Chapter Text
Kakuzu was a man who found no pleasure in partnerships.
Whatever form they may take, regardless of the stipulations attached to them, Kakuzu would always veer hard every time he saw the potential of one forming. Trust was faulty and loyalty inane, he was a greedy man by nature and was never one to hand out anything for free.
Occasionally in his long life he would be forced to act in a group setting; it was illogical to not set aside his misgivings on occasion for the uses others could serve. While those moments were far and few in-between, Kakuzu knew how to manage himself in the brief time he needed expertise past his own.
The key words being, brief time.
For Kakuzu could work with others, so long as the benefits were always tilted in his favor; but he did not do it for prolonged periods. His own frustrations would soon get the better of him. He would begin to see the faults within others they try so hard to stifle and disguise. The failings in their Jutsu, fumblings with weaponry they claimed mastery in. It was impossible not to have shortcomings, especially not in their war-torn world where much was self taught. Kakuzu was hardly a shining example to strive for, he knew his own flaws intimately. Though that did not mean he wished for others to become equally aware. The longer he lingered, the more likely that possibility became.
Being logical enough to realize when his frustrations and misgivings were irrational gave an odd balance to when he intentionally acted on them. Kakuzu, even when performing senseless impulses, did it consciously. He had control over himself, a source of pride, meaning that even those seemingly spontaneous actions were considered before being followed through on.
That was one of the many differences between him and those he'd worked with prior.
Kakuzu would never outwardly state his apathy to the Akatsuki, especially when it was where he currently finds himself employed; yet internally he knew he cared little for the organization. Before being recruited, strong-armed, or whatever one wished to call it – Kakuzu was content acting in near complete isolation.
Humans annoyed him, pressed on nerves he did not know existed and plucked them taut like a string till they snapped. Kakuzu knew intimately how he was, hence his aversion to team environments.
He will admit, the day he learned he had been assigned a partner, one that would be with him near twenty-four-seven when on missions, Kakuzu nearly made good on his fallback plan of desertion. Unfortunately for him, the Akatsuki was useful and offered more benefits than drawbacks; especially when it came to his money making. So he stomached it as long as he could.
Turns out, he could not stomach it very long.
His first partner was a disaster of a man, infuriatingly impulsive with little skills to back it up. Kakuzu privately assumed the only reason he had been integrated into the Akatsuki was for his unique kekkei genkai, which he could accept normally if not for the direct effect it had on him. He had red hair, was louder than he seemed to realize and was more of a liability than asset in a fight.
At a certain point, after a spectacularly infuriating day, Kakuzu elected to no longer interfere in the other’s battles. Pain was his main reason for not doing so prior, the man expected cooperation with the teams assigned after all. Yet, if his team mate got himself killed through his own stupidity, well, Kakuzu was sure he could twist it in his own favor. Perhaps it could be a display that Kakuzu quite obviously worked better alone.
So when the red head was strung up by roots, struggling to free himself from them and clearly looking at Kakuzu in a plea for help, Kakuzu simply tilted his head before resuming his own fight. If he could not free himself from a simple Jutsu like that then he had no right working alongside Kakuzu in the first place.
After Kakuzu swiftly finished his fight, and subsequently his team mates too. When all was said and done, a quick glance behind showed a limp, dangling body swaying faintly from the remaining inertia of the man's thrashing. A smirk twitched at his lips behind his layered mask.
Pain had not been thrilled upon the report reaching him, yet nothing else came of it and Kakuzu was blessedly free for two weeks, a time frame that was in fact longer than he had even been partnered up.
Yet another came eventually.
Kakuzu had hoped she would be more tolerable when her introduction was done quietly and without much fanfare, yet she quickly proved just as irritating. She was calm yet harsh, unafraid to state her opinion and offer critiques where she deemed them fit. Whether it be how quickly he dealt with an enemy or what tactics were used, the woman always had something to say.
Unlike the last man, he had not waited for her to falter; knowing it would take longer than the patience he had available.
Pain simply sighed minutely when Kakuzu hauled her corpse into their base a whole five days after their first introduction.
There were two more after her, equally unremarkable, equally infuriating. At least their hearts proved useful to him, Kakuzu supposed.
Then one morning Konan found him with a faint smugness to her movements and instructed him to accompany her and Itachi on a small mission. Kakuzu had paused for a moment. Not often was he instructed to join the already teamed members on an excursion, everyone being quite aware of his preference for solitude and mostly respecting that. It was especially intriguing that she seemed unlikely to back down on this. His eyes narrowed in caution and curiosity as he agreed, simply for there were no other options available.
Kakuzu had a degree of respect for Konan, which was more he could say for many of the other members – especially those younger in age such as the dark haired boy who walked along nearby. Youth held little importance to him, you could learn and achieve much at an early age; Itachi was living proof of that. Yet they lacked the durability and experience gained through surviving for years upon years in the harshest conditions that Kakuzu valued.
