A/N okay folks, here's chapter four. It took quite awhile huh, but you see, I got into this habit of writing all my chapters out wiht pen and paper first, so it adds like six hours to the whole process. And then I edit in hard copy too. My fault.

But ignore that, read the chapter and please enjoy it. :D

Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto; if I did it would probably have turned out very very differently...

He still winced at the stretch of his scarring tissue when he raised his arms above his head. Not that he needed to much, it was unpleasant when the occasion arose. But the figures on the roof weren't going to be patient and let him take the stairs.

He swung himself easily out the kitchen window despite his somewhat cumbersome shape, and alighted silently on the thatching of the building. The dark statues awaiting him reminded him of the gargoyles he had seen, decorating the gothic churches of far off villages. But instead of warding off evil spirits, they were them.

A brisk wind tousled his hair and fluttered their cloaks, their only movement other than the glistening of their eyes. But he was not judging them, no, he was one of them. Perhaps not their friend, but their comrade at least. The largest of them moved forward then, mechanical sounding clicks and clanks sounding as the inhuman thing advanced.

"Have you got what you've come for," it demanded, its voice akin to that of a man's. The front the three unified figures presented before him and the commanding tone of the man put him somewhat on the defensive, making him stand up straighter and regard them with near arrogance. He was their superior after all, even if they were the ones relaying orders now.

"Don't we always," he replied rudely, but he felt no shame at his tone. The mechanical figure made a motion as though to concede his point. Somewhat satisfied, he turned instead to the slightest figure of the three.

"Your brother looks promising," he said, off-handedly wondering if the touchy subject of his little brother would get a rise out of the younger nin. But there was no such luck. The man's red eyes just curved up in what must have been a smirk and he replied with a smooth voice.

"Of course he is. I made him that way."

"And aren't you so proud," he was quick to tack on. Red eyes flashed at him, but the slight figure didn't move. Finally, the third man spoke up. He wasn't as stoic as the rest, and he didn't seem to mind using his hands and gesticulating wildly as he spoke with a voice that was anything but emotionless. However, this man was not near so easy to read as he let people think.

"And what about the other one, yeah," he pointed out impatiently, his cloak shifting and ruffling as a hand was placed on a hip. The stance made him appear very feminine when compounded with his flowing yellow hair. "One more shinobi isn't going to be of much use, yeah."

"This one will be," the mechanical man said. "I didn't propose this mission on a whim. Orochimaru's students are worth having, even if it's just one." The feminine man didn't contradict him, he rarely did.

"You know what to do then I suppose," cut in the smooth voice of the smallest one. The first man turned away from the three and began grumbling to himself. There was a moment as rapid fire emotions shot across his face, then his lip curled in displeasure.

"Yeah, we know," he replied, though it was obvious he wasn't overly pleased about it. The three comrades nodded.

"Good. Now can we get out of here? I hate this place, yeah," the blonde said. Then with curt farewells, they each turned around and began disappearing across the roof tops. The first man stayed where he was a bit longer. He had known that this simple espionage mission was going to turn into something further. And he was more than willing to do it. It would just be long and complicated, and hazardous. One wrong step and it was off the torture chambers and guillotine with him.

But it wasn't impossible.

Taking one last look around, he swung himself back into the window and landed silently on the floor inside. He didn't have much to work with, he noted. Though this whole thing would now be a mostly intellectual battle. He padded silently to the bedroom and peaked in.

A blonde girl was fast asleep curled around her covers. One leg wrapped around her blanket with its pale skin glowing in the moonlight. Her hair was mussed with sleep and her mouth hung open just slightly, pink lips pulled into a pout. A soft breeze played on her face and she let out a tired sigh.

No, he didn't have much to work with, so he would just have to make the most of what he did.

It had been ten days since Zetsu had first threatened to cut Ino's head off, and so far there had been no more reruns. In fact, they had fallen into a sort of uneasy coexistence; working around each other smoothly, and almost seamlessly, but always warily. Though admittedly, she didn't actually see him face to face very much.

