Konan and Sasori had teamed up to catch as many candid shots as they could of the group, specifically of Nari. Konan had decided, whether Nari knew it or not, that Nari would be a permanent member of the band, and she had an amazing idea on how to announce it to the world.

Pein had eyed the two as they plotted in a dark corner back stage. It was a little unnerving when the two worked together. Both were artists in their own rights and their creativity knew no bounds. However, he knew better than to intervene. Instead, he holed himself up in a room with Kakuzu, discussing the logistics of things, out of everyone's way, and out of danger.

Konan and Sasori were quiet and skilled at snapping stealthy shots. They lurked in shadows around the band, just out of view. They had gotten some amazing shots and at the end of the day they swapped pics, sitting in one of the hotel rooms they had rented for the night. The two artists sat in their pajamas on Konan's bed, their laptops on their laps. They had done this often, in fact, it was one of Sasori's favorite pastimes. They would sit, snacks littering the bed, music playing in the background, as they shared pictures and art with each other. The two were close friends and Konan didn't mind the company when Pein was working.

"Look at this one," Konan said and shifted her laptop so he could see. Sasori crunched his snack as he looked it over. It was a black and white picture of the band sitting on the stage. It was angled up and he could tell she had near the seats when she took it. You could see Nari's face as she chewed on pizza, smirking and elbowing Deidara. She was sitting cross legged and he was sitting with his legs out, resting on his arms. You could see Tobi's hair sticking up but nothing else. He had been laying on his stomach. Hidan's back was closest to Konan as he sat cross legged. They got Itachi's profile in the shot as he leaned back on his hands, head turned to face Hidan who sat next to him.

"That's a good one." Sasori nodded.

"People really seem to like the ones we take on the band's down time." Konan explained, basing her assumption on her experiences as the bands publicity person. "Kinda like a behind the scenes."

"Then look at this one." Sasori nodded as he pulled up one and passed his laptop to her. A grin split across her face as she looked at the candid. This one was in color and shot from behind them. Itachi was leaning in, his bass in hand, as Nari spoke to him, the electric guitar in hers. Their backs were facing the camera, but their faces were turned to each other, talking.

"I love it." Konan breathed.

"I have a lot of just her and Itachi." Sasori noted while she looked over the image. "If we're not careful we could start a rumor." Konan looked at him, finding him smirking. Konan grinned.

"We should be careful." She nodded, catching on to what he was suggesting.

"If you want a good shot of her, try this one." Sasori said and began swiping through some of the pictures until he stopped at the one he looked for. He showed Konan and she smiled brightly.

"It's perfect!"

Nari let out a moan of pleasure as hot water sprayed over her naked body. Her clothes were discarded on the floor of the bathroom that had filled with steam. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she ran her fingers through her hair slowly, letting the hot water rinse her scalp.

She was exhausted. It had been a long day and sleeping on the bus wasn't exactly restful. Her fingers were sore but her hands weren't cramping anymore. Nari let the hot water relax her aching muscles and was the grime off her skin. She scrubbed with soap until her skin was raw and washed her face. She let the hot water rinse out the shampoo and conditioner and when she emerged from the shower, she felt like a knew person. Nari grabbed a fluffy towel and dried off before trying to dry her hair. She carefully dried it and let it hang loose. Staring in the mirror she could already see the natural curl. She pulled on fresh pajamas, just shorts and a tank top before stepping into the cooler hotel room.

Nari saw the bed and jumped onto it, burying her face into the fluffy pillow and sighing into it. She felt her muscles relaxing against the bed and started drifting off, enjoying the quiet. She was woken up by her buzzing phone. She groaned and grabbed it from the nightstand and checked the message. It was from Eric again. She scrolled through them. He had been texting his usual crap about how much he loves her and how special she is to him and what he means to her. Just like every other time after a fight, she completely melts at his words. She shot him a text back, telling him she loved him and that she was falling asleep, that she'd call him tomorrow.

Rolling onto her back, she stared at the ceiling for a moment, thinking about the day she had. It had started pretty oddly and she felt like a fish out of water, but at the end of it all? She couldn't think of anywhere she felt more included, more welcome. Nari sat up and turned the light off before slipping under the covers. The room was illuminated by the city outside and she smiled to herself, snuggling into the pillow, ready to drift off to sleep.

A knock at the door disturbed her and she sighed, tossing back the comforter and climbing out of bed with a pout. She had just gotten comfortable.

