(here you goes. Chapter 3 of VAMP, rightfully named Tutor Tutor. Cliffhanger? A LITTLE BIT! :P. Poor innocent readers. Oh yes. Poor you. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter; I know I did!)

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Chapter 3: Tutor tutor

"Sasori! Get off!" Hidan snarled. The red-headed Vampire rolled off of him, snorting. Zetsu stomped over, scooped Sasori up and threw him over his shoulder. Sasori pounded his fists against Zetsu's back, "oh come on, bro! Put me down!"

"Not happening."

Sasori made a frustrated sound and Hidan stood. He leaned against his locker, intent on filling his thoughts with the book. It never did him any good to think about his parents - never did anyone else any good either, because it usually put him in a fowl mood. He flipped open the book and skimmed the first page before it was snatched out of his grasp by Kisame. Hidan sighed and tried to look angrily up at Kisame, but he smiled anyway.

"You read this book three times in fifty minutes. I ain't gonna' let you read it anymore."

Hidan reached for it anyway, "gimme."

Kisame held it above his head, "no."

"Yes," Hidan yanked his arm down. Kisame put it behind his back and Hidan reached around him, "no."

"Yes!"

"... that is such a typical father-son argument," Kakuzu commented, shaking his head. Both Kisame and Hidan gave him a look before Kisame deposited the book back into Hidan's locker. He leaned against the door and lit a cigarette. Hidan scowled, "hey!"

Kisame blew smoke in his face, "what?"

Itachi zoomed by with Deidara on his back. Said blonde was screaming "faster" at the top of his voice. Hidan's eye right eye twitched in annoyance.

"Sometime's you're just so freakin' - ugh!"

He threw his arms up then turned and stormed off down the hall, Kisame watching him with narrowed eyes, confused. As Hidan made his way down the stairs - Itachi was making his way back up Deidara still screeching - Hidan tried to think of anything besides his parents. He didn't want his bad mood to rub off on everyone else. He wondered why he always thought about them after school.

'I'd been in that room, the night dad was killed. I was under the - the desk. Yeah, the desk. And dad was fighting and - damn it!'

Hidan reached the bottom of the stairs and bashed his forehead against the wall.

'Uh, Konan, think about Konan...' he thought for a moment, paled and blushed at the same time, then shook his head.

'That didn't work...' a voice broke his thoughts, "Hidan?"

He welcomed the interference but turned away from Kisame, "huh?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing that I'd want to talk about with you, seriously," Hidan replied as he began to walk away. Kisame appeared in front of him, eyes narrowed.

'I hate it when he does that.'

"Talk to me, kid. If I'm doing something wrong, tell me. I'm here to look after you."

Hidan rubbed his temple with one hand, "'s not you. It's me. School takes my mind off of them but..."

Kisame's mouth made an "o" then his brows furrowed, "that's why you got the book."

Hidan looked at him and gave him a lop-sided smile, "yeah."

"You should've told me."

"I don't like being a burden, seriously."

Fury skittered through Kisame's eyes, and Hidan stumbled back onto the stairs, eyes going wide. He ended up sitting on one as Kisame glared down at him.

"A burden? Who the hell gave you that idea? I'll kick 'em to the other side of the moon," he yanked Hidan up to his feet by his collar. The sunglasses fell off and Kisame absentmindedly caught them, "don't you go thinking for a damn second that you're a burden to me."

Kisame let him go, and Hidan looked down at his feet. Kisame released a sigh and settled the sunglasses back on Hidan's head, tucking a strand of hair back behind Hidan's ear. His hand lingered at the side of Hidan's neck and Hidan tilted his head forward. Kisame wrapped an arm around his head, pulling it down to his shoulder. Hidan clutched at the sides of Kisame's bunny hug, shaking.

"Yo, Ki - same?" Sasori stuttered. Kisame shot him a death glare. Sasori clamped his jaw shut, eyes wide. The other five poked their heads around the corner of the stairs, all staring with wide eyes except for Kakuzu, who was most likely doing it for Tobi.

"Well," Kisame started, rubbing Hidan's hair, "you guys up for a movie?"

"Only if you pay, yeah," Deidara said before grinning and laughing. Itachi flicked his nose. Kisame chuckled, "don't I always?"

