So here is Chapter 10. I haven't updated in a very long time and this chapter is why. Its terrible. The pacing is off and for the life of me I couldn't get it work right. I kept holding onto it trying to fix it. I realized that if I waited until I was satisfied then I wouldn't ever finish Imperfection. So here it is, flawed and insufficient for anything but moving the story forward. Stick with me anyway please. The rest of the story is already written so updates should be more regular.

This chapter is dedicated to the anonymous guest who left such a wonderful review asking me to not abandon the story. That review gave the motivation to finish the story so thank you!

This chapter has two P.O.V's. Some readers have had a hard time telling who is narrating them so for clarification the first is Konan and the second is Pein.

CHAPTER TEN: HER GOD AND HIS ANGEL

HIS ANGEL

I have worn many faces over the years. Donning whatever appearance is needed at the time. A face such as mine is rarely noticed, hidden and adjusted to whatever it needs to be to further our goals. His goals. That is why am I here is it not? To help him. He saved us both a long time ago. Pulled our aching, malnourished bodies out of that town. He found us shelter, food, a purpose. A reason to make our bodies get up and scavenge for anything edible. For years we followed him. I will do whatever I can to help our purpose. Without it, I am left wondering why we are even here.

There has been a traitor He says. Someone is selling out the officers of our organization. The rat needed to be found and taken care of. Get Itachi, he will know. He will understand.

The Uchiha is gifted, that is impossible to miss. Every mission he has completed to the letter, following up with a perfect report. He answers every summons without fail. Yet, I am wary of his plans, his motives. He cares nothing for our purpose. How could he? His vision is filled with the toy kept in its box. There is no room for anything else. Still, I go.

I have not visited Anbu Law before. I had no need. Uchiha has been responsible for handling all of Pein's legal matters. I had no reason to intervene. The building is rectangle, glass front with sandstone and pretty double red doors. Pulling the convertible up to one of the parking posts I turn off the engine, engaging the parking park.

My nails glint gold as I run them over my skirt, enjoying the feel of the satin against my hand. Life can be beautiful if we allow ourselves to see it. The skirt and blouse I wear—blue to match the sobriety of the occasion—is beautiful. The glass glinting in the afternoon sun is beautiful. The pavement, the sky, the people, ignorant and misguided; pure as only those truly ignorant can be, are beautiful.

My eyes catch the watch encircling my wrist. It is time. As I stand and lock the car I feel the eyes of those still in the parking lot follow me inside. With my hair, the same brilliant blue as my skirt, done up, complete with the flowers I craft, I suppose it is impossible to pass by unnoticed today. He does not care, I trust. Today is a special day after all and as such, it requires a special appearance. There is no need to hide behind a different face. Not today.

I am recognized the moment I enter the building. The man standing with a group of crying women is the one who catches my face, my flowers, and puts it together. How much he knows I can merely guess. Little, perhaps my status as a special guest, perhaps more. Itachi is such a difficult individual to read.

Either way, the man with the ill-kept silver hair gives me a nod before dismissing himself from the group. He begins down a hallway, my cue to follow. The click of my heels makes a pleasant noise as I am led to an immaculate room at the end. The law firm appears high class and kept to standards Pein would approve of. So very like the Uchiha.

"Itachi will be with you momentary," he informs me, calm and patient. He must know who I am.

I nod, my attention traveling around the room. It is a beautiful office. The light is free to splash in from high windows, mingling with all the books and paintings. A single red sofa takes center stage, positioned carefully to receive the most of the afternoon sun. My hands run along a crease in the arm, trailing along the creased fabric until it leads me to the cushion. I watch my hand imprint itself in the red fabric, watch the give. This is a not a sitting room. He spends time here among the books and paintings.

Who paints them I wonder? There are no signatures on any of them. Still, they are beautiful. Flawed, imperfect and beautiful.

"Konan."

