Monopoly

4

Ryuu was pretty sure the girl before him was going to die. When he had bitten her before, she had tasted bad, like her body wasn't too good or something. Which meant, duh, this girl didn't stand a chance against his chakra.

He did kind of feel bad though. She had given him food, after all.

"We help?" Ryuu thought to say, looking up at his master, the only human he would ever trust in this world. His master was full of eccentricities though, the type that made it hard to understand sometimes.

"Yes, we're going to help. This is where I teach you a new lesson, Ryuu," the older man gave a smile as he patted the young boy's head.

"Lesson?" This was one of the times where the small kid just couldn't comprehend what was being said. Even if he was eight, from what his master could assume, Ryuu hadn't started speaking until a year ago when the master had found him in his den. At least that's what he had been told his old home was called. Now he slept in a bed with the master close by.

"Yes, now as I saw before, you ended up taking an apple from her," the older man spoke evenly, a kind smile upon his weathered face as he worked on the blue haired girl, who struggled to breath. With little reserve, a blue chakra began to form around his fingers, enchanting Ryuu as he couldn't look away. His master set to cutting the girl open. The young boy had to look away—he never really had liked looking at human's insides.

"Ryuu hunger," he mumbled, explaining quietly.

"You should have come to me then," the master said chiddingly, sending a chill through the young boy's body as he panicked.

He turned to face the doctor, earnestly, "Busy!"

"You know that I make time for you, no matter what."

It took a moment for the entire sentence to sink in, but when it did, he just looked down at his feet, ashamed.

"Will this incident happen again, Ryuu?"

"No," his voice was tiny now as he turned away from the procedure the doctor was working on, focusing his attention to his books on the shelf. His master was a special man, Ryuu had been told, and he wasn't to be discovered just like Ryuu couldn't be either. They both had the thing called kekkei genkai, if the young boy recalled properly. It was all explained in his book, a pile of clipped papers detailing everything the master had discovered of the young boy's ability. Ryuu still didn't understand everything because, well, he couldn't exactly read. But he was working on that, he just needed time.

He made motions to pick up the book but was stopped by the master's voice.

"Good, now before you go, I want you to look at this young girl."

He readily obeyed, keeping his eyes trained on his victim's face and nowhere near her chest. He didn't like the insides of human's, it felt wrong to look at. It was a strange thing too, because Ryuu wasn't exactly squeamish—he was the one to gut the fishes and rabbits they caught, after all.

"What do you see?"

"Girl, pretty," at least, Ryuu thought she was pretty, it was kind of hard to decide when she looked so…dead, "small." Not as small as he was, but still. She was the only human he had ever met that was so delicately tiny in the way she was.

"What do you feel?"

Ryuu blinked, but answered honestly, "sorry."

The doctor nodded, looking pleased as he smiled, "This girl will live, so you can tell her that when she wakes up. It will take a while though, I have more work to do by the look of it."

"Leave?"

"Yes, why don't you go get a snack from the cupboard?"

Ryuu nodded, excited as he left the doctor to his work. Food was his favorite. There was nothing better than the feeling of fullness, after all.

Still, he was kind of worried too. He wondered if it was going to be like one of those other operations when his master would come out looking older than before.

After Rain Comes Fair Weather

Konami woke up feeling better than she had before, which confused her and only sent alarms to her brain as her eyes snapped open. She immediately had to squint as bright lights nearly blinded her.

"You're awake," an aged voice said to her, wrangling a tiny gasp as she turned her body to face the man. There was a strange pull on her chest, causing her to look down. She stared, in mute amazement as she noted that she had a long straight cut down her chest that hadn't been there before. Her chest had been stitched up and everything but that didn't really explain why her heart felt lighter than it had in a long time. Actually…what was this? Her sensing abilities were back and completely…she could sense chakra signatures in places she had never known existed. As if her range had doubled in the night.

She needed answers.

"What's going on?"

The old man just laughed, eyes bright with kindness. They were purple, which was strange but…nice. His white hair was peppered with black even as she had the odd sense that it hadn't been like that before, assuming that this man was the same one as before she passed out.

"Can you answer me?" Konami prompted when the silence prevailed.

"Well, first, why don't you tell me your name?"

She bit her lip, taking in her options. None of them were good. With a sigh, she complied, honestly telling the man her name.

"What's yours?"

"I am Taka."

"Taka…alright then. Taka, please tell me what changes you've done to my body and how."

He lifted a brow in surprise, "So you noticed a difference in your health, that's good."

Konami was silent, waiting for him to answer her properly.

Taka smiled at her gently as he continued, "I suppose I can share. I saw that you had a disease in your system so I destroyed it."

"Des…Destroyed it!?" Konami had never raised her voice so quickly and so loudly before in her entire life, but this was news to her. To add to it, he said saw, feeling strange to her. She brought a hand to her chest, numb from the pain and ran a finger across one of her stitches, "Gone?"

"It's gone, although that ruptured coil is still left as it was. There was little I could do for that now. I did, however, open up some passageways, so maybe that sensing ability could be put to better use."

"How do you know these things?" Konami's voice shook, and she felt something she had never felt before: fear. This was unlike her apprehension with heights—she had overcome it, after all—and it didn't sit well with her. It wasn't easy to get her riled up, but something like this was…not normal, "What are you? What do you want with me?"

"Ah! I don't mean to frighten you," Taka looked genuinely upset, apologetic even, as he reached a hand slowly out. She made to no actions to pull back as the old man touched her hair, stroking it. That was...creepy. But she had a feeling it was meant to be purely comforting.

"Explain please," Konami murmured helplessly, feeling out of sorts when her past life was of no use. It was kind of alarming, to finally notice how much dependency she had on that knowledge. Now she had nothing to guide her, nothing to correct her and that was, suffice to say, disorientating.

"I don't know how much you know about shinobi clans…"

"You have a kekkei genkai?" Konami wasted no time in saying it, not even sure of it, but it was a start.

"Precisely, but mine is quite rare, and often times seen as useless."

"What is it?"

"I am able to read the history of anybody I come into contact with."

"But there's more to it," Konami was certain of this, "You're older than the first time I saw you."

"Perceptive…," Taka sighed, before nodding, "Yes, there's more to it. I am able to repair injuries or illnesses of any kind for the price of my lifespan. I may not look it, but I'm actually twenty-three."

