Chapter five: "Only a quick visit"

He didn't realise he was so hungry…

Inhaling the scent that had grew into his senses he opened one eye groggily, spying Ino by the kitchen, she was dancing to a song in her head and singing some of the words randomly, she seemed to be the one preparing the food that smelt so…delicious.

He just watched her stepping from what foot the other, swinging her long hair back and forth, looking more carefree than she had in days.

Grunting as he got up, Ino turned suddenly, the look of surprise turning to a cheery smile.

"Morning sleeping beauty" turning onto his stomach he lay there and sighed as his muscles stretched and popped with heavy loose relaxations.

Since when did she talk to him like that?

Dismissing it good naturedly he just glanced at her unimpressed.

"Fried eggs, toast, beans are optional and coffee?" she asked, and he raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, thanks" he replied gruffly and sat up, scratching the back of his head.

"Bon apatite!" she grinned and laid the dish in front of a sleep crusted Kakuzu who now sat at the table. He nodded his thanks. She went to go get her own when it dawned on him.

If he wanted to eat, his mask would have to come off.

He was partially worried to her reaction and yet at the same time he felt like she had shown maturity the night before, and she better know him better if he was to protect her so much.

Reaching a hand to pull down the material of his mask, a sudden loud banging on the door, froze both members in their movements, Ino halfway to the table, her face turned to horror and she dropped the plate.

"Oh god it's them!" she hissed and Kakuzu was already standing at the door, hand on the handle.

"Who is it?" he asked roughly and a voice shouted back, it was female.

"Open up the door please, we would like to ask you some questions"

Kakuzu paused, but decided to comply to make it less suspicious.

Ino who kept to the back of the room was surprised to see the young lanky receptionist who they met before standing, with two large police officers and her face serious and sharp.

"Come in" Kakuzu claimed and the trio walked in with an air of tense business.

"Sorry to disturb you, but there has been an accident in room number sixteen, involving the murder of a couple, the details are irrelevant to you unless you can provide us with any hints to what might have happened, but at the moment, we just want to ask you some things"

Kakuzu stayed silent but Ino looked utterly horrified.

"Oh my god" she whispered and covered her mouth with a trembling hand. Looking between the officers and Kakuzu, wondering what could have happened.

"Of course you can, please take a seat" Ino exclaimed and gestured to the dining table, swiftly removing Kakuzu's dinner to place on the kitchen counter.

"Thank you miss" one of the males replied, though his face stayed stern.

Kakuzu closed the door behind them as they sat down and coughed loudly. Ino stood by the sink opposite them and just looked with wide cerulean eyes.

"So did you notice anything unusual while staying in this accommodation?"

"No…nothing unpredictable"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well…all I really saw…or heard them…was…them at night" she exclaimed uncomfortably and Kakuzu's eyes subtly contracted, she had heard them? What else had she heard?

"I see, was there any shouting, arguing?"

"No"

"Did you see them at all?"

"No"

"What about you sir, had you seen or heard them at all?"

Kakuzu turned at his requirement of attention.

"I did not see the couple"

"Were either of you out last night?"

"I had stepped onto the platform last night, and bought some things from the shop, but that was it"

"What did you purchase?"

"Some orange juice, bread and butter"

Ino now knew where the food had come from.

"Is that all? Do you have evidence?"

"Look, this is all really unnecessary, neither of us saw the couple, or have anything to do with them, we are sorry for the incident, but we were just getting ready to leave and you are delaying us"

He didn't hide the aggravation in his tone at the end and the officers looked surprised and stern at the same time.

"How long have you been staying here?"

"Just the night, we were just passing through" the bodyguard snarled and opened the door viciously. "Now if you don't mind"

Suddenly one of the officers, a tall, dark dressed man with cropped hair and a hard face jumped up and pulled out a gun, firing at Kakuzu who dodged it with a little less grace out of surprise.

Another came flying and Kakuzu moved to the left in a lunge, before darting forward to throw a deep, shattering punch into the man's facial structure. Finishing him off with a knee to the abdomen and a hand, hard and fast to the back of his neck. By this time, the other man had gone for Ino, he was smaller but sturdy with matted hair and thin lips.

She yelped and struck his arm, as he stumbled back she dropped and slid her leg beneath his feet, crashing him to the floor. Grabbing a vase off the table, she dropped it on him and he went silent as he curled up and writhed in pain.

The woman snarled and went for Kakuzu who, without hesitation, stuck his arm through her neck, the wires charring and entwining, creating ugly bulging mass of thin, black tentacles that penetrated the flesh and pulled out the contents inside, until her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she collapsed with a pool of growing crimson.

Ino was momentarily stunned in horror and she looked up slowly to the viciously plain expression Kakuzu had on his face, and it scared her.

"W…Why did you kill her!" she cried.

