Covered in purple buses and fingernail claw marks, Hidan walked back into camp the next morning. His face remained mostly untouched except for a blackening red mark on his right cheekbone. He hadn't slept all night, and the bags under his eyes wore heavy on him. It was almost too much for the man's 'new' body, out all night killing, none the less he had the time of his life. Though he still longed to see the blood flow in his victims, the look they gave him as the light faded from his sacrifices eye's was enough for now.

Hidan barged into the wagon he was staying with Amira in only to find the girl asleep on the daybed. He stood and watched her for a moment. In the dark confines of the wagon, seeing her lie peacefully he understood for a moment why Jashin would have chosen her for him. He wanted to reach out and touch her. He wanted to touch her softly for a moment before beating her senseless and taking her, willing or not. He wanted to pull her long hair from her scalp, choke her until she passed out, but he never moved from his spot.

His lusting was interrupted by the door opening and flooding the room with light. Amira's uncle stood in the doorway.

"Help me for a minute?" The man asked, much to his disdain. Hidan knew he had to though, and he unwillingly stepped back out of the carriage.

"Czar," The man stuck out his hand to shake.

"Hidan," the pale skinned man spoke, shaking his hand, repeating the exact thing he'd done with Amira.

"Just uh, hold his halter, I'm gonna hitch him up to the wagon," Czar pronounced his as he's while leading a large draft sized spotted horse to the front of Amira's wagon. Hidan did as he was asked, holding the horses head collar, as Czar fastened a harness around the horse who didn't seem to mind.

"where'd you disappear too last night" Czar spoke, patting the horses neck.

Hidan observed Czar as he bridled the horse too, throwing the long reins into the drivers seat. The man looked at him, still expecting an answer.

"I just, went for a walk and got lost. That's all," The ex-con lied.

"You couldn't see the smoke from the fire? I mean I know it was dark last night but," the man continued to question. Hidan was loosing patience. He wanted to strange this man just like he had the sacrifices last night. Hidan wanted to watch his skin darken around his neck as his face turned red and then purple as his lungs gave out.

"No," He was able to answer, "I didn't think to look."

"Uncle! Hidan!" Amira called. Both men turned to look at the girl who was stepping ourside of the wagon, "Good morning," She smiled.

" 'Morning," Hidan mumbled. Her uncle returned her smile and went to hug her.

In a way Hidan liked the travelers, he liked the way they accepted him and didn't question his motives. He liked being stuck with such a young beautiful girl, though that really wasn't their doing.

He did not, though, like their cooking or the affectionate way they did things.

"Amira! Food!" A cow of a woman was holding out some sort of fried wrap while she leaned over a cooking fire. This must have been Amira's aunt Hidan resolved, and judging by the amount of children she had running around her legs, Amira was not her first priority. This camp was alve, cleaning up quickly, animals annd people moving all over.

"Pity her Hidan," His god commanded. Hidan said nothing as he watched the teenager cross the animated camp to fetch her and his breakfast.

Hidan did fell a pang of pity for the Amira, her own parents didn't even want her, and who knows how her life changed. The poor barren bitch, she'd be stuck with these people the rest of her life. These nomadic people didn't stray from their families and certainly she wasn't getting any attention from anyone here. These people ignored her save for her uncle.

Smiling she handed him the wrap. The first thing he did was tear it apart. Some sort of cured meat was used sparingly but surround by what looked like tomatoes, some leafy plant, and spice. Amira was almost done with hers by the time he had the sandwich put back together and took his first bite. Fucking shitty ass food.

Amira was gone for a second, but when she returned, she carried a rusty pair of hair shears.

"Want me to fix your hair?" she asked and motioned for him to sit down. He submitted, and asked her to leave it sort of long. Once the job was done, he used the same shears to cut his nails.

"I can't hope but notice, whats going on with all the marks?" Amira questioned.

"You guys ask way to many questions. I got lost, okay?" he spat. Amira didn't seem bothered by his tone.

"What about you huh? What if I asked you a bunch of useless god damned questions?" Hidan mocked, but Amira seemed undisturbed.

"Go ahead," her voice seemed to sweet. He turned around and gawked at her for a moment. How could she just be so open? She must be desperate he reasoned.

"Alright, why the fuck is your hair that color?"

"Still stuck on that huh? I have to. I'm divorced. Its tradition," she explained simply. A sad tone over taking her cheerful voice. He hadn't originally wanted to make her upset, but on second thought he didn't give a shit. A slight head ache came over him then.

