A/N: With the arrival of spring, blood quickens in my veins. Perhaps humans are seasonal creatures, too.

Happy Easter.

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Kisame

Kisame paid another visit to the Hatakes. He found Zetsu photosynthesizing in the clearing and turned away. He looked for Sakumo instead. The half-wolf was taking a shower, so Kisame waited about five minutes in the living room of the outer cabin. Sakumo came out with a towel draped around his shoulders, for his long, thick hair did not dry easily. "Hello, Kisame."

"Hey. I saw that Zetsu was busy soaking up light, so I didn't want to interrupt. How have all the rest of you been?"

"We have been well. It looks like all of the pups might just survive this year. There is plenty of prey." Sakumo looked away. "That demon boy…visits more often."

"Does he cause trouble? Play pranks?"

"No, he generally prefers more…normal…things while he is here."

"How about the vampires?"

"There has not been any further conflict."

"Good. Same with us. Although, it has been a while since we spoke to any of them. It might be a good idea to check in." Kisame facepalmed. "Except that we are banned from their territory for being unstable. Right, that's why we haven't talked to them in a while."

Sakumo laughed. "These vampires really pretend to be very strict, don't they? But they aren't as rigid as they appear. At least, the few I know personal details about aren't."

"Yeah, but I can appreciate wanting to have order."

Sakumo sat down on the couch opposite Kisame. "About Zetsu…" Kisame waited for him to go on. "They're obviously in a rough place, so I have refrained from prying. But I would like to know more about them."

"Afraid I can't tell you much. Nobody knows anything about Zetsu's origins. All we know is that they picked up Obito when Obito was a kid and have been looking after him ever since."

"Zetsu has mentioned this person."

"I came over to tell them Obito's alright. Tobi found her way to our place yesterday and Obito's been hanging out with Yahiko, having a good time."

"Who is Tobi?"

"An alternate personality that lives in that body. There are three of them: Obito, Tobi and Madara. Madara is a dick, but we like the other two."

"That explains it. I have been getting rather confused about who you're talking about."

"I guess you can tell Zetsu for me. I don't know how long they'll be out there."

Kisame and Sakumo stood up and shook hands. "If it would help, I can have Kusa text his vampiric contact," Sakumo offered.

"No, I think Konan has a vampiric contact of her own. Thanks though."

"Before Zetsu came, it had been a while since we spoke with you. Visit more often, won't you?"

"Yeah. Sorry. I'll bring Same next time, too."

Sakumo smiled. "It's always good to keep your pack close by."

Konan

Konan did not fail to notice that her two old friends seemed awkward around each other now. She said nothing, but covertly did her best to help. "Nagato, Yahiko. You two have not yet had contact with the vampires. I am able to exchange messages with their leader. Would you like to see such a conversation?"

They nodded. The three of them sat together in Konan's room, Nagato and Yahiko behind her so they could see what she was typing. "Requesting update on current status," Konan murmured. She hit Send. "Now I must wait for her response. I have no doubt that she, like I, keeps her notifications on and audible. She will respond promptly."

"Describe these vampires," Nagato said. Konan did so. She was only partway through her explanation when her phone chimed. Current status: stable. Requesting information on unauthorized visits to our territory.

Konan frowned. "Our group members are banned from their territory for being unstable. As far as I know, none have visited their territory since the ban was announced." Requesting clarification.

Four living dolls and a shark invaded a basement dwelling earlier today.

"Ah, the dolls." Konan sighed. "They are the definition of instability, yet because of that cannot understand what it means to be banned from a place. Samehada should not have allowed them to go there." Apologies. I will speak to the shark and ask her not to bring them there in the future. Was any harm done?

No. See that it is not repeated.

Konan put her phone away. "I must find the dolls, ensure that they are contained."

Nagato and Yahiko followed her. "The vampire you were just messaging seems very agreeable," Nagato said.

"Yes, she reminds me of myself."

