So it's Sakura's birthday, so I wanted to do something special. I know I've been pretty deep into the whole MadaSaku thing, though I also really, really like HidaSaku, I'd say even more than MadaSaku. While writing this I realized that I'm definitely liking how I'm managing Sakura and Hidan together a lot better than Sakura and Madara.
Before we start I gotta say that this was super indulgent, way more than anything else before. I tried keeping Sakura as I always write her, though there might be some small differences. Now Hidan was super fun to write, he's definitely a more laid back character than Madara, so it was easier to mess around. I tried to give him a personality that doesn't revolve around Jashinism, make him his own person and the religion just a part of his life. I also tried to get creative with the cursing, didn't want to make Hidan that generic guy that keeps dropping f-bombs all the time. Cursing is an art that is way more than just putting the word fuck in every sentence, english is a bit limited in crude word vocab, but there's still something to work with.
Anyway, my inspiration for this came from a post on 9gag about weird kids in school way back in the 2017. Those kind of solidified the roles Hidan and Sakura have here and also gave the story it's name, which by the way is just a Joan Jett song. Another inspiration was Sons of Anarchy, so if you've seen the show you might see some familiar concepts.
This was so long that I decided that I'm just gonna make it a two-shot. I know that long chapters can be exhausting for some, so I wanted to make it easier.
The rain poured down in heavy torrents easily wetting her through all of her clothes. Thunder boomed somewhere in the distance, cars passed by her almost splashing her with the water from the puddles on the road. Few people were on the dim streets, huddling in on themselves, trying to hide from the cold rain.
Sakura's face hurt from the excessive frowning she'd been doing. It was slowly turning into a pulsating headache. Swiping away the water from her face, she hefted her messenger bag higher on her shoulder. It was useless more water patted her face.
Her heeled boots made a dull sound on the pavement, barely audible through the rain. She clenched her jaw, her cold fingers grasping the strap of her bag tighter.
It was like she was living a bad film – her day had been shit, thus the weather had to be shit too, to accentuate how everything in her life right now was shit.
She had worked hard, she had done everything her professor had asked of her, yet it hadn't been enough. She abhorred perfectionists and people who thought that her best could be surpassed if she only just tried a bit harder. Her professor was a sadist, that's what she was.
In a little part of her mind she knew that she was overreacting, her professor was only trying to help, but anger had taken over her common sense. Missing the last bus to her apartment building had only added to the already searing flame. Walking the half an hour trek to her apartment through the rain had seemed like a great idea to cool off.
How wrong she had been.
She was freezing, her limbs felt like icicles. Who knew that late May rains could be so fucking cold. Maybe seeking refuge in some nearby store would help, yet she had decided to seal herself to her fate and deal with the consequences.
Her thoughts were a never ending loop of her conversation with professor Tsunade. She was stuck in her own little world, missing all of the headlights flashing by her.
A loud blare of a horn jolted her sideways. She glared at the offending noise.
It had come from a red car parked near the curb just a few meters behind her.
Weirdos. She ignored it and quickly fell back into her spiralling thoughts.
The car followed her, stopping near her. The passenger side window rolled down. A voice called for her to get in.
Sakura halted in her steps. She eyed the car, an old Mazda she didn't recognize. The voice seemed familiar though. It was at the tip of her tongue, yet she couldn't place a name to the voice.
Hesitantly she walked closer, peering into the car. She flattened her lips upon noticing the face behind the loud voice. She fully intended to walk away then, not wanting to deal anything related to Itachi and the club.
"Well, are you going to get in or stand there with your fingers up your ass."
Charming.
The gruff demand made her want to leave even faster. "Fuck off, Hidan." She was itching to flip him the bird to add to the effect, but she held herself back and pulled away from the car.
Of course her shitty day would get even shittier. Itachi was like a ghost, haunting her, reminding her of his presence every now and then. She was still unclear with her decisions and there was a lot she had to think through. It had been nearly a month now and it was douchey of her to leave Itachi hanging for so long, but she wasn't ready to talk to him, she was afraid to say the wrong thing.
"Don't be a bitch and just get in the car, you look like someone punched you in the face."
The biting comment made her spin on her heel and double back to the car. How dare he pour more fuel on the flame? Reminding her of her awfully shitty day was not in anyone's best interests right now, especially if it concerned her sodden appearance. She raised her fist threateningly. "Wanna be matching buddies 'cause I can help you with that."
He scoffed, shrugging off her threat. "Just get in the car, Pinky or pole-up-the ass Uchiha is going to pester me about not picking you up."
She gripped the edge of the rolled down window, fingers tingling to follow up on her threat. She assessed him and his offhanded attitude. "What do you mean?"
He didn't look at her, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. "Just get your ass in and I'll explain." He glanced at her, like she was a disobedient child. "Why do you have to make this more difficult than it should be?"
Her nostrils flared and for a moment she saw red. It was like he was goading her into a fight. "Oh, I don't know, how about the fact that I literally know shit about you."
Hidan growled, running a hand down his face.
Sakura watched him, his tense posture and rigid grip on the wheel. He was just as pissed as her and was running out of patience. She was curious though. Itachi never sent someone else to talk to her.