… Somedays, Kakuzu felt particularly old when he caught himself grumbling quietly over matters such as these.
The man Konan had led them to looked identical in age to Itachi, perhaps a small bit older, though his smooth skin and soft hands pointed the other direction. He spoke with words that lacked poignance and moved like a man self-taught. That was not unexpected, many people in this world had to build off messy foundations and rely on themself for further growth. Kakuzu would perhaps be considered lucky by many for his formal teachings growing up.
The body they had found prior to the youth's appearance was mutilated joyfully and certainly not through necessity. This was a man who enjoyed maiming, for whatever unknown reasons he may have. Kakuzu wasn’t disturbed by the hapless corpse, having seen much worse in his long life; hell, he himself has done worse personally. If anything, the sight bordered on intriguing; one could learn much from the state of a body.
Kakuzu’s eyes had roved across the surprisingly untouched skin and bloodied globules that had slowly stopped dripping. It seemed as though this fight was very brief as besides a shallow cut on the man’s face, the main issue that led to his death was the gaping, hollow hole within him. At least it was clear by the drag marks he was not alive when he had been strung up.When the culprit appeared, short words were briefly exchanged; the silver haired man's own being much too fanatic for Kakuzu’s liking. So when the youth, who seemed to be named Hidan, sprung rather obviously towards them to attack after Konan’s short spiel, Kakuzu had little qualms in putting down the rabid man. A clean fist through his chest made the silver haired youth drop in a limp strew of limbs and Kakuzu could only feel disappointment that this was who they had dragged him to meet.
Yet a twitch of the body and a low, aggravated groan made his eyes snap back in surprise; a rare emotion for him to feel nowadays. Kakuzu was positive that he’d pierced both heart and lungs in his brash attack, there would not be even a possibility of surviving that.
Yet for the first time of what would be many, Hidan defied Kakuzu’s expectations.
☽༺𖤐༻☾
“Kakuzuuu.”
It was, by all means, a relatively calm day. The weather was moderate and no mission dictated they need trek to any blisteringly warm area, a small mercy in Kakuzu’s opinion. He never did enjoy excessive heat.
‘Kakuzu..”
It had recently rained within the immediate area, the air hanging heavy yet not stagnant. Puddles were avoided or occasionally trodden through, ripples flowing under footsteps.
“Hey! Old man!”
Kakuzu tried to not let his eyes twitch in annoyance, for all the factors pointed to it being a good day.
“Kakuzu!!”
All except one.
Said factor, or annoyance as Kakuzu more commonly regarded him as, ultimately decided the best way to get his attention was by reaching to tug at his cloak. Kakuzu could see the hand coming, he was unsurprised by the action and had little reason to snap his arm out the way he did besides his very evident frustration. His attempt to strike the annoyance like a bothersome fly came largely from instinct of not letting others touch him, and though he easily could have elected to push down said instinct, Kakuzu was growing tired of his partner's childish attempts for his attention.
He knew Hidan would dodge the attack, he wasn’t aiming to hurt currently but instead warn with this particular slash of his hand.
Hidan yelped and dropped his head to duck out of the attack zone, peeking up after a moment with aggravation.
“Kakuzu! What the hell was that for?!”
Kakuzu simply stared down at him for a moment before harshly exhaling, moving to turn and continue on the path. Hidan, unfortunately, did not take long to follow.
“I mean, I know you’re all grumpy in the mornings and hate talkin’, for whatever reason, which is especially strange as I’ve been told I’m great company-”
Sneering under his mask, Kakuzu did not bother to look to his side where he knew Hidan was. “And was the person who told you this deficient of a few brain cells?”
He could see a flicker of HIdan grinning out the corner of his eyes, cursing himself silently for letting the younger bait him into conversation.
“Aw come on Kuzu, it’s not nice to insult everyone you disagree with! That’s probably why I’m your only friend!”
“Friend?” A scoff.
“Well what else would you call this!?”
“A forcible partnership.”
“Now that’s just pessimistic.”
Kakuzu knew Hidan was pouting beside him in that dramatic, overly exaggerated way he tended to do whenever he was in a good mood.
As obnoxious as a cheerful Hidan was, Kakuzu was at least relieved he wouldn’t have to deal with a smarmy Hidan today. It was always a gamble when it came to the weather, Hidan seemed to dislike the rain for whatever reason, but the fact they missed the downpour by a few hours likely helped.
The last time he had to deal with Hidan’s attitude, while also being stuck in a torrential storm, he’d snipped out the man's tongue to silence him, if only for a few minutes. That was in the earlier days of their partnership and had thankfully taught the man a lesson of when Kakuzu was reaching the peak of his patience. He tended to be aware enough to pull back before that point, though Hidan definitely enjoyed toying the line to see how much he could get away with.
