Breathing low, Inuyasha took in a heavy lungful of salty air, his pointed ear rotated towards the sound of squabbling seagulls and waves breaking against distant bluffs. Gradually he allowed the quiet sounds awaken him from his nap; yawning and stretching the hanyou realized with a drowsy smile there was a weight holding his legs down. Propping himself up on his elbows, Inuyasha's lips stretched into a smile at the sight of the long, lean and lovely creature wrapped around his knees.
Having fallen asleep with the merman in his lap, the blonde mop of hair nestled in his loins. Grinning he tousled it, trying to stir the male.
"Hey you... Deidara? How long you been out of the water?" Even though his tail remained in the shallows and was constantly bathed by the returning waves, his torso was dry, having slept on Inuyasha's dry abs.
The ningyo trembled, arching his back and stretching his arms forward, lifting his head and his heavy eyes. The blonde's lips turned up until he was grinning softly, his pointed teeth showing with a kind of mischievous nature. Slapping the surface of the water lazily with his elegant tail, he took a firm hold of Inuyasha's knees. Before the half-breed could make a word of protest, the merman was dragging him backwards into the warm cove with his sleek, muscular tail.
He tried his best not to panic, knowing consciously that the creature wasn't trying to drown him and pull him to his death, but the hanyou still fought slightly against the action until he was farther out, his body floating alongside his lover's.
With another good tug, the pair was fully submerged, Deidara holding his mate's chest against his own, smiling widely at the other male. It looked for a moment like he was about to say something, but the ningyo must have thought better of it and instead pressed his mouth against the half breed's holding his weightless body close until he felt bubbles. Before his lover ran out of air entirely, the merman thrust his tail, churning the sand at the bottom of the cove and forcing the pair of them to break the surface.
Taking in his lungful the mutt grinned as Deidara leaned in for another fresh kiss.
"You really-mmm.. like doing that don't…. you," he muttered between their lips, trying to speak through his lover's eager pecks. "So are we just going to—nnnnn- swim all-… day and make out?"
The merman's eyes lowered knowingly and he nibbled at his lover's neck as he let them sink under the surface, drawing back to rub the tip of his nose against the hanyou's.
"There is nothing that I would like more…" he kissed Inuyasha's lips gently, appearing almost reluctant to pull away. "But why don't we get away from the ocean for today un? That is, if you don't mind…"
Inuyasha's eyes went wide and he kicked, the koi getting the idea and bringing them back up.
"Mind? That's great! I just didn't think you'd want to… ya know being dry and all." He squeezed a bit with his arms around the blonde's neck, grinning happily.
Responding happily the ningyo gave a fierce tug on the other male's shoulders, offsetting his balance and pulling him eagerly under the water, waving his tail to put them both in motion towards the narrow exit to the cove.
"It's not so much being dry that I don't like but the strangeness of being human, but I'll be anything for you, Inuyasha un." The merman's lips turned up into a wide smile as his arms wrapped around his half demon mate and with a powerful stroke of his tail brought them both spiraling through the brine.
The cold water rushed over their bare bodies and Inuyasha reluctantly clung to the merman, trying to steady himself amongst the strong water and muscular arms holding him. But after they cleared the gap of the cove and swam into open waters the hanyou clung tighter in fear of being seen bare in the arms of another man. But luckily they were alone, the coast still vacant save for the seagulls that loitered.
With some sort of reluctance, Deidara eventually relinquished his grasp on the hanyou when he was certain the other's feet could reach the bottom. Sighing heavily through his gills, the blonde looked longingly after the man he'd fallen head over fins for, shamelessly allowing his eyes to wonder over the strange and wonderful human form as Inuyasha made his way to the shore. Though he dared not draw another centimeter towards the crashing waves, the ningyo waited patiently for the seal to be prepared, spending the time to anticipate the pain of the transformation. He was nervous and anxious, but the natural bond he had felt towards the hanyou since their first mating completely overshadowed the churning in his stomach.
The half-breed quickly pulled on his pants, wanting nothing more than warm cloth to cover his freezing loins. He smirked as a quiet whine came from the waters but pulled on his robes, fishing in his sleeve for the package he had stashed there. Once his clothes were in place he walked closer to the waterline and sat in the sand, laying a thin strip of the sutra on his knee and letting his lover watch him draw the symbol out.
Waiting for the magical seal to be drawn up was almost as painful as the actual transformation, but once the sutra was ready and he'd been carried ashore, it was far too late to back out. He only wished he could take a nervous gulp to help prepare for the grueling shifting and mutation of his ningyo body, but no such luck. As the paper was affixed to his shoulders, Deidara strained to scream if only to find an outlet for the agony, but with lungs still under rapid development, there was nothing.
Not knowing what to do to sooth the pain of his love, Inuyasha reached out and held Deidara's hand, letting it attempt to crush his fingers without worry of that actually happening. He cringed through the ningyo's dry, mute screams, and quickly he rewarded his suffering partner with a peck on his sweltering forehead, muttering praises to his efforts and endurance for their love.
When finally the quavering man lay fully transformed on the beach before him, Inuyasha acted quickly, remembering the instructions of the scroll and rolling the agonized man over onto his back. It was a grotesque sight to look at the newly formed human with his chest appearing nearly caved in, and though the hanyou cringed inwardly, he made haste to press his lips against those of his lover and exhale deeply. With the push, Inuyasha breathed the first lungful into his newly humanized lover. With the fears gasp of air in his chest, Deidara sat bolt-upright and wheezed, choking again on the foreign feeling of having air inside of his body, clutching vainly for anything familiar.
The hanyou quickly rubbed his hand along the man's back, recoiling as his fingered brushed an edge of the delicate paper. He didn't want to think of the pain and disaster that would come if a corner would peel off. Slowly but surely Deidara retaught himself on how to work his lungs, taking in air through his mouth and nose like water and letting the oxygen fill him. Inuyasha waited patiently until the blonde looked confident about his body, easing him onto his feet and letting him get used to holding his weight.
