War Torn {A Naturo Fanfic}

Page 16

Hidan was in front of me before I could blink. "Get it off Hidan. Please god, get it off!" I wailed before feeling his nails scrape my skin and the cold metal being removed from my neck. He took my headband and I turned around in the still unidentified man's arms. I buried my face in his chest and sobbed uncontrollably.

I had been so close to death, but that didn't seem like the worst part. The metal around my neck; whatever had triggered that reaction was terrible and I needed to understand it.

The man picked me up and without a word we went into the base. I stared ahead over the man's shoulder with dead blue eyes and shook like I had been electrocuted. I had never felt so horrible in my life and that was saying something.

We ended up in Hidan's bathroom, where he immediately took me from the other person. I leaned against Hidan, but looked to the man running me a bath.

"Kakuzu?" I said shakily and he looked up at me. I stumbled out of Hidan's arms, instantly buckling and would have fallen hard had Kakuzu not caught me. I pulled myself against him and shivered. "Thank you for catching me." I felt like I had never meant anything I said until that moment.

"Don't mention it." He petted my head and then Hidan helped me back up. I felt like a frail old woman.

"Don't feel uncomfortable about this Etsuko. We're just trying to help." Hidan said, actually looking like he meant it for once. I let him slip me out of my kimono and the rest of my clothes before he lifted me up and set me in the tub. He took my hair down from the bun it was in and slid a fluffy towel under my neck.

"Hidan?" I questioned in a weak, pathetic voice.

"Hm?" I took a breath.

"Why did...the thing around my neck...why did I...I don't..." I couldn't get a full sentence out. "I need to know." I insisted as I caught the look of refusal on his face.

"You don't want me to tell you this." He said. I teared up, ready to beg for an explanation until I passed out. He didn't make me. "Fine, but it isn't my fault I made you remember. It's yours." He warned me firmly.

"First of all, you used to wear your headband around your neck." He began, looking incredibly unhappy about having to tell me. "You came looking for me and ended up at my house. It wasn't long after the war started. Everyone was doing fucking stupid things and dragging other people into it. So, you ended up at my house looking for me and my heathen father was there with his so called friends. They were all drunk." I didn't hear anything Hidan said after that and relived the horror instead.

I didn't want things around my neck because my headband is what they used to keep my head still while they raped me. They were everywhere...there was so much...so much everything...and then there was Hidan to rescue me again.

My breath quickened first. Then my eyes screwed up so I couldn't see straight. My hands tangled in my hair. My toes curled. Then I screamed. It ripped painfully out of me and should have killed anyone within hearing range. Then there was nothing. There was no blackness, no white, no anything and no nothing.

When finally there was something it was blackness and stiffness. Then there was warmth and the comfort. After that were familiarity and a heightened sense of protection.

I opened my eyes slowly and Hero licked my nose, getting the attention of the other people in the room. Tobi was the first to spring into action.

"Etsuko-chan, Tobi is sorry. He never meant to break you." He said sweetly and seemed to be awaiting my forgiveness.

"It's okay Tobi. It isn't your fault." I assured him quietly. It seemed like I couldn't get my voice any louder.