Chapter 3 - Kakuzu Thought
Kakuzu thought that a child in the organization was a stupid idea. No, he didn't think it, he knew it. But this was Itachi after all, the powerful Uchiha who had killed so many without batting an eye. They couldn't just do away with the kid. Kakuzu knew he'd have to just accept it. There was no choice in the matter. Pein was right. Itachi was important to the Akatsuki. After all, Kakuzu was the one who counted all the money, and aside from Pein's income, and the cash from his bounty hunting, Itachi brought in the most money.
But a three year old? In a hideout filled of S-ranked criminals? Kakuzu didn't think it a genius idea. He thought they should just get rid of Orochimaru, he was a threat to the Akatsuki anyways, and then send away Kisame and Itachi. They could come back once the kid was back to normal. If that ever happened. Kakuzu suggested to Pein after he'd done the dishes that he get Sasori to take a look at Itachi, see if there was any residue left of the jutsu. Perhaps it was a potion used on him, one that Sasori could reverse. Pein had agreed, and had gone off to find the redhead.
He didn't know how well that was going. He was in his own room, where he usually was, and counted the money. His room consisted of a bed, a dresser filled with a bit of clothes, and a very large sewing kit. This was more for smaller jobs, like ripped clothing. For physical wounds his own thread did fine. There was also a writting desk, where he was currently seated. Papers were flowing all around it, on the floor, in the drawers, and all over the surface. Kakuzu held count of every penny spent in the Akatsuki.
A pen in hand, he was jotting down on a sheet of paper the recent incomes. The mission that Itachi and Kisame had gone on had brought back nothing, only a bad side effect. The ring that had been destroyed wasn't replaceable, and he wrote that down. There wasn't much else he could put down. He still had to do the usual check of the hideout to see what repairs needed to be done. There were always repairs, what with the members having short fuses. Himself included. After the first big fight he had with Hidan within the hideout, the costs of repairs had been so high that he almost had a heart attack. He avoided fights within the hideout after that.
Putting away his papers and pen, he stood up from his seat and exited his room. It was nearing one, and he didn't expect many people to be in the hideout. He was right to expect that. Sasori and Deidara had gone outside to train, Pein and Konan had gone somewhere, and Zetsu had gone to his greenhouse. Hidan was, though he didn't actually see him, probably in his room doing a ritual of some kind. Konan, most likely after a long talk and a lot of persuasion, had put Itachi in Kisame's care. Kakuzu found those two in the kitchen.
He wasn't surprised at all to see Kisame eating. That man ate enough to feed an army. Kakuzu hated counting the money spent on food. It almost hurt physically to see all those numbers adding up. But, he had to accept that at six-foot-four, the fishman had to have food. He scowled at the giant of a man as he entered the kitchen. (1)
Kisame was leaning against one of the counters, and Itachi was sitting on one of the stools next to the island in the middle of the kitchen. Kisame was talking to the child, and he in turn would put in words here and there to keep the conversation going. Itachi talked as much as he did as an adult, except at least as a kid he seemed to be enjoying the conversation.
"You shouldn't talk with your mouth full." Kakuzu said, interrupting the other man.
"Don't preach me about manners." Kisame grinned though, not taking offence. Nothing ever insulted him.
"Are there any repairs that need to be made in yours, or Itachi's, rooms'?" Kakuzu went straight to the point.
"Nope." Kisame said, after taking a bite of his sandwich. He enjoyed ticking off the other, but knew when to ease off.
Kakuzu's eyes went to the child seated quietly. Itachi's eyes met his, then went straight to the floor. He looked him up and down, then turned his gaze to Kisame, "He needs shoes." He pointed out.
"I know," Kisame frowned slightly, "He also needs a better outfit. I'm planning on taking him shopping later. It just depends if Deidara wants to come or not."
"Deidara?"
"He knows more about clothes than I do."
"I see...Don't spend too much." Was all Kakuzu said before leaving the room to continue assessing the repairs needed elsewhere in the hideout.
Kisame shoved the rest of the sandwich in his mouth, and stepped away from the counter. "Come on, Itachi, let's go find Deidara. He's outside with Sasori. I'm sure he'll want to come with us." He said after swallowing the rest of the food.
