If you're reading this, I'm literally going with the flow right now because my mind can't deal for this chapter. And sorry for the long wait, school and studying is really consuming all of my free time and I'm unable to post as frequent as I hoped. Unfortunately, short hiatuses will be a common thing until the winter break so bear with me if you wanna know what happens in my fanfic.

Chapter 9: Peaceful Nightmares

Katsumi's POV:

The piercing rays of the morning sun shone on my eyelids and the strain of that irritation earned a groggy groan from my parted lips. How was it morning so quickly? I could've sworn that I closed my eyes just an hour ago and then the sun decided to be a nuisance and wake me up from my slumber. I used all known tactics to aid this issue: the pillow cover-up, switching and shifting positions, facing away from the sun, and finally the blanket cocoon. Once I was able to cover up the sun rays with my blanket, I relieved my squinting eyes and tried my hardest to go back to sleep. Unfortunately it was easier said than done. No matter how much I tried to force myself to sleep, my mind simply resisted and urged me to get up already.

Damn it all to hell.

I groaned loudly in frustration then I threw my blanket away from my upper body. I forced myself to sit up on my mat and remained sitting there as my mind replayed the moments that really struck me.

There was no way to cover this up: I kissed Kabuto freakin' Yakushi. And there was simply no way to deny it.

To be honest, I didn't know why I kissed him in the first place. All I knew was that I wanted to kiss him, and jumped at the chance when he sat there without his glasses, his shirt, the bandages; my hormones and mind couldn't take it anymore. I literally had to kiss him. His perfectly tanned lips were plump and lustrous, and I curious to know what they tasted like. I wanted to know what his body felt like against mine and the touch of his skin under my hands. What I did last night I carried no regrets whatsoever.

Except for one: Kabuto Yakushi.

It was obvious that he wasn't expecting me to do something like that to him, especially when his body just recuperated from its injuries. And I knew he had never kissed anyone before because to be honest, he was a weird bookworm and no girl would ever be attracted to anyone like him. But clearly I was wrong because I was captivated by his body and hungry for his lips. I didn't know why but it just does.

However I wouldn't say I had feelings for him.

It was nothing personal to him at all, actually. I just don't see Kabuto anything more than a companion or even an acquaintance. Mainly because for as long as I could remember, I disliked him with a burning passion and I tried my very hardest to prevent the urge to punch him every time I saw him. But after spending so much time with him on this mission, I saw him in a different light. Not personality wise but my perspective of him changed quite a bit. For starters, I didn't hate him as much as I did before and he wasn't as annoying either. For the most part, he was sort of good as company. But then my eyes were glued to his exposed torso, and emotions and thoughts were running wild within me. As a bookworm, his body was mesmerising and attractive. Even without his glasses, he looked a lot more calm, mature, and more bearable to see the very least.

Not only that, he was hell of a kisser for a first timer.

I couldn't lie, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed his hands roaming all over my body, I enjoyed the taste of his tongue and mouth, I enjoyed feeling his toned chest and abs, and I enjoyed how he was eventually passionate about it as much as I was. However that part surprised me. I thought he would either be frozen and not do anything about it or push me away from him and question my motives. I knew for a fact he was shocked that I went in for a kiss since he didn't make a single move at the beginning. But then, he caved in and responded to my lips just as wanting as my own. Why did he let me kiss him? And why did he kissed me back?

Did that meant Kabuto had feelings for me?

I shook that thought out of my head immediately, thinking that it was ridiculous. Kabuto doesn't have a love interest, and if he did, it was probably Orochimaru to be completely honest. But if there was even the slightest chance that he did, then the last thing I should do was to give him false hopes. It wouldn't be fair for the both of us.

That brought the question towards me. Did I have feelings for Kabuto? No, I absolutely don't. Was I attracted to him? Yes, I was but only because his glistening tanned skin was blinding me and my hormones were bouncing off the walls. Would I ever consider in a relationship with Kabuto? That wouldn't be possible for the following reasons. Firstly, I don't like him in that sense so it was pointless to ever consider a relationship with someone that I don't like in that way in the first place. Secondly, I wasn't ready for another relationship since my last one ended in a harsh way by my behalf, and I don't want to do the same thing to Kabuto. Thirdly, there was no telling what Orochimaru would think if he learned that his trusted subordinate was dating his host body's sister. And finally, Sasuke would kill the both of us if he saw us as a couple; he would literally chop us up into little pieces.

