"Though, hell will freeze over before I show anyone my true feelings..."

Hidan blinked blearily as sunlight filtered into his now open eyes. He groaned, rolling over and burying his face into his pillow. He didn't want to go to school—well, no one really does, but Hidan had a few reasons that made his life a bit more horrible. One reason was because everyone mocked him, called him "freak," mostly, he guessed, because of his religion, but he didn't really care about that one. After all, Jashinism wasn't really practiced any more these days. Another reason was a certain guy named Kakuzu, and his group of friends. Those guys(well, Konan was a girl) were his main tormentors. Hidan didn't really feel like facing them today. He never did...

Even though everyone hated him., especially Kakuzu, he found that he really liked the miser—and along the way, he realized that, no, he didn't like him. He loved him, more like it. But Hidan didn't really understand the concept of 'love,' and he didn't really know Kakuzu all that well, besides the apparent dislike that the other boy held for him, plus, Kakuzu was a guy—and Hidan didn't really know what to do with that feeling.

It's not like it would even be possible for us to be friends, anyway.

"HIDAN! GET YOUR SORRY ASS DOWN HERE!"

Oh. Right. That as the reason Hidan actually went to school at all. His dad...

A soft knock sounded from his door, and Hidan blinked his eyes open curiously. His mother stepped into the room, smiling down at him gently. "Honey, I made you some breakfast. It's downstairs on the table, you can grab it on your way out, okay?" Hidan let out a sigh, and they both ignored the bareness of his room, and the slight splatters of blood that spotted the walls and floors. "Yeah, thanks, Mum. Be right down."

"Alright. Have a good day, Hidan."

"You too, Mum."

She left, and Hidan hauled himself out of bed, stifling a groan as he forced himself out of the warm blankets. He got dressed in his school uniform—gray slacks, and a gray jacket, which he put over a white hoodie(1). Soon, he was heading downstairs as quiet as he could. Hopefully his father wouldn't catch him on his way out.

XXXXX

"Mum!" Kakuzu whined. "I've got to go to school!"

His mother chuckled, tousling his hair one last time, and rolled her eyes as he ducked out from under her hand. "Alright. Have an amazing day, Kakuzu."

"Sure thing." Kakuzu grabbed his car keys and shot out through the open door. When he arrived at the school, he parked his Ford Taurus jogged up the steps to the large gate. He looked up and grinned when he saw his friends already waiting for him just outside the entrance—not that anyone could see it, due to the mask that he always wore over the lower half of his face—and raced until he reached him, and high-fived his friend Pein. The mask he wore was because his whole body was covered in stitches due to a very bad car accident when he was younger, and there were two that went from his mouth back towards his ears—he didn't like showing those.

But, the others knew he was grinning, since they could all see the one they loved to tease to most walking up the steps to the school.

XXXXX

Fuck, Hidan groaned inwardly as he caught sight of six people standing in front of the gate. Nagato, Konan, Kakuzu, Itachi, Kisame, and Deidara.

The ones that pissed him off the most. Well, except for Konan. She was the nice one of the lot, and even stood up for him on multiple occasions—but she was weak, and was quick to back down. Mostly. He knew it wasn't just for show, either, since he'd heard her yelling at the others when they thought they were alone, and eventually got them to agree to stop bothering him. And they had, if only for a short while.

He'd always been itching to thank her, but the fact that he never caught her alone held him back.

"Well, well, well." Kakuzu smirked down at him. "Lookie here, it's the freak!"

Hidan supposed that he should be used to it by now, but every time someone called him a freak, and especially when Kakuzu did, he felt as if they'd stabbed him in the chest. Though, hell will freeze over before I fucking show anyone what I'm actually feeling... So he just hid behind a mask of religion, and annoyance. Maybe some ignorance, and a little wit.

"Hey, look." He spoke in a monotone, and he thought he saw Konan frown out of the corner of his eye, but brushed it off. "It's the five motherfuckers who have no hobbies and bug random people." He sent them an unamused glance. "How very nice to see you."

"Mm, wrong." Deidara rolled his eyes, as if it was obvious. Our hobby is bugging you, and only you. I don't think you're a random person..." He grinned.

Hidan blinked at him. "That makes me feel so special..." He shook his head slightly, and continued on into the building, ignoring the five laughing boys behind him.

XXXXX

"It's always a blast to bug him," Kisame snickered.

"Hn." Itachi didn't really talk much.

"I really don't think you guys should be mocking him like that," Konan protested. "I mean, he's a person too, what if you're hurting him?"

"Don't be silly, Konan!" Kakuzu laughed. "It doesn't bother him at all!"

"He's right." Pein grinned. "see, he's even eager for it! Lighten up, girl!"

I don't think he's actually showing what he feels, though... She sighed, following her rowdy friends into the school. She loved them all, she really did, but gosh, they could be right jerks sometimes.

XXXXX

School was hell for Hidan. Every time he passed a group of people, there were calls of "Hey, freak, how's it going!" and "Hey, look, it's the freak..." and everyone else would laugh, or snicker, or smirk at him from behind their hands.

Hidan didn't understand it all. He didn't know what he'd done to make them treat him like this, but he'd gotten used to most of it by now. Except for the names... But all he could do was ignore them, knowing full well that if he started a fight, he'd only get his ass handed back to him. It wasn't that he was weak or anything, but they'd most likely gang up on him in groups of five. That, and he'd get kicked out of the school for initiating a 'brawl.' The only way he could cheer up a little was by mocking the teachers a little—not listening to well, cussing as much as his vocabulary allowed(it was full of words, and colorful), praying silently during lessons, ignoring them, etc.

He was relieved when school ended. That day, the mocking and teasing was quite merciless, and he didn't think he could take it much longer. After the bell, he was the first out of the school yard. He was halfway home when he stopped dead in the middle of the road. He didn't want to go home, his father would only beat him again...

He was grateful that his mother worked until eight, because Hidan knew in the pit of his stomach that his father was drunk again, tonight. He turning and quickly made his way to the park. There was a bridge there, that worked it's way into the highway. He climbed up until he was sitting comfortably in the gap between two of the concrete piers—there, no one would be able to see him.

XXXXX

The group, self-proclaimed Akatsuki, had had a blast that day. Every time they'd seen their favorite freak, they'd mocked him shamelessly, jeering at him and just having a good time at his expense. After all, freaks couldn't feel, right?

But only one of them was wondering why he'd disappeared so quickly after school let out. The five boys pouted at the loss, but were soon laughing with each other as they shared their day's adventures on the way to Nagato's home. Konan left them halfway there, saying something about homework, and dashed off in the direction she'd seen Hidan run. He'd just stopped in the middle of the road and took off. She swore she had seen him enter the park, but when she arrived, she couldn't spot him anywhere. After a few minutes of fruitless searching, she let out a sigh, heading back towards Nagato's. Might as well get him to study. They had a test the next day in biology.

XXXXX

Please leave, Hidan silently pleaded as he watched Konan wander around the park, obviously looking for something. Shit, shit! Please leave... If he didn't get home soon, his father would be pissed. He shuddered, not from the cold, but from the memory of what the man had done to him the last time he'd been late. It wasn't pleasant...

But Konan was down there, he didn't want her to catch him. She'd only keep him there longer, and the longer he stayed, the more pain he would receive later.

Soon, though, the girl left with slumped shoulders, and Hidan waited five more minutes to be sure that she was gone. He slid down to the sidewalk below, and dashed down the streets toward his home, hoping that it wasn't as late as the darkened sky led him to believe it was.

Unfortunately, the second he opened the door, a bulky hand reached out like lightning and snatched him, pulling him in and slamming him into the next wall of the entryway.

Oh Jashin-sama, help me! His chest tightened as he heard the front door slam shut.

The last thing he saw that day was his father face, twisted in a drunken rage as he raised a fist to smash into Hidan's chest, and the teen collided with the wall again, the back of his head making a sickening cracking sound, and everything went black.

When he opened his eyes again, everything was blurred, and he ached everywhere. His father must have continued to kick him even after he'd passed out. He wasn't even in the entryway anymore—he felt the cold tiles of the kitchen floor pressing into his back.

He whimpered a little as he sat up, glancing around in confusion when he didn't see his mother. Usually she would at least lay him on the couch when she came home to find him like this—he hoped to Jashin that she'd stayed away last night. Maybe she'd stayed at a friend's house. He hoped so.

He squinted at the clock on the microwave and froze when he saw that it was almost ten-thirty in the morning. He was late for school...

Hidan groaned slightly as he gripped the counter, pulling himself up with all the strength he had left. He'd get detention for this for sure. Usually he'd wake up in time for school, but this time, he guessed he was too far away from his alarm clock to be woken.

He didn't want to wake his father—that man was always worse when he had a hangover—getting ready for school, but he decided to just leave when he glanced down and saw that he was still wearing his uniform and hoodie from the day before, and his schoolbag was still lying in the entryway.

He closed the door quietly behind him, and made his way down the street as fast as is body would allow without having pain spike throughout his chest area. Even his legs were sore.

Finally, he made it to the schoolyard and took a shuttering breath, looking at the gate wearily.

Here goes. Another day in hell.

XXXXX

"Hey," Nagato frowned slightly as his friends turned to acknowledge him. "I haven't seen the freak today..." Konan scowled, but said nothing.

"Neither have I," Kisame noticed." What about you, Itachi?"

"Hn."

"What?" Deidara tilted his head."

"That was a 'no.'" Kisame rolled his eyes as if it was painfully obvious.

"I've always wondered how you can decode those 'hn's'..." Nagato smirked.

"I don't know why, either. All I do is translate," Kisame sang with a grin, proud of the fact that only he could understand their silent friend, and no one noticed Itachi, who had a slight blush on his face.

"Well, we need something to do. Can't mock the freak, since he's absent..." Deidara sighed.

"Hey, Kakuzu, why are you so quiet?" Konan asked, frowning.

"Huh?" Kakuzu looked up. "Oh, sorry. It's nothing. Just thinking."

"Does it hurt?" Kakuzu hit the grinning Kisame on the back of the head. "No, you dolt. I was thinking about that car crash that happened yesterday. You know, the one on the news?"

"You saw that too?" Nagato asked. "The yellow Chevy Impala, right?"

"Yeah." Kakuzu nodded. "i just thought it was weird. I mean, they couldn't find the driver, it's like he just left or something. And the other person, the woman, she died upon impact, they said."

"You think the driver bailed?" Deidara asked, appalled. The miser nodded, and Itachi grunted.

"What a bastard..." Nagato said, and Konan would have called him out on it if she hadn't agreed.

XXXXX

Hidan had decided that school wasn't worth it, that day. He'd chickened out right before going through the gate. He passed right by the park and walked to the nearest drugstore to buy some pain medication—otherwise, the aches wouldn't stop bothering him, he had to find some way to ignore them, or he wouldn't make it through the day.

He frowned at the newspaper on the rack next to the counter as he was checking out, and grabbed one, tossing some cash onto the tilled top.

He pulled open the paper and skimmed through the article about a rather nasty car crash on East 42nd Street, about how a few of the police's detectives were looking for the driver, who'd disappeared. They were unsure who it was, as the passenger's body, a woman, had remained unidentified, and the license plate of the car had been torn off before authorities had arrived on scene.

"...at 7:30 PM, just yesterday afternoon. It was a yellow Chevy Impala, no plates. "We only found one body, and that was the passenger," says Jonathon Crowley, police detective. "A woman, 35 years old at most. Blond hair, really blond, and a bit shorter than most that age. We have yet to find the driver, but he will be brought in for questioning when we do...""

