A/N: I had soooo much fun writing this chapter! Hahah! Love acting like a fool around Kakuzu. Kind of had a break down in the last chapter... Ya know all those emotions finally caught up to me. This chapter is pretty short but it is my favorite so far :3 Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own everything but Kakuzu in this story *Cries* (Well maybe not my friends. They actually help me with their own character in the story, so they should get some credit.) *Claps* If I did so happen to own Naruto and the associated characters, I am sure there would be some people that I would like to bet some sense into. And others that I would give more screen time and avoid their deaths. I understand why Masashi Kishimoto did it, I just kind of wish he hadn't. (Mumbling about writers who kill off the good characters way too quickly)

When you're at the edge of the cliff you have two options. Go forward or backward. And right now I feel like I'm on the edge of my own cliff. Do I take the leap of faith and let the unknown consume me or do I back up and try to make things go back to the way they were.

I shake my head. I am not a little girl anymore, my mother isn't here to help me away from the edge and keep me safe. I have to make all the decisions on my own now.

I break away from my thoughts, break away from the reflection in the mirror and slip on my clean, dry clothes. I brush my teeth, scrub off my makeup, put on lotion, and slip on my pink jacket. Time to jump.

I open the bathroom door and turn the light off behind me. Darkness enveloped me. I tiptoed back to Milyssa's room and checked my phone. 2:46 Man, do I know how to cry or what.

It's funny. Crying usually wears me out, especially a full break down like that. But this time I felt refreshed. I felt like I knew what I needed to do. I grunted to myself as I felt my way back to the door. Thank God I had left it cracked or the whole house would know what I'm up to.

I stepped out into the hallway, took a deep breath and started down the stairs. Seems like someone is still up… or maybe fell asleep watching TV.

A movie of some sort was playing softly in the back ground the reflection of the screen bouncing through the kitchen and softly illuminating it. I stepped to the second to last stair, took a deep breath and craned my neck around the edge.

Milyssa's dad way laying there passed out with the controller in his hand. Hope he's as heavy as a sleeper as they say he is… I think as I step onto the cold tiled kitchen floor. I immediately grab two glasses from the cabinet, fill them up with water and then set them on the counter as I gather up some food.

I hold a glass of water in each hand, a bag of dark chocolate in my mouth, and four pieces of Hawaiian Bread in baggies as I try and figure how to pick up oranges as well. I mumble quietly between the bag in my mouth as I admit defeat and realize I have to make two trips.

I stand there in the doorway from the kitchen to the front room. Here's my cliff…. I can do this. All I have to do is just take a step…. Nothing. Come on Jenny Lynn. Pull yourself together. You know you want this. You know you want him. Man up! My body won't move. Damnit.

Just as I was about to mentally yell at myself I felt something rub up against my leg. I jolt and cause some of the water to slosh out of the cups and onto my shirt. Great, thanks cat. I angrily mentally direct at Milyssa's cat as it meowed up at me. By the sound of it, it was Neko. He had a very… Distinct meow… Sounding as feminine as an animal could get, I guess. I look down at the ground trying to make sure that I won't step on him if I move. Him being a black cat and it being dark as fuck in here I can't see shit.

I then realize I'm not standing on the tile anymore, but standing on wooden floors. A black cat pushing me toward my future, is there irony in this somewhere? I ponder as I walked toward the two rather large couches and set my treasures on the table between the two. The left one, closest to the door, held an assortment of papers, clothes, pillows, blankets, and an empty five gallon water jug.

From here the light from the TV was shining into the room perfectly. Not necessarily making it bright, but not dark as Hell either. Kakuzu lay on the left couch in the corner with his arms above his head, eyes opened into slits, watching me. His cloak lay neatly folded on the edge of the footrest.

My eyes practically bulge out of my head. With his arms up like that it was causing the hem of his T-shirt to rise. A particularly bright scene flashed on the TV and I saw a sliver of the tanned and sculpted torso. I let out a little squeak as I clumsily high tailed it back to the kitchen, of course, tripping over something in the dark.

