------
Part 5 - "Trust, or Lack Thereof"
------
Uchiha Madara waited for the wood nin patiently, knowing from his sources that he would be coming through today. It had been the best stroke of luck that the Akatsuki had had in quite some time. The wood nin "Yamato" as well as the medic nin, the Kyuubi boy, and one that he knew to be Hatake Kakashi were all coming together. That copy ninja would be a pain, especially if he managed to use the Mangekyou Sharingan. Right now, he was the only one that concerned Madara, being in such a weakened state. But the plan would go quite well if they split as planned. Pein would take the copy ninja, leaving Kisame, Konan, Zetsu and himself to capture the rest. Capture... not kill. That didn't sit well in Madara's mind, but the Leader seemed to have a plan.
Pein slipped quietly through the forest, waiting in his own decided position. His steady gaze concentrated on the path ahead. Konan waited above him hidden in the branches, using her keen sight to scout ahead. He trusted her to be his eyes, and patiently slid against the rough bark of the tree, anxious. It would only be a capture, that's all he had told everyone else, even Konan. Even she didn't know what his entire plan was, only that he didn't intend to kill anyone just yet. She trusted him to do the right thing.
Kisame waited next to a river, poised near his most comfortable habitat. Truthfully, he didn't know what the hell was going on anymore. He had finally been told the entirety of Tobi's identity, and what he was really capable of, and even big brutish Kisame paled at the thought of another Mangekyou Sharingan on the loose. Not to mention this guy could use his without going blind. He would have been invincible if not for some unspoken incident that left him so weak.
Zetsu was hidden well near the front to act as reconnaissance for any action that may come from the village. He blended perfectly into the forest, his chakra dispersed into the foliage easily, becoming one with his surroundings. When he did this, he felt a strange pang of remembrance, of a time before the Akatsuki. Back when he led a normal life in the grass country. He reminded himself of the task at hand, and paid close attention.
Konan let a red butterfly into the air. Target sighted. Yamato led the group of ninjas, though it didn't appear they were on any sort of mission. They were off guard, and for a ninja that was a deadly fault. She let a yellow butterfly up. Target is at ease. This was indeed the best chance they would ever get. Only a few more feet. Kakashi hesitated near the tree where Zetsu was hiding, staring at the bark oddly. He seemed suspicious... time to act before he became more so! Finally a white butterfly flew directly up. Attack!
A flurry of motion filled the air as Madara pounced on the wood nin, Konan caught Sakura, Pein dueled with Kakashi, and Kisame dealt with Naruto. Zetsu hung back, a reinforcement, and watched their backs. No other opposition. Yamato tried furiously to form a hand seal, but Madara held him stiffly, his mask bumping into his nose as he tried to stop the man's struggle. Kakashi had somehow managed to run around to the side and backtracked, trying to help Yamato. He sliced his kunai directly at Madara, and scored a direct hit. Hell, Madara could barely see what he was doing in the first place with this struggle. But when Kakashi's kunai struck, the mask shattered to pieces, revealing him completely. Kakashi turned the most interesting shade of white, somewhat like his hair, and he dropped his weapon in complete shock. Uchiha Madara... was very much alive.
He stared at Madara, breathless. "We never had a chance..."
Sakura struggled in Konan's hold. "Kakashi! Why aren't you fighting back?"
But he shook his head, turning his sharingan eye in her direction. "This man is Uchiha Madara. We would never... he's too much for us on his own. With the others here, we were done in long before we even started."
Her eyes widened. "Uchiha...? But... but how?"
Madara glared like a maniac, his face disgusting with the sheer loss of sanity. "Itachi never meant to kill me, he was my accomplice. We destroyed our pitiful clan together, leaving only his brother. That turned out to be his undoing, but... I've lived so long now, I knew well how to escape from everyone's eyes. I laid in wait for many years until I could gain control of the Kyuubi and unleash it on Konoha."
Kakashi stared in disbelief. "You started Konoha with the first Hokage, why would you want to destroy it? How did you even live this long?"
