My Pain is Yours
Chapter 25: Amity Sustained by Love
Colossal hands reaching into an obsidian vortex towered over the assembled members of the Akatsuki organization as they gathered for yet another sealing. Standing between the stone bases were Itachi and Kisame, the composed Uchiha speaking quietly to a third person, who seemed more than just a little excited to be present.
"Is she really going to show up?" Shinsei was bouncing up and down in elation.
"Yes," Itachi smiled gently, timbre composed as he slid his arm around her waist.
Ever since the two lovers recently became absorbedly attached to each other, Kisame had grown accustomed to their quixotic exchanges of love that seemed so trivial at times, yet he had no opposition to it. They were happy together and the shark ninja understood that well enough to refuse to separate them; though that didn't prevent him from tormenting Shinsei either.
"God Gaki, you haven't stopped babbling about Hime in ages!" Kisame roared with laughter.
Shinsei placed her hands on her hips, glaring pointedly at Kisame. "Well, yes; I haven't seen her in weeks, remember?" Her tinted sapphires narrowed, jaw twitching into a frown when Kisame snickered, making sure that it was noticeable enough to rouse irritation within Shinsei. The redhead clenched and unclenched her fists, teeth doing the same. "What?"
"Nothing! Nothing," Kisame wiped at his nose, leering behind his hand. "It's just funny."
Before Shinsei could explode at Kisame, however, Itachi used his free hand to turn her face towards him, opposite restricting her tighter against his hip. "Now, now Shinsei, we must keep our tempers in check." He kissed her nose delicately and she flushed sheepishly.
"Stop treating me like a baby," Shinsei mumbled, lips forming a pout.
"Then stop acting like one!" Kisame taunted impishly.
"You know what?" Shinsei's pitch rose, voice shrill. "I'm getting really sick of you!"
"Oh?" Kisame laughed at her infuriation. "Do you think I care?"
Deciding that it would be best to intervene before something irrevocable occurred, Itachi calmly interrupted their quarrel, "Must the two of you fight like siblings constantly?" His thumb pressed softly into Shinsei's stomach, making her jolt against him. "I don't think Leader-sama would quite approve of the harassment, Kisame." He finished his light chiding and rested his nose in Shinsei's hair, inhaling her delicate scent.
Closing her eyes, allowing all of her pent up rage to escape with a heavy sigh, Shinsei relaxed against Itachi, placing her head back to rest it upon his firm chest, which was rising and falling in steady breaths. She could feel both of his hands meeting in the middle of her stomach, remaining there as he propped his chin upon her head, chuckling about something.
Shinsei rarely asked to know what went on in his mind.
As of late, it seemed Itachi was always pleased with something, summoning his diminutive laugh accompanied by a content grin that his lips donned ever-so-beautifully. His thoughts and emotions were too complex to explain, his slight quirks perceptible yet the reasons behind them secretive; he was the epitome of ambiguity.
"Itachi," Shinsei whispered, succumbing to the blackness behind her eyes. "I love you."
"Ah," Itachi kissed the top of her head lovingly, "the feeling is mutual."
About to say something more, Shinsei found her barely beginning sentence interrupted by Pain's booming voice. "It seems that those three are taking longer than expected; I want everyone to take their positions anyhow so that we can start—they will join us when they join us." Shinsei watched yearningly as Itachi deserted her, hopping up to take his place.
Just as everyone gathered themselves respectively, however, three people arrived.
Shinsei's heart skipped a beat. Aiko?
Kakuzu's toneless voice answered Pain's disapproving glare. "My apologies, we're late."
Nodding in the blackness, piercings glinting, Pain coldly replied, "I can see that." His voice lightened gradually, though, realizing that the situation wasn't half so bad. "Anyway, it doesn't particularly matter; you're here now." Kakuzu muttered something in the darkness, meshing his hands and gritting his teeth. Pain ignored it. "Once we're done with Three-Tails, we'll seal Two-Tails as well…it'll take about six days so prepare yourselves."
