Blood is Full of Empty Promises

"I'll just wait out here, Kakazu. Everytime I go into those kinds of places I come out smelling worse than a dead body," Hidan complained and leaned up against a tree just outside the bounty collection site.

"Whatever," Kakazu grummbled dragging another dead body inside.

Hidan lounged lazily by the tree for what felt like hours. Did it seriously take this long to get money for a freaking dead body? Hidan gritted his teeth. He knew that Kakazu had to count every last dollar to make sure he recieved his full payment. What Kakazu failed to realize was that none of those collectors dared to miss a cent on that bounty, especially if Kakazu was the one being paid.

Hidan exhaled heavily and drew a circle in the dirt out of boredom. A few villagers looked at him, but quickly looked away to mind their own business when they noticed the red cloud covered cloak he was wearing. Every person looked away...all but one.

Ayaka couldn't believe her eyes. Was it really him? She was almost certain that the long journey through the desert was messing with her head. Could she really run into him this soon and this easy?

Hidan noticed her and looked up. He stared at the girl in the white cloak. If she knew what was good for her she'd stop staring. "Hey girlie, it's rude to stare!" he yelled at her.

Ayaka shot an arrow so fast that it grazed Hidan's cheek drawing blood. It stuck into the tree behind him. "That was one heck of a shot," he growled and stood up.

Ayaka took off her hood and raised up her bow and arrow, aiming at his Hidan's head. "And next time I won't miss."

Hidan's eyes grew wide when he saw her face. It was her. "Ayaka?"

"Don't look so surprised to see me. You knew this day would come," she said angrily not once taking her eyes off of Hidan. She knew from stories of how horrible he'd become. Her only problem was where to find him. And that had been the easiest part of it. She couldn't just let him get away. Not after all this time.

"You're even more beautiful then when I left," Hidan commented. He heard the door open behind him and his partner stepped outside with a small suitcase, more than likely full of money.

"What're you doing?" he asked Hidan sounding bored.

"You go on ahead old man," Hidan joked and waved his partner away. "I just ran into an old friend. We need to catch up."

"Whatever, just don't take too long. We have to get the jinchuriki and bring it to Paine."

Hidan nodded and waited til Kakaku walked away.

“So you’ve been looking for me all this time? It sure did take you awhile,” Hidan said and twirled his scythe around with ease.

“You’re a hard man to track down. The Akatsuki is always moving from hide out to hide out. I just got lucky this time,” she retorted.

“Well, let’s get down to business then. Shall we?” Hidan asked. Ayaka let go of her arrow and it soared through the air at lightning speed hitting Hidan straight in the heart.

“No!” she screamed. She still wanted answers. She thought he would at least move a little and knock the arrow of its course, but Hidan had just stood there.

“What’s wrong? Don’t want me dead? Oh, wait, don’t tell me you’re after my bounty too! You’ll have to fight my partner for that one,” Hidan said and laughed.

“What in the hell are you?” Ayaka asked horrified. He should be dead. She hit him straight in the heart.

“I’m fucking immortal. You can’t kill me,” Hidan chuckled. Ayaka stared at him in shock. “Now, say goodnight.”

Hidan was so fast that Ayaka didn’t see it coming. Before she knew it the world went black and all she heard were the screams of her villagers wanting revenge.

___

Hidan picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was going to do with her, but he definitely wasn’t going to kill her, at least not yet. He grabbed his scythe and began walking in the direction that Kakazu had left. He couldn’t have gotten far. Hidan didn’t stall for that long.

Hidan was genuinely surprised that she came looking for him. He remembered the day when he became a rogue and asked her to join him. She had refused and called him a monster, but he still loved her. There wasn’t a day that went by where he hadn’t thought of the possibilities of her joining alongside him and worshipping Jashin. Maybe it could still come true. He just had to figure out how.

Hidan finally saw Kakazu off in the distance walking sluggishly with his briefcase full of cash. He jogged a little to catch up completely.

“What’s with the girl?” he asked.

“Jealous, Kakazu?” Hidan asked trying to annoy his partner.

Kakazu said nothing, but Hidan was sure that it had pissed him off. “Seriously, what’s with the girl? We are supposed to be collecting the jinchurikis and all you’re doing is kidnapping worthless women,” he said angrily.

“She’s not worthless. I love her,” Hidan said bluntly and his partner erupted into a fit of laughter.

“You? Capable of love?”

“Yeah? And what of it?” Hidan asked feeling a little insulted.

“Stop wasting my time, Hidan. Ditch the girl and kidnap something worthwhile.”

“Trust me, partner, she’s worthwhile,” Hidan stated with a wicked smile on his face.

___

Gaara came across a small village just outside the Land of Fire. He could tell that she had come through this village. He wasn’t sure how, but he just knew.

He wandered through town and saw no sign of her. Maybe she had moved on? Or maybe she knew that he was tracking her and used her scent to divert him from her actual path? He wasn’t sure, but he had a feeling that this was the place.

Gaara walked through the village market area. “Those red clouds were here,” someone whispered to their friends. Gaara stopped, his eyes growing wide. The Akatsuki were here and she was gone. “Yeah, they were at the bounty collector site.”

Gaara walked over to the gossiper and grabbed the man’s collar lifting him up off the ground. “Where is the collection site?” he demanded. The man looked frightened and pointed a shaky finger in the direction of the bounty collection site. Gaara dropped him immediately and sprinted to the site.

He felt like he was too late. He was scared that when he made it there all he would find was her dead body and blood everywhere. It scared him to death. He didn’t know what he would do if anything like that happened.

Gaara stopped and noticed a bow on the ground. It was broken and there was no trace of her or the Akatsuki.