Hey guys! Yes, I am alive! Sorry for not writing in a long time! I got a full time job over the summer and I would be very tired by the time I got home and also I had no motivation to write! But I'm back!!!!!...for now! Thank you so much for your reviews! I finally got around to writing again and now I am posting a new chapter.....And the song that I use is 24 by Jem and it is NOT mine! Just wanted to use it because it fit the moment very nicely.

Chapter 8: Ripples

Sakura walked up the hallway back to Kisame’s room. She knocked on the door to see if he was there. No voice or movement was heard on the other side. Sakura silently opened the door and peered inside. Kisame was not on the bed sleeping, not that he was regarded as a nap taker. Samehada was in its usual place beside Kisame’s side of the bed, but still no blue shark. There could only be one other place that Kisame would venture into that Sakura was allowed to enter into.

Sakura silently found her way back toward the library to find the door open and Kisame’s prevalent chakra signal. She peered in and did not see him at the desk. She walked further into the room and peered among the many rows of books. She found him in one of the rows with a book in hand.

Woah, it knows how to read Inner Sakura commented. Sakura’s lips thinned into a thin line.

“You wanted to see me?” she asked as she crossed her arms across her chest. Kisame continued to read the book he had in his hand.

Sakura suddenly found it rude for him to ignore her like this. She at least gave him her attention when she had a book in her lap. Her green eyes watched him flip a page in his book.

“Fine. I’ll leave you with your reading.” She said as she turned to leave.

“You said that you wanted to go outside.”

Sakura looked back at Kisame, he was still looking down at his book.

“I said that with sarcasm.”

He closed his book with a sudden snap causing Sakura to tense slightly preparing herself for an attack. A smirk arose on his blue lips seeing her tense. Sakura rose an eyebrow at him.

“What?” she demanded. He didn’t say anything but went toward her, Sakura moved out of the way to give him room to pass. She heard his footsteps go out the door, Sakura allowed a sigh to escape her.

“I’m waiting Kunoichi.”

Sakura slightly jumped. She had not expected him to be waiting for her. She followed after him and found him a couple feet from the doorway. She was lucky she did not run into him.

He looked at her with a slightly impatient expression and continued down the hallway, away from the normal hallways that she’s been accustomed to. She followed after him, taking the hint that he wanted to her to follow him.

The compound itself was vast but the area that Kisame was taking her, Sakura had not yet ventured down. The compound was mostly a series of long hallways and turns. The main hallway that she spent the day in held a majority of the bedrooms on the upper end while at the lower end was the kitchen and living room. The hallway then split, the left leading to the conference room that Kisame took her the first time she arrived there, and to the right led to the laundry room and library. There were four, now three, areas that she did not or have not gone down. The hallways to the left and right of the conference room and the lone hallway that went left, from the right of the laundry room.

As Kisame walked her down the hallway, Sakura had a vague sense that they were going uphill. Kisame did nothing to keep any type of conversation between them, not like she expected him to. The hallway then ended with a wooden door, identical to the one’s around the compound. Kisame opened the door and walked in, Sakura followed. Sakura blinked, she found herself in an old traditional Japanese style room. The floor was covered with tatami mats and rice paper screens covered the walls. The ceiling was low but not enough for any person to stoop down, even for someone of Kisame’s height. Across the room stood two wide paper screen doors.

“What the hell?” she muttered. Kisame looked over at her with a slight grin on his face. He continued walking to the other side of the room where the two screen doors stood.

He slid back one screen door and walked into, sunlight? Sakura stood a little taken aback but followed after him. Since the two months that she was being held captive, she took a step into her first bit of sunlight .

Behind the screens doors was a covered patio that over looked an outside training ground. A forest hugged the border of the farthest side of the training ground while an old forest path led deeper into the trees.

Sakura walked into the middle of the training ground and lifted her head to welcome the suns warmth onto her face. A smile graced her lips as she allowed herself to reveal in this lost treasure. Eyes closed she could see Kisame leaning up against one of the patio’s posts with his attention returned to his reading.

“Why the sudden kindness?” she asked as she turned her attention back to the shark behind her. Kisame huffed a little, hearing the comment but he still kept reading.

“You’ve been restless lately.”

Sakura raised an eyebrow hearing the statement. Had he been noticing her movements in her sleep?

“How--”

“Don’t consider running off Kunoichi,” he replied tartly as he turned to go back inside the compound. “You may think that you are alone out here. But let me remind you that you’re not.”

He turned his back on her and left.

Sakura stared at his now empty spot on the patio.

“ ‘You’ve been restless lately’ ” she voiced in her head. She had been turning a lot more when she went to sleep, but she did not think that Kisame would have noticed this to be abnormal behavior.

