Chapter 35: I Think We're Alone Now

Hidan pulled open Mei's mouth in an instant. He stuck one finger in just to try and find where the blood could be coming from. It didn't take him long to feel something sharp sticking out from her gum. He tugged on it and, ignoring Mei's screams and more of the blood, pulled out a piece of glass the size of a nickel. She didn't stop screaming as more blood just continued to flow. Hidan was beginning to panic. What if she drowned in her own blood?

"HELP!" He yelled.

The first ones to rush over were unfortunately Zetsu and Tobi, neither of which knew anything about what to do in this situation. Hidan just flicked them off as he picked Mei up, held her on her stomach, and let the rest of the blood pour out of her mouth. He was desperately hoping there was no more glass. He was sure that there was nothing he could do if she swallowed a piece.

After a few minutes it seemed as if the blood flow was decreasing. Hidan took Mei to the bathroom and washed her mouth out well. She cough a lot and her face was tear-stained as Hidan held her up and took a long look at her. She stared back at him, frowning. After a minute she coughed once more as she made a little gurgling sound.

"Is she ok?" Konan asked tentatively.

Hidan jumped a bit and turned around to see almost everyone staring at him and Mei nervously. Tobi and Deidara were bouncing on the balls of their feet while Sasori and Kisame just scowled nervously, a bit unsure as to what they could do.

Hidan held Mei close to him then whispered angrily,

"I need to see Kakuzu."

Konan nodded and glanced towards Pain who blinked once in confirmation. Hidan stood, his legs wobbling a little from his earlier panic over his daughter. A headache pounded in the front of his brain. No one said anything until Zetsu smirked and growled,

"If you really wanna see that piece of shit husband of yours... then we'll make it happen."

The others nodded in agreement. Hidan flashed his signature cocky smile, Mei instantly copying it and giggling in his arms. Pain stepped forward looking determined.

"So here's the plan..."


"Karin, Suigetsu, Deidara, and Tobi; you all are going to watch Mei."

"Why us?" Suigetsu growled at Kisame.

Kisame avoided his gaze as he replied,

"Because none of you good for anything besides being annoying. And no one likes you."

Tobi gasped. "Is that true? But- but- Tobi is a good-"

"Shut UP, un!" Deidara rolled his eyes as Hidan handed a squirming Mei to him. Mei instantly grabbed onto blonde bangs and pulled fiercely.

Hidan glanced at Karin for a moment and noticed she looked a bit pale.

"You ok?" He asked.

"I just haven't been feeling very well lately." She replied.

Suigetsu's brow twitched and he stared in the opposite direction of them.

"Just don't get Mei sick." Hidan warned.

"Yeah, yeah." she waved him off and grabbed Mei from Tobi and Deidara who were fighting over her. As soon as Kisame and Hidan left Suigetsu sidled over to Karin.

"How come you're sick?"

"Get me some water if you're just standing there." She ignored his question and her tone was harsh as she gave her command.

He rolled his eyes yet still went and got her a glass. He gulped his own water as he handed it to her and she raised an eyebrow.

"You've been drinking more water than usual." she stated.

"So?" he asked. "I'm thirsty."

"Whatever. I think it's got something to do with your Kisame thing."

"W-what does that shark-face have to do with anything?!" he stammered.

She stared at him for a long time, her eyes narrowed in concentration. Finally she flipped her hair back and smirked.

"I think i've got it. I know why you're acting so weird around him."

Suigetsu just rolled his eyes at her again. "Yeah right. You'd never be able to guess..."

"He's your dad, isn't he?"

There was a loud crash as Suigetsu's glass broke into tiny pieces against the floor. Deidara and Tobi stopped their quarreling to glance their way. Karin's face didn't change as Suigetsu's eyes widened and he began shaking. No one uttered a word as they waited for Suigetsu to explode.

Suddenly the silence was broken by Mei's giggling as she stared down at the glass on the floor, reaching out her hands towards it with glee. Her eyes looked the color of clear white as Karin turned her around and stared at her with one raised eyebrow.

"How come you like glass so much? You're gonna kill yourself one of these days but don't you dare do it on my watch! Hidan wold kill me and you know it!"

She stood up and walked out of the room after ordering,

"Tobi, clean that up and stop bothering Deidara."

Suigetsu dropped onto the couch. He was still shaking a little because of what Karin had said. How could she know? What would she do with that information? Did she hate him enough to spread it?


"Should we do this the easy way, or the hard way?" Kisame asked with a smirk as they stood in front of the therapy room door.

"Hard is always better." Sasori muttered with an equally determined smirk.

Hidan just nodded, his gaze completely focussed on the door. This was it, he wouldn't let Kakuzu get away anymore. Hidan took a deep breath and started thinking about what he would say when he finally got to yell at Kakuzu. He smirked as he pictured himself screaming his frustrations at Kakuzu and the bastard not having anything to say for himself! Hidan chuckled a bit as the door handle creaked on the other side.

"Ready?" Pain asked as they all tensed, preparing for the door to open.

The second Sono stepped out of the room someone covered his eyes and his mouth. He couldn't make a sound as they dragged him down the hallway silently. He didn't panic though. It would only be moments before the guards saw that he was in trouble and came to find him. It wasn't as if he really worried about what happened to himself anyways.

The door was left swinging on it's hinges as the others ran and disappeared around the corner. Hidan took a deep breath and stepped through the opening. He closed the door after him and locked it. He turned around with his eyes closed then slowly opened then, the fluorescent lights burning his eyes.

