A/N: This is going to be a five chapters series with each chapter focusing on a different Akatsuki partnership. The chapters will be, for the most part, stand-alone, but every chapter revolves around the same day. So whatever character interactions happen in one chapter will be evident in all chapters.

They will be presented in this order: Itachi/Kisame, Hidan/Kakuzu, Sasori/Deidara, Tobi/Zetsu, Pain/Konan. All are non-romantic.

I just sort of wanted to explore the various degrees of friendships among each pairing and how they might spend their free time. The next chapter should be out in about a week. I'm not very familiar with writing most of these characters so any feedback would be great! I hope you like it xo

Portraits of the Akatsuki in-between missions and their almost-friendships with one another.

Itachi and Kisame

Itachi's chamber was small and dimly lit, even during daylight hours. There was a small rectangular window set crudely into the rock near the ceiling, but the light that filtered in was so weak the most it did was illuminate the dust that drifted about. But for now, at 5:45 in the morning, it was just bright enough to allow Itachi to work comfortably.

The Uchiha sat at a small desk. It was by no means of quality, the Akatsuki shifted from place to place so often that he was pleasantly surprised to even find a desk in his room in the first place. It had been considerate of Pain, to say the least. Itachi picked up one vial of many that were in front of him and squinted at the label. It had been harder and harder to make such small fonts out, the dim light didn't help but his failing eyes were the primary issue. He made a small noise of frustration and set the vial down, he really couldn't afford to make any mistakes here. Itachi wore a small bag on his hip and he reached into it and pulled out a pair of thin wire glasses. He never wore them in front of other people, his eyes were his biggest weapon and if people knew how blind he was going, well, it wouldn't be favorable for him.

He picked the vial back up and read the label easily this time. With the accuracy and ease of someone who had done this too many times to count, he opened a syringe and stuck it into the upside-down vial, watching as the pale liquid filled the syringe midway. A poke and then onto the next thing.

By the time 6:30 rolled around he had finished with his daily medication rituals, feeling somewhat hazy and fatigued, he was thankful for having a full day to himself with no chores or menial tasks to further tire him out. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but this place was killing him. Quite literally. He stretched and blinked up at the light. They had settled down in some forest right outside of a small shipping village and today, he thought, was as good a day as any to leave the hideout and pretend to live a somewhat normal life.

Standing up, he headed towards the door to his room, stopping just once to hastily pluck the glasses from his face and store them back into his hip pouch before stepping out into the hall. Most of the other members woke early too, though some like Deidara and Hidan could sleep until noon if they really wanted to. Itachi was relieved to find the common area of the base mostly empty, with the exception being Kakuzu who sat on a ratty couch leafing through a bingo book. He glanced up and grunted in acknowledgement as Itachi walked into the room. That was as far as their interactions went and Itachi appreciated it. Amongst these people, an interaction as simple as that was difficult to find. He never thought he'd live out the rest of his days surrounded by roommates, roommates who were violent, loud S-rank criminals no less. But he figured he wasn't much better so it wasn't worth fretting over.

Itachi quietly rummaged through the cabinets and fridge, they were running low on food but that was something taken care of by someone else. He wasn't quite sure who was doing it, though he had his suspicions, food just sort of reappeared when it needed to. They still had a carton of eggs though and plenty of rice and that would do just fine. As he prepared everything he needed to at a slow and patient pace, a loud yawn broke the silence he had really been enjoying.

"Oh man, what time is it?" Hidan came padding out from the hall with his pants slung low, scratching lazily at his bare chest. He looked over at his partner who didn't bother with acknowledgments. "Eh, Kakuzu? I thought you said you had business to attend to today, why are you still here?"

"Why," the other growled, "do you ask such pointless questions?" Kakuzu kept his focus on the page, scrawling something in pencil. Hidan rolled his eyes and turned towards the kitchen where Itachi was cooking.

"Are you making breakfast? I mean, since you're already there…" Hidan laughed nervously. Itachi gave a small sigh to himself and then half-turned to look over his shoulder.