"You were saying that telling her Jashin sama's true intentions caused upheaval?"

"Soye's attempt to share this news went poorly. A splinter group formed in opposition to her. Another splinter group formed, theoretically in support, but actually undermining her position by prosecuting any vampire that did not pledge loyalty. We discovered this and delivered her a warning, which led to a crackdown. Some vampires were executed. Her position has more or less stabilized since then."

The dolls were not inside the base, so she searched outside. She found them outside the east wall, sitting peacefully beneath a tree. Itachi, Clone Yahiko and Obito were taking turns reading from a book. Yahiko was currently reading, so Itachi stood and silently went to Konan. Quietly, he told her, "Samehada and the dolls approached me about an hour ago. Warlic held out a book. I have no idea where he got it. It's a paperback about the misadventures of a powerful wizard. Old-style cover, cracks in the spine, an aged smell. It looks like it was taken from someone's basement."

"It was," Konan told him. "They paid an unauthorized visit to vampire territory and invaded someone's home. I'm here to tell Samehada to make sure this never happens again."

Itachi looked back. Samehada lolled a tongue out, enthralled by the story. "I am not sure how possible that is, but it would be wise to try."

"These dolls need tighter restraints," Nagato said. "It bothers me that they are allowed to roam as they please."

Itachi continued to watch the dolls. Warlic hopped up and down angrily as Borowik argued with a king. "Childhood is the time for roaming," he said with a smile.

"They are not children," Nagato replied. "And even children must obey rules."

"Which rules, though?" Itachi turned back to face him. "You know as well as I that there are different rules."

"I speak of the rules of basic decorum and decency."

"I speak of the rules of plot. Not every character can be restrained in the same ways, or else no adventures can happen. I believe that they obey the rules perfectly well. The rule they live under is, 'Thou shalt roam.'"

"What of the consequences?"

"Fun and helpful. It has been a while since anyone spoke to the vampires, hasn't it? It's good to have a reason to talk."

Nagato turned to Konan. "What are your beliefs, Konan?"

"I will tell Samehada to steer them away from vampire territory in the future," she replied levelly. This translated to, I don't appreciate being put on the spot in this manner. Resolve your own damn conflicts.

Nagato looked at the shark, at Itachi, and sighed. "Very well. One step at a time. It appears that nothing else is possible."

The masked man spoke in a different voice. Konan glanced over sharply. He was reading a line of dialogue that belonged to a child; once that line ended, he returned to Obito's normal voice for the narration. Does he know what he just did? Clone Yahiko looked up at her and nodded. He would ask.

"Our voices are getting tired, so we would appreciate a rest at the end of the chapter," Itachi said. He rejoined the group. Konan and her friends waited. The end of the chapter came soon.

Warlic protested, but all three humans were grateful when Konan asked them to pause. She and Samehada went some distance away, still in sight but not audible. She knelt next to the shark. "Samehada. That area you and the dolls visited, with the rotting houses that have people living in the basements: you must not explore that area again. The people who live in those basements are vampires. Recall our previous meetings on the topic of vampires. They are not like us. They prefer their lives to be stable, mostly the same from one day to the next, and formal. The dolls are the opposite of all of those things. Keep the dolls away from them, or they may become angry with our group."

Samehada whined, then nodded. She understood. But is her assent all I need? I doubt that she was the one leading the dolls. More likely, they led her. If they decide to go back, she might not be able to prevent them. I must convince the dolls not to go back.

Less than a second later, she saw the folly in that idea. Someone had soothed Warlic's protests by giving him the book. He examined its covers and pages, looking intensely interested. I cannot do that. The dolls see vampire territory as being a library. They will visit when they next want to hear or look at a fantasy adventure. Hmm… I may be able to convince them to act less rambunctious while they are there…

She, Nagato and Yahiko headed towards the backyard. "It is unlikely that Samehada can stop the dolls from returning to vampire territory," Nagato muttered.

