Resurected

Hidan sighed for the hundredth time that morning and wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his sleeve. The duo had left Dr. Yin’s compound nearly two weeks previous and had been on one long relentless march back towards the Land of Fire ever since. While they were rapidly nearing the first of their targets, the immortal had to admit that he was growing tired of sleeping with the mosquitos at night and toiling under the hot summer sun during the day. It didn’t help that the path they chose to follow was near desolate meaning that Hidan couldn’t offer as many sacrifices to Jashin as he would have liked. To say that this had him on edge would have been an understatement. Still, he remained silent.

It had dawned on the zealot over a week ago that his partner had no reason to keep him around anymore. They were neither bound by oath to an organization nor did Kakuzu have any obligation to stay by Hidan’s side. The older man making it very clear that he owed the immortal nothing and that his actions when deciding to bring Kakuzu back to life were his own. So, he thought it best to leave the man be for the time being. Though, if the immortal were being honest, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could last. This endless tongue biting was going to make him officially lose his mind, so it came as a great relief when Kakazu turned around and finally broke the silence. “What’s wrong with you?” He asked at last.

“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re quiet…”

“You know something?! You’re impossible.” Hidan grated. When his partner didn’t answer he continued. “I mean you get pissy whenever I open my mouth and now, you’re giving me shit cause I’m too quiet?”

“I’m not giving you shit…I asked a question.”

“Here I was just thinking I’d let you enjoy some silence. Ungrateful bastard…”

“Hmm.” Kakuzu turned back around and resumed walking.

“Hmm? Is that all you have to say?” Realizing that his partner was ignoring him, the immortal took a couple of large strides until he was next to the older man and pouted. “Oi! Are you ignoring me now? Kakazu-chan?!”

“Shut up…I’m enjoying the silence.” Kakuzu said, a small smirk forming under the fabric covering his face.

“Ch.” Some distance ahead, the top of an old desolate complex weathered by wind and rain appeared beyond the tree line. Time had eroded its sandy walls which were pocked and crumbling. Half of the building lay destroyed, having gave way beneath its own weight many years ago, with not but rubble covered by hardy grass and weeds remaining. The other half stood tall and erect, if not leaning at an awkward angle that made the whole thing look slightly unstable. As the duo made their way to the edge of the forest, Kakuzu stopped and glanced at their surroundings.

“He’s here…” He stated, feeling a powerful source of chakra coming from somewhere inside the remaining half of the compound. A chill of adrenaline ran up the older man’s spine and gripped at the sole heart beating beneath his chest.

“Really? I don’t see anyone.” Hidan said sarcastically. Kakuzu took a moment to shoot his partner a disapproving look. “It was just a joke. He’s in the building, right? Jeez.” The immortal pushed by his partner and strolled up to the complex confidently. “OI!! ANYBODY HOME?!!”

“And what do you plan to do if he is?” Kakuzu hissed, coming up to stand next to Hidan. “Fight him with your bare hands?”

“I have kunai… OI, ASSHOLE! COMMON OUT!”

“And you think you can beat him with kunai.”

Hidan shrugged in response. “Why not?... COMMON MAN, WE KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE!!”

“Ok, ok! I heard you the first time.” An older man appeared in the window on the top floor with a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips. With a sudden leap, he was on the ground, dirt pluming around his ankles.

“If you heard me then you should have said so.”

“I was trying to nap, bastard.” The man cracked his neck, a gust of wind shuffling through his unruly brown hair. He appeared to be homeless, yet the power emanating from his body was undeniably strong. Next to him, Kakuzu could feel the bloodlust oozing off his partner in waves. He chanced a sideways glance at Hidan, only to find him wide eyed and wild. His partner’s whole being trembling with the desire to kill.

“Careful Hidan, we don’t know what kind of…” Before he could finish his sentence, the immortal had vanished from his side in a flash. Kakuzu watched in mild annoyance as his partner charged at their opponent head on. Why the older man even bothered to warn the idiot, he wasn’t sure. Without hesitation, Hidan slipped into the dark-haired man’s space, ducked down to avoid being hit, then launched up with a powerful uppercut, forcing his enemy back. Hidan then twisted his body in place and threw a round house kick at their opponent which managed to make contact just as the man jumped out of range. Their target jumped again, putting some distance between himself and Hidan, then summoned two giant wolves from the palm of his hands.

