The pieces of my ingenious scheme were at last falling into place. Soon, Kisame would be in my control.

My partner had consciously overridden his fears of me harming him due to a possible attraction. And because I'd shown him an open display of affection, he was likely to repeat his actions at some point.

I didn't hint at wanting him to do that again; such actions could have jeopardized the whole scheme. Instead, I acted irritated with him for a few weeks, slightly annoyed for a few days after that, and less than two months later we'd returned to normal interaction. Now to implement the next phase.

It happened on a normal night; nothing special or memorable about the evening at all, really. We were staying in a hotel room at the time, with the shades drawn and door bolted for security. Our bags were resting at the foot of the bed; our cloaks lay on top of it, should we need to make a speedy getaway. The two of us had settled in, and were now reclining on the chamber's only mattress, waiting to decide who would take first watch tonight.

Wearing only a pair of loose capris atop my boxers, I lay down on my stomach beside Kisame on his left, head propped up by my arms and a frown on my face. I was in a calm mood, but it was vital that the shark think that I was upset. I knew he wouldn't ask about my foul mood, and his imagination could fill in the blank as to what the cause of my annoyance was. All that mattered was that he act.

It took him a few minutes, but finally Kisame went into action. Familiar calloused fingers buried themselves in my hair, and in only a few seconds I could feel myself melt at his gentle touch.

Tell anyone I said that, and you will endure the most heinous sort of death that can be conjured up by my mind.

I pushed my delight aside long enough to remind myself of my mission. After a few more minutes of this bliss, I slowed my breathing to make it appear as though I was asleep. He fell for it; I could tell, since his movements gradually slowed, and then stopped altogether. His hand didn't leave my head though; it simply came to rest atop my scalp. I didn't mind.

A few moments later though, the digits began moving once more and slowly stroked my cheek. Would it not have given me away, I would have grinned then. So, the shark really hadn't learned anything from last time. Just as I had hoped.

I wrinkled my brow and moved away from the touch, which brought me closer to his leg. He stiffened for a few seconds, and then began touching me again. I slipped away from his fingers once again, and his hand chased after me a bit later.

I would like to take a moment to point out something. When I had first been acting upset, Kisame had been sitting by me at the foot of the bed with his legs dangling over the side, since he apparently can't stand to sit cross-legged. But while pleasuring me, he'd rotated his body to better accommodate me. This is what made it so easy for me to place my head in his lap the next time he brushed against my cheek.

For a moment he did nothing, and I briefly wondered if my sudden gesture had caused the poor shark to have a heart attack. That idea was quickly dismissed when he resumed playing with my hair. This time, though, he used his right hand instead of his left (the position of his thumb gave it away). How odd; why would he reach across his body when he could easily use his left and be spared the trouble?

The answer came in the form of an Akatsuki cloak being draped over my body. That was why.

At that moment, I felt something that I hadn't felt since my days as a youth in Konoha; security. Resting with my head in Kisame's lap, a warm cloak covering my body, and a partner watching out for danger…all of these things combined made me feel somewhat safe.

Pondering these thoughts, I allowed myself to drift off into unconsciousness.

When I awoke again, it was morning. I could tell, because a few annoying songbirds had decided that the perfect place to sing their happy tunes was right outside our bedroom window. I'd have to incinerate them on the way out…

But for now, I had a more pressing matter. The issue of Kisame letting me sleep through at least two of my shifts.

When I opened my eyes and sat up, I came to the conclusion that I had slept with my head in the shark's lap all night. I made a mental note that Kisame's legs made for excellent pillows, and looked to my partner. He seemed nervous, as if he expected an angry backlash when I realized exactly where I'd been sleeping.

I chose to simply rub my eyes and ask why he allowed me to sleep through my watches.

The nervousness on his face quickly gave way to surprise, probably because my tone didn't even sound angry, and my comment was not one that ensured his doom. "I wasn't tired," he answered with a shrug. "So there wasn't any point in waking you up."

I nodded, accepting his rather pathetic excuse for an answer, and reached off the bed to grab my pack and dress myself. Kisame seemed to take the hint and mimicked my actions, grabbing his own belongings and moving to prepare to leave. The only surprising movement of his was when he pulled the cloak covering me away, and set it beside him. So, he'd used his own clothing to cover me? Interesting.

It didn't take long for us to get ready, since we travel light. Once I was certain that we were fully prepared to leave, I began walking towards the door. On the way, I was careful to brush myself against Kisame's side, but continued on as though nothing had happened. He hesitated, but soon followed after me, just as I knew he would.

I almost smirked at my actions. Everything was going according to plan, and Kisame was falling for it hook, line and sinker. If I wasn't such a cruel sadist, I might have felt sorry for him. Well, let's not go that far.