Though he wobbled on unsteady, new legs, clutching at Inuyasha's shoulder while he became reassured with his footing. He seemed to find some kind of sense of balance and cautiously released his grip on the hanyou, only stumble and nearly fall backwards. Not to allow any harm to come to his woozy partner, the silver-haired half breed had his arms around the ningyo, clutching him and easing him to the ground gently where he was sure to be stable.
"Heh," the blonde chuckled embarrassedly, "I guess land-walking is still something I'm not used to un…"
"Well no one can do it perfectly at first. I don't expect someone who's swam their whole life to walk like a champ." He raised the new man up again and helped him take a few more steps, letting his hands hover underneath his arms in case he fell again. As expected he did, not able to coordinate the muscles in his legs in order to take more than a few steps. On his fifth failed attempt at five paces the blonde growled, almost ignoring the reassuring nuzzle from his companion. "Keep trying, you almost got it."
Giving the hanyou an exasperated growl, he finally shouldered the reassuring half demon away. He put his palms in the sand and turned towards Inuyasha with a look of irritation on his face.
"This clearly isn't going anywhere un… Why do I even need to walk un? Wherever you have in mind for us to stay, can't you just… carry me there un?" The blonde did his best to smile coyly, but only managed to appear more relaxed.
"I guess I can pack you around," the mutt sighed, fluffing the drying gold of the man's head, giving him a lighthearted grin. "But we have to get some clothes for you before we go anywhere." The dingy clothes from their last adventure had been stashed close, but he knew he'd have to do some convincing to the stubborn koi in order to be able to use them. Even though Inuyasha never cared of other's opinions, the negative attention from seeing a naked man prancing about public wasn't in his best interest.
"You'll do no such thing un! I refuse to wear your binding human garments! My ancestors' ancestors refused clothing and so too do I un." With a playful scowl on his face, the blonde folded his arms across his chest in refusal. "If that means you can't take me anywhere, then so be it un… what's the matter with the beach anyway un?"
Deflated, the hanyou sat down cross-legged.
"I thought it was you who suggested a walk along land? Plus you're human now, not a fish, so human rules apply. You have to keep warm and protect your skin. In the water your scales keep you safe, but out here you can get scratched or stabbed… and you can sunburn." The mutt looked up to the sun, unclouded and warm.
"Oh what could be so bad about the sun un? It's what warms up the top layer of the water and makes my skin all bronze un, not like pasty old Itachi un." With a carefree smile, the blonde leaned forward and rested his head against Inuyasha's shoulder, sighing trustingly. "Why can't we just, you know, stay here and… I don't know… talk un?"
"Why can't we travel and talk?" he sighed. "I know you don't wanna wear clothes, but… I wanna show you things. The trees and mountains and people. Come on… please?"
His shoulders slumping slightly, the blonde sighed and combing a hand through his air. Internally he cursed the incredibly soft spot in his heart he'd so quickly formed for the hanyou. With a disgruntled but defeated look on his face, the blonde conceded, but not without a final word of protest.
"Fine, but can we save the pants and people for another day un?"
There was no way that either man would get their way, so caving the hybrid nodded and fetched the robe, bringing it around Deidara's shoulders and helped him slip in. Once it was fastened Inuyasha slung the man onto his back and began his tour of the human world, taking his time to walk and let the new human see everything.
The ningyo seemed fascinated by the effects of gravity above the surface of the water, how some creatures were bound to the ground while others seemed to command the sky. It was strange to say the least; where Deidara was from, all the animals in the bay had free range of the waters, none being tied to the sandy bottom save for the lowliest of the urchins and slugs. As the farther into the thick woods they pushed, the more transfixed the blonde became until he clung to his mate's throat in wonderment at the sound of every scurrying creature.
It was like carting a child going outside of their home for the first time, Inuyasha having to name every creature that passed them and every branch and leaf that brushed against him the blonde just had to inspect, breaking off a few and running the limb through his fingers. For a while it was cute, but after some time the hanyou's patience ran out and he found a spot to dump him off at, far from any human scents or sightings but by a wide clearing, allowing him to look about while the half-breed left.
"Wait-where are you going un? Don't leave me here!" the ex-koi yelped, clinging to the leg of Inuyasha's pant as he moved away. "I'm a fish from water un, you can't leave me-"
"Don't worry, I'll be back. I'm hungry, so I'm gonna hunt. I'll bring some for you if you want…"
"Hunt? You mean with a boat and net? But we're so far from shore un… Won't you be gone long?" The confused look the blonde gave him told Inuyasha that the other man had no idea that landfolk could gather their sustenance from the surface and that not all food need be harvested from the ocean. It was interesting, having lived in such a secluded pond, it was as if Deidara could not expect much at all from the men on land… like the sea was the center of the world in his eyes.
"No… you remember the animals all running around here?"
The blonde nodded.
"I eat those. I catch them and eat them."
At first Deidara's face turned to shock, but slowly with a little explanation he connected that fish were to him as the land creatures were to the silver-hair. They were on the same food chain, thus necessary to eat for survival. With a parting pat on the head Inuyasha left, not straying far in search of a quick meal.
While he waited, Deidara allowed his eyes to wonder, untying the knot around his throat that held the dun cloak over his back to allow the gentle breeze to glide over his shoulders. He breathed deep the pungent scents of fresh pine and deciduous rot, sinking his heels into the soft grass under his feet and pulling up clumps of greenery with his toes. He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of life all around him, a stark contrast to the quiet of the ocean he was used to; the air, however was full of the sounds of birds calling and insects crying.
