AN: I know it's amazing to know I'm alive. Anyways heres Itachi with the disclaimer...
Itachi: ...
Come on Itachi-kuuunnnn!
Itachi: ...No
Fine I'll do the disclaimer.
Deidara: To late here's the story un!
Damn!
Chapter Six: The True Nature of the Akatsuki
Loren was having a hard time paying attention to what Temari was telling her about um well she really didn't have a clue to as what the eldest Sand Sibling was saying. The younger girl would just nod and grunt a yes or no reply every once and a while. She was busy thinking about what she thought was her fragile friend.
Gaara had informed her that the Akatsuki temple was ruthless and hard on students, answering why so little students were in that temple. He had gotten into gruesome detail about last year's Final Akatsuki Exam. He had told her about a boy who had gotten his arms blown off by the Blondie she had sat with, and a girl was poisoned and died while fighting Sasori. Those were the only two who had failed last year the boy had been a second year and the girl a first year with Deidara.
No, wonder the Fire Students disliked them, Loren thought, there teaching methods are cruel and unusual. She looked up at the blond girl talking at her. Soon Loren's sense of hearing came back to her and she could hear Temari again.
"So you're sure you still want to bunk with my brother?" she asked a brow rose.
"Of course," Loren replied with a smile.
"Your very sure?" the Sand Sibling pressed and the younger girl nodded. "Humph. Don't say I didn't warn you," and with that Temari got her ridiculously large fan from the wall it had been resting on. When the white painted wall clicked close Loren shook her head and went to the tiny balcony. She looked out at the six Greek-like temples that sat on the other end of the campus/village.
She couldn't help but worry for her friend. It was in her nature to be a motherly worrywart anyway but now she had more of a reason to worry. It wasn't as if she was scolding Jenny of not studying for a math test this was worry to the next and most powerful level of fear. If her best friend didn't become strong enough she may die.
She heard the door click open again and Gaara's dark aura filled the room and she was snapped from her thoughts.
"Gaara," she said not looking away from the scenery. He said nothing but she could feel his eyes on her. "Do you think Jenny will be okay?"
"I don't see why you care," he replied.
"She's like my sister that's why I care!" Loren snapped twisting around to shoot her roommate a glare. He just looked back at her and his nonexistent brows pressed together. "Humph, sorry," she muttered looking back.
He padded silently over to her and stood next to her on the balcony. "Your really odd," he said in a flat monotone.
"So I've been told," Loren sighed not in any mood for jokes.
They stood silently just watching the sky get darker and people beginning to head back to there respective Towers or Temples.
The day's craziness hit me hard as I tried to will myself to sleep. Suddenly my head throbbed and my back ached from when Barbie Girl had slammed me into the wall. I groaned and flipped onto my side and burying my face into the pillow.
"Can't sleep hmm?" asked a groggy voice in the bed next to me.
"No," I replied, "I have a hard time adjusting to new places."
"Really un?" Deidara propped up on his elbows; his golden hair flowed over his shoulders and gleamed with a silvery blue with the moonlight coming from the window.
"Um huh," I yawned looking at him hungry teenage girl lust. Of course I didn't let myself look like some sort of dog I let my 'checking out' on a low so he wouldn't disappear under his black blankets.
"So tell me," Deidara said "your from America right hmm?"
"Yea," I said in a 'uh duh you were on my bus.'
"Odd," he mused his eyes half open.
"Why?"
"Not many students come from America but there was a lot this year un," Deidara said moving his long bangs behind his ear so I could see both of his eyes. The one normally covered over with a weirdo scope had many small holes in the skin around his eye. I had watched him take off the scope and saw that it was held in place by hooks that would go in the healed over holes in his skin.
"Were are you from?" I asked and he grinned back at me.
"You'd never guess," he chuckled and I just raised my brows waiting for his answer. "Korea. Born and raised."
"You realize you have blonde hair and blue eyes right?" I asked with a smile.
"They changed color after I got my bloodline limit," Deidara said rubbing the tuff skin around his left eye. "My hair use to be real black hmm."
"That's awesome," I sat up my eyes wide. Deidara chuckled and I felt my face go hot. "I mean yea that's pretty cool," I corrected playing with a curl of hair. He just gave a look that said 'your really aren't fooling anyone.' "God I'm such a nerd," I sighed the corner of my lip perked in a smile.
"Yea you kind of are un," he agreed then chuckled softly "but it's adorably fun to watch yeah."
I smiled goofily and lay back on the bed. I looked at the ceiling just smiling stupidly to myself. "Thanks Deidara," I said softly.
"Your welcome Jenn-Chan hum," he replied curling up in his sheets "try to get some sleep okay?"
"Yea," I yawned rolling over and my eyes fluttered shut.
"Come on Jenn-Chan get up un!" I was asleep for about five seconds before I heard Deidara yell at me. I sat up groggily and blinked a few times.
"Ugh what time is it?" I croaked through a dry throat.
"Five fifteen," he replied getting on his fish net shirt. "You have to hurry we leave at six okay?"
"Five?" I groaned getting up and dragging myself to the bathroom where I found a clean uniform waiting for me. I pulled off my blue tang top and black pajama pants and quickly got into the shower. I squeaked as frozen water hit me square in the face. I sighed happily as the water heated up and made my skin red.
