The rain was pouring rapidly as it always did in Amegakure. Twilight had settled over the city, coating it in a haunting veil of shadows. Pein stood silently, his eyes glancing watchfully over his city and its people. His body was a still as a statue, not a muscle twitching. A silent guardian. Konan stood directly at his side as she was often seen doing, on the top of the Akatsuki base, looking over the city with the eyes of a soft maternity figure.
Despite this calm demeanor, Pein knew that another storm was coming. He had lost touch with his trusted accountant, and his partner was refusing all methods of communication. This only indicated the worst. That Kakuzu had finally; despite his lengthy number of years and experience, fallen in battle, and Hidan was on his way with a vengeance. It did not worry him. Not only that the angry priest was outnumbered with each Akatsuki member present at the base, but despite his immortality, it did not give him a chance against Pein.
Most would not consider such a foolish act, such as an assault upon Pein. However from the very beginning the priest was very unlike most he had ever come across in his life. He showed blatant disregard for Pein himself, and what the group stood for, claiming to only remain to benefit his God. He openly expressed his desire for Pein's demise when he was in a particularly foul mood, and he wasn't shy about disrespecting his fellow Akatsuki members.
It didn't take very much longer for the familiar silver head to finally appear in the distance. Just as Pein expected, he was marching angrily towards the base. However to his mild surprise, his scythe was missing. His cloak was shredded to the point that only a single sleeve was keeping his body covered at all, his body looked worn and battered, and he himself looked to be moving on unsteady legs however determined they were to take him to his destination. Never upon sending the immortal pair, have they returned home in such a condition. Granted it wasn't unusual for Hidan to look as though he had been through a war-zone, most of the damage was self induced. These wounds, were not. Upon further inspection, he could finally make out that he was hauling something big over his back...not just something big...it was Kakuzu. A flicker of hope welled up inside of his chest that perhaps Kakuzu was alive, but gravely injured, If so, he could be treated...however, with that look in Hidan's eyes, it wouldn't be that simple...it never was.
Pein watched Konan's expression harden slightly through the corner of his eye, but he reached out to touch her shoulder. "Leave. I will deal with him on my own."
Konan turned her head to look at him with question, but immediately nodded and turned to take her leave in the same instant, though it was plain that she wanted to stay with him. He understood her wanting to protect him, but having her present would only agitate the priest farther, and ruin any chance Pein would have at talking him down. He was still a member in distress, and it was no secret that Pein didn't want distress on his members if it could be helped. He looked out for each of them, cared for them, and wanted their lives under his leadership to be as easy going as they possibly can be. It was an interesting relationship he had with them indeed. Rescue them from wandering aimlessly, give them food, a home, protection, and work. In return, they do his bidding and follow him in his quest for world peace.
However he had no time to think further on such things, for in that next moment, Hidan stood in the doorway on the rooftop seething. Kakuzu's body; which Hidan was propped up against the doorway, looked as though someone had taken a fillet knife and peeled most of the skin from his arms and legs and he wasn't breathing that Pein could see.
He watched once more as Hidan marched forward, blocking his view of Kakuzu completely, with an obvious battle to fight. It was only then Pein dully noted his rosary was missing. There were several stitches sewn across his throat, the handy work of Kakuzu no doubt, but the wound had been reopened in a thin line going halfway across his neck. The work of a kunai. What should have been a fatal wound, but it was only causing him to be short of breath. His eyes were set in a vicious glare and somewhat glazed over, and his legs were shaking violently. Stumbling forward he gave Pein no chance to ask, and began screaming at him at once.
"You son of a bitch! You goddamned son of a bitch!" A sputtering cough silenced the rant for a moment, causing him to double over and spit out a wad of blood. Unfazed he straightened his back once more and refocused his eyes on Pein, who stood silent and expressionless. He wasn't shocked that Hidan was angry. The man's emotions seemed to revolve heavily around anger. However Pein had assumed the the source this time, was simply because of everything he had been asking, and now Hidan was left with no partner. Somehow though upon studying Hidan's eyes, he couldn't help this nagging feeling that he was off target just a bit.
"He's dead! He's dead and it's all because of you! You sent us on a suicide mission didn't you!? You're so full of shit, it makes me sick! You go on and on about our 'well being' but you couldn't care less so long as we do your dirty work! What the hell were you thinking huh?! Tell me!"
His fists were clenched and his teeth were bared, the volume in his voice rising and falling due to the difficulty the wound was making it for him to speak at all.
