For days she was pissed at herself for letting Hidan just walk away, play her and for actually entertaining his suggestion. Ludicrous. She was a loon, a dumbass, and she should learn. Was she fucked up for even entertaining the thought of killing for fun? Yes. But did she care? Only a little. And that had startled her. This put her in the same vein as Hidan, and she was nothing like him. Not at all. She wasn't some sick fuck.

But the proposition was so damn appealing. What if she learned an alternative way to find experiment subjects? What if his way was faster? Efficiency had always been her goal and knowing that there was a plausible way to make her process faster and look down on it because of values was downright stupid. She had long since abandoned her goody-goody self and accepted herself as a woman of practicality, no matter the means.

She just couldn't get over the feeling that by accepting Hidan's offer meant degradation for her. That she was no better than the filth on earth who used others for a twisted sense of empowerment. It was just science for her, and she loved science. That's it.

Hidan had been just the topping on the shit cake that was her life. Ino had become more bearable once Sakura had engaged more in their friend group activities and responding to texts. Didn't mean that the sudden change in her private life didn't make her skittish. The girls were always excited about something or other, discussing it between themselves while she had nothing to add. She hadn't been keeping up with anything. Work was her life and she couldn't discuss it with anyone.

She was an alien among her friends.

And she hated it.

Her comfort bubble was blown up and she couldn't find any enjoyment in anything. She was constantly paranoid; she was overwhelmed, and she had had enough of it.

That night she had pushed herself to think rationally and continue with her work. It was time she found some semblance of normality back in her life. She had worn something atypical for her – a flowery sundress with a see-through cardigan and a jacket, a blonde wig and make-up with splotches of bright colour on her lids. The autumn air was chilling and her attire was far from practical. But for her intended purposes, she could face a little bit of cold on her thighs.

It was late enough that the streets were fairly deserted, only the most wicked and drunk out ambling around.

That's right, she didn't need Hidan and his mysterious methods to do this; she was plenty capable herself to find a subject. It didn't matter who they were – a drunk, a prostitute, a junkie or just a random passer-by, as long as they were breathing they fit her quota. Though she did have a preference for the deranged kind, since they were less likely to have relatives or loved ones that worried about them.

If anything, she was doing the world a service by keeping these dangerous people off the streets.

She'd been wondering for half an hour through the dark streets. Few were outside, preferring to stay inside on this chilly night. Her ass was freezing, and she was about to cut her losses and go home to sink in her warm and welcoming bed until someone in particular caught her sight across the street.

They were walking with an unsteady gait and seemed to have a conversation with themselves, motioning to random things.

Perfect.

Sakura looked both ways before she crossed the street. She kept a considerable distance, the lack of people making it easier to follow. It was definitely a guy. When he stumbled and cursed profusely, the voice told as much.

The blond guy was staggering more and more with each step. He had even stopped for a moment to squint at something from across the street.

No one else was around. It was just her, the blond guy and a bunch of street lamps illuminating the sidewalk. The area they were in was mostly old factory buildings and some shops. It couldn't be more perfect even if she tried.

She snuck closer, hand wrapped tightly around the syringe in her pocket.

He turned down another street, and she lost sight of him. Following, she pulled out the syringe, ready to jump him. But as soon as she turned the corner herself, he was gone. Confused, she relaxed a bit and continued walking, observing her surroundings. Where the hell did he go? A person couldn't just disappear like this.

Sighing and resigning herself to a loss, she turned around to walk back. Someone suddenly pulled her aside through a hedge and roughly pressed her against the nearest wall. A squeak escaped her lips before a hand pressed against her mouth.

"Why are you following me?"

Her eyes focused, the shock slowly wearing off. It was the same man she'd been following. He was visibly high, sclera tainted red.

He slowly removed his hand, blue eyes hard. A street light from behind him cast his face in deep shadows, making him appear much older and intimidating than he was.

Sakura didn't answer, keeping her face blank. A million curses ran through her mind.

He pressed more into her, face close to hers. "Seeking adventure are ya?" His breath reeked of weed. There was a slight accent to his words, an accent that she had heard from northerners before.

