Recurring Nightmares
"God dammit Hidan where the hell did all my food go!?"
"It's Jashin, and I got fucking hungry."
"So go eat your own food!"
"Why would I eat mine when I can eat yours?"
Shikamaru growled and slammed his cabinet shut. "No more coming over when I'm not here." He said, limping out of the kitchen with the phone book. "And you're going to get the damn pizza since you ate everything."
"Pizza? Like fresh made from the resturaunt?" Hidan's head poked out of the bathroom as he spoke.
Shikamaru looked at him weird. It had been 4 days now since that weird little conversation they'd had. And Hidan had pretty much made himself at home in Shikamaru's apartment. He showed up and left whenever he wanted, no matter what Shikamaru was doing, and continued to wreak havoc on his mental state. Shikamaru was about at his wits end with his recent childish behavior. Even this little peculiar question didn't amuse him. Apparently Hidan never got to have a lot of the normal luxuries of life when living with Kakuzu.
"Uh, yeah. /Maybe/ you can have some if you manage to not eat it on the way back, drop it, or sacrifice it for having the wrong toppings."
"Why the fucking hell would I sacrifice a pizza?"
"The same reason you do a lot of the weird shit that you do." Shikamaru sighed, running his finger down the page until he found the restauraunt he was looking for.
"Hey, I'm fucking older than you, quit talking to me like that. I've had enough of your gay rules."
Shikamaru ignored him as he punched in the number on his landline. His cell kept getting stolen, and he'd resorted to a home phone about 3 and a half months ago.
He paused, gritting his teeth. It was probably Hidan who kept taking them.
Sighing, he hit the call button. "Don't say anything while I'm ordering." He said before a woman's voice spoke to him through the receiver.
"Go fuck yourself.." Hidan's bodiless voice muttered from the bathroom. What the hell was he doing in there?
The Nara placed his order, and after being informed of the price and when it would be ready, hung up. He listened for a second, trying to figure out what Hidan was up to. He gave up after a few minutes. "Get out of my bathroom!"
"Quit fucking ordering me around!"
"Well quit messing with my stuff!"
There was silence for awhile, except for the occasional clacking of things being moved around. Shikamaru just sighed. It had been surprisingly easy to get used to Hidan's continued presence, though honestly he wasn't sure why he insisted on being around so much. He had nothing for the man-child to do while he lazed about the apartment waiting for his wounds to heal. And honestly, didn't he have better thangs to do anyway? He'd just made that whole speech about how Shikamaru wasn't the 'center of his universe', yet he never seemed to be gone for very long. At least he had the decency not to show up at night when Shika was trying to sleep. His nightmares had lessened, but he still didn't want Hidan knowing he was still having them. Even though he probably did anyway. He was happy to say that Hidan hadn't made an appearance in them either, so there was no reason for him to tease Shikamaru anymore about having secret 'desires' for the psycho.
"Hey pineapple head," Hidan said, suddenly beside his recliner. Shikamaru jumped and then glared at the albino, who wasn't laughing at him but looked like he wanted to. He continued on. "Have you been praying?"
"What?" He replied, damn he hated these random questions.
"Have? you? been? praying?" Hidan said, seperating the words like he was about to scold a child.
"Uhh... No? Why would I?"
The (fellow) Jashinist looked at him in disappointment. "That's probably why you're not better yet."
"Hidan.." Shikamaru spoke with his fatigue unhidden, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Normal people take a long time to heal from stuff like this. Like, months, and years before it's nothing but a scar."
"Yeah, I know that. I'm not fucking retarded. But you're not normal. You have Jashin's strength at your disposal. But he doesn't just give his shit out freely. Jashin hates people who rely on others to do what they could do themselves, it's just a crutch."
"Is that why you've been eating all my food?" Shikamaru nearly groaned. He didn't want to talk about this. Hidan had thankfully not brought it up at all lately. But Shika preferred it stayed that way. He didn't want to be a Jashinist. He wasn't going to embrace it.
"Hey, when I'm hungry, I find food and eat it. I don't wait around for you to buy it, cook it, and serve it to me on a silver platter. But that's besides the point..." Hidan popped his knuckles as he spoke, bending his fingers at angles that made it seem like he was actually breaking them.
"You have to thank him for what he gives you. You need to do some meditating, start having chats with him. "
"Why would I want to do that?"
"Hidan looked at him, exasperated. "Shikamaru." He said seriously, and the Nara got goosebumps as those violet eyes bored into him. Hidan never called him by his actual name. Never.
"You have no idea what kind of fucking power you're passing up by not doing this. C'mon, I know you think it's wrong or whatever the hell goes on underneath that spikey ponytail of yours, but make the best out of a bad situation. Drink some lemonade."
