Terms of Surrender [Event | Anarchy!]

[Mikaboshi]

[Continued from HERE]

It didn't take long for Katsuo to find a suitable location for the unfolding of his intentions. Moving the Cabal agents was simple thanks to the amount of metal in their armor and apparel, to say nothing of their armaments and in some cases such as Magnetica's their very body, and the ruined portion of the Toraono Dojo that the battle had taken place in was surprisingly unscathed from the amount of explosions that had taken place in the village. The Kazekage Tower had been simply leveled with terrifying precision. Katsuo still had no concrete idea how they had managed such a feat with such speed and accuracy but that question was not particularly pertinent at the moment even if it remained something that he intended to ask after from Kaito once the dust settled if things went according to plan.

If I may ask, what are your intentions here Lord?

Katsuo, Caliburn. Enough with the king stuff, already. I get it bad enough from Sousuke.

You will not deflect me from this. My question remains.

Katsuo blew a long sigh as it seemed that Caliburn was not going to let the matter rest. He knew how she voted in all of this already. The words of the diamond golem constantly echoed through the back of his mind each time he thought about how the coming discussion was going to go. The nameless construct had advised him against the streak of benevolence he had running through his heart much in the same way that Kuro had attempted to do some time earlier. It told him that his naivety would get him killed one day and that his desire to save everyone that he could was nothing short of petty arrogance and since that encounter he had struggled with that revelation. He knew that Garyou would agree with them. Even though his master was a fair man in all things, he believed that there were those in the world who were too far gone to be turned from their path. That there was no redemption for monsters.

Too many questions remain. The Cabal has much to answer for but killing them would only put us where we were before their attack except without a village to call home. We know why some of these men and women attacked us but both Saiga and Kaito told me that they were just soldiers following orders. Whose orders? And why? I refuse to believe that these guys who hold such strong convictions are just paid mercenaries. That just doesn't hold water.

Then why not let Toraono Kuro have his way and find their secrets in a way that prevents them from lying?

Because that is how a demon solves his problems. We will settle this like men.

It was a silly rational, and a shallow one as well, but Caliburn seemed to accept that for now even if she seemed to know that there was something deeper at play within the reasoning that Katsuo had. Each of the Cabal agents rest against the far wall of the room that they were in, thin but strong coils of carmot-steel wrapped around their extremities to limit movement. He wanted to have a fair conversation with them but he was not so foolish as to believe that they would not be enemies once they awoke. Especially the one with the metal adorning her skin. Both Sousuke and Kuro had given him warnings about her and for that reason Katsuo kept his eyes especially upon her. They were only a few rooms down from where the battle had taken place and it would hopefully not be long before Sousuke returned with his medic friend. None of the Cabal agents seemed to have life-threatening wounds any longer thanks to Kuro's healing techniques but still he was not anxious to take any chances.

 

[Akako]

[col]She hadn't been at the dojo cum village gates for too long when the ground shook beneath her feet. That was, on its own, worrisome. Sinkholes could be a potential problem and she had yet to fully master the art of chakra walking as her control lacked precision despite its strength. But when a loud explosion rattled off on the opposite side of the structure, that only made the whole thing worst. Structural damage, collapsing of underground tunnels were added to the list of things that could possibly kill her. This was probably the worst field trip she took, outside of her home island.

It all started when those thugs tried to kill her, of course.

Still, she was looking for things to do... things that paid, hopefully, and she was a doctor. Where there was trouble, there were probably injured people.

There was the weighing of pros and cons; a split second decision in real time, as her mind ran through the possible outcomes of getting involved. They were pretty much at an even rate, really. If she were to help, aside from her doctor's duty, the village might look kindly upon and favour her even as an outsider.

So, without further ado, defying all sane reasoning... she walked towards the explosion's source with care. The doctor was especially wary of the bizarre underground lightning storms. Fascinating. She wondered if these were natural or the results of shinobi conflict.

Ignoring the people screaming and running away in a panic, she made a beeline for her destination. Nothing made her stop on the way. There were no injured people to tend to just yet. Perhaps they had already been spirited away by the local security and medical forces. If so, she (mentally) applauded their swift and responsible action.

"Hello?" She still wanted to check, of course. Just in case they missed anyone, perhaps buried under rubble and debris. Or those left behind, if they were lacking in active numbers. "Is anybody there? Does anyone need any help? I can help. I'm a doctor and..."

Nanami had to stop and stare at the destruction.

Shinobi were rather scary, weren't they?|</FONTFACE>[legend="[b]Out of Character Notes[/b]"]

• Mizushima-hakase at your service!
  This won't be free, of course.
  
  Thanks for letting me join, friend-o!

[/legend]<FONTFACE fontface="monospace">[/col]

 

[Mikaboshi]

A woman's voice echoed through the mostly empty ruins of the Dojo and dragged Katsuo out of his thoughts and out of the conversation with Caliburn. Leaping to his feet from the place he'd been seated at on the floor, Katsuo felt fingers of lightning run down his forearms as a small rush of adrenaline hit his system. He still hadn't had a chance to talk to any of the Cabal members and such still had no idea how many of them were still out there. It was entirely possible that this doctor was another one of their group looking to join up with her allies considering that Kaito had put out an announcement over most of the village regarding the bombs. Still... looking to where Magnetica lay on against the wall with a small pool of blood accumulating underneath her, he wasn't sure he could afford to pass up the opportunity to get them medical attention. He was capable of doing some very minor healing with some chi techniques taught to him by his master but nothing he knew could stem the bleeding from the attacks that they'd sustained during the battle. Really it was a miracle that Magnetica was still alive.

"Yeah, hey in here!" He called back to the woman as he couldn't afford to leave the Cabal agents alone in case this was some sort of diversion ploy. "I've got some injured folk in here!"

He took another deep breath and brought the lightning running through his limbs to heel for the time being. He still might need it in case this was some kind of trap but he didn't want to hurt someone who was just trying to help. His encounters with the Cabal were making him paranoid. Letting go of his aggression, Katsuo made the unconscious decision to offer up a bit of trust to this person to save Magnetica's life. If he didn't, she could very well die before Sousuke returned with his medic friend and after all the effort he'd made to protect the lives of the Cabal agents up until this moment it would be an awful tragedy if one of them died on the floor while he watched powerlessly.

 

[Sand Council]

OC: I have been summoned.

IC:
[col]

Magnetica​

• Severe bleeding that continues
• Hypovolemic Sock
• Residual effects of poisoning has caused liver and kidney damage
• Hypotension from the hypovolemia is contributing to multi-system organ failure

|

Kaito​

• Electrocution that has resulted in internal burns
• Electrocution that has resulted in a cardiac arrhythmia
• He is not breathing!
• he has not heartbeat!

[/col]

There was not much to be said at this point in the story. Two great fighters, wholly defeated and now left to lay in their own fluids. Magnetica was bleeding out significantly faster than Kaito was, she would likely die within the next few minutes. Kaito was not doing much better, but his injuries were for the most part internal. From the outside, besides a few cuts and bruises he actually looked like he got into a bar fight rather than a life or death struggle against a team of shinobis and he was sleeping off his injuries. Unfortunately,the electrical currents burned him internally and set his heart on an aberrant rhythm. His lips had turned blue and is armor was drenched in sweat. Neither of them were long for this world.

We are knocked out. We are not going to get back up again until we are healed to the point where we regain consciousness. We are both in critical condition and we might even die so work with haste, even if you lack medical skills such as jutsus you can use common sense or even other jutsus for unexpected purposes. Have fun.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke had returned with Yume. It took him some extra time as he had to find her and recover from his own injuries. The Steward looked better than what he was, but there were some small changes. First he did not look dead in the eyes. Astonishingly his eyes were blue. Secondly he didn't seem as frail as he used to be without his armour. He wasn't as tall as Katuso was, and still Katuso towered over him. Sousuke's eyes narrowed at Magentica. It would have been better to let her perish here and now. Twice had she attacked the realm. Twice she was defeated. This would happen again, and again. Skull Splitter had done some severe damage to her, and Sousuke would not apologize or sympathize with her. Magentica had come to Sungakure with a right of conquest. Yume probably mirrored these sentiments.

