Koraru's training with Orochimaru the next day was cancelled. He and Itachi had been despatched on some kind of urgent mission during the night, leaving the woman free for the day. Having spent most of it working on her formula's a cautious sense of relation had settled in. She hummed to herself as she made her way through the halls of the base, her book tight in her arms as she carried it towards her bedroom. She needed to restock her fire, but had been so engrossed in what she was doing had mistakenly picked the tome up, muttering her thoughts to herself as she carried it through the hallway. The woman glanced to the side as she passed by Kakuzu's bedroom, her head cocking as she stopped, gazing to the man as he sat on his large worn chair in front of the fireplace. He held something in his hand which she recognised well, a small smile tugging at her lips as she softly knocked on the door. Kakuzu lifted his head, his dark eyes settling on the woman as she smiled to him softly.

"Yes?"

Koraru entered inside, approaching him slowly and resting her weight onto the worn suede arm of his gray chair. He watched intently as she held out her hand, her pastel pink scales glinting in the light of the orange flames

"May I?"

He slowly set the pearl necklace in his hands into her own, Koraru's hands morphing into their receptive state, her webbed fingers running over the smooth orbs carefully. Her eyes glossed in affectionate warmth as she placed them back into Kakuzu's waiting hand, his fingers wrapping around them carefully.

"From the Mizutenshi who taught you?"

Kakuzu raised his eyebrow, staring to the woman skeptically as he nodded his head.

"Yes, I considered selling them a few times, but opted to hold onto them. How did you know that?"

Koraru's smile softened further.

"The green tint on them is from your own chakra, and I know a mizutenshi pearl when I see one."

He glanced to the pearls once more, eyes observing the faint green shimmer as they had many times before.

"She handed these to me the day I was leaving, a parting gift I suppose."

Koraru's smile saddened as she gazed to the precious stones.

"It meant that she loved you, Kakuzu-kun, and that she hoped you felt the same."

He scoffed in response to her words, his head shaking in disbelief; but his eyes remained fixed on the necklace in his hands. His relationship with that woman had been purely education in exchange for chakra... and a few other things that he had been more than eager to give her. He didn't love her, she didn't love him, it was nothing more than a physical attraction.

"She didn't. Nor did I love her. Our relationship was only physical.

Koraru's smile remained at he glanced to her. Her bright eyes shimmering in knowing as she stood from her seated position, heading towards the doorway.

"We produce those pearls when we feel a strong connection to our lovers, that's why theyre imbued with your chakra, she was returning it to you, our way of showing the one we love that they are more to us than a chakra source. She loved you."

Kakuzu's fist tightened around the smooth beads, his brow knitting in annoyance at her words as he cast his eyes to the crackling fireplace.

"Well I didn't love her."

A small chuckle escaped Koraru's pink lips as she stopped at the doorframe, her book in one hand, the other resting against the hardened frame. She glanced back to the man, but he kept his eyes fixed in place.

"If that was true Kakuzu-kun, why would you have kept them all this time?"

She headed out into the cold hallway, a shiver running through her as she continued towards towards her bedroom. A sad smile touched her lips, her thoughts turning to the man she had loved so dearly once more, to the pearls she had produced for him. Mangetsu had been terribly confused when she had given them to him, his brow raised and an unusre 'ummmm' his only real response. He didn't really understand why she was giving him a pearl necklace, that was the kind of gift he would have gotten her... not the other way around. However once they had been explained to him, he kept them with him at all times, normally affixed to his belt, and tucked into his pocket. They meant the world to him, it meant she loved him the way he loved her, and everytime his fingers would slip into that pocket and run over the smooth surface he was reminded of that, that was what he had told her anyway. A long sigh escaped her, her smile falling into a frown as her eyelids became heavier. He had been buried with those pearls in his pocket. She tightened her grip on her book as she crunched her eyes closed for a moment, chasing away the tears gathering at the edges. She couldnt cry. Not right now. She was jolted back into reality as she hit against something hard, her head craning up to allow her eyes to lock with Kisame's. He looked unimpressed to say the least.

"What part of pay attention is too difficult for you to understand?"

He lifted his hand, placing his pointer finger on top of her head and pressing down.

"You're supposed to be smart."

She swatted his hand away as he smirked at her, Koraru's face twisting to match his own.

"I'm smarter than you, but that's not really much to brag about is it?"

He glared at her jokingly before the expression fell, his sharp eyes taking note of the teary glazing covering her eyes. He tutted in annoyance, she looked vulnerable as hell, wandering around the halls crying like that. He pursed his lips briefly, considering asking why, but he knew why, it was always the same. She missed him, he got that, he really did, but fuck if he didn't just want her to either get over it or keep it to herself. It had been 6 years since Mangestu was buried, how much time did she damn well need? She wasn't seriously going to mope around depressed for the rest of her life was she?

"Sasori said you were looking for me earlier."

Koraru nodded to him. Looking was a strong term. Sasori came into the medical bay earlier that day to retrieve something for a toxin he was working on, Koraru asked him if he had seen Kisame today, and he said no. She never actually went looking for him though.

"I was hoping you would be able to have your physical today."

Kisame placed his hands into his pockets, shrugging his shoulder causally.

