Chapter Six- The Meeting
She woke up a few hours later, and instantly noted two things. One her head has stopped hurting, and two she was extremely comfortable despite being in a cold cave. Blinking a few times she came to realize she was using Hidan's chest as a pillow.
Hidan looked down at her and smiled weakly. "Finally up? About fucking time." he said rudely although a smile was still present. He cracked his neck on both sides by pushing his ears to his shoulders
She blinked once ore and sat up" Sorry for falling asleep against you. You could have shoved me off if you didn't want me there" she muttered crossing her arms slightly, looking a tad childish
"I'll keep that in mind for next time." he mused.
"Are you able to walk?" Hidan stood up and walked across the cave to grab his scythe.
She stood up and clenched her jaw, biting back a snide remark. " Yes, I can walk just fine thank you"
His eyes narrowed at the far wall and he turned to face her with a false surprised look on his face. He walked over to the cave's entrance, glancing back at her.
"It's morning." he said without expression in his voice.
She gave a slight nod and walked behind him, coming to a stop at the entrance as well , she kept her expression neutral and looked out at the area.
" For what its worth, sorry I'm such a pain in the ass."
"It'll take time, but I think I'm starting to get used to it,"
A smile could be heard in his voice as he stared up at the sky, the sun crept down through white, puffy clouds and gave everything a long shadow. He adjusted the weight of his scythe over his shoulder and grunted.
She smiled slightly and stepped out of the cave into the sunlight a soft sigh passing her lips as she closed her eyes and relaxed in the warmth.
He stretched and walked out of the cave, stopping on the grass just outside it. He looked around him, seemingly unaware of where he was. He blinked several times as he turned and stopped.
"Lets go," he said, staring at where the nice weather stopped and rain clouds began.
Nodding softly she began walking with him, her eyes holding a unreadable look with each step that was took. She licked her lips and looked at him, opening her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it and kept silent.
They continued walking, the cave growing distant behind them, the left side of the cave concealed it rather well. The storm in front of them grew closer and buildings slowly became visible.
"Are you sure you want to join the group that destroyed your village?" he asked suddenly.
She bit her lip and exhaled sharply through her nose " No, but I know if I don't, that I will have the entire group after me, rather than only two of them..." she looked to the side and bit her cheek before speaking again " I'd rather go somewhere grudgingly but willingly, than be dragged back after getting the shit beaten out of me... like you said after that fight.. I'm still just a weak kid.." She quickly wiped her eyes a bitter tears cam to them causing her vision to blur.
"I..." he pursed his lips in brief thought, "I'm sorry for bringing it up..." He looked up at the rain village at the short distance that remained and shook his head
She shook her head slightly and wiped her eyes once more, not caring how weak or pathetic she looked " No worries.. You didn't know" she responded in a hollow voice
He sighed heavily, looked over at her and parted his lips, something in his mind clicking. He visibly forced himself to change his mind and remained silent.
As they entered the rain of the village, they became soaked. Their water-proof cloaks missing in action and the rain seemed much colder than it should have.
She walked silently and kept her face devoid of emotion as the rain ran down her form, causing the shirt she was wearing to stick to her body. Her eyes however held many different emotions all at once.
As they approached the hideout, Hidan placed the scythe against his back, threading chakra through the blades in attempt to hold it in place. It held the weight for a second or two then fell to the ground, making a loud rattling sound as the vibrations sent the weapon back into the air , and once more landing on the ground. "Fuck sakes..." he grumbled in annoyance as he bent over to pick up his scythe.
She looked at him and blinked a few times before averting her gaze somewhere else. She had kept quiet and had no intentions of speaking until she was given no other option. Partially she was humiliated she had been injured so easily, and also bitter anger was burning at her, causing her to become even more frustrated at the sudden lack of control she had over her emotions.
"Amazing chakra control, hm." A fimiliar voice said from overhead. A the air shifted and Deidara landed his clay bird relatively in front of the hideout, sliding off the side.
"I'm working on it." Hidan sneered.
"Hm. Looks like you might want to work with the happy girl instead." he gestured to Hideki
She clenched her jaw slightly but kept quiet not wanting to give the blond the satisfaction of getting a rise out of her. Exhaling she counted to ten under her breath and gave him a tight lipped smile. Also in all honesty she did not want a repeat of the earlier fight, even if she had recovered some of her chakra.
