Chapter 12.
Kakuzu retrieved the girl and Hazel beelined into the farthest corner she could find. The rest of the day she kept as much distance as feasibly possible between them without uttering a single word. As planned, Kakuzu didn't try to talk to her either. Hazel was free to spend the whole time crying to her heart's content until it was time to sleep again. The next day her eyes were nearly swollen shut while the sand in her tear ducts is the consistency of cement. She is so hollow from all of her crying that she couldn't find the energy to be upset. The lack of sensation is eerily similar to what she felt the first time Hazel witnessed a murder. There aren't any emotions to 'feel' and all that's there is this numbing emptiness. Kakuzu continued to leave her alone which came as a surprise to the girl since he isn't the kind of guy who respects boundaries. On the third day she was still confused but this time it was over an entirely unrelated topic. Hazel couldn't stop wondering what species Kakuzu is. Like is Kakuzu a human? Demon? Alien perhaps? Maybe a mutant? Is he a new species all together? What is Kakuzu because he doesn't act human and barely looks like one too. Hazel has said this probably a thousand times but-
'IF ONLY I COULD ASK HIM DAMMIT. I don't even know what SPECIES this guy is for fuck's sake! If I just. Knew. HOW!' While so much has happened, ultimately nothing has truly changed. The only way she can learn to ask him is for her to go back. To accept what Kakuzu did and STILL return to him regardless.
'-and even if he has decided to leave me alone Kakuzu has made it impossible to seek out anyone else's aid but his. Hold on- 'On reflex her eyes veered towards the mercenary. Kakuzu noticed this and thought she was going to address him. But just as quickly as she made eye contact, she broke it to continue thinking to herself.
'-maybe he's counting on that and this bastard is waiting for me to breakdown and crawl back to him?' After some contemplation, the girl concluded this is EXACTLY what's happening. Hazel wanted to kick herself for not realizing sooner.
'Oh my God that asshole isn't leaving me alone. He's waiting me out like I'm some brat throwing a tantrum! *Tch* Should've known... So, what now then? Am I going to let this go again?! AGAIN?! That man decimated a whole group of people this time I- I just can't-' She deliberated with herself over and over again but it's still either work with him or lose all chance of finding home. Her selfishness pleaded for her to get it over with and move on. Yet despite how logistically impossible the notion is, it simply didn't feel right to go to him. In her mind, this has become an even greater moral dilemma that will speak volumes on her character depending on how she proceeds. But in the face of inescapable dilemmas- silence and avoidance are Hazel's go to 'solutions' and it's a miracle the child has made as many decisions as she has. Although these crutches will not and HAVE NOT solved anything, what then? On one hand if the girl stays silent, she will lose all hope of reuniting with her parents and Kakuzu might dispose of her. On the other hand, if she turns to the man for help then she's just as horrible as him and the girl will have to live with that. Hazel now knows from experienceand evidencethat Kakuzu is a serialkiller. Not a one-time murderer who could've had good reasons for his actions but has a bad habit of making shitty first impressions.
'Dad? Mom? Why is God doing this to me?'
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After over a week of waiting, Kakuzu considered breaking the silence but he still believed it would be more detrimental to push it. When the girl is willing, she is a driven individual and Kakuzu can get more out of her. He stayed patient the whole week she took to recollect herself until finally Kakuzu thought it was time to lay out some incentives. He took out the picture books and strategically laid them out for her to explore. When Hazel awoke, she took the bait almost immediately. But although she grazed through them, the girl still didn't feel up to the task. Instead, Hazel collected her notepad and pencil to draw in to pass the time. Her captor fumed at the sight. Kakuzu's patience is wearing thin. He allowed her to have one last day before he decided enough was enough.
"Hazel, come here." Kakuzu held a new book in his hand as he sat down on the ground. Neither of them had read it yet and the missing-nin thought it would be a good way to lure her in. He directed her attention to a spot next to him. Hazel wavered but she reluctantly walked over to sit by Kakuzu. The redhead plopped down where he asked but leaned her body as far away from him as she thought he'd allow. Kakuzu noticed as much and shook his head before opening the picture book. The missing-nin showed her the first page and pointed to the pictures as he translated.
"Arm." She nodded.
"Leg." He waited for her to repeat but she only nodded again.