Speaking of which…
Kakuzu’s eyes latched onto the approaching hand that was gearing up to poke at him once more, a final warning clear in his gaze.
Hidan huffed and pulled his arm back to cross them over his bare chest. “What?! You went all silent again.”
“Conversation is not necessary right now.”
“Oh for the love of- conversation doesn’t have to be necessary to talk, Kakuzu! I don’t know, maybe we could get to know each other for once!”
Kakuzu’s head slowly tilted to look at his partner in exasperation. “Get to know each other.”
“Yeah!” Hidan grinned, smile toothy and real. “I mean we’ve been partnered for how long? You’re definitely not getting rid of me, like everyone else, so we’re kinda stuck together. Besides, I hardly know anything about you! Tell me something and I’ll do the same, it’s like a transaction or whatever, I know you like those.”
“No.”
“Why not?!” The tone he took was a near whine, grating and pathetic.
“I do not care to know you.”
Hidan paused at that, an odd look crossing his usually open expression before it was staunched by an annoyed squint.
“Wow you really are a grumpy old man aren’t you, how old are you anyways? Sixty? Eighty?-”
“Hidan.”
“-Ninety? A hundred?”
“Hidan.”
“Two hundred? That would be sad, you’d be really old.”
Kakuzu stifled a heavy sigh, unwilling to show how irritated he was becoming. “If I tell you, will you shut up till we get to where we need to be?”
“Sure!”
There was a long pause as Kakuzu attempted to both calculate his age and whether he even needed to tell the truth, but he had a feeling Hidan would be insufferable if he ever learned he lied about this.It took a second or two before he spoke. “...Ninety-one, last I checked.”
“Fucking hell that old?!” Hidan gasped a little gleefully, laughter bubbling on the edges of his words. “I mean, I thought I was overestimating with sixty! You look way too good to be ninety-one, Kuzu!”
Kakuzu did not know what to do with that last sentence so he ignored it. “You have your answer, now give me my silence.”
Grumbling to himself Hidan, to his credit, did quiet down and settle into a soft stride next to him without another word.
Kakuzu decided to cast his thoughts towards their mission now that they were drawing near the specified location. Rather surprisingly, there would be no fighting involved, a rare break from blood and gore that Hidan was certainly less than thrilled about. They had been sent to follow after Sasori and Deidara’s reconnaissance of a nearby cave system, which held a supposedly powerful scroll within its depths. Pain had instructed the artists to scout it but pull back before actively delving within, understanding that if there were to be such an artifact within the recesses it would be heavily guarded by seals and traps; especially since it had yet to be snatched up by any other groups.
The leader was well aware the two immortals would fare better than the prior partners, for while Sasori would likely be fine, that puppet body of his being nearly dural as Hidan and Kakuzu’s; Deidara would have little use within this mission as his Jutsu would only prove a hindrance.
The details of what the scroll contained had been kept from them with the excuse it was unimportant for the mission. Kakuzu was slightly aggrieved about that fact, knowing Pain was simply assuring Kakuzu would have nothing to go off of should he decide to sell it instead; which he was nowhere near idiotic enough to do. He had been with the Akatsuki long enough to recognize he would not be leaving lest there was a severe upheaval in rankings. Pain and Konan were heavy hitters he wished to avoid combat against should he desert.
Kakuzu presented himself as greedy above all else, yet he was certainly no imbecile. His own itching for material gain could be staunched rather easily if the road to get it would not serve him in the future.
The puppet master had personally conversed with him over the details while their partners were off doing something undoubtedly juvenile and destructive. From what Sasori had investigated, this was the site of some old forgotten zealot group, one that neither of them were quite able to place even after vast discussion, surprisingly enough.
Sasori spoke on familiar etchings into the walls he had seen elsewhere yet failed to make sense of them. He attempted to show the copies he created to Kakuzu in begrudging hopes that the older man knew the information he lacked. Yet Kakuzu, despite living beyond Sasori’s years and having traveled even more places, found himself at the same road block. The symbols were recognizable, akin to etchings he’d seen in other ruins across that small sector of the continent, yet he had no sizable knowledge past that.
Despite their equal frustration on that strange hang up, they had moved on to discuss what Sasori and Deidara found physically.
Sasori had passed along an annotated and hand drawn map of the way to the cave alongside the winding tunnels they traveled through before reaching the spot Pain dictated they pause at. Notes of the traps they avoided and how they deactivated them were neatly inked on the edges of the parchment.
The information was greatly useful and certainly well thought out. If there was one thing Kakuzu appreciated about Sasori, it was his attention to detail.
