I'm sorry this chapter took so long to publish, It ended up a lot longer than I expected. A while back I received a review saying they preferred it when Deidara said "Unn" instead of "Yeah". So, now there's a poll on my profile. Please vote on how you would rather Deidara finishes his sentances. I will change all of Deidara's lines in my story to match the results of the poll. Please vote!

Hello, Akatsuki Friends!

Chapter 3

Konan and Sakura were standing in the hall outside of Leader's office.

"I will give you a tour first, we can pick up an outfit for you during then." Konan told Sakura as she started off down the hall. Almost immediately they turned a corner. "The room we were just in is Pains office. It also serves as Akatsuki's meeting room."

That would explain the big table and all those chairs.Sakura though, thinking back to the spacious stone room.

"The two doors in the back lead to Pain's room and my own room." The blue hared woman informed Sakura as she turned another corner and lead the younger girl down a long flight of stairs.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs Konan turned yet another corner before stopping at a black wooden door, located just around the corner they had turned. "This is the bathroom. There is only one."

Sakura blinked and gave Konan an inquiring look upon hearing the ruefulness in her voice.

Noting her look, Konan grimaced and explained. "Having only one bathroom for an organization full of S-ranked criminals causes…umm…problems."

Sakura only stared at the older kunoichi. A killer organization has problems like THAT? How lame… Sakura opened the bathroom door and took a look inside. It was surprisingly clean. There was a shower, a sink, and (of course) a toilet, along with other random bathroom things. The bathroom, like Leader's office, had floor, walls, and ceiling of polished stone. The room was brightly lit, illuminating the navy cabinets over both the toilet and the sink. The sink, toilet, and shower were a white porcelain. Clean? Shiny? Blue and porcelain? And here I was thinking every thing in Akatsuki would be dirty and gross. Not to mention that I figured everything in here would be black and red! Sakura was about to make a comment about it when she noticed small blue origami flowers decorating the bathroom, strewn here and there. I guessed Konan cleaned it. Leader said that the two of them were never around. I wonder who cleans it when they're gone?That last thought left Sakura with a light feeling of foreboding.

"Lets move on." Konan pressed in her calm voice.

They abandoned the bathroom and continued on down the hall. It wasn't long before they encountered a set of stairs diverging from the hall. Those look awfully steep! I really hope they don't go to far… what a pain. But to Sakura's mild surprise Konan continued on and bypassed the stairs without so much as slowing down.

"Up there is the training area. That's were all the members are now. We'll go up there later." Explained Konan as she continued down the hall.

The section of the hall they were in now was littered with doors. There were four black wooden doors on each side of the hall. Konan bypassed them all except for the last one on the left.

"This is your room Sakura." Konan elaborated. "But you have already seen it."

Sakura reached out for the doorknob non the less, and opened the door. Oh, I guess I have seen it before. It was the same room she had been tied up in just a short while before. It's quite drab. She noted, the walls, floor, and ceiling weren't even polished like the that of the bathroom and Leader's office. I wonder if they'll let me refurbish it? She closed the door and glanced at Konan.

The blue haired woman took the look as a signal to move on and she started off down the hall once again. They'd hardly gone more than 50 feet before encountering a fork in the hall. One side was another staircase and the other was another hall.

"That stair case leads to outside." Konan said, casting a worried glance at Sakura. "Don't try to escape. We'd simply come after you."

"I've made a deal, I'm here to stay." Murmured the pink haired girl, lightly tapping the ring on her left little finger. I'm not going to hurt Konoha or anyone, no matter what they do!

Konan gave a slight nod in understanding before leading her down the other hall. Soon they came to a large room strewn with miscellaneous furniture. In one corner there were two mismatching couches facing each other with a coffee table in between. One couch was blue velvet and ripping at the seams, and the other was red and yellow plaid, and although it was terribly ugly, it was in better shape. The coffee table was black wood, similar to the doors of the base, and probably looked good at one point in time, but was now missing a leg. In another corner there was a dull green couch covered in stains facing a small TV that was sitting on the floor. In a third corner there was a large faded red rug and a beaten oak desk. These people must have something against new furniture. Next to the desk was a bird cage. The cage itself was surprisingly clean but the bird inside, a grey pigeon, looked slightly malnourished. I guess they use this for communication. Konan must have cleaned this too. In the last corner of the room there was a large storage cabinet and a trunk. Both looked as if they were nearing the end of their lifespan. Like the halls and her bedroom, the ceiling walls and floor were of stone that wasn't polished. Despite the fact of the furniture being old and in crappy condition, the room was spotless.

There were two wooden doors at the back of the room and one at the side. Sakura sprinted over to the side door and opened it.

