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A figure laid flat on the ground. If she hadn’t noticed the red hair the boy's raincoat would have meshed with the sheet of rain into the earth.
She approached and realized it was a child, a boy, who looked to be about her age.
He was weak and lost the strength to keep walking.
“Here eat this” she held out the bread.
He softly smiled. It was the sweetest smile Konan had ever known.
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It had been a few weeks since Yahiko died.
Konan and Nagato were broken. Konan, emotionally, and Nagato emotionally and physically. It hurt to see the lifeless eyes he’d look back at her with. Every bone visible, jutting out of his skin just like the chakra rods extending from his back. However there was still something about the way his red hair fell over his pale skin and those violet ringed eyes. He was still beautiful.
He was once again lying lifeless, with so little strength, and this time, Konan wasn’t sure she had anything she could give to make him get up and smile.
The first few days following Yahiko’s death they spent in silence. Konan would help change the bandages on Nagato's legs from his burns and helped prop him up and carry him wherever they needed. He could walk a little bit but not without some type of assistance. He struggled to make eye contact with Konan those first few days and if they did, he quickly turned away. The space between them was thick with pain and guilt.
It wasn’t until a few weeks had passed that Nagato spoke to Konan. Usually whenever she asked him if he was okay or if he was comfortable he would maybe nod but didn’t say anything else.
Konan had laid Nagato down on the bed. She laid him on his side and removed the chakra receptors one by one so he could get ready to sleep. Nagato winced at the searing pain in his back. Konan's eyes stung as she heard Nagato's cries.
Konan missed Yahiko every day, all the time.
It was like looking at Nagato was a visual reminder of how much it hurt. He looked so broken. Konan closed her eyes and imagined Nagato hugging Chibi, the dog that used to follow him devotedly. She wished that if she kept her eyes closed she could stay right there. But she opened her eyes back to the reality of where they were.
“Konan” his voice came out as barely a whisper. Konan hadn’t heard his voice in so long she had to recall that it was Nagato.
“Konan, I’m sorry…this…is…my fault” Nagato struggled to speak, his voice hoarse and raspy.
“It was never your fault. It was mine”
“No”
“Then whose is it?”
“The world. This world that we live in” Nagato's voice slightly cracked and Konan knew he was struggling not to cry. She leaned down and wrapped her arms tightly around him.
“Nagato you’re freezing.” Konan hugged him harder and rubbed circles into his back. She ran her hands through his red hair and nuzzled into the nape of his neck.
“Konan I don’t want anyone to see me, ever again”
“What do you mean?” She placed her hands on the sides of his face.
“Look at me…I can’t…I won’t…I’m not….” He was trying to speak but the shame and insecurity he was holding tightly onto wouldn’t fully release to let him be vulnerable
“Nagato. Don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of you. I’ll help you. And you…you look beautiful I promise”
“Don’t lie”
“I’m not lying”
“I’m a burden to you like this”
“Not if it’s you. You’re not a burden if you’re you.”
“Konan…I only want…you to see me then…nobody else. Nobody else”
“I remember when I first found you. Lying there, you, and Chibi….”
“Chibi” Nagato remembered. It brought a childlike sparkle to his lifeless eyes.
“You hadn’t eaten anything in so long, and yet the first thing you did was give half your bread to Chibi. It told me so much about you”
“And what’s that?”
“That you’re sweet natured and have a kind heart”
“Well…maybe then. But I’m not sure about myself now.”
Konan held Nagato tightly as she had been. She knew she couldn’t fix anything right now, but she knew she wouldn’t stop finding him every time he lay lifeless on the ground. She would lean down to him, when she knew he couldn’t get up and she would smile at him, hoping that he would take whatever she could give.
As Konan held him, Nagato was able to close his eyes and drift to sleep. Her presence brought such comfort and warmth that he could finally feel at ease.
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“Hey there Nagato,” someone said as they placed a hand on his shoulder.
That voice. It was inviting and familiar. Yahiko
“Can you believe it, Nagato? I knew we could do it, I knew you could do it. And now that you’re the Kage of Amegakure, the people will experience peace for sure.” He formed his hand into a confident fist, looking determined in his position. Thinking of Yahiko in his youth, his fiery determination is always what inspired Nagato most. It gave him the spark he needed to feel like he could make a change.
“So what’s your order of business today?” Yahiko grinned as he tightened his grip on Nagato’s shoulder.
