here's my first attempt at a real yaoi fic. i luv kakuhida, and i hope that you love this story, too! i like most of it, so pleas review to tell me what you think!

As a ninja, I've learned to keep any emotions or facial expressions concealed. We're not supposed to show that we can feel at all, and I mastered this art at young age in my village. I could have a wound that would make other men writhe in agony and you wouldn't even know it. I could have just won the lottery and I would make it look like any other day. My face is always frozen into an emotionless mask. However, there is a reason why I wear a real mask. Other than the obnoxious stitches, which I most wear to avoid awkwardness and question, not from embarrassment, there is one other reason. You see there is one dead give away sign of emotion that no ninja in the history of the world has ever been able to control: the blush.

For most ninja this isn't much of a problem. But for me, it's kind of a big deal. I think it's because I'm so skilled at concealing my other feelings that they all build up and try to make themselves known through the blood rushing in my cheeks. That's just my theory. The slightest thing can set it off, and sometimes it's not anything at all.

As of late, however, I've been especially grateful for my all concealing mask. The color in my cheeks has been showing up like it's getting paid to. And the reason for that is for one reason only: Hidan, my friggin' sexy-ass partner.

Hidan is quite different from me. He doesn't even try to conceal his emotions. He yells, smirks, and giggles insanely when he's killing someone for his god, which is actually kind of a turn-on. Also, he never blushes. He just always says what's on his mind, so he doesn't need to blush. He's always so careless and open about what he does, too. That ass doesn't realize that when he sits with his legs spread open, or arches backwards to crack his back, that he's really turning me on. Or… does he? Did he know what he did to me? No, a gorgeous man such as himself wouldn't be flirting with me…would he?

"Oi, Kakuzu-chan! It's getting dark out; can we take a friggin' break now? We've been walking all day and my feet fuckin' hurt!" Hidan complains like it's is job. Just because he's attractive doesn't mean that he's still not annoying.

"You can keep walking for a few more miles. There's a small village up ahead with some cheap inns." I said, keeping a monotone voice.

"Ugh! I'm not going to keep on walking if all have to look forward to is a shitty little inn with cold showers and scratchy blankets. I just want to rest here!" Hidan stopped walking and crossed his arms.

"It's only a few more miles. You can rest for and entire night then." I said, rolling my eyes.

"I'm not going to some crappy village!" Hidan yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. "Unless you want to carry me there." He added quietly with a smirk.

Damn that blush. Just the though of Hidan being on my back with his legs wrapped around my waist put dirty thoughts I my head and made my dark cheeks turn bright red. I once again thank whatever imaginary gods there are for my mask. "Don't be stupid." I mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

Hidan wasn't fazed by the comment. It's not like he was serious about me carrying him. "We don't have to go to the inn. We can just sleep outside." Hidan suggested.

Well this was certainly a change. Hidan actually made a suggestion that would save us money. It was a nice night, so it could be pleasant experience. "Fine." I grunted. I could almost feel the smirk on Hidan's face behind me. What was he playing at?

"Great!" Hidan exclaimed. "I know a nice little place right over here." The Jashinist smirked and pointed to an unknown spot deep into the woods far off of the path.

Wait, he already knew where he wanted to rest? Oh right, his old village was just a little past the small one up ahead. He grew up around these areas. I suddenly got a mental picture of a little eight-year old Hidan. I blushed again. He must have been adorable. Did he ever go to 'Jashin Sunday School,' or something? I wonder if he had to drag around his scythe back then, or if he ever wore a shirt? Ugh! What am I thinking? I'm not a pedo like Orochimaru. I think I just need some rest to clear my head.

Hidan led me off the path and into the thick trees. The sun was setting, making the light coming through the trees a bright orange. "C'mon, dude, we're almost there." I actually like it when he calls me dude. It shows me that he can relax around me and we don't always have to hate each other, although I've never showed him otherwise. I don't think I could.

Hidan gripped my sleeve and dragged me along, making me stagger and quicken my pace. Why was he so eager to reach this specific place? It seemed almost as far away as the village was. Everything looked the same here. Did he really know where he was going? Trees rushed by us as Hidan once again quickened our pace. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't realize that the air temperature was drastically going up and the leafy trees were beginning to thin out. The trees eventually disappeared to reveal a misty clearing. What was this place? Looking closer, however, I realized that there were several small hot springs in the clearing, creating a thick water vapor that even withstood the strong rays of the setting sun. As the sound of running water reached my ears, I let my eyes wander over to the left of the clearing. There was a small cliff that had a waterfall running over it and then drained into a small pool of crystal clear water with a rock bottom. The mist stayed clear of this pool, so I concluded that is must be cool water. The rest of ground was covered with long, green grass that stayed green because of the surrounding water sources. There were bright red, yellow, and purple flowers and small ferns scattered throughout the grass, giving the clearing an almost tropical look to it.

