A/N: I'm nervous...I get my SAT scores back tomorrow...wish me luck.

Anyways, I'm not so sure about this chapter, oh well. Please Review! I think I'm nearing the end of this story, only a few more chaps to go, even though I'm not sure how it's going to end.. Oh and sorry about the stupid line in the middle of the story...this site messes up my doc.


Chapter 7

It was a very strange sight, seeing some S-rank criminals attending a summer festival. Of course they were all in disguise, but a disguise doesn't change their personalities. Now that I think about it, it was mainly due to Tobi's whining that we were able to go to the festival, me, Tobi, Hidan, Kakuzu, Itachi, Deidara, and Kisame. "Tobi's so excited! What does Ai-chan want to do first!"

"I've never been to one of these things…"

"Let's throw shurikens! If we hit the target perfectly three times, then we can get a big stuffed fox! You want a fox right!" Tobi asked me, not even waiting for me to answer. He pulled me away to the booth. Deidara followed us unenergetically.

"Watch carefully Ai-chan!" He said, handing the booth owner some money. As soon as he picks up the shuriken, however, he drops it as though it turned into a snake. "OWWW! Tobi cut himself!"

"Ah, Tobi, are you okay?"

"Ai-chan! Kiss Tobi's wound!"

"Huh?" I asked, wondering how it would make it any better.

Deidara shoved Tobi aside. "Oh for the love of God," Deidara grabbed the shuriken and threw them at the target, hitting the bull's eye each time. The owner of the stall rang the bell, with a bored expression on his face and asked Deidara what he'd like for his prize. "Just get me the fox, un."

After being handed the fox, Deidara gave it to me. "Here, Ai-chan" he said with a wink. Blushing, I took the stuffed animal, which I really didn't want in the first place, but I was still happy. I think this is the first time anyone has ever given me anything.

"Wah! It's so cute!" Tobi exclaimed, taking the fox from me and running off.

"Hey you little bastard, where are you going, un? That's Aiko's!" Deidara shouted, but I laughed and started walking in the general direction Tobi ran off in.

It was a sight to behold. The stands lined up in rows, people performing on the stage, the paper lanterns lighting up the night, the delicious smell of food, the conversations of people, the laughs of children, all of it was so wonderful. This festival was different from the annual festivals I had to go to when I lived in Ametsuchi. Instead of standing by, watching the event occur, I was able to enjoy the festivities for myself.

"Ah, there are the others, un." Deidara pointed out Kakuzu, Kisame, and Itachi sitting at a table.

We joined them at the table. Kakuzu and Kisame were drinking sake and Itachi was eating some round things on a stick. "Itachi, what are you eating?"

"Dango."

"Oh, what's that?"

"It's sweet. It's a bit like mochi."

"Hmmm, that still doesn't tell me what it is."

He holds up the stick, giving up. "Just try some."

I took one off the stick and popped in my mouth. It was very chewy, but very sweet too. "Ah, this is really good!" I heard Kisame snickering. "Hm? Kisame, what's so funny?"

"I-I…" He didn't seem to be able to speak.

Kakuzu stood up. "I'm leaving." He grabbed Kisame by the elbow and the two left the table.

Deidara looked at them, at me and Itachi, back at them, and back to me and Itachi, then laughed. "Deidara, what's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing, I'm going to find Tobi, un."

"W-what? Why?"

"He's probably causing trouble somewhere. Have fun, Ai-chan," He said, smirking at me before he left. I looked to my side that Itachi was the only one left. I let out a silent cry. Why would they all leave me alone with Itachi? He brushed some hair out of his eyes and sighed. Wait,, why did he sigh? Did he not want to be here? Was I annoying to him? I looked up at the sky, as though Kami-sama would save me and noticed clouds forming. "It looks like it's going to rain, n-ne, Itachi…?"

He says nothing and I feel like stabbing myself with a shuriken. Why would Itachi even want to talk about the weather? "Excuse me, sir?" Itachi and I looked to see a man holding a camera standing beside our table. "Would you and your girlfriend allow me to take a picture for the local paper?"

