…..
Chapter 3: Disguises
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Konan sighed as she hurried in from the thundering rains. The tower was empty for the day, everyone off to their respective Akatsuki mischief. She had spent a week rolling out three new programs for Ame, she was exhausted from the speeches and interviews. Finally, she has the weekend off. Bless her small team of followers who worked diligently to keep Ame up and running.
She flounced upstairs to the kitchen, which by the way, was sparkling now that the men were out of the way. She loved it when they were out of the tower, she felt like she could breathe. It was easy, being alone. Being a woman in her damn house.
She tossed her umbrella to the side, kicked off her shoes, and quickly put away the food. Konan rifled through the last bag, she hissed a yes to herself, pulling out a large bottle of top-shelf sake, it's golden label singing to her.
"Thank you Kakuzu." She hummed as she poured herself a cup.
"Interesting choice."
She nearly dropped the porcelain cup, whirling around to see the orange mask.
"Oh! Tobi-sama." She said in surprise. "I didn't think anyone would be here until tomorrow."
"I finished the meeting early. Just came back from Tea Country." He said. He tilted his head. "I didn't think I'd find you looking so…off-duty."
She blushed, furrowing her brows at him. She had no shame in how she looked. In order to go out and do daily business in the village, one could not buy groceries as the almighty and ethereal Lady Angel. So she made some adjustments. The paper shinobi's hair was up in a perky ponytail, sans piercings and dark makeup. She wore a tight high necked crop top and mini skirt, showing off her fluted figure. She would never admit it was one of her favorite activities to go about her day in a civilian disguise. She felt like she could be a version of herself if the war never happened. A young village woman buying groceries, catching the eyes of handsome young men, getting drinks with friends, having dinner with family.
"Quite the opposite, Lord Uchiha." She purred, leaning against the counter, taking a shot of sake. It fueled the fire in her stomach. "A woman's work is never done. Including buying all the specific foods you men ask for."
"Giving yourself an incentive there?" He asked, walking over and reaching the bottle to examine it.
"After buying what Kisame likes to eat," She shivered as she thought of all the strange raw meat and fish that had their own fridge at this point after everyone complained of the weird smells. "I do."
"You've always had expensive tastes," Tobi said, with amusement in his voice. She did a double-take at that. Perhaps he had been long studying her too?
"You want a drink?" She asked innocently, cocking her head. She couldn't help herself, especially with the outfit she was wearing. Ever since the day where he fixed her button, she knew she was able to unnerve his hard exterior. She was able to bring out this young man's side, whoever he was.
"No." He placed the bottle back onto the counter.
"No? It's so delicious though." She said in feigned surprise. "You just came back, surely you would like to relax, especially since the tower is quiet." She poured another cup, holding it out to him.
He looked down at the cup. She stepped closer, holding the drink towards his face. "What? Not going to remove your mask? I already saw your jawline." She teased, tapping his mask.
"I see you still are curious about what's behind my mask." He said lowly. "Even after my warning."
A blush spread across her cheeks. "I suppose by your wandering hands you have your own curiosities."
"Woman, you are relentless." He said with a hint exasperation, uncharacteristically scratching the back of his head. She paused at the voice. It wasn't that deep villainous voice. It was softer, raspy. What he actually sounded like. She looked up with wide amber eyes, as he reached out and took a strand of her long lavender hair through his gloved fingers before taking the cup. "I suppose I can't deny a good drink that I paid for."
She was suddenly too aware of their proximity and stepped back, not wanting to ruin this new moment. "I knew that wasn't your real voice."
"Oh?" He chided.
"I know you aren't Madara Uchiha." She dared to whisper.
"Perhaps." He said with a low chuckle, moving his mask to the side, just enough to down it in one gulp.
"So do I get your real name?" She asked, trying to keep the eagerness from her voice, even though Nagato had already asked her stop.
"Easy there, Konan." He straightened again. "I'll be heading upstairs now."
