*CHAPTER 25 REWRITTEN* Okay, I've heard you all loud and clear. After rereading it, I had to agree that the original end of this chapter did suck right out loud. Hopefully this is a better end (well, cliffhanger) to this chapter than before.
Reiki tried not to stare at their lovely guest who was dressed in a royal blue silk kimono that clung to her every curve, dared to burst open with every breath, and rode all the way up to her mid-thigh when she sat down. What rack in the dress shop had that little getup been hanging on? The only rack than anyone could concentrate on at the moment, including Reiki, was the one of the half-dressed woman sitting in front of her.
Naruto and Killer B could barely eat they were so distracted by the woman. Strategically reaching across her husband to grab the salt, Reiki accidentally - on purpose - punched him in the nose on her way back across with the shaker. Feigning surprise and upset at the blood gushing from his nose, she flung the glass salt shaker at B to hit him right between the eyes. As both men writhed and whined, she politely excused herself, dragging her husband by the ear to the kitchen with her under the guise of getting him an ice pack.
"Honey! What the hell was that?" Naruto hissed, staring up at the ceiling and nearly choking on the blood running down his throat.
"Sorry I ruined your view," she grumbled squeezing the bridge of his nose between her thumb and forefinger.
"OW! DAMMIT!" he yelled, pulling out of her grip to hold his throbbing bloody nose.
"It's not broken. Be still you big baby and I'll heal it," she told him, holding his nose more delicately this time. She stared into his big blue eyes that she loved so much while she stemmed the bleeding and took away the pain. Her chakra and healing powers were back to full strength and maybe even better than ever.
"I can't help but stare. They're just..." he trailed off to look down at her breasts that were pressed against his chest. His hands moved up to them to give them a gentle squeeze as he added, "Right there."
Reiki jerked out of his grip and turned her back to him. "Yeah, well, you can't touch these because you were too busy staring at those."
"Oh, Kami, I'm a man, honey, give me a break. I can't help but stare at something like that. It's like putting a steak in front of a dog and telling him he can't eat. I have to look," he said, putting his arms around her waist and kissing her on the back of her neck. "You should know that since your Father is the ultimate voyeur."
"Yeah, well, even so...if you dare to eat anything like that you'll be a dead dog," she pouted, struggling to get out of his grip when he started laughing at her. He was really making her angry and hurting her feelings.
"Stop it," he admonished her, turning her to face him. If she was going to act like a child, he was going to treat her like one. Pulling her against him, he slapped her playfully on the behind.
"Naruto! We have guests!" she chided him, trying to pull out of his bear hug.
"Later we won't. Then you're in trouble, my dear. I plan to give you what you deserve," he whispered, licking her from her shoulder to her earlobe. He felt her quiver in his arms and she moaned lightly which made him want to tell their guests they had to get the hell out of the house - NOW. Popping her on the behind again, he let her go and pushed her out of the kitchen into the dining room.
Reiki smiled at the puzzled Konan. She noticed Killer B had a newly formed lump on his forehead from the salt shaker projectile. As they continued to stare at her questioningly, her face turned as red as her modest floor length kimono that had been specially made for her with extra material around her breasts to keep them covered. If Konan had only bought a kimono that was actually her size and not one for a ten year old child, she would have been covered quite nicely as well.
"If you've finished your dinner, we - " she paused after her voice rose sharply when Naruto's hand plastered itself to her ass cheek.
Maybe she should bring fetching women around more often to get him excited. He had not been like this since before Nariko's birth. As long as it was her he made scream, why should she care what gets him all hot and bothered? Clearing her throat, she suggested they go to the living room for dessert. She could barely wait until later to have hers. Biting her lower lip, she held back a screech when he pinched her behind. Once their guests cleared the dining room, she seized her husband by his black t-shirt and crushed her mouth to his.
"I'll be getting the children ready for bed while you take care of our guests. Your ass is mine later," she warned, giving him a sound slap on the rear before walking away to retrieve the children from their chairs.
"Oh, Mama," he breathed, watching her walk away with a child in each arm. "That's a mother I love to fu-"
"Naruto!" Killer B yelled next to his ear.
"Dammit, man!" he hollered back, shoving the hysterically laughing man out of his face. He never in his life thought he would find a grown up as annoying as he was at twelve years old.
