Chapter 3
A Visit to an Old Enemy
Wind swirled through the thick tresses of Inuyasha's hair as he and the blonde stranger continued their travel to the destination of the Wolf Mountains. There had been little talk on the way, having too much static form the wind to carry on in any kind of conversation. Inuyasha had dug him claws into the soft flesh of the clay stead, but it had not flinched hours before when he had stabbed it, and it didn't seem to encumber its master's energy.
The mountains loomed very close ahead now, and had the range been traveling north to south, surely the two would be traveling in the shadows of the peaks by now. Deidara looked over his shoulder at his riding companion, attracting the half demon's attention enough for an exchange of looks to take place. Even without words, the two men were able to communicate through subtle movements, through which the ninja was even able to learn from Inuyasha where on the mountainside he would be able to land so as to put them down as close to the wolf tribe as possible.
The trees were thick closest to wolf demon territory, so the bird couldn't touch down directly in the center of their camp. This was likely a good thing, however, as the alighting of a monstrously large falcon in the middle of their home might alarm the forest dwellers. Instead, the bird landed less than half a mile from the wolf camp in a tiny clearing just wide enough to accommodate for the sculpture's wingspan.
As the men dismounted the bird, they looked about themselves. As Deidara only looked upwards towards their climb, Inuyasha looked over the edge of their ledge. The few trees around them covered their small shelf in the mountainside, and looking down, Inuyasha could see the glow of fires inside the thick of the trees below.
"Couldn't have possibly made this place a little bit easier to get to un?" Deidara snorted aimlessly narrowing is eyes at the flickering orange light coming from the campfire the tribe on the mountainside had lit. With a resolute grunt, the ninja gave his companion a slight nudge with his elbow, prompting him to follow as he began up the side of the mountain towards the wolf demon's encampment.
As Deidara climbed up the almost sheer side of the mountain, Inuyasha passed him, having experience in climbing with his razor claws and took the lead to find the next shelf in the mountain face. As he hauled himself over, he waited a few moments for the other man to appear on the edge. Inuyasha held out a hand, and surprised Deidara took it and pulled himself up. With the two men standing once more, Inuyasha leaned out and pointed to a thin walkway leading up. He took the lead and Deidara walked behind him, leaning hard against rock, fearing the promised death of the fall.
They clung to the crag with their fingers as the pair inched their way up the narrow ribbon of a trail, weaving through a hairy series of switchbacks while they climbed higher still. Suddenly a hiss came from Inuyasha's left side as Deidara looked back down the side of the mountain to see two men emerging from the trees below out onto the rocky outcrop, followed by three large brown wolves who pressed their noses to the ground, filling their senses with the foreign scents of the strangers on their land. The ninja froze in his tracks, pressing his back into the cliff as much as he could but refusing to activate his chakras for fear of giving away their position entirely.
The eyes of the wolves reflected the pale orange of the sunset above, making them appear even more savage. However the animals seemed to be at a loss, being unable to find the odor trail of the invaders once the two men had reached the base of the next ledge. The canines circled below with their snouts in the dirt, whining to their comrades about the lost scent.
Inuyasha glared down at them and contemplated his plan. Now the wolf lackeys, he could handle. He wasn't their enemy by any means, but wolf demons wouldn't welcome anyone, friend or foe, in the nearing twilight inside their territory. Inuyasha smirked at the thought of a quick fight with the five, but looking at his footing, he decided on continuing the quiet climb and find the wolf leader himself. He nudged Deidara and stepped slowly.
The blonde man gave him a silent nod and followed, picking his way carefully up the crags behind his cohort. The tow managed to get a fair way up the side of the face of the cliff it seemed, perhaps gaining another fifteen vertical feet. Suddenly the wind shifted, causing the two men's baggy clothing to be pulled at. Inuyasha had to move his foot to keep his balance, but in doing so, a small piece of the pathway was pulled loose and leaped down the side of the sheer rock. The hanyou sucked in a deep breath as below all five heads snapped up the side of the cliff to see the unwelcomed visitors trespassing on their territory. The largest of the brown wolves threw its head back and let out a low howl, sounding an almost mournful alarm while the other two animals began to scramble up the narrow trail after the invaders.
Inuyasha growled and leapt outward, sliding down to meet the group. The wolves instantly were on him, but he knocked them aside, careful to not push them to their dooms over the edge. As he struggled with them, the men accompanying the canines worked their way up to meet the blonde. Inuyasha saw this and wrestled one of their brothers down, letting it yelp for help. It attracted them, and Inuyasha smirked.
"Might wanna come back to talk to me if you want this pup to see the morning."
Both of the pelt-clad men gritted their teeth and glared at the attacking invader, the hairs on the backs of their scruffy necks standing on end like raised hackles while one of the tribe members even growled low in his throat. Not willing to negotiate with a trespasser, but also not wishing to see the death of any companion, the ruffians acted quickly, one taking a hold of Deidara's arm while the other seized the ninja by the throat. The shinobi gasped, but fell still as he felt one of his attacker's claws press into the soft flesh of his neck, threatening to cut his gullet open.
"I could stay the same to you, trespasser. Make one wrong move and I'll snap his neck!" the tribe man snarled, never taking his eyes off of Inuyasha.
There was a thick silence, but as the tribal men stared at the hanyou, they froze at his icy stare back. His arm was wrapped tightly around the neck of one wolf, his free hand gripping tightly to the muzzle of another, and his legs holding the last in a chokehold. He had three of their comrades under control, and they gulped hard as Inuyasha dared a smile.
