A/N: This chapter is brought to you by: I've been having lingering symptoms of illness for the past 3 WEEKS! What's taking so long?! Rrrrr!
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Obito
Like most ninjas, Obito had never known anything but good health. Any sickness he experienced was severe but short-lived, and recovery was quick. He perceived his current condition as unnatural, an affront to his existence, and possibly a sign that he was going to die.
It just wouldn't go away! He rested. He slept. He took painkillers. He went without painkillers. He meditated. He tried everything, and yet the aches and pains that plagued him refused to go away. He felt guilty about staying in the hospital for so long. Am I doing something wrong? I should be thinking more restful thoughts. I should be meditating more. I shouldn't be thinking so many negative thoughts! Oh no!
Meanwhile, his body did what it had intended to do all along. He slowly got better.
It helped to have someone watching over him at all times. The mere presence of someone else was enough to prevent Obito from throwing himself into depression. Once he mustered the courage to request hand-holding, he asked for it all the time. Simply being touched was comfort that he craved. He didn't know how he'd gone so long wearing gloves.
"Kakuzu, tell me that I'm going to get better."
Kakuzu squeezed his hand. "You're going to get better. Just be patient."
Obito sniffled. "That's the worst part."
"Time is important. You can't ignore it like it's not a factor. Sometimes it's the only factor."
"Just wait, and I'll feel better?"
"Yes."
Obito sniffled again. He didn't feel any more hopeful than before. He wanted to cry.
Kakuzu sighed. "You have nothing to cry about. Lots of people live with chronic conditions. Perpetually feeling under the weather isn't something to cry about. You just push through it."
"I don't want to." Obito's voice cracked. "I've had enough of just pushing through. Can't I - can't I get - you know, happiness?"
Kakuzu's eyes softened. "You can. Just be patient."
Obito felt more hopeful after hearing that. But as the hours passed with no relief in sight, that hope started to fade. He went to sleep after sending a prayer to the universe. Please let it be better tomorrow.
Kakuzu
Kakuzu went home to find Yahiko in a similar though slightly more subdued state. Several days had passed since Yahiko was brought home; it was now Monday. The orange-haired man sat against a wall of the lobby, watching the dolls at play. They were making paper airplanes and chasing each other with them. Yahiko watched them run around with a depressed look on his face. Kakuzu sat next to him. "Let me guess: you want to be able to play with them and you're upset that you're not healing fast enough."
"I didn't realize how much I loved chasing after them. Now I know it more strongly than ever," Yahiko replied.
"Be patient."
Yahiko whispered something.
"What was that?"
Yahiko sighed. In a low voice, he repeated, "I've had enough of that."
Dammit. What the hell is this? Kakuzu said something reassuring, then went off to find Konan. She and her old friends were helping Sasori train with Bugbear and the toy helicopter. Over the weekend, they had concluded that the decrease in narrative convenience posed little immediate threat. There was time to indulge curiosity. Original Nagato seemed never to tire of sparring against Sasori's remote-controlled creations. At the moment, he, Sasori and Original Yahiko seemed to be discussing something of grave importance. Something from his past. Kakuzu caught Konan's attention. She was only listening, not participating in the conversation, so she turned away and joined Kakuzu on the porch. "I have something to report," he told her. "Obito and Yahiko are both unhappy about how long it's taking them to recover, and they both said the exact same thing when I urged patience."
"What did they say?"
"'I've had enough of that.'"
Konan tilted her head thoughtfully. "In the past, frustration has led to positive advances. It may be beneficial. Thank you for informing me."
"Frustration with life circumstances, yes. Those can be changed. Frustration with biological reality? Not so much. Being impatient over healing slowly isn't going to help them heal any faster."
"And being impatient with their impatience isn't going to help them get over it. I'll arrange for distractions."
"Good idea."
Kakuzu's need to solve the problem was satisfied, but he was still curious. As he went about the rest of his day, he wondered. Why can't they stand to go back to a condition that they were happy to live in before? Shouldn't they be used to it?
Clone Hidan
Without fully realizing it, Hidan spent more and more time away from the base. If asked, he would not have said it was because of Yahiko, but he did in fact feel more stressed and gloomy while inside those walls. He sought out other, more exciting feelings.
The mixture of confusion and delight that former NPCs felt when they saw him walking through town with a giant scythe on his back and a golden retriever at his side was just the thing. Most of them decided he was doing some form of cosplay and asked to pet the dog. Instead of answering, he always looked at the dog, because the dog was really the demon boy in disguise. The demon boy almost always approached with his tail wagging. After the third hour of soliciting head pats and doing absolutely nothing that could be considered frightening, Hidan concluded that the demon boy enjoyed having his head patted more than he enjoyed scaring people.
On their way out of town, he mentioned this. The demon boy, who had returned to human form, shrugged. "Eh, it's different each day. Tomorrow I might want to scare them."
"You'll need my scare o'meter services then?"
"Yup!"
Maybe he enjoys hanging out with me more than he wants to admit, too.
Clone Nagato
It's easier to be honest around dogs than people. Perhaps the dogs can help me.
Nagato tried whispering some of his most secret fears to the dogs while he worked. He found Jonesy and Tipsy to be the most effective helpers; Jonesy would lick him affectionately regardless of what Nagato admitted to, and Tipsy had this way of staring at him that made all cowardly justifications die before they left his tongue. The other dogs were excellent listeners, but with those two, Nagato felt like he was receiving good counsel. "You're right, Jonesy," he told the golden dog. "Life's too short to spend worrying and blaming. I should just let it lie."
He felt pretty good after leaving work. Marsha still had not said anything aloud about his eyes. She is amazing. Nagato thought about how lucky he was the whole drive home. Upon arrival, he went straight to Yahiko's side, intending to share his joy. Work up a strong feeling, then give it away. That's how this works.
Yahiko listened attentively. The dolls stopped their play and gathered around. Nagato told them all about Jonesy, Tipsy, Lilac, Kidneybean, and all of the other shelter dogs. He saved Mosey for last. "Mosey got adopted last week," he said. "By an older couple who wanted a calm dog."
"Aw!" Yahiko beamed.
"Yeah, Lilac and Kidneybean are going to miss having someone to run circles around. The only other dog that sits still is Tipsy, but I don't think she'd allow it."
"She might," Yahiko said with a smile, no doubt thinking of Konan.
Nagato closed his eyes and smiled hard enough to inspire tears. "I'm just so happy," he said. "To work with such loving creatures and such an understanding boss. It feels like my home away from home. Being surrounded by all that fur and warmth and love is exactly what I need."
He opened his eyes to see tears rolling down Yahiko's cheeks. At first, he thought they were empathetic tears of joy. But something about Yahiko's smile didn't look right. "That does sound wonderful," Yahiko whispered.
Nagato felt like a deflating balloon. No! I need that! But he didn't have time to worry about his own needs. "Are you alright?"
Yahiko flexed his right shoulder and grimaced. "No." He looked at the dolls, then down at the floor. "I can't play with them. I miss doing all the active, healthy-person things I love to do."
Nagato couldn't think of anything to say, so he gave Yahiko a gentle sideways hug, careful not to lean too much weight on Yahiko's fading bruises. "If I wasn't healthy enough to play with the dogs, I'd miss it too," he said.
"What does Jonesy's breath smell like?"
"Like dog bones and pumpkin and slobber."
"Is Tipsy's fur still glossy?"
"Yes, and slightly softer."
"Don't let me forget what it's like to be healthy."
"I won't."
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A/N: I don't know what's going on. My digestive tract just can't consistently maintain top-notch functioning. Maybe I should eat more yogurt.
*yawn* So... Same time next week.