A/N: Just in case you want to, I recommend listening to Requiem For A Dream Remix by Clint Mansell around Hidan's second part, okay? I had it on repeat while writing from that point on and it really helped me and I believe it sets the mood well. Now continue on, please.

A Haunting Kind Of Memory

Chapter 4

O O O

"This the kid Kakuzu was talking about, hm?"

Gaara narrowed his eyes on the blonde man standing in his sister's aclove--blocking his way to the front door where he needed to exit in order to make it on time to his new job at Kankurou's car shop. Hidan poked his head out of the kitchen and looked at the two men with a raised brow.

"Kid? Why's everyone calling him a damn kid? You're the kid here, Deidara."

"Oy, I'm older the him," Deidara grunted, his cornflower blue eyes narrowing. "By a few years from the looks of it, yeah."

Hidan strutted out of the kitchen and ruffled Gaara's red locks. "Heh, you might be older than him, but I'd bet anything he's more mature than you'll ever be, you little shit."

"Do that again, and I'll kill you, Hidan." Gaara muttered as he flattened his hair back out. "I have to go to work."

"What are you doing here anyway?" Hidan said, ignoring Gaara's statement as he cocked his head at the other man.

Deidara shrugged and moved around the pair to plop down on the couch. "Leader decided it was time for a check-up. Kakuzu mentioned he gave you lift a few days ago last night when he popped in."

"Yeah, the cocksucker was going after a pick-up. How'd that go over?"

Gaara rolled his eyes and made for the door to leave, but Hidan put a restraining hand on his shoulder. "Hang on a second, Gaara," he said before turning back to Deidara. "You drove over here, didn't you?"

Deidara eyed the two of them, bored. "Yeah."

Hidan grinned. "Good. Give us a ride."

"When are you going to get you're own damn car?" Dediara grumbled as he pushed himself from the comfy couch and shouldered his way to the front door. "Not touching the stereo, Hidan. My car, my rules, my choice of radio stations, yeah."

"...fucking prick."

O O O

Sakura woke up that morning with a slight headache. After a moment, she remembered why and groaned loudly as she pressed her face back into the sheets. Mentally, she gave herself a beating as she turned her head to the side while praying vehemently that what she could recollect of last night was only a dream and not reality because that would not be like her and Ino would pitch the mother of all fits and--

Zaku.

Sakura groaned again thumped herself in the temple in frustration. It wasn't a dream, she had slept with Zaku.

Turning her face to look at him again, she noted the almost peaceful look on his face and his messier than usual hair flopped over his closed eyes. His bare shoulders rose and fell softly with each breath he took and without conciously realizing it, she slowed her breathing to match is. It was a beautiful sight really, ignoring the cirumstances and actions that had lead to such a point.

It wasn't often that someone as straight-forward and brazen as Zaku was as ungaurded as he was at that moment, sleeping beside her. It was a rare sight indeed and definitely not an unwelcomed one. Sakura found she rather liked the silence that had settled warmly over the room. It was gentle, and prosed the perfect vibes to fall back asleep in.

But she couldn't because of a niggling thought pushing to the front of her mind with a set determination. She had slept with Zaku, yes, and she felt relaxed. More then relaxed, she felt great, actually. Stress wasn't suddenly so big an issue anymore after having sex. Be that as it may, it wasn't like her at all to sleep with a man after such a short amount of time and it truely bothered her. Sure, she could blame it on the alcohol she had drank last night, having spent the start of their evening at his bar.

That would be blatantly lying to herself, though, because she knew as well as anyone close to her that she wasn't much of a lightweight and her decisions weren't all that impractical under the influence. Maybe just a little blurred. But blurred and outright disregarding common sense were two completely different things.

She felt horrible, and not just from the hangover.

With a groan and a sharp frown, Sakura jerked herself into a sitting position and pulled her knees up to her chest, carefully wrapping the sheet around her to keep her covered (even if now there really wasn't any point.) and massaged her eyes with the palms of her hands. Right, she needed to get home because obviously she couldn't stay wrapped up in Zaku's sheets in Zaku's bed in Zaku's home.