"Me and the lady are going to cut out of here to give you two some time alone. I'm taking her to the bar. See ya later, Blondie," he said, slapping Naruto on the ass.
"Hey!" he bellowed, feeling as if he had been violated. "That's just...wrong!"
"Whatever lover boy. Enjoy your wife," B told him, slamming the door behind them to signal their departure.
"I plan to," he mumbled under his breath.
Naruto decided the bedtime routine could be handled quicker and easier if he helped out. Opening the door to the bathroom, he was surprised to see his wife standing at the sink naked from the waist up with Kitsune splashing away happily in the sink in front of her.
"What are you doing in here?" she asked, getting a good soaking from their son. "What about - "
"They're gone," he answered, moving closer to her. Glancing over at their daughter in the tub splashing and playing in the water also, he thought better of touching Reiki in front the children.
"Gone? What do you mean gone? What did you do?" Reiki inquired, her amber colored eyes narrowing with a suspicious glare at her husband in the mirror.
"I didn't do anything!" he responded hotly, putting his hands on his hips as he stared at her in the reflective glass. Seeing his son leaning toward her breast with fangs bared, he tried to warn her . "Hey, Kitsune's about to - "
"OW!" she shrieked when he bit her on the nipple. "You little beast!"
"That looked painful. Is he hungry?" he asked, watching his wife rub the tender spot. "Can I do that?"
"NO!" she cried out, meeting his gaze in the mirror. "Well, maybe later."
"Daddy!" Nariko shrieked from the bathtub to get his attention.
"What, baby?" he inquired, bursting into a gale of laughter when he saw his daughter in the tub with rubber ducks suctioned to her chest.
"Will I have big boobs like Mommy some day?" she asked innocently, staring down at the ducks.
"Okay, I'm leaving," he muttered, turning on his foot to exit the room. Not only was he slowing things down, he was about to have to answer questions he did not even want to hear or think about. "You and Temari need to be more careful what you say around her. She has big ears and an even bigger mouth. If she's anything like her red headed grandmother, we're doomed!"
Naruto stayed in the bedroom waiting for his wife while bathtime was being finished. After the odd minute long conversations he had with the women in his life, he was afraid to go back in there. Thank Kami he had Kitsune to be on his side. Although it was two to two gender wise in the household, he still knew they were sorely outnumbered and outwitted by the women. And he and Kitsune were supposed to be the cunning and clever foxes...go figure. Brute strength could never win over emotional blackmail like tears and discussions of strictly female matters that would make any man run from the room. Getting restless and wondering what was taking so long, he got up to go to Nariko's room. Carefully opening the door, he saw his wife and mother of his children sitting on the bed reading their daughter a story while his son had his last feeding before bed. 'Lucky little kit,' he thought to himself with a smile. Leaning against the door frame, he watched them while an ache formed so deep within his heart it hurt. If anything ever happened to them...
"Don't worry, Naruto. I'll help you protect them. That child is as much yours as he is mine. I still plan to have your daughter as my next container," the old fox demon spoke to him from somewhere long forgotten in his consciousness.
"I already know all that. Go away, I don't want to hear from you tonight," he told the demon from that same place within.
"I know the thoughts you were having about that woman. Don't do something stupid that you'll all regret," Kurama warned.
"I'd never do that. Shut up, damn Fox," he growled out loud.
"Naruto?" Reiki called to him. She smiled when he opened the door all the way and walked into the room. "Can you put our little kit to bed?"
"Of course," he replied, leaning over his sleeping daughter to take hold of their son who was dropping off to sleep after getting his belly full.
"Naruto, I love you," she whispered, kissing his lips briefly as he took the baby from her arms.
Damn! Had he really been that obvious with his leering? Thinking back to his wife's violent objection to his behavior, apparently he had. It wasn't his fault Konan had put everything on display for anyone to see. How can a man not look when it's right there? It's just not fair. He had even caught his wife staring at the woman which had been strangely exciting. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he lowered his sleeping son into the crib. He returned to his bedroom to find his wife naked and waiting for him on the bed.
"I should put Kitsune to bed more often if this is the thanks I get," he said, stripping off his clothes to join on her on the bed.
"Maybe so," she whispered, pulling his lips to hers after he lay down beside her.
After sharing a sweet kiss, Naruto took the time to study her body. His hands and eyes drifted over softer, rounder curves that he found incredibly enticing. Gliding his hand over her silky skin and her ample hip, he pulled her against him to show her how much he approved of her body. His member twitched when her eyes fluttered closed and she gasped his name.
