Maximum Capacity!
Chapter 2
"The Akatsuki Approach!"
Sasuke kept looking at me while I was working. It hadn't bothered me for the first half of the period, but when he began EXAMINING me, I lost my patience.
"Can you stop? It's kind of creepy." I said, writing down another formula.
"Why did you change so quickly?" He asked out of the blue.
I didn't answer. I didn't think that telling him would help my situation at all.
"...Why do you always listen to music?" He asked in response to my silence.
"It helps my focus. Unlike you." I snapped, feeling angry from before Okay, so I know that it's not completely his fault my headphones broke, but… I couldn't help but have some sort of resentment towards him. He's such an arrogant asshole all the time. He also has a reputation for being a player. I hate his personality.
Sasuke smirked, an amused look playing in his eyes. "So snappy. Is this about those cheap headphones?"
My pencil snapped in half.
"CHEAP? Excuse me? Those cost EIGHT years of allowance for me!" I snarled towards the arrogant asshole. He rolled his eyes at my outburst.
"Just chill… If it's really such a big deal, I can pay for replacements. But if I do…" Sasuke's smirk widened. He leaned closer towards me, making me subconsciously lean away.
"You have to go out with me." He said.
At that moment, the bell rang. I sprang up from my seat, threw my books in my bag and gave him the deadliest glare I could manage.
"I rather burn in hell than go out with an asshole like you."
Then, I stormed out of the room.
He was so.. Infuriating! What kind of arrogant prick thinks he can just bribe someone into dating him?! Annoying motherfucker…
While I was fuming down the hallway, I accidently tripped on a loose sheet of paper before spiraling into a tall figure. I gasped, feeling his arms wrap around my waist to keep me from falling again.
"Oh no! Are you okay? Tobi is sorry!"
I looked up, now face to face with a man wearing a bright orange mask. I blinked in slight confusion.
I had never seen him before. He was taller than I was, with a lean figure clothed in black clothes.
Nodding my head, he set me to the side. "Tobi has never seen you before. Are you new?"
Why was he talking in third person? "Ah.. No. I've been here for three years…" I answered.
"Oh! Well… I am Tobi, the Akatsuki supervisor here! Do you know anyone from the Akatsuki?"
"Oh uhm… Kind of. I know Deidara and Sasori… ish. Konan is in my AP english class…" I thought out loud. Did I really know Deidara and Sasori though? All I know is that they fight a lot.
"Are you part of the Akatsuki?"
"No, sir. I'm not part of any clubs here."
"Do you want to be?"
I stared at him, flabbergasted at what he had just suggested.
"What is your name?" He asked. From behind his mask, I swear he was scanning me.
"...N-Namorina Shiori." I said slowly.
"Well, Namorina-chan, welcome to the Akatsuki. We have a meeting after school today and you will be required to come. It's at the Uchiha estate today and Tobi will send you the address. Tobi will see you there, precisely at 3:30." He said, taking out his phone.
"Can Tobi have your number?" He looked down at my iphone 5.
"O-Oh!" I snapped out of my shocked state. "Yes, of course."
I gave him my number.
"Good! Tobi will send you the address later! Bye bye, Namorina-chan!" He said, cheerfully. He turned, continuing to walk down the hall.
I was left there to stand in shock.
"W-..."
"What just happened?!"
oOo
When lunch came around, I wasn't hungry.
I bought a bottle of water and a chocolate chip cookie before looking around for somewhere to plug into.
"Oooooiiiiiii! Shi-chan! Over hereeeeee!"
I blushed, turning around to see Naruto waving his arms in the air like no tomorrow. Sakura glared daggers at me as if to say, 'I dare you to sit with us'. I took a deep breath before beginning to walk over to them.
Naruto grinned at me. "Shi-chan, nice of you to make it!"
"Thanks for inviting me, Naruto-kun." I said, sitting besides him. Sasuke was across from me and Sakura was next to him, hugging his arm. He looked annoyed.
Sakura was glaring at me again. I looked away from her.
"So... Shiori," She started, "How DID you lose so much weight in a week?"
I flinched at her tone.
"Sakura…" Naruto's tone was warning her not to continue.
"What? I mean, we're all curious. It's just a MIRACLE that she managed to lose, what, 300 pounds in seven days? What's your secret?" She kept going, an arrogant smirk on her face.