The final helpful addition provided to their arsenal by Sasori was a poison antidote should either of them get surprised by the countless toxin based spring traps Sasori had noted. It seemed that while the poison itself was not lethal, the concentration of it was certainly painful enough to subdue until the second mechanism in the trap played its part. Kakuzu had carefully pocketed the valuable antidote.
Feeling around in his pants pocket for a moment to assure it remained safely tucked away, Kakuzu tilted his head upwards when the cliffs he’d been instructed to seek out began to peek over the trees highest reaching leafs.
Veering without saying a word, Kakuzu adjusted their walk to a slower pace. “We’re approaching, keep your wits about you and don’t touch anything odd.”
Hidan huffed, taking Kakuzu speaking as permission for him to break the silence he’d agreed to; Kakuzu was impressed he lasted this long. “I’m not some kid who touches the first shiny thing he sees! Jeez…”
Grumbling to himself, which Kakuzu largely ignored, the two of them scanned the ground and thinning trees as they shuffled along.
There were some paler stones littering the ground that failed to match the slate grey of the dusty cliffs which pointed toward man-made interference. Likely there was once some form of a settlement nearby. Kakuzu could see some surprisingly smooth and precise carvings whittled into a crumbled pillar. While no design matched the sigil of the cave, they were consistent at least with the clean lines observed in Sasori’s description pointing towards it being made by similarly trained artisans.
The cliff face itself was nothing special. The two of them stood at the very bottom of it, the jagged edge resting high above and casting all below in shadow. Squinting through the darkness, Kakuzu just faintly could make out an indent in the rockface implying the entrance to their destination.
Hidan had been surprisingly quiet throughout Kakuzu’s assessment, having taken interest in the location as well. Though perhaps interest was not quite the right word.
“We have to go in there?” The younger asked with a pinch to his eyebrows.
Kakuzu sneered over his shoulder. “Did you not listen to a word Sasori, Deidara or I said about this mission?”
His shoulders bunched up a little in defensive frustration. “I did, asshole! I just didn’t think it’d be so… cramped looking.”
Preparing to snap back at him for his attitude, Kakuzu paused for a moment. As for what had to be the first noticeable time, Hidan seemed almost.. nervous, or perhaps uncomfortable, about this mission. Mouth closing behind his mask with a frown, Kakuzu pondered that thought. Hidan’s body language screamed tense, for some odd reason. For this was a man who had peered upon the worst viscera imaginable, and added to it, without batting an eye. So it was quite odd for him to be eyeing the cave like it might just reach out and haul him into its depths.
“Are you frightened, Hidan?” His tone was blunt and empty, not harsh but certainly not comforting.
“Fuck you! Of course I’m not, who the fuck would be scared of a cave?”
The defense came quickly, arms crossing tightly again as Hidan’s expression became more agitated by the second.
It was obvious why he would deny it, being open about your fears to anyone was a damn good way to assure they will be used against you in the future. No one got where they were in life by being consistently honest, not Hidan and certainly not Kakuzu. So Kakuzu elected to let the matter drop. Should it become a later issue he would not be as willing to let Hidan cower under his own poorly constructed lies. But for now Kakuzu had faith, reluctant and irritating as it was, that Hidan could push past whatever trepidations he housed.
For regardless of all the strife the younger had caused Kakuzu, he knew how to adapt to situations quickly.
Kakuzu could have instructed they enter immediately, there was no reason to wait, but he instead turned to look along the empty walls once more. He told himself it was not to give Hidan time to settle himself without being scrutinized, because it wasn’t. It was simply assuring the stability of the cave before they entered. If it happened to settle his partner in the same breath, well, that was none of his business.
A minute or two passed quietly before Hidan stepped up beside him and tried to bump shoulders, which Kakuzu leaned away from. “Come on, what’re we waiting for?”
Subtly amused at Hidan’s attempt to save face, Kakuzu peered down. “You enter first, Sasori described the first passageway as thin and too small for two people to walk side by side. You are shorter, so I’ll at least be able to see over you.”
Flicking him off, Hidan at least didn’t outwardly pitch a fit and instead shuffled closer to the entrance. After taking a very subtle deep breath in, he pivoted his body a tad to squeeze past the initial crevice-like opening.
It was quiet, besides some faint shuffling, before he called out, “It actually opens up a little further in, come on.”
Kakuzu had a slightly more troublesome time twisting his body to fit through the crevice, back and chest pressed snug against the wall on either side. His head had to remain ducked until he passed that initial uncomfortable opening. For, as his partner said, it did open further.
Kakuzu peered in the dim lighting, trying to see anything of note from the faint illumination available. Luckily he had made a stop in a town along the way to barter for a small oil lantern which would serve them well here. Quietly igniting it, Kakuzu continued to scan their surroundings.
