When Money Isn't Good Enough (Kakuzu Story)

Chapter 23

It was a problem Kakuzu thought about all day.

There were pros; there were cons, just like with many other problems. But somehow weighing them up didn't quite make things easier. He'd managed to get to sleep last night, but the memory of it all hadn't left him when he woke up. If anything, it became stronger as he got up and went about his day. Pein came to talk to him about trying to find Ryoshi and Ketsu, and for a while they discussed what they could do—what they would do. Everyone ran over the details they already knew, and tried to adapt them to how things had changed recently. Each possible place was analysed to try and figure out whether Ketsu might have headed there—but it wasn't particularly easy for Kakuzu to concentrate. Whether it was because he was considering the possibility Ryoshi was sitting in one of those buildings, trapped inside the cell he'd seen last night, or because he was thinking about how the mission had been when she'd still be around. How easy things had been—how he'd been able to just hang around with her while still getting the work done.

Either way, the memory of last night would come back to him, and all that he had done. He hadn't mentioned it to anybody, and considering no one knew about the connection, there wasn't about to be any questions. He wouldn't have been able to listen to them, when the reasons for why Ryoshi hadn't spoken to him and why he had just blown up like that were mysteries to him. Though it didn't mean the contemplation of those mysteries was nowhere to be found. His train of thought diverted from one topic to another, and although Kakuzu threw himself into his work, nothing seemed to help. There were leads in the mission, it was true, but they never came to anything more than that. There was never anything that gave them enough information for them all to follow up on it and check it out, and so they were stuck sifting through scrolls and maps to try and figure it out—and not having much success.

His guilt wasn't helping him much either.

Ryoshi herself was in more of a state of apophasis with her guilt; telling herself repeatedly that she would not think of her guilt over what she did to Kakuzu because she had no reason to be guilty. He had shown the truth of what he desired when they had been going after Ketsu the other day, and therefore nothing of what he said he was after now could be trusted—could it? But she tried to force herself to remain firm on the subject; tried to turn those doubts into a full-blown mistrust of him and everything he said. It was hard to tell if it was working, however; with nothing to do in the cell but think, her mind flipped back and forth between guilt and anger, and she could never settle on one. Not to mention there were other things she would need to think about: why Ketsu had brought her here and was keeping her locked up. If he thought she was a threat, why not just kill her now? Using her as blackmail against the Akatsuki wasn't exactly going to go well, and things would have been set in motion by now. Ketsu would have said something to her. But there had been nothing—so what the hell was going on?

The day continued in the same monotonous but thought-provoking way, nothing much have really changed by the time the sun began to set. Ryoshi began to meditate, trying to figure out what to do from here in accordance with what was going to happen around her. Regardless of what it might be, she would need to be prepared. It was a lack of preparation that had been a part of how she had gotten into this mess, and she wouldn't let it happen again. As such she settled into her position, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Hopefully it would help to calm her mind, too, and was the closest thing she could get to taking a walk to clear her head. With any luck, it would work, and as such the world slipped away from her notice and she drifted off into her trance.

But Kakuzu wasn't quite in the mood for that. He'd been pacing for a while, contemplating what decision he should make. Was it really wise to go back to visit Ryoshi after he'd left her like he had? After she hadn't even bothered to speak to him? It might end up being a waste of time and effort on his part, and would have gotten him nowhere overall. But at the same time, things might have altered. They'd both had time to think, and he didn't want to react like he'd done last time. If he was going to get through this and find out the truth, he needed to stay calm. Maybe if he could, then things would turn out better—and with that thought, Kakuzu made up his mind, walking over to the bed and lying down. He might not be going to sleep just yet, but he needed things as easy as possible with the way things had been going lately, and forcing himself to relax, he did the same thing he'd done last night, and after a minute or so, found himself going through the same experience once more.

But right away and he knew things hadn't changed. Though Ryoshi had started off facing the back wall to begin with, once he fully approached her she immediately tensed, retracting her arms further into herself as if to get as far away as possible from him. This time he began softly, trying anything he could to just get anything out of her, going fully up to the bars this time. Ryoshi heard his footsteps; his tone of voice, and felt herself wavering. That denial that had been floating through her mind all day seemed to be fading slightly as she sat there, and she wanted to turn around; she did. Kakuzu had always been easy to talk to, ever since she had met him. He made her feel relaxed—and Kakuzu felt the same:

"Ryoshi...just talk to me, already. It was only a couple of days ago when everything was fine. Things were so easy back then when we were working together. The mission was as simple as anything. But I know something happened that day—when we were going after Ketsu and we separated. Whatever it was, I can help it; I can change it. But you have to tell me."

But just like last time, Kakuzu got no true answer; instead a bitter chuckle that echoed through the silence and seemed to reverberate through his very being. The end of it tailed off in an aggressive twist, in the same way her body twisted with aggression. His words hadn't eased her in the slightest—'things were so easy back then', 'the mission was as simple as anything'? He wanted her to come back so he could finish the mission and move on! In the same way he was getting impatient about Ketsu's bounty, he was getting impatient about hers, having had her by his side all this time, but being taken by Ketsu changing his plans slightly. She knew the perspective he wanted her to take, and deep down...she wanted to take it; she did. But she couldn't let herself do so, and forced herself to stay calm and remain where she was.

Only now Kakuzu realised there was no point trying anymore. He had done all he could to get her to talk; to listen to him and to try and work this out. Did she not realise just who he was? He didn't do whatever was necessary to make sure the people he worked with were happy and content—but he was trying for her. Yet she responded like this? He might want her to get out of here, but there was only so much he could do. Was she expecting him to grovel here? Because he couldn't see what this was about.

"You know what? Forget it. There wasn't any point to me coming back, and I knew it. I've never made an effort with others in my life, and I don't know why I bothered now," Kakuzu stated bluntly, stepping back from the bars to raise his hands and release the jutsu as Ryoshi spat back,

"Yeah, exactly. You prefer bounties, right? They're easier to deal with, after all."

With that, Kakuzu disappeared, leaving Ryoshi sitting alone, and with Kakuzu gone, she no longer forced her emotions down, meaning he didn't see her body begin to shake, her breathing ragged. Feeling this, she hugged herself tighter, biting her lip until it bled and clamping her eyes shut.

Maybe that way, at least, nothing would leak out.