Rain To Wash The Blood Away (Nagato x reader)

7. Change

That afternoon you decided to help out around the base, starting with the kitchen. The unwashed dishes now lay clean in their spots in the cupboards, clearing the bench and leaving it spotless after you wiped it down.

After that, there was only the floor to clean as well as the walls which somehow had food splattered up onto them. You questioned how it managed to get so messy but you didn't bother asking, Konan had a lot on her plate and she also seemed to be the only one trying to keep the place clean. The other members didn't seem to care, it wasn't their job to cook or clean. You were sure that they occasionally used the kitchen to cook since Konan would be away for missions as well... this also explained the mess.

Sighing in relief as you finished cleaning, you looked around, proud of the amount of good you had done in the once dysfunctional room. Looking at the time, you noticed that was getting late, getting closer to the time the Akatsuki would usually eat dinner.

Leaving the kitchen, you approached Konan's room and knocked lightly on the door before entering. There was no answer, the only sound in the room being Konan's quiet breaths as she slept. The blue-haired woman looked so peaceful sleeping that you couldn't bring yourself to wake her up. She looked like she needed the rest, Konan was a devoted and hardworking woman, she deserved this.

Taking a step out of the room, you closed the door quietly and headed back to the kitchen to prepare dinner. It had been a long time since you had last cooked, over ten years. Opening the cabinets you were met with a variety of different ingredients, all of which you were familiar with. It filled you with a nostalgic confidence which reminded you of all the times you had cooked for Konan, Yahiko and Nagato. It had been Yahiko's mother who had taught you how, she was very considerate and always called you over to their home to eat with her family. Her husband was away often for work so she was quite lonely and constantly struggled keeping tabs on her child, Yahiko being as intense as he was. A lovely woman she was, it was a shame that she disappeared right when everything went south in Amegakure.

You would never tell anyone what really happened to her, you did see her death after all. Suicide, you weren't sure when but you assumed it to have happened during the war. She was in the woods, a kunai in hand, crying as she reluctantly stabbed it into her stomach. It was horrible to experience, especially since you were very fond of this woman and grateful for everything she had done for you. Both her and her son were family to you and then joined Konan and finally, Nagato.

Preparing the ingredients, your face fell at the memory of what had happened. When the peace in your life disappeared and you had to fight for those you loved and cared for.

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Many years ago

It was the sound of something hitting the roof that woke you from your slumber. Jumping off your bed, you quickly changed and geared up for whatever it was that lurked outdoors. Peeking out of your window through a crack in the curtains, you watched as several shinobi leapt through the village on the roofs of houses. Normally there wouldn't be anything to fear but you knew that something was up and if you didn't do something, bad things would happen.

Without alerting anyone, you left your apartment and headed to Yahiko's. There was no guarantee that the door would be unlocked so you chose the window instead. Climbing sneakily on the outside of the building, you silently opened one of the windows and slipped inside.

Once inside, you heard someone let out a cry of pain before they hit the ground with an audible thump out there in the darkness of the night. It made you raise your guard more but you refused to fear whatever was going on. You were a capable kunoichi and were confident in your skills.

Quietly moving around the apartment, you first made your way to Yahiko's mother's room. What you wanted was to make sure that she was safe, then you would go check on Yahiko. Silently pushing her door open, you entered her room. But to your surprise, she wasn't there. The bed lay made, untouched. You took a look beneath but there was no sign of her, neither was she hiding in her wardrobe or behind the long curtains which sat open even though it was night. It was surprising, so you assumed that she was perhaps hiding with her son in his room.

Leaving her room, you moved onto the next one which was Yahiko's. His name was drawn onto a piece of paper with orange crayon and stuck to the wood. It seemed to calm you down slightly, seeing Yahiko always managed to get you to lower your guard.

Opening the door, you entered and looked around. His bed was unmade, the blankets pushed back as if someone had been sleeping there recently. Approaching the bed, you placed your hand on the mattress and heaved a sigh of relief, it was still warm. He was still here.

Turning around, you noticed a bunch of blankets in the corner. Approaching them, you knelt down and pulled them away to discover a shaking and crying Yahiko, accompanied by Konan who was silently crying into the boy's shoulder.

"Shh, hey. It's only me," you whispered, getting the two children to look up at you. As soon as you were recognized, they leapt at you, hugging you tightly. Even though Yahiko was very brave, in this moment it showed that he was only a child, afraid of whatever was happening outside. And so, you held them like you would lose them if you ever let go. Konan cried along with the orange-haired boy, her body shaking as she whimpered and sobbed. It was painful seeing two people who you cared for so much, shaking in fear.

"Where's your mother?" you whispered to Yahiko, hoping that she was just hiding somewhere else in the room or another area of the house. He looked up at you with sad, brown eyes and continued to cry.

"Sh-sh-she said she was going out, b-but she hasn't c-come back yet," he sobbed, quietening down a little as I rubbed his back in a successful attempt to calm him down. And you hated yourself because you knew that right now, there was nothing you could do to help her. You had the choice to go out and try to find her but if you did that then you would have to leave the children behind.

"We'll wait to see if she comes back, okay? And while you wait, I'll stay here with you," you promised the two of them. They nodded and rested against you as you pulled the blankets up to their shoulders to keep them warm. As the two of them closed their eyes and dozed off, you remained awake, guarding them.

If anything came and tried to harm them, you would protect them.

And you would do it with your life.

I can't wait to start writing about when reader meets Nagato, I have so much planned for it. I hope it turns out the way I expect it to in my mind. Anyway, thank you for reading!