Reiki pressed her lips to his throat, feeling his artery pulsing beneath her lips. Her fingers roamed over his tanned skin and explored every inch of his hard muscled chest. She felt him begin to tremble and his member moved between her legs when her fingers grazed over his abdominal muscles. Going lower, she grasped him with her hand and stroked him until he moaned her name. It was her turn to moan when he shifted and brought his lips to her breast, tracing the areola with kisses before licking over the nipple with his warm wet tongue.
"Naruto," she gasped, burying the fingers of her other hand in his thick blond spikes. She bit her lip and tugged on his hair when his soft full lips enclosed the rigid nipple.
Naruto pushed her onto her back and slid into her in one smooth movement. He held her chin with one hand while he kissed her slowly and tenderly to match the gentle, languid movements of his hips. He wanted her to enjoy this as much as he planned to enjoy it. Feeling her hands grasping his behind while pulling him tightly against her, he opened his eyes to look down at her.
"Naruto, please, just take me as you want to. Don't hold back," she urged him, digging her fingernails into his skin.
"Reiki, I - " He could not speak as her fingernails pierced the tender skin of his ass and she raised her hips into him taking him so deeply he felt resistance against the head.
Reiki gasped as a bolt of slight pain mixed with a lot of pleasure shot through her body from him hitting her womb. She backed him out a little, grinding her pelvis into his. The movement caused a fabulous friction that made her grit her teeth to keep from crying out. She opened her eyes to look at him when he jerked his hips to begin moving in and out of her slowly.
"Oh, that's it," she groaned, sliding her hands up his back. Her body was assaulted with pure bliss when he began thrust into her with short, fast strokes.
"I can't last long like this. It feels too good," he warned her, pushing the hair out of her face to look at her. Her eyes had that dreamy, satisfied look and she had not even had orgasm yet, but she must be close.
"Just do it, please," she begged, punctuating her plea with a stunted, sharp cry of pleasure. Refocusing her eyes on him, she told him, "I won't last long either."
That was all he needed to send him into a convulsive fit of ecstasy as he released into her with a muffled yell that he tried to hold back. Thankfully she had been on the precipice as well and his spastic movements gave her the push she needed to have a mind-blowing climax. Naruto kissed every inch of her face unsure if the salt he tasted on his lips was from sweat or tears. Licking his lips before he pressed a kiss to her mouth, he held her shaking body in his arms and kissed her until she stilled.
"There's no one I'll ever want but you. I swear it," he whispered in her ear as he lay beside her without relinquishing her from his arms.
Reiki nuzzled his cheek and embraced him briefly before pressing her body into his to draw some of the warmth radiating from him. She fell asleep in his arms, feeling safe and secure while he watched her sleep.
~\..'../~
"You let her into your house! Near your husband?" Temari bellowed as soon as Reiki walked into the room.
They were meeting to have lunch but suddenly she lost her appetite. They were far too concerned and unbelievably mistrustful of the blue haired woman.
"How could you invite her to dinner?" Shizune inquired with an expression of disapproval on her face.
"You gossipy bunch of old cows!" Reiki yelled at her friends who stood around her in a tight circle.
Then the question and answer session began in earnest. What's she like? Why is she here? When is she leaving? Did she touch Naruto? And on and on the questions went.
"She's really very nice. I'm meeting her this afternoon for a little shopping then we're going out to dinner. Would anyone like to come along?" she asked, glancing expectantly from face to face.
The hemming and hawing began and then the excuses as to why they could not go were given by each woman in turn. Glaring at Sakura and Ino who were busy having their own private gossip session in back, Reiki caustically muttered, "I guess some things never change."
~...~
Reiki was disappointed in the women she called friends. However, that niggling feeling that there was something wrong came back to her. Contemplating if they sensed something she was ignoring, she rubbed the back of her neck as that odd tingling sensation started again. Putting aside her misgivings and attributing them to jealousy on the part of the others, she went to the hotel. Upon finding Konan's room on the third floor, she knocked and waited patiently for an answer. She was just about to knock again when the door cracked opened before opening wide to reveal Konan standing there dripping wet with a towel around her.
