Sorry for the long wait! I've finally got a laptop (it broke so i had to buy a new one orz) AND inspiration to write this!

I hope you guys are still interested in this story dskdjjk enjoy!

Baby that's what I do 003

Kakuzu is amusing.

For someone well known in the bingo books as a ruthless assassin, it's downright amusing that Zetsu has seen him flailing and yelling more than when he's this quiet, coldblooded shinobi.

Granted, it's mostlikely Zetsu's own fault: they bother Kakuzu a lot, ranging from simple nudges to his side when he's working with the organization's and his money, to them doodling poo on the miser's books.

It's funny to watch Kakuzu takes deep breaths in order to try to calm down, funny to see his eyebrow twitch everytime any Zetsu try to play around with the temperamental Akatsuki member. It gets more entertaining when Kakuzu somehow turns into a mom, like when he starts stitching cute little dolls (Zetsu actually got one, it's both weird and amusing) or when he starts giving the Zetsu herd crayons and sketch books.

Funny, how he ends up indulging with Zetsu's little teasings.

Zetsu likens it to Kakuzu falling prey to their little façade of harmlessness. Thinks it's Kakuzu falling to their schemes, losing his initial wariness around Zetsu, and perhaps, growing to underestimate Zetsu enough that it'll be easy for them to manipulate yet another member of the Akatsuki.

And it's interesting, too, when Kakuzu's hands start to spark in orange flames, when it subsides easily enough with a mere exhale from the missing-nin. Something that definitely speaks power, something that sparks a thrill inside of the hive.

Whatever that is, if it proves to be useful, then it can be used to further the Moon Eye Plan even more. Something that may prove to be advantageous to have, or so Kuro likes to mutter.

Shiro Zetsu's job is to listen, and so they do. They come traipsing toward Kakuzu in an almost daily basis whenever he's in the headquarters, half done to have fun and another half an actual effort to see more of that orange flame of his.

For the most part, they aren't really affected much by Kakuzu's apparent capability of being soft toward his comrades and children.

For the most part.

There is no explanation as to why Guruguru spends more time hovering over Kakuzu, no explanation as to why Guruguru finds slight joy over how Kakuzu patiently—however slightly begrudgingly—explains how pooping works.

No explanation as to why Guruguru feels a bit detached from the hive mind lately.

It doesn't matter, Guruguru muses to themselves, even when they don't bother Kuro as much as before anymore, even when they don't visit Obito as much.

"Oi, Guruguru," Kakuzu beckons them over, waving around a book in his hold. "I got a book about human biology. You want it?"

It doesn't matter, Guruguru thinks, even as they sprints over to Kakuzu's side, a strange excitement even in their otherwise empty body.

Guruguru spends their day like that; reading a book Kakuzu bought for him—for him! He didn't say it's for Zetsu, it's for Guruguru. And that means something, somehow, someway. Guruguru doesn't know how to explain it, but it feels like there's something tugging at their chest, making their otherwise unfeeling body warm all over. It's weird, but it's a good kind of weird, perhaps something similar to the content feeling when humans poop, or when Guruguru kills humans. It's definitely something Guruguru is not mad about. In fact, it'd be great if this warm feeling can go on.

(If to keep it, Guruguru needs to be near Kakuzu often, then so be it.

So be it).

.

.

.

.

There are signs of it: drunk on Sky flames.

He's seen it happen to his Mama when he was Tsunayoshi, a mist drunk on Iemitsu's Sky Flames, causing her to feel intense attachment and loyalty to an otherwise undeserving man. Oh, Iemitsu was a good leader that was for sure. He led CEDEF properly, his subordinates loyal and singing praises, even with their occasional exasperation over him gushing about his darling Nana and cute "Tuna-fishy". But despite his gushing, he was anything but a good husband and father. In a way, Tsunayoshi could understand. He could understand the need to keep that life a secret, to stay away for the safety of his civilian family. But then it proved to be useless anyway didn't it? Tsunayoshi still became the Vongola Tenth, his family still got into lots of troubles with enemies because of it.

If his mother hadn't been so drunk on Iemitsu's Sky, she'd have seen what kind of a bastard he was and probably divorced him, that Tsunayoshi was sure of.

Being drunk on flames, it could be provoked consciously or unconsciously. He didn't know if his mother was made drunk on purpose so she could be more suggestible when it came to Iemitsu's lies, or if the situation was as it is right now with Guruguru.

