I ran through the dark forest as fast as my legs could carry me, but it wasn't fast enough. Its times like these I wished I had joined the ninja academy. My medium auburn hair whipped in every direction as I looked over my shoulder and saw the black shadow of a man still chasing me. That insane laughing seemed to be bouncing off every tree and coming from every direction. I nearly tripped over a fallen branch, but quickly collected myself before a fell to the ground. I had always been clumsy, but I knew if I fell now, I would die.
"There's no escape! You can't run forever!!" an insane, yet smooth voice cooed through the woods.
And he was right. I couldn't run forever. I could already feel my heart and lungs burning, my knees and ankles felt like they were going to snap, and my breathing was fast and harsh, making a wheezing sound every time I inhaled. The only thing that kept me going was a small rush of adrenaline, but that was beginning to wear. A crazed chuckle rang through my ears. He was closer than I thought.
Then… I fell. The last thing I remembered was slamming into the ground, then black…
When I awoke I found my self lying on soft bed half way under the blankets in a dark room. I sat up and immediately grabbed my stomach and groaned. It hurt like hell. When I took a breath my insides felt like they were on fire. My eyes adjusted slowly to the dark room. I looked to the left and saw a window with the moonlight shining through it intensely. It illuminated the room just enough for me to get a good look. There wasn't much to see. It was pretty plain except for the bed, a door across the room, and what looked like a small desk in the right corner. But there was something else… I wasn't sure if my eyes were playing tricks on me, but I could have sworn there was something –or someone- sitting in the left top corner of the room. But I didn't pay much mind to it. I took in deep breath, which ended up being a huge mistake. As soon as the cool air hit my burning lungs, I began to cough violently. I realized then that my eyes hadn't been deceiving me. The figure in the corner stood up and rushed over to my side.
"Are you ok?" that familiar, velvety voice asked, concerned.
My eyes widened. I could now see him perfectly in the moonlight of the window. He was kneeling beside me next the bed I was laying in. He had piercing purple eyes and neat, medium silver hair that was combed back along his neck. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't talk, I couldn't even think strait. He was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. My eyes scanned his marvelous face and well toned body, half hidden under a black cloak with red clouds on it. I stared at him for a moment more before getting my bearings strait and speaking again.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
And that's when it occurred to me. This was the man who had been chasing me through the woods, just to torture me before killing me. My eyes widened even more as backed up against the bed, hitting the wall behind me.
"Y-You!" I stammered, "You're the one who was chasing me through the forest and trying to kill me!"
The man put his head down, closed his eyes, and let out a low chuckle.
"What the hell is so funny?!" I demanded.
He sighed and looked up into my amber colored eyes. Our gaze met. His menacing violet eyes were just too much, and I blushed. *What the hell?!* I thought angry with myself, *why the hell am I blushing?!*
The man smirked and let out another low chuckle.
"I'm Hidan," he said and held out a hand for me to shake. I didn't touch his hand, nor did I respond to his kind gesture.
"What am I doing here?" I yelled angrily. "Why were you trying to kill me?!"
The man, who now had a name; Hidan, put his hand down and frowned.
"Well, I'll answer you question if you tell me what your name is. Deal?"
I scowled and crossed my arms.
"Fine. My name is Nazomi."
"Nazomi…" he repeated.
"Ok, I told you my name, so you have to tell me why you were trying to kill me." There was a slight edge of irritation in my voice.
Hidan stood up and smirked. He took a few steps away from the bed, his gaze not leaving mine once.
"Well," He began, "you're my sacrifice."
My breath caught in my throat. Was he serious? Was he really going to sacrifice me? What a crazy nut job! But I decided to play along anyway.
"What do you mean sacrifice me…? Like for religious purposes…?" I gulped.
"Precisely," he grinned, revealing a neat set of pearly white teeth. My wide eyes searched around the room –It was much easier to see now that my eyes had fully adjusted to the dark- and noticed a large three bladed scythe leaning against the wall. I took a quick shallow breath and turned my attention back to Hidan. He was still grinning widely, teeth gleaming in the moonlight. He was surely an insane whack-job. I knew it at this point.
I spoke slowly "So then… Why don't you kill me…? Right now."
He simply shrugged his shoulders casually and turned around, walking in the direction of his scythe.
"I don't know. I guess I just… don't want to," he said calmly, kneeling beside the big weapon and running a finger over the top blade.
"Teh… Jashin-sama's gonna pretty fucking pissed off at me." He sounded pretty frustrated. What gave it away was when Hidan pushed his finger into the blade, causing a good sized cut. A few drops of blood dripped from his finger and I quivered. He must have caught my reaction in the reflection of the scythe blade because he looked my way.
"Are you afraid of blood?"
I shook my head 'no'. He smirked and licked off the blood. I quivered again.
"So… um… Who's Jashin? Your god or something?" I hesitated, desperately trying to change the subject.