"Am I early? I can come back later when you're ready," Reiki offered, feeling a little awkward as the half-naked stranger stood in front of her. She was not unaccustomed to being around women of various states of undress since she and her friends spent a lot of time at the hot springs but being around a woman she hardly knew, alone with her in her hotel room in this state, was a little unsettling.
"It's my fault. I woke up late from a nap. Give me just a minute. You can come in if you want so you don't have to wait in the hall," Konan said with a pleasant smile, turning to go back into the bathroom to finish dressing.
"Okay, thanks," Reiki returned, walking inside the room. She would have felt a little ridiculous waiting in the hall. Sitting down in the chair beside the window, she looked down at the street below to watch the villagers pass by. Her mind was busy plotting out the best order in which to visit her favorite shops to pass the time while she waited. She felt something tugging on her hair, and she jumped to her feet when one of her braids was pulled so hard it hurt.
"Oh, I'm sorry," the other woman apologized, holding something in her hand behind her back.
"What are you doing?" she asked, her eyes narrowing with suspicion when Konan's hand remained behind her back.
"I made something for you," the blue haired woman announced, bringing her hand forward. There were two long needle like structures held between her fingers but there was something else hidden in her cupped palm. Opening her hand, she revealed the large blue paper flower in her hand that matched the one in her hair. "I was going to redo your hair and put this in there. I suppose I should have warned you."
"It's lovely and yes," she murmured, keeping a watchful eye on the long metal instruments in the woman's hand. "A warning would have been nice."
"Can I?" she asked, moving toward Reiki who backed away instinctively. "I just want to thank you for being so kind to me."
"Can I hold those?" Reiki inquired, reaching for the objects that looked capable of being used to commit evil deeds.
"Sure. Just hand them to me when I need them. Hold this too, please." She handed the flower to her new friend, allowing her fingers to linger over the other woman's as she slowly pulled away.
Reiki's eyes flew to hers, surprised to see a warm smile on the unemotional woman's face. She could not help but notice the exotic beauty was quite enchanting when she smiled. Breathing a sigh of relief as her hand wrapped around the metal hair ornaments, she sat down in the chair. She closed her eyes as the woman untied her braids and loosened them before brushing through her long platinum blond locks. Her body relaxed, and she grew drowsy the more Konan worked with her hair. It reminded her of when her mother would do that when she was a little girl. Her skin prickled and her pulse raced from the gentle pressure of the woman's fingers sliding up the back of her neck before they trailed down the sides of her neck and down to her shoulder. She was still not sure what to think of Konan as she stared down at the sharp metal objects in her hand.
"Can you hand me one of those?" she asked, patting Reiki's shoulder.
Reiki handed back one of the metal rods. She held her breath as she waited for what was coming next. This would be the moment of truth. The woman could easily stab her through the neck if she so desired. It would hurt like hell, but Reiki doubted it would be lethal since she could heal herself. Her scalp stung when her hair was pulled slightly as the needle like piece was pushed into her hair to secure it in the ornate bun Konan had twisted it into. She bit her lower lip as she handed her the next rod and then the flower. A smidgen of guilt crept over her for being so mistrustful and slightly paranoid.
"There. You're done," the impromptu hair stylist declared, smoothing her fingers over Reiki's hair one last time. "Want to see what it looks like?"
Reiki stood up, surprised to come nose to nose with her new companion. She swallowed hard when her golden eyes met the woman's piercing gray ones. What was going on here? Why had Konan felt it necessary to move so swiftly and be so damn close? She gasped when she was taken by the shoulders and pushed backward to the mirror hanging on the wall. Still trying to understand what was happening, too shocked to resist being manhandled by the woman in front of her, she allowed her chin to be pushed to the side so she could look over her shoulder to view her new hairstyle.
"What do you think?" Konan queried, purposely standing a little too closely to the blonde she knew she was overwhelming to say the least.
"It-it's lovely," she gasped, trying to ignore the woman's warm breath on her cheek and neck. How close of friends did she want to be? Whatever it might be, it seemed to be going a bit far.
"Yes, it is," she whispered, dragging the back of her fingers along her pretty new friend's cheek.
"Konan, I'm not - " Reiki began tentatively, slowly turning her face to look at the woman whose hand was now resting comfortably on her waist.
"Are you ready to go shopping?" Konan inquired to cut her off, moving away reluctantly.