"Alright." Itachi jumped down from the seat and went over to Kisame. The two started walking over to the entrance. As the two walked passed a couple of the bedroom's, Hidan's door opened wide. He had finished one of his ritual, his cloak all covered in blood and dripping to the floor, made that obvious. He was on his way to take a shower to clean off.
"Hidan!" Kisame put a hand in front of Itachi's eyes. The child's face was a noticeable shade paler. The fishman's expression and tone showed clear anger towards the religious zealot.
"What?" The pink eyes looked at Kisame in annoyance, not even looking at the now-traumatized kid. Itachi hadn't moved an inch since Hidan's bedroom door opened.
"What did I tell you about your rituals? And Kakuzu's going to be pissed if you drip blood everywhere." Kisame turned Itachi away from Hidan, and picked up the shaking child. Itachi immediately wrapped his small arms around Kisame's neck, and burried his face in his neck, shielding his eyes from the gory sight. The fishman patted his back to help calm him down. He appeared calm, but inside he was also freaking a little. Itachi's fear of the blood and his clingyness was so out of the norm, that Kisame didn't know what to make of it.
"I did my ritual in my own damned room, prissy-pants, and I'm going to clean up after myself like I always do." Hidan said in disdain, "Pathetic." His eyes were on the young Uchiha. He started to walk away, heading towards the bathroom. (2)
"He's three you God-damned..." Kisame was too angry to think up anything insulting. He swore to himself that he'd make Hidan pay somehow, and continued his way out of the hideout. Itachi might feel better after seeing a bit of the outside world. Slowly the child stopped shaking so much, and he looked up at the fishman.
"I don't like him very much, Senpai." Itachi commented. His face was still a bit pale, his voice a bit shaky, but he seemed to be getting over the fear.
Kisame grinned at him, earning himself a small smile in return, and said, "Nobody does, kid. But you'll get used to him."
"I don't want to..." Itachi mumbled, leaning his head against the large man's shoulder.
"You don't really have to, either. You'll be spending most of your time with me, and probably Konan. She seems to really like you. Funny, I never really thought of her as a mother figure. I guess everybody's got a soft spot for kid's. But while you're with me, we'll have lots of fun together. I'm thinking of going to the beach tomorrow, or maybe after tomorrow. There's a really nice beach near here, and the waters are wonderful. There's just the right amount of salt in it..." Kisame continued to talk to Itachi. He was used to doing all the talking anyways, and wasn't disconcerted when nothing was said by the child.
Itachi found Kisame's rough voice surprisingly soothing, and it soon lulled him to sleep. He tried to stay awake, knowing that it's polite to listen when people are talking to you, but he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer, and fell into the temptation that was sleep.
Kisame exited the hideout to find that it was a perfect day to go out somewhere. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and there was just enough wind to keep cool. He followed the sounds of the explosions. Even from as far away as he was, he could hear Deidara's loud voice. Coming closer he could also hear Sasori's low droning. He entered the clearing, and was surprised that he didn't have to say anything to get their attention. Usually he had to yell over explosions to be heard. But today they seemed a little more alert. It probably had something to do with the fact that Pein had warned them that Orochimaru might come nearby.
Kisame doubted that the sound-nin would though. If Orochimaru had truly wanted Itachi then he would have taken him when he had the chance. The sannin already had Sasuke, he didn't need Itachi any longer. Kisame also figured that Orochimaru would know about Itachi's sickness, and that meant the Uchiha's body wouldn't be of any use to him.
"Hey, guys." Kisame called out to them. The two walked over to him, Deidara covered in dirt and Sasori back in his favorite puppet, Hiruko.
"Don't yell. You'll wake up the kid." Sasori told him.
"He's asleep?" Kisame was honestly surprised. He would of looked for himself if he could have. But Itachi was nestled right in the crook his neck, making him unable to move his head much.
"How did you not notice, yeah?" Deidara laughed at him.
"He talks as much awake as he does asleep." Kisame explained with a sheepish grin.
"Why are you here?" Sasori asked, getting to the point. He didn't like wasting time on conversation that lead nowhere.
"I came here to ask Deidara if he wanted to come shopping with me and Itachi. He needs some new clothes and I know you know more about that stuff than I do."
"Duh I know more about clothes than you do, yeah. You're about as fashionable as-"
"Don't start, Dei. I just want to know if you'll come. We're leaving now." Kisame interrupted the blonde.
