The Actors

Summary: The Naruto world we know is real. The show we know is FICTION. The actors are real. With real lives, real friends, real tragedies. Life is awesome, until reports of a real-life Akatsuki shows up and threatens the life they know and love.

Disclaimer: I own the plot and my character, nothing less, nothing more. I wish I did own more. XD

Notes/Warnings: None this chapter. As a note, yes this story has an OC. Yes, it has Yaoi. Yes, the OC is related to someone on the show.

DEAL.

If you don't like it, don't read or review. Just hit the button that says, "Back" Or the little backspace key on your keyboard.

So, if anyone was wondering, School is okay. It IS school, after all. I decided to update (because I feel it's been a little too long) and cause you've all been patient. There isn't much to say, I'm trying to keep up with writing as much as I can while still passing school and keeping my life. XD Don't forget, if you have any questions, please, ask. I'll reply as soon as I can

Thanks for the Reviews to those of you who have reviewed! I hope you'll keep it up! Thanks for reading!!

Chapter 10 – Graduation

"Wow, this is really nice." Hinata murmured, looking around their seats.

"Yeah, much better than our graduation." Kiba added, sitting next to her at the end of their row, Akamaru lying beside him.

Currently, they were seated outside Konoha High School, attending Kirei's graduation. There were others with them, Shikamaru dragged out of bed by Ino, sitting right beside Hinata and Kiba, while Neji and Raiha were behind them.

Naruto and Sakura would've been there, had they not been called on an urgent mission.

None of them failed to notice that the raven, Sasuke, was there as well, hidden amongst the trees instead of sitting with them. He would've sat with them, but he didn't want to have to deal with how they picked on him about liking Kirei.

Over the course of the 2 weeks between Prom and Graduation, people began to think he and Kirei were dating. They weren't in the least; they'd rather be friends than a couple.

Even the Yondaime had begun to suspect something between the two, since Sasuke became much more protective of her than the Yondaime had ever seen. For this, he was thankful. Sasuke had reported all the things she'd told him, the things he'd seen and the fact that someone may be breaking into her house and even told the Yondaime he'd be around her more often.

Sitting in the next section, Kirei was easily able to point out all her friends. It wasn't that hard, seeing as how there was a giant dog beside them. The only one she couldn't see was Sasuke, but knew he was there. She wasn't sure how; maybe the necklace she wore, but she knew. She sighed. "This is gonna take forever…" She mumbled, watching as people in her class were called up by last name.

It was the only time in her life where she thought being a Namikaze sucked.

"I wonder when she'll come running up." Kiba said, happy to be out of those chairs

Hinata nodded. "She seemed excited." She was happy too, seeing as how sitting on the chairs were like sitting on iron.

"I'd be too, if I finally got done with my schooling!" Ino added, stretching as she pulled Shikamaru along.

He yawned, wanting to go back to sleep. "That's why I became a Ninja. The schooling was shorter."

Hinata sighed happily, shaking her head.

Raiha nodded, understanding. She'd just gotten out of college. "Yeah, I sometimes regret not being a ninja, like you guys. The schooling's much shorter."

Neji shook his head, right beside her. "No, you don't."

Sitting there, Akamaru's ears perked up and he barked, looking off near the seats, his tail wagging, recognizing that scent. Kirei was coming.

They turned to where Akamaru had sniffed her out, seeing her walking up, cap, gown and diploma in hand. Everyone noticed that she didn't seem like her usual self.

"Hey sweetie," Hinata said as she walked up. "What's wrong?" She tried to give Kirei a hug, but she pulled away from Hinata.

She shook her head, gripping the gown in her hand. She wanted to go home and stay there.

Everyone shot worried glances to each other, wondering what happened to the blonde.

"Kirei, what happened?" Kiba asked, reaching out his hand to tousle her hair like Naruto and Sasuke did, but she stepped back.

She shook her head again. "Mm-mm."

Looking to the other members of the small group, Neji sighed. "I think we need – "

"Kirei, what's going on?" Sasuke asked as he walked up, seeing the glances the others had from his forest seat. This was enough to pull him from there and take any picking they had ready for him.

Unlike how she'd taken steps backward and away from everyone else, she walked right up to the Uchiha, gripping his shirt and burying her face in his chest.

No one was relatively shocked; the two were always connected somehow. Kirei was always holding his hand or jumping on him, so a hug wasn't out of the ordinary.

"Do you wanna go home?" He asked softly, taking her cap, gown and diploma from her so it would be easier for her to hold onto him.

She nodded, glad Sasuke was there to take care of her. A necklace wouldn't be able to cover this. She was glad she had her friends there, but she wanted him.

He sighed, looking at everyone else and scowling at them.

They all – even Kiba – had goofy grins on their faces.

"I hate you all." He growled, glaring at all of them, hands around Kirei. He knew they thought Kirei and himself liked each other, but as long as she was happy being friends, so was he.

