Chapter 6:

Jessica steps out onto the front porch with a few bottles of water. "Hey, you guys! Quit fighting for a second and come get some water! I don't want you dying from dehydration."

Said 'guys' pause to look up at the tall girl and walk across the property, onto the porch. Itachi takes a bottle and sits down on the bench. Kisame grabs two of the remaining three bottles and drains them in seconds.

Deidara scowls darkly. "You're only supposed to take one, yeah."

"Don't even start, Deidara. You know there's more, so keep your mouth shut." Chelsea throws a bottle at him from the doorway. She playfully bumps her hip against his as she passes and sits down on Itachi's left. She throws her arm around his shoulders, receiving a scowl from the Uchiha, and grins. "So, how's the training going so far?"

Kisame laughs sadistically. "Are you fucking kidding? I'm having a blast. It's been forever since I've fought anyone, seriously or not. I almost forgot how good it feels."

The brunette gives a thumbs up. "Cool. What about you, Itachi? How well do you think its going?"

The Uchiha's scowl softens slightly. "I believe that we will be well-prepared when the time comes to fight."

"That's good. I've thought about it and I think the Konoha-nin should come over every now and then to train with you. That way, you'll all be able to work together." Jessica announces.

"I don't see why we should work with them. We can defend ourselves without their help." Deidara argues.

"That may be so, in your world. In our world, seeing as there is no chakra whatsoever; you will need their help if anyone comes here that you have to fight." Chelsea points out.

"I agree with Shorty. We depend on our chakra so much that we forget to train ourselves physically, as well."

"Kisame, I swear if you call me that again, I will kill you in your sleep." Chelsea growls angrily. "I hate how people seem to enjoy pointing out my height. Especially, when they're about a foot taller than me."

"Wow, don't freak out so much, yeah. It's only a nickname, Shorty." Deidara laughs when the brunette's glare turns to him.

"I'll kill you, too, Deidara. Don't think I can't do it."

Jessica faces the blond. "I think you'd better stop. She's completely serious about it. She's killed someone before for calling her that." She finishes with a snort that gives away her hidden laughter. Everyone except Itachi laughs. Chelsea stands up and storms into the house, fuming. "You guys are all assholes!" She shouts before slamming her door.

"I think we really pissed her off this time. What do you think?" Kisame looks over at the Uchiha.

Itachi looks at him calmly, a hint of a glare showing on his smooth features. He stands up and walks into the house without a word.

"Wow. Do you think he's mad at us, too?" The large man frowns in confusion.

Jessica shrugs. "I guess so. Chels told me they had a sentimental talk one night, like a week ago. I guess they got real close or something.'

"Like friends, hmm?" Deidara scoffs. "I don't think he is even capable of caring for someone."

"You'd be surprised. His battle with Sasuke ended really sad. Apparently, Chels cried when he died."

"She cried? If we're characters, then why did she cry over him?"

Jessica rolls her eyes and sits down in one of the chairs. "We all have favorite characters. Take me for example. Deidara was my all-time favorite, until I started cosplaying as Sasori. My friends told me that I'm a lot more like him than Deidara, and after a while I grew attached. So now, they're equally my favorite."

"You like Danna that much, hmm?" Deidara frowns. "Why?"

"It doesn't matter why. I just do."

"So what about Shorty, then. Who's her favorite?"

"Itachi has always been her favorite character. That has never wavered even once, but she has phases where she likes one character a lot. Almost enough to become her number one, but not quite. At one point, it was you, Kisame and now you're her second favorite. Another time it was Kabuto, then Shikamaru, then Zetsu, and so on." Jessica finishes and takes a deep breath.

"Really? I'll have to bug them about that now, if he's always been her favorite."

"I wouldn't if I were you. She's very serious about stuff like that. Calling her Shorty is a minor thing, but screwing with her favorites and her reactions to things that happen to them…I would just stay away from that topic." Jessica warns, this time completely serious.

