| [Jan. 22nd, 2010|09:02 pm] |
"Going where?" Genma demanded. "Why did you tell your-- dog to get Ara--ka--ki?" One horrifying possibility sprang to mind: was Kakashi planning for an inquiry? An autopsy? Konoha would certainly want to examine the body of a shinobi killed in the line of duty by a lethal combination of chakra poison and unauthorized medical jutsu. "I'm not gonna die, damn--it. You don't need a kill team. Just a-- medic."
He grabbed for Kakashi to pull himself up, clenching stiff fingers around the strap of Kakashi's armour. Kakashi responded by slipping an arm under Genma's shoulder, another under his knees, and lifting.
"What the-- hell?" Don't!" Genma kicked and arched his back reflexively, his sense of balance utterly shredded.
Kakashi's grip instantly tightened until it was almost a restraining hold. Genma could feel the tingle of blue-white chakra against his skin where Kakashi's hands touched him. Kakashi's face was suddenly inches from his own, hot breath filtered by that black mask. His voice was soft, almost emotionless. "Get this straight, Shiranui. I don't kill teammates unless I have a direct order from the Hokage in my hands. You are safe with me, okay? I don't care how much we dislike each other, I am getting you home safe and in one piece, even if I have to knock you out to do it. So quit struggling."
Genma searched the eye he could see for any hint of deception, but found only intensity. He shivered and swallowed, and tried to let tight muscles relax. The sensation of falling persisted. "Li--sten," he started. Shutting his eyes only made the vertigo worse, so he snapped them back open. "Just give me a minute. Dizzy."
Kakashi dropped into a careful crouch so that Genma could feel the ground under them. He shifted his hold by painstaking millimeters until Genma's head rested against his shoulder. "Breathe," he advised. "You keep breathing too shallow." Genma could hear the fear underlying Kakashi's calm, like a river of snowmelt flowing silently under a blanket of ice.
Slowly, agonizingly slowly, the whirling unbalance diminished, the pain in Genma's head ebbed. "Can you open my-- med kit?" he asked. "There's a scroll. Cha--kra seal." A stop gap emergency measure, something to slow the flow of chakra through damaged coils. It would buy them some time, at least. |
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