The sounds of crickets and other creatures filled the air as Kakuzu awoke from his slumber. His dreams as of recent troubled his mind. Kisame seemed to be sound asleep, but Itachi was not. This made Kakuzu feel uneasy. He had to be careful of his actions around others, especially someone as perceptive as Itachi. Kakuzu stood up, brushing himself off in the process.

"Trouble sleeping?" Came a monotone sounding voice.

"Something like that." That was as far as he wanted the conversation to go.

Kakuzu felt immense pressure under Itachi's gaze. He wasn't afraid of Itachi, but he was afraid of him picking up on something else. Something Kakuzu had decided stay in his own mind. He knew he had to leave no semblance of an emotion during this mission. He started to walk away from camp, hoping to get some time alone, but Itachi stopped him once more. No words were spoken, but there was no need for such things as they looked at each other, trying to figure each other out. Trying to find some shred of a detail to upturn. When a few moments passed, Kakuzu left without any more disturbances. He wondered what Itachi was trying to get out of him. Or maybe he was just overreacting. He hoped it was the latter. Any small shred of evidence against him could lead to a disastrous and untimely demise of the sole woman he wanted to keep away from prying eyes.

He walked just a bit further until he felt he had put enough distance between himself and camp. He pulled out his locket from Mina all those years ago, looking at the picture wondering where he went wrong. The picture seemed to slip out and as it did, he noticed an engraving underneath that he had never seen before.

'Together forever'

He quickly picked up the fallen picture and placed it where it belonged. How had he never noticed such a detail before? He had no answer for that aside from his own ignorance, it fiddled with the silver locket for a moment more before putting it away. He then pulled out the golden locket he found in his room, wondering where it came from. More so amazed at the fact that someone had to have infiltrated the base for it to be in his possession. He looked at the scorched picture, noticing only she was the one affected by the damage. Then he thought more on the saying in the locket, remembering it was part of her vocals in his dream just tonight. How could that be? He couldn't find any angle where this made any sense to him. Could she have slipped in, unseen and undetected? He had no idea. Everything felt like smoke and mirrors to him.

Gold..Mina disliked gold. She had always said she disliked the color of it. Why he remembered this insignificant detail, he had no idea. She seemed to flood his mind, and even delved into his dreams as well. It begged the question on if she had some kind of control over this, at least the dream part anyway. Maybe she was trying to communicate the only way she could. Or maybe he was just fantasizing over her. It was unlikely she could control dreams, right? He had never seen her with a skill like that previously. He sat down on a large boulder to let go and freely think.

"Happy birthday, Kakuzu!" Minahira beamed at him in excitement. The cake had ten candles in it. He was approximately that age, he was just unsure of his real birth date. But he appreciated her efforts to make him happy. The cake was obviously home made which begged the question if she could bake at all. He had never seen her do this before, so he had no idea. He had to assume she had no idea, though.

"Make a wish!" She was just as patient as ever, still smiling at him. She even bought a couple of party hats, one of which she was wearing. There was no way in hell he would be caught wearing one of those. Although her happy disposition made him feel a warmth of familiarity. She always seemed to make it a point to make fond memories together. He did as she requested and blew out the candles, his wish being for her to stay by his side. That was about all he could think of that he would actually want.

"What did you wish for, Kuzu-kun?" She held her hands just below her chin, swaying from side to side excitedly.

"If I tell you, won't that ruin it?" He didn't mean to sound so monotoned. He always struggled in the social department.

"You're right, you're right." She started waving one of her hands up and down, still just as happy as ever. He had to wonder if it was just her normal disposition, or if being with him made her happy. He had never asked, and had no plans on it either.

Without warning, she jumped into his arms, giving him a tight hug. "Sorry I couldn't get you a gift."

"I don't need any gift." Her face turned into that look of disappointment in his lack of interest. The look he hated to see on her face. Without a chance to apologize, Mina quickly ran to her room and slammed the door.

'Tch..so sensitive' He didn't mean to sound ungrateful at her attempt at a birthday. He was actually glad that she tried her best. He looked down at his cake, smiling at the sloppy handwriting on it. She did really try.

With a huff of agitation, he walked to her door. Her soft cries could be heard from the other side. He just didn't understand why she was so upset now. He lightly knocked on the door, and when there was no response he tried again. "Mina...?"

The door opened and her puffy face and red eyes made him feel bad for upsetting her. She didn't speak, she only rubbed the stray tears from her eyes. He constantly had to remind himself that she was not calloused like him. She was also younger than him, making him realize she was just a small girl doing her best to please someone else. He pulled her in for a one armed hug, "You know I didn't mean to sound mean, right?"

