Hello! For anyone who thought the last two chapters were…disappointing…to phrase it lightly (I thought so anyway) here's an extra long chapter! It might get a tad confusing POV-wise, it switches round a lot, but I felt putting my usual '…' between each one broke up the action too much. I apologise for my woeful dialogue. D8
I didn't want to make Hidan look like a troll doll though. :( (google it) That really was a last minute decision. :P
Ch. 14
Black cloaks flitted soundlessly past the doors, darting without hesitation around corners, following some internal map. The labyrinthine tunnel continued as far as the eye could see, but not once did Sasori or Kakuzu falter. Two pairs of eyes roved the walls, the shadows, the branches of the tunnels, the doors, for any sign of activity. Their entrance certainly hadn't been a quiet one, and they had had to fend off more than one ambush as they hurtled down the corridors.
With a frown, Kakuzu noticed Sasori was slowing. Strange, he couldn't sense any ominous or familiar chakra. He kept his pace up until he was beside the puppet master.
"Is Orochimaru near?"
Sasori stopped, disgruntled.
"I don't know. I don't sense him. His quarters are nearby, and he's running low on life force. He should be-"
Kakuzu straightened up.
"You're lost."
Hiruko's eyes narrowed.
"That's not-"
He froze, as did Kakuzu. Someone else was approaching. They dove into the shadows on either side of the tunnel and readied themselves. Kakuzu grunted.
"Perhaps this time we'll ask for directions."
Inside Hiruko, Sasori scowled.
It wasn't long until their experienced ears caught the sound of shinobi moving swiftly along the corridor. Out of the corner of his eye, Kakuzu saw Sasori move slightly. His eyes narrowed dangerously.
"I'll take this one."
There was no arguing with that tone. Kakuzu wasn't going to let Sasori take charge again. The barely audible padding of feet was getting closer. Kakuzu's stitches stealthily released his arms.
A foot came into view – and Kakuzu struck. Lashing out from shadows, his hands curled round two necks, and with a s jerk, pinned the two bodies against the far wall. The oil lamps flickered and grew still. Kakuzu fixed his cold eyes on his catches.
They both struggled – they always did- weakening hands tearing vainly at his own. The bespectacled one forced an eye open.
"You're the Akatsuki who – ack - Toji, call for reinfor-"
Kakuzu's grip tightened.
"Raising the alarm will only shorten your life span."
The other one – masked - tried to make handsigns. His hands were forced apart, and Kakuzu looked over his shoulder. Sasori had stepped out of Hiruko and stood with his hands out, thin bluish lines of chakra connecting him to the two shinobi.
"That was close, Kakuzu. We don't have time for meaningless fights."
Kakuzu glared at the shinobi in front of him, forcing his anger back down, but feeling it simmer away just under his skin.
"Understood."
At least he could let loose during the interrogation.
"You-" he focused one the one with the glasses – "You recognised us. Then you know there's another Akatsuki here. Where is he?"
The shinobi, though he was gasping for breath, managed to smirk.
"Even if I did know where he was, he'd be of no use to you."
Kakuzu tightened his grip considerably. The shinobi let out a silent cry.
"I didn't ask how he was, I asked where he was."
The masked shinobi turned slightly to look worriedly at his companion.
"Kabuto-sama-"
Sasori gave a start. He walked forward, and stood behind Kakuzu.
"Kabuto?" he intoned with mild interest. Kakuzu raised an eyebrow.
"Orochimaru's right hand man?"
Kabuto gritted his teeth, and Toji looked humiliated. Sasori smiled. It didn't reach his eyes.
"How fortunate."
He looked icily at the other, and raised his hands.
"You're no longer needed. Kakuzu, you're taking too long. I'll take it from here."
Kakuzu didn't release the two sound spies.
"I have it, Sasori."
Sasori gave Kakuzu the smallest of frowns.
"We don't have time for this. Our orders were to get Hidan and get out. This place is crawling with Sound ninja. We need to go."
