A/N: sorry bout not posting in forever. I've been on the receiving end of what is known as school pwnage. Exams, papers...will the insanity ever end!? Okay...I'm done now. Here is the next chapter and it won't be long until the end is here. I'm not sure how to post my poll for the sequel, so if you know, please let me know. As always, Naruto and the other Naruto characters are not mine. Enjoy! JA NE!!
CH. 32: The Hunt
Lotus returned to camp and looked around. She didn't see Zetsu, so perhaps sacrificing the spy snake had been worth it. She'd wondered if there was something dangerous behind that window…apparently she'd been right. Acting natural, she walked over to Madara's elite forces…what he called Akatsuki.
"Has anyone seen Zetsu? I sent him on a scouting mission earlier…I didn't see him on my way back, nor do I feel him anywhere around right now." Everyone looked at her, but Sasori and Deidara gave her a weird look. Kakuzu was too busy counting his money to see and Tobi was playing with a butterfly, so he didn't notice either.
"No, my lady. Zetsu has not returned as of yet. As a matter of fact, I got a strange chill not to long ago. Perhaps he ran into trouble?" Itachi was staring at her now. She nodded once and looked around. More and more of Madara's troops were amassing in the small temporary camp. She looked on emotionlessly. She turned back to the six she knew she could trust.
"Pein…you and Konan go find food." 'Meet me in the woods in a few minutes.' she told them telepathically. They looked at her oddly, but didn't question her. They got up and left. "Kisame, take Itachi to the river with you and get some water. Apply the ointment to his eyes for him while you're there. 'Meet me in the woods in a few minutes.' she told them as well. Kisame nodded, slightly confused, but listened all the same. She then turned to Sasori and Deidara. "You two…come with me. We are going to get firewood." She communicated with her eyes that something was up. They nodded and followed her.
Lotus was sitting on a stone in a small clearing half a mile from camp. Sasori and Deidara lounged in the grass behind the stone and indulged in each other's company. Suddenly, there was a rustling in the bushes and the four other people showed up. They gawked at one another, then at Lotus, who smiled at them…SMILED.
"What's going on?" Itachi asked, sensing the tension. Kisame put Itachi behind him and glared. Lotus smiled and hopped off her perch.
"I didn't want to do this while anyone loyal to Madara could see, so I want you all to watch very closely." She said and walked up to Itachi. Kisame tensed, but when Lotus held her hand out and took Itachi's hand, he relaxed a little.
"Itachi…I know what happened to you. I want to help you, but you must have complete faith that you can be healed." She said it lightly, so that the others could barely hear her. She saw his hope, but sensed his doubt. She put her hands over his eyes and used as much power as she dared at that moment to heal his deteriorating eyes. When she removed her hands again, everyone saw large black eyes looking at them.
"I…I can see. I can see…all of you." He said, then looked at Kisame, who looked away in shame. Itachi put his hand on the larger man's forearm and made the blue tinted man look at him. "Madara did this to you…didn't he?" Kisame looked shocked, then nodded. Itachi smiled gently at the larger man, then looked at Lotus.
"Can you heal Kisame as well?" he asked, knowing it was the one thing the older man wanted the most. Lotus looked at them both for a second, then frowned.
"No…I can not do that…it would alter his genetic makeup too much and it would eventually do more harm than good. However," she said at the disappointment on their faces. "I can tell you that where you are going, you will not have to worry about being judged based on looks. The people you will see there are in much worse shape than yourself. They were victims of Madara as well." Kisame looked up at her, then at Itachi, who smiled at him despite his shark-like appearance.
"As long as I have people that accept me for what I am, I guess I can live with what I am." he said quietly. Itachi beamed at him, which made Kisame happy as well. Lotus then turned her eyes on Pein and Konan. Konan hid behind Pein, who was still reluctant to show his feelings for the blue haired girl.
Lotus frowned and walked up to the orange haired man. Suddenly, she was behind him and he heard Konan scream, then it all went silent. He turned to see Konan lying on the ground, dead. He roared and went to her side, shaking her. He looked up and suddenly Konan was standing over him, staring at him with worried eyes.
"Pein-kun…are you alright? You…you sounded so heartbroken just then…" Pein looked at the little flower lover and without a second thought he put his hands on her, roaming her to ensure himself she was alive and well. He heard her squeak of surprise and smiled. She always made amusing noises when they touched. He hugged her to him and whispered things he would not have said had he not just seen her die.
