Chapter 2: Hanging Out With the Akatsuki

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Dx

Haruki just had to smile at Tobi. He was just so darn cute! "I think that's a great idea!" She smiled. "Hmm, I agree with Haki-chan, yeah." Deidara nodded. "I don't really mind, what about you Itachi?" Kisame spoke, turning to the Uchiha. Itachi shrugged, "I don't mind either." Suddenly, Deidara shouted, "Let's party, yeah!"

"Wait!" Haruki yelped as the men began to walk away. Everyone except Itachi turned around, "What is it, yeah?" Deidara asked. "Uhm….what about Kakuzu and Zetsu?" She asked, blinking. "Oh, they--" Kisame started, then Deidara slapped his hand across his mouth, "-went on a mission, to Mist country, yeah." Kisame gave Deidara a questioning glance, but he ignored it.

"Oh?" Haruki mumbled. She smiled as she ran up and glomped Deidara from behind. He stumbled but caught himself in time."Hey! I almost fell, yeah!" He said indignantly, glancing at her smiling face over his shoulder. "Sorry Dara-chan!" She smiled as Deidara's hands held her up from behind. She enjoyed being piggyback ridden from the blonde man. "Haki?" Kisame spoke, "Hmm?" She asked absently, currently busy toying with Deidara's soft hair. "How come you never want a piggyback ride from me?" This question struck Haruki as odd, she turned to her right in confusion, staring at Kisame as if he had three eyes. "Saame-chaan…." She drawled out lazily, almost in a warning tone. Kisame took a step further away from her as he stared nervously at her, "….do you remember when I was first here?" She asked, a rather evil glint in her eye. Kisame remembered.

The mass of short black and blonde hair popped out fron behind Deidara's shoulder. Her warm brown eyes stared timidly out at the other Akatsuki members. "A newbie, yeah." Deidara said, moving his chin in her direction. "Feh." Kisame scoffed, "This punk'll last no more than a week." "Oh yeah?" Hakuri had narrowed her eyes at him, jumping off Deidara. She yelped in pain as she fell to the ground, her right leg unable to hold her weight up. Kisame laughed at the girl's weakness. "She can't even walk straight!" He roared. She gave him a fierce glare. "Oi, she had to battle me to become Akatsuki, yeah. I shattered her leg, I think, yeah." Deidara said bluntly. Kisame snorted, ignoring Deidara's honesty, "So? A couple of blows to the leg and she can't walk? Hardly any excuse." Kisame continued to ignore the facts. She looked at her leg, it had a huge gash on it. She tried to wiggle her toes. They didn't move. She groaned and rolled her eyes as if the loss of cut nerves were simply a hassle to her. "You okay, yeah?" Deidara asked as he hurried over to her with a first-aid kit. She bit her lip and winced as the blonde cleansed the wound, then dressed it. "Try to get up, yeah?" He asked and offered his shoulder. She nodded and slung her arm around his shoulder, then shifted her weight to get up. She managed to stand, favoring her injured leg, of course. She advanced toward Kisame, anger flashing fiercely in her chocolate eyes. Kisame looked oblivious to her rage, blinking casually. She lunged and managed to scrape his arm, and to her utter happiness, she had managed to hurt him deeply. Swearing, he clutched his now injured arm as it bled profusely. She smiled smugly as she stood proudly, hands on her hips.

Kisame shuddered as he pushed up his left arm sleeve, the scar still left there. A paler blue than his skin, somehow it had healed into the shape of a cresent moon. Haruki smiled smugly again and nuzzled her face into the crook of Deidara's neck. "Are you blushing, Dara-chan?" Haruki asked innocently as she leaned forward to meet his eyes, her breath nipping at his ear. Deidara turned his head the other way to hide his face. "Awwwh!" She laughed and smiled, resting her head on his left shoulder, still being piggyback ridden.

"Where are we going, tachi?" Haruki murmured, trying hard not to fall asleep. "To the kitchen, Haruki." Itachi spoke quietly. Haruki suddenly felt herself being laid down, she sighed and opened her eyes, catching a glimpse of blonde retreating. She looked around, but didn't move her head. She was in the living room. "Hmmf." She groaned and got up. "Don't forget me, you lot!" She giggled at her British useage of words. (No offense to any Britans out there. I personally wish I was british! Seriously.)

She trudged off the couch they had left her on and shivered. When did it become so cold? She created a clone and made it go to her room while she went into the kitchen. "Haven't you forgotten someone?" She inquired, quirking an eyebrow accusingly. Deidara, Tobi and Kisame waved her over to the dinner table, in which they had plunged themselves into a game of poker. Haruki grinned as her clone approached with her cloak. She grabbed the cloak and made the clone dissapear. She put on the cloak, but left it upzipped. She sat herself down between Deidara and Tobi, who handed her her cards. "You better watch it." Haruki said as she smirked at her cards. Kisame already began to look nervous.

Thrity minutes later, Haruki had gained an extra five thousand yen and everyone's respect.

