A/N: It has been far too long. Far too long.

Something is off about her. Normally when something is bothering her she does that whole whining thing, like she did last week, but right now she's silent. Shikamaru looked at her sideways with his eyebrows knitted together as he studied her blank expression. Neji was on her opposite side and had noticed as well, but instead of looking at her he pulled out his phone and texted Shikamaru.

This is strange.

I agree.

Has she said anything since you've been here?

No.

They looked at one another then at the girl again, who wasn't paying attention.

Ask her what's wrong.

Why do I have to as her? You ask.

"Sumire."

She blinked as an indication that she heard him, but it took her a few moments before she turned her head.

"Hai?"

"Is something the matter?"

"I'm alright."

"You don't seem alright." Shikamaru stated.

"I don't?"

"What happened with that guy you were telling us about?" He pursued.

"Oh that… nothing's happened with him it's something el-" she froze mid sentence.

Sumire's expression became empty.

"Ino told me what happened on Tuesday."

Sumire's hands tightened into fists atop her skirt. Shikamaru sighed. So that's what it is, what a pain.

"What are you going to do about it?"

"Apologize of course," she breathed out, "I just have to wait until she comes back on Friday."

"You could call her."

"No, it's okay. I'd rather talk to her in person."

Her blank expression returned.

"Is that all you're worried about?" Neji asked.

"Huh? Yeah."

Shikamaru leaned back in his chair with a sigh. No it's not okay, obviously. But she doesn't want to talk about it, so we should just leave her alone. He darted his eyes towards Neji hoping he would reach the same conclusion.

There's no way I can talk about what happened with Kisame-sama. If there's anyone I'd want to confide in that… it'd be Sakura, but we're not really speaking right now. I hope she can forgive me for what I said. Gosh I really messed up on Tuesday, but knowing her, she would let it go or at least talk it through with me. I really do have the best roommate ever. She's always so attentive to me…

"Sumire."

"Yes?"

"You look like you're about to cry."

"Oh, do I?"

"Is everything okay at work?"

"...yeah."

"You hesitated."

Neji why are you pushing her? Shikamaru looked at the long haired young man that was staring at Sumire with a very serious look in his pale eyes.

"I'm fine." she spoke more firmly.

I really just don't want to talk about it right now down it.

Neji, with a reluctant sigh, replied:

"Fine."

Thursday Evening

It took everything she had not to groan when she opened the door to Kakuzu's office and saw Hidan leaning back in a chair by the main desk. Kakuzu was in his office, at said desk, but he was typing on his computer with his eyes narrowed at the dim screen. He was wearing a white hood that hid most of his face, the edge of which was tucked under collar of his dark brown suit. Hidan had on a grey shirt that was just a little too tight and a simple pair of brown slacks. He leaned forward to bring the chair he had balanced precariously on one leg, back onto all four, and stood.

Sumire ignored him, with a quick turn of her head, and approached the small desk she had occupied a few weeks before. On the desk was a large stack of papers that accumulated from the previous cleaning day. She took her seat and opened the small laptop.

Unfortunately, Hidan had no intention of allowing her to work in peace. He dragged his chair over to her, spun it and plopped down with his arms folded over the backrest. She raised an eyebrow at him briefly, but did her best to focus. Hidan stared directly at her as she worked. His eyes had scanned over her outfit the moment she appeared in the doorway.

During work hours she wore semi-casual clothing such as t-shirts, jeans, long-sleeved blouses, skirts, and no makeup with her hair always down. But once again she dressed up, because she viewed clerical work as requiring more than everyday wear. Her long dark hair was tied in a messy bun. A few strands had fallen out and were framing her face. The thin maroon sweater had a swooping neckline and the edge of the fabric ended just above her hip-hugging black pants.

Hidan had been dying to see her in anything other than a t-shirt and jeans. He rested his chin on his quite muscular forearm whilst examining the thin black eyeliner that enhanced her dark brown eyes. Moments passed with those lavender irises running over her form again and again. A bit of irritation began to build in the small woman.