"We know." Ino sighed, shaking her head and smiling.

"Get her home safe, okay?" Hinata asked, knowing Sasuke hated it when they picked on him. He hated it more when they picked on her about it.

He nodded, his anger dissipating,. "Don't worry about her."

She smiled, seeing the two vanish. It was a little strange seeing Sasuke now, knowing that only a few months ago, he couldn't've cared less what happened to anyone. He was their friend and would help them if they drastically needed it, but other than that he was quiet and reserved, favoring to stay away from everyone. Seeing him now, he hadn't changed too much. He was still quiet and reserved, at least when Kirei or Naruto weren't around.

If Kirei was around, he wouldn't scowl at all and on rare occasions, smile at someone other than her. He was always talkative around her, going so much to talk to Hinata or Sakura and get the girls started on a subject just so he could see her laugh and smile.

If Naruto was around, he would seldom scowl and never smile. He would talk much less, offering a word here or there.

If neither was around, you'd be surprised to even see Sasuke.

"Hinata," Ino said, poking the blue-haired in the forehead. "Konoha to Hinata, are you there?"

Chuckling, Hinata nodded, swatting Ino's hand away. "Yes, I'm here."

"Good," Raiha added.

"Cause we want in." Neji finished for her, smiling at his cousin.

Hinata ruffled her brows, faking her confusion, she wondered if they were talking about her plotting. "In on what?" She asked innocently.

Kiba sighed. "Oh come on, Hinata. We could smell your scheming during Christmas."

She smiled, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "Oh…well…about that…"

Ino raised an eyebrow. "What, it's not like you're not trying to get them together! You've tried, at least…haven't you?"

Everyone had thought Hinata was getting them together ever since Christmas.

She shook her head. "Well, Sakura and I tried during Christmas. Sasuke found out and ever since then, we haven't schemed at all."

Other than a slight snore from Shikamaru, the group was quiet.

"…You mean to say that this is happening all on it's own?" Raiha asked, a bit surprised. She'd seen the changes in the raven, but thought it was all Hinata's doing.

"Yeah."

"Jeez." Kiba began, shaking his head. "You'd think we would've noticed."

Sasuke had never in his life seen Kirei like this.

Entering the loft, she let him go, throwing her shoes in the corner of the room. Then, she started heading upstairs, sighing as she tried to stop her crying, drying her eyes.

Sasuke followed, setting her stuff on the couch. "Kirei, do you wanna – "

"No, I don't." She cut him off, turning around to face him.

His heart sank when she saw her, gaze softening.

She wasn't look at him, more of looking at the floor, her usually happy eyes drained of everything; color and emotion. "Thanks for bringing me home, but…I kinda want to be alone right now." She turned once more, heading up the stairs to her room.

He heard about this look from Naruto. It could only mean one thing. Following just a few more steps, he asked quietly, "Who died, Kirei?"

At the top of the steps, Kirei stopped, setting her hand on the railing and sighing. "Misaki." She slid her hand on the railing as she went into her room, her door shutting quietly.

Sasuke had met the girl once or twice, finding out that she and Kirei were good friends. She was one of the only people in the whole school Kirei didn't hate. Traveling up the stairs and going to her door, he listened in.

His ear so close, he jumped when Kirei pounded on the door, crying out in frustration. He even heard her scream, making him wondering just how violent she'd get. Hand hovering close to the doorknob, afraid of the things she might do, he contemplated on opening it and going inside to help.

"No." He shook his head, pulling his hand away. He had to trust her, knowing that she wouldn't do anything to herself and that maybe in a little while she'd come out and want to talk.

With a sigh, he turned and went back downstairs, heading for her couch. If she needed him, he'd be there for her.

Just as he plopped onto the couch, the phone in his pocket rang, it's ringer signaling a text message. Pulling it out, he found it was from Hinata.

"How's she doing?"

He smiled, reading it. At least she wasn't scheming anymore. "Good as she can with what happened. Her friend died today." He wrote back.

The reply was immediate. "Send our love, Sasuke. You're the only one who can right now."

He shook his head, turning on the Tv, keeping the volume low. "I will."

There was no reply from Hinata, so Sasuke shut his phone, leaving it out on the table beside him. Lying back on the couch, flipping through channels, Sasuke figured that if she wasn't coming out for a while he could afford to take a nap.

He wasn't sure why, but for the longest time, he'd get the best sleep at her loft and never at home. He'd get sleep at home, but it was always frequented with nightmares and him waking up. "Maybe because something bad didn't happen here…" He mumbled, pulling a pillow behind his head. Or maybe it was because there was company, even though she was in a different room.

Either way, he got sleep.

Opening her door quietly, Kirei walked out of her room, hungry as hell. She would've stayed in her room, but if she did, her stomach would kill her. Having changed her clothes to her boxers and t-shirt, she wondered why the tv and lights were on downstairs, seeing the lights as she traveled downstairs.