She opened the door and let herself sink in the seat, relishing in the warmth that blew at her cold feet and face. This was probably one of her best decisions made today. The relief was amazing. She'd forgotten what it felt like to have toes for a moment.
He didn't say anything, silently pulling away from the curb onto the road.
She appreciated the quiet, even if it was slightly awkward. The rain hitting the wind-shield filled the silence. It was a lot better than listening to the man besides her spew offensive filth, something she knew he was awfully good at.
Her past encounters with Hidan had been brief. They had never exchanged words or even looked at each other. She had always just been a girl Itachi brought with him every now and then to the club. Every now and then being just three measly times. It had been enough for her to assess some of the other club members, even if it was from the parking lot. Itachi didn't let her enter the clubhouse, always telling to wait outside near his bike while he quickly fetched something from inside. It was better that way, he had said. Sakura was smart enough not to argue.
She dried her hands on the slightly sticky seats, wincing in disgust. What the hell was she sitting in? Throwing a quick glance around the car salon, her face only contorted more. It wasn't dirty per say, but there was this odd odour prevailing to the seats, something the leaf shaped air freshener swaying from the rear-view mirror couldn't eradicate from the air.
"Why does your car smell like old socks?" It was the closest comparison she could come up with.
HIdan snorted, eyes unwavering from the road and the traffic. "It smells like dick and that's because it isn't my car it's Kakuzu's. I just borrowed it while my bike's in the shop. Stitch face probably jacks it here every night to the sound of his neighbours fucking, that assface hasn't got anything better to do."
Sakura recoiled, hand falling on the door handle. She thought of it better and quickly placed both of her hands in her lap. Was he serious or was he just fucking with her? Either way she regretted her choice of getting in the same car with him.
She wanted to voice her protests, but the sudden jolt of the car sent her bracing her hands against the front panel. She flipped her hair out of her face, eyes blazing. "What the fuck?"
Innocently he glanced at her as he switched the gears. "What? Did you want me to run a red light?"
Sakura snarled and clicked the seatbelt in place, something she'd forgotten to do once she'd gotten into the car.
He was awfully good at provoking people. Too bad for him she wasn't willing to bite this time. The warmth had made her sluggish and sleepy.
She huffed, crossing her arms and slumping deeper in her seat. The streets passed by in a kaleidoscope of colours.
Hidan suddenly started sharply switching gears, making the car each time give a little lurch. She swore he did it on purpose, waiting for her to blow up again.
"Do you even know where I live?" she asked instead, noticing the streets were different from the usual route towards her apartment building.
"Nah. My only instructions were to pick up your sorry ass and that's it."
"So where are you taking me?" She supposed that she needed to be worried about that. One of the Akatsuki MC members – was it Kakuzu? - had been accused of murder recently. Everyone knew and everyone knew to stay away from the club. It wasn't blatantly obvious, but locals knew that some of the members dealt in shady businesses. Sakura as an aspiring surgeon had decided to detach herself from Itachi after that incident. Her career came before her love life.
"Just tell me where to drop you off." He avoided the question, stopping at a red light with a sharp hit to the brakes.
She curiously eyed him and his bruised knuckles for a moment longer before telling him her address. She didn't think that he was the big bad everyone kept painting him as. Sure he liked to talk shit left and right, but most of the time it was just that – talking shit. It probably wasn't wise to defend him though, she hardly knew him. His appearance screamed danger every time she looked at him and even now he looked wound up, posture tense, ready to cause damage at the smallest of provocation.
A part of her was afraid, the smart part that knew not to mess with men that could put a bullet in her skull in the blink of an eye. The rest of her wasn't affected by his display of aggression. She knew the game he was playing and she wasn't willing to participate. Not anymore. She was tired and just wanted to go back to her apartment, have a quick shower and pass out in bed.
Sakura stifled a yawn. The streets were starting to look familiar, they were close to her place. "So...uh, why did Itachi want for you to pick me up?"
He shrugged, finally decreasing his grip on the gear shift. "I dunno. Ask him yourself."
She yawned this time, hiding it behind her hand. "Don't feel like it."
"Then don't ask me stupid questions."
Her jaw clenched. He was provoking her again. Fucking bitch.
"He owes me one for doing this, though. I had to take a detour to pick up your pretty little ass."
Her lip curled, a few choice words at the tip of her tongue. She swallowed them down. Hidan had stopped at the curb near her building, it was her cue to get the fuck out.
Sakura removed her seatbelt and placed her hand on the door handle. In a fit of what she can only assume to be madness she stilled. "Say, are the things people say about you true?" She peered at him through her wet, pink bangs.
"You're gonna need to be more specific. People say a lot of things about me, sweetheart." A lazy smirk settled on his lips.
She clenched her hands, her fingernails digging in her palms. His flirty tone won't change her mind about him. Yet her eyes involuntarily swooped across his appearance – the neatly slicked back silver hair, his cut and lack of a shirt, the leather cuffs, three thick, gold rings and the silver, circle shaped pendant hanging from his neck. She caught herself before she could stray lower and settled back to his violet eyes, eyes that were laughing at her, having caught her staring.
Sakura licked her dry lips, averting her gaze. "Well, for starters are you really a Satanist that sacrifices goats every Sunday?" That was a popular rumour, something she'd been accused of as well.
