…..
Chapter 9: Forget and Move on…Right?
…..
Konan woke up in the early evening later that day, feeling more hungover than Tobi probably felt after drinking her expensive sake and throwing her into his concrete world.
Obito. She corrected herself.
She felt awful. But the hangover and tenderness of her healed neck were greatly overshadowed by a single event that she played a million times over in her mind.
The kiss.
Out of almost getting her throat slit by a gangster, managing to steal priceless ancient scrolls, and pulling off her first seduction mission, that is what she thought about. That the shadow leader of the Akatsuki, one of the most feared shinobi in the world, in the middle of a high stakes mission- kissed her.
And she had kissed him back.
Her cheeks burned, she kissed him while not having seen his face.
She still didn't know what he looked like!
She was pissed beyond belief but the butterflies gathering in her abdomen gave away to the feelings she desperately tries to shove deep within her. Just when she felt like she was making headway with him, something unexpected happens that puts her back at square one. The idea of facing him again made her fill with a mix of excitement, frustration, and a lingering heat she had not felt since Yahiko.
At least she knew he was serious about putting trust into her, and holding up on his end. Whatever his agenda for that mission was, it was a success.
She rose out of bed to down a glass of water. She observed herself in the mirror. God, she looked awful. Konan was too tired after healing to properly clean herself. She still had dried blood on her skin, hair extensions half fallen out, and her dark makeup had smudged into a raccoon-like effect.
She looked down to find her expensive silk dress discarded on the floor, marred with blood. As Konan kicked it aside several crumbled bills fell out of its folds. She made a face as she picked up the dress and tossed it on a chair. She had completely forgotten she unnecessarily stole a bunch of cash from the Hanino estate on top of that. She reminded herself never to drink on a mission again.
Konan took a long hot shower, scrubbing the prior night off of her. Unfortunately, she could not scrub the panic out of her mind. Had he been jealous of the men all night? Was he that freaked out by her injury? She mulled over everything he did the night prior, deciphering his aloof words and uncharacteristic actions. To her, all signs pointed to one thing: He was interested in sleeping with her.
"Play the game Konan." She reminded herself. The game that he knows you play.She told him she cannot rely on him until he became unguarded. Surely, he took advantage of being on a mission alone with her-using their proximity to feign vulnerability with a physical intimacy while still hiding his identity. She cringed and then thwacked the shower's tiled wall. Why is he always one step ahead of me!?
Once Konan was refreshed and getting dressed to find Pein, she had settled on pretending that other than the mission's success, everything else the night before never happened. At least until she could sort out her feelings, it was best to stay away from the mysterious dark ex-Leaf shinobi with his one stupid eye…and arguably the softest kiss ever. She groaned audibly in frustration at the fleeting thought as she pulled on her Akatsuki cloak.
…..
"Nonsense. True art is a legacy of beauty that exists long after the creator's death." Sasori argued. "What good is beautiful art if it's not eternal? There's no faith people will remember it."
Konan walked in on a rare sight, almost all Akatsuki members at headquarters. For once, she was delighted to see her comrades, with no Tobi present. After the Two Rivers mission, the only woman in the Akatsuki never thought she'd have a preference for what type of criminal men she'd rather party with. In the main dining room, there was alcohol abound, men, laughing, and yelling boisterously in the evening light. Though above all the commotion she noticed most of them gathered around an argument between Sasori, and the latest recruit, hot-headed Deidara from the Hidden Stone.
"See that's the issue!" Deidara exclaimed, his mouthed hands waving around expressively. "The most beautiful things in life are transient, if not intangible! Nothing ever lasts, including our memories, including our art. Human life is not meant to last."
"Kakuzu and Hidan have been around for a while." Interjected Kisame with a smirk, throwing a thumb at the immortal shinobi.
"Yeah, but they aren't art." Deidara snapped. "Or even human as far as I know!"
"Watch it there." Muttered Kakuzu as laughter erupted around them.
