It ached.

An ancient pile of wrinkles gave a twinkled eye towards the sky. It was going to be beautiful.

After so long… The old woman thought to herself quietly. Hands, that more of resembled gnarled tree roots, gave what little strength they had left and clasped themselves tightly. So much waiting, so much planning…so much sacrifice.

It continued to ache.

"The King has ordered you to rest. We have traveled very far in a short amount of time, and he has work for you when you are ready." That is what Jun had told him after their arrival earlier that morning.

The sun had not even begun to climb the horizon before they descended down the stone steps into the Copper Gang's hidden fortress. To viewers outside, it appeared to be an abandoned ruin, given sanction to the elements of nature and the local wildlife. To a well-trained shinobi eye, they could see the small indents where human feet had trodden; detect the concealed presence of invisible sentries.

Kisame noted that no matter what sort of brilliant, peaceful landscape the outside world claimed to be, it would always have the roving outcasts that weren't seen fit crawling in its underbelly. And for the second time in his second life, he was seemingly a part of it.

Some things just don't change.

A network of tunnels proved a defense on its own from intruders; the maze of hallways and narrow passages would have left him lost if not for his keen sense of smell.

The room he was provided with was a true minimalists dream; a bed, with a door opening to an equally bare bathroom. A single window cut from the solid stone was the sole source of illumination, and through it, he could make out the soft purples and blues of daybreak.

Sigh

The bed he sat upon gave a gentle groan as he laid his full weight upon it, and rather than remove his sandals or proceed to strip and shower, he reached into his side pocket and pulled out a kunai, a pink trinket dangling from the end.

'I can see all your colors.'

A myriad of images and sensations filled his mind like the soft flow of water, cascading gently through him until he felt his grip on the weapon soften. Although he had been resolute earlier in not reflecting on his past blunders, he couldn't help but think if that night had been different. If he had rather given in to his temptations and stayed with her, how differently this whole act in the comedic scene of his life would've played out. Their connection was too young to be this complex and confusing. If this is what it was like to be in a relationship with any woman, he would have opted to become a monk.

But what if she left willingly?

He slightly growled in displeasure at his own thoughts. Was she just distracting him with her confession so as to not arouse any suspicion of her true intentions?

'Do you love me like I love you, Kisame?'

Albeit, she was drunk. No, overly intoxicated was more of the like, for her to say something so…so…well, his pondering of that thought made him uncomfortable. Feeling the heat rise to his face, he finally shed his clothes and made his way under the steady stream of a hot shower, savoring in how the water drowned out all other noises.

Evelyn awoke with a start when a loud banging began to assault her door.

BANG BANG BANG

A single hand swept across her eyes in an attempt to wipe away any remnants of sleep, as the other took to gathering her mess of stationary. She was so enthralled in her work during the night she had drowsed in it. Talk about bringing work home. Her mind gave a small smile. A particular toothy one.

BANG BANG BANG

"Okay I'm-"

CRASH

The door suddenly exploded from its hinges, flying at an accelerated rate across her room and sending her paperwork whirling around. Evelyn couldn't find the time to react as a face erupted from the haze of wood splinters and dust.

"WHEN I KNOCK, YOU ANSWER! UNDERSTAND!?" Amaya roared as she encroached. Her ebony hair was let loose and was seemingly alive, swirling about her face like a live animal.

"Imsorryimsorryimsorryim-" Evelyn shrieked as the older woman suddenly threw clothes at her face, the force knocking her back into the wall.

"GET DRESSED!"

"YES MA'AM!"

Moving faster than she ever had before, Evelyn became an unrecognizable flurry of human limbs, discarding her nightgown for the garments she was given. Amaya stood there, a solid wall of human anger, her perfect nails tapping their own violent motives against her dark skin. When the woman was finally dressed, Amaya stepped forward and eyed her critically.

Evelyn looked down upon herself, wondering what was so crucial for the other woman to have such a revolted expression. She was completely thrown off guard with how she was treated quite so suddenly-

"Did I say you could look around!? You don't even have the faintest clue what to even look at! Look straight ahead, girl!" Amaya barked, derailing her train of thought.

"Yes Ma'am!" Evelyn froze solid, her breathing being the only sound she emitted.

After what seemed like the longest minutes in all of eternity, Amaya stood straight before her, towering Evelyn's height by a mere few inches. Evelyn didn't have any idea that there existed someone scarier than her blue-skinned shinobi.

"Now," The voice had been reduced to its warmer tone now, but out of fear, Evelyn kept her focus straight ahead. "I am the head attendant here. What I say, goes. Did you think this was some sort of vacation you were on? Do you have any idea what's happening in the outside world? You're here for a very specific reason, girl, and don't forget that!"

Evelyn didn't know what to say, so she gave a single, slight nod.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?"

"I s-said OKAY!"

"Hmph." Amaya gave a grunt of approval. "Then you just might come out of this alive."

It was night. So many stars could be seen, from horizon to horizon. If one were to look up from their spot on the barren earth, they would soon become adrift in the sea of white jewels that glittered throughout the cosmos. One lone soul did just this, small whiskers twitching ever so slightly as they tried to drink in all of the universe with small, black eyes.

This creature was small, misplaced, and with a small tenderness about his eyes, kind. He was young and had no home to return to. Perhaps he never did from the start.

"Ayo…what's a tiny creature like you doing out in the cold like this…?"

And for the first time in his short life, Benji felt warm.

Benji awoke to the sun soaking his face. It was a wonderful feeling, and he fought the desire to remain curled into his napping spot. The shark-nin was close; Evelyn's lingering scent was becoming more permeable by day. Benji was the expert tracker for their kind, and thus he was delegated with this task. How Evelyn was going to cover up for his disappearance was her responsibility; the rodent had enough to focus on.

With a quick roll in the grass to alleviate some itchiness, the weasel was sent bounding once more, a bustle of brown fur and silver whiskers. In mere hours he would cross paths with his least favorite person on this world, and he was in no shape or form looking forward to it.