Chapter 11. Plenty Misgivings

"To doubt or not to doubt."

|Naruto|

"You're going out again?" Hinata questioned from the door frame.

I tightened my shoelaces and stood up, "They guys down at the firehouse are treating me. And what do you mean 'again?' This is the first time I'm going out this week, ya know!"

"You and Boruto went for a midnight stroll two days ago." She crossed her arms, her lips curving downwards.

"That was male bonding, the kid wanted to go out and I just happened to have some energy." I patted down my pants and started towards the door, "It's not like I plan these kinds of things."

"Naruto-kun, look at me."

I sighed internally and turned around, "Yes?"

She planted a soft kiss on my lips, and smiled lightly as she pulled away, "Be safe."

I pushed down the queasy feeling in my stomach and returned the smile, "Aa, I'll be on the lookout."

Grabbing my keys from the table by the front door, I stepped out and walked to my car. I paused when grabbing the handle, considering what a waste of gas it would be to move it. The restaurant was two streets down, a ten-minute sprint, or a twenty-minute walk if I took my time.

The sound of tapping on the glass made me look up and I saw Hinata waving from the window. With a wave back, I ditched the car and started down the street.

"You're terrible, Naruto. Absolutely terrible." I chided myself.

Ever since that night with Sakura, I'd been trying to avoid unnecessarily interacting with Hinata. The first few days had been brutal, but I was slowly getting back to my normal life with her until that fight with Sakura two days ago.

Her words still echoed in my head, "I need more time to think."

I tightened my fist, 'You idiot! Did you think she would just accept your apology right then and there?'

Part of me had wanted to call her yesterday, to go into more depth about how much I cherished her, but once I started that train of thought, my brain betray me by reminding me of how she felt, her cries and moans that night…

Thumping myself in the head, I crossed the street, "Sick bastard, you're one sick bastard, ya know?"

'Kami, if only it'd never happened. She's like a sister to me! If not that, she's my best friend's wife!' I groaned as I turned down Hyūga Boulevard, 'And Hinata, if she were to find out…'

I slowed down at the thought. Would she leave me? No, forget about me, this would be the worst thing to do to her. And the kids?

Shaking my head, I picked up the pace, turning down Gama Road, the restaurant in sight.

"Forget it, for the time being, just enjoy this meal with the guys."

Speaking of them, a certain spikey brown-haired young man stood out front. He was wearing black business pants and a white button-down shirt except he kept the collar open.

"Konohamaru!" I grinned as I came up to him, "Rascal, what are you doing out here?"

"Naruto-nii!" Konohamaru greeted me with a firm handshake, "Or should I say Nanadaime? I'm actually—"

His phone rang and he held up a hand apologetically, taking the call, "Hello? Oh, Hanabi!"

I raised an eyebrow at the mention of my sister-in-law, and Konohamaru turned away.

"Listen, now's not exactly a good time, can I call you back?" He paused before nodding, "Mhm, mhm. Okay, bye. I…love you too."

'No way.' I waited until I was sure he'd hung up before hassling him.

"Konohamaru, you sly fox!" I threw an arm around his head, giving him a noogie, "You didn't tell me you and Hanabi were a thing, ya know!"

"I didn't tell anybody, and I don't want anyone knowing, kore!" He looked up at me, "Seriously, Naruto-nii, Hanabi and I are taking things slow and they're going pretty good. The last thing I'd want is people getting in our business and ruining the vibe."

"The vibe?" I looked at him in confusion.

He sighed quickly, "Just, don't tell anyone, please?"

I released him and stood up straight, "Come on Konohamaru, do I look like a gossiper? I swear, no one'll hear a thing from me. Besides, if this goes well, you'll be my brother-in-law, ya know."

Konohamaru blushed, "Yeah well, let's not jump the gun."

"Right, right, enjoy each other while you're young, ya know!" I laughed aloud, slapping his back.

A wind chime rang, along with the sound of a door opening, and we turned to find Akita rolling her eyes, "Nanadaime, Konohamaru, we didn't reserve this spot forever!"

"*Warui, warui." I relieved her of the door and held it open for Konohamaru, "Did you guys at least fire up the grill?"