"Prevents her being a nuisance in the future, I gain long term help by killing anything which could be an issue" he explained firmly and the blonde lowered her head with a nod. "People will be up here soon, for some reason or another so we need to get out of here now"

"…Why did they attack us? Was there really a murder last night? Or was it just their way of getting in"

Kakuzu paused in his makeshift to grab as much clothing as there was to be seen.

"I don't know" he replied.

In the car again, food-less again, heading somewhere she didn't want to be again, with her bodyguard again, ready to explode and cry again.

Ino really wondered what the point of things was any more and she sighed as she leaned into the seat behind her, trying to focus on the road ahead and not her internal conflict.

So far, she had been attacked, given a bodyguard, nearly abducted, attacked again, had witnessed one murder and heard of another two's deaths behind the wall her bed had been against as she slept.

Kakuzu hadn't said much since they had left; only given them directions to another place where they apparently 'wouldn't be found'.

"They are dead; they were not even worth being a part of this" the deep voice claimed in an apathetic tone. Hidan responded in a good old-fashioned Hidan manner, which consisted of him yelling.

"Well this is just fucking perfect, it was by fucking luck we managed to find the shit hole they were staying in, but now they are off again? This is a waste of fucking time! She is an unimportant little bitch that no one gives a fuck about, being protected by a hardcore bastard, why have we not called this shit off yet?"

Deidara sighed.

"Shut up, you don't think we know, un?"

"For once I agree with Hidan, she isn't worth it, we should be working on the proper plan" Kisame grunted.

"And let the leader know we let a witness go? Don't be so foolish" Itachi growled in retaliation, getting fed up with the rebellious nature of the Akatsuki before him, who appeared to be unaware of leader's consequences when they knew full well of the results if they disobeyed"

"That is correct; Leader would dislike any mercy on someone who is making a pretty big deal to get away from us, probably just because she is a rich bitch who can't handle anything by herself" Zetsu claimed in agreement.

Before Hidan made another remark, Sasori spoke up in his natural voice with a grim smile.

"Well she will be done with soon, because I have a track on her"

He lifted up a shred of flaxen hair that glinted like a ray of sunlight dust as he held it up with careful fingers.

They turned to him gob-smacked, except Zetsu who had gone; merging as a shadow into the wall.

"And you didn't think to say anything before, yeah?" Deidara snarled, Sasori shrugged with a smirk.

"I needed you morons to calm down"

"Lets all shut the fuck up, and ask puppet-ass over here, where they are fucking going!" was Hidan's final input.

The trees flickered reflections of emerald, burnished brown and golden lights upon the glass of the window screen. Ino took in the beauty and as she looked ahead. She realised it was a lodging area deep in the wood. It had one or two of the wooden home's in sight of the reception and as she drove up, Kakuzu rolled down the window and spoke to the man at the desk.

Ino sighed, she wanted to go home, but she wouldn't dare complain, she was thankful for all her bodyguard had done, even if he was a little rash when doing stuff that crossed the line of human morale. Ino suddenly wondered how old he was, but couldn't care to ask him now, he said he hadn't always been a bodyguard...

"Okay, follow my directions and we will be there" he declared as she started moving the car after he finished with the counter.

Ino drove down a series of rocky wide paths, going deeper into the trees until they were no more lodges in sight other than a large, cosy little one that they approached. It was a deep glossy chestnut and had a platform and a path leading up to the front door. Table and chairs outside and large, clear windows. Ino's face glowed as she beamed.

"How adorable!" she couldn't stop herself claiming and laughed lightly.

Kakuzu smiled at her reaction thinking for a moment, that the little house wasn't the only thing adorable here, then realised he was smiling and thinking like that, and stopped out of pure Kakuzu stubbornness to be even remotely nice.

Parking up at the drive, she jumped out and spun round.

"The air is so fresh and lovely, this is going to be so much nicer, Kakuzu!" she cried, and grabbed her bags before closing the car door and walking up to the door.

Kakuzu went to get the suitcase out the back, and as he did, Ino unlatched the keys she had been passed and stepped inside. Luxurious red and brown leather sofa's, a rich comfy carpet and long draping curtains, a plasma TV on the wall, mahogany coffee and a dining table, a clean, spacious kitchen, and a door out the side leading to bedrooms and bathrooms.

Looking out the window she watched her bodyguard close the boot door and stopped in all her excitement.

It was almost as though they were a little couple staying in a holiday lodge for a few days, which was all true except the couple part and despite everything, she smiled.

Kakuzu was rather nice, when he wanted to be, which wasn't many times so far, but she had seen the crinkle in his eyes when the veil hid the smile. Ino had heard his voice soften towards her and she remembered all too vividly the way his breath felt against her bare abdomen and in instinct she moved her hand to her stomach, a brush of a blush over her cheeks making an appearance, she almost jumped out of her skin when the deep voice right behind her asked.

"What are you doing?"

Instead she stifled a yelp and stumbled forward.