I wanted to leave. I wanted to go to a quiet place and listen to music. I wanted to be away from here.
But I couldn't.
"Well, Shiori? Why don't you tell all of u-" "Stop, Sakura. You're annoying." Sasuke cut in, his voice sharp. He ripped his arm out of her death grip and scooted away.
Sakura took a sharp inhale of breath, a look of rejection across her pretty face.
I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I looked down at the screen, seeing that I had gotten a message from a number I didn't have as a contact.
'Hello Namorina-chan! It's Tobi!
Tobi has already told Pein that you would be joining the Akatsuki and he is okay with it! The Uchiha estate address is; 7592 Onogeki Lane. Please be there by 3:30!
Also, Tobi has given your number out to Pein and the other Akatsuki members!
See you tonight!'
At that moment, I got another message from another unknown number.
'It's Pein. The other Akatsuki members shall be contacting you shortly. Please keep each number in your contacts. Thank you.'
Another buzz.
'Yo, this is Hidan.'
Buzz
'Kakuzu.'
Buzz
'Kisame'
Buzz
'Uchiha Itachi'
(I found it funny how Itachi was the only one who stated his full name.)
Buzz
'This is Konan! Nice to finally have a girl member. :) '
Buzz
'Hey cutie ;) remember me? Its Deidara'
I rolled my eyes.
Buzz
'It's Sasori.'
Buzz
'Zetsu'
I put them all into my phone with the respected names.
"Wow, Shi-chan. You're pretty popular!" Naruto complimented, hearing all of the buzzing from my phone. I blushed.
"N-Not really." I laughed nervously.
Lunch was awkward between having a nice conversation with Naruto, a glaring contest with Sakura, and out-of-place eye contact with Sasuke.
oOo
By AP English, I was already worn out for the day.
In every class I went to, everyone was equally as shocked as the last one. Some questioned me, some ignored me, and some fawned over me and told me how lucky I was.
When I stepped into the class, Konan waved me over. I was surprised she knew who I was.
"Hey Namorina-chan!" She greeted me with a smile on her face. I smiled back and sat down next to her.
"It's cool that you joined the Akatsuki. We haven't had another girl join other than me." She mentioned. Up close, I noticed how pretty she was. Everything about her screamed beautiful, but deadly.
I blushed and nodded my head. "Y-Yeah it came as a big surprise when Tobi recruited me."
"Haha yeah… Tobi can be kind of random sometimes. But he's not all that bad. You're coming to the meeting after school today, right?"
"Yeah, I was planning on taking the bus-"
"What?! Shiori, you can't take the bus and walk to the Uchiha estate. I can get you a ride, don't worry. I would say ride with Pein and I, but he doesn't like many people in his car…"
I laughed a bit. "Yeah I get that. Alright, who do you have in mind?"
Konan went silent, thinking about it for a second.
"Why not ask Itachi, himself? He's the safest driver out of all of the Akatsuki, and it is his house."
"That's… not a bad idea. Do you think he'd give me a ride?"
"Yeah. Itachi's pretty chill."
"Should I text him?"
"Yeah. I suggest now, before class starts."
I took out my phone, unlocking it and opening my messenger app.
'Hey Itachi, can I have a ride to the meeting tonight?'
A second after the text was delivered, it was marked as read. Itachi typed an answer quickly.
'Yes. Meet me at the east exit at 3.'
"He said he would. That solves one problem."
Konan smiled at me. "See? Easy."
I smiled back.
oOo
At the end of the day, I had quickly gotten the rest of my books and rushed to the east exit. Itachi was leaning against the wall next to the doors, on his phone. He looked cool, sly, and sophisticated.
I quickly approached him, panting a bit. "S-Sorry for being late, Uchiha-san…"
Itachi smiled at me, "Itachi is fine. And it's alright. I'm parked right outside."
Something about his mature gaze made my heart beat faster. I blushed, but quickly pushed it to the side.
I followed him outside, approaching a black, lamborghini sports car. He took out the keys and unlocked it. I got into the passenger seat in the front, hugging my bag close to my chest. My ear plug was blasting a new song.
He buckled up before turning on the engine. His eyes drifted to my bag.
"You listen to Panic at the Disco?"
I nodded slowly. "Y-Yeah… I love their music."
