A/N: The trouble with this story is that there are so many threads in the plot tapestry that I can't speed it along even if I try. Well, I guess I just have to deal with that.

Rar.

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Konan

Konan awoke in her own room at 2 am the next morning. Her wounds were not healed, but she figured a walk couldn't hurt, so she got dressed, put on her cloak and went outside. She smelled incoming rain as soon as she opened a window. It was just as well to go for a walk now, then. She roamed the forest. After a while of this, she grew frustrated. Aimless wandering is not the proper way. Where am I going? She decided she was going to visit the Hatakes. The poor traumatized creatures needed someone to check on them.

She expected to encounter a patrolling wolf and their human partner even at this early hour, if Sakumo's group expected to be taken seriously as ninjas. She did not. She encountered only a half human, with no wolf at their side. It was Sakumo himself. "You are having trouble sleeping too?" he asked.

"Yes, but that is expected from me. What troubles your sleep?"

"That boy," Sakumo whispered. "The one with the livestream. He must be the demon your deputy warned me about. I'm, ah, curious about his appearance. Why does he take the form of a little boy with white hair?"

It didn't even occur to Konan to wonder if he ought to know this. "Because that is what his original body looked like. In my home world, your son's body was not left empty. A demon took possession of it, and you raised him as your own. Said demon was too large to entirely fit within one human body, so the rest was forced into this world, creating the version you saw."

Sakumo sat down. She felt him withdraw into himself and guessed that he was as pale as a sheet. "A demon possessed my son's body?" He gasped. "I…I need time to absorb this."

Konan sat down nearby and investigated the forest floor with her fingers. She noticed again how it had a thicker debris mat than she was used to. It was these little details that made a whole new world. "How do you feel?"

"Upset, but also…" Sakumo shook his head. "Also curious. I shouldn't be, I know. But I always wondered what it would be like to raise a child."

"According to reports I've heard, he's always wondered what it would be like to be a child," she replied. "I can contact him, if you would like. If he is not already listening in."

"Is he?"

They listened. If the demon boy was around, he chose not to reveal himself.

Sakumo stood up. "I shouldn't be so hasty. It's a bad idea to make major decisions so quickly. I will think on it. And I would like to meet him myself, if I'm ever ready to."

It is? Konan remembered that not everybody in the world was obligated by their own brain chemistry to act on urges or else give up. She also remembered to check in with herself. Her injuries and spent chakra aside, she felt that the worst had passed. Her insides simmered, but she was not engulfed by a full roiling boil. She wasn't sure how to feel about that. "I will wish you luck." They shook hands. Sakumo went back to his base, and she to hers.

She put herself to bed, and surprised herself by staying there. I am the only one who does not have a clone. I am the only one who will not eventually have two different versions of my life to compare, to understand myself more thoroughly by. But that is what I have always wanted more than anything else: to know how my life could have gone. Her mind occupied itself in dreaming of possibilities. In that way, the darkness passed quickly.

Hidan

Hidan slept poorly. Of course he did. How could he not? Multiple times, he awoke after several sources of fear and disgust combined into one big nightmare. He hugged his pillow and moaned. He couldn't wait until morning.

"I feel shitty!" he announced as soon as he saw a person. It was Sasori.

"Same," Sasori replied in a perfectly level voice. His hair stuck out in all directions, unbrushed. "But you must have it worse."

"Fuck yes I do," Hidan grumbled. "I think I'm gonna have to get out of here just to get away from this shit."

"Hey, by all means. It's okay. We can figure ourselves out."

"Yeah, but I want to check on how everyone's doing at least once before I go. Responsibility or some shit like that. How ya doing?"

"All I want is to forget how close I came to killing Nagato with his own rods," Sasori answered. "It's a shame I don't drink. I've heard alcohol is good for forgetting. Maybe it wouldn't work in my case. Either way, it's not worth thinking about. And I still have a job to go to, so I'd better put my game face on."

