Kakuzu looked around the playground and frowned. Most of the equipment around here was made of wood, with the exception of the swing sets and jungle gym. Wooden equipment. Even a six-year-old like himself could see what a waste that was; the material would rot and have to be replaced, costing money. The builders should have just used metal; in the long run, it would cost less, and-

The child was ripped away from his thoughts by the sounds of screaming. He turned to see a boy a few years older than himself get chased by a small boy with silver hair and violet eyes. The smaller one looked upset and tackled the older child, punching him repeatedly in the head. Kakuzu ran over and grabbed the boy, pulling him away. "What are you doing?!" he demanded, trying to restrain the struggling boy.

"That bastard stole my damn rosary!" the child cried, kicking the elder boy who was still lying on the ground. Kakuzu raised a brow; he'd never heard a kid his age talk like this.

The older child finally got to his feet and spun around, glaring. He punched the child Kakuzu was restraining and threw a necklace at him. "Take it, you little freak!" he ran off before Kakuzu could release the boy, which no doubt would have resulted in unpleasant consequences for the thief.

As soon as Kakuzu let go f the child, he bent down and scooped up the necklace, holding it close to his chest. "Jashin, forgive me." Kakuzu raised a brow at the words, and the silver haired child noticed. "What the hell's with the weird look, dumbass?" he growled, anger turning on the taller boy.

"Who's Jashin? And who are you?"

"I'm Hidan, and Jashin is my god."

"Is he real?"

"Yes!" Hidan's eyes flashed for a moment. "But no one believes me when I tell them," he muttered, looking at the ground.

"I do." This statement seemed to surprise the silver haired child, and he looked up the other boy, anger gone from his face. "Hey, what the hell's your name?"

"Kakuzu, and why do you swear so much?"

"My parents say it's ok, so what the hell's the problem?" The taller boy shrugged. "I just don't hear kids swear as much as you."

"That's what that bastard said before he took my rosary," Hidan growled, turning to leave. "Bye."

"Wait." The Jashinist turned around. "Do you get hurt like that often?"

"Yeah, but I like it!" Kakuzu stared incredulously at the silver-haired kid. "You like getting hurt?"

"Uh-huh. My mom says that makes me a mas, maso…" Hidan paused, thinking, before a grin spread on his face. "Masochist!"

"So did you get hurt a lot?"

"Only by assholes that hate Jashin." Kakuzu looked the boy up and down and noticed for the first time that he had many cuts and bruises on his arms and legs. "Doesn't it bother you?"

"…Nope!" Hidan answered, the hesitation in his voice noticed by the greedy boy. Hidan turned to leave once more, only to have Kakuzu grab his arm. "If you want….you can stay with me. I don't think they'll pick on you if I'm here with you." Hidan tilted his head to the side. "You mean that?"

"Yeah. But you have to be friend, ok?"

"Ok!" Hidan grinned broadly, grabbing Kakuzu's arm and pulling him towards the jungle gym. "Hey, are you new around here, asshole?" he asked as they headed toward the jungle gym.

"Yeah. My family just moved in."

"You have any Jashin-damned brothers or sisters?"

"No."

"Me neither." Hidan let go of his friend's arm to climb the playground equipment. "I bet brothers and sisters suck."

"I guess." Kakuzu watched the Jashinist climb higher and higher, before swinging down and dangling by his legs. "Hidan, you're gonna get-"

"WHOOOOAA!" Kakuzu saw his friend slip and dove forward to catch him. Unfortunately, Hidan was heavier than he looked, and they both crashed to the ground.

"OOF!" Kakuzu glared up at the silver haired boy, who was sitting on him. Hidan glared right back. "You asshole, that would have hurt like a bitch!"

"But you could have broken something!" Kakuzu protested, trying to sit up. "Get up!"

"Hidan!" both boys turned to see a tall man with dark hair and eyes standing several feet away from them. "Come on, it's time to go home."

"Ok dad!" The Jashinist climbed up and walked over to his father, taking the man's hand. He turned around and smiled at the miser, waving his hand. "Bye dumbass! See ya tomorrow!"

"How the hell was that?" Hidan's father inquired in a friendly voice.

"My friend Kakuzu!" Hidan said, smiling as he and the man walked off, leaving Kakuzu all alone.

The boy sighed and looked around at the empty playground. His father had told him to stay outside and play until seven. He really wished he had a watch, or could tell time well enough to know when seven o' clock was. He could just stay out until sundown; it wasn't like his father would notice if he was out later, or would come looking for him.

Sometimes, he wished he still had a mother. Maybe she'd come looking for him. But maybe not. He didn't know; he'd never had a mom. It was always him and his dad, and that's how it always would be.

Sighing, Kakuzu walked over to the vacant swings and sat in them, slowly moving back and forth until he was steadily rising and falling in the air. His mind traveled as he kept swinging, focusing mainly on Hidan. "I hope he comes back tomorrow. He said he's my friend, and I think he means it. It's nice to have a friend, even if he is a little weird." Time passed, and before he knew it, the sun was going down. He stopped and hopped off the swing set, heading towards his home. It was only one block from his house, and he already knew how to get home from here.