"I suppose, yeah. Haven't gone shopping in a while anyways."
"Don't forget to bring me the kid later. I have to do the check-up that Leader-sama asked for." Sasori reminded the fishman. He'd agreed to check Itachi's blood for any type of poison, to see if the transformation was related to that.
"Yeah, I won't." Kisame promised. Suddenly, he felt the child in his arms stir. Itachi slowly opened his eyes, and pulled back to look up at Kisame, "How was the nap?" He grinned at the kid.
"I'm sorry, I fell asleep when you were talking." Itachi said softly, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"Don't worry about it, kid."
"You should sleep more Itachi, you've got dark circles under your eyes. Those are going to be permanent unless you get yourself a few good nights of sleep, yeah." Deidara went close to Itachi, and rubbed his thumb under the Uchiha's eyes. He was almost worried about the same eyes he had sworn to hate.
Itachi didn't move away, but his discomfort was obvious by the way he looked away from the blonde, "I have a hard time sleeping." He mumbled. The words sounded like they were meant to convinve them, but of what, they weren't sure.
"Why's that?" Kisame frowned. He was aware that the Itachi he knew had difficulty sleeping because of his sickness, but for his three year old self to have that same difficulty...He hoped to maybe get some concrete answers for once.
But he wouldn't get them. The child just shrugged his shoulders and kept his eyes down at the ground. Kisame shared a look with his two fellow Akatsuki members, and they decided to just drop the subject. Perhaps Kisame would be able to get the young Itachi to open up more with time.
"Time for some shopping then, yeah! We don't have all day, so let's get going." Deidara broke the silence.
"You're right. Did you want to come Sasori?" Kisame asked the puppet.
"No."
"Alright then..." Sasori left the trio and returned to the hideout.
"He doesn't like shopping, yeah." Deidara said as a way of explanation. But Kisame had spent a lot of time in the Akatsuki with Sasori, and was used to him being passive. He didn't find it insulting in the least.
The three of them made their way to the shopping center. It was a decent sized place on the outskirts of the star village. There were small stores attached to each other, all kinds, from a place to buy food to a place to buy clothes. This shopping center is where the Akatsuki members usually went to buy whatever they needed. It wasn't particularly busy and the people wouldn't recognize them or their cloaks. They chose one of the clothing stores that seemed to have child sizes inside. But once near the door, Kisame stopped walking, making Deidara stop too.
"Here Dei, take the kid." Kisame held out Itachi, who seemed frazzled because of being handled like an object, to Deidara.
The blonde awkwardly took the child into his arms, not knowing how to hold him. "Why, yeah?" He asked, managing to put Itachi in a comfortable position in his arms.
"If anyone asks you're the father. You'll pass better than I can." Kisame grinned, showing his pointed teeth.
"I guess, yeah..." Deidara looked down at the kid with an uncertain look on his face.
Itachi looked at Kisame with clear confusion, "But that's lying." He said almost scoldingly.
"It's to keep you safe, remember? Besides, it's just a small white lie. It won't hurt anybody." Kisame continued walking towards the store, and Deidara followed closely behind.
They entered the store and made their way to the kids section. As soon as they saw the small clothing, they immediately felt overwhelmed. They stopped and looked at each other.
"I've never been in this part of a store before, yeah." Deidara said, looking back at the clothing.
"It's all so...Small." Kisame didn't even know where to start.
"Well, when picking out an outfit you have to start with the pants, yeah. It's easier to match a shirt with pants than pants with a shirt. Shoes always come last, yeah." Deidara went over to a row of pants and started looking through them, holding the Uchiha in one arm. Kisame laughed at how natural it looked.
The blonde looked at him with one eyebrow raised, "What, yeah?" He huffed, sounding annoyed.
"Nothing...Nothing at all." Deidara just rolled his eyes and returned to examining the clothes.
Itachi tugged on Deidara's cloak to get his attention. One he had it, he asked him, "Can I go down, please?"
Deidara nodded and put the child on the ground, "Just don't get lost, yeah." His voice was apathetic, but it showed in his eyes that he did care a little. His eyes were see-through when it came to his emotions.
"Thank you." Itachi said politely.
