(*A/N: Hey guys~! Sorry I got this in late! I've been very busy, but now i'm trying to get as much done as I can~ Thank you for your nice reviews on this story thus far, i'm very pleased you all LIKE it! Alright, ON TO THE NEXT CHAPTER~! Please give more reviews! Love ya~3*)
*Chapter 3: The Primetime*
-Night 1 (9:33 p.m.)
*Itachi & Kisame's Room*
Itachi stared into space for a good couple of minutes, wondering about Konan's actions earlier when they arrived to the house.
Perhaps he was the only one who saw it, the disturbed look in her eyes as she checked her surroundings and the way she appeared tensed by the light wind. He wasn't able to guess what could've bothered her, but he didn't want to ask.
"Doing alright over there Itachi?," Kisame questioned curiously as he finished unpacking his last bag.
He turned to peer at his tall blue friend, as serious in appearance as usual, "Yes I'm fine."
"Man I'm just thrilled about staying here for the month. It's a month right?"
"Yes it is for a month."
"Well, I am excited for it. Kakuzu must've really put a lot of thought into find a pretty good place like this."
"It's only decent," Itachi protested smoothly.
Kisame appeared skeptical towards him. His mouth slightly hung down, the tips of his sharp white teeth showing.
"What do you mean decent? This is awesome! It's better than that crappy lair we always stay in. You got to at least believe that," Kisame argued.
Itachi remained silent. He stared blankly at the dark umber wooden floor with his dull opaque eyes. It made Kisame concerned when he didn't respond.
"What's the matter with you? Sounds like someone's being a party pooper," the shark man enthusiastically joked as he shoved Itachi's arm with his.
"I'm not, but let me ask you something," Itachi said in his defense, though he wasn't offended in the first place.
"I'm listening," Kisame said as he went to sit on his own cotton white bed next to Itachi's.
The Uchiha's eyes focused on his partner's as he fixed himself properly to talk to him. He casually removed his Akatsuki cloak and put it aside on the bed.
"Did you sense something strange when we arrived?," he asked firmly.
Kisame was puzzled by the question.
"No. Everything seemed fine. You?"
"Me neither, but when we stood outside on the porch, Konan seemed troubled by something. Her face looked uneasy."
Kisame narrowed his light fishy eyes, "What do you mean by uneasy and troubled?"
"As in she either saw or felt something unusual while we stood out in the front," Itachi explained slowly.
Kisame shook his head in disbelief, which sort of bothered his Uchiha partner.
"That's ridiculous Itachi. Konan was probably just going through some kind of hormonal issues. You know, female mood swings," Kisame claimed as he rolled his wrists.
"Somehow I doubt that," Itachi stated as he fixed himself on his bed, "I would believe more that she was possibly nervous, but then again, I never asked Konan herself about it."
"Why not?"
"I figured it wasn't a big deal, but in case it was, I decided to give her space. I wasn't planning to bug her about it if she didn't want to talk it over," Itachi told his friend as he lied back on his bed.
Kisame shrugged his shoulders, seeing it as not a big problem, perhaps because he really didn't care. He wasn't going to allow Itachi to dwell on it either. It was vacation time in his mind.
"Relax Itachi, there's no need to think deeply about it. I'm sure she's fine. If anything, she was most likely nervous about coming here for vacation, like you said. People do get a bit uncomfortable in unfamiliar places," Kisame said in an assuring tone.
Itachi removed his headband and stared at the dull white ceiling, beginning to agree with Kisame's statement as he folded the headband neatly on the dark nightstand. He didn't respond, but he nodded his head lightly as he turned his body and pulled the sheets over him.
Kisame took it as an acceptance and lightly chuckled in his chest as he prepared himself for bed.
"Time for a good rest. Sweet dreams Itachi, and goodnight Kisame," he said as he lifted his long blue legs over the bed roughly, noticing that his feet were hanging over the edge dramatically.
He became disappointed quickly as he also saw that the blanket was too short for his long structure. Wiggling his long toes, he groaned loudly as he slammed his head against the puffy pillow beneath him.
"Ahhh great! Why did we get the kiddie bedroom?," he mumbled upsettingly, folding his legs up so he could cover up a bit more with the limited size blanket.
*Pein & Konan's Room*
Konan sat up in the single king size bed she had to share with Pein, staring at the back of her hands as they lied on her lap. The strange aura she sensed that morning continued to haunt her even into the night. Settling in the house wasn't even enough to ease her nerves.
She knew the others didn't go through what she did and Pein was more of a mystery. It was obvious that that man was as tough as nails, or was it rocks? Either way, if he did feel the unknown presence, he would most likely not admit it.
