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It was Friday morning, and that meant it was Hidan’s turn to get Fuu up and ready for school, and then drive her there, as Kakuzu had to go into work early on Fridays and Hidan often had the day off. They took turns when they could, alternating days and sometimes taking her together and grabbing a quick breakfast or coffee afterwards if they had time. Or, as they preferred to do, they would go back home for a quickie before they both had to be at work.The morning routine had taken some getting used to for Hidan. On one of his first mornings taking Fuu to school, after he had dropped her off and on his way to work he got stuck in the drop off line for a different school, and had cursed out the school staff and other parents as he tried to escape the line but was unable to due to it being on a busy street with traffic that wouldn’t let him merge until he almost caused an accident. And maybe he did, but he hadn't stuck around to find out. Later that day he ended up being the subject of a popular post on the neighborhood facebook page with his license plate listed and a couple of pictures of him and his car. No accidents caused but people feared for their little darlings lives with him in the area.After that, he swore to Kakuzu he was never driving Fuu to school again only to have Kakuzu show him the door. Hidan was ashamed to admit it, but he nearly walked out, he had considered it, unsure if he really was up to the responsibility of taking on raising a kid together. Hidan was sure that Kakuzu knew it, too, just from the look of uncertainty that crossed his face the longer they stood facing each other while Hidan contemplated his decision to stay or not, if not having to drive to school a couple times a week was worth throwing away what he and Kakuzu had together, not to mention the relationship he had been building with Fuu.It wasn’t. What he had going for him with Kakuzu and Fuu was worth the stress of the morning drive and everything else that came with being with someone who already had a kid from a previous relationship. Hidan had decided he would do his best to make things work, to give Fuu what he had always wished he had as a kid himself.“Fuu,” Hidan said, voice rough from sleep, “time to get up.” He flipped on the light in her bedroom and went to make himself some coffee in the kitchen. As he stood at the counter, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and waited for his coffee to brew. His throat was a bit sore and he felt a little more tired than usual, but he was sure he would feel better once he had something hot to drink. Usually he heard her up and moving around as she got ready for school but he realized it had been too quiet as he drank his coffee in the kitchen. None of the usual sounds and he went to make sure she was awake. Maybe she hadn't heard him.“Fuu? You aren't up yet?” Hidan asked, standing in the doorway to her room. Still in bed, Fuu rolled over and opened her eyes, looking completely miserable. “Dad…I don’t feel good,” she started, voice sounding hoarse. “Do I have to go to school? Let me stay home, please? I don’t have any exams today. I won’t miss anything important.” Being called dad was something Hidan still hadn’t gotten used to and wasn’t sure he ever would. Every time she called him that it made his chest constrict. At first he had wanted her to just call him Hidan, but she insisted on wanting to call him dad, telling him it didn’t seem right to call him by his name, that it was disrespectful. “What’s wrong?” He cleared his throat, it still felt a bit scratchy even after drinking some coffee, and he thought she might have a similar ailment. “My head hurts, and my throat, too. Please let me stay home?” The last time he let her stay home she missed several exams, and Kakuzu hadn’t been very happy about it, claiming she had been well enough to go to school. But Kakuzu wasn’t there to make the decision. Hidan was. He stood there for a few moments, unsure.“Let me check your symptoms before I decide. I don’t want your dad to get mad at me again.” Hidan took out his cell phone and went and sat down on the bed with Fuu who shook her head at him.