"Yes. And the dolls see vampire territory as being like a library, so I cannot persuade them to avoid it. However, they are familiar with the concept of libraries; they have all been inside one before and behaved perfectly well. I can persuade them to change their behavior while in vampire territory." She took out her phone and went up on the porch to message Soye. Her old friends followed and looked over her shoulders.

I have instructed the shark to steer them away from your lands. She understands why and agrees. However, the dolls may visit on their own. Seeking permission to instruct them to treat your lands the same as they would a library. They know how to behave properly in libraries.

She didn't have to wait long for a response. Does not one of your members have the ability to control their actions?

"Kisame," Konan said aloud. "When the dolls were first created, he feared them and wanted control. He attuned Nagato's chakra rods to his own chakra and inserted them into the dolls, allowing him to control their physical movements. However, during a training battle, the rods came out. They have yet to be reinserted, and Kisame has not asked for control to be returned to him." He can only do so by deliberate action while in their immediate vicinity. If he performs any other task, is in another room, is asleep, etc., the dolls are free to act as they please. The dolls are autonomous beings with the ability to think, plan, and use teamwork; they cannot be controlled entirely by outside forces.

"The rods must not have been inserted properly," Nagato said. "I have…used those rods in living beings, when necessary. There was never a problem with them falling out during battle."

"The dolls are not normal creatures," Konan replied. "Flesh holds tight to any foreign object inserted in it. The dolls are made of ordinary cloth and stuffing, which does not. One of the dolls had a rod, originally inserted in the back of his head, exit out the front of his neck. He flew forward, crashed into an obstacle, and the sharp edge simply cut through his body."

"Hmm. Can the material they are made of be enchanted to behave like flesh?"

Konan thought about it. "That would be helpful in some respects. I do not know if it can be done, but Yahiko might. He is familiar with the magic system they use."

While they discussed this, a reply came through. Konan checked it now. Requesting clarification on their idea of appropriate library behavior.

Konan smiled. I shall take them to a library and inform you of their behavior. She hit Send and stood up. Her old friends did likewise. "We shall join you," Yahiko said. "We have seen little of town. It would be good to explore it."

"This is not just ordinary exploration, but exploration specifically for the purpose of learning common social norms. We must participate," Nagato agreed.

They went back to the reading group. Itachi had somehow been persuaded to read one more chapter. They could all hear how hoarse his throat sounded. When Itachi finished a scene that ended on a quiet note, without an exciting cliffhanger, Konan stepped in. "Ahem. Seeing as the dolls are so interested in story books, I wish to take them to the library. Warlic." She waited until he gave her his full attention. "Producing words out loud is a task that takes little effort when first begun, but gets more and more difficult the longer you do it. These people have been doing it for a long time now. They are tired and must spend an equally long time in silence to recover. Come with me to the library. When we return, they will have recovered and you can hear more about Borowik's adventure."

The dolls understood this. They got to their feet. Warlic fetched the skateboard. Konan waved her old friends over and explained that they did not know anything about libraries. The dolls would be their teachers. All four dolls raised their arms. They loved this idea. Konan wished the tired clones well and set off. The three humans ran, and the dolls followed on their skateboard. After a couple crashes, the dolls realized the humans were running so fast that they were going to get left behind if they kept crashing. Solis and Little One used magic on either side to keep the skateboard on a straight path, Manta steered, and Warlic propelled. It was unclear how they were all managing to fit on the skateboard at the same time, but it worked. The party got to town quite easily with this arrangement.

Konan slowed to a walk as they entered the town. The dolls slowed too and dropped their safeguards, meandering along the road at a normal human walking speed. The whole party paid attention to their surroundings, looking around like tourists as Konan led the way. There was an amusing incident where Konan stopped to explain how traffic was regulated using lights. The skateboard full of dolls was in the road. A car stopped behind them and honked at them when the light turned green. Konan realized what was happening and gave the dolls appropriate orders. NPC obliviousness extends that far?! Her friends were even more astonished. They had heard of NPCs and knew what it meant, but had little direct experience with this phenomenon. Konan directed her descriptions at the dolls from then on, telling them how they must behave while riding their skateboard in town. The dolls stopped veering into the left lane.