She sniffled nodding her head in response.

"So how about we try your cake, huh?" She looked up at him with a small grin.

"You mean that?"

"Of course, Mina."

It was the worst cake he had ever eaten in his life, although he wouldn't say that to her. He made a mental note that Minahira indeed could NOT bake well. She had elected to clean up stating 'It's your birthday, this day is yours!' He wouldn't argue with her. In fact, he didn't want to make her cry over something so silly again. After she finished, she came and sat on the floor with him, giggling and making conversation. He was happy that she was happy.

"Kuzu, you're my best friend and that means you're stuck with me." She pointed her thumb back at herself, grinning ear to ear. He had no plans on dismissing that statement.

"Well that means you're stuck with me too." He crossed his arms in front of his chest as if that made him look more firm in his words.

But neither of them were wrong. They were truly stuck with each other until the end.

Kakuzu sighed deeply, contemplating his next move. There had to be some kind of clue in this golden locket, he just knew it. But what, he had no idea. There had to be a reason it was delivered to his hands. He kept looking it over trying to find some shred of hope. Some evidence that would give him any clue.

"What's that?" So Itachi did follow him. But how would he be able to explain this away? When he didn't answer, Itachi approached him looking closely at the small golden thing in his hands.

Kakuzu felt intruded on in the worst way possible. If he couldn't come up with something then his façade would surely crumble apart. He knew one thing for certain, and that was to not trust any other member of the organization. Not that Itachi had done anything to Kakuzu, but he was firm in not trusting others.

"It's nothing important."

"Then why come here and hide it? Seems important to you." He felt like he was under surveillance. Like everything about him were under a microscope. This was exactly why he tried avoiding Itachi. He always knew more than he let on.

"Tch..It's not. I found it." That wasn't exactly a lie, either.

Itachi and Kakuzu locked eyes once more, neither faltering in their cold gaze. He had no interest in entertaining Itachi in the least bit. The less others knew, the better. Kakuzu had known that Itachi could see through his lies, but what he truly knew, he didn't know.

"You speak in your sleep." This sentence made Kakuzu stiff with anxiety. What had he heard? Fuck, what did he even say? Had he given himself away? When he didn't answer, Itachi continued, "Whoever she is to you, it would be wise to break ties with her. Nothing will change."

This made Kakuzu less anxious and more angry. How dare he suggest he knew any detail of such a complex relationship between the two. He balled his fist in his lap, trying to hold his tongue. Any outburst could cause more punishment if not left in check, And this was a compromising position he NEVER wanted to experience again already. "This woman means nothing to me." He said through gritted teeth.

Another moment of shared silence followed for a short period before the other spoke, "Hmm..If you're sure that is the case.."He trailed off.

Kakuzu couldn't stand conversation with others, especially someone like Itachi. It made him feel like he was transparent, like he could hide nothing unless he was particular to cover himself without a single twitch or huff in his breath. How he couldn't wait for this mission to end. He was sick already of feeling compromised and under constant watch. Feeling like he was under a microscope and every little thing he did raised question to his own self. Who they all knew him to be. Guilt flooded him internally. Mina would be so upset at him for all of the choices he had made in his life. How could she ever accept him for who he was now? He was no saving grace like he had been for her for many years. No, to her, he was the enemy now.

He brushed himself off as he stood. As he walked by Itachi, he felt like he had been frozen, just momentarily. It was situations like this that made him thankful for his face coverings, leaving only his eyes to read. He continued past the other man, heading back to camp- which honestly felt like a prison to him. There was no more sleep for him tonight. He couldn't chance another slip of the tongue, even if it was during his sleep. This fact now put him on pins and needles. Had Hidan heard anything as well? He doubted that because if that were the case, Hidan would definitely run his mouth about it. He couldn't possibly keep something like that to himself. He hoped so, anyway. Tonight would be long and tense.

Morning seemed like it took ages to surface. Kakuzu had been propped up against a tree going through his bingo book. There could be someone nearby. Surely the duo he traveled with couldn't stop him from doing the one thing he was well known for. There. A woman who had a not so impressive bounty. An assassin turned rogue. Zeri Yashida. Deep green hair, pink eyes, short in stature. This would simply be nothing to handle. Their scheduled visit to this supposed brothel could wait, hopefully. He had no interest in such places. Just a waste of time and money.

"We have direct orders to survey the area, one in particular. She doesn't seem to be in the area, but someone that knows her might be. Another woman that works here." Itachi looked up at the building in front of them, directing the other two to glance at it as well.

