Ch.18. I have no excuse why this is almost a year late...
She felt the warm rays of sun hitting her face. She liked the warmth; it felt as though hundreds of kisses were being planted all over her. The blonde's body was totally relaxed. Her blue eyes closed; blocking out all signs of life and surrounding herself in darkness. This was just the way Leara liked it.
She had always like it better when she couldn't see anything. It made her feel as though there was always a glimmer of hope, a dream, within the bleakest of situations.
Leara sighed. "I could stay like this forever." she thought as she slowly fell asleep listening to her rhythmic breathing.
It seemed only seconds later when she was being shaken awake. "Mommy wake up." Leara groaned as she turned her back to the source of the noise. It was no good, the source moved and was again in front of her. "Mommy, come on, wake up." After not budging, the mother felt herself rolled onto her back and the weight of a child roughly the age of 5 sitting on her.
Leara opened her eyes, light piercing into them; blinding her momentarily. "Yes Karinai?" She asked softly, looking into her daughter's face.
"Why did you sleep outside last night?"
"Because I needed some air."
"It's 7:30." The child proclaimed.
"Yea and it's a Sunday. "
"Meaning."
Leara let out a little laugh, "Meaning that it's my day off and that I can rest."
"But I'm hungry." Karinai moaned.
The mother propped herself up onto her elbows "Oh Really?"
The black haired child nodded still on top of her mother's stomach.
"Well you know who else is hungry?" Leara asked.
Karinai shook her head no.
"The tickle monster is." Leara said leaning in as close to her daughter as she could. "Do you know what tickle monsters like to eat on Sunday mornings Karinai?"
Karinai looked at her mother as if she was deciding whether or no to answer. "No."
"Well, what tickle monsters like to eat," Leara slowly positioned her hands on either side of her daughter's tiny body "What tickle monster's like to eat are: CUTE LITTLE GIRLS WHO WAKE UP THEIR MOTHERS ON A SUNDAY MORNING!" She yelled as she tickled her daughter's sides ferociously.
XXXXXSome distance awayXXXXX
He could hear Karinai screaming with glee and Leara laughing along with her.
A few strands of black hair fell into his face. Itachi didn't bother pushing them away. He was to fastened with watching The blonde and her child rolling on the grass a few yards away. They looked like a picture perfect family; All smiling faces and what not. All that was missing was a male in the picture...Someone who protected them when they were both scared...
...A father...
...A husband...
"Me..."
"Ah there you are Itachi-san." A deep voice said, interrupting his thoughts.
Itachi turned around, already placing the voice to a name.
That blue man looked at him inquiringly. "How long you been out here?"
"About a half hour." he said in his smooth voice. "Why are you out here?"
"Karinai came asking where her mother was. I told her to check the training field, just in case she had gone out to sleep there again." Kisame smiled, a row of jagged teeth slightly protruding from his mouth, "Heck, I wanted to make sure she was alright." He laughed while running a meaty hand through his cropped hair. Suddenly his joyful emotion was gone. His face was hard and heavy lined. "However, that still doesn't explain why you are here, huh, Itachi-san."
Itachi said nothing. His face seemed to freeze in it's natural looking place.
The shark man gave his comrade a curious look, "You know the other members have been talking. About how you seemed to know her name and how you blanked out." Kisame looked at his partner as if trying to get some hidden fact from Itachi's poker face.
"It was 3 months ago." With that he turned and started walking back towards base, leaving Kisame. As a second thought he added, "If Deidara has found some new sort of gossip to talk about, I think it's time for me to by him this month's 'cosmopolitan' magazine."
XOXO Slight Time Skip XOXO
Now the Akatsuki kitchen was always crowded in the morning. In an ideal setting the kitchen could hold 4 maybe 5 persons maximum- and that was only when everyone cooperated with everyone else. This however was not an ideal situation and included 10 S-ranked criminals (Minus Pein, whom was rarely seen eating) all fighting for cutlery, bowls, napkins, and who deserved the last bowl of Captain Crunch and who would have to suffer with eating the organic cereal which tasted like grass. Needless to say, it is more dangerous to enter the kitchen of 9 bed headed criminals then meeting them on the road.
And with that being said, it was not a different scenerio when Leara and karinai made to the kitchen of the Akatusi base at 8 o'clock in the morning.
"For the LAST time Deidara, I'm going to have the last bowl! You got it last time, so this time I get it!"
"You're a puppet for Christ's sake, you don't even need to eat!"
"WELL TODAY I FEEL LIKE IT!" The red head yelled into the blonde's ear.
Konan was perched at the small round table provided in the already clustered room. "I just don't understand why you don't by more of Captain Crunch when you go shopping." She remarked to Kakuzu, who was sitting beside her, while taking a bite out of her toast.
"I've already told you..." Kakuzu mumbled taking a swig of his black coffee, "If the box wasn't 4 dollars a piece, I would. But they are, so I DON'T!"
Konan rolled her eyes.
Leara made a mental note that Kakuzu wasn't in the best of mods today.
Karinai made right for the counter, dragging her mother with her. "Karinai, we can just wait." Leara lightly scolded, turning to leave.
Kisame appeared holding 2 cups of coffee. "To late to escape now." He said smiling at Leara. Leara laughed a little. "Coffee?" he said holding up a cup to her.
"Just milk?" Leara asked.
"No other way."
"You are the man for me." Leara said sarcastically, taking the cup.
"hmm, no I'm not. " Kisame laughed, grabbing a third cup filled with apple juice and handing it to karinai."I just know what women like."
"Heh, amen to that."
"Well, I'm out of here. Take care of your mom in this mess, okay." the blue man said addressing Karinai.
"Yes sir!" The child saluted as Kisame fought out of the kitchen.
