Guess who's BACK?! Ya thought I was dead, didn't you~ Nope, I was enjoying my time in Narnia and Wonderland n.n And holy shit, look, nearly a year has passed already since I last updated!

Fact is, some of my on-going stories are going to be deleted on this page and the great news is that this story is not one of them! I shall finish this! Hopefully! Haha.

Anyways, I'm pretty sure everyone has given up on this story and there will be no reviews... haha... alright, I'll get at least one. Two. I know at least two- nooo, ONE. One. That's my final decision. I know at least one person I can convince to review =w= It's a he and he's a hottie, that's all I'm saying haha

Oh no, wait, TWO. THAT'S MY DECISION. I know a girl too and I'll spam her till she reviews this :3 Her name starts with A and she's nocturnal. You know who you are!

ANYWAYS. GUYS. (girls) SORRY. I'll try to finish this fic before summer. Emphasis on TRY. All we can do is hope, I guess.


Chapter 9


Konan was standing in front of the mirror, when she heard the knock on the door. Tayuya, who'd been sitting on her bed next to the door, got up to get it, but stopped at Konan's words, "No, wait, it's for me!"

Tayuya swirled around, glancing at the girl who was giving a final touch to her make-up. She was dressed in a short tight black dress with long lace sleeves, black patterned tights covering her well-shaped legs. The look was too formal to fit with the black combat boots she was wearing.

Konan knew that, but didn't have any other options. Her legs were still too bruised to endure high heels, so this set of footwear had to do. She had added a long silver cross necklace to her outfit to play down the formality of the dress and bring out the gothic style in it, making it match with her shoes.

Tayuya shot her an apathetic look in the mirror as Konan finished coloring her eyelashes without a rush, eyeing her roommate's reflection in the mirror.

"Is it the rat's son again?"

Konan smiled saccharinely, pushing the wand applicator into the tube. Tayuya's offensive nicknames never failed to amuse her. She put the mascara back in her cosmetics' bag and zipped it shut, tossing it onto her bed. "Yes, it's Nagato. I'll be gone for the night, so you can trash the room and throw a party, if you want, in the meanwhile."

"Would serve you right, psycho hag," Tayuya muttered, lying back down on her bed. She picked up the black-covered book she'd been reading, continuing at where she'd left off.

Konan laughed light-heartedly, not offended in the least. She picked up her jacket from the chair and walked over to the door. She cracked it open a notch, peeking at the boy who'd been waiting patiently the whole time.

"I already started to doubt whether I should've taken your words as truth."

Konan pushed the door open wide enough for her to get out and then closed it behind herself, willing to spare Tayuya their conversation. "So you've started to trust me?" she teased, her playful laugh pushing Pein's memories of her other masks out of his head. "I hope you won't regret that decision, Nagato."

Pein smiled pleasantly and offered her his hand. He remembered their first encounter when he'd done the same thing and what the result had been then. He hoped this time would be different. She placed her hand on top of his, her skin feeling as soft as a feather against Pein's palm.

Pein led her out of the school to the parking lot behind the building. Students didn't usually have cars of their own, so the lot was mainly occupied by the teachers' cars, but tonight there stood among others a shiny black Porsche.

They walked over to it, Pein opening the passenger door for her. She got in, putting her jacket on and watching the boy circle around the car and get in from the driver's door. He turned on the heater – it was pretty chilly outside – and started the engine, pulling out of the lot.

"Where'd you get the car?" Konan inquired. Surely it didn't belong to him, she would've known if he'd signed a document to purchase a car.

"It's Hidan's," Pein replied. "He's-"

"Yeah, I know who Hidan is," Konan cut him off, not really meaning to show off. It was in her nature to know simple details like this.

Pein gave an amused chuckle, mentally slapping himself for feeling surprised. He should've known better. Or should've he? After all, how long had he known the girl? A few weeks, not more. He tended to forget that, it just felt so much longer.

"So, where are you taking me?" Konan asked, trying to hide the slight uneasiness she felt. She wasn't used to surprises, she didn't like them. It was not like her to trust someone this much, but as things had begun to change, she found herself not worried about her own safety anymore. At least not around Nagato. That remark bothered her. She couldn't say she trusted the boy, yet she rarely thought about her own safety around him.

