Jashin's Child
Chapter 4: Hunter
Warnings for this chapter: None. Not even one.
Dedication: This is once again for my wonderful reviewers HeartsNaruto, Itachis-Only, New account sign up taken name and jisko2ijsko. Thank you for your support :)
A/N: Hello everyone, it's me Todesan and I bring you, my dear readers, another cliffhanger! Yes Tode did it again! But don't worry, it's not as 'spectacular' as the previous cliffies were ^^; Anyways: I hope you'll like this chapter and that New account sign up taken name won't beat me with those baby bunnies because of the wait… D:
Oh and sorry for the crappy fight scene I really fail at those :(
Disclaimer: Does Masashi Kishimoto look like a hamburger? No. Do I look like a hamburger? No. But we're still not the same person, if that makes any sense…
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Hidan's POV:
I lay on a pile of skins, my sleeping place, and fiddled with the blades of my weapon, a three bladed blood red scythe. The crimson colored steel was sharp and once in a while my pale skin would catch on the sharp edges and a small red cut would appear, blood slowly welting in the wound, but I barely registered the pain, my head far away. The man that had attacked me earlier that day was occupying my thoughts.
Those green eyes surrounded by a red sclera wouldn't leave my mind, no matter how hard I tried to think of other, better, things. No imaginary slaughter of heathens could repress the memory, the feeling they awoke in me. Curiosity. Something I hadn't felt in ages.
Living in this cave for more than three hundred years kind of dulled the will to discover new things. The long tunnels and pitch black lake would never change, my limited space of living my prison. The loneliness sometimes became unbearable and I was sure, piece by piece, I was losing my mind, lost my mind. And he, that hunter, probably did as well…
Why he didn't kill me? It was a mystery to me. Had I been in his position I wouldn't have hesitated, wouldn't have stopped, I was sure of that. No feeling, no fear, was strong enough to lessen my thirst for unworthy blood. My longing for screams and death would never quell, the draw murder had on my black soul too strong to resist, the fascination with the human body. And one day I would find out why they could die.
I had always wondered, what caused muscles and organs, a body, to cease functioning. Why did human lives end while mine didn't? Not that I wanted to die, having to fulfill this quest for my lord and father Jashin I couldn't leave this world before my time, the failure would weight too much for me to bear.
I got up from my huddled position on my sleeping place to walk over to the lake and sit down next to it. I looked at the water's surface, hoping to finally see myself, but the only thing that greeted my gaze was darkness. Once I had tried to look upon my reflection in my scythe, but the steel had been too dull to show anything. Wondering what I looked like, those green seas once again came to mind.
The lake once again caught my attention, the day I first lay eyes upon it played out clearly before my inner eye. The wonder I had felt, the clumsiness as I tried to use my then small limbs. A child, barely four years old, I had been, only having seen my room in Jashin-sama's realm before that moment. The endless pool had been so alluring I just had had to touch it.
Just like back then I reached out with one hand, the tip of my forefinger gently making contact with the water's surface, causing ripples to form. Watching the small waves, I remembered what had happened then. How my whole hand had surmised in that strange new liquid, the cold licking at the flesh, not unpleasant, but calming. Later I had found out that the lake could be used to get rid of the grime and dirt that was on my skin at the end of each day.
Slowly starting to circle my hand, I watched the disturbances I caused on the water's surface, it reminding me of life and death again. At the beginning the ripples were big and strong, that strength being caused by the one who touched the surface. On their way they would become smaller and flatter, lose energy, until they vanished. Died. Disappeared to be forgotten and never be remembered again.
A song began to quietly spew from my lips, the ancient words spilling forth without me really having to think. The words told of Jashin-sama's lost love, my mother, who left the worlds we know not long before her youngest son's first birthday. My birthday.
It was proof to Jashin-sama's eternal pain and his devotion to the woman none had ever seen or heard about again after her disappearance.
