DA NEXT CHAPTER HAS ARRIVED!

This was originally one normal sized chapter and one really measly, wimpy-ass chapter, but I decided to combine them.

This chapter, all my little notes will just be marked throughout the story by numbers, and the actual note will be at the end.

I am changing the rating to M, and I hope I'm not moving the story too fast... one moment I'll think 'wow, this is perfect', and then start to think my writing is total crap the next('this is all wrong! I can't write stories; I was meant to write poetry. POETRY!').

Any-who, I luv all the reviewers (I love you all so much that I want to hug you until your eyes pop out of the sockets!)((...sorry...)), and because I feel such affection for all you lovely peoples, I shall post the 6th chapter today, too!

"talking"

thinking

Enjoy the story!

Partners

Chapter Five

Kakuzu unlocked and opened the door to the inn-room. He stepped inside and looked around, locating the bathroom and taking in the fixtures and furniture. There was a small window on the far wall, and a desk with a matching chair was situated under it. A medium-sized bed was against the adjacent wall, and it was draped in a blue bed-spread and pillows.

Wait... only one bed? Lovely, just lovely.

Kakuzu sighed, drawing Hidan's attention to him as he stepped into the room.

"Somethin' wrong?" Hidan asked, looking around Kakuzu's side to see into the room. Upon seeing that there was only one bed, he let out a long 'oh'. "Well, I'm sure as hell not sleeping on the floor!"

"Well, I'm not sharing a bed with you; you kicked me in your sleep last night."

"Sorry," Hidan replied, his tone slightly sarcastic. "Anyway, I was just uncomfortable sleeping on the hard ground."

Kakuzu remained quiet for a moment before saying: "Fine, but if you hit me again, I'll push you right off the bed."

Hidan stuck his tongue out at Kakuzu and went to the bathroom to get ready to go to sleep.

After taking a long shower and completing his other nightly rituals, Hidan came back into the bedroom; he noticed that Kakuzu was already asleep.

How can he sleep with that mask on? It must be so uncomfortable... oh well...

Hidan took his shirt off and slid under the covers as far away from Kakuzu as possible; he didn't want to risk disturbing his sleep. Minutes later, he had drifted into his own slumber.

In the morning, Hidan woke up surrounded by a blissful warmth; under his head, a firm but comfortable surface rose and fell in a constant rhythm. He took in a deep breath, and inhaled the scent of trees and smoke; he liked the smell, and he nuzzled his cheek against the surface beneath him. He was vaguely aware of the heartbeat vibrating against his temple and ear, and slowly registered that he was lying half-way on top of another person.

Wait...who?...oh. It must be Kakuzu, he thought.

Even after he became aware that he was using his grumpy partner as a pillow, he did not move; if anything, he scooted closer to the large man and wrapped his arms around the broad, still clothed chest.((1))

Mmmm... Kakuzu is comfy, and he smells nice. Mabey he won't wake up, and I can just stay here like this all morning.

Hidan tilted his head to look at Kakuzu's face.

He seems more relaxed when he's sleeping; it's hard to tell with that mask covering his face, though. He's sleeping pretty deeply right now. Hmmmm... maybe...

He reached up and carefully grasped the edge of Kakuzu's mask between two fingers, and slowly pulled the cloth down and over his chin. The rest of Kakuzu's face was just as tan as the area around his eyes, even though it was always covered and hidden from the sun. He had a straight nose and slightly thin lips, which were a few shades darker and pinker than the rest of the exposed skin. At both edges of his mouth, thick black thread was stitched nearly to his jaw.

Hidan looked up towards his eyes and noticed a lock of coarse black hair had fallen out from under the head-covering, and now lay across his forehead.

Wow. I don't see why he covers his face; the stitches are pretty odd, but he's definitely hansom. I wonder what the rest of him looks li– oh Jashin! Bad Hidan! No! No! Bad thoughts, bad thoughts. Just because you think he's good-looking, and smells nice, and has a sexy voice, and a personality that attracts you as much as it infuriates you, and big hands ((2))... DAMMIT!Bad, bad Hidan! Stop it! He's just your coworker, and not everyone can end up like Sasori and Deidara... or Itachi and Kisame... I'm so jealous of them.

Hidan sighed and put Kakuzu's mask back in place.

He's still asleep? Didn't he wake up really easily yesterday?((3)) Oh well, I guess it's a good thing that he didn't wake up this morning; this would be pretty hard to explain without getting hit. Ha... 'Oh, good morning Kakuzu. You smell good, so I decided to use you as a pillow, and I was just looking at your incredibly hansom face. Oh, didn't you know? I'm a total fag!((4))' Yup, that would go well.

With another sigh, Hidan removed his arms from around Kakuzu's cloth-covered chest and lifted himself off the larger man and out of bed. He stripped off his bottoms and put on new boxers and pants. With a snort of disgust, he slid on a t-shirt over his head((5)). After brushing his teeth and slicking back his hair, he looked at the clock hanging on the wall opposite the bed; it was eight o'clock in the morning.

"Kakuzu, gut up for breakfast. We have to go out and look for the girls today."

Kakuzu opened his eyes and stared at Hidan for a moment. He got out of the bed and gave Hidan a small nod. After retrieving a change of cloths from his bag, Kakuzu went into the bathroom; he came out a few minutes later, dressed in the fresh clothing, and dropped the old garments next to his bag.