The very thought was naseuating and it struck her as odd. She liked Zaku well enough, she shouldn't feel so sick at the idea of staying around for a bit, but that was the problem. It did.

On impulse she glanced at him from between her fingers and stared at his face. Exposed. Vulnerable. Open. Touchable.

And that's when it hit her, or rather, slammed into her with reckless abandon.

The resemblance, the significant relation to the memory suddenly forcing itself on her, was astounding and before she knew it, Sakura felt tears leaking from her eyes and dripping off her chin. It was too much. Too, too much.

Taking completely off guard, she was suddenly and unmercifully reminded of how he had looked the moment she had succeeded in breaking down his walls. How he had stared at her without pretense and without the anger, confusion, and hate that was his own personal dark cloud. How he had layed beside her with the same appearance of vulnerability and exposed thoughts.

He being the very man she had spent two years trying in vain to forget and in the end only managing to push him into the back of her mind and stuffing everything he had stood for in a locked box that would never again be opened for her to suffer through. But she felt the rusty hinges creaking, felt the lid being pushing back, felt the flecks of rust falling away as the lid was forced slightly open and a few images slipped past the ancient locks.

Sakura took in a shaky breath as she remembered his crimson locks, his sharp eyes, his grim expression, his unforgiving lips, his relentless hands, and his cruel, cruel heart. She felt suffocated, and knew that she had to get away lest the weak box open all the way and drown her.

She had promised herself a long time ago that she would never let that happen again, that she would never let him hurt her. It was a promise she had believed would be easy to keep.

She saw now how wrong she had been, for just the mere memory of him had her heart speeding up and her palms sweating.

Sakura wrenched herself free from the sheets and scrambled for her clothes, paying no attention to the man rousing himself on the bed, suddenly awakening and staring at her in confusion.

"Sakura? What are you doing? What's wrong?" She heard him ask quickly, heard him disentangle himself from the bed and slip on a pair of shorts before standing in front of her as she slipped on her dress from last night. "Hey, hey! What's going on?"

"I need to go." she said, avoiding his eyes. "I need to--let go of me! I need to leave!"

"Sakrua--"

Her head whipped around and fixed him with a glare that was filled with malice. "I'm leaving."

God, she felt like she couldn't breathe. His mouth snapped shut and his eyes narrowed, mouth fixing in a straight line. "Alright," he said, lips barely moving. "Okay."

Her lungs constricted painfully before relaxing three times in quick succession as he moved out of the way and removed his arms from where they had rested on her shoulders.

She left without another word.

O O O

Gaara had spent most of the morning fiddling with car parts with Kankurou, learning how things were run, and eventually coming out successful replacing new tires on a Honda Civic and repairing a damaged engine on an old Ford truck.

"Nicely done. Very nice." Kankurou grinned and slapped Gaara on the back, reminding the younger brother of their sister's husband. He bit back a smirk, knowing that if Kankurou was aware of his thoughts, he would have a fit because of his dislike for the older man.

Kankurou whiped his forhead with the back of his arm, smearing oil like facepaint across his skin in the process. "So, Temari talk to you about Hidan yet?" he asked. Gaara noted his voice seemed overly casual and narrowed his eyes.

"What about Hidan?"

Kankurou glanced over his shoulder, as if expecting Hidan to stroll around the corner with a big grin and giant explosives loading down his arms before leaning in toward Gaara and cupping a hand over his mouth. "About him being in the friggin Mafia, that's what!" he hissed. "The Mafia, Gaara!"

At Gaara's blank look, Kankurou frowned. "You know, leather jackets, creepy expressions," he scowled darkly and snarled as an example. "guys with only one thing on their mind. Murder."

Gaara tilted his head to the side and feigned interest. "But Hidan met Temari and it looks as if there are other things on his mind besides murder."

Kankurou clenched his jaw. "Yeah, well, who's to say he isn't planning to kill her, huh?"

