"Genjutsu."

Itachi focused intently onto Koraru, who stood before him in her battle attire, her head cocking at his statement.

"I'm sorry?"

He took a deep breath, raising his head slightly and taking a deep breath, allowing the fresh air of their woodland surrounding to flood his lungs.

"When you are ready, I will assist in furthering your genjutsu. In the meantime however, I believe we should build on your basics. Kisame has informed me that it has been quite some time since you were involved in any kind of altercation."

Koraru pursed her lips, a small lump settling in her throat as she wondered what else Kisame may have told Itachi about her. She nodded in acceptance of his words, pushing her worries to the back of her mind before she hardened her stance, preparing for his first attack. She knew he wasn't one to be taken lightly, and that this would inevitably end the same way as her previous training sessions with the others... but it was how things were done here, if she wanted to improve, this was the way to do it. Itachi eyed her for an short moment, her battle stance was a little sloppy. Although she was prepared, one strike would easily knock her over. He shook his head before beginning towards her slowly, the woman eyeing him suspiciously, awaiting his first strike. Suddenly she realised how close he was getting, her concentration thrown by his casual movements, and instead of continuing to wait, she opted to strike first, drawing back her fist and throwing it forwards quickly. Itachi caught it in his grasp with little to no effort, but did not retaliate, causing Koraru's tight expression to soften, her stance following as her tense muscles loosened slightly.

"Unlike the others, I don't wish to train you through violence."

He released her wrist, before stepping back from her and removing his cloak, draping the neatly folded material over a nearby tree. He had wanted to move a little further from the base, moving into the trees not too far off, away from the swampy area and it's noxious air. They stood in a small forest clearing, lush green grass beneath their feet, and a bright blue sky above them. Koraru watched intently as he mimicked her battle stance, before locking his eyes onto her.

"The fighting style which you use is one which requires a great deal of precision, you must tighten your limbs, but allow them to remain flexible, like this."

He changed stance fluidly, Koraru watching him carefully as he did. His movements were as one, calm and slow, yet powerful. He moved his head so his eyes met her own once more.

"And now you."

Itachi reset his stance, Koraru following suit as she copied his movements. Although she had been taught how to fight many years ago, it never hurt to refresh the basics, because without them, a ninja had nothing to build on. Besides, it was a welcome change from the brutal training which Sasori and Kakuzu had put her through the last few days.

The day passed by swiftly, Koraru ad Itachi running through various slowed exercises, going over basics such as stances and simple strikes, the Uchiha refusing to move on until the siren perfected each move. Having declared that their session was now at an end, Itachi picked up his cloak, gently unfolding it before re-covering himself. Koraru gave him a bright and thankful smile as she bowed softly.

"My thanks for your help, Itachi-kun, it was pleasant as well as helpful."

He nodded to her, his head tilting to gaze up at the already setting sun.

"We will continue on our next session, until then, please practice simpla tai chi movements each day to increase your flexibility and balance."

He turned back towards the direction of the base before beginning ahead of her, Koraru's smile remaining as she jogged slowly to catch up to him. Koraru bit the inside of her lip gently before sighing, Itachi taking note of the noise. He glanced at her, her bright eyes set ahead, somewhat solemn and distant. She took a deep breath, before turning her eyes towards the Uchiha's, locking them.

"Itachi-kun. You said Kisame told you I haven't been in a fight for some time."

He nodded once.

"That's correct."

"Did he tell you anything else?"

She watched him carefully, looking for signs that his next words may be lies, that he was hiding what he knew about her. She found no such signs though as he shook his head, his dark eyes focused on her intently.

"Nothing notable. You lived by the sea in vicinity to your brother and his family, having left your village with them long ago. Your knowledge in medicine is your greatest strength, but you lack physical prowess."

He fell silent, the siren keeping her gaze on him for a few moments before she signed in relief.

"I see."

"Do you feel I should know more?"

There was the quiet but delightful song of bluebirds floating through the air, carried by the gentle cooling breeze that the evening was providing, the fresh green grass crunched beneath her feet, and the fading light of day bathing the trees in a glowing amber light. Her eyes closed and she took a deep breath, breaking her intense eye contact with the Uchiha.

"There you are, what the hell is keeping you two?"