"I don't think you need to worry about me now… I'll just hang onto your buddies here so I don't get bit, but you two…" Inu chuckled. "You two are done for it now. Think you can handle this, kid?"
There was a quiet rumbling in the stone was, almost as if the crag was threatening to collapse, but the low sound stopped as a few stones fell from above. Ears rotating upwards slightly, the two wolf demons looked up the crag to see the man they could have sworn was still firmly in their grasp crouching not ten feet above on yet another stretch of the path. Deidara smirked down at the pelt-clad men watching as the pair looked back to the man in their hands. One of the wolf demons yelped as he felt his hand sink into what at first had appeared to be the shinobi's arm. It was not at all flesh he was grabbing, but more the consistency of quicksand, holding the wolf-demon's hand captive like flypaper.
The clay decoy shivered and slumped slightly, its head falling to the side slightly as slowly it began to bubble and expand. Yanking at their hands was futile as the two scruffy males only managed to get pulled in deeper while the clay body swelled around their limbs, threatening to swallow them both. Above the duo, Deidara smiled down at his handiwork, feeling quite satisfied by the power of his unstoppable art.
Letting go of his captives, the wolves scampered from under Inuyasha's grip to their comrades, and they too became ensnared in the trap as they tried to aid. Deidara chuckled form his perch, and Inuyasha dusted himself off.
"Wrap it up there. We don't need the attention."
"You can't be serious un." Deidara muttered back, looking down at his trapped victims as the five struggled vainly to escape the still expanding clay. "Here I thought you were allies with them, seems like such a waist to kill them un." The ninja shook his head disapprovingly, a frown turning his lips down slightly.
"Not death, idiot. Just knock them out and hide them." The hanyou growled and cracked his knuckles. "No need for any casualties tonight."
"Just give 'em each a good smack to the head with a rock un, that'll knock them out un" Deidara gave a curt snort before nimbly sliding down the crag on his heels to stand on the far side of the writhing bunch. "As for hiding them, just ditch them in a tree, they can climb down when they come to un." That being said, the ninja quickly pulled a large rock from the face of the cliff and struck one of the wolves on the crown causing the canine to yelp and fall still.
Inuyasha cringed at the yelp and snatched to stone from his hand.
"Forget it. Let's just move out quickly, 'cause they've heard us already." He threw the rock of the side, letting it crack through the limbs onto the bustle of awoken clan members. There was a rumble of commotion as the glow of their fires multiplied and grew closer to the bottom of the mountain, and Inuyasha huffed, digging his claws into the rock again and hauling himself to the next shelf.
With a quiet curse to himself, Deidara looked over his shoulder down the dizzying fall the gathering throng many, many feet below, the lights of torches like the bright red butts of swarming fire ants. Digging his fingers into every crevice he could reach, the shinobi followed quickly after Inuyasha, climbing several ledges until they reached the next shelf, nearly one hundred feet above their starting altitude.
Searching above their heads, the elder man spotted their target as numerous heads poked out from the main camp several feet above them. There were about four that growled and barked ferociously at the intruders, but as Inuyasha glared them down, a familiar face stood out.
"HEY, that you Ginta?" the hanyou howled. "Go get Kouga before I have to kick someone's ass!"
The young demon man nodded and disappeared, curious glances following his departure.
Deidara looked confusedly at the man standing by his side on the ledge, but decided that it was neither the time nor the place to be questioning him about his connections. The ninja's brow knitted as he stared up at the cliff overhead, the crowd of savages seeming to part as the heads peeping over the edge retracted albeit reluctantly. The faces were replaced as one man stood on the verge of the ledge, his toes curling over the jagged rock as he looked down the stony incline at the intruders. His features were mostly hidden from view at the strange angle, but the long pony tail tied up on the back of his head stood out like a beacon in the wind.
"What the fuck are you doing on my land, dog-shit?" The new man growled, folding his arms and pinning the intruders in his ice-blue gaze.
"Call your lackeys off, and who you calling 'dog shit'?" Inuyasha balled his fists and shook it at the leader. "If I didn't need to talk with you, I'd come up there and kick your ass!"
The dark haired purebred laughed and whistled to this troops.
"Back to your posts, I'll handle the intruders!" he called. The other members of the tribe grumbled but obediently backed away, leaving room for the two to continue upward. As they reached the top, Inuyasha climbed over the side himself, but Ginta walked again to the edge to lend a hand to Deidara. The blonde ignored it and pulled himself up, regaining his composure before facing the Wolf Clan leader and his posse.
The dark haired man looked over the human in his midst with narrowed eyes as if scrutinizing him coldly. The wolf demon's nose crinkled slightly before a wide smirk twisted half his mouth upward.
"What brings you back to the wolf tribe blondie? You know Itachi came looking for you. I told him it was none of my business if you wanted to high-tail it out of here. What was it you said? You couldn't stand the stink of us filthy savages hm?"
"Not my problem anymore Koda un," the blonde retorted, narrowing his eyes in return. "I'm just here with Inuyasha for some answers un, and you better spill 'em, wouldn't want to get on Itachi's bad side would you un? He's got a lot stronger allies than you, of that I am certain un." The ninja folded his arms resolutely, his face as still as if it were carved from stone. He only hoped in the pit of his stomach that the clan leader wouldn't call his bluff.
