Recurring Nightmares
The silence Kakuzu regarded him in was overwhelming. The other three Akatsuki members had gone just as quiet and still back behind.
Pale green irises shifted, seeming to land on all three of them before they finally came to a rest on Hidan, Or at least that's who Shikamaru assumed it was seeing as they narrowed in anger.
Kakuzu moved so quickly that the Nara didn't even have time to tell his body to do something before the elder man's hand detached itself from his body and shot like a rocket. He heard a choking noise behind him and whirled just in time to see Hidan yanked forward by the throat, caught too far off guard to even resist. In another second he was being held off the ground by Kakuzu, his arm reattached, and Shikamaru fought off a wave of nausea as Hidan's legs kicked and flailed beneath him.
The man could detach his fucking limbs!? And he had five hearts?! AND he had some kind of weird demon monster sidekick!? Jashin fucking christ...
"Hidan.." Kakuzu said in that deep gravelly voice. Shikamaru wanted to help, he wanted to jump forward and cut the bastards arm off and free his Hidan from the son of a bitch's chokehold. But he knew he shouldn't. Itachi was making no move to assist, and before he could get upset about the fact he reminded himself that Hidan had survived far worse things under the terrifyingly powerful man's influence. Intervening now would do nothing but piss Kakuzu off.
"Would you care to explain to me where my house went?" He said, squeezing tighter and making Hidan struggle more. "And all my moneeyy?" He all but growled the last word, nose crinkling and brows furrowing in anger. Shikamaru couldn't help but stare, especially at his mouth when he spoke. Those stitches... it was just creepy.
"Kakuzu.."
It was Itachi who finally spoke up, breaking the sound of Hidan slowly suffocating, with his voice even more calm than usual in an attempt to soothe the older man's anger. "You were gone for 5 months, we had no idea where you were, none of us could locate you, we thought you were dead. Hidan... thought you were dead. You must understand that he did what he did out of sorrow misplaced as anger. It was not his usual mischief."
Kakuzu looked up at him, staring emotionlessly for a few moments before speaking. "I was trapped nearly 400 feet below the ground in an abandoned government laboratory that used to conduct illegal genetic tests on live humans. You must not have looked for me too throughly." Kakuzu stated matter-of-factly, still holding a thrashing Hidan a foot off the ground with ease.
Shikamaru's eyes widened...
"We did though. You really expect us to go turning every stone? You are our best tracker, without you we had no chance of locating you, despite all our efforts." Itachi said calmly, taking a small step forward.
Kakuzu's face clenched in further anger, and without any effort at all, slammed the struggling man in his arms into the ground. "Would you like to know what happened to me?" He stated with an undertone that made the Nara's blood run cold.
He didn't want to know. Not in the least. For someone to be able to sucessfully capture this horrificley strong man... the means they would have to go to.. no, he didn't want to know. But he had a feeling Kakuzu was going to regale them with the story anyway. He took a slow deep breath, wincing at a small stab of pain and steeling himself. This was going to be gruesome, most likely. Though he didn't know the man well enough to predict how in-detail he would go.
"I was ambushed, by at least fifty men. I killed twenty of them, but they performed some sort of... ritual. And trapped me within a salt circle." He glared down at Hidan, who was on his hands and knees coughing his life away. "They were all followers of your putrid God." He spat, and the Jashinist below him looked up with suspicious but wide eyes.
"It was not jutsu they used, so I could not break out. I have no idea what kind of black magic they were using, but I had no way of knowing how to break it. I was helpless." He growled, and Shikamaru swallowed. He couldn't imagine how that felt, actually, he had a good idea. he'd stood by and watched hidan and Itachi battle with Sasuke, helpless to do anything. But Kakuzu's case was different in the fact that he was the one being attacked, unable to do anything to defend himself.
"They could attack me but I could not break through that damned forcefeild they put up. I was bombarded with attack after attack after attack. I couldn't keep my stone skin technique up long enough to protect myself. They continued striking with their relative jutsu's while I was stuck in that bubble. Four times they killed me, nearly five. But just before the final strike, they stopped."