"Wait! Don't open that!" Konan called out, but it was to late.

Piles and piles of miscellaneous crap fell out of the closet and on top of Sakura. All the young girl could do was let out a pathetic yelp as the mountain of junk buried her. For a few seconds nothing happened. Then slowly the pile shuffled. And Sakura stuck her head out, gasping for air.

"Oooh, ouch!" She groaned as she struggled free of the pile.

"S-sorry! It's my fault that happened! I was in a rush to get things clean before you arrived." Konan apologized rather desperately.

"N-no, my fault! Here let me clean up!" Sakura insisted.

The two kunoichi quickly cleaned up the mess, arguing over who's fault it was all the while. After putting every thing back in the closet in a more organized manner, Konan went into the closet and pulled out some clothing from a box in the back.

"This is your uniform. Try it on to make sure it fits." Konan instructed, handing Sakura an Akatsuki cloak, and an outfit matching her own.

Sakura took the clothing and slipped into the closet. Oh, crap! I've been in my pajamas this whole time. She couldn't help but to try and picture what she must have looked like while talking to Leader. She frowned, unhappy with the scene her imagination conjured. She pictured herself in her ivory pajamas and sleep-tangled hair, defiantly telling Leader that she would have nothing to do with Akatsuki and him snickering to himself all the while. Sighing she began to undress. After donning the uniform she exited the closet closing the door behind her.

"Does it fit okay?" She asked the older woman.

"Perfectly." Konan said simply, her voice once again emotionless. "There should be a mirror in the closet."

Sakura went back into the closet and pulled out a full length mirror from behind a large stack of boxes. She leaned the mirror against the wall outside the closet and stood in front of it. She couldn't help but frown at the image in the mirror before her. Akatsuki… I don't want to be a part of this! These are bad people! The uniform fit her perfectly. The shoes, socks, pants, netted top, and shirt were exactly like Konan's. The black cloak with red clouds contrasted poorly with her pink hair and green eyes. Altogether the attire made her look rather badass.

"Usually members only wear their cloaks during missions." Advised Konan. "You can drop yours off at your room, along with your pajamas, after the tour."

"Okay. What's in those to last rooms?" Sakura inquired, pointing at the to remaining doors.

"The dining room and kitchen." Answered Konan, heading toward the closest door. Sakura hurriedly gathered up her pajamas and removed her cloak. She wrapped them up together and fallowed the blue haired woman through the door.

This room was undoubtedly the dining room. There was a large round table in the center. The table was made of some yellow wood and was covered in stains. One side of the table had a fork and spoon lodged in it. Whoa, what kind of person can jam a SPOON into wood? On the other side of the table there was a large chunk of wood missing. Okay, I'm officially afraid of mealtime. The chairs around the table were in similar condition, all bashed up. There was another door in this room, probably leading into the kitchen. The walls, ceiling, and floor were the same as the living room. There wasn't anything else in the room besides the table and chairs. I guess Akatsuki doesn't ever invite anyone over for dinner, or else they would design a more attractive atmosphere for dining.

Sakura walked around the table and opened the door to the last room. As she guessed it led to the kitchen. The kitchen was very clean. Probably also Konan's doing. There was a door leading back to the living room on one side of the room. On the other side there was a row of counters, blue and porcelain like the ones in the bathroom, lining the wall. Above those were matching cabinets. On the wall opposite of her there was a fridge that appeared to be stainless steel. Next to the fridge was a sink, a trash bin, and one of those stove-oven combinations witch was, unlike the fridge, covered in rust spots. On the wall closest to her there was a large white pantry. The walls, ceiling, and floor matched those of the previous room. Unlike most modern day kitchens, this one lacked a microwave and coffee pot.

"That's the whole base." Konan informed. "Lets leave your cloths at your room and we'll go meet the others."

"Okay." Sakura agreed quietly. They left the room and walked through the living room and back into the hall. They rounded a corner and stopped outside her room.

"I'll be right back." Sakura promised before opening her door and stepping into her room. She quickly hung her cloak and pajamas up in her closet, then exited the room and rejoined Konan. They walked in silence past the other rooms. They reached the staircase that diverged from the hall. Sakura eyed the unusually steep steps with a sense of impending physical exertion. They climbed the steps with Konan in the lead. The climb, although long, was not bad at all. Sakura probably had her rigorous training with Tsunade-sama to thank for that. Sakura pushed the thought from her mind in attempt to prevent dwelling on missing her master. They reached the top of the stairs and stepped out into sunlight. Wow, guess I'm not underground anymore. She thought as she blinked and rubbed her eyes, trying to become used to the much brighter light of out doors. She wasn't able to do so, however, because almost immediately after she and Konan stepped out of the tunnel Sakura was tackled to the ground by a black and orange blur.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!" Tobi squealed in delight, pinning Sakura to the ground in a tight glomp.

