A/N: Having less and less to say here might be a sign of growth on my part.

Onward!

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Deidara

Deidara was delighted to see Itachi's plan come together. Konan made sure to spread the word that, under the circumstances, she did not expect to have a meeting tonight. Instead, under Kakuzu's supervision and guidance, everyone tried out the punching bags. Deidara couldn't help but notice how enthusiastic they all looked, especially after Hidan demonstrated how the punching bags worked. It was determined that only two people at most could use the room together, or else the bags would not have the same effect. Pairs of people took turns with the bags.

Deidara glanced at Itachi and grinned. Itachi smiled back. They went in as a pair. This is super fun, yeah! Woohoo! When Deidara emerged, panting, he knew what he would be spending most of his days doing from now on.

"This is friggin' awesome, yeah," he told Itachi as they cooled down in the hallway outside. "Everyone's really getting into it. Your idea's really taking off, yeah."

"I am proud," Itachi admitted.

"I'm so happy for you, yeah!"

Itachi looked at him thoughtfully. "We make a good team. You and I should make plans together more often."

"Sure!"

Deidara had to admit that he felt a little proud himself, even though he had not come up with this part of the plan. He had talked with Itachi about it. That was enough. The feeling of responsibility, of success, was thrilling. He felt more grown up than he had in…ever.

"You seem to be happy," Itachi said.

"Why wouldn't I be, hm?"

"We are preparing for the possibility of having to fight a dangerous battle. I thought the similarity to wartime would make you uncomfortable."

Deidara blinked. That had not once occurred to him. "I never thought of that, yeah. Huh." He took a moment to think. "Maybe it works the opposite way. I've never really learned to settle down and go back to being a nice, normal civilian, yeah. Now, it's like I don't have to. Not having to force myself into that kind of life is nice."

"Doesn't it frighten you, the possibility that any of your friends might be hurt?"

Deidara stared at the opposing wall. "No. Because if you did get hurt, it would be because you chose to fight. It wouldn't be an accident, it wouldn't be stupid, you wouldn't be confused. You'd probably think it was worth it. And Yahiko would heal everyone afterwards."

"In other words, your problem was not going to war," Itachi murmured. "It's that it was the wrong kind of war."

"Yeah. Don't get me wrong - I still hate what my original did, hm. But this? This feels right."

"It feels right to me too." They got up and went in for another round of punching. Almost everybody did two rounds, then decided they were done for the night. Yahiko grabbed Sasori and Nagato and led them off on business that had to do with seals. Kakuzu asked Konan to lend him her weapons and show him what the other training room was meant to be used for. Hidan stayed for a third round of punching, not really having anything to do. Deidara decided to punch with him. While they fought back the relentless weighted bags, they cooperated silently. Afterward, while sitting down and cooling off, they fell to discussing their next training battle.

"I've done a lot of practice navigating and you're fast," Deidara said. "I don't think we should keep ourselves in just a couple yards, yeah."

"Completely agree," Hidan said, nodding. "We take up the whole street, at least. Might need to ask the demon kid's permission to fight on hospital grounds."

"How's everybody going to watch then?"

"They're ninjas too. They can follow us."

"I'm totally gonna destroy you this time, yeah," Deidara said with a grin. "I've gotten a lot better at maneuvering. You'll never see me coming."

Hidan snorted. "Shut the fuck up! I've been practicing with my scythe, if you know what I mean. It's not gonna be an accident this time."

"Like I'd ever let you get that close!"

"Who said I needed to get close? I've got a shitton of rope with me. I don't need to catch up with you!"

"Nya!"

"Nya!"

Konan

Konan was forced to do something she did not usually do: leave important tasks until the morning. It felt wrong. She realized she had fallen into a habit of saving the most important tasks for the evening, capping off the day with some new revelation or burst of thought. It felt wrong to leave the day uncapped and force herself to do her best thinking in the morning, a time normally reserved for preparation. But the night was so busy that she had to.

She prepared in advance, at least. The following morning, she woke up, rolled over, and took a piece of paper from the small table next to her bed. She read the list of tasks written on it, then got up and prepared to complete them.

First, she woke up Yahiko. "Progress report on the sealwork," she ordered.

He yawned. "Nagato painted a storage seal on Sasori's palm. You should check to see if it's still there. We painted my seal on a piece of scrap paper, but it didn't do anything. It's based off a video game spell, though, so it might just need materials. I have to find out what spell it is. As for the healing scrolls, um, we didn't have that much clean paper. I thought, since I don't go to work anymore, I could do that with you today."