"So, whadd'ya think?" Hidan asked, looking very proud of himself for knowing about such a wonderful place. How did he ever find this place? It's so well hidden it's a wonder anyone would be able to find this place twice.

It was peaceful, relaxing, and altogether beautiful. I loved it. "It'll do." I said, revealing none of my emotion or the blush that burned so brightly beneath my mask. I sat down beneath a leafy tree with my back against the sunlight, its rough trunk supporting my back. Hidan did the same with another tree, but at a slightly different angle, so that the last remaining rays from the setting sun shone through the trees and caressed his face and body. He removed is sandals and leg warmers and set them off to the side. His hands then moved to the snaps of his cloak halfway down his chest, and I swallowed hard. He slowly, oh ever so slowly, unsnapped each button until he got to the last one. His back arched and he let the cloak slide off of him, revealing the perfectly toned goodness beneath, and his muscled were only embellished by the light reflecting off of them. There was so much blood in my cheeks that I thought they would surely burst with the heat and pressure. Luckily, Hidan didn't seem to notice. He lifted his arm up and ran his fingers through his silver hair. Was he flexing? He must have noticed me staring because he looked in my direction, but I quickly looked away. God his eyes were pretty in bright sunlight. The violet color seemed to be magnified, adding a slightly orange tint and creating bright sparkles. Geez, now I sound gay. Well, I guess I am, but not, like, Deidara gay. Wait, was he smirking at me? No, he wouldn't be smirking at me.

And just when I though that things couldn't get any more awkward, Hidan just had to jump up and say, "Hey, bastard, lets put these hot spring to good use." I looked at him in disbelief. He was serious. Crap. "C'mon whatcha waitin' for?

"N-nothing, moron." I stood up and we stared at each other awkwardly for a few seconds. Blushing. Hard. Again.

"Well, let's get to it dude." Hidan reached down to unbutton his pants as I reluctantly removed my cloak and my shirt. Those violet eyes looked at my surprisingly tan skin and at my stitches. I usually don't mind the strange stares that I get from strangers when they see me, but around him, I feel hopelessly self-conscious. I almost reflexively flexed my abdominal muscles and rolled my shoulders back, wondering if he found me attractive, too. I doubted it, and relaxed. I sighed and looked around, and then I realized that of course there wouldn't be any towels way out here. Shit.

Hidan didn't seem to notice this inconvenience, and soon he was completely stripped down and walking towards the steaming bath. I tried not to stare, but my eyes wandered, starting at his chest and slowly inching down like a magnet. That area was drawing my eyes downward- or maybe I could get it to raise up-no! Stop it, you're not a pervert! My eyes quickly snapped back up just as Hidan lazily turned his head to look at me.

"Are ya comin' or what?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow and stepping into the hot water. I grunted in return. Did I even want to make a move with him? If I did something wrong, then I could mess up the already tedious equilibrium we had as partners. He had to want to feel the same way I did, or else I would never hear the end of his bitching and taunting about how I raped him and how I was the gay one. We barely got along as it was, and I didn't want any more sexual tension between us. I didn't even know if it was going be worth it.

Just then, Hidan dipped his head underwater and came up with his eyes closed and a smile on his face. He ran his finger through his hair again and let out a relaxed moan that sounded as if it was meant to be sexual. Oh yeah, it would be so worth it. But I still wanted to do this right, if I could help it. This was going to be tricky.

I stepped to the edge of the water and quickly discarded the remainder of my clothing, including my all protecting mask. I was eager to be covered up by the vapor and water, so my entry into the water was a little less than graceful. When the ripples reached Hidan, who had his arms stretched out along the edge of the hot spring and his eyes closed in relaxation, he opened one eye and cocked it in questioning, but remained silent. How the hell could he keep so calm in a situation like this? Oh, right, he doesn't feel the same way I do. He has no reason to be uncomfortable. His eye still looked at me. It's not like he's never seen me without my mask before, but whenever I had it off, his eyes lingered for a little longer than usual. I should start charging him to see the freak show.

