Warnings: Yaoi in later chapters, some gore, unrequited love
Pairings: Implied KakuHida, Josh/Kazu, Mel/Chiaki, implied KisaIta, others still being considered
Story: Hidan and the gang have grown up, their own kids in high school now. But whats this? Hidan is in jail on a false charge, leaving his young son to be put through the torture of the foster care system. He's been put with an abusive foster father, who only cares about the money he gets for keeping the young boy. But now Kazu is in Akatsuki High, the school his own father went to. And all his father's old friends send their kids to. Things are about to get interesting for young Kazu...
Disclaimer: Fathers (c) Kishimoto
Kids and Extras (c) Me
This must have been what it was like to be in the embrace of your mother when a nightmare had woken you up, he assumed. He had nothing else to compare it to, so he assumed this safe feeling was reserved for mothers, the utterly protective barrier that came between him and all thoughts related to any issue that might have been deemed bad in his life. Curled in Josh's embrace, he had slept longer than he had in months, smiled more than he had in years, and cried less than in his life. Not a single tear was shed while Josh's arms lay curled around him, while Jain's back was pressed to his, while his hair mixed with Aiden's, while he was completely and utterly surrounded by friends.
He could call them that now, now that he had shown them the menace his face had been transformed into. Lee had cried for him, lamenting such lost beauty, Aiden had just smiled, Jain's cries mixing with Lee's. And Josh… Josh had stood by his side, smiling while Kazu revealed to their friends what had happened…
"My second foster-home, they were really nice. My foster sister was probably the coolest chick I've ever met, she was into dying her hair funky colors, piercings, and… really thought of me like a little brother. She was really protective of me. My foster mom, though… she was kind and giving and happily gave me a place in her family, even when her husband tried to go back on taking in a foster kid. She wanted me to stay, at least that's what my sister told me. And then one day… my foster mom lost it. She was cooking oil, and it had just come to a boil. My sister and I were playing cards at the table while she worked behind us. I… well… I got up and asked if I could have some milk. She lost it and threw hot oil on me, on my face. My sister… well, she's the reason I'm not dead or my face isn't completely messed up. She turned on the water and stuck my face under it, screaming for her dad and fending off her mom while she saved me. Most amazing girl I've ever met…"
His voice had faded out then, choked by memories and the like. He hated talking about the incident, hated reliving the fact that his sister had been sent to another state to live with relatives while he had been forced back into foster-care with bandages covering half his face. But he dealt with it, he really had. And now… now his true friends made it all the easier to go day-to-day with this deformation.
Josh whispered nonsense in his sleep, and Kazu made it a point to tell the boy he talked. It was the reason Kazu was awake now, having become a very light sleeper, Kazu had been woken by the whispers in his ear courtesy of Josh. The silver-headed boy leaned forward slightly, resting his head comfortably against Josh's collarbone. It was Kazu happy, the fact that Josh was so protective of him… and it let him fantasize for a little while, that they were… they were a couple.
And maybe one day they would be.
But today was not that day.
The adults had left the house already, gone off to the parent-teacher conference, where Kazu had no doubt his foster father would show up drunk. And maybe Kakuzu and the others would take Kazu away from him. Maybe he would be safe…
But more than likely, that was just a dream. A dream that he knew was foolish to even entertain.
"Josh…" Kazu murmured, touching the older boys shoulder. "You have to wake up now… Mina's coming to see you today, remember?" He was quiet, hoping that Josh wouldn't hear him, hoping that he would ignore Mina to just lay there with him. But as he knew leaving his foster father for good was a fantasy, so too did he know this was as well.
"Hm… Don't wanna…" Kazu chuckled as Josh slurred his words, pulling Kazu closer to him in the process. "You're warm…"
"Yeah, it's called I'm alive. Come on, Josh, we can go make breakfast together before the others wake up, just the two of us," Kazu was even quieter with this request, not wanting to wake up any of the children he lay in the middle of. He… did not want them to see him and Josh like this, together, if only so not to fuel more of Jain's wet-dreams.
Josh opened one eye with a smile. "Just us two?" He looked down at Kazu, sighing and sitting up, still holding the other boy to him. "Then you can show me what skills you have in the kitchen. Just try to impress me."
Kazu chuckled, standing and pulling Josh up with him. "I have more skills than you do, I bet. Jashin knows I had to learn to cook for my dad. He burns cereal." They were still quiet as they maneuvered around the sleeping teens, opening and closing the door to Josh's room without so much as a sound.
Kazu glanced around the hallway, finally able to take in the beauty and extravagance of it while he was not crying. "Wow…" he murmured as he walked alongside Josh, not bothering to quiet his voice, as he knew it would not be able to reach the others through the maze of hallways.
"Yeah, my mom made my dad gets the house. She furnished it and everything. She's sort of a leach, it's why my dad divorced here in the first place." Kazu glanced up at Josh, watching the look of disdain appear at the mere mention of his mother. Smiling, Kazu slid his hand over to wind his fingers with Josh's, taking comfort in the contact… and the fact that it made Josh smile. "They divorced a while ago, but I still have to go visit my mom every summer. It's not one of my favorite things to do, but, you know… She says she loves me."
