The Darkness Before Dawn

Pace

The bodies were piling up as the women worked on their various targets, alone. They hadn't spoken to each other except the barest social necessities, since the argument. Tenno tried his best to reestablish communication amongst them but was unsuccessful. The fact that the backlog of missions was completed was his only consolation.

Sasori cut pieces of organs from the latest body to arrive. The victim's skin was black and bubbling, with open sores oozing pus. Judging by its facial expression, the victim had died a horrible and painful death. He sighed as he sealed the lid on the jar and stepped back. "All done?" Itachi asked. Sasori nodded and handed him the tray of specimens. "Preliminary thoughts?" the Uchiha asked. "Biological warfare? This is the fourth body to be found in this condition. The rest have either been shot or stabbed. I'm still identifying the body parts from the bomb that went off three days ago." "They're getting more active. Deidara is analyzing the bomb and he'll have a report ready soon. I'll take these to Kisame for analysis and I'll await your report on the rest." Sasori nodded tiredly as he watched Itachi leave the morgue.

Umiko was catching up on paperwork after the unusual influx of illnesses and accidents as she processed the sick, injured and dying. Yukiko's Black Plague had worked really well, maybe a little too well, and Kay's bombing rampage had been shocking but not unexpected from her. Umiko's own experiments were producing results, especially the H21 gene research. If she could get the gene to stabilize in the body and boost the immune system and have the body heal itself, then they would be better protected as they did their missions.

A tall cup of steaming Oolong tea was placed in front of her. She looked at the hand holding the cup, followed the arm to the shoulder, shoulder to the face...Hidan. "You look tired" he said. "You look like shit!" she retorted. He smirked and chuckled, "bodies and murder keep me from my bed." Umiko sipped the hot liquid gratefully, the warmth energizing her. "Have a minute?" Hidan asked. She nodded and began walking away, beckoning him to keep up as she sipped her tea.

She opened an unused office and ushered him in, closing the door. "What do you need?" she asked while sitting down and crossing her legs. Hidan licked his lips as he looked at her legs. "Hello?" Umiko said, snapping her fingers in his face. "Yes, right! The...black bodies...what do you know about them?" he asked as he sat down opposite her, his knees brushing hers in the small room.

"It's a more virulent form of the Black Plague. What is interesting about this is that the virus sheds physical copies of itself in the patient's skin cells and secretions. It's not just limited to bodily fluids, so when a patient is found they are isolated right away. Unfortunately antibiotics and antivirals don't work so all we can do is provide comfort and wait for the patient to die." Hidan winced at the brutality of her facts. "So there's nothing you can do for them?" "Nothing." "Where did it come from?" "The Plague bacteria exists in nature and from time to time people become infected. This strain, though, has never been seen before. One can suppose it's mutated itself to survive." "Fuck" Hidan muttered and held his head in his hands.

Umiko set her tea down and kneeled down on her knees between Hidan's knees. She looked at him, taking in his tired features, his dull eyes, the half formed smirk on his lips. She sat up a little and connected her lips with his. He instinctively jerked back a little but soon leaned into the kiss, deepening it and running his fingers through her long hair. She broke the kiss, stood up and left the room, "I have to get back to work" she said as she walked away. Hidan cursed and adjusted himself before he left the room and the hospital, driving over to the station to catch up on the latest news. Teasing bitch he thought as he smiled at a case file.

Kakuzu adjusted Shinju's weight on his back. "I told you to wear sensible shoes" he said to her. "I need the extra height" she pouted, nuzzling his neck. He sighed and placed her down gently before kneeling in front of her to slip off the offending shoe. His tan hands felt around her foot and ankle, his fingers skimming up her calf and inner thigh, "nothing feels broken or swollen so you're fine. You can walk" he said while standing up. "But I like it when you carry me" she said with a seductive tone to her voice.

He leaned in, his brown locks tickling her face, "careful of the tone you use" he growled but his eyes had a glint to them so she knew he wasn't angry. Shinju sat up a little and her lips were almost on his before he pulled away. "You're going to be the death of me" he said before he slammed his lips onto hers. She moaned as his tongue slid into her mouth and his hands skimmed her sides before resting on her hips. She pulled him closer by his hair and bit his lip before his ringtone played and he had to break the kiss. "Yeah?! Are the results in? Call me when they are! Fucking idiot" he muttered as he hung up his phone.

He looked down at Shinju who's reddened and swollen lips made him lose some of his resolve. Kakuzu picked her up bridal style and continued walking down the path back to his car. "Let's get you taken care of" he purred. She shivered with anticipation and burrowed into his chest, smiling happily as she inhaled his scent.