Konan wrote this down. "That would be acceptable." Then she went to Hidan. "Have you and Deidara scheduled your practice fight?"

"No, but I heard about the thing that Kisame and Sasori and everybody else have known about forever but never really told me about." Hidan pouted. "Apparently it's this big thing that's happening tonight. So the earliest we could possibly fight is tomorrow, and I'm not sure if everybody'll want that because we'd have to do it after they all get out and the lighting would be eh."

'"Fighting in suboptimal lighting conditions is an important skill, as is accurately gathering information under said conditions. Plan for tomorrow." Then she went to Itachi. "Have any other ideas occurred to you?"

"Hmm. I think…that we ought to take into account our terrain, as well. We are not only defending ourselves, but doing it from a specific place. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this building, this neighborhood? Can we possibly improve on them before danger becomes imminent?"

Konan sat down. This was an important enough line of questioning that she ought to devote serious time and thought to it before moving on to the rest of her list. "This building itself offers us no advantages," she said. "Every room that faces the outside has at least one window. The lobby door is large and welcoming. If battle came to this building, we would be faced with two opposing choices: abandon it in favor of mobility, or retreat inside to the basement. I do not think any vampire would be willing to enter the basement."

"Having to make such a choice while under stress would paralyze us. We must make the choice now so that we can act quickly in an emergency. Which is the better choice?"

"If it is at all possible, a shinobi should always choose greater mobility," Konan told him. "Therefore, anyone who can should escape outside. Everyone should be informed that, in case they are caught at a bad time, the basement exists as a fallback position. No matter what, we must avoid battling supernatural beings who are used to navigating tight spaces in the hallways. That can only lead to bad outcomes."

Itachi nodded. "The attributes of this neighborhood as a whole must also be considered, especially if we are to leave the base as soon as hostile vampires are spotted. What can a street full of abandoned buildings do for us?"

"Not much," Konan answered. "They are used to living in such buildings, whereas most of you have not even been inside a single other building on this street. The only place in this neighborhood that we could use to our advantage would be the haunted hospital. We made an offhand reference to it last meeting with the vampires. Their reaction indicated that the vampires do not know about it. The palpable creepiness of the grounds and its obviously unnatural design would startle the vampires, giving us a second chance. If the initial attack forces us to scatter, or the vampires force us to in subsequent attacks, everyone should be instructed to escape and regroup at the hospital for a second strike."

"What about the demon boy?"

"He loves to entertain his ghosts. As long as the fighting did not affect the hospital itself, I expect him to allow us to use the grounds for this purpose. He probably will not assist us in the fight itself, except for creating the odd little illusion here and there to startle people."

Itachi rested his chin on his hands. "It seems as though we have covered the whole neighborhood, but we may have missed something." He silently thought for a while.

"Under no circumstances is anyone to enter the forest, except perhaps for Hidan," Konan told him. "The forest at night would slow down anyone else, whereas the vampires would not be affected. It would be a trap."

"Speaking of the forest, what about our other allies?" Itachi asked. "Is there anyone we can ask for help?"

"I got Jiraiya's contact information off Kisame and asked if anyone in his group has practiced their skills well enough to be useful in a fight. The answer was no. I recommended that they all stay far away from the abandoned houses until this situation with the vampires is settled. I already told the Hatakes the same. I talked to a demon in the bar, who offered her people's assistance. But we only know two of them, and the rest have no reason to care. I do not expect much help to be available from them, and whatever we get would take too long to arrive. They can't travel any faster than ordinary humans. We are on our own."

Itachi did more thinking. He counted off on his fingers, silently mouthing words to himself. He lowered his hand and shook his head. "You are correct. There is nobody besides the demon boy who could help us."

"The vampires who attack may not be a unified front," Konan realized. "It is possible that the faction hostile to us and to Hidan would take over and launch a war. But it is also possible that we could be attacked before then, if that faction becomes desperate. Vampires that are friendly to us may follow. We would be caught in the middle of a vampire civil war, struggling to stay out of it and conscripted to fight if we do not succeed. In that situation, we would at least have allies. But our fortunes would be dependent on the direction of the battle as a whole, which, being much larger than us, could change too quickly to react to. In some ways it would be much more dangerous."

"If that happens, we would also be much less prepared. Might it be a good idea to retreat to the basement and wait for their battle to be over?"

