Hello! :D I'm updating – ta-dah~! I have to warn you, this chapter is really bizarre…Trust me to make Orochi's thing as weird as possible. :S I might redo it before I write the next one…

Oh, and I'm just going to refer to the boy Kakuzu's fighting as Kimimaro. It's just easier. -_-

Please enjoy!

Ch. 16

Instinctively, Hidan raised his arms to defend himself – but the gigantic serpent's mouth passed over him as if he wasn't there. Absolute darkness followed, and Hidan couldn't be sure if he was in a mouth or a vacuum. The poison was disappearing, giving him his motility back. Grimacing, he decided to try reversing, meaning to escape between the teeth before Orochimaru swallowed him, or whatever happened in this placed happened.

His feet left unseen ground, and he landed a good distance behind. He glanced over his shoulder – there was nothing but black behind him. No jaws, no training ground framed with pointed teeth, just darkness.

He gave a start and opened his clenched fists. His scythe was gone again! He cursed and threw his eyes uselessly around, frustrated and slightly panicky.

A speck of light drew his eyes forward and he watched warily as similar patches of colour, dark purples and dusty reds poured from the darkness, painting a landscape on the nothingness.

A pair of golden eyes opened a short distance away, soon followed by the rest of Orochimaru's body. He gave Hidan a satisfied grin, tongue lolling out the corner of his mouth. Hidan scowled.

"Bastard – what the hell is all this?"

Orochimaru's grin widened in reply, and with a jump, Hidan noticed the floor of the landscape bubbling and churning under his feet. He tried to lift his feet away, but they were stuck fast. His breath came in short gasps as he realised the seething reddish ground was bubbling over his feet, climbing up, trapping and binding him. He cursed as other masses came from the sides and caught hold of his arms. He wrenched his arms away before they taken completely.

"You think I'll fall to this? This is nothing!"

Hidan glanced at Orochimaru – and exclaimed in disbelief as he saw the exact same thing happening to him. Orochimaru was covered in the stuff; only his face could be seen, but he wasn't giving any resistance – and he continued to stare evenly back as Hidan's situation steadily worsened.

To make matters even more disturbing, other forms were rising through the floor – people; bodies covered into the red goo; like Orochimaru, their faces were the only thing visible; blank and lost in sleep. Hidan tore his eyes away from them and back to Orochimaru and glared at him in silence.

"They are all that remains of my old bodies…" Orochimaru drawled, eyes still fixed on his latest prize.

Hidan's glare deepened in defiance.

"You shouldn't worry, Hidan-kun. Their strong personalities remained as residual aura when I took over their bodies. I'm sure your ardent faith will find a way into my personality after I've done the same to you."

Orochimaru's eyes bore into Hidan's, and something vaguely resembling a shiver ran down his back.

He didn't want to admit it, even to himself, but a low murmur of fear was gradually working its way through his system. It had been so long since he'd properly felt fear – the last of his adrenaline pumping around his body, willing it to move, making his trapped limbs shake, that offish, empty feeling in his stomach, and the beginnings of a cold sweat. Never had anything threatened his immortality to such an extent as to make Hidan afraid.

He didn't know how he was going to get out of this.

Orochimaru's calm, controlled, bordering triumphant air didn't help.

In times like these, rare as they were, the only thing Hidan could do was pray. Though his scythe was gone, he still felt the weight of his rosary around his neck. The symbol of a follower of Jashin.

That simple thought did it.

Anger rising, he roused himself. He'd been drifting towards complacency this whole time, like some weakling, unworthy of Jashin's trust. He shook his head, dispelling the shadow of fear. Things looked hopeless, sure. But Hidan didn't believe in hopelessness. Where he was concerned, anyway. He looked Orochimaru straight in the vertical pupils and inhaled.

"Jashin-same will never forsake me! My body is a tool for him and you're retarded if you think I'll hand it over to you!"

Hidan's voice grew in volume as his fervency increased.

"If you so much as dip your fucking wraithy toe in here, I'll force you out! If you make it in, I'll tear myself to pieces! If you stop me, I'll scream at you from inside my head!"

He started fighting against the goo again, but to no avail.

"You'll never have a moment's peace as long as I'm here! You'll face judgement day after day for possessing a disciple of Jashin, you fucking heathen scum!"

Hidan's breath came more ragged than before as he strained against his bindings. Orochimaru hadn't said anything during his outburst, but now he drifted closer, until he was barely a foot from Hidan's enraged face.

"Passionate words, Hidan-kun. But it's no use struggling. This is my dimension, created solely for the transfer ritual. It's impossible to escape from here. Your god has abandoned you, but you can reconcile yourself with him in the afterlife."