Shika continued staring, eventually unable to keep the smirk from his face. Drink some lemonade? It was close enough that he understood the saying that Hidan was attempting to use. But the fact that he was so serious and so far off... he just couldn't take him seriously.
"I looked into your weird demon God a couple years ago. I'm perfectly fine healing at the pace of a normal human being in exchange for keeping my blood in my body."
Hidan looked at him crookedly. "Where the hell did you find the shit you keep saying you looked up?"
"Internet."
Hidan tsk'd and shook his head, then waved his hand at the Nara before continueing. "Anyway, it's really not as bad as you're making it. You know that fat person disease where they have to prick their finger and shit every day? It's the same fuckin' thing. You just need like 5 drops instead of one."
Shikamaru sighed. He wasn't gonna drop this, not until he gave in and humored him. "Why can't you let this go?"
"Hey, you got yourself into this, you gotta accept it, seriously. I can't let it go because this is my fucking livelihood, pineapple head. This is my everything. And it's my job to spread the word and teach those willing to be taught... even the unwilling."
They stared at each other, Shikamaru looking like he was about to haul off and smack the zealot. He would be a terrible teacher, first of all. And second, that didn't even make sense.
So Jashinism kept itself from dying off by metaphorically raping people and forcing them into accepting Jashin and his nonsense? Yeah, that definitley sounded like something he could see himself doing for the rest of his life.
"If you go get the damn pizza, I'll think about considering it maybe."
"If I go get the pizza will you at least watch me while I do it? It's not like you just become a Jashinist and then run around sacrificing people. What I do takes years and years of hard fucking devotion and work. You are on step one." Hidan held his finger up mere inches from Shikamaru's face to emphasize the point. There he went again, talking about killing people as if it were the most natural thing in the world. People with husbands or wives and children to leave behind. People with promising futures ahead of them. It made no difference to Hidan, if Jashin decided he wanted them, they were dead.
He slapped it away and tried to glare at Hidan, but he was already mentally exhausted from this arguement. He wasn't going to let it drop until Shikamaru caved at least a little.
"Fine. But I wan't to eat first, and take a shower, and I need to change my bandages. So go get the food, bring it back, and go find something to do for a couple hours."
"Dammit! Quit ordering me around like that, you're pissing me off with that shit!" Hidan growled, but opened the door behind him. He paused for a moment and narrowed his eyes. "And I'm eating some of that damn pizza. So suck a dick."
With that the door clicked shut, and Shikamaru sighed dramatically and flung himself backward into his recliner. At least he was using the door and not climbing in and out of the ten story window. Having Hidan sworn to you was almost like adopting a teenager.
God damn troublesome.
-o-
Hidan sat in the living area relaxing in Shikamaru's chair, eating his pizza and watching a horror movie where some woman was cut in half by a chainsaw and tossed into a pit of inbred cannibal mutants. It didn't hinder his appetite at all, Hidan had devoured a whole pizza by himself.
Shikamaru had used his distraction to take a quick shower, or as quick as he could hobble himself in and out. It was weird knowing that the unpredictable man was there just in the other room, but he didn't think he'd really be thoughtless enough to barge in on him.
He did lock the door though, just in case.
When he finally left the bathroom, Hidan was sitting crosslegged on the floor staring at him expectantly.
Shikamaru stared at him while he finished drying his hair, really? He couldn't wait ten damn minutes?
"Not on the carpet." He said tiredly.
Hidan grimaced. "You have carpet everywhere."
"I'm renting Hidan, blood stains carpet."
"Well. You have to get a little bloody."
"Well then I'm not doing it."
"BUT YOU SAID-"
"I know what I said, but I could get kicked out for that! I don't have anywhere to go. Do you know how hard it is to find a decent apartment for reasonable prices thats not in an aweful neighborhood?"
Hidan's gaze dropped to the carpet, brows furrowed, and he chewed the inside of his lip in thought. Shikamaru gave a small huff of a laugh before going back into the bathroom to put his hair up in it's usual ponytail. He was actually kind of embarrased that he'd just walked out with it down. No one saw him with his hair down, except Neji.
Why he was embarrased, he didn't know. He reasoned with himself that he didn't want to give Hidan the impression that he was that comfortable around him. But at the same time he really shouldn't give a damn. And he really shouldn't be hiding in the bathroom obsessing over it.
It didn't matter, he told himself. Not in the least, Hidan was just a temporary aqcuantaince until he gathered the shards of his life back together and sorted out this whole Jashinism mess.
He just had to figure out how to keep Hidan away from Neji. And that was going to be rather difficult. He had the feeling that the man was just going along with it for his own means. And especially now that he was trying to show him how to do things. He was just trying to get Shika to go to the dark side.
Well two could play that game. If it was a battle of wits Hidan was after, he was pretty dumb.
When Shikamaru exited the bathroom, Hidan was still in the same spot, looking at him happily again. Now with a pair of sheets spread out under him.