Konami froze, letting that sink as she swallowed thickly, "Then that means you used your life for me…" That didn't sit too well.

"Well, it was my Ryuu's fault for almost killing you, I had to do something… Consider my getting rid of that illness of yours as a gift."

"No, let me do something. I need to pay you back," Konami sat up, earnest as she reached a hand out to grip his palm, "You don't understand…I…that disease has done a lot of damage in my life and you taking that way…it means so much, especially because your life is now shorter…" She felt ill, thinking that Taka could die any second now because of her.

Taka looked thoughtful before smiling once more, "How about, as payment, you come to visit Ryuu every day from now on?"

"Ryuu…?" Konami couldn't help but blink, "Alright but…could you tell me what he had done to me?"

The older man's face turned serious, his expression becoming dark as he went on to tell her the truth of the matter.

"His chakra eats at the chakra and flesh, if it comes in contact with others. Sadly, his chakra is so potent that it leeches out through his skin. It seems because he had bitten you, his chakra had entered through your bloodstream. You would have died if I hadn't had stepped in."

"Oh," that sounded actually very sad. Ryuu hadn't really come off as loner type of kid. He had actually felt quite sociable with the way he had so readily asked for food. He sure was weird though and probably very used to death. Her interest, suffice to say, was piqued.

"I'm not sure if you care but…I think you should know how long you've been asleep."

"How long?" Konami's blood ran cold, words finally hitting home."

"Two days."

"Two days!?" For years she had been with her family and not even once had she spent a day away from them, let alone two. They must be going mad, looking for her. Immediately she went to her senses, pinpointing her family members easily as she felt the spikes and the fluctuation of each of them. Konami was amazed to find that she could even tell how low on reserves Yahiko was at. She hadn't ever been able to do that at such a distance. So not only her range had been extended, her perception had also gotten better, "I…I need to leave. Thank you, Taka, I'll be back when I can!"

"Wait, here, a map," the older man handed her a piece of paper, "Memorize it, and burn it. I don't think I need to tell you how dangerous it is for, not only you, but for Ryuu and me, that you know our location. We took you to our secondary hideout, but here's the directions to our primary."

Oh yeah, if anyone like Hanzo found them, they'd be used, especially Ryuu, "Why would you give me this information then?" It wasn't as if she had any special feelings of loyalty to them, all she had to keep an interest of staying quiet was her intrigue and the fact that she was indebted. However, it was enough for her.

"You, I should think, are quite the interesting character to know."

Konami bit her lip in thought, gazing down at the map she had taken, "I have to tell my family, but I'll keep quiet about your abilities. That's all I can do, I won't be lying to them."

Taka looked uncertain but nodded nonetheless as he forced a smile, "We'll see you soon then."

After Rain Comes Fair Weather

Konami gingerly approached Nagato first, thinking he would be the lesser of evils. How wrong she turned out to be.

"Kona-! Kona-! Konami!"

The young girl visibly flinched as she was wrapped up into the tightest hug she had ever been in, feeling almost as if her blood circulation and airway had been cut off. But she didn't struggle, simply accepting the punishment for what it was.

"You're alive! You're alive!" Nagato was crying by now, pulling back slightly—much to her liking—and she took in his blubbering expression. His breath hitched, tears falling freely from his eyes as he sobbed, "I was scared, I was scared you were a liar."

Oh yeah, promises.

"Nagato—!" Konami yelped as he strengthened the embrace once more, cutting off her circulation once more.

"You can't leave me again, okay? You have to be with me forever, okay?"

Her eyes widened, wondering if this was a love confession, which she knew it couldn't be. They were kids, and that kind of thing hardly ever happened at such an age. Whatever, he just wanted a stable person in his life, not people who would leave him. With a small smile, she reached up a hand to cup the back of his head, stroking his soaked hair to sooth him even as he continued to be wracked with sobs.

"Nicknames," she randomly said, quieting the boy fairly quickly as he gazed at her in confusion. She smiled at him easily as the idea settled itself into her skull, "Nicknames that no one but us can call each other."

"Not even Konan and Yahiko?" His lip was still trembling still as he sniffled and hiccupped.

"Not even them," Konami reassured him as she thought, "I'll call you Nagi…what do you want to call me?" She couldn't really think of anything that wasn't weird when it came to her name.

"Nami," he murmured, "I'm the only one who gets to call you Nami."

Konami laughed then, smiling at him with excitement and humor, "That's so weird, we kind of match!"

He smiled then, brightly in all his cute glory as he released a hearty laugh, "Yeah, we do!"

They're laughter slowly puttered out, bringing Konami slowly back to reality as she released a tiny gasp, "We should go find the others."

Nagato nodded, looking hesitant as he gazed at her, questions in his eyes, "Where have you been anyway? You look sort of…different." His brows creased, hand reaching out to touch her stomach, "Different…"

Konami nibbled on her lip but after a few moments she found it would be better if she were completely honest with him. So she was, the words tumbling out like a dam breaking loose. Throughout her story, she watched him for his reaction, taking in the wideness to his eye, the gape of his mouth and the lift to his brows.

"You're illness…gone?"

"You're the only one I'm telling," Konami informed him, "The others can't know because they'll tell Jiraiya."

"Why can't he know?" There was a pout of confusion as he honestly tried to solve the puzzle of her actions.

"Honestly speaking, I don't want to put him in a tough position," she nibbled on her lip, sighing as she explained herself, "He answers to the Hokage, and if I told him of two kekkei genkai users, what do you think he'd have to do?"

"He'd have to tell the Hokage," Nagato's eyes lit up with certainty, "Even if you asked him not to."

"Exactly."

A shared moment of silence enveloped them, lulled away by their thoughts. The only thing to break it was Nagato's soft voice cutting through like a fallen drop of rain into a clear body of water.

"It does feel weird though."

"And wrong."

They nodded together, thinking of what they would have to do and having to withhold information from Yahiko and Konan. Something about it felt off—like a betrayal. It made her question how worthy Taka and Ryuu were to gain such a thing from her. They were an inconvenience by now, people she wasn't sure would be interesting enough to be worth the trouble in the end. It wasn't like she was starved for socialism, no, so what could they offer?

