Previously, on 'Corridors of Time'...
"Great news, guys: I found a place for the band!"
"I hope it's not another of your cheesy plans, Shika?"
"Nah, don't worry, it's just a complete stranger with a shady psychopath look offering to let us use his huge mansion full of candies for free."
"Oh, it's all good then!"
And now, on to chapter 3!
As usual, author's notes can be found at the bottom. Happy reading!
…Due to his virulent opposition to the concept of resurrection as introduced by the majority of religions, the philosopher rejects the idea that human beings relive the same life endlessly based on a definite and unchanging temporal cycle. Instead of presenting this notion as a fundamental mechanism of the universe, linking life, time and space, he regards it as an existential question meant to make each and every person meditate on their own future. He summarizes his theory in a simple sentence: 'Lead your life as if you wanted it to repeat itself for all eternity.'
See also…
...
With a deep sigh, the albino buried his face in his hands, elbows resting on the desk. A brief moment later, he left his comfy CEO-worthy leather chair and went to the nearby mini-fridge to fetch yet another bottle of Slumber, one of his favorite drinks which he was now sipping quietly all the while admiring the view from his bedroom's window.
Lake Astoria was one of those places that remained as charming at night as it was during daytime. From his estate, he could spot distant lights coming from the entertainment districts of Edenia and Mintos where inhabitants, students and tourists gathered for some good time. When the weather was nice, especially in summer, it wasn't rare to see the boldest of them heading to the beach for a midnight bath. Despite the recent construction of the tourist complex, the light pollution was still low enough in the area for the night-owls to enjoy a wonderful scenery: a large magnificent moon surrounded by numerous stars in a dark celestial vault; a sight that had become extremely hard to find around the modern world. While the surrounding lands were bathing in the pale moonlight, the calm waters of the lagoon reflected it so well that on windless days of full moon, the lake looked just like a giant mirror.
Even as humans occupied most of the northern shore, animals lived in the southern wooded hills that gave off a serene atmosphere. Sometimes, Hidan himself went for a walk there when he couldn't sleep, so much that his presence was now somehow tolerated by the local fauna and the occasional beasts he came across no longer fled upon his arrival. Aside from him, the few other passers-by were mainly young couples hoping to enjoy the discreet, romantic place.
All in all, it was a peaceful, pleasant area to live in both day and night. Well, at least it was when the clouds were kind enough not to drop by… which they weren't at the moment..
Tonight, no stars, no moon, no swimmer, no date in the forest… nothing but a pouring rain all over the region. There was no thunder yet but it wouldn't be a surprise if it struck sometime soon. Was it the result of the unusual heat experienced during the last few days or merely the autumn that was making up for coming in late? Perhaps a bit of both…
The immortal didn't mind such weather though. Firstly because the sound of raindrops falling outside and on the roof was part of those small details he'd come to appreciate over the centuries. But more importantly because he had far more important things to worry about.
He had spent hours rolling over and over again in his bed but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fall asleep as the day's events kept replaying in his head. Not only was he rather stressed out at the prospect of meeting the group again the next day but he was also extremely frustrated by the fact that he had no idea what the hell he was experiencing. Eventually, he had given up on trying to sleep for now and had begun browsing the Internet for information on life and death philosophies and spiritual concepts. It usually took him at least three or four read-through to understand everything correctly but hopefully that long, thorough search would compensate his lack of knowledge.
Alas, he had yet to find an answer. Resurrection, reincarnation, immortality, cycle of life and death, eternal return… Between scientists, philosophers, religious people and random dreamers or tale-tellers, there were dozens of theories, from the most realistic to the most preposterous. Problem was, nothing he found was the exact same as his own situation; there were some common points here and there but it was never a perfect match. And after three boring hours of reading pages and pages of intellectual crap, he was seriously overdosing on spirituality and mysticism, hence his decision to take a well-deserved break.
Hidan was still sipping his drink when another part of the puzzle popped up in his mind. Until now, he'd only focused his attention on what he was dealing with, never on who. Even though the genius from Konoha was the one who interested him most, the presence of the boy's old teammates and of the former fifth Kazekage, not to mention an Uchiha that could well be Itachi's brother, led him to believe that some of their friends, if not all of them, were also individuals from the Ninja Era suddenly coming out of nowhere thousands of years later. And aside from a handful of facts, they were as much of a mystery as their existence itself. Learning more about them might not help figuring out all this mess but it was worth a try; this was precisely why he'd invited them in the first place after all.
