Pretty Little Devil
Chapter Four. In Between.
Word count: 4k
Warnings: (!) Hidan, descriptions of arousal (I'm only fourteen, so please forgive my poor excuse at…yeah. And it's only a teensy bit anyway.), confusing theories and hints of the future (will be explained as the story progresses).
Pretty Little Devil
"In Between."
~ \ ~ Chapter Four Start. ~ / ~
"It's such a shame, speciosa (1). You would have made an excellent one of us."
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They were on their way towards Pein's office, walking that recognizable hallway where the air was wet and the ground was dry. Hidan always hated the way it made his hair feel stiff, gluing the ends to the back of his neck and his cloak to his bare chest uncomfortably. The woman –Kemono no Igen- was somewhere behind him. Any other shinobi would have been tense with this position, but he did not think it was necessary –for some odd reason. It was weird, she was weird. His mind drifted to several minutes prior, replaying the events that were most definitely on the forefront of all Akatsuki's mind.
Hidan had reveled in the feeling consuming him, like ocean waves rolling over the body on a rough day. It was brutal and unstoppable, cruel and despicable, beautiful and entrancing: death in its rawest form. There were no words that could do it justice in describing the aura's power as it scraped along his arms and up his shoulders, like fingernails raking down his chest and across his back. Quivers had taken control of his body and he had to clench his hands to keep them from moving beneath his cloak to relieve himself of the tightening feeling coiling in his stomach.
It was euphoria like no other and utterly invigorating, icy breaths of chilling malevolence. Dare he utter the words; it was even better then when he performed a sacrifice for his God. Those sensations felt like mere child's play to this bliss, this rapture. Demonic in nature, it twisted in his gut, like the bone-crushing air of the bijuu. He had always liked the way their chakra felt against his skin.
And oh Jashin-sama, that sound –so incredibly neurotic! Hidan could have recognized the voice anywhere. As if it were yesterday, his remembered his first sacrifice; the first taste of blood: his addiction. He could even recall the way the skin on their throat rippled as a guttural scream ripped upwards with a ferocity he longed to witness over and over. Yes, the shrieking in his ear was very familiar, the melody of his Start.
Jashin-sama, this is fucking fantastic!
He had only received a grim chuckle in return. To say Hidan was a bit disturbed might have been unjustified. Jashin-sama had never sounded so…Uchiha-like. He was always sarcastic and cynical, except when it came to his sacrifices. Every time another was slaughtered, Jashin-sama would say, 'More, Hidan. Kill more people, their souls keep her alive.' Though Hidan never knew what he meant by that, there was no hesitation in his conquests for destruction. That was his religion, his belief, his way of life. There was no questioning Jashin-sama's power.
As soon as the clamors had silenced, Hidan felt the tell-tale sign of Pein's chakra shifting and everyone was suddenly moving. He had drawn the scythe from his back, holding it close with a wicked grin splitting his face. There, in the center of the circle drawn on the floor, a misty figure stood. Perhaps it was because he didn't have the best chakra sensing abilities, but he couldn't detect a trace of the being. If not for the fact he was able to see it, Hidan knew there would have been no way to notice its presence, like a negated pocket with no sound, no sense and no stimulation.
The moment the cloak of darkness had dropped, Hidan had been completely thunderstruck, losing all thought of Jashin-sama, death, everything. She held an innocent type of beauty, pure in a way that made the corrupt –such as him- wish to taint her. True, he was still cautious –though in his own, unique way of doing so- about her, but her impression and the octave of her voice was almost too deliciously cruel for him to stay that way.
It all became too much when she had grabbed Pein, his hold on his weapon become so tight his knuckles had turned an insipid color, pale skin fading into four small white patches. The handle felt comfortable in his grip, anchoring him in place. Frantically, almost desperately, he had asked Jashin-sama who she was. His answer was simple, two words said in his deep baritone, betraying the feelings of respect and adoration:
'My God.'
Hidan knew he would never be the same.
As the large door opened and only the barely noticeable shuffling of feet and swishing of fabric sounded through the air, everyone moved to take their normal positions about the room, standing stiffly and uptight. Even Pein, who normally sat as if he had a ten-foot rod up his ass, was upright, behind the barrier of his desk. Clearing his throat, he started to speak, "The meeting will no-" and that was as far as his attention span would allow.
