The path the ninja were on was smack dab in the center of a thick, bamboo forest. Anywhere other than the path was very difficult to maneuver through as the stalks were very close nit and stood at least fifty feet high. Not to mention that the path itself was extremely narrow and only thick enough for the wagons to have gone through.

---

The rattling clang of chains echoed throughout the wooded path. The woman was moving swiftly, honing in on the source of chakra she'd felt moments ago. The Mistress of Chains waited for no one! How dare that fool leave her to search out his own battle. She'd rend his head from his shoulders for that once she met up with him again. For now though, she'd have to settle for some lightweight children who had gotten lucky the first two times.

El stopped suddenly, placing his hand out to stop Akane and Tsu sensei. He was listening intently. "She's coming this way." He whispered. "This s a good place to set a trap. I have paper bombs."

"Well hurry up and set them up... we should get hidden." Akane said, "Which may be a bit more difficult than it looks." They will have to snake through the bamboo as quickly as they could.

"Use anything you can. I'm running low on paper bombs myself." Tsu told the others "I'll distract her when she arrives, to leave you time to work. But for now..." She looked upwards, then quickly clambered up the bamboo. She was going to set her own trap.

El reached in his hat and produced a spool of guitar string so thin it could be nearly invisible. He gave one end to Akane. "I'll tie on the paper bombs as we go. Head that way thirty yards and secure it at a low position. He looked into the bamboo he would have to climb and the heights she had taught him not to fear. "I'll do the rest."

Akane nodded and looked down the path their enemy would be headed, "Let's get moving."

They seperated, El trusting Akane to secure the end while he wove between the bamboo. He had left his hat behind because it was too big to navigate the bamboo. He hid the tags as best he could among the leaves and covered a good sixty yards in total from the forest floor up, another fifty feet into the bamboo. Tsu Sensei would set her own trap, but if their enemy tripped even one of his wires, every paper bomb would explode at once. He was panting a little and his mask damp with sweat as he dropped from the upper branches and retrieved his hat. "Akane." He called into the bamboo. "They're almost here."

The knot was secure and she moved to join him. It was tight, but they were able to weave through the closely knit stalks. It did hinder their speed though, which Akane was a bit worried about considering that was one of her strong points, "Maybe we should go high..." she suggested, seeing that traveling horisontal was very unproductive.

El nodded and shoved his sombrero beneath his poncho. He preformed a little hand sign and the bulge the hat made vanished. He took Akane by the hand, not thinking anything of it more than it was nice to have her hand in his and jumped for the height of the bamboo, directing them out of range of the blast in preparation for when it came.

Not wanting to be useless, Akane assisted in the climb, bouncing from left to right, zig-zagging upward with a gust under her feet. "Here-" she said, stopping at a nook of bamboo that had a few thicker leave stems they could put their feet on. The bamboo didn't shift much from her weight, but El's caused it to sway.

"This is much less stable than the trees you taught me to climb." El confessed quietly. He tried not to sway their tree and despite his naturally light body, his new guitar, amp and poncho of many items weighed him down.

Akane moved to a bamboo chute beside his. With her thighs wrapped around it like a pole, she held his and steadied it's sway, choosing not to talk now.

El nodded his thanks and endeavored to be very still. He should learn some concealing jutsu, something that would help them blend into the environment.

Tsu was busy sharpening bamboo for her trap, keeping an eye out on the kids, and for the enemy of course. Bamboo could be very sharp if you let it be, and right now she was shaving away at the very tip in an attempt to get something deadly, and possibly even lethal. The best way to describe the trap she was making was a hail of spikes. At the very top, Tsu had loosely placed many, many dangling spikes. If something disturbed the bamboo, even a little, these spikes would drop...

The Mistress of Chains closed in on the source of chakra quickly. When she entered the bamboo forest, she couldn't help but grin sadistically beneath her veil. These children would have no where to hide. She unraveled several lengths of her chains in preparation. The metal links jingled almost musically as she stalked her prey .

Akane was firm in holding onto the two bamboo stalks and even she could hear the chain this time. In a place like this, she wasn't too sure how her wind attacks would work. Big open spaces were always perfect for her...but hopefully Tsu and El's traps would work.

El knew Akane's speed and hand to hand combat was very good. The new pressure point techniques she'd been learning might be incredibly effective. It would have been nice to have someone like Kami who could hit both hard and fast, but he had confidence in Akane. He had more confidence in Akane than he did himself most days.

Tsu hummed gently to herself as she stood out in the open. She hoped the kids didn't come near her, she was rather out in the open in order to draw the attention of their attacker. But she couldn't say this out loud, in case their assailant heard. So she had to trust the kids not to touch the bamboo.

It didn't take her long to reach them. Her chains dragged leisurely along the ground, providing a raspy scraping noise as she approached. She grinned beneath her veil when she looked at the little girl standing before her. "Takže, vy jste děti odpovědné za zkrácení naše čísla?" She asked in her flowing native tongue.

"Well don't you speak fancy?" Tsu said, raising her eyebrows at the new woman who had walked right up. Chains. That might make this a bit easier. or hard. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to... go away? We've got you surrounded, and we've already proven we can take you guys down."

"Ne. Vzali dolů na muže. Není mi." The Mistress of Chains replied, shaking her head and causing her variety of chains to jingle softly.

Akane still hadn't moved and was a bit surprised when the woman began speaking some foreign language. She really hoped Tsu didn't mess this up.

What bothered El more than the chains and her lack of the common tongue, was that she was naked. The chains draped over her body from all sorts of angles, but... she was still very very naked.

"Right... yeah, don't know what you're saying. You must be real cold." Tsu said with a little shrug "What with the no clothes and everything."

The woman tilted her head to the side curiously and smirked beneath her veil of chains. "I said that you have defeated the men, not me." She explained, speaking the common tongue, but with a heavy accent.

Akane's people were common not to wear a lot of clothing, but this... chains? Really? Didn't seem practically in any circumstance she could possibly think of.

It didn't look as if she cared much about practicality at all. El wanted to avert his eyes, but looking away from their enemy wasn't a wise idea.

"Right, yes, them." Tsu said with a nod "And I said that you must be cold. Cause your nips are showing." Tsu attempted to make her point more obvious by putting two hands where her breasts would have been if her body had grown, and pointing her index fingers out in different directions.

"Jealous Little one?" The woman replied with a sadistic grin. Her arm moved forward and the chain dragging behind her rippled to life. "Enough talk." The length of metal links flowed forward, smashing through several stalks of bamboo that stood in its path.

"A little." Tsu admitted with a shrug, before the bamboo began to rain from the sky. She darted forward at once, the falling bamboo a cascade from above, sharp spikes dropping in tight formation. And Tsu was moving TOWARDS the woman, further into the rain of spikes.

Her chains moved as though with a mind of their own. Quickly, they flung upwards, coiling about themselves into a net form, shielding their Mistress from the cascading spikes. The woman, however, was not expecting the little girl to throw herself at her.

Tsu had expected that. What do you do when someone does a massive damaging attack from above? Defend yourself by deflecting the attack with your weapon. With a weapon up high however, you were very vulnerable to down low attacks. And as Tsu ran, her hands darted into their familiar jutsu pattern. The long claws shone on her fingers as she slashed hard at the naked woman's vulnerable stomach.