All of this thinking made my head hurt and a bit lightheaded. There was no point in sitting here since I couldn't fall back to sleep, and I knew that Kabuto was sleeping a few feet away from me. The last thing I wanted was to carry heavy regrets of what I did. Even if I never regretted kissing him, I would still regret looking at him in a seductive way.

I finally gathered the courage to glance over at Kabuto which I was shocked that his presence wasn't in his sleeping area like I presumed. In fact, all of his belongings were nowhere in sight within the tent. I scanned my surroundings to see anything that could relate to said male, in which I see nothing of the sort. I grunted and used my current strength to pick myself off of my feet. I dragged myself out of the tent and scanned the campsite clearing, which was probably the smallest clearing I had seen so far in our mission.

Nevertheless, Kabuto was still nowhere to be seen.

I huffed loudly in annoyance and started wandering through the bushes, hoping that I would simply bump into him. As I walked in the direction I was currently in, the atmosphere around me got a bit humid. I frowned upon this as the humidity grew as I moved further. Intrigued, I moved myself a bit quicker towards the source of this heat. I caught a glimpse of humid fog in a distance and I aimed myself to walk towards it. Once I reached towards a patch of tall grass, I lowered myself in a crouch position as I examined the situation in front of me. If I guessed correctly, there was a hot spring that wasn't too far away from our campsite which was a pleasant surprise since I was the one who chose this location to camp for the night yet I had no clue there was a hot spring nearby.

What I also noticed was that there was a being within the depths of the fogs of humidity. I squinted my eyes to get a better look at the mysterious figure in the boiling water surface, but I still couldn't put an identification on this person due to the fog being so thick. A moment later, the temperature seemed to decrease since the fog began to thin out a bit, which was helpful since now I could figure out who was in the hot spring. But now that I distinguished who that person was, I almost punched myself for the regrets that I promised to avoid.

It could've been anyone in that hot spring, and it just had to be frickin' Kabuto.

Why the hell karma wanted to bite me in the ass this quick? I would never find the answer.

Luckily, said male didn't sense my presence as he sat peacefully in the hot springs, rinsing himself with the hot water. I watched him captivatedly as he ran his hands on his tanned body and water was dripping down his back. He then lifted his arms and soaked it with water, which made his arms and back both flex and relax at the same time. I swore I used all of my efforts to look away because watching a men who was naked in a hot bath was a sin in my book, but the sight was so wanting and attractive, my hormones just wanted more of the sight than I had anticipated.

To make matters worse for me, Kabuto stood up on his feet and started rinsing his hair with a bucket. This made me turn red and it wasn't because of the heat of the hot spring. Long story short, the water surface reached up to his lower hips and his whole back was exposed for my eyes to see. Holy crap, why was this happening to me of all people? And why was I stalking Kabuto in the first place?

Of course, I could just look away and head back to the campsite, but it easier said than done. I mean, the sight was so attractive, mesmerising, and simply gorgeous, I couldn't just simply walk away. And besides, Kabuto doesn't know that I was watching him bathe, so it wasn't as bad if I thought about it that way. But still, I wasn't like me to watch a naked man bathing in a hot pool because I wasn't exposed to it to begin with.

I barely saw Neji topless, but when I did, it happened in the most unexpected of times. I had kissed him once without a shirt, but that was when I had to leave and he didn't care if he had no shirt on. Neji had no interest in that sort of stuff anyway so it didn't count. Then there was Sasuke. I mean, the stuff he wore currently made it look like I had seen a topless guy before. No, because I don't find him attractive at all. Not because he wasn't attractive at all, it was because he was my brother meaning I had been around him my entire life. This resulted me in getting used to seeing him without a shirt and others times, just in boxers. To me, he was just Sasuke, my older brother.

What I was trying to say was that I hadn't been attracted to anyone this much before, so this was new to me. Especially the fact that I kissed him, it made me curious as to what his sexy body looked like under his dull clothing. However, I would never want to have sex with him because I had self-respect and dignity; I would never give my body to anyone just because they were attractive. Not to say that Kabuto was like that, but I just don't trust him at all when it came to this topic.

And to be honest, I don't think I would ever trust anyone. Meaning I would always be alone and isolated from the world.

That didn't matter right now. I should just sit here and watch this striking view I was getting. Unfortunately that was short-lived the second Kabuto finally realized someone was watching him which gave me a heart attack. I instantly focused my chakra to the soles of my feet and hopped out of the tall grass the same second he turned towards my direction. I landed softly at a high branch meters away from my original location. I straightened my position as I gazed down at a suspicious Kabuto from a far distance who was firmly looking at the tall grass, praying he hadn't sensed my chakra. It wasn't until a moment later he dismissed his conclusions and went back to what he was doing. I hadn't realized I held my breath until that relief came in.