The child went over to Kisame, letting Deidara return to browsing. He tugged at the fishman's cloak, and he looked down at the kid. "Can I go look over there, please?" Itachi asked him.
Kisame grinned, "Okay, kid. Don't go too far though."
"Thank you." Itachi was gone in the blink of an eye. Kisame wasn't worried at all, he may be three, but he was still Itachi. He was sure the kid could take care of himself for a few minutes at the very least.
"What are you looking for?" Kisame asked Deidara. He didn't bother looking, he knew Deidara would tell him whatever he chose would be all wrong.
"I'm looking for some of those black pants that are good for training in. He seems to like those, yeah." He replied.
"But he won't be training." Kisame's voice was stern.
"Chill, Danna, I know. They're just comfortable, yeah." Deidara held out a hand towards him in a 'cool it' manner, and Kisame couldn't help but stare at the tongue that slid over the sharp teeth that were in the center of the hand. Suddenly Deidara let out a sound of exasperation, "I don't want him in black, yeah!"
"Then don't put him in black."
The blonde glared at Kisame, "I won't, yeah." He looked around, "Where's the brat, yeah?"
"He wanted to go look elsewhere, weren't you listening?"
Deidara just brushed aside the question. He went over to another row of pants and sighed, "I just don't see him in any other colours, yeah. I'm so used to seeing him in the stupid Akatsuki cloak, yeah."
"That's right, that's the only thing you've ever seen him in."
"Yeah...Wait, you've seen him in something else, yeah?" Deidara looked at the fishman with a surprised expression on his face.
"When he first showed up he was in his ANBU uniform, and he takes off the cloak to sleep. Whenever he actually sleeps, that is."
"What's up with that, anyways? I mean, you know him the best of any of us, do you know why he can't sleep, yeah?" Deidara seemed almost concerned.
"Itachi's extremely discrete, you know that." Kisame avoided answering. He knew some of it, and had been sworn to secrecy not to say that part, but he knew there was more to it. Kisame only knew that Itachi was sick, to what extreme and how long it had been going on, he was in the dark. The fishman knew pretty much nothing about the Uchiha's childhood.
"I suppose, yeah..." Deidara didn't sound convinced, but let it drop. He continued to look around. No matter what he pulled out from the rack he would look at for a second before putting it back. Kisame started to regret asking the blonde to come shopping with him. Sure, he may know the most about clothes but he was slow at choosing some.
It was a few minutes later that Kisame felt a tug on his cloak. He looked down and the sight of the young Uchiha almost scared him. Itachi had actually snuck up on him. Giving his heart a second to calm down, he took in what the child was wearing. It seemed he had picked something out himself. It was a red yukata, with black flowers forming intricate patterns. A thick, black sash kept the yukata firmly in place. It fit the child perfectly, ending at the ankles and wrists.
"Well, what do we have here?" Kisame mumbled, and crouched down to be at Itachi's height.
Itachi put his arms out to the side, to show the yukata better, "I like this. It matches yours." He smiled hesitantly, trying to figure out what the other thought of it. He didn't know if he did well or not.
"It sure does." Kisame grinned, "I like it too, why don't you show it to Deidara? I'm sure he'd love to see it."
"Alright!" Itachi was visibly pleased by the others response, and happily went over to the blonde. He pulled gently on the black and red cloak to get his attention.
Deidara looked down at Itachi to see what he wanted, and he couldn't help himself from smiling at the sight. "That's a really pretty yukata, Itachi. Where did you find it, yeah?"
"Over there." Itachi pointed off to the right, "Do you like it?"
"Of course I do," Deidara picked up the child and held him in his arms, "I'm guessing it's what you want, yeah?" He realized at that moment that that's exactly what he and Sasori had talked about that morning. He then realized, that Itachi would finally be getting something he wanted.
"If it's okay..." Itachi looked away, becoming shy again.
"You can have whatever you want Itachi, you're the one wearing it after all." Kisame said, coming closer to them. He'd been further away, watching Deidara shop, and being bored.
"Really? Thank you!" Itachi smiled for real, making the other two smile in return. It was different to see him smile, or be happy, and they found they liked it.
"Now, let's get you some shoes, yeah. You'll want some like ours, right?" Deidara asked, and they left the clothing area and headed towards the shoe aisle. Itachi bit his bottom lip, and slowly nodded his head.
