"Fuck, I thing I can-, uh had one two many," Kishi hiccoughed, giggling cheerily as she swayed in her barstool. Rei let out a laugh straight from her belly, throwing back her head.

"More like four too many," she cackled. Kishi gave her a confused look.

"I only had four," she whined, furrowing her brow.

"Exactly!" Rei bellowed, slamming her empty cup on the counter and waving over the bartender. "I need another one of these, damn!" She didn't notice the bartender rolling his eyes, but he wasn't too annoyed. After all, Rei and Kishi were two of his favorite customers. It wasn't often that he got pretty young women in his bar, and he thought maybe he was lucky that two such girls seemed to think this rundown dump as their favorite.

"What's a pretty thing like you doin' in a place like this?"

Then again, as he watched Rei grab the man and shove his face into the bar, holding his arm behind his back and yelling curses at the back of his head, maybe he wasn't as lucky as he'd like to think.

By the time the bartender, Shinobu, had managed to calm Rei down and get her to release the poor guy, Kishi had begun to snooze on the bar. He sighed, putting his head in his hands while Rei yelled at the guy to get out while he retreated like a dog with his tail between his legs.

Disgruntled, Rei turned back around and grabbed her drink, taking a deep swig and scrunching her face.

"Man, I hate guys like that," she scowled, glowering down into her drink.

She was too drunk to notice the two entering the bar behind her.

Sasori glanced around the rundown bar.

He wasn't a fan of this sort of place. He couldn't drink if he wanted to, anyway, so the pleasures of such a dingy hole were entirely lost on him.

He took a moment to observe his surroundings. There weren't very many people in here, a couple villagers sitting in booths in the low light, talking quietly among themselves. He noticed that some of them were casting wary glances toward the two girls sitting at the bar. They shared the same tan skin as the rest of the village folk, but he noticed a thin litheness that was uncommon in farmers in the one with the long hair. She was staring down into her cup furiously while the bartender tried to sooth her, or something like that.

"Now this is much better, uhn," Deidara smiled, marching up to the bar with money in hand. Sasori watched him lazily, before turning to find a seat in a dark corner. His job tonight was simply to watch and wait, his least favorite thing to do. But what he lacked in patience he made up for in willpower. He had a sense of honor toward his gang, and he wasn't stupid enough to think he could get away with botching a mission as important as this one.

Deidara approached the bar with enthusiasm, coming to stand beside the long haired girl. He glanced at her sideways, somewhat curious about her sour attitude.

"Not a good drink, yeah?" He asked conversationally. He could feel Sasori glaring holes into his back, but he didn't really care. They were supposed to blend in, anyway. People started up chats at bars, it was normal.

She looked over at him, and then her eyes sparked curiosity.

Rei had never met someone like him before.

He was pale despite being sunkissed, at least pale in comparison to all of the people that she knew, and he had endlessly long blond hair tied up in a high ponytail. The one eye she could see was blue and filled with an interestingly innocent curiosity. He was clearly young, maybe about her age or a little younger, and if his smooth skin and flawless complexion meant anything it was that he was a little bit of a pretty boy.

"Nah, I don't like the company." The boy looked suddenly put off and she blushed, quickly raising her hands. "No, I don't mean you!" She laughed, embarrassed. "Sorry, that came out completely wrong. I mean, er, there was this guy and he, well, he was a total sleaze, at least he was acting like it, and it put me off, I-" She stopped herself, her blush growing more intense. "I'm talking way too much, aren't I?"

"A little bit, yeah," he said, tilting his head slightly and giving her a wry smirk.

"I'll buy you a drink. Shinobu!" She called, waving to the bartender who made his way over. "Saki for two, please," she grinned, her face flushed from embarrassment and alcohol. He nodded almost sagely, which made Rei snort. Beside her Kishi snored loudly. "I'm Rei," she smiled, bowing casually.

"Kokei, uhn," he replied, bowing somewhat awkwardly in return. Shinobu returned with their saki, and Rei downed a cup quickly. She was already in deep, but at this point she figured there was no going back. Deidara took a seat beside her, quickly memorizing his fake name.

"So, you're not from here?" Rei asked. Deidara examined her. She was a pretty thing, with her tan skin and dark eyes. She would have an exotic look to her anywhere else, but among the villagers of Sagai she blended in perfectly. She was obviously fit, maybe a little too fit for a villager. She was wearing a revealing top and form fitting pants. He wasn't surprised that she was being hit on by some undesirable folk, especially in a place like this.

"No, yeah," he said, taking a sip of his sake. It was cheap and bitter, but he was used to it. She frowned, confused, her eyes hazy.

"What?" She tilted her head, her black hair falling over her shoulder. Deidara scowled.

"No, I'm not from here, uhn," he enunciated. Rei blinked, then a giggle spilled out of her mouth.

"Obviously, I mean, you're so pale," she laughed. Deidara glared at her, but a smile was flitting over his lips.

"To you, maybe," he snapped back. She only continued to laugh at him.

"What are you doing in Sagai?" She asked, still chuckling. Deidara raised an eyebrow.

"Are you going to laugh at me for that, too, yeah?" He teased, taking another sip of his sake.

"Maybe, that depends on what you're in town for," she smiled, leaning on her hand and gazing at him. Deidara gave her a coy smile.

"I think that I'm gonna keep that to myself, yeah." He downed the last of his sake and stood. "Thanks for the drink, uhn."

"Oh, well. You're welcome," Rei frowned. He waved lazily over his shoulder as he walked way, towards a redheaded boy sitting in the back of the room. She frowned as she watched him go, then turned and sunk down into her seat. "Ugh." She put her head on the bar. Maybe she had too much to drink.

"What's wrong now?" Shinobu sighed, coming back to stand before her, wiping out a glass with a rag.

"I'm so bad at flirting," she grumbled. Shinobu glanced over her shoulder to see the blond she had just been talking to staring back at her. He could see the smirk on the kids face, and it made him frown.

"Well, maybe you just haven't found the right guy, yet," he comforted, placing the glass down on a shelf.

"Maybe," she groaned. LIfting her head up, she looked over at Kishi. "I should probably get her home, huh?" It wasn't really a question, but Shinobu nodded anyway. Rei stood from her chair and stretched, before turning and heaving Kishi onto her back. She stumbled a little, but made her way to the door.

Shinobu shook his head. No matter how many times he saw it, Rei looked a little ridiculous drunkenly hauling her friend out the door. She was so small, which made her strength all the more surprising.

When he noticed the two newcomers watching her leave he frowned again.

Something about the newcomers rubbed him the wrong way.

A/U: Just a quick note, I'm noticing that the chapters are pretty short in comparison to what I normally do. Sorry if it's a little disorienting! Considering the scenes are short, and there's really no need to make them longer at the time, I figure that it fits the flow.

Please leave a review if you like the story!