When Money Isn't Good Enough (Kakuzu Story)

Chapter 7

Trying to smother his smirk of triumph as best he could, Kakuzu merely nodded in acceptance at her words.

He hadn't expected it to go this well, but then again, he hadn't known what Ryoshi was like. He had set his expectations relatively high with the reputation he knew she possessed, but he had still held his doubts. He didn't want to believe she had a certain personality and respond in a way to deal with it, only to find she was completely different to what he had imagined. Though even Kakuzu hadn't expected he could connect with her as much as he did. In a way, it confused him; he never really felt that between people anymore, and the feeling felt almost new—it had been that long. But still; it was one he couldn't help but like, and didn't bother to wrestle with to push away from his mind. It would help with the mission if he could understand Ryoshi better, and when it came down to it...he wanted to have that connection to her.

But that was a thought he had to push out of his mind.

Kakuzu allowed Ryoshi to finish her drink; having agreed to go along with the mission, he might as well allow that, and they fell into a companionable silence, unable to stop their thoughts drifting to what it would be like when they started working together. Ryoshi could see Kakuzu was direct with what he did; he didn't dodge around a subject and draw things out; he got straight to the point in the same way she did. He made sure things were done properly and that they got done, willing to do whatever was necessary to complete a mission. Though she could tell he was aggressive, it wasn't something that immediately came out—as long as you kept on his good side. If anything, Ryoshi could see he was relatively calm and strangely cautious. He went into things carefully, thinking them out and not leaving any room for faults; something which she admired and were grateful for. It meant he wasn't about to cheat her out of her pay, but would be fair when it came down to everything, even if he valued money more than most—if not all—thing in this world.

But Kakuzu could see it was only the same with Ryoshi. True, the arm wrestle he had seen hadn't been about money, and neither had killing that guy, but it had been about—what had Ryoshi called it?—'equivalent exchange'. She too believed that there was no point doing something if you didn't gain something in return. Though personal opinions and desires may sometimes affect this view, such as when she had killed that guy just because she hated him, but she had still taken the money. She still knew the value it held and didn't forget it. But evidently she was careful with her money. She didn't squander it, spending it on whatever she fancied. Kakuzu knew that just like him, in Ryoshi's eyes, money was a necessity, and there was no point wasting it. But she wasn't stupid, just grabbing whatever money was around her; she was a businesswoman, willing to compromise if necessary and take what she could get. It was part of why she had built up a reputation and why ninja villages sometimes came to her. She was trustworthy when it came down to getting paid, not about to cheat someone for their money. All in all both Kakuzu and Ryoshi respected each other; and it was sure to be an interesting mission working together.

These thoughts still running through their minds, Ryoshi finally finished her drink, and chucking it back through a window, shrugging off Kakuzu's expression and stating that it wouldn't make a difference; every other piece of furniture in their was on the floor. With a smirk, Kakuzu rolled his eyes though knowing it was true, shaking it off as Ryoshi stretched a little, suggesting simply,

"Then let's go to the hideout, shall we? Though what about secrecy? Will your leader be alright with me going there and knowing the location?"

"It won't matter. True, we don't let any outsiders in and try to keep the locations as secret as possible, but even if somebody did find it, there's no way of getting in if we're not there. And as you're working with me—us—on a mission, we can make an exception—Leader has already allowed it," Kakuzu quickly shot back with a shake of his head, glancing away at the slip of his tongue. He hadn't meant to say 'me'; it had just come out.

But Ryoshi didn't mention it, acting as if she hadn't heard it in the first place—though she had to smother a smirk at how he had said, and how he had swiftly tried to cover it up. He might be an S-class criminal and a rather aggressive and tough one at that...but everyone makes mistakes sometimes. And this one was one Ryoshi kind of liked; she didn't mind if people thought the mission was with him alone; it didn't bother her. But shaking it off, Kakuzu gestured in the direction they needed to go and they set off, jumping into the trees. For the first few minutes there was silence between the two, before eventually Kakuzu felt he had to speak up. There was an unusual curiosity rising inside of him, and he wanted to know more about her, though couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye as he began casually,

"I wouldn't have expected you to be hanging out in a bar like that; you're a high level ninja, after all."

Blinking in surprise at this comment, Ryoshi glanced down, flattered at the compliment—not a feeling she experienced often. But trying to push it aside for the time being, she replied simply,

"Those guys were the only reason I was there; I just got there early and decided to get a drink."

"You arm wrestle too, I see," Kakuzu added, though was unsure whether or not he should have said that the moment it came out of his mouth.

The instant he said it Ryoshi was once again blinking in surprise. She had arm wrestled that guy quite a while before she'd headed outside to meet her real target—but that meant Kakuzu had been there all that time...and it meant he had been watching her. Strangely enough, however, that didn't make her suspicious or irritated at the idea he'd been spying on her. In a weird way, she found herself smirking at the idea; he'd gone to all the trouble to search for her, then observed her while she had been there. That meant he viewed her a little higher than he might do others out there, and the smirk remained as that thought crossed Ryoshi's mind as she shrugged and responded,

"Well, he was willing to offer me something I wanted, and with a bet, it becomes an equivalent exchange. But seeing as you've asked me a question, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you something—why did you bother getting rid of your cloak? There's not many in that place that knows of the Akatsuki; besides me, naturally. Plus, why not let the others come as well? It wouldn't have intimidated me."

Kakuzu couldn't hold back a smirk at her words; how matter of fact she had been when saying it, with no arrogance involved.

"After what I saw...I don't doubt that."

Why they were complimenting each other like this, they didn't know—but it just felt right to do so. They understood each other, and admired that; complimenting each other felt automatic. She had heard of Kakuzu and the Akatsuki and was definitely looking forward to working with them. Kakuzu had heard so many rumours about Ryoshi—about her reputation and what she could do—and they both knew one thing:

They certainly lived up to their name.