Deidara huffs. "I still don't see why you like Danna so much. There's nothing to like about him. All his views are backwards and he doesn't even listen to my views."

Jessica rolls her eyes. "There's actually a lot to like about him. My views are the same as his and I don't think there's anything backwards about them."

"So you believe all that crap about how 'art must be preserved'?" Deidara retorts, with air quotes.

"Yeah, I do. If you really like something that you've created, why get rid of it? I keep all of my art because I love it. Every piece that I've drawn is in my room somewhere. Either on the walls or in a drawer so that they'll be safe from harm."

"No way. Art is that fleeting moment of euphoria when something explodes. You have to admit that I was art when I died." The blond grins at the memory.

Jessica's frown disappears. "It was pretty amazing, but not completely art, no. The way your body changed, when the mouth on your chest ate the clay, was art. It was…beautiful, you could say. But the exploding part wasn't art at all. It was just a huge, destructive explosion. An impressive one, but an explosion still."

Deidara looks at the tall girl like she just grew a second (or fourth) head. "What? How could you not see the beauty of an explosion? THAT was the beautiful part of the whole thing, not how my body transformed!"

Jessica, about to retort, is interrupted by Kisame. "Will you two just shut up about the fucking art? It gets old really fast." He shakes his head with a sigh and walks into the house.

Deidara and Jessica stare at each other in disbelief before looking away with separate huffs and crossed arms.

"I think we should tell them the exact reason why I asked you all to start training. None of them are going to work with the Konoha-nin if they don't see a reason to." Chelsea looks up at Itachi.

Chelsea is sitting on her bed, writing something on paper. Itachi is leaning against the bedroom door, arms crossed. "I agree. They will need to know what they will be fighting against when Madara or Kabuto show up."

The brunette nods, thoughtfully. "We should tell them during dinner tonight, so they have the whole night to think it over. If they agree, I'll ask Chris to bring the others over tomorrow and we can work on strategies."

"That will be fine. What are you working on?" He walks the short distance to the bed and reads the paper.

"I'm working on training exercises. I think you should work four on four, first. Akatsuki versus Konoha, and then I'll group you guys so there's two of each group on each team. So, it'll be two of you and two Konoha against the other four. Make sense?" She looks up at him and smiles.

Itachi nods faintly. "I believe that will work fine. Pair would work best after that. One of us and one of them on each team.'

"Ok." Chelsea quickly jots down the idea and sets the papers on the bedside table. "You should get back outside and train a little more today."

Itachi calmly looks at her and his mouth curls up to form a small smile. He turns and opens the door. Chelsea stands and walks past him, with a smirk. The two of them walk outside and find only Tobi on the porch. "Where did the other two go?"

"They went back over there to train more. They told Tobi to stay here."

Chelsea smiles. "Ok, then. You and Itachi can train with each other this time. You can go ahead and head down there now." She pushes the boy down the steps and he runs to catch up to the Uchiha.

The brunette goes back inside and heads to Jessica's room. She knocks and opens the door without waiting for an answer. This had become a tradition for the two girls after knowing each other for almost five years.

"Whatcha doing?" She walks over to the bed and looks at the pad of paper in Jessica's hand. A picture was beginning to form. "Who're you drawing?"

Without pausing to look up, the tall girl replies. "I'm drawing our dysfunctional family. I thought it would be a good thing to do, since they might be gone any day. I want to remember this for a long time." She smiles softly as the shape of a human becomes more detailed. "Kisame is going to be the hardest because of his height and his hair. Oh, well. It'll still look good."

"Of course it'll look good. You're an amazing artist. I still think you should draw professionally and earn money for you pictures. I think you would do really well." Chelsea rests her head on her friend's shoulder.

Jessica looks at the short girl and smiles. "Tired?"

Chelsea nods. "Mhmm. It's stressful taking care of a household of men."