Hidan never paid much consideration to anything 'Leader' said. He thought he was God, and that fact alone made Hidan wish to torture him, but not kill him. No, death was too good of a punishment for his heresy. Perhaps he could-
"They cannot leave."
Violet eyes widening, he whipped his head around so fast he could have given himself whiplash. He hadn't even felt her, and she was standing right next to him –or behind him, rather, leaning against the wall. Her posture was lax, slender arms crossed across her ample chest –though his description would go no further than that. Greedily, he drank in her image. If he could run his hands up those arms, feel her skin against h-
'Don't disrespect your superiors, punk! You shouldn't even have the privilege of seeing her! It took me a century of absolute servitude and doting to earn that right. You may be immortal, but only by my power –her power.'
Resisting the urge to grunt in dissatisfaction, Hidan tuned back into the conversation between Pein and –what did she say to call her?- Sakura. Pein was currently giving her a look that literally shouted for an explanation. The Big Bad Leader was not pleased. Now this was enough to make Hidan have to fight back a full blown laugh. She was amusing; with only three little words from her pretty little mouth, Pein was pissed. He wondered what it would take for him to lose that arrogant silence he always held and start spewing curses at her. By that look, he would say 'not much'.
Giving a sigh, she opened her eyes –which he now realized had been closed-, revealing glowing green orbs. Lazily, they sought out Pein, as if she had all the time in the world. "How many times must I say this? We are bound. Ketsueki Kankei no Hoshyo does not allow more than several miles to separate us from one another."
Yet, Hidan had no inkling to leave. This could have worked to his advantage, allowing him to figure out what Jashin-sama had meant by his vague –lazy- answers. How could a mere chick be his superior? It was unbelievable! Although, the bedtime stories he had heard as a kid –the ones his mother had told him before she kicked the bucket- had portrayed Kemono no Igen as an unearthly humanoid creature: The unmistakable image of a vindictive spirit wishing for only justice from those who could not be justified.
It was all a bunch of garbage in his opinion. Why would anyone speak in such a fanatical way? If they wanted to say something, they should have just grown a pair and said it. There was no reason to be all 'mysterious' as they attempted to be. He remembered asking his mother all those years back why she couldn't just explain it to him. Her words still confused him to this day, 'The unknown cannot be explained, Hidan. I'm only the messenger. You'll have to ask Kemono no Igen if you want to know the whole truth.'
Bullshit.
Once more, he found his thoughts running on a tangent. Damn, I'd take being stuck with her rather than Kaka-fucker any d- And then, for the first time in his life, Hidan found himself undergoing an epiphany. Metaphorical lights and flashes undertook his vision, blinding him with the force a sightless man might feel once regaining his vision.
In a burst of uncontrollable emotion, he boisterously shouted, "Doesn't that mean we're all fucking tied together?"
He could already tell that most of the members were either shocked into silence by his intelligence or mulling over the fact they would be spending much more time than usual around each other. It was common knowledge that Pein kept most of them separate to keep the inner turmoil at tamable limits. Hidan couldn't stand much of any of them, having a large problem with their eccentric ways and condemning opinions about his religion. Jashin was the one true faith. There was nothing more satisfying than the feeling after a sacrifice or the moment his spike struck home in the deep cavity of his chest. It was gravity-defying and so, so good.
"Yes," she replied, amusement trickling through the single word. Those eyes looked at him with barely concealed hilarity, twinkling like an adult gazing onto a little kid who had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. They roamed downwards, stopping at the exposed skin just below his collar bones. It took him several seconds to realize she was eyeing his rosary, not ogling his perfectly sculpted chest.
A sharp retort, cocked and dangerous, made its way up his throat, but it died before it exploded when his eyes rested on something a foot or two beside to her. The sound of paper tearing echoed, crinkling as if crisp and fresh. A jagged line that glowed something fierce in the dark room seemed to appear midair. More light flooded through as it widened, splitting and spreading so a small hazy outline of a box hung eerily. To his utter astonishment, a tiny butterfly materialized from within the space. Its wings fluttered through the air, a majestic blue that faded into a pale aqua at the curling tips.
He could only think one thought: Jashin-sama, what the fuck is happening?
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"You disgust me! How dare you play with fate, twisting the boundaries to satisfy your selfish needs! Don't speak to me about corruption, vafer(2). I lived and breathed corruption, believing I would find reprieve in my death, my sacrifice. You are the ones who broke the final piece. You are the ones who murdered me."