Hidan snorted, shaking his head. "Now that's a load of bullshit. Jashinism 'ain't Satanism, two very different things."
"Oh?"
"You really wanna know?" He challenged her with his tone.
Not really. Religion didn't interest her at all. "Do you drink blood for breakfast?" She quickly diverted before he took her silence as cue to keep talking about his crazy religion.
He laughed, throwing his head back. "Do I look like a vampire to you?"
Sakura grinned, giving his pale exterior another once over. "That could be debatable, that's why I asked."
"Crazy bitches and their rumours." He shook his head with a smile. "Lemme guess you also think that I cut up babies for fun and string up corpses of cats as house decorations."
"Wasn't aware of those rumours yet, but thanks for telling me. Now I'll have something to gossip to Ino about." She bit her lip, hiding her grin. She didn't think that he would play along with her and discuss something as asinine as rumours.
Hidan playfully glared at her, turning himself towards her.
She broke their eye contact. This was quickly turning into something else, something she didn't expect could come from a situation as tense as theirs. Hidan apparently could switch from being pissed off to flirty as fast as he switched gears.
Sakura relaxed her hands. "If it makes you feel any better people think that I'm a Satanist too, that I was a cat in a past life and got sacrificed to Satan. The best part is that some people actually believe that if they looked into my eyes that I'd sacrifice them to Satan."
"Really? There's rumours about you?"
Sakura chuckled. "Don't underestimate people and their pettiness. I've pissed off a lot of people in the past and most of them don't think very highly of me." Even their insults were petty, attacking her appearance. Like little children they clung to her most obvious quality and ran with it, spinning crazy rumours around it. Some days she wondered what they would cling onto if she didn't dress gothic. Mock her forehead like the kids in preschool did?
"So, you're a cold, hard bitch?" There was a hint of appreciation in his eyes and Sakura drank it up.
"Only to the people who get on my bad side." Her stomach did a flip from his gaze. She averted before it got to her. "Anyway, thanks for the ride." She opened the car door.
"Hey, what did Itachi tell you?"
Sakura paused, staring intently at the dashboard. He was probably referring to the club. Just like Itachi he was protective of the club secrets. She turned to him. "Nothing really. We were barely dating and Itachi wasn't very keen on sharing info about himself or the club, not that I was prying or anything." She was careful with her words, telling him what he wanted to hear. In reality she had been prying, pestering Itachi with things he didn't want to answer. He was a very closed off man, even more so than Sasuke. It had been one of the reasons she had blown up so badly on Itachi.
Hidan relaxed, turning back to the road. "Good, lets keep it that way."
She drew her lips in a flat line. It didn't sit well with her, whatever it was they were protecting. Their shady dealings, the murder accusations… It was none of her business. Her career was more important than the inner workings of a motorcycle club. She got out of the car.
He stormed off, not even letting her say goodbye. Not that she had been planning to. Hidan was an interesting piece of work to say the least.
Xxx
Checking the address she received from Shikamaru on her phone and the address on the house in front of her, she shut off the screen and dropped it back in her bag.
1 PM, Sunday, hot as balls. The perfect time to step out and search up the provoking asshole that gave her a lift home a couple days ago. The scorching sun overhead must have fried her brain. There was no fucking reason to do it, none at all. The compulsion to see him had bugged her like a persistent mosquito. She didn't know why, for the love of the fucking god she couldn't figure out why. Was it because something about him compelled to her or was it because at the back of her mind she found him stupidly attractive?
She wished she knew because she felt stupid, standing at the edge of the front lawn of a house she would have never associated with him. It was a simple, white, two story house with shrubbery circling it. The yard was empty and mowed. The adjacent garage was closed and there was no car in the driveway.
Sighing and signing herself to her fate, she made the short way up the walkway. Somewhere deep in her gut she knew that she was going to regret this. She always regretted her stupid decisions. This undoubtedly was one of them. Yet she hoped that because Hidan was different from Sasuke, Neji and Itachi that somehow it would work out differently.
Hesitating in front of the pale blue door her hand twitched to check the address again. This looked nothing like the house of a biker. Then what was a biker's house supposed to look like? She quenched her doubts and rang the doorbell to finally get this over with.
A minute passed and no one came to the door. Did she get the wrong house or was he simply not home? It was Sunday, were people not usually home at this time of day?
Shaking her head before she fell into a pit of apprehension, she rang the bell again. No one came, there wasn't even a sound on the other side of the door. One more try. This time she kept her finger on the button. After what felt like five minutes she finally heard movement. She smiled, taking a step back from the door. She knew that being a stubborn, annoying nuisance will pay off.
The door was ripped open.
Sakura jerked back from the fiery look that Hidan sent her. His hair was in disarray, like he'd just gotten out of bed and he was naked from the waist up, grey sweatpants covering his legs.
Her traitorous eyes clung to his toned body. She swallowed, eyes trailing down the light hair that disappeared past the waistband of his pants. He moved his arm and she suddenly found more interest in the tattoo across his left pectoral.
"How did you find me?"
His harsh question drew her eyes back to his violet ones. He had a knowing grin on his face despite his tone of voice. The mocking smile irked her, yet she liked it, she liked when he smiled. He looked better like that. She didn't even mind that it was at her expense.
