Rain To Wash The Blood Away (Nagato x reader)

28. Wishes

Every day after your meeting with the real Nagato, you spent a majority of your time taking care of the other Akatsuki members. But always found the time to visit him, the two of you revelling in each others company. You couldn't believe that you could be with him again, it felt like you were living a dream. So, with the short time you had left, you wanted to not only spend time with him but do what you could to help him achieve his goal of world peace. Despite your disagreement with his methods, you did all that you could to aid him. Nagato meant a lot to you, your feelings not depleting a single bit even after all of this time.

A few days after your return to the hideout, it had become known that both Hidan and Kakuzu were confirmed to be missing. This worried you a little, especially about Hidan. He wasn't the kindest person but he had the potential to be better, if only he would completely abandon Jashinism which you imaged he would never do. So him being gone, you weren't sure whether it was a good or bad thing. The hideout became even quieter with both Itachi and Kisame leaving with a mission of their own. Even though you hadn't gotten to know the pair well, you still worried for them. Remembering your time with them, despite it being so short.

Right now, you lay on the floor of the paper tree where Nagato resided, staring up at the ceiling. It was far away yet you weres till able to make out each individual piece of paper, occupying your time by counting them, unable to sleep. The only comfort you had was your cloak which was draped over your body like a blanket and the knowledge that Nagato was there with you.

Glancing over at him, you watched as he breathed deeply, sleeping even though he was restrained by the machine. He looked so peaceful, as if he had no fear at all.

"Nagato?" you called quietly, wondering if he would respond. But, being in a deep sleep, the red-haired male didn't respond. Although you would've wanted him to hear this, you decided to keep talking anyway.

"Every night I was in that pit, I would stare up at the sky, trying to see if I could see any stars. Being so far away I could never see them, but I still had hope that one day I would look up and see at least one," you said, not caring that nobody could hear you.

"And every time I did look up, I made a wish. It sounds out of character for me but making a simple wish seemed to give me a little hope. I remember Jiraiya-sensei telling me about it. That if you looked up at the sky and wished really hard, then it would come true. So every night that I was stuck down there, I wished that I could return to the world above for... I dunno, for maybe only one minute. Because even though it would just be a singular minute, I knew it would be enough time to tell you how much you mean to me." You paused, swallowing the lump in your throat as you felt it grow dry.

"And even though I got here of my own ability, I still believe that the star that I wished upon had helped me in some way. Because every time I fell to the bottom of that pit after climbing for hours, I would think of my wish and I would get back up and try again. I thought of seeing Konan, Yahiko and Jiraiya-sensei again, but most importantly, you. I can't live without you guys." It was then that you found yourself shedding real tears, having them drip from the sides of your eyes and back towards your ears. Lifting your hand, you tried to wipe them away, sniffling quietly.

"After I lost my family, I had nothing. Realizing that I had ruined everything I had made me really upset, it was the first time I had ever felt anything like that before. When you're a reader they try and suppress your emotions so that you won't act on them, but it never works out. I had a younger brother, he was such a sweet boy. I tried to save him, I put everything I had into trying to heal him despite knowing he was dead. I thought that if I tried hard enough I could get him to come back, but I ruined it even more. I overused my healing and lost control. The village I tried to save, I completely wiped it out, killing the people I had tried to save from my own family. So not only did I fail to save them, but I had taken the lives of everyone who meant something to me for no reason," you croaked out, your bottom lip refusing to stop quivering. It was an emotional moment for you, one which you needed.

"Then after all of that had happened, I was left all alone. I didn't know what to do with myself, I tried taking my own life. I remember stabbing a kunai into my stomach, feeling happy that I was once again going to be with my family. Because despite my hatred for their morals, I was just as bad as them in the end. I was surprised to see that the shinobi of Amegakure, they took me back with them and healed me, treating me like one of their own. But instead of idolising mindless slaughter, they only used violence in self-defence. I was grateful to be brought there even though I knew I deserved nothing. After meeting Yahiko, I felt like I was seeing my little brother again. At first, I was hesitant about becoming close with him but the idea of redeeming myself came to mind. I thought that if I could take care of him, that I could slowly make up for everything wrong I had done. And once the war came, I had both Yahiko and Konan to look after and then you when we found you," you managed to get out, your body tensing as you tried to stop yourself from letting more tears out.

"I feel like I used you all to make myself feel better, to make up for everything bad I had done. But then I... I came to love all three of you. How Yahiko spouted his plans for fixing the future, how Konan would prove herself stronger with every passing day, how you stuck by me from day one, loving me long before I could even comprehend something as special as that. And as soon as I was given something so meaningful, I felt like I didn't deserve it. You weren't supposed to like me, you were supposed to use me until you didn't need me any longer. But you kept me needed, you showed gave me the thing I had wished for since I was young. A purpose which wasn't filled with pain and death, one filled with love and acceptance." Falling silent, you turned your face to look at Nagato.

"Thank you for giving my existence meaning, I could never have asked for anything more," you whispered, closing your eyes and having the final tears fall. Heaving a deep sigh, you could feel the sleep trying to take over.

"My wish came true."

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Opening his eyes, Nagato looked down at you sadly, having listened to every word you had said. It was hard for him, especially since he knew that he was in no condition to give you everything he wanted to. But he was content with what he had right now, feeling happy that even after all this time, the two of you had manage to come together in the end. Hearing shuffling outside, Nagato directed his attention to the tree's entrance. The paper wall parted, allowing Konan to enter.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked him, not sparing a glance to your sleeping figure. Nagato's eyes moved to where you slept, before they moved back to Konan, giving almost a pleading look.

"Help me down to her first," he instructed, Konan not hesitating to do all she could in bringing Nagato down to you. He could detach from a few of his restraints, being forced to keep in those that penetrated his skin. Konan's paper helped him out, laying him carefully on the ground next to your sleeping body. He was incredibly weak but did all he could to support his weight on his arms, leaning over you to place a soft kiss on your forehead.

"We'll be back soon, I promise," he whispered, tucking a stray piece of hair behind your ear. Konan, who was filled with guilt, dispersed the tree, having the pieces of paper fly away from their original positions. They flew to Konan, becoming a part of her Akatsuki cloak.

"We should leave soon, it'll take a few days to get to Konoha," she vocalised, insisting that they leave soon. Nagato nodded, taking one last look at your face.

Despite his weakened body, he found the energy to hold his weight with one arm, moving his free hand to your face. Cupping your cheek, he let his thumb run over the skin, caressing it softly.

"I love you," he breathed before he was wrapped entirely in paper, being carried off by Konan.

I hope at chapter was alright. She rambled quite a bit, having a lot on her mind. I see (Y/n) as someone reserved so she doesn't often share personal things like that, so once she started talking it all started coming out. Thank you for reading :)