"Girls love confidence! In most cases, girls usually wait for the guy to make the first move." she started.

"But, Pein-sensei asks her out all the time! Isn't that showing confidence?" Hidan disputed.

"Just because Pein-sensei made the first move doesn't mean he's confident. Confidence also has to do with the delivery of the request," she answered. She squeezed out of the booth and faced Pein. "Since you asked her out dozens of times, can you give a demonstration?"

"O-of course not!" he stammered.

Sakura placed her hands on her hips and frowned. "Pein-sensei, if we're going to help you, you have to be cooperative!" She pulled him from the booth and positioned him facing her. "Now, I'm going to go down the stairs and come back up. When I enter the room again, pretend I'm Konan-sensei, okay?"

Pein, clearly embarrassed, nodded his head. She left the room for a moment and came waltzing back in.

He straightened his posture and walked casually towards her. "Hey, there, Konan-chan. I was..." he trailed off as his face grew redder. He turned away and swallowed down a lump in his throat.

"Yes?" Sakura prompted.

He peeked back at the boys and each gave him a thumbs up or pressed him to continue. His gaze switched to Sakura as he tried to build up his courage. "W-would you go on a date with m-me?" He sighed in relief after finishing his question.

Sakura pondered and smiled. "No, I will not!" Pein dropped to the floor in a huddled mass of depression.

"Sakura-san! You're supposed to be helping him, not trying to make him feel worse!" Deidara yelled.

Sakura grabbed Pein by the scruff of his button-up shirt. "Pein-sensei, you can't stutter and choke like that! This is serious stuff and you need to stop joking around!"

She barely noticed a small surge of sadness in Pein's eyes - could she have been too tough on him? She released him from her grasp and thought deeply of her last words. She ran the sentence over and over in her head, but nothing seemed too rude or disrespectful.

"Is something wrong, Sensei?" Sakura asked.

Pein perked up and walked back to the booth. "No, I'm okay."

"You know what you really need to do is lay on the charm." Hidan suggested.

"Charm?" Sasori asked, wondering what lame pick-up lines he had ready.

"Yeah, buy some charms and shit! I was reading about how certain charms can make a girl fall in love with you! I've done it before and it really works." he said proudly.

"I didn't know you could read," Kakuzu muttered.

"I didn't know he liked girls," Itachi added.

Hidan gritted his teeth. "Assholes! Shut up! I know what we should do and it'll help Pein-sensei!"

"Please explain." Kisame said flatly.

"Okay, we go out to an apple orchard and take an apple hanging off one of the trees. Pein-sensei cuts the apple in half and carves his initials on one side and Konan-sensei's on the other. He then takes both pieces of the apple and sews them back together! When he finishes sewing, he ties a ribbon around it and hangs it back on the tree he took it from. Afterwards, he chants 'Apple of love, leaf of tree, find her, and bind her, now to me!' "

"That sounds so outrageous, Hidan-san. The closest apple orchard is ten miles south and I'm not going to all that trouble." Kakuzu protested.

The boys continued pitching ideas around the table and each one was turned down. Sakura noticed the disgruntled expression on Pein's face and grew concerned. She wanted to ask what was bothering him, but worried that she could be the cause of his annoyance.

Hidan wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Fine, I'll prove to you all that my charm will work perfectly! I'll carve my name and Sakura-chan's into an apple; the next time you see us, we will be the hottest couple at school!"

"Like hell!" she yelled, pulling his finger backwards. He screeched in surprise and placed firm pressure to stop the pain in his throbbing finger.

Itachi wiped his mouth and peered over at the quiet teacher. "Pein-sensei, what's bothering you?"

Pein fell back into reality and looked down at his uneaten meal. "The reason why I have trouble speaking with Konan-chan is because of something we both lost in our childhood." he confessed.

The club members leaned forward and listened to his tale.

(Flashback)

Konan walked to school and accidentally bumped into a third-year. "Watch where you're going, moron!" the girl yelled.

Konan whispered an apology, but the girl walked away. Her meek personality led to many hardships during her middle school years. She never made a friend and she wanted to change herself before high school began. However, her shyness made this impossible and she continued to live her school years in the shadows of her classmates.

Early September, Konan sat in the back of the classroom eating her lunch. A boy with bright, orange hair took the seat next to her and smiled politely. Konan didn't recognize him, but greeted him with rosey cheeks and a slow wave.