My name pulls my attention away from the walls to the one who spoke it. He looks different than I am used to seeing him, armed in suede and technology like he is. Different yet the same. He can change his armor, leather instead of a terror instilling cloak, but he cannot rid himself of the danger. It hangs of his hair, styled to perfection. Off his lips set neutral and calm. It is ingrained in his movements. In the slow controlled steps, he takes toward me. The set of his shoulders, never relaxed always in control. Itachi can try but he will never escape who he is or what he represents.

He is standing in front of me now, one hand on the arm of the couch. His hand flexes against the worn leather as he speaks, his eyes betraying nothing of the tension in his body. "What may I do for you?"

"Pein wishes to speak with you concerning several sensitive matters."

He says nothing further, having regained the control momentary lost. His hands slide in his pockets, shoulders shifting back. "How urgent is his summons?"

"Immediate."

He knows why we have summoned him. Uchiha has never been willfully ignorant. I know little of the life he lived before he came to us—dried blood covering both him and his brother—but I doubt he was ever allowed the opportunity for innocence. Perhaps that is why he so closely covets the toy who knows nothing else.

"I understand." He gestures behind me toward the door leading back into the hallway. "After you."

His words bring a smile to my face. How much does he suspect? All of it? Or only that the sudden deaths of his compatriots have caught our attention. Either way I suppose, he will not go down without a fight. He must know that we too, will not be calmly lead to our death. We are not like the others.

He follows behind me, his steps controlled to my match the sharp click of my heels against the low carpet. The man who spoke to me earlier meets us at the lobby. Itachi pauses in our exit to speak shortly with him.

"Hatake, I am leaving the office now. Take control of my remaining appointments. You will find all necessary papers in my office." I watch him drop a pair of keys retrieved from his pocket early into the man's hand.

Hatake says little, nodding slowly, his lips pressed down in a frown. Something is not right. Uchiha does not give me a chance to speak my concerns. He has the the door to his firm open for me. Waiting for me to exit, his eyes a predators. They burrow into me as I walk through. He knows what is going to happen.

He outstrides me, reaching the car before I can reach it. Is this a race? No. Not a race, a show of bravado. He clicks the door open, holding it there. A gesture I was sure, designed to show me he was not afraid.

He hadn't looked afraid when he was brought to us, face ashen and pale—eyes flat rocks as he stared, ignoring the sinking boat behind him. He was soaked to the bone from the rain, the too-big trench coat proving insufficient for spring rain. His face was ashen, dried blood freckled across his fine features. He couldn't have been older than fourteen. I knew that yet as I stared at him, into the smooth dull black of his eyes I found myself unable to consider him a child.

I remember it vividly, the wave of awe that swept over me as he spoke, arms cradling his brother against his chest. He was beautiful and surreal—a true angel if I had ever met one. Pein thinks of me as the angel to my god yet I know better. I have seen a true angel. One that came in the mornings earliest hour, dressed in black and blood, cradling his heart in his arms.

Pein, for all his all knowing, does not understand this boy. Perhaps it is because for him, Pein has already lost important person. He has nothing to hold him down to reality, leaving him only with visions of the future.

My eyes flick over to Itachi. His expression is still the same blank gaze as it always has been. I remember thinking that night, watching him as I do now, that he is a very careful man. Careful and so full of fear he mistakes it for devotion. Someone such as him as no room for a vision created by my God. How could he? When his eyes have been taken up by another. He has room for nothing else.

My mind, occupied with thoughts of the past, wanders about as we finish our drive. Out of Akatsuki, I alone choose to travel by car. So many of our members distrust the automobile. A feeling I find hard to understand. It does what is requested of it, nothing more, nothing less. Why is there need for fear from something so easy to manipulate?

We live uptown pass the center shopping mall and the lake. He purchased the home soon after we became established in the city, choosing to keep up a proper appearance in society. The home is adequate, grand I suppose if one chose to count square footage. Built with white stucco, modern edges and big bay windows, our home sits above a natural forest.

