Heart's Treasure
Chapter 3: Cold
Thanks for the reviews. Chico I left the answer to your question in the second chapter in the author notes. Please enjoy everyone. Thanks for reading.
Perspective: Kakuzu and Snow
Kakuzu's Perspective
My eyes opened I was in pine coffin. How did I here? Why am I in a coffin? I'm getting out of here. I forced myself through the frozen dirt. It was dark and snow covered the ground. I wearing dark red cloak with white lining and nothing else except for a silver necklace. There was silver amulet on the chain. In the middle of it there was an engraving a tree made of flames. There was some kind of writing around the flaming tree. I wanted to take off, but for some reason I couldn't.
From the weather I could tell I'd been gone for awhile. I need shelter and food. I had enough chakra to do a transformation jutsu. The jutsu kept my stitches hidden. I couldn't do much more than that in my current condition. I pulled up the hood of my cloak up. I found the road and went in a random direction. I settled down under a tree. I could see my breath in the air, yet the cold didn't bother me in the least. My skin didn't even react to it. I closed my eyes.
"Hello",
My eyes opened and saw woman in her mid thirties. She had long brown hair and blue eyes. She was bundled up.
"Are you okay sir?" asked the woman.
I groaned. She helped me up me.
"You're only wearing a cloak in the ungodly weather", said the woman.
My vision went dark. I woke up in bed.
"Nice to see you're finally awake", said the woman.
"How long have I been out?" I asked.
"You've been sleeping for three days strait", said the woman.
"Who are you?" I asked
"My name is Divina. And you?" asked the woman.
I knew better than to give my real name. I gave her the first name that came to mine.
"Goemon", I said.
"That's an odd name I'm guessing your not local", said Divina.
"I don't know where here is. I'm not sure how I came to be in this house", I said.
"I took you here", said Divina.
"Why would you allow a stranger into your house?", I said.
"You looked sickly and you were pretty much naked in this kind of weather", said Divina.
"That doesn't answer why", I said.
"I'm a healer its in my job description to heal the injured without discrimination. Are you going to hurt me?" asked Divina.
"You've given me no reason to", I said.
"I've never seen a ninjutsu that causes someone to look like a rag doll. And five hearts is extremely odd. Don't worry I won't say anything about you", said Divina.
My jutsu must have worn off when I passed out.
"Why not? You can get a reward", I said.
"Doctor patient conventionality. And you have the bonus being interesting", said Divina.
I looked over her carefully. She was petite no more than 5'1. There was a splattering of freckles across her nose. She might be in late twenties or early thirties.
"Why does your gaze linger so fondly on me?" asked Divina.
"You remind me of my wife", I said.
"I don't she would appreciate you staring", said Divina.
I smirked. Snow would have broken one my ribs or worse if she caught me looking over another woman. I frowned and sighed I had a wife. My beautiful young wife who's safe in the Hidden Diamond Village. A loud crying broke my concentration. Divina walked to crib and took a young baby from a crib. She started humming a song to the infant. It reminded me so much Snow's interaction with our children.
Kakuzu's Flashback
I woke up and saw Snow was missing from our bed. She shouldn't be up so soon after labor. I got out bed and went to the nursery. Snow was standing with Saizo in her arms. She was swaying back forth. Snow started to sing:
Hush, little baby, don't say a word,
Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird.
And if that mockingbird don't sing,
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring.
And if that diamond ring turns brass
I stood in the doorway watching her. She looked so much at peace. It was a beautiful scene that I would never grow tired of watching.
"Is something wrong Kakuzu?" asked Snow.
"Nothing is wrong. I only regret disrupting this beautiful scene", I said.
"You didn't disrupt he's asleep", said Snow.
She gently kissed him on the forehead. He cuddled closely to his mother's breast.
"That's not what I meant", I said.
She smiled.
"You shouldn't be up", I said.
"He was crying I couldn't ignore it", said Snow.
"You could have woken me up and could have got him for you", I said.
"We've both been lacking in sleep, which will have a worse effect on you than me", said Snow.
I walked over to her wrapped my arms around her waist. She leaned into me. The faint smell of baby powder and milk drifted from her soft skin. I placed a kiss on top of her head.
"Kakuzu, did you ever think this would happen?" asked Snow.
