A/N: I have another self-insert fic mostly completed in my head. Like the previous one, this one mostly serves to clarify my values and how far I'm willing to go to serve them. Perhaps that is why I can no longer stand to write chapters that are not moving and meaningful. The time for rest is over. Now is the time for action.

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Zetsu

The park was pleasant. The surrounding greenery generated a welcoming, friendly vibe. This vibe, however, was not strong enough to fend off the choking weight of silence.

There were different kinds of silence. This kind, that Obito and Zetsu had walked in for nearly a whole day, was not a good kind. It felt like the empty space between two broken shards. Zetsu had felt it before. When Obito was younger, there were often periods of time where he and Zetsu seemed to be on different planes of reality, unable to connect. That happened less and less often as Obito grew more trusting of Zetsu. At least, that was how Zetsu had always perceived it. But now, as shadows lengthened and Obito peered into them like he wanted to disappear into a shadow world and leave Zetsu behind forever, Zetsu wondered if the disconnect between them had ever really gone away. Perhaps it had only been hidden.

How could the gap be crossed? It must be done carefully, lest one or both of them get cut on the broken edge. "Hey Obi?" White Zetsu began.

Obito ran his gloved hand along the bench they sat on. "Yeah?"

Point at the gap directly? Pretend it wasn't there? There were many different methods to choose from. "You okay?" White Zetsu asked. This was the safe method, their fallback when they had no idea what else to do. Immediately, their gut twisted. Using this method was an act of cowardice.

"I don't know," Obito murmured. "I…don't know what to think. Or feel, or… Anything. I just don't know."

"We don't either," White Zetsu admitted sadly.

"I…don't know if I want to know."

"What do you mean?"

Obito held his hands in his lap. "Those people - Yahiko, especially - make me feel as if… As if I could turn to mist. As if nothing's really solid. As if I can hold the power of a god."

He's never said things like this before. "Be careful, Obi."

"I don't know if I want to." Obito looked at the shadows again. "I understand what you were worried about a few days ago, when you said there was something in the air. I feel really strange. My whole body doesn't feel like it used to, like I'm buzzing. But… But I don't know if I want to fight it? Or if I can? It might already have me. I want…" He shook his head. "I want. That's what's changed. I didn't used to want anything."

What's happening to him? "We're with you, no matter what."

Obito shivered. How could he sound so confident and look so scared at the same time? "I don't know how to handle wanting things." Zetsu scooted closer. White Zetsu put his arm around Obito's shoulders. Obito relaxed. The gap was closed…for now.

A garbage can flew through the air, crashing into a bench with a painful clang. Obito and Zetsu both bolted upright. Winds were gusting, unnatural winds. Then lightning struck. They saw it behind the park's gates; fortunately for their eyes, the bolt itself was not visible. The winds gusted again, this time in a different direction. Something small flew past the park's gates and crashed into a streetlight. The wind died down, leaving the night calm and ordinary as if nothing had happened. But then a doll ran into the park carrying a sheet of paper.

It had just become dark enough for the automatic lights to turn on. Zetsu accepted the paper warily and took it to the nearest light. They read it silently. "What does it say?" Obito asked.

"It's from Yahiko. They want faster ways to communicate with us," Black Zetsu replied.

Obito didn't say anything more. Something about this struck Zetsu as unusual. They turned around to see the masked man sitting on a bench. Nothing was visibly different. Even so, their instincts told them to be on alert. "He's asking for a response," White Zetsu said slowly.

The masked man held out a hand. Zetsu gave the paper to him. He got up and walked away from the seating area, likely in search of a writing utensil because neither of them had one. Zetsu followed. Madara?

Oh yeah, definitely Madara.

He didn't read the letter.

He could've come out just after Obito asked what it said, before we answered…

That doesn't seem likely.

What are you saying, Ani?

He might be a hell of a lot more dangerous than we thought. I knew the sonofabitch had suspiciously inconvenient timing.

The two dolls followed them. The second one dragged the skateboard behind it, making an annoying rattling sound. Madara left the park and headed for the nearest open business, which happened to be a deli specializing in takeaway meals. It was open right now for people who needed dinner. There was only one person in the building and they had already started cleaning, but they left their cleaning cloth behind on one of the two tables and scurried behind the counter. "Hello there! What can I get for you?"

"A pen," Madara replied.

"And after that, a turkey roll," White Zetsu added. This was their life whenever Madara was out: follow him around and try their best to ameliorate the damage he caused.