*Warui is kind of like gomen but whereas gomen means "sorry," warui is more informal and means "my bad"

|Sasori|

A smile crept onto my face as I watched Sakura pick and toss the beef tongue around the grill with her bare hands. Her fingers were becoming increasingly red due to the heat, and her face was beginning to match their shade.

I blew at her face and broke her concentration, causing her gaze to snap up.

"What? Can't you see I'm trying to—" She cut herself off as she spotted the tongs in my hand.

I laughed and she flicked me off as she snatched them, "Hontōni, you're the worst."

She looked down, but I didn't need to see her face to know she was grinning.

Leaning back in our booth, I saw that she was handling the meat much better now that I'd given her the tongs. Sweat was building up on her forehead from overlooking the fire, and she felt it too, so she swept it away with the back of her hand. When she glance dup at me again, our eyes locked.

Immediately, she dropped her eyes back at down to the grill and I smirked before recalling what Hidan and Kakuzu had said to me as I left.

"Did you give her a kiss? She's already calling you up." Kakuzu chuckled.

"It ain't like that with her, she's a friend." I rolled my eyes as I tied my shoes.

Hidan whistled, "Whatever you used, I need it. 'Cause I could use a friend about now."

"Whatever. This is why y'all are stuck with each other." I stood up and straightened out my pants.

As I left, Hidan clicked his tongue, "Don't fuck on the first date! It ruins the flow!"

Those two were truly assholes, but I couldn't deny the flirtatious feelings in the air between Sakura and I. I knew she was married, and she had no problem putting her wedding ring on full display, yet the playful interactions that had transpired between us led me to believe there was a chance for something more than friendship with her.

'Just play the cards, Sasori.' I told myself.

With Pain's only task for me being reconnaissance and familiarizing myself with the city, maybe I would have time for a bit of romance in between drives back and forth.

"Is something wrong?" Sakura's voice brought me out of my thoughts, "You've got this look on your face."

I blinked before shaking my head and sitting up, "Nah, just thinkin' about my stupid friends."

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow, "And here I thought I was your only friend?"

'Fuck.'

"Hey, a guy's gotta get around, ya know? Ya gave me yer number but we ain't spoken in over a week!" I quickly changed the subject.

"Well, the phone works both ways." She tilted her head as she divided the meat between us.

"Yeah, but I ain't wanna call a lady up out of nowhere, where I come from that kinda thing's promiscuous."

There was a silence between us as I realized what I'd said, but it was too late to take it back.

"I ain't saying that yer promiscuous, just that—ah hell." I closed my mouth and picked up a piece of meat.

"A man that knows when it's time to shut up." She smirked as she bit into her own share, "I know someone that could learn from you."

As she said that, her smile waned, and I quickly wagged a finger, "Ah ah! Remember what I said? When yer with me, ya can't be unhappy."

She slapped her cheeks, "Right, right."

I could tell whoever she had been speaking about was still on her mind, and the looming sadness wouldn't leave unless something else were to take up her attention.

'The things I do to keep people happy.' I thought to myself as I stood up.

"Ya know what I do when I'm feelin' down?" I asked her as I dusted my hands, "Sing."

"Sing?" She looked up at me in surprise and I bit my lower lip to keep from laughing.

"Yep, and what better place than a fancy buffet like this one?" I raised my arms and looked around.

"Please don't." She grabbed my hand, but I was already invested.

Clearing my throat, I began singing Angela Aki's Letter to My 15-Year-Old Self. A server walking by stopped to look, and I wondered if I would be getting us kicked out. To my surprise, she made no motions to come forward.

'Is she actually liking this?' I wondered as I went into the second verse.

Heads peeked out from other booths and I became aware that I had captured the attention of the entire restaurant. I trailed off at the bridge and got a round of applause. When I sat back down, I looked and found a smiling Sakura.

"I wasn't sure what I'd hear when you said you were singing, but you have a pretty voice." She complimented me.

"Pretty?" I raised an eyebrow, "Ya mean ya didn't find my voice seductive? Not in any way?"

