She felt like the undead. Her body was moving, but her mind was nowhere in sight. She wasn't sure how everything came to be the way it was, but what she could process was that there was nothing she could do about anything. Suddenly, the ground had been overturned under her and the sinkholes were swallowing her into a pit of nothingness.

"You're back again?"

Risa lifted her eyes from the ground and glanced through the bars of Kakuzu's cell. It was obvious that she had retraced her steps via muscle memory because she vaguely remembered the warden telling her to go ahead and he'd be right behind her, but she couldn't remember how she made it or how long it took her to get there.

"It's dinnertime." She mustered up the courage to say. "We always eat together if we're nearby."

Kakuzu stood up from the wall and approached the bars. Judging by her solemn appearance, she must know everything now. Honestly, she looked sick to her stomach, but at least she wasn't acting like everything was okay. If that was one thing he appreciated about her, it was that she never beat around the bush with her expressions.

"I'm not-"

"Ya are. You're hungry and ya want to eat. No excuses."

Silence fell between them as he wasn't going to argue with her. Finally, a guard showed up to let her into the cell. Her time was going to be limited, but she had less restrictions this time. With a loud slam of the bars behind her, Risa got a small sense of the feeling of imprisonment, but all she could do was let out a small breath. The guard stood along the opposite side of the hallway and crossed his arms, seemingly daring them to try anything funny.

"I made ya some fish, rice, and vegetables." Risa unpacked the lunch pail she'd brought with her, trying to ignore the sentry's presence. "There's also some soup that's easy to digest and some clean water. Make sure ya eat it all."

Kakuzu glanced over the food, not seeing too many faults besides a few overly charred sections of fish. She was never a terrible cook, but it did look like she got better over time. Picking up a pair of chopsticks, he began to eat her home cooking, not stopping until the bowl was clean. It had been a while since he'd eaten anything so it was safe to say that he was famished.

Risa ate as well, in silence, while she observed him. She was shocked at the extent of his stitches since there were more along the corners of his mouth, but she didn't want to bring attention to it right now. Instead, she wondered if this was going to be the last time she saw him. The thought of his undetermined execution date loomed over her head and it made it hard for her to swallow her next bite of food as a stray tear slipped down her cheek.

"You shouldn't cry for me."

His voice startled her out of her thoughts and she immediately placed her bowl and chopsticks down. She didn't mean for him to see her cry, but the emotions were now slipping through the cracks of her intended mask.

"Who else will then?"

"Why do you always have a rebuttal for everything I say?"

"Because you're my partner." She sighed with exasperation. "I always have to repeat myself because ya never listen to me the first time. Ya shouldn't have to guess how important ya are." To me…, she wanted to finish.

Kakuzu watched in slight amusement as she murmured something incoherent under her breath and started to clean up their dishes. It seemed to baffle him how she stayed by his side all these years, but at the same time it didn't, because she was so tenacious. She was completely determined to make sure he was always included and that he never disappeared.

"Take off your shirt so I can clean your wounds." Risa rummaged through her bag to pull out all of her medical supplies. She'd made sure to bring him a change of clothes as she salvaged anything she could from his trashed home. Looking up to see his expression, she smirked with a teasing stick out of her tongue. "You thought I was going to leave right after dinner? I'm going to annoy you for the rest of the night."

He was thankful for her presence. As much as he'd pushed the feeling to the side, she was the only one that he could count on - especially now.

"What happened to your face?" He stared into her eyes, causing Risa to immediately avert her gaze. Knowing his partner, he knew exactly what that reaction meant - she couldn't keep her composure.

"You should see the other guy." She laughed lightly as she bandaged one of his cuts. "I didn't think you'd notice since the swelling's pretty much gone now."

"Someone really made the decision to go against you one on one?"

"And lost. Don't forget that part."

Kakuzu smirked, a small sound of amusement escaping his lips. This only served to make Risa smile even more as she focused on making sure his injuries would heal okay. She couldn't help but notice that he wasn't as lanky anymore and had built some muscle since he'd been sent on that mission. She also wondered if he'd been pushing himself to maintain his strength since he'd been imprisoned. Tracing her hands over the stitches that aligned his body, she was more surprised that he didn't try to stop her. After glancing back and noticing the guard had disappeared, she decided to move forward with a more precedential conversation.

