Recurring Nightmares

It was an amazing feeling, traveling this way. It was no wonder Itachi did it.

Absolutley indescribable, was how it felt. Like he was seperate from his body, like a bolt of electricity traveling through a wire. Except he wasn't in a tunnel, he was free to go and move wherever he wanted. How he'd managed to do it at all was still a mystery. It was bordering on just plain freaky that he kept spontaneously learning new Jutsu, but at least this one was handy.

The victorious moment was broken by the unbearable pain of heartbreak. Overwhelming and miserable in a way he didn't remember it feeling the first time. When Neji had left, he'd been numb. But this... this was torture. This was murder. He would give anything just to feel that numbness again, to feel the simple aching lonliness instead of this roaring agony. It was too much, it was far too much. And maybe half of it was even caused by this unfamiliar jutsu. His chakra was draining from it at a rate that was near painful.

That didn't even matter though. He was broken again. He had done everything he possibley could have and received nothing but utter bullshit in return. He should have known, he should have expected it. And actually, he had. He knew from the beginning that it wasn't meant to last. Dammit, why hadn't he listened? Why hadn't he just fucking gotten rid of Hidan and gone on with his life? Even though.. in retrospect, Kakuzu may or may not have come looking for him. So in a way keeping Hidan alive had done the same for him...

It didn't matter now. He hadn't listened to his head and now his heart was paying the dues. How could he have ever fooled himself into believeing that the psycho had actually cared about him? Everything he did, all the shit he went through... It didn't make sense that it wasn't real. Hidan had told him secrets that no one else knew. Things only another Jashinist would understand. Every single sign had pointed in the direction of love. He'd battled with himself for so long, and then when he gave in... well... He knew now that he'd been wrong. If Hidan could choose that man over him then it really had been nothing more than lust. Shikamaru had been a replacement, flung aside when the original was brought back into the picture.

He squeezed his eyes shut, or would if he wasn't just a bodiless spirit moving through the world with unmatched speed. There was no way he could be expected to handle this. He was dying. Dying in the place that no one could reach, that no amount of medication or rest or therapy could ever fix. He'd thought he'd died before. Fuck, he wanted to go back in time and beat the shit out of himself. That was nothing compared to this. Holy shit it hurt so bad...

I just want to go home. He thought, picturing his bed in his mind. And with nothing more than that he was suddenly thrown back into a physical state, grunting in surprise when he fell from the air, bounced off the mattress and crashed to the floor.

He stayed in that position for awhile, his body flexed as wave after wave of nausea washed over him and the world rocked and twisted. He stared down at the floor, wide-eyed with the inner pain and outer turmoil that Hidan and the new Jutsu had caused. Oh yes, why thank you life. Thanks for giving me lemons that keep turning up poisioned.

"Well... I'll have to work on that.." He moaned into the carpet when it finally started to dull. Apparentlyleaving your body like that had a few side effects, but at least he had arrived in one peice... if that was even a good thing.. His mind vaugely wondered if this was a small dose of what Kisame felt when he transformed, and then the other half wondered why the fucking hell he was thinking of the Jolly Blue Giant at a time like this. He couldn't even be psyched that he had more or less just learned to teleport. So what? Why be happy? Here he was again, alone in his apartment with a freshly broken heart.

Groaning, he pushed himself up into a standing position only to fall backward back onto the bed. He covered his face with both hands, inhaling deeply through his nose. He didn't even feel like crying. It hurt too much to cry. And it was a pointless action anyway, never helped before. That felt like the only damn thing he'd done after Neji left. Never when he was awake, but in every single nightmare, and every damn time he woke up in a cold sweat there were tears. Always tears. It was pathetic, running to his bedroom and collapsing on the bed so he could cry without interruption...

And besides, Jashin wouldn't approve.

BAHH! Jashin? Who cares about Jashin? Who cared about anything!? He was all fucking alone in the world and now he couldn't even die!

The thought slammed into him with such force that he whimpered. Forever... all alone... No.. no this wasn't fair. IT WASN'T FAIR!

He shot up, eyes wide and panting. His gaze fell on his alarm clock and without thinking he grabbed it and ripped it right from it's cord, chucking it into the wall with all his might. The machine crashed and broke into pieces, and cracks spiderwebbed across the drywall.

