Finished: July 21, 2017

Published: July 21, 2017

== A.N. ==

Finally the third chapter is here! I know it' been forever but here it is.

Its really early in the morning (2:30) so excuse any mistakes and the awkwardness of this chapter.

Please enjoy and see you at the end!

~.~.~.~

Kakuzu walked down the street heading to his job. He wasn't sure if he should have left the kid all alone but it wasn't like he could've taken him to work with him. Maybe he could bring him some food during his lunch break or something. Hopefully Hidan listened to him and wouldn't try using the stove, he could really hurt himself and even set the apartment on fire, he definitely didn't want either of those things to happen.

~.~.~.~

Kakuzu walked to the bar noticing that it hadn't opened yet. Well, he had arrived on time so something might have been wrong. He looked through a window to see if anyone was inside.

The lights were off and the door was locked. All he could do was wait for someone to arrive and open up the bar.

He leaned against the wall next to the door waiting for his boss to arrive – or anyone who could open the door and let him in for that matter.

He closed his eyes as he waited, it felt bizarre to be waiting outside of a bar so early in the morning, it was likely that any by passers would assume he was some drunkard or something.

"Sorry for the wait," Kakuzu opened his eyes and looked to the side only to find an orange hared man approaching him. Realizing it was his boss he removed himself from the wall he had been leaning against and straightened himself. The man smiled at him slightly as he dug through his pocket for his keys, "I'm glad to see you're here early, Itachi should get here any moment."

Kakuzu walked into the bar after Pein as the man turned on some lights and placed the keys in his hand back into his pocket. Kakuzu didn't know who this 'Itachi' was but it was safe to assume he was a coworker or something alike.

Kakuzu didn't know what to expect would happen now since it seemed that the bar still wasn't open – probably due to it being early in the morning, most people didn't even get up this early in the morning… – was he going to get to work right away? Would he help with cleaning up or something?

"Excuse me, what do I need to do now?" it was always awkward starting a new job because you don't really know your employer – except that your job probably depends on rather if they like you or not – so its always hard to make small talk. Pein seemed nice enough tough so that was good, he was pretty young looking too so maybe that's why he owned a bar. He didn't have any information on him, he only knew his physical characteristics but he seemed trustworthy enough so he would just go with the flow and relax a little, his hunches where yet to be wrong.

"We'll just wait until Itachi arrives, he is the one that will be in charge of your orientation." Pein walked through the bar to the end farthest from the door. At the moment Pein seemed professional yet slightly awkward, it was probably due to having new employee he knew relatively little about; he seemed to be a really friendly guy though, maybe he would relax eventually after Kakuzu worked for him longer. It seemed he wasn't the only one on edge.

"He should be here any second now." With that said, Pein left him alone in the bar as he went into a small room Kakuzu assumed to be an office.

'So much for "we'll" I guess.' Kakuzu thought to himself as he pulled one of the chairs off one of the tables and placed it down to have a seat.

It looked like he would be the only one waiting for the other guy to arrive. Well, it was better than having to try to make awkward conversation with his new boss.

~.~.~.~

About two minutes passed – which seemed like an eternity to Kakuzu – when suddenly a black haired guy walked into the bar. Before this happened Kakuzu tried killing time by studying the interior of the bar.

The place was painted a pleasant crimson color with nice pop art paintings in certain areas of different walls. The bar's counter was black marble and so were the tiles on the floor along with the tables, the alcohol on the shelves was displayed meticulously making the bottles filled with colorful liquids pose as a charming mosaic. The bar looked sophisticated, and Kakuzu wasn't a interior designer but he could tell that the place was well decorated, the bar was simple yet elegant; there weren't too little or too many elements in the place, it was an appealing look; now that he looked at the place it really seemed top notch.

"I'm home!" announced the raven as he walked through the door, a grin on his face as he awaited a reply from his red-haired boss. His eyes were glued to his smartphone's glowing screen as he swiped at it with his thumb. It seemed he hadn't noticed Kakuzu sitting at one of the tables.

"Yeah, yeah! Get to work Itachi, he's been waiting for you!" called out Pein from his office as he rolled his eyes. He was shopping online for alcohol to take care of restocking for the following month.

'Huh?' Itachi thought to himself as he moved his gaze from the bright phone screen to his surroundings, it didn't take more than a second before his eyes landed on a tanned brunette patiently waiting for him to notice his presence.

Kakuzu's emerald green eyes met Itachi's obsidian eyes and for a second he found himself captivated by the crimson hues he distinguished among all the dark pits of his eyes – maybe it was too early in the morning and he was hallucinating things, or maybe the red lights of the room were reflecting off his black eyes but his eyes were truly mesmerizing. When he finally snapped out of his momentary haze he got up from his seat and approached the raven. He held out his hand waiting for Itachi to shake it.

"My name is Kakuzu." Now that he was closer to the other male he could see the details in the other's face, he had pronounced stress lines on each side of his nose under his eyes and his skin was really white and unblemished, a total contrast with his jet-black hair.

