"Now suddenly you're asking for it back. Tell me where did you get the nerve? You say you miss all that we have. But I don't really care how bad it hurts. You broke me first."

This mission turned out to be easier than anticipated. It took us a few days to travel up north to eliminate a group of bandits terrorizing local revenue between Takigakure and The Land of Iron. The pair had begun our travel back home. Home. At least they had somewhere to go now. A place of comfort waiting for their return. Sure, they lived in separate places now, but they were still fairly close to each other. Kakuzu was proud that they had finally made a living for themselves, and not only that-but a name as well. They rarely got to go on missions together anymore, seeing as Mina had her own team to look after. She seemed to do well with the three under her wing, which in some ways made him proud of her just to see how far she had come since he met a scared and lone child. Their life together had been hard at times, but good in other ways. If anything, he knew that she had my back, and vise versa.

Rain clouds began to roll in fairly quickly, and from the looks of it, it was going to be a pretty decent storm. Kakuzu had hoped they would make it to another village before the storms rolled in, but it seems that time was not on their side.

"Looks like we will have to wait this storm out tonight, Kuzu." Her pet names would have been irritating to him if she would have been anyone else. But he had become used to it by now and simply let it slide.

"We should find a place to camp for the evening."

"I remember seeing a decent sized cave in the area."

Without another word, Kakuzu fell back to let her lead the way-she did have a specialization in recon so he trusted her judgement on the matter. It seemed like no matter the situation, being around her made him feel...weird. He couldn't exactly put into words why or what it meant though. It always had him on edge when they were together. Maybe it was because he had become like a protector of her in his own eyes. That had to be it. It was the only thing that truly made any sense to him.

"It's just up ahead!" As soon as she had said this, it was like their time had dimished and the storm hit. It rained very heavily and off in the distance, thunder could be heard. It looked like it was about to be a long and tiresome night. She picked up the pace and they had made it to this decent enough size of a cave to seek shelter in. Not too bad, but no fire tonight would make it colder. If only they had gotten here just a bit sooner so they could have collected some firewood before everything got drenched. The dark clouds above them made it seem much later than it actually was.

Without anything else to do, they settled down until this storm passed. She has been skittish of storms since the night they met, maybe those foul memories are what caused her fear. He had never asked, and didn't want to pry either.

"Kakuzu?" She had begun to shiver, obviously cold from the rain.

"Hmm?" As he looked up, his eyes met hers and for a second, he felt that tight feeling in my stomach again that he had elected to ignore for the time being.

"I'm so cold..Can we maybe lay together?"

Lay together? They haven't done that since they were kids. His face felt hot for a split second before he shook it off.

"Please?" Those pleading eyes got to me. I always had trouble telling her no, for whatever reason. If it made her feel comfortable, I supposed it would be alright.

He just sighed and nodded his head once, giving her the comfort she desired. Kakuzu laid down on his side, propping his head up so as to see the cave intrance. As if on que, she laid on her opposite side-facing him-and nuzzled her head in his chest. Kakuzu couldn't help but feel that warmness creep across his face. It took her no time to fall asleep practically on top of him. It was probably worth mentioning that this was the first time Kakuzu had felt content and at peace for quite some time now. Living alone didn't allow for such warm and comforting things.

He looked down for what he thought would be a second of just checking on her, but he found myself locked onto her. She had stopped shivering at least. Too many thoughts rolled around his head, thoughts that he shouldn't be having. It was surely just because of circumstances and nothing more, Kakuzu was sure of it. Her peaceful form brought me peace. If he was being honest, being around her in general always seemed to lift his mood-although it was rare they seen each other anymore. She stayed busy and as did he.

Thunder roared outside, which seemed to make her squirm quite a bit. So he did the only thing he knew to do, which was to hold her in his arms. And in that moment, everything felt okay. Everything seemed to be perfect. As if his touch meant something to her, she stopped squirming as she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. Heat seemed to creep over Kakuzu's face once more. This feeling was unfamiliar to him. He wasn't sure on how to react, but he did catch himself leaning into her. His right arm, as if it had a mind of its own, started caressing her head. This would be something he didn't think he could talk to her about. How could he when he couldn't even explain it? What he did know is, he will always remember this evening. This moment. This truly felt like a core memory to his own being. How curious.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" As if Kakuzu could even explain the pure torment of being so close to her, yet so far away. The pain and anger he felt-almost kin to a betrayal feeling- was amplified so much at the thought of her leaving him alone once more. She could probably see him in a mess now, and if not she surely heard the pain in his screams. This feeling felt akin to seeing her die in his own arms.

