Fire. Hidan was a raging fire, untamable and unpredictable. Kakuzu quickly closed the distance between them and kissed the younger man. Hidan parted his lips and moaned, pressing Kakuzu closer to him.

"Kakuzu…" Hidan breathed deeply against his doctor's ear. Kakuzu closed his eyes and leaned forward, moaning when he felt Hidan's tongue against his own. Heat and desire pooled low within Kakuzu, and he intensified their kiss.

Hidan felt safe in Kakuzu's arms, and far away from the rot and regret that agonized him each waking moment. If this asylum was Hell than he would make Kakuzu's touch his salvation.

He felt the older man snake a hand down his torso and stop at the waistband. Hidan opened his legs in invitation and Kakuzu seized the opportunity, grabbing hold of Hidan's thighs and wrapping them around his waist. Hidan tangled his hands in Kakuzu's hair and keened as he felt the older man kiss down his neck.

There was an unexpected knock at the door and the two men froze. Hidan was wide-eyed and Kakuzu held his breath.

A few more knocks on the door.

"Hello? Dr. Taki? Are you there?" Shizune's alarmed voice sounded from the hallway and Kakuzu took a deep breath.

"I'm in the middle of a session. Can you wait?" he said. Hidan smirked and groped Kakuzu's backside through the man's slacks. Kakuzu grabbed Hidan's wrist and mouthed an angry, "Stop it."

"I'm sorry Dr. Taki. It's urgent-" and then another voice, a hoarser, angerier voice, interrupted her.

"Unlock the door so that we may have a word. Now." Undoubtedly the voice belonged to Danzo.

Arousal suddenly disappeared and Kakuzu stood up to straighten himself out.

"What's going on?" Hidan said.

"Don't say or do anything stupid." Kakuzu walked over to the door and scowled when he finally unlocked it.

"Dr. Shimura," Kakuzu said. The man before him looked ancient, and his presence alone screamed a malevolence that could surely scare off small children.

"Let's not humor small talk, Dr. Taki," Danzo snarled, stepping into the room. Kakuzu gave Shizune a nod to leave and closed the door.

"I know what you think about me, and you know what I think about you. Besides I'm not here to chat I'm here to finally accomplish the true goals of this establishment." Danzo circled around the couch Hidan was sitting on and sat in the chair across from him.

"So this is the one everyone is talking about. Not quite the devil the news makes him out to be. Isn't that right, doctor?"

"Are you gonna keep talking to me like I'm an exhibit, or are you going to tell me who the hell you are?" Hidan said. Danzo snorted and turned to Kakuzu.

"He is a handful though. I want him down to the medical wing tonight. I have a few… treatments… the board wants to try."

"Yeah. I don't fucking think so," Hidan gnarled through his teeth. Kakuzu stepped in front of Danzo.

"The progress Hidan is making in therapy is excelling my expectations and the medications are-"

"I don't care," Danzo spat, "You'll have him down tonight, or else I'll take him myself. Do you understand that, doctor?"

"What the hell!" Hidan yelled, "I'm not doing therapy sessions with anyone else but Kakuzu. Do you understand that, asshole?" The statement made Danzo raise a brow, and Hidan hated the snobbish way the wrinkled man stared at him.

"I'm used to talking to Kakuzu. I like talking to Kakuzu. Isn't there something in the handbook that says it's bad to switch around patients like they're fucking beanie babies?" Hidan snarled.

"He calls you by your first name?" Danzo questioned.

"It's a compromise I've allowed," Kakuzu stated.

"It's blatant disrespect if you ask me," Danzo responded, and rose from the chair, "I'll be taking him for differential treatment this evening. As of tonight Hidan will no longer be your burden. I'll assign you different subjects to treat, but Hidan's well-being will belong to me." Hidan shot up from the couch.

"No fucking way!" Hidan was about to throw a punch when Danzo whipped his cane around and slammed it against the coffee table, breaking the glass top and shattering shards all over the carpet. Danzo turned to Kakuzu and narrowed his eyes.

"You have no control over your patient, and I am a first hand witness! You are unsuited to treat such an extreme case! Do you understand, or should I involve the board?" Danzo howled.

"Yes," Kakuzu growled.

"Good. Then we're finished here." Danzo walked out, the glass pieces fracturing under his feet with each step. The door clicked close and Hidan seethed.

"What the hell was that, Kakuzu?!" Hidan's voice came out as a hoarse whisper. Kakuzu shook his head and walked to the window.