"Those better not be mine." Shika said instantly. Hidan just waved his comment away.
"I'll replace them. C'mon you said you'd do it, don't break your fucking word."
"I said I'd watch."
"Dammit you pineapple headed fuck! I'm trying to fucking help you! Will you stop being such a stubborn little bitch? You can save the sheets so you don't have to make your circle again, it's better to use fresh blood but it'll still work."
Shikamaru just eyed him warily.
"Come here before I make you." Hidan said slowly, spacing out the words, his voice low.
Damn, give him an inch and he takes a mile.
"Such a drag.." Shikamaru sighed. But he started forward anyway. Why he was giving in was beyond him. He was easy-going at heart, and fighting a useless battle was.. well, it was useless.
To look at this from another angle, if Jashin was going to help him get better faster, then he could work on unweaving this tangled web all the sooner. He still had no idea how to get out of this stupid commitment to his religion, he still pretty well considered himself an athiest, even though technically that was bullshit. He didn't want or need a god. It just complicated everything, and his life was proof enough of that.
He sat down in front of Hidan and stared at him boredly, but the albino just smiled back. It was an actual smile too. It was nice...
Stop it!
"Okay, You know how to make the circle. So go, but really, you don't have to slice your hand off again."
"Are you seriously gonna make me do this?"
"The sooner you quit fucking resisting, the sooner I'll leave you alone, seriously."
Shikamaru growled and took the razorblade Hidan was extending to him. Did he really have to do it on his hand? That crap hurt.
He let the blade hover above his palm, his face creased in concern, and glanced up at Hidan. He was being completly serious for the first time since Shika'd initially seen him standing there in the rain at the park, minus the intent to kill. No anger, no sneering, no sarcasm. Just calm and sincere.
Shikamaru took a quick breath and sliced his previously uninjured palm in one fluid motion. It stung a little, but it was nothing compared to the burning cut he'd given himself from the pocketknife.
"Imagine yourself in a bubble." Hidan said, and the Nara was surprised to see that his Jashinist teacher had repeated the action, and was already making his own circle on the other sheet. "Wrap yourself in the pain, focus on it and pull it tight around you like a blanket." His violet eyes were closed, but even so Shikamaru watched in intrest. He'd never seen the usually energetic, crazy Hidan look so serene and peaceful. "If you train your body to accept it, it stops hurting. It'll be awhile before you can turn it to pleasure, but numbing yourself helps."
Shikamaru tore his eyes away and started to make his own circle. Taking slow, even breaths and trying to fight his insticts of blocking out the pain. Trying to psycologically alter it into something else.
It wasn't working, it still stung. A lot.
"It ain't gonna happen the first time, so don't expect it to. You gotta practice. I'm just showing you how to do it." Shikamaru looked back at Hidan, whos eyes were open again, studying him calmly. "You should consider yourself lucky. I had to figure all this shit out on my own. Took fucking forever..."
Shikamaru finished the triangle of his symbol, and Hidan seemed pleased.
"Meditation helps if you have candles. Fire is beautiful but deadly, a perfect representation. But since we're just doing the basics here, you can skip'em. Now, you need 5 drops for a respectable offering, anything less is unacceptable and just pisses Him off. It's really not that fucking much anyway. I mean, people give a pint of their blood at those stupid blood drives. Five drops is nothing. So don't skimp out, make 'em big."
Shikamaru watched, surprised at how unfazed he was as Hidan made a fist from his bleeding hand and held it up above his mouth. A single tear of blood slipped down his thumb and hung there for a moment as he slightly clenched and relaxed his fist over and over again. It grew to a decent size before it couldn't stand it's own weight anymore plummeted down to splatter on a pink tongue.
Shikamaru was suddenly aware of how hard his heart was beating, and he returned to regulating his breathing, praying silently that Hidan wouldn't notice. There's really no way that he could, but you had to expect the unexpected and hope you get pleasently surprised with this man.
Dammit. Was he really so desperate that he was attracted to Hidan? No, no, he couldn't even entertain the thought. He loved Neji, even if he never saw him again. And Hidan... that just didn't even make sense.
He curled and uncurled his fingers a few times. He already had a little pool in his palm. He just had to get this over with and Hidan would leave him alone.
Pushing his reluctance away, he lifted his hand up, mimicing Hidan. He clenched his eyes shut, and felt three drips hit his tongue. He worked his hand to hurry up and get two more, suddenly self-concious of Hidan's eyes on him. Something didn't feel right, this wss getting awkward, it was a little too intimate to be sharing, especially with /him/ of all people. Even though it shouldn't be. Perhaps Hidan's demeanor was effecting him more than he realized. This was a sacred thing to the zealot, and it was making the air suffocatingly heavy.
