A/N: Okay, so earlier this week I lost my internet and only got it back yesterday afternoon, I've also been really sick today, so please be gentle with me, lol! In all seriousness, I'm sorry for the slight delay, it couldn't be helped, but I've made this chapter roughly 4 pages longer than it usually is, so that should make you all happy :D
MANY THANKS TO; 'hello-totoro-ninja', 'DeeaE', 'MountBlanc93', 'dimensiontimetraveler', 'universal646', 'otonashi1262', 'Miko Hayashi', 'Deidara's Dragon', 'TheParadoxicalOtaku', 'Tough chick', 'Sylencia', 'Lozbii', 'Seiya Naigisa', 'callie', 'heavens-condemned-kitsune', 'Chocoholics Unite' and 'ShanaShakaku' for all your wonderful and supportive reviews! You guys make are amazing, seriously, you all make me smile :D
A SHOUT OUT TO; 'heavens-condemned-kitsune' for giving me an interesting idea for this chapter. You'll find your suggestion roughly in the middle of the chapter ;)
WARNINGS: SLIGHT self-insert, SLIGHT crack-fic (so yes, some of the characters may seem a little OOC at times, just go with it), mild language, mild nudity, mild gore and SLIGHT spoilers.
DISCLAIMER: If I owned it, Akatsuki would rule and everyone else would die.
12: SOCIAL INTERACTION
Hidan sighed heavily, still feeling confused about why his Leader would suddenly walk out like that.
Of course he'd been aware that they'd never gotten along or ever saw eye-to-eye at the best of times, but Pein had never gone out of his way to be so negative against him before and worst yet, he didn't know what he'd done to gain such a reaction.
It completely baffled him.
But...
He shifted his gaze to the kitten, mentally pleased to find her staring back at him, as if waiting for his attention.
Hidan shuffled into the room; closing the door behind himself quietly, all the while holding her to him gently. He'd been to visit her enough times to know her current status of health and knew to be careful when handling her. Once he was sat upon Konan's bed, he grabbed her cushion, placing it upon his lap, he settled her down upon it.
He smiled softly as he watched her flinch and move about to get comfortable, once she was settled; she merely tilted her head to stare up at him with those shining grey eyes of hers that appeared to know more than she had originally let on.
Over the past fortnight, he'd grown accustomed to her company and even more so towards her intelligence.
In fact, whenever he talked to her, telling her about his day and complaints, she always listened to him intently, digesting the information and seeming to actually take an interest in what he had to say.
The rest of the organization often groaned about how loud he could be and he weren't too surprised that there wasn't anyone there that he could connect with; he just had nothing in common with anyone else. Admittedly, he'd always struggled to fit in anywhere, he'd never had friends whilst growing up, he'd been orphaned as a young teen, life at the orphanage had been tough and he'd been careful enough to guard his feelings, he also caused quite a lot of trouble; always getting into fights and being bullied.
The only thing that'd kept him going in life was Lord Jashin, without his religion, he'd have surely gone insane by now. Jashin was always there for him, even if he sometimes didn't speak back to him, there'd always be the comforting thought that he was always listening and actually appreciated his presence.
But now...this kitten...that isn't quite a kitten seemed to like being around him and enjoyed listening to him, she didn't recoil from his touch nor did she purposely attack him. In fact, she seemed to relax completely in his presence, always lounging about as if he hadn't gutted so many of his victims in the past for his rituals.
Even now, she was gazing at him calmly with a soft fondness in her eyes that he almost questioned whether bestiality is wrong.
He laughed out loud and the kitten...Jess? That was what Konan called her often, tilted her head once more and flicked her ear as if saying; 'tell me'.
"Don't worry, just my mind working overtime again."
She still seemed suspicious but nodded along as if to say; 'very well, I won't question you for now...'
Jashin above!
Was he already imagining conversations with her?
"Y'know, it's so shit that you can't talk..." he sighed heavily, taking the cushion as she was resting on it and placed it upon the blue bed sheets as he leaned down on his right side, resting his head in his hand.
Her head snapped up, her tail swished and her eyes took on a desperate look, he blinked at her in confusion.
"Can you talk?"
She shook her head, but still the desperate look remained, her eyes pleaded with his, but he didn't know what for.
"Ugh, stupid cat, I don't know what you're trying to tell me, what? It's not like you used to bloody talk, eh?"
He almost fell off the bed when she nodded at him and he sat up abruptly in shock.
"Impossible! Why can't you fucking talk now then?"
His eyes narrowed as she nodded towards him, then looked down upon herself, she did this for a whole minute, the action confused him. Just what in Jashin's name was she trying to insinuate?
He could see her growing more frustrated by the second and decided that if he were to guess, then perhaps she'd answer him that way.