"Hello? Earth to Kakuzu. What the fuck, man?"

All he wanted in this moment was to grieve his loss once more. How could he have let her slip through his grasp a second time? Memories seem to be all that is left. There was absolutely no way in hell that Kakuzu could confide in Hidan. Or anyone for that matter. This was something that was solely between Minahira and himself. He now knew the true meaning behind all those confusing feelings. He knew something had to be done to save her from this sad and lonely fate she had succumb to. But how could he even begin to find a fix for this? Where would he even begin to look for answers? The only thing that felt for certain was that he refused to let her drown in her own sorrow. These years seemed to have hardened her attitude. She was a different woman now, but he had changed too. Kakuzu had no inkling of an idea where to begin, and without missing a beat he finally decided now was not the time to let these emotions run wild. He had to get a grip on his own reality. He did find a small amount of comfort in knowing that she was still on this earth.

He picked himself up and took a deep breath. "Let's go. This mission was a bust."

"What?! You mean to tell me you let that bitch go? Have you gone soft, Kakuzu?"

The feeling of rage started to bubble up inside of Kakuzu. Who does he think he is spewing some shit like that? Hidan did not know it yet, but he was treading on very thin ice right now. Kakuzu had made the quick decision to move forward without second thought. The base should only take them a couple of days to return to. And from there, Kakuzu would plan and gather information on what the best move would be to help Mina. Currently though, that plan would have to wait until a later time.

"I am not soft."

"Then why the hell was she able to slip through your grasp? You should have let me deal with her." Hidan had no idea how much those words stabbed his partner, a harsh reminder that he would more than likely to not be easily let go.

Kakuzu did find a small comfort in knowing that Minahira was alive and not too far. He did decide not to pick a fight with his partner for the sake of his own mentality. Leaving her behind was a hard choice, but it was one he had no control over. The majority of the trip was in silence, aside from Hidan's snide remarks about their 'failure' and how unhappy Leader would be.

"You can't just be so reckless! You're better than that. And enemy would have killed you without remorse or even a second thought." Kakuzu was unhappy with Mina's lack of attention to their practice session.

"Well, not everyone is as harsh as you! You have done nothing but hound me for days now." She had a look of agitation towards her friend with a tongue dripping in poison-unbeknownst to her.

"You have to stop being so reliant on me to be there, because the truth is I WON'T always be there to help you. How can you not understand that?!"

"I DO understand it, but you talking to me like a child stops here. You think I am weak?" Tension blanketed the air around them. They had been arguing for a solid week straight this time. Mina had mentioned a high profile mission with little details. This was supposedly a hushed subject that only few knew of. He had no idea what the mission was, but he wanted to risk nothing. There had been a lot going on in his own head, but he had put everything on the backburner to try to help, although his 'help' seemed to be unwanted which in turn frustrated him to no end. How could she not see he was only trying to look out for her?

"You know what? I'm done training with you." Without another moment to wait on a response, Mina had seemed to disappear in front of Kakuzu's own eyes. She was fast, that was a fact, but he couldn't help but worry about her Taijutsu. It was her weakest point. He was left alone in the training ground to dwell in his own thoughts and concerns. Kakuzu had decided to walk through the market area, to look for something to possibly reconcile with Mina.

He knew her and her likes very well. As he was walking leisurely through the village, he caught a glimpse of Mina in the ramen shop with two Johnin that Kakuzu didn't know too well. Seeing her laugh made him feel a pang of jealousy. Why couldn't she be happy to be in his presence anymore? Was he drilling her too much? He only did it to ensure her safety. They had been seeing each other less and less every week. He was usually busy with orders from the elders, and her with her own team and now mission. Without buying anything, he began to hurry to his own home, not wanting to deal with his own emotions. Why did he even feel this way? He had no right to her or her time anymore. Had this growing rift between them truly been their end? He had hoped not. She didn't seem to see it, but she was all he had in this life.

