Chapter 4: The Revelation

"That was when you started falling in love with her, wasn't it?"

"Yes. I didn't understand it at first, but I knew I couldn't live without her. She was my other half, the good that cancelled out my bad. She was perfect in my eyes. However, I didn't know that that perfection would come at a price."

"What are you talking about?"

"A week later, one of the kids said something near me he wasn't supposed to…"

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"Hey, did you hear? Supposedly, someone's reporting a dog missing. Do you think it's her?"

"Maybe. Isn't she supposed to be some demon or something?"

"I heard her entire family's a group of monsters. Maybe she killed the dog?"

"Maybe."

Without asking, Hidan knew they were talking about Umi. They never talked bad about anyone unless it was either him or his friend. But this was new. When had this rumor started?

Frowning, Hidan continued walking to meet Umi outside the school, where they met after going to their lockers everyday. He saw Umi, and approached her, intending on asking her about it.

"Hey fairy. What's with the face?"

"I heard some kids talking about you in the halls."

"What's new? I thought we were going to ignore them?"

"I was, but then one of them said your entire family were monsters. Where did this sprout from?"

Umi stiffened and stopped walking.

"Umi? Is something wrong?"

"Hidan, don't ever talk about that again."

"Umi? Seriously, what's up?"

"Hidan, NEVER talk about that again. EVER."

"Allright, allright, I won't. What's the problem?"

"My family's not normal. Put it that way." The tone of voice she used told Hidan she wasn't going to say anything more. He tried changing the topic as they walked home, but she remained stonily silent. Hidan eventually gave up, realizing she wasn't going to say anything.

He sighed, and walked up the steps to his house. She waited for him to walk in his house, like she always did, but her expression was sullen. He turned back and smiled weakly, but she didn't respond. He sighed again, then shut the door behind him, wondering what was wrong.

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"Are you getting close?"

"Yeah. I was depressed when she refused to talk to me, but she was herself the next day. Three days after that incident, I asked her if she wanted to go to a concert…"

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"Hey, bitch!"

"Yeah fairy?"

"I got tickets to a Disturbed concert! You want to come?"

"Serious?! Yeah, I'll go!"

"It's tomorrow night. I'll meet you at your house at six, ok?"

"Sure! Thanks, Hidan. I love Disturbed."

"That's why I asked you. They're supposed to play Deify at the concert. That's your favorite song, right?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"You always have that song playing when I come over."

"Well, thanks for inviting me. I'll see you later!"

Umi waved as she walked to her class, and Hidan waved back. He couldn't wait for the concert.

Later that day, they made plans to sleep at Umi's house when the concert was over, so Hidan brought an extra change of clothes over ahead of time. They had seats towards the middle of the stadium, so they could sit and be able to hear at the same time. Both were ecstatic, and when the concert came, Hidan waited eagerly outside Umi's house. Umi walked out, Disturbed t-shirt on and grin wider than the Mississippi. He grinned back, and they walked together to the concert, talking excitedly.

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"Well, I won't bore you with the details of the concert, but we had a good time. It lasted long, so we ended walking back exhausted. She had re-arranged her room so the top bunk was on the other side of the room, not that it was that far away from the other bed. She had a small room, if I remember correctly."

Kakuzu blinked, trying to come back to this world. This was the first time Hidan had interrupted himself.

"So what happened next?"

"That night, she had a nightmare. I'm not sure whether it was the concert or not, but I woke to comfort her all the same…"

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Hidan woke to whimpers coming from Umi's side of the room. He blinked, then sighed and got up to comfort her. He took two steps, then sat down on the edge of her bed. He stroked and smoothed her hair, trying to soothe her. Her whimpers quieted, and Hidan rose to go back to bed.

"Hidan?"

"Yeah?"

She mumbled something quietly, and Hidan could have sworn it was, "Thanks." However, he wasn't sure.

She went back to sleep, and Hidan looked at her for a bit, then went back to bed.

He woke a long while later to bright sunlight streaming through the edges of the curtain. He yawned, then started to stretch. He froze. Something was sleeping against him. He looked down and saw Umi.

She was curled on top of the covers next to him, shivering. He lay still, unsure of what to do. Finally, he made up his mind.

He worked the blankets gently out from under her, then covered her with them, wrapping his arms around her. She shivered more, then stopped. She snuggled into his side. Hidan lay there, wondering how she had gotten there. The only thing that made sense was that she must have woken up and purposely laid down next to him. But why?

