A/N: I could've sworn I had another chapter titled Parenting. Huh.

I am trying to start a new thing where I have at least half a chapter ready in advance, "in advance" defined as "before Saturday." This is because in May, I have 3 consecutive Sunday appointments at 9 am. No more last minute writing time for me that month.

We'll, uh, we'll see.

Things happen this chapter! Enjoy!

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Konan

Konan patrolled around the camp, then went for a run. The old familiar exercise, leaping from tree to tree, felt good. It felt relaxing. She came to a stop, frowning. Relaxing? Yes. This particular urge did not come from the burning energy she felt inside. She just had a good excuse for doing it. Which of my desires are my own, and which are that thing's? She thought about it during her run and concluded that anything which felt like a way of expressing that energy was a desire given to her. Her own desire was only for relief.

There was little for her to do. She soon grew bored. Bored is a very dangerous state. Whoever raised doubts was right - staying out here isn't a good idea. I won't agree to it. I seem to be more under control, so what's the harm in returning? The plushies will give me something to do while keeping me from interacting with other people too much. Yes. She turned south.

Halfway there, she came back to her senses. What am I doing? I can't come back without at least a little warning. Why didn't I remember that? I am slipping, after all. I should go back. It's too dangerous. She went back.

When she returned, there was little for her to do. It was boring. She growled. Then she pulled out her phone and texted Kisame. I'm bored. It's dangerous. Xould a plushie or two be left here witgh me?

She occupied herself by leaving claw marks on all the cabins just to make them look spookier. This damned campground needed more atmosphere. Kakuzu arrived while she was inspecting her work. She waved an irritated hand in his direction. Couldn't he see she was busy? When she finished inspecting the last cabin, she turned to find him leaning against a tree, waiting for her. "You make a good faux-werewolf," he told her. "Here. These two are the most dangerous." She hadn't regularly seen them around for the past couple days, so her memory of which marks stood for who needed refreshing. He told her the two plushies running around the camp and jumping were Warlic and Manta. "Manta shot Kisame with a lightning bolt in defense of Warlic. Warlic attacked Sasori when Sasori tried to give him an order. So if you order Warlic around or do anything to him that looks harmful, expect trouble."

Konan smiled. "Thank you."

"Please try to leave the buildings standing."

"I can try."

Manta turned out to have a mischievous streak. Konan turned around from seeing Kakuzu off to find him gone. He was inside a building going through someone's belongings. Warlic stood upside down under the eaves outside, keeping lookout. When Konan approached, he leaped down to the ground and stood at attention. He also shot a burst of light into the building. Manta came out and stood at attention too, still holding a bag of potato chips in one plushy hand.

Konan took it from him, opened it and ate the chips. "You two are to entertain me. Is that understood?" They did not react in any obvious way. She hadn't expected them to. She dismissed them with a wave of her hand.

Manta brought her more of people's possessions. Any snacks, she ate, rationalizing that she was doing those people a favor by discouraging bears from raiding them. The rest, she returned. Keeping an eye on his movements was difficult enough to keep her fully occupied. This was a good idea.

After bringing her a board with wheels attached (what the hell did anyone expect to use that for?), he looked around and began to jump up and down. Warlic was nowhere to be seen. "Let us go look for him," Konan said, scooping him up and leaping to the top of the nearest cabin to look for Warlic.

They found Warlic hiding under a bush. Manta leaped down from Konan's arm and ran to his friend. He held Warlic's hands. Warlic headbutted him. Manta headbutted him back. They started slap fighting. Konan was entertained by this. Eventually they stopped trying to hit each other and set the bush on fire. They watched the fire, flames reflecting off their blank purple eyes. "Do you want to watch the world burn?" Konan asked softly, not expecting an answer.

She remembered Kakuzu's order in time to stop them from accidentally doing the same to a cabin. Then they tried to attack her. Sparring with them was great fun until she kicked Warlic into a tree trunk at high velocity. He was flattened against it, then fell off and lay on the ground facedown. Manta got serious. Sparring with an enraged plushie was excellent fun. It lasted until Warlic walked over. Manta settled back down to the ground and waved his arms in celebration.

