To Hell and Back
-xXx-
Chapter 6: Let Go
"Eight years?" Hidan yelled, slamming his hands onto the table, upsetting the vase again.
"Yeah. And keep your voice down, they'll think we're fighting."
"Who?"
"Her guards."
Hidan gave a quelling look.
"Tch."
"Hidan, I have some questions," Kakuzu began slowly, glancing uneasily at Konan. She got to her feet, gathering up the dirty dishes.
"You two go upstairs. There's only one guest bedroom though, I'm afraid."
"That's fine," Kakuzu said, heading for the stairs. He gave Hidan a look, urging him to follow.
Konan walked towards the kitchen with her stack of empty bowls and stopped at the doorway.
"But if you'd like separate rooms, you could have mine…"
"NO, Konan. It's fine," Kakuzu insisted. Konan nodded and left for the kitchen.
"I'm getting the bed," Hidan said automatically.
"No, you can sleep on the floor, my back's killing me," Kakuzu said in a low growl.
"Fuck you, you weren't in a fucking hole for eight years!"
"No, I spent eight years getting chased by man eating beasts and swimming in a flaming river."
"What…the fuck…are you talking about?"
"You swear too damned much," Kakuzu growled.
The two bickered all the way up the stairs. Kakuzu found three rooms, one of which was the bathroom. It was still steamy from their baths earlier. To the right of that was a locked door. Konan's room, presumably. That only left one other room. Kakuzu and Hidan entered the cramped space and looked around. It was plain and simple: a twin bed under the window, a dusty desk against the opposite wall, a chair with a broken leg, a threadbare rug.
Hidan sat on the bed, bouncing slightly to test its softness.
"Fucking springs will probably stab me in the back as soon as I lay down."
"You don't have to worry about death by bed springs, dumb ass," Kakuzu growled, plucking one of the feather down pillows off the bed and tossing it onto the rug, "because you're sleeping on the floor."
"Fuck you, I always get the bed!"
"Not this time."
"Then I guess I'll have to just take Blue's room!"
"NO. Don't bother her. She's done too much for us already."
Hidan folded his arms over his chest, smirking.
"I'll answer your questions if you give me the bed."
Kakuzu's eyes glittered dangerously.
"I can beat the answers out of you, if it comes to that."
Hidan flicked Kakuzu off. "Fuck you then!"
"Wrong answer!" Kakuzu snarled, picking Hidan up by his hair and hurling him across the room. The priest landed in a crumpled heap beside the desk. The door shuddered in its frame.
Kakuzu tossed the blanket at Hidan. It landed on the priest's head. He wrenched it off, baring his teeth in anger.
"You're always so fucking pushy!"
"Good to know I'm still my old self, at least when it comes to you," Kakuzu murmured.
"What?" Hidan asked, brow furrowed in confusion.
"Hidan," Kakuzu sighed, sitting on the end of the bed, which creaked and sunk slightly under his weight, "I just need to know one thing."
"Yeah?"
"Did you do some kind of…ritual…that connected our souls together?"
Hidan blanched, squeezing the feather pillow he'd had in his lap. Feathers flew out of a rip in the seam.
"What…do you mean?"
No curse words. Kakuzu thought that odd.
"I mean," Kakuzu said, choosing his words carefully, "did you use a curse to make me your Soul Mate?"
"I…fuck…" Hidan's eyes were wide, "I didn't know…"
Kakuzu leapt from the bed and had Hidan pressed against the wall, large hands tight around his throat.
"You performed a ritual without knowing what would happen?"
"I WAS FUCKING SCARED, ALRIGHT?!"
Hidan's words hung in the air, buzzing in Kakuzu's head as if he had a bee trapped in his skull. The priest's eyes were huge, staring into Kakuzu's face, mouth slightly open.
"Of being alone?" Kakuzu said quietly. Hidan flinched, turning his head away from the old man.
"Fuck you."
"I died, Hidan. I died. But I'm stuck in limbo because of you."
Kakuzu loosened his hold on Hidan, but kept him pressed into the wall. Kakuzu exhaled heavily, stirring the loose strands of the priest's silver hair.
