Chapter 2: Testing a Theory
The night sky shatters. Stars break from constellations. The moon haunts him like Madara Uchiha's words. He tosses and turns, trying to make himself go back to the comforting dream he long procured in his head;
Rin's amber hair and kind smile.
The purple paint across her freckled cheeks.
The way his hand held hers.
Her words of encouragement in a sun filled meadow.
Fragmented.
Slipping
away
from his memory.
His young love nothing but a fleeting dream.
He awoke with a start, sweat clinging to his skin as shadows leaked into his tarnished memories. As years dredged on, Rin faded. No matter how desperately he tried to cling onto the images of her, the way he wanted to remember slipped from his hands. The only evidence of her that remained clear as day was her painful death seared into his mind by the Sharingan.
The moon light mocked him. Angrily, Obito drew the curtains tightly shut, shrouding his room in a comforting blackness. He breathed deeply, chasing away his nightmares. He laid back down, training his racing mind to focus on something else. Anything else.
He closed his eyes once more. Now he saw rain and a woman with lavender hair. Konan.
Rivulets of rain ran down her face as she gazed at him. He wondered how her dark makeup didn't melt in the thunderstorm. Her long hair became undone from the battle, it was pushed back, giving him a clear picture of her blank expression.
The fighting had irked him, purely because he had to exert more energy than he intended. She seamlessly folded into his strategy, doing everything he had planned with deadly precision. Paper sloughed off her skin and darted through the air, taking out their enemies.
Konan had always moved elegantly. His Sharingan found her movement fluid, as light as the air that carried her paper jutsu. She was a fully realized shinobi.
She had always ignited his interest. Perhaps it was the duality of hardness and softness that existed within her. Just as the people of Ame, he found himself easily enchanted by her quiet presence.
As she echoed Rin's words he found himself reeling. It brought him to his knees. Bottle up emotion exploded from the depths of his soul, making him do something he should have never done; showing his vulnerability to someone. As he held her he was reminded he wasn't a boy anymore. She felt delicate in his arms. He recalled Konan smelled like flowers and ash. He was momentarily comforted until Madara's face floated in his head, red eyes flashing like a warning.
He had been foolish, and now he couldn't help but think of her soft body and coppery gaze, and how he might've opened up a forbidden door.
…..
It started as an un-welcomed thought. And now it turned into a theory.
With Tobi disappearing after the intimate healing, Konan was left to her imagination. She had been so distracted by it even Pein had to snap his fingers to call her attention during a meeting.
Konan doodled into her notes, absent-mindedly sketching Origami figuration until her brain formulated the decision that she had to find answers. She decided in order to do that, she would have be forward without asking Tobi outright. He'd never give her a straight answer. So she'd have to ask without words.
She remembered the beautiful blonde Leaf Shinobi, one of Jiraya-sensei's comrades. She was gorgeous. One of the first women Konan had seen who exuded an unbelievable amount of confidence.
"Remember this," Lady Tsunade once said to the paper folding tween. "A woman's beauty is just as much a kunoichi's weapon as any other tool in our belts. As you grow older, no matter what anyone thinks, don't be afraid to use it."
Konan had to find out who Tobi really was. And to do that, she'd have to get close enough to him to remove that mask.
…..
Tobi returned. After a few days of a very distant leader and growing confidence, Konan decided to indulge herself in testing out her theory. Nagato had left to regenerate his six paths of Pein. She was finally numb to Yahiko's corpse being one of the Pein's, it had been some odd years since it all happened, though it still left her deeply disturbed.
For today, she was spared the reminder. It was just Tobi and Konan in the upper levels of the tower. It was been another balmy summer day in the Village hidden in the Rain. There was an oncoming summer storm, so the air was thick and warm. She used that as an excuse to shed her cloak. She usually kept it on and shut, mostly wanting to keep her body from being seen by leery male eyes. However, that day was an exception.
She found her heart beating a bit more erratically, to her annoyance. She was a grown woman for gods sake, this wasn't her first time she flaunted herself for ulterior motives. She breathed deeply to slow her heart rate and hide her nerves from his visual prowess. She stood in the front of the window, in Tobi's direct line of sight.
