Disclaimer: I do not own any Naruto characters. I do own the Chikara and its members.

Rating: T for violence, swearing, light slash, possible character death

Pairings: Mentions of romance, but it's not the central theme. Kakuhida, Sasodei, PeinKonan. As for KisaIta and ZetsuTobi – that's more up to the readers' interpretations.

Notes: Now there's some changes in this story that aren't part of the original series, considering this is an AU fic. All these changes are important to the story and they are mentioned inside the story themselves. But just to be clear, in this fic Deidara and Ino are brother and sister. Deidara is three years older than Ino, which is the same age-gap for Itachi and Sasuke. Also, Tobi and Itachi are cousins of the same age, and Tobi lives with his cousins and not with his own parents. Lastly, Sakura has a cousin named Katsuki, who is an OC.

There are several OC characters, but they play antagonist roles and the main focus is on the Akatsuki. There is no specific focus on any of the individual Akatsuki members as they all play a big part in this story. So if you have any favorites, they will definitely have a large role to play.

It needs to be known that Kakuzu currently does not wear his mask and does not have his stitches. Also, Deidara does not wear a scope over his eye. The reasons for this will be clear in later chapters.

If there's anything I've missed, I'll be sure to include it in the next chapters. Please review – it's nice to hear feedback.

The Red Dawn Addiction

Chapter One

Sole Objective

"My sole objective in life is to ruin and destroy Pein. I want to rip him down from that little throne he's placed himself on. I want to see him fall from that pedestal that his little minions have placed him on. I've been thinking for many weeks how to do this and then yesterday, it came to me! It's so simple, so…devious," he said, waving his cigarette around and looking smugly at the ceiling. "All I need to do is create my own gang to rival his and destroy his little group of dogs. But first we'll play it nice, confuse them a little bit. Make them think that we're not that big a threat – like every other silly gang that has tried to oppose him."

He paused, looking thoughtfully at his desk. It was covered in dozens of cigarette burns and, strangely enough, the ash tray in the middle was completely empty.

"This won't be an easy task, considering the amount of power they hold over…well everybody. People choose to avoid them out of either fear or respect, and nobody messes with the Akatsuki. At least, not since they gained power over this miserable shithole of a town. Which is why we'll have to be subtle. We have to grow without them knowing about it. A silent rebellion against this group of oppressors. I think if we used the word 'rebellion' we could convince people to join us. People like feeling rebellious. Makes 'em think they're special."

Riku gestured welcomingly at his two guests, both of whom were sitting comfortably in chairs opposite of him. The two of them remained silent, although the girl quirked an eyebrow at him. She looked bored, but he could tell that she was interested.

"Mei," he said, pointing to her with his hand curled like a gun. "What do you think? Are you willing to help me create our own band of miscreants? As my cousin I demand that you join. You know I couldn't do this without you. The same goes for you Jacob. You two will be the brains and the brawn of my group. I need you if I ever want a chance of destroying the Akatsuki." He made a pleading face, almost looking child-like. It would have worked had they both not known how cruel he could truly be.

There was a thoughtful silence before Mei finally spoke.

"Pein will not simply stand by and allow his friends to be terrorized," she said sternly. She had listened to him without making a sound, but when she finally spoke her voice was strong and flat, as if nothing he had said had affected her. "Do you really think you can do this without him noticing? He will suspect that you are behind all of this."

"Let him! What could he do to me? By the time he realizes it's me, I will have the support of all the members of my new group," he announced, grinning at her. She sat back, finished with what she had to say. "How delicious do you think it will feel when I watch him crumble?"

"Is that the sole purpose that drives you lately? Have you not considered that people might get hurt? Possibly die?"

This question was posed by the boy sitting next to Mei. His name was Jacob, and he was just as emotionless, if not more so, than Mei. He did not sound disturbed by the prospect, merely interested in his friend's perspective. His expression didn't change as he spoke.

"Then they would die for a worthy cause. Their deaths would not be meaningless – after all, they would be sacrificing themselves for the greater good. Of course, we won't mention that to them in the initiation meetings, yeah?" Riku chuckled, amused by his own joke.

He looked at them expectantly, waiting for them to speak. They glanced at each other, seemingly reluctant, before nodding and turning to him with that same blank look on their faces. He could see that they were intrigued – their eyes betrayed their true feelings.

"If you choose to go through with this plan, you already know that we will be your loyal supporters. We will follow without question, no matter what orders you gives us," Jacob said. Riku clapped his hands together, beaming fondly at them.