It was close to 1 in the morning…so, who was here?

Keeping quiet as she came to the landing, her eyes landed on the raven sleeping on her couch. Smiling, she went over to him, shutting off the tv and turning to look at him.

How sweet was it that he stayed here, in her loft, even though she wanted to be alone? Yes, he did fall asleep and was probably asleep most of the day, but that was okay. He was still there, wasn't he?

Doing what she knew she was going to regret, she brushed away the bangs that covered his face, kissing him on the forehead. "Thank you." She whispered softly, taking one last glance before heading into the kitchen before her stomach growled and woke him up.

"You're welcome."

Hearing his voice, Kirei stopped dead, her cheeks becoming very hot. "O-oh…you're up…" She whispered, turning around to face the Uchiha, smiling as she tried to force down her blush.

"Yes, I am." He answered, also smiling as he sighed, getting up from the couch. "Feeling better, I see."

"Well, actually – " Before she got to answer him, her stomach let out the loudest growl she'd ever heard.

Sighing and shaking his head, he could very well believe she was hungry. He should've known that's what would drive her from her room. "You know, you are the strangest person I think I've ever met."

"Good." She replied, smiling. "Now, I'm gonna get something to eat before I pass out or starve." Knowing he'd follow, she headed into the kitchen, preparing one of her favorite meals; Ramen.

Just like she thought, the raven did follow her, finding a seat at her table. "Hinata and them send their love, just so you know."

She nodded. "Thanks…" After getting the water on, she turned to face him, rubbing the back of her neck. "I know it was kinda rude to just leave them there…"

He shook his head. "No, they understand. We have to deal with deaths a lot in our line of work…so…"

"What about you?" She asked, looking at the raven. "You're not mad for me just – "

"Kirei." He began, looking dead into blue eyes, wondering if they were serious. "I could never be mad at you. Ever."

She felt stupid for asking, turning back to her ramen. "Okay." Yet, she felt relieved. She could handle everyone else being mad at her for skipping out, but if Sasuke was mad at her, she wasn't sure what she'd do. He'd become so much a part of her life, it was hard to imagine living without him.

"Why did you think I was?" He asked, watching as she moved the piping hot bowl of ramen to the table, sitting across from him.

She shrugged her shoulders, tearing apart her chopsticks. "I don't know, I just was. I don't like it when people are mad at me. It makes me feel bad." She slurped up some noodles, looking at the raven to find his eyes on her.

"You eat just like Naruto does." He pointed out, eyes not wavering.

"I am his cousin," She replied, pointing her chopsticks at him. "And stop it."

"Stop what?" He teased, foot bumping hers.

Chuckling as she swallowed, she remembered a crucial detail about that line. "Last time you said that to me, you ended up kissing me." She would've looked away, but kept her eyes on him, wanting to see his reaction as she smiled.

He remembered just as she did, but didn't flinch at the line. Instead, he smirked. "We could go for round two."

"Don't push your luck, emo." She finally looked away, losing the duel between the eyes. "Just because I didn't mind the first one doesn't mean I'll like the second one. Plus, we're not dating." Kirei couldn't help but sound a little defensive. She didn't liked to be kissed and that was that. She slurped more noodles into her mouth, letting Sasuke get a word in edgewise. It wasn't fun to argue if she said everything.

He knew this and still smirked. "It's not luck, it's skill."

She nodded. "Uh-huh." Mouth full, she didn't want to speak too much. After gulping, she continued. "And that's why you currently have a girlfriend."

He ruffled his brows. "I don't."

She smiled, looking at him with devious eyes. "My point exactly."

Wrinkling his nose and looking away, Sasuke had to admit that she won that argument. Or at least, he let her win it. He could win all the play arguments between them, but it wasn't fair if he did.

With a sigh, Kirei got up, finishing her bowl of ramen as she set it in the sink, rinsing it out. "If you want to head home or something," She began, turning back toward him again. "That's fine. I'm gonna stay up for a little bit."

"What are you gonna do?" He asked. If she was painting or something, he was staying.

She sighed, knowing that her answer would make the Uchiha stay. Not that she minded. "Paint."

The raven got up from his seat, pushing in his chair and walking over to Kirei, taking her hand, pulling her all the way to her studio. He sat her on her stool, putting a paintbrush in her hand.

She shook her head, smiling. "You really love to watch me paint, don't you?"

He nodded, sitting on the couch that he'd become fond of. "Yes, I do."

"Why don't you try painting something?" She asked, starting to paint to appease herself and the Uchiha.

"Cause I suck at it."

"And I care, why?" She asked back, glancing at him. She knew she had a point.

He had a puzzled look on his face. It turned into a smirk as an idea began formulating in his mind. "So I can use your paint?"