Suddenly, all of Orochimaru's condescension disappeared.

"This is your death, Hidan. You've dodged it for long time, but now you've run out of options. I, true immortal, will be the one to reap your soul."

The word 'reap' seemed to echo in the silence that followed. All at once, the bubbling goo multiplied, climbing up Hidan's body at a furious rate. He lashed out, trying to shake it off, but it held firm. He felt it cover him completely, finally moving itself across his face.

The last thing he saw was Orochimaru's face, inches from his own, then darkness descended.

…

Kimimaro coughed, and a small stream of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Several more drops hit the rocky floor. The corridor was silent; the only noise was the steady drip of young blood staining the floor under the two combatants. Kakuzu stood, stoic, one hand extended towards his opponent's chest. A tangled mess of threads was buried in the boy's ribcage, entwined around his still beating heart. Blood ran hesitatingly down the black cords, soaking into Kakuzu's bloodstream.

Adapting to their new body.

"You're foolish and naïve, boy. This little game has cost you your life."

Kakuzu held the boy tightly. His threads were already starting to sever the keirakukei. A whimper escaped the child's mouth, and with great effort, Kimimaro raised his head.

"I couldn't kill you… but I fulfilled my duty. Orochimaru-sama's ritual will succeed…it's finished. I know it."

His breathing was shallow and uneven, his voice weak, but still, the corners of his mouth turned up in an unmistakeable smile.

"You're the one that has lost, Akatsuki!"

His coughing increased, each one racking his whole body.

"Because of your friend, Orochimaru has gained a completely new way of life-"

Kakuzu's threads involuntarily constricted. The boy wheezed, blood flowing freely from his mouth as he exhaled. He took a couple of seconds to recover from the attack, then continued, his voice occasionally breaking into quiet laughter despite the obvious pain he was in.

"He has immortality!"

At the moment, an awful sound burst from the room at the end of the hall. Kakuzu and Kimimaro gave a start. It was a scream; a harsh, blood-curdling shriek, and it made both of them freeze, eyes trained on the door. The scream continued for a few more seconds, and was then abruptly cut off.

The boy stared at the door, a shadow of doubt crossing his pained features.

"Orochimaru-sama…"

Kakuzu's eyes darted from the door to the boy. Neither one of them knew who had screamed out with such desperation, but both were equally on edge.

He couldn't stand it any longer. Kakuzu threw the boy on the ground, ripping his threads out roughly. Kimimaro cried out as the threads opened his wounds and his bleeding increased. Kakuzu darted past, not sparing him a glance. He went straight to the door. Locked. That wasn't a problem. But if an immortal Orochimaru lay on the other side…

"You've failed, you know," Kimimaro's frail voice cracked.

"Go and die with your partner!"

"I don't plan to," Kakuzu replied monotonously.

The door caved under his diamond-hard punch.

…

Hidan's body shuddered as he felt the lightest pressure against his front. It lasted only a second – the next one passed, and his body went numb. The numbness swept upwards and rushed to his head, and he felt his eyes roll back. He blacked out momentarily – and was jolted awake again by a wailing, frustrated shriek. It echoed around his skull, growing in emotion and volume, wiping away any trace of unconsciousness.

The screaming filled Hidan's head, making it ache. He had no idea what was happening. He couldn't see, he couldn't hear anything other than that shriek in his head. He tried to think – that noise was coming from somewhere inside – had he screamed? He couldn't remember. Why would he have screamed? There was nothing here to scream at. Where was Orochimaru?

Hidan stopped. Thinking made his head pound even more.

All at once, the most bizarre sensation ripped through his body. He was acutely aware of every cell, every organ, every limb – and an overwhelming feeling of tightness. Something – himself? – felt like it was being crushed into a small space, and at the same time tugged in all directions. It was as if his very thoughts were being stretched, then balled up and forced through the tiny gaps between his cells. The outside of his skin was coated with that familiar burn – the curse mark. It was aiding the pushing somehow – it seemed to burn deeper than usual, trying to incinerate the parts that were being pushed to the surface.

Hidan didn't know what was doing the pushing, only that it was malicious and different, and he wanted it to stop. The screaming continued, though he had grown used to it, but now it grew fainter, then stronger again, like a failing transmitter. The pushing didn't falter, but grew in intensity. The sensation was getting stronger too, and Hidan felt that if he'd had breath at this stage he would have been winded.