"Are you going to tell me how these happened now?" She asked quietly, looking up into his eyes. "Forget about my face. I should be asking what happened to yours."

"Before I left on my mission, I was given access to a scroll to increase my odds of success. With the brief information I received, I created something of my own - Earth Grudge Fear." He explained. "There's a lot more I could do, but I haven't figured it all out yet."

"Tatsuo let you see one of the forbidden scrolls?"

"Yes."

Risa raised her hand towards his face as her mind was twisted with confliction. She was trying to find some way to be okay with the situation, but all she could think about was that Tatsuo had not only put Kakuzu's life in danger with the mission, but he also essentially set him up with knowledge of forbidden techniques which is more than likely why he was facing such a harsh punishment. The pad of her thumb absentmindedly traced along the corner of his mouth until she felt his hand enclose hers.

"You should go home now."

"And what did I tell you before?"

Risa sat up on her knees so she was equally face to face with him and leaned forward, pressing her lips against his. It was meant to be a tender kiss, however it quickly escalated into something more. Kakuzu let go of her hand and pulled the girl towards him so she was straddling his lap. Cusping the cheeks of her ass, he held her firmly in place as she relaxed against his body. Their tongues danced around each other until the last possible moment when Risa pulled away for air. If it weren't so dimly lit, he probably would've seen the slight tint of flush across her cheeks as she looked down at him.

"Time's up!" The warden's voice could be heard bellowing from down the tunnel. "Light's out!"

The bluette quickly clambered off of her partner before the guard could return and gathered her belongings since she wasn't allowed to leave anything behind. Saying a quick goodbye, she exited the cell once the bars were opened and disappeared. Kakuzu let out a heavy sigh as everything became dark and rested in his usual spot along the rough, rock wall. He had a lot of thinking to do, but unfortunately another pressing problem - the growing mound in his pants - needed his attention first.

Days that turned into months passed as Risa continued to live in Takigakure. Most days, she didn't don her hitai-ite, and sometimes she found it hard to get out of bed, however she kept moving because she knew she was Kakuzu's only source to the outside. Despite her abilities, Tatsuo kept her in the reserves so she never left the village. She may have paid no mind to it since she didn't care how the village fared anymore, however her parents had a different take on the entire situation.

"You've finally come home?" Bashira called out as she cleaned the kitchen. "Are you going to break your hour record or is this a turn-around trip for you?"

"Good afternoon to ya too, Ma." Risa sighed as she stepped into the room, preparing herself to fill her food pail with her and Kakuzu's shared dinner. She'd just finished her shift at the medical clinic and was going to her daily visit with Kakuzu. The moment she reached for the potatoes, a hand immediately grasped her wrist.

"Absolutely not! You will not be feeding a criminal with my groceries."

Risa turned to her mother with a frustrated sigh and pulled her arm out of reach. "They aren't yours. I bought these last week with my own money."

"What money? You don't even go on missions anymore." Bashira rolled her eyes. "And you've ruined any chance of ever getting married in this village lest a foolish stranger happens to wander by."

"I still make money in the reserves, working at the clinic." The younger Okamoto commented calmly, even though she didn't owe her mother any explanation. "Kakuzu's hut has finally been fixed, so I'll move in there and ya won't have to worry about me using your assets any more."

Once her father hobbled into the kitchen on his crutch, Risa knew this conversation was going to make a turn for the worst. Ever since he found out about her suspension, their normal conversations seemed to cease. She knew it had nothing to do with the actual punishment and everything to do with Kakuzu.

"You will not be leaving this house with that kind of preposterous plan." Goro's voice boomed. "Are you blind, woman? You've lost everything, including your dignity and respect in the eyes of the village. Why do you insist on making our lives hard as well?"

"If it's easier for ya to disown me, then just do it. No one in the village would blame ya."

Bashira looked at her daughter, flabbergasted by the audacity. Goro was steaming with anger and abruptly threw his crutch at the girl's body, resulting in a clear dent on the wall and a crack in the window when he missed.

"You ignorant wrench-" Bashira started, but Risa cut her off.

"None of ya listened to my resolve." The younger female sighed. "I don't have a future here anymore. I followed your example, Dad. I became a top tier shinobi who would sacrifice anything for the village, but I've witnessed what that gets people here - nothing. The same shit that happened to Kakuzu could've happened to me or anyone else if the elders saw fit. I'm done bending my back for a system that's designed to screw me over regardless."

