| [Jun. 12th, 2009|04:30 pm] |
More than ten hours running on a damaged chakra system, more hours of cold, seals frying her pathways, mental strain, and freezing water had taken their toll. She didn't quite notice when they stopped flogging her. Didn't quite notice that she had to lean against the mast to stay upright, breath shuddering in her lungs. Only through a haze did she hear a scream.
It took all the energy she had to roll her head to face Asuma, but what she saw brought a smile to her lips. The ninja behind him was crying out, face twisted up into a mask of pain. Someone yanked him away, and an elbow smashed into the back of Asuma's skull.
Tsume tried to growl. It wasn't audible.
"We're gonna send you back in pieces, asshole," the ninja holding the whip said. "You can choose whether we do it now, or later. Seems to me you'd be good little ninja and encourage our keeping you alive to test our pretty new weapon on, 'cause the longer you're alive the better your chance for escaping. Not that you're going to, but hope dies last, doesn't it?" He stepped back, swinging his whip in loops around his feet. The tip licked at his boots, caressed his ankles, slid along the deck in hypnotizing patterns. "'Course, you wanna get cute, we can start chopping pieces off your friend here. Seems like she might not last so long, anyway."
Tsume propped her head against her arm, frowning. "I go'cher buddy, there." The ninja wrapped in bandages was sitting to one side, and now she could see the bandages wrapped around his chest and arm, as well. They hadn't been there before, and she'd gotten someone out at sea.
"For which, I'm sure, we'll talk." The whip twitched out, scoring across the backs of her calves with frightening grace. Tsume yelped and tried to yank her legs around, succeeding only in knocking herself off balance. The ninja with the bandages smirked.
"Now," Whip continued, "if you don't want us cutting you into pieces this instant, I suggest you play nice." He pulled his arm back. The whip slithered around. He twitched it forward and it slashed up through the air, cracking sharply against Asuma's already damaged skin. Tsume winced.
"What's traditional on a ship?" Whip called out.
"Try twenty lashes," Bandages answered, laughing.
Whip smiled. "One." |
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