Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter Seven

The night was pitch black around me but I knew someone was beside me. I caught a glimpse of blonde hair next to me and somehow knew that it was Deidara. I looked to my other side and saw a familiar redhead, Sasori. The two of them was whispering fast as they nervously looked around them. I got the weird feeling that they couldn´t see me at all.

Suddenly we were up and running, gunfire echoing all around us. We were running for a vehicle hidden in the shadows when Sasori suddenly stumbled and almost fell. Deidara shouted something and almost stopped but Sasori kept going and so did he. At the vehicle Deidara jumped in behind the wheel while Sasori took the passenger side. Deidara took off with screeching tires and gave Sasori quick, worried glances before pressing down harder on the pedal. I took a look at my brother and my heart nearly stopped. He had a blood streaming from a gunshot wound to the chest. He was unconscious and I couldn´t see if he was breathing.

I woke up screaming and the screams wouldn´t stop. It only took a few seconds for Hidan to enter my bedroom, his eyes wide in panic. He tried to calm me down but nothing seemed to help. It didn´t take long for the other guys to come running, my screams could wake the dead. Kakuzu immediately felt for my pulse telling Kisame to help Hidan hold me down so that I didn´t hurt myself. Itachi just stood in the doorway, unsure of what to do. I had Kakuzu holding down my right shoulder as he tried to check my pulse and Kisame on the other side holding down my left shoulder. Hidan sat once again across my thighs, his hands cupping my face, trying to calm me with his words.

Then I stopped screaming, as suddenly as I had begun. All of the guys were staring at me and then the panic hit me. I struggled to catch my breath and Kakuzu and Kisame immediately released me so that Hidan could sit with me on the floor as we did during my earlier panic-attacks.

It took me a while to calm down but when I finally did, I fell back against Hidan completely exhausted. He took his hand away from my face and let it join the other one at my waist and I peeked at the others. Itachi sat in my desk chair and Kakuzu and Kisame sat on my bed. All of them had the same worried look in their eyes. Kakuzu was the only one brave enough to ask me what had caused my distress.

"Sasori has been shot." I told them, tears starting to run down my face. I was too exhausted to sob but the tears fell anyway. Only silence followed my statement until Hidan asked me. "How do you know that? Are you sure it wasn´t just a dream?" I shook my head. "No I´m sure it´s real, even though I saw it in a dream. I´ve had dreams that have come true all my life, I know how to recognize them." I told them.

"Well, if you´re right we should get the call soon." Itachi said while looking at the floor. I didn´t know if it was because he was afraid to look at me or because he felt guilty not going with Sasori and Deidara on this mission, I knew the three of them almost never did missions without all three of them present.

"They were driving when I woke up. Deidara was driving and Sasori was unconscious in the passenger seat, bleeding from a gunshot wound to the chest about here." I said and pointed to an area about two inches below his right nipple.

All of the guys looked at me, amazement in their eyes, when the phone rang.

At first no one moved but then Kakuzu shot up from my bed and answered the phone that was on a low table in the hallway. No one moved as he talked to the person calling but it felt as if my heart was going to jump right out of my chest and I could feel my throat starting to tighten again. Thankfully Hidan seemed to notice this too and he resumed talking calmly to me with his hand over my eyes.

Out in the hallway Kakuzu hanged up and then walked back into the room. I pulled Hidans hand down but I could read nothing from his face. The tension was so high you could almost cut it with a knife.

He then turned to look at me and I instantly knew I had been right, Sasori had been shot. I fell back against Hidan and then the world went black.

When I came to again I was tucked into a bed that was not my own, neither was I in Hidans bed. This bed was much bigger than ours and it had dark blue silk sheets. I looked around and found Kisame sitting in a chair not far away looking at me with concerned eyes. I sat up slowly while asking him. "Where is everyone?" "Itachi is asleep and Kakuzu and Hidan are on their way to the military hospital to check on Sasori and pick up Deidara." He told me in his calm, rumbling voice. "He´s not dead?" I whispered relief clearly visible in my voice and Kisames worried expression changed to one of relief as well. "No he´s going to be fine, even if it may take a while." He told me truthfully. We sat in silence for a while before he said. "You should try and go back to sleep kitten, it´s only 3:30 in the morning." I nodded and then lowered my gaze, not moving an inch. "Is something wrong kitten?" I shook my head no and admitted. "It´s just that… could you lay down with me? I don´t want to be alone…" I took a chance and looked up only to see Kisames eyes soften and a small smile grace his lips. "Sure." He said, stripping down to his pants before sliding in next to me under the covers. I snuggled up against his broad chest and it didn´t take long before I fell asleep again.

When I woke up that morning it was to an empty bed and raised voices in the hallway outside. I quickly got out of bed and headed for the door only to stop and listen to what was said on the other side.