Naomi gasped as the little girl slashed at her stomach. She pushed back, out from under the chain canopy. A fire shone in the woman's eyes as she clutched her stomach and hissed. The chains came tumbling down overtop the girl, intending to crush her beneath their weight.

Akane smirked and resisted the urge to cheer. She had to admit, that move was well thought out... but pretty obvious. Maybe Naomi would be an easy win?

Tsu didn't stop moving though, when Naomi moved, she moved with her. Tsu was fast, there wasn't much else going for her, except for cheap tricks perhaps. It didn't take much to be right in front of Naomi again, scratching her claws at the bare flesh.

Naomi hissed and brought her chains inward, wrapping them swiftly around Tsu's wrists. She ducked out of the way of the girl's claws and tightened the chains. "You will not stop me."

El was tense, wanting to play, wanting to hum, wanting to do anything that caused noise vibration in order to use it against Naomi and aid Tsu Sensei.

Tsu was about to answer, then looked up. Spikes. They'd been supported above them by the umbrella that Naomi had made, then she'd suddenly moved it. She dove down, beneath Naomi, between the woman's naked legs, and kicked hard at the back of her knees, while tugging hard at the chains on her wrists, trying to over balance the woman and make her flip onto her front.

"If there is some space gained between them...we should set off those paper bombs." Akane suggested in a whisper to El.

"If Tsu Sensei could get the chain woman to travel thirty more feet in our direction, she would be in the center of the destruction." El said, taking the sound of their voices and diminishing it with his chakra to hide their location. "I would not risk Tsu Sensei, but she is fast and knows we've set a paper bomb trap. She will not let herself become caught up in it. Likely she already knows the trail of every wire we strung."

Naomi pitched forward when the girl over balanced her. She rolled with it, turning the fall into a somersault and sprang upwards, pulling on her chains. She twirled about, swinging the girl along the chains and arching her up towards the raining spikes.

Tsu let out a yelp as she was swung, then let out a small growl. Naomi was trying to throw her about? She pulled her chained hands in tight, spinning around quickly, drawing herself in closer and closer to Naomi. This did mean however that she was wrapping herself up in the chains in order to close the gap between the two of them.

The Mistress of Chains grinned wickedly as the little girl wrapped herself up willingly. "You want to be wrapped, little girl?" She asked tauntingly, then released her hold on the chain. It swirled around Tsu, pulling itself taught all around her. When the final link circled her, it locked into place, opening and attaching itself to one of the links further down the line. With a Poof! another chain appeared in her hand and she cracked it like a whip, arching it upwards to smash the remaining spikes as they rained downward.

Tsu kept spinning. Her only chance right now was to keep on spinning closer and closer as more chain came out. Thing was, the more she span, the wider the surface area of her spin was, so she came back faster. This didn't help the fact she could barely breathe in these chains, but she would get free AFTER smacking into Naomi. She had some pretty bad scratches on her face though, from almost colliding headlong with the spikes and only just spinning away in time.

When Akane saw Tsu purposefully get coiled in the chains, she began losing faith in the woman. She knew the woman was a good fighter and probably had some sort of plan... but she didn't see it right now. Akane saw no benefit of getting tied like that. Thing was, El and herself were a bit far from the path and would have to take a minute to weave through to get to them.

Sensing Akane's concern El placed his hand on her shoulder to steady her. Tsu sensei might seem like a basket case for the funny farm on most days, but she was a remarkable. Though he too wanted to help and knew Akane could cross the distance between his sensei and their foe in mere seconds, he held her back just in case.

Naomi cackled wickedly as she cracked the chain down against the bound up Tsu. The final link clanked together onto one of the others, turning Tsu into the ball at the end of her chain. She whipped the chain about and flung the captured girl through the bamboo.

Tsu was panting as she found herself bound in chains, but the spikes were done now. That hadn't gone as planned, but she'd gotten a few good hits in. Well, she should try her hand now. As she was tossed around in the air, Tsu grinned widely and let out a giggle. "Can't believe you fell for that." she giggled childishly, before she vanished from sight within the chains. She was just... gone, the chains still wrapped there tightly, all tangled up around a person who wasn't there anymore.

Akane was relieved. She hadn't even thought about Tsu using a clone. That was good thinking on her part. Hopefully that trick tangled the woman's chains together.

El began searching for any sign of Tsu Sensei, wondering where she was. He wondered if now was a good time to draw Naomi into their trap.

Akane was thinking the same thing, "El...if Tsu sensei doesn't show up, should I lead Naomi into the paper bombs?"

Naomi growled as the girl vanished. She reeled her chain back in and it unlatched from itself, untangling in seconds. She stretched her arms out and the chains twirled through the air, smashing into the bamboo, chopping clean through the massive stalks.

There was a noise, like running feet, but there was no source from it. Tsu was moving, and it sounded close, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Now." El told Akane. "You're faster. Draw her attention, I'll box her in on the other side with more bombs."

Akane nodded and released the bamboo that El was clinging onto. She couldn't just fly over so she stayed up in the chutes, weaving herself through them as fast as she could. Nearing the destruction Naomi had caused, she leaped out into the open and wasted no time in attacking. She didn't want to hinder El's work with a windstorm, so she sent a downpour of what appeared to be needles down at her. It was a good guess to say they were some sort of feather though.

As the needles rained down, Naomi shrieked fiercely and with another poof! a new set of chains appeared before her. The chains swirled and shielded her, gathering the needles within their links. "You children are pathetic!" She roared as she twisted her chains and flung the needles back at Akane.

El, moved carefully and silently above and around his trap. Akane was in a prime location to draw Naomi in.

Again, Akane didn't want to use her wind, so she used her small frame and agility instead. In the air still, she twisted and bent around the flying needles, letting them pass past her. Landing on the pile of broken bamboo chutes Naomi had made, she took a few steps back, hoping the woman would begin to close the distance.

Lashing out again with her chains, Naomi surged them forward, intending to entrap the interloper.

El brought down a curtain of bombs he'd strung together. "NOW!" He shouted at Akane as he preformed hand signs. He had to make them all go off instantly to maximize the impact of the explosion. Trusting her to get away, El clapped his hands together and two hundred and seventeen paper bombs went off all at once.

Akane twisted her body and sent herself skyward with a tornado under her feet, throwing her out of direct path of the explosion.

Her eyes shot wide as the paper bombs exploded. Quickly her chains wrapped about her own body, pulling tightly together and each and every link connected to one other. The explosion tore the very ground asunder, incinerated the bamboo to ash, and licked the oxygen from the air itself.

The explosion was more than what El has guessed. The force of the blast pushed him back on a wave of dust and bamboo splinters. Despite his chakra shield, one cut his cheek and a few more ripped his poncho. By the time the blast dissipated, he was a lot farther from the battle than he had been originally.

Akane had also miscalculated the blast and was thrust upward and tossed into a barrel roll. Those paper bombs sure packed a punch. Hopefully Tsu made it out in time. Akane coughed and righted herself in the air before she hurried down to assure their enemy was defeated.