"I just moved here from a small town to the east. You looked a little lonely so I wanted to join you. My name is Yahiko, what's yours?"

He laughed as her cheeks reddened. "So, your name is Konan?"

"How did you know?" she squeaked.

He pointed to the bento with her name written sloppily on the case. Her skin took on the likeness of a tomato as he picked up the paper crane she had worked on during class. "Wow, this is amazing. Can you do other things like this?"

Konan was surprised that he praised her for her work. She nodded her head. He showed a dopey grin and pulled out a sheet of normal, notebook paper, "Can I watch you?"

"Sure." He handed her the paper and she began performing the art of her favorite hobby. In short time, she presented him with a rose.

He was bewildered by her amazing talent. "This is so cool! I wish I could do origami!"

"I can teach you." she mumbled.

He bobbed up and down in his seat. "I'd love to learn." he shouted happily. A group of students hushed him, but Yahiko ignored their stuffy behavior.

Konan couldn't have been happier during that lunch hour. She went through the lesson slowly, but Yahiko's workmanship was poor. When he finished, he handed her the lop-sided rose. "I'm not even close to your skill, but it's a lot better than what I was expecting. Thanks to you as a teacher, of course!"

The bell rang and Yahiko stood from the desk. "You're leaving?" Konan asked sadly.

"Yeah, I was just walking past this room and noticed you in here. My homeroom is 1 - A, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends right?"

A true smile bloomed across her lips. "Yes. It was very nice to meet you, Yahiko-kun." He smiled and ran out of the classroom.

The two continued to eat lunch together and grew closer. Yahiko continued to practice his origami, but could not match Konan's advanced abilities. He was her first friend and the only person she talked about at home during dinner.

In their second year of high school, a red-haired boy sat silently by himself during the entrance ceremony. Konan tugged on Yahiko's sleeve and asked silently if they could join him.

The boy showed no reaction when the two sat in the seats beside him. Yahiko tried peeking over to see his face, but the boy's long bangs covered his eyes. "Are you a freshman?" he asked.

He nodded and continued to stay mute during the large portion of the ceremony. Konan knew how it felt to be lonely, but this young man didn't even try to act friendly. His body language read as reserved and uncomfortable.

"I really love the color of your hair." she said shyly.

She grew concerned when his round face turned red. "Thanks." he peeped.

As Sarutobi-sama finished his speech, the students clapped and walked to their homerooms.

The boy stood up and squeezed past Konan. Before he left, he peered over his shoulder. Konan and Yahiko noticed a small smile appearing on his once stoic expression. "My name is Nagato, but everybody in my family calls me 'Pein." he stated.

"I'm Yahiko and this is Konan-chan. We're going to try and create an Origami Club this year and I hope that you'll join us."

"I'm not very good." he warned.

Yahiko laughed, "Neither am I, but it's really fun! Clubs will be ready for new members next week, so I better see you there!"

Pein nodded his head and left the gymnasium.

The rest of the year, Yahiko, Konan and Pein grew very close. They often spent time at each other's houses and hung out after school. Yahiko noticed Pein's behavior towards Konan change as the new year began. As they chowed down on soba noodles, Yahiko took him aside.

"You would tell me if anything was going on, right?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"Yeah, Yahiko-kun. You and Konan-chan are my best friends - I would never lie to you guys." Pein answered.

Their eyes met and Yahiko could see right through Pein's false expression. He sighed heavily and patted his friend on the shoulder. "You need to stop joking around and grow up, Pein-kun." he stated.

"What do you mean?"

"I've noticed how much you stare at Konan-chan - do you like her?"

Pein's face flushed and he backed away nervously. "O-of course not! I would never like her that way!"

Yahiko crossed his arms. "You're not convincing me..."

Pein stomped his foot. "I swear, Yahiko-kun! I -"

Yahiko covered the boy's mouth and smiled warmly. "Pein-kun, if you think that liking her would be betraying me, you're wrong. I like Konan-chan, but not in the way you think I do. I can't help, but notice how much you care for her. Do us both a favor and ask her out tonight when you're alone, okay?"

Pein began to speak, but Yahiko shook his head. "Just do it." he murmured. Pein finally agreed and the two joined Konan just in time to countdown the new year together.

"It's really late, guys. Do you want to spend the night here?" Yahiko asked.