Sousuke's gaze would turn into a glare. Magentica had impaled him. Tried to bring the tunnel down upon them. Kaito of course had tried to kill all of them. He had been tasked with the destruction of Sungakure. Of the attackers, these two had the greatest injuries. Sousuke was biased against each and every single member, but that bias would not lead them to piecing together the whole puzzle.

Sousuke snapped out of his disdain for the unconscious ones before him. "Apologies Katuso. for arriving late. I had ... endured a critical error during my transport of people to Deadlines. Prime Diamund had healed me."<i></i> Sousuke had to fight the urge to refer to Katuso as 'my King'. Katuso would see it in his face as he was very certain that Katuso would have taken the crown as he had displayed his ferocity on the field of battle and his leadership. The Steward exchanged a glance with the female with him. He did not recognize her as a member or residence of the realm. Perhaps she was an ally of his? "We need to cease the bleeding and slightly restore the metallica skinned one."<i></i> He stated. Usually Sousuke spoke in monotone, but his request was made with hesitancy. Magentica may of course begin attacking once more. That would be the third time, and Sousuke was confident that once again she could be defeated. "This is Magentica the mistress of metal and magnetism. We have battled her before. She campaigned against us as to take Sungakure over. She is of the mind that this realm is a place of power, and that she by ... not divine-right, but by self-right is entitled to take these lands over for her own use. We have bested her twice now."<i></i> He narrated. "It is a most unpleasant history, her forces seemed to be independent. I am not sure how she connected herself to the Cabal, aside from the fact that they had broke her out of prison."<i></i> Sousuke didn't expect Yume to readily wish to aid Magentica. Their history was even worse. He had warned Katuso of her, but never explained what he needed to know about her. "What do you know of him?"<i></i> He spoke referring to Kaito.

 

[Akako]

[col]Snapping out of her thoughts when the cry for help came out, Nanami was quick to head towards the source. Her Mary Janes clacked on the floor, echoing through the tunnels, and her lab coat billowed behind her as she all but ran. When she got to the room, she only had eyes for the injured couple. A serious look overtook her normally soft face and she was at their side before anybody could even blink.

A second later, two copies of her started to form out of the shadows. Medical assistants, if how their hands and eyes glowed of gentle, medical chakra was any indication.

"Talk. What happened?"

Her order was spoken with authority and the tone brook no argument. She cared little right now for the what was going on outside and for her own safety. All that mattered were these two lives before her. Getting the man to talk, if he knew anything of what happened here, would give further insight. But her mind was already working a mile a minute, assessing the severity of their wounds.

The woman was bleeding profusely. There was too much blood and, at first glance, it would make sense for her to treat her first as the man looked none too worst for wear with only a few cuts and bruises. But Nanami knew better than that, having been a doctor for such a long time. This wasn't her first rodeo, so to speak. And, when shinobi were concerned, things didn't always look as they seemed.

It was a good thing she was a damn good multitasker.

"Don't dawdle and gawk! Check on that one, you two! Prepare for two emergency operations!" she barked at her assistants. Even if... technically, she was shouting at herself. There really was no need too, of course. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, the clones were already on the job.

「 Female patient. Jane Doe. Bleeding.」

「 Internal bleeding? Possible.
Hypovolemic shock?
Hypotension? Can't tell just yet.」​

「 Will have to take care of all the bleeding before further diagnosis.」​

First things first.

"Tranquilized!" Two voices rang out at the same time.

It wouldn't do for them to be revived, only to trash about and worsen their injuries in a panic. That happened far too often, back when she was younger. She'd learn that it was better safe than sorry. There was no time to perform anaesthetic procedures though, of either civilian or shinobi nature. Every second counted and the tranquilizers should numb the pain until they had breathing room to give them pain killers.

Next.

「 Male patient. John Do-」

"Three, two, one. Clear!"

「 Male patient. John Doe. Not breathing. No heartbeat.」

「 Cardiac resuscitation before anything else.」​

She shook her head, halting her thoughts. Her clones could take care of CPR procedures. Easy enough. Meanwhile, she could take care of Jane Doe's bleeding. She couldn't place where the worst of her injuries lied though. There were too many.

If anything, she'd have to brute force her chakra, cover the woman's whole body with the Coagulation technique. Easy enough. She was a natural with handling power in that manner. It was when she was required for precision that took all her concentration.

Placing her hands on Magnetica, she let her medical chakra coat the woman like a cocoon. It sought out the source of her bleeding, lapping at the blood to stem the flow, finding discrepancies in the skin to seal them up. There was some trouble though, with the latter. Her skin wasn't all flesh, perhaps. Still, she did what she could.

|</FONTFACE>

​

[legend="[b]Out of Character Notes[/b]"]

• Good thing I'm a medic with a buttload of Medical jutsus. Time to play doctor!
  
  Summary:
  Summoned two Medical Assistants (using Special Action for an extra one)
  Tranquilized both
  Resuscitate used on Kaito to get his heart beating
  Coagulation on Magnetica to take care of bleeding
  
  That's all for now! I could do more but I thought to give Katsuo and the mod some leeway for any changes or whatever. I have some insta-heal techniques, apparently, but that would be too boring? Mreh! So I only use what makes sense for the diagnosis while not being too OP. I originally put a System Shock there, to take care of Magnetica's poisoning. But I realized Nanami had yet to realize of her poisoning due to liver and kidney damage, only having seen the bleeding. Maybe next post or something.

[/legend]<FONTFACE fontface="monospace">[/col]

 

[Raizo]

It had taken him awhile to reach this point. There were obstacles littered about the village as he made his way to the dojo. The call over the village seemed to cause the appropriate amount of panic, but Kasha's fear was that it was an attempt to lure the village in one space and wipe them out. This was silly, so the collapsing of the entire village was eminent at that point in time anyways. The bombs had been confirmed so there was no reason to lure in everyone. As he made it to the seen, everything seemed to have died down. His first glimpse was the apprehension of four figures, faces he had not seen before. The village shinobi, lead by the Steward, oh hey Sousuke is alive, and the man he had seen during the attack on the bakery, were the ones apprehending the four, so his assumption was that Suna had finally one over this short lived nightmare.

He then noticed two of the figures separated from the other two and were taken away by the man from the bakery attack. Kasha, who epitaph was a cat demon, was indeed very curious about this matter. So he would slinky his way through the debris and innards of the dojo, keeping pace with the man he had heard proclaim himself as 'Katsuo' during the battle with Oroku. The figure had a very interesting way of introducing himself, very proud, and seemed to hold that confidence even when just simply moving some lifeless bodies. At the same time, Sousuke was also taking off after than man. That all but confirmed his notion to follow.

As he posted in the darkened corners of the dojo he would continue to keep an eye on the situation. It would not be hard for well trained individuals to notice his presence in the distance, but he was a trained ANBU of the village and had mastered the skills required to conceal himself in his surroundings and track with the greatest of ease. For him to be found, especially with the concern the man was given the two bodies would be truly a masterful skill. He continued to watch as Sousuke had finally caught up to the man, who now had a woman that seemed to be wondering around the dojo, and began to speak. Luck seemed to favor him as Sousuke began to explain one of the individuals present. The conversation from the distances was the easiest to grasp fully, but he did manage to get enough chunks of it. The woman was freed from the prison, really the only piece of intel he needed, but now he wondered who the male was. Was he connected to the prison break or, more so, was he a member of the Cabal.

Curiosity would continue to consume this cat.

OOC: Hope you don't mind me peeping, since I missed the big battoh =\

 

[Sagasu Yume]

They had returned as quickly as they had left and in the same manner: a top a giant beetle. Her footsteps metaphorically dragged on the ground as they approached the scene of the battle and found it empty, or rather displaced. The bodies had been moved a little ways off and were being guarded by Katsuo and another figure. Each step became heavier than the last, until she had eventually stopped moving. With a glance back, her brother gave her a concerned look which she dismissed, stating that she simply needed a little more time before she was ready. He hadn’t been in the fight, nor did he know the connection he had with one of the wounded. There was also the matter of Magnetica. The sight of her deformed body and escaping life force filled the young woman with the desire to swoop in and finish the job. Niggling at the back of her mind was the gaping hole of insanity that was waiting until she was vulnerable to snatch her up again. Sousuke didn’t need to see that side of her. If the villainess was allowed to live, it was without a doubt that she would attempt a third strike and Yume would be waiting to ensure that it would be the last.