She nodded, stretching out her legs. Kirei noticed that she had a nasty habit of doing that, stretching out her toes and legs, letting her right leg straighten out and set it's heel on the armrest of the couch so that it wouldn't be cooped up in it's bent position. "Yes, you can."

His smirk grew into a smile, getting her permission to use her paint. Now, she couldn't get mad at him. "Okay then." Instead of getting up and getting a canvas to paint on, Sasuke used the closest thing in reach. Since he was on the couch, the closest thing became Kirei's leg. Reaching over and dipping his fingers into different colors of paint, he looked at Kirei, finding her gaze on the canvas in front of her and set his first finger on her leg, painting.

Feeling the paint on her leg, a shiver running through her, Kirei jumped and looked over to the raven. She felt inclined to pull her leg away. "Sasuke, what are you doing?" She asked as calm as she could, watching him cover up most of her calf.

"I'm painting and you're not allowed to see it until I'm done." He replied, trying to focus on his art, yet hide it from her.

She shook her head. "And you must paint on my leg?"

"Yes." He nodded, as if she didn't already know.

She sighed, letting it go. At least he was painting. "And you said I'm weird."

"Hush. A masterpiece is in progress." Sasuke said in the most serious voice he could muster without chuckling.

Kirei tried not to laugh, stifling it as best she could.

Company was a great, great thing.

As always in Kirei's loft, Sasuke was the first one to wake, trying to remember just exactly where he was. He remembered being in her studio, painting on Kirei…

Oh yes, that's what happened.

As soon as he'd revealed his "masterpiece", a picture of two stick figures, one being him, the other her holding hands in friendship, Kirei began to paint on him, which resulted in him painting on her and vice versa.

Remembering this, he finally realized why his face felt a little crusty. He had dried paint on him. What else was on him?

A sleeping Kirei.

He smiled, seeing her fidget, remembering just how they'd ended up on the couch together.

Sometime that morning, Kirei was just about to run away from him as he sat on the couch, going to her supply closet for more paint to pelt him with. Of course, he wouldn't let that happen, getting up, wrapping both arms around her waist, pulling her onto the couch with him. Fingers on her waist, Kirei squealed loudly and happily.

"Stop it, stop it!!" She cried, laughing, trying to squirm away from him.

This made him smirk, not letting her go, instead, pulling her closer. "Oh, so you're ticklish?"

She gave him a look of death, moving away from him, holding her sides. "Don't even think about – " She squealed again, making him smile. What a cute sound.

After not tickling her anymore, he held her, not letting her go and making her go to sleep. He knew that she was tired, able to tell in her blue eyes and made her sleep, not wanting to move.

What he didn't know is that she didn't want to move. Her heart was beating fast, lying there on top of him, but was able to get herself to sleep, thanks to his somewhat fast heartbeat and the fact that he ran his hand through her bangs continuously.

Now, awake and seeing her still asleep, Sasuke decided he'd go back to sleep, or at least, stay as quiet as he could without waking her up. It wasn't a bad thing that he wanted to watch her sleep, watching how her chest rose ever so slightly, how she curled up with him and most of all, how she smiled in her sleep, making him smile.

Or was it?

"Ita-san!!" Kirei called, leaving her cousin's side to run up to the Akatsuki grounds, happy to see the raven.

With his 9 friends, collectively known as the "Akatsuki", Itachi recognized the voice smiling. "Here comes Sasuke's girlfriend." He smiled, getting up to meet her.

Running up, Kirei glomped him. "I haven't seen you in a while! How are you?"

He smiled, patting her back. "Good, good, stitching's all good. What are you doing up here?" H e asked, stepping away from the girl, knowing some curious eyes were on him.

She sighed as she smiled, she pulled out a basket. "I wanted to spend the day up here with you guys. I heard Danna and Sempai were here." She tried to find the redhead and blonde behind him, scaring away those curious eyes.

He nodded. "Yeah, they're here."

"I couldn't stop her Itachi. She wanted to come up here and Sasuke's on a mission." Naruto added with a smile, walking up behind his cousin.

Itachi smiled. "We'd be happy to have her for the day." He moved aside, letting Kirei see the two artists, who sat with the rest of the group.

When Kirei saw the two, she set down her basket, running over two the two. "Sempai! Danna!" She nearly ran them over, using her knees to slide on the grass, running right into Deidara.

"Cutie!!" He exclaimed, hugging her back as she glomped him.

Sasori smiled, reaching a hand over to tousle her hair.

"She seems well acquainted." Itachi mused, watching her, shaking his head.

Naruto nodded. "Just keep an eye on her, please." Hands in his pockets, voice low, Naruto explained. "It's just…there's been this…"

"Replica Akatsuki going around attack people, like in the show?" Itachi finished, eyebrow arched.