It didn't take them long to pick out a pair of sandals for the young Uchiha. He wasn't very picky about what clothes he wore. Kisame got Itachi to take off the yukata so they could pay for it, and they went to the cash. Deidara held the child, while Kisame gave the objects to the cashier. The brunette scanning the items smiled at Itachi.
"What a beautiful child!" She commented.
Itachi looked at the floor, not saying a word. Deidara didn't know if he was supposed to say anything, and just looked around awkwardly. Kisame bit back a grin at both their discomfort, and handed the woman the money.
"Is he yours?" The brunette didn't seem perturbed by their silence.
"Uh, yeah." Deidara didn't sound very convincing, but she didn't seem to notice.
She handed him the bag with their items, and smiled brightly, "Have a great day!"
"You too, yeah."
The second they stepped out of the store Kisame burst out laughing, "You are such a kid, Dei!"
"I'm eighteen," He put a hand on Itachi's ear to make him unable to hear, the other was pressed up against his chest, "Asshole! I don't have any experience with children, yeah!"
"Well, now you will." Kisame grinned at him.
Itachi pushed at the hand against his ear, and pulled back from Deidara to see better. He looked at Kisame, "What's funny?" He asked. He didn't enjoy being purposely left out of the conversation, and it showed.
"I'm just laughing at Deidara's bad social skills, that's all." Kisame explained, unruffled by Deidara's glare. The blonde didn't retort, knowing that whatever came out wouldn't be suitable for kids. And the fishman couldn't help but comment on it, "I'm surprised you care about watching your language around younger audiences." He formed the phrase so as to not make it seem like he was directly talking about Itachi, but the child obviously knew it anyways.
"Innocence is art, yeah! It's fleeting...Only present in the youth of a life, disappearing the moment adulthood appears, yeah. It might as well be preserved while the chance is there."
"How poetic..." Kisame whispered to himself.
Itachi realized he would not be included in the conversation, and leant back against Deidara's chest. The blonde took notice of his annoyance. He walked off course a little and picked up a small flower from the side of the road. He gave it to Itachi, "Hear you go, Itachi. Do what you want with it, yeah."
"Thank you." Itachi said softly, taking the flower into his small hands.
Kisame looked at him confused, and he explained, "It'll keep him distracted, yeah."
"I see...Since when do you care about...?" The fishman's eyes went to the child. But he could have said the name. Itachi was ignoring them now. His attention was completely on the small white flower. His fingers going over the petals daintily, almost as if afraid to harm it.
Deidara shrugged, "I like kids, and well, Danna gave me a lecture about being nice to him, yeah."
"Sasori? He gave you a lecture?" The blonde nodded, "Well, that's a first."
"What do you mean, yeah?" Deidara asked. He'd only been in the Akatsuki for a year, compared to the thirteen that Kisame had been a member. Sasori had been a member for even longer, a complete fourteen years. There was no doubt in his mind that Kisame knew much more about Sasori than he did.
"Sasori's always believed that kid's are supposed to make mistakes and that they'll learn by themselves. He doesn't believe in giving advice. He's lived his life making mistakes and learning from them, and he thinks everyone should be like that."
"But, isn't that a good thing, yeah? To be independent and stuff?"
"Yes but...Sometimes not everybody can tell that they've made a mistake. And if you don't know it's a mistake, and you simply repeat it over and over, how are you going to learn? You see, that's where Sasori's philosophy doesn't quite work. Sometimes you need somebody to tell you what you're doing is wrong. And I think even he's aware of this. I don't know what he told you but, maybe he thought you needed to hear someone elses take on things."
"Maybe, yeah..." Deidara held on even tighter to Itachi, almost as if he were a safety blanket. The child didn't mind, snuggling even closer to the warmth of another person.
"You're never too old to learn. I think Sasori's finally begining to come to terms with the fact that the world isn't black and white. There are shades of grey too. And also...I think he has a soft spot for you. Before you came along, he didn't seem to care much about his art, it was just his way to fight. But now that someone's willing to contradict him and his art, he's more serious, about it. You reanimated something in him that had died a long time ago. You reanimated his passion for it."