~...~
She wanted to wait to see how the other woman responded before she pushed her too far and frightened her away completely. It had become quite apparent to her last night how dedicated and completely in love Reiki Uzumaki was with her husband. She was the only female in this forsaken village who had taken the time to be friendly to her. Pain would be angry if he knew she liked this woman. She could not bear to break Reiki's heart by seducing Naruto. So what about breaking his by seducing his wife? It was definitely not the plan Pain had laid out for her, but he was not here. Looking at the big breasted platinum blonde, she could honestly say she was enthralled with the idea of seducing her and her curiosity had been aroused in way she never imagined. This was going to be the most interesting challenge she had taken on in quite a while.
Reiki would swear the woman was flirting with her as they sat in the restaurant waiting for their food. The demure little glimpses, the soft touches on her hand as they talked. If she weren't so tired, she might be a bit more cautious around the stranger. Her feet ached and her arms were sore from carrying the many bags of items ranging from clothes to dishes. She was afraid she had created a monster because the woman had developed a wild-eyed obsession with the power of buying causing her to start purchasing nearly everything in any store they went into. What could the woman possibly do for a living that she could afford so much?
"Konan, are you married?" Reiki inquired casually, sipping her water.
"I have a long time boyfriend. No plans of marriage though," she answered truthfully. Although she was sure Pain loved her in his own special way, she knew he would never ask her to marry him.
Reiki somehow resisted the urge to let out a huge sigh of relief. Apparently she was reading more into the woman's gestures than was really there. If she had a boyfriend and they had been together a while, surely she was not interested in her - in a romantic sense.
"So what kind of work do you do?" she asked, tracing the rim of her glass with her finger.
"I'm an assass - uh, assistant to a consultant. We help people make life changing decisions," the blue haired woman replied mysteriously, finishing off her cup of sake. 'Yeah, as in changing them from being alive to dead,' she thought to herself, signaling the waiter for another tokkuri of sake. For some reason, she was finding it difficult to lie to this woman but she could not tell her the truth either. A little creative word play would have to be employed to skim the truth. Sighing deeply, she pondered what could be happening to her. Too much sake perhaps.
"Sounds like pretty serious and dangerous work," Reiki said, toying with ice cubes in the glass. Why was she acting like a shy girl on a date? A date! Not only was she married she was with another woman for Kami's sake.
"Oh, it is. Some days can be just killer," she returned, bringing the cup to her lips before she laughed at her own inside joke with herself. It must be the sake making her feel and act so weirdly.
Their conversation continued in awkward starts and stops. Sometimes they would reach a pause that did not seem to have an end when one of them would come up with a question or comment to break it. Finally the food arrived and the conversation stopped entirely as they stuffed their faces. After eating, they returned to Konan's hotel room.
"So when can I see you again?" the woman asked, covering her mouth to hide her smile when the blonde's back stiffened so abruptly she was suddenly taller.
This was sounding more like a damn date all the time. Turning to look at the other woman, Reiki chewed nervously on her lower lip trying to figure out how to handle this.
"Reiki, please, I need a friend. I'll be stuck here for several more weeks and I can't bear the thought of being alone. Having to endure the stares, the laughing, the gossiping about me..." she sniffed, allowing big crocodile tears to fall to pull on the woman's heartstrings. A bizarre feeling washed over her briefly. 'Was this what guilt felt like?' she wondered as she continued her fake fit of sorrow and watched Reiki's face dissolve into kind sympathy.
Reiki stepped forward, putting her arms around Konan's shaking shoulders. She resisted the impulse to pull away when the other woman's arms moved around her waist. The sad woman just needed someone to comfort her that's all. Besides, she knew exactly how bad it felt to be treated like a pariah in a strange place with no one to talk to. There had been her father but he had been too busy chasing sake and pretty women wherever they went. She doubted he would have been very understanding anyway.
"I've got to go home but I'll come back to see you tomorrow. Okay?" She ran her fingers through the long blue bangs to move them away from Konan's teary eyes. Her mothering instincts took over, and she wiped away the tears with her fingers before kissing her on the forehead.
"Thank you. You really are the kindest person I've ever met," Konan said, sincerely meaning it.
~...~
"What's with your hair?" Naruto asked as he looked at her. He reached out to touch it, tracing a petal of the fragile paper flower in her hair. It looked like the one Konan wore in her hair.