Suddenly a quiet crack brought me from my musings and I went rigid. Something was behind me, a powerful being. Slowly, alert for any attack sent my way, I turned around. And there he was. The green eyed sword wielder who had tried to kill me.
My heartbeat sped up, the breath catching in my throat. A strange sensation, like hundreds of little bugs, settled in my stomach, a shiver running down my back. What was this feeling? Fear? That couldn't be it. Although that beautiful katana he had could kill me, end my eternal life, I knew he wouldn't draw my last breath.
My limbs acted on their own as I got up, my legs taking step by step, bringing me closer to the mysterious man who had invaded my home. Our gazes were locked, impossible to look at anything else. That poisonous green sucked me in, captivated me. I knew I couldn't hurt him. The answer to the why, though, would not come. It was a feeling, like his death would cause a catastrophe. And being a god's child I should trust my feelings, especially those of dread.
Finally standing directly in front of him, the sudden wish to touch arose. To remove that dark blue mask he wore and uncover the lower half of his face. I wanted to know what he looked like. Really looked like. That he was hiding, the mystery his being seemed to be surrounded by, I wanted to clear the fog, see the truth. And for the first time in many years I felt curiosity.
"Who are you?"
The words left my mouth before I could control them and for a moment I was afraid that he would attack me. The slight narrowing of his eyes had me on the edge for a split second, but then he relaxed again. For a while he seemed to ponder the significance of my question, if it was safe to tell me his identity, before he answered.
"Kakuzu."
A smirk curved my lips and a bubbly feeling of happiness settled in my stomach. He told me his name! It was the first time someone told me their name on their own free will actually. My parents' and siblings' I already knew and victims usually didn't tell their torturer their name unless forced to. At least I wouldn't.
"I'm Hidan, Jashin-sama's youngest child."
Speaking those words I nearly boasted of pride. Not everyone was the great lord's kid. His wife only gave birth to eight of his offspring, out of which five already died, all killed by holy weapons. Why he still sent us out I didn't know, but it most likely was the decreasing number of followers who brought the blood sacrifices he needed to not fade into nothingness.
A loud crack echoing throughout the cave brought me from my musings and my gaze flew to the noise's origin. A tall man, face as pale as his hair, stood at the entrance to one of the many tunnels leading from the cave I lived in, his visage expressionless. Two red dots were tattooed onto his forehead, just above the eyebrows, and his bangs were held in two lose pony tails that hung on the sides of his face. His green eyes spoke of determination, the red lines tattooed underneath them giving him a grim appearance.
A light pink scarf was wrapped around his neck, a small red note sewn into the right corner of one end. His torso was clad in a sleeveless black shirt, the bottom part hidden by rose colored, form fitting, hardened leather, on his right upper arm a red band. Lose purple pants hugged his legs, pink plates protecting his shins and forearms and black shoes his feet. Wrapped around his waist was a magenta colored rope, which was tied in a ribbon on his lower back and clutched in his hands was an ivory colored whip, its end adorned by bone colored thorns.
"A royal hunter…" Kakuzu hissed, his eyes narrowed in displeasure and something akin to hate.
"A what?" I asked, but wasn't awarded with an answer as the black clad man already charged, quickly drawn katana held tightly with both hands.
Bringing the whip's hardened rope up the stranger avoided being cut in half and retailed by performing a low sweeping motion. The darker of the two jumped back, raising his dangerous blade again. He stood motionless, waiting for his white haired opponent to attack, but the latter seemed to be doing the same thing. They circled around each other like sharks, studying each other's movements, trying to find a weakness.
"I'm not here for you, but for that monster over there." The royal hunter said, with his hand indicating in my direction, "So why don't you just let me through?"
My eyes widened. Would Kakuzu let him have me? Attack a defenseless man? And then either kill me, if he had the legendary whip, which I doubted, but one couldn't be too sure, or cut me into tiny pieces and bring me wherever he came from.