"Excellent! Now, to begin with, we'll need to think of a name," he crooned, tapping his cigarette and watching the ash fall onto the desk. "I think I will name my group…Chikara. Sounds cool – much better than Akatsuki. It means power, I believe. And that's all I want, isn't it? Power!"

He tilted back on his chair, suddenly looking serious. His face was thoughtful, and his mind was whirling with different ideas and different plans. He pressed the remains of his cigarette onto his desk, creating another circular burn in the wood. The smoke drifted upwards and he delicately ran his hands across it to dissipate it.

"We'll start slow. First we'll leave them alone, save for some petty annoyances. We'll make our presence known of course, and make sure that they think of us as a mild threat. But we won't alert them to the fact that they are our primary target. Then…once an opportunity arises…we'll strike. One by one, we'll bring them down."

Mei pulled the cap off a pen that she had produced seemingly out of nowhere. She began writing on the piece of paper in front of her, listing the members of the Akatsuki.

"Aside from Pein and Konan, none of them have an official ranking." She ignored his wince. She knew what had triggered it, and knew that it would be wise to move on. "Pein is their official leader and he founded the group approximately two years ago along with Konan, who is his…second-in-command, I guess you could call it. His oldest and most loyal members would be Zetsu, Sasori, Kakuzu and Kisame who joined very shortly after the group was created. Itachi joined a few months ago for personal reasons that I'm sure you're aware of and two new members have since joined during this year – Hidan and Deidara. I'm sure that I don't need to remind you how powerful each of them are – physically and mentally."

Riku listened avidly, knowing that it would be stupid to interrupt her when she was talking like this. Mei was now completed engrossed in the information she had gathered and was jotting down all of their names.

"If you wish to listen to my advice, I would tell you to target the newer members. Not only are they new to the group, but I've heard that they are reckless and short-tempered as well. There is also another boy, Tobi, who seems to associate with Zetsu and Deidara. He is the Uchiha's cousin, though not as brilliant as Itachi and Sasuke. In fact, I've heard he might be mentally challenged and he was held back a few grades due to his stupidity."

Riku snickered as he refreshed his memory of the idiotic Uchiha. He was an easy target – a victim even without Riku demanding the others to intentionally terrorize him. He had no doubt that the boy was a social outcast, with the exception of perhaps his cousin and those other two Akatsuki who probably spoke to him out of pity.

"I would suggest you leave the older members alone in the beginning. I feel I am correct in thinking that their loyalty towards Pein would never sway even in the harshest of circumstances. However, Deidara and Hidan would prove to be…careless and perhaps easier to manipulate. Also, Tobi is a perfect victim and harsh treatment of him would surely cause some problems, despite the fact that he is not part of the group. Itachi could also be manipulated if we target his younger brother, Sasuke, who is the reason he even became a part of the Akatsuki. Kisame is fond of Itachi, so that could be his weak spot."

She paused, frowning at the paper which was now covered in several small notes. "However, as for Konan, Kakuzu, Sasori and Zetsu, they are perhaps the most difficult ones to target. None of them seem to show outwardly affection or even much emotion except for volatile anger in the case of Kakuzu. He is their treasurer and is involved with the gang's finances. Zetsu is their spy and Sasori develops various poisons and drugs which they sell to willing clients in order to gain considerable profit."

"In other words, the Akatsuki is a powerful, financially sound group of loyal members," Jacob said. He had taken out his knife and was examining it for scratches. He had not even looked up when he spoke and Mei responded with a quick nod, despite the fact that he couldn't see her.

"This will be a difficult task, but if you are willing to continue with this, we will help you, Riku," she said, turning the paper until Riku was able to read it. Unperturbed, he scanned the paper, his eyes focusing on the top two names. Pein and Konan.

He began to hum to himself, trailing his nails across the wood of the table until it reached a small line of ants marching from the desk onto the wall. With each word he squished an ant beneath his merciless fingers:

"One…by…one…"

- 0 -

- 0 -

- 0 -

"What the fuck is this? Is it meat?" The strange substance fell back onto the tray with a soft 'splat' as the teen stared at it in utter disgust. He grimaced and pushed the tray away from himself and crossed his arms. "I'm not eating this shit. I don't want to be fucking poisoned."

The person opposite him grunted, narrowing his red-green eyes. "Figures. You always find something to complain about, no matter the situation." He glared at him from under his fringe of long, black hair. Although it was long, he had somehow managed to keep it neat and out of his eyes. "And it's beans, you empty-headed idiot."

