Are the Roses Red or Black?

“Mikoto?”

“Y-Yeah?”

“Would you mind if I…”

I stared up at him blankly.

Without waiting for a response, Pein leaned down and kissed me. It was very passionate and more confident than Deidara’s, but very unwanted. I froze, wide eyed, until he stopped and pulled away.

“I-I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I-”

I looked up at him solemnly. My eyes were slightly quivering and I felt a sob bubble in my throat. I choked it back and swiftly turned my head away from him as the tears escaped and flowed out like a river I still held in the sob so my tears ran silent. “Hey, don’t cry. Please don’t cry. I’m sorry.” Pein fretted.

I shook my head rapidly in a furious ‘no.’

“Then why?”

I looked up at him and opened my mouth in a futile attempt to speak, but no sound came out. Instead, the sob I’d been holding back escaped with vicious force. I yanked on the tight chains and thrashed around as hard and the chains allowed. I opened my mouth again, this time, to breathe, but the air refused to go down my throat. My heart thudded rapidly in my chest. I arched my back and let out a low scream. I continued to sob madly and tried to breathe. My eyelids were locked open in shock. I vaguely noticed Pein break the locks on the chains on my arms. When my wrists were free, I flew up into a sitting position and grabbed my throat, still suffocating.

“Mikoto!” someone yelled as they flung the door open.

“Hey, I thought that door was locked…?” I thought.

Pein had my ankles free and I was on my knees, leaning over and coughing. I put my hand on the bed to steady myself, the other hand still on my throat.

“Mikoto…” the new guy said soothingly, kneeling beside me and patting my back.

Soon, my airway opened slightly and I could breathe again. My sob was gone but the tears still flowed violently. I coughed some more before placing my other hand on the bed and sat up. My heart rate slowly returned to normal and I blinked back the tears. I panted and put a hand o n my heart.

As soon as I could breathe normally again, I turned so I could see who had joined Pein and I. When I saw who it was, my eyes widened in shock.

It was…

“I…ta…chi…?” I asked.

“Yes…?” the raven Uchiha said.

“I-I thought you… h-hated me…”

“No.” I should tell her now… “I-I…”

I gestured for him to spit it out with a roll of my hand.

Itachi sighed, “I love you.”

I anime fell as he blushed madly and looked away. I got back on the bed and brushed myself off. “W-What was that?”

“I love you, Mikoto.” he repeated, grabbing my hands, still red faced.

“That’s what I thought you said.” I puffed out my cheeks and let the air out in a big huff. “Well, you see, the thing is…” I slipped my hands out of his grasp, “I don’t know right now. I barely know all of you and this first week has been hectic and… I just… I just need to get to know everyone a little better first, okay.”

“Okay…” Itachi sighed sadly, looking down at his knees.

I put a hand on his shoulder and he looked up at my face. I just smiled and tilted my head slightly. He seemed to accept that and immediately cheered up.

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Mental List of People Who [Probably] Hate Me [Mikoto]

1) Hidan

2) Deidara

3) Itachi

4) Kisame

5) Pein

6) Sasori

7) Tobi

8) Konan

9) Kakuzu

10) Zetsu

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“Hey, Mikoto!” Konan waved to me from the couch.

I smiled and skipped over to sit beside her. “Hey.”

“So, how was therapy?” she asked happily/probingly.

I froze and hesitated before replying tensely, “It was fi-good. Went smoothly.” That’s a lie and you know it, Mikoto…

“Tell me about it! I was all the details.” Konan demanded exactly.

I shook my head, “Uh uh u-uh!”

“Why not?” she whined.

“Cause! And don’t go asking Pein-sama either. I swore him to secrecy.”

-Flashback-

As soon as Itachi left and shut the door, I lunged at Pein and threw his back into the wall, pinning him with a hand on his throat. I don’t think he could breathe well, because he was clawing at my fingers and gasping for air.

“You swear you won’t tell anyone about this, right?” I growled.

Pein nodded roughly.

I threw him to the ground and he coughed and sucked in heavy breaths. I grabbed his shoulder, pulled him up, and turned him around to face me. I locked his frightened (Pein--Frightened?! What is this world coming to?!) eyes in my deadly glare. I squeezed his shoulders and trembled. Suddenly, my glare softened and a few tears escaped and fled down the contours of my pale face. I trembled harder.

I shook him fiercely and screamed, “Swear it! Put your right hand up and swear it! Swear it to me now!” I’m afraid to say I had entered a slight hysteria for some odd reason.

I threw him down on the bed and covered my face with my palms and huge tears poured out like rain.

“I swear, Mikoto.” Pien lifted my chin gently with his finger tips and I slowly lowered my hands and dammed the tear as he continued. “I swear I will not tell a soul. This was just between you.. and I… and partly Itachi. I swear I will take this to the grave.”

“O-Okay. Thank you…” I sniffled softly and wiped away the drying tears.

-End flashback-

“Okay…” Konan huffed, flopping into the couch.

“New topic. I think I understand the cloaks.” I glanced at Konan before going on, “The break-down of ‘Akatsuki.’ ‘Aka’ meaning ‘red’ and ‘tsuki’ meaning ‘cloud.’ ‘Akatsuki means ‘red cloud;’ does it not? Which is why the cloaks carry a design of red clouds.”

“Uh, no. Sorry. ‘Tsuki’ means ‘moon’ and ‘akatsuki’ means ‘red moon’ or ‘dawn.’”

I frowned, “Oh.”

“Mikoto!” someone whispered.

I looked around. Where was it coming from?

“Mikoto!” he whispered a bit louder.

I looked over in the direction that the voice came from and spied Kisame kneeling behind the couch, gesturing for me to come over. I glanced at Konan and darted away when she wasn’t looking and kneeled behind the couch, facing the shark man, Kisame. We were both practically invisible from anyone else in the room because the couch was angled into the corner, leaving space between it and the wall.

After I settled myself, I asked him calmly, “What up, Sushi Face?”

“Don’t call me that!” he fumed.

“Whatever.” I chuckled. “What do you want from me?”

“Okay. This may sound stupid, but I’ll ask you anyways.” He took a deep breath and let it out in a huff, “Is it odd for me to want to eat sushi?”

I raised an eyebrow at him, “No. you’re a shark. Big fish eat little fish. Blame the food chain and earth’s natural order if you don’t like it, Sushi Face.”

He let out the breath he’d been holding in and said, “Ah, what a relief! Say, Mikoto… c-could you…”

“Make you some sushi?” I finished.

He nodded, “But if anyone asks, it’s not for me. And could you bring it here when it ready?”

“Of course!” I smiled, quickly hopping over the couch and into the kitchen.

I frowned and froze in the middle of the room. That’s when it hit me…

“I don’t know how to make sushi!”

I ran into the hallway and burst into Kakuzu’s room. I came to an abrupt halt when I saw what he was doing…