"I bet your hair was pretty when it was natural color too," The jashinist said after a long sigh. The compliment seemed to please his god, though it wasn't sincere, the head ache went away. Amira blushed and didn't speak.

A call rang though the camp, and suddenly people were diapering. Horses became antsy and it seemed it was bug out time.

"Come sit with me," Amira invited as she hoisted herself up into the drivers seat of the carriage. Hidan wasn't too sure at first, but as the other wagons moved out, He decided it was now or never and pulled himself up to sit next to her. Amira pulled a whip from its holster to her left, and she cracked it lightly in the air. The horse, Prince, he would come to find out the horse was named, pranced in place for a moment, and then nearly jumped into the harness. He strained for a moment, and it seemed that the load was too heavy for him, but Amira cracked the whip again, and Prince's efforts paid off as hooves dug into the ground and the wagon moved out with the rest of the caravan.

The pair traveled all day without saying much. They each stayed to their side of the seat. Czar, Amira's uncle informed them that the next town they would be setting up the circus. Czar rode a bay horse with no saddle that almost looked too small for the man. Hidan assumed his wife drive his wagon that lead the caravan. It was late afternoon before Hidan heard anything but the clip clop of hooves and the sound of the road moving under the wagon wheels.

"Are you courting me?" Amira asked very seriously as she gazed at him. All signs of her previously cheerful personality were gone. Hidan was mortified.

No! He wanted to say, like hell he was going to date a girl like her! This crazy bitch! He was not about to be sucked into this nomad circus, but instead he answered "Yes." Hidan wanted to slap himself. God damn it! Why in the world did he say that? Amira gasped, a blush rising to her cheeks.

The pair had no time to react to what had just gone on. A man yelled over the wagon train and Amira was forced to pay attention to where she was being directed to go. The wagons emerged from the wilderness into a middle class town, quite westernized, and Hidan recognized it to be the same one he pulled his sacrifices from the night before. An archway marked the entrance to the town, and it seemed the caravan had turned into a parade. People gawked and waved, Amira already set in her task of traversing the busy main road, paid no attention. Prince was getting antsy, lifting his legs higher and hopping in the traces. The grip Amira had on the reins told Hidan that the horse was getting hard to handle.

When the procession came to a halt at a large field just outside the arch on the opposite side of town where they'd entered, people were directed by Czar where to park. The wagons made a semicircle, the wagon carrying the tent was brought to the middle and the men set to putting it up.

After unhooking her horse and tying him to the wagon, Amira was off again, lost in the sea of her relatives. It all had Hidan scratching his head until he spotted her, running to her uncle.

Amira had pep in her step, her long hair waving with every step. She stopped for a moment, in front of the man who looked to be carrying tent stakes, and they spoke few words. Suddenly, her uncle dropped the load he was carrying and made eye contact with Hidan over Amira's shoulder. Amira must have said something else because Czar looked down at Amira, shoved her aside and walked with purpose to where Hidan still sat on the wagon seat.

"Come with me," the man said in a stern but polite tone. What the hell had he just gotten himself into?

Czar lead Hidan though the throngs of people to his personal wagon he shared with his wife and six children.

"Out," he commanded, his wife quickly taking the smallest child up in her arms and ushering the other two that were still inside out. Czar was quick to fold down a table from the wall and pull up a pair of stools from the back of his living quarters. He motioned for Hidan to sit.

"Amira has told me that you wish to court her," the older man said. His tone was sullen and serious.

"Yes," something inside him compelled him to say. The word was out of his mouth before he even thought of it. His lord had to be doing this, it was the only reasonable explanation.

There was litterally nothing Hidan could do, though his mind was racing and his inner self was freaking out, Hidan had no choice but to let his body be used, no, guided into making the choices that lord Jashin wished for him.

"I must tell you something," Czar spoke in a way that seemed to Hidan that he was going to try to persuade him, "Amira is barren. You understand what this means, yes? You still wish to pursue her?"

"Yes," it was as if Hidan's mouth moved on its own! He was powerless no matter how hard he fought!

Czar sighed, raking a hand though his salt and pepper hair. "Amira is quite old to be a bride. She's also been married once, I know you know what I am implying" he tried once more to convince Hidan to leave her be, but the jashinist shook his head.

"There comes a problem of the dowry then," the ring master sighed again, " I do not have much to offer."

"The camion and horse that pulls it will be sufficient," it was Hidan's voice but they were not his words.

