A/N: This is more of a drabble than a small oneshot. It's just this little idea that's been stuck in my head.

WARNING: This story contains spoilers for up to Chapter 404 of the manga.

Loyalties

The sky was pitch black, save for the dim stars sprinkled across it and the moon, which shone rather weakly. Hozuki Suigetsu sat by a lake, staring into its depths as the moon was reflected on it. At his side laid the Kubikiri Hocho, once belonging to the late Momochi Zabuza of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Suigetsu merely stared at the water and would have continued had he not sensed someone nearby. He immediately grabbed the hilt of his sword, but relaxed when he saw that the person nearby was Juugo, Suigetsu's teammate.

Juugo walked towards Suigetsu and stopped when he reached him, moving so that Suigetsu's sword was between them. He joined Suigetsu in staring at the lake. They stayed quiet until Suigetsu suddenly spoke.

"That guy must be pretty strong…to block me with one arm."

Juugo knew Suigetsu was reffering to the incident earlier today, in which he had attempted to attack Akatsuki member Hoshigaki Kisame. Suigetsu had swung, only to be blocked by another Akatsuki member, Uchiha Madara. What was surprising was that Madara had blocked Suigetsu easily with just one arm, leaving the teen stunned.

Juugo broke his gaze away from the lake and looked at Suigetsu. "You shouldn't have lost your temper," he said quietly.

Suigetsu gave Juugo his bone-chilling smile, exposing all his sharp teeth. "Heh." He found it ironic that Juugo of all people was telling him to control his temper. Granted, Juugo's momentary lapses into psychotic rage weren't his fault, but it was amusing nontheless.

They both returned to staring at the lake, not saying anything. This was especially rare, since Suigetsu rarely kept quiet. Juugo concluded that Suigetsu must be thinking hard about something important. After about 5 minutes, the white-haired member of Team Taka broke the silence once again.

"This Madara guy," he said slowly, surprisingly serious, "he's really manipulating Sasuke, ain't he?"

Juugo was caught off-guard by this statement and looked at Suigetsu, surprised. "What do you mean?"

Suigetsu merely ignored this question and continued to speak. "Not that I care. First chance I get, I'm killing Kisame and taking Samehada," he said, reffering to Kisame's sword. "Sasuke can go to hell after that."

He turned to Juugo and once again gave him the sharp-pointed smile.

"So you're leaving?" Juugo asked after a moment's silence.

"This war that Sasuke's planning against the Konoha elders is gonna be hard," Suigetsu said. "It's gonna be one hell of a bloodbath. My loyalty doesn't lie with Sasuke. I just joined Taka so I could get Samehada. What do I gain from fighitng in a war that doesn't concern me?"

Juugo turned his gaze away from Suigetsu and returned to staring at the lake. Fish began to jump and go back into the water, causing ripples to break the lake's tranquil surface. "I don't see the meaning of this pointless fighting either, but I'm staying with Sasuke." He paused, then continued. "I'm guessing you're planning to take Samehada and run before we invade Konoha."

Suigetsu frowned slightly. "No, I'll stick around. Lots of blood to spill. I might fight and kill a few." He grinned at the thought. "I'm leaving as soon as things turn bad though. I'm not going to get killed over Sasuke's stupid vendetta."

Juugo opened his mouth to respond but then tensed as he felt someone approach. A voice broke the silence.

"There you two are!"

It was Karin, the red-haired female of Team Taka.

"Sasuke's looking for you two! We're having a meeting about capturing the biju," she said. Juugo began walking towars her as Suigetsu got up and bent down to pick up his sword. "Hurry up you idiot!" Karin said, looking at Suigetsu with disgust.

"I'm going, you hag. Stop screaming like a banshee."

SMACK!

Water hit the ground. Karin had stormed up and slapped Suigetsu in the face, causing the swordsman's head to burst into water. Karin huffed and began walking back to headquarters.

"Heh," said Suigetsu as his head reformed. With a satisfied smirk on his face, he too began his way back to headquarters.

Juugo sighed and followed them,and soon the three of hem disappeared into the shadows as the lake's surface once again became calm.

A/N: I'm actually pretty happy with this one. Please leave a review and constructive critism if you have any. Thanks.