However, Konan wanted to find out for herself if it was possible.
She waited patiently for him to finish up in the bedroom's personal restroom, almost a little nervous about asking, but it was something she wanted to get out of the way sooner. She heard the flush of the toilet and the sink running, which meant he was done using the bathroom and was about to return.
The orange spiky haired male came out shirtless, his piercing revealed along with his toned and muscular shape. Konan didn't mind at all about her friend's figure. She was used to it. In addition, she wasn't even looking towards his direction the whole time he was in the room with her.
"You may use the bathroom if you wish," Pein told her as if he gave her permission.
She simply nodded and remained silent, her light amber colored eyes sort of soft and dull. She nibbled on her bottom lip, even quivering in the bed as she gloomed over her hands. Although he didn't appear like it face wise, Pein was becoming concerned with her not responding or looking directing at him. He took a few steps forward by the bed and watched her cautiously.
"What is wrong with you Konan? You don't seem to be well," he questioned in almost a demanding tone.
She barely gave short glances at him, her lips were pursed and she curved her fingers into fists. Why was she acting strange, he wondered. It was unlike her to be greatly bothered by something. He knew her too well. She would usually just blurt it out and be somewhat sarcastic, playing it cool in a way, but tonight, things were different. Something was poking deep in her mind.
"Pein?," she whispered.
"Yes?"
"Did you sense something on the porch this morning? When we arrived to this house?"
There was a pause between them. He didn't make any movements, even his face never shifted out of a reaction. He was very still as she was staring straight forward.
"Yes," he replied coolly.
Her face lit up as she peered up at him. She almost seemed relieved to hear that someone besides her also experienced the unusual sensation she had previously. Her eyes had a sparkle in them as she prepared to ask him some more about it.
"Really? What was it?," she desperately demanded to know.
He paused, watching and observing her thoroughly. He raked through his ginger hair with his long fingers and never removed his view of her. His lips were a straight line and closed shut tightly like his had glue on his mouth. After more than a minute of silence, he was ready to speak his mind.
"The anticipation of whether or not you were going to pass gas again," his response sincere and deep.
Appalled by his answer, Konan's mouth dropped open and her eyes grew wide. How rude, she thought! His straight lined lips even twitched from the side after saying it. It began to tick her off. She grabbed the cotton white pillow she was lying on and swung it towards him like a sword, but Pein swiftly dodged it, stepping closer to the nightstand on his side.
"How dare you say that and crush my hopes!," she exclaimed as she squeezed the edge of the pillow tightly, wrinkling the cover over it.
"What hopes?," Pein wondered bemusedly.
She hesitated as she peered up at her emotionless companion. Why did she need to explain to him what was the matter with her? Was he going to understand? Or was he just going to blow it off as nothing. Was she really the only one? She then looked away and grasped the pillow against her body like a teddy bear.
"Nothing. It's nothing…," she replied in a whisper.
Pein sat right next to her, studying her carefully. What's going on with her?
"Are you sure about that?," he asked lowly and softly.
She kept silent. It was like he never spoke. Her eyes were unsteady, as if she was trying to distract herself. Her behavior at that moment was too strange.
"Konan," he called sternly.
Suddenly, she snapped back into reality, as it seemed to Pein. She darted straight at him with a shocked expression all over. Pein's eyebrows furrowed deeply and he leaned back a bit, puzzled by all of this.
"Okay, what's going on?," he wanted to know.
"N-Nothing Pein," she snapped.
"Konan, I need you to be truthful."
"I am being truthful," she lied.
He growled in his throat. He wasn't how he could get down to the bottom of it. Konan was becoming a tough nut to crack. He wasn't even sure if he had the energy to get it out of her then. All he wanted was to rest for the night and plan their vacation thoroughly in the morning around breakfast time. Konan's mysterious emotions were interfering with his potential sleep hours.
"Really? That's not convincing me," he said to her as he glanced off to the side.
"I'm serious Pein," she continued to lie.
She knew deep inside her shaking mind that he could sense something off about her statement. Then again, why would she want to say anything now that he assumed that she was going to fart earlier? She maintained her proper posture and sucked it up, acting like she wasn't fazed anymore.
"Goodnight Pein," she shut off the lamp on her nightstand and threw herself under the thick bed sheets, ignoring any other inquisitions Pein might have wanted to deliver.
He then only brushed back the loose hairs from his face and did the same as she did, turning in for the night like he intended to. As he drifted to sleep, he dismissed her weird actions, assuming she was just nervous and rested normal.
Konan wasn't able to enjoy the rest of the night. As she attempted to slumber, her eyes flew open and her body stiffened as she began to hear voices coming from outside of the room.