"Guess him spending so much time keeping her locked in the bedroom is part of the plan, then."

"Wha--?!" Kankurou sputtered and back pedaled away from his younger brother. "Oh, God, he's corrupting you!"

Gaara smirked.

O O O

Hidan was silent for once, expression cold and indifferent as he fought to keep his mouth shut and eyes trained on the man in front of him. Speaking right now, even muttering one syllable, could get him a bullet to the head, and he couldn't afford that. Not when Temari would be waiting for him to come home safely with her brother in tow and no blood spattered on his clothes.

He was not so sure he could uphold that commitment, though, because he was being asked to do nearly the impossible.

"Do you understand this, Hidan?"

Fuck.

"Yes."

"Good, it needs to be completed immediately. Sasori is waiting out front for you. Kakuzu will join you at the rendevouz point and you will report back here afterwards, is that clear?"

Hidan swallowed carefully, his hesitation earning a sharp look of disapproval and suspiscion from the man in front of him. "...yes."

"Then you may go."

He was going to leave, really, he was, but he couldn't. Not leaving things like this, unanswered and up in the air. It wasn't right. None of this was right.

"Why are you sending me out. I'm supposed to be done with this shit." he said, standing warily in front of the expensive desk his former boss's boss sat behind.

Brilliant crimson eyes looked up at him curiously as he leaned back in his chair, lacing his fingers over his chest. "It is not obligatory of me to provide you with a reason. I require your services, and you will perform the task without complaint lest you desire to deal with the consquences."

"But it's been an entire year."

"Yes."

"I'm not...I have other priorities now!" Hidan snapped, his temper simmering beneath the surface. "I can't just jump right back into this damn life!"

"Hidan." Hidan's eyes darted to the right where Pein stood against the wall, his posture stiff and tense. "Calm yourself."

"But--"

"Hidan."

"You promised me protection, didn't you? Where is it now?" Hidan demanded. "I thought this was behind me, you can't just throw me back out there like this!"

Pein visibly clenched his jaw. "I have no choice."

"But I don't work for him! I worked for you and that's finished, so what the hell am I doing here!"

"I work for him," Pein said quietly, though his eyes reflected his frustration. "Madara specifically requested you for this mission and I cannot refuse."

Madara smiled benignly from behind his fingers and straightened in his seat, fixing his odd red eyes on Hidan. "Forgive me when I say this, but, it has come to my knowledge that you are very...loyal to your new family, correct?"

Hidan didn't like were this was going. He didn't like it at all. He felt sick and unbalanced as the realization of what was going to come slapped him in the face. Fisting his hands at his sides, he gave a short, curt nod.

"Excellent," Madara grinned. "you wouldn't want something unpleasant to happen to them, now would you? Who knows, Temari is it? It would be tragic if she happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time on her way to work, say, if her car seemed to be out of commission..." he trailed, a delighted glint in his eyes.

Hidan was positively livid. "You wouldn't dare--"

"Sasori is waiting out front for you, Hidan. It would be best for you to leave now." Pein intervened. The only indication of his own anger at the situation was the slight downwards tilt of his lips and miniscule narrowing of his eyes.

It was silent for a moment as Hidan sneered in disgust at both men before spinnging around on his heel; storming out of the room. He didn't have to look back to know that Madara was smiling malicously with amusement practically dripping from his eerie crimson eyes.

O O O

"I love their club sandwiches," Kankurou sighed happily, running a hand through his touseled brown hair in contentment.

Gaara glanced at his brother as they exited the small street-corner restraunt. "Among other things." he added with a small, mocking smirk.

Color spread over the bridge of Kankurou's nose and he coughed into his fist, turning away from his younger brother. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Right, sorry. Must have imagined the double-meanings in your words to that waitress on my own," Gaara replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "And I guess how she couldn't take her eyes off you was my imagination, too."

"Hibari was looking at me? Really?"

