A/N: This story update is long overdue. I'm aiming to give it another 2-3 chapters before ending it. I hope that the people that read and reviewed will be satisfied with how I end it. I don't have a clear ending in mind but it's been years. It went from a humor/crackfic to an angsty love story. There will still be humor, but there will be more character development and less random occurrences. I went back through the reviews to find the people that wanted to pair with the Akatsuki and gave me enough information to put them in the story. Since it would take extra time to re-do the last two chapters, I will simply continue this story as if it was always written this way. Please consider it a continuation/sequel with some new characters but along the same plot. I don't want to delay this any longer. Then once it is completed I will go back and rework chapters if new readers are confused by the difference in character descriptions.

New pairings: ItachixMia Spin the Bottle (formerly Taki; Mia has brown eyes and dark caramel skin, age 18), ItachixMiki for the 7 minutes in heaven game (light brown hair with blonde streaks and blueish coloured eyes. Always wears jeans, age 18)

DeidaraxJemma for Spin the Bottle and 7 minutes in Heaven (formerly Natalie; blonde hair and blue eyes, age 17)

KisamexAkane for Spin the Bottle and 7 minutes in Heaven (formerly named Hayley; long blue hair with bright silver ends. Very dark brown eyes, pinkish white skin. Usual outfit: a knee-length black skirt, a flowing shiny purple shirt and purple sandals)

SasorixPuppet Spin the Bottle and 7 minutes in Heaven (real name Yumi, nickname is Puppet; pinkish red hair, green eyes, short)

HidanxSarah (only change is age, now 17)

KakuzuxDara (only change is age, now 17)

Mariko will not be paired with Pein, she's really only there just for drama. I also bumped up her age to 17.

Needless to say that after all the chaos the previous night, there was hell to pay. The Akatsuki members were confined to their respective cabins and the girls they had started budding romances with were sent back to their own camp. Kisame moped and Itachi read quietly in his corner, trying to ignore his partner's blubbering. Sasori entertained himself by finding wood and tools to carve new puppets as gifts for his crush. Hidan and Kakuzu both stubbornly muttered to themselves in their own corners. Konan had wandered off to god knows where and hadn't been seen since last night, much to Pein's annoyance, but at least he didn't have to face anyone and their feelings. Tobi was back to his usual self, pissing off Deidara with his endless questions and childlike nature, and of course Deidara was remorseful over how things had gone with Rika, but was happy that he now had an official girlfriend. Zetsu was just grateful that he didn't have to deal with the demons known as 'children' now that he was stuck in his room all day.

The day had gone by relatively uneventful, with Mr. Lindman, the head counselor checking in on everyone occasionally. Even Jeffrey had left well enough alone and could practically feel the animosity coming from the cabin that housed the blonde Akatsuki member and the one with the orange swirled mask. Rika had been too embarrassed by last night's events to face Deidara, so she too stayed away.

At Camp Butterfly, a.k.a the "Fangirl Alliance Camp", the girls were gossiping and giggling over last night, confessing what they felt for their dance partners. Mariko and Mia were brooding in the main cabin, not in the mood to join the other girly girls in their talk about "feelings" and "boys". Mariko was in denial and bitter but Mia was just apathetic as usual. Itachi had interested her and was as impressed by his fighting skills as he was with hers, but that didn't mean she wanted romance; she simply recognized a worthy opponent when she encountered one.

Their counselor, Mrs. Finch, rounded up the girls for supper and announced a surprise. "Mr. Lindman contacted me and said that as long as you girls behave, we are welcome back to the boys' camp tonight for a bonfire. I expect you all to be on your best behavior and if I hear about any trouble, you will be confined to your cabins for the rest of the summer. No exceptions. Clear?"

They all nodded in agreement, even the ones that weren't so excited about going back. There was one new girl at camp, Miki, who had been introduced earlier. She was pretty quiet and didn't interact much with the rest of the group, but she perked up when she heard that there would be a bonfire at a nearby camp. As the girls got ready for another fun evening, they thought up games they could play with the guys. Surprisingly, Miki suggested that they play 7 minutes in Heaven. They all turned and stared at her in shock, not expecting the quiet new girl to come up with an idea like that but eventually they all warmed up to it. They just hoped the boys would play along. Mrs. Finch had warned not to cause 'trouble', but the girls had no intention of doing so; a little naughty fun never hurt anyone.