"In that situation, yes, retreating to the basement would be the safest path." Konan's brow wrinkled. "Assuming that I am correct and the vampires avoid it."

"The room itself has only one entrance down a narrow staircase, and is lined with metal. It would make an ideal place to repel invaders."

"True, but nearly everyone would be at half capacity. The symbol cripples almost all of our group."

"Let's catalogue the symbol's effects," Itachi said. "To start, who does it not cripple?"

"Hidan will flee into the forest instead of the basement since he cannot enter it, so he is not part of this equation. Of those who remain, the symbol does not cripple me or Kakuzu. Its effects on Samehada are unknown."

"As for everyone who is negatively affected…" Itachi began to count on his fingers again. "I lose the ability to think coherently. Nagato seems to become much more fearful, and Kisame more paranoid. Deidara, I believe, struggles with his self esteem even more than usual. I do not know how Yahiko and Sasori are affected."

Konan knew. "Yahiko feels uncomfortable in its presence, itchy and as if he cannot find a comfortable place to settle into. Sasori feels distanced from humanity and views himself as more of a machine."

"Let us divide those effects now into effects that would be a handicap in battle, effects that are neutral, and effects that might possibly help." Itachi stared up at the ceiling and murmured, "Increased paranoia might be helpful, unless it causes Kisame to attack a friend. In a metal-lined echoey room, it would be easy to startle him by accident. That one could be either-or. Physical discomfort will definitely keep Yahiko from fighting at full capacity. Nagato will probably not use all of his powers, or might use them too much, if he is afraid. Deidara...is an extremely bad choice of person to fight in a confined space in the first place. Might this plan be altered so he flies away on his owl and the rest of us retreat to the basement? As for me and Sasori, I would have trouble making new plans, but my ability to follow the plan we have would be unaffected. And Sasori would seem to have no change to his ability to fight at all."

"It sounds to me as if the idea of fighting in a confined space at all is a terrible one. This group cannot effectively do anything in that circumstance."

Itachi shrugged. "We must ask Hidan. Perhaps the symbol will take on properties that repel the vampires, if it is that important for our safety."

Itachi and Konan went to see Hidan. They found him polishing his scythe and whispering what sounded like sweet nothings to it. Itachi knocked on the inside of the door. Hidan turned. "Whazzit?"

"There is a possibility that the hostile vampires would attack out of desperation, before they have control of the vampires' government. If that happens, we would become ground zero for a vampire civil war. We were thinking that the best thing to do in that situation would be to retreat to the basement and hide until it is over." Itachi approached Hidan slowly and sat down next to him. "We think the basement would be safe because they will avoid the symbol, but we can't be sure. What if they do not? What if they attempt to come down to the basement and attack or drag us out?"

Hidan looked unsettled by the question. He put his scythe down and used his newly freed hand to scratch his head. "Shit… If that happened, you guys wouldn't be able to do much…" He scratched harder. "Would Konan be there?"

"Yes," Konan said.

He stopped scratching. "Oh. It's fine, then." He picked up his scythe and looked around for the cloth he had been using. He discovered it in his hand and smirked.

"Thank you," Itachi said while getting up. "That will help us plan." He left the room and closed the door behind them. "What effect, exactly, does the symbol have on you?" he whispered.

"It makes me feel stronger," she whispered back. "Do you think it would use me as a medium through which to affect the physical world?"

"Didn't it do precisely that with his original?" The question was rhetorical. They both knew the answer was Yes. As they returned to Itachi's room to continue planning, Konan wondered how she felt about the idea of effectively being possessed. I know it has happened to me before without discomfort on my part. But this time seems more extreme.

"So then," Itachi said, sitting down on his bed. "Can we do anything to improve our location before an attack comes?"

Konan shook her head. "Armoring this building would require resources we don't have. The demon boy would not approve any changes to his grounds. The basement already has everything it needs, according to Hidan."

"That's good," Itachi said. "It means we can focus on training." He sat back and sighed. "Ah, there is nothing like an early morning session of thinking. Why does anyone drink coffee?"

Konan rubbed her forehead. "You are fortunate to find it so." She made sure her notes were complete, then went to see Sasori. "I was told about the seal on your palm."

Sasori finished adjusting his shirt. "It's still here. Let's see if it still works." He opened a drawer in his bedside table and took out a rock that could easily be held in the palm of one hand. He channeled chakra into the seal. In a puff of air, the rock disappeared. He repeated this, and it reappeared. He pulled out his phone and checked the time. "It is shortly after seven in the morning. The seal has lasted for...about ten hours."

