Author's Note:

Hey! Sorry this is late, I've been busy at work.

This chapter was a blast to write. I hope you like it as much as I do.

IMPORTANT NOTICE! - There's a poll on my profile. I want you to vote for which of the non Naruto characters you want some drawings of. The options are Rose, Chrysanthemum, David, and Matthew. I'll post a link for you guys so you can take a look, so please vote!

That's all! Enjoy! Review! Please please review!

Chapter 4: Pancakes and Plans

The first thing Chrysanthemum did when Rose was finally untied from her chair was give her a massive hug. The girl probably wanted to make sure the drug addict was alright, but Rose could see that she needed comfort as well.

"Still a complete crybaby," the redhead said, noting her friend's puffy red eyes.

"I know," Chrysanthemum replied, letting the woman go. "I'm sorry."

"And still apologizing for everything," Rose snorted, cracking a smile. "So what's the deal?"

Chrysanthemum winced. She glanced over at Pein who had huddled the Akatsuki and was relaying some information to them. She wondered how much he would tell them.

"Do you still live in your family home?" the brown haired woman asked.

Rose twitched slightly. "Yeah," she said cautiously. "Why?"

"I need to borrow it."

"Why?"

"Because we need to find someplace for them all to stay."

"…Why?"

"Because if we don't, they're going to kill us without mercy."

Rose was quiet for a moment, staring at the Akatsuki with irritation and fear and apprehension written all over her face.

"Do I have to?" she asked, ready to face the death threats in order to protect her house.

"Rose, it's certain death or have some house guests. Get some perspective!"

"Any problems?" Pein asked, approaching the girls.

"No, sir!" Chrysanthemum yipped immediately. Rose rolled her eyes. Still a kiss-ass too, she thought. Pein turned his ringed eyes to stare at her.

"And you?" he asked congenially. "No problems with your situation I hope."

Rose narrowed her eyes at the man. Death or house guests? It was really a difficult decision.

"No problems yet," Rose replied finally, deciding that death was the least favorable option. "Just keep your freaks from wrecking my place. You're replacing everything you ruin with interest."

Pein raised an eyebrow at her abrasive manner and Chrysanthemum instantly began to babble apologies for her rude behavior. Rose saw that Chrissy still lacked any form of self-confidence in the presence of men. She really hadn't changed after a year. If anything, she was worse off than before. Suddenly, Rose began to feel sick. Her stomach churned violently and an icy sweat broke over her skin. She collapsed to her knees and all she could register was her friend's alarmed shout as her vision tunneled rapidly and the world went black.

. . .

"Rose!" Chrysanthemum cried as her friend swayed and proceeded to crumple to the ground.

"What happened, un?" Deidara asked as Rose fell. The rest of the Akatsuki gathered around.

Chrysanthemum kneeled down to examine the unconscious woman.

"Probably the drugs," she murmured. "I need to get her home."

"We will be accompanying you, I presume," Pein said, which the brown haired woman agreed to with a nod.

"Can someone get her?" she asked, rising to her feet and gesturing at Rose.

The Akatsuki all looked at each other, no one seeming to want to bother. Chrysanthemum pursed her lips, agitation beginning to nag at her. Rose was in a critical condition and she didn't have time for their crap.

"Kisame, get her and bring her to my car," she snapped at the blue man. Kisame raised an eyebrow. Ignoring it, she pointed at the rest of the ninjas. "I can take one other person, but the rest of you have to follow my car. I will not slow down, so don't fall behind!"

A thought came to her and she glanced meekly at Pein. "If, of course, that's alright with you, sir?"

Pein nodded at his team. "Do as she says," he ordered. "Itachi, go with your partner. The rest of you go outside and prepare to follow them"

There were a couple grumbles, mostly from Hidan and Deidara, but they all did as they were told. Kisame took a few steps forward and reached down to pick up Rose.

"I'd watch how you talk to me," he growled. Chrysanthemum was too worn out and emotionally drained to be scared.

Once she was sure Rose was secure in Kisame's huge arms, she picked up her bag off the floor and made her way downstairs. She would be happy if she never saw the loft again. Ms. Ching was still asleep in her chair and the young woman blandly wondered if she ever left. The ninjas were outside before she was, to no one's surprise, and they were gathering around Chrysanthemum's small car.

"What is this device?" Sasori questioned with as much interest as he was capable of. It was only then that Chrysanthemum noted he was not concealed in his Hiruko puppet.

'What the hell is wrong with the timeline?' she wondered.

"It's my car," she said, moving past them all. She opened the back door for Kisame. "It's how people in this world travel."

"Interesting," the puppet said, sliding his half lidded eyes over the machine. The tone of his voice told Chrysanthemum that she would have to make sure he didn't attempt to dismantle her car. Kisame followed her directions to place Rose gently in the car and then climbed in himself with the unconscious woman rest her head in his lap. Itachi kept his face expressionless as he was directed to sit in the passenger seat, but he followed the directions rather stiffly. Chrysanthemum sighed and went to the driver's side. Before she could even open the door, Pein was at her side.