Kakuzu noticed it looked to be in decent shape. It looked a bit run down, but not as bad as others he had seen. How could Mina even associate with someone that worked in a place like this? Had she changed that much over time? These thoughts repulsed him as he started to think of how he strayed from their path together as well. He had to wonder if she had been forced into this as well. He told himself that was the case, but a lingering doubt in his mind made him appear more agitated than usual. His lips curled into a deep frown the more he thought about it.

It seemed Kisame was in on something Kakuzu didn't know about either as he glanced over at Kakuzu, flashing his signature pointed grin, "No bounties for you to collect this time. Just a simple recon mission. You can handle that, right?"

This made Kakuzu want to lash out, but he thought better of it. Surely if he could swallow his pride for this mission, he would be out of the hole. He hoped so anyway. This mission alone was tiresome and honestly underwhelming. "Yes." He grunted through gritted teeth. This in turn made the shark's smile broaden.

"You look like you could use something simple for once." Was he being tested? It felt like it to him. The blue man was surely pushing Kakuzu's buttons to get a reaction more than likely. One that Kakuzu was not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing.

"Enough. Now we wait." Without a second to spare, Itachi pushed through the door and the other two trailed after him.

They had collectively gathered at a table in a corner with a decent view of the entire inside of the building. It was nothing to write home about, but it was cleaner than other places he was used to residing in. There was a full bar with a plethora of liquor on the shelves behind. Kakuzu squinted his eyes as he noticed the girl that appeared to be bartending was the bounty he had previously seen in his bingo book. How could she be here without a care in the world, it seemed? He glanced around the room and counted ten guards that he could visibly see on the floor. He had to wonder if she got protection from the guards. That was a possibly circumstance. With enough brutes and her skills, she probably worried about nothing. He watched her as she shook up a mixed drink for another woman sitting at the bar. They seemed to be in a hushed conversation. Kakuzu studied the second woman and for a second, he could have sworn he felt a breeze-one that smelled of cinnamon and holly. Her long black hair came down her back in a loose braid. She looked to be small in frame. He excused himself from his partners, fast approaching the bar. As he got closer, the black haired woman turned and walked right by him. Time felt like it had stopped as they were beside each other. Her smell, her feature...those amber eyes. She shot him a warm smile, "Hello, you." In that moment he felt a rush of emotions-some happy, and other sad.

"You." How pitiful. Was that the best he could do? Conversation needed to stay simple and light to avoid his companions suspicions. Could this have been her? It had to be, right?

She sat at a table not far off, shooting a look back to him. Was this an invitation? He wanted to speak to her, but he also needed to speak to the other at the bar. He elected to talk to this woman first, and then the bartender seeing as she wasn't going anywhere any time soon. He sat at the table to her left, not looking in her direction.

"What troubles you?" She asked taking a sip of her red drink. He had never known Mina to drink even a drop of alcohol before.

"You do." He hadn't meant to sound harsh, but it was the truth as well. He knew she had to have some shred of feelings for him to be here, right? Right? He took a moment to appreciate her beautiful, black lace dress that he would have said was too short. It had long lace sleeves that were transparent, along with the ruffles around her neckline. She sported black pumps with this look, and seeing her for how she was now only made him angry. Not at her, but his own jealousy. How many others had she actually allowed to see her, he wondered? She seemed to have a cold presence around her, clashing with her warm words and smiles.

"Oh? I hate to hear that." She put her elbow on the table, propping up her head with her hand and she swirled her drink casually with the other. She took another sip before setting it down to continue, "I am sorry to cause you troubles, sir." How dare she act as if she didn't know him? This made him feel like his blood was bubbling under his skin.

"You have called me many things, sir is not one of them." He crossed his arms over his chest as he spoke, leaning back into his chair.

"You've come a long way to find me, hmm?" She sounded less than enthused to be speaking to the man beside her. "How about you buy me another drink?" Spend his money? On alcohol of all things? This infuriated him.

"I'll be back. Don't move."

"You got it, mister."

She smiled although it seemed more...empty this time. This was troubling to Kakuzu. He didn't even think to ask her what she was drinking. He eyed it closer and decided it must have been a cocktail with some red berries to looked like pomegranate. So upon this, he ordered two, hoping to dig a little deeper. He looked over two the other members of his current party. Kisame was uninterested in the whole ordeal it seemed, but Itachi's eyes never left his. He knew he was being under close watch. When the drinks were done, he paid his dues and approached the black haired woman once more.

"Did you dye your hair?"

"Yes. It's only temporary though." She took another drink and then looked confused. "Why two?"

