Reflection of God (Pein Story)

Chapter 25.

By the time they got back to the hideout, everyone was waiting inside.

Not that it was particularly a case of worry for the majority of them; but they wanted to see what was happening, and as Pein and Kyo came through the door they all turned to look, standing and coming over. Several questions were asked as to what exactly had been going on, when from their point of view she had just disappeared, with Pein saying nothing in explanation and following alone. Even Itachi had said nothing—though he clearly knew what was going on—because of the uncertainty as to whether Pein wanted him to say anything. As such, they were left to tell their story, Pein looking towards them all to begin speaking, not willing to say much. Kyo had been through a lot these past few days, and he didn’t want them all getting involved in it.

He just hadn’t expected Kyo to step forward before he got a chance to say a word, facing them all without a trace of nerves on her face as she responded simply,

“The people I used to work for came back for me—and I ended up getting taken back to their hideout. I left enough evidence for Pein to figure that out, and as such he followed me. There was a little fighting involved, true, but we worked together and got out of there without too much hassle to return back to you all, and I made sure that it wouldn’t happen again.”

Nodding in acceptance of her description, they asked a few more questions as to whether she was all right and if she was really staying in the Akatsuki as a full member now—not to mention about the fact she had the Rinnegan. Pein watched Kyo for a moment, smirking slightly at how she was already reacting now she knew Nikushimi’s influence had gone entirely, before turning around and leaving the lounge, heading towards his room. He needed to clean himself up a bit…he needed to think, and for a moment pushed his thoughts aside as he silently opened and closed the door behind him, slinging off his cloak and walking immediately to the bathroom.

A few seconds later and he was in the shower, closing his eyes as he let the water flow over his face and body. He knew there was so much he needed to consider, but he allowed himself this one moment of peace, concentrating on the sound of the water; the feel of it against his skin. It slowly calmed him, and eventually he stepped out, getting redressed and padding over to the bed, sinking down onto it as he remained in complete silence. Because he knew it wouldn’t always be that way. He was going to have to accept it sometime, and finally he glanced back up from the floor, scanning the room, almost to check as if someone was there, and as his gaze fell onto the door, and what he knew was outside, the thoughts were finally released into his mind.

That conversation between Pein and Kyo was still waiting to be said, after all. He had spent so long trying to figure out what he would say and do, and he knew he was going to have to say something. It didn’t matter what had occurred with Nikushimi; now Kyo was back in the atmosphere of the Akatsuki and living back in the hideout, dealing with the same sort of routine as before…the memory of the kiss would come back. Pein still didn’t know her full opinion on how she felt about it. True, she had tried to explain, but it hadn’t been enough. He needed to hear it from her. He needed to say his own side in return. They wouldn’t be able to just continue on like it was before—because this problem hadn’t gotten rid of what had happened.

But when was a good time to say it?

Kyo had been a lot more relaxed around him after getting rid of Nikushimi and breaking out, and there hadn’t been any signs of awkwardness between them during or after when they had walked back to the hideout together. It didn’t seem like Kyo was uncomfortable with him being around or worried about what was going on; she had thanked him for coming to try and help her. But Pein knew the issue wasn’t over. He knew it still hovered in the air, and would only envelope everything else if he didn’t try and do something about it. After all, he never acted like that usually. He planned things out; thought before he acted. And yet still he had simply lunged in and kissed her. His feelings were evident—of course he had to talk to Kyo.

It was what he’d wanted all along.

Kyo had managed to answer most questions that the other Akatsuki had thrown at her, and after grabbing a drink and a quick snack she had retreated to her room. A shower was the first thing on her mind, needing to wash away the remnants of the battle from her skin—and the last dredges of the mindset she had carried when working for Nikushimi. By the time she was finished and she lay upon the bed, she felt refreshed and released from so much of what had held her back before. It was at this moment that Kyo allowed the pleasure of having done what she had to wash over her, a slight excitement at the new life ahead of her surfacing as she considered the near future. She closed her eyes, breathing in deeply and just taking in the silence all around her—before Pein popped up into her head.

While sitting in that cell—hearing what Pein and Nikushimi were saying—Kyo had realised she had sat back and not let herself truly do anything without having someone give her permission to do so. She had made a promise to not let it happen anymore; that she had to stand up for what she believed in and finally make some choices in her life. To not always rely on other people to dictate how her life would turn out—but she still wasn’t sure when it came down to what happened with Pein. He clearly wasn’t angry at her for turning away from him; he had come to help her, and when Nikushimi’s threat was gone, Pein had approached her and had asked her to willingly join the Akatsuki without having to be forced to work for them. It wasn’t possible for him to have done all that if he was angry—so Kyo could at least be thankful for that.

But there was still something there—that made him hold back as they had returned to the hideout. Though it had been a companionable silence, it hadn’t exactly been content; as if each was waiting for the other to speak up and say something. Then later he had disappeared at the hideout as the others had moved forward to ask her questions, clearly wanting to be alone. Kyo had noticed it, but had let him be, knowing she wanted the same thing; knowing she had a lot to be thinking about as well. Kyo knew that in the same way that it was with her, Pein's mind remained on that kiss—and what would be happening now it had occurred.

Because things had changed. A huge part of what had made Kyo unsure about how Pein was treating her and about what he was doing had been because of her view on authority. Because of the way she had been taught to deal with superiors and how obedience had always been the top priority in anything she had to do in life. The idea that he was getting close to her in a friendly way—in a romantic way—was one that hadn’t sat comfortably with Kyo, and as such she had done all she could to push herself away and keep him at arm’s length. But it wasn’t like that anymore. Now she knew that what she had been doing was acting like a servant and a slave; that just because someone was her boss didn’t mean she was any less of a person when she spoke to them and worked with them. Her feelings didn’t mean any less; and it was the same with Pein. By confronting Nikushimi and the way he had been treating her, Kyo had been able to move past that part of her life and find something bigger and better for her. She was beginning to think that only by confronting the way in which she viewed Pein and how she felt would she ever be able to move forward with that; because she knew she felt something for him. She had to talk to him—to find out whether this was just one-sided. But when was the right time? A question she was never able to answer as a soft voice stated abruptly,

“Kyo…I need to talk to you.”