The demon snorted, his cohorts assuring the human that there was no one greater than the demon leader himself. Kouga smirked and waved his minions along, muttering that he had it covered.
"So how the hell did you got all mixed into this, Inu-baka? Sticking your nose in where it's not wanted again?"
The hanyou growled.
"Hey, that Itachi guy attacked me, I was just defending him," gesturing to Deidara. "I wasn't gonna watch him get beat to a pulp."
Kouga's eyes narrowed and shifted to meet Deidara's.
"So he got after you, did he? Didn't think he was that riled up. He only seemed mildly peeved at you running off."
"Nah, he wasn't that pissed, didn't use his genjutsu or anything un. He just gets his kicks out of kicking me un; I've had worse. What am I supposed to do about it anyway, right un? Now way in hell I can compete with those eyes un… least of ways without killing him un, and wouldn't that be tragic un?" The blonde grunted slightly, looking off to his left as if glaring at the glow of the campfire. "Not about to burn my life away just to keep from getting a few black eyes un… not for Itachi… I've got to save that for something real special un, you know… nothing short of limelight un."
"Yeah you got it rough with that one. I don't envy you for a second." Kouga replied with a curt nod. Though the blonde shinobi hadn't spent much time in the wolf camp, every demon in the pack who had laid eyes on the pair of ninja could tell that there was something wrong about them. It was like the eerie lack of emotions that seemed to hang between them. The way Itachi was the clear aggressor, threatening and hurting his partner until he bent to the raven haired man's will.
The leader led them to his den, passing by the eyeing pack members. It was warm in the cave and busy with activity. Several of the tribe members huddled in groups and some attention was diverted for the new guests, but ultimately everything continued as normal. Kouga walked to the back of the cave into a large nest where he sat and motioned for them to join. Inuyasha grunted but eventually squatted near him, Deidara setting on the hanyou's other side.
"Look Koda, Inuyasha's got some questions about Itachi and the well and all that fancy hoo-hah, but when I tried to explain it all to him, he didn't believe a word I said, if he even paid attention un." Deidara gave the hanyou a look of irritation over his shoulder, but the jibe was ignored for the most part. "Think you can answer some of his questions un?" The ninja looked over to his tense counterpart and nudged him gently with his index finger. "You'd listen to what Koda says, wouldn't you un? That's why we came all the way out here un."
The wolf demon growled impatiently.
"First of all it's Kouga, leader of the Wolf Demon Clan. Kouga, idiot! Second of all… what?"
"I wanna know how others got in the well, baka," Inuyasha snorted. "They came through the well, but they're not form Kagome's time… but I bet you already knew that."
The raven hair grimaced and crossed his arms.
"I don't know anything much about that well, mutt. All I knew was you and Kagome could go through it. But after I got word that she was gone and hadn't been seen… I waited for her, don't get me wrong. But…" He huffed and glared at Inuyasha. "I figured out that after a year she wasn't coming back. Now I'm leader of both Northern and Southern tribe, and I got too much on my plate. But before I took on both tribes… I visited the well a few times myself."
"And that's when you met Itachi-san, am I right un?" Deidara said, hunching his shoulders and resting his elbows on his knees so as to be more comfortable. "But did you go down the well first or was it Itachi who came through the well un?"
"I've never been down that death trap. I've got too much to worry about here. But like I said, I took a look at the well a few times myself, and about the third time I got there… he was just standing there. Looking about with this real fierce look in his eyes. I stepped up, and we battled it out. It was a draw."
Suddenly Deidara's eyes narrowed and a wide smirk spread across his lips as he leaned back with his hands resting on the pelt behind him.
"So… he whipped your ass pretty good didn't he un?" The ninja tilted his head to the side smugly, knowing he was right. Itachi didn't just let things end in a draw, chances were most likely that the Uchiha had used his genjutsu to torment the wolf tribe leader until he agreed to some kind of service contract.
Kouga smirked.
"Not as hard as he whips yours, Deidara."
The ninja frowned severely and turned away, a growl of peevish annoyance humming in the back of his throat at the mention of an imaginably tender subject.
"That's not any business of yours un, so I suggest you drop it…" His brow furrowing, the blonde turned to his host, his expression an impossible to read mixture of glee and bloodlust. "… Before I get mad hm."
"Whatever bitch…" Kouga muttered. "Anyway, so he wandered about and I didn't stop him. He sort of followed me back here, but didn't seem too keen on hanging around a bunch of demons. Can't say I blame him, a mean he is human after all. But I didn't see him for a while, then a few weeks ago he said he was going into the mountains to the north for some weird reason, and told me he needed a favor. I promised nothing, but a few days ago he shows up here with you and tell me to watch over you till he gets back. He owes me still, by the way. Tell him just because you ran off doesn't mean he can break his promise."
"Kuso…" Deidara groaned hanging his head and burying his fingers in his own long golden locks with frustration. "Leave it to Itachi-bastard to go around making deals and treating me like a damn child un." The ninja's shoulders slumped visibly and he turned his face toward the ground, his eyes closed and his lips turned downward. "You're not getting jack-squat from Itachi un, I can tell you that now… not a snowball's chance un."
"Well I could right now, technically. You are here in my den, and he said as long as you were here, you were mine."
Inuyasha froze as the words slipped from Kouga's lips.
"What! That asshole is selling out his comrade?"