Pein instantly popped up behind Kakashi, putting a kunai to his throat. "Enough talk. You're all coming with us. We won't kill you or your friends. Just come quietly."
Kakashi nodded, knowing when to give in. Pein held in a slight smile at this, suddenly reminded of himself. It took a good leader to know when to back down. No wonder this ninja had gained such fame. Not only did he have talent and the Sharingan, but his leadership skills were superb. The other ninjas followed his example, allowing themselves to be led by the Akatsuki into yet another secret base. Well, not secret anymore, but they had plenty of other unseen bases. One could be given up. From there, all of them gathered in the main living area where the Akatsuki nin placed themselves strategically near any exits. Whether by some freak urge or something else, he never knew, Pein motioned kindly for the Konoha ninjas to have a seat. He wanted to talk.
He started by observing the Kyuubi vessel, the one named Naruto. The boy was trying hard to stay still and not mouth off, which was commendable. Pein then looked to Kakashi impassively, pointing at Naruto. "Tell me... is there a way to remove the Kyuubi without killing him?"
The whole room was stunned. Even Konan raised an eyebrow at this. But he was perfectly serious, and Kakashi shook his head. "Not that we know of yet."
Finally, as expected, Madara protested. "Why would we need to bother with that? We already have a good means of extracting it."
Pein glared at him maliciously, silencing him. "I'd rather not kill him if there were another way of doing so. It... isn't necessary."
Sakura leaned forward, curious. "You guys... really mean that, don't you?"
He had to be careful. Madara would be furious if he found out. Heck, they all would, but at least the others wouldn't want to kill him. He looked up at Konan with a slight glare, then over at Madara, and her gaze turned from inquisitive to concerned, then she moved over to Madara carefully. He then sighed and nodded. "I... want to destroy the Bijuu without destroying their vessels. These creatures are unnatural beings, used only for mass destruction and chaos. Getting rid of them would be to... everyone's benefit."
Madara was, of course, furious. "WHAT? I thought we had a deal, Pein! I would get the Kyuubi, and you would get your vision of complete destruction! What are you doing?"
Pein, still impassive, stared at him. "I wanted a world without war, without violence, lacking in everything that brought hatred. I thought that ending the world would end the violence, and although that would be true, there are... other ways to end the violence." He raised his chin above his cloak, a genuine smile on his face for the first time since any of them had known him. "If we destroy these unnatural beings, the countries will stop fighting over them. Or, at the very least, the conflict will lessen severely. Your plans no longer coincide with mine. Choose your path. Which will it be?"
Madara lurched forward and Konan was on him in an instant, holding him back. But he was physically stronger than she was, and he pushed her off. His lone eye glowing red menacingly, he strode forth to face Pein directly. "I will no longer follow your path! I will do things on my own, starting with you!" He punched Pein swiftly under the chin, tossing the leader back several feet. In the short distance, he activated the Mangekyou Sharingan, staring straight into Pein's eyes. But Pein wasn't a fool. He knew well about these eyes and how to counter them. That's how they recruited Itachi, after all. Pein easily countered the man's already waning strength with his own powerful, hypnotic gaze, staring like endless pools of gold struck by a single rock, ripples spreading slowly. For what was a short time to everyone else, they dueled silently for dominance, and in the end, the Rin'negan, the ultimate eye technique, won over the Sharingan.
But Madara was not to be so easily outdone, and he attacked Pein with a kunai in the brief moment of weakness after using so much chakra. Indeed, Madara had learned something of the leader's weaknesses, and didn't mind exploiting them. In that split second, it seemed like Pein was done for, not seeing the attack coming in time. Time slowed. He opened his eyes. He saw the knife too late. Something obscured his view. Konan took the brunt of the hit in her left shoulder, eyes furious with hatred. "YOU... You will be the first to know my true wrath!" She grabbed his arm, still holding on to the kunai, and twisted at his joints severely until he yelled in pain. She was physically weaker, but she knew all too well about hand joints after so many marathon days folding origami.