Leara scanned the kitchen. Deidara and Sasori were still arguing. Tobi had entered the fight insisting that he should be the one to get the toy hidden inside. Zetsu was over in the corner. Hidan was near the stove making eggs. She looked down to Karinai.
"How bout eggs and toast?"
The reply was a big nod and smile.
Still holding hands, the mother and child team fought their way past the cereal argument over towards the stove. Karinai let go of her mother's hand and headed for the toaster.
"Morning." Leara greeted.
"Morning." Hidan grumbled, still fiddling with his eggs on the stove.
"How many eggs are left?"
"'Bout 4." the Jashinist said flipping the eggs onto a plate.
Leara went to start making her eggs only to be brushed out of the way by Hidan. After receiving a questioning look, Hidan replied while cracking the eggs into the pan:"I'm already here, so I might as well."
"Well, thank you." the blonde said smiling.
'God, she has such a pure smile." Hidan thought to himself.
"What?" Leara asked after noticing the smile placed lightly on the Jashinist's lips.
"Nothing." Hidan remarked. "So I saw that you slept outside again last night."
"Yeah. How did you know?"
"Morning ritual." Was all Hidan said. Leara understood. "That makes it the third time this month that you've slept out there. May I ask why?"
"It's so nice outside, so I figure I should." Leara lied. The truth was that she felt enclosed in that tiny apartment with Konan. Truth was that she was still having nightmares since the first night she fell asleep in that room. And after she had actually screamed in her sleep, waking up Konan and Karinai, she felt embarassed and took it upon herself to make sure it wouldn't happen again. However, she wasn't about to let someone else know that. No matter how kind any member acted. Especially Hidan.
Hidan had been one of the few Leara had grown attached too. Sure she got along with the other members as well, but she knew that there were rumors. She also knew the culprit was mainly Deidara. He was always trying to figure out where she had come from, what she had done to become a criminal, stuff like that. It was fine for the first few weeks, while the others also poked and prodded her, but now it was just annoying. "Still, he has great taste in nail polish colour." The blonde thought looking down at her manicured nails; an event which happened once a month with Herself, Deidara and konan. Hidan however, had asked no questions about her. He had done no prodding of her past and refused to pester her about untouchable subjects. He was usually pleasant around her, although there were a few times which they had a few arguments. And he actually attempted to handle Karinai when she was on missions, or when Konan didn't have time to watch her; taking her on short walks, reading to her, ect. It was all so sweet.
"Eggs are done." rang a voice, interrupting Leara's thoughts.
Leara grabbed 2 plates and Hidan Place the eggs on both. "Thanks."
Hidan shrugged, "No problem."
Karinai ran over, 3 pieces of toast perfectly balanced in her hands. "Mommy, it's 9. Can we go watch Scooby Doo?" she said placing 2 pieces of toast on her mother's plate and one on her own.
"Okay, let's go watch Scooby do." Leara said grabbing cutlery, her plate, and her coffee. She made her way towards the exit. Deidara and Sasori had ended their fighting; Sasori won and was eating the last bowl of the sugar sweet cereal, while Deidara was scowling and munching on the Organic O's. Konan had left the table and had most likely gone to her room. Kakuzu was still drinking his coffee and was now reading the newspaper. Hidan had just sat across from him. Zetsu was still in the corner.
"Bye Leara." Deidara called as the mother and daughter left.
"Bye Deidara." Leara responded as the 2 of them headed to their shared apartment.
"Bye karinai."
"Bye Deidara." Karinai waved.
Kakuzu flipped a page of the newspaper. "Gee Hidan, I don't remember you ever offering to make me breakfast."
Hidan took a swig of his coffee.
"Shut up kakuzu."
XOXOXO Time Pass XOXOXO
Konan entered the apartment just as Scooby Doo was ending.
"Where were you?I thought you had come back here." Leara inquired getting up from her spot in front of the television, collecting the dirty dishes and bringing them into the small kitchen which was only used for washing dishes and making tea.
"Had to do some work with Pein."
"Ah, I see."
"We have a meeting at 11."
Leara stretched her arms toward the ceiling. "Mkay."
XOXOXO Time Pass XOXOXO
The cloaked members all sat around a long table. Each of their faces were serious and drawn to the attention of their leader. If you had walked in you would not have believed that these were the same people who had been fighting over kitchen space just hours before.
Pein, who was sitting at the head of the table, stood up. "It is time for the missions to be handed out." he said very casually. Konan who had been sitting beside him handed out folders to each member. "There are 5 missions that are to be completed over the next few week. There is two to a team, with one team of three." The pierced man said, looking directly at Leara. His eyes beating into hers.
-Pein never had fully adjusted to Leara. Karinai sure, but for some reason he did not like Leara. The most likely reason for his disregard of her would have to be because of Konan always talking about her. 'Leara and I this' and "Me and Leara that.' It gave the Akatsuki leader a headache just thinking about it.-
"The teams are as follows." Pein said returning on task.
There was a shuffle of folders as every member opened them.
"Hidan and Kakuzu..."
"Ugh we're stuck looking for a jinjuriki again." Complained Hidan. Kakuzu gave him a glare, though he was also thinking the same thing his partner had just stated.
"Sasori and Deidara."
No comment was heard from them.
"Zetsu and Tobi."
"Preserving the bases natural wildlife." Zetu's white half read. "You mean were weeding the gardens? Why didn't you just put that down in the first place." His black half argued.
"Tobi will do his best!"
"Konan and I."
Konan looked at Pein and opened her mouth to say something, "Don't you mean-"
"And finally: Kisame, Itachi and Leara." Pein interrupted.
CLIFF HANGER!- well not really working on the continuation right now!