Anger blazed through her veins, but she tried to stem it down. He had made her drop her syringe in shock. She couldn't believe that this fucker had caught on to her while fucking high? Was she really that obvious? Gods, she was really off her game. Without her tools on hand, she'll have to play this off. Lords have mercy on her, for she was a lousy actress.

She averted her face while biting her lip and pretending to be bashful. "I'm sorry. I-I just...wanted to..."

"Wanted what?" he demanded.

Swallowing thickly, she batted her lashes. "I...don't know...to talk...I-I like you." Yeah, she sucked, especially when put on the spot like this. Maybe she should just knock him out, it might needlessly damage him, but she'll at least have a subject on hand.

He eased up on her, hostility draining from his face. "You're shite at this."

Her blood froze in her veins. What did he mean by that?

"Need to work on your tactics, hmm..." He rubbed his face in absent thought, clearly still pretty high. It barely seemed like he was understanding what was happening.

"I...uh." She sincerely hoped that it was just crazy talk. Slowly inching away from the wall, she kept a close eye on him. He seemed entirely undisturbed by the situation, like it was just another regular day in the park. "I'm just...gonna go." And she slipped past him.

"Hey!"

Sakura froze.

"Be careful. Not everyone is gonna be an easy steal." His tone was jovial and joking.

She didn't wait around to hear more and bolted straight through the hedge where he had previously pulled her through. Her heart thundered in her chest and her hands shook. A knot had settled deep in her stomach. She was afraid to voice the thought, but it screamed in her mind. This was wrong, this shouldn't be happening. But she couldn't deny that she got the same vibe off him she did from Hidan.

Bruised and scratched, she scurried back home, re-evaluating her life choices until that point. It felt like a higher force had worked against her, like someone wanted to drive her mad. Was this fair justice for all of her past deeds, or was she really that unlucky?

It wasn't the first time she had gotten caught, but it was the first time someone had called her out on her intentions like it was nothing. Was she slipping in her judgement? Or there really were more sickos out there than she thought?

The city was corrupt; the world was wrong and Sakura was so done. Ino had made an executive decision to insert herself in her life, Hidan was like a hanging axe over her head and now this! She didn't have the energy to deal with all of that. She was just a single person.

Her footsteps echoed loudly through the empty streets, each step a harsh click. Her irritation mounted.

Tomorrow Ino had set up another date for her, still on her ass about the double date thing. Of course Ino was worried, at least she claimed to be, but the pressure was eating her up and she wished her friend would see that. Work was...work, nothing had changed in that aspect. Her personal project...that had suffered greatly. No progress for weeks, and that was unacceptable. Something needed to change.

Someone will need to be cut from her life.

xxx

For the duration of the next week, she debated her decision. Hidan was the most obvious choice. He was like a pest. He had respected her refusal to join and kept his distance at first. Like a ghost in random encounters or sightings, he teased her with the idea. He never outright said it, but implied it like it was this magical thing that would change her life forever. She wanted to call bullshit on the entire ordeal. Whenever he thought it would benefit him he found her and with honey sweet smiles and gestures tried to convince her.

It was sickening, and she was tired of it.

At the end of her patience, she used his tactics against him and tracked him down. She wasn't a ninja or a sensor, but if she put her mind to it her skills were nothing to scoff at. That and Hidan had been around enough for her to memorize his signature.

He was loitering around in a grocery store, picking up vegetables. The sight was so bizarre that she had to pause and stare for a while. In her mind he was this dark and dangerous person who probably bathed in the blood of his victims, and seeing him do something so mundane as grocery shopping was a startling jolt to her perception. He wasn't supposed to be a person; he was supposed to be a monster, and sick monsters didn't shop for fucking carrots.

She marched up to him and with no fanfare asked, "Why do you want to help me?"

Hidan jolted, cursed and turned towards her with a sneer. It was the meanest look she'd seen on him, and she had to bite the temptation to step back. Yet the expression slipped from his face when he noticed it was her. "Fuck, Sakura, do ya want me to have a heart attack?"

Sakura flattened her lips and propped her arms on her sides. "Answer the question." It was kind of funny that he had let down his guard so much as not to feel her approaching. She didn't think he was even possible to scare. Showed what she knew.