So he was right. He wasn't angry because of the wild goose chase that ended in disaster. Once again the mission didn't matter to Hidan. It was the loss of his partner. All this time everybody including himself after a time began to assume he and Kakuzu would never agree or get along. They constantly bickered, and fought each other every chance they had no matter how much of a scolding they received from Pein. It turns out they were wrong. Something was there after all. Once again he was unaffected by the yelling, but one comment rubbed him the wrong way. His men were not pawns. Especially his veterans.
"Hidan-san, listen to me very carefully. You need to hear everything I have to say and perhaps then you will understand." The exhausted zealot did bite his tongue for the moment, giving Pein the chance to explain himself, either that or gathering more air to deliver another tongue lashing for Pein. He wasn't sure but took the chance.
"Konohagakure is not a place to be underestimated. Yet nearly everybody seems to do this because of their none violent natures, unlike places like Kirigakure, and Kumogakure. However, this is the same village that was founded by the God of shinobi, Hashirama Senju. The same man that bested Kakuzu-san before he was wronged by his village. This is the same place that produced the legendary three, the Sanin. It was a Sanin that matched Itachi-san and Kisame-san together. It was a Konoha shinobi that nearly killed Deidara-san, and it was a konoha shinobi that killed Sasori-san despite the assistance from his relative. You and Kakuzu-san were my ace in the hole since you two were my immortal pair. Perhaps I asked too much sending you to Fire country on your own without a second pair of partners. However I did not intentionally send you somewhere simply to get you both killed in the process of collecting jinjuriki. Kakuzu-san's role in Akatsuki was of one of the most crucial. I would not simply cast him aside."
Hidan stared at Pein for a moment, and a fleet of hope went through Pein that perhaps he had gotten him to at least trust his word that it was no suicide mission. Unlike most leaders Pein didn't mind explaining himself in grave detail for the sake of his men's understanding. He wanted their confidence and he wanted them to understand that each of them played an importance role in his goals. However his hope that Hidan understood was shattered when the priest growled out and took a threatening step forward, possibly too tired to outright attack him for the moment.
"Shut your fucking mouth! I already told you before nobody is interested in your long winded speeches! Let me tell you something you pathetic sack of shit! I don't give a damn about Konoha shinobi and how strong they are! I don't care about Itachi, Kisame, Deidara, any of them! I'll kill them all myself if I need to! You are the reason my partner is dead and you're not just going to shrug it off and make excuses for yourself! Stop trying to make it sound like it was just an honest mistake, because it wasn't! I wasn't born yesterday! I know leaders could give a rat's ass less about their subordinates and you needed those fucking tailed beasts! Everyone knows how desperate you're getting! So you sent us to make sure that would happen because we were the best! We were stronger, better trackers, fast travelers, and and everyone else's chances of dying was too high! You knew! You fucking knew and now he's gone!"
Pein stared at him for a long moment. The wind cried and lashed across their faces, almost as a desperate attempt to make the bickering cease. The priest was out of breath, his face laced with a passionate fury. Pein had never seen him in such a state. This was so unlike him. Normally after such behavior Pein would have sent him through a wall but this wasn't just Hidan being difficult for the sake of being defiant. There was another reason behind it. It seems that even his theory of Hidan being upset for the death of his partner, was only scratching the surface. Only then did it dawn on Pein just what the reason for such harsh accusations were.
"You loved him." He watched as the zealots expression went from blindly enraged, to utter despair. His eyes dropped for only a moment and his shoulders seemed to slump, his breath quieting for a split second before his eyes were back on Pein's.
"How dare you," he started more quietly, his voice finally sounding hoarse. His knuckles popped softly as he clenched his fists, his brows furrowing together as his eyes seemed to become glassy with brimming tears.
"I finally found somebody like me. Someone who would live forever, forging for money like it's fucking life support, while I could serve Jashin-sama. We would have outlived Akatsuki, and moved on together in life...it would have been simply routine for us. Neither of us really needed this group and had limited interests in it as it were. Only, just when things start to look up, he dies fighting for the pipe dreams of a man who wants to play some peacemaker..." At that, any tears that had built, were blinked away as the rage began to build once more. His teeth clenched and he lifted his gaze back to Pein's.