A knot formed in Hidan's stomach. He'd gotten home at about six-seventeen, and passed out almost fifteen minutes later. His mother usually came home at about six-forty... The physical description matched, and that yellow Impala was definitely his mothers, Hidan recognized it in the picture. His father must have been the driver...

His mother was dead. His father killed her.

The clerk behind the counter frowned at him. "You alright, boy?"

That was when Hidan's legs gave out.

"Holy crap!" The clerk scrambled out from behind the counter, and the other customers nearby helped him lift Hidan into the chair next to the counter. He bent down to look into Hidan's face. "Are you okay, kid?"

"I..." Hidan opened is mouth, but snapped it shut. He couldn't tell anyone, his father would kill him, then, too. Just like he killed his mother. "I-I..." He tried to swallow, but gagged when he found that his mouth had run dry.

The manager came over and asked the clerk to get him a coke. A customer ran and got it before the clerk could move, and popped it open, handing it to Hidan. "Here, kid, drink this. It will help a little." The manager told him.

Hidan tilted his head back and choked the soda down, coughing on the first gulp, but he managed to get the rest down.

"Are you alright, do you need us to call the hospital?" The clerk asked him.

Hidan's eyes widened. "N-No!" He croaked. "No hospital... I-I'm fine..."

The manager, clerk, and customer stayed for a while longer, but eventually Hidan got out of the drugstore and was running down the streets, the three men watching after with worried looks on their faces—but Hidan didn't see them.

"D-Dad?" He called out carefully as he entered the house.

"In here," the gruff reply came, from the kitchen. He walked with shaky steps into the room that connected to the entryway, and saw his father sitting at the table, surrounded by empty beer cans, the day's paper clenched in his fists tightly. He gazed at the wasted man warily, but somehow, it appeared that his father wasn't drunk right then.

"You know, then?" The man glanced up at him.

Hidan nodded, voice not working for him at the moment.

His father just nodded.

Hidan decided that he didn't like the mood his father was in, and retreated up the stairs to his room.

XXXXX

"Sooo," started Pein. "What you guys wanna do this weekend?" School had just let out, and the Akatsuki group was walking home.

"Pein!" Konan admonished. "It's only Wednesday! There's still two days left in the week!"

"So?" Nagato scoffed. "Who cares?"

"Well, I do!" The girl rolled her eyes. "We have a test tomorrow, and the next day, and another on Monday in math, then one more in History on Friday next week... and you haven't even studied for a minute!"

"Awww, Konan!" Pein whined. "But studying is boring!"

"Pein..." Konan growled. Nagato hid behind Kakuzu, who chuckled. "C'mon, Pein. These are finals, and you barely passed last year. If you fail this year, we'll be moving up a grade, and you'll have to stay back."

"See, Pein? Kakuzu agrees!"

Nagato ignored her, turning toward the others. "What about you guys?"

"I don't know," Deidara shrugged. "Whatever you're doing, I guess."

"Well..."

"Hn!"

"Hey now! I wouldn't say it like that!" Kisame blanched.

"What?" Nagato, Deidara, Kakuzu, and Konan asked at the same time.

Kisame grinned. "He said that if Nagato's isn't studying, then he isn't helping him for the next test. Well, in the shortened version."

"Yeah, thanks for that, Itachi." Nagato huffed, and the Uchiha blinked.

"What about you? Do you think the same?" Pein turned to Kisame.

"W-Well... I..." The teens voice grew smaller as Konan's grin grew larger. "Um, y-yes..."

"What?" Nagato snapped. "Ugh, fine, I study for the tests..." Konan straightened in triumph.

The group continued walking towards Nagato's house in silence, until—

"So, what about the weekend?"

"PEIN!"

XXXXX

It was dark outside the next that Hidan woke up. He lay back in his bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to remember when the last time he'd eaten was. That morning—no, the morning before, when his mother had made him breakfast. He never ate lunch at school, and his father had beaten him into unconsciousness before he could have dinner. Then, he'd left for school... So, the only thing he'd had in two days was that coke that that drugstore manager had given him. One more day and, despite the soda, he'd be dehydrated. He wasn't hungry now, but he knew he had to eat something...

He made his way downstairs and was relieved to find that his father wasn't home then. He opened the fridge and wasn't surprised to see that it was almost empty.

It's gonna be bread, then...

After eating, he went up to his bedroom again, and laid down on the bed, tracing the cracks in the ceiling with his eyes. He didn't want to go to school tomorrow, but that was the only thing his mother had insisted on. So he'd go, even if his body still hurt from the last beating, he'd go. For her.

XXXXX

"Well, someone's late in coming home today..." Kakuzu's mother raised an eyebrow as he came trudging through the door.

"Sorry, mum. I was at Nagato's house. We were all helping him study."

"How'd you get that boy to study?"

"Well..." the teen paused. "Konan made him. And we helped Konan."

"Any food left?" Kakuzu asked as he sat down. "I'm starving!"

"Sure, it's in the fridge. But I'm making dinner, so you'll have to wait." The woman told him sternly. "How was your day at school?"

"Ugh!" He threw his hands up. "It was so boring! We didn't have anything to do! The freak wasn't there, and..."

"Kakuzu! You didn't bully him again, did you?"

"He wasn't there, mum. So we couldn't." Kakuzu admonished. "And we don't bully him. We just tease him a little, and he doesn't mind..."

"You should still be a little nicer to him, though."

"You said that last time."

"And I meant it. Just like now."

"Fine.."

"Though, I'm still wondering why." The part-time banker turned around. "Please set the table."

"Sure," he got up and opened the cupboard and got out some plates. "Why what?"

"Why do you tease him?"

"Well... It's fun, and—"

"No, don't go on," she held up a hand, then handed him some cups as she got the lemonade ready. Then she sighed. "Just... Please, try to be a little nicer to him, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, alright." They ate dinner, and Kakuzu soon stood up and thanked her for the meal. He did the dishes and left her to put the food away as he climbed the stairs. He changed and got into bed and stared at the ceiling. Maybe I should try being nicer to him...

He grinned.

Yeah, maaaaybe...

XXXXX

Hidan got out of bed and got dressed in a fresh uniform, pulling on his usual white hoodie under the school regulated jacket. He walked out the door quietly, hoping not the wake his father, who was out cold on the couch.

He made his way to the park, since it was early, and the school wasn't even open yet. He sat on a bench and pulled out some of his school books. How on earth am I going to pass my classes at all?

All the kids called him stupid, dumb. Even the teachers treated him as if they didn't think he'd ever graduate. He guessed that, due to that, he started to believe it himself.

But wasn't he? Wasn't he an idiot? He'd never be able to understand the subjects—he wasn't smart enough. And it was finals week. That meant lots of tests. And it even went on into next week as well. How on earth was he going to pass them? If he got F's—well, his father wouldn't like that too well, either.

Well, might as well try... Let's start with biology.

After ten minutes of reading, Hidan was a bit shocked to find that the topics weren't that difficult, and by the time he heard the school bell ring down the street, he understood it all perfectly. Maybe this was the easiest topic... I mean, I'm not that smart, right? No...

He stashed his schoolbooks in his bag and stood up, dashing down the street to the school. Class started in five minutes.

"Alright, guys. We've got a test today—" The teacher was cut off by groans, but Hidan just sank in his chair, staring at the top of his desk. He'd fail, he knew it.

The teacher walked down the isles, handing out test sheets to each student. When she handed Hidan his, he saw her shake her head, as if she didn't think she should even give him a test. Of course, everyone knew he'd fail, right? Well, at least, that's what Hidan was sure of.

"Quiet!"The teacher called out, effectively shutting up the whispering students. "You have thirty minutes. Begin." There was the sound of twenty students flipping papers in unison, then the scratching pencils.

Hidan glanced down at the paper and stared at the first question in surprise. I-I know that...

The the next question— I know that too.

And that one...

By the end of the test, which Hidan finished in fifteen minutes flat, the teen was staring down at the paper in shock. Did he cheat somehow? Could you actually cheat without knowing it? He wasn't this smart! Right?

After the class let out, it was lunchtime, but Hidan wasn't too hungry. He knew he should probably eat something, but he didn't even have any food. So he just studied for the next test, which came up after lunch. Crammer....

XXXXX

"So? You had a test in biology? Nagato, we studied that last night!" Konan spluttered, exasperated.

"Eum...yes..." The teen rubbed the back of his neck. "B-But I don't think I really understood this..."

"Pein!" The girl cried. "Last night, I asked you five times if you understood this question, and you said yes, every single time! Are you trying to tell me you lied?"

"W-Well, I was tired, and..." Pein hid behind Itachi. "I didn't think we'd have that test today!"

"Then why the hell did I spend three hours last night teaching you this crap if you weren't even listening?" The girl seethed.

"I-i.. um..." Konan s-scary...

"Can we please just eat? We have language tests next, right?" Kisame rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Hn."

They all sat down at their usual table. "Hey, what's the freak doing?" Kakuzu raised an eyebrow, nodding at the silver-haired teen who was sitting alone at a corner table.

"Studying. Like you were suppose to be doing. Last night." Itachi deadpanned.

Konan swallowed her fork, and Nagato fell out of his chair. Kisame frowned down at the table, slightly put out that he couldn't translate then, and Deidara's mouth dropped open. "Wh-wha—Itachi!"

"Yes?"

Kakuzu's eyes were wide. "Y-you're talking..."

"Hn..."

The stitched teen looked over. "But he's right... the freaks studying..."

Nagato was too busy trying to help Konan get the fork out of her throat to hear.

"Hey guys, a little help!"

Soon, Konan sat, making painful wheezing sounds. The boys flinched.

Nagato looked over at Hidan. "Hey... you are right..."

He and Kakuzu looked at each other and grinned.

"No!" Konan coughed out. "No you don't, Pein! Kakuzu!"

"Why not?" Pein crossed his arms. "It's just the freak. We've been over this, Konan, he doesn't mind it!"

"How do you know that? Has he told you that?"

"Why are you even defending him?!" Nagato scowled, then sent Kakuzu a smirk. "C'mon. Dei, you coming? Kisame? Itachi?"

"Yup."

"Hn."

Konan just glared at them as she followed after.

XXXXX

"Heeeey, freak," Pein drawled as he approached. "Whatcha doin'?"

Dammit, why can't these guys just leave me alone? "Fuck off."

Kakuzu snorted. "Please don't tell me you're actually studying..."

"And what if I am?" Please just go away.

"Well, I just don't see the point in that." Deidara sighed. "I mean, it's not it's gonna do anything for you."

Kisame snickered. "Freak's just to dim to get this high-level stuff we learn, right Itachi?"

"Hn."

Hidan closed his textbook with a snap. They're right... yet... "That's funny. Cuz, I didn't fucking see Nagato answering those questions in biology at all... And I finished my test about fifteen minutes before him."

That seemed to hit Pein right in the face.

"Shut up!" He growled, bringing back a hand and closing it into a fist. "You don't even know what you're talking about!" He swung forward, but two hands held his fist back.

"Nagato! Stop it right now!"

Hidan sighed, gathering his stuff as Nagato and the other boy's looked at Konan in annoyance. "You should have just let him hit me, Konan." He told her darkly. The Akatsuki stared after him in surprise and confusion as he left the cafeteria.

