| [Jan. 21st, 2009|03:45 pm] |
"Well," Tsume drawled, inching warily into the room, "it's not like you can sever any more chakra links." She paused, considered, and corrected, "Any more important ones."
Kuromaru was still in the hall, his tail tucked between his legs, the white bandage standing clear against his dark fur. He was getting white hairs in his black coat, both across the scars of his muzzle and on his chest. His summer coat would have even more white; over the years, his stomach had turned pale, though most people couldn't see that.
And thinking about the patterns of his fur wasn't getting either of them closer to being whole, again. She took the first step into the overly blank room, then a second. "Kuromaru, get your tail in here."
He whined and slunk inside, keeping to the walls, a great hulking shadow looking for anything dark.
It smelled... funny. Like a lightning fire long burned out. Lightning fire and Hyuuga, that was. She eyed the medic--no, doctor--and felt utterly naked under that pale gaze. Others could sense her chakra was low. He could see what, exactly, was wrong. He could see her pathways twisted and snarled and useless, could see the scarring that others just felt. He knew how truly powerless she was, isolated from her familiar.
He was supposed to help. She found herself tucking her chin anyway, everything she'd ever learned about the dangers of Hyuuga bristling at her spine. Not that it mattered now. He'd done all the damage he could. He was supposed to help. She took another wary step forward, knowing she looked more like a cornered dog than a ninja and unable to stop. He wasn't much taller than she was--a single handspan, perhaps--and slight. His black hair was cropped short, annoyance pulling the sleek lines of his face taut.
Kuromaru reached the other wall and slunk forward on his belly, stopping only when he got to the boots beneath the white lab coat. He sniffed them carefully.
It was impossible that he'd remember Haruichi. He'd been unconscious. But scent did funny things. Tsume held her breath and hoped the medic didn't move too fast. He might come away unscathed, but watching Kuromaru bolt off in terror wasn't something she wanted to see repeated. |
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