Sorry it took so long to update, but here we go! :D

6:00 am, outside Akatsuki Headquarters

I was the second on the doorstep out of the three of us going on the mission; the other was Sasori. He nodded his greeting. "I'll fill you in once Hidan arrives." A light drizzle was falling from the grey sky; Sasori had placed himself near the house and out of wet's way. The roof overhung the doorstep a little bit, so I too squeezed under it. Even if I didn't mind being wet I didn't want a cold before the mission began.

The seconds ticked by. I was tired and not in the mood to speak, especially with the prospect of Hidan's company. He had been in a bad mood because of his mission yesterday, I know, but I had a feeling that waking up at 6:00 was going to have about the same reaction from him.

The seconds turned into minutes. Sasori's eye twitched. 6:15. "Where is he?" Sasori growled.

6:20. "I can go get him," I offered. Sasori nodded his permission. Dreading the thought of possibly waking Hidan up, I stalked into the house, quiet as possible. There was no way I wanted to wake up the other members. I stopped. Crap. I didn't know where Hidan's room was. Uh... I'd try upstairs, first.

Creeping up the stairs, I noticed one door cracked open. Praying it was his, I peeked in. Yes! There Hidan was, sprawled out on his bed and snoring, drool dribbling from his open mouth. I took a deep breath and stepped to his bedside. "Hidan, wake up!" I whispered and gently shook his shoulder. Bad idea.

He let out a shout of surprise and whipped his scythe around. I yelped and narrowly dodged. Heart pounding, I cried out, "Hidan! Hidan, it's just me! Calm down!" He seemed to finally realized where he was.

His face twisted into a fury. "You." He advanced on me, expression livid.

"I'm sorry!" I backed away. He raised his scythe, ready to strike. "Wait, the mission-,"

"Hidan," a stern voice stopped his advancement. "You're twenty-five minutes late to leave for your mission. Get up, get dressed, let the werewolf go. She did nothing wrong." Hidan dropped his scythe to the floor obediently. He grumbled but got dressed all the same.

I scrambled out the door to see my saviour, Leader-sir, walking down the hall. "Thank you," I softly called. He waved a hand and went down the stairs.

Sasori greeted me again as I exited the house. "Is he coming?"

I nodded. "Probably not in the best of moods, though."

"He never is."

The door slammed behind me and I jumped, earning a sneer. "You're skitterish, b****." Hidan walked off towards the woods, expecting us to follow. Sasori rolled his eyes. All the same, he followed and motioned for me to do so as well.

Well into the woods, Sasori finally spoke. "We are to locate the Nine-tailed fox, and kidnap if possible." My heart jumped. Naruto! The red-head gauged my reaction. I did my best to stay calm, figuring this was some sort of test. Which meant a choice was coming up. And that choice would either result in a firm friendship with the Akatsuki or a probable death by the hands of them.

"I thought that was fish-stick's and weasel-boy's job?" Hidan asked. Then he laughed. "Figures we'd get it, those two can't do anything right."

Sasori gave him a stern glare. "Itachi has been ordered to rest. He's going blind, which brings us to the another detail of the mission." He glanced at me, waiting again for a reaction. "It is our job to kidnap his pink-haired companion, Sakura Haruno, at all costs. The Nine-tailed fox is just a plus."

"And I suppose we're relying on the new recruit for this?" Sasori nodded in reply to Hidan's assumption. "Ha! She'll never let us touch her friends."

I growled. "Watch yourself, Hidan."

Sasori's mouth twitched. "She's right, keep your mouth shut. We'll see what happens when the time comes. And Leader wouldn't have out her on the team if he didn't think that she was ready. Zero will stay loyal."

The statement honestly touched me, but then I shoved the emotion away. Was Sasori told to say that? This mission was obviously a test, given it was my first mission, and therefore I concluded that Sasori's words were things to be gauged as well.

Hidan snorted. "You're both too trusting of her. She's a werewolf. She'll eat us in our sleep."

