The rain didn't let up, and in the end they had to press on anyway. The wind changed direction and their pitiful little shelter just became another stretch of rain-lashed cliff.

Hidan felt groggy and disorientated. He'd slept a little, pressed against Kakuzu's side, and woken damp and stiff, and in the grip of another nightmare. Earth pressing against his face. Not being able to feel his limbs. His mouth full of grit and clay.

He'd surged upright nearly vomiting, then coughed and coughed and coughed until his vision blurred and his head swam. That had woken Kakuzu. "Hidan!" he'd heard, just once, urgent and alarmed. Then he'd clearly taken in the situation and not pressed him for any response.

Eventually, Hidan hacked something that looked like a bit of bark chip into his palm. They both stared at it, Hidan with rising panic. Kakuzu picked it out of his hand with a single thread and held it up to what little light was cast by the cloud-obscured moon. He swallowed. It was such a visceral reminder of what Hidan had been through that for a moment Kakuzu found himself almost beside himself with rage. Then he flicked it with precise but savage force away from them into the darkness. Out of sight out of mind , he thought. It was the best he could do, anyway, under the circumstances. He reached Hidan's cloak off the sticks by the nearly-extinguished fire and tucked it around him.

Hidan leant his head into the hollow of his shoulder. "What other shit do you think I've got inside me...?" he asked hoarsely.

"Don't think about it," Kakuzu said quellingly.

Once they'd got going the path along the cliff base soon became wooded, and under the trees the rain troubled them less. The first glimmerings of dawn began to appear in the sky. Despite their tiredness and the need to find somewhere safe to spend the daylight hours, they both felt better for it. Hidan picked up his pace. There were beginning to be rocky outcrops into the woodland and he went a little ahead of Kakuzu, veering from the path to look out for any caves or crevices.

Kakuzu was keeping his attention on the path behind them. Once or twice in the last hour he'd thought he sensed something, but the chakra signature had been faint and intermittent and he hadn't been able to figure out what sort of person - or people - it might be. Now he stopped. Suddenly it was clear that there were at least three people - and possibly a fourth. But they weren't behind anymore - they were a little way ahead.

"Hidan!" he said softly.

"Huh?"

He hadn't felt it yet, which was odd as their sensory abilities had always been pretty much on a par. Something must be preoccupying him - that bark chip probably. He just shot Kakuzu a cursory glance over his shoulder without even slowing his pace.

Kakuzu shot out a hand and jerked him back with a little more than his usual slight surfeit of force - Hidan felt like his arm was wrenched half out of its socket.

"Fuck, do you want to be a bit more gentle?!" he fired at him in an instinctive surge of anger, his voice high with grievance.

Kakuzu felt a smile twitch the corner of his mouth despite their situation. And god knows what it said about him, but he suddenly wanted him so badly. "I'm sorry, Hidan." He felt his voice drop about an octave, so smooth and low it was almost embarrassing. "Do you want me to be?"

Actually, what Hidan wanted now was to be pushed up against the cliff face and utterly dominated. He couldn't think of any sensible answer, and felt almost ashamed of how much it turned him on to have Kakuzu push him around. To assert his authority; to take control... The butterflies in his stomach were back with a vengeance and Kakuzu seemed to sense it.

His grip on Hidan's arm loosened, fingertips just brushing him as he slid his hand up to his shoulder and gently massaged the strained muscle. "I'm a brute... I'm sorry... but ..." his other hand moved up to stroke Hidan's cheek, "... are you just a little bit aroused , Hidan?" His fingers twisted into Hidan's hair, at the base of his skull. "You depraved little thing. What am I going to do with you? Haven't you got any instincts for self preservation...?"

"Don't really need that shit, do I?" Hidan growled, a light flush of pink appearing on his cheekbones. Despite Kakuzu's grip on him he was trying to look away.

"Mmm." Kakuzu took Hidan's face between his hands so that he couldn't; he let his eyes drift closed instead. "I'd go as far as to say that actually you do ... You really do." He bent forward so that their lips were nearly touching; Hidan's parted pleasingly in answer. He paused a moment, then murmured teasingly, "don't you realise we have company up ahead?"

"What?" Hidan's eyes fluttered open, indignant - maybe even a little hurt - but immediately he was trying to laugh it off. "You fucking cock-tease bastard ..." he gasped. His whole body had been yielding to Kakuzu's touch, but now he felt him tense - his head cocked slightly to one side as he tried to sense them, then he nodded.