"I know that!" hissed Kakuzu. This was getting them nowhere. Sasori irked him, and the fact that he was right irked him more. He never imagined being partnered with someone less annoying than Hidan would anger him so much. Already on edge, his simmering emotions reached boiling point.
He swung the unfortunate shinobi around violently, and sent him hurtling into the opposite wall with a sickening crack. He had only just missed Sasori. Releasing the corpse, he avoided Sasori's guarded eyes and turned back to Kabuto.
"Be grateful it wasn't your head against the stonework."
Both he and Sasori knew it wasn't just directed at Kabuto. Kakuzu's green eyes burned intensely and he loosened his grip just enough to let Kabuto speak.
"Where is he?"
Kabuto, though he was shaking slightly, retained his smile.
"Not far."
"Bastard…"
He didn't have time for this! Grimacing, Kakuzu admitted defeat.
"Sasori-"
The Suna missing-nin looked up. Kakuzu threw Kabuto bodily at his feet.
"Kill him. I'm going ahead."
Before Sasori could answer, he sprinted down the corridor, senses working hard to detect any sign of Orochimaru or Hidan. Not far. Kabuto had better not be lying.
Kabuto tried to get to his feet, but Sasori's chakra strings held him fast. He had a calculating look on his face.
"It would be a shame to waste such a loyal shinobi…"
…
As the light poured into the container, Hidan gave a start, regaining his mobility. Smoke rose from every inch of his skin. Once it had cleared, he saw not his usual paleness, but a much darker skin tone.
"What the fuck?"
His skin felt strangely tough; he'd preferred the weird marks. Tentatively, with a look of slight disgust, he waved his arm around. The hard skin didn't crack or shift. It looked permanent.
He was on his feet in a second, and out of the dreaded box in another. He tore his eyes off his altered skin long enough to take in his surroundings. He wasn't in his 'room' anymore – he had been brought to a large empty arena, judging by the bloodstains on the grey, cracked walls. Realising he was alone, he brought his gaze back on himself. His cloak was gone, and he wondered vaguely where they had put it.
Putting it to the back of his mind, he tried to summon his chakra, knowing how haywire the curse had made it before. He hadn't notice any change in his chakra level while he had been fighting the curse, but now that they had successfully merged, it had multiplied several times. He had nothing against an increase in chakra, not in the least, but it didn't feel like his own anymore.
The euphoria and the bloodlust were there again, but this time, they couldn't take over. It felt as if they were locked out, barred from entering his subconscious, merely because he didn't want them there. He marvelled at the strength of his willpower, and the impossibility of it. He could resist the effects of the 2nd state of the curse, yet he had caved under the 1st. It made no sense…then he remembered Kakuzu's Fuuja Houin.
He glanced ruefully at it. Who knew, it was actually good for something. As he glanced at it, he noticed something else about his cursed state.
There were faint black lines running down the hard skin, joining with each other to form outlines. He stared, and they created images on his other skin. It took him a couple of seconds to recognise them fully; they were warped outlines of his own white bone marks that appeared during his ritual. They had none of the clean cut, impeccable symmetry of the originals – their edges were jagged, the shapes sketchy.
"Fucking copycat."
He was answered by the low chuckle, and he looked up, grimacing.
…
Orochimaru walked into the arena from a large door at the far end. Uncharacteristically, he had taken everything Kabuto had placed in front of him today to keep his current level of strength up. However, he was certain his excitement could have produced the same result. He gleefully took in Hidan's new appearance. The curse mark was a great tool for marking his own; Hidan's was similar to the others'; same dark, hard skin, same untamed hair, same black facial markings – it amused Orochimaru highly that Hidan's should bear such a striking resemblance to his 'reaper's- and same unmistakable aura of power. To anyone else, he would have looked like the result of some monstrous experiment; yet Orochimaru saw a powerful new servant.
As he approached his new body, Orochimaru put his quivering hands behind his back and checked his composure. He noted Hidan's expression – that grimace only served to strengthen his suspicions of insubordination. The 2nd state should have beaten it out of him, but it was of little consequence. As Orochimaru had previously stated, he welcomed challenges. Smiling broadly, he stopped, keeping the now empty container between him and Hidan.