Deidara looked like he was thinking about what he'd just been told. After a minute, he looked over at Kisame and for once saw, not the creepy fish-guy he'd first thought he was, or Itachi's partner as he'd learnt to think of him, or even a powerful Akatsuki member. He saw, another man with a lot to say. He saw, a friend. "Thank you, Danna, for telling me this, yeah." (3)
"It's no problem, kid!" Kisame patted the blonde head with a grin on his lips, and he looked down at his small partner. His eyes widened upon seeing him sleeping again, with one hand holding Deidara's cloak and the other his flower, "He's asleep again!"
"Is it normal for kid's to sleep this much, yeah?" He asked, "And I thought he said he had a hard time sleeping, yeah?"
"I don't know how many hours a kid is supposed to sleep, but maybe the lack of sleep is finally catching up to him." Kisame suggested.
"I guess, when's his bedtime, yeah?"
"I don't know. Whenever he's tired, I guess."
"What's usually the normal time for a kid to go to bed, yeah?" Deidara persisted.
"I don't know, maybe you should ask him when he wakes up. I'm sure he'll know. Why do you need to know anyways?"
"Well, if he's supposed to go to bed early enough, then we don't want him sleeping too much during the day. He won't be tired when bedtime comes, yeah." Deidara explained.
"Now I see what you're getting at. He'll wake up when we get at the hideout and we'll just make sure he stays awake for the rest of the day. Whenever he choses to go to bed, we'll agree to that being his bedtime. I'm sure he won't be hard to put to bed."
They soon reached the hideout. Once inside, Deidara slowly shook Itachi awake. The young Uchiha's eyes opened, but he didn't move, "I'm awake." He said to stop Deidara from continuing to try to wake him.
"Good, we're back at the base, yeah. You can get changed and then we'll have supper, okay?" Deidara crouched down and put Itachi on the floor. The latter slowly balanced himself, and let go of the others cloak.
When Deidara and Kisame left Itachi alone in his room so that he could change, he was still barely awake. But when they returned, he seemed more excited and ready to do something. They brought him into the kitchen. It was Kakuzu's turn to make supper, meaning it would probably be leftovers from the day before. Also in the kitchen was Konan. She sat at the island making paper swans out of a large stack of napkins nearby. When she was really bored, she would make hundreds of them, and they weren't allowed to throw them out for fear of Konan's anger. The paper swans would last them a month and then she'd do it all over again.
It kept her busy.
As soon as she saw Itachi again she 'awed', "He's so cute!" She said about his new attire. She invited him to sit next to her, and he did. She hugged him tightly, before asking him if he wanted to learn the art of origami.
"Origami is not art, yeah..." Deidara mumbled to himself, "I'm going to go see Sasori, yeah."
"Oh, wait! Sasori wanted to do the tests on Itachi. I don't know if he wants to do them before or after supper." Kisame said, "Sorry, Konan, but he's needed elsewhere. You can teach him how to do those later, or something."
"But..." She disappointedly let Itachi go. Kisame picked him up and quickly left the room with him, and Deidara, before she could say anything else. Konan looked at Kakuzu, "We were gonna have fun!"
Kakuzu just looked at her.
"What kind of tests is Sasori doing on Itachi anyways?" She asked him.
He chose to answer, seeing as it was a logical question and she was one of the few people he respected in the organization. "Most likely he'll take a couple blood samples and look at them for signs of poison."
"Why poison?"
"I believe he and Pein think that Itachi's transformation might have something to do with a type of poison. If it is, then Sasori will probably be able to reverse it. And also, the effect of some jutsu can be seen in blood. It's not an easy task, and must be done quickly, but it is possible. If it is a jutsu, and it was only cast yesterday, the chances are higher of finding something." Kakuzu explained.
Konan trusted what he said, and hoped for the best. Kakuzu finished up the supper while she finished making another couple dozen paper swans. She put one at each seat of the table that would have someone there, and helped Kakuzu set up the food. Unlike Deidara, he didn't yell out when the food was ready. Everybody knew that supper was at five-thirty when he was the one cooking, and it was their responsability to remember.
Nearing the aforementioned time, the members started entering the dining room. They sat at their respectful places and once five-thirty hit exactly, everyone was seated. Kakuzu took in the status of the other members. Pein looked stressed, but that was normal. Konan was calm, but she seemed more cheery than usual. Zetsu, well, he just looked hungry. Hidan was hungry and pleased, his last ritual had left him feeling both. Sasori looked shifty, his gaze going from Deidara, to Kisame, to Itachi. The first was glaring at Sasori, the second was staring at Itachi worriedly, and the last was looking at his plate, his face pale.