I thought about that. "I've never had human before..." Hidan rolled his eyes. "Hey, if I ate your eye could you still see out of it?"

He shot me a glare. "No funny business, b****."

I took that as my new nickname from him. "We're making our way towards the western part of the Konoha territory, a larger town known as Benisakura. If we make a good pace we'll be there by tomorrow morning." I expected to break out into a run right then, but no such thing happened. Wow, were we really that close to the Western Border? That shocked me.

The night was a bit rough, we had wolves and wild dogs trailing us the entire time. Hidan kept telling me to shoo away my 'friends,' to which I told him "They're protecting their territory, so shove some dirt down your mouth and out your a**." During all of it, Sasori was quiet.

Morning came. Dawn bled all over the night sky, and sure enough we came to the Benisakura 'village.' People were already bustling about, getting ready stalls for the day's customers. Stores were already open and there were already a few drunks stumbling about, shouting about the festival tonight. Festival? :D That meant music!

"We've recieved intel that the Fox and the Pink-head are escorting a musician to the festival," Sasori notified me. My ears perked up.

"Those lucky bastards! Do you know who it is?" I asked. Sasori smiled at my reaction. He just pulled a paper from his pocket, probably some tiny, almost insignificant mission details. After all, what else would you put on paper? What if the enemy found it? He pointed to a name. Eric Whitacre. "Oh, come on! How come they get all the fun after I leave?" I muttered crossly. I was in love with his music!

"Don't worry, where ever we find the musician, we'll find them. So," I couldn't believe what he was saying,"We'll be seeing this Mr. Whitacre's performance." I grinned, ear to ear.

"You're humoring me!"

He shrugged. "Depends. If it's great music, then yes, I am. If it's awful, then no, it was part of the mission and strongly against my will."

"You are a sir and a bro, Sasori."

Hidan snapped, "Would you two shut up about this stupid Erin Whityard? Let's just find a damn inn to sleep at until the festival starts." He had dark circles under his eyes, and I felt sorry for him. After all, he had returned from one mission to be immediately sent back out on another.

Sasori agreed. "Alright." We walked down the mainstreet until we came across an inn. "Full," Sasori reported to us after trying to check in at the front counter. Hidan groaned. Next inn! "Full." Next! "Full." Hidan's face was heating up by the time we reached the next inn. "Full." The next seemed hopeful. It was run down and looke pretty beaten up on the ouside and it was well away from where the main festivities would take place. "We're in luck," Sasori told us. And it was lucky. The inside wasn't nearly as filthy as the ouside.

Room 206. Two beds. Hidan flopped down onto one of them and was passed out in seconds. Sasori turned to me. "We may have a long couple nights ahead of us," he warned. "You should sleep, too."

"Alright," I agreed, and then looked at the small bed. It was only meant for one person. "What about you?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine without sleep." A bit curious but not brave enough to ask questions, I curled up in a fluffy ball of wolf and closed my eyes, sleep taking faster than I thought it would.

Benisakura Village, Outside Burick Hall, the Music Building

"Have you seen her yet?" Naruto asked Sakura.

"No, but if I do I'll tell you," Sakura snapped the answer back for the umpteenth time. Kakashi-sensei was ignoring Naruto; the little blonde was becoming increasingly unbearable to be with as his anticipation grew tenfold. He was whipping his head around like a bird. What if Zero was here?

Kakashi had a feeling that even if Zero were here, she wouldn't be able to show herself or be allowed to. They didn't know if Zero was being held captive or not. They didn't even know if she was still alive. But Naruto wouldn't give up. And that's why he and Sakura respected him so much. After escorting Eric Whitacre safely to Burick Hall, both his performance and inn they had decided to sit outside the entrance and people watch.

If Zero wasn't here he had a feeling that someone else would be here. Whether they were related to the Akatsuki or not, there was always some Missing Nin that decided it'd be fun to wreak havoc at a festival. It was easier to get away.

Sakura stood up. "I'm going to get some lunch. Want to come with?"

