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Chapter 10: Reluctance
Kakuzu massively cheered up when he saw the entrance to the Akatsuki base. Even though his fondness for Kiyoko was growing, he really was in need of the company of others. Hidan was now wary of the kunoichi and really could not distinguish the fine line between her happy mood and her angry mood until it was too late. Kakuzu glanced back at the two ninja behind him. "We're almost there. Kiyoko-chan, Leader-sama will want to talk to you immediately. He is very interested in you joining."
Kiyoko nodded and Hidan watched her carefully. "Kiyoko-chan, why are you joining the Akatsuki? Why you really are joining…?"
Kiyoko's eyes meet Hidan's and she glanced at Kakuzu for a moment. "Well… I never was really accepted much in the Leaf Village. Kakashi and his friends were some of the few who truly accepted me, but in all honesty, they are way older than me… And besides," her eyes locked onto Hidan's, "I have never meet anyone who had gone through perils similar to mine. Even Naruto-kun's were nothing compared to this."
Kakuzu was silent as was Hidan, but the Jashinist decided actions could speak louder than words. He reached and gently held her hand. She gasped as they felt another spark from the touch. "Kiyoko-chan… you are very special and I don't want anyone to fucking dare tell you otherwise."
Kiyoko smiled, but soon her face turned serious as they stood in front of the boulder blocking the base's entrance. Kakuzu did a hand sign and the boulder lifted. As soon as it did, the three of them went into the darkness of the tunnel.
Kakashi winced as memories of the young woman whose delicate skin he never got to touch seared throughout his brain. Holding the research log in his hands, he felt as if a gigantic weight was placed on his heart. Orochimaru's elegant handwriting disturbed him at regular intervals.
The subject responds vapidly to chakra. She seems to have an aptitude for it, but not in an offensive manner as I had hoped. However, her wondrous kekkei genkai eliminates the need for offensive jutsu. A simple touch destroyed her mother as soon as she left the protection of the womb and her father was dispatched immediately upon touching her newborn body. She is the perfect vessel for my eternal life…
Kakashi could not read anymore and gave the book to Tsunade to study. He gazed out the window, into the heavy rain storm. Kiyoko-chan is already out there, most likely at whatever base the Akatsuki just happened to be using. She had marked herself a traitor not only attacking ninja from her village, she slashed her headband, and to seal everything, she killed several elite ninja. And she killed her own sensei… Kiyoko-chan… why must you sever your ties to our village?
Kakuzu walked in the tunnel first. They had barely strode in that he paused and glanced at Kiyoko. "I'll walk first so none of those idiots touch Kiyoko and die. Hidan you…" Before he could finish, Hidan nodded and stood in front of Kiyoko and placed his hands on his scythe.
Kiyoko's eyes went to Hidan as he looked at her. "Don't want any of those fucking idiots meeting an early demise. If they were going to die, they might as well die as sacrifices to Jashin-sama." Kiyoko smiled and nodded at Kakuzu.
The treasurer led the way inside before they came to an enormous one story structure. Kiyoko's eyes widened. "It is way bigger than my house…" Kakuzu laughed and smiled.
"Well, we are more than one S class assassin after all Kiyoko-chan. We have a bit of money and this base makes sense for a group of ninja does it not?"
She smiled and they continued towards the house before something emerged from the ground, right in front of Hidan. Kiyoko's eyes momentarily widened and assessed the features of the rouge ninja before her. The ninja half glared, half smiled at Kiyoko. "Hello, you must be Kiyoko-san. My name is Zetsu. What the hell are you staring at? Never seen a Venus flytrap before?"
Kiyoko smiled. "Hello Zetsu-san. I have never seen someone who looked as cool as you."
Zetsu's eyes widened. "I look cool. Cool…? You liar, I look weird."
Kiyoko quickly shakes her head. "No you do not. You are really cool. I want to touch the Venus flytrap, but I cannot."
Zetsu raises his eyebrow. "Why can you not? It's not like I am going to bite. But I will."
Kiyoko lowers her head. "Everyone I touch dies. Hidan is the only one to survive my touch…"
Zetsu nods. "I'll warn the others of your arrival. I won't tell a couple of people. That's not nice. So? Itachi has been rather cold hearted today and Deidara has been more annoying than usual." Hidan and Kakuzu laugh as Zetsu vanishes into the ground.
Hidan grabs Kiyoko's hand and pulls her towards the house behind Kakuzu. "Let's go. We have to introduce you to the retards we work with."