Hidan was a little ahead, hands brushing and prodding upon the wall where a small divot was visible. “Think this is where Deidara said he triggered a trap, you can see the scuff marks from where something hard hit it. Maybe a spear or two? The marks are too big to be a dagger but too precise to be anything blunt.”
Hidan, for all his falterings in any Justu’s or formal techniques, certainly had adept weaponry training; it’s likely what got him this far, thus Kakuzu trusted this analysis.
Pulling back from the wall with a huff, his eyes flicked over. “Weird as hell the weapon ain’t here though, Deidara said neither of them saw what went flyin’ towards them, just felt the breeze when they moved back.”
Kakuzu hummed in response, having already done a quick sweep of the ground to see if they had been discarded anywhere which proved fruitless.
“Indeed, let us continue on.”
It was still a tighter fit for two people to walk side by side, so they fell into a line format with Hidan leading. He seemed faintly smug about the fact he was walking ahead for once.
Their trek was steady, but mundane. Neither necessarily wished to spring a mechanism into gear which would only slow them down. Hidan especially was taking this more seriously than Kakuzu had expected, though that was likely due to his yearning to not be within the cave system. Whatever it was about this place that caused the young man to grow quiet and focused was certainly as useful as it was off putting. It gave Kakuzu time to concentrate yet, oddly, he found the silence was not helping as much as it usually would.
At least it gave them both the ability to notice a faint clicking noise when it broke through their quiet.
Hidan dropped instinctively, a smart decision, as a long rod quickly shot out of one end of the wall and pierced into the opposing side. Kakuzu glanced at where it came from and noticed another straining against the partially crumbled stone it was buried in, unable to fully slam out. A lucky thing for Kakuzu and Hidan as it was posed lower and would have made a partial blockage they’d have to either squeeze through or destroy to continue.
Hidan stood quickly on the other side with a small laugh. “That’ll get the blood pumpin’!”
Rolling his eyes, Kakuzu swiftly ducked under the long rod to join his partner on the other side.
“There should be no fighting so keep your energy in check.”
“Kuzuuu, come on, it’s always good to be prepared!” He snarked back.
Kakuzu simply gave a blunt hum in return as they continued further in. This time it was not as quiet, the burst of adrenaline putting Hidan in a better mood it seemed. While he still didn’t actively converse with Kakuzu as normal, he took to murmuring or humming to himself.
Hidan had always hated silence for as long as Kakuzu knew him. If he wasn’t yammering at his partner, he was muttering or making small noises to himself. Kakuzu, who greatly enjoyed silence, had long ago grown used to it; knowing after many failed attempts at shutting him up that Hidan could only be quiet for so long. Nowadays, he was able to tune out Hidan’s self-soothing ritual, for that is what it had to be, rather easily when desired.
Kakuzu knew nothing of Hidan’s life growing up, just as Hidan knew nothing of his. Yet despite his cluelessness, it was clear with how deranged the man was it likely would not be considered ‘normal’ by anyone's standards. His absolute and unyielding dedication to his God was proof enough of that, hardly anyone sought comfort in the divine within this world unless they were too frightened of whatever the alternative was that they had to face. Then there was the inclination to pain, his sadomasochistic tendencies; those certainly had to stem from somewhere. Kakuzu had met those who reveled in the pain of others or their own, yet never to the extent of Hidan.
As open as Hidan may appear, he was more convoluted and puzzling than the majority of people Kakuzu had met in his long life.
Kakuzu glanced at Hidan who didn’t seem to notice his gaze, too busy humming a foreign song that Kakuzu’s ears couldn’t place; that hatred of silence achingly clear.
Blinking a few times and forcibly clearing his head of any thoughts pertaining to Hidan, Kakuzu scowled behind his mask and pushed their pace slightly faster after that.
There were a handful of other traps that they had little issue avoiding. One net trap that failed to work due to rusted hinges, a handful of kunai’s loaded in a spring trap that were swiftly caught or kicked out of the air, nothing too disastrous. Kakuzu briefly wondered why no one had looted this place prior but chalked it up to lack of knowledge. Surely any moderately adept Jonin or even Chunin could traverse this with little issue. The only reason he wasn’t doubting if the scroll still even remained was because none of the deeper traps had been triggered.
After only a few more minutes of walking, the walkway opened up drastically to a large hollowed out room. It finally gave them some much appreciated breathing room and allowed the lantern to cast across the walls in warm waves. Murals lined it, made up of people bowed down before a large, towering figure that was neither distinctly feminine nor masculine. Kakuzu briefly wondered if this was in some way related to Hidan’s make believe God, but one look at his annoyed grimace proved otherwise. He never much liked being in another God’s temple or place of worship, apparently his ‘Lord Jashin’ was a possessive deity who took offense when one cast their eyes elsewhere.