Sitting at his desk once again, he resumed his search with a new objective in mind. At first, it proved ineffective but he wasn't expecting any better. Tracking down specific persons on the net when you know virtually nothing about them and they are not famous is no small feat. His only leads were their names and the fact that all of them, save for Konohamaru, were students living at the university of Mintos. Still, each time among the results were links to CyberLife, the most popular social network in the world. Of course, he didn't have an account himself but for the sake of his investigation, he created one, hoping to have more success there.
Unfortunately, although there were several 'Shikamaru Nara' on the website, none of those who had a public profile appeared to be the shadow-nin haunting his memory. Same for his gluttonous buddy Chouji. The first one he came upon was that blonde-fury Ino who, unlike them, was either kind, naïve or dumb enough to grant full access to her page even to strangers like him. He wouldn't complain though as it permitted him to nose around in her friends list where everybody else could be found.
In the end, all the members of the beach group were registered on CyberLife but only nine out of twenty three weren't completely private. Aside from the ponytailed harpy, these included Lee, Kiba, Konohamaru, Naruto, Sai, Sakura, Suigetsu and Zaku. All the others were out of reach for now.
However, not everyone had the same policy and behavior in terms of privacy. Sai was the most restrictive of them as the only thing he showed to strangers were various works of art, from basic drawings made for fun to impressive paintings, especially to Hidan who sucked at pretty much all forms of art in existence. Lee, Zaku and Suigetsu were a bit disappointing; their messages could be seen, and they clearly wrote a lot but rarely about them. This was different with Ino and Sakura. These two loved talking about themselves but only to say how gorgeous they were or how ugly the other was in comparison; a beauty contest that lasted ever since their first meeting. Last but not least were Naruto, Kiba and Konohamaru. It seemed these guys had no problem writing about themselves, even about others occasionally. Sadly, most of the time it was only about classes or friends which wasn't very helpful for the albino's research but hopefully, a few useful things could still be extracted from them.
A long study then ensued; basic information from profiles, statuses, pictures… everything the immortal could access was thoroughly examined. It often proved worthless but that was the only way he had to gather a tiny bit of intel. Although he didn't learn so much about each of them separately, this ultimately gave him a simple outline of the troop's forming over the years. Part of its creation was recent but several smaller, older clusters could be made out as well as the relationships between them.
Judging from the photos he was authorized to see, a lot of them were childhood friends going all the way back to elementary school, some even before that. Four trios had such a history: Shikamaru-Chouji-Ino, Kiba-Shino-Hinata, Neji-Lee-Tenten and Naruto-Sasuke-Sakura. Sai had joined the latter at some stage in Junior High.
The main link between all of them was yet another trio, namely Kiba, Naruto and Shikamaru. The three boys had first met when they were ten at summer camp. Apparently, they had immediately become very close friends and had stayed in touch after that, arranging things so they could see each other again during future vacations. The friendship between them along with the family ties between Neji and Hinata were obviously what had brought these thirteen kids together to form the core of the current group.
Another evident component was the Akabane siblings; Kankurou, Gaara and Temari. It appears their first encounter with the others dated from only three months ago. However, there was no indication whether it was a random event or if they ran into each others for a specific reason.
Likewise for the latest newcomers Zaku, Dosu and Kin, who arrived barely a few weeks ago. Except in their case, Hidan hadn't discovered the relationship between these three so far. They've obviously been best friends for more than fifteen years and went to school together but it was unclear as to how they first got to know each others.
Even more mysterious were Suigetsu, Juugo and Karin. The albino had searched everywhere in vain, never finding a single clue regarding them, where they came from or how they first met the others. The only single thing he could say was that all three of them suddenly started appearing on the Uzamaki's pictures a few years ago with no apparent reason, and that the blonde boy referred to them as 'friends of Sasuke'. No other detail about them had leaked out, no matter how hard he rummaged around Suigetsu or Naruto's profiles.
Finally, there was Konohamaru. Surprisingly, the teen was once a common friend of Naruto and Shikamaru, whom he had met separately only to find out much later that they both knew each other as well. In fact, checking the kid's picture had also revealed another all-too familiar face; his uncle with whom he lived.
