Chapter 1: Waking from the Dead
Deep in the heart of Fire County, a group of mercenaries shifted through the trees, appearing as mere flickers of movement to passerby, each carrying their own souvenir from their latest hunt. Of those involved, one man's treasure was still alive. It was unusual - no, unheard of - for him to leave anyone breathing, so he treated his prize with extra care as they journeyed to the collection office. Holding her body in his arms, he stole glances at her face, his curiosity at the events that had just unfolded brimming over. Normally when people fought him, they either met their deaths with dignity or they shit their pants. But the woman he carried did neither of those things. Instead, she bargained.
For the first time in Hidan's life, he actually listened. It wasn't so much that he cared what she had to say, but something clicked in the back of his mind when she spoke. Her voice felt… he wasn't sure how describe it without sounding like a fool, but the best way he could describe it was like velvet. Her words washed over him and bathed him in a soft caress that he could not ignore. And he recognized the signs as a message from Jashin. Hidan just wasn't sure what the message was really saying.
The woman began to stir in his arms and his body awakened at the sensation. He couldn't wait to unravel her and find the gem, the reason for their meeting, inside.
What… happened? Slowly but steadily, Mira's heartbeat ticked away the seconds as her captors travelled through the countryside, intent on dropping off their latest bounty for a hefty fee. As she fell in and out of consciousness, the world blurred around her and there was only one thing she could recognize. Trees. Endless trees. She knew from the wind on her face that she was moving quickly. But her body was heavy, and she was jostling against something solid and warm. A body? She parted her lips to take a breath and smelled sandalwood, her favorite scent. But not native to this region. Where was she? Breathing in deeply, she clutched at the warmth with numb fingers and drifted off again, mumbling incoherencies.
The man carrying her chuckled and the rumble in his chest stirred the woman. She tilted her head back to look up at his face, but all she could latch onto was the smoldering amber of his eyes staring searching her own.
"She's your responsibility. If she does anything, we will kill her in an instant. You will kill her without hesitation."
With a click of his tongue, Hidan accepted the terms of Akatsuki's leader. It's not like he had much of a choice. "Fine, I'll slit her throat ceremoniously the moment she steps out of line. But she'll be fine. Jashin doesn't make mistakes!"
Dismissing himself from the stuffy meeting room, Hidan clamored down the stairs of the Akatsuki hideout and towards his own room at the end of the hall, where his new… well, he wasn't sure what the hell to call her. Partner? Captive? Toy? Priest? Scowling, he approached the door of his room and held his palm over the handle, sending a silent prayer to Jashin that he would figure out this test Jashin had put before him. Curling his fingers around the cool metal, he took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
Inside, the kunoichi was still sleeping. Whatever Jashin did to her to knock her out sure as hell worked - Hidan would need to remember to ask Him for help getting to sleep from now on. Closing the door behind him, Hidan slipped his shoes off and kicked them to the side, glancing over at the woman once more. She was curled up on her side, her body facing inwards on the bed. Her braid had started to come undone on the journey home so her hair, long and dark, was a mess of knots and tangles, and her clothes were ripped from their earlier sparring. She looked peaceful though, despite her disheveled appearance.
A definite change from the death glare she gave me earlier. Scoffing to himself at the memory of their encounter, Hidan shrugged his robe off and hung it on a hook by the door. He had already taken the woman's weapons off of her - two twin iron fighting fans hooked at each hip, a simple tanto across her lower back, and a hidden dagger in the sole of her boot. Clever. But that was all. She clearly wasn't the most tool-savvy ninja. Not that Hidan could say much, with all his effects being a scythe and his own sense of humor.
The weapons were stashed in his room somewhere she would never find without his help. Even if she was one of Jashin's chosen, Hidan couldn't be too careful… Sunagakure shinobi were known for being ruthless. Maybe that was something they would have in common.
The woman stirred and Hidan sat on the bed next to her, his weight sinking into the mattress. He bent towards her and peered down at her waking figure, waiting to see if she'd stir. If he was going to figure out Jashin's plan, he would need her help.
She felt like death. Rousing herself from whatever state she was in - a coma was her best guess - proved to be so damned difficult. It wasn't like she hadn't suffered hangovers before where you felt like your veins were filled with cement... so what the hell was up with this? Every time she managed to pull her conscious mind to the surface and catch a whiff of conversation or scenery, she was dragged back under. It felt like drowning. It felt like being buried alive. Death. That was the only word to describe it.
Her entire body ached. If she found her voice, she would curse the gods for playing this trick on her. Willing her to submit to another man without question? What the fuck was up with that? Betraying her village? Yeah, things had been a little worse for wear since the daimyo began outsourcing missions to Konoha, but she had always been proud to be part of the community. What have I done?