Kakuzu was still observing a nearby carved relief mural, momentarily leaving Hidan to his own devices, which he should know from experience never ended well. He had hoped that ignoring the giant coffin in the center of the room would imply Hidan should do the same for now, but alas, his expectations were too high.
The coffin clearly housed what they were looking for, but if everything else was trapped in this place, then the crypt most certainly was rigged to hell and back. Kakuzu had been aiming to find the mechanism to disable it, something Hidan clearly did not consider based on him shoving the stone top off and sticking his hand into it. After a moment of stilled silence from Kakuzu, ears straining to hear what had been triggered, Hidan yanked his arm out with a pristine scroll in his grasp.
“Got it! Now let’s get the fuck out of here-”
A loud, grating rumble made the words die in his throat as he quickly snapped his eyes towards the ceiling which was currently spewing dust. A look formed on his face, one that Kakuzu had never seen worn by him before but could only be placed as horror. Without even a word, they both kicked off the ground into a sprint back toward the tunnel they arrived through. Hidan was a few paces ahead, flying over disabled traps and jutting rocks he’d stumbled on prior. Kakuzu was a hair behind him, fury bubbling in his body at the ridiculous situation which could have wholly been avoided. At least his partner still had a grip on that damned scroll.
Rocks and crushed minerals tumbled from the roof and walls, crumbling in droves around them. A stone clipped Hidan’s shoulder at one point but it failed to slow him down, if anything it made him strain to run faster. If Kakuzu had any time to pay attention to the world outside his own concentrated sprinting he’d have noticed the panicked gasps coming from Hidan’s mouth that fatigue could not explain.
The lantern had been ditched so Kakuzu could use his hands to block heavier chunks from hitting him, thus forcing them to rely on their own memory and instincts. Hidan seemed to know where he was going though, not pausing for even a moment to check his surroundings.
A stream of light hit them as they rounded a corner, the entrance finally visible providing much relief. Kakuzu cast his eyes to the ceiling now that they had some illumination, watching for anything that would prove troublesome. Hidan made for the tight passageway first, starting to wiggle through it and unlike last time, Kakuzu did not pause for him to get through first. Time was becoming limited for them to escape, the need to hurry abundantly clear. Just as Hidan was about to breach into daylight Kakuzu felt, more than saw, the ceiling give way right above them. Not pausing for even a moment, Kakuzu lunged forward and tackled Hidan to get them both out of the breaking overhead. He was unwilling to be buried just because Hidan was too slow to notice and move in time. They fell in a heap on the ground, Kakuzu above Hidan and pressed chest to chest with him. For a moment, Kakuzu was able to push up on his arms before he felt the first trickle of dirt hit him.
Instinct screamed at him to act, so in quick succession he released Wind and Lightning mask with a brief command and activated his Earth Release in order to increase his body's durability to diamond-like defense. The last action he had time for was unhunching his shoulders to better stabilize himself, inadvertently covering Hidan further, before bracing for what was bound to be a devastating impact.
It seemed they had both forgotten about the cliffs overhead the entrance in their hurried sprint out.
The first rock was a jolt but not too much to bear, a fact Kakuzu found himself thankful for. Eyes closed as he concentrated on holding his Earth Release, Kakuzu tried to focus on breathing slowly as in mere seconds they were very quickly surrounded by dust, rock and dirt. It was uncomfortable and tight, Kakuzu able to only maintain a few inches between himself and Hidan. The darkness would have been almost complete if not for a small sliver that remained uncovered, allowing light and air into this grave-like space. For that reason, it was very easy to see Hidan’s expression when his eyes opened again.
Hidan had gone eerily still, pupils near completely dilated and blown wide. His gaze was glassy with breaths coming in short, almost hysterical, gasps that rattled in the silence between them. One hand clutched the scroll while the other had moved at some point to grasp onto the necklace resting against his bare chest. If Kakuzu was not so off-put he would have been awed by the expression of terror on his partner's face, the likes of which he’d never seen.
Hidan was frantically murmuring to himself between wheezes, Kakuzu had to strain his ears to hear the words from how fast and pitchy they sounded.
“I’m sorry Jashin-sama, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t wanna go in there I didn’t know- I’m sorry I’m-!”
He was promptly cut off by the dry sob that left his mouth, disturbing Kakuzu in some innately uncomfortable way he did not know was possible. His anger had been forgotten for a moment, confusion lingering in his mind before suddenly the puzzle pieces clicked with one another to provide such a simple answer it was almost comical.
Hidan was claustrophobic, deeply so.
That was why the man was hesitant to first enter; why that look of deep seated horror crossed his face when he saw the ceiling coming down, why he ran like fire was licking at his heels when everything went wrong.
It was rather simple now that he had the hindsight to see it.