Konan wrote this down. "Report to me the moment this changes. You have my number, correct?" It turned out that he did not, so she gave it to him and he put her in his Contacts for convenience' sake.

After Sasori, she went to Kisame. He was in the kitchen making a sandwich for his lunch. He was already dressed, too, which was unusual. "Is everything alright?" Konan asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I just didn't get a chance to talk to some people last night." Kisame slapped both sides of his finished sandwich together and checked the cabinets for a box. "If I'm going to be openly enthusiastic in public, I want people there. Itachi was already planning to be close. I was going to ask Yahiko if he could stop by, and ask Nagato what he was planning."

"What is this event projected to be like?" And why has there been so little mention of it until the day of?

Kisame grunted. "It's gonna be held in the parking lot of the dog shelter. They'll have signs up to draw people in, and flyers. They'll have at least one table where the staff hand out informational pamphlets and talk to people about the dogs. The aquarium got permission to bring their own table, which is where I'm going to be. Lovely. And at some point, Ruta will show up with a donation of lost balls and shit."

"Doesn't Ruta work with Sasori at the car repair place?"

Kisame stopped lifting his sandwich into the box. He put it down, then turned to look at her. "You're, uh, really out of the loop, aren't you?"

"Hidan, I, and others have not been told about this event other than what has been shared in the group chat," Konan said as levelly as she could. He and Sasori again? But no, Nagato and Itachi are involved. Why did they not inform me?

"Shit," Kisame whispered. He seemed to be realizing for the first time how little he had told her. "Do you even know how I've been trying to improve myself lately?"

"Somewhat," Konan replied. "You have been visiting people at your place of work, including a woman who you wish to be like."

"Yeah. Well, there's another angle to it." Kisame took a deep breath and launched into an explanation of how he had come to suggest that the aquarium should provide enrichment activities for its animals. Konan could tell he had rehearsed this speech before, but the feeling in it was no less genuine. "And when I started wondering where we could get cheap toys, guess what I found out? The bicycles, as payment for their medical care, bring Sasori whatever they find lying around. That includes a lot of lost balls and knickknacks. So I suggested he look into donating them, and meanwhile my bosses got the great idea to latch onto the dog shelter's event and solicit donations as part of a public relations thing, and that's how the aquarium, the dog shelter, and the auto shop ended up entangled together in this one event."

Konan carefully let out her breath. "Is there any particular reason why I was not told about what all of you were doing in your 'work lives'?"

Kisame heard the mocking way she pronounced those two words. He blinked. "...Because we really do think of it like that. Work is separate from the rest of our lives. Just like we talked about at that meeting that one time. Shit."

"How long will you continue to deny that your activities outside of this building have any relevance to the people inside? Especially those people who may like to be informed about new developments in your personal life?"

"You never struck me as the touchy feely type," Kisame retorted.

"Sasori brought Laurie home as a coworker he had grown friendly with. She is now a valuable training partner. What opportunities are you wasting by keeping your work relationships separate? What information are you hiding? Goddammit, Kisame, one does not have to be a touchy feely type to be interested in personal lives in this world. Important business is done through personal means around here. I spent all of the day before yesterday cultivating friendship with people who might be able to help us, because that is how alliances work in this world. Use your common sense."

Kisame looked suitably abashed. He put his sandwich in the little plastic box and muttered, "It takes time to change old habits, okay?"

"I suggest you put in that time, then." Konan turned and disappeared from the room. She stopped to take a deep breath. Gods above, must I always have to make rounds in order to get the information I need? Will none of them keep me informed out of a sense of responsibility?

She returned to Hidan's room. "Prepare yourself for a training battle tomorrow evening. Tell Deidara the same." She went to Itachi. "Post all parts of our plan in the group chat. That is the only way to ensure that everybody in this group has the same information, apparently." She went to Yahiko. "Here is a stack of paper. Copy the scrolls." Then she went to Kakuzu. "Hidan and Deidara are busy preparing, and your use of weapons needs further practice. We must drill."

If Kakuzu realized that she just wanted a good excuse to fight, he didn't let on. He narrowed his eyes. "Gladly."

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A/N: *Achievement Unlocked* I thought of Samehada at the time I was writing instead of having to go back and add a mention of him! Yay!

And Itachi's totally right. I don't understand the purpose of coffee, at least not for waking up. If I wanted a way to calm down, though, I might seriously consider it...

Huzzahs and hurrays. See you all next week.