The Secrets We Keep *COMPLETE* (Sasori x OC? / Itachi x OC?)

Welcome Back

Kisame let Maeme use his shower in order to avoid Sasori but began demanding details of her trip with Itachi in return. She simply rolled her eyes at his request and locked him out of the bathroom. After her shower, she wraps a towel around her body while she investigates the stack of clothing Kisame got for her. She lets out a frustrated sigh as she realizes that he grabbed undergarments and an oversized grey t-shirt. No pants.

"Hey Kisame!" She calls out, only to be met with silence.

She calls for him again before hesitantly peeking her head around the door. His room is empty so she decides to suck it up and put the clothes on anyway. The shirt covers the essentials but just barely. While brushing out her hair, she fidgets with the shirt, tugging and pulling on it in efforts to magically make it an inch or two longer but her luck doesn't allow for it.

"Maybe I can sneak back into my room without being seen..." She mutters as she leaves the bathroom.

The hallway is empty when she checks so she begins her journey down the hall as quickly as possible while tugging on the hem of the shirt. She hesitates in front of the door, still not wanting to deal with Sasori but the desire to have more covering clothing overrides the hesitation. Maeme opens the door and steps inside, expecting Sasori to confront her, but the room is empty. She sighs in relief as she hears water running in the next room. Nothing looks different from the last time she was in the room, but Sasori always kept everything neat anyway. The water shuts off causing her to curse under her breath and blindly reach into the drawer before rushing back out. Once the door is safely closed, she looks down at the fabric in her hands. It's a pair of black shorts, very short black shorts. It covers more than her shirt but not by much. Her eyes scan both sides of the hallway before pulling them on. The clothes will work for the night atleast.

"What are you doing?"

Maeme jumps and whirls to face the intruder.

"Geez, can I do anything around here without people doing that!?"

"Sorry?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just on edge today... Wait, who are you?" She asks, eyeing the stranger.

The dark haired man before her introduces himself as Shen, a new partner for Kakuzu.

"Who the hell is Kakuzu? I swear I need to pay more attention to the people around here. Nice to meet you Shen, now please stand there but turn around, I need to put these on."

His bright green eyes grow wide as he realizes her situation and quickly complies. He rubs the back of his head awkwardly while asking her name. Maeme puts the shorts on and introduces herself when he turns back around.

"I've heard of you! Kisame spoke of you while you were gone. He said you threw someone through a table."

"I suppose I did. I'm glad I have a reputation."

Maeme hears the doorknob moving to their room and curses.

"I have to run away now. You saw nothing."

Shen watches as she hurries down the hall and disappears. The door in front of him opens to reveal a puppet-like man. The man asks about Maeme and Shen shrugs his shoulders before walking away, wondering what he walked into.

Maeme leaves Shen behind, heading to the safety of Itachi's room. In the beginning, she didn't see Itachi being someone she'd spend any time with, but his company was what she found herself craving lately. His door is open when she arrives, so she gently knocks on the frame to draw his attention. Itachi glances up from his book, his raven hair falling into his eyes, and smiles.

"Welcome back."

"Thank you." She twitches the corner of her lip in a feeble attempt at a smile before closing the door and sprawling across the foot of the bed.

"Did you talk to Sasori?" He asks, a small chuckle escaping as he notices the scowl crossing her face. "I'll take it as a no."

Maeme sighs and turns to look at him properly. "I don't know what I would say. I don't believe in feelings, relationships, or anything along those lines, so I don't understand why he would do that. Sasori isn't the type to buy into the nonsense either. Can I just avoid him and Orochimaru for the rest of my life?"

"Well, I think that accomplishing that would involve you leaving the Akatsuki and that would be very dangerous."

"Well shit."

Maeme lets out a short, harsh laugh before rolling off the bed to search the shelves for a book.

"Oh, by the way, your partner tried to make me walk around without pants. I had to brave my room in order to get something. He's going to pay. Also, who are Kakuzu and Shen? I met Shen in the hall."

Maeme rolls over in bed, the movement causing Itachi to move in his sleep, waking her up fully in the process. She lets out a quiet yawn and attempts to bury herself back under the blankets in hopes of falling asleep again. Her attempt at sleep fails when her dry throat wakes her a few minutes later. With a soft sigh, she sneaks out of the room and softly shuts the door behind her. Two steps down the hall, she is roughly pressed against the wall, making her head bounce off the stone. She curses as she struggles against the weight on her limbs.

"What the fuck!?" She growls, trying to adjust her eyes to the darkness.

"You've been avoiding me."

"Sasori? Let me go. I've been avoiding you for a reason."

"Why?"

"Well," She snaps, still fighting with the his chakra strings. "you keep tying me up every chance you get, you tell me that I am a burden and unwanted, then you kiss me for some reason, and I don't know how to interpret whatever the hell is going on in your head! On top of that, I can't deal with this while coming to terms with the absolute garbage fire that is my life! Now, let me go and leave me alone unless you will tell me what the hell you want from me."

She faintly realizes that her breath is coming out in short gasps and her eyes are filled with unshed tears. "Let me go, Sasori." She repeats softer.

The strings are gone quickly and his presence disappears in an instant. She sucks in a few more ragged breaths before making it to the kitchen. Maeme grabs a bottle and takes a few sips as she heads back to Itachi's room. His soft breathing breaks the silence of the room and as soon as the door shuts, a feeling of peace washes over her. As she curls up beside Itachi under the blankets, he shifts and wraps his arms around her waist, moving her closer. Her eyes widen in shock, her face warming as she realizes their close proximity.