Her inner turmoil rippled across her skin and she felt the pressure weighing her down crack like an exoskeleton, freeing her from the prison of sleep. Slowly, she twitched her fingers, her nose, her eyes, and when she finally, finally managed to open her eyes… And her personal space was being invaded. Those same amber eyes were inches from her own and his breath was hot across her cheeks.
"What…" she mumbled, squinting at the bare-chested man in front of her, "...the fuck."
Hidan, not expecting the first words he heard from the woman to be some of his favorites, couldn't keep his laughter subsided. His booming voice echoed in the small confines of the room, and he clutched at his sides and bent over in mirth. "Oh god," he wheezed, trying to contain himself. "If that's any indication of how this relationship is gonna go, we're gonna be great."
Mira forced her body to cooperate with her mind and pushed herself into an upright position, the pounding in her head keeping her from sitting completely upright. "Too loud," she groaned, weakly attempting to push Hidan away from her. "Go away." After its unsuccessful attempt at moving the man, Mira's hand fell to his lap and she her body tilted forwards.
Amused, Hidan steadied her by her shoulder, keeping his hand there as an anchor. "Mira. I'm not going anywhere." His gaze pierced into her, and she felt the weight in her limbs began to lift like air being let out of a balloon. "And neither are you," he said softly, shifting her body so that she could lean her back against the headboard for support.
Puzzled, Mira allowed her body to be shifted into a more comfortable position. "You… know my name?" Her body was starting to feel better but her mind was still in fog about some things. Shifting her tone, she cleared her throat - ouch - and said "You better not get any ideas. I'm not here for you. I'm not yours."
Hidan merely continued to stare at her, unfazed by her commentary. In fact, Mira would have sworn he had tuned out everything she just said. "Jashin has shown an interest in you. I need to find out why." He finally shifted away from her and stood from the bed, beginning to pace back and forth on the worn floorboards. "Oh, and before you try anything dumb like escaping? Yeah. Don't." His amber eyes flickered to hers for a moment before he continued pacing. "I don't want to hurt you since I don't know why Jashin chose you. But if you force me to act, I won't be kind." The sound of his feet shuffling across the hardwood filled the room as he waited for Mira to respond.
She chose to remain silent and analyze his demeanor. Hidan The Reaper was not too well known… but known well enough that she knew a little about him. When word of the Akatsuki broke out in Suna, Mira had been tasked with teaching her long-range corps about warning signs to look out for when scanning the perimeter of the village or its territories. Part of her research included an in-depth hunt for information on Akatsuki's members, which was more difficult of a task than Mira would ever admit. All she had learned about the man before her was that he had a temper and liked to kill people savagely for the sake of his god… so the fact that she was sitting on his bed and he wasn't about to sacrifice her was a miracle in itself.
"Do you remember what you said to me? Why you're here?"
Hidan's steely voice snapped Mira back to reality. He was more serious than mere minutes ago when he laughed at her choice of words. He seemed… rigid. Tense. She noticed the pendant resting on his chest and made a note to ask him about it later if she got the chance. Since she didn't have an answer for his question that wouldn't sound ridiculous, she pursed her lips instead of answering directly. "You brought me here. Shouldn't you know why?" She was starting to feel better so she sat up a bit straighter and tried to look more dignified.
The man huffed in impatience and grasped the footboard tightly, pausing once again to look at Mira. "No. You're the one who asked to come with me. I didn't put that idea into your head." He pushed himself away from the frame and began his pacing again, this time faster. "What have you gotten me into, Jashin…" he muttered, moreso to himself than anyone else. "I felt Him," he said hesitantly, keeping his eyes to the ground. "When you asked. He told me to take you. But now I'm wondering if that literally meant take you with me or something else. But why would he have knocked you out? And so strongly? He doesn't care if you get hurt. In fact, he prefers it."
Mira could tell that Hidan was no longer talking to her so much as he was talking around her. She watched him move, marveling at how well put together he was. His muscles shifted with each of his movements, and it was hard not to notice since he was half naked. Even more interesting, however, were his scars. Covering nearly every inch of his skin, they peppered his body with constellations and Mira found herself drawn to each of them… what had they seen? What had he been through? Why the hell did he have so many of them?
His musings helped her piece together her memory, though, and for that she was grateful. She forced her eyes on the space in front of her rather than his chest and took a breath. Sandalwood. Somehow, the notion of her asking to come here felt familiar… it even felt warm somehow. She felt her face flush instantly and she choked on her own saliva in surprise at how intense the feeling was. Unfortunately, Hidan was more perceptive than Mira gave him credit for and he was hovering over her again in an instant.