The blonde quickly grew bored of her and shrugged it off. "I guess she's just bitter that she got her ass kicked, hm." He then turned to Hidan as the two immortals reached the dryness offered by the building's overhang. "Pein's expecting you two."
She rolled her eyes and shrugged a bit " No I just don't see the point in speaking unless spoken, as for getting my ass kicked, you caught me on an off day..."
Deidara snorted.
Her golden eyes held none of the previous spark that once was in them and she sighed softly and rubbed her arm before speaking in a hollow tone " Lets just get this over and done with.."
She looked back at the rain and smiled ruefully before allowing her self to become silent once more.
They entered the stronghold without another word to the loud-mouthed Akatsuki member and ventured through the building with a sense of familiarity coursing through Hidan's memories. Something's were different, such as the layout of the building. He looked around, unsure if it had actually been changed or if it was just his memory.
"A new zombie combo. The hall on your left, first door to the right." A bored voice said in passing, his red eyes flashing in the dim light. A long, slender sword was in its hilt along his back, his black hair looked as though he didn't believe in a comb.
Hideki blinked a few times and continued walking besides Hidan, a small shiver passing up her back at the emptiness and hatred she had seen in the young mans eyes.
Just as the bored passerby had said, the door to the first room on the right was open. A single, used, hanging light bulb tried its best to light the table and chairs beneath it and barely showed shadows elsewhere in the room. An orange haired man sat at the table in an old, wooden chair. The other eight or so were empty. A blue haired girl with a flower in her hair accompanied him at his side.
"Sit." The orange haired man demanded as he gestured to the far side of the rectangular table.
Hideki sits down remaining silent as she noted the man's chakra was massive, and had a icy feeling to it. Another shiver passed up her spine as she met his grey ringed eyes, that seemed to be picking her apart piece by tiny piece.
Hidan remained standing and mocked the blue-haired girl's posture, standing at Hideki's side with a wide grin on his face. "The lobby lacks furniture." Hidan stated as he dropped his scythe to the ground, it's handle leaning up against his side.
"There have been issues. I'm Pein," the orange-haired man nodded to Hideki and narrowed his eyes at Hidan, "You're late."
"She fucking slept in." he said defensively with a shrug.
She swallowed slightly and spoke her tone soft, the slightest hints of respect behind it " I'm Hideki formerly of the Snow village.."
"You always had an issue with being on time." a character said in a deep voice, stepping closer into the light. His arms were crossed across a muscle shirt showing off his figure. His eyes were distant and most of his face was covered by a mask.
"I understand that you share Hidan's abilities?" Pein asked, ignoring Hidan and the newcomer while meeting Hideki's eyes.
She nodded " Yes, I am also immortal, a gift from Jashin-Sama"
"Kakuzu!" Hidan's voice almost sounded happy and amused, "I knew you were to fucking stubborn to die." Kakuzu shrugged and lowered his hands to his jeans.
"Would you two shut up?" Pain asked, annoyed. Kakuzu remained silent and leaned against the chair, resting his weight on his arms.
"Fuck you." Hidan swore back.
"You just returned and already are trying my patience." Pain sighed.
Hidan sighed and a smile could be heard in his tone, "I'm just so fucking thrilled to see you again."
"Please remain silent." the blue-haired girl said softly for the first time, adjusting her weight and leaned back against the wall.
Hidan rolled his eyes and sat in the chair to Hideki's right, letting his scythe fall freely to the concrete floor. Pein closed his eyes patiently as the sounds
echoed throughout the room and out into the hallway.
Kakuzu's eyes glinted with amusement and Hidan raised his upper lip in response.
Hideki folded her hands in her lap and remained quiet, quickly noticing that everyone in the room had massive amounts of chakra. She could feel the eyes of the four others in the room upon her and shifted slightly in the chair becoming more and more aware they were observing her.
Hidan's attention span expired and he sighed, leaning back in his chair. Kakuzu looked back and forth between Pein and Hideki. Konan's patient, gentle eyes seemed unfocused as though she was in another place. Pein narrowed his eyes at Hidan for a moment and fixed his gaze back on Hideki.
"You mentioned you contained the same abilities as Hidan?" he tried again.
" Yes sir, I do" she repeated her eyes meeting his as she spoke, she kept her posture and relaxed as she could while still keeping her guard up. Her golden orbs closed for a moment before she spoke again " But I'm no where near the level of strength he is"
Hidan's head rolled back and he looked at the ceiling, a smile stretching across his face again. He held his weight on his legs as he leaned the chair back onto two of its feet.