On a whim, Konan picked them both up and took them to a doorstep. She sat there and cradled Warlic in her lap. Do I have a maternal instinct? She stroked his little head. He wiggled. She smiled. He relaxed and seemed to enjoy it. Manta seemed to enjoy sitting to one side and watching them. Konan enjoyed holding this strange little creature in her lap. Maybe I do.

Yahiko

Meanwhile, Yahiko did the same with Little One. He held Little One in his lap and grinned in complete and utter joy as Little One investigated a spoon. This is everything I wanted!

Kakuzu returned. "The two most annoying, trouble-making dolls are officially out of our hair. Hopefully they don't end the world."

"Kakuzu! They're rambunctious, yeah, but it doesn't make them bad."

Kakuzu rolled his eyes. "What do you think would happen if we didn't lock them in the basement overnight?"

"They'd probably be calmer," Yahiko replied. "I didn't let Little One get locked in the basement, and he's very well behaved. Being exposed to that symbol for so long has to affect them."

Little One dropped the spoon and leaped off of Yahiko's lap to get it. He picked it up, then noticed the open drawer from which Yahiko had gotten the spoon. He couldn't see its contents from his angle, but he seemed to remember. He crept up to the drawer like he was approaching a holy place and used wind magic to raise himself up to the drawer's level and peer inside.

"That's about the level of trouble they got up to the day I enchanted them," Yahiko told Kakuzu. "And you were there at the meeting. Warlic knocked Solis over and tried to show him the room, and Manta sat in a chair. They rode Samehada's back. The worst thing that happened was trying to blast down the door. Then Warlic and Manta get locked in a basement overnight with the symbol of Jashin, and they start using magic against people and running all over the place. I shouldn't have let you do that. It's cruel and it's harming them!" He rose to his feet and glared at Kakuzu. "No more."

Kakuzu took a step back. "Well… The harm has been done already. Maybe you're right that it shouldn't have been done in the first place, but that won't change them back. If we let them run around loose now, this building will go up in flames."

Yahiko rubbed his chin. "Divine powers… Psychic powers… Channeling energy…" He smiled. "Kakuzu, look after Little One. Don't let him hurt himself with the knives. I'm going to go cure some plushies!"

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Deidara was still at work, so Yahiko crossed through the forest. He thought of it as training and mainly leaped through the trees. He felt that he was perfectly justified to think of it that way by the time he arrived at the campground. He took a few moments to breathe. Then he walked right in.

He found Warlic and Manta doing skateboard tricks. Where had they gotten a skateboard from? Anyway, these tricks mainly involved jumping on one end of the board to flip it over or shooting wind magic under it to flip each other over. The poor board was getting scratched. Yahiko looked around and saw claw marks on all the cabins, artfully placed to give the impression of a werewolf attack. He shivered. Konan probably did that. He saw no other signs of damage. She was keeping them under control. Where was she?

He looked up. She was perched on a nearby cabin. As soon as he spotted her, she swooped down. "Perching in high places is a common thing among shinobi. Only civilians fail to look up. You must learn to do it reflexively."

"I was mainly interested in them," he muttered. "So, um, I think… Wait, do you even know about it?"

"About what?"

"Kakuzu was worried that they would cause trouble overnight since they don't need to sleep, so he locked them in the basement because it's metal-lined. But it also has the symbol in it, and I think the symbol's been influencing them."

"That explains why they're much more interesting than I remembered."

Yahiko stopped himself from speaking more. Did she just describe that as 'interesting'? Of course. She likes Jashin sama. She would like the way they've been influenced. She's in the mood to leave claw marks everywhere. Will she get mad at me for wanting to change them back? Will she let me? "...Yeah, I'm sure they're interesting to spar with. And they must be giving you a great outlet for your volcanic energy. Um… Hmm. I - I came here because I think I could change them back, but if doing that makes you more destructive, then it might not be worth it. What do you think?"

Konan looked him up and down. "What do you mean by that?"

"W-well, uh, remember what Kisame said about psychic powers? And Sasori said I was green, which is different from blue…" I'm not explaining this well!

"You will use the psychic powers you've been unintentionally developing to infuse them with the energy of whatever god or gods you're aligned to, replacing the Jashinist influence?"

"...Yes."

