Chapter 8

It takes only one missing piece of evidence…

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Two weeks, two weeks has passed since I've become a part of the Akatsuki….and I still haven't told Kakuzu. I've imagined myself telling him loads of times before, but every time I do, I think of a horrible outcome.

I sat quietly at the kitchen table, holding a cup of coffee. It was still kind of early in the morning. The clock read 8:00 AM. Maybe I'll go pray to Jashin for a few hours after my coffee…

I looked up at the kitchen entrance, when I heard footsteps. Standing there was Kakuzu , does he usually wake up this early?

"You're up early," he commented as he walked to the counter to get his breakfast.

"Yeah, I guess so," I reply casually and continue to drink my coffee.

"I'd think you'd be more tired, since you're sleeping with Hidan."

I choked on my coffee before spitting it out. "Excuse me?"

"Please get your mind out of the gutter Hikari," He said without turning his head. I felt my cheeks turn crimson. Does he have to be so blunt? Can't he laugh about it or something?

He sat down in front of me with a bowl of cereal…how boring. "You're face is red, did you know that?" Kakuzu asked me.

"Yes, yes I do know that!" I glared.

Playing with his spoon, he asked me, "How could you possibly know? You can't see your own face without a mirror, you know that right?"

"I know that too!" I could feel myself go redder due to my stupidity. "I-I could feel myself turning red."

"I was just making a comment, there's no need to get so upset about it."

I muttered. "I'm not upset."

"Uh huh, will you stop looking at me?"

"Why?" I asked incredulously.

"I prefer people not watching me while I eat."

"Why does it make you feel uncomfortable?" I smirked. Can it be? Does Kakuzu really have a weakness?

"No, it makes other people uncomfortable. So go away."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"No, I can sit here, drink my coffee, and watch you eat if I want to."

"Leave now, or I'll fucking kill you." I could see a vein twitching.

"You can't do that because I'm immortal!" I said happily, propping my head up with my hands. "So start eating!"

He glared at me before slipping off his mask. I could hear my small intake of breath as he revealed his handsome face. He began to eat and I continued to stare at him. Everything about his face was perfect, his tone so even, and his chin perfectly angular, even the thread that was sewed on the corners of his mouth. Everything about him was perfect to me.

"C'mon Kuzu! Lemme see under your mask!" I was trying to chase him in my kimono, but was failing.

"No way, you don't want to know what's under it," He was backing away cautiously.

"Yes I do!"

"You'll just regret it, just stay away."

"Kakuzu, I order you to show me what's under that mask!" I said with all the authority I could muster.

"No, that's an invasion of privacy."

"But you're my servant, you have to do what I say!"

"Aren't you the one that keeps telling me that I'm not your servant, but a good friend and a body guard?" He asked. I frowned. Damn, why must he always be right?

"Fine," I pouted. "Then play hide and seek with me!"

"Hikaru-san, that's a child's game. Shouldn't you be playing something like shogi?"

"No way. I'm not going to be young forever Kakuzu. I have to live like a child while I still can."

"You're seventeen. You're hardly a child."

"Yes, but I'm not an adult yet either!" I ran up to him and began to pull on the front of his shirt, like a child. "Please play with me Kuzu, please?"

He stared down at me and began to count, "One, two, three…"

I grinned and began to run back into the head house of our compound. Taking a right down one hall and a left at another, I hid in a nearby closet that the maids used to keep their mops and buckets and what not in. "Ready or not, here I come!" I heard Kakuzu yell in his booming voice. I grinned and waited impatiently for him to find me.

Surely enough, a minute or so later, I could feel Kakuzu's presence outside of the closet door. Slowly the door knob turned and I got ready to burst out. The light from outside shined in and I heard Kakuzu say, "I know you're here Hikaru. Can't you put more effo…UFFF!" I tackled Kakuzu onto the floor.

After struggling with him for a second, I lifted my right hand in the air, holding his mask up triumphantly. But I felt the mask slip through my fingers, when I looked down and saw Kakuzu's face. There was nothing really wrong with it, except for the stitches on the corners of his mouth. Despite the stitches, he still looked handsome to me. He was still Kakuzu.

"I told you that you wouldn't want to see me without my mask," he muttered, but I ignored him. My fingers traced the stitches of his mouth and slowly moved up his face to pull off the strange hat he wears, allowing his brown hair to come down and frame his face. Kakuzu stared up at me, in somewhat disbelief.

