Resurected

The zombie combo managed to sail through the oncoming week in near silence as they traveled to Yugakure. They argued some, of course. Mostly because Kakuzu was getting fed up of listening to his partners idle chatter and sometimes because Hidan felt like he was being ignored, which he was. Nor did they bring up the moment they shared on the riverbank the previous week. Both refusing to discuss the older man’s declaration of ownership over the fowl-mouthed, reckless, immortal as Kakuzu struggled to understand why he would say such a thing. He hated that he cared for the idiot. Hated that he couldn’t seem to come up with one good reason as to WHY he cared. He hated him. For a million reasons, Kakuzu despised Hidan. For his voice and how often he used it. For every time he whined and complained. For every prayer sent up to a god that didn’t exist. For the way he relished in every murder and his own self-inflicted pain. For not being able to die. For simply being himself.

If he were honest, though, Kakuzu didn’t hate everything about his partner. He didn’t hate his smile. Not the smile the man made during a fight or even after when he lay in a pile of his own blood coming down from the high of killing an opponent. No. There was a smile that only Kakuzu was allotted. On those rare occasions when they were all alone and Kakuzu had, for some reason or another, given the man his full attention, Hidan would smile almost gently. A soft, sweet sort of smile, one that didn’t belong on the face of a killer but that looked so perfect where it sat. A smile that made him look childlike, innocent, even venerable. That pulled at the soft pale lips to reveal white teeth which complemented the wine-colored eyes that Kakuzu also couldn’t bring himself to hate. Sometimes, just the thought of someone else seeing that smile made his blood boil. The life Hidan lived before they met, was a part of him that Kakuzu couldn’t own. As to why that upset him was just one more thing that eluded answer.

He ground his teeth together under his mask as they stood at the cusp of their destination then raised his eyes and admired the old woodwork that made up the archway marking the entrance to the Village. Tentatively, Kakuzu reached out and touched it before pulling his hand back and forcing all troubling thoughts back into the recesses of his mind for another day. The sun was sinking behind a mountain range to the west as darkness crept in from the east and he knew that it would be best for them to check in to a hotel for the evening. Both men were in desperate need of a shower, a warm meal, and some sleep. Tomorrow, they would wake up early and investigate the whereabouts of their next target, but for now, basic human needs were calling. Kakuzu glanced over at his partner whose gaze was settled far off towards the mountains. The older man scrutinized that strange distant expression Hidan had been sporting since yesterday but said nothing about it. “We need to find a room for the night.” Hidan snapped his eyes towards his partner.

“What? We’re staying! Why?”

“Because it’s late.”

“It isn’t that late!” He whined loudly.

“What’s wrong with you? You’ve been complaining all week about sleeping outside. I thought you would be happy about sleeping in a damn bed for once.”

“Nothing is fucking wrong with me. I just…don’t want to stay here.”

“Oh. And why is that?”

“None of your fucking business, old man.” Kakuzu scrunched up his face and even with his eyes being the only thing exposed, Hidan could tell that his partners patience was expired. “Shit. Whatever. Let’s get a room. Wouldn’t want our senior citizen needing a nap when it’s time to collect the bounty.” The immortal stormed past him, arms crossed, and looking more than unhappy. They walked in silence, Hidan a few paces in front of his partner who glared at the back of his head in annoyance. Lanterns pathed the way in artificial light, casting out the darkness that was slowly settling in. Despite the hour, people had taken to the streets, chatting and eating at the food stalls lining the main road. Kakuzu couldn’t help but think to himself that this is where Hidan grew up. It was the only thing that the older man knew about his partners childhood. The immortal came to a sudden stop in front of an old rundown building, glancing at it before turning to his partner. “You wanted a hotel, right? Well, here it fucking is. It’s been a while but last time I was here, the prices weren’t bad.” Kakuzu eyed him suspiciously.

Against his better judgment Kakuzu followed the immortal through the shabby double doors and scanned the reception area. He asked Hidan how long the building had been there for but received only a shrug as a response as they made their way up to the desk to check in. The interior wasn’t terrible, simply outdated, with it’s creaking wooded floorboards, worn rugs, and furniture that looked like it was older than Kakuzu himself. He payed the girl at the front desk in silence and couldn’t help but notice the way her eyes lingered on Hidan for longer than was normal. Feeling possessive, he grabbed Hidan by the wrist and nearly drug him down the hallway and up several flights of stairs. “Oi! What the hell?!” Hidan growled as they rounded the next corner and stopped in front of room 337. The immortal tore his arm free and rubbed the sore flesh that would no doubt be bruised from the abuse. Kakuzu ignored him, placing the key in its slot and pushing the door open to reveal a plain room.

