Konan
Kakuzu was careful to specify that this time, he would not be staying for training. He would be doing what he liked best, which was organizing the money that still lay unorganized in the basement. Konan was sure that he was leaving very much out. But, she let him keep his reasons to himself, and only asked what Samehada wanted, for Kisame had again left the shark in Kakuzu's care. She wondered why that was. After the way he'd reacted yesterday, why on earth would Samehada be left here with her?
Samehada licked the air as the humans talked. Kakuzu looked down at him. "I have no idea. Ask him yourself. I'm just being saddled with this because Kisame can't take him back to the aquarium, and he wouldn't like being left alone at the lake. This unpaid babysitting is getting old." Samehada nuzzled his leg and made worried sounding noises. Kakuzu sounded tired as he replied, "No, not you. Just the responsibility in general." At the start of his complaint, his gaze had settled on Konan and never left. It was still there. Analyzing. Konan felt the briefest twitch of a desire to scratch his eyes out so he would stop looking at her like that, but it passed before any effort was required. He was right to do so.
She tried her best to act relatively normal as she turned to look down at Samehada. "I was going to work with Deidara and his explosive clay over the lake. You're invited." Samehada was quiet for a few seconds as he considered this, then lolled his tongue out. It seemed he liked that idea.
Konan dismissed Kakuzu with a wave of her hand. "He should be expecting me shortly. I must speak with Hidan first. Enjoy yourself." Kakuzu turned and walked away without looking back. He must not have found anything displeasing in his analysis. That's only because he cannot read minds. Yes, Hidan had to be found first.
Hidan was actually coming out back, so she met him in the hallway. "Hey! …" His usual small smile faded, and he suddenly looked very serious, which in turn made him look much older. "What is it?"
Konan looked him in the eyes as she cut right to the chase. "I need your help."
"How?" There was no hesitation before that demand. He looked nothing other than concerned, as far as she could tell. "I feel kinda...sense of doom-y here. What's gonna fix that?"
Konan shook her head. "I'm not sure. I need you to come up with something. Something that can fix what I've done, and hopefully keep this entire venture from falling apart. I tried to come up with an idea last night, but did not. I find lack of sleep helpful in these times for that. I'll leave it to you."
Hidan's eyes grew wide. "It does actually feel like I've missed sleep this time. Is it over?"
Konan nodded. "I'll get around to feeling tired later. But now, I know I should be. That's the definition of 'over' I've been using."
"Cool." Hidan put his hand on his chin. "Something that can fix shit, huh…"
"Remember, my entire life and future is in your hands," Konan reminded him as she turned and went out back.
"Yeah, I've got that," Hidan agreed. "Ooh, that could work…"
Only Hidan could be so flippant about something like that. Or maybe he was just picking up signals from her. Konan had been a little flippant herself. She still was. As with last night, with Sasori, sounding concerned was now within her capabilities although feeling it was not. Konan found her mind wandering back to how she would show everyone what they'd done last night. The training rooms were so - No. I should be thinking about my future, and how it's in trouble. That topic seemed boring and hollow, devoid of substance. Well, I have done all I can, really. Hidan'll handle it. I should be thinking about what to do with Deidara. Now that seemed important.
Sasori
Maybe they were right. She did bribe me with that blanket. Not exactly a psychoactive drug, but some kind of similar influence. I don't think I'm entirely wrong; it feels much better to know I have some power in this. But is making the choice to stay a good use of that power? Sasori shut off the engine. The silence was deafening. This really isn't what I signed up for. I could be making other uses of my time and sanity. The wheels crunched on the ground as he brought his motorcycle to a stop and flipped the kickstand. A small, but annoying, voice whispered, Like what? Sasori disregarded that voice for now. He didn't know yet if it was a shoulder angel or devil. Best to ignore it.
A warm wind blew across his face. It was a surprise how warm it was now that he was not forcing himself through it at great speed. Sasori let it ruffle his hair and inhaled. It smelled good. He felt a twinge of regret, as he did sometimes, for all the time he spent inside. Then again… With my feelings flip-flopping like this, there's no one right thing to do. I'll stick to my word and think about it later. The slow wind smelled of growing things and dirt. It was soothing. Sasori's main question was whether or not he should be soothed. It did feel better, but was it really better?
