Nagato:

When the white-haired man woke up, the Sun had already risen, flooding the pitiful realm of mortals with its glory. He lay on the living room L-shaped couch, a thick, fluffy blanket of beige colour draped over him. Looking at the nearby coffee table, he saw two empty beer bottles and three plates smudged with remnants of creamy sauce. With his eyelids still heavy, he tried to raise, but a scorching sensation flared up. Despite the pain, Nagato stood up, barely muffling a groan. Yet, to his discontent, some pained sounds escaped his throat, waking Konan immediately. With guilt written all over the man's face, he glanced at his friend, noticing black bags under her mesmerising eyes.

"She must have slept badly because of me," Nagato concluded. "I am sorry, Konan. It was not my intention to wake you up," he referred to the woman, trying to control his voice and smiling reassuringly.

"Let me see," the blue-haired woman said, pointing at the man's right side.

"I … fine," the white-haired man said, pulling down his tee.

"Come to me," she urged, slowly sitting down.

With no valid alternatives, Akatsuki's leader closed in, halting a mere step away from his best friend. He glanced at the bandage, finding it in an expected state. Its white surface was foregone memory, currently stained with copper colour. A moment later, a shiver ran down his spine as Konan's cold fingers brushed his exposed flesh. Nagato clenched his fist to control his emotions, but it was challenging not to lean into her touch. They were only friends, he repeated continuously inside his mind, desperately trying not to misread the situation.

Soon enough, the contaminated piece of fabric was removed, revealing the wounds. They must have reopened throughout the night, which was a rather unpleasant occurrence. The white-haired man saw concern imprinted on his friend's angel-like face, embarrassed that he bothered her. Not for the first time, he thought that he should have been the one dying that day, not Yahiko. She would have been happy with a man she loved, not depressed and constantly worried whether one day Nagato would not return home, being killed during the mission.

"I am sorry, Konan," the purple-eyed man whispered, not even mustering enough courage to look at her eyes. "I am sorry for being a bother to you."

"What're you talking about?" the navy-haired woman asked softly. "You've never been a bother to me … and I don't believe you'll ever be," she added, squeezing his left hand. "Come, we must clean this again and apply a new bandage."

Konan stood up, never letting off the man's hand. Then, she pulled him towards the restroom gently, realising that her friend was waging war inside his dark and complex mind. She would have wanted to help with that, to ease his pain, but it was painfully apparent that no matter what she would do, she would hurt him. The navy-haired woman was usually compared to a rose because of her beauty. But unwittingly, these people only made her realise that she had thorns akin to the flower these oblivious masses claim as a symbol of love.

Author's notes section:

[2023-11-12]: Hey, here is a preview of the story's next chapter. Please, bear in mind that it is, as mentioned, a preview. Some parts of it might not be included in the final release. I will try to finish this chapter as soon as possible. I would like to clean up some of the tasks in my schedule, and right now, there are many chapters queued there.

Don't forget to comment. I really appreciate your feedback.

Note that the dialogues written in italic are thoughts.

As always, I would like to thank you for everything. See you soon :)

Changelog:
[2023-11-12]: A preview has been released.

Info: I'm aware that I made a mistake in the previous chapter by using the same name for missions Itachi and Nagato have taken. I will correct it shortly.

Info: I have included more stories in the schedule as I'm not 100% certain what I want to write next. Please, keep in mind that I might add or remove positions from the list. I might rewrite some of the older stories or extract some of the longer stories from `The story of one lost soul`.

Schedule:
- See the world through my eyes (finish the WIP)
- Bury the light (finish the WIP)
- Will you look past my mistakes? (finish the WIP)
- The Breaking Point (finish the WIP)
- Hidden in the mountain's shadow (new chapter)
- The rise of the Blood Moons' servants (new chapter)
- Black Diamond (new chapter)
- When the clock is ticking (Warhammer 40k new story)
- Sometimes it's just better not to know (new chapter)
- My home is where my heart lies (rewrite chapter 4)
- The heart not so cold (rewrite chapter 2)
- The family tree (revisit the previous chapters and apply adjustments)
- The Prisoner of Your Eyes (new chapter)
- Lifetime of war (new chapter)
- Hope is the last one to die (new story in SW universe)
- Sometimes it's just better not to know (finish rewriting the second chapter)
- Life is full of surprises (new chapter)
- Exiled you say? (new chapter)
- Until my last breath (new chapter)
- The family tree (new chapter)
- The story of one lost soul (new chapter)
- The broken heart (new chapter)
- My home is where my heart lies (new chapter)
- A new story in JJK universe - focused on Gojo/Geto/Shoko/Utahime
- A new story in Bleach universe (potentially a one shot) - focused on Byakuya and Yoruichi
- A new story in Demon Slayer universe (modern au, school)
- A new story in Demon Slayer universe (moder au, divorce setting)
- The shadows can be deceiving (new chapter)
- Forgotten World (a new story - translation of an old polish text that I wrote years ago)
- The silence of the shackles (new chapter)
- The war call (new chapter)

Bonuses' section:
A new story taking place in the Warhammer 40k universe.
Story of one lost soul: The war call: rewrite.
An entirely new story (possibly Akali x [Irelia, Syndra, Katarina]).
A new short story (Vi x Cait).
An entirely original story (possibly even two stories, one taking place in medieval times, the other in the far future)
Bleach story. (Byakuya x Yoruichi / ?)
Naruto story. (Neji x Hinata / Neji x TenTen / Nagato x Konan)
Fairy Tail story. (most likely Erza x Mira)
Maybe some Star Wars?

References:
- Poison - Every Rose Has Its Thorn
- (alternatively) Edguy - Scarlet Rose

*bonuses will be worked on when I don't feel like writing the chapters pointed out in the schedule :D

End of the author's notes section.