A/N: Thank you for hanging in there, fluff ahead!

Please be nice, it's my first scene like this, please do tell me if it sucks though...

Enjoy :D x


Other than Akira's performance in the bar that night, there wasn't much else to report. Pein had seemed quite pleased about how smoothly their mission had gone, even if that was all the information they had managed to gather. For some reason, his eyes had flashed a hint of recognition when she had mentioned Orochimaru's 'transition'.

Now back safely inside the confines of the Akatsuki base, Akira wondered absently what she should do with herself. She had missed dinner, and as she entered the kitchen, she braced herself for the inevitable mess. In actual fact, the site that greeted her was much different to what she had imagined.

From their positions around the new, metal dining table, six irritated pairs of eyes were glaring in her direction. She stared back, stunned and confused.

'Erm… What are you guys still doing here…?' It slowly dawned on her that she had interrupted them mid-argument, and Hidan stood up angrily, scraping his chair across the floor as he did so.

'What does it fucking look like?! We're bloody starving here!'

She glanced at the clock above the sink. 'Please don't tell me you've all been sat here for almost two hours…'

Itachi tutted. His eyes were jet black and narrowed, glaring impatiently. 'Nevermind that… Now that you're back are you thinking of cooking anytime soon?'

'Alright already! Geez, anyone would think you hadn't eaten at all for the last three days…' As if on queue, Tobi's stomach growled conspicuously, and Akira stared at them in disbelief. 'You… have eaten, right?'

It was Kakuzu's turn to comment. 'Of course we've flippin' eaten.'

'But let's just say that two hours isn't exactly the longest time we've sat here fighting over who's turn it is, yeah…' The blonde rubbed the back of his neck foolishly and Kisame growled an accusing response, claiming that it definitely had been Deidara's turn yesterday and not his.

Fighting back the urge to laugh at the idiots that called themselves S-rank criminals, she set about making three large omelettes, enough to feed the six of them and grabbing a small snack for herself.

They scoffed greedily, and Konan stalked in just in time to see the beginnings of a scuffle over who could have the leftovers.

'We turn our backs for five minutes…' She muttered, rolling her amber eyes and leaning on the counter next to her previous mission partner. 'Pein was very impressed at your little act during our mission, you know. Says you have a good potential as a possible spy,' she winked at Akira, who blushed slightly at the praise.

'What act, yeah?' Deidara piped up after deciding that the scraps weren't worth his life. Hidan had taken it upon himself to turn the little ordeal into a death match, unsurprisingly.

Konan smirked at him. 'Oh, you know. The usual… Sneaking around, blending in, flirting with the bartender…'

Akira's blush reddened. 'Konan!' She hissed.

'He wasn't bad-looking either to be honest, and he was definitely into you, Akira, don't deny it!' The blue-haired woman chuckled satisfactorily as she watched the blonde's expression turn sour. A few of the other member's had also paused to listen, only making her game all the more fun.

'Why were you flirting with the bartender, Akira-chan?' Tobi asked innocently.

'He was about fifty, Konan! And I wasn't… Well, I mean I was… But I had a good reason!' She snapped her mouth shut in grim realisation that she was just making this bad situation much worse.

Deidara raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the red-faced, green-haired girl. 'You flirted with a fifty year old bartender… Weren't you just on a scouting mission? What were you doing in a bar anyway?' He folded his arms across his chest and huffed.

'My, my, Deidara. Jealousy really doesn't suit you!' Kakuzu sneered from the doorway. He had given up and allowed Hidan to proceed in stuffing the last of the food into his mouth.

'It's not that, yeah! I just don't think that she should be getting sidetracked on a mission. Just because she's a pretty girl she shouldn't be allowed to get away with–'

'Oh so you think she's pretty, huh?' Konan cut in, clearly thoroughly enjoying herself. Akira prayed silently that the floor would just open and swallow her up, anything to escape this embarrassment.

'No I do not!' He fumed, turning on his heel and storming out.

It was quiet in the room for a moment, but Konan's smug expression never left her face. Finally, someone spoke.

'So… Why were you flirting with him?' Itachi cocked his head to the side, seeming genuinely curious.

'It isn't what you think… I was tricking information out of him!' Her head hung shamefully and she caught Hidan's eyes glint with amusement. Before he could make his contribution, she made a dash for the exit, despite how pleasant he would have undoubtedly been…

She headed for the training ring, figuring that the others would probably be too worn out by now to bother going there themselves, unaware that a certain blonde Akatsuki member had also used her logic.

He watched her from his seat in the far corner as she settled herself onto one of the benches, oblivious to his presence. After a moment of debate, he stood up, unintentionally startling her.

'D-deidara!' Crap, of all people to be here…

'I got here first, yeah,' He stated blandly, reading her uncomfortable expression.

'S-sorry…' She made a move to leave, but he blocked her path.

'You don't have to go…' he said in a small voice, staring at his feet. She hesitated but then sat back down, watching him cautiously as she felt her cheeks start to heat up again.

'I was only trying–'

'I didn't mean what–'

They both stopped awkwardly. Sighing, Deidara sat down next to her and allowed her to go first.

'Umm, well, on the mission… I was only trying to get information out of him… I wasn't just getting sidetracked, I swear!'

He laughed once and without humour, but he seemed to believe her.

'Your turn…' She encouraged him when he didn't reply.

'I was just gonna say, erm… About what I said… You know, that I didn't think you were… Well, I didn't mean it, yeah.' He risked a glance in her direction. Her lips were parted in a small 'o' shape and her sapphire eyes only distracted him further as he stumbled over his words. 'I mean, I don't think you're ugly or anything–'

Suddenly her lips were on his silencing him, and he froze completely caught off-guard. They were gone as quickly as they had come, a shy smile playing across her mouth, their faces still inches apart.

Blinking out of his trance, his stomach lurched and he leaned forward, closing the gap and returning her kiss. She responded automatically, her heart jittering as his fingers brushed tenderly over her cheek. He other hand lifted to tangle in her loose green hair, pulling her closer as the kiss deepened. Something stirred behind them and they sprung apart, startled.

It was just as well that they had, as it was none other than the ever-amused female Akatsuki, Konan. Lucky for them, all she had seen was them break apart suddenly, although Konan being Konan, she soon had several theories twirling in that pretty head of hers.

'I just came to find you, Akira. Tobi's in the living room pestering Kisame, you might want to go and save him from certain death…' She eyed the blonde suspiciously.

'I-I was just leaving, yeah,' He practically ran from the amber gaze, retreating into the base and heading for his room.

Akira didn't know quite what had happened back there, in all honesty she had surprised herself. What she did know was that things were going to get pretty awkward if the likes of Hidan found out about their little affair. She gulped at the thought, and hurried to follow her lilac-haired friend.


A/N: Thanks for reading! Please R&R! :D x