She picked up the skateboard and carried it inside the library, fearing that NPCs would interpret it as a parked vehicle. Their casual reinterpretations frightened her more than anger would have. Getting reprimanded for leaving a skateboard lying around hardly struck her as a consequence; leaving the library to find that someone had moved it to a parking space was a concept that filled her with terror. Fortunately, preparing to take detailed mental notes was reassuring to her. "Warlic, Manta, Solis, Little One. Show them what it means to be inside a library."

Nagato and Yahiko looked down at the dolls. The dolls raised their arms in the air. After holding a doll conversation filled with gesturing and arm waving, the dolls assumed a diamond-shaped formation. Warlic poked Nagato in the leg, then led the squad to the display case a few feet ahead. They walked at a consistent and even speed and focused their full attention on the case, looking to their left and right at the books displayed. Then Warlic turned left, towards the desk. They walked to it in the same manner and focused their attention the same way. Warlic pointed up. He couldn't quite see the nearest person standing behind the desk, but he didn't levitate himself up for a better look. He stayed on the ground.

"This is the main desk. The people behind it can help you locate books, give you directions to specific parts of the building, and negotiate with sentient collection items on your behalf," Konan told her friends. "As the dolls have demonstrated, when you are in a library, you walk quietly and focus your mind and do not use magic any more than necessary." She looked at the dolls as if to ask if she'd interpreted right. They nodded. Soye will be pleased.

The dolls maintained this behavior in all parts of the library. They walked from location to location, pointing at various things. Konan provided whatever verbal description was needed. The sole exception was the resource room. The dolls broke their diamond-shaped formation and ran up to the ghostly bookcase, waving their arms at it like it was an old friend. "This room appears to house informational resources from other universes," Konan told her old friends. "That bookshelf is from the same world as they are. One of those books created them, and another made their skateboard indestructible."

Yahiko blinked. "You mean the books were used to do those things, don't you?"

"Recall that I said the librarians can negotiate with sentient collection items on your behalf."

"...Oh."

Solis pulled a book from the lowest shelf. He and Little One flipped it open. They probably could not read, but the book contained diagrams and illustrations. Warlic and Manta levitated themselves to the top of the bookcase and sat on it. Evidently, they believe that the usual restrictions on magic do not apply when in the presence of magical artifacts. I do not disagree. While the dolls were occupied, Konan showed her friends some of the collection items she had noticed in the past. They looked disturbed, but not quite frightened. None of the items posed an immediate threat, after all. They only hinted at unknowns.

The resource room was the last stop. After that, they all left the library. Konan descended the stairs and then stepped aside, asking the dolls to follow her. She knelt down and thanked them for being such gracious guides. "And there is something else that occurred to me," she continued. "The book you were so interested in, about the wizard Borowik - I know where you got it from. You traveled to an area where all of the buildings were rotting and falling apart. You entered the basement area of one of those buildings, and that is where you found that book. Is this correct?" Little One nodded. "That whole entire general area, encompassing the rotting buildings as well as all of the space between them, is like a library. Each of those basements contains books. They also contain people who can help you locate desired books. It's as if this library, instead of having one large open space, had many separate rooms. When you are among those buildings, you must behave as if you were inside a library. Minimal use of magic, no damaging anything, focused behavior. Do you understand?"

The dolls tilted their heads. While they thought about it, Konan rationalized her actions. The less time that elapses between actual and imagined library behavior, the better they will make the connection. Soye is guaranteed to agree, anyway. She does not need to know that I technically went ahead with my plan before receiving her permission. Even so, Konan felt a little uneasy. I, who have killed and arranged for murder, am bothered by such a trifle? I may be acclimating to this world too well.