"It's settled then. We will be in town three days. At the end if the three days, I will allow you to ask me for her hand. Until then, please respect Amira," Czar pulled out a peace of paper and scrawled on it with a pen he filled with ink from a well. The man wrote in some sort of lettering and language Hidan did not understand, though Czar made him an X to sign. After quickly and messily writing down his name, the dead with this cocksucker was done. Hidan was more than pissed.

"Amira!" Her uncle called, throwing open the door. There was no need to yell, she was patiently waiting outside.

"Yes?" She asked sweetly, batting her eye lashes. Her uncle sighed, giving her a dangerous glare, and walked away.

"I can't believe this!" Amira cried, wanting to jump into his arms, though she knew it would be inappropriate "what do you want to do first?"

"I want you to get me something decent to eat, damn it" he scowled, "Nothing your aunt cooks! Real meat and normal ingredients! Got that?"

"Alright!" She chirped, wanting to take his hand and guide him back to her wagon, but she resisted. She asked him to wait outside while she ran in, coming back with a fist full of small bills.

"Don't tell I have this okay?" She giggled. They walked though town, much to Hidan's distain, in search of something that pleased him in the market. He knew they'd catch hell if anyone recognized him, so he tried to keep his face away from the larger crowds.

Amira was all too excited about everything. Even choosing cuts of pork, the silver haired girl smiled. Some fresh noodles, three different kinds of meat and some leaks to add taste were enough for Hidan. The jashinist crossed his arms, waiting impatiently for the wench to finish his meal once they returned to camp. She'd gone back and fourth from the wagon to the pot several times, each time he warned her not to add anything strange to his food. He knew she wasn't listening.

"Come on already!" He shouted, but there was no need. It was just the two of them, the rest of the family was either performing, getting ready to preform, or doing some other job involved with the circus that was currently in process.

she apologized, slopping some thinly brothed soup into a bowl and nearly spilling it on the ground in the process of getting up from her crouched position. Hidan was fairly sure this was some kind of miso soup by the taste of it. Sure, all the meat, but he tasted some other kind of spice and saw big chunks of dried mushroom too.

"Damn," he swore. Not because it was good, it was more average than anything, but because she'd managed to sneak vegetables into his food. He hated vegetables. He looked up at Amira who's smile suddenly seemed worried and forced. Did she really care that much? It was just some stupid soup!

"It's fine, relax," he implored. She visibly relaxed.

"Go get something to eat jeeze!" He sighed, " you don't need permission from me to do shit." She scurried off, but something told Hidan she wasn't going to listen to that last remark. They ate in silence.

The lights were on in the big top, though only Amira's small cooking fire and a few oil lamps lit camp. Hidan assumed Amira was not aloud to go near other wagons because the last two nights this place was lit like a Christmas tree. The jashinist was bored to death and sick of these nomads, really he just wanted to find a whore and perform some other obligations besides a sacrifice. Amira was quiet and stared at her hands most of the time, she wouldn't even look at him now if he had his head up, though he caught her smiling at him sometimes if he looked away.

"Hey," the violet eyed man started in an irritated tone, "what the fucks up with you?"

"Nothing, just thinking," she smiled, drawing pictures in the dirt with her toes.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you damn it," he demanded, tone still sour.

And she did, smiling still much to his surprise. Just what in the fuck is wrong with this girl? No matter his tone or what he said to her, she still smiled, its like she had to make him happy no matter the consequence.

"Listen up," he commanded her attention, "Stop with all this lovely shit alright? I get it, you want me to marry you, but that don't mean shit. I'm not in love with you, got it?" As soon as he spoke the words and saw her face drop, Hidan got a head ache.

Amira quicky got up, shutting herself into her wagon. He could hear the door lock. The way she'd shielded her face from him told him she was probably crying. Whatever, he though as he rose from his chair, a ritual would fix everything.

XxX

The ritual did not fix everything. He expected his god to be pleased with him, but that was not the case. He pulled the tree branch from his chest, having to use it as a make shift pike.

"Damn it," he swore, rising from the bloody circle on the ground. Sighing, he rubbed his still aching head. Lord Jashin was not happy with the way he'd treated Amira and demanded that he make it up to her. She was a gift of sorts to Hidan, and his lord felt he was being ungrateful, though Hidan would never realize that unless his lord told him directly. Jashin also demanded thirty more sacrifices.

On his way back, he happened to notice a bunch of wild flowers on the path. Oh no, no he was not about to bring her flowers and say he was sorry. He was a mass murderer, a masochist, he enjoyed killing people for gods sakes and he was going to take a girl flowers.