"Watch it." She swatted me, "I haven't forgiven you for that promiscuous comment."

I grinned and returned to my meat.

"Ryuga-oji, I didn't know you were running a karaoke buffet!" A male voice yelled, to the laughter of others, "Hell, I'd have paid extra if I knew I was getting a premium show, ya know!"

Sakura's chopsticks clattered to her plate and I looked at her. Her eyes were straining like she was having a stroke, and the veins around her neck were protruding.

"Sakura-san? What's the matter?" I grabbed her arm, fearing that she was suffering from something.

"As a matter of fact, where is the guy?" The voice was coming closer, "I've gotta give him a tip, if I could sing like that I'd never work again."

He came up to our booth, and I realized I'd seen him before, 'Back at the motel where I first met Sakura, he's the guy that had her coat.'

"Are you the one that was singing?" He grinned as he stepped forward, some bills in hand, "Take this, not every day you hear a good singer, ya know?"

He noticed Sakura was sitting across from me and froze, "Sakura-chan?"

The spell over her was lifted, as she raised her head to acknowledge him, "…Naruto."

I looked back and forth between the two of them and tried to put the pieces together. She'd told me he wasn't her husband at that time, and the way they were acting now confirmed it. So what was their relationship? Were they friends that had a falling out?

'Can't be. Who goes to a motel with their friend and leaves crying?'

Could they be lovers then? Still, that didn't explain Sakura's tears. She seemed like a reasonable woman; she couldn't have been crying because he'd broken up with her. And by the look on his face, if anyone had been dumped, it was him.

'Maybe instead of a fling, I'll get a good story.' I grinned to myself, 'And good stories make for great shows.'

"I'm Sasori." I reached out to shake his hand, "Nice to meet ya."

|Karin|

I stumbled to the bathroom and barely made it to the toilet before vomiting my intestines into the pristine bowl. Groaning, I struggled to my feet before flushing and turning on the sink.

"Buddha give me strength." I mumbled as I threw a cap of mouthwash into my mouth.

I made sure to gargle very lightly so I wouldn't trigger my already-sensitive gag reflex.

"Fuck…" I murmured under my breath as I spat out the burning liquid, "Stupid Junmai, I'm never drinking that again."

Exiting the bathroom, I rubbed the back of my neck and looked at the clock: 5:33 p.m. Sasuke had been gone for practically five hours.

'I know I said I didn't want breakfast, but he could at least come back and offer me lunch.' I thought to myself as I patted my stomach, "I've starved myself enough. Time to get something to eat."

I changed out of Sasuke's grey shirt and wore a bra before pulling on a black tank top and jumping into a pair of blue shorts.

With that, I yanked open our room's door and stepped out into the hallway. Packed wasn't the right word to describe it, but it was definitely occupied. People that hadn't been present when I had comeback last night were now out and about, laughing and chatting. Part of me wanted to tell them to go inside, but another part of me was glad they were all engaged with one another. I didn't think I could handle a 1-on-1 conversation with anyone right now.

With a bunch of "sorry's" and "excuse me's," I made my way to the elevator, stepped inside, and pressed for the first floor. Before it even started moving, I could smell a delicious scent. Or maybe it was my mind playing tricks on me for being so hungry. Whatever the case, it motivated me to get down to the mess hall as fast as possible. I rapidly clicked the Close Door button, and almost screamed when a pale hand came in-between the two doors.

The hand forced the doors open, and a slender man with an oddly young face stepped in beside me, "Gomen ne, I just couldn't let this one pass, I hope you understand."

'This person is…Orochimaru.' I recalled from Sasuke's recount of the Gedō; he had commented that Orochimaru was much more observant than the others, but the dangerous character I had been expecting was replaced with the weird reality. 'He's definitely an odd character.'

It looked like playing up my dumb persona would be the best way to deal with him.

"Of course, of course." I smiled widely, "If anything, I should be apologizing. I nearly crushed your hand!"

He seemed to be hissing until I realized he was laughing, "I've done worse to myself, this wouldn't have bothered me in the slightest."

I forced a chuckle, "Is that some tough guy act or are you—"

"Do you always have such a large smile?" He cut me off.