It was a large trash bag filled with old clothes to give away, that stopped me from falling on my face. Loudly. I jumped up and kicked the trash bag away and fled into the kitchen. My pulse was running like a racehorse and I had to lean up against the sink to catch my breath. Just grab the oranges and go back in there before Mike wakes up and makes you go upstairs.

I snatch up the bag of fruit and carefully make my way back to the front living room. Jump.

"Scoot over." I hissed. Kakuzu just closed his eyes and pretended not to hear.

Dick.

I jump onto the couch next to him, 'accidentally' kneeing him in the process. I switch out the bag of oranges for the one with the bread and hand a piece out to him. The scent of the delicious bread hit my nose causing my stomach to growl.

Kakuzu sits up, takes the bread from me and engulfs it in two bites. I lean over and hand him the other two pieces and his cup of water as I still work on my first.

I watch him as he eats. The way his jaw tightens and softens. The way the light dances on his skin. Before I know what I'm doing my hand is against his face, cupping it delicately.

What the fuck. I freeze. Am I doing...?

I try to breathe in but a piece of bread gets in my way and I start choking. I try to keep quiet but that was impossible when you had a foreign object logged in your windpipe.

Kakuzu turned me around and started patting my back as I tried hacking up the food. After a few seconds the food unstuck itself and went the right way. I breathed heavily as tears streamed down my face. In my little fight for air I had accidentally kicked Kakuzu's cloak off the couch.

Oh aren't I just cute. Tripping over things and choking on food. I bet I totally just stole Kakuzu's heart with that right there. It's just so sexy to sound like a grandma that just got punched in the throat. Oh and don't forget the tears and snot that's running down my face. I should totally try out for Miss USA.

A cup appeared in front of me. I turned to look at Kakuzu who was glaring at me hard.

"Just take the damn thing and shut the hell up." Mumbled Kakuzu.

I blushed.

Yeah, because that's all I need now is to be even more re- oh shit.

I whipped my head to look into the den. I couldn't see where Mike was. I started to panic. He probably thinks Kakuzu is strangling me! He's going to go get a gun this very moment. I know it…

"He's still asleep." Kakuzu informed sounding quite annoyed as he shoved the cup into my hands which caused even more to splash out.

I took it gratefully, but glared at him while I downed the glass. I whipped my face off with a sleeve and face planted on the couch.

The weight shifted beside me so Kakuzu wasn't touching me anymore. Yep, totally won him over with my performance, where's my crown.

I turned my head slightly to look at him but the movement just caused the hair in my ponytail to fall in my face. I groaned. Something landed on my head.

"Gahh!" I cried as I tried to slap the thing away. It was the cloak. Kakuzu had gotten off the couch, picked it up, and threw it at my face. How gentlemanly.

I ball it up and clutch it close to my chest an enticing scent tickled my nose. I looked at him curiously and then looked down at his cloak and sniffed. I don't know how I had missed this until now, guess the rain was masking it, but damn…. He smelled amazing. Black pepper, pine, and something else… I burry my nose deeper in the fabric and close my eyes and inhale. The third thing was blood. Umm he was bleeding you know… my conscious rudely informed me. But it smelled like it was his scent, the whole cloak held the smell, not just the place he was injured.

I looked up at him. "Uhhh. You didn't see that."

"Go the fuck to sleep. You're annoying me." Kakuzu grumpily whispered as he rolled over with his back to me. It was like a damn broke, dense dark waters threatened to drag me under.

"Kakuzu. How's your shoulder?"

"Fine."

"Do you need medicine for the pain?"

He turned his head to look at me, then sighed. "No. It doesn't hurt."

"Well let me know how it feels in the morning."

I collapse on the couch next to him, my whole body aching in pain. My bruised wrists throbbing.

'Ya, know. You didn't have to grab me so hard." I sleepily scolded.

"Shouldn't have hit me with a branch."

"Don't sneak up on me like that, old man. How old are you anyways. You fought Hashirama Senju… And he was alive like a hundred years ago."

"Ninety-one." Kakuzu whispered, emotion completely absent in his voice.

"Ya, know for an old man, you look pretty damn good." I giggled the tiredness extremely evident in my voice. I squeezed his cloak tighter and fell into a deep sleep, wreathed in his scent.