Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for not updating for quite a long time. I know this chapter is shorter than some of the others, but this was what I have come up with for the 17th chapter of The Reason: To Love an Avenger. I really hope you like it, have a nice holiday!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

With Konan

Konan didn't realize what time did she finally fall asleep. Only when she felt someone shaking her slightly did she opened her eyes and rubbed it. "You might want to watch it next time, Konan," Kakashi was pulled down, his arm outstretched in her direction. She smirked, and pulled her hand further causing him to fall back on the bed. "What is wrong with you, woman?" he shouted angrily and got up, pulling the handcuffs. She in turn tumbled on the bed before she can finally get off.

"Shower, then?" she asked casually and walked down to the bathroom. Kakashi shook his head and sighed. He was so going to ask extra paying for this kind of mission. And to think that Naruto and Sakura had forced him to go training with them. It will be a long day for one Hatake Kakashi, especially with that Akatsuki woman tagging along.

With Pein

Pein walked at normal pace, saving his energy throughout a journey. It was a good seven days journey if he would be continuing in this speed. "Oi, Leader-sama! You sure are taking your time!" he looked back. The only one who would say something like that would be, "Deidara? What are you doing here? And the rest of you?" the youngest Akatsuki grinned from the top of his clay bird.

"We couldn't let you go off alone with Tobi, could we?" Kisame appeared to his side; in his hand was a paper flower. "That is…," Pein's voice trailed off. Kisame looked down at the flower and nodded. "Konan's flower. She's fine right now. She used the Morse Code using her charka," he replied before pocketing it.

"Ne, we can't let only you to show off in front of her," Hidan added on, swinging his scythe carelessly. "Watch you scythe out, Hidan!" Kakuzu was annoyed with him, as usual. Pein shook his head at those two's bickering before turning back to face forward. "Okay, then. We will capture the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki also. It's killing two birds with one stone," Konan, just wait for us!

With Konan

Konan watched in interest as Naruto and Sakura sparring against each other, Kakashi slumped lazily next to her holding his orange book in his other hand. Even so, he didn't fail to notice the unusual look on Konan's face as she followed Sakura and Naruto's every step. "My, my, aren't you enjoy watching their fight?" he intended it to be a sarcasm, but she merely nodded without looking at him. Kakashi closed his book and leaned forward, waving his hand in front of her.

Startlingly, she slapped away his hand and resumed watching them, secretly trying to find each of their weakness and strength. Kakashi narrowed his eyes and moved in front of her. "What are you planning?" he asked her forcefully, his face was just a centimeter away from hers. Konan finally looked annoyed, and pushed him out of her way. "Mind your own business. I didn't bug you about that dirty book," she said and continued watching the fight.

Kakashi finally had enough, and quickly got up. Konan followed his suit, though begrudgingly. "I'm starving and we are going to eat right now!" he said and tugged on the handcuffs. "Nope, we are going to eat after your students finish their sparring," she tugged them. "Now!" he said, pulling it harder that causing her wrist to hurt. "After they finished!" she also increased her voice tone to match his.

"I said now, Konan!" he practically yelled at the top of his lungs. That automatically caused both Naruto and Sakura to stop their spar, and watched the scene between the two older shinobis. "Where are you manners, Hatake? You want to eat without your students even though they were working hard while you were just lazing around reading that stupid porn!" Naruto and Sakura looked at each other.

"I would have joined them if I weren't stuck with a noisy bitch like you!".

"Watch you mouth, Hatake! Or I'll rip your tongue out!".

"As if you can do that!".

"Oh yes I can! Want me to prove it?".

"Ooh, so scary! The Paper woman wanted to rip my tongue out! Ten years too early!".

"You've gone too far! Take this, Hatake!".

"Ouch, hey get off me!".

In the end, Naruto and Sakura had to break the two off, though they were still pretty attached to each other. "Now, let's go for ramen!" the blonde-haired ninjas suggested nervously, underneath the glares of the two of them. Sakura also nervously agreed to the idea and hurriedly they pushed both Kakashi and Konan towards Naruto's favourite restaurant.

Passing Konoha citizens shot them a terrified look, scurrying away from their path. Konan secretly enjoyed this, every time she suddenly opened her eyes and stared a person down; the person will immediately fumbled away, some even left a shoe behind. Only those from higher ranking shinobis will look at her in loath instead of fear.

Even Teuchi of the Icihiraku Ramen Stall didn't talk as much, and Ayame was nowhere to be seen. Both Kakashi and Konan struggled with their chopsticks, because they were both handcuffed on their main arms. Kakashi's right hand and Konan's left. It took them a full thirty minutes to completely finish a bowl of ramen, and Naruto had reached his sixth bowl.

Konan hated the trouble she had to go through while being cuffed to him, but rather than being stuck in the hospital. Plus, she was really enjoying the moments when the Hatake was really pissed off every time his hand was restrained when he wanted to do something. And when she made him attend the training session on time, they actually arrived two hours early than Naruto and Sakura did. Apparently, they had expected him to arrive late and give him an earlier time.