The dolls raised their arms, then let them fall. "Excellent." Konan patted each of their heads, then put the skateboard down, straightened up, and suggested they all head home.

Original Yahiko

He was starting to see the dolls as the clones did. He no longer noticed their lack of faces or their unblinking eyes; his mind filled in the appropriate expressions. As they traveled back to the base, he smiled. I can get used to these little guys.

While the dolls became familiar, Nagato became strange. He was obviously pulling away, but why? Yahiko sensed that hugs and commiseration had not finished the job. Nagato still lived with guilt, still felt unworthy and ashamed. He needs me.

Both versions of Hidan waited outside. Original Hidan was silently reading the book. Clone Hidan snatched it out of his hands and flipped back a few pages. "Alright, you little fuckers, let's sit the fuck down," he said with a grin. He sent a quick text. In no time at all, the three people who had read to the dolls before came outside again. This time, they were part of the audience. Samehada followed them out and trilled in delight. This made a rather large gathering on the front grass, but knowing the general tone of this world, nobody would complain. It was getting dark outside. The ordinary thing to do would be to move inside, but Yahiko sensed they would bring lights out instead. Their odd behavior made him smile. How strange these clones are, but enlivening, too!

Konan went inside and turned all lobby lights on. Enough light shone outside to read by. Yahiko was reminded of the past. He and she had performed similar unspoken acts of kindness towards their old group. Covering some of Kyosuke's usual duties on the anniversary of his sister's death, bringing warm drinks to Rinoto when the wind howled (because she always stiffened slightly at the sound), leaving an extra blanket on the bed of anyone who suffered an injury. Yahiko looked outside and saw Clone Hidan sitting so that the lobby light fell on the page. Warmth filled his chest. Some things lived on.

Konan said she would update Soye. "Good idea," Yahiko said. "Go ahead. We'll talk here." Konan turned and left. Had a smile flickered on her lips?

"What would you talk about?" Nagato whispered. He did not look at Yahiko.

"Do you remember Rinoto? How the wind bothered her?"

Nagato blinked. "Yes." But clearly he had not thought about her in a very, very long time.

"Remember the warm teas we would make for her?"

"And leave at her bedside, or workstation."

"Without her ever asking."

"Why do you mention this?"

"Turn around." They both glanced back. The reading group was visible outside. "Most people would move inside for the night, but the clones aren't most people. Even I knew they would want to bring light outside. Don't you see the resemblance? You and Konan have made some hard choices and done some horrible things since I died. But some things lived on. The people that you used to be aren't dead."

Nagato closed his eyes. "Who do you believe I used to be?"

Yahiko led him further from the doors so they would not be watched. "Someone I cared for," he replied. "Someone I…"

The missing word hovered in the air between them. Nagato's face softened. Tears came to his eyes. "What if…" He swallowed. "What if, even back then, back when we were young, I did something terrible that you never knew about?"

"Terrible against who?"

"Against you."

"I forgive you."

Nagato shook his head. "You don't understand."

"I don't need to." Yahiko took his hand. "We're older now. We've both changed. Whatever it is that you feel guilty about, you can let it go."

"What if I never stopped doing it?"

"Nagato, are you trying to argue me out of caring for you? That's not how this works. And I refuse, anyway."

Nagato squeezed his hand back. "I feel so very ashamed."

"You don't need to. I don't see anything worth being ashamed about."

Nagato embraced him. "Yahiko…"

Yahiko embraced him back. "I'm here."

When they let go, Yahiko saw the ghost of old shame behind Nagato's eyes. But it was weaker. I'll keep fighting. Someday, it will lose all power over him. I cannot wait for that day.

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A/N: In the self-insert fic that I am writing, my character is as weak as ever and expects to die. Yet the more of it I write, the stronger I feel. Funny how that works.

Anyway. Go out into the world as your best self. It'll be alright. I promise.