Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto…
Big Cats
Chapter Two: The Killer…
"Professor, this is Kakuzu." Konan told Pein tonelessly, indicating to a ridiculously tall man with darkly tanned skin and neon green eyes. "Kakuzu, this is Professor Pein." Konan introduced Pein to Kakuzu.
"Pleasure." Pein greeted the other man, though he was secretly too distracted by the stitches that adorned the others body to actually be paying attention to what was being said.
Kakuzu apparently noticed this. "If you don't start paying attention, you'll have your very own to admire soon enough." Kakuzu warned Pein dryly, no humor intended.
This instantly snapped Pein to attention. "My apologies." Pein apologized with all honesty.
"Save your ass kissery for someone who cares, I was merely stating a fact." Kakuzu grumbled irritably, crossing his hard muscled arms to farther express his annoyance.
"Play nice Kakuzu. I have paper work to do." Konan told Kakuzu with a small smirk, before turning to Pein. "Before you continue on, I need your signature." Konan announced dryly, handing Pein a sheet of paper and a blue pen.
Pein looked at the innocent sheet of paper cautiously, before looking it over carefully. His suspicions were proven correct.
The paper Pein had been given was a No safety guaranteed warranty that explained that the zoo would not be responsible for any injures he would likely acquire while in contact with the big cat. It also had a blank area where he could write out his will and a check list of whether he'd rather be buried or cremated, should he die. The paper was not a welcoming catalog like he was use to that was for sure.
"Perhaps you wish to reconsider." Konan suggested, though Pein had already come to the resolve that he would not back down under any circumstances.
"He's too much of an idiot to." Kakuzu growled with a twitch of the head. "Typical."
Pein was shocked that Kakuzu had been able to read him so easily. "I'm afraid, you are right." Pein told Kakuzu emotionlessly, beginning to fill out the paper work he'd been given.
Pein finished quickly, since he had no living relatives and therefore no need to fill out the will, and handed the paper to Konan, who gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll get these filed right away." Pein was too taken aback by the sudden smile to answer back as the woman slipped away out of sight.
Kakuzu had seen the exchange and shook his head. "Get your head out of the clouds before it ends up in a hole."
Pein snapped out of his trance with a start and turned to face Kakuzu. "Sorry." But Pein's words meet no response, just a brief glare and the other's back suddenly retreating into the doorway of an open fence.
Pein did not need to be told, he followed behind Kakuzu somewhat hesitantly as they walked down a stony path. The road was heading directly towards a large steel cage out in a wide open grass area that Pein immediately noticed was lined with shock boundaries. Pein could feel his heart give a skip at the thought of what those shock lines were holding in.
The cage itself was sturdy looking, with thick slabs of cement supporters holding up a tightly fitted medal roof. In between the pliers were steel gates that over lapped one another repeatedly. It looked like a Maximum Security Prison to Pein, but he knew the safety measures were likely well disserved. They had wanted his to sign his will for goodness sakes.
"Give me your hand." Kakuzu commanded out of the blue as he and Pein reached the cage door, though Pein did what he was told despite the suddenness of it. "Don't hesitate." Kakuzu instructed with a dead serious glare as he handed Pein a ten inch blade.
Pein's eyes widened and his mouth dropped as he stared at the blade in his hand. "What?" Pein was nearly speechless.
"I said. Don't. Hesitate." Kakuzu repeated in a hard edged sneer, turning his back to Pein with a low snarl.
Pein's mind was reeling. He had never, repeat never, used a knife before. Nor had he ever used deadly force against another living creature.
The words just seemed to slip from Pein's mouth as his shock loosened his tongue. "Wouldn't a gun be more…" Pein was cut off.
"Effective. No." Kakuzu half turned and fixed Pein in an icy glare. "You'd be gutted by the time you got the thing cocked." Kakuzu growled at the other, his patience on thin ice.