I stood up abruptly from chair, surprised that he assumed that I was Itachi's girlfriend. Itachi too slowly rose from the table. "Sorry, we were just leaving. Let's go Aiko." He put a protective arm around me and led me away. I didn't know where we could possibly be going now, but did he really have to hold me so close? I looked down at the ground as I walked beside him, but something in a stand caught my eye. I stopped in front the stand and admired the charms placed on display. Itachi stared down at me. "Would you like one?"

"No!" I shook my head furiously, "I was just looking!"

"If you want one, I'll get you one." Itachi took his arm from around me and began conversing with the lady who owned the stand. He held up a charm. "I would like this."

"Wonderful choice, sir! That would be…"

"I said, I'd really like to have this," Itachi repeated, but this time, to my horror, with a smile on his face. A smile that would make any woman melt in her shoes. The lady in the stall seemed to turn into goop. "Of course, anything for you!"

Itachi handed me the charm and I tried to say something, but nothing came out. I was still shocked that he actual smile to this woman he didn't know. "It's a protective charm. You wear it around your neck." I nodded slowly and put the necklace on. "I-I'm sorry if I'm being a burden!" I apologized, bowing.

"Hn," He ruffled my head and kept walking. Confused, I patted my head and started to follow, but a strange noise stopped me. It was faint, but I was sure I had heard it. It sounded like a shout or a scream. I looked around trying to find the source, but nothing seemed wrong. I turned to continue following Itachi, but he was no longer in front of me and I found myself lost in a sea of people.

Again, I heard the scream and worry over took me. I strayed from the path and walked into the woods nearby. I continued walking towards the shouts and they slowly became louder and louder, until I couldn't hear them at all. I walked about ten minutes into the forest and my bravery began to wilt. It was getting hard to see, due to the little amount of moonlight shining through the treetops and every so often I'd jump at the smallest sound. I looked around, trying to figure out which way I had come in, but couldn't; I was lost.

I continued walking, when I saw a light. Without thinking I ran towards the light, I thought I was running towards salvation. But when I reached it, I came to a clearing and in the clearing there was a bloody man, kneeling, and a few feet ahead of him laid a bloody mutilated corpse. My sense of smell was overwhelmed by the metallic scent of blood. My instincts told me to run away, and yet I found myself walking closer and closer to the man and realized that it was Hidan.

My walk turned into a run and I kneeled in front of him. "Hidan-sama!" I took one whiff and noticed the air was not only tainted with the scent of blood, but also with alcohol. "Hidan-sama!" I shook him again. His eyes were open, but he didn't seem to be in the right mind.

"EH? Aiko?" He finally responded, his voice slurred.

A wave of relief washed over me. "Yes! Yes it's me! What were you doing? What happened?"

"Do you like it Aiko?" He asked, swaying a little bit as he pointed over to the dead body. "It's my fucking sacrifice to Jashin," he says, grinning all the while.

"No, I don't like it," I decide to answer truthfully. "C'mon Hidan-sama, we should get you back to…"

"What? Why don't you fucking like it, Aiko? I did it just for you…"

"I don't like it," I repeated, helping Hidan stand up slowly.

"Aiko, Aiko, Aiko," He began to whine.

"What is it, Hidan-sama?" I asked him, taking small steps with him away from the scene of the "sacrifice".

"Why don't you like it? It's not as easy as you think, ya know."

"You know why I don't like it, Hidan-sama."

"Tell me, Aiko. Why don't you fucking tell me?"

"Hidan-sama, just shut up!" I finally shout, frustrated with his behavior.

"HHHHuuhhhhh?" Hidan seems to magically garner strength to stand up on his own and grabs me by the hair. I shut my eyes in pain. "What the hell did you just say to me bitch?"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"What's this now? You're….you're…." His pink pupils roll to the back of his head and he collapses on top of me. His loud snores began with the thunder and rain began to fall, mixing with my tears, as I lay trapped beneath him. I didn't even know why I was crying. Why do I feel such sadness? I struggled to keep my eyes open, but I felt so tired. So tired…


I sat beside her bed, coughing. Why the hell did this happen to me? I gazed down at her sleeping form. She was sick…she was sick, because she was stuck out in the rain with me. Hell, I was sick from being out in the rain, but no one cared about that. When the rest of the guys found us, all they thought about was Aiko and now I'm the one stuck taking care of the stupid bitch. Aiko…she always has to do crap like this. What sane girl tries to help a drunken man, who just murdered someone? Only Aiko, only Aiko….