The deli person got Madara a pen, washed their hands, and went to work preparing a turkey sandwich on a roll. Madara turned over the piece of paper and wrote on the back of it. Both halves of Zetsu were extremely curious but hesitant to ask. They looked at the dolls, hoping that they would be able to intercept the message, and saw that one of the dolls had disappeared. The babylike one with the green circle on its head patiently waited for Madara to finish writing, but where had the other one gone? A plopping sound made them turn around. The cleaning cloth had fallen off the table. The second doll sat on the table pulling the napkins out of the napkin holder. It selected one napkin and climbed off the table, returning to the other one's side.

Madara put the pen down and folded the paper up, handed it to the doll with the green circle. The other doll held out the napkin to him. Madara stared back, not saying a word. The doll looked up. It used magic to levitate everything on top of the counter into the air. Then, it let everything except the pen fall back down. The glass tip jar broke, fell off the counter, and broke again. The deli person cried out in alarm and told them not to move, raced off into the back to get cleanup supplies. The dolls paid the glass no mind. The yellow-dotted one levitated the pen down into its hand, put the napkin on the floor and began to draw. It drew a big upside-down triangle, then three lines radiating out from each side of the triangle. The napkin tore in two places. This made the doll very upset. It ran back to get more napkins. Zetsu indicated in gestures that they all should join that doll at the table. What do you think it's doing, Ani?

Does that shape it's trying to draw seem familiar to you? I can't place it, but I think I've seen it before.

I don't recognize it.

By enchanting the napkin to be extra sturdy, the doll drew the symbol again with no ripping. It handed it to Madara. Madara, again, did not take it. "I think he's going to keep pestering you until you take it," White Zetsu said.

Madara carefully picked up the napkin by one corner, not touching any part of the mysterious design. The doll continued to stare at him. It seemed to be expecting something. The deli employee came out with gloves, a dustpan and brush, a vacuum, and a paper bag. They picked up especially large pieces of glass with their fingers, swept up as much as they could into the dustpan, and finished by plugging in the vacuum and vacuuming up any glass shards too small to be seen. The whole time, Madara stared back at the doll without saying anything. He was not going to do whatever it was hoping for.

The other doll levitated itself onto the table. It reached for the napkin and received it. It sat down, placed the napkin in its lap, and put one hand on the drawing. There was a flash of light. But nothing happened.

This caused the yellow-spotted doll to go absolutely bananas. It jumped up and flailed its arms, jumping in place. With much waving of arms, it communicated something to the babylike doll. The babylike doll remained calm. It tossed the napkin off to the side and jumped off the table onto the floor, heading back to the skateboard. Zetsu wanted so, so badly to intercept what Madara had written. But they couldn't do so right in front of Madara, and there was no reason for them to leave the deli. They opened the door for the two dolls and watched them go. Dammit! Black Zetsu mentally cursed.

There's only one way for us to know what he wrote, White Zetsu thought sensibly. It was infuriating. Why did he have to be so sensible?

Why do we have to be around those people? What can our presence possibly add to this clusterfuck of a story?! Black Zetsu sent adrenaline coursing through their shared body. It was an adrenaline rush borne from rage.

"Your sandwich is ready," the deli worker announced. "To go or to eat in? If it's to eat in, I must inform you that that table isn't suitable."

"To go," Black Zetsu growled. They waited impatiently, paid for the sandwich in dollars and told the employee to keep the change. Storming out, they made a beeline for the park. They sat down on a bench directly beneath a lamppost and waited for Madara to catch up at his slow, unhurried, "I don't care about your time or your priorities" pace. Black Zetsu passed the roll to White Zetsu, who placed it on the bench next to Madara. "Let's get something straight," Black Zetsu snarled. "Are you aware of what Obito experiences?"

"Not very observant, I see."

Translation: Obviously. How did it take you this long to realize? "Good. We can skip to the relevant topic, then. Why the hell are we being forced to associate with those people? I might have been perfectly happy to if it was a matter of choice. These blatant methods of forcing us into their company have changed my mind. I don't want anything to do with this goddamn 'story.'"

"What a surprise. We agree," Madara replied. "But you are not required to be part of this. Your presence is accidental. You are not important; only we are. If you could get over your childish need to have someone to praise you, to worship you as a hero, you could leave at any moment. So stop your whining."

"That's wrong!" White Zetsu yelped. "It's called 'loyalty.' Ever heard of it?"