Kakuzu was also awake at that early hour. "I'm fine," he answered. "Your time is better spent on those two. You know who."

Yahiko, unusually, was also awake. Hidan wondered if everyone was awake right now. If anything could devastate the sleep of nearly a dozen people, it was the weekend battles. Yahiko sat on the floor while Little One lay on his bed under the covers, playing at sleeping. "I feel insignificant and small," he murmured.

"Insignificant? Dude, you're the group doctor. You're the most significant person in this entire fucking town."

"Yeah, but…" Yahiko bit his lip. "Maybe insignificant's not the right word? I feel like… Like there is so much outside of me. I've never had this feeling before. I've always felt like everything was inside me. I don't know if that makes any sense."

"I can kinda get it." Hidan touched him to make sure. "Yeah, that. I live with that. I think that's what they call humility."

"Humility? I've never been self-aggrandizing, never bragged or -"

"Ey." Hidan shot him a look. "You've been told a buncha times how little you notice other people."

Yahiko shrank in on himself. "Oh."

"It's okay. You're getting better. That's something to celebrate." Hidan patted him on the shoulder, then checked on Little One. Little One looked at him, but otherwise seemed to be loving faux-sleeping. Hidan touched him to make sure. "Hehe. These little guys love sleeping and sitting. Bringing them to life was the best idea ever." He patted Little One's head, then went to visit Nagato.

Nagato looked in desperate need of a therapy doll. Hidan turned and left the room immediately. Who's available? Where did Warlic and Manta go last night? They weren't in Kakuzu's room. He promised not to lock them in the basement. Where else would he trust them to stay safe and not kill us all? Hidan checked Kisame's room. The shark man was still sleeping off his wounds. Samehada was awake and licking Warlic the way a mother cat might lick her kittens. Hidan knelt down and whispered, "Hey, Sammy, I just saw Nagato. He's not feeling too hot. Can I borrow Warlic to help him feel better?" Samehada nodded. Hidan picked up Warlic, who tried to wiggle out of his grasp. Manta looked torn, but ultimately decided to race out the door after them. Hidan had predicted this, so he left the door open and closed it behind Manta. Warlic was still trying to wiggle out of his arms, so he was glad not to have to carry a second plushie all the way across the building to Nagato's room.

Nagato sat up in bed, awaiting his return. "Mornin', Moonlight," Hidan said. He dumped Warlic onto the bed. "Therapy doll delivery. Just what the doctor ordered."

Warlic waved his arms. But he was sitting, so it was harmless and not a sign of impending magical attack. Nagato picked him up and hugged him. He sobbed. "It feels really good to have something to hug right now."

"I'm kinda super overwhelmed, but if you wanna talk about it, I can take it onboard. I think I'm gonna have to dump all this shit into the lake anyway."

"There's too much to talk about. Marsha's giving me today and tomorrow off, but I'm gonna need more than that."

"Then ask for it. Nobody can fault ya. You nearly died."

"I'm not awake because of that. I'm awake because of everything that happened before that. Everything I did."

Hidan gently palmed his cheek. "Everything you were, which is the same as you've always been. You just let us see it, that's all."

"But I don't want to be terrifying and dangerous."

"Well, seeing you that way would be a big change from how people see you now. But change happens all the time. We'll get used to it."

Nagato pressed Hidan's hand against his cheek. "I'm afraid."

"I know."

They sat that way for a while, holding hands. Warlic hugged Nagato back. Manta climbed up onto the bed and sat, watching. Nagato petted Warlic's soft plushy head. "Thank you."

"Aaaaand it's lake time. Ask Konan to triage everyone else for me, will ya?" Hidan dragged himself off the bed, his thoughts settling into a familiar single-track daze. It felt like dreaming. He jerked awake at the side of the lake. But it only lasted a moment; his eyelids drooped as he waded in. His last experience before losing consciousness was hearing a bird call overhead, just before the water touched his earlobes.

