Deidara was casually sitting on his couch, the one he allowed no one to sit on. A deep red with black cushions. He liked having a designated spot. It had been a very long time since he'd given a lesson, but today was a good day. He needed to show what happened when people failed him. Remaining seated he called out to the Akatsuki. "Akatsuki, gather in the Main Room." He was especially looking for Xantrex. He would be the star of the show. And he wanted to set an example for Xantrex's new student.

Deita was laying on his bed, reading a book he'd found on jutsu, when Deidara called the Akatsuki into the main room. Looking up from his book, Deita checked the page number before closing it and walking out of his room and into the main room. He looked at his teacher curiously. "What's going on? Did something happen?" Deita had no clue that he was about to get his first glimpse of what the Akatsuki could really be like.

Krissy wondered what was going on. She didn't want to go back to Deidara saying that she'd completed her mission just yet. After all, she'd barely even scratched the surface. When it came to jobs like this, Krissy wasn't one to half-ass it. After all, she'd only had a talk with Kazuma. That was nothing compared to what she was normally like. A simple talk wasn't enough to ensure that he'd be here to stay. Krissy made her way into the Main Room as Deidara called, glancing at the child that was talking to Deidara. She sat on one of the other couches and waited for Deidara to answer Deita. Krissy glanced at the kid. She still wasn't sure what she thought of him.

Jaymaru was in the kitchen sitting on a stool with a glass of what looked like orange juice. She turned her head when Deidara called for everyone to gather in the main room. What was going on? She watched as Deita came in, followed by Krissy. She didn't want to move, so she stayed on the stool, but turned around completely. She didn't recall Deidara calling meetings, so something was up. She was kind of curious, but curiosity killed the cat. And when one was speaking of Deidara, there was no need to be curious, because you were more than likely going to be the target. It was unnerving.

Bat was outside the door, getting himself from much need fresh air when he heard Deidara. A grin spread across the demon's face. He wanted to sit by Halo, so he got up and went inside. "Deita," he greeted with that same grin. Bat remembered very well how Deita had stood up to him a few days back. He'd wanted to cut him up into a million little pieces and ship him halfway across the world, but he wasn't dumb enough to cross Deidara. Sitting on the couch he nodded to Krissy and looked around for his 'friend'.

_______________________________________________________

Zeo was thinking of Nilan and Kole. Nilan had been his brother's keeper, and now Kole was out and about. But he hadn't seen his brother in what seemed like forever. It was nearly impossible since he was now a member of the Akatsuki. Dragged from his thoughts when Deidara called for the Akatsuki he sluggishly went to the Main Room and stood against the wall.

Xantrex looked towards his door when he heard Deidara call a meeting. That was unexpected. Was he assigning new missions? Closing a folder in which he'd made copies of the Super Soldier data, Xantrex stood up and left his room, giving a knock on Kazuma's door. "Come on kid." And then he walked into the Main Room. It had only been about three days since he'd gotten back from the Unknown with Kazuma, so his arm was still in bad shape in a sling. He didn't dare try to move it yet. He was sure the thing was still too shattered for even an attempt. In the Main Room, Xantrex leaned against the door frame, waiting. He didn't have anything to say. He was already on Deidara's bad side.

Halo was staring idly out her window with a blank look in her eyes when something snapped her out of her daydreaming. A call to the main room. She sighed. She hadn't been doing much lately to try and get on Bat's trusted list. But she knew something like that would take a while. She was willing to wait. Besides, trying too hard would just give her away. Before leaving her room, Halo pulled her black hair back into a high ponytail. Her eyes had long since changed to a bright green color, and, while she still looked like an innocent little child, she also seemed as if she'd accepted her 'new self'. She looked at Bat as she walked in and sat on a couch away from him.

"It's a surprise Deita. Take a seat." Deidara was being nicer than normal. Any halfwit would be able to tell something was up. He was in a better mood since Jutsumaster had brought him back the information he'd requested. Now everything was in place. Krystalia had not reported back to him. He would not believe she had not completed such a simple task. She was his star Akatsuki. A success story that the other members should follow. If he had a group fool of Krystalia's he'd be forever ahead. Instead he was surrounded by idiots.

Deita wondered what was going on. A surprise? This was new. He'd been here almost half a year and nothing like this had happened yet. Deita nodded and walked over to the couches, sitting down on it and making himself comfortable. Yeah, he'd gotten used to being in the Akatsuki. He liked life here now.