It wasn't enough, he needed something else to break. He had to make everything on the outside even with his innards. The whole world needed to feel what he felt right now. Time needed to stop, people needed to pay attention. Because this is what happens when you're ignorant. This is what happens when you act based on how you feel and not what you're thinking. You became devoted to a Demon God, You fell in love with a psychotic satal masochist, you gave your soul to save your ex who left you high and dry and keep him from killing the man who replaced him, only for him to go and do the exact same fucking thing...

He grabbed the bedside lamp, repeating the action. Then picked up the entire nightstand and sent it crashing through the window. He didn't care if he injured someone, He didn't care if they called the police. What the hell could they do to him? Put him in jail? Sentence him to death?

He screamed at that, raw and animalistic and grabbed his mattress, flipping it one-handed from the bed and then leaping over it to move himself to the livingroom. That god-aweful room where it all started, where all the memories were. He would destroy every last inch of it.

How could this happen again? How could he let it? How had it come to this?

Jashin you're twisted and cruel and I hate you!

Doomed forever to wander the earth, alone, unable to die, forced to kill others and not only that, but now after all of this he would still have to see Hidan twice a year. He had to give the bastard his blood so that he wouldn't die.

Why, WHY did he care wether the zealot survived or not? After he'd built Shikamaru up and repaired him and made him feel alive again, He'd dropped him just like that. So easily without a second thought, like it wasn't even a contest. Like nothing they had done together mattered. Like all the passion in every touch had just been some dream that could be forgotten when you woke up.

And of all the people to ditch him for, it had to be that fucking heathen asshole that didn't even appreciate him. How could he choose him!? How could.. how... just HOW!? WHY!?

Another scream tore from his throat as he tore the back from his easy chair, swinging it into the wall three times before just throwing it at the crumbling sheetrock. And when his eyes lighted on the couch, the anger flared up even further. His vision blurred and his eyes stung as he stomped to the kitchen and ripped a big kitchen knife from the holder. That stupid couch, He'd rip it to shreds. That place where Hidan had held him all night long, where he'd finally given in and accepted Jashin and Hidan both...

He stormed back out and lifted the blade, slamming it down and sneering to himself when it went cleanly through the fabric. He pulled downward, giggling maniacally at the harsh ripping sound. He pulled it free and slashed again, working out his frustration over and over with each swipe and cut.

Tricked into bring a Jashinist, tricked into hating Neji, tricked into falling for Hidan, tricked into giving up his mortality.

Is that the game you're playing Hidan? Break my heart because you can't kill me?

This was slaughter. It felt like slaughter. Like he was dying without actually dying. And he'd let it happen, walked willingly right into the trap, oblivious and yet knowing what it was the entire time.

Well you're an idiot. Pain only fueled him, anger gave him power. When he was mad he could do anything. Jashin forbid Hidan show up right now, because he would kill him. And then he'd go finish off Kakuzu too. He only had two more hearts, unless he'd stayed up all night long restocking, assuming that's what he did.

Yeah, he'd kill them both. And then... and then what? Then he'd really be alone. Then he'd have to live with himself... Forever.

He cried out again, trying his best not to let it turn to sobs as he fell to his knees and dug the blade into the material over and over, each stab backed with less and less power.

Wetness settled on his cheeks, and he clenched his eyes shut. He'd cried anyway, like a little girl. Damn you Hidan. How could he do this to him.. how could he make him cry? He was different, he wasn't Neji. They hadn't been together but a few weeks, and yet it hurt so much more. It wasn't possible, but then again, a lot of the things he'd witnessed weren't possible. A lot of the things he'd done himself, spontanously without any prior teaching.

Grinding his teeth, he stopped his attack on the loveseat, cracking his lids to stare down at the destroyed peice of furniture. The tears fell down and absorbed themselves into the fabric, silent but for the small drip of hitting the material.

Jashin... It made no sense. He'd been so sure, the Slaughter God had been so confident. There was no possible way that the Almighty frikin' Jashin didn't know that Kakuzu was still alive, held prisoner by his own followers.

