Chapter 11.

Hazel is flying. Or so she feels… Her stomach kept lifting and dropping as they accelerated and decelerated through the air. It's as if she was riding on top of a bird flapping its wings. Up and down, up and down. This, alongside the heat radiating from the body cradling her, made to be an incredibly soothing sensation. A feeling as lulling as being rocked by your mother beside a roaring fireplace. Hazel didn't want to open her eyes ever again. She only wished to stay here and forget how cruel the world is. To even go as far as to forget she ever existed… if she could just never wake up and never be forced to face him ever again. It would be a blessing.

'But I can't stay here, can I? Fuck, he really is a monster. Does Kakuzu feel remorse for any of this because I sure as hell do… I just sat there and watched! I… I watched him as he tore all those people apart. I stood aside as he burned them alive and did NOTHING. I could've tried but I didn't do JACK SHIT. Instead of helping I almost RAN! Just like before, I was entirely useless.' She needs to know who Kakuzu is. Trying to blindly tolerate him and his sins isn't enough. Is there a chance he has a valid reason for his crimes? If he explained his reasoning, could she then possibly cope? Maybe even rid herself of the guilt inhabiting her heart? Because at this rate she'll never be able to face her parents even if she does find them. A coward such as herself doesn't deserve to.

'I need answers but…I don't want to be anywhere near that demon...I can't. I just can't.' Hazel doubted she could talk to him after that slaughtering.

'What do I do then? I'm…I'm so tired… Can I stay asleep a little longer? Yea… just fall back to sleep…. I'm too tired to think right now. Just…sleep…' Kakuzu thought Hazel was about to wake but her body went slack once again. He is already begrudging the moment she does.

'Mark my words, after this mission the Leaf's bounties will be my top priority.' Kakuzu wished he had dragged out their deaths. As he saw it, they got off too easily.

'- I will simply make up the lost in my finances with their comrades' blood. That should be enough.'

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The next morning Kakuzu discovered a suitable spot for a hideout. Up in the mountains, nearly level with the clouds, he came across a cave. There aren't any paths for civilians to scape and a shinobi should have no reason to traverse the mountain side without probable cause. Kakuzu was sure to leave no traces for any potential anbu. His pant legs are still soaked from the ordeal. He had created so many false trails that he lost count. He also crossed several rivers without using the water-walk technique so their smell would be dispelled. All of this while leaving fake clues such as locks of hair or bloodstains. He is confident no one will be able to discern which direction they fled. They will only find chaos.

When the mercenary entered the cave, he gently lowered the child onto the ground. Hazel is still out cold despite the fact she's been asleep for nearly an entire day. This bout of shock is sure to be complicating and a thorn in his side. He is positive she will be out of her mind for the next few days and unable to focus. So, with that in mind, Kakuzu decided he wouldn't even try. No lessons, no talking, absolutely nothing. He figured he must give her space so she can recover. It's what surely helped her the first time she witnessed him kill a man. After a whole day of no communication, Hazel came to him directly. The missing-nin hypothesized the same could happen this time. With how long they will have to hide, a few days will change little.

Several hours later…

Hazel noticed that she isn't flying anymore. Her body is grounded and unable to sleep another wink. She still doesn't want to open her eyes, but the girl reminded herself that she couldn't stay. Against her true wishes Hazel went ahead and lifted her heavy lids. She was met by the sight of clouds. So many fluffy clouds drifting past her. The girl jumped up before she realized that they are not in fact floating in the sky. No, she is standing on dirt at an extremely high elevation.

'Where are we now?' She searched all around for clues and noticed that they were in a cave again. Her eyes caught the sight of Kakuzu by a fire and she swiftly turned her head away from him. No, she can't bear to look at that thing. Not yet… To avoid him she walked towards the cave's opening to take a better look at their surroundings outside. As Hazel neared the exit a gust of wind smacked her straight in the face. It stung as it grazed her skin and knocked the bandana straight off her head.

"WHOAAA!" After the wind ceased, the child rushed at the exit and held onto the side of the cave for balance. Never in her whole life did Hazel think she would ever witness something so…grand. They are thousands of feet in the sky overlooking a mountain range covered with foliage. It looked like a painting Bob Ross would walk you through or a scene from a Ghibli film. To say it's magnificent is not only a lie but an insult. It's far beyond magnificent.

"Wow." Her earlier panic subsided as she gazed at the scenery. Until, that is, she made a massive mistake and looked down. The drop-off is nearly 90 degrees with a few sharp cliffs being the only thing that could catch her should she fall. Fearing that such would occur, Hazel was petrified and couldn't bring herself to move an inch. Kakuzu was watching and noticed her body stiffen. He wasn't sure if she was stuck until the girl started shivering. He got up to pull her away from the edge but when his hand touched her skin Hazel jerked around to push him with every ounce of her body weight. Now this was a dumb idea for many reasons… one of the more immediate reasons is she had just single handedly pushed herself off the mountain. Kakuzu hadn't move an inch when she had pushed so the only one that moved was the girl. Hazel stared at Kakuzu dead in the eye as she slowly began to plummet.

'I fucked up.' The girl caught sight of a bird swerving to dodge her falling body.

'-ooooooooohhhhhh I really fucked up.'

"KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu" Kakuzu growled at the dumb child while he used the tendrils within himself to launch his hand.

"IT IS KA. KU. ZU."Their voices echoed throughout the valley. Hazel about screamed again until she felt the all too familiar grip of his rough hand grabbing her arm. When she stopped falling Hazel's gaze followed the tendrils to look at Kakuzu's angry face. He may be masked but his eyes told her everything.

*sniffle…sniffle* Kakuzu groaned.

'Great, here we go AGAIN.' Hazel's tears are freezing cold from the blistering wind. Her vision is blurred but she can still see his hand holding onto her arm. His detachable hand connected to that THING inside him.

*Sniffle*" I-I" *sob*-I WANT TO GO HOME! MOM! DAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDD! I'M SCAAARRRREEEEDDDDD AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She is bawling as Kakuzu pulled her back up. A part of Hazel wished he'd just drop her.

"I-i hate you! I hate you so much! I hope you die, Kakuzu! If I could I'd kill you myself! Damn you, JUST DAMN YOU! BURN IN HELL!" She went incoherent as she screamed and wailed. Many would have been livid knowing she is obviously cursing his name, but the mercenary knew he deserved such hatred. He understood as much even back before he turned himself immortal.

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A/N- So I know this story is pretty sad right now. but I don't want an OC who is overly positive, nor do I want an overly kind Kakuzu. I want them to be realistic. Or realistic in my opinion, I'm sure I'll mess up but hey I'm no professional haha.

Any who, Is the story always going to be this sad? Absolutely not, but at the beginning when they're just figuring stuff out? ABSOLUTELY. This is actually a good example of why I changed the pairing. If you didn't know this was originally a KakuzuxOC fic but I was worried this would come off as Stockholm syndrome or predatorial. I'm sure many could've written it in a way that wouldn't have been but I'm EXTREMELY new to writing. So, I kept it safe and I managed to incorporate two characters who seriously don't have enough stories. So, win, win in my opinion but what are your thoughts? Let me know!