He picked up the other glass, pulling his mask down just far enough to get a drink. It was sweet. Sweeter than his tastes liked. He eyed the woman beside him, as he knew she always had a sweet tooth.

"Oh fun. How about a game of questions?" She smiled up at him with rosy cheeks. This made him feel a slight heat rise to his face, smirking at the woman who he was so enamored with.

"As you wish." His tone would have made anyone else think he was uninterested, but she seemed to know better than that.

"Okay. You first, please." She began humming a tune he was unfamiliar with. Until it wasn't unfamiliar. It was the song she sang in his dreams. How could that be?

"What is that song?"

"You don't like it? You seemed to be amazed just the other night by it." She seemed smug in her response.

"How can you control my dreams?"

"Tsk tsk" She waved a finger in front of his face, "Only one question per turn sir. Those are the rules." This caused a slight irritation in his mind. How could she be so nonchalant?

"I made it, for you, ya know?" For him? He had a million more questions he could have asked, yet he asked something so insignificant that he wanted to curse himself. He knew he had to skirt around certain topics, to keep from prying eyes and ears. There were a few stragglers at various tables throughout the establishment, and it was for certain that more would arrive the later it got.

"Did you, now?" He pondered the meaning of her lyrics to him.

"Now it's my turn." She said in a sing song voice. "Why are there others watching you?"

Nothing would escape her, it seemed.

"A few minor inconveniences, that's all."

"Hmm.." She narrowed her eyes and twitched her nose, the corners of her mouth in a strained smile.

In an instant, everything around them seemed to disappear until it was just the two of them sitting in darkness. Nothing around them could be heard anymore. It was as if they were in space-nothingness that seemed to have no end to it. It wasn't cold or warm. It was a place he didn't care about being in. This reminded him of his dream from the other night. No matter where you looked, it was all nothingness. Barren, lack of anything that wouldn't even be small things a person doesn't really think about. He had to speculate that this was some unknown jutsu she had mastered. This reminded him of the Sharingan wielder, Itachi. This in turn made him think that if he could figure out where her metaphorical chains lead to, he could convince Leader that she was, indeed, capable of being useful to his cause. But would she even accept an offer like that? Does she even want a life of freedom anymore? She has been succumbed to this fate for a long time. His time had proved to have changed him and his own humanity, so hers possibly could have differed now too. This thought troubled Kakuzu. Her voice broke him from his thoughts.

"Don't worry, this is simply temporary."

"What do I have to do? Tell me there is a way to help you?"

"Help me? Who told you I needed your help with anything?" Her voice suddenly seemed cold towards him. Her whole demeanor seemed to change in just a few seconds.

"I never said-"

"But you did. Do not worry about me. Worry about those you surround yourself with. Worry about yourself before you worry for me." Her cold, hard gaze met his dismayed look.

How could she seem so happy and warm one minute, and then cold and ruthless the next minute? Time seemed to be nonexistent in this place. How could she manage a feat like this?

"How is this possible?" He didn't know what to say, honestly. The whole shift of personalities had really done a number to his thought process.

"I have so much to show you, but so little time." Her warmer voice seemed to spread a warmth over his body, as if he were under a blanket. Comfort. That's what it was. It was the only explanation he could think of. "Your time will come. I can promise you that." Her hands gently cupped his hands, although the size difference was almost funny.

"Minahira, please-"

"Shhh, not right now." She leaned over, putting her head against his arm.

He blinked his eyes and then it was over. So suddenly he was jerked back into reality. Looking over, She had already drank her two and had just about drank all of his too. How long was he stuck sitting like this? Surely not that long, seeing as nothing had changed aside from now Kisame was seated at the bar.

"Say mister, thanks for the drinks and the conversation."

He felt cold once more. How could she truly mask any trace of their encounter? He wasn't sure, but he recovered in just a moments time, composing himself.

"Don't mention it."

She leaned down towards his face, making him stiffen up. Lucky for him, she bypassed his face and spoked in a hushed tone near his ear, "Do not get us killed, Kakuzu." Her voice just as stoic and cold as ever. It almost sounded darker than even her words. He had no idea one relationship between two people could be so hard and complicated. Their relationship in life may have been friends, but now he couldn't help but wish for more.

"Understood." He growled back at her.

As she headed out, he couldn't help but let his eyes linger just a bit longer than he needed to. He adverted his gaze back to the bar. He now had to speak with the green haired woman. When he approached for the second time, She politely spoke to him, "Hello sir, another?"

"No. But I do have questions you may can answer." He spoke in a lower tone so as to not alert Kisame, who was damn near asleep, or so it would appear anyway.

"For a price, I can." She leaned over the bar, lowering her voice.