Sakura feet took her to the forest path leading off of the training ground.

It was odd really; she did not think that Kisame would be paying that much attention to her when she was asleep. Sakura’s steps slowed slightly.

“That’s kind of creepy.”

But kind of nice.

Sakura looked at her inner self.

“I wonder about you sometimes.” She muttered.

As she walked further along the path, Sakura could not help but think on her words. It probably would have to be the actual first act of ‘kindness’ that Kisame showed her upon coming here. But it made Sakura uncomfortable naming it, ‘an act of kindness’. It made it seem that he had have some type of hidden agenda.

“Like he doesn’t already.” She thought bluntly.

The path opened up to a lake with more forest ringing its borders. A little off in the distance, Sakura could see another path which most likely led to another training ground which then would probably led back to the compound entrance.

“Just how big is this place?” she thought to herself.

Sakura decided to train on the farthest training grounds, away from the compound door. If Kisame or anyone was sent to go get her, she wanted them to come find her. She wanted to revel in the little bit of freedom she was given.

She instantly went into her normal stretches first starting with stretching the muscles in her feet and gradually working her way up her body. As she finished stretching, her jade eyes glanced about the training ground taking in just what amount of even playing field she had to work with. The field was rather spacious and wide open, enough room for what she wanted to do for that day’s training.

A small puff of air escaped her lips as she did a series of hand symbols into one of her familiar jutsu. A shadow clone in the shape of Kakashi appeared in front of her.

“Long time no see.” It said. Sakura pursed her lips at the remark. She did do her far share of training with the Copy Nin and in that time she got rather close to him. He even bought her dinner from time to time when they spared into the evening. Since her training with Kakashi, she became very accustomed to his moves, techniques, weaknesses, and habits. Her Shadow Clone techniques improved ten-fold due to her training with the Copy Nin as well as her Genjustu awareness.

“Well lets say that I’ve been preoccupied.” She said sliding on her gloves.

“Oh.” The Kakashi copy said taking out an orange backed book. “Well I just hope that it has not dulled your senses.”

Sakura allowed a small smirk to grace her features as she crouched down a little, preparing for the fight.

“Don’t plan on that.”

Kisame glanced back over at Tobi as he finished up cleaning up the kitchen. Dinner had already come and gone and the Kunoichi had yet to come back from the training grounds. His pearl eyes gazed at the bowl of rice that Tobi left out for her. Kisame picked up the last part of his dumpling and chewed on it slowly, thinking about if he should go and get his charge.

“Sakura-chan is late.” Tobi voiced as if sensing Kisame’s thoughts. “Tobi wonders if Tobi should get her.”

Kisame watched him dry a pot and stow it away into a cupboard, he picked up his bowl and plate and brought it over to the sink for Tobi to wash. Thoughts mulling over what Tobi said.

Kisame left the kitchen and walked down the hallway toward the training grounds hallway.

Moonlight poured out onto the ground once Kisame pushed the paper screen partition open. As he expected, the Leaf was not training in front of the training ground in front of the compound door.

Zetsu materialized next to him by coming out of the woodwork in a nearby tree next to the compound.

“The Leaf?” Kisame asked the other Akatsuki member.

Zetsu glanced over at him. Zetsu was a rather strange character. He was rather good at running reconnaissance work for them, but beside that a rather hard individual to understand.

“The Leaf is at the Southern most training ground.”

Zetsu’s light side responded.

“She has done no means of trying to escape as of yet.” The dark side replied. Kisame’s jaw hardened his jaw. His eyes went toward the southern end of the training ground.

“Anything else Zetsu.” he asked the Cannibal sticking out of the wall.

The Venus Fly trap man remained silent, showing his answer.

“It is not what you had expected?” questioned the light side.

Kisame took the small steps leading off the compound patio, taking in the Akatsuki member’s words.

“Or should we say, not what you would have wanted.”

Kisame’s lips formed into a thin line hearing the comment. He would have predicted that the Kunoichi would have tested the chakra boundaries or at least scanned the entire outside in trying to find a way out of this hell hole.

“Leader-sama made it clear enough that escaping was nearly impossible.” Thought Kisame. His footsteps slowed slightly upon getting closer to the training ground. He could clearly hear the sounds of the blocked impacts which came from kicking and punching. The occasional sound of chakra blasts filled the air and light up the night sky.

Kisame saw the Kunoichi spar with a shadow clone in the shape of the famous Copy Ninja. The Copy Nin kept appearing and reappearing in flashes of green and black, the Leaf still managed to follow his movements and keep a constant defense against his rapid and quick movements. The once level training field was now filled with large craters and fissures that he only presumed came from the Kunoichi’s unimaginable strength.