"I've heard some of their songs. They're pretty good. I'm more of a Sleeping with Sirens fan."
"You know Sleeping with Sirens?" I said, my eyes wide.
"Mhm."
The whole trip was just us chatting about our favorite bands. We had very similar music choices so it was easy to be myself around Itachi. I felt…. Comfortable around him. Something I wasn't always used to with people in general.
When we got to the Uchiha estate, it was 3:20. We were ten minutes early.
"I-I-I-I-It's HUGE!" I stuttered out, in utter shock at how large the estate was. It was like if ten mansions linked up together and had an even bigger backyard.
"Really? I've gotten used to it." Itachi admitted, retying his shoulder length, black hair into a low ponytail.
I gaped at him. "One room here would be equivalent to my house…"
He chuckled. "Is that so?"
When we stepped into the house, we were greeted by a line of maids in the same exact uniform.
"Welcome home, Uchiha-san." They recited.
"Are you hungry or thirsty?" Itachi asked me, giving a maid his backpack.
"Ah… A glass of water would be nice." I admitted. A maid bowed to me before walking away to another room.
"It looks so much bigger on the inside…" I said in awe, looking around and up at the crystal, HUGE chandelier. Itachi found my shock to be amusing.
Then the door opened.
"I'm home…" Sasuke said while walking in. He gave his backpack to one of the maids.
"Welcome home, little brother." Itachi said smoothly. I shrunk back to his side, trying not to make eye contact with the other Uchiha.
"Eh? Namorina? What is she doing here?" Sasuke asked, staring at me anyways.
"She's joined the Akatsuki and will be part of the meeting for tonight. Do you two… know each other, by chance?" Itachi inquired.
I bit the inside of my cheek, staring at Sasuke. He smirked. "Yeah… She's my girlfriend." He said, haughtily.
"A-as if! I rather date a pig than you!" I shot back, scowling as I half-hid behind Itachi. Sasuke gave me a smug look before heading up the large, golden staircase.
"Whatever. I'm going to do homework in my room. Just make sure they keep it down." He said, coldly.
I watched as he went up the stairs, not one looking back. Itachi sighed and looked down towards me. "I hope my brother isn't causing you any trouble. I know at times he can.. Get a bit carried away."
I shook my head. "It's fine… Sasuke will eventually grow out of it… right?"
Itachi chuckled. "I do hope so. Now, what would you like for dinner later tonight? My chef will prepare our meals to be eaten around six, if that's okay with you. Usually, these meetings go until around eight."
"U-Uhhh… eto… I don't really know. I guess whatever you'll be having. I trust your judgement, Itachi-kun." I said with a small smile.
Fancy people sure do have it easy…
"Then I'll make sure to choose something that would impress you, Namorina-chan."
"Y-You can just call me Shiori. Since I'm calling you by your first name and all…" I trailed off, feeling my heart begin to quicken its pace again.
"Alright, Shiori-chan." He said with a charming smile.
I swear, I almost had a heart attack.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
Itachi went over and opened it, revealing two very familiar figures.
"See, Sasori-no-danna, I knew where I was going!" Deidara said, walking in and giving the maid his bag as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
Sasori walked in after him, rolling his eyes and handing the same maid his bag. "Whatever, brat."
Deidara's eyes landed on me and sparkled. "Heyyy it's Namo-chan, un!" He said, sliding over to me. He threw his arm around my shoulder. "Welcome to the Akatsuki, yeah! It's great to have a cutie like you joining our club."
"Namo-chan…?" I repeated, stupidly.
Deidara nodded his head. "Yeah, yeah. Your name is Namorina, but that just seems too long. Namo-chan!" He was acting like this was a huge discovery.
I smiled sheepishly. "Uh.. Some people call me Shi-chan…" I said.
His eyes widened before he shut them in thought.
"Hmmm… nah. I think Namo-chan is perfect. Right, Sasori-no-danna?"
Sasori gave us a glance. "Hn.. Brat. Why not ask her what nickname makes her the most comfortable?"
Deidara gave him a pout. "She likes Namo-chan… Right, Namo-chan?"
I shrugged. "I don't mind it. Does this mean I can call you Dei-chan and we can have pet names for each other?" I teased.
Deidara laughed, giving me a coy wink. "Sure, why not? I'll call you my baby every now and then too, un."
My eyes rolled. "Alright, 'Baby'."