But she had gotten used to the feeling of being constantly watched as she toiled around her store and chatted with customers. As far as she could tell, no one had suspected that she secretly hid a missing-nin in the plant on her counter. Though sometimes there was a tinge of guilt when she thought of Shikamaru, still working day and night to find the man she kept hidden in her home.

Hinata had come over once more, and Ino always felt so nervous she was sure Hinata would see something was wrong. But either Ino was a better actor than she gave herself credit for, or Hinata was just too caught up in her new found feelings to notice. She figured it was probably a bit of both. Searching for Zetsu, Shikamaru of course, had not managed to stop by, ironically, to the one place where he would have found him.

However, everything was relatively normal. Her day to day activities were almost uninterrupted. The grocers had started giving her strange looks at the large quantities of meat she had been buying, and the extra mouth to feed was cutting into her already shallow pocket, but she didn't dare complain. It hurt her pride to admit it, but she rarely stood up to the Akatsuki member.

But something else had happened that Ino could only classify as a good thing. To avoid suspicion by constantly staying indoors, she had taken to training every night after work. She would close up the flower shop, then turn around to see Zetsu standing there as though he had been doing so all day.

He would invariably ask where she was going, and she would always answer. "Training ground ten." The first time he had asked why. "To train," was her rude reply, though she knew it wasn't answering his question. He had wanted to know why she had chosen ground ten. The truth was that the number held sentimental value, reminding her of the old times with her team. Team Ten. He seemed to have a knack for knowing when she was doing something for purely emotional reasons. He almost always seemed to have at least a vague idea of what she was thinking.

It made her nervous though, going to train and leaving the missing nin to do whatever he pleased. But it was still broad daylight, how much harm could he do in a village when the sun was shining? No, what made her really nervous was night time. She would lie in bed wide awake, having turned in long before him. She could hear him milling about in her apartment, then the rustling of cloth as he settled onto her couch. Though having a criminal asleep in her home didn't worry her half as much as when she didn't. There were times when she could no long hear his breathing, and her racing mind overcame her sense of self preservation. She would creep out of her bed and pear into her living room to see only empty covers.

He had left again. The first night he hadn't. He had fallen asleep on the couch and stayed there until morning. A strange mothering part of her had twittered about how he must be exhausted, the poor dear. But every night since then, he would disappear, and having no idea what to do, she would just go to sleep in her bed, and when she woke up he would be back, acting as though he had never left.

She wondered if he even suspected that she knew.

Not that it mattered; she was practically a hostage, barely able to get out of her own house without his help. In fact, he could lock her in her own room for misbehaving if he wanted to. After all, he had the keys.

~~~~Flashback~~~~

"I'm sorry, but I think it's going to scar," Ino apologized, a tint of frustration in her voice. Her medical abilities were not mediocre, and she would usually be able to heal these kinds of injuries seamlessly, but he had let them get so infected and the skin around them had just died; it was simply irreparable.

"Why can't you fix them? I thought you were a medic," he snapped, looking down at her as though she were a dysfunctional product he had unknowingly bought from a store. Without thinking, Ino shot a glare up at him from her position beside his chest.

"I did fix them," she replied. "Without this treatment you could have gone septic and died!" She was exaggerating hugely, and she was pretty sure he knew it. But it made her feel better to say that her services were crucial. "Besides, it's your fault for not at least trying to take care of them at least a little bit."

"We can deal with a little scarring," he assured her blandly. She just gave a nod and retreated away from him. Her medical detachment had started to give out on her, and the feelings that came with touching a criminal's muscular chest were beginning to creep up on her.

"Okay then, I've healed you. Now can I have my keys back," she asked, sticking out her hand with the other one on her hip. The same pose she had adopted when previously demanding the return of her captive keys. The man glanced over at her from within his flytrap. It had closed around him once more, though more loosely than before, and he was currently in the process of buttoning his cloak.

"No."

Ino was stuck gaping at him like a fish, her empty hand still hanging in the air, surprised to say the least. With a rush of irritation she shut her mouth and clenched her hand, turning it into a threatening fist. She fixed him with a glare that had always sent her genin team, including her sensei, running for cover, or at least whimpering at her feet. "What do you mean 'No'? You said after I healed you, you'd give them back!"

"I lied," he replied easily with a little shrug. He then proceeded to ignore her and wrestle with the last button at the top. His fatigued hands seemed to be having difficulty with it. As he unsuccessfully struggled with it, he seemed oblivious to the silent fuming of the young woman beside him. Said fuming woman couldn't help but be put off though by the way her most potent glare had simply bounced off of him as though he were rubber.

And now she wasn't getting her keys back. She drew in a furious breath and readied herself to let loose a torrent of chastising.

"No! You can't just-"

"Yes." The cold word sliced through the air, cutting her off and making any more words freeze in her throat. Piercing and terrifying yellow eyes dug into her soul, finding her righteous anger and confidence, and uprooting it. He took a small threatening step towards her, his unbuttoned cloak falling slighting to reveal more of his frightening appearance. As he advanced, Ino stumbled backwards and found herself bumping against the low table.

"I can."

The sudden unity of the two different personalities was more terrifying to her than anything else, and she felt her blood run cold. She wasn't in control, not even a little bit. With him standing there, imposing and towering over her, she couldn't fool herself. Instinctively, she tried to take another step away, only to remember the table. She fell back onto the hard surface with a plop and was left staring up at the man in an even more vulnerable position.

"Do you understand," he hissed. Ino swallowed, and nodded obediently. He stared her down making her shrink away and then continued expectantly. "Do you really?"

"Yes…"