"Fuck, I'm sorry, okay? But Jashin…"
"Don't try to blame it on your make believe god."
"But he came to me in my dreams, he told me what to do!" Hidan insisted, his voice cracking. Hidan pushed against Kakuzu's chest, his hand over the missing Falls nin's heart. The priest froze.
He told me what to do…Kakuzu thought of the demon, Beza. He'd known about Jashinists, hadn't he? Was there more to this Beza than Kakuzu realized? Kakuzu decided to process that information later. He forced Hidan's head up, staring into those scared pink eyes. Hidan jerked his head away and bit his lip.
"I felt you go…I felt it. I was afraid…that I'd fucked the ritual up…that you'd never come back."
Hidan pressed his head against Kakuzu's chest, his shoulders shuddering. Kakuzu's eyes widened. The pendant hummed and heated up, pulsing in time to Kakuzu's heartbeat. The missing Falls nin heard Hidan's dry sobs. Crying?
Kakuzu pushed away from Hidan and sat back down on the bed. It wasn't in his nature to comfort, and so Kakuzu chose instead to ignore Hidan. He lay down, facing the wall. Kakuzu closed his eyes and let Hidan's sobbing lull him to sleep.
-xXx-
The missing Falls nin woke long after sunrise. Hidan wasn't there. Kakuzu stepped over the lumpy feather pillow and padded into the bathroom. When he emerged, he heard laughter coming from downstairs. Kakuzu followed it to find Hidan and Konan sitting at the dining table. When the old missing Falls nin approached, both of them turned. Hidan's smile died on his face and he swiveled in his chair.
"What's so damned funny?" Kakuzu asked gruffly, sitting opposite Konan and pouring himself some tea from a kettle set on the table.
"Just reminiscing," Konan said, brushing her bangs out of her eyes.
"It's not like you to sleep in so late."
"The trip here took a lot out of me," Kakuzu explained, sipping at the scalding hot tea.
"I could make you some breakfast, if you want," Konan offered, getting to her feet.
"No," Kakuzu said, holding out a hand, "no, I can get it."
"Fuck no. If you eat his cooking, you'll get food poisoning."
Konan giggled behind her hand as Kakuzu stalked into the kitchen, grumbling about ungrateful idiots.
"So…" Konan began once Kakuzu was out of earshot, "do you really think you could do it?"
"Fuck yeah. Communicating with the dead is easy. Getting them to come back, however…" Hidan trailed off, glancing towards the kitchen.
"But you did do it," Konan said, taking Hidan's hand. He tried to pull away and she held on tighter, squeezing.
"Please, please, if you can just let me talk to him…one last time…" Konan whispered. Something wet fell on Hidan's hand and he saw tears streaming down Konan's cheeks.
"Shit, Blue. I'll…I'll do it."
"Thank you," Konan said, wiping at her eyes.
"But I need a sacrifice," Hidan said slowly. Konan's face fell.
"Oh…oh, well I don't want you to kill anyone just for that…"
"Naw, for a quick chat, I can just use a chicken."
"I…I don't know…"
"Come on, Blue, it's just a fucking bird! We can eat it afterwards, if you want."
Konan burst into laughter.
"What the hell is so funny this time?" Kakuzu asked, walking in with a pot and a plate stacked high with toast. He set the food down and eyed the two with his piercing green eyes.
"Not a damned thing," Hidan grumbled. Konan gave him a look.
"After breakfast, Hidan's going to conduct a séance for me."
"WHAT?" Kakuzu howled.
"Relax, Kakuzu-san. You told me to move on, didn't you? I think talking to Pein…telling him goodbye…to see him one last time...would help me to do that."
Kakuzu sighed and sat down. He grabbed a piece of toast and bit into it.
"I won't stop you, but…meddling with the dead is dangerous."
"I'm the one 'meddling' here. Relax, old man."
"Hn."
-xXx-
After the breakfast dishes were cleared away, Konan sought out some candles and other things Hidan said he needed. The priest himself disappeared in the bathroom for some sort of cleansing ritual. Kakuzu was given the task of buying a live chicken from Hidden Rain's market. He procured another mask to hide his stitches and set out.