"Hey," came a soft, silky voice behind him. It reached Sasori's ears like honey. He could feel it like a caress, a lover's caress running up his back in a very disturbing and not at all respecting of his privacy way. He turned involuntarily.
The bottom dropped out of Sasori's stomach and he began to sweat as his eyes were roped into and swallowed by the honey-sweet trap. A perfectly normal-looking young lady had walked in from the street to talk to Sasori. She looked shy and sweet, but something about the sight of her brought visions to Sasori's eyes. He had the feeling that, like her voice, it was supposed to feel good to see, hear, almost taste those things. He swallowed against nausea and took an involuntary step backward. What the hell?
Sasori's fingers twitched and he wished he had that thing that Konan always had on her, that pouch. Whatever was in it had to be good for some kind of defense. The woman in front of him seemed to make the air shiver around her, shiver with promise of all kinds of things. The promise reached Sasori's skin and set it on fire, blazing with the acid burns of something that was never meant to come into contact with his skin. Something was terribly wrong with this woman. Sasori kept his eyes on her, recalled Laurie's lessons, tightened his right hand into a fist, and stifled a laugh. And I thought Konan was creepy… I know better now.
She stood where she was and stared at him, disappointed. "Aw. So cute too."
"Who and more importantly what the hell are you?" Sasori retorted. He'd never felt so clearly someone else's intention to pounce on him and do things he would rather nobody ever do to him. Is this what Hidan feels like sometimes when he's near Konan? Kakuzu said that first time… Sasori suddenly felt a wave of mingled pity and relief wash over him. I'm sure it's great sometimes, but I am very happy to not be like him.
The woman's face now turned angry. It did not diminish or change the aura she was putting off in the slightest. "I'm happy enough with what we have," she snapped. "Nobody asked for troublemakers, nobody asked for weirdos going around trying to add themselves to the pantheon or whatever. We've got what we've got. No need to take your rejects."
Sasori shoved aside the unpleasantness in his mind and tried to listen, figure out what her complaint was. She's complaining about...additions. Troublemakers. Pantheon? That's for… He dug his nails into his palm, which helped just enough. "You don't like…" he began, then winced. Ugh. I can almost feel her... "You don't like our world. Because there are beings coming from it, into here. Messing up your dynamic."
She snorted. "Beings. They were brought here. You people brought him. What's going to happen when that little bubble pops? He's already making this place his dominion! Where are we gonna go? Eh, but what do you know. You can't send him back where he came from. Maybe…" Her glare was vicious, and Sasori steeled himself against an outburst of the aura surrounding her. "Maybe without support for that attachment he's got, he'll go back where he belongs," she growled.
It was more than clear from her tone what she meant. Somehow, though Sasori had no idea what she meant by it, he knew that he and the others were the supports she was talking about. Would she really attack him here, next to his bike, with no advantage but a mental weapon that wasn't working? Sasori doubted it, but her words inspired a flare of courage nonetheless. Chakra gathered in his fingers, ready to sprout strings at any moment.
"Mutants," she spat, and turned to leave. Sasori watched her for as long as he could, making sure she was really leaving the area. When she turned away into town, his fingers relaxed. The gathered chakra dispersed. His breath eased too, and his legs almost collapsed before he remembered to hold them. Sasori's heart still pounded in his chest. He looked around at things on the ground. A gray rock. A reddish-brown rock with smooth corners. A pebble with little stripes. A few blades of grass struggling up through the sand-covered rocky soil. They were probably doomed. The mental categorizing helped, and he was able to stand with no wobbling or hesitation.
Sasori tried to think about what he had just experienced, but it was sufficiently unpleasant that all he was able or willing to come up with was That was...bad. He shook his head. Bad. Definitely hostile. Wants to get rid of me in order to get rid of something or someone else. No. His hand shot to his side. Not just me. Probably the others too. My instincts said so, and my instincts were not wrong about anything else. He knew he would be shouted at for being late. Laurie might be shouted at too. That was on top of his punishment for taking the incriminating paper, which he still didn't know what it was. Sasori did not care. All of those things ranked a million places below his number one priority.
His number one priority: Warn everyone else. All that, and he was immune. How much worse could it get for anyone who wasn't?
