As time went on, people at Konoha High slowly began figuring out who was in the Akatsuki. Nothing was said aloud, and none of the members went up to people and told them who was and wasn't in it (that could have led to being ratted out), but there were other ways it became apparent.

Like how the kid who laughed at Kakuzu's stitches woke up at three in the morning with Jashinists pounding on his door, trying to convert his whole family.

Or how the guy who called Itachi a girl was "accidentally" bumped into by Kisame, making him topple down a flight of stairs.

Or how the girl who poked fun at Sasori's puppets opened her locker at school the next day and had a paint bomb explode all over her. You know, stuff like that.

Not even the teacher's were safe. One of them made the mistake of trying to take away Tobi's mask in the middle of class. Zetsu caught wind of this and dragged the woman into the janitor's closet to have a little "chat" with her. Ten minutes later the woman bolted from the room, grabbed her things and resigned her teaching position. She hasn't been seen since.

Pein should have been overjoyed. It was now spring break, and his organization had a stranglehold on the entire high school. For the first time in months, he was free to just sit back, relax, and watch the fireworks. So why was he sitting in his room, moping?

"Hey honey," Konan said, walking into the room. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," he muttered, slamming his head against his desk. "I honestly don't know. The house is quiet, nothing's on fire, Zetsu's meals are behaving themselves, and Itachi's not in his emo corner. Not to mention that FINALLY, I have gotten the evil organization I always wanted to build! So what's wrong with me?"

"I have an idea," Konan said as she walked over to her boyfriend, rubbing his shoulders and smiling when she stopped behind him.

"I'm listening," he said, not lifting his head.

"I'm thinking that you're mad at yourself, because you've let these people become more than just peons to you," the female said, smile growing as she spoke.

"Is that so wrong?" Konan started; she hadn't expected Pein to agree with her. "Konan, I wanted an evil organization," he said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "Yet somehow…I think I've managed to end up with a family."

BANG

"Tobi knew Pein liked us!" The boy cried, leaping across the room to glomp the leader.

"You really do like us, un!" Deidara cried, joining Tobi in hugging the leader.

"What the-GET OFF ME! Didn't anyone ever teach you not to eavesdrop?!" Pein snapped at the younger teens.

"No, un."

"Besides, everyone else is outside the door too," Tobi pointed out. Pein looked up from the floor to see the entire Akatsuki poking their heads through the door.

"I can't believe that our leader considers us family," Kakuzu said, shaking his head.

"It's sweet, in a creepy way," Sasori added.

"Do you people have nothing better to do than spy on me?!" Pein cried.

"Is that a rhetorical question?" Itachi asked.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM

"What was that?" Pein asked.

"AHHH! My explosives are overheating, un!" Deidara cried, rushing from the room. "Danna, help me, or this place will go off like a Roman candle, un!"

"WHAT?!"

"I guess we'd better help," Kakuzu said, grabbing Hidan and pulling him down the hall.

"Jashin dammit."

"I'm hungry," Itachi stated. "Kisame, come on. We're going to the grocery store."

"But what about the bombs?"

"Hn," Itachi said, walking down the hall.

"Mind translating?" Pein asked Kisame.

"If the house is standing when we get back, the people will be hungry. If not, there's no point in being homeless on an empty stomach."

"…How do you…?"

"I don't know, and I find it best not to question it," Kisame said, shrugging and following his boyfriend down the hall.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM

"ACK!"

"Deidara, I'm going to kill you!"

"Sorry Sasori danna!"

"The Jashin-damned stairs are on fire!"

"The repairs are going to be expensive for this-ARE THOSE SQUIRRELS?!"

"My lunch!"

"Where the hell are my Jashin-damned mallets?!"

"Pein…" Konan began, praying her boyfriend wouldn't explode.

The Akatsuki leader merely rose from the floor and walked over to his desk, pulling out a bottle of Advil and popping several pills into his mouth, dry-swallowing them. "You know, I think I'm getting used to this," Pein said, putting up his pill bottle as another explosion went off. "They really aren't so bad, you know?"

"Well, they are family," Konan admitted. "I just wish they could go 24 hours without blowing up the house."

"You're asking for a miracle," Pein said, crawling into his bed. "Wake me up when the mayhem's over, ok?"

"You're just going to sleep?!"

"Yup."

"Well thanks for taking charge, Sir Leader!"

"You're welcome."

WHAM

"Ouch," Pein muttered, rubbing his head as Konan marched out of the room. A few moments later, the sound of her screaming was added to the commotion coming from down the stairs. "Be it ever so hectic," he muttered, shutting his eyes. "There's no place like home."