Thank god he never saw me or the situation would kill me.

I knew I had to get back to the site or else my absence would raise his suspicion even more. With that in mind, I soared through the branches towards our site within minutes which was a miracle because I heard footsteps from behind. I glanced over my shoulder to see Kabuto walking slowly towards me. He wore his regular clothing and his glasses however his hair wasn't in a ponytail; it laid flat and free as it was drenching in water. He held his towel in one hand and his bag in the other hand. I examined the look on his face, trying to read if he knew that I was watching him bathe because I was aware that he knew he was being watched but I wasn't sure if he knew it was me.

By the looks of it, he didn't seem remotely suspicious or even curious about it. Then again, he was a very skilled spy who could hide their feelings and emotions away deep inside of them.

"Good morning, Katsumi." He said in a beaming tone, a similar tone he would use when he being sarcastic.

I wasn't expecting a good morning from him, especially after I basically made out with him without consent.

"Uh, good morning, Kabuto." I responded shakenly, wasn't sure what else to say.

"Did you sleep well?" He then asked, sounding awfully sweet today.

By the sounds of it, he didn't care about being stalked and even the kiss from last night. Not only that, Kabuto sounded a bit more bubbly and calm than before and this time, I wasn't sure if his new attitude was genuine or not.

It was then I realized I hadn't answered his question and he was expecting one from me.

"Yes, I did." I replied lowly, unsure if I should say more.

"How about you, Kabuto?" I asked shyly, looking aside.

I then heard said person chuckle which was kind of misleading; what was so funny?

Kabuto noticed that I was taken aback by his sudden laughter, in which he grinned in amusement.

"Sorry about that." He shook his head. "It's just that you said my name rather than 'four eyes', despite me currently wearing my glasses."

I took in his reason and realized he was right; I hadn't called him by his nickname I gave him. I wasn't even aware of that until he brought it up.

"I see no difference; they're both referred to you so it doesn't matter." I commented monotonously.

"But I find the name original, and I value originality from my fellow ninja." He pointed out with a smug look on his face.

I rolled my eyes at his personal preference. "Whatever floats your boat…"

Kabuto hummed at my comment then he slid his feet past me towards the tent. He sealed the tent into a small scroll and placed it securely in his bag. He then used the towel he held to dry out his grey hair, absorbing the water. Once he was satisfied, he tied his hair back in a low ponytail like he usually did and then he turned his attention towards me as he waited for me to probably say something.

But say what exactly?

"So, now what?" I questioned unsurely.

Kabuto turned so that his body was completely facing me. "Well, you said it yourself that you completed our mission when I was hurt, right?" He questioned for reassurance.

"Yes." I nodded.

"Then our job here is done." He declared with a small smile. "We'll head back to the lair and report our success to Lord Orochimaru."

Hearing that made me feel sort of refreshed which was appalling for me to think that. I disliked living in the underground lair with that creepy snake doing his unethical experiments on innocent people. But considering the fact that I had been sleeping on the hard ground in the middle of a dull, moist forest, I was sort of relieved to be able to spend the night in the comfort of my own room away from Kabuto and everyone else. Speaking of which, Sasuke's mission was coming to an end too if I was correct meaning there was a chance that I would bump into him in the lair.

Seeing Sasuke after this span of time would feel different to say the least since we barely talk anymore. Regardless, I still looked forward to see my brother.

With that thought, Kabuto and I started heading back to the lair. The walk back was silent, very silent. Neither one of us said a single word, nor did we seemed to want to say a word. The grey haired medic-nin took lead in the travel as I was right behind him, thinking deeply to myself since there was nothing else to do or talk about. I was simply counting the seconds then minutes until we finally reached Orochimaru's lair, praying that we would be there sooner rather than later.

It wasn't long ago when we both arrived at the underground. I would've never thought that I would be so relieved to be back living in the depths of darkness. Not because I loved living here, but due to recent events, I didn't want the chance of being held hostage by other villages happen ever again.

Right now, Kabuto and I stood once again in a vast room in front of none other than Orochimaru. As he gave us both a long look, I had the feeling he was examining us as if he felt that something was off or something was different and he wanted to know what it was exactly. After a while of studying every part of us, he allowed his lips to stretch into a smirk.

"Kabuto, I see you're still in one piece after your mission." He hummed in amusement. "Knowing the girl, I was sure she stood by her words and rip you into pieces but I guess that wasn't the case."