Information.

That's it. They were bound to know something about Hanzo and is actions. It would be good to start collecting information now, knowing there would be an inevitable faceoff between her family and him. With a sudden smirk, she realized then what she could do to protect her family. Konami, she knew from her past life's experiences, could be a good manipulator. She could even possibly use her cute face to tug at those heartstrings and get more than just information. Connections, was where the true power lied in, after all.

Of course, she would need to have someone there to protect her, or an older person to be an interceptor so that she wouldn't necessarily have to be there in person. It was too dangerous otherwise, shinobi didn't exactly hesitate with killing children.

Konami blinked sluggishly, mind bringing up the image of just the perfect busybody to enlist in her group. Oh yes, she couldn't wait for him to get back in town.

Nagato swallowed, catching her attention as the smile was wiped immediately off her face.

He wasn't looking at her though, just at the ground, a look of thought on his face, "Why did you tell me though?"

The answer came easily, "You heal me, remember? You would have known something was up either way. So it's best that I don't make you suspicious."

"Oh."

Konami bit her lip, thinking of how and why that response could bring him down so much. Nothing came to mind. She huffed out a sigh, spinning on her heel in the mud, watching her feet as it sent up splotches of mud scattering about. She giggled before turning to Nagato again, "You know, it might also be because I love you the most."

It felt like she was almost being unfaithful to her sister, but the time of their closeness had long sense passed. Sure, they still giggled together over secrets they had over the boys, still folded their paper together, and still kept up with doing each other's hair. But the closeness they had once shared was gone and Konami had ideas on how it happened. Konan was getting older and experiencing different things than she was, limiting things they had in common over. Then there was the fact that she was becoming a full-fledged ninja and growing as a person from it. In comparison, Konami felt stunted and lost. Left behind, even.

Nagato was different though, despite that he was also training to be a shinobi.

He…didn't try to leave her behind, and didn't really gaze at her like she couldn't take care of herself. In fact, he was with her when she needed him. Even now, she had the sneaking suspicion that what had started out as a relationship with him depending on her was quickly changing to reverse. Now, it seemed, more than ever, she needed him and he responded in kind. Nagato was quickly becoming her rock, her idea of warmth, and most importantly, someone to tell secrets to and hide under the covers with, exaggerating ghost stories. He was her best friend, one she knew she could always rely on.

But that, she decided as she watched a goofy grin spread across his face, was to be her little secret.

Just this once.

"Let's find the others and go home."

After Rain Comes Fair Weather

Meeting up with the others went as expected, bear hugs and tears making a comeback each time Konami met up with another of her split up family. They had all gone off to search for her the moment she didn't come home for lunch and had only met up to discuss their findings. It had seemed like a lot of effort was put into finding her—which felt good, to be cared for so much—even if it was all a little meaningless in the end. Konami even heard that Jiraiya had summoned up his toads to look for her, but it wall proved useless. A lot of it was probably because of Ryuu's chakra eating the trail up before it could be tracked. It was interesting to her, that such a volatile kekkei genkai existed in the first place, but it only made her even more intrigued when she recognized how absolutely handy it would be to have a chakra eater on a squad of trackers.

There were probably a lot more uses Hanzo could put Ryuu up to, but none of them that Konami would allow. He was his to use, as far as she could tell. Taka practically gave her permission with the way he inconvenienced her. She took that as her payment to babysit Ryuu—even if he was technically older than her.

It was hard to get to his hideout every day, and most times she had to take Nagato with her to get the worries of Jiraiya off her back. He meant well, but it was starting to bug her. Sure, she was practically a civilian female child at this point—never minding that this was the truth of the matter—but at the same time, she was quickly becoming one hell of a good sensor. She was a prodigy by Jiraiya's own standards, yet he refused to believe her tall tale of slipping down a muddy ravine and being knocked unconscious for those two days she was missing. Mostly because she wasn't at death's door by the time they reached home.

That…put some strain on her relationship with the man, and his paranoid nature didn't make it any easier. But honestly, she had the best intentions with keeping her mouth shut. It was for him and a little for her… She couldn't bear to see it, if she was honest, him choosing the Hokage over her. At least not when he was such a prominent figure in her life. That was due to her own fault though. She should have thought to put a stop to looking to Jiraiya as a father a long time ago, right at the first time she fell asleep in his lap and he carried her to bed. She would probably never admit to Jiraiya of those feelings—it was embarrassing—not even when he would leave in a year's time. They would be with her forever, despite the distance that now existed.

Konami could feel it, the shift. He didn't let her near him without the other kids present, which hurt more than she'd like to admit, and he was starting to glide over her plank on the wall when he took the time to admire their tiny little family.

She wondered if Taka and Ryuu were worth it. It was a question that plagued her, even as she grew closer to the two.

Of course, it wasn't all bad. She got a lot of information out of them, probably more than Taka intended to dish out.

She often caught him staring at her while she stuck her head in one of his many books. She'd look up in reply, gazing back at him calmly. Taka would snort to himself, one of his small, rare frowns coming his face as he muttered something along the lines of, "one hell of a kunoichi, if you ask me." She wasn't sure if that was meant to be a compliment, but by the way he regarded all ninja, it wasn't much of one.

That was one of the things that bothered her too. It always brought up such annoying thoughts like… What kind of person did she want to be?

All she could come up with when it came to that one was that just merely wanted to be able to care for her family. But by the way Taka sometimes gazed upon her pityingly, or how Jiraiya got jumpy around her, it seemed there was more to it than that. So the question lingered in her mind as she took care of the house's chores, or when she was walking to the market or to Taka's.

When she finally turned eight, it came to her.

Konami had been playing with Ryuu, who was dressed entirely from head to toe in body suit that covered every inch of his body. It was the best solution that Taka could think of as Ryuu's abilities strengthened over time but it was one that bothered Taka more than Konami thought it should have. If it worked, it worked. Ryuu hadn't seemed to care about it…

Or so Konami had thought.

That first impression had quickly bolted out of her mind when she witnessed Ryuu's tantrum. It feels like an understatement now, thinking back on it.