She wore her favorite sleeveless navy top that exposed her entire back, side breast, and midriff, it was skin tight and left little to the imagination. Out of practicality, it allowed her skin to breath under the weighty Akatsuki cloak. Impractically, Konan truthfully loved wearing revealing clothes that played up her feminine tastes. Yahiko had always nose bled when she wore body-conscious outfits that starkly reminded him she had bloomed into a young woman. It was comical. He often said the only regret of designing the Akatsuki coat was that he couldn't see her underneath it. She would always smack him down for it. He had inherited Jiraiya-sensei's perversions.
"Its warm in here today, no?" She commented lightly, stretching her arms over her head.
She looked over to find that he had put his pen down, giving her his full attention. The disguise made it hard for her to decipher what expression he was wearing, but she certainly felt his eyes through his damned mask.
"I'm surprised you feel that way." He said after a moment. "Considering you should be mostly cold in outfits like that."
She dared to shoot him a look and to her surprise, he chuckled. He leaned his head in his hand. "Konan turn around for me please."
Confused, she turned her back towards him. So suddenly, he had appeared behind her. She forgot how fast he moved, a tremor of fear froze her in place. She felt his gloved fingers nimbly adjust something on the collar of her top.
"There was a button undone." He said over her shoulder, his hand now lingering to her hip.
She didn't realize she was holding her breath. How did he see that through her hair? Konan composed herself, turning to demurely glance at him. "Thank you."
He did not retreat, instead they stood silently, feeling the stretch of tension in the air. His hand went from her hip to her midriff, the heat of his fingers spreading against her bare skin, creating a sweet ache behind her navel. She couldn't help but exhale a soft sigh from the touch-
"My Lord."
Konan nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw none other than Zetsu emerging from the side of the wall. Why could he never just walk through the door like a normal person?
Zetsu's friendly half looked sparkly eyed at the two. Tobi kept his hand in place, "I'm busy, what is it?"
"New intel that we thought might interest you." His darker half said gruffly.
Tobi swore under his breath, releasing Konan from his grasp. "Very well, come along, let us meet Pein downstairs."
She was surprised Tobi did not hide the compromising position in front of Zetsu, but he had been comrades with him even before they joined the Akatsuki. Perhaps Zetsu did know everything, or perhaps he did not care.
"I'd be careful if I were you." Rasped Black Zetsu to her as Tobi already left the room.
"What is going on between you two?" White Zetsu said with wonder.
"I know." She responded coldly, reaching for her cloak and pushing past the creepy spore man. "Not that it's any of your business."
…..
The blue kunoichi left the meeting, irritated to have been disturbed. She admitted she had no reason to be upset, after all her duties as an Akatsuki member came before anything else. Deep down she knew why it bothered her; she had craved that forbidden attention. Had gone into dangerous, even shameful territory...allowing the leader to glide his fingers over her skin like that. The fact how much she liked it, wanted it from him, made her shiver. And now Zetsu knew her dirty secret. He could hold it over her and the goal of her new mission to reveal his identity would be ruined.
She turned down the empty hall, stepping into a hidden alcove to get some fresh air. The rain had stopped. Despite what enemies knew of, Nagato only kept constant rains if he was gone, and on every Sunday. If the village had rain everyday suicide rates would rise again since the war.
"Lady Angel?"
She turned around, startled that someone snuck up on her. From the other side was Tobi.
"Yes, My Lord?" She said, fixing a cool expression.
"I do not like leaving things unfinished."
"Is my button undone again?" She said with irk. She turned back to the cityscape, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach. "Can your Sharingan see under my cloak too?"
He did not laugh. "Is that what you think I was referring to?"
She turned red at that. This is what she gets when she lets her mouth run.
"I meant the pairings of the Akatsuki. I want that report on the new configurations of the members updated and completed. Some of the newer partners still needs their status confirmed."
"Of course My Lord. I will get that done right away." She let go of the balcony rail, sinking further into her high necked robe.
"Oh, and Konan?"