Tsu had only just managed to get out of the blast radius. She was laying against a tree, panting hard, trying to stem the blood flow from her nose. She really should have just thought of another way out, but her jutsu had been the fastest way to do it. She coughed, shuddering as she splattered herself with her own blood. She turned, looking around towards the blast area, wondering if the kids had managed to kill the woman. Though... she doubted it.

El untangled himself from the brush of scorched and fallen bamboo. Maybe he shouldn't have used the whole roll of paper bombs... He stumbled once he got to his feet and when he struck a shaft of bamboo hard, face first, he fell back onto his rump. Everything was swaying and he was dizzy. He became painfully aware that save for the high pitched ringing in his ears, he couldn't hear anything. He called out to Akane and heard only the distant muffled sound of his voice sounding as if he'd shouted it from under water. He tried getting up again and promptly fell back over.

Akane ears were ringing a little, but she could still hear well enough to notice El shouting for her. As the dust cloud began to settle, she dropped down beside him, hoping she had a moment to see to his aid before getting attacked. "Are you okay?" she asked, grabbing his arm and hoisting him to his feet.

El's brow furrowed. He'd seen her lips move. He looked more confused and dazed than he felt. When she pulled him to his feet he moved to the right, heavy footed and clumsy. He grabbed her wrist far too tightly despite knowing her bones were hollow. He tried to steady himself and only ended up swaying. Knowing he couldn't hear himself he told her, "I'm deaf..." he tried popping his eardrums without success. "Useless and deaf..." He couldn't use sound chakra if he couldn't hear it and he couldn't project his voice not knowing if he were on key or not. If they'd not killed the woman of the chains, he was a liability to Akane.

"Shit-" Akane said. At least that word El may be able to lip read. The explosion was still settling and there hadn't been movement yet. She couldn't see Tsu from where she was...or the enemy. Hoping Naomi was either dead of incapacitated for a minute, she placed her palms on El's ears. She had never healed eardrums before... but she could try.

It was hard when your subject couldn't stay still. El swayed, then fell again. He was on his butt by the time he realized he had fallen. "I feel like I'm stuck in rough water..." He said, eyes glassy. "I'm sorry... I keep falling over..." he only hoped he was saying what he meant to be saying.

Akane placed a finger over his lips for him to hush up. Their enemy could still be alive and he was speaking loudly. This wasn't good. It was one thing for a music ninja to not hear...but he couldn't even walk. Akane had to fix that. She took his shoulders and eased him onto his back where she leaned over and placed her hands over his ears again.

El smiled at the way her hair fell over her face as she looked down at him. "I like this part." He said, but he endeavored to whisper this time.

Akane rolled her eye and shook her head in mock annoyance as she began to heal him. Even in the midst of battle, El was still a hopeless romantic. Hopefully this healing wouldn't take long.

There came the rough grating sound of metal grinding against metal. The melted mass of chains rose slowly from the very heart of the crater left by the explosion.

El stiffened, a hand traveling to Akane's wrist. His other pressed against the ground. "Vibrations." he said, hearing his own voice muffled from a deep pit. "The trap didn't work..."

"Hold on... I need more time." Akane said, keeping her hands clamped on El's ears. She was pushing her luck big time by having her back to the enemy.

"No I don't have a rhyme." El told her. "I can't use sound chakra like this. You have to go. Get a better vantage point. Find Tsu Sensei."

Tsu was watching. Damn. She thought it wouldn't work. But no matter what, that would have hurt. The woman had shielded herself with metal, and metal got hot. She was probably quite burnt, even if she survived.

An inhuman raspy shriek emanated from the metal mass as it slowly stepped forward. The outer shell of melted iron cracked and splintered as she moved.

"What in the name of the gods..." Akane muttered upon hearing that monstrous shriek. Part of her didn't believe it was from the same naked woman as before. The sound caused her to flinch, but she stayed knelt at El's side, hands on his ears. "Come on... come on... can't you hear yet?" she asked, lifting her hands off for a moment.

"No I'm not old enough to drink beer yet." El exclaimed "I think you need to concentrate on the matter at hand instead of thinking about refreshments. I felt something just then, more vibrations. You need to get out of here."

"Yeah smart guy? And do what? Leave you on your ass on a pile of broken bamboo? Shut up already...we have time." Akane said and put her hands on his ears again. The light glow emitted and she looked over her shoulder at their enemy now that the dust cleared.

The welded iron shell broke down the center and fell apart like a massive egg shell. The woman standing between the shells roared in anger. Her entire body was glistening with blood and sweat. She was covered with festering cracked blisters. The mesh chain of her veil was welded and seared into her chin and neck. Her light chain skirt, melded to her thighs.

That's what you get for running around naked. Akane thought as she kept healing.

"What was that?" El asked, feeling the vibrations and hearing now, though distantly, the wretched scream.

The chains rippled and lashed out. Great hooks appeared at their ends and dug deep into the earth around the lip of the crater. She pulled and quickly hauled herself up out of the scorched earth.

"What do you think it was?" Akane asked, irritated, "Shut up." This woman sure was taking her time recovering. At least it gave her time to heal up El's ears....which Akane was discovering were a lot more intricate than she originally thought.

Tsu grimaced, taking out a kunai and flinging it towards the woman as she raised herself from the floor. Might as well just try to take a chunk out of her from a distance. She looked quite in pain right now. She wondered if the woman would give up if they gave her the option.

A chain flicked out from behind her, snapping the kunai away effortlessly. She breathed in sharply as she turned her head in the thrower's direction, her skin snapping open about her neck. She growled a warning, unable to actually speak. She wanted the one responsible for burning her. If she got the two of them, she may let the littlest one live.

"Can you hear me? Even just a little?" Akane asked, removing her hands. "I'm not sure what more I can do." 

"I can hear." El said, wincing as he sat up. "Not well but there is sound... As if I'm stuck in a tunnel. I don't know how effective I'll be though. Sound chakra is reliant on pitch and sound. I'm effectively tone deaf at the moment."

"Come on... get up." Akane ordered, grabbing his arms and pulling him to his feet. "Looks like I got done just in time."

El got to his feet a little unsteady but once he was up he felt better. "I need you to stay away from me." he told Akane. "With my ears wrecked still I don't know what could happen when I play. I could hurt you and that would kill me."

"I could keep her attention while you prepare an attack." she said lowly to him. "Then- give me a signal and I'll move." Akane wasn't sure what this woman's weakness was, but a sound blast in an insulated bamboo forest might be a good bet.

"I'll whistle." He said. "And if she starts to recognize our pattern I'll... click with my tongue. Something non-musical so you know it's coming." He pulled his guitar around in front of him and began picking leaves and bamboo from between the strings. Miraculously the strings were still in tact. He turned on his amplifier and played a little tune without chakra to test things. It seemed ok. "I can't tell if I'm in tune..." he said, frowning. "Can you?" He'd not taught her much but he hoped she knew what an out of tune guitar sounded like.

Akane looked back at their enemy for a moment and then looked back to the guitar. She plucked the strings one by one. She stopped at the third, turned the notch at the head of the guitar, then did this over again, making a chord. "I doubt it's perfect.. but I think it's close." she said. At least to her ears it sounded decent.