"Six whole days?!" Hidan exploded from his spot. "But it's raining where we are!"
His partner's overlapping fingers clenched tighter. "Hidan, shut up."
Hidan's lavender orbs flashed precariously, throwing his head back in arrogance. "We were so close to slaughtering those Konoha Shinobi! I was about to show those heathens the might of the Church of Jashin!" Aiko glanced over at her brazen partner, smiling slightly.
Pain responded quickly to Hidan's statement. "Konoha Shinobi are not heathens. They venerate their ancestors and follow a will of fire."
In her spot, Aiko had not uttered a sound, attention rapt on Hidan, though as Pain began to lecture her shameless beloved, her hazel eyes meandered across the echoing room to where Konan stood and her gaze softened with sorrow. It had been a while since they had seen each other, but now Aiko was prepared to cope with whatever treatment her dearest 'sister' was ready to unleash. The brunette closed her eyes, swallowing a mouthful of the air.
She struggled not to choke on it.
From the floor, Shinsei watched the Akatsuki members looming above her with a confused stare, quietly listening to Pain give his needless sermon. She tried to locate Aiko among the dark figures, easily picking out Itachi, who she had witnessed ascend, and found herself rather frustrated when her friend was unrecognizable due to the lack of illumination and obscurity.
Where's Aiko? Shinsei squirmed, lips pursing tightly. I came to see her, not to sit around!
The sealing had not even begun, despite the lifeless bodies clinging to their mortality on the ground. Pain finished his little speech about the motives of the Akatsuki, ending it so that the sealing could commence with a callous set of declarations. "And once we are in control, we can destroy the system of Shinobi villages, even in the great nations…so that everyone has no choice but to use the Akatsuki; which will finally allow us to attain our true goal…
"The third and final step…
"…world domination."
Pain's chilling dialogue ceased to haunt the reverberations and without another word, the sealing started.
During the sealing, Aiko felt herself gripped with nostalgia, eyes locked on Konan as she strived to devise a plan to approach her afterwards. A sickening nausea settled in her stomach. What was she supposed to say? How was she going to approach the situation? What was she going to do? She had to be wary of the steps she took, otherwise she would trip and that would be the end of everything.
Konan glanced up and Aiko quickly averted her eyes. I'm running out of time…curses!
Below, Shinsei continued waiting for the end with unsatisfactory boredom. She wanted to go home, but she wanted to see Aiko too; they had been separated for an unbearable amount of time and there was only so much more severance Shinsei could manage to keep within her.
Why is this taking so long? Shinsei complained to herself. This is taking forever!
Staying awake for days on end was exhausting.
By the last day, Aiko was so zapped of her strength that it was taking a toll on her mental health; though she noticed that the wound inflicted upon her earlier had sunken deep into her skin and vanished; one of the benefits of being immortal she supposed. Chancing another peek at the blue-haired kunoichi across from her, this time Aiko caught Konan staring, but Konan held her gaze firmly, trapping Aiko.
Aiko, you can hear me, can't you? Konan narrowed her eyes and Aiko withheld a gasp.
Nodding, Aiko erratically pressed her hands together, Konan's thoughts invading her mind.
Listen, we need to talk once this is completed. Konan promptly removed her stare.
The connection was broken and Aiko was perplexed.
Did they communicate telepathically? She pressed her eyelids together, wildly shaking her head in an attempt to cast off her alarm. Was her fatigue causing her to hallucinate? Aiko hoped not, although when Konan was 'speaking' to her, she felt a momentary bond that they were sharing, suspecting that Konan could also perceive her thoughts.
Either way, the sealing was at an end.
The flaccid corpse of Yugito Ni'i thudded unceremoniously against the ground across from Shinsei, who thought the sealing unreservedly revolting. Tears continued glimmering in her eyes like stars in the night sky, horrified that the thought of ripping souls from living humans was as casual a task as picking flowers for the Akatsuki members.
Somehow, she couldn't believe Aiko was really a part of it.
"Now Two-Tails has been sealed away too," Pain announced, timbre daunting. "Only three more to collect. You are all dismissed."
