Recap:

"It's teamwork," I say to myself. Naruto looks at me, his bright blue eyes widening. "Naruto! We can overwhelm Kakashi and take the two bells," I say, grinning. Sasuke looms in the shadows, and glances at the two of us.

"Teamwork? But isn't it supposed to be assessing our skills?" Naruto asks, obviously a bit puzzled.

"How we work together, idiot," Sasuke speaks up, giving me a glare. I smirk at him, and cross my arms in response. This guy thought he was superior, and all-knowing, but for once in his life he was wronged, and he knew it.

Kakashi reappears and continues to read his book, not interested in what we are saying.

The three of us look at each other before charging at unsuspecting Kakashi.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto sadly :c

I stumble onto the front steps of the Akatsuki residence and clumsily fish out the keys of my pocket. I unlock the dark-colored door, slightly open the door, and peek in. Nothing. Absolute silence. Either someone is fast asleep or they still haven't come home yet. It's about three o'clock and it seems classes haven't finished for any of them. Or the rest of the household decided to go to the nearest town. Naruto invited me for ramen in a town called Konoha. I'm glad I declined, since now I have the whole house to explore for myself. Plus, I'm too broke to even afford a simple bus fare. It cost me enough to get here. Perhaps I'll go to town once, but I'll have to bring along my resume with me, to get a job.

I kick off my shoes and immediately run through the living room and into the kitchen. Of course, it's just as sleek and modern as the living room. The kitchen has a table placed in the middle of a room that's made of pale marble. There are five stools with a supporting back that are able to spin placed around the table. I guess these guys aren't big on eating together, assuming there is no dining room other than this pathetic attempt of one. There's a series of mahogany colored cabinets placed on two walls that meet together into a corner. Also, there's a sleek silver stove that looks like it gathers a lot of dust and a microwave placed left of it. It's kind of obvious which is used more often. I sigh to myself and stroll over to the refrigerator. It is placed to the right of the oven. I open the fridge and look at the inside of the well-stocked fridge. I'm surprised. There's vegetables, fruits, gallons of drinks, and meats. The abundance of food placed in front of me makes my stomach growl. I ate lunch a few hours ago. Plus, I wouldn't call it much of a lunch. I was just given some salad while my teammates chewed on well-stacked sandwiches. I guess it won't hurt to make myself something else. It's a bit hard to get used to this all rich fare and well, that I'm training to be a ninja.

I take out a package of beef and carrots. I manage to find a sack of potatoes. I peel them while simmering the beef on low heat. My mouth waters as the as the aroma of the meat fills up the kitchen. I resist the urge to stuff the raw beef into my salivating mouth. My feet hurt me a lot as I navigate myself through the kitchen. They felt entirely bruised and I suppose that is what happens when chakra is used too much or when it is first used. I'm not sure. I'm in need of a long hot shower but I'll have to wait for the guys to show me what's temporarily mine. I dump the potatoes and carrots that I just chopped into the water. I decide to go fetch my laptop from the living room. I unzip my backpack and fish out the medium-sized silver laptop and take it with me into the kitchen. I open it and turn on the laptop. I set it on the countertop from across the table. The food will take about forty-five minutes to cook. I play my music and crank up the volume before logging onto Facebook.

"From the perfect start to the finish line...and if you are still breathing you are the lucky ones...cause most of us are heaving through corrupted lungs. Setting fire to the insides for fun, collecting names of the lovers that went wrong, the lovers that went wrong," I sing along. To be frank, I'm a horrible singer. I croak each note. Although, if no one's around, I like to sing. It comforts me.

"We are the young...we are the reckless of the wild youth," I finish, and let the singer continue her intended solo while I look through my messages. For some reason, I loved this song. It's just I don't really pay attention the lyrics, but I know them by heart. The song immediately soothes me each time it plays. I don't think too much about it. It's just like a neutralizer for my brain. I don't perk up when I listen to it or become sad, it's just a song that's there and is more of background music. In a way, it's a wallflower song.

Lily Suhoto:

Yo Sakura!

I miss you! How's your new school? Lol if your school allows strangers to sleep over which I don't think they do invite me ASAP please.

Sent at 1:24 through iPhone4.

I smile at Lily's message. She already misses me. I actually do wonder if they let others sleep over, but probably they don't. Lily is a friend that I greatly communicated with over the years and I miss her brazen presence here. She's fearless at making friends and that's what gave me courage to transfer so many times and bother making friends. Even if they jeered at me I tried. She taught me that there are good people everywhere. Unfortunately, she's the only good person I've met so far. We met in middle school and from then on I kept in touch with her even if I switched schools like four times since then. I was still in the same city, then, so we were able to meet up. Now, I'm hours away from her.