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Ichorflies were such peculiar creatures; beautiful, with wings the color of the sky after a storm and black markings that –if examined closely- spelled out the message which they were supposed to send. Riveting, how vindictive the tranquility of a peaceful insect may seem when in the presence of such corruption. It fluttered; paper-thin limbs beating up and down in a fast pace, and landed on her outstretched finger, perched regally, pale beneath sapphire. The moment tiny feelers tickled her skin; Sakura heard the tell-tale whisper of a message being conveyed. The Ichorfly's voice could not be discerned as male nor female, riding along the line of an effeminate, deep tone. "Your Majesty, the epistle I have come to communicate sways from Master Jashin."
Emerald eyes narrowed, blinking between the courier and her confused charges –though they hid it well. If they were merely interested in the purpose of the small being, their eyes would have rocked over to the scene several times. They most certainly would have not thinned in scrutiny upon her hand.
"Continue, papilio(3)." She ordered softly, waiting for the voice only she could hear to continue.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Master Jashin reports that Lightening has become completely overwhelmed by rebels, guided by one with tremendous power that even hecould not compare with."
Profoundly, Sakura lowered her gaze, thoughts rushing as fast as a raging bull facing off a red velvet cloth. Her blood was boiling, partly at the thought some fool thought they had even a slim chance of overtaking her rule, but the other part was dedicated to her strong wish for action, challenge, carnage.
"Master Jashin wishes to speak with you as soon as he finds out more information. The leader of the seditious faction left a message written in the blood of the helgrels you had stationed there. It said, 'I know your secret.'"
A tapering feeling enveloped her wrists, like chains wrapping around her chest and pulling tighter and tighter. Her body was overwhelmed with…something; something she hadn't felt for years and years. An emotion, a swallowing pit that drummed against her temples and seeped from her eyes and all the pours of her body. Dread, dread, dread.
Somebody knows…
The sound of a small striking noise reached her ears and she turned her head just in time to watch the ichorfly burst into flames. Red engulfed the minute creature, licking with scorching tongues that burnt everything they touched to ash. As the grey dust fell through her fingers, she couldn't help but think that ichorflies were most definitely peculiar, leading lives set for a single purpose and always the same tragic end. Inhaling deeply, irritation set her facial features taut. She knew the pierced man would be displeased with this new revelation, but there was no helping it. She had to go.
With this in mind, Sakura rotated to face the men and woman before her, "It seems I am needed in the Bottom Dimension. Therefore, you all must come with me."
As expected, the leader rose from his position behind the desk, hands flat against the surface. "Where and why?" he asked, tone indicating that his bewilderment was angering him.
Walking into the center of the room, she faced him, fully aware of the others perplexity and growing displeasure that they were being ordered around by the one who they had thought would serve them. Bloody morons…"The Bottom Dimension is what you humans would call 'Hell', though 'Hell' is only what my castle is named. Recently, there have been uprisings occurring amongst the lower demons. Normally, they would be too brainless to come up with operational plans of mutiny, but they are being led by an unnamable upper demon." Here, she checked to make sure he was following, having no plans to repeat herself, and continued, "As you are surely aware, this is…" Sakura paused, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. What would be the correct word to use? "…not allowed."
Several moments passed before his face softened just a tad, giving way to the fact he had agreed to follow her. With a nod, she raised her hand, a brilliant light shining at the tip of her index finger. In a delicate sweeping motion, a split similar to the one the ichorfly had used opened before her. Prying it open easily, she created a doorway large enough to fit a body through, if not a little bigger in order for the bi-colored man to get into.
"Trail my exact footsteps. If you venture too far, you could become lost and there is no return if that should happen." Sakura warned before turning and stepping into the portal, ten reluctant humans pursuing in her wake.
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"Remember who you belong to, Demon King. You are merely a slave and us: your masters."
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Itachi walked through the gateway created by Sakura only moments before. He had passed through last and upon turning to scrutinize the makeshift door once more, he watched as it drew together with a whoosh! and faded into nonexistence. Quickly moving back to his position behind Kisame, his crimson eyes darted from place to place, taking in his surroundings. They were making way through what seemed to be a dark cave system, although he could barely make out the outlines of hundreds of tunnel entrances that jutted off the main channel they were walking through. All around him was black so dark it almost looked like there was a complete absence of light in this place. If not for his enhanced hearing, making out the soft footfalls of the other Akatsuki members, they may have all become separated. He now knew why Sakura had cautioned them to follow her before they left.
