Prove Myself (Hidan Story)

Chapter 23

Though Shisai had known Hidan was still out there, the ritual had been completed, and he was in his room. The possibility that he might find out she was gone remained, but that didn't mean Hidan would be able to find her--after all, she doubted they'd left a trail or tracks of any kind that would lead to the temple. So, when Hidan showed up only a few minutes later, Shisai wasn't the only one caught off guard. Blinking in shock as he came storming into the room, she began thinking over circumstances as to how he had managed to make it here, not really understanding it in the slightest. Not that she wasn't happy to see him; if anything, it caused an unusual sensation to erupt in the pit of her stomach, though Shisai hadn't a clue what it was. To begin with there was silence, Shisai and her captors surprised at Hidan's sudden appearance, and Hidan a little unsure as to just what was going on. Obviously, they had been the ones to kidnap Shisai, but there didn't seem to be reason for doing so.

"You! What the hell? How did you find us? We didn't leave anything to follow!" the leader of the group burst out, glaring angrily at Hidan, a scowl plastered over his face. He wouldn't have said he knew tons of information about the Akatsuki or Hidan in general, but from what he had established, he wasn't the sharpest tool in the box. So how the hell had he tracked them?

"I didn't need a trail, or tracks, to fucking find Shisai! I actually understand how spiritual energy works, and I could follow hers!"

Freezing in surprise, her mouth dropping open a little in shock, Shisai was almost in disbelief at what Hidan was saying. She had taught him how to sense spiritual energy, true, but hadn't thought he would ever have to use it. A second later and a grin spread over Shisai's features, proud of Hidan having applied what she taught him to a practical situation, in the same way he had been teaching her to do the same. Even though Shisai knew it wasn't the right situation, considering she was tied up right now, having been kidnapped, but it was things like this that reminded her just how much she wanted to stay. They'd been through a lot together, and Shisai didn't want to lose that. Of course, Hidan and Shisai had thought only the Akatsuki had posed a threat, not guys like this. But in a similar way, they had to deal with it, or end up with the same result.

Hidan wasn't about to stay back any longer. He knew Kakuzu would have wanted him to sneak in the back and free Shisai before anything, but he had never been one to sneak around. He wanted Shisai out of there, and he didn't care who got in his way. If that meant sacrificing each of the ninja in front of him, then so be it. Hidan wasn't exactly the type to turn down a sacrifice when it was right in front of him. With that thought in mind, he lunged forward, unsheathing his scythe in the same motion. In an ideal world, Hidan would have chosen another battlefield, not liking the idea of destroying a temple, but got the feeling these guys wouldn't agree with his opinion. Either way, he wasn't going to back down, and if he had to tear this place apart, then he would. Just as long as he could save Shisai. It's not like these guys were particularly strong; just a bunch of random ninjas who thought they were on to something.

And they knew it. As they dodged Hidan's attacks, it was clear he was faster and stronger than all of them. Though they knew how the cursed ritual worked, and made sure to avoid drawing blood so he could use it against them, they couldn't just keep dodging constantly. It would wear them out, and they couldn't even rely on Hidan being in the same situation. If there was one thing Hidan excelled at more than anyone in the world, it was endurance and durability. He could keep attacking them all day and never have to stop to take a break, even if they managed to land a few hits. Not to mention those 'hits' wouldn't do a thing; he was immortal, after all, and he couldn't be killed! But they couldn't just give up. They'd studied all these rituals, waited until the oath was broken in order to kidnap Shisai...all this effort wouldn't go to waste, so they had to do something.

But as the memory of studying the rituals ran through the leader's mind, he knew what he could do, and getting the other two to distract Hidan for the time being, he retreated around the back of a pillar and sat down, quickly pulling out a scroll. Shisai had had her eyes fixated on Hidan from the moment he had entered the temple, and that hadn't changed when he began to fight the ninjas. The smile on her face hadn't faded, either, enjoying the battle and getting slightly impatient to see Hidan do another cursed ritual in front of her. True, it was one of many that both of them would end up completing over the course of eternity, but no matter how many times it would occur, Shisai understood that she would always want to watch--she would always enjoy it.

However, that didn't mean to say she didn't notice when abruptly only two of the ninjas were fighting Hidan, dodging his blows and darting across the room. Narrowing her eyes at that fact, she scanned the area, spotting him sitting behind the pillar almost opposite her. He was too far behind it for her to fully be able to see what he was doing, along with how far away he was, but squinting, she saw him pull out the scroll. Wondering if it was for a summoning jutsu, or something of the like, Shisai became confused as he simply began to read it, as if checking for information. Not having a clue as to why he would be doing something like that in the middle of a battle where he was in extreme danger of being killed--or better yet, sacrificed--Shisai continued to watch, shuffling around to see if she could get a better look.

It was only as she noted he cut his palm, dabbing his fingers in the blood and starting to write that Shisai realised what was going on. Scowling at the image in front of her, she cursed herself for underestimating them. Spiritual energy was not something that people knew about, and therefore not something people learned to use. Even monks and priests only knew so much, and Shisai had never known anyone who used rituals the way she did; almost, if not more, than using jutsu in battle. Her incredible knowledge meant that Shisai knew just what the leader was doing right now. Not only that, but Shisai knew so many types and methods, that it didn't take long for her to figure out just what the ritual was he was attempting to create. Though she doubted he had a large amount of knowledge, control, or power, for that matter, he at least had enough in order to do something like this, causing Shisai to instantly turn to Hidan and call out,

"Hidan--wait! Free me before they--"

But by the time she had called out, it was too late. Runes appeared underneath Hidan's feet as he landed for a moment, and frowning at that fact, Hidan paused to see what would happen. This was a surprise, after all, having never suspected these guys would know anything about rituals. When nothing happened, however, he smirked and stepped away from the runes, ready to continue on with his battle, only to halt as he felt a shiver up his spine. In the same way, as when he had brought up his own spiritual energy to sense Shisai's, Hidan knew what power felt like. This wasn't the same, though, and that was made clear as he abruptly fell to his knees as a wave of it hit him. It wasn't like attacks he'd felt before; they were just flesh wounds he could brush off and ignore, and not even notice. This, on the other hand...it was all that was running through his body. He couldn't think, couldn't move, and it hurt. It hurt in a way Hidan wasn't used to, and left him able to do nothing but lie on the floor, flinching and writhing, trying to block it out and finding he couldn't.

Shisai watched as it happened, biting her lip simultaneously. Neither of them cared about pain, and though Hidan was more of a sadist than a masochist, pain wasn't a big deal to him. But Shisai could see the look on his face; in his eyes, and knew that even screaming or crying out in pain was impossible for him right now. These rituals came from an ancient power, connected to the gods, and unlike jutsu and ninja attacks, they could get to Hidan in a way nothing else would. Clenching her eyes shut, unable to watch, Shisai felt nothing but despair. She had got him into this--he was being hurt because of her, and she was just sitting on the side-lines while Hidan was in so much pain. They were both Jashinists, born to fight, and Hidan was taking all of it. Yet the more Shisai thought about it, and the more her emotions began to morph and change. She was a Jashinist, but she was different. Special. And that was for a reason. She had not gone through all that training, living her life isolated and alone, in order to end up like this.

No one noticed as Shisai's skin began to glow, or even as her hair started to swirl around her from the force of her power. It was only as it started to radiate off her in waves that anyone looked around, though to start with, no one moved, unsure what would happen next. The pain lessened enough for Hidan to look up at her, an absentminded smirk flickering onto his face as a single thought crossed his mind:

Shit was about to go down.