Asuma Sarutobi, the shinobi he'd murdered with his own hands, ultimately leading to his utter defeat against his prey's vengeful pupil.
That unexpected revelation had definitely removed all doubts still lingering in his mind. Although it was naturally impossible for him to know what had occurred after he ended up being buried in his earthen prison, there was at least one fact he was absolutely sure of: the bearded man was dead before his own demise. And now, the last victim of Jashin's curse was back among the livings as well. This was the last evidence he needed to be confident that the Shikamaru encountered on the beach was the Konoha genius who had battled against him; the one and only 'immortal-killer'. And one more reason for him to solve this mystery.
Alas, aside from that surprise and the various relations inside the group, he hadn't learned so much, especially concerning his number one target; only a tiny about some of his companion.
He was about to turn off his computer and return to his bed when an intriguing fact came back to his mind, namely the physical resemblance between Sasuke and Itachi. Despite Naruto mentioning the first raven here and there for random reasons, he hadn't read anything interesting regarding him or his family.
There was not a single Cyberlife account by the name of Itachi Uchiha, or at least no public one. However, this time he wasn't looking for only one person but for a link between two, a huge difference that convinced him to try his luck outside the social network, using basic search engines. His attention was soon attracted by a five year old newspaper article as it included the picture of four people referred to as 'the Uchiha family'; a couple with two sons reminding him of Sasuke and Itachi, albeit a bit younger.
...
'Aequo pulsat pede'
At first sight, what occurred yesterday is but yet another double murder amongst the so numerous tragic events taking place everyday. The particularity here is the identity of the victims.
It all began when six gunshots suddenly rang out around 11 PM in Chuo, the rich and normally quiet neighbourhood of Byzel. Warned by some passers-by, the police discovered the lifeless bodies of the renowned businessman Fugaku Uchuhi and his wife, Mikoto Uchiha, lying in a pool of their own blood in the living-room of their luxurious residence.
No more information was given so far. Commissioner Bialès, who is in charge of the investigation, is waiting for the forensic experts' reports on the crime scene and the autopsies before making a new statement.
However, even if no hypothesis has officially been ruled out, it would appear this killing is the consequence of a family tragedy with the number one suspect being none other than the couple's oldest son, Itachi Uchiha.
Indeed, a source wishing to remain anonymous confirmed to us that the investigators have a witness: Sasuke Uchiha, the victims' youngest son who was found safe and sound by the officers as they searched the house, then taken to a safe, secret place in order to be questioned. According to our informant, the boy would have seen his brother standing over their parents' corpses with a gun in his hand. When the latter noticed his presence, he apparently attempted to shoot him as well but the teenager managed to run away and hide in the attic. The police arrived shortly after the encounter, saving the child's life as the murderer decided to flee, rather than fight them.
However, the young survivor has been unable to shed some light on the exact circumstances of the murders, especially regarding his elder's motive.
Following the death of the company's main directors, a crisis meeting has been planned in the headquarters of UHTC. According to the official statement from the spokesperson, a temporary management team will be discussed and voted on in order to 'ensure the business continuity despite this horrible tragedy'. The new team will run the family group until one of Fugaku and Mikoto's heirs decides to take the lead again.
Unless Itachi was somehow proven to be innocent, only Sasuke will be allowed to lay such a claim once he reaches the age of eighteen. Should he choose not to, the rest of the Uchiha family would then have to decide whether to maintain the new team or to elect yet another one.
...
Judging from the more recent articles about this story, no real progress had been made after that. Police has been appealing for witnesses, sadly with very little success; a passer-by confirmed having seen Itachi passing through the entrance gate shortly before the gunshots rang out. The forensic experts had not been able to discover any useful evidence to establish his guilt or innocence. And more importantly, he was still on the run…
Finding nothing else worth reading for his own investigation on the siblings, Hidan launched a series of searches on the other members of the Akatsuki, hoping to determine whether his former partners were back as well. Kakuzu, Kisame, Deidara, Sasori, Tobi, Pein, Konan and Zetsu… He tried all their names but to no avail; he wasn't expecting any better though considering he only had was their first name to work with.