Umi murmured something in her sleep, and Hidan thought he heard his name. She turned her head into his chest, whispering to herself. Shocked, he squeezed her a bit. Did she really say his name, or had it been his imagination? Could she really feel the same way for him as he did for her? Was it possible?

Umi started stirring, and blinked open her blue eyes. She seemed confused when she saw Hidan's chest in front of her, then her eyes widened. She looked up, saw he was awake, then yelped and pushed herself off the bed, managing to push herself onto the floor.

Hidan peered over the edge of the bed at her.

"Are you all right?"

She just flushed a deep red and turned away.

"Umi, what was that about?"

She didn't answer him, apparently finding something absolutely fascinating about the carpet.

"Umi, please answer me. I hate when you ignore me. You don't have to say much. Do you like me?"

"Yes", she mumbled.

"As more than a friend?"

She didn't answer, turning a deeper red.

"Umi, plea-"

"Yes."

He blinked.

"What did you say?"

"I said yes. Happy?"

He stared at her for a while, then grinned.

"More than you can believe."

Shocked, she looked quickly up at him, seeing if he was serious. He was. She stared at him, not comprehending.

"Umi, I fucking like you. I liked you for a while, but I just realized it the night of the meteor shower. I was scared you wouldn't like me back. I didn't tell you how I felt, because I thought you would hate me for that."

"Hidan, I liked you the day I met you. It started out small, but it grew. Your personality intrigued me, making me want to get to know it more. Before I knew it, you had me trapped. I couldn't escape, and I didn't want to. It's kind of weird that I would fall in love with my first real friend, but I did."

"So, what do you say?"

"Huh?"

"Umi, do you want to go out with me?"

She studied his face, then smiled.

"Do you need an answer?"

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"Wow", Kakuzu breathed. This was a part of Hidan he would have never guessed existed.

"Yeah. We were a little uncomfortable at first, but we grew to know each other even more. Our love grew and blossomed like a fragile orchid, beautiful and eternal. At that time, I didn't know how eternal it could be."

Kakuzu furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

"I had found out I was immortal by then, but I didn't know Umi was. I had been dating her for a year when her secret finally bubbled to the surface like a toxin. She had been growing more and more unpredictable, but she had never taken it out on me. Finally, I confronted her about it…"

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"Umi, I want an answer and I want an honest one, not some excuse like before. What is wrong with you?"

Umi bit her lip and looked down, leaning her head against her locker.

"You aren't going to let it go, are you?" she whispered.

"Umi, you nearly killed the lunch lady today when she told you there was no more ketchup. What's up?"

"I'm just having some trouble with my temper, that's all."

"That's bullshit and you know it. I want the truth, Umi, not an excuse."

She sighed, then looked at him with hurt eyes. Hidan almost considered taking it back, but held himself strong. She closed her eyes, and a tear leaked out the corner of one.

"I'll show you tonight."

"Why can't you show me now?"

"It's not safe here. There are too many people I could hurt." She turned away abruptly and started walking away. Hidan stared after her, confused and saddened by her pain. But he needed to know.

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"Are you finally going to tell me?"

"I will if you stop interrupting me."

Kakuzu shut up and looked at him. Hidan's voice had started trembling. Was it really a horrible secret? And did he love her enough to actually be about to cry when he talked about her?

Hidan took a deep breath to steady himself, then continued.

"That night, she led me to her back field. I can clearly remember the thin scratch of moon that rose and lit the world in a cold light…"

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"Umi, why are we going back here?"

"Hidan, I have to tell you something."

"What is it?" She inhaled deeply, then let it out as a shaky breath.

"I'm going to become something scary, Hidan. I need you to remember that it's me, and not run. Whatever you do, do not run. If you run, I cannot guarantee that I won't hunt you down and kill you. Promise me you won't run?"

She turned to him, grasping his hand and looking at him with pleading eyes.

"I promise."

"Swear on Jashin."

"What?"

"I need you to swear on Jashin. That way I know you won't run."

"I swear on Jashin I won't run. Are you happy?"

She closed her eyes and smiled sadly.

"No, I'm not. The only way I can be happy is if you turn away right now and forget about this. Will you?"

"Sorry, but no."

Her smile fell.

"I supposed as much. Please forgive me when I'm done."