Kisame

Kisame called in sick. "I was attacked by a tiger yesterday. My wounds are patched up, but I'm exhausted and I'm not sure I can even drive. I'm not sure how I'll be tomorrow." The person on the other end wished him well. You'd think tiger attacks happened every weekend from her tone. NPCs. Gotta love 'em. He had sat up to make the call. Now he looked to his left, where Samehada's bed was. The shark was sleeping. So was Solis, or at least the doll was pretending to be. No other dolls were in sight. Kisame's heart pounded. Oh shit. He sent a message in the group chat. Has anybody seen Warlic and Manta?

Currently cuddling with me, Nagato replied. They make good therapy dolls.

Yahiko sent a picture of Little One lying on a bed with his head on a pillow and the covers pulled up to his chin, like a perfect little sleeper. A chorus of "Aww"s made Kisame's phone buzz for a minute straight. He grinned. Then he muted his phone so it would not wake him, flopped back into bed and went back to sleep.

Itachi

Everyone forgot about Itachi, as usual. He saw the group chat, but nobody came to check on him and ask how he was. He went to see Konan. He could not have explained why, but she seemed the most likely to connect with him after Kisame. Kisame must still be sleeping. After his wounds, no wonder. Perhaps it is her formality that makes me so comfortable. Or maybe -

Konan took one look at him and ordered, "Go visit the hospital today."

"Why?"

"The demon boy should know why. If he does not know, inform me immediately."

Itachi checked on Nagato first. He found Nagato playing with Warlic. Nagato raised a book high in the air and dropped it on the bed, where it bounced once. Warlic handed the book back to him. Rinse and repeat. "I see your assessment was accurate," Itachi said with a smile. "You look much better than I would have expected."

"I'm still aching inside," Nagato reassured him. "I'm just going to get over it at my own pace."

Itachi nodded and wished him luck. As he closed the door, he wondered why he had immediately followed Konan's order. Her door was just across the hall. He could still ask to speak with her before he went. But he did not want to disobey a direct order, so he did not do that. Perhaps the demon boy will be a good listener.

He checked outside and saw that the morning's rain had passed. Only a fine mist was left, and the clouds looked brighter. The walk outside soothed him. He stopped in the middle of the stalagmite field and closed his eyes. The wet and broken earth had a distinctive smell. For once, his thoughts did not interfere. He stayed there for as long as he could, until his senses had their fill. Then he continued on to the haunted hospital. Or perhaps I do not need a listener. Perhaps what I need is blissful, restful silence.

The demon boy sat on top of a bush as if it were a carpet. "Hey hey."

"Hello. I was told that you should know what I'm here for."

The demon boy blinked. Have I ever seen him unsure before? "...I dunno."

"In that case, I was told to report it immediately." Itachi pulled out his phone, called Konan and put the call on speaker. When she picked up, he told her, "The demon boy does not know why I am here."

"Hm. I was not previously aware that there was a territory he does not watch over. Interesting. Oh, and there is something else I forgot to ask of you. Find and speak with a vampire next, preferably Soye as she is the most likely to have received reports from last night. Find out what her opinion is."

"Did something happen last night?"

"Yes."

"What was it?"

"A need to know matter."

"Where did it occur?"

"In the forest."

Itachi was unable to figure out what could have happened from such meager information. "Very well. I'll get directions from Kakuzu to her house." Konan politely thanked him, then hung up. Itachi immediately put on his detective hat. What do I know? An event occurred last night. Time: unspecified, but presumably somewhere in the middle of the night, since she knows about it and she most likely would have stayed up late or awoken very early. Location: somewhere in the forest where the demon boy was not watching. Event: unspecified, but the vampires are likely to have an opinion about it. Potentially harmful? Related to Hidan? I need more information.

He asked the demon boy, "Where in the forest do you not watch?"

"Lots of places, if I don't think there's anything interesting," the boy replied. "I missed something! Aw man!"

"Were you watching our base last night?"

"No. I was all interested-out from the fights. I wasn't watching anything, really." The boy screwed his face up in frustration.