"Screw you, Kakuzu! I won't be insulted by a heathen! And I knew it was beans!"

"You swear too much, Hidan. It's unseemly," Sasori interjected quietly. He was sitting next to Deidara, who was fiddling with the tiny bomb he had been making during art class out of clay and god-knows-what. The blond had a look of intense concentration as he worked and was ignoring the conversation around him. "Take that thing off the table, brat. I don't want my food exploding, and I don't trust you not to make a stupid mistake while you're making those things."

"Don't be so uptight, Danna. I won't make a mistake," he mumbled, too focused to be annoyed by the insult. Irritably he flipped his fringe out of the way to reveal both of his brilliant blue eyes. Sasori stared at him for a second, looking as if he was ready to counter that statement. Then he hesitated and turned away, sipping his water.

Pein was silent throughout this exchange, with his eyes on the table that was the farthest away from them. That table held six members of the recently formed gang – Chikara. They were huddled together, laughing and bickering loudly even to gather the attention of some of the people around them.

They had formed approximately five months ago and since then, had made sure that their reputation spread like wildfire throughout not only the school, but the entire town as well. Pein wasn't sure how it had happened, but without him realizing it their members seemed to have increased and he now spotted more and more people wearing the signature blue band of the Chikara. In the beginning, he had not seen them as a threat, merely an annoyance. But as time passed on, he began to sense that there was an undercurrent of animosity directed towards their group. And it worried him.

He glanced at Konan, who was eating silently as she usually did. She wasn't one for talking unless it was absolutely necessary and when she did it was always direct. That was what he liked about her. She wasn't like other women, she was different and he enjoyed that. She was his most loyal friend and he never kept secrets from her. He had to confide in her his recent fears about the Chikara. She would know what to do about it.

She stopped, pushing her silky blue hair behind her ear and glancing up until their eyes met. She smiled at him slightly and he felt his fears melt away, although he made sure to keep his expression the same. It would not do to show his little weakness for her in public.

A large shadow was momentarily cast over Deidara and the last of their members approached, looking moody and thunderous. His left hand was freshly bandaged but already small droplets of blood had seeped through the white material.

"I hate Mondays," Kisame grumbled, sliding into the seat next to Itachi. His skin, usually tinted blue from a birth defect, was flushed from anger and he slammed his tray down onto the table. Deidara winced at the sudden movement, whereas Itachi didn't seem to be fazed at all. He simply looked at the teen's bandaged hand:

"How is your hand, Kisame? Are any of your fingers broken or is it simply bruising?"

"What the hell happened to your hand?" Hidan asked, staring at the injury suspiciously.

"I bet he got it from too much jacking off. It's not like you to be clumsy." This came from Zetsu, who had been conversing softly with himself until now. Unlike Kisame, his unusual skin was not due to his mental condition and a product of his own free will. He suffered from Dissociative Identity Disorder and although his medication managed to keep down the worst of the symptoms, he still shared his body with his other personality and they often conflicted.

The black half of his skin had been during a particularly dramatic point of his disorder when he had developed a fear that he would lose one of his personalities and had gotten the right side of his body tattooed completely black. Despite the initial shock, his friends had grown accustomed to the strange surface and now it was difficult to imagine him without his 'dark' personality.

"I wasn't clumsy. Someone slammed a door on my hand while I was walking into Physics," Kisame snarled, revealing a mouthful of jaggedly sharp teeth. "Three guesses as to who."

"Them." Pein's deep voice caused an immediate silence to fall upon them. It was the natural effect of his voice and out of respect they turned to him, immediately alert to his actions. He was scowling at the table, his fists clenched with anger. Slowly, thoughtfully, he relaxed his hands and reached up to stroke the piercings on his bottom lip. It was what he would do whenever he was thinking deeply. "They've begun to target us more than usual…I'm beginning to wonder if that was their objective in the first place."

"They do seem to antagonize us a lot more than other people. Although they are little annoyances, unlike some of their attacks on the other students," Konan said softly. "I have a feeling that we are their primary target though, and we should keep an eye on them in the future." The others nodded in agreement, Kisame glaring at his hand.

"Who was it, Kisame? If I ventured a guess I would say it was Alec. He seems a bit more violent than his companions," Kakuzu said. There was nothing but truth in his statement. Alec had proved himself to be a twisted member of Chikara and more eager to partake in violent activities than some of his friends. He had a scar on his face that was not clearly visible due to the fringe that covered half of it and his expression was often one of malice and cruelty. Pein suspected that he wasn't completely right in the head. The boy seemed especially hateful towards Hidan, despite the Jashinist's complete inability to even recognize this hostility.

