By the end of the year, Zaraki Kita had reached her conclusion: the Uchiha clan and Konoha were superficially allied but fundamentally divided. Fueled by Uchiha Madara's intense hatred for his own clan, the Uchiha decided to stage a coup. Konoha eliminated them swiftly, with Uchiha Itachi carrying out the operation. From his actions, it was clear he stood on Konoha's side. As for why he left Uchiha Sasuke—the so-called "root"—Zaraki Kita had two hypotheses: either Konoha kept Sasuke as a bargaining chip to control Itachi, or Itachi deliberately left Sasuke alive as a pretext while personally executing the clan's annihilation.
No matter the interpretation, Itachi's actions border on obsessive madness.
Zaraki Kita then pondered whether Itachi joined Akatsuki genuinely to serve Madara, or simply because he had nowhere else to go.
Unable to find a satisfying answer, she let it go—for it was New Year's.
The traditions remained: reunion dinners, fireworks, countdowns, and staying up through the night.
Calculating her absence of over a month, Zaraki Kita felt a strong pull to return home. She quickened her steps, finally arriving at her long-unvisited home the night before New Year's Eve.
It was already two in the morning. Those who should be asleep were long unconscious. Zaraki Kita tried to move quietly, but even so, she woke someone.
Sleepy eyes, pale pajamas half-loosened. Zaraki Kita pressed a slightly apologetic kiss on the person, who, surprisingly, didn't scold her. A soft body pressed against hers, as clingy as a cat yet as warm as one too.
"I thought you wouldn't come back," came a murmured voice.
With eyes closed and sleep-laced words, Zaraki Kita felt the first sharp sting of frustration in her twenty-plus years—her mouth could not speak. I want to say, I'm here, how could I not come back… But opening her mouth, words failed her. Silence engulfed her entirely. A profound sense of loss swept through her, filling every corner of her being. She stared into the night, searching for something—any hope to ease her heart—but there was only darkness, and only that indescribable emptiness.
Why am I disabled? Why am I mute? Why am I… a non-human?
Guilt consumed her for her silent mouth. Regret weighed her down as a non-human. Despair clutched her, for beyond a dimly warm embrace in the dark, she could give nothing.
The sleeper returned to steady breathing—calm, long, and even.
…
She barely slept through the night and only drifted off near dawn. Though she intended to rise early to prepare breakfast, once asleep, time became meaningless.
Konan vaguely remembered her long-absent lover returning at midnight and wasn't surprised by the deep sleep beside her. Zaraki Kita's sleep posture was unusually neat. Before they got used to sleeping together, Konan had noticed how Zaraki Kita curled herself into a small ball, even touching her chin to her knees, remaining motionless until morning. Konan had felt a pang of concern for her then. Later, with gentle insistence, she helped Zaraki Kita spread out just enough so their bodies aligned, intertwined on the bed.
Konan often wondered why she fell in love with Zaraki Kita.
Compared to her previous lover, Yahiko, Zaraki Kita was an entirely different existence—opposites in every way. For one, the genders differed: a man versus a woman.
On a deeper level, Yahiko radiated positivity; Zaraki Kita, while not entirely negative, was far from it.
Yahiko believed nothing was impossible. Zaraki Kita believed nothing could be accomplished.
Yahiko had dreams and courage to pursue them. Zaraki Kita had neither.
Yahiko confronted obstacles head-on. Zaraki Kita avoided them altogether.
Yahiko lived freely and boldly, like a god aiming to rule the world. Zaraki Kita lived cautiously, like dust in an overlooked corner, ready to be blown away.
Yahiko lived for sustenance. Zaraki Kita ate to survive.
Yahiko gave to others. Zaraki Kita waited to be given to.
Yahiko inspired admiration. Zaraki Kita invoked sympathy.
In love, sympathy is not ideal. The beginning might have been a pity, but later, through Zaraki Kita's seemingly timid exterior, Konan saw her indomitable heart.
It wasn't surrender. It was a different way of waging war against the world.
She had no time for dreams—the effort to survive alone consumed every ounce of her strength.
Konan may never forget the day Zaraki Kita was humiliated. Insults and rotten eggs struck her, yet despite possessing overwhelming power, she spared her aggressors. Konan couldn't understand this, and sometimes acted on Zaraki Kita's behalf, doing what she should have.
Later, Konan asked her why she hadn't fought back or hidden her identity—she could have lived under another name, avoiding harm.
—Then I'd have lost.
That day, Zaraki Kita wrote it down.
Beneath her careful exterior burned a fiery, unyielding heart. She wasn't weak—she fought the world on her own terms.
Against people: break their moves, strike their vulnerabilities—moments suffice.
Against the heavens: endless, lifelong.
A war she could never win. Zaraki Kita's goal was to remain undefeated.
In that moment, her overwhelming strength shook Konan. How could anyone dare challenge a world like this? Compared to Zaraki Kita, even the lofty idea of world peace seemed fragile.
War arises from interests. Without benefit, there is no war.
Discrimination arises from human nature. Humans cannot vanish.
Konan felt deep respect for this non-human, whose heart was stronger than her own. That was when her feelings took root. Gradually, this non-human captured her entire attention. Through Zaraki Kita, she saw vulnerability, pain, and relentless resilience. She felt protective, wishing she could let her fall just once, yet each time, Zaraki Kita would rise—disappointing that desire.
Ultimately, Konan longed to stand by her side, to challenge the world together. That thought, once it existed, became irresistible.
Nagato acknowledged Zaraki Kita's excellence but warned: "I respect her, but I don't agree with you being with her. Fun is fine; serious isn't."
Unfortunately, nothing could stop the resolute Konan—not even Nagato, like a brother to her.
Konan said: "I'm Konan. You're Zaraki Kita. What a coincidence—we're meant to be together. Accept it."
Her confession was perfectly balanced—not too romantic, not frivolous. Fate was undeniable; Zaraki Kita had no choice but to comply. Konan applauded her own words, yet Zaraki Kita froze briefly before fleeing like a rabbit. For two months, she didn't return to the village, claiming intelligence work.
Thus, Konan's first confession ended in failure. Nagato found great amusement in this and realized: even without interference, Zaraki Kita would not accept.
An angel and a non-human—Zaraki Kita knew her place.
Yet angels have their ways. At that time, Zaraki Kita wasn't yet an external member of Akatsuki; her superior wasn't Nagato but the angel herself.
Konan pursued without burden, recalling Zaraki Kita under the guise of leadership of Amegakure. She launched a relentless campaign of courtship. And she had to admit: Zaraki Kita was incredibly easy to win over. A few touches, a few words, and everything was justified. The two-month disappearance? Likely sheer fright.
For Konan, love or preference mattered little—time was ample. Romance would grow with familiarity. Chasing Zaraki Kita brought little sense of achievement, yet she never regretted it.
Zaraki Kita cared for her deeply, attentively in every detail. The ideal lover in every sense—but only as a lover. They could kiss, cohabit, be intimate—but never publicly. Beyond that, anything Konan did was acceptable, even unreasonable antics—tested by minor flirtations.
Konan was completely captivated. The longer they were together, the more irresistible Zaraki Kita became. Ocean-like eyes, snow-white hair, seemingly ordinary features—yet the longer she looked, the more beautiful she became. She didn't care about scars or Zaraki Kita being non-human. She cared only about Zaraki Kita—beyond human or non-human.
Why do I love you so much?
Konan whispered the question and pressed a gentle kiss on the sleeping woman's head.
Probably because you are Zaraki Kita.
━━━━ ❖ ━━━
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