The walls were white, as he expected, and a deep red carpet covered the floors. A full-sized bed with a crème colored comforter was pushed up against an open window whose sheer curtains floated on an incoming breeze. Kakuzu could smell food coming though it and hear the clatter from the busy street below which was mildly pleasant. All in all, for the price he paid, it was a decent place. He turned to Hidan to praise him on the find but he was already heading into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. The older man stood staring at it; eyebrows raised in slight surprise, before pulling off his headdress and sitting down on the edge of the bed. He ran a hand through his dark hair and silently wondered about Hidan’s behavior. The immortal had seemed on edge since the previous day, picking fights for no reason or becoming easily agitated at nothing in particular. If Hidan were a girl, Kakuzu might think that he had started his period, but considering he wasn’t, the older man couldn’t figure out the meaning behind his behavior.

By the time the door to the bathroom swung open, Kakuzu was already asleep with a tattooed arm slung over his face to shield him from the overhead light. With a sigh, Hidan sat down on the bed next to him and removed the appendage to get a better look at the man. He looked peaceful in his sleep. Less angry. Younger. The immortal ran his fingers though the dark brown locks before leaning down and ghosting his partners lips with his own. After a few seconds he pulled back and felt his heart leap when two red and green eyes were staring back into his own. Hidan turned away, unable to stop the color from spreading across his face. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.” Kakuzu sat up and grabbed a fistful of damp silver locks, closing the distance between them and kissed him passionately. Hidan parted his lips, allowing the older man to slip his tongue inside. They hadn’t kissed since last week and the immortal couldn’t help but wonder why now but kept his thoughts to himself so as not to ruin the moment. He could ask later. Suddenly, his stomach growled loudly, and he pulled away, blushing deeply. “Sorry.” He mumbled as Kakuzu placed a hand on the top of his head.

“Let me shower then we can go down and get something to eat.” Hidan pouted as Kakuzu got up and headed for the bathroom. After the door shut, the immortal reached up and placed his hand on the spot that was just occupied by the tanned hand of his partner. ‘What the hell,’ he thought to himself, heart pounding. He dropped his hand back into his lap then threw himself back onto the mattress. Yawning he stretched out and listened to the noise coming from the street below. Maybe things would go smoothly for them here. Maybe, if he were lucky, which he hoped he would be, the ghosts of his past wouldn’t rise up to meet them in this village where he grew up. Maybe they would stay buried forever far up in the mountains to the west where he left them all those years ago.

The door opened a few minutes later, snapping Hidan out of his musings. He eyed his partner wearily as the man sauntered over to the bed in nothing but a loose towel. Kakuzu ignored the questioning look swimming behind ruby-violet eyes as he forced his knee in between the immortal’s thighs. Hidan bit back a surprised yelp and immediately flushed. “I- I thought we were going to get something to eat.” Kakuzu didn’t respond but leaned down and nipped the still shirtless man in the ribs. “K-Kuzu?” The older man ran his tongue over a nipple, earning him a moan, then moved up farther to bite the tender spot where Hidan’s neck connected with his shoulders.

“I’m hungry too,” he growled against the soft pale skin. Oblivious as he may be, Hidan quickly understood the double meaning and dragged his nails down the exposed flesh on Kakuzu’s arms. He accidentally caught a thread and pulled it, making the older man’s breath hitch much Hidan’s delight. The immortal smiled triumphantly and hooked a leg around the back of his partners knee, shoving him hard and dragging them off the bed. They landed with a thud, Hidan straddling Kakuzu between two strong legs. He leaned down until their lips brushed then pulled back just enough to get a good look at the angry stare he was receiving. Like a curtain, silver hair fell down around them, pooling on the floor on either side of the older man’s head. Kakuzu’s eyes softened upon seeing the silly lopsided grin on his partners lips. Lust dilating his pupils and flushing his face a deep crimson.

A quiet knock came from the door and they both paused, glaring at it in unison. Kakuzu sat up running a hand along the inside of Hidan’s thigh while using the other to pull the man closer to him, their chests rubbing together. Hidan moaned, pressing feathered kisses along Kakuzu’s jaw line. The knock came again a little louder and both stopped what they were doing and groaned. Kakuzu pushed the immortal off of him and stormed over to the door, swinging it open violently. “What!” He hissed between clenched teeth. In front of him a scrawny straw haired boy stood staring up at the taller man with a frightened expression.

“I-I heard a thud. I came to see if you were ok.” The kid glanced past him to Hidan who was sitting on the floor. Realizing that they were both half naked, he blushed deeply and bowed low. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize-” Kakuzu slammed the door in the boy’s face in frustration. He turned to face his partner who, for his part, looked like he was about to burst into laughter.

“Shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything!”

“You were thinking it.”

“What could I possibly be thinking?” He said with the most innocent look he could muster. Kakuzu felt his blood rush south under the weight of those violet eyes.