~~~End Flashback~~~

Ino jerked awake with a start, still seeing glowing amber eyes in her vision. He was always there, in her dreams. He was everywhere, all the time and she couldn't get away from him by sleeping either. She didn't even remember what he was doing in her dreams; she just always awoke to find those eyes fresh in her mind.

She sighed and put her arm over her eyes. She didn't want to get up, not yet. She just wanted to lie here in blissful ignorance of the world around her. Perhaps she could pretend she was back in her genin days and any moment now her mom was going to yell at her to get up and that she was late for training. And of course, it was their beloved Asuma-sensei that would be running the training session…

She was abruptly torn from her daydream by the obnoxious screeching of her alarm clock. She leapt from her bed and slammed her hand down on top of it. With a little whine, the thing fell silent, probably forever, and Ino was left sitting straight up in bed, breathing hard with her heart pounding away in her chest. She had chosen that alarm clock for the sole purpose that its sound flew her into a state of instant panic, one she couldn't just ignore and go back to sleep with. Now though, she was sorely regretting her choice.

With another sigh, she dug the heels of her palms in her eyes. Just another fun filled day coming right up. She wondered idly when Sakura was going to get back, and it was quickly followed by the hope that it wasn't soon. Slowly, she pushed the covers off of her and stretched her legs, walking over to the closet to slip on her usual outfit.

As she made her way to the bathroom, she noticed with a shock that Zetsu was not in the kitchen. He was always in the kitchen when she got up in the morning. She had never even seen him actually lying down or sleeping, but he wasn't there this morning. In fact, as she hurried around the main part of the house, she realized that he wasn't here at all.

She stood in the middle of the living room, looking around fruitlessly, and she felt her body temperature drop a few degrees. It suddenly hit her just how vital it was that the criminal didn't get caught, not that she didn't rat him out, but that he didn't get caught. If Konoha was to capture and interrogate him, he would be quick to spill the fact that she had sheltered him. Then she could be considered a traitor for not turning him in.

But she wanted to turn him in, she really did. It was just her sense of self preservation that told her she had to do it subtly, or he would kill her. And she told herself, it had nothing to do with the way, he needed her, or that the thought of betraying the one person who made her feel useful gave her a feeling of hopelessness. It had nothing to do with that. Really.

She was just stuck between a rock and hard place.

Numbly, Ino retreated back to the bathroom to clean herself up. He had gone out many times at night, and he always came back. He was a powerful shinobi; going out in daylight wasn't suicidal. He would come back. But that wasn't what she cared about, she snarled incoherently as she brushed her teeth, toothpaste dribbling down her chin. She didn't care if he 'came back.' She just didn't need her life more complicated than it already was.