She clasped her hands, but didn't turn around, her heart flipping again. "Yes?" She said as evenly as she could.
There was a pause, then, "Thank you. For healing me."
"Anything for you, My Lord."
…..
Obito bit in lip as he watched Konan hurry away, lightly amused. He had riled the stoic kunoichi, it seemed.
He didn't know why his control was slipping as of late when it came to Konan. He always found her beautiful, stunning even, since they first met. But that wasn't enough to distract him. Not until their mission, when she uttered those ghostly sentiments belonging to his former teammates and former self. It felt like a strike of lightning in his dead heart. When he discovered her gentle, healing touch, it was almost too much.
He turned to the grey city scape, feeling more than just the humidity. She stirred something deep and doormat within him. He thought of this afternoon, his Sharingan lazily swirling into action on its own accord, to memorize the soft exposed skin of her back. How she turned slightly, and he could feel his blood race as his eyes fell upon the curve of her full breast. She intentionally had shed a layer in front of him, and revealed an intriguing new side to the woman who only emanated a quiet sadness and great concern for those few she cared about. His touch burned against her cool skin, and he found himself yearning for more of her empathy. The feeling he once thought lost was found again in Konan's form.
However half of him wasn't sure what this meant. His eternal love for Rin wasn't exactly comparable to these feelings. He sighed and pushed his thoughts away. The last thing he needed was to think of anything other than Madara's plans.
…..
Konan's thirst for the truth had her doing something very stupid.
She stood at Tobi's door, staring at the handle.
This was unlike her. Since when did she care so much about their masked leader? A voice answered in the back of her mind. You've been following him blindly for so long, you deserve to know the truth.
Years passed without Tobi really giving her interest, aside from occasional looks-which was hard to tell with his hidden face. But suddenly he was touching her, and had intently done so. Her hand went to her waist where his fingers had laid claim.
If he was now, somehow, interested in her, the least he could do is take off his mask.
She pushed down on the door handle, silently entering his rooms. It was split into two chambers. The antechamber had a desk with neatly organized papers. Beyond that his bedroom.
Calming herself by focusing on the task, she slipped past his desk. He wouldn't be stupid enough to hide anything valuable in there. His bedroom was empty, save for a bed, night stand, and large armoire. Thick curtains were drawn shut, keeping the space relatively dark. It was like no one even lived in the room. There was no trace of any personality, besides Tobi being a little hasp-hazard in making the bed.
She went to the wardrobe, opening it to find his sparse clothing. She ran a hand along the top shelf. Nothing. She quietly knocked on the wooden walls, to see if any were false. Also nothing.
Konan then made her way to the nightstand. She opened the small drawer.
Bingo.
There was a small leather book. Is this a journal? She turned it over curiously in her hands. It was worn and unmarked.
She opened it to find blank pages and she leafed through, frustrated to have found nothing but an emptied journal, when something in color flashed between the pages.
She backtracked until she found a picture nestled in the yellowed paper. Konan picked it out, placing the journal gently back on the table. It was a small photograph with bent edges and slight discoloration. Four Shinobi. It looked like a teacher and his students, the way they were huddled together. Her eyes grew wide as she honed in on the Hidden Leaf symbol imprinted in the medal. The teacher too she recognized, was the Fourth Hokage. The Yellow Flash, the one Tobi killed years ago. He was the reason they failed to acquire the Nine Tails. Why did Tobi have a picture of him?
She studied the students, they had to be no older than twelve or thirteen. The Fourth Hokage was ruffling the hair of serious looking boys, with a sweet smiling girl nestled in between them. She studied the boy with dark hair and goggles more closely. Tobi had the same hair color, and even style. Could this have been him as a boy?
If it was, then there was no way Tobi was Madara. And even then, why have this photograph?
Konan could not even finish her gasp when a hand leapt to her throat. Fingers gripped her chin as her body fell back against a warm, hard form.
"Peculiar place for me to find you in, Konan." Came Tobi's voice, deep and velvety.
She stilled, every muscle tensing as she felt his mask against her hair. She could hear his muffled breath as he leaned over her shoulder. His other hand reached out, snatching the photo from her fingers. "What do we have here?"
