A/N: So...I liked this story quite a bit, and even though only one person reviewed, I decided to finish it. I'm a huge Kakuzu fan, so that's definitely part of it. Also, Hidan's pretty cool. I enjoy writing a bit of him.
One For The Road: Chapter 2
Kakuzu sat on his bed, rubbing his eyes wearily. The idiot that slept in the bed across the room wouldn't quit snoring. At the moment, Hidan was off showering; thankfully, the shower came with the room, so Kakuzu wasn't spending extra money. Kakuzu reached for his pouch, reading and going over the funding left in the bank. He had to quadruple check it each half-day to make sure it was right. In the log right underneath the current amount, Kakuzu wrote down the expenses for the inn.
In a half an hour, Hidan came out. He had a hole in his chest, fresh from when he had to do his morning ritual to Jashin. Hidan walked over, standing next to Kakuzu casually. Every morning, this had become a routine between the two. Without even looking, one of Kakuzu's many threads went to Hidan, closing the wound up. Hidan grunted in pain, falling to one of his knees. Kakuzu smirked. This was the time of the day he would enjoy most; when he got to hurt Hidan and "pretend" like he was helping him. Secretly, each time, Kakuzu would puncture his heart in various places, hoping Hidan would die. He still had over four hundred different spots to try. Perhaps the key was to destroy Hidan's brain?
Kakuzu highly doubted he had one. One of the rituals to become a Jashinist was probably to cut out your one organ used for thinking; the brain. Even if Hidan did have one, it was probably just sitting up there, rotting. After all, Hidan barely used his brain. This led Kakuzu to believe he didn't have one, or he was just an idiot.
Closing the book, Kakuzu stood.
"Let's go. We need to get to Rock country as soon as possible." Kakuzu said, heading out the door. Hidan followed muttering 'fuck' each time he took a step. Apparently, Kakuzu had hit a good spot on the heart this time, but Hidan still wasn't dead.
"I think I've got some fuckin' heart problem or something. Every day for the past few years my heart's been fuckin' killing me." He said, holding his hand to his chest. Naturally, by the end of the day, the heart would have healed itself, but it was still slightly amusing to see the man in pain. Kakuzu walked outside, not even feeling the chill night air. Ever since he had used the technique Earth Grudge Fear, his body had been comprised of stitching; effectively making the pain sensors in his nerve endings useless. Besides in his heart(s). If something were to happen to his hearts, he would be able to feel that for sure.
Kakuzu turned, hearing more swearing.
"What is it now?" He growled at the white-haired man behind him.
"It's fucking freezing out here! Shit, my hands are numb already." Hidan growled.
"Stick them in your pockets and quit complaining." Kakuzu growled. He turned, walking.
"Something's up your ass more than usual today." Hidan said after about ten minutes. Kakuzu ignored the man; this, however, wouldn't stop Hidan from talking. "Normally your old ass would be bitching at me more than this. Did I strike a nerve yesterday?" He asked mockingly, feigning concern. It was no secret that the "zombie twins" weren't particularly fond of each other.
"Because I'm trying to focus on where we're going. Now shut up." Kakuzu said. In truth, Hidan HAD struck a nerve yesterday. The nerve that was Kakuzu's past. He didn't feel comfortable talking about it; for some reason though, it wasn't so bad when he was telling Hidan. He thought that the idiot would say something to piss him off, but he listened like a child to an Eric Carl book.
"So finish your damn story. I want to hear the end of it. It's starting to make sense why you're such a grumpy old shit." Hidan said. Kakuzu pinched the bridge of his nose. He was hoping he wouldn't have to.
"Come on, shit head. Do it." Hidan said. Kakuzu sighed in defeat. He began where he left off, recounting the story...
"After I would assassinate Hashirama Senju, they would inevitably try to kill me..."
Hidan walked through the village, head hung low. He looked to the paper bill he had in his pocket; something Erica had given him before he left. Her father had given it to her, her first bill she had ever gotten. To show Kakuzu she had faith in him, she had given it to him. Kakuzu walked to the Elder council chambers, sighing when he saw Kyosuke there. He knew this wouldn't be good. The elders sat there expectantly.
"Well...?" The lead elder demanded. This elder had never been fond of Kakuzu. Since Kyosuke was his son, he was not very happy when Kakuzu beat him in various spars. Nor was he fond of the fact that Kakuzu was the one who was betrothed to Erica. Seeing Kakuzu hung was going to be the best thing that had ever happened to him, besides his son being born.