There was silence for a moment, Shikamaru strained to hear over the sound of his own heartbeat. His eyes flicked back and forth from Kakuzu to Hidan, terrified to do anything but nearly dieing inside as he watched his seemingly helpless lover stare up at the ghost of his past. He could only see the back of his head and partially the side of the zealot's face, but he could imagine the emotional torment in those beautiful violet eyes without having to see. This story was even worse than being dead, he'd literally been tortured. Even worse than they way he, Shikamaru and even Neji had been. It was not psychological, it was actual, real torture. And by Jashinists no less...
Suddenly Kakuzu swung his foot, and Hidan made an indescribable sound of pain and surprise as it caught his chin and sent him rolling backward.
Shikamaru nearly doubled over at the almost tangible pain his sudden rush of anger at this action caused. Hidan wasn't even trying to fight back, he stayed laying on his stomache on the ground except for propping himself on his elbows and panting.
"They took me into that fucking lab and they removed my heart and put it in a jar. They dissected me and did experiments on me like a fucking animal. Trying to figure out the key to my abilities, how they could apply it to themselves, how they could gain immortality without being truely immortal, like a certian someone I know..."
"Kakuzu, that had nothing to do with Hidan, theres no need to be so cruel-"
"You have no idea what cruelty is until you've gone through what I just did." The elder man growled, interrupting the Uchiha. "Have you ever been helpless in a glass container, watching through eyes that didn't exist as they poke and prod your body? As they cut into your flesh and bones, rearrange your organs, all for the sake of being closer to some ASENINE, MADE-UP DEITY!?" He roared, making the monster behind him shudder. "Even with my heart no longer in my body I can feel, I can sense, I can see chakra patterns. It's how I maintain control of them." He nodded his head sideways toward the beast sitting loyally behind him. "I felt every incision they made, every prod, every movement, and could not even scream from the pain. They tried to put animal hearts in my body, to test their idiotic theorys and hypothesis. I had the heart of a fucking pig in my chest... I've never been so insulted in my life."
Shikamaru was going to be sick, or that's what he would be thinking if he wasn't currently fighting what he instantly recognized as a Jashin attack.
"So no, it was not directly his fault. But those men knew of him, and they knew that I associated with him. Because their God would not allow them to do such things to Hidan, they went after me instead. Sent me on a false bounty hunt, and I walked right into their trap. I was tricked by a group of men a quarter my age." He said, never breaking eye contact with Hidan the whole time, as if it were still his fault even though he'd admitted it wasn't. "So forgive me for being a little upset with him for dragging me into religious warfare."
It was so ironic that it was almost funny. Jashinists wanted Kakuzu's abilities, and Jashin himself wanted Neji's soul. And here Hidan and Shikamaru were taking all the bullshit from it. Such a cruel God, Jashin was... But never without reason.
"How did you get out?" Shikamaru said unwillingly, half of him wanting to shrink back when Kakuzu's exotic eyes landed on him, the other half wanting to punch him so hard in the face that he would need surgury to reconstruct it. He honestly was curious, and at the same time he just wanted to keep the man talking, keep him distracted so he wouldn't abuse the pitiful pile of Jashinist on the ground below him, cowering like a betrayed puppy.
The deeply tanned man did not answer immediatly, he merely studied him for what felt like an eternity. "You're the brat that buried Hidan most recently... I thought so but I wasn't sure until you spoke. You've changed... I assume you were trying to kill him off again?"
Damn, Shikamaru's hands were shaking, his jaw was sore from gritting his teeth. Jashin really, really wanted him to attack Kakuzu. And he wanted to attack the man too, he was being completley unreasonable... He could understand the means, Jashin was helping him, boosting his power so he could fight evenly with the man and possibley kill him for good, removing him from the equation and ensuring that Hidan remained his. Jashin was trying to answer his prayers, and quite possibley get himself a soul to snack on in the process.
But that's not how I do things.
Jashinist or not, Shikamaru did not kill blindly, no matter how he'd changed. He would not kill someone just to get what he wanted, especially someone like Kakuzu who had really done him no direct harm. And aside from that, it may have the opposite effect anyway, what if he did manage to kill him and Hidan turned against him instead? The older man was near and dear to the albino, despite the violence between them.