"You remembered something," he said, leaning over her. His metal pendant settled on Mira's chest and she gasped in surprise at how hot it was - it felt like it was burning into her flesh. She immediately pushed Hidan away from her, and he toppled backwards a few steps before regaining his balance. "Hey-" he growled, the irritation sparking on his tongue. "The fuck do you-" But he stopped as soon as he saw the reddened mark of Jashin on her chest. The burn wasn't deep and would heal on its own, but he eyed it curiously for a moment before speaking again. His voice was calm now, but the tension in his shoulders remained. "Describe it to me. What you're feeling."
Still stunned, Mira raised her hands to her cheeks and felt the heat beneath them. Her entire body felt like it was starting to boil, and a sweat broke out on her neck. "I uhh," she swallowed, forgetting her hesitation as her panic began to take over, "I don't know, I… I felt an intense longing. Like I hadn't had sex in years and-" she felt herself getting hotter and decided to compare it to something else. "-like I hadn't seen or drank water in years and I was about to jump into a pool of the most pristine waters I had ever seen. It was the most intense thing I've ever experienced. Like my skin was on fire." Sweat began pooling on her lower back and soaking into her clothes. "No, like my soul was on fire. Like the only thing I needed was to go with you. Like I would never be fulfilled if I didn't go with you." Her breathing shallowed and she shivered, feeling feverish. "Make it stop. I swear to god make it stop-"
Hidan didn't seem surprised by this or by Mira's sudden hot flash, and he watched her pensively. "Get up. If we don't cool you off, you'll go into shock or have a heart attack or whatever." He grabbed her by the wrists and pulled her from the bed so that she was standing in front of him. On the nightstand by his bed, he had a small athame that he took in his hands and held it against Mira's lower back. "Trust me," he murmured, his face growing softer… kinder, almost.
Before Mira had time to blink, Hidan had sliced a four inch cut into her back, and she cried out in surprise at the sting of the blade, but as soon as the cut was made, she could feel her body temperature lowering drastically. The sudden change made Mira woozy and lightheaded, so she was grateful when Hidan applied pressure to the wound and held her body close to his for support.
"If I didn't make a large enough cut, your body temperature would have continued to rise and you would have passed out. Some people have seizures."
Mira felt her body begin to shake of its own accord, and if Hidan didn't feel so damned cool to the touch she would have protested his help and sat down. But instead, he continued to hold her still as he reached for the drawer in his nightstand, placed the knife inside, and pulled out bandages. While he dressed her wound, he continued explaining. "What you just felt - that was Jashin making contact. It's not the only way he makes contact, but it's the easiest to detect for newbies." He tied off the bandage and gently sat Mira down on the edge of the bed, his hands firmly on her hips to keep her steady. "Bloodletting is the most direct way to relieve the tension. We didn't have time for me to use another method." He paused, searching her face for answers. "I'm actually surprised you burned up so quickly. Normally it takes time to get to that level. You might have a stronger connection to Jashin than some."
When he thought she was secure enough to sit on her own, he shifted to sit next to her. His thigh pressed against hers and she was grateful because his body temperature was still so much cooler than hers. The contact was refreshing.
Hidan took a deep breath and wiped his palms on his black pants. "This just confirms that Jashin wants you. No, that he's claimed you," he corrected, nodding to himself.
Mira focused her vision just enough to see that Hidan was staring at her chest, and she was about to smack him upside the head when she realized he was looking at the pendant marking, not her breasts. The mark didn't hurt anymore and she could see it returning to her normal skin tone, but she brushed her fingertips against it and felt an electric shock down her spine. It was freaky. She wasn't sure she liked it. In fact, that whole event was a whole lotta insane that she'd rather walk away from. But even though her rational brain was having these thoughts, there was a deeper, more grounded part of her that felt… satisfied.
It was just like when she realized she liked coconut after living her whole life believing it was disgusting- she only had to try it to find out the truth. She loved coconut.
Part of her, perhaps the sick, dark, I-Will-Never-Admit-To-This part actually… enjoyed what just happened. At least, the intensity of it. Maybe not the rest of it.
Everything else, everything that Hidan had just said and had yet to say, was waaaay too much for her to process right now. Honestly, even though she had just woken from a dead ass slumber, all she wanted to do not was sleep for twelve hours. Her eyelids grew heavy and she found herself leaning into Hidan without realizing it.
Hidan… smiled at her. A genuine, soft, kind smile. "You need rest. That was a lot for your first time." He picked her up and lay her back down on the bed. "I'll have to see if we can find a spare room for you. Until then, you can stay here. But I mean it - don't try anything. I don't want to have to explain to Jashin why I had to cut your arm off or something."
Mira was too tired to respond or even process what he was saying at this point, so she mutely listened to the rest of Hidan's ramblings as much as she could before she drifted off into sleep.