I frowned on his comment. "What's that supposed to mean?" I questioned in offense, crossing my arms.

"Oh, nothing really. I'm just glad I no longer have to find someone to replace Kabuto. You see, he's special and I hold him highly." He shrugged off my offended tone, throwing me a smirk instead.

"No kidding." I muttered to myself lowly, rolling my eyes.

I didn't need to see that Orochimaru was staring deeply at me, as if I was a priceless art piece. It made me both weirded out and uncomfortable at the same time.

"My Lord, our assigned mission ended successfully. We've collected all of the rare medicinal herbs listed in this scroll." Kabuto then spoke as he held out the mentioned scroll and the bag that carried the herbs.

Orochimaru turned to his loyal subordinate and grinned wickedly. "Excellent work. I expected nothing less from my two top medic ninja." He acknowledged in glee.

"I don't remember being your property." I commented stubbornly, throwing him a cold glare.

"As long as you live in my lair, you are indeed mine." He countered hardly with his smirk still on his pale face.

I scoffed at his claim. "If it weren't for you, Sasuke wouldn't get that damned curse mark, end up hungry for power, force me out of the village and live here in the dark. You have no right to claim me as your property." I ranted in a low tone, gripping my folded arms.

Orochimaru's smirk fell from his face and instead switched it with a blank, expressionless, meaning his next reaction or move was unknown to me. I was about to say more but then a strong hand instantly covered my mouth, preventing me from speaking anymore words. I rotated my head to the side, only to see it was Kabuto whose hand was currently on my mouth. I threw him a look that said, 'what the hell are you doing?' in which he replied with a hard look that looked like he said, 'keep your mouth shut if you want to live!' Knowing this, I begrudgingly gave in and he removed his hand from my lips. The grey haired male then turned to the snake in front of him as if what happened just a second ago didn't occur.

"If I may, Lord Orochimaru." He requested politely, gaining his lord's attention once again. "Is Sasuke Uchiha still absent for his mission?"

Hearing his question also grabbed my interest too, because I was also curious about Sasuke's whereabouts.

"Yes, he is." Orochimaru answered with a nod. "However I just received word that his mission is coming to an end and he'll be back after tomorrow the latest."

Hearing this made me feel nothing. Don't get me wrong, I would rather have Sasuke around because despite his current attitude and mindset, I was comfortable around him since I had been with him my entire life. However he wasn't present right now, which I was fine with really. In fact, now that I was free from duty and anyone else bothering me I could go on ahead and do my own thing. It was hard to do that since there was literally nothing to do in the undergrounds, but from experiencing this for over two years, I found some ways.

"Can I leave now? Or is my service is still needed?" I questioned tiredly, wanting to leave so I could do anything else but be here.

Orochimaru snickered at my whining question, then nodded. "Yes, dear. You may leave now."

I wasted to no time to leave the big empty room I stood in once he accepted my request. I nodded in gratitude and briefly glanced at Kabuto who also gave me a brief look himself. I broke eye contact and quickly walked towards the exit but not before I carefully shut the door. The second I stood in the long hallway, I breathed out all the air I held in. I was finally free from that snake for a while and now I could take a break for once.

Now if I could find my room, I could do just that.

Kabuto's POV:

I gave a long look at the door Katsumi just walked out of a moment ago. I could understand that since she didn't like nor she was comfortable around him. True, Lord Orochimaru could be intimidating most of the time but he wasn't a complete monster. Then again, I had been around him for most of my life, so maybe I was just accustomed to it. Regardless, that damn girl was lucky her brother was holding him back from executing her on the spot; if it weren't for Sasuke, she would've been long dead. The amount of bravery and stubbornness she had against the sanin never ceased to amaze me.

"Kabuto…" I winced by my lord's call for me in which I graciously gave him all of my attention.

"Tell me… did something happen during your mission with the girl?" He asked lowly, sounding more curious than suspicious.

I never expected Lord Orochimaru to ask such a question. Indeed he was an extreme experimenter, which meant he was a curious man, however he was never curious about this sort of stuff. Plus, what did he meant in what context?

"What do you mean, my Lord?" I asked mannerly as I straightened my posture.

"The animosity between you two have changed a bit since you've arrived." He clarified as his head rested on his hand. "I figured that something happened that made you two change your perspectives on each other."

