Chapter Two
"Ruo, what the shit?" Hidan sat up from his cozy spot and glared at one of the six females. "I thought we asked you not to bring your fucking friends! Damn, woman!" He snorted in contempt.
Ruo, a short girl with thick black hair and a defiant air about her, rolled her green eyes. "Hidan, shut the fuck up," she said. It was a simple statement, and it ruffled Hidan's feathers - so to speak. He frowned in much the same way a child does when he's deprived of candy.
The six girls stood, six bundles of different energies, waiting to be invited in. There was a little redhead who had a naive fiery glow in her grey eyes; an average height, curvy blond with heavily lidded brown eyes; a second girl with dark hair, a little taller than Ruo, whose brown eyes sparkled with a silly, childish humor that matched her silly Christmas sweater; a tall, slight girl with light brown hair tastefully styled in a bun whose bright blue eyes popped against her simple outfit; and another average height girl with long black hair that made her blue eyes appear intense and alert.
Kisame smiled his sharky smile and placed the drink trays on the counter beside the cookies. "Why not have a little fun?" He asked. "It's not ever day we get to kick back without Leader's unforgiving eye." His voice was deep and dripping with intention. He went on to explain that these lovely women had graced the Akatsuki with their presences, and it would be so impolite to turn them away, especially with the snow thickening outside. "Look, they even brought us gifts." Kisame motioned to a bag on Ruo's arm.
Tobi stopped obsessively fixating on ornaments and faced the guests, hands on hips. "Oooohhh, look! They look so pretty, so fancy!" He swayed on his feet, seemingly awed by the girls. "What did you bring?" He hopped up to them, like a puppy begging at the dinner table. "I hope there's something sweet!" He said, trying to peek into Ruo's bag.
She turned to the side, whipping the bag out of reach. Smirking, she wagged a finger in Tobi's face. "Ah-ah-ah," she said, "if you don't want us to stay, you don't get the goods!" She then turned to address the gathered Akatsuki. "We've got white wine, vodka, gingerbread cookies, and some chocolate," she announced. Pouting, Ruo explained that she and her friends, Emi, Moe, Kayo, Tamara, and Saki, "already packed and brought their toothbrushes, makeup remover, and PJ's."
"Yeah!" The little redhead, Emi, piped up. "We made cookies for you. From scratch!" From Ruo's sack, she withdrew a plastic baggie filled with basic gingerbread men.
"More cookies, hm?" Deidara approached Emi, taking the bag and examining the sweets.
Cutting him off from thinking of a clever remark, Hidan loudly declared "if there's hard liquor, I'm fucking in!"
Deidara rolled his eyes. "You're Emi, hm?"
"Mhm," she said, nodding.
"Here, come help me set out the cookies, hm. Did you decorate these?" He half-smiled.
Emi nodded, "sure did! Lots of different icing and colors... It was pretty fun!"
"So you're an artist?"
"No, I just get overzealous when I bake! But I like art."
Her remark struck Deidara, and he cocked his head to the side as if to say, how cute. "Well, alright, hm." He led her to the cupboards and pulled out a plate. The two began setting out the cookies, during which there was some quarreling over which cookie went where.
"Well," Itachi said, somehow still futzing with the mistletoe, mostly as a means of entertainment, "it looks like you're staying." He sighed. "I suppose we could use some excitement.