What was the point? There was none. Maybe he just wanted to watch Shikamaru writhe and thrash in pain after putting Hidan in the ground. All of this, all this utter bullshit, could not have been part of some convolouted plan to get Neji...

"A soldier will not stop until someone is either converted, or dead." The deep voice whispered, chilling him to the core. No... all this was because of him? That one stupid day when Hidan had tested him? He'd said he'd make "A BAMF Jashinist." And.. and he was right! But, how could he have known? Surely that idiot hadn't planned all this out. Surely he couldn't have just been laying in wait for the right moment...

Unless it was just Jashin himself. He'd seen the potential and set his eyes on the goal. And in the end got what he wanted.

'Jashin is scary clever. Even more than you..'

Son of a bitch. Son of a dirty goddamned bitch. It was, the whole fucking thing was a battle of wits, with so many twists and turns and random situations and curveballs thrown in that there would have been no possible way for Shikamaru to dodge it. He'd.. he'd practically been showing off! Look how much smarter I am, look at my power. Don't you want it?

Maybe somewhere in there he'd wanted to get Neji too, collect his dept and settle everything. But in the process he had gotten Shikamaru's eternal loyalty. Bloody hell no wonder he'd been smiling and laughing so much!

I'M SUCH AN IDIOT!

He made no reaction when he felt the slight pull on his mind. He could remember that pull, the distant tugging, like Jashin wanted him to go somewhere and do something. Last time it had been when he needed to find Hidan. And somehow just at the thought of the man he knew it was him. He must have followed him.. He had all his abilities after all. Maybe all he had to do was see him use them. Or hell, maybe he just made shit up, seeing as that's what Shikamaru had done.

And only slumped further when the window slid open and two feet thunked to the ground.

"Go away." He croaked, ashamed at the lack of command in his voice. He sounded just as broken as he felt.

"Pineapple head... I'm not just gonna dump you like the princess.." Hidan's uncharactaristically soft voice said. "But you gotta understand. Or maybe you don't, I don't fuckin' know. But I'm not leaving until you let me explain."

Shikamaru forced out a sarcastic laugh, pushing himself to his feet and whirling to face Hidan. "There's nothing to explain. I get it. I really do. It was all a trap wasn't it? I knew from the start how wrong this was, how wrong we were. I should have realized right away that it was just you trying to keep that fucking God of yours happy. But I fucking... I just.. I let it happen anyway. I fucked myself over."

"There's nothing wrong about it. If anything, me and Kakuzu is what's wrong..." Hidan said, taking a step closer and shocking the hell out of the younger Jashinist. He stared at him in utter confusion. Dammit Hidan YOU DON'T MAKE SENSE!

"I know... how you feel. But you have to understand, I've been here a lot longer than you. I was alone for most of that fucking time. When I finally found Jashin, I begged him.. like a pathetic little worm, for someone to be with. Anyone that wouldn't die in 40 or 80 or 100 years. I.. I paid my dues Pineapple head. I know it sounds selfish but Kakuzu is the one and only, he was here first. Jashin brought him into my life, I asked for him. I can't just turn away a gift like that. I couldn't if I wanted to. And unless he wants to end it, I don't want to. I can't... even with you, it's not the same."

"He treats you like shit.." Shikamaru said wearily, "And.. I'm here too. He brought me here right? When you thought Kakuzu died you wanted someone else. And here I am. You can't turn me down either!" His voice cracked at the end and fresh tears welled up. He cursed himself for doing this in front of Hidan, but on the other hand, he didn't really fucking care.

"Yeah, but I'm a psycho remember? And even so I can't fucking.. I can't just leave the Akatsuki. I've tried before. And I can't see him every day and just... be okay. You, you were also a project, no offense. You're a Jashinist, an immortal. You can stand on your own two feet. I'm sure he'll give you someone too, he has that kind of power, if you haven't realized by now."

What if I want you...? "What if.." He stopped himself before voicing this thought. It was obvious that the zealot wasn't going to budge. He'd chosen Kakuzu, end of story. And even though it hurt, even though Shikamaru desperatley wanted to annihilate the old fucker, he had to respect that. Jashin had brought Kakuzu back into Hidan's life, knowing who he would choose. Now was Shikamaru's turn to walk in the silver-hair's shoes for a few millenia. And Hey, at least the psycho had the decency to come explain, unlike Neji. "What if.. he really does die?"