Everyone started dispersing from their positions, Aiko reluctantly taking a step off her finger. She was going to confront Konan once and for all to finally get it over with. Her nervous eyes darted to Konan, who was pointing a long, milky-white finger deeper into the darkness that Aiko mistook was a signal for her, but it was, as she concluded, for Pain.
The Akatsuki leader stalked off somewhere else and Konan was alone.
Aiko approached her, breath hitching when Konan turned her gaze upon her.
Silence swallowed them, but Aiko could hear her mind drumming against her skull.
Konan spoke first, voice low and dry, startling Aiko into a flinch. "Aiko, my little sister; we have not exchanged words for a very, very long time." The blue-haired kunoichi was gazing off into the obsidian vortex where the other members conversed amongst themselves. Konan sighed, misty orbs disappearing beneath her eyelids. "I never thought we'd meet again."
Aiko found her voice, small and dull. "I…I never thought so either."
The whimsical tone heightening Konan's pitch made Aiko uncomfortable. "Yet here we are."
Squeezing her eyes shut, Aiko opened her mouth to inhale before beginning her apology for going against Konan's wishes, but the air was crushed from her lungs as Konan suddenly lunged forward and seized Aiko in a tight embrace. The gasp flooding from Aiko's lips was simultaneous with the accumulating tears.
"Konan-nee!" Aiko reached around her, voice tight in her throat. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry!"
Trembling, Konan hugged her harder. "Don't be sorry, Aiko-chan; it isn't your fault. I should've known from the beginning when you were first accepted into the Akatsuki that it was you, but I couldn't be sure. This was unprecedented." Konan stopped talking, throat rattling; it sounded like she was striving to keep her tears at bay.
A hard lump slid down Aiko's throat as she hoarsely whispered, "Are you…mad at me?"
Konan hugged her harder, murmuring through wavering lips, "No; how could I be?"
Hidan angrily faced Kakuzu. "Where's Aiko? Eh?"
The masked-man's brow furrowed, teeth clenching beneath his mask. "How should I know?"
Grumbling about how obnoxious Kakuzu was, Hidan noticed him storming towards Kisame and Itachi, realizing after a couple minutes of bewildered pondering that he was going to question them about Aiko's location. His train of thought seemed to have derailed for the longest period of time because as soon as his mental block lifted, Kakuzu was already returning.
Kakuzu's shoulder rose and fell in an agitated shrug. "She's not with them."
Frowning, Hidan looked over, seeing Shinsei chattering animatedly to Itachi, her expression contorting into that of sheer outrage as she whirled to face Kisame upon hearing something from the shark ninja. It was clear that she too was obviously making inquiries regarding Aiko's whereabouts.
"What do you mean?" Shinsei scowled at Kisame, eyes flaring. "Where is she?"
"I don't know…maybe Hime already left?" Kisame grinned toothily, tone spiteful.
Then, as if she had been summoned by the mere conversing pertaining to her, Aiko appeared.
"The 'Hime' hasn't left," Aiko smoothly announced, gliding in behind them. Shinsei gasped.
Spinning around, Shinsei immediately latched onto Aiko, securing her in a bone-crushing hug that managed to squeeze a smile from the kunoichi's lips. "Aiko! You're here! You're here! You're really, really here! I've been waiting days and days to see you!" Laughing lightly, Aiko wrapped her arms around Shinsei's tight shoulders, returning her hug.
Beaming, Aiko replied, "I see that you're as hyperactive as ever."
The redhead was grinning from ear to ear. "Hell yes!"
Conversing with Shinsei, Aiko listened as she always did, eager to hear how her friend had been faring; it seemed that she was having the time of her life. She spoke mostly of Itachi, Aiko noticed, and the subject of the composed Uchiha continued to no end. When she summed up what surely would have been an eternity on the man, Shinsei was out of breath.