"Technically they could be." Sasori shrugged. "Like ourselves, they also go through the ritualistic process of creating. Except, their bodies are the canvas. They were able to take the momentary state of their bodies that served them the most, and preserve their posterity."
"Haha!" Hidan cackled, raising his shot glass, elbowing an irritated Kakuzu. "We're art!"
Deidara scowled. "Master Sasori when you worry too much about sustaining the outcome of what's supposed to be a temporary state, you don't enjoy the process! How do you remain stimulated when you keep using the same old boring puppets? Or don't you go out and seek new puppets?"
Sasori faltered, then shot him a glare. "I do seek out new puppets because that's how artists get better, they make more art. I don't go destroying my work on purpose."
Konan watched, amused. Well, this is what Sasori had hoped for: an organization full of creative people. Sasori had killed his partner again. When Deidara came along, Konan knew immediately they were a perfect match.
"Konan. You are an artist I admire." Said Sasori, the beautiful sand shinobi turning his pale eyes to her. "Wouldn't you agree that true art is eternal beauty?"
"Art is the beauty that lasts for a moment!" Deidara yelled over him. He looked up at her, studying her, then pointed to her paper flower. "See? Flowers are a prime example of fleeting beauty, hmmm."
"Don't encourage them Konan." Kakuzu groaned. "They've been at it for the past hour."
Konan sat down in front of them, elegantly folding her hands, contemplating. Finally, she said in all seriousness, "Art is expression. You both are thinking too deeply on the concept of objectivity and beauty."
Everyone around them groaned at her response. She looked over at Pein who had a twinkle in his eye as he leaned back to watch the show.
"I thought this was an organization of the world's top rogue shinobi, not some art club." Chided Kisame.
"See?" Deidara said excitedly. "She's not impressed with your fancy little dolls. She'd rather see explosions."
"Please. I doubt Konan is impressed with your lumpy clay animals. She is a master of origami, that takes time, precision, and even engineering. It's obvious she spent a lot of time perfecting her form."
"If you knew Konan though, she's used plenty of exploding origami in her justu." Pein added, throwing a wrench into the conversation.
"Can I speak for myself?!" She said flatly. The men went silent. "I make origami that explodes, as well as origami I've kept since I was a girl. You are correct Sasori, I even invented a paper to make my art stronger and last the test of time. However, I think the truth of art comes out of an artist's will to create. I'm more interested in an artists' unique interpretation of beauty than I am about arguing what true beauty is."
They both stared at her for a moment before Sasori asked incredulously. "So you think mine and Deidara's art is true beauty?"
"I suppose so."
"I respect you as an artist but I have to disagree," Deidara exclaimed, crossing his arms.
She raised a brow, surprised that he challenged her.
"True beauty is a pure form." Deidara continued. "You can't just say it comes in different ways!"
"But it does." She said raising an eyebrow. "I mean, some men find me beautiful and some don't, which is it?"
"Someone thinks you're ugly?" Guffawed Hidan suddenly. "Who is he?!"
Said Kakuzu shrugged. "Ehh I could take her or leave her."
Konan rolled her eyes in their direction.
"It means someone understands true beauty as I do." Said Sasori, giving Konan a heated look. "And some don't. I agree with Deidara, there is only one true form of art."
Deidara nodded smugly as if he finally won the argument.
"But it's definitely not your low-brow, heinous explosions, Deidara." Sasori added.
"You!" Deidara lunged for him but Kakuzu's limbs shot out, pulling him back.
"Enough!" He bellowed. "No one gives a fuck about your worthless art!"
Konan shook her head, not wanting to entertain them any longer, and escaped from the conversation, moving to sit next to Pein. He had sat at the far end of the table, relaxed, with untouched sake in front of him.
"Pein." She said, taking a seat beside her lifelong friend. "What's the occasion?"
He turned his endlessly violet eyes onto her. "Everyone's missions finished. I ordered them back here to revisit our long term plans before everyone is off again, and also, to get to know each other more. I realize members have been disconnected, especially with so many coming and going, it would be nice if they'd stop killing each other."