Hearing his reason made me gulp down the anxiousness I felt right now. We were barely here for an hour and he had already sensed that something off happened between us, which wasn't a good sign. I was never in a position where I was brutally punished for kissing another subordinate because no one really caught my interest so I wasn't sure how Lord Orochimaru would think or react to that situation. He wasn't oblivious; he could sense lies from a mile away. If things go out badly, both Katsumi and I would be sent right to hell. On the other hand, my Lord wouldn't really mind or even care if he figured it out, knowing him. In fact, he probably wouldn't bat an eye if it happened in a continuous basis as long as it doesn't get in the way of his experiments and goals.

Regardless, I don't take chances and I wasn't going to start right now. I inhaled deeply and gave him a soft but convincing look.

"No, nothing out of the ordinary happened, my Lord. I can assure you." I answered courteously, lowering my head a bit.

Said sanin remained silent but had a long look on me as if he was trying to read deeper into my words to make sure I was genuine. It was then my anxiety increased; I was very skilled when it came to lying and hiding everything within me, but this was the great Orochimaru I was dealing with. It wasn't going to be easy convincing him and the chances of slipping past him was slim to none.

"If you don't mind me asking, Lord Orochimaru." I then spoke, trying my hardest to hide my hesitation and nervousness. "Is there a particular reason why you wish to know?"

I waited to hear his response as I mentally prepared myself for what was to come. But all he did was shrug his shoulders and spoke.

"No reason, really." He briefed softly, allowing his eyes to rest. "Curiosity is all."

Knowing him, I knew certainly that it was more than just curiosity. There was more he wanted to know.

"You're dismissed, Kabuto. You may rest yourself from that mission." He suddenly advised seriously, taking me back by surprise.

I wasn't sure what to do or say but bow my head in respect and kindness for his offer.

"Thank you, my Lord. I will." I responded respectively.

After he gave me a nod that signalled me to take my leave now, I walked out of the room myself and closed the door softly. I walked back to my room through the long, dark, echoing hallways. I tried to mentally calm myself down because Lord Orochimaru questioned my newly-founded connection with Katsumi. It was more likely that he wouldn't punish her nor I, however I wasn't certain if he was just curious about it since he would probably use this to his advantage.

Then again, there was nothing between us. What happened last night was just a fling and nothing more than that. I highly doubted Katsumi cared about me in that way while I don't like her in that way either. So even if Orochimaru wanted to do something for his benefit, it wouldn't matter nor would it be worth it. We were simply medical companions and nothing more.

Then again, I wasn't too sure if the raven haired kunoichi thought of me like that too.

Katsumi's POV:

I was amazed when I glanced over at my wall clock and it read that I had been in my room for six hours straight. I had never been inside a shelter longer than two hours, never mind my room alone. I guess it was because I wanted to avoid that snake and another one of his extreme missions which could've killed me if I wasn't up my A-game. Or, it was probably because I felt super uncomfortable being in the same room with Kabuto and Orochimaru. It was already awkward enough that I suddenly kissed the grey haired male without him knowing and even go as far to respond to the kiss, but the fact that the snake was also witnessing the tension between us made it even more unbearable.

I didn't know what Orochimaru would do to us if he figured out that I made out with his trusted assistant because I didn't recall a similar situation where Orochimaru was involved in punishing the person, so it could go either way. I wasn't so worried about me though since I already made it clear that I couldn't give a damn what he had to do or say because he was held back by the wrath of Sasuke. Saying this, my chances were better than Kabuto's due to him betraying his "lord's trust".

Speaking of Sasuke, my chances with him were far worse than I ever thought it would. Despite him being very distant towards me, I knew he was just as protective as he was in the past so his big brother instincts would kick in the second he heard the news about the kiss. Plus, the thought of me being near a guy made him sick to his stomach for some reason, even though I knew he was looking out for me. When he learned that I was dating Neji, he literally gave the Hyuga a death glare and if it were just the two of them, he would've gone after him with the intent to kill. Luckily, Naruto and Sakura had my back and with the three of us, Sasuke caved in and accepted our relationship which made me both shocked and excited

However this was a different situation. I intendedly kissed Kabuto, he kissed me back with the same amount of passion and it only happened because of pure curiosity and simply hormones getting the better of me. This was bad because Sasuke simply disliked Kabuto for unknown reasons in my perspective, and hearing that the man had touched lips with his sister's would make him execute until there wasn't a Kabuto in sight anymore. Then he would probably turn his attention towards me and glare at me with a burning passion to punish me as well. I wouldn't be surprise because he would want to teach me a lesson for being a fool for kissing anyone by the likes of Kabuto. Regardless, if Sasuke figured it out, it would mean hell for the both of us.