"Of course, My Lord." She said, frowning. She hoped she hadn't pushed him too far.
"Oh and Lady Konan?" He added, turning to look at her. "If I were you I'd not look like that around the other Akatsuki members."
"Consider yourself lucky." She answered, breaking into a coy smile.
…..
Obito threw the mask into his bed, clamoring out of his dusty clothes and into the shower. He needed ice cold water, now. He looked in the mirror, hoping Konan had not seen the Sharingan through his mask. He let out a deep sigh. He had not expected to see her like that. His body responded so viscerally to her, the Uchiha copy wheel spun on instinct to memorized her smile and the amber color of her eyes, as if seeing right through his guise. He was reminded once again she was very beautiful. She actually left the tower looking like that, and he hadn't a clue that she would go out with her own secret identity.
In theory, it made sense. She was famous in Ame, and simply could not run errands with an Akatsuki cloak and paper flowers in her long lavender hair. Though, he was pretty sure she had a team of employees that helped her with Ame's in and outs, couldn't she get one of them to do things like pick up groceries? It occurred to him perhaps she liked to go out on her own, pretend to be a normal villager for the day. She was almost unrecognizable, but the way she dressed surely turned heads in the street. She certainly turned his. It did concern him that she might get unwanted attention, and risk revealing herself to the village if someone tried to attack her. It was stupid to go out in the streets like that.
Speaking of risks, he couldn't make sense of why he decided to reveal his voice. He had a suspicion she was onto him. No, she definitely was. She knew he couldn't keep his hands to himself. He found this disturbing inkling of a growing fondness towards her, that tested their bond of trust. The day when she healed him, he could see it in her eyes. She knew he was not Madara. He wondered if Nagato ever told her. No matter though, he was convinced they would always keep their secrets between each other and as long as they served Madara like he did, and he knew they could put them aside to get on with the grand plan.
Konan's image was seared into his mind. He still had to be more careful. Women, even at his age, he thought as the cold water hit his body, have always remained strange and foreign creatures.
…..
"My Lord, you have a new message from Hidan." Konan let herself into his dim office.
"Ah good, is he acclimating well to Akatsuki life?"
"As well as a blood-crazed immortal can be."
Tobi looked up at the composed angel, holding out the paper. It now frustrated her to no end that she could not see his face or the expressions he was wearing. She stepped closer, leaning forward for him to take the paper. Probably closer than she normally would. As if she was a plume of acid he shot backward. "Leave it on my desk and be gone." He said tersely.
She raised an eyebrow in confusion but said nothing as she gingerly dropped it on his desk and left the Uchiha to his own devices.
Before she left the room, her fingers pressed against his door. "By the way, I plan on going into the village this afternoon. If Pein asks for me tell him I won't be gone long."
He did not look, merely waving a hand dismissively, to her ire. She closed the door and inhaled a large breath of air once she was in the hall. What the fuck was that.
…..
"Neh, Masami, why the long face?"
Ume, the bakery owner, passed Konan her bread order. The disguised shinobi glanced around the shop to make sure no one else was there before she relaxed against the counter.
She sighed. "It's my boss."
Ume leaned forward, dark eyes widened with intrigue. "Did he talk to you again?"
"Barely!" Konan let out a sound of exasperation. "I don't get him. One minute, his hands are all over me, the next he's cold as ice, acting like I'm poison, or that I hardly exist. I don't know what version I'm going to get, it changes by the minute."
"And this hasn't started since recently right, like from last time we talked?"
"Yeah…" Konan's cheeks brightened. "He's now mad at me, I think. I asked too many personal questions, probably got too close, and crossed his boundary."
"Oh, nonsense." Ume waved her hand dismissively. "You have the right to know about his life outside of work! Especially if he's your boss and clearly shows he cares about you. I don't know Masami, at this point if he won't open up, then maybe he doesn't have the right intentions, even if he seems to like you."