Up ahead, he heard Leader-sama question their guide, no doubt trying to fully understand this strange and intriguing place. Never before had he heard anything that might have foretold that a place like his current location existed. Swallowing his mounting curiosity, Itachi listened closely to their conversation.
"What is this place called?" Leader-sama asked, his voice underlined with interest.
"This place is called the 'In Between'. It's a space used to travel between the Bottom Dimension, where the demons dwell, the Middle Dimension, where the humans live, and the Top Dimension." Itachi noticed she had not given an explanation as to what was in the Top Dimension. He had a vague idea of what might have lived there, though other thoughts were on the forefront of his mind at the moment. As the group turned around a bend, the sound of a muted song drifted past his ears. The notes seemed to dance along his conscious like fingers pushing against the tense muscles in his back, relaxing and soothing. It was then he saw the source.
At the vanguard of a passageway to his right, a hazy apparition hovered; mist a dull grey color as it oozed in swirling tendrils about it. At first glance, it appeared to have no specific shape or tangibility whatsoever, but Itachi knew better. His eyes never missed anything, Sharingan having been known as the analytical doujutsu. He could see physical hands -a color so pale they looked ghostly white- holding a long and misshapen silver flute. The wraithlike creature's fingers skipped along the instrument's length, producing hypnotizing notes that were both complex yet simple.
"Lulladies. They're demons who watch over the In Between. The flutes they play keep the Lost Souls at bay, calming them so they don't lose the sanity they have left here." He heard Sakura's voice say above the symphony, blending in as if the two exceedingly different sounds fit perfectly together. Narrowing his eyes, Itachi continued to move forward, but took the time to look down each duct they passed, searching for more of these demons called 'Lulladies'.
"Lost souls?" Deidara asked, again showing his lack of restraint. It was obvious Leader-sama wanted none of them to converse with the mysterious woman, though it was getting harder and harder by the minute for him to do so. Itachi found it rather discomforting, feeling as if the need to be near the unknown beauty was foreign but nostalgic.
"Souls who've neither done enough good or bad in life, having an equal balance of good and evil. When a person like this dies, I cannot send them through rebirth, nor to any other Afterlife Vista(4), so they are sent here until their souls are needed in the life cycle." Itachi was intrigued, the tiny quirk to his eyebrow in his normally expressionless mask showing how much so. A single finger drummed against the outside of his thigh, tapping in rhythm with his pace. It was a habit he had picked up as a child; something he had read said it was called 'counting', a symptom caused by a compulsive disorder onset through highly stressful situations. In his musing, he had become careless.
He missed Sakura's prior implication.
His heartbeat quickened, causing his eyebrows to furrow in confusion. Twisting his neck, ponytail sweeping across his skin, his eyes widened. His lips parted in a silent gasp, air knocked from his lungs as if he had been struck. Itachi stood stock-still, unable to urge his legs to move, or his eyes to blink.
"Hello, son."
His father.
His dead father.
The father he had killed stood before him, a ghost of his old self quite literally. He didn't want to believe it, but how could he not? The tear troughs he saw every time he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, the onyx eyes of the Uchiha clan; they were looking at him. Sympathy and understanding radiated from his father, touching him and caressing his cheeks in paternal comfort. Though he did not know it, Itachi's legs began to stride towards the man he regretted murdering everyday of his life. His fingers intertwined with that man's outstretched hand of their own accord, and he did not notice the lack of warmth or substance they held.
All he knew was his father and his father's forgiveness.
"That's my boy."
The two Uchiha walked side-by-side, like they had done during Itachi's childhood. He could recall a particularly fond memory from when he was about four-years-old where they were in the same position, journeying home after a long day of training at the Konoha Police Force building. And then went another remembrance of when his father had clapped him on the shoulder with one of the soft expressions he very rarely used and congratulated him after graduating the Academy so early.
