A/N

A moment of silence if you please. To those who've read the latest manga chapter, we all know that Kisame is going to die next. And let's have a moment of grief before his death actually happens, fellow Akatsuki fans, siding with the bad guys even though we know we're going to get our hearts broken anyway because we know they'll all die in the end.

Just an important note: I know what quotation marks are. But I'm in the middle of The Road craze and while I normally detest his lack of punctuation, I like how the dialogue goes without quotation marks.

Please review!

Black Crane

Kakuzu's fourth partner had been killed.

His death was more gruesome than his predecessors.

Quartered by black threads.

That left another opening in the Akatsuki.

Konan was never one to complain and she like Nagato understood the importance of finding a new suitable partner to accompany the old miser.

That was why, without complaint, she volunteered to rendezvous with the partner-to-be and Zetsu at quite a distant inn.

She was one of the fastest travellers with her jutsu, able to take where the wind takes her.

However, that had its own drawbacks. Right now, she walked slowly, buffeted by the wind. If she changed to paper in this weather, she'd never be able to pull herself together when in paper form, left scattered to the world.

While theoretically possible to use chakra to control her own wind, the chakra waste would not be worth it, especially if that new partner… wasn't so compliant in joining. And persuasion always required a bit of force.

This whole completely bitter and wretched world will come to end once Nagato's plans took fruit. And small actions took a bigger picture – Konan would never see her job as one that did not require her full enthusiasm.

Silently, she struggled forward, while unwilling to let weariness overcome her, found the harsh wind difficult to ignore. It was strong enough, and cold enough that she could feel a slight mist of raindrops brushing across her skin.

It was cold to the bone.

Konan clutched her cloak around her and bent her head forward before she became aware of another presence.

She wasn't a sensor type ninja, finding it difficult to identify shinobi by their chakra signal, an ability second nature to Nagato.

With a soft sigh swallowed up by the harsh wind, she laboriously turned around as the wind began to whip her hair into her face. On the brighter side, the weather's anger was now mostly upon her back, giving her beaten face some respite.

A dark figure was behind her and while his features were not distinguishable in the dark hissing weather, his silhouette was unmistakable.

Zetsu. She had said.

Konan.

Why are you following me? With your technique, you should be able to reach the agreed place instantly.

You don't want to go alone do you? Pointless waiting for you.

She turned towards the wind again and kept walking.

It's cold.

Yeah. Not exactly our natural climate.

The two companions were silent for a moment. It was quite a long moment. Each one of them were one of the quieter members of Akatsuki. And out of the few quiet ones there, they were the two whose quietness did not hint upon at a silent sadistic nature, but more of a spiritual one than the still silence of a killer. Konan and Zetsu did not dislike any particular member either.

That is not wholly accurate.

Konan did dislike one member, she disliked Zetsu.

He was the first member who joined, already seasoned from working with Madara before they even laid eyes upon each other.

He had a quiet nature like her, polite and humble. However, once Konan and Nagato decided that Madara's philosophy was too different form their own to keep following, Zetsu would no longer listen to them. He would go to Madara again.

And Konan hated him for that.

He wasn't loyal to Nagato.

His polite nature might not have been a sham, but his loyalty was merely a shade, the cracked imperfection of the original. Zetsu only listened because Madara asked him to.

If he were not loyal to her, she could deal with that. His disloyalty however to her God however, could not be forgiven.

A sigh would convey her feelings quite well at having a detested behind at her back… well he was walking beside her now and much too close for comfort.

She didn't sigh though, the slight stiffening of lips the only sign of her discontent. Visual cues were lost on Zetsu, his two large plant appendages blocking a great deal of his sight.

When she talked to him, she was abrupt. She was always abrupt to everybody, not liking wasted words. But she was only abrupt to Zetsu because of his obvious temporary loyalty, the one to betray her once Nagato's and Madara's vision of the world separated to turn into two different ideals. One of which was the true peace, the other, false.

Zetsu was a double agent.

And that bastard didn't even bother to hide it.

He was so open all the time, this quiet man who had no secrets. Konan's silence wasn't entirely voluntary; when one doesn't say anything, one speaks no lies. But one never tells the truth either.

Perhaps there was the slightest bit of envy there, that Zetsu had a black side to show but Konan, so suppressed and conservative, doesn't even know whether she has a black side or whether the only thing left to her was a blank façade.

