33. Washing Sorrow Away

The cold night breeze blew past softly. I stood only inches from Sasuke, our eyes deadlocked as he waited for my answer.

"Sasuke, I can't come with you" I whispered.

His dark abyss eyes that were connecting with my own may have flickered ever so slightly at my response and it made me feel so guilty inside. I had to return to the Akatsuki, I couldn't go with Sasuke no matter how badly I felt about having to leave him so suddenly yet again. We both lingered in the silence that followed my reply, the cool night air and the intensity of his eyes was giving me goosebumps.

I broke my gaze from Susuke's then turned around and walked off into the forest. I gulped thickly at my inability to do anything about the situation.

___________Susuke's POV______

I watched as Tila's long hair swayed limply behind her as she disappeared into the forest. This was the second time I had seen her walk away from me. I felt nothing but anger rumble inside of me, why was she now like this? I didn't want to admit it but... My heart was beating like a drum, the feelings I had for her were undeniable.

Well, at least they used to be. All that I feel now is hate. I hate her. Maybe nearly as much as I hate Itachi.

__________Tila POV___________

I continued to walk silently through the forest passing by trees, my mind was so clouded and I could feel my breathing becoming more unsteady.

I kept walking until I was well enough away from Sasuke then I sat down on a nearby rock and dropped my head down into my hands. Tears of uncertainty and of pain began to run down my face.

Why am I feeling this way?

After everything, I still don't know what I'm doing... Why I'm doing it. I thought becoming strong was the answer but all of my unwavering efforts up until this point had not solved the puzzle my mind continually presented me with. Orochimaru had died tonight but the scars he left me with were still engraved into my flesh deeply.

The crack in my heart left by Sasori's death still remained too.

I wiped away my useless tears and gathered some wood to make a fire, I wanted to relax before returning to Leader and have a good think about my next move. I pile the wood up so it resembled a small teepee hut then zapped it with a small lightning bolt and it lit on fire.

I sit back down on the smooth cold rock and watch as the flames of the bright red and orange fire danced fiercely before me. What was Peins true motive?

It was obvious that he wanted to revive this shinobi; Madara Uchiha.

Who was he? Why is it so important?

I pulled out the scroll again and started to read. I read the scroll over and over again until I had memorised the entire thing and then I threw it into the fire. If Pein was up to anything shifty he wouldn't be able to hurt me seeing as I was the only one who knew what the contents of that scroll were.

I had a feeling this would be a good idea, trusting people was dangerous and I'd learnt that the hard way. I'm never going to let someone pull the wool over my eyes ever again. I dozed off for a while, I awoke to see daybreak.

The fire had died out so I stood up and started to make my way back to the hideout.

From now on, no regrets Tila.

______

I slowed down my speed as I approached the hideout, I sort of smiled to myself as I made my way to the entrance. It would be nice seeing everyone again, I admit I missed them. As I entered I noticed the training room was deserted. Hm. I didn't linger too long, I directly made my way to Leader's office to report the outcome of my mission.

'Knock knock'

"Enter"

I turned the handle, walked in and closed the door behind me. Leaders illusive eyes lit up as soon as he saw me.

"How did it go then?" Leader asked as he leaned back in his chair. I took a seat and pulled out the zip lock bag containing Madaras DNA and places it on the table.

"Successful" I replied.

He picked up the bag and closely examined the contents and before he could ask about the Reanimation Jutsu, I explained.

"I have the Jutsu memorised and Orochimaru is now dead," I told him.

"Well, two birds with one stone I see. Excellent work Tila" he praised darkly. I just stared at him blankly, I knew there was more to come.

"I shall summon you when I'm prepared to use that Jutsu but it won't be just yet, since your back sooner than I expected I will send you on another mission with Hidan and Kakuzu to retrieve the two tails. You will leave at midnight tonight. Understood?"

I nodded. I had a feeling he would send me out again but seeing as it was with Hidan and Kakuzu I didn't mind. Going on missions with them was always entertaining, Leader dismissed me so I slowly started to head back to my room. I walked down the hall and stopped when I reached my door, I heard a loud strange banging sound coming from Hidan's room so I decided to turn around and knock on his door.

"Hidan! Is everything alright in there?" I yelled as I knocked hard on his door, all of a sudden it swung open wide. Hidan stood there eyes narrowed and shirtless with a pole sticking out of his chest, thick red blood dribbling down towards the 'v' of his stomach then finishing at his pant line.

"Tila, shit. I'm in the middle of a ritual" he said, now pulling out the long black pole from his chest and throwing it down onto the floor behind him into his room.

