He screamed after her. "Aria! No!" the dust engulfed her tiny body, and after the smoke cleared, she was gone. The love of his life, gone. He began to scream every curse word he knew, hoping that if he was angry enough, she would magically appear in front of his eyes. But she was gone, and there was nothing more he could do.

"Aria…!" he sat up, covered in sweat. He rubbed his eyes, realizing, thankfully, it was just a dream. He looked to the left of him to see his precious Aria asleep next to him. It was just a bad dream… His eyes flicked up and down her body. She was naked. Oh yeah… that happened earlier… He chuckled to himself, sliding his hand down his face. His heart was still pounding, but not aching like it had been in his nightmare.

Kakuzu's love for Aria was indescribable, and for him, almost impossible. All his life, he never cared about anyone, or anything, except money. He was a greedy, heartless bastard, he knew that. His soul was corrupted. He didn't know what love was before he met Aria. His only "love" was for the green paper he so tirelessly chased after every waking moment he had. But all of that was before he met that pink-haired girl.

There was something about her that made him so in love with her. Maybe it was the way her eyes lit up when she looked at him. Maybe it was when she talked to strangers at the market, asking them about their lives, their families, their children, and how intrigued and fascinated she would become. Or maybe he's in love with her because she's in love with him, too.

He knew she was too good for him. Anyone could see that. She was beautiful, he wasn't. She was far too nice, and he hated almost everyone. She was selfless and forgiving, where he was merciless and selfish. He always put himself first, unless it came to her.

Countless times people had given her dirty looks for being seen with him. But she didn't care what anyone else thought. He was never worthy of her, and he wouldn't ever be. He was aware that she was too beautiful, too sweet, too loving, too perfect to ever be with him. But somehow, for some unexplainable reason, she chose to be with him.

The man's hand rested on her bare leg, and he moved his hand up to her thigh, then stopped, taking in her beauty. Her whole body glowed from the moonlight that snuck in from the window. He looked at her face, and saw her eyes twitch from dreaming. He couldn't help but smile slightly. That was the first time he smiled since he joined the Akatsuki.

Kakuzu had begun to zone out, half asleep, half awake, as he stayed sitting up in bed. The gentle touch of his love shook him out of this state.

"Kakuzu?" Aria whispered faintly, her hand on his, "are you alright?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?" she was confused.

"Yes, Aria," he looked at her, his green eyes even more piercing from the reflection of the moon, "I'm just thinking."

"About what?" she sat up, running her fingers through her hair. "Is there something bothering you?"

"No, of course not…" he said, "I'm just… happy." She said nothing, only leaning forward and pressing her body against his chest. "You are my happiness, Aria." She blushed at his words. "I have never felt this way before… It's so strange to me. All my life, I believed I was content with it - killing people, getting bounties for it. That's what I did every single day for so many years. I thought I was okay with my life how was, but I never realized how shitty and worthless my life was… until I met you."

"Kaku -"

"Stop, Aria. Listen to me, because I will only be like this once. I don't like being vulnerable, so listen closely." She closed her mouth. "My feelings for you… they're unlike anything I have experienced before. I am not in love with you because you're beautiful; yes, you are extraordinarily beautiful, no one can deny that. But your beauty is not why I love you. I love you because of who are you as a person. You have a kind heart, a loving heart, and that can be your downfall if you're not careful… caring about someone always makes you at risk, of course. Because you never know when they might leave, when they might be taken out of your life. I never cared about anyone before. I didn't think anyone could ever be worth my time. I deemed pieces of paper as more important than a heartbeat. But then came you…"

He drifted off, and his tone changed the next time he spoke. He sounded almost as if he was on the verge of tears.

"I care about you more than money. When it comes to you, I don't give a shit about that. I would give up everything for you. You know that, don't you?" Aria nodded, her fingers brushing over his in the darkness. "I guess what I'm trying to say… is that I love you." And that's when her heart stopped. "And I never thought you could love me, too." he trailed off again, and his hand grabbed hers. He could hear her crying. "Aria?"

"Kakuzu…" she whispered, her voice shaky, "I love you, too." Kakuzu lifted her chin gently, his thumb wiping away her tears. He stared into her eyes, which he could barely see. Then, he planted a kiss on her forehead.

"I guess you really are a softy, huh?" she teased quietly, looking up into his eyes. They pierced through hers.

"Shut up and go to bed," he turned away, embarrassed that he had opened up so much to her. She laughed, her angelic laugh, before kissing his cheek and cuddling up next to him.

I guess this is love, he decided before he fell into sweet slumber.