HELLO EVERYONE!!!! SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED FOR A WHILE hehehe…sorry. I JUST WANTED TO POST UP THIS CHAPTER BEFOR HOLIDAYS… ps: HerMemoriesErased, there is a response to your question at the end of this chapter….WARNING it contains spoilers…do not read if the bold lettering at the bottom of the chapter if you don't want to!

Anyway… on with the story.

I do not own Naruto…yet… ****evil laughter****

…… Pein sat on the couch a look of disbelief on his face.

"Wow" was all he could say.

Tobi had fallen back asleep, cross legged, on the floor. Konan was still holding the sleeping child. Deidara was in a fetus position holding a pillow, and was looking like he was watching a really interesting drama program on the TV.

Hidan and Kakuzu walked into the room.

"Well I've done the best I can do." Kakuzu began "I'm surprised that she was able to survive this long. Physically her body was practically dead. It took me a good 15 minutes to find a pulse, and the damage wasn't totally horrible but bad enough. She's stable though."

It was almost as if the whole room sighed with relief.

"Is she awake?" Konan asked.

"No, she should be in a few days" Kakuzu replied

"Well, in that case…" Pein began as he got up. "I want her gone as soon as she relieves consciousness." He said sternly.

"Pein you can't possibly…" Konan started, but was silenced by her comrade holding up a finger to silence her.

"I can, and I am"

"Please leader, un" Deidara pleaded.

"No."

"You said yourself that you wanted a replacement for Orochimaru." Sasori said.

"No, I said that I didn't want what happened between Orochimaru and Itachi to happen again. That didn't mean I was looking for a replacement, and even if I did, there is no way that I would trust a woman." Pein said, but after a quick look at Konan quickly added "For all we know she could be exactly like Orochimaru except for a fetish for little girls!"

"She has her own child! I highly doubt that she would be a pedophile if she has a child." Konan said.

"Besides…" Zetsu's white said, scaring every one to death (this was his first time entering the conversation.) "She doesn't seem pale, and snake like, at all…" His black side confirmed.

"She can't stay." Pein said through clenched teeth.

"She's strong, and very skilled" Hidan said, in a bribing tone.

"Ya, and intelligent. She used a very powerful jutsu which was very strong in chakra." Kakuzu said. "In fact her chakra was so strong I could even feel it." He added.

Hidan, Konan, and Sasori looked at Kakuzu. They all knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to convince Leader that there might be a slight possibility that Leara could be a jinkurichi. Of course Kakuzu knew that Leara couldn't be one, but Leader didn't necessarily know….

The last statement seemed to have caught Pein's attention. He raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think so…."

"ABSOLUTILY" Kakuzu said, just a little too enthusiastically.

"What kind of idiot do you think I am?" Pein said coolly.

Everybody sighed and looked down. They knew it, they were beat…

"That being said…" Everyone looked up. "If she is as strong as you say she is, she may have some use." Pein said before turning to leave.

As he walked out of the living area everyone smiled with relief. The one who was smiling the most was Konan. "Finally, another woman!" "You know, it might turn out that Pein doesn't like her. Meaning she would have to leave" Konan frowned before thinking "…Shut up" Then she too headed off to bed, still carrying the child in her arms.

The guys all started for their rooms, none of them bothering to wake up Tobi…

OoOoOoOoOoOo TiMe PaSsOoOoOoOoO

4 days had passed since the arrival of Karinai, and her mother. Leara was still under, but was doing fairly well with the healing process. Her breathing had become more stable, and her face that had once be bashed and bloodied was now resembling her once godlike features.

"Karinai…." Konan softly said, walking down the corridor.

Silence

"Karinai, this isn't funny where are you?" Konan said. "Great…" she thought "you've lost her."

She had tried to keep Karinai entertained, and it had worked for the first 3 days, but unfortunately today was different. Karinai had been the perfect little angel; she listened and did what she was told, and was very curious, too curious. She had just asked to go for a tour around the hideout, and Konan had agreed. The last time she had looked, Karinai was looking around the large room filled with scrolls. The next time she looked, Karinai was no longer there.

"This is really not good. A child lost in a house full of criminals…I HAVE TO FIND HER" Konan thought as she quickened her pace….

MEANWHILE…

Karinai was definitely lost.

"We're definitely lost" Karinai thought.

She hadn't meant to wander away from Konan-onesan, but she just couldn't help it. She saw a glimmer of light just as she was leaving the scroll room. She had just meant to look down the hall then run back to her, but she saw a hall way full of doors. She turned to ask onesan if they could go down there, but Konan was no longer seen.