"That was our deal. He said if I could hang onto him, he was mine until he got back. Now I told him I wasn't all for that, but-"
"Is that so un?" Deidara was on his feet in an instant, glaring down at the wolf demon with a look of malice; both the other men could hear the furious grinding of every tooth in the blonde man's body. In the dim light of the campfire, the shinobi's crystalline blue eyes seemed to shine with pure, immeasurable rage. "Said that did he un? HA! Itachi needs to stop making such promises that he surely can't fulfill un…" With scorn and fury burning passionately in his eyes, the blonde leaned forward until his face was so close to the fire that he was staring through the flames at Kouga like a devil. "As if I would ever do such a thing with filthy lowlife savage like you un."
"Like I said, I ain't into that, so I told him he would need another kind of payment, so he said he'd figure it out. Don't flatter yourself, bitch."
Inuyasha's eyes flitted back and forth between the two as they glared down each other, and finally he had to cut in.
"What the fuck are you two going on about?"
Kouga looked annoyed to the half-breed, but seeing his honest confusion, his eyes softened.
"You... you didn't- heh. Deidara. You didn't tell him, did you?" There was silence between them all, until Kouga had to laugh. "Why don't you tell Inuyasha what relationship you and Itachi have?"
The blonde's eyes shifted quickly away, and he lost his firm stance against him. The demon smirked.
"Fine, I'll tell him. Deidara isn't only Itachi's teammate, he is his bitch."
"Put ever so eloquently Koda-san… aaaaaaarigato un" the ninja said practically deflating, returning to hanging his head and burying his hands in his hair. "Baka, baka, baka" the youngest man continued to groan. "Didn't you understand the meaning behind 'certain relationship of a rather one-sided nature' uuuun?"
"Can you say 'certain relationship of a floor-mat uke'?"
The two went at it again, shouting out as Inuyasha sat in silence.
He…he's Itachi's…..lover? Inuyasha shook his head and banished the thought. No way, too weird. Too much for one day.
"Ok, whatever, so how did he get here?" Inuyasha grunted.
Kouga stopped midsentence and shrugged.
"Beats me. Ask him."
"I've already told him once un, he won't listen to me." Deidara finally sat back down, crossing his legs Indian style and leaning forward on his elbows, glaring into the flames of the campfire. With a sour look on his face, the ninja leaned his cheek against one fist while he used the other hand to prod at an unburned branch in the fire.
"He told me he just crossed over, but that well only leads to Kagome's time in the 20th century. We're in the 15th. That what Kagome told me." Inuyasha glanced over to the sulking blonde. "He doesn't know how it works either, so it seems as Itachi is the only one."
"What's there to know un? You jump down a hole in the 18th century, and pop back up 250 years in the past un, couldn't be simpler right un? I mean the mechanics of it isn't something I'd want to have to figure out, but I know how to use it hm." With a smoldering stick in hand, Deidara began to prod the embers absently, watching the burning sparks dance upwards from the flames before winking out one by one. Inuyasha's eyebrow rose.
"Uh, it's the 20th."
"No baka, it's the 18th, I think I know what time period I live in."
"20th."
"18th!"
"20th!"
Deidara leaned in as Inuyasha did and both yelled senselessly until Kouga barked.
"Enough! I think I get it." Both fell silent. "I figured it out. Kagome hasn't come back because the well isn't set to her time. If he's from 18 and she's from 20… then… wait I'm lost." Kouga scratched his head. Time-travel wasn't his strong suit.
"…Then that means the well can connect this time to more than one other, just not in tandem un," Deidara finished off, rubbing the round of his chin as if he was deep in thought. "Not sure what benefit anyone would have from doing such a thing unless they had something against the 20th century un, but I suppose it's the only theory you've got, isn't it un?" Eyeing his two companions, the blonde made a rather smug face, proud to the umpteenth degree of his far superior intelligence.
Inuyasha mumbled and Kouga shrugged.
"What I don't get is how you two got through," the silver-hair said. "I mean Kagome did with the jewel, and I… well I still didn't figure that one out. But how did the well let you two through?"
"Well I don't know anything about this circle you keep on about un, but from what I can see, you have a very firm grasp of your inner power, call it energy, chakra or whatever you will, and ninja are trained in the art of chakra control, so I don't see why it can't be related to concentration of power un." Deidara suddenly let out a scoff of laughter. "Unfortunately for you Koda, that must mean you suck at controlling your chakras un, otherwise getting though would be a snap un."
"Kouga, baka, and it's not like I've tried. I don't want to go to some other nasty world. I'm happen to like mine just fine, you dumb bitch."
"Alright, sheesh, Kouga, 'cause that sounds so much better than Koda, you happy now un?" The ninja growled in exasperation, frowning at the man across the fire. Lethargically Deidara looked over to the hanyou by his side, frowning and muttering "you see why I ditched this place un? I can't stand this guy's fat head un."
Inuyasha had to snicker at that but soon lost it as his thoughts lingered back to the enchanted portal. If the well was set to another time… then his hopes of Kagome coming back…
Seeing the shift in the silver haired man's demeanor, Deidara sighed and gave the hanyou a squeeze on the shoulder with his open palm.
"So did you get all your questions answered, or do we need to stick around here a little longer un? It's all up to you hm, but if you haven't got anything else you wanna ask this guy, then I'd like to get the hell outa dodge un." The ninja sat up, bending his knees and resting his forearms comfortably on top of them.