Itachi
Itachi's phone rang in the middle of a light spring tune he was trying out. Some passers-by seemed to think it appropriate for such fine weather and chuckled. A woman stopped and winked at him. Itachi didn't really see anything special in her. He was going to let her down with a simple shake of his head, but then his phone rang.
That ended his playing at once. He apologized to the woman silently and checked who it was from. Sasori? That was interesting. Itachi was not at all irritated to be interrupted, but more than a little apprehensive. This had to be interesting, and coming from Sasori he had the vague idea that it wouldn't be a good kind of interesting.
"What's happening?" he asked, his nerves showing in his voice. The woman had dithered for a few seconds before deciding to politely walk away, but this stopped her. She turned back.
"I just met the succubus we've been worried about," Sasori began with no preamble. In fact he sounded out of breath, as if rushed. "She is definitely hostile, wants to get rid of us because we're associated somehow with someone she wants to run out of this world, and that description Konan gave of lust-based hypnosis does not do her powers justice. I'm immune to that hypnosis, but it still hit me like a bear. She backed off when she saw I kept my senses, but she's heading into town. Get under cover, now."
Itachi went pale and could think of nothing to say. The line dropped immediately after the last word anyway. He was not conscious of putting his phone back in his pocket. For Sasori to be that shaken… Itachi took this situation with exactly as much gravity as it warranted.
The woman who'd winked at him was still nearby, unsure what to say or do. Whatever he had heard on the other end of that phone, it seemed to have scared him very badly. She walked back a few steps and asked, "Are you...alright?"
Itachi started. He'd forgotten she was there. He remembered and opened his mouth to let her down, but thought better of it. After that message…
She didn't seem actively unpleasant, and didn't have any effect on him like Sasori had described. Itachi promised himself he would let her down gently later. For now, he asked, "Do you know a good place to eat?"
She'd thought he was cute, and taken the chance to wink at him, but she hadn't expected this much. She smiled and scrapped the rest of her plans for the day. Itachi hoped she was entirely heterosexual as he let her lead him away.
Nagato
Why is Sasori calling me? He wouldn't, unless… He came to the same conclusion Itachi had. "Has something happened?"
Sasori explained about the succubus. Nagato's throat clenched. "Who?" he had the presence of mind to ask as soon as Sasori was finished. "Who would we be associated with that…?"
"I don't know. She didn't waste her time actually explaining anything to me; I'm just a human after all. All she said was that she didn't want troublemakers, and something about additions to pantheons, or something like that. It doesn't really matter." Sasori gave a quick sigh.
Nagato thought quickly enough to add, "Didn't we make a group chat?"
"That's a really good idea, actually." Sasori sounded like he had not thought of that. "I could keep people posted, too. She seemed angry at me."
"Please do." *click*
Nagato knew exactly where he wanted to be for cover. And other reasons, but cover wasn't a bad excuse. He grabbed his keys and went straight to Yahiko's place of work.
Kisame
Yikes. Well, I work in a place swarming with people, so I'm probably safe. That felt kind of bad to think. Kisame wondered if he should feel guilty for effectively using people as shields. I'm not really, he justified to himself. With enough people around, a demon like that can't even take one person's soul. Everyone's pretty safe. Still, he felt pretty bad for thinking of himself before that.
Deidara
Oh shit, hm. If even Sasori was freaking out, Dei knew he should be taking this as a high level threat. Konan finished applying a bandage to the part of his leg that she had wounded when he was first distracted, and asked what it was. She sounded impatient. Deidara kept it short and sweet.
Samehada whined when he was done 5 seconds later. Konan insisted he write back over the group chat and ask for more details. Deidara did so. They waited a few minutes until a reply came. When it did, Konan skimmed the paragraph very quickly, her eyes catching on the word "pantheon." At that she looked closer and more thoroughly, taking almost a full minute to pore over the words. Deidara got a look, and didn't see anything of note. His curiosity was sparked.
"What was so important in that, hm?" he asked as she handed him his phone back.
Konan said nothing as she stood. Damn! Why'd she have to go back to being quiet and not showing much now, hm?! Couldn't have waited another day or two? He sighed and muttered, "I'm not going to get an answer, am I, hm," as he stood too. The pain wasn't really too bad. Thank goodness it was only a scratch. On the other hand, she'd have done a lot worse before, yeah. Maybe I should be glad she's calmed down a little?