"If you two will stop flirting for a second and get ready for the meeting, that would be great." Sasori scowled towards us. Deidara took his arm off of me.
"Hn…" Deidara sighed, sending me one last wink before walking into another room.
oOo
"Now that everyone is present, I would like to introduce our newest recruit." Pein said, stepping aside to let me stand in the front.
"H-Hello. My name is Namorina Shiori… uhm…" I didn't know what else to say, so I trailed off.
Konan leaned over towards me. "Just say some of your likes and dislikes." She said.
I straightened up. "I-I love music… And I can play instruments as well… I hope to get along with you all well." I bowed before returning to my seat besides Itachi.
Pein sighed. "I suppose we should all introduce ourselves as well. I'm Pein, your leader."
Next was a boy with blue, spiked up hair. "Kisame. Nice to meet you, Namorina-chan." He said with a pointy smile.
A broader boy with slicked back silver hair smirked while looking at me. "Name's Hidan and don't you forget it, babe."
I felt shivers run down my spine.
Another boy with stitches marked along his body sighed. "Idiot… I'm Kakuzu."
Deidara winked at me. "You know who I am."
I giggled. "Of course I do, Dei-chan."
Sasori looked at me, but showed a small smile. "Sasori. I look forward to working with you."
Konan grinned at me. "Konan."
A boy who had seemed to be painted half black and half white stared at me with a pointy grin. "My name is Zetsu." He said, but his tones changed in the middle of it.
Finally, Itachi tapped me on the shoulder. "And I'm Itachi."
I smiled warmly.
Pein cleared his throat. "I'll now go over what this organization is about. The Akatsuki is an organization backed up by many of our families companies. We are mainly an organization to keep the peace in Konoha and are called upon to fix any.. Problems that might come up. Today's meeting is about a certain delinquent who decided to sell drugs in the back once again. We have told him to stop many times, but he refuses. Our options are limited without proof, though. I think that we should have someone buy drugs from him with a video camera attached to their body. We can record everything and turn him in."
"But he knows about all of us. He knows that everyone of us here is an Akatsuki member." Kakuzu pointed out.
Pein shook his head. "Not everyone…"
All eyes landed on me.
Uh-oh…
oOo
"So you understand the plan?" Pein repeated.
I nodded my head in confirmation. "Yes. Go in, buy drugs, get out, present the evidence to enforcements. Do not engage in violence or smoke the evidence."
"Excellent. We'll begin tomorrow. We will give Itachi the electronics to put under your clothes as well as a hat containing a camera inside of it. Just find him after school."
I nodded in understanding.
"Hn… That concludes this meeting. I believe the Uchiha chefs have cooked our meals?" Pein said.
Itachi nodded. "I have had them put into "To-go" bags for all of you. Please enjoy to your hearts content."
"Thank you, Itachi-kun!" I said cheerfully, taking my extremely heavy bag of food.
"Well… I have to catch a bus home. So I-" "A bus? Nonsense. I'll drive you, un." Deidara said, taking his bag of food as well.
"Eh really? It's not a problem to just take a-" "Seriously. Don't worry about do you live?"
"Just a mile away from school."
Deidara grinned at me, leading both of us out of the house. I said my goodbyes before rushing to catch up with Deidara.
He tossed me a black helmet, pulling up with a black and yellow motorcycle. "Hope ya don't mind." He said.
I knew how to ride a motorcycle… if someone else was driving it. I grinned, putting both backpack straps on my shoulders before putting the helmet on. I got behind Deidara and wrapped my arms around his waist.
Through his clothes, I could feel how toned his muscles were. His body was warm, but solid at the same time. He smelled faintly like cigarettes, but it was a sweeter smell.
"Hold on tight!" He said before pushing off.
oOo
The ride was better than I expected.
Deidara was quick to get me to my house and quick to leave. My mom didn't mind that I had gone to an afterschool club meeting. In fact, she was GLAD that I did.
As I laid in my room, staring at the ceiling, my heartbeat went faster as I thought about all the fun adventures I would have in the near future. I finally have a group of friends that accepts me as well.
But there was this sinking feeling in my chest that if I hadn't changed, I would never be where I was now.
It was sad to think about. I felt sick thinking about how they would leave if I was back to my old self. But… There was a high chance I wouldn't, right?