"Gomen?"

"And that way of speaking," His golden eyes shined eerily, "You don't have to force yourself; I'm not going to bite."

"I'm not—"

"Maybe this is on purpose? Or have you been conditioned?" He lowered his head so that our eyes were on the same level, and shortened the gap between us, "Let me guess, you used to get hit when you were younger if you didn't act like this."

I froze.

"Ah, poor thing." He straightened up, "I knew a girl like that once. I tried to bring her out of her shell, but she just wouldn't budge."

The walls seemed to be closing in on me, or at least around my throat. I felt hot and cold at the same time and raised a hand to my head.

The elevator dinged as it opened, and he stepped out before me, "You're a grown woman though, hopefully, you'll embrace yourself, ne?"

He left me inside the elevator, and I steadied my breathing as I shut my eyes tightly. Zōsui's face flashed in my head and I gritted my teeth.

"Are you okay?" A familiar voice made my eyes snap open, and I saw I was on the elevator floor.

I looked up at the hand outstretched for me and saw it belonged to Jūgo. Taking it, I quickly pulled myself up and dusted down my leggings.

"Yes, I'm fine, just a little tired. Arigato." I gave him a half-smile.

My exchange with Orochimaru had educated as well as drained me. Maybe I was playing it up too much, toning it down would probably work out in my favor. Besides, I didn't think I could manage a wide smile right now.

Jūgo stepped back and allowed me out of the elevator. I nodded and walked past him.

"Could I escort you to the sickbay?" He followed after me, "I'm worried you'll fall again."

I continued walking, heading for the mess hall, "Thanks for the concern, but I'm alright.

"I really don't think you should be—"

"Jūgo!" I turned around in annoyance.

His face was that of a deer caught in headlights, and I cursed myself for being so quick to anger.

"Sorry about that, I just…" I shook my head, "Look, I'm really hungry right now so I'm gonna get something to eat, okay?"

"Y-Yeah, sure." He was looking at me differently now, not suspiciously but…I couldn't describe it, only that his gaze made me feel uneasy, "Catch you around?"

I smiled loosely and left him where he was.

A buffet had been set up in the mess hall and it was to die for, literally. The scent of each course hit me at once and I almost passed out from the experience. Quickly grabbing a plate, I hopped in line and picked out a simple course that I could throw into the rotting cabin that was my stomach. Rice, broccoli, udon, sliced up chicken, and two pieces of beef. I took a table not too far from the front and chowed down.

As the food slid down my throat, I felt my mood brightening.

'Never underestimate the effects of hunger.' I reminded myself as I kept eating.

I'd only drank Junmai last night, maybe that was the reason why I'd gotten that nightmare. Again, Zōsui came to mind, but with something in my stomach, I wasn't so physically affected.

'If Sasuke-kun were here…' I stabbed a piece of chicken with a chopstick, 'No, we're partners on a mission. Telling him would cause unnecessary worries. I'll deal with this on my own.'

I'd come down here on the verge of death but after thinking, my appetite had left me. I pecked at the grains of rice and worked on convincing my stomach to finish this plate. Someone tapped my shoulder before clanging into the seat across from me.

"Misaki-san." Suigetsu smiled warmly, "Having trouble there?"

I couldn't deal with him, not now, 'First Zōsui, now him. Buddha, I thought the past was the past!'

"Uh, yeah," I cleared my throat, "Trying to finish it but I've lost my appetite."

"Oh, well then…" Suigetsu reached for the plate, "You gonna share?"

I dropped my chopsticks and pushed the plate to him. He gladly took it and began wolfing down my leftovers. I watched him in awe as well as sentimentally.

"You always loved food." I said under my breath, resting my chin in my hands.

He looked up from the plate, grease lining his mouth, "What?"

Realizing what I'd said but thankful that he hadn't heard, I stood up, "I see you love food."

"Oh, yeah, haha." He nodded happily, "A strong man's gotta eat!"

Rolling my eyes, I took my thumb and wiped the crumbs away from the sides of his lips before walking away, "Well, I hope the strong man has a napkin."