Leaning against the cavern walls, she watches the scene with her fox at her feet, trying not to be consumed by the mountain of emotions that threatened to crush her in an avalanche. Sousuke was back, but he was different. She hesitated to say that she liked it for fear of sounding like she didn’t like who he was, but him having emotions was certainly pleasant. Then there was the matter of coming to terms with her exiled uncle, perhaps he was her great uncle or great great uncle… that wasn’t the point. The point was that as the adrenaline was wearing off, she had to face the fact that while he had kept her company through her madness, he was also as enemy of the village. Did that mean she would have to choose a side?

[col]

|

[/col]

It had been a rough 24 hours for everyone. Prior to the nap he grabbed on the journey, Shinji had been awake for the majority of it. He expected today to be like any other day under the occupation while doing his security rounds; keeping criminals at bay and ensuring the safety of civilians. It all turned upside down when he tried to visit Yume in Keystone and found a note that was warning her of the impending crescendo and indicating that there was an escape through the Dojo. Tsukiko had cornered him at the hospital and he gave her the low-down. As the responsible older brother, he had managed to sweep the research facility for her important documents and pack their things with the possibility that they wouldn’t be coming back. When he emerged from his home, the brash physician was standing outside with a cache of her own things, demanding that she would be needed as medical help once the village was evacuated. They had made it to the scene of the altercation moments after the last blow fell, escaping to the surface where they met Yume and Sousuke heading for deadlines.

They left the younger Sagasu with polite nods, continuing on to the scene. Shinji came up beside Sousuke as he was speaking to the one he called Katsuo and assessed the damage. He didn’t recognize any of them but the scent of the man who had left the note for his sister was present. A mednin had already set to work on the wounded but he thought nothing of it; he barely knew any of the faces for the people Yume worked with. Ever the firey one, Tsukiko blurted out what no one seemed to be able to confirm.

Why the hell are we letting an outsider treat these losers? How do we know she’s not one of them?

Hands on hips, she looks down from her elevated 5’9” height at Nanami. Yume had given them a run down of the encounter during their journey but hadn’t mentioned the bookish looking female, though that didn’t mean she hadn’t been waiting in the shadows or simply late to the party like the rest of them. Her healing techniques had been swift and nothing seemed hostile, but the village had been through a lot and trusting strangers had been part of what landed them in this mess. Now aware of the inconsistency, Shinji tenses and looks around. Similarly, Ika, his jackal companion, began to scout the perimeter. In the dim, she thinks she sees someone but doesn’t dare to be separated from the group. Resting a hand on the irate mednin’s shoulder, Shinji tries to diffuse the situation with what little intel he had. Placing his free finger along the side of his nose, he assures Tsukiko that Nanami didn’t smell like the village. If she was one of them, she hadn’t been on the inside.

 

[Mikaboshi]

What happened?

Now that was a question and a half. How exactly to explain "Well, Ms. Doctor That I Don't Know Which Might Also Be A Villain In Disguise" I blasted that one with a huge bolt of lightning and accidentally electrocuted that one into a heart attack" without sounding flippant?

"There was a battle. They're terrorists who attacked Sunagakure. They lost."

Well said, very thorough, he thought to himself with a subtle eye-roll at his own poor story-telling skills. There wasn't a lot of time and he didn't want to distract Nanami from her work. Katsuo wasn't a doctor by any means but he'd seen enough fights and battle to know what a dying person looked like and they had at least two of them on their hands. Kaito's body wasn't moving and it didn't take Katsuo's chakra-enhanced eyes to see that he wasn't breathing. Magnetica was still a mess despite Kuro's healing aura. He had techniques which might forestall death but nothing that could patch either of them up. It seemed like she put tranquilizers into both of them to keep their moments to a minimum but even if they were to wake up they were still quite bound by the steel spirals around their wrists and ankles that Katsuo had bent into place with his chakra earlier. It probably wasn't helping the medical process any but he couldn't take the chance that one of them would wake up and decide to pick up where they left off outside the ruined building. Katsuo was confident he could put them away a second time if needed but with the way he'd lost control before there just wasn't a good chance that he could let them walk away limping a second time. As it was he'd almost killed Kaito with his rash action.

"Nothing yet. They've been out the whole time." Katsuo responded to Sousuke's question about Kaito after greeting him. Magnetica. She was the one that Kuro was concerned about as well and from what Sousuke was telling him, this wasn't the first time she'd attacked Sunagakure. That made her like Oroku, the terrorist that he'd killed in the Levels and that thought made him unsure of his decision to keep her alive. Oroku had made it clear that he had no desire or intention to change. He was content with who he was and what he did and so Katsuo had made the decision to take his life rather than attempt to keep the terrorist confined. If he escaped they would inevitably be looking at another battle like that at the bakery where dozens of lives would be spent to apprehend him again. He wanted to believe that this was not a case like that but he wouldn't know until he got the opportunity to talk to her. "I understand that she's dangerous but I won't let my fear of what she might do dictate my decision. She stays alive for now if we can manage it."

Katsuo's eyes snapped to Tsukiko as she remarked about the "outsider" treating the Cabal and for a moment, Katsuo's frustration was clear in his eyes. "Outsider". That word encompassed everything wrong with the Sunagakure that he had come to. They didn't see themselves as people living within Wind Country. Sunagakure was different. Separate. Closed-off. That perspective is what had driven the Cabal to their desperate and brutal tactics. It did not by any means excuse or redeem the Cabal from the crimes they'd committed or the consequences of them but at the same time Sand needed to understand the why of what had happened -- not simply the what. Add to that... these folks were likely to learn shortly that an "outsider" was born to be their king. How would they handle that? In that short interaction, every concern Katsuo had about taking the throne from Sousuke had been reinforced.

"This "outsider" is doing her best to keep them alive at my request. At this point I don't care if she's one of them -- there are dying men and women on the floor and she is saving them. That is good enough for me." Scolded Katsuo. He would leave the lecture about isolationism until later, it seemed inappropriate to go off the handle at the moment. Stepping forward, Katsuo put his attention on Nanami. "I'm no medic but is there some way I can help?"

 

[Sand Council]

[col]

Magnetica​

• Bleeding continues, but has improved
• Hypovolemic Sock
• Residual effects of poisoning has caused liver and kidney damage
• Hypotension from the hypovolemia is contributing to multi-system organ failure

|

Kaito​

• Electrocution that has resulted in internal burns
• Electrocution that has resulted in a cardiac arrhythmia
• He is breathing!
• He has a heartbeat, but not for long in this state!

[/col]

[col]

Naganisa​

• No sign if a significant bleed, only minimal blood losses.
• Appears that most of her injuries are healed.
• She is unconscious, but WHY! (hint, google "psychosomatic")

|

Urufu​

• Badly beaten, mostly internal injuries that cannot be readily visualized.
• Residual effects from poisoning.
• Severe blood loss that continues.
• Extremely rapid heart beat

[/col]

What happened?

• Mizushima Nanami uses Medical Assistant to summon 2 clones.
• Mizushima Nanami uses Tranquilize on Kaito and Magnetica. Writer assumed that the "special action" is used to serve as a pseudo-bind.
• Mizushima Nanami uses Resuscitate on Kaito. His respirations resume and his heart starts beating, but his heart is weak and the rhythm is aberrant. This can not be seen outside of an EKG or someone who could see within his body, BUT it can be hypothesized by the continued pallor and lack of color return post resuscitation. Kaito's bleeding CEASES!
• Mizushima Nanami uses Coagulation on Magnetica. She continues to bleed, but the bleed is reduced. She continues to be pale, her sclera is jaundiced (IC hint regarding elevated bilirubin and liver issues)

OC: I apologize for the lack of bodies -- I did not realize that all 4 of these Cabal members are in this thread and was notified of that this AM, causing me to delete another Urufu post made someplace else. *bows*

IC Narrative:

In life we have many faces we show the world, none of which are true even the face we show ourselves in the mirror is altered... distorted... obscured. We see what we want to see, even if the vision is unappealing it was what our mind's eye was willing to see. But in death, we are laid out bare. Our strengths and insecurities wrapped in blood-soaked cloth. The health we enjoyed or that secret addiction we fostered throughout our adult lives, minds riddled with psychological torment or weakness or will. We can hide nothing in the end, our eulogy will be able to say more of us in death than most could say of our obscure lives.