"I'm shocked you'd risk putting them in a room together." She said dryly.
He frowned, but she knew he was amused behind his stony expression. "They've been promising so far. Helps that we secured an immeasurable amount of finance, thanks to you."
"Of course." She replied cooly.
"The mission went well?"
"I'm sure he's told you."
"He has. But I'd also like to hear a report from you."
"Long story short it was successful." She said in a low voice. "Despite having to pretend to like chauvinistic pervs all night."
"You're quite good at handling them." Pain pointed out.
She let out an exasperated sigh. "Don't I know it. Did Tobi tell you about the injury?"
"What injury?" Asked Pein, no change of emotion in his voice but she guessed his hidden concern.
Interesting. So he withheld information as well. She found it curious as to why he consistently kept full details of their missions together from Nagato. "Just a small cut to my neck from when I confronted Hanino." Her fingers went up to the black collar. "But I healed it no problem. Not even a scar remains"
"Ah, he must have not been concerned enough to note it if it was a small injury." Surmised Pein.
"Yeah, that makes sense." She said folding away her suspicion. Suddenly bashful to ask, she looked away from her friend to hide the burn in her ears. "Do you…know where he is right now?"
"He's somewhere around here." Damn, it would've been great if he could do his thing and vanish mysteriously from Ame.
"Okay, well, I was still awaiting my payment." She said as a poor explanation for asking.
"You know Kakuzu handles that." He reminded her.
"Of course." She sunk into her chair, inwardly embarrassed for bringing up Tobi's whereabouts.
He was still in the tower at least, she didn't know what she'd do if he suddenly vanished.
…..
"Konan has the arrangements been made?"
"Yes, Pein-sama." She said, her eyes skimming the memos. "Our annual rain season festival is officially back. The council has determined we will make our appearance on the first night of the festival."
"Excellent." Pein muttered. He shuffled her papers. "Make sure the inner circle of guards are our best jounin."
"Of course, My Lord." Konan hummed, jotting down notes.
The office door opened, they turned to see Obito saunter in.
"Apologies I'm late." He said, pulling a seat back. She stared at him, wide-eyed, her heartbeat picking up its pace. She was used to not seeing him frequently but she'd be lying if she wasn't anxious to catch up to him since their mission. Finally, two days later, he's emerged.
"Tobi-sama." Pein bellowed, nodding. "You're right on time, we've just finished going over Ame's agenda."
"Good." He folded his hands. "Updates on the scrolls?"
"Kakuzu has cashed four of them, the other two are being kept in one of our safe locations. Konan has also been compensated." Pain said.
Obito drummed his fingers on the table. "I went over our long term plan. This means we can enter our next stage of collecting artillery."
"Right. I'll reconnect with Kakuzu and Hidan on how to proceed. Konan, send them the message?" Pain muttered.
"I'll dispatch after this meeting." Konan replied, her eyes darting over to the orange mask that faced Pein. He had not looked in her direction or acknowledged her. He at least greets her in private business meetings. She could feel it. Something was wrong. "Anything else needed to be discussed?"
Pein closed his books. "I think we are okay at the moment. Three of the teams have been sent to some of the northern countries to scout hideouts, we will have to wait to hear from them once they secured a location."
"If there are no other updates, then I'm headed out to train." Obito stood up.
Pein made eye contact with Konan, she nodded, her anxiety racing. She needed to confront him about the mission. Alone. "Nothing else on the agenda."
Pein vanished in a poof of smoke. A perfectly timed clone. Obito made a move out of the room.
"Tobi-sama?"
He exited the office, she quickly followed, not wanting him to vanish down the pipelined hall.
"Tobi-sama!" She repeated, annoyed to have raised her voice.
Though he did not turn back. If anything, he walked more quickly with purpose. Her heart dropped like a stone as he rounded the corner.
Her face contorted into hurt and anger. Feeling the tsunami of emotion she abruptly turned back into the office and closed the door quietly, fighting a stifling cry.
