"Ow." Nari hissed as she jerked her head away.

"Hold still." Pein instructed as he jerked her head back. "Are you sure it doesn't hurt?" He asked. His tone was flat. "I haven't seen guitar strings cut this deep before." While she felt the sting of the antiseptic, the cuts themselves hardly bothered her. It felt like a bruise, annoying but tolerable.

"Dude, that was metal as hell, yeah!" Deidara called from his spot on the couch, already a few drinks in. They had crammed back onto the bus and started celebrating. Nari smiled at him but winced, her hand trying to cover her cheek, bumping into Pein's hands and he sighed at her. She had been a difficult and fidgety patient.

"Sorry." She mumbled and dropped her hands as music bumped through the stereos and she was surprised he heard her. She winced as he continued to clean the cut but remained still.

"I can't believe she just kept playing like that!" Tobi exclaimed from his seat at the table. He wasn't drinking and was stone sober. He was however, several energy drinks in and practically buzzing. "It must have hurt!"

"Nari don't fuck around!" Hidan cheered as he lifted a bottle and swayed as the bus hit a bump. "We got ourselves a badass!"

"Not to try and profit from your pain," Konan said as she slid her phone infront of Nari's face, showing a picture of her playing, blood dripping down her cheek and onto her shirt. Nari's eyebrows shot up, staring in awe. They weren't kidding. She looked intense. "But this is a pretty good shot.

"That's incredible." Nari told her and Konan smirked, moving the phone away.

"That guitar was fucking cursed." Hidan said as he leaned against a wall. "Why the fuck did we make her play it, anyway. It kept screwing up during practice."

"Because it's fucking expensive." Kakuzu bit at him from his seat at the front. "After tonight's show, I suggest we just sell it. I'd rather cut the loss now rather than risk hospital bills."

"You're so thoughtful." Nari said flatly and ignored him staring at her in the rear view mirror. She did however, notice the brief smirk Pein gave her. So he does have a sense of humor.

Nari's attention was pulled back to her bandmates when Hidan and Deidara started singing along with the aggressive music, jumping and nodding their heads like they were having another mini concert. Deidara had vacated his spot on the couch and jumped up. She glanced over to Sasori who sat near her, his hoodie finally pulled back. His eyes were trained on Deidara and she couldn't quite read his expression. Sasori was a very deadpanned individual and didn't rely on facial expressions to communicate. It was more like telepathy it felt. He could look at you without changing a muscle in his face, and you'd know what he was trying to tell you. It was strange.

Sasori sat, leaned back, with a beer in his hands, resting in his lap. He was drinking slower. Kisame however, seemed to be trying to outpace Hidan and Nari wondered how much she would have been able to earn from them had she been their bar tender. Kisame sat across from her, drinking and laughing at the two musicians who were screaming the lyrics.

The two were gently pushed out of the way as Itachi politely walked between them, returning from the back and making his way over to her. He stopped in front of her and Pein, reaching up and resting a hand on the cupboards above them to keep himself steady as the bus hit a few bumps. Ever graceful, the only sign of disturbance came from his swaying hair that was loose over his shoulders and down his back.

"How are you?" He asked simply and Nari looked up at him, blinking. He had changed out of his outfit and this was somehow hotter. He wore dark sweatpants and a loose tee shirt that had the neck stretched out, showing his collar bones.

"She should be fine." Pein said as he tossed the cotton swabs in the bag he had for trash. "The bleeding stopped during the concert. If you're worried we could take you to a hospital."

"Nah," Nari said and opened her mouth wide, trying not to look at the bassist watching her. The cut stung and she winced a bit.

"Stop agitating it." Pein told her and pulled off his gloves, tossing them in the bag as well.

"Thanks." Nari told him and shuffled her feet a bit. "And sorry." Pein paused for a minute and looked at her before going back to packing the first aid kit.

"What for?" He asked her in his usual flat tone. She had apologized earlier too, though he didn't quite understand why. His question startled her and she had to think for a moment. She hadn't done anything wrong per say, and there wasn't anything she could have done, but she still felt guilty.