It didn't take long to corner a few hares and quickly end them, being humane and snapping their necks before they could suffer. The hybrid return with a rabbit in each hand and his companion eyed them curiously. Inuyasha sat himself down and handed his second kill to him and began looking his over, making sure there was no sign of infection or parasites. After he was sure it was clean he looked to see how Deidara was faring, smirking at the puzzling look he received. Taking the initiative he took a bite into his own meal, letting blood well up around his mouth as he ripped out a section of warm meat to chew, discarding the fur from his bite.
Looking the creature over from every angle, the blonde finally found his first attacking point, parting his jaws as wide as possible he clamped his teeth down on the rabbit's skull and pulled. After a moment of fierce tugging, there was a satisfying, yet sickening pop as the head of his prey separated from the vertebrae and tore off. Fresh blood splattered, leaping from the open throat of the hare and smattering Deidara's chest with scarlet. For a moment he felt surprised, looking confusedly at the severed body of his meal while still clutching the head in his jaws before glancing up at Inuyasha for approval.
He sighed and shook his head, motioning for the newbie to drop the head. He did and let it fall into Inuyasha's open hand. Discarding the skull for later he took the body, cracking his knuckles before plunging both sets of claws in and pulling apart the ribcage, opening up the body for organ consumption. To demonstrate he pulled out the liver and popped it into his own hungry mouth, chewing it slowly to let the juices flow past his taste buds.
Looking down at the carnage that had befallen the once neat little creature, Deidara appeared at a loss for what to do next. He wasn't used to disassembling his food before eating it, typically he tore off the heads and other unwanted pieces and swallowed his food whole. Perhaps it was a mammalian behavior, something he could not quite understand, but he had to ask.
"Why take it apart un? Wouldn't it be easier to just swallow it un?"
Thinking his explanation was clear the hanyou had returned to consuming his lunch, so he merely looked over at him until his bite was swallowed. With bloody lips he answered.
"You'll choke. Your throat can't handle big bites, so you have to rip it into smaller pieces, and then chew them to even smaller pieces." With that he took another chomp into the dead rabbit, tearing out another chunk from its flank.
Scooping a portion of the internals out of his rabbit, Deidara twisted his lips in contemplation as if he'd never seen entrails before.
"Humans are so strange. Everything would be much easier if you just had a wider gullet un." With that he threw back the handful of soft, limp flesh, not even bothering to chew as he gulped the mouthful down.
Instantly his throat clamped around the large portion and made him choke, but with determination he kept swallowing until his mouthful was gone. All the while his partner continued eating, watching the spectacle but not daring to laugh. He only mentioned after the blonde took a labored breath after his first bite that chewing would help.
With an indignant huff, the ningyo wiped the blood and juices from his lips with his forearm, his lips turning down as if disapproving of the changes that his body had undergone, narrowing his throat and causing him to choke.
"Well what's the purpose of that? How is it mammals survive without being able to breathe while they eat un?" In a vain attempt to conceal his embarrassment, Deidara sunk his teeth into the flank of his hare, pulling away fur and skin to get at what meat was on the wild game.
The pair dined on their kill, both doing a fine job of skinning their hares by hand and consuming the tender meats inside. After he abandoned the notion to fight this new technique in eating the merman began to actually enjoy the event, not so much favoring the meal over his regular diet but rather the tradition of sitting together and taking time to eat in each other's company.
When finally the pair of them cast aside the carcasses of their cleaned prey, Inuyasha turned to quickly burry the remains lest they attract predators while his companion reached above his head and tightened his satisfied stomach with a wide, upward stretch. Licking his lips and wiping the drying blood from his chest with his palm, the blonde scooted backwards until he could lean back against the trunk of a sturdy oak at the edge of the grassy clearing with a contented sigh.
But only to ruin his satisfied mood Inuyasha returned and returned the robe around him, bringing the garment to wrap around his bare body and firmly tied the sash to his waist.
"I don't care if you hate it. You can't walk around naked."
Disgruntled, the other man immediately yanked at the knot with his fingernails until it came undone and threw the unwanted garment open again.
"You know I hate it when you do that un! There isn't anyone else around, we're alone in the middle of the Mokito-forsaken woods un! Why do you keep insisting on clothes?"
With the sunlight beaming down on them and the lack of cloth to cover Deidara's perfect body, the hanyou stopped for a moment before looking his mind and collapsing into him. He instantly buried his nose into soft, sun colored hair and drank in his salty scent while bringing his fingertips to pull the trim frame of his lover to press against his own.
"Because," he muttered next to the koi's ear, "I don't want anyone to see you. Not that at least… That's mine. Mine and no one else's." With blood still sticking in the cracks of his fangs he smiled next to the blonde. "That and if I have to look at you naked all day I'll go crazy. I'll just eat you up."
There was a moment during which the blonde froze with the other man's teeth grazing his throat, falling perfectly still like instinct told him; but even nature couldn't calm the sudden spike in his heart rate. A wide, almost fearful eye dared to look over at Inuyasha as the hanyou finally pressed his lips against the side of his soft neck.
"Y-you'll what un?" There was no disguising the sudden fear in the ningyo's trembling voice, but in truth he was afraid the hanyou would act on his husky promise and devour him bite by bite, the rabbit having not fully satisfied his hunger.
Hearing the twinge of fright in his lover's voice, he took it to use to his advantage.
"I'll eat you up. All day if I have to. If you don't wear anything I just go crazy…" to add his point the mutt grazed his fangs against the soft jugular, pressing in with the slightest of bites.
The pointed canines dimpling his vulnerable flesh snapped the merman's wary tolerance and at once he jumped. Before Inuyasha could react and rein the fleeing man back in playfully, he was delivered a sharp blow to the cheek as Deidara's fist collided with the side of his face. Managing to scramble away, adrenaline keeping him miraculously on his feet, the blonde wheeled around to face the half demon, prepared to fight off a ravenous attack.