"Nari! Nari! Nari!" Tobi called through the door as he rapidly knocked. She pulled the door open and looked at him. He stood in a tee shirt and shorts.

"What's wrong?" She asked but she didn't get an answer. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of her room, he door slamming shut behind her. She hissed in protest but he just dragged her down the hall, shushing her as he hit the button to the elevator. "Where the hell are we going?" Nari asked, keeping her voice quiet so as not to disturb anyone sleeping. It was incredibly late in the night and the last thing she wanted to do was wake anyone up.

"Pool's still open!" Tobi announced as though that answered anything and yanked her onto the elevator.

"I don't have a bathing suit!" She told him and he looked her over and shrugged.

"That's ok! You can just hang out!" He smiled at her and her shoulders slumped as she gave a small smile. She couldn't bring herself to turn him down. The elevator dinged and Tobi pulled her off the elevator and the two ran across the lobby, laughing and giggling, running barefoot to the pool where they burst through the doors. Nari was struck by a wall of humidity and chlorine and she saw her bandmates were already there. Tobi left her where she was and took a running leap into the pool, splashing Deidara and Kisame. Nari walked towards the pool's edge smiling at everyone as they swam or splashed around in the pool. She smiled at Hidan as he walked over to her, plastic cup in hand.

"Now we can get this fucking party going." He decided and shoved the plastic cup in her hand, a joint hanging from his mouth. She could hardly smell it through the chlorine in the air. She lifted it in a cheers motion and took a sip. Nari grimaced at the burn of the liquor and Hidan walked over to the small plastic table that held the bottles. He picked up a small little Bluetooth speaker and deep bass bumped out. It wasn't the usual rock music they played and she nodded her head to it, liking it.

Itachi watched her as she stood on the edge of the pool, drink in hand, bobbing to the music and saying something to Hidan. Her red hair was curly now and fell around her shoulders, leaving a wet spot on her tank top. The tank top was a light blue and her shorts were short. He let his eyes trail up her legs, enjoying how short those shorts were. Nari was an attractive girl, that he knew from when he met her in the studio, but now she was wearing a lot less and he could see her figure a hell of a lot better. His eyes snaked their way up her stomach and saw the low cut of her tank top, showing off a little cleavage and her collar bones. Itachi met her eyes and found her staring right back at him. Nari was doing her own admiring and took another sip of the alcohol, wanting to blame the burning liquor on her suddenly flushed feeling.

Itachi was in the pool, shirtless and she let her eyes trail down his neck, taking extra time to check out his shoulders. He was fairly slim but she could see the muscles in his shoulders and Nari wanted more than anything to run her fingers down his chest. She took another sip and Itachi opened his mouth to say something but Kisame splashed him.

"Stop eye fucking her and get her in the pool." Kisame joked and Nari choked on her drink in embarrassment and laughed at the insinuation.

"She's probably wet already." Hidan shouted and Nari choked on air this time, laughing nervously as her face turned almost as red as her hair.

"You guys are assholes." Nari gasped, a nervous smile almost reaching her ears.

"Ah, you learn to love us." Hidan dismissed and stood next to her, holding his joint out for her to take. "Want some?" He asked, his lazy grin on his face. She looked at the pot and them looked at him for a moment. Nari shrugged. What the hell? She took it and pulled in a hit. Nari coughed but tried to hold it in. It burned and she grimaced before letting it out, coughing up a lung. She could hear Hidan laughing at her and she cleared her throat. She couldn't remember the last time she smoked. "Eh, it's not for everyone." He teased and tried to take it back from her. She just furrowed her eyebrows at him and moved it away from him, feeling daring. He laughed at her and held his hands up in surrender. Nari took another pull and this time she could hold it in. She passed it back to him and stared him down. Hidan just watched her, laughing to himself as time ticked on.

"Man, you're gonna be so damn stoned, yeah." Dediara said from his spot in the pool, referring to the long hit. Nari just smiled at them and bounced on her leg, still holding her breath.

"Dude," Kisame laughed shaking his head at her. Nari ran out of breath and exhaled, smiling to herself when she saw nothing come out of her mouth. Hidan was laughing his ass off, thoroughly impressed at his new guitarist.

"Someone might have to carry me back up stairs." She admitted with a proud smile. "I'm kinda a light weight." Nari met Itachi's gaze again and he smiled at her.

