Full summary: The Akatsuki are a new and popular punk rock band, known worldwide for their infamously rebellious music. They are invited to be a competitor in a Battle of the Bands known as the Rock Olympics. However, competition is fierce, and many other bands are trying their best to knock the Akatsuki out of the competition, and when there are no rules to play by, things get rough. Can the Akatsuki keep it together in the face of the competition?
Genre: Humor, drama, adventure, angst, romance
Pairings: SasoDei, KisaIta, KakuHida, PeinKona, one-sided ItaDei
Minor pairings include NaruSasu, SasuSaku, InoDei, and InoSasu
I recommend that you listen to the song 'Holiday' by Green Day while reading the first part, since that is what they start out playing. It makes it so much more interesting. I also recommend the broadway version, since it sounds a bit more like Deidara's voice than Billie Joe Armstrong's does. That version is good as well. The lyrics are slightly different for this version, though.
Enjoy!
Lights of multiple colors flashed in all directions. The surging crowd in the mosh pit was going insane for the finale of the concert. In the bleachers of the grand stadium, spectators held cell phones up, recording the experience so that the memories would not be forgotten. The entire house was shaking from the bass, each heavy thump of the bass drums rocking the foundations, each strum of the bass guitar causing the roof to shudder. The crowd was screaming, although, despite its loudness, the music could be heard well over the sound. The expensive, top-grade amps were blasting the punk rock music with stunning clarity.
On stage, a world-famous rock band was playing one of their most popular songs, known as 'Holiday'[1]. A white-haired man, 21 years old, was whaling on the drums upon a tall pedestal. To his right, a black-haired teen with piercing red eyes was strumming low tones on the bass guitar, bobbing his head with each well-placed beat of the drum. On the other side of the stage, a red-haired teen with hazel-colored eyes was swiftly moving his fingers for each sharp note on the neck of the guitar with his left hand- his right hand was used to flick the metal chords at the pickup, creating crisp, clear notes that accented the lead singing. The lead singer, a tall teenager of only 19 years with long, platinum-blonde hair pulled back into a sloppy high ponytail, stood at the mic. Slung over his shoulder was a gleaming yellow electric guitar hooked up to an amp, to which he strummed lightly.
The song had only just begun. After the beginning music, the lead singer leaned forward and began singing into the mic.
"Say.. Hey!"
His voice was not-quite smooth and clear, but complimenting the song perfectly. Although slightly scratchy from singing almost non-stop for about two hours, it echoed around the stadium.
Following those two words, the music picked up to become much livelier. The crowd cheered in approval.
"Hear the sound of the falling rain,
Coming down like an Armageddon flame.
The shame,
The ones who died without a name.."
The crowd cheered. The lead singer grinned broadly, using a gloved hand to pull the mic off the stand. He jumped on top of a wooden box at the edge of the stage, and the audience cheered more. He began singing once more-
"Hear the dogs howling out of key,
To a hymn called 'Faith and Misery'.
And bleed, the company lost the war today…"
The main harmony picked up, with the white-haired drummer pounding each beat, the bass player providing an underlying rumble, and the electric guitarist strumming the signifying tune that separated this song particularly from all others.
"I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies.
This is the dawning of the rest of our lives…
On holiday!"
As the hyped music fell away to a calmer [but still fast] tune, the lead singer jumped off the box, bending his knees and leaning back mid-air, then hitting the stage again right on the beat. The audience cheered.
Standing up straight with a slight jump, the lead singer leaned forward, holding the mic out in front of him, and began singing the lyrics again.
"Hear the drums beating out of time,
Another protester has crossed the line." The lead singer pointed to the crowd, which happily howled "Hey!" to the music. Quickly following, the lead singer continued.
"To find, the money's on the other side…"
"Can I get another amen?" In response to the lyrics, the crowd howled, "Amen!" in one united, roaring sound. The lead singer smirked, and kept going.
"There's a flag wrapped around a score of men." Another "Hey!" at the lead singer's signal.
"And gag, a plastic bag on a monument…"
Once again, the beat picked up and every member of the band was playing their part flawlessly. The lead singer strummed lightly on his guitar again, and began the repeated verse.
"I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies,
This is the dawning of the rest of our lives.
On holiday!"
