As always I do not own Naruto, all characters belong to the man Kishi himself. Hope you enjoy this!
The rain fell heavily over the village today, heavier than what was normal, even for the village hidden in the rain. It created a slick surface over the grounds of many streets, as strays and the homeless scurried to find shelter from the relentless downpour. The village was used to the normal drizzle, so used to it in fact, that if it was not raining, it set people on edge. What they were not used to though, was the thunder that rolled within the clouds, nor the lightning that lit up the entire village with one powerful flash. It was a glum day, and it fit for the occasion. Today, plans were being made. Plans that have been anticipated for years, by none other than a God himself. Every detail would need to be worked out, every flaw erased. Everything for this to work had to be perfect, and fall into to place at just the right time. If not, the delicate plan would be defeated. It was a tedious matter, one wrong move tipping the scale to a point where it could not be balanced.
A certain blue haired woman, the village's angel, stood in the tallest tower of the village, looking out over the place where she had called home for so long. The place her and Nagato had vowed to protect in Yahiko's .. She thought about him a lot, nearly every day. Everything they did was for him. Their plan for peace was driven by the man's last wishes. They had done everything for him, and today, his wishes would come true. Though something in this plan was terribly off to Konan. Her troubled expression grew into one of worry as the rain picked up. In order for peace to truly be made, war must be avoided. However with what Pain wanted, what Nagato wanted, peace would not come of it. That was what Konan thought, though she swore she'd never leave his side, and stand by him no matter what sort of crazed, outlandish ideas he had. The pain both her and him were forced to endure their entire life had led to this day. Konan closed her eyes and let her mind wander. Whenever she needed a pick-me-up, she always thought back to the days when they were all together, happy even though they had so little to be happy about. A smile graced the woman's lips, something that was nearly foreign to her at this point. She longed for those days again, though she knew her wishes would never come true.
"The preparations have been made." A voice called out from behind her. The voice was dark, low, and lacked any single trace of emotion. It had been a long while since he had really showed her any emotion. Eyelids lifted to reveal amber eyes that burned with a desire to get through to him. She had never tried, nor would she try to change his mind now, she would simply carry out his wishes and stay with him, as Yahiko asked of her. She turned slowly to face the orange haired man, nodding. She waited for him to turn and walk off, expecting her to follow. However to her surprise, he joined her, standing next to her and looking out over the village where they were a God and an Angel. His expression remained the same as always, and she longed to know what he was thinking about. She turned and looked over their home as well, wanting to say something but not sure what there was to be said.
"Do you ever miss him?" She asked finally, in a voice so quiet she was unsure if he heard her over the roar of the downpour. Of course by 'him' she meant Yahiko, and she was sure he knew that as well. For a moment it appeared as if Pain's expression changed a little, his lips twitching. She looked down to notice his hands clenching into fists. She knew now he was angry. She had made him angry and that wasn't her intention. "Of course I miss him. If I didn't, I wouldn't be doing this." He finally said, his tone surprisingly soft. Konan's amber gaze snapped over to him, widening a little. It was the first time in a long time she had heard emotion underlying his dark tone of voice. "And I know you do too." He continued, ringed eyes meeting her's. Her breathing hitched in her throat and she didn't know what to say now. Of course she missed Yahiko, but over the years she spent with Nagato, that pain had eased considerably.
"I'm thankful for what I have now." She said quietly, not wanting to sound too up front about her feelings. There was the off chance that this plan wouldn't work and if it didn't, she would lose yet another person dear to her. It was why she hated the plan to destroy Konoha, such a large village that had so much protection against them. The thought of being alone with such pain weighing her down was one she couldn't bear. When he didn't say anything, she found herself wanting to say more. She took a chance and continued. "The pain of Yahiko's death has eased to a dull sense of longing over the years, and I have you to thank for that." At this point she didn't care if he got mad at her or didn't respond. This may be the last moment they share together and if it was, she wanted to make the most of it. Her arms were hung limply at her sides, her gaze still looming out over the village. She was surprised when she felt a hand going around her's. She knew he couldn't feel her touch, so was this merely to comfort her? She suddenly found herself wishing he could feel her touch, she would be able to show him how much she truly cared.
"Thank you." His voice spoke again, yet again with the same softness she had heard before. She curled her fingers around his hand, finding herself again wishing he could feel her soft touch, driven by the sudden realization that she never wanted to lose him. That she may even love him. There was no point in telling him, there would never be anything between them. She was very sure of that. She stepped closer to him and remained silent, enjoying the quiet moment they shared together. She wanted him to know just how much she cared about him. She wanted to see him smile.. One last time. His words touched her deeply, something as simple as a thank you making a smile pull at her lips.
"I will remain by your side until the very end." She promised him, turning to look at him for the first time. She squeezed his hand, wanting to feel closer to him than she was now. That was impossible and she knew it, it was something futile to hope for. She thought she saw what was the ghost of a smile pull at his lips. It made her heart flutter and she was angry at herself for waiting until now to realize she had such strong feelings for him. He was a powerful, passionate man even if he hid it well. He had taken care of her and assured her safety for many years and she always thanked him for it. She wondered if he cared about her, too. She would never know that, but by the way he was holding her hand for her comfort only, she was almost sure he had to feel something for her. Who could not grow to love a person you share so many years with? It now made sense why Yahiko's death was but a dull pain to her now.
"This won't be the end." He spoke up again, his word sounding so sure but Konan knew better. She knew there was a chance he, or she, or even both of them, wouldn't make it to see true peace. She knew he wasn't frightened though, not like she was. She dreaded this day every night for the past years they have discussed it. Now that the day was actually here, it didn't feel very real to her. She simply nodded at his words, feeling distraught when he pulled his hand away. He turned and started walking, slow, precise strides carrying him into the building. So, he was ready to leave now. There was so much more she had wanted to say to him but couldn't find the courage. Before she left her village for possibly the last time, she crafted a delicate rose, leaving it on the ground where they stood and praying for a miracle that they would find true peace in Pain's plans.
As she turned and caught a glimpse of his retreating back, she formulated a few quiet words that were spoken with honesty and sadness. "I do love you." She said quietly, knowing that he couldn't hear her words that she spoke but she thought they needed to be said. She only wished she had the courage to really tell him how it is she felt. With a solemn, defeated stride she followed him, following through with her promise to stay by his side to the very end, not knowing that she would be left in this world alone very soon, not only without Yahiko but also without Nagato.
Hope you enjoyed it! Review maybe?