About ten minutes later I rung out my hair and stole Deidara's hair dryer so it wouldn't poof out on my as the day went on. Then I pulled on my uniform and stepped out to find Deidara and Sasori pulling on black cloaks with red clouds printed on them. There was a matching one on my bed and an Asian rice farmer's hat with white cloth attached to the rim of it.
"This for me?" I asked picking up the cloak which was silky but didn't seem to droop for some reason.
"Obviously un," Deidara smiled putting on his hat that jingled from a tiny bell tied to the rim.
I pulled on my cloak that hit perfectly at the knee and then the jingly hat. "How do I look?" I asked and both of my roommates nodded in approval.
Then we waited by the door Sasori's hand on the knob. The minutes ticked by painfully slow. I felt my legs buckle and the butterflies fluttered angrily in my belly. I didn't dare ask what we were waiting for nor did I ask why we couldn't just wait on the sofa.
Before I opened my mouth a gong rang out. It was six o'clock and from the window the sun had just peeked over the horizon. Sasori snapped open the door and so did seven other doors at the exact same time. We all walked out and formed into two lines heading up the hall away from the entrance of the temple. Itachi and Kisame led the way then Zetsu and that Tobi kid third in line was that jerk Hidan with his partner whom I couldn't really see then Sasori and Deidara and lastly was me and the only other woman of the Akatsuki.
I looked at her in the corner of my eye she was beautiful. Her hair was a striking blue-purple that I guessed was natural from hearing what Deidara said last night. Her eyes were crystal teal and under her pink lower lip was a silver stud ring. She didn't look at me once as we walked down the darkening hall.
We came to a staircase that wined up to a higher level of the temple. As I expected we began to climb the black marble steps. I watched the carvings in the wall of different animals and people. It was all very beautiful and spiritual. The temple felt more like monastery then a high school.
We reached the top of the stairs and the two lines branched off and encircled a giant unlit fire pit that must have been fifty or more meters around. Everyone around me clasped their hands together index and middle fingers pointed straight up the ring and pinky fingers of there left hands curled over the same fingers of the right hand. Sasori who sat next to me nudged my shoulder and I copied the group's actions.
"Welcome students," said a strong voice not has deep as Deidara's but very authoritative. I looked up seeing a man with 'kiss-me-I'm-Irish' hair and odd gray eyes that seemed to be many thin circles around a tiny dark pulp. He had three metal studs in his nose, two out the sides of his lips, and a wide range of rings in both ears. "It seems that this year we have only one new student," he said looking at me. There was a long and awkward silence before he spoke again. "Care to state your name?"
"Oh uh Jenny," I said quickly getting a kind smile from Deidara across from me and a snicker from Hidan.
The man nodded. "I welcome you with open arms to the Akatsuki," he said before looking away. "Itachi would you light the flames?"
Itachi stepped up and did some very fast things with his hands and brought his hands to his lips. "Fire element, Phoenix Fire Jutsu," he said as a fireball came from his mouth and lit the logs in the large fire pit. I gasped in surprise watching the fire dance and grow till it tickled the ceiling.
The 'Morning Meet' as it was called was soon over and we were told to go train out in the fields. I stood in the room wondering what I should do long after everyone has left.
"Ah Pein-sama," I said meekly and he turned from the mouth of the stairs and raised a brow. "I don't know what to do," I said hopelessly taking off the jingly hat and holding it over my chest. "I don't see anything remarkable about me and I feel like no one is willing to answer any of my questions!"
"Calm yourself," he growled "to be a ninja you must control your emotions." He paused looking at me before saying "you have orders go and train your sempai will be Itachi." And with that he headed down the stairs leaving me in the meeting room alone with the dieing flames.
After a few minutes of standing and watching the amber logs I decided the best thing to do was to fallow Pein's orders. No, need to get on the man's bad side when I've already annoyed him by showing weakness. I placed the jingle hat onto my head and flew down the stairs. I wasn't sure if I was suppose to take off the robes for training but I still don't have a key to my dorm so I couldn't change out of it.
I headed down the steps and found someone in the black robes and the jingle hat on. I couldn't tell who it was till I got closer. As I neared I could see the tiered lines on each side of his face and the raven black bangs hiding his eyes. It was Itachi.
"Hey," I greeted sitting down next to him. He didn't move. "Pein-sama told me that you're my sempai, whatever that is." His head shifted and he stared at me.
"I know," he said before getting up and strolled down the street. I blinked in surprise and fallowed Itachi to the training grounds. "I'd put my hair up if I were you," he said as we neared the large field dotted with a few small forest areas and a medium sized pond. I nodded taking off the hat and leaning it on my leg before tying my hair into a lose braid.
"So what are we going to do now?" I asked placing the jingle hat back on. In a flash I was kicked hard in the ribs. I toppled over clutching my chest as I gasped for breath. I looked up dizzily seeing a pair of blood red eyes looking down at me.
"Get up," I herd Itachi's voice say.
My ribs burned but I struggled to my feet. "What…was…that for?" I gasped and I was answered with a punch to the face. I felt tears roll down my eyes as I fell of my ass.
"You must be able to take pain," he said coolly pulling me up by the braid. I wriggled in his grasp but he was terrifyingly strong. "In the Akatsuki you must be strong," he whispered in my ear "or you'll die."
AN: I hope I annoyed you all with my cliffy