Why am I acting like some boy obsessed school girl? She admonished herself, rubbing at her stinging eyes.
This is what she gets, she thinks. It was obvious a line was crossed. He selfishly kissed her at that moment with no regard to her thoughts or feelings, and now he's tossed her aside.
She gathered the fabric of her Akatsuki garb tightly in her fists, anger swelling in her chest. She felt stupid. Humiliated to have been so manipulated by the fraudulent Uchiha. The so-called trust between them felt like a sham. He still refused to truly reveal himself to her.
His name felt empty. His name didn't answer questions about who he was. His name did not give her the power she thought it would.
Gathering her wits, Konan left the office as a woman scorned.
As if he ever cared about her.
…..
In the past month or so, Konan did her best to steer clear of the Uchiha. Turns out, completely ignoring an aloof man was easy. She would drop off papers in his office off-hours to avoid being in an enclosed space with him. When they would cross paths, or sit in meetings together she refused to engage with him. Though deeply, every interaction within his proximity felt like the sting of a bee. Despite her great efforts to prove her indifference, it was as if he made her feel invisible effortlessly.
It wasn't until a quiet evening. A peaceful evening as the Lady Angel settled into the late hour, looking forward to relaxing with a cup of tea before bed.
Just as she set her cup of piping hot beverage on the table, the door of Konan's room flew open. She turned towards the disturbance, wrapping her robe more tightly around her.
Her stomach dropped.
There he was.
In his tall, broad, and brooding glory.
She visibly scowled.
He shut the door behind him and locked it. Normally it would have made her shiver in fear. But this time his mere presence in her sanctuary had her anger flooding through her system.
"Do you have any idea what hour it is?!" She hissed.
"You're awake." He said, his voice deep, flat and steady. If it wasn't the glow of the low lamplight casting against his dark figure, his mask would look as if it floated like a haunted pumpkin.
Konan cast her eyes away from the mannerless man, backing up towards the windows to make as much space as she could. "Why are you here? Last time I checked you were doing your best to avoid me."
"I wasn't avoiding you." He said like it wasn't a blatant lie. "You were ignoring me, so I had to come here to find you."
"You haven't spoken to me for a whole month." She pointed out with a strained voice. "What is it now?"
"About the night of our last mission..." At that, she turned to face him, her pace of heart quickening. He cleared his throat. "I wanted to make it clear to you that the moment we had was nothing more than an error."
"An error." She echoed in slight disbelief. "The kiss you mean?"
Those words were supposed to be a relief, but her arms wrapped more tightly around her silk robe, her anger stoking like a great fire behind her cold dismay.
"I came here to tell you it's best we should forget what happened that night. It's obvious you've been emotionally affected since then. You are a valuable member of the Akatsuki, and we don't want to compromise business over personal distractions."
"Where is this coming from?" She blurted before she could help herself. "You kissed me on MY seduction mission. If anything you should be apologizing!" She rounded up to him, her anger unleashing. "I'm not going to sit here and pretend to take this bullshit order. I'm not your plaything!"
He remained like a stone statue in his place. "There's no reason to escalate this issue." He said pointedly. "I'll admit, the mission got out of hand in many ways."
She let out a strangled laugh. "You know what Obito Uchiha?" She hissed, walking right up to him, not caring she was just wearing her robe and pajamas. "I'm tired of you using me, you can't fool me with all this trust stuff." She pointed her finger last him. "You made a promise."
"I have every intention of keeping my promise, you must know that."
"If you have every intention then why did you walk away from me that day after the meeting, when I called after you?"
He was silent for a moment until he finally said. "I wasn't able to deal with it at that moment."
She shook her head, her anger sputtering out into exhaustion. "Obito I can't keep up with you when I don't even know you. When you kissed me…I didn't even see your face!"
"You know who I am." He said dismissively. "I'm your boss. And I gave you my true name."
She turned around abruptly. "Clearly you don't get it." She felt unable to handle the level of frustration. She wanted to strangle the stupid pumpkin-headed man.
