Chapter 36: Just Puppets to Control

Konan slammed the door shut behind them and walked Itachi around the corner, far away from the others in the kitchen. Itachi never said a word. He gave no indication that he felt he was in trouble or anything. He followed her without a word. Once they were safely out of earshot, Konan turned around to lecture him.

"Enough," she told him. "You're really pushing it. Knock it off already."

"Oh, come on," Itachi whined like a child speaking to an overacting parent. "What's the big deal? Hidan strips all the time! You know how he likes to keep his shirt open."

"This is way different. He didn't know what was going on. For all he knew…" Konan groaned, shaking her head. "How would you feel if you woke up all of a sudden in a new location, the center of attention without knowing how you got there, wearing nothing but your shorts? You'd behave the same way he just did."

"You make it sound like I roofied him or something."

"Pretty close to it." Konan paced the ground, at a loss for what to do with him. Itachi was out of control. "I had to stop you before you made him do a strip tease or something."

"Hey, now, that's where I draw the line. Even I don't want to see that. Hidan can keep that to himself. I have more class than that."

"Oh, thank God," Konan still sounded annoyed. "At least there's some hope for you."

"What's the big deal? I told you that with only a few hours left, I needed to do something," Itachi complained back. "Sure, it's not my best work, but how can I be expected to come up with anything brilliant with you setting limits on everything I do? Plus, I have to account for time constraints and the fact that I'm not the only one who knows the triggers."

"Stop manipulating them!" Konan yelled in his face. "Stop taking advantage of them and twisting their minds to suit your needs and your whims. Knock it off! They're not puppets to be controlled."

Itachi's face grew strangely serious, very similar to his normal expression when he wasn't under hypnosis. He was smug but stern and the most serious she had seen him for quite some time. "But you're doing it."

She stepped back. "Huh?"

"I said that's what you're doing to them. So it's fine for you but not me?"

"What? What I'm doing is not the same. You're manipulating them and making them do whatever you want."

"So are you." Itachi gave a small shrug and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "You were the first. You've been doing it all week to every single one of them. If there's something about them you don't like, you change it. Hidan's constant cursing, Kakuzu's obsession with money, getting Zetsu's loyalty… You've also been changing them to please yourself. You brought Sasori back to his childhood…"

"I- I was just trying to get him to enjoy what he could never have growing up. I was only thinking of him."

"That may be so… But you still manipulated him to do so. Didn't you?" Itachi never took a step closer, but Konan felt as if he were closing in on her. "Ironic that it would be Sasori of all people… The puppet master…"

"What are you..?"

"No, I'm just saying that it's so much easier with puppets. Isn't it, Konan? You can get a puppet to do just about anything you want. They have no wills of their own. So easy to manipulate. I'm just saying…"

Konan took a step closer, defending herself. "I don't see them as puppets to be controlled. I was only-"

"I know. You wanted some peace and quiet this week. You saw how we all behaved when we were barely in the door that first day and knew what this week would be like. So you took it upon yourself to 'help out' as it were. You had the power to do so. You saw your chance so you took it. Very simple. I understand." Itachi gave his body a slight turn so that Konan was now looking at his profile. "The point remains that it's easier to have your way when you're around puppets. Even if they are human beings, the point is to have control. Sometimes it's the only way."

"Th- that is not true!" Konan protested. "What I was-"

"Sasori," Itachi said quickly. "Let's go back to him, shall we? I said it was ironic, didn't I?"

Konan was quiet when Itachi spoke.

"He had parents. We all know this. But did he really have a family? Some would argue no. He's never really had a parents' love. You may be trying to make up for it now, but that won't replace it." Itachi looked down. "That's why he has those puppets…" he said grimly. "Puppets are so much easier. You can have what you want, when you want. Now he never has to hear 'I'm busy', or 'not right now', or 'later', or 'some other time' or any of that. He never has to hear 'no' again. All he has to do is decide on something and it's done. If he wants to snuggle up with mom, all he has to do is pull a string. To get a hug from dad, same thing. It's so much easier."

"But it's not the same as real love."

"Maybe not, but that's all he knows. For him, puppets are easier. He can have his way all the time." Itachi looked her in the eye. "Is what you're doing to them any different? You still have every one of us on puppet strings. Even me."

Konan looked down shamefully.

"I may not remember what you did to me, but I know I'm not the same as I was before. I'm a different person somehow. The man you see before you now is fake. Everyone of us is a fake. We're all just puppets to be controlled." Itachi turned away. "At the end of this week, those strings will break. Might as well have your fun while you still can. As I've said, puppets are easier."

She didn't know what to say. Itachi had acted like such a selfish brat all this week, behaving like a totally different person, that she had forgotten how insightful and intelligent he could be. He was right. She was using them as her own personal puppets. She had intended to use this new power to get everyone to be quiet and get along while they were hiding in this safe house. No matter how you looked at it, she was still manipulating them. She was forcing them to do what she wanted, even if it was done to help them. She was still forcing it upon them without their consent. Even if they did agree to it like Itachi had, she was still controlling them.

She felt so guilty. Her good intentions were devious and underhanded. She never thought of them as puppets to be controlled, but that's what she was doing. "I just… wanted to keep you guys from killing each other. Have peace among us… quiet and…" She trailed off, feeling that she had no right to defend herself anymore.

Itachi turned around. Seeing how upset she was, he sighed and came back. "You know…" he said slowly. "Everybody does it… Manipulating people. Even parents use it on their children. Eat your veggies and you can have a cookie. Don't punch your brother and you can go to the park to play. That sort of thing."

"That's a little different. I took away their free will. What a parent does in that situation is bribing them."

"Still and all… I was just pointing it out to you. That doesn't make it wrong."

"Yes, it does. Isn't that what you were saying?"

Itachi shrugged. "Meh." He started to turn, then stopped. "But you never know. Sometimes it's a good thing. Sometimes you can't get someone to do it otherwise. Sometimes by forcing it on someone makes them realize what they needed all along. They just need a little push. There are times when force is appropriate."

Konan looked up and saw him leaving. "Where are you going?"

"Where do you think?" He looked over his shoulder and winked. "There's only a couple hours left. I'd like to force a little fun on people while I still can."

More like before he feels guilty about doing it again, thought Konan. This time she didn't stop him. Itachi had just given her a lot to think about. Was this new power of hers a blessing or a curse? Either way, she wanted to be rid of it. She was happy that this was her final day with it. It was far too stressful.

True, Itachi... but you're doing it, too! Doesn't that make you just as bad?

Maybe the point was to get Konan off his back... Either way, smart ^^

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