"Sure, I'm not doing anything else. Right now?"

She hummed in thought before nodding, it was best just to get it done, and then she could return to her studying after dinner.

"If that's OK. I just need to drop this book into my room and restock my fire first."

He nodded to her, stepping to the side and allowing he to walk ahead of him, following a few steps behind.

"I suppose Itachi will get a chance to properly test that serum of yours while he's out on his mission."

"Why is it that Orochimaru was sent with him instead of you?"

Kisame chuckled quietly in response.

"I stick out a little sometimes, for infiltration missions and such they tend to send people who aren't 6 foot 4. Itachi blends in easily enough, and Orochimaru does the whole face transformation thing."

"I suppose that makes sense. You're useless Kisame-kun."

He scoffed, softly tugging on the back of her long locks, earning an over the shoulder glower.

"You're one to talk."

He smirked at her as they stopped at her bedroom, Koraru pushing the door open softly and entering inside, Kisame waiting at the doorway as he watched enter into the dark room. It wasn't pitch black, illuminated softly by the glow of the dying fire, nor was it as cold in there as it was in the rest of the base, but it was certainly on it's way. He peered inside intently, his eyes easily adjusting to the darkness as she disappeared from his field of vision towards the fireplace. She hadn't done much to actually decorate the room to her own tastes, but their was paper everywhere. He shook his head, she truly was far too wrapped up in that research of hers, she needed a hobby, or to get out more...or something. A shrill shriek and a loud slap followed by a dark laugh drew his attention and he entered into the room quickly, his finger finding the lightswitch as he flicked it on. Koraru stood infront of the fireplace, arms crossed tightly over her chest, glaring harshly at Hidan who grinned back at her, a smirk settled across his lips and an impressive hand welt on his cheek.

"You're a creep you know that?!"

Hidan only laughed again, his grin widening as he ran his eyes up the woman.

"And you're a babe. Now that we have the obvious shit out of the way, are we fucking or what?"

Kisame's brow knitted and he opened his mouth to respond, but he didnt really get a chance to do so before Koraru's face soured intently, her tanned cheeks huing scarlet as she balled her fists tightly, her teeth gritting and her eyes scrunching before she released an angered growl, followed by a train of swear and insults so long that it would have made a seasoned sailor blush. She topped it all off by grasping Hidan's ear tightly and pulling him sharply towards the doorway. Her foot round his rear as she kicked him forwards into the hallway forcefully.

"And if I catch you skulking around in here again, I'll burn out your torso with acids! I know you'll survive it, but it won't be a good life!"

She slammed the door shut quickly in his face, leaving Hidan standing in the hallway staring at it in both shock and amusement. His eyes flashed, his cocky smirk returning as he laughed loudly, his hands over his stomach.

"Fuck babe I think I love you!"

Koraru slammed her first against the closed door, screaming loudly in aggravation.

"Fuck off!"

"He likes the swearing you know."

She turned her hateful eyes towards Kisame, but he only stared back to her with his amused smirk still set upon his lips. That had been quite entertaining for him.

"Besides, a lady shouldn't be using such language."

Her glare intensified, reaching enough intensity that he was fairly sure she was trying to will him on fire.

"You know what, I think you'll be needing a rectal examination, Kisame-kun."

His smirk fell and he straightened up as she opened her bedroom door, Hidan smirking to them both as she stepped out into the hallway, beckoning Kisame to follow. He done so slowly, Hidan's smirk twisting into a malicious grin before he released an ominous chuckle.

"Enjoy your ass probing fish face!"

Kisame quickened to catch up with her, only a few slightly longer strides for him, before he reached her fully. She kept her eyes ahead, her arms swaying by her side as she walked towards the medical bay. He felt a lump forming in his throat, his stomach pitting slightly.

"You were only kidding about that right?"

"Was I?"

She kept her eyes ahead as she continued on, Kisame feeling a horrifying wave of nerves washing over him, his chest tightening and his tongue swelling in his mouth. She was probably kidding.

Koraru had remained silent the rest of the way to the medical bay, Kisame seriously contemplating turning around more than once on his way to the area, but he remained firm, she was only joking, he was sure of it!... Following her through the open doors, he watched as she unlocked one of the cabinets, pulling a file which he presumed was his free.

"Take a seat on the bed, and remove your shirt."

Her voice was low and firm, her usual soft undertones replaced with a sharp and unemotional tone. No 'Kisame-kun', no 'please', no soft smile. He complied to her request, leaning back against the table and sliding onto it. She was reading over what she had already written while he removed his shirt quickly, throwing it to a pile beside him, before her head rose sharply, her eyes penetrating as she locked them onto his own. He straightened up, his muscles tightening and his fingers gripping the edge of the bed tightly. She was only kidding, it was just a joke, nothing was going up there. He repeated these phrases to himself as she carefully placed his file to the side, before picking up a pair of sterile gloves, and slowing slipping them onto her hands, accentuating the 'snap' as she released each one.

"This will be ALOT easier if you relax."

Kisame shivered, his breath hitching in his throat as he released a noise which was much closer to whimper than he would have liked to admit.

She was only kidding, she had to be!

Right?