"Close can get me killed." El said. "But I'll try not to go all out until I know how my attacks are going to pan out. Come on. We need to help Tsu Sensei."

"I'm sorry! I mean... it sounds right to me." Akane said, but she was still insecure about it.

El smiled. "It's alright. If I didn't kill myself in the first week of my training, I'll be ok today."

Another kunai came out towards Naomi, Tsu letting out a giggle that bubbled blood from her nose. She just saw that the ninja was getting hurt practically every time she moved, and it was a little bit hilarious.

Naomi growled savagely as she whipped the chains about, smacking the kunai away again. Once more, her skin split apart as she moved. These children would pay, all of them. She strangle the three of them with her chains, then hunt down that bastard swordsman for not following the plan.

"Tsu Sensei!" El shouted, seeing the chain woman coming for her. "Get out of the way!" He turned up the dial on his amp and prepared for her to move.

Tsu could hardly move any more. She groaned, rubbing her face, smearing blood against it before getting up and running off as quickly as she could.

The chains surged forward, moving after the little girl. How dare she try to leave! Naomi thought, groaning a little from the effort to move her weapons. Her head was throbbing, her ears ringing, as if the burns weren't bad enough.

Akane was at Naomi's back in a flash. Keeping her momentum from the run over, she crouched and hooked her leg forward in a kick, swiping the woman's ankles clean out from under her. Akane hoped that would be enough to derail the course of the chains she just unleashed. It sure was a good thing she had her shin guard armor on. Otherwise that swooped kick might have really hurt herself.

Akane knew to get out of the way. El played a hard G-sharp, intending to slice the woman in two. The music soared, but the backlash took El off his feet and threw him back as the wave of chakra arced out at the chain woman.

The chains arched upwards as Naomi fell backwards, her legs kicked out from under her. She landed ungracefully upon the ground and her voice broke as the skin along her back ruptured on the impact.

Before the woman's butt hit the ground, Akane spun and headed sky high, hoping to get out of the blast's way just in time.

Tsu gave a little smile before calling out to Naomi "If you surrender, we'll help remove the chains and heal up those burns of yours! You might even be pretty afterwards." She didn't expect her to agree to the offer though.

El had been thrown back into a web of downed bamboo that thankfully enough broke his fall. He shook his head and tried popping his ears again with little success. The guitar was out of tune. Perhaps not enough for Akane to notice, but a highly fine crafted weapon like the one he'd been given was also a delicate instrument. He made an adjustment to the strings and tested the sound. He still couldn't tell. Had Akane had another five minutes to heal his ears he might be able to. Still, if the worst that happened was being thrown back again, he could deal with it.

Before the wave struck her, the Mistress of Chains reared her chains back. She sent them skyward and they coiled around Akane's legs. She dragged the flying girl down and blocked the thundering sound wave with the girl as a shield.

When Akane realized the chains around her ankles, her body had already been sliced up the middle. It was deep and ran from her right hip across her torso to her left shoulder. There was a hallow expression of shock and panic in her eye in that fraction of a second before blood spurted in a fan in front of her. Then there was screaming.

"AKANE!" El shouted. He'd hit her... dear god he'd struck Akane with his attack. He began running forward, mindless of the danger and distance of the witch's attacks.

Naomi pulled herself over to Akane by her chains. Their coiled length tightening around the girl's legs, as the woman hauled herself forward, scrapping her flesh along the ground. She was beyond words now. The hunger for vengeance burned through her. The boy would be next, just a little closer now, and she would have him.

The cut had sliced her clothing open, but due to it's tightness, nothing was left exposed. Akane herself was covered in blood more and more by the second. She had collapsed onto the muddy bamboo trail and was still screaming in agony, unable to think. The crushing of her ankles was nothing compared to what El had done to her.

Very slowly, the Mistress of Chains got to her feet. She looked down at the girl and slightly tightened the coils about her ankles. It hurt every inch of her just to move, but it didn't matter. She would kill the three of them, it wouldn't take very long at all. Then, after taking a moment, she'd set out after the swordsman. She growled down at the girl, if she were to further torture this one, the boy would hurry over faster. She wouldn't have to move much in order to hunt him.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" El shouted, pouring chakra into his voice. His ears popped suddenly and he adjusted the pitch, slicing through the chains holding Akane's ankles and hammering the burned woman with concussive blasts of sound for each syllable he spoke.

Tsu had been about to swoop in on Naomi, a fistful of rather wicked instruments prepared for the first strike. Akane could see her, because the moment El hit Naomi with those powerful blasts and severed the chains, Tsu changed tactics. She landed next to Akane, make sure that the chains were actually severed, then picked Akane up with care. She had to patch the girl up.

For the girl with hallow bones it was unclear just how much damage had been done. The only thing that was certain is that she was bleeding a lot. Akane offered no reluctance as she was lifted off by Tsu-sensei. She was breathing sharply but the initial screams had died down, which wasn't necessarily a good sign.

The woman pedaled backwards as each concussive blast struck her body. She growled and clenched her fists, drawing her chains to her. The quickly wrapped themselves around her, forming a thick iron hide along her body.

Metal conducts sound and as the chains wrapped around her, they made their own musical tone. El preformed a quick hand sign and the sound became his. Amplifying the bell-like jingle of her chains, it felt as if each link moving against its neighbors were trying to slice into her already ruined skin. It wasn't a forbidden jutsu, but it was a devious one. He didn't care. She'd made him hurt Akane.

Tsu moved Akane quickly, darting away from the scene and placing Akane down somewhere further away, somewhere she hoped was safe. "Damn girl..." she whispered as she whipped out some medical supplies from her belt "You got really torn up didn't you? Now..." She had to peel the clothes away from the cut. And that was going to hurt. It didn't help that she was bleeding pretty badly from the nose and eyes either.

Akane grit her teeth and did everything to not pass out but her vision was pulsing with her heartbeat. She was hyperventilating and trembling praying to the gods Tsu could help her.

The woman screamed in pain as each chain began to slice into her. In the fury of pain, she unlinked them all, the chains falling to piece off of her ruined body. She panted for breath as she glowered at the little musician boy. Her links rose and darted through the air, each link glowing with chakra. She intended to riddle the boy with holes for his savage attack against her.

El whistled, high and loud, a different sound from what he used to evade attacks. As the kinks struck at him, they stopped a food in front of him, bouncing off a chakra shield of sound as he preformed another hand sign. He dug his feet into the bamboo litter beneath him and snatched his guitar, he played something much more menacing than his usual music. It was distinctly more metal and what felt like a billion needles pierced the witch's flesh. Tsu Sensei could take care of Akane, all El wanted to do was kill this bitch.

Tsu hissed. "You have GOT to try flying with more armor." she muttered, taking out a little syringe. She'd packed double her medical supplies after all. She didn't waste time trying to get Akane to stop struggling and jabbed the syringe into her leg. Hopefully that would dull the pain. Next came out needle and thread. She was going to have to patch Akane up the old fashioned way, not this fancy healing. and before the anesthesia really set in, Tsu was at work, stitching Akane up.

Akane was struggling with adrenalin and wanting to move. She knew she shouldn't but the pain was horrible. Tears streamed from her eyes and she let out cries of agony. She didn't blame El and just hoped he was okay in the fight.