"I will not let you eat me Inuyasha un!" he shouted with hopes that a raised voice might scare the silver-haired man back to his senses.
Inuyasha sat up and rubbed his head, having lost his humor. That tended to happen after he was punched in the face.
"I'm not going to eat you, baka," he grumbled. "It's an…'expression'. I meant I was going to… never mind. Would you just cover up already?"
With a huff the blonde pulled the cloak around himself, looking indignant as if to say he could not be held accountable for the hit the mutt had taken to the face.
"You can't expect me to just know these things, we don't have all these… 'expressions' in my culture un. Under water, when you say you're going to eat something… you just… eat it… you eat it un." He looked at Inuyasha with an expression that begged the question, 'what else could you be talking about?'
Picking himself up, the hanyou dusted himself and strolled over to Deidara, ignoring the minor cringe from the man at his approach. To calm him he quickly placed their lips together, moving fast as to not let him escape the gesture. He held a calm, soft kiss as not to frighten him, but let a hand roam amongst his long, salt golden locks to massage his scalp and keep him near.
Reluctantly, the blonde gave in to the kiss, taking a hold of Inuyasha's upper arms as the adrenaline that had been keeping on his feet began to fade. As he felt his knees start to give way, Deidara drew away and looked up at his mate with soft eyes, his brows creasing as confusion still burned in the back of his mind.
"So… what did you mean when you said you were going to eat me un?"
"If anything I was going to lick you to death," Inuyasha smirked. Upon receiving another puzzled look, he sighed. "I was implying that I'd jump you bones."
"Jump my what!"
"Oh for the- have sex! I was saying I'd mount you and have sex with you."
At first the merman seemed incredibly surprised, as if he couldn't believe that definition to be true, but when it was the story Inuyasha stuck to, the blonde softened with understanding.
"Well if that's what you meant, why didn't just say so? You've got a really roundabout way of expressing yourself un."
"Look, humans don't just come out and say things like that. We try and be… Subtle."
"You're not subtle, you're vague un. Too vague. I don't know what you're talking about half the time un."
"Well you have a problem with chewing your food and I don't like to announce when I'm horny, so there."
Deidara snickered and leaned against his seme, and the pair fell into a comfortable silence bar of a quick definition of 'horny'.
With a little coaxing and a lot of being used as a crutch, Inuyasha finally got the blonde in motion on his own feet. With light talking again they were on their way towards the little rural village, but taking the long way around as requested by Deidara for sanction of their closeness. Surprising enough, the ningyo kept his sash tied the whole while, agreeing to stay covered for the comfort of his partner.
Having continued their talk of light subjects, the hanyou wondered if it was time to bring up what had been nagging at him since the blonde had departed and returned; what transpired during 'must'? So taking some advice from ningyo culture, he came out with it.
"So kid… how was um… 'must'?"
"Well, it was good I suppose." Deidara looked to his companion walking a little slower so he could keep his eyes on is partner and not his feet. "It's not something I'm used to still, but the other members of my pod have centuries more experience than I, so I guess it's surprising when you think about it… but I won un."
Suddenly their travels ceased, the dup halted in the middle of the vacant dirt road.
"What do you mean 'you won'? Is there some side game or something?"
"Not a game, a contest. It's the whole purpose of the season, to compete and fertilize the egg first un. And, well when I got back to my pod, our alpha, Pein, had been killed in a raid by an enemy pod, so everything was madness, and I was the only one Konan would allow near her un."
"So you…. you fertilized the-….you are the father?" Inuyasha released his staggering partner without thinking, the shock hitting him too hard to realize he had left a jelly-legged man to stand alone.
The ningyo stumbled backwards for a moment before finding a handhold in the rough bark of a nearby tree to keep from falling.
"Well, yeah… given the hope that she survives un. It's actually surprising… it was only my second season un… I guess I just have good luck!"
The fact of cultural difference hadn't even struck the hanyou as he clenched his fists over and over, trying not to strike out on something.
"You went and…. Dammit-you have a baby! You have a baby with someone- god dammit!"
The blonde man's brow furrowed as he read the clear anger and frustration on his mate's face, not sure what about his success could have upset the hanyou so much.
"Wha- well it's not certain un… something could still happen… but I don't understand… what's the matter un?" He reached out for a moment, but a low growl from Inuyasha made him draw back, at a loss for what to do.
"Do you… do you like me, kid? Cause I can't share you. If you went and had a child with someone else… I can't do this." Inuyasha still balled his fists but his fierce snarl had disappeared. "I… I don't share."
With a sigh of relief, Deidara took an unsteady step towards the half demon, giving him a soft, sincere smile.
"Do I like you un? Inuyasha I love you. Nobody ever said you had to share me un! Where ever did you come up with that idea? Just because I fathered Konan's child doesn't mean I don't love you un!" The ningyo reached out and took a hold of the other man's arm around the elbow, using him for a bit of stability but also pulling himself a little closer.
"Just because- You can't- GAH! Why would you father anyone's child if you didn't love them?"
The blonde again scrunched his eyebrows.
"Since when has love got anything to do with- OH un. Is this one of those human things hm? Procreation equals love?"
"Well yea! Wait," the mutt looked back to the other, now he wearing the perplexed face. "You… love me? Only me?"
"Of course you silly mammal un" Deidara murmured with a smile across his lips leaning against Inuyasha's shoulder. "I've been interested in you since I first laid eyes on you. I've been attracted to you since your wound healed. I've loved you since you brought me ashore and showed me your home. I've been bound to you till death since you first mated me. Until you die, I cannot love another un." Affectionately he nuzzled the hanyou's muscular shoulder making a little cooing noise like a contented sigh.
Having to once more realize the difference in customs, the hybrid patted the man's crown, quietly apologizing for his outburst.
