A/N

Phew, that was a short wait! Ok, chapter eight, my lovelies. I wanna thank all you guys for all your positive feedback on the last chapter (really glad it turned out ok O.O) and also thanks to the people who had a look at my new NejiTen oneshot "Here Comes the Next Contestant". So, the shout outs for this chapter go to:

Animusic96

Wow! You commented on four chapters! Haha, don't worry; there'll be some good old NaruHina in this chapter! I'm so glad you like the story so much ^w^

Hitokiri Shinzui

Hehe, yeah, I was having a little trouble thinking of an omake for that chapter.

So, on with the chapter then, my lovelies!

One more disclaimer: Saw, Dead Silence, and Bogeyman all belong to their respective owners, and I claim no ownership of them whatsoever.

Deidara sat on the top bunk of a bunk bed that had been built into the limestone walls of the room he currently occupied. Host had not lied entirely when he said that they would have their own rooms. As it was, each door seemed to have three or four names on it, so the room he resided in was also shared with Tobi, Hidan, and Kisame.

"Sheesh, I'm bored," sighed Hidan from the top bunk opposite Deidara.

"Why don't you try to get some sleep? Some of us are actually tired you know," Kisame grumbled, voice muffled from the pillow over his head.

"Because I don't trust blondie over there not to do something freaky while I'm unconscious, fish boy!" Hidan snapped at the blue man underneath him.

"Will you just shut up?" shouted Deidara, "Haven't I already proven that I'm not gay? I made out with Konan, surely that's enough!"

"Lucky bastard," Hidan muttered, "Do you know how fucking long it has been since I had some female companionship?"

"About ten minutes from the way you and that red-haired bitch have been carrying on," countered Deidara.

Hidan swelled with somewhat less-than-righteous fury. "Shut your face, you fag!" Hidan shouted poetically.

(A/N just so you know, they're just talking about making out and stuff, not that.) "Whatever," said the pyrotechnician, rolling over to turn his back on the swearing immortal.

When everyone had calmed down for about one blissful half-hour there was silence, until…

"Hey, Senpai?" Tobi chirped from the bunk below the blonde.

"What?"

"Are you asleep?"

"Not anymore."

"I just had a thought."

"You? You had a thought? Amazing."

"If no one else is tired I had a look in that parlour that the shifting guy talked about."

"And?"

"Well, I saw a shelf full of movies and a TV."

"I hope you're not suggesting a movie marathon."

"Yep!" Tobi finished happily.

"Did I hear something about a movie marathon?" Hidan piped up, propping himself against the headboard of his bunk.

"No, no you didn't hear anything at all," Deidara grumbled. It was almost worth a try.

"Yeah, I thought we could watch something," Tobi provided, foiling Deidara's plans.

"I'm up for it. Hey, fish boy," Hidan kicked Kisame in the face.

"Ow! What is it?" the blue Akatsuki member asked.

"We're having a movie marathon, you in?"

Kisame sighed. "Apparently if I want to get any sleep tonight it'll have to be on the couch. Fine, I'll join you guys."

"Great! Let's go! I think I saw something with a black cover and bloody letters on it," Tobi said happily, springing out of bed.

"To the parlour then!" Hidan led them.

Rolling out of bed, Deidara didn't even bother putting his Akatsuki cloak on, instead opting for his regular fishnet lined T-shirt. Honestly, some of these guys could be total idiots sometimes.

Upon entering the parlour the group of four was treated to a view of a brightly lit room complete with a pool table dominating the left hemisphere and a couch in front of a wide-screen television on the other.

Hidan plopped himself comfourtably down on the couch, propping his feet up on the bamboo coffee table. "Ok, Tobi, what's the movie?" he asked eagerly.

"Well, there's this movie called Bogeyman here, how about that?" replied the masked man, holding up a DVD depicting some kind of monster emerging from underneath a bed.

"Bring it on!" said Hidan, pumping his fist in the air.

At that moment a small figure dressed in black entered the room; it was one of Host's helpers.

"Excuse me?" he said timidly, "I thought I heard noises."

"Damn right you did," replied Hidan, "Say, where's the kitchen?"

"Um, I can lead you to it if you'd like."

"Yeah, you do that."

Hidan departed the room with the smaller man in tow.