The gravels kicks up around the car as we turn down the bend up the driveway to the home. Few members have seen where He lives. Only Uchiha and Sasori have visited it. The privilege is reserved for the oldest members, the few who have His trust.

A trust that appears to have been broken. Gods do not take lightly to betrayal.

I lead him up the steps of the home, directing openly the room just past the entrance. It is a large dinning hall, complete with lavish paintings and high back chairs. The table is set. Pein himself sits at one end. To His immediate left, a plate and utensil await Itachi. After Itachi has seated himself I join Pein on the right, opposite Itachi.

"What matter requires such urgent attention?"

He is polite, not lifting his fork until Pein have done so. Not eating until He brings the first bite to his mouth. Polite and cautious, two interwoven qualities.

"I am not sure you are aware but I have lost contact with Sasori."

I bring a bite to my lips, watching Pein do the same.

"How unfortunate." Itachi does not bother to stop eating after the response is given, the soft clicking of our utensils the only noise in the room.

"I believe he has fallen prey to an attack."

"Any leads?"

"In fact I do." Pein sets his knife down at the table. The soft placing of his fork echoed around the room, heightened and dramatized as his words send tension into the air. "I have summoned him here tonight."

Itachi smiles then, the smile I knew he must wear for clients. "You must be mistaken. I have done nothing to Sasori or Kisame."

Pein does not take another bite. He looks at him. I listen to the soft echoing tick of the grandfather clock. Does He believe Itachi? Surely not. The timing is far too perfect.

"I believe you."

I…had no expected this. I do not doubt my God but I do not understand him. An accusation would not have been brought about if we did not believe with full confidence that we were correct. Yet, Pein believes him. My God is never wrong.

"However," Pein sets his fork down atop the table. "I would like an explanation for their disappearance. Both have been under your watch when this has occurred. Do you know who is responsible?"

Itachi has not eaten anything more. His utensil sit forgotten across his plate. "I have leads on them."

"You understand Itachi, that a death or kidnapping of one of our own is held in deep regard. Whoever has done this needs to retrieve similar treatment."

Itachi still has not moved.

"I understand. What do you wish for me to do?"

"I would like their assassination carried out by your hand. It seems fitting, as their disappearance occurred on your watch. You said you had leads, did you not?"

When will he move? I know he wont take this. I must be ready if he wishes harm on Pein.

"I understand. Now, if you will excuse me," Itachi stands up. He has not drawn a weapon yet. Why not? I know he carries one on him. He will not take this.

Itachi bows once, then turns, his feet an timed bomb as they walk across the floor.

"Oh, and Itachi?"

Itachi turns his head backwards us.

"I want their heads. As proof."

My hands are sweating, my eyes sharp and focused as I watch Uchiha. This will be it. This will be the moment he attacks.

"I understand." Itachi bows again. He opens the door, shutting it getnly behind him.

I turned towards Pein. "Why would you believe him?"

"He spoke true. He has done nothing to either of them. He knows who has. Now, he must choose. Them, or us."

A soft whistling noise reaches my ears. With a start I jump up, running towards the door Itachi left from. The whistling is stronger here. I throw the doors open, running through them. Behind me the whistling reaches its max then falls silent. I turn around in time to see the room flare up in flame and smoke, the deafening sound of the bomb leaving my ears ringing.

Itachi. I knew he wasn't going down without a fight. I have to get to Pein before Itachi does. The body in the dining room, burning and blistering, is no longer connected to Pein. He has others, no doubt already acting on his wishes. His original, controlling the puppets, is vulnerable. He cannot move when connected. I need to protect him. I will not let anyone harm my God.

HER GOD

Five minuets from the bombs explosion and three of my bodies are dead. How the Uchiha knew where to find them I do not know. I have three left. I cannot afford to lose another. With a shudder I pull the primary connectors off my arm, ending all input received from the now dead body.