"So you used to talk, okay, let me get this straight, so what? You were human before?"
His eyes almost bugged out when she nodded, her eyes shone up at him in what appeared to be happiness, yet he didn't see anything happy about this situation.
He merely laughed.
"Ha! Good one, you seriously had me fucking going there!"
The glare he received shut him up and only then did he ponder on the thought some more.
It would explain how she could understand him on a human-like level; she also portrayed human-like emotions.
But no...it just couldn't be possible yet it made complete sense.
She'd literally popped up from nowhere, she had no chakra-which still confused him and the others and she was way to curious for just an average kitten. She seemed to know stuff, important stuff, yet he couldn't find it in his dark heart to think of her as a threat.
If she were a threat then she wouldn't have made such an effort to reveal her secret to him, also, he was pretty sure she'd have made some sort of attack on them when they were most vulnerable. She'd had plenty of opportunities, yet she's done nothing but play the little nuisance of a pet.
No one in their right mind would go along with such a thing unless they had no choice...wait a minute!
"I think I get it now..." Hidan murmured, his eyes wide in understanding as he watched Jess whom throughout his internal war had remained ever-watchful and alert, awaiting his reaction. Her eyes shone with barely contained relief and that in itself answered his question.
"Some fucker out there did this to you, huh?"
He knew it was a long shot, but he was now certain she wasn't a furry kitten by choice, but he had no clue as to who could do such a thing, whatever had happened to her seemed to be almost permanent, he couldn't sense any chakra, the others had also commented on it. So it was safe to assume it wasn't some form of jutsu, so what else could it be?
He groaned in frustration, an answer wasn't forthcoming and it was driving him round the bend!
If only she could talk, then and only then would he get any idea of what'd happened to her.
He sent her a tortured glance, his hand reached out and stroked her head softly and she purred gently "I don't know what the hell happened to you, but I sure as hell can't keep this to myself, you understand?"
Her body became rigid and a brief hint of fear flashed across her eyes, before she lowered her head and gave a quick nod.
He knew she was worried the others might think of her as a spy, in fact, he'd assumed the same thing at first, but after spending time in her company and keeping an eye on her just in case, he found that there was literally no way she could do a thing to them. She's completely at their mercy to do with as they pleased.
But he wouldn't let that happen.
"Don't worry, cat-err...Jess, I'll help you, I won't let any of those twats hurt you, trust me!" He gave her a reassuring grin and a cheeky wink in hopes of lifting her spirits, it seemed to do the trick...for now.
In the back of his mind, Hidan knew it wouldn't be long until the other's caught on, Pein already seemed to suspect something, Kakuzu, Konan and Deidara already seemed to grasp she was no normal cat, so he had to explain to them quickly and soon before they jumped to the wrong conclusions.
/*\*/*\
Elsewhere, Konan and Kakuzu had found a relatively small restaurant and were currently sitting themselves down opposite each other, the waitress handed them each a menu and asked if they'd like any drinks.
They both asked for water and eventually ordered some pasta; once again Kakuzu's stingy tendencies had won over pleasure, but Konan wasn't remotely bothered, in fact, she wasn't that hungry and her mind seemed elsewhere.
It was awkward for Kakuzu, here he had the perfect opportunity to show Konan how much he loved-no, adored her and yet he was being frugal and she wasn't even looking at him, instead, her gaze remained fixated out of the window, watching the trees swaying in the breeze.
He knew she was worried about the kitten.
"Konan?"
She blinked out of her reverie and sent him an apologetic smile "Sorry, Kuzu, I was miles away, did you say something?"
"No...only that, if you wanted too, you could order something else?" He noticed her surprised expression and hastily continued "It's my treat, besides, you haven't been out in a while a-and we never really have time to talk alone, so I-"
"Kuzu, you're rambling." Her amused voice stopped his nervous babble and he felt a little ashamed to admit to himself that he hadn't been on a date in years.
"I apologise, I guess...it's been a while..." He trailed off, worry starting to ebb in his mind as he realised that he might view this as a date, but she might just think of it as a meal between two friends. Nothing more.
The thought hurt him, but he couldn't expect her to show an interest in someone like him, covered in scars, being almost anti-social, obsessed with money, even looking rather frightening with a terrible temper to match. Not only that, but he was much older than her, probably by five decades.
The disappointment must've shown in his eyes for Konan frowned a little in confusion at the sudden change, something had clearly upset him, what it was, she wasn't so sure, but she knew she didn't like Kakuzu looking so disheartened. He'd been nothing short of a gentleman to her, his patience definitely outdid itself. Looking back over the past fortnight, there'd been many times when he was close to losing his temper, but somehow, he'd reined that in and carried on as if nothing happened.