"Why didn´t you abort the mission as soon as you knew something was wrong?!" shouted a voice I´d recognize everywhere, Hidan. "I tried! But he was stubborn and didn´t listen to me! What should I have done? Shot him myself only to get him out of there?" The other voice was just as upset as the first one and also one I recognized without a problem, it was Deidara. "Well you didn´t see her this night, she was panicking, a complete mess at the thought of her only lasting family being dead." Hidan said in a calmer voice. "You know I love her like a little sister, but what could I have done? I didn´t know she dreamed of what happened…" Deidara was also calmer now and I felt it was the right time to show myself. I flung the door open and then launched myself at Deidara. I clung to his neck and he instinctively wrapped his arms around my middle, holding me to him. "Thank god you´re okay…" I whispered so that only he could hear it. Louder I asked him. "Sasori is going to be okay?" He held me a little tighter and said. "Yeah, Sasori is going to be okay, un."

The whole day I was glued to Deidaras side, I only let him out of my sight when he was in the bathroom. So that night when we were sitting in the living room, watching a movie, he asked me about it. "Why have you been clinging to me the whole day Blossom? Has something happened when I was away, un?" Of course my first reaction to that was the feeling of rejection. "You want me to leave you alone?" His eyes immediately widened. "No! Of course I don´t want you to leave blossom. I just wondered if something has happened since you for now seem to be ignoring Hidan. Un?" I only looked at him with a blank look and he continued. "Aw come on Blossom, don´t tell me there´s nothing between you two, un?" Now I knew what he meant and I felt my cheeks flush a bright pink. "Ha! I knew it, un. There is something going on there." He said happily. "Well, yeah, maybe… But I don´t know exactly what it is…" I admitted and hid my burning face against his shoulder.

He patted me on the head, telling me. "It´ll work out fine, un. Hidan just have to get the guts to tell you how he feel, Blossom. Right now he is scared of scaring you away. Just give him time, un." I gave him a smile and snuggled even closer to his warm body. But we didn´t sit long in silence before he spoke again. "I still got the feeling that something happened while I was away…" I took a deep breath and admitted. "That´s probably because something kind of did happen…" His blue eyes immediately locked on me and he said. "Tell me." "Not, here…" I started but before I could finish the sentence he had lifted me from the couch and was walking toward his bedroom with me securely wrapped in his arms. I constantly forgot that all the guys here were really strong...

He sat me down on his bed before locking his door and turning towards me. "Now tell me." He said and I hesitantly started telling him about my breakdown, about the rape and about me hurting myself. When I was finished tears once again poured down my face and Deidara held me tightly against his chest. But strangely enough I felt a little bit lighter as well, as if my burden wasn´t as heavy as before. "Are you getting any help dealing with this Blossom?" He asked me and I nodded. "I´ve started talking to Kakuzu… I think I might continue doing that for now." He hugged me closer to himself and said. "You know that you can talk to me about anything too, right?" I smiled and nodded again. "Yeah I know… Hidan told me the same thing." Deidara chuckled and it didn´t take long before I fell asleep on him, feeling safe in his embrace.

I woke when somebody put me down in a bed, my own bed. I heard whispering voices above me and tried to listen without giving away that I was half awake.

"Where was she?" I worried voice I recognized as Hidans asked. "At first we were watching a movie in the living room, then we went to my room and she told me about the breakdown, the hurting herself and the rape and then she fell asleep on me." Deidara answered calmly. "She was raped?!" Hidans voice got a bit louder but not enough to wake me up completely. "Oh Kami… She hadn´t told you? I would never have said anything if I didn´t think you knew… Damn I´m sorry Hidan, un." Deidara immediately said shock evident in his voice. "It´s okay Deidara, you didn´t know. I´m just wondering why she hadn´t told me… Doesn´t she trusts me?"

Hidan actually sounded sad at the thought that I might not trust him with this but that wasn´t the case at all, surely he knew that? "I don´t think she hasn´t told you because she doesn´t trust you, un. Because she does, I think it´s more because she is worried of how you will look at her when she tells you, un. She is scared you will look at her differently." Both of them were quiet for a while and I almost went back to sleep when Hidan said. "I wouldn´t do that." "I know you wouldn't." Deidara agreed. "But she doesn´t." He told Hidan before exiting the room. Hidan leaned down and kissed my forehead before whispering. "Sweet dreams Cherry." He turned to walk away but before he could I grabbed his hand and asked him. "Please stay with me?" His wide eyes told me he hadn´t knew I was awake. "You´re awake?" I nodded. "How much did you hear?"