Konami had arrived, alone this time as Nagato was busy with learning a new technique from Jiraiya, and came just as Taka was zipping up the back to Ryuu's outfit. She noticed how tight the fabric was starting to be, how constricting it was. She wasn't expecting it. Ryuu was a generally calm boy who sometimes got frustrated when he couldn't read and write like she could. But with her being as patient as she was, he was usually fine after a moment of her calming him down.

This time, as Ryuu glanced down and sucked in air, she realized that it was only to release an ear piercing scream. Taka acted quickly but the young volatile boy got the better of him as he tore up the jumpsuit to shreds. After that, it only got worse.

He went…ballistic.

Konami could practically feel the killing intent leech off the boy in waves as he thrashed his home, throwing down decorations, tearing up documents and books, and breaking apart some of the furniture. It looked to only take a second, just one, but Ryuu was suddenly within an inch of her, entirely naked save for a strip of fabric around his waist. His eyes gazed into her even as Taka yelled for her to leave, to get out as fast as she could. But she could, frozen stiff with fear and intrigue alike. His eyes, she noticed for the first time, looked like that of a beast, of a wild one. Rabid, even. She had never, in all her years, seen eyes like that before.

In the face of dangerous, she found herself laughing hysterically.

Ryuu finally took pause as the room froze, all except for Konami. She could barely contain herself even as there was nothing remotely funny about the situation. Except…there was.

"How cute!" Konami spoke up, snorting through her nose at this point, "He outgrew his clothes! Ne, Taka, let's make his new pair a bit more baggy than the last. He's a growing boy, dummy, he doesn't stay one size forever."

Taka looked dumbfounded but as he glanced down at the floors trashed with all of his work and books, even he melted into laughter, nodding as tears sprung to his eyes, "I'd reckon that you'd be right about that."

That only sent Konami into even more hysterics, Taka joining in not much later.

Ryuu just stood there, completely dumbfounded for once in his life as he gazed at the mayhem he had caused. He frowned, utterly confused as he muttered, "Not mad? Or mad?"

"No, not mad," Taka said as the laughter puttered out, even as the feeling remained, "I could never be mad at you." He then went forward, kneeling down to gaze into the young boy's eyes as he brought a bare hand fearlessly to Ryuu's head, ruffling the mass of loose black hairs that looked more than overgrown. That action, most of all, had struck Konami to the core as she suddenly understood things a lot more. Ryuu…he needed contact like that, but couldn't have it thanks to his bloodline. Taka understood this and loved him so much that it didn't matter how dangerous it could be to touch the young boy. Taka was a parent, ready to provide what Ryuu needed, even if he was falling a little short it other areas. But it was more than that, Taka was ready to lay down his life for others, giving himself away so freely to others. He was…so kind and yet he wasn't going to last much longer in that body of his. Ryuu would be alone. Taka was aware of this and so…and so he got Konami to come to his home, and made her form a bond with the goofy, somewhat out of touch boy. He didn't want him to be alone when he was dead.

She could understand that. After all, she had been gravely ill just up until she stumbled upon Ryuu. Death was just being postponed for her with Nagato's treatment, but it was inevitable. She had often thought of her family and how her death would affect them. She didn't want them to be sad, she wanted them happy and laughing. That was what she had wanted more than anything. Them happy, not just safe and protected.

Konami knew, right then, what kind of person she wanted to be. She wanted to be one that could make others happy. After all, that was the sort of thing only she could do for her family. Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato were fully able to protect themselves physically. It was up to her, however, to make them feel joy, and all of those other things that sometimes wasn't much of a priority in a life filled with war and death. It was up to Konami to gather the information, the sort of thing that would be another layer of protection to her loved ones.

As the young azure haired girl gazed at the two, tears couldn't help but build up as she smiled from ear to ear. Her arms opened up, never thinking twice about enveloping the two of them into an embrace. It was dangerous, she knew, but her body took over before her mind caught up. Taka had released a small gasp, along with Ryuu, who—before he could help it—snuggled into her warmth. They stayed like that for a moment, lost in it.

When she let go of them, she felt perfectly fine. In fact, she felt better than she had in a long time.

That hug had been a warm one.

Taka, after that, turned into a role model and Ryuu became something of a little brother to her. She discovered more things once some of the doors in her mind had been sent away, opening herself to truly understanding some things. Most of them were silly, ordinary things to other people, like why Ryuu curled up in a ball at a corner when he settled down for a nap. Sometimes she joined him, but most times she just watched. It was probably one of the first times she had ever been concerned over someone that wasn't herself or her family. She would gaze at him, trying to figure him out like he was a puzzle. Why did he choose to sleep in the corner? Why was he curled up like that? It couldn't have been too healthy for him. But when she looked to Taka for answers, he just said that is was something specific Ryuu did to feel safe. Tiny cramped areas was Ryuu's favorite type of resting place, no matter if it was comfortable or not. So after she found out, she started making a blanket to keep him warm in those corners. It was especially nice when he started carting the thing around everywhere.

It wasn't just all Ryuu though, she discovered many things about Taka as well. He had been the son of a fisherman and had gotten married once, to a girl named Hana. An accident had occurred, however, causing Hana to nearly lose her life. If it wasn't for Taka's quick actions, she would have. Taka used his kekkei genkai on Hana for the first time, and afterward, appeared older. Hana, it seems, couldn't handle the stress of a quickly aging husband as he began to quickly use his bloodline limit for good. So she left. That's affected him in a lot of ways since then. He, she was sure, wouldn't ever leave Ryuu behind, if he could help it. He was determined to give Ryuu a normal life, once he figured out a way to keep the boy calm when he was around strangers. It seemed that emotions had a lot to do with Ryuu's kekkei genkai. He could possibly control it, like was able to around Konami and Taka, but it was hard for him. He just hated strangers—something about being chased out of his home for the umpteenth time being the cause. Apparently, Ryuu had grown up in a wolf's den, back when his kekkei genkai was easily controlled and had been practically raised by wolves.

It made sense, now that she thought about it, why Ryuu bit her, only to ask questions, hmm, never.

Konami, since then, had started to accept another family into her life, the two of them coming to understand her past and the things she had gone through. Often times, she was left telling Ryuu all of the funny tales her family had shared alone. Nagato was there a lot with her, and even he was getting integrated into Taka and Ryuu's lives. When Taka was busy with his documents and research, it was left to the two of them to entertain the insatiable boy. So they primarily stuck to recounting their past and if needed, Konami pulled those stories from her past life out of her arsenal. Those were Ryuu's favorite—go figure. It had gotten to the point that Ryuu frequently asked to meet Konan and Yahiko, wondering why he couldn't.