As he hurried through the market, something caught his eye. It was a set of simple opal stud earrings that just screamed Mina to him. He knew it was one of her favorite stones and without a second thought, he purchased them-mind you they were not cheap, which would have normally made him turn them down, but for Mina he would pay any price. After getting a small bow to put them in, he headed home to carefully wrap her gift. When he made it home, he picked up some leftover gift wrap from her birthday a few months earlier in the year and wrapped her newest gift. Kakuzu had hoped this would be enough to reconcile with her.

It was several hours before she made it to her own home, just a street over from his own home. He picked up the finely wrapped box and headed over towards her apartment to meet her. He could always pick up her particular chakra signature, possibly because hers was one that reminded him of home. As he approached her doorstep, he had a moment of hesitation to knock on her door. Why was he so nervous? Despite loving being in her company, she always had his nerves in a mess. He had no known reason for this feeling and had assumed this time it was because of an earlier dispute. He took a deep breath and knocked. A loud bang came from the other side of the door, and then it opened. She had very obviously been drinking based on the way she wobbled slightly as she stood.

"Ohh heeeey Kuzu." She smiled at him as if they hadn't fought just hours earlier. "Come in~" She stepped to the side to allow space for him to enter.

Her home was well organized and nothing looked out of place aside from a coffee table-that must have been something she hit on the way to the door.

"Look Mina.." He turned to face her, now face to face which made him feel a hotness sweep across his face. Without another word, he handed her the neatly wrapped box.

"Awwh you got me a gift? How sweet~" She seemed so bubbly now. As she opened the box, she froze. "Kakuzu...these are so beautiful!" Her eyes seemed to have a twinkle in them that wasn't there before, and without missing a beat, she wrapped her arms around his neck and embraced him. He wrapped one arm around her lower back and the other pulling her closer to him. He could have stayed in this moment forever.

As she pulled away, she stopped when their eyes met. For a few moments they had stayed eyes locked on each other. And then she leaned closer and kissed him ever so lightly. Kakuzu brought up a hand to cup her face, and even though the moment was just that, a fleeting moment, he couldn't help but enjoy it. Had this been the reason he always was nervous around her nowadays? Possibly. Either way, he was okay with this feeling she brought him. It was something he had no wish to end. When she pulled away, she had a slight blush across her face, that caused him to softly smile at her.

"I-I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. I shouldn't have-" He silenced her with another kiss, and in this moment everything felt perfect.

Sitting at the campfire, being the first to keep watch, Kakuzu couldn't help but lightly touch his own lips, as if that would have made the memory more real now. He closed his eyes and sighed. How he longed to be with her. He didn't want to remember what happened after their first kiss. That memory was too painful. He couldn't blame her, especially now. Look at him. He looked like a monster in his own eyes. He wondered if she thought of him as often as he thought of her. They had so many fond memories together. But on the flip side to that, they had some pretty bad and heated arguments. He couldn't fault her for her own ways. That was part of the reason why he truly loved her.

About halfway through the night, a deep sleepiness had hit Kakuzu. He had no idea why it was so quick but he knew he had to wake his partner and switch posts soon or he would fall asleep on watch. When they did swap, Kakuzu was quick to fall asleep.

"Kuzu? Can you hear me? Where are you?!" He heard Mina's voice in the distance. He opened his eyes only to see the same forest they were in when he seen his beloved again. This felt different though. There was a heaviness in the air, it felt heavy enough to cut-he could not yet explain why it felt this way. He started searching deeper and deeper into the wood. The deeper it got though, the more decrepit his surrounding began to look. When he finally reached where her voice was coming from, the woods began to look haunted. There was a blanket of fear in the air. Could this have been Mina? Then he heard a loud, blood curtling scream just slightly deeper in the woods. He rushed towards it. Was this her? Was she in pain? What was happening? Why did she call out to him? He had too many questions without any answers. When he reached the clearing, he froze.

There in the center of this field was Mina. Except Mina had a more mortal look to her. She was chained up around her neck, arms, and legs-although they seemed to be broken because she was chained to nothing. Deep hooks were imbedded in her shoulder blades, blood was pooling at her feet. When she looked his way, her eyes were glossed over. She reached out to him.