"Can I help you?" she snapped, turning to him with a glare.

He licked his lips when their gazes locked causing an uncomfortable shiver to run down her spine.

"Hidan, you have work to do." Kakuzu said.

"Yeah yeah, I'll do it eventually." Hidan dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

"Now."

"I said I'll do it eventually. Calm the fuck down old man."

A groan of annoyance reverberated in the room. Hidan sighed loudly in response, while placing his palms on the back of the chair and bending backwards until he could see Kakuzu's face upside down.

"I'll do it now only if I can bring short-shit with me."

"She had other work to do."

"Then she can do that later."

He jumped up swiftly, kicked his chair to the side and grabbed her upper arm, much to her surprise. He pulled her towards the door before she could gasp. Kakuzu glared at him as he dragged her through the door, but he did nothing to stop them. Sumire looked back desperately to Kakuzu but he had already returned to typing at his computer.

"Let me go! I can walk on my own!" she managed as they neared the stairs.

He's going to drag me down the freaking stairs, I'm going to fall and break my neck. He's not going to let me go. He's going to… he's going to… Her thoughts, which began with considering the immediate danger, quickly descended into her deeper anxieties. He's going to… he's going to… he's… But he let go when they reached the top of the stairs.

"I have other work to do." She repeated Kakuzu's statement.

"You can walk on your own or I can drag you, either way you're coming with me."

He noticed her shrinking, her body language closing, a ripple of fear within her dark eyes.

"C'mon," his tone changed only slighty, "It'll be funner than sitting at that desk and doing nothing all day."

The change was enough for her resolve. No, Sumire wasn't exactly the type who enjoyed being at a desk and completing clerical work. Her least favorite subject was English. So yes, despite her anxieties the idea of traveling somewhere across campus was far more appealing that sitting and filling out spreadsheets. With a deep breath she approached him:

"Where are we going?"

"Just shut up and follow me." he spun around.

She remained just a few feet behind him as they walked through the foyer. When he opened the large entrance door she repeated her question:

"Where are we going?"

"We gotta pick up some stuff from the art department."

"Oh."

The sun was low and there was a purple shade that lined the skyline. Sumire studied the color with mild interest. She was so occupied that she hadn't noticed Hidan turning around until she ran into him. She jumped back.

"Huh? What?"

"What are you staring at?"

"The sky. It's pretty." She said while pointing towards it.

He followed her finger with his eyes. He stared as though he didn't understand what she felt was so interesting about the sky, scoffed and turned back around. Well shit, sorry. Didn't mean to bother you. She glared at the back of his head again as they continued walking. Why the hell did he turn around anyway? Did he want to say something to me?

He had. Hidan had had something on his mind when he turned around, but he wasn't quite sure how to word it. Then when she ran into him he became distracted and forgot. His irritation wasn't because he didn't get what was so pretty about the sky, but was him thinking: what the fuck was I going to do? Now this was going to bug him. This was going to bug him until he remembered.

They crossed a few streets within the college to make it to the art studios.

When they arrived Hidan went ahead into the offices and filled out the form that he picked up the equipment. They were in a small room that had a single desk and a few chairs lining the walls. There were a couple of male students seated in the chairs and whispering to one another. The shorter of the two was looking Sumire up and down.

"Right this way, the package is a little heavy." The woman at the desk said.

"Wait here." Hidan commanded and followed the woman through the door disappearing from view.

Sumire glanced around the room while patiently waiting for him to return.

"Hey."

She turned to the voice.

"...hi." she said shortly.

"You go here?"

"Yeah."

"What's your major?"

"Intermedia arts."

"Cute."

Cute? Cute? Sumire didn't continue the conversation. Instead she stared at the door, for once, actually hoping Hidan would appear. Suddenly the pair stood. One circled so he was behind her. She immediately stepped to the side and back up so she was facing both of them.

"Are you working right now babe?"

"Yes I am." Babe? Who the fuck said you could call me babe?

"When do you get off? You could come play with us."

"No thank you." She said, trying to be as polite as possible.

"C'mon we'll show you a good time."