The only response Aiko could manage to such a barrage of excitement was a simple one in comparison to her friend's tumultuous oration. "I'm happy, Shinsei, that you've finally found someone that you like in that way, although," her tone abruptly seeped into a sinister, playful nature, "you haven't been too naughty, have you?"
Shinsei's cheeks were instantly red. "W-w-what? No!"
Aiko shook her head, laugh erasing any hard feelings Shinsei might have encountered. "I'm only teasing you."
It was then when Aiko had fallen silent, hand subconsciously sliding over to the necklace hanging on her chest, that Shinsei noticed the silver ornament complimenting her attire. The red-haired kunoichi's forehead creased, wondering why Aiko was wearing any kind of jewelry; it was something out of the ordinary for her.
"Hey Aiko," Shinsei's tone was serious, snatching Aiko's attention. "What's that?"
Following her friend's gaze, Aiko backed up, fingers still resting on the Jashinist circle. As she was about to explain what had been happening in her life since they had left met, however, Aiko was interrupted by the arrival of none other than Hidan. The male Jashinist looped his arms around her waist, smirking mischievously.
"Here's where you ran off to," Hidan grinned, eyebrow raised. "Time to go."
Aiko was about to argue when her lips were sealed shut by his.
The expression on Shinsei's face mirrored her bewildered repulsion at the sight of Aiko and Hidan locking lips. She was revolted even more as Aiko wheeled her entire body around, hands pressing into Hidan's chest and moaning lightly when Hidan roughly pulled her against himself. Shinsei felt like she was going to vomit, an outburst fleeing her open jaw, "What?"
Hidan twitched as he stopped kissing Aiko, glaring at Shinsei. "Yeesh! Hello? A little privacy?"
"Privacy?" Shinsei was past exasperation. "Since when were you two together?"
Mentally slapping herself, Aiko remembered that Shinsei had no knowledge of her ever being together with Hidan and that the redhead had been caught completely unaware of the pair's relationship. Aiko managed a smug smile, laughing guiltily as Hidan circled behind her, lips pressed to her neck. "Well," Aiko started, "it's a funny story…you see, we were…"
"You got together," Shinsei was still in shock, "with him?"
Hidan was insulted, lifting his lips from Aiko's neck. "What do you mean with me?"
Sighing, Aiko admitted, "Yes, I did get together with him…I suppose." She tilted her head back to shush the fuming Hidan with a light peck, turning away with reluctance. Shinsei watched them guardedly, part of her happy for Aiko, but the other part not so much. Her stare dropped to the floor, expression conveying ultimate devastation.
Somehow, she never anticipated this turn of events.
"I…see," Shinsei eventually managed, shock rendering her speechless. "I…I…"
"Anyway," Hidan interrupted Shinsei, "the money-whore asked me to retrieve you."
"Oh," Aiko knew he was referring to Kakuzu, "oh all right."
Pressing her lips into a thin line, Shinsei demanded, "Are you serious? But what about you and him and…and this doesn't make any sense! What've you been doing? I mean, I just got to see you again and it's already over, and…and…" Shinsei broke off, voice saddening. "That's not fair…at all! I was really looking forward to seeing you…"
Hidan snorted, "Life isn't fair, get over it!"
Aiko rammed him hard in the ribs with her elbow. "Don't mind him," Aiko smiled, impervious to Hidan's yelps.
Catching her breath in the hollow of her throat, Shinsei stiffened. Why did Aiko abruptly seem so distant? It was like she didn't even recognize the sadistic smile flashing across her lips, or the trilling laugh that beckoned beams from everyone; there was something unfamiliar about Aiko, a dissimilarity changing a large part of who she formerly was.
As Aiko conceded to another libidinous kiss from Hidan, Shinsei realized what was so different.
Her happiness.
Aiko's happiness was bigger; much bigger. Shinsei felt insignificant in comparison.
Reaching over to Shinsei, sensing her despair, Aiko tucked a stray strand of her fiery hair behind her ear, murmuring, "Hey? What's with the sad face? You look like you're going to attend my funeral or something!" Hidan chuckled lowly, sinisterly at this, and Shinsei frowned, unable to comprehend why he was laughing.