"Sorry. On land you only have children with your mates. We don't just go around… like that."
"Oh Inu… Konan is my friend, not my mate un. Reproduction and mating are completely different things for the ningyo. We have eggs and children to keep the race alive and make more like us, but we mate to show love and affection un." The blonde blinked up at Inuyasha and gave him a meek smile. "I'm… I'm sorry if it upsets you that I became a father. I… I couldn't help myself… but I didn't meant to make you upset un."
"It's ok…. So wait. You're saying that you only 'reproduced'… but didn't 'mate'." The hanyou started up their walk again, pressing gently on Deidara's back to move him along. "So... have you mated with anyone else, other than me?"
Deidara looked down at the moss under his feet, smiling bashfully before shaking his head slowly.
"In the ningyo culture, mates are for life un. I've never had a mate before, but… well it's not like I hadn't thought of it before… I just wanted to make sure I made the right choice un." He adjusted the dun cloak around his body, pulling it a little more snuggly around his waist. "Well I guess with you it wasn't much of a choice, but I loved you already, so that's fine un."
Suddenly the leader changed their direction, steering their path to back-track and walk towards their start.
"Well no you weren't given much choice. But how about this… let's pretend none of that happened and we can start fresh? That way you can choose if you want to or not." Of course Inuyasha only said this with the almost certain thought that the invitation would be accepted without question.
"Well… it's not that simple un… it's a hormone thing… it's like your essence has been written in my brain un… and it can't be erased. Does that make any sense un?" He smiled apologetically up at the hanyou and squeezed Inuyasha's hand in his own, though he admitted to himself that if it had been his choice, he would have chosen Inuyasha anyway.
"Hm… I think so. Then the best I can do is to let you choose what we do now. We can go inland more and I show you more stuff… or if you really want to we can… have more… you know." The blonde raised his eyebrow, warning the man not to use human slang once more. "… we can mate some more."
At that the ningyo's lips stretched into a wide grin and he wrapped his arms firmly around Inuyasha's bicep.
"Which way to the ocean un?" he purred, the second option clearly appealing to him far more greatly. "I don't need to see more humans, I just need to see you un."
And with that, they were off heading back to their travel's beginning to couple again on the shore, passing another day together as two enigmas of the world.
As the day grew later and the skies grew tinted with navy, it seemed even two and a half hours of on-and-off spurts of copulation weren't enough for the blonde and he got a notion in his head that he wanted to connect with the hanyou in a different way. He kneeled before his sweating lover and gave his shoulders a tug as he shimmied towards the breaking waves.
"Come on Inuyasha un. I want to mate with you in my true form un! Please un, let's do it like that again. It feels so personal that way un."
It took a moment for Inuyasha to catch his breath and bring his mind back into focus.
"Uuuuhhh ok…. Mmm it's like must all…. huh- over again. Gimmie… a breather. You… go ahead and take off... the thing." The hanyou laid his head back into the soft grains, not minding sand in his hair as long as his sweaty body didn't touch. He remained lying on his outstretched robes as the coi squealed happily and moved away.
But not too far away in the dark of the cove, something lurked undetected by the pair.
Deidara waded out into the bay until he was up to his waste in rolling waves before he reached around to his back and peeled away the seal stuck across his shoulders. For a moment he fainted into the water, collapsing and writhing in the surf while the transformation back passed over him. The transmogrification from human to merman seemed much less painful that the other way around, however, as he was instantly able to breathe once his gills had reformed.
At first the hanyou laid back, not finding a pressing reason to ruin his afterglow so quickly. He figured he'd leave the man to get back to his element and stretch his fins before they met again. But as he listened to the rolling waves, another splash caught his attention and he sat up. Looking over the calm waves it didn't distress him to see a ripple from where he presumed Deidara had entered and splashed about. It was the large, irregular churning of water out further behind the koi that got Inuyasha to his feet and into the water.
The hanyou tilted his head to the side and squinted at the writhing water, trying to catch a glimpse of what could be upsetting the natural flow of the ocean. All of a sudden a hand broke the surface, followed by a thick grey tail breeching in the middle of the churning waters. His heart immediately leapt into his throat and before he could stop himself, the Inuyasha was charging into the surf towards the flailing fins.
With water stirred into a screen of bubbles it was hard to see the struggle, only spotting an arm here and the flash of colored scales there, so with desperation the dog pushed into the fray, immediately getting a slash of claws raked across his face. The sideswipe broke the flesh of his cheek, blood mixed with the tide, and for only a second the waters became calm. But as suddenly a body was surging at him instantly, greedy fangs chomping at the water in hopes for a bite at his face, the hanyou only having enough power and coordination in the dizzying wave to push the attacker off.
The attacker was unlike Deidara in that his entire body was covered with rough, grey scales, like having sandpaper for skin. His beady eyes focused on the newcomer as the shark ningyo gnashed his pointed teeth, trying to sink them into Inuyasha's flesh and tear him apart. Inuyasha gritted his teeth as he gripped at the merman's shoulders, keeping the snapping jaws at arm's length. Bubbles escaped from the half demon's nose and mouth as his lungs began to ache for air, but he dared not break the deadlock he was stuck in. Before he could cave in and make a break for the surface, damn the expense, the shark-man lurched and whirled around, giving the silver-haired mutt a full view of his lover sinking his fangs and claws into the grey ningyo's flank.
Not able to praise his lover with no oxygen the silver-hair desperately punched at the shark-tailed man and managed to batter the enemy enough to break his clutches, kicking as hard as he could to break the surface. But no sooner did he take in the biggest gulp of air he could did a cold hand wrap around his ankle and tangle in his hair, dragging him back down into the thrashing waters. With Deidara now channeling the rage that was Kisame, the other brute of the ningyo pod sought after the hanyou, attempting to first drown him before brutally scouring his naked chest. Having his lungful the mutt could somewhat fight back, plunging his nails into the fight and score his own wounds against the coelacanth merman, however few he actually got past the tough scales.
