The rest of the trip was simple and quiet, Kisame on alert but seemingly in a better mood. I felt so much like an idiot for believing that he might have loved me. He was a cold blooded killer, an assassin and a criminal to all countries that knew of him. He could never love, especially not someone like me. So weak and emotional, we were complete opposites! I wanted to laugh at myself for being so stupid, I couldn't believe that I had let Itachi make me think that Kisame was going to be interested in something like a relationship. Besides, considering who Kisame was, it made so much sense for him to just miss the action, the way he looked in any fight was enough to tell me that he loved the rush of battle and the spilling of blood. Still, several things left me wondering, maybe even holding onto the possibility that maybe there was something to his actions.

He offered a merciful way of removing Orokashii as a problem, instead of just killing him as we had done for Yurushi. He had also showed care, in his strange way, and commented on how her lie was a better choice. More than anything though, was that little comment just before they went to sleep in the cave.

"I have my reasons…"

What did that mean?!

I just couldn't get it out of my head. Was Itachi really right, or was there something completely different from either reason? It was hard to tell. With Kisame now in a better mood he was even more difficult to read. A smirk seemed to stick to his face now, though the alert glances remained as we seemed to approach a large and strong waterfall pouring over a steel cliff. As far as I could tell we hadn't been followed at all the rest of the trip. Then again, if we were being followed the ninja weren't just about to let us know that that they were there. Stopping just as Kisame arrived at the bottom of the waterfall, he grinned a bit before turning to me.

"Stay close, the entrance to this one is slightly more deadly." He said with his strange grin, moving close to the stone wall behind the water. I did the same, only going slow because Kisame was doing so as well. As we moved behind the rushing water, an opening came into view, the two of us slipping into the moist cave, him moving along as I looked behind us. These guys really knew how to hide their locations. First under a forest, then under a lake, now it was behind a waterfall! On top of that there wasn't a single trace of anything man made in the area, and the bases were rather nice for being underground. As we walked into the cave he paused a few feet away from some stalagmites, a small pout coming to his face.

"It seems we aren't the only one's here." He states slowly.

"Enemies?" I asked worriedly, considering our last run in.

"No…artists…" He said as he grabbed me suddenly by the collar of my cloak and lifted me over something before setting me down again. As I look down at the floor, I notice a small pad of something on the ground, it looking dark brown like clay.

"It's explosives…don't touch." He said as he stepped over it himself. "Deidara usually makes things prettier…Guess he was trying to be discreet here."

"Deidara's here?" I asked, smiling a little bit at the idea of seeing his calming person. He was the only one in the whole organization that I felt I could be open with and not be looked at strangely.

"Unfortunately…"Kisame mumbled as w continued on our way.

We continued like this to the entrance, stepping over wires and patches of clay before finally coming to a door. This one wasn't so well hidden, but it seemed that the long walk into the dark and all the traps was enough to keep anyone who was snooping from getting inside. As Kisame opened it, the sound of voices fighting seemed to fill the air. It was soft at first, but as we slowly approached the living space I could hear it clearly.

"Sasori-dana! Un! Why can't you just accept that life is a bang!?" Deidara demanded as he glared at his partner.

"Your art is flawed, art is only in eternity." Said a light voice this time around. I was confused for it sounded nothing like the Sasori that I was familiar with.

"Shut up your yapping! Some of us are tired!" Kisame snapped at them lazily stepping into the room as I followed after.

My eyes were first caught by Sasori…and the man standing inside of him. In fact, it appeared as if the man had been inside what I knew as Sasori this whole time. It was a rather pretty red headed man, his skin very pale while his hair was a stunning read. If I didn't know any better I would have said he was much younger than myself, but the expression on his face was rather serious and plain, lacking any emotions other than the annoyance that he seemed to have over the argument. Staring at him, I blinked several times in a confused manner, like I seemed to always do when around these men. The red head only stared back before looking down at the thing that had caught my attention.

"It's a puppet." He plainly stated as if that would answer my question. I didn't go into anything else though and just nodded my head slowly.

"Seiyuuki! Un!" Deidara said as he smiled suddenly, seemingly forgetting the argument he had just been having as he moved over to me. "Why are you here? Un! I didn't think I would get to see you with all that work you had at the northern base."

