Chapter 2

Kakuzu stared back at the sandy-blonde female in front of him that was trying very hard to avoid eye contact. It was quite understandable, but then again, it made no sense to him. The answer was simple - she had no money and could not pay him for his services. At least she was facing it somewhat head on. It would've been a pain if he had to play a mediocre game of hide-and-seek.

"I say we go ahead and kill her." Hidan shrugged. "She's already served her purpose."

Nozomi's eyes widened as she turned behind herself to look at the silver-headed male who didn't seem to have a care in the world. "W-wait! You can't kill me!" Her heartbeat was pounding in her chest as she was trying to think of what to say. There wasn't much she could do about her home and belongings so what could she possibly do?

"And why not?" Kakuzu asked, slightly curious of what her answer would be. "We had an agreement and you are unable to keep your word."

"Actually, we agreed on a price, but never the exact time that I would pay you." Nozomi faced Kakuzu again. "All I said was that it would be after the bounty was complete-"

Suddenly, three red blades came into the female's view and stopped mere centimeters from her neck. Nozomi let out a soft shriek of surprise and could feel her soul nearly leaving her body.

"I don't think you realize the position you're in, you little shit." Hidan cocked his head to the side, raising an eyebrow in sick humor. He had appeared at the side of Nozomi, holding his scythe in front of her with the intent to sacrifice her like he had wanted when they had first met. "I think we could get a decent fucking price by selling your body parts at the black market."

"P-Please! I'll do anything!" Nozomi held her bound together wrists up to her chest as she pleaded. "I'll be able to pay you, I swear!"

"What can you do?" Kakuzu stepped forward towards her. Too scared to move, Nozomi stayed in her spot and looked up at the male's towering figure. So this was what it was like to be on the opposing side? Before, she had been getting along with him… well, she thought she was. Suddenly, everything was different.

"Well, I can…"

"You have no shinobi skills." Kakuzu explained, pushing Hidan's scythe out of the way as he finally stood directly in front of her. "You have no money, no home, and no family. So, let me ask you again. What can you do, Nozomi Shidou?"

With each sentence that he said, the blonde physically winced. Sure, everything he said was true, but it felt different when it was said aloud. She barely had any shinobi skills, she was evicted from her home, and all of her family members were deceased. What could she do? How could she be beneficial to him?

"I can… Actually!" Nozomi gasped as a thought crossed her mind. "I know where my father hid some of his money. I can start with that, then work off the rest with whatever task you give me!" Once upon a time, Kakuzu had given her the ultimatum - die now or die later. Right now, anything was better than nothing.

"We don't even have to take her to the black market." Hidan rested his scythe against his shoulder. "I can fucking kill her right now."

"Shut up." Kakuzu warned his partner, not even bothering to look in his direction. Turning his attention back to Nozomi, he spoke again. "And how much is that?"

Nozomi thought to herself. She wasn't sure how much her father had stored away but any amount could at least get her started. "I'm not sure, but I know it's buried in the yard. I can take you with me."

Hidan frowned as Kakuzu was entertaining the idea. Hadn't they already done enough with the girl? Why were they still playing babysitter? This was the worst trip he had gone on yet.

A flash of chakra interrupted Hidan's thoughts and he looked down at the ring that was on his finger. Perfect. Just perfect. Their leader was calling them back, which meant that they probably had a new task to complete. With a small smirk, he looked at his partner as he repositioned his hand on his scythe. All they needed to do was kill the girl now and they could be on their way.

"Well… looks like we need to get going." Hidan let out a fake sigh. "What a shame and we can't waste anymore time so… would you prefer a quick sacrifice with or without bloodshed?"

"She's coming with us." Kakuzu told a hold of Nozomi's arm.

Nozomi looked at Kakuzu in shock. Hidan shared her expression, but it quickly formed into irritation as he stared down at the sand haired female. The two spoke at the same time, which further agitated the Jashinist.

"I'm going where?"

"She's going where?"

Taking out a kunai, Kakuzu held it to Nozomi's wrist and the female's eyes widened. Last time, he gave her a final proposition when they were together like this.

"She's coming with us." The tall male repeated. With one swift move, he cut the ropes that were wrapped around her wrists. "The bounty isn't over until payment is received. She knows better than to run away and she'll be working off her debt indefinitely."