Without any more information regarding time or location, I cannot figure out what the event was. Ah well. Perhaps the vampires will know. Itachi sat on the creepy lawn where it met the street and called Kakuzu for directions. He asked clarifying questions, then requested that the clarified directions be texted to him. He followed them faithfully and entered the house with the open curtains. He paused, unsure what to do. He wasn't the noisemaking type.

He didn't need to be. Soye came up the stairs, apparently having heard his footsteps. She drew the curtains and opened the door, but did not step out. "Why are you here?"

"I was told to ask what opinions you had about an event that occurred last night, if any."

"I am in favor. The boy is a cause of nervousness among my people. Restraints can only be a good thing. And please tell the one who sent you that deliberations are ongoing regarding access to our territory by any non-vampire person. Do not come here again."

"I would suspect that she sent me here instead of simply texting you for that very reason, if I thought she was currently capable of such subterfuge."

Soye tilted her head. "Tell her also that I appreciate her discretion."

Translation: tell her that I appreciate her not shouting from the rooftops that we have each other's numbers like personal friends. Itachi nodded. "I will. How long do you expect deliberations to take?"

"Less than a week. Our security is something that all of us take very seriously."

"Thank you. Best of luck." Itachi bowed slightly, then exited the house and proceeded straight back along the route he had taken. Only when he was out of vampire territory did he call Konan.

"How is she?" Konan asked immediately.

"They are in favor of whatever it is that happened. More restraint on the boy can only be a good thing. They are currently deliberating over whether to restrict access to their territory by any outsider. The deliberations will be finished in a week or less. And Soye appreciates your discretion."

"Mm. Thank you."

"May I ask what happened now?"

"No."

"How is Hidan?"

"He is still in the lake."

Right. That. "Of course." Itachi paused. His heart beat faster. "May I just ask…"

"Yes."

"How do you forgive yourself after doing a horrendous thing?"

Konan took time to think about it. "The things I have done are a part of me. I find that how much I dwell on them varies according to how I feel about who I am now. It makes logical sense; if I like who I am now, then I must accept everything that contributed to me being that person. It is impossible to both like myself and disavow past actions."

"So I must find out who I am now that I have tortured a friend and decide how I feel about that person. Thank you."

"A shinobi does what they must. That is natural and expected. I think if you speak to him, you will find that Yahiko has already forgiven you."

Itachi ended the call feeling a lot lighter. Just as I expected. She understands me. It must be the formality. He turned his feet towards home.

When he got there around noon, he found something unexpected: a circle of people sitting on the lawn outside with plushies. "Hi Itachi!" Yahiko called. "We're doing a therapy circle thing with the plushies. Wanna join?" Nagato, Kisame, Deidara, and even Kakuzu were part of it. Kakuzu's glare challenged anyone to say he was doing anything other than supervising.

Itachi joined the circle. "What is the purpose of this?" Warlic tugged on Nagato's hair. Little One made grass angels, and Kisame held Solis in his lap. Manta sat on Deidara's shoulders.

Yahiko chuckled, embarrassed. "Well, what Nagato said earlier about therapy dolls got me thinking about different kinds of therapy, and I thought of group therapy where you have a bunch of people sitting in a circle, and, well…"

"And outdoors because it's a beautiful day," Nagato finished. The sun had come out and dried the grass. "Plus I've heard that being outside has statistically significant mental health benefits."

Itachi smiled. He had heard the same. "Hello there, Little One." The plushie sat up, looked at him for a bit, and sat on his knee.

The plushies seemed to enjoy group playtime. Nagato mock wrestled with Warlic. Little One looked adorable no matter where he was or what he was doing; something about his body language was just the cutest, or maybe he put out an aura. Manta didn't do much of anything, until Solis invited him for a game of chasing each other in circles using the humans as a living obstacle course. Kakuzu allowed them to climb and jump on him. Otherwise he didn't interact with them.