"I finished it…I was told to work on this place next." I answered him softly, smiling and glad to be in his company.

"I'm escorting her to all of them, so don't distract her…We've got limited time." Kisame warned, glaring at the shorter male as he started to wander over to Sasori. Giving a small nod to the red head out of politeness, he stepped back out into the hall. "If you need me, I'll be getting in contact with leader to inform him of our trip."

With that, Kisame was gone, having left me along with Sasori and Deidara. Looking between the two, I just smiled politely as I let my sack slip from my back and into my arms.

"So what have you been up to?" I asked kindly.

"Nothing much, Un. We've been just doing some scattered missions here and there. Can't do much until we have what we need. Un! That reminds me, what are you doing with Kisame!?" He asked, looking rather confused that I had just entered with the man without being dragged in against my will.

"Um…Well."

"He just told you that." Sasori commented.

Deidara glared back at him for a moment before brushing it off and turning to me again. Grabbing my arm lightly, he pulled me along down the hall somewhere.

"Come, Un! We'll go talk elsewhere!" He declared.

I swore, sometimes Deidara sounded more like a girl then I did. As I was nearly dragged into the kitchen, I gave a tired sigh. Sometimes a small part of me wished that maybe Deidara was the one who kidnapped me, maybe then the whole experience would have been so much easier on me. Then again, I probably didn't, unlike Kisame, who had perverted thoughts, Deidara would have been more eager to just kill me off like any other unlucky witness. As he let go of my arm, I just stood in the generic kitchen setup that all of the bases seemed to have. It was rather boring, but it meant I knew where everything was. Taking a seat at the table I listened to Deidara start to make something to drink, the sound of water filling something hinting at it.

"Alright, Un. What is with Kisame?"

Straight to the point, as always, Deidara never beat around the bush. Looking up at him I just shrugged my shoulders. I wasn't certain anymore, so much was going on in my head and half of it was some placed there by the words that other's had said to me. Taking off my cloak, I just sighed again before speaking finally.

"I don't know anymore. I used to fear him…He scared me a lot. Then suddenly out of nowhere he just started to avoid me…Like I had the plague. It bothered me, I mean, he seemed so determined before and then…Well, he just stopped. He wasn't even somewhat cheery. It was weird. I couldn't even get him to talk to me much. Anyway, we ran into a fight…and then he was instantly okay! It was like he was never quiet in the first place. When I finally got brave enough to ask, he brushed it off…He claimed he got like that when there was too much time between battles…or something." I finished, my nails clicking on the table.

Deidara seemed to be looking hard at me, not meanly but as if trying to read into me. He probably was in truth; no doubt was in my mind that he knew how I had felt. Turning round, he finished the tea and poured it into two cups, coming over and taking a seat of his own, though backwards on the chair so that he could use the back rest for his arms.

"Sounds complicated." He said simply.

"Isn't everything in this place?" I said back as I looked up at him, He just smirked a bit before looking serious again.

"Seiyuuki…" He started out slowly. "Not that I'm saying anything but…Are you sure it's not you who is being a little…well, clingy about this, Un?"

I spat out my tea. Coughing loudly I did my best to control the sound as Deidara stared at me in shock. I guess neither of us expected that to happen. Looking up at him, I knew my face was flushed and angry. I was downright pissed that he would make such a suggestion to me on this. What had Deidara been thinking!?

"Look, think about it! Un! You were frightened to death by this man. You asked me to watch your back! Now you're upset that he wouldn't even look at you or talk to you? Why would you wonder why a man who wanted to rape you wasn't interested anymore unless there was some type of attachment?" He said, shaking his head a bit like he was some guru on relationships.

"That's not it!" I snapped at him, looking down at the mess on my lap before getting up and going over to grab a towel to clean up with. "Kisame…said something…It just caught me off guard! Anyway, it just didn't make sense which is why I asked. I'm observant! And considering he snuck into a woman's bath naked to try and have me I didn't see him as a person to just suddenly change his mind!"

"Why are you getting defensive then, Un?" Deidara said smoothly as he looked into his own tea. I glared at him over my shoulder for a while before he finally looked up at me again. "Seiyuuki…"

"What? Are you saying I have Stockholm syndrome?" I interrupted.

