A Child Of Many Secrets

Chapter 4

Third person pov

Nahiko sat in Pein's lap whilst he sifted through paperwork. The man's eyes moved across each piece of paper rapidly as he signed papers, wrote things down, and underlined what Nahiko assumed to be important details. His free hand was placed upon the child's head, unconsciously stroking her bright red  hair. Nahiko was just happy to be here honestly. Was her dad perfect? Obviously not considering he'd punted her off to some orphanage, but Nahiko didn't care all too much. A father was all she'd ever really wanted. 

There was no telling how much time passed. It had to be at least two hours that Nahiko sat there, not once interrupting the man. She was careful to move in only ways that wouldn't prove to be a distraction; although, after about an hour of sitting and doing nothing she did cave and grab Pein's arm so she could hug it. Pein was a little taken aback at first, but overall didn't mind. It was... kind of nice. But you can't quote him on that and if you bring it up, you'll find yourself hurtling through the stratosphere and straight into the sun.

Honestly, Pein wasn't paying too much attention to the work at hand, his actions more mindless than not. He was too busy thinking, rolling over the events of the day and the influx of information in his mind. He'd have to go back over the papers he had before him later, but that was nothing to someone who didn't really need to sleep. He was being awfully lenient with himself lately. He supposed maybe he deserved it, running a village alongside the Akatsuki, but he still promised himself silently that he'd make some real progress later.

Two hours of pondering brought Pein to the brilliant conclusion that he should probably introduce the rest of the Akatsuki to Nahiko so they knew not to kill the runt. This was either a very good idea or a very bad one. He would have to decide later. Nahiko seemed quite tolerable so far, not even trying to talk to him whilst he did his work. Whilst the silence was nice, even he knew children required human interaction on a regular basis in order to learn and grow. Verbal exchanges with the other members could prove positive so long it wasn't some of the more... unsavory individuals in the group.

He stood abruptly, holding Nahiko awkwardly against him as he did so. The child didn't complain so he was going to assume he was doing it right. He began towards the door, and Nahiko wasn't surprised by this. Not that she was surprised by much of anything anymore, having a possessed stuffed rabbit and a father who had like, several bodies according to Ko-kun. He hadn't bothered to elaborate and Nahiko certainly hadn't asked. Sounded super personal. Either way, she didn't show much reaction to being carried out of the long, dark hall. The very same one Hidan had carried her down twice now.

There were a few twists and turns and Nahiko had to wonder why they'd made this place so confusing. They arrived in what could scarcely called a living room. It barely made the cut, hosting a pair of old couches and a dingy television that Nahiko was probably younger than. She supposed that made sense. If they had to move a lot, cheap items were essential so you wouldn't feel weighed down by leaving them behind. 

Much to Pein's relief, most of the members actually seemed to be present. Excluding Konan, of course. There seemed to be an argument of sorts sparked. Something about soy sauce? He couldn't find it in himself to care as he stepped out of the shadows, expression carefully schooled and eyes guarded. The silence that followed immediately made him swell with irrational pride. He pushed it down. There was no place for it here.

"It's that fucking brat!" Hidan exclaimed boldly, jumping up and pointing an accusing finger at Nahiko. Pein twitched slightly, briefly weighing the pros and cons of chopping the Jashinist up right here before deciding it would be too traumatic for Nahiko. Parenthood meant preserving as much as the child's sanity as possible, correct? The child didn't seem particularly bothered by the crude language, which he took as a sign he could ignore it as well. For now.