| [Jul. 3rd, 2008|01:29 am] |
She was in the middle of hacking up dirt that used to be a mock-man when the smell hit. Her stomach coiled, tensed... and held.
And then it smelled like oranges, and the world was a much better place. Tsume cackled a laugh, throwing her head back in a near-howl before she whipped around, coming under a bandit's guard and slicing nails across his gut. Blood-slick hands flashed through Shikyaku no Jutsu properly this time, elongating claws and teeth, giving her extra speed, longer claws, fangs, and heightened senses. This, she could sustain almost indefinitely. "Coyot, that orange thing is great! I love that!"
"Love this, bitc--"
She took his face off below the jaw before he could finish.
For a moment, there was space. Tsume crouched, shaking her hands free of flesh and shreds of muscle, most scents blocked by the smell of blood. She had an instant to look around, to see a dozen or more armed civilians striking at air where they saw genjutsu. Another instant and she saw three more ninja arrowing in on her and Ryouma. She followed her pathways to Kuromaru, spotted him in the shadows, crunching through bone, twisting to snap someone's spine.
Then another woman was on her, moving with fluid grace beyond what any civilian could manage.
There were more than a couple of shinobi here. She ducked a blow only to feel something--wire, she realized too late--tangle around her feet. Tsume went down with a yelp and a snarl, and a log landed where she would have, atop a scattering of makibishi. She dropped to the ground a body-length away, swapping opponents and kicking the knees out of another ninja. He didn't try to catch himself, just came down on her hard, mouth opening and something green and glistening shooting out.
It hit her armor and sizzled, leaving black scorch marks in its wake.
"You rectal bloodfart," Tsume snapped, lunging up at his face as he paused to breathe. "Do you have any idea what a pain it is to get armor in this size? The guys always think it's a typo! And I just had my chest plate replaced!" She ripped at his face, driving him back one step, another, a third into the spires his compatriot had laid down. He opened his mouth, cheeks inflating with the green, and froze. A moment later he went into seizure.
A kunai skittered across her shoulder, caught on a strap, twisted into skin and muscle. Tsume snarled and whipped around. How many of these guys were there? She leaped at a ninja, and was bashed out of the air by a mace-wielding bandit. Her ceramic guards protected her from broken ribs, and she rolled as she hit the ground. Her lungs burned, air knocked loose. She scrambled up slightly too late; the ninja she'd been aiming for kicked her hard under her jaw, just past the edge of the mask.
She was about to get pounded. Chakra shot between her and Kuromaru. She twisted seals. They both vanished.
And reappeared in each other's spots. Kawarimi, with an Inuzuka twist. She glanced back in time to see Kuromaru's teeth sink into the ninja's striking foot, then she grabbed the man who'd dropped low to catch a wolf and twisted his head, snapping his neck.
She grinned behind her mask, teeth smeared red, nose filled with the smell of blood, pupils dilated. This was perfect. |
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