Hidan flinched at this, but recovered a second later and closed the distance between them. Shika turned his head but didn't resist the arms that wrapped around him. "Look, I'm not good at this touchy-feely shit. But you're not going anywhere and neither am I. So.. just cheer the fuck up alright? It's not forever. You got a long fucking time left to do whatever the hell you want. One thing you gotta learn about this immortality bullshit is that there's no time-limit. On anything... "

Shikamaru sighed, stepping away and meeting the violet eyes of the man silently killing him. Walking around, aimlessly killing to provide Jashin with souls. Unending power, but no purpose to use it on. How... how could he be expected to do that? "I think that's scarier than death... "

"You get used to it. I'd say sorry for getting you into this but I'm not." The albino replied, his signature grin back in its rightful place. "You just gotta go a little crazy, try a few drugs. Every three or four decades they come out with some pretty awesome shit. Jashin will take care of the rest."

Shikamaru smiled at this despite himself. Yeah.. go a little crazy, try a few drugs... sounded like a 70's song. But.. Hidan was the only immortal, it's not like he could go get a second opinion. He honestly didn't see himself doing drugs just to pass the time, but honestly, he didn't know much of anything anymore. He had done a lot of things in the past few weeks that he'd never seen himself doing.

Jashin will take care of the rest... Indeed he would, Hidan. You had no idea how well he'd taken care of everything. He took in another deep breath. Might as well just tell him, at least there was that small comfort. It wasn't goodbye. Just... see you later.

"Speaking of it. Don't go after Neji anymore. He's out of the deal."

Hidan eyed him, raising a silver brow in question.

"It's on me now." He said, forcing a smirk and then smiling for real at the man's continued stare of confusion. Damn.. he was going to miss this. It brought the dull ache he'd all but forgotten about, and he resisted the tears that threatened to pool in his eyes with all his might. "I made a deal with Jashin. My soul for Neji's, but seeing as you can't kill me and he prefers my soul stay in this body, it's basically just a really big blood offering."

Hidan laughed. He actually laughed and punched Shikamaru on the shoulder. "See Pineapple head? Told'ja he had a plan for you." Shikamaru almost laughed at that himself. Well damn, he really did have a plan all along, didn't he? The spikey haired Jashinist would be surprised if he'd had fucking schematics, planning every single last detail..

"So what, I get to finally stab you through the heart or what?"

The Nara continued smiling despite himself. "Twice a year. It goes like a normal sacrifice. I just get to walk away from it. And don't forget, or the deal is off and he revokes his gift. Then we both die."

Hidan sighed dramatically and ran a hand through his hair. "You little shit. So I gotta hunt you down and kill you every six goddam months?"

"Yeah," He said, smirking. "You didn't think I'd just let you run off with that old fuck did you?"

Again the zealot chuckled. "Damn. Everybody wants a peice of me, such is the burden of Jashin's love." He finished in a preacher's tone. "You ain't gonna make it easy either huh?"

"Nope."

"Well," Hidan said, maneuvering the knife Shikamaru forgot he was still holding from his hand and spinning it in his open palm for a few seconds. Then he caught it, holding it threateningly toward the Jashinist facing him. "Fucking game on then." He slid the blade across his tounge and tossed it aside, stepping forward again before Shikamaru had time to react. He was grabbed and leaned backward bridal style before those wicked lips pressed themselves into his and a bleeding tongue dove into his mouth.

You psycho son of a bitch. He thought, closing his eyes and letting the taste soak into him. That's okay though. One more wouldn't hurt anything... He lifted his hand and let his fingers slide through the gelled hair before grasping a handful and yanking lightly. The mouth on his growled and kissed him deeper. He pushed back, he was going to miss this too. The random, unexpected romance. The rough but gentle embracing. The euphoria, the ecstacy, the tantalizing sweet but sour taste of Hidan's blood.. Their auras melding together into one insane, immortal, Jashin obsessed spirit... It was so beautifully disturbing. So horribley wrong that it successfully reached perfection.

