The dawn was grey and new when Hidan woke up. His head throbbed and his throat was dry, but it wasn't anything he couldn't shake off. He opened his eyes, yawning and then turning to look at the man next to him.

"Hmmm… Kakuzu," he hummed to himself, and closed his eyes, settling back into the bed, but after a few moments his eyes shot back open.

"Kakuzu?!" He slammed his hand over his mouth, and then in a whisper said, "Kakuzu?" He looked back at the man, who was currently pushed up against Hidan's side, and felt the older man's hot breath against his shoulder. Hidan thought he looked… relaxed.

'Yeah. Probably for the first time in his goddamn life,' Hidan scoffed. He patted himself down in the dark, but froze when he got to Kakuzu's arm.

"Great." Hidan felt adrenaline rush to his already spinning head and willed it to stop. He didn't like to be touched, and he definitely wasn't a cuddler, but, surprisingly to him, Kakuzu's arm didn't bother him as much as he thought it would. He carefully moved out of Kakuzu's embrace and sat up on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. He took a deep breath and looked out the window. It was cracked in the corner and the blinds were broken like someone must've pulled too hard and detached them from the top of the frame.

'What the hell is going on?' Hidan couldn't remember how he got to be in bed with Kakuzu, but he remembered some of the events prior. He remembered his puke-colored room and Kisame man-handling him out of it… Kakuzu's voice and then the feel of Kakuzu's mouth against his own... Fuu's little hidden room… being dragged to the old operating theater in Amagakure. Then Hidan's mind recalled the last time he was in therapy with Sasori and Deidara. It felt so long ago, but was only a bit more than half a year since his trial.

"Hidan, I want you to think about what you are saying." Sasori was becoming annoyed.

"I don't want to think about anything! This is horse shit! You're horse shit!" Hidan crossed his arms and sat back into the chair, "You think I like being in jail?"

"Obviously not, Hidan," Sasori scoffed, "but being dead isn't the way out of this."

Hidan's face was red with anger and he screamed in frustration. "I want this! I want to die! I must be with Jashin! Don't act like you care! It's none of your business!"

Hidan closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Snippets of his life finally filling in the blank spaces in his memory. He swallowed deeply, quickly rubbing away the tears threatening to roll down his face. He could push the memories down for a while more before it completely unraveled him.

"Hidan?" Hidan jumped at Kakuzu's deep, drowsy voice.

"Oi, Kakuzu, warn a guy before you decide to wake up from the dead," He sniffed.

Kakuzu grumbled something that sounded like "you're up early," and sat up beside him.

"How are you feeling," Kakuzu asked.

"Like shit, but I'll live," Hidan shrugged.

"Good." Kakuzu grabbed hold of Hidan's shoulder and, before he could protest, pushed their mouths together in a sleep ridden kiss. Hidan was surprised, and the possessiveness of it all thrilled him, but despite it all he broke the kiss.

"Kakuzu, what the hell is going on?"

"We're at my house."

Hidan rolled his eyes. Kakuzu was always one for answers that never seemed to address the entire question.

"And we got here... how?"

"I took you from Amegakure and brought you here."

"Well, fuck. What the hell were you thinking?"

"It wasn't my idea."

"Oh." Hidan looked down at the floor.

"Kisame and Mei set it up, and I followed their lead."

"I don't know if you remember, but…" Kakuzu started, but Hidan cut him off.

"No fucking way! Did we fuck last night?" Hidan all but shouted.

"What? No! And quiet down! Kisame and Mei slept here last night, and the walls are thin."

Hidan took pride in the rile he got out of Kakuzu, and finally took in the older man's drowsy appearance. "You look like you've been through hell."

In all honesty, Hidan thought Kakuzu looked rather sexy with his five-o'clock shadow and dark, brown hair cascading haphazardly over his strong shoulders. Hidan laid back on the pillows.

"Let me guess you want to get back to sleep?"

Kakuzu growled and moved closer to Hidan, "No."

