Darkest Before Dawn

A Jashinist

   They met at a club in Yugakure.

   The age limit at this particular club was fifteen, oddly enough. But it was completely understandable once you stepped foot inside. This club, Hideki's Stage, catered to the shinobi population. Hideki's Stage was filled to the brim with ninjas of all kinds all melded on the dance floor in the center. Sakura guessed this club was needed because the shinobi were getting younger and younger, so might as well let them have their fun when they still could.

   It was crowded, loud, and dim- the perfect place to meet your partner for a job.

   Sakura was seated at the bar, sipping a boilermaker. It was ten p.m. now, and the place was in full swing. Someone slid into the stool beside her and waved the bartender over.

   "A cosmopolitan, please."

   The bartender nodded and proceeded to make the man's order. Sakura looked over at him, trying to conceal the laugh that threatened to spill from her lips. The man lifted a finger at her, took a sip of his drink, and threw her a look.

   "I know it's a fruity drink, but it's awesome and delicious and nothing you say can make me stop drinking it." he said. The two looked at each other for a few seconds before bursting out in laughter.

   "Alright, Mr. Cosmopolitan. What brings you to this wonderfully blaring club?" she asked. He stuck out his tongue at the nickname and grinned.

   "Just waiting for my partner- we're supposed to go on a job. Her name's Sakura Haruno, she's fifteen, 5'3"-ish, exotic hair color, aaaaaaand you're her, aren't you?" he deadpanned. She grinned and stuck out her hand.

   "In the flesh. What about you, Mr. Cosmopolitan?"

   "Not Mr. Cosmopolitan, but Hidan. Hidan of Yugakure."

~

   "You mean... we have to go to a ghost town?" Hidan questioned. Him and Sakura were trudging through the heavy snow in Frost Country on their mission from a mutual benefactor. They were looking for a forbidden scroll that was lost somewhere in a ghost town. Many shinobi have tried to find the scroll, but the bandits that lurk around the town had prevented them from doing so. Sakura sent him an exasperated look.

   "Yes! Didn't you read the mission scroll? It used to be a shinobi hideout but was abandoned years ago."

   "Of course I did! I just meant... do we really have to go?"

   The corner of her mouth twitched.

   "Don't tell me... are you as weak-hearted for ghosts as you are with alcoholic drinks?" she grinned. The tips of his ears burned bright red as he turned to the kunoichi with a scowl.

   "Girly drinks are one thing, but I'm not afraid of ghosts!"

   Sakura waved him off.

   "Whatever you say, Mr. Cosmopolitan."

   "It's Hidan!"

   It took three more hours through the snow before they were a mile off from the ghost town. And almost immediately, they were surrounded by bandits dressed in navy. Their leader, who was dressed in a lighter blue, stood before them.

   "You two are here for the scroll, aren't you?" the leader hissed, "Well, are you?!"

   "Say we are. So what?" Sakura snarled. The rest of the bandits pulled out kunai and readied themselves for a fight.

   "We will not let you have it! We will sacrifice our lives to make sure you never touch that scroll!"

   Hidan stilled at the word 'sacrifice'. Sakura threw him a worried glance when he didn't move for a few seconds, but that worry turned to pure shock when a grin spread across Hidan's face and he threw his head back in maniacal laughter. His right hand gripped the handle of his scythe.

   "You? Sacrifice? I'll show you a motherfucking sacrifice you cocksucking sons of bitches!" he crowed. Sakura just stood on the sidelines with her mouth hung open, watching Hidan go bat-shit crazy killing these bandits. What the hell happened nice-guy Mr. Cosmopolitan? He had gone completely mental! Fifteen minutes later, there were twenty bodies dead on the ground and Hidan laying in a blood-drawn diagram with a spear stuck through his heart. She walked up to him with a raised brow and crossed arms.

   "Nice show you put on. What made you take the 180 degree personality turn?" she questioned. He cracked an eye and gave a sheepish smile.

   "Sorry 'bout being like that earlier. I have multiple personality disorder, and I only turn into a fruitcake like that certain times of the year or if I drink tequila. Saying 'sacrifice' usually gets me out of it after a few days. It's a fucking sack of shit when that guys comes out. Hope you don't mind."

   She shook her head and grinned.

   "It's cool. Pretty interesting, too. Say, what's this diagram you made with your blood? And... how are you still alive? Are you immortal?"

   Hidan yanked the spear from his chest and stood up. He slung an arm around Sakura and put the majority of his weight on her.

   "Immortality is a thing of legends. It doesn't exist for shit." he informed, "But what I have is a religion called Jashinism and I worship a god named Jashin. Jashin means 'wicked heart', 'evil god', or 'evil design'. You'd assume with a fucking name like Jashin, us followers would bring on utter death and destruction, right?"

   Sakura nodded. It made sense.

   "Wrong! People have taken my religion completely out of context!" Hidan exclaimed, making Sakura jump at the sudden outburst, "My take on Jashinism goes like this. Jashin may mean all those bitch-ass things, but we are only allowed to sacrifice people who have a 'wicked heart' or bring utter death an destruction. Jashin has followers to get rid of extremely shitty people in this world."

   She gaped at him a second time.

   "How can you tell if people are shit?" she asked. She was truly amazed with him and his god. It was just so interesting! Hidan smirked and pointed to his bright, magenta eyes.

   "Depending on how a person is, their aura gives off a specific color. Dick-bags like the one I sacrificed back there give off this rust color. Normal people have black auras, and completely innocent people have pure white auras. Those white auras are normally kids. Sometimes I see other colors, like when I look at you." he said. Sakura tossed him an odd glance.

   "What colors am I then?"

   "Red and blue." he answered quietly. His sclera had turned black and his irises had faded to white. "Red means you're out for revenge, wanting to kill someone that had done you wrong. Blue is the color of a heavy heart, meaning you're blaming yourself for something, and have been blaming yourself for a while."

   Sakura looked to the side. Hidan's eyes then turned to their normal color and he gazed over her dejected form. He suddenly whacked the back of her head with a scowl on his face.

   "Oi! Don't get all fucking depressed on me now! With a red and blue aura, you must've had it at complete shit, but you'll push the fuck through it, so stop fucking sulking and let's get that scroll from that shit ghost town!" he snapped. He stomped forward hastily, but Sakura could see the red tips of his ears.

   "Yo, Hidan! You're a real sweetheart, you know?! You're blushing!" she called, a smile on her face.

   "Shut the hell up!"

   "Come on, wait up, Mr. Cosmopolitan! Be careful of that ghost town! It used to be a shinobi hideout and it could be littered with traps-!"

   She was interrupted with a shriek.

   Later on that day at a bar, Hidan argued that his shriek, in fact, was a manly one. Sakura gave him a bored stare and pointed to the drink in his hand.

   "You can make that argument with me when you aren't drinking an strawberry daiquiri."

Picture: Hidan's eyes when he can see people's auras. It is a screenshot, I do not own it.