Author's Corner: OMIGOSH SO MANY REVIEWS! Seriously guys, you are awesome! I feel loved!
Anyways, I love author's notes. It's a fun way to kick-start my imagination and no one even has to read them! Plus I get to rant all I want and nobody really cares. But a small moment of silence for the people on the Carnival Cruise ship.
Disclaimer: All rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto
Sakura blinked before sitting down as well. There was a tense silence, only broken by the crackling of the fire. Lee sat stiffly straight, his eyes wide and focused. Tatsuki was still unconscious, laying on the blanket with Sakura's kimono still draped over him to keep him decent. Hirohito had already fallen asleep.
"And I figure you deserve to know," he continued. Sakura scoffed and crossed her arms.
"Damn right," she said. Hidan smirked and rubbed his eyes. He sighed and scratched the back of his head before staring up at the sky.
"Well, I should by explaining a couple things." Sakura leaned forward and Lee's hands clenched tightly on his knees.
"Becoming a Jashinist isn't easy. You have to memorize hundreds of old texts, rules, and laws. It's a particularly painful process and takes anywhere from a few months to a decade. Heh, most people die trying," he said wryly. Sakura narrowed her eyes and Lee was still rigid.
"Why did you even become a Jashinist if it was so hard?" Sakura asked.
"Because I didn't know any better. I was eleven when I began learning the ways of Jashin," he said. He shook his head tiredly. Lee glanced between Hidan and Sakura, his lips pursed in confusion. "When he deems you worthy, you gain the "blessing" of Jashin. It's how we're able to connect with our enemies by ingesting their blood. But... you still die if you place a fatal wound on yourself to injure your opponent, despite the fact we have higher endurance, pain tolerance, speed, strength, and agility." He left the unasked question lingering in the air.
"How...?" Lee drifted off. Hidan stared into the fire and the flames danced in his violet eyes.
"Because..." He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Because I was the strongest. I was deemed the chosen one and given the Gift of Jashin in what I guess you could call a tournament. I was fifteen." Lee fell silent again. Hidan waited for several seconds before he swallowed a lump in his throat and continued.
"I didn't have the happiest of childhoods, and when I began studying Jashinism, everything was so intense. From the lessons to the training to the prayers, and it threw me into a fuzzy haze. I barely remember the eight years I spent studying under Gisei. It was...intoxicating. Like some kind of drug." He explained. Sakura's eyes softened in sympathy. She slid a little closer and put her hand over his, squeezing slightly. Hidan glanced at her before turning his hand over and lacing their fingers together. Lee gave the seen a very bemused look.
"When I...sacrificed people, it fed that drug-like stupor. With every kill, the urge to do it again got stronger and stronger. It was like... Heroine." He ran a hand through his hair and, after a moment, continued.
"The longer I was kept away from praying and other Jashinists, the clearer my head became. Like the drug was wearing off. Now, I think I realized it was because I couldn't do sacrifices anymore. My tie to Jashin, since the Gift made it so much more intense, had faded away into almost nothing," he said dryly. Sakura sighed.
"Well...I think we're just lucky to have escaped. That many Jashinists..." she breathed. Suddenly, Hidan sat up stiffly.
"That reminds me, Jashinists don't normally travel in groups. Unless you have an apprentice, we normally travel alone. From what I read, there hasn't been a gathering like that in over fifty years," he said. The temperature seemed to drop several degrees. Even the fire did nothing to brighten the mood. Sakura winced and flexed her hand. Hidan loosened his grip when he realized how tightly he had been squeezing her hand.
"What was the reason for the last gathering?" Lee asked bluntly. Hidan swallowed and his grip tightened once again, but this time Sakura squeezed back.
"When...Jashin was said to have actually appeared on earth. That was around the time of the second Shinobi World War." Hidan said. A deafening silence nearly choked the three of them. Nobody said anything, too wrapped up in their own thoughts to speak. After several tense minutes, a loud groan from Tatsuki made them snap their heads to him. His eyes flickered open and he attempted to sit up.
"You're going to open up your wounds again," Sakura said nonchalantly, removing her hand casually from Hidan's. He frowned in disappointment but said nothing. Tatsuki ignored her and pushed himself into a sitting position.