"No thank you." she repeated.

"What's wrong? You don't like what you see?"

She tried to ignore them.

"What the hell's your problem bitch?"

Sumire's expression changed from a polite smile to annoyance. Normally she would continue to be respectful, no matter how vulgar the men became, because she never knew when they would turn violent. Perhaps it was adrenaline or perhaps it was the prospect of an equally burly man rushing out to defend her but she snapped:

"Don't you have something better to do than bug me?"

"Little bitch."

One reached out to grab her arm.

"Oi." she heard the voice she was hoping to hear.

"I'm sorry, but you two need to go." The woman from the front desk interjected. "Or I'll call the police."

The two men cursed at the woman as she reached for the phone, but dashed out once she lifted it. Meanwhile Hidan was standing in the doorway to the back room holding the supposedly heavy package with a single hand near his head. He was watching Sumire pretty closely. He walked towards her while lowering the package to his waist.

"You good?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Let's go."

She trotted beside him this time as they left the office. He hadn't done much, but in her mind he had done quite a bit. His presence was oddly relieving. He had quite a displeased expression on his face. Is he okay? He looks pissed.

Hidan was pissed, because he still couldn't remember what he had wanted to say to her earlier.

"Hidan-san?" she started softly as they started to cross a street.

He turned his lavender eyes on her, but as soon as he looked at her face his eyes were darting up to the look down the street. She gasped as she felt a large arm wrap around her and her body suspended in air. Reflexively she was shutting her eyes and gripping Hidan's shirt. He landed hard on his side while still holding her tightly against him, his weight crushing the package against the cement. He rose, lifting her up with him and turning around. She heard the sound of tires screeching to a halt and she followed his gaze to a car that was a few meters away. Just as the smoke coming from the tires cleared the two men from the art department offices exited the car doors.

"What the…" too stunned from what just occurred, or what was about to occur, she was unable to finish her sentence.

Hidan stood and her attention was drawn to him. It took only moments for her to notice the blood running down his arm where he had fallen.

"Hi-"

He cackled:

"Man, I've been fucking dying for a fight these past few days."

He clenched his fists by his sides as a large grin appeared on his face. The two men slowly started towards Hidan, both raising their fists. Hidan pulled out a beaded necklace that she vaguely remembered seeing before and he put it to his lips.

"Jashin-sama. Forgive me for not killing them."

What? For not killing them? What? Is he praying? Jashin… what? WHAT?

When he dropped the necklace he was sprinting forward, his body low, and he slammed a fist into the face of the shorter of the two men. The man went flying backwards like a ragdoll and skidded along the pavement. The one still standing attempted to swing on Hidan, but Hidan caught his fist, snapped his elbow upwards, causing a harsh crack. The man howled in pain as he was thrown backwards. Meanwhile, Sumire had her hands over her facing, but she was still watching the altercation through her fanned out fingers.

The shorter man returned to his feet and was stumbling towards Hidan. He knocked him back down with a single half-hearted kick to the gut.

"Fuck, you're weak as fuck."

Sumire let her hands drop from her face to below her chin and they closed into loose fists. She watched the taller man as he grasped at his broken arm. The other man was clutching his stomach in pain. Hidan turned away from the fallen men and ambled back to her.

Holy shit… that… was… amazing. Sumire scanned over him as he neared her. The muscles in his arms flexed beneath the skin. She realized how wide and muscular his chest was. Hidan is… pretty hot too actually. No no, it's just because he saved me from getting hit by a car, that's all… Her gaze dropped to the floor and her cheeks grew warm.

He knelt in front of her, his bloodied arm hanging loosely on his side. The hand that had been on his knee rested on her thigh because she hadn't looked up when he lowered himself. Her dark, wide eyes snapped up to his slightly glazed lavender ones.

"Anyone there?" there was a twinge of huskiness in his voice.

"Uh… yes…" she managed, still staring directly at him.

"Are you hurt?"

She shut her lids tight and shook her head from side to side, causing the fallen strands of her bun to whip around her scalp. She focused her attention on his wound.