"For what happened." Nari tried and Pein didn't even look her way.

"Don't apologize when there's nothing to apologize for." Pein told her before standing and leaving them to put away the first aid kit. Nari sat back with a sigh and Itachi took the now vacant seat and handed her a beer.

"Thanks." She said to him. "I think he hates me."

"He doesn't." Was the only comfort Itachi gave her. She rolled her eyes and took a sip of her drink. "You played well." Itachi added after a moment and she felt her face warm at the compliment.

"So did you." Nari told him and rested her knees together, letting them wobble back and forth a bit.

"Did you enjoy it?" He asked her and she looked at the bottle in her hand, thinking back on the concert. She couldn't remember at first. The snap to her face had scared her enough she blanked out for a bit.

"I think so." Nari admitted, shrugging. "I was too focused on this," She pointed at the cut on her cheek, "And trying not to screw up again." She heard a puff of air escape his nose in humor and she looked at him with an embarrassed smile. "What?"

"You didn't do anything wrong." Itachi told her. "That's why we have backups." He explained and pointed his bottle at Deidara who was still singing with Hidan, though they went off key. "He keeps extra drumsticks in his boots and pockets. He ran out once, either losing them or them breaking."

"I noticed that." Nari giggled. "He's really rough on them."

"He's tried to use them as chopsticks before." Itachi told her, making her laugh at the thought.

"Weed in the studio?" She asked, trying to catch her breath. Itachi nodded, a small smirk on his own face, and she giggled again. Nari looked around the bus at the collection of odd balls she had found herself surrounded by. She felt flushed, warm. Despite the embarrassing moments and terrifying experiences, she had enjoyed the trip and was sad it was ending. She kept feeling like she had to say goodbye, but she'd see them again. There would be more trips, more embarrassing moments, more challenges, and more adventures.

Nari couldn't wait.

"What the hell are you two laughing at?" Hidan sniggered as he staggered over to them and Nari stood, handing Itachi her beer. Hidan was very drunk and she didn't want them hitting a bump and him hurting himself.

"Ok, Hidan." She spoke gently, trying not to laugh. He walked right up to her and she gently pushed him back. "I think you need to get some water in you." She suggested and tried to guide him out of her way. She was going to get him a bottle of water, but the bus hit a large pothole. People grunted or yelped, startled as they were all shaken. Nari lost her balance and fell back with an oof, as the person she landed on oofed as well, his arms out, steadying her while holding their beers. Her face went as red as her hair as she felt her back pressed against Itachi's chest, her hands on his thighs, steadying herself.

"Sorry." Zetsu's kinder tone called back. "These fucking roads are shit." Came his harsher tone. Nari looked up at Hidan who had steadied himself, being tall enough to rest a hand on the cabinets. He was smirking down at her with a knowing look and took a sip from his bottle. Before anyone could do or say anything to make it more embarrassing, the worst thing happened.

Nari almost jumped out of her skin as her back pocket began to vibrate, startling Itachi who jerked in surprise at both her jump and the sudden vibration in his lap. Nari clambered out of his lap and into her own seat, muttering sorry the entire way and pulled out her phone, wanting to check the text she had just gotten. She noticed Hidan stumble away out of the corner of her eye and tried to ignore Itachi and how close he was to her. Deidara had returned to the couch and was sitting between her and Sasori, meaning she couldn't scoot further away.

Nari unlocked her phone and rolled her eyes at the name that popped up. Eric had blown up her phone all night and she hadn't had a chance to respond to him. She really didn't feel like talking to him, not wanting to fight or argue. She opened the latest text to see what he wanted, expecting him to be asking for money or trying to play nice. Instead the text she got made her stomach drop and ice fill her veins. Her skin began to crawl and she fought the urge to toss her phone away like it burned.

You owe me when you get home.

