The Key To So Many Doors (Hidan Story)

Chapter 10.

Nothing changed as they continued travelling.

And yet at the same time things seemed to alter constantly.

Hidan and Shima managed to get closer in the next couple of days.

And yet she still kept a distance between them.

She was still unsure about this whole situation. About why he was asking all these questions and how everything would turn out. Sure, the more time that went by, the more she began to understand the obnoxious parts to his personality; to get used to them and see beyond all that—but he remained so curious about it all. If that was even the right word to describe it. Shima couldn’t pinpoint Hidan's motives, no matter how hard she tried to figure it all out. Kakuzu might have been anti-social—she could agree with Hidan there—but he allowed her some space; especially when it came down to things like this. Hidan wasn’t like that in the slightest, though Shima was beginning to think she should have understood that from the moment she met him.

Come on. He lacked any sense of respect for anyone but his god, he had no shame whatsoever with every aspect of his life, whether it was what he said, what he did, or what he looked like—though arrogance probably played in part in that, too. Because of that, he didn’t care about what other people thought. If he wanted to do something, he was damn well fucking going to do it. It was merely the same with this. He wanted to know more about how Shima had visions, and so what if that required pushing past the arm’s length she tried to keep him at at all times? He wanted to know! In a way, there were times when Shima thought about it and she couldn’t help but laugh. It was almost endearing now that she had gotten used to it. She could try and sit up there on her high horse, but she didn’t show much respect to people, and considering the first time she had met them she had opened the door in her underwear and not given a flying fuck, they had to have some similarities. The more she talked and hung out with Hidan, the more she could see that.

But still…

It was what kept Hidan in a constant state of bewilderment with her. One moment he could get close to her, talking and joking around, and the next she’d swear at him and turn away, ignoring him entirely. But strangely enough, it never made him angry. He was still curious, and the more Shima reacted like this, the more he wanted to know. Not to mention Hidan was noticing the way she was reacting. Something wasn’t quite right with all of this, and there was no way he was just going to back down. So as they walked on, merely following Kakuzu and not particularly paying attention to the direction they were heading in, Hidan continued with his questions. He casually brought it up in conversation, making suggestions as to what Shima’s abilities involved and what it was like having these visions. Guessing at how long she’d been having them for and whether it had scared the shit out of her when she had received her first one.

It didn’t exactly help with Shima’s mood. With the details he was offering, with the topics he was suggest to her, he was bringing back memories of so many different things when it came down to her visions. Though he wasn’t getting the details right when he guessed what age she started getting visions, the provoking he was doing was causing the recollection of when it did actually happen to appear. But there was one problem with that: she didn’t want them to. She didn’t want to think about how things had begun and of memories like those ones—they weren’t good. But regardless of how much she tried to push them away, flashes off them flickered through Shima’s mind, and the more Hidan spoke, the more they arrived, until eventually she reached the limits of her temper. So truly pissed off now, she snapped her head round to face him, and glaring viciously in his direction, she growled,

“Why do you fucking have to know everything? Stop fucking interrogating me already and just let it go!”

But Shima hadn’t been expecting the reaction Hidan gave. He wasn’t the type to hold back his anger and think things over calmly. He wasn’t the type to let things go when someone insulted him or yelled at him. So when he simply shrugged at her words, glancing away, she couldn’t help but pause and frown slightly, taken back as he responded simply,

“Sorry. I was just fucking interested, that’s all. It seems cool. Different.”

And abruptly, with those few words, all the memories that had been plaguing Shima a moment before dissipated into nothing. The only thing that remained was what Hidan had spoken, and it wouldn’t leave her head. Her train of thought had been given an entirely new direction, and she remained in silence as they continued to walk. She hadn’t been expecting what he had said in the slightest. Was it that that was making her so affected by it? Shima continued to contemplate that question as the journey went on. Even Hidan seemed to sense that she needed time to think, as he made no more questions. Everyone was quiet, seemingly something on everyone’s minds.

Shima kept glancing up at Hidan, and it didn’t help when they finally stopped for the night. Now she didn’t even have the monotony of the journey to keep her occupied; the slight concentration of putting one foot in front of the other, keeping Kakuzu's back in front of her and making sure she didn’t veer off the path. Instead she was sitting there, and with all that had happened today still in her mind—or more specifically, what Hidan had said in her mind—she couldn’t help but continually glance up at him. Hidan noted it, but wasn’t sure how to react. After the way she had yelled today, it had felt like it was best to keep his distance or face a wrath that might be even worse than Kakuzu's was. But she hadn’t appeared angry afterwards, that glare remaining on her face. Instead it was her turn to have a look of confusion. Now, apparently, it was Shima who had something she didn’t understand, and was unable to find an answer for it.

But was it good or bad?

Shima managed to make it through the night with a few grunts and words here and there, not completely closing herself off to the outside world, but eventually the time came when they all began to hit the sack for the night. Shima tried to keep herself awake as long as possible, offering to do the first watch, but Kakuzu stated it was best if she got the most rest. She was the one who was going to be doing the work, so she needed to be well-rested for it. So after the third attempt at convincing Kakuzu otherwise, Shima gave in and laid down, facing away from the others and into the darkness of the forest. But she wasn’t comfortable; the darkness seemed to allow her mind to swirl and sway with her thoughts, and shaking it off, Shima turned over, hoping that would help.

But now she was facing the fire; Hidan's sleeping visage only a few feet away. Watching him, his chest moving slowly up and down and his expression peaceful, Shima’s mind returned to what he had said, only now with nothing to get her mind off of it. The more she tried to fight it, the more she seemed to be sucked into it, and so she gave in. Why had he said that? What did it mean? He often joked around—he was the kind of guy who liked to tease; that was most likely the solution. But something in her told her that view was wrong, and Shima was inclined to believe it. She had gotten to know him; understood his personality better, and more to the point—she had seen the look in his eyes. That had been utterly genuine, with no lying or deceit to be seen. He had truly meant that; and glancing up at his face once again, a smile suddenly flashed onto her face. Half of happiness, half of disbelief. He saw it—her ability to have visions—as a good thing. Unlike others, who had found out more in order to isolate her even further, Hidan was truly curious about what she could do. Truly thought it was interesting.

Maybe it was because he was a Jashinist. And maybe that fact held the answer. Jashinism was unlike any other religion out there. It was utterly unique; and that was something Shima had liked from the beginning. No matter what religious beliefs he came into contact with, none of them would be like Jashinism, and it set Jashinism—and Hidan—apart from the rest of the population. But Shima now saw thatthat was a good thing. With the way they both were; most people seeing what they could do and what they considered things as weird and unnatural…Maybe she could understand him better than most.

And with that thought, Shima’s eyes fluttered shut.

 

But her smile never faded.