"Hey, hey now Akane... Don't struggle too much." Tsu said in a soft whisper to Akane as she stitched Akane back together quickly "We can't have you tear out your stitches as I put them in. Try not to struggle alright?"

Akane nodded and grit her teeth. She stared up at the bamboo... focusing on it instead of pain.

The woman shriek as the needles tore into her. She was angered by the fact he blocked her chain link attack, but what angered her even more was the fact that this little boy continued to breathe. She screamed in burning rage and surged forward, despite the lacerations through her burned and cracked body. She would not allow a mere boy to defeat her.

El had always considered himself a man of conviction and principle. Enemies were to be faced and engaged honorably on the field of battle. What this witch had made him to do Akane had caused the passive sweet musician part of his mind to take a hike. What was left was one pissed off little ninja with a guitar. When his ears had popped earlier it had been a blessing. He evaded the witch's lunge with a a quick wood substitution and took the song of needles to another level. He cranked his amplifier until he was worried he might burst the speaker and hoped Akane and Tsu had the earplugs he'd given them. He played as if his fingers hadn't been without an instrument these last weeks. What felt like needles turned into knives and what felt like knives turned into swords. There wasn't enough blood in this woman's body to satisfy his rage.

"The drugs should take effect soon." Tsu told Akane slowly "It's strong stuff, so you won't be able to feel a damn thing once it kicks in." She was still stitching away, it was a large gash after all. This was patchwork, stopping her from bleeding to death, someone would ACTUALLY need to heal her at some point.

As Tsu spoke, Akane felt a warmth grow in her body. It started at her limbs and traveled inward. Her shaking slowed and she appeared significantly more calmed.

"There we go..." Tsu sighed as she finished sewing and began to bandage the girl up. "We're going to need to get you new clothes..." she muttered.

"It's fine." Akane said, not caring about that right now. "Where's El?" she asked having remembered El coming for her and how he had shouted. Now the status of the battle was lost on her and despite her injury, began to sit up to see.

The woman found her voice as the sound blades tore into and through her once beautiful body. Her right arm fell to the ground, sliced clean through. She fell to her knees in agony. Fires of anger and pain lit her eyes as she stared at the child before her. Blood poured from her entire body, pooling about her knees. Breathing had become a labor, as she now had gaping wounds in her chest. She refused to be defeated by a mere child. Her body convulsed and she realized she was at her end, regardless of anything she could do.
She reached out with the last of her strength, finding the hooks from the ends of her chains. The two massive, compared to the links themselves, rose up, spinning through the air. Their target, however, was not the boy-child ahead of her. Before he would be able to end her, the hooks made a sickening Thunk! sound as she drove the sharp points into both her eyes. The force of the impact toppled her over backward into, the still warm, pool of her blood.

That she killed herself before he could infuriated El and he made a sound with his voice that was both fury, rage and frustration. What was left of her body didn't quite liquify, but it wasn't exactly whole any longer. When his voice fell silent, his eyes were blood shot, cords were standing out in his neck and a vein in his forehead was bulging. He dropped to his knees in blood, his chakra spent.

Tsu tutted "Look, don't move about too much alright? You were practically sliced in half just then, and your body will hate you for it later. By dying, if you're not careful." She sighed and stood up, looking over at El and Naomi "Well, she was dramatic."

Akane couldn't hear what Tsu was saying, but figured out that she was scolding her and telling her to lie back. Now that the fighting seemed over, she pulled the earplugs from her ears and stayed on her back taking long, careful deep breaths. Last thing Akane wanted was to tear those stitches. The drugs were helping an awful lot though. She should get her hands on some of that.

El's blood was pumping a little too loud for him to hear Tsu Sensei. He was breathing hard and his mask was soaked through with sweat. He realized that it was blood he'd dropped to his knees in and, suddenly horrified, staggered to his feet and backed away from the mess that had been the chain woman. He tripped over a length of fallen bamboo and his stomach clinched and he quickly rolled over to keep from vomiting on his guitar.

"Uh oh," Tsu muttered, sighing back at Akane and making her way quickly to El's side. She didn't really do much but rub his back for him, taking it nice and slow "Don't worry now... it's all over..." She didn't know what else to say. Had El taken a life before?

Yes he had, but that didn't mean he liked it. Before he realized what he was doing El grabbed his Sensei around the middle, he buried his head against her stomach and was trembling. Killing Viktor had been necessary, killing Naomi had been necessary too, but he'd chosen to kill Viktor. Even when Naomi had killed herself he couldn't stop and what he'd turned her into looked a lot like what he'd vomited up. It wasn't so much that he'd killed her that bothered him, it was the rage and inability to stop himself. He remembered the sick satisfaction of seeing her remains nearly liquify and another wave of vomit reached his throat before he could swallow it back down.

Tsu saw the pale in his face, turning his head a little so he didn't just vomit all over her when it came out. "It's alright..." she whispered to him, trying to settle his nerves down. She didn't blame him for wanting to throw up like that... It showed some humanity at least.

Akane, stubborn as usual, refused to just lay here. She could see her cut bleeding through the wrap a bit, but it didn't stop her. Trying not to bend, she rolled over to her side, slowly trying to get up. The insulin helped, but pain was still there. Akane rolled her bruised ankles, testing if they were hurt from the chain.

El tried to calm himself, he didn't want to do this in front of anyone, especially not his Sensei or Akane. He wiped his eyes with the heel of his hands and, still trembling, tried to get a hold of himself.

"It's alright..." Tsu said with a soft sigh as she stroked El's back. This was fucked up, making kids do this. "See, this is why I hate it when people never tell you the whole truth." she muttered to herself as she looked after El. She then turned to Akane and said "Are you alright? Didn't rip anything?"

"I need....to heal myself." Akane whispered, but in no condition to do so. They needed to get somewhere more secure. She had done little to nothing in the fight and felt useless because of it. It wasn't fair to have let El deal with that on his own.

"I'm ok..." El lied to Tsu Sensei. "Go help her... I'll... be there in a minute..."
(akane has chakra balls kami gave her. fyi)

"We'll get Ishiaki to heal you when we get back." Tsu said flatly "if he's not dead." She sighed gently and shook her head as she stroked El's head "Don't worry alright. We'll stay with you."

Akane managed to sit up but only to lay back down as if feeling faint. She had lost a lot of blood from the slice. It pooled where the battle had been and now began to blend with Naomi's. Akane felt her eye trying to roll back, her body longing for sleep. "No..." she said softly. She didn't want to go back and be the only one with injury like last time. It made her look weak.

"I'm ok..." El said sitting upright. "Really. I am. Go help Akane... I just wanna get this blood off me..."

"We'll get it off you when we get back alright?" Tsu asked, a weak smile on her lips as she went over towards Akane. She sighed, seeing the amount of blood the girl had lost. She didn't exactly carry blood bags with her. Instead she offered a pill. "Here." she said, trying to place it on Akane's lips "Swallow this."

Akane looked as though she was going to take it, but turned away at the last moment. She got partially onto her side and suddenly coughed up a slew of blood...from who knows where. It could only mean one thing... that she was bleeding internally. Even in her condition, Akane was well aware that she was in more trouble than she had originally thought. 