An hour later, they were all at Camp Birdwell, waiting anxiously in the mess hall. Mr. Lindman had met them at the gate and told them to wait there and he would inform everyone of their arrival. It was around 8 p.m. and the sky was already pretty dark, a sprinkling of stars and the half moon the only sources of light. The Akatsuki members entered the mess hall one by one save for Zetsu, Konan who was still M.I.A and Tobi. Kisame waved shyly at Akane and she waved back, a pretty blush staining her cheeks. Jemma winked at Deidara but this time instead of getting flustered, he winked right back. Without Rika around, his feelings had been made pretty clear. Although he'd initially been attracted to the camp counselor, there wasn't much to that. She was nice and all but there wasn't the same spark and fire he'd felt when he'd kissed Jemma the other night which is exactly why he'd asked her to be his girlfriend. Sarah and Dara were both feeling bolder than the previous night and blew kisses at Hidan and Kakuzu which both men promptly caught and blew back. Pein almost gagged at all the sickening displays of affection. Mariko stubbornly bore holes into his head until he stared back at her. She was still angry about yesterday and although he felt the tiniest twinge of sympathy for the young girl whose feelings he couldn't reciprocate, her attitude made that sympathy disappear. He promptly flipped her the bird and exited the mess hall. She spluttered, shocked that he would dare insult her in such a way without so much as a word or backward glance. No way in hell would she stand, well sit for such treatment so she promptly followed after him, intent on giving him a piece of her mind.

Miki sat there awkwardly, aware that there were clear couples in the room and she was the odd woman out. Her eyes landed on the dark-haired man with mysterious red eyes and was captivated by how handsome he was. She knew she couldn't compare to Mia in the looks department but she couldn't help but hope that he would notice her too and gaze at her the same way he did to the other girl. It was just her luck that on her first day of camp, it would have something to do with romance and she would yet again end up alone. She'd begged her parents to let her come to Camp Butterfly. She just wanted to get away from schoolwork, tests, college prep and her boring life. She wanted excitement and to make friends. Well certainly she'd get it here, but it would be from the outside looking in. She was tempted to go back to camp and play cards with Mrs. Finch but didn't want her nervousness and discomfort to be so apparent so she stayed right where she was.

After getting reacquainted and lots of flirting, everyone moved from the mess hall to the cabin where Spin the Bottle had taken place. Conveniently there was a closet in the room and the other girls winked at Miki who flushed in embarrassment. They didn't have to make it so obvious. She didn't want the men to know that she was responsible for the game idea, in case they didn't like it and they couldn't blame her. Mia, who was one of the oldest girls, stood up and clapped her hands. "Alright everybody, before the bonfire we thought it'd be fun to play a little game called 7 minutes in heaven. If you've never played before I can explain how it goes. Each of us will draw straws to determine who goes first and who goes with whom. The object of the game is to spend 7 minutes in the closet, 'heaven', with whoever you draw a similar length straw. Whoever lasts the full 7 minutes wins."

The Akatsuki members were glad they were no longer wearing their cloaks and were dressed in regular clothing because suddenly the room became unbearably warm. She had a feral, almost predatory grin on her face that frightened damn near everyone in the room except Itachi. She procured a bag of straws out of her drawstring backpack and went around the room, allowing each person to grab one straw. "The straws have been pre-cut to various sizes. When I say go, everyone hold out your straws. We'll go by shortest length first up to the longest."

The room was quiet except for the sound of breathing. Everyone stood in a circle and dutifully held out their straws. Itachi was at first appalled to find out that he had the shortest straw until he saw that Mia's straw was also short. He was about to let out a whoop of joy until he saw the glint in her cat-like eyes. "I'm not playing, Itachi-kun. Someone has to be the judge and time everybody. Miki's straw is also short, you will go with her."

She just smirked in amusement as Miki sputtered, face flaming red and ignored Itachi's protests as she practically shoved them both into the closet and shut the door. Inspecting her watch, she set the timer to go off in exactly 7 minutes. 'This'll be fun. I wonder if shy little Miki will take the chance I've given her.'

The people in the room that had never played the game before weren't exactly sure what was supposed to happen, but eventually they caught on to the fact that the reason the closet would be considered heaven is the possibility of what could happen in 7 minutes alone with the object of your affections. However everyone assumed that nothing would happen with Itachi and Miki because they had just met an hour ago and hadn't even been properly introduced.

"I'm not kissing you."

Neither of them had spoken in the past two minutes but Itachi was the first to break the silence. Miki was sitting against the wall, curled in on herself as much as possible next to a file cabinet, surrounded by various sports and fishing gear and a bag filled with football, soccer and basketballs.

"I wasn't expecting you to," she replied quietly, face still burning in humiliation.

She just hoped the 7 minutes would pass by quickly so she could get out of the closet and hightail it out of camp. She didn't know what she had done to deserve such a cruel situation but she decided that she hated Mia and somehow, someway she would pay her back.

"I mean, why would I. Mia is smoking hot, a great fighter, and what are you? A shy little girl. No comparison."

She bit her lip, determined not to respond and just let him continue to insult her, but it didn't seem like he was ever going to stop. All those years of being bullied and ignored came roaring to the surface and she stood up quickly, so quickly she almost lost her balance but caught herself. She stomped over to him, turquoise eyes filled with rage and sadness, fists balled up at her sides.