But we died for a cause. Sunagakure was a village filled with monsters and heathens that enjoyed the luxuries of freedom from the state and expected to be chronicled as heros but they never earned their designation. They were in fact the epicenter of the blight that has infested this country. When the storms came, they hid away in this hole while the denizens of Wind Country faced certain doom or self-imposed exile. The plague and the corruption could also be traced back to here. Rather than becoming a hero to the people, they lived their lives having ninja coffee in a crystal-lit cavern. This would be a good death, even if it was at their hands. They were only the first.

Death did not hurt as badly as one would have expected. The lungs did not burn, Kaito felt numb. He knew he was dying, he could hear the rushing and the talking. "At my expense?" In the darkness he could see a sliver of light in the distance. He could not walk, he could not move but he felt as if he was moving. Hovering perhaps towards the light.

</B>

"Three, two, one. Clear!"​

<i></i>

He reached the light and it was blinding. His eyes fluttered open, there were faces. He was eye level with a pair of maryjanes. Not the kind of thing a man expects to see in heaven unless they are attached to a pretty... Well, he had seen worse... face. His eyes scanned the space, he saw a few faces and recognized most of themsadly. "Oh hell.

[Kaito is awake]​

<B>[Naganisa, Urufu and Magnetica all remain KO'd]​

<i></i>

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke face palmed at Tsukiko's remark. "I am the host. I have said time and time again death under my roof is not acceptable. Even if they are the enemy. I am an honourable foe, and that is what we will be to these people."<i></i> If that wasn't enough, Sousuke's deadpanned expression met the medic further. "Do not use that term. We are better than that. We are hospitable hosts. It happens to be that she was here first."<i></i> Sousuke voice which was usually void of anything actually came off as ... firm and disciplinary. He almost had revealed that Katuso was their leige lord. He was born of the Sunahoshi line. He of all people was owed respect. The foreign doctor worked on Kaito and Magentica. Katuso acknowledged that she was dangerous, and how fear would not dictate his actions. "If necessary she will be defeated a third time. It's not as if it is a foreign concept to her. Perhaps her pride may finally subside from its ... cosmic placement."<i></i> Sousuke acknowledged Katuso's statement.

"I am Takahashi Sousuke the third. I am grateful for your assistance."<i></i> He introduced himself to the foreign doctor. He wasn't going to drop his title. Now was not that time. Now was the time to discover what they could from the Cabal.

The Steward's gaze shifted away from the Cabal and skyward. His gaze narrowed. Some unseen force had annoyed him. Being the narrative at hand. This was Sungakure. Thirty years ago they were on the surface. Thirty years ago they had lost the family that permitted this. They had lost the Sunahoshi. Ever since then Sungakure had been placed in a place of lesser power. The wounded horse has no business of trying to play at war with lions who were healthy. They had to recover over time, and this was no speedy recovery. The underground was their realm. They had to make it their own. They received no help from anyone. They developed on their own. They maintained themselves. The storm was their greatest challenge. It destroyed outposts on the surface. Even the remaining ones had to be heavily repaired on a constant basis.

Slowly Kaito had come to first. He eyes opened up, and he knew where he was. The Steward stared at him. While he was adjusting to his emotions, he did nothing but give Kaito a seemingly cold glare. When Kaito looked at Sousuke the first time, his eyes were dead. His soul shattered. Now this was something else. "Not quite there yet. Although honestly hell is a state of mind, so you might be right."<i></i> He remarked. No this was not hell. This was better than hell. "Although I would refrain from smoking at this present time... which is something I'm trying to get my grandmother to stop."<i></i> Sousuke shook his head and preformed some hand seals. He began administering some minor healing of his own with mystical hand. "I am not a medical expert as I am more of an expert in critical cataclysmic endgames, but I can close wounds with plasma seals, which would hurt... but I do ... some minor work."<i></i>

 

[Sagasu Yume]

It would have been a lie to say that Tsukiko had been humbled by the reproach from Katsuo and the Steward but she held her tongue, allowing the reassurance from Shinji to put her focus back on task. She was a physician, not a diplomat despite wanting to be a rich man's wife. Rolling up her sleeves, she does a physical assessment of Naganisa, fingers deftly pressing her abdomen, looking for internal bleeding and then checking her limbs for breaks. She knew who Naganisa was through word of mouth. It had been her words that drove the Inuzuka mednin to madness. It would have been easy to reach up and snap her neck under the pretense of checking for spinal injuries but the recount of Yume stopping this woman's supposed lover from killing her meant that she deemed this one worth saving. Tsukiko wasn't entirely certain that her coworker was sane but it wouldn't do to make a scene.

Counting her patient as stable until further medical scans could be performed, she moves to follow up on Magnetica; another enemy she had only seen the repercussions of. A scan of her patient's eyes told her of possible organ failure an the onset of jaundice; They wouldn't make it to the hospital in time. Unlike Yume, her reserves hadn't been drained and with a few seals, she fed some healing chakra into her metal frame, providing an overall restoration. The gasping breath of someone waking up pulled her attention to Kaito whom she offered a toothy grin.

Morning Princess. You're not dead. This isn't hell.

That was a lie too. For some, this certainly was hell.

____________________________________​

He was one of them, CooRoo. The whole time, one of the people who had separated Sousuke and I had been caring for me. Villains are supposed to be evil. You're not supposed to like them.

I don't know what to tell you, Neesan. Bad guys aren't like the stories. You can't always see it when you meet them.

But I should have known. He's the exile that mom told me about. The one who turned his back on the clan and killed the Alpha... but he took care of me. Why did he take are of me?!

You were unwell. He saw that you weren't like the rest of the clan and dared to spare your life. He let you in and you let him in.

That was all she needed to hear to push her to her feet and approach the group. He was her clan, her family, and therefore he was her responsibility. The numbness began to fade and with each step and by the time she reached the area, her eyes were alight with determination. Crouching by Urufuu's side, she sets to work, starting with stemming the flow of blood. His breathing was shallow and his heartbeat rapid, confirming that there was still residual poison coursing through his veins. Her will reached deep and gathered what chakra she had left, pouring it into a blast to shock through poison out of his system. It was mildly counterintuative as they were trying to awaken the man, but she wanted him to stay unconscious, to leave the interrogation for a time when he was in better health and away from his associates. She believed that if she could get him alone that he could drop the cloak of the Cabal and be the man she had met at Keystone. Curling up to his side, hiding Sanban with her body, the Inuzuka speaks in her clan's tongue to his resting form.

Ojisan.... I won't let them hurt you.

Ojisa... Yume, this man isn't our uncle.

Yes he is. He is the exile. He is mother's kin.

Her green eyes stared earnestly up to meet he matching pair her brother had inherited. She wasn't lying or at the very least, she believed every word she said. Rubbing his hand over his face, he takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. They were right when they say you should never meet your hero. Now he was faced with a similar crisis as his sister; this man's legacy had been an example to him of someone who had stood up to the clan that failed to recognize him for not exhibiting the family bloodline. They were alike and as he looked down at the beast who only moments before was simply another Cabal agent, he wondered how deep those similarities ran.



Actions

Tsukiko
System Restoration - C rank - Target: Magnetica
Yume
Coagulation - D rank - Target: Urufuu
System Shock - C rank -Target: Urufuu

 

[Akako]

[col]The doctor paid little attention to the newcomers although she was aware of their presence. She pretended that she didn't hear them, especially one had so callously called her an outsider. She was used to being called that. She was a shinobi who tried to fit in with the civilians and a civilian who was, by consequence of birth, supposed to be a shinobi. Besides, why should she be insulted by what was a fact? She was outsider here much as any other foreigner.

Her clone was not as controlled though.

"This outsider is being more useful than pretty wallpaper. I can't say the same about you."

By virtue of her unorthodox training, her techniques tend to come off oddly. She would say that this was a lot better than that one time she tried to create a Water Dragon Bullet and ended up decimating half a (thankfully empty) beach. But, considering she was an unknown in what was dangerous shinobi territory... she'd say this was pretty bad.