It was some time before his mind began to cloud, as if a fog was being cast over his conscious. He was supposed to remember something, find someone, go somewhere. But who? Suddenly, it felt like he weighed less than nothing, what he might have if not for all the heavy burdens he carried upon his shoulders. They were beginning to vanish, one by one. They didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered except for this frothy feeling, and lightheaded glee. His father was alive! That must have meant the coup d'état was never planned and he had never–
Abruptly, something snatched his free hand. Unclearly, he wondered where his cloak had gone, having been wearing it when they entered…this place. He glanced back and was nearly shocked to see glowing green eyes in the darkness. With a harsh tug, Itachi was yanked away from his father. Anger replaced his surprise as he was once again being separated from his family. He tried to pull away from her or grab a kunai from his pouch, but his body felt lucid and uncomfortable. The walls were spinning and the sound of his father's voice moaning "Why? Why? Why?" over and over made his head ache and ears feel like rupturing.
The green-eyed female gripped the sides of his face. Her hands were warm, so warm… "Look at me, Uchiha." His neck rolled, but he managed to find her eyes once more. "You're not lost. You have a purpose still, somebody you need to protect, yes?"
And he did. He did have someone like that. Sasuke. That was who. He needed to go and watch over him. He promised he would protect him not matter what. That's right. His father was dead. Dead. It must have been an illusion –or perhaps he was a lost soul like Sakura had explained?
There was a bright flash and he breathed in deeply, eyelids fluttering as they adjusted to the dim lighting. Shadows flickered against red-stained walls, cast by the hopping flames on the hanging torches upon them. Kisame stood off to the side, posture tense beneath red and black clouds. His black eyes feel upon Itachi and creased in what might have been relief, but for what exactly? The others were all in various positions in the hall he and Sakura had burst from. Leader-sama looked mildly agitated about something, but Itachi had long since given up hope of ever being able to understand him. Not even his extremely high IQ could break down the facets of Leader-sama's mind, but perhaps it was for the better that he did not know what lurked within its contours.
Itachi's eyes darted to their still tightly joined hands as she released him. Oddly, he found himself missing the warmth of her skin in bewilderment. Itachi had actually enjoyed her touch, bodily contact once having been at the top of his hate list.
Sakura walked several steps forward, unexpectedly pivoting on her heel to look back at all of them. Her striking pink hair swayed with the action, eyelashes a flurry of movement as her plump lips curved to one side. She spread her arms out wide, "Welcome to Hell, homines(5)."
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"You speak as if you have any say in what these humans do, Gabriel. Do not forget it is I who governs their ways. I am the one who gives them life and judges them once it is taken away. I am the one who keeps order. You have no influence over the Middle Dimension. Though you may have authority over me, I will never let you and your people near the innocent ever again."
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~ \ ~ Chapter Four End. ~ / ~
Speciosa- Literally translated from Latin to English, it means "beautiful one".
Vafer- Literally translated from Latin to English, it means "trickster".
Papilio- Literally translated from Latin to English, it means "butterfly".
Afterlife Vista- They're the places a soul can be sent to after they die. There are three different vistas: the Pit, the Garden, and Rebirth. Rebirth is when a soul gets put back into the lifecycle and placed into newborn children. The Garden is a peaceful sanctuary for the grandest heroes and kindest people. There is no temptation in this place because a soul has everything they could ever want there. It looks like a large oasis where the water allows a soul to feel completely and utterly satisfied. The Guardian Omega angels (There are two types of guardians angels: Guardian Omega and Guardian Alpha. Guardian Alphas are assigned to protect specific people in the Middle Dimension.) are assigned to watch over the is located in the Top Dimension. The pit is the opposite of the Garden. It is a fiery cauldron for the most diabolical fiends. It is a large canyon that is endless and constantly burning with hell-fire. Tencries are demons that make sure the fire stays burning strongly. They feed and get their power from the insane cries of the tortured that are continually burning there. It is located in the Bottom Dimension.
Homines- Literally translated from Latin to English, it means "humans".
A/N: Wow…it's been awhile, hasn't it? Sorry about that. So much was going on…I had midterms (again) and family coming over and….actually, someone stole my iPod, so…I was off in another angsty world wallowing in self-pity over that and unable to write. But I finally finished this chapter! It's a thousand words longer than normal…and I hope nobody is confused. PM if there is anything you don't understand! Or put it in your review! As always, I'm willing to explain anything! Also, the dialogue bits in between each POV change are relevant. They will come later in the story. Just thought I'd make that clear.
A special thanks to all who reviewed!
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Love. Love. Love.
Kiss. Kiss.
~Alice