The group of teenagers who had sat with him on the first day were now around the flagpole, some smiling, most not, but all watching Konan as she twirled around the metal rod, spinning shamelessly like a stripper with her leg hooked up high and a brilliant smile on her face. Her petticoat hid any and everything from sight teasingly, and she laughed joyously as Hidan slipped a dollar bill into her bra strap, which was visible now that she had removed her jacket, the thin lace on her spaghetti strap tank top far too little to hide it. She noticed the confused teen with long dark hair standing a distance away and she motioned for him to come over, lowering her leg and instead leaning against the pole she had danced on.

"Hey, Itachi!" she called, waving carelessly, her laberet glinting in the afternoon sun.

"I still think he looks like a girl," Hidan muttered, raking his hand through his hair then smoothing it back, patting down any frays.

"Well, yeah, 'cause he basically is!" Konan smiled again.

"What do you mean by that?" Kisame asked cautiously.

"He's a hermaphrodite, duh," Hidan cackled, cut down with a swift kick to the knee.

"No! No, no, dumb idiot," Konan scolded. "Are you, Itachi?"

Itachi blinked twice. "I..."

"See? He is."

"Is not."

"I'm not a hermaphrodite," Itachi said plainly, deadpanning his art.

"Told you..." Konan smiled. "C'mon, let's get going."

"Leader, you're gonna have a freaking heat stroke if you keep wearin' your hoodie in such hot weather," Hidan pointed out.

"I'm perfectly fine, you need not concern yourself with me. It's Kisame I'm worried about. He's like a fish out of water," Itachi noticed Pain smirk as everyone laughed, Kisame included.

"Kisame grew up next to the ocean," Konan explained. "He moved here recently."

"Ah," Itachi said, accepting the explanation.

They walked for a good fifteen minutes, luckily though most of the path was shaded by trees. The building was next to a large river, deep and slightly disturbed. Itachi flinched quietly, noticing them step calmly towards it as if they wouldn't fall in. Itachi stopped dead, noticing how Pain walked across the river without sinking, almost on top of the water.

"Is he...?" Itachi mumbled incredulously, noticing Konan giggling at him.

"No, no, look," Konan motioned after everyone had crossed, pulling him over to the water by his wrist and pointing down into the flowing murky river. She pressed his hand to something solid suddenly, and Itachi knew.

"Rocks?"

"Mmhmm. Pain first made the bridge when we discovered this place. Luckily they've never moved."

"Ah," Itachi nodded in understanding.

"After you," Konan notioned with a tilt of her head, her blue hair shifting slightly, rose adorning the sapphire locks easing with gravity.

"Okay..." Itachi stepped out gently, his hands out beside him as he tried to balance.

"They're relatively flat, so it shouldn't be too hard," Konan followed behind him, standing as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Itachi noticed that she really did look as if she was walking on water.

Managing to cross without any sort of embarassing incidents, Itachi noticed the hideout was two-stories high, and looked to be an abandoned house. He wondered off-handedly if anyone had died here. Konan ushered him inside, however, to see three mismatched and overstuffed couches occupied with a few of the members, beer bottles in hand and various openers across the old coffee table. Shoes were strewn across the room and bottles fizzed from being shaken up, smiles etched on everyone's faces. Konan slipped a frothing beer bottle into Itachi's hand and raised her own.

"To Itachi!"

"To Itachi!" resonated throughout the room, much to his surprise, smiles and gestures of welcome resonating. Even their solemn "Leader" had an amicable smile on his pierced lips, nodding to him with his drink raised.

"Drink up, Itachi. Everybody is welcome here," Konan kissed his ear, pulling him over to a sofa with incredibably squishy cushions, bringing him down with her next to Deidara, who smiled and proceeded to reminisce on the "Old days" before they were all Akatsuki. All of their stories were different, all incredible in their own way, but all lacking details profusely, large holes in their stories leaving gaps in their facades, their smiles true but backed and supported on pain and distrust. But here, everyone looked happy, amber bottles in hands with painted nails and fingers of all colors, smiles on all shades of lips, some hidden, some pierced. Bodies of all shapes and sizes meshed together on overstuffed couches, laughing and shoving jovially, no differences; they were all equal, all friends.

Itachi felt something sting at the back of his eyes when an arm was slung around his shoulder and he meshed into the comfort of family for the first time since Shisui's death.

-O-

Hidan reclined against the headboard in the upstairs room, blanket barely covering his naked torso as he mumbled, "So what's the deal with Itachi and his old boyfriend anyways? He still hasen't gotten over it?"

Konan layed herself down on Hidan's chest, smiling as her bare breasts pressed against him, crossing her arms and resting her chin on them. "Itachi and Shisui are practically paronymous. They root from the same word 'Love'. Shisui is 'love' while Itachi is 'lovely' or 'lovable'. Mostly, though, Shisui is the essence of 'love', while Itachi is 'unloved'."

Hidan shrugged slightly, "So he's kinda a loner?"

"Yeah. He'll warm up to you, though, I'm sure."

"Heh. Wonder if he's a masochist. Sure is cute, though. I'd do him."

"You'd do anyone, dork," Konan hit him lightly on the chest, kissing the corner of his mouth.

"I guess I'm just a bit of a whore," Hidan laughed, turning them over so he lay on top of Konan as she wrapped her arms around his neck, murmuring her consent gently as he kissed her.

-O-

"Itachi!" he heard his name called as he slid his AP History book into his messenger bag, recognizing the slight accent.

He turned to see Konan, who ran into his arms effortlessly, kissing him on the cheek.

"Woah, Uchiha, going out with the deaf slut?" he heard chided behind them, and turned to see a brown-haired teen with a horrible sneer chide them. "Guess freaks stick together, huh?"

Suddenly, an Albino came up behind him, tapping him on the shoulder. Konan smiled slightly, relaxing into Itachi's arms.

"I'm gonna need you to come with me," Hidan said calmly, pulling the boy away.

"Did you have a good day?" Konan smiled, swaying gently in his arms despite Itachi's diverted attention.

"What's he gonna do...?" Itachi asked worriedly.

"Just teach him a little lesson, don't worry about it," Konan gestured as if sweeping away his worries, tracing her finger down Itachi's eye, making him close it gently. He suddenly found he forgot about the boy and hesitantly wrapped his arms around the sapphire angel pressed against his chest with some encouragement from her. "So? Your day. How was it?"

"Oh...it was fine. I have a test next week, but that's the extent of it. I had salad for lunch," Itachi laughed. "What about yours?" they began to walk down the hallway.

"A blast. I aced my pop quiz on trigonometry, I danced with Deidara at lunch, and we were talking about you."

"Me?" Itachi stopped. "Why me?"

"No reason..."

Itachi's eyebrow twitched, feeling insulted. "Why would you talk about me behind my back? I thought you guys were different."

"Nothing bad! Never anything bad about you. We were debating wether we could trust you," Konan ran back, pulling him close to her, petting his hair gently. "Wether we could convince you to join Akatsuki. I think it's a good idea. But it's up to you."

Itachi stopped again.

"I...think that's a bit fast. This is all a bit fast, isn't it?"

"I suppose you could think that way..." Konan looked a bit downcast, her lips turning down slightly at the corners. "But you can take all the time you need. We'll always be there for you. Think of what Shisui would want," she turned away from him, her plaid skirt bouncing lightly as she walked away.

"Did you know him?" Itachi called after her.

Konan turned on her heel. "No...But I can see so much of him in you."

Itachi blinked, then chased after her, walking along with her as they left the school.

-O-