XXXXX

"Why did you do that, Konan?" Nagato seethed. "See? He even wanted me to hit him!"

"Must be some sort of masochist. Maybe it ties in with worshiping that stupid "Jashin" he's always going on about..." Deidara mused.

"Because, Nagato!" Konan growled. "Hurting others isn't right, no matter what you think they are! Plus, look around you! We're in the cafeteria! You'd have been apprehended by a teacher, and they'd suspend you!"

"But...!"

"She's right, Pein." Kakuzu sighed. "You would have gotten in trouble."

Nagato was about to say something, but Konan shot him such a venomous glare that his mouth shut of it's own accord.

"Hn."

Kisame frowned. "You're probably right."

"Huh?"

"He said we should get headed for out next class. Lunch is almost over."

The Akatsuki packed up their bento lunches and got ready for their next classes.

XXXXX

The rest of the week wasn't as bad as Hidan thought it would be, what with the circumstances. He'd found that if he tried studying, he'd be able to ignore the mocking and jeering that the other students, even the Akatsuki, threw at him. He became slightly more confident in his knowledge when the biology teacher handed back his test and told him that, to his surprise, he'd received the highest score in the class.

Even with that news, he'd still walked home on Friday with dread clawing at him stomach. He couldn't understand it, but he just knew that something very bad was about to happen...

As he entered through the back door, the sharp smell of alcohol stung his nose, and he quietly sneaked up to his room, crawling onto the bed to do his homework.

Hidan's door slammed open just as he was finishing his History homework. The teen jumped, and looked up into the clouded, hate-filled eyes of his father.

Oh no...Oh, no no no... Hidan felt tears coming to his eyes as his chest filled with dread. Please, Jashin-sama, help me, please help me...

He only had time to throw his homework off of his lap and onto his bed when his father grabbed him by the throat and hauled him off, holding him up over the floor. The man smirked at him, and Hidan's sight was blurring from the tears in his eyes as he was held in the air, unable to breath.

It was almost a minute later when his father dropped him again, and Hidan felt a heavy boot come down on his chest. "Wh-y?" He coughed roughly. "Why are.. y-you do-ing this...?"

"Why am I doing this?" His father sounded incredulous, as if the answer was way too obvious to even be questioned. "Why? You! You're worthless! You don't even deserve to live! You're a worthless, unwanted, retarded piece of wasted space! There's no reason for you to even be alive!" He shouted, glaring at him resentfully. "You're a failure! A failure, you'll never amount to anything! You hear? That's why!"

He lifted his foot and brought it down again, hard. The breath was knocked out of the teen on the floor. Hidan felt his head swim, and the edges of his vision were black, but he knew he wasn't going to pass out anytime soon, unfortunately.

This went on for about fifteen minutes, until Hidan heard the doorbell ring. His father grinned down at him. "But now.." He cackled. "Now you'll at least be useful. You're going to make me a lot of money, slut." Hidan's eyes widened at what that implied. No!

His father lifted him off the floor and threw him onto his bed, he pinned Hidan to the mattress. Hidan only had time to suck in a breath before chapped lips were pressed roughly against his.

Hidan froze, eyes wide. What was his dad doing? What was happening? Deep down, Hidan knew, but he didn't want to believe it. Please no, please no, please no...

His father—his father, why was he doing this?!—pulled back and sent him a hungry looking smile. He reached down and squeezed Hidan in a place that the teen was sure wasn't supposed to be touched by a father, and left the door, slamming the door shut.

Hidan listened as his father's footsteps clambered down the stairs, and he curled into a ball on the bed, holding in desperate whimpers. Why was this happening? Why? Please no, please no, please no...

He listened as The front door opened, and whatever visitors they had left. His father came back into the room, leering at him. "You'll be seeing those guys next week, boy. But, you're mine all this weekend, so be a good kid, kay?" The chuckled and pinned Hidan back to the bed, leaning in.

The next hour was material of Hidan's nightmares. He couldn't believe it was happening. He didn't want to believe any of this was real, but it was.

Soon, his father's apparent 'good' mood, was gone, and the scowling man dragged him down to the kitchen, clearly not in the right of mind—but was he ever? What was going on?!

Silver flashed, and Hidan felt pain slash through his chest. Then red...

His father left after, shaking his head in anger.

Hidan lay there for a minute more, shivering against the cold tile. He tried to stand up, and bit back a yelp. Ah, fuck. M-My ribs are probably fucking broken...

He looked down, and saw blood seeping out of his chest. He tore off his ruined school jacket, and ran out f the house, running through the streets as fast as his condition would allow, trying to get away. He tripped every now and then due to the pain in his chest, and ribs, and his throat was still scratchy, so it was hard to breath. Hidan thought he may have passed the park at one time, but he wasn't sure. Soon, he was completely out of breath, and leaned against the brick wall of some building, sinking to the pavement.

XXXXX

Kakuzu was on his way to Nagato's house. He still wondered how Pein had gotten Konan to agree to hold off studying until the next day, but he wasn't complaining.

At least the weekend won't be too boring, he grinned.

He turned the corner, and stopped dead. Was that a person on the ground?

He ran forward and knelt down, trying to see through the dark. He caught a flash of silver hair and knew immediately who it was.

XXXXX

"Heeeey, it's the freak!"

Oh, Jashin no! Why is he here?! Hidan would have sworn aloud if he could actually breath. As it was, he was able to gather enough air to actually speak. "F-Fuck off..." The words were still shaky, and he coughed painfully at the end. Why the fuck did he have to show up?!

"Aw," Kakuzu smirked. "Why so harsh?

Hidan heaved out a choked sigh. "Just... Leave me alone, please leave me alone."

XXXXX

Kakuzu frowned into the darkness. The fre—Hidan sounded as if he was dying, or something. Kakuzu felt his chest tighten. He dismissed the feeling. "Heh. Whatever, freak."

He turned away, heading towards Nagato's. He was about five feet away when he heard a choked sob sound from behind him.

Wh-What the hell...

"Hidan?"

XXXXX

No, no, go away...

"Wh-What..?" He choked.

"Wh...Why are you crying?"

Hidan would have laughed if his shaking hadn't made the pain almost unbearable. "Why d-do you even c-care?"

XXXXX

Kakuzu didn't understand why his heart was clenching. He turned back and walked forward, leaning down to see the Jashinist better in the shadows. The other teen was curled up into a ball, hugging his knees to his chest, so Kakuzu couldn't see his chest of face or anything, but he could tell that Hidan was shaking. Not really knowing what to do, he kind of just stood there next to Hidan.

Dammit, he's right, why do I even care?!

He tried telling himself he was just surprised that Hidan was crying—after all, the silver-haired teen was usually so composed, it was like nothing could shake him. But now, he was shaking... Yeah, that didn't work. Kakuzu still cared, for some reason.

"Hey, Kakuzu, there you are!" Someone called, and he turned again to see the rest of the Akatsuki coming towards him. "We've been looking all over for you!"

"Sorry, Pein," He replied. "I had to help my m—" Hidan tried to get up. "Hey, where are you going?!" He spun around and grabbed Hidan's arm a bit gentler than he usually would have. The other teen was still trembling.

"Hn?" Itachi asked.

"That was my question." Kisame agreed.

"What did he say?"

"He was asking who that was."

"Hidan?!" Konan shouted, noticing first.

"What?!" The silverette cried out. "You guys want to hurt me more?" He was sobbing now, tears streaming down his face. The sight made that weird feeling in Kakuzu's chest grow heavier.

"Is that the freak?" Deidara raised an eyebrow. "Kakuzu, what are you doing?"

As it didn't appear that Kakuzu was going to let go of Hidan's arm, the teen began to struggle against his hold, but froze again when a small cracking sound came from his chest. He choked back a scream.

Konan was the first to move, everyone else was just frozen. She rushed past Kakuzu to where Hidan was. Once she caught sight of him, she clapped her hands over her mouth and screamed, eyes wide in horror. "Oh my god, Hidan!"

Kakuzu looked from Konan to Hidan and back with confusion written on his face, much like the four other boy's behind him. Then, he turned Hidan slowly around to face him and the others, instead of Konan. He bot back a gasp, and he heard Deidara take a sharp breath.

Hidan's eyes were red, tears streaming down his face. He was wearing the gray slacks of the school uniform still, but the jacket was gone, and his usual white hoodie that he always wore had a long, wide rip on the front, red seeping from it, trailing down his chest.

Kakuzu was frozen in place. "Wh...What..."

"have you seen enough?" Hidan sobbed. The cried sounded painful. Kakuzu looked closer and saw slight fingerprints on the teen's throat, like someone had tried to strangle him.

"Hidan..." Konan gasped out. "Who.. Who did this."

"That..." Hidan took a shaky breath. "is my business. Not yours. Leave me alone. Please."

Kakuzu frowned. Hidan really must be in pain, if he wasn't swearing at all. He was even saying 'please.'

"Why are you even helping him?" Nagato got his voice back. "I mean, yeah, that's a lot of blood, but this is the freak we're talking about. I bet he cuts himself open for ritual shit or something all the time!"

Kakuzu felt Hidan flinch at the word 'freak,' and his heart clenched again when he saw more tears run down Hidan's cheeks. What's this...?

"Stop right there, Nagato!" Konan yelled.

Now Pein was alarmed. Konan usually had such a soft spoken voice, and she only used his real name when she was pissed.

"But, Konan!" Kisame protested. "Pein's right! The freaks, like, super religious. I bet he did this to himself!"

"Take a long look," Kakuzu told them. "Hidan's not as stupid as you make him out to be, seriously, guys. No one's that stupid. If you're gonna stab yourself, you take your clothes off first, and you do it someplace private."

"Why should we help him, though?" Deidara asked angrily. They couldn't really see in the dark all to well, the shadows gathered very thickly, and they were farther away from Hidan than Konan and Kakuzu. "He's a freak, it's more fun to tease him! And he doesn't even want us to help him! Just leave him, c'mon!"

"This is pointless."

"Hn."

Kakuzu couldn't believe his friends were saying this. Sure, Hidan was a bit strange, but really! He was a person, and he was hurt—badly. How could they say things like that? Okay, so sure. Maybe they couldn't see as well as he could, plus they were farther away, but...

Hidan ripped hi arms from Kakuzu's grasp, and tried to run away, but his legs were hurts, too, maybe, since he was falling, then.

Hidan shut his eyes tightly, ignoring the pain that shot through his chest as he fell, expecting the hard, cold, concrete.

To his surprise, two strong arms caught him before he was able to his the ground.

"Don't you dare." Kakuzu's deep voice warned him. He let Hidan down to the ground gently. The teen backed up against the wall again, curling up. He watched the Akatsuki group warily.

"Leave me alone, please leave me alone!" He cried. "Go away..."

"No, I won't!" Konan and Kakuzu both told him firmly.

"Kakuzu?" Pein said, shocked. "Why are you helping him, now?"

The masked teen opened his mouth to reply, but had no words. Why? "...Ask me something easier."

Konan got down on the ground besides Hidan. "Please, Hidan, We want to help you1 Please tell me who did this..."

Hidan chocked back another sob, shaking his head quickly. Konan put a hand on his shoulder and he flinched. He was trembling, still.

"This is getting us nowhere." Kakuzu muttered.

"We need to treat his wounds."

"My house is the nearest, I think. But I don't know if we have a med kit."

"Can you call your mum?"

"Yeah..."