"Did I tell you to sass, nurse? Get back to work!" the woman barked at her clone.

The clone's emotions were not in check, like her own. It should have kept mum. The woman was indeed pretty. She'd be jealous, if she cared about any of that. But all she felt was annoyance at the questioning of her motives. Did their medics have no Healer's Oath?

Still, to find out that the injured were terrorists would explain some of the animosity thick in the air. The doctor doesn't know how she felt about terrorists. She'd never met any and she doubted the opposition she encountered as a mercenary counted as them. But, by principle on the idea along, she'd probably dislike them as much as the next guy.

"I do hope I will not be taken as a prisoner of war for fulfilling my duties as a doctor. I assume you shall want them alive for interrogation, at the very least," she spoke up with a chilly smile. The fact that it was safe of her to practice was cemented by the fact when the loud mouth woman made to help her.

「 Jane Doe. No. Magnetica they said. Awful name. Metallic skin.」

「 Plasma s-」​

But, after a bit, the woman moved on to another patient. Nanami had to hold back a curse. Emotions should not get in the way of work, as it was apparently so with the native medic. There had to be focus, cooperation, especially in such a working environment. Recognition of that technique told her that Magnetica would be safe, for now, anyway. Tsukiko could have, at least, voiced out diagnosis when there were other medics now that could understand. She held no jurisdiction here though, so she continued to bite her own tongue.

If she bit on it any harder, she'd probably taste blood.

When the man that had initially been there offered to help along with the other newcomer, she gave them a slightly warmer smile than before. "If you don't mind taking instructions from me instead of her," she hummed, inclining her head towards Tsukiko's direction. Her brow furrowed, thinking what she could have them do. They had to focus on John Doe and the other Jane Doe now, at the very least, as the other medic was too intent on handling Urufu on her own.

「 Jane Doe 2. Wounds are generally healed. Still unconcious.」

Her mind went through the possible damage that had been done to this one and its results. There were too many to mention, too many unknowns, too many possibilities as to what her diagnosis could be.

「 Trauma? Most likely.」​

That was the most possible thing to come to mind. Psychosomatic sleep disorders didn't even make the top of her long list. There had been a battle, these terrorists lost and the woman was unconscious because of it. Nanami hated not knowing all the facts for a proper assessment.

Back to John Doe 1. She couldn't even remember if his name was mentioned. It didn't matter. A patient was a patient, no matter what the name. The doctor moved to Kaito with a wry grin. "Do I really look that ugly that you would think I'm a demon? That's definitely a first. I'm usually just called fat and ugly... Or an outsider," she laughed, having heard him speak. "Maybe you'll change your mind when I make you and your friends feel a bit better?"

Without a proper diagnosis on most of them, she could do little to help with her usual practice... what she would reckon was the orthodox way. It was shinobi who could be unorthodox with their practice sometimes, with their heal all techniques. But, with how drastic the situation was, she supposed a quick patch up wouldn't be too bad.

She channelled her chakra, her clones dissolving back into shadows and seeping back into her, in order to accommodate for the exchange. A green, healing aura covered her... Angelic Blessing, the shinobi at home had called it. Heh. And, when it was at its brightest and most intense, she poured it towards Kaito.

A second time was done for Naganisa, as she wouldn't leave her untreated in good conscience.

But, it was apparent the two consecutive uses took its toll on her as she slumped back with a sigh. "You know that help you two offered? Some nice cool water would be great," she breathed out. How could she have known she was ordering around and ribbing with what was probably royalty and the damn Kazekage? "And, you know, not poisoning me would be appreciated."

|</FONTFACE>[legend="[b]Out of Character Notes[/b]"]

• Marked for Training on Mon Feb 02, 2015 5:11 am with 943 words
  You Sandies multiply fast.
  
  Summary:
  Well it looks like Yume/Tsukiko took care of Magnetica, damn shinobi magic
  Yume/Tsukiko is taking care of Urufu
  Nanami is just 'shit, what's wrong with Naganisa?'
  Nanami cancelled Medical Assistants
  Nanami goes 'fuck it' and uses Angelic Blessing on Kaito and Naganisa

[/legend]<FONTFACE fontface="monospace">[/col]

 

[Mikaboshi]

In response to the cold smirk that Nanami gave him, Katsuo responded with one of the beaming wide-grins that he usually wore. It was as sincere as grins come; one that honestly said the words "thank you" as clearly as if he had verbally spoken the words aloud.

"Not to worry miss, you've done us a kindness by offering your services. I won't forget that."

He watched quietly as Nanami told him that she'd gladly accept his help as long as he was willing to take orders from her instead of Tsukiko. While Katsuo noted the hit of hostility going on there, he dismissed it just as quickly as it had come and gone -- they had bigger fish to fry and thankfully it seemed as if Nanami agreed with that assessment as well as she moved from patient to patient. She gave no instructions but Katsuo stayed close enough to help if he was required and finally Kaito came back to consciousness slowly but surely. A thousand remarks jumped to mind as Kaito grunted out his acknowledgement of his surroundings but Katsuo swallowed his words as Sousuke and Nanami spoke to the Cabal leader. He would have plenty of time to talk and surely he would have more than enough to say. Oddly enough, Katsuo was surprised to find himself somewhat relieved that Kaito was not dead. He hadn't intended to injure the other man so gravely and had let his anger act for him and Kaito had almost died because of it. He was sure that his lapse in self-control would hurt his case to come but there wasn't anything he could do about it now.

Finally Nanami had a request of him and it was one that Katsuo could not comply with. He simply didn't have anything to drink on him.

"Water is somewhat of a luxury out here I'm afraid." As he spoke an idea came to him and he grinned widely again, plainly showing the inspiration that had come to him in his expression. "But I might be able to pull some strings for you, all things considered.

And with that, Katsuo's eyes sparked and for a moment it looked like he was smiling like a fool for no reason... until the sound of rain drops falling down upon the tiles of the underground building they were in began to echo through the halls which quickly mounted into the rumbling of a light rainstorm. The room they were in was relatively secured from the falling rain but even so a few streams of water fell from the ceiling here and there to pool on the ground where there were cracks in the ceiling.

"I promise it's not poisoned." He oathed with a wink before turning his attention back to Kaito and his hardening slightly. With Nanami, she was a person who had happened by and done her best to help strangers that were in need of help and for that Katsuo could think nothing but the world of her at that moment. But he could not offer Kaito the same smile that he had Nanami. Too much blood and pain were on the Cabal leader's hands and that wasn't something that Katsuo could bring himself to forgive yet. "For what it's worth, I'm doing everything that I can to make sure your people pull through. You'll have to forgive the restraints."

 

[Sand Council]

[col]

Magnetica​

• Bleeding continues, but has improved
• Hypovolemic Sock
• Residual effects of poisoning has caused liver and kidney damage, but no longer has poison in her system
• Hypotension from the hypovolemia is contributing to multi-system organ failure

|

Kaito​

• Electrocution that has resulted in internal burns, but they are healing rapidly thanks to his generalized healing
• Electrocution that has resulted in a cardiac arrhythmia
• He is breathing!
• He has a heartbeat, but not for long in this state!

[/col]

[col]

Naganisa​

• Bleeding has ceased
• Appears that most of her injuries are healed
• She is probably conscious but she is not moving or responding

|

Urufu​

• Badly beaten, mostly internal injuries that cannot be readily visualized
• Residual effects from poison, but the poison has been removed
• Blood loss has diminished
• Extremely rapid heart beat

[/col]

What happened?

• Sousuke casts Mystic Hand on Kaito.
• Tsukiko casts System Restoration on Magnetica. The effect is minimal. Magnetica remains unconscious.
• Yume casts Coagulation on Urufuu.
• Yume casts System Shock on Urufuu.
• Nanami casts Angelic Blessing on Kaito.

Magnetica
Magnetica laid in a puddle of her own fluids. Her breaths nothing more than shallow gasps through pale parched lips. A laying of hands would prove only slightly effective. The toxins were purged, but the damages of the caustic venom had already been done.