"You don't seem to be against him though." Kakuzu stated with one brow raising. "In fact you look shocked to see me treat him like this.. as if you've become friends. It seems I've missed something."
"Kakuzu..." Came Itachi's voice, tearing the old man's heavy gaze mercilessly away from the spikey haired Jashinistto land on the Uchiha. "Shikamaru's presence is a very long story that I would be happy to explain to you when you are calm and rational."
"I don't care about his presence." Kakuzu said quickly, his eyes flitting back to Shikamaru. "I'm just interested in why he looks as if he wants to kill me, and why his chakra is suddenly so chaotic." He turned ever so slightly, a small smirk on his lips. "You want to fight me boy? Have at it, you promise far more of a challenge than Hidan, and I'd appreciate an outlet."
With that he snapped. Shikamaru finally snapped. He felt it, a painful sting deep in his chest like a cord breaking. More power forced it's way into him to the point where his very skin felt as if it were on fire. He was vaugley aware of the steam rising from his wounds as they all healed themselves with unbeleivable speed. He could see the glow of his body as pure, bloodred chakra enveloped him. That wasn't the color of his own chakra, it must be coming directly from Jashin.
He tried to scream, to let Itachi, or Hidan, or hell, even Kisame know that he had no control anymore. The reigns had been ripped violently from his hands and all he could do is watch through his own eyes before his thoughts were clouded over with Jashins possesion.
He felt his lips stretch into a sneer, and pictured in his mind Jashin's smile, so gorgeous and deadly. Kakuzu's brows arced up high at this, but he did not speak and he did not move.
The image of him kicking Hidan so heartlessly flooded his mind, repeating over and over again with ever increasing sucsession to the point where he wanted to scream again, but this time because of the rage that filled him. How could he treat him like that? How could he so carelessly beat him, like Hidan was more of a pet than his romantic partner? The zealot loved Kakuzu and in return was constantly treated like some heavy burden to bear, as if Kakuzu were obligated to be with him because he couldn't take care of himself. As if he were motherless child he was forced into adopting.
How dare he! That was not Kakuzu's Hidan any longer. He was his, he was Shika's Hidan. And No one fucked with his man like that. Not as long as there was life left in him, not as long as Jashin was on his side.
Shikamaru would rip every last heart out and stomp it into the dirt, damn the consequences!
He heard Itachi distantly shout his name as he bolted, snarling like an animal and pumping even more chakra into his weapon. Kakuzu didn't move but for one single step with each swing. Taunting him, laughing at him. It only fueled the fire.
The dark-skinned man drew back a fist and slammed it into his Jashin-possesed opponent, but at the last second he tossed his weapon into the air and caught the dark-skinned fist with both hands, skidding backward only slightly. He looked down for a second to note that Kakuzu's skin had darkened to black, and he felt more as if he were holding a rock than flesh.
He twisted and danced around behind the man, yanking his arm upward into a hold that would make anyone else bend over to escape the pain.
But Kakuzu's hand just detached from itself at the wrist and he twirled his body on heel, swinging his leg into a roundhouse. Just before it connected Shikamaru's machete came hurdling back down, he caught it and without missing a beat swung while forcing it full of chakra, slicing through Kakuzu's leg and sending it rolling.
The older man did nothing more than wince before doing a few backward handsprings, somehow managing to balance on one foot.
Shikamaru wasted no time in charging after him, but he was tackled from the side and sent into a roll he quickly recovered from. He glared at Kakuzu's monster, opening it's mouth with a crack and gathering a rotating ball of compressed air before launching it toward him.
A distraction. He immediatly recognized as he again swung the blade, releasing a dark purple ripple through the air that moved far too fast for the beast to leap to safety. It sliced through the ball of air and the thread-minion was struck and immediatly began writhing and thrashing, then falling limply on the ground.
He didn't take the time to watch before he turned on a dime and rocketed off toward Kakuzu, who had made it to his dismembered leg and was reattaching it to himself by means of threads spurting from his body like tentacles.