Kakuzu took out his cell phone and Pein looked from Konan to Kakuzu and back—the other boys stood their, unsure of what to say or do.

"Hi, Mum. Yeah, I just wanted to know if we have a med kit... No, it's not me... Yeah... When we get home, you can.. Yeah, okay.. Sure thing, Mum. Thanks, bye."

"So?"

"Yeah, we've got one." Kakuzu nodded.

She nodded, then looked back as Hidan. "I don't think he can walk on his own..."

"Wh-why are you guys doing this...?" Hidan asked them in a weak voice. He sounded about to pass out. The other boys decided to move forward, but froze again when they saw Hidan well enough.

"O-Oh my..."

"Holy shit!"

"Fuck.. who did that...?"

"H-Hn... I... Wh-who..."

"Because," Konan said in answer to Hidan's question. "I think I know what you're feeling..."

Hidan glanced at her before leaning against the wall again, pressing his forehead to the wall. Kakuzu bent down and lifted the silver-haired teen into his arms. Hidan was almost unconscious.

The arrived at Kakuzu's house, and Konan used his key to open the door. His mother walked into the entryway, looking worried. "Kakuzu, honey, is everything..." She caught sight of Hidan in her son's arms and clapped her hands over her mouth like Konan had earlier.

"Before you say anything," Kakuzu told her quickly. "It wasn't us, and we don't know who or how."

"O...okay..." She took a deep breath. "Bring him to the living room. We can talk about that later."

Hidan was almost awake again, now. They set him down on the couch, but he remained silent, staring down at the ground.

"Alright," Kakuzu's mother spoke up. "Everyone but Konan, out!"

Kakuzu was the last to leave, still looking back at Hidan with a strange expression on his face.

"It's Hidan, right?" Kakuzu's mother, Emiko, asked.

The teen nodded, still looking down.

"Hey, it's okay, you can trust me..."

Hidan shivered. "... I don't think I can trust anyone anymore..."

The two women looked at him in concern. "Hey," Konan said. "Don't say that... What about your parents?"

Hidan started to tear up again. "I-I used to trust my mother..."

"Why can't you trust her anymore?" Emiko asked worriedly.

"Sh-She died last W-Wedneday..." He choked.

"The car accident," Konan realized, eyes widening. "What about the driver...?"

"None of that now." Emiko told her, then turned back to Hidan. "I read about that, I'm so sorry, Hidan. Why don't we call you're father and—"

"N-No!" Hidan shouted out in a panicked voice, eyes wide. Fear was painted across his face clearly.

Konan froze. "Hidan... Did.. did he do this to you?" Her eyes widened as she caught sight of a bite mark on his earlobe. "Hidan—!"

The teen let out a sob, burying his face into his hands.

"Mrs. Kojima, look..." Konan pointed at Hidan's ear with a shaky finger. The older woman's face darkened. "Konan, please go fill a bowl with warm water for me, alright?"

"O-Okay..." The girl stood up and left the room slowly, a look of horror on her face.

She entered the kitchen to find the boys all sitting at the kitchen table in silence, staring at nothing. They looked up as she came in.

"Konan..."

"Y-You look even angrier than before..." Nagato said.

"What happened?"

"It was his father," she hissed as he turned the tap on. The boys froze. "W-What?"

"His father!" Konan reached for a bowl. "and he... he..."

Deidara handed her a washcloth. "He what?"

She took a deep breath and turned the faucet off. "I think he molested him."

She closed her eyes and tore out of the kitchen, careful not to spill any water. The boys stared after her in shock.

"Thank you, Konan."

Emiko carefully took the water and placed the cloth in it. She gently washed Hidan's chest. Soon, the blood was gone, and she roped the bandaged from the med kit around them. "We'll take you to the hospital next Tuesday, how about that? I think some of your ribs are broken..."

Konan clenched her fists but kept quiet.

"Th-Thank you very much..." Hidan whispered. "But.. I don't understand."

"You don't understand what?" Emiko pressed a fresh cloth to his forehead. He was sweating, and his cheeks were flushed dangerously. He might have a fever...

"I don't know why you're helping me like this." Hidan shivered against the cool cloth, then relaxed. "I haven't done anything for you..."

Emiko and Konan were silent for a while, faces sad. Konan was trying hard not to cry. Hidan's so strong. How can he face all this and still ignore the boys' teasing? And he even smiles... I wouldn't be able to do that in is place.

"Not everyone in this world is as cruel as you believe, Hidan," the teen said softly, placing a cold hand on Hidan's forehead.

Emiko took out a pain reliever. "Here, sweetheart. This will make the pain lessen, and help you sleep easier, okay?" Hidan just nodded, eyes half closed already. Konan helped him sit up and brought a cup of water to his lips after he put the pill in his mouth.

"You need to rest, now, and heal." Emiko told him. "You can stay here for now, alright?"

"I.. Won't Kakuzu be mad? He doesn't like me that much..." Hidan looked put out by this.

Konan noticed. A wry smiled spread out on her face as she realized, "Hidan, do you... like Kakuzu? I mean, like like?"

Emiko shot her a confused look, then glanced at Hidan, whose face was tinged a dusty pink.

Konan grinned, "I knew it!" She told him excitedly.

Emiko smiled then. "Oh, yes. Now I see. It's so obvious... To us, at least."

Hidan shot them both a quizzical look.

Konan chuckled. "We're girls, Hidan. We sense stuff like this. Don't worry. The boys are all clueless. As always, no offense."

"Non...taken..." Hidan's eyes fluttered closed and the teen settles back into the couch. Emiko left to get a blanket. Konan pressed her hand onto Hidan's forehead again. "You see," she whispered. "Not everyone is bad, Hidan."

"Please don't tell him..."

Konan frowned, then smiled. "Kakuzu? That you love him? I won't don't worry."

"You...won't?"

"No, I promise."

"...Okay..."

Soon, Hidan was sleeping, taking in shallow breaths. Emiko came back and settled the blanket over him and tucked it tighter around him to he wouldn't get cold. "I'll go get some cold water for the cloth. I think he has a slight fever."

"Alright, Mrs. Kojima."

The two women entered the kitchen. The boys still sat at the table, but they all looked very angry now.

"Well?" Kakuzu asked them softly.

"The cut on his chest isn't that deep, but it drew a lot of blood, I think it was over a vein. Not sure." Konan began. "We think he has a few broken ribs, and he has a few really bad bruises on his sides, from kicking maybe, and some smaller ones on his legs."

"He's staying here, and we're taking him to the hospital for his ribs and other injuries on Tuesday. He also might have a concussion, but it looks like he's had that for a few days. There was some blood on the back of his head, but it only started bleeding now."

"...What about his father?" Kisame scowled.

"We'll see about that after he's a bit better." Hopefully nothing happens before that." Emiko sighed.

Kakuzu clenched his teeth. "Thanks, mum."

"It's fine, honey. I'm glad you brought him here."

They were silent for a while longer, and Konan turned the faucet on to wash the bowl free of the bloody water. Pein growled. "How...how could a father do that to his own child?"

"I don't know—" Emiko began, but Konan cut her off with a scowl. "It's bad enough, his life, without you lot mocking him every day! I'm so surprised that he can even fend you boys off! And he even laughs! All the time! If I was him, I don't think I could even smile!"

The boys were quiet.

"You're...right." Deidara whispered. "We're.. horrible, for doing that."

"I feel so bad..." Kisame, laid his head on his arms.

"But," Nagato said. "...Molested...?"

"I found a bit mark on his left ear." Konan deadpanned, and the boys were silent again.

"Hn." Itachi frowned.

Kisame nodded. "I know. It's horrible."

No one bothered to asked what the Uchiha had said.

"You can all stay over, tonight." Emiko told them. "We've enough rooms."

"Thanks, Mrs. Kojima."

"What about you, Mum?" Kakuzu asked her.

"I'm going to stay up and look after Hidan. He's got a slight fever, I think the cut on his chest was beginning to get infected before I cleaned it."

Kakuzu clenched his hands into fists. "We can do that."

"Yeah," Konan nodded. "It's better if you call the doctor for some advice tomorrow, ma'am."

Emiko nodded. "Alright, I'll leave it to you.

Kisame had first watch.

XXXXX

"Kakuzu, your turn." Itachi whispered.

Kakuzu swapped places with the other teen, walking out of the room as Itachi settled down where he'd been sleeping.

Kakuzu went toward the living room slowly. When he reached the couch, he stared down at Hidan with a frown. He looks... kinda cute when he's sleeping...

His eyes widened.

D-Did I just call him cute?! What the hell?

As he stared down at the other teen, Kakuzu's stomach knotted as he realized that, yes, Hidan was cute. Adorable. Good-looking, ,Beautiful, even. B-But he's a guy! I'm a guy! I can't like him, I...

Kakuzu sat down in the chair next to the couch. Holy god, please don't tell me I've fallen in love with...Hidan...

Great. This was going to end well...

An hour later, and it was six in the morning. Hidan woke with a start, and started to tremble. His eyes were squeezed shut, and Kakuzu looked down in worry.

"Hidan?"

He reached out to touch his shoulder, but the teen flinched violently. Kakuzu's eyes widened. Oh.

XXXXX

Hidan woke up feeling cold. He remembered the pain his father put him through earlier, and began to shake. No, not again, please...

Someone touched his shoulder, and he flinched, expecting more pain. A second later, he heard someone calling him name gently. "Hidan? Can you hear me? It's alright, you're at my house. It's me, Kakuzu—your dad's not here, okay? You're safe..."

Hidan opened his eyes, staring into the other teen's green eyes. "K-Kakuzu...?"

The masked teen nodded, eyes smiling in apparent relief. "Shhh, it's okay. No one will hurt you here."

Hidan let out a shaky breath, trying to stop trembling. "It's cold..."

Kakuzu nodded.

XXXXX

He nodded, biting his lip. Before he could change his mind, Kakuzu took the blanket in his hands and wrapped it around Hidan, tighter, then hugged the other teen to his chest. To his surprise, Hidan didn't seem to mind, snuggling closer. The silver-haired boy pressed his face into Kakuzu's neck, trembling.

"Shhh," Kakuzu didn't really know what he was doing, but it seemed make Hidan feel better. "Its alright, now."

Soon, Hidan had calmed down, and knew that he wasn't at his own house, with his father.

Kakuzu set him back on the couch and went to the kitchen to get the other some water.

He came back in with Emiko, and a man in a white coat.

"Morning!" Emiko told Hidan cheerfully. "Hidan, sweetheart, I hope you don't mind if I called the doctor..."

Hidan shook his head mutely, staring at the ground.

The doctor looked him up and down. "Whoa there, you look really beat up. How many were there?"

Hidan shut his eyes tightly, bowing hiss head.

Emiko frowned, "Hidan," he nodded toward the doctor. "Can I...?"

He was silent for a minute, then nodded. Kakuzu put a hand on his shoulder.

Emiko told the doctor what they'd discovered the night before, along with a list of Hidan's injuries.

"Alright," he told them after a while of checking Hidan over. "You take him to the hospital on Tuesday—it'll be a bit too late on Wednesday, since that's when the ribs will start to heal up—and after he's released, we can call the police..."

Emiko turned to the couch. "Hidan, you alright with that?"

The silverette nodded very slowly. "Y-Yes..."

Emiko led to doctor out of the room, and Kakuzu and Hidan were alone again.

"Th-Than you, Kakuzu..." Hidan said quietly.