"You have to be specific Snow there are many things I never thought would happen before I met you", I said.
A soft laugh left her lips.
"This loving warmth. I've seen it in families before, but never thought I would have it", said Snow.
"Never", I said.
A touch to my shoulder woke me from the memory. Snow and our children are out of my reach. I won't be able to see them or touch them again. They are safe far away from here. I shook my head and tried to keep my mind off them.
"Where's your husband?" I asked.
"Don't have one don't need one", said Divina.
"Why would you do something as risky as letting a stranger into your when you have an infant?" I asked.
"I don't think your the kind of man that would hurt a young mother and her children", said Divina.
There was a time when I wouldn't have cared if I hurt a mother and her child. Now the idea sickens me. I took a deep breath and tried focusing.
"Where am I?" I asked.
"About time you asked. We're in the Hot Water village", said Divina.
"I never thought I would end up in Hidan's village", I said.
"You know Hidan?" asked Divina
I nodded my head.
"How do you know of him?" I asked.
"Everyone in this village knows about him. They always blamed him for his monstrous acts. I'm not saying he's not at fault, but if he were raised correctly he wouldn't have done so much harm", said Divina.
I never thought I would he a person speak of Hidan in such a way.
"Do you know his story?" asked Divina.
"No",
"Do you want to know?" asked Divina.
I nodded my head. I would listen to anything that would distract me from the ache in my hearts.
"The poor kid saw his parents die right in front of him", said Divina.
That helps explain why the freak was so messed up.
"How did they die?" I asked.
"There was an explosion at the spa. It was an attack made by enemy that were jealous of the money the village was earning", said Divina.
"Why was he even there in the first place?" I asked.
"It was common for children to work along their parents. They shielded him with their bodies doing this caused their death. After that he went to orphanage and was rejected by many fosters homes", said Divina.
"How do you know his story?" I asked.
She raised the long sleeve of hers shirt revealing horrible burns along her arm.
"Because my story was so much like his, but I was luckier", said Divina.
"May I use shower?" I asked.
"Sure I'll find you some clothes", said Divina.
I walked into a small bathroom. I caught a glimpse of myself in mirror and I couldn't help staring. My hair was shorter at the longer parts went past my neck. My eyes were different instead of red and green they were gray and green. What happened to me? I stepped in the shower. I closed my eyes and tried relaxing.
I heard all five of my hearts beating. How did they repair? My skin was cool to the touch. No matter how hot I turned up the water my skin stayed cool to the touch. This isn't right I should be dead. Those brats destroyed my hearts. I turned off the water and wrapped a towel around my waist. The door opened it was Divina with clothes.
"Oh, sorry", she stuttered.
Her face was pink and her eyes lingered before she left the bathroom. I locked the door and changed into the clothes. I walked into the kitchen and sat down on one of the benches next to the table. I felt a tug on my shirt.
"Who are you Mr?" asked a little girl.
She could be no more than three years old.
"You shouldn't talk to strangers", I said.
The girl started crying. Divina was busy with her baby. She raised her hands. I gave into the little girl's request and picked her up and placed her my lap. It should be close to her bedtime.
"What's your name?" I asked.
"Piper", she answered.
She soon fell asleep in my arms. Saizo and Hazel loved to being held like this.
"That's odd normally she doesn't take to strangers well", said Divina.
"She shouldn't", I said.
"Do you have children?" asked Divina.
"Two a girl and a boy", I said.
"How old?" asked Divina.
"Young", I said.
Thankfully they were young when I died. It gives them a long time to move and forget about me.
"You don't have to be so protective you can tell me about them", said Divina.
"They're my children I want them to be protected. They are safer the less you know about them", I said.
"Where do you call home?" asked Divina.
"No where anymore", I said.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Divina.
"The place that made it home is gone", I said.
"You are welcome to stay as long as you want", said Divina.
"Why are you showing me such generosity?" I asked.
"It's nice having a man around", said Divina.
A few weeks went by smoothly, but the pain of being so far from my family never left me. I tried helping out as much as I could. The only minor problem was Divina's flirting, but it was harmless. I only have an attraction to one woman, my Snow. Even with that it was nice being needed.
"You've been here a few weeks and hardly know anything about you", said Divina.