"Yeah… How'd you – "

"They've met with each one of us, asking if we wanted to join. We all refused." He answered, remembering the fakes. They were strong, but Itachi wasn't the evil being he was portrayed as. "Sasuke's been telling me they've been going after Kirei."

"We're not sure why, but yes, they are." Naruto answered, keeping at her side whenever her could. He and Sasuke had worked out a 'schedule" with the Yondaime. When Sasuke was on a mission, Naruto couldn't be and vice versa. In this plan, whoever was not on a mission was with Kirei at most times. After all, they had lives to live. "So…if anything happens – "

"I'll keep her with me if something happens, okay?" Itachi watched as Kirei met with the other members, happy as could be.

"Thanks, Itachi." Naruto nodded, feeling better. Itachi was one of the best ninja in Konoha, so if she was safe with anyone, it was him. "I'm not sure if Sasuke or I will be here to pick her up later."

Shaking his head and picking up her basket, finding it was fully of assorted treats, some dango tied off with a tag that read, "Itachi" on it, he smiled. "It's alright. I'll bring her to the Mansion if you two don't show up."

Naruto was thankful Itachi was such a nice guy. "We'll see you, Itachi." Smiling as Kirei waved to him, he vanished, heading back to his grounds to start filming for the day. He could leave knowing Kirei was in safe hands.

Shaking his head as he went up to the group, he took the dango out of the basket so that no one else could take them.

"I see someone's got their hands in the basket already." Kirei teased, looking up as she sat with Deidara and Sasori.

"You brought stuff for us?" Kakuzu asked, not all that interested in the girl. He could see why Deidara and Sasori liked her; she was an artist, like them.

She nodded. "Yep. I asked Sasuke what you guys like, hoping he'd know…" She sighed. "But he's too emo to know."

Hidan chuckled as Itachi sat next to her, Kisame on his other side, putting the basket out for the others to get their treat. "Fuck, you think that too? God damn, I like you already." Reaching into the basket, he found all the treats were separated, name tags on them. He noticed that his was red and strangely…blood-like looking. "Did you fucking write this in blood?"

She nodded, happy that he liked it.

"Fuck, you're good."

"Hidan! Watch your language!" The only female of the group yelled as she walked up, auburn haired boyfriend right behind her.

He only shrugged, ripping the bag open. "Piss off."

Pein set his hands on her shoulders, massaging them gently, trying to calm his feisty blue haired girlfriend. "It's okay, Konan. Let it go."

The rest of the group squabbled and bickered for their treat, as well as about everything under the sun.

Looking around, Kirei could've sworn someone was missing. She couldn't put her finger on who it was, but knew someone was. She pointed to all of them, going through the list of names in her mind. "Itachi, Kisame, Hidan, Kakuzu, Zetsu, Pein, Konan, Deidara and Sasori…" She turned to Itachi, a bit confused. "Ita-san, who's missing?"

He smiled, still protecting his dango as he ate it. "Tobi. Or Madara. Whichever you see him as."

"Oh yeah!" She couldn't believe she forgot the masked man, whom she loved as Tobi. "Where's – "

"He's not real." Itachi answered, already knowing her question as he watched Hidan and Kakuzu go at it again. Why did the two always fight? "The story behind Madara is mostly true; how he helped the First Hokage create Konoha, but the fight and the Mangekyou story was made up, along with Tobi. Because he has Sharingan, I play him." He explained, waiting for the zealot and banker to start dealing blows.

This made Kirei a bit sad, seeing as how he was one of her favorite characters, but knowing Itachi played him made Itachi so much cooler. "That's pretty awesome." She sighed afterward, finding Akatsuki to be much better in real life than in the show. Feeling this, she wanted to sketch each one of them separately, almost like how she did with her Christmas presents. Lucky thing she had her sketchbook in the basket, just below the blanket.

As she reached for it, Hidan found it first, taking it. "Oh? What the hell's this?" He asked, shaking it and flipping through it.

"It's my sketchbook, Hidan, give it back, please." Kirei answered, hoping she wouldn't lose her papers inside it or he wouldn't ruin it.

"Yeah, give it back, uh." Deidara added, protective of his also blonde friend.

Hidan didn't look at either one. "Fucking make me."

Itachi was about to intervene, but Kirei stood up, hands on her hips, staring down at the zealot with a smirk.

"I bet I can." She was confident. She knew all about the Akatsuki, along with their weaknesses.

This made Hidan look up, closing the book and smirk as well. "Oh really?" He stood up. "Try me, bitch."

Konan sighed, rolling her eyes. Why was she always stuck with these guys? Oh yes, she worked there. That's why.

Before Kirei could make a move, Kakuzu stood up. "You're willing to bet?" He asked, happy for an exchange of money.

By now, the whole attention of the Akatsuki was on the three.

Kirei nodded. "I'll bet you…" She looked up in thought, tapping her chin. "Well, you pick the amount."

