I woke up suddenly at the sound of heavy rain outside. My eyes fluttered open as I sat up slowly stretching my arms far above my head. Rubbing my sleepy eyes I gave a small smile. I had enjoyed my sleep.

I folded the futon bed I had been lying on and looked outside the window at the raindrops which continued at their steady pace.

I had planned to meet up with Kisame so we could continue travelling outside when the sun had risen but the rain prevented me from seeing any sun. All I could see were dark puffy grey clouds that hung over the sky.

I smiled.

I loved the rain.

I got up steadily as I opened the window so I could hear more of the rain. After listening for a minute or two I began packing my stuff.

Knowing Kisame, he probably wasn't going to rush to be outside so we could continue our journey but at the same time, he wasn't going to slack off completely. If that was the case, I would take the opportunity to freshen up before we left.

I stood outside of the entrance as I waited for Kisame in silence. The rain had lightened up a bit and I watched as the clouds were beginning to clear up.

"Sana," I heard a voice say.

I looked behind me to see Kisame towering over me. I looked up at him to see he was back in his Akatsuki cloak and his sword was on his back. He looked identical to when I had first seen him but the look in his eye had changed. It had changed to...something I couldn't quite describe.

"Let's go," he said.

I watched as he began to walk in the drizzle and I smiled.

He didn't care if he got wet. That was good because I didn't care either.

We walked in silence for a long time before Kisame stopped walking. We stood for a moment and for a second I thought I felt something beneath my feet. I looked down at the ground but shrugged it off. He didn't move so I wouldn't either.

He looked at me, "The bet is still on, right?"

I tilted my head. Bet?

His sudden words made me remember the bet I had made a couple of days ago.

"When we get to the hideout...whoever reaches it first can do whatever they want. If you manage to destroy it before I seal it I'll listen to you from now on. If I seal it first you'll have to listen to me."

For the first time, I watched him take his sword off his back and I watched as it seemed to be moving. The white bandages began to ruffle revealing a spiky object underneath it. It appeared that his sword was alive. Usually, this type of thing would creep me out but for some reason, it seemed to fit him quite well so I wasn't surprised.

Out of nowhere, he swung his sword at the ground and I stiffened feeling the impact underneath my feet. The ground began to shake and I frowned.

I was right.

I could sense something deep underground. I wasn't dumb. It was clear to me now that we were currently walking over one of Orochimaru's hideouts which was deep underneath the dirt and gravel. No wonder Kisame had mentioned the bet. He had planned to destroy the hideout and win the bet before I even noticed.

I could easily sense that Kisame had probably damaged most of it with his unearthly swing.

I was not going to lose to him.

Quick as a flash, I made hand signs for a seal and slammed my hand on the ground.

The earth trembled as a bright blue light seemed to glow through the ground. I kept my eyes focused on the seal marks as I felt them extend all the way down into the dirt. I stood up a few seconds later looking back at my partner.

"So you knew? You knew about the hideout?" I heard Kisame's voice ask.

I gave a small smile, "Perhaps."

He looked down at the seal curiously, "That seal, will it hold?"

I nodded, "In this case, it's actually not something that can be broken."

There was a silence between us as he stared at me.

...

...

...

He grinned.

"Mind if I give it a try?" he said pointing to his sword.

I blinked a few times.

He was going to try to destroy the seal with brute strength?

I smirked, "Yeah, go ahead."

I stiffened at once as I watched a huge grin spread across Kisame's face. Out of nowhere, an extraordinary source of chakra made its way through the air. So much in fact, that my senses couldn't keep up with it.

He lifted his sword way above his head and brought it down at an incredible speed.

I immediately covered my ears, but still, the sound made its way through.

The ground shook with terrible force and I stood completely shocked. It became blatantly clear to me that Kisame was no one to joke with.

Debris and smoke flew everywhere and I stood there stunned.

Was this the strength required to be in the Akatsuki? If so, I was seriously lacking.

Once the smoke cleared I looked down at the seal and what I saw made me happy.

Still, the seal remained. It was completely unphased.

Upon seeing this, his facial expression went blank.

Slowly a grin spread onto his face as he gave a short chuckle.

He looked at me with a small smile, "So you're actually interesting after all?"

I scoffed as I returned his small smile with a smile.

"Perhaps."

...

He frowned.

"So I suppose this means I'll be listening to you from now on."

I blinked a few times before remembering the bet we had made.

I shook my head, "There's no need for that. We can both listen to each other. Forget about the bet."

His eyes looked turbulent for a moment as he stood there before he nodded.

"Sounds good," his voice said calmly.

...

"But I do have a request."

"What?"

"I want to travel to Amegakure," I pondered a bit, "When I went there last time I only got to see a mortal, I missed his angel."

He tilted his head at me thinking for a second before he grinned.

"Oh, I get it."

I stepped towards him before gently grabbing his hand, "Let's go," I said.

He looked at me bewildered. His eyes widened and he was about to say something but I gave him no chance to speak as I yanked him before running through the forest.

The leaves fell around us as we ran and the sun shined above us.