In fact, Kakuzu had always held a special place in her heart. Of course he'd never replace Pein's position in her life as her closest friend, but Kakuzu was definitely close in that regard. Yet...did she really think of him as she did of Pein?
Did she really wish to be just friends with Kakuzu?
Thinking about it now, he had shown many signs of interest hinting towards courtship, was he actually considering her as someone he'd want to spend perhaps the rest of his life with?
If so, how did she feel about that?
Kakuzu had been in the Akatsuki the longest out of all the other members-aside from herself and Pein, when she'd first met him there'd been nothing but civility and business between them.
They're merely comrades and she hadn't been out looking for a relationship.
But over the years, Kakuzu had somehow wormed his way into her heart; it'd taken many years for them to get this close to each other. At first they rarely talked to each other unless it meant discussing business matters but eventually they grown more comfortable around each other and now, in the present, they could almost be considered old friends...or even lovers.
However, this revelation, in her mind, was fairly new. Of course she'd cared a great deal about him, but for now, she simply wished to take things one step at a time, to test the waters a little and see if she did indeed feel that way about him. If so, then she could act on them, but not a moment sooner.
"Konan, I'm sorry..."
She blinked out of her thoughts "Sorry for what?"
"I've not been very honest...or clear with you in these last few months...and for that, I'm sorry." His eyes remained fixed on his large hands that were fiddling with the table cloth, so dark they were in comparison to their lighter tone.
"It's okay, Kuzu, you don't need to apologise-"
His eyes met hers with an intense urgency shining in his green depths "No. I really do. I have to be honest with myself now...for both of our sakes. I can't keep pretending everything is alright, because it's not."
Konan's mouth closed and she gave a simple, stunned nod, wondering what had him so intensely serious all of a sudden. Sure, he always had a serious streak, but it'd never been tinged with bitterness and sorrow.
"Can you remember the first day we met?"
A smile crossed her lips at the memory "Yes, it was almost eleven years ago now, correct?"
He nodded and beneath his mask he gave a small smile "Yes and you haven't seem to have aged a day. I remember you stood next to Pein like a loyal servant, that is what I'd first thought of you, a servant to that man, but over time, I recognised your loyalty was love. I don't know your histories together, but I knew from the way you both looked at each other that you both held a special place in each other's hearts," he frowned now, remembering how close and comfortable his leader had been with her, it'd gripped at his heart. Many a night had he lain awake cursing Pein, for because of his leader, the angel would not look his way once.
"He's a childhood friend, Kuzu, nothing more; it wouldn't have worked out anyway..." The sorrow in her voice slammed into him like a wall of bricks and in his desperation, his hand reached out and gripped hers, the fierce look returning to his eyes.
"Tell me, what does he have that captivates you so? What must I do to make you look at me as you do him?"
Konan's eyes widened in shock for a few moments, his words registering deeply in her mind, all the while she couldn't help thinking; he thinks I love Pein! How absurd!
By the time her expression softened and she was ready to answer, their food had arrived, awkwardly; they removed their hands from each other's and ate in a rather uncomfortable silence.
The food was delicious, but the taste was barely registered in their mouths as their eyes kept wandering back to each other's only to quickly look away once their gazes met. Konan's cheeks were tinged in a delicate pink and her heart was pumping fast, she felt warm and slightly breathless, her stomach was full of knots and yet she felt happy at the same time.
Eventually, she placed her fork down and stared at her plate in deep thoughtful silence.
"Are you feeling unwell?"
Her eyes met Kakuzu's and she noticed the concern there, all awkwardness gone in light of his worry over her health.
How could she have not noticed him until now?
A warm smile spread across her pink lips "I'm fine, I just feel happy...for once..."
She looked down at the fork in her hand and her smile became sad "I don't think I've ever been truly happy...not once...but when I'd met Jess-the kitten, she made me feel again and I realised I'm not as alone as I thought I was..." a jittery giggle escaped her throat and she felt the familiar burn of tears stinging at the back of her eyes.
"Tell me, what do you really desire in life, anything, what would you do if you could do anything?" Kakuzu watched intently, sensing her depression and was kicking himself mentally for not noticing how unhappy she was sooner.
"Freedom...and love," she met his gaze then, he was mildly surprised at the intense longing held in her hazel-orange eyes "I would wish for a life without fighting...a place where I can relax. I want a family. A big family, a husband...and children...lots of children, as many as possible!"
Her smile became breathtaking and he found himself smiling at her in return, his mask was taken off earlier so that he could eat, in their quiet little corner, no one would see what he looked like apart from Konan. He felt no discomfort at her seeing his face.