"Oh yeah? Wouldn't want you to miss any beauty sleep," Hidan smirked.

Kakuzu smoothed a hand down Hidan's thigh. "Don't be a brat."

"Maybe I like being a brat. Ever think about that, Kuzu ?"

Kakuzu rolled his eyes and squeezed Hidan's thigh harder. "Maybe I like when you're a brat. Ever think about that, Hidan?" Kakuzu drowned Hidan's name in the same mockery of a cutesy inflection as Hidan did whenever he said, "Kuzu."

"You know, you're a riot when you're all sleepy and shit," Hidan smirked, and crossed his arms behind his head, exposing his navel and part of his stomach.

"Spare me," Kakuzu mumbled, and moved his hand up the younger man's body, eyes focused on the newly exposed skin.

"You're also quite the cuddler."

Kakuzu froze, the shock and embarrassment overcoming his drowsiness, eyes widening in dilemma.

"Oh? You didn't know, did you? But from the look on your face I sense maybe you did," a shit-eating grin was plastered to Hidan's face as he laughed, "I had to all but pry your arms off of me. I'm surprised you didn't wake up. Anybody else would have, but you apparently sleep like a fuckin' rock. Or..." Hidan smiled and closed his eyes, "maybe you were just too busy dreaming of yours truly."

The next thing Hidan knew he was yanked into Kakuzu's lap, knees on either side of Kakuzu's legs and the older man's strong arms snaked around his waist.

"Was it something like this?" Kakuzu jeered. Hidan wrapped his arms around Kakuzu's neck, and threaded his fingers through the thick mane of hair, letting them run down the back of the man's head, and rest behind his neck. Kakuzu growled low in response; his scalp tingling from the younger man's touches.

"No. This is so much better," Hidan said, finally closing the distance between them, tilting his head and finding Kakuzu's mouth with his own, letting his tongue slide along Kakuzu's.

"We can't do this now," Kakuzu said, breaking the kiss and breathing heavily in an attempt to suppress his arousal. It had been so long since he touched anyone like this, and even longer since he let anyone touch him like this.

Hidan moaned in protest, "No time like the present. You can have fun if you want to, Kuzu."

"Don't start," he warned. "Get up, and get yourself ready."

Hidan motioned to his body. "What more can I do?" He said seductively.

"Sometimes I forget I'm dealing with an imbecile. Well, do you have to use the bathroom, or are you gonna piss anywhere you feel like it?"

Hidan stared dumbly. "Oh," he rubbed the back of his neck, "that's what you meant."

Kakuzu mumbled something like "idiot" under his breath as he watched Hidan get up and open a closet by accident.

"Through the door to the left," Kakuzu said, and turned away as Hidan scampered out of the bedroom. Kakuzu was annoyed with Hidan for being, well, Hidan, but it paled in comparison with the fact that the man he wanted was so close, and he didn't just take him then and there. He was cautious, Kisame and Mei were in the other room, it wasn't like he could fuck him into the bed silently. But there was a deeper feeling that wrought up his anger as well; doubt. Maybe he made the wrong choice to stop because it might have been their only chance. He took Hidan from the institute and now he was, for not the first time in his life, a criminal, and if he was caught at best he'd lose his job, and at worst he'd be imprisoned.

Kakuzu balled his fists ready to hurt something, anything, to pacify his emotions, and was about to punch the wall when his eye caught the gleam of Hidan's rosary on the pillow. It ran through his mind that Hidan might have taken it off in his sleep. Kakuzu stared perplexed at it and slumped back to the bed.

"Fuck" Kakuzu thought, and picked it up, holding the silver pendent tight. It was becoming more and more obvious to Kakuzu that he didn't particularly care about justice for the asylum. If Kakuzu was honest with himself, he didn't give a damn about justice, and the only person that tied him to the asylum was Fuu. If he was even more honest, hypothetically, if given the chance he'd probably rig the entire system in his favor too. Maybe even hurt people like Danzo was if they got in his way, and undoubtedly embezzle the place until it was dry. The only thing he wanted out of this was Hidan, and he was chancing everything to get him.

