Title: Alternating Affinity

Summary: A short story of the lives of teenage Akatsuki members. AU, Slight Yaoi, KakuHida in later chapters. Soft SasoDei, if you tilt your head, squint, and have an active imagination.

A/N: This short story was created through request of a friend of mine. I owe her big time since I had made her a Hidan Slideshow, but the internet wouldn't take it. And I was retarded and didn't realize that I could just send it to her VIA Instant Message. That and I still have a few other things to finish for her that I kind of forgot about in the move into my parent's house, like her second chapter to the one-shot she requested on my Quizilla account…

P.S.: The title of this chapter is a song title after a song by MxPx. Also, Hidan's last name that I'm using for this story, Terasoma, isn't Hidan's actual name in the anime, but the formal name of Hidan's Seiyu, Masaki Terasoma. I am using it because Hidan doesn't have a formal name as far as we know, and in Japan, it is both respectful and customary for the teacher to call their student by their formal name. At least, that's what a Google site told me.

Disclaimer: All characters within belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Nothing herein belongs to me, personally, other than the idea for the storyline. If I did own Naruto, it would be centered completely on the Sand Siblings; and would have a lot more Kankurou. Mmm, Kankurou…

Chapter One: First Day of the Rest of your Life

The cavernous halls echoed with every movement, the soft sounds of fabric against fabric pressed tightly against the teen's ears. The youth could hear every movement, every step his hard leather boots took as he moved down the darkened halls, every scurry of small steps of the rodents that infested this building through lack of proper use.

The teen's hair, normally slicked tightly against his scalp, spiked out uncontrollably, like moonlight shining from such a pale entity. His normally bright, salmon colored eyes fell dull and drooped through lack of sleep. It had been so long since Leader Sama felt the need to call a meeting this late into the night, and though the boy had visited this building hundreds of times before, the falling of night has changed the appearance to that of a more cynical design. Shadows brought through darkness of the night, as if in a life of their own, danced upon the ceiling and walls, reaching out with dark, clawed hands in attempt to claim the exhausted boy that dare to intrude upon their forbidden territory.

The boy scowls, threatening through tired eyes the shadows that crept after him, nipping at his heels as he stumbled through the darkness towards a lighted path that served as beacon to his blinded path. He would have loved to be able to turn on heel and leave. Be able to stride from this place that seemed, no matter what Konan did to prevent it, to smell of mold and death. But as deeply as the silver haired boy wished to leave, go home, and crawl into the cool slips of sheet and comforter piled upon his bed, he knew that doing so would provide dire consequences against him.

The time when Leader Sama called upon the entire group under his command was few and far between, but when he found need to do so, in any situation, it was unwritten law to come as commanded. In nearly all situations, the only reason the Akatsuki visited this building was to spend time with one another and speak of useless, unrealistic things. But the only time they ever were to even mention a certain room located beyond the boiler room, was in the case that they were summoned before the Akatsuki Leader, Pein.

The ending of the walkway came quick as Hidan pressed through the opening, light temporarily blinding the teen before shielding himself against the harmful rays.

"Sup, Hidan?" A familiar, soft-spoken voice sounds from somewhere to his right.

Rubbing the burn that the light had left upon his sensitive retina, Hidan murmurs a soft recognition of hello. "Why the fuck are we here so late, damn it?" Hidan drawls, his eyes finally adjusting to the light enough to notice that only three others have arrived other than himself. Turning, Hidan draws to notice that Deidara hadn't bothered to dress for the occasion, still garbed in his nightly clothing, on the exception of a pair of overly used jeans Deidara seemed far too attached to.

"Who knows? All I know right now is that Sasori no Danna called me about thirty minutes ago telling me to 'get my ass over to the factory, now.' If I knew everyone else was going to take their sweet ass time getting here, I'd have taken the time to get dressed, hmm." Deidara answers, running his fingers through his hair; a hint of aggravation Hidan believed was brought on by the fact that Deidara didn't have the time to brush his hair before he left.

