Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
OMG, check out the fanart for this and the next chap! I have a lovely fan who is drawing me fanart for every chap XD Her name's Krystl and she's the shit, yo! Remember to take out the spaces and parenthesis.
http (:) // www . deviantart . com / deviation / 54762068 /
Here's another one by her which I soooo LOVE.
http (:) // www . deviantart . com / deviation / 54761409 /
Itachi and Hidan's friendship as children may seem too simple and silly, but think about it. They're KIDS. Everything in life is simple with them XD
Wow, this is gonna take up two chapters. And Itachi and Sasuke seem to go through the same changes in their pasts, showing you just how similar they really are.
19 years ago
The school bell that signaled the end of the day rang, students flying out of their classrooms as if they were on fire. The teachers followed behind the groups of children, having a meeting to attend in the auditorium. At the very end of the hallway, Itachi walked, his books neatly tucked under his arms, taking his sweet time to go home. His body seemed relaxed, but he had on an annoyed face as a little silver-haired boy hopped up to him.
"Hi, Weasal-san!" the fellow student crooned, excited. "Guess what I'm doin' after school? Guess! Guess!"
Itachi remained quiet, wanting nothing more than to ignore the other. It was a hopeless cause, though, since Hidan never went away, just continued babbling on about things and how he was going to take a bunch of flowers to his mom in the hospital. After ten minutes of non-stop jabbering, Itachi finally snapped and twisted around.
"Quit following me," the shorter boy growled. He looked up into confused amethyst eyes, then blinked slowly at the brightness of the other's sudden grin. He didn't understand why the boy couldn't take a damn hint! Ever since the hide-and-seek incident during recess, Hidan had been following the Uchiha around constantly, as if he were a lost puppy.
I've never seen him with anyone else... Maybe he doesn't have friends? Hn, who needs them, anyway, Itachi snorted to himself, turning his face away from the happy child and continuing his walk home. As they approached the part of the neighborhood that consisted of large mansions and expensive condos, Hidan looked around with obvious intrigue. His eyes seemed to bug out of his head as Itachi came to an abrupt halt in front of a huge, white mansion just beside a lake.
"Wow, this place is huge. I bet he has an indoor pool..." Hidan mumbled under his breath, but Itachi heard.
The raven was quite startled. Before he'd even started school, he'd been intent on going to a public one, where everyone was normal. He wanted to be a part of their lives, not a part of a private school where everyone were complete snobs. He'd had friends when he'd begun, but as he grew older, everyone around him began to realize how big of a deal it was to be around a rich kid. They wanted nothing to do with him, just because of how much money he had.
In a school where the population consisted mostly of the rich, it wouldn't have been a problem... but Itachi was a rich boy in a place full of the middle class. He was an outcast and no one liked him because he had what they wanted. Money.
Now, Hidan didn't even care about the home he lived in or how much money he had.
"You're not like them," Itachi said softly, as if realizing something. "You're not like them at all."
The other fourth grader puckered his lips, confused. "What're you talking about, Weasal-san?"
Itachi suddenly smiled, just a tiny upturn of his lips, and typed in a code on the iron gate seperating him from his front yard. Pulling his school books to his chest, he looked at Hidan, the other's reflection in his dark eyes. "Do you... want to come in? I don't usually bring friends over... so I'm sure Okasan will be alright with it."
Blinking, Hidan grinned. "Uchiha Itachi is inviting me into his house? Awesome! I can't wait to tell Mom about this!" he laughed and skipped down the cobblestone path that led to the front doors of the mansion. Itachi yanked him back by the collar and glared, saying something about him leading the way. "I thought you didn't like me," Hidan started once again. "What with the way you were ignoring me. But I guess I was wrong, huh?" his laugh was loud and obnoxious, but for some reason, it didn't bother Itachi that much.
Opening the front door, Itachi let Hidan go in front, then called out into the spacious home. "Okasan! Tadaima!"
There was a clinking of glasses, a soft laugh, then a woman came out from one of the many halls, her stomach bulging out in the late months of pregnancy. She placed a pale hand on her tummy and smiled to both boys, a cup of water in her other hand.
"Okaeri, Itachi-chan," she welcomed her son warmly. "Who's your friend?" she lifted up the hand on her stomach and waved to the new child.
