Return Of The Madness

Chapter 12

It's been almost a week since Yuma was taken by the leaf. Sasori was gone. Deidara had been recovered and given a new arm. Everyone had just returned to the base, and Zetsu had news to share. He told everyone but Leader and Konan first, and they were relieved the sadistic girl they'd all grown fond of was safe for now, even if it meant they'd not be able to see her on the best of terms.

Next, Leader would be told.

"WHAT?!"

The roar of outrage cut through the Akatsuki lair, so loud that all remaining members stopped in their current activities and fell silent as an explosion shook the walls and foundation. A scream of pain followed, spewing curses and steadily drawing closer to the living area, where most members sat collected, dread building in their chests.

CRASH!

The door to the hall leading to bedrooms and Leader's office flew open with such force that it flew off its hinges, falling to the floor to reveal Pein, red faced with rage, dragging a still cursing Hidan by his neck- the battered immortal had been elected to break the news of Yuma's capture to leader.

Seeing as the silver haired man hadn't sacrificed to Jashin very recently (he would never admit that he was too distracted worrying about Yuma), he could feel quite a bit of pain from the abuse that ensued, and was now sporting a lost arm, broken leg, and singed flesh.

"SHE WAS CAPTURED?!" Snarled the livid ginger, his eyes glaring at all in the room, and settling on Zetsu, who'd delivered the message.

Tobi squealed in terror at the wrath of Leader, and dove behind the couch where Kisame and Kazuzu sat sulkily, the former with his arms crossed over his chest, scowling, and the latter leaning on the arm of the furniture, a wad of money sitting, untouched, on his lap- oddly enough, the meiser was in no mood to count his stash. In an armchair adjacent to the couch sat Itachi, a book clasped in his pale hands, still on the page he'd been 'reading' three hours ago.

Deidara was tucked away in his room, recuperating after returning to the base only an hour before. Zetsu had been heading to the kitchen for a nice raw steak so he could eat his emotions away when he was frozen by the piercing glare of Leader. Konan stood silently behind Pein, a practiced mask of emotionlessness on her face, though her eyes appeared rather red, and her lip would occasionally quiver.

Cautiously, slowly, Zetsu nodded.

A beat of silence followed before Hidan's- continuously cursing body- collided with the cannibalistic plant-man and both made a healthy sized crater in the stone wall.

"FOOLS!" Roared Pein, glaring at all of them, though few of them could have prevented this. "OUR GREATEST WEAPON IS NOW IN THE HANDS OF OUR MOST FORMIDABLE FOE!"

Tongues had to be bitten by more than one member at his statement. They all cared for Yuma- despite those who denied the fact- and just hearing her being described as a tool sent rage splintering through them. They all, however, remained silent as the ringed, purple irises glared scrutinizingly at them all in turn.

"Itachi, Kisame," he growled, and the too straightened, dread sending a sour taste into their mouths. "You have by the end of the week to recover her. Don't fail me." And then he turned his back on the room of S-ranked criminals, who all shared a concerned look, and stalked back to his office.

Konan hesitated in following. Her glassy eyes met Itachi's bitter ones. She knew that both she and Leader were being kept in the dark regarding Yuma, but she also knew it was for the girl's safety.

"Konan!" Pein snapped over his shoulder, a hand on the door of his office. He saw her hesitate before her hand twitched, and she turned, head down, and followed him into his office.

Pein sighed heavily as the door clicked shut, his shoulders dropping as he drug his feet to his childhood friend. Konan didn't meet his gaze, not even when his hands landed on her shoulders.

"You have to understand," he muttered, his deep voice oddly soft. "She's too unstable, she knows too much. We need to get her back, and put an end to her. She's too powerful, and knows too much, and..." his voice faded as his shoulders trembled in his grasp.

Konan fought it, really, she did. But the knot in her throat constricted her airway so that she had to gasp for breath. Her struggles not to cry were fruitless as hot tears made scalding tracks down her strangely cold face- in fact, everything felt cold. Her skin, her heart, though the blood-pumping muscle was worse- much worse. It felt like it was freezing, cracking, falling apart.

"Konan-"

She jerked away from him, something she's never done, and it stunned him. She couldn't help but turn away from him as he stared at her, momentarily stunned. Her arms wrapped around herself, as though to keep from falling apart.

Yuma was- is like a daughter to Konan, regardless of whether or not she was currently with them. They used to cook together, and the charcoal haired girl always stressed that Konan kill her food before it killed her. Yuma often asked Konan to read to her before bed, even as she aged into a 16 year old girl, simply because she claimed that the amber eyed woman had a nice voice. Konan had once mended a rather fatal-looking wound to the girl's abdomen (The result of her and Hidan's first brawl), and had such a hard time with the girl carelessly moving about that she cursed her, to which Yuma had only giggled, and grinned impishly.

In the short, two and a half years since the odd girl's arrival, she'd wrapped all of them around her finger without even realizing it. She didn't need it, but all of them would lay down their lives to protect her- except, it seems, for one of them.

The bitter thought had her shuddering with grief. She jerk away again when his hand touched her arm.

"Konan, please," the plea was highly out of character for Pein, and almost had the woman he'd known his whole life faltering. "We have to, for the sake of world peace."

Konan stiffened, and Pein knew he'd said the wrong thing when she made for the door.

"Where's the peace in killing your family?" She whispered before she left, slamming the door behind her.

Pein stared after her, his mind a whirl. Didn't Konan see it? He didn't want to kill Yuma, but he was the Leader, and he had to make sure the right thing was done. And this? Needed to be done!

He ran a hand through his hair, releasing another great huff.

This was the right thing to do for their goal...

Right?

***

Itachi unfolded the paper Konan had sent flying at him before following Leader to his office, leaving the rest of them with a cursing, injured Hidan and a rather annoyed Zetsu, who was the current cause behind the cursing as he shoved the immortal off himself.

"What's it say?" Kisame rumbled curiously, seeing Itachi's eyes widen ever so slightly for the briefest of moments.

The Uchiha turned the paper for all to see.

It simply read:

Keep her safe.