"Sheesh, Kisame, we're going to make you broke one of these days," Zetsu commented, coming down the stairs. The others followed his lead. Kisame shrugged and turned around, his arm dropping to Hidan's shoulders. Hidan kept his eyes downcast. He shifted so that he stood straighter. Kisame cocked an eyebrow, "a movie it is then. Which one?"

They were making their way toward the parking lot, where Kisame and Kakuzu's cars lay waiting. Deidara bounced up next to Kisame; it was usually him who decided what they would watch. He looked thoughtful, then asked, "any of you seen Dark Knight, yeah?"

"Seen it," Sasori and Zetzu said together, before glancing at each other and laughing. Deidara's mouth drooped, then he brightened up, "oh! Let's go watch Kung Fu Panda!"

Silence followed his suggestion. It took him a moment to realize that he was the only one walking. He turned and glared at them, "what, yeah?"

Itachi released a startled laugh, "Kung Fu Panda?"

"Oh come on! It looks really funny. I saw the trailer. Like, seriously, it's about a Panda named Po who -"

"Okay, okay we'll watch it. Don't go telling us everything," Kisame said, continuing forward. Hidan released a breath out of his nose. Kisame squeezed his shoulders, making him smile. Kisame looked down at him and muttered, "I suppose something funny will do a better job at taking your mind of them than something dark huh?"

"Yeah..."

Kisame dropped his arm from Hidan's shoulders and pulled out his keys. Hidan turned around and settled against the back of the car, "I call shotgun, seriously."

"What?! That's not fair! You always sit in the front!" Sasori complained. Hidan started laughing and Zetsu's palm connected with his forehead. He glared at Sasori from under his hand

"You know, lil' bro, you're gonna' have to live with it. He called, you missed it, you sit in the back."

Sasori pouted but proceeded quietly into the back of the car. Hidan and Kisame were already settled in. Zetsu plopped down beside the red-head, who glared at him. Kisame pulled out followed by Kakuzu.

"I was beginning to think you boys wouldn't show up."

This comment sent the Akatsuki into a fit of laughter. The clerk who was retrieving their tickets smiled a small smile and added, "I just didn't think you guys were going to go to... Kung Fu Panda. It's not what I thought any normal Vampire would go to."

"In case you haven't noticed, we aren't normal Vampires, yeah," Deidara struck a Kung Fu pose, "we're Kung Fu Vampires!"

Hidan's palm smacked the back of Deidara's head. The blonde made a face that sent Sasori into fits of hiccups.

"I had no idea you could laugh like that," Zetsu commented. Sasori continued to hiccup, and almost choked on his own saliva. Hidan released an exasperated sigh and quickly headed over to the theater. The others followed, Kisame falling in step beside him.

Once he sat down, Hidan felt calmer. He relaxed, waiting for the movie to start. There was an opening animation about a magician and his bunny. It had everybody in the theater laughing in no time. Sasori had started laughing so hard, in fact, that he was rolling around in the aisle, tears running down his cheeks. Zetsu just sat there next to Itachi - who was trying miserably to keep a straight face - with his head in his hands, shaking from laughter. Before the feature presentation, Sasori calmed down and settled back down in his seat, taking deep, calming breaths.

Only to start laughing again when Po, the main character, made his appearance. Hidan was mostly laughing through the whole entire movie, but when it came to the point where Shifu was discussing how Po would never be the dragon warrior with Oogway, Hidan was silent. The whole theater went silent when the turtle dispersed into cherry blossom petals, and flew away into the sky, while having Master Shifu cry out to him, begging him not to leave.

'Go figure. Every happy movie has to have a sad part in it, seriously,' Hidan frowned, his fist clenching.

By the time Po had to fight Tai Lung, everyone was laughing again. The fight - though probably meant to be serious - was hilarious at certain points. Like when Po hit Tai Lung sky high with his stomach. And when the two were falling down the stairs and Po landed on Tai Lung's head, effectively causing brain damage with his butt. When the movie was over, the Akatsuki stayed behind in the theater for a few minutes, before hi-tailing it out the back entrance. They all laughed as they ran, jumping over a few walls and ending up at the skate park.

"Oh man! That fight was hilarious! The best ever."

"I agree, yeah."

"Dei, I'll hand it to ya, you picked a good movie," Kisame commented, lighting his cigarette. Deidara did a little happy dance, "told ya I can pick good movies, yeah."