"More importantly," Black Zetsu said loudly, "that doesn't answer the question. Why is this happening? I want answers."

"What use are answers?" Madara asked. "Only the weak need answers. They use them to craft justifications for inaction. The strong don't need answers, for why bother to understand what you are about to change?"

"Are you claiming to have a plan?" Black Zetsu asked.

"My intentions don't concern you. But yes; I have some."

Now I REALLY wish we'd read that message.

It's too late. We're going to have to go along for the ride to find out where it leads, as usual.

You sound so resentful. Ani, you're not really thinking of abandoning Obi, are you?

He's being torn away from us. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Madara could be right.

No. We will never, ever let that happen. Loyalty. Remember? For Obi's sake, we'll fight this stupid author. We'll do anything for him.

You're right. What the hell was I thinking? We are not going to give up. Not now, and not ever. That's not who we want to be.

Original Yahiko

Thanks to all the questions Clone Hidan had put in his mind, Yahiko was uncomfortable with spending unnecessary time around Nagato. I've got to get out of here. I'll go crazy if I keep thinking about that. Shortly after waking, he crept out of their room. Nagato was still asleep. Thank you, gods of convenience.

He met Konan on her way up the stairs. "Excellent. There is news," she said, reversing her course to drag him down the stairs after her. His clone waited at the bottom with a piece of paper in hand. The paper was thrust into Yahiko's hands before he could ask any questions. He swallowed his words and read it. Dear Zetsu. We would like to be able to warn you of chaos in a way that doesn't depend on personal visits…

"That's not the right side," his clone cut in. "Turn it over."

Yahiko turned the paper over and read what was written on the back. If you imagine we will cooperate with our own enslavement, you are mistaken. Use your full force or give up.

He blinked several times after reading that. "Enslavement?"

"Madara." Konan's face and aura were both hard as stone. She turned to Clone Yahiko. "Get the dolls." Though her voice was quiet and calm, he turned and ran. In less than a minute, he was back with the two dolls that had been sent out. Konan knelt down to look the dolls in the eye. "The man who wrote a reply is angry with us and refuses to cooperate. The other one, the half-plant person - did that person also seem angry?"

The dolls looked at each other, then flapped their arms once. "They don't know," Clone Yahiko translated.

Konan straightened up. "Regardless of whether Zetsu agrees or not, they cannot control Madara's actions. We must prepare."

"For what?" Yahiko asked. Is it wrong to be glad that there's danger near? I should be worried, but instead I'm relieved to have something to take my mind off of me and Nagato. What's wrong with me?

"Anything," Konan replied. "Direct attack, or more subtle scheming. He may do anything at all."

"Except for anything that would actually work, right?" the clone asked.

Konan shot him a look. "We must fend for ourselves."

"Right. Yeah. Never mind."

"Let's get this to Clone Hidan," Yahiko said. Konan nodded. She led them away from the stairs at a brisk pace, stopping to knock on Clone Hidan's door with surprising gentleness. He opened the door with a comb in one hand. Evidently, he had been in the middle of getting ready for the day. He finished combing his hair while Konan explained that Madara seemed to have turned hostile. He put the comb down in order to pick up the paper and read it. Yahiko watched his face. Clone Hidan's face flickered with confusion, then cleared as if he understood perfectly, then went back to confusion. He reread the message several times, looking conflicted the whole time. What's the conflict? Does he understand, or doesn't he? Is there something about this message that I missed?

"What do you see?" Konan asked. That was an out-loud version of the same question Yahiko had just asked. He was relieved to not be the only one confused. If Konan was also confused, then he was alright.

"I see a challenge," Clone Hidan replied. His face cleared again and stayed clear. "Buck the fuck up and make a decision already. No more wiffwaffling." He looked at the paper and grinned. "It's not hostile at all!"

"Really?" Clone Yahiko asked, smiling. "Okay then. How do we respond?"

"Force," Hidan replied instantly.

"Ah, against Madara? Is that a good idea?" I only saw him the one time. But with a person like that, once is enough. Staying to fight him wouldn't have worked. We did the right thing by leaving.

"Fuck yes!" Hidan laughed. "If someone like Madara tries to give you shit, the only thing to do is get forceful. 'No, I'm not putting up with your shit.' You don't compromise. You don't try to weasel your way out with promises that you'll think about it. And you definitely don't give in expecting him to lighten up. No, he'll double down if we do that."