The silver-haired man regained his composure. "Seriously Aiko, we have to go."
Nodding to Hidan, Aiko softly replied, "I know; we have some vengeance to claim, no?" She observed the confusion scrawled across Shinsei's face and smiled weakly. "Sorry! I'll explain when we see each other again, which will be soon." Her haughty simper added to Shinsei's confidence that they would be reunited quickly, but her friend was already being tugged away.
Shinsei didn't want her to go. "Wait! Aiko!"
The brunette halted. "Yeah?"
Breath trapped within her throat, voice short, Shinsei managed, "I…" She paused, wanting that pause to last as long as it could. Hidan, however, was impatient and was already yanking the half-hearted Aiko to Kakuzu, who was tapping his foot edgily. The redhead slowly glanced behind herself to see Itachi and Kisame dithering, prepared to depart.
It was like reliving the agony of their first parting all over again.
Aiko stared calmly at her friend, eyes gentle as ever. "What's wrong, Shinsei?"
Hiding behind her shaky frame of a voice, a sob latched onto Shinsei's throat, concealed through a crumbling façade. "Aiko, I…I want to say that…that I'm going to miss you…I hate doing this, I don't want you to leave me behind!" She clenched her fists, slamming her eyes shut, keeping her mouth moving. "I don't want to lose you!"
Shinsei flinched when Aiko made her quiet reply.
"I'm not leaving you, I never will be."
Looking up, Shinsei found that Aiko had freed herself from the seething immortal to grant her friend one final hug. Shinsei clutched her possessively, determined to keep her at bay, though Aiko meant only to comfort her temporarily. Itachi appeared to replace Aiko and it was the only time Shinsei ever wished to be in anyone else's arms.
This was beyond unfair; it transcended pain, becoming agony.
She couldn't bear to watch Aiko take those final steps.
But she could hear them like a ringing gong.
Just before she vanished, Aiko smiled that smile of hers and murmured, "Where's my goodbye smile? Come now, don't I deserve more than that?" Aiko touched Hidan's arm, preparing to leave. Shinsei's heart was pounding so hard in her chest that she could hear it throbbing in her ears, face flushing with inconsolable trepidation.
"Aiko…?" Shinsei whimpered.
The medic nin remained tranquil. "Just you wait, when we see each other again we'll have plenty of time to talk; after all, there's only one person that I could possibly imagine wanting to see after everything that's going on it over," she smiled wryly, "and that's you, Shinsei."
Shinsei watched, restrained by Itachi as Aiko gave a simple wave.
There was a soundly crack, lingering smoke, and Hidan and Kakuzu had disappeared.
Aiko was gone too.
Turning around, Shinsei buried her head into Itachi's chest with a remorseful sigh. He held her firmly, able to hear her sniffling as he caressed her hair, whispering, "Ah, is it really so bad now? You'll see her again." Shinsei nodded into him, wiping her hand across her eyes as she pulled away, looking into Itachi's eyes with her own tear-stained sapphires.
"I know, but…but…" Shinsei trailed off, clamping her eyes closed as if she couldn't bear what she was going to say. Sounding like she was on the verge of bursting into tears, she struggled to finish. "But something about her...has changed."
Author's Note: T.T Why am I making the story depressing again? Dear Jashin, that isn't very nice of me, is it? At least things between Aiko and Konan have been resolved; there will probably be more about their full conversation later on; after we go and see those Konoha heathens of course!
Thank you as always to my wonderful reviewers, cheeky half-demon (an inspiration through her unyielding faithfulness as a reviewer), yoyshaia-chan (a constant inspiration to me through her continuous loyalty as a reviewer and beautiful stories), Hurog Walker (a wonderful reviewer who birthed my determination to finish this chapter sooner with her last two reviews), and of course nicsnort for her supportive review as well!
Thank you to everyone! I love you all!
Please do review! T/.\T (Itachi needs happiness to help cheer Shinsei up!)
-Aiko of the Akatsuki