The final two spattered in and he closed his mouth, dammit, some had gotten on his lower lip. He really didn't want to lick it off. Would it still count as five if he wiped it with his hand? Probably not, Goddamit.
"There. Hardest part's over." Hidan said, his voice strangly thick. "Now you can either pray out loud or in your head. Doesn't matter. Just ask for his blessings, thank him for anything good that happened, and tell him your body is his vessel. Anything extra you feel like throwing in there is all the better, as long as it's respectful." Hidan closed his eyes at this and rested his hands on his knees, bowing his head ever-so-slightly.
Shikamaru took a deep breath. This was really the part he'd been fearing. Surely nothing would happen if he just pretended to pray, right? He'd swallowed his own blood and ruined his sheets. Did he really have to do more?
His chest suddenly went tight, and his eyes felt like they were going to pop out of his skull. Oh shit, he... he couldn't breathe. It hurt! Damn, was this.. was it Jashin? He really had control over Shikamaru's body like this?
He tried to tell Hidan, but it felt as if there was a giant weight on his chest, it was crushing him.
Shit! SHIT!
He was getting dizzy, black specks danced across his vision. No, no. He couldn't be real, Shika knew he was real but not this real!
He was going to suffocate, he couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't call for help. He was panicing, hot tears were slipping down his cheek against his will. He was just about fed up with this crying nonsene! In his dreams and now in reality his body wasn't doing what he told it to.
DamndamnDAMN! He couldn't do it! He couldn't be Jashin's puppet, he couldn't be a Jashinist. He wasn't cut out for it, he just couldn't!
But he had no choice. He was dieing, he was going to die right here and now by the hand of an intagible being if he didn't do what he wanted. He didn't want to die, he'd never wanted to die. He just wanted a magic fix, he wanted his old life back, back before Hidan and Kakuzu had moved in.
Okay! He thought frantically, his vision no more than a tunnel. Okay! I'm a vessel! I'm your vessel and I want your blessing! He screamed in his head. He couldn't keep himself upright much longer, he still couldn't breath, and now he couldn't even think straight. More tears slid over his skin, burning him like acid, god he could almost smell it! It was all in his head, he knew he wasn't crying acid tears but everything hurt so bad that he couldn't even imagine trying to reason with himself.
Thank you! Thank you for choosing me! Thank you for answering my prayers that I didn't know I made. Thank you for giving me a friend, even if it is Hidan! THANKYOUTHANKYOU NOW MAKE IT STOP!
Sweet blessed air whoosed into his lungs, and he coughed and hacked violently while trying to keep his lungs full at the same time. He coughed so hard he thought he was going to vomit.
But finally the coughs ceased and he was breathing as if he'd run a marathon. He stared wide eyed at the bloody sheet beneath him, his hands spread wide and his arms locked to keep him from falling on his face. Breathing, in and out the wonderful, wonderful air flowed. Holy hell he'd never been so scared in all his life, though that couldn't have been more than twenty seconds.
He absently licked his lips, and upon tasting that last little bit of blood he remembered Hidan's presence, and slowly looked up to meet his gaze.
Hidan was absolutly still, he didn't even seem to be breathing as he stared emotionlessly back at Shikamaru. What was wrong with him? Had he done something wrong? Was he upset? Did he know Shika had tried to resist? Had this happened to him the first time he prayed?
"Wh...What?" The Nara wheezed, and Hidan suddenly moved so fast that he almost couldn't see him, yet it was slow motion at the same time.
A pale, bloodied hand reached out and lifted his chin up, his body involuntarily following until he was upright on his knees. Another hand wrapped around the back of his head and Shikamaru's mind and body both froze.
There were lips against his.
Holy shit.
They were soft and warm just like Neji's and even though he wanted to scream, even though he wanted to pull away and run for his life, he couldn't move, he didn't want to move...
A warm tongue slid across his lower lip and his reacted on instict. It tasted so good. How could such an aweful person taste so good?
His mouth opened a little more, and it was taken advantage of.
Oohh yes.. He'd missed this. He missed it so much it hurt, he hadn't realized it until now... But it's okay. It felt good, he felt good now. "I love you, Shikamaru Nara." Neji's voice echoed in his head. He wanted to swim in the bliss, he missed touching someone, he missed the passion, he missed this feeling of being lighter than air.
Noo! A part of him screamed. This wasn't Neji. Those weren't his lips, thats not his tongue!
And then another part just told that half to shut the hell up and moaned so slightly that he barely heard it.
He.. he barely heard it. Oh God that part hadn't been in his head!
His eyes flashed open, he didn't even know they'd closed, and he ripped himself away so forcefully that he fell onto his ass.
"GET THE HELL OUT!" He heard his own voice yell, But Hidan didn't leave, he just stayed there sitting upright on his knees, staring at Shikamaru in confusion.