Her eyes so rarely held any emotion at all. They only stared serenely forward, never turning fierce or loving, just that calm, practiced quiet. She made an exception to this self imposed rule, and her eyes lit with an inner fire that had quelled so deeply through her devotion to Pein. She loved him. If this pleased him, she would torture Madara right here and now. No, it pleased her. It pleased her, and she would even do it for herself. Her hand twisted farther, tormenting the man as parts of her paper jutsu swirled all around him, shredding his Akatsuki cloak to less than shreds, then his skin underneath the same way. He collapsed on the ground from the torment of being shredded to death, screaming in horrible agony, making even the impassive Pein cringe.
It took a full ten minutes for Madara to bleed to death on the floor, tormented to his last breath. A long span of time passed before any could think of a single thing to say. None wanted to speak and suddenly realize this wasn't a dream. Finally, Zetsu broke the silence.
"SHALL I DISPOSE OF HIM?"
Pein nodded slightly, recognizing in that rude tone that Zetsu planned to follow his leader's path. He looked to Kisame, who shrugged. Not like he had anywhere left to go. Konan was still staring at the floor in shock, but he sensed her loyalty. He rose from the ground, touching her shoulder carefully. "We need to get Konan some bandages first."
Some crazy kindred emotions must have made her do it, but Sakura stood cautiously, approaching the two of them. "You really want to destroy those monsters, don't you?"
Pein looked at Konan, who nodded to him, and he stared back at Sakura. "Yes. At first I wanted this world to be open to people like... people like us. Freaks of nature. Bloodline traits that wouldn't be recognized as valid. I lost sight of what I wanted, and I made a grievous error in judgement. And Konan..." He slid his chin back into his cloak, hiding the blush seeping across his face.
Konan took over for him. "I made him remember. And I will follow him until the end."
Sakura watched their very serious expressions, then reached out to pull the kunai from Konan's shoulder. "Don't move, I'll heal it for you." Her green chakra embedded itself into the wound, and she slowly healed as she pulled, making sure to block any blood vessels that might lead to serious bleeding. After a few minutes, the wound was completely healed, and she inspected her shoulder carefully. "It should be fine, but take it easy for a while."
Konan watched with increasing interest, her pale eyes flicking to green ones. "Why did you do that for me? Aren't we... enemies?"
Sakura pursed her mouth pensively. "I wouldn't... It would be a good idea if those monsters were destroyed. They were never meant to be here in the first place."
Pein looked shocked, and he stared at the other Konoha ninjas. "You... want to do it to?"
Kakashi thought long and hard, but nodded. "It would be difficult."
Naruto, confused as usual, looked at Kakashi. "I dunno what's going on, but I guess this fox has been nothing but trouble to the village. Right?"
Yamato also considered this, and oddly agreed. "This would be a strange venture, working along with you this time. But what do you intend? You can't suddenly turn over a new leaf overnight. You're the Akatsuki..."
Pein nodded, expecting this logic. "No, not overnight. We won't expect you to trust us, but I for one don't wish to work against you anymore. We walk the same path, strive for the same goals. And we want to do it with... little bloodshed."
Kisame frowned in Pein's direction, and held out his hands in confusion. "Leader-sama, what are we supposed to do, though? All we know is this constant fighting... do you really want to lead the Akatsuki into peaceful terms?"
"Not just the Akatsuki, everyone." He looked at every member in the room with a sudden gleam of need; he wanted them to understand the vision he now had for them. "Think about it. A peaceful world where talented people like us can be accepted, can live out our lives without being shunned or stared at. Kisame, you know quite well how hard that is." The sharklike man glanced down at himself and nodded once. Pein turned to Zetsu. "And you too. I know you remember sometimes what it was like. Before you knew hatred and suffering. Before war and famine tugged at you and forced you into my service. And Konan..." He turned to her with a kind smile. "We both know, don't we? Perhaps... we can understand these Jinchuuriki for what they really are. They are like us. Outcasts because someone desperately sealed a Bijuu inside their bodies. They never asked for this torment. We never did. They are... our kin, and it would be right for us to correct what has been done to them."
She smiled back, amazed by this short but inspiring speech. "If we can find a way, then I will follow you as always, Pein."
