Chapter 6.

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Her eyelids fluttering, Suzaku finally woke up, blinking as she took in the image of the ceiling above her, before fully shaking off the trance of her sleep and shifting to begin sitting up. Running her hands through her hair to tidy it up a bit, she rolled her shoulders as she sat there, glancing around the room as she did so. The couch had been pretty comfortable to sleep on, all things taken into account, but then she had slept on hard ground enough times to be able to deal with situations like that. Yet though she didn't regret letting Kakuzu sleep in the room while she had to sleep on the couch, Suzaku still found herself standing up quickly and heading straight into the kitchen. There was no telling when Kakuzu would wake up, and she couldn't help but feel she didn't want him to see she'd slept on the couch—that she'd given up her position to allow him to sleep on the bed. Not that Suzaku had any idea of what Kakuzu's reaction would be if he found out, but still—it was probably best, at least from her point of view, that that knowledge stayed secret. 

So padding quietly across the floor of the kitchen, Suzaku silently grabbed a glass and filled it with water, drinking it as she stared out the window and at the forest ahead. It was set to be a nice day, with clear blue skies, a warm temperature, but enough of a breeze that it wouldn't be too hot. The weather wasn't exactly going to be making a difference to Suzaku, true, but it was easier to travel on a day like this, and it wasn't so irritating as a day when it won't stop raining and you're being pelted on all sides. It would help Kakuzu, and though the same could be said of the Takigakure ninjas, considering Kakuzu's superior speed and the fact he actually had a destination, there wasn't much to worry about concerning that. In fact, with the information she had given him, Kakuzu didn't have much to worry about in terms f the Takigakure ninjas catching up with him anymore. He could leave and head to whatever destination he chose, and it would pretty much be a straight shot there, if he played it right.

A moment later and Suzaku turned round, having finished her glass, and placed it to the side as she glanced at the rest of the kitchen. Contemplating whether or not she should make breakfast for both of them, or whether that would seem a little strange in the current situation and it would be best to simply get her own and leave him to do the same, it occurred to her that it was a little too quiet. It was early in the morning, true, but she was a ninja and it was her general routine. Kakuzu, however, shared this fact, possibly even more with his circumstances, considering he was being chased and needed to move as quickly as possible. But it had been a while, and not only had Kakuzu not surfaced from his room, but Suzaku couldn't even hear any noise coming from the room. At first she paused at this realisation, considering what to do, but eventually threw caution to the wind and headed out the kitchen and towards his room. She had helped him so far—there was no reason not to do so any further.

As such, she strode down the corridor and to "his room", as it could be considered, and not bothering to pause, doubting there was anything that would give her reason to, Suzaku went straight through the doorway and inside the room. Glancing around, she noted Kakuzu wasn't still sleeping, or on the bed in general, and everything in there was perfectly tidy and untouched, no sign of him to be found. Considering the amount of rooms in the building, and the fact Suzaku had already been through them and not seen him, it left her with only one conclusion—he was gone. She wasn't quite sure how to react to that, however. It wasn't as if she was angry or upset at what he had done, after all, they were practically strangers, and there was nothing that made the situation mandatory for him. Yet at the same time Suzaku felt he almost owed it to her after what she'd done. Though it wasn't for the company or to be able to get closer to him, she was still interested in him, and this was the last of their time together. By hanging out a little more, Suzaku might be able to learn just a little more—that was all she wanted, and she was surprised it wasn't the same for Kakuzu as well, when seemed to express the same interest in her.

Taking that into account, she swiftly left the room and the building, heading forward into the nearby trees in order to sense how close he was. However, she didn't need to search for long, as she spotted him through the trees a moment later. Narrowing her eyes, she immediately set off, meaning Kakuzu halted as she coalesced in front of him without a sound. To begin with he said nothing; he hadn't left like that because he wanted to get away from her, or that he felt it best to just leave without saying anything, and it would only make the situation awkward. In truth, Kakuzu wasn't quite sure why he had done it, but it had felt like the right thing to do. Clearly Suzaku wasn't about to accept that, however, and crossing her arms, stood in front of him blocking his way as she stared him down. After another second of silence, she finally spoke up to state darkly,

"I'm not fond of guests disappearing on me—gives me the feeling they've done something wrong."

Sighing inwardly, Kakuzu clenched his fists and returned her stare fully, retorting defensively,

"I haven't done anything wrong. I'm not leaving like this to try and avoid being caught."

"Then why rush?"

With those words, her voice, though it remained firm, somehow softened slightly, and Kakuzu knew it wasn't an order for him to stay, that if he wanted to leave right now he could. But merely her asking. That in itself caught his attention, reigniting that curiosity that had been evident from the first moment he met her, and once again making Kakuzu want to know more. Walking away now wouldn't sate his curiosity, and he wouldn't get another chance to learn anything else about her. Contemplating that as he stood there, never taking his eyes off of her, Kakuzu abruptly looked down, knowing it was too late. The moment he started considering the possibility he was going to go back—and why not? A little while longer wouldn't change anything.

So they walked back to the building, entering the kitchen and getting themselves their own breakfast—albeit in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable or contained an aggressive tension, but there was nothing that needed to be said at that moment. Instead they concentrated on getting something to eat, not involving themselves in the other for the time being. They were distant people, when it came down to it, and sitting there making breakfast together just didn't make sense. As such the silence continued until they finally began to eat, Kakuzu sitting at the table and Suzaku leaning against the counter. Though Kakuzu kept his eyes on the food in front of him, Suzaku watched him as he did so, not so much analysing, but more...observing. She might not have known him long, but she had some things pretty much figured out, and therefore didn't hesitate in asserting bluntly,

"I can't imagine what Takigakure must have done to make you so angry."

"What?"

At this, Kakuzu looked up, narrowing his eyes at her standing there. It was at times like this he wasn't sure whether to be annoyed at her or not. She seemed to know things about him, and yet stood there so calmly, like nothing was going on. But how did she know? True, he had defected, but there were plenty that defected simply because they felt their village wasn't giving them the "opportunities" they wanted, or because they had done something against the rules and had been found out. Why should his situation have been different? Even though Takigakure ninjas had shown up, he hadn't reacted in anger—though he might have liked to in a perfect world—and they hadn't talked about it at all. So how was it Suzaku seemed to know things about his past when he hadn't said a thing? She was so unpredictable, it was hard to keep up with her—all the while maintaining her mystery a lot better than him, apparently. Somehow Kakuzu got the feeling that she'd figured out plenty of things about him, and no doubt they were all right.

Kakuzu couldn't help but feel the decision to stay for breakfast had been the right one. 

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