Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! I have decided to continue this story, so enjoy! Just know that Hidan's foul language will be censored. I don't like cussing.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own the NARUTO characters or any Christmas songs that are used or referenced.
December 20; 10:45AM, 5 days before Christmas
The wind blew harshly this winter morning, giving it the feel of 20 below freezing. Snowflakes swirled on the icy breezes, adding on to the growing piles of snow. The skies overhead were obscured by clouds that blocked out the sun. The darkness of the bleak sky only encouraged the cold weather.
It was on days like this that Hidan wanted to stay in bed. The albino male usually rose before nine, but this morning, feeling too groggy to get up, he went back to sleep. It wasn't until 10:45 he opened his magenta eyes and sat up. With a yawn, he looked at the alarm clock that resided on the nightstand between his and Kakuzu's beds.
"…SH#T! I slept in!" he cursed. He then threw on his Akatsuki cloak and ran to the hallway bathroom.
All of the Akatsuki members sat at the Dining room table, just beginning to eat lunch. They were all seated by their usual partners/roommates. There was an empty seat by both Kakuzu and Deidara, seeing as both Tobi and Hidan were not present. Pein scans the room and looks around at the other members. With a sigh, he set down his fork.
"All right, where are the two morons that usually occupy those two vacant seats?"
Everyone turns their heads to look at said spots, only to shrug with inaudible 'I don't knows'. At that moment, loud stomping was heard on the staircase. Kakuzu sighs.
"I think we know where one of them is."
Hidan comes down the steps and points an accusing finger at all of them, an angry look on his face.
"HEY! WHICH ONE OF YOU FREAKING RETARDS TURNED OFF MY ALARM?!" he exclaimed very loudly, "I WOKE UP F#CKING TWO HOURS LATE, AND I-"
"Shut up and sit down," Pein interrupts through clenched teeth. Muttering under his breath, Hidan slips into the seat beside Kakuzu. He serves himself some food and starts eating. He looks at the empty seat beside Deidara and speaks through a full mouth:
"Where's the masked idiot?" Kakuzu glares at him and Deidara shrugs.
"I dunno, un. He said something about a….thistle robe?"
Pein nearly spat out his coffee. He'd forgotten the talk he and Tobi had three days ago!
"Did he say…mistletoe?" he asked the blonde bomber cautiously. Deidara narrowed his visible eye in concentration and then nods his head.
"Yeah, yeah I think so. Why?"
"Oh my-"
"That better be Jashin!" Hidan interrupted Pein's curse. Everyone looked at the foul-mouthed Jashinist.
"Really?" Kakuzu deadpanned. Hidan just shrugs and loudly chomps on another bite of food. Pein sighs and stands up. Everyone is now focused on him.
"Okay, there is something I should have but didn't mention three days ago-" he began, just as the door slammed open. In stepped Tobi, who was carrying several boxes and bags full of decorations.
All eyes were now on the immature subordinate, who then set the boxes in the center of the dining room table. The food that was on the table was now hidden under the content of the boxes.
"Awww, my sandwich…." Hidan whined, seeing as his food was lost in the Christmas decorations.
"…You were saying, Leader?" Sasori deadpanned. He crossed his arms impatiently, obviously sensing that the organization leader knew about Tobi's antics. Everyone looked at Pein expectantly after coming to the same conclusion. Pein coughed and scratched the back of his head.
"…Okay, I promised Tobi that the Akatsuki would celebrate Christmas this year," he conceded.
The entire room was silent, each member taking in the answer given. Then Hidan suddenly stood up, facing Pein defiantly.
"There is no way in HELL that I would partake in a holiday unrelated to JASHIN!" he yelled. Everyone sweatdropped at his loud declaration.
"Yeah, and while we're at it," Deidara began, "What is Christmas?"
Tobi jumped up and down excitedly. Pein groaned and slapped a hand to his head. Not again…
"Tobi will tell you ALL about Christmas!" The younger squealed while clapping his hands.
One long, detailed description of Christmas later….
"…I regret asking, un," Deidara concluded. The others nod their heads in agreement.