All too soon the moment ended and Hidan pulled away, hoisting the fellow Jashinist back to a standing position. He took a step back, licking the red smear around his mouth and eyeing Shika with fiery, lust-filled eyes. And with a small nod and the blink of an eye he was out the window and gone from the Nara's life.

At least for now.

Shikamaru repeated him, slowly running his tongue in a circle around the edges of his mouth, then wiping away the excess.

He could live with this... he thought. It wasn't really as bad as he'd made it seem. The psycho of a man hadn't been using him, but he'd been put in a position that there was no way to escape from without causing pain. He'd taken the easier, more familiar path, as any normal person would, and in the end it worked out more-or-less anyway. This was Jashin's plan, he had taken care of him this far, he had taken care of them both. Maybe he really wasn't so evil, just... brutally forward. He did what it took to get things done, and had somehow managed to spare all important parties in the process. Shikamaru really, really needed to stop doupting him.

Sure.. he would see Hidan again. And maybe by then he would come to his senses and realize that Kakuzu was a selfish ass. And maybe not, maybe it would take longer. And that was okay, he had time, he had all the time in the world now. Twice a year for eternity... he could live with it. Yeah... yeah he could. Once again he'd pulled it off. Saved Neji, Hidan, and even himself.

And speaking of Neji, he needed to be informed of the situation. If he tried going after Hidan again, he would inevitabley get himself killed. Kakuzu was back to pull the idiot albino out of any grave he found himself in, and though Neji was far from stupid, there was no way he could claim victory.

He looked around the room, grimacing. First things first, he needed to pack his shit, because this apartment was officially fucked. Being the accursedly kind person he was, he could at the least leave some money for the complex manager to repair the damage he and his 'friends' had caused.

Then, he needed to quit his job if it wasn't already gone. Working in law enforcement would be handy for helping him weed out the bad guys he needed, but he was a terrible liar. And deceiving them would be an unnecessary weight on his shoulders. Besides, he hated pushing paper anyway. Hunting the people down himself was a much more exciting prospect. And it didn't even bother him to realize he was eager to commit his first murder. After all, you had to go a little crazy...

Gathering his resolve, he headed toward the warzone of a bedroom to pack the neccesities.

Shikamaru Nara was going rogue.

And it wasn't a drag at all.

-o-

"Hey."

"Shit!" The brunette squealed, jumping and whirling around. The look on his face was so priceless. Pale blue eyes the size of saucers, he looked like he'd been caught stealing cookies from the jar.

"Wha.. what are you doing here!?" He said breathlessly, smoothing back his hair and standing back into a more dignified position. "God Shikamaru you.. you nearly gave me a heart attack.." He sputtered out, making the Nara crack a smile from his perch in the open window.

Tracking down the Hyuga had been a bit of a tedious task, but he'd done it, and it only took two days.

Neji had set up his residence in a smaller town some couple hundred miles from the city. Not as small as the one they'd lived in together, but a comfortable size. Luckily for him Sasuke had been in a reluctantly talkative mood. Shikamaru had started his search with the younger Uchiha, remembering Itachi's mention of having Sasuke tail Neji. It had only taken a few threats before the man stopped being a smartass and hesitantly gave him the name of the town.

And from there on it was a matter of getting there, breaking into the county treasurer's records and looking up Neji's tag number on the car he had rightfully assumed the brunette purchased. After all, Neji Hyuga wasn't one to go bounding over rooftops to get to work, which was another thing the Nara assumed correctly. Seeing as the byakugan user didn't have a sugar-daddy anymore, of course he would get a job.

He stepped down into the second story apartment, and was taken wholly off guard when the lithe body crashed into him and wrapped their arms around his torso.

"You're alive! Oh thank God Shikamaru you have no idea. I didn't know what to do, you told me to leave but I... I.. I don't know! I was so scared I killed you, I could hardly live with myself. I kept going to the hospital but they said they'd never even heard of you and I went to your apartment but the door was locked and I couldn't find your car-"

"Whoa, hey slow down a sec." He interrupted, prying the teary-eyed man off him. Damn, he'd forgotten completley about that incident after everything else that went down. He held the brunette at arms length, trying not to let his amusement show. "Yeah. I'm alive. Long story. Anyway I just came to let you know I fixed the whole Hidan-trying-to sacrifice-you thing."