I could feel how tense he was and answered him calmly. "Everything after you asked Dei where I had been." He turned away his gaze from me; it almost seemed as if he was scared of my next move. "I´m sorry I didn´t tell you about the rape…" He almost flinched, he clearly wasn´t prepared for that. He sat down on my bed before saying. "Don´t be sorry, it´s your right to tell or not to tell whoever you want." "Yeah, but it was exactly as Deidara said. I was afraid that you would look at me differently…" I admitted and I felt him squeeze my hand tighter. "Then you must´ve heard me saying that I would never look at you differently because of it?" I nodded "I did." There was a moment of silence before he said. "You still want me to stay?" I nodded and he gave me a small smile before sliding under the covers. I snuggled up against him and he put his arm around me. I was really tired but before I could allow myself to sleep I needed to tell him something. "Hidan…" "Yes?" Came his low reply. "Will you listen if I tell you about the rape?" "I will always listen to whatever you wish to tell me."

I slept better than in a long time that night.

The next morning I, Kakuzu and Deidara went to the military hospital to visit Sasori. The car ride was uneventful and when we arrived, Kakuzu and Deidara allowed me to see him first while they spoke to the doctors.

I opened the door to Sasoris room and was immediately blinded by all the white that dominated the space. He was in bed and surrounded by different machines. He opened his eyes and smiled when he saw me standing in the doorway.

"Hey sis, come on in." I did as he told me and took a seat in a chair next to his bed. "Are you okay? Are you in pain?" I asked him, worry taking over my calm appearance. "I´ll be fine sis, don´t worry so much." He sounded just like himself and I gave him a sad smile and told him. "I dreamed of you getting shot, the bullet went in here and there was so much blood…" I told him and carefully touched his clothed chest were I knew the entry wound was. "You still get those dreams?" I nodded and a tear escaped from my eye. He wiped away the tear and I said. "You do realize that you almost gave us all a heart attack? You´ve got to be more careful… I´ve only just gotten you back, I can´t lose you again…" He watched me carefully before giving me the answer I knew I would get. "I know." We were silent for a while before someone knocked on the door and Kakuzu and Deidara entered. I saw Sasoris face lighten up as he saw Deidara, I hid my smile as I started plotting how to get those two together. I was almost certain they had a thing for each other.

We all talked for a while before Kakuzu got up and told us we should be heading back. I got up to and then gave Sasori a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Kakuzu and I were almost at the door when we realized that Deidara hadn´t moved. "Are you coming?" Kakuzu asked him. He shook his head. "No I´ll stay here for a while…" He and Sasori shared a look that almost made me giggle. Kakuzu only nodded his consent. "Call us if you need a ride." Then me and Kakuzu were on our way back.

When we returned home Kakuzu gave me a sign to follow him which I did. As I suspected we ended up in his bedroom were we took the same seating's as last time, me on the bed, him on a chair.

"Deidara told me you said you wanted to continue these sessions?" I nodded. "Yeah I did, I feel better after talking about the rape and I feel comfortable talking to you…"

He frowned at me. "You don´t feel comfortable talking to Hidan or Deidara or Sasori?" "Of course I do but… they kind of let their emotions control their reactions. I can´t handle that if it is the first time I tell something that is painful to me." I explained and he nodded. "You want me to tell the others for you?" I nodded, relief filling my whole body. "Then I will do that, but for now let´s talk about something else.

I want you to tell me a painful memory each time we have these sessions until your nightmares go away." I nodded but then said without thinking. "Sure but the nightmares are not often about what my parents did." As soon as I finished the sentence I slapped my hand over my mouth. Kakuzus serious gaze locked on me and he asked me. "Then what are most of your nightmares about?"

I lowered my head without answering him, I didn´t want to tell him, he would think it was stupid… "Why do you not want to tell me what your nightmares are about?" Damn, this man is way too perceptive for his own good. "You´ll think it´s stupid…" I muttered under my breath. He sighed and then raised my head with two fingers under my chin so that I met his gaze before he said. "Now why would I think that?" I just shrugged. "Tell me anyway then, please?" Aw shit he said please… Now I have to tell him.

"I dream that I´m in a house, trying to find my way out. But behind every door I open I see one of you guys… And you´re always dead or dying. Right before I wake up I´m going up some stairs and at the top of them I see Sasuke with Hidans heart in his hand before he pushes me down the stairs, that´s when I wake up."

"Why would I think that your dream is stupid?" He asked me, confused over my unwillingness to tell him about the dream. "I don´t know… Because I´m pathetic enough to have become so dependent on you guys that I wake up screaming when I dream of your deaths?" I told him trying to hide my face.

He didn´t let me hide and instead looked me in the eyes and told me. "If I dreamt of you and all the others dying I would wake up screaming to." I blushed at the honesty in his voice and once again he had turned something I felt uncomfortable about and made it feel okay.