Tsu cursed. She didn't know how to heal. "Look... I..." Tsu cursed, then picked Akane up in her arms. "We've got to get you to someone who can heal you up..." she muttered before starting back towards the caravan.

"I...can do it." Akane whispered weakly. "Really... I can...." She couldn't. At least until she was awake than she was. Not only was the wind ninja tired from blood loss and pain... but she was also drugged up.

"Look, if we get back, there will be more medical supplies." Tsu pointed out firmly, nodding to Akane and trying not to have a little panic.

El managed to pull himself together. With his back to them he took off his mask, rung the sweat and tears out of the fabric and retied the mask in place. He rejoined the girls, trying not to let Akane's ordeal get to him. "We could track Ishiaki and the others back to wherever they faced the swordman."

"We could... try..." Tsu said weakly "But... I dunno... I'm going to have to run fast to get there in time, and I'm pretty beat up." She sighed, hugging Akane close for a moment before moving off, trying to find Ishiaki and the others.

El followed. "Give her to me." He said. "I'm not wounded and you're faster. I can follow your trail and if you reach them first you can start back in our direction."

"If she bleeds a lot, or you get tired, tell me." Tsu said, carefully moving Akane over to El's arms.

Akane didn't argue. She closed her eye and tensed slightly when she was moved, wishing she had another shot to the thigh of that numbing medicine.

El took her, cradeling her against him. She was lighter than he remembered and despite being taller than him, seemed so small. It hurt to know that it was his chakra that had done this to her. "Go." He told Tsu Sensei. "And bring Ishiaki Sensei as back as quickly as you can."

Tsu nodded, smiling weakly and biting her lip before dashing away, going to try and find Ishiaki.

"You know..." Akane began, speaking her words very slowly, "...that was a pretty good attack." She coughed a bit again, blood rising into her mouth. She swallowed and said, "Sorry I blocked it."

He shook his head, trying to keep her steady as he hurried after Tsu. "I'm sorry..." El said. "I couldn't pull it back in time... I focused too much chakra into it... I'm sorry I hurt you."

Akane shook her head and closed her eye, struggling to keep it open. Sleep was calling to her. "You did good... you beat her."

"I hurt you..." El said, trying to hold back tears again. Did she not realize that if they couldn't find Ishiaki in time that she could still die?

"I'm... tired..." she whispered as he ran, her eye still gently shut.

"Stay with me..." El said urgently. "Please... Akane. Don't fall asleep..."

Her eye opened a bit, but only half way. The sound of El's voice brought her back to reality. She needed to focus. She was a medical ninja, damnit. The worst thing Akane could do with now was pass out. "I'm sorry..." she whispered through tears. Blood still stained her lips and chin, "I ...can't do...anything right." Akane's pain was beginning to grow distant. "I'm... not supposed... to get hurt." Who was she kidding anyway? Akane was a lightweight pushover with hollow bones...she never belonged in the coalition. Ishiaki tried to make her a medical ninja but she couldn't even follow the first rule: Never get hit.

El stopped, knowing he shouldn't but... "Akane... I..." He held her to him, pressing his forehead to her's. "I..." She could feel his tears on her cheek. "I love you..."

The air was still for a moment. As if the entire forest had heard those words and were waiting for Akane's response. With what energy she had left, Akane lifted her hand and cupped his cheek. "I know you do..." she whispered softly, keeping her head pressed against his. She had never felt such relief or comfort in her life. The safe sensation being in the mariachi's arm was like none other she had ever experienced. Her fingers glided down with the sweat of his temple. Hooking her finger tips in the black cloth, Akane slid his mask down so that it was around his neck. "Don't worry El..." Akane began in a soft voice, looking into those exotic, chocolate eyes of his, "This isn't goodbye..." But if it was, she wanted to make sure that she saw his face for once last time.

Mindless of the blood on her lips, El kissed her, cupping her cheek, holding her to him. She could feel him trembling a little and his kiss suddenly deepened. If this was really a goodbye, he couldn't let another second pass without feeling her lips against his.

With the bloodloss and drugs coursing through her veins, Akane had no second thoughts. She welcomed his lips and kissed back with what she could, feeling that hungry passion she had felt that night on the porch during their date. Akane was thankful that she spent her last few minutes of life in El's arms. They felt safe and warm.... but it was after the kiss that she became aware of the tingling in her limbs. She would die of blood loss soon and there wasn't much time left. "El.. I..." she looked at him, but his face kept coming in and out of focus. Tears streamed from her cheeks, feeling foolish or denying him for so long and running aware from her own feelings. "I l-love you too...I'm so s-sorry I never...s-ss..." Everything was beginning to feel so very cold.

"Akane..." El's arms grew tight around her. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. "Akane.. no... no, no, no... Stay with me... Stay awake." He gave her a little shake that he regretted. He pressed his lips to her forehead. "Please... I need you... you can't die!"

The blurry image of El faded to black and the last thing she would hear was the frantic pleading of El's voice. Akane's hand fell from his cheek and the rest of her body went limp in his arms.

El dropped to his knees, clutching Akane to his chest. He lost all control. He'd have loved to mourn her quietly, holding her there, remembering how strong she'd been at the end... He couldn't do that. He wasn't strong enough. A cry of anguish tore from his chest and he screamed his pain into the forest.

"HERE!" Tsu yelled, circling up above El and Akane in the bamboo, spinning around and around, making sure the people who followed her found them "HERE!" She would give up any chakra she needed to to make sure Akane lived.

El's eyes were red and swollen, his face drenched in tears. He quickly pushed his mask up, but despaired a having to let go of Akane's hand to do so. "He-" he tried to call out to Tsu sensei, but after that scream and the fight he'd had before, his voice was gone. He tried again, but his voice was little more than a whisper. Instead he whistled, calling their location out to Tsu. He dried his eyes, but there was no mistaking his grief. He knew Akane was dead, but she looked so peacefully asleep in his arms.

A few minutes after Tsu, Ishiaki crashed clumsily from the trees. His scabbard smashed into the ground and he leaned heavily against it, panting for breath. "Where's my student?"

"H-here..." El croaked dryly, his voice shattered. It was too late. She was dead. He swore he could already feel her growing cold. His mask soaked up tears that he couldn't stop crying.

Akane's body had been sliced diagonally across her chest and stomach like a seatbelt. It had bled quite a bit but Tsu had rushed in and stitched her up. That stitch job wasn't perfect and was primarily just to stop the bleeding as quickly as possible. There was also a cloth wrap around her abdomen that was already half bled through. Blood was on her mouth and chin, evidence that she had sputtered it up at some point before dying.

"Is... is there anything I can do?" Tsu asked, coughing hard, her own breath filled with blood as she stood beside Akane and El. She wasn't internally injured though, at least not as ripped up as Akane had been.

"Give me a moment, Tsu." Ishiaki said and moved over to Akane. He ran his hand along her, feeling the damage first hand. He shook his head slowly, the news was not good....

"She's dead..." El said softly, watching Ishiaki Sensei's hand travel over his beloved Akane. "We can't leave her here... She'd want to go back home... oh God... Ren... What am I gonna tell Ren!?"