"Ngh." Aiko moaned in her sleep and shifted a little bit. Soon enough she opened her eyes, she turned her head towards me. "Hidan-sama…what are you doing here?"

"What the hell do you mean! I'm taking care of you dip shit, because you got sick lying out in the rain!"

"Isn't it your fault I was stuck lying in the rain, Hidan-sama?"

"You shouldn't have come try to help me then you stupid bitch!"

"I was worried about you."

"Shouldn't you have been more worried about yourself? I was drunk! Who knows what I could have fucking done to you!"

"It doesn't matter now anyways…have you been watching over me long?"

"Since last night…" I mumbled. "And just to let you know I'm sick too and your sleeping in my bed!"

"Well maybe you shouldn't have gotten drunk."

"I'm not going to watch you anymore if you're going to talk like that you fucking hoe!"

"It's alright. You've done enough already. If you want, I can take care of you now, Hidan-sama," She said with a smile, tilting her head slightly. She began to sat up, but I pushed her back down.

"You already do enough! You don't have to take care of everyone you know!"

"I-I know, but…"

"No 'buts', now lay down." She smiles at me as she lies back down in bed, but she doesn't close her fucking eyes. She continues to look at me. "Will you stop staring at me, bitch?"

"What else am I suppose to do? I'm not tired anymore," she says with a big sniff.

"You're sick. Just sleep or something," I moaned, getting rather annoyed.

"I can take care of you if you want, it's really not a…"

"STOP! Just…stop. You already do enough and I don't need you looking after me. I'm a grown man damn it!" She nods, showing that she finally understands; her eyelids were beginning to grow heavy again. "Aiko…"

"Hm?"

I found myself saying something I didn't really want to say. "I…promise I won't sacrifice anyone anywhere near you anymore. I don't want to you to see me doing something like that ever again."

"Okay…" She answered drowsily.

"Did you fucking hear me?" I asked glaring, doubting that she was alert enough to hear me.

"I said, 'okay'..."

"AAAAiiiiiiii-chan!" Tobi bursts into the room and pushes me aside. "Is Ai-chan feeling better? Tobi heard Hidan yelling and knew that Ai-chan must be awake! Is Ai-chan feeling better?"

I rolled my eyes, but Aiko just laughed. "Yes, I'm feeling a little better."

"That's good! That means Aiko can bake cookies for Tobi now right?"

"Yea…"

"No! What the fuck did I just tell you!" I yell at Aiko, inevitably coughing a bit. "Besides, she's sick Tobi! Be more considerate!"

"Like you of all people are considerate Hidan, un."

"Deidara! What the hell are you doing here?" I asked as Deidara walked in with a bowl of soup.

"I'm here to take care of Aiko. Why else would I be here, un?"

I grabbed to tray from his hands. "I'm taking care of her so you can just leave!"

My eye twitches when he simply smirks at me. "Alright then, c'mon Tobi."

"But Tobi wants to stay with Ai-chan!"

"I said c'mon, un!" Deidara drags Tobi out of the room leaving me and Aiko alone again.

My stomach growls. "You can eat it if you want, Hidan-sama. I don't mind."

"But you're sick."

"And so are you." She gets out of bed and takes the tray out from my hands. "Get in bed."

"I already said I can take care of my…"

"I said, get in bed, Hidan-sama," She repeats herself, with a smile. For some reason she didn't sound so sincere the second time.

"Alright, alright." I flop on the bed and pull the covers over me. "Happy now?"

"You're going to have to sit up if you're going to eat," She says, sitting down in the chair beside the bed. Sitting up, I force myself to hold back any nasty comments I have to say to this woman right now. "Good, now open wide…"

"I can feed myself you damn woman!"

"You've already taken care of me today. So please let me take care of you, Hidan-sama."

I glower at her, and she simply looks at me. I was beginning to feel that strange feeling again that feeling I felt when I first saw her. It felt like she was looking deep inside me, inside my soul, with those kind eyes of hers. I don't fuckin' understand. Why does she care for me so much? "Ahhh…" I open my mouth in defeat and allow her to feed me.