"Oh, um," Hidan blushed, having never met such a pretty mother (other than his own) before. "My name's Shungiku Hidan..." he became shy, fiddling with his fingers.
Itachi's mother laughed cheerfully and motioned them toward the kitchen. "It's nice to meet you, Hidan. Why don't you two make yourselves comfortable at the kitchen table? I'm almost done with dinner."
"Arigato, Okasan," the weasal led his 'friend' to the kitchen and took him to the table in the dining room right next door. He took his own spot and told Hidan to sit next to him, that no one was allowed to sit at the very end chair since it was his father's.
"Is your dad here?"
"No, he's hardly ever home. He goes on business trips a lot," Itachi answered honestly, not really bothered by it. "Right now, he's in France."
"Oh..." Hidan looked around, then spotted the clock. "I can't stay for long, I have to go pick up flowers. I promised my mom I'd buy her a bunch of white roses. Those are her favorites," he grinned, definitely a mama's boy.
Itachi nodded, crossing his hands on his lap. He loved his mother very much too. To him, she was his world, since his father was never really home. His mom, Mikoto, always took him to the park, the beach, to the store for new clothes and the occassional toy, since Itachi was more mature than other children his age.
"Why is she in the hospital?" he asked, curious.
Hidan bounced around in his seat, the scent of a delicious meal invading his senses and driving him nuts. He was starving and wanted food! He'd eat, say thanks, then be on his way to the flower shop. "Mom wouldn't tell me much, so I don't really know... But it can't be too bad," he grinned and practically drooled on the tablecloth when Mikoto brought in a yummy looking potroast, a Western meal.
xXxXx
Stepping into the hospital room, Hidan clutched the bundle of roses to his chest, grinning from ear to ear. He couldn't wait to see the look on his mother's face when he held out the beautiful white flowers for her. Stepping forward, he heard whispers from inside of the curtain surrounding his mom's bed and furrowed his brows.
"Mom?"
The curtains shifted and a small, chubby nurse stepped out, her curly, orange hair brushing against her shoulder blades. She looked startled and sad, her lips in a tight, thin line as she saw Hidan. "Hidan-kun..." she turned to look back at the hidden hospital bed. There were a few more voices, then two male doctors stepped out, wearing white mouth masks and gloves.
Swallowing, Hidan's body shook. The doctors never wore those things when they visited the room... He only ever saw them when they were doing surgery or getting rid of a ... body...
"I want to see Mom," his voice was childish, yet full of raw feelings. He stepped toward them, fingers tightening around the wrapped flower stems.
"Hidan-kun--"
"I want to see Mom, now!" he shouted, running past them and shoving himself into the small area around the bed. He wanted to see his beautiful mother, wanted to see the smile she gave him every time he visited. But instead, he was met with a frail woman who had a pale complexion, her eyes closed, lips blue. His body froze.
"She died during the night. I'm very sorry," one of the doctor's said sadly, moving forward and resting a hand on the child's shoulder.
"B-but how? She was just here..."
Dropping the flowers, Hidan cried, his heart aching in his chest, the flowers seemingly wilting by his feet.
xXxXx
The rest of the week, Itachi had noticed his "friend's" absence and at first, had brushed it off as Hidan just being sick. There was a flu going around and he thougt that maybe the other boy had caught it, but then Monday rolled around and Hidan came back, not giving the teacher the excuse of being sick, but that his mother had died.
Itachi looked to his side when Hidan sat next to him during lunch, the silver-haired child eating his bento box quietly. There was no real expression on his face as he munched on an octopus ball, and for some reason, that annoyed the raven. He'd wanted to make friends with Hidan because he was completely different from all of the other students, and because he was always so happy and cheerful, something Itachi envied very much. But now Hidan was so sad and it bothered the Uchiha, as much as it upset him.
But even though he was a little upset, Itachi didn't say anything.
The taller students spared a glance and their eyes met.
"You don't have to talk about it," Itachi said honestly, and Hidan smiled brightly.
That was when their friendship began to blossom.
xXxXx
Three months later, Uchiha Sasuke was born. The newborn baby had a little crown of dusty hair atop his head, his chubby fingers wriggling around as his lungs using all of their strength to louden his cries. He squirmed around in Mikoto's arms, his toothless mouth wide open as he wailed, hungry.