It was evident, as time went on, that something would have to give way and change.

It didn't help that Jiraiya was sending out frogs after her, tracking her movements. It would have hurt if avoiding them wasn't so annoying to her in the first place. But it wasn't only him, Yahiko and Konan knew something was up, that they were was hiding something.

She wasn't particularly weak willed so she wasn't worried about being guilted into spilling the beans but Nagato...well, he was a different story. Konami could see the emotional unrest and the guilt taking a hold on him. He never said anything, but lying to them was what started bringing back his nightmares.

It didn't seem fair to her, that Nagato had to suffer for her.

And that, all of it, was why she was standing at Jiraiya's bedroom door, just after she heard him retire. She'd been too afraid to interject on his fervent writing, the night being the only time he had any peace to himself. Even now, she felt like her heart would be out of her chest, the very sound of it thrumming in her ears. They felt hot. She felt hot. It wasn't that hot you get when you're sick, it was the feeling of a building panic, like you're slowly being roasted alive. Konami supposed she deserved this even as there was that stubborn feeling of being hurt still remaining in her heart. She wished Jiraiya had trusted her more, had doubted her even, that a young sick girl like her could do anything of alarm.

Something had to give way though. She had rehearsed what she was going to say with Nagato, whose relief at her choice was nearly heartbreaking to her.

Biting her lip, she strengthened her resolve and knocked on his door.

His grunt came as a reply.

"Ah, it's Konami. I, uh, want to speak with you," she said as loud as she dared to go, voice shaking along with her tiny fists.

A pause, shuffling, then, "come in."

She quickly obeyed, entering the bedroom gingerly as she closed the door behind her. The room was dimly lit, Jiraiya sitting up in his futon with a haggard expression. A quick flash of remorse went through her as she swallowed nervously, praying for her anxiety to leave, but it remained as sure as stone. Twiddling her fingers, Konami cleared her throat one last time before starting, "I know you didn't believe me when I told you about falling down... You were right not to. It was a lie."

The air froze, and she winced, preparing for an onslaught. Instead, Jiraiya just heaved a sigh, "Then I'm assuming you're here to tell me the truth."

She nodded, "I..I was interrupted on my way to the market when I found this boy. He didn't have a chakra signature," and even now, it was just the barest of hums in his coils, as if he naturally had fearfully low reservations, "so I didn't sense him. This boy, as it turns out, was hungry and while thinking that I was food, he attacked me, biting my shoulder." Was the story as absurd as it sounded to her?

Jiraiya grunted his understanding when she paused.

"I...this boy, Ryuu, well, he has, um, a...kekkei genkai. A dangerous one that nearly killed me."

"What?"

Konami ignored his question and went on in her practiced recitation of the day that had dramatically altered her life. She did her best, explaining everything as well as she could to the Toad Sage, telling him over her reasons to keep quiet, of why is was so important that he kept quiet.

Afterwards, he just stared at her, groaning, "Why couldn't you save this until the morning? I can't think," he muttered drowsily but then he suddenly started smiling, "Well, I guess its good you told me. Now, I can get a good night's sleep..." Jiraiya trailed off as he fell back into his bed.

Konami blinked, unsure, "How...How long have you gone without sleep?"

"I don't remember, really."

Oh man, "You're an idiot. Tsunade would be so disappointed."

He just nodded off, saying something about Tsunade being pretty hot when she was angry. She really didn't know how that had to do with anything she had just said, so she just took that as the cue to leave.

She didn't know what would happen next, whether she had just ratted out Taka and Ryuu to the Hokage or if they were safe. One thing was for certain, they weren't getting a location out of her until the day she died.

After Rain Comes Fair Weather

Konami was getting tired of waiting for him to come back.

Who knew merchants were so frivolous in their ways? Didn't he know any sense of the time? Yukio, as it was, wasn't on her list of interesting people anymore, what with the way he hadn't been back long enough for her to speak with him. It kind of sucked that he was a key part of her entire plan to gain control over Hanzo politically. But merchants, especially the kind that traveled, was imperative to her success at building a monopoly on knowledge and information. Sigh.

It felt like, by then, that her senses had been stretched thin with how long she had spent trying to look for him. He was nowhere in her vicinity, or in any of the areas under her watch. It was becoming rather…frustrating. But then there's been a spark of hope when she's managed to pick up his signature some place on the edge of her range.

"Nami," Nagato spoke up from his perch on the stool at the restaurant she'd been told to wait at for Yukio. His chakra was fairly close by, but it was kind of hard to see it when there was so many people surrounding her. There was little reason to wonder why she hated packed places.

"Hmm?" Konami turned to Nagato, eyes meeting his as she tried to keep her agitation from showing.

"How much longer? Ryuu and Taka are waiting."

"Just a little bit longer, Nagi. I really need to meet up with this person."

"Why?"

Konami debated whether she should tell him of her plans when they were barely just ideas at this point. Considering her age and what she was capable of, she wouldn't be able to get a lot of the necessary work done, but she knew it was crucial to Yahiko's survival that she start it up now.

"It's just a hobby I want to pick up."

"What exactly is it?"

Konami bit her lip before honestly mumbling out, "Buying and selling information for profit. I want to make Yukio my business partner."

"Oh," Nagato gazed at her dumbly, "Oh."

"Did you think it was something else I wanted to do?"

"No, it's just that I never thought of information as being sold. Shouldn't it be open and free?"

"Idealistically, yes, but what kind of society do you think a shinobi one is? Secrets are inevitable and until Yahiko and you can unite this world, then I plan to fully abuse the system and have my way. It's how I'm going to help you guys."

He was smiling then, eyes twinkling as he repeated her words, "Unite this world? Do you really think it could happen?"

"Yes," there was no hesitation in her response, visions of an entire army under a single name coming together to face a common enemy flashing brilliantly through her mind. "Yes, it can happen."

"You sound so sure," Yukio's voice interjected, causing Konami to jump. Alright, discerning signatures from others? High up on the list of things to get better at.

"I am sure," she muttered out, agitated, "I know it will happen."