"I already told you what you wanted to know." He reiterated.
"You humiliated me." She sneered, fully annoyed. "I trusted you and you made it seem like I was a drunken fool. Everything you do confuses me so forgive me for feeling a certain way about that night! And you wonder why I'm left with more questions than answers."
"Konan." He said in a warning voice. She could feel the warmth of his body as he neared her form, she kept her eyes glued to the floor. "I told you that kiss is a mistake. It's simple, you'll report to my office starting tomorrow, and we will carry on business as usual. Enough of this strange behavior."
She was silent for a moment before she turned around slowly. "Very well, My Lord." She said quietly, her tone rueful, as she reached out to place a hand on his chest. As she suspected it vanished through him, he had been on edge this entire time. "I'll pretend nothing happened. But next time, don't pretend you care about me beyond Akatsuki business."
"I don't want to quarrel with you." His voice went soft and raspy. "Understand it's been a long, long time since I had anyone this close to me. I'm not even used to hearing my name."
Her expression hardened. The sliver of his vulnerability was only discernible in his carefully chosen words. To an ordinary woman, he would sound like a man who would rather speak with his mind but was trying to speak from his heart. She, however, was not fully convinced.
Play the game Konan.
She held out her hand. "Fine. Let's swear on it then, the past is the past and we move forward, alright?"
He reached out, his hand grasping hers firmly. Even with the layer of his gloves, his skin sent electric currents through her veins. They shook on it. And through the tangle of her emotions, Konan was able to feel a slight reprieve that everything was back on track.
She will unmask this man.
…..
Obito had somewhat successfully patched things up with the lavender-haired kunoichi, but he knew he wasn't exactly back in her good graces. He sat on the protruding tongue of one of the humanoid structures of Pein's tower, looking downwards at the crowds in Ame's lantern-lit streets, making their way to the plaza where Nagato and Konan would commence the annual rain festival.
Their dedication to their land and heritage was a notion long lost to him. Obito frowned, as he tried to recall festivals in the Leaf village, but his memory of childhood was blurred, overrun by Madara's experiences.
It was a small price to pay to be able to build a better world. He stood up, not wanting to watch a hopeful crowd anticipate their beloved leaders. So-called leaders that he controlled.
Madara would be pleased to know that Obito was at the level of skill where he could singlehandedly lead entire nations from the shadows. He was miles ahead-considering his age, and how much his ancestor put into his hands. He would do anything to leave behind this forsaken world.
His dark thoughts were interrupted by hushed talking. On cue, Obito vanished from the perch, pressing himself into a corner of a hall.
"Yahiko would've loved today." He heard Konan say wistfully.
"Yes, he always liked this time of year."
"It's been a while since our people saw you in the flesh, you'll make quite a stir."
"Perhaps. You always do the public appearances though, Ame knows and loves you."
"Maybe so," Konan's voice sounded somber. "But I'm not a god."
"Forgive me Konan, for the burden I put on you."
"Nagato, please don't start."
Obito felt that feeling again, burning in his chest. He identified it and scowled as he craned his neck, trying to catch a glimpse at the pair of friends who were sharing a rare, intimate moment.
"You know I'll do anything for you."
He watched as Konan and Pein swept into sight. The flame in Obito's chest burned brighter. Konan was dressed for the occasion, in an elegant dark kimono with flourishes of painterly florals. Her hair was pulled back, decorated with perfectly folded paper roses. Her lips were as red as her blush, in contrast to the dark kohl around her burning amber eyes.
She stood close to Pein, her hand idly on his arm. Nagato inhabiting the shell of Yahiko's body had remained as chilling as ever in his buttoned-up Akatsuki cloak and rows of piercings, his Rinnegan focused on her face. It was as if a delicate butterfly rested on a metal trap.
Obito wished Pein wouldn't stand so close to her. That she wouldn't be touching him.
He thought ignoring Konan would be easy. Having her angry at him would be easy. Anything to drive her away. Now his plan hung in the balance, threatened by Konan's beauty.