As Karinai walked down the hallway, she slowly cursed to herself: "Hackn' frackn' barbeque pits!" She was starting to really get scared.

She was just about to turn around when she saw that a door to her left was slightly ajar. Without thinking she walked straight in. The room was fairly large, and resembled an apartment. The room appeared to be a sitting area, off to the corner was a small desk filled with papers. There were various chairs, and a fair sized TV, but what intrigued Karinai the most was the small picture hanging just above the TV. They were a pair of eyes, but not normal eyes, or even the eyes that she had seen her mother have. No, these eyes were hypnotizing, they had ripples in them. They stared right into Karinai's eyes. For a moment she was scared. Subconsciously she started humming and mumbling a tune which she had once heard.

"Be careful what you do.
Cause God is watching your every move.
Hold my hand in the dark street.
For if you do,
I know that I'll always be safe.
Even if I'm far away and alone,
I can be sure that you'll find me there..."

Karinai didn't notice the man who walked into the room behind her. At first he looked enraged, but his expression slowly relaxed and softened. He stood behind her, listening. His rippled patterned eyes watching her.

"…Then you'd come to me and tell me again.
Yes, you'd tell me once again.
Then what happens when I know it all,
Then what should I do after that,
what then?"

Karinai finished. She felt a hand place on her shoulder. It caught her by surprise and she turned around, giving a strong punch…

Pein hadn't expected a punch to the stomach. What was even more surprising was the power, which made him back up a few inches then fall over with an oaf.

Karinai froze immediately as she saw the figure get up. Not because she had hit a stranger, but at the appearance of his eyes they were exactly the same as the ones in the picture. She also realized that this was the man who had been yelling the night that she had arrived. Not knowing what to do, she ran behind one of the chairs right beside her, and right in front of the man.

The man peered over the chair looking down at her. She did the first thing that her mother had always taught her to do if she ever got in to trouble. She gave a shy, cute, smile.

Pein gave an annoyed look before walking away and sitting at the desk in the corner. Shyly Karinai slinked over, and peered over the ledge of the table. The man appeared to be writing on some paper.

"That's it?" she shyly asked

Pein stopped "That's what?"

"I don't get into trouble?"

Pein raised an eyebrow "Were you expecting to" His rippled eyes staring into hers.

"Well… sort of, I mean, I'm not supposed to hit anyone. Momma says…" Kainai raised her index finger "…Never to hit anyone unless it is an absolute situation, and I have no other way of attacking" She though for an moment "Yup, that's what she said"

The leader gave an exasperated sigh then went back to writing. Karinai didn't budge. She just looked at him with interest. 5 minutes passed…silence…Pein looked in front of him to find that there were no longer two blue eyes looking up at him.

"Hi, I'm Karinai."

Pein almost about fell out of his chair, and had a heart attack. The girl "Karinai" was now at his left side. "When the heck did she move?"

"Uh, I'm Pein" He said in a flustered voice. After a few minutes of silence, he went back to writing.

"Are you writing a story" Karinai said, and she clambered up onto "Pein's" lap

Pein looked completely flustered. Here was this toddler, whom he hadn't even met, sitting on his lap wanting to know if he was writing a story. This whole situation seemed all too unreal; after all he was the leader of a secret organization of S-ranked criminals. He was supposed to scare kids, not have them ask if he's writing a story. Yet, here was this little girl, not scared, not upset, and just…happy. That's what astounded him, no child should act like that…unless…Unless someone had planed the whole thing out. Pein once again resumed his cool expression. He got up, not noticing that Karinai slid off him. He began walking around the room, looking all around.

"Ok, the jig is up. You all can come out now"

…Silence…

"Don't think I don't know what's going on here." He said in a serious tone.

…again, silence…

A small head peeked out from behind him. "Umm, who are you talking to?" Karinai asked. "Is this man insane" she thought.

Pein twirled around and kneeled to the girl's height. "I know, that you know, that one of the inhabitants of this hideout sent you here to try and soften me up so I would allow you and your mother stay. So tell me, who put you up to this, Konan, Hidan, Tobi."

The 4 year old looked the man straight in the eyes and said "Have you been hanging out in the sun to much?"

When Pein didn't respond Karinai smiled. "You're funny" she said, grabbing Pein's left hand with both of hers. "I don't know who you were talking to, but no-one lead me here" She said leading him over to the desk once again, and sitting him down in the chair, before resuming her place on his lap.

Karinai looked at the papers on the desk. They were all written in different hand writing. She couldn't understand what any of the papers meant, because the mainly looked like reports. "This isn't a story…" Karinai said in disappointment.

