The Darkness Before Dawn

Broken

Kakuzu had shut and locked the door to his office. The lights were off, the blinds were drawn and he slumped in his chair, a bourbon on the rocks in his hand. The ice cubes clinked against each other and the glass when he raised his hand to drink. Taking a large swallow, he grimaced as the alcohol burned down his throat and sighed, leaning back into the chair.

Kisame and Itachi stood in front of Kakuzu's door. They quietly argued as to who would knock and interrupt the grieving man. "Oh fuck it" Kisame muttered and knocked. Kakuzu got up from his chair, walked over and unlocked the door before settling back into his chair, glass in hand. "What the fuck do you want?" He asked Kisame and Itachi who stood in front of his desk. "The latest forensics report" Kisame said, sliding the document over to Kakuzu.

The miser sat upright and brought the paper to him. He stroked the scars on his cheeks as he looked it over. "There are matches to Kumo, Kiri and Ame. Not all the same person and it's a little confusing so we made a graph..." Itachi stopped talking and silence fell in the office.

"So, the person who killed Iruka Umino and tried to frame Hidan was also responsible for the slaughter in Kumo?" Kakuzu asked. "Yes" Kisame answered and pointed to another column, "the person who killed Mayor Uchiha also bombed Ame. The other profiles don't have comparisons right now."

Kakuzu stared at the columns, wanting them to reveal their names and secrets. "Deidara was able to pull a fingerprint from one of the bombs so we have it ready for comparison. Unfortunately Sasori was unable to lift a print or obtain DNA from Hidan or the murder weapon so his case is still an open investigation" Itachi said quietly, his hands in his pockets, waiting for Kakuzu's instructions.

"I'll let Pein know. Keep it up" he replied monotonously and shoved the paper into the file marked for the Task Force. "Anything else?" He growled as he sat back and picked his drink up again. "No sir" Kisame replied and he and Itachi left the office. Good riddance, Kakuzu thought as he downed his drink and began to pour another.

The women gathered around Umiko who was sitting on the couch crying softly. "It'll be ok! Plenty of dicks out there!" Kay said in an awkward attempt to cheer her up. Yukiko hugged Umiko and stroked her hair while murmuring comforting words. Shinju stood and paced the plush living room, her heels muffled by the carpet. "I don't care what Mother says, I am NOT killing my man!" She shouted in defiance and earned a glare from Tenno who had entered with a drink and some tablets to calm Umiko.

"If she orders it you WILL do it" he said through gritted teeth. He was losing his tenuous control over the women as they found partners to be with. Shinju was long out of his grasp and Kay flittered in and out while Yukiko remained loyal to him. Umiko would be the one he needed to watch, to keep close to him as she was dangerously close to severing her ties to the organization.

"Drink. Take these" he ordered Umiko who numbly did as she was told. When her eyes began to feel heavy and she could no longer follow the conversation, Tenno picked her up bridal style and tenderly carried her upstairs to her room. He tucked her in and looked at her peaceful and sleeping face. "Sleep well, Mistress" he whispered and leaned down, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

Shinju watched the scene unfold on her laptop again and again. Kisame Hoshigaki kissing his assistant. Each time the frames looped she became angrier and angrier, unable to keep her rage from boiling to the surface.

She quickly hit a few buttons and the screen changed to an office. Kakuzu was sitting in his chair, drinking and looking over files, occasionally getting up to mark a map or retrieve a piece of evidence. His white button up shirt was unbuttoned past his tie which was hanging loosely around his neck. His shirt sleeves were rolled up past his elbows. He brushed his hair out of his face and the office light shone on his scars.

She remembered how he felt and what his touch did to her body. He was her drug and she wanted another fix. Picking up her phone, she sent him a quick text and watched onscreen as he looked at his phone, smirked, and wrote back. Her phone buzzed and she squealed happily, bouncing off her bed and racing to pick lingerie and an outfit. Her fix would happen tonight.

Umiko woke from a drugged sleep and looked around. She was in her bed, blankets tucked around her, comfy and warm. But she still felt dead inside. She threw the blankets off herself and swung her legs out the side of the bed, using her arms to sit herself up.

Her hand brushed her sleep matted hair from her eyes and she stretched and yawned. Standing up, she stripped her clothes off and slowly walked to her bathroom. Bending over, she filled the tub with hot water and added some scented oils. Umiko slipped into the hot water, scalding her skin red, and hugged her knees to her chest. She lowered her forehead onto her knees and gave in to the wracking sobs.

I'm so sorry! She apologized to Hidan. You didn't deserve it!

Tenno heard whimpering and climbed the stairs. He approached Umiko's room and softly knocked on the door. When no answer was forthcoming, he let himself in and walked to the bathroom, the only source of light in the adjoining rooms. "Mistress?" He asked and Umiko, naked and vulnerable, looked right back at him. "Oh, Mistress," Tenno crooned softy as he helped her out of the bath and gently dried her with a towel.

Umiko quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Tenno, shocked at first, didn't respond but soon his arms embraced her and he returned her kiss. Umiko broke the kiss, grabbed him by the tie and lead him to her bed. "Tenno~" she whispered.