Hidan stared at Kakuzu's back in disbelief as he started walking. That money hungry bastard wasn't keeping the girl around because she owed him a debt; he had grown fond of her. Of course, he knew better than to bring it up because he was never going to admit it.

Nozomi, cautiously eyeing the silver haired male, took a couple hesitant steps before running to catch up to Kakuzu's stride. For now, she has escaped death. Regardless of if her home was repossessed or not, the Hidden Mist wouldn't do anything with the land any time soon since it was outside of the village limits, so she had some time to find the buried money whenever they returned.

₪•₪•₪•₪•₪•₪

It was rainy and cold in Amegakure as the trio arrived. The heavy industrial accents in the village were a bit of a cultural shock to Nozomi, who had always been surrounded by woodlands and low-flying clouds. The journey had been long as they moved quickly through various countries, but it was fairly silent. Although she had traveled with them before, she still struggled to keep up with their pace so the only thing she could think of at the moment was laying down to take a nap.

Kakuzu led the group to one of the buildings that seemed to point daggers into the sky. Nozomi glanced around curiously as they walked inside. On the seventh floor at the end of the hallway, the ex-Taki nin opened the door to an apartment. It looked barely used and as Nozomi stepped inside, she wondered if he ever lived here.

"Stay here until I get back." Kakuzu ordered as he stood in the doorway. "Don't open the door for anyone."

"I'm not a little kid…" Nozomi murmured to herself as she nodded in agreement of his instructions. Hidan narrowed his eyes at the female until the door was shut, leaving Nozomi alone by herself.

Walking around, Nozomi studied her surroundings, her previous fatigue fading to the back of her mind. There was a small kitchen and a common area, then off to the side was a bedroom with an attached bathroom; it was a basic one bedroom apartment. She figured this was probably what a shinobi's home would look like - an empty place to lay your head between missions. Taking in a small breath, she let out a couple of sneezes. This was an empty place full of dust for sure.

Finding an old towel, the blond went to work cleaning up the apartment. Once the kitchen and common area were swept and dusted, she moved to the bedroom. It was just as barren as the previous spaces which left little to her imagination. What kind of person was Kakuzu-san? She knew he liked money and spent his free time taking bounties. He also saved her life and hasn't killed her yet, so he didn't seem like a bad person to her.

Opening one of the drawers to the single dresser on the wall, she noticed two different items inside - a grey headband and a black mask similar to the one Kakuzu always had on his face. Kakuzu usually wears a grey hood on his head, so maybe he wore that headband before he changed his style? Picking up the mask, Nozomi's mind drifted back as she stared at it. She remembered sitting in a cave with the rain pouring down just like today. She had helped Kakuzu with a wound and they had a pleasant conversation before she had inquired about his mask. They had gotten close and she immediately blushed at the thought, placing the mask back in the drawer. Sheesh, what was she doing going through his personal things?

It felt like hours had passed after Nozomi was done. She had made her way back into the common area and sat down on the sofa after finding nothing else on her cleaning spree. When was Kakuzu going to come back for her? He didn't even say where he was going. Her stomach let out a low grumble and she pulled her knees to her chest. There was nothing in the refrigerator, which didn't matter because it wasn't plugged in anyways, and the cabinets were empty. The rain had stopped almost an hour ago so maybe she could go out and try to find some food.

Checking to make sure she had everything, Nozomi left the apartment and put her cloak hood over her head. She had a little bit of money in her emergency pouch, so hopefully they accepted Kirigakure currency. From what she had heard in school, Amegakure was vastly diverse, so she should be okay.

The streets were bare as Nozomi walked alone. The sky was still overcast and she couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something in the air that made her feel uneasy. Perhaps if she just kept her head down and walked fast, she'd be able to find some food and get back to Kakuzu's apartment. A little ways down the street, she found a small fruit stand. Fortunately the man running it accepted her money, so she was able to buy a few apples to hold her over until Kakuzu returned.

As she walked back from where she came, Nozomi started to eat one of the apples. Something still didn't feel right and she stood in her spot for a moment. It felt as if someone was watching her. Looking up, the blond glanced around until her eyes landed on the tallest building in the sky. There was a face connected to the side of the building with the tongue sticking out. Was there someone up there?

"My, my… Are you new here, little one?" A voice asked behind Nozomi. A chill went up the female's spine as she slowly turned around in shock to see the head of a man that was half black and half white sticking out of the ground. "What do you know about the apartment that you walked out of earlier?"