Some time ago, about a hundred years, some humans had attempted to capture me and then experiment on my body in order to find the secret to immortality. But I had killed them all, none having been experienced fighters. At least not experienced enough to take me down. But this guy, I could see it in the way he acted, the way he moved, that he could easily overpower me. He was, at least, at a match for Kakuzu, who had had me lying in the dirt within a few minutes.
The dark clothed man surprised me by shaking his head.
"Humans should not play with fires they can't control." he said, his expression not visible as his back was turned to me while he spoke those words.
The royal hunter's eyes narrowed, his mouth a firm line. It was almost as if he regretted having to kill someone that wasn't on his hit list. Didn't like senselessly taking lives, but had no other option.
The white haired man's hand twitched, tongue flicking across his lips, and seconds later he attacked, the whip flying through the air and Kakuzu had to jump back to avoid the attack. When his feet touched the ground he immediately jumped forwards again, attempting to hit his opponent with a low cut and when the attack was avoided the dark clothed rammed his elbows into the other's stomach. The leather he wore prevented the worst of the damage, but still it seemed to hurt, his expression one of pain.
Using his adversary's distraction and surprise Kakuzu once again charged at him with his katana. The white haired man could jump back just in time, the steel blade cutting across his cheek and leaving a red, bleeding cut.
Hissing the white haired once again swung his weapon, the black clothed barely avoiding the attack by letting himself fall to the floor. Kakuzu rolled to the side as the whip whirled through the air again, hitting the floor where he had been moments ago. With a swift kick he got up, taking his opponents feet from beneath him.
Having seen enough, knowing that their strength was equaled, I hurried over to my own weapon, grabbing the blood red scythe and charging at the royal hunter. As he concentrated on Kakuzu and only saw me last minute the curved blades just barely missed.
The white haired jumped back, out of range from both his opponents and, with a snarl, disappeared.
Kakuzu and my eyes met and once again I seemed to drown in the poisonous green, the depth sucking me in. Strange and unknown emotions filled my soul, breath once again catching in my throat. What was it that always made my heart speed up whenever I looked at him, met that intense gaze with mine?
With a loud clatter the scythe fell to the floor, barely registered by my ears, my arm lifting on its own accord. My fingers reached out, wanting to touch, to pull off that annoying mask and reveal the face of the one who caused the inner turmoil I felt. But before it could even come close to its destination a huge explosion shook the cave.
The ground shook, rubble falling from the ceiling and I raised my arms to protect my head. A loud rumbling could be heard coming from the direction of the cave's entrance, heavy rocks falling, causing loud noises, like thunder resonating throughout my home during stormy summer nights. The roaring of an angry beast unleashed, a bear moments before his attack. And then all was quiet.
Quietly, curiously, I began walking where the turmoil had come from, vaguely feeling Kakuzu following, as I strolled down the long tunnels, knowing exactly where to turn. Dread settled in the pit of my stomach as if I'd swallowed a whole bucket of lead. Somehow I knew what had happened, knew what the royal hunter had attempted, and managed, to cause by the explosion.
I shook slightly, my brain not wanting to wrap around the almost unavoidable truth, and my breathing came fast, hot irregular puffs of air. But when I reached there was no denying anymore…
…piles and piles of heavy stones blocking the way outside…
…my prison became real.
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Word count: 2.271
I know it's shorter than I promised… but I had that huge paragraph of notes about what will happen in it and then… it turned out most of it was descriptions of feelings *facepalm* And those fight scenes I plan then 'perfectly'… [the only thing standing in my notes is fight and nothing else…]
Anyways: I hope you liked this chapter and are not too angry at my huge authors notes *talkative person*. Next chapter will either be shorter or about the same length (except if I have an idea which will make it longer).
See you next time! *hands over pieces of the chocolate cake I just made yesterday and your favorite kind of soft drink* (yes I like baking cake :P)
~Todasan