"Alright," he said, "let's go."

The two walked out to the room, making sure to lock the door, and out into the lobby. After wishing the receptionist a good morning, the men left the inn.

Hidan and Kakuzu walked through the village, stopping at a small bakery to get breakfast, and looked for the blond and black-haired koinichi. As they walked, Hidan tossed his scythe-turned-staff form hand to hand.

"Would you stop that?" Kakuzu asked, irritated.

"Stop what?" Hidan asked back, unaware of the movements of his hands and weapon.

"That! Stop it, damn you!"

"Wha–? Oh, well sor-ry! You know what? I wo– HEY! Hey, there they are!" Hidan said, stopping his soon-to-be rant to point to two women identical to the ones in the fil, with forehead-protectors gleaming in the sunlight.

The two men walked up to the women, and Kakuzu put a quick silencing jutsu on them before they had time to react((6)). With amazing speed, the men pulled them behind a building and used a jutsu to transport all of them to a remote area where they could carry out their task without being noticed or distracted.

With a puff of thick gray smoke, the four ninjas appeared in a large clearing that was surrounded on all sides by a dense pine forest.

After a moment, the black-haired koininchi shook herself from her surprised daze, and delivered a quick but powerful reverse elbow hit to her captors gut; Kakuzu's grip only loosened slightly, but it was enough for her to slip out of his grasp. The blond women discreetly preformed the hand-signs for a substitution jutsu, and Hidan found himself gripping a thick branch.

Kakuzu detected movement to his right, and lunged at the blond just as she reappeared. She barley dodged, and pulled two kunai out of a pouch on her belt to block his next attack.

While she was blocking his one arm, the stitches that were hidden by the sleeve of Kakuzu's shirt loosened, and black strands pushed out form the new gap and crept down his arm, still concealed by the shirt. He moved to attack her side, and as she blocked with both arms, he let the dark tendrils loose, and they lashed out at the woman. She used one kunai to protect her body and one kunai to cut at the strands; the two fighters became a flurry of thrashing tendrils, blades, and kicks.

Several yards away, Hidan had engaged in battle with the black-haired woman, who he knew was called Nami. He had removed the genjutsu on his scythe– the women they were fighting could see right through the illusion, and there was no sense in wasting energy– and was swinging it at his opponent with wide, swift arks; as fast as she was, Nami could only dodge and throw an occasional shuriken as a counter.

Finally, Hidan hit his mark; he had only inflicted a small cut on her face, but he had Nami's blood on his scythe. He jumped back several feet to avoid a well-aimed kunai, and quickly licked the blood of his blade. As the crimson liquid touched his tongue, his skin became black, and white markings resembling a skeleton covered his body. He quickly used the base of his weapon to draw a large version of his pendant in the dirt around him; even as Nami advanced on him with amazing speed, he continued. He finished seconds before she was within striking range, and he jabbed the three blades of his scythe into his abdomen; before she could hit him, Nami collapsed onto the ground, clutching her middle and convulsing in pain.

Hidan smiled and let out a laugh. He pushed the weapon farther into his body, his grin widening and becoming bloody as the vital liquid dripped from his wound and the corner of his mouth.

"Miyuki!" Nami cried out in agony.

The blond, Miyuki, though still fighting Kakuzu, turned to the call and jumped away from her fight, pulling out a large shuriken and sending it flying towards Hidan's neck; his grin was now nearly wide enough to split his face in two.

The shuriken cut cleanly through his neck, and his head was thrown a few feet away from the rest of his body; blood poured onto the already torn and soiled shirt. As the blade sliced Hidan's throat, Nami let out a final weak and gurgling scream before falling completely limp on the grass.

"Nami?!? NAMI!" Miyuki screamed, tears forming in her eyes. She turned and jumped at Kakuzu with a shriek, intending to channel her anger on the large man, but the thick black cords wrapped around her neck and lifted her off the ground before she was close enough to hit him. Kakuzu squeezed he neck with the cords, and she clawed and struggled to break free, but Kakuzu only squeezed tighter, waiting for her to suffocate; when she became lifeless, he released her and let her body drop to the ground.

She fought with her emotions... I'm surprised she was able to survive this long.

He looked over to where Hidan's head and body lay separated by at least a yard; his eyes showed sorrow.

How terrible... and he had really began to grow on me...

((1)) Hidan likes Kakuzu... who could have possibly guessed. I have a second note, too: I had a really good idea for this scene, but then I remembered that Kakuzu was still wearing a shirt. DAMN! Well, I guess I'll just use the idea later on.

((2)) You all know what they say about people with big hands, don't you? (So. so sorry, but I just couldn't help it.)

((3)) Being around Hidan must be stressful and exhausting... I'm surprised he didn't just pass out during their traveling.

((4)) I hate the use of this word, but it sounds like something Hidan would say, so it stays.

((5)) Hidan's motto must be 'Shirts are the root of all evil' or 'A freed torso is a happy torso'. Does he ever wear them?

((6)) I know that they're supposed to be powerful koinichi, but everyone lets their guard down sometimes; and wouldn't you think that it would probably be when they were at home, in their village– I mean, would there usually be someone there who was after them.

There it is, chapter 5. The next chapter will be short, but it will be out today!