"No tricks," he said, eyes boring into her. "Once we arrive and everyone is accounted for, we will speak more."

Chrysanthemum was so tired she wanted to cry. All she wanted to do was crawl into a bed, sleep, and never wake up. But she obediently gave the leader a nod and climbed into the car.

She checked her rearview mirror to make sure the others were ready to follow. She was confident they would be fine, but she would avoid major roads just to be safe. She started the car, earning a slight jump from Kisame and a tense look from Itachi. Wordlessly, she pulled out of the parking lot and began the trip to Rose's house.

. . .

After many long minutes of intense silence, Chrysanthemum was ready to burst. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at Itachi. Despite her situation, she couldn't help but have a fangirl moment. Itachi freaking Uchiha was sitting less than two feet away from her. His red eyes were closed and his hands were folded as he just sat there. He was cooler than she could ever have imagined. A bit shorter than she pictured too. And a lot younger looking. But a thousand times more attractive. He was perfect

"If you continue to stare, you will crash the car and Leader-sama will not be pleased," Itachi stated, not opening his eyes.

Chrysanthemum yipped and snapped her head back to the road, Kisame snickering in the back. His attitude was about the same as well.

As Chrysanthemum pulled into the quiet neighborhood where Rose lived, rain began to fall. The house was one that Chrysanthemum had frequented in high school. She remembered always being incredibly jealous of Rose's big house, with its big back yard and movie room, and of Rose's queen size bed. She was jealous of her parents that gave her all the freedom she wanted, how she always had plenty of money, her popularity, her beauty… Rose always had what Chrysanthemum didn't. But when they became friends, Rose never withheld anything from her. She never thought she was better than Chrysanthemum, even though she was.

When Rose's parents retired, they bought several vacation homes in various locations and jumped from one to another often. They left the home Rose was raised in to her and her twin brother, Matthew. Matthew had decided he wanted his own place closer to the city, so the house became Rose's. It was her pride and joy.

Chrysanthemum finally pulled into the driveway of the house that held most of her fondest childhood memories. "We're here," she said, a bit unnecessarily.

"Finally!" Kisame groaned, opening his door. "This thing is too cramped!"

Itachi also opened his door and stepped out of the car, Chrysanthemum following his lead. She was unsurprised to see the rest of the Akatsuki waiting standing with them in the driveway.

"So this is Rose's house," she said, gesturing uncertainly. "You all can stay here until you, uh…" She glanced at Pein. "….figure things out. I know nothing I say has any value, but please try not to destroy this place. It means a lot to me and Rose, so just, be careful?"

Hidan snorted and the others looked as though they cared just as little. Pein noted this and stepped forward.

"Do as she says," he commanded. "This is her world not ours. For the mean time, we are guests and these girls are our hosts. You will not kill them and you will abide by the rules they set out."

THE Akatsuki looked rather put out as he turned to look at Chrysanthemum. "As for you, you answer to me," he said. "I still remain leader of this organization and you will act as my subordinate."

The woman nodded. "Yes sir."

He nodded back and gestured for her to continue. She awkwardly asked Kisame to take Rose again, which he did with mildly annoyed look on his face, before locking her car and walking up to the house. Rose still kept the spare key in a pot of dead flowers by the welcome mat. She dug it out and unlocked the door. The smell of the house washed over her and memories flooded her with emotion. It had been a year since she had been here. She passed the stairs and went to the living room where the Akatsuki gathered.

"Okay," she said. "Kisame, you can leave her on the couch."

Kisame gratefully drop the auburn haired woman on the couch. Chrysanthemum glanced around at the group, wondering how she was going to do this.

"Okay, Kisame and Itachi can have the bedroom at the top of the stairs," she began. "There's a movie room with a couple couches and I can fit a mattress in there too. So how about Deidara, Hidan, and Kakuzu share that one. Sasori, do you sleep?"

Sasori shook his head while Hidan said, "How the fuck does this bitch know our names?"

"Tobi, there's a room used as an office down here, but I think there's still a pullout in there you can use."

"Okie dokie Chrissy-chan!" Tobi said, far too energetically.

Chrysanthemum's eye twitched at the masked man. Shaking herself, she looked at Zetsu.

"And you…?"

"We do not need a room," Zestu replied. "We will stay in the garden." The young woman nodded in acceptance and finally turned to Pein and Konan.

"Pein-sama, you can have the master bedroom. I'll move Rose's belongings out of it later. Konan…" She trailed off, uncertain as to where to place Konan.

"I will stay with you and Rose," the blue haired woman said serenely. Pein nodded in agreement.