Sakura Haruno:

hey lils. this new school is crazy. i'm roommates with two boys and i think all my housemates are guys. i only met two of the guys and i made a scene about it. i feel awful about it but it'll make it even more awkward if i apologize. plus the classes are so much more different

Sent at 3:43.

I quickly type and see a green circle reviving back to life next to Lilly's bold name. I grin to myself, happy, that she logged on at the right time.

Lily Suhoto:

2 guys? r they hot or are they curzed with horrible acne? ummm just prtend it never happened k? and did u find any knew friends?

Sent at 3:47.

My fiery redhead friend quickly replies, misspelling some words while rushing, I bet. I glance at the time to check how much I have left before the food is done. My stomach growls and my mouth further salivates, yearning for the deliciousness of cooked beef. Fifteen more minutes of torture, I mentally groan to myself.

Sakura Haruno:

everyone is really good looking at this school. idk if its the food they are being fed but people have surprisingly really clear skin...and i only met one of my roommates and he's kind of a jerk. i met this nice person named hinata...she's really shy but she's really helpful.

Sent at 3:49.

Lily Suhoto:

thats a great start! plus u better send me pics. i gotta go! evan wants me 2 go see a movie w/ him and gl!

Sent at 3:54.

Lily's green dot fades into transparency. I glumly stare at the screen wishing she didn't have to leave so soon. I have around ten minutes left and I couldn't even play a game or anything because I didn't want to overcook the meat. Usually when I start playing a game of some sorts, I can't tear myself away, and I end up pouring hours on my laptop. I try to blow away a stray piece of blonde hair away from my sticky face, but end up failing my goal. In the end I tuck the light blonde behind my ear.

I'm still curious about the rest of the house. I check the time again. Five more minutes. I should have cleaned the stove, but at the moment I'm too ravenous to mind the dust that's settled on the top. I mentally make a note for myself to clean it tomorrow. Finally, the agonizing five minutes are over, and I'm able to dump the meat onto my plate with the potatoes and carrots. I blow on the dish. I want the food cool faster. There's some more left in the pan. I made too much. I should work on breaking my habit for cooking for my father.

I search for the utensils in the kitchen, opening each cabinet and inspecting it carefully to find the object I seek. On my fifth try, I triumphantly find a fork and a knife. I carry the plate over to the table, place myself on a stool, and dig in.

"Finally! That test was so hard for no absolute reason, un," echoes throughout the house just when I'm about to bite down on the beautifully scented food. My day falls apart into shambles as I stare at the plate of food, my appetite for the delicious savors immediately vanishing. My throat feels dry but my stomach grumbled in protest. I need to feed myself in order to restore my energy.

"Something smells, un," Deidara says the obvious to whoever he's speaking to. His loud obnoxious voice makes me cringe. I forcefully swallow down the piece of meat that now tastes like cardboard. I'm not sure if I should find his comment offensive. I wave it away for now, even if I feel a twinge of anger. I try to quickly cram into my mouth whatever I can, to get rid of the obvious evidence of what I just recently cooked. I just wanted to eat in peace and disappear.

"Pinky!" Deidara greets me with a wide white smile, when he busts into the kitchen, and I struggle to swallow down my food. My plan was already bound for failure when I formed it out of desperation. I stare at him with deer in the headlight eyes; I bet my cheeks look as big as a chipmunk from all the food I stuffed into my mouth. I greet Deidara with a nod, wondering why he'd call me that nickname. I'm not even wearing anything pink. Another male enters the room. The guy from the morning. The redhead. I chew my food into mush and swallow it with ease now. He looks a bit different but I can't put my finger on it.

"Um. If you guys are hungry there's still some food left over," I point to the pans that are scattered on the stove, before awkwardly staring down at my plate. I push my food around a bit with my silverware.

"The bass, the rock, the mike, the treble! I like my coffee black just like my metal. Cause I can't wait for you to knock me up, I can't wait for you to knock me up. I can't wait for you to shut me up. Hair like that! I can't wait for you to shut me up! SHUT! ME! UP!" My laptop screams out. I turn a furious pink and launch myself off the chair. I slide on the wood thanks to my socks. I abruptly stop at the kitchen countertop and hit pause.

"Sorry!" I say, mortified, heat flushing up my neck. The redhead gives me an amused glance before taking out a plate and scooping some food onto it.

"Knock you up, un?" Deidara asks. He's obviously trying to hold in his laughter.

"It's a song!" I snap at Deidara. He irritates me so much that I'm not in the mood to even peck on my food anymore. I can already tell this will be a long evening. I can't even leave the duo since I don't even know where my room is.

When we all finished eating, Sasori and I glance at each other, not knowing what to do now. Deidara dumps all the dishes into the sink and doesn't even bother to splash water on it. Whoever will have to go on dish duty will have a difficult time scraping off the remains.