Neji's eyes widened futher, if that was possible. "You killed him?" He said in wonder.

"No." He said, cutting him off from the thought immediatly. "But I fixed it. No one else will be after you or any of your family anymore. The curse has been lifted."

Perfect brows creased in disbelief and amazement. "Shikamaru... how.."

"Ahah," He interrupted once more, putting a finger on soft, full lips, seeing a flicker of irritation cross the Hyugas features. "Loooong story, seriously. Don't make me explain."

At this Neji's demeanor changed and he jerked away as if Shikamaru had some sort of deadly, contagious disease. He stared quizzically at suddenly scrutinizing, suspicious eyes.

"Why are you acting so... unlike yourself?" He said, taking another step back. His voice sharpened in anger as he continued. "I thought you were dead and now you just come hopping through my window like a fucking monkey acting all calm and casual. What's gotten into you?"

"That's a good question." Shikamaru replied sharply, counting to ten in his head. He'd forgotten about how erratic Neji's emotions could be when under stress. And really, he wasn't calm, collected Shikamaru Nara anymore. He was half-Hidan now. And bad things happened when you pissed him off. "If I tell you, will you promise not to go throwing yourself in any more deadly peril?"

"Don't talk to me like that Shikamaru Nara! I did what I had to do."

"Okay, whatever. Damn." He said, rolling his eyes. This wasn't the kind of conversation he'd predicted... but it's not as if anything he planned ever worked out anymore. "Look. I made a deal with Jashin and took the curse onto myself. Don't worry about it though because it turns out I'm immortal thanks to Hidan. So.. you're free, you're welcome, don't do anything stupid."

He turned on heel to hop back out the window, but a hand latched onto him and pulled him back around. He growled under his breath.

"Wait! You're immortal? When the hell.. what.. Shikamaru WHAT THE HELL!?"

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Dammit, he didn't want to sit here and calmly discuss this. It wasn't as if he had anywhere to go or anything to do, but he was more than eager to put the past behind him. Seeing Neji wasn't as easy as he'd thought it would be. Yes, he'd more or less successfully moved on. But no matter how the Hyuga looked, he was still beautiful. Like a fucking succubus, he literally could not look bad.

"Yeah.." He surrendered, giving the brunette a weary smile. "I didn't mean to do it, but it worked out in the end."

"How in the fuck, did you accidentally make yourself immortal?" Neji countered incredously.

"I already had to explain this once..." He mumbled, rolling his eyes when the Hyuga didn't budge. "Okay. So Jashinists can do this kind of ritual where they sort of connect themselves with each other spiritually, and through that they gain all the other persons abilities. And.. well that's what happened. So... Yeah I halfway stole Hidan's 'gift'." he mimed quotations with his fingers.

"How.. how do you know for sure?"

"Trust me.. I can't die." He breathed, memories of being pierced through the heart by living thread tendrils invading his mind. Ugh... so gross. How the hell Hidan was attracted to that was a mystery that would never be solved.

"Okay well... Where's the psycho?" Neji said, obviously trying to process everything and fill in the blanks. Shikamaru relaxed at the change of subject. He had no problem explaining the recent breakup.

"Kakuzu came home finally. They got back together." He watched the mixture of joy and pity wash across his old lovers face. Then continued on when realization shimmered in his eyes.

"I'm... going off the grid for awhile. Neji, this visit really was only to let you know you're safe... nothing more."

"Yeah... I know." He said softly, and it was Shikamaru's turn to look confused.

"I wouldn't expect that of you. We ended things, you moved on, and I'm working on it. But that doesn't mean I hate you or anything. Life.. just got in the way. It happens, it's not anyones fault."

Shikamaru smiled at this. The slate between them had been officially wiped clean. No more finger-pointing, no more nightmares... Shikamaru's world was once again at peace. Or.. as peaceful as it would get being the undying servant of a god that ate souls and encouraged murder.

"I'm..sorry. About you and the psy-erm.. and Hidan." Neji said, wringing his hands. And the Jashinist couldn't help the laugh that escaped him.