"Don't mention it, Hidan. I was happy to do it."

Hidan nodded.

There was a long, stretched out silence until Kakuzu spoke again.

"I'm...sorry, Hidan. I didn't know it affected you too bad—our teasing, I mean."

Hidan hiccuped. "I-It doesn't matter now. It was my fault, anyway."

Kakuzu frowned. "How was it your fault? You didn't do anything!"

Hidan put his face in his hands. "I-I'm worthless. I don't d-deserve people being n-nice to me, or...or anything like that. I'm not smart, and I d-don't understand anything that y-you guys do. Like... kindness—I don't g-get that. Or—or love, or what th-the word enjoy means. I don't get it! I-It always makes m-my head hurt when I t-try to think about it..."

Kakuzu's stomach dropped. He felt like crying, almost. "Hidan..." He whispered. "That's not true..." Hidan didn't understand the concept of love? Or kindness? What had his father done to him?! Not...?

Konan walked into the room, carrying a tray of food. "Hidan," she called out softly. "Hey, Mrs. Kojima made some food for you. Are you hungry?"

Hidan shook his head silently. Kakuzu frowned. "When was the last time you ate, though?"

"U-Um..." Hidan thought on it. "I think... Thursday night. I had some—some bread. There wasn't anything in the fridge.

Kakuzu's jaw clenched. "And before that?"

"... Wednesday morning. But I had a coke Thursday, too. No, wait.. Tuesday morning...? I don't remember..."

Konan almost dropped the tray. She set it down carefully on a nearby table. "Y-You don't remember that last time you had a meal?" She whispered hoarsely.

Hidan frowned. "I don't know..."

"Please eat something," Kakuzu practically ordered, and Hidan nodded quickly. "It's not good to go that long without food. Drink this water," he held up the cup he'd set on the coffee table, "and I'll keep refilling it until you don't think you can drink anymore. A coke isn't great for hydration."

"Okay.." The other teen whispered, holding the cup in his hands.

Konan left the tray there, retreating into the kitchen with the others with a strange look on her face.

Kakuzu got up soon and walked with the rest of the Akatsuki to the door. "Are you sure that's alright?" He was asking Pein.

The orange-haired teen nodded, his many piercings flashing in the light. "Yeah, Kakuzu. We can postpone the movie until next weekend. You stay here. Hidan needs someone to look after him."

Konan smiled and hugged Pein. "See, this is the guy I'm dating. Such a sweetheart..." Nagato blushed. "K-Konan! I am not—!"

"Yeah, Konan!" Deidara laughed. "You'll ruin his bad-boy image."

"Hn." Itachi decided to add in his two cents.

Kisame snorted. "I know, right?"

Kakuzu smiled softly. "Thanks, Nagato. See you guys tomorrow, or on Monday."

"No prob—"

"See you!"

He shut the door behind them all and made his way back to the living room. True to his word, Hidan had finished the whole tray of food and way halfway done with his fifth cup of water.

"You want to go to Pein's house tomorrow? Konan's making him study for the tests next week.." Kakuzu began.

Hidan shrugged. "Yeah, okay." He said softly. "What subjects does he need to study for?"

"Um, Math, Physics.. and History, I think."

"Okay," Hidan had a small smiled on his face now, and Kakuzu felt relieved. "The math is easy."

"You two have the same lesson?"

"Yeah... We're both in class 2B."

"Ah, I see."

The day was spent quietly, and Kakuzu felt at peace—he liked it, it was nice. He fixed lunch for both of them at noon—some ramen and milk, with slices of melon on the side. By the time dinner rolled around, Emiko went out to the grocery store to restock the fridge, and Kakuzu and Hidan were left alone.

"... Kakuzu?" Hidan asked quietly, as if he was afraid to break the silence.

"Yeah?" Kakuzu had grown used to having Hidan right next to him—it felt right, and he liked talking with the other. "I... C-Can I ask you something?" Kakuzu knew that if Hidan hadn't just gone through... all that his father had done to him, he wouldn't stutter, or be so soft spoken, but Kakuzu knew he wouldn't mind either way. It was still Hidan, and he liked the real Hidan, not that mask that he wore.

"Sure, Hidan. What is it?"

Hidan frowned softly, tilting his head a bit. No, it's not cute, shut up. Okay, sop maybe it was a little adorable, but Kakuzu wasn't thinking about his sudden crush on the other right now. Nope, not at all. "Why do you cover your face all the time...?"

Kakuzu sat down next to Hidan, staring at the floor. How was he going to answer that? Hidan would think he was weird if he knew...

Hidan was about to apologize for asking when Kakuzu answered. "Because I..." he swallowed. "I have some injuries from when I was little that make me feel unsure about myself." There. That was the truth. I don't like what I look like, under my mask." And people are afraid of me, they call me a monster if they see what I really appear as...

Hidan was quiet. "... C-Can I see?"

"No." Kakuzu didn't mean to snap at him, and he instantly felt bad when Hidan flinched back. "i-I'm sorry..." The teen whispered.

"N-no, Hidan, it's alright!" Kakuzu said quickly. "You didn't do anything wrong, i'm sorry for snapping at you, that wasn't nice..." He looked down at his hands.

The were both quiet for a moment. "...S-So..."

"Okay." Kakuzu said quietly after taking a deep breath. Hidan looked up at him with wide eyes. Kakuzu lifted off his mask slowly. After it was clear of his face, he closed his eyes tightly, expecting the worst.

Nothing happened. After a moment, Kakuzu opened his eyes and looked at Hidan. To his surprise, the other was smiling softly. "...I don't see why you don't like it. I think they make you look more attractive." Kakuzu blushed, a strange feeling in his chest. His looked away, just before Hidan himself blushed. But the silverette shook it off before the other could see.

"I was in a really bad car accident when I was six." Kakuzu whispered after a minute, fingering one of the thick black stitched at the corner of his mouth. "The doctors said my condition wasn't normal, and that I'd have to keep these stitches in for the rest of my life, since the wounds wouldn't close up for some reason or another. It had something to do with the way my skin atoms connected. I didn't understand it all, but it means I have to try very hard not to get cut to deep, since my injuries won't heal if they're deeper than my epidermis, or maybe my dermis."

"That sounds bad." Hidan said quietly, a far away look in his eyes. "I'f I was lie that, I think half my body weight would be the stitches..." He realized what he'd said about five seconds before Kakuzu and blushed. Kakuzu frowned at him, putting a hand on the other teens shoulder. "He won't hurt you again. Ever, alright?"

Hidan nodded silently.

Emiko came back with some potatoes, steak, and fruit salad for dinner. They ate quickly, and Kakuzu made Hidan drink the rest of the koolaid before he helped Hidan up the stairs to his room.

"Your names too long." Hidan said suddenly as Kakuzu helped him sit on the bed.

The other blinked, and the silverette blushed. "What?"

"C-Can I call you Kuzu instead?" Hidan blushed a faded pink color. "I-It's easier to say, for me..."

Kakuzu liked the way Hidan blushed. It made him smile slightly, every time he saw it. "Yeah, okay."

Hidan smiled softly. "Thanks, Kuzu."

Kakuzu slipped a DVD into the player connected to his TV, and sat on the bed next to Hidan.

"What are we watching?" Hidan whispered.

"It's this new movie my mum bought me, called 'Man On A Ledge.' I watched the trailer, and it sounded really good."

"Okay."

Soon, the movie was in full swing. It was full of suspense, and Hidan was clinging to Kakuzu's arm before it was even halfway through.

"Ohhhh, don't jump don't jump..."

Kakuzu smiled. It was apparent that Nick Cassidy wasn't intending to jump at all, but at times throughout the movie, even he was on the edge of his seat. He wrapped an arm around Hidan's shoulders and smiled and the other teen cuddled into his chest. Soon, the movie had ended, and both teens were grinning. "That was amazing..." Hidan commented. "I think I have a new favorite movie."

Kakuzu agreed. "It was pretty awesome. How about another one?"

Hidan nodded. "Sure."

Kakuzu put on the anime movie, 'Clannad,' and sat back.

Kakuzu didn't know when Hidan had fallen asleep, but he started when something fell on his shoulder. Hidan had had his head resting against the fall, but now it was on his shoulder. Kakuzu smiled. "Hidan, wake up."

Hidan murmured something.

"Hidaaan," Kakuzu patted Hidan's cheek. "Wake up!"

"Wh-Wha?" The lavender-eyes teen jerked awake. He looked over at Kakuzu and blushed when he realized where his head had been resting. "Oh, I-I'm sorry...—!"

"Are you blushing?" Kakuzu smirked.

Hidan blinked, then blushed a deeper shade of pink. "Y-You're blushing too!" he pointed out, and Kakuzu's smirk fell. "N-No I'm n... Crap."

Hidan started to giggle, which made Kakuzu blush harder—not at the fact that his new-found crush was laughing at him, but Hidan's giggle was just too darn cute. After a while Kakuzu was laughing along with him.

"H-Hidan!" Kakuzu choked out. "St-Stop.. lau-laughing...!" It was contageous, and now neither could stop.

"I... I c-can't..." Hidan was clutching Kakuzu's shirt, his face buried into the other teens chest, trying to stifle his giggles.

After a few minutes, both had calmed down, and Hidan was lying back on the bed, gasping for air.

"I.. haha... That was..."

Kakuzu coughed. "Wow... Haven't laughed that h-haha... h-hard for a while..."

"M-My legs are asleep..." Hidan blushed again.

"Well, then I'll just have to wake them up—you're taking up half the bed!" Kakuzu grinned down at him evilly.

"Don't you dare—!" Hidan let out a scream(2). "O-Ow... D-Don't ever do that again, please don't do that again—I'll do anything!" He pleaded, and Kakuzu suddenly came up with an idea that may or may not have been inflicted upon his brain by sleep-deprivation. "Anything?" He asked, leaning closer to Hidan with a dark grin on his face—which Hidan could see since he wasn't wearing his mask.

Hidan seemed slightly scared now. "W-Well, maybe n-not any—"

His words were cut off by soft lips pressing gently against his. Hidan froze, expecting pain, like when his father had pinned him against his own bed, but... this didn't hurt—it was actually nice...

Soon, Hidan found himself relaxing, and he leaned into the kiss. Kakuzu pulled away much to soon, embarrassed, but Hidan was having non of it—he reached forward and grabbed the other's shirt, pulling him forward into another kiss, this one deeper. Kakuzu was shocked to find that his feeling were returned, and he smiled softly into the kiss, before hugging Hidan's slightly smaller farm against his body. He wrapped an arm around Hidan's shoulders and slipped a hand behind his head, tangling his fingers in the silvery locks—which were so much softer than he'd even dreamed.

Finally, Hidan pulled back with a gasp, and he rested his forehead against Kakuzu's chest, catching his breath. Kakuzu held him close, both arms around him now, one hand running fingers through the other's hair over and over again. He looked down and pressed him face into Hidan's hair, breathing in. "You... smell like... strawberries..." He murmured.

Hidan let out a breathless laugh, and Kakuzu decided he liked that sound. "Really? You... you smell like...watermelon." Hidan nodded into his chest, apparently satisfied.

Kakuzu leaned back against the wall. He looked back at the TV screen and smirked when he saw the credits roll up the screen. "Movie's over." He told Hidan, who just 'hmm'ed into his chest. Kakuzu sighed deeply, reaching over to the remote. He hit the 'off' switch. As the screen lost power, the room was shrounded in darkness. After a moment, Kakuzu felt Hidan's arms tighten around him. He frowned softly and held the other closer to his chest.