"It's not strictly necessary for you to know, and there may be consequences if too many people know," Konan said carefully. Deidara groaned. Hearing that much just made him want to know more. But he knew for a fact he wasn't getting any more.
"Very well," she conceded. "If your device alerts you to any more of those messages, we will instantly stop the training to see what it is. This is very important. Let's go until then." Deidara nodded and reached into a large bag she had helpfully provided for his clay. He had no idea how, but it seemed like he did not really need to mold the clay into a shape, not the way a normal person would have needed to. His chakra seemed a little different depending on the shape he formed it into. A spider was pretty unstable, but a bird was the epitome of stable, which was good because the bird was rather large and Deidara didn't really want to set it off. Deidara figured that the differences in his chakra probably helped mold it into the shape he wanted.
They started again, at a slightly slower pace this time. Once Deidara got back into the swing of it, he had enough processing power freed up to realize that Konan didn't seem to be putting as much into it as she had before. What was in that info? He despaired that he would never know.
Yahiko
Uh oh. What do I do? Yahiko wondered if he should hide, and where, and would that just make things worse, or what could he do? It was really important, after all. He thought of going to his boss.
There was only one problem with that idea: his boss was the one currently pointing Nagato in the right direction. Yahiko just tried to return a few things to their racks and think of some lines he could use to explain. None came to mind.
Nagato walked to his side and didn't say anything, much to Yahiko's relief. He turned to look at the display. "That's why you do the colorful half of the posters," Nagato joked. He gestured to a part of the rack.
"Um, yeah. The blue and green stuff just...goes together. And I think having it all in a rainbow pattern helps people find colors they like." Why is he not asking why I work in this department?
Nagato turned to him with a goal-oriented look on his pale face. Yahiko ran his tongue around his mouth nervously. "Is there any way I can stay for the rest of your shift?"
"What?" Where did that come from?
Nagato looked at him strangely. "Do you have your phone on you?"
Yahiko shook his head. "We get lockers. Why?"
Nagato opened his mouth to explain why, then closed it. "You know what, how about I tell you later," he delayed. "So what about my question? Is there any way?"
Yahiko relaxed, and a strange warmth spread through his chest. Does he...not care? Maybe he's not going to ask. Yeah, that was a foolish hope. Yahiko knew that any man who worked with something like women's clothing had to be suspected of being gay, or other things. Nagato wouldn't suspect him of that, but maybe other things…
He realized Nagato was still waiting for an answer. "Oh, uh, yeah. I'm not worked that hard. There are chairs we can use when there's nothing to do for a few minutes." He pointed.
"Will your boss mind?"
Yahiko picked his words carefully. "She goes easy on me. Just don't try to talk to me while I'm supposed to be working." Please don't ask why she goes easy on me.
"Great!" Nagato wandered off without another word. Yahiko let out a small breath he'd been holding and finished. Only then did it occur to him to wonder, Why is Nagato here, and why won't he tell me?
Sasori
Several hours later, after everyone had responded to say they were fine and thanked him for the heads up, Sasori had more than one reason to be concerned. He contemplated calling Konan and asking her what this feeling was, as it was one that only a ninja could be familiar with.
After the curious lack of business yesterday, things got back to normal today. Too normal. It was just like any other day Sasori had spent working in his false past. Sasori's guts tingled, and a very small warning klaxon constantly blared on the edge of his hearing. Where was the outburst he'd expected? The boss seemed...quiet today. Too quiet. Sasori could feel his hands beginning to tremble as his nerves frayed.
He took a quick 30 seconds to send a quick message in the group chat. Some of the Akatsuki members with more free time, such as Nagato and Itachi, had started using the chat as it was intended to be used: for minor conversation. Sasori jumped in with a question of his own. "Should I be paranoid that my boss who yells a lot isn't yelling as much as usual? He's not yelling at all. And he knows I stole something from him a couple days ago."
He waited until his phone had buzzed multiple times before he took another few seconds to check. The first reply was from Nagato: "I'd be worried about any sudden change in anyone's behavior, but that sounds extra bad. Paranoid is good."
Then Itachi: "Listen to your instincts."
