A/N: Hello there! Well, here's another instalment and looky! You didn't have to wait 8 months for it, haha! Anyway, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas; I certainly did, the best one in years :) I will admit that I struggled a little with this chapter, but hopefully the next 2 or 3 should be posted in a reasonable waiting period. Anywho, happy New Year everybody! :D
MANY THANKS TO; 'Guest', 'Lunarnerdette', 'udntnedo2no', 'Spencer' and 'TheQuietHyuga' for your reviews! I'm glad that you guys are giving it a try and being open (and honest) of your thoughts, I really appreciate it! Thank you for the support! :)
Summary: Tadashii Hoshi; a royal Vampire was in debt to Akatsuki. As well as money, he gave them his granddaughter, begging them to take her away for her safety. Now, four years later, Shinko is a subordinate to the criminal organization, but, something isn't right. As the past of her grandfather and her real parentage catch up to her, who can she turn to for help?
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own or make any profit from this story; I only own the plot-bunny and my own characters (those being; Shinko Hoshi, Tadashii Hoshi, Jarl and his sisters, Arata, the Kinzoku clan, the Youchi clan and the Gekkou clan). Seriously, if I owned Naruto it would make a heck of a lot more sense.
Part Thirty-Five: Venturing Inland, Open Danger
The week had started off on a positive note, for the first couple of days they had travelled many miles in silence. Shinko had been firm in this decision, although she knew how much Hidan liked to talk or rather rant; there were other forces of nature working out here. Other monsters that wouldn't think twice about hunting them for food.
Hidan didn't like the idea of being quiet for such long periods of time, he just had to talk.
When Shinko mentioned the use of sign language as a way of communicating with each other she wasn't surprised that Hidan detested the idea. For one thing they knew nothing of hand signing, so they decided to create their own. This would also work in case they got split up and would be able to identify each other without speaking; it was a brilliant way of catching out spies.
"Dammit, I won't remember any of this shit!" Hidan hissed to himself, unaware of the knowing smile on his fiancé's face. She would be surprised if he did remember any of it, it was well-known that Hidan's mind often became like that of a sieve and filtered random thoughts.
She was planning on him forgetting.
'Man, what I would do for some sake right now', Hidan's thought entered Shinko's mind and she resisted an eye-roll. Trust him to be thinking of having a stiff drink when they're in the middle of nowhere, with the possibility of being hunted by vicious monsters and with the intention of meeting an ancient, noble Vampire that would ultimately make or break their future.
Huh, maybe that's exactly why he wanted a drink.
"Only shout when you're in trouble, we don't wish to alert...the natives." Kakuzu spat, the term 'native' being used loosely, those things he'd come in contact with years ago had been disturbingly terrifying.
Such a beast was unimaginable, however, he'd never gotten the chance to catch a proper view of the creature; the Werewolf and he hoped he'd never cross paths with one ever again. It was pure luck that the winds had been in his and Hidan's favour all those years ago, but he couldn't count on that happening way out here now.
They'd endured a lot of bad luck lately; it wouldn't surprise him if they had some more just to botch things up along the way.
Hidan snorted "Who'd be dumb enough to cross me and Jashin? I'll smite their ruins upon the fucking earth and they'll be seeing my God in the afterlife as he devourers their souls!"
Kakuzu's eye twitched with withering impatience whilst Shinko merely stared at him with a deadpan expression as he preached.
"You're such an idiot," Kakuzu grumbled as he rubbed a dark hand at his brow, almost looking as though he was trying to suppress an oncoming migraine.
"And you're a cock-sucking heathen!" Hidan retorted cattily, having heard the insult.
"If you think that'll stop the Werewolves, you're clearly mistaken," Shinko spoke up from where she was sat on the rock almost opposite them or rather not, since they were sat in a triangle formation.
"You're defending this prick?" Hidan actually looked hurt by such a thing, rounding on his fiancé with a fierce glare.
"Hidan, you're slow in your rituals, they won't wait around for you to get their blood and trust me...you will not touch their blood..." Shinko replied, her voice trailing off as she stared intensely at the small fire before them.
Hidan opened his mouth to ask why not until he caught sight of Kakuzu's head shaking at him, another way of informing him not to breach the subject now. For once in his life, Hidan did as Kakuzu ordered and closed his mouth, it surprised the miser who-for years had been trying to get Hidan to do as he was told or at least cooperate on some level.