“I don’t think you should look it up online…”“Why not? This is what doctors do, trust me.”Fuu groaned and closed her eyes. “Aww, are you feeling worse?” Hidan asked. She didn’t respond and he searched for a symptom checker website and settled on the first result. WebMD. That sounded legitimate to him. “Alright, sweetheart, tell me what’s wrong with you and we’ll see how serious it is.” Fuu listed off her symptoms: sore throat, headache. And just like the doctors did, Hidan asked if she had any neck pain or stiffness as he went down the list. She thought about it for a moment and then said yes to both. Slightly upset stomach, check. Fever? It didn’t feel like it to Hidan when he pressed his palm to her forehead only to have Fuu tell him, “I think you need to use an actual thermometer.” But he simply brushed her off and hit the ‘submit’ button which brought up a list of possible conditions that matched Fuu’s symptoms. As he read the list, his face became more and more grim and he clicked on the top match: Meningitis. “What is it? What’s it say?” Fuu asked, sitting up and peering over his shoulder. “You know, you don’t look good. Is it that bad or are you sick, too?”Hidan felt the blood drain from his face, and, lightheaded, leaned backwards onto the bed as he read the overview of the illness. Something about inflammation of the lining of the brain, something else about contracting it from fungi and insects, or a virus. Across the room there were several terrariums set up on the bookcase that housed various insects she enjoyed raising. He never liked her choice of pets, almost smashed a tarantula on his first visit not knowing it was a beloved pet that had escaped. But the choice wasn’t his to make, Kakuzu indulged her love for insects and allowed her any she wanted as long as they weren’t harmful. “I think I’d better take you to the hospital.” Hidan got up from the bed, black spots dancing around the edges of his vision. “Quick! Put these on!” “What? What is it? I’m sure it’s just a cold or the flu,” Fuu said as she caught her bathrobe and slippers Hidan threw towards her. “I better call Kakuzu,” Hidan said as he paced back and forth in her room and hit the button to call Kakuzu. “I know he’s in a meeting but this is a fucking emergency.” He winced when he realized he swore in front of her. That had been one thing Kakuzu had made him change, at least just around Fuu. Hidan groaned. “Don’t tell him I said that.” “Don’t tell me you said what?” Kakuzu’s voice came over the phone, making Hidan jump.“It’s not important,” Hidan said as he hurried to the front door and grabbed his keys from the hook on the wall. “I think Fuu has meningitis or a brain tumor. What do I do?!” “What?!” Kakuzu demanded. “What makes you think that?” Hidan explained everything to Kakuzu who sighed loudly over the phone. “Let me guess, another match was cancer.”“How did you know?”“You’re a real idiot, you know that, right?”“I’m fucking worried about our daughter and you’re calling me an idiot?!” “Watch your language or I’ll watch it for you once I get home,” Kakuzu growled into the phone, voice deep. Normally it would have sent shivers down Hidan’s spine but he was too concerned about Fuu. “She likely just has a cold or a flu, same as you judging by the sound of your voice. I’m in a meeting with someone right now and I can’t talk.”“So, I shouldn’t take her to the emergency room? What if we both have meningitis? Or cancer?” Hidan asked, hand hovering over the door knob. “Because we have the same symptoms. I don’t really care about myself as much, but Fuu…” “Neither one of you have either of those things, Hidan! Let her stay home as long as there’s nothing important she might miss today and just keep an eye on her. I’ll call you when I’m finished with this meeting. And by the way Hidan,” Kakuzu’s voice softened, “I heard you when you called her our daughter. That means a lot to me.” He ended the call without another word and Hidan realized it was the first time he referred to Fuu that way. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling, but he was definitely feeling something that threatened to overwhelm him.Dressed in her pink fuzzy bathrobe and matching slippers, Fuu came up behind Hidan who was still in pajamas himself. “What did dad say?” Hidan snorted. “That I'm an idiot.” Fuu giggled, and then started coughing. Hidan sighed, feeling rather stupid, and ran a hand through his hair. “Go get back in bed, I’ll make you some tea.” He watched her go back to her room before he made his way back to the kitchen to put a kettle on the stove. Waiting for the water to boil, Hidan sat down at the table, now with a new fear of something terrible suddenly happening to Fuu that he knew would always be in the back of his mind. He didn't know how Kakuzu did it, but he was glad they would be doing it together. He also hoped they might get some time alone later that night...