“Nothing. I forgot how little goes on between your ears and put a damn shirt on!” Hidan covered his mouth with his hand to stop the laughter from bubbling out as Kakuzu went about getting dressed. He watched with an amused expression before doing as instructed and pulling a shirt on over his head. Once they were both fully clothed, the duo left their room and locked the door behind them. In the reception room, the same boy from earlier was siting at the check in booth glaring at a stack of paper from behind rectangular glasses. He glanced up at the sound of their footsteps and once more blushed when he realized who it was. Hidan began giggling like child at which point the older man rolled his eyes. Still, he couldn’t deny the fact that he was happy to see his partner in a much better mood than before. They walked through the double doors and out into the fresh air. “What do you want to eat.”

“Hmm…”

“And nothing-“

“-too expensive. Yeah, yeah. I know. How about ramen?”

“Don’t you ever get sick of that shit.”

“Do you ever get sick of raw sushi?! It’s fucking sick! Then again, people your age tend to like gross things. I bet you like liver, too.” Hidan shot his partner a pitiful glance, earning him a smack on the back of the head. Despite the abuse, the immortal could make out the shape of a smirk under the fabric covering Kakuzu’s face. Hidan beamed. “Awe. ‘Kuzu, are you being playful.” Hidan jumped out of strangling range as Kakuzu reached for him. The older shinobi couldn’t help appreciating the bright smile on his partners lips. He had always been a selfish man. Maybe it wasn’t as strange as it seemed to want to keep the immortal all to himself.

The duo stopped by the first ramen shop they found. It was just a rundown hole in the wall, but the atmosphere was pleasant enough. Three large lanterns hung down over the awning while bright lights illuminated the small, galley style kitchen inside. The dark wooded bar area was covered in nicks and scratches which Hidan absentmindedly played with as they waited for their orders to be prepared. He had been running his mouth about getting a new scythe for weeks now and was pretty far into the topic when the owner laid down two bowls of steaming noodles in front of them. Kakuzu had to admit that while it wasn’t his favorite, it looked pretty damn good. Plus, it managed to shut up his noisy companion, so who was he to complain. Both men ate in silence, enjoying the food as well as each other’s company, not that either would ever say that part out loud.

As they wrapped up their meal Kakuzu payed, adding a small tip onto the bill as well since he knew Hidan would complain about him being a cheapskate if he didn’t. Hidan stood a few feet away, stretching with a big yawn and waiting for the older man to drop the change into the shop keepers’ hand who bowed with a strange slight smile. The two turned to walk away but paused when the owner called out after them. “Young man!” He half shouted. Hidan glanced back over his shoulder inquisitively. “It’s good to see you again.” A sudden wave of shivers ran down the immortal’s spine and he felt bile coming up his throat. A familiar sensation gripped at his lungs, but he forced it away. Slowly, he faced forward and tried to look as normal as possible.

“Hidan?”

“Hm?”

“Do you know him?”

“No.” Kakuzu could physically feel the shift in his partner as his mood darkened. For a moment, the older man watched in confusion as Hidan cast his eyes to the ground before shifting his sights past the immortal to where the owner stood, casually wiping down the counter as if nothing had transpired. Kakuzu considered pushing the subject but thought it better to drop it for now. They were both tired and tomorrow was a different day. They walked back to the hotel without another word, Hidan sticking closer to his partner than normal.

Kakuzu woke early, feeling as though he had somehow overslept. Outside, however, darkness was still prevailing over the morning light and he felt relieved to see that his internal clock was still preforming correctly. He wanted nothing more than to get the information on the whereabouts of their next target and begin the hunt as soon as possible, eager to obtain another heart and make some money. Kakuzu glanced down at his partners sleeping form and his thoughts drifted to the sudden change in Hidan’s behavior last night. Something had seriously bothered the man. Maybe he should go search for the information without him. Though it would be less trouble to drag Hidan along than leave him on his own. At times, he was like an overgrown child. Kakuzu decided against leaving him and shook the immortal roughly to wake him up.

“One day,” Hidan mumbled into his pillow, ‘I’ll kill you and sleep in as late as I want.” Sluggishly, he forced himself up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes before glaring daggers at the older man. Then rolled out of bed and staggered into the bathroom to take a piss. Kakuzu rolled his eyes at the theatrics but said nothing, to busy thinking about how he planned to find their next target than to start a fight. He would begin at their hotel’s check in and work his way from there. Someone would have had to have heard the name of their victim, all he had to do was find that person and get them to talk. Not too hard and it had always seemed to work out before.