Silence fell around them, Shinko's eyes staring into the flickering flames of their small fire with a haunted-yet serious expression; she was deeply troubled. It'd been years since any of them had set foot on this land and although memories and scents were returning to her swiftly, some parts of the land remained fuzzy.
This had been proven the next morning when they'd arisen early, Kakuzu was going over the map once more, marking down where they currently were amidst all the other pen marks that'd accumulated over the years. It was also a failsafe plan that if it was ever stolen, very few would be able to decipher all the markings and their meanings. It was covered in pen marks in order to confuse.
Hidan was given the unfortunate task of tidying up, taking extra-care to cover their tracks, just because Werewolves plagued the area, didn't mean there weren't other things out there either.
Shinko stood off to one side of their previous campsite, she was listening out for any signs of approaching danger, yet so far, they'd been surprisingly fortunate in evading such tragedies. Yet she was once again troubled.
Every way she turned, fog clouded her eye sight and it was thicker than it had been the day before, her eyes would often dart about trying to find the path that she remembered walking so long ago. But it was proving futile, sooner or later they'd have to move away from the area, if they lingered too long, something may catch their scent be it beast or other predators.
Hidan groaned in frustration before he kicked at the ash from the wood they'd burned last night watching it fly with narrowed eyes alit with some form of satisfaction at creating some small semblance of chaos.
"What are you doing now?" Kakuzu grumbled, looking ever increasingly frustrated.
"None of your damn business!" Hidan snapped before kicking some more ash from the pile he'd previously formed.
"You do realise you'll have to clean that up again?" The older male watched in hidden malicious glee as Hidan's handsome face fell into a scowl.
"Fuck that! If you want it clean, then you do it!"
"Stop being such a child, we all agreed to take it in turns to clean up, now be a good dog and clean up your mess." Kakuzu ordered, noticing how Hidan's hair almost stuck up as he bristled from the comment, the albino male's hand reaching for his scythe.
"I'm gonna fucking gut you like the fat pig you are, bastard!" Hidan snarled dangerously as madness entered his magenta eyes.
Kakuzu shifted where he was sat, readying himself for a fight until Shinko interrupted them.
"We must leave, we cannot linger here."
"Oh, just give me five minutes and this bitch will be lying dead on the damn ground!" Hidan promised as he sent a death glare at the miser who returned it with no hesitation.
"No Hidan, we have to get moving, you can fight all you like when we get back to base, but right now, you'll do as I say if you want to stay alive and in your current form." Shinko replied sternly, sounding much like a mother would to a naughty child.
Kakuzu got to his feet and silently obeyed, mentally agreeing that it was best to move on.
Hidan stamped his feet childishly "Oh c'mon, two minutes?" When he received no reply from the now retreating forms ahead of him, he reluctantly followed after them, calling "Alright, how about one minute?"
"No means; no Hidan, don't ask again, now be silent or I'll make you silent," Shinko hissed angrily, acutely aware at how loud her fiancé was being.
Hidan snorted "I'd like to see you try."
"Don't tempt me!" The Dhampir retorted, before looking at Kakuzu beside and murmured quietly enough for him to hear "sometimes it's like looking after a child."
For once, Kakuzu actually chuckled, effectively silencing Hidan's angry cries as the albino male stared at the backs of his companions and how close they were to each other. For one thing he didn't like how close they were and another, he hated it when Kakuzu laughed. It always creeped him out, the guy always sounded like a serial child rapist which he could actually pass for in that get-up.
"Hey dickhea-I mean, Kakuzu!" Hidan called sweetly, which set to promise nothing but torment and irritation "Were you by any chance a child-murdering-rapist in your long life?"
Shinko's eyes widened a little at the random question and her mouth agape in horror, whilst Kakuzu's rage tipped over the edge.
Suffice to say, Hidan was very lucky that Shinko convinced the miser to sew his head back upon his neck after chopping it off with no remorse, before kicking Hidan's head into a tree like a football.
/*\*/*\
It went without saying that only when in danger were they allowed to shout, otherwise, conversation was virtually non-existent. It was only when they stopped for a break or at night when they slept close to each other for warmth did they whisper anything that was on their minds.