It took the pink haired girl a panicky minute to realize what was going on. She was outside, laying on the grass, looking up at the blue sky, with a S-ranked criminal on top of her. She let out a high pitched scream and struggled futility against Tobi's grip.

"Hey Tobi, get off her. She's freaking out, yeah!" Deidara's voice demanded from somewhere nearby.

"T-Tobi's sorry, Sakura-chan! Tobi's a good boy!" Insisted Tobi, jumping off of her in panic.

Sakura sat up, dazed. "It's okay Tobi, you just caught me off guard." Really she was embarrassed she had reacted in such a way. She looked around, taking in her surroundings. She was sitting in a large meadow. The edges of the meadow were covered in different kinds of plants. It looked somewhat like a garden as well as a training area. There were beautiful flowers and well clipped trees. On one side of the meadow was a steep rock wall that ascended at a near 90° slope. On the other side of the meadow there was another steep rock slope. This fall descendedat a near 90° slope and, unlike the other side, had a waist height brick wall bordering it. In the far end of the meadow Sakura could just see a small waterfall rushing down the upper slope, pooling at the base, and continuing down the lower slope. Wow! I guess the base really is inside a mountain! From were she was sitting the young kunoichi could see down the entire side of the mountain and the whole valley beyond. It really was a beautiful sight. Almost beautiful enough to distract her from the crowed of Akatsuki members surrounding her. Almost.

"Leader-sama told us not to treat her inappropriately, Tobi." A voice scolded coldly from behind Sakura. She turned around to find Itachi standing before her. She stood up and dusted herself off, gazing at the group of men surrounding her as she did so. The majority of them wore the same outfit that she now wore, the one identical to Konan's. She recognized most of them, Tobi, Deidara, Itachi, and Kisame, but she didn't know the other three.

"Line up!" Konan ordered the men. They did so with only a few grumbled complaints. When they were all in a line the older kunoichi turned to Sakura, "I know you know some of them already, but I am going to properly introduce you."

Konan pointed to the first man in line, Itachi, and began. "This is Itachi from Konohagakure. He's usually quiet and unemotional. You shouldn't have to much trouble with him." Itachi narrowed his eyes at the comment, but otherwise remained impassive. He looked about the same as when she last saw him, long black hair in a ponytail, serious expression, and ever activated sharingan.

"This is Kisame." Konan said, indicating to the next man in the line. Sakura had met him before. She could never forget the way he so strangely resembled a shark. His skin was pale blue, his teeth were sharp and triangular, he had gills bellow his eyes, and his eyes themselves were small, round, and white. His hair, by breaking some law of gravity, was combed up in a manner resembling a shark fin. "He's from Kirigakure. You'll find he's aggressive and loves to fight. He is one of the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist." Kisame winked at Sakura and flashed her a wide toothy grin.

"Next is Hidan." Introduced Konan, pointing to the man standing next to Kisame. This man seemed familiar to Sakura, but she couldn't place a name. He had slicked back silver hair and purple eyes. Around his neck he wore some kind of emblem, an upside-down triangle inside a circle. "He's from Yugakure. Hidan's the most foulmouthed and disrespectful of everyone here. He's a Jashinist and immortal." Sakura's heart almost stopped. This is the man who killed Asuma-sensei! She instinctively took a step back, feeling sick to her stomach.

"What's your f*****g problem?" He demanded, jabbing a finger in Sakura's direction.

"You can't talk that way to a lady!" Tobi intervened, before Sakura could retaliate.

"The hell I can't you little weirdo!" Hidan shouted back at the masked man.

"Nuh-uh! Those are naughty words!" Insisted Tobi, shaking his head.

"I can say whatever the hell I f*****g want, you-"

"That's enough." Konan interrupted, giving both agitated men a stern glance. Tobi happily walked back to his place in line, and Hidan flipped him off.

"Konan-san! Hidan just-"

"I said that's enough! You guys should be trying to make a good impression!" Konan interrupted again, this time angry. This time both men listened obediently.

She must not get angry very often. Sakura commented to herself, noticing how both the men hadn't even hesitated to obey her.

"Continuing." Konan said, then pointed to the man standing next to Hidan. "This is Kakuzu, he's from Takigakure. He acts as Akatsuki's treasurer and acts as a bounty hunter when he can. He is incredibly greedy and thinks that money is the most important thing in the world." Kakuzu didn't seem bothered by the comment, but it was kind of hard to tell. He was wearing a white hood and a black mask over his face, with his eyes being the only thing showing. His eyes were unusual in coloring: green irises, no pupils and red sclera.