I lowered my gaze away from Hidan. My neck relaxed and my eyes stared deep into the water, although they couldn't see much because of its high temperature. The gentle ripples in the water hypnotized my mind into a calm, almost comatose state, not thinking about anything in particular. With our breathing in sync, Hidan and I sat there in a strangely comfortable silence. We weren't always fighting; we just usually never truly got along. Silence was a hard thing to come by between us, so I appreciated it and enjoyed every second.

The silence was broken by gentle splashing from Hidan. He slowly got out of the pool and mumbled 'I'm hot.' His face was red from the heat, and mine was red from the built up sexual tension. Once again, Hidan's ignorance paid off and my fiery cheeks went unnoticed. Hidan casually strolled passed his pile of clothes. Where was he going? I turned my head slightly and peered through the hair in my face to get a better look, but not to make it look like I was staring right at him. Did he know that he was swaying his hips? He stopped walking and put his hand on the edge of the cool pool of water with the waterfall, and hopped in. He made almost no splash as he entered, and he waded over to the waterfall. It couldn't have been taller than twenty feet or so, so the pressure wasn't too great. The man I desired tilted his head back as he entered the falling water and let it completely engulf him. This time I wasn't just glancing at him, I was staring at him. I couldn't seem to look away. This angelic figure had my eyes and mind completely captivated. The clear liquid ran off of his sleek form and fell off his arms that were held at an outward, godlike position and dripped off of his fingertips.

After about a minute he broke free from his water cage for air. He relaxed his arms and slowly opened his eyes. Inhaling deeply, he once again ran his finger through his platinum hair. He slowly turned and our eyes met. I didn't even try to look away. I think it was because I knew I wouldn't be able to. He raised one eyebrow at me.

"Hey Kakuzu-chan," he began. Although I would never admit to it, I secretly liked it when he called me that. It was just a weird fetish. "Your face is kinda red, maybe you should come in here to cool off…with me." Hidan's smirk was that of a sex god.

I was so busy staring at him that the question didn't even register in my mind for a few seconds. "Wha-? Oh, yeah. Whatever." Crap! He noticed that my face was red. At least he didn't know the real reason why. I tentatively stepped out of the water and strolled over to the pool and stepped in. The cool, clear water was above my waist, which was a good thing. I sat down on the underwater ledge and folded my arms. The cool water calmed my racing heart slightly. I crossed my arms and sighed quietly. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Hidan was looking at me again. He seemed to be smiling. Not smirking, but, although it was small, he bore a genuine smile of happiness on his face, as if he enjoyed being in my presence. It seemed to fill me up with warmth. It was a strange feeling, but a good one. Despite my liking for it, I still had to question the origin of it. I knew that I wanted Hidan, but was it possible that I…liked him? What was there to like about him besides his appearances? He was loud, obnoxious, and inconsiderate, although… I guess he was a little smart…and strong. When he decided he was going to do something, he never gave up. He was always devoted and determined. He could be pretty nice if he wanted to be, and he didn't judge me on the way I looked. In fact, he actually seemed to like me. He really wanted to take me to this place. He seemed to want to make me happy as well as himself.

I glanced in his direction again, and our eyes met. Those brilliant violet eyes gazed deep into mine, and I felt good. I guess I really did like him in a way that was more about sex. Knowing this made me want him all the more. However, it would just hurt that much more if I failed and drove him away.

Our eyes lingered in each others, and while I didn't want to look away, there was an awkward silence that had gone on for too long. If I didn't break it, then I knew I would start blushing again. I opened my mouth to speak, although I had nothing prepared to say. So I simply asked: "Hidan, why do you seem to like this place so much?"

Hidan smiled again and looked down, appearing to be surprised at the sudden question. I usually never asked questions about him beyond 'Why are you so stupid?' or 'Do you have to do these damned rituals?' "Well," he began timidly, "I guess it would be because," he inhaled deeply, as if preparing to take a plunge underwater, "because it reminds me of…of you."

I was taken aback by this answer. Small tingles of hope and excitement ran through my body to my fingertips and toes. Where was this going? I stared at him in shock, and then I crossed my eyebrows in confusion. "It-it reminds you of…of me? How so?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. This place was so calm, so relaxing, and so perfect. How was this place like me at all?

