(Title) Fall From Grace

(Pairing) Pein/Konan

(Rating) T

(Words) 1,185

She was just a girl. A girl who had no family and was stuck in her country. She could sometimes hear the screams of the dying and she would always whisper.

"It's just the wind."

Sometimes it worked, sometimes it left her shaking. She was alone in the middle of Amegakure with a war raging all around her. It was enough to keep her moving, keep her hiding.

"It'll have to stop sometime."

At least that's what she thought. She would whisper it as a mantra but they were only words and nothing more. And the rain, it was too much! Day in and day out the rain wouldn't stop.

"It'll keep the crops growing."

Or so she thought, most of the farmers had to build in order to keep their plants from drowning. And with so much rain it was easy to drown. Konan remembers what that feels like.

"It won't ever happen again though."

She was next to a river filling her canteen up when a voice yelled at her from behind. She capped her canteen and turned to see two little boys standing high up on the bank.

"They were the strangest boys too."

One hid behind his hair while the other one had pushed his hair into this crazy hairstyle. He puffed up his chest and told her to get away from the river, that it was dangerous.

"They were pretty much opposites."

And they were around her age to which was remarkable. She had convinced herself that there were no children left in Amegakure. She waved, causing both boys to look at her funny.

"They were as dirty as I was."

Dirty and beaten and starving just like she was. And as she went to climb the bank it happened. A flash flood forced the water higher until her feet were swept out from under her.

"They both looked so terrified too."

The water rose to fill everything: her nose, her lungs, her ears. Until all her world became was the amplified hum of water. She didn't even remember grabbing onto the rope.

"I was so scared I tasted bile."

But the boys had pulled her to shore, both struggling against the much stronger currents. Finally they succeeded in pulling her up, patting her back to help cough up water.

"I could have promised them anything."

She was so happy that she hugged them both and kissed each one on the cheek. Both blushed but the dark haired boy seemed far more embarrassed. She helped cook the food they stole.

"I became best friends with both boys."

Together the three of them traveled Amegakure, struggling to survive. Then one day they met three legendary ninjas. They were so young but they were all very powerful.

"I remember Jiraiya, even now."

The man was a toad-riding, white haired, pervert with a mole. It wasn't a sight you saw everyday in Amegakure. He taught the three of them how to be ninjas and protect themselves.

"The thing was, we really liked him."

As soon as the kids had learned how to defend and fight, Jiraiya left back for Konoha. He encouraged us to be good ninjas but he wasn't there. He didn't have to live there.

"The gifts he taught us, changed us."

They held onto the teachings but as time went on things fell apart. They started to realize that power was important. Power was everything in a war, that and people.

"The war changed our opinions."

It changed the opinions to the point where dear friends turned against each other. It made a young, shy boy become something darker and sinister. He became something truly divine.

"The blood was on three things."

The knife was bloody, the floor was covered and it was on him. Over the body of their friend he looked at her. Never before had fear gripped her so tightly, so quickly before this.

"At that moment I knew."

They buried the body underneath a huge oak tree. She tossed in a paper flower with a prayer written on the inside. He began burying the body, humming an old funeral song as he did.

"At that place I swore."

It had been a few years since she went back to the oak tree. When she did though it was a step back in time for her. She nestled in the tree humming and folding paper.

"At that time I understood."

Betrayal. Pain. Hate. Wars. Lies. Deceit. Anguish. There were so many things wrong with the world. So many things that need to be fixed and we had the power to do it.

"At that age I knew, understood and swore that if he would be god I would be his angel. We didn't pray to win, didn't hope to win, we just knew that we would eventually have peace. No matter what." Done with her tale the blue haired woman tucked the blanket around her twin children.

The boy had orange hair with a tint of blue in it, his sister had blue hair with a vague sense of orange in it. They cuddled into the blankets and curled around each other. Their mother kissed each forehead before sitting back and admiring her treasures.

"Go to sleep now children your bedtime story is over." Her little boy yawned loudly, his swirling grey eyes tearing up at the corners.

"But mommy I'm not tired at all." Konan ruffled his hair affectionately before standing to leave.

"Goodnight sweetheart." She heard the rustle of cloth behind her and noticed her husband leaning in the door frame.

"Mommy tell me one thing, tell me if it was worth it." She hadn't been expecting that but she would answer anyway. She'd rather have her children truly know her.

"Sometimes sweetie you must do whatever is necessary to have peace. And sometimes the sacrifice that comes with it is hard to swallow, but look at what I gained. I have my loving husband, my two beautiful children and this world has peace. So yes, it was worth it." She kissed his forehead once more and left him and his sister to sleep.

Her husband wrapped her in his arms and kissed her lovingly. She pressed further into his arms and he wrapped them around her more. No words needed to be exchanged because she had always been his stone faced angel and he had always been her ruthless god.

He pulled back and placed a hand over her growing stomach to rub it. He kissed her again and Konan allowed him to lift her into his arms. He carried her to their bedroom and he curled up behind her.

"My angel, my loving, loyal, beautiful angel. I have always needed you on my side. I have always loved you." Konan lay staring into his eyes and finally understood everything he offered her. She lay in his arms knowing full well that the path to peace, sometimes can only be crossed through an ocean of blood.

"I love you to my Pein, my sacrifice." She kissed him, and the sun sank below the horizon.