She opened her eyes and stepped away from him. She looked up, towards the moon, and her eyes glowed white. Suddenly, she screamed and fell forward, writhing on the ground.

"Umi?!" Hidan rushed forward, trying to help.

"Get back!" she snarled at him, swiping a hand at him. Hidan blinked and froze. The hand had just grown claws. He stood frozen as he watched her scream and writhe painfully on the ground.

Her hands and feet grew razor sharp claws, which she used to tear at her skin. Blood poured from the self-inflicted wounds, and her shriek never ended. Her face bulged out into a muzzle, which quickly filled with tearing fangs. Her muscles quivered, and her body exploded outward, tearing the clothes. She tore the remains of them off of her, and a tail extended from her spine. Her legs changed shape, and she stood on all fours, arms contorting as well.

Her neck thickened and lengthened slightly, and her muscles squirmed underneath the skin like worms. Her chest expanded with a cracking sound, and she screamed louder as the ribs snapped then healed themselves. Her spine broke and she fell, then it twisted itself to a new shape. Hidan watched this all, eyes wide and mind and body frozen.

Fur sprouted, and ears lengthened and grew pointed, migrating to the top of her head. She snarled, and saliva dripped as her fur finished growing. She howled violently, then snapped her head towards Hidan, glowing yellow eyes locked onto him, finished.

Hidan might have been stone. He couldn't move. The monster growled at him for a while, then recognition lit itself into her eyes. She covered her fangs and whimpered, trying to apologize. She shrank away from him and looked at him with fearful eyes, trying to contain the instinct to kill and eat him, muscles trembling with the effort.

The world remained still and silent, not a single thing moving, fearful of attracting the monster's attention. A voice entered softly into Hidan's mind. 'I'm going to become something scary, Hidan. I need you to remember that it's me, and not run. Whatever you do, do not run.'

He shook his head slightly, then looked at the giant wolf standing before him.

"Umi?" he asked, and his voice cracked. She whimpered to him, trying to smile without scaring him even more. She failed.

"Umi, what are you?" She looked up to the moon, then at herself.

"Are you trying to tell me you're a-a w-werewolf?" She lowered her ears and tail, sensing his fear, and turned away. Hidan stepped towards her, and her head snapped back around. Her eyes pleaded with him to stop, but he walked forward until he was almost touching her. She held herself rigid, head turned away and eyes screwed tightly shut.

He reached out a hand, and hesitated. He gathered up his courage and placed his hand on her shoulder, level with his. She flinched away from his touch, then held herself still. He petted her shoulder, and her muscles relaxed under his touch. She sat down, eyes closed pleasurably.

A deer appeared near them, saw Umi, then leaped away. Umi's eyes snapped open, becoming the monster again. Snarling, she leaped forward, shoulder carelessly knocking Hidan out of the way and onto the ground. His arm broke when he landed, and he cried out the same moment she caught the deer and brought it squealing to the ground.

She looked up briefly, then started eating the still-living deer. Hidan whimpered as he cradled his arm. Within seconds, Umi finished eating the deer, then walked curiously back to the thing that was whimpering on the ground. She nudged it with her broad nose, and when the thing uncurled and turned out to be Hidan, her human side regained control.

She jerked herself away, horrified, then howled mournfully. Hidan watched her fearfully as she turned back into a human. She was missing her clothing as she walked over to him, but he didn't notice.

"Hidan, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to break your arm! Argh, I should kill myself!"

"Why would you want to kill yourself?" She turned to him, eyes filled with pain.

"Hidan, I hurt you! I risked your life, and I hurt you! I don't deserve to live!"

Hidan stood up, fighting a wave of dizziness, then stumbled over to her. He sat down beside her sobbing form and put an arm around her shoulder's, trying to comfort her.

"It's all right, Umi. I took the risk. You tried to warn me, and I didn't listen. It's m-"

"Shut up, Hidan!" she screamed, twisting out of his grip. "Don't try to comfort me! I broke your arm! I'm a monster, Hidan, and if you were smart, you'd run away while you could."

He could hear the loneliness hidden behind her words. He got up and put his good arm around her waist.

"You've seen my grades. You know I'm not smart. I'm staying with you, Umi, until the end."

He could feel her trying to summon anger, and he felt her fail. She broke down and started sobbing, twisting to bury her face in Hidan's shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and simply held her.

"I love you, Hidan", she whispered. He buried his face in her hair.

"I love you, too."