"I heard you originally wanted to fight the Akatsuki over previous misfortunes." his eyes pierced her as though he was looking through her and into her
She swallowed and her posture instantly changed, almost as if she were ready to defend her self at any second if need be. " Previously yes sir I had.. but I soon learned that was both foolish and ignorant of me.." she lowered her gaze to the ground and swallowed around a lump in her throat.
While the meeting continued and nobody seemed to be bothered by her non-verbal communication, someone passed by the room, glancing in. He wore blue-jeans and a tight purple muscle shirt with an oversized black blade strapped to his back. He flashed a sharp, toothy grin as he passed.
"Weaker than Hidan and no threat to Sasori or Deidara. Give me a few reasons why I shouldn't just kill you here." Pein lifted his chin in challenge, everyone else in the room except for Konan shot their heads in his direction.
"What I lack in strength I make up for in talent.. I have healing abilities, Hidan-san can vouch for that.." she said quietly, the hints of fear edging into her voice. She closed her eyes and formed a series of hand seal's which brought a bright green glow of healing chakra to her hands. " I can also use the ice element if needed be in a fight" she paused before speaking again the greenish glow vanishing from her hands " I'm also not at my strongest right now, I would be grateful if you would consider allowing a probation like period.. to see if I have any skills you may find useful.."
Pain's expression remained unreadable and he exhaled through his nose. "I will assign you to an older group that has just reformed." he said, gesturing to Kakuzu and Hidan with either hand, "Kakuzu, you have permission to shred her should you believe she is going to fall back on her original... vengeful feelings." Hidan's face brightened and he looked at Hideki as Kakuzu nodded and stood up straight.
she let out a small breath she didn't know she had been holding " Thank you for giving me a chance sir, I can assure you I wont fall back on those feelings"
Kakuzu reached up and adjusted something dark around his neck, in the dark it simply looked like cloth. He shook his head, allowing his black hair to flail freely.
"Dismissed." Pain said, getting up before he even finished the word. He gestured to Konan who quickly followed him out of the room and down the hall.
"Kakuzu! Buddy!" Hidan yelled as though he was a child during recess, opening his arms in an invisible hug.
Kakuzu straightened and sighed, glancing down at Hideki. "Don't slow me down more than he already does." Kakuzu straightened and sighed, glancing down at Hideki.
"Don't slow me down more than he already does. "With that, he briskly walked out of the room, leaving the two immortals alone once again
"Well that went fucking well."
She exhaled once more and nodded. " Yeah, it did.." she agreed, swallowing she rubbed her arm and looked at him " Is there some where I can take a shower?" she asked softly.
He looked around and shrugged. "If the rooms are the same, yeah. It's almost as though this place has been rebuilt. Completely different from what I remember." He stood and picked up his scythe, offering his right hand to Hideki.
She blinked a few times but smiled faintly as she accepted his hand and stood up. " Thanks Hidan.."
Her hand was freezing cold from the rain outside and the fact that she was still in damp clothing, a slight shiver ran up her spine and her lips were a faint shade of blue.
He flinched when she touched him and he raised his eyebrows at her. Without another word, he lead her out into what had appeared to be a lobby, back out where they had entered from. Hidan frowned at the doors and shook his head, looking after an Akatsuki cloak going through a door in the center of the two hallways that branched off in opposite directions.
"Hey, where are the rooms?" he asked.
He slumped his shoulders and his scythe nearly slid off of its usual resting place.
"This way." he gestured with his right hand for them to follow. The red head turned to them with a face void of emotion, "we had to rebuild after Konoha sent every available force after us."
Hideki walked quietly next to him as they were led down the long hallways. Her eyes were on the ground as she remembered how he had flinched when she had touched him, and for some unknown reason that stung a bit. Despite the sharp twisting that was radiating in her chest she continued walking before she had to grab the fabric of her shirt a small gasp passing her lips " shit....I need to do a ritual.. and fast.." she murmured
Sasori suddenly stopped and faced a door, tilting his head expectantly at Hidan. "Tch. What did you mean Konoha sent everything?" Hidan asked as he opened the door for Hideki.
"We fell back by Madara's orders after Deidara did most of the damage. He used his orange mask as he tired them out, they eventually retreated after countless wounded. We were lucky they were busy elsewhere as well..." "That's the most you've ever fucking said at once!" Hidan swore enthusiastically and Sasori shook his head impatiently and continued down the hall.
