Her grip tightened on his arms as his muscles went rigid. Much as she'd like to drop him for kissing her -- what was he thinking? -- that would probably not help anything.

Besides, if she kept touching him, she could at least feel where his chakra was going -- make sure the jutsu was working --

His skin, under stubble and bruises and cuts, went pale. The muscle in his jaw jumped and released. He turned ashen. Pupils dilated, and with a hoarse gasp he slumped forward, bracing a hand on her shoulder as all his energy went toward focusing the chakra -- she hoped -- instead of remaining upright.

Tsume grunted and rebraced herself. He was just as heavy as he looked. She wrapped her hands around his shoulders, willing him to direct the energy flow. It felt like he was. It felt right. His body contracted. Muscles spasmed. His hands clawed for his skull, and she scrambled to grab his forearms to keep them down. Grating the bones out of place would only make it worse.

"Asuma, don't," she barked when he pulled against her. He must have heard, somewhere. He stopped fighting. His breath coursed over her shoulder, ragged and shallow.

And then she felt the jutsu engage, solidifying as it rushed into his skull and started forming bone. "Okay." She relaxed her grip, rubbing her palms up and down his arms. "You're done." It would work itself now.

For a moment, he moved his hands as if he might rub her in return: automatic and soothing. Then his whole body went limp.

He was even heavier as dead weight than he was as conscious weight.

"Ack -- bloodticks," Tsume squawked. She planted a hand on the table to keep them both from falling, grabbing him with the other. "Need a clone down here!"

It seemed like forever before one arrived. For a moment, she had the terror that it wouldn't. That Asuma was dead, and the clones vanished. But she could feel his breath fluttering on her chest, his heartbeat under her raw fingertips.

When the clone arrived, he helped her roll Asuma to one side. Tsume stood, unsure whether she ought to check his head or not. If it hadn't worked and she moved a bone... better not.

"Watch him," she said, resisting the urge to feel for his pulse once more. "And get me when he wakes up."

"Aye aye, Captain."

She glowered.

The clone smiled.

Steeling herself, Tsume took the medkit from Asuma's unconscious form, hooked the pills on her own beltpouch, and headed up the stairs. She couldn't do anything down here, and they needed a crew to sail. They needed to find out how the buyers had known about the weapon.

She paused on the deck, looking out at the dark sea. Asuma would be all right. He had to be all right, because there wasn't anything left she could do.

"You," she said, gesturing at another clone. "Come with me." She started purposefully across the ship, toward the brig. The wind teased at her, sliding in all the openings of her shirt and chilling her skin.

Asuma would be warm enough below, at least. There was food if he woke. She should have left pain medication. She hesitated, licking her lips --

And tasted sugary peaches and cigarettes and something sharp and unseen.

"Stay here," she muttered, and reversed direction. He'd be okay. He'd wake up soon, so she'd go back and leave pain medication, and make sure he didn't need anything else, and then she had things to do. They were going home.