Reflection of God (Pein Story)

Chapter 10.

Kyo had forced herself to sleep that night to make sure she was ready in the morning. She had forced herself to eat even when her stomach was churning slightly in apprehension for what would come that day. Though she would never dream of letting it affect her, it was still there, and she made sure it was under control, focusing on other things. She had then trained a little, doing a few exercises and a bit of practice in her room to get her adrenalin going and so she was on her toes for when the training session began—even if she hadn’t been given a time or place quite yet.

But she still couldn’t stop the thoughts in the back of her mind.

She hated feeling like it. Though she wouldn’t say she was arrogant, bragging that she was one of the top ninjas in the world and could take down anyone, Kyo knew she was a high level ninja. The techniques she knew, the level to which she had developed her speed, strength and agility and the knowledge and experience she had gained showed that; especially when she fought. There hadn’t been a ninja village that had granted her a headband or a flak jacket, or going through a ceremony that deemed her a chunin or jonin—but she hadn’t needed one. When she was assigned a mission, she was able to complete it with ease and had been given a high position in her work. Though she had no official certificate, Kyo knew she had to be at least jonin level.

So why was she doubting herself like this?

Pein had said himself it was because of her abilities that he was letting her join the Akatsuki, and if he was willing to train Kyo himself then he had to believe she had some potential for this. Yet every time she thought about the training, the idea of her doing something wrong; of not being able to pick up a technique and seeing Pein's reaction when she did so…it caught her out every time. But Kyo couldn’t back down; she wanted to learn to use the Rinnegan for herself, not just her work, and it would only make things worse in the long run. Pein would think she was weak and incapable of dealing with everything, and that was the last thing she wanted him to see her as. Kyo had always had to be independent to get anywhere in life, and if people saw her as weak then she would lose everything. She had gone through too much to lose it all now. By working this closely with Pein she could really develop her abilities, after all…and it was with this thought that she calmed down a little, sitting on her bed to meditate.

There were other things to think about, when it came down to it. Kyo couldn’t stop herself from feeling interested at the idea of what Pein would be like when they did start to train together. His attitude might have chopped and changed while she had been here the last few days, but this would be a whole new situation. Back then he had been almost her captor, deciding her fate. Now, however, he was her sensei, teaching her in order for her to become part of the organization. How would he react to that? She wasn’t expecting a huge change—Pein wasn’t exactly the type of man for that—but when it came down to what he said and did…would anything be different? Everything about this place seemed to be, when it came down to it.

Her former employers would never have done anything like this—well, if they had known about the Rinnegan. They kept her at arms length at all times, merely treating her as a faceless, nameless thing that did the missions they needed done. If any of them noticed her abilities were slacking, then they would speak up; but it would be a word of warning and an order to keep training to make sure she stayed at the top of her game. There was never any check up on what she was doing and making sure Kyo had all she needed to reach her full potential. Back there…if she had wanted to get stronger and more powerful—if she had wanted to learn new things—then she would have had to do it herself.

The story of her life, really.

Maybe that was why it felt so strange. Ever since she was little it had been about self-survival. It wasn’t that she couldn’t understand the concept of protecting those you cared about, but it had never occurred to her, because there was no one around for her to protect and take care of. Without her parents she had learned to survive on her own and advanced her ninja abilities enough to be able to perform missions to earn money, and had learnt the ways of the world while she was still so young, understanding just how dark the world could be. Her aloof manner had surfaced from this; by becoming emotionless, it aided her in several ways. It was a rule of the ninja, and therefore would help in her training, giving a better impression to people who might hire her; and it helped her continue on with her life even when she was seeing so much destruction and corruption around her. By remaining distant, Kyo didn’t truly have to deal with it all.

Then her employers had noticed her, and considering they were offering her a job with money and a place to stay…Kyo had taken it. Not that her independent way of life had disappeared when she did take it, however. They ordered her to their office and told her what she was meant to be doing, delivering scrolls and weapons and allocating time to be spent on training—but no one had ever been there while she did so. Kyo's training continued alone, and she made her own meals, cleaned her own space and dealt with her own possessions as if she was living alone. She was still doing the same now, even in the Akatsuki, but there seemed to be a much higher emphasis on teamwork. After all, all of the members worked in two man cells, and needed to work with each other in order to get the missions completed. It was this unusual change that was making things difficult, and Kyo could only hope she would be able to adapt to it.

Pein was starting to feel the same.

Kyo had seemed fine with the idea of him training her—maybe even excited about it. It wasn’t as if it bothered him, either; he just felt he was seeing it in a way that wasn’t how he should be. Her abilities were going to be an asset to the Akatsuki, in the same way all the other’s abilities were an asset. That was why he had decided to make her a member. The fact she had the Rinnegan altered things slightly, it was true, especially as he didn’t know how she had come by it, but it didn’t change much. It was merely something else that cemented her position in the organization, but because of her lack of experience with it, Pein was going to train her. She needed to know how it worked and all the techniques it could bring her.

Yet it seemed like more than that as he thought about it that morning, sitting at his table, slowly sipping his tea as he stared out the window and the landscape beyond. This training appeared to Pein as a chance for a lot more than just honing Kyo's skills with the Rinnegan. All the time she had been there he had been unable to treat her normally—but it was only now that Pein was beginning to understand just how far that went. He had dismissed everything; brushing it under the carpet and acting as if it didn’t exist. But with the fact he was going to be spending a lot more time with Kyo and in such close contact, he couldn’t anymore.

Taking a deep breath, Pein closed his eyes for a moment and let everything sink in. He would have to admit there was a connection between them, whether he wanted to or not. The moment he had begun to talk to Kyo he had been able to spot similarities between them, and he couldn’t make it any other way—they would always remain. Keeping her at arms length had seemed the best way to deal with things before, but now it had changed, and Pein didn’t have to. Allowing himself to get closer; to try and understand Kyo a little more wasn’t necessarily a bad thing unless he made it so. He knew he could get on with her, and that was the way things were.

So as Pein and Kyo opened their eyes simultaneously, they finally felt prepared for the day ahead.