"Do it," Konan ordered. "That would be the most unique, powerful, and potentially useful accomplishment I have ever heard of. You must try it."

"What about you?"

"They still have their magic. I'm sure I can convince them to spar with me."

"Okay." Yahiko grinned. She's not killing me for suggesting it and she actually supports it! Yay! He broke up the slap fight Warlic and Manta were having over who got to be on the skateboard next and carried them to another location. The new location didn't make a difference; he just wanted to distract them. He set them down and sat facing them. "Alright, guys. I'm going to try something I've never tried before. It usually takes me some time. Konan, I might need your help to hold them still."

"You have it."

"Okay. I have to concentrate." He looked at the plushies before him and tried to think only of the plushies before him. Not the character they were based on. Not the other plushie playing with silverware back home. Not the horrible nights they had spent confined in a room alone. Only these plushies, only here, only now. The way they sat and looked up at him was so innocent. He smiled. He traced the blue X on Warlic's forehead and the red star on Manta's with his eyes. He looked into their little purple eyes. The love he felt for them made his heart ache. I'm sorry for letting him lock you away. You are all my little ones. I brought you all to life, and that makes you mine, and that means I must care for you and love you forever. He drew them both into a hug and closed his eyes, focusing only on the feeling of them against his chest. He sobbed, but happily. I love you.

Something tickled the back of his mind. It was hard to define, and gone in an instant. Yahiko decided it was an awareness of his message having been heard. He released the plushies from his grasp and sat them back down. "I will never let Kakuzu lock you in that basement again. If anyone refers to you two as troublemakers or tries to treat you unfairly, I will stop them. You are adorable little guys and deserve all the cuddles. I will not let anyone say otherwise. I promise."

There was no obvious reaction. The wind did not blow portentously. Green leaves - or rain, in his case - did not appear out of nowhere. The plushies stared at him in their unblinking way. Nonetheless, Yahiko felt that his words had impacted the universe. He grinned up at Konan.

Konan crept up to him, tilting her head curiously. "I felt your aura. You used Angel Jutsu on them. And on me. As someone who has been called an angel, I must say that this technique is much more powerful than anything I ever used. And more…genuine."

"Come on, guys." Yahiko led them back to the skateboard. Warlic and Manta ran up to it, looked at each other, and climbed on at the same time. Manta held tightly to his end while Warlic made a sideways tornado from the other end. They rocketed around the camp at incredible speed and almost immediately crashed into a cabin. The forward end of the skateboard broke off. This didn't stop the two of them from climbing back on and trying again, with the same result. "Maybe you can leave a note explaining what happened?" Yahiko whispered to Konan. "And aw, they're playing together. Not fighting. It worked."

Konan looked at him with new respect. He didn't notice. "It did."

Hidan

Hidan and Itachi were sparring together when Hidan's phone rang. Itachi was doing very well. Hidan grinned as he answered the call. "Heyo." He went to the back porch where he had laid his scythe and sat next to it.

It was Konan. "Hidan, Angel Jutsu might be the most significant discovery of my entire lifetime. It has the power and potential to shape worlds. Do you understand the implications? If my Yahiko hadn't died, my world would be saved! If we find Hanzo sama's world clone here we must kill him immediately."

Hidan lowered his phone. "Konan's very excited about Angel Jutsu," he told Itachi. He raised the phone back up to his face. "Itachi's here with me. Mind if I put you on speaker so he can hear all about it?"

"No. This is the most important news in the world. Everyone should hear it."

"Give me just a few seconds…gotta have Kakuzu listen to this too…I hear clattering in the kitchen…here he is. Kakuzu, very important news about Angel Jutsu."

Kakuzu didn't get a chance to say anything before Konan launched into an overly detailed recounting of what Yahiko had just done. Many of the details were extraneous and distracted from the main flow of events, but they were ninjas so they were able to figure out what she was saying. When she finally paused for breath, Hidan exclaimed, "Shit! So Angel Jutsu is actually a semi-psychic technique with the power to shift the balance of the gods? You weren't kidding!"

"Well, it seems it may have a psychic component added to it in addition to its normal chakra-based aura, or perhaps that aura is a psychic phenomenon already that can be strengthened by the concentration he did."

