The now dead girl underneath his lips was so warm and refreshing; the taste of flesh had eluded him for many weeks, but being able to taste it again made Kakuzu's spirits soar. He dug in, eating away at her esophagus, eager to get to her heart. The cardiac muscle had always sedated him, always made Kakuzu feel much better. His nails dug down her body, almost sensually, but started to rip away at her skin as he tore with all his might; and after scouring her body, his right hand smashed down on her ribcage, trying to crack open the seemingly coconut shell-like chest cavity to get at the tasty flesh inside. Blood pooled at his knees, and while his threads picked at the dried up pieces of congealed blood from his frame, the blood stained him even further – a bright, rustic red hat stood out against his russet-colored skin.
The sound of footsteps made Kakuzu stop, his teeth clenching in protest. If it was another zombie, he was prepared to fight to the death for his kill. A low rumble turned into a high pitched growl, akin to a male lion, as he peered from the corner of his eye. It was a man, not a woman – even better. Men always put up the best fights and shed the best blood onto his body; nothing could deter him away from his flesh, from his kill, not even his intelligent subconscious mind telling him so. Yet the sound of the figure's voice made him freeze, his threads retracting back into the stitches from whence they came. It was his name spoken from a rough, husky sort of voice. He wiped the back of his mouth and stood at full height, his shadow long enough to give anyone the creeps. Kakuzu turned his body and his mouth gaped, blood dripping ominously from it as he configured his full body to face his former roommate and best friend.
It was Hidan, rugged and prepared to fight; his hair was longer, and any baby faced feature was seemingly gone, even though Kakuzu knew he aged with grace. The large gun that he carried was pointing away, but it held intent to shoot him dead. Kakuzu breathed heavily, the breaths audible through his nose like a winded bull after a bucking, his naked chest rising quickly. Without a moment's thought, he stepped forward, his foot covering itself in the puddle of blood from the girl. "Hidan….you're a human." Alive didn't count here- the joy that Hidan was not cursed was enough for him.
Any hope Hidan had of the figure facing him turning out to be some random stranger sunk the instant his name left Kakuzu's lips. For the first time in months, depression overtook his features, but it only lasted a few moments before his face hardened into a colder expression once more. "You're not." He responded finally. When Kakuzu stepped towards him, he took an instinctive bound back. He was one of the Infected, after all; and though Hidan knew from experience that Kakuzu could still think like he had in the past, he wasn't quite the same person.
Hidan had long since grown used to gore, and so the mess in front of him wasn't enough to churn his stomach, but the knowledge that Kakuzu had lost himself to the infection forced him to succumb to that nausea. He was reminded of the nights he'd spent hunched over his bed in prayer, clutching his silver rosary to his lips. He'd mentioned Kakuzu's name too often, and Jashin had denied him that one thing he'd begged for. Kakuzu was a zombie.
Now, fuck life, Hidan couldn't touch Kakuzu like he'd wanted. He knew from experience that nearly any contact with one of the Infected would spread the disease. Thus, bullets were the safest means to bring them down. Nonetheless, a Kakuzu he could speak with but not touch was preferable to a corpse, and he couldn't imagine the man devouring him ruthlessly anyway. He lowered his gun and stared at Kakuzu seriously. "How did you... you know... fuck up? I mean- what happened to you?" The question was pathetically inarticulate.
The thirst that had conquered him only seconds ago was lost. The blood dripped from him steadily still, and while his breathing came out like a ragged, wounded animal, he wasn't tired. Nor was he stressed. He was controlling the urge to scream, to scream how unfair the meeting of his true other half was. He was still immaculate as ever, and here Kakuzu was, on the side of the damned. It was if Hidan was on the other side of the Grand Canyon, and he could only see him as what he was – a speck. Hidan was a tiny speck on the radar of the millions of Zombies bearing down upon the wretched land. Kakuzu blinked, stepping forward again, knowing the other would take another step back. He was contagious, a rue menace to him. Back in their normal lives, the sexual tension between them had led to few touches in bed mere kisses ever so soft, but everything unresolved was split between them, the dividing line being a rifle.
"I don't…..after we separated, I was frantic for you. I wanted to find you, to make sure you were safe, but one got me from behind the neck. I was so…unlucky." His fist clenched, the memories flooding back to him….
"Hidan, go!" Kakuzu shoved him toward the wall of people that were headed to the bridge, one of the main places out of the city. His objective was to go there with him, to make sure Hidan got ahead of him, but the moving crowd got the best of him. In an instant, Kakuzu could no longer hear his screams, Hidan's pines for him, and was quickly engulfed in the mob that was rushing toward the prey of humans. The bite had come with pain that seared him; the zombie DNA quickly changed him into a monster, the screams of the innocent still ringing in his ears.