Hidan found the silence the hardest thing to live through, it felt like the hours were passing so slow, it made him think about how tired his feet were, how sore neck still was, how sick of the fog that impaired his vision and how he wasn't able to tease Kakuzu or kiss Shinko.
He wasn't allowed to do anything, so he did what was naturally best to him and sulked.
By the third day, Hidan was close to exploding point; there was only so much silence a loud person could take!
Shinko halted suddenly, which made her partners freeze mid-step, their muscles tensed as they readied themselves for a barrage of attacks. Only they couldn't hear anything and although the fog had lessened somewhat, they still couldn't see more than a good ten or fifteen metres ahead of themselves.
"What is it?" Kakuzu whispered.
"There's a mountain up ahead, we'll climb it," she replied as she began trekking forward once more, earning an aggravated sigh from her mate.
"Who died and made you boss?" He snapped miserably.
"Quiet Hidan!" Kakuzu snarled, he couldn't believe that the idiot would completely forget about those monsters roaming the area and how they would pick up any sound or scent from a mile radius. They were quite far into Demon country territory and had so far managed to keep away from danger. It was times like these that he wished Itachi or Sasori was his partner, at least they would have the common sense to be silent when the situation called for it.
"No, I won't be fucking quiet anymore! All we've done since we've come on this stinking land is follow her around and not even questioning it! I mean-hell! Do you even know where you're going?" Hidan dared to raise his voice slightly, feeling brave all of a sudden.
Shinko stopped, turning sideways to them, she glanced at Hidan, noticing how exhausted and distressed he was, then to Kakuzu, whose face she couldn't really see, though his eyes spoke volumes of anger that was currently being directed to Hidan. She looked up at the mountain some ways to her left, before sending them a neutral expression "Once we climb the mountain, we'll take a break and I shall explain it all to you. In the meantime, have a little more patience and please stay quiet."
She hated the unhappy glare Hidan sent her way, before sending it towards the ground, a frown stretching across his face. She could see how caged he was feeling, but she didn't comment on it, where they were now was not safe for them to linger and talk idly.
It took them a couple of hours to reach the top of the mountain and when they did, the men soon understood why she took them up that route.
The mountain was above the thickest parts of the fog, up as high as they were they could see all around them for over a mile, they could see the sky more clearly, a sickly, pale imitation of the sun was hidden behind foggy clouds up above. Its rays barely pierced the fog, making it all the more difficult to see.
The air felt lighter above the fog as well, there was less of the white mist up where they were and they could see each other better than they had for the last few days.
Shinko stood at the edge of the cliff, looking out into the distance, she now spoke in normal tones "I brought you both up here because it is safer here, we can see further than we could down below and there's a small stream further up the mountain."
"How do you know that?" Kakuzu asked, feeling curious.
"Because I used to hunt here with grandpa years ago," she replied casting her gaze out over the vast stretch of misty land once more before directing it to the horizon wistfully.
"You remember this place in such vivid detail? You couldn't be no more than thirteen?" Kakuzu exclaimed, he was deeply impressed, for there'd be no way for him to remember a land from long ago that was covered in thick fog and proceed through it safely.
"Yes, about that age...Vampire's have impressive mental capabilities that is why they are so strong."
Hidan slumped to the ground, leaning back against a tall boulder in exhaustion, his stomach suddenly complaining loudly "Ugh...man am I tired," he coughed then, wincing as he did so and his hand quickly went up to soothe his still sore neck.
Kakuzu rolled his eyes "You'll have to wait for something to eat, idiot, we can't afford to waste food just because you want an afternoon snack."
"Ah, c'mon Kakuzu! I'm starving here! Those shitty crackers don't do squat and you can't tell me that you're not hungry either." Hidan pleaded almost desperately, his stomach honestly felt like it was shrinking within itself painfully.
Kakuzu opened his mouth to reply until a faint grumble cut him off, his mouth closed automatically and he almost felt ready to skin Hidan when the cocky albino grinned knowingly. Feeling irritated and slightly embarrassed almost made him consider becoming a cannibal just so that he could kill, roast and eat the biggest thorn in his side and thus ending the prick's existence.
Placing a hand over his cloaked stomach, he decided that Hidan would taste disgusting what with his vulgar language and overuse of cheap hair gel. He also didn't wish to have stomach cramps, heck; he knew Hidan would probably curse him as such.