"Anybody want to watch some TV?" Deidara breaks the tension. I notice he didn't add on his trademark "un" at the end of his sentence.

"Sure," Sasori says.

"I guess I'll tag along," I add, half-heartedly. It's not like I have anything else to do. Sasori seems okay so far. I don't have anything else to do and if I train any more I bet I'll pass out. I close my laptop and follow the guys to the living room. The best sitting place will be the couch that's placed right in front of the TV. Oh well. I sit down onto the right corner of the couch. Thankfully, Sasori sat down in the middle before Deidara could further annoy me by sitting next to me. I slip my laptop into my backpack.

Deidara turns on the television and starts scrolling down the guide. There's nothing that catches my attention. And then Deidara does the unspeakable. He plays Days of Our Lives.

Oh.

My.

God.

I glance at Sasori who seems utterly unfazed by all of this. I decide to get over my painful awkwardness and the uncomfortable situation I'm in. "Are you seeing this?"

"What?" Sasori sounds confused, glancing back at me.

"Did Deidara just choose to watch Days of Our Lives from the thousands of different shows that are ten times better than this soap crap?" I ask him, trying to soak it in. I'm watching the dreaded Days of Our Lives. I never thought in my life that I'd have to watch this drama shit again. I used to watch this in the fifth grade. I thought it was so cool until one day I realized what an awful show this was. It's one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life to stop watching it. Days of Our Lives is such a time waster.

"Yes, Sakura," he manages out, not knowing what the heck is going on.

"What's so wrong with Days of Our Lives?" Deidara asks in a defensive tone.

"We aren't watching this horrible show," I say.

"Yes, we are," Deidara grits his teeth. I turn my head to the left to look at him. He meets my gaze defiantly. "And it's not horrible."

"I'd rather watch Titanic ten times in a row than this," I tell him truthfully. I sob like a baby each time.

"Too bad!" He sticks up his chin like a pouty little child. The remote control is still in Deidara's bronze-colored hand.

"Oh no you don't!" I start to reach for the remote. Deidara immediately jerks back and sticks his hand with the remote up into the air. No fair! He's even tall when sitting down! I crawl over Sasori's lap, and get a hold of Deidara's hand. I swing my legs over Deidara and straddle him.

"The remote, yeah!" He says dramatically. I think he's going easy on me. His grip wasn't too hard and it made me feel mad how Deidara is underestimating me. I easily pry the remote control out of his grasp.

"Ha!" I triumphantly jeer at him by pointing the remote at his face. Immediately the remote control is yanked out of my grasp and goes into Sasori's hands. I don't even bother to ask him how he did it. I suspect it'll be the same answer as always. Chakra.

"No fair!" Deidara and I both simultaneously say in which Sasori smirks in response to.

"Mine," Sasori settles the fight.

I retreat back into my seat and watch Sasori search through the guide. "You better put on something more bearable than Days of Our Lives."

"I actually hate Days of Our Lives," Deidara confesses after a few seconds of silence.

"What?" I blankly say. So this whole time he was just making a fool out of me? How dare he?

"I just wanted to see your reactions, un," he chuckles.

"Days of Our Lives can be actually used as a source of torture," Sasori says matter-of-factly.

"I feel bad for whoever has to endure a marathon of this show." I can't help but crack up over what Sasori said. Sasori finally chooses something for the lot of us to watch. It turns out to be about some woman who works for the news and gets fired. She's forced to join some crappy news show and tries to make changes so it'll get more viewers. It's kind of funny since at one point she forces this old news reporter to go on a roller coaster ride and he looks like he's having a heart attack while on it. None of us speak throughout the movie. Well, Deidara has to put some stupid comment every five seconds or so, but Sasori and I ignore him. I end up falling asleep before the ending.

I wake up in a bed I don't recognize. It's a soft mattress. The type I never had and can melt into. I don't even recall walking up here.

"You're up," Sasori says in a bored tone.

"What time is it?" I ask the red-head. I sit up and throw the white covers off me.

"It's five a.m.," he informs me. I look around the room and notice there are only two beds. Deidara is clutching his pillow like a little child and its teddy bear. His silky blonde hair is fanned out and his expression is peaceful. His legs are tangled in a white sheet while he inaudibly mumbles something several times. Damn, he can't even stop talking in his sleep. I return my gaze back to Sasori. He's sitting on a black wooden chair with a sketchbook placed in his hands. The two beds are on the same side of the room placed within the corners. Sasori is across from me scratching something into his sketchbook.

"This is your bed?" I roll out of bed and groan at my filthy clothes.

"Yes. I have no use of it. Think of it as a welcoming gift," Sasori says, his eyes flickering back to me.