"You always worry too much about me. I've got Ryujin blood, remember?" he grinned and tapped his thumb lightly against his chest. Sakura rolled her as before fishing Tatsuki's pants out of his bag.
"If you're well enough to sit up, I bet you can get dressed so I can have my kimono back. Remind me to burn it." She said as she turned around to let Tatsuki wrestled himself into his clothes.
"Ha, ha, very funny," he muttered. Sakura heard him blow a raspberry at her. She snorted and stood up.
"It's dark, we should get some rest. I'll take first watch," she offered. Hidan held up two fingers, signifying that he would take second watch. It seemed he had exhausted his speech limit for today. Lee mumbled something that may have been an agreement before stretching out on his bedroll and promptly falling asleep, as did Tatsuki. Sakura scratched her head and put a hand on her hip.
"Honestly. I get stuck with three guys and I end up barely getting to fight. Again. Dammit." She muttered under her breath before hopping into a tree. She ricocheted off several branches before settling on one high above them. Hidan sighed and pushed himself to his feet. He sat against a tree, attempting to sleep. But every time he closed his eyes, images of blood and flames danced behind his eyelids. Recalling his past as a Jashinist had brought up memories he desperately hadn't wanted to remember.
After an hour, he gave up trying to even mediate. He opened his eyes and looked up at the stars that peppered the sky. He noticed Sakura sitting in the tree, resting in the crook of where the branch split off from the trunk. He sighed in defeat and scratched the back of head.
Eh, what the hell.
Sakura barely blinked as her sharp green eyes scanned the area for the millionth time, searching for any sign of a threat. One leg dangled over the branch and the other was bent against the branch, her elbow on her knee. It was a full moon, and it cast the whole forest in a silvery glow. She heard the wind shift as Hidan jumped up beside her.
"Couldn't sleep?" she asked. Hidan didn't say anything. Instead he sat down about two feet from her, shoulders slumped and his feet swinging slightly over the branch. Sakura smirked as she continued to stare at the landscape.
"I'll take that as a yes," she said, a dry mirth laced in her voice. Hidan leaned back, bracing his hands against the thick branch. Hidan looked down at Tatsuki, who was still sleeping peacefully.
"I bet you're wondering about his power, right?" she said. Hidan started lightly before nodding. Sakura sighed and tapped out a beat on her knee. She was quiet for a few moments before speaking.
"Tatsuki's the last of his clan, the Ryujins. They were said to have been descended from the Sage of the Six Paths, the spirit of the great dragon." She began. "The Ryujins were incredibly powerful. Blessed with a near perfect immunity system, the strength of ten men, advanced healing abilities, and nearly endless stamina. And like you saw before, they can change their shape to the of a dragon. They were a small clan on the edge of the Land of Wind, and mostly unknown to the world. Mostly." Sakura paused and pinched the bridge of her nose between two fingers.
"The Mist destroyed them. Obliterated. Slaughtered. Whatever you want to call it. And despite their seemingly perfect skills and bodies, they didn't stand a chance." Hidan stared down at Tatsuki again. Suddenly, he saw him in a whole new light. He looked at Sakura, and unasked question hovering on his lips.
"But their gift was also a curse." Hidan blinked. A bitter smile crossed her face.
"Even though they were extremely powerful, they were still human. The strain of an entire other being hiding beneath the surface of their human bodies becomes too much. Hardly any other Ryujin lives past thirty. Tatsuki's twenty-eight. Twenty-nine in three months." She said. That hit Hidan hard. He saw Tatsuki yawn widely and roll over in his sleep, mumbling something about cookies. It was sad. Tatsuki was so energetic, despite the fact he knew he was going to die in under two years.
Hidan let that thought stir in his head. Sakura went back to scanning the landscape.
Pat...pat...pat...
Hidan's ear twitched slightly. He turned to look at Sakura and noticed her palm had a large slice across it, dripping blood onto the wood. Hidan pointed at it, rousing Sakura from whatever trance she had been in.
"Hmm? Oh, this. When I cut the ropes of Hirohito...I'll deal with it tomorrow, I'm out of chakra and Tatsuki is using most of the bandages." She said, pressing it into her kimono and leaving a dark red stain. Hidan sighed in irritation before clamping onto his sleeve with his teeth, tearing off a large strip.