After all of that stress thinking, I gave out a long, tired yawn as I covered it with one hand. I guess it was time for me to go to bed since it was a long boring day and I just came back from a long, tiring mission. I prayed that I wouldn't have another one tomorrow because I just couldn't deal anymore.

I quickly prepared myself to go to bed and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. Once I got out of the bathroom, I got under my bedcovers and gazed up at the ceiling with a blank mind. My mind had a huge habit of looking back in my life and remembering all of the unfortunate things that had happened to me, which was super annoying since I despised reliving those moments. Especially that faithful night where my family was murdered by that bastard, Itachi Uchiha. It wasn't really the fact that he killed our clan that made me want to see him rot in hell; it was much more personal than that. But I don't want to go into that because that always made me hold back a sob.

I decided that it was best to not think of anything else and just go to bed. That was the last thought I had until a horrifying one played in my mind of slumber.

Kabuto's POV:

It was already late when I was close in finishing a study session with my books and notes that cluttered all over my desk. I was just finishing the last page of a book I was currently reading hardly on. This was part of the reason why people dubbed me as a "bookworm", and I was awfully proud of it. Reading was one of the main things I loved doing and never got bored of; it wasn't usually a good thing sometimes. However I thought ahead with that and prepared myself for bed hours ago just in case I was going to stay up late reading.

As my eyes scanned the words carefully, my mind starting having thoughts about a certain ravenette. Did Katsumi enjoyed reading too? If yes, what kinds of books she was interested in? Would she be interested in books of my favourite genre as much as I was?

I gritted my teeth at these questions; why the hell was I thinking about the girl in the first place? I shouldn't care less if she liked reading or not, it doesn't affect me in the slightest. I shouldn't be thinking about her in the first place because that would go in the wrong direction. I wanted to forbid myself from having feelings for the raven no matter what because it would end up in a big, unnecessary mess. Besides, she doesn't even mean that much to me in the first place so I shouldn't have to think about her all the time. She was beautiful and her personality outshone her beauty; I wasn't even hesitant to say that I was even attracted to her. But despite my personal feelings, it shouldn't get in the way of anything. My only priority was Lord Orochimaru and my focus must be on him and only him.

The second I concluded my thoughts, I closed my book shut and gave out a tired but satisfied sigh. Five books in one day; I was impressed since I only spent about five hours solely on reading. But now I was done, and it was really getting late. I got up from my chair and stretched my sore limbs from sitting there for a long span of time. I walked over to my personal restroom and scanned broadly at my reflection. I saw that my image wore the exact same clothes as myself: fitted, black, sleeveless shirt, and a dark pair of shorts that complimented my shirt. I lifted my attention towards my face to see myself not wearing my glasses which made me look like a different person.

Legitimately and hypothetically.

As my mind wandered away from reality, I heard a distant, soft mumbling within the restroom. I raised an eyebrow at it because it sounded awfully like a child crying in his/her sleep but there were no children or anyone close to being a child so it was very peculiar indeed. What was also peculiar was that it was coming from where Katsumi's room was located. The thought made me both anxious and suspicious; this was the first time I faced this sort of situation. The idea of ignoring it and just head to bed crossed my mind since it was really late, but this new circumstance was too good to pass by. Plus, what if Katsumi was in trouble? I avoided dealing with Sasuke's wrath since he arrived and I would like for that to continue.

I huffed my tiredness out of me and slid my feet towards my bedroom door. With bare feet, I treaded through the long quiet hallways towards the unknown noise coming from a distant down the path. It was so silent and dead within the lair during the night. To be honest, it was always quiet in here as days, weeks, months, years went by but when the sun went down, it was more dull and depressing despite the lack of windows. As I walked towards the noise, it noticeably got louder and clearer which made me concern because it sounded exactly like Katsumi's voice; by the sounds of it, it wasn't anything that sounded positive.

I finally made it to Katsumi's bedroom door and was prepared to bust down the door to witness the situation myself. However, knowing the girl, if something wasn't the matter she would shred me into pieces if I barged into her room without permission. Just to be safe, I placed one ear on the wooden entrance as I enhanced my hearing to visualize what was taking placed in that room. All I heard was sobbing and soft cries of plea through the hollow surface which made the situation all the more confusing. What was going on in there? To find the answer, I had to welcome myself into Katsumi's room resulting a possible injury by said female. Once I gathered up the courage, I turned the doorknob and opened the door as I stepped foot into the girl's room. The second I heard a painful whimper from aside, I followed the noise with my eyes which led to the raven's bed in which she laid in currently; so she was the one who made that noise.

