A/N: Nope. I'm saving all commentary this week for the end note.

.

Zetsu

The following morning, Zetsu returned. They crept inside holding a decorative gift-holding bag. They stopped and listened. The sun was up high enough for its rays to touch the ground, which meant that everyone should have been awake, but they heard nothing. White Zetsu smiled. He gave Obito's door three gentle knocks and called, "Hey, Obi. We got something for you."

"Come in." Obito's voice sounded small and weak. Weeks before, Zetsu would not have noticed because that was how he always sounded. But now, after the way he'd held himself proudly and spoken confidently about completing the special training, it struck Zetsu as strange that he should sound so dispirited. Black Zetsu tightened his grip on the bag's handles. They opened the door and slipped inside quickly.

Obito looked tired. Something had plagued him overnight. Zetsu held out the bag. "We got something for you," White Zetsu said cheerfully.

Obito accepted the bag. Its contents were wrapped in pink tissue paper. He unwrapped the tissue paper slowly, then unfolded what was inside. It was a kite. It was of similar design as the kites they had rented, having strings attached directly to its sides without any supporting structure. But its shape was closer to the shape of a traditional kite, and it was far more stylish. The kite's body was made of a fine, smooth material instead of cheaply produced plastic, and it had been colored to resemble bird of paradise leaves. A red ribbon like a string of exotic flowers formed a tail. Obito's eyes widened. "It's beautiful."

"It seemed like an appropriate gift after your accomplishment," Black Zetsu said. "Something to kick off your new life as a brave, trial-completing person."

Obito's eye misted over. He put the kite aside. "Zetsu, something happened yesterday." He told Zetsu all about Original Hidan's banishment.

"I like that," Black Zetsu said at the end. "He went too far, received a punishment, and took it like a man instead of trying to weasel his way out."

"Is that what happened?" Obito murmured.

"What do you think happened?" White Zetsu asked. Ani, is this good or bad? Facing down conflicts and hard questions is part of being a brave person, so maybe this is a good sign? But he looks so upset, and it clearly kept him up for a while…

Assume the best. He's spent long enough being treated as an invalid. It's time we raised our standards.

Yeah, you're right. If he needs help, he'll ask for it.

Obito squinted. "I…I don't know."

Black Zetsu said, "You abstained from voting and the outcome is clearly bothering you. It seems that you don't like his punishment. Do you think it was too severe?"

Obito shook his head and repeated, "I don't know." After a pause, he explained, "Something happened. I had this strange…burst…of empathy, or something. It felt like he was me. I can't make a judgment. I can't tell if banishment was fair or not. You say it is, so…"

"You felt like he was you?" White Zetsu found that a most curious turn of phrase. What does he mean by that? He literally has an identity disorder, after all. For once, Black Zetsu was just as curious. They both paid riveted attention.

Obito hesitated. "Y-yeah…" A pained look flickered across his scarred face. He closed his eye. "Thank you for the kite."

"We didn't try it, so we don't know how well it flies. Hopefully it flies well," Black Zetsu replied.

They didn't move or say anything more after that. Neither did Obito. It soon became clear that they were supposed to leave, and that they did not want to. White Zetsu felt worried and Black Zetsu harbored sinister suspicions. Neither of them wanted to leave Obito alone. But they did.

He would ask for help if he needed it, wouldn't he? White Zetsu asked.

After spending his entire life being treated as the least capable person in the room, maybe not, Black Zetsu admitted. But it would be extremely insulting to offer help without being asked, especially after we went out and got him that kite.

Kites are scary. The way they always feel like they could go flying off at any moment…

He feels like that, too, now. But there's no way in hell we'd ever abandon him. We'll just have to get used to it.

Konan

The first thing Konan did after getting ready for the day was check on Clone Hidan. She found him sleeping on the bed, multiple layers of blankets drawn all the way up over his shoulders. She checked his temperature. He felt normal, but that could be deceiving.

She sat there for a while, looking down at him. Eventually she stood. He groaned. She sat back down and waited. He squeezed and relaxed his eyelids. He tried to lift his arm, but failed before accomplishing any movement. Trying to move was obviously painful. "Do not fight," she murmured. "I will stay at your side."

He relaxed. As promised, she sat by his side and reflected on the confusing turmoil of emotion that she felt. Punishing Original Hidan was the right thing to do. Order must be maintained. Rule-breakers like him cannot be treated leniently; that benefits nobody, including him. Yet I deeply regret that it happened. What possessed him to endanger his own twin so recklessly?