Shinko watched them patiently; amused by Kakuzu's thoughts she decided to put them out of their misery.
"I'll go find something; you both wait here and rest." She ordered, rolling her shoulders in anticipation, it'd been a couple of weeks since she'd gone on a simple; no-rules hunt for food.
"Oh no, you're not going anywhere!" Hidan pointed at his fiancé almost accusingly.
She merely tilted her head and replied "Watch me."
She disappeared in a flash of colour and movement, a slight breeze blew past them at the force of her jump as she leapt from the edge of the cliff and further up into the mountain. Leaving them to eat her dust...quite literally.
Hidan spat out the bit of dirt from his mouth that'd fallen agape at her open display of defiance, before he got to his feet and looked up at the mountain above and frowned darkly. He hoisted his scythe up further upon his shoulders and made to move for the path that'd take him further up.
That is, until Kakuzu called to him "and just where do you think you're going?"
Hidan didn't stop or look back as he continued slowly, only after stopping had he realised how tired he really was "I'm going after her, fuck-face."
With little warning, Kakuzu's arm disconnected itself from its bindings, shot forward and grabbed onto Hidan left arm before it yanked him to a halt.
"You're not going anywhere."
The Jashin disciple pulled at the harsh grip, before looking round to face the miser with a harsh glare and an angry expression to match "Get your fucking hand off me, bastard! I'm going after her whether you like it or not."
Kakuzu was unperturbed by such hatred thrown his way, though his green eyes did narrow menacingly "Get a grip, you fool! You don't know the outlay of this mountain and it's very steep, you need to rest and preserve your chakra. Knowing you, you'll fall within the first ten minutes of trying to climb it. Shinko knows what she's doing, so sit down and wait for her return."
"How can you be so calm about this, eh?! What if she gets hurt?"
Kakuzu shrugged "I'm pretty sure if there was anything dangerous up here we would've met it by now, besides, she can take care of herself, she's pulled through for us before, so calm down and let her have some freedom for a few minutes. Quite frankly, I'd love to get away from you."
At this, Hidan lost the energy to fight, he felt Kakuzu's hand remove itself from him and he sighed heavily. Returning to his previous seat, he sat down in silence, glaring at the ground and decided to patiently wait until his love returned.
/*\*/*\
Shinko returned not long after their heated discussion, finding the atmosphere around the two males almost below freezing, she knew they'd quarrelled.
Kakuzu was leaning against a dead tree upon their ledge and was dozing a little, or at least that looked to be what he was doing considering his eyes were closed, his breathing slow and his posture relaxed. Hidan had just barely managed to fight off the temptation to sleep and found himself drained yet relieved to see her return unharmed.
She produced several large fish which instantly made his mouth drool and his stomach give a growl in response, his previous thoughts of reprimanding her having vanished in light of being presented with something to quell his hunger pains.
She left once more to gather some wood for a small fire and once it was blazing, she began to cook the large fish, Kakuzu by this point was almost deeply asleep, clearly exhaustion had caught up with him at last.
Hidan had taken to sitting next to Shinko. The sides of their bodies touching slightly in need of comfort, having had to keep a relative distance from each other since leaving the ship in case they had to defend themselves or flee, he found the contact pleasant and a welcome bliss.
Shinko seemed more at ease as she poked at the fish every now and then, her expression was soft and a very faint smile could almost be seen stretching her lips.
"I've missed this..." Hidan murmured as he placed an arm full of solid muscle around her, his warmth a welcome change to the usual cool temperature of her body.
She smiled and leaned in towards his embrace, her lips trailing up to his sore neck to press a few gentle kisses and licks there. There was a sharp intake of breath and she reluctantly pulled away, looking slightly concerned "Did I hurt you?"
He shook his head "No, it just stings sometimes..."
"That means it still hurts, silly," she teased.
Hidan pouted playfully and she couldn't help but press a kiss on the corner of his mouth, which he then turned to face her and planted their lips together in a brutal kiss that was set to prove dominance rather than passion.
She let him win, before pulling away and watching as he panted for breath, how his cheeks were slightly flushed and how fast his heart was beating. She felt the pull again and immediately clamped her jaws together, her body stiffening in response, which made Hidan alert-yet confused as to why she suddenly closed off from him.
"What is it?" He whispered, eyes darting about him, searching for any enemy nearby.