Pein decided to remain silent, and that seemed to be the correct response when Kakuzu's eyes suddenly seemed to relax and he turned to enter through the fence.
The walk though the fenced area was quick, but to Pein's relief, less tense then their walk to the enclosure. "Wait here." Kakuzu told Pein in a less edgy tone as they reached a door that would apparently lead INTO the cage in which his next subject was housed. "I'll have to detain him before you came do you research."
After explaining his decision to Pein, Kakuzu entered the enclosure without another word, leaving Pein alone.
One minute, two minutes, three, four. Pein was becoming worried for Kakuzu. It had been almost five minutes and the other man had not yet come out of the door in which had entered.
"Fuck!" A loud screeching hiss echoed through the fences.
The sounds of hissing, growling, cursing, and claws on medal gates could be clearly heard in Pein's ears, and he cringed a bit at the violence that were likely associated with the sounds. His grip on the knife in his hands tightened unconsciously.
Much to Pein's relief, Kakuzu came through the door about two minutes later, but what he brought with him made Pein go stiff. "What do you think?" Kakuzu queried Pein with a raised eyebrow, holding firmly to the rope he held in his hands.
Pein could only stare at the humanoid Kakuzu held at the other end of the rope. "What's his name?" Pein asked somewhat hesitantly.
Kakuzu gave Pein an uninterested stare before turning an icy glare to the panther, which glared back with a snarl. "Hidan." Kakuzu stated plainly, and Pein noticed, Kakuzu never let Hidan get behind him…or near him for that matter.
The Panther glared at Pein with his pinkish-purple cat eyes before returning the glower to Kakuzu. "Lunch?" The albino panther asked in a hiss, pulling his ears and lips back into a snarl while turning towards Pein in a low predatory crouch.
"No Hidan." Kakuzu told the humanoid in a tone that left no room for discussion.
Pein was beginning to back up a bit and his actions did not go unnoticed by Kakuzu or Hidan.
Hidan sniffed the air intently and let a sinister smirk play on his face as he caught a clear whiff of Pein's fear floating in the air. "Hungry." Hidan hissed, making a pounce towards Pein, but Kakuzu foresaw this and yanked on the rope around Hidan's neck. "Bastered!" Hidan growled at Kakuzu, rubbing on the back of his neck.
Kakuzu turned to Pein and expected to find him huddled up on the ground, but much to his surprise found Pein in the ready position with the knife in his hands. "Well done." Kakuzu complemented, looking over to Hidan who was glaring at Pein ravenously.
"I don't think a physical would be wise." Pein told Kakuzu as the other man continued to watch Hidan wearily.
"What about a hunting demonstration." Kakuzu suggested, receiving a smug smirk from Hidan.
"Alright."
------Time Skip------
"My feet hurt, damnit! I'm Hungry! Fuck you, feed me!" Hidan whined on after ten minutes, and Pein concluded, there would be no end.
Kakuzu yanked hard on the rope, causing the panther to gag. "Shut up, we're here." Kakuzu grunted at the albino humanoid, yearning a threat hiss from the feline.
"About time!" Hidan hissed with a sharp flick of his white tail, directing his glower towards Pein.
Pein looked to Kakuzu as Hidan continued to stare at him like a crazed animal, though in essence, that's what Hidan was. "He's a man killer. He was only aloud to live and brought here because he's one of a kind." Kakuzu explained, directing a sideways frown towards Hidan.
"Bastered." Hidan growled, making a point not to look Kakuzu in the eyes as he did so.
Pein felt like a caged animal the moment he heard that Hidan was a man killer, and apparently the panther noticed this because he flattened his ears and gave Pein a sharp-toothed grin.
Kakuzu gave the Hidan's restraints a sharp yank. "Enough Hidan."
"Fuck y…" Hidan began, but stopped short when he spied a large wooden box being rolled over on a jeep pulled trailer-thing. "Mine!" Hidan growled making a leap for the crate, but was held back by Kakuzu.