Immediatly Shikamaru pulled another blade from his pocket, one made of chakra enhancing metal, He tossed it into the ground amidst Kakuzu's shadow before lunging. He reveled in the confused look on Kakuzu's face as he realized he had him in his shadow possession only for a moment before something grabbed his ankle and he was pulled from the air and slammed onto his back. The oxygen in his lungs whooshed out once before he was being slung around again like a ragdoll and collided with the ground. He felt the cracking of his bones and couldn't help the insane laugh/moan that escaped him as the pain converted itself to pleasure and his body healed itself almost immediatly.
"Holy shit..." He heard Kisame mutter from far off.
Whatever had a hold on him had let go, and he flipped back to his feet to see Kakuzu's hand retracting back to his arm, he had the chakra blade in his other, and tossed it behind him carelessly.
"I don't know what you did to yourself, but I have to commend you for it."
Shikamaru bared his teeth and shot forward, Kakuzu stayed calmly where he was yet again, side-stepping every swing of Shikamaru's blade. With his free hand Shikamaru put two fingers to his lips and three demensional shadow tentacles shot up from the the shadows on the ground around them, slashing and whipping around in a barrage that should be impossible to dodge. And Kakuzu didn't dodge at all, his entire body went black, and he reached out and clapped his hands together just as Shikamaru swung at him again, catching the blade between his palms.
But it didn't deterr the Nara, he only sneered, giving Kakuzu no time to do anything except widen his eyes before he forced his enhanced chakra through the metal and into Kakuzu. The elder man's body siffened and he made a small choking sound before Shikamaru pooled more liquid power in his foot and lifted it, coiling it against his body before pushing with all his might.
The air pulsed out around them at impact and Kakuzu went flying backward too fast to see.
"Jesus fucking- that kid's a badass!!" Kisame exclaimed no more than a second before Shikamaru was slammed into by a threaded, roaring mass of threads. Fuck, he wished the Shark-man would just shut the hell up.
The two bodies rolled across the ground until Shikamaru forced himself on top. Gripping the eye holes of the mask tightly with one hand to keep the beast still, he plunged his other into the stringy body of the beast until he felt the thumping clump in the middle. He latched onto it, and snarling viciously over the shreiking of the monster he pumped a heart-stopping amount of chakra directly into it's life organ. He continued his voiced raging until it stopped squirming and practically melted underneath him, the mask finally shattering to signify it's death.
He panted for awhile,still seated, enjoying the small victory. There was one heart down, if he was assuming correctly. Based on what Itachi told him and also what he'd gathered from the old man's speech, Kakuzu had five hearts, and used them in the stringy minions to give them their own seperate life while still sharing a mind.
He took a deep breath and shot to his feet, scanning the area almost frantically in search Kakuzu as his breath heaved in and out of him through bared teeth. He wanted to laugh maniacally at the amazing amount of power still left over even after using so much. The living rag-doll would die in this very feild if he didn't surrender. Shikamaru would make sure of it, Jashin would make sure of it. He was so pissed at the moment that he would even go so far as to sacrifice one of his stupid multiple hearts if he had to, as a little 'Thank You' to Jashin for the power boost.
His eyes lighted on the blur of Kakuzu's form racing toward him.
He lifted a single hand and caught the blackened fist, glaring into green iris and red scelera as the balls of his feet dug into the earth from the force of the attack, and with the turn of his wrist he slammed the man into the ground and stomped down onto his chest, then letting out a short laugh when he heard the grunt of pain. He grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him up only to be caught under the chin by a knee and knocked backward, forced to free Kakuzu, who followed him with a barrage of punches and kicks that he evaded with speed that amazed even himself.
He spun and crouched, extending his leg and catching his opponents ankles, knocking him to the ground for only an instant before he flipped backward and Shikamaru charged him, shrilling much like Hidan always did in excitement.
His machete was knocked finally from his hand, but he didn't fret. He didn't need it anyway, making a chakra blade from his flattened hand he reared back and laughed out loud again when it went through Kakuzu's chest and the man's eyes went wide as Shikamaru made a fist around his heart. Freezing for a heartbeat to enjoy the moment he once again forced chakra into it, Kakuzu choked and seized before the insane-with-power Jashinist ripped out his hand and the elder man fell to his knees.