Pein then glared at Lotus, who had a sad smile on her face. "I am sorry I used a genjutsu on you Pein…but you should not deny the fact you love her. I think it's obvious that I already know and it's not like the others are going to tell. They have their own important people to protect." Pein then realized what this was all about.
"You're trying to protect us…aren't you? You're going to send us away from the battle…" Lotus smiled and looked at the tallest tree just on the outskirts of the clearing. Everyone followed their gaze to see the silvery-pink haired woman and the crimson haired man that was standing in the tree. All six tensed until they saw Lotus walk over to the woman and drop to one knee.
"Haruno-sama. It is good to finally meet you in person. These are the people I requested be put under your protection. They wish to live out their lives in peace with the others I sent from The Center. Please…I beg you to help them as you have helped so many others." The six watched as their 'leader' bowed low to their 'enemy'. The woman looked over at them then, her silver eyes piercing.
They noticed her stiffen when her gaze landed on Itachi. Her eyes narrowed and she walked over to them. "Another Uchiha. Hopefully he's not as arrogant as his prick brother." Itachi stared at her then, wondering what she was talking about. She then turned her gaze to Sasori, who raised an eyebrow.
"And you…do you remember me, Akasuna no Sasori?" Sasori stiffened at the name and gave her a confused look.
"That name sounds familiar, but I do not think it belongs to me. I apologize, but I do not remember much before being put into this body. All I know is what the others have told me. I was told that a Choji destroyed my puppet body that Madara used to control me…for that I am grateful. I am happy to have my human form back." Sakura stared at him intently, as if trying to catch him in a lie.
When she finished with him, she looked over the others, arching a brow at Deidara. She turned back to Lotus then and nodded in a businesslike manner. "I will take them to Gokuraku to live with the others. But these ones I will have use for later. Perhaps they can be of some use for the good guys. HIDAN!" everyone's eyes widened when the silver haired Jashin monk appeared, kneeling at the young woman's feet.
"Hai, Hatori-sama?" his voice was low, but it held amusement. Sakura smirked at the looks on their faces.
"What…you thought Madara was the only one with spies?" she said, and then all amusement was gone from her. She looked at Hidan and instructed him to take their new allies to Gokuraku, where they were to be given accommodations and allowed to rest. "And Hidan…" he turned at her tone and looked into deadly silver eyes. "If anyone starts trouble…you know what to do. I will not have my safe lands destroyed by foolishness." the six newcomers sweat dropped at the sadistic joy on the man's face.
"Understood Hatori-sama." he said and walked up to his fellow Akatsuki team mates. Sakura heard them as they walked off.
"What did she mean, 'you know what to do'?" the blonde asked. A murmur was heard and then the blonde jumped into Sasori's arms and squealed like a frightened woman. Sakura smirked and then outright laughed when she saw Lotus put a hand to her head and grumble something about crazy transvestites.
Sakura turned to Lotus, who gave her a very serious look. "You have my allegiance, Haruno-sama. However, I must request that you fight me now. We must create an opening to say that my men lost their lives. I will not risk them being hunted. One of the traitors, Zetsu, lost his life to your Lacey today. I am grateful. However, there are more that are loyal to Madara. They amass in a camp not too far. If we start the fight here, and your mate joins in, it will give me cause to backtrack so that you can wipe out the premature attack force."
Sakura nodded and powered up. Gaara nodded and stayed back for the first few punches. It was only until it seemed that things could get really bad that Gaara stepped in. When he did, it was with enough force to send Lotus flying into the center of the makeshift camp. She stood from the crater, her body unharmed.
She looked up to see Kakuzu staring wide eyed at her and Tobi looked about to cry on her behalf. She tackled Tobi as a wave of energy obliterated half the camp, making it impossible for Kakuzu to revive himself using his powers. Lotus grabbed the unconscious Tobi and retreated back to The Center.
Sakura watched the construct leave with the child-like Akatsuki member. She sighed and looked over at Gaara, who had his hands crossed over his chest, glaring.
"You allowed her to strike you pretty hard, mitsukai-chan. I do not like it." he growled, looking at the red mark forming on Sakura's cheek where Lotus' fist had connected. Sakura laughed and pressed her body against his.
"Don't worry Panda-chan. You will have plenty of time to work off your frustrations. Now…how about you and me go find all those moles ourdear friend , Ray, informed us of." she purred and rubbed her leg against his. He growled lightly at her, though it sounded more like a purr. She smiled and kissed him passionately. He wrapped his arms around her and in an instant, they were gone.