Goro held onto the counter and grunted in response. "You can give anyone else that bullshit, but you won't give that to me. Your problem is that you're selfish, you have too much loyalty towards that irresponsible burden of yours, and you've become complacent and lazy towards your village. You were here from the very beginning when we built this village from the ground up. You of all people should know the importance of village affairs and your duty to uphold them. Ultimately, it is your mistake and downfall to not only dishonor the village that has given everything to you, but also disrespect the only family that has continued to support you aside from the backlash we've been receiving as well."

Risa's eyes didn't waver from her father's steely gaze. Now that everyone's thoughts and feelings were out in the air, she felt like she could finally breathe. "Are you done?"

"Y-You…!"

"I am selfish. All humans naturally are." Risa spoke up, steadying her voice so her parents would be absolutely clear on what she'd be saying. "I'm also very loyal to the partner I've had for almost a decade now. I love him and I'm going to continue to stick by his side." Turning away from them, she headed towards her room to pack her things. "I'll be gone by nightfall."

"You're basically healed now." Risa took off the bandage on Kakuzu's waist. His deep gash was nothing more than a faint scar that almost blended in with his stitches. His other injuries had resolved themselves as well - broken ribs, swelling, and all. "Pretty soon, I won't have a pressing reason to come see ya as often anymore, aside from food that is."

The male eyed her, taking in the less-tired look on her face. "What have you been doing lately?" Beforehand, he would've never said anything, but she was his only source of entertainment in this hole. The guards hadn't loosened up since he was brought here, so his days were dull and spent being sensory-deprived.

"I've been living parental-free at your house." She shrugged. "Don't worry. I've stayed out of your room aside from getting ya fresh clothes."

"Why'd you leave home?"

Risa waved him off as she unpacked dinner. This time, she'd attempted to make omurice, however when she opened the containers, the egg had broken so now it looked like nothing. With a defeated sigh, she handed him his bowl and proceeded to eat hers.

"In my defense, they were intact when I stored them. I didn't burn anything, I used the right amount of seasoning, and I cooked the rice perfectly." She shoved a spoonful of the dish into her mouth begrudgingly.

"I believe you."

"When ya get out of here, ya can show me how ya do it again." She lowered her voice as she spoke. "The war's been stagnant and I overheard something about a tailed beast distribution in the works. Everyone's gonna be so focused on that… It would be perfect for ya."

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes as he looked at the female in front of him. It wasn't the first time he'd thought of escaping; honestly, he'd been formulating a plan since the night he'd been thrown down here. If it hadn't been for Risa's persistent wellness checks, he wouldn't have been able to muster up enough strength to carry out any extensive plan. All of his thoughts now seemed possible and he had everything he needed to carry them out.

"When is the rendezvous supposed to be?"

"A few days from now."

The two became quiet as they finished their food - half mulling over the situation at hand and half keeping an eye on the guard standing across from the bars. The male was too far away to hear them, but they weren't going to try and risk anything now. Once they were done, Risa decided it'd be a good idea to fix Kakuzu's growing hair, so she pulled out a comb and some hair products.

"Are you a masochist?" Kakuzu questioned. He closed his eyes as she started washing his hair, liking how relaxed it made him feel.

"Are ya talking sexually?"

"What? That's not-"

Risa burst out into laughter as she rinsed the suds out of his hair. Pulling out a small hand towel, she started the drying process, still trying to recover from her cramping stomach. "I understood ya the first time. I have been doing more harm than good to myself looking from the outside in. I have no regrets though."

"What are you getting out of all of this?"

"You."

Kakuzu raised an eyebrow out of curiosity and turned to look at her. "Treating me like a piece of property?"

"Yeah, like a piece of property." Risa rolled her eyes and dropped the towel on his face. "Let's just focus on one thing at a time. Like getting ya out of here."

"You don't need to be involved in that."

"I was leaving regardless. We just happen to have mutual interests now."

"You still have ties to this village."

The bluette placed her hand on her hip and tapped his head with the comb. "And that's where you're wrong. Ya can't talk me out of this, not like ya were ever able to anyway. I'll see ya at the watering hole in two days. I'll come everyday like normal and on the last day, we vanish. Deal?"

"...Deal."