Suddenly, he felt his whole being shoved against the inside of his skin, the curse mark redoubling his efforts on the outside. The malicious force was trying and trying as hard as it could to force him out. Hidan couldn't resist- he didn't know how to when he felt so immaterial. He only knew that he couldn't go – it wasn't possible.

He was stuck - glued to his material self. The force was tugging and pushing and pulling at every part of his being, but he wasn't torn or damaged in any way. Hidan wasn't even sure if it hurt, or if he just thought it should.

True to his feeling, he didn't budge. The pushing never stopped – and Hidan was getting pissed off. It's not going to work, he yelled at the screaming, Fucking stop already!

Anger gave him force. Without thinking, he acted, letting his emotion flow out. It produced a force, and began to counter the foreign existence. He wanted it out, and out now.

'No!' came an outraged voice, 'This is impossible! How is it that you-'

The other being was putting up one hell of a fight, but it didn't have Hidan's complete immovability. Within seconds –or minutes, or hours- Hidan felt something give. The marks on his skin went wild as something they hadn't expected was forced harshly and without restraint through the cracks. Hidan reeled as the other thing left, and his immaterial self was freed. His body no longer felt too tight, quite the opposite. It didn't feel wrong anymore, and slowly, his over-awareness faded as his life force rushed back through him to fill every available space.

He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. The screaming was gone, the sounds of the outside world washed in; his own panting, and someone else's laboured breathing. The ground felt painful on his bare back; there were small particles of rock embedded in his wounds.

He was holding something cold, cylindrical and hard in his right hand. It felt familiar and he half-consciously tightened his grip on it.

He grimaced as he shifted slightly, and with a stab of irritation, he realised he still couldn't see. He lay there frowning for a few seconds, until he noticed his eyes were closed. Still unsure of what he was about to see, he opened them a fraction. Light poured in and made them sting. Shutting them again, he threw himself into a sitting position. His back and stomach throbbed, and using his free hand, he blindly inspected the source of the pain. His eyes opened automatically as his fingers touched cold blood. His stabs wounds from cursing Orochimaru were still there…

Hidan's head shot up, black dots dancing around the edge of his vision from blood loss. and instantly met Orochimaru's livid stare. The sannin seemed a lot worse off than him; his leg was still bleeding freely, and his face was haggard and drawn like a corpse's, but as Hidan watched, incredulous, tiny white snakes were weaving in and out his body, healing the stab wounds as best they could. The white snake had disappeared.

Hidan got carefully to his feet, still unsure of his stability. He used his scythe as a support, until his head cleared. Facing the wounded snake-nin, he flashed Orochimaru a smirk, their most recent conversation fresh in his mind.

"Still here, bitch."

Orochimaru's tone was one of barely controlled rage.

"It appears I've made an error regarding that immortality of yours. Here I thought it was merely a physical condition-"

Hidan picked up his scythe in both hands, his expression audacious.

"-But how could I have guessed that your soul is literally trapped in there. The results of a jutsu that even surpasses my own…"

His voice took on a more spiteful tone.

"The prized lab rat of the Jashin cult."

Hidan cracked his neck nonchalantly.

"Squeak."

He blanched at Orochimaru's indifference.

"Oh come on, that seriously sounded like a rat."

The corners of Orochimaru's mouth twitched upwards in an expression quite different to the one Hidan was looking for.

"Well then, I can't let that sort of vermin run free."

Hidan's eyes widened as Orochimaru's hands flew in a flurry of signs. Snakes burst from his sleeves and rocketed towards him, fangs glinting. His scythe tore through the first onslaught, and he launched himself into the air to avoid the next. He heard the arrival of several summons and cursed. Fucker never ran out of chakra, did he?

Suddenly, something caught his ankle Cursing, he lashed out at it with his scythe. But before his scythe could sever it, his wrists were captured and it slipped out of his hands. He felt himself falling, being dragged down by numerous reptiles, and a second later, he connected hard with the rocky floor. He cried out as several ribs cracked. The snakes were on him at once, weighing his limbs down. Orochimaru appeared at his side instantaneously.

"Such a unique rat – poison won't work, and neither will a trap."

Hidan spat out the words,

"Fucking hilarious."

Orochimaru only leaned in closer, a hard look in his golden eyes.

"I suppose I'll have to lock him up until I figure him out."

The towering serpents behind him leered. Hidan scowled, defiant.

"You think I'll-"

A deafening crash, and the sound of something heavy splintering into thousands of shards interrupted him. Two sets of eyes took in the sight of the ruined iron door, and the masked figure glaring at them through bright green eyes.

.. .. ..

Kakuzu to the rescue~! Lol, 'bitch'. I may have taken the rat thing a little too far. ^^;

'Til next time…