"It doesn't really matter why we're here, Hidan. All that matters is that everyone gets here. You were summoned for a reason." Konan replies, darkened hair overshadowing cerulean eyes. Out of every member of the Akatsuki, Konan was the only female member.

"Summoned; you say it like we're the fucking Justice League, or something." Kisame huffs, his already beading eyes squinting from his place in the shadowed corner. A bulking teen, Kisame was fearsome in appearance alone, and matched with his blood-thirsty personality made him frightening to all who didn't know him. When you looked the cynical youth head-on, he could resemble that of a shark to most people.

"Who knows, hmm? Leader-Sama could be secretly putting radioactive juice into our snacks, and he's either trying to give us all super powers, or cancer, yeah." Deidara remarks sarcastically, once again pushing the boundaries of himself and the rest of the members.

Deidara, unyielding to what he believes and wants, had joined the Akatsuki three months prior to date, and has yet to break under the considerable strain the rest of the members place on him. Hidan could admit this much of the persistent blonde; he had more balls than most of the other men that have crossed the path of the Akatsuki.

"Totally, man. In fact, I think I'm beginning to get super human strength and grow an extra head." A voice masked beneath emotionless tones cascades from the doorway, drawing our attention towards a man in his early twenties, bittersweet locks of ruby colored hair falling forward to mask dulled bloodshot eyes.

"Aren't we cheerful this fine evening, Sasori no Danna, hmm?" Deidara greets, sending the disgruntled man before him a charming smile.

"Fuck off, Deidara. You know I don't like to be bothered while I'm sleeping." Sasori responds, the emotionless mask he normally wore breaking momentarily to show the severity of annoyance at having been woken at such an early hour.

"Seriously, fuck. Why the hell couldn't this wait until morning, Konan?" Hidan barks, his fierce expression dampened against the darkened circles that have formed beneath rose colored orbs.

"He didn't say. All he said was to get everyone here." Konan responds offhanded, oceanic orbs delicately framed beneath cerulean locks, streaks of dark mascara and liner masking her eyes, portraying a wild, mystique appearance against her pale complexion. Her body was hidden behind many layers of ebony clothing, her appearance that of a consort of shadows. Out of every member of Akatsuki present at moment, she was the only one who appeared to have dressed for the occasion.

Silence encompasses the building, engulfed through shadows brought forth from cover of night. Hidan settled against the wall, eyes hardened as sleep threatened to overtake him as slowly the other members began to arrive.

Within the next hour, nearly everyone arrived and crowded within the large, decapitated room on the exception of the man that forced all members abruptly from their homes and summoned them to this worn, broken down building. A small chatter rose from the members as they tried to awaken themselves through idle conversation, though it was apparent that this was neither effective nor required as the cover of night engulfed them all in its lurid embrace.

A growl emits from the corner of the room, only two members having had taken refuge in the shadows the area had provided them. "When the fuck is Leader-Sama getting here? What was the point of forcing us all here early if the bastard was going to be taking his sweet as time?" Kisame growls, his expression livid, his fierce features intensifying beneath his fury.

"Calm down, Kisame." Itachi, his voice cool yet merciless, reasons with his partner, once again the only stable ground that could possibly calm the larger male.

"He's got a fucking point. What the fuck's he thinking waking us up at two in the morning and forcing us to get our asses over here only to keep us the fuck waiting? If I knew he was going to pull this shit, I would have slept in. Screw the fucker; I have a fucking job I have to wake up to tomorrow." Hidan shouts, his voice rough, cracking through the veil of sleep.

"Yo, Konan! You sure the ass isn't just fucking around with us, hmm?" Deidara directs towards Konan, his eyes threateningly low, as if sleep were prepared to claim him where he stood, having earlier been removed from his chair by Sasori who was in no mood to stand nor sit on the floor.

"No. And even if he was, do you honestly think I would be here?" Konan replies, her eyes sharp as they bore against Deidara's fatigued expression.