Hidan shot an angry glance in my direction. "Yes," he hissed, "and he's more than just my god. He is the whole reason for my existence, the reason I live today. The reason I will always live… to worship him."
I didn't speak. Although quite have a religion of my own, I had no right to argue with his faith; even if I didn't agree with it.
"So, why won't you kill me…?"
Hidan sighed and stood up strait, walked over to the window, and stared out it.
"I don't know… You were right there. My blade was inches away from your head. You would have been such an easy target. One swipe and you're dead. But… I froze. I just couldn't do it. Seeing you lying on the cold forest floor… Hmph. I'm sure the only reason I didn't kill you was because you didn't –couldn't- put up a fight."
I smiled a little. He turned and faced me; a soft smile was plastered on his face.
"Then again, there could be more to it…"
A month had passed before I knew it. Hidan had pretty much taken me under his wing. He didn't want me to go off by myself and end up dead. He promised to protect me and teach me how to fend for myself. I learned a lot about Hidan during my stay. First off I learned he was immortal. Second, he was short tempered. Third, never bother him during his rituals. And fourth, he was extremely protective of me. Nobody was to lay a hand on me, or he swore he would slaughter them.
I wasn't an Akatsuki member, and I would never be, but everyone seemed to except me. They were so confused though. They constantly warned me that I should watch my back around Hidan; that this was all just a trick and that he would kill me… But I always ignored their warnings…
One day as was walking up to my room, I ran into Kakuzu, Hidan's partner, in the hall. We had gotten along pretty well, although I wasn't sure if he liked me much. He always seemed watching me warily.
"Nazomi…" he said in a serious voice. "I know the other members have told you this before but… watch out for Hidan. He's not the kind of person who would treat someone as kindly as he has been treating you. I'm afraid he's just using you."
I rolled my eyes angrily. "Thanks, but I don't need any warnings. I'm fine and I trust him," I spat before turning around sharply and tried walking away, but a strong hand caught my arm and whipped me around.
"Please listen to me Nazomi. Hidan gets very obsessive over things. Please, please be careful. You're a very bright, beautiful young girl and you don't deserve to be used-"
"Kakuzu!!! Get your fucking hands off of her!!!"
Me and Kakuzu both turned our heads and looked down the hall. Hidan was pissed as hell. We could both see it in his eyes. Kakuzu shot me one last warning glance at me.
"Please be careful and watch yourself," he whispered before letting go of my arm and disappearing down the hall. By the time I turned to face Hidan again he was right there yanking me into his room.
He threw me onto the bed quite harshly, and I landed with a slight oomph. Hidan paced back and forth, hands behind his back, a serious look on his face. I sat cross legged on his bed watching him intently.
"I'm fine Hidan. You don't need to get all paranoid," I whispered.
"Paranoid?! I'm trying to protect you, damn it!" Hidan roared, storming over to me. He slammed both fists into the mattress and looked strait into my eyes. I could see the rage burning inside of him. For the first time ever, I felt scared of him. Hidan could see my fear. His expression immediately softened. His tense muscles began to relax.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I shouldn't have snapped like that."
I didn't say anything. Hidan climbed onto the bed and sat next to me. We sat in silence for a few minutes until a cold hand on my cheek made me look up in surprise. Hidan cupped my cheek into his hand and smiled before gently pulling me forward and pressing his lips to mine.
The connection of our lips was like electricity. My eyes closed as I slowly wrapped my arms around his neck and the kiss grew more passionate and intense. And then… He pulled away. He pulled away and quickly jumped off the bed.
"Hidan…?" I was confused. Why did he push away? Everything was going so perfectly. Did he not like me or something…? I didn't get it…
"Nazomi… I…I can't be with you… I made a promise to myself… to my religion… I'm sorry but… Get the hell out of here."
I was shocked. "What?" My eyes began to water. I couldn't believe this was happening… How could he pick his religion over me?
"You heard me, I said leave. I never want to see you again."
The tears escaped my eyes, but I did as I was told. I ran out of Hidan's room and out of the base, letting tears escape my eyes. I ran, and ran, and ran until finally I reached a small resort village. I got a hotel room and sat on the big lonely bed in the dark room and cried my eyes out. Why was I so sad? Could it be that I was in love with him? Maybe I hoped we could live together forever…
"Nazomi…" I quickly looked up in surprise. In the darkness of the room I could see a man standing in front of the bed. It was him…Hidan… He had a sad and pained expression on his face.
"Hidan…" I spoke softly. I couldn't believe he was here. Was I asleep? Was this all just a dream? He took a step towards me, and that's when I saw the scythe held firmly in his hand. My eyes widened.
"H-Hidan…?" I was scared now.
"I'm sorry Nazomi, but… I love you… which is why I must kill you. I'm so sorry…"
He held the blade up to my throat…
"I love you too," was the last thing I whispered…