Hidan stared dumfounded at the beasts which were made entirely of a circulating pale blue chakra. In unison, they bowed their heads and bared their fangs, blocking the path to their master. The immortal clicked his tongue in irritation, produced a kunai from his boot, and ran full force ahead once more. Both dogs in turn bounded towards him snapping their powerful jaws around thin air as Hidan fell to the ground last minute, using his momentum to slide in the dirt. He came up beneath their legs and dragged his knife along the belly of the nearest wolf who howled in anger. For a brief second, he danced around the four large feet then rolled out from under the creature to escape being stepped on. The immortal used this opportunity to continue his charge, ignoring the beasts that lingered close at his heels as he made his way to the target.

Once again, Hidan was on his prey, slashing wildly with his kunai. He pushed the man back several paces with forceful well-placed blows as the man struggled to keep up with chaotic nature of the immortal’s attacks. “Hidan, behind you.” Came his partners warning voice. Before he could even turn around, one of the beasts had him by the arm and was dragging him away. With Hidan preoccupied, Kakuzu decided it was time to stepped in. He abandoned his post under the shade of a tall oak and circled their enemy with caution. As he assessed the situation, he managed to shrug off his jacket, exposing his stitched arms.

“I see you’re more cautious than your partner, but I won’t let you get close.” The man stated before preforming another summoning jutsu. This time, a giant serpent came pouring out of the man’s hand made of chakra the color of fire. The creature bared rows of jagged fangs that protruded from under its long flat snout and glared at Kakuzu with ruby colored eyes. “This is the end!” The man shouted and as if on cue the dragon raised its head and spewed fire down towards its enemy. Kakuzu jumped back, just managing to dodge the flames, but was swept away by the serpent’s tail as it thrashed at him from the side. The creature caught him in midair between three thick talons and slammed him onto the ground. With its prey subdued, it reared its head once more and unhinged its jaw to release another round of fiery breath.

Suddenly, the beast stopped. Kakuzu felt the weight of its foot begin to lift from his chest and glanced up to see the chakra creature fading away on a gust of wind. He sat up slowly, his red and green eyes searching the site for their target who he found several paces away. The man sat on his knees; a look of horror painted on his face as his hands clutched at his throat. Blood sprouted out from between his fingers like a miniature flood breaking through a dam. He gurgled something incoherent before falling forward and landing face down in the dirt. Kakuzu watched the body convulse for a few seconds then got to his feet.

He glanced to the left where he could feel the presence of his partner and took in the familiar sight with a slight sense of curiosity. The immortal stood at the center of his circle, blood flowing from a wide gash in his neck. One black and white hand was wrapped loosely around his wound as if trying to catch the blood, the other gripped at a kunai by his side. Rather than a look of horror, to match that of their enemy, a look of complete euphoria spread across his features. Kakuzu silently questioned when his partner had managed to acquire the man’s blood then turned his attention back to their target. He could be curious later, right now, he needed to focus on cultivating the heart, thankful that Hidan had managed to kill him without damaging the organ.

That evening Kakuzu lay on his side, trying to find some comfort as the foreign object in his chest beat out of tune with his own heart. Earlier, after he had successfully absorbed the organ into his body, the duo cleaned themselves up as much as they could and exchanged the corpse for a case full of money at the nearest town. He used a small amount of their earnings to buy dinner and get them a decent room for the night, feeling a little more generous than usual. Kakuzu would never tell the immortal that he was pleased with him, not only for the bounties he had pulled together, but also for killing their target with efficiency and precision. Hidan had bragged on their walk into town that he managed to get a blood sample from the guy before the wolves had dragged him away and that he discovered that the more beasts their enemy employed at one time, the shorter the distance he could control them in. Kakuzu had to admit, at least to himself, that he was impressed with the fact that Hidan used his brain for once and preformed accordingly.

In the bathroom, opposite the bed, the shower ran at full blast. Steam rolled out from within the open door and perfumed the air with the flowery scent of cheap hotel-provided soap. Kakuzu closed his eyes, unable to prevent the visions of hot water pouring down his partners pale white flesh as they danced behind his eyelids. In the quiet of their shared room, he whispered curses under his breath, stroking the erection that pressed against his pants. Suddenly, the shower turned off and he watched though half lidded eyes as Hidan stepped out onto the rug with a towel draped over his wet hair. The boiling water had turned the skin on the immortal’s shoulders, chest, and calves a bright red, while other areas, less touched by the heat, remained a soft shade of pink. He dried his hair the best he could before pulling the towel away from his head and letting the long tangles of silver locks cascade down his back. Kakuzu tried not to think about the growing desire to pull it and run his tongue along the quickly dissipating scar on the man’s neck from where he had cut it during the fight.

