Stitched || Kakuzu

Ch. 5 - Stitched

Nozomi winced as she tried to pull away from Kakuzu again, but again her attempts were in futile. She wondered what was going to happen next now.

"You're stuck?" Kakuzu looked down at her. He pulled up their arms, which caused Nozomi to whine in pain. She wasn't suffering alone as he also felt some pain. Their wrists were most definitely attached; three of his stitches were pulled from his body and intricately wrapped around Nozomi's wrist. The ends of the stitches were actually inside Nozomi's body, tied around her radius bone (a bone in your wrist).

The Akatsuki member narrowed his eyes at the scene as his partner sauntered over after his sacrifice ritual. It was because he had allowed the unknown ninja close enough to attach chakra strings that this happened. Assessing that hand-to-hand combat wouldn't be possible anymore, now knowing of this trick and this new weight on his side, Kakuzu sighed inwardly.

Hidan raised an eyebrow at Nozomi and Kakuzu, but didn't say a word as he noticed his partner's agitated face. Without much of anything to say, Kakuzu started ahead again, dragging Nozomi along. The poor girl struggled to keep up with him, trying to ignore the throbbing pain of her wrist and not whine so much, in case her bounty hunter do something to her.

Hidan finally spoke up after deafening silence for a while. They'd passed by a couple of villages and Kakuzu had finally slowed a little bit so Nozomi could walk next to him. "So, what's going on? You two haven't left each other's side since we left that cliff."

Nozomi looked at the ground, biting her lip, as Kakuzu held their wrists up again. The pain was still great, but she'd gotten used to moving enough to keep quiet. Kakuzu held their wrists up for a split second before putting them down.

"You've seen."

Hidan turned his attention to Nozomi, who was staring back at him.

"You must be bold, bitch. To put yourself in a situation like this." Hidan rolled his eyes. "Can't you cut it off or something? That's useless shit you're walking around with."

"I am not useless shit!"

"Oh, the little lady has a pottymouth."

"Hypocrite!"

Kakuzu's eyes twitched at their bickering and he yanked Nozomi along, starting to walk again. Nozomi cried out in pain and stumbled after him.

"You're going to dislocate my bone, you brute!" Nozomi yelled at him. 

The male turned around and looked at her. Nozomi looked him back in the eyes, glaring at him. The Akatsuki member grunted softly; she was bold. She's been around them too long and she's getting used to it.

"Would you rather I rip the stitchings out completely and let you bleed out and die?"

"Then you wouldn't get paid."

Kakuzu continued to look at her before starting to walk again. That was how she planned on having control in the situation? Money? He decided to let that go at the moment, being that he did want the money but he has another purpose to the situation.

"So now we're really helping her?" Hidan asked, crossing his arms. He'd been against this plan since day one and with this turn of events, now it was really going to happen?

The threesome continued on until they left the Land of Frost and entered the Land of Hot Water. There was a small village on the border of the two countries that they entered into. There wasn't that many people or buildings, so the three quickly found an inn.

"One room." Kakuzu said to the woman in charge. The lady glanced up and looked at Kakuzu, then Nozomi, and then at Hidan. Although she wanted to say something, she didn't and merely nodded.

"For three people, ¥18000."

Kakuzu looked at Nozomi. She looked back at him, tilting her head. "What?"

"Pay."

"Pay for what?"

"The room."

Nozomi looked at the woman in charge who was patiently waiting to receive payment. She sighing, grumbling to herself as she used her free hand to open her small pouch. Moving her other hand carefully, she stayed close to Kakuzu as she counted the money and handed it to the lady. After telling them where the room was, the trio proceeded on with the woman watching after them until they walked inside the room and closed the door.

"I don't want to stay in here with you two." Nozomi fumed. "What if you two...? I-I'm still innocent and..."

Hidan rolled his eyes. "I'm going to sleep." He sat down in the corner, placing his scythe against the wall, and folded his arms over his chest, closing his eyes.

Nozomi, not convinced, glanced over at Kakuzu, who was sitting on the floor. He pulled her down so she was sitting as well.

"Go to sleep. We're leaving in the morning."

She shook her head defiantly. "No. I don't trust you."

"You shouldn't. Go to sleep."

Nozomi stared at the male beside her. Obviously, he made his point clear. Reluctantly, she laid down and used the complimentary blanket in the room. "Aren't you going to go to sleep?"

Kakuzu didn't respond and she kept quiet, closing her eyes as she did feel really tired. The pain in her wrist had gone away for now since they weren't moving, so she felt she could rest easy for a little bit. As she was about to fall asleep, Kakuzu asked her a question.

"You said you had a brother. What is he like?"

Nozomi yawned and snuggled up in the blanket. "Hideki Shidou. He's a really nice guy and a great ninja. He taught me some simple things. He's great at hand to hand combat and he's a hunter ninja... He... He looks like me... The blond hair and blue eyes, but he's taller..." She yawned again before quieting down and falling asleep.

Kakuzu stayed up and looked outside. The ninja they encountered. He was good at hand-to-hand combat... as Kakuzu had let him too close. From the glimpse of it, he was taller than the runt sleeping next to him. A hunter ninja... The mask the male was wearing a hunter ninja mask - but it had no village insignia. It couldn't be proven yet, but Kakuzu had a good idea.

As the male looked outside into the forest, he narrowed his eyes as the glimpse of something moving. As he looked into it more, whatever was watching must have seen him as it moved away. Kakuzu stood up and Nozomi immediately woke up at his movements. She was about to say something when Kakuzu covered her mouth. 

Walking over with her, he opened the door and led her outside. Hidan stirred in the corner slightly, but didn't move after that. 

"This is kidnapping." Nozomi mumbled behind his hand as she tried to pry it off of her lips.

"You're stuck. It can be whatever now." Kakuzu kept walking. "Now, shut up." Nozomi glared at him, but since there was nothing she could do, she followed behind him, walking deeper into the forest.