| [Apr. 27th, 2009|07:36 pm] |
"But it still hurts?" Kuromaru asked, trotting over and sticking his face in hers the next time she bent for a kunai.
She rocked back, kunai untouched, and Kuromaru stepped forward to sniff her delicately.
"You know how you said I throw things at you, pup?" Tsume growled.
Kuromaru slicked his one ear back and stepped away. "I was just checking. She smells like she's hurting. And there's blood."
"Yeah, and you're not helping." Tsume slanted a look at Katsuko, who looked anything but happy. There was strain on her slim face, though her eyes were hidden by hair. "You can kick him," Tsume suggested.
Kuromaru huffed. "She's cut her lip."
"I don't think it's cut," Tsume said dryly. Katsuko looked, more than ever, like she was preparing to flee. This was why Inuzuka kept to themselves--the instant a familiar decided someone needed caring for, they threw caution out the window. But people didn't like it when they learned you could tell so much just by scent.
If the other kunoichi left, she took with her Tsume's chance to get help. She was looking like leaving was the foremost thing on her mind. "Look," Tsume said quickly, "there was a wreck of a mission, and ... and they amputated part of my chakra. It'll come back, eventually." She didn't need people thinking she was permanently weak. She took half a step back, felt her face harden in preparation to defend herself, tucked her chin to protect her throat, and tried to remember Katsuko was a teammate and not Inuzuka. She said the rest in a rush. "So if you've had chakra damage, and you figured out how to get around it, I wouldn't mind..." Asking for help didn't come naturally. She ground out, "pointers." |
|