He ran a hand through his messy hair and continued with his shopping. He looked out of sorts, like she'd caught him on a day off or something – his hair wasn't slicked back like usual and he was wearing some dark sweats and a hoodie. She followed him to the dairy section. In his basket he was already carrying some potatoes, rice and the aforementioned carrots.

"There isn't a particular reason."

She pursed her lips. "Really?"

"Well… I'm bored and you're kind of hot, so there's that." He shrugged and picked out a carton of milk.

Sakura snorted, she couldn't deny that she found him kind of attractive as well, though that was thwarted by the whole murder thing. "How nice." The freezer caught her eye, and she peered into it suddenly in the mood for an ice cream.

"So…" Hidan stepped beside her, also observing the selection of frozen goods.

"What?" A new flavour of cookie dough ice cream caught her eye, and she picked it out.

He picked out a plain cone of vanilla, and she tried hard not to stare at him with judgement. "Don't judge, vanilla's just as good as your fancy flavour."

Apparently she hadn't been as good at hiding her expression as she thought. "But seriously, vanilla?"

He lightly smacked her side with his basket, a smirk on his face. "Don't knock it till you try it, love."

"Hey!" She took a large step away from him, pouting. She was actually fucking pouting like a damn child.

Laughing, he moved away from the dairy section, and she was tempted to just leave, go home and enjoy her ice cream. For some reason she caught up with him.

"Any other questions?"

Sakura watched him scan the meats section for a while. "Uh..." Maybe she should just swallow her pride and accept Hidan's offer. He wasn't going to tell her anything otherwise. She had been at a standstill for way too long, and the information Hidan could provide could be the breakthrough she'd been looking for. She was afraid of what it might entail, though. Her life for the past few years had been nothing but a tense walk along a fine line, a line she might cross once she accepted the offer. "I want to try it."

He hummed, picking out a sausage and throwing it in his basket. "Try what?"

Was he shitting her right now? She flexed her fingers, wanting to punch him so badly. Even Naruto in his heyday didn't piss her off as much. Here she was risking everything for this and he was treating it like it was fucking nothing, mocking her. The nerve.

"Oh, you mean that. Sure, let's go."

Pausing in her steps, she balked. He continued his shopping like they were discussing a trip to the ramen stand. She caught up to him and hissed. "Not right now, you loon. We need a plan."

"Sure if you wanna be all fancy 'bout it."

He couldn't be serious. How he hadn't got caught yet was a fucking miracle. "Can you try to be serious about this?"

Hidan scoffed and walked into the self check out. "Don't get your knickers in a twist, I know what I'm doin'"

Refusing to make a scene in front of an audience she went to pay for her ice cream and while she waited for him to finish ringing up his items, she unwrapped her delicious treat. It was absolute heaven on her tongue and a pleasant distraction from her irritation.

She had to admit that there was a certain reassurance in that she won't be going into this alone, that for once she'll have someone watching her back, that for once there was someone who knew and approved her work. As she watched him bag his items Sakura smiled. So, so fucking bizarre that this whacko was going to be her partner in crime.

Sakura froze mid bite just as Hidan approached her. Was he her partner now? Did this make them some kind of murder duo? Jeez, it was too fucked up to even think about.

"Wanna come to my place? We can do all of that plannin' stuff you're so adamant about." His question sounded sincere, but after what he had revealed he thought about her, she was sceptical.

She sighed. "Yeah, sure." But maybe she was being too hard on him, maybe Ino was right and she was just too high-strung.

Hidan led her through the streets. They were quiet for most of the walk, the silence oddly comfortable. She avoided looking at him, watching the pavement under her feet instead and listening to the mindless noise of the city. A list of things to do when she got home passed through her mind along with her run-in with the blond man. Maybe she should ask Hidan about him. Though what will it prove? That there's more of them in the city?

Her musings got cut short when Hidan slightly bumped her with his shoulder.

"Hey, you alright?"

Momentarily stunned, she peered at him.

He was still finishing his cone of ice cream, an earnest expression on his face.

"Why do you care?"

Hidan shrugged. "Dunno, you just look like someone shot your dog."

