Kakuzu just stood there, staring at it. Rini was anxious and it grew worse with every passing second. "What the hell are you doing?! Get the stupid thing! Here-I'LL get it!" She made to grab it when Kakuzu stuck his good hand out to stop her. "This can't be right. There's no flippin' way this thing isn't rigged." "But it's right there! And you would've seen it if it really was rigged, right? Just let me get it-They're coming!"
Thundering footsteps echoed off of the cave walls. The shinobi must not be too smart, because they weren't hiding their approach too well. "You know, they really aren't being careful. If it was one of them who put this here, it's probably not a trap." Kakuzu just looked at her. She didn't like his expression. "What?!" "
"Where the hell do you get your logic?" "...Forget it. Okay, fine. Maybe it is. Let me try something." It took a few seconds, but finally Kakuzu nodded and stepped back. Surprised, Rini didn't move. Until she noticed the look on Kakuzu's face. Rini hmph'd and tried standing on her good foot. The other ankle was no good, so she had to lean against the rock for balance. She pulled a few kunai out of the pouch on her right leg and aimed one of them at the scroll. Letting it fly, both Kakuzu and Rini were on edge, ready to duck or spring away for cover if something happened.
So when the blade hit the wall behind the scroll and drop down the the cave floor with a dull thud, they both sighed and groaned in unison.
"Okay, so far so good..." "Try again. This time, knock the scroll back a bit." "Yeah, yeah."
She did just that, but again, nothing. "Huh. I guess you were right after all. Good call on that, eh?" Rini glared at him but reached for his shoulder. He helped her stand with his good arm and half carried her like that. She hopped on one foot over to the scroll. Kakuzu had to let her go so she could stoop to grab it. No sooner had her hand touched it, the whole area started shaking and rumbling, as if an earthquake had begun. "Goddamn it! Doesn't ANYTHING go right for us?!" Kakuzu roared, grabbing Rini up by the back her waist and carrying her under his arm. She objected to this by shouting and squirming wildly. He shushed her with a glare and a squeeze from his arm.
"Do you see any way out of here, then? I don't. And we still have to deal with those assholes from behind us." "Those 'assholes' just showed up." Kakuzu turned around and faced the ninja that had appeared around the corner up ahead. "C'mere, fucker. I'm mighty pissed right now and I think you just won a chance to be my punching bag." Rini struggled again and was dropped. "OWW! WHAT THE HELL, ASS?" She sat up as best she could and cradled her bad ankle. When he dropped her, Rini landed on that foot and fell face-first into the stone floor. "Goddamn it, that hurt like a bitch!"
Suddenly the shaking and rumbling got worse, and the ceiling started caving. The wall behind them that had once held the scroll crumbled into itself. Everything was happening so fast, Rini barely had time to back away when the floor began falling away into a hole that had appeared moments before. It seemed like that hole was sucking everything into it. The huge rock that Rini had once leaned against tipped over, disappearing into oblivion.
"Kakuzu! There's no way out!" She grabbed for his arm and lifted herself up. The entrance that led into the room had been shut off by enormous boulders from the ceiling. Rocks off all sizes were steadily filling up what little standing space the two had left. Besides that, the hole had already swallowed up more than half of the room and was getting bigger.
Kakuzu took a deep breath. He glanced at Rini's terrified face; at the sealed-off way behind them; at the hole. He groaned and shook his head.
"Rini... Do you trust me?"
"What? Why?!
"Just tell me! Do you trust me?"
Rini nodded, suddenly wary of his solemn tone.
"Good. Take my hand. We're going to jump for it."
Blue eyes grew as round and as large as saucers. "What, are you insane?! We don't know what the hell is down there! We could be crushed! There's got to be a another way-" He silenced her with one long, heartfelt kiss. When it was over, Kakuzu turned to the pit and held out his right hand.
"Take my hand, Rini. We'll get out of here, I swear."
Whoa. What happened to the angry, cranky Kakuzu? Is this some kind of a joke? This man, this stranger was definitely not the Akatsuki she knew.
And yet... Maybe this really was Kakuzu. Maybe-as whacked-out as this may seem-Maybe he's always been this way. Rini stared hard at him, unsure of him. This new side; she'd seen it earlier, out in the snow, but something was...different.
"Kakuzu..." He glanced back at her from the corner of his eye. The look held no hate. No irritation. Not a drop.
Rini knew, in an instant, that she could trust him. He was going to get her out of this, even if it killed him. Warm tears slid down her cheeks as she took his hand and hobbled beside him. As awkward as she moved, the gesture was still the same.
"Kakuzu, I think I like this new you."
"You tell anyone and I'll kill you."
The old him came back in that one comment, just like she knew it would. ...Ah well, it didn't matter.
A ginormous boulder fell from above and smashed into the ground behind them, startling Rini. It shattered into a thousand pieces, each of which flying everywhere. Rini and Kakuzu were battered by them. It was time to go.
One last long look shared between them, and then....
They jumped.