Urufuu
He could hear everything, despite the loss of his ability to interact with the world he had not lost his perception of the world around him. His former allies had all fallen, but the fight was far from one-sided. It was almost amusing to be here in this state, ironic really that the fail-safe would be enacted and that he would be alive to experience it. At least he was going to hear their final screams. It was then that he heard her voice. She came back. That stupid tiny woman! He warned her to run! She was in even more danger now that they had fallen than she was before. Not everyone had partnered themselves with the Cabal willingly. He struggled to muster the strength to reach out to her. To push her away again. He could sense her proximity. He knew her scent.

She halted his bleeding and purged his being of poisons. He was no longer failing, but he was not getting any better either as he persisted in this limbo. His breathing was rough, it gurgled from the blood pooled in his thoracic cavity. His injuries were dire, but no longer life-threatening. He was as stable as an unstable person could be thanks to Yume but still unconscious.

KO​

Naganisa

She simply stared forward, a fractured hollow shell of a woman. There is something telling about what breaks a human's soul. Fear, pain and devastation were a part of her life from a young age. She never belonged to herself, first it was to her parents, then to her pimps and her customers and then to the Cabal and finally to Homura. The later two she gave of herself willingly. She honestly believed that there was hope for her, that she would be able to live a normal life like the one she was denied all these years. It was all a lie of course, wasn't it? He did not love her, he tried kill her. It was the presence of hope and the utter annihilation of such aspirations.

A green hand hovered over her, she could see it cross her line of sight. She felt warm, as if she was being wrapped in a warm fuzzy blanket but she could not move. Everything was heavy and limp. Her jaw went slack, a whistle of air escaped her maw but she did not speak. Her eyes fixed, she remained unmoving.

Kaito

"Not quite there yet. Although honestly hell is a state of mind, so you might be right."

Hell was the last few decades on the surface, this asshole should have really taken a look around while he was dallying on the surface and his village fell into anarchy. He knew the hot sting of hell and the stench of death all around you, the people of Wind Country were abandoned by Sunagakure years ago. "The last near three decades have been hell,"</B><i></i> Kaito replied weakly as she tried to regain his bearings.

"Do I really look that ugly that you would think I'm a demon? That's definitely a first. I'm usually just called fat and ugly... Or an outsider,"

He never said anything. One side of his mouth dropped, he wished he had a cigarette to fill the gap. "I can not think of anything but demons capable of mind-reading,"<i></i> Kaito replied defiantly.

"Although I would refrain from smoking at this present time... which is something I'm trying to get my grandmother to stop."<i></i>

The hell?

"Maybe you'll change your mind when I make you and your friends feel a bit better?"

"Another benevolent monster, how fortuitous..."<i></i> Kaito grumbled. It turned green or at the very least took on a verdant glow. Kaito strained against his restraints. "Don't touch me monster!" Kaito yelled as he tried to thrash about. He would rather die than let a demon touch him. "Just kill me... torture me... or get this victory dance over with,"<i></i> Kaito demanded. Death was not something he feared, rather he embraced it. He lost a lot of good men over the years and while he was far from a religious man there was a sliver of hope that there was something waiting for him on the other side for fighting the good fight all these years.

"I am not a medical expert as I am more of an expert in critical cataclysmic endgames, but I can close wounds with plasma seals, which would hurt... but I do ... some minor work."<i></i>

And the Kazekage joined in on the healing. Kaito moved restlessly from within his restraints. He was conscious, wasn't that good enough?

For what it's worth, I'm doing everything that I can to make sure your people pull through. You'll have to forgive the restraints."

Kaito had to smile at the sentiment. They came to this village prepared to die, well perhaps not they but he had. He was well-aware of the risk he took in accepting this mission. The fault that would be laid at his feet. The others, many were not taken from the same mold but their disregard for life extended to their own or at least it extended to him. each and every one of his allies was a monster with nobody to love as they were unloved or unloveable. Broken figments and shadows, most with an ax to grind with this village and they too took his task willingly. They were his comrades, some had worked with him on several jobs in the past and after years together spent he did have a level of attachment. His eyes flickered to Magnetica. "Magnetica is not one of ours, she'd be best taken elsewhere," Kaito warned as he pulled again against his restraints. <B>"As for the others... what is it that you want from me?"<i></i>

 

[Mikaboshi]

[Sorry for breaking order again but I figure since Kaito was directly addressing me at the end of his post that I should probably take the floor for the moment.]

"She's fine where she is for now. I said that I didn't want anybody else to die and I meant that." Katsuo said, following Kaito's glance to where the Mistress of Metal laying on the floor. He still had not arrived at a conclusion for what he would do with her yet but that wasn't a demanding situation for now so long as she was unconscious. Looking back to Kaito, Katsuo blew a deep sigh at the Cabal leader's question. "That's a hard question because it has a lot of answers. I suppose the most simple one is that I want people to stop dying."

Katsuo's expression was as serious as it came but there was no hatred in it. This was the make or break moment -- he'd told Kaito that he would drag him to the negotiation table kicking and screaming if he had to and now here they were finally just talking. No swords, no threats, no hostages. The damage that the Cabal could do was already done and there was no going back from that. Nothing could change the lives that had been lost. All that could be done now was to ensure that it didn't happen again or rather that it did not continue to keep happening. Life in Wind Country had in many ways reverted back to the way it had been under the yoke of the ancients for people outside of Sunagakure and the larger cities which had the payroll and power to protect themselves. Life was a matter of trying to avoid tragedy at the hands of the various evil men, monsters and demons that plagued the frontier and beyond.

"And that starts with us. You and me. If we're going to fix this country, people need to see and understand that things like revenge and justice are not the same. I know you blame Sunagakure for what happened to your family and I'm sorry for that but you need to come to terms with the reality that the Plague Wars were not their fault. There are men out there who are responsible for that conflict and by Primus' bones I swear I will make them face justice for their crimes but that day isn't today."

The conversation he was having with Kaito now was somewhat reminiscent of one that he'd had with Sousuke when they'd first met. Sousuke was possessed of doubts in his own ability to lead and uncomfortable with the idea of continuing to sit upon the throne of Sunagakure because of his own mistakes and failures as a man. In much the same way as then with Sousuke, Katsuo was attempting to appeal to Kaito to look beyond the past and see to the future. He had great doubt that the Sunagakurians present would go along with the idea that simmered in his heart but still it was something that he felt strongly about pursuing.

"I can't give your family back but what I can offer you is the opportunity to fight to protect the lives of others. You want to fight the good fight? Here's your chance. I want you to come work with me. Put aside your hatred and help me make our country right again."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

As Katsuo made it rain, Sousuke stopped his healing technique and created a goblet of water out of steel. He called out to the steel surrounding him and in his hand he held out the goblet as it collected rain droplets. In time the goblet was full, and continued to be full. He handed the goblet to the medic. "So this is rain."<i></i> He observed. He seemed very surprised. Sousuke's experiences were limited when it came to weather. The world above them was a storm. When the Cabal corrupted what was the norm to Sousuke, he could see a clear sky. That was a limited experience as when their influence died out the storm came upon him with the over exposure from the sands.

Katio spoke of only knowing demons to read minds. Sousuke had spent the last few seconds reading Kaito. Sousuke corrected him. "Reading people isn't hard. It is a skill that few people have. Figuring out what is on their mind isn't that hard when you know what kind of people you're dealing with. People are ruled by their habits, and those are the easiest to read given you know their appearance and can match it with a proper archetype. For instance ... your shoe size is twelve and collar size ... is a sixteen. You prefer scotch above all else in terms of liquor ... I know these thing as you share some similar archetypes with my grandmother." He watched as Kaito's lips moved. He wanted his cigarettes very very badly. That much was obvious. Sousuke had seen his grandmother do this motion with her lips wishing for the cylinder cancer stick to be present "The fact you have nothing to smoke is torture enough on your end due to your addiction. That is torture but not at our hands."<i></i> Sousuke's expression was deadpanned. He had taken everything Kaito had said very seriously. Perhaps the Cabal leader would live to regret saying what he said.

Katuso had stepped in which was for the best. Sousuke had the ability to get on people's nerves with his inability to conceive metaphors and not take things literally. Katuso spoke of the plague war. That was the last war amongst men Sungakure took part in. Sousuke hadn't been born yet as it reached its conclusion. Sousuke looked to the floor. That war remained with his father. He never spoke about it, but it lingered upon his father. What struck Sousuke was when Katuso spoke of Wind Country and to make it right. Suna was in Wind, but never really part of it. There were allies like Houjin, Prime Diamund, and the wolves. Each of them as Kaito had put it benevolent monsters. Sousuke never saw it like that. Prime Diamund had humanity to her despite her form.

