Gratitude

Chapter 1.

The air suddenly changed from normal to chakra charged and Ino Yamanaka immediately straightened from collecting medical herbs and was on her guard. She wasn't alone anymore. Was it someone from the village? Not one of her friends would have tried to sneak up on her like that.

She refused to turn..the chakra was coming from the east, her watcher was in the top most branches of a tree behind her..she could feel herself being watched. She wasn't a helpless little girl..and if it was one of her friends they were going to regret making her nervous. A sudden flash of her kunai glinted in the sunlight and she threw it behind her towards the top branch of the tree. By the time she turned to look, blonde hair flying behind her, the branch was empty.

Her kunai stuck into the wood of the bark..deep. Maybe she had been wrong she was so close to the village anyway. She should head back. Ino grabbed her basket of herbs and looked up.

She wasn't alone and she immediately knew who was standing in front of her. The huge bandaged wrapped sword was a dead giveaway..the Akatsuki coat and permanent slash through his hidden mist headband.

Ino immediately began building chakra and then she remembered..his sword but it was too late. What little chakra she had just charged zapped right through her..and to his weapon. He grinned..showing a set of sharp shark like teeth..so white in comparison to the blue hue of his skin.

Ino's eyes traveled down..underneath his open coat he wore no top. The hard muscles from years of training combined with countless combat scars had her swallowing hard. Then she noticed the deep red dripping down his right hand which hung loosely at his side.

"You're..bleeding..," She managed to say.

"Got anything in that lovely basket for me?" His grin never faltered. She looked down at her herbs..yes..she did.

"Even if I did..why would I help you?" Ino's face twisted into a look of hate. The Akatsuki killed her Sensei..they had done so many bad things to so many people. She had heard about Samehada.. that he could fuse chakra somehow with it..to heal himself. So why wasn't he?

"Heal yourself." His stance was still casual and Ino didn't particularly feel like getting hurt today. She took a few steps back without turning from him.

"I don't want to fight today." I don't want to die today..is what she thought. He laughed..

"You almost got me with that kunai." His eyes roamed up and down her body suddenly making her feel..small. "You're fast. How fast?" He suddenly pointed his sword at her. It was so long that it almost touched her chest. A pulsing came from it from deep within as though it had it's own heartbeat.

Shit! Ino jumped into action. She jumped back and began climbing the tree to grab the kunai knife still lodged in the trunk. The minute her hand touched the hard metal her body was suddenly crushed between the trunk and his hard body.

Ino panicked throwing a fist over her shoulder to his smug face but he dodged and pushed her harder against the bark effectively taking her breath away.

"What do you want?" She hated how her voice shook, betraying her emotions.

"Heal me." He leaned in closer fanning his breath over her ear and exposed neck as he growled into her ear. "And maybe I'll do something for you in return." Goosebumps ran up and down her arms. She had sparred with her teammates and the other ninja from the village but none of them had the strength he did. None of them gave her the anxiety he did.

"Your sword would just swallow my chakra like a meal." She snapped. "Just let me go. I won't tell anyone I saw you." Of course, this was a lie..she would go straight to her teammates and then the hokage.

"You said you didn't want to fight today..neither do I." His muscled arm wrapped around her middle before traveling seductively up her exposed stomach and between her breasts. Panic filled her.

"Okay!" Her heart was beating fast in her chest there was no way he couldn't feel it. "I'll heal you..just let me go after." Ino felt him remove the strap around his body that held his sword to him at all times. What if he just sliced through her with it? If she could just turn around she could use the mind transfer jutsu..make him knock himself out so she could get away. Kisame hung his sword higher up on a branch a safe distance away from them both.

He released her to shrug out of his coat and Ino found her eyes studying every inch of his muscles. She turned to face him..letting her eyes travel lower to the deep 'V' that was barely covered by his pants. He watched her study him and his intense gaze turned her pale cheeks pink.

Ino wanted to get this over with so she approached the singed flesh on his upper arm and left side. She took a deep calming breath. I can do this..just don't look at him.