The tune changed to a heavier sound, and the lead singer took a step back. He grinned broadly, looking out around the stadium lit up by multicolored flashing lights. He put the mic to his mouth again. "Alright, New York! I need someone up here! Who knows how to play guitar!?" He shouted. The people in the mosh pit went insane, raising their hands and screaming. The lead singer looked over them, searching for one that wouldn't get a panic attack and pass out. Finally, he spotted a pretty brave looking kid in front, with spiky blonde hair and piercing blue eyes.
"You there! Blondie! You play electric guitar!?" The lead singer snarled, looking at him quizzically. The audience was absolutely freaking out.
The kid nodded, and yelled back, "Yeah!" But it was mostly drowned out by the music and the sound of screaming people. Nevertheless, the lead singer heard him, then turned away. "Get your ass up here, kid!"
Before the kid could react, the people around him lifted him into the air and hurled him onto the tall stage. He swiftly got up, then ran after the lead singer.
The lead then pulled off his guitar and handed to the blonde boy, who quickly slung it over his shoulder. The lead walked behind him and showed him what notes to play swiftly, murmuring how it changes. After a quick test, the boy nodded and began playing along with the song. The crowd howled in approval.
The lead turned to face the audience. He slapped a hand over his mouth, making his voice sound as though it were over a radio with a bad connection as he said, "Kssh. The representative from California has the stage." He hissed into the mic.
Then, he began singing.
"Sieg Heil to the president Gasman,
Bombs away is your punishment!
Pulverize the Eiffel towers
Who criticize your government!
Bang bang goes the broken glass and
Kill all the fags who don't agree!
Trials by fire, setting fire
It's not a way that's meant for me.
Just cause, hey, hey, hey, just cause, because we're outlaws, yeah!"
The crowd flipped out, and people were getting thrown into the air in the mosh pit. Just your average concert for the most popular punk rock band of the western hemisphere- this kind of thing was normal. The kid on stage was grinning broadly, eyes wide with excitement as he strummed the note perfectly as the lead singer continued with the final verse.
"I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies
This is the dawning of the rest of our lives…
I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies
This is the dawning of the rest of our lives..."
Finally, the last line.
"This is our lives on holiday!" the lead singer drew out the last syllable, howling it into the mic until his voice got scratchy and he ran out of air. The crowd roared its approval and the boy on the stage walked over to the other blonde. He offered the guitar back, looking a bit regretful that his moment on stage had ended.
But the lead singer just smirked. "Keep it, it's yours. You did great, kid!"
The crowd flipped out as the boy's expression changed from confused to disbelief to shock and then to complete ecstasy. The lead smirked and did a 'bro-fist' with the blonde. "What's your name, kid?" He asked.
The boy responded, "Naruto Uzumaki!" He chirped, grinning broadly.
The lead turned to the crowd and shoved the kid forward. "Naruto Uzumaki, everyone! He's pretty damned good!"
The crowd shrieked its agreement, and then the lead pushed him away. "Now get the fuck off my stage!"
Security took him- someone might try to mug the poor kid for the guitar. Fans of this band are known to be ruthless.
With that, the lights went out. The lead's voice rang out once more over the strong amps.
"Hidan on drums, Itachi on bass, and Sasori, my man, on electric guitar, un! I'm Deidara, and we're the Akatsuki!" He howled. A slight pause, and then he added, "Music is an EXPLOSION!"'
Fireworks of orange and yellow lights spewed out around the stage, showing the Akatsuki on the drummer's podium, all with one fist up. Hidan, the drummer, wore a sloppy grin, eyes narrowed in smug pride. Itachi, ever-the-emotionless, stood with a placid expression on his face, with piercing red eyes that gleamed in the light of the fireworks. Sasori, the red-headed electric guitarist, stood with a slight smirk on his youthful face. And of course, Deidara, the lead singer, stood tall, blonde hair whipping from the sudden rush of wind that the fireworks created. His blue eyes were wide with excitement and he gazed down at the crowd of nearly 15,000.
The crowd screamed in approval of the finale. The fireworks faded fast- Deidara always pestered Pein about making sure that they lasted no longer than 15 seconds [something about 'it must be fleeting!']- and then stadium went dark.
The four were quickly hurled into a limo behind the coliseum. Knowing their fans, they'd be assaulted for autographs and their clothes before they got a chance to escape. It was an unspoken rule between the Akatsuki that the moment they were off the stage, they had to get their asses out of there fast.