Smiling tiredly, she brushed her fingers over his small arms and beckoned for her eldest son and his best friend to come forward, so they could take a peek at the whining baby. Itachi and Hidan scrambled to the bed, their eyes full of curiousity. The little raven-haired boy reached out and touched the clutching hand of his baby brother and suddenly, he felt warmth fill him, a smile gracing his usually unmoving lips.
Hidan stared at the baby, not the least bit fazed to see it suckling on Mikoto's breast. He saw it all the time on television, reminding himself that his beautiful mother used to do the same for him when he was brought into the world. He then smiled and whispered a 'hello'. Nudging Itachi's shoulder, he said:
"You're a big brother, Weasal-san."
Itachi watched Sasuke whimper as he drank from his mother, his tiny hands closing and opening, palms brushing against the towel wrapped around himself.
xXxXx
13 years ago
Itachi pressed the pair of glasses up the bridge of his nose, his school uniform baggy on his scrawny frame. He'd grown into an akward stage of life during the past few years, and now as a freshman in high, he was tall (still shorter than Hidan), lanky, and well... nerdy. He was still cute... in a dorky kind of way.
Looking at himself in the long mirror placed by his bedroom door, he tightened his belt and glared at his messy, long hair. He'd brushed it a million times, but it kept it's annoying, wavy style. On his king-size bed, Hidan swung his legs onto the floor and leaned back, staring up at the cracked ceiling, his slicked-back hair tickling the nape of his neck.
Unlike Itachi, Hidan had grown beautifully. He had good muscles, soft skin, a handsome face, shining eyes, a youthful personality, and popularity. He scratched behind his ear and yawned, glancing over at the picture of him and Itachi at summercamp. Ah, such memories. He could never forget beating up that bunch of bastards for picking on his best friend and calling him a fag.
"Are you done yet?" he whined. "We're gonna be late!"
Adjusting his tie, Itachi turned and grabbed his books off of the bed. "Let's go," he said, angry that no matter what he did, he'd be stuck with his homely looks. Just like their childhood, he was extremely jealous of his best friend. But despite his jealousy, he'd never get angry with Hidan just because he was born with better looks. The other boy couldn't help it.
Hidan hopped off the bouncy mattress and followed behind Itachi, a small backpack hanging over his shoulder. He blew on the back of the raven's neck and pointed to down at the bottom of the steps. A little Sasuke ran by, his healthy mother chasing after him with a loving smile on her face. She managed to grab him under the armpits and lifted him up, laughing along with her little boy. She turned and saw both Hidan and Itachi walking downstairs.
"Look who it is, Sasuke-chan, it's your aniki," she walked forward and gave Itachi a kiss on the cheek before handing Sasuke to him. Itachi took him without resistance, placing the little raven on his shoulders and heading to the kitchen to grab his breakfast-to-go.
"G'morning, Miko-chan!" Hidan hugged the woman affectionately and skipped into the kitchen to grab Itachi's piece of toast, putting it between his lips with a grin when the raven narrowed his dark eyes. "You snooze, you lose, Weasal-san!"
"Aniki," the six-year old boy began. "Shisui-kun is coming over tomorrow for your birthday on Saturday. He said he has a really big surprise for you!"
Itachi groaned. Their cousin, Uchiha Shisui, was a strange boy who came up with the weirdest ideas sometimes. The last time he'd visited, frogs had ended up swarming the entire house and the basement had been flooded with snake-infested waters.
"I don't want any surprises from that fool," he sneered, yanking his piece of toast from Hidan's lips and biting into it. "Come on, Hidan, let's go," putting Sasuke down, he poked his forehead.
"Hai!" Hidan saluted. "See ya, Sasu-chan! Miko-chan!" then they both left, Itachi mumbling something about chemistry homework.
xXxXx
Inside of the second floor bathroom, Hidan lifted a cigarette to his lips and laughed at Itachi, who was desperately trying to fix his hair in the mirror with water. Breathing out a puff of smoke, he jumped off of the sturdy, white sink and patted his friend on the shoulder. "You need serious help," was all he said before his hand was slapped away.