Sakura flattened her lips, heat creeping up her neck. Awkwardly she switched her weight to her other foot. Now what? "Can we talk?" She ignored his question on purpose, knowing that answering that might lead to a conversation she wasn't willing to participate in. She didn't like when he or Itachi, for that matter, got all defensive. They acted like she was interrogating them.
The smile fell from his lips. "Go on."
"Inside?"
"I'm fine right here."
Sakura bit back the urge to throw out her hands exasperatedly. "It's hot as shit and I'd like to avoid a sunburn." She understood that he might be wary around her because she was just a rando to him, but seriously didn't he see that she was cooking alive under the damn sun. Bastard. She even had went out of her way and had worn a white piece of clothing today, in hopes to stave off the heat. Unfortunately it hadn't worked.
He pressed his shoulder against the door frame and crossed his arms, watching her in glee. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a fuck."
What a dick. A dick with a stupidly alluring smile. Fuck.
Grinding her teeth, she clenched her hands into fists. Just...fuck him. She shouldered past him, making sure to bump into him hard. He stumbled and Sakura was proud of herself at that moment.
It was dark inside, she had to squint before her eyes adjusted to the darkness.
"Why sure just barge right in, like I fucking care." Hidan slammed the front door shut, more curses flowing from his mouth.
Removing her hat, she roved her eyes across his plain hallway. No pictures, no mirror, just a coat hanger and some shoes. No strung up corpses of cats just yet either. The rumours made him out to be way worse than he actually was. So far her impression was that he was a minimalist, not exactly something she'd associate with his boisterous personality.
She ignored Hidan's angry mumbling and found her way to his living room. It was just as dark as it was in the hallway, he'd drawn shut all of his curtains. The same applied to this room – minimalistic with only the necessity of furniture. She was pleased to note that his living quarters lacked a woman's touch. He was as single as the rumours told he was.
One thing was out of place though. It disrupted the minimalistic aesthetic. Such an odd thing to have in a living room. It was a wooden table, pushed against the wall, overflowing with various junk on it. She walked closer to it, curious.
From across the room she heard a click.
Sakura flinched and flipped her head Hidan's way. She relaxed. He'd just lit a cigarette. For a moment she'd thought that he'd pulled a gun on her. She should stop being paranoid, a gun click didn't even sound the same as the click of a lighter.
Hidan took a drag from his cigarette and slumped back on his couch, ignoring her presence.
She scrunched her nose at the nasty habit. She shouldn't be surprised to find out that he smoked, though he must not do it often inside for she could not place a discerning smell to his home.
She turned back to the table which she assumed to be an altar commemorating his religion. It was macabre in a way. In the middle of a circle with an upturned triangle was a goat's skull and a knife. A myriad of trinkets and dried flowers were strewn around the table along with black candles and a pendant similar to the one he'd been wearing. She peeked at Hidan. The pendant was absent from his person.
Sakura smiled, appreciating this little piece of art. It was his expression to his religion and apparently he was very serious about it. She could respect that. As long as he didn't start showing his beliefs down her throat, she didn't particularly care if he was a Satanist or whatever. Deep down she suspected that he actually was a religious cultist and a weird one at that.
"Which animal's skull is that?" She turned to him, breaking him out of his reverie with her voice. She knew the answer, having a few such skulls in her collection as well, but she wanted to hear it from him.
Hidan rubbed his eye with the heel of his palm and without even looking at what she was referring to answered, "Goat."
"So you are a Satanist. I knew it!"
He jolted upright, almost dropping his cigarette. "It's not fucking Satanism, it's Jashinism. Get it trough your thick fucking skull."
Ah, so that's how it was called. Sakura nodded. It was fun to ruffle his feathers. "It's pretty cool."
"Huh?"
"The altar," she clarified, throwing another glance at it. Add a bowl of blood or something equally as crazy and it'd be even more morbid looking. "I like it."
He grunted, snuffing out his cigarette in an ash tray on his coffee table. "Sure."
Sakura bit her lip, trying to find anything else to say. The silence was awkward. It was making her hands clammy. She should have thought this out more before she came here. Now she was just making a fool out of herself.
Irritatingly enough Hidan was impervious to the quiet, dozing off. It was like the man was immune to the atmosphere. She envied his seeming nonchalance.
She took a step closer to him. Despite all that she found his behaviour a bit odd. He was relaxed, a lot more docile than usual. He looked tired. Seeing him like this felt weird. People called him the wild card of the Akatsuki MC, the crazy one with a foul mouth, called him the devil, speculated all of the horrible things he did behind closed doors. Sakura though that those people were being dramatic, grasping at straws just to have something to gossip about.
"What's with you?"
He snapped his eyes open with a glare. "You woke me up, that's what, dumb cunt! I barely got any fucking sleep because of our raid last night. Getting shot by a fucking cocksucker of a bitch wasn't any field day either."
She definitely worded that question incorrectly. Raising her hands defensively, she took a step back. "Okay, sorry for asking." Roaming her eyes across his form, she finally noticed the thick gauze wrapped around his forearm. Says a lot about her attentiveness. Blind like a fucking bat, too busy ogling him at the wrong places to see things. "Shouldn't you be in a hospital?"
Hidan snorted, running a hand through his dishevelled hair. "'tis only but a flesh wound."
"I'm not joking, Hidan, I'm being serious."