"Great, another female, woman are too expensive." Complained Kakuzu, demeanor unchanged, "Don't think your going to be allowed to go out and spend a fortune on shoes and makeup."

Sakura rolled her eyes, then remarked sarcastically, "That's a stereo type. I prefer handbags and perfume." She looked at the hooded man for a reaction, and was slightly annoyed when she realized she wouldn't see one due to his mask.

"Just watch your mouth, girl." He said in a annoyed tone. "I'm telling you now we don't do funerals, way to costly."

"Moving on." Konan insisted, stopping Sakura's sarcastic comeback before it could leave her lips. "Next is Tobi, he's a fairly new member. Umm, we're not sure where he's from or why he's even in Akatsuki. He's naïve, innocent, talks in third person, and-."

"And Tobi's a good boy!" Tobi interrupted boastfully.

"Why, yes. Of course." Konan added, patting Tobi on the head, much to his delight.

The blue haired woman pointed to the next man in line, Deidara. Or you could say the next girl in line. Sakura thought to her self, holding back a sicker. Oh, I just know I'm going to LOVE picking on him! He deserves it, he freaking blew up my house!

"I know you know him, but this Deidara." Konan introduced. "He's from Iwagakure. He likes explosions and thinks that blowing stuff up is art." Deidara looked pretty much the same as the other day, minus the cloak and plus the scowl on his face from Konan's comment.

"Blowing stuff up is art, yeah." Deidara retorted. "And it's useful. What are you going to do with paper? Give your enemies a paper cut, yeah? Like that'll-"

Konan gave the girly man an evil glare, silencing him at once.

Sakura couldn't help but giggle. Come on! It was an argument about bombs vs. paper! And they were both taking it seriously!

"You think something's funny, pinky, yeah?" demanded the blond.

"Not at all, barbie!" Sakura retorted, desperately trying to hold back her laughter.

Kisame let out an amused snort, obviously taking a liking to Deidara's new nickname, and Konan's jaw dropped slightly, before her mouth tuned to a grin. But those reactions were nothing compared to Hidan's fit of laughter and Deidara's nearly beet red face.

"Lets get this over with. Oh, but they're having fun! Doesn't matter." The last man said, ending the laughter.

"Right. This is Zetsu." Agreed Konan, regaining her emotionless demeanor and indicating to the man next to Deidara. Sakura stifled a gasp upon catching sight of the last man in the line. He had a head of shocking green hair and had yellow eyes, but those were defiantly not the strangest things about him. Zetsu was split, right down the middle, between black and white. It could have been paint, but It didn't look smudgy or crusty the way body paint did. It was his actual skin. What is this man?

"Zetsu acts as Akatsuki's spy. He works alone so he doesn't have a partner, although he does have a duel personality thing going on. His two halves talk to each other some times." Konan explained, and then added with a smirk. "It can actually be pretty funny, especially when they argue."

Zetsu's black half only stared at Konan while his white half broke out into a wide grin.

"He's also kind of a cannibal. Akatsuki sends him out to eat the bodies we wish to dispose of. Usually he wears a flytrap-like plant attachment, but only when he's on missions." Konan continued.

"It gets in the way. I really only need it on missions anyway." Zetsu added in.

Sakura couldn't help but feel uneasy being near the strange man. He eats people. Don't get yourself alone with him.

There was a bit of an awkward silence.

"Umm, nice to meet you all…" Sakura said feeling out of place.

"Your all dismissed. You may go back to what you were originally doing. We're done." Konan announced. The line of men broke up and each of them went off to do their own thing. Konan turned back to Sakura. "You will get used to them eventually."

I'm going to eventually get used to a group a S-ranked criminals. That's nice. There goes my dream of becoming a powerful Konoha medic kunoichi. Instead I get to spend the rest of my days playing doctor for Akatsuki. But that's okay, because I'll get used to it.

"Pain and I are leaving for Amegakure tomorrow." Konan commented, interrupting Sakura's sarcastic thoughts. "It's your duty from here on out to utilize your skills as a medic ninja to keep these men in one peace. Were counting on you. We've hardly been receiving any mission requests lately, so you'll find you'll have a lot of free time. You can come out here, to the training grounds, when the weathers good. When the weathers bad you can hang out around the base, which is what most of the members do, or you can leave the base or do whatever. But remember, no running away. You can't ever return to Konoha. We couldn't allow you to do that if we wanted to, you know to much." Konan paused and placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Don't worry about anything, Sakura. You'll call them family eventually."

To be continued…