Two down, three to go.
"SHIKAMARU STOP!" He heard Itachi shout, but ignored him. He couldn't stop if he wanted to, he had no control, and he was reveling in the ecstasy of Jashin's borrowed power. He wanted to fight more, his body was buzzing with the need to move, the need to attack, the need to kill and destroy. He wanted to laugh and scream at the same time and feel the sweet thrill of shoving something through someones flesh. If his opponent didn't get back on his feet soon he may very well turn on his two allies behind him.
They couldn't stop him, no one could. He was a God! He could do anything! He was unbeatable, unbreakable. No amount of force in the world could stop Jashin's power, he was like The Hulk on steroids!
Kakuzu's body exploded then, a vicious series of tearing and ripping noises filling the air as gray threads shot from every seam. Shikamaru was grabbed by both wrists and ankles and yanked forward, inches from those multicolored eyes, practically on fire with pure wrath.
"I will NOT be humiliated any futher by a CHILD!" Kakuzu's deep voice snarled through the hunk of strings hanging out his now distorted mouth. Shikamaru was flung again and slammed onto the ground once, twice, three times before his swirling vision locked eyes with the monster of a man again.
Pain exploded in his chest when threads tore into his flesh, and blood spurted from him as the threads pierced through what he knew was his own heart.
Everything came to a screeching halt, and time slowed again to a near standstill. He could hear shouting, someone called his name, but he couldn't move. He stared with eyes like saucers at a grinning Kakuzu.
No.. no.. He couldn't be beaten. He couldn't be killed. He was invincible. He could not fail, not Hidan or Jashin. He had to make this man pay for the way he treated Hidan, for valueing money, peices of fucking paper over human life.
"Game over." His opponent's deep voice rumbled, and Shikamaru's vision went cloudy around the edges. Jashin's power flooded from him and he was left alone with the all-consuming pain, returning to awareness.
Jashin.. no.. don't give up on me. I can still fight. Just heal me up.. Heal me and I'll kill him I swear...
He gargled out an unrecognizable word before a pale body collided with Kakuzu's, and the Nara was torn from his grip. Again he tried to cry out when his body collapsed on itself and crashed to the ground, but he couldn't, only a fountian of blood ran through his teeth and over his lips. The blinding white continued to slowly consume his vision as he stared up at a clear blue sky.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" He heard Hidan's strained and muffled voice cry out. Another form leaped over Shikamaru, he couldn't focus enough to see who it was, but reasoned in the back of his mind that it must have been Kisame when delicate hands wrapped themselves under his arms and pulled. He couldn't muster the strength to voice the pain that racked him as his body was pulled backward, across the rocky, uneven soil and away from the continued sounds of battle.
Itachi's voice said his name, so far away, and a pair of soft, cold hand pressed onto his cheeks before everything went black.
xx
"Shikamaru Nara." Came that familiar bone-rattling voice. "I grant you this only because I am curious as to how you will use it."
The memory of the beautiful demon God appeared, hazy around the edges.
"You wish to take the Hyga curse onto yourself, but what you haven't taken into account is the blood bond you have created with Hidan. You would give your soul to me in order to save Neji, but you have yet to realize just how precious your soul has become."
It was the dream he'd had, replaying in his mind while he watched through eyes that were his own, but not. Jashin smiled at him as they walked, an arm draped over his shoulder as if they were the closest of friends.
"You have bound my most lyal deciple to you through the sharing of each other's blood while inside my circle. Hidan has never before shared with another Jashinist lover such as yourself, and thusly is just as ignorant to the effects as you are."
"What... what do you mean?" He'd asked, receiving a delightfully evil chuckle in response.
"I'm sure you're aware of Hidan gaining the use of your abilities. And it works both ways, my child. You have sucessfully gained his immortality through him."
"Whaat?!"
"Yes, it seems the two of you are now the lone souls on this planet who cannot die. This of course means I will be expecting souls from you as well."