Deidara, Sasori, Itachi and Hidan hardly got a chance to sit down before the limo began speeding forward with a high-pitched squealing sound. Already inside the limo, their manager, Pein, and his assistant, Konan, were going through some papers. Kisame, their security officer, was leaning back, snoring. Kakuzu, their dedicated treasurer and tour organizer, was next to Pein, talking about… treasury-stuff. Not much to say here- statistics, income, et cetera. The boring stuff that nobody really wants to know about.
Konan looked up from the papers and grinned at the four. "Great performance, seriously! The crowd loved you." She smiled. Konan was known for her politeness and courtesy, and she loved to hand out praise to the four like giving ice cream to five-year-olds. Never once had she criticized the Akatsuki.
Deidara grinned broadly. "Yeah, it was pretty awesome," He replied, voice scratchy. The outcome of singing for about 2 straight hours wasn't a good one, and no matter how much you practice, singing as loud as you possibly can for any amount of time is bound to bear consequences.
Their aimless chatter about their most recent concert went on the entire ten minutes of driving, and when they arrived at the hotel, they continued laughing amongst themselves- that group being made up of Hidan, Deidara, Sasori, Itachi, Konan and Kisame. Pein and Kakuzu probably believed they were above such talk and continued discussing the technical topics. Again, nothing much to say here.
The hotel was pretty high-end; The lobby was dimly lit, the walls a dark shade of grey with blood-red trim. A sparkling silver chandelier hung suspended by a chain, offering a pale, silvery light to illuminate the lobby. The floor was comprised of gleaming tiles, colors ranging among the shades of pale gold and silver. On the far right, a fireplace was lit, filling the place with a smoky smell. Surrounding said fireplace was three black, creaseless leather sofas, with a mahogany coffee table in the middle. On the left wall, a spotless glass elevator provided transportation to the upper levels. Straight ahead, a reception desk remained unmanned- the manager was quickly making his way towards the group.
"Ah, I believe you have reservations for four rooms?" He asked, wearing a polite smile. Deidara opened him mouth to reply but Pein cut him off.
"Yes, sir." He responded curtly. Knowing the blonde singer, he would have said something along the lines of, "Hell yeah, un!" Since fancy hotels such as this one had high standards for its guests, they'd probably kick the entire group out for saying something as 'barbaric' as that.
Pein ignored Deidara's pointed look and walked after the manager. Hidan, finding this amusing, poked Deidara, who then cast the same look to his close friend. Hidan just smirked broadly and walked past the blonde singer.
It wasn't an issue getting into the elevator- sometimes, elevators were tiny and it was difficult to fit the group of eight into a single one. This one however, was huge- it would probably be easy to fit an entire football team in here, along with a two-ton elephant mascot.
The glass doors slid shut silently, and the elevator smoothly started upwards. The manager was going on about the place's history, although, the Akatsuki were hardly interested and basically droned his talk out, nodding occasionally and acting interested when he asked questions. Hidan seemed a little too enthusiastic in going along with it, facial expressions ranging from surprise, horror, and relief.
"…and then my boss's daughter got married to a common boy, and he's an absolute barbarian! It's dreadful!"
"Oh my god, that's outrageous!" Hidan mimicked the face of a horrified old lady, lifting his hand to his mouth, just an inch away from his face.
The worst part was that the manager was buying into Hidan's act. "Yes, that's exactly what I told my boss!" He exclaimed, shaking his head. "What a shame, really!" He looked like he was going to begin talking again, but the elevator gave a light ring, and the doors slid open. Floor 15.
The manager realized that he should stop talking as the group filed out [starting with the more serious of them- Pein, Kakuzu, Sasori and Itachi] but before Hidan got the chance to leave, the manager called him back. "Listen, sir, if you'd like to hear more about this hotel, just call the lobby desk. I'll be here all tonight. I'll tell you all about my boss's wife's aunt marrying a high school dropout!"
Hidan looked ready to burst out laughing, as with Deidara and Kisame. "Yes, of course. I look forward to our enthralling conversation." He said, voice quivering oh-so-slightly. The manager didn't seem to notice and just waved as the glass doors shut and he disappeared from view.
At that moment, Hidan, Deidara, and Kisame all simultaneously burst out laughing hysterically. Also at that moment, Pein, Kakuzu, and Sasori simultaneously face-palmed. Konan just laughed lightly, looking awkward, and Itachi was smirking.