"You've got that right. That little bastard is going to get his ass kicked once school's over," Kisame threatened. "Even if his friends are with him, I can take them no problem." He cracked the knuckles of his uninjured hand and shot a furious glower towards the sandy-haired youth on the other table. Alec glanced up at that moment and when he noticed, his face was almost split in half from the malicious grin.

"You won't be alone," Itachi said, his voice no higher than its usual volume. The two of them always walked back home together since their houses were practically next to each other, which had resulted in them growing close. "If you plan to confront them, I'll help you. It would be best if you had someone to watch your back."

"Like he'd need the help, un. Kisame could probably take all six of them using pure willpower," Deidara joked, looking up from his creation. He offered the tall boy a toothy smile, which was returned.

As they spoke, Pein began to think about what Itachi had said. It was a good idea for each of them to have back up in case anything ever happened, to prevent them from coming to harm. If he was correct in assuming that Chikara was targeting the Akatsuki, then when the members were alone they were vulnerable to attack if the gang ever chose to take more violent action. He came to the conclusion that he was going to keep his friends safe. He filtered through his memory before glancing at Kakuzu and Hidan with slight doubt. He knew that they wouldn't be happy about this arrangement at all, but it was necessary.

He waited for his friends to calm down and stop speaking before placing his fork onto his tray and clearing his throat. The others looked at him questioningly, waiting for him to speak:

"Aside from Itachi and Kisame, the rest of you make your way home alone afterschool, am I correct?"

The others nodded in agreement, mumbling and glancing at each other, wondering where this was going.

"I walk home with Tobi sometimes. Unless he's being an idiot, then I make him walk back by himself."

Ah, yes, Tobi. He had forgotten about that boy.

"It seems to me that Chikara might possibly be another gang on the rise whose objective is to challenge our status. Unlike the others, though, they seem to be a lot subtler about it and due to that I've overlooked them until now. But there seems to be more and more people wearing the blue Chikara bands and I would rather we protect ourselves now before it's too late. Therefore I'm assigning you all partners. You will walk home together afterschool and attempt to remain together during break times and lunch as well. If one of you is forced to stay back afterschool, the other will remain behind as well until the two of you are free to go home," he said, watching the different reactions on their faces. He continued without letting them speak.

"I've assigned the pairs based on how close you live together, naturally. Which means that Konan and I will be partners. Kisame and Itachi, you two already walk home together most days so this is no big change for you. Sasori and Deidara, you two live relatively close so you will walk back together. Zetsu, I will explain your situation in a second." Bracing himself, he turned to Kakuzu and Hidan, both of whom had paled while he was talking. They lived on the same side of town, a bit farther than the others and already they deduced that Pein was going to be partnering them together.

"No…no fucking way. Jashin damn it, you are not doing this!" Hidan said, his face transforming into one of denial and anger.

"Pein, please reconsider this," Kakuzu growled, glaring at the Jashinist who looked like he was ready to rise out of his chair. It was no secret that the two of them had disliked each other from the moment they had met. Their personalities were as alike as day and night with one exception – they were violently short-tempered. Unfortunately this caused them to clash almost daily and Pein guessed that they were more dangerous to each other than the Chikara. But hopefully under orders from their leader, they would force themselves to tolerate each other.

"I don't want to be stuck with this fucking heathen-"

"Like I'd want to hang around you and your irritating preaching all day."

"Yeah? Well-"

"Enough!" Pein snapped, rubbing his temples. "There is no other option. You both live farther away than anybody else and that means that you will be partners."

He turned to Zetsu, who was a special case. Although he had double the personality, he didn't have double the strength. It wouldn't do for him to walk back by himself. And although Pein didn't want to admit it, he had another responsibility as well. Slowly, his eyes traveled to a lone figure that was sitting in the corner, most likely humming happily to himself.

"Zetsu, I'm assigning you to Tobi as you are aware that he is also targeted by a few of the members – mainly Connor, Teru and Takashi, I believe. Although he is not a part of our group I would prefer we not leave him vulnerable to attack," Pein said, nodding to the teen. He noticed Itachi shift in his seat at these words.

Zetsu nodded, content with Pein's choice. Although Tobi had not been allowed into the Akatsuki fold – he was in no way powerful like the other members and his blatant stupidity would bring their reputation crashing to the ground – they all accepted him as a friend, or at least someone they would protect from harm. The closest ones to him were Zetsu, Itachi and, on some level, Deidara. The others found him annoying to be around, but it was out of respect for those three that they prevented any bullying of Tobi.