"Misaki-san, matte." I heard him stand up, but a string of curses followed soon after.

I turned around and saw that the plate had been flipped over so that the remaining food was on the table, presumably lifted up by his shirt.

"Yes?" I looked up from the mess, stifling laughter.

"Ahem, tomorrow Jugo and I are gonna run an errand for the boss in the city, wanna tag along?"

I put my hands on my hips, "Isn't this a breach of security? He knows I'm coming?"

"Ora, you're Toshiaki-san's wife. If we can't trust you, we can't trust anyone."

"Right." I considered the offer, 'Sasuke-kun's working hard to get information, this is my chance to get some as well.'

"Alright, I'll join you." I accepted his invitation, "Anything I need to know?"

Suigetsu shook his head, "We'll explain on the way there. Just stay beautiful."

"I-I'll do that." I turned on him, hoping he hadn't caught my cheeks turning red, "Bye."

"Bye." I could hear the grin in his voice, but the realization only served to squeeze my heart.

'The past is the past. The past is the past.' I reminded myself, trudging on to the elevator.

This time I had the ride up to myself, a fact I was truly grateful for now that my social battery was dead. I arrived on the second floor and brought out my keys as I exited the elevator. As I turned the corner, I was a bit surprised to see the door of our room slightly cracked, the light on.

'Did Sasuke-kun come back?' I wondered to myself as I approached the door.

The light shut off and I frowned, now on guard, 'If that's Sasuke-kun, I'll meet him in the hallway. If it's someone else…'

My hand drifted to my right side instinctually before I remembered I didn't have a gun. The door opened and I narrowed my eyes. Even without a weapon, I could still do something.

Thankfully, I didn't have to. Sasuke stepped out of the room and was about to shut the door when I stopped him.

"Sheesh, I thought you were an intruder." I laughed as I entered the room, pushing past him, "Good thing you came out in time."

He entered after me and shut the door.

'Was he coming to look for me?' The thought brought a smile to my face, but I quickly removed it, 'Ugh, don't start imagining things. He's your partner, of course he'd look for you.'

"So, how'd your day go?" I asked as I removed my bra, folding it into my drawer, "Learn anything interesting?"

"…Nothing particularly. Had breakfast with the Gedō, roamed around, regular things." His tone sounded slightly tense, similar to the times when he would get back from being chewed out by Sakasaki.

"Are you okay?" I turned around, "Did they do something to—"

I was cut off by a kiss. At first, it was soft and reassuring, but as I moved to push him away, he became more forceful.

"Sa—" He brought us together once more, this time his left hand was positioned on my lower back, pulling me away from the dresser.

When I felt something slip into my back pocket, I realized that he wasn't doing this without purpose. He let go of me and I looked up at him, trying to read his face for some kind of clarity. His eyes flicked to the bathroom, and he stepped back.

"Gomen." He apologized, "I missed you, so it was hard to hold back."

I nodded, "It's fine…"

Once I was in the bathroom, I made a move to pull the note out of my pocket, but a voice in my head told me to turn on the shower in the bathroom before doing so. Once it was flowing at a steady rate, I unfolded the note and began to read:

Pain's whole reason for Akatsuki is for his dead friend. He and Konan have a very unstable relationship that can possibly be used to our benefit.

But I'll explain that in more detail when we get away from here. From now on, we can't break character. There are bugs in the room. Tell me to join you so it doesn't seem suspicious.

I read the last part two times before bawling up the paper and opening up the bathroom door, "Toshiaki-kun, if you really can't wait, we can shower together."

I made sure to put a suggestive tone in my voice and Sasuke looked at me before nodding.

"Alright. I actually didn't shower in the morning, so I'm feeling ripe." He removed his shirt and kicked off his shorts.

The sight before me made me swallow hard. What I'd caught a glimpse of last night was hazy, barely in memory, but this…this was clear as day. Sasuke was fit; his muscles were defined and he had an outlined midsection to match that stone-cold glare of his…he could've been a model if he wanted.

My eyes drifted lower and I also noted that he was well endowed. Stepping aside, I let him enter the bathroom and shut the door behind us. When he began to remove his underwear, I shut my eyes.