"You.. Are such an.. idiot…." Deidara gasped, glancing at Hidan. The albino drummer glanced at him with slightly teary-eyes but didn't reply.
Sasori was quick to speak up, though. "You're all idiots. End of discussion." He said briskly, frowning.
Turning to the redhead, Deidara replied, "Don't be a jerk, Sasori no Danna!"
Hidan laughed harder. Pein and Kakuzu face-palmed once more.
The guitarist scowled. "I told you not to call me that, brat! We've been over this!"
He got a smirk in return. "Sure thing, Danna, un."
He ducked as Sasori threw the nearest plastic flower vase at him.
"Aw, crap, man! I'm so tired, un!"
Deidara fell face-first into one of the two full-sized beds. Unfortunately, there were only two beds. While the four boys had been close friends since elementary and sharing a hotel room wasn't weird at all to them, they considered sharing a bed to be out of the question. Therefore, the lack of beds made life extremely difficult.
"Deidara, out. You got the bed last time, it's my turn now."
"But Dan-" WHOMP! "Ow!"Thud.
"And stay out, brat."
Deidara lay on the floor after Sasori had- literally- kicked him off the bed. He decided he was too tired to move and just closed his eyes where he lay.
The room they had gotten wasn't exactly spacey, but it wasn't cramped, either. The walls were a tan color with flower-texture wallpaper plastered around the perimeter. The place was lit with warm, not blinding, wall-hanging lights. A closet was against the wall on the far side, and next to it, a small studio TV table. Connected to the wooden studio was a desk with a wheelie chair just waiting to be pulled out. The beds, which were side by side, separated by a small side table, had clean, white sheets and a single measly pillow.
On the other side of the room, Hidan was trying to negotiate with Itachi to give up his bed.
Since it was nearly impossible to argue with Itachi, though, this didn't really help.
"You know, karma's going to get back at you for this. Karma's a deceiving b**ch."
"Hidan, don't even try…"
"How about this- we both jump on it at the same time, and whoever pushes the other off first gets to stay?"
"Hidan… no, we're not going to do that-"
"Poker. We'll battle it out in a f***ing game of poker. May the best player have the d**m bed."
"Hidan-"
"Rock paper scissors is the fairest game known to mankind. Let's rock-paper-scissors until the best one wins. Which will be me."
"Hidan, go away."
That pretty much ended it. Despite being an obnoxious, arrogant idiot, even Hidan saw that he was fighting a losing battle. He turned away, frowning. "You f**king b*tch, Itachi."
Pein and Konan had gotten their own room [nobody questioned this- it was okay, since they were going out] and Kakuzu and Kisame got their own rooms. Despite how stingy Kakuzu was with the money they made, he didn't really want to share a room with anyone. Kisame got his own room simply because he had a terrible sleep walking habit. He'd get up, walk around, and sometimes, on scary occasions, bite others, mumbling something about being a shark. So when he asks for his own room, not even Kakuzu denies him.
Deidara, who still lay on the floor, was just about to fall asleep when he heard something banging against the window. Grumbling indignantly, the blonde picked himself up and ripped the shades open.
He was faced with an orange mask, outside. The boy's hair was being whipped by the wind- this was the 15th story, after all- and he was waving. The idiot was waving.
"Deidara-senpai! Can you let me in?" He called, voice muffled. Deidara only stared, blinking blearily. Am I dreaming..?
He closed the shades and sat down on the floor.
Fortunately, Hidan caught sight of the masked man outside their window.
"Holy sh*t, there's a f**king guy out there!"
Both Itachi's and Sasori's heads snapped up at this as Hidan pushed Deidara out of the way and ripped the curtains open.
Outside, the man waved again. "Hi there! Let Tobi in? Tobi is a good boy!"
On the floor, Deidara's forehead was resting on his knees, legs pulled up close. "Don't let him in!"
Hidan scowled. "No, there's just a f**king masked kid outside of our window on the 15th f**king floor asking to come in. Sure, I'll just let the b**tard in."
Deidara moved his head just slightly to cast Hidan a withering death glare. Outside, though, the masked man seemed to believe what Hidan said. "Really? Great!"
It was Hidan's turn to glare as he whipped his head to face the guy outside their window. "It was sarcasm!"
From where he sat, Sasori spoke up, resting his forehead in his palm. "Someone get Kisame…"
Itachi, however, seemed to know who this was.
"Hold on… I think that's…"
Deidara lifted his gaze to face Itachi. "Who is it, un?"