"Are you fucking kidding me? I don't want to see that asshole! I mean, how could you let him do this?"

"I'm afraid he'll hurt Fuu if I don't comply."

"Than fight it! He's a fucking scumbag! Say he's endangering the residents! He just broke a fucking table!"

"There's no one to go to anymore. The institute's entire board is made up of his allies."

Hidan grabbed Kakuzu by the arm. "You know what? Fuck you. Fuck you for making me think I had somebody finally on my side." Hidan roughly let go and started for the door.

"I'm going to get you out, Hidan," Kakuzu said.

"What did you just say?"

"I'm going to get you out, and you'll be able to see Konan again, but you're going to have to do exactly as I say."

"What the fuck, Kakuzu? And then what? We'll be fuck buddies in jail? Or were you preferring we drive off into the sunset? If you want me dead than just kill me now because that's a death sentence. "

"No, Hidan. I don't want that."

"This entire thing between us is fucked up! What are we gonna do? You wanna get fucking married? You can't just walk out of this place!"

"I know what it sounds like, but just let me explain-" Kakuzu knew what he sounded like, and for the first time found himself equally ridiculous and a bit embarrassed with his idea.

"No! This fantasy was a nice distraction from the fact that I'm going to die here and you're going to be a miserable old bastard for the rest of your goddamn life, but I just realized something, you're bat shit crazy just like the rest of us, Kakuzu! You're a fucking enigma or some shit! And I don't want to run away anymore, I told you, I'm done. I have nothing, and you proved that when you didn't even try to stop that creep from treating me like the rest of the world does. You're a coward!"

Kakuzu saw red. "You think you know how this world works? You made a stupid mistake because your little naive brainwashed ego told you were chosen by a made-up god, and if you don't shut the fuck up and listen it's going to cost you your god-damn life! Everyone wants you dead because you made a mistake you had no idea you were even making! You're not special, Hidan. There are a million other scumbags like you out there in the world, but because I got stuck with you I have to deal with the repercussions!"

"Then leave, asshole! And stop acting like you know me, coward!" Hidan's energy was draining again, and he stumbled forward, "Everybody's gotta stop working me up like this… stop lying to me." he tried to lean on the window, but Kakuzu caught him.

"Let me help you," Kakuzu's resolve was breaking and, even though he was able to hide it well, Hidan's words wounded him.

"I don't particularly like being touched. Did I ever mention that?" Hidan muttered. Kakuzu let go of his hold.

"You need therapy," Hidan sighed.

"I need you," Kakuzu breathed softly into Hidan's neck. Hidan pushed him away and stumbled to the couch. Kakuzu was trying so hard to open up to him, Hidan could sense it.

"Then tell me," he said.

"Tell you what?" Kakuzu asked.

"Why you're so jaded. What the hell happened to you?"

"The world is cruel," Kakuzu's frustration was apparent as he murmured out the words.

"I know, but Fuu… She's just like you. I mean apart from throwing me against walls and punching me in the face," Hidan added and cocked a brow. Kakuzu sat down beside him.

"She's my sister's daughter."

"And your sister is?" Hidan questioned.

"Dead."

"Yeah, I thought so."

Kakuzu wondered if Hidan really cared to know about his life. On more than one occasion he fantasized about sharing his story with someone who could understand, but the reality of it all put a pit in his stomach. So he started off slow even though the words he said now were nothing like his fantasies. "My sister's name was Kanna."

Hidan nodded in response and crossed his arms, leaning back into the couch. "Yeah. Okay, that's a nice name. What was she like?"

"She was…" Kakuzu's mouth was dry as he tried to find a description, "troubled… but tried her best to take care of Fuu, and… she… I don't- she was… at times...I don't know." Kakuzu ran his hand down his face and started again, forcing himself to break down a decade of walls put up to hide the memories of his past. "She was there in the beginning, when Fuu was an infant, but, as Fuu got older, she decided to drink her time away. Sometimes she'd drop Fuu off and not come back for days. Weeks even. Fuu cried for her mother, and I'd tell her she would be back soon, but of course I had no idea where she was, or what she was doing. When Kanna was home she'd hit Fuu if she was too loud which, if you could imagine, was common. We fought a lot about it."

"Yeah. She loves to talk. Maybe that's why me and the kid get along so well," Hidan huffed.