"Kuzu..." Hidan murmured.

"Yeah?" he whispered.

"... I love you."

Kakuzu felt a warm feeling spread throughout his chest when he heard those three simple words. The feeling was increased when he realized what they implied. Does Hidan understand the concept of love now...?

He smiled, slipping down until he was lying on the bed with Hidan curled up into his chest. He leaned down and caught the other's lips in a brief kiss. "I love you, too."

An hour later, Emiko came into the room. "Boys, I think you should..."

She stilled when she saw the sight of the two sleeping teen boys snuggled up together. She smiled at the scene, feeling a bit warmer. Guess we don't need that extra bed.

She turned the DVD player off and left the room.

XXXXX

Kakuzu woke up to something warm curled up against his chest. He looked down and saw silver, then smiled. So it hadn't been a dream after all. He looked back down at Hidan's face. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the other's eyelashes were as silver, if now a brighter silver than his hair. Hidan's skin was a creamy ivory color, and he knew that, when his eyes were open, they were a bright, warm, and cheerful shade of lavender.

"Hidan," he spoke out quietly. "Wake up."

He heard a quiet whimper, and frowned. "Hidan, love." He hugged the silver-haired teen o his chest. "Wake up now. It's morning."

He looked down and saw Hidan blinking blearily up at him.

"K-Kuzu?" His voice sounded weak, and scared. Kakuzu unconsciously tightened his grip on the other.

"Yes, love. I'm here. What is it?" (3)

Hidan was silent for a moment. "...N-Nightmare..."

Kakuzu's face cleared in understanding. He kissed the top of Hidan's head. "I'm sorry."

"Notyourfault..." He heard Hidan whisper.

Kakuzu sighed slightly, then nudged his new teddy bear. "C'mon. It's eight, and we have to be at Nagato's by nine."

"Breakfast...?"

"Yeah," Kakuzu agreed. " and you're eating something, got that?"

He felt Hidan nod.

"Alright, let's go. You can wear some of my clothes. They might be slightly too big on you, but I have one of the those white sweatshirts you like to wear.

Hidan nodded again, and Kakuzu sat up. He set Hidan back down on the bed and got out some clothes for the both of them. He dressed in a black tee, dark denim jeans, and a dark tan jacket. He decided to wear the black boots he had right beside the door downstairs. For Hidan, who was now sitting up slightly and rubbing his eyes with a fist—adorable—,he chose baby blue, long sleeved turtleneck, faded blue jeans, and a white hoodie sweatshirt similar to what he'd seen Hidan wear under his school uniform for ever since he could remember. It was solid white, not too bright a shade, more of a dusty looking white, if possible. Dark snow, maybe. Kakuzu shook his head, placing the clothes on the bed.

"Hidan," he called. "Your clothes are here on the end of the bed, love, alright?" He didn't know why he kept calling Hidan that nickname, but the other seemed to like his. It made him smile, and Kakuzu felt accomplished for being the cause of that cute, soft upturn of full pink lips.

He turned as Hidan got dressed, and went into his bathroom to brush his teeth. He set his toothbrush to the side, and pulled out a new one from the cabinet above the sink. It was white, with blue bristles. He nodded, left out the toothpaste and put his toothbrush away. He took out a brush, ran it through his hair a few times before exiting the room to see Hidan sitting on his bed, fully dressed. Kakuzu smiled—Hidan looked very adorable, his slightly smaller body looked even more petite in the slightly too-large clothes, and he was still rubbing at his eyes tiredly with a small fist.

"Done?" He asked softly, and Hidan nodded in answer. "Okay. I'll be right back. There's an unused toothbrush in the bathroom, the white and blue one, and I left the toothpaste on the counter, alright?" Again, Hidan nodded quietly.

Kakuzu frowned softly in worry, and left the room silently.

He grabbed a glass and filled it with water, making sure not to spill any. He made his way back to his room to see Hidan just emerging from the bathroom, his slightly-ruffled-from-sleep hair combed down again.

"Here," he told the other softly. "Drink this."

Hidan smiled, nodding. "Okay."

The water was gone soon, and Kakuzu set the glass on his dresser. "Alright, love. Let's go. Mum's got breakfast ready, and then we'll go to Nagato's, okay?"

"Sounds good," Hidan said quietly.

Kakuzu nodded, helping the other teen stand up. He heard Hidan's breath hitch as they made their way down the stairs, when he stumbled slightly on the seventeenth step, and the stitched teen silently cursed his friend's so-called father.

Soon, Kakuzu gently sat Hidan down in the car next to his, and Emiko smiled down at them, placing plates before them on the table. "Did you sleep well?" She asked knowingly, green eyes twinkling.

Kakuzu heard the tone, and turned red. "Ohh..."

"Yes," Hidan nodded happily.

"Eum... Mum..."

"Don't worry, honey." Emiko almost sang. "I know."

"H-How...?"

"Turned off your DVD player last night. You need to remember to turn that off along with the TV, hon."

Kakuzu became even redder. "Oh..."

"Kuzu~" Hidan giggled, and Kakuzu smiled at the light and happy sound. "You're blushing!"

He turned toward his mother, holding Hidan's hand under the table. "Y-You knew?"

The woman grinned. "Well, I knew that Hidan liked you, and I kind of guessed that you like him as well. So yeah, I knew." She winked at him and sauntered over to the kitchen. Hidan was still giggling.

Kakuzu shook his head with a grin, before digging into his breakfast. Occasionally he stopped eating to push some food around on Hidan's plate and throwing him a look that said 'eat-or-suffer.' Hidan was finished soon after Kakuzu.

Kakuzu helped Hidan stand up. He held the other's arm around his shoulder and placed his other arm around his waist, careful not to knock against Hidan's injured chest. He grabbed his Impala keys on the way out the door and called goodbye to his mother.

Kakuzu helped Hidan into the passenger seat, then got into the driver's. He put the car in reverse, cleared the driveway, then shifted gears and made his way towards Pein's house—which was one the same street, actually. He wouldn't walked there, but he wasn't sure Hidan would make it, the other was still injured.

They got to Nagato's house in record time due to the distance, and Konan answered the door with a smile. "Good morning, Kakuzu, hi Hidan!" she told them. "C'mon in!"

"Have you guys had breakfast yet?" She asked as they took their shoes off just inside the door. "We've got some food laid out on the table, Hidan, if you get hungry at all, okay? How are you feeling today?" She gave the silverette a gentle hug, and smiled.

"I'm fine," Hidan told her softly. Konan frowned, but the look vanished quickly. "Alright. Can you make your way to the living room on your own? I need to talk to Kakuzu for a moment?"

Hidan looked up in surprise. He looked from Konan to Kakuzu a couple of times, before nodding slowly. "Y-yeah. Okay."

Konan smiled. "Thanks, Hidan. We'll be there in a sec, don't worry."

Hidan nodded and left, walking into the living room slowly.

Konan turned to Kakuzu, who raised an eyebrow at her. He was already itching to get back to Hidan's side. "Is he alright, Kakuzu?"

The stitched boy nodded. "Yeah. I think the way he's acting is just a side affect from what... that man...did to him." Her face darkened at the mention of Hidan's father. "Okay. Just checking. He looks so scared, and small. Like he could—"

"Be easily broken," Kakuzu sighed. "Yes, I know."

Konan nodded, and they walked into the living room. Then blinked. Deidara was hugging a slightly frightened looking Hidan, and Kisame patted the latter's shoulder in sympathy.

"Eum..."

Everyone looked up. Hidan's face brightened. "Kuzu! Th-they're scaring me..." He tried to edge away from the clingy blond.

Kakuzu sighed, ripping Deidara off of the silverette and helped Hidan up. "It's okay, he's like that."

"Wait, Hidan?!" Pein looked at hi strangely. "What did you just cal Kakuzu?"

Hidan tilted his head—cutely, Kakuzu thought—to the left a little. "Kuzu?"

The boys were silent, staring at them. Konan slowly pieced two and two together, however, and she jumped up with a grin. "Omigosh! Hidan! Did you?"

The teen blushed slightly. "N-No. Actually, he did."

She gasped dramatically. "Seriously? And did you?"

He nodded.

"And he didn't?"

Hidan shook his head softly.

"U-um, Konan, Hun... mind telling us what you three are in on?" Pein tried.

She ignored her boyfriends, squealing as she glomped Hidan to the ground. Kakuzu was on his feet in seconds, pulling both back up.

"A-ah, K-Konan...!" Hidan coughed.

"Awww, I'm so happy for you!" The girl squealed.

"Y-Yeah, m-me too.. B-But mind letting-go? My ch-chest still hurts, a-and I c-can't breath.."

"Oh!" Konan gasped, getting off of him quickly. "Sorry!" She blushed—then she caught sight of Nagato and sent him a glare. "Pein, did I allow you to stop?"

The orange-haired teen realized his mistake, and trembled under his girlfriend's look of venom. "N-No..." He quickly got back to studying, and Itachi and Kisame gathered around him.

Kakuzu sent Konan a quizzical look. She smiled. "I figured that if I threatened him a little, he'd want to study more—and it worked!"

Hidan managed to hide his shutter at her glee quite well.

"Could you two search the algebra textbook for exercised related to the test questions, please?"

"Yeah," Kakuzu nodded. "Book?"

She handed them three textbooks, and Kakuzu sat down on the floor, pulling Hidan into his lap. The smaller teen curled into a ball, resting his head on Kakuzu's shoulder as he began to flip through the purple textbook.

After fifteen minutes of this, Nagato sat up straight with a shout. "Hey!" He said in surprise, I got it right!" He smiled in triumph, turning. "Hey, Kakuzu, could you..." His words died in his throat as he set eyes on his friend, finally noticing his position with the silverette. "What the...?"

The other's turned, and the boys' eyes all widened.

"H-Hidan? Kakuzu?" Kisame stuttered.

"Hn?" Itachi raised an eyebrow.

Deidara gaped openly. "H-Hidan? What are you doing?"

"Searching."

"...That's not what I meant..."

The smaller teen looked up at the blond in confusion. "Then what?"

"...Nevermind, forget it."

Hidan blinked. "...Okay..."

Konan hid a fangirl smile.

"You mean, "Why is Hidan sitting in my lap," right?" Kakuzu asked them.

"No, I don't think I want to know anymore..." Nagato began, but Kisame cut him. "Hey now, I'm curious."

"Hn."

Kakuzu smirked, turning around and leaned forward, catching Hidan's lips in a chaste kiss.

He broke it off and smirked up at the four gaping boys. "That answer your question?"

"Um..." Deidara nodded dumbly. "Yeah, I-I think so..."

"What does he taste like?" Pein wondered aloud.

Konan stiffened, and the other boy's snorted at their friend's mistake. "NAGATO!"

"Wh-what?"

"Strawberries." Everyone was surprised to see that Kakuzu actually had answered that.

Hidan let out a content sigh, leaning into Kakuzu's chest. "Watermelon..."

"Okay..." Pein answered. Then he smirked, pulling Konan close to his side. "Sweet cream." He told them, and Konan laughed gleefully, patting her wayward boyfriend on the head. "Mac & Cheese," She announced with a wink.

The all turned to stare at Pein, who smirked down at them. "What?"

"... That's a pretty unique... uh, taste." Kisame said, uncertainly.