"Konan did it for me. Do you like it?" she inquired, turning to face him. "I'm going to see her tomorrow."
"So are you dating her now?" he queried, highly entertained by the thought and her reaction. He brushed his fingertips over her warm, dark pink cheek then lowered his lips to hers.
Reiki did not even bother to dignify that question with a response. He had never asked her such a stupid thing when she said that about any of her other friends. She ended the kiss by pulling away and turning her back to him.
"She just needs a friend. I know how she feels right now. That's all. Don't be such a pervert," she admonished him like he was one of the children. Turning back to face him, she pressed her hands against his chest, feeling his pectorals twitch beneath her hands. "Besides, you're the only one I want like that."
"Yeah. But if you did want to date her, I wouldn't mind. I would be upset if I didn't get to see your first kiss though," he teased, receiving a punch in the gut. It was a good thing it was a soft, half-hearted punch that only flung him against the wall instead of through it. Between her and Kitsune causing damage, every wall of the house had been replaced at least once.
"That's enough of that," she stated with finality to dash any hopes of him thinking some of his fondest wet dreams would come true. Looking into the mirror hanging on their bedroom wall, she admired the new hairstyle once more. She decided she would wear her hair like this for a while. At least while Konan was still in the village.
~\..'../~
A month later...
Konan was sitting by the stream where she first met Reiki. Her friend would be arriving soon. Friend. She had never really had one of those before as far as female ones go. There had always been Yahiko and Nagato. A sad smile crossed her face when she thought of them. They were both dead: Yahiko in the literal sense and Nagato in the figurative sense. Nagato had died emotionally after Yahiko's death. He sometimes used Yahiko's body to come to her, to make love to her. The thought made her shiver. She had come here early to think but not about them. Somehow she had gotten very confused and lost focus of her goal. She no longer desired to have any part of doing anything to hurt the woman she had come to actually care about. Especially not kidnapping her son. But how could she betray Pain and not complete her mission? Had she become a traitor by feeling something for the family she had come here to destroy? After splashing some of the cold water from the stream on her face as if to bring herself to her senses, she stared into the crystal blue water. Another reflection joined hers on the slightly rippling surface of the flowing stream.
"I was wondering when you would show up," she said to Pain who stood above her.
"Why are you still here? You were supposed to take the child and return over a week ago," he told her as if she did not already know.
"I won't do it," she whispered, fighting back the tears. She could not allow them to fall. She could not let him know she had developed emotions much less had feelings for the people he hated.
"What did you say?" He gently stroked her hair waiting for her to repeat her words although he had heard her perfectly the first time.
"I won't do it, Nagato," she stated stubbornly, using his real name. She was the only one allowed to do so. Her lips pressed together to hold in the cry of pain when he pulled her to her feet by her hair.
"You will do it, Konan," he commanded her, his voice calm and low as he held her against him while still pulling her hair. "If you don't, I'll gut Naruto right in front of his beautiful wife. Then I'll do the same thing to her in front of you."
"You can't," she gasped in horror betraying her feelings.
"Oh, so I'm right," he murmured, pulling her hair until she grunted in extreme discomfort but refused to cry out still. "How did they turn you? With their touchy, feely, 'can't we all just be friends' bullshit? I never would have guessed that would work on you."
"No. It's not like that. I - " She gritted her teeth when her snatched her head backwards, arching her neck at a painful angle. He was furious with her, and she knew it because he had never hurt her before. He had always protected her from harm, not been the cause of it.
"It's exactly like that, Konan. Take the child and complete the mission I gave you or you will be branded as a traitor. Do you understand?" he asked, releasing her.
Konan fell forward onto her hands and knees. Remaining in a kneeling position, she massaged her sore neck. Turning her head to glare at him, she realized she had never noticed just how cold and unfeeling he could truly be because she had been the same way.
"Do you understand?" he repeated, leaning down to be closer to her face.
"Yes. I understand," she replied, wanting to spit in his lavender, bulls-eye Rinnegan eyes.
Giving her a cruel smile, he issued one last threat. "Take the child or I will kill the parents. Then Kitsune truly will be his father's son...an orphan, just like Naruto."
Konan pressed her lips together and dug her fingernails into the soft earth by her knees. She was not so sure he would not kill them anyway just for the fun of it. She did not want this to happen, but what could she do to stop it? These feelings of helplessness and weakness were quite disturbing. Not feeling anything was so much easier than all of this.