She sat there with the phone in her hands. It felt like a brick and her arms felt like noodles. The bus continued to buzz in a celebratory mood but she felt disconnected from it, as though she was in a completely different place.

She didn't want to go home. She didn't want to owe him. She knew what it meant and it made her sick. She felt someone nudge her arm and she pulled her arm away, as though the touch burned.

Itachi watched her, seeing her expression blank. She had jerked away from him. Over the past few days she had gotten pretty comfortable around all of them. Nari, while easily startled, had never jerked away as though the touch hurt. She slowly turned to look at him, her stare miles away.

"You alright?" He asked her.

"Yeah." Nari lied and looked around anxiously, rubbing her hands on her pants. She hadn't changed yet and suddenly they were too tight, too much. Without another word she stood, rigid, trying not to show her physical discomfort. She stumbled to the back and grabbed her bag before locking herself in the cramped bathroom. For a moment she just stared at her refection. Pein had been kind and thorough enough to wipe all the blood from her face and neck. It had already scabbed so he just put butterfly bandages on it. It stretched across her cheek, nice and noticeable.

Nari flipped on the water and pulled a rag from her bag and began scrubbing the makeup off. She rubbed and scrubbed until her skin was raw and irritated. She shut the water off and ripped the pins and hair ties out, fluffing her hair with her fingers, trying to loosen the hair and break up the hairspray. When she looked in the mirror again, her hair fell around her, curls waves and tangles sending her hair everywhere. Between that and the smudged remains of makeup under her eyes made her look almost deranged. She looked away and yanked off her top and bra, pulling on a loose tee and trading the tight pants for her pajama pants. She shoved the evidence of her fun night into her bag and stumbled out, heading to the sleeping area. Once she was in one, she pulled the curtain back and curled in on herself, dread and anxiety filling her. No matter how much she protested, no matter how much she begged or bargained, there was no dissuading him. In the end it was just easier to give in and get it over with.

When Nari had stumbled out of the bathroom, it wasn't unnoticed. Hidan had been looking for something and when he turned to see her, he was confused. Hidan swayed on his feet and stared at her. Her gaze was miles away and she looked as though the fun, the light, had been sucked out of her. Hidan almost said something but she shuffled away and went to bed. He recognized that look but couldn't quite place where he'd seen that expression before. Once she shut the curtain, he shrugged to himself and let it go.

"Nari?" Sakura called to her from miles away as she waved a hand in front of her friend's face. "Hello?" She called and Nari blinked, coming back to earth and looking up at the pink haired nurse. "Jeeze, I thought you'd died for a minute." She teased and shoved a hot cup of terrible hospital coffee in her friend's hands.

"Thanks." Nari nodded and took the cup, feeling the warmth in her hands as she sat in the plastic hospital chair next to her brother's bed. "And thanks for watching him for me while I was away."

"Of course," Sakura told her before giggling a bit. "It's kinda my job."

"But you visited him on your day off." Nari pointed out with a small smile. Sakura just continued to smile, not bothered at all. The two women looked at the man in the bed, his chest rising and falling steadily while the machines beeped and hummed rhythmically.

"So how was your trip?" Sakura asked and Nari looked up at her from her spot in the chair. Sakura's short pink hair was still pulled up into a messy bun and the purple diamond was still on her forehead. Her green eyes were bright and clear, full of happiness.

"It was great." Nari breathed with a smile. "It still feels like a dream."

"That good, hu?" Sakura asked. "Nice cut. Get into a fight again?"

"No, haha." Nari giggled. "The string on the guitar I was using snapped and hit me in the face, while I was on stage."

"No!" Sakura gasped and Nari giggled again, nodding.

"Yes, I was so embarrassed."

"What did you do?" She asked. Nari shrugged and sipped her coffee for a minute.

"I was handed another guitar so I kept playing." Nari told her.

"That's pretty metal." Sakura teased. "What band was it?"

"Akatsuki." Nari told her and the pink haired nursed choked on her coffee, making the red head laugh loudly. After a few coughs, Sakura caught her breath back.