Lacey opened her eyes and looked around. She was cuddled up to something warm in the darkness of what appeared to be a jungle. However, her memory flooded back to her as she heard the light snoring of the man beside her. She looked at him, with his odd hairstyle, his semi-fuzzy brows (I couldn't bring myself to make them as fuzzy as in the manga) and the scars on his face. She was reminded intensely of her father at the sight of those scars.
It was then that she realized that they were not alone in the room. Something was in there with them. She used her plants to determine what it was. She hissed when she realized it was a member of the Akatsuki, Madara's special task force. She put her plants on full scale guard mode. She instructed them to protect her and Lee, but to do with what they liked to the intruder. She returned to the cocoon of warmth she had been sharing with Lee after that and it wasn't until she heard the dying scream of the intruder that she went back to sleep.
Everyone was fidgeting as they waited for the 'emergency meeting' to commence. Several were more nervous than others. It was common knowledge that Ray and several other agents had been discovered as sleepers for The Center. It was also common knowledge what had happened to them. Several people jumped when the president of Hatori Corp. suddenly appeared before them.
"Hello boys…miss me much?" she said and looked at them. It was then they noticed that her hair was a silvery pink shade, her eyes were silver, and there was a crimson haired man standing entirely too close to her.
One of the younger executives who was hoping to convince the council to force Sakura to wed him, scowled. "Who is that and what is his business here, Lady President?" Sakura smiled and looked at the man, then at them.
"Oh, Panda-chan? He's my husband…why?" She smiled at the surprised looks on their faces. One of the older executives stood, his face red with anger.
"You know very well, Hatori-sama, that we were hoping to marry you in exchange for a merger with a smaller company…now that will be impossible. You have ruined all hopes of expansion in this company." Sakura glared at the man, knowing the old fart had wanted her to marry his son, who was just as power hungry as his old man.
"Hold your tongue old man. This may be a Corporation, but it is still run by my family. I hold the power of my clan now…I was named Hatori clan leader, which means I have EVERY right to appoint a new council if that is my wish." She hissed at him, her eyes flashing dangerously. The old man fell back in his chair, flabbergasted.
An old woman glared at the man and stood, trying to calm the younger woman. "What Nebigo meant, Hatori-sama, is that we are surprised you did not inform us of your decision. It would have given us time to prepare an objection should your choice not meet the requirements all Chairmen must meet in order to wed."
Sakura saw red then. She glared at her council and Gaara noticed her starting to change forms once more. Her fangs became pronounced and her claws grew longer and sharper. He grabbed her around the waist and whispered to her, stopping the change.
There were a few hisses of disproval, but they both ignored them. When Gaara finished whispering, Sakura smiled and beamed at him. "Be my guest, Panda-chan." she smiled sweetly at him, then sent the council a death glare. He made sure he had everyone's attention, then introduced himself.
"My name is Sabaku no Gaara, son of the late chairman of the Sabaku Defense Agency. I am the new chairman, as of my eighteenth birthday. It is a pleasure to meet the councilmen of my new wife's company." he almost smirked at the gaping council members…almost. However, he glared at them instead. "I do not appreciate the hostility with which I was received and I must ask you all to retire yourselves for the good of the company. Otherwise, I will be reluctant to merge my company with Hatori Corp." he saw Sakura smirk out of the corner of his eye.
Sakura then walked up to him and batted her lashes at him. "But sweetie…would you really do that?" she knew he wouldn't REALLY do it, but they wanted to make sure the council was out of their hair. She mock gasped as he pulled her to him and stared her in the eyes.
"You know I don't say things I don't mean, dear wife. After being treated so rudely by your executives, it is hard for me to believe they will be any more hospitable to anyone else from my company." Sakura smiled in her head. He was really good at this acting thing. She gave him a pouting face and started drawing circular patterns in his chest. The executives just stared.
"Well…I guess for the good of the company, I will have to appoint new executives. Wouldn't want ji-chan's hard work falling through." Sakura said in a sweet voice, then went in for the kill. She turned to the executives and her eyes started glowing. Suddenly, it was like time was standing still. She went to each executive and probed their minds. Only four out of her twenty eight executives had any link to Madara, one of them being the young executive that had tried to force her to marry him.