"Dammit," Kakuzu thought. His heart was beating so hard it felt like he had more than one. "I'm in love with him." He couldn't believe what he was thinking, but undeniably knew what he felt because he felt it once before so many years ago.

Kakuzu cursed under his breath, and put his head in his hand. There was a shout from outside the bedroom.

"Hidan! What the hell is wrong with you!?" Kisame shouted from the kitchen.

Kakuzu jolted up and sprinted out of the bedroom. He was prepared for a psychotic meltdown, or even Hidan pulling a knife on Kisame or Mei, but on arrival to the scene, the pure stupidity of Hidan hit him full force.

Mei was stamping out a small fire on the table, Kisame was using the faucet hose to put out a smoking toaster on the floor, and Hidan was covered in pink sludge.

"I just wanted a fucking smoothie!" Hidan yelled at Kisame trying to wrestle the hose from him.

"You don't make smoothies in the toaster, dumbass!"

"I was using it for the pancakes!" Hidan screamed back.

"You were what?! We should've left you in the asylum!"

Hidan pulled the hose from Kisame, the force of it propelling him backwards onto his back, drenching the doorway in water, and with it, Kakuzu.

Mei and Kisame went silent.

"OW! Do you have any idea how much that fucking hurt?" Hidan started, but stopped when he saw Kakuzu in the doorway. "Oi, Kakuzu. I'm so fucking sorry, man. Don't be, uh, don't be mad."

Kakuzu stared, wide-eyed and mouth ajar in disbelief. Hidan scratched the back of his head. "I'll, uh, get you a new toaster."

Kakuzu blinked.

"I think you broke him," Mei said.

Hidan carefully got up and stepped closer, "Are you okay? Kakuzu?"

Kakuzu put his face in his hands. "How?"

"I tried to make breakfast, but it turned out crappy," Hidan said.

"No. Not- not that." Hidan saw the upward turn of Kakuzu's lips and tried to bite down his own grin.

"How are you-," Kakuzu was trying, with difficulty, to stifle his laughter, "how are you going to get me a new toaster?" Kakuzu pinched the bridge of his nose, struggling to keep his usual stoic attitude. "You can't just," Kakuzu waved his free hand around in a gesture, "go to the store! You're a wanted criminal! And you have no money! What are you going to do? Put on a disguise, and steal a toaster?" Kakuzu leaned against the door frame, choking down his confused smile, and gaining back some semblance of composure.

"I knew you were fun, Kuzu" Hidan jeered.

"Shut up!" Kakuzu said, "You're an idiot!"

Kisame leaned against the charred counter-top and let out a sigh, "Well, at least he didn't burn the house down."

"Hey! I knew what I was doing!"

"Sure you did, kid," Kisame said. He grabbed the dry towel from the sink and threw it at Kakuzu, "You probably need this."

"Well then. What a start to the day," Mei said. "Anybody want coffee?" Her question was answered quickly with an in-sync, unanimous "yes" from the group.


20 minutes later the four were huddled around the small living room coffee table trying to come up with something, anything to move forward.

"Who do we go to?" Kisame said. "We need someone who will listen, and even then how do we get to them?"

"I'll call Tsunade, and we'll see what she can do," Kakuzu said.

"All do respect to . She is an amazing leader, but there's no way they'd let her just walk into Amegakure," Mei said. "And that's what we need. Someone who can walk in there with minimal questioning."

Kakuzu sighed. "We don't have anyone else."

"What about… ah fuck it, she's probably gonna be pissed at me."

"Who?" Kakuzu asked.

"Konan. I mean she is a lawyer. She's wicked smart and has tons of connections but me and her, you know, we kinda had a fallin' out," Hidan bit his lip, "I know her number by heart though. Could call her right now."

Kakuzu grabbed the house phone and tossed it to him. "Do it."

Hidan caught it and started to punch in the numbers, but stopped. "What do I even tell her?"