Death is unpleasant. I do not feel the complete physical sensations of the bodies under my control but enough of the sensory input is received for me to find injuries painful. Itachi will be on the move, hunting for my real body. I have told no one of the puppets I control with my nano-technology but he must know of them to so effiecntly kill each one off. He has been with me nearly ten years now. I would not be surprised if he knew how they were controlled as well.

His bullet is proof of his guilt. There is no question now. How unfortunate he has chosen to kill the others. I could have overlooked his questionable priorities if only he had not tried to cut the strings keeping him in line.

With new controls replacing the fried connectors I feel my senses begin to sync with those of another body. I am not sure I could handle another death. My body is buzzing, the muscles and joints aching with each thought, each movement. I must be careful.

I open my eyes to the white paneling of a closet. Once outside I have the gun in my hand ready as I force my legs into a run. I need time to be on my favor, not the Uchiha's. With a swift kick I knock down the double doors opening into the dining room. I have a gun drawn and steady in my hand, prepared to shot the moment I see him but after several paces I come to the conclusion he has disappeared. There are only two doors connected to this particular room. He must have left through the back door.

The interlocking chain of rooms Itachi must be in were designed and created for the very purpose it would now serve; a trial and execution. I am a God. Only Konan understood what this meant, what I had become. The officers of Akatsuki believed in our purpose, of dispelling the lie of peace and potential of mankind. However, did they see me as the God I am? I wanted to ensure that when the time for a trial came they would die believing I was.

The labyrinth is made entirely of mirrored walls. Structured and designed so when entered, they were impossible to escape. I had reserved a body in the back solely for such an occasion as this. As I connect to it, leaving the previous body in the hallway, I immediately begin scanning the computer screens displayed in front of me. They connect and display all of the labyrinth for me. I would find Itachi.

To my astonishment none of them show him. Where had he gone? Hidden? That wasn't a possibility, there were no angles my cameras could not see. I had made sure of that. It seemed I would have to spook him out from where ever he had managed to hide.

A gun ready, I open the door, careful to stick only my hand out at first. Inch by inch I exit the room. Ceiling high mirrors reflect my appearance back to me. The floor was mirrored as well making each glance, each slight adjustment of the head, a forced confrontation with oneself. Itachi was nowhere to be found. I do not understand it. One could not hide from the mirrors or the camera's.

A sudden noise to my left where the door leading to the dining room was, grabs my attention. I can not see the entrance from where I stand, being several turns away from it, but the sharp noise of fumbling metal easily reaches my ears. Of course. He did not manage to find a place to hide in the labyrinth. Rather, he chose to not enter the room at all. Fine, then we will let the trial commence another way. My hand rises to the left wall, slamming the button resting behind the mirror there.

Shards of glass break apart, several digging into my hand as the button presses itself into the wall. I do not wait for him to move, sliding open the mirrored door to resume my position behind the cameras.

Sure enough, Itachi stands in the doorway, gun poised and ready when the logs came spilling down from the ceiling. All were thick pieces covered with spikes and coated with poison, courtesy of the late Sasori. Itachi is fast. He rushes to the left, dropping into a tight roll as the barrels spill down, missing him by inches.

Bolting up from his position on the floor he sprints down the corridor, turning left and right then finally left again to stand precisely in front of the door I stood behind of. Years ago I destroyed the only two blue prints of my home. How could Itachi know where I was? The frustration eats at me, leaving my nerves on edge. A god knew everything. This—this uneasy, was most unbecoming. I need to mislead him.

"You cannot escape Itachi. This time, you calculated wrong." My voice drifts to us from somewhere down the next corridor, sent through one of the speakers lining the ceiling.

Itachi's reply to my question is not in words but bullets—the small iron pieces shooting through mirror and sheet rock both to implant itself in a computer screen mere centimeters from my shoulder. How he was able to determine my positon, the projectile difference shooting through the wall would cause, leaves me saddened. Such potential wasted. It is unfortunate that one such as he has strayed from the path set before him. He is perfect in all that he, a mortal, could be.

