Chapter 3

Nozomi stood in the middle of the concrete pathway, staring down at the head protruding out of the ground. The bits of apple left in her mouth started to taste like sandpaper as she quickly swallowed them. Where did this man come from and how did he know that she had come out of Kakuzu's apartment? How long had he been watching her?

"I just recently moved here…" She answered cautiously, unable to mask the shock in her voice. "I should really go home now…" Taking a step back, she was able to head back to the apartment when she turned around, only to see the male standing in front of her. Surprised, she dropped her apples, the fruit aimlessly rolling away from her.

"How interesting." The man smiled at her. His voice was teasing, but it only made her feel more uncomfortable. More of his body was showing this time - up to his torso. He was indeed half black and half white, and he had a plant-like structure enclosing him, similar to a venus fly trap opening. "But I already know who really lives there, so you must be lying."

Kakuzu didn't tell her she couldn't leave, but it was most likely an unspoken rule. Unfortunately, she still didn't know where he went or how long he was going to be gone. She also didn't know anything about the people who lived here, which probably further confirmed the fact that she shouldn't have left the apartment. The man in front of her didn't seem like someone she could trust so she needed to escape somehow.

Pulling out a kunai from her emergency pouch, Nozomi held it in front of her with both hands. Unfortunately, her hands were shaking so she didn't seem all that threatening but she slowly took a couple steps back to create some distance. "Who are you?"

"My apologies, I never introduced myself. My name is Zetsu." The plant man grinned. "What are you going to do with a weapon like that, little girl?"

Narrowing her eyes, Nozomi prepared herself. Her brother had taught her some shinobi basics so she was going to use them to make a run for it. Discreetly, she unraveled part of the cloth on the kunai's handle, which revealed part of an explosive tag. In one move, she threw the kunai at Zetsu's head and took off running in the opposite direction, covering her ears with her hands while counting in her head.

Three…

Two…

One…

There was a loud explosion followed by a cloud of dark smoke. Hopefully it was enough for her to hide somewhere, then once the coast was clear, she could find her way back to Kakuzu's apartment. Turning the corner to the right, Nozomi ran a little more before stopping behind one of the taller buildings to catch her breath. Her ears were still ringing from being so close to the explosion, but overall she was okay. Peeking around the corner, she scanned the area to see if the suspicious man had followed her.

"Now, that wasn't nice…" A voice spoke up from over her shoulder. "I have to admit, that attack did hurt a little. If it wasn't for my abilities, that probably would've been quite a burn."

Nozomi's eyes widened and she let out a shriek of surprise as she jumped away from Zetsu. Once again, he had reappeared out of nowhere. Choosing flight instead of fight, she ran back the way she had come.

"Wait, where are you going? Let's play some more, little girl." Zetsu called after her. "I usually end my games with a feast."

Make a left, pass three buildings, then go up the stairs. Nozomi repeated these words to herself with every step she took. This was all her fault; all she had to do was follow directions, but she had gotten hungry. Now, she had to hurry back before she wouldn't have a 'next time'. Her lungs were burning from exhaustion, but she couldn't stop now. Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and no plant monster in sight, she quickly made her way up the flights of stairs to Kakuzu's apartment.

There was a familiar person at the door to the apartment once she stepped into the hallway. Grateful, she ran over before placing her hands on her knees to catch her breath and speak at the same time. "Kakuzu-san! I'm...really sorry I left the apartment! I didn't....open the door for anyone...I just got a little hungry and...I had remembered a fruit stand from before. Then...this weird plant person started....following me and I had to run, but…" Placing her hand on her chest, she looked up at Kakuzu with a smile. "I'm really glad that you're back!"

Kakuzu looked down at the female for a moment before raising his hand and petting the top of her head tenderly. Nozomi blinked in shock of his actions, a faint blush forming across her cheeks.

"What are you…?" The sandy blond asked shyly.

"I told you not to open the door, but I'm glad you're okay, little girl."

At that moment, Nozomi froze. Little...girl? She had been tricked and it was too late for her to try and make a run for it again. 'Kakuzu' melted into a large white mass that started to engulf her body. The female tried to scream but no sound seemed to come out. It felt like the life was being sucked out of her body and she started to feel lightheaded.

"Fighting it isn't going to change anything. You should be going to sleep soon." Zetsu said with a shrug as he appeared out of the ground in the hallway. Nozomi's vision was starting to blur but she could make out the venus flytrap head easily. Now that she could see their whole body, she noticed that he was wearing the same cloak as Kakuzu and Hidan. Could Kakuzu really be affiliated with someone like this? What did he even want with her?

She tried to stay awake as long as possible, but her body started to give out on her. Soon enough, the hallway started to fade into darkness and she lost consciousness.

₪•₪•₪•₪•₪•₪

Nagato stood in front of his Akatsuki members with Konan at his side. As he proceeded with their meeting, he explained the success of their endeavors so far and their next steps. Having a fair amount of missions to hand out, he gave all of the teams their choice in which mission to choose.

"We'll take the finance mission." Kakuzu spoke first, causing his partner to scowl in distaste.