"We'll be staying in the attic, so…"

"That is acceptable."

"Okay well, that's all done," Chrysanthemum said. "If that's all, then you guys do your criminal organization thing and have a meeting or something—"

"Hey bitch! What about some food?" Hidan yelled.

"Yeah!" Deidara said. "I'm starving, un!"

Those who ate nodded in agreement. Chrysanthemum was at a loss. It was too late to call for take out and Rose was a cooking disaster, so she doubted she owned any food.

"I-I'll see what I can do," she stammered.

"In the mean time," Pein said, voice carrying over Deidara and Hidan's cheers. "We will be having a meeting."

Chrysanthemum left as groans filled the room. She went to the couch and place a hand on Rose's forehead. It was scorching hot. She bit her lip and grabbed a blanket to cover her friend with. All she could do was pray Rose would be all right. They couldn't afford to take her to the hospital and have them ask questions, especially since they were now housing wanted terrorists. Chrysanthemum glanced over to where the Akatsuki had made themselves comfortable. Pein was sitting in an armchair by the fireplace with Konan standing behind him, while Hidan, Deidara, Tobi, and Kakuzu were squeezed onto another couch. Kisame took up a whole loveseat by himself and Itachi sat gracefully one of the arms. Sasori chose to remain standing and Zestu was partially phased through one of the walls.

With a sigh, the young woman went to the kitchen and tried to find some food. As expected, the cupboards were mostly barren and the freezer was full of TV dinners. She didn't think the Akatsuki would take well to those, so she continued her search. Finally, she found flour in the pantry, eggs and milk in the fridge, and maple syrup behind several boxes of tea.

'Okay,' she thought determinedly. 'Pancakes it is.'

. . .

"So we are in an alternate world in which we do not exist," Sasori mused. "Very interesting."

"Interesting my ass!" Hidan sneered, his mouth full of pancakes as he continued to shovel them in. "It sounds like fucking bullshit to me."

"Only because you're too much of an idiot to wrap your tiny brain around the concept," Kakuzu said, eating his food at a more steady rate than his partner.

"Fuck off, old man!"

"I guess it makes sense," Kisame said, grinning at Chrysanthemum as she handed him his fifth stack of buttermilk goodness. "Everything here is so different, we couldn't possibly be in our world anymore."

Itachi nodded in silent agreement, putting more syrup on his already drowning pancakes.

"But Tobi doesn't want to be in a different world!" Tobi cried animatedly. "Tobi wants to go home!"

"I hate to say it," Deidara grumbled, taking the orange masked man's untouched plate. "But I agree with Tobi, un."

"Our top priority is to return to our world," Pein agreed. "Chrysanthemum and Rose have graciously extended their home to us until we can develop a jutsu that will return us."

Chrysanthemum snorted at that, knowing that they hadn't had a choice in the matter. She began collecting the dishes, occasionally getting a nod but not really being acknowledged by the ninja. So she was surprised when Itachi addressed her directly.

"Chrysanthemum-san."

She froze and looked at the Uchiha. He stared at her with unblinking red eyes.

"I'd like to know how much you know about us," he said in that elegant voice of his. "You very clearly seem to have some knowledge about us, as you know our names and seemingly our personalities."

All eyes were on her now. Chrysanthemum broke into a cold sweat. She didn't know what to tell him. Pein hadn't told the Akatsuki about her knowing what happens to them in the future or of Madara's plan. He probably wanted to keep the situation within his control by letting them believe they were simply teleported to an alternate dimension.

"Eh…" Chrysanthemum glanced at Pein. The leader was staring at her impassively. She figured that he didn't want her to reveal too much.

"Well, there are books about the host of the Kyuubi," she started, mind working furiously around her words. "You're antagonists in story."

"The Kyuubi, un!" Deidara exclaimed, the others making similar remarks of surprise. Pein was watching Chrysanthemum intensely.

"Yeah," she said hesitantly. "It's considered a piece of fiction here, for children. Like I said, you are in it because you're hunting it."

"But we only recently began hunting the jinchuriki," Sasori stated.

Chrysanthemum swallowed. She could practically feel the Rinnengan drilling into her. She had no doubt that if she slipped up, Pein would kill her in an instant.

"That's why there's not a lot of information about you guys," she lied quickly. "Only names and appearances and some insignificant details."

"That doesn't seem like enough to recognize us instantly by," Kisame said skeptically.

Chrysanthemum blushed at that. "Well," she said, sheepishly looking at the ground. "It was my favorite series as a kid. You guys were my favorite characters."

There was silence at that.

"Us?" Kisame asked in surprise. He looked almost flattered. "Why on earth would we be your favorites?"

Chrysanthemum shrugged and glanced up at Pein. He gave her a barely perceptible nod and relief flooded her.

"You're a weird kid," Kakuzu grunted.

"Wait, who's your favorite, un?" Deidara asked, suddenly excited.