"Oh, I heard loud banging sounds. Guess your fine" I said sheepishly. I went to turn back around but I felt Hidan tightly grab onto my writs and pull me back so I was facing him.

"Of course I'm fine! I'm immortal! Anyway, I was just about to go for a fucking dip in the lake. Kakuzu's going to meet me down there in 10. You should come along" he said as he let my writs go again and smirked.

"The spring? Where?" I asked curiously.

"Just come I'll fucking show you when we get there, get your swimsuit," he said as he pushed me backwards slightly towards my door. I stumbled as I turned around and opened my door.

"Don't have to be so pushy" I mumbled as I walked over to my wardrobe and grabbed my bathers from the top draw. Hidan just stood in my doorway grinning, I quickly grabbed a towel and waited in the hall while he went and got changed in his room.

Seconds later he came back out wearing only a pair of shorts, I tried my hardest not to stare but it was hard seeing as his toned chest was out plainly for the world to see.

"C'mon, let's go," he said as he started to walk down the hall towards the back of the hideout. When we reached the end of the hall he pulled up a trap door that I had never noticed before, I followed curiously as we started to walk down the stone staircase.

Soon enough we had entered a large cavernous room, there was an underground lake!! How did I not know this was here?!

"Finally," Kakuzu said, already sitting shirtless in the water. I peered closely at him as Hidan and I walked closer to the edge of the lake.

He was... Nearly naked!

I started to blush, I couldn't help it because the sight of Kakuzu with his chocolate brown hair down plainly and his dark tanned skin and multiple stitches was just so... I don't even know how to describe it. I put my towel down onto the ground as Hidan dived right into the water making a small splash.

"Tila, you came too huh?" Kakuzu asked in his deep voice and I nodded a yes.

"Ah fuck this is good," Hidan said as he resurfaced and slicked his hair back out of his face.

"I need to get changed, can you both turn around?" I asked as I pulled out my bathers from the pile of things id brought with me.

"Yeah, yeah but make it fucking snappy," Hidan said and turned around, Kakazu grunted and turned around too. I quickly got changed and then slowly got into the water, it wasn't hot but wasn't cold. It was just the right temperature I thought as I felt my body completely submerge beneath the water line leaving only my head exposed.

"C'mon! Hurry the fuck up woman!" Hidan said irritably, his and Kakuzu's backs still turned. I slowly swam closer towards them like a shark who was about to pounce on its prey.

"Woaahhhh!" I yelled loudly as I jumped onto both their backs from behind!

I tried to push them both under the water with the full weight of my body but Kakuzu was too solid so I ended up falling lop-sided onto Hidan and I heard Hidan splutter as his face hit the water! I stood back up and started giggling! Kakuzu turned and gave me a small smirk as we both watched Hidan stand back up and scowl!

"Your so fucking evil!" He said giving me a half-amused half disappointed look.

"Never let your guard down!" I cooed playfully as I continued to giggle.

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that!" Hidan yelled and started to come at me, oh no!

"Hidan!!" I squealed as I tried to turn around and run for it but the water wouldn't let me and I felt his arms wrap around my waist and pick me up out of the water high into the air, he held me up well above his head and started cackling.

"Put me down!!" I screamed as I kicked my legs around trying to escape his grip.

"Oh god," I heard Kakuzu mumble under his breath and then I felt Hidan gently lower me back into the water.

"Phew, I thought I was done for" I sighed in relief.

"You got lucky this time," Hidan said and raised an eyebrow at me playfully as he loosened his grip against my skin gently letting me back into the water.

I sighed and ducked my head under the water so my hair was now completely wet. It was like the calm of the water was washing away my sorrows.

When I re-emerged I saw that Kakuzu and Hidan were now both floating on the surface of the water quietly looking at the ceiling.

"It's so peaceful here," I said now letting my body go, floating along the surface of the water too.

"Well, it is when Hidan isn't here," Kakuzu said sarcastically and I chuckled. Hidan just scoffed at Kakuzu's comment and I felt my body lightly being carried so I was now positioned in-between my floating comrades.

"It's a good place to wind down after a mission" Kakuzu then said from beside me. I could feel both of them only floating inches from me. The slight warmth of their body heat radiated from both sides.

"Yeah, it's a shame our missions are always fucking bounties through Kakuzu. You ever consider doing something else?" Hidan asked still looking up at the dark cave roof.

"We need the money, besides you complain nonstop but I know you secretly like them" Kakuzu's deep voice reasoned into my right ear.

"Fuck off," Hidan said in a barely audible whisper into my left ear. Kakuzu gave a small grunt.

"Can I ask you both something?" I finally said after a moment of silence of still floating calmly in the still waters.