"Fuu does fancy you, that's for sure. A few weeks ago she drew pictures of you and hung them all around the far west wing. It was quite traumatizing for me," Kakuzu scoffed.

"I'm sure it was," Hidan hummed. The two sat in an awkward silence.

"How did Kanna die?" Hidan asked.

"Suicide."

"Oh," Hidan took a breath, but couldn't think of anything else to say. He wasn't good at comforting people, so he opted to awkwardly pat Kakuzu on the back. It wasn't a particularly touching gesture though. He pulled up the sleeve of Kakuzu's sweater and traced a tattoo that circled the man's arm. "And what about this," he asked.

Kakuzu frowned and pulled his sleeve back down, "I was young, and stupid."

"You once told me you tried to kill someone and failed. Was this what they did to you?," Hidan said, tracing a scar on his face, "Did they rip you to pieces?"

Kakuzu swatted the hand away, "No."

"You said you had a wife?" Hidan's curiosity was getting the better of him, and he never felt the need to know another person so badly before. It was a completely new feeling; one that excited and terrified him at the same time.

"I was engaged."

"Can I ask about your daughter or are you going to choke me out or something?" Kakuzu bit his lip again and walked to his desk. Hesitantly, he opened the draw and reached for the picture frame.

"This is her," he cleared his throat, "and Fuu." Kakuzu felt nauseous as he turned the frame over to reveal the picture. Hidan studied the image.

"Wow. She's a spitting image of you, ain't she? She's real beautiful, Kuzu." Hidan said with some astonishment. "What's her name?" He asked.

Kakuzu felt detached, drugged almost, as he tried to keep his composure. This was the first time in years since he'd spoken to anyone about his daughter this in depth, and although every inch of himself begged him to stop he spoke her name.

"Tomiko," Kakuzu whispered her name as though it was a secret. He looked down for just a moment at his shaking hands, and he tried to swallow, but his mouth was dry and his throat felt tight.

"Tomiko, eh?" Hidan said, but after a few moments of silence looked up from the picture, jumping at Kakuzu's distressed appearance, "Holy shit! Kakuzu, are you alright?"

Kakuzu felt the breakdown coming, and it was completely out of his control. Torturous memories of anguish he managed to suppress for all this time were bubbling just at the surface, clawing their way into his skin, into his scars, and the pain was unbearable.

"Hidan I can't do this. Not right now."

"I get it. I know it sucks talking about this shit. Reliving it and all that," Hidan said, putting a hand on Kakuzu's thigh, "but, honestly, it's crazy to see that you have emotions. I gotta tell ya though, It's not nearly as satisfying as I thought it would be." Kakuzu suddenly turned from Hidan and held his face in his hands.

"Is he crying?" Hidan thought.

"Everyone thinks I killed her," Kakuzu wept, and Hidan bit his lip.

Hidan hesitantly placed a hand on Kakuzu's back, "Uhhh... It's okay?"

Kakuzu shook the hand off and turned away again, "You should go."

"Wait, it's just, well shit, that's a lot. I'm gonna need a second here," Hidan bit his lip again, "They thought you did that? You can be a fucking asshole, but you're a pretty nice guy, Kakuzu, you know that?"

"Shut up," Kakuzu said.

Hidan rolled his eyes and tugged on Kakuzu's shirt to bring him close again. Kakuzu resisted for a moment but turned to face Hidan.

"They wouldn't listen to me," Kakuzu whispered.

"Who?"

"The police…my family...everyone."

"I'll listen to you."

"I was in prison for something so stupid!" Kakuzu balled his fists in indignation, "people broke into our house looking for me, and I wasn't there-" Kakuzu choked back a sob, "So they took her. And they framed me for everything. It's all my fault..."

"It… wasn't your fault."

"They took my daughter!" Kakuzu growled, "and then San killed herself, and Fuu was never the same. And I could've-"

"Kakuzu, stop," Hidan grabbed Kakuzu's wrist.

For a moment Kakuzu was angry at Hidan, but before he could vent his frustration Hidan caressed Kakuzu's cheek, brushing a thumb gently against his glasglow scar, "Stop blaming yourself."

Kakuzu stared into Hidan's violet eyes, "Everyone turned against me."

Hidan smiled plainly, "Fuck them."

Something clicked in Kakuzu's mind and he couldn't quite describe it. He felt fiery. Ignited. Something about the camaraderie of being with Hidan. The younger man made it feel like it was the two of them partnered together against the world.

Kakuzu, never much one for words, kissed him.