"I can't. I have to go with my mom to visit my grandparents tomorrow." Pein replied.

"Okay, then let me walk you guys out." Yahiko pushed the two close together and they squeezed through his door.

Rain poured down from the sky. "Man, what a great way to start off the new year." Yahiko said sarcastically.

Before leaving, Konan and Pein slid through the puddles. "Watch this!" Pein picked up speed and slid across the street striking a ridiculous pose. Konan laughed and imitated the same stunt.

They continued playing in the rain. As Pein ran to perform another stunt, Yahiko caught a car driving at an alarming speed towards them. "Watch out!" he yelled.

The man in the car stomped on his brakes and swerved the wheel. Yahiko caught up to his friends and pushed them out of the car's path. Yahiko collided with the car's bumper and was swept over the windshield. He toppled over the roof and landed on the hard, graveled road.

Pein and Konan moved swiftly to Yahiko's side. He clutched his sides and gasped short breaths of air. His brown eyes bulged from his skull as he tried to breathe. His lungs filled with fluid and his chest felt uncomfortably heavy. He searched for his friends' hands and both immediately gripped his tightly.

They cried as he suffered through the horrendous pain. Being children, they had no thought in their minds. It was as if their brains shut down and all they wanted was to stay by their friend's side.

"Hey, Pein-kun," he gasped.

Pein tightened his grasp on Yahiko's hand and leaned forward. He mumbled incoherent words to Pein and choked out a small laugh. Pein and Konan watched in confusion as he rambled on.

"Please, Yahiko, save your breath. You can talk to us about it after you get better." Konan said soothingly. He continued to breathe in sharply - his chest heaved up and down. He kept his eyes focused on his friends, but he lost sight of their worried looks.

Their eyes darkened as his hands fell limp in their grasp. His eyes glazed over and stared off into a distant world - something that only he could see.

An elderly couple, witnessing the crash, alerted the Konoha police and peeked behind their curtain with morbid curiosity. Pein and Konan collapsed onto their friend and cried over the unforeseen loss of the loud-mouthed, optimistic Yahiko.

They both begged his lifeless body to return their beloved friend. Although their pleas were meaningless, they stayed by his side until the police wrenched them away from his corpse. The police on sight placed a thin sheet over his body and secured the area with barricade tape.

A young man with dark hair kneeled before them with a sympathetic countenance. "I'm terribly sorry you kids had to witness such a dreadful thing. You two staying by his side until his last breath was a very loyal thing to do and I'm sure your friend was truly grateful to have you there for him."

He ushered the two back to their homes and informed their parents of the heartrending incident. Pein's parents asked questions, but he couldn't speak. He pushed them away and raced up to his room. He crawled under his blankets and shivered.

He cried. He cried harder than what he had during Yahiko's last moment. He missed him terribly and waited for this nightmare to end.

But it didn't.

Days turned into weeks and the distance between Konan and Pein increased until they avoided each other completely. Konan graduated from high school the next year and Pein followed the next.

He cut his hair and bleached it a bright orange - just like Yahiko's. Studying teaching in college, he also got piercings and changed his entire appearance to make sure everyone stayed away.

(End Flashback)

The students sat quietly in the booth as he finished his story.

"So, your real name is Nagato and your actual hair color is red?! Why did you do that?" Hidan inquired.

"I guess it's just a phase I was going through." Pein answered.

Sakura pinched his arm and pulled his ear. "How can you be so insensitive, Hidan?!"

Itachi vaguely remembered his father talking about a nasty accident involving a young man named Yahiko. He never knew that Pein was involved.

"Forgive me, sensei, but the most logical reason you altered your appearance was to be like Yahiko. He was your best friend and pulled you and Konan-sensei out from a dark, lonely place. I'm sure that you think you were at fault for his death, but you're wrong."

Sakura watched as Itachi's gaze intensified. "Itachi-"

"His death was an accident, Pein-sensei, stop blaming yourself. Yahiko died over a decade ago, it's time for you to live your own life and find happiness; I'm sure that's what Yahiko wanted for you and Konan-sensei."

Pein stared wide-eyed at the Uchiha. Despite his young age, Itachi's words cut deeply into his soul. He stood abruptly and left without a word exiting his mouth.