The weasal glared at him and snarled, but it only looked funny with his large glasses and loose clothes. "Some people aren't born with good looks, unlike you," he growled, rubbing water on his face to get rid of the sweat from gym class. "I'd like to be handsome and have a boyfriend like you--"
"Ah, I broke up with Kousaka," Hidan grinned impishly. "He's not as tight as he used to be, so I tossed him aside."
Itachi screwed his face up in both disgust and envy. "I also wish I could be handsome enough to just bring in lovers, then just toss them aside if I became sick of them..."
Hidan burnt his cigarette out on the side of the sink and tossed it into the trashcan, crossing his arms. "You're cute, Weasal-san, you just have to change your style. If you did... hell, I'd fuck you."
The raven growled once again and Hidan laughed nervously, scratching the nape of his neck. "I mean... just kidding! Hah...hah-hah... ehhh," he trailed off, frowning. "Have a sense of humor!"
"That was a lousy joke," Itachi snorted and gave up on trying to save his hair, instead, choosing to lean against one of the bathroom stalls with a sigh.
"You really don't like how you look..." Hidan blinked, having never thought his friend's hate for his looks would've gotten so bad. "You know, I like how you look, Itachi..." it was the first time in years that Hidan had been serious and called Itachi by his name.
"But you wouldn't fuck me," the raven grounded out, having never really used foul language before.
Hidan remained silent, Does he really... hate himself that much? I never thought he'd get this bad.
Itachi just sighed in frustration and rubbed the tense muscles in his neck, before walking past Hidan and leaving the restroom.
xXxXx
"Shisui."
"Itachi."
The two cousins gave each other what would seem like a friendly hug, then Shisui (a boy with light brown hair and hazel eyes) grabbed Itachi's hand and yanked him off into the bathroom, where he shrugged off his shoulder bag and sat it on the counter. Itachi tugged his hand away and watched in both fascination and horror, Shisui sitting various bottles of shampoos and conditioners, hair straighteners, perfumes, lotions, make-up kits, and other small trinkets on the bathroom counter.
"I'm going to doll you up," the male smirked like the devil himself, lifting up a set of black contacts.
An entire two hours went by before Mikoto came home from work, Sasuke with her, playing with one of his toy airplanes. He climbed up the stairs and as he ran to his room, Itachi and Shisui emerged from the bathroom, the weasal wearing a blindfold. He stumbled a bit, but regained his balance on the doorframe.
"Aniki?" Sasuke blinked large, obsidian eyes.
"Otouto, what do I look like?"
The smaller Uchiha furrowed his brows, then tilted his head to the side. "Really different... but you're pretty, Aniki!" he exclaimed with a big smile.
At that moment, Itachi shoved his cousin to the side and yanked the blindfold from his eyes, running back into the bathroom, eyes wide at his reflection. There were no more blemishes or pimples on his face, hidden underneath a thin, but perfect layer of blush; his clothes consisted of a pair of low-riding baggy blue pajama pants and a tight black, sleeveless top; his hair was perfectly straight and smooth, down to mid-back; and his lips were glossed.
He looked...
"Stunning, I know," Shisui grinned. "I'm good with these kinds of things. My best friend's a drag queen, you know? I have to help him get ready for dates every now and then."
Itachi ran his fingers through his tangle-free hair, noticing that his nails were a light purple. He smiled at his reflection and his self-esteem was raised a few notches. He didn't feel so inferior anymore. Years of going to school with kids who hated him because of his money, then hated him because he was homely, had brought his self-esteem to a dangerously low level. He didn't show it, but he'd hated himself. Hidan had been the only person keeping him from breaking down.
"Just wash your face off and climb into bed, your hair will stay just as straight for the next three days. Your birthday's tomorrow, and I'm sure you'll want to show your new look off. Believe me, you'll have men on their knees begging to touch you."
Itachi kept himself from blushing and slowly turned the faucet on, letting water pool in his hands. He then rubbed his soaked palms over his face, drops of water dripping down his chin. Lifting his head, he looked at himself in the mirror.
He was a new person... completely new man...
And for some reason, as happy as he was, he was worried Hidan wouldn't like the change...
Ok, end of part one... yeah I had to split it into two diff parts XD It would've been too long if I hadn't.
Reviews would be appreciated! Lova ya, dolls!