Sakura blinked and it was like time was restored. All the executives gripped their heads and looked at the two standing before them. Sakura took out a piece of paper that was stained with blood. "The reason I called this meeting today is because there is a problem. There is evidence suggesting that Hatori Corp. has been compromised. This is a list of sleepers The Center planted throughout the company. I came to you guys first, before I acted on the accusations. Now…does anyone have anything they'd like to say before I give the orders to restrain the perpetrators?"
The one woman in the group of traitors stood with tears in her eyes. "I am sorry Hatori-sama. I am a sleeper for The Center. But…know that I have nothing against you, nor do I enjoy working for them. They…they have my sisters…" the woman hung her head and Sakura felt sorry for the woman. She did not, however, let it show now. She had one of her more gentle agents take the woman to be questioned.
"Anyone else?" She asked and noticed one of the male perpetrators looked confused and was scratching his head. She felt suddenly reminiscent of how Sasori had been when she'd mentioned his old code name. The man looked up at her, clearly confused. She nodded and had another of her more kind agents take the man for questioning.
The last two tried to act innocent and did not acknowledge their involvement. Sakura nodded and suddenly both men were seized roughly. They made a fuss, but were subdued and taken for questioning. Sakura gave them all serious looks. "Before you consider betraying me…consider this. I WILL find out about it and I WILL punish you for it. The Center isn't some science club. It RUINS people's lives…innocent people, who just want to be left in peace. They torture women, rape them, beat them…this is NOT something to take lightly. We are at war, ladies and gentlemen, and we can not afford to lose." Her executives nodded and she gave a curt nod before walking out. She then made her way to the floor right under her penthouse office.
Sakura stood back while Gaara went through each floor, each branch of her corporation, and placed the spies into custody. Several had to be subdued by Gaara himself, but to Sakura it was worth every minute.
Everything was quiet in the psych ward at the Kagure Medical Complex. Every now and then there was a scream from a disturbed resident, but the guards put that off to them being mental. However, there was one room that there was such a commotion that the guards should have investigated, but didn't under the pretense that there was a doctor in there and the patient was probably not cooperating.
And how right they were. There was a sixteen year old young lady that had been admitted because she claimed she could communicate with the spirits. Her parents had thought she was crazy and had admitted her immediately. Now, she was struggling to escape three men that were attempting to kidnap her.
She kicked and bit and scratched them. One had a few broken ribs and another was trying to jab her with a syringe. Unfortunately, he ended up jabbing his partner when she reversed their positions and the man ran at her. She threw the unconscious man out of her room and faced the other two. The one with the needle and the one with the bum ribs.
She lashed out at the man holding the now useless syringe and he went flying out of her room, soon followed by the man with the bad ribs. She was about to go back into her room when a fourth, unseen adversary, came up behind her and tackled her. She screamed and scratched, bit and kicked, but he was too heavy and she was slowly loosing consciousness.
Just when she thought there was no hope, the weight of her attacker was thrown off her. She looked up into silver eyes and couldn't help but think she was dying and that the being before her was an angel. "Am I…dying?" she asked whimsically. The figured chuckled and put a hand to her cheek.
"No Natalie…you're not dying. Nor do you have to worry any longer. The people that were going to hurt you are gone now…you will never have to see them again. Sleep now, Natalie. You've fought well…let us take care of you now." the angelic voice calmed her and she soon found herself sleeping peacefully.
When the young woman was asleep, the angel turned to her demon partner. "Gaara…she's got a kekkei genkai like Moegi, only she can't interact. She can see and speak to them, but she can't hold them or touch them." Gaara nodded and instructed the agents to take the men in for questioning. They did as he told them and then he turned and looked at his mate.
"Hidan…Come here." She closed her eyes and whispered. Instantly, the tall silver haired man was by her side, looking at her. He inclined his head to Gaara and looked down at Sakura. "Hidan…I want you to take this girl to Gokuraku…I want you to protect her personally." Sakura saw the defiance in his gaze and the dislike of the command, but he did as he was told.
"Damn, what am I, a babysitter?" He growled, then scooped the young woman up and looked at her. He arched a brow, then disappeared.
Sakura walked into the room where the guards were watching comedy central. She stiffened and growled low in her throat. Both turned and blanched when they spotted her. "You do realize there was a security breach in room 412, correct?" she hissed at them, glaring so hard both men looked like holes would appear any minute.