"A house, I would like an average house, one that I can make my own. A budgie, I would love a small bird of sorts, one that would sing. I would make breakfast for my husband in bed before he leaves for work and then children would get up and make a ruckus before they'd head off to the academy. I want a simple life, one filled with love and happiness." Konan sighed wistfully, before her gaze fell to her now untouched, half-eaten dinner.
She almost jumped up from her seat in shock when Kakuzu's hand gripped hers once more, this time more gently, their eyes met and she was surprised to see a reassuring smile on his unmasked face "There is still time, don't give up hope. You'll have your dream someday, I know it."
At another time, Konan would've thought him to be pretending to care, he never spoke such kind words to her or anyone in the past, but now...knowing how he felt, it really did give her hope for the future.
Maybe...just maybe...she could learn to love Kakuzu and perhaps one day he might be able to grant her wishes...it was worth a shot.
Squeezing his hand in return, she gave him a fond smile that spoke volumes of her appreciation.
Yes. She'll learn to love him and she'd make it up to him for keeping him waiting all these years.
And who knows?
It might just all end well.
/*\*/*\
Miles outside the mountain of which the mansion was dwelling in, two men slowly trekked their way through the forest, their feet and legs aching, both exhausted from their mission and longing to get some rest.
"Man, I can't wait to take a nice hot shower and get something nice to eat for a change!" The taller one carrying a heavy sword wrapped in bandages commented to his smaller work partner.
"Hnn...we don't have much further to go now, just a few more miles," was the reply.
The taller one snorted loudly "That's what you said yesterday, Itachi, I swear, sometimes you try to wind me up on purpose!"
The smaller male; Itachi gave a smirk "I don't need to try Kisame."
A frown crossed Kisame's blue lips "That's not funny."
Itachi merely shrugged "Pardon me for having a sense of humour."
Kisame fake gasped "Itachi? Since when did you have a sense of humour?"
Itachi looked up at his companion and raised an eyebrow "Honestly, Kisame, you make me sound as if I'm a robot, I'm not that cold."
Kisame spluttered and coughed loudly in over the top disbelief, earning him a glare, he smiled and replied "Oh so sorry, guess I must have a cough coming on."
"Sarcasm does not become you, Kisame; it is also the lowest form of wit." Itachi shoved his nose in the air, his pride flaring up from within.
It was Kisame's turn to glare at his companion "Well sarcasm is funny, besides, you're often sarcastic Itachi, so that makes you a hypocrite."
"Listen, we are not having this conversation again." Itachi walked on ahead, refusing to even look at his work partner.
"Well excuse me!" Kisame pouted "now you're showing signs of disinterest,"
Itachi looked back at him as he was walking "That's enough, I no longer wish to have this conversation-"
"Debate, it's called a debate, Itachi."
"Don't interrupt or correct me like some mother hen, Kisame, I'm not a child, it's rude." The smaller male snapped in reply, a hand massaging his temples in frustration. All the way back from their mission he'd had to put up with Kisame pulling him into another one of his debates, this was the third time he'd brought up the debate about his emotions...or often lack of them.
"Why are you getting so upset?" Kisame flashed his sharp teeth in a grin.
"I'm not upset!" Itachi's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Sure-sure and I'm an elephant in a pink tutu."
"Be silent, Kisame, or I'll make you be silent."
"Was that a threat? Cos it sounded rather pathetic," Kisame faked a disinterested yawn.
"You're treading on thin ice-"
"Actually, I'm pretty sure I'm treading on dirt, there you go with your mind again Itachi, you really ought to pay better attention to our location!"
"Says the man that can't even read a map without someone else's input." Itachi mumbled.
"What was that?" Kisame asked with a suspicious look.
"Nothing. It was matter of speech, I wasn't being serious about the ice and there's nothing wrong with my mind." Itachi defended.
"You're right, compared to your little brother; your mind is pure as a virgin."
This time, Kisame received no answer, he figured Itachi was stung by the comment of his little brother; Sasuke, the blue man knew the basics of what went on between the two brothers, but not enough to understand or sympathise with Itachi.
Instead, the raven-haired male had turned to face away from him, remaining silent.
"Hey look, I'm sorry Itachi, for mentioning your brother, it can't be helped."
The smaller and younger man sighed heavily and looked over his shoulder at Kisame once more wearing a tired expression "Forget about it, Kisame, it's in the past."
The shark-like man was relieved; a happy grin crossed his face "Itachi?"
"Yes, Kisame?" Itachi looked at his partner curiously.
"You just trod in some animal poo."
A/N: Oh heaven above! We finally have a snippet of Kisame and Itachi, took those guys long enough to make an appearance! D: I hope to update this weekend, but again, no promises.
PLEASE REVIEW!