"My name is Itachi, as you probably know already." Itachi shook Kakuzu's hand accepting the handshake. There was something about those emerald pools that made him fell as if he was being scrutinized, maybe he felt that way because it was his first time meeting his new coworker, "Pein might have already told you, but just in case, I'll be in charge of your orientation." Kakuzu nodded as Itachi put his phone in his jeans back pocket, "can you wait here a second? I need to change into my work clothes." Kakuzu nodded again and sat down.

~.~.~.~

A few minutes later Itachi returned wearing his bartending attire. The white elbow-length sleeve button up shirt he was wearing with a red tie was nicely put together with a black vest and black slacks. The kid looked good, but Kakuzu was starting to feel that he was surrounded by too many dark colors…

"Sorry for the wait, I'm supposed to show up already dressed up but I like bugging Pein, he has a few spare rooms in here so I have a few of my clothes here and I find it easier to just change here; besides after a few weeks Pein stopped giving me dirty looks." Itachi chuckled and Kakuzu found this amusing, when he first saw Itachi walk through the door he thought he would be very quiet but after he had seen his interactions with Pein and the way he talked he knew the guy was still a teenager – so to speak, early twenties – and happy with his job. So maybe his work environment wasn't going to be as stiff as he had initially thought it would be.

"Your outfit for today is appropriate, it doesn't really matter what you wear as long as you look good in it; also make sure your shoes are comfortable since you'll be on your feet all day." Kakuzu was dressed in a black sleeveless turtleneck and slim jeans that hugged his hips accompanied by construction boots, "The costumers can't see your feet from the other side of the counter so you can actually wear sneakers even if they don't match you attire. I recommend that they are non-slip and comfortable, they will be a big help. With that said your appearance is important; now that you started this job I recommend that you start getting manicures and you eyebrows waxed regularly, I know that you're a guy but trust me, it makes a difference when you receive tips." Getting his eyebrows waxed and manicures didn't sound appealing to Kakuzu but if that meant he would get more money out of it he would do it – with only mild complaining.

"Is that it for clothes and appearance?" asked Kakuzu as Itachi took a seat next to him.

"Since we got time I'll explain all the aspects of this job I can remember, if any questions pop up as I go don't be afraid to ask."

"Alright."

"For this job there are many things you are selling, we start with you appearance, you need to be appealing; I've noticed – since you are wearing that sleeveless turtleneck – that you have well defined muscles, it would suit you to wear tight fitting shirts that show off your body a little and tight pants that give off some sex appeal – as long as you're comfortable of course – and I cant stress enough the thing about the shoes, no one will see them but you, it's fine if they don't match your clothes. You're working with liquids in a limited area, some will be spilt and we don't want you slipping on something and dying." Itachi chuckled and Kakuzu made an unimpressed face, "a girl decided to wear flip flops after we told her she could use any shoes she wanted since standing all day would be tiring, she decided to wear them and slipped on some scotch and well she didn't die – obviously – but she hurt herself; moral of the story, don't wear shoes you can slip in." Itachi could remember that day perfectly, he felt bad for the girl.

"Now, speaking of spilling liquids, that happens frequently so we recommend to use dark colors, if you wear a white shirt and spill something on it, it will get an ugly and noticeable stain on it and you have to work with those clothes all shift long – unless you bring an extra shirt, which honestly seems like too much, but if that doesn't happen to be the case just save yourself the trouble and stay away from white unless you're an expert. Another thing to remember is short sleeves, you don't want anything baggy or going past your elbow; the cloth will get caught on bottles, glasses, etc. and you'll cause yourself trouble you could have avoided, especially since they'll get stained and sticky from all the different kinds of liquid." It wasn't easy being a bartender but once you got used to the basic rules, everything happened naturally and it was fun.

"You said something about selling many things?" Kakuzu was somewhat confused, he thought bartending was just about selling drinks – it seems he had underestimated what bartending was as a whole.

"Right, well, apart from people wanting to be served by pretty people, they will either want someone to talk to or to flirt with – its not completely uncommon – and on rare occasions, they don't want to talk they just want their drink. You need to be able to listen to what costumers say and remember a few details from the regulars and even flirt a little yourself – that is if you want good tips. Speaking about flirting, you'll get hit on by women and in some cases men as well, all you need to do is play along just a little. Make sure to politely let them know you don't want to take them to bed, unless that is what you actually want to do. In that case, that is your business since we don't have a specific rule on dating costumers being off limits – it would be like telling a supermarket employee they can't date any of the costumers. Anyway, now if a costumer is too pushy and it gets to the point you feel like you are getting harassed we'll help you out, bars are a place where people have a good time and we want you to have a good time here as well. Now, speaking of a good time, sometimes costumers will ask you to have drinks with them in which case you should probably ask Pein about that, I'd rather not drink while I'm working since I'm supposed to be here working and offer an experience and not to give a show because of getting shit faced, but that's just me, on some occasions though I will drink with the regulars."

"What else do I need to know?"