It was only about time that something happened, and Kakuzu was waiting for it. He just hoped it didn't cause another broken table.
"Stop staring at me, brat!" Sasori glared back at Deidara. Kisame leant back in his chair, to feel less in between the two.
The blonde just huffed and looked away.
"It wasn't my choice, okay. It had to be done." Sasori relaxed a little, but his glare remained.
"Why did it have to be done, yeah?" Deidara looked back at his partner.
"He's told you twice already." Kisame replied for the puppet.
"Oh, right...But we could of found some other way to do the stupid tests, yeah."
Now most of the other members realized what they were talking about. Kakuzu returned to eating his meal, letting them argue it out. Soon enough it would stop and they would start eating also.
"There's never any other way." Itachi's soft voice cut through the tense atmosphere. Kakuzu knew that this arguement would be shorter than it would have been had the child not spoken.
Deidara pouted, and mumbled, "There should be, yeah."
"Well there isn't." Sasori started to eat, as did Kisame. Soon enough, Deidara did too.
It was only after supper did he find out the reason for the tension. He knew it had something to do with the tests that Sasori had done on Itachi, but he knew nothing more. He hadn't asked during supper because he had a feeling that Deidara might get even more upset, and the blonde had blown up a lot of things in a fit of anger. These things included, the dining room table, the front door, the back door, one of Sasori's puppets, Hidan, Itachi's bedroom, and his own workshop multiple times. Kakuzu didn't want to have to do more repairs than necessary.
Once supper was finished he left the dishes for Hidan to do, and went into his room. He picked up one of his favorite books and went into the living room to read. His own room's lighting wasn't all that great, besides, the couch was much more comfortable. He sat reading his book for a good while, having no disturbances. At this time, most of the others were either in their rooms or outside. He also knew that Zetsu had been sent out on a mission right after supper. Kakuzu figured he was going with the annoying twerp that followed him around, the one that called himself Tobi.
Tobi was forced to stay elsewhere, and wasn't allowed to know the location of the hideout. He usually found it anyways. He would sometimes go on missions with Zetsu when Pein said it was alright. The Leader made it seem as if he were letting the brat get a taste of what being a member would truly be like. The truth was that if he sent out Tobi, it was because Madara was needed.
Halfway through his book, he felt somebody enter the room. He ignored it as best as he could, until that person sat next to him. His eyes shifted to his left to see who it was, and when he saw that it was just Itachi, continued to read.
"What are you reading?" Itachi asked him after a moment.
Kakuzu just moved the cover so the child could see it, it read 'Inferno'. (4)
"Is it good?"
"Yes." He replied shortly, hoping that Itachi would take the hint that he didn't want to talk. The child didn't say anything, and just stared at him. Finding it tiring, he turned to him, "Why aren't you with the others?" Kakuzu remembered him leaving the dining room with Kisame and Deidara.
He hesitated before replying, "I left."
"They let you leave?" Kakuzu sounded almost surprised. He didn't think Kisame would let the kid out of his sight for a second.
"Well...I told them I had to go to the bathroom." He admitted his lie.
"And you're here because...?" Kakuzu continued to read, though he was curious as to why the kid lied.
"They always seem to be angry because of me...I thought if I wasn't there they wouldn't be angry anymore. I told them I was sorry. I don't want to be afraid of needles but...I don't like them, they hurt!"
Kakuzu then realized that what happened was probably that because of this fear, Deidara had tried to get Sasori to do something else, causing the tension between them. Itachi had been pale because of the fear and Kisame had been worried because, well, it was just in his nature to worry about his partner. Kakuzu had always thought he was soft, especially when it came to Itachi. But he never said so, because he knew Kisame could wreak havoc as bad as Deidara could.
The child's insecurity's almost made him laugh. The adult Itachi wouldn't be afraid of needles, first of all, but he also wouldn't give a damn if others were angry at him, or because of him. The child Itachi's fear made Kakuzu see just how much a person could change in a few years.
"Don't worry kid, they're not angry because of you. You'll learn quickly that the people here are always angry for all sorts of reasons. They'll all be fine in the morning, you'll see." Kakuzu reassured him, all the while keeping his gaze on his book.