"I think you look handsome," I said quietly. I could see Kakuzu's cheeks tinge red and he looked away.

Looking back at me, he said, "Hikaru, can you get off now?"

I looked down to see that I'm still sitting on top of him. "Oh, yeah." I moved to get up, but felt Kakuzu grab my wrist and pull me down into a kiss. Although he pulled me down rather roughly, the kiss was soft and sweet. A thousand butterflies seemed to be fluttering around in my stomach. He pulled away and he stared into my eyes. I stared back into his.

Hn, even after all these years, I still I guess I still love him. My Jashin, you'd think I'd learn.

Yes, I thought you did learn. But I guess it just comes to show, women are really stupid. I heard Jashin speak to me.

My eye twitched. Well, since us women are so stupid then why did you create us? I asked in my mind sarcastically.

Do I really need to answer that question?

I glared at nothing. "You sick, perverted bastard."

"Oi Hikari, what are you glaring to yourself about? It's starting to creep me out," Kakuzu said, poking me with his spoon.

I blinked and was back in reality. I sat up quickly, a little in shock of the flashback I just had and completely forgetting Kakuzu was here. In the process I knocked down my coffee cup, which somehow spilled onto Kakuzu's lap. Crap. "I-I'm sooo sorry Kakuzu. I didn't mean to…I was just s-startled and I…"

"Hikari, just leave," Kakuzu said obviously trying to control his anger. I left the kitchen, before he could tell me a second time.

"My Jashin it's so hot…" I complained as I walked into the living room. I had just come back inside after praying to Jashin for three hours outside in the blazing heat. If that doesn't make me a loyal follower, then I don't know what does. I collapsed onto a couch beside Deidara.

"Yeah," Deidara agreed with me. "This fan isn't really working for me either, un."

I reached out for his hand-powered fan. "Lemme see it." Taking the fan from him, I began to fan myself. So cool… "What are you talking about? It's working just fine for me.

"Yeah, but it gets so tiring after a while and when you stop, you end up hotter than you were before, un."

"Aren't you ninja? Can't you handle it Deidara?" I asked, still fanning myself.

"Shut up, un." We both glared at each in silence for a few minutes, until I stopped fanning myself. "Hn? Why'd you stop fanning yourself, un?"

I looked away. "It got too tiring."

Deidara grinned. "See? What did I tell you, un?"

"Don't even start!" I said, throwing his fan back at him. "Hmmm, you know what? We should go play in the river and cool off."

"Hikari, I'm not 8 years old anymore and you're not exactly young either, un."

I glared at him. "Hey, as long as I have my 17 year old body, I can act as young as I want!"

"That still doesn't change the fact that you're old, un."

I began to cry waterfalls. "Gah! You're so cruel to me Dei-kun! You don't see me making fun of you because you look like a girl…"

Deidara jumped on me and began pulling my hair. "What did you call me, un!"

"A girl, now let go!"

"Not until you take it back, un!"

"Now look who's acting like a child! I'm not taking it back until you go play in the river with me!" I whined.

"You're the one who's acting like a kid! Now take it back, un!"

"No! Come with me to the river!"

"The river?" A new voice stopped Deidara and me in our little brawl. We looked over to the entrance to the living room to see Hidan. "Since Deidara doesn't want to go, why don't we just fucking go together Hikari?"

"See Deidara? Do you really want me to go alone with Hidan?"

"What the hell is that suppose to mean, you bitch!"

Deidara looked from me to Hidan and back at me. "Alright, let's go un."

I went in my room to go change into a bathing suit, but remembered that I didn't have one. Ah well, I guess I'll just wear a tank top and shorts or something. Changing quickly and grabbing a towel, I left my room and went back to the living room, where Hidan and Deidara were ready to go and waiting.

"What the hell are you wearing Hikari!" Hidan asked me rather rudely.

"Well, I don't have a swimming suit, so this is what I'm going to wear," I explained to him. Hidan left and came back with a red bikini. He held it out to me. "Here wear this."

"Where the hell did you get that, un!"

Hidan smirked. "I have my ways. Don't worry about it and go fucking change."

"There's no way in hell I'm wearing this!"