"But I just know he's hiding things from me." Konan pressed. "How can he hit on me and then expect me to blindly reciprocate?"
"Maybe he just wants sex." Ume said with a shrug.
Konan's face fell at Ume's point. Ume waved her hands frantically. "No! I didn't mean it like that. Everything about you is dateable! But men only see the waves of the river, not the currents underneath. You are drop-dead gorgeous, he might just want to sleep with you. He knows you are a good catch."
Konan thought to Tobi's hug, and then the waist grabbing. "Perhaps…I didn't rule out that possibility. I guess I don't know what I should do from this point on. Like if this is even worth the risk, especially since he is my boss."
"Will you be fired if it ends badly?" Ume mused.
Konan thought it over, if anything, there would likely be some form of psychological punishment. He was a cruel man. She could imagine forcing her to go on a long, treacherous mission or maybe he'd suck her into a long term genjutsu, like what he does to his opponents. She shivered, realizing she might end up walking along a razor's edge. But she also knew as long as Nagato was around, she would be safe, because Nagato needed her, and Tobi needed Nagato to complete the Eye of the Moon Plan.
"No." She finally answered. "I'm essential to the organization."
"Is he handsome?" Ume asked.
She caught herself before she said I don't know, and smiled. "Yes. Tall. Dark hair. Strong jawline. A former shinobi." Well, that was kind of true.
Ume's eyes glittered. "Masami you are so lucky!" She whined. "I always dreamed of dating one, but none of the ones I met are that nice. Good looking but they always end up being assholes."
Konan flashed an unruly smile. "Well, technically he is an asshole…"
"Even if it's your boss, I think you should see if he will change." Ume declared. The shop bell rang, causing the women to pause and see a group of school girls stumbled in, heading straight for the sweets counter.
Konan grabbed the handles of her bag, pulling it off the counter to her side. "You think?"
A mischievous smile grew on Ume's face. "Masami, what I think you should do…" She spread her manicured nails firmly across the counter and leaned closer. "I think you need to start playing your own game instead of being stuck in his."
"Miss is there any more chocolate strawberry cakes left?" Piped up one of the schoolgirls.
Konan looked over, coming face to face with six girls.
"Oh! Yes!" Ume said cheerfully, scrambling over to the dessert counter. "Let me check one of these bottom pans…"
Konan saw that as her window to leave, she bid a quiet goodbye, unsure if Ume even heard. She didn't bother to check. She sidestepped the group of girls but not before one of them could say, "Wow Lady, you are so pretty! Are you a model?"
Konan's expression softened as she noticed a few of the schoolgirls were holding bags of cookies made to look like Lady Angel, grins on their faces as they gazed at her excitedly.
As she left through the door she answered, "Something like that."
…..
Konan made her way through the streets, mulling over her thoughts. Ume had become her new "outsider friend" in the village. The young baker was the only other person (that was not Nagato) where she could air out all her grievances, even if Ume got edited versions to protect Konan's true identity. Konan was grateful to have a friendship with another woman…especially one that gave great advice on life issues….and men.
Konan was yanked out of her thoughts through a hard pull on her long hair, stinging her scalp. She whirled around finding two large men with leery smiles. Her bag of groceries fell from her grasp. She glared as they back her against a wall.
"Damn, why haven't I seen you before?!"
She's taken out monsters. S-Ranked nin. Hanzo's army. Two gross men were the least of her problems.
But she realized, she was not Konan. She was Masami, the pretty village girl. If she did anything out of the ordinary, villagers would notice. Even worse, a shinobi would notice and report her to ironically, herself, and then she couldn't leave the house anymore. She never thought her own system would bite her in the ass. Where hell was street patrol?
"Leave me alone!" She said, her brows drawing down into a fearsome stare, moving to go around them.
One of them beat her to it, stepping so close she could smell his poor hygiene. "She's mad. This one's got attitude too." He said sharing a smile with his comrade.