Clone Hidan groaned again. That seemed to be all he could do. Konan checked his temperature. It felt normal. His body was not damaged. Why, then, was he so weak? She reflected on times in the past when she had felt a similar lassitude and grew worried. The thought of him suffering that awful sullied feeling made her heart thump.

"I shouldn' 've said it," he mumbled.

"What are you referring to?"

"I was mad at him. Not thinking. Shouldn't've said all of it."

"His actions were inexcusable, Hidan. He cannot be allowed to endanger your life without a consequence."

Hidan slowly lifted one eyelid. "Then why do I feel like he didn't do anything wrong?"

Konan could not answer. She said nothing for several seconds. Then she asked, "Did you truly consent to his methods?"

"Uh huh. I knew it'd hurt."

"Why would you consent to what could have become your own destruction? It was not necessary. What you learned does not save lives or impact our operations in any way. It could not have come close to matching the value that you have as a living person, as a group member."

He snorted. "Maybe I didn't want to spend the rest of my life running away. Maybe I was lying in the road feeling like shit after putting up with everybody else's confusing feelings when Other Me came walking up without a care in the world and started chatting about his efforts to reestablish his religious practices. Maybe I got so fucking jealous it hurt. He can lose his immortality and die if that energy hits him the wrong way, but he's not afraid of it. Why should I be?"

Konan looked away, her gut sinking. Original Hidan was not the instigator of this incident. He was only a vehicle by which Clone Hidan could prove himself. That's why my intuition was telling me that something was wrong. Original Hidan may seem self-driven, but in truth he is extremely obedient. He does very little for himself. His actions may have been inexcusable, but how can I hold him solely responsible? A person like him, someone who lives as a tool, is only as culpable as his master. He cannot be the only person punished. Which means…

Clone Hidan sighed. "If I'd been thinking straight, I wouldn't've thrown him under the bus like that. I was just upset because I got woken up from my nap. I made a deal with him not to tell you guys how badly it went, and then I dropped my end of the deal. Fuck me."

Konan stayed silent, her thoughts racing. What if a member of this or any allied group endangers themself? What then? Is that a violation of the code? Are they to be treated as an enemy? Dammit!

Clone Hidan stayed silent too. Slowly, he opened both of his eyes. "Other Moonlight said violation of the ban would refresh it. He meant if Other Me violates the ban, right? What if someone else violates it?"

Konan's long-established, recently-honed leadership instincts activated. She replied, "You will receive no support. You may not use group resources or call upon the aid of any other member. If you wish to contradict a decision made by your leadership, you will do so alone."

Sole responsibility was so frightening that 80% of people would have backed down immediately without any further threat of punishment. Clone Hidan was not one of those people. He yawned and muttered, "Sounds about right." He sighed again, this time in relief.

Konan felt relieved too. Unknowing though it was, I did in fact commit a sin. I can atone by correcting my error. He will not be punished alone. He will not be blamed and cast out as though he is the only problem. What is that term the clones use? It has to do with livestock, with goats, I think. A most unfair practice. No wonder my conscience was aggravated! She promised to inform Original Nagato and went off to do exactly that, feeling much lighter than before. Her day had begun under a state of gloom, but now it seemed bright with hope.

Original Nagato

Meanwhile, Original Nagato knew nothing but gloom. He lay in bed, tired after a long night of shallow sleep punctuated by frequent disturbances. He dreaded getting up and facing the day. Because of Obito, I started to change my mind about Hidan. I thought many previously impossible things could become reality. I was struggling to decide if I wanted them to or not. Then he proved all my old ways of thinking to be correct after all. Was all my struggle for nothing? Were Obito and everyone else wrong? Most importantly of all, what do I do with this infant hope that I was just beginning to feel?

He had told Original Yahiko some of what had transpired during the trial. Not all, but enough for his longtime love to understand. Yahiko dressed and prepared to face the day in silence. When he was done, he sat at Nagato's side. "It hurts, doesn't it?"

"You'll have to be more specific."

"Well… He went to all that effort to win you over. Then he earned himself a two-week banishment. All that work to get closer to you, to make you want to be closer to him, only to put a stop to it. That must hurt you a lot. Why didn't he think of that before breaking the code?"

Before the trial, Nagato could have answered that question easily. He could have said that Hidan was thoughtless, careless, untrustworthy and undeserving of anyone's affection or concern. He could have engaged in backwards talk of his own, focusing on Hidan's faults and ignoring his own hurt feelings. But he was too tired to do that now. "What's done is done. I must look to the future."