Hidan took a minute to respond. He took another deep breath and opened his mouth to answer. "When I was little I used to explore and train in these woods everyday." Hidan chuckled lightly at his nostalgic thoughts. "And even though I spent, like, all my time here, it still took me years to stumble upon this place. I guess I always just missed walking into it, because it hides its beauty so well. These thick trees act like a…like a mask." The Jashinist once again looked deep into my mind, as if he was trying to read my thoughts. "You just have to look hard enough to find it." He whispered. He chuckled again, trying to dispel the awkwardness. He looked up and started talking again. "Ah shit, I guess it's also cause' there's a waterfall here and your from the Hidden Waterfall Village. And this mist kinda fights the cool water, just like you can be kinda fuckin' bipolar sometimes. Like, seriously, you'll be angry, then you'll be calm, and…" Hidan trailed off, talking rather loudly and probably trying to make him seem like less of a sensitive pansy. I wasn't listening. All I heard was that last part. It hides its beauty so well. You just have to look hard enough to find it.

"And I guess you can be kinda cool, when you want to. Oh, and-!"

"Hidan." I cut him off. This was it. I was diving in. I knew I was blushing furiously, and appreciated the fact that Hidan didn't mention it. Placing a hand on his cheek, I forced him to look at me. I had to be tactful. "Hidan, I-I just…" Ah, fuck it. I was never any good with words, anyway. I smashed my lips to his and I put my other hand on his cheek. Hidan's eyes shot wide open in shock, and then they relaxed and he closed them in pleasure. I did the same. He moved his lips in sync with mine as he put one hand on the small of my back and ran the other one through my wet hair. I then put one arm around his waist and moved him onto my lap to deepen the kiss. God, this felt good. I finally had him.

He began to moan as the kiss deepened. My tongue slipped into his mouth, producing another low moan from him. His head tilted back as I shoved my tongue down his throat. I felt his hand tighten in my hair as my hand massaged his inner thigh. I was finally getting what I had desired for so long. Hidan was going to be mine. I didn't care that I was blushing now. Both of our eyes were closed now, anyway.

Hidan was the one to break the kiss. Both of us were breathing heavily. His eyes lazily traced the stitches on my face as his fingers gently plucked at them. I blushed again.

"Dude," Hidan giggled, "your blushing."

"Yeah, it's been and ongoing problem, as of late." I said, still keeping my voice monotone.

Hidan smirked. "Well then," Hidan put his lips to my ear and whispered, "I guess I succeeded."

I put my hands on his shoulders and forced his face in front of mine. He had a light, almost comical expression on his face. He really was trying to seduce me all this time. "You rat bastard." I murmured and pressed my lips to his again. I forced him off my lap and straddled him on the underwater ledge. He seemed to have no obligations to this. We continued on like this for a while until it escalated into something more. We were oblivious to all; lost in each others touch.

The next morning, I awoke first. Both of us were lying naked in the long grass. We didn't need any blankets because the heat from the hot springs and each other kept us warm. My arms were wrapped around Hidan protectively, with his back to me. This felt good. It had been so long since I had felt this relaxed, this happy, and this right. Warmth still radiated through me from last night.

I wanted to be with my new…ah hell; I'll say it, my new lover. My lips gently tickled his neck until he stirred awake. Turning around with his eyes still closed he nuzzled his face into my chest and inhaled deeply, taking in my scent. His eyelids fluttered open as his mouth opened for a silent yawn. He moaned in comfort and pleasure as our lips gently met for a few brief seconds.

"G'morning." Hidan mumbled, still frazzled from sleep.

"Morning." I returned gently. We lay there for a few more minutes in a strangely comfortable silence, basking in each other's presence. The silence was broken by a still sleepy Jashinist.

"Hey Kuzu?" Kuzu. That was new. I liked it.

"Hn?"

"I was wondering, ah, shit, how do I put this? I was wondering, what exactly we would call what's going on between us. I mean, I don't really know how you fuckin' feel, or anything, but…was this just a one night stand, or is this gonna go somewhere?" Hidan looked down timidly at his hands, which he began wringing nervously. "I mean, seriously, either way, last night was fucking awesome, but…I'm just curious if this was just a one night stand thing?" Hidan's voice got quieter as he went on, so by the end his voice was barely more than a whisper. I still understood him. I wanted him to look me in the eyes, so I put my fingers under his chin and lifted his face up gently. My gaze was intense and rather serious as I stared at him, as usual. However, seeing the slightly frightened look on his face, I relaxed and made my face gentle. He smiled shyly at me. For the first time in a long time, I gave a small smile back. I even chuckled lightly and replied, "Who would want to spend just one night with you?"

Hidan blushed.