Overdue, considering when we got character backstory. Haven't seen enough of Karin yet to convince me she has much of a past. She could be the lovechild of an energy drink and a basset hound for all I know. Konan put up with entirely too much. But then, we all knew boys are stupid.


Skin:

The oil clings to her like memories of long ago. She can't move even after she is free. All she can think is that they will win this battle, like the one before, and he will leave again.

Hands:

She clenches her fists and swallows a tsunami of protests. She answers the boy's question, because Nagato is concentrating. This is God's will.

Knee:

She knelt down and gave him something to eat. He split it with his dog, as much a stray as them. And she thought, maybe the fighting hadn't taken away all the good in the world.

Bone:

He shouldn't be so fragile. It pierces her to the bone when she touches him; even when he was small and dying, he never felt so far away.

Hair:

She wore a paper flower instead of a hitai-ate when she first felt like a real kunoichi. She didn't blossom because of the Rain.

Stomach:

The most satisfying meal she ever had was long ago, when sensei caught a bigger fish than Yahiko and Nagato, and they tried to push him in the river only to end up soaking wet. Yahiko was always getting stupid ideas and running his mouth and getting nothing but trouble for it.

Shoulder:

She told Yahiko, letting him cry, they'd see sensei again someday. She wonders now, as Pain appears, if this counts. A lot of things have happened since then, after all.

Finger:

She leaves the ring on. She has no regrets. She joined Akatsuki out of love.

Feet:

She never hated herself so much when Nagato asks her to step aside, and she does.

Heart:

Her teacher called her kind, once. She knows, somewhere deep within her, she's just a coward who can't be a crybaby anymore.

Neck:

She should have slit her own throat on that blade when Hanzo held it to her neck. Then she wouldn't have had to just watch as the world fell apart.

Lips:

"If you kill Nagato… it won't change anything." It's not Pain's message spilling from her lips. It's a desperate demand. Please don't take him too.

Tongue:

The piercing in her lip leaves her with an eternal metallic tang, like blood, in her mouth. She can taste it even when she doesn't want to, and she remembers a day with no color because the rain washed it all away, even though the smell of death was overpowering. This is not how Yahiko would have wanted to be remembered.

Eyes:

She sees the dead bodies that come in every day and wonders if it would ease some of their pain to know that they are with God now.

Wings:

Yahiko's dream was Nagato's vision. Pain's will was her charge. These wings and this blue sky belong to Konan now and Konan only. Angels aren't supposed to be alone.