"It's nothing..." she almost whimpered.
"It's definitely something!" Hidan snapped defiantly, his magenta eyes trying to catch her gaze, though for some reason she refused to look him in the eye.
"I just need a minute." She retorted in what sounded like a pained voice.
He hesitated until his eyes widened slightly, remembering what she was and that she hadn't fed within four days. Usually, she could go up to two weeks without feeding, but with the whole incident of overdosing herself on illegal drugs and how sick she was on the arriving journey, he hardly found it surprising that she was beginning to hunger once more.
He could see the faint glow of her now blue eyes, shining, her body was trembling slightly as she fought the urge to follow through with what her instincts were screaming at her to do. And he watched it all in fascination, noticed the primal rage she was desperately reigning in to control. She looked feral and strong; if they weren't on a mission and in the company of another person, Hidan would've been turned on by such an open display of lack of control.
A strangled groan came from his throat that swiftly turned into a purr "Ohh, I just wanna fucking ravage you right now."
If she had a heartbeat, Shinko's face would be up in flames, deep down she felt rather stimulated by how passionate and deep his voice had become, instead, she settled for a displeased look "Don't say that to me when I'm trying to calm myself down."
A smirk crossed his face then "Just think...when we're back at the base, I can do all that I want to you and you can bite and scratch the fuck outta me-damn, this is too much!"
She shivered in response to the promise in his voice and was about to reply until Kakuzu's weary voice broke them out of their reverie "Is something burning?"
Shinko's eyes widened "My fish!"
/*\*/*\
It was later that evening when they decided to continue over the mountain as a opposed to going around it and be more susceptible to attack. Kakuzu hadn't liked the idea one bit, the terrain was steep and rocky, made even more difficult due to lack of light.
The only thing Hidan was frustrated with was all the walking they had to do, at that moment; he only wished to be wrapped up in his bed with his fiancé to keep him warm.
Shinko on the other hand was determined to avoid danger at all costs, even if it meant taking a longer route, her top priority was their safety among other things.
She took to the front, leading them over the mountain, signalling they stop closer to the top near the stream which would wash away their scent when they'd cross it the next morning.
Kakuzu took to the back of the trio, reluctant to follow after the Dhampir, but decided there was little else he could do, he didn't wish to trek all the way back down the mountain and no doubt walk straight into the jaws of a wandering Werewolf.
By now, the darkening sky was clearing of fog above and the moon was piercing through, stars shone brightly with it and for a few moments, they all paused to admire the beauty of such a view.
Hidan whistled low "What a fucking view!"
Kakuzu made a deep 'hmm' sound in his throat, for once agreeing with the Jashin worshipper.
"I used to see this every night when I lived with grandpa; we sometimes watched it together..." Shinko murmured, before sighing deeply and looking away. She cleared her throat as such memories that'd once been nothing more than that began to invade her mind again.
It'd taken her two years after leaving her grandfather to push such thoughts into the back of her mind and lock them away, but now that she was back once more, they were beginning to resurface.
The men stared after her as she continued on, each keeping to their own thoughts on the matter.
They continued on then for the next few hours in complete silence, having finally reached the top of the mountain. The sky was now pitch-black; the fog had lightened in the moon's glow and had a haunting appeal to it. One that made even Kakuzu shiver when he stared at it long enough, thinking of what could be hiding around the corner.
They entered a small clearing upon the mountain head and there, just as Shinko had said there would be, a small stream washed through and spilled off over the edge and down along the side of the mountain to the dead forest below.
In the clearing, there was only a couple of dead trees, no shelter whatsoever, yet the Dhampir promised them that it rarely rained so far inland so they'd have no fear of getting drenched throughout the night.
They soon unpacked and settled down for the night, huddled close to each other in their separate sleeping bags.
For the next three days, all was relatively calm and they stuck to their routine of getting up, having a quick meal and then walking all throughout the day, only stopping briefly in the afternoon for another snack and a drink, before finally stopping late into the evening for food and rest.
Hidan and Kakuzu were pleased with how the journey had pretty much gone to plan with little time to waste. Luckily, there'd been very few delays and they'd even surprised themselves at how much ground they'd covered in such little time.
But Shinko was restless, upon the sixth day her unease was beginning to show and this confused and secretly concerned her companions.