"We are, brat. She just said that."

"No, Danna! Like who's your favorite out of all of us, hmm?"

"Um…"

"Why Blondie? Do you want to be her favorite?"

"Shut up you giant fish stick, un!"

"I'm obviously her fucking favorite."

"You wish, Hidan."

"Tobi is her favorite because Tobi is a good boy!"

"As the leader of the Akatsuki, I believe I am more than likely the favorite. Meeting adjourned."

. . .

The Akatsuki had finally retreated to their rooms for the night. It was quite a hassle and involved Deidara almost blowing up Tobi, Hidan trying to sacrifice Rose to Jashin, and Pein making many painful sounding death threats. Chrysanthemum wearily got herself a plate of cold pancakes and collapsed on the couch in the living room. Pein suddenly entered the room, his entrance so silent that he startled the young woman.

"You did well not to reveal any information," he told her, resuming his seat by the fireplace. "We will keep any knowledge of the future you have between us. I trust most of the Akatsuki, but I see no good in telling them too much."

Chrysanthemum just nodded and ate her pancake. "Rose doesn't know anything either," she told him. "She never got into the show."

"Let's keep it that way," Pein said.

There was a pause in which Chrysanthemum was once again struck with the fact that this was not a dream. She was sitting in the same room as one of her favorite fictional characters and eating leftover pancakes while having a civilized conversation.

"Do you have to work tomorrow?" the leader asked suddenly.

Chrysanthemum groaned, realizing it was almost one in the morning and she had the early shift.

"Yes," she replied. "Afterwards though, I can pick up all the books you need to read. I should also go grocery shopping, since there's pretty much no food here."

"I see," Pein said. "In that case, Hidan will accompany you to both work and your shopping tomorrow."

Chrysanthemum choked on her pancake. She had a violent coughing fit that lasted a solid minute as she tried to dislodge the food she inhaled. Pein waited silently for her to finish. Finally, the young woman regained her breath.

"Is there a problem?" Pein asked calmly.

"I'm sorry, did you just say Hidan?" she asked incredulously. "Religious, swearing problem, I-like-to-kill-people Hidan? Do you not see a problem!?"

Pein sighed. "He's the only one I can afford to send with you."

"Well I understand why you can't send Kisame or Zetsu or even Kakuzu! But what about the others? What about Itachi?"

"Itachi must remain here to work on the jutsu to return us to our world."

"Can't Konan come then?"

"Konan stays with me," Pein said shortly.

"Sasori? Deidara?" Chrysanthemum asked desperately. "I'll even put up with Tobi at this point!"

"Hidan is the only one that lacks the intelligence to figure out why you are going to buy those books for me," Pein said. He folded his hands and looked to the ceiling contemplatively. "Since your revelation of Madara's betrayal, I need to know everything before I can proceed any further. No one can know about your knowledge of the future."

Chrysanthemum was quiet. She understood his logic, but she still wasn't happy about it. Hidan was far from her favorite Akatsuki member. She actually thought he was quite funny and she didn't even mind his psycho religious tendencies. But he scared her to no end because he reminded her of someone. She just couldn't put her finger on who.

The two of them sat in silence for a long while, both lost in their thoughts. Finally Chrysanthemum asked a question that had been on her mind for a long time.

"Pein-sama?" Pein nodded in acknowledgement. "How did you get here? And why is Tobi… Madara… whatever, here?"

"Is there a reason for him not to be here?" he asked.

"Well in the series, Tobi doesn't appear until after Sasori's death, when he replaces him as Deidara's partner."

Pein slowly looked at her. "So Sasori dies," he said, his tone almost mournful.

Chrysanthemum shifted uncomfortably. "Uhm, yeah," she said. "Sorry."

"How many more?"

"Eh…" The young woman racked her brain. "All of you, I think. Including Madara, but I think he lasts the longest."

Pein closed his eyes. "I see."

After another long moment of silence, he opened his eyes again. "When we were transported to this world, I had gathered the Akatsuki for the first time," he explained. "I had just given them their jinchuriki assignments. Madara was there, introduced as Tobi, a potential new recruit for the Akatsuki."

Chrysanthemum nodded in understanding. "So Sasuke hasn't left the village yet," she assumed.

Pein looked at her contemplatively and shook his head. "I do not believe so."

The brown haired woman leaned back in thought. This meeting Pein was talking about must have taken place before Itachi and Kisame went to Konoha. So there were roughly two and a half years before the bijuu extractions began. And Tobi had been around even back then, which hadn't been mentioned anywhere in the series, but she supposed it made sense. This meant they had time.

"Okay," she whispered.

Pein continued to watch her. She turned to meet his eyes.

"Okay, Leader-sama," she said determinedly. "Let's get you guys back to your world, stop Madara's plans, and make sure you don't die along the way."

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