Konan's pale eye-lids twitched as she dreamt.
Konan's child-version's dream POV
"Konan, look at this!" I heard Nagato shout. I looked over my shoulder, watching as the young boy took an empty jewelry case and opened and closed it repeatedly, holding it up to his mouth.
"Raw!"he shouted, opening and closing the case. He and I both really liked the clicking sound that those types of pretty boxes made when you shut them.
I giggled, Picking up another one that I found in a pile of rubble that we were digging through. This one was gray, with a silver clasp. I opened and closed it in front of my mouth too, just like Nagato. We laughed together, ignoring the scary sight around us.
Konan's POV
I felt my heavy and numb eyes blink open. I sat up in the bed that someone had placed me in, looking around. I was in my own room, and it looked to be about six p.m. The sky outside was dark blue, and it was raining.
Regular POV
The rain was beating her small glass window with great force. Konan knew that it was probably very cold outside, finding herself shivering under the covers of her bed. It seemed as if the cold droplets were trying to get in, so that they could be with her.
This meant that Pein was worried about her.
Konan blinked, throwing the sheets off of her pale body. She was wearing the clothing that she usually wore under her Akatsuki uniform. Where her stomach would normally be was a bunch of bandages. She assumed this was from where Kakuzo, being watched by Pein, had stitched her wound.
Konan stretched, finding that this hurt her hip a bit. She rubbed the area, feeling that around fifteen stitches were there. Wincing again, she stepped off of the bed.
Carefully, she changed into a fresh set of clothing. The ones she'd been wearing were blood-stained and muddy. She knew that Pein hadn't let Kakuzu remove her shirt to clean her wounds more correctly, which made her grin.
After changing, Konan redid her messy hair. She put in a new white flower, remembering that her other one had fallen into the mud. This didn't bother her as much as it normally would.
A knock came at her bedroom door. Konan immediately went to it, turning the silver door-knob. She pulled the door open, sidestepping so that the person could come in.
"Konan," greeted Pein, a slightly relieved expression tainting his pale face. He walked in, looking around her dark room. "Are you feeling okay? I heard some stirring in your room, and I was afraid your stitches might've ripped." he said.
Konan watched as Pein sat down on her bed, seeing as how there were no seats in her room. "No, I'm fine. I was just changing into some fresh clothes." she reassured him.
The rain slowed to a small drizzle. Pein's expression relaxed a bit more. "Good. Are you feeling better?" he asked.
Konan shook her head. "Yes, much. My stitched area is a bit swore, but I suppose that's normal. Tell me, what happened after I . . . " she began.
Pein, who knew Konan did not want to talk about the earlier incident, explained. "We immediately returned to the base, and Kakuzu and I stitched your wound. We sent some anbu to retrieve the monster, so we expect them to return shortly."
Konan nodded, sitting down beside Pein. The room was silent for a while. Trying to avoid any more awkwardness, Konan reached for a piece of paper on her desk.
"Ack." Pein heard Konan whimper. Her hand immediately dropped the paper, holding her hips.
Pein looked at the girl worriedly. "Are you okay?" he asked caringly.
Konan looked up into Pein's gray eyes. "Oh, yeah. It just hurts a bit." she said, rubbing her side. She looked over to the paper she'd reached for.
"Can you hand me that?" she asked him. Pein, who wasn't usually asked to do much, nodded his head. He leaned over, grabbing the white sheet of paper.
He settled back into his sitting position, handing the paper to Konan. For just a moment, their fingers brushed. Both teens ignored the feeling, no matter how nice it was.
"Thank you, said Konan. She switched her position, leaning on one of her large pillows. She closed her eyes, not needing to look at the folds.
Pein watched as Konan settled into her large bedroom pillow, folding her paper in a petite way. Some people might have found this awkward, but he didn't. He simply laid down at the foot of the bed, closing his eyes and listening to the folds. Deep in his heart that technically wasn't his, Pein knew that Konan was doing the same.
"You know," he began, relaxing his mind. "It's getting colder here in Amegakure. In a few weeks, the rain will start turning into snow."
"Yes, I suppose it will." said Konan. Her folding stopped for a minute. Pein felt the mattress shift as Konan laid beside him.
The folding started up again. It massaged Pein's stressed mind, as well as Konan's. Just then, her voice filled the air.
"I suppose you like snow a bit, right?" she asked.
Konan opened her eyes, hiding the origami behind her back so that Pein couldn't see it. Pein opened his eyes as well, nodding. "I suppose so." he said.
The two closed their eyes again, the sound of origami being made helping them rest. "I mean, snow is a good weapon for you to use, you know? It's a solid, unlike regular water, so it packs more of a punch. This is the one time of the year when you can use snow with your water jutsu." said Konan.
"Yes, it is." he said. There was a long pause, before Pein's voice called out to Konan once more. "Do you like snow?" he asked her.
Konan stopped folding for a minute, contemplating on the question. "Sometimes." she answered.
Pein furrowed his eyebrows. "Like when?" he asked.
Konan continued her folding. "Well, I like the air when it snows. I like having fresh air to breath." she stated.
"What do you not like?" he asked.
Konan then stopped folding. "I suppose I don't like it when there's too much snow, like in Amegakure. We get a lot of snow here, so it's a bit annoying when you have to walk in it. It slows you down, and it's too cold." she said.
Konan could tell that Pein was nodding, because of the sound of her sheets ruffling near his head. Sighing, she reached for his hand, finding it immediately. She set her origami creation in his palm, watching as he looked at the beautiful shape.
A snowflake.
End of Chapter Quote:
"When the world is puddle-wonderful," -A small line from the poem "In Spring, by E. E. Cummings.
