Nothing Else Matters

This is for Ice Come's PeinxBlue challenge. I think it came out much worse than I had intended. Oh well. And sorry it's so short.

Enjoy! (I hope...)

Disclaimer: I only wish I own Naruto.

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She smiles faintly, a ghost of a grin tugging at the corners of her lips.

That was a rare occurrence, not unlike her cerulean locks.

There is a faint smear of crimson on her pale cheek, he notes.

He watches the blue-haired woman, his face a mask of apathy…but there is something foreign in those strange, ringed eyes of his…

He finally pulls those unusual orbs from her, and scans the bloody battlefield for signs of life…but the only movement belongs to blades of grass, dyed scarlet from the spilt blood, swaying in the twilight wind.

They were all gone.

Dead.

Every last one.

Except for her.

She waits in respectful reticence, expecting him to speak first.

Silence reigns, weighing down the air around the two survivors, an invisible force…yet not quite bordering on unpleasant, he decides.

After all, they both liked silence, preferring to communicate through simple gestures and eye contact rather than through sound.

He turns to face her at last, but his mouth remains in a firm line, and no noise escapes his throat. Their eyes meet, a concentric fiery crimson clashing fiercely with a cool, calming azure.

No survivors then? she inquires without uttering a single word.

None. He looked almost wistful for a moment, but it was gone within the second as if it was never there to begin with.

Are you…regretful? Her stunning eyes were like windows to her soul…but they would only open to him…he was the key, and no one else…

Perhaps… He very much disliked the wariness he was expressing, but it could not be helped. Besides, it was only the two of them, and nobody else. The leader of a fallen terrorist organization, and his loyal companion. So it didn’t matter. It had never mattered. And it never will.

She takes a few steps towards him, until the two are a mere three feet away. The moon was already high in the darkening sky, overbearing all the dust-sized stars sprinkled randomly along the dark canopy above. Its ivory beams highlighted the curves and indents of her face, causing the ever-present flower in her hair to blanche. She was not gorgeous, yet she was never ugly in the brilliance of the silvery night orb…

What do you propose we do now?

He remained silent, half hoping foolishly that she may supply the answer for him. But the woman was now waiting for him to reply…and she would not offer anything more until he answers her silent question.

He broke their eye contact at last, tilting his head back and pretending to observe the night sky. In reality, he was stalling. What was he to do now that the Akatsuki has failed? What was left to do? His loyal partner, acquaintance…perhaps even friend would be disappointed that the person she has looked up to for so long was already giving up.

Pein…

A slender hand enclosed his, and he could feel the calluses on them, born from years and years of training…training in hopes that it would aid her on her quest to control the world…a quest that no longer existed.

Slowly, he turned. For once in his life, he was unwilling to meet those clear, cobalt orbs. In doing so, he would have to reveal everything to the woman…reveal that it was over, all over…crush her dreams…his dreams…

Pein…are you giving up?

Was it really that obvious?

He waited patiently for her hand to leave his, to watch her back away, shaking her head in disgust at his weakness. Then she would turn her back on him…swallowed up by the horizon, the last and most faithful member of the Akatsuki…gone like the rest of the organization…

Her hand remained in his. If anything, it gripped his tighter. He dared a glance at the pale kunoichi. She did not move.

We lost the battle…but not the war. We’ll build another Akatsuki, even stronger than the last. We’ll build it together. The Akatsuki survives as long as you survive, Pein…

She gave his hand a quick squeeze.

...and nothing else matters.

He finally faced her completely, and felt a sudden, unfamiliar urge to hug her, kiss her, tell her everything that could convey his relief, his gratitude, his…

But those were human emotions, and he was hardly human anymore.

Yet, that was fine.

Because she understood.

And as long as she understands…

…Nothing else matters.

Nothing else...

...Except for her.

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I have a sneaky suspicion there's a lot of grammar mistakes in this story...

Very, truly sorry if Pein was too OOC (which I'm sure he was), and also because this story was just too darn short!!

PS. This PeinxBlue pairing needs more fics!!! It is currently my second fav. pairing next to Sasusaku. C'mon people! Write!!!