"…It's possible…"

Groaning, I hung my head in my hands, rubbing my eyes for a moment. As much as the words upset me…there was a unfortunate truth in them. I trusted these men, men that have captured me and abused me in ways I'll probably never honestly recover from. Yet here I was, having willingly joined their organization and befriended them as much as someone like me could at this point.

"Don't take it hard, Un…I was the same way." Deidara said simply. "You have to look at this not as Stockholm syndrome but…as your proper family. I mean, at first I hated everyone, but after some time…I learned that maybe their ideas and persons weren't so bad, Un. Now I can't imagine being outside of this organization I feel…like I have purpose."

"Purpose?" I questioned slowly.

"I just caused trouble before…my attacks weren't really based on anything but the desire to see my art. After becoming a part of the organization, my art wasn't just beautiful…It was glorious, there was so much more meaning and depth in it, Un! It was like nothing I had ever seen in my previous works! I never knew that having a purpose could change things so much."

He stood up suddenly, moving over to me and turning me so I was facing him. We shared eye contact for a bit before he just gave a lazy grin of sorts that seemed so common on his face when we were together. His hands stayed on my shoulders as he spoke to me once more.

"Look, I could be wrong…Maybe Kisame is changing in a way…But if he is then you are as well. You've lived this long and gotten this far for some reason, Un. If it isn't working for the organization then what else is there for you to do? Besides…Let's be honest here…You both probably need to get fucked. Un."

Blushing, I reached out to slap him, the blond just pulling back quickly and moving to the kitchen doorway. His smirk was wide now, with a tint of teasing in it to make his point. With that he ran, rather quickly at that since I was absolutely fuming.

"FUCK YOU! DEIDARA!" I screamed after him as I stood in the kitchen, the distant laughter of his response hitting my ears a few minutes later.

Standing in the doorway of the kitchen, I wondered if there really was a point to what he said. What was my purpose here in the organization? I mean, at some point there would be no more information to learn, no more scrolls to read for them. What then? As for the friendliness…It was required. These men had my mother in reach, they knew where she lived and worked! One wrong move and she might end up dead…I could never live with that. Even in that case…I hadn't acted like it was like that, like there was something keeping me in line. I mean, what person in my situation would make a move to slap a missing-nin and bomb expert? This was getting far more complicated than I ever thought it would be, and all over some blue giant of a brute!

I needed a nap…and a shower…mostly a nap though. I needed a moment to clear my head and try to pretend that I hadn't just heard that from one of the few people in this organization that I actually enjoyed speaking with like a friend. If nothing else, then I just needed a moment to myself and to get my stuff organized for the stay. It'd be quite some time before we moved along, after all I'd have to be working this whole time while I was here, I didn't need to be unfocused on what needed to be done. Grabbing by cloak and bag, I headed towards the rooms where the members could sleep, grabbing one and locking the door before tossing my back on the floor and flopping onto the bed.

This was going to be more complicated than I originally thought…

I wasn't certain how long I had slept, but it was enough to throw me off quite a bit. I couldn't even remember when I had gone to lay down. Glancing around, I couldn't find a clock in the room I picked and sighed. Well, It could have been worse, I could discover than I just spent a whole entire day just passed out cold on a cheap mattress instead of reading the information like I should…

Speaking of information, I hadn't found the room at all; I had been too busy wandering around for a place to cool down after my less than pleasing talk with Deidara. Standing up I rubbed my eyes and tugged down my shirt which had come up over one of my boobs half hazardly. Slightly more awake, I went over to the door and noticed a small note on the ground. It wasn't like the letters from the leader, this one seemed more personal and written in rather quick scratch, and obviously it was rushed work. Opening the folded note, I glanced over the message quickly.

Seiyuuki, Sorry about upsetting you with the talk from before. I know it's a sensitive subject…I only said it because I've been in your place, and it's what I found myself thinking as well. Anyway, just wanted to pass on that I was leaving, more missions to do with Sasori-baka. In other words, don't try looking for me here; I'm long gone by the time you wake up. Anyway, I recommend trying to talk with Kisame again. Ran into him on the way out, man seems plenty social at moment so take a chance and figure whatever it is you need to figure…

P.S. Be careful though…He was mumbling something about having a drink or two. Don't let him get frisky if you don't want it!