For much of the day, she'd been silent, her eyes; narrowed and calculating as her head kept moving from side-to-side every few moments. She sometimes paused in her steps, this made Kakuzu and Hidan hesitate each time and they'd hold their breaths waiting for the signal to ready themselves for attack.
Yet-each time-nothing would happen and Shinko would continue on, giving them the all-clear to follow.
It was by late afternoon that Kakuzu had finally gotten fed-up.
"Is there a reason for your unease and constant pausing or are you just sight-seeing?"
They had stopped for a short break and like always, Shinko would stand a little away from them and stare into the distance, listening out for danger. She'd become something like a guard dog to them and would rarely sit down or rest.
Although Vampire's could go without rest for days and food for up to a couple of weeks, that didn't mean they couldn't get run-down. Only at night when she was certain they were safe would she actually settle down and relax.
For now they'd managed to find a deserted and dry cave which offered them shelter to the surprisingly frigid air.
Shinko remained at the entrance, once again staring out into the distance, always on-guard and watching. She didn't even make any acknowledgment that she'd heard the question.
"Oi Shinko, why are you so worked up, huh? Come and sit down, babe," Hidan called softly from where he was sat, nibbling on one of those many dry crackers that he loathed.
"No, thank you," she replied pleasantly, though her expression remained stony.
"And why not? You do realise that you're just exhausting yourself unnecessarily?" Kakuzu spoke up once more, acting as the voice of reason.
Once again, she remained silent.
This time, Hidan got to his feet, leaving his scythe lying where it was against the cave wall and walked up behind her, carefully placing a hand upon her shoulder.
The contact made her flinch and Hidan retracted his hand immediately, feeling slightly hurt that she would be almost afraid of his touch.
"What is it?" He murmured to her, trying to keep the hurt from his voice.
Shinko blinked tired eyes from the fog up to him, she stared at him for many moments, almost analysing his face completely, before motioning him and Kakuzu to follow.
Both males reluctantly trailed after her, each wandering a short distance away from the cave so that it was still in their sights before they stopped in front of a large black tree. There, Shinko pointed at a strange carving of what looked to be a leaf within a circle upon its bark.
"What the fuck is that?" Hidan asked in confusion, having never seen the marking before, much less on a tree.
Shinko sighed "It's the 'Youchi' clan's symbol; they carve it into trees, ground and draw it on stone whenever they're on hunts or travelling. It lets them know where they've already been and is a sign for others that they're patrolling the area."
Kakuzu's eyes narrowed "We haven't seen or heard anything since we got here, that could be an old marking."
The Dhampir shook her head "It is true that we haven't heard anything, but they are skilled in tracking and hunting their prey, they've learnt how to blend in with their surroundings and become silent. And that marking is fresh."
"How do you know for sure?" Kakuzu questioned, looking sceptical.
"Because whilst hunting for dinner last night, I found fresh footprints that belonged to a group of four humans," Shinko gave them a both a look that she knew something that they hadn't already figured out.
"So wait...you mean we're being fucking stalked? Again?!" Hidan whined, rolling his eyes skywards.
"For now, no, they seem to be unaware of our presence, I haven't sensed or heard them about us. I've been hiding out trail so far. No doubt they're hunting Werewolves," she snorted "the fools, like they think they can change this land; it's cursed."
"And you say there are four of them?" Kakuzu felt the pieces to the puzzle were falling into place.
Shinko nodded "Yes, it's a strong possibility that they're the same four of the previous five that came after me months ago."
Hidan's eyes widened in disbelief, whilst Kakuzu lifted a hand to his brow, massaging it, as if trying to persuade the problem-and the possible on coming headache away.
"H-how the bleeding hell did they find us all the fucking way out here?!" The Jashinist screeched, causing Shinko to place a firm, cool hand over his mouth.
"Shush! If you know what's good for you, then be quiet!" She hissed, giving him a hard glare that promised punishment should he disobey again.
He nodded hesitantly and she removed her hand.
"If we're lucky then they won't find us at all."
"How the fuck will we do that when we don't even know where the bloody shits are?" Hidan asked, placing one hand on his hip as if to prove a point.
Shinko shrugged "We'll just have to be extra-careful and sneaky, as long as we continue to stay silent and cover our tracks, then they won't find us. We can seek refuge in Tadashii's home; he knows us and will willingly open his doors and give us protection. Trust me; he'll be our trump card."