The weather was getting worse. She'll probably have to stop for the night and continue on in the day. There was still time before the meeting.

When the wind stopped, she could easily fly over to the inn long before Kakuzu's new partner arrived.

She paused by a fallen tree and crouched down, huddling against the storm. Konan didn't bother to tell Zetsu she was stopping or why she was stopping like a responsible leader. What would be the point if she were only leader now?

Well if she were leader now, she should be responsible about it.

If Konan were honest to herself, she might have admitted that she was just sulking.

It was very cold, even with the tree taking the brunt of the icy, almost waterless wind. But when the wind split into two channels, it sliced near her body, messing up her hair that had been so immaculate hours before. The paper flower that had stayed with her through hard battles and rain blew away with the wind.

Without that, she felt a bit small, naked, especially when even paper, her paper, left her for the storm.

Actually, the wind wasn't as strong as she thought. It seemed to be getting less. Glancing behind her, she saw Zetsu sitting on the other side of the tree, his large plant bulk blocking the worst.

Konan turned away from his back and sat staring straight ahead.

If you sunk into the ground, you wouldn't be cold.

Her lips moved, but she doubted he could hear her over the wind. He could.

If I sunk into the ground, you'd be cold. I have walked with you for this long, what makes you think I mind the cold?

Konan wanted to enquire about the statement he made before. The one about cold not being his natural climate. She didn't know what he would say.

Konan didn't enquire, and she never did find out what Zetsu's reply would have been.

But she realized that of the two terse exchanges she made with him, despite her dislike for him, she was the one who had initiated them in the first place.

Why talk to someone she disliked? She supposed she wished to see him beg for attention. But the anticipation for his voice built so much that it was she that snapped first.

He wouldn't ask for attention though, he didn't really care no matter how much she did.

She didn't want him to betray Nagato.

She wished he never even worked for Madara.

He didn't care.

But, it was warmer. Shielded by his plant appendages, it wasn't as windy either.

Konan woke slightly later than she thought she would. Zetsu hadn't disturbed her. He sat, still at the same position she saw him in last night, eyes wide open.

You should have woken me.

Sorry.

The rest of the journey was uneventful. It was fast. Both Akatsuki members easily got to the point of rendezvous using their respective jutsu.

That means they separated for awhile.

Konan wondered if she liked that or not. Was it appropriate for her to let a subordinate leave? She would treat Zetsu like he really did belong to her rather than the Uchiha.

If she had liked, she could have simply walked the rest of the way there with him. And, even knowing how the black side was known for his impatience, she knew he would have said yes.

The inn was one neatly allied with the Akatsuki. There were always reserved rooms. Zetsu never got a room, him never needing a bed.

And now, there was one day left before the replacement should arrive. Konan sat at one of the wooden tables, observing the rough grains that created that certain piece of furniture.

She ran fingers on its surface before making light traces with her nails.

An activity typical of boredom.

And then Zetsu came.

He emerged from the wall next to her before making his way to the opposite side of the table before taking a seat. Konan asked him what he thought he was doing.

He isn't coming till tomorrow.

We know.

Again, there was that little pause that occurs in conversations. The silence is normally uncomfortable but this time, the two people involved in the conversation wore silence like a second skin, albeit for different reasons.

She wished he would talk, initiate the conversation, and make her seem less desperate for his loyalty. And he did.

Can you make a flower? They're really pretty.

She didn't answer him through words, but pulled out a sheet of white paper from somewhere within her sleeves.

Flowers were harder to make than cranes, but to Konan, neither shape was really that difficult.

A white flower soon lay before her and Zetsu.

He seemed surprised.

I'm surprised you listened to me. That's a nice flower.

There would be no point in not listening. There's nothing wrong with you.

You don't like me much. You despise me.

Konan thought about it. Perhaps if the story had been a bit different, perhaps if she had feelings whether romantic or platonic towards him, she might have denied it, denied this hatred she felt but never showed. She had no black side to show it.

So she let her white side do the talking.

What is the point of your line of questioning? Do my feelings matter to you? They are completely separate from what business Nagato and Madara do together. So what does it matter if each of us, second-in-command to our own leaders, despise each other?