He stared at her, a smile just curling the edge of his mouth. "No, not Pein. The others are gone now, I severed them completely. Now... I'm just Yahiko."
------
(A/N: Even though he is now referring to himself as Yahiko, for the sake of consistency I'll still be referring to him as Pein when I talk about him in the third person. Why? It's hard for me to type Yahiko, I keep wanting to mix the h and k... so please humor me.)
------
It was ludicrous, to say the least, to allow the Akatsuki to work together with the Konoha ninjas. But here they were, in Tsunade's office, proposing the most ridiculous idea she had ever heard in her life. But their faces were completely serious. They really wanted to destroy the Bijuu without harming their hosts, in an attempt to rid the world of these weapons of mass destruction. Their leader had even graciously offered to pay a gold tribute in a sign of good faith, as well as aid in any missions that would result in finding another method of extracting a Bijuu. She had no idea what to say to this.
She hesitated, the terms laid out before her. "Your crimes are heavy against both your countries and mine. I can't just accept this. Even if you mean what you say, the people would never accept this. As the Hokage, I keep their thoughts in mind, you understand."
Pein nodded. "I understand well. A good leader must always follow what he or she finds best for their people, while still keeping that in mind. It's hard to gauge one then the other, and it can never be completely balanced."
She had to hand it to the man - he was charismatic. "Despite your... previous intentions, I would agree that you have led your organization well. But again, we can't openly work with you, nor can we give you any sort of protection."
"I did not expect so, but I figured I would at least try the formalities. No, I would like to propose other terms. We will continue to work on our own, and you will... ignore us. While out on our journeys, we would be glad to hunt for Orochimaru's subordinate, and take care of him once and for all. This isn't part of our original plan, but I would like to do this as a token of our... generosity. As for the Kyuubi, we won't go anywhere near Konoha again until we find another means of taking care of it. Until then, we will hunt down the Bijuu without a host and kill them, as well as destroy the ones we have already collected. All we would need until then is lack of attention."
This was a dangerous proposition for both of them. If the Hokage was openly known to be ignoring the Akatsuki, things could go horribly wrong. Although, she trusted every member in this room to keep their mouths shut. Things could go just as poorly for the Akatsuki, and she knew that they understood this. They were desperate. They... meant what they said. With a sigh, she nodded. "We will ignore you, but if you do come into the village without good reason, I will not hesitate to put out guards. I cannot be seen ignoring you so openly, and it would violate the terms anyway."
He lowered his head respectfully. "Understood. We will abide by these terms."
"Fine. Deal with Kabuto, then have one of your members report back." She looked over the members carefully, deciding whom she felt to be the most reasonable. Her eyes stopped at Konan. "Her. I would like it if she would be the one to report to me."
He didn't even need to look up to know whom she was addressing, and he nodded. "If that is what you wish, I will have Konan meet with you."He couldn't believe himself. He had actually bargained with the Hokage of Konohagakure! He, the never hesitating, never yielding, and certainly NEVER respectful one, had come to terms with their biggest threat.
------
For some reason, Konan and Sakura related very well to each other. Sakura had volunteered to keep watch over Akatsuki for the time being, and also to make sure that Konan was healing properly. They weren't allies, exactly, but she wanted to help anyway. And from that time, the two kunoichi had developed a friendship with each other. Konan never really thought about how much a female friend would mean to her, but now that she had one, she wished that she had thought of it sooner.
The medic nin was invaluable in the coming days, providing care for Konan and anyone else that might need it. She even risked checking over Zetsu, who had retreated into his room to tend to his wounds by himself. That girl wouldn't take no for an answer, and had even broken down the stone door with her chakra imbued fist. After a brief struggle, he allowed her to heal him, though not without her having to practically pry open the plant's jaws to get a look in his eyes. Konan would admit to herself that she laughed at this. Something about this girl's in-your-face attitude really livened the place up.