"Aim for the belly un!" Deidara shouted through bared fangs as he drew his claws to try and fend off the larger merman. No sooner had he said this than viciously sharp teeth sunk into his shoulder, chomping at the fragile flesh and making the blonde shout, thrashing his tail to tear free. A bloom of scarlet leapt from the koi-tail's shoulder as he managed to rip free of Kisame's maw, lashing out with his fingers to dig a clawed thumb into the grey merman's gills.
"You lousy deserting piece of shit!" Kisame snarled through bloody teeth, "We'll drag you back or kill you, whichever comes first!"
Taking the instruction, Inuyasha wedged his hand in-between himself and his opponent before Kakazu tried to counter the attack by forcing their bodies together. In a vain attempt the merman had sunk his claws into the hanyou's back and pulled him close, knowing if their bellies were sealed together his only known weak spot would be covered. However this only served to completely wound him, the half-demon's claws sinking deep into his underbelly with the sheer force of their meeting middles. The ningyo howled through the water, the consistence of the liquid making the noise ring in all ears. Kakazu frantically pushed Inuyasha back, but in doing so the mutt used the space and pulled sharply up, tearing his nails up along the man's torso and spilling his blood into the fray.
The dark-skinned merman doubled over and clutched at his soft belly, glaring over his shoulder at his attacker before wincing and turning tail. Abandoning the fight, Kakuzu fled to get his wound tended to before he bled out; swimming at an awkward gait he tried to keep from flexing his injured muscles. Grinning victoriously, Inuyasha kicked at the water and broke the surface to fill his lungs before plunging under to get back to his lover.
With one less vicious half-fish to worry about, using his newly gained adrenaline the hanyou propelled himself through the sea towards the wrestling mermen, seeing each had a hold on each other. With tails thrashing to gain control the pair rolled with the blonde's fangs clamped into an once scratching hand while the other of Kisame's hand was piercing the tender flesh just above his jaw, the thumb underneath so the hand could grip his jawbone with wicked hold and attempt to pry his mouth off. Inuyasha closed in behind the shark ningyo's back, watching both of Deidara's hands claw at the exposed back furiously. Sinking his own nails in for stability Inuyasha held his breath the best he could as his jaws separated, working fast to sink his own teeth into the foe's already injured gills.
The shark's-man's eyes widened and he held still for a moment, paralyzed by fear of having his gills stripped, like any man would be afraid of having his lungs ripped out. For a moment things seemed to hold still, neither side advancing in the force of his attack until Kisame growled low in his throat.
"Let go of my gills, human, or I'll tear his pretty, little jaw off." To emphasize his point, Kisame tightened his grip on the koi-tail's mandible, causing the blonde to whine, though he still refused to release the larger ningyo's hand.
With water quickly bubbling into his ear canal and the garbled speech from the injured throat of Kisame, Inuyasha barley made out what was being threatened to him, but as soon as the piercing ring of his lover's pain filled his ears he released the spiny gills, the great shark male relaxing slightly. But surprisingly fast for a land creature underwater, Inuyasha replaced his claws into his fresh bite and took his teeth to the threatening hand clamped into Deidara's jaw, biting down hard enough on his metacarpals to destroy his grip and retract from his hold on Deidara, endeavoring to shake the second biter from his hand.
The muscular shark-ningyo snarled furiously and lashed his tail, diving a few more feet underwater in an attempt to scare Inuyasha off of his hand and gills, but when even that failed, the merman's head whirled around. With a crunch that traveled well through the water, Kisame sunk his teeth into the offending hanyou's forearm up to the bone, shaking his jaw a bit and causing blood to spring from the wound like a cloud of red fog.
Inuyasha's screamed as the muscle surrounding his arm was sliced through and ripped savagely, his breath escaping in large rushed of bubbles. He growled and sunk his claws in deeper into the hard gills of the shark, wriggling them inside to cut and slice the unprotected working of his throat. But eventually his air ran out and he spat the hand from his mouth and blew his last bubbles into Deidara's face, desperately motioning upwards after he had caught the koi's attention.
The blonde snarled and put out a hand, shoving his mate up towards the surface but still refusing to relinquish his hold on Kisame's hand. The shark sputtered and choked, blood spewing from his gills every time he circulated water through them. The blue-haired merman looked up as Inuyasha made a hasty retreat towards the surface, snarling as his prey tried to get away and lurching forward only to be yanked backwards by the smaller ningyo pulling on his limb in the opposite direction. With a low, animalistic growl rumbling in his throat Deidara swum downward with the other merman's hand in his jaws, dragging the furious creature away from his recovering mate, trying to buy Inuyasha a moment longer on the surface.
As the mermen fought for ground in their tug-o-war the half-breed swam to the surface, grasping his arm as it gushed into the surrounding water. Just in time his face broke and he was forced again to gulp down as much air as he could, unable to hold himself up with mere leg strength. He bobbed for a few moments before looking down into the water, horrifies to see the men wrestling at the bottom. Thinking carefully the hanyou took his only working arm and started stroking, pulling himself towards the shore.
On the sandy seabed, the two fish wrestled for control of the situation, both knowing that if Deidara gave any slack in his grip, the other would be able to tear free and he would be on the injured hanyou in a heartbeat. With this heavy in his mind, the blonde kept his jaw clamped down on Kisame's hand until his mandible ached and still his teeth stayed imbedded in the limb. With more muscle mass and sheer weight on his side, it wasn't long after the pair hit the bottom that the shark-ningyo was able to wrestle the Deidara onto his back, using all the force of his thick tail to keep the koi in place, pinning him into the sand. When he was sure he could prevent the younger merman's escape, Kisame again dug his claws into the blonde's jaw trying to pry his mouth open again.