"Stop!" She said, letting frustration lace her voice. She managed to push past the men, but not before one caught her arm.
"Not so fast. You'd be a pretty penny from where we are from."
She clenched her teeth, trying to pull her arm from his vice, meaty grip without using her skills, mind racing as she calculated ways to get out of the situation. Her eyes burned with tears. The street was empty. No one was around to witness this. Why was she crying? She was by the far the strongest kunoichi in Ame.
That's when she turned around and raised her knee to his groin. But somehow the brute was faster. He has at least some ninja training. She cried out as he pivoted himself away, bending her body over and kicking at her legs so she lost balance on herself. Both of them cackled as she hit the ground. "As if you can try that on me." The man rumbled.
"There you are." A familiar raspy voice cut in.
The man's grasp vanished, Konan she whirled around, holding her throbbing arm to her chest.
Her eyes widened as a man appeared by her side, a tall shinobi in Hidden Rain uniform. With an eye patch and a modified black mask covering most of his face.
He reached down, gracefully pulling her up to towards him, protectively placing his arm around her shoulder and drawing her into his broad chest as he narrowed his dark eye at the men. "Who are you?" He bellowed.
"We weren't doing anything!" One of them cried, stepping back apprehensively, knowing what was to come. Hidden Rain ninja were famously known for their short tempers.
"Don't go grabbing women you have no business with." His grip on her shoulders tightened. "Lady Angel has strict laws on such acts of violence against women and children."
"We didn't mean to cause trouble." One of the men said, gritting his teeth.
"I'll let it pass this time." The shinobi said flippantly. "If I see you talking to my girlfriend again I'm going to show you exactly how I achieved Jounin rank." Fire lighted his palm, and the eyes popped out of the men's heads.
They turned on their heel, scurrying away as if they were mice.
Konan was speechless as she looked up at him. He smirked, looking down at her, his dark eye piercing straight into her soul. "You aren't the only one that can do disguises."
…..
He couldn't help it. He had to follow her to make sure she was ok. He'd be damned if she was going to risk her position in the Akatsuki to play dress up.
Now she was in his arms, looking at him in shock. And he was having second thoughts.
"You said the word girlfriend." She said in awe. "As if you didn't think twice."
His one eye blinked. She just got assaulted and that's what she was flustered about? "Chauvinist men are more likely to back off if a man "claims property" over a woman."
Konan made a face. "Why did you say it like that?"
He rolled his eyes. She looked shocked at that too. "I'm simply explaining my strategy. Sometimes you have to face the ugly truth to protect someone."
He watched redness flush in her cheeks as she averted her eyes downwards. "Well thank you for that."
"Konan." He muttered lowly next to her ear. "You've been testing me lately. I can't have you risking our reputation with you wandering to places you shouldn't be in."
As politely as he could, he released her from his grasp and stepped away, feeling his insides stir at the foreign feelings that bloomed inside him. She flung herself away from him, and he realized she was angry. "Our reputation? Even though you are doing the same?" She threw back on him, putting her hands on her hips.
The way she looked standing in front of him with an unconcealed sexiness made him ache. He did his best to shove those musings away. "You are lucky I followed you today. Those men were trying to kidnap you."
"I realize that." She said icily. She pointed at him. "I didn't ask you to follow me! I can take care of my own business."
Irritation bubbled up inside of him, but he kept his voice smooth and monotone. "Last time I checked you are supposed to have this village under control. Yet you risk yourself and this village by ending up in that situation. You need to be more careful. You simply can't leave the tower and pretend like there won't be trouble."
"You act as if I'm incompetent. I know what risks I take, and I was fine until you showed up." Her upper lip curled. He inwardly scoffed at that, he had seen the tears in her amber eyes. "Why did you follow me anyways? Are you stalking me now?"