"Don't worry, everyone. Disregarding his sensitive personality, Pein-sensei is strong and will overcome this difficult obstacle... Just give him some time."

The students became startled as Pein entered the room again.

"That was short." Hidan stated.

He grabbed Sakura's wrist and yanked her from the booth.

"I need your help, Sakura." He dragged her out of the restaurant leaving the rest of the gang confused.

"Has anyone seen Pein-sensei?" Sakura asked, throwing her backpack on the table.

Sasori pulled out his handheld video game and turned it on. "Nobody has seen him all day." he responded, his eyes glued to the screen.

"What did he need from you anyway?" Kisame asked, lifting his feet and resting them on the table.

"You'll find out." she said nonchalantly.

The door slid open and their jaws dropped. Pein's hair hung over his face and was dyed a deep burgundy. He had a few piercings removed from his face, but kept the two stapled below his bottom lip.

"Pein-sensei?! Nagato-sensei?! What do we call you? And what happened to your face and hair!" Deidara exclaimed.

Pein chuckled, "You can still address me as Pein, guys. Last night, Sakura-chan helped me change back to my original hair color and I removed some of my piercings too."

"I didn't know you would take my advice so literally." Itachi stated.

"Have you talked to Konan-sensei?" Sakura bugged.

Pein blushed and turned his head away from her sight. "Why must you torment me?"

She stepped only inches away from his face. "Pein-sensei, go ask her out or I will pester you about it for the rest of your life!"

Hidan leaned over to Kakuzu. "I think the only reason she's acting so pushy is because she doesn't want to find out what Itachi has planned if she fails at getting them together." he whispered. Kakuzu grunted in agreement.

Sakura twirled him around and pushed him out the door. The boys trailed after her and scanned the area for the blue-haired beauty. Itachi spotted her and each member helped drag their adviser to her feet.

"Pein-sensei wanted to ask you something." Sakura said cheerfully. The teenagers ran inside the school and scoped the scene taking place.

He mouthed a few words and gestured towards himself. Konan laughed and replied with something catchy as well.

"What are they saying? Can anyone read lips?" Sakura watched in a desperate attempt to try and follow what they were saying.

Konan handed him an object and waved goodbye. She walked back into the school and hurried up the stairs. The students circled around him and waited for an explanation of the event.

"We talked a little and when I asked her out..." he paused, holding up the paper crane she had handed him, "she said 'no'."

Sakura blinked. "She said what?!"

"She said 'no' and walked away," Pein repeated.

Itachi crossed his arms. "It seems that our time trying to help Pein-sensei was wasted." the Uchiha affirmed. His icy stare froze Sakura in place - her fear rose as he walked toward her.

He picked her up and hung the poor girl over his shoulder, motioning the other members to follow him back to the meeting room.

Pein stayed behind and rubbed his fingers against the smooth creasing of the paper. He noticed Konan had forgotten to pull the wings of the crane into a flying position. He fiddled with the origami, but his eyes caught a glimpse of writing on the inside of the paper. He unfolded the project and began to read a letter Konan written.

"I've wanted to ask you out for a long time, Pein, but I never had the courage to do so when we were young. On the day Yahiko died, he talked to me in the hallway and stated that he knew of the feelings I had for you and wanted me to ask you out when we were alone. I protested to his demands, but he persuaded me enough to accept.

I'm sorry that I left you alone for so long - it's not fun to be lonely. When I came back to the school for a job interview, my heart leaped for joy when I had heard your name during a faculty meeting, but your appearance startled me. You looked so similar to Yahiko that I had to make sure I wasn't dreaming! Although I knew your intentions were good, I felt sad that you gave up your own life to live out Yahiko's. I rejected you many times due to the obvious fact of wanting the real Pein instead of Yahiko's clone.

Today, I noticed your red hair and for the first time recognized you as your old self. I'm saying 'no' to your next request as a date, but I left my number on the bottom of the page. Call me when you can, okay?

P.S. - I knew that I didn't fold down the wings, don't think you're a better than me!

P.S.S. - I really love your red hair."

Pein stuffed the note in his pocket and smiled. He heard Sakura's screams of protest and sighed, "I guess I better go explain to them and save Sakura from wearing that embarrassing outfit Itachi talked about."

He lumbered toward the school, but suddenly turned back on his heels. "Or not." he snickered.

xxx

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Comments and vote are appreciated. <3

xTsu