"Akatsuki?" Sakura asked in shock, her voice now a little hoarse. "Jesus, Nari! Way to just drop that bomb on me. How the hell did you get on stage with them?"

"You know that gig I had at my bar?" Nari explained the whole story of her band flaking, being recruited by the blue haired terror, the antics she and the bandmates got into, and the concert itself. Relaying it all it sounded like a movie but when she spoke about them, her face lit up like a star. Sakura watched as the pallor and fatigue slowly faded away the more her friend laughed and remembered the fun she had had. Sakura sat, listening, joking, and smiling as her friend slowly came back to life.

"How does this guitar feel?" Itachi asked after they had finished their first full day of practice together. In her hands was the glossy solid black guitar she had used in the concert.

"I like this one a lot better." Nari admitted. "I don't know why, the other one just felt wrong."

"Fucking cursed." Hidan said from across the room and she noticed Itachi roll his eyes.

"Stop with your superstitions, man." Deidara sighed as he stood, putting away the drum sticks.

"Glad you like it." Itachi told her, going back to their conversations. "It was my first one." Nari's jaw dropped and she looked down at the guitar in her hands.

"Woah, wait, what?" Nari stammered as she gingerly began lifting it off her like it was made of glass. "I can't use this! What if I break it?"

"You're so fucking skittish." Hidan told her over his shoulder with a confused look. "How the hell were you a bartender?"

"I was cleaning up other people's messes, not making them." Nari told him, irritation leaking through her voice.

"Hey, guys, wanna go to the diner?" Tobi asked as he rocked on his heels. "We've been really good and worked hard, I think we deserve it!"

"Yeah, man." Deidara agreed as he pulled on his coat. "I'm starving." Seeing as everyone was wrapping up and grabbing their things Nari put the guitar away and grabbed her own coat. She looked at her acoustic guitar briefly and then decided to leave it. Why keep carrying it back and forth? She left it in its case leaning against the wall. It seemed to fit right in.

"Come on!" Tobi pulled at her sleeve and Nari jumped for a moment and pulled her arm out of his grip, startled. When she saw who it was she offered an apologetic smile and Tobi gently took her hand, pulling her from the room with a smile. She allowed him to pull her out of the room and down the hall, meeting with Deidara at the elevator.

"Hey, Itachi." Hidan called as the dark haired man made to step out of the room. Itachi stopped and looked back at the singer, waiting for him to speak. "She seem fucking off to you?" The bassist paused for a minute before answering.

"You noticed, too." He answered. Nari was a nervous girl but during the trip she had seriously relaxed around them, especially at the pool. They all had gotten used to her and the group had gotten comfortable with each other, even going so far as to casually invade each other's spaces. Something changed. Suddenly she was jumping at loud sounds, remaining physically distant from them, and practically jumping out of her skin when someone accidentally passed too close.

Itachi looked into the hall, watching her as Hidan joined him. The two had picked up on something but they couldn't quite figure out what. She seemed much more distant than when they first met, as though she was miles away even though she stood in the same room as them.

"Hey, what are you two staring at?" Kisame asked as he joined them, letting the door to his work station close behind him. He followed their gaze down the hall and they watched as the other three bandmates stepped onto the elevator, laughing and joking with each other. "What's going on?" He asked, turning back to his bandmates.

"When we fucking know, you'll know." Hidan said as he shoved his hands in his coat pockets and walked down the hall. "They didn't even hold the fuckin' elevator for us!"

Nari found herself walking down the streets of the city with her new band. Tobi and Deidara practically matched each other energy wise, the two leading the way and chatting excitedly about what they were going to order. Nari fell a bit behind them, just smiling at the two boys as they walked down the sidewalk. Behind her were the three other men from her band. She looked over her shoulder and smiled as Hidan, Kisame, and Itachi caught up.