"B-but ma'am…t-the doctor…h-he t-told us that s-she wouldn't t-take h-her meds. H-he told us n-not t-to interfere." the younger of the two responded. Sakura saw red. It was common knowledge that the doctors ran the show around the hospital. She slammed her hands down on the desk in front of them.
"From now on, you will listen to me and me alone, do you understand? You will investigate ANY disturbance in this wing and it will be reported back to me IMMEDIATELY. If anyone tries to dismiss you, you have them call me for clearance. Otherwise, NO ONE comes in and out without my permission." both men nodded and stared out the door long after she had left. They looked at each other, then at the television, and then shut the thing off.
Sakura was fuming. There were DOCTORS in HER hospital working for the Center. She went to each wing in her hospital and checked things over. Any anomalies were investigated and if there was anything suspicious, there was a mind search. In all, one of her surgeons, three of her crappier doctors, four residents, six nurses, twelve male nurses, and twenty-two lab techs were hauled off for questioning. Not to mention fourteen security/maintenance personnel and two EMS drivers. Disheartened, Sakura had HR go through multiple applications and gave extensive screening to the possible employees. After spending most of her day personally interviewing for positions, she was fully staffed once more.
Sakura went to her office and sat in her chair. Gaara followed behind her silently, giving her the support she needed when she needed it. He went to her and sat on her desk in front of her. She looked up at him and saw the longing in his eyes. She smirked and stood, needing a distraction. She pressed against him and kissed him passionately. He growled and it made her smile. They hadn't really had any 'alone time' since they had mated. As she thought about it, she was surprised to find that only a day had gone by since they had mated.
She pulled away reluctantly and looked into his narrowed eyes. She cupped his face with both hands and looked at him like she could eat him. He smirked and a low, seductive growl came from his throat. She purred against him as she rubbed her face against the side of his and down along his neck and chest. Gaara sat on her desk and allowed her to nuzzle him, knowing she needed it. He tangled his fingers in her long, now silvery pink hair.
"Mitsukai-chan…why is you hair pink now?" he'd forgotten to ask her earlier, but having his hands immersed in the mass of wavy hair reminded him. He felt her freeze mid rub. He could sense her apprehension and the nervous flittering in her mind. He rubbed his hands gently through her hair and tugged lightly. "Sakura…you don't have to be afraid to tell me things. We are mates now…" He reminded her gently. He felt the tension slowly drain from her and she slowly lifted her eyes to him. Her eyes were the bright emerald orbs he'd originally fallen in love with.
"Well…" she began nervously and licked her lips, "It's the natural shade of my hair…" she said in a small, embarrassed voice. He looked at her with one non-brow arched as he barely caught her words. Not knowing if she was teasing him or if she was serious, and not ever remembering paying attention to see if what her natural hair color was (cough, cough) he decided to see if she was being truthful.
With a squeal of excitement, Sakura was lifted into his arms and laid her on the desk. He made short work of stripping her pants from her, as well as her shirt and bra. He left her panties as an enticement. He rained kisses on her face, neck and chest before kissing his way down her stomach. He nipped the skin just above her panty line, making her gasp in delight. He then slowly slid her panties down her legs, his chin on her stomach, staring up at her. He wanted to be surprised by his find and he had every intention of exploring that part THOROUGHLY. He finally pulled the panties from her and dropped them in the pile with the rest of her clothes.
So as not to be interrupted, Gaara sent his sand to secure the door. He was going to savor his mate the way he hadn't been able to their first mating. He pulled up and finally looked at her femininity. He gasped when he saw the truth of the matter…her silver pink hair was indeed all natural. "Fuck…" Gaara hissed between clenched teeth. It was going to be really hard not to throw her over her desk and screw her senseless. He closed his eyes and fought the urge as best he could.
Lotus watched, emotionless, as Madara threw his fit. He yelled, cursed and glared, but it was never directed at her. At this moment, it was at the only survivor of their little 'raiding' party: Tobi. "Stupid, useless…I should put you back into the cage I took you out of!" Lotus saw Tobi flinch and felt a niggling of pity. She decided to let Madara know what had happened.
"Don't blame the soldiers…blame the intelligence. Whoever gathered our intelligence did a shoddy job. We were carrying out our mission as instructed when a barrier appeared from nowhere. The barrier was created by one of the jinchuuriki…they sensed us before we even knew what was happening. We were not instructed to expect any of the jinchuuriki…only humans." she said in the same monotone she always used with Madara.
