Ch40. A Gift

The next day, the entire capital was bustling with rumors, fears, and fake prophecies about the end of the world in chilling ever consuming flames and whatnot...

Rei happily and carefreely woke up, noticing Konan's bare back next to him, and remembered yesterday's night. He slightly smiled and kissed her back, making her shiver in the echo of pleasure his chakra put her body through.

He turned around and was about to leave the bed when arms locked around his neck, Konan's body pressing into his back and her chin ending on his shoulder.

"Don't leave. Stay in bed." She purred in a moan. Rei could feel the expectant shivering of her body but tapped her arm appeasingly.

"Not today, Konan. We have an appointment with Mikado." He reminded her. He knew if they started their 'second' round, Konan and he wouldn't stop for hours, most likely ending up as a quivering mess of goo incapable to go anywhere.

"He can wait a day... or four." Konan whined as she trailed kissed on Rei's neck. "Pretty please?" She whispered into his ear.

"Nope."

And received a flick to the forehead, making her unhand Rei and flop on her back. Her body was sprawled on the bed, completely showing all of her womanly parts as she released an annoyed sigh.

"I have a gift for you, Konan. Don't wanna wait!" Rei noted as he stood up, about to dress.

Konan perked up. They never gave gifts to each other. It was unnecessary. They had each other! What more could they give to the other than themselves? But her curiosity was certainly piqued!

She stood up and with a whirl of papers, she was clothed. Her tell-tale blue-rosed black kimono and skirt were on her. Life became easier when she learned how to make her paper imitate clothes!

Konan spun on her heel leaning forward, giving Rei a proper view of her cleavage.

"So? What are we waiting for? I am ready." She told Rei with bemusement.

"Cheeky little minx." He exasperatedly exclaimed, half-naked, about to pull his pants up.

...

They sat in the office of the chief merchant of the Biri-Biri company, Karubo Sazaro. The people were looking at them funny when they entered and they even had a few problems with the receptionist. Thankfully Karubo showed up and so here they were.

In front of them was a final financial accounting. They didn't ask for it but Karubo delivered it either way. After all, this was they were the biggest share-holder.

Konan made a few paper clones to check things up and every time some small inconsistency was found, they informed her. So far, four people were already sacked for minor embezzlement as Karubo sat opposite Rei with sweatdrop while both watched Konan buried in papers upon papers of financial statements, cutely chewing on her lower lip.

It was only an hour later she heaved a sigh and nodded to herself.

"Rei. Make more seals that could sustain paper clones. I will leave four more to do this work and help with seals." She determinedly told Rei.

Konan was pissed, alright. The money that was stolen, no matter how little, belonged to Rei!

Rei calmly put a teacup onto the table as he looked at Konan.

"That's half of the reason we are here. I need you to dismiss the previous clone. We both know you got better at them so the one stationed here is inefficient. People will also get suspicious if the seal mistress of Biri-Biri Company was unaging. You are also getting closer and closer to the look of the adult paper clone. I want you to create four completely different-looking paper clones."

Konan nodded and with a slight focus, four 'people' appeared behind her. All it took was a slight tweak to the coloring and rearranging of the paper in the clone.

Rei smiled and pulled out four seals.

"These are better than the sets of six seals I used previously. More efficient. Do put them in the chest area."

Konan did so and the clones were now self-sustaining. Just then Konan-alike walked inside and approached Konan. It dissolved into paper and entered Konan's body, only six slices with seals were left on the table.

"I wonder, would I be able to take that seal inside of myself?" Konan mused as she saw that it can power up her paper clones. She could change into paper so why not herself?

"Well... it could." Rei nodded and Konan's eyes shone. "But as you know I am making something better for us."

"You are working on it since we became chunin... that's two years." Konan rolled her eyes.

"I just don't want any accident to happen again." Rei chuckled dryly, making Konan come closer and sit in his lap.

"Fine, I will wait." She kissed him.

"Good girl." Rei patted her head, making her shudder in pleasure as she heard him call her that.

They stared at each other with a tender gaze as they held the other in their embrace.

While Rei and Konan acted all lovey-dovey, Karubo could only awkwardly listen with his eyes averted.

Why is it always me?... He shed manly tears of bitterness but kept his mouth shut. He knew interrupting them would bring Konan's patented death glare upon his feeble frame! His death was imminent! Only a sound away!

Thankfully, he was saved when a knock resounded on the door, getting Rei and Konan out of their sickly sweet world.

"Ah... it's here!" Konan exclaimed and made a water clone to open the door.

Sigh, I will never get used to this. ... Kurabo dejectedly thought as he watched the water from the cup on the table flow out and form into the appearance of Rei.

The clone took a package from the employee who delivered it and put it on the table in front of Konan before dissolving into water, flowing back into the cup.

Konan was interested. It was quite a big square box. She looked all around it, still sitting in Rei's lap.

"Open it." Rei expectantly nudged her back.

Konan took it into her hands and opened the box. She saw... a fan.

She reverently took it into her hands, carefully in fear of damaging it. This was the first gift she ever received from anyone. Her heart fluttered, gazing upon it as a small smile tugged on her face. This was the gift Rei gave her. Her smile widened into a sincere full smile. The fan was already the most precious possession of hers.

She took it into her right hand and noted it was as long as half of her forearm. She unfolded it and her eyes instantly widened fondly at the sight. The fan was mostly watery-blue and had a decorative painting on it. From the upper part, droplets of dark-blue gentle rain fell towards the handle. There was a painting of a blue flower in the center. The same she usually folded from the paper as decoration into her hair. Around the flower was protectively circling a suiton dragon coming from the lake underneath the flower as both were showered by the rain, absorbing it.

Konan didn't need an explanation to understand what the flower or the dragon signified. As for the rain... they were called Downpour, weren't they? A smile tugged on her lips.

"Do you feel it?" Rei patted her head, getting her out of her thoughts.

"Yes. I am happy." Konan timidly lowered her head to cover her blush.

"Not that." Rei chuckled, kissing her hair.

Konan tilted her head. Indeed. There was something different about the fan...

"It is a tessenjutsu fan from the Land of Wind." Rei told Konan. "I asked for a miniaturized version. With your Wind affinity, you don't need to carry a huge fan. The skeleton is made out of the best quality chakra metal and the fan is from special paper for tessen fans. Getting this paper was a backbreaking endeavor as it is a national secret of the Land of Wind and Sunagakure."

"Yes, yes! Just this small fan cost a fortune!" Karubo huffed only to squirm down when both Rei and Konan gave him a glare of death promising untold suffering.

Konan was grateful. She would cherish the fan forever. She put the strap of the fan around her wrist, fastening there.

Rei watched her playing with the fan as her expression showed elation and kissed her shoulder as his arms snaked around her torso, resting on her stomach.

"I love you Konan." He whispered to her, making her blush again.

Konan could only bite her lower lip as she nodded timidly. That instant, she promised to herself that she would become the best tessenjutsu practitioner in the world. She would make Rei proud!

Rei, ignorant of the resolve he ignited in his lover, just happily trailed kisses on Konan's shoulder and the nape of her neck. Both again happy in their own world.