After she had roughly wiped her mouth with a towel, she began trying to tame her hair into something presentable. She didn't bother with a shower; she'd already had one last night after her training. She flung her hair up into a high pony tail, and twisted a loose lock around her finger absentmindedly as she surveyed her appearance. A kunoichi stared back at her, she noted with barely a kernel of pride. A kunoichi, but only an average one.

She left the bathroom and dug an apple out of the fridge to tie her over until lunch time. She opened the door to the stairs with only a slight bit of bitterness. She should have to unlock the door to get out of it, but ever since Zetsu had taken her keys all the doors had been kept unlocked to allow easy access for both of them. Including the door to the store, despite her worried protests.

Closing the door behind her, Ino munched on her fruit and trotted down the stairs, only to come to a complete stand still.

Relief wasn't the first feeling that flooded her system, though that would trickle in later. She couldn't actually define the feeling at all, other than that it gave her the girlish urge to giggle and gush. Quickly trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible Ino cloaked her chakra and pressed against the wall, remaining in the shadows. She wanted to witness this clandestine moment, even if she did feel somewhat like an intruder.

Zetsu very very carefully patted the loam around the fragile stem of the Phalaenopsis Orchid. It hadn't been doing well in its last pot. The soil had been leeched of all its vital nutrients, and it had been receiving too much sun light. This was nice new soil and it was in partial shade. He grabbed the half full watering can and sprinkled it a little as well; just to be sure it had everything it needed.

Zetsu backed up to survey his repotting work, flawless of course. The girl was a good botanist, but her shop was littered with mistakes that he felt compelled to fix. He'd prefer to spend a portion of his morning fixing up what was wrong than watching perfectly reparable plants shrivel and die.

Satisfied, he silently, and with the stealth of any good shinobi, began drifting around and nurturing all of the plants with utmost care, not wanting to bruise the delicate petals. He didn't have to do too much work, just a touch up here and there to avoid gratuitous deaths. Finishing with those simple things, he turned his critical eye onto his bonsai tree. He had come to think of it as his own, seeing as he inhabited it for the better part of every day.

He could feel the sluggishness of its cells and the drooping of its branches. He'd come to realize that this was the first of its kind to take up residence in the Yamanaka flower shop, but that was no excuse for the absolutely atrocious nature of its wellbeing. Did she have no idea how to take care of these things?

Suddenly, he stiffened and turned around, catching the patch of blonde hair hiding in the shadowy staircase. He set the watering can down with as much dignity as ever. Inferior men would have blushed and appeared utterly ridiculous, but not him. He was confident enough in his ability to intimidate the girl to fend off any feelings of embarrassment. He was, however, uncomfortable with the fact that she had been standing there, for how long he could only guess, and he hadn't noticed. He'd have to learn to keep closer tabs on his unwilling hostess.

"Well get in here. Don't just stand in the shadows and lurk," he finally ordered. His posture was not welcoming though, and he could understand her hesitation, as he stood stock still with only his face now partially visible. Her throat quivered slightly as she swallowed and stepped out into the light. She glanced around the room, her perceptive shinobi eyes catching every little thing he had altered. Finally, imperceptivity cringing, they settled on him.

"Sorry," she said, waving her hand flippantly and heading over to the counter to begin setting up shop. "I was just wishing for some coffee." Her ruse was not hard to see through and Zetsu watched her struggle to keep that forced smile on her face. Once more, he wondered how dumb she thought he was.

"Coffee," he inquired with a raised eyebrow. He wove through the displays to stand closer to her and the counter, as she muddled about with the rusty cash register. The thing was almost ancient, and it took a few whacks to get it to open up. With some incriminating crashing sounds, she applied the necessary force and finally got it to cooperate. Then she looked back up at him.

"Yeah. I love it," she told him matter-a-factedly. He tilted his head in mild confusion. He'd lived here ten days, and not once in those stressful ten days had he seen her drink any coffee. "It's great to get you going in the morning." Her face fell. "But it's kind of expensive, so I've had to give it up."