"So, how are you feeling, Hidan-kun?"
…
This guy had to be joking. Mini Kakuzu was gone, and so Hidan was free to explode.
"How do I fucking feel? How the hell am I supposed to feel?"
He pointed angrily at himself.
"This shit was never part of the deal, damnit! When did I agree to get turned into some fucking-"
He searched for the right word.
"-Seriously, what the fuck?"
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow in bemusement. The curse mark definitely hadn't hindered his quick temper.
Hidan reached up to run a hand through his hair in exasperation, but as soon as his fingers connected with his head he froze. He had failed to notice until now, one of the other effects the curse tended to have on the host's body.
Orochimaru could feel Hidan's fury before it struck.
"What the hell? What kind of a curse does-"
Hidan paused. While giving Orochimaru the foulest look he could manage, he had caught a glimpse of something over the sannin's shoulder. He glanced over again. There, lying forgotten by the door, was his three-bladed scythe.
"Does what, Hidan-kun?"
His eyes flicked back to Orochimaru, some of his rage evaporating with his discovery. The sannin had a look in his eye that disconcerted him, making him uneasy. He rounded on the snake-nin again. Time to screw the 'stealth' mission.
"What kind of curse fucks up people's hair, asswipe?"
He sprinted at Orochimaru, clearing the container in one leap, courtesy of the energy the curse supplied him with. The sannin showed no sign of fear; he only readied his stance, a small smirk still playing round his mouth.
It mirrored Hidan's expression. As he neared his enemy, his hands balled into fists. His eyes were locked onto the snake nin's pale features. He brought a fist up, poised for a killer upper cut. Orochimaru's hands twitched, ready to block.
The punch came – and never connected. Hyperactive chakra concentrated at his feet, Hidan feinted and somersaulted over the sannin's head. He landed clear of the surprised shinobi and deftly kicked off again, racing towards his scythe. The lack of a satisfactory response from Orochimaru didn't register, he was far too intent on reclaiming his weapon.
His hand lashed out and grabbed it, the familiar weight comforting in his rough hands. Securing the length of cord back through his belt, he let out a whoop of excitement. Spinning around to face the sannin again, he grinned in triumph. Finally, he had the chance to wipe that damn smile off once and for all. Watch this Jashin-sama. He raised his weapon high. This will be a mutilation to remember.
"Here comes your own personal judgement day, Orochimaru-teme!"
In one leap, he halved the distance between them. The cord of his scythe sang and the scythe hurtled towards the unreadable snake nin. Yellow eyes monitored it carefully, and at the last moment, Orochimaru dodged. The scythe buried itself in the dirt. A second later, Hidan landed and ripped it out again.
Orochimaru landed a short distance away.
"It seems you're finally getting serious, Hidan-kun. This is a change from last time."
The snake nin tilted his head back, and opened his mouth wide. A glint of metal escaped his mouth. The glint grew and became a hilt, glistening with saliva. Without taking his eyes off Hidan, Orochimaru reached in and fluidly pulled out a long thin sword. Eyes giving away nothing, he raised an arm and beckoned.
"Come."
Hidan willingly obliged, kicking off at high speed.
"No giant snakes this time? Too bad. But I suppose your earlier bullshit was more than enough to get me riled up!"
They met, and the sword and the scythe clashed, raising an almighty clang. They broke apart, jumping back. Before Orochimaru could gather himself, Hidan redoubled his attack. The scythe came from all angles; the sword blocked them all. Hidan swung at Orochimaru's unguarded spots, yet the sannin caught them all the same.
Orochimaru leapt back again, hands blurring in a flurry of signs. Serpents wove speedily out of his sleeves, and struck. None reached their mark; the red scythe passed through scale and flesh with ease. Laughter filled the arena. The serpents hadn't slowed him, and Orochimaru quickly brought Kusanagi up to block Hidan's direct attack.