"Go get some sleep, then. Sam and I can take care of them for a little while and Gabriel can help whenever he comes over here." She shoves the girl off of her. "Go on. Go to bed."

Chelsea grumbles something unintelligible and stands up. She waves half-heartedly and walks out of the room and into her own. She crawls into her bed and is asleep within seconds.

"I'm home!" Jessica shouts as she walks into the kitchen. She holds up a few grocery bags. "I've got dinner! Come and get it!" She announces proudly.

Bodies swarm around the bags and grab their share of the chicken strips and soda. Once the crowd clears, Itachi shows up and takes some of the food. Oddly, he sits next to Chelsea on the couch, instead of going straight back to his room. Sam and Jessica are the only ones to notice this, because they're the only ones not stuffing their faces with food.

Once everyone is mostly done, Chelsea clears her throat loudly. "Listen up, guys! Itachi and I have something to tell you. We figured you should know, so you can think about it and let us know how you feel about the situation."

Kisame snorts into his soda. "Tell us what, exactly? Sounds to me like there's something going on, if you know what I mean."

The brunette glares at him. "Something is going on, but nothing like what you think it is."

"Madara or Kabuto will be coming here anytime." Itachi says, effectively keeping Kisame quiet as he processes the words.

Jessica frowns. "Are you sure? How do you know they'll be able to get here? We don't even know you guys got here."

"Actually, we do. Itachi and I have a theory." She looks at the Uchiha. "You can explain it to them."

Itachi nods and begins speaking. "In our world, we were on a mission to retrieve a forbidden jutsu. We were told that it is vital that we find it and bring it back, without touching it with our skin. When we reached the location, the four from Konoha were already there. The Kyuubi was stupid enough to touch the scroll containing the jutsu. There was a flash and when I woke up I was in the clearing where you found us."

"We believe that the scroll is still in your world, which means that Madara can still retrieve it and so can Kabuto. If either one of them gets ahold of it and shows up here, we're basically screwed. More so, if it's Kabuto. That's why I asked you guys to start training every day. It's so that you can effectively defend yourselves when they show up."

Deidara scowls. "Why do you think Madara wants to come here, hmm? What does he have to gain from this world?"

"Nothing. He has nothing to gain from this place, other than the blood-thirst from gaining more power. All he seems to enjoy is controlling everything he can and more. That's why we have to stop him when he gets here. I don't want him loose in another world." Chelsea states pointedly.

Kisame shows his trademark grin and stands. "Well, then. What're we sitting around for? Let's get to work."

Jessica laughs. "It's eight o'clock at night. I don't think now's the best time to bring anyone over here. I'll call Chris and let her know what's going on, and she can bring the others with her tomorrow."

The tall man groans and flops back onto the couch. "Fine. I don't see why we can't start now, though."

"Oh, well. You can deal. Tomorrow's gonna be a busy day, so you might as well get some rest for now." Chelsea glances at the (former) Akatsuki with a pointed look. "So, get to your rooms before I kick your asses."

Sam nods. "I agree with Chels. I, at least, need some sleep and you guys are sitting on my bed. So, shove off."

Deidara grumbles as he stands and heads to his and Jessica's room. "Whatever." He waves dismissively before closing the door behind himself.

Jessica chases after him, with a glare. "Hey! You can't go in there without asking me first. I don't care if you're living here." The door slams and Kisame cackles.

Chelsea walks into the kitchen and begins loading the dishwasher. "I don't care what's going on with them, as long as it doesn't affect me negatively. Now go, Kisame."

He stands again and groans. "Yeah, yeah. I'm going, Shorty. No need to repeat yourself."

She shakes her head. "He's definitely a unique guy, that's for sure."

Itachi comes into the kitchen and starts to clean the counters. "I believe everyone is unique, so I'd imagine it's a rather apparent thing."

The brunette frowns and turns to face the man behind her. She leans on the counter and hums thoughtfully. "I…" She shakes her head and turns back to the dishes, not before noticing a slightly amused expression on his face.

