A brief, humorless smile flickered across Tsume's face when Haruichi spoke to Kuromaru. The canine trusted only warily, and usually only if the person was more powerful than he was. Canine common sense said that only those stronger than him could protect him best. He'd been unconscious for Haruichi's display of strength.

She took a deep breath, ignoring for the moment the way Kuromaru continued to back up, his tail low and his gaze deadly serious.

"All right," Tsume said, just as firmly as Haruichi had spoken a moment before. She couldn't do her job if she couldn't trust her teammates. He was a Hyuuga--but he was a medic, and he wore the black and bone, and he'd already started the repairs.

Three weeks. She clung to that knowledge almost desperately, and didn't let it show.

"Kuromaru, get your flea-bit tail up here. You heard him. We'll still feel each other, still have some chakra flow. And he's right: if there's rot in one of our systems, passing it on to the other would only mean we have to start all over again. So you tell me if anything feels funny."

Unhappily, growling low in his throat, Kuromaru sidled back up. "This is stupid."

"Stupid or not, we're doing it." Tsume nodded once at Haruichi and braced.