"Please..Help me! I'm trapped please Kuzu."

It didn't seem to matter how hard he ran her way, he never got any closer. Her arms were stretched out his way. He was trying so hard to get to her, but nothing seemed to get him any closer to her."

"Don't let him see us together, for he will kill us. Master is coming, quickly now!"

Her words felt like daggers. Who is this person she keeps speaking of?

"Who Mina?! Tell me who is doing this to you!"

"He is here. He sees you. Quickly, Kakuzu! Run away from this place or you will never wake. Please do this for me. Do not worry for me."

Everything felt like it was falling apart. How could he be so close, yet so far away?

"I refuse to leave you!"

And then, everything went black.

Kakuzu jolted up in a cold sweat. His heart was racing. He didn't know if he could endure this pain. Had she reached out to him in his own dreams? Or was it truly nothing more than a dream. The more he pondered that question, the more sure of how real it was sit with him. He had never had dreams like this, and in fact, most of his dreams were broken memories. This was no memory. This had never happened in their fleeting time. He had to figure out who was hurting and manipulating her. It felt like time was running out, and the anxiety that came with that feeling was something he felt like he couldn't stomach.

Nobody else in this day and time knew him for who he was, no- they knew him for all the things he had done to others. Maybe now, karma was catching up to his foul deeds. Nobody knew he even carried such strong emotions. No, they only knew a shell of the man he truly was. He would give his own life to have traded places with Mina, there was no doubt about that fact. Kakuzu knew there was no sleep for him, so he stood up and decided to walk towards the stream they were close enough by to hear.

"Hey, where the fuck are you going? What's going on?"

"Nothing. I need time alone."

"Tch. Whatever."

Without another word, he began his walk. As he walked deeper into the forest, he had an eerie feeling wash over him. Something he couldn't quite place a finger on, but something that filled him with dread. As he approached the water, he pulled off his mask and headgear to wash his face, hoping to wash away the foul memory of his dream away. Something about it just didn't sit well with him. It was almost as if there were a war being waged inside his head at this very moment. How could he protect Mina when she made it apparent that she no longer needed his saving grace. It begged the question on if she was even in control anymore. So many years to be consumed by some demonic looking entity could be the difference in her demeanor towards him. Or she could possibly still have sour feelings from her previous life-it was a fight he tried to forget. Those harsh words he threw her way would be some of the last words he ever said to her, and that is what filled him with so much anger and regret.

"What do you mean you don't know? Damnit Mina you're going to get yourself killed by your reckless behavior!"

"I don't answer to you! Part of my skillset is scouting ahead of the team for troubles! You knew this when I took this job, Kakuzu!"

The sour look on his face showed all too well how much he hated the thought of her leaving for such a long period of time. "Do you not think of how your choices affect others?"

"ME?! What about YOU and the bullshit you put others through?! Do you really hold me to a higher standard than yourself?!"

"YOU ARE GOING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED!" The rising anger in his voice almost faltered at the thought of her demise. But he stood firm.

"SCREW YOU!" She slammed the door behind her and disappeared, leaving Kakuzu alone to dwell on his own thoughts. Thoughts he didn't want to delve into.

After that day, she kept her distance from Kakuzu, which felt like a blade through his chest as he watched her laugh and carry on her life with others. Something he didn't want to stomach. Had his protectiveness over her caused this rift? All he could do was wait and let her cool off. What he didn't know is tonight was her last night in the village for a prolonged amount of time. This would also be the last time he seen her alive and well.

Kakuzu sighed. The water helped with calming his nerves to an extent. How he wished he could go back in time and change things. Maybe she would have lived on. But he couldn't focus on things he couldn't change now, as it served him no purpose. No, instead he decided to focus on the present. And hopefully in doing that, their paths would cross once more. He was sure on that. He just hoped that it would be on better terms next time.

Hey guys, I know I said this was a two part story but I just had to delve in a little deeper than anticipated. This chapter is a bit shorter than the others, but also has some deep seeded core memories. This has been a little story I have worked on in a while, and I hope it finds the correct audience. R&R :)