"Hey, don't you guys start the movie without me, I'm going to get something to eat and check to see if anyone else wants to join us."

Deidara decided to pass the time playing pool. He walked over to the table and grabbed a cue. He started to hit the small white ball around the table, practicing working the angles. After about ten minutes the door opened to admit three other members: Itachi, Sasori, and Zetsu.

"Hidan wouldn't leave us alone," explained Zetsu's white half.

"The idiot wouldn't shut up," continued his black half.

"We decided to see what all the fuss was about," finished Itachi solemnly.

"Come on in, we're just waiting for Hidan to get back," Tobi invited them.

Sasori and Zetsu positioned themselves on the couch and amused themselves by watching the little icon on the television screen bounce around off of its parameters. Itachi on the other hand joined Deidara in a miniature billiards game.

After another five minutes the door opened once again to admit a smaller figure than the rest.

"Did I miss something?" came a familiar voice.

"Konan!" everyone said simultaneously, feverishly searching for something to cover themselves up with (you'll remember that they're all in sleeping gear of some sort, nothing as modest as the akatsuki cloak). Konan herself was in sweatpants and a T-shirt.

"What's wrong with you guys?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the panicking males.

"Uh… nothing," said Deidara, halfway through fighting with Kisame for a pillowcase.

"I see…" she said, still observing their antics.

"Hey! You faggots want some popcorn?" Hidan burst into the room loaded with popcorn and drinks, and then he spotted Konan.

"Whoa! Konan! Homina homina! That Pein sure is one lucky son of a bitch! Are you wearing a bra?"

Practically everyone in the room face-palmed. Trust Hidan to say the most inappropriate things to the only female member in akatsuki, and coincidentally the second in command.

At that moment Hidan (most likely due to his sleep deprived and thus addled brain) seized Konan in a tight hug.

"Hidan! What are you doing?" she gasped through the immortal's tight embrace.

"She really isn't wearing a bra!" he announced, astonished.

The woman in question drew back her fist and slammed Hidan square on the nose, producing a satisfying sound of splintering cartilage. As he clutched at his ruined nose, Konan doubled the blow with a kick into his manhood.

"FUCK!!" screamed the immortal, eyes streaming and clenched in pain, "Ooh, that was good!"

Konan walked gracefully over to the sofa and took a seat at the far end.

Deidara sat down on Konan's right. "How did you find out that something was up?"

"I heard Hidan screaming in the halls. Is he drunk again?"

"Amazingly no, that's just Hidan when he hasn't gotten enough sleep."

The movie began (as all horror movies seem to) with a good grisly murder. This seemed to pretty much sum up the entire plot of the movie, and it was just one murder after another. Hidan loved it, Tobi hid behind the couch, Itachi was bored, and Konan just didn't care.

At long last the movie ended in that inconclusive cliffhanger way that horror movies do.

"Wow…" breathed Tobi, "That was amazing."

"Who's up for another one?" Hidan asked, springing over to the video rack and shuffling through the titles.

After a general vote (namely Hidan telling everyone that it was too late to go to bed anyway and if they didn't like it they could (…) with a (…) up the (…) on fire) another DVD was slotted into the machine.

"So what's the name of this one?" asked Sasori, trying to act as though it didn't matter whichever way it went.

"I dunno, Dead Silence or something. It had some kind of puppet on the front though, so you should like it, redhead," Hidan commented, eyes fixed on the screen.

And so it dragged on, hour after hour, movie after movie. Finally, after two Saw movies Deidara decided that it was time to try and get some sleep. "Well, I'm going to bed, hm, you guys do whatever you want."

"Will do, blondie," Hidan replied without looking up.

"Don't call me that, grey-head," muttered Deidara, putting his hand on the doorknob.

"What'd you say?"

"What?" the pyrotechnician turned around, putting on his best innocent look, "I didn't say anything."

With that he left the room.

At long last he reached the quarters that he shared with his four fellow Akatsuki members.

Maybe I shouldn't have watched that last movie, the blonde thought with a slight shiver, That one was pretty screwed up.

Vaulting himself up onto the top bunk he slid under the covers and put his head on the pillow. Closing his eyes he immediately opened them again. What was that? He thought, ears pricking at every sound, Honestly, what am I so scared of?

