Others Ch 22

Man… my parents are really bugging me. If I stay online too long, then the internet will start kicking me off every two minutes until I leave! TwT" I hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it. But I bet you guys don't want to hear my complaining so I'll stop~ Love you all! Omg. This is the last chapter of Others. The sequel will be out soon, called Protectors. I do accept roses and cookies~ XD Just kidding! Mostly…

cheeky half-demon: She thinks she's doing the right thing, so she can protect him. XP She's obviously really stupid, and naïve like you said. But that's what makes her a lot of fun to write!

Likes to Smile: Tobi's so gullible he'll fall for anything! XD Good thing you're not Tobi though, he's really an idiot. But that's why we all love him, right? I'd say you could do both but that's hard. It really IS big, but Kakuzu is mostly cheap.

HistoryHound: ^^ That's math going to work there. *nod, nod* Math DOES help you in the real world!

Tobi: *shyly holds his arms out for a hug*

Kakuzu's Angel Konan:
Kumori: No! *gets sunglasses, puts them over her glasses, and grins*

Angel: … Seriously, Mori-Baka? *deadpan anime fall* Poof of doom! OMG! DX XD

SnowsShadow: XD Yeah… I bet having that many hearts can be a good and a bad thing. She's living up to her name pretty well. *deadpan* I hate her sometimes, I mean she's STUPID! T^T Kisame seems like the brains of the group (or the common sense) and Tobi's just… Tobi! He's a good boy.

Lifeclaw: XD Same here!

Itachi's Only Love: Kya really?! *bows happily* I'm so honored! I'll update as fast as I can!

XxRainbow-DarknessxX: Yay for happy gasps! I'm glad I can provoke them! XD It's a good thing I can still make people find new ways to count~

Thanks to Rensaji-heal for the favorite author (omg!), favorite story, and story alert, BoulderKuzon for the favorite story, satsuke-rin for the favorite, Miss Masquerade for the favorite, thanks to Itachi's Only Love for the favorite story and author (omg!), Akio16 for the favorite, and KageOokami13 for the favorite!

Kakuzu's POV

It's been over a week since we last saw Kumori. She called me two days after she disappeared. She said she couldn't talk for long and she promised she was okay, saying this was her choice and I would see her in less than a month. She said she loved me and hung up before I could say anything. I'm still surprised when I think back to that conversation and feel…hurt.

"You okay, Kakuzu?" Kisame asks as we walk into a gas station in Suna. I grunt in response, crossing my arms across my chest. My feet keep sticking to the disgusting floor, I'm so tired I could fall asleep standing up, and I want my girlfriend back in my arms. How do you think I feel? I send the Protector beside me a withering glare and he puts his hands up in self-defense. "Bite my head off for asking," I faintly hear him say as he walks towards the bathroom.

Sighing, I pinch the bridge of my nose and get a bag of chips with a disgusted curl of my lip. The checkout girl has more piercings then Leader-sama and a bored look on her face.

"Is that all?" She asks sounding like she's saying "Shoot me now. That might make things little more interesting,"

"No," I say surprising myself. "Gimme a pack of cigarettes and a lighter," She shrugs, not bothering to check my driver's license as I start to pull it out of my back pocket. I'd sworn off smoking soon after I became a Protector… But that was almost ten years ago and I need some way to relax. Not trusting myself to leave without a case of beer, I step outside and light up. Taking a long drag brings memories back that I'd long-since forgotten.

"Baby don't do this to me, I love you,"

"You love nothing but that money you're so obsessed with,"

I close my eyes, trying to repress the memories that just keep coming back.

"No! Oh Kami no!"

"Die b*tch!"

I take a long drag and sigh. This is annoying. The past is the past and I can't change what happened.

"I can offer you an out,"

"Just tell me what I need to do,"

My head spins and I exhale slowly, letting the smoke inside my lungs escape.

"Didn't know you smoked, old man," Hidan says taking a cancer stick out of my pocket and lighting it with the one in my mouth.

"Could say the same to you," I grumble, flicking some ash off the end.

"I can't die so might as well enjoy the simple pleasures in this sh*t-hole they call life," He shrugs, taking a deep breath of smoke before blowing a few smoke rings idly. "You need to get some sleep tonight, seriously," He adds frowning in my general direction.

"I'm fine," I say tightly and he rolls his eyes.

"And I'm the f*cking queen of England. We're going to stop for the night soon,"

"Whatever," I say rolling my eyes like an unruly teenager. He slaps me on the back a little harder than he needed too.

"Whatever yourself old man," I take a long drag of my cigarette and blow the smoke out of the corner of my mouth, at Hidan. Happiness pulses through me briefly when I see him waving the smoke way with a glare.