"You fucking psycho I said LEAVE!" the Nara roared again, his voice cracking.
Hidan stayed where he was for a moment, his eyes seemed unfocused and his brows were continuously creased. Shikamaru glared daggars at him, still panting, his body still reeling from the sudden cutoff of those wonderful things he hadn't felt in so long.
Finally, without a word, Hidan winced. He actually winced, as if he was hurting, but he moved. He moved so fast that in the millisecond it took Shikamaru to blink, Hidan was gone without a trace except for the curtains blowing in the evening wind from the open window.
Shika stared at it, and then collapsed onto the floor. He put his hands over his face, not even careing that his palm was still bleeding, and groaned.
What the holy stupid fucking hell had he gotten himself into?
-o-
Hidan hadn't been lieing when he said his leg would heal faster. Everything that had happened since that day almost felt as if a dream. It was only a matter of 48 hours before he could put weight on the leg again. He wasn't insantly better, but it was a massive improvement. This rapid healing only made things seem more surreal.
After the Jashinist had left, and after a good twenty minutes when Shikamaru could finally gather himself enough to get off the floor, he went to the bathroom and stared at his reflection for he didn't even know how long. There was a large smear of his own blood on his right cheek, and some on his chin. After realizing that that portion of it wasn't his, he scrubbed his face vigorously until he thought he might start bleeding all over again.
He glared at his reflection again, almost scared of his own expression. He looked like he could kill someone, he was so pissed. There was no way this could be happening, his karma couldn't possibley that bad. He had just been in a battle for his life against this man and now all the sudden he was kissing him. What the hell was going on here? Was he trapped in a nightmare? Maybe it was some sort of Genjutsu.
The only thing he could think that logically explained this situatuion is that it just wasn't real.
And now he sat at a local diner, drumming his fingers on the table as he waited for the young brunette waitress. She was doing her damnedest to flirt with him, but he wasn't in the mood to humor her. He just wanted something smothered in grease to get rid of this hangover.
Yes, he'd resorted to drinking himself into a stupor last night, after thinking throughly about the situation. He was at a breaking point now, he literally didn't know what to do. He didn't have the slightest idea. He'd not even been this hopeless after Neji left.
He'd buried his head in his hands and let a tear or two slip freely out, he was so confused and frustrated. He wanted to break something, he wanted to go charging after that idiot albino and beat him to a pulp. He didn't even give a damn about breaking his word, he wanted to kill him so he could put this whole stupid mess behind him and go begging and pleading back to Neji like he should have done in the first damn place.
But he couldn't do it. He wasn't exactly positive why.
Actually, that was a lie. He knew why, he knew exactly why. He just didn't want to admit it, not even to himself, especially not to himself. He would repeat it a million times out loud if he needed to. He was not going to let this happen. He did not have feelings for that horrible evil man. But he still kept feeling that little tugging sensation when Hidan's expression snuck it's way into his mind.
He'd been confused, hadn't even attempted to hide it. He didn't even seemed offended when Shikamaru shoved himself away, just confused. It was like he didn't know what was happening either, like he'd been trying to process everything just as Shikamaru was right now. Shikamaru had acted instantly, using his anger to turn him into confusion. He'd stopped it, he'd stopped it because it wasn't right. It was weird enough that they were suddenly acting like best pals after trying to murder each other just days ago. But Hidan kissing him, that had been a step too far.
But... Hidan didn't do things without reason right?
Even though Shikamaru had decided that underneath the facade the immortal man was just as human as anyone else. And every human had been known to make stupid impulsive decisions driven by sudden surges of emotion. And they had been doing something very deep and intimate. Hidan was sharing with him the single most important thing in his life, Shikamaru had had that weird 'spiritual' experience, and maybe seeing shikamaru submissive like that had done something to the albino.
That meant Hidan was attracted to him. He hadn't kissed him as a joke, he wasn't just being stupid, weird, inappropriate Hidan.
The king of the psychos liked him.
No no no, that couldn't happen. It was impossible, it was unrealistic. Hidan was a psychopath, he was with Kakuzu, who as also insane but in a different, far more subtle way, mainly for the fact that he was with Hidan.
Hidan hated Shikamaru, and he hated Hidan. Hidan ruined his life. He drove away the love of his life, then had the fucking audacity to make a move on him?
"Here ya are sir. Enjoy your dinner and just gimme a whistle if ya need anythin' else." The brunette waitress said, setting down a hamburger so juicy that the bun was already soggy. She smiled seductively and turned on her heel to leave, flipping her hair and strutting like she wasn't 30 lbs too heavy for her short stature.
She's trying just a little too hard, he thought as he absently placed a french fry in his mouth. She was just coming off slutty. He usually would be entertained by the fact that he was acting like Neji. He would always make little comments like that about people when they went out to eat. It was bitchy of him, but his lovers little quirks like that had always amused him.