Her hands fused with light blue chakra and..she began to heal him. His eyes never left her face and she grew nervous. He relaxed back into the tree.

"You really know what you're doing." He said with his eyes closed.

"Promise to let me go once I'm done?" She gritted out between clenched teeth. He grinned again sending shivers down her spine, opening his eyes to lock with hers. Black met light blue.

"I promise, Kunoichi."

So..Ino healed him. He sighed when her hands pulled back and the glittering blue chakra dissolved.

"That felt nice..like a hot spring."

"Okay. You're healed. I can go now." She stood and still hated the way her voice shook. His eyes followed her every move as she jumped from the tree.

His hand suddenly grabbed her ankle mid jump and she gasped..feeling them both falling at least a hundred feet to the ground!

His arms suddenly wrapped around her and twisted them both mid air. He landed on his feet with Ino in his arms. The impact took her breath away again.

"You said you would let me go!" Her voice betrayed her panic and he smiled that predator shark grin down at her.

"We wouldn't want you spraining one of your pretty ankles now would we?" He teased. He put her down and she immediately backed up. His sword was still hanging in the tree way above them..

Ino took a few more quick steps away from him..eyes wide.

"Stop, Kunoichi. I haven't repaid my debt yet." Ino didn't like the way he was looking at her now..it made her belly queasy.

"Letting me go unhurt is a debt repaid enough."

He cocked his head to one side.

"No. It's not." His coat was also still in the tree above them and his tensing muscles told her he was about to jump towards her. Ino reacted. Throwing her hands up in her trademark symbol.

"Mind trans-"

"I don't think so." He said quickly and then he was on her. They both fell back to the ground.

"What are you doing?" She gasped..he was heavy. His mass and weight effectively held her in place.

"Nothing you won't like. I'm not going to hurt you, Kunoichi." His surprisingly warm lips grazed the side of her neck. "I'm showing you my gratitude."

Any minute now she was going to wake up in her bed. This couldn't be happening.

"Your gratitude?" She questioned.

He shifted one of his legs between hers and his knee made contact with the sensitive areas there. She gasped at the sudden shock of pleasure. No one but herself had ever touched down there. Ino would never admit it to any of the others but she was a virgin. In her mind she just assumed Sasuke would be her first. Her heart began to race again.

"No!" She scrambled back trying to dig her nails in the dirt to move away.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Kunoichi." His growling tone was teasing. If he wanted to do what she thought he was planning..yes he would.

"You will..and I have a name, Kisame!" She spat his name out like a curse. His eyes suddenly lit up at the sound of his name coming from her lips.

"So what is it?" She hesitated..he tightened his knee on her sex suddenly and she gasped again at the foreign pleasures shooting up and down her thighs. Oh no..a heat suddenly sprang between her legs and he breathed in deeply..liking what he smelled.

Sudden sharp teeth gently nipped at her neck before moving up to her ear.

"Well? What is your name?" He whispered seductively.

Before she could answer his large hand suddenly traveled down her body..ghosting over her breast and hard nipple before finding it's way into her skirt.

"Kisame..no. I'm a..," Her words were suddenly cut off in a pleasure filled moan. One large finger traveled from the bottom of her heat upwards before finding her sensitive nerve. His finger teased her mercilessly.

"Ino. Ino Yamanaka." She suddenly gasped. Was that her voice? He leaned down back to her ear all the while his skilled finger was bringing her higher towards completion. He leaned down and she got a good look at the gills on each side of his face. Ino suddenly wanted to touch them.. his lips whispered against hers in a mock kiss.

"Ino..such a pretty name for a pretty konoichi." His finger suddenly went lower and just breached into her pussy when...

"Ino!" It was Shikamaru..and Choji..she could hear him chomping on chips from here.

"Hmm," Kisame grunted in annoyance. He removed his hand slowly giving her clit a final gentle pinch and brought his finger to his mouth..his eyes never left Ino's as he sucked on it. It both horrified and turned her on at the same time.

"You've never been touched by a man. Have you, Ino?"