Deidara closed his eyes again, this time managing to keep them closed. After about ten minutes he drifted off to sleep.

He didn't stay asleep long; nightmares woke him up. Nightmares of saw blades, and dark rooms, creatures that pulled out your tongue as you slept and then held you down while you bled to death.

He was drenched in a cold sweat as he sat bolt upright in bed, breathing hard and thanking his lucky stars that it was only a dream.

There was a creak at the door.

It's nothing, it's nothing, it's nothing, it's nothing, it's… he told himself over and over. Honestly, it was probably just Tobi coming in to go to bed or something. Surely.

A dark shape moved through the shadows, leaving the door open behind it.

"Deidara? Are you awake?"

"Konan?"

"Yeah."

He involuntarily let out a small sigh of relief. "What are you doing here, hm?"

"Um…" she paused, "I was having trouble sleeping."

"Wow, I wonder why," Deidara said sarcastically.

She chuckled. "Yeah, so um…"

"You wanted to talk?"

"No, I mean yes, well, sort of."

"You're acting strange. Ha, you know, if I didn't know better I'd say that Pein's angel was frightened."

Konan scowled. "Just leave it, ok?"

Walking towards the bed she vaulted up onto the top bunk and crawled overtop of the artist.

"What the… Konan, what are you doing?!" he exclaimed, startled.

"Getting in, what does it look like? Move over."

"Why?" he asked, exasperated.

"Look, we're supposed to be pretending to be in a relationship, ok? This is probably the best way to spread it around. You know Hidan, he'll tell everybody."

"Wouldn't making out be the best way to spread it around?"

Konan shuddered. "Do you have any idea how creepy it is to make out with three pairs of lips and only one guy?"

Deidara nodded. "Point taken, but you can't deny you enjoyed it at the time," he said slyly.

"Grow up, Deidara," with that Konan turned away from him.

"Then at least admit one thing," Deidara was unwilling to let the conversation end without some kind of victory on his part.

"What?" The origami artist yawned.

"You came in here because those screwed up movies were bothering you, hm."

Konan squirmed. "Maybe partly."

"Hehe, well then, goodnight, Konan."

"Goodnight, Deidara."

"Thanks, Hinata, I'm feeling a lot better. Do you think that there's anything you can do for this leg though?" Naruto still sat at the top of the two hundred foot column, having gratefully submitted to Hinata's healing efforts.

The girl in question shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I'm no good at large fractures like this, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until you can see Sakura."

"Ok, I'm sorry Hinata, you've done a great job," the fox boy beamed.

Hinata blushed at the compliment.

It's nice just sitting here and talking, thought Naruto, Still, I guess I've got to bring it up sooner or later.

"Hey, Hinata?"

"Y-yes Naruto?"

"I've got to talk to you about something."

Hinata's breath caught in her throat. What could he want to talk to her about?

"It's… well…" Naruto looked away, uncomfourtable, "You know Host?"

Hinata's heart sank. He just wanted to discuss Host. Oh well, she should be happy that she had the chance to talk with him at all after so many weeks of not speaking.

"W-what about him?"

"He… he helped me realize some things."

"Like w-what?" Hinata's hopes were peaked again, but she quickly tried to smother them all to no avail.

"Well, Hinata," Naruto's breathing came quicker. Why was he so nervous? Hinata was his friend. He was never this nervous with Sai, or Kiba, or even Gaara (and not to be nervous around Gaara is quite an achievement).

"The thing is… he helped me realize how important you are to me."

Hinata gasped slightly. Could Naruto really be saying this?

"And I wanted to know if you really meant what you said that time when I was fighting Pein."

Hinata did not like the way the conversation had turned around and settled on her. She wanted to weep, and embrace him, and say of course she had meant every word of it, but she couldn't. She couldn't find the words. She couldn't find any energy in her limbs to move. It was a miracle that she was even still conscious.

"I… I…" was all that came out.

Then, with a final burst of courage:

"Of course I meant it, I meant all of it, and I still do!"

There was such calm up on top of that column. Not even the click of the cicadas or chirp of the grasshoppers got this far up. The only sound was of the wind blowing past.

"Why?" Naruto asked simply.