The little bell of the diner dinged as someone else came in, Shikamaru only halfway paid attention as he readied himself to eat his sloppy, greasy burger, but a familiar voice caught his attention.
"Just cut the crap and give me a beer. You're not my type."
Shikamaru's eyes narrowed as he stared at the artery-clogging meal in his hands. What a coincidence, he'd been wanting an outlet for his anger.
Thank you Jashin.
Wait, what? No, don't thank him. It's strickly coincidence, nothing more. It was about time something went his way, he was due, that was all. This had nothing to do with Jashin.
He looked up, dropping his burger with a disgusting splat. Good thing he had a distraction, he wanted something greasy, but not poison.
The newcomer seemed to look up at the exactly same time, and the world stopped spinning for just a second as their gaze met. Shika watched with an amused grin as dark eyes widened upon realizing who he was, and the two were locked in a staring contest.
If he blinked... As soon as he blinked, Shikamaru would be on him. He had unfinished business. He really hadn't held a grudge against the man in front of him, he'd just been a pawn after all. But Shika could sure as hell channel all his anger and frustration that had been building up in him into those little lingering negative feelings. He just wanted an outlet, it's not as if he was going to beat him up, but if anyone could give him a damn good challenge, it was this guy.
Sasuke Uchiha.
Shikamaru was the first to blink, to his great satisfaction. And in that fraction of a second Sasuke took off, pushing over the table and shoving the chair far back in his effort.
Shikamaru was after him in a flash, after shouting some incomprehensible warning.
Nope, this was gonna happen.
It entertained the living hell out of him that Sasuke was running at all. So much so that he heard himself laugh out loud, though he cringed inside from the slightly mindless sound of it. But just attributed it to the hurricane of negative emotions swirling around in him, looking for a way out.
They were outside, shoving and twisting and evading their way through throngs of passer-bys. They all voiced complaints but Shikamaru paid no mind, his eyes were locked onto Sasuke. He was going to catch up to him, as soon as they got out of this crowd. As soon as Sasuke made a mistake and cornered himself, it was done. Anticipation rose in him, making him sprint ahead faster.
He was stronger now, even Hidan hadn't been able to beat him. Sasuke had fought the Jashinist AND Itachi and escaped relatively unscathed. It would be a fight to be remembered if he could corner him in a thinly populated area.
Of course, they were downtown.. there were no thinly populated areas near here. So worst case scenario, he might get himself arrested. Though he was absolutly positive that Sasuke didn't have a clean record and he could just claim he recognized him from the 'outstanding warrant' file collection.
After all, the younger Uchiha was like a hitman. Maybe he didn't outright kill people, but he beat them within an inch of their life. All just for a little cash.
Heathen.
Dammit brain, shut the hell up!
Sasuke took a sharp left and Shikamaru almost ran right into the fence that blocked off the alley as he followed. Growling, he focused chakra in his hand, making it glow that purple-black and imaging his hand as a blade, making it as thin and sharp as he could manage.
Without stopping he slashed a quick X in the chain-link and it gave way easily, giving him just enough room to dive through and roll back to his feet without losing any speed. How Sasuke had seemed to just run right through it baffled him. But the Uchiha were nothing if not clever.
He was also confused as to how he'd done what he just did. He hadn't ever been able to make a weapon from his bare hand before, at least not in that way. How had he known how to do that? How did it come so easily?
He was struck violently from his thoughts as a foot flew out from behind a dumpster. He could only gasp before he crashed into the brick wall behind him.
Make a bubble around you. Take the the pain and wrap yourself in it like a blanket. Embrace it, and it won't hurt.
He forced air into his lungs and pushed from the wall, exchanging blows and kicks and glares with his target. He didn't even have time to think as Sasuke struck over and over again, the only hint of emotion on him was the slightest crinkle on his forehead. Shikamaru kept blocking and attacking purely on instict. He watched and relished in sudden overwhelmig excitement as his body nearly moved on it's own. He was so fast! He was so strong! He'd just been thrown into the side of a building and it wasn't affecting him at all.
A sneer stretched across his face as he blocked two of Sasuke's swings with one arm, and grunted with the effort of drawing back his free one and slamming a shadow-hazed fist into the younger Uchiha's gut. His opponents Sharingan flashed on just before he was struck and sent barreling backward down the alley. After a few tumbles Sasuke managed to get his feet under him and skidded to a stop.
"Why the hell are you chasing me!?" He barked.
Shikamaru laughed, making his skin crawl. That didn't sound like his usual laugh, what the hell was he doing? Part of him was scared and the other part was about to have an inner orgasm from the rush of adrenaline overtaking him. He felt so untouchable! Even if Sasuke hurt him it wouldn't matter! He was unbeatable, nothing could stop him.