"Oh, shit," Kisame said, but in a lighthearted way, like Hidan would have. "I just remembered that they don't have their spikes in. It must mean something if I'm comfortable enough with them to have forgotten that."

"I can make the world a better place," Yahiko said to himself.

"Yahiko?"

"Huh? Yeah, Itachi?"

"I would like to apologize," Itachi said. "Even if it was necessary for our battle, I hurt you greatly, and I'm sorry."

Yahiko looked around. Little One hid behind Kisame. As Solis and Manta ran past, he leaped out and tackled Manta. Solis turned back and jumped up and down, waving his arms like a cheerleader. Victory! When he stopped celebrating, Yahiko grabbed him and offered him to Itachi with a smile. Itachi took him, with a smile. Peace offering? I shall assume so. As soon as Itachi placed the doll in his lap, Solis gave him a hug.

"Is anyone here scared of me?" Nagato asked.

"I'm impressed," Kisame said with a grin. "I'm even more impressed that Sasori beat you despite everything."

"With my own rods, no less," Nagato said, blushing.

"I guessed that Little One might prove to be the most dangerous plushie in the field because of his eye for patterns," Itachi said. "In a way, I was correct."

"Seriously though," Nagato said. "I shot up two houses and ruined more land than the snake boy did. You guys aren't weirded out by that?"

"Maybe eventually," Kisame said. "After I'm done being weirded out by going into a blood frenzy for the first time. I'm never going to watch a shark documentary the same way."

"Has Samehada ever frenzied?" Itachi asked.

"I don't know. You know what? I'm gonna go ask." Kisame nudged a curious Warlic away from him and went inside the building. Warlic followed him. Manta flailed his arms, looking upset.

Nagato swallowed. "You don't have to follow him everywhere," he told Manta. "You can be your own doll." Yahiko blushed. Itachi froze, looking around for clues as to what he should do. Manta, of course, did not experience the slightest bit of internal conflict. He ran after Warlic. Itachi leaped up to open the door for him.

"I guess he doesn't want to be his own doll," Deidara dared to say. "Maybe that's fine? He seems happy, yeah."

"Except for just now when Warlic left," Nagato whispered.

"Hey Nagato?"

"Yeah?"

Yahiko gulped. "What do you say we…um… Um… I forgot what I was going to say."

Nagato snorted. "What do you say we spend a while apart? Not immediately; Hidan has plans to go up to that northern camp to get away from all of us. But when he gets back, how about one of us takes a turn? It might be something to try."

"Something to try. Okay. I still don't know what I wanted to say. It's left me. Sorry."

Itachi jerked. "Does anyone here have knowledge of an event that happened in the forest last night?"

Everyone looked at him. "No," Kakuzu said ominously.

Kisame returned with Samehada in tow. "Hey guys." Samehada held the door for Warlic and Manta. "Warlic is just fascinated by me for some reason. Does anyone know why?"

Everybody else shook their heads. Samehada joined the circle looking quite happy. The shark couldn't make any sounds except repeated whines because of the duck in his mouth. Little One reached out. Samehada let him take the duck. Little One sat down and patted the duck's head. Samehada chirped and squealed.

"I told him there was a good time to be had out here," Kisame said.

A flurry of short, nearly invisible glances were exchanged. "Yeah!" Deidara chirped. "We were just wondering, have you ever smelled blood and gone into a frenzy?" Samehada shook his head. "Yeah, didn't think so, yeah. Itachi would've known about that."

"Speaking of smell, can the plushies do it?" Itachi asked. "He seems curious about your wounds."

"Aw, shit, I need to change the bandages."

Nagato teased Kisame for being irresponsible. Kisame tried to shoo away Warlic, but it didn't work. Deidara got a mischievous grin and placed Little One, still holding Ducky, on Kisame's shoulders. Little One smoothed out Kisame's hair and placed Ducky just so on top of his head.

It was a very successful therapy circle.

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A/N: Going outside is nice. It should happen more often.

R.