Hidan and Kisame smoked as they walked and talked with Itachi off to the side, not a fan of cigarettes. Nari slowed her pace until she was walking along side of Itachi. There wasn't enough space for the four of them, so Itachi and Nari slowed their pace further.

"So, where are we going?" Nari asked him with a small smile. Itachi looked at her. Her rigidness had been slowly disappearing through the day and the smile she gave him seemed the closest to genuine he'd seen all day. He couldn't help but wonder what message she had received to cause such a reaction.

"A few blocks away, there is a diner we frequent." Itachi explained. "They are open 24/7. It's helpful when practice runs too long."

"They have good food?" Nari joked.

"Hn." Itachi nodded and a cold wind ripped through the group. Nari shivered and pulled her leather jacket closer around her.

"Fuck this cold, man." Hidan said as he pulled up his hood from his heavy parka.

"I can't wait 'till we hit the coast." Kisame groaned as he pulled his coat tighter around himself. "I might ditch you guys and hit the beach." This comment sparked a biting comment from Hidan but Nari was too cold to pay attention. She had expected to be back home before the winds picked up but there was no such luck. She was stuck in her leather jacket with no hat or hood and she was starting to regret not preparing better.

Nari tried to distract herself with thoughts of being home in bed, wrapped in a warm blanket or laying out on the beach, absorbing the sun's rays. This did nothing but make her colder and she shivered as the cold wind stung her face. She didn't know how Tobi was keeping warm in his black and orange hoodie, but he seemed completely unbothered by the wind. A small part of her envied him.

She was ripped out of her thoughts when someone gently touched her elbow. She paused and looked at Itachi, eyebrows furrowed. She opened her mouth to ask his he was alright but she was cut off, startled, when he wrapped his dark red scarf around her neck. The scarf was thick and she was able to hide her embarrassment in it. The scarf not only held his warmth, but also the gentle smell of his cologne.

Nari stood there, staring up at him in surprise as he wrapped it snuggly around her. The scarf was soft and immediately gave her warmth. She didn't know if it was because her face was finally protected from the wind, or because of the blush that was creeping through her, but she was warm. Nari brought her fingers up to feel the fabric around her.

"Thank you." She told him quietly, looking up into his dark eyes. The wind blew around them, pulling some of his dark strands. He was pale and beautiful in the night, the street lights making his pale skin glow. His nose was tinged a slight red from the cold and she pulled the scarf over her own nose.

Itachi didn't say anything. He stood there, silent and watching. Slowly, gently, he raised his hand. Nari watched as he slowly brought it forward, poking her in the forehead gently. She stood there, blinking in surprise as warmth radiated from the spot on her forehead. With a gentle hand on her arm, he ushered her down the sidewalk, following the rest of the band. They walked next to each other down the street in silence.

"Here we are." Itachi said as they watched the others step into the diner. He opened the door for her and she was hit by the smells of fried food and grease. Her stomach growled in hunger and she stepped into the warmth. It was a simple diner and her group was cramming into a round booth in the corner. Some patrons were on a stool at the bar and the occasional diner sat in a booth, keeping to themselves. Her boots clacked on the linoleum as she joined Hidan, Kisame, Tobi, and Deidara. She slid into the booth next to Kisame, followed by Itachi.

The waitress came and went with their orders and sodas were passed around. Deidara tore off the end of his straw and blew, sending the wrapper across the table. It bounced off Kisame's face, making Tobi laugh and Nari giggle.

"I'm fucking starving." Hidan said as he slouched.

"We just put our order in, yeah." Deidara pointed out, smiling at his friend's impatience.

"You ever come here before?" Tobi asked Nari as he bounced in his seat.

"No." She shook her head. "Itachi said you guys come here a lot."

"We practically live here." Kisame filled her in with a grin. She smiled back before asking her next questions.

"So, you said something about the coast." Nari pointed out. "Is that where we are going next?"

"Yeah, our next city is in Sand Country, right on the beach." Kisame filled her in and a light flashed in her eyes.

"What city?" She asked, practically sitting on the edge of her seat.

"Suna."