Don't Call Me Kitten Book 1 Of 3 *Naruto* COMPLETE

Comfort and Explanations

                    Hidan had stopped walking at some point and I have finally calmed down enough to pull my face from his cloak to investigate our surroundings. We're back in our room at the inn and Kakuzu is nowhere in sight. I had heard them talking, the vibrations of Hidan's chest telling me so but I couldn't make out what they'd said through my internal panic. I glance up at his blood splattered face and notice his face twisted in a mix of anger, concern, and nervousness. I then look down to find myself sitting on his lap and one of his hands is gently running through my hair. I don't think he's noticed that he is doing it or that I've stopped crying. I carefully scoot myself off of his lap now that the embarrassment has set in. I was sitting on an older man's lap, Hidan or not. He glances down at me, his expression finally shifting into something more gentle, totally catching me off guard.
"Are you okay, Short Stack?" He asks softly.
"H-Hidan, I failed... didn't I?"
"Go clean yourself up then we'll talk about it."
I look down at myself and realize that I do look a mess. My dress is in shreds, just barely covering my body but thankfully covering what is needed. Blood has dried to me in thick splatters and smears and my hair is matted in dark chunks. A quick glance at Hidan shows that he's bloodier than I thought, only a few places here and there show his pale skin tone.
"You're one to talk..." I mutter before getting up to find my bag.
            I step out of the bathroom while drying my hair with a towel, dressed in a pair of black shorts and a long red thigh length shirt. I feel better physically but definitely not emotionally. Hidan is still waiting on the bed but his cloak has been discarded to the floor. He stands and disappears into the bathroom a second later so I decide to sit down and wait. Despite my best efforts, my eyes keep locking onto the wall separating our room from that room. Tears spring to my eyes and I blink them back, trying desperately to keep them at bay. I am a kunoichi, I'm stronger than this. Emotions have no place in battle or life. I repeat the words to myself over and over, willing themselves to somehow take hold of me. I jump slightly as the bathroom door opens and he steps out in a pair of clean pants. Against my will, I find myself staring at his chest. I tear my gaze away when I hear him chuckle slightly and feel my face heat up. Emotions have no place in battle or life... Hidan sprawls out across the bed but careful to keep enough room for myself.
                 "So, Short Stack, care to share?"
"I failed the mission, what is there to share?" I reply, keeping my voice calm.
"You've been worked up ever since we saw the boy in the forest, start from there."
"He was the closest to a friend I had in Konoha though we weren't close by any means. When I went on the first mission with Deidara and Sasori, I'd tried to escape when I was left alone with Deidara. I knew the boy was in the next field and we'd worked out a distress signal years ago. I tried it and he never came to help me, so I lost to Deidara. It was painful to see him again I'll admit." I sigh and run a hand through my hair. "I wanted to escape again that night in the forest, but Kakuzu caught me before I could even attempt. My life back in Konoha wasn't decent by any means, but I'd rather live and die under my own orders than be trapped under someone else's."
He stays silent for a moment or two before speaking again.
"What happened at the hot spring?"
"To better understand that, here's a bit of my past: I was abandoned in the Leaf at a young age, my mother disappearing at some point in the night. My father was never identified to me so I lived alone and cared for myself from then on. While I was in the hot spring, a woman started talking to me, asking about who I was and why I was traveling alone so young. I told her that I was here with my brothers, the first excuse I could come up with. She asked my name so I asked hers in return. H-Her name was Koemi, like my mother's, then it clicked. I didn't want to believe it, that the mother I loved and dearly longed for was right in front of me, relaxing in a hot spring without a care in the world. I got her to reveal the Hanari symbol to confirm it. She started in on how much she loved me and was hiding me for my own protection, something about people coming after us, but I didn't believe her. I told her how my life was back in the village, growing up alone, despised by everyone, without a mother or father." I glance over at Hidan before continuing. "She thought she left me under the care of my father, but she didn't. He never spoke up or claimed me. I know who he is now and I just wonder, what's so wrong with me? Am I just... never mind."
                         I take a deep shaky breath as I realize that I'd been ranting for far too long. My emotions mantra has failed me. I run a hand across my face to wipe away the tears and scowl at my hand as if to blame it. Hidan thumps my forehead and I direct a glare at him. He smirks and sits up asking me to continue my story. I inform him that it was all I had to say on the matter and not to thump me. The door opens and Kakuzu walks in, tossing a bag on money onto the table. He sits down, paying us no attention and begins to count the money, sorting it into precise stacks as he goes.
"Well, care to tell what happened over there?" Hidan asks, his eyes cutting to the wall.
"That man, he was my landlord. The one who stabbed me right before I came here. Besides Deidara actually forcing me into the Akatsuki, Hideki was the reason everything happened. He was the catalyst in the whole thing. I thought it'd be easier to kill him since I was angry at him... I-I didn't expect there to be four others... I was overpowered before I could do anything. I-I was so strong back in Konoha, I could take down any of the genin with ease, even Itachi's annoying brother. I thought I could defeat anyone, that I was some oh-so-powerful person, then I met you guys and it knocked me down a few pegs. But still... I thought I could do better than that. I froze up when I realized how many people there were. It was so dark and I couldn't move... They were grabbing at me, tearing at my clothes... I didn't know what to do. I failed the mission and Pein is going to be pissed..."
"Ah, fuck what Pein thinks, as far as I'm concerned, you killed the man with no issues."
"We can't go back and change it and we've gotten the money, so I don't care." Kakuzu answers, his gruff voice carrying over to us.
"Arigatou." I mutter quietly to both of them. "Can I go out to get some air?"
"You can't go alone." Kakuzu reminds me and I roll my eyes in response.
Hidan stands and stretches before motioning to the door.