Nagato could not help but feel shy under the contact. “Well...I...uh...I am meeting with one of the other Kage’s today to discuss relations and plans. Nagato gave a half smile as he thought about his upcoming meeting with Obito, the Kage of Konoha. Obito reminded Nagato so much of his dearest and oldest friend Yahiko. Both had the same strong willed nature to succeed and achieve their dreams and both had the same silly temperament when someone threw a dig at them.
“Ah I see, Obito right.” Yahiko removed his hand from Nagato’s shoulder and started winding up his arm in a circle. “Hey, he’s pretty strong. I should challenge him in a match sometime.” Yahiko smirked.
Nagato smiled. “Hey, well, business first. I didn’t get a chance to tell you yet, but I want you and Konan to join too. As my partners. And we can meet right here.”
“Our old hideout space when we were first starting out?! Awww!.” Yahiko’s expression was a mix of surprise and sentimentality.
“What are you two doing?” A sweet and radiant voice came from behind them. Konan leaned in and smiled. Her light purple eyeshadow caught the light at just the right time and her eyes sparkled as she approached them.
“I was just telling Yahiko that I want you and him to join me in my meeting with the Hokage today. We’re going to continue our plans for peace, one village at a time.” Nagato said, extending his arms to them both.
“Oh, Nagato, that’s wonderful. But we don’t want to intrude on your leadership.”
“Yes we do!” Yahiko exclaimed from behind. “It was the three of us against the world back then, and it’s the three of us FOR the world now. We’re a package deal!”
Konan couldn’t help but giggle. She loved that Yahiko never lost the sense of childhood camaraderie that they shared along with the belief that they were tied together by a greater fate.
“It’s not like that at all Konan, don’t worry. Hokage Obito is also bringing some of his partners to join us as well. We both thought it would be best if we had a team of great minds both Kage and citizens, together.”
Konan smiled brightly. “Oh I see! That sounds great then Nagato. Will you all end up meeting with Kage in the other villages about this too?”
“We sure will. Since there are so many of us and we each have different schedules, we decided to meet in smaller pairs first before coming together as a whole to discuss our plans for peace. Obito is my Kage partner!“ Nagato gave one of his bright Uzumaki smiles where he showed his teeth and closed his eyes.
“It will be amazing to be there today with you, Nagato.” Konan blushed. She was so proud of Nagato, she always knew he had the kindness and hidden leadership capabilities to do this. When they were all younger, it seemed obvious that Yahiko might be the one to become the leader as he had the more outgoing and bold attitude to get things done. But, as time went on and they started up the first Akatsuki together, Yahiko insisted that Nagato was the one who would bring peace. That he would be the catalyst to help change the world. Nagato has grown into a more confident and assured man since his childhood days. He felt comfortable in his own skin and Konan knew it was Yahiko who inspired him first to come out of his shell. In a way, it was all their spirits that came together in this role of Kage of Amegakure. Nagato would just be the face of it. His quiet yet effective leadership, the powerful nature of his rinnegan, and the kindness of his heart was just what the people of Amegakure needed.
The morning had passed and it was time for the meeting. Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan sat at the table in their old hideout where they sat many years ago as they tried to make a name for themselves.
“Nagato!” Nagato heard his name called from the front of the hideout. Nagato had previously told Obito to address him by his first name when they met. Although they were leaders, Nagato considered them all friends.
Nagato quickly stood up to greet Obito. Alongside him were Itachi and Madara Uchiha.
“Cool meeting place you got here!” Obito exclaimed, flashing a smile as he looked up at the ceiling.
“It was the original meeting place of the first Akatsuki,” Nagato smiled. “It seemed only fitting to hold one of the meetings about a peaceful future here. Itachi, and Madara, good to see you both, I feel honored to be in the presence of such powerful Uchiha members.”
“It is an honor to be here as well” Itachi bowed.
“Good to see you as well” Madara gave a half smile. Nagato could tell that Madara wasn’t the type to smile often, so he appreciated the sentiment.
The group of them sat down at the table and talked for a long while about how to start planning to bring the villages together. Between them all, there were so many good ideas and perspectives flowing it was hard to make final decisions about what would be best.
Madara in his knowledge, Itachi in his ability to analyze, and Obito in his ability to think of others first was truly amazing and inspiring to Nagato.
Madara had such an excellent knowledge of the Uchiha history and the sharingan. Since all of them had such impressive visual prowess, they discussed ways they could use their sharingan and rinnegan for good and how it could help them in their relations with each other.