Shikmaru considered this, He was immortal? How... how could this have happened? No wonder he'd managed to pull through being stabbed through the lungs. How could it never have occured to him? That meant.. he was still alive. That's right! He was battling with Kakuzu, he'd wanted to kill him for some reason, though he couldn't figure out why now. It had just been Jashin magifying his anger again, blinding him to reason and logic.
"What.. what about Neji?" He asked, remembering why he'd made the deal in the first place. Surely the Hyuga could be taken completley out of the equation now. Surely, after all this, he would not have to continue sacrificing himself to save the helpless brunette.
"He is free to continue living. But in the place of his soul, you and Hidan need to offer me not only your own blood, but he needs to give me yours at least twice a year. And quite a bit of it, in place of your soul. It's far too precious for me to consume."
He'd took a deep breath. He could work with that, he thought. It would be a troublesome struggle, but he could track down murderers and rapists, people who deserved to be punished for their crimes, people who would slip through the justice system with nothing more than a slap on the hand. He could turn the curse into a gift, use it for good instead of evil. He could do it, surely he could take the lives of those who deserved death to save those who didn't. A soul was a soul.
"The bond you two have conceived is something that cannot be broken and is not to be taken lightly, especially with this new twist you have added. If an offering fails to be made you will both die. I do not give out such gracious gifts freely, and I will not be sending reminders every time I thirst for your blood. If you forget, you will die and Hidan will die."
"I...I understand." He said meekly. It wasn't as if he could haggle with the God of slaughter. He was being incredibley generous as it was. For someone so merciful and cruel, he didn't seem like such a bad guy.. Though.. this was a dream. Or a memory of a dream..
No, no.. Remember what he said. Stop doupting youself, stop doupting him.
"Good. Now you need to wake up. A battle is in the near future and I'm very interested to see how you will use what I have given you during it. Goodbye, my son." The beautiful God gave him a wickedly sensual smile before turning and walking off ahead of him, fading into the darkness.
Shikamaru stared, only now understanding what he had meant by that. It appeared Jashin had a sense of humor as well...
xx
Glazed over eyes stared up into another pair of equally dark ones, creased at the edges in grief.
"His pulse is gone.." Itachi's voice rang, echoeing in a way he'd never remembered it doing.
"Damn.." Kisame's said with the same quality. "He put up one hell of a fight."
"He was possesed by Jashin..."
"You mean that made up God that Crap-for-brains is always shouting about?"
"Yes. Shikamaru was a Jashinist. Complications of his relationship with Hidan."
Itachi was paraphrasing. But that was okay, he didn't want the whole world knowing his secrets. He could feel his body, unbearably heavy but exquisitley light at the same time. He could vaugely hear Hidan's pained shouts in the backround, Kakuzu growling back inbetween clangs of metal.
A single beat had an unbelievable energy rushing through him, and at the second heartbeat he gasped and shot upright. The two standing over him gawked as he caught his breath, trying not to moan from the pleasure as his heart healed itself. Ohh that was better than sex...
"YOU SAID HE WAS DEAD!" Kisame exclaimed.
Itachi continued staring in a mixture of confusion and horror. "Shikamaru..."
Itachi was ignored as the Naras eyes lighted on the battle between Kakuzu and Hidan, it was over, already it seemed. The dark-skinned man was back into a normal form, straddled over the immortal below him, both hands squeezing his throat.
In a split second Shikamaru was on his feet, not even thinking about it as he sharpened his hand into a blade and pushed off. He darted in an arc, coming up behind Kakuzu and shoving his hand through his flesh and life-organ alike without hesitation. So what if he wasn't possesed anymore? Hidan was still in trouble. So what if he was immortal? Kakuzu was still a bastard.
The elder man cried out and stiffened, and Hidan's face lost all tension aside from his eyes stretching so wide that Shika thought for a second they might pop right out of the sockets.
That makes three.
Kakuzu's body went limp and collapsed, immediatly shoved off of the body below him.
Hidan sat up, rubbing his neck and gawking at Shikamaru. "Pineapple head... you're alive?"
He nodded, extending a hand to help the silver hair to his feet.