"Do we really have to put up with this crap?" Zetsu questioned. Both of his sides seemed to not want to celebrate the holiday.
"Yes, it is mandatory that EVERYONE celebrate. I don't care how all of you freaks deal with it. You can crawl into an emo-corner for all I care, as long as you wear a Christmas hat while doing it," Pein announced. All of the members (minus Tobi) groaned in unison.
"Who wants to help Tobi with the decorations?" Tobi held up a box of holly.
"It's okay, Tobi. EVERYONE will participate, remember?" Pein gave a look that dared anyone to question his authority. He smirked in triumph when no one did. He then turned to Tobi.
"Hey, what were you doing for the past three days?"
"Oh, come see!" Tobi gestured to the doorway. The other members filed out behind him.
"So you see, Tobi did some Christmas shopping and this!" He gestured to the front of the building. Pein's jaw dropped.
The entire front of the hideout was decked with holly and Christmas lights. There was an inflatable Santa that said 'ho-ho-ho' every five seconds while waving. To top it off, light-up candy canes lined the path to the base. If all the lights didn't give away their hidden location, Pein didn't know what would.
"Doesn't it look cheerful? But don't worry; it's not yet finished!" Tobi chimed.
"Well, 'cheerful' isn't the word I would use…" Hidan grumbled. His attention was suddenly lost to Deidara, who was yelling at the inflatable Santa. Ten seconds later, he rejoined the group, his eye beginning to bruise.
"What happened there?" Sasori asked in dull tone that gave the impression that he really didn't care whatsoever. Deidara frowned.
"That thing socked me right in the eye! And he's still laughing about it…" he glared at the inflatable that was currently saying, 'ho-ho-ho!'. Sasori sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Only you, besides Tobi, would find a way to physically harm yourself with a balloon."
"Tobi, isn't this a bit…much? There is an inflatable Santa for crying out loud!" Pein complained.
"…Nope!" Tobi shook his head and skipped inside the festive base. The others followed as he began to decorate the walls. At Pein's command, each member participated in decorating. Tobi even started to sing (somewhat off-key) as they worked.
"Deck the hall with boughs of holly, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la! 'Tis the season to be jolly, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la~" he sang. The others did their best to tune him out.
"Okay, THIS is why I HATE this freaking holiday!" Zetsu growled. He was currently covered in ornaments with a glowing star atop his head. Hidan held his hands up in defense.
"I was just following our d#mn leader's orders!"
Meanwhile, Itachi and Kisame were hanging wreaths on the walls. Both of them happened to look up at the same time, only to see that there was a mistletoe right above their heads. They slowly glanced at each other and stood there awkwardly. Itachi coughed and Kisame scratched his head, before they both inched away from the accursed plant.
"….Never speak of this again," Itachi said as they walked away.
"Oh yeah, big time." Kisame agreed.
Sasori and Deidara were in the kitchen. Being 'artists', they were nominated to work with the food. Sasori glanced at the blonde and scowled.
"If any strands of your hair get into the food, you will wear a hairnet."
"Okay, un," Deidara muttered, holding his head protectively.
Pein wandered into the kitchen ten minutes later to check on their progress, only to duck as a butcher knife flew past his head and into the wall behind him.
"You're gonna regret that, brat!"
"Bring it on, un!"
More kitchen objects were tossed about, until Pein decided to just back away from the ridiculous arguement. They would sort it out eventually….
Pein retired to his bedroom early. The morons downstairs could continue to decorate without him supervising-or so he hoped. He sighed and flopped onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Closing his eyes, he could still hear the racket downstairs, from Hidan's cussing to Tobi's off-key singing. It was truly annoying. This would be a long, stressful, holiday…
Author's Note: There's the second chapter! I did my best to make it longer than the last one. Yes, Christmas is over, but I wanted to finish this story. Please continue to review and rate because I value your opinions. Five reviews and the Akatsuki will wear Christmas costumes! These include but are not limited to: elves, reindeer, Santa & Mrs. Claus, candy canes, and gingerbread men. You guys can vote on who wears what!