After the first day of everyone tensely staring at each other, Sakura had become just a bit more comfortable around the others, and even taught Konan a few basic healing techniques just in case. She had been shocked that none of them knew how to heal anything unless it was to stick a bandage on and let it wait. As if missing nin really learned these kinds of things! The rogues had learned how to cause damage, not repair it! And it was this very fact that had kept them in the middle of this violence for so long. Finally, after the two kunoichi had become comfortable with talking on a regular basis, Sakura hesitated slightly before asking a very personal question.
"Konan-san... can I ask you something?"
Konan glanced up from her tea with that same serene gaze she always had. "Alright."
"It's... kinda personal, actually, you don't have to answer if you don't want."
She tilted her head slightly, wondering what she could possibly ask. "No, go ahead. It's fine, really."
Sakura hesitated again, nervous. "Er... what is your relationship to the leader?"
"Relationship? What do you mean?"
She did her best to hold back a blush. "Is... are you... together? I mean, married or something like that? It just seems that... I don't know..."
Konan tilted her head back to its regular spot, thinking about this before answering her. No, they weren't married, they didn't even do much of anything until recently. "We're not. We've just... always been together since we were young." But she blushed slightly and Sakura smiled just a bit.
"Oh, but you were hoping differently?" Her grin widened, her perception completely accurate. Konan DID wish for something... more. Some deeper connection beyond the ties of long years spent together in silence.
"I think I do. We don't talk much, and only recently has he even bothered to ask me what I thought about our plans. I always followed his lead, trusting that whatever he did was the right path. But I don't want to follow blindly in silence, I want something... else."
Sakura had matured quite a bit in the past few years, true, but she was still too young to offer much advice. But in a way, Konan's growth had been just as stunted, even though she was much older than Sakura. By never having friends, never trusting anyone but her own partner, she hadn't learned the same way. Sakura understood this much, at least, and gave the only advice she could. "I would just follow my heart if I were you. Even if he rejects you, and I'm sure he won't, it's still better than never knowing. I know he cares, he just has a hard time showing it. He's... kinda like Sasuke, cold and reserved, but underneath he really does want to belong somewhere."
She nodded slowly, thinking this over. It was worth a shot. "I'll do what I can. Thanks for the advice." She looked over at the pink haired ninja, thinking curiously that they both looked like odd flowers with their hair color being so different. Had things been different, they could have been like sisters.
------
Final segment - "This is EXACTLY what it looks like" (A/N: chucks a lemon at her fan girls)
------
Pein sat tensely on the chair inside his room, watching outside as the rain fell steadily from the sky. Even when he was perfectly calm, he couldn't help but make it rain once in a while to feel a bit better. The silence was only broken by the slap of water on stone, sliding down the rifts in the mud. Silence, clean and light, feeling like a burden lifted from him, once again broke as a slight tap sounded on his door. This didn't disturb him at all from his study of the rain outside even as he called out to come in. Konan approached so quietly he didn't know she had come in at all until she was there at his side, leaning near to watch the rain with him.
Normally she didn't like it when he made it rain on a nice day, but for some reason she was content to watch. From behind, she slipped down further, arms around his shoulders, her head resting there next to his, and he was a bit puzzled by her affection. Yet as puzzled as he was, he didn't turn around and confront her, he just reached up to touch her hair, examining the blue wisps carefully.
She leaned close enough for him to hear her whisper. "I don't want to follow you anymore. I want to be beside you, not behind."
He felt even more puzzled now. Beside, not behind? His whisper was barely audible to her. He didn't even mean for it to be heard. "You were never less than me, Konan."
Her hand stroked his neck idly. "I know. But you do too much on your own. I want you to be able to depend on me. You don't have to deal with your pain alone. We have the same pain, let's heal it together."
He never could explain why, but at that moment he felt more calm than ever before, strangely comforted by her words. To depend on her... let her take some of the pain, and he would take some of hers... To heal it together... That appealed to him. The barest of sighs escaped from him, and he nodded almost imperceptibly, but she knew him far too well to miss either of these things. She was too tuned to his mannerisms, his rare moments of weakness, his times of thought and need. He was everything to her, and he realized this as she remained there, content to wait until he had more to say. She would always wait patiently, though he didn't want to keep her waiting too long.