Kakuzu gave an unconvinced 'humph' before grumbling "That's if we get there in one piece."
/*\*/*\
That evening they moved far away from the cave and each made more of an effort to cover their tracks and leave any and all traces of their presence behind them. This included footprints, food, remains of fires and possible bodily waste.
They couldn't afford to be spotted by the Demon Hunters anytime soon, not when they're so close to reaching the end of their long journey.
Shinko soon found a crevice of sorts to rest within, it was deserted and once again dry.
Whilst Hidan and Kakuzu got out some rabbit they'd been extremely fortunate in catching, Shinko went off to gather fire wood and also brought back a large piece of fallen bark to use as a door to shield the light of the fire and smell of food from the outside.
The wind had picked up within the last hour, the fog was clearing a little, yet a hazy mist remained settled over the ground.
The trio didn't like it, standing outside they felt exposed as if they could be seen from a mile off into the distance and perhaps they could, which is why they chose to hide away instead of sleeping out on the cold ground.
Once the fire was lit and the rabbit was cooking, the mood picked up a little, Hidan and Kakuzu were partaking in a little banter which was-for once-harmless in comparison to the usual violence that occurred with their explosive tempers.
Shinko remained seated by the now sealed entrance and allowed her eyes to drift shut in order to conserve some of her energy, meanwhile keeping an ear out for any movement.
After the men had eaten, they decided to get to bed early and have an earlier start the next morning. With the potential unwanted company of the Demon Hunter's, they couldn't afford to be careless and would need to move on quickly to avoid confrontation with the bothersome pests.
They each slept fitfully, that is, until the early hours of the seventh morning when a monstrous howl cut through the usual silence, startling them awake.
Their eyes darted about themselves, for a moment panicking that a monster of sorts had found them. But it was Shinko that was on her feet within seconds, despite how tired and cranky she is when awoken abruptly and too early, desperate times called for one to be extra-alert of their surroundings.
"What the fuck was that?" Hidan whispered, although he was clearly annoyed, there was a slight distinctive note of underlying fear in it as well.
Shinko soundlessly moved towards the entrance and exit of the crevice, she pressed her ear against the make-shift door and listened out for any sounds that indicated the monster was outside, yet for many minutes she heard nothing.
Feeling brave yet incredibly cautious, she shifted the bark carefully to one side to reveal a small gap just enough to peek out of.
The sky and forest was still dark, the mist had lessened further, giving her the chance to see further afield, but she couldn't see anything ahead of them. All looked as it had done before they'd entered the crevice the evening before.
"Shinko?" Kakuzu called quietly, barely noticing the outline of her figure by the entrance and wondering whether she needed any assistance.
"I'm here, stay where you are," she replied equally quiet, her now bright blue eyes darting about, trying to catch the slightest glimpse of movement outside, but found none aside from the chilly breeze making the dead branches sway a little.
Another howl-this time more distant than the one prior echoed around them and Shinko sighed in relief.
"The Werewolf has moved on, luckily it hasn't caught onto our scent and there's no way I'm going out there to make sure it's gone." The Dhampir stated firmly.
She may be brave, but she wasn't stupid.
"You sound afraid," Kakuzu commented, now wide awake, he doubted he'd be able to fall asleep again after such an unwelcome wake up call.
"And with good reason. They're incredibly resilient and dangerous; I would rather face the Demon Hunter's than them."
"You can't be bloody serious?" Hidan exclaimed in surprise, hardly believing his ears at such an admission for the small group from the Youchi clan months prior had been nothing short of relentless in their hunt.
"Trust me, hun, you'd think the same if you knew what they're capable of," Shinko replied, before sighing tiredly, her adrenaline rush withering away now that the danger had passed.
"I'll keep watch, you both get some sleep, I'll wake you at sunrise." The Dhampir spoke firmly, leaving no room for argument, though Hidan did try, especially when another faint howl was heard. She waved off his concern and stated that once they're at Tadashii's dwelling, she could rest as much as she liked then.
In fact, they all could.
A/N: Phew! That was certainly challenging, please forgive me if this seems a little choppy or rushed, most of these chapters of the actual journey to Demon country (and through it) was skipped and only briefly explained in the original, so all of this is completely new! Aren't you lucky? :P Anywho, please do let me know what you think!
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