The path we took went from lush forest to dusty cracked ground as we drew closer to the drop off point after a few hours of mindless marching. I put my hand to my forehead and squinted my eyes to peer out into the distance. A lone building shimmered through the heat in the distance.

"Jashin, It's fuckin hot out," Hidan groaned as he dragged the back of his hand lazily across his forehead while looking harshly into the open sky. A lone bird floated overhead, gliding downwards gracefully in a mesmerizing spiral—it was a vulture, tragically befitting for our ghostly destination. The sand blew at my exposed ankles from behind like it was pushing me towards the ominous building.

I paused at the steps as I took a moment to tip my head back and look at it. It was stark and undecorated, clearly not built to be aesthetically pleasing. Kakuzu opened the door and glanced back at me with a look that made me rush up the stairs to catch up. I hesitated once more as I stood like a child in front of the door, wide open and ready to consume me the minute I stepped through its hellish gate. I wanted to wait outside but Hidan put his hands on my shoulders from behind as he walked forward, pushing me ahead with him.

"I don't like it either," He confessed as he removed one hand from me to shut the door behind us and proceeded into another room that was dimly illuminated by three luminescent lights, the last of which flickered like the wings of a dying butterfly.

The door fell shut loudly behind us, causing me to jump slightly. Hidan snickered under his breath at me before taking a seat on the battered wooden bench that was pushed against the wall. I sat beside him, not wanting to see the body. Kakuzu approached the man across the room who was pulling a flat, metal bed out from a slot in the wall.

He eyed me suspiciously, "Who's the girl, Kakuzu?"

Kakuzu looked at me before answering, "She's the one who killed him."

He heaved the enormous body bag onto a metal table that extended from the oversized drawer. I assumed it was for the obese victims. The man looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Let's see the damage then," he said as he unzipped the bag from face to feet before peeling the sides back. His eyes snapped open widely at the sight, slowly turning his head to look at me once more with disbelief.

"Holy hell girl," he laughed incredulously. "I think I'll start hiring you for these jobs," he said, scratching his head and looking at Kakuzu with a shrug. "No offense, pal."

Kakuzu grunted in response.

I wasn't sure how to react. This guy was acting like what I did was something to be proud of, like it was impressive. I just felt like I got lucky, and had I been a normal girl with no peculiar talent, I'd be dead.

"What exactly did you do to him?" The man asked as he started poking at the corpse with a colorful variety of instruments.

I stared down at the hem of my sleeve which was being nervously kneaded between my fingers before looking up at him sheepishly. "I um… well I stabbed him in the face with my shoe," I paused before adding, "and then I set him on fire… oh, and then I pulled him out of a window... But Hidan did the rest!"

"What? I didn't know you did all that!" Hidan exclaimed in a congratulatory tone as he rushed over to the body to look for himself. He let out a hysterical cackle when he peered into the bag, his hands clutching his stomach, the guttural amusement apparently paining him. "Damn Izumi, you really fucked this guy up." He eventually managed to say with an approving nod.

"Very impressive," the man agreed with humorous surprise as he zipped the bag back up and pushed the body into the wall with a strained thrust. Just another coin in Kakuzu's pocket from then on.

I sucked in the air gratefully as we exited the disturbing building and Hidan seemed to do the same.

"Before we leave, we'll perform the ritual over there," Kakuzu pointed to a shady area at the building's edge. I paused and worried at my bottom lip, unsure if Kakuzu realized how long the process was and how much strain it would put on me that he'd have to deal with after.

"What is it now?" He asked in annoyance, noticing my hesitance.

"I just… are you guys sure you know what you're doing? I mean, Itachi and Kisame took a while last time and I didn't feel so good after. Kisame had to carry me for a while and-"

Kakuzu cut me off. "Are you questioning my judgement or my strength right now?" His eyes narrowed and I realized I had made a mistake. He continued on, rephrasing the question to make me feel even dumber. "Do you think we don't understand how to perform the ritual, or is it that you think we are too weak to carry you afterwards?"

"I didn't mean it like that," I began hurriedly explaining. "I just don't want to… I don't know, burden you guys?" I said with a sigh.

"Then stop testing my patience and get in position," He commanded with a quick gesture to the shadows beneath the overhanging roof. I shot him an apologetic look before scurrying over. Hidan and Kakuzu took their places standing across from each other with me in the middle. I turned away from Kakuzu's scrutinizing look in favor of facing Hidan as I lowered down to my knees before him. As usual, Hidan wore a look of amusement as he stared down at me.

"Well that's not a bad view," Hidan mused quietly to himself, tilting his head as he continued to regard me. I glanced over my shoulder at the landscape. It was mostly cracked earth and desolation with a forest at the edge of our vision, not exactly what I would consider a nice view. I felt like I was missing the joke.

"Hidan," Kakuzu scolded quickly and Hidan, while rolling his eyes, seemed to straighten up. Kakuzu was apparently appeased by this. "We begin now," he directed.