"Konan?"
Konan's head snapped upwards to see Reiki kneeling in front of her. She sat up, throwing arms around the woman's neck. Pain had disappeared as swiftly and soundlessly as he had appeared, and it was just the two of them. She placed her hand against the woman's cheek while staring into her golden eyes.
"What is it? Why are you crying?" Reiki asked, wiping away a large tear with her thumb that rolled down Konan's cheek.
"I was thinking about my boyfriend. I miss him," she lied. She could not miss him since he was right here, and did not miss him at all after their interaction virtually seconds ago.
Reiki studied the woman in front of her. Deep within her gray eyes there was a fear and anguish she did not understand. What happened? What had she really been thinking about? Her cry of surprise was stifled into a squeak of shock when Konan's lips pressed against hers.
"Konan! What the hell..."
"I love you. You've been a great friend. Forgive me," the woman sobbed, pulling the needle like structures from her friend's hair.
Reiki could only gaze at the woman in confusion as the flower fell from her loosed hair to the ground. She yelled out in pain as the objects were thrust into her neck causing a stinging sensation that felt like that of a thousand scorpions. Her vision blurred and her head felt heavy and like it was stuffed with cotton. She found it difficult to breathe and even harder to think as the blue haired woman wavered and went fuzzy in her line vision.
"What did you do to me? Why?"
"It's only a sedative poison. You'll go to sleep and wake up with a hell of a headache but you won't die. I'm here to take your son. My boyfriend's name is Pain. I'm so sorry," she apologized again, catching the woman as she fell forward on her way to losing consciousness. She sat back on her behind to hold her friend until she feel asleep. This was killing her inside and she wished she had never learned to feel anything at all emotionally.
"How...how could you do this to me? Not my baby, please..." she begged, looking into Konan's gray eyes that were filling with tears.
"I have to. I have no choice." She kissed Reiki on the forehead while remorse threatened to crush her under its stifling weight. She had underestimated how much poison it would take to put this woman out. Any other person would have been unconscious soon after the needle had been inserted. It had been excessively cruel to make the woman wear the instruments that would be her final undoing, but it had been a matter of convenience so they would be readily available when needed. Her eyes moved to Pain after he appeared in the clearing from his hiding place. She should have known he was still lurking about. Ignoring his furious glower, she rocked the woman in her arms more to comfort herself than anything.
"You did a fine job, my love," Pain complimented, running his fingers through her hair. He was truly disappointed in Konan that she had let down her guard and allowed them to get to her emotionally. It had almost caused his perfect plan to awry. "Take her to the hideout."
"But Nagato, that wasn't part of the plan," she protested, hearing Reiki make a whimpering sound since she could not talk anymore. The paralytic element of the poison had gone into effect.
"Plans change, Konan," he growled at her, bending down to inspect the blonde woman in her arms. His fingertips traced the contour of her cheek and jaw while he stared into her unfocused amber eyes. "She's quite pretty. I would hate to destroy that beauty."
"Leave her to me," she said, holding her protectively as Hidan and Kakuzu stepped into view.
"No. I don't trust you anymore since you're using your emotions again. Give her to them. You come with me." He held her by the collar of her shirt while Hidan pulled the unconscious Reiki from her arms.
"Don't hurt her or I'll..." Konan warned Hidan with a threatening tone as he stared at the woman in his arms with a salacious leer. She had stopped talking when Pain's eyes fastened on her face and affixed her with such a penetrating glare she could feel it.
"Oh? And you'll do what?" Hidan challenged, baring his teeth in a wide grin. Too stupid to back down from a serious threat, he allowed his fingers to graze the sleeping woman's breast as he held her in his arms.
Konan calmly picked up the paper flower from the ground. With a few folds, she transformed it into a hard as steel and frightfully sharp shuriken. She flung it, burying it in Hidan's forehead. It was not enough to kill him but it would hurt for quite a while. It would also serve as a reminder as to what she would do to him.
"Hurt her in any way and my target will be a bit lower next time," she threatened, smiling as he swallowed convulsively from the thought of his manhood receiving that kind of damage.
Hidan's deep purple eyes blinked in astonishment as the blood oozed from his wound and ran down into his eyes. He could not believe she actually dared to threaten him.
"Come on. Let's go," Kakuzu said, although he was thoroughly enjoying the embarrassment of his partner.