Hidan's strength was brutal, increased tenfold by the curse mark. Orochimaru could not stop the strain from showing. His hands shook as he held Kusanagi, and his opponent grinned derisively. A kick came from nowhere, and Orochimaru was knocked back into the wall. Dust flew into the air. Hidan whooped and followed, scythe poised and ready. He descended on the fallen sannin and the scythe flew.
The snake nin's skin ruptured as the scythe rent a path through it- and it dissolved into snakes, writhing and tossing in fright. Hidan cursed – caught the whistling of metal through air.
He propelled himself above the dust cloud as it exploded, eyes scanning the scene below. He sensed movement and whirled around in mid air. His scythe followed his line of sight – and only just missed the airborne sannin.
Orochimaru let himself fall and landed, catlike, at the far end of the arena. Hidan followed suit, and for a moment, the only sound was the heavy breathing from both crouched shinobi.
Hidan scowled in annoyance; he had concluded that his exhaustion was due to the curse mark. It had forced his keirakukei into hyperactive mode, and every small movement drained more of his chakra. He cursed inaudibly. Why should he rely on this thing to fight him anyway? He wasn't going to lose here. But he didn't want to win with Orochimaru's help. Looking up at the sannin, who looked as worn out as he was, he flashed him a grin and forced the curse back.
His skin faded, and broke up into the usual marks of the 1st state, then retreated to his shoulder. Hidan let out a long sigh, and got to his feet. The real exhaustion hadn't struck just yet; he still had time to finish this.
Orochimaru felt the strain of intense fighting more and more as his current body continued its crawl towards death. Kabuto's medicine kept him upright, and he knew that without it he would probably be dead already. That thought fed his resolve to secure his new body. One more test ought to do it. Looking up, Orochimaru caught Hidan's wry grin. A shadow of a frown crossed his face when he saw the curse receding. If that was how Hidan wanted it…
His rest sufficient, he mimicked Hidan and stood.
"Such immediate improvement in a new recruit, it's extraordinary... But you and I both know you can't be killed through physical combat, so why waste my time?"
Orochimaru watched Hidan carefully for a reaction. The immortal stood, stoic. He chose his next words carefully, aiming for effect. If Hidan was breaking their deal, there was still a chance he could be coaxed back.
"You came here for one thing, Hidan."
Hidan looked away. Orochimaru's eyes didn't move.
"You're tired of this life. You're served your Lord well for many years. All those dutiful sacrifices, all for him. You've been working for him your whole life, you crave recognition from him, I know. But your immortality – Jashin's own gift to you – it prevents that."
Hidan physically tensed, and Orochimaru smiled. It was working. Hidan still wouldn't meet his gaze.
"It's cruel. He gave you the most powerful tool to execute his wishes with. But in return, you can never know him."
Yellow eyes bore into purple ones. Orochimaru's hand was out, palm up, waiting for him.
Orochimaru's words fazed Hidan deeply. He'd forgotten how damn slippery this man was. He didn't know what to say. He refused to raise his eyes; he felt that if he looked at Orochimaru right now, he would go to him. Trust a snake to be an ace at persuasion.
Hidan's shoulder throbbed, the curse testing the seal's boundaries. His indecision was doing him no good. He was hovering between two choices – and he hated it. The Fuuja Houin ran on willpower, and he was starting to run low. He could feel the curse redoubling its efforts to break through and regain control, and as soon as that happened, he knew which way his mind would turn. He shifted from one foot to the other in attempt to clear his head.
His rosary knocked against his chest – and his eyes widened in understanding. Hidan knew his answer.
Hidan looked up, and Orochimaru hardly dared to breathe. Hidan took a step forward, and smirked. He swiftly brought his scythe round, and held it in front of him.
"How can I die when there's still bastards like you to eliminate? I'll go when Jashin-sama calls me, heathen!"
He dove at Orochimaru, scythe curving through the air. Orochimaru grimaced and moved back. Hidan was only inches away. Laughter echoed off the grey walls. The longest blade of the scythe connected, and traced a thin, red line across his cheek.
…