"Well, shall we entertain the masses? I'm sure our force is anxiously waiting at the entrance." Konan said, breaking the silence.
Before he knew it, he stepped out to make his presence known. The pair looked up in his direction. Pein greeted him. "My Lord."
"Enjoy your festivities." Obito managed to say. He winced at the very-not-like-Madara sentiment.
Wordlessly, Konan's hand fell away from Pein's arm, her expression turned sour at the sight of him, and he was displeased with her reaction. Despite her cold shoulder as they exited the room, he couldn't help but stare.
…..
It was a clouded evening, the moon and stars hidden in the misty Ame night. Though the gloomy weather hardly affected the village. The city was bathed in blue light from lanterns that made the fog ominously glow. It felt as if the spirits were awake and wandering the city.
Konan had been greeted by a huge crowd. She and Pein went through the motions of the opening ceremony; honoring the gods, thanking their people, and the rain for bringing their lands back to life. Once it was all said and done, the festival officially commencing, Konan floated down from the raised balcony, cheers drowning her senses as people surged to greet her.
"Great job everyone." She said as she gently landed on the ground. Her group ushered her to the center of the festival, a beautiful revitalized plaza that was like an oasis of lush greenery in the middle of the steel and grey of Ame. She glanced upwards at the statue of Pein that graced the center.
Some of the shinobi assigned to Konan's protection for the evening fluttered around her, careful to avoid her large paper wings as they assumed their positions. "My Lady! Your speech was wonderful!" Gushed one of them.
Konan smiled gently. It was the perfect start to the festival.
Pein had already retreated to the tower using his visual prowess, leaving Konan to linger as the crowd dispersed into the streets lined with vendors. Composed and polite, Konan spent time greeting her villagers. Their love and warmth melted her barriers, and she felt a deep sense of gratitude as they paid her their respects.
An hour or so passed of greeting one person after the other, and Konan felt as if her head was spinning from all the social contact. "One more person, Yama, and then I'll be retiring to the tower."
People began yelling, waving their arms frantically. Yama contemplated the crowd. Finally, she pointed. "You!"
The circle of Shinobi broke open and a young dark-haired woman stumbled into the clearing.
Konan had to keep herself from breaking into a smile as she realized she wasn't Misune. A small sense of panic set in but Konan stood her ground as Ume approached. She felt guilty, after not being able to visit Ume in such a long time.
"My Lady!" Ume gasped bowing low. "What an honor!" She cried. "I'm Ume, a local baker-Fresh Rain Bakery if you are familiar with it."
"Yes." Konan said, returning her greeting. "I've had plenty of bakery delivered from your shop."
"Really?!" Ume gushed as she leaned towards Konan. Konan wanted to lean away, hoping she wouldn't recognize her so easily.
"I wanted to say thank you for all you and Lord Pein do, I'm proud to be from the Hidden Rain."
"Thank you for sharing that with me." Konan said kindly.
"You know you're as beautiful as people say." Ume then said, her dark eyes glittering. Konan's eyes met hers. She studied her friend, and couldn't decide if she recognized her or not.
"You are too kind." Konan retorted, eager to end the interaction with her extremely kind friend. "It was lovely meeting you, best wishes to you, and your success with your bakery. I hope you enjoy the festival tonight."
Ume bowed once more before respectfully walking away. Konan watched her go, feeling her cheerfulness damper with unsettling guilt. She needed to see her friend soon and make up for their lost time together. Besides, she smiled to herself, she really needed to thank Ume for her sage advice.
…..
"You are all fine to be released from duty, I can make my way back inside." Konan reassured her forces at the gates of Pein's tower. She offered her team of jounin a rare smile. "Please, go on and enjoy the festival. You all deserve it."
The Rain nin saluted their leader before taking off back into the streets, obviously eager to unwind and enjoy the delicious amount of foods and drink that awaited them. Konan retreated into the tower's grounds, feeling giddy herself from the adrenaline of opening the rain festival.