"Hidan, let me hit it, yeah." Deidara said as he came to the edge. Nari bounced on the balls of her feet as she ambled over to the edge of the pool, a few feet from Deidara. She wobbled a bit as she felt it starting to hit. Nari could feel a big fat grin on her face as she slowly sat down and stuck her feet in the water. She set her cup down and put her hands on the wet cement, swaying and watching them. Hidan had passed the joint to Deidara, who took a hit before passing it to Kisame. Itachi swam over to her and rested his elbows on the side of the pool, water gently splashing onto the concrete. She could feel it seeping into her shorts.

"Sorry." He told her and she just smiled at him. Nari would be surprised if her eyes hadn't turned into hearts and she giggled quietly to herself. "How are you feeling?" He asked her. Nari leaned over a bit.

"I feel pretty fucking good." She answered slowly, giggling at the end and Itachi laughed quietly. "You have a cute laugh." She blurted out before giggling. He laughed again, a little harder.

"He has some strong stuff." Itachi told her and she bit her lip and nodded.

"I figured." Nari admitted. "Smells way better than my boyfriend's, too." Itachi nodded in understanding.

"You ready for tomorrow?" He asked her after a moment and she grabbed her drink, knocking the rest of it back and she shook her head, smile falling.

"I am so terrified of it." Nari admitted but the smile crept back onto her face. "But you know what?" She asked and looked at him.

"What?" Itachi asked, encouraging her to continue.

"I had the best day I've had in years." Nari divulged, swaying a bit and she started bobbing her head to the music.

"Yeah?" He asked her, wanting her to talk more about the good of it all, hoping it would help distract her from tomorrow.

"Yeah." She decided, nodding her head. "I woke up, had a six hour long bus ride, with an awesome band. Had my own private lesson with the bassist. Then I got here and got to actually do band practice with them, headbanging all the way." She paused and tried to head bang again, giggling. He laughed at her quietly before she stopped and looked back at him, still smiling. "Got into all kinds of shenanigans. And then this one," She nodded at Tobi as he swam over to them, joining them with his trademarked smile, "decided to pull me from what was probably the most comfortable bed I've been in in a long time, to drag me down to the pool, where I am currently getting high with my new band." She finished, giggling through the end of it, and looked between the two boys. "So yeah, I'm feeling pretty fucking great." Itachi and Tobi laughed at her and she sat there, still grinning.

"Are you feeling good enough to swim with us?" Tobi asked, voice pleading and she slumped her shoulders in mock defeat.

"Well, I guess." She drawled out, teasing and Tobi laughed at her.

"You gotta jump in!" He insisted and looked over to the deep end. He spotted the diving board and pointed to it. "Jump in there!" Tobi instructed and she dropped her head giggling before looking at the ray of sunshine who swam in his shirt.

"Tobi," She drawled and he looked at her. "If you asked me to kill a man, I would." Nari admitted and stood while Tobi laughed at her. Nari felt herself swaying and giggled as she walked over to the diving board. Everything felt like a dream, it didn't feel real. Maybe once she jumped into the cold water she would wake up. Her stomach sank at the thought and kept walking to the diving board. The moment her foot stepped onto it, she heard Kisame shout from the other end of the pool.

"Do a flip!" He joked, referring to the internet meme and Nari giggled, standing on the board. She looked at her audience and gave a salute before running and jumping, flipping her head forward and flipping herself into the water. The crash of the cool water shocked her, but it didn't wake her up from this dream. The water roared in her ears and she sat there, holding her breath as she sank into the pool. She opened her eyes, squinting and found the way up. Nari swam and took a breath when she broke the surface, the sound of laughter and music replacing the muffled silence from underwater. She shook her head, wiping water from her eyes and smiled at the bandmates. This wasn't a dream, and she was happier than she'd been in a long time.

They each took turns jumping in, trying to do flips and back flips, dives and cannonballs. Tobi had dragged her out of the pool and they jumped in together. A chicken fight broke out when Kisame swam between her legs, standing up and letting her sit on his shoulders. Her piercing laugh echoed through the room, bouncing off the glass walls. Deidara was rested on Hidan's shoulders and they faced off, trying to push or pull the other off the shoulders of their partner. They were an even match and Kisame and Hidan tried to splash at each other to give their partner and advantage. Tobi and Itachi cheered from the imaginary sidelines and with humorous yelps, Nari and Deidara began falling to the side, gripping each other as they crashed into the water. As they resurfaced they saw Kisame and Hidan taking over the fight, neither satisfied with the ending. The two giants tried to dunk each other. Nari was enjoying herself and laughing away all the fear and apprehension that had been building. The weed might have helped too.