"So am I. It was nothing but a scrape, I've had worse, believe me. Now tell me what the fuck you want or I'll throw your stank ass out of my house."
Clearly she's outstayed her welcome. He wasn't a very patient man, the fact that he let her meander about for this long said a lot about how out of it he actually was. "Fine. I was just making some conversation." Stalling for time, trying to figure out what to say, more like it. She had dug herself in a hole that she had no idea how to get out of.
He waved with his hand. "Make it faster then."
Sakura bit her tongue. What the hell was she even doing? Why was she trying to be friendly with this guy? Sure she was an asshole and intruded, but did he have to be a major asshole in return? This was a bad idea. She should just have stayed home and studied. Stupid, stupid.
Eyes darting around, she tried to figure out what to say. "I need for you to tell something to Itachi." Good job, Sakura. Now not only do you look stupid you also sound like it.
"Oh? Do I look like a messenger boy to you? Tell it to him yerself."
Her hands were shaking and his piercing stare wasn't helping. She was falling deeper in the hole. "It's about making a statement. I said that I wouldn't talk to him anymore, so I won't." She crossed her arms and jutted out her hip in fake confidence. She didn't even sound sure to herself, it was obvious she was bullshitting.
Hidan yawned, not even bothering to hide it. "What is this really about, Pinky?"
Sakura stayed quiet. He saw right through it and she wasn't brave enough to admit the actual reason.
"Why did you come here?"
Fuck. What does she even say? "My name's Sakura not Pinky." Smooth.
"Uh-huh." He laid his head back and closed his eyes, shutting her out.
A long stretch of silence settled over them. She wrung her hands in her white skirt, racking her brain for something to say, something that wasn't idiotic. Maybe she should just be honest, although the truth wasn't any less stupid. She already regretted her choice to come here.
"You know," Hidan suddenly broke the silence,"they say that goth chicks tend to be either depressed or on drugs. I'm starting to believe that for you it's the latter."
Her jaw clenched. And he was back to insulting her. "Uh-huh, run along with that stereotype and I'll peg you down as a chain smoking jerk-off that has dick measuring contests with his degenerate friends."
"Hah, that's a good one." He laughed, opening his eyes. "What else you have for me, Pinky, before I throw you out of my house?"
"I'll save you the trouble and see myself out instead." She avoided his eyes. He was practically challenging her to continue with the shit talking. She wasn't going to bite. It was obvious that she had overstepped a boundary and unless she wanted a bullet in her ass she'd better scram.
Hidan nonchalantly waved her away with his hand.
Sakura huffed and strode her way out of the house, unintentionally slamming the door shut a lot harder than she'd wanted. She could successfully check down this encounter as one of her 'Sakura was stupid that day' memories. Damn hormones.
Xxx
Sakura hoisted the strap of her bag higher on her shoulder, exhaling loudly. Damn these stairs. The books in her hands were heavy. Curse her piss poor ass for not being able to afford an apartment in a building with a lift. Living on the fifth floor without a lift sometimes was hell.
Moving the books to her left hand she searched her pocket for her keys. Various curses fell from her lips. It was finals week. She was in a need of a good drink. All this studying was stressing her out.
She halted her movements when her door came into view and the person besides it. "What the hell?"
"Not even a 'hi' or anything?" Hidan waved with his hand, a pained grimace on his face. He was hunching, grasping at his side.
Sakura blinked. "Uh, yeah hi." Moving the last few steps up, she avoided looking at him and slid the key in the lock. This was bizarre. What was he doing here? She wasn't even going to question how he knew in which apartment she lived. "So what's up?"
"Can I come in first?"
She hesitated. A week had passed since she had last seen him and she had managed to successfully forget about his existence. She had figured that it had been the same for him. Heat crept on her face. Jeez, she did not want to remember what a fool she made out of herself.
She held the door open for him to enter first. Part of her wanted to get rid of him, she had enough stress in her life right now. The other part remembered how she had intruded on him in his home. She'd be a hypocrite to turn him away now, especially when it looked like he was in pain.
Here's to hoping that Karin isn't home. No doubt she'd have a few choice words about her sudden company. Judgement was the last thing she needed to listen to now. Sometimes Sakura hated sharing an apartment with Karin, the red head could be an overbearing nuisance.
Hidan hobbled in and Sakura followed, closing the door.
It was quiet inside. She pocketed her keys and listened for any shouts when Hidan carelessly strutted in the living area. Pulling off her boots, she trailed after him.
"Well?" Sakura propped her hands in her sides, standing before him. It was quiet so far. If Karin hadn't suddenly ambushed them yet then probably she wasn't here. What a relief.
He fell back on the couch, grunting in the process. "I heard that you're a nurse. I need some help."
All the pieces of the puzzle suddenly fell into place. "Go to the hospital, you fuck!"
Hidan chuckled, rolling up his shirt, revealing a sloppy patch job around his middle. "I might need a few stitches."
"Seriously, what the fuck, Hidan?" He could not be serious. This is why he came looking for her? Yet she wasn't mean enough to throw him out like this, she possessed enough decency to help him out. Running to her room, she pulled out a first aid kid from her closet. Hidan hadn't changed position when she came back. "You should have gone to the hospital. Now take off your shirt." She placed the kit on the couch near his legs, settling herself on her knees on the floor.