"You're arm… Hidan-san."

"Oh this?" he raised it with a chuckle. "This is nothing."

His thumb brushed over her pants slowly. She felt herself becoming hot at the gentle sensation, despite there being cloth that separated his touch from her skin.

"The package…" she motioned towards the mostly crushed package laying on the cement.

He picked it up and shrugged his shoulders. Wow, she thought, but she couldn't think further because his thick fingers were around her wrist and gently pulling her to her feet. She was surprised by the sudden movement and fell against his chest. He grinned at her flushed complexion and her refusal to meet his eyes as she hopped away from him and wiggled from his grip.

She's falling for me, I know it.

They walked in silence for the rest of the way back to the concert hall. Her heart was pounding in her chest the entire time. Her anxiety was rising rapidly, due to the reducing adrenaline, but also because she was mulling over what had just occurred. She had almost died. Almost got hit by a car and died. But the most annoying man on the entire concert hall crew had saved her.

What had that been about Jashin-sama or whatever? What did he mean by not killing? And why the hell did I get turned on by seeing him beat people up? I am such a freak. She watched the ground. Hidan is a jerk. He is the most unbearable person on the stage crew, there's no way I can see him like this.

She sighed in frustration.

Hidan was looking at her tilted down face. She looks like she's thinking a lot. She reached up and pulled the tie out of her hair. It fell all around her shoulders and landed in the small of her back. Her hair is fucking long. She ran her fingers through the dark strands and huffed again. What's up with her? Wait… he could see her face was still red. Is she… horny? Fuck yes. He couldn't stop himself from grinning.

She finally looked up at him.

"What?" she barked.

"You look cute with your hair down."

Her eyes narrowed with irritation, but she did not argue with him further. Her attention was drawn to the necklace that was hanging in the middle of his chest.

"Um. Hidan-san?"

"Hmm."

"What's that necklace you're wearing?"

She was surprised by the way his eyes lit up.

"This is the symbol of my religion." he lifted it up, bent down slightly, and brought it close so she could have a better look.

"Your religion?"

"Yes. I'm a Jashinist."

"Huh."

"Want to know about it?" he asked.

The excitement in his eyes was something unusual to her.

"Um… sure…"

"Well," he straightened. "Jashin-sama's creeds are simple and boil down to one thing. Complete and utter destruction."

"Huh?"

"Back in the day, we would regularly offer sacrifices to Jashin."

"...sacrifices…" Oh no, I shouldn't have asked. He's completely…

They entered the concert hall.

"Well that's what's stated in our book. If I were to kill people nowadays I'd go to jail and there's no way in hell they'd let me completely practice my religion in that sort of place. The rules have changed to fit the time."

"...huh."

"It's the same with animals, it's be a huge pain in the neck to trap and sacrifice them, plus there's all those animal lovers who'd lose their shit. Most of the time, I just have to ask for forgiveness for not being able to kill."

"I see…" What. The. Fuck.

"The biggest changes have to do with destruction and what we can call, going against nature and society and shit…"

"..." she found herself growing more and more quiet.

She couldn't fashion anymore responses to his descriptions. They started up the stairs to the offices. His smirk returned as they neared the top.

"Our goal is to take and destroy innocence. The number one sin is the opposite of death, but giving life."

She raised an eyebrow at his statement. They reached the door to Kakuzu's office. As she pushed it open he said:

"We have to fuck with no intents of procreation. It's a great rule right? I can fuck all I want as long as I don't get a girl pregnant."

She walked into the office with a look of disbelief on her face. Why did I ask? Son of a bitch, why did I ask? Kakuzu watched her with amusement barely visible in his strangely colored eyes.

"You asked him about his stupid religion, didn't you?"

She nodded with a dejected look upon her face. Kakuzu shook his head.

"Oi, what the fuck did you say, you fucking blasphemer?"

"Did you bring the package?" the dark haired man asked.

"Yeah, here." Hidan entered the room and threw the horribly misshapen box onto the desk.

"What the hell happened?"