Kisame stood up. "You tell her that Danzo is killing people in there, and you remember everything that happened to you. You do… you do remember, right?"

Hidan's eyes went dark and he looked towards Kakuzu. "Yeah. Yeah I remember."

"Hidan, you don't have to tell her everything, but you have to tell her you're alright. You have to get her to help us."

Hidan looked at the phone then back to Kakuzu. "Fine. Just give me some privacy I guess. I'll be in the bedroom."

Hidan left and Mei spoke up, "We're not on the news, but Hidan is. They're saying he escaped."

"Great," Kisame groaned, "So our names are probably going to pop up next." Kisame glanced at Kakuzu, "What's going through your mind?"

He grinded his teeth. "I spoke to Konan once. Before I even met Hidan. The last thing she told me was that she knew how hard Hidan's life was, and that it would probably never get easier. I didn't know what she meant by that then, I just pushed it aside as giving up on him, but I think she's sympathetic towards him."

"You think it's because they've known each other for so long?" Kisame said.

Kakuzu shook his head, "I think she's a good lawyer."

"Well obviously if she got Hidan out of the electric chair!" Mei snorted.

"No," Kakuzu cracked his knuckles, "It doesn't matter if she's a skilled lawyer. There's tons of those. I mean she's a good lawyer."

"You mean good as in…" Kisame furrowed his brow, " good ? " He swallowed, "What are you saying? You think she knew about what actually happened to Hidan?"

"Yes, or something like it." Kakuzu said.

"Why didn't she tell anybody?" Kisame said exasperatedly.

"Who would believe her," Mei was lost in thought putting Kakuzu's pieces together, "Everyone hates Hidan. He's been branded a killer for the past three years. They've even tried to make documentaries about the kid. And even if they did believe her, she doesn't have any evidence."

"Not any hard evidence anyway," Kakuzu added and stood up, "We have to start gathering allies now. Konan has connections and knows Hidan..." he hesitated, "She probably knows him better than anyone. We can trust her."

"What about Tsunade?" Kisame asked.

"We can trust her too," Kakuzu said.

"Alright. If we burn we burn together, I guess," Mei said.

The door creaked open and Hidan emerged biting his lip.

"Well?" Kakuzu asked.

Hidan smiled and jumped over the couch landing right in Kakuzu's former seat. "She's in, but she couldn't talk on the phone for long, she was with her boyfriend. She said we're going to have to meet her at her apartment, and discuss the plan of attack there." Hidan smacked his lips, "By the way what is the plan of attack?"

"Well, we don't really have a-" Kisame started, but Kakuzu cut him off.

"Fuck Danzo's shit up," Kakuzu said.

Hidan grinned wide, unable to hide his attraction to the older man, "Alright! That's what I'm fucking talkin' about!"

"Hold on. hold on," Kisame said, "Just how are we going to sneak into the city. We need to leave now, and by now I mean two hours ago, and it's the one day it hasn't rained in weeks, which means the sun is out to shine on all of our pretty little wanted faces."

"We could steal a toaster," Hidan said. For the second time that day Kakuzu was speechless. He stared at Hidan, dumbfounded yet again.

"I mean, you know, what you said earlier, put on a disguise and steal a fuckin' toaster."

"You mean to suggest we wear disguises to hide our identities?" Kakuzu said.

"Yeah," Hidan scratched his nose, "You got any better ideas?" The group was quiet for a moment.

"I mean," Kisame looked to Kakuzu, "It's not a bad idea. I bet we could take the train in and no one would even bother if we covered our faces."

"You're right…" Kakuzu said. Kakuzu spent the last ten years trying to blend in. He wore a mask whenever he needed to go into the city, and no one even stole a glance towards him. The people in the city of rain were selfish, narcissistic, and wouldn't give an outsider the time of day if they asked, not that he blamed them. "It might work."

"Alright then," Hidan grabbed Kakuzu's cup of coffee and downed it, "Let's go steal a fucking toaster."