"I was eleven when I saw natural sunlight for the first time. It damaged my eyes and I was blinded for three days.<i></i> Sousuke revealed. "We're not down here because we wanted to be, we are down here because the conclusion to the plague war put us into a position of vulnerability. We cannot maintain structures on the surface due to the storm without constant repair. Diamond sands when inhaled corrupt the lungs." <i></i> He paused. "If I may, one question. How did your men stop the storm for the little time they did? I had not seen a clear sky before. Shouki should have been flayed by the storm."<i></i> Again he paused. "You had mentioned to me that if I was not your target, I should work for you. It goes both ways offer and acceptance, that is what we have arrived to."<i></i>

 

[Akako]

[col]The doctor had troublesome patients before. Patients who insisted they were fine, those who were scared of needles or other such things and patients who distrusted doctors altogether. But this was the first time she was called a monster. And, for some reason, that hurt just as much as being called an outsider. She didn't know which was worst. But it certainly elicited a more obvious response than the insult from before.

She looked like she had been slapped. Hard. And she froze for a split second. Long enough for any shinobi looking at her to see.

But she recovered quickly enough. On the outside anyway. One got thick skin like that, with how she had been a Port Frog in her youth and a strange amalgamation of not civilian and not shinobi as she grew up.

Nanami didn't even know why that word affected her so. It wasn't like she was guilty of anything beyond petty theft and minor crimes as a child. Her history, as far as histories of shinobi went, was pretty much spotless. She had not murdered or maimed or performed experiments that, rumoured, came in package with being a shinobi medic.

Yet, why did the word monster distraught her so?

It was dark and damp and smelled of rotting corpses and of blood, piss and shit and other horrible things. There were five of them; four, if you counted the two conjoined teenagers as just one. And, with how the others were whimpering, moaning and groaning, she assumed they must have been in as much pain as she was in. She wanted to help, she really did... But, like the others, she too was strapped down; cuffs and chains and something that made her chakra simmer just under her skin. But never burn. Her chakra wouldn't, couldn't burn, even if she wanted it to right now.

Her head jerked to the side, as if she had been burned.

What was that?

That was... No. She was probably just watching too many horror films. Or reading them. Just her imagination. Must have been a scene she's watched or read. That's all.

Still, it shook her and she had to back away from Kaito.

Accepting the goblet of water from the man, she gulped down her exhaustion and her frustration. She retreated to a safe corner, letting herself stew. Her head bowed and she looked at the terrorists from over her glasses. She had no place here, in their talks of Sand and structures and of its people. She was here as a doctor, to help, and maybe as a mercenary if it comes to that. But, for now, she was quiet and letting herself rest for a moment. She thought of continuing procedures on Magnetica but, with Kaito's warning, she didn't quite know if that would be what was asked of her.
|</FONTFACE>[legend="[b]Out of Character Notes[/b]"]

• Actually used Angelic Blessing on Naganisa too. No summary though. Didn't do much of anything this time. Resting from the use of high level techniques.
  
  Well, there's a trigger for my personal plot... Sooner than I expected and not in a place I would expect either.

[/legend]<FONTFACE fontface="monospace">[/col]

 

[Sagasu Yume]

The adults spoke above her, leaving the Inuzuka to her own as she lay next to her uncle’s form. The smell of singed fur tickled her nostrils and the sound of gurgling fluids bubbled in his chest as he breathed. The sound was almost comforting as she lay there, trying to decide her next course of action. She had learned who Katsuo was but also knew of his reluctance. It would seem that between he and Sousuke, they had the interrogation of the apparent leader, the one they called Kaito, under control. Hell. No, she’d been there. It was in everyone’s mind and it was somewhere you could land at any time. Looking over to Naganisa, she had a moment to look at her now that the fighting had ceased. She was very young and seemed so broken without a purpose. Despite her insanity at the Kage Tower, she had a goal and while she was running with Homura, she had hope. Now she was left abandoned. The outs… other doctor had it right; trauma had likely reduced her mind. It was almost fitting considering that she was the one to push Yume towards that precipice. Turning back, she rests her head down once more and is lulled by the gurgling.

Sitting up, she looks down with concern before dropping down and putting her ear on different parts of his chest. Seeing that Tsukiko had her stethoscope in her pocket, she reaches over and snatches it amid a cry of protest from the obnoxious woman. Upper, lower, left, right, centre… as she listened, she pressed with her hand and felt resistance; yes, it confirmed what she feared. Handing the listening device back to her co-worker, she pulls up one leg and tilts him over into a ¾ prone position to allow drainage. Working her fingers, she attempts something that she had considered while locked in Keystone. Based on the amount of water in the blood, she tries to guide fluid in his lungs out of his mouth. She had done the inverse of it, by introducing water into Sousuke’s lungs to purge diamond sand however blood had the unique property of containing proteins and she wasn’t entirely certain that it would work. For the first time since arriving, she speaks loud enough to interrupt as she stands, gaining the attention of her brother and possibly those standing near.

We need to move him. We need to move as many of them as possible. His chest is full of fluids and we can only do so much here. Tsukiko, what was the status of the hospital when you left?

Fully functional except for Keystone Prime. Everything else had managed to avoid catastrophe.

Ika, you and Shinji run ahead. Our comm system is down and we need to have two ORs prepped and a triage team look over Naganisa. We’re limited here in the field.

Without a word, her brother and his jackal sprinted for the dark, transforming into their were-forms and descending toward the hospital with all haste. Turning to Nanami with a half-smile that was meant to be warm but full of business she tilts her head to one side, sizing her up. She was older but so was Shuu and based on their initial interaction, she was capable. Extending her hand, she greets the wandering medic.

Sagasu Yume, mednin. We could use your help if you’re interested in assisting. I’ll be taking care of… this man Urufu, but the other two will require a personal doctor as well. Tsukiko has been practically living at the hospital and despite her attitude, she could use the help too. We’ve been through a lot but your assistance would be appreciated. I find the used of chakra heavy techniques are best used in the field as they’re quick and effective, however in a fully functional hospital with proper equipment, it impedes healing. The last thing we need is to cause further harm through chakra poisoning. Is that a problem for you? If you work better with them, I won’t stop you. I’m not trying to be bossy; I just need to know who I’ll be working with.

Her tone might come off as a little bossy but it would be obvious that it was for the sake of brevity. Tsukiko just stood by her colleague and let her take over. It had been a very long month for her and though she wouldn’t admit it, they really could use Nanami’s help.

 

[Sand Council]

[col]

Magnetica​

• Bleeding continues, but has improved
• Hypovolemic Sock
• Residual effects of poisoning has caused liver and kidney damage, but no longer has poison in her system
• Hypotension from the hypovolemia is contributing to multi-system organ failure
• She has a bomb in her chest!

|

Kaito​

• Electrocution that has resulted in internal burns, but they are healing rapidly thanks to his generalized healing
• Electrocution that has resulted in a cardiac arrhythmia
• He is breathing!
• He has a heartbeat, but not for long in this state!

[/col]

[col]

Naganisa​

• Bleeding has ceased
• Appears that most of her injuries are healed
• She is probably conscious but she is not moving or responding

|

Urufu​

• Badly beaten, mostly internal injuries that cannot be readily visualized. He is breathing better now that his lungs have been cleared of blood but if blood is in the lungs that means that there is a hole in his lungs. It will fill back up soon if he is not healed and then cleared out!
• Residual effects from poison, but the poison has been removed
• Blood loss has diminished
• Extremely rapid heart beat

[/col]

Kaito

Kaito tried to recoil from the creature that was healing him, limited by his restraints and her ninjutsu. She seemed taken aback by his words, he meant every single word. The great fiend of course came to the monster's defense:

"Reading people isn't hard. It is a skill that few people have. Figuring out what is on their mind isn't that hard when you know what kind of people you're dealing with. People are ruled by their habits, and those are the easiest to read given you know their appearance and can match it with a proper archetype. For instance ... your shoe size is twelve and collar size ... is a sixteen. You prefer scotch above all else in terms of liquor ... I know these thing as you share some similar archetypes with my grandmother."</B><i></i>

All these things were true, but those statements were said with his hands, his face and his smell. A mix of cigarettes and booze, there were few better remedies than such to keep the terrors at bay. His sentiments towards the woman, however, were either the result of exceptional guesswork or thought-reading. If that was a trainable skill, it would have been one that Kaito would have moved heaven and earth to learn years ago. The only instance he had ever heard of was a demon's mind's eye, a skill that allowed some demons to read surface thoughts in humans as a way to better manipulate them.