"It's safer for you that way", I said.
"What happened to your wife and children?" asked Divina.
"Nothing, why do you think something happened to them?" I asked.
"The pained expression on your face when ever speak of them", said Divina.
"I rather not talk about it", I said.
"Fine, I'm going to newsstand. Can you watch the kids?" asked Divina.
I nodded my head.
"Do you want me to get you anything?" asked Divina.
"Newspaper", I said.
"Okay, I'll be back in a few minutes", said Divina.
Ten minutes later she came back with a newspaper and some kind of junk magazine. I took at the stocks sections out of the paper. I handed the comics to Piper.
"Any good investments I should make?" asked Divina.
"None that I would trust", I said.
I looked carefully of paper seeing if there were any major changes.
"I really don't understand what you find so interesting about stock", said Divina.
"My wife felt the same way", I said.
My attention returned to the stocks section.
"I doesn't surprise me she won", said Divina.
"Who won what?" I asked.
"Lady Minori winning the hottest female celebrities. Tsunade must be jealous", said Divina as she showed me the cover image of the magazine.
Snow was on the cover. The picture was of her at a hot spring. Her long white hair was draped gracefully over one her shoulders. Snow's bare chest was hidden by the water. The photo capture her peaceful nature perfectly.
"Does it say anything about her?" I asked.
"Yep, there's whole article about her. She sure looks good for three months pregnant", said Divina.
"She's pregnant?!" I asked.
"Yes, with her third child. I don't see why it's so shocking. With a man as handsome as Eiji it isn't surprising", said Divina.
The child can't be his. Can it? No, Snow wouldn't move on that quickly. I heard her open the magazine.
"Wait, I was wrong it says the child belongs to her late husband. To be a widow at such a young age the poor girl", said Divina.
The baby is mine not Eiji's.
"Can I see that?" I asked.
"If you give the crossword puzzle", said Divina.
I gave her the crossword and she gave the magazine. I flipped through the pages to a photo of my children. They've grown. I missed their fifth birthday. I sighed at the realization that I would miss many more. I only want a glimpse of her and our children one more time. I'm ready to leave. When it went dark I got ready to leave. I ripped the photos of Snow and our children out of the magazine. I placed them carefully in my pocket.
"Where are you going?" asked Divina.
"To see my family. Thank you for your generosity", I said.
Snow's Perspective
I was home alone except for Spike. He sat on the couch with me. I ran my fingers over the cool surface of my locket. I almost cried when my fingers touched Kakuzu's wedding ring. I kept it on my locket. I took off my locket and opened it. I stared at the photo of Kakuzu and I miss him so much. It hurts so badly. I would have to take a photo out it, so I can put a picture of the new baby. I felt something wrapping gently around my fingers. It was Kakuzu's thread. How is it possible? Kakuzu has passed. I dropped my locket. Spike started growling at it. I went to Eiji's office as fast as I could. I didn't even bother with knocking. He looked up from his paperwork when he heard me come in.
"What's wrong?" asked Eiji.
"I need you explain something to me before I gather hope just to lose it", I said.
I placed my locket on Eiji's desk. The thread started moving toward me. Eiji touched the thread.
"This is one of Kakuzu's threads", said Eiji.
I nodded my head.
"It's a highly receptive to chakra. It's most likely moving from your chakra", said Eiji.
I took a deep breath to keep myself calm.
"You thought the movement might have been a sign he's alive", said Eiji.
"Can you blame me for hoping?" I asked.
"I can't", said Eiji.
"You must think I'm crazy", I said.
"No, I think you are young woman whose husband was taken away from far too soon", said Eiji.
I put my hand on my stomach.
"How are you and the baby doing?" asked Eiji.
"Bad morning sickness that thankfully only lasted the morning", I said.
"Have you found out what gender yet?" asked Eiji.
"Not yet I'll find out in a week. Will you come with me?" I asked.
Eiji has come to everyone of my doctor's appointment. Going alone is too sad.
"Of course", said Eiji.
Kakuzu's Perspective
Even though it was long distance to the Hidden Diamond I never grew tired. It took me three day to get there. It was easy enough to find Snow. I snuck into the house through a window. It was the window of Snow's room. She lay alone in bed in a peaceful sleep. I gently touched her cheek. Her skin was warm to the touch. The simple touch made me feel warm for the first time since I came back.