With a deadline, Kazuma was now in a hurry to research even deeper into the Super Soldier project. Every since he'd been accepted he'd stayed in his room and worked on it. Rarely ever coming out, and it showed in how pale he'd become from not going outside to breath. When Xantrex knocked on his door he closed his notes and followed his teacher down the hall into the main room. He wondered what was going on. It was his first meeting, so he didn't know how things went. Trying not to look so attached to Xantrex, he moved off to the side near Jaymaru. He'd linger between the two, because they were the only ones he could trust. Krissy wasn't exactly a friend, but he wouldn't hang around her. It seemed like a silent betrayal to Xantrex, because the two had issues with one another.

Deidara stood up. Not everyone was here, but it was enough. "I've got an assignment for you all. There is a hybrid somewhere in the rogue forest. Kazuya seems fond of his kind and I want to send a message to him, telling him this isn't over." He looked at the eight members in the room. "I want you to find this guy and show him what we Akatsuki are capable of. Then tell him to find Kazuya and tell him this, We'll be back." Deidara waited a minute. "This is an inidivial assignment, the one who brings back proof that they've met this Hybrid and delivered my message, I'll give them a Captain position." The current captains were Krystalia and Bat. And the Captains had a permanent get out of jail free card. "I almost forgot, I do have one other thing." Deidara approached Xantrex. "Xantrex has been working extremely hard to help us take over the villages. Though his efforts have failed, it was worth a try. Everything can't go right." Deidara laid his hand on Xantrex's good shoulder. "So I've decided to break his other arm so he can stay out of my damn way." He kicked the yellow haired Akatsuki in the stomach. The lesson had begun.

Xantrex listened silently to the assignment that was given. He was in bad standing with Deidara, this could help him out. He didn't pay much attention to where Kazuma stood. He wasn't that overprotective of the boy. Xantrex remained leaning against the wall, tilting his head a bit as he said there was one other thing. So there was a reason for this meeting besides just giving a mission. Now he was curious. But that curiosity was immediately dashed as Deidara started towards him. He suddenly became alert. He had a very bad feeling about this. He was wondering what was going on when Deidara started mentioning how hard Xantrex had been working to bring the Akatsuki back to the top. And then he mentioned how the efforts had failed. Taking care to be suspiciously nice about it. And then Deidara had placed his hand on Xantrex's good shoulder. He'd had his suspicions the moment Deidara had started towards him, but the Akatsuki leader's next sentence set it in stone. So this really was a lesson then. Xantrex doubled over at the impact, coughing. "F-fuck..." he coughed. He knew it wasn't over. It wouldn't be over until Deidara kept the promise he'd just made to the other Akatsuki in the room. So much for being able to do that research on the Super Soldiers. There wasn't much way for him to talk himself out of this one. And to try and fight back against Deidara would be a self awarded Death Sentence.

Jaymaru didn't care much for the change in rank, but when Kazuya was mentioned she was a bit unnerved. Before she'd rejoined the Akatsuki ranks she'd met Kazuya and in a unforgettable effort, she helped him during his memory recap. She didn't like the idea that his kind had become a target of Deidara's, and whoever this rogue Hybrid was, she wanted to find him before someone like Bat or Krissy beat him within an inch of his life. Jaymaru was unable to decide upon a plan because Deidara was addressing Xantrex. What was the leader up to? Oh, that. A lesson.... She felt bad for Xantrex, but another concern made her look at Kazuma. What if he tried to jump in. He didn't know any better. She went to stand next to him. "Don't." That was her only warning.

Kazuma would have liked to have found the Hybrid. He'd always been interested in the vampire, wolf mix. How exactly did it work. How could the vampire strain not reject the wolf strain and how could the parents even have the chance to fall in love with one another when the Vampires and the Wolves had been enemies for centuries. Kazuma was full of curiosity of hows and whys when Deidara had begin to move over to Xantrex. The blue haired boy didn't think much of it until Deidara spoke about how he was going to break Xantrex's other arm. Kazuma's mouth dropped. What!? He's kidding right? Clearly not a joke because he'd kicked Xantrex moments later. Kazuma almost moved but Jaymaru had come up beside him telling him not to. Kazuma looked at her with a look of pure disbelief. What? She's kidding too right? Xantrex already has a broken arm! He can't fight back! This isn't fair! Kazuma was smart enough not to argue with Jaymaru. Partially because she knew better than he did, and secondly because Deidara was in the room with them.