Oh. He means verbally forceful. Like I was! I cut him off and told him we would not accept his offer, then walked away. Whew. There's no problem after all. "How can we do that when he is not here?"

"Ay, there's the rub," Hidan chirped. "Go to him or let him come to us? Those are the only two options. We aren't sending any more dolls."

"At this point, both versions of Nagato ought to be involved," Konan interrupted. The clones agreed. Hidan volunteered to round up both of them and raced off, thrusting the paper back into Yahiko's hands.

"While we wait, I have a question," Clone Yahiko said. "Tobi has a plan for dealing with Madara. How does that interact? I'm thinking that, whatever we do, we should at least try to not totally ruin Tobi's plan."

"You must describe what Tobi's plan is," Konan told him.

The clone shifted uncomfortably. "In how much detail? Tobi considers it top secret."

"We must know how forceful it is and what resources it requires."

"Okay. I think I can do that without sharing too much."

Clone Nagato appeared. "A message from Madara?" Konan nodded and indicated that Yahiko should give him the paper. Clone Nagato read it. His face showed no reaction at first. He looked to his version of Yahiko, who smiled reassuringly. Only then did he develop a thoughtful and confident facial expression. Yahiko wouldn't normally have noticed this chain of events, but Clone Hidan's careful observations the day before had made him more observant. He depends on Other Me to know how to respond. Like my Nagato did, long ago. He totally froze up when Madara made him that offer. I was the one who knew how to respond. I can't believe I just threw myself on that kunai, just like that, as if my life was meaningless. How could I not have seen how much he needed me? The way that he treats me as if I still am his closest and best friend… There are only two options. Either he's chosen to forgive me because he is wonderful and kind, or he had no choice except to forgive me because he still needs me.

Yahiko looked away when Clone Hidan and Nagato appeared. He didn't want to know which explanation was true. He didn't know which one he wanted to be true. He busied himself picking up the two dolls, who were standing around listening. They both reached for him and used their magic to cling to him, making them easier to hold. They're so cute! No, no. Focus. I can't get all mushy in public.

Nagato read the message. Konan said they should move to the official meeting room. The group took a minute to go to the sunroom and settle down in a circle; they silently decided not to bring out chairs and instead sat on the rug. When they were all settled, only then did Nagato react. "I find this message surprising and unusual."

"How so?" Konan asked.

"He uses the word, 'we.'"

"I noticed that too," Clone Hidan said. "I can't tell whether he's including Zetsu or whether he just means himself plus the people he shares a body with. Either way, that's not a willing 'we.' That's the sort of 'we' that says, 'I unfortunately am forced to rely on other people to help me do what I want, but make no mistake, I will make them act the way I want them to.'" Hidan chuckled. "He can't actually do that, though. What idiots does he think we are? He's pretending to be all menacing and hoping we won't notice that he doesn't actually fucking have a stable base to stand on."

"Yeah, I really don't think Obito and Tobi agree with him," Clone Yahiko said. "I know for a fact that Tobi doesn't because he has a plan to get Madara to change his ways."

"Please describe this plan," Konan ordered.

"Tobi thinks Madara is mean because he's very unhappy. His plan is to show Madara good things in order to make Madara happier and less mean."

"Meanwhile, I see this message as a challenge. We've got to make some sort of really decisive, forceful response that indicates we won't put up with his bullshit," Hidan said. "How do these two plans go together?"

"Well…" Clone Yahiko thought before he spoke. "'Good things' means hopeful things, beautiful things, you know, things that can convince Madara that the world is not a bad place. So whatever response we make, it should not contain cruelty, violence, apathy, or anything like that. We should oppose him from a place of kindness and love."

"Yes!" Yahiko exclaimed with a grin. My clone is amazing!

"In other words, you want to be the one opposing him?" Clone Nagato asked.

Clone Yahiko looked surprised, but not unpleasantly so. "Why not? I took the lead on talking to the vampires, who are also paranoid, scary and pessimistic, and that worked out well."

"The vampires were ultimately convinced to our side because they fear Hidan," Konan pointed out. "Madara has no such fear."

"Whatcha gonna do?" Hidan asked.

Clone Yahiko thought some more, a shy but excited smile on his face. "I will…go out to meet them. Concede his point, that it's wrong to force them into coming here when they don't want to, so instead I'm gonna go to them. And he can't persuade me not to."

"Either fucking way, he has to listen to you," Hidan said.

"Or else stop looking through Obito's eyes, which he would never do because he has to know what's happening."