"What is it?" Kakazu asked, and I gave a small sigh.

"I just wanted to ask... Why did you both join the Akatsuki? I mean.. What were you both doing before that, and how did it lead to you ending up here?" I asked softly. I didn't know if this was a weird question but before I could discard it Hidan started to answer.

"Well fuck, for me... I came from a small village hidden in the steam. I've always worshipped Jashin but one day my fucking twisted priest decided to do an experiment on me so I became immortal and I just genuinely liked to kill anyone and everyone. Eventually, my village got sick of me killing so many tourists so they put a bounty on my head - stupid fucks, I'm immortal! Anyways, not long after, this fucker came and recruited me" Hidan said as he lifted his head up slightly and nodded his head in Kakuzu's direction.

"That's pretty crazy Hidan," I told him.

"I don't give a shit really, What about you Kakuzu?" Hidan then said averting the convo. He gave a small gruff sigh.

"It was a long time ago Tila, right back to the era of the first Kages. I was an elite ninja of the hidden waterfall and they had assigned me a mission to assassinate the First Hokage. The mission was dangerous and turned bad, he wasn't easy to kill and in the end, I failed. When I went back to the hidden waterfall they weren't very pleased, back in my time anyone who failed a mission was severely punished. They tried to lock me up but I left. I still loath the godforsaken shit hole to this day. I killed the village elders, took their hearts and stole the villages forbidden Justu's. Served them right. I started bounty hunting and dealing with the black market - have been ever since" Kakuzu finished off giving his lengthy answer and I turned my head to look at him.

I watched as he still floated beside me, face sternly staring at the ceiling.

"Shit Kakuzu, your really fucking old then?" Hidan said surprised. I chuckled at his remark but Kakuzu just ignored it.

"What about you Til? What the fuck were you doing before the Akatsuki?" Hidan asked curiously. I closed my eyes and thought about the best way to answer, truthfully would probably be the best.

"I lived with my mother in a village out skirting the hidden waterfall - the same village Kakuzu was from. Eventually, Orochimaru came for me, he killed my mother and then took me against my will. I was young back then, weak... Naive. He hurt me, in ways that you couldn't even imagine possible." I paused as I felt a small lump form In my throat but I swallowed it down and kept going.

"I eventually got stronger, I trained hard and I got the fuck out of there. Unfortunately the second I did Sasori and Deidara ambushed me and I ended up here but... It didn't turn out to be such a bad thing after all" I chuckled softly but I felt tears run silently down my cheeks.

Kakuzu turned his head to look at my blank tearful face, he sat back upright in the water and suddenly I felt one of his hands on my thigh and the other around my back.., I was being pulled towards him. I felt my skin meet him as he held me against his chest. All of my pent up emotions we're let loose. I sobbed quietly against Kakuzu chest, as I did I felt him hold me tight.

"Tila, shit" Hidan then said and I heard him splash slightly and then close in from behind me.

"Don't worry, from now on Kakuzu and I have your back. No ones going to fuck with you, got it?" Hidan said and I felt him pick up my wet hair and push it over my shoulder then rub my back reassuringly.

I lifted my tear-filled face from Kakuzu's hard chest and looked uncertainly up at him, he looked slightly worried and then back over to Hidan who now had a cocky grin across his face. I broke into a small smile.

"Same goes for you both, if anyone fucks with you I'll kill them!" I said now slightly regaining myself. Kakuzu let me go back into the water and I swam backwards slowly.

"oh, I completely forgot to tell you! I'm coming on that mission with you both tonight. We should get ready?" I said quickly standing up now.

"Fuck, that's right. Two tails" Hidan sighed.

"Yeah your right, we'll meet in the training room at midnight," Kakuzu said now making his way back over to the water edge. Hidan and I both followed behind him and got out, I picked up my towel and wrapped it around myself. Hidan and I made our way back down the hall, I quickly ducked back into my room and had a shower then started getting ready. I had only been back for a few hours and I was already being sent out again.

What a pain...

I sighed to myself as I finished getting dressed and put on my cloak, I made my way to the kitchen and made something to eat. I was pretty hungry and hadn't really eaten anything.

__

Hidan and Kakuzu were both waiting patiently for me beside the entrance as I made my way over towards them.

"Fuck yeah, now let's go and get this fucking two tails!" Hidan exclaimed loudly as he cracked open the boulder.

Kakuzu didn't look too excited but Hidan's perky attitude sort of lifted me into a happier mood. The night air hit me like a smack in the face as it brushed past, it was cold and blowing hard against me - nearly to the point of pushing me over but I followed as Hidan and Kakuzu made their way into the night-time forest.