"No you're not. But thank you. It's fine. I get to beat the shit out of him every so often still. He's gotta try to sacrifice me in place of your family. So... it's okay."

Neji offered a nervous chuckle as well, obviously trying to hold back the flood of questions that confession had brought. "Well.. good luck with that." He said, then stepping forward and wrapping himself once again around Shikamaru. "Thank you though, it's great to hear I'm not going to be mudered in my sleep. Maybe now I can actually get some."

Shikamaru returned the embrace, it felt like a hug among friends. Strange, but not bad. Perfect, that's what he wanted. No hard feelings, no lingering hatred. No more anger, no more pain. Just... just happily ever after.

"Yeah..." He muttered into the chocolate hair. "No problem."

Neji backed away, sighing. "Goodbye again?"

"Let's stick with see you later.." He laughed, letting his eyes slide over to the doorway. They had an eavesdropper, though the Nara had a feeling he was probably more than that. It made him want to laugh out loud, the notion was so rediculous. He couldn't even muster up the badwill to be jealous. Neji had even said he was working on moving on.

"See-ya later Sasuke!" He called out, bursting into laughter when Neji's face suddenly lost all color and emotion.

He turned back to the window and vaulted out, channeling chakra into his feet and landing far more gracefully than he had before when pulling the same stunt, though admittedly it was from a higher elevation. Minor details.

Oh yeah.. He would run into Neji again, especially if he hooked up with Itachi's younger brother. He laughed out loud again as he activated his shadow jutsu, and his shadow turned to solid black, sucking him in.

Sasuke and Neji... the epitome of irony. No wonder the Hyuga had been so suddenly accepting of he and Hidan's relationship. And no wonder Sasuke hadn't wanted to tell him about the brunette's whereabouts. They were seeing each other. Damn his curiosity but he would sure like to know how the hell that had happened.

Oh.. Itachi would get a kick out of this... If he told him. Surely he would find out anyway. So yeah.. he'd have to let him know. After all, he'd come to know the older Uchiha pretty well. He didn't need to ditch good friends just because he and Hidan were no longer a thing.

His head was swallowed by the tar then, and it faded back into the normal asphalt afterward.

The world had returned to normal. Everything was okay. He couldn't have asked for a more suitable ending to a more horrifying month. Now it was on to start a new life. To envelop himself in the ways of Jashin, punish those who deserved judgement, right the wrongs, and overall just be a super badass vigilante.

He could do as much.

That was the opposite of troublesome.

That was awesome.

-o-

A/N-

HOLYFUCKASSBALLS!

So yeah, this was really, REALLY hard to do. But I think I'm satisfied with it finally. I had to go back and edit it and fix it and add so much shit in there. And it's STILL short. :(

But.. oh well.

Here it is ladies and gents. The last chapter that pertains to the actual plotline. Please, PLEASE tell me what you think as the story as a whole. Did everything tie together? Was the development of the relationship believeable? Did I fucking say fuck way to fucking much?

And if you've already been giving your two-cents throughout, then just let me hear what you think about this chapter. Satisfied with the way things ended? Did you expect it or did I totally blow the fuck right out of your minds again? Does it need more? Does it need less?

Let me know these things people I'm going to need them when making the tri-quel. xD Which you'll be happy to know I already have the first like, 5 chapters planned out. I don't know if I'm going to start immediatly after I finish up these last two additions to this story or take a break for awhile. But I guess you'll find out when it happens. xD

So, thank you everyone who read and reviewed. Thanks especially to SheWolfByakugan who has been with me the entirety of the sequel. It's so funny Shewolf, Fluffy and I would literally just sit there and text each other when talking about RN. Saying things like "She's going to die of a nosebleed and we're going to jail." And things like that. xD We pretty much integrated you into our fanfiction lives.

And also huge thanks to my bestest friend ever who I love and cherish, FluffyisEmo, who helped me with the story by writing *ahem* certian scenes, and better remember me when she's a famous porn author. xD (And also I hear she's thinking about taking requests so.. yeah... attack!)

And this author's not has officially become waaaayyy too long so I'm outta here until the epilogue. So I love you all, review, forgive the typos, yaddayadda. Toodles!