"We should get going as well. We have a half human, half tailed beast to retrieve," Pain announced, taking Konan by the arm.
Konan gave Reiki one last apologetic look as Hidan and Kakuzu walked away with her. Swinging her gaze back to Pain, she tried to keep her expression neutral and free of emotion.
"Are you coming?" He raised an eyebrow and jerked her forward by the arm.
"Do I have a choice?"Despite knowing the answer, she glared at him contemptuously.
"No. You will complete this mission."
~...~
Konan knew there was no choice at all now. She would have to take Kitsune in order to protect the whole family.
"Konan, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked after opening the front door. Apprehension made every muscle in his body tighten when he did not see his wife with her.
"She's not here. She's been taken," she told him, watching the pupil of his eye begin to elongate as a blood-red color seeped in to overtake the blue of the iris.
"What did you do?" he demanded, grabbing her by the throat.
Konan coughed and struggled as he squeezed, the razor-sharp claws on his fingers sinking into the delicate skin of her neck. She would deserve it if he killed her but she needed to be alive to protect her - and him.
"I've done nothing yet," she replied truthfully. Closing her eyes to concentrate, she had to think of a way to get out of here with Kitsune. At least he would be with his mother and could protect her until Naruto could get to them.
Naruto relaxed his grip on her neck thinking he had rendered her unconscious. His incisors grew and his chakra flared when her body was suddenly covered by thousands of small pieces of paper. Letting go, he thought she had disappeared and left behind a paper shell of her body. Looking down at his stinging hands, he saw they were bleeding from a myriad of small cuts.
"Naruto, I have to take Kitsune. I have to do it to save you all," she said, as the pieces of paper slid along her body to gather and form into wings that were attached to her back.
"You can't! I won't let you!" he growled through his teeth, falling forward onto all fours as tails began to form from the overflow of chakra flooding out of his body.
Konan slapped him with her wing with enough force to fling him against the wall. She was hoping to stun him long enough to get to Kitsune. Running to the baby's room, she picked up the sleeping child and nestled him against her chest.
"Mama!" Nariko screamed in fright from her room. The unbelievably loud snarling and growling coming from the next room had awakened her from her nap.
"Oh, Kami, no!" Konan shouted, a blast of chakra blowing her back against the wall. She was able to wrap her wings around Kitsune to protect him, but she had to get to Nariko. Running through the new doorway that had been blasted through the wall, she charged into Nariko's room to take her into her arms.
"Aunt Konan, what's going on?" the little girl sobbed, holding her around the neck tightly.
"Baby, close your eyes and no matter what you hear don't open them," she told the child, glancing behind her when the menacing growling seemed terribly close. She did not want the child to see her father like this since he was rapidly changing forms of Kurama as the chakra spilled out of him and made him gain power.
"I told you I would you help you protect them," the demon told Naruto as he began taking over.
"No! Not like this!" he yelled back within but he knew it was futile. His emotions were totally beyond his control and the demon was taking advantage of it.
Konan shielded the children and herself with her wings as another chakra blast was sent forth when Naruto rose in power to his six tailed form. She watched in horror and shock as he slammed his body through what remained of one of the walls reducing it to rubble like the rest of the house. Spreading her wings, she took off unimpeded since the roof had been blown away. She was taking Nariko to her grandparents because she could not leave her here with the emerging tailed beast. Seeing Tsunade in the crowd of villagers from her bird's-eye view, she flew down to give her the frantic, bawling child.
"What's going on?" Tsunade screamed over the cacophony of noise that included her squalling granddaughter and shouting of dazed people trying to understand what was happening. Daring to stop in the middle of the melee, she took Nariko from the woman who must be cause of all this somehow.
"I've done something reprehensible Lady Tsunade and I don't expect you to forgive me! None of you will forgive me!" she hollered over the noise before taking flight again.
"Konan, no! Kitsune!" she cried, feeling fingers tighten around her upper arm and drag her along. Following the arm up to the face with her eyes, she saw it was Jiraiya who had taken hold of her. "What's going on?"
Another deafening explosion sounded and Jiraiya turned to protect Nariko and Tsunade from the impact wave that followed. The force pushed them forward but his body absorbed most of the shock and he kept them from falling. Looking into her amber eyes that were just like their daughter's he told her, "Kurama's here."