Zetsu knew full well that social workings now dictate that he offer sympathy, or ask more questions to better understand and so empathize with her plight. But he also had no interest in doing so. It wasn't any of his concern if she had to start her day without a shot of artificial energy because she couldn't run a decent flower shop. So he turned away from her and contented himself with glaring at the creeping beams of morning sunshine. He didn't think it would mess with his plans. He wasn't planning on being out in the daylight. According to what he'd seen so far, his target would be out today. It was just a matter of finally making use of his one asset.

"Which do you prefer?" Zetsu was momentarily confused by her sudden outburst, and he glanced around to see her staring at him with semi wide blue eyes. Generally the girl avoided him, but every once in awhile, he got the distinct impression she was trying to bond with him in some way. He hadn't entirely categorized this one quirk of hers yet, and it just went to show that he had quite a bit of work still ahead of him if he was going to control this girl enough so that his plans could see fruition.

"What do you mean," he asked blankly.

"Tea or coffee?" Honestly, Zetsu had never put much thought into the matter. He rarely drank anything but water, neither plants nor shinobi needed anything else. But he had tasted coffee once, and hadn't managed to get the bitter taste out of his mouth for some time, so he supposed he didn't like it much.

"Tea, I guess," he replied with a half shrug. Seemingly satisfied, the girl nodded and started opening the curtains. Zetsu shrank back into the shadows. He liked to put off morphing into the bonsai as much as possible. He had had plenty of more uncomfortable hiding places, but the tiny tree was slowly becoming a constricting prison. Stuffy and boring, but inescapable. Only when she had officially opened the store did he slide in.

Ino had never truly seen him disappear to be engulfed in the plants, defying the law of the conservation of matter, but she knew he did it. Every time she flipped the sign there was a strange prickly feeling on the back of her neck and when she turned around he would either be gone or suddenly present. Each was unsettling. This time, she turned around to find the room as empty as if she had been alone the whole time.

But she could sense that whisper of chakra emitting from the counter. It had taken her awhile, but ten days of twenty four seven contact had made her at least somewhat familiar with the foreign chakra.

There wasn't much to do that day, she realized as she lounged behind her cash register. Normally, she'd busy herself with taking care of her plants, but thanks to Zetsu, there was no need for that now. She was half tempted to reverse all the changes he had made out of spite simply because he had made them. But she was a botanist, and even she could tell he had improved everything. She sighed, the one thing she prided herself in was raising flowers, and she had even managed to mess that up.

"Um, excuse me." Ino looked up from the bonsai tree she had been staring at during her dark musings to see a slightly pimply teenage boy in front of her. She knew exactly what he was here for, and she resisted the urge to giggle as he shuffled his feet and looked at the floor.

"Yes," she prompted, her tone light and teasing. The boy looked up with his face bright red. "Is there something you want?"

"Well, um, you see, uh," he started, earning an encouraging gesture from Ino. "There's this girl I really like and I'm gonna ask her out and I wanted to give her flowers but I don't know what kind to get her so can you please help me?" His last sentence had come out in one pause-less rush and now he was looking at her as though expecting her to burst out laughing. Teenage boys were so paranoid. Instead, she just smiled and came out from behind the counter.

"Of course I can! Now, what's her favorite color?"

The rest of the day passed by smoothly enough as Ino helped love struck or worried customers pick out just the right arrangements. It was a job she enjoyed and was why she had so excelled in kunoichi training. She loved all the hidden meanings of the different flowers, and how they all fit together into such an aesthetically pleasing package. It was at four o'clock that the last customer finally left and it was time to close up. Normally, they'd be open longer, but she got off early today to allow her to run necessary errands.

"What a dull day," Zetsu commented when she turned around to find him suddenly present. It still gave Ino a jolt of adrenaline to see him there so suddenly, and the way he stood always disquieted her. So statuesque, as though he didn't feel the need to lean or fidget, or show any signs of movement at all.

"It wasn't that bad," she disagreed honestly. She closed the curtains with an air of normalcy, then started counting the money in the cash register.

"It is if you're stuck inside a plant the whole damn time," he snapped. "We don't all get to schmooze around like sluts."