"You're really fucking annoying." Hidan rolled his eyes as everyone else started taking the leftover missions. Every chance this man had, he was going to choose money over everything. They were never able to do anything fun because 'you can't damage the merchandise'. What a bunch of bullshit.

"Must suck to suck, hm?" Deidara smirked as he and Sasori claimed an assassination mission.

Hidan turned to the blond, his hand itching to grab his scythe with a smile. "You know what? I've been waiting to kill a bitch like you for a while now."

"I'd like to see you try, hm." Deidara cocked his head up in confidence. "You'd probably make a great piece of art in my collection."

"You're dismissed." Nagato spoke after watching the scene unfold. As everyone started leaving, he knew that everything was going according to plan. The bickering was only superficial as he knew it wouldn't get in the way with the main purpose of the organization.

Kakuzu and Hidan were the last to leave. As they were headed to the exit, Zetsu appeared out of the ground with a grin. The ex-Taki nin narrowed his eyes as the obstacle in his way was blocking the door. It was obvious that there was some intent behind his actions.

"What do you want?" Kakuzu stared down at Zetsu.

The latter simply kept smiling. "I figured I'd show you something before we move forward." A white mass materialized in the middle of the room, similar to how Zetsu appeared. As it started to disappear, an unconscious body was left over. Glancing over, Kakuzu and Hidan saw the black cloak, then the sandy blond hair, immediately recognizing who it was.

Shit… Hidan placed his arms behind his head. She'd finally done it now.

Knowing they knew who it was, Zetsu walked towards Nagato and Konan. "I found a rat snooping around. Since she came out of your apartment, I thought it was best to confront you first."

Yeah, and just so happen to have the leader around to witness as well, Kakuzu thought to himself in irritation. As he looked at the body, there was a faint chakra signature so she was still alive. She escaped death the first time, so hopefully she has that same luck this time around.

"What is the meaning of this?" Nagato asked Kakuzu, eyeing the unresponsive female on the ground.

"I accepted a bounty from her in between missions. It turned out to be more than just a simple assassination, however it was beneficial in providing some interesting information on revivals." Kakuzu explained, seeing no point in trying to come up with a lie. After all, he did nothing wrong. "Now she is in debt to me and is my servant."

Nagato looked back at Kakuzu, uninterested in the female. "What information is that?"

"What does she know?" Konan asked as well.

"I have information on a jutsu that can bring back the dead using a host, as well as a couple other jutsu." Kakuzu stood still, not wanting to raise any unnecessary suspicion if he tried to approach Nozomi's body. "And as far as she's concerned, my partner and I are simply bounty hunters. She's a mere civilian with no knowledge of the Akatsuki. I'm sure you experienced that first hand when you subdued her."

"Tch." Zetsu tilted his head, stopping himself from rolling his eyes. It was true that she seemed to pose no threat physically, but she still had a mouth. "Say she were to figure it out though… This could be an unnecessary mole in the organization. It would be best to take care of the issue now."

Hidan scoffed. "That's a pretty fucking big assumption to put on a nobody like her."

"Does she hold any value to you aside from being your servant?" Konan stared directly at Kakuzu.

Kakuzu paused as he thought about the question. Amidst finding the words to explain, his mind was quickly clouded with memories - their first meeting, their travels, their connection, the cave, the fight… He had grown used to her. No, that wasn't it. He had grown used to his partner, but with her, it was different. He had grown acquainted with her. 'Thank you, Kakuzu-san.' Those words that were filled with so much emotion. He was needed by her, and unbeknownst to him, he needed her too.

"She has no family, no home, and no outstanding abilities." Kakuzu continued to speak. "The intel gathered, however, could be pivotal in the completion of the mission my partner and I were assigned; I have already assessed the pros and cons. That is where I see her value. If she does anything suspicious, then I will kill her myself." He doubted that it would ever have to come to that, but right now, he needed to say whatever would resolve the situation.

There was a moment of silence as the tension in the room rose. Kakuzu's stubbornness and Hidan's irritation faced off against Zetsu's attempted manipulation. Konan looked at the girl once more before turning back to Nagato. If what Kakuzu was saying was true, then there was no need for lethal action against her.

"Fine." Nagato finally spoke. "I will hold you to your word."

"Huh?" Zetsu looked at the Akatsuki leader, puzzled. "What a surprising answer..."

Hidan smirked victoriously. On the outside, he was satisfied that they could go ahead and leave, but on the inside, he was relieved. This fucking brat better count her lucky stars. As for his partner, he already knew the man had a temper. He may have been holding it in now, but she better prepare herself. On the other hand, once all this Akatsuki shit was over with, Zetsu was going to be the first on his hit list.

Kakuzu nodded to Nagato and walked over, picking up Nozomi and throwing her over his shoulder. Thankfully, that went over well. If he had to lose her again, he wouldn't have known what his next actions were. Heading back to his apartment with Hidan, Kakuzu let out a slow breath. Judging by the slight stir in her chakra, she would be waking up soon. He could already feel the agitation building in his mind as he tried to figure out why she would disobey his orders.