A moment later, a hand grabs her shoulder and turns her around again. Her frown deepens and slowly forms into a look of confusion at Itachi's expression.

She opens her mouth to speak, but quickly closes it when he grabs her by the hand and drags her out onto the porch. He releases her when they step outside and closes the door.

"What the hell was that? It's not like you to act on impulse." Chelsea asks, arms crossed in annoyance.

Itachi's expression of indifference changes as he studies the girl in front of him. He sits on the bench, leaving room for her. She hesitantly sits next to him and waits. A few minutes pass before he speaks. "What were you going to say before?"

Chelsea blinks at the sound of his voice and glances at him before ducking her head, hiding the blush forming on her face. "It's nothing that can't wait." She mumbles.

"That means nothing. I would like to know." He answers just as quietly. The softness of his voice causes her to look up at him.

She takes a deep breath and exhales slowly. "I was going to say that I'll miss you guys when you have to leave. It's going to be really empty here without our 'dysfunctional family', as Jess puts it." She gives him a small smile and shrugs. "I'll get over it quickly enough, though."

The brunette waits quietly and notices a barely there smirk on the Uchiha's smooth features. She jumps slightly when his hand covers hers in a friendly gesture. "When we have the chance to go back to that world, I'd like you to come with me. Friends are supposed to stick together, correct?"

Chelsea's smile disappears and a look of shock takes its place. "Holy…Uhm…Well, shit." She pauses to collect her thoughts and looks into his eyes, tears forming in her own. "You're completely serious, aren't you? That's a huge decision, Itachi. I'd have to think about it, but yeah. That would be really awesome. What about Jess and the others? What about everyone I know here? They would notice if I disappeared one day. I can't just pick up and leave. There's no way that…" She trails off and bites her lip, frustrated.

Itachi smiles and squeezes her hand softly. "There is no need for you to panic. I'm not asking you to leave today. Jessica and the others can come with us, if they want."

"Do you really care about us enough to ask us to come with you to a foreign world? Usually, you're the guy who won't even smile at someone, let alone admit to caring for them as a friend. What changed?"

"Truthfully, I don't know what changed. When we came here, I felt like something was missing. It wasn't chakra or anything I could think of. I believe this is what it was: friendship, connections on a personal level."

Chelsea smiles and stands, pulling him with her. "We've gotta talk to Jess about this. It'll help me decide easier."

She easily drags him inside, but is jarred to a stop when he pauses in the hall. She turns around with a scowl. "C'mon. We don't have all day, you know."

"I think we should wait."

"Wait for what?" She asks testily.

Itachi raises a brow in amusement. "Wait to talk to anyone for at least a month. You must agree that it'd be rushing into things to tell her now, am I right?"

Chelsea releases his hand and huffs. She watches him for a moment. "Unfortunately, I do agree with you, even though I don't like keeping something like that a secret. I'll wait until you decide I can tell her. Happy?"

He nods and smiles slightly. "Yes, I am happy."

She nods stiffly and turns to go to her room. "I'm going to bed, then." She waves at him.

The Uchiha coughs quietly and she turns to face him, glaring now. "What? Can't you see I'm tired?" She huffs.

"We still need to finish the kitchen, first."

A low growl escapes the short girl's throat as she stalks into the kitchen. She empties the dishwasher, angrily. At one point, she spins around too quickly and nearly falls. Itachi catches her with a small laugh. "Watch it, Shorty. You're going to get yourself hurt." The way he used the name wasn't in a teasing manner, but friendly and calm.

The brunette frowns and looks up at him. With the close proximity they're in, she has to crane her neck to look up at the man in front of her.

"You're acting really weird today, Itachi. What's up?" She asks as she pulls out of his grip.

He looks down at her with a blank expression before walking past her and into his room, closing the door quietly. Chelsea sighs and turns back to the still unfinished kitchen. Someone's gotta do it.

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