"I'm not a slut," Ino snarled, slamming the cash register closed with a bang. She threw him a glare, then spun around to count the money and put it in the safe. It was true, she had a habit of flirting with the customers, but that was innocent. She got bored, it was entertainment. But at the same time, she knew he wasn't wrong. She couldn't deny her past discretions.

But she'd given that up. No more mindless sex with any guy that boosted her self esteem.

She placed the revenues for the day in the safe and locked it securely. Then she went into the backroom and grabbed her coat. It wasn't that cold out, but his words had hit a nerve, and she was feeling subconscious of her skimpy attire. She slipped it on and came back into the main room to find him standing exactly where she had left him.

"Where are you going," he demanded, just like he did every day. Ino had thought he'd be familiar with her schedule by now, but he still demanded she tell him, and she didn't dare lie. She found it almost touching that he always cared to know where she was. It made her feel somewhat special. So she pushed the niggling suspicious feelings aside and replied easily.

"Grocery shopping. I'm not used to having to feed two mouths," she said not quite being able to hide the tinge of bitterness. He was affecting into her budget, however slightly. He nodded thoughtfully, then walked over to a group of flowers.

"Take us with you," he demanded, pulling out a healthy purple blossom. He twirled it in his white fingers then walked back over to her. "I need to get out more." Ino held back her comment about him getting out plenty during the night. She still didn't know if he knew she was aware of his midnight excursions.

"I'm just going shopping. It's nothing important, and you can't come," she told him as sternly as she dared. She needed at least some time away from his constant oppression. She brushed past him and retrieved her purse from behind the counter. Suddenly, a black hand clamped down on her wrist. Not tight enough to bruise, but plenty tight enough to hurt.

"I didn't ask," he growled. Despite her gut instinct, she glanced up into his yellow eyes and felt her knees go slightly week. Standing up to him became physically impossible. She swallowed.

"We'll be in this," he began explaining. It hurt that her submission had come so quickly and obviously. "Don't waste your time trying something drastic. Even as something so small, there are ways to kill you easily." His voice, a soft purr, left no doubt in her mind. "It'll go here. Don't move it."

With his black hand still clasping her wrist and preventing her from shoving him away, he gently pushed her blond hair aside. His cold fingertips brushing her skin sent shivers down her spine. Patiently, he placed locks of hair behind her ear, and then tucked the flower in. She stared at him fearfully, the caged voice screaming something about molestation.

But she didn't feel molested; his gentle hand made her feel treasured.

"Close your eyes," he said, his harsh voice husky. She did so obediently. Then a spike of chakra and whoosh of air, and she knew it was safe to reopen them. She stood stock still, glancing around nervously, half expecting to see him still in the room. It was unbelievable that the entirety of his mass was tucked elegantly into her hair.

She took out the flower and held it before her for inspection. He was really in there; she could feel him. Briefly, the thought of simply crushing the offending plant flit through her mind, but she squashed that quickly. He needed her if he was going to be able to survive in Konoha. What would he do if he didn't have her to watch over him? He needed her. Plus, he was still dangerous. She didn't know how, but she knew he was. Carefully, she replaced it back in her hair and put on her shoes.

Just don't do anything that could give away Konoha secrets. Other than that, pretend he's not there, she told herself calmly.

Celery or carrot sticks: that was the question. Ino placed her finger on her chin and pondered the question long and hard. Celery was cheaper, but was absolutely disgusting. At least as far as she was concerned. Carrot sticks tasted better, but they were so expensive…

Finally, she decided on celery. She had to buy extra pork chops for Zetsu anyway.

As she was placing the sticks in her basket, she suddenly she felt goose bumps rise on her forearms. Unmistakable goose bumps. She looked up quickly and easily spotted the source. Blue black hair ruffled attractively, pale skin with slightly aristocratic features. Dark clothing and lean muscles, the youngest Uchiha was unmistakable.

I should talk to him, she thought. She didn't obsess over Sasuke like she used to, but it was impossible for a girl's body not to react to such a fine specimen. And besides, she had time. He was standing next to the tomatoes with his basket in his hand, staring at the fruits very intensely. Perfectly good tomatoes were replaced back in their box over and over again as he found them unsatisfactory. Always so mysterious.