That was the last lead he could think of for now. Therefore, the albino finally turned off his computer and went back to his bed with a deep sigh of frustration. First because he still had no idea was he was dealing with; and second because he felt like he wasn't getting anywhere. Each answer led only to more questions and the more he knew, the more confused he was. Needless to say this was pissing him off, and that's a euphemism.
The only good news was that he was now much more tired than before. He had to get some rest; the troop was coming the next day and he'd have to be polite, subtle and intelligent in order to gain their trust and watch them. Three traits that were definitely unlike him at all. This was going to be a very tough job for him and it would simply prove impossible should he be exhausted as well. He had to sleep!
Minutes later, he was dreaming already…
Even though it was only the fifth week of the school year, most students had already developed a number of small habits. One such example could currently be found in one of the university's computer labs where, as every Monday, a group of freshmen had their last lesson of the morning; a period attended by a rather heterogeneous trio of boys, except for the all demonstrated.
Sitting next to each other near a window, an amber-haired giant was talking in a low voice about nature and animals with a guy whose dark bushy hair was rising up in the air as if to make up for the height difference between them. For an unknown reason, the latter was wearing some sunglasses; a surprising fact considering he was indoors, not to mention the shitty weather outside with no sun at all. Actually, he wore them all the time, even at night or during a pitch black storm.
At the back of the room, right behind these two, was their lazy friend presently in the middle of his usual snooze. Just as he no longer asked the other to remove his glasses, their current teacher had also given up on trying to keep the sluggard awake. Not out of sympathy mind you; only to save himself from another humiliating session. The first and last time he was bold enough to do so, he had stupidly suggested that if his lesson was so incredibly boring, maybe the boy could take his place and give a better one. Too bad for him, he didn't know the kid was a real geek ever since his childhood and had the required knowledge to actually do so. And for the sake of definitely putting the old man in his place, he had ignored his ever so lethargic mind and actually accepted the challenge. Successfully… so much that now, he could now nap peacefully until the shrill ringing of the bell finally announced the lunch break.
When that oh-so awaited moment arrived, the sleepyhead swiftly put his things in his bag and stood up, feeling a tiny bit of motivation for the first time of the day, although he didn't show it. He and his companions then set off for the room where the group always gathered when the weather prevented them from enjoying the campus' lawn. The gigantic one was leading all along as it was easier for him to force his way through the swarm of students invading the corridors. With his help, it took them less than a minute to reach their destination where five of their friends were already waiting for them to arrive.
A lively discussion was going on between Naruto, Kiba and Zaku. Meanwhile, Dosu simply listened and didn't say much; Hinata, nothing at all. The newcomers went to sit near them, Shino quickening his pace to hug and share a kiss with his shy girlfriend. None of the three was very talkative either, so they let the others do the talking as they previously did. However, it wasn't long before the sudden, brutal opening of the room's only door attracted everyone's attention, only for them to see a very edgy Sasuke come in and take a seat next to the blue-eyed blonde.
"Again?" the latter asked cautiously, he and all the others having already figured out what was going on.
"Again! And this time, they began before class even started!" His sentence wasn't even finished when two familiar female voices coming from the corridor could be heard. Considering the deafening volume, the murderous tone and the foul language, it was easy for everyone to guess that yet another dispute was going on between the group's two show-offs, a deduction soon confirmed by the harpies' entrance in the room.
This was another Monday ritual: a new episode in the 'Ino vs Sakura' series; a war that began on the very second when they met each other. Not that it was so rare; ever since their first encounter, arguments pretty much occurred on a daily basis. Those were often limited to insults and venomous retorts but blows were occasionally traded as well. The most surprising part of the story was that, despite their numerous fights, they somehow decided to become flatmates and were still alive after weeks of living together.
What made this specific time so special was the presence of the Uchiha. Many girls in the university were literally crazy about the handsome raven. These two were no exception and the problem was that he had the misfortune to have his last lesson of the morning with both of them. This led to the two rivals doing their best to get his attention and receive more compliments from him than the other. Needless to say it always ended up in the same way: an all-out verbal sparring with the boy in the middle. And once they were started, there was no stopping them, especially not in his case. Every time he tried, they would accuse each other of angering him, only resulting in an even louder dispute.
"For God's sake, shut them up or I'm gonna break down!" Sasuke begged with distressed eyes quite unlike him.