"... Kisame?"

Kisame's head snapped up and the cigarette almost fell out of his mouth. He strode over to the pink haired girl with bright emerald eyes, and pulled her into his chest. She sighed happily, wrapping her arms as much she could around his broad torso.

"Sakura..." he looked down at her. Hidan eyed her uniform; so she went to the private school. The white painted school that was on the opposite side of town, the farthest from Hidan's. The skate park was kind of the half-way point of both schools. He sauntered over to the couple, "so, is this the girl you talk non-stop about sometimes?"

If Kisame's face could turn red, it would've. He glared at Hidan and Sakura looked up at him. Then she poked him in the chest, "and you must be Kisame's little ward. What, are you jealous?" she quirked her eyebrow at him. Hidan's left eyebrow twitched, and he poked in the forehead while saying, "you have a wide forehead, seriously."

Sakura made a face and then buried it in Kisame's chest. Kisame gave Hidan an exasperated look, "aw, Hidan. She gets teased about that at her school."

Hidan put his hands up in surrender, "I'm not tryin' to tease her, I was just pointing it out, seriously. Don't get all protective on me," Hidan made a face, "you do that enough."

From somewhere in the vicinity of Kisame's chest, Sakura's laughter could be heard, and Kisame smiled.

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"So she's the girl?"

"Yeah, she is."

"She's cute."

"Of course she is."

"... you're going to agree with every good thing I say about her aren't you?"

"Yes I am."

"I think her forehead suits her. If she didn't have that forehead... I don't know. She wouldn't be cute any more."

Kisame burst into uncontrolled laughter, "oh, so now. You think. Her forehead. Suits her?" he managed to ask through gasps. Hidan frowned, sighed and started up the stairs to his room. He rubbed his forehead, "I thought it suited her when I saw her. I just felt like pointing it out, seriously."

"Just felt like pointing it out," Kisame mocked, before grinning up at Hidan, who was staring down at him from the floor above. Kisame got up and headed for the door, "well, I'm gonna' go. I'll see you tomorrow, kid. I don't think you'll need me tonight," he hesitated anyway, then asked, "do you have to be at school early tomorrow?"

Hidan sighed, "yeah, I do. Need to work on something with Shikamaru," he clenched the handrail, his knuckles turning white, "can't believe Kabuto-sensei put with him, of all people..."

Kisame's smile faltered, "well. I'll come by early then. You better be up and at 'em. I ain't waiting," and then he was gone and the door swung closed. Hidan glanced at the kitchen; Kurenai, his caretaker, wasn't home yet. She seemed to be staying out really late these days. Hidan turned and walked into his room, taking his vest off, then his shirt and tossing them onto his chair as he walked by. He undid his belt and threw it to the side, before lying down on the bed, hands folded behind his head. He stared at the ceiling.

And waited.

He reached over to his table top after ten minutes had passed and picked up the small ball that was there. He threw it at the opposite wall and caught it when it came flying back. He continued to do this until he heard the door downstairs open. He heard Kurenai mutter a phrase along the lines of, "I hope I didn't wake him up..." and Hidan promptly rose from his bed and stalked to his door. He pulled it open and leaned against the rail. It was dark for her, but not for him, "you plan on coming home late every night or what? And no, you didn't wake me up."

Kurenai's head snapped up and she stared up at him wide-eyed, "you stayed up waiting?"

Hidan jumped down and landed softly on his feet. He strode over to her and grabbed her biceps, "technically, I did. Where the hell have you been?"

She blinked at him and looked away. A low growl made it's way out of Hidan's mouth, "I'm beginning to wonder who's taking care of who here, seriously."

Kurenai let a bubble of laughter escape from her lips, "I can never tell whether you're being serious about your anger or not."

"Well, I'm not being serious about it right now I guess," his eyes softened and he could read from her eyes that she knew he had been worried, "but I don't like not knowing where you are."

"You also don't like waiting up for people."

"Damn right I don't."

Kurenai rubbed at her face with her hand and mumbled, "you should get to bed. You have school tomorrow. And don't tell me that you're a Vampire and you can stay up really late because you and I both know you're half-human, and therefore you need more sleep than regular Vampires do."

He tugged her hand down from her face and pecked her on the lips. She stood there, unmoving and wide-eyed as Hidan calmly walked back up the stairs, and into his room. He slept peacefully that night.