The hanyou slowly pushed the hand away and stared at Kouga.
"So this is all you know then, right? Nothing else I should know going down about that well?"
"Like I said, dog-breath, you know more about it than me. I just know what I saw. They came out of that well, not Kagome. Now that all? If you stick around for much longer, your stink is gonna stick and run us out."
"This coming from the wolf zealot who lives in a cave and smells like wet fur and leather un? As if the smell of hygiene could possibly overpower such a wreak un" Deidara scoffed rising to his feet. "Come on Inuyasha un, let's beat it before we catch this guy's stupid hm."
To that, Kouga leaped up and snarled at the impudent ninja.
"You better watch your mouth, filthy human! You're in my home and I'll not be spoken to as such! I'll have your hide tanned and crafted into a new belt for you cheek!"
But running up to the group came a Mohawked wolf demon, bursting in loudly.
"Kouga-sama, we have a situation!"
The ponytailed man grunted as he turned to him.
"What is it now, Hakaku? Pups fall in the river again?"
"No boss… I think you'll wanna take a look at this."
The leader of the wolf tribe sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed the tips of his eyebrows with his fingertips, sighing in exasperation. He quit the scene after his comrade, the two other men following cautiously behind so as to see that all the ruckus was about, seeing as they were on their way already.
Just outside the cave there was a clamoring of men all huddled around some commotional epicenter, arguing, shouting and toiling away. The clan leader gasped and rushed to the aid of his men in an instant. The throng cleared for the most part as the alpha appeared on the scene, revealing the source of the riot to be what appeared to be a bunch of upwards of eleven men of the wolf tribe all wriggling and fighting to escape from the sticky clay trap Deidara had laid earlier. Seeing the mas of ensnared tribesmen, the ninja didn't know whether to cringe or to laugh aloud, but either way he had to interfere. The blonde took a hold of Kouga's tail, giving it a sharp pull to get the leader's attention.
"Don't touch that shit un," the ninja scolded, "that's sticky clay, you'll get just as stuck as they are, and there's no getting out if it with all of your skin and hair."
"Well what are we supposed to so then, throw them in the river?" Hakaku grumbled.
"Sure… if you want them to all drown." Inuyasha snapped back.
"Actually that's right," Deidara interrupted. All eyes wandered to him and he shrunk in the spotlight. "Well yeah, the clay will melt away in water, so the river sounds like your best option."
"You hear him men," called out their fearless leader. "Roll them to the river!"
"WHAT?" Deidara shouted, "I didn't say 'roll them to the river' un! That sounds like a horrible idea un! You'll snap someone's neck that way un!" It was too late however, Kouga was already leading the charge, rolling the sticky ball of his comrades down the side of the mountain. Unable to believe his own eyes, Deidara was after them in a heartbeat with Inuyasha hot on his heels. "Wait un! The fuck do you think you're doing you pointy-eared bastard un?"
But before he could get ahead of the pack, a clawed hand reached out and snatched him by the collar of his cloak.
"Whoa kid, don't waste your breath," Inu grunted as he pulled the blonde back. "Kouga's got an idea in his head, so there's no stopping him. It's time to start heading…" he trailed off as he looked to the magenta skyline. "Aw shit… well it's not good traveling in the dark. We might wanna set up camp… a little further from the pack, though."
Looking back towards the pack of clansmen rolling the wad of gooey clay and foolish comrades down the side of the mountain, Deidara sighed and relented.
"Fine un, of course I could have us back to the village we came from before daybreak un if you'd rather pull an all-nighter flying un. No promises that I don't fall asleep midair and send us for a nosedive though…" The ninja looked at his own two feet and scratched his index finger at the tip of his chin. "You know what un, you're right, it'd be best to set up camp for the night soon un."
Giving the hanyou a sheepish grin over his shoulder, Deidara shrugged and motioned for his companion to lead the way.
But as the pair jumped past clan member bystanders, a particular duo made their presence known by their boorish squawking and overdramatic waving of their arms. Deidara stopped and watched the pair freaking over something. It was the wolf demons Ginta and Hakaku, fussing over Ginta's face. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, the blonde turned and walked quickly over through demons staring at the spectacle.
"What are you saying, Ginta? I can't- you've got to open your mouth, baka! Quit flailing about, will ya and tell me what's wrong!" Hakaku growled at his partner, but the younger of the two continued yelling through closed lips and waving his arms wildly.
"Kami above un!" the ninja hissed, finally standing beside the duo, "he's gotten that shit in his mouth, hasn't he un?" The blonde growled and kneeled by the side of the panicking wolf demon, giving Hakaku a forceful shove to get the man out of his way growling "move stupid, you're in the way un." Without hesitation, Deidara took a hold of Ginta's chin with his left hand, yanking the man's jaw until he turned his head so that the ninja could better look at him. With a frown creasing his lips, the shinobi pressed his thumb and forefinger into the tribesman's cheeks, until his lips parted enough to reassure that the sticky clay was the culprit. Deidara growled with annoyance, his brow furrowing as he turned the man's head to the side again, causing Ginta to let out a muffled yelp.
"Look, stupid, you got sticky clay in your mouth and there ain't any getting it out the way it came in, you got that un." The wolf demon whined and jerked away from the ninja's grasp, his jaw working furiously as if chewing at the substance could clear it away. "Would you quit moving and listen to me un?" the ninja snapped, "I'm trying to help you damnit un."
