ALTERNATE ENDING.
I had been born alone in this world and had spent my time alone as well, I was never stupid enough to call anyone a friend. I had allies, perhaps. But even those people didn't have my trust. I had no one but myself; I took care of myself, I protected myself, I fought for myself.
So why now, did I feel more alone than I ever had in my entire life?
This loneliness was dreadful; a flesh eating disease that was taking parts of me second by second. Disconsolate, I stared out of the window at the equally dreary earth beyond the glass. I felt lost and abandoned, and I knew I would be killed if I didn't do something soon. I considered a couple of people here to be my friends but I doubted even they could help me now.
I was willing to let myself be killed by them, this miserable aching in my blood would cease then. But my hand subconsciously found its way to my swollen belly, where my denial and terror lay inside of me with a new heartbeat. I had no reason to love or care for this thing, this parasite. I could kill it, have it ended. But it was mine, and I had so little already. This little thing belonged to me, and I was to protect it.
It was my reason.
Fueled by this, I knew I had to escape. I had to get out, I had to take the chances I was given. I was not dead yet, and I would be damned if I gave up now. I clenched my hand into a fist and punched the window with all of the strength I had left inside of me. The glass shattered, onto the ground and cutting into my flesh; liquid the color of my rage bloomed forth.
I threw myself through the broken window and hit the ground running, every footfall took me farther and farther away from a place I had learned to call home; but the thing that made it home to me was gone. I didn't stop to look, to think, scarcely even to breathe. I only ran, as if it was the only thing programmed into my mind. An animal with only one purpose; to escape, to survive.
I don't know how long I ran, the sky was covered with clouds of rain that shrouded earth in shadows. I could have run for days and not even noticed. My body eventually decided it could run no more, and I collapsed onto the wet grass. My lungs screamed for air, a fire burned in my chest as I gasped, swallowing both oxygen and rain.
I looked desperately around me, trying to place a name to where I was. How far? How long? Who had already noticed my absence? Would they bother hunting me, or were they already behind me and ready to kill me? I had made myself a deadly enemy; and now I was a rogue and I would never again settle anywhere. I never had a chance at a peaceful life from the moment I was born. Staying anywhere for long would put me in danger; and endanger my reason.
I stood on shaky legs, feeling much like a child afraid to take its first steps. Eventually I moved, one uncertain foot in front of the other lead me through the dense forest. I stumbled often and fell occasionally, but I didn't stop. The rain blurred my vision as it washed the earth, bathing it in renewal. My cautious treading through this muddy forest was serene in a way, I felt separated from the rest of the earth entirely.
I fell once more, and this time I didn't catch myself; I let my body fall to the ground and I lay on my stomach just breathing in the rain. I stared and I stared at the silver in front of my face, feeling hurt and threatened by it. I didn't move for so long, I could feel my body going numb, and I wondered if I would paralyze myself here. My hand reached up, even as I screamed at it to stop, and laid itself over the silver. I felt it burning my flesh like acid, but my fingers curled around it and I grasped it as tight as I could, relishing this agony.
I brought the pendant to my lips, burning them as well. How ironic, to leave your symbol of your god behind.
The god left you a sign, girl.
I jolted when the cold and familiar voice spoke, for I had not heard her in ages. I begged and screamed at her to explain to me her words, but she did not clarify. I fell back to my earth, pendant now burning my chest. I felt my heart beat against it. Beating faster, louder, until I was certain it would burst. "He is too prideful." I whispered as I leaned up on my arms. "He is too stubborn." I pushed myself to my knees. "He is too strong." I stood up.
"He is immortal!" I screamed to the skies as I shoved branches out of my way, this time I did not fall once as I tore through the foliage and destroyed everything in my path. Newfound energy scorched inside of me as I clawed my way past trees and boulders, climbing over giant logs and untangling from tall grass. I was an inferno in this icy storm, electricity cracked down to earth and singed my veins. Trees were charred when it struck them.
I was the lightning.
I was screaming, words and languages and things I couldn't understand, but I screamed them anyway. I was raw, I was open and bleeding. I destroyed this damnable forest that was hiding what I sought, keeping me away. My blood was alive with the charge in it. And I knew when I walked from the trees that now gave into the clearing; that I had arrived. This hole in the ground, where explosions had shaken the earth to its core, where dirt hastily covered it up. This was where I would find.
And I began to dig.
I had heard him before I had seen him.
It had taken me hours to dig down to the bottom of the pit, now with bloody fingernails and torn up hands; I had tossed rocks and other debris out of my way as I continued down. I had passed exhaustion hours ago and I was sure I was running on autopilot and only my goal was keeping me conscious. The closer I got to the bottom I began to hear muffled curse words and vows to murder.
I thought I had merely been hallucinating until I actually reached Hidan. What was left of him, anyway; his body had been blown apart and I was certain I would never find all of him again. This didn't kill my relief at finding him alive despite the gruesome circumstances; alleviation poured into my veins like cool liquid. I'm not sure if his shock outweighed mine, but his reaction had beaten mine at least. I don't think he stopped screaming at me the entire time I worked on getting him out of that hellhole and even while I pieced him back together.
Are you a fucking idiot?
How dare you put yourself in fucking danger, they'd squish you like a damn bug if they'd caught you!
Are you fucking listening to me?!
"It's hard to ignore a screaming, severed head." I had snapped back, and he had shut up.