"Can't sleep?" I ask Sasori. I spot my backpack on the dark hardwood floor. I kneel down and take out my only other shirt. It's simply too hot to wear jeans and it would look bad if I wear the same outfit in two days.

"Something like that," he replies.

"Can you show me where the bathroom is?" I take out a pink plastic toothbrush with a small tube of toothpaste. I add on a white towel and shower gel to my pile. I wonder what's up with Sasori. He slept the day before, but couldn't tonight?

"In there," his droopy brown eyes follow me until I no longer feel their presence when I shut the door behind me. The first thing I notice is the shower. It's made of glass. The light pea green color in the bathroom is surprisingly nice. I'd have never thought of to use that color. The bathroom is fairly sized. The toilet has its own wall and the sink is placed next to the glass box. Additionally, I notice the cleanliness. There's no hair or anything spotted anywhere. No toothpaste on the sink. I honestly thought it was going to be worse since I'm rooming with two guys. Thinking about it, even their bedroom floor was clear of any dirt.

I practically skip out of the bathroom. I feel so much more refreshed from just cleaning myself up. I glance down at my long sleeved striped shirt. It's a bit warm in the house and I wish I had a better T-shirt suited for this warm weather.

"Thank you," I mumble to Sasori. "Um...do you want to go eat breakfast downstairs?"

"Sure. I have nothing else to do other than watch Deidara snore," he remarks distastefully. Sasori stands up and I follow him down into the kitchen where a rather large man with slicked back silver hair is slurping up cereal.

"So you are the new girl, bitch," the man I dubbed Oldie says.

"Wow, you have great observational skills. Please tell me more that I don't know," I sarcastically say, trying to find a bowl. Er-that was a rather horrible comeback. It sounded just awkward and I mentally wince. Also, that was unlike me. I normally try not to give pleasure to bullies by talking back. I find one before I spot about ten different cereal boxes placed on top of the fridge. Figures that they'd have this amount since it's the easiest thing to make. I bet these guys are as great cooks as Oldie's observations.

"You know, it's usually polite to say your name first," he says. I turn to face him. His lips curl up into a smile. I place bowl and cereal on the dining table. I meet his eyes for a second. I did a double-take, realizing his eyes were purple. Purple. Must I stress the color? This is getting weirder by the second.

"You didn't say your name," I reply. Sasori silently pours milk into his bowl before sitting down next to Oldie. I take the milk and pour it practically to the brim of the bowl.

"Fine. I'm Hidan, bitch," he introduces himself grudgingly.

"Sakura Haruno," I say, now focusing on eating my cereal. I ignore his foul language. Even if it does sting a bit, I'm practically used to this. Shhh, it's just me. I stiffen.

"Listen, bitch, Akatsuki's going on some sort of field day today. You coming?" Hidan asks me sharply after I eat the last of my cereal.

"Huh?" I look at Sasori for help, who's still working on his breakfast.

"You dimwit, can you even bother even be gracious? Or perhaps even give her some details? Plus, it's not like she has any choice," Sasori rolls his eyes, shoving a spoon into his mouth. Not any choice? Does Sasori now decide what I should do and not do? I tighten my grip on my spoon.

"Oh yeah. We're going to the beach. Hot babes just waiting to be laid," Hidan sighs dreamily.

"Er-I'd rather not," I decline after hearing Hidan talk about this "field-day".

"You don't understand, newbie," Hidan tells me. "You have to go."

"It's mandatory," Sasori deadpans.

"Oh," I study Hidan for a second. Then, I think about Deidara. I have to be around those two? My head already hurts from just mulling over the possible outcomes if I had to communicate with them throughout the whole day.

"But I don't even have a bathing suit."

Author's Note:

Hey guys, it's Arya! c:

I'm shocked (and really pleased!) by all the feedback I've been getting. Thank you so much for the reviews and the follows! It means a lot. I also apologize for taking forever to update. I prefer to write here and there before my parents take me to our other home where there is sadly no wi-fi and I get so bored so I just write everything there. It will also take me a while to write up chapters (perhaps I'll write two chapters for each month) since I'm working on a cosplay and trying to finish up my drawing portfolio. And, I've been taking quite an interest to reading many Agatha Christie books. They are just so interesting!

Again, thanks! It means so much :D

Another note is that I'm going to Amnesia: A New Home off the unannounced hiatus. I've been rather lazy to update, but since people are lately following it, I'm rather motivated to post a new chapter. Well...I already have parts of a chapter written up. I might post it any time this week when I'll have time c:

This is only my second story and I apologize for any mistakes made. Plus, I'm not really used to writing fanfiction. So...yeah...it's kind of still new for me.

And remember, a review may seem meaningless to you, but it lasts a long time with an author. :)

Thank you for the awesome reviews:

BlackTitania Gem

AnimeGirl45xoxo