"Moving away now, seems like," he murmured.

Kakuzu concentrated a moment longer, then relaxed. Hidan was right. "Probably for the best..." he said.

"Did you need hearts?" Hidan asked.

"Some time." He gave Hidan's shoulder a brief squeeze. "No rush. Let's hang back - put some distance between us."

"If you say so..." There was a velvety kind of purr to Hidan's voice and Kakuzu looked at him again.

"If I say so?" he repeated slowly, fingers tightening again. "That isn't normally the way things go, is it…?"

Hidan didn't say anything, and Kakuzu let his hand slide down his arm to lightly grip his wrist. He sensed it wouldn't take much to send Hidan haring off after a fight, even now. For both of them the instinct was to hunt, not hang back. Best keep him here for a while longer. Or maybe they should even retrace their steps. But even as he hesitated, Hidan's face took on a new watchfulness.

"They're doubling back - trying to mask their approach, the sly little fucks," he muttered. Then, "they know we're here!"

Kakuzu sprang to attention - he hadn't gauged that yet - they were closer than he'd thought. "Well, here we go," he murmured, subtly angling his body to shield Hidan. For all he'd hoped to avoid this, the old instincts were strong, adrenaline was coursing through him and some of the familiar excitement was rising.

"That was so fucking inappropriate, by the way, Kakuzu," Hidan griped, tetchy now that he wasn't the centre of attention. "Distracting me like that. Really fucking unprofessional!"

"I know," Kakuzu acknowledged coolly, not taking his eyes off the tree line. "I don't have an explanation. Let me concentrate now."

To be honest, they had both been unpardonably lax, and he was only just in time to flick out a thread and catch the kunai that came flying at them a second later - inches from Hidan's eye.

"We're both getting careless." His voice was stern, but somehow he couldn't make himself take the situation quite seriously enough even now. It was nice to feel like a team again. His head wouldn't quite take it in that this mightn't be quite like the old days. "Are you ready for this?"

"Of course I'm fucking ready!" The gleam in Hidan's eye suggested he was feeling much the same way. They sprang apart the instant before a second kunai lodged itself into the cliff face right where they'd been.

Kakuzu handed Hidan the one he'd caught. "Here," he said. "You like to have something pointy..."

He was rewarded with the sweetest smile as Hidan spun the kunai expertly around his finger. "It's fucking ages since I've used one of these," he said delightedly. "Thanks, man!" Then with a flick of his wrist it was gone.

"Oh come on, baby, you don't know the first thing about fucking ages..." Kakuzu murmured as a strangled yell came from the tree canopy.

Hidan grinned again. "Point taken," he declared, waggling his eyebrows and then elbowing Kakuzu in the ribs. "D'you get it?"

"I get it, Hidan," Kakuzu sighed. He wrenched the second kunai out of the cliff face and handed it to him. "I had no idea you liked puns so much... Now focus ."

These might not be among the most formidable opponents they'd ever face, but Kakuzu knew they probably shouldn't be feeling quite so flippant. It was a team of Konoha Shinobi - most likely on their way home from a mission - and they'd be competent, well trained, and with ample resources. He narrowed his eyes, peering and sensing into the leafy dimness. Three of them, after all. "How do you want to play this?" he asked Hidan.

Hidan massaged his shoulder muscles and shrugged. "Sure you don't need their hearts?"

"I don't think it's worth the risk right now."

Hidan clapped him on the shoulder. "Righty-oh, then. I'll go in and fuck them up!" Kakuzu could see excitement in his eyes - and something else. A determined clench to his jaw. And something brittle and tense.

"Hidan-"

Was that fear?

He pulled him back again. "Hidan," he said, his voice low and urgent. "You don't have to do ... that. Tell me you won't- you don't need to-"

But Hidan pulled away. "I... think I do have to," was all he said.

"Hidan, you don't even have a proper weapon-" he began. What was he going to do without a weapon? There was only one thing he could do. Kakuzu began to get a horrible sinking feeling. He shouldn't have let them get into this.

Of course it was no use urging caution - Hidan was straight in there. He's forcing himself to do this, Kakuzu realised. God only knows what kind of damage he'll let himself sustain. And can he take it anymore?