Kisame’s eyes followed the Kunoichi jump from fissure to fissure following the Copy Nin’s movements. His previous memories of the woman’s moves and style of fighting was muffled due to the lack of seeing each other for the last five or seven years. He had heard that her skills at the level of Chuunin were incredible for her age, now at the level of Jounin her grace, poise, and precision has matured in those years of not seeing the Kunoichi. He wondered as to what type of figher this woman had become.

Sakura took a deep breath as she focused on the chakra signature of her shadow clone Copy Nin.

Her chakra hummed within her as she allowed the power inside to warm her blood. Her breathing was rapid but her movements were the only thing that she could control in the fight.

Been given 24 hours

to tie up loose ends

to make amends

Sakura’s senses sensed the Shadow clone directly behind her. She quickly bended backwards and guarded her face with her arm, which connected with a blur of a leg. She allowed her weight to bring her down to the ground but quickly rolled out of the way.

His eyes said it all

I started to fall

and the silence deafened

She went into a crouch and threw one of the few remaining kunai in her leg holster. The Clone disappeared and reappeared a couple feet away from where she threw. She took the liberty to slam her fist into the ground again to cause another earthquake of fissures.

Head spinning round

no time to sit down

just wanted to

run and run and run

Again she charged him, making sure that his visibility was down due to the shattering earth and spray of dust in the air. The Clone expected her charge, and did a series of hand signs. Instantly a large jet of water came flying at her and began to flood the entire fighting arena making it impossible for her to break apart any more of the stable ground. A smirk graced her lips as she saw the watery mass come towards her.

Be careful they say

don’t wish life away,

now I’ve one day

Kisame watched from the shadows as the large jet of water came flying towards her. At this point, the Kunoiche’s moves were nothing too impressive. Something he would have expected coming out of Konoha. From what he vaguely remembered and heard, was that this particular woman was the one that single-handedly killed the Puppet Master Sasori. If a woman at that age, and this incident happened over five years ago, was able to do that than her skills as an overall ninja would have improved over those missing five years.

His pearly eyes watched the woman take the full hit of the water blast. As the water settled, his slight surprise revealed that the woman actually had a water shield up before her. Kisame’s eyebrows narrowed slightly, seeing how she handled the water before her. Her hands did a series of hand seals and very rapidly flung the water that surrounded her into kunai acting projectiles.

And I can’t believe

How I’ve been wasting my time

As the kunai shaped water came toward the Shadow clone, it too created a series of hand signs and created a water force field to protect itself.

In 24 hours they’ll be

laying flowers on my life,

it’s over tonight

The Leaf took advantage and sprinted forward while hurling more water shaped kunai at her opponent.

I’m not messing no I

need your blessing

and your promise to live free

please do it for me

The Leaf and Shadow Clone instantly began sparring. As each their blows connected with each other, the gathered water around their feet sprayed and parted. Water was beginning to soak both fighters on there now water based playing field.

Is there a heaven a hell

and will I come back

who can tell

Sakura blocked each blow that the Kakashi clone sent toward her. She was surprised that the Shadow Clone knew how to use the Sharingan of Kakashi’s. Her movement faltered slightly remembering the silver haired man. The shadow clones took the opportunity of taking her sudden change of attitude and successfully land a kick in her gut. The kick sent her flying across the water and land a couple yards away from the clone.

Now I can see

what matters to me

it’s as clear as crystal

Sakura laid in her fallen spot for a brief moment, remembering Kakashi and the people that she left behind in Konoha. The clone took a few steps towards her seeing her change in character.

The places I’ve been

the people I’ve seen

plans that I made

start to fade

Already two months of her imprisonment have already gone and she had done nothing to find out more of Akatsuki except do the laundry and cooking for her room and board. She forgot for a brief moment that she was a hostage and bartering chip.

The sun’s setting gold

thought I would grow old,

it wasn’t to be

Sakura sat up but did not get back up on her feet. The Shadow Clone watched her. It watched a silent tear fall down her face, the first of many tears in her realizing sentence. Sakura quickly wiped it away. She would shead no tears while she was here. Akatsuki did not deserve sympathy no did they deserve it from her.

And I can’t believe

How I’ve been wasting my time

A tear fell down her face and fell into the water causing a series of ripples to float around her. As the ripples got bigger, Sakura’s hope of getting out of her sentenced hell began to slowly disappear as the outer ripples slowly faded into the water. As her jade eyes watched the ripples around her, she thought that it was time to cause a rift in her imprisonment and start to make plans in learning more about Akatsuki.