She hesitated but slowly shook her head no.

"My debt is still unpaid..for now." He growled and then he was off of her..jumping back into the tree to quickly collect his sword and coat. Ino couldn't help but watch him as she stood on now shaky legs. A part of her liked what he did..and it terrified her. A sudden gust of wind blew past her and up into the direction of the tree. She watched him take another deep breath and grin before fading into the shadows. She could still smell him..like man, musk and the ocean.

"Ino!" Shikamaru came into the clearing with an eating Choji right behind him. "What are you doing out here?"

"Collecting herbs." She said slowly..and bent to pick up the basket.

"You should eat more, Ino. It'll give you energy and you're way too skinny." Choji said around his mouthful of chips.

"I could eat."

...

Kisame landed outside of the forests edge and was immediately met by a pair of black eyes.

"Why didn't you heal yourself?"

Kisame stripped off his coat and laid his sword down gently.

"How much did you see?" He growled at his raven haired companion.

"Everything." Itachi Uchiha replied.

"What is it to you, anyway?"

"If it distracts you from the mission. It affects us all." Itachi's voice remained emotionless as did his face.

"I can do both." Kisame grinned..looking forward to the next time his path crossed hers.

...

That night Ino couldn't sleep at all. She hadn't worked up the courage to tell Shikamaru or Choji about..him..at dinner. Afterwards she rushed home and showered in scalding hot water but his scent still lingered. Now she was lying awake in bed, huddled under blankets as though they would protect her from her own thoughts.

Her mind betrayed her..replaying over and over what had happened that afternoon. She lifted one hand to cover the part of her neck his sharp teeth had nipped while her finger traced over her lips still feeling his whisper against her mouth..

Throughout the whole week Ino was distracted..she wasn't sleeping well..plagued by dreams of a naked shark man. She had cut her finger snipping flower stems at the shop and she missed lunch with her teammates..

Around five that afternoon Shikamaru walked in as she was closing up the shop.

"Ino. Tsunade is looking for us. I think we have a mission."

"Finally. Something to do." She followed him outside and towards the center of the village.

"Are you okay? You've been kind of out of it this week. Are you sure you're up for a mission right now?"

Ino swallowed back her sudden anxiety about leaving the village.

"Of course, I'm fine. I can go." Ino snapped sounding more like herself. Shikamaru gave her a half smile.

"Good."

"Team ten..where's Choji?" Tsunade asked when she saw only the two of them. A sudden sound of running was getting closer and Choji burst through the door..chewing quickly and swallowing something. Ino rolled her eyes..did he ever stop eating?

"I'm here!" He huffed and puffed.

"Team Ten.. I have a mission to the east in the land of fire..by the coast. Some reports of high chakra levels and massive fights."

The east on the coast? Closest to the Hidden Mist..

"And you want us to whoop butt?" Choji asked excitedly.

"No. It's just reconnaissance this time. Go and see what we can do to help. It'll take a few days to get there so pack wisely." Come straight here to report when you get back."

"Is anyone else coming with us?" Shikamaru asked..usually a higher ranked ninja would come with them. Ino swallowed back her tears..usually it would be Asuma but Kakashi had come several times in his place since..

"I'm sure you can handle reconnaissance. Can't you?" Tsunade stared them each down.

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"Good. Pack and be on your way first thing in the morning."

"Man, who do you think is roughing up the coast?" Choji asked when they stepped back under the pink and orange evening sky.

"I don't know." Shikamaru replied, stretching his arms over his head. "Normally I would say all this traveling is a drag but I've been pretty bored lately." Ino didn't say anything..she was fighting with her nerves about being so close to the hidden mist village even if it would be across the water still. She had to get some good sleep tonight..

That night her dreams were again plagued by a shirtless blue skinned shark ninja. This time they were never interrupted in the clearing..

Ino woke with a jolt and she brushed her fingers against herself..they came back wet and sticky..

She sighed and peeked out of her window to see it was already getting light outside. Too late for sleep now.. Ino scrubbed herself in the shower and packed her things.