Old habits die hard, Kakuzu thought as he haggled with the merchant. The old codger was stubborn, but in the end, Kakuzu got the price he wanted. As he headed back with the chicken thrashing madly in its wire cage, Kakuzu wondered if this 'séance' would even work. He'd never seen one performed, and didn't know much about it. And he'd certainly never thought Hidan could or would use a chicken as a sacrifice, in place of a human being.
Kakuzu entered the house, feeling a pang of regret at the sight of the broken door. He vowed to fix it once this séance was over. The old missing Falls nin set the chicken down on the floor. The house was dark, all the lights put out. He could faintly hear a voice chanting upstairs. Hidan.
"We're having the séance in my bedroom," Konan said from the stairs, leaning down to see Kakuzu.
"Right," Kakuzu said, slipping off his sandals and picking up the chicken cage. He followed Konan. Her skirt disappeared through a doorway and Kakuzu trailed after her.
"Jashin-sama, please lend me your power," Hidan was murmuring, holding his rosary tightly in his hand. Blood seeped out under his fingers. Kakuzu saw the rosary and frowned.
"When did you…"
"Zetsu," Konan cut in, and wouldn't say any more.
Kakuzu's gaze wandered about Konan's small room. It was larger than the guest room, but not by much. A Persian rug was rolled up and hastily pushed against the bed, leaving an open area on the bare floor. Kakuzu walked over to the only wall that wasn't plain. It was dotted with framed photographs, some of various Akatsuki, but most were of Konan's family. One, badly damaged yet framed with ornate gold, caught his eye. It was Konan and Pein as teenagers. The photograph looked like it'd caught Konan just as she laughed; Pein was smirking. He'd most likely told a joke. Kakuzu smiled. Konan followed his gaze and blushed.
"Hey, I need those fucking candles!" Hidan said suddenly. Konan jumped.
While Konan lit the candles and set them in a circle, as instructed, Hidan pulled the chicken out of its cage by its legs. Kakuzu watched as Hidan took out a kunai and pinned the chicken onto the hard wood floor. It flapped its wings furiously. Hidan's eyes were cold, his lips uttering a soundless prayer as he sliced cleanly through the chicken's neck, severing it from its body. The bird wriggled under his hands, blood spurting from the neck, and it went still, its claws curling.
"Please, Jashin-sama, accept this humble sacrifice, and grant me your powers."
Hidan picked up the chicken's body, hung it upside down and walked in a circle, solidifying the vague pattern made by the candles with the bird's blood. He drew the triangle in the center and tossed the bird aside like a bag of trash.
No respect for the dead, Kakuzu thought, fighting the urge to laugh.
"The mark has been made. Querent, please step forth."
Konan approached the circle, her hands clasped in front of her, eyes wide, nervous.
"Take my hand," Hidan whispered. Konan took it, exhaling a shaky breath. Hidan turned to Kakuzu.
"You too, old man."
Without a word, Kakuzu clasped Hidan's bloody hand.
"Okay, once you and Konan hold hands, it will close the circle. Do not let go until I say so. No matter what happens," Hidan said.
"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?" Kakuzu asked Konan, almost pleadingly. Konan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She nodded.
Without another word, Konan snaked her small hand in Kakuzu's and he squeezed it in reassurance. Unlike him, even he knew it, but it couldn't be helped. The pendant began to hum again, fluttering like hummingbird wings against his skin. Warmth spread throughout his body. He looked to Konan to see if she could feel it. She gave no sign that she had, her eyes downcast, focusing on the Mark set in blood upon the floor.
The room grew dark. The candle flames danced wildly like the flapping of the chicken's wings as it died. Hidan began to chant. Some of it was in English, but there were phrases…whole strings of words that Kakuzu didn't recognize. It was something much older than simple language. It was the Tongue of Hell.
"Come forth, departed Soul, Come out of thy slumber and speak for us."
The pendant was vibrating so fast it was whistling, the soft warmth now intensifying, growing so hot it burned. Kakuzu felt a sharp tug, as if a hook had shot out of the center of the Mark and into his navel. He glanced nervously at Konan. Her eyes were wide, her knuckles white. Hidan was almost smiling, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, gleaming moon white in the semi-dark of the room.
