Just A Taste

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Bring it on, Grandpa." She teased him and shifted on her feet slightly. The air grew electrified and Hidan tensed, getting the same sense of danger he did before in the arena. It clicked to him that this Lillith wore no mask meaning her full power was at her disposal yet under control. What could have possibly caused her to start wearing one now? He glanced down at the woman who was watching everything unfold with a blank expression. He looked back up at the opponents before them just as Jashin charged straight for her with a growl. The young girl ran towards him as well and slid under his legs at the last moment. Lillith easily twisted and pushed off the floor to her feet as the bulky man stumbled slightly.

Using this to her advantage, she ran up behind him and jumped up, swiftly kicking the center of his back. He let out a cry of surprise, falling to the floor and rolled so he came back up on his feet. Jashin tightened his grip on his scythe and swung the giant weapon with shocking ease. She dodged it as best she could knowing full well that getting cut by him was to be avoided at all costs. The woman ducked under the deadly blades and attempted to hit him again, but kept getting interrupted by another swing of his scythe. "Still too slow for you, girl?!"

"Like a snail." She hissed and back-flipped over his next swing to get a little space to think. His glared only intensified as she landed in front of his throne, their places being traded. She reached to her top and pulled off the last two charms remaining on it. With a quick flick of her wrist, a wire came out from one and connected to the other. "Maybe if you lost some weight you'd get faster. Allow me to help you cut off a few pounds."

"Like hell!" He threw his scythe at her once again as she predicted. Instead of dodging like before, Lillith waited for the handle to face her and knocked it into the air with a well placed kick. The moment it was above her she threw the connected charms after it. The wire wrapped around the handle and blades then extended blades of their own. His scythe embedded into the ceiling and the charms dug deep into the ceiling preventing Jashin from pulling it back to him. Everyone, excluding Lillith who had a smirk on her face, looked up at it in shock. "You're gonna pay!" His hands glowed slightly with his chakra as he charged at her yet again.

"Not today. Power Release Ninth Level, Dragon's Breath." She jumped out of the way of his charge and took a deep breath, blowing out silver flames. The flames coated the entire raised platform and Hidan flinched as the intense heat hit him. Lillith stood at the bottom of the stairs and gasped as a slightly burned Jashin tackled her to the ground. He snarled at her as they rolled across the floor before being kicked off. "You stubborn old man. Just die!" She blew more flames at him, but he rolled out of the way causing some of the demons cowering against the walls to be burned to ash.

"You first, bitch." She rolled away just before he punched her and the stone cracked under his chakra laced strength. She scrambled to her feet and quickly summoned her staff, blocking his next hit. She pushed him away and spun around, hitting him end the side with the bunt of her staff. He doubled over slightly and she hit him with a blast of energy from the tip sending him flying back. Jashin flipped in the air to land on his feet and instantly ran for her again. She groaned and dropped down, sweeping his legs out from under him. His body dropped with a loud thud then he cried out as she sent him flying once again.

He slammed into a wall making it crack under the force. Jashin reached his hand out attempting to pull his scythe back to him, but only managed to wiggle it a little. His frustration was clear on his face now as he faced Lillith once again. The chakra glow spread up his arms and Lillith simply leaned against her staff. She made the 'come heather' motion with her finger and smirked at him, purposefully riling him up. He glared at her and instead of charging, he drew back his fist and pounded the ground. Large cracks shot through the floor making her run clear to the other side of the room to avoid them. The shocks from the blow caused one of the charms to fall out of its place in the ceiling. Seeing this, Jashin readied for a second attack. "Oh no you don't! KURICO!" She yelled and flames erupted, engulfing him.

Lillith charged for him as he tried to put out the flames covering his body. He caught a glimpse of her threw the flames and threw a punch before she could dodge hitting her in the stomach. Jashin put out the last of the fire as she rolled across the floor and stalked towards her. "I am a god. A weakling like you could never kill me." He kicked her staff away and looked up at his scythe. He pulled on it again and the second charm wiggled free.

"Never let your guard down. Even around a 'weakling'." The air was knocked out of him as she gave him a punch of her own to his chest. He dropped to his knees and she stood over him. He tried one last time to pull his weapon down. Finally it came free only she caught it first. Lillith held the blades to his neck and ripped the, now useless, wire from it. "Never underestimate your opponent either. I could kill you right now with your own blade, but I won't. You are the first challenge I've had in years even though you only landed two hits on me. I'll let you live, for now. It may be tomorrow or in a hundred years when I next pay you a visit, but if you can land at least two hits on me I will let you live until I return. This is the only deal I offer you. Do you accept?"

"I... I accept." He mumbled in defeat.

"Smart man." She buried the blades into the ground beside him and turned away. The world around the faded as Lillith picked up her staff and walked away from the ashamed god. Hidan and Lillith appeared back in the forest outside their base and she turned to face him again. "Believe me now? Every so often I'll visit your 'god' and he fights me for his right to live. So far he's managed to stay alive so don't worry."

"How... How long ago was that?" He asked as he processed everything he just saw.

"That doesn't matter. Just know that you and Kakuzu aren't the only ones who can live for a long time." She crossed her arms and leaned her weight onto one side looking bored.

"Then why the mask? You weren't wearing one in that vision-memory-whatever! And what was that 'power release'?!" Nothing was making sense in that moment to him.

"I wear a mask because those power releases aren't there anymore. Tell me Hidan, what do you do when a dam breaks?"

"You build a new dam," he mumbled. He looked at her and she nodded before walking around him. "Wait, where are you going?"

"To my room. I won't be getting any peace and quiet with you out here." She spoke without looking back and entered the base. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the dark as she went down the hallway Deidara had revealed to her earlier after their meeting outside Pein's office. That man was just plain odd. He has mouths on his hands! Fucking mouths on his hands! She didn't even want to know what he meant be 'explosive art'. It didn't sound good and that prompted her to keep her distance from him. Then again it was better than that Tobi guy she met. Now that man was creepy with a capital C.

She spotted Itachi and Kisame coming the other way down the hallway. The slight twitch on the otherwise emotionless Uchiha's face was a sight to be seen indeed. "Where are you two headed?"

"Leader sent us out to find some cave. Told us not to come back until we find it." The fish-man responded. Ah, he's searching for it already. She simply waved as she passed them by and continued to her room. Hopefully those men were ready to be gone for a long, long time.