Me: Hi lovely readers! I bring to you a story I began shortly after I started "My Immortal", which for those of you who don't know is my Hidan fanfic. I love the Zombie Duo so much I had to put them in the top of my arsenal. Anyway, the song for this chapter is "Not Over" by Daughtry.
*Insert Disclaimer here*
A Friend?
The night was hot one summer evening in the Village Hidden in a Waterfall, the chilly breeze packed down with mist making the heat somewhat bearable. A good thing in that particular case since the night was host to a festival that everyone in the village attended in merriment...except for one in particular. Away from the lights, laughter, and music in the crowd of ignorant festival goers was a cave behind one of the smaller waterfalls that inhabited the village. Within sat a girl of eight years, knees pulled up and innocent little face buried in her arms. Her snow white hair, freshly cut, bobs lightly with each individual curl, her skin the same color which in turn gave her the appearance of a small porcelain doll. Marring the perfection of her skin is several bloody gashes and bluish bruises covering her frail arms and cheeks. The blood itself had seeped into her light blue tank top and down to her more darkly tinted shorts. Dirt and mud coats her bare feet, though she doesn't notice the cooler temperatures around her in the rushing water or the air itself. When she lifts her head her midnight blue eyes are revealed, tears in them shimmering like an ocean of sorrow; each one that falls lands on a wound, ultimately healing it while washing away the blood so that there isn't so much as a flawing mark.
It was always like this. Only recently did she begin coming to this hideaway though. It somewhat calmed her, gave her a home away from the one she dared not even refer to by the word. Her entire clan was cold-hearted, aristocratic, and blood thirsty. Literally on all counts. They saw her as a failure and this was the result. The one exception she could think of was her older prodigy brother, who attempted to show her compassion in the midst of her abusive family.
Her crying had only intensified the longer she stayed in her haven however, so much so that she hiccupped. "I hate them!"
"Hate who?" The deep, boyish voice had startled the poor girl into crying even harder, afraid to reply. Unbeknownst to those outside her clan she could see every inch of the pitch black cavern, but saw no one with her. When it spoke again she froze. "I asked once out of courtesy, I'm not obliged to continue if you don't answer me." She wondered if she should pass up the opportunity to freely converse with someone who wasn't scolding her, if she could...
"My clan," she whimpers. "Each time it takes longer to get better." She listens intently for a reply, desperate for a conversation. When silence follows she sobs quietly.
"Crying won't help." She stops, knowing now where the voice was coming from. She crawls over to the wall opposite her, sitting next to a hole between the rocks. The person speaking was no doubt on the other side of the cave.
"I don't know what else to do though," she says. This mystery guy was her last hope, her guardian angel of sorts. She needed his advice whoever he was.
"Well for starters you can stop with the water works, we have enough of that around here." She nods with a sniffle, straightening and pressing her ear to the cold, damp rock. Her tears cease completely. "From what I can tell, you need to train."
"Train?" she asks, swallowing nervously.
"Well obviously you're weak. You're gonna have to work if you want things to get any better." She couldn't deny that his words were true, she hadn't a hope in hell of defending herself against her cruel clan or anything really. True she carried on the strength and power of her clan's bloodline but she was not a trained fighter or a skilled killer like her brother. Her primal instincts had yet to kick in and she lacked any of the perks of her clan's almost supernatural abilities.
"Well, they're sending me to the ninja academy tomorrow. They said that if I'm a ninja then at least I'm not a complete waste of life..." Silence ensues after this, the girl hanging on every word that would soon come from this stranger. The shuffling of paper could be heard but she dared not disrupt his train of thought by asking questions about it. She breathes a sigh of relief when she hears him clear his throat.
"Do you know where the kunoichi training grounds are?" he asks.
"Yes but-"
"I start there tomorrow as well...Look, this is the first and last time these words are ever going to pass my lips but, if you want a friend then meet me there tomorrow before class." She was speechless at his kind offer. She wanted to scream for joy and thank him a thousand times over.
"How will I know who you are? Shouldn't I at least see you once first?"
"Trust me, you'll know. Everyone always does...Anyway, I'm Kakuzu."
"I'm Nikita." With a grunt of acknowledgement Kakuzu goes silent once more, obviously not a chatterbox. The rustling of paper however got the young girl's attention once more. "Um Kakuzu, what are you doing over there by yourself?"
"Counting my earnings for the night."
"Earnings?"
"Mhm, I always pickpocket at festival time." He says so like it's perfectly normal. Nikita however is confused.
"Why?" Her family was the crown jewel of the village. They were a large and powerful clan that had always been above others because of their influence and because of this she never worried about money problems despite the poor treatment she received.
"How old are you?" Kakuzu asks after a moment of silence.
"Eight."
"Well that explains it. I'm eleven. Here's the size of it okay? Money is what makes the world go 'round. It gives reassurance of loyalty because human greed is the only certain emotion EVERYONE possesses. It's the value that keeps order in the world, so without it the world falls into chaos. Those who possess money, possess the world." This was completely new to the porcelain skinned girl. Never before had she heard such opinions and never had they really made much sense until he had explained them.
"Wow, I never thought about it like that. You're really smart Kakuzu!" she beams.
"Well I like to think so." He didn't say but it was nice to have his ego stroked for once, to have someone look up to him. She giggles but her internal clock silences her. Morning was approaching.
"I have to get back before sunrise...you'll really be there tomorrow?"
"Well it's not like I've got anything better to do." Her eyes light up in excitement as she runs from the cave, a skip in her step.
"Awesome!"
Unknown to her Kakuzu was bracing himself for the worst, rejection upon first sight like everyone proved when they looked at him. He learned as a young boy that the human race was cruel to those who were different, so he didn't expect this victimized little girl to treat him any differently. The only difference this time would be that he couldn't allow his temper to get the best of him when the screams began...He had enough decency for that at least.
"Hmph, friends. If only..."
Well I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my Kakuzu legacy. I do love this insanely sexy old geezer! 'Til next time!