Hidan remembered his first week of being partnered with Kakuzu, tight-fisted git that he was. He remembered whining that he wanted ice cream, and being completely ignored. He remembered Kakuzu's flat eyes watching as he got blood, mud and ice cream plastered into his cloak. It was a very long cloak and he wasn't quite used to it yet. Shut up. He could almost see Kakuzu totting up the dry-cleaning bill in his wrapped up head. He remembered gleefully looking for a bigger puddle to jump in, just to see one of Kakuzu's eyes twitch in minute annoyance. For Hidan, Kakuzu's lack of response was maddening.
Although his new partner was blissfully unaware of the fact, Kakuzu was infamous in the Akatsuki for going through partners like water through a sieve. When the killing mists descended, they died and Kakuzu couldn't see why their leader had decided to put yet another member in harm's way. This one was even more annoying than the last one, perhaps it was a bizarre revenge plan for killing off so many members, and as far as Kakuzu was concerned, wouldn't even last the week. He winced as he reviewed a bill from an inn he and Hidan had been forced into by horizontal, torrential rain. Somehow Hidan had managed to soak 9/10 of the room in blood and the irate innkeeper had demanded that Kakuzu part with more money than he was willing to part with. Not that Kakuzu liked to part with any, but that wasn't the point. Hidan's god had a strange name he remembered, Jaashin was it? Well, if Hidan didn't shut up soon, he'd meet this god of his face to face.
Hidan also remembered the second week of his partnership. Vividly. He'd discovered (very slowly, Kisame had remarked later) exactly why he'd been partnered with the Masked Miser. Hidan was immune to violent dismemberment.
Kakuzu also discovered this when the red mists had lifted and a rather irate Hidan had asked him whether he was quite finished.
"NOW WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO, YOU BASTARD?" Hidan's dismembered head had shrieked at him from across the room, and then carried on in such a disagreeable fashion that Kakuzu had only committed the general gist to memory.
He did remember Hidan's shocked face when he'd removed his mask to sew Hidan's body back together. Not everyone could be young and beautiful, he'd thought grimly. However, if violent dismemberment didn't work, he'd have to sew Hidan's trap shut and confiscate that damn scythe. He'd grinned down at an unimpressed and slightly freaked out Hidan, who was currently scrabbling around looking for his smallest finger, and silently congratulated their Leader for solving his partner problem. Best of all: there would be no expensive hospital bills! When he'd communicated this wondrous fact with his partner, said partner had called him a tight-fisted git and had he, possibly, by any chance,
"SEEN MY GODDAMN FINGER, YOU GODDAMN SEWN UP BASTARD- AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGH!"
Kakuzu chuckled to himself. Hidan was more useful than he looked.