"Well who the fuck do you think you are? I know that I'm not the prettiest girl, but I didn't ask to be in here with you. Obviously this is your girlfriend's idea of a joke. I get it, haha, you've had your laugh. People like you just think you're so perfect, that everyone is supposed to bow and scrape before you and that they don't matter. I know what I am, I don't pretend to be anything more than that. I don't need some freakishly hot jerk reminding me of something I'm completely aware of. We only have 3 minutes left so I would like to spend that time not hearing your voice."

Her rant had taken the wind out of her sails, and she deflated, returning to her corner and wrapping her arms around her knees, head sinking down in defeat. 'Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry.'

Surprise didn't even begin to cover it. No one had the audacity to speak to Itachi that way. Why hadn't he stopped her, or put her in a chokehold, or better yet simply killed her and walked away? He'd listened to her tirade, shocked into silence and remained that way for a good minute. For the first time in a while, for whatever reason, he actually felt...bad. The man who'd murdered his own parents actually felt badly for hurting someone's feelings. He tried to ignore it but it was pretty useless. He could just let the time run out and walk out without another word. He didn't have to care about the weak young girl sniffling in the corner, shoulders trembling. He was an assassin. Assassins didn't care about anyone.

So why was he walking over to her, bending down and pulling her into his chest? She fought him briefly, and he let her struggle before she slumped down into his arms, too exhausted emotionally to try and get away from him. Gently he tucked a few wayward strands of brown hair behind her ears and brushed away any tears that had managed to escape. Now up close to her, even in a dark closet, he noticed how brilliantly beautiful her eyes were. Her skin was pretty flawless and she wasn't as plain as he'd first thought. He was overcome with an emotion he wasn't interested in analyzing at the moment as his lips descended upon hers. He swallowed her gasp and nearly dragged her into his lap. He must've scared her, hell he was scaring himself, as she scrambled away. He was certain she would flee the too-small closet then, but shocking him yet again, she shyly returned, eyes imploring him to explain what the hell had just happened but he couldn't even if he tried. When her lips touched his, everything went way too fast. Before he knew it, she was on top of him, his arms were around her waist, fingers inching their way up the back of her shirt, feeling her warm bare skin underneath. Their lips were locked in a frenzied kiss and she moaned as his tongue ravaged her mouth. Time didn't exist, and a few minutes later the dark little world they'd been isolated in was suddenly bathed in light. They didn't pull apart until someone coughed.

Miki flew away from Itachi, face burning in shame. That had been her first real kiss, and it'd turned into a hot makeout session in a matter of minutes. She wondered how Itachi would react, and he was just as flustered as her. Mia just smugly smiled at the both of them as they scampered out of the closet and whistled wolfishly. "14 minutes. That's gotta be a record. Pretty tough to beat. Alright who's next."

She barely spared a glance at them as they slipped away out of the cabin, probably to discuss what had happened. Although the other Akatsuki members were confused as hell at what had transpired, their excitement over their turns in the closet overrode the curiosity. Straws were presented again and Hidan and Sarah were next. Everyone groaned, still disturbed by yesterday's events. The two lovebirds happily went into the closet and came out, clothes rumpled, holding hands as they exited. Each couple took their turn in the closet, each coming out with smiles on their faces, however no one had even come close to the record set by Itachi and Miki. Mia felt no jealousy over what happened. He was a great opponent and she'd love to keep sparring with him, but she had no interest in romance; it didn't fit in with her life.

Once the game was finished, they all made their way to the campfire that had been set up. They brought blankets, marshmallows, chocolate bars, graham crackers and metal skewers to roast the marshmallows. Each couple huddled close together for warmth, laughing and getting to know each other better. Darker thoughts were not a problem in this circle of warmth and fire light; the men just let their feelings develop as they may. Until they found a way back home, there was no reason they couldn't enjoy this time and not think about anything else. No one wondered where their leader was or the other missing members of the group, and they honestly couldn't be bothered to give a damn. They all felt a sense of freedom. Mia brought out her guitar and began to play a bittersweet melody, opening her mouth and singing in a voice softer than what people would expect out of her.

If you wanna cry, I'll be your shoulder

If you wanna laugh, I'll be your smile

If you wanna fly, I will be your sky

Anything you need, that's what I'll be

You can come to me

Ending note: This came out better than I expected. I'm still a little rusty and it's always awkward coming back to a story after so long. If you were one of the people who wanted to be in the story, sorry I only described Miki and Itachi's closet scene, I felt it was only fair since everyone else got full descriptions of the other game in previous chapters, it was just different names. Anywho reviews are always appreciated. I don't expect this story to get any more traffic. I'll honestly be happy when it's done but it was my baby, the project that I was determined to finish no matter how long it took. Only 2 or 3 more chapters left depending on how far I want to develop these budding romances and how I want it to end and how much I write, which is a lot lol. The lyrics at the end are from the song "You Can Come to Me" from the Disney channel show Austin and Ally sung by Laura Marano and Ross Lynch, credit to them.