Yahiko and Konan chimed in on the discussion as well, also thinking of ways they could improve teamwork between the nations. They shared the silly story from their youth of when Jiraiya Sensei had them use the red cards in their frog costumes to connect them as a small family.
Itachi had shared his thoughts of the villages sharing family meals together. “I am happy to provide the meals for the occasion. You can ask my brother Sasuke to attest to it, but I think I know how to cook a meal quite well. I cooked for him all the time when we were younger.” Itachi’s voice was calm with hints of sweet friendliness.
“If you cook the meal, I’ll brew the tea,” Madara added. “I like to brew my tea in the traditional sense, and add different floral accents to each cup. I can also use the tea set that was passed down to me from my family. It has been in the Uchiha generation for ages. I’d also like to be able to share more about the Uchiha history with the rest of the villages. I want to help change the narrative of the Uchiha clan. I don’t want people fearing us or isolating us any longer. This is something I have been discussing a lot with Hashirama and my brother Izuna.”
Obito cheerfully smiled as he raised a hand in the air. “Oh yeah, I’m all for that Madara. People are finally going to put more respect on the Uchiha name!”
The Ame trio felt excited about this newfound relationship between Amegakure and Konoha. For the three of them who grew up with no family but each other, the idea of a large gathering to connect felt like a dream.
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A ..... dream ......
Nagato rustled in his sleep. He consciously felt strands of hair lightly brush his cheek but his mind was still dreaming.
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“Nagato, meeting together was awesome!” Obito smiled as he adjusted his Hokage hat. “I always dreamed about being the Hokage, but I never could have imagined that it would become a reality to plan for peace among all the nations. Many people want to be leaders, and the leaders of the past have had to lead under war and terror, but you and me, we’re the lucky ones. We get to work together with other kages who have the same dreams, and that’s how I know this will all work out.” Obito put his hand on Nagato’s shoulder, similar to how Yahiko did this morning.
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“I.... always....dreamed.....”
Nagato felt his shoulder ache
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“We are both just so proud of you Nagato...” Konan’s voice felt both distant and near.
Konan and Yahiko both wrapped their arms around Nagato and pulled them into a group hug.
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Yahiko.....Konan.....
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“You are the savior of this world....”
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Reality started to blend with dreams. He heard Yahiko’s voice, both strong and proud and then weak and quiet, both delivering the same statement.
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Nagato shut his eyes tighter in hopes that it would bring him back to the place he was dreaming of. With Yahiko. And Konan. The three of them together, just how it was supposed to be
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“Quit cryin’ all the time Nagato!” Yahiko’s childhood voice echoed in Nagato’s brain. “When life knocks you down, just do what I do, get back up and find a way to use all that pain for good.”
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Pain....for....good
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Nagato finally opened his eyes and woke up in a cold sweat. His eyes transitioned to the dark room around him. He felt his body immediately ache as he tried to adjust himself.
Konan slept peacefully beside him, their bodies still linked together. She looked beautiful, and the small light from the outside peered into the room just enough to make her eyeshadow sparkle. Nagato couldn’t help but attempt a half hearted smile, thinking of Konan at the start of his dream.
“Maybe...just maybe...we can use this pain for good....some day....maybe it’s not...too late for us.” Nagato whispered into her hair.
Konan adjusted as well and snuggled herself closer to Nagato, almost like some silent understanding and affirmation of Nagato’s words.
Nagato thought back to the moment that Konan first found him lying helpless in the rain.
Yahiko and Nagato were the ones that often stood out to others in their early Akatsuki days, and sometimes it was easy for others to overlook Konan. But Konan was there too, always, with a silent strength and ferocity to her that only came out when she had to protect and care for those she loved.
Yahiko was not the only one who inspired him, it was Konan too. He will always remember the first time he activated the Gedo statue and ended up in critical condition. Konan was the one to sit beside him by the water and assure him that he was not alone, and that he had her and Yahiko to lean on.
Yahiko’s memory and impact will live on, and Nagato knew that he and Konan could make the choice to keep Yahiko’s spirit alive. Nagato just had to keep going, not give into despair, let himself believe in the kindness of others again, and let himself be picked up, just how Konan did many years ago.
“Here...take this Nagato....take what you need.”
Nagato hugged Konan as tight as he could. He could feel the spirit of Yahiko in his thoughts to himself.
Nagato quietly said aloud, “Pain for good, the three of our dreams, just like it was meant to be. It still can be.” He shut his eyes and let sleep take over once more.