Itachi began to wonder if Kirei knew what she was doing.

Kakuzu thought he was in heaven, smiling. "Alright, 150,000 yen sound good to you?"

She nodded, shrugging her shoulders, keeping her eyes solely on Hidan. "I don't care." She knew she was going to win this bet.

Kakuzu smiled, pulling out his checkbook. This would be a nice addition to his betting collection.

"So, how you gonna get this back, bitch? You gonna get the fucking weasel to get it for you?" Hidan asked, smirking at her.

She smirked right back. "Nope." Knowing exactly what she was doing, Kirei reached up on her tiptoes, planting a kiss on Hidan's cheek. "That."

Everyone stared, some in awe, some in horror.

Kirei smiled as Hidan was too shocked to hold her book, letting it slip from his hands and fall into hers. With that same smile, she turned to Kakuzu. "Keep the money."

Well, Kakuzu was won over.

Kirei went back to her seat beside Deidara and Itachi, getting a hair tousling from Deidara and a few chuckles from Itachi.

"I'm not even going to ask how." Itachi mumbled, shaking his head. He had to admit, Kirei was smarter than she looked. Now he could see why his brother liked her so much.

She smiled.

She was cute, but not overly cute. Smart with playfulness, a lot of personality. She was almost like the interesting side of Sasuke. He was dark, a little depressed and showed little to no emotion. She was happy and bright at most times, always showing emotion.

They were exact opposites with similar pasts.

"Okay guys, break's over!!" The assistant director called, sitting on a moving camera deck.

Kirei watched as most of the Akatsuki got up and left, save for Hidan who was still shocked, but Deidara and Sasori stayed behind.

"We'll watch her, uh." Deidara said to Itachi as he began to leave. He was currently showing Kirei the art of exploding clay.

Itachi became a little worried, looking at the two blondes, dango stick still in his mouth.

Sasori sighed. "Which just means that I'll watch them." He was always watching his blonde, making sure he wasn't getting into trouble, so what was watching another?

Relieved, Itachi nodded. "Thanks."

"No problem."

The morning and lunch had gone by quickly for Kirei, sketching her newfound friends while watching them act.

She always had someone hanging around her, which she enjoyed their company, but it was hard to sketch when someone watched her. At least Sasuke knew to give her space.

Which brought her to sigh; the thought of the raven. He had been away on a mission for the past week and a half, making life horribly depressing. Lifeless as he was, he brought life to her life.

Well, Kirei wasn't sure how to describe it.

"Danna?" She asked softly, eyes gazing to nowhere in particular.

The puppet master was the one currently with her, Deidara off in filming with everyone else. "Yes?"

She sighed, looking over at him. "How did you figure out your feelings for Sempai?" It was a question she had been wanting to ask ever since she met them, but now seemed like a more appropriate time.

He smirked. 'Damn that Itachi…he's good.' "Well, it wasn't easy. We were friends first and that confused the line between friendship and relationship. It's hard because as friends, you're close, but when you cross that line to relationship, you're not sure how to act – "

Both artists looked to the filming ground, seeing and hearing a rather large explosion go off.

"Deidara, for the millionth time – " The assistant director started, yelling.

"IT WASN'T ME THIS TIME, I SWEAR!!" He yelled back. "That's not my type of clay! Or my explosions!"

Kirei watched, wondering what was set off. "This time?" She arched an eyebrow to Sasori, who was looking at the smoke cloud strangely.

That definitely wasn't Deidara's work. "Yeah, he's set them off before." Watching the cloud, Sasori knew something was off. "Kirei, stand up." He commanded, getting up himself.

"Okay…" Kirei complied, a bit confused. She could tell the puppet master was on edge, but about what? "What's going on?"

Watching another explosion go off, this time much closer to them, hearing Hidan scream, "Aw, fuck, not you bastards again!!" Sasori knew nothing good was happening. "Just stay with me, okay?"

Kirei watched him with wide eyes, heart beginning to race. At first, she thought her Danna was kidding, but seeing him, knew he was serious. She nodded, gulping. "Okay, Danna."

Sasori's eyes scanned the field in front of him, seeing most of it covered in smoke from the explosion, eyes suddenly flicking right beside them as another explosion went off. Like the other explosions, the smoke traveled downward, blurring the vision of the puppet master. "Kirei – " Looking beside him, Sasori found no blonde standing there.

Kirei was gone.

In the midst of the smoke, Kirei wasn't sure whose arm was around her waist, holding her on their shoulder. All she knew was that she wanted down, the ruthless bouncing of tree hopping was upsetting her stomach.

All of a sudden, the person carrying her was tackled…or attacked, of which she wasn't sure, sending her flying into the air. She wasn't in the air long before someone else grabbed her by the waist again and set her on her feet.