Kakuzu was ready in a flash, as usual and as usual, Hidan was not, leaving Kakuzu in a foul mood. He hated being made to wait around and knew that his partner did it on purpose in retaliation for the early wakeup calls. This was just commonplace in their very strange and slightly dysfunctional relationship. Hidan would come up with some lame excuse and drag his feet until the older man was pissed then act all innocent as if he hadn’t intended to do so. ‘Not today,’ Kakuzu thought as he slipped out of their room and into the empty hallway. He would go interrogate whoever was working at the front desk to kill time as his partner dillydallied with his hair or whatever else he did that wasn’t actually getting ready.

Sitting behind the large oak desk was the same girl who had checked them in earlier the previous night. The one that had stared at Hidan for longer than she should have and already Kakuzu didn’t like her. He approached quietly and waited for her to look up from beneath a fringe of auburn hair. She was pretty, young, and dressed business casual in a plain grey suit. Finally, she glanced up, sensing his presence and smiled politely. “Can I help you?”

“I’m looking for a man named Takuma Naru.”

“I’m not sure who that is but if he is from here, you can probably request some information at the registry office.”

“Where can I find it?”

“Hold on, let me get you a map. We should have a spare somewhere around here… Oh! Here we go. So. We are here,” She pointed to the hotel on the map. “-and the office is located towards the south east district over here. You can keep the map if you want. We have more in the back, this place get’s a lot of tourists.” Kakuzu grunted a thank you, grabbing the map from her hand and folding it up neatly. He glanced at the stairs and ground his teeth. “Sir?” She said in a soft voice. “I’m not sure if I should be saying this but…that man you’re with, you should stay clear of him.”

“Oh? Why?”

“If they find out he’s here, they’ll come looking for him. Not just that, but I recognize him. He’s the kid that killed those people he lived next door to.”

“Who will come looking for him?”

“The occultist from the mountains. They say they kill people in the name of some god, but our people won’t do anything about it because we want to remain at peace. If you ask me though, I say we’re just scared.” Kakuzu was staring at her wearily when he felt the presence of his partner step off of the last stair and start over his way. The girl gave him one last look of warning before returning her gaze to the paperwork in front of her. The older man studied his partner who appeared to not have slept at all judging by the dark circles under his eyes. Kakuzu waited for him to catch up before turning on his heels and leading them outside once more.

“Hidan,” He started as they made their way out onto the busy street. “Is there something I should know about?”

“Huh? I don’t think so.”

“I was just warned to stay away from you.”

“The fuck? Who by? That receptionist?”

“Yes.”

“What the hell is her problem anyway? She was staring at me all weird when we got here, too. Bitch. Remind me to kill her before we leave, yea? Did she tell you why?”

“She said someone would be coming after you…” Kakuzu noticed as Hidan suddenly tensed, brushing the shoulder of a passerby as they fought to head south through the sea of people.

“I told you I didn’t want to stay here.” He mumbled.

“If you would have told me why like a normal fucking person, we could have tried to avoid the city.”

“I…” Hidan’s voice died in his throat as a man stepped out in front of him. Kakuzu, who had been waiting for a response stopped and turned around, suddenly on high alert. From where he stood, he couldn’t see the man’s face whose back was to him, but he could see his partners. Hidan's violet eyes were blown wide and his skin had become a sickly pale.

“I thought I recognized you. It’s been a long-time little brother.” Came the sing song voice of the silver haired stranger. Hidan opened his mouth then closed it, unable to articulate word.

“Bankotsu…B-But…But I... buried…”

“Not good enough. But don’t worry, that’s all in the past now. I’m sure father will be overjoyed when he finds out that you’ve come home.” He said with a soft chuckle, reaching out to run a hand through Hidan’s hair. “And you’ve grown it out...It looks better that way.” Kakuzu took several large strides and stopped right in front of Hidan, blocking the man’s view from his partner. Bankotsu quickly raised his hands in surrender as he flashed the older man a charming smile. His violet eyes nearly catching Kakuzu off guard. “Ok, ok. I’m leaving. See you later, Hidan.” With that, the man turned and disappeared into the crowd.

“What the hell is going on Hidan.” Kakuzu growled as he turned to face his partner and was surprised to find him doubled over and throwing up. One hand reached out and gripped Kakuzu’s jacket for support as the other scratched at his chest. He stood back up and fixed Kakuzu with a terrified stare.

“Can’t breathe… I can’t…” Kakuzu grabbed him roughly by the arm and drug him to the side of the road and from their into a small ally way. Hidan was desperately trying to suck in air and failing miserably.

“Hidan. Calm down.”

“I-I can’t fucking breath.” The older man grabbed his partner and pulled him close, letting the immortal lean into him as he tried to fill his lungs. Through his shirt, Kakuzu could feel Hidan’s heart thundering away at an unhealthy speed. The older man raked his fingers through the silver locks without a word until and slowly but surely Hidan began to breath. Kakuzu took hold of his shoulders once he had regained some composure and pushed him away, not unkindly.

“Tell me what just happened.”