Krissy blinked when Deidara mentioned the mission about a hybrid. This would be fun. Though she didn't have to do it for the Captain's position, she thought that maybe her and Bat could make a friendly little competition out of finding the hybrid. It would be a fun little game! She watched Deidara walk over to Xantrex and 'praise' him for what he's been doing. Or at least, that's what it had seemed like at first. Krissy's eyes widened when Deidara kicked Xan in the stomach, and her mouth dropped, but not in shock like Kazuma. Rather, after that first hit, Krissy started laughing. And then Jaymaru had to go and ruin things by telling Kazuma not to do anything. That was no fun at all! Krissy got up and went over to Kazuma, on the opposite side of where Jaymaru was. "You sure you can just stand there and watch your new teacher get beat up like that?" she asked in a low voice. She wondered if Jaymaru would intervene. "You know, if you go try to help him, you might even be able to keep his other arm from being broken. The thing that everyone values around the Akatsuki is guts." She gave him a grin. "I wonder if you have any."

Kazuma's brain was screaming at him to help Xantrex, but Jaymaru's single warning was keeping him in place. Then Krissy came over. Guts? He didn't have guts. He just had raw nerve. Kazuma glanced at Krissy. If he was to jump in now, he'd probably get killed in the process. Kazuma knew his limits, and he'd never survive Deidara. "I-I wa...." Kazuma trailed off. It felt like he was racing against the clock. "He's not going to kill him, right?" Kazuma knew that if Xan died then he'd probably not make it in the Akatsuki. His purpose for coming would be thrown out the door. Kazuma looked to Jaymaru then back to Krissy. And if Xantrex was too wounded, how was he going to be able to do the research. Six weeks was already a super short amount of time, and on top of that, working alone wouldn't help meet the deadline. Kazuma didn't know what to do.

Jaymaru couldn't believe that evil little brat had the nerve to come over here and try to persuade Kazuma to help Xantrex after she'd told him not to do anything. She kept from shooting a glare at the pink haired devil. How could someone so evil have pink hair. She needed to dye it some fiery red or black. "Kazuma, Xantrex will live, Deidara will not kill him. If you get involved you'll be the one that ends up dead." She was speaking lowly. She wasn't too concerned with Krissy hearing, it was Diedara hearing that she was worried about. If he retaliated to her warning, and she got dragged into this mess, she would never forgive Krissy or Kazuma. Krissy for starting this mess and Kazuma for disobeying her when Xantrex had made it clear on the first day that he should listen to her. "Xantrex can handle his own."

Krissy shrugged when Jaymaru stepped in. "He's not gonna kill him, but you know, he's just setting the stage for it. If Xantrex decides to go out on that mission, or even, out of the hideout, and runs into trouble, you think he'll be able to get through with no arms?" she asked Kazuma lowly with a grin. "And if you step in, who's to say Xantrex won't stop Deidara from killing you? Itd be a win win for both of you. Xantrex gets to keep one arm, and you don't die your first week here. Hell, you might even gain some respect from Deidara for standing up for your dear teacher," she spoke quietly with that same devious grin of hers. "Anyways, no one said you had to fight Deidara. Maybe you can just convince him not to break Xan's other arm." Krissy had been waiting for a chance like this since Deidara had assigned her her mission. This was the perfect opportunity, and she didn't mind using it to her advantage.

Bat leaned forward on his chair. He was already a Captain. And was well aware that he'd be replaced before Krissy was even considered. Spoiled. There was no way in the world that Bat would miss out on this. He knew of only one Hybrid that could be a rogue. At the time, this Hybrid had been a loner, but maybe he got tired of being lonely. Bat grinned. He had the one up on them all. Jerimiah was his prey. When the lesson started Bat was practically bouncing up and down. "I wonder if this has anything to do with him fighting Krissy the other day," Bat wondered aloud.

___________________________________________________

Where everyone else was thrilled Zeo didn't want to be a Captain, so he wasn't participating in the game of cat and mouse. When the lesson started Zeo moved away from the doorway, he didn't want to get caught up in the lesson. He was sure Deidara didn't care who or what he hit while getting his point across.

Kazuma couldn't talk his way out of saving Xantrex. That was clear. The time Xantrex had tried to tell Deidara that the loss over the Death and Magma wasn't his fault, the guy had completely blew Xantrex off. And then there was the thought that Xantrex had gotten what seemed to be a bit angry with him after he'd spoken up the first time. Was that why Deidara was giving him a lesson to begin with? It was time to turn the tables with Krissy because she was not a friend, Xantrex had made that clear as well. "I've been given orders to stay out of any and all of Xantrex's affairs unless it involves research," he responded. "I am not one to disobey orders." He looked at Krissy with that same look from before. "Are you?"