But why exactly?

I curiously walked over to her bed and sat on the edge gently so I wouldn't wake her up from her deep sleep. But I don't think it was really necessary because she was knocked out hard by the looks of it. I focused most of my attention on her lightly-tanned face while she continued to breathe shakenly and whimper in fear; she was probably having a deep dream. Specifically, a nightmare. I didn't think too much of it since nightmares were common for almost everyone, especially with those who experienced certain events. So if I was correct, she was simply having a frightening nightmare.

I placed my hand on her shoulder as I shook her softly, trying to wake her up from her bad dream.

"Katsumi? Katsumi, wake up. You're having a nightmare." I called her softly as I shook her slightly harder, forcing her to wake up from her deep slumber.

Unfortunately, she didn't responded to my words nor did she responded to me shaking her physically. In fact, all it did made her even more petrified and I could see thin strings of tears falling from her closed eyes. That raised my concern because not only she wasn't responding to me at all, but she wasn't here in reality psychologically and mentally. I attempted to wake her up again but this time, I removed my hand from her shoulder and placed it on her cheek. I gently but firmly slapped against her soft skin to snap her out of her nightmare.

"Damn it, Katsumi! Wake up already! Can you hear me?!" I called her closely to her ear loudly, ignoring the result that might happen if she caught me in her room on her bed.

But even that didn't wake her up. However, after failing to wake her up the second time, she started talking in her sleep as if she were awake. I leaned closer to her to catch some stuff she was saying.

"No… just… stay away…" She whimpered softly as her body shivered in fear.

Her shivering was very critical, it started getting uncontrollable. She was severely deep in her dream, it was literally reality to her and that was dangerous for many reason. This could result in sleepwalking and since she was a highly-trained kunoichi, she could attack and kill anyone in her sleep. That would cause a lot of trouble in which I would be held responsible for letting it happen in the first place. I huffed loudly, feeling stumped.

"Blood… so much blood… shredded flesh… everyone dead…" I heard her mumble again in a sob, curling herself in a ball under her covers.

Hearing this made me intrigued. The fact that she was talking in her sleep, incapable of waking up, and having a horrific nightmare; this wasn't just a bad dream. She was having sleep terrors while being under sleep paralysis. It made sense as to why she was having a bad dream and why she couldn't wake up from it. If that was the case, then waking her up was out of the question. Though she wasn't in the stage of sleep where she was sleepwalking, she was still in a deep sleep which was dangerous if I forced her out of her deep sleep. It would shock her, agitate her, and possibly she would try to murder me since her mind would be fogging and forget that I wasn't a stranger temporarily.

But I also couldn't leave her as she was. If I did she would end up sleepwalking and she could turn the whole place upside-down which wasn't good for anyone. So leaving her like this was also out of the question. The only solution I could come up with on the spot was bring her to my room and she could spend the night with me. But I had doubts if I should go on with it.

For starters, I was trying to get Katsumi off my mind because she was disorganizing my priorities and it was raising the suspicion by the likes of Orochimaru. Plus, her brother would literally erase me from existence. But most importantly, how would she react when she woke up in the same bed I was sleeping on myself.

But I had to remember that I was doing this to keep herself from doing something dangerous and regrettable; this had nothing to do with my personal feelings. Having thought that, I don't know exactly where my feelings laid when it comes to the girl but it shouldn't matter because said person was living in a horrible reality within her mental state.

Once again, Katsumi and I would be sleeping under the same roof tonight.

I gave out a groan and reached over to gently remove the covers from the raven's body. I eyed at the nightwear she had on once the blanket was lifted off of her: a fitted black tank top and indigo shorty shorts that hugged her curves perfectly. I wasn't going to lie, I slightly blushed at the sight I was seeing; for someone who had a perfect body and was beautiful and they didn't even know it blew my mind.

I shook that thought out of my head immediately, remaining focused on my current task. I got up from her bed and walked over toward the long length of the bed as my eyes never left the sleeping female. I carefully slipped my arms under her body and lifted her up from her mattress while I now held her in bridal style. During this whole process, Katsumi was muttering random things as she softly cried, begging for mercy; whatever was happening in that head of hers, it must had been horrifying. She was still moving around quite a bit, making it a bit difficult for me to carry her in a comfortable position for the both of us. To regain my energy, I sat back down on the edge of the bed as I held the ravenette firmly in my arms.

I sighed tiredly. "Why does this always happen to me?" I glanced towards the girl sleeping in my grasp. "Do you always need someone there to help you?" I questioned in annoyance, wanting nothing more than to sleep.