"Why the hell are you running?" The Nara replied, at least his voice sounded mostly normal.
Mostly.
Sasuke pulled a switchblade out of his pocket, seemingly unarmed with the katana he'd had last time they met. But it didn't make a difference, a blade made entirely of electricity shot out like a lightsaber, it seemed all he needed was something to channel his chakra into to make that same weapon. He charged forward, red-eyes blazing. Without even thinking about it Shikamaru side-stepped the Uchiha's blade and grabbed him by the back of his shirt, putting his first two fingers to his lips and muttering his jutsu invocation. Sasuke whirled with his blade, slicing all the shadow tentacles that shot toward him with amazing speed and accuracy. He leaped upward with chakra enhanced strength and flipped and twisted his body to land on the roof, shooting a death-clare at Shikamaru before turning to flee once again.
Not missing a beat, Shikamaru launched himself at the sides of the building, jumping back and forth across in a zig-zag until his feet landed on the roof, and then he was off.
Sasuke was just making a leap down to a one-story building when Shikamaru caught up with him, tackling him in midair. The two managed to free themselves from each other and land on their feet, but Sasuke was rigid, his entire body vibrating but not quite convulsing as Hidan's had when hit with the same attack.
"You motherfucker." Sasuke growled through clenched teeth, his eyes looking they were going to explode from their sockets.
"I've been practicing." Shikamaru said, grinning darkly and cutting off the channel of chakra to his hand. It hadn't been the move that had rotted out an entire half of Hidan's torso, but it had the same effect on the brain.
"Leave me alone, I didn't do anything to you." Sasuke said, regaining his compusure as the aftereffects of the jutsu slowly wore off.
"Then why did you split like that?"
Sasuke was silent, his eyes flicking around as if he were going to try to run again. Shikamaru just smiled more.
"Are you afraid of me?"
"You're not Shikamaru Nara."
"Excuse me?" He said, a brow raising. "I most certianly am."
Are you?
His grin vanished and his chest suddenly felt heavy. The adrenaline and that strange powerful feeling vanished and his body was suddenly a million pounds. The distant feeling faded, and he looked down at his hands in shock at the abrupt change.
They were normal, the same hands he always looked at. But.. what the hell? He knew where he was, he knew what happened, and when he looked back up at Sasuke calmly studying him, he wondered why he'd been so adamant to fight him, why had he been so angry? He almost felt like he'd just been watching himself ever since their eyes had met at the diner.
"What.. what's going on?" He said, looking at Sasuke with pleading eyes as if he had any fucking idea either.
The younger Uchiha only stared at him, something akin to confused pity in his eyes, before turning and leaping off the roof.
Oh no, he wasn't getting away! Shikamaru still had some shit to say to him, and some questions to ask. What the hell was he doing in the city? For one. He better not be after Neji too. Though he couldn't imagine why he would be.
He pushed aside his utter confusion and rocketed after him. He'd leaped off the roof and was just about to hit the ground when a black blur slammed into his shoulder and threw him off balance. He managed to recover instead of smashing his skull on the concrete, and did a few backward flips to distance himself. That hadn't been Sasuke, He had watched his opponent vanish around the corner.
"Please refrain from pursueing my little brother." A voice said from the shadows that were far too dark and long for this time of day.
Little brother? Wait, he knew that voice.
Oh for fuck's sake... You've got to be kidding me right now.
None other than Itachi Uchiha stepped forward, still stoic and elegant as he'd been two years ago. He regarded Shikamaru with features absolutley unreadable. He nodded to him though, acknowledging that he remembered who he was.
"It's nice to see you've improved, Nara." He said, with doupt in his voice. As if he wasn't happy about it at all.
"What the hell are you doing here? Did everyone fucking follow me here? You're not trying to kill me too are you?" Shikamaru replied drearily, relaxing his stance. He didn't think Itachi would attack him unless he showed hostility. And he had no quarrels with the elder brother. He owed him, if anything, for helping to save Neji's life.
"I see you've adopted Hidan's speech patterns. It wouldn't have suited you before, but you've changed, haven't you?" Itachi said thoughtfully, looking at him like some sort of science experiment. "What did you do to yourself?"
Shikamaru paused, unsure what to think or how to respond to this. What did he do to himself? What the hell had just happened to him? Just because he got a little angry he had suddenly rationalized it as okay to just attack Sasuke for no freaking reason. Even if he hadn't technically thrown the first punch.. Or kick. Whatever.
"Why are you challenging Sasuke?" Itachi asked. And again Shikamaru didn't know how to respond. Why? Because he was pissed at himself and Hidan and his life and he needed a punching bag and Jashin had provided him with Sasuke.
DAMMIT! No, Sasuke had just coincidentally come to get a beer at the same time Shikamaru was there. Just at the wrong place at the wrong time. No Jashin, just circumstance.