Ginta settled a bit and Hakaku couldn't help himself but look over Dei's shoulder.
"Why the fuck you tried to eat this shit I'll-"
"He was trying to lick it off of them, baka!" the wolf snorted.
Deidara sighed.
"Of course he did. Stupid heathens… ok now look, what was your name un?"
"Ginta," added the demon.
"Right, well Ginta, you're gonna have to try to swallow it. If you do so then you'll get more spit in your mouth un, and it will wash away, got it? I know it tastes gross, but it's eat it or starve un."
The demon whined and looked up at Deidara with eyes that pleaded for an alternate solution; anything but swallowing that stuff. Then ninja only frowned slightly more and shook his head disparagingly.
"Come on, do what the guy says Ginta," Hakaku encouraged his comrade with a gentle nudge. "The sooner you get rid of that stuff the sooner we can eat some real food, okay?" Ginta nodded timidly and screwed his eyes shut, giving the terrible glue in his mouth a good, hard swallow. "There you go. Not too horrible now is it." The suffering demon shot a furious glare at his counterpart as if to inform him that is was dreadful.
"Oh come off it, man up and get it over with hm. The less time I have to spend here babying you, the better un." Seeing the pathetic look on the wolf demon's face while he took another swallow at the clay, Deidara sighed and put his hand over Ginta's, electing to show the man a little compassion.
Inuyasha eventually joined them and watched from a few feet away, not wanting any part of the rescue.
After a few more hard swallows Ginta's mouth popped open and he gasped, letting his thick tongue hang out.
"Uuuhhh at' thit as' asty!" the victim groaned. "Akaku, ater." His comrade nodded and hurried off for a drink, leaving Deidara to inspect the demon's mouth for any residue.
Grasping at the other man's chin again, the blonde pulled down on Ginta's jaw to open it and look inside.
"Everything looks good in here un," Deidara grunted. Though it was dark and he could barely see anything to begin with, the ninja decided that it would most likely make the poor man feel much more at ease to know that his mouth was clean. Giving the man his jaw back, the blonde squatted in front of him for a moment to be assured that the tribesman was going to be fine. With an apologetic smile, Deidara rose to his feet and extended a hand downward towards Ginta, offering to help him to his feet.
The younger of the pair of yokai took the hand and pulled himself up, dusting off his pelt and readjusting his armor.
"Yuck... thanks. I was trying to clean off the wolves and this- well you know already. My name's Ginta." As his comrade returned, Ginta gestured to him. "That's Hakaku. Thanks for the drink." Hakaku had his palms cupped together and filled with water, which he hesitantly let his partner drink from.
"Alright Ginta… c-come on, your fine. Quit." As the man finished, Hakaku flicked the remaining moisture away and dried his hands quickly.
Deidara grimaced slightly, but shrugged it off as a kind of pack-mentality bonding he was simply unaccustomed to. The blonde grunted and nodded to the rescued wolf demon.
"Looks like you're fine now, you must have a strong stomach un." Giving Ginta a reassuring clap on the shoulder, he continued. "Your body might not like that clay though, it's pretty nasty stuff un. You could feel sick for the next few days and your digestive system might be a little bit abnormal, but it should pass un… It's funny…" Deidara leaned back and looked at the tribesman as if comparing Ginta to himself. "The first time I ate that stuff, I puked hm…"
At the mention of hurling, Ginta groaned and rubbed his abdomen.
"H-how long does this stuff stay? Uh I'm getting sick already…"
"That's a good thing un," Deidara replied curtly, "If your body tried to process it, you might be sick for a week. If you can puke and get it out of your system now, then you'll ease your suffering in the long run un." With a slight grimace, the ninja patted Ginta reassuringly on the back, as if encouraging him to wretch.
Taking the tip, the young wolf yokai bent over and groaned. Hakaku joined Deidara's side and watched his comrade, glancing worriedly between the two of them. After a few heaves Ginta began gagged and glob of the sticky clay plopped onto the ground. Hakaku quickly took dirt and poured it on top of the blob and cautiously poked it. The dust had in fact conquered the adhesive and he happily tossed it over the side of the ledge.
Deidara winced and took his palm away from Ginta, allowing the other man to shiver and recover from his moment of illness. It was strange, going so far out of his way to aid another; the ninja hadn't done so in so long he had nearly forgotten the feeling. So far away from the rest of the Akatsuki and the world in which he was slave to the devil, the blonde felt as if some weight was off of his back and he could let himself be kind again. He didn't let the sentiment show through though, and kept a very professional appearance about himself, as if through apathy he earned respect.
This whole time Inuyasha stood off to the side, and evaluated the action. Clearly this man wasn't like his violent counterpart. He was at least capable of simple kindness, and that was a start.
"You gonna live, Ginta?" the dog half-breed called.
The sickly demon nodded before heaving again, Hakaku grimacing beside him.
There was an awkwardly open pause as all three men around the ill wolf demon shifted uneasily, not knowing whether Ginta was through purging his system or if he needed more time. Finally Deidara sighed and gave the tribesman a more firm clap on the back as if encouraging him to recover more quickly.
"Come on, you're okay now un. Walk it off, it will make your stomach feel better un." Ginta shivered, but straightened his back, still clutching his churning stomach. Though he still felt ill, the wolf demon was able to obey the ninja's suggestion and take a few tentative steps before turning back to the blonde and giving him a grateful look.
"Thanks… uh… what did you say your name was again?"