Then Deidara: "I just asked Konan, and she says yes. I agree. Is he not yelling at Laurie too?"
That was a thing to consider. Sasori let his gut sink, but refused to panic as he had two days ago while he thought. He had not heard the boss yell at her, either. His growing sense of danger had kept him tracking the man's movements, and Sasori didn't remember him even going near the front desk like he usually did. More bad signs. He signed off: "Thanks everyone. I don't think he can literally kill me, so I should be fine. See you later."
As the time for his lunch break approached, Sasori tried to consider this from a battle-strategy perspective. He had every reason to think there was some conflict going on. So what strategy was the manager employing? Was this a tactical retreat to give himself time to think of something really bad? Doubt it. I'm not sure he has the patience for that. But Sasori kept that option in reserve, because it was possible. If not a retreat, then what? Was he genuinely leaving Sasori alone? No. Getting backup, maybe making calls to some friends of his? I doubt there's any legal backup he could get. And as for illegal backup, I have some evasive skills and backup of my own if I can get out in time. Another reason to stay on high alert and keep my ears open.
Though that one seemed to be the likeliest, he knew it was best to think of everything. What was the manager's biggest problem? I'm rather bullying-resistant. What could the man try to get around that? ...Wait. Sasori remembered the silent looming. He could try this. If he wants to freak me out, he's doing so now, with not yelling. Like the silent looming, but more effective. Scratch everything, this one seemed to be the likeliest. Fortunately for Sasori, considering the worst from this perspective was more calming than he'd expected. Screw that. He made sure to keep an eye and ear out anyway. But really, it was kind of foolish to be worrying about some normal guy with an overactive temper, when he had a literal demon to think of. Something clicked in Sasori's mind, and he was suddenly very concerned again. But this time, he couldn't tell what he was concerned about.
His lunch break arrived, and Sasori took it gladly. He still had no idea what some part of his mind had thought of. Laurie. I should see if she's okay, or if she's freaking out like I was. That thought resonated with something. Sasori ignored his lunch and went out to the front.
"How are things…?" He trailed off as his brain fully registered what his eyes were seeing. There was a reasonably handsome man, the sight of whom inspired thoughts of rippling man-flesh and forceful- I'm going to hurl if I keep thinking of this. Sasori's stomach did indeed clench, but he held it at bay for Laurie's sake. Laurie, who looked as if she'd had a glimpse of heaven itself. Laurie, who was now slipping from her seat and edging around the desk, neither taking her eyes off the mystery man nor remembering to close her mouth.
Sasori grabbed her arm before she got out of arm's reach (he desperately did not want to take a step closer to that thing) and pulled her backward, stepping in between her and the incubus. "Probably should have realized you'd hate not being able to do anything to me," Sasori muttered. The horrendous visions still came. He fought to resist the urge to close his eyes.
Laurie let out a weak mewl of protest. She leaned to see around Sasori's head. Aside from that he got no resistance on her part, for which Sasori was very grateful. The incubus was not, and growled with displeasure. The most resistance Sasori got was from himself, as he valiantly kept himself from running at the sight of the man's mouth (and accompanying visions). Sasori clenched his fist. I've got options, and this is a bad one. He could kill Laurie, or worse. Don't get scared, get angry. Was Sasori the type of person who could muster the strength to smack a rapist? Yeah, he decided, he was. It took some time and mental preparation to work himself up, but the incubus saw this in his eyes. It growled and seemed to force itself to resist its own urge to attack. Those eyes had their own visions to inflict, but Sasori could push them aside to see how cold those eyes were. The incubus left the building, but that coldness stayed in the foreground of Sasori's vision, and he knew that he had just made a lifelong enemy.
Laurie's arm slackened in his grip, and he let her go. "Who was that?" she asked, with awe in her voice. "Why…?"
Sasori gagged, almost retched but he managed to hold that. It wouldn't have been enough if his stomach was really dead-set on rebellion, but it was enough to stall until his skin stopped tingling so unpleasantly. Sasori once more felt that he had clothes on, lost the impression that his outermost layer of skin had been stripped off and he was being poked and prodded and invaded. Even with his skin and clothes restored, he still shook and wrapped his arms around his midsection, curled up into a little ball on the floor. I hate demons. I hate them very much. His teeth chattered painfully, a welcome distraction.