"Not gonna happen." He shrugged off his cut and then with a little bit of struggle – his shirt.
"By the way I'm still studying and not a nurse." All she has had is a few internships, though she was proficient in first aid. Hidan didn't need to know that. She was going to help him, but she isn't going to do it nicely. She was petty enough to get back at him for being a jerk.
"Whatever. Just sow me up."
Sakura sighed. "Alright." She removed the cloth around his middle, wincing a bit at the amount of coagulated blood. She used his discarded shirt to clean away most of the mess and then saline solution to clean the wound. "I don't have any painkillers, so you'll just have to bite your teeth." She actually did, she just wasn't feeling generous enough to give them to him.
"'ts fine. I don't need them."
If he insists. He winced when she pressed a bit harder on the wound. What concerned her more was the actual wound and it's vertical shape. "Who stabbed you?"
Hidan sighed and laid his arm over his eyes. "I dropped my knife accidentally. Don't ask how it happened 'cause I have no clue either. I was in the middle of my ritual and it just happened. It's not the first time."
Sakura put aside her bottle and wipe and picked out her eye needle, some thread and pliers. "And you seriously want me to believe that?" That was the biggest load of bullshit she had ever heard. Lying wasn't his strongest suite apparently.
He removed his arm to look at her. "What more do you want? All of the bloody details on how it actually happened?"
"You really want me to believe that you were stupid enough to stab yourself with a knife?"
"Yes."
Sakura sighed, shaking her head. She didn't particularity care how he got stabbed anyway. It probably was some shady business she absolutely did not want to know about.
Applying some ointment over the wound, she started on the first stitch. She could've used some butterfly bandages to make the process faster and less painless, but it would beat the purpose of making him suffer a bit. Besides he asked for stitches, so stitches is what he'll get.
After fifteen minutes she was done and pleasantly surprised by how calm Hidan had been throughout the whole process. He hadn't been acting tough when he'd said he didn't need painkillers. Damn, that was some tolerance.
She pursed her lips, disappointed that he hadn't screamed like she'd been expecting him to. Putting away her tools for later cleaning, she awkwardly stared at her work, racking her brain for something to say. Her mind instead kept wandering around topics she did not want to bring up. For a biker he sure does not have a lot of tattoos. Is that an old bullet wound on his shoulder? What do those patches on his cut mean? Why is his hair silver, like Kakashi's?
Hidan stirred, propping himself on his elbows.
She pushed him back down and he fell with a huff. "Wait." Grabbing some bandages, antiseptic and tape she set to finish her work by patching it up. "All done now. You'll need to change the bandage in a couple of hours for the first two days and leave the stitches in for about a week, but you should be fine." Unless you damaged any organs with that knife stab. Though judging from the way he was moving the wound might not have been that deep.
The dreaded awkward silence was back, that Hidan seemed to be impervious to. She hoped to all that's holy that he was just good at pretending and was suffering from it as badly as her.
Sakura nibbled on her lip, staring off in space, hands fiddling with the bandage packet. What does she do now? Her confidence could only go that far. After the straight off rejection she got from him last time, she wasn't so sure about herself any more.
"You curse a lot."
His sudden, out of the blue statement made her blink dumbly and focus back on his face.
He wasn't looking at her, eyes covered with his arm again. The small grin on his lips told everything, though.
Sakura huffed. "Pot calling the kettle back." He had absolutely no right to comment on her cursing when he had outdone her in that by a large margin in their short encounters. Sure she might have a bit of a mouth on her and sure, she was a bit touchy when people called her out on it, mostly because Sasuke had once commented on it and, damn her to hell, but she couldn't forget that one hurtful comment her ex had left. Still she was nowhere near as bad as Hidan when it came to rude and vile comments.
"It's cute."
What? "I'm not cute!"
"Especially when you're angry like this."
"Fuck you! I'm not cute."
"You're adorable." He laughed, removing his hand to openly grin.
Okay, now he was just taking the piss out of her. What was he even trying to achieve? Get her angry enough and make her stab him with medical scissors? Because she was starting to consider that option.
Sakura scoffed and got off her knees, further away from his smug and, dammit, still attractive smile. She busied herself with fiddling around with her tools in order to avoid his eyes.
"Y'know, I looked more into you."
She paused her movements, peeking at him through her bangs.
He continued, "And what do you know, your peers are actually terrified of you or that might just have been me scaring them off… Point still stands, you have a hell of a rep in your school. It's amazing how you've managed to not get expelled."
She tilted her head to the side. "Where are you going with this?"
"Just relatable stuff. I wasn't so lucky though. Got kicked off engineer school because I showed one mouthy son of a bitch his place. Okay, maybe it might have been more than that, but I'm pretty sure that that fucker tattled and put the nail in that coffin."
Confused Sakura sat on her coffee table. Was he actually trying to make conversation with her? "Umm...okay? You know you can still try and apply again to a different university or college?" This was so bizarre, talking to him without any hostility and about such mundane stuff no less.
He hefted himself a bit more upright, placing his legs on the ground, grunting in the process. "Nah. I 'ain't interested in that shit any more. The club keeps me busy enough." He ran a hand through his hair, trying to arrange it back to how it was before her couch messed it up. It didn't work very well. Dang, she couldn't deny that there was something sexy about dishevelled hair like this on men.