"Ah…right…nothing….doesn't matter!" she grinned turning to him; Kakuzu raised an eyebrow and put the suitcase on the dining table.

"Well, I am starving, so lets see what is in the fridges, look in the leaflet, find out if the food from the lodge is free" he told her and went absently over to the kitchen, Ino shook her head with a weary smile, the damn miser…

But she complied and called to him.

"Yeah, I think so, its free" Kakuzu took out some bread, butter, squash, cheese, ham and some others sauces.

"Do you want me to make lunch? I don't mind" Ino asked, she was in a good mood now she was in such a place and she had gotten on somewhat good terms with Kakuzu that he stopped growling and scowling at her.

"I'll do it, you go have a look at the bedrooms, try and unpack, I think we will have a better chance of staying here longer without being sought out by any unwanted guests" his eyes flashed menacingly on the last few words and Ino nodded.

"Kakuzu!" Ino's voice called from down the hallway.

"What?"

"What did you say when you asked for the lodge?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well…like, bedroom accommodation"

"I didn't say anything; I presumed there would be enough in the way of sleeping furniture in the building"

"You assumed wrong"

Kakuzu stopped pouring the drink and sighed loudly.

"Woman, just come out with it!"

"There's a bedroom with a double bed, and that's the only bed in the lodge.

There was something of a confused and undeniably awkward silence after that declaration.

"Are you joking?"

"Do I sound as If I am joking?"

Marvellous, but no way was a refund even an OPTION, in his mind, he just carried on diluting the squash and deciding to himself that the couch looked comfy enough.

"Come get your food Woman"

"It's Ino" she claimed sourly when she walked into the room.

"Yeah, OK" he muttered then put her dish in front of her as she sat down.

"So what did you make?"

"Why don't you find out?"

"This is bloody gorgeous; I didn't know you could deal with food so well otherwise you would have been making the breakfast!"

Kakuzu smirked, he acted out that he was a bad chef before so this kind of remark didn't come up; he didn't have enough time and money to make fancy meals.

"Enjoy it while you can, it takes too much effort"

"Nonsense, I was gone for less than ten minutes!"

Ino carried on eating, so submerged in the delicious taste's that she didn't notice Kakuzu sitting and silently debating with himself, to take off his mask or not. After the death yesterday, he didn't know the comfort she had with him any more.

Tugging it down so it rested below his bottom lip for a moment, letting the fresh air sink into the rarely exposed skin, he pulled it back up quickly when Ino looked up to him, not showing any signs she had seen his face.

As she went to take a swig from her drink, she yelped and dropped it onto the table where it cracked slightly.

Turns out one of the glasses were chipped and it had sliced into her hand, it wasn't a large wound, but it was bleeding a lot.

"Shit" she scowled and sucked it stubbornly, wincing at the metallic taste of blood in her mouth.

Kakuzu sighed and leant over to inspect it, reaching for her hand, she froze and took it out of her mouth, the saliva had gotten rid of most of the mess, and as he was about to get up and collect a plaster, he felt the lower section of his face hit cool air, and the stunned look on his face was shown as she looked at his mouth.

She had taken it off in his distraction and now they just stared at each other. Her face was serious and yet, in her eyes shone curiosity, whereas Kakuzu only showed shock and intrigue to her reaction when she had finished gazing at the narrow yet heavy stitches that marked his face from his mouth. Her cerulean eyes were getting too much too handle without words accompanying her plain expression.

"Its just-" his eyes widened when as soon as the words left his mouth, her delicate, soft fingertips reached up to press lightly against his slightly parted lips. She ran her finger across the line that was the stitched up scar and despite everything his chest felt like it was burning up, a painful sensation yet reacted even harder with every second she continued until when her hands came back to her mouth; after trailing all the way up to the base of his ears...

He grabbed her hand viciously and yanked it away.

A/N: What a crap place to stop. But yeah, I wanted to get a chapter up before I got distracted by something again since I have the attention span of a spoon. Hope you liked it, random intimacy is impulsive but fun.

SWEET GODS, KAKUZU MAKES SOME GOOD MANWHICHES!

#LAW09

To Clumsy0132: It's great to see you again, I'm so glad you find it interesting and all shall be explained in time! :)

To kwhuihwogsdgg: Ah! That's great, I'm really glad you're enjoying it and the whole "modern au" is a bit vague, I do indeed apologise for that and am glad you continue to read with interest! Thank you for the review!

To DarkerMoon2488: Aww, thank you! I'm so happy you like it! Of course I will not stop! haha.

To Fantasy is now Non-Fiction: It's wonderful to have you interested in the pairing, I was a bit confused about it at first but it works strangely well. I will indeed continue and I knooowwww, I'm so sorry! Ahaha, thank you so much for the review!

To Chick0785: Ahh! I'm so happy! Aww, that is so sweet of you, thank you so much! Your praise is too much, bless you! It's wonderful to hear your feedback :)