Yahiko shook his head. "It's never that simple. Kyosuke and all the others taught me that the past can't just be forgotten. Old wounds can't simply be ignored; they need to be cared for, healed."

Nagato pushed himself into a sitting position. "Maybe ignorance is what I need right now."

He dressed and readied himself for the day. Then he embraced Yahiko. Yahiko embraced him back. Relaxing into Yahiko's warm arms, his thoughts grew light and airy. This is wonderful. Perhaps I can spend the rest of my life this way, without needing anything else. They separated eventually and smiled at each other. Nagato's heart beat faster. Yes, distraction is just what I need! He pulled Yahiko closer for a kiss on the cheek.

But then, their alarm went off. Someone was coming up the stairs. Nagato put on his formal face and prepared to dismiss whoever it was with the quickest of excuses. When he heard Konan's signature polite knock, he frowned. "Enter."

She entered and shut the door behind herself. She bowed her head politely. "I have spoken with Clone Hidan."

"How is he?"

"Damaged, but a night of sleep has improved his emotional stability. He no longer feels as angry and overwhelmed as he did last night. He expressed guilt for, as he described it, 'throwing his original under the bus.'"

Nagato sighed. Yahiko covered him by saying, "It is not wrong to truthfully report another person's crime. Endangering a group member is an act deserving of punishment, and the punishment he received is really very mild."

Konan frowned. "That is true. However, it was wrong to punish him alone. We should not have stopped there."

Nagato blinked. His mind flashed back to something the church group had said to them the previous day. The devil is behind all temptation to do evil. Is she proposing to punish the devil? Almost immediately, he realized that made no sense. "Are you suggesting that someone else ought to be punished alongside him?"

Konan nodded. "I was confused as to why Original Hidan would have done such a foolish thing. When he acts exclusively on his own volition, he behaves in a sensible manner. He takes extreme risks only when obeying orders. Clone Hidan confided that he, not his original, was most eager to push his own limits. He was jealous of Original Hidan's ability to easily tolerate divine energies and wanted to prove himself capable of the same. He is equally responsible for his own near-demise and ought to share in punishment."

Yahiko's brow furrowed. "Punishing a person for nearly dying doesn't make sense."

"Whether or not you understand it, he and I have agreed that it must happen," Konan replied evenly. "He wants to make contact with his original during the ban. I told him that if he does so, he will do it without support. He cannot use shared resources, call upon allies or ask for aid while engaged in a direct violation of our decision. In other words, he will truly share in the punishment. As long as he is in his original's presence, it will be as if he were banished."

Nagato blinked again. "Will that not render the punishment ineffective?"

Konan shook her head. "Effective to what purpose? Our goal is to stop Original Hidan from endangering group members. He is most likely to do so while in the process of obeying some other set of orders. Therefore, the best way to accomplish our goal is to teach him to recognize and refuse orders that will result in endangerment. If Clone Hidan admits to being at fault, that is likely to bring about this outcome."

Yahiko and Nagato looked at each other. Konan seemed to be speaking sensibly, but neither of them could understand what she was saying. Yahiko asked, "Is that a good precedent to establish? That if you accidentally push yourself too hard and get injured, you'll be punished for it?"

Konan shook her head again. "Clone Hidan is not being punished."

"Didn't you just say that he was?"

"He felt guilty. He knew that he had done something wrong and wanted to atone. Allowing him to share in his original's punishment alleviates his guilt. He will join his original in pseudo-banishment joyfully, because he wants to."

She seems to be alluding to something that I ought to understand, but do not. Nagato chose his next words very carefully. "What purpose will that be effective towards?"

Konan did not answer immediately. She looked at the floor, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully. After some time, she murmured, "To recognize and refuse immoral orders…" As she spoke, she continued to study the ground, thinking aloud rather than truly speaking to anyone.

"The dolls?" Yahiko asked.

Suddenly, it all clicked together. Nagato remembered Obito's words from the night before. Best-case scenario, they'd learn to obey anyone, including evil people. Worst-case scenario, they would protect themselves from punishment by shedding every part of themselves that is good and noble. In Hidan's case, aren't both of those scenarios true? His misbehavior is not his own choice; it is the outcome of past training! "I see," he said. "It is as Kyosuke and the other original Akatsuki members taught us. The past cannot be forgotten or ignored. It is part of the present. Sins of the past echo forward into the future unless and until the wounds that they opened are healed. Clone Hidan realized that he was perpetuating an echo rather than healing it."