"That is not a problem. As long as that annoying brat keeps his mouth shut."

Once the group had finished lunch, they began to leave. Pein had to remind them sharply to remain in pairs, which caused a bit of grumbling and choice swear words. Deidara and Sasori were also mildly unhappy about the arrangement. Although they got along relatively well, their discussions about 'art' often escalated in exasperating fights that ruined any possibility of a close friendship for them.

He was amazed that Kakuzu even made it out of the cafeteria without attempting to behead Hidan, who was ranting about how cheap Kakuzu was and how bad of a partner he would be.

Zetsu had known Pein long enough to sense that he was meant to stay back and speak to their leader privately. Konan moved a respectful distance away so that she wouldn't be able to hear their conversation. If Pein wanted her to know what was being said, he would tell her when he was ready.

Once they were all gone, Pein leaned over to Zetsu, casting his eyes in the direction of the Chikara. His eyes remained on Alec for a few seconds before moving to the rest of them. They seemed like normal school kids, easily influenced and dangerous if given too much power.

"I have a favor to ask you, which I hope will not be too much trouble," he murmured, keeping his voice low. "I need someone to keep an eye on the gang and to figure out who their leader is and gather some basic information about them without being seen. I haven't told the others but I have this feeling that these people might be more than the pathetic gangs who used to rise against us. The fact that they have kept themselves at a relatively low profile is worrying."

"You want me to spy on them?"

"You've always been good at that, and I need you for this."

Zetsu was silent, before nodding. Of course he would comply. There was no doubt in either of their minds that he would deny a request from his beloved leader. He had been the third to join the Akatsuki and had been close to Pein since they were children. He would have done anything to please his friend.

"Of course I will. Anything you want, Pein."

"You will have to inform Tobi of the change in plans and tell him to walk back with Sasori and Deidara for the next few days. It seems that Teru and Takashi have been taking a keen interest in him and I'd rather keep him from harm - for Itachi's sake. He would not be happy if anything were to happen to his cousin."

The conversation was over. He just up, giving Zetsu one more nod before moving away with Konan, who had waited patiently for him. She followed him without question or word and they disappeared at outside the cafeteria doors. A few people glanced at them as they left – Pein had a sort of presence that could not be ignored – then continued with their daily lives. People knew not to cross the Akatsuki. No matter who you were, you did not go against the Akatsuki if you wanted an easy life. It was a well-known fact and over the years people had either learned from stories or experience that all of the Akatsuki members were off-limits.

Zetsu moved towards the table in the corner of the cafeteria, where a single person was sitting and looking outside the window. Or at least, his mask was tilted towards the outside but it was hard to tell where he was looking considering his entire face was covered by a bright orange swirly mask. The boy turned slightly and when he caught sight of Zetsu, straightened in his chair and began waving frantically.

"Zetsu-san! Over here! Over here!" he cried, despite the fact that Zetsu was already heading towards his table.

"Hello, Tobi. How are you? Stop waving, you fool, you're embarrassing yourself," he said, sitting onto the chair next to the child-like boy.

Tobi was Itachi's cousin and at a young age, after his parents were deemed unfit to raise a child, let alone one with a mental handicap, he moved in with Itachi's parents and had since then been living under their roof. He had been held back several grades due to his inability to concentrate in class and work at an equal level with those his age. For the most part, he was a social outcast and often bullied because he was defenseless. Most people thought he was weird simply because of his mask, and after getting to know his personality they avoided him all the more due to his childish behavior.

Zetsu was quite fond of Tobi and walked home with him afterschool everyday, in an effort to make sure he wasn't bullied. He enjoyed his company, though it didn't take a long time for him to be exasperated by his annoying friend and wonder why he even tolerated his stupidity. But then he would feel bad and decide that maybe Tobi wasn't so bad after all.

Tobi's only other friends were Deidara and Itachi. The other Uchiha was his cousin and naturally he had learned how to tolerate his small quirks. Deidara, on the other hand, commanded a great deal of respect from Tobi and although he was often annoyed by the boy, he also showed that he was fond of him and willing to take care of him when he was being bullied.

"Hello, Zetsu-san! Did you and the others have a meeting? Was it an official Akatsuki meeting? What did you guys talk about?" Tobi questioned eagerly. One thing he had always loved was talking about the Akatsuki. He was eager to join them and although Zetsu had told him that there was no chance he would be allowed into the gang, he continued to persist in trying. He always expressed his interest in joining, but Zetsu told him that there was very little chance of that actually happening.