One thing he was sure of - he didn't want him to. But before he could follow, the until-then-hypothetical fourth member of the party was upon him. A kunoichi with a lightning release, she'd masked her approach well, and nearly skewered Kakuzu before he saw her - it was only that twittering birdsong noise that gave her away. It put Kakuzu badly on edge, and of course he couldn't depend on his signature skin hardening move at all. It was a hard fight and took it out of him more than it should've but she wasn't exactly Hatake Kakashi. In a few minutes she was on the ground, her still-beating heart Kakuzu's now. It had been too good an opportunity to miss, thought not killing her at the first chance meant he'd taken more damage than he would've liked.

Not even taking the time to get his breath back - anxiety increasing every second - he set off after Hidan, and taking up a vantage point in one of the tall trees he took in the situation.

Hidan stood in a small clearing, already dripping with blood. His opponents seemed to have made a human porcupine of him. He watched him extract an out-sized shuriken from his side and winced. Time seemed to slow down. Hidan made the symbol of Jashin on the ground. His opponents fell back, spooked. One of them was wounded - a gash in the shoulder - and Hidan had the kunai back in his hand. He dropped the giant shuriken and it stuck in the earth at his feet. It was just like every time they'd done it, and yet, not really, because never before when they'd done this had Hidan's hand been shaking. He brought the kunai to his mouth - and hesitated.

Kakuzu couldn't bear it. He knew he was squandering their advantage, but he abandoned his cover and sprang down next to him. "Hidan!" he almost pleaded. "You don't have to do this! We can take them without it."

Immediately one of their opponents came charging at him, and Kakuzu shot out a mass of threads, lifting off his feet and slamming him to the ground. "Hidan?" he said again. "You don't have to!"

His face was turned slightly away from Kakuzu so it was hard to tell what he was doing - but it seemed he went for it. Yes, his skin was changing. Kakuzu felt his heart sink like a stone, then found himself nearly retching as Hidan drove the kunai through his hand. That hand that had held his as they walked together through the dark; that had stroked his face while he was out of it with panic - torn - mutilated - it was wrong, he hated it. And Hidan's face wasn't reflecting the usual gleeful ecstasy. It was gritted teeth, endurance, the face of someone who's been through far too much.

Kakuzu realised he wasn't concentrating as the man who'd been coming for him fumbled his weapon with a shout of pain. But he swapped it into the other hand and kept coming, desperation in his eyes. He shouted a warning to his comrade just before he hit Hidan with some sort of fire blast, and he diverted it into the trees just in time. It seemed these guys knew who they were dealing with. It was really time to focus.

Hidan did the old knee jab, and his victim went down at Kakuzu's feet. Kakuzu used the moment to hurl himself on the man he already had on the ground and manually snap his neck. It took a lot more effort than he expected - normally he'd've done it with the threads alone - but he was tired and low on chakra, he could feel himself flagging already. Now to deal with the fire element user. He was more than competent, and fast - Kakuzu wished he had the mask creatures out - but it would take too long now - things could get messy.

And now Hidan was struggling. Dragging himself into the bloody circle, his opponent had hurled himself against him, trying to get him out of the symbol by force. It wasn't something anyone had ever tried in the history of their time together. Kakuzu almost laughed. It was a terrible idea. It was clearly not going to work. But you had to admire the guy's temerity. And, actually, he'd already managed to wrestle Hidan to the ground. With a grunt of pain he pulled out a Konoha blade that Hidan was driving deeper in to himself and hurled it away.

Concentrate. Kakuzu performed his skin hardening jutsu as a blast of fire engulfed him. He whipped a tentacle through the air and tried to take the guy down, but missed. Shooting out a fist, he tried to punch through him, but the guy was too fast, and the chakra it took was too much to try again. God, he was out of condition. Hidan had resorted to headbutting his opponent in the face, then rolling on top of the giant shuriken. He knew they couldn't go on like this. Using almost the last of his reserves, he sent a cloud of threads singing through the air and finally succeeded in slicing a line through fire guy's cheek.

Hidan had a momentary respite as his opponent went for a choke hold without thinking it through and nearly passed out. Hidan himself recovered quickly and rolled himself back on top, back into the centre of the symbol. Kakuzu hovered the thread in front of his face. "Two for the price of one?" he asked, trying to sound light, as though they weren't messing this up horribly, trying not to think about what came next.