"When I turned, I still wanted to find you. But I killed people for their flesh first…and you were gone." Kakuzu spat blood onto the ground, his hands still clenched tightly.
Hidan forced himself to stand his ground. He didn't want to run away from Kakuzu like a pussy. If he attacked him- and he doubted he would (surely his human will was strong enough to resist that, at least for a while)- then he would fight back or run away, but only then. Though this was a hard blow to his expectations and hopes, he hadn't completely lost faith in Kakuzu. He'd lost his body and humanity, he'd never had a religious soul, but at least his mind remained. It wasn't enough, but it was better than nothing- better than a shadow of a memory, than dusty photographs left to serve as a mocking testament to what might have been.
"Right away, huh..." Hidan spat the words bitterly. So he hadn't been able to protect him at all. The hand carrying the beer clenched around the can, and he lifted it to his mouth and bit the cap off with his teeth. The gulps of warm, stale alcohol didn't do much in the way of calming his suddenly breaking nerves. "Fuck." He swore and tossed the can at Kakuzu, expecting him to catch it.
"I'm sorry." Apologies had never been easy on Hidan, but the words flooded out of his mouth. "Fuck... I shouldn't have left you!" He was suddenly filled with rage at himself, the infected, the whole unfair world...
…God.
Don't think like that. Hidan quickly chastised himself mentally for his brief lapse in faith, and he collected his composure.
A noise struck him in the distance, and he lifted his gun and pulled the trigger twice. Two bullets shot clean through the skull of a woman with a wide hole in her stomach about forty meters behind Kakuzu.
"I'm fine." Hidan began as though nothing had happened. He forced himself to calm down as he watched the zombie he'd shot stumble to the ground. Slowly, a pool of blood collected underneath her skull. "That is, as fine as anyone can be in this world, at least. I'm alive. Hell, I've only been injured a handful of times." His left shoulder was bandaged, but other than that, Hidan's body was spotless. "What's it like, exactly?" He asked suddenly, slowly, prying. "Being... one of those." Hidan turned his full attention back to Kakuzu and stared into his eyes with hopeless longing. "How strong is- the hunger, I guess you'd call it?" He was filled with a morbid curiosity.
Hidan's cursing was the same as Kakuzu remembered it, and for that, he smiled. It looked awkward, with the blood finally drying around his mouth and cracking like baked clay. It was just so relaxing to hear him talk after more than a year. His frustration with the beer was apparent and Kakuzu caught the can, still hearing sloshing within it. Without a word, he tilted it into his mouth, the warm liquid bubbling in his mouth as he swallowed the entire contents. It tasted rough, tart and sour, but the longing for human food was too great of a drive to ignore. As he finished, Kakuzu rumbled out a burp, crushing the can against his head, and dropped it on the ground. Hidan's apology came as fast and as thick as the beer did, and the words touched Kakuzu's heart – the heart in his brain, that was. His regular heart was filled with mongoloid hatred and blood thirst.
"I pushed you away because I thought about your safety before mine." Kakuzu didn't even bat an eyelash as the zombie behind him was shot and killed. The blood that flowed from her came down the street, touching his feet as in a greeting. He stamped on the blood, to fight his urge to lap it up like a meager dog. "I didn't want you to become this. Where the men are testosterone filled bulls looking to get their fill and show off. I could never wish this on you." It was funny, he thought, that sadness could come forth from such a man like himself. But Hidan had a different effect on him. He had so many feelings for him that it cut him in two, but nothing he could say could turn back the clock. Kakuzu wanted to know how many more birthdays and holidays and memories they could have shared, and if they could have done more with themselves – more than this.
"The thirst…it's so hard to control; you have no idea." His lips pursed while his eyes searched Hidan's body. "Right now, you look delicious Hidan, as I just met you again. It's like a pain in my whole body. I'm not sure if he longer I'm exposed the more it dies out, because when I first saw you…it was like love at first sight."
Hidan's eyes widened in surprise when Kakuzu smiled- and he could recognize it as such, though it was twisted and coated in gore- and he forced himself to mirror that expression even as his heart was still breaking. It might have been funny to see Kakuzu smash the can over his head if he was a stranger. But he was the farthest thing from a stranger, and Hidan hadn't managed to go a day without thinking about him since they'd been separated.