"Crap, I didn't know Haki-chan could play like that, yeah." Deidara groaned as he forfeited the last of his money. Haruki grinned evilly, "You still don't know a lot of things about me, Dara-chan!" She chirped happily. Tobi sighed as he too, handed over his lost money. Kisame grumbled, then threw his pouch of money at her, then dissapeared into the kitchen. "Geesh, don't hate me cuz you aint me, Kisa-kun!" She yelled at his retreating figure. "Shut up." Was all he said.

"Haruki-san." Itachi's neutral voice broke Haruki's count on her money. She turned to give him a mocking glare, "What is it, tachi-kun?" She said through clenched teeth. "You've got a mission." He said, his face expressionless. Haruki quirked her eyebrows, "Oh, really?" She opened the scroll, her eyes quickly scanning the page. "Hmpf." She grunted in a very unladylike manner. "Well, what is it, yeah?" Deidara asked, leaning back in his chair absentmindedly. "Just some crap about retrieving the kyuubi…again." She rolled her eyes, knowing they will fail yet again. Deidara tried to remain optimistic, being the lovable blonde he is and ignoring Kisame's snickers, "Lighten up, Haki-chan, I'll go with you, yeah." He smiled. Haruki returned the smile. "Okay, I guess that makes the defe-ahem-victory-" She stressed on that word, "-all the more merrier." She nodded and said one last thing before going off to her room, "I'm going to start packing."

Haruki heard Deidara's light, shuffling footsteps pass her door as he went to his room, which was two down from hers. Haruki quickly packed simple necessities, such as an extra shirt, a pair of pants and an extra hitai-ate and many other things in which I have no time to go into detail with. She sighed deeply as she grabbed her cloak, "Why are all the evil people against staying home on New Years, and what's wrong with a little bonding time!?" She grumbled as she closed the door to her room. Haruki was certainly not in the mood to meddle with anyone or be meddled with. She turned around, only to bump into someone. Haruki let out an indignant squeak, looking up at Itachi,

"Oi, tachi-kun, watch where you're going, eh." She glared. Then, her glare turned teary-eyed and she latched onto the Uchiha, tears beginning to run down her face, and arms on his chest. "S-sorry Itachi-san." She said, in a hushed tone as she backed away and wiped away her tears. Itachi seemed to be more surprised by her formality in adressing him than her crying. "…come here." He said, the tinest flicker of emotion in his voice, and opened his arms. It was Haruki's turn to look surprised.

She hesitated for only half-second before running into his open arms. Haruki smiled and closed her eyes as Itachi's arms closed, embracing her in a hug.

However.

Like all funny and ironic scenes, Haruki and Itachi's little hug time was cut short by a shout.

"What the hell, yeah!" Deidara yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the both of them as if they were red-handed criminals. Haruki turned her head, still in Itachi's hug, to look at Deidara with a a calm look on her face. Deidara's gaze flickered between her and Itachi, searching on their faces if the hug meant anything more than a mere 'hug'. In the end, he seemed to give up on searching and turned to Haruki, who by this time had let go of Itachi (as he let go of her) and gathered her belongings that had been strewn aside, "Are you ready, Haruki?" Deidara asked, seemingly distraut by the scene he had seen and leaving out his signature 'yeah'.

"Yes." She chirped happily, going back to the old Haruki. "Oh no, wait!" She said to Deidara, cauing him to stop in mid-step and turn his heel. "What is it?" Deidara asked, still leaving out his 'yeah'. (Deidara's going to stop saying that for a while until the time comes. ) "I have to say goodbyes first!" She explained, pouting at him, "You'll wait for me, right, Dara-chan?" "Ugh, yeah go ahead, I'll wait." Deidara sighed.

Haruki smiled at Deidara in thanks, then skipped over to Itachi and gave him another hug, "Nii-san…yambatte, ne?"(Older brother…wish me luck?) She whispered into his ear. Haruki could have sworn that she saw him flash back a smile. Kisame and Tobi appeared at the doorway, faces blank. "What's with all the yellling guys?" Tobi asked, looking around in confusion at Deidara's pained face, Itachi's blushing one and Haruki's innocent face. "I'm going to leave, but I didn't want to go without saying goodbye." Haruki said, running over to Tobi and giving him a tight hug. Tobi returned the hug with a wink. "Come back safe, okay?" Haruki nodded and smiled, then went over to Kisame, giving him a tight squeeze around his torso. Kisame, in turn, gave her a slightly less tight squeeze of his own.

"Ready now?" Deidara nearly growled. "Yes, Dara-chan!" Haruki said happily as she picked up her things and waved one last time before departing through the main doors.

(A/N): Sorry guys, I know New Years passed, what, a week ago? Sorry if it seems too hard to imagine...or whatever... -is making a fool of herself on the internet and knows it- Whoot! Two reviewers already! You guys don't know how happy you two've made me!! T0T As for the rest of you who don't bother to review, cmon it's just a little button and a few words! Please review!

Special Dedication To:

MangaGirl199427

Kakashi-Chanu

My Uncle, who passed away December 31st, three years ago. May god bless his soul.