Hidan nodded, and Kakuzu snaked it into his mouth, trailing it across his tongue. "You'll have to help me," Hidan gasped, holding up the kunai. "This is all I have."

Kakuzu felt his blood freeze, but he didn't need to be asked twice. He stepped into the circle. Pulling Hidan roughly to his feet, he set his back against his own chest, bracing him. Savagely kicking away the shinobi who was still trying to drag him clear, he covered Hidan's hand holding the kunai with his own. "When you're ready," he whispered. He could hardly believe he was going to do this. Hating himself, but, it needs to be done. We need to finish this , he told himself. It was all he'd let himself think, like a mantra. Finish this. Finish this.

Hidan didn't move. The fire user was coming to help his companion. It was in Kakuzu's mind that they might have called for backup as well. "Hidan?" he said urgently.

"Do it." Hidan's voice was strained, his face set. "I - I can't."

And with their adversaries inches away, Kakuzu had no choice. With all his strength he slammed the kunai into Hidan's chest. He felt the point of it hit his own hardened skin and stop, then dropped the jutsu and let himself feel it - a tiny pinprick of the agony that must be flooding through Hidan. Both Konoha shinobi dropped to the ground like stringless puppets. Sudden silence in the clearing. He felt Hidan sag against him, driving the knife point against his breastbone - a dead weight.

Kakuzu sank to his knees; laid Hidan as gently as he could onto the ground. Cradled his head and shoulders in his lap. How had it come to this? One moment they were fired up with the excitement of combat - the next, they were broken. Hidan's eyes were wide, his breath coming in ragged gasps. His hand fumbled for the handle of the kunai, so deep in his chest he could barely grasp it. I did that to him. Kakuzu felt like sobbing. And like he wouldn't be able to stand again. Is it enough, Jashin? he thought savagely, have we paid enough now?

He watched Hidan mouthing the familiar words, and slowly, slowly, his skin faded back to normal. Relief pounded painfully through him. And after not very long Hidan closed his eyes and stopped praying. "Kakuzu?" he said weakly, after a moment. "Can you get it out?" A trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth.

Kakuzu wiped it away. "It's... going to hurt, Hidan," he warned. Delicately, he snaked threads round the handle, others probing the damaged tissues to see if he could ease its passage out. He almost wondered if it would be better to take it right through.

"Just fucking do it," Hidan moaned, turning his face against Kakuzu's thigh. So Kakuzu gave a sharp jerk and out it came, arcing drops of blood through the brightening air. Hidan gave a convulsive shudder and then twisted around to bury his face in Kakuzu's lap. After a few more moments he crawled forwards a little more, into his arms. He was still shaking. He was fingering what was left of his rosary and Kakuzu could feel his mouth moving again. He could also feel him freely bleeding onto his leg, warm and viscous. Did it normally take so long to stop?

"I think I should stitch that up for you," he said quietly, trying to sound calm, stroking Hidan's hair out of his face with trembling fingertips.

Hidan shifted slightly to look up at him. "He knows I didn't mean it," he said hoarsely. "I didn't give myself freely to him. He knows."

"It's just a messy wound, Hidan," Kakuzu reassured him. "It's going to bleed." He gestured at the two dead shinobi beside them. "He got his victims, didn't he?"

Hidan shook his head. "That's not the point," he said, then began to shake with dry, racking sobs. His rosary tumbled from his hand onto the muddy ground. "I've lost him," he choked out.

"No, love," Kakuzu told him wearily. "You're alive, aren't you? They're not. You haven't lost him. But maybe he's lost you."

The sun was rising over the treetops now, and he forced Hidan to turn over so that he could stitch the wound, hating himself for every pinprick of pain he caused him. He stitched the gash in his side as well, then tried to get him get him upright. They needed to move on. Hidan made it as far as his knees, weeping silently now, tears coursing down his face as he picked the symbol of Jashin back out of the mud. He caressed it clean, kissed it, murmured a final prayer. Then he placed it in the centre of the blood symbol and let Kakuzu help him to his feet.

They both looked down at it. "Are you sure?" Kakuzu asked. Hidan nodded. He steadied himself against Kakuzu's shoulder and brushed a hand over his eyes.

"Don't let me look back," he whispered.