A thick layer of fog rest on the steamy air of the dark night, Konan shifted her eyes across her surroundings aware that one of Konaha's ninjas had been following her, waiting for an open target to attack her. The cool nighttime air swept the leaves beneath her up as she turned around to find the young Kyuubi gripping a kunai in his pale hands and demon eyes set on the fearful Akatsuki. Although Konan was an Akatsuki, she was not as strong and courageous like the rest. She couldn't help but freeze in terror. For one of few times, Konan was scared. But this time, Pein wasn't right next to her fighting.
However, Pein was off at the boundary gates of Konaha, continuing on his mission to distract the whole village in order for Konan to catch the Kyuubi. Pein looked up into the dark sky as his hair swiftly blew in the breeze. Something was wrong. A burning feeling arose in his thoughts alerting him. Pein had no idea what it was, but he could only think of Konan. That was it...something must be wrong with Konan. Clearing his thoughts, Pein ran quickly through the forest where he remembered last seeing Konan, her eyes filled with deep thought. She still needed him there. He knew that he had to fight with her. Side by Side.
Pein came to a slow stop when he saw Konan's face streaked with scaring blood. Her wings were radiantly hovering in the air, splotched with blood, as she stood before the Kyuubi, it healing the slashed cuts across itself from Konan. The young Kyuubi growled as he threw a fist at her. Distracted by Pein's entrance, Konan didn't pay attention to the Kyuubi and was soon thrown to the ground. Pein quickly went over to Konan and held her in his arms.
Pein escaped from the Kyuubi for now in order to heal Konan, they didn't have much time before the Kyuubi would continue after them. He could've fought off the Kyuubi when he was back there, but in a way, he didn't feel like fighting. Pein stopped by an old tree far away from the Kyuubi and set Konan down.
Pein rested his eyes as he looked over Konan for where her wounds were. Pein gently lifted a hand and began to heal her cuts and wounds from the Kyuubi. What has gotten in to her? Lately, she just hasn't been on task as much…Pein finished healing Konan and let her have small rest before going back to defeat the Kyuubi.
To Pein's surprise, Konan awoke as she felt his strong warmth against her. All Konan wanted to do for now was stay where she was. Pein holding her close to him.
Pein brushed Konan's hair out of her face as she lifted her right eyelid up, looking at him.
"Are you all right?" Pein seemed
calm and soothing to her as she got up from his grasp. Although Konan
liked being around Pein, she found it awkward being that close to
him, he was her partner in the Akatsuki.
"I'm fine," Konan
blushed slightly as she looked away.
Pein helped Konan get up on
her feet. They went on through the dark forest to continue to capture
the Kyuubi. The silence among them seemed to last forever until Pein
started to speak,
"This time…I'll fight with you."
Konan
nodded as her face reddened quickly.
"Is everything ok with
you? You're acting…different, lately." Pein questioned with a
peculiar face as they leapt from tree to tree.
Konan stopped at a
tree, leading to Pein to stop also. She quickly caught her breath,
and then paused for a moment.
"I think…I lo-"Konan was
interrupted by a blaring sound coming from the Kyuubi.
The
partners hurried apace towards where the sound had befallen from.
The Kyuubi had developed another tail, his 6th one. This was bad.
Pein's face turned to a serious expression and he summoned his
six bodies. One after one, they arose from a cloud of smoke and
started at the Kyuubi. Pein and Konan worked together to tire the
Kyuubi, draining energy from it.
Once the Kyuubi was fully out of
chakra, it formed back into the young boy, Naruto. The six bodies
tied him up and the large body of Pein carried the unconscious boy
along with the main body of Pein and Konan, while the other bodies
were summoned back to Pein.
Pein and Konan walked tiredly through the forest; they were low of chakra, so they decided not to travel among the trees.
It was subdued between the two for a while.
"Pein," Konan breathed deeply before finishing her sentence, "I think I love you." Konan tried to not fall apart after admitting such a thing, but she was nervous how Pein would react and tears started to stream down her warm face.