She noticed him stiffen, then he turned red eyes on her. She stood there, as always, no emotion playing on her face. Seeing that she was simply making an observation, Madara's anger had to go un-vented, as he no longer had anyone he could yell at. Zetsu had gathered the intelligence, and he had somehow been destroyed. Madara glared as he remembered one of his more loyal creations had been lost.
"The jinchuuriki were not there when the intelligence was collected. Apparently something is going on in that house that is making the Haruno nervous." he smiled wickedly and looked back at Tobi. "So how is it that you survived when the others did not?" he scrutinized Tobi, who was very child-like by nature.
"An angel from heaven swooped down and carried me to safety. She was very pretty and she made me feel happy." Madara arched a brow and looked at Lotus, who looked on just as emotionless as ever.
"Lotus…is what he say true? Did an 'angel' save him?" Madara's eyes narrowed on the young woman before him. There were only two angelic looking people he knew of and one was standing before him. He saw her shrug, something she commonly did.
"I was retreating after being wounded by the Haruno. Perhaps she spied on us and found that one not to be a threat. He is rather child-like and may remind her of the young artist she has adopted. They share a lot of the same qualities." She saw Madara stiffen and look at her. He walked over and looked her over. He indeed saw bandages on her stomach.
"What did the medic say about your condition? Is everything intact?" Lotus saw the panic in his eyes and felt revulsion creep up her spine. She kept her face blank and decided to mess with him. She would get a few precious days to herself.
"They said that there was internal damage from the blow, and that I should rest, otherwise there would be irreparable damage to my kidneys, liver, and reproductive organs." She saw the panic grow and a disgusting smile appeared on his face.
"Well, don't just stand there, my dear. Go to your quarters and rest. We can't have you damaged for your battle with Haruno." Lotus almost stiffened when a thought crossed his mind 'Can't have the future mother of my children harmed…I need her breeding…' Lotus nodded to him and left for her quarters. Tobi followed behind her, his forefinger in his mouth.
"Aniki seemed very upset that you were hurt, nee-san…are you sure you are feeling alright?" Lotus looked back at Tobi, who looked so innocent with his finger in his mouth the way it was. However, she could not forget where she was.
"I'm fine. Go to your quarters before someone decides your life isn't important." Lotus noticed the tears forming in the corner of the young man's eyes and she felt a little bad about what she'd said…even though it was true.
"Tobi is sorry for upsetting you nee-san…" he said and wiped tears from his face. Lotus looked him full on then.
"I have no emotions, little Uchiha. You can not upset one who has never felt anything for anyone. I was merely assessing a situation based on the data observed." She reminded the young man. He smiled and ran up to her, much like a child would.
"Will nee-san play a game with Tobi!?" Lotus saw the pleading in the youth's eyes and she nodded, not sure why she did. She looked back the way they had come and saw Madara glaring at them. Lotus stared him down, no emotions on her face at all. She knew Madara thought he'd done a little too good a job at stripping her of her emotions. If only he knew.
"I do not know what this 'play a game' request of yours is…but if it will keep you quiet and out of the way, then I will do it." she said loud enough for Madara to hear. She felt the disappointment radiating off the man, as he had been hoping to see emotion from her, even if just a little bit. She looked back at Tobi with those emotionless eyes and followed the youth out, making sure to watch the 'boy' carefully.
Sai felt drowsy…he'd only felt like this the day Sakura had worked her miracle on him to save his life. He appreciated his life now more than ever. He was about to open his eyes when a large, rough hand was laid on his cheek. He cracked one eye to see Shino standing there, caressing his face.
"How are you feeling, kochou?" came Shino's rough, husky voice. Sai smiled up at the older male and nuzzled the hand at his cheek. He still had trouble talking, but he allowed his body to do the talking for him. Sai gave Shino a pleading look and Shino looked at the people in the room with them.
Everyone was asleep, some people in small groups lying everywhere. They had been instructed to stay within hearing distance of the room, so the only place they wandered was the small kitchenette only a few paces down the hall. Shino gave Sai one of his rare smiles and sat at the edge of the bed, carefully moving Sai so that he could lie beside the injured youth.
"Sakura-chan will be angry with me if she comes back and you have been disturbed. Go back to sleep kochou…I will protect you while you recover." Shino stroked Sai's damp black hair while the youth snuggled himself up to Shino's warm body. Shino sighed contently and relaxed, allowing his insects to keep guard while he enjoyed the press of the young, and thankfully alive, body of the man he loved.