Sakura averted her eyes lest he caught her staring at him for longer than she should again.
She kept on denying it, but inherently she was curious what this business he and Itachi kept talking about was. It was hard to ignore a mystery when it was being constantly shoved into her face. She suspected that that was how he and the rest probably made most of their money, and it was good money too. A single person on an average wage wasn't able to afford to live in such a nice house as Hidan's.
"Got anything to drink?"
He broke her out of her musings, her eyes drifting back to the wound she'd stitched up. "...I have some juice-"
"With some percentage to it?"
Sakura bit her lip. Does she tell him about the vodka bottle or apple moonshine she got from Chouji that's stowed away in the fridge? Or does she pretend to be Holy Mary and say that she doesn't drink? She doubted the latter would convince Hidan. So far she'd proved to him to be anything but that. And he had been trying to be nicer to her, whether it was because he was mooching up to her or he genuinely felt bad for the last time, she didn't know. Her soft and forgiving heart had already fallen for it anyway.
"I have some vodka," she answered reluctantly. He doesn't need to know about the moonshine. It's some damn good moonshine. He's not worthy of it just yet. She was forgiving, but not to the point where she would be ready to share her comfort drink off the bat.
"Oh damn." He sat up straighter, accidentally pulling on his stitches and falling back immediately with a stifled groan. He continued like nothing had happened, though his breathy voice gave away the pain he actually felt. "I expected you to have wine or some other bubbly bullshit that chicks seem to like so much."
Sakura hid her smile behind her hand. He was so weird. "Yeah, well, that bubbly bullshit makes me sleepy. I don't drink to sleep."
"Curses like a sailor and apparently drinks like one too." Hidan chuckled to himself.
"Your point?"
"I like ya, Sakura."
Her breath got stuck in her throat. Hearing him say her name for the first time did funny things to her insides. Her cheeks were hot and her brain scrambled.
Hidan grinned mischievously, making eye contact with her. "Let's fuck."
Sakura fidgeted, opening her mouth to answer and then closing it. Holy shit, those eyes, that heated stare. His eyes dropped lower to the exposed cleavage her mesh shirt showed. A shock of heat ran straight through her body. "N-now hold on. You're...not...I'm..."
"What happened, Sakura? Where did all of that snark of yours disappear to?" He met her eyes again, tone teasing.
She pursed her lips. His brazen declaration had thrown her off. All of her previous boyfriends had never been that direct with her when it came to sex. Sasuke had usually wordlessly showed his intentions while with Neji she had had to be the initiator most of the time. This was new grounds for her and she was lost on how to go about it.
Sakura cleared her throat and averted her gaze to gather her composure. "First off you're injured." She held up her finger when he opened his mouth to interject. Thankfully he obeyed her, though it took her a moment to get back on track, her attention diverted to him licking his lips. She broke away, trying to ignore the scalding looks Hidan was sending her. "Secondly, I have to study and thirdly my roommate can come back anytime." Plus revenge, though she's not gonna say that. He doesn't need to know about her still being butthurt about his harsh rejection.
"It doesn't matter to me."
She licked her lips, throat suddenly parched. His breathy, deep voice is going to be the end of her. "It matters to me, so no, try again later."
"So needy," he rasped, easing off her with his piercing stare.
Sakura exhaled slowly, letting the tension exit her. He was confusing her so much. She had been under the impression that he'd found her annoying. This was such a sharp turn of events, a pleasant turn, but it had given her whiplash nonetheless. She had no idea how to advance.
A long stretch of silence followed. Sakura tried her hardest to pretend to be somewhere else but there. Her hands were so clammy that she could probably leave a trail of sweat on anything she touched. Oh, Holy Ghost, please let me disappear from this realm.
Hidan effortlessly broke the elongated silence. "So what now? You throw me out? Y'know, for that revenge aspect." He grinned as if the awkward conversation hadn't happened at all.
Dubiously she stared at him for a long while. Was he guessing or was she actually that transparent? She didn't think she was. It would have taken Sasuke ages to understand what all her actions meant, no point mentioning how clueless Naruto could be. He was surprising her more and more.
He scratched his cheek, finally looking away from her. "I mean, I totally would. I did the same to you and I'm not above petty revenge."
Oh, so he had been just guessing, she was giving him too much credit. "So what you're saying is that you'd get back at someone if they looked at you funny?"
He frowned, almost looking like he was pouting. "Now that's going overboard."
Sakura laughed, swiping her sweaty palms on her pants. She swore that her hands were shaking. "You know, you're not entirely wrong. I was considering if I should stab you with scissors for petty revenge."
Hidan ran a hand through his hair, swiping some of the loose strands away from his face. "Is it sad to say that that isn't the first time someone has admitted to me that they want to stab me with scissors?"
"It's more concerning if anything." Unwillingly her eyes fell on the pink scar on his forearm. His knuckles were bruised and she was pretty sure that there was a bruise forming on the underside of his jaw. It wasn't hard to imagine that there had been people threatening to do that and much worse to him.
He leaned forward to rest his forearms on his knees, nearly invading her personal space with the action. "I'd stab you with something else, though."