Yet, she did recall one thing… "I hope it's not the northern part of the city," she said, her tone amused because of a memory. "There's a gang there that's still waiting for me to pay back. The same goes for the eastern part."

Pein raised his eyebrows, but once seeing the girl's entertained expression, he burst out in laughter. "Tell me, why am I not surprised?"

Konan chuckled genuinely, enjoying the atmosphere. "Oh, and also-"

"Don't worry," Pein put in, turning a corner. "I know what I'm doing. You'll be safe."

Konan stopped chuckling and her smile died. You'll be safe. That was a tall order and a difficult promise to keep. The boy shouldn't have said that when he didn't know whether he'd be able to keep it. Konan didn't want to say anything about it, though. She turned her head away so Pein wouldn't see the change on her face.

They had been driving for about 15 minutes through the dark city, when Pein pulled up in front of an… indoors rollerblading club. There wasn't much in this world that could surprise Konan, but this time, her jaw dropped open as she eyed the building.

After five minutes of silence, she finally managed to get out, "Are you serious?"

Pein gave her an amused look. "What? Rollerblading is cool. Ladies love rollerblading." He was too into his gentleman role to say 'bitches love rollerblading'.

Konan quirked an eyebrow at him. "You do know you just ruined all your possible chances of getting laid, right?"

Pein laughed, throwing his head back. "Damn… but yeah. I prefer being honest."

An awkward silence settled between them, Pein knowing exactly what had caused it. Konan wasn't exactly a person who could boast with being honest. But to be fair, she wasn't one to think that honesty was worth being boasted about either. She lived up to her own ideals. The real reason she was staying quiet was because she was mad. At herself. For not seeing this coming. How was she supposed to go rollerblading dressed like this?

"OK, I know what you're thinking," Pein started, but was cut off immediately by the girl.

"No, you don't."

Pein rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll take a guess. Clothes?"

"Lucky guess." Konan shot him an unamused look. "Do I look like I might enjoy rollerblading in these clothes?"

Pein shook his head with a smile. "No. Which is good, because we're not going rollerblading. I just needed a place to park the car." Giving the girl a wicked grin, he climbed out and went to open the door for her.

Konan looked offended. She had been duped. She stayed still in her seat even when the door was opened and it took at least a minute for her to get up and let Pein close the door after her. "So where are we going?" she asked, nearly snarling, fixing her jacket. It needs to be repeated – this girl did not enjoy surprises.

Pein cocked his head to the side. "Do you trust me?"

"No" was Konan's a bit too quick answer. Her eyes were narrowed as she eyed the boy. Why should've she trusted him? What gave him that ridiculous idea? Maybe the fact that he had saved her life… Or that he still had not ratted on her to the police…

She gave a sigh. "Don't take it personally." She looked down. "It's not like I trust anyone. I don't even trust myself. How could I trust you then?"

"I guess you can't," Pein said, not a hint of humour on his face anymore. His expression was solemn and there was – understanding – in his eyes. "You have to learn to trust yourself first."

"Yeah, if only it were that easy." Konan rolled her eyes. "But to give you something to be proud of, if I were to trust anyone, you'd be one of the first candidates. Is that any good?"

Pein laughed. "Good enough." He locked the car and offered the girl his arm. "I was planning to be old-fashioned and just take you out to eat." Seeing as Konan did not react, he added, "It's not far from here."

Finally, Konan obliged. She placed her arm on top of his and they started walking along the street.

It was dark outside and Konan's eyes moved like a cat's in the night, glancing around for any possible threat while still managing to keep it casual. Pein noticed it, but said nothing about it. Soon, they reached a classy, two-storey restaurant and went in.

A waitress in black and white guided them to a table by a window on the second floor and, as they sat down, she lit the three candles on the table. She gave them the menus and left with a respectful bow.

As soon as she was gone, Konan moved swiftly and blew out the candles. To Pein's inquiring look, she answered, "I came here to talk, not for romance."

Pein shrugged. "Fair enough," he said. "Let's talk."

Konan waited, motioning with a swipe of her hand for him to continue.

"I want – am quite interested," he corrected himself, "in what is going on in that head of yours."

An eyebrow shot up. "I'm not sure I catch your drift," the girl replied.