"Kakuzu...for failure of an S-Rank Assassination, you are to be hung. Out of mercy, the council has agreed to give you one last day. Two Anbu shinobi will escort you wherever you go." The head elder said. "Now leave, urchin." He said disgustedly. Those two Anbu shinobi had been waiting by the door. One was clearly Kyosuke, while the other was one whom he didn't know. Kakuzu went home and spent the day with Erica. He took her out to various places. When she had first heard the news, she broke down crying. Kakuzu convinced one of the Anbu to wait outside so he could talk to her. Kyosuke, however, would not move. No, he wanted to see Kakuzu squirm.
Kakuzu told Erica of a plan he had, to run away. Tomorrow, he would break free from jail and come for her. Erica nodded, deciding to make the best of their last day. They visited various hot spots around town for young couples; Kakuzu wanted to make this night memorable for her. All the while, various thoughts plagued Kakuzu's mind.
Why were they killing him for a failed assassination attempt? He was the most powerful shinobi there. Shouldn't they have better use for him? All around town, Kakuzu noticed the dirty looks he received from the villagers. They used to treat him like he was important. When had that changed?
Within hours, after being pelted by stones and rejected by various restaurants, Kakuzu's heart began to turn black. The villagers he had once loved and strived to protect were now turning their backs on him. When had this come to be? He had shown every last one of them the love that should only come from a dear friend. Later that night, when Kakuzu had fallen asleep with Erica, Kyosuke woke him up roughly.
"Time to go." he said, pointing at the sun. It wasn't even up yet, but Kakuzu nodded. They walked outside, where Kyosuke went to whisper with the other Anbu. The other Anbu member nodded, walking back in the house. Kyosuke pulled out a rope, tying Kakuzu's hands together.
"What's he doing?" Kakuzu asked fearfully.
"She'll never want me since I'LL be the one taking care of your execution...so if I can't have her, NO ONE will." Kyosuke said darkly, tossing Kakuzu into his jail cell and shutting it. Kakuzu's mouth went try as he ran to the bars, screaming insults at Kyosuke. He banged his head against the wooden beams to break them, but to no avail. Instead, he resorted to sitting and wallowing in his misery. Tears leaked from his eyes. After another few hours, Kyosuke came back. By now it was about an hour from his execution.
Kyosuke was carrying a sack, large enough to fit a small person. Kyosuke unlocked the cell, walking in.
"Here ya' go." He said, grinning maniacally. He ripped open the sack, dropping the contents. A headless woman fell out of the bag, revealing it to be Erica. Something within Kakuzu snapped. He rushed forward, slamming his head into Kyosuke. Caught off guard, Kyosuke dropped the kunai he had been holding. Kakuzu fell to the ground on his back, cutting his hands free. Kyosuke got back up quickly and charged at him. By then, Kakuzu was free. He jumped to his feet, turning and hitting Kyosuke so abruptly and hard in the forehead, Kyosuke's eyes rolled to the back of his head.
"I'll come back for you later." Kakuzu said darkly. No longer was there a loving person. With the death of Erica had come the death of who Kakuzu once was. No longer did he have a warm heart, fiery with passion. Now, it was as cold and dead as the person behind him, headless on the ground. Kakuzu gathered Erica, and went into the woods, burying her. He shed a single tear, before turning. "I'll fix this...I'll fix you, Erica. You deserve to be buried as a hole." he said.
When news came of Kakuzu's escape, guards had been stationed to protect every Elder and nearly every cave. Unfortunately, with the use of his arms, Kakuzu gained the use of his ninjutsu again, effectively killing ever ninja that blocked his way. Rather than go after the elders, Kakuzu went after the forbidden techniques, all housed in one storage unit. After ten minutes of searching, Kakuzu found the one he was searching for; Jiongu. (Earth Grudge Fear.) Kakuzu sat there, reading it for minutes. It was simple. At least, the first part was. He had to simply focus his chakra and use the Forbidden Technique which involved some sort of spirit possessing his threads. That was one thing that was a must. Ninja Threads.
Kakuzu destroyed the scroll after he read it. He sat there for a half an hour, focusing most of his chakra into the black threads that he used as weapons. When the time was done, the threads seemed to have a mind of their own. This would only last until the Jutsu was complete.
Kakuzu rushed to the Elder's chambers, noticing that anybody who came near was quickly cut down by the threads. He slammed the doors open, seeing the Elders. Kyosuke was in there, also. That was good. He would want him to witness this.
The Head elder stood up, glaring at Kakuzu.
"You were given one day of freedom for mercy, and THIS is how you repay us?" He shouted.
"Silence!" Kakuzu roared, the echo bouncing off the walls. Each of the Elder's trembling visibly, Kyosuke holding a steak to his forehead, glaring at Kakuzu.
"I have come so you may witness something amazing. A new transformation." He said. Kakuzu shut his eyes and started uttering mantra's. Each time he did, one of the needles would pierce his flesh. When he got to the fifth mantra, he opened his eyes. All of the needles were inside of his body now. If he could withstand the unbearable pain, then he would have one of the ultimate forbidden jutsu. Slowly, one thread found its way out of Kakuzu's cheek, then back in, and out again. It continued like that, sowing Kakuzu's cheek to look as if it had been sown together. Another did that on the exact same size.