Naruto nodded and stood up, as well. Kakashi shook his head. "Just bring me back something. I still don't want to completely abandon Mr. Whitacre, even if he's safe and sound in the building."

Sakura said, "Alright," and then the pair walked off. He figured it wouldn't be too long before they were back; already enthusiastic merchants were practically jumping them and trying to sell their merchandise. He sat back on the bench, watching beautiful women walk by. Few took notice of him. But he noticed someone with red hair, a man that seemed familiar. Very familiar. But he couldn't place the face; and then the man was gone, around a corner.

Mainstreet

Sasori made his way up the street, trying to find some suitable, healthy food for Hidan and Zero so that they were ready for whatever happened tonight. But it was difficult. Everyone was ready for the festival; nothing but sweets and treats lined the street, any meat seemed too greasy. He sighed and walked into a sushi resturant. Maybe not entirely safe for the immortal and the werewolf, but it was the best thing he could find.

The werewolf. He knew it was ridiculous, but for some reason Sasori rather liked the werewolf. She was different from the rest. A good different. Zero wasn't always at everyone else's throat, unlike Hidan, she wasn't as loud as Tobi nor as solemn as her cousin, and she wasn't late like a certain pyromaniac he knew. Sure, she was a perfectionist and messy(how those two could fit together he would never know) but laid back and calm. He felt like he could trust her.

Zero. An odd name for an odd woman. Sasori didn't think he had ever met anyone that liked music as much as she and didn't pursue a career in it. It was a different form of art, and even if he didn't agree with her ideals on art, at least they were bearable.

"Do you think Zero's alright?" Sasori's head whipped around to see none other than the Nine-tailed fox and Pink-head walking in the Sushi bar. He ducked out of sight. "You don't think they've hurt her, do you?" the blonde asked, concern spread thick on his face.

"I'm sure she is, Naruto. In fact, I have a feeling we'll see her tonight at Mr. Whitacre's performance. You remeber her rants, right? She always loved his music."

"How can you know she'll be safe? I know her cousin is in the Akatsuki, but..."

"But he killed the Uchiha clan. I know... We just have to hope for the best."

Sasori slipped out behind them, keeping to the shadows. A waitress saw him and looked highly concerned; had he eaten without paying? He kept going, not caring. He had to get back to the hotel and think of some way that Zero could come into contact with her friends and not be forced to talk to them. Leader had said to test her, but not too hard. Too much contact could mean betrayal. And Sasori didn't want this bearable companion to die.

Back at the Inn

I slowly woke to a dim room; someone had closed the shades and shut all the lights off. I strectched and yawned. Hidan's sleeping form was on the other bed, his chest rising and falling softly, a much quieter form of Hidan than when he was awake.

The door opened and shut. My ears perked up as Sasori walked in, carrying some type of food in his hands. I jumped to the floor and ran over to him, circling his feet as I smelled the sweet, sweet scent waft down from his hands. "Calm down, Zero," he scolded. I obediently sat down, tail wagging. He chuckled, shook his head and then patted mine. "I take it you like caramel apples." His hand disappeared into the box he held and came out with an apple smothered in caramel.

I turned human and graciously took it from his hands. "Thank you, Sasori!" He went and stood by the window, opening the curtains to reveal the setting sun. The red-head stared thoughfully out it while I ate contentedly. Soon Hidan shifted.

"Is it morning? Tell me I missed the festival," he muttered.

"Sorry, Hidan. You woke up just in time for them," Sasori notified him. "I have some food when you're up." Hidan sat up and swiped the apple from Sasori's hands, eating it noisily.

"Thanks." It was gone in about twenty seconds. Then he went to the bathroom.

"Get ready, Zero," Sasori told me. "Tonight is your first mission, and it's an important one." He smiled. "I've already located our targets, they're in town and at the Burick Building." Hidan came out of the bathroom, grinning. There was a bloodthirsty light in his eyes as he donned a nice suit in preparation for Eric Whitacre's concert. "Let's go."