"Hair." A nod.
"Face." Another sullen nod.
"Eyes." Yet again, a nod. He wanted to thrash the girl mercilessly for her attitude.
"Nose." Nod.
"Mouth." Still silent, not a word to be heard. Kakuzu flipped to the next page where this time it depicted people rather than body parts. Something else new for the girl. Words like 'Woman', 'Man', and 'Child'. Not surprisingly, since the book is from the Land of Fire, there is also a depiction of a Leaf shinobi. Like lightning, Hazel focused on this when she caught sight of the green vest of death.
"Kakuzu! What that name!?" She about knocked the book out of his hand as she aggressively tapped the image.
"Shinobi."
"Shinobi…. Shinobi!?" Hazel finally repeated him. After over a week of silence, she's speaking to Kakuzu again. The child ran to retrieve the notepad and pencil. She scribbled some horrific looking stickmen with those vests crudely scratched on before jabbing her pencil at the drawings.
"Shinobi! Uuuh shi-shinobi! UM YOU! SHINOBI!" She pointed at the image while scrambling for a way to portray her question.
'JUST HOW IN THE HELL DO I DO THIS!? I can't let this chance slip by, THINK!' Hazel growled as she tapped the pencil against her head.
"Kakuzu, Shinobi. Uggggggghhhhhhhhhh!"
'I can't ask directly. I don't know how to. Damn it but I want to know! I want to understand!' Even if he tells her he's just a killer at least she knows but what if there's something MORE to it? Hazel is gritting her teeth as she tried to figure out a way to charades the question she wants, no, NEEDS to ask. But it turned out it was easier than the girl could have ever imagined because Kakuzu already discerned what she wanted. It wasn't hard for him to put two and two together after she said his name followed by 'shinobi'. He supposed Hazel would want answers at the very least.
'I overlooked this. How much time would I have saved if I simply explained everything sooner?' Kakuzu left the girl to retrieve his bingo book on the other side of the cave. After he picked it up from his spot beside the fire pit, Kakuzu returned to her and flipped the book's pages to his page. There he is, or at least there is an illustration of him. The old photo the Hidden Waterfall Village had was beyond outdated, so they scrapped it decades ago. The new portrait, albeit a drawing, is still exceedingly accurate thanks to eyewitnesses. Hazel was too lost in thought to notice Kakuzu's absence until he called on her.
"Look." He showed her the bingo book. Now Hazel knows a bounty poster when presented one and a single look was all it took to see that the sketch HAD to be Kakuzu. She had assumed he was a homicidal demon, not a criminal on the run. She stood up and pointed at the illustration.
"You?"
"Yes, it's me."
'So Kakuzu is a criminal and those 'shinobi' are trying to get him? Wow…this makes sense.' This not only answered her initial question, but so much more.
'This is why he killed that first man and stole from him too! THIS is why he's dragging me all over the place, it's why he made me play dress up, and it's the reason why he's always. On. Edge. We're on the run! God, it's so obvious now! But what did he do to end up with a bounty? Is there a way I can ask?' She considered her question, yet it wasn't long before she concluded it was impossible.
'- Although I can deduce it's probably because he's a serial killer. Doesn't take Stephen Hawking to crack that one… Alright- I'm in the 'care' of a homicidal criminal that's being hunted down by those people wearing the vest. I think it's safe to assume they're this country's police force since they're trying to take down Kakuzu in that uniform. With possibly a whole nation trying to slaughter my captor I-I…I am guaranteed to see him murder people again and I still have no idea what this grown man's intentions are with me. FUCK-' It's as if every horrific theory she had combined together into one horrific truth. Every last weak hope she had has been annihilated. It IS as bad as Hazel feared.
'-I'M DEAD. I AM SO DEAD.'
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A/N
Oh boy- if you can't tell by this pacing, I'm trying to get to the goods but still have a reasonable amount of buildup. TBH this is basically a prelude to me. XD I really hope you guys are liking it so far!
Thank you for your responses! I think what's going to happen is when I finish at least one of my stories- I'll make a new one for Kakuzu. When that happens, I'll make sure not to leave any room for possible controversy. I should have thought of her beginning age and predicament when I first started this and I'm glad I changed it. Thank you Vijamoon and keikokurosuki!