Laurie put an arm around his shoulders. With her, that gesture was fine. Meaningless. His teeth stopped chattering so much, and Sasori mumbled, "Thanks." He would never again lack sympathy for other people who knew what it felt like to have one's skin taken off.
Laurie still crouched next to him, growing increasingly worried as the memory of volcanically hot guys faded from her mind. She shoved...whoever that had been...out of her mind and saw her new friend looking sick. She shifted around to look him in the eyes. "Sasori? What's wrong?" She applied both hands to his shoulders and ordered, "Look at me."
He did so. "That was an incubus," he whispered. "Apparently they have effects on everyone; the only difference is how you respond. I did not get that impression from her description before…" He shivered.
Laurie's brows furrowed. "Incubus?"
"Seductive soul-stealing demon. Another guy in the club I'm in angered one recently," Sasori explained. He took several deep breaths. "I'm glad I was here so it couldn't hurt you. They do hypnosis. It's impossible for most people to face one alone."
Laurie remembered how she'd felt. "Oh, god. It was like… I just completely forgot about everything. Everything related to danger, or responsibility, anything like that, I didn't remember it even existed. I didn't think of anything…" She pushed away the memory of how good it had felt to see that muscular, tanned body. "I'm glad you were here too." She gave Sasori a hug.
Sasori uncurled his legs as best he could and hugged her back. "This must have been what was freaking me out earlier."
"What?"
"After I figured out what the boss was doing, I- " He stopped midsentence. He released her and got to his feet. "The boss. He's not yelling at you today, is he?"
Laurie smiled. "No. Isn't that great?"
"It is not." Sasori looked at the door. "That demon has two forms, and I've beaten both of them. It hates me now. It might come back." He looked to Laurie. "I'd bet on it coming back. But my lunch break isn't going to last forever."
"And the boss…?"
"Does not give me the impression that he's gay, and makes a very loud noise whenever he thinks you're not being productive." Sasori thumped a frustrated fist down on the desk. "At least, most days he does. Dammit…"
Laurie's face fell. "Oh no. So, what? We need to get him yelling again, is that what you're saying?"
"Yes." Sasori looked down the hall. No activity from the office. He beckoned for Laurie to come over, and whispered in her ear. "Earlier, I'm mostly sure I figured out why he's doing this. He does a silent loom at me, but it doesn't work. I think he's upgrading to the silent treatment to get me to freak out like he wants. But, now that I know this, it's not working. I think I'm going to walk into his office, right now, and show him that it's not. Maybe if he sees it's not working he'll go back to yelling."
Laurie nodded. "And then I come up with some reason for him to hang around me the rest of the day?" This plan sounded and felt just awful, but the thought of losing half her brain like before sounded worse. Having sex in her workplace where the boss might see ranked a good several places higher than being yelled at on her personal list of Bad Things. Which was before she factored in the soul-stealing part of that description. She would do almost anything to avoid that. Even if it meant inviting him to spend the whole workday with her.
Sasori nodded. "I'm so sorry."
Laurie checked the computer at the desk. "It's almost been 15 minutes. Go, already!"
15 minutes was all they got for a break at lunch. Sasori pushed himself off and aimed at the boss's door. He turned the knob gently and stuck his head in without knocking. "I just thought I should let you know, there's a shifty customer hanging around, trying to get deals because he's 'oh so handsome'. I don't like the looks of him." Sasori paused dramatically, then smiled and added, "I'm glad to see you in such a good mood today, sir. A day off seems to have done wonders." He let a wide, smug grin begin to spread across his face as he closed the door. He sent a thumbs up to Laurie, who returned it even as her heart sank.
Sasori went back to his work, keeping an ear out as planned. He'll be pissed, but I'll still be a harder target than she will. Hopefully that's all the incentive he needs. There were some angry-sounding footsteps and faint spluttering coming from the office. Then the door opened. Footsteps in the hall. Oh, oh… Success! Footsteps down the hall, heading to the front desk. Sasori opened the group chat and left 3 smileys, a birthday emoji, and a dancing emoji with no explanation provided whatsoever. The dancing one had a hula dancer's grass skirt for some reason, but it was still appropriate. Sasori's face was neutral-pleased with a small smile and relaxed features as he went about the rest of his day.
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