He turned slightly to look at her, just watching as she stared out at the rain, and slid his hand down her cheek, turning her to face him. She didn't wait for any signals, and kissed him carefully from her very awkward perch on his shoulder, bending around enough to reach him easily. This was a difficult position for her to be in, and in some freak comic moment, her heel slipped on the stone floor and fell to the ground laughing. He couldn't help but laugh with her, helping her off the ground as he stood up.
She still smirked as she rose off the ground. "I guess I'm still clumsy."
He smiled, remembering back when she had still been a child, always falling down and crying, but getting back up to smile anyway. "Just a little." Even back then, she had tried to be strong, tried not to cry. She would be strong for his sake, and for a second he wondered how it would be to see her weak again, needing him as much as he needed her. He wanted to see it, see that need come into those perpetually calm eyes. He wanted her to need him, and not her blind loyalty. He wanted... he wanted her beside him, not behind.
Before she could say anything else, he was the one to silence her with his own lips, not wanting to hear this talk anymore. He wanted to complete this circle of trust, to rely on her as much as she relied on him, dancing that dangerous waltz of give and take, balancing precariously on the thread of devotion connecting them. And before he could stop himself, before he could realize what he was doing, he took her into his grasp as he kept kissing her, determined to never let her go. This time it was his turn to show her what he wanted, even to struggle for dominance.
They were evenly matched, neither giving up control, each struggling to maintain what little control was left. Somewhere in the struggle, both of their cloaks found their way to the floor, the two dispelling any boundaries that still separated them. Even her trademark flower comb had fallen to the ground, loosening her hair until it hung limply over his searching hands. She retaliated furiously, and before they knew it, more than just the cloaks were long gone.
Finally, the winner was decided as Konan gained dominance, shoving him down into his spot on the small bed in the corner. He didn't give in easily, and really, he struggled as best as he could. He had a reputation to keep up, darnit! He would never give in so fast! And with another shove, he managed to gain some sort of leverage even as she glanced up defiantly at him. But oh no, he wouldn't let her get that leverage back, no way, not after he tried so hard! No, he had to do something to keep her there a little longer. Instinctively, his hand wandered lower than he had ever been on her before, and she jolted with surprise. Before she could make any noise, he kissed her again. Although he would have loved to hear her cry out with pleasure, he also would have hated for anyone to wonder what they were doing. Besides, he enjoyed the silence, that secret shared by only them.
After having a brief moment of control over her, he let her fight back one more time to gain her dominance, letting her do as she pleased. He had never imagined even in his most erotic dreams the things she was doing to him right now. Somehow that unbreakable bond between them made the experience all the more enjoyable. The comfortable intimacy of all those years spent together, everything they had been through, all of that deepened the passion beyond anything they had ever known.
She was certainly more creative than he would ever be, and he loved how quickly she tried to explore every possible way to make him squirm, but again, he didn't give in that easily. But when she finally slid into her natural spot, right there where an ache had been growing for quite some time, she was the one who had to silence him with a kiss, grinning triumphantly as she finally saw him weaken. Something about making his eyes widen with shock always gave her a sense of pride in what she had done. She made the impassive Pein nearly cry out just from something she did to him. It was exhilarating, it was fulfilling.
It was all she could do to keep him quiet with her kisses, because she wanted to make those embarrassing noises, she wanted to hear him make them, she wanted to hear how it sounded in unison. And most importantly, she wanted to hear what he sounded like at the peak of the action. But for some reason, she kept him quiet, even as she felt what she was waiting for all along, felt herself barely resist the noise as she came to the climax. He followed soon after, his gasp quickly muffled by another kiss, their love consummated in silence. Even the rain seemed to quiet down to lend a moment of perfect quiet to fill every corner of their souls. They had once been two, but then the two became one, one mind and soul connected for all eternity in that silence.
------
A/N: Is it over? Not until the fish jumps. fish jumps It's over...
Hopefully you enjoyed this ridiculously long fan fic. Was it a bit too long? A lot of stuff happened, huh? Well, that concludes the fan fic, please check back for more stories as time goes on ok? I'll be sure to write more!