Hidan brought his hands before him, forming a familiar sign. Once this happened, the humorous curve of his lips pulled taut into a line as he seemed to be fully concentrating on the task at hand.

I was thankful I'd been through the process before, I at least knew what to expect. Similarly to last time, it started as no more than an annoyance but the pulsing headache eventually kicked in. It sat behind my eyes this time, throbbing and making it difficult to keep them open.

Around hour four, the pain residing behind my eyes came to a head before I felt that familiar bursting sensation, though this time it came with a flash. An image, there for just a moment. I blinked several times, completely worn out, as I registered what I had just seen. It was a child's face, a little boy, a mess of black hair with bright green eyes. I heard that cry again, the one I'd heard several times before, and it became clear to me that the child was Aki. Of course there was nothing explicitly telling me so, but I just knew. The angle at which I saw him, he was being cradled in someone's arms, my arms. I was a child myself, of course, but I knew it was me. It didn't just feel like an image or a vision, it felt like a memory.

I let out a gasp with a few heaving breaths behind it as I wrestled with all the conflicting feelings I was experiencing. Exhaustion, mentally and physically, but also relieved to an extent that it was over, another portion of the seal down, and this time I had something to show for it.

"Damn, that was harder than I expected, and so boring too." Hidan whined, pulling me out of my train of thought. He rubbed his temples with closed eyes and a sheen of sweat across his forehead.

"Yes, Hidan. I imagine that it was for you. It requires discipline and focus, afterall." Kakuzu said, not without a heavy air of condescension.

"Suck a dick. I fucking did it, didn't I? And look, I didn't even break her brain." Hidan retorted matter-of-factly, flipping him off with one hand and gesturing to me with the other. I continued to just sit there catching my breath, rubbing my eyes with the backs of my balled hands.

"I don't think I did anyway... I was kind of fucking careful not to," he mumbled more to himself than anyone else as he took a step toward me and knelt down, pushing my hanging head up to put us at eye level. "Oi, you all good there sweetheart?" he asked.

I blinked several times, the bright lights at the edges of my vision slowly dissipating, before nodding in a daze. The headache thrumming behind my eyes still persisted but was slowly subsiding.

"Breaking her brain…" Kakuzu quoted Hidan. "Was that really a temptation?"

"Well it would have been easier and faster…" Hidan grumbled under his breath, still looking me over, a bit unsure. "I'm just saying, give me some fucking credit."

"Calm down, Hidan. It's alright that your skills lie elsewhere... like lifting things." Kakuzu looked pointedly at me, making it evident that I was the thing to be lifted.

"Hey, did I tell you to suck a dick earlier? What I meant was choke on one," Hidan sneered at Kakuzu before he grabbed my hands to pull me up to my feet.

"What's this, no complaining or arguing that I should carry her myself?" Kakuzu raised a brow. "How unlike you, Hidan."

"Dude, you seriously complaining that I'm not complaining? Get fucked," Hidan said with a roll of his eyes. I stood there swaying slightly, dizzy from the sudden vertical movement.

"Jashin, we've gotta work on your fucking coordination. Can I trust you to stay upright for five whole seconds?" he asked teasingly while removing the scythe from his back and handing it to Kakuzu.

"Now listen, I'm used to my scythe being back here," Hidan said, positioning himself into a squat so I could climb onto his back. I let myself flop against him, my arms draping over his shoulders and his arms hooking under my legs, hoisting me up as he straightened out. "So there's a distinct possibility that I might grab you off my back and start swinging you around. Old habits, ya know?" While I couldn't see his face, I could hear the stupid grin in his voice.

"Okay," I said with a weak laugh. "At least I've been warned."

"Right? And can you believe people call me an asshole?" He said incredulously.

"Yes." Kakuzu answered immediately which garnered another laugh from me and a scoff from Hidan.

Between Hidan's rhythmic trudge and the warmth from both him and the beating sun, I quickly found myself lulling to sleep. It wasn't particularly sound sleep, what with Hidan and Kakuzu making remarks at each other from time to time, but more-so than that, there was an odd, nagging sensation in the back of my head that I couldn't seem to shake.

"You still alive back there?" Hidan asked as I began to stir. I felt groggy and half-asleep still. It took me a moment to recall that I was being ferried on Hidan's back and I wondered how much time had passed.

"She might actually be dead," Hidan whispered loudly to Kakuzu when I didn't answer right away.

"We are not that lucky," Kakuzu retorted. I couldn't tell if this was one of his rare, shining moments or humor or if he was being serious.

I scoffed and buried my face in Hidan's shoulder to protest the whole being awake thing. "Yes, I'm dead." I mumbled, muffled.

"I fucking knew it." Hidan said, shaking his head at the tragedy of it all.

"What did I tell you?" Kakuzu murmured to Hidan and they shared a chuckle over it.

"I'm just glad my death could bring you two together." I said contently through a yawn.

"Turns out you weren't useless after all," Hidan agreed and I begrudgingly snorted against his shoulder.