Koraru raised her head, her hand following suit as she waved to the approaching Kisame. His face was less than enthused though, an annoyed frown set across his lips and his eyes slightly narrowed at the approaching pair. He glowered as he stopped in front of them, eyeing them both, before pivoting on his heel, beginning back towards the base.

"You should have been back two hours ago, you missed dinner and everything."

"I wouldn't really consider that a great loss."

Kisame glowered in annoyance to Koraru as she sped up to walk beside him, an annoyed grunt escaping him as he flared his nostrils.

"You said you would eat."

She glanced up to him, his silver eyes narrowed on her, his lips affixed into an agitated frown, his arms crossed matter of factory across his broad chest. Koraru hummed before she chuckled, Kisame's brow knitting tighter. He wasn't amused at her shrugging off their previous nights conversation. He sneered.

"Koraru-"

She cut his sentence short, shaking her head as she spoke.

"You misunderstand Kisame-kun, I am hungry, and I do want to eat, but the food you gave me last night was a little well..."

She trailed off, mulling over her thoughts as she tried to find the perfect word to describe the horror on a plate which Kisame had handed her the previous night.

"Repulsive."

The end of her sentence came from Itachi, who was now walking at the other side of Kisame, his eyes straight ahead as though he hadn't spoken at all. Kisame frowned at him before turning back to Koraru, unfolding his arms and dipping his hands into his pockets.

"My cooking is better than Sasori's."

He muttered his response under his breath, Koraru looking up to him curiously.

"You made that?"

He cast his glance ahead at Itachi was, a faint hue of purple tickling his blue cheeks as he nodded. He knew his cooking was awful. Koraru folded her hands behind her back, smirking up to him.

"It truly was distasteful."

His head snapped to her, his teeth bared.

"Well from here on out you can cook your own food just like everyone else does."

She chuckled gently once more as he glared ahead of them, his frown deep, and his annoyance radiating from him.

"Gladly, Kisame-kun."

Koraru didn't have a chance to vear off towards her medical bay upon her return to the base, or even to her bedroom, Kisame instead taking a tight hold of her upper arm and pulling her through the hallways towards the communal area. He hadn't said much since their exchange of words in the forest, spending the rest of the journey with a furrowed brow which only worsened each time she would giggle at his agitated expression. He threw open the door to the area quickly, Hidan opening one eye and watching them from his spot on the sofa as Kisame pulled her towards the only other door in the room. The swordsman punished the second door the same way he had the first, causing it's hinges to groan loudly in protest as it shut slowly behind him. Koraru's large eyes surveyed the area before her slowly, a look of both disgust and fear tickling her spine. The kitchen was simple. An old fire stove and oven, a small counter top, a sink, 2 cupboards, a large refrigerator, and a separate freezer. None of this was what phased her though, none of this was the reason she shuddered, none of this was the reason she pulled her arms tightly around herself. The area was...disgusting. Dirtied pots and pans lay discarded on the old stove, unknown substances staining them, one half filled, its contents...questionable. The sink was piled high with unwashed dishes, mould growing from an unknown source, the taps blackened and slightly rusted. The countertop was littered with bits of food and scraps, of what, she was unsure.

"Well, here's the kitchen. Get cooking."

She gaped at him.

"In here? This place is disgusting!"

Kisame rolled his eyes before releasing her arm.

"Well princess, get used to it, because it always looks like this."

"I...I can't...its...no!"

Kisame shrugged his shoulders as he turned to leave, stopping in the doorway to take one more look at Koraru's somewhat terrified expression. It was comical for him to say the least. He left her to her own devices, propping his sword against the end of the sofa before dropping his weight beside Hidan. The Jashinist smirked to himself as he settled back against the worn sofa cushions, folding his arms over his bare chest and closing his eyes.

"She cooking?"

Kisame sighed heavily, talking with Hidan was never high on his priority list, but his promise meant he had to keep an eye on Koraru, and leaving her alone while Hidan was nearby...well...that was just asking for trouble.

"She's supposed to be."

Hidan's smirk stretched.

"She any good?"

Kisame yawned as he relaxed back, closing his eyes over slightly, it wasnt that he had a particularly busy day, it was that it had been a long day, and after running around trying to find Koraru and Itachi, he was exhausted.

"No idea. She was critical enough of what I had made though so she better be."

Hidan chuckled lowly before taking a deep breath.