At Gaara's pointed look, Kankurou cleared his throat and looked away, feinging indifference even though Gaara could clearly see the smile twitching on his lips and pleased look of accomplishment shining on his face.

It was nearing dark now, and the two brothers walked on in amiable silence down the sidewalk--turning left on the corner to enter the partially deserted street leading to Kankurou's garage. The streetlights above the flickered omniously as stray cats and dogs mewled from the shadows. It wasn't an idle stroll in the park, but then again, it was the back streets of the city. There wasn't much of value or interest hidden in the grimey corners of the street, and neither felt the need to dwadle.

Kankurou glanced up at one of the flickering light posts and frowned. "I suppose it wouldn't have hurt to use the company car after all." he muttered.

"Keep that in mind next time."

"Yeah, yeah," Kankurou muttered. "What was that?"

Gaara looked up at his brother. "What was what?"

Kankurou peered into the darkening street ahead of them. "That...popping noise. You didn't hear it?" he asked, turning back to look at Gaara with a slightly apprehensive expression.

Gaara was about to shake his head when the popping noise came again. Turning his head, he followed Kankurou's gaze and stared down one of the streets branching into theirs' from the right. Headlights from a car were casting a faint glow on the buildings, and from the sound of screeching tires rapidly approaching, it proved to be an unsettling sight.

In seconds, two cars swerved around the opposite corner and continued barreling down the street, heading straight for Gaara and Kankurou standing frozen on the sidewalk.

O O O

Hidan ran a hand through his slicked back hair, feeling a few of the strands come loose and tickle his forhead. He payed no attention however as another gunshot 'pinged' off the outside of the car and ricocheted to places unknown.

"Grab the .50 Cal, Hidan. Hurry up!" Sasori snapped as he jerked the wheel of the car to shoot down a side street. "It's in the back under the seat--shit!" The car gave a sudden lurch as Sasori tried to dodge a manhole gaping in the middle of the street. "Go on, man! Shoot them!"

"I was supposed to be finished with this shit!" Hidan yelled as he scrambled into the backseat, upending the bottom and snatching out the Smith and Wesson .50 Caliber. "Where's the fucking clips! SASORI THE CLIPS!"

Sasori took a sharp turn, nearly flipping Hidan over the seat before yelling back, "Right beside the damn gun! Hurry your ass up before we get killed!"

"Goddamn it!"

Hidan's hands were slick with sweat as he popped in the clip and jerked back the hammer, eyes wild and chest heaving. He kept his fingers tight around the weapon while he crawled back to the passenger seat, pointing the barrel away from his body in case he slipped. Sasori's driving had Hidan's stomach lurching every which way and it was difficult to concentrate on getting the window down and leaning out far enough to get a good shot.

When he did, he narrowly missed getting his head blown off by enemy fire. "Fuck!"

Sasori glanced over at his partner and swore under his breath. "Come on, Hidan! Shoot!"

"I'm trying to, damn it!"

A loud BANG exploded around them as Hidan tightened his finger on the trigger and let loose his first shot. Having been one of the best shooters in Akatsuki, he knew before the blood spattered on their followers' windshield that he had hit his target. Though he was experienced with a gun, he wasn't fully prepared for the kick-back of the Caliber and felt a sharp sting in his lower back as he collided with Sasori.

"What are you doing!" Sasori roared, shoving Hidan off of him and righting the car before they shot off the road and smashed into a building. "Keep shooting!"

"This thing has major kick! I wasn't expecting--fuck off!"

In seconds he was back at the window and firing off another shot blindly, trying to make them let up a bit. It didn't work. They returned fire in kind and Sasori began swearing at the top of his lungs as the bumper got peppered with bullets. "What the hell is going on!?" he shouted, slamming his foot on the gas and blasting them forward.

"That's what I would like to know!" Hidan snapped, righting himself from the second kick-back. "Why don't you call your precious boss and find out!"

Sasori gave Hidan a withering look before punching the controls on the dashboard. Over the screeching of the tires and roar of the engine, Hidan heard Madara's silky voice sound over the connection.