Kakuzu glanced to Pein. "How about it?" He held the strained rope handle towards Pein.
It took Pein a second, but he finally got the point. "No thanks."
Kakuzu gave Pein a light smirk. "Smart. Catching on, are you?" Kakuzu complemented, though Pein just shook his head with a wary smile.
The box inside of the trailer shook with sudden life causing the panther to attempt a charge. This in turn made Hidan choke and curse Kakuzu with a loud hiss. Pein also noticed the movement of the box and looked around him in realization. He, Kakuzu, and Hidan were inside of a large open area with thirty foot high electric fences on all sides of them.
Pein stiffened, but since Hidan was too busy trying to reach his victim, Kakuzu was the only one to notice. "If you have a weak stomach, I suggest you say so now." Kakuzu warned.
"I'll be fine." Pein assured, though it was far from assuring in his own ears. "I watch this sort of behavior for a living." Pein continued as a backup excuse just as a young Red-necked deer humanoid was released from the crate into the enclosure.
Kakuzu pulled Hidan, who was clawing at the ground trying to get at the poor creature which was to become his next meal, closer to him with some difficulty and took hold of the medal lock hooked to his collar. "For Hidan…" Kakuzu began unhooking the lock and taking hold of Hidan's collar with his hands. "Killing isn't a behavior. It's an obsession." He released his hold entirely.
Before Pein could process what Kakuzu had said, Hidan was off in a frenzied furry that Pein had never before witnessed. The deer made a mad dash to the right as the panther came charging at him, but Hidan was too fast and caught hold of its back leg at the last second. A blood curtailing scream could be heard from the young humanoid, but it was sinisterly drowned out by the sudden sounds of cracking and popping as Hidan ripped at the bones in his legs.
"By God…" Pein wheezed breathlessly at the stomach turning sight, though Kakuzu just gave him an observant side glance.
"I think you might need this." Kakuzu mocked the other man holding out a plastic bag as he did so.
"I'm fine, just surprised." Pein assured with a weak wave of the hand.
Kakuzu gave Pein a doubtful rise of his thin eyebrow and turned back to the killing to find Hidan about to tear into his still screaming victim's under belly.
Five, four, three, two Kakuzu started his count down silently and soon enough there was a rough yank in his hand and the sounds of hurling next to him. "You're smart, but not wise." Kakuzu taunted Pein absently.
Pein was on his knees on the ground, bent over the plastic back he had gotten in a painful retching position, and had his back turned to the gore that was going on no more than thirty feet away from them.
A sudden sound of snarling and a knife being pulled could be heard by Pein as he was yanked roughly to his feet. "Hidan!" Kakuzu bellowed, holding the knife at the ready.
Pein, having finished gagging his brains out, looked over in the direction in which Hidan had been mutilating his meal and felt his heart plunge into his stomach.
Hidan was glowering at Pein like a predator that had finally cornered his prey, and indeed, perhaps Hidan had. The panther's mouth was covered in fresh flowing blood and his once white hair was stained crimson. Everything about Hidan at that moment spelt death.
"Hidan, I'm warning you!" Kakuzu warned with a hard frown.
Hidan ignored Kakuzu completely and sniffed the air with a predatory sharpness. "Prey…must kill prey." Hidan roared as he pounced forward towards Pein.
Pein's eyes widened in shock realization, but he did not hesitate. As fast as his hands would move, Pein grabbed the handle of the blade, brought it up to his face, brought it forward, then…darkness.
Next Chapter Teaser…
"I wonder where he is…" Konan asked herself as she scratched the back of her head." I could have sworn he was just here an hour ago."
"Who?" Pein questioned with a raised eyebrow, flexing his fingers as he did so.
End of Teaser…
Author's Note
Second chapter up and going, I'm so proud of myself. So, what do you think about Hidan and Kakuzu? Please Review…