"Hope so. I love it when my score brings me a good breakfast in bed."

Kisame didn't open his eyes, instead exhaling heavily.

"I already told you to leave her alone."

He chuckled again, followed by a low groan.

"I'll fuck her, just wait and see fish face."

His sentence was quiet, and no response came from Kisame. He had already succumbed to sleep, Hidan right behind him as the pair relaxed back on the old sofa in the dull light of the single lamp, the hum of the old beat up drinks refrigerator sounding steadily through the room.

Kakuzu stood before the sofa in silence, his hidden eyebrow raised, his hands in his pockets as he stared in mild amusement. Kisame and Hidan were both seated on the sofa, heads leaning against one another, Hidan snoring softly and Kisame with a thin line of saliva trailing down his chin. He released a noise of mild satisfaction before turning towards the kitchen door. It was what had originally drawn him to the area as he passed by the door to the communal room, the smell of cooking meats that aren't being burned to a crisp, however he couldn't help but stop to admire the view on his way. He left the pair to their grade school cuddling and made his way into the kitchen, his nose lifting to inhale the tantalizing scents filling the small area as the door closed slowly behind him. The noise drew Koraru's attention and she turned to face him, greeting him with a kind smile. His eyes lingered on her for a moments before they ran over the kitchen slowly, he couldnt recall ever seeing it so...clean. Koraru's pot then caught his dark eye, the chunks of what he believed to be beef floating in a pale gravy, brightly coloured chopped vegetables breaking the surface here and there as it bubbled slowly. Kakuzu's stomach growled, a short laugh emitting from Koraru in response before she turned off the stove, pulling the pot to the side.

"Would you like some stew Kakuzu-kun? It's been a long time since I had beef, but I'm sure I remember how to cook it correctly."

He accepted the bowl which was now being held out to him, holding it in one hand while removing his mask with the other. Koraru leaned back against the now presentable worktop, her own bowl in her hand, fingers gently gripping the slightly bent spoon. She watched as Kakuzu inhaled slowly, his eyes closing over before he released a short but satisfied sigh, causing a small smile to settle onto her pink lips before they parted to allow a small chunk of tender, well seasoned meat to pass. She hummed contently, satisfied with both its taste and texture, albeit, it could use a little more salt.

"So Kakuzu-kun, how did you end up in the Akatsuki?"

He locked her gaze, swallowing down the mouthful of food he currently had before shaking his head.

"I'm not one for sharing my story, Koraru-san. Although I find myself increasingly interested in your own. I understand you are feeding from Kisame, and that you are a gifted medic, though I can't see why you would join us. You are not a missing nin, and I'm sure there are plenty of men who would allow you to feed on them. So why here? What do you get out of this?"

He kept his dark eyes affixed to her own tightly, a dull curiosity glazing over them as he awaited his answer. A light hum escaped Koraru, her glittering eyes closing slightly as she swirled her spoon around in her bowl carelessly.

"The Akatsuki is a means to an end for me I suppose. My resources for my research were limited, as were my chakra reserves. With the help of the Akatsuki's facilities and Kisame's chakra, well..."

She opened her eyes fully, dark intent and determination glimmering brightly at him, her coral lips twisting into a smirk.

"I'll finally be able to complete my work."

Kakuzu studied her darkened expression analytically, it almost didn't sit on her normally kind face, and yet, it belonged. A darkness laced with madness, determination driven by personal gain. She took another short breath breath, her expression relaxing as though it was nothing but a passing image out of a carriage window, forgotten on the road already travelled. Her soft smile returned, her bright eyes warming once more as she cocked her head slightly.

"I am quite excited about it. Do you like the stew?"

He watched her carefully for a moment, as though she was a lion in an enclosure at the zoo. The feeling over overwhelming ease about Koraru was eroding away in his mind, perhaps she would have to be watched as carefully as the other members. Her charm saw to it that his unease wouldn't last, but he had taken a mental picture of her contorted features, he would be watching her.

"I do."

Her smile stretched further and she released a soft laugh, Kakuzu's gaze remaining set on her as she ate down her foo slowly. There was more here than Koraru and Kisame were letting on.

"What the fuck are you doing you freak?!"

For the time being though, he wouldn't want to miss the show now that Kisame and Hidan were awake.