Summary: A modern day AU. Hidan and Kakuzu have spent the evening out on a romantic date at their favourite restaurant. But before they can return home again, the two of them first have to solve an unexpected challenge. [Kakuzu/Hidan]
Destiny Unknown
Hidan did his best. But despite praying to Jashin-sama for support, it proved to be quite the challenge to get the car keys back he had accidentally dropped on the ground. The moment he had realized his blunder, the complication had already happened: A big black dog of undefinable heritage had turned up, for whatever reason decided to rest right next to the keys, looking at Hidan with calm curiosity.
The thing was, Hidan did not know anything about dogs, never had dealt with a pet any bigger than a guinea pig. But he could not get rid of the suspicion that the dog looked at him with scepticism mixed into that curiosity and might get really angry if Hidan decided to step any closer to pick up any lost item located so close to the animal. So, the car keys remained where they were. What a way to let an evening end that had started out so promising (and romantic).
Hidan tried to calm down and not stare at the dog right now, once again asking Jashin for support while letting his eyes wander through the parking lot of the restaurant, thinking. The dog was big and strong. The only way to make him move would be by making him curious enough to move away or something, right? But how could he be sure he was not making the animal uncomfortable by accident instead of curious? He had no idea whatsoever what the signs were a pet dog was losing its patience with you.
Still deep in thought, Hidan suddenly got aware of footsteps coming closer. He turned his head.
"Are you ok? What's taking you so long?", Kakuzu asked.
Hidan suppressed a sigh. He hated looking weak. "I dropped the keys and now there's this dog."
Kakuzu looked at the situation. Looked at the pointy eared dog and the keys lying right beside it. Having come to a conclusion he just nodded. "I see. I think that dog belongs to the restaurant owners, I've seen the animal around before."
Sounded plausible, now Hidan was thinking about it, the dog looked somewhat familiar. Though he couldn't remember seeing him around exactly; on the occasions he and Kakuzu went out for dinner at this place, his attention had the tendency to stay focused on Kakuzu. Hidan sighed. "Do you think the dog got bored and started wandering around on his own?"
"Something along those lines, I guess, yes. Listen. I'm going to try distracting him a bit and you get the keys the moment I'm telling you to. Don't make any hectic movements. Understood?"
"Fine." Now Kakuzu was here Hidan felt a bit calmer but not much. It was a very big dog.
But Kakuzu just started talking to the animal as if nothing was wrong: "Hello there, buddy. Isn't it boring laying around all alone like this? Don't you want to come over here and say hello?"
Sensing the good intentions, the dog looked at Kakuzu with interest and stood up, hesitantly starting to wag its tail.
"That's a nice dog! Come here."
Curiously the dog started walking towards Kakuzu, not showing the slightest interest in the keys or Hidan who was now picking them up slowly from the ground.
The keys brought into safety, Hidan turned his attention to Kakuzu who now was scratching the black dog behind its ear. It was a mystery to him, how Kakuzu could stay this calm, dealing with an animal he didn't even know. Though now the problem was solved, Hidan had to admit that the dog seemed to be rather friendly.
Back in the car Hidan thoughtfully looked out of the window. He still could not forget the way Kakuzu had handled the dog with such patience.
"So, did you ever have any dogs yourself?", asked Hidan. Voicing out the question, he got aware that there were entire chunks of Kakuzu's life he had no idea about, had never been told more than the vaguest outline. And he hadn't felt comfortable asking about any of this, so there was that.
"No, there never was enough space to have one. Nor did I have enough time. But my grandparents always had dogs, so I know how to deal with them."
"They had?"
"At times four of them. Big friendly ones like the buddy from earlier."
Hidan looked at Kakuzu. Though he was still concentrating on the road before him, his face showed the same small smile he had shown when he had been petting the dog. It looked good on him, ironically just because the expression slightly highlighted the scars on Kakuzu's cheeks instead of hiding them. But that was nothing Hidan could voice out. Neither this nor the fact that in his opinion Kakuzu was smiling way too seldom entirely.
"Oh, ok. I never had much to do with dogs, so I really don't know how to handle them. Or what to do when you see one appearing out of a sudden like earlier. Thought it is best to stay away", Hidan finally said.
"If you feel it is best to stay at a distance, that's never wrong."
"Okay." Hidan shrugged his shoulders, searching for words: "You weren't scared at all thought, weren't you?"
"I'm just used to dogs. So, getting along with them just kind of happens." A shadow crept across Kakuzu's eyes and after a short moment of hesitation he continued in a more serious voice: "I find them much easier to understand than humans, to be honest. Dogs can't deceive you, so when I meet one, I don't have to wonder if they act with any hidden intentions on their mind."
Hidan paused. This was the closest since ages Kakuzu had come bringing up the entire circumstances that had left him with his scars. He had only talked about it once, on one night shortly after they… after they had decided to see each other on a more regular basis. On that night he had explained it all, why his face looked the way it did, why there were scars on his back, all of it. And after that Kakuzu had never once mentioned that incident again and Hidan hadn't dared to bring it up either.
Hidan cleared his throat, the image of the black dog walking towards Kakuzu with a wagging tail showing up in front of his inner eye. "Yeah, I think I get what you mean." Hidan really did. Even though he had never had much contact with dogs. "It's a bit… you know, the comparison might be odd. But that's what I mean when I keep telling you that I don't have any doubts laying my trust into Jashin-sama. He is the kind of God listening to your worries. He's… I'm just sure he's there for me, you know? With him I'm never alone, no matter what kind of shits keep happening", Hidan tried to elaborate, making himself stop rambling on about the matter further. Kakuzu tolerated his religion but wasn't hiding he felt somewhat baffled about the devotion Hidan felt towards his God.
But maybe rambling on about what thoughts had crossed his mind hadn't been the worst Hidan could have done. An absentminded smile showed up on Kakuzu's face, his eyes still fixed on the road in front of them. "Is that so? I think I'm finally starting to get what you mean when you say that."
"Just like this", Hidan confirmed, starting to look out of the window, letting his gaze wander into the distance. Only now in the growing silence did he notice that music had been playing in the car this entire time, one of the metal bands Hidan was listening, playing on a low volume. Distracted in conversation like that, Hidan hadn't noticed it at all. That was another thing that had happened recently, Kakuzu suggesting they could play some of Hidan's music when driving.
Keeping to stare at the road in front of them Hidan's eyes shifted out of focus, his sight getting blurry while his inner eye was again seeing the picture of a big black dog with friendly eyes. But this time there was more of a clarity attached to the memory. Hidan felt his eyelids dropping, not fighting how they were slowly closing further. It would still take some time until he and Kakuzu would have reached their destination, but with today the darkness around them had grown less dense.
The End