Ishiaki groaned and looked up, shushing the boy. "Right now, you could be a little quieter Mr. Mariachi. Or you would have noticed that she is still breathing."

"What?" El asked, distraught. He looked down at the girl in his arms. She was as still and lifeless as she had been when she'd closed her eyes. He listened and watched and relief flooded into him at the shallow rise and fall of her chest. "Help her." El begged. "Please. Take my chakra, as much as you need."

Kano landed near the group, clutching Kami to his back. "We're here Ishiaki-sensei." He stated, easing down so Kami could climb off him.

"Kano is the best option at the moment, El." Ishiaki told him politely with a nod. "He has so far today, not expended any. His reserves are full, where the rest of us are actually pretty much running on empty."

El breathed a sigh of relief, but he sounded strangled when he told Kano, "Hurry. Please..."

Kami not wanting to hinder Kano further got off his back and staggered backward over a fallen bit of bamboo. Still blind she held out her left arm and moved slowly forward till she found someone's shoulder. The scent of her hair product told Kami it was Tsu Sensei. "Tsu sensei?" She asked just to be sure. "Is Akane going to be alright?"

"If she survives, this is going to mess her up in the head." Tsu said flatly to Kami in response. Now wasn't the time to be gentle "She'll need people, need you as well, if she's to recover. Are you willing to do that?"

El nodded furiously. "Yes." He said, not really caring who here knew how he felt about her. "I'd give my life for her."

"Good." was the only thing Tsu said, watching Akane without blinking.

Ishiaki took his sword up and smearing a little blood on the seal, released the Taiyou blade once more. "Mr. Kurosaki, if you would please." He instructed and held the blade up for the boy take a hold of the hilt.

"I just grab it?" Kano asked curiously as he clasped his fingers around the sword. He felt the power well up within the sword and he looked over at Kami. "Will...will it do the same to me?" He asked Ishiaki quietly.

"What's happening?" Kami whispered to Tsu Sensei.

"The circumstances are different, Kano. There should not be any ill effects for you." Ishiaki explained, keeping his hand above Kano's. The light flared about the two of them and slowly spread out to engulf Akane as well. "Just pour your chakra into the sword, let it do the rest."

Kano swallowed and focused, it was unlike anything he'd done before. He could feel the Taiyou take his chakra, but after that, he could feel his chakra no more. What the sword was doing with it, it was claiming the chakra for itself. He was simply the fuel for it.

"I don't know." Tsu said plainly to Kami "I think the chakra exchange is happening through the sword... hopefully, Akane should be healed soon."

El sat there on his knees with Akane in his arms. He seemed to worried to even moved. He cursed himself for stopping when he had. He should have kept going and they could have found Ishiaki and the others sooner...

Ishiaki placed a hand on Kano's shoulder. "You can let go now.." He told him gently, quietly. The boy was barely standing now, any longer and he'd have no chakra left for the sword to take.

Nodding weakly, Kano looked up at the man and his hand slid from the sword. He had no idea he'd been drained so much. He stumbled back a step and held his head lightly.

Placing the glowing sword across Akane's chest, Ishiaki leaned down over her, his hand softly cupped her cheek. "Come on, Akane, wake up." He whispered softly into her ear. He did not want to lose one of his first students...

El could feel the chakra radiating from the sword. He pressed his head to her's, praying, only prayers from his village were songs. Very softly he sang to his gods that she'd be ok. He had no chakra to send them on, but he hoped they were heard any way.

Despite the glow invading Akane's chest and torso, there was no change in her condition it seemed. She was still cold and lifeless in El's arms.

"Do you... need some more chakra?" Tsu asked, biting her lip and taking a deep breath "I could... I could give you some of my own." She didn't have much, but she had enough to give.

Ishiaki shook his head in response to Tsu. His hand lingered against her cheek as he stood up, leaving the sword draped across her chest. "Mr. Kurosaki has supplied more than enough chakra. The Taiyou can heal any wound, but it takes time for the most severe."

"What if it only heals the wielder?" Kami asked worriedly. "Was there a flash of light? There was a flash of light last time..."

"Akane is glowing, Kami..." Kano told her as he moved to her side. He couldn't believe that the sword had taken almost all of his chakra. He'd never felt so weak before.

Despite his concern about Akane El lifted his head once she began to glow, "What's wrong with Kami?"

Tsu looked up at Kami, frowning. "We'll deal with her when Akane isn't dying." she said with a nod. Yes, she was worried about Kami now as well, but Akane was almost dead.

"I'm blind." Kami said. "It happened when I activated the sword for Ishiaki... he says it should go away... eventually."

"Then I'll sing a prayer for you too." El told her and bowed his head to Akane's once more as he returned to his singing.

The sword continued to glow, but there was no progression of Akane's condition it seemed. Her body was just as cold and just as lifeless as before. El sang in whisper and for several minutes, there was no improvement. Then- the sword's glow faded to nothing.

El held her tighter. Ishiaki said it would work but nothing was happening and now the glow was gone. The words of his prayer, sang in his native tongue, faltered as he felt his throat tighten.

As if he sang the breath of life into her in those last moments, Akane suddenly took a massive breath of air and started gasping as if she had been drowning all this time.

El almost cried out in surprise at her sudden movement. "Akane!" He choked. "You're alive... you're really alive..."

She sputtered and gasped some more. Her eye lolled open as she finally came back into consciousness. Blood and phlegm fell from her mouth as she coughed, trying to rid herself of the blood that been caused from her internal injuries.

El turned her onto her side and began smacking her back. Tears of joy soaked into his mask.

Tsu let out a small sigh, then pulling a small bandage piece from her belt and giving it to El. "Here, clean up what she coughs up." she whispered to the boy, giving him a weak smile before moving over to Kami. She placed two hands on her shoulders, holding her still "We should bandage up your eyes... stop them from getting injured more."

El took the cloth and let Akane purge.

Kami's eyes were blank pits of storm cloud blue with no pupil. "I don't see how they can become more damaged than they are." She said. "Unless I walk into a swarm of bugs or something..." She really, really hated being blind. She didn't know how Ishiaki sensei did it so well. She wondered if she might be able to tune her chakra into seeing for her like he did.

"You can damage them because you keep them open in direct sunlight." Tsu said "You don't have the reflexes any more to tell you when NOT to stare, so you can damage your eyes and not know it. Seriously, close your eyes, we'll bandage them up and they'll heal faster."

"If they're that vulnerable then..." Kami said, trailing off. She pulled her forehead protector down, doing exactly what Ishiaki did to hide his lack of eyes. She tied it in place, the little shape of her village's medicine wheel staring at Tsu.

Akane threw up all she could. She coughed, gasped and wheezed for air, trying to "catch up" from all the breathing she had lost when knocked out. Although she didn't remember all that had happened moments ago... Akane was well aware of how dire her situation had been. She saw her sensei's sword fallen on the ground and could sense the others standing nearby. Her injury had caused a scene and she felt so awful and embarrassed because of it. More than anything though, she was scared. Never before had she been so close to death. She couldn't be strong right now and tears came. Sobbing and still gasping for air, she turned to the person who was nearest and tucked herself against El's chest, clutching onto his poncho. He could feel her fists trembling as she cried.