"How could you know?" Yukio smirked, his long blonde hair having been pushed back into a ponytail. She had to look up to meet his eyes, tilting her head all the way back, but when she did she locked onto him stubbornly.

"Because we'll make it happen, that's how."

The sixteen year old nodded, as if this response was what he had expected. That was one of the several reasons this particular man annoyed her endlessly. He was impossible to surprise. There were plenty of other things too, like how he always had that stupid look on his face or how he spoke down to her like a little kid. He also treated her like a toy, made just for his amusement. She wished she knew a different merchant that she could bother.

"Because four war orphans ever managed to make a difference in the world," Yukio pointed out sarcastically, causing Konami to ground her teeth even as she forced herself to relax. She smiled up at him despite the desire to tape his shut.

"Enough about that, I have a proposition for you."

Yukio snorted, "A kid like you…"

"Become my business partner in gathering and selling information concerning the five elemental nations," her voice was thin, her expression tight and stiff. She knew that this would be the hard part—getting him to take her seriously.

Yukio outright laughed, "Man, you sure are something."

"You'll get all of the profits from it," Konami murmured, attacking head on, "And all you would have to do is spread the word. I already have information to sell, very important knowledge that could start wars," Konami explained, thinking of what she had learned from Taka. He, after discovering her plan of action, had revealed so many interesting things that had occurred in the past—things that could raise a nation up in arms to revolt. Of course, the way to build a monopoly would be to save the best for last.

"You're ambitious for such a tiny kid," Yukio murmured, looking thoughtful, "Ah, I guess I can do it though. But I'm only doing it because I'm bored and you're...interesting," he smiled, as annoying as ever.

"Let's discuss the plan then," Konami sighed, getting ready for a long day of agitation before turning to Nagato, "Nagi, do you think you can go to Taka's ahead of me? I'll be there later."

He hesitated, eyes going to the mischievous merchant before resting on her, "Okay, but you have to hurry up."

"Will do," she chirped merrily before spinning to face Yukio, "Now, here's what I need you to do for me..."

After Rain Comes Fair Weather

She was fairly certain that Kairi was lying to her. Something about that little girls eyes didn't sit well with Konami as she sat gingerly in her seat at her new base of operations—a little shack that she had cleaned and fixed up since five months had passed with her plan in action.

"Hm, so, are you really certain you heard that?" Konami asked the young girl, barely six, as nicely as she could even with her given agitation. She liked people to properly work for her—their wages were well enough that they should. Unless, to be paid, that was the exact reason that Kairi was lying to her. Huh...well, it wasn't like her system was perfected yet. It had barely just gotten off the ground after all. So paying her minions by the report wasn't going to work out... She'd have to reflect later.

"Yes, Asahi-san," Kairi visibly winced when Konami merely groaned.

She honestly felt like a bully, but it had to be done, "I don't believe you. Get me proof next time you want to cheat the system." Promptly, she turned away, only to be held back by the tiny hand that reached forward to grab onto her.

Kairi's face fell as she leapt forward, green eyes blinking in a panic, "But I need money now! My brother's hospital expenses..."

Konami spun on her heel and tried for a smile, "Kairi, I already told you that if you get me something worthwhile, I'd personally pay for every single session with the doctor. Or, I'd find you a cheaper one."

"But!" Kairi began to sob, causing the migraine that had been building for the last three hours to come into effect, "But I'm not good at gathering information!"

Konami reached a hand up to warily rub her forehead, "It's simple, just listen in on conversations. Use your height to your advantage and stay inconspicuous." Was she using too big of words? Why couldn't Kairi understand?

Kairi blubbered on, "I-I'll try again, Asahi-san."

Sighing, she nodded, "Alright, get going. I expect something by the end of this week, though."

The young brunette yelped as she leapt out of her seat, "Okay, bye!" Konami just closed her eyes, expecting her to be out of sight by the time she opened them again.

Her plan was actually going quite well, despite a few mess ups and headaches. So far, she had spies in all of the hotspots of Ame, all exchanging a web of knowledge. Yukio had proved to be a hard worker, and had established an actual group of merchants dedicated to helping fulfill her goal to bring down Hanzo. Of course...none of them knew that they were pledging their loyalty to an eight year old. Still, the work was getting done and thus far, she had connections to the Daimyo of the land, exchanging information of intrigue to both of them.

As it turns out, the Daimyo himself had wanted Hanzo out of office for quite a while. His methods were outdated and harmful for the people of the land—obvious to everyone around. To help her out, he had provided some funds, but it was only a fraction out of what she had been making with the books she'd published. She was still uncomfortable with the prospect of stealing someone else's work from a different world, but the ability to pay her workers a fair wage far outweighed her morals and virtues.

It was hard work, and made keeping it a secret from everyone but Nagato increasingly difficult. A headache, all of it was.

Still, she had ambition to succeed in strengthening the people of the land, to establish connections to others who sought out the same thing. There wasn't a name to her organization—she was waiting for the day until Yahiko officially wanted to form a group of productive fighters—but there was a nickname that floated around in relation to her. Asahi. She kept her own name hidden and thus the alias was out there for her to be known. Nagato had picked it out: Rising sun.

It was weird responding to the name though, even if she preferred it to her own. Konami was still too cute and Asahi sounded cooler anyway.

Work was done for the day now that Kairi left, all of the files sealed up tightly in a scroll and the scrolls filled with people's pay ready to be sent off by way of Sorato, who had taken her offered job of delivering to other places of Ame. She just had to find him after she closed up her shack.

But before that...

She felt the chakra signature before her eyes snapped open spontaneously. Her body stood up without her intending to do so as she rushed outside of the shack.

"Tsunade!" She couldn't resist yelling out so openly. She was just so, shockingly, excited. But, Konami reminded herself, she had to finish her job still. Tsunade was still quite a way off from her and she needed to keep her priorities straight.

After locking up the shack, scrolls in hand, she rushed to the village where she knew Sorato would be hanging out in his usual place. She found him easily, eyes taking in his lazy posture and easy going laughter, before she vaulted herself at him, shoving the scrolls in his hand.

"These go to Kiyoshuu," she explained hurriedly, pointing out the specific ones, "and these go to Shikoyuun."