"How about you two stop screwing around and keep an eye out for a spot to make camp. It'll be dark in an hour." Kakuzu cut in, reverting back to being annoyed as usual. He was right though, the sun was on its way to setting as we approached the forest that would eventually lead us home. I had learned that staying at inns wasn't a common occurrence when traveling with Kakuzu. Most nights were spent under the stars because they didn't charge a fee. We managed to find a small clearing by a stream just as the last sliver of sun receded into darkness.

"Alright, alright, free ride is over. Hey, you didn't leave any drool stains back there, did you?" Hidan asked accusingly as he entered the clearing.

"Nothing that hasn't dried out by now." I assured him coolly. I had become quite accustomed to the piggy-back ride and hadn't really considered the inevitable reality of needing to exist as a singular entity again. I found myself scowling and clinging a little tighter.

Hidan turned his head to the side, toward me, and spoke in a hushed tone. "Keep holding on to me like that and I'm going to think you want a different kind of ride..."

Before I could even process his comment, he lowered me down to sit on an overturned tree trunk. I reluctantly released my grip on him, plopping onto the smooth bark.

"What?" I finally asked, not understanding. He looked down at me inquisitively and folded his arms over his chest, studying me for a moment. I glared back at him while hugging myself for warmth, having severely underestimated how much heat Hidan had been putting off.

"You really don't get it, do you?" He asked. I could see the gears turning behind the scenes like he was starting to put some pieces together. What he was puzzling out though, I wasn't sure. I may not have understood the joke but I assumed it was something rude.

I huffed with frustration. "No, I don't. What other type of ride could you possibly give me?" I asked back, annoyed.

Hidan's grin stretched wryly across his face. "You know," he said in a deep, playful timbre as he put one leg up on the log next to me and leaned in, "it's more of a 'show, don't tell' kind of thing."

"Hidan…" Kakuzu warned, which confirmed my suspicions of his comment being rude. "Make yourself useful and collect some firewood."

Hidan's mischievous smirk didn't let up as he clicked his tongue and pushed off the log, stepping backwards with an arrogant swagger before finally turning away from me and sauntering off towards the woods. In a quick motion he tugged his cloak off and tossed it over his shoulder for it to land on my head. I snatched it off with a half-hearted scowl and happily wrapped it around myself.

Kakuzu had begun unpacking some of our things and I shuffled over to help lay out the bed rolls by where I assumed the fire would be built.

"You don't need to do that," Kakuzu commented.

"Do what?" I asked back.

"You've done enough to help. You should be resting." He elaborated gruffly.

I let out a humorless laugh. "That's nice of you to say but I'm well aware of my minimal contributions."

"I have a chest full of money that says otherwise... which reminds me," he dug into his pocket and produced a few coins, holding them out to me. "Your cut," he explained.

"Are… you serious?" I asked incredulously with a shaky smile waiting on my face. He looked at me with an eyebrow cocked.

"It's barely anything," he justified. I didn't care, I never had money of my own before. I took it into my hand and I stared at it in disbelief, my eyes flitting between Kakuzu and the coins that chimed softly as they moved in my palm.

"Wow, thanks Kakuzu," I exclaimed, almost choking up as I threw my arms around him. He was easily the tallest in the Akatsuki, my head reaching mid-chest maybe, and I struggled to even get my arms around him.

"Uh, sure." He said stoically, patting my head in an awkward, mechanical way, which turned into more of a pushing motion after a moment. I took the hint and stepped away.

"Sorry," I apologized with a smile, still excited to have made my first wages.

"You're going to make Hidan jealous with that," he tutted, turning back to continue setting up camp and, despite what he had said earlier, I continued to help.

"Pffft, okay" I said with a laugh.

"You would be foolish to think otherwise." Kakuzu replied sternly, clearly not joking. I would admit that Hidan had been a bit nicer to me as of late, and I was less willing to admit that I liked it… but that didn't really mean anything, not for Hidan anyway. I was quite sure I was just a game to him.

"I think you're overestimating his emotional range." I countered.

"Listen kid, I've been around for a long time. 90, nearly 91 years. I know what I'm talking about."

I pursed my lips and squinted at Kakuzu skeptically. "You don't look 90 years old."

"I age well," He said curtly, offering no more explanation than that. We finished unpacking in silence until Hidan showed up with firewood.

We spent the evening together, the three of us, with very minimal fighting surprisingly. Hidan seemed to be in a good mood which naturally put Kakuzu in a good mood and they showed me how to cook fish over the fire. I think they were pleased to finally know something about preparing food that I didn't, and perhaps I humored them by being a bit more inquisitive than usual... but they seemed to enjoy teaching me and I wanted to encourage any non-violent behavior I could. The night eventually came to a close and I found my eyelids growing heavy as I snuggled into my bed roll beside the fire. Sleep came for me quickly, and it came for me with teeth.

Thanks for taking the time to read! I love hearing all your thoughts, thank you so much to those giving feedback :)