Kakuzu knows what he is: an open Sky without any bonds with other flames just yet. Sky Attraction within unbonded Sky is especially strong, and thus Kakuzu has always tried to keep his flames at bay. At least, he won't consciously reach out to other people's dormant flames to provoke their activation, or to force a bond. Within this world of shinobi, especially one he's living in as a missing nin, creating a bond with someone he doesn't trust fully is something near a self-imposed suicide. What if his bond is rejected? It'll be bad for his psyche, and truthfully Kakuzu prefers slow bonding more than anything anyway. While his friendship with his Guardians when he was Tsunayoshi seemed to happen quickly, the actual bonding took years to happen. Courting is a thing, and so is the initiation. So much cuddles and body contact happened, Kakuzu remembered feeling both content and scared as Tsunayoshi cuddled Hibari Kyoya. Granted, they both felt the urge, like an itch needed to be scratched, but years of sweating nervously around the Hibari Kyoya felt like second nature by now.

If he can, he'll like it if bond with his Guardians here can happen in a similar way.

He hasn't really chosen any Guardians just yet, considering his situation. But his Flames definitely found potential candidates. Kisame is a Rain, something similar to Squalo's pure flames, and yet more tame, more… subtly dangerous, in a way. Kakuzu is torn between feeling safe when Kisame is near him, his flame even when passive is nothing but calming when Kakuzu's intuition recognizes him as an ally, or to feel threatened, because such power is deadly on its own, even more so if honed properly.

And then, there's Konan.

Konan is a Cloud, unsurprisingly so. The woman is beautifully deadly, and his Flames dare to purr whenever they go on missions together, the little shit.

She's blunt and quiet, someone with intellect and the perfect amount of charm that she can easily weave her ways through her enemies, whether subtly or explicitly. He wonders if her paper jutsu is passively powered by her Cloud flames' propagation quality, and wonders, exhilaratingly, how that technique will be deadlier if she does end up activating her flames somehow. Kakuzu had laughed a bit when he thought of it for the first time, remembering the women who were by his side when he was Tsunayoshi. How they were so elegant and beautifully deadly. How people in the Underworld learned not to underestimate his girls. His beloveds.

Kakuzu has seen a little bit of her soft side, particularly when he gave her the Pein little plush doll; how her eyes softened, gaze almost wistful and so sad, Kakuzu had to stop the urge to envelop her sad, sad, grieving flames with his own. He doesn't really understand why she looked so happy and sad at the same time, especially when she's with Pein almost all the time when she's not off on missions, but his intuition tells him there are more things than what they are seen with his naked eyes. Everything in this organization seems to be more than what they seem, after all.

(Her flames, from what he had managed to graze before he coiled his flames tightly around him to prevent accidental bonding, feels like a remnant of a broken bond, a courting that went unfinished, and Kakuzu's heart aches.

Even if he doesn't care much for her just yet, unfinished courting and broken bonds are something he can't help but to feel grief over).

He doesn't spend much time with Pein to know what type of Flames he may possess, and the Zetsu herd is nothing but creepy nothingness. He avoids Kuro unless it's something he can't help but to face, and he is always wary, even around the annoying white clones.

Guruguru though—

Guruguru is a void, some weird creature that shouldn't have had any flames. Guruguru is a part of the Zetsu herd, another annoying creature Kakuzu has to endure and be wary of.

But Guruguru is drunk on his flames, definitely so. And it's not something Kakuzu did consciously either. Kakuzu did not envelop Guruguru with his flames, oh no, Kakuzu did nothing of the sort.

For Guruguru to be drunk on his flames even when Kakuzu didn't initiate can only mean one thing: it is Guruguru who reached out to him first.

But why?

What for?

And why does it seem like Guruguru is the only one who is affected by it?

Even when Kakuzu tries to subtly feel Guruguru's flames, there's nothing. It's a void, something empty and so cold that Kakuzu reels away from. It's like something died in there, and it's not a reference on how Zetsu clones eat human flesh for fun.

It's something Kakuzu can't control, neither is it something Kakuzu can stop.

Guruguru is drunk, and they want more. Not Black Zetsu, not the herd of Zetsu clones. It's just Guruguru who is drunk and wanting.

He is wary, but he is willing to wait and see what happens. It's not like he can form a bond with a void anyway.

And so, he beckons Guruguru over, green eyes watching intently as they skip over to their side almost happily, the void answering to his Sky.

There you go! Sorry if it's short, I'm busy with uni these days : Hope you liked it!

What do you think happened to Guruguru? What do you think will happen next? What do you think is Pein's flames?

What do you want to see next chapter? Tell me!