"And it successfully changed the plushies' behavior even after it ended?" Itachi asked. "Keep an eye on them. We must know how long this effect lasts. Based on previous times Yahiko has accidentally used Angel Jutsu, the effects it has on behavior and emotions do wear off eventually, but the concentration he did may lengthen it. And the addition of a psychic technique, which seems to be an entirely separate technique, in conjunction? Who knows what effect that had on the jutsu."

"Maybe using a psychic technique opened up their minds and allowed the Angel Jutsu to penetrate deeper and change something that can't be changed back easily," Hidan hypothesized. "That could be permanent."

"Penetration? Conceiving of the mind as a layered thing, like the ocean…" Itachi murmured.

"So they aren't fighting each other and probably won't attack people, but they are still acting up and damaging things?" Kakuzu sighed. "I should've learned a long time ago not to hope for miracles."

"No, the ocean is impermanent all the way to the bottom. Something that is impermanent on the surface, but steadily less and less so as you descend…"

"Hey," Hidan objected. "If they're listening better and they're more interested in working together, that makes them more teachable. Just teach them not to break things. It's not hard."

"Layers of soil! Of course!"

Kakuzu shot Hidan a flat look. "Did you just describe teaching as 'not that hard'?"

"Angel Jutsu is thought of as using light, but actually maps better onto water in this analogy. If water penetrates deep into the earth, it can change the underlying chemistry of rocks and create whole new subterranean structures. Yes. Psychic techniques, then, loosen everything up temporarily and allow all kinds of things to penetrate deeper."

Hidan frowned. "Well, learning wasn't that hard. I learn like crazy, and I've never gone to school."

"How long does that last? Loosening up the soil to let in water will also let in frost. There could be great danger."

"That doesn't mean teaching is easy, since a teacher never knows what kind of student they'll get, and Itachi, what did you just say about danger?"

Itachi looked worried. "Is Konan still on the line?"

"Yes," Konan answered. "I've been listening."

Itachi leaned over the phone. "Konan, keep them away from any kind of negative influence for as long as you can. If Yahiko's technique did loosen up their minds and allow them to be more easily influenced, that makes them vulnerable. Hidan has already determined that their minds are weak, not as powerful as an organic being's. There is no way to know how long it will take them to return to stability. Be careful."

"What kind of influence would be able to take advantage?"

"Certainly any kind of psychic influence. Keep them away from religious symbols. They may also be more teachable, more vulnerable to interaction in general." Itachi's eyes widened. "I see. Your own instability may be a danger. Is Yahiko still there?"

"I foresaw that this call would take all of my attention, so I asked him to watch over them while I made it. Yes."

"Excellent. How are you doing with regards to attacking him?"

"So far, I have gotten no hostile urges. It is as I hoped; the energy I have inside feels sweeter, less like irritation and anger. If that changes, I will send him back."

"Until then, it may be safest if he stays with you there. Do you have food and water?"

"The deer in this forest have well-developed senses of caution, but are still no match for me." She sounded very proud.

"Stay there, then," Itachi said with a smile. "You, him, Warlic and Manta. A small family getaway. Use one of the cabins."

"I held Warlic earlier," Konan murmured. Her voice was gentler than anyone had ever heard it. "It was nice. I wonder if a family is something I might want."

"Test it out!" Hidan said with a grin. "I support this plan! Itachi, you're a genius!"

"I will tell him." *beep*

"Who's going to watch over the other two while he's away? Not me," Kakuzu growled.

"Little One, that is a meat-cutting knife. You could hurt yourself," Itachi said while removing the knife from Little One's grasp. "Do you see its serrated edge? It goes with the other meat-cutting knives that also have serrated edges."

"Where's Solis?" Hidan asked.

Kisame

It's been most of an hour. Better check in. "Hey, Tammy. How are things?"

She chuckled, quietly because some schoolchildren were busy petting the stingrays. "You're too paranoid, Kisame. You don't need to check in every half an hour or less. If he was going to break through the leash and run away, he'd have done that already."