"Forgive me." She said as gently as she could.
She felt his grip tightened against her jaw as he looked down at the photo. "I didn't think you'd ever be the snooping type."
She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to swallow her heart that leapt into her throat. Why on earth did she think trespassing into Tobi's room was a smart idea?
"If I find you in here again, you won't like what I'll have to do you." He then said, his words lethally cutting into her as he let her out of his grip.
She spun around creating distance between them. She narrowed her amber eyes, keeping her mouth shut. She did not have any good excuse of why she was in there, so she wasn't about to try to make one up.
"Whose the boy in that photo?" She found herself saying.
He must think she was going mad. He took a brief look at the photo, before tucking it into his cloak. "That boy?"
"The one in blue and orange."
He stayed silent for a beat, his hands going into his pockets. "He's dead. Why does it matter?"
"You two look alike."
"Oh?" There was amusement in his voice. Her cheeks colored. "Don't tell me you've been spying into my room too."
"I meant by the color of your hair." She bit out, trying to sound as composed as possible. "And the complexion of your skin."
"Good job, Konan. You've discovered that an Uchiha is from the Leaf." He mocked.
"So that boy is an Uchiha?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Enough." His voice cut through the room, his tone enough to silence birds. She recognized it, he was now irritated.
Konan simply decided leaving was her best option. She made a move towards the door. He was faster, grabbing tightly on her wrist with a white hot touch. She looked back, trying her best to hide alarm in her face. "I suggest you keep your wandering questions to yourself and stop doing whatever it is that you're doing."
She swallowed, simply nodding. He let go, his hardened orange mask, the same orange in that boy's coat, looking back at her as she fled his room. Her heart beat fiercely in her chest as she looked down at the red flesh of her arm form his searing hand, burning into her skin. It had felt like she was about to catch fire.
It's as if in Tobi's grasp he meant to say "Paper burns quickly in flame."
…..
"Don't confront him, Konan. He has his reasons to protect his identity."
Tobi had not mentioned anything. Even though he warned Konan not to tell anyone of the photo, she couldn't help but share the information to Nagato. Nagato had to have at least one ounce of curiosity about who he really is, but her dismay, he only expressed disappointment in her.
"I won't, because I'll get him to offer it to me." She said haughtily. She sipped her sake, looking into Nagato's swirling eyes. Her expression softened. "Stop worrying about me."
"Only if you stay away from him. You know better than anyone else Madara is not to be messed with."
"If that's who he really is." She quipped.
"Please don't ruin the trust we have with him." Nagato said with a sigh. "We have a lot more important things to worry about than the man's face."
"Still though." Konan said. The truth of it all sat on her tongue, but she didn't want her friend to catch on that their boss gave her affection her more than once. She tugged at her sleeve, even though his touch wasn't hot enough to leave a mark she still felt self conscious about it. The series of events would make Nagato snap, and that is the last thing everyone needed. "He knows our past life, we should know his."
Nagato stayed silent, until he took a slight sip of his sake. It had taken years for Konan to get Nagato relaxed enough to drink. At least, drink with her. He finally said, quietly. "In this world, we all suffer in tremendous ways. We are likely to share pain before we share love. I have no doubt that whatever happened to make his identity secret, it's the reason why we work towards our future of peace together."
She nodded, Yahiko's face entering her faded memory. "Yes, and I'm grateful for his work. But I'm so tired from suffering because of our pasts. Part of me still wants to find some love in this bleakness."
He turns to look at her with a hint of confusion in the way his eyebrows furrowed. She blushed. She had too much sake. "What I mean is, I remain optimistic that we can trust our organization to get it done, expel as much hatred as possible."
He simply nods, in a way she knows that he is skeptical of what she is really saying.
…..
Author's Note: Konan is so composed and stoic in Naruto, but I like to think she still has her scrappy side! Considering her brightness as a child & teen, and especially being in her mid 20s in this story, I know she's a spirited gurl! Having so little information on these characters and what their relationships were, it is fun to fill in the blanks.
Thanks for reading :)