"Obviously, you don't have to worry about my safety." Hidan argued and lifted his cloak to reveal a myriad of weapons in various holsters. He was carrying pistols, a shitton of bullets, grenades, flash bombs, and larger guns. He released his cloak and it fell fast against his side with a loud metal thunk.
Hidan listened carefully to Kakuzu's description. He supposed he'd never realize exactly how it was until he succumbed to the disease himself, and he wasn't planning on letting that happen until after he became a corpse. "I'm delicious, eh..." He repeated with a slow, hollow laugh. "So you want to eat me too." That last explanation had grasped him in a place he dismissed as sick and incorrect. If only he could touch Kakuzu without repercussions, he'd squeeze the life out of that vile "waiting" that had deprived him of claiming Kakuzu's body. "But you won't. Hell, I'm sure I don't even need to threaten your life." He lowered his rifle again. His faith in Kakuzu came from a place he couldn't exactly pinpoint, but it was present and strong. "I'd say something similar to you, but I'm not sure how to word it. Shit..." Hidan shook his head and cocked his rifle over his shoulder. "It's too late for that, isn't it?" His tone was suddenly bitter.
The plethora of guns, ammunition, and weapons made Kakuzu's human brain sigh in relief ye his pulse quickened. The other male would no doubt shoot him if he got the urge to lunge for his throat. Right now, the urge was stronger than ever; he felt like a whiney puppy ready to chew on its toy, but held back just to tease. Hidan's safety seemed to never be breached in the way that Kakuzu had feared it would. A year alive in the apocalypse deserved a medal and a slap on the back, but any one of those could be infected. Being human was nothing to be proud of – there was barely anyone to talk to, and most would go insane. Sans Hidan, of course, but Kakuzu knew that without himself, Hidan was very lonely indeed.
"You are delicious, but I know my diseased half means it like food. Hidan, when I was human, I wanted to spend my life with you. Now I can only think about ripping your flesh apart." Kakuzu's mouth started to water, saliva now dripping down his jowls onto the hot pavement. His feet moved on his own, but his face was scrunched in anger – anger that he was succumbing to his disease. Selfishness was overcoming him so quickly. "You're alone, but I want nothing more than to touch you…so badly." Like Hidan said, it was a little late for it. His eyes flickered from the gun back to the male's face. Two options were staring him in the face: either he bit his beloved for selfish reasons, or today was his death day. Kakuzu had never been selfless to anyone before except for Hidan, and even then the now zombie wanted him for his own reasons. It wasn't fair.
Hidan's eyes darted to Kakuzu's lips. He could see his mouth watering. It was obvious just how strong the hunger was, but at least he was resisting it. If he couldn't resist, then he'd have attacked him already. Even as Kakuzu moved further towards him, Hidan stood his ground; he was the farthest thing from a coward, and a part of him wanted to test his friend's strength and resolve. He'd only react if it looked like Kakuzu would lash out at him, and even then, as he was considering it, Hidan knew he wouldn't shoot him in a fatal spot. As much as he despised the Infected, he loved the greedy heathen he'd known for so long. It wasn't like he'd see Kakuzu after death anyway.
"Didn't you just eat, though? I mean, c'mon, I know I'm more tasty than some random girl, but that should've filled you up. Or don't you like kid-meat?" Hidan joked, trying to lighten the dark mood. He wasn't used to sadness or regret and he felt those emotions didn't become him. His life was simpler before today, even though the apocalypse was surely the most stressful event in any of their lives. All he had to do was sweat in the hot sun, forage for food, and blast the brains out of any zombies who dared approach him. All he had was his survival instinct, religion, and hope. That last one had just been crushed to bits. He had no partner, although surely it would've benefited anyone to travel with him. He'd always wanted to meet up with Kakuzu- a living, human Kakuzu- and fight off their enemies together and to fucking touch him."I want to touch you too. Er, wanted? Is that the right term? Fuck, I don't do love confessions." Hidan laughed hollowly. It was no use to shy away from something like that when it was already too late. He only wished he'd had some forewarning and made a different choice. "Ah... get a goddamned hold of yourself." There was anger in his voice, but he didn't blame Kakuzu for his predicament. He couldn't. "You can do it, can't you?" He stared at Kakuzu pleadingly.
Hidan's words were slowly getting lost in Kakuzu's head. His mind began to feel warped, and narrow, almost like a straightforward tunnel, with one target in sight: the pearl flesh in front of his view. Thirst was welling up inside him so badly that it suppressed any blockade that tried to tell him no. With disregard for Hidan words, he lunged to bite at the other's shoulder.