The words slapped him back to reality. Initially, he told himself he followed her for fear of his comrade exposing her true identity and putting the Akatsuki at risk. His ears and neck burned, the truth was that he feared the danger of what other men can do to her. They did not know she roamed the streets as their beloved leader, utterly defenseless and exposed. But he also knew that she could handle herself. She was, after all, the strongest kunoichi he had ever known. Obito had no valid excuse other than those strange feelings overpowering his senses. No excuse like how Konan didn't have one for sneaking into his room. He tore his gaze away from her, feeling exposed. "Consider us even." He told her coldly.
Obito activated his Kamui, the portal opening from behind for him to step back into. He watched her face blur as the portal swallowed him whole. Even though he was running from her now, he knew from her expression that this conversation was far from over.
…..
Paper reassembled into the form of Konan the angel as she delicately landed on her balcony. Not so delicately, she slammed the balcony door behind her with force.
That asshole. She thought vehemently as she tore out her girly earrings and threw them to the ground, followed by her necklace and glittering bracelets.
She looked into the mirror. Her hair was mussed from the men grabbing her, and there were fresh bruises forming on her knees. Despite the event with the men, Tobi showing up just created even more questions than Ume could answer…if Konan ever got to leave the tower again.
She sighed in frustration pulling her hair down as she sat on her bed. How on earth could he act so rudely one moment then turn around to follow and rescue her? She seen him easily abandon past members who got mowed down by enemies, without remorse. Why did he feel the need to protect her? Perhaps he was repaying the favor for healing her or doing it for Nagato's sake. But then there was the fact that he called her his girlfriend as if it was the most natural thing in the world. That man is so hard to read. She was too shocked by it all to even anticipate whatever punishment he had in store for her.
Unless his last words left her off the hook. Arguably she could blackmail him for that photo to get out of trouble. Konan stood up, going to the mirror to push her medusa piercing back into place, now feeling more like herself. Perhaps he was right. It was stupid for her to go out. Her cheeks burned with shame at the fact that he caught not once, but twice. Perhaps here on out she'd have to keep her distance, make herself scarce in his presence. It was time to put a stop to whatever it was between her and her boss. It was too risky to play his game.
"Akatsuki meeting in twenty." Came Nagato's deep voice over the intercom.
So much for distance. She lamented as she grabbed her towel and headed into her bathroom. Not even enough time to scrub off those men's greasy hands.
…..
"Next on our agenda, news on our numbers."
Pein's soothing low voice ebbed and flowed between Konan's scattering thoughts as she tried to not look in the direction of Tobi's flickering hologram, as if he wasn't just holding her in his arms hours earlier.
"Tobi, Hidan, and Konan will go to the land of wind. Thanks to Konan's diligent research and everyone's intel we have located a potential new member, Sasori of the Red Sand."
Konan kept her face composed as she slid her gaze to Tobi, who let out a hoot and a "Finally, I get a chance!" She had a feeling he had ulterior motives if he was suddenly going. Her stomach jumped. She hoped it had nothing to do with her, or it wasn't a sort of sick punishment. Just her luck that she had to go with Tobi and Hidan. She wanted to scream.
"Sasori?" Kisame hissed with a wide smile. "The ninja who makes puppets from human flesh. I've heard stories about him from the war."
"An interesting acquisition," Zetsu added approvingly.
"I can take him," Hidan said haughtily, grinning widely.
"The goal is to persuade him to join us, not to kill him." Reminded Pein. "That'll be all for now, everyone else carry on business as usual."
Pein's hologram vanished, meaning the meeting was over. Akatsuki members flickered out of sight, leaving Hidan, Konan, and Tobi.
"We meet at our base in Land of the Wind. Have you received my instructions, Hidan?" Konan asked.
"Yeah, I'm already near the hideout." He confirmed.
"Good. I'll see you both there." She exited the meeting without another word, not wanting to leave room for further remarks from two very unpredictable men.
…..
Author's Note: Thanks for reading!