Naruto and Kiba were about to fix the situation in their own way as Sai and Suigetsu entered the room, a sign that maybe Lady Luck had heard his plea and decided to smile on him for once. The young artist immediately understood what was going on and went straight towards the two best enemies. Without a moment's hesitation, he put himself between them, snaked an arm around Sakura's waist and French kissed her, effectively silencing both of them in the process; a bold move that earned him a silent blessing from everyone else. And yes, despite being a real groupie of the Uchiha, the pink-haired girl was actually dating the other raven.
A few minutes later, the rest of the troop had arrived, bringing the number of people in the room up to twenty-one. As usual, instead of having lunch at the university restaurant or another such place, each of them provided something to eat or drink, then everything was gathered together for everyone to help themselves.
For obvious reasons that no one would dare mention before him for fear of being beaten to a pulp right on the spot, Chouji contributed more than the others. In fact, about a quarter of the food came from him; of course, he devoured about as much, sometimes more. However, it wasn't like one of them would complain about it. All the dishes he brought with him were top quality, prepared with his father's help, a professional chef of great talent; a hundred times more delicious than what his companions could offer.
"Everyone still ok for tonight?" Kiba asked, raising his voice to get everyone's attention during the meal. "We're all off to the Alba Madonna after class?"
"Temari should be waiting for us outside when we leave. If for some reason she couldn't make it on time, she's supposed to text me and join us later." Kankurou answered, sitting right next to him with his plate.
"Konohamaru won't be there. Damn moron somehow got detention for tonight…" Naruto informed him, rolling his eyes as he did even though his tone gave his mirth away.
"Ok. Anyone else who can't or doesn't want to be there?" The tattooed-boy interpreted the lack of answer as the confirmation that everyone would be present as scheduled.
"How do we get ourselves organized though?" Shikamaru inquired with a much quieter voice. "I need to fetch my keyboard from my flat. Same for you with your guitar." He added to the Inuzuka.
"Well, I don't recall anyone mentioning a specific hour. We could quickly drop by our places and gather in front of the university dorm before going there." Suigetsu suggested.
"Sorry if I'm gonna sound like an ass but…" Zaku suddenly warned, all eyes turning towards him. "…am I the only one of us who smells a rat? We barely met the guy and he's already granting us free access to his luxurious estate. It's almost as if he was willing to give us the key to get in whenever we want. I mean it's not like he's a beggar with nothing to steal from him; from what Temari said, he's a multimillionaire. Fuck, if it were me, I'd definitely be warier of about twenty complete strangers.
"Well, when Naruto offered the three of you to be part of our group a month ago, you didn't know us any more than he does." Sakura mentioned with a smirk, pointing at him, Dosu and Kin with her index. "It doesn't look like you regret accepting his proposition."
"Except these are two completely different situations." the spiky-haired boy retorted. "Initially, he simply asked if we'd be interested in joining the music band, nothing more. We didn't invite all of you into our dorm room. And we're obviously not as rich as he is."
"Personally, I agree with him." Ino said with unusual seriousness. "Judging from what we've seen yesterday, Hidan appears to be a really nice person, I'll give you that. But I don't know why, something about him gives me some very bad vibes. It's hard to explain but I have the feeling he's a lot more dangerous than he looks. I know I don't have any proof or any reason to say this; just call that woman's instinct."
"You sure it's not your pig instinct?" In a split second, the two beauty queens wannabe were once again glaring daggers at each other, eager to start yet another long series of insults and childish remarks. Fortunately for the Uchiha's nerves who hadn't recovered from their earlier torture, Sai took care of calming his girlfriend down one more time while Shino immediately jumped in the conversation, breaking his own silence only to prevent the ponytailed-blonde to reply.
"I have to admit it bothers me as well but Sakura has a point. Naruto wouldn't have welcomed us in his house, he'd have dragged us all the way up there. However, I believe all of us will agree that he is anything but malevolent. As suspicious as Hidan can be, he deserves the benefit of the doubt, right? As you said, we barely met him, so let's take some time so we can get to know him a bit more. If in the end, we get confirmation that he is dangerous for real, we'll act accordingly and leave as soon as possible. But he may also turn out to be a nice guy, and then we'll have a new friend and a great place where all of us can gather. The least we can do is giving him a chance to prove himself, don't you think?"