"You're okay now." The somewhat calm voice of Itachi spoke, bringing the blonde closer to him and keeping his arm around her waist to make sure no one else took her.

Knowing that Transformation Jutsu was possible, Kirei tried to pull away, afraid this wasn't her Ita-san. When that failed, his grip too strong for her, she looked up, seeing the Sharingan look back at her. "What's my brother's name?" She asked, knowing that few people knew his name and that Itachi was one of the ones with the answer.

Itachi smirked. She was able, in a situation like this, to keep sort of calm and ask a question only he could answer. He whispered, "Daisuke, or as you called him, Daisu-nii-san."

Adding the nickname, Kirei was assured that this was the real Itachi. The one she could trust. Therefore, she latched onto him, seeing how he looked out into the smoke. Looking there herself, she saw a faded figure standing there.

"Who are you?" Itachi asked calmly, glaring with his Sharingan. "Why are you here?"

"I have no need to speak with you." The man replied, his voice obviously male. "I am here to speak with the lady."

Itachi ruffled his brows a bit. "Why?"

"It does not concern you." He answered, no emotion in his voice.

"Why do you want to talk to me?" Kirei asked. If Itachi couldn't anything out of him, she could at least try.

"Because – " He was about to speak, but cut off shortly. "Our time here is up. Don't worry, Kirei. We'll see each other in the future."

Itachi watched as he vanished in thin air, wondering just how the man knew her name. Moreover, why he wanted her in the first place.

"Ita-san?" Kirei asked softly, looking at the ground as he tried to find his friends, the smoke starting to clear.

"Hm?" He glanced down at her.

"Should I be scared?" She asked, sighing. It was confusing for her, seeing as how stuff like this had started happening to her…but beforehand, nothing bad happened. Now, it was starting to get dangerous.

He smiled, sighing. "No."

"Okay."

"She's with Konan now?" Sasori asked Itachi, feeing guilty about putting Kirei in a situation like that.

He nodded, sitting with other members of Akatsuki, smoke cleared from the grounds. "Yeah, she's teaching her how to make an origami rose."

"Why were they after cutie, anyway, uh?" Deidara asked, looking in between the two.

Currently, they were having a meeting. This "fake" Akatsuki didn't just affect her life, it affected theirs as well. They tainted the Akatsuki name, killing and hurting innocent people while sending the world into turmoil, although that hadn't started yet. They all knew it would though.

Itachi shook his head. "I'm not sure…the man said he wanted to speak to her and only her…"

"Fucking bastards attacking a defenseless girl." Hidan clicked his tongue, stabbing himself with a kunai in anger. Despite the fact that she'd stunned him for the first good half of the day, he liked her.

Sighing, Kakuzu said, "At least it's over with now."

"No, it's not." Itachi was quick to reply, looking at the banker. "He told her he'd see her in the future, which begs me to ask…when?" The other members knew Itachi was worried. He had a right to be, hearing him sigh heavily.

For one, Kirei was like a little sister to him. The nickname she gave him helped, making it seem like he was her older brother. Ever since the Uchiha tragedy, Sasuke wasn't like his little brother anymore. He missed being seen as the loving older brother that fascinated and amazed their little siblings and Kirei made him that.

Second, she was important to Sasuke. Itachi had seen the change in his brother, small, but it was there. He was starting to revert back to the happy soul he'd seen before the tragedy. Meaning, that if Kirei was gone, so was Sasuke.

Itachi had to worry in two ways.

Through his thinking, Deidara had gone off to check on Kirei and Konan, wondering how the origami was going. Soon after, Deidara sent them all a small note.

Attached to a bomb, of course.

Seconds before it went off, Itachi saw it, shielding his eyes when the smoke poured from the small clay bird, also sending fragments everywhere. "It read, "Come see this"." He informed the other members.

They exchanged glances, wondering what that meant. Curiosity too much for them, they got up, traveling down to the large oak tree Konan usually sat under.

Seeing them, she got up and met them, shushing them, a smile on her face. "Just stay quiet, you'll see." She smiled, knowing what lied beyond their sight.

Smiles began to take the place of confused faced when they saw what Konan knew. Deidara was standing only a foot away from a sleeping Kirei, half curled up like always.

Seeing his Danna, along with everyone else, he bounded over, voice hushed. "Oh, Danna, she's soo cute, uh! Can I pet her, uh?! Please, Danna, please, uh?!"

Seeing her sigh in her sleep, Sasori stumbled with an answer. "Dei-dei, I'm not sure that would be a good – "

"It's alright." Itachi said as he unhooked the buttons on his cloak, taking it off and setting it over top the sleeping girl. "I think as long as he's quiet, he won't wake her up."

"Yay!" Deidara cried softly, bounding over at first, his steps turning soft as he came close to her.

Stepping back, Itachi and the others watched as Deidara sat behind Kirei, petting the hair on her head, hearing a content whine escape.