"No they aren't they're reports from my workers, so I can make sure they are doing what they're told." Pein said looking over the child's shoulder. He didn't have time for this. He managed to wrap his arms around the little girl's body and once again began writing. For a few minutes all was silent, but Karinai began to hum the same tune as she had done before. Pein stopped "Why did you start singing that song?" he asked in a curious tone.

Karinai looked up. "I don't know."

…Dead Silence…

….followed by Awkward Silence…

Karinai looked up "Can you tell me any stories?"

Pein looked her in the eye "I don't know any stories" This was partially true. He did know some stories but they weren't quite right for her age.

"How about a song, you have to know a song." Karinai pleaded

Pein look at her with a complete blank stare.

The little child gave an exasperated sigh "Come on…" she urged sliding off his lap and pulling him up out of his chair. "How about: Akahana no Tonakai (Rudolph the red nose reindeer)

"Well… err…"

"Makka na o-hana no tonakai-san wa

Itsumo minna no waraimono

Demo sono toshi no kurisumasu no hi

Santa no o-ji-san wa iimashita

: Kurai yomichi wa pikapika no

Omae no hana ga yaku ni tatsu no sa

Itsumo naiteta tonakai-san wa

Koyoi koso wa to yorokobimashita" Karinai ended with a big smile, but it quickly faded away. "You didn't sing."

Pein opened his mouth to protest about singing, but Karinai beat him to it. "I know why, you don't know the words! Here let me show you!" She said excitedly, bringing him over to sit back down on the chair, before she too sat back on his lap, this time she sat facing him. Pein had the strangest feeling that he was being herded like an animal.

"Now, repeat after me." Karinai said as if talking to a 2 year old. "Makka na o-hanna no…"

There was no way that the leader of a secret organization would be seen singing Christmas carols. That had just crossed the line. But…alas… Karinai looked at him with cute little 4 year old eyes, and he just couldn't deny.

He let out a deep sigh "Will this madness never end…" "Makka na o-hanna no"

…….

OoOoOoOoOoOoOTime PassOoOoOoOoOoOoO

1 hour later

Konan still was searching for Karinai. She had asked almost everybody if they had seen her, but no luck. She was just making her way to ask her partner when a scream was heard. Not just any scream, but a child's scream.

"Karinai!" the bluette screamed. She noted that the scream had come from the direction that she was coming from. She felt a tap on her shoulder, before she could move, almost causing her to have a heart attack. Behind her Tobi and an angry looking Deidara.

"Tobi heard a scream, so Tobi grabbed Deidara-sempi to go investigate."

Konan turned back around, only to have another near heart attack. Now in front of her were the remaining inhabitants: Hidan, Kakuzu, Sasori, and even Zetsu.

"We heard a scream…" Zetsu's white half said. "We came to see what happened…" his black side finished.

"Karinai's missing, and I was looking for her, and then I heard a scream while I was walking to…" She stopped in mid-sentence. "Pein" she whispered.

"Oh shit" Hidan concluded

"Leader-samma's gonna be mad…" Tobi said in a sheepish tone.

"That's not unless he's already gotten to her." Konan said in audible. She knew what Pein liked and disliked. For instance she knew that he like ice-cream, but not yogurt. dark chocolate, but not white. And if Konan was sure of one thing he did not like it was kids. Of all the things Pein was, a child person he wasn't.

Konan broke into a run down the hall where the scream had come from. She was followed by the rest of the Akatsuki gang. They all stopped, or I should say collided, in front of Leader-samma's door.

"Should we knock?" Deidara asked peeking out from behind Konan.

"Wouldn't hurt…" Sasori said, raising his hand to knock on the door. Another scream was heard. And instead of knocking down the door the busted the door down.

What those members all saw that day was something they had never thought to have seen in all of their life time… "Oh my Jashin" Was all Hidan could say. The rest just all stood in shock.

Karinai was on Pein's back. Pein was galloping around the room. In short: Pein was giving Kainai a piggy back ride, but that's not what surprised the most. The thing that really made their jaws drop was the fact that they both were sing Rudolph the red nose reindeer, while galloping around the room. The two of them didn't even notice that the door had been busted down until Kakuzu coughed.

Pein immediately stopped dead in his tracks. He looked straight at his comrades before stating "What? Haven't you ever heard Christmas songs before."

Such a corny ending for this chapter…..I'M SORRY IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT!!! Here is also a response to HerMemoriesErased. BEWARE SPOILER ALERT FOR THE STORY….DO NOT READ ON IF YOU DON'T WANT TO!!!!! Response: yes Itachi is the father. THER I SAID IT! PLEASE DON'T STOP READING! IF YOU THINK I RUINED IT, I HAVEN'T! MERRY HOLIDAYS!!!