Eyes narrowing a fraction in consideration, Kakuzu shifted his gaze to their surroundings, electing to ignore Hidan’s frantic babbling; it was unlikely he’d get through to him in his current state.
He knew his Masks had made it out of the rubble and were likely working on excavating them currently. Kakuzu wasn’t going to risk easing on his Earth Release though, being unsure as to how much he was currently holding steady through it. That being said, he couldn’t separate his hands either seeing as they were preoccupied keeping him at a steady hover above Hidan. An irritated sigh came with the return of his annoyance. The most he could do now was wait for his Masks to clear out the rubble.
Mind tuning back to Hidan’s pleas now that he had nothing else to focus on, Kakuzu felt a flare of indignation when they fully began to register.
“Jashin-sama please I’ve been good! This is just one mistake, I’ll make it up to you tenfold- please get me out, get me out-”
Clicking in tongue in disdain, Kakuzu brashly and unthinkingly moved closer to Hidan’s face, fully looming over the panicking man. Kakuzu would have wrenched the younger's chin to force his glassy gaze to lock onto Kakuzu himself had his hands not been preoccupied. Instead, he settled on boring holes into his skull with his glare and consuming any available space so Hidan would have nowhere else to look.
“Your God is not here, Hidan,” Kakuzu spat out, anger mounting with each fearfully mumbled prayer. “Only me. Of the two of us, I know which will be getting us out of this mess and it certainly won’t be your Lord. So stop your hysterics for salvation when your deliverance won’t be coming from any unseen entity, but me instead.”
Hidan stilled beneath him, eyes focusing for the first time to blink up at Kakuzu. There were a few tears clinging to his lashes, unfallen yet visible nonetheless which stirred an uncomfortable awkwardness within Kakuzu. Struck for a moment by how unusual Hidan looked, with messy hair, wet eyes and face flushed from his rambles, his brain supplied that the man looked as though he belonged in a wholly different situation; though Kakuzu immediately separated himself from that line of thought.
It was clear his words had landed in some way when the man quieted and stared at Kakuzu, expression unreadable in a way it hardly ever was. Kakuzu mentally prepared himself for a fuss to be kicked up over the ‘sacrilege’ he had just uttered, hoping vaguely that Hidan wouldn't idiotically try to thrash or kick out at him; that would make keeping them stabilized difficult. Their faces were still leveled near one another, he expected Hidan to spit or try and bite him, at least that would be more manageable than this frightened man before him; they could go back to normal if he turned argumentative.
Yet against all expectations, Hidan released the grip on his pendant and surged forward to wind his arms around Kakuzu's neck, burying his face into the junction of the others shoulder.
Kakuzu stiffened immediately, spine taut and shoulders locked with unpleasant tightness. This… was not something he was anticipating.
They hardly exchanged any touches outside of necessity, such as Kakuzu stitching a limb back on or an attempted strike on the silver haired man when he was being overly obnoxious; Kakuzu considered that necessity too. But this? This… gentle, trembling hug that sought only comfort and lacked any violence their interactions typically carried? Kakuzu did not know how to handle this.
He could easily shrug Hidan's arms off and deal with the stifling awkwardness that came afterwards. It would be stiff and strange, but manageable. The thought was already halfway to being put into action before a smaller realization echoed.
Hidan was seeking comfort.
The baseline epiphany was simple and obvious, but the underlying implications took a moment to land. Hidan has never been scared and never initiated anything gentle past this one occurrence. Begrudging as he was to admit it, Hidan had a solid grip on himself. He could regulate his emotions when desired, he just typically elected not to. Despite that, the emotions he did show were never that gave too much away, not as Kakuzu was seeing him now.
Hell, Kakuzu would have likely never known of his claustrophobia had it not been for the cave in.
For him to be displaying himself so openly it meant one of two things, either Hidan was not fully there mentally or he was truly desperate enough to let those walls momentarily drop.
If Kakuzu were to shove him off he had a strong inkling their partnership would suffer due to it. Kakuzu was not stupid, he knew Hidan trusted him, or at least trusted him enough to have his back in fights. If he dismissed this, something told him that would not be returning easily.
So for the sake of their continued partnership, he eased his shoulders with only a small sigh and let Hidan cling to him.
For their partnership.
Kakuzu was unsure how long he lingered in that oppressive silence, not that Hidan seemed to notice the atmosphere he’d created. He could hear distant shifting of rock from his masks carefully excavating them, could feel Hidan soft breaths against his collarbone yet could do nothing himself except hold steady.
It was unfortunate Kakuzu was not often recognized for his patience, for he felt himself to be displaying a great deal of it now.