Samehada refused to let Solis be treated as anything other than a son, or pet cat at the worst. He even insisted on sleeping with Solis overnight. For that reason, Kisame drove to work so that he could quickly stop off at a pet store and buy a leash and harness. Solis was currently leashed to a metal pole that displayed information about stingrays. Half to two-thirds of the people who approached that pole didn't read anything. Solis didn't celebrate being petted, but he also hadn't used magic or tried to escape the leash. There was no way to know what he was thinking. It was an uncertain situation: the worst kind.

"What if he decides he's had enough?" Kisame whispered. "He doesn't seem to love socializing."

"I'll put him behind my stand. I can wrap the leash around that. Really, Kis."

"Just make sure to look after him."

"It'll be fine. I'll look after your little guy. You don't need to worry. I've babysat young cousins before; I promise I can handle it."

Kisame blushed. Am I really acting like an anxious parent? "Okay. I promise to give it a full hour before I check in again." She smiled and elbowed him. He left to find something to do.

He kept his promise, returning precisely one hour later. Tammy checked her phone. "Oh my god." She put a hand over her mouth and laughed while Kisame checked on Solis. He ducked his head and wondered how much blushing showed against his blue skin.

Solis ran up to him and hugged him. Kisame held him back awkwardly. "Uh… I take it you've had enough?" Solis did not answer, as usual. Kisame sighed. He experimentally backed away. Solis held out his little arms. "Okay, that's it." Kisame unwound the leash from the pole. Solis hugged his leg. Hey, I wonder if - Before he could think any further, Kisame picked up Solis and lifted the doll onto his shoulders. Solis clutched his hair. Kisame wound the other end of the leash around his wrist.

Tammy gasped. "Oh my god. He - you - Oh my heart."

Kisame realized immediately how embarrassing this looked. He reached up to take Solis off his shoulders. But the plushie refused to leave. He held onto Kisame's hair, making Kisame wince. "Okay, you can stay," Kisame muttered. To Tammy: "Does my face look any different?"

"A little purplish," she replied. "But it's not really noticeable unless you look."

"Great. *sigh* I don't even know what I'm doing anymore. What the hell."

The rest of his workday was spent showing Solis around the aquarium. It was wonderful. Solis couldn't gasp in awe, but Kisame felt him wiggling his feet and drumming his plushy hands. Kisame saw his workplace with new eyes. Isn't this how it used to look back when I first started here?

He was pleasantly surprised when Solis came down from his shoulders to help out. A row of posters needed to be put up. After Kisame hung up the first one, Solis levitated all the rest of them onto the wall. Kisame had to move around most of them and insert the tacks, but that was a lot easier without having to worry about gravity. He knelt down to give Solis a sincere pat on the shoulder. "Thanks, kid. You really helped me out." He put Solis back on his shoulders and continued on his way.

He had to do something in the main hall. Oh shit. As expected, a child noticed Solis. "Mom! Look! It's a doll! He's so cute! I want one!" He ran towards Kisame.

Kisame knelt right down. "Kid." The little boy stopped in his tracks. "This doll here has a name. He has hobbies. He has interests. He has friends back home who will be happy to see him when I get out of work. I understand that he's cute, but you can't just say you want him and buy him off me anymore than you could do that to someone's pet dog. If he's okay with it, you can hug him."

The boy looked frightened, and his mother held him tightly. Kisame realized what he'd just done. I'm gonna get in so much trouble. It would've been better to ignore them and -

Solis leaped off his shoulders. The doll looked at the little boy. The boy gasped. He worked his mother's hand off his shoulder and approached Solis gingerly. Then he squealed and gave Solis a hug, squeezing so tightly that Solis fought to get free. "Hey, you're squeezing him too hard," Kisame said.

The boy released Solis all at once, dropping him on the floor. "He's just so fluffy! Bye! Tell your friends hi for me!" He waved as his mother dragged him away. Solis jumped up and down.

Kisame touched the pocket where he kept the control rod. "No magic. No magic." Luckily, he didn't have to use it. Solis climbed right back onto his shoulders, and Kisame would be greatly surprised if he came down again before they had left the building. "I'm sorry, buddy."

He thought of that kid while going about the rest of his workday. He gave that kid a chance. It didn't work out, but wasn't that still the right thing to do?

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A/N: Yet more character development on Yahiko's part that wasn't supposed to happen until later. I wonder how that will change things...