As she walked up the stairwell to the tower's discreet entrance, she felt someone pull on her dress.
Alarmed, Konan whirled around.
"Tobi-sama!" She gasped at the shadowy man bathed in the blue light from the dimly lit stairwell. "You scared me!"
"Tobi?" He said in a light voice. "I thought you didn't call me that anymore."
Her eyes shifted between the door and the bottom of the steps leading to outside. "Well, we aren't exactly in private."
"No one is around." He assured her quietly.
"Stalking me again?" She flatly accused.
"No." He sounded mischievous. She only then noticed he hid something behind his back. "I brought you something since you didn't get to walk around the festival."
He revealed two skewers of brightly colored dango, holding one out to her.
This man was just a whole bag of surprises. She placed a hand on her hip. "I didn't know you cared about me enough to feed me."
"You worked hard tonight." He said teasingly. "Consider it a peace offering."
She eyed him suspiciously. "This isn't some trick, is it? You aren't going to hold this over my head later?"
"Relax." He chided. "I know you're hungry."
As if on cue her stomach growled. She blushed and snatched his dango offering. His shoulders dropped and he relaxed against the wall. As she ate the sweet dumplings she watched with wonder and contempt as he shifted his mask to pop the dango into his mouth with ease.
"You like sweets." She observed.
"And you like sake." He retorted. She could not see his mouth, his tilted orange mask fixed against his cheek-obscuring her view of him. But she imagined he was smiling like the asshole he is.
They ate in comfortable silence. A warm kind of silence that reminded her how long she has known him, despite the state of her conflicted feelings. She finished her dango, daintily wiping the corners of her mouth, feeling self-conscious in her full formal garb. He had finished off his, his mask going back in place. "Well, thank you for the food." She said, interrupting the silence. Konan, pining to leave before she did anything else regretful, turned to proceed up the steps.
She then felt his hand reach out to grab hers, pulling her on the wide step towards his direction. The cold air in the concrete stairwell suddenly didn't feel as brisk.
"I need to tell you." He said, stepping in close. It felt strange, to feel her hand in his. It didn't feel like their firm business shake from a few days beforehand. It felt soft, tender.
She held her breath as she looked up at him through her lashes, suddenly shy. She couldn't help but imagine if they kissed again, how he would taste sweet.
"Lady Angel you look very beautiful tonight," Obito confessed. "I feel like I can't look away from you."
"I-wha-" She sputtered, tongue-tied. Konan's face felt hotter than ever. The feelings she struggled to bury floated delicately on the surface.
Astonished, the kunoichi finally managed to utter a small, "Thank you."
"Let's go inside."
The tone of his voice sounded like an order, but he held onto her hand, leading a perfectly capable kunoichi up the steps as if he was an escort to a princess.
Is this his way of apologizing?She wondered, her eyes flickering between his broad shoulders and his gloved hand innocently gripping hers.
He even held on when he opened the door. She waited, trying not to fidget in his grasp, wanting the hand holding to never end but to end rapidly at the same time. At last, the door flew open. Obito led them through and as soon as he shut the door behind him, his hand drew away.
Without looking at her, or stopping really, he quickly said, "Have a good night, I'll see you at tomorrow's meeting."
Konan watched the dark leader vanish in thin air. She remained in her spot, blinking incredulously as she cradled her hand, trying so, so hard to understand.
Konan continued to ponder Obito while making her way back to her quarters. Then the bulb of light went off in her head. She couldn't help but smile, because her theory was in her favor. The dango, the hand-holding, the compliment-and then her fearless leader dashing away like an embarrassed teenage boy…
Had he been…nervous?!
…..
Author's Note: Lovely readers, I know, I know I'm sorry it's been a little bit since I've updated. It's been a busy few weeks, I got a freelance job that ate up most of my time and then I got SO STUCK on this chapter! :( FINALLY my project has wrapped up and my writer's block has been cracked. Hoping the length and fluffy pining of this chapter makes up for it ! ;)