Krissy's grin at Kazuma didn't fade, but she only shrugged when he retorted. "Hmph. Then he gave you orders that will probably save your life. How cute. And convenient," she giggled. "Nope. Even if those orders are to leave a friend behind, they're given to be followed. Admirable of you to follow such a train of thought," she said with a smile. Now she was just egging him on. Everyone knew that Krissy was completely ruthless. No one wanted to be compared to her. Except maybe Bat, but even he might've had a problem with it. And Krissy didn't have a problem being disliked, which is why she acted the way she did.

Kazuma didn't like her grin. It was probably what gave her away. And then she let it be known that had he went out to save Xantrex, he would have died. The giggle almost threw him off though. How could she be so evil and act so innocent. It was impossible. "And so we do," he answered when she said orders were meant to be followed. Kazuma had found that out the hard way many times over. The Akatsuki had trained him to follow them without question after he'd gotten in trouble for speaking out. Then there was the Jaymaru incident, but he hadn't been warned about her until afterwards. He was sort of contradicting himself. He was talking to Krissy who he was supposed to avoid. "Krissy, if I may call you that, would you explain why this 'lesson' is happening? Have there been others?"

Krissy gave him a look when he referred to them as a collective 'we'. So he was already doing that, huh? Already so used to being a part of the Akatsuki, after only three days. She raised an eyebrow when he called her Krissy, and then added, if he could call her that. She shrugged. "Everyone does." Her grin returned when he asked if there had been other lessons. "Of course there have. This is probably theee...." she stopped and counted on her fingers for a moment. "Ninth, I think," she said with a nod. "Or somewhere around there." She sat on the nearest couch and watched what was going on. "Xantrex is one of the main reasons we lost the Death. And he was stationed in the Magma as a 'spy', which we also lost. Between you, me, and granny, your teacher may very well be a traitor," she explained with a smile as she kicked her feet lightly and watched the lesson. She really did hate Xantrex, and this was fun, watching the newest lesson. After her first lesson, she'd promised she'd never get another again. It had been humiliating, and so soon after she'd first arrived in the Akatsuki too.

Without a doubt the punch hit dead on. Deidara was pleased. He always enjoyed giving a lesson, it showed the others that he was in charge and reminded them that he was to be feared. That should be how all leaders ruled. He grabbed Xantrex's shoulder and begin to slowly bend it back. "If you flinch I'll break it. If you don't, I'll let you off easy with a dislocated shoulder. Sound fair enough?" He asked with a smug look. "Or would you all prefer to hear Xantrex cry like a small child?" All the while Deidara had not stopped bending Xantrex's arm. If no one spoke up soon, it might have broke. "Deita, what do you think?" He asked. His young prodigy had to learn how to lead some how, and what better way to do it than to give him a small portion of power. In addition to the choice being his, Deidara had used the Hybrid as a specific way to get Deita into the mood of destroying things. He knew Deita didn't like the wolves, and a half wolf would have to suffice for now. It was Deidara's gift to him.

Deita looked at Deidara as he explained that there was a mission for all of them to go on. He blinked. "A...hybrid...?" he asked quietly. If he remembered right, hybrids were a mix between vampire and wolf blood, weren't they? And wolf blood. Deita looked down. He didn't hear what was said about the Captains position. His hands tightened into fists on his lap. He could handle this mission. He wondered if he should take his partner along or go alone. Then again, the Rogue Forest was dangerous. It would be foolish to go alone.

Deita's attention was brought back to what was going on when he heard a hit being struck. Where Deidara had been last, he wasn't there now. Instead, he was in front of Xantrex. Deita never liked the guy. So honestly, he didn't really care. But the amount of brutality that came about in such a short period of time had shocked the black haired boy. And then there came the conversation between Krissy and some new guy that Deita didn't know. The new guy was apparently Xantrex's student. Krissy was trying to push him into getting into Deidara's way. And then Krissy explained why this lesson was even taking place. Xantrex was a traitor? That made a bit of sense with everything that was going on.

Deita blinked when Deidara addressed him. So wait, this was going to be his choice? To break the guy's other arm, or not to break it? Deita wasn't one to be cruel, and this was his first time witnessing something like this. He didn't like the guy, but...if he was a traitor, why not just kill him instead of breaking both his arms? But did they even know the guy was a traitor? His head was starting to hurt...why did he have to pick? Deita swallowed. "H-he wouldn't be much use with both his arms broken," he said. He wasn't sure if saying such a thing would be considered as going against Deidara. But then again, Deidara had asked the rest of those in the room too. So...it wasn't that bad, right?