It had annoyed Kakuzu at the beginning of their partnership, all those years back, that Hidan had a tendency to leave doors wide open, no matter the circumstance. It was a habit that the immortal refused to break regardless of how many times the older man beat the shit out of him for it and while Kakuzu made his annoyance known, he didn’t mind getting a glimpse of his partners slender body every now and again. He traced the muscles in the smaller male’s calf up to his thigh, then let his gaze linger on Hidan’s abdomen before finding its way up to his face which was flushed from the heat and supporting a silly lopsided grin. “’Kuzu?” He said with a playful lilt. “Whatcha lookin at?” Kakuzu ground his teeth at the nickname, finding his partner less attractive when he opened his big mouth. He looked away and Hidan giggled like a child.

“Shut up… You lose your charm when you speak.”

“Oi! That’s fucking rude!”

“I said shut up…and turn the light out if you’re done.”

“What? Why? It’s not even ten yet!” Hidan pouted. “Ch. Shit, whatever. Give me a minute.” The immortal rifled through his bag and got out a fresh pair of clothes, dressed himself haphazardly, then reached for his boots. Kakuzu eyed him suspiciously before propping himself up on his elbows.

“What are you doing?”

“Going out.”

“No. You’re not. We’re leaving early, so go to sleep.”

“Yes. I am, so sod off.” The immortal pulled his boots on and tied the laces.

“Hidan.”

“WHAT!?” Hidan snapped. Glaring daggers at his partner who was now sitting up and looking intimidating. “Fuck you.” The immortal quickly stood up and made for the door but was thrown off balance by Kakuzu’s threads that were now wrapped around his ankle.

“I said, sleep.” The older man hissed through clenched teeth, using the threads to slam his partner face-first into the far wall then dropped him onto his stomach. Hidan sat up on his knees and raised a hand to cup his nose which was now bleeding profusely. He flicked his dark wine-colored eyes up to his partners red and green ones and fixed him with a defiant stare. As always, under the heat of those eyes, Kakuzu felt all his blood rush to his manhood but kept his face impassive. The immortal used the now damaged wall to help himself back to his feet. His legs were shaking from the effort and he was pretty sure several ribs had cracked upon impact.

“Go to hell, Kakuzu.” He growled, tasting iron on his tongue. Kakuzu slid off the bed and sauntered over to him. Hidan watched him approach, eyes never wavering, and squared his shoulders. His partner finally stopped with not even a foot of space between them and the immortal felt himself shutter under the intimidating presence of the other. He glanced at the door, debating on whether he could make it before Kakuzu would have the chance to catch him.

“Don’t even think about it.” Kakuzu said with a low and dangerous voice. For added effect he grabbed his partners wrist in an iron grip and snapped the bones beneath. A soft whimper slipped past Hidan’s lips, and that was all it took to shake the last ounce of control the older man had over his body. Kakuzu’s mouth was on the immortal’s neck in a second, any distance between them long gone. Beneath the flesh, he could feel the artery in his partners throat pulsing rapidly. A quiet questioning voice called his name, but he ignored it, placing his hand over Hidan’s mouth to shut him up. Several threads slipped underneath the immortal’s shirt, grazing his skin with shallow cuts that made the man quake.

Hidan reached up with his free hand and dragged his nails down Kakuzu’s back, finally garnering him the others attention. Kakuzu quickly replaced the hand on his partners mouth with his lips, teeth clashing and tongues fighting for dominance. Reluctantly, the larger man teared himself away, just long enough to pull Hidan’s shirt up over his head. Their mouths met again, and the immortal moaned into the kiss as Kakuzu ran a hand over his partners ribs while the fingers of his other wrapped tightly around Hidan’s throat. In protest to the lack of air, the immortal rubbed their erections together through the fabric of their pants, causing both men to pant into each other’s mouths. Once again, Kakuzu pulled away slowly and studied his partners face. Hidan’s pupils were blown wide, drowning out the deep ruby-violet irises in darkness. His lips were parted and bruised, his skin was flushed and warm to the touch, and his disheveled hair was falling into his face. Hidan was truly beautiful, another thing the older man would never tell him, instead he settled for a curt, “Boots.”

“Huh?”

“Take your boots off.”

“Oh. Yea. Right…” Hidan dropped to a knee and fumbled with the laces, his hands trembling. With a lot more effort than required, he finished untying them and kicked them off. When he stood back up, however, Kakuzu was already at the far side of the room, flipping off the overhead light. “W-what are you doing?”

“Going to bed. Now sleep.” The immortal stared at him in complete confusion.

“But-“

“Hidan.”

“B-But… we…”

“If I have to tell you again, I’ll kill you.” Hidan slunk to his knees in the darkness, feeling like he missed something important while Kakuzu fought the urge to laugh. He may not have had the backing of a certain organization anymore to keep the idiot in line, but there were other ways to make Hidan listen.