"Woah, okay, okay, what's the hurry? You look like you've just—."

"I have to go, sorry, bye!"

She made a note to apologize to him later, she was a better person now, and she refused to ignore her friends. This, however, was a special circumstance. Tsunade coming to visit was no laughing matter. In fact, the Sannin had taken longer than expected in her return, but Konami didn't care about that right now. She was just sort of curious about exactly who was the person traveling with the Slug Princess.

Nevertheless, Konami hurried home as she flung open the door after having flipped her plank, "Tsunade's back!"

Hollers of excitement echoed after her words, Yahiko and Konan poking out their head from the kitchen, while Nagato bounded out from their shared bedroom.

"Really!?" Yahiko boisterously jumped up while Konan erupted into a fit of giggles.

Nagato was grinning his goofy smile, eyes bright with happiness, "Where is she at then?"

"On her way," Konami clarified, "I sensed her chakra and she should be here within the hour."

"We should prepare dinner then," Konan suggested, always the smart one.

"We have to tell Jiraiya first though, he'd want to do something special," Nagato reminded them all.

"He's out though. Where is he even at?" Yahiko groaned to himself, frowning.

Konami blinked, ran through her range of sensing before muttering out, "He went to that stupid new hotsprings."

A round of frustrated muttering and inarticulate complaining occurred as the Ame orphans agonized over the mess Jiraiya had just gotten himself into. They weren't going to save his butt, no, thank you. That man needed to learn that sometimes, looking at women's bodies for his "research" would only get himself killed. Whether it was by Tsunade's hand or not, it was up to fate.

"Well, then let's just get dinner ready," Konan told them, only igniting a new heated discussion over what they would be making.

"It should be high in calories," Konami was saying, "she has just come a long ways."

"What are calories anyway?" Yahiko asked, confused.

To be honest, she didn't know what they were either. Just knowing that a lot of them were good things were ninjas. Or was it a bad thing? In reply, she just shrugged.

"What a big help," the orange haired boy sarcastically and lovingly remarked, ruffling her hair. She couldn't help but giggle over it.

"Oh! Then you should make pancakes," Nagato suggested, looking thoughtful, "Tsunade would like to eat those. They were her favorite, after all."

"Good idea," Konan quipped, smiling, "I'll go set the table."

"I'll go practice my ninjutsu," Yahiko murmured looking ill as he gazed at the kitchen. Most of his attempts at cooking, well, just hadn't gone in his favor.

"I'll help you," Nagato murmured to Konami as they all dispersed and set to work.

Dinner was ready and served before Tsunade arrived. But when she did get there, knocking with a slightly uncertain fist, the four kids all sprang forth, opening the door as they attacked her excitedly.

"You're back! You're back!" Konami couldn't help but joyously croon, having missed Tsunade more than she had expected. It was like saying goodbye to an aunt, or even an older sister.

Tsunade just heartily laughed, "Yes, I'm back."

"Who is she?" Konan curiously asked, gazing with wide eyes at a mop of black hair which sat delicately on a tiny girl. She shyly hid behind the Sannin and Konami had the feeling that she was supposed to know this face.

"Ah, this is my new student, Shizune," Tsunade announced, "I've decided to take her on as my disciple after a good friend of mine died. This is his niece." Even as the Sannin smiled, Konami could see that there was more to it than that. Her lover had died, and Shizune had no one else to turn to.

"Nice to meet you," Nagato politely told the shy girl, wringing out a tiny smile from her.

"Nice to meet you too, I'll be in your care."

From there, the introductions were all made, Shizune slowly coming to be more open with her smiles as they all came to know each other. With that, they all came to rest at the dinner table, starting the meal once they were all comfortable.

As it turned out, Shizune was a year older than Konami, and rather smart for her age—in comparison to the other nine year olds she had been associating with as of late. She also really liked pancakes, just as much as, if not more than, Tsunade. The conversation had actually been going well, everyone excited and open to the new addition to their network of friends. Tsunade was surprisingly talkative too, and very curious as to what had occurred in the year she'd been gone.

They filled her in easily enough, her coming to know just how really talented they all her. Yet, there was one problem that occurred during the dinner as she looked to Konami and Nagato specifically.

"So, how has your health been? You look really good for someone with a disease that still can't be cured."

It was like she was suspicious of them.

Konami panicked, not having rehearsed telling Tsunade, that she'd met two kekkei genkai users and that one of them healed her of an incurable illness, only to persuade her to secrecy and a strict schedule of daily visits. Yeah, she doubted that would go over well with the blonde. Konami looked to her family for help, mostly to Konan.

"What?" Tsunade prompted when silence met her.

"There's something...uh, that, uh," Konami felt sweat bead on her forehead. Is this how her minions felt when they were being interrogated? If so, she had to make amends to them immediately.

"She's not sick anymore," Nagato said, coming to her rescue.

Tsunade scoffed, disbelieving, "What do you mean?"

"This guy, well, he healed her," Konan spoke up, nodding to herself, "We can tell you any more than that."

Hurt flashed across her face but was soon masked by an aloof cover, "Alright then. I come all the way for Konoha to visit you guys and this is the type of treatment I get. I see how it is."

Was it just to Konami or was Tsunade acting a little bit childish here?

"If it makes you feel any better, we kept it a secret from Jiraiya for months," Nagato told her, forever the kind one of the orphans, "and Yahiko and Konan."

Surprise flitted across the features of the Sannin as she finished up her plate of pancakes, "I see, so it must be important. I can understand that. Well, I'm just glad that Konami is safe now."

Relief filled Konami as she released the breath she had been holding back, "It is important." She thought back to what Ryuu and Taka had become to her. They weren't like family, no. It was more like they were her only real friends that she had made on her own. She supposed that they were also verification to her—confirmation that even she could change and better herself. Either way, she wasn't about to risk Ryuu and Taka, not when she still wasn't clear on how much Tsunade had changed herself.

"Now, where is that idiot we call Jiraiya?" Tsunade inquired.

A round of groans as Konami mumbled out the answer.

"Where is he?" Tsunade asked, blinking as she grounded her teeth, "Give me the directions, I'll go drag him back myself."

"Knock some sense into him while you're at it," Yahiko requested, gaining a smack on the arm from Konan as she chided him for being disrespectful.