Kakuzu pondered this for a moment before sitting down in front of her, "Fine. What do you know about that woman that just left?"

"Oh Ichigo? She's here everything Tuesday."

Ichigo? Was this some pseudo name? "What else do you know?"

"It's gonna cost ya."

At this point, he was starting to lose his patience. He just needed to know a few more things. "Only if the information is useful."

"Fine. She usually comes in with another woman that goes by Abura. I don't know much else. They don't usually speak to me."

Abura? He knew that name. He knew it well. It seemed his past wasn't so easily forgotten like he thought. The only problem was, The Abura he knew would no longer be alive. Or so he would have thought. But then again he would have NEVER thought to see Minahira still alive. His mind was troubled.

"Hey! Where's my money!" The woman shouted at him as he walked back to Itachi's table.

"You're not useful to me." He didn't even bother looking her direction. He did know he would come back later for her bounty. He could promise that. As he sat down with Itachi, the girl was still rambling on about being cheated out of money. Money Kakuzu had no actual intention on giving her. He noticed on his way over to the table that Itachi must have stopped watching him at some point. When, he was unsure of.

Not a word was spoken. They sat there for hours, watching people pile in, bustling around. Girls preforming on a stage. He felt like this was a complete waste of time. All he could think about was her parting words. 'Don't get us killed.' Had she been talking about herself and Kakuzu? Or was she referring to her seemingly split personality? She did mention that she was a host for some kind of demon, and that was why she was even alive. He wondered about their interaction for the rest of the evening. Nothing spectacular or note worthy happened all night aside from one man getting too touchy with one of the servers, getting himself kicked out by the brutes this establishment had on payroll. All he knew was no matter what else, he was still loyal to Mina above all else. After all this time, nothing really had changed. He still had so many questions to ask her. He longed to know what her life had entailed. But all of that would have to wait. Kakuzu could be patient though. If he had lived this long, what was a little longer to wait, really?

The trio had a room amongst them- or at least one per person. Kakuzu did NOT enjoy spending what he considered his own money of such unimportant things. He did, however fall asleep rather quickly.

This dream was different. The whole mood in the air was different. Unfamiliar territory was ahead and he knew it. Regardless, he trudged forward. He took notice that the smoke this time was a magenta color, making him wonder what had changed. It wasn't until he hit a clearing that he seen another person. This field had tall grass, along with a variety of flowers. It was honestly a beautiful scenery. He pondered what this meant. As he did, he brought his attention to the person standing in front of him. It was evident that this was a man. He had hair that matched the smoke- magenta. His hair was loose and was just long enough to meet his shoulders He had noticed that this man had heterochromia. His right eye though is what stood out. His left eye was a pale green, while his right eye was colored shades of red. The sclera was a deep red and his iris was a pink color on further inspection. He had tanned skin and almost had an innocent look about himself. Like he was some young man trying to find his way around this dark and dreary place. He was obviously fit, but not exactly as fit as someone like himself or Kisame. He wore loose fitting black pants whit a dark blue cloak, not shirt in sight. This made Kakuzu feel as if he were seeing some off brand Hidan. They kept a distance between them. The unknown man smirked at Kakuzu before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"You do not know the likes of whom you are toying with." Came a deep but melodic voice.

Then another puff of smoke appeared just behind Kakuzu. When he turned around he was met with the same man, only this time he held a scythe that had some eye on it near the head of the blade. It was a dark blue and black color from what he could tell, and he also noted that it looked much lighter than Hidan's as well as only having one bade on it. That didn't mean that this man was not a threat though.

"Who are you?" Kakuzu knew this man looked familiar, but he couldn't place it.

The man had disappeared in another puff of smoke, this time a deep laughter erupted from seemingly nowhere, echoing all around Kakuzu. He was not scared though, only curious as to who or what this person was. As if he were in a trance, the voice spoke up again. "Next time we meet may not turn out so well for you. Now wake up."

And as he finished his sentence, Kakuzu woke up from his sleep.

This wasn't the first time he had a dream that made no sense, but he did know that this one was different from all the others in a way other than Minahira not being there. No, this one felt a little malicious the more he thought about it. This mystery man made a threat that might have been empty, trying to scare Kakuzu. But it would take way more than some trivial dream to deter him from his goal, and that was to find Mina.

A/N: So I realize this unknown man does sound a lot like Hidan, but I promise as more gets revealed, these small things are about all that is even in common with the two of them. Mina and Kakuzu didn't necessarily have the best meeting. Her hot and cold side will also be further explained later along with a few more twists.

As always, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! R&R. Thank you tyuo for the reviews! It is much appreciated. 3