"Whatever." Hidan said as he entered the room and tossed his scythe on the floor as he closed the door
She braced her self against the wall and clenched her fist tighter against her shirt " Fuck.." she muttered as the burning grew more painful causing her to gasp lightly.
"Just do it already. My room has tiled floors for a damn reason." he said with a vague gesture as he entered the bathroom. "Just don't break any tiles. Pain get's fucking pissed over that." he called from the bathroom, the sound of running water started.
quietly she sat down and took her blade from a pouch in her bag and gashed her hand open drawing the perfect circle with an upside down triangle, placing her self in the center of it. Placing the blade against her chest she pressed it into the flesh her eyes rolling back as it passed through her ribs and into her heart.
A little while later, the water squeaked to a stop and there was a thud followed by Hidan cursing mildly. He emerged from the bathroom with only a red towel around his waist and he stopped in the doorway, staring down at the girl. Blood pooled outward from her and crossed the floor, following the tiles around the room. "I'm gone for five minutes and look at the fucking mess you've made." He sighed and chuckled to himself and crossed on the tiles and faced the dresser opposite the bathroom and pulled out a pair of comfortable boxers. He dropped the towel and slipped into them, turning and making his way to the bed.
About an hour later she came back to awareness and pulled the blade from her chest with a slight squelching noise. Her hair had become stained bloody red and was sticking to the floor and matted to her scalp.
The towel had soaked up some blood from between tiles and dried into a solid lump of cotton. Hidan stretched looked down at her from the bed then around the room. "I'm not cleaning that."
She let a light laugh pass her lips as she grabbed a few towels from her bed and cleaned her blood from the floor, leaving no specks of it behind. A light content sight passed her lips and she grabbed her bag. " I'll wash those after I take a bath" she said walking to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Fifteen minutes passed and she came out of the bathroom wearing a black shirt and a pair of black pants. A small yawn passed her lips and she sighed lightly before making her way over to the blood stained towels.
"You're already tired?" he asked her from beneath the bed sheets, sarcasm present in his voice, "Wake up in a cave, have a meeting and ready to sleep again?"
She bit back a sarcastic response and picked up the towels before leaving the room and taking them to the laundry room where she bumped in to Kakuzu " Oh sorry.. I wasn't paying attention" she murmured softly
You don't sleep either?" he asked as he was exiting the room she was entering. A black, cloth cowl was crumpled around his neck and stitches that had been hidden earlier could be seen clearly on his skin and on either side of his mouth.
" I do, but I need to wash these towels before the blood stains set in" she moved to the side so as to allow him room to exit the room. " Hidan finds it amusing that I sleep.. considering I don't really need it.."
Kakuzu shrugged and narrowed his eyes at her back. "If I had it my way, you'd be dead." he snarled and entered the hallway, lit by the evening sun.
She laughed bitterly and closed her eyes before entering the laundry room her reply soft and one he probably hadn't been expecting. " Sometimes I wish I could die.."
The few windows in the hallway shone light at Kakuzu, making it harder to see him from where she was standing, just outside the door. "Or buried." he added before continuing to his destination.
She sighed and put the towels in the wash and started it before returning to Hidan's room. Closing the door quietly behind her, her mind continued to repeat what Kakuzu has said about her being buried.
"If you want to sleep, you should before Pain sends us out on another fucking mission. That guy is so random." Hidan admitted as he stared at the ceiling, tucked under the sheets.
She looked at him for a moment and then came to the realization there was only one bed " Where do you expect me to sleep.. there's only one bed"
Just as he opened his mouth to protest the idea of one of them sleeping on the floor, there was a hard knock on the door. Hidan looked from her, down to where his scythe lay beneath him then at the door.
She looked at him and sighed before walking over to the door and opening it.
A figure stood in the doorway, his body under an Akatsuki cloak, his face beneath a mask and his head hidden by a cowl. He pointed at the closet and sighed heavily. "In there are two cloaks. We have our first mission and it's going to be a pain"
She blinked a few times before making her way to the closet and pulling on one of the cloaks, her face pulled into a emotionless mask.
"Tch. What the fuck now?" Hidan swore as he sat up, messing up the bed sheets. Kakuzu pushed open the door completely open and looked at Hidan.
"As far as Sasuke is concerned, he didn't kill a clone. As far as we're concerned, we need to kill Orochimaru." he said in a flat voice.
She froze hearing the name Orochimaru.
Please review.. Dont hate me for the cliff hanger lol