Everyone was then asked his opinion on the matter one after the after. Several other members had some doubts about their new acquaintance from the beach but all of them concurred in the bespectacled boy's plan as well as Suigetsu's suggestion to take some time before going to the Alba Madonna. After that short debate, the small talk resumed with a wide range of topic being addressed until the break came close to its end, forcing the group to disperse and head for their respective rooms.
"Damn it, die you son of a bitch! Die! Die! DIE! DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!"
Seven… For the seventh time in a row, he just had his ass severely kicked by the final boss. No matter what tactic he tried or what mutations he activated, nothing ever seemed to work, not even flinging copters or jet fighters in the bastard's face. Hand-to-hand fighting was a laugh… A dozen punches or kicks were barely enough to remove one or two pixels of his life bar while his character lost at least a third of his own life with each attack. He then had no other choice but to run around the carrier to grab random soldiers and heal himself to avoid dying stupidly because of a Devastator attack from the giant ultra-powerful piece of shit. Oh, and of course, his own ones were completely useless; they even tended to be deadly for himself instead of his opponent.
Anyway, needless to say that the albino was quite a sore loser and that the damn monster was seriously pissing him off. The ironic part was that he had been playing that game not only to finish it but also to let some steam off before the living mysteries arrived. The end result was the complete opposite: he had made no progress at all and he was now mad with rage.
As obstinate as ever when facing such a situation, he was about to start his eighth attempt when the intercom rang, signaling that the long-awaited meeting had come. After quickly checking that this wasn't a false alarm, he opened the gate and went to wait for their arrival on the doorstep. A short while later, seven cars were parked in front of the annex.
The torrential rain pouring on the region was even thicker than the previous night. Consequently, the immortal urged his guests to quickly take shelter inside, which they did at without a moment's hesitation.
"Fuck… you said the place was great but that… it's just awesome!" Suigetsu's amazed reaction as he entered the large room was most appreciated by Hidan; if all these youngsters loved his estate that much, then as long as he didn't screw up, it would be unlikely for them to leave and seriously impede his investigation.
"So, did you bring your stuff with you?" the ex-jashinist asked to the band members while their friends discovered the place.
"Yeah, it's all in our trunks." Naruto replied with a quick glance towards the outside. Judging from their faces, no one was really looking forward to facing the shitty weather again.
With a small laugh, their host suggested they first decide where to put their instruments and then move the furniture to free some space if necessary. Sadly, this didn't take so long, and of course the sky was no clearer by then. However, thanks to the help of the whole team, unloading the cars was only a matter of seconds.
After that, about ten minutes were enough for the musicians to set everything up. All that remained was for them to give it a try in order to check that it was all working fine, which was the perfect opportunity for the albino to see what the band was made of.
At the front of the stage stood the blue-eyed blonde, the only one who didn't have an instrument. He was the main singer; a pretty strange fact for anyone who ever heard his ever so shrilling voice and his permanent over-excited state. Yet as soon as the song began, not only did he suddenly show some exceptional self-control but he actually proved to have some undeniable talent. Hidan had never been a music lover but even he was forced to admit that the boy was far more gifted than he looked.
Next to him was Sai, the violin virtuoso who had the exact same deep concentration on his face as he had while drawing on the beach. Surprisingly, even though his instrument was kind of an intruder among the much more prevalent ones in such bands, the different sounds blended together to give a wonderful music. The immortal had also seen the raven manipulate the traverse flute laying on the ground not far from him; he supposed that he must be using it for other pieces.
Behind these two was Zaku, the bass player, surrounded on each side by Kiba and Sasuke, the guitarists. All of them were in high spirits, which was normal for the first two but extremely unusual for the Uchiha who rarely made any public display of emotion, especially not positive ones. At the back was Dosu, the drummer, beating the rhythm followed by everybody else.
Finally, at the latter's right was Shikamaru behind his keyboard. At first sight, he was as motivated as ever, meaning not at all, but observing him a bit longer revealed that he was genuinely psyched up for once. His fingers worked the keys with such an impressive mastery, it was obvious that he was no random beginner. Furthermore, although his eyes were mostly focused on his instrument, he occasionally looked up for one or two seconds to check on his partners, showing a liveliness and a seriousness completely opposite to his typical laziness. Still, that expression wasn't new to the ex-jashinist; the shadow-nin wore the exact same during their past duel.