Glancing over the words a little more, I pouted and sighed. At least Deiara was nice enough to say sorry. It helped lighten the fact that the whole message reminded me of what I had tried to forget with my nap in the first place. He made a point though, if Kisame was his normal self, there was no reason that I shouldn't be comfortable asking him the question. Also, if he was tipsy then he might be more honest and open…and not so damn cryptic! Setting the letter on the sheets, I made my move to head out and find my work space.

I had no idea where Kisame would be in this place. Honestly it felt like it was a maze on purpose, even if all the rooms were the same at every base, they were all in different locations depending on the base. I assumed it to be a safety measure just in case someone got in. Having a wrong map in a place like this could give the organization time to eliminate the problem. I took a set of stairs down and found a few storage rooms, followed by my work room. It was twice as big as the last one and twice as packed. I'd be spending a lot of time in this place. As I stepped back out into the hall, I could hear the sounds of fighting…or something like it. I doubted that it was a real fight, this place was locked tight and Kisame was around, he'd kill of anyone who was unlucky enough to be an enemy and run into him.

Noticing another set of stairs, I approached them, seeing a rather strong light source at the bottom. It appeared as if that was another room, probably one for training from the sounds I had heard. I had a feeling I knew who was down there, and I dreaded the idea of wandering in on him practicing. Not because I was worried about getting in trouble…but because I also remembered that he had some drinks, or had at least planned on it. I didn't know how much it took for Kisame to get tipsy but even I knew that someone like him had to have a limit. Hopefully he didn't cross it to where things would get bad again. I'd rather not have that kind of traumatic experience again. Taking a deep breath, I started to descended the stairs, doing my best to make sure I wasn't too quiet or too loud. I didn't want to interrupt him…but I didn't want to surprise him either. I'd be my luck that I died because I accidentally spooked a ninja.

Stopping at the bottom of them, I looked around. This training room was the biggest I have ever seen. It seemed to take up one whole floor, making it wide and open. There were some weapons off to the side, saved for training fights I assumed, along with several rows of dummies to punch and kick. On the far end of the room, that was where Kisame was, punching roughly at a fake dummy. He seemed in a better mood, he was smiling to himself as he made a few more strikes on his target. I had no idea just from his movements if he was drunk or not, after all he seemed to be moving just fine. Wandering over to him, I take my time, looking around the room and observing it. It seemed that this was where a lot of heavy training happened. Stopping just short of the dummies, I looked back to Kisame. He wasn't fighting the dummy anymore; instead he was wiping his face dry with a towel. He must have been done for the day…or night. I really needed to get a clock into my room; this would be a major problem otherwise. Clearing my throat then, I waited for him to look my way. He turned a looked at me lazily, he probably knew I had been there the whole time.

"Yeah?" He asked, standing there as he looked at me with a raised eyebrow. His face wasn't blank like last time, it was curious now though obviously confused as to why I was around him. After all, he was just watching me.

I found myself hesitating to speak. How could I ask him what I needed to ask him without sounding paranoid and crazy? This was far more complicated than I ever wanted it to be.

"Um…Well, I was just wondering what…you were up to." I said, catching myself before I sounded weird. I was just about to ask him the question out of nowhere. "I mean…I was just looking for my work space, which I found, and I heard you down here…Just figured I see what this was."

"I'm training." He said bluntly, wandering over to something on the floor before standing up with a small sake cup, a bottle on the floor nearby. So he had been drinking! He seemed as sober as ever!

"I know…I mean what kind of training…I've never seen it before so…I'm curious."

Okay, the look that he made was enough for me to take a small step back. He looked surprised, like he thought that something was wrong with me. I swore that he was about to come over and shake me with the way his hands twitched, instead one just moved up to scratch his head.

"You've never seen training before?" He asked slowly.

"Nope…"

"But you lived in a ninja village."

"I never got out much."

"You know techniques!"

"Because I could memorize them and save them without them getting into other people's hands. Also, if the ninja library was ever compromised then there would still be me, there to restock it just as it was before." I explained.

It was then that I saw something I never thought I would see on Kisame's face…pity. He pitied me! Of all the people in the organization, Kisame had turned a gaze of pity onto me as he stood in front of me, an empty sake cup in one hand and a towel hanging off his shoulders.