"Fine," he said and then redirected his eyes back to the hall entrance where a slow and unsteady blonde wobbled out. "And what about you, are you eating too?"

Deidara looked up sleepily, "huh?" When he found Itachi staring at him blankly, a sour expression took over his features. "I can make my own food, thanks," he said rather rudely before plopping himself down on the couch. Itachi knew Deidara wasn't too fond of him and he had half expected the answer anyway, he turned back to the old stove, unfazed.

When he was finished cooking, he separated the food onto two plates and set them down on the table, one for him and the other in front of the jabbering Hidan. He ate quietly, making small hums and giving nods as Hidan carried on, seemingly unbothered by Itachi's obvious disinterest. When he finished, he wordlessly stood, washed his dishes and then went back to his room. By this point, an argument had broken out between Kakuzu and Hidan with Deidara goading them on, Itachi didn't need to stick around to know how that would end.

Itachi's days off missions were, to most, rather boring. He spent a lot of his time alone or in the company of Kisame when the two managed to be in the same place. He never said much, looked unapproachable at most times, and seemed to move much slower than usual, as if the week's work had taken some kind of toll on him. He had long since passed the point where he tried to hide his fatigue. If he didn't take his quieter days to recoup, his missions would suffer for it. And today was going to be no different, his body ached, his eyes felt more bleary than usual, and the darkness of the base was making him feel a little on edge. He needed calm.

Whenever Itachi wasn't on official Akatsuki business, he left his cloak off. Maybe it made him feel a little better, he didn't quite know and he didn't push the issue. With his cloak left at home, Itachi walked away from the base with his hands in his pockets. It was a clear Spring's day, the morning air was crisp and bright, and among the towering trees and fragrant blooms he could almost imagine he was walking through Konoha.

The land they were staying in was resting on the banks of a long shoreline. The shipping village specialized in trade and was for the most part pretty quiet. Its occupants were a mix of labor workers who were either too tired or too busy to care about strangers or store owners banking on tourism, always excited to see an unfamiliar face. All in all, this was one of the nicer places they had bunkered down in.

Itachi was heading towards one of the docks just five miles out, they'd passed by it when they'd arrived and he had felt a slight nostalgia wash over him. He just wanted to sit on it and look at the water is all. But he barely made it to the edge of the forest when a chirping sound near his feet made him stop. In the path was a small nestling, its baby down puffed and frightened and its chirping erratic. Itachi looked up at the nest in the low boughs of the tree and then back at the small thing helpless and injured on the ground. Of all the skills Itachi possessed, medical ninjutsu must have been his weakest. He had book knowledge on a lot of it, having been treating himself for years now, it was important to learn. When it came to practical use in battle however, he could admit he was unreliable. But this was a bird, not a battlefield. He gently picked the bird from the ground and cupped it in his palm, placing his other hand on top as a soft green glow radiated from them. When he took his palm away, the small bird stood up, alight with new energy. It chirped at him and he lifted it back to its nest where it joined the rest of the chicks.

Itachi watched them for a minute before turning away and continuing onto the path ahead.

Kisame didn't exactly look forward to his time off in-between missions like the other members did. As long as he had a decent sleep in-between movements he was fine to keep going. More than fine, actually. He quite liked the non-stop flow of work and achievement, it made him feel like he was constantly improving himself and in some ways, really getting to know himself.

It was for this reason that he had been awake since 4:00 in the morning, leaving early to go meditate and then train for a few hours. It was something he did every break, not wanting to lose any edge in the event he had to fight or defend himself without warning. It was around 10:00 when he finally decided he'd had enough. With the rest of his day, he thought, he'd go to the water and spend his time there, feeling a need for something familiar and that he'd earned some personal time.