"You're my fucking subordinate, so that means you do as you're told! Now go fucking change!" Hidan yelled, kicking me towards my room.

After putting on the embarrassing suit and yelling at Hidan for trying to take off the oversized shirt I wore over it, Hidan, Deidara, and I finally made it to the river. Deidara took no hesitation in ripping his shirt off and jumping right in. "Ah! It feels so great, un!"

I laughed and took off my shirt. I was about to go join Deidara when I felt Hidan smack my ass. "See? Don't I have a good fucking eye for these kinds of things?"

My eyebrowed twitched. "Stop invading my personal space you jerk!" I kicked him hard enough so that he fell into the river. I laughed as I watched him come up to the surface sputtering. About to jump in, I paused for a moment. I had forgotten to take of my Jashin necklace and my heart shaped locket. Quickly taking both off, I tossed the two onto my towel and ran in. SPLASH!

"Jashin Hikari, stop making me wet!" Hidan shouted at me.

"Ha, that's what your mom said last night, un," Deidara said smirking.

"Wow Deidara, I knew you were desperate, but do you really do it with wrinkly old ladies?" I asked.

"Hey, he did it with you didn't he?" Hidan asked. I gasped and dunked Hidan's head in the water.

"Take that you zombie! I hope you drown!" I laughed evilly, but stopped when I was doused by water.

"That's what you get Hikari! Just to let you know, I've gotten more pussy than you ever had, un!"

"Well, I hope so, because if you were getting dicks than that would be a problem wouldn't it?"

Deidara turned red. "Shut up, un!" He tackled me into the water.

What a pain. Where the hell is he? I searched the whole base and I hadn't found Deidara anywhere. Stupid Leader, why can't he just look for him himself? I got money to count and expenses to meet.

I walked into the kitchen to see Zetsu. "Oi, Zetsu. Have you seen Deidara around?"

"He went to the river."

"The river?"

"No, he went to the desert. Yes, the river."

I frowned. "I was just wondering why he would go there."

"Like I would know."

I left the kitchen and went outside. Almost immediately, I was overwhelmed by the heat. So hot. Maybe I should have brought a fan with me. But then again, fans make you tired and even hotter when you stop fanning. A few minutes walking towards the river, I heard splashes and shouts.

"KYA! Hidan, what are you doing!" I heard Hikari shout.

"I'm not doing anything, you paranoid bitch!"

"You just tried to undo my bikini top you pervert! Help me take him under Deidara!"

I sighed. How old did those three think they are? I walked closer to the three buffoons and watched them play in the water from afar. Hikari and Deidara allowed Hidan to surface.

"You fucking assholes! You know how much fucking water is in my fucking lungs!" Hidan shouted and went to tackle both Hikari and Deidara. Deidara moved out of the way, but Hikari shrieked and was taken under.

I walked to the shore and shouted. "Hey Deidara!" Deidara looked over at me. "Leader wants to see you! Get your ass out of there!" He waved a hand to show he understood and began walking back to shore. I turned to leave, but a glint caught my eye. I looked down at a towel placed on the floor. On the towel was a Jashin necklace and a heart shaped locket. I picked up the locket and examined it more closely. I cracked open the locket to find a heart shaped emerald inside. My eyes widened as I realized that this was the exact same locket I gave to Katamiya Hikaru.

After I finally managed to get Hidan off of me, I looked around. "Hidan? Where did Deidara go?"

"Oh, Leader wanted to fucking see him, so he left. Looks like it's just you and me now," he smirked, wrapping an arm around my waist. I slapped his face. "No way!"

Escaping his clutches I made it back to shore. "Damn it, Hikari. You're no fun at all." I stuck my tounge out at him as I reached for my towel, but noticed that my locket was missing.

Hidan was already a ways ahead of me and turned back. "Hikari! Aren't you coming!" he shouted back at me.

"I think I lost something! Just go ahead without me!" I shouted back and he nodded. I began to scramble around the grass. Where did it go? Where did it go? I could feel tears swell up in my eyes. I can't believe I lost it. I lost it. I crawled to the roots to a nearby tree to see if I somehow flung it that way, but my heart stopped when I saw a pair of feet. I looked up to see Kakuzu, who was holding my locket. "Did you lose something, Hikaru?"

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Only one piece of evidence is needed to finish the puzzle.