Sutures || Kakuzu

Ch. 11 - A Fool's Confession (The Finale)

Eight... nine... ten.

Nozomi frowned as she sat on the floor in her father's empty house. In the end, she had found another briefcase buried under the one she had already dug up. Her father made it easy for her since both of the locks used the same passcode. It was all there; all of the money that she needed and then some set in neat little stacks. In the second briefcase, along with money was the deed to the house and a piece of paper with her father's messy handwriting scribbled on it.

To Hideki and Nozomi:

Depending on when you see this, or if you ever see it, I may have done more or less things that I'm not proud of. Regardless, just know that I did it all for you. Know that one day our family will be together again.

Hideki, thank you for taking care of our family. Perhaps you'll be better than me sooner or later.

Nozomi, thank you for being the glue that holds our family together.

~ Dad

The blond stared down at the note with a mix of emotions. Settling with anger and disappointment, she crumpled the paper in her hands and tossed it to the side. Even in death, her father would never apologize for his actions. The glue that holds our family together? What a joke. Unfortunately, it all quickly melted into sadness in the end.

What was this somber feeling she had? Finally, all of her problems had been fixed. She now had everything at her fingertips to start a new life. With her family matters, it felt like a boulder had been lifted off of her shoulders, however a familiar face kept appearing in her mind. Would she be able to pick and choose which parts of her life to reset?

"We need to get moving, shrimp."

Nozomi jumped at the sudden sound of Kisame's voice. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed him standing in the back doorway. When she turned around, Itachi was standing in the front door frame. She wasn't sure how long she had been staring at the money, but she figured it had been long enough. Nodding in agreeance, the female divvied up the money between her two debts and left one briefcase unlocked with a note and the house deed in the center of the floor, figuring the Kirigakure Police Force would return sooner or later.

"I'm ready..." Clutching the second briefcase to her chest, Nozomi stood up and glanced back at Kisame. "Do I have to be knocked unconscious again or something? The first time was a bit scary, but I think I'm a little more mentally prepared this time."

Kisame chuckled at her hesitant expression. "Don't worry. We have explicit instructions to not injure you."

Nozomi didn't answer, but instead looked around at the room. This was most likely going to be the last time she would see this place again. Peering into the kitchen area, it was if she could visualize herself and Hideki eating their last meal together. The laughter, the lights, the warmth... The last moments of peace she had before her life changed. Closing her eyes, she took in a breath to calm her emotions and once she opened them again, there was a flash of red just like before, then darkness.

₪•₪•₪•₪•₪•₪

"It's been almost a day." Hidan laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He had just finished his meditation, but he couldn't focus because of his partner. The old bastard may be stoic on the outside, but he knew better than to leave it at that. "I'm sure the bitch will walk through the door any time now."

The only answer he received was silence. Ever since last night after Zetsu disappeared, Kakuzu hadn't spoken a word. They were given the details of their mission and they were supposed to leave tonight, however it didn't seem like they were going to be moving any time soon. The two were so used to working alone before, but now, for some odd reason, it didn't seem right to leave a member of their team behind. Even if that member was a puny female civilian.