"But... he got your heart.. you mortals don't survive that shit.." He absently grabbed on and hoisted himself up.
"Glad to see you too Hidan." Shikamaru said robotically, his eyes flicking down to Kakuzu. There was no time to chit-chat. He would be back up in a second, and they needed to get away.
The body shifted, and something beneath the dark skin rearranged itself. Gross.
"I'll explain later." He said, walking backward in the direction of the other two Akasuki members. Hidan started to follow before stopping, realization passing over his features. Shikamaru met his eyes, and the two stared at each other until Kakuzu grunted and pulled himself to his hands and knees.
"Unless you want to lose another heart, I suggest you not attack me anymore." the spikey haired man said, stepping back into a defensive position. Please Jashin don't let him call my bluff. Without that extra boost there was no way he could take him on again. The heart count would stop at three.
"You insufferable brat." The older man spat out, "Why are you still alive?"
"Maybe you would know if you had let Itachi explain instead of taunting me."
Kakuzu silently rose to his feet, turning around calmly to study Shikamaru. "You were just a twig of a man last time I saw you, unable to even save your little boyfriend from Hidan without assistance. And now you've bested me three times... No one improves so much in so little time."
"I had a little help..." The spikey haired Jashinist admitted, letting gaze wander over to a still-in-shock Hidan. And also, two years wouldn't really be considered 'so little time'. It was a long time, an extremley long time, in fact. But it was true, he had been trying to improve himself ever since they'd moved, and while he had taken some pretty huge steps, he could not have done what he just did without the aid of the Slaughter God.
Kakuzu's eyes narrowed as he followed the vision trail. Then they narrowed even further as it finally dawned on him. There was an uncomfortable silence for what seemed like an eternity, before every single one of them nearly had a heart attack at the grisley laugh that exploded from the stitched up man.
"You and Hidan? Ohh that's precious. Honestly I would have never thought it possible, no wonder I didn't realize sooner." He smoothed back his bangs, seeming to have become an entirely different person.
"Hidan tried to kill me again a few weeks ago. I beat him but spared his life, a decision I'm not always sure I don't regret..." He said, eyeing Hidan sideways with a slight crook of his lips. "But somehow among the whole mess I got involved with Jashin. Apparently he likes me. What you just witnessed was just a small dose, piss me off again and you'll witness the full extent of his power." Shikamaru said, overcome with an extreme weariness that had him nearly nodding off on the spot. Yeah, okay, he was bluffing again. So what? If it would keep the old man from attacking him then who the hell cares? He looked up to meet the stoic man's eyes, still frustrated at being unable to read him. He cleared his throat, setting his mind back on track. "I don't care to explain the details. But he thought you were dead, and Neji had left me long ago. We.. we were broken and lonley..." He didn't want to show such emotions in front of the solemn man before him. But he had to make him understand, while he was being resonable. Surely he could understand, surely he would sympathize at least the smallest bit.
"And it struck you as a good idea to hook up with him?" Kakuzu finished for him, raising a brow. "You have no idea what kind of pain in the ass you've accepted into your life.."
Shikamaru relaxed on the inside, the man didn't seem to have any further interest in killing him. And he really didn't even seem mad about their involvement with each other. Perhaps he didn't know just how involved they'd got, but he was a wise, experienced man.. he probably assumed..
"Oh, I'm well aware. Trust me. But you know, he's not so bad when you actually treat him like a person."
Kakuzu's eyes narrowed again. "Watch yourself boy. Or maybe I'll take him back."
"I'd like to see you try!" Shikamaru shot back, then a pair of pale fists hit both men in the jaw. Shikamaru recoiled, blinking a few times before looking back at Hidan incredously. Did he just fucking hit him? What the fuck? The zealot had never hit Shikamaru before, not unless they were in an actual fight. Kakuzu's presence was already having an adverse affect on his lover. Son of a bitch that hurt! He was definitely going to have to knock him around later...
"HEY! I'm right fucking here! And I'm not a goddamn prize to be won!" Hidan shouted, placing himself between the two, scowling only briefly before his normal grin spread across him. "Though it is fucking flattering to have you fighting over me, seriously."
