Rain To Wash The Blood Away (Nagato x reader)

26. Aura

You sat beneath a tree, enjoying the warmth of the sun through the gaps in the branches. Your Akatsuki cloak lay folded beneath your head, acting as a pillow as you watched the leaves sway in the gentle breeze. Small tree-dwelling critters scampered along the branches and birds returned with food for their young who hungrily chirped, only becoming quiet once they had their beaks full of whatever their mother had regurgitated. You couldn't see this happening but you had spent a lot of time outdoors while Jiraiya spent time training and taking care of you, you recognised the sounds.

Jiraiya would usually force you to go outside after everyone had finished dinner so the others could do the dishes and you would have some time to yourself. Despite your past of feeling quite lonely, you enjoyed the time you spent with yourself. It gave you an opportunity to get all of your thoughts in order, not having the loudness that was Jiraiya, Yahiko and Konan.

Out of the four, Nagato was quiet and didn't speak often. He usually trailed along behind Konan and Yahiko but whenever he got the chance, he would always try to be near you. You should've noticed it earlier, Nagato was in love with you way before you had felt that same way about him. You remembered how he would follow you whenever you went out for your alone time and hide, just watching and listening to whatever was going on. Whether you were talking quietly to yourself, humming or singing, you knew that he was there and continued as if he wasn't.

Hearing a rustle in a bush nearby, you glanced over, almost hoping that a younger Nagato would tumble out with a face so red it matched his hair. Instead, a white rabbit with a mixture of black and brown spots hopped out, sniffing the air before hopping in the opposite direction. You heaved a loud sigh, lifting a hand to reach up at the sky. Opening and closing your fist, you watched as the muscles in your hand contracted. There was nothing too interesting about it but as of lately, you had the time to do whatever you wanted whether that be important stuff or not. Your time was limited but you were acting as if you had all of it, not caring if you were to drop dead at any second.

You had been out here for four days, living off the land and doing generally whatever you felt like. It had been a while since you had lived like this, feeling like you had only freshly emerged from the abyss again. You hunted for food and collected herbs for medicine if you needed it. Everything else you had was left back at the base but you needed none of that, with only the clothes on your back, you had freed yourself from what had become a depressing prison.

If Nagato didn't think of you as important then you would step aside and let him do as he pleased. It was obvious that you were no help there, being more of a freeloader if anything. Lately, you had been cooking and helping with the cleaning, but you didn't feel like it was enough.

Pein didn't let you go out on missions, it was as if he was keeping you there as some sort of decoration. It made you wonder why he had come to find you in the first place. If he knew it was you from the beginning, why did he even bother coming to get you if you didn't mean shit to him? Thinking about that got you riled up again, making you need to stop and take deep breaths in order to calm down. You were somewhat successful in this, now feeling like you should continuing walking to where ever it was that you were going.

Standing, you brushed the dirt from your clothes before slinging your cloak over your shoulder and beginning to make the distance between yourself and the base even greater.

In reality, you hadn't gone too far from it, hating that you were getting in your own way of leaving. You were stubborn and refused to let go of Nagato, knowing for a fact that no one could make you feel the way he did. With each step, you remembered all the times he had made your heart skip a beat or any time he had made you laugh with how clumsy and nervous he was around you. A sad smile grazed your lips as you revelled in the nostalgia. The memories were too precious to abandon and you knew even if you were to try and move on, you would keep them in your heart.

Walking forward, you noticed the feeling of something you found quite familiar. It was a presence yet you knew that no one was there, it was chakra. You had felt like you could sense it a little when you were at the base but now it felt a lot stronger, suggesting that whatever it was, you were getting closer to it. With every step, you could feel the chakra becoming stronger.

After cautiously walking for over twenty minutes, you reached what you could only describe as what looked to be the largest tree in the forest. It stood out a lot compared to the others and as you drew nearer, you noticed how this tree wasn't even real. And despite how fake it looked up close, it blended in with the other trees just fine. If you hadn't felt the chakra coming from it, you would've walked right past it.

Approaching the tree, you immediately noticed that it looked to be covered in a layer of paper. This immediately let you know that Konan had some part to play in this tree's appearance, but you were still unsure what this meant. Placing your hand on the tree, you applied some force and broke through the layer of paper. But since you didn't expect it to be so weak, you applied too much force and fell into the empty space inside.

You were quick to stand back up, standing in a combat-ready position in case someone were to attack you. But as you stood there in silence, you noticed that someone else was in there with you. Turning your face to look at the other side of the space, your eyes locked onto the sight of a deadly-frail body attached to a machine, their familiar red hair covering their face.

Your body froze at the sight, immediately figuring out who you were looking at.

"Nagato?"

Now she gets to see him for real. I mean she's not on the greatest terms with him right now but I've got a feeling things will turn out well... for now anyway.

Anyway, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed the chapter :)