"Why haven't you ever seen it?" He asked a bit more curiously, though the pity was still there in his eyes.

"My father never wanted me to be a ninja…he feared that I'd be too powerful with my memory abilities. A ninja who could never forget…sounds more dangerous than anything else out there, doesn't it?" I said, feeling rather soft spoken with the way he looked down at me.

I had never seen anything wrong with not knowing, it had just ended up that way. That was how I was raised, to never approach a training field, to never read at the ninja school. I wasn't even allowed to be in the same room as Orokashii or Yurushi when they were working on homework for class. Was it really that much of a shock? I was a civilian; I mean certainly they had the same way of being raised right? Kisame didn't talk; he just stood there looking down as if he was expecting something from me. What, did he think I was going to start laughing at him and say I lied? Looking over to the dummies, I approached one and touched it.

"So what are you doing with these?"

"Taijutsu training, physical strength is important to being a ninja, especially someone like me who carries a large weapon." He said; following me with his gaze as he went on to finally answer my question.

"Ah, so you do it often then?" I said as I turned to look back at him.

"Yes, every day that I can. Sometimes missions can cause a small pause in it though." He said before looking away from me and reaching for the bottle that he had rested on the ground. I could head him pouring himself another drink. "So then…what about that chakra training?" He asked suddenly.

"What?" I responded, not really getting what he was trying to ask.

"Your brother said he trained you…"

"Oh, well, it was more showing me things when he had the time. I haven't been doing anything at all for a rather long time so I probably back tracked a lot…not that I had gotten anywhere with him." I explained as he started to wander over to me.

Kisame didn't say anything for a while; it was as if he was observing me as I looked up at him. Drinking his cup of sake in one gulp, he looked back down at me as if he had just come up with a great idea. A smile was on his lips as he seemed to now have a determined look in his eye suddenly.

"Alright then, I'll train you."

Okay, apparently Kisame was drunk. He wanted to train me?! He was going insane! There was no way that I'd be able to survive training with him, especially with what I had seen of him in a fight. I'd die, the end. Shaking my head quickly I wave my hands in front of myself as I backed up several feet from him.

"No! You'd kill me! There is no way that I'd be able to keep up with you, I couldn't keep up with my brother and look what you did to him. A few good kicks and punches and he could barely walk or fight back! No! Absolutely not!"

"Would you rather that I go to leader and tell him to give you an order to train?" He threatened with a smirk, his sharp teeth showing as I looked up at him with a large pout.

"You're a dick." I snapped, knowing that if he did that then I'd have to listen to him. "I've got enough on my plate reading all the documents, I don't have the time to go into training as well! Besides, leader knows that, he probably wouldn't want anything to distract me."

It was a possibility, leader would know better than to try and get me into training. I had too much to read and the organization was already pressed for time to get the scroll that had been relocated. If I didn't get all the data memorized then…well…Leader made it sound so important to memorize it!

"We'll see about that…" Kisame said with a chuckle as he turned from me. "You shouldn't get so worried about it. I see a lot of myself in you." He said before jogging to the stairs.

He paused there a moment, holding up the bottle and grinning mischievously while giving it a few shakes.

"Better get some rest…I'm a brutal teacher." With that he gave his crackling laugh of sorts before going up the steps, leaving me to stand there with what seemed to be a worse situation than I started with.

Not only did I still not know what he meant by what he said, but now there was more to it as he apparently saw himself in me. Along with that, he now wanted to train me to fight! What was going through this damn man's head!? Sighing loudly I put my head in my hands, groaning loudly and angrily for a moment before looking up at the ceiling.

"You suck, God!" I snapped, stomping off back upstairs to get to work…Maybe I'd be able to fall asleep on the papers and he'd leave me alone…

It was worth a shot at least.

(A/N: Alright everyone, I know you've been waiting a few days for this bad boy. My editor and myself were busy and we've just gotten her down right now. Anyway, just a small update. I'm working on the plots for the next chapter as I write, though i'll be out of town and unable to write or post over this weekend. I'll hopefully be able to get something to you next week though if I can get some typing and plotting in before I leave. Other than that, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did!)