She decided to use his black side's words. Much less mild than what his white side had said. She also realized she said too much. Broke the quiet too thoroughly and revealed that she felt no indifference towards him, that she cared.

I don't hate you, Konan-san.

But I don't like you, Zetsu. And I already said, what does it matter so long as we reach our goals?

He didn't respond to her question directly. But it was meant as a rhetorical question anyway so Konan didn't mind.

Can I have that flower?

She pushed it towards him and watched as both black and white hands felt the tips of the white paper gently.

Zetsu had unusually soft fingers, a testament to his fighting style which was never physical. He didn't need hands for battle.

Konan thought that that was the end of it and he would just leave, admittedly leaving her feeling even hollower than before. But she wouldn't admit that. It wasn't even as though she liked his company that she would rather he stayed.

No, she wouldn't want him to stay, she'd rather feel hollow and blank, the white side without her black.

Zetsu stayed though, and he spoke.

Your flowers are all white. All the paper you use is white. Why not other colours? I've seen some very pretty paper that they sell around the place. Why not black?

Konan glanced at her hand as she slowly let it furl and unfurl into paper and back into hand again.

It's a waste of money.

You sound like Kakuzu.

Perhaps.

So why do you use white all the time? Paper comes in many colours. Do you come in other colours? Or are you just a blank person? We know: everyone has a black side.

This was pure insubordination. Wasn't Zetsu supposed to be the always loyal subordinate? So why of all times was he questioning her? Maybe even going against Madara's wishes that he help them as best he can until the inevitable parting of ways.

I… don't… know about myself… But, I can say it is easier to fold white. My jutsu automatically uses white paper. It's natural.

Zetsu was silent, obviously displeased with her answer. Perhaps he expected her to be more philosophical. More the Konan he thought and knew she was, than the blank shell she always used.

If she left now, he would never pursue her again. She knew that deep within her bones.

So she didn't leave.

Konan peeled another square of paper off the back of her hand.

This one was black.

She folded it into another flower, identical to the white one she just made and pushed it to him.

This flower is for you. You can keep both.

Zetsu fingered both black and white flowers.

They're both pretty.

Thank you.

So you can change the colour of your paper. Give me a piece too?

Konan handed him a white sheet wordlessly, making it clear that she was simply humouring him with the black flower and that it was definitely a onetime thing.

Zetsu made a crane.

I didn't know you knew origami.

Really? I'm not that great. It's a crane. Anybody can fold a crane.

I see.

There was another one of those silences that now hinted that the topic would soon be shifted once again.

Konan-san.

Yes?

Have you heard of self-actualization? It is the ultimate goal of humanity.

Your goal?

I've already achieved it.

So you are still human then?

Zetsu ignored her comment. The comment might have seemed thoughtless, but Konan meant this one to hurt and so, it was actually quite a thoughtful phrase.

Self-actualization is when your outer self reflects your inner self. You have these dark desires, things you'll never tell anybody, the things that make you feel misunderstood, angry at the world. Things you fear.

The wretched world, Konan said.

She was familiar with those feelings, but her teenage years have long gone past and she had long gotten over the existential angst that came with it. Therefore, her words held no bitterness.

Once the you that you show others reflects the you on the inside, you have achieved self-actualization.

Maybe I already have.

You aren't showing a black side.

Maybe I don't have one.

Everyone has one. But I don't want to help them.I want to help you. Unlike others, you haven't felt anything for so long that you have forgotten to know yourself.

Silently, Zetsu passed her the white crane he made, white as the snow that had just begun to fall outside. New snow.

She held it cupped in her hands. Cranes were easy to make, difficult to get wrong.

He was right though. It wasn't an empty feeling she felt within herself, but more of something unfamiliar. Konan didn't know herself.

You are quite talkative today.

Yeah.

You know I don't like you.

Yeah.

So, why bother?

I like you Konan-san. When that time comes, I assure you it won't be personal.

Zetsu got up from the table, carefully taking both the white and black flowers she had made for him. He paused before he walked away and said something to Konan.

I'll help you. Someday I'll make you a black crane.

Until then.

X.X.X

A/N

Well, remember to review! Please do so, it motivates me to write! And please review, especially if you have added this story on your alert list or favourite list. Otherwise, it's just being rude…

Please Review!