"...To walk with the pride of a God and to even go as far as to let his people think he is a God simply because he is the reincarnation of some Sage of six paths or whatever it was. EYESdo not make you a God! You are not my God, nor a true God of any people! You are blasphemous and disgusting for ever letting these people think otherwise and for believing it yourself! I should kill you for everything you've done!"
At that moment, what came next was only something Pein braced for with a swift raise of his arm. The sacrificial pike the zealot typically used was driven through the skin of Pein's forearm, but it was not removed. Instead, both men simply stood in suffocating silence as the rain continued to try to break up the fight by pounding their bodies mercilessly, one breathing heavily, while the other developed a glare of his own, slowly staring the other into submission. Soon enough, the priest's head began to drop, and his eyes squeezed closed, no longer able to keep up the charade just from being so exhausted. In the next moment, he dropped to his knees, the pike clattering noisily on the ground. Pein could only glare down at him. He stood that way for a long while, letting the other man regain his composure. He knew it had to be said for the healing process to begin, but Hidan always had a way of taking things, actions or verbally, too far.
However, even though he deserved a physical smack down and much more for such utter disrespect to his face, Pein could only think of one thing fitting enough for Hidan to get the message. He had recalled hearing the zealot commenting in the past upon the topic, so now the tables were demanding to be turned for the sake of closure. Standing calmly over the broken man, Pein swept his gaze at Kakuzu's unmoving body before he began softly, keeping any spite he may have felt, separate from his voice, his eyes sliding back to Hidan. "Now you understand the pain of others."
He watched as Hidan's head flicked up to look at him, his expression outraged and shocked. Pein gave him no room for rebuttal and continued.
"No amount of physical wounds can ever match the agony of a broken heart. The despair that falls over one when they loose somebody they love...especially a first love, is unmatched to this very day. It drives strong men to their breaking point, it shatters minds, pushing good men to do terrible things, it crushes spirits, and sucks the life from your very soul."
He paused a moment, buts seeing that he had the younger man's attention, he dropped to one knee in front of him and placed a firm hand on his shoulder, forcing him to keep eye contact.
"I too have lost people I held dear Hidan-san. I understand how much it hurts. It's something you will carry for the rest of your life and it doesn't go away. You only can learn how to carry your burdens as each miserable day drags on, and some days you'll want to simply give up. Someday's you'll want to lay down in a dark corner and wait for your body to stop functioning altogether, some try to outrun their pasts, some turn to drinking, others loose their minds and do unspeakable things. I cannot, and will not ask you to view me as your God, I will not ask you to forgive me for Kakuzu's death, and I will not ask you to agree with my goals simply out of respect for you. However...I will ask you to extend the same respect to me and work with me as you have already agreed to. I will ask you to continue your duties to this organization so that in the future anything I can do to assist in your goals, just as I have promised to everybody else, I shall. Furthermore, I will tolerate for you time to heal from this ordeal. I understand how hard this must be for you. What I will not tolerate, is for you to question my role here in this world, and to accuse me of being wrong. You once said to me, that your role in this world is to enlighten the word of your God, and to serve him for all of your years until he calls for you to walk by his side. As such, my role in this world, is to restore Ame, and bring peace to the world as a God. So long as we understand each other, there should no longer be question or confusion. Do you understand me?"
The words looped through Hidan's mind again and again. He still did not agree with the man but a mutual respect wasn't so much to ask. After all, Pein was one of the few that actually paid any attention when he tried to enlighten these faithless heathens about the word of Jashin. He had never shown any disrespect towards Hidan's religion or opinions, even after Hidan blatantly insulted, attacked, and spat upon his views, his dreams, and beliefs. At this point, even he knew that to continue to be unreasonable and accusatory of Pein would just be uncalled for and result in him loosing his patience and more than likely sending Hidan into the next world somehow. He normally didn't for another man, but he bite his tongue, swallowed his pride, and nodded solemnly.
"Yes...I do."
Even though everything had been set up for no other answer, Pein couldn't help but be somewhat surprised by the cooperation. Removing his hand from the zealot's shoulder, he stood up along with the younger man, both remaining silent for a long time.
"I want to cremate him. Alone," Hidan finally said.
Pein was somewhat taken aback but, at the same time it didn't shock him. Even Hidan knew that the bodies of Akatsuki members had to be destroyed for the sake of erasing information that they held. Even though the job usually belonged to Zetsu, fire would do the same thing, and an acceptation could surely be made. Not to mention, Hidan's official title for his deity was High Priest. It only made sense he personally would want to give him a funeral.
"Tonight," he agreed.