Baiji growled and lurched under Genma, torn between his last order to protect Genma, and his overriding instinct to defend Kakashi. Genma didn't have any such divided loyalty. Terror was, for a moment, completely banished by white hot rage. He dragged as deep a breath as he could, forced strengthless muscles to lift his head, nerveless fingers on one hand to tear the chakra-seal at the back of his neck loose. The other was already flexing into hand signs. A jittering half of tiger.

Chakra surged through the breach as the seal lifted away, fountained out like a geyser. Coursed into his body again, enlivening muscles, quickening nerves. It brought with it an explosion of pain in his head, almost enough to drive sense away

The man grunted a curse and snapped out an order. A shivery paralysis stopped the breath in Genma's lungs, as one of the other Rock ninja cast a restraining jutsu on him. Baiji's roar cut off abruptly.

"You have to be kidding me," the woman said. "As close to dead as you are, you'd try something that stupid?" Her voice sent a chill through Genma that was far worse than a fear of death.

"Someone deal with that damn dog," the man ordered.

Baiji had stopped moving, too. Stopped breathing. Frozen in the jutsu, Genma could feel the world closing down to nothing. No heartbeat. No breath. How long would it take?

"Don't kill him, Issei," the woman warned. "Let the man breathe. He's halfway in the grave already." The jutsu eased off, and Genma gasped in a breath, Baiji, under him, shuddered in a breath of his own, and staggered, nearly falling. Genma started to slip from the dog's back. Immediately Baiji's chakra rose, sticking him fast.

"Alright, let's see what we have here," the woman again. Genma felt her fingers on his throat, caressing his bruised jaw, turning his head towards her. Her breath smelled of onions and something sweet. Her face was heart-shaped, delicate almost, under a shock of short black hair. Violet-blue eyes met Genma's, large eyes with thick lashes. She grabbed his dogtags. "Shiranui Genma. Huh."

Did she recognize the name?

"Take him off the dog," she ordered. Baiji snarled, and Genma felt the wash of coffee-brown chakra from the mastiff grow stronger. "And honestly, Daimon, make yourself useful and deal with this mutt!"

Hands grabbed at Genma's shoulders, tugging him hard against Baiji's pull. A blade glittered in his peripheral vision, driving towards the dog's throat.

"Ggggggggo!" Genma managed to force out.

The blade hissed through a wisp of smoke, and Genma fell, landing hard on his belly. He could see sandal-shod feet. Kakashi's limp, crumpled form. Discarded weapons.

"Huh, it was a summon," the tall man said.

"I thought you knew that. Copy-boy there summons dogs. Is he still breathing?"

"He's breathing," someone answered.

"Good. Daimon, you carry him. We've got this one."

Genma couldn't move. Still couldn't move. Nothing more than shallow breath and limping heartbeat. Nothing more than wide, frantic eyes. The big man rolled him over onto his back, heaved a shoulder against his abdomen and lifted Genma into a fireman's carry.

The woman appeared again, face close to Genma's. So close. "Scared?" she asked sweetly.

Genma struggled for a breath.

Her face hardened into something altogether too pleased. "Let's go," she told her companions.