"Picky much Sasuke-kun," she said with a giggle as she stepped beside him to grab a few tomatoes for herself. With a quick glance into his basket she noticed that was almost all he had. Tomatoes and a small bag of cat food. He gave her a half shrug and finally placed another into his basket to join the other five rolling around.

"My tomatoes need to be perfect," he replied, his voice like dark molten chocolate. Ino nodded understandingly. She grabbed one, rolled it around in her hand, saw it wasn't bruised and put it in her basket. Judging by Sasuke's skeptical look, it wasn't one he would have chosen.

"I never knew you liked tomatoes," she said thoughtfully as she weighed another in her palm. "To tell the truth, I never knew what foods you liked at all…"

"After all those years stalking me," Sasuke asked, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow. A small inner part of Ino that did not happen to be in a cage, managed to murmur with some satisfaction that her heart no long fluttered when he looked at her. The rest of her wrinkled her nose indignantly.

"I did not stalk, I clung," she corrected him. Actually, she'd done both, she reflected. Desperate for attention from a guy who'd never give it to her. Pathetic.

"Hn," was his only response. Ino struggled to resist a sigh of exasperation. They'd deteriorated right back into his mono syllabic vocabulary; and she'd thought they'd been doing so well. But as usual, such things as being ignored could never deter her.

"So, since I never stalked you and so wouldn't know, tell me: what's your favorite food," she pressed. She knew the man beside her was not the same boy she had badgered back in their pre genin days, but still, she felt as though he was. He had not returned from Orochimaru willingly, indeed Naruto had had to make good on his promise of dragging him back unconscious and bleeding. But still, he was back wasn't he?

Too engaged in morbid wonderings, she had failed to notice the fruit being waved before her eyes. At first, she wondered why Sasuke was dangling a tomato in front of her nose, until she realized he was answering her question.

"Oh. Tomatoes? That makes sense."

Sasuke just nodded then went back to his searching. Briefly, Ino wondered how many he was planning to get. He already had seven, and they were crowding his cat food. Speaking of which, why did Sasuke even have cat food? She'd thought he hated animals.

"What's with the pet chow," she asked, realizing but not caring how nosy she was being. Sasuke glanced into his basket as though he didn't know what she was talking about, and then he shrugged. If he weren't the great Uchiha Sasuke, Ino was sure he would have blushed.

"There's a stray cat near my apartment. It looks hungry," he replied bluntly, not looking at her. Ino instantly felt her heart burst into warm fluffies and she knew she was looking at him with dopey girlish eyes. But she just couldn't help it.

"Ooh, that's so cute," she gushed. In retrospect, she regretted in. She knew he hated that sort of thing, but it was female instinct. Typically, he glared at her, grabbed his last tomato and turned away.

"Hn."

Then off he went to go purchase his beloved tomatoes and cat food for the poor starving kitten.

"Interesting that the little Uchiha should love cats," Zetsu said suddenly with a thoughtful air. Ino looked up from her romance novel with a shrug.

"Why? There are dog people and there are cat people. Sasuke's one of the cat people," she said simply. She had just gotten out of the shower after her training session and they were now lounging in her meager living room. Her stretched out on the couch with a trashy novel she wasn't that into, and Zetsu perched on a chair dining on a raw pork chop sandwich. It was one of those silent moments that could be either comfortable and almost pleasant, or stressful and hostile. This one was comfortable.

"Yeah, but all the Uchihas I know hate cats," he replied. Ino raised an eyebrow at him and doggy-eared her page. She didn't like the male character anyway. He was too perfect.

"And how many Uchihas do you know," she asked pointedly.

"More than you," he was quick to snap. Ino just rolled her eyes. That was not a point worth arguing.

"It makes some amount of sense though, I suppose," he continued, completely ignoring their little spat. Ino cocked her head at him. Why the sudden interest in Sasuke's quirks? "What with how much he hates Itachi."

"You lost me," Ino said. It was hard to keep up with his conversations when half of them went on in his own head. He also seemed to have lost interest his sandwich and it was lying on the short coffee table. "Itachi has nothing to do with Sasuke liking cats."