Sakura finally slid her eyes to look at Hidan. He grabbed her injured hand and before using the cloth he had ripped from his shirt to wrap the wound. Sakura looked surprised. Hidan didn't meet her eyes the entire time.
"Thanks..." she mumbled when he tied off the strip of navy blue cloth. Hidan flicked his eyes up to her quickly and found him draw into the grassy green orbs. Her eyes were tired...exhausted. Eyes that had seen too much blood shed, had seen too many people die. Hidan realized with a start that this probably the first time he was actually seeing her. All of her walls were gone, her masks, her bravado. A tired smile adorned her face and Hidan's heart skipped a beat.
The moonlight made her pastel pink hair look silver, the black highlights sticking out more than ever, and her fair skin glow. The exhaustion etched into her face made her look years older, and yet Hidan couldn't think of anything more beautiful.
As soon as the word appeared in his mind, he wanted to banish it. And yet, he couldn't. He smirked lightly and turned to stare at the sky. Sakura's face fell slightly before she covered it up. She turned so her position was matching Hidan's and stared at her toes.
Before she knew what was happening, Hidan had gently wrapped a hand around her head and smushed it into his lap.
"Sleep," he said with a commanding, yet gentle voice. "You need it." Sakura, who had been shocked initially, relaxed and curled up slightly. She smiled through a yawn.
"Yeah..." she murmured before her eyes fluttered shut.
"Thank you for returning Hirohito to me, Leaf shinobi," Mifune said politely as he nodded. Sakura smiled brightly.
"No problem, Mifune-sama," she said. Mifune smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corner.
Tatsuki, Hidan, Lee, and Sakura were lined up in front of the master samurai, preparing to head out for the Leaf. Hirohito was standing next to Mifune, arms crossed and a snobby scowl on his face. Mifune's smile faded as he looked back and forth at the four of them and Hirohito. He smirked suddenly.
"You passed."
There were four simultaneous "Eh?!"s from Tatsuki, Lee, Hidan and Sakura and a simultaneous head-tilt. Suddenly, the contemptuous look melted off Hirohito's face, to be replaced with a polite smile. Hirohito instantly seemed a lot nicer. He snapped his fingers and a young man appeared at his side, kneeling and holding a katana out to Hirohito. He took it and fastened it to his hip. He smirked as Mifune began speaking.
"I sent Hiro here to test the Leaf's compassion, patience, and tolerance. You four have passed with flying colors." He said. Hirohito laughed lightly and scratched the back of his head.
"You have my thanks for putting up with me." He bowed, and Lee, Hidan, Tatsuki, and Sakura's eyes were wide as dinner plates. This flip in personality was extremely bewildering. Sakura shook her head and rubbed her forehead.
"No problem...Glad we could be of service, Mifune-sama," she said. Mifune nodded. Lee spoke up for Sakura, as she was too busy keeping her killer intent in control to speak.
"We should be leaving soon, I hope we meet again on equally friendly terms," he bowed and hooked his arms through Sakura's and dragged her away. Tatsuki offered a sheepish grin before following them. Hidan bowed and left too.
The friendly smile left Hirohito's face.
"Master, that was-"
"Yes, I know, Hidan no Yugakure. Do you think they know it was him?" He inquired. Hirohito looked at Mifune.
"Hidan was said to have brought the death of Asuma Sarutobi nearly seven years ago. They have to know." He said. Mifune smirked and stroked his beard.
"Interesting. They have taken in an enemy and he seems to have turned over a new leaf," he mused. Hirohito stared after them, his ebony hair falling in front of his eyes.
"... Was that a pun sir?" Hiro asked.
"I believe it was." Mifune replied. The two exchanged a look before falling into a bout of muffled sniggers.
Author's Corner: How much boo could a weeaboo boo if a weeaboo could boo boo?
Yeah I have no idea it's late and I'm suppressing screams of feels from this one comic and just alsdjhfjahsdfhjasdkfjhkhdf sorry guys, short chapter-ish. Anyways, this took longer than I wanted it to take, but eh...
-Kaya Kazaki