Kiyoko raised an eyebrow. "More besides you?"
Kakuzu laughs while Hidan stuck out his lower lip in a pout. Kiyoko smirks. "Refrain from that Hidan-kun. It makes you look like a wimp." Hidan laughs and smirks at Kiyoko.
"Just watch your step around here alright? Some of these fuckers use long distance attackers." Now it was Kiyoko's turn to smirk.
"I am immortal like you Hidan-kun. The long distance attacks of some S ranked ninja are the least of my worries." She smiled but quickly got into a defensive stance upon seeing an orange blur run towards her. Hidan, seeing the danger, immediately plucked an extremely hyper Tobi from the ground when he was roughly half a meter away from his death. He lifted him off of the ground, none too gentle either.
"Hidan-san! Tobi wants to say hi to the really pretty lady." Kiyoko smiled brightly and was surprised to see Hidan scowl at Tobi.
"You fucking idiot. If you touch her, you die…" Tobi's visible eye filled with tears.
"Hidan-san's going to kill Tobi? Tobi just wants to say hi…" Kiyoko sighed and stood in front of Tobi.
"It is not that Tobi-san. My kekkei genkai kills anyone that my bare skin touches. That is why we cannot hug. If you promise not to hug me, Hidan-kun will release you." At that, Hidan looks at Kiyoko with a certain look: 'Do I have to?'
Tobi nodded his head quickly and Hidan sighed and released the overenthusiastic ninja. Tobi immediately stood up and bowed to Kiyoko. "Tobi's name is Tobi! I am not in the Akatsuki, but I help Zetsu-san."
Kiyoko smiled and offered her gloved hand for Tobi to shake. Tobi immediately shook hands, pumping too enthusiastically to the point that afterwards, Kiyoko prodded her arms to check for broken bones. Hearing the racket, two more Akatsuki members came outside. Kiyoko looked at them: one had a slight blue skin coloring with blue hair, sharp teeth, and a huge sword while the other one was much smaller in stature, but walked with an air about him that exuded power. Kiyoko smiled and bowed. "Hello, my name is Kiyoko. It is a pleasure to meet you gentlemen." Kiyoko paused when she saw who the smaller ninja was. "Well, well… Tachi-kun, it indeed has been a while." She smiled and to everyone's surprise, Itachi smirked: the closest thing to a smile that he has given.
"It has indeed Yoko-sama. How has life been back home?" Kisame's head snapped from Kiyoko to Itachi back to Kiyoko. Hidan's mouth had officially dropped to the floor. Kakuzu had walked inside to give Pain a mission report while Tobi dashed inside to inform the other members of Kiyoko's arrival.
"Meh… Shitty… you know the usual. Still have not killed the bastard who made me the way I am…" Her eyes lower and she sighs. "Stupid Orochimaru… Why has someone not killed that snake yet?" Itachi glanced towards Hidan.
"Hn… Who knows? Yoko-sama, this is my partner Kisame Hoshigaki." Kisame smiled and shakes her gloved hand. Itachi turns his attention to. "Hidan, don't you have a ritual to do?" Hidan collected his emotions and stared down the stoic Uchiha.
"I am the only one that Kiyoko-chan's kekkei genkai doesn't kill so it's logical that I stay around her. Wouldn't want some dumbass to die from touching her. How the hell do you know her anyway?" Itachi raised an eyebrow.
"Yoko-sama and I come from the same village." He smirked at Hidan's 'Oh yeah' look that glanced his face. "Also, we are both twenty and therefore knew each other very well as children and ninja." Kiyoko waved her hand in disregard.
"Some ninja I was. Do I even count? I mean seriously… I was essentially marked as a jounin the minute I was born and when I could walk, Leaf Village moral codes and ethics were pounded into my skull."
"Itachi-san used to talk about you a lot on some missions we went on." Kisame mentioned. Kiyoko gazed at Itachi with surprise, Hidan glared at him while Itachi had a slight blush. Kisame smirked seeing Itachi in a social situation he was unused to. "I'm pretty sure he had a crush on you."
"Kisame, that is quite enough." Itachi hissed in a cold deadpan manner. Kisame shut his mouth, but nonetheless, looked pleased at his handiwork. Kiyoko was blushing and Hidan was red with anger. He grabbed Kiyoko's hand and pulled her towards the mansion that was base.