"I'm going back to the d*mn car," He says flipping me off as he gets in the creeper van. Dropping the cigarette on the floor, I grind it into the pavement with the toe of my shoe. The rest of our unofficial search party filter out of the store and back into the car before Kisame drives toward the nearest hotel.

Kumori's POV

I slip out of Kabuto's car and frown a little at the creeper van driving off into the sunset.

"Who are the weirdoes who would be willing to drive that thing?" I ask myself, rubbing the back of my head tiredly.

"I have no idea," Kabuto slides up behind me with an evil gleam in his eyes. I don't take notice to it, seeing as that's how he normally looks.

"You really need to learn how to drive," I deadpan. "This is the first of Suna I've seen since we left. I thought you said it wouldn't take that long?!" He smiles fakely and pushes up his glasses so that I can't see his eyes.

"The way I drive is perfectly fine," He says happily. I deadpan.

"You got lost twelve times and we ended up in Taki! My grandma could drive better than you,"

"Now, now Maru-chan that's-"

"She's blind." He falters a little and I glare at him before stalking off into the store. The bell on the door jingles annoyingly. I stalk into the back freezer section, open a carton of Ben and Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk, and steal a spoon from the café before sticking it into the frozen milk. I shove a spoonful into my mouth, relishing the explosion of chocolatey goodness.

"Ahem…" A store employee blinks with three dots over his head. "You need to pay for that before you consume it," I pull a fistful of bills out of my pocket and shove them at him before snatching a bag of salt and vinegar chips and clumping towards the car. Moodily, I throw myself in and slam the door shut before bringing my legs to my chest and inhaling the ice cream like it's manna from heaven.

Tap-tap.

"EYAGH!" I scream, but it dies when I see Tobi waving at me eagerly.

"'Mori-chan!" I can hear him squeal through the glass. The window rolls down and he leans into the car, almost strangling me in a hug. "Tobi missed his 'Mori-chan!"

"Sh*t Tobi!" I say pulling his arms off of my windpipe and get out of the car. "I missed you too," He squeals and hugs me so tightly I thunk against the car.

"Where has 'Mori-chan been?" He asks with chibi tears streaming down his mask.

"With Kabuto," I say gently prying him off me. He attaches himself to me again like an annoying tick.

"Why?!" He wails going limp on me.

"Because I'm just deadweight to you guys," I shrug and ruffle his hair. "What are you guys doing in Suna?"

"Looking for 'Mori-chan! 'Cause Tobi is a good boy!" He crows putting his hands on his hips. Three dots appear above his head as he looks around.

"What?" I frown a little.

"Tobi got left behind!" He says throwing himself at me again. Patting him on the back and saying soothing things is the only way I get him to stop imitating Niagara Falls.

…line…line…line…line…

"I can't believe you brought him with us," Kabuto says looking at me in the rearview mirror. It's dark now and Tobi's asleep with his head on my lap.

"Tobi's one of my best friends, I couldn't just leave him behind," I say softly, running my fingers through the good boy's hair.

"Yes you could have," He says with a fake smile and I growl a little. Tobi yawns and nuzzles his mask into my stomach, the still chocolatey ice cream spoon hanging from under his mask. I smile down and put my hand on the side of his face. He really is a good boy…

"Kabuto?" I ask quietly, feeling acid twisting around violently in my stomach.

"Hmm?" He doesn't take his eyes off the road.

"…Nothing," I say shaking my head. "It's nothing,"

"Alright," He singsongs, obviously not believing me. I sigh and tilt my head against the frame of the car. Sleep starts weaving its soothing threads around me, feeling way too much like Kakuzu's.

"Kabuto I want to be human again," I blurt, shaking the sleepy fuzzies out of the corners of my mind.

"I know," He says with a knowing smile.

"Huh?" The words hit me like a slap to the face and he smiles.

"I know," He repeats with a knowing smirk this time. "Why do you think I was driving around the past few days?"

"Because you're an idiot?" I ask grinning cheekily. He sighs and facepalms.

"No, Maru-chan. I knew you were going to make a decision soon and you weren't going to make the right one unless I stalled," I hang my head, deadpanning.

"So you're saying I spent over a week in this d*mn car with you because you wanted me to make a decision?!" I'm trying hard not to yell. Tobi says something about waffles and cuddles closer to me.

"Yeah." I sigh and rest my head against the frame of the car. "We'll take you back to Orochimaru-sama and he'll make you human again. Then you'll be useful to your boyfriend." I nod and yawn.

"'Kay," Smiling a little, I close my eyes and let the rocking of the car lull me to sleep, thinking about being with Kakuzu again.