"Then she does," Kazu stated matter-of-factly. "A mother's love is not to be questioned. Or so I've been told. I've really no experience on the matter." He smiled slightly, tilting his unscarred eyebrow up slightly.
"Hey, I'll share her with you if you want," Josh said with a smile, squeezing Kazu's hand good-naturedly. "I think after her latest boyfriend dumped her, mom settled down a bit. She actually remembered my birthday this year. Managed to impress dad more than a little bit." And then Josh's face seemed to fall, his eyes narrowing into a glare and his lips pursing slightly. "My dad is a jackass… I can't believe… I mean, you're my best friend, why would he, how could he?"
Kazu leaned against Josh, smiling. He had been smiling so much more… all because of his… best friend. "He's still sore about my father cheating on him," he said plainly, smiling even wider when Josh stopped dead in his tracks. Kazu tugged his hand, forcing him to keep walking, as the other boy took in the information.
"You mean… my dad… yours… together… what?" Josh finally managed to get out, watching Kazu walk backwards in front of him. He watched Kazu giggle, his lips stretching in a wide smile and his one good eye squinting and tilting up. It calmed him… made him stop thinking for a moment. "Alright, how do you know that?" Josh asked, smirking when Kazu giggle again.
"Well, your dad said that my dad left him, he made up a story, and… well, my dad told me when I last went to visit him," Kazu murmured, grinning by the time he ended. "I told my dad last week that I had new friends. Great friends. And you… I told him about you. He told me about your dad."
Josh took a few steps forward, curling his arms around Kazu happily. "When does your dad get out?" he asked quietly, awkwardly moving forward still. "Cause I kinda sorta want to meet him."
Kazu just smiled, leaning his head against Josh's chest. "He's eligible to get out on good behavior in a couple weeks, but… I doubt my dad will get out until his actual release date in… well, let's just say I'll be eighteen before then."
"Hm… well, you'll just stay here until then," Josh said, nodding as if he had just made a 100% irreversible decision. "I'll get my dad to talk to your social worker and we'll get you moved in. And if he says a thing about wasting money, I'll pull out the whole rich thing. "
"Just tell him it'll be the perfect way to make my father feel even shittier about cheating," Kazu murmured, smiling as he detached himself from Josh to trot down the stairs. "And you can tell him I'm one hell of a cook." Josh chuckled, following after his friend as they walked into the kitchen. "Whenever my foster father remembers to get food, I always end up cooking for his drunken ass."
Josh growled quietly, sitting at the counter while he watched Kazu whisk around, pulling out ingredients for recipes he had long-since memorized. "I hate him, I literally hate him. I've never hated anyone before, but I'm fairly sure I hate your foster father. I mean, why would he even want to hurt you? Who would want to hurt you? God-"
"Jashin," Kazu corrected with a calm smile. "And I know, Josh, but you're not allowed to hurt him. And… would you really want to take me in?" the question was quiet, Kazu having turned his back on Josh to heat up the oven. He was scared, scared that maybe Josh wasn't serious, that he wouldn't follow through with the promise. Well, with what he truly needed to be a promise. If he could just get away from that damned home…
"I promise you, Kazu, I will get you away from that idiot. You're my best friend, I won't let him put another hand on you." Kazu turned back to see Josh sitting up straight, his eyes alight with a promise that Kazu had no choice but to believe.
"Josh…" he smiled, happy with the knowledge he had stumbled upon such a loyal friend as Josh. One who truly cared more about what was on the inside than on the out.
"Hey, could you show me how to make pancakes?" Josh asked quietly, smiling slightly. "I've never learned how to, and…"
"You'll have to get off your ass and come over here if you really want me to show you," Kazu murmured with a smile, whisking together a pancake batter already while the ingredients for the muffins lay around the counter. "It's really easy, the only part that's a little difficult in making sure not to turn the heat on too high and not destroying the pancakes when you flip them."
Josh nodded as he stood and walked around the counter to stand beside Kazu, only to follow him as he turned around and strode to the stove. "Now, put your hands around mine," Kazu murmured, in his element in that one moment. "Loose, you're just going to follow my movements. Hey!" Kazu laughed when Josh wrapped his arms around his waist instead of taking his hands like he had been told. "I thought you wanted to learn how to cook!"
"I think I can learn from watching," Josh seemed to smile the words, nuzzling his best friend's pale, pale neck. "You know, you could almost be albino with how pale your skin is…"
Kazu laughed once again as he began pouring the pancakes, Josh's breath tickling his neck. "My dad always said it's the Irish in me. Doesn't help that my hair went grey early! I always sort of hated my skin. I can't tan, I just burn…"
"Hm…" Josh hummed. "I like it."
And that was all it took for Kazu to begin loving the color of his skin.
A/N: OMG! Is this yet another chapter? Holy crapperdoodles! IT'S AMAZING! Plus, it's fluff. Amazing, amazing fluff.
Okay, so Josh is not yet in love with Kazu, he's just crazy comfortable around him. And... no, I won't reveal anything else! But be expecting another chapter soon, cause this and the next one where supposed to be one, but I got bored half-way through... and I was busy making cupcakes.