She swallowed, meeting his hooded lilac gaze head on. A smile spread across her lips. "I'm sure you would. Sadly I'll have to throw you out 'cause I have finals that I need to study for. That degree isn't going to fall into my lap by itself."
Hidan laughed. "You're a one mean bitch."
She crossed her arms, straightening her posture. "Thank you."
He observed her face, a crooked grin on his face.
The conversation had reached another stalemate. She had no idea how to proceed, speechless. He was looking at her like something to devour. It excited her. He was a lot closer to her than before. When did that happen? Despite that she was frozen in place, anticipating his next move.
He was sliding closer to her, smile slipping from his lips. For a moment his eyes drifted to her mouth.
Without breaking their eye contact, she exhaled slowly, arms dropping to her sides. She was acutely aware of the heat his body emitted. Her heart was hammering in her chest.
He finally closed the distance between them. He was surprisingly soft with her, gently coaxing her to respond. It was nothing like she would have expected. One of his hands cupped the side of her face.
Sakura sighed, leaning into him. She was on fire. This was what she had been hoping for and he did not disappoint.
When he nibbled on her bottom lip, she pressed with her hand on his chest. He backed away.
She waited a moment, calming down her nerves. Opening her eyes, she avoided looking at him. It was like a circus was playing out in her insides. She bit her lip. "You know this isn't going to change my mind." Although another kiss might. Oh gods, why was she so affected by him?
Hidan leaned back, giving her some personal space. "I know." He picked up his cut with a grunt and shrugged it on.
The motion shocked her to her feet. Unconsciously she stepped back, creating more space between them. He was dangerous right now and not in the 'gonna shoot you in your face' kind of dangerous – he was making her lose her cool. She awkwardly watched him get up from the couch. He straightened himself and she finally got a clear look at his face. She hid her smile behind her hand. Her lipstick had smeared. It was a nice look on him, the darker lips really accentuated his silver hair. She wasn't going to tell him that, let him walk around with her mark on him.
He noticed her staring. "What?"
Sakura shook her hand, trying to wipe her smile from her face. "Nothing. Give me your phone." She held out her hand.
Puzzled he looked at her outstretched hand.
"I didn't say no."
Even more confused he furrowed his brows.
She tittered. "You're interested, I'm interested, so let's do this."
His expression cleared in clarity for a moment until he frowned again. "I don't do booty calls."
She shook her head. "Neither do I. Who said anything about a booty call? Maybe I like talking to you." She took a step closer to him, arms length away from him, challenging him. Truth was that she genuinely did enjoy talking to him. He was an asshole, but straight to the point. It was like a breath of fresh air after her exes, who always liked to be mysterious and pragmatic. She wanted to know him better, get closer.
Hidan snorted. "I find that hard to believe."
Sakura opened her mouth in surprise. "Undermining yourself? That feels awfully uncharacteristic of you." Now she was intrigued.
"Oh believe me, you don't know me yet. You're gonna hate my ass by the end of the week."
"Maybe let me come to that conclusion myself? By the way you'd have to try really hard to get me to hate you." She bit her lip, taking another step closer, clasping her hands behind her back.
He observed her for a while, not breaking eye contact. Eventually a smile spread across his lips. Instead of answering he dug out his phone from his jeans and handed it to her.
She took it and without looking away handed him hers. He looked away first. She took that as her chance to quickly type in her number and save it under her name. Her hands were shaking from excitement. Sakura handed him back his phone just as he finished with hers.
Their fingers touched and a surge of electricity ran down her arm.
"I'll see you around then, Sakura." Hidan pocketed his phone, giving her one last once over.
Her mind went blank. What does she say now? The same as him?
He sidestepped her, leaving.
Shit, she was quiet for too long. She followed him to the door. "Hidan?"
He paused to turn and look back at her.
She swallowed what fears she had and closed the space between them, pressing her lips to his.
It was like he had expected this for he reacted immediately, bringing her closer by her waist.
Butterflies exploded in her stomach and Sakura pulled away, cheeks blazing. A moment longer and she would have lost her resolve and her books would have gone forgotten. Dangerous. He really was dangerous. "Something to remember me by." She smiled coyly.
Hidan laughed, shaking his head. "You're one confusing chick, Sakura."
"I've never been one to enjoy simple things."
He snorted and took his leave.
Sakura watched him descend the stairs and stick a cigarette in his mouth. His eyes suddenly connected with hers. He smirked. Sakura grasped onto the edge of the door, legs turning to jelly.
When did she fall in this hole so deep?
I originally planned to have the second chapter of this be ready for Hidan's birthday (2nd of April), but I don't think I'll make it. I have the first scene edited and half the chapter drafted, but I've been so neck deep in uni work that I don't think I can bring the best of quality if I try to work on this as well. I really like this story and I don't want to half-ass it, especially considering that the second part is going to be the steamy part. But I am gonna get it out eventually. I'll try not to delay it for too long.
Somewhere along the way I had no clue what I was doing, as always when it comes to feelings. I'm not good with fluffy and romantic things, but hey I found out that I can be pretty good at flirting. At least I think.
Also you can find the cover art and some couple other sketches on my Tumblr Rhearenee-Magane. It's somewhere under my tag. I have some of the outfits they wore in this chapter sketched out there.
Thanks for reading.