Work Text:
It was a terrible place to dump a body.
The river was cold as ice, clumps of snow floating on it's surface as it rushes to the calmer currents deep in the forests and away from the more chaotic ones of the city. The freezing rapids and the rocks are what he becomes aware of first as his eyes opened to the brightness of the sun that almost blinds him. The water continues to rush through him and somethin felt...loose. In every last part of his body felt like he was barely being held together.
Though with the gentler current it felt as if he could at least attempt to move, especially as the further down he went he began to feel the harsh scrape of the cold riverbed's rocks and sand against his back.
"Ghhrr..." even his jaw hung loose, his mouth open as the water sloshes around under his tongue. He attempted to move with being so close to the bottom of the river now as the waters had become shallower. Perhaps if he got just the right angle to sit up or managed to move his limbs somehow it would help get him out of this quicker.
As his sight adjusts he sees the trees off to the side; barren of leaves and dark against the brightness of the sky. The branches loomed over him like hands slowly coming down towards him-
-gloved hands waved over his face; one of them even snapping it's fingers. Muffled voices that sounded angry and tired, amber eyes on a face cast in shadows and masked. Why were they angry? He can't make out anything. He felt like his mind was trudging through molasses-
"Holy shit..."
Something suddenly stops him from moving, reflexively reaching an arm up to grab whatever it was. What greets him as his head lolls over to the source, closing his eye to avoid water splashing over it. With his open one he sees it's some kind of staff that pins his arm-one that was barely holding together by the loos threads that keep the forearm attached to the elbow. He blinks slowly as his eye trails up to see who was holding it...
They were clad in a black cloak with red velvet lining the inside of it and a fur collar around the hood hiding their face. The hands were completely clad in black leather with silver rings lined in rubies and amethysts as well as sharp silver nail guards to act as claws. From head to toe this person was completely shielded from the sun.
"Oh damn...are you that thing old snake face was bitching about? He said you were an experiment gone wrong, a complete failure..." this person's voice was rough, masculine as he's pulled from the river. He flinched when a thread audibly breaks and his jaw was now hanging partly off his face now with his tongue. He choked a bit in response to it.
The stranger hissed in response to his state, "Ah fuck, you're falling to pieces...asshole probably didn't want to wait for the creepy puppet maker...Ah Jashin preserve me, i probably should just end it here with a ritual...but seeing as you've been dead already I don't think my Lord would appreciate a half hearted sacrifice..."
"Ghhuuh..." was all he could respond back with. Did this stranger know who he was? Why was he dumped in the river? Why was he loosely put together like this?
"Hhh, Jashin preserve me, snake face really picked a heavy fucker to reanimate! Just don't pull down my hood until we're at my place or else you'll have vampire dust to deal with!"
"Hhhmmrrr..."
"Can you actually talk or is that just how you usually speak?"
He growled in response, his eye twitching as he staggers beside this stranger; continuing forwards through the snow covered ground. He looked down at the snow that crunches under his feet. It was bright with the sunlight gleaming off it and he closed his eyes as the stranger continues to walk him forwards. He notices his strange companion was whispering things to soft for him to hear while holding the silver pendant in those gloved hands. Aside from that and the sound of the crunching snow, things are quiet.
They soon come upon a cottage that was completely integrated into the side of a mountain; the door was a dark royal purple with a red sigil of a circle with a triangle inside just like the silver pendant around the stranger's neck. The windows were blacked out with onyx paint as the stranger waved a gloved hand at the door, making it open on it's own before rushing inside.
"Ugh, honestly...what was that name you had before snake face collected your body? Aah..Kakon? Kuzuzu? Eh doubt you'll remember, you're brain's been dead for four days."
He grunts as he is just dropped into a chair, his limbs limp as he sits there with a grunt.
"Though you don't seem like a complete idiot brute," He watched as the stranger finally pushed his hood down once he snapped his fingers to have candles light themselves. The soft light reflects all the walls of gemstones that shimmer softly. He took a moment to look at it all, his ire softened for now as he witnessed it all for the first time.
However his attention is snapped back to the stranger who pulled him up from the river; a man with skin as pale as the snow outside and hair that is slicked back. His ears had a point to them as he had ruby silver studs in his ears and a tattoos that peaked from the nape of his neck under the hood. He then rolled the cloak off his shoulders, showing the blood colored shirt that adorned his torso before he picked up a needle and thread.
"Honestly, if snake face was going to just dump you after all that trouble getting you then I guess I'll have to see what I can do with ya, hehe," He finally turned to face him, the front off the shirt open to show off his chest and stomach while wearing his black slacks, the silver pendant swinging back an forth softly. Soft thin pale lips curve in a smile to show sharp fangs that belonged in the mouth of a tiger as he made his way over to the failed experiment, 'Now let's get your face fixed first. Can you talk?"
The...experiment glared at him. He may not remember anything. He maybe confused at his current predicament and has no idea who this 'snake-face' was, but dammit he wasn't stupid!
He barely flinched as his jaw is pushed back into place before the needle pierces through to sew them closed one more. He feels the bones clicking back into place and he blinks at how tight it is. He felt it, the pain yet it also strange felt dull to him. However when it tightens he moved his mouth before rolling his lips before touching over the stitched seams.
"There, if you can talk now is the time. My name's Hidan by the way," He doesn't look up as he began to stich up his arm, "In case you didn't figure it out my undead friends, I am a vampire. I am also a devout follower of the Wicked Heart, Jashin and while I normally would have killed you, Lord Jashin does not like the undead to feed upon. Looks like you'll have to repay me for saving your life a different way..."
The experiment started Hidan, blinking his green eyes with red sclera at him. That name...is struck a chord with him. Yet when he tries to think it just becomes fuzzy. There feelings there, a mix of annoyance and something else. It was softer, yet strong as he continued to watch the vampire.
Hidan continues to work; his stitching wasn't the best despite his centuries alive in this world, but at least it held firm and kept the other together. He soon has reached every seam that had become far too loose and snapped bones back into place until he finally finished at the pinky toe, his face hidden from view as he gently ran the back of his fingers along the calf. The tips of this experiment's fingers and toes had blackened slightly.
He'd probably need to replace them if they got worse.
"So uh...whatever the hell your name is," He stood up and took the needle and thread back to the table, "From now on you're going to stay here and if you give me any fucking trouble, I might change my stance on sacrificing you to Jashin! So don't give me any reason to want to kick you back to the lab you were made in!"
The entire time he spoke he doesn't look at him as he opened a drawer and for a moment he paused before putting the thread and needle in.
"...Fine," the experiment spoke up, "...I have a name...too..." yes he had a name. it was finally coming to him amongst the fog and confusion as he finally is able to work his jaw. He doesn't notice how the vampire's shoulder's hunched up, "...Yes...my name is Kakuzu...and that's all I..know."
Hidan blinked his crimson-violet eyes as he stared down into the drawer; an old drawing tucked away where it showed the image of himself...and a man who was a spitting image of Kakuzu without the stitches in his body and who had a stoic look etched into his features...but the eyes were drawn looking at the vampire and there was a softness to them.
I'm going to fucking kill snake-face for hiding this shit from me. How the hell did he get your body before I did? I knew he was doing that reanimation shit but to do it with you... Hidan composed himself a moment, before he closed the drawer sharply.
Be it an experiment gone wrong, the will of Jashin or just by sheer coincidence, his Kakuzu was back from the dead.
He would not dwell on what's been done when his God had so graciously blessed him with a second chance from the failures of a mad scientist.