I really hadn't known what to make of the gruesome scene I had found. I'd not known what to do, and repairing Hidan's destroyed body was a tedious and laborious task. I was already asking him questions as I dug the rest of them out of the earth. Jabs had been thrown back and forth; how could he let himself get killed by some kid? I listened to him shout insults and threats and I got the feeling he was just talking for the sake of talking. It must have been awful being muffled in that dirt.
Days. The digging, the fixing, the putting it all back together. It took days, all of my energy and chakra. I had to rearrange him the correct way and lend him what chakra I had for his prayers to Jashin. His skin would meld back together, bones would fuse, joints would fix. I felt my heart and stomach dissolve in disgust, yet I still watched the horrifying scene of Hidan's body healed by a power I have never understood, and may never understand.
The rain never seemed to cease in those days, I was certain I had rain in my veins after that. I stood still as I watched Hidan become whole again, he didn't move for several moments even after his body appeared patched back together. When he finally sat up, his movements were slow and stiff; I wondered if it would take time for him to become comfortable in his own skin again. I watched him stand while I was frozen to the ground. He cracked his neck and stretched his arms out before his eyes found mine. The rain washed blood and pain away into the dirt to be used for new life.
"What the fuck are you staring at?" He cracked his familiar smirk and I felt my heart seize in my chest. I had been running on sheer adrenaline for too long, and all of my pent up and raw emotion came flooding back. How terrified had I been? I had been enraged and confused, I had broken every rule I had ever set for myself for this man in front of me. I had been heartbroken. I had been shattered and I built myself back up from the ashes. I learned how to fight and to survive every god damned thing thrown at me! Over this year I had grown more than I had in my whole life.
I didn't need him.
But I wanted him.
I collapsed to my knees. I had never been so drained in my life, I had absolutely nothing in me at that point. My arms hung uselessly at my sides as I stared ahead; Hidan was in front of me before I could take another breath, on the ground with his hand on my face. It was warm, it was fire in this gelid downpour. He was calling my name and it only sounded like an echo. I smiled faintly, pulling the pendant from my pocket and pressing it against his chest.
"I love you, you psychotic bastard." I whispered. Those words sapped the last of my consciousness and I fainted into an oblivion that was so dark, so pure. It was a paradise that welcomed me into its arms after too long spent in hell.
I had slept for a day and a half. I knew he had slept quite a bit of that time too, he needed to build his chakra and energy back up. I had awoken inside of a cave, the tattered remains of an Akatsuki cloak was draped over me. My body screamed in pain as I sat up and my head pounded as I tried to get my memory working; it seemed like I had woken up before my mind had.
"Finally awake?" I heard a voice murmur; it struck a chord in me and I spun around to find the source. Hidan was sitting against the cave wall, his eyes focused on me. Those fuchsia eyes could damn anyone. He was wearing pants, but I never thought to ask where he'd gotten them. His pendant was around his neck again. "You look like you've seen a fucking demon," he smirked as he stood and walked over to where I was nested in the cloak.
"I think what's in front of me is worse." My voice was raspy, as if I hadn't used it in a year; maybe that screaming had damaged me. I heard him chuckle as he sat in front of me and pulled me against him; I closed my eyes as my head rested against his shoulder. I pressed my hand to his heart, I had wanted so badly to feel his heart; as it beat against my palm a smile spread over my lips. I had done it, he was right here in front of me.
"You're a stupid girl." He mumbled, fingers brushing up and down my back. I shivered.
"I'll keep that in mind next time I need to save your stupid self." I murmured; I didn't want to break the quietness, so my voice stayed low. Hidan scoffed and I sat up a bit to look up at him.
"What the hell do you suppose we do now?" I had no answer to that question. Right then, I only wanted to stay like that, away from the world.
"You don't want to go back to the Akatsuki? That was your home." I'd thought Hidan was happy enough there, though he did seem forced to be tamer. His bitter cackle told me I'd thought wrong.
"Back to that shit hole? Fuck that. More fun in going rogue, hunting down who I want to without some other asshole breathing down my neck." Hidan smirked wolfishly and I realized then that this meant freedom. Hidan had hated being ordered around by anyone, it caged him. It seemed I had unleashed him. A debt repaid. "I say we get the fuck away from this shit village." I agreed. We would be wise to stay out of any main village.
I felt Hidan's fingers beneath my chin and I tilted my head up. His lips met mine; the cold I'd felt in my veins melted and red-hot passion boiled my blood. I had been damned by a demon. No, the devil himself. He smirked against my lips before we broke apart. "C'mon bitch. I'm sick of this fucking cave." He muttered; we stood and I found my legs shaky but able to withstand my weight at least. I looked up at him as I started to ask where we should head, but my voice was silenced when our eyes met. A shiver went down my back and the boiling in my veins grew hotter still, igniting me. He smirked and I knew that he knew.
Those eyes held me captive.
AUTHORESS NOTE:
[Alternate Ending continued and finished next chapter]
Long time no fucking see!
People have been repeatedly requesting I write an alternate ending that "isn't sad" and I denied them for a long time because I didn't want to. I liked the ending, and I've never liked alternate endings because I prefer finalization and can never choose between endings if I'm given a choice which then feels like there's no real end at all. But since people seem to really want it, and because I started to like the idea myself, I went for it.
I'm strongly considering making "extras" for this story. Sets of drabbles about separate things that happened during and even after the story, such as little Takara growing up. Probably will be doing variations in the extras too, such as both alternate endings and a different one with them still in the Akatsuki. What thinks you? Please give your opinion on whether or not you'd read them!