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"So we'll put this fortress here, and then this fortress there. You think we should add a river or what?"

Hidan lifted his head from his arms. He stared at their very unimpressive map of medhival times. He tapped the flat mountain Shikamaru had scribbled down and slowly dragged his finger down in a slightly wavy path. Shikamaru's pencil followed Hidan's finger.

"There. River," and Hidan put his head back down on his arms.

"I'll put footmen here."

"Mm-hm."

"And we'll give the enemy fortress a dragon."

"Great."

"I'll add another mountain here, a lake here... what else should I add?"

"Give the other fortress a couple of bilistas, seriously. They need to be able to fight that dragon."

Shikamaru sighed, "you're so troublesome."

Hidan said nothing and Shikamaru sighed again, "why do I feel like I'm doing all the work?"

Hidan's violet eyes gazed up at Shikamaru. He raised his head, then looked around. He stood.

And sat back down, leaving Shikamaru to stare gaping and wide-eyed down at the finished, fully illustrated, fully colored map. Hidan smirked and said, "you planned it out, sketched it, and I finished it. Deal?"

"Deal."

They stared at each other in silence, and then started laughing.

"But really, Shikamaru. You did plan it. And sketch it. I just made it look pretty, seriously."

"Well, that is true."

"Now you can hand it in," Hidan said, getting up. Shikamaru bolted into a standing position, "wha?! You really are troublesome."

Hidan smiled at him, "you have no freaking idea how troublesome I can be. Seriously," he began walking away, then he turned again and demanded, "do you know why the hell we have math first thing every morning?"

Shikamaru blinked at him, and shook his head. Hidan sighed and continued walking toward the car park, where the other Akatsuki were just arriving.

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'Math. Is. Annoying. I wish I was learning university math for goodness sake! Gah!' Hidan was furious with the simplicity of the morning's lesson so far. But then he hesitated and thought on it a bit more for a few minutes. It was simple, because the other students didn't have his brain. Either that, or Ibiki-sensei was playing a cruel joke on poor Konan, who looked like she didn't understand a single thing Ibiki was trying to explain. She just stared blankly at the board. Hidan shifted in his seat, 'maybe I should go help her.'

He got up and walked up behind her when Ibiki sat back down to mark their tests from the previous day. Other students were moving around too, and Hidan looked to his right to see Sasori leaning against Ino's desk, flirting with the blonde. She flirted back, and tapped his nose. He grinned, and she tapped one of his fangs. He jerked back instantly making her laugh. Hidan turned his attention back to Konan.

He planted his hands on either side of her and she jumped, her head bumping lightly against his chest.

"So, first, why is your hair down and second, what's the problem? Seriously."

Konan craned her head back to look at him. She looked back down at her paper, then at the board, then back at Hidan and said, "my brain won't eat it."

"Your brain won't eat it? Like, it won't eat the information or what? And you didn't answer my first question."

Her eyebrows drew in, "I woke up late. Didn't want to bother pulling my hair back, so I left it down. Easier. Anyway, I just... I just don't get it. Like, why would this angle," she put her finger on it, "equal ninety degrees?"

"... Konan. Did you. Seriously. Just. Ask me that question?" Hidan demanded, lowering his head a little. He tapped the triangle, "this is a right angle triangle. This angle will always be ninety degrees, because a right angle is always ninety degrees. A straight angle is one hundred and eighty degrees. A circle is three hundred sixty degrees. And I know I'm good at math, but I can't remember what the two hundred and seventy degree angle is called. Does that make sense?"

She nodded, her cheeks turning red.

"So you don't get how to solve for the length of the sides?"

She shook her head, cheeks still red. So he explained it to her, and made her do a problem from the textbook. She got it mostly right, except for one minor detail. So he pointed it out, made her fix it, and made her do two more. She got them both right.

"See? It isn't that hard, seriously."

Suddenly Konan was staring him directly in the eye and she asked, "will you tutor me?"

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(weeeeeeeeeeellllll... did you like? I like this chapter but right now... i'm really digging how chapter 5 is turning out. but I think I'm going to go to sleep now... after I finish chapter 4. maybe. and some of chapter 5. possibly. yeah though I see that Innocence is more anticipated for updates, sadly.)