'That's too much.'

He hissed at the water temperature, and I opened my eyes to a shower curtain and his figure behind it. I turned on the sink, partly for added coverage, but also because I wanted to brush my teeth.

"There aren't any bugs in here." He said in a low voice, "It's safe to talk but not too loud."

"How did you know they were listening to us? How long have they been listening to us?" I asked, remembering that I had spoken of Jūgo and Suigetsu days before.

"It started today." He eased my fears, "And it's my fault. Pain and Konan fought in front of me and I learned some things about them that most people shouldn't know."

"But Pain made you one of his Gedō, there's no way he wouldn't trust you." I put some toothpaste on my toothbrush.

"It's Konan, not Pain. Pain has to trust me, especially after what I've done for him." Sasuke seemed to be speaking to himself with that last part.

"What you've done?" I repeated, unsure of what he meant.

Sasuke went silent, and uneasiness began to seep into my mind, "Sasuke-kun, what did you do?"

"It won't affect you. Anyway, Konan was thoroughly embarrassed by Pain. I'm sure she arranged this to make sure I wouldn't share what I know."

'He's avoiding the topic. I'll back off for now.' I followed his lead, "But you will, right? What's this about his dead friend? What is he trying to do?"

He shut the shower off and grabbed a towel before stepping out, "He's going to bring him back to life."

Dumbfounded, I turned my head to look at him, "That's impossible."

"I want to say the same but if you knew the lengths he was willing to go…" Sasuke shook his head, "I can't write him off for certain. No, if anything, I believe he can do it."

Now it was my turn to shake my head, "The dead stay dead, they have to."

"This is just a secondary discovery." Sasuke grabbed another towel and began to dry his hair, "It's not a crime to try and bring someone back to life. We just need evidence to prove that the money's he's using to fund this project is being garnered through illegal means. Then we'll—"

"The dead stay dead." I cut him off, reinforcing what I had said, "Promise me, Sasuke-kun."

"What?"

"Promise me," I continued, grabbing his hands "If it gets to the point where he's succeeded, where he's about to bring back his friend, you'll stop him."

"Karin…"

"Promise me." I held his hands, staring him in the eyes.

He nodded slowly before responding. "I promise."

"Good." I let him go, "I just—to disrupt the cycle like that…there would be major consequences."

I couldn't tell him that there were people in my past who'd be very interested in bringing a certain man back to life. Even though he had long been dead, I was still under his shackles. If he were to be brought back…

Sasuke placed his hands on my shoulders, "Earlier you asked if I was okay. Should I be asking you the same thing?"

'Don't be a burden.'

"I'm fine." I shook his hands off, "You're not the only one making progress. Suigetsu and Jūgo are going to the city for a job Pain gave them, I'll be tagging along too."

"How did that happen?" He furrowed his brows, clearly not pleased with this news.

"Suigetsu offered me a spot and I accepted. It'll be a good way to gather intel."

"It's also dangerous." He crossed his arms, "Why would they want you, of all people?"

I flinched at that remark, but held my ground, "Why did Pain choose you to be his Gedō, of all people?"

His eyes widened slightly as he realized his mistake, "Karin, I didn't mean—You know what I was trying to say."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." I sighed, partly at him but mostly at myself for the childish retort, "I was thinking I could pass a message along to The Six with what we've got so far."

"Don't." He warned against it, "The police are compromised. Unless we head to them directly, we can't afford to take that risk."

"But they've been in the dark for so long," I countered, "If we could just give them a piece—"

"It's too dangerous." Sasuke was adamant about this, "Pain doesn't forgive disloyalty, he doesn't forgive liars. If he finds out you betrayed him, he'll—"

He turned away from me, tightening his fist, "He doesn't think twice about…having someone killed."

Something about the way he said that made the gears in my head start turning, 'What Sasuke-kun did…no, he'd never. Right?'

"Just go with them to the city, alright?" His voice shook me out of my thoughts, "Play your part, listen in, then come back."

"Alright." I nodded to assure him, although I was already formulating my own plan, "I'll come back."