Pein shook his head in clear frustration now. "What the hell are you thinking, Konan?" he demanded, minding to keep his voice low. "You killed a man. You could go to jail!"

"I don't see how any of this concerns you," Konan snapped, her eyes intense.

"Look harder," Pein hissed, "I happen to be involved. I saved you that night."

"And to think I almost forgot that," she said, her voice dripping with heavy sarcasm. "I know that. So? If you have a way I could pay you back in mind, let's hear it."

Pein stayed silent for a good while, composing himself. He could do this, he would not snap, he was strong enough - he kept repeating it all to himself non-stop. "Aren't you worried about yourself in the least?" he finally asked.

"Why should I be?" Konan replied lightly. "No witnesses, nothing to link me to him, no-one knows anything. What should I be afraid of?"

"What about me?"

Konan gave the guy a long, level look. "Are you suggesting that you might be a potential threat?" Her tone of voice was much sharper than before.

"I'm just surprised that you seem to regard me as completely innocuous." Pein managed to put on a slightly amused expression to enlighten the tense atmosphere. "Have I made such a bad impression?"

Konan gave a light chuckle that quieted as suddenly as it had started. "You wouldn't," she said tersely, ignoring the previous question.

"How do you know?" the guy countered.

"I know a little of what you would call - psychology," she said. "You do not want me as an enemy."

"Oh really?" Pein's tone was skeptical.

"Yes, really." Konan's reply was accompanied by a saccharine smile.

Pein's eyes narrowed and he was about to make a clever comeback when something else caught his attention. "Don't you think the waitress is taking a little too long?"

Konan crossed her arms over her chest and let out a mocking sound. "Impatient much? You're like Sasori."

"How do you-?" Pein cut himself off. "Never mind." He shook his head. "I'll be right back." He pushed the chair back and got up.

"Take your time. I gotta work on my comebacks," Konan quipped.

Pein rolled his eyes and walked away.

Konan let out a heavy sigh and turned her gaze towards the window. The city looked beautiful in the lights. Konan's thoughts started to wander. Was acting like this with Pein really the right thing to do? Was there any point in continuing with this plan of hers when so much had already changed?

A gaze on her. Konan realized it had been monitoring her for a while the second she noticed it and was appalled to have missed it before.

A quick glance around her told her something she should have noticed the moment they arrived - the place was nearly empty, save for four tables and at each table, there was at least one face Konan suspected to have seen before.

She tried to move slowly and casually, like she was unaware of things being amiss, but the moment her eyes locked with a man she recognized, she knew she had missed her chance.

Knowing she did not have a second to spare, she dived under the table, half a second before three bullets pierced the window next to her.

Konan reached out for two things hidden in her shoes - a gun and a knife. Aware of the fact that she hardly had a second for it, she bolted up, throwing the knife precisely at the man, hitting him dead on in the forehead, and used the bullets to eliminate the two men at the other side of the room that had also taken out their guns.

Konan had a plan. A plan to save herself. A plan that needed to be carried out right then.

But right before she could try it out, she felt something big collide against her, pushing her hard against the window at the speed of light and with the strength of a tank, breaking the window to sharp bits that cut her skin and throwing her outside.

Anticipating a free fall, the girl was caught off guard by a pair of strong arms wrapping around her as they landed on top of a parked car, setting off the alarm.

There was no time to talk. Both Pein and Konan jumped off the car roof and took off running towards the place they knew they had left the car.

"You will keep me safe, huh?!" Konan yelled at the guy as they ran, thanking her past self for having chosen these shoes for the night. "Is that what you said?!"

"You're alive, aren't you?!" Pein yelled back. "I don't see anything worth complaining about!"

"I told you not to bring me to the north!" Konan kept going. "I lost my favourite jacket!"

"She nearly got shot and all she's worried about are her clothes..." Pein muttered to himself. He then said loudly enough for Konan to hear also, "For your information, this isn't the north! We're in the west side of town!"

They reached the car and Pein whipped out the keys from his pocket in a nanosecond, unlocking the car. He yanked the door open and got in.

Konan followed suit.

"Really?" she asked, breathless, as Pein started the engine. "Because I recognized those guys. They're from the north. They belong-"

"-to a gang there - yeah, I know. They don't like me, either."

The black Porsche veered off at 100 miles per hour.


To be continued...