"Hidan, may I suggest something?" Itachi said, suddenly beside Shikamaru. Violet eyes studied him for a moment, serious again, before sighing.
"I fucking guess.."
Itachi cleared his throat, waiting until all three men's attention was on him. "A lot has transpired during this little... roadtrip. Why don't we go our seperate ways for the night and reconvene tomorrow. Then we can hash out all the details in a dignified manner." He eyed each of the battered men as he spoke, and Shikamaru instantly slumped at his words.
"That sounds like the best plan ever... seriously." He muttered, causing all eyes to focus on him.
Oh shit, he just did the sounding-like-Hidan thing again didn't he?
Kakuzu sighed, closing his eyes and absently rubbing his jaw where he'd been struck. "Perhaps I've been a bit ...childish... But fine. However I have no money or a place to rest."
"Yeah, me fucking too!" Hidan snapped, glaring at Itachi, who in turned looked to Shikamaru, Either oblivious to the reference of him destroying Hidan's residence or ignoring the accusation entirely.
He blinked. "Oh hell no! I've had enough of you crazy fucking Akatsuki people! My apartment is off limits! Besides, I still have to .. eh... clean it up." He studdered, earning a laugh from Kisame.
"Tch. Whatever pineapple head, you cruel bastard. Me and Kuzu can find some cheapy hotel like good ol' times eh?" Hidan said, nudging the man beside him with his elbow.
Damn, they made up fast.. Not that he shouldn't have expected it after living next to them two years ago...
"Don't call me that. And in case you didn't hear me, I have no money. You burned it all up, idiot." The older man growled.
Itachi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose while Shikamaru warred within himself. Hidan and Kakuzu in a room together all night...? No.. no he didn't want that. But he couldn't start another fight over the albino. He couldn't let his angry jealousy control him, lest he go into another episode. They were finally at a truce, if he fucked that up then he would never forgive himself.
Besides, Kakuzu couldn't take Hidan away. He was Shikamaru's by blood bond.
"I will loan you money, Kakuzu. I know that you're good for it, as long as we get the hell out of here. My head is killing me." Itachi sighed, and Kisame shifted nervously behind him.
"Ehh, well the problem here is that the car is totaled. Soo... we gotta hike back to town."
"That's not a problem." Itachi replied, eyeing Shikamaru. "The only reason we drove was because of Shikamaru's injuries, which I'm assuming have throughly healed."
The Nara smiled sheepishly. Yeah, he still had some explaining to do... but at least it would wait until tomorrow.
Itachi handed Kakuzu a small slip of paper. "My temporary residence, meet me there and I will give you enough for a room and a meal. To the rest of you, I'll contact you with where we will meet tomorrow."
With that, the Uchiha burst into crows, and Kisame offered a short salute and a sharkey grin before melting into a puddle behind him.
Shikamaru sighed before stiffening. Damn... He was alone with Hidan and Kakuzu... And double damn, he might have to walk home...
Triple damn! He had no idea where he was. He was going to have to follow them. Shit on a stick...
"Eehh, this is awkward huh?" Hidan said, voicing Shikamaru's thoughts.
Kakuzu sighed and turned around, stuffing the note in his pocket and starting off a slow walk.
Hidan and Shikamaru stared after him for a few heartbeats before they exchanged glances. Hidan whirled and jogged after him. "Oi! Kakuzu wait up!"
Shikamaru kicked at the dirt for a moment before throwing his head back and groaning dramatically, then took off after them to catch up.
Such a drag...
-o-
A/N-
WHAAT!? Two days in a roww!?
Uh, hell yes. I was super excited to get this done. It was so fun, holy shit I can't even explain. Hopefully it was a satisfying enough fight for you, I actually intended it to get a fuckload more crazy and like, level buildings and stuff... but unfortunatly I have a real life that needs attended to preeetty badly. So I cut it a little short.
Anyways, I hope everything made sense, forgive the typos, I love you, and REVIEW!
P.S. I think there's about.. 2 more chapters left, plus an epilogue, and then I'm going to give you all another bonus chapter. Because I'm just such a nice person.