I left her room to find my children's bedrooms. I found Hazel's room first. She was clutching her toy shark Kisa to her chest. The walls of her room were plastered with drawings. When I looked closer at them I saw it was of our family. I smirked she was smart enough not include my stitches or cloak. She was in a deep sleep. I walked into the room. She was wrapped up in her blankets. I gently kissed her on the forehead. I quietly shut the door behind me.
Saizo's room was across the hall. The first thing I noticed was the giant mess. It looked exactly like my room, when I was a child. There was a target drawn on the furthest wall of the bedroom. There were diamond kunai and other weapons dug into the wall. Snow must not be happy about him doing this. The thing that caught my attention the most was the monopoly board set out on a table. The board was set to the last game we played. We never finished. I gently kissed him the forehead. I returned to Snow's room. I moved her silky hair away from her face. Her soft breaths were relaxed. I knew she wouldn't wake up.
"I'm so sorry Snow", I whispered.
I would love to see her bright midnight blue eyes of hers. I gently kissed her soft pink lips. Her eyes slowly fluttered open. I left before she had a good glimpse at me.
Snow's Perspective
I blinked the sleep from my eyes. I touched my lips. Was it only a dream? There was a cold breeze coming in through the window. I don't remembering opening it. I got to my feet and shut the window and locked it. I could have sworn I felt his touch. I walked into Hazel's room and looked in to see if everything was okay. She was sleeping peacefully. I walked into the room. Her beautiful red and green eyes opened. Those inquisitive eyes studied me.
"Mommy what's wrong?" asked Hazel.
"I was just checking up on you. I'm sorry for waking you go back to sleep", I said.
I kissed her on the forehead.
"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Hazel.
"Yes, honey I'm fine", I said.
"Can you stay until I fall asleep?" asked Hazel.
I got into her twin sized bed. She rested her head on my chest. Hazel closed her eyes. I stared at the ceiling it was decorated with glow in the dark stars. When I was sure she was asleep I moved her from my chest and got out of her bed. She gave a soft sign, but didn't wake. I went to Saizo's room. He was in such a deep sleep he didn't notice me walking into the room. Saizo looked perfectly fine. I returned to my room and tried to fall back asleep.
Kakuzu's Perspective
I watched Snow check up on Hazel and Saizo from a tree. I can't be away from her after seeing her once I knew couldn't stay away. I need to find somewhere to stay where I can be near her. I took a newspaper out of a trashcan. And found the job section. One caught my attention. It was a job as a grounds keeper at the graveyard. Shelter was included. The requirements were applicant must be at least at chuunin level. That isn't a problem. I just have to hope I get the job. I did a transformation jutsu before going to the interview. I was the only person there. I suppressed a glare when I saw Eiji came out an office.
"You must be the job applicant", said Eiji.
I nodded my head.
"I haven't seen you before. You be new to the village. That explains why you are willing to apply for this job", said Eiji.
I followed him into his office. A young ninja maybe sixteen stood next to him. I'd seen him somewhere before.
"What's your name?" asked Eiji.
"Goemon Fuma", I said.
"Well you have the job, but I have to test your skills first", said Eiji.
"Is that why the kid here?" I asked.
"I'm not a kid", said the boy.
"This is Toshi one of Lady Minori's students", said Eiji.
That's where I know him from. We went outside to battle. I easily beat the kid. He has talent though.
"Your skills far surpass what is needed for this job. May I ask what you did before", said Eiji.
"I sold my skills to those who needed them", I said.
"Why the change in career?" asked Eiji.
"I'm growing older", I said.
"Do you have any other questions?" asked Eiji.
"Why was I the only one to apply for this job?" I asked.
"Many locals believe the graveyard of my family is cursed, but that doesn't stop the grave robbers", said Eiji.
He led me to a small shack. It had all the things I need.
"I know it isn't much", said Eiji.
"It's all I need", I said.
As I walked through the graveyard one tombstone caught my attention. One caught my attention it was the only one without a name and seemed to be the newest. It only read:
A loving father and husband
It had my date of birth and death. Snow must have put this here. Having a gravestone was far more than ever expected. I never thought someone would mourn me.