"That's… The guy who started our fanclub, I think… And the one who entered about half of the entries in our T-shirt design contest last year… He did say he was 'Tobi', didn't he?"
How he heard Itachi, nobody will ever know. "I'm Tobi! Tobi is a good boy! Tobi is the Akatsuki's #1 fan!"
Hidan scowled. "Well, sh*t. This is all fine and f**king dandy, but what do we do about him?"
Sasori was already calling Kisame. "We let him in, and have him escorted out of here." He grumbled, never looking up from his cell phone.
Itachi shrugged. "Sounds good," He agreed, nodding.
Turning back to the window, Hidan began talking. "You hear that, Tobi? We'll let you in, but-"
Hidan was cut off as Tobi threw up his hands as he laughed in excitement. In slow motion, it seemed, the wind took advantage and blew him off balance. He tumbled off his perch on their window and the entire group gasped in horror as he disappeared from sight.
The closest to the window was Hidan. He threw it open and shoved his head outside, staring down to the concrete sidewalk below. Beside him, Deidara was on his feet, all fatigue abandoned. Sasori and Itachi were both staring wide-eyed, but neither bothered getting up.
Luckily, Tobi had managed to grab hold of a window ledge just below their window. From there, he hung suspended by one hand, swaying precariously in the wind. "Tobi is alright!"
They managed to get Tobi into their room after a lot of struggling. Now, finally inside, the masked man was practically assaulting Deidara.
"Deidara-sempai! Can Tobi have an autograph? Tobi is a good boy!" He begged, trying to hug the struggling Deidara.
The blonde was having none of this. He snarled, shoving Tobi away from him. "Screw off, you freak! Don't call me that, no autographs, and you are not a good boy! Now leave, un!"
Finally managing to pry the Akatsuki's #1 fan off, Deidara leaned back, huffing. Hidan was smirking, while Sasori rolled his eyes. Itachi just sighed."I think we should get him out of here…"
A chorus of murmured agreements went around among the other three Akatsuki. Tobi was too busy waiting for Deidara's autograph to really notice.
Deidara stood, brushed off his shirt indifferently, and then turned to Tobi. "Alright, kid. I'll give you an autograph, but then you've gotta go, un. Got it?"
Tobi nodded quickly. "Yes, Sempai!"
Deidara scowled at this, but didn't respond to the nickname. "Alright, good. Where do you want it, un?"
Pointing to his mask, Tobi said, "Tobi's forehead!"
The blonde singer narrowed his eyes. "…Your forehead, or the mask's forehead, un?"
"Tobi's forehead!"
"…Mask it is."
After sloppily signing the orange mask, Deidara turned Tobi around and pushed him towards the door by his shoulders, walking behind him. "It's been wonderful, really. But it's time to go now, un."
"B-but Deidara-sempai-"
"We had a deal, kid. Autograph means you leave."
"Tobi is a good boy, though!"
"…Great, good for you. That means Tobi will leave."
Once at the door, Deidara opened it, pushed Tobi out, and then slammed it shut. He leaned back against the door, breathing out a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, that didn't last long. As the singer lifted his gaze, he caught sight of yet another figure in the window. This one was upside down, with half of his face painted white, and the other painted black. Yellow eyes gleamed at him.
"F*CK! THERE'S ANOTHER ONE! HIDAN, DUCK!"
The nearest object, which happened to be a fake apple, was hurled across the room to the window. It slammed against the window, and the figure slipped away. Deidara slammed his fist against the wall, looking livid. "If I see one more, one more, then some serious sh*t is going to go down! Close the curtains!"
Hidan sighed and closed the curtains. Even he was getting tired of their more 'excessive' fans.
Sasori was already asleep. This had been too much to bother thinking about. Itachi was still sitting up, smiling slightly in amusement.
Deidara stomped a few steps forward, sat down, and then lay back on the carpet. He curled up, shutting his eyes in obvious anger.
It wasn't exactly easy being a famous band, after all.
[1]- The song "Holiday" is by Green Day and ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEM!
I highly suggest listening to them if you haven't already. They are AMAZING.
So, this is kind-of a prologue, I guess. Next chapter, I'll start the real story. Yay, plot! And don't worry, Zetsu will play a much bigger role than this in upcoming chapters.
Read & Review!
The more reviews, the sooner I'll update it. Motivation is the key!