"Nagato, do exercises 1, 3, and 4 from page 52." Hidan spoke, handing the teen with multiple piercings the purple textbook.

"Hhm?" Pein asked, looking down at him. "Oh! Right, kay."

An hour later, and Nagato was finished studying, according to Konan. They all let out a relived sigh, and Pein collapsed onto the bed. "Urgh, I'm hungry!"

"Well," Konan started. "it is lunch time... What does everyone want?"

"Salaaad~"

"Cottage cheese?"

"Hn!"

"Maybe for dessert, Itachi."

"How about ramen?" Hidan asked them tiredly, leaning into Kakuzu's chest.

Everyone paused, thinking.

"Yeah, like it!"

"Hn!"

"Sounds good."

"Okay."

Soon, the Akatsuki(Hidan had been added in anonymously) sat at the table, bowls of ramen before them.

"Man, this ramen sure is the best." Kisame purred.

"Tomorrow is Monday, isn't it?" Hidan wondered quietly.

"N-No! Hidan, don't remind me!" Nagato whined.

The other's chuckled.

"Oh, c'mon, Pein. School isn't that bad..."

"Please, Kakuzu, tell me, then—what about school isn't 'bad?'"

"Well, the lessons—"

"Are boring."

The stitched teen blinked. "The sports are—"

"Boring again."

"...then art, art is—"

"Boooring!~"

"Well, what about the breaks?"

"Bor—Well, okay. The breaks are the only good part of school I guess."

Konan smacked him upside the head, rolling her eyes.

"Ow!"

The rest of the day was spent relaxing at Pein's house, watching movies and surfing the internet. Hidan and Kakuzu made Deidara go to Kakuzu's home to get the movie 'Mon On A Ledge,' since Kakuzu decided that the other's 'needed' to watch it—safe to say, everyone came out in the end with a new favorite movie.

They returned to their homes at nine PM.

XXXXX

"Mum, we're home." Kakuzu called as he helped Hidan walk in through the door.

"Good! I hope you two are hungry!"

"Starving!" Kakuzu called, and Hidan smiled. "I guess I'm a little hungry..."

"Good, good," Emiko smiled. "Go wash your hands and come to the kitchen, alright?"

The nodded, and soon were sitting down to a meal of miso soup, garlic bread, and lemonade.

"So," Emiko began. "How did Nagato do?"

"Better than most days," Kakuzu replied. "He actually understood most of the questions..."

"You sure?" Hidan asked, surprised.

"No..."

All three of them laughed.

"School tomorrow," Emiko reminded them as they finished their dishes.

"We know, Mum. We're going to bed now."

Hidan nodded. "I'm tired anyway..." He let out a kitten-like yawn—though he would deny it if you asked him.

"Alright, sleep well, you two!"

"Night, Mum."

"Goodnight..."

XXXXX

"Get out of the car," Kakuzu groaned, scowling at nothing.

Hidan frowned softly. "S-Sorry. I can't move as fast—my chest still fucking hurts, you know." He'd gotten back to swearing, not as much, but he was working on it, and Kakuzu was happy he was getting back up was wearing a pair of Kakuzu's school clothes(slacks and jacket), along with the white hoodie as per usual, but this time the teen had decided to wear the sweatshirt over the jacket.

Kakuzu shied. "...I'm sorry, Hidan. I think I got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

"Really?" Hidan looked amused. "Right, then. I'll be extra careful to always wake up up when you're on the left side of the mattress, then."

Kakuzu frowned, he could still see some type of sad look in Hidan's eyes. He helped the silver-haired teen out of the car and hugged him gently, pressing a soft kiss to those pink lips. "But I really am sorry..." He said quietly, then pulled his mask back up over his chin.

Hidan blinked up at him, then nodded. "It's okay, Kuzu, really!"

Halfway to the gate, Hidan heard someone calling to him from behind. "Oi, freak! I didn't see you Friday..." The sadistic tone made it a bit harder for Hidan to calm down. He felt his eyes water slightly, then he blinked hard and it was gone. He could do this. He's ignored them for so long. Why would that change now?

But Kakuzu had heard, too, and he felt Hidan tense up beside him. He turned around and shot the other boy a death glare. "Do not call him that."

The teen froze up, surprised. "Wh-What?! ...O-okay..."

Kakuzu nodded roughly, gently slinging an arm over Hidan's shoulders and pulling the smaller boy closer. "Don't listen to them, Hidan, okay?"

The other just nodded quickly. Kakuzu's eyes narrowed.

They walked the rest of the way to the gate, where they meet the rest of the Akatsuki.

"What was that about?" Nagato asked as they entered the schoolyard.

Kakuzu was about to answer when Hidan quickly cut him off with a hurried "Nothing!" that he spoke in a weak voice.

"Hidan..." Konan started. "Hidan, we're your friends. You can talk to us..."

Hidan shook his head, staring at the ground. The group walked over to their usual spot on a short rock wall that surrounded the garden planted around a willow tree. They sat down n the wall, and Kakuzu pulled Hidan into his lap. Hidan smiled slightly, but it was gone quickly, and he buried his face in Kakuzu's shirt.

"Kakuzu," Nagato frowned, looking at Hidan with a strange look on his face. Concern? "What happened?"

Kakuzu blinked. "Well... that kid called Hidan...a name."

"A name?" Deidara frowned in a similar manner that Pein was. "What name?" The blond reached out and rubbed a few circled into Hidan's back.

Kakuzu looked down at Hidan, worried. "Kakuzu," Kisame asked. "...What name?"

"...Freak," Hadin muttered.

Pein tilted his head. "But... That's never bothered you before..." He seemed oblivious to the glares he was receiving from everyone else. Konan was shaking her head violently. "Why doesn't it bother you know? I thought you were fine with it?"

Hidan curled up against Kakuzu slightly. "... No. It's...always bothered me. I'm just...really good at hiding it. Mostly Sometimes. I guess...not right now." He hid his face in Kakuzu's jacket.

Konan sighed and hit Pein upside the head—but Pein didn't need it. He was already looking sadly at Hidan. "I'm sorry, I didn't know..."

"Notyourfault..." Hidan whispered. Kakuzu frowned, feeling a sense of deja-vu.

The bell rand, and the group split up to get to their respective classes. First was Physics, which Kakuzu and Hidan had together. On there way to the classroom, Kakuzu had an arm around Hidan, glaring at anyone who dared to even open their mouths.

When they got there, they sat next to each other, near the windows. Hidan still hadn't said a word since what he'd said to Pein. Notyourfault.

"Hidan..." Kakuza called softly, and Hidan scooted his desk closer to his until the ends were almost touching. The stitched teen reached out and ruffled the Jashinist's hair. "Please, just...talk to me..."

Hidan sighed, looking down at the tiled floor. "I-I'm sorry, Kuzu. It's just...I'm not used to having friends to talk to. I've never had..." He looked away. "It's all coming back to me, I keep having these... I don't know, mini flashbacks or something. Not really, just... I can't stop thinking about it..." Hidan was tearing up again.

Kakuzu felt his chest tighten painfully when he saw. Screw it. I don't care what the other people here think. He gently grabbed Hidan by the wrists and pulled the smaller teen into his lap, wrapping his arms around him and holding him tightly to his chest.

He listened as the other students in the room noticed their position and began to whisper loudly to each other, but he didn't care—he didn't want Hidan to be sad like this, anymore. He didn't want Hidan to remember what that bastard had done to him.

"I hate this damned thing," Hidan frowned and tugged at the mask Kakuzu still wore in public. Kakuzu rubbed circles on his back and the smaller teen rested his head on his shoulder.

"I know." Kakuzu told him. "But they are horrible."

"No," Hidan replied in a soft, sad sounding voice. "They are not." He snuggled into Kakuzu's chest, closing his eyes.

The teacher walked in about five minutes later, and Hidan had to return to his own seat, but he sat as close to Kakuzu as the desks would allow.

The teacher was soon called to the office for a telephone call, and the class was left for a short, two minute break at the most. Hidan was almost instantly back in Kakuzu's lap, and the miser smiled. He looked down and wished he could just take the sad look Hidan had buried in his sweet lavender eyes away. "Hidan, please. It doesn't matter what the others say. I'll always love you no matter what. You have friends, now, that don't see you like the others do..."

"...Well, what about you?" Hidan frowned softly, tugging at his mask yet again. "You wear a damn mask, hiding your face from the fucking world, afraid of what others would think of your true looks, which are fucking beautiful, by the way," The smaller boy leaned forwards and whispered the last part, earning himself a small, almost unseen blush. "And here you are telling me to ignore them?" He tugged on his mask again. "Look, I can't even tease you when you blush, 'cause I can barely fucking see it!"

Kakuzu sighed deeply, reaching a hand up towards his mask slowly. He eyes the other, whose adorable lavender eye were watching him expectantly. He reached up and slipped the cloth from his face, ignoring the knot that twisted in the pit of his stomach in the motion. If it will make him happy, I'll do it... he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Hidan's in a firm, solid kiss.

So, "Happy?" he asked.

"Yes!" Hidan nodded, smiling the first genuine smile Kakuzu had seen on him all day. The classroom was silent, now, all eyes on Kakuzu, but Hidan sent the rest of the students a glare that promised worse than the ninth level of hell, and they were all glancing in the opposite directions like crazy.

"Alright! Break's over, back in your seat, everyone!" The teacher called out, entering the room again.

Hidan was happier now. It was so obvious, and it made Kakuzu feel proud of himself.

After the class let out. Kakuzu stood up. He looked back down and frowned when Hidan made no move to get up and leave with him. He leaned down and looked his boyfriend in the eyes. "Hidan?" He called out softly. "Are you okay?"

Hidan's breath caught in his throat. He shook his head, lavender eyes clouded with pain. "I... c-can't... breath..."

Kakuzu frowned worriedly. "Here, turned to the side, I'm carrying you to my car. We're going to the hospital today. I'm not going to wait until tomorrow." He scowled.

Hidan tried to turn, but he bit back a hiss. "K-Kuzu..." He whimpered.

Kakuzu reached down and picked the smaller teen up, bridal style. Hidan wrapped his arms around Kakuzu's neck and buried his head into his friend's shoulder. Kakuzu made his way out of the classroom, both their bags hanging from his right arm. Students lined the halls, staring at them in surprise as Kakuzu passed them.

He was stopped by a teacher at the door. "Mr. Kojima, there's no carrying other students in the school. If you don't put that boy down now, I'm afraid I'll have to give you detention."

The students gathered around them stared on in silence and Kakuzu glared venomously at the teacher, Mr. Heiwaji. "I'm sorry, sir. I'm afraid I'm going to have to refuse that demand. My boyfriend's ribs are broken. I am taking him to the hospital. Please move." Hidan let out a pained sounding whimper and tightened his hands, which were clutching Kakuzu's jacket.

The sandy-haired man's eyes widened, and the student's around them gasped and murmured in shock. "O-Oh, my apologies, Mr. Kojima. I had no idea. Please, go on ahead." He gestured towards the door. Kakuzu sent the man a stiff nod, and left the building.

His friends were waiting by the willow tree, sitting on the rocks. The looked over and jumped up when they saw him, rushing over with worried looks on their faces.

"Kakuzu!" Kisame called just before the group reached them. "What happened, is Hidan okay?"

Konan rushed over and peered over Kakuzu's shoulder, trying to see Hidan's face. "Hidan? Hidan, are you alright? What's wrong?"

