Paper Angels Ch 1
A request from Kakuzu's Angel Konan. I've been throwing around this idea forever and I just had to get it down on paper. Yes, incase you're wondering I do take requests, whether it's for a oneshot or a series, I'll take it into consideration and try to do it. :D Keep 'em coming.
Told from Konan's POV
There are few things I find more comforting than the regular sights and sounds of the Akatsuki Tattoo Parlor. Especially on a day like today.
I trudge silently inside, the bell ringing annoyingly as rain escapes into the warm, dry main room. I'm the second one here. I can see Pein's car out front.
Me?
I don't have a car. I just went through a really bad breakup and he took the car while he ran. He's a jerk and even more-so a criminal on the run. I walk places. Good exercise and I get to see more things.
But not today.
Today it's pouring rain and there's a huge thunderstorm passing through. Did I mention that it's not even nine in the morning?
All of these things are ingredients for a bad day cocktail.
"Good morning Konan," Pein says glancing up from the front desk. I nod politely at my boss and delicately wring my hair out in the sink at the nearest piercing station. Glancing in the mirror, I appraise my appearance and almost smile.
My blue hair (Yes, I really dyed it blue) is back in its usual bun with the paper flower I made on the left side of my head. My tiny silver lip piercing twirls when I play with it using my tongue. My eyes are almost permanently half-lidded, giving me a bored expression most of the time. I look pretty decent, as usual.
I'm not vain enough to say that I'm beautiful nor am I emo enough to cry myself to sleep every night because I think I'm ugly. I'm average, just like every other Japanese girl with blue hair.
Ha-ha, that was a joke. Yeah, I know you guys didn't laugh. I'm not really a funny person. Not really that hard to tell, huh? I sit down at my station and look at my planner, seeing that my first thing this morning is a tongue piercing. Great.
I hate tongue piercings. It's usual a guy and they always try to hit on me. I had one guy's tongue I pretty much ripped it up because he kept flexing whenever I tried to pierce it. That was not a pleasant day.
I sit down at my desk and start getting things ready as I prepare myself for the screams.
God I love my job.
…line…line…line…line…
The guy turns out to be some sixteen year old punk, probably doing this on a dare.
"Name?" Pein says looking down at the clipboard.
"Uchiha Sasuke." He says dully, not really caring.
"Oh, Itachi's younger brother." He says and the boy nods. "He's taking the day off isn't he?"
"Which is why I came today," He says coming over to my station and sitting down.
"You're late," I hear Pein say as the door opens and Hidan stomps in.
"F*ck you," He says and throws his coat at the coat rack before going to his station. Hidan and Kakuzu are our tattoo artists that anyone can book, but Kakuzu is picky about who he takes. Sasori and Deidara take their regulars and some more famous people. Zetsu and I are piercing artists. Tobi's the janitor and Kisame cleans up after Tobi 'cleans up.' Itachi's our legal expert to make sure that everything is okay and we don't get sued. Pein owns the place and occasionally does the odd piercing job if we're busy.
"I woke up late because the old fart turned my alarm off." He says glaring as Kakuzu walks in.
"You act like it's my fault that you have a shrill alarm," The stitched man says slipping his hands into his pockets nonchalantly. He was in a couple of really bad car accidents when he was a kid so he has scars that look like stitches. It's not funny but he kind of looks the Joker from Batman. "That goes off at an insanely early hour," He adds with a slight glare.
"Three in the morning isn't that f*cking early! That's when I worship!" He says and the two start bickering like brothers.
"Do they do that a lot?" Sasuke asks not really sounding like he cares that much.
"All the time," I say sanitizing the needle I'm going to use to pierce his tongue.
"…Do you do this a lot?"
"Uh-huh," I say dully. "Stick your tongue out and don't move or I will cut it up." He does so and I get out the little black bead he wanted. "This won't hurt too much." He nods slightly as I easily pierce his tongue and put the back on underneath it. "Done,"
"Cool," He says looking in the hand mirror I'm holding out to him.
"Yeah, now don't eat or drink for three hours so your tongue can heal around the new piercing. If it starts to hurt it should pass but if you can't handle it take two aspirin but nothing more. If it swells go to the emergency room because you're probably having an allergic reaction to the metal I used."
"Got it," He says giving me the mirror back.
"Come again," I say when Pein gives me a look that says 'do what I told you to.' He nods dully and walks out of the shop after paying my boss. I sigh and rub my forehead, sinking down into my desk chair and putting my hands on my desk in slight frustration.
This is a dead end job that has little to offer me.
"Good morning!" Tobi yells as he bounces inside the tattoo parlor with a family pack of coffee. There are a couple grunts of acknowledgement but nobody really says anything. He doesn't care of course.
Okay…I (kind of) lied.
I really like my job. Tobi's sweet; he brings coffee in every morning, knowing all of our favorites. He skips to everyone's desk, setting down their coffee cups from some brand-name coffee company.
"Good morning, Konan-san," Tobi, I'm sure, is beaming behind that mask he wears.
"Good morning," I say politely, going back to my work. I have some big-shot coming in and he wants multiple piercings.
…line…line…line…line…
"Hey, Kakuzu," I look up at the sound of the tattoo artist's name and see Kisame ducking through the doorway. "Picked you up a little something."
"Daddy!" I almost smile seeing Tsuki on his giant shoulders. The three year-old often stops at the parlor. Kakuzu's wife, Kumori, is dead from a drunken driving accident. She left the six month-old with the widower. Now, while he's at work, Tsuki is at daycare but more often than not she's with us.
Kakuzu laughs and stands up from the tattoo he's tracing out for a customer. The little girl wiggles in Kisame's arms as he puts her on the floor.
"Hey princess," He says with a small smile as he picks her up. She giggles as she pulls her Hello Kitty back pack in front of her, fishing a piece of paper out of it.
"Made you a picture Daddy!" She says holding it out to him. From my spot at my desk, I can see that it's a picture of him…I think. She hasn't inherited her father's artistic abilities yet so far. He takes it, making the appropriate awed noises.
"That's very good," He says and pins it up on his cork board.
"Really? 'Cause I made one for here too!" It still amazes me how she can talk better than someone twice her age.
"Go show Uncle Pein," He says setting her back down as he smiles a little.
"Hey there you naughty little f*cker!" Hidan says picking the girl up and throwing her into the air.
"Uncle Hidan!" She squeals, screaming when he pretends to drop her.
"Don't swear around my daughter, Hidan," Kakuzu growls and Hidan flips him off behind his daughter's back. I smile a little and turn back to my desk, but not before I see Kakuzu staring at me.