I'm still here! In all honesty, I was losing motivation to finish my stories. But with all of your kind words of encouragement I started to feel inspired again! I can't thank you enough! Let's continue, shall we?

Title: Sakura and her merry band of misfits

Summary: I've never done anything bad ever. I always do my work, listen to my elders, and shown respect to everyone I've ever met. So why am I in a mansion with a bunch of freaks that are at least seven years older than me? sakuraXmultiple

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Emphasizing

"Dark Zetsu" 'cause he's kickass like that

Chapter 14: Bad little dreamer

Ever since the small…heart to heart that took place in the frat house, Sakura could feel a shift. It was an odd change with such subtlety she didn't notice it when it first began. While she recuperated, Sakura alternated between using a pair of crutches and a wheel chair. Since it was the left side of her body that bared the brunt from her three story fall, she'd put all her weight on the right as she limped around. Though the girl was innocent for her age, she wasn't as oblivious as people made her out to be. Especially when it came to the environment around her. If two or more of the men started arguing, they'd immediately hush once she'd enter and settle for giving one another death glares.

After the fire-escape scare, the Akatsuki had been even more protective of the pinkette than usual. Never letting her out of their sight and refusing to let her continue her search for a new apartment, saying her choices were too awful. In the beginning she was touched by their concern, but then she quickly became annoyed by their constant pestering. Especially when they invaded her personal bubble with claims of being "worried."

All in all, they never left her alone and the attention was overbearing. Sakura was flattered, really, but she was at a loss when they began treating her as if she'd break any second.

Well, most of them were.

"This is insane!" Sakura hissed out, reaching back to lock the wheels of chair only for the stitched man to swat her hands away. "I told you its fine." Kakuzu ignored her sound of protest and continued through the mostly-empty parking lot. "This is also illegal!" She tried to be more discrete with her second attempt to lock herself in place but was once again caught. Tilting the chair in his direction, Kakuzu continued forward, relying solely on the chair's larger wheels.

Any other complaints she had were caught in her throat at the sudden shift. Sakura's hands flew to the armrest to balance herself as she shot Kakuzu a glare over her shoulder. "You are such an ass." He smirked and gave a half-shrug, forcing her forward a few more feet as a white-washed shop came into view. The unimpressed look thrown at the tan man went unnoticed as Kisame jogged up to the duo. "This anon of yours better have been worth the trip to nowhere land."

Kakuzu scoffed and opened his mouth to rebuttal only to have Sakura interrupt. "Anon? We're getting my furniture from some shady shack, in a shady area, ran by a shady man you don't even know the name of?" He frowned down at her with a quirked brow stopping in front of the door's barred windows. "You don't know his name. His prices are fair and he doesn't ask questions." The last three words seemed directed towards her making her bristle. Though he carelessly released the handles of her wheelchair making a squeak come out instead of her snide comment.

Kisame took hold of the reins before she slipped down the slight incline, pushing the seething girl in the quote on quote "furniture store." She went from angry to suspicious as Kakuzu and Kisame talked to who she assumed was Anon. He was just as large as her two companions, the only exception being he wore shades and a hood to hide his features. Suspicion slowly turned into worry at just how criminal this all felt. Sakura had never done anything wrong in her entire life and the dealings going on now felt very wrong. In an attempt to get her mind off of exactly what they were doing by wheeling herself to the wall of hanging carpets.

Her fingers ran along the delicate patterns and she smiled despite herself. There was a million different designs and colors and textures but there was one that really caught her attention. It was eerily familiar though she knew she'd never been here before…

"HEY!"

Sakura jumped a foot out of her chair and turned to see Anon's scowl. "Don't move my rugs around." She did her best not to hide her nerves and crossed her arms across her chest. "What's behind the rugs that you can't show customers?" It didn't show, but she could feel him glaring at her. "You got a warrant?" Kisame stepped between them, scowling at the mysterious man making him visibly wither. "Are we going to talk business or are you trying to finish up your tea party?" Kakuzu nearly snapped, drawing the furniture salesman's attention once again.

She tried to listen in on their conversation to find out what else was sold here when she felt a pressure on her shoulder. Red locks filled her peripheral and she jumped from the sudden space invasion. Sakura was begrudgingly getting used to how hands-on the boys were but would appreciate a little heads up. "I thought you were sitting in the car?" She heard a soft thump as Sasori kneeled behind her but his chin remained on her shoulder. "No heat." He muttered, sounding drained before pressing his face into the crook of her neck. One thing Sakura knew about Sasori was how his body was like a sponge, soaking in the surrounding temperature. And since it was the middle of winter, he was as cold as an ice cube.

She flinched at how cool his nose was and attempted to move but found his arms wound around her waist. "You're warm." He breathed happily, his body relaxing on the exhale and his arms tightening a fraction. His hands slipped underneath her the hem of her shirt and slowly moved upward. "Thank God." A shiver ran down her spine and goosebumps rose up on her skin, his lips pressed against her rapid pulse. Sakura felt her face flame before struggling against his hold, her hands on top of his in an attempt to remove him. "You're being dramatic, what's gotten into you?!"