"Well after that, the most important part is actually serving the alcohol."

~.~.~.~

It took the rest of the time they had before the bar opened for Itachi to try to give Kakuzu the most advise he could and show him some basic drinks he would be serving.

While Kakuzu did know some things about alcohol he wasn't a heavy drinker; therefore he didn't know all of the names of every alcohol invented and every drink ever made, much less about all the different glasses there were and certain common terms that were used to order drinks.

Thankfully for him Itachi was nice enough to explain thoroughly all the basics he could remember. He talked about the different glasses and their purposes and the different drinks and the basic recipes for the concoctions.

It was somewhat hectic to take in all the information but Itachi had said that with practice everything would come automatically so he trusted the raven's words.

~.~.~.~

The minutes seemed to pass by incredibly slowly as they had opened the bar. No one had come in and Kakuzu was starting to wonder if this was normal. Itachi didn't seem fazed by this at all, so maybe it was normal.

Instead of lazing around Itachi busied himself with wiping glasses. Kakuzu followed suit deeming it was better rather than just standing around doing nothing. The silence enveloping them was comfortable, but Kakuzu had some questions that maybe could help him with his little problem at home – and no, he wasn't an ass, he wouldn't ask Itachi: "Hey do you want a cat?" but rather…

"Hey Itachi do you know how to take care of a kid?" Kakuzu said it seeming uninterested in the subject trying to at causal. Immediately after hearing those words Itachi's eyes brightened up.

"Actually I do, I have a younger brother; his name is Sasuke, he's four years younger than me." Itachi loved his little brother so much; he was so cute always calling him 'nii-san' and depending on him, although recently he had stopped that and started acting rebellious. It broke Itachi's heart but he would be strong, he would be there for his little brother and always have his back, "he used to be so small~…" it looked like Itachi started to daydream about his little brother so Kakuzu allowed his co-worker to dwell on his memories – or something, he didn't know – for a moment before he politely interrupted him trying t continue with what they were discussing.

"What do kids like?" asked Kakuzu as he wiped a rocks glass.

"All kids are different depending on how they are raised… do you have anything specific to ask about what kids like? For example food, or maybe toys…"

"Let's go with food." Damn, Kakuzu didn't remember being a kid actually being so complex. He just remembered it being like a little animal: eat, sleep, and go to the restroom – with some playing around somewhere in there. Maybe he was just a simple kid.

"Well, some kids like sweet things others don't. I love sweet things but Sasuke doesn't, its really all about the person. The thing about food is about taste, but with kids sometimes you cant let them eat only the things they like. The human body needs 20 essentials amino acids, our body makes ten and we have to acquire the other 10 through food." Kakuzu was drawing a blank. What the hell was Itachi talking about?

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I was just messing with you; Sasuke gets annoyed when I use big words to explain non complex things so I thought it would be funny…"

"Right…"

"Kids don't really need anything special they just need to be fed, preferably healthy things and not too much candy if they're the hyper kind." Pein walked out of his office with a bag of chips and sat at the counter, "Pein what do you know about little kids?"

"Since today seems to be a slow day I'll play along. Lets see…" Pein leaned the bag of chips forward to offer some to Itachi and Kakuzu, "They need a lot of attention and have lots of energy." That was something Kakuzu hadn't thought about…

"How do you deal with that?" Itachi took a chip and started chewing.

"You take them outside – to a park or a place of the like – and find a way to exhaust all of their energy. Then when they're all tired either give them books to read, colors and papers or stick them in front of the dumb box." Pein didn't have siblings but he did have younger cousins he would often babysit so he knew how to deal with kids.

"How do you do it?" Itachi took another chip and plopped it into his mouth as he listened to the conversation.

"Well if its more than one kid, you make contests; I used to get my younger cousins to race each other and promised ice cream to whoever was the victor. By the time we went back home they all dropped like flies and the ones who survived would sit in front of the TV watching cartoons while I read." This time Pein took a chip and ate it.

"What about one kid?"

"Oh that's easy," Itachi talked this time, "it's the same thing Pein said but there are less kids, if you take the kid to the park they'll probably make friends so they will run out of energy quickly and they'll cause less trouble for you." Pein nodded in agreement to what Itachi said. Kakuzu wanted to laugh, kids seemed to be like pets or something, the only difference was that they talked.

== A.N. ==

First of all, little kids are not little animals (yes they are, lol) you need to care for them properly and they are super smart – so they figure out ways to torment you or embarrass you, like saying the cuss words you tell them not to copy…

Second of all, this chapter was super hard to write. I realized I don't know jack shit about bartending so good job to any bartenders out there, keep up the hard work. I had to do lots of research and still this chapter was really vauge and kind of half assed, so I'll just stick to the raising Hidan part of this story mostly (unless anyone would like to help enlighten me with information on bartending to make this story feel a little more real).

Ok, now that my little (yeah right) rant is over…

Thank you for reading this far and leave me a review pretty please and show me some love by favoring and following this story.

See you in the next chapter! Bye! *Kisses*