"I didn't un…" Deidara retorted, letting his shoulders relax and blinking at the other man.
"Oh…" Ginta looked down for a moment, slightly dejectedly, the very tip of his tail twitching.
"Deidara un…" the ninja reluctantly gave away his identity, seeing the tribesman's face lighten up if only a little, the blonde couldn't help but let his lips turn ever so slightly upward.
"Well Deidara, thanks," Ginta mumbled.
"Even though it's your fault in the first place," Hakaku huffed. The ill wolf grinned, letting his dimples sink in. Inu couldn't help but snort at the comment, sliding his hands into his sleeves.
As the men stood about, a female wolf nosed her way behind Ginta and rubbed against his leg, having smelled his sickness and followed to comfort. Ginta smiled and cooed to her, squatting next to her and scratching her scruff lovingly.
"So Deidara, how did you make that stuff?"
The ninja couldn't help but smile, letting a little of his pride show through, his technique was very artful after all.
"It's a special mixture of clays and chakra un. The stuff isn't easy to dig up and refine of course un, but once it's mixed right it can be made into the ultimate tool, or weapon." Deidara pulled his outer robe back slightly at the hip, showing one of his two side bags full of clay, unzipping it and pulling out a few fingers full of crumbly white powder. "I mix it with chakra by chewing it with my hands and then when its wet enough, I can sculpt it into whatever I like un."
"What's chaka?" Hakaku asked, also patting the female on her head, making the wolf whine pleasantly.
Deidara sighed, not wanting to explain the whole concept of chakra, he decided that a demonstration was more appropriate. His hands came together very quickly in the zodiac symbol of the ox before changing to that of the rooster and then several others far too quickly to be seen properly. When his hands had formed upwards of seven different seals, he finally stopped and lifted his right foot, placing it firmly on the ground in a kind of power stance. The foot rotated abruptly, Deidara's heel sliding outward and all of a sudden the ground slipped out from underneath Inuyasha, causing the half demon to lose his footing completely and topple to his side with a loud thud.
"That's chakra un."
Having been sent to the ground, something he was unfortunately accustomed to, Inuyasha growled and picked himself up, cracking his knuckles.
"You little…" the hanyou growled as struck Deidara on his right shoulder. The blonde was knocked sideways, making him stumble into Hakaku, who quickly braced against him. Recovering, the ninja glared at Inuyasha, but the silver-hair held a satisfied stance. The one thing about not having Kagome; no beads.
Kagome… Inuyasha was quick to regret the thought, having the reminder return to gnaw at his mind.
Deidara rubbed his shoulder and snorted sorely in Inuyasha's direction before turning back to the two wolf demons.
"Anyway un, chakra is the power and energy behind all the-" he hesitated, deciding against mentioning jutsus in the interest of avoiding having to explain that topic as well, "tricks… ninjas can do un."
"Makes sense, I guess," Ginta muttered. He smirked at the affectionate wolf and patted her head, sending her off to her sister who waited nearby. "Hey Hakaku, what's a ninja?"
Inuyasha cracked as he watched Deidara tense, Hakaku not aiding any help with his shrug.
"Remember, they're 'heathens' you can't expect much from them, kid. But why do you work with clay? Why not a sword or bow, like most fighters?"
"I suppose I can answer both your questions at once un." Deidara folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes, sighing as if in preparation for a very long story. "Ninja are shadow warriors, men and women whose greatest weapons are their minds un. Ninja all have an allegiance to some country, save for a few rogues like myself un."
Again Deidara motioned to the shiny metal plate strapped to his forehead with his right thumb, making the others note its high importance. "Unlike samurai, ninja use more than swords and bows and spears un. Anyone can block a sword or arrow if they are fast enough un. The premise of the ninja is to develop an attack so different than anything one's enemy has ever seen that they couldn't possibly be prepared to deal with it. By making one's foe think and strategize in the middle of a battle, a ninja has already gained the upper hand un." Deidara smiled and opened his eyes, to show that his explanation was done. "And that's what ninja are un."
"So… no one uses clay, so I understand that… But that's pretty much just using regular weapons. Even if they are made form a weird material, they are still the same."
Deidara smirked if only to hide his annoyance.
"You obviously don't know my art un. Yes I use clay to make my art and chakra to bring it to life, but haven't even begun to realize the beauty of the things I create un; the immeasurable power and passion that is alive and fills the world with beauty for a single moment before vanishing with as much glory as it arrived with un!" Receiving three blank and confused stares from the men around him, the ninja sighed heavily, his shoulders sagging. "I make birds with clay un. The birds fly around. The birds go boom and kill people un. Art."
"'Birds go boom?' What the hell does that mean?" Inuyasha grumbled and shifted his feet, growing even more tired of the small talk. "Like… they blow up?"
"Like they blow up un" Deidara replied with a nod folding his arms across his chest again, suppressing the urge to stretch, knowing it would only lead to a yawn. Already the moon was peeping over the tops of the mountains, a pearly white crescent hung low in the sky.
"But… it's clay," Inuyasha poked. "Clay doesn't explode, gunpowder does." At this point Inuyasha and Deidara were immersing in the debate, the two wolf men settling on watching the spectacle.
"Oi un! Are you saying I don't know what my own jutsus do un? Sure, charcoal and bat shit makes for okay, cheap power explosives, but my clay is made with nine parts cyclotrimethylene trinitramine to one part clay un. If you don't believe me, then perhaps you'd like a demonstration un!"
