------
Pein and Konan: Lies I Tell Myself
Part 1 - "I Don't Care"
------
Pein stood on the balcony outside their complex in Amekagure, staring up at the rain obsessively, rapt and vacant at the same time. His wet reddish hair dripped down over his marred headplate, the moisture flattening even the most stubborn spikes. He never knew why he stared up at the rain like this, but something in his memory twinged at the back of his mind whenever he did. Dark, slate gray clouds looked just like his eyes, the same color, the same way everything swirled lazily on the surface. His own red clouds on his cloak fluttered with the breeze, wanting to join their skyborne counterparts, leaving the black sky for blue. Slowly, Konan stepped onto the balcony, staying under the half-roof that clung to the building.
"Pein, everyone has arrived."
He didn't stop staring at the sky, but nodded slightly. "Coming." She turned and left first, and he paused just a moment more, watching as the pouring rain cleansed the filth and sorrow from everything beneath. Or so he hoped.
One glance at her cobalt hair, and she turned around to nod at him in greeting as the rest of his team all made their own unique greetings. Deidara waved with a "Yo, Leader-sama", Itachi said nothing but nodded, Kakuzu muttered a polite "Leader-sama", Kisame was nearly asleep, Hidan said... well, something vulgar, Zetsu bowed respectively, and Tobi ran to glomp the leader swiftly. Konan expertly caught the orange masked one with practiced speed. Every time they met, it was like this. Konan's mouth quirked up into something that may at one time have been a smile, but Pein knew better than to take it at face value - no pun intended.
With one last glance to see if this would be the only interruption, he greeted them with a nod, bringing them to attention. "I have your latest contracts for missions. Hidan and Kakuzu, there's a new lead on a bounty that I'll write up for you. Zetsu, keep scouting as usual. Itachi and Kisame, another feudal lord mission, nothing spectacular, but we need the income. Deidara, Tobi, there's been a disturbance I need you to investigate. It seems that Orochimaru might be there, and I need you to take a look. If you can't handle him, then don't do anything rash. Alright?"
Deidara nodded an affirmative while Hidan and Kakuzu took their written missions, followed by Itachi and Kisame. The hideout would be empty for a while. Tobi glanced up from cleaning the floor with a broom, always the only dutiful one with chores, and nodded as well, picking up a piece of trash on the floor. At least somebody in this group did what he was asked. Even Konan had stared coldly when given some kind of chore, but as soon as Tobi arrived, he insisted on doing anything he could to help his fellow members. Although he was an irritating screwball, Kakuzu had made the point that he was free help.
Pein watched impassively as each team left, Tobi making one last sweep under the couch before he followed after Deidara. After the room was vacated, Pein took one last glance around the room, getting used to the empty feeling. Every time it was a little uneasy to see this lack of motion after the past couple weeks of everyone getting in the way. Konan watched him curiously, but she felt it too. Something wasn't right. Though the place had been empty like this many times before, something told her that it would be emptier soon. What that meant, she didn't want to consider.
------
Three days later, during a group meeting, Zetsu used the astral projection technique to report in, but his look was grim. Well, grim for Zetsu, anyway. Pein glanced up and noticed the pained expression on his face. "Zetsu? What happened?"
"Deidara has been defeated. He blew himself up."
Kisame smirked. "Losing members so quickly? I thought that kid was pretty strong."
Itachi frowned. "Who was the one to defeat him?"
Zetsu paused, but showed no other expression. "Sasuke. Though it seems he perished too."
Itachi was silent, and Kisame finally lost his usual grin. "And Deidara's companion?"
Pein spoke next, however. Itachi, Deidara sacrificed himself to rid you of your problem. You should be glad."
Kisame kept up with his previous question. "We're missing someone else, though!"
Zetsu nodded. "It was hard to tell amidst the chaos, BUT TOBI SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN KILLED AS WELL."
Kisame ruminated on this for a second. "Oh, right, Tobi. Guess he couldn't run away again."
Pein frowned slightly, though it was easily hidden by his astral projection. "A man of Tobi's caliber can be found easily. But Deidara was special..."
"He really had a talent for cheering the place up, don't you agree?"
"...I'm leaving. At least mourn for Deidara quietly." Pein frowned again, dispelling his projection, and remained sulking on the terrace. The least they could do was shut up and mourn quietly. Didn't they care? Heck, why did HE care? Members failed every now and then, why did the loss of this one matter so much? Did he really care after all? Did he care that they were losing members one by one, without enough time to replace them?
Konan hung back under the roof of the terrace, and called out. "Pain, he's here. Let's go."
The two approached the other man, hiding in the shadows mysteriously, but Pein recognized him immediately, and spoke cautiously. "How was Sasuke?"
"That sharingan of his will someday be better than Itachi's. We won't get a better chance at this for a long while."
"Time to get the Kyuubi, then?"
"You do it. You are their leader, so don't fail them." The cloaked man chuckled ominously. Something forboding lay ahead. But as the man's orange mask glinted in the light as he angled his head so slightly, the two could detect a red gleam. Uchiha Madara...
------
Somehow, he cared. Pein actually cared about a member passing on. Did this mean that he had regained some of his soul? Did he ever have one in the first place?
------
And that is the end of part 1. Pretty intriguing eh? No? Maybe? Well, you're the reader, you tell me. Reviews are always awesome. Super-special-awesome, even. Please don't keep me waiting!