"How come we doesn´t wake up because of your screaming when we did that when you dreamt of Sasori getting shot?" Was his next question. "I think I don´t scream as loud… Or maybe it´s because Hidan has enough time to get me to wake up before you guys…" I told him.

"Hidan wakes you up?" Kakuzu sounded surprised, I guess Hidan hadn´t told him about me getting the same nightmare almost every night. "Every time." "It happens often?" "Almost every night…" We were silent for a while before someone knocked on the door and yelled something about food.

I told Kakuzu I wasn´t hungry and instead I went back to my room, changing into a pair of grey yoga pants and a hot pink sports bra with a white oversized tank top on top.

It had been way too long since I had gotten a good workout.

Since the gym was soundproof I plugged in my mp3 into the sound system and put on some songs of Avantasia. Then I warmed up before starting on my usual 8 miles on the treadmill. The second I finished someone turned off my music and I quickly spun around.

Only to see Hidan standing by the sound system with a big grin on his face. "I didn´t know you liked to work out." He told me, still smiling. "Didn´t you know? I used to train krav maga." I saw his mouth fall open in surprise and smiled at him before asking. "Would you like to spar?" He nodded, eager as a child, and completely confident in that he would have no troubles beating me.

If he only knew.

We put some mats on the floor before we started to circle each other. Hidan feinted right then punched left, aiming for my ribs, but I read him easily and twisted out of the way before aiming a roundhouse kick to his face.

I noticed surprise on his face as he barely dodged out of the way and I told him. "You may want be on your guard, I was after all best in my class and I don´t pull my punches." His eyes glittered with excitement and a smile graced his lips. "If you don´t pull your punches Cherry, then don´t expect me to do that either."

I only gave him a smile as answer before lunging for him again. He dodged me and aimed a kick to my middle which I had to fall back and almost going down in a bridge to be able to avoid.

Thank kami for flexibility.

We danced for a while, both of us throwing punches and kicks but none of them landing. It seemed like we were evenly matched. Lucky for me, I had no troubles about playing dirty.

He aimed a powerful punch to my face and I let it land, much to his surprise. He hit my mouth and I felt my lower lip crack and blood started flowing into my mouth.

Hidan was frozen on the spot as a small trickle of blood made its way down my chin. And right then I aimed a roundhouse kick to his middle, followed up with a punch to his face and ended it by tackle him to the ground and pinning him to the floor with my body.

"I won." I said triumphantly but was startled when somebody started clapping their hands.

I looked up and saw that almost all the gang was here, Kisame, Kakuzu and Itachi of course, but also Konan and Pein. They must´ve just gotten back. And all of them applauded me winning over Hidan.

I didn´t understand why.

I was still sitting on top of Hidan and I looked down on him in hope of an explanation but he was only looking up at me with a slight glazed over look. He must have been in shock or something…

Suddenly Kakuzu kneeled beside us, took a quick look at me and then at him before asking me. "What did you do to him?" I took a closer look at Hidan before answering him. "I kicked him in the ribs and probably bruised them; we were not pulling our punches. Then I hit him in the face, making his eyebrow split open, before tackling him to the ground. Didn´t you see that?"

"Yeah I saw it but that doesn´t explain why he´s so shocked…" I thought about it for a second before saying. "Maybe it´s because I let him hit me?"

"You let him hit you?" The question came from Pein, who looked surprised to say the least. I nodded. "Yeah, we were too even so I decided to play dirty." I heard Kisame chuckle at that but my focus was on Pein whose face changed from showing surprise, to show amazement and then thoughtfulness.

Suddenly Hidan moved under me and I realized that I was still sitting on him. I jumped up and Kakuzu gave him a once over telling him that his eyebrow needed stiches but otherwise he was fine. Kakuzu then turned to me, looking at my lip and telling me to put some ice on it.

I left Hidan in Kakuzus care and went to the kitchen with the others trailing behind me, all of them asking questions about how I learned to fight like that.

I only told them that I had been taking some krav maga classes, it was the truth but I might not have mentioned that I was also extremely strong and agile for someone my size and age.

After I had some ice wrapped in a towel pressed to my lip, Pein asked to see me in the office so I obediently followed him, believing I was going to get in trouble for hurting Hidan.

In the office he sat behind the desk and I sat in a chair in front of him, suddenly nervous. "I´m sorry for hurting Hidan, it won´t happen again." I told him, hoping for forgiveness. "Don´t be sorry, it seems like he hurt you just as bad." Okay now I was confused, wasn´t I here to be yelled at? "You´re not mad at me?" I asked him, the confusion clearly showing. "Of course not, why did you think that? No, I asked you her to ask you a question." He told me and relief flooded me. "Very well then what is the question?"

"Will you join the Akatsuki?"