"Yes?"

"Madara, we're being fired at and chased down the backstreets. We need backup, call Kakuzu and Deidara in--"

"I'm sorry, I'm not in the position to do that at the moment."

Sasori stared incredously at the controls. "Why--"

"What the fuck do you mean you can't do it! You better find a way before I kick your goddamn ass!" Hidan shouted as he ducked from an onslaught of bullets shattering the back window. Sasori flinched and tried shaking their persistent followers again. They remained hot on their tail.

"This isn't some joke! Get someone down here now!"

"My apologies, Sasori, but my hands are tied. This mission was yours and Hidan's alone."

"This is suicide!"

"Be sure to not make too much of a mess, then."

The connection was severed.

Hidan stared across at Sasori's shocked face with a look of raw surpise and hate. "We're dead."

O O O

"Haruno! Surgery, now!"

Sakura snapped to attention and sprinted down the hallway after Shinnou, heart suddenly pounding in anticipation. Surgery was always an exciting branch of the hospital to be around, mainly because it demanded your full attention. There was no room for hesitation because it could mean the death of your patient. There was no room for any other thoughts besides those concerning the task at hand.

It was exactly what she needed.

"What's happened?"

Shinnou turned the corner quickly, barely sparing the woman on his heels a glance, before bursting through the ER doors. "From what I'm able to understand, a shoot-out. Apparently, two men were attacked by some mob organization or other in a car chase with guns and didn't stand a chance."

Sakura stared up at the doctor in horror. "Mob?"

He nodded curtly. "They're in bad shape. But that's not it," he growled, as he pushed open another door leading down a long corrider. Sakura followed quickly after. "There were two more young men caught in the crossfire. I don't know all the details, all that I am certain of at the moment is that they were shot and one was even clipped by the other two's car as it crashed."

"Oh, my God." Sakura gasped, her mouth dropping open in shock. "That's...that's horrible. Are they alive?"

"Barely," Shinnou growled. "If we don't stablize them, they will be soon. All four of them."

Sakura's steeled herself and nodded, clenching her hands at her sides. Calm. She need to be calm and together for this. Zaku and everything else could wait.

As Shinnou slammed open the doors to the surgery room, Sakura sucked in a deep breath and took a step toward the middle of the room where all the activity was centered. Nurses crowded around the table, yelling and shouting orders frantically, yet professionally. Blood stained the sheets and some of the uniforms, looking for all the world a scene straight from a horror movie.

And that's when she saw it. Through a break of the rushing nurses, a familiar shock of naturally red hair.

The suddenly sharp and painful whoosh-ing sound of air leaving her lungs was all Sakura could hear.

Please disregard all spelling and grammatical errors. I read through it twice in an attempt to fix everything, but something always slips by. My OpenOffice is refusing to boot up for me, so I had to do it the ol' caveman way. Also, please accept my sincere apologies for the long, loooong wait for this chapter. Remember when I said Evil Laptop had blown up in my face? Well, it didn't take my threats to its database too well and it promptly shut down on me. Horray. So don't blame me, it was the Laptop this time around. But when I finally got it revived again, I sat down and spent hours upon hours at writing! And this came out! I told you guys there would be a surpise in this chapter, and walla! I wasn't lying!

So, I would like to know what you thought on it. Especially Sakura's little realization in Zaku's bedroom. And most specifically on Hidan and Sasori's adventure. I was so proud of myself on that part, you guys have no idea. To be honest, I know squat about guns and shooting and everything remotely related to that subject. So I needed help, and Google wasn't giving me what I needed. My brother seemed to be the perfect canidate. (grins) Now that was certaintly an interesting conversation and I am almost postive he thought I was planning on shooting a place up before I explained it was for fiction purposes. After giving him that little tidbit, he gave me more information easily and this was the result! I hope it turned out okay and I didn't sound like an idiot. And of course I want to know your thoughts on the end! Very interested in what you have to say!

Now you may review! Please.