"How the fuck should I know? You old fucker." Hidan growled back.

Kakuzu stood and looked ready to hit him, but Sumire quickly spoke.

"Some guys tried to run me over with a car and he saved me! The box got crushed then!"

Her nervousness returned at the feel of both pairs of eyes on her. Her head dropped. Kakuzu was still irritated, but seeing the girl standing there with her head bent was enough for him to hold back. She's not stupid enough to protect this idiot for no reason and also Hidan's arm… Sumire saw dark rest spots on the floor where Hidan was standing.

"Hidan-san your arm, you're getting blood everywhere." She told him. "Let's go patch you up then get back to work okay?"

She grabbed his forearm and this time led him out of the room. Her fingers didn't reach all the way around his wrist. Holy crap, she thought as she knocked onto the door to Konan's office. He's so muscular. Holy crap. Hidan stared at her bottom through her pants. Damn she has a cute ass. Sumire knocked on the door and waited. When there was no answer she tried the handle. The door opened with no resistance and she paused to check if there was anyone inside. I guess not. She released his arm and retrieved the first aid kit from Konan's desk. Hidan closed the door behind him before seating himself on the loveseat. Sumire sat beside him and pulled out the supplies necessary to tend to his wound. A strangely comfortable silence returned as she wiped the scratches and wrapped the bandages. She has been desperately trying to muster the words, even things as simple as this were difficult for her.

"Thank you, for saving me."

He smiled, watching her face as she clipped the wrappings and placed everything back into the kit in her lap.

Oh yeah!

She noticed the sudden change in his expression, as though he had remembered something important.

"You wanna make out?"

She was startled by the proposal. Make out? With Hidan? She blushed. He chuckled.

"Earlier you looked like you were ready to jump me," he said, "So I figured I'd just offer."

Yeah, maybe for a split second I thought he pretty attractive but… She met his eager gaze. Damn his bedroom eyes!

"It's up to you." he added.

I'm surprised he's giving me an option, it just seems like something he wouldn't do. Her eyes dropped slowly looking over his build again. She remembered how incredible he looked beating those guys up earlier.

Violence is bad, I shouldn't be turned on by that and he has that weird fucked up religion too! He's not attractive at all. She patted her red cheeks and looked at him again. Damn it.

"We have to go back to work."

"That doesn't sound like a no."

"Okay then. No."

He sighed in annoyance and threw himself back against the armrest. Fuck this guy, seriously.

"You're killing me short-shit."

Her glare intensified.

"All your teasing… fuck."

"Teasing? Are you fucking kidding me?"

He seemed startled by her raising voice.

"Fuck off Hidan!"

She stood and stomped down the hall back to Kakuzu's office. She took a deep breath to relax herself before opening the door. Inside she immediately went to her desk after closing the door and began to work. Her angry flushed cheeks and her stiff posture was noticed by the normally grumpy man. That's what you get for trying to do something nice for Hidan. He heard a quick huff over the monotonous tapping of her nimble little fingers against the computer keys. Kakuzu wasn't the type to tend to others. She instead of asking her what was bothering her, as he had a general idea of what may have happened, he called her over. In a few moments she was standing by his desk.

"Pein asked me to teach you some basics on accounting."

"Okay."

"So pay attention."

"Hai."

She took the empty seat beside him. No matter how hard she tried to focus on what he was showing her she couldn't help but remember things she wanted to forget. Her mood continued to drop until a blanket of sadness enveloped her. She did her best to pay attention and when he requested that she repeat what he said, she relayed the information back as best as she could, but she found herself stumbling over words.

Under his natural glare she shrunk. He paused, looked at his computer screen and released a short sigh. Her eyes went wide when a large hand rested atop her head. Her hair was ruffled slightly and he silently lifted it off. She tried to make eye contact, but he was still turned to his computer. She wasn't sure what that gesture had been, but she didn't want to think too hard about it.

"I'll only repeat his once."

"Understood." there was a bit more strength in her voice this time.

The edge of his lip raised, only a millimeter, but it was back to normal just as quickly.