She scrunched her nose. "I'm just thinking. What if there are more people like you out here? In Konoha?"

"You mean like us?"

Sakura bit her tongue. This wasn't the time for arguing, so instead she nodded.

"I wouldn't know, but it could be possible."

She balked, a heavy weight settling in her stomach. It never was a secret to her that she wasn't the only one killing people in Konoha. But seeing and hearing the confirmation that there were other people that might sniff her out made her anxious. First Hidan, then the blond guy. Who's next? The flower vendor? Was she really that transparent?

Her only reassurance was that she could see through them just as well as they could. She just needed to hone her senses a bit to catch them first.

He led her to a nondescript building where they took an elevator up to the seventh floor. Cautiously she scanned her surroundings, remembering all the exit ways just in case. Without any invitation into the apartment, Hidan left her to her own devices as he walked over to the kitchen area to put away his groceries.

Compared to her homey abode in the suburbs, his mid-city apartment was blank, clearly a temporary place. Only the basic furniture decorated the place with a few knick-knacks that probably came with the apartment. For a studio apartment it seemed cosy, coloured in warm and light tones. The view from the window had the best view of the Hokage Mountain. Sakura frowned. Being bad apparently paid very well for such a view in mid-city did not come cheap.

The planning was all ad-lib, and the meticulous part in her was silently screaming. Yet she kept her mouth shut, this was how he wanted it and if she wanted to get something from him, this was how she had to do it. One thing she was stern about though – the time and date. She had a schedule and friends to work around, and just randomly jumping into something would not work.

In the end they settled for a Friday night, a prime time for wandering people on the streets.

xxx

For the remainder of the week, her mind ran over every possibility that could happen while they went out on their trip. Her paranoia told her to run as far as she could while her curiosity was egging her on. She had gotten this far, right? So chickening out now would be foolish. The risks were worth it.

Ino and TenTen noticed her absent-mindedness during lunch one time and had berated her with questions ranging from her health to a secret lover. Honestly, Sakura didn't know if she should be thankful for having such caring friends or resent them for being nosey.

With everything in her secret personal life put on pause, she found herself having more free time and spending it with Ino. The blonde even managed to set up a friends dinner date for her with Naruto and Sasuke. That had been a crazy trip down the memory lane and a stark reminder that she missed her childhood friends and their dumb antics.

And she felt better. She saw an increase in her own energy levels. She was smiling a lot more, eating better and actually having fun. Ino was a miracle worker and the best friend she could ever ask for.

That Friday evening she had freed her schedule and set out back to Hidan's apartment. He hadn't specified why he wanted for her to come to his place before they went out, just that it was important. And she wasn't really in any position to argue and had to agree to his requests. Wearing all black had been one of them. She had scourged her wardrobe for something dark. The first thing she had found was an old t-shirt from Sasuke she got during college. There was no way she was wearing that ratty thing, so she settled for a black camisole with a cardigan in a similar shade, blue jeans, red vans and a black sun hat to hide her pink hair. She looked ridiculous.

Hidan met her at his door, ushering her in. The giddiness was visible in his gait, and Sakura had to frown. Her stomach was a huge ball of nerves like never before while he was practically skipping through his living area with a mischievous grin on his face. Like a kid in a damn candy store. It was ridiculous.

He also seemed to pull off the all black ensemble a lot better than her. The t-shirt, jacket and jeans combo actually looked good on him, and her jealousy monster was rearing its ugly head. So not fair.

Sakura crossed her arms, trying to find some comfort in herself as she watched Hidan rearrange some kind of containers and brushes on his coffee table. "So? What are we doing here?"

"Gettin' ready." From between the couch cushions, he pulled out a mirror.

Sakura shook her head and let her eyes wander across his apartment and out the window. The city was lit up in warm orange, various loud shouts and car honks reaching them from the opened window, and in the distance the Hokage Mountain stared back at her with its draught faces. It was like they were judging her and what she was about to do. She averted her eyes.

While she had observed the Mountain Hidan had already painted his face white and currently was doing black shapes around his eyes. The contours he had drawn looked almost skeletal.