As the song was coming to an end, Hidan got closer to Chouji currently snacking on some potato chips not far from him. "I'm surprised; for someone you keep calling a loafer, he seems to be quite the musician." he pointed out while keeping his eyes on the pineapple-head.
"That's one of the very few things that interest him, along with computing and shogi. For anything else, he's got zero motivation." the food lover clarified between two bites. His neutral tone indicated that his remark wasn't meant to be a reproach; he was merely stating an indisputable fact.
"Shogi?" The word was vaguely familiar but the albino couldn't remember what it was or when he had last heard about it.
"A game he read about on the net." The brunette informed him. "I'm no expert myself but from what he told me, it was discovered by archeologists during some excavations. Apparently, it's at least two or three thousand years old, maybe even more."
"A friendly advice: if you don't like losing, don't ever play against him." Ino warned him, standing next to her gluttonous companion. The questioning look she got from a pair of amethyst eyes convinced her to explain herself. "It's a strategy board game pretty similar to chess and as weird as it may sound, Shikamaru happens to have an over-the-top IQ. Yeah, I know it's not exactly obvious but that lazy ass actually has a brain."
"Don't be jealous Ino. Hopefully, you can afford one for yourself someday." The retort came from the genius himself who had been able to hear the gossip girl's comment as there was no music anymore. The immortal shared an amused smile with the Akimichi boy while the touchy blonde was searching for a counter-attack of her own.
"So, everything okay?" Hidan asked before another dispute could begin. After a few quick corrections, the band members confirmed that all was working perfectly.
With the setting up finally finished, they left their instruments to join the rest of the group. Most of them were already making themselves at home such as Suigetsu and Temari who were testing the various games consoles that the annex had to offer, Kankurou drinking with Shino by the minibar, or Juugo challenging Neji to the pool table.
Everyone then enjoyed the place for a nice relaxing moment. The albino frequently went from one guest to another and talked a bit with each and every of them without being too nosy for now. His last, much longer stop was at the bar where the Nara had settled down and was now chatting with the other boys sitting there.
An hour later, the twenty-two students left the estate and headed back to their respective homes. They would have stayed longer if not for their homework, lessons and other activities waiting for them. Meanwhile, Hidan went to prepare dinner for himself, reflecting on that rather brief visit as he did.
The first step of his plan could easily be considered a success. Judging from what he had seen and heard, the whole group seemed to like the Alba Madonna and were definitely willing to use it whether for rehearsing or simply for recreation. Unless something really bad occurred, they would certainly be coming here again in the future, which was exactly what the ex-jashinist wanted.
Sadly, the same couldn't be said about him. Although none of them had shown any hostility against him, it was obvious that they didn't consider him a friend yet, the only exception being the Uzumaki but then again, it was hard to guess what the whiskered-boy thought for real, if he knew how to think that is. Anyway, getting to know every single of them was his next task in order to earn their full trust. It would certainly take a very long time, which didn't help with the immortal's frustration and impatience but that was the only choice he had.
Once he was done with his cooking, Hidan went up to his room and sat in front of his computer, giving a deep sigh at the prospect of what he was about to do. Spending some time with the kids might be part of his plan but at least it could be fun. On the contrary, reading some damn texts about philosophy or religion was boring as hell. What's worse, he wasn't even sure that it would eventually give him an answer in the end.
In any case, he had just begun what would be a long-term job and there would be no result at first. Fortunately, being an immortal, time wasn't exactly a problem for him…
Author's notes:
Now the group's finally settled in the Alba Madonna. Finally time to work on the relationship between Hidan and the others, and especially Shikamaru. :p
For the curious ones, 'Slumber' is an anagram of 'Bulmers'. I'm a fan of cider myself and while searching for a name for Hidan's drink, I found this out and thought it would be ironical for for both Hidan and Shikamaru to have such a drink.
Also, 'Aequo pulsat pede' is a Latin expression which basically means 'Death strikes everyone in the same way'.
The updated gang's diagram is available on my profile.
The title for this chapter is a reference to a soundtrack from the wonderful game 'Kingdom Hearts II'.
Thank you for reading, even more for reviewing. Don't hesitate to point any mistake, inconsistency or anything. Useful criticism is always welcome, especially for a beginner like me.