Now, Hinata had expected many reactions on those times when she had desperately tried to express her feelings. Amongst them had been happiness, confusion, anger, even sadness, but just plain not understanding had not been one of them.

"I…" She didn't know what to say. Why did she love him? Because he was brave? No. Because he inspired her? No. Why then?

"I don't know," she admitted tearfully.

Don't cry, she thought sternly, Not now, not here.

Her efforts meant nothing though, as the tears came quickly and smoothly. She curled up her knees to her chest and wept silently. This was not how she had imagined her confession to Naruto. She'd thought she'd done it that day when Pein attacked, she'd thought that it had all been over, but she was wrong. It only just began that moment. Oh how very much that was only just the beginning.

A pair of arms wrapped themselves around her. Opening her eyes she was astonished to find Naruto hugging her uncertainly.

"Sorry," he said, "It's just I've seen people do it when other people were upset. So, you know, I thought it might help."

"Thank you…" she murmured.

They sat like that for a while, just Naruto holding Hinata in his arms while she bled out emotions that she didn't understand.

This is really comfourtable, Naruto thought, I've never held a girl before. Actually I've never held anyone before. Well, I suppose there's a first time for everything.

That thought brought to mind another idea that had been gnawing at his consciousness ever since he turned seventeen.

No, now isn't the time, he thought, but she says that she loves me. I don't know, I've heard that this is a good way to find out if you love someone back.

Gently Naruto lifted Hinata's head by the chin and brushed away her tears.

She looks so beautiful, he thought.

"N-Naruto? What are you d-doing?" she asked timidly.

"Just trying something," he replied, heartbeat speeding up.

With a deep breath, the jinchuuriki slowly inclined his head and brushed Hinata's lips with his own.

Shikamaru was hardly what you would call a happy camper. For some sick reason (probably just for his own enjoyment), Host had decided to put him in the same room with not one, but both of Temari's over-protective brothers. Sai wasn't being much help either; all he was doing was taking notes on how siblings looked out for one another.

"Ow!" The lazy genius yelled, "Will you guys stop that?!"

"Not until you swear upon your parents' graves that you will never ever make our sister unhappy in this life or the next!" Kankurou shouted in his face, spraying him with flecks of spit.

"My parents are still alive, you moron!" He shouted back, trying to wipe the spit off of his face. It was a little difficult, seeing as his hands were bound in cuffs of sand.

"Then if you hurt our sister in any way I'll see to it that that particular fact is dealt with," said Gaara icily, tightening the grip of the sand on Shikamaru's wrist's.

"And as an added bonus, for every minute you don't swear not to hurt Temari, I cut off one of your fingers," Kankurou grinned blood thirstily, brandishing a kunai.

"Ok, ok! I swear upon every star in the heavens and every cloud in the sky that I will never ever hurt your sister Temari of the sand, now are you satisfied?!"

Kankurou actually looked put out. "Let's cut his fingers off anyway," he suggested.

"He's agreed to the terms, Kankurou, we might as well just release him," Gaara sighed, dissolving the sand that bound the Nara's arms to the wall.

"So, let me get this straight," Sai clarified, "If lazy boy here had not agreed to never in any way harm your sister you would have first cut off his fingers and then you, Lord Kazekage, would have killed his parents?"

"Correct," replied Kankurou.

"So, what would you have done when you ran out of fingers to cut off?"

Kankurou smirked. "We would have started cutting off otherthings."

Sai hissed in sympathy. "Ouch," he said before returning to his note taking.

"Hold on, did you just call me lazy boy?" asked Shikamaru, pausing in his efforts to restore circulation to his wrists.

"Oh, um, sorry, was that a bad nickname?" Sai inquired innocently.

"Yeah, you keep working on those."

A/N

Ok, special thanks to nekko chan 121 and also to JakeNova of Deviantart for inspiring me on this chapter :D

Nekko chan 121 actually had the whole Deidara Konan horror movie idea, so all credit for that goes to her, and make sure you guys check out her stuff.

So, that's it for another chapter, my dears, I am also currently accepting suggestions for dares or truths if you have any ideas, so make sure to click that big REVIEW button at the bottom and leave me a note :3

One more thing, this is in fact Pein + Konan so just to reassure you guys. I'll explain why Deidara is doing this in a little while.