Rise From The Ashes (Kakuzu Story)

Chapter 2.

The bar had gone silent the moment the man had burst in, and it had remained that way even as he stormed over to the other guy and confronted him. All the other patrons slowly; quietly turned to look at what was going on, glancing out of the corners of their eyes, and doing and saying nothing while they waited to see what would happen next. For a moment after the man had pointed furiously at him, accusing him of his crime, silence had taken over the bar, and the more time that passed, the more the silence built. It filled the atmosphere, almost acting as a pressure that built and built until it was starting to feel as if the room couldn't hold it anymore. But no one was willing to do a thing; this was between the two of them, a deal that was nothing to do with anyone in the bar, and they were ninjas that no one was sure of, whether it was their personalities or abilities. If it came down to a physical confrontation, there was no telling how badly it might end up, or how either of them might feel about hurting other people around them. So for the moment, all anyone could do was sit and watch, before the accused finally decided to respond, smirking smugly and shrugging simultaneously as he dismissed,

"It's business. These things happen."

The other guy tried to think of what to say in return; of what exactly he was going to do next, but his ferocity was slowly beginning to leave him, and his determination along with it. Fighting him wouldn't really get him anywhere, considering all that had made him angry had already happened. Beating him up wouldn't change anything. He could stand there and yell at him, true, and it would certainly make him feel better—but as he stared at him sitting there he was beginning to think it would only make him feel angrier. He did nothing but continuing sipping his drink, that same smug look on his face and in his eyes, and it appeared clear that no matter how much he shouted at him about what he had done, that look wouldn't change. It's not like he was going to feel guilty, or apologise for his actions. Overall, it looked like this was about all he could do.

Everyone sensed this, and as such the pressure that had been building up with the silence, everyone wondering what was going to happen next and what they should do, was immediately released. Soon the patrons turned back to what they had been doing before, returning to their conversations and their drinks with a shake of their heads. Kakuzu kept his gaze on them a few moments longer, thinking over everything that had happened in the last few minutes. It was clear that doing a deal with that guy was not a good idea, and he'd been saved a bad situation that would have ended badly, when he needed things to go well, considering he had ninjas after him. The only issue was how he had begun to doubt his decision to go to him for help in the first place. If it hadn't been for her, Kakuzu would have already gone over and started talking about a deal, but because of her advice, he had held back, and now knew who he should go to, to get help. As much as he stood there and hesitated, finding no reason to trust her, she had been proven right, and he couldn't deny that fact.

But he didn't feel as if she was suspicious—it was instinct. She had spoken up to a random stranger, told him advice for no apparent reason other than she felt like it, knowing she would gain nothing from it, and yet Kakuzu didn't feel as if there was more to this situation than appeared. He didn't feel that she was planning something else, and had just said that in order to try and make him lower his guard, or to get to him herself. That it really had been because she wanted to give him some advice for the sake of it. Maybe there was something about him that caught her attention, he didn't know; there was certainly something about her that made him curious.

But not knowing how to answer his inner dilemma, Kakuzu simply shook it off for the moment, considering he had other things to concentrate on, and as such turned round to face the woman once again. Meeting her gaze, seeing her do the same calmly, her gold eyes just as intense as ever, with no trace of smugness that she had been proven right, he nodded in thanks for her advice, to which, although she did not return, she kept his gaze the entire time—an action Kakuzu preferred. The idea of having to admit to agreeing with her advice, to her being proven right...it wasn't something Kakuzu had been loving, so for her to simply act like she had, knowing she was accepting his thanks but not making a big deal of it...it got rid of that awkwardness he had first been feeling. He could merely move on and get on with the deal he needed done as soon as possible, without having an uncomfortable feeling hanging over him. He wouldn't be forgetting their meeting, Kakuzu couldn't deny that, but it wouldn't be holding him back from what he needed to do.

With that in mind, he tore his eyes away from hers and turned back to the bar, taking out some money. Placing it down next to his glass in order to pay for his drink, Kakuzu finally stepped away from the bar to walk over to Dai, the man who apparently held all the answers. Noting no one else had come over to talk to him and therefore leaving him free for Kakuzu to approach and start up a conversation, Kakuzu continued over to him, the woman hovering in the back of his mind as he did so. But as he drew closer, he shook her off, changing his focus to what was in front of him and to what would soon be happening. After all, once he got this done he could head off and get out of here. So concentrating solely on that, Kakuzu's gaze hardened, his fists clenching as he cancelled out everything else in the bar—trying to include her.

Though even he couldn't ignore the slam of the bar door once again; and right away Kakuzu turned to face it. It didn't matter if it was another 'customer' ready to confront that guy, but Kakuzu needed to remain on his guard in the situation he was in, and it was better to be safe than sorry. After all, if you're prepared, there won't be any sorrow. But what he saw wasn't exactly comforting—several Takigakure ninjas had come in through the door, though whether they had been following rumours of his location or simply searching in general, Kakuzu didn't know. Luckily enough, as he'd gone to the far corner of the bar, they couldn't see him to begin with—but either way, he wasn't in a good position. He didn't have the time to sit down and talk with Dai, there was only one exit, and unless he hid now he'd have to fight all of them. But it didn't take long for him to start to consider that possibility, his anger building up swiftly inside of him. The moment he saw them the memories of what had happened in the village came back to him, as clear as day. Why should he run? They deserved everything they got after what they'd done. But he forced himself to try and otherwise. He couldn't fight everyone who came after him—he'd never get away. Not to mention the amount of them, and he was near enough to Takigakure for reinforcements to turn up sooner than he'd like.

But where the hell was he supposed to go?

It was only as he saw movement out of the corner of his eye that his train of thoughts were cut off, and glancing over to see what it was, he narrowed his eyes to see it was the same woman as before. Standing in a doorway at the back of the bar, she glanced from the Takigakure ninjas to Kakuzu, and wondering what exactly she was up to, he was a little caught out as she abruptly jerked her head, gesturing for him to come over. For a moment Kakuzu wasn't sure what to do. He'd only met her a few minutes ago; first she gives him advice on who to get help from, with no reason to do so whatsoever, and now she was seemingly trying to help him escape from the Takigakure ninjas? He was a little surprised at the least. He had no idea if he could trust her, but that same feeling that he'd had when he first started talking to her returned, and his curiosity was brought to life once more. Whatever it was about her, he didn't know, but he was drawn to her, and he wanted to know more.

So he made his way over to her.

Whether or not it was a good idea...he'd soon find out.