"I wouldn't be so sure Blondie," he disagreed slyly. Ino gave him a suspicious look.

"Oh?"

"Itachi was one of those disturbed children. Must have come from learning to kill at the age of seven. And what do disturbed children do," he prompted, watching her expectantly. Ino shifted uncomfortably, more acutely aware of her vulnerable position. She wasn't sure what he was expecting her to say.

"Cut themselves?"

"Oh come on, Itachi's not that dumb," he scoffed suddenly. Ino scowled at him in return. You didn't have to be dumb to cut yourself. You just had to be a bit sick in the head.

"No. Itachi didn't cut himself," he said with a sigh, though this side of him was patient at least. "Itachi preferred to cause harm to others. In short, animals; cats in particular." A curling, sick feeling in Ino's stomach told her where this was going. "He made very good use of the simple Uchiha fire techniques."

"He tortured them, didn't he," Ino whispered as her book lay forgotten on her churning stomach. She sat up and let out a disgusted sound. "Set them on fire… That's sick. Itachi's a sick bastard…"

"I don't think it's a coincidence then that Sasuke's taken it into his hands to feed poor hungry kittens," he said, and Ino nodded in agreement. Then, with a last shudder of disgust, she lay back down and picked up her book. Maybe being immersed in the world of huge biceps and ridiculously perfect good attitudes wasn't so bad after all.

They sank back into silence once more, each involved in their own thoughts. Then with the slightest ruffle of fabric Zetsu got up and left, sliding into the kitchen. She subtly watched him leave, then glanced down and saw the remnants of his forsaken sandwich still on the coffee table. She huffed indignantly.

"Hey," she called. "Don't just leave that here, it's disgusting." No answer. "You were eating it, you pick it up." Again, no reply. "Well, I'm not picking it up, it's gross!" Silence. "Come on! It's gonna stain the wood!" Not that her cheap table was actually wood, but she liked to think it was.

With a sigh of exasperation, she lowered herself to simple grumbling, knowing she'd still have to clean it up later. His silence though, while common, was unnerving. As was his interest in Sasuke. Maybe she shouldn't have gone to talk to Sasuke with Zetsu right there. But she had pushed his presence to the back of her mind, hadn't even given him a thought. And besides, how much could he find out?

How much harm could Zetsu do to Sasuke just by knowing he loved tomatoes and cats?

Meanwhile, Zetsu was mulling over these new tid-bits of information like a child with a new toy. He took a tomato from the fridge and began tossing it up and down in the air. Weaknesses came in many forms, and these two connections to Sasuke's delicate past were just what he needed. He heard the girl yelling at him, and ignored her with practiced ease. After so much time spent ignoring one another in his own head, someone else was little more than a fly.

He allowed her to attempt to boss him, not finding a reason to put her in her place. To terrify her too much would only make her volatile and desperate, and that wasn't what he wanted. After a bit, he heard her close her book and toss it back onto the shelf. With a myriad of swearing and disgusted mutterings, she tossed away his leftover food. Then she began to get ready for bed.

It was dark out.

Grateful for the cover the night provided, Zetsu walked thoughtfully to the kitchen window, still tossing the fruit.

"This could be complicated."

"It won't be."

Glancing down into the alley way, he spotted an emaciated tom cat digging around in a dumpster. Smirking at his gratuitous cruelty, a black arm suddenly launched the tomato at the animal quickly and efficiently.

A yowl echoed in the night.

A/N you know, I have a thing for Sasuke. He's just such a pivotal character in the manga he ends up as a plot device in my own stories. And for any of you wondering, there will be no Ino x Sasuke in this fic, that's not how I use the pretty boy. Hmm, that last sentence didn't sound so good.

But, I'm much to lazy to continue writing this Authors Note, so the important thing here it. I sincerely hope you enjoyed that chapter, and if you did, I humbly request of you to please review. And if you didn't think it was so hot... I still want you to review.

**note to shadow readers, you are not exempted from my review begging...

So see you later folks, tah tah for now.

~Yuki