"I... I wanted to make sure he wasn't still beating people up for money. " He lied, and Itachi's eyes narrowed as if he were as easy to see through as a window. "I just wanted to talk to him but as soon as he saw me he made a run for it." That much was the truth, well mostly. He didn't want to just chat, he wanted to hurt him.
God, what the hell came over him? It was so unlike himself. Was he really so stressed that he'd act so far out of character? Sasuke hadn't even thought he was himself. That's probably why he'd made a break for it in the first place. He'd been acting so strangly that someone who hardly knew him at all could tell something was up just by looking at him.
"I wanted to know why-"
"I'm not a fool. Don't insult me with your lies." Itachi interrupted in monotone, stepping forward to get a closer look, Shikamaru assumed. He looked the Nara up and down with black eyes, and blinked slowly. "I assume you have questions for me, don't you? I have to attend to Sasuke, he's getting better at sneaking away from me, but he always gets into trouble. So hurry and ask."
Questions? Why would he have questions? Itachi was the only person he wasn't confused about. So apparently he decided to abandon the Akatsuki and try to bring Sasuke to the good side of the law. Or that's what the Nara was assuming after piecing together everything he'd said and done so far. It was a noble decision, and Shikamaru had no quarrels with it.
"Why are you two here?" He asked out of sheer curiosity.
Itachi's brows twitched up slightly. And Shikamaru wondered what he had expected him to ask about, seeing as that had not been it. He apparently knew something that he thought Shikamaru did too.
"We were sent to check up on someone." Itachi said almost cautiously, not breaking eye contact.
Check up on someone...
Itachi looked at him expectantly. Shikamaru just stared back like an idiot, what the hell was he trying to say? Checking up on someone, hwo the hell was that supposed to be a hint? He didn't know anyone that Itachi did. Unless it was someone in the Akatsuki...
Then it hit him.
"Hidan." Shikamaru whispered in disbeleif. Itachi knew he was alive. He had to. And.. Holy shit... they'd been sent here to make sure he wasn't killing people again.
Itachi gave a ghost of a nod, and closed his eyes. "Where do you live?"
"Why?" Shikamaru said, angry now. Now, now he had questions. If he werent so furious, he'd probably ask them. But at the moment all he could do was stand there and glare at the eldest Uchiha, shaking in fury. He'd thought of Itachi as an accomplice. He'd sort of maybe even considered him a friend. But Hidan had been back from the dead for God knows how long, and he hadn't thought to send some sort of warning. Surely he could have tracked him down easily enough, Hidan did, and it's not as if he covered his tracks that well. He hadn't known he fucking needed to!
"I did not realize that you took up residence in this city. It changes many aspects of my mission. You want information but I'm preoccupied right now. If you would like to talk then I'll need to contact you. Where do you live?" He asked again, more impatient now.
Shikamaru stared for a few heartbeats before sighing and reluctantly giving him his address. He desperatly wanted some answers, and here was someone willing to give them to him. But he really didn't need Itachi popping in randomly, he already had Hidan doing that.
Well... not since the thing happened. But he was almost positive he would come back, and even though he was dreading it, a very small part of him hoped he would return soon. He immediatly tried to squash that part of him, but the feeling persisted, so he resorted to just ignoring it.
He reasoned with himself that if Itachi was here to 'check up' on Hidan, he probably wouldn't be dumb enough to let the albino know he was here. He would be subtle, and this fact calmed Shika's nerves a bit. But only a bit.
He yelped then as Itachi burst into a flock of crows. Damn, he'd forgotten the man's tendancy to do that.
Another thing he'd forgotten among all the chaos was his car. He'd driven it here when he'd realized that Hidan hadn't rigged it. And now he had to trek back the 3 blocks he'd put between it chasing Sasuke. And to top it all off, the pain he hadn't felt while battling the youngest Uchiha was now catching up to him in near debilitating waves now that his adrenaline rush had ceased.
"Such a drag.." He moaned, shoving his hands in his pockets and limping forward.
-o-
A/N-
WHOO! So to recap!
Neji leaves Shika. Shika gets depressed. Shika accidentally devotes himself to God of slaughter, death, and destruction. Hidan is back from the dead. He's Shika's slave. Shika learns how to give offerings to Jashin.
Hidan kisses Shika. All the fangirls squeal.
Then Sasuke pops in, Shika get's pissed randomly and tries to kill him. Itachi appears and says 'Fuck no!" And Shikamaru is depressed again.
How's that for fast paced?
Aaanywayyy...
...
I am so...fucking...tired right now.
So, I don't know if it makes sense. I'm still really inspired to write but I literally can't even focus. But, yaaay, I've successfully uploaded a chapter every day for 5 days.
I'm gonna go temporarily die now. I hear that's pretty relaxing.
Reeviiiewww and stuff.