Moving several feet to the right I prepare myself for his next assault. "Is he worth it?" I question softly, trusting the construction of the room to carry my voice to him. This is still a trial. I intend to make Itachi think of his actions. If I move or attack in response, he will know for certain the control room is here. My best bet is still drawing him away.

Again my commentary is met with bullets, this time larger and far more explosive, creating an inch-wide hole the mirrored wall in front of me as they whizz by. Where had he found the weapon? I had been sure he would only carry two, not three, guns. Another shot from that gun and he will be able to see into the room.

"Do you wish to see him safe and protected? Is that why you killed your fellow members? Does he mean that much to you Itachi?"

I restrain my surprise as door is kicked open, Itachi suddenly in front of me, small barrel gun pointed at my forehead. His eyes are hard, chiseled stone in his head as he stares me. "Of course he does." The bullet is let loose, impact sending one of my doubles falling sideways.

He does not pause in his movements, turning immediately to the left, headed I was sure, out of the door he entered the labyrinth from. Itachi missed, I am still alive. The body I was currently in had blood seeping out from the deep wound in my head. It would die as the others had yet it was still alive right now, not imminently killed as the others had been. I can still enter another.

I need to switch yet I couldn't get my mind to move past the perplexing irregularity. Itachi missed. Why? What is causing him such inner conflict to make him miss? I only voiced a handful of questions, none of which were expected to jar him. Make him questions himself hopefully but alter his composure enough to miss? Something else was at play.

Ignoring the pain and shaking tremors of my body I force another, last, connection to a body waiting in one of the hidden closest next to the front door. After opening the closet door, I bring my fingers to my mouth, whistling loudly. There is only one way out of the house, all windows and doors being sealed shut by the security system. Itachi will have leave from here. If my estimate is correct, he will reach here approximately the same time my hounds do.

My prediction proves true as the pounding of large paws hit the tiled floor, fills the room, intermingling with the sound of heavy, human, pants. Itachi stands at the top of the staircase, a gun in each hand. Itachi is still for only a moment before his eye catches mine. His hair, nearly free from the confines of the tie, is bellowing around him. His breath is coming out in deep inhales, his clothes torn where the blades hidden in Konan's origami had made fleeting contact. The cuts are small but they still bleed. They still drain him of much needed energy. This will be our last confrontation.

The hand in my pocket reaches forward, grabbing the remote kept there. There is only one button and as I press it, I cannot keep the anxiousness creeping into me, away. With a loud bang two panels on the wall behind Itachi spring open, allowing the hounds access to their prey. They are large and brown from ear tip to tail, trained to kill and fight until death.

Uchiha has time to shoot one before the other three make it to him. Where he pulls the knife out from, I do not know but it there in his hand, slashing and cutting with expertise at the dogs that dive at him. Two more go down before I have gun at my waist drawn and firing.

The bullets fly through the air, off target, hitting somewhere above Itachi's head. I am no marksmen, relying on the beasts at my command over a gun. The last dog dies but not before he gets Itachi in the leg, ripping muscle and hopefully an artery. I am too far way to tell for certain. The Uchiha, face tight and thin as he endures the pain is the last I see before this body too, is shot in the head.

My body, the one I was born with, throbbing in agony, as the pain receptors send electric shock after electric shock into my body. I am able to tug them off violently before collapsing. I had not anticipated losing so many of my bodies. Or Konan. I had not had time to check on her yet. Using what energy remained I pull myself up onto the large walled keyboard in front of me. A few clicks then the dining room camera flickers to life on the screen. Laying with arms to either side of her head, face pale and ashen is Konan.

When had she died? I had not seen her confrontation with Uchiha. She had been well, leaving the dining room before I? He must have gotten to her during one of my body shifts. She had tried to move, a mess of blood trailing out several feet behind. Her mechanical cranes have all fallen, resting as if funeral flowers atop her chest. She is dead. My angel has died. The hollowness that fills me leaves my body numb and still. I am a god. I have no weakness I am above love and emotions. I am perfect.

So why does it hurt so much?

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