When he got back to the base he found it empty and he was half tempted just to lounge around in the quiet, feeling as if he almost never had time in his living space to himself. But the pull of the ocean won him over and he left to shower. When he finished, he went back to his room, a small space with just a bed and a side table stacked with three books. Kisame had never had many hobbies. He was simple like that, he liked to fight, liked to learn, and liked to win. But recently, with the lull of missions while planning was underway, he had more free time than he'd like. So naturally, he'd taken up a new hobby. He picked up the books and began leafing through them, it had been some time since he'd read before recently starting again, but now that he was finding more interesting material, he found it satisfying reading several at once. Finally settling on the second book, a book about old world philosophies, he placed it into the small bag at his back and left the room.

The idea was to pack a lunch and then leave for the day, maybe he'd even sleep somewhere outside that night if it was nice enough. When he stepped from the hall, two figures turned towards him and stopped talking.

"What are you two up to?" Kisame asked with a grin, looking at Tobi and Zetsu who had been engaged in a hushed but intense sounding conversation. Tobi laughed and waved his hand about in an attempt to brush away the suspicion.

"Oh, it's nothing, nothing," he motioned towards Zetsu who watched on quietly. "I'm just trying to convince Zetsu to let me go plant a garden outside-"

"We won't be here long enough Tobi, you'd be better off spending your time more meaningfully," White Zetsu interrupted calmly, as if this wasn't the first time he'd said it. Tobi whipped around and opened his arms in exasperation.

"I told you, they sell grown plants at the store, and Leader hasn't said yet when we'll be leaving here. Besides, I really like it here, I hope we stay for a while. What do you think Kisame?" He asked, twisting back around. The tall ninja blinked and then faced back towards the fridge.

"He thinks it's a waste of time," Black Zetsu said impatiently. Kisame turned to look back at Tobi who was still waiting for an answer.

"I think that'd be nice," he shrugged, merely to disagree with Black Zetsu. He never did like him much, but Tobi he might have had a small soft spot for.

"Well if Kisame thinks it's okay, I don't see any harm in it." Tobi was thrilled, much to Black Zetsu's disdain. The conversation between the two moved to another room and Kisame found himself back in sweet silence. Within this, he made himself a large batch of onigiri which he packed in the bag with his book and then set out the door.

The walk was uneventful to Kisame, it was a nice enough day if you were someone who enjoyed sunshine and clear skies, but Kisame wasn't really that person. He thought fondly of misty, dark days and even darker, longer nights. But this was better than the desert anyway.

"Is that Itachi?" Kisame asked himself, coming to a stop as he stared out at the dock he was passing by. The Uchiha, who was leaning back on his hands with his legs off the edge, turned his head as if sensing Kisame's presence. The two exchanged a look and without words needed to be said, Kisame took the invitation and walked down to his partner.

"Kisame," Itachi greeted tonelessly. "I thought you'd eventually wander down here."

"I'd hope I'm not so predictable, what gave it away?" Kisame watched the corners of Itachi's mouth tilt in a slight smile.

"You've been looking a little thirsty for a few days now," a harsh laugh left Kisame. It was always nice to catch a glimpse of Itachi's dry sense of humor, Kisame was sure it was something only shared between them and it said a lot about their partnership in his mind.

"We spend far too much time together," Kisame shook his head as he pulled the bag from his back. He held it on his lap and opened it up, pulling out the onigiri he'd prepared and his book along with it. Itachi looked over, interested.

"What book are you reading now?" He gingerly picked it up from where Kisame had set it on the peer.

"Just some outdated ideas on peace and war, it's amusing really." Kisame smirked as Itachi brought the book up a little closer to his face. It was a subtle move that would have been overlooked by anyone else, but Kisame liked to think he knew enough about Itachi to see right through the movement. "I won't tell anyone you know, I haven't since I found out." He bit into an onigiri and shut his eyes, listening to the lapping of water up against the legs of the dock. "I really think you might like this one though, suits you more than it does me."

Itachi gave an amused hum, "fair enough." He unzipped his pouch and pulled his glasses out. "Just a few pages at least."

"Want one?" Kisame asked, holding out the container of food he'd prepared. Itachi's eyes didn't leave the page as he picked one up from the bunch.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it."