"I'll keep my promise to that filthy human," he snarled, bearing his pointed teeth menacingly at his enemy. "I'll tear your jaw from your skull and kill you! I'll even spare Konan the heartache and tell her it was the only part of you we were able to recover after that land-beast was finished with you!"
Just as the blonde's fangs began to slip forcefully from their bite, a brilliant light glimmered from the glassy surface. As all fish and ningyo knew, this was common with the view of the sun from underwater, but Deidara's pupils constricted as the light became blinding, and in a bout of fear he pulled his limbs in to be shielded by his foe, easily hiding behind Kisame's mass. To the tiger shark's surprise, the light wrapped around him and was in fact tangible. He howled as the large line of energy sliced across his back, making him buck and thrash against the attack. The younger merman took this to his advantage and clawed at the other's face, distracting him enough to swim a good distance away. As he exited Kisame's reach he looked up to view this other potential attacker. But as he smiled through his wounded jaw he saw only the silhouette of his lover, the sun outlining him and an enormous sword he held in his uninjured hand.
Moving his tail quickly, the blonde rocketed towards the surface, but stopped halfway, looking over his shoulder to see the light of his lover's strength wearing off and revealing Kisame to be covered from head to tail in deep lacerations. The shark heaved through his gills as if trying to catch a dose of oxygen through all his own blood that clouded the water. Clutching his flank, as it was the only place on his body where his hands could reach to try and clot the bleeding, Kisame glowered defiantly up at the younger merman, as if daring him to come a bit within the range of his jaws.
"Boil in hell" the shark finally snarled before turning and making a slow retreat as if limping underwater.
With the threat fleeing, the hanyou relaxed and kicked to the top once more, bringing his sword hand over to press against his flowing wound, trying to stop his bleeding underwater in vain. He let go of his held breath as he tastes oxygen again, letting his feet float up so that he could lay lazily on his back.
Pressing his palm against his bitten shoulder, the blonde merman swam in towards his mate until he floated by the hanyou's side as he drifted on the rolling waves towards the beach. Deidara nudged the hanyou's flank, afraid to touch his wounded forearm but still determined to make sure his lover was going to be alright. Carefully the koi-tail nudged Inuyasha, pushing him gently towards the shore.
He flinched at the touch, not knowing if the cold touch was another sea demon trying to drag him to his death at the bottom of the ocean. But he looked to see that beautiful head of golden hair bobbing beside him and smiled weakly. He slowly rolled himself over in the calm waters, slinging his good arm over his love and allowing him to swim him to shore, the lazy flips of the koi's tail being much more effective than the hard kicks of his human feet.
Not daring to go ashore himself yet, the blonde gave his mate one final push, propelling him ashore with the waves. The blonde looked on as the hanyou clambered ashore and reached out for his scarlet robe, wrapping the clothe around his bitten forearm and sopping up the blood. Deidara poked his head above the water holding his own shoulder and watching the silver-haired half demon from the shallows just off the continental shelf where the waves began to break.
It was one thing to pull on his hakama on with one hand, but another to tie his obi back into place. The knot was sloppy, but as he stood his pants did not fall and that was good enough. His legs slightly sore from his swims from death, Inuyasha wobbled over to the breaking waves were Deidara lie, sitting himself in the damp sand to share in his pain.
"So those fish… friends of yours?"
The blonde nodded slowly, looking back to the ocean over his shoulder before blinking up at the hanyou as if to show he'd love to explain it all, but he still couldn't speak above the water if he wanted. Inuyasha nodded that he understood, but only crawled in far enough for his head to be underwater, letting his body we washed over by the tide. He could see Deidara fine, his body laid out in the shallows floating amongst the churning sand.
"Members of my pod un… must have been trying to take me back… said they were taking me back to Konan." The blonde looked away, as if apprehensive that yet another ningyo from his clan might be approaching from the churning depths. "Maybe it would be best if I… got out of the water un. I… I don't want them to take me away from you un." The blonde crawled along the sandy bottom towards his mate, his hair flowing in even accord with the tides.
As the merman's face came into his reach, the hanyou blew bubbles in a sigh and pressed the tip of his nose to the others. Nodding upward, Inuyasha brought Deidara to air with him, leaning himself on his only good arm.
"Do they need you? I know you want to stay, but… does she need you? I mean she is having your kid, and what not…"
Dipping his head underwater and tugging his mate with him the way they had grown accustomed to doing, Deidara replied carefully.
"Konan's got plenty of other males in our pod who can care for her and the child un. Why should the burden fall to me?" The blonde looked away for a moment before speaking again. "Konan only wants me to be alpha anyway un… The role of pod leader is a two-part job, and with Pein gone, she'll be looking for someone to fill his position as her mate. It seems logical since I fertilized her egg, but I… I already have a mate un." The koi blinked up at Inuyasha his eyes pleading for the half demon to let him stay.
Inuyasha smiled and leaned in, inviting his mate to reassure him physically, and sure enough he did. The less shaken man took his lover's face into his hands and pressed their lips together, giggling when the hanyou playfully blew bubbles in his face. They tickled as the floated over his cheeks and popped at the surface, but with the distraction he hadn't noticed Inuyasha leaving. Poking his head up, the ningyo saw the mutt's retreat, but only to his robes where he fished around the sleeves for what he hoped were his magic supplies.
The blonde merman circled in the surf for a while until he could see that Inuyasha had drawn up several copies of the transformation seal. When all things for the ritual were laid out on the shore, Deidara braved the rolling waves and rode one up the beach, dragging his belly the rest of the way up the sand until he lay in front of his mate again. Like second nature, the Ningyo assumed the transformation position with his stomach in the sand and his long hair away from his shoulders, keeping his gills still so that he wouldn't feel as if he was suffocating quite yet.