"Come on Kiyoko-chan. You need to meet the others." Itachi smirked and waved at the kunoichi being dragged to Jashin knows where. Kisame smiled at the emotional display that Kiyoko had managed to invoke in Itachi.
Once inside the house, two artists immediately noticed an irate Hidan dragging a raven haired kunoichi by her arm. Deidara immediately rushed to the woman. "Damn it Hidan. You need to learn how to treat your women better, un…" He was about to touch her when she flinched and backed up into Hidan's arms.
"You stupid idiot. She can't touch others. Her kekkei genkai kills upon touch. I'm immune to it." Sasori raised an eyebrow in interest while Deidara snorted. He turned his attentions to Kiyoko and smiled.
"My name is Deidara, un. What's yours?" Kiyoko smiled and the blonde's smile.
"I am Kiyoko. I am from the Leaf Village." She stopped seeing a glint in Deidara's visible eye.
"So you know Itachi, un?" Sasori shook his head knowing where this was going. Hidan was really bored now, but did not dare go anywhere out of consideration of what could happen.
"Yeah. Me and Tachi-kun were best friends before he left." Deidara's jaw now officially collided with the ground and Hidan and Sasori exchanged an annoyed, yet amused look.
"'Tachi-kun'? What the hell, un!?!" Sasori was now officially annoyed by the young artist and used his chakra strings to restrain Deidara and flung him backwards. With a quick flick of the wrist, he tied him to the couch and then strode forward and smiled at Kiyoko.
"Hello, my name is Sasori. One wrong move and you will be my next puppet." He was surprised however, when Kiyoko smiled widely.
"Well, Sasori-san, I am sorry to disappoint, but I am immortal so I cannot be your next puppet." Sasori frowned for a moment, but then nodded.
"I am a living puppet so in a way, I am immortal, but I'd rather not risk your touch, no offense," he apologized.
Kiyoko waved the apology aside. "No worries. I understand. Besides, I'd rather not kill my potential teammates." Deidara managed to untangle himself from the chakra strings wrapped around him and dashed again to Kiyoko.
"You're going to join us, un?" His eye lit up and Kiyoko looked at Hidan with soft eyes.
"Yes, she is joining. She needs to see the Leader now though." Hidan grabbed her hands and she smiled as she felt a spark from their touch.
"Alright Hidan-kun. See you later Deidara-san, Sasori-san." She waves as Hidan led her through the base towards Pain's door.
Deidara turned to Sasori with a confused look. "She's so beautiful… I would wish to be immortal to be with her…un."
Sasori's glance hardened on the young artist. "Immortality is no small trifle. Being immortal and completely unable to die is what brings those two together… they have to face the world, regardless of what happens."
Kiyoko was tired from this day and her arm was beginning to feel sore from Hidan taking her around, but she said nothing. The emotions that had been radiating off of the Jashinist were extremely obvious, if anything and while she pretended to not notice them, she basked in the glory. No one, with the exception of Itachi and Kakashi, fought over her in the Leaf Village. No one wanted the untouchable back at the Leaf Village but here, it struck her heart that there might be the chance that someone would risk their life to touch her. She unconsciously gripped Hidan's hand harder and while he misinterpreted her actions and tightened his own grip, she felt guilty being in the presence of others. What if someone here dies like people did back in the Leaf Village?
Hidan paused in the dash to meet Pain. Kiyoko looked at him and he narrowed his eyes. "What's bugging you Kiyoko-chan?"
Her eyes were flooded with sadness and Hidan released her hand in order to put his arms around her and pull her close to him. She froze, but then again, Hidan knew that she still was unused to human contact. "Hidan-kun… What if someone here dies because of me?"
Hidan gently kissed her forehead, an action that made her gasp in surprise. "If no one touches you, no one dies right? I don't want anyone else touching you Kiyoko-chan… I want all these new sensations you experience with me alright?"
Kiyoko snorted. "Overprotective bas…" She was unable to finish the rest of the sentence when the Jashinist kissed her on the lips. She smiled against his lips and returned the kiss. Breaking apart after a few seconds, she smiled. "Hidan-kun… I do not want anyone else touching me…"
Hidan smiled and leaned his forehead against the kunoichi's. "Good, now come on. We need to go before Leader gets his panties in a bunch."
Kiyoko laughed and Hidan felt joy bubble on the inside. They now stood directly outside the Pain's door. Hidan knocked and the door mysteriously opened. Hidan nodded to Kiyoko and pushed her inside. Kiyoko looked around the dark room and the first thing she saw was ringed eyes.