Kakuzu pulled cloth from his pocket, wrapping it around his mouth. "Now! Jiongu! Do what you will!" He shouted. The threads, hearing their Justus's name being called, started reacting. They flew out of his body. The threads started acting like knives, cutting his limbs, although they stayed reattached via the threads. Kakuzu fell to his knees, his arms displayed out in front of him. Slowly, they both fell off, dislocated from his shoulders.
Hundreds of threads came out of his shoulders, reattaching his arms. Kakuzu fell to his arms, gasping. Pain rolled off of him in waves. His body was slowly breaking down. The jutsu wasn't letting him die. No, it was sowing him back together.
All the skin from Kakuzu's back flew off, millions of threads flying out; definitely more than one human body could possibly hold. Four Anbu masks came out of his back, being carried by the threads. Shreds of Kakuzu's shirts were sown to the masks, creating what would be where his hearts were contained. The threads started circling the room, making it inescapable. Kakuzu stood, his bright green eyes glowing demonically.
"Now...all I need is..." He said, flinching as his head fell off, only to be pulled back on by threads before it hit the floor. "...Four. More. Hearts." He finished. He pointed his hands at the elders. The threads obeyed without question, piercing their chests effortlessly. The elders didn't feel a thing, however. It was a straight shot, and at most, it would have felt like they were given a shot. Slowly, they could see their hearts being pulled from their chests, the arteries still attached and everything.
"I think yours will be fine." He said, as the hearts were ripped clear of the arteries. He wanted them to feel pain, rather than just cutting the arteries to ensure their death would be quick. Each one was placed into one of the masks, which replaced his back. The threads receded back in his body, save for those that were sticking out of his back. Kakuzu looked over, noticing a movement. Kyosuke.
"Kyosuke...you killed Erica. You worthless little SHIT!" He roared. The threads went flying to Kyosuke, impaling his arms and legs, pulling him closer. "Now...you will feel what I have had to go through because of you and your father." he said. Five separate threads came out of Kakuzu's body. The first two cut Kyosuke's arms off, eliciting a scream from the man.
Next, the lower two. They went into his legs and ripped them off, rather than cut them. Kyosuke screamed again, blood splashing everywhere. Slowly, the threads impaled Kyosuke's throat. Kyosuke shook visibly, tears streaming from his eyes. Kakuzu started manipulating the four threads that were inside of Kyosuke, destroying all internal organs except those needed for living. He had one last pain to inflict on Kyosuke.
"Now...you will feel Erica's pain." He said. With a sickening snap, Kyosuke's head was ripped from his shoulders, and tossed to the side, his heart being pulled out and put into Kakuzu's body. By now, Kakuzu had become numb to the pain. He looked at the threads, touching one experimentally. They were now a part of him. The spirit possessors had long since fled; now he was the one controlling them.
The threads all receded into his body. Kakuzu walked back to the grave, every person moving out of his way. They all knew what he had done. The blood and empty look in his eyes told them all. Some of them looked at him with disgust, others with admiration. After all, not all of them had liked the council; most of which were against Kakuzu's execution.
Upon reaching the grave, Kakuzu's threads brought Erica out of the ground. Here eyes were closed. Kakuzu sowed her head back to her body, kissing her on the cheek, before reburying her. He pulled out his own heart, the one last piece to finish the jutsu. He buried it with Erica, leaving it with her always. He replaced his own heart with Kyosuke's, since he had saved it. The walk had only been a few minutes, so here in a moment or two it would start beating again.
Wordlessly, Kakuzu made a scratch across the Takigakure headband, indicating he was now a missing-nin. Kakuzu pulled out the dollar again. Money. That was the one thing that would always hold value to him now. He never wanted another relationship again. Not even a friendly one. Money would be his friend. It made the world go round. When owned in excess, it even bought happiness. Kakuzu pocketed the bill. This would be the funding for his long, lonely life. His starting point. Everyone had one.
Without a word, Kakuzu turned, and started walking off, intent on starting a new life.
Hidan listened throughout the whole story. Now he could understand Kakuzu. He didn't feel any different about the man, other than slight sympathy he had for him.
"Fuck...I'm sorry." Hidan said. Kakuzu looked at Hidan, seeing if he was mocking him.
"Just don't cry." he said, smirking. The past was behind him now, and he was over it.
"Hey, I was just trying to be fucking nice." Hidan yelled. Unconsciously, Kakuzu's hand reached into his pocket, and closing around the one bill he had carried with him for seventy-three years. There was no reason to be sorry. Erica, through the dollar, was always with him.