Disclaimer: Read chapter one. Rated M for breathing room.

Pairings: Not known as of yet.

Note to readers: Any suggestions, leave in review. Any idea for pairings, leave in review. Flame me - I'll hunt you down and make you regret it. XD

Rating: T


Midnight Summer

Chapter Fifty-Three


The last day of school passed and so did the week that followed it. Gwyn got many a few visits from her friends but getting time in on her busy agenda is not an easy task. Gin happens to be a slave driver now that school is out. Has her working and doing delivers. Not to mention he smiles all the damn time while doing whatever he does in the back rooms.

She also got to know a bit more about Kain as well. Like the fact that he is as much as a jerk as any other guy she has meet. He brushes her off every time she tries to talk to him!

When she went to Gin in confusion he just smiled, patted her head, and told her not to worry about it.

Ino and Sakura have a habit of coming around while she works. Ino still refuses to drop the 'thing' that happened at school. Every time she gets red faced and tells Ino to get out of the shop before she cuts her hair.

Ino runs away laughing before always yelling over her shoulder, 'you have to share the juicy details!'

"There's nothing juicy about it." Gwyn snaps to herself as she wonders about her room.

She heads down into the hall and rolls her shoulders. The joints pop and she winces before sighing in relief. That feels better.

She pauses by her brother's room and smiles. She spent all day yesterday cleaning it and everything so that he has something clean to come home to. She also almost has enough to get him a gift for his birthday. Sadly – he'll be with their dad during the time.

As will their mom and grandma.

She shrugs before going downstairs. The house is quiet, more so then she would like, and she knows that soon she'll have to get ready for work. It's seven and work starts at nine.

Joy.

She also remembers Sakura asking her 'what the hell' she was thinking when she decided to kiss him because, as they all know, the other girls at school will want to skin her alive.

That is not a joke.

Those girls are brutal. They beat the crap out of some freshmen because they looked at one of the Akatsuki 'the wrong way'.

She groans and heads into the kitchen to make breakfast. She easily makes the eggs but avoids the bacon. She doesn't want to burn down the house.

After about ten minutes she is sitting at the table, food stuffed in her hand, and a glass of juice next to her. She knows that she has today off of work – but it's better to work then stay at the house with a lot of weird thoughts running around in her head.

Like the smell of coconuts…

"Ah, stop it Gwyn!" she slaps her palm into her forehead and jerks out of her seat.

"That bastard…I'm gonna kill him for making me do that…" she snarls as she goes into the front room and jerks on her shoes.

To say that she forgot that moment one week ago would be the biggest lie. It occurs in her nightmares nearly every night. At the end he always kills her by strangling her. Or having Deidara shove this white little thing, unusually in the shape of an animal, down her throat. Then it explodes.

Not a pleasant dream. Or a pleasant way to dream of dying.

Not at all.

She is also starting to realize that she started a war that she can't win. Akatsuki, on a daily bases, is a pain in her rear. Akatsuki pissed off means the end of everything – including her.

"Maybe I should have thought out my actions before running my big mouth…" she mutters to herself as she grabs her apron and ties it around her waist.

Then again, even in her old hometown, she always got into trouble. She started fights because she was too stubborn to back down from a challenge. However, back then, she had Mark.

"That is another bastard to add to the kill list…" she tells herself as she ties her hair up into the lose bun. No one wants hair in the cakes and pie. That would be gross.

She eyes the clock and sees that it is fifteen till eight. Okay – heading off to work one day, an hour and fifteen minutes early is fine. She gets off at seven in the evening…more money for her then.

She hears someone knock on the door and rolls her eyes. She'd bet a fortune that it is Ino. Again.

She swings the door open while saying, "I have to work, Ino, so can –"

"I do not believe that I am Ino, Gwyn." Gwyn thought this day couldn't get worse.

"Go away."

The visitor's brows furrow before the young woman says, "I need to talk to you and I know you don't have to work today."

Shit…

She puts off a strained smile as she opens the door and invites the guest in.

"What do you want to talk about?" she asks.

Dark, ashy colored eyes stare her down and Gwyn feels her heart skip a beat.

"You know what I want to talk about."

"Okay, listen, it was an accident! Well…not an accident really…but he left me no choice! It was either that or get murdered!" she protests before adding, "I swear I didn't know you two are dating!"

The lady smiles before pulling off her hat. The long, oddly colored hair tumbles out down her back and the blue hue glows in the lighting that her house has.

Konan smiles.

"We're not dating, Gwyn, so call down. Actually," she pauses as she folds her hands in front of her and eyes the ground with interest.

"Actually?" Gwyn crosses her hands behind her and wordlessly encourages her to continue.

Konan plays with the edge of her black hat and her lips purse together in concentration. Gwyn already has a feeling that the female Akatsuki is here without anyone knowing. Well, besides herself.

"Konan, what is it?" Gwyn takes a step forward and the blue-haired woman meets her eye-to-eye.

"Actually, Gwyn, I am in need of a favor."


Words: ...1,040

Note from the Author: ...okay, this is getting weirder and weirder by the moment. Why the hell is she at her house? LOL - Ino. Gotta love that girl.

Profiles:
Gwyn Armstrong
Age: 15, almost 16
Gender: female
Hair: chocolate brown, long
Eyes: Dark, rust-color (almost brown)
Family: Mom- Kelly, dad, Max, Grandma Berta, Ari

Gin (NM)
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Hair: Long, brown
Eyes: Green
Family: (NM)

Ari Armstrong
Age: Death - 10, Now: would be 15/16
Gender: Male
Hair: brown
Eyes: light, rust-color
Family: Mom- Kelly, dad, Max, Gwyn, Grandmother Berta

Max Armstrong
Age: 7, almost 8
Gender: male
Hair: brown
Eyes: brown
Family: (Read above)

Vaughn (NM)
Age: (NM)
Gender: Male
Hair: (NM)
Eyes: (NM)
Family: (NM)

Mark (NM)
Age: (NM)
Gender: Male
Hair: Black
Eyes: Blue
Family: (NM)

R&R