"It would be my pleasure," Tsunade merely said, laughing to herself as she left the five kids alone in the home by themselves.

After Rain Comes Fair Weather

Tsunade wasn't very surprised when she found Jiraiya outside of the hot springs, waiting expectantly for her with a cup of shaved ice in his hands. She took it from him with a scowl, noting the steam coming off from him and the heat he exuded—he really had gone in the bath then. Of course, she couldn't know if it was innocent what he had done inside of there but she could only assume it was lecherous. It was his claim to fame, after all, the man who took his 'research' to the extremes.

She still didn't know why she bothered with him, why, even after all this time, she continued to care. Dan was dead, gone, his niece to be looked after. Tsunade would never know if she could have helped on that mission but the guilt was there nonetheless. She'd stayed in Ame for Jiraiya and she had lost the chance to save Dan, to be there for him. Her necklace hung on her chest, heavy as it always was with her thoughts.

The Slug Princess was not a lucky girl—she was even worse at relationships though, and hers with Jiraiya...

"Nice to see you again," he said to her with a real smile—not the funny one or the one where it was obvious he'd done something naughty. No, this one was one that set to her insides a burning warmth, a flicker of aching emotion in her chest. His voice was serious too, his humorous inflection gone but that hint of mischief clear in his dark eyes. Tsunade sighed. She had really hoped time the time away from Ame would do her some good on the end of her impossible crush.

Jiraiya was too...

"What's this secret the brats aren't telling me?" she asked, taking a bite out of her shaved ice, tasting the sweetness of strawberries.

His tone was teasing as he said, "It wouldn't be a secret if I told you, Hime."

Her scowl deepened—damn him, damn him—but she focused more on the subject at hand, gazing at him seriously, "This is important. Konami was sick. Sick as in I was sure she'd be dead by the time I got back."

"Is that why you took so long?" Jiraiya asked and it was a quiet question, his eyes training on her. In that moment she hated how good it felt to be in his presence after so long, and how nice it was for her to even see those eyes still glinting with stubborn life.

Tsunade frowned, "You think I took a long time so I could pass the death of a student of mine? No, I was held up. You may not know it, but I do have responsibilities to our village as something more than a weapon. I was working with the hospital and figuring things out with Shizune."

He shifted uncomfortably, looking away from her gaze, before he asked in a thin tone, "Dan's niece?"

She pursed her lips as she regarded her teammate thoughtfully, "Yes. Dan's niece. She had no one and well...I figured I could take on an apprentice. One that won't master everything I throw at him within days of learning it." Tsunade gave him a wry smirk, "How have they all been doing anyway?"

"They're excellent," Jiraiya said, his smile turning pained, "It may even be time for me to leave. Nagato has already learned all he can from me. Yahiko is working hard everyday to catch up and Konan is working on creating her own techniques. It'll be quite deadly once she's perfected it."

"And Konami?" Tsunade wondered, always having more of a soft spot for the girl who had so desperately wanted to help her friends and sister. The girl with a cute smile, thoughtful yet old eyes and a dash of childish energy that was hard to hide even with her illness. But that was gone, the illness. Who exactly was she now?

"She..." Jiraiya trailed off, "she's secretive. There was a time she didn't come home for two days, then suddenly appeared with her disease gone. After that, she kept leaving all the time and evading my toad summons. Of course, she told me a while ago what it was all about but she had me really concerned for her. I didn't know if I should be worried if she was getting into something dangerous or impressed that she was hiding everything so well. In the end, she's...Konami has become something I didn't expect. It's almost like she became a real pupil of mine."

Tsunade blinked, "What do you mean by that?"

"A spymaster is what she's become," he said, rubbing at his chin thoughtfully, "she collects information and sells it. Konami doesn't talk much about it but it'd be hard to miss the organized chain of information that Ame suddenly has. Even the Daimyo has taken part of it and, well, it seems like everyone knows of Asahi but no one seems to know its all run by an eight year old girl. In fact, it's hard to trace anything back to her so I'm not even that concerned for her well being. Just for what she intends to do with the knowledge she's been collecting."

"These kids were serious, weren't they?" Tsunade asked out loud though she already knew the answer. She looked out into the expansive sky that continued to rain, pouring heavily onto the ground and greating an uneven road. She'd only ever seen Ame like that—uneven, broken, deteriorating. It was hard to imagine it as looking like anything else.

But the kids...

They were going to do something with themselves, against all the odds facing them. They were going to fight against a corrupt government and bring about change, to save the land they were born in. Lesser people would just up and leave, immigrate to another land and face their chances there. But not them. No, they were going to save Ame.

"I'd like to see it," she said softly, mostly to herself, "I'd like to see what kind of world they could create."

"Me too," Jiraiya murmured, then, even softer, "Hime...do you think...we could see it together?"

Tsunade looked at him in surprise, her jaw dropping open just slightly before she forced it back up. She swallowed thickly and frowned. Wonderingly, she echoed, "Together?"

He scratched at the back of his head and winced, "I'm really bad at this. Ugh, I can write so much but when it comes to this, I'm a bit useless. No," he sighed, meeting her wide-eyed gaze, "I'm a lot useless. But, something Konami said really got to me recently and I've been thinking."

"What did she say?" Tsunade asked, unsure what it was she should be feeling. It definitely wasn't right of her to be happy, was it? No, she should feel angry—he'd taken a damn long time, hadn't he? Then there was the fact that she was still hurt, still aching from the hole that Dan's life had left in her. She didn't want to replace it, didn't want to jump into Jiraiya's arms just because he was suddenly getting serious. No, whatever it was that happened between them, she wouldn't make it easy.

"She said to me, when I asked about her thoughts on destiny, that she didn't think they were very clear things. That it wasn't something given or achieved. It was something lived, something to be experienced and I...well," he stopped, flushed darkly and with a raise to his pitch, he hurried on ahead, "I want to experience my destiny with you!"

Tsunade felt her face flame and she had no idea what to say.

Finally, after a long moment filled to the brim with the sounds of pittering and pattering rain drops, Tsunade laughed softly. She met his eyes squarely and couldn't help the grin on her face, "It's about time, you dumbass!"

Then she punched him—just cause she felt like it.

After Rain Comes Fair Weather - End

Unedited - Beta Wanted

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