"NO way, you've caused too much trouble for one night with that sticky crap of yours, we don't need any fireworks. We better get before Kouga gets back and bites your head off, because I'm not saving your ass twice in one day. Now say goodnight to your 'savage' buddies and lets go already."
Deidara sighed and let his shoulders sag, knowing full well Inuyasha had a valid point.
"Alright, let's go un…" the ninja paused, turning his gaze back to the two clan demons, "Oh and Ginta, you and Hakaku better run down to the river and make sure Kouga doesn't get anyone drowned okay un? And if anyone else tried to lick that stuff, you guys can help 'em out now, got it un?"
"Got it" Hakaku replied curtly with a very brief nod.
"Thanks again for your help Deidara-san," Ginta said with a wave towards the ninja as he turned his back to follow Inuyasha. The young artist looked over his shoulder and smiled at the tribesmen, acknowledging their thanks.
As the wolf pair slid down after their leader, Inuyasha took the path before and descended, jumping effortlessly into the trees and swinging down to the ground floor. Standing by the roots, he waited for his follower. Deidara joined quickly and they made their way back to the small clearing where the large clay bird still stood, snapping its head up at their approach.
Approaching the mighty beast, the shinobi extended one hand to pat the raptor rewardingly on its hooked beak. Without a word, Deidara took a step forward and placed his hand firmly on the sculpture's breast. The bird instantly going rigid, straightening its legs and locking them before unfolding its expansive wings and stretching them out until the tips touched the ground on either side of the clearing. With a grunt of satisfaction, the blonde artist glanced over his shoulder and turned to see Inuyasha already beginning to dig out a fire pit in the center of the clearing.
"It isn't much, and I doubt the wind will bring rain tonight, but you'll never have to sleep without a roof - er… wing… over your head as long as I'm around un." The blonde shuffled his feet in the earth as he watched the other man claw up large handfuls of thick, brown clay.
"If it's all the same, I'll take my post in the tree. Make yourself useful and gather branches. I'll go get dinner from upstream of their mess." Nodding to his satisfactory pit, Inu dusted his hands and cracked his knuckles.
With a slight grunt, Deidara nodded; after the brouhaha he had caused with the clay trap, he wasn't about to object to the other man's solitary habits, being ordered to gather firewood nor the prospect of filling his belly with fish. The ninja made haste with gathering what firewood he could find in the immediate area, and though trees were all around, dry branches were still quite rare given the frequency of storms that broke over the mountains.
Before his companion could return with whatever he had managed to snare in the river, Deidara had gathered a very good sized armful of twigs, sticks and large branches. Though it was very rare for survival camping skills to come into play for the 18th century ninja, Deidara built a rather successful fire and was warming his hands by its orange glow by the time Inuyasha returned.
An hour later, Inuyasha had returned and the measly fish cooked and consumed, both men now sat in a stagnant air, finding it painful to strike up conversation. Inuyasha leaned over to reposition his stomach, making Deidara jump. At the comprehension that he wasn't trying to communicate, the ninja sighed, catching Inuyasha's ear.
"What?"
"Oh um, I didn't say anything…"
"Oh." The hanyou huffed.
"Huh?"
"I didn't say anything."
"Oh, never mind then," Deidara trailed off. Kami help him, this was agonizing.
Finally, after what seemed like decades of painfully awkward silence, Deidara fidgeted where he sat before stretching his arms forward, rather catlike and fighting very hard to work up a yawn. As he did so, Inuyasha looked up at his companion as if pleading for the excruciating uneasiness to finally be ending. With the forced yawns finally turning into uncontrollable real ones, Deidara wiped the subsequent dampness from his tired eyes with one long, black sleeve.
"Well un, I figure it's about time we got some shut-eye un. We've got a…" another yawn, "… a good six hours of flying ahead of us tomorrow. We'll have to leave at the crack of dawn if we want to make it back at the village by lunchtime. You know what they say, early to bed, early to rise un..."
Inuyasha groaned, rubbing a stiff shoulder before finding the will to stand. Deidara watched him as the hanyou looked up the nearest tree, finding a favored branch and climbing up to it. With no effort he straddled the thick limb, letting on leg dangle and the other bend sharply to support his elbow. Looking over the edge, Inu watched over Deidara, wondering if he could figure out how to sleep outside. The shinobi looked about himself, and finding nothing better that a pile of moldy leaves decided to follow Inuyasha's lead on the ground, laying his back against the trunk of the tree and pulling his arms into his cloak.
Staring across the small clearing at the slowly dying fire, Deidara silently tried to decide what he was actually doing in this mess of a world. Of course he had decided to rid himself of Itachi once and for all, but this was much easier said than done. Putting the largest task aside in his mind to be contemplated later, the ninja quietly began to play with different scenarios in his mind. What if he managed to become permanently separated from Itachi? He would find work someplace decent, someplace where manslaughter was not in the job description. He would build himself a home, perhaps even start a family should he find a suitable partner to share his life with. Still such prospects felt very distant, and Deidara returned to mulling over how he would be rid of his connection to Itachi.
The ninja thought over the idea time and time again, with little process until his mind became far too fuzzy to even formulate the image of his enemy. Reluctantly giving in to the prospect of sleep, the shinobi allowed his head to bow forward and he finally fell into unconsciousness, lulled by the soft cooing of the forest and the faint echo of the other man's breath.