His hands stopped just below her breast and she released a breath. "In the car…you didn't wake up." She stopped trying to tug his hands apart at how solemn he sounded and forced herself to relax. "You're still half asleep, I was awake the entire ri-" "You were sleeping in the hospital bed but you wouldn't wake up." He let his hands trail up and down her sides again, feeling her shiver. The miniscule movement caused warmth to fan off her in waves and he quickly soaked it in. Sakura squeaked when he went too far up and her hands clamped over his. "I'm-I'm wide awake! Just…"

Sasori glanced at the red creeping up her neck and wished her could see her face. "Just stop groping!" Her words came out in a harsh whisper and he chuckled, pressing closer and just finding comfort in her presence.

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"Um…Tobi-senpai? Don't you think their might be too many pillows?" The male in question fluffed the pillow in his hand before adding it to the growing pile. She eyed the extra-large bean bag in the middle with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. Since she didn't have an actual reason for being there or any chores to do; Sakura had aimlessly wondered around. Eventually she stumbled (literally stumbled since she wasn't use to walking with a crutch) into a room full of multi-colored pillows and blankets.

He grabbed a fuzzy blanket and tossed it over the many cushions. "Is there something wrong with your bed…? Are you okay?" The growing concern she felt was squashed as quickly as it came as her questions went unanswered. Her eyebrows drew together in confusion as her eyes narrowed. Tobi always had something to say and for him to flat out ignore her was just plain rude. "I swear you get weirder every day." Sakura huffed and readjusted her crutch to hobble off when the raven haired male finally spoke up. "Sakura-chan," He gestured for her to come forward and she noticed how excited he looked. She wanted to be spiteful and turn away but her curiosity won out in the end.

The room was so stuffed with fluff she was only able to take five steps before her bare toes brushed against a suede pillow. "Closer." With a sigh, she carefully kneeled onto the bed-like structure and tried not to sink in too deep as she waddled forward. She stopped a few inches in and bounced slightly. "Closer~!" He whined before grabbing her uninjured arm and gently tugging her towards him. Not expecting it, Sakura was thrown off balance and fell very ungracefully on top of the masked man. She winced, feeling as if her stitches stretched and heard a gasp from underneath her. "Tobi's sorry! Tobi didn't mean to hurt Sakura-chan!"

Carefully, as if she'd break otherwise, Tobi laid her on her right side and curled up beside her. His mask was somewhere amongst the pillows and she could clearly see his gentle smile. "Everyone said Tobi needed to be very very careful with Sakura-chan." "They also told Tobi not to run up and hug Sakura-chan so tight and that Sakura-chan needed soft things and TLC." He paused, eyebrows furrowing and lips pulling into a pout. "But Tobi looked all around the house and couldn't find any TLC at all!"

Just as quickly as the pout came it left and he inched closer. "There was a bunch of soft stuff though! So Tobi got all of the soft stuff around the house!" He lowered his voice and laid a hand on Sakura's waist. "Tobi can even make Tobi's voice soft too." Despite his lowered volume, he was still buzzing with energy. He fluffed the particular pillow her head rested on and his smile was blinding. "Does Sakura-kouhai-chan like it?" His eyes practically sparkled as he awaited for her approval and she slowly glanced around the room. At this point she was sure there was more cushion than floor.

If she was being honest, Sakura was more comfortable than she'd be in a long while.

Tobi watched the sunset reflecting in Sakura's eyes, the warm orange glow making her eyes a few shades lighter and his heart thump in his chest. "I really like it." It took a minute for him to snap out of his daze and realize Sakura had been looking at him concernedly. "Tobi really wants to hug Sakura." She rolled her eyes and he noticed how they even shined in her annoyance. "I'm not made of glass." He looked conflicted and moved his hand from her waist to interlace their fingers. "But Tobi's not supposed to hug Sakura!"

The girl in question resisted the urge to roll her eyes again and simply sighed. "Then don't. Just…I don't know, do something else?" Her eyelids were heavy and she'd already spent the day coddling one man. She gave in and snuggled deeper into the cushions, letting her eyes slip close. Silence filled the room other than their joined breathing when she suddenly felt Tobi's lips press against hers. It was the softest peck she wasn't even sure it had happened until she cracked her eyes open and Tobi was far closer than he was before.

"If Tobi can't hug Sakura-chan, Tobi can kiss!" Sakura paled slightly and slapped her hands over his mouth, cursing herself for getting into this situation. He whined slightly at her rough treatment and she pushed down any guilt she felt. His eyes softened at the casting on her arm and he kissed her palm. She faltered slightly, letting him take the opportunity to grab her hand and kiss her knuckles. "What're you-" "Kissing Sakura's pain away." He kissed her collarbone where a faded bruise sat and peeked up at her through his lashes. "Is it working?" Not trusting her voice, Sakura quickly shook her head no.

The disappointed look he sported quickly left as he traveled south, rolling up her shirt and kissing the stiches on her abdomen. Her stomach convulsed with the movement, left hand flying to raven hair and gripping tight. Flustered, Sakura quickly pulled Tobi back up and her shirt back down. "Th-tha-anks, Senpai! I fe-el so much b-better now!" She forced a smile and the immature man looked relieved and happy. "Really?! Tobi's such a good boy!" He happily pecked her on the lips, oblivious to the blush she sported and adjusted them to their previous positions. "Sweet dreams, Sakura-kouhai-chan!"

Sakura looked at Tobi's peaceful face and frowned.

How was she supposed to sleep now?

I had been wanting to write this chapter so bad. I had bits and pieces of ideas in my head but it was hard to string together.

Thank you for all of your support! If you ever think that leaving a review or a message in my inbox is an annoyance, please don't. I love reading what you guys think about what I wrote and half the time I think people aren't interested if I don't get any opinions.