The Key To So Many Doors (Hidan Story)

Chapter 20

For a moment, both Shima and Hidan paused as they stood before the doors.

Staring up at them, towering over them as they stood there, they couldn't help but think the temple and doors seemed a little more ominous than they had seemed the first time they had seen them. It was as if they were teasing them; egging them on to face their doom. Not that either of them knew it would be their doom, of course, and neither of them were about to back down and get frightened by the whole prospect. But still it caused them to hesitate, running their gazes over the whole temple; the carvings in the walls and doors, and in a way, feeling a hum that seemed to emanate from it, almost like the very temple understood what was about to take place.

It understood more than Hidan and Shima did.

Yes, there were the basics. Shima was the key, she would do something to the sanctuary and it would open, revealing the scroll, she would take it and give it to Hidan and the mission would be over and completed. The details in between, however, were a little vague, and were naturally what Hidan and Shima were wondering about. The hum wasn't particularly helping, and glancing to the side at Hidan, Shima couldn't help but consider the possibility that she was the only one that could feel it. It was like the hum acted as the tension in the air; only instead of being something in the back of your mind, it was palpable; it was a real force around them all. How she should feel towards that idea, Shima wasn't sure. But seeing as there was nothing she could do about it, and not wanting to say anything if Hidan couldn't hear it himself, Shima brushed it aside, focusing back in on the present.

As if she had called something into existence, Hidan snapped out of his stupor too, stepping forward and fully over to the doors, pushing on them both and allowing them to swing open. The marvel of how the doors didn't crash against the walls as they opened, even with the force with which they were pushed, merely coming to rest gently against the stone, abruptly became slightly more creepy; the room being darker than they remembered. The silence felt more oppressive, and Hidan couldn't help the slight sensation of paranoia that appeared in him; as if he was waiting for something to happen.

Suddenly it wasn't so hard to suppress his excitement.

The hum Shima had heard became louder, and she had to resist the urge to twitch to look for it, knowing she would never find the source. But still, as she gazed around the room, a shiver ran up her spine, all of what would soon be happening hitting her. But strangely enough; she no longer felt so nervous. Strangely enough, those worries and doubts began to fade. Even though she still felt that tension, the hum remained ringing in her ears and the silence continued with its oppressive nature, things didn't seem so bad anymore. Frowning at this idea, Shima glanced down at the floor, contemplating the situation. Surely she had every right to be afraid, not knowing what would occur, how things would be afterwards—especially considering her current opinion towards her abilities. Yet...it wasn't like that.

But then she glanced at Hidan, and with a smirk, Shima couldn't help but consider the possibility that it was because of him. He looked pretty casual with everything around him; even though he was staring at everything with new eyes—from a new perspective—he didn't really care about it. It was at that moment Shima knew that she couldn't have had a better partner for this. His who-gives-a-fuck attitude meant that she could face this all with the same view. In a weird way, she could look on the positive side of things and plough on, head first, with whatever was to come from now on. The more time Shima spent with Hidan at the moment, the more she felt her trust for him grow. The more she felt herself truly begin to believe in all he had said—that she really could do this.

With that, she took a step forward and fully entered the room, realigning her gaze onto the sanctuary that sat at the very back of the room. Shima couldn't be sure, but it almost appeared like the hum was emanating from there. An image of a smirk flickered over her face, feeling her heart beat faster with that knowledge. Was...was the sanctuary waiting for her? Did it know what she was about to do—what would happen? Shima picked out certain carvings across its walls; finding the one that Hidan had used to figure out they'd need someone with visions to help open the sanctuary. She'd never imagined that it would lead to this kind of situation. The idea that her ability would be needed for something like this had been a surprise in general. But she couldn't look to the past right now. What had happened; had happened, and she had to focus on what was in front of her.

She could do this.

Hidan couldn't hold back a smirk at the look of determination in Shima's eyes as he glanced over to her. This was the kind of thing he'd witnessed the entire journey when they had first travelled here; that feistiness that was always evident with whatever she did. It was one of the things Hidan liked about Shima the most; and that was ever more present in the current moment. Once again that feeling of excitement bubbled around inside of him, no longer hesitant with the temple surroundings. Somehow...knowing that Shima was certain in herself and what she was going to do...everything felt alright. The tension began to ebb and there was nothing to worry about. Finally Shima could see what he had known all along, and things would only get better.

Turning to look at Hidan, Shima blinked in surprise to find him already looking at her, wondering what was running through his mind as she took in his smile and the glint in his eyes. Remembering that look of almost childish excitement he had had on his face when they had been here the first time, Shima shook her head as she realised it was probably the same kind of emotion he was feeling. He hadn't really gotten a chance to see anything happen back then, and now there was another chance to see something happen. If anything, the possibilities were greater now they knew what Shima was capable of doing, and like he had been saying back at the clearing, he knew she was the key, and knew without a doubt that she could open the sanctuary. Therefore he had his expectations.

Holding back the urge to laugh at his attitude, Shima merely returned his smile, glad once more for his presence as she said softly,

"I guess I better get started then."

Nodding in agreement, Shima turned back to the sanctuary, everything else in the temple seemingly falling away, the sanctuary the only thing she could focus on. This was it. No backing down or chickening out—no giving up. She was going to do this. And accepting that fact, Shima took a deep breath to prepare herself for whatever might happen in the next few minutes. Now she crossed the room, her steps never faltering, facing the doors that would grant her entry. She ran her gaze over the different carvings, wondering if any of them held the answer as to what she had to do. It wasn't as if there had been a prophecy that had told her she would one day open this sanctuary. There had been no manual or guidelines. But she had to try, so she laid her hands on the doors, closing her eyes and reaching for that same ball of energy that she always turned to when she wanted to bring up a vision. Once more images of her life flashed up in her minds eye; but it was of all aspects, whether past or present. That same doubt about her abilities washed over her all over again, and Shima wanted to pull her hands away; to turn around and leave the temple: she couldn't do this!

But more memories turned up; this time including the time she met Hidan. How they had gotten to know each other over the journey. How much she had grown to care about him as the mission had gone on. The look in his eyes as he spoke about her being the key; the faith he had in her and the memory of the trust she had in him came back, and Shima pushed away her doubt—it might have existed all her life, but she would change it.

She wouldn't let it be a curse anymore.

It would be a gift.