"Guess you've got me there." Deidara replies, his eyes darting to the floor beneath his feet, as if debating whether or not passing out on the floor was a good idea or not. Apparently deciding that whether the floor was covered in dust or grime, he was tired, Deidara collapses to the floor, leaning gently upon the knees of his Danna. "I'm dog ass tired…" Deidara finally murmurs, the only visible eye slipping close, his body finally relaxing as it accepts its inevitable fate as exhaustion takes over, and Hidan knew Deidara fell asleep at Sasori's heels.

"Well, it's interesting to see that you all appeared on time." An emotionless, foreboding voice echoed from the entryway, the entity somehow void of all humanistic stature. Overshadowed in darkness, argent, lustrous eyes peer from the corridor beyond the opening, gazing upon its servants, a satisfied air emitted from its presence. "I suppose you all are wondering why I have decided to call upon you at such an early hour." Leader-Sama spoke, his voice drawn and wrought with wisdom that only millennia of age could bestow upon you, which brought to question whether Pein was really only nineteen years of age.

"Fuck yes, we are!" Hidan shouts, no longer bothering with pleasantries or respect that, given any other circumstance, would have been given towards their faithful leader. Fatigue had stripped the young Jashin of any respect he may have felt towards their leader.

"Ah, touchy, I see. I suppose you all are eager to return to your homes to salvage what sleep you can of the night." A hush of silent agreement befalls everyone within the room. "Fine, then I'll make this meeting short. In exactly one week prior to date, there shall be a new arrival to your school. This new student is to be watched and cared for. You will make this person your friend; you will make him your brother. And whatever it takes," Leader-Sama pauses, his voice low, wrought with frightful malcontent. "You will make him want to join Akatsuki."

A hush, an unbreakable silence presses down upon everyone in the room, the situation obviously much deeper than at first glance.

"Who is this kid?" Sasori asks, shaking the exhaustion from his body as he pushes Deidara forward, causing the dormant blonde to the dust covered floors. Deidara made no movement or sign that Sasori had done anything of that nature, thus proving just how asleep he was.

"All details shall be revealed in time. What is important at the moment is that you prepare for his arrival. Do what it takes to make him like you all and I want no harm to befall him. Is this clear?" Leader-Sama drawls, his voice low, his eyes slit in the darkness.

"Hai, Leader-Sama." All members respond in unison, fatigue driven from them as soon as this mission had been bestowed upon them.

"Good. Then see that it is done." Glittering sterling eyes meld within the darkness as Leader-Sama turns, thus leaving his subordinates alone to digest his words. "Ah, yes, one more thing." A single shimmering eyes peers from the darkness, setting all members to alert once more. "If I find out that Orochimaru so much as goes near him, you all will receive heavy consequences. Do I make myself clear, gentlemen?"

"Hai, Leader-Sama." All respond, understanding that failure was not an option.

With this notion understood, Pein disappears into the darkness, a certain blue haired figure trailing behind him shortly after his departure.

The rest depart from the building silently, hushed parting words their only form of contact as the members parted to return home to salvage what little sleep they could before the burden's of morning came at hand.

The chilled night air washes over Hidan, silver hair motioning carelessly with the passing wind. Kakuzu, Hidan's assigned partner for individual missions assigned to a small amount of members of Akatsuki walk together in silence, their homes only a block away from one another's.

"The kid must be something special if Leader wants him. Wonder what's so great about him." The gruff, darker tones of the Jashin's partner states as the two walk in unison towards their homes.

"Probably nothing special. Most likely it's just going to be some rich bastard that has contacts that Leader wants." Hidan presumes, moving to clasp his hands loosely at the nape of his neck.

"Most likely. Either way, we may need to treat this mission gently. The way Leader sounded, failure isn't something we want the outcome to be." Kakuzu replies, his eyes locked on the path ahead.

Silence presses down upon them, any thoughts of the mission put off until the following week, when their target would be placed within their school and the mission would begin.