"The fact you have nothing to smoke is torture enough on your end due to your addiction. That is torture but not at our hands."

It was true, he missed his cancer-sticks. He licked his lips at the thought unconsciously and let out a dissatisfied grunt. Everything hurt, even the hair on his head.

"She's fine where she is for now. I said that I didn't want anybody else to die and I meant that."

"She is going to kill you," Kaito warned. He was not joking, nor was he making an assumption or even a hollow threat. Magnetica was dangerous, not for her ideas but for her physical condition. "Actually, she is going to kill us all if you don't take her away."<i></i> He was started to struggle against the restraints. Even he did not know the trigger, death was a possibility but he doubted that the trigger would be something so unreliable. A bomb was planted in her chest, e did not know the nature of that bomb or what could set it off but considering the power of the other bombs laced through the village he could only assume that the bomb she carried would be cataclysmic.

"That's a hard question because it has a lot of answers. I suppose the most simple one is that I want people to stop dying."

Katsuo answered. It was a juvenile desire, something he would expect from a boy his age. He was still a young man, unbroken by strife and war and unfettered to societies' constraints. "Heh," Kaito responded as exhaustion got the better of him and he let his head rest against the floor. "We have been at war your entire life kid... Hell, even I have not lived long enough to remember a time of peace."<i></i> He let out an ironic laugh. War was in his nature, two generations have passed and this cancer has persisted without sign of remission. "Sunagakure was meant to be the protectors of this nation, but rather than protect us when things got hard you abandoned us." Kaito proclaimed.

"And that starts with us. You and me. If we're going to fix this country, people need to see and understand that things like revenge and justice are not the same. I know you blame Sunagakure for what happened to your family and I'm sorry for that but you need to come to terms with the reality that the Plague Wars were not their fault. There are men out there who are responsible for that conflict and by Primus' bones I swear I will make them face justice for their crimes but that day isn't today."

"That is where you are wrong." Kaito debated. "It was the corrupted heart of Barynx, a creature your men killed that created those plagues and it was men of your station that tried to use that poison for personal gain. Furthermore, it was in-fighting within the Sunahoshi clan as they all coveted your diamond throne as well as the very disease your people tried to weaponize that terminated the only protection we had against the maelstrom. When the storms came, your people retreated and we were left defenseless to not only the elements but the savage tribes of the desert and the roving bandits that took what little people had left. You abandoned us for decades!"<i></i> He spat, some splattered on his cheek but a majority of the fluid projectile found its way several feet away in a landing site unseen.

"I was eleven when I saw natural sunlight for the first time. It damaged my eyes and I was blinded for three days.<i></i>

Kaito was speechless for a moment as he forced his head to turn ever so slightly so he could gawk at Sousuke. Was he actually serious? His father was the leader of the village, as the acting Steward before the storms came. His son and future leader and protector of the realm was hidden away in that hole for eleven years and the fact that the sun was bright enough to blind him was something he would freely admit. Kaito's nostrils flared and his teeth grinded his response to Sousuke's words. "THAT" Kaito pointed out. "It is THAT cowardice that has decimated this country,"<i></i> Kaito explained. "It was your vocation and station to protect us... think about how many times you actually left this hole in the ground during your entire life. How many times have you fulfilled your duty as a Steward. YOU are supposed to be te general of one of the largest and greatest armies in the world and rather than fight and protect... you are here, playing house."<i></i> He explained, malice drips from his lips with each passing word but he had noting left to lose.

"We're not down here because we wanted to be, we are down here because the conclusion to the plague war put us into a position of vulnerability. We cannot maintain structures on the surface due to the storm without constant repair. Diamond sands when inhaled corrupt the lungs." <i></i>

Sousuke replied, perhaps he truly believed that saying it was too hard or that it was too much work was a good enough excuse to default on their generational promise to the people. "WE live up there, in that mess. WE fight to survive each and every day. Life can be inconvenient."<i></i>

"If I may, one question. How did your men stop the storm for the little time they did? I had not seen a clear sky before. Shouki should have been flayed by the storm."<i></i>

"Because Souki can stop the storm in his general vicinity,"<i></i> Kaito replied supplying the obvious. That was why he was left up there wile the rest of them ventured into the depths, well that and because he did not trust Shouki any further than a the tiny medic could probably throw him. The guy was both a genius and a madman, his taste for blood and pain was unparalleled. "I am sure he is gone by now, the explosions were his cue to rendezvous in Soon's."<i></i> is movement was limited but his shoulders twitched in a manner that could have been construed as a shrug. If nothing else, he can relish the tidbit that there was something left in this world that they might want.

"I can't give your family back but what I can offer you is the opportunity to fight to protect the lives of others. You want to fight the good fight? Here's your chance. I want you to come work with me. Put aside your hatred and help me make our country right again."

"I have," Kaito protested. "It is you who needs to make things right... I am old and I know I am not long for this world, the battleground is no place for an old man. I always wanted to end my career right, not in some warm bed next to a bunch of people waiting for me to die." He let out a sigh. He was in the second to worst place now to die, surrounded by his enemies restrained on the floor. "I destroyed your complacency in a matter of hours and demonstrated what can be done with a mere handful of soldiers. It is you that is left with a choice right now, either leave this god-forsaken hole and deal like we have or hide yourself away again so a greater and more terrible force can rush this place in our wake."<i></i> He was merely announcing the way war was, it was a dirty hard world out there and it was rare that anyone ever had second chances. "I really hope you can compel this village to return to their oath-sworn duties, but you're just a boy."<i></i> His voice was laced with a defeated, dejected tone.

"You had mentioned to me that if I was not your target, I should work for you. It goes both ways offer and acceptance, that is what we have arrived to."

"I will not be subservient to a coward."<i></i> Kaito stated defiantly. He was not a good man, but he was still better than him.

Urufuu

Blood had pooled into Urufuu's plural space,limiting his lung's ability to fully expand. Some had even filled his aveloar sacs, making what little air he could draw in impossible to reach circulation. For a man who had nearly died twice already today, his soul was unwilling to relent. He was fighting to live despite the fact that his struggle could not be readily seen. He heard Kaito warn them of the bomb. He could only hope that they took him at his word because if and when it goes off, people are going to die. Urufu was not a dumb savage, despite his appearance. He knew that bomb was unlikely an explosive device, but that was something that was not told to him or anyone else for that matter. They already had plenty of bombs and the explosive devices were HUGE, this bomb could easily fit within the metallic woman's chest. He wondered what it could be, but he was not going to stick around and find out.

He listened as Yume attempted to have an OR prepared. Being cut into by his niece who was a little let than stable might not be the safest place for him but it would be a better place for her. He relaxed slightly, his peril was of less import than hers.

<B>KO still​

Naganisa

Naganisa simply stared forward,she was catatonic. She could not believe what had happened to her. All of her life all she ever wanted was someone else's life. Her existence was a cruel one, subject to the whiles and wills of terrible men, her time as a slave robbed her of her innocence and her youth. She learned that the weak would always be in such a position, only the strong had power and that nobody would ever save her. The cabal changed her life, they pulled her from that dark, horrible place and even in her madness she was given a purpose. A vocation alone was enough for her for a long time. She never thought she needed companionship or love, but that was all she ever needed. She would have done anything for him. But he did not love her, how could he? She was not something people could... or even would love.

She wanted to die. She wanted to give Homura even his last wish. There was noting left for her here.

Catatonic​

Magnetica

It was true, a bomb was planted inside of her. Perhaps it was to keep her on a short leash. She had tried to remove it, but whatever it was, it lacked metal parts. She assumed it was something organic, more than a trifle to contend with but until hours ago she was on their side. Magnetica continued to bleed, she was dying still. only at a slower rate than before.

KO'd Still,slowly dying​