to kill you.'

Don't you mean you're going to kill yourself?

Inner Sakura shrunk back into the depths of the shared mind with a smirk kissed upon her face. Sakura couldn't help but grace a crooked smile, too. She walked out into the hallway eating the last cherry in her hand. Emerald eyes grazed the floor before clouding up in thought about the origin of her inner. With that meaningless task preoccupying the pinky the footsteps returned. Slipping deep into their first encounter she bumped into a hard body. Fear struck her face for a minute as she expected an agitated and tired Akatsuki member. Instead she found something even more terrifying. Terrifying enough to make her scream like a young genin again.

"Pein-sama?" Sakura was too afraid to stutter. The pinkette stayed on the cold floor and stared up into the frightening ringed eyes of her leader. She had not seen him since the day that they had come to this base. The cherry blossom noted the time range of his disappearance before her attention was taken by a few new entrances.

Sasori, bare-chested, ran out of the room. His brown eyes, wide with panic, searched the hall for a minute before landing on a fallen Sakura and Pein standing straight up. Further down the purple hall, Hidan, Kisame, Karin, and Itachi had stepped out of their rooms. Hidan was mumbling his curses and swearing to Jashin until his eyes caught onto Pein. Each of the members took a minute to register what they saw. Karin, slightly confused but mostly scared, turned to Kisame.

"Who is he?" she whispered quietly to Kisame. The blue man gently tugged on her arm a bit stiffly and walked/ran into their room again. Everyone watched this little encounter which was followed by a bit of screaming for mercy by their fishy friend. Then there was silence which everyone knew the answer to.

Another entrance shocked (almost) everyone. Konan entered the room, her paper, white flower in her blue hair. Konan strolled calmly over to Sakura, putting a hand out along with a warm smile. The pinkette, still surprised, took it and stared at the two of them. Her mouth opened then shut again, as if willing herself to stay quiet.

"Leader-sama, it is delighting to know you have returned from your mission. May I inquire as to why you are sneaking around the base?" Itachi, who was the most emotionless throughout this entire scene, was actually slightly curious, though nobody could really tell.

The pinkette looked back and forth between Konan and Pein. The former waved her pale hand at Pein to explain and that was when Sakura caught sight of something.

"Konan, you're married? To whom?" she couldn't help but let the words slip through her mouth. Everyone turned and saw the diamond ring that decorated Konan's ring finger. All of them were quiet for a moment.

"Yeah, who's the unlucky bastard?" Hidan spoke up for the first time that night. His hair was fixed, which left Sakura to wonder how he fixed it without anyone noticing it.

"I am, Hidan." Pein's answer obviously shocked everyone. Even Itachi's eyes shot open. Multicolored eyes flew down to his left hand and surely enough there was a silver band wrapped tightly around it. Silence ensued between the group and the rain pounding outside could be heard now.

You should marry Sasori-kun.

'What! Where have you been all this time? And why is it you only show up to annoy me?'

I have been searching your mind again. You daydream about Sasori-kun and don't tell me. You are a traitor! Oh and the answer to that last question is because that's my job, sweetie.

"You are so damn complex," Sakura whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear. Sakura wasn't surprised to see the men and woman in front of her stop and stare at her. "I- uh-"

Sasori, being her savior, cut in. "Leader-sama, could you explain what is going on here?" His statement was directed toward their leader, but his chocolate eyes fell on Sakura. The pinkette could see the obvious question in his eyes and she nodded to assure him that she was alright.

"As you can tell, Pein and I are now married. Our original plan was to break the news to you in a simple note. However, we were not expecting our pink friend over here to be a light sleeper," Konan's gentle smile assured Sakura that she was not mad. "Hidan, Itachi, go wake the others and meet us in the very last room in the hall." Konan's orders were not to be taken lightly as the two did as they were told. "Sasori, Sakura, follow us."

A/N I know I'm a bad person. I'm sorry, this will be ending next chapter I think. This isn't a lot but I don't have much time to write. I can't say much right now, sorry if it sucked. I love you guys and see you next time!

Sincerely,

D.A.R.N.