She rolled her eyes. "Seriously, do you have to be a total edgelord about this?" This was why he wanted for her to come to his apartment first. To do himself up like a clown. This was absolutely ridiculous.

He scoffed. "What? It's fun, especially when they see me. I'm like death coming to take their lives an' shit." Suddenly he grinned at her, extending a spare brush her way. "Wanna try it out?"

She eyed the offered tool with disdain and then his black and white smeared face. He was so sloppy about it. Frowning, she snatched the brush from his hand. "You're such a clown."

He stuck out his tongue at her.

Sakura flattened her lips. He was an actual child, and she was the fool that was entertaining the idea. It was the opposite of her usual inconspicuous, but it provided the opportunity of covering her face completely to make her unrecognizable. If it was stupid, but it worked, then it wasn't really all that stupid.

Grumbling, she picked out containers of white and black paint for herself. Unsure of where to really start, she watched Hidan work for a while and how he switched the brushes for smaller details. There was a certain artistry to it and she had to admit that he had some skills. At first glance the paint looked messy, but all over it made a certain picture of skull like features, the unsteady lines only adding to the effect.

Uncertain, she moved to the mirror near the front door. She placed the containers on the dresser under the mirror. With a shuddering sigh, she dipped the brush in the white paint and put it to her face. From her observation, the white was just the foundation. She could do that. Doing the black parts was what scared her. Does she copy Hidan or does she just smear it on her face and hope for the best?

He had all the finer brushes, so she was stuck with her fat one. She observed her pale face for a moment, swallowed and dipped her brush in the black paint. For a while she absent-mindedly painted her eyes, gradually making the circles larger. It felt very much like doing her regular make-up, except she was making herself to look like a racoon.

Gods, this was stupid. She looked stupid as shit. Why was she even doing this again?

Hidan suddenly plucked the brush from her hand. "You're being too careful with it." He angled her face upwards and with his brush set to work on her face.

She caught her breath. If it weren't for the vibrant lilac eyes she wouldn't know it was him.

His brow was furrowed as he leaned closer to paint over her eyebrows up to the sides of her forehead.

Sakura fought hard to keep her blush down and calm her suddenly racing heart. He was concentrating on drawing the lines and hadn't even realized how close he'd gotten to her. To regain some composure, she focused on his face, trying to draw out his features from beneath the paint. It wasn't working. Damn this idiot for still being good looking despite the gunk on his face.

He moved to paint her lips, angling her head further up and drawing smaller lines down her chin.

Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck. Her hands were clammy, and she was sure that if it weren't for the white covering her face, she'd be all red. Why was he affecting her like that? She wasn't some dumb, blushing schoolgirl, yet he rendered her down to one. Maybe because, if she was honest with herself, she liked him and his easy attitude, how she could be herself around him. She didn't have to put up a front and while he sometimes pushed her buttons for the shits and giggles, he didn't judge her.

"There! Done. Take a look." He turned her to face the mirror.

Sakura gasped. The person staring back at her hardly looked like her, if it weren't for the pale pink hair she wouldn't recognize herself at all.

Hidan was grinning back at her in the mirror, the action looking a lot more sinister than usual courtesy of the paint.

Maybe he had a point with the death coming thing. "If I saw myself walking down the street, I'd shit my pants."

"Exactly! That's the point of this."

She laughed. His excitement was palpable, and it was infectious. She understood his feelings of finally sharing something of themselves with others. It had been the same for her when she'd told him all about her secret project. It was liberating.

But there was one problem. "How can we lure someone in when we look like we crawled out of a grave?"

He placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned closer to her, leisurely draping his arms down her front, essentially hugging her from behind. She watched the action in the mirror, freezing from his added warmth.

"We don't lure, we chase the fuckers down like the prey they are."

My goal was to show how monstrous these two are by not humanizing them, but here I am, a total clown, writing feel good moments between these two that humanizes them. Though it makes for a good light hearted chapter before the real shit goes down. Yeah, you guys are gonna get the full course next chapter - all of that murdery and smutty goodness.

Anyway, a huge thank you to everyone who left me feedback, you guys are the best and my fucking life force. Seriously, shower writers with your love it'll pump them up better than viagra.