"His ribs are hurting him so bad that he can't breath." Kakuzu replied, tossing his and Hidan's schoolbags at Itachi's feet. "My car keys are in one of those. Please get them."

"I'll drive," Pein almost demanded. "You sit with him in the passengers seat, make sure her doesn't get bumped around on the way there."

Kakuzu stared at him, before nodding. Itachi came up with the car keys and tossed them to Pein, who dashed into the parking lot, looking for a silver Ford Taurus.

"Itachi!" Kakuzu called. "You take our bags home for me, ne?"

The Uchiha nodded. "Yes!"

"Thanks!" Pein drove the Taurus forward and Kakuzu jumped in the passenger's seat, holding Hidan in his lap.

They made it to the hospital quickly, and Nagato jumped out as soon as they'd parked and opened the door for Kakuzu. They walked into the building, and up to the front desk.

The lady looked up, then reached for a pen. "Name?" She asked urgently.

"Hidan Giichi." (4)

"Age."

"Sixteen."

"Condition."

"Supposed broken ribs, probable concussion, incision across chest—right shoulder to left hip—and multiple bruises." Pein rattled off the injuries like he was born to do it.

The lady nodded. "Dr. Haruno will be here momentarily."

They stood off to the side, waited thirty seconds, and a young, pink haired woman with shocking blue eyes came rushing over. "My name is Dr. Sakura Haruno. Please come with me." She turned and ran off. The boys followed after, and a few nurses ran forward with a gurney. Kakuzu set Hidan on hit, and the doctors were off.

Pein pulled Kakuzu gently back to the lobby just in time to see the rest of the Akatsuki come rushing through the front doors. "Kakuzu!" Konan cried, running over. "We ditched school. Where's Hidan?"

"Doctor's looking at him now." The stitched teen replied. "she should be out in a few more minutes. Maybe half an hour."

Deidara, Kisame, and Konan nodded.

"Where's Itachi?"

"Your house. He took your bags home."

"Right. Thanks."

"Nu uh, thank him when he gets here." The girl huffed, sitting down in a nearby waiting room chair. Kakuzu smirked.

Thirty minutes later, Itachi had arrived and Kakuzu caught sight of pink hair and blue eyes. "Hidan Giichi."

The Akatsuki stood up and walked over to her. "How is he?" Konan asked the young doctor, who was most likely only a few years older than them.

"You should probably sit down for this."

They shot each other worried looks.

"You're friend will be alright physically, I suppose. His ribs should heal just fine, the bruises will fade over time, the concussion wasn't a severe one, very light, and the cut wasn't too deep, it just needed a good cleaning and some stitches..."

"You said physically," Pein noticed. "W-What about mentally?"

"W-Well..." Dr. Haruno bit her lip, obviously not used to dishing out news like this yet—she was new, still. "H-He... Um, he was raped..."

They'd guessed as much, but the news was still hard to hear, it was hard to hear as correct. Konan slapped her hands over her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut, sinking in her chair. Pein's jaw clenched, and he slung and arm around the girls shoulder's comfortingly. Kakuzu felt like crying, he hid his face in his hands, wishing he still had his mask on so her could buries his face in it. Deidara hugged himself, staring down at the cold tiled floor, blinking rapidly, and Kisame curled up into ball on the bench he was sharing with Itachi, who put a hand on the blond's shoulder—as the other was clenched into a tight fist.

"I'm so sorry..." Dr. Haruno mumbled, looking at the floor. "We've fixed him up the best we can, and he should be fine next week, but I'm not sure what state his minds going to be in. How was he before you brought him here—the injuries weren't fresh, so I'm assuming he's been like this for a couple of days...?"

"He was quieter, and sadder." Kakuzu replied thoughtfully. "He used to curse really bad, like one cuss every other sentence, but after... that, he was really... quiet, and he didn't even say 'hell' once. He was way too shy for himself, and cried too easily..."

Sakura nodded, taking notes on a clipboard. "I'd advice a rape counselor, but that doesn't sound as bad as normal. I think he can get over this well, but he'll need some help from his friends." She sent them a small smile. "Are you up for it?"

The Akatsuki nodded. They'd do this.

"The only support that would work better would be a lovers..." Sakura went on thoughtfully.

Kakuzu blushed red and the other's looked over at him and smirked.

"Right over there, my dear doctor." Pein snickered.

"Jyup." Deidara smiled. "That there is Hidan's boyfriend."

The pinkette brightened. "Really? That's great!" She nodded. "Okay, I think you guys can do this—you especially." She sent Kakuzu a look. "He needs to be treated gently for the next few weeks, nothing too rough, and try to stay away from touchy subjects for the first week, then ask a few questions the week after to see if you can get him to open up."

"Got it."

"You," she looked at Kakuzu. "He'll probably want to be held a lot more often than you might in a regular relationship, cuz cause—it'll make him feel better if you just roll with it, tryst me—"

"Oh, I've rolled with it." Kakuzu smirked. He liked his little cuddlebug...

Dr. Haruno nodded. "Right then, here's what else..."

XXXXX

Kakuzu sat next to his boyfriend's bed, head resting on his arms watching Hidan sleep. He was so peaceful looking when he slept—and Kakuzu remembered that he'd first fallen for Hidan when he'd seen the other boy sleeping—almost as deep as he was now. He reached up a hand and gently dragged a fingertip over Hidan's cheekbone. His skin was so soft...

Hidan's a real beauty, actually. Kakuzu realized. I don't see why no one's noticed it before...

He was so deep in though that he almost didn't register when those beautiful lavender eyes slowly opened. "...Kuzu...?"

He jumped slightly at the soft, voice, really innocent and confused sounding. At one time, he would have laughed if you'd told him that Hidan Giichi could sound innocent, but here he was now, hearing it with his own ears.

He reached out and slid the smaller, paler hand into his. "I'm here, Hidan. Just relax. You're safe here."

Hidan eyes him, before nodding. He looked back up at the ceiling.

"N-Northeast seventy-sixth street."

Kakuzu looked up. "What?"

Hidan glanced at him. "That's my—that's his address. My father's. He lives in a two story hour with a one door garage, it's all painted a light tan color." Kakuzu's stomach tightened. "It's Monday, he'll have his drinking buddies over tonight." Hidan squeezed his hand tightly, those lavender eyes looking at him pleadingly. "K-Kuzu... please, get him? M-Make him go away..."

Kakuzu stared at the smaller boy for a second.

"...I'll see what I can do."

XXXXX

The two policemen walked up the to door, and rapped on it twice. Almost an entire minute passed before it swung open and a tall, blond haired man stood before them, scowling at them with a crazed glint in his eyes.

"You've got 'im?" He asked gruffly, clearly drunk out of his mind. "Give 'im 'ere." He reached out a hand, wiggling his fingers as if waiting for something to be handed to him.

The policeman on the right glared at him in disgust. "I'm assuming you're talking about your son, am I correct, sir?"

"Yep." The man growled. "'E ran off 'few days ago. Bet 'e caused tr'uble, the li'l brat."

"You are Sokra Giichi, yes?"

"Yep." Again, the man grunted.

"Please turn around."

Sokra had complied halfway before he realized what was happening—but the policman on the right had already slapped a pair of handcuffs on him. "'Ey! Wha're ye doin'? I ain't dun nothin' wrong! I bro'k none dem laws!"

"I beg to differ." The policeman on the right sniffed. "Sekra Giichi, you are under arrest for attempted child abuse, child abuse, attempted rape, rape, attempted murder, murder, conspiration of murder, and conspiration of rape. You have the right to remain silent..."

The men continued listing off Sokra's rights, as the man himself yelled and screamed himself hoarse.

The next door neighbor watched it happen from her second story window. Good riddance...

XXXXX

Kakuzu helped Hidan climb up the stairs to his bedroom, just like a few days before. They'd just finished filing the lawsuit, and Sokra Giichi was on his way to the slammer for a lifetime sentence for the murder or Yukio Giichi nee Shutto, plus some decades for the rape and abuse of Hidan Giichi. Hidan had cried right in front to f the courts, his face buried into Kukuzu's shirt, when they completed the official arrest after Sokra was found guilty of all charges. He'd needed a place to stay, was the next issue, but that had been quickly resolved after Emiko Kojima had offered to take him in. The papers were all signed and accepted, now. Kukuzu's boyfriends was living with him, and Kukuzu was prepared to helped the other heal as well as he could.

They made it to the room, and Kakuzu scooped Hidan up in his arms and laid him on the bed, then lay down next to him. Hidan didn't say anything, just curled up against him, buried his face in Kakuzu's neck. Sakura Hurano had become good friends with Konan, and the two were texting extremely often. Pein swore he'd caught them 'plotting' together, once.

Itachi and Kisame were together, now. The rest of the Akatsuki weren't really sure how it had happened—they'd just walked in, holding hands one day. They wisely decided not to questions it.

Deidara and the other's had quickly noticed the blatantly obvious fact that Kakuzu wasn't wearing his mask anymore—in fact, they'd pointed it out numerous times, until he's turned them around and said "Yes, he knew he wasn't wearing it—he wasn't wearing it on purpose.

The Akatsuki hadn't gone to school for the past couple of days, as they were all giving their statements in court, but they'd all be going back the next day—save for Hidan, who have lave approved by one Doctor Sakura Hurano, and Kakuzu, who was allowed to stay with Hidan for support(he'd appointed himself Hidan's caretaker anyway.

Hidan snuggled closer, giving a noise of content. Kakuzu smiled softly, slipping down until he was face-to-face with his lover. Lavender eyes stared curiously into emerald, until the emerald eyes closed and soft, dark lips pressed gently into full, faded pink ones.

Hidan closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Kakuzu. The older pulled back and pecked the smaller teen on the forehead, before enveloping him in his arms and allowing Hidan to bury his face into his chest.

"I love you, Hidan."

He could feel the silverette smile.

"I love you too, Kuzu."

XXXXX

I just remembered...

Jashin-damn, the Devil must be fucking freezing right about now...

END

I wrote this one-shot after reading HaloGebieter's fic, "I'm human too KakuHidan." I really loved it, and thought it was super sweet, but I was a bit disappointed to see that it was riddled with grammar mistakes, plot holes, and such. So I revised it, and changed it up a little(lot) so that it wouldn't be an exact copy of the original. I'm sure there are many spelling mistakes, as my spell-check kind of crashed as I was halfway through, but I do hope I did well with this. Deidara wasn't in the original, actually, but I added him in I honor of my sister, Alyx—he's her favorite member of the Akatsuki.

Notes throughout story:

1: Think masaomi Kida from Durarara! When he's in his school uniform.

2: Don't chuckle, that really does hurt! Like, seriously!

3: I like fluff, okay? All my stories have fluff overloads, deal with it. You don't like it, then you don't like it.

4: I chose Hidan's last name(and also Kakuzu's as well), since their last names are not given at all, in the anime or manga. I kinda made Kakuzu's up, but Hidan's means "righteous one". I thought it fit XD

Footnote: Man On A ledge is a real movie, and damn amazing one at that. Serously, you should watch it. It's sooooo incredible. Clannad is an actual anime movie, I'm sure many of you have seen it. It's followed by another, called Clannad: After Story. They're good, even though I haven't actually seen them—but what I've seen so far, all made me cry. So I guess I suggest these as wel, if you're bored.

Anyway, please enjoy this, and review to tell me how I did! I'm really looking forward to see what you guys think!

~EpikalStorms*