When she was woken by knocking at the door, she woke from the deepest sleep she'd had in a while. She stretched as the door opened and Konan came in, having a spare key to each room they rented.

"Morning!" Nari greeted with a yawn.

"Breakfast is ready for us." Konan laughed quietly as she tossed a bag down on the bed. "Have fun last night?" She asked.

"How'd you know?" Nari asked with a smile and Konan sat on the bed.

"Deidara roomed with Sasori." She explained. "When he came back soaking wet, Sasori grilled him on it. He told us everything." She giggled and stared at Nari. "And I mean everything." Nari felt herself blushing and Konan giggled at her and pat her leg. "C'mon. We have breakfast in our room." She nodded her head and stood. Nari climbed out of bed and noticed Konan was still in her pajamas. She figured that was good enough for her two and just pulled on a hoodie. Before they left, she noticed the bag on the bed, remembering Konan brought it with her.

"What's that?" Nari asked, pointing to it.

"It's a few options for tonight." Konan explained and stepped into the hall, Nari following behind and closing the door. "I didn't know if you needed anything so I came prepared."

"Thank you." Nari smiled and followed her down the hall to the room she shared with Pein.

"No problem." Konan smiled softly and opened the door. "Later I'll help you get ready if you want, a little girl time before the show." Nari beamed at the idea of girl time and Konan just laughed at her gently before stepping inside. Nari stepped inside and was greeted by Hidan's loudness.

"There's the party bitch!" He called from his spot by the window. A few people waved at her and others nodded in greeting.

"Morning." She offered gently and Konan directed her to the food. Nari helped herself to a carb heavy breakfast, knowing she was going to need the extra energy. She was surprised she wasn't more sore from yesterday, but didn't question it. She listened as the chatter filled the room and she grabbed herself some coffee, smiling at the warmth as she took a sip.

"We've just got a few more adjustments to make and everything should be good to go." Kisame explained before he turned to the band and Nari walked over to join them. He smiled at her. "We still don't know what's wrong with your guitar, but we're pretty sure it's on our end." He explained. "We'll have it fixed before the show starts." Nari nodded and smiled.

"Thanks."

"We need to get Nari her own guitar." Sasori's tired voice rose from under his hood and she tried not to laugh at the tired man. His head lolled back against the couch as he sighed. "What's your favorite color again?" He asked and she giggled.

"Green." She said around a bite of her food.

"Won't that clash with the band's red, yeah?" Deidara asked from his spot on the floor next to the coffee table.

"If Orochimaru can get away with purple, we can get her a green one." Sasori sighed and lifted his head, his hood falling off. "Besides, I like her better." Nari giggled, a little surprised. She hadn't exactly gotten quality time with him.

"How so?" She asked, taking another bite of food and Sasori stared her dead in the face before answering.

"You haven't tried to lick me yet." Nari stopped chewing, surprised at what he just said. She cocked her head to the side and furrowed her eyebrows.

"I'm sorry?" She asked, looking around for help. Did she hear right?

"Yeah," Hidan sighed. "Dude was a fucking creep. Was happy when he left."

"He kept swallowing things, too." Zetsu spoke up from his spot in the corner, startling her a bit. "He would swallow them and puke them back up."

"What the fuck?" Nari asked under her breath.

"His guitar is the one you're using right now." Sasori explained. "We have a backup of course but we want to get as much out of this one as we can." He finished and laid his head back on the back of the couch.

"He wanted actual snake skin where the snakes were." Kakuzu explained from his spot at a small table and Nari looked at him surprised. She'd have to look the next time she used it. "Bastard left a month later."

"Guy sounds like a weirdo." Nari said and she saw a few people nod. The awkward conversation was dropped when Itachi entered the room. She smiled at him in greeting and he nodded at her, a tired smile on his own face as he walked in an headed for the food.

"Where the hell you been man?" Hidan shouted, stunned by his absence. "Who else got better stories about that freak?"

"I'd rather not start my day reminiscing." Itachi shut down as he grabbed a coffee and Nari heard Kisame laughing.

"Man, I can't wait to get started, yeah." Deidara stood and grabbed his trash, tossing it.

"You guys get in as much practice as you can." Pein told them, looking at each one firmly. He had been satisfied with their final run through yesterday, but practice makes perfect. He looked at Nari last and she nodded, giving him a small salute that sent Hidan and Kisame howling at the memory of her from last night.