He was momentarily blinded, not by the lights, but by something else. The smell. The entire room he had just entered smelled exactly like Kakuzu. He hadn't realized until now exactly how important that smell was to him. It was a minty scent, like spearmint, and it was very sanitary, like a doctors office. Kakuzu had been inhabiting this room so much it was absolutely soaked into air. Hidan shivered as he inhaled deeply, trying to get as much of the intense smell as he unless he was forced to be away from it for too long. His mind was in complete calm, that is, until Kakuzu's voice broke it,

"Hidan?"

Hidan forced his eyes open and saw Kakuzu sitting on a white bed on the far side of the room. It was the same place that he'd always seen Kakuzu sitting when he'd been waiting outside the door. This time though, Kakuzu was sitting on the white mattress with his arm sliced open, a deep looking wound was embedded in the area right above his wrist. Hidan's eyes widened as he backed up against the door.

"K- Kakuzu what the HELL!? What the fuck did you do?"

"It's nothing." Kakuzu muttered scowling, "What are you doing here?"

Hidan's face went from surprise to anger in a flash. Kakuzu almost missed it if not for Hidan rushing across the room and nearly tripping. He stood up clumsily as Kakuzu simply watching him with wary eyes. He glanced at the door every few seconds, hoping that Sono or a guard would return and remove Hidan from his sights. When no one came and Hidan simply got closer to him he began to panic.

He completely forgot about his arm until Hidan shouted,

"Why are you acting like there isn't a giant Jashin damn hole in your arm!?!"

"Huh?" Kakuzu asked, then glanced down and remembered. "Oh yeah."

He began sowing it up swiftly right before Hidan's eyes.

"Just had it open for a little experiment."

"AN EXPERIMENT!? WHAT KIND OF EXPERIMENTS MAKE YOU CUT YOUR ARM OPEN!?"

Kakuzu sighed. "I used to do it all the time. It's no big deal. It's how I got all the scars."

"It's fucking stupid is what it is!!!"

"Hidan, I believe I have told you this before but... Shut up."

"NO! I'm not gonna fucking shut up until you at least tell me why the hell you even need this messed up tests and experiments done to you!!! You look fine! What's your damn problem?"

"Leave Hidan." Kakuzu ordered quietly. "I'm not telling you anything. If I wanted you to know, I would have told you already."

At his words the color drained from Hidan's face. He glared for a minute as if trying to find something to say. Finally he looked down and muttered,

"Fine. I guess you don't want to see your daughter or me any more. It's fine. We can take care of ourselves. Not like she swallowed a piece of glass today or anything."

"What?" Kakuzu asked in a worried tone. "Is she ok?"

"Maybe I just won't tell you." Hidan replied, his eyes glinting.

Kakuzu looked down, his breathing coming faster and faster as he thought about the possibilities. He glanced at Hidan, who was smirking, and noticed no tell tale signs of worry or grief. He calmed down. Hidan would be upset if Mei was actually in trouble.

"Is that what you came to tell me? That Mei swallowed glass but you saved her? I'm glad you can do something without my help."

Hidan faltered. His confidence diminished at being struck down from his blackmail platform. He glared, his anger returning.

"There was blood everywhere! I didn't even know what to do! What if she had died? You don't even know what she looks like now! She's got all her teeth, her hair is longer, and her eyes are still changing colors, but you wouldn't know what color they are now! She's gonna grow up without you, or maybe even die because I won't be able to save her next time! You are a fucking horrible father and a dick!"

He was breathing hard after his rant and his chest, still visible because Hidan refused to zip up his jumpsuit, was rising and falling in quick session. Kakuzu let his eyes wander down to this pale, soft chest. He noticed the small burn he had made and felt a yearning for Hidan; to hold him in his arms, to make him cry throughout the night, to never let him go, to rip his heart out and have it forev- NO! He shook himself and stood up violently.

Hidan jumped at Kakuzu's sudden action. He watched Kakuzu pace around to the complete opposite side of the room and sit down on a chair. He let his head drop into his hands as he murmured,

"Leave Hidan. I'm doing all this for you and Mei, I promise."

Hidan ran over and knelt down in front of Kakuzu. Kakuzu groaned and looked the other direction. Hidan growled in fury,

"How can you lie like that you piece of shit? You aren't doing it for me and Mei! If you want to do something for us then just come back! Get your ass out of this retarded room and sleep with me again dammit! I miss you!"

Such sentimental words cut deeper into Kakuzu's fear. Fear that one day Hidan wouldn't want him anymore, or would get bored of him and cheat, or that someone else would take Hidan's heart away from him. No! He wouldn't let that happen. If there was one thing e would never do, it would be allowing himself to lose Hidan's heart.

He needed to be sure, 100% positive that there was no chance in hell Hidan could abandon him in any way. He needed proof, solid, living, breathing proof. He needed it. He needed to see it. He needed to feel it. Hidan's heart, and therefor, Hidan's love for him. He needed it.

He glanced to his right. There was a small scalpel sitting right there, on a side table. It was already covered in blood, his blood, from when he had cut his arm open earlier.

It all clicked together in his mind. There was the knife, there was Hidan, and here he was. He needed it. He would have it.


SORRY SORRY SORRY!! I'm sorry it took me so long for this chapter! GOD DAMN have I been distracted! GAH! ok, hopefully the next chapter will be posted sooner!

I love you all, especially reviewers, as always!

KeikoPanda102