The process was quick as the merman's body took to the seal's power, mutating his body until he turned from fish to mammal. He whimpered quietly while Inuyasha offered his support, rubbing the man's shoulder as his body contorted, shriveled and sprouted new legs until his fresh skin was flawless and pink.
When finally Inuyasha gave his lips a puff and filled his lungs with his first breath, the merman gasped and groaned, his every muscle seeming to ache from the transmogrification while his shoulder screamed, dribbling blood from the perfect set of teeth marks. As he rolled onto his back, Deidara grabbed at his shoulder, wishing for a moment that he could soak the wound in seawater again, preferring the sting of salt to the ach of slow bleeding.
Seeing the blood seep past the tattered flesh, Inuyasha crouched behind Deidara as he sat up, holding his arms in place. Tenderly he kissed the bite mark and licked away was trailed down his tanned skin, then held his hand over the wound and pressed gently, ignoring the sharp hiss from the koi.
"Ouch… nnnn…" the blonde grumbled, looking back at his mate with an unhappy expression on his face. "Master Sasori uses urchin quills and a poultice of kelp to stop bleeding un. It doesn't heal very pretty," he paused, lifting his good arm to show several scars marked with little dimples where the spines had been used to keep the skin pinched together, "but it keeps the wound together un."
"Well for something like this, and mine too," the hanyou glanced at his own limp arm that hung uselessly beside him, "we probably need sewing up. We'll have to go a ways, but if you can make it old Lady Kaede can patch us up… and maybe find a way for you to stay... if you want."
"I'd never be welcome back in the bay after that un," the ningyo sighed, letting his head bow slightly, "I think I'll be staying on land for good unless you'd rather relocate to another shore with me un…" Deidara gave the hanyou a smile that told him the idea had little hope and that becoming land-bound would most likely be the only end for him.
"Kid… I'd rather feel your warmth next to me at night, but if you want to live in the water, that's ok. I'm willing to go anywhere with you…" To prove himself the hanyou kissed beside the tender wound and rubbed the blonde's flanks lovingly. "But right now I have to get you healed, and that old witch will make it faster. So put on the cloak and the pants. She's like a hundred and her old heart can't stand the sight of an amazing, naked man."
With a sigh the ningyo leaned back and looked up at his partner's golden eyes, giving him a weak smile though he tried to find happiness and humor through the pain all over his body. "Why is it human customs are so odd and private un? You behave as if the males and the females must be segregated… perhaps I'll never understand it fully un." He closed his eyes and snorted a weak laugh through his nose. "Alright, now bring me that damned hakama un."
With injuries galore it was a miracle that the pair dressed themselves, but eventually both men sported pants. Somehow Inuyasha got one sleeve on of his inner robe, but gave up on his injured limb. Deidara gently draped the protective Fire Rat garment over the hanyou's shoulders like a cloak, only slightly leaning on him as they left the beach like two wounded soldiers heading for home.
And in a way they were, for the day drew to a close when they reached the quaint village of the priestess Kaede. They were treated and rested in her shack while their last few days were retold to the old woman, her knowledge of the mystical world just yearning to be expanded. Several times she inspected the blonde's seal, a look of awe never leaving her tired face.
After a few days of rest and recuperation, the deep gouges had begun to close up and scar over with proper stitching and herbal treatment. To pass the time, Inuyasha poured himself into the ancient scroll Kaede had gifted to him, searching the massive stretch of parchment for some more permanent solution to Deidara's current condition. Though the merman could spend his life avoiding water, that was no way to live; hiding from the rain and sponging himself clean so as not to moisten the sutra across his back. After nearly two days of reading through every passage, the blonde hanging over his good side, Inuyasha eventually found a cliff note that read very promisingly. The note was at the tail end of the scroll, written by the same man who had developed the original sutra that was responsible for Deidara's current state. It explained how through experimenting with the seal itself, he had discovered that the spell works just the same with a permanent effect if the markings are inscribed onto the flesh by burning ink into the skin.
With healed bodies and reenergized spirits, the duo set out in search of this treasure, working down every lead towards anyone that could masterfully complete this ritual. Several times the deadly waters threatened to dampen Deidara's sacred seal, whether from rain or other outside forces, and only once was the scrap replaced. The procedure was risky, but with the right timing the ningyo lived to search on. But after almost a month, in the uncharted lands of mountain valley, they found an old turtle demon, having proof of the tattoo's effectiveness with once burned into his own skin. The hermit was human, his shell still secure around his body, but only in vanity and not necessity.
The old creature agreed to help the young couple and spent that very night mixing the ink and preparing a cast-iron barb. The next day was dedicated to an act of pure devotion as the old demon dipped the red-hot tip of the iron rod into the ink and, inch by painful inch, traced over the seal. All the while Deidara tried his best to conceal his pain, but when he swallowed his screams, they escaped through his eyes. He was given a piece of wood to bite on and alleviate some of the agony, but the only thing that kept him still through the torture was Inuyasha's hand in his, squeezing at the ningyo's trembling palm until the last symbol had been permanently etched into his flesh.
The remnants of the old sutra were peeled away, revealing a perfect pattern of twisted scabs and angry, red skin. Though with time the burns healed and the swelling diminished, the black tattoo remained on his shoulders through wet and dry. Deidara held a piece of remorse in his heart, knowing that now that his transmogrification was permanent, he would never be a ningyo again; he would never swim with a long, beautiful tail in the crystalline brine of the Sagami Bay, he would never speak underwater with his old friends, he would never see the alcove he had once called home again. But somehow, he was okay with things being as such because the tradeoff was well worth the price. He had fallen in love with a man of the surface world and as destiny would have it, he would spend his life on solid land, every day being a testament to his devotion.