"Yes," Konan replied, lifting her gaze from the ground. "Punishing one person alone is convenient, but solves nothing. True resolution can only come from facing the sins of the past. When that is the goal, questions of victimhood and blame become meaningless. It does not matter who deserves what. The only remaining question is a simple one: do you want to perpetuate the echo, or stop it?"

Which of those have I done? Nagato couldn't stop himself from asking this question. Once asked, he immediately knew the answer: I have not only perpetuated the echo, but strengthened it. I resolved a long time ago to only treat Hidan as well as he treated me. I promised myself that I would do nothing except echo his own behavior back at him. That was my idea of treating him fairly. Fair it might be, but at what cost?

Konan bowed her head again and took her leave. Yahiko murmured, "She's right. That's just what I've come to think about the past. But my knowledge is pretty useless; my record of translating it into real action is poor. She seems to be a lot better at turning words into actions than me. Do you think so, Nagato?"

Nagato did not hear him, being too busy imagining himself treating Hidan with kindness and goodwill regardless of how Hidan acted. He felt a bitter feeling well up inside. It was familiar, a longtime companion whose presence he hardly noticed anymore. It inspired thoughts like, Why should I treat him that well? It's not fair! After everything I've put up with, everything I've suffered, it's time for someone else to make an effort for once. The world owes me at least that much.

"Nagato?"

Nagato turned and clasped Yahiko's hand. "Yahiko, I have forgotten how to resolve past sins. I'm not sure I ever properly learned it to begin with. You are much wiser than I in this regard. Teach me."

Yahiko stared at him. He clasped Nagato's hand back, then pulled his own free. "I… I can't."

"What?"

"I mean, Konan would do a much better job. Ask her."

The idea of asking Konan for help struck him as strange. He would not have thought of it on his own. After all I've seen, do I still think of her as subordinate? What happened to the days when we were comrades, when I was not ashamed to admire her strength of will as much as she admired my Rinnegan powers? Nagato blushed. He nodded mutely.

Yahiko laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Anytime you blame yourself for anything, I can almost feel the echoes of your past pain. I think learning from Konan would help you a lot."

Nagato wrapped his arms around Yahiko and clung on for dear life. Tears sprang to his eyes as he admitted to himself, I am the most spiteful person I've ever met. I've been a negative force in the world, taking my own sufferings and those of others and strengthening them while ignoring and thereby weakening any experience that was good and joyful. I don't want to be that way. I want to be a force for good. Again, he remembered something that the members of the church group had told him the day before. They had explained the most basic parts of their beliefs, including confession and forgiveness. He'd refrained from comment at the time, thinking that forgiveness wasn't free. You couldn't just ask for it and receive it. You had to earn it. But now, he clung to Yahiko like a drowning man to a piece of driftwood and thought, I don't want to be spiteful anymore! Help me!

Yahiko squeezed him back. "It's alright," he whispered into Nagato's ear. "Everything's gonna be alright."

.

A/N: Finally, some character development for Nagato! And it's all thanks to my new writing technique.

Remember the new technique I mentioned to make writing easier, less of a physical strain? It was prayer. I read a memoir written by a psychic where her first teacher told her that reciting the Our Father was a great way to clear out chakras and make psychic channeling easier. Since I regard my writing as a form of channeling, I said to myself, "Alright, I'll give it a try." So I memorized the version of the Our Father mentioned in that book and recited it in the morning and at night.

But then, after a week or two of that, I found other resources: books written by Christians for other Christians, describing what the heck prayer IS and how it works and how to do it properly. They said that effective prayers have five steps: expressing appreciation for [insert deity here], thanking it for every good thing in your life that you can think of, apologizing for anything you've done to worsen your relationship with it, petitioning it to help yourself and other people with anything you all need help with, and thanking [insert deity here] again for being such a great listener and helping you out. I read this and said to myself, "Hot dang! Thanking the universe for everything that's beautiful in it sounds like a cheerful and energizing way to start my day! And I've always wanted to apologize to SOMEONE for all of those things I've been doing wrong. It has always felt like those behaviors were things that I should apologize for, but I never did because I didn't have anyone to apologize to. Now I do! Sign me up!"

I've been doing that for three weeks now. Morning and night, deliberately reminding myself of love and gratitude even when I don't feel loving or grateful, confessing to neglecting my own goals, and petitioning for the strength, courage and wisdom to stop it. And now...

Turns out that asking for help is an excellent antidote for spite. And having someone to apologize to when you break promises you made to yourself is an equally excellent antidote for self-blame.

Also, I feel very little strain when writing now, even when doing it for long spans of time when I'm already tired! This technique works for my original purpose! Yay!