And really deep, deep, deep down, she began enjoying spending time with the jounin.

With Pein

"Leader-sama, Konan sent in another signal," Kisame slowly approach the Leader, holding out the paper flower. "What does she say this time?" he asked without stopping to turn to Kisame.

"Certain information about the Jinchuuriki. And she also said to leave Haruno Sakura alone. She said she wanted to finish the girl off by her own," Kisame reported in such a formal tone.

"Fine, what did she have about the Jinchuuriki?" Pein finally looked interested. Kisame began to fill him, and the rest of the Akatsuki of the information Konan had just told him.

With Konan

Konan lay awake like the night before, unable to sleep. Her mind was too distracted to do so, thinking of all the stuffs that was happening to her lately. From her departure from the Akatsuki hideout to where she was, in Konoha. She had gone leap and bounds to her target, but approaching a dangerous trap in the same time. In the mean time, she was just glad Kakashi was in no mood to play more psychological games with her.

She carefully turned to her side and looked at him again. Hatake, the one who had been bothering her lately, both physically and emotionally. Konan sighed slightly and turned to look up at the ceiling again. What should she do? Which one should become her priority? Was she doing the right thing by telling that to the Akatsuki through Kisame? Or was it a bad move both for her and her comrades?

Konan knew she had to act fast, before any unwanted feelings bloomed. She had to be quick to eliminate Sakura, before she found it harder to make him lose another close person. Konan began to think of a way to accomplish her goal, without involving him or the Akatsuki. She had to find a way to lure that Haruno away from Kakashi's watchful eyes, which means she had to find a way to get rid of the cuffs first.

"Konan," Kakashi called to her after they finished their breakfast. She just glanced at him, waiting for him to continue. "Kazekage-sama had asked me to give something to you," he pulled out an old looking scroll and handed it to her across the table. Konan looked curiously and began to unroll it in haste. Her eyes read between the lines written on it, and she gasped slightly.

"What is it?" Kakashi asked out of curiosity, but she held up her left hand and started reading the second time before she slammed her palm against the table. It can't be! It just can't be, she just couldn't believe it. This had just make her thoughts grew complicated, something that she really did not need at that time.

Slowly, Konan rolled back the scroll and kept it away from the table. She ignored Kakashi's questions completely, and didn't even responding to anything he said or did. It was like she was in her own world, away from other people. Kakashi was puzzled by this, but decided to let it pass by. He wouldn't waste his time worrying over her; it will just make his feelings going crazy again.

They walked together through the still quite empty streets. Only the really early risers can be seen already up and started their daily chores. Unlike her little favourite activity of staring down people, Konan kept her eyes on the ground, occasionally kicking the pebbles that were on her way. Why did her life had to be so complicated?

With Kabuto

"Orochimaru-sama, please forgive me. I failed to bring you Pein's baby," the gray-haired medic nin was on his knees, bowing his head apologetically. The addressed man turned to him, his eyes flashed dangerously with anger. "Didn't I tell you that failure will not be tolerated?" he flicked out his ridiculously long tongue to intimidate his subordinate. Kabuto bowed even lower before replying.

"Demo, the baby was already dead when I tried to force it out of her. Though the side effects of the jutsu used was still progressing. By now she will already be experiencing the symptoms, and sooner or later, the effect will take place," he was brave a bit to raise his face to wait for Orochimaru's reaction.

"And may I know what the effect would be?" the Snake Sannin inquired, raising an eyebrow slightly. Kabuto smirked, and began telling Orochimaru what he wanted to know.

Orochimaru found himself smiling in delight. "Well, I suppose I can forgive you this time, Kabuto. You may leave now," his subordinate nodded and quickly exited the room, not without thanking him though.

With Konan

She reread the scroll for the fifth time before storing it away for good. True enough, it made her feelings got more complicated, but in the same time she felt some of the bigger things she had been struggling to manage were solved almost immediately after reading it. Kakashi beside her just watched, hoping to pick up any clue from whatever she was reading.

Konan noticed this of course, and quickly turn away from him. "Why don't you continue reading that dirty book of yours?" she snapped harshly and glared hard. Kakashi was a bit taken aback but resumed to his earlier activity, reading his Icha Icha Paradise. Naruto and Sakura were practicing with their kunai throwing, hoping to achieve perfect aim like Tenten. The Weapon Mistress had proved several times that having a 100% accurate aim was very paying off.

Even though he appeared to be giving up, Kakashi swore to try to find out what the scroll was about. Too bad Gaara had put on a special seal that only Konan can take off on the scroll earlier. But Kakashi just happened to have thought off an easy way to do so.

Well, anyone curious to know what was written inside the scroll, what side effect Kabuto was talking about, sorry, but I'm afraid you have to wait for the next chapter to find out! Have a great day, everyone!

Thank you very much to those who spent their time reading this story, double thanks for those who reviewing it, triple thanks for those who liking it, and so many thank you for those who will come back for the next chapter!