Hidan’s painted nails dug into his cloak's fabric for better grip, unwilling to release. He was silent now, no longer mumbling to himself, body taut against Kakuzu’s yet still actively seeking the contact regardless. Without much else to distract him, Kakuzu’s mind drifted to the last time he had felt a gentle touch or given one, finding himself unable to recall an exact instance with clarity. What may be embarrassing or disheartening for others simply made this situation all the more peculiar, in a vaguely amusing sort of way.
Kakuzu tried not to linger on why he allowed Hidan to tighten his hold and shift closer, like he was trying to merge his fair skin with Kakuzu’s own brutalized flesh; fabric be damned. Lingering on pointless queries never did him much good, he’d learned that long ago, especially when it came to Hidan.
Kakuzu ignored the uncommon reactions the man pulled from him with unwavering intent. He had been fine before Hidan had come along and would remain so long after their partnership dissolved, thus there was no reason to circle around the topic. Somedays, thoughts would invade with a greater frequency, yet distractions were plentiful. The source of his frustration would become the outlet, quick spats and fights disguised as ‘spars’ were easy enough to trigger from a man who sought out pain like a starving mutt.
Never before had Hidan sought a soft touch, it was odd observing him do so now.
Kakuzu was unsure how long they lingered in the poorly lit crevice of space he’d carved out for them, yet slowly he could hear the closer sounds of shifting boulders grinding against one another. Flicking his gaze up, Kakuzu watched attentively as, slowly but surely, that existing peephole widened into something more tangible. Exhaling slowly through his nose, denying even to himself that it was in relief, Kakuzu shifted his shoulders to shrug Hidan off finally.
“Get off, you should be able to crawl out now.”
Hidan blinked at him dazedly and Kakuzu watched in real time as the words latched inside his mind. Suddenly that bleary gaze widened in surprise as he twisted his neck to look where light was coming more steadily from. A near hysterical, but equally relieved laugh came from him as the silver haired man wiggled onto his front under Kakuzu. It was awkward positioning but after a moment Hidan was able to squeeze out the small hole without much difficulty, body flexible enough to make it look easy.
Silence descended now, for while it had been quiet prior, Hidan’s shaky breathing and small noises had filled his ears enough to render the word ‘silence’ as unsuitable. How odd that this was the situation Kakuzu finally achieved again. He knew he would have to wait a few minutes longer to escape as well, both to assure any shifting wouldn’t cause the rocks to cave in and to make sure he could fit through the gap Hidan just exited through.
The rocks continued to shift above him, Kakuzu eyeing the makeshift roof warily as dirt and debris trickled down. The stream of light grew as pale hands shoved rocks out of the way in a haphazard style that made Kakuzu wish to roll his eyes. Even now, Hidan couldn’t think for more than five seconds; at least the structural integrity seemed stable enough.
After a few minutes of sunlight becoming increasingly more visible, a hand stuck itself into the gap.
“Come on! I’ll pull you out!”
Kakuzu didn’t think about his lack of hesitation as he lifted one hand to clasp onto the outreached one, his own rough palm slotting into Hidan’s which could never be anything but smooth. A viscous and strong tug hauled him forward and, with his legs aiding in kicking off, Kakuzu came tumbling out of the crevice, releasing his Jutsu just as the mound folded in where he had been moments prior.
Looking behind him toward where they just came without any true emotion visible, Kakuzu let his masks rejoin him on his back. Plumes of dust floated in the air, itching at his throat even with a mask fixed in place.
“Well… that was something!” Hidan blurted, voice still slightly shaky but steadily gaining back the typical cockiness it held.
Kakuzu turned to eye him for a moment as he righted his posture before asking, “The scroll, do you have it?”
Hidan blinked, “The wha- Oh! Yeah, yeah I got it!”
Waving the old rolled up paper around which was likely too old to handle such treatment, Hidan extended it to Kakuzu.
“Ya want it?”
At least he was not completely useless today, Kakuzu would have reburied him if he lost it.
Silently taking it without a word, Kakuzu stored it in a spare pouch and glanced skyward. Clouds were beginning to creep in with the sun dipping lower, it had already been mid-afternoon when they entered so it was no surprise evening was drawing closer. Not often did Kakuzu elect to spend money on an inn when they were perfectly capable of camping, but with the day he had and a small village so close he figured he could stomach paying for a bed for tonight.
“Come on, we’re going.” Kakuzu spoke blandly, turning in the direction of the village they had bought the lantern from and mapping the route in his mind.
Hidan tilted his head curiously and glanced where Kakuzu had angled himself before perking up. “No way! Mister frugal’s actually gonna get us a bed tonight? Hell yeah!”
“Get myself a bed, you will be paying for your own or not be getting one at all.”
“Whaaat? Come on Kuzuuu.” Hidan whined dramatically, chasing after Kakuzu’s retreating form. “Can’t we just share or something, you carry all the money!”
“Seems I do, looks like the floor will suffice for you.”
“Kakuzu!”