"Well, fucking shit, Itachi. I know why Sasuke's got the hots for her." He said, pointing to Kirei briefly. "She's fucking adorable."

Sasuke sighed, his hellhole of a mission over and done with. At least now he was home in Konoha, able to see all his friends.

Or so he thought.

When he arrived at the grounds, few remained and a certain blonde was nowhere to be found. She hadn't gone home already, had she?

Just as he was about to teleport to the blonde's loft, Hinata came up to him, giving him a hug. Ever since Kirei started to change him, she was able to give the raven hugs. "Oh, it's good to see you back, Sasuke."

He offered a small smile, slightly hugging her back. "Thanks. Where's – "

Sighing, Hinata knew he was going to ask. "She's up with your brother. She spent the day up there."

Oh joy.

What great, great joy.

He sighed. "Thanks, Hinata."

She shook her head. "No problem, Sasuke." She watched as he vanished, happy to see the Uchiha finally happy with life.

Sasuke couldn't believe his luck. He'd just faced a mission that almost killed him and now he had to see his brother to pick up his best friend, whom his brother thought he had a crush on?

What shitty luck he had.

Landing on top of the hill that overviewed the large oak tree, where the group mostly sat, Sasuke was surprised to find most of them at the tree, sitting around. They usually sat there when it was hot outside, favoring the shade and today was not a hot day.

Immediately, he was alert, wondering what kind of plan they had up their sleeves now. Silent in walking down, when the others noticed his presence, they placed a finger up to their mouth, shushing him.

His confusion cleared when he came within view of Kirei.

She was asleep at the base of the oak tree, a cloak covering her while Deidara gently stroked her hair, watching her sleep. Sasuke didn't fail to notice the paper rose in her hair either.

"I'm here to pick her up." He said, gulping, not taking his eyes off the sleeping blonde.

Others shot glances with smirks, seeing him watch her.

Deidara was the first to express his displeasure. "Awwww…do you hafta, uh?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yes. She has school tomorrow."

Although sad, he nodded. "Okay…Just don't wake her up, uh."

Sasuke approached her, softening his voice. "Like I want to."

Hidan snickered. Oh, it was just too obvious, way too obvious.

Hearing his snicker, Sasuke knew what he was thinking. "She's a monster when she wakes up." He tried to use as a cover up.

"That's about as fucking true as much as I enjoy kissing people." Hidan shot back.

Silencing him, Sasuke picked her up effortlessly, letting Deidara place her hanging arms on her stomach, her head already resting on his shoulder. "Whose cloak?"

"Mine." Itachi replied as he also stood, picking up the small rose that fell from her hair. "Don't forget this." He placed it back in her hair, watching how his brother's sight was drawn to it. "Just bring it home with you."

He nodded. "Thanks you guys." With a sigh, the two vanished, heading back to Kirei's loft.

Sitting back down with his friends, Itachi thought out loud, smirking. "I wonder if he'll come home tonight."

Everyone else snickered.

Following the trail of the two "lovebirds" Hidan was able to find Kirei's loft rather easily, seeing as how she forgot her sketchbook and basket, not wanting another kiss from the girl so she could get it back.

Using the front door, he opened it, "Hey, fuc – "

"You're hurt…"

Hidan quickly shushed himself, hearing the voice of a sleepy Kirei just up the stairs. Curious, he traveled up the stairs and to the right, seeing the door open. Looking inside, he figured it was Kirei's room, seeing her sitting on the bed, probably just getting up. Sasuke was standing in front of her, cloak in his hands.

"I'm fine, Kirei. Go ahead back to sleep." He assured, shaking his head.

Not believing him, Kirei reached her hand up, fingering the semi-large cut on Sasuke's cheek.

He flinched slightly at her touch, still feeling pain from it.

"I should bandage it for you." She said, eyes low, breathing deep. From what Hidan could tell, she was still somewhere between La-la-land and asleep.

Sasuke wasn't sure if he could get away with it, being that she was half asleep, but he could try. "You could kiss it and make it better for me." It was true. Ever since the night of Prom, he'd wanted to kiss her more, but also have her kiss him more. Anytime he could, he'd try to sucker her into it. He failed most of the time.

She nodded, sleepily. "Okay."

Hidan watched as she wobbly stood up, her balance coming from the raven, who set his hands on her waist as she gently kissed the Uchiha's cut. His jaw agape, Hidan couldn't believe the raven. He was totally taking advantage of her sleepy state! ""Just a friend" my ass." He mumbled, walking back down the steps and out of the house, silently closing the door.

He looked at the sketchbook in his hands, wondering what to do with it. After a moment of thought, Hidan decided to keep it.

Keeping it meant that one day, the blonde would be back for it. With the blonde came Sasuke. With both Kirei and Sasuke there, he could pick on them all he wanted. He smirked happily, heading for home.

What a genius plan.