"Fucking bombard him with love and goodwill, forcing him to either take it or deny reality, and you know he's not the type to deny reality." Hidan slapped the carpet. "Alright! Who says kindness and love can't be merciless and terrifying?"

"Kindness is extremely terrifying," Clone Yahiko said with a shudder. "It takes a lot of bravery to accept it."

"Yeah, it does," Clone Nagato agreed. "In a way, what you're planning is a test of bravery. The whole entire scenario is set up so that refusing to accept your company cannot be interpreted as anything other than an act of cowardice. By meeting his challenge in this way, he can't possibly fail to notice that your method is a possible solution. That it is strong and decisive, just what he was looking for."

"What of the danger?" Konan asked. "He may attack."

"Okay." Clone Yahiko didn't say anything more. He looked down, but only because he felt awkward. Not because he was frightened.

"It's a test of bravery on all sides," Clone Nagato muttered.

Yahiko was stunned. This was what he had always dreamed of. He had given his whole life to the pursuit of a method of meeting hardness with kindness, and his clone had at last found that exact method. His trained ninja mind raced, comparing his clone's approach to his own. I didn't identify the real enemy. I let my immediate enemy come to me when I should have made the first move. And when I was given a challenge, I conceded defeat. I should have challenged him back. "If you want my death so bad, come and get it yourself." Giving up in the hope of receiving leniency is an accurate description of what I did, and that never works. Konan might have died if I'd done that, but… But… Oh my god. I failed the test of bravery. I took the coward's way out. Self-sacrifice is considered to be a courageous thing to do, but it wasn't for me. I killed myself because I was afraid of the pain of losing Konan. Even though she loved our dream more than anything and was crying out for us to leave her, I - I listened to my own fear instead of her. I was afraid. That's why I failed. Because truthfully, deep down, I wasn't acting from a place of love and kindness.

"What if harassing Madara does not work?" Nagato - the original - asked. "That is what this is: a harassment campaign. He will identify it as such and develop countermeasures."

"No, not a harassment campaign," Clone Nagato argued. "That involves coming from side angles, darting in and darting out to avoid counterattacks, wearing down the target over time. This is different. No side angles. No darting. No avoiding."

"Similar to a harassment campaign, then, but more suicidal." Bitterness filled Nagato's voice. "This is not a plan."

"That's not true," Clone Yahiko tried to argue, sounding hurt.

But there was no arguing with Nagato. "I have a very long career of opposing all kinds of opponents, meeting all sorts of challenges, withstanding numerous tests of bravery. This is foolish and will only end in your death." Clone Yahiko shook his head, but couldn't speak. Clone Nagato couldn't think of a counterargument fast enough. Before anyone could challenge his judgment, Nagato was gone, sweeping out the door and leaving a cloud of disapproval behind.

Yahiko let go of the dolls and pushed them out of his lap. He raced out the door. He hasn't forgiven me. He knows what I did and why I did it, and he's angry, but he won't say so because he still needs me. I did wrong by him. I can't, I won't, let that slide. That's not the sort of person I want to be.

"Nagato!"

Nagato turned. "Yahiko -"

Yahiko crashed into him. Just like before, his weight nearly sent Nagato sprawling. But this time, neither of them held a knife. This time, Yahiko wrapped his arms around his dear companion and held on tight. This time, there was no fear involved: only compassion and love. "I'm sorry," Yahiko whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"What would you ever apologize for?" Nagato whispered back.

Yahiko opened his eyes. "For refusing you." He loosened his arms and took a step back. "You were the power that propelled my dream. You gave your heart and soul to me, and I just up and killed myself without ever repaying you, or even thanking you." He looked Nagato in the eye and smiled sadly. "You're better than I deserve."

"That is not true." Nagato shook his head. "That has never been true. I stood behind you because I truly believed in our dream. You did not compel me; I chose it."

Translation: I chose you.

"Yahiko…"

Whatever he was mustering the courage to say, he didn't get a chance to say it. Yahiko cut him off with a kiss.

.

A/N: Love. Truth. These are the values I identified in myself. The highest levels of Love and Truth are indistinguishable, and in fact I see them as being the same thing. The highest level of Truth is the truth of who you are. Who am I, who have I been, and who do I want to be? Acting in accordance with the answers to these questions is the highest form of Love.

In other words, Clone Nagato lost his chance at receiving love because he never gave it.

Next week. Next week, there will be more.