Pein looked up at her and froze for a moment. Then Pein brushed his hand across her face, wiping the tears away. Pein's face came closer to Konan's, her eyes widened while looking up at him. Pein softly brushed his lips up against hers, resulting in a long, silent kiss. He ran his hand through her silky hair. Konan closed her eyes thinking of it as only a dream, and was shocked to find it reality when she opened her eyes. Blazing emotions ran throughout Konan's head. Pein slipped his hand down to her waist and clenched Konan closer to him. The two stumbled to the ground, still grasping each other. They lay in the crunching leaves as their eyes drifted off to sleep.
The blinding sun awoke Konan as she looked around her. She was laying down right next to Pein, his cloak unbuttoned and his shirt off. Then Konan remembered last night, she has confessed her love to Pein. Konan was in a cheerful mood as she felt Pein breathing heavily as he slept next her. That is, until she heard Tobi's annoying voice that had ruined the moment.
"Pein-sama?! Konan…?" Tobi scavenged the area until he was within feet from Pein and Konan sleeping in the woods.
Konan held her breath, hoping Tobi wouldn't catch Pein and her together like this. Knowing Tobi, he would go off and tell all the other members of the Akatsuki. Of course, no one would believe him. But Konan started to worry even more when she heard Deidara's voice right behind Pein and her. Konan closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.
"I think I found them Tobi," Deidara grumbled as he rolled his eyes.
Deidara nudged Pein with his foot, awaking the tired Akatsuki leader. Pein slowly opened his eyes, looking up at Deidara.
Tobi then walked up next to Deidara and gasped as put his hands over his mask, as to put his hands over his eyes.
Pein buttoned his cloak back up.
"Have you guys ever heard of privacy?" Pein glared at them with a groan.
"Have you ever heard of staying on task? We've been looking for you two all morning!" Deidara looked at Pein, "You and your girl need to quit the whole kissy-kissy mood."
"Well at least I'm not in the kissy-kissy mood with guys," Pein looked at Deidara, then his eyes wandered off to Tobi.
Deidara stormed off with Tobi and left Pein and Konan to themselves.
Konan raised her eyes to wake up once again, when she found Pein hovering over her with a slight smirk, his cloak, back to being unbuttoned. Pein lowered his head to press his lips against Konan's. She wrapped her arms around the shirtless Pein and brought him down as close as he could possibly be to her. Konan then wrapped her legs around Pein pulling him even closer to her. Pein tugged down slightly on Konan's cloak at the collar, revealing her clothes under it. Pein's eyes grew large when he realized there weren't any other clothes under it. Konan chuckled softly. Pein was relieved that he didn't pull the cloak down too far to expose anything, but at the same time, disappointed.
Pein's hot breath seized on Konan's face when he began to speak,
"I love you too."
Konan closed her eyes and smiled as she crawled out from under Pein, her cloak slipping down even more.
Pein sat up and looked at her for a while,
"We should probably get going…"
"Yeah," Konan agreed as she pulled her cloak back up.
Pein buttoned up his cloak also and grabbed the sack that contained the Kyuubi boy. Konan followed by his side and they both acted as if none of that had happened at all.
Konan and Pein finally arrived to the Akatsuki cave to find all the others waiting for them.
"Where were you?" Zetsu growled.
"Yeah, I thought you guys were supposed to be here by late last night," Kisame stated with a puzzled expression.
"We were out of chakra after catching the Kyuubi; we didn't have enough energy to even walk very far," Pein explained.
"Shouldn't you tell them the truth?" Deidara sneered
"I think it's time we all get some rest, it's been a long mission," Pein sighed and motioned the Akatsuki members away.
"Leader-sama, it's kind of obvious you like Konan," Tobi pointed out in front of all the members.
Pein acted as if he didn't hear what Tobi had said and continued walking towards his room.