"We talked about Chikara. Why are you always so nosy?"

"Oooooh, is that the people with the blue bracelets? Some of them are very mean to me."

"Pein has ordered that we must be partnered with someone else as protection. We have to stay close during school and walk back home afterschool. Therefore I'm being partnered with you so nobody bothers you," Zetsu explained, already wearied with Tobi's erratic movements.

"Really? Does that mean I'm part of the Akatsuki?" At this he almost seemed to burst with happiness.

"No, it does not, you deluded moron. It simply means that Pein is concerned for your wellbeing. But I won't be able to walk back with you for the next few days so you'll have to walk back with Deidara and Sasori."

"Eh? Why not?"

"None of your business. Just find Deidara afterschool and walk back with him."

"Shouldn't I walk with Itachi-san? We live in the same house," Tobi asked, slightly confused. The members of the Akatsuki lived relatively close together aside from Pein, Konan, Kakuzu and Hidan. They lived on the other side of the town, which was what had resulted in the unfortunate pairing.

"Itachi has private tutoring and Kisame has swim training. You'd get bored waiting, so just walk with Deidara."

"Okay, Zetsu-san!"

- 0 -

- 0 -

- 0 -

"What do you have now, Danna, un?" Deidara asked, catching up to the redhead. They had just left the cafeteria together, keeping to the new 'partners' rule and already Sasori was growing tired of his friend. He would have preferred being partnered with someone more composed and serious like Kakuzu or Itachi, not a cocky, long haired bomb enthusiast with a twisted perspective on art.

"Psychology, with Mr. Morino."

"Another round of mental torture? That guy is a complete psycho, un."

Sasori wasn't inclined to disagree, having been in Ibiki Morino's class for a few years now. He had been subject to Mr. Morino's unique…teaching methods and although the man was brilliant, he also seemed to be bordering on psychotic. Sasori wouldn't be surprised if he mistook his students for mental patients.

"You have Math, don't you?"

"Yeah, with Hidan. He's going to be pissed about this new pairing system, especially because he's with Kakuzu, un. I'd be surprised if they were both alive by the end of the week," Deidara mused, only half-joking. They reached their lockers and he pulled out his Math books, tucking them under his arm. Unlike Sasori's locker, which was organized and bare of pictures, his was messy with papers and dozens of photographs stuck onto the door and small carvings on the metal. The pictures were mostly of him with Hidan or with his younger sister, Ino. There was one that was with the other members of the Akatsuki, but not many considering Deidara was a recent addition to their group. "What do you think of this partner thing? I bet you don't like it."

"It doesn't matter whether I like it or not. I don't wish to challenge Pein's authority on the subject. He always makes the right choices when it concerns the Akatsuki, so I never question him," Sasori said sternly. Then he paused, his lips twitching. "But yeah, I don't like it." His friend laughed at this admittance.

"You never challenge his authority? What did Pein do to deserve such loyalty, un?"

"None of your business, brat," Sasori snapped, scowling at the blond. "Don't stick your nose into things that don't concern you." The change in tension was immediate and they glared at each other, infuriated. Sasori didn't like people prying into his personal issues, let alone immature brats like Deidara.

The turned the corner in silence, any sign of friendliness now completely diminished. Sasori noticed that the blond's shoulders were tensed and his lips were set in a grim line. He had a feeling that the next few days were going to be awkward ones as he wouldn't be on the receiving end of Deidara's friendliness. Not that he cared – it simply made things more difficult for him.

The two of them had had very little contact since Deidara's initiation. They simply weren't the sort of people to naturally get along and their discussions usually ended in frustration and impatience. It was a bit like Kakuzu and Hidan, but with less shouting and a lot more bitter silence. The amount of death threats was about the same, though.

It never occurred to him that he should apologize for being short with Deidara; it was the blond's fault for prying into his personal matters. Before they split up, he stopped Deidara:

"I won't be able to walk back with you today, so you'll have to be alone with Tobi and Zetsu. I need to stay behind in the chemistry lab. I'll walk back with Itachi and Kisame," he said. Deidara didn't ask why this time. He simply shrugged and stormed off into class, leaving behind his partner.

Maybe this partnership system wasn't such a good idea after all, Sasori pondered. But Pein's orders had never led them astray, so he trusted them fully and decided that in the long run, he would see the benefits of this idea.