| [Jul. 8th, 2012|04:37 am] |
Katsuko flopped over onto her back, cackling. “Oh gods,” she gasped. “Oh gods. What did Raidou do when he woke up?”
“He was awake,” Genma said. “In the drunk tank. It was… yeah, actually the rest of the story isn't really that funny."
She patted him on the knee. “S’alright,” she said. “Thanks for sharing that, though. Made my day.” Snickering, she added, “He kicked you in the nuts.”
Genma relaxed when it became apparent she wasn’t interested in pursuing that topic of conversation, chuckling and resting his hands protectively between his legs. "It wasn't even the first time. He's gone for it a couple of times when we were sparring, but I always wear a cup when I spar, because that's just not a way you want to lose a fight. And he got me once when I was in pajamas when we were… Actually crap, that's a kind of not-funny story, too."
“I’m sensing a theme,” Katsuko said, dryly. “Maybe we should come up with a signal for when we’re verging into not-funny territory. A danger dance or a hand gesture or something.” After a moment she sighed and dragged her fingers through her hair, staring up at the night sky. “I went to see the chakra specialists today. Things aren’t looking good.”
Genma shifted, nudging one leg out to bump against hers. "What happened?"
“My seal,” Katsuko said, gesturing vaguely at her stomach where Kaminari’s handiwork lay. “A while back there was a bad mission. Lost control, sent out a chakra blast large enough to knock me out and blow up half a forest. My chakra started deteriorating then. Medics are doing all they can, but...” she shrugged. “Heh. Have I even told you about my seal?”
"No,” Genma said, a little alarm entering his tone. “What seal? What do you mean your chakra's deteriorating?"
Katsuko rubbed her temples, already regretting letting that piece of information slip. “I just met you—I don’t even know why I’m telling you this.” No time left, a little voice in the back of her head whispered. No time left, and no one to hear your story.
Katsuko closed her eyes. “When I was in the labs, the head scientist put a seal on me.” She pressed a hand to her stomach. “It fucked with my chakra, permanently overloaded my coils. It’s the reason why I can pull off a couple A-rank jutsu without breaking a sweat—all that energy’s always looking for somewhere to go. Same reason why I can’t even light a candle with chakra without blowing the whole room up. All or nothing.”
Genma shifted beside her, letting out a long breath. "Fuckers. You were a kid, too. Doing that to a fucking kid. I've had chakra overloads in my hands. Just in my hands. I thought the pain'd make me pass out sometimes, and that was just temporary." One of those scarred hands settled gently next hers; Genma bumped her shoulder, a silent offer of comfort. "I have a friend, Rina. She does seal work. Maybe she could help you."
“No,” Katsuko said, sharply. “No more seal work, no more ink on my skin, just—” she stopped and took a deep breath. “I’m not laying myself out on a lab table for some stranger to poke at my stomach.”
Genma exhaled, long and low. He didn’t move away from her at all."Okay. Yeah, nothing like that. She just… She designed some of the medical seals they used to get the chakra coils in my hands to heal. But you don't have to talk to her."
“I’ll think about it,” Katsuko lied. For a seal specialist who didn’t know her, Katsuko would just be another interesting puzzle to poke at and make curious noises over. She’d had enough of being treated like a piece of meat attached to a fascinating inked seal design for a lifetime.
"Is there anything they can do for you? You said it was bad news…"
“Chakra therapy,” Katsuko said, dryly. “Chakra therapy, and more chakra therapy. They seem to think that working on my control will help when my coils start disintegrating.” |
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