| [Jan. 23rd, 2009|01:31 pm] |
The challenge was out of the air, chakra dying as Baton passed out. It took most of the fight with it, even the other familiar pausing with more important concerns. Whether that was an incoming table or the fact that his human lay unconscious was anyone's guess.
Kuromaru sniffed disdainfully, ruff lowering, and marched stiff-legged toward Tsume.
Tsume, still attached to her "rescuer" by one oversized hand on her shirt, yanked away and glared up. Kuromaru brushed gently against her hip, and three eyes stared at the newcomer.
"Generally, rescuers only come in when someone's called for them," she pointed out, pulling her shirt straight again, mostly for something to do with her hands than anything else. Cloth stuck to her skin, dripping. Bastard. She really wished she knew Raidou's drying jutsu--and had the chakra to use it. Adrenaline was fading rapidly, quicker than it would in any kind of battle, leaving her highly aware of the scratches Baton had left behind.
A practiced gaze swept her "rescuer"--as if she'd needed one--rapidly over. He was tall. Practically a giant. She didn't even come up to his collarbones--he was as tall as Ryouma, and Ryouma was stupidly tall. Appearances to the contrary, he couldn't possibly be a drifter. Too much chakra there, and under torn pants and a loose jacket she could catch glimpses of the way muscles flexed. He had to have Raidou's proportions, except even more muscular because he was even taller. She took another two steps back to keep from getting a crick in her neck, and peered up at his face from under her (wet) hair.
His hair was black, shaggy, disheveled now, and greasy. He hadn't shaved in days from the looks of things, and he was now grinning at her in a way that said he really had no idea how much of a bum he looked.
He smelled like cigarettes and, newly, blood. Tsume wrinkled her nose and pressed the back of her wrist to her face. It smothered tar and nicotine with Baton's red, still lingering under her claws.
The new guy's blood-scent curled up from under her claws, too.
His hips were going to give out really soon. She'd bet money on it. One day he'd be striding along on his stupid long legs, and bam, he'd drop.
"You can stop smiling now," Kuromaru sniffed at her side. "We beat them." His whole tone said that any time the new guy wanted to leave, he was more than welcome to do so. They had it handled. |
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