"Oh Lord Jashin, we call out the Soul of Pein, Ame no Nagato that was. Let him come forth!"
The candles blew out as if an unseen ghost breathed upon them. The sharp tug to their navels grew stronger. And out of the center of the circle came a white fog. At first it looked like the wispy smoke of a cigarette, but it grew, forming a shape, the figure of a man. Ringed eyes opened in the cloudy face. Konan gasped.
"Pein!"
"…Konan," the spirit said, its voice faint as if it were whispering from across a vast field.
"Pein! Oh God…" Konan broke into sobs. Her hands loosened and she almost let go until Kakuzu and Hidan squeezed harder.
"Don't break the circle!" Kakuzu hissed.
"I love you!" Konan cried desperately as Pein's body came into sharper focus, the smoke solidifying into a proper body.
Pein only smiled, reaching out and plucking the flower from her hair. He put it against his lips and looked at her, Rinnegan eyes sparkling.
"…you too…" Pein whispered, his voice coming and going like the wind.
"Please let me touch him! Please, let me go!" Konan screamed, struggling in the grasp of the two men sharing the circle.
Hidan was still in a trance-like state, so Kakuzu had to calm her down, before she did something rash.
"We can't. Konan, talk to him. That will have to be enough."
Tears fell freely from Konan's eyes, running down her cheeks and her chin.
"…love you…please…don't cry…" Pein murmured and set the flower carefully back in Konan's hair.
He cocked his head to the side, admiring his work, and ran a finger down her cheeks, coming away wet with her tears.
"I want to touch you! I want to hold you again!"
"You…will…but…" Pein's eyes widened and he looked behind him. He turned back to Konan, placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Go…go now! He's coming."
"Who?" Kakuzu asked sharply. Pein glanced at Kakuzu, pointing at him, or more accurately, at his chest, where the locket lay.
"He's coming…" Pein repeated, turning to Konan. His face fell and he leaned in, pressing his lips to Konan's. Kakuzu felt like he was encroaching on something personal, but he couldn't do any more than turn his head away. He focused on Hidan's face instead.
The priest was still staring blankly into his skull, his mouth gaping. His rosary was glowing almost as brightly as the locket beneath Kakuzu's shirt.
"Please don't go! Don't leave me alone!" Konan wept.
Kakuzu turned back in time to see Pein smile warmly at Konan, tears of his own glistening on his face.
"We'll meet again…" Pein whispered, and transformed back into smoke. The cloudy vapor returned to the floor as if sucked in. Kakuzu started to release Konan's hand when he heard a low, gravelly voice in his ear.
"Give the Kyuubi the locket…"
Kakuzu looked to Hidan and paled. It was no longer Hidan. Like in his dream while sitting in the cell in Konoha, Hidan's face was melting, changing into the face of the demon.
The missing Falls nin let go of Konan's hand and she fell, Hidan still grasping her right. She tried to yank her hand away but to no avail.
"Let go," Kakuzu commanded. Beza cocked his head and leered.
"Things are moving right along," the demon said. He tightened his hold on Kakuzu's hand. Kakuzu heard Konan scream.
"LET GO!" Kakuzu roared and in the blink of an eye, Beza was gone. Hidan collapsed, his body thudding heavily to the floor.
Konan pressed her injured hand against her chest, lip trembling.
The locket went cold.
'He's plotting something much bigger than you realize. And you're helping him,' Sasori had said.
Something big…something to do with the Kyuubi…the locket…and Hidan. It was an elaborate puzzle, and some of the pieces weren't only missing…but transformed…impossible to fit where they were meant to go.
-xXx-
Querent is a term used in tarot reading, it's the person with the question, I guess. Hidan's speech is corny, but oh well. And...anything else? Hm...oh, the 'Pein, Ame no Nagato that was' thing kind of is inspired by the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Also, to explain further than Konan would, Zetsu fetched Hidan's scythe and rosary that he left in the pit and gave the items to Konan. I kind of would like to think he is decent to Konan. :P