"I've got you..." El told her, holding her against him. He moved to wipe her lips and discarded the bit of cloth Tsu gave him once he was done. "It's ok." He said. "You're ok..." He couldn't help his own tears and wished he had his sombrero on so they could both hide beneath the big brim.

"I'm s-so sorry..." Akane muttered between coughs and sobs. What she was apologizing for exactly wasn't clear. Whether it was for making him worry or adding to their previous conversation...or for getting blood on him was anyone's guess.

"It's ok." El said holding her tight. "It's ok, you didn't do anything wrong..."

"Sorry sorry sorry..." Akane repeated in a small whisper so that only he could hear through her sobs. Tsu sensei was right, she was going to need some time to get over being so close to death like that.

Ishiaki knelt and retrieved his sword, sliding it into the scabbard and using it to aide him in standing. "You had us all worried, Akane..."

When her sensei spoke, Akane immediately tried to pull herself together. She wiped her eyes with her arm and tried to get up to her feet to speak with him. "Ishiaki- sensei... I-" Gravity wasn't having it however and her knees wouldn't hold, letting her fall again. Apparently she was still trying to make up for the blood loss.

"Shhhh...Talk later, rest now." Ishiaki told her softly, placing a hand softly on her shoulder.

"I have some medicine that will make her sleep." Kami said, looking worried for Akane. "But I'll need help figuring out which one is which."

"But..." Akane trailed off, wanting to apologize to her sensei. To tell him that she was sorry for failing at being a good medical ninja. She had gotten hit and worse yet, by her own teammate. It was shameful and a disgrace to all he has taught her. "I don't deserve to be your student." she managed to say, fallen on her knees.

"Because you were hit?" Ishiaki asked her softly, taking a knee in front of her. "Nobody is perfect, Akane." He reached up and placed his hand on her shoulder again. He leaned in close to her and whispered, "I lost..."

She looked up at him from her knees, surprised at that confession. Only now seeing the tiredness in his eyes as it matched her own. "A-are you hurt?" Akane asked. She hadn't energy to heal him now, but she was still concerned.

"That's better." Tsu with a little nod to Kami and a small smile. It was better than nothing at least. "Just... keep them closed, it'll help."

"Can you help me find something for Akane?" Kami asked, opening her medicine pouch. "They're blue... like a robin's egg."

"Nothing that won't mend." Ishiaki whispered softly, shaking his head. "Rest, for both of us and we'll be fine."

Akane wanted to say more, that their mission wasn't completely over, but she took his advice and nodded. "Thank you.." she chose to say instead of another apology. No one had yet told her that it was truly Kano that needed thanking.

"What now?" El asked her sensei. "Is she alright to move or should we wait?"

"If you can keep her steady, we can move her." Ishiaki told him with a nod. "We'll all be slow going just now, regardless of her condition."

El nodded to Ishiaki. "Do you want Kami's medicine?" He asked Akane.

Akane shook her head, "I don't want to fall asleep..." especially after what had just happened. Her body wanted to rest, but she insisted on staying awake. Still on her knees, Akane tried to stand again, but found her body even more frail than usual. She couldn't balance or straighten her legs.

"But you must." Ishiaki insisted of her.

"I'll carry her." El told Ishiaki. "She can rest on her own. Don't make her take the medicine if she doesn't want to... She can sleep in one of the wagons when we reunite with the others..."

"If she insists on being stubborn, give her one of the pills El." Ishiaki told him, groaning with effort as he got back on his feet.

El nodded, but he wouldn't make Akane take one. She'd slipped away into darkness once. He didn't think she wanted that again.

"Like... electric blue or... ah, egg shell blue... I think..." Tsu wiped her eyes, groaning slightly at the blood and trying to wipe her hands on herself "Sorry, I've got blood everywhere on myself. I think I found it..." With her hands a little less bloody, she reached in and plucked the medicine out.

Akane was on her knees, taking steady, deep breaths as she tried to regain herself. Already she felt her eyelids trying to shut, but refused them. El was correct. She didn't want to see darkness again...not after what had happened. Reaching into her pouch, Akane pulled out one of Kami's pellets. She had chakra technically, but figured a few bites may return some energy back into her system.

"There are only two blue ones." Kami said. "So the lighter of the two yes. Give it to El please." Then in a whisper she said, "We both know Akane'll just toss it." She was glad her friend was alright. If she could actually see how bad she was, she'd probably have been a lot more worried.

"Have you got any of those chakra pills of yours?" Kano asked from her side. He felt so incredibly drained by the sword, he needed the pick me up.

Akane took several bites of one chakra pellet from her supplies, hoping not to upset her queasy stomach. Kami had given her several before they set out and she figured one would perk her up a bit. She didn't have any water on her, so she was only able to get down half of it. When she got back to the wagons, Akane intended on drinking and eating the rest.

"You know what they look like right?" Kami asked Kano, offering her pouch to him.

"Here." El said offering Akane his water. "Not too much. You don't want to make yourself sick..." Oh they had a lot to discuss when they finally managed to be alone again.

"Pretty much." Kano said and reached into her pouch. He knew the pastel colored were especially for Akane, fruitier or something like that...

Ishiaki rubbed his sore spot and grimaced. "We'd better get moving... There's no telling what Oita and Hinji have gotten themselves into. With hope, there were no other encounters..."

"Thank you." Akane said and took a careful sip and ate the rest of the pellet. It went down fine and seemed to settle there. She took one last drink and returned the water to him, "Could you help me up? My legs aren't working well."

El did better than that. He picked her up. "You're not walking." He told her. "Not a step."

Akane winced and clutched her hands across her chest, "Ow... uhm... thanks. When we get back...remind me to get these stitches out, okay?" They were tugging on her skin now that she was all healed up.

"I'll get them out when we get back." Tsu said as she walked over, before holding the little blue medicine ball up and saying "El, give this to Akane. Kami's orders. Make sure she doesn't toss it, alright?"

"I'm right here." Akane said. Although she was a bit out of it, Tsu could have still told her. Taking the little pill, she asked, "What is this?"

"Kami says eat it. She also says you'd throw it away, so that's why I was telling El to give it to you." Tsu said with a little shrug.

El had no intention of giving it to her if she didn't want to sleep now. Eventually, but not now. "I'll see to it." El said, taking the pill from her.

"Uh huh." Akane said, "Sure." She really wanted El to leave with her now.

El pocketed the pill and when he turned away from his sensei as they prepared to leave, he gave Akane a wink.

Akane smirked. There was no way she was taking that pill, but was thankful El wouldn't press it further. "Let's get back..." she said weakly.

"Slow and steady, all of you." Ishiaki said, looking at each of the group sternly. They were all running on empty and there was no need to remind them of that. "The slower we travel, the more of our chakra we will inevitably regain."

Kami reached out for Kano, knowing he was near. "Kano..." She said, calling him to her, knowing he wouldn't let her trip of fall.

"Here Kami." Kano said, taking her hand lightly. "I'm afraid I won't be able to carry you this time." He told her softly, a smirk on his face.

"It's ok." Kami said. "Just help keep me from falling over stuff."

"If you'll help keep me from falling over...I'm exhausted." Kano whispered to her truthfully as he tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. He would try his best to keep her from falling.

---

Naruto: INC