A moment past when I winced at her sudden change in movement. Her body wasn't shaking as much as before, however she looked more calm and secure. Though still shivering, she cuddled into my embrace as her breathing brushed me just below my chin. Plus, she also placed a hand on my chest and gripped onto it softly, as if she begged me to not leave her side. Whatever was happening in that dream of hers, it must had been crazy since I was basically cradling her. Her face snuggled against my neck as she gave out a calming sigh. I couldn't help but gaze down at the girl who seemed to have calmed down meaning her dream turned from scary into delightful; she simply wasn't the type of girl I had seen before. Her appearance was bold, gorgeous, and graceful when in actuality, she was more of a tomboy than a girl. Probably because she grew up surrounded by mostly men, so it made sense.

"You know, you're much more peaceful when you're not awake, in my opinion." I commented jokingly to myself, highly doubting that she heard my words.

Then, the girl's next words threw me off guard.

"Thank you… thank you so much…" She groggily cried in a soft voice as her shivers started up again.

My eyes widened at this because I wasn't sure if that was her response to my comment. That or she was talking in her sleep again, meaning she was referring her thanks within her dream in which she said it out loud for me to hear. But to who? I couldn't think of anyone off the top of my head because she hadn't been grateful to anyone since living in the lair. Sasuke was out of the question since he was being a deadbeat brother to her, in all honesty here. Lord Orochimaru never paid attention to the girl's feelings, so he was out too. The only possibility was me which was mind-blowing.

Then again, she had been a lot softer towards me and even kinder to. She basically risked her life to save mine and completed the mission all by herself in which she never wanted to do in the first place. There was a slight chance that I upgraded from hate to dislike in her opinion. Regardless, it wasn't certain if she really was dreaming about me or if I was a part of her dream.

But why? Why was I a part of her dream? What does that mean anyway?

I subconsciously leaned in and gave a soft peck on her forehead. I don't know why, but it felt right to do it. She instantly gave a small smile the second my lips left her forehead as her breathing became slow and calm; her nightmare finally came to an end. However, I couldn't leave her in her room or else the sleep terrors would come back, making the situation all the more difficult.

For precaution, I carefully got up my feet with the raven sleeping in my arms. I walked out of her bedroom and retraced my steps back to my own room. I skillfully opened the door then closed it and made my way towards my bed. I set aside my blankets and placed her on the mattress near against the wall to prevent her from falling off in her sleep. I placed myself on the mattress as I placed the covers on Katsumi. I placed my head on my pillow and eyed the sleeping ravenette that was inches away from me, sleeping blissfully. My hand reached over and removed a piece of her hair from her face and placed it behind her ear.

It was a moment later when I was about to fall asleep myself, I felt a pair of slim arms wrapping around my torso which made me jump to the sudden touch of another. I snapped my eyes wide open only to see Katsumi now just less than an inch away from my face as her breath fanned my own every time her body fell from her breathing. I also noticed that her arms were tightly around my waist, cuddling against my body. My cheeks turned light pink right in front of her sleeping face, gazing directly at her. The first thing I did was wrap my own arms around her and pulled her closer towards me. Her hold on me was simply comforting and relaxing, and I was pretty sure she felt the same way by the look on her sleeping face. I even gathered up the courage to pull her even closer to the point where my face was partially buried in her thick, dark, bangs. The scent of her hair smelled heavenly; I pictured the smell to be both floral, fruity, and a hint of vanilla. There were a lot of things elegant and glamourous about the Uchiha female that she had no clue of; it was really surprising she felt low about herself when she was amazing in every angle.

This had nothing to do to with feelings or attraction whatsoever, I was simply being honest. She really was an amazing person who placed a thick wall in front to defend herself from getting hurt. I wished I could show her that not every single person she met wasn't a bad person; she had to learn to trust others and their judgement. I knew this because I admittedly brought down my own defense when we were on our previous mission and she immediately picked up that I wasn't a heartless, lying spy; I was like everyone else who had an uneasy past. So it didn't matter if I had feelings for her or my hormones were going nuts for her sexiness, I liked Katsumi in a friendly sense.

That was all I thought of her, I concluded; she was nothing more or less than a friend whether she felt the same way or not. A friend who was perfect inside and out, and secretly had a pure heart and soul.

The thought of the ravenette was enough to put me into a blissful dream.

THE END

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. And sorry again for the late post. I really hope I get to post chapters more frequent soon but I doubt it since I have double the stuff to do.

See you in the next chapter!

I hope…