"But why are they angry? Being angry isn't good..." Itachi, who had been kneeling and facing Kakuzu, sat down next to him instead, almost leaning against him.
"The people here are just angry at the world, kid. And, to tell you the truth, if they're a part of the Akatsuki, it's because they have a reason to be." (5)
"Oh..." Itachi sounded almost upset, his eyes went to his hands, which were resting in his lap.
Kakuzu sighed, "You can stay here until they come find you." He put an arm around the kid, letting him read with him. Itachi nestled up against him, pulling his knees up closer into him, and rested his head against Kakuzu's shoulder.
"Thank you." Itachi said, and for a reply, the other just grunted to show he'd heard. But it was enough for the child.
He still wasn't a great reader, and had a hard time following the book. Of course, it didn't help that Kakuzu was already halfway through it and that he was a fast reader. But Itachi was glad for the company.
It was an hour before Kakuzu looked away from his book. He first looked at the time, and saw that it was nine o'clock. He looked at the child and wasn't surprised to see him fast asleep. He'd read enough that night, and wanted to go back to his room to finish counting the money before going off to bed, but realized he had to do something about Itachi first. Accepting that he would have to bring the child back to his room, put away his book in the folds of his cloak.
He picked up the kid awkwardly, not knowing how to hold him. In all the numerous years of his life, he'd never held a child before. He held Itachi bridal style, and headed to the kid's room. He passed Kisame on his way, who didn't seem at all flustered like Kakuzu thought he'd be. Itachi had been gone for over an hour.
"Thanks for watching him, Deidara told me he was with you." Kisame explained.
"Hn."
"I can put him to bed if you want, although you seem to be doing just fine." Kisame grinned at him, and Kakuzu frowned.
"I'll do it tonight, but you keep an eye on the brat from now on." Seeing that the other was about to leave, he added, "Just to let you know, he left because he thought you were all angry. I suggest you keep your emotions in check as well. Keep in mind, this is Itachi. Even as a brat, he still manages to see everything."
"Yeah, I figured that was it. Well, he'll see a difference tomorrow."
"Good." Was all Kakuzu said before continuing his way to Itachi's bedroom. He pushed open the door, turned on the light, and took in the bland bedroom. He saw the made bed, and chuckled at the fact that even as a kid Itachi was neat. He saw that the clothes he'd been wearing that morning were on top of the dresser, probably put there by Kisame because there's no way Itachi could reach up there, and he noticed a small white flower on the bedside table.
Rolling his eyes at the girlish item, he pulled back the bed sheets. He gently, more gently than he ever thought himself capable of, put the child in the bed. He took off Itachi's sandals to make him more comfortable, and then covered his small frame with the sheets. He put the sandals on the floor and started to leave the room. At the door, he took one last look at the kid.
Kakuzu thought that maybe, just maybe, having a kid in the Akatsuki wouldn't be that terrible.
Maybe.
He closed the light and left the room.
AN: Hey! This is a long chappie isn't it? Well, it's the longest chapter of the story. The others are all much shorter than this one. I think.
(1) I read in Kisame's bio he was six-foot-four, and it just stuck to me. He's freacking tall, and I wanted to mention it.
(2) Prissy-pants? Asswipe? Yes, I have weird insults. I try to find some good ones, but the only ones I know are the weird kind. These are the insults that go around in my family...
(3) I thought I should mention that Deidara is the one getting told all these lectures because he's the youngest Akatsuki member and the most naive. (And he does call Kisame 'Danna'.)
(4) Inferno by Alighieri Dante. I read in Kakuzu's bio that he likes reading old books, and this is an old book. A very good one at that, I really recommend it. It's about Dante's passage through Hell, and I thought it fit well with Kakuzu's character. (PS: Kakuzu is 90 years old. I mention his age a couple times, thought I'd give you the exact number.)
(5) I mentioned in the last chapter that they were happy to be in the Akatsuki. Still true. The whole angry thing is because they're angry at their childhood and their lives. How it turned out. Make sense?
A lot of numbers! Gosh...It's a long chapter though, and I like making sure people understand what I'm talking about.
Thank you for reading this, and I hope you enjoyed reading it!
-MewMew