Starring:
Kiyoshi (emitter), Kiji
Date: March 25, 2015
Summary:
The experimentation and interrogation finally gets underway.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Bloody Pursuit - Pricking, Prodding, Pulsation"
Hidden Compound [Kirigakure]
'Ko' hardly spoke a word once Kiyoshi and Nobu left the building. She simply guided Kiji beyond the door and into what can at best be described as room fit for surgery. One of the few things they may be immediately noted as off about the room is the presence of cuffs on the operating table; leather and in-lined with a softer material to prevent harming the person bound by them. Wordlessly, 'Ko' drifted over to the bedside before turning and giving Kiji an expectant look. If that alone does not make her intentions clear or Kiji decided to try and stall with questions, 'Ko' would scowl at her and more pointedly direct her to the bed. If that still turns out to not be enough, the girl may go for more direct means of securing her patient…
However, if all went well from the start, Kiji would be first be strapped down to the bed by her wrist and ankles. "Comfortable?" 'Ko' asked without an ounce of genuine sympathy behind her tone. "Sorry if they are not too your liking. We had so many other complications to deal with first." She adds as she went about wheeling a table and chair closer to the bed before plopping down in her seat. If it hasn't been noticed earlier, it would certainly become distinctly more clear as time went by that the room seemed disconnected with the outside world. From the moment the door was closed behind Kiji, the chakra signatures of everything outside the room simply seemed to vanish…
Kiji followed Ko just as silently as the other Shimizu was. The room was nothing surprising to Kiji, she had seen much more… intimidating apparatuses in the Okumo labs. But that this was her own land doing this… She didn't even sigh. she simply complied. Kiyoshi was safe. That was what mattered. He was by far a better asset to the village than she.
Once strapped down to the bed she sighed softly and just lay there, her eyes as white as her hair. She tossed her head a little to rearrange her braid and spoke jsut a single quiet sentence. "No, just stay there." Then she turned her blank eyes on Ko. The woman couldn't kill her outright because of the laws against killing other kiri shinobi. She would be missed as well.
But she showed no fear, just cold dead silence. She waited for the poking and prodding to begin though she knew it was useless. What she had done was simply because of the genetics being so close that she pushed herself to be able to control it. Finally she spoke and looked straight at Ko. "It nearly killed me to do what I did, are you sure you're strong enough to even try?"
"As foolish as this may sound to you, we will never know until we try. As unfortunate as it would be to lose members of the clan, it would be more beneficial in the long run for all… Can you not agree?" 'Ko' replies curiously while still fiddling with a few drawers. Finally, she manages to procure a fresh syringe, as well as a dark brown lacquered box just large enough to fit several vials. Though her focus after that point switches to finalizing preparation of both equipment and self, her attention remains somewhat divided between action and listening to Kiji response if any.
"Your eyes are quite beautiful, you know." 'Ko' turns to her following that off-handed statement, and smiles broadly. Then its back to work, hunting for vein, dabbling alcohol, and drawing as much blood as possible in one go before filling one of the nearby vials.
Kiji watched her as she gathered the syringes and equipment. Completely silent as Ko spoke to her. It was foolish but she could not tell her the reason why, Meruin had sworn her to secrecy. Finally as Ko picked up the syringe and began drawing blood, Kiji spoke though she did not filnch in pain or anything. "You know that no one is supposed to experiment on me without the Mizukage's permission… Just so you're aware what you're getting into here." There was a vicious look in her eyes a faint golden showing through.
She did not move again or speak when Ko told her her eyes were beautiful, she simply turned her head away. It was too bad that the clan seemed to have such interests in her but she was raised with the Okumo, not the Shimizu….
The smallest of frowns touches Ko's lips at the silence. She did not let it impede her work, nor did Kiji manage to sway her by mentioning the Mizukage. "You specifically? My aren't you a more attractive forbidden fruit." Ko replies, and licked her lips as she met Kiji's vicious look unflinchingly. If Kiji didn't know better, the girl was growing more fonder of her in all the wrong ways. After Kiji turned her head away, Ko refocused back on the task of putting her samples away. Despite the fancy inlining and cushion, the seals inlaid beneath the lid of the box bespoke of their being more to it. The moment the lid is closed, Kiji would feel a more potent sense of disconnection. It is not unlike any efforts to sense beyond the room, for instance. But just how good were those seals? Did they merely conceal or did they preserve as well?
"Do you think he might consider it experimenting on you by asking a few idle questions? Like.. hmm… for instance, Can you still sense what I took? Or perhaps better yet, how do you feel?" Ko asks.
Kiji saw the frown and decided silence was a good weapon. The woman's words and attention made her sigh softly. She couldn't help but feel a bit of hopelessness at her situation. And yet… She knew she had protected Kiyoshi, possibly taken his place… She closed those 'beautiful' eyes and seemed to be sleeping or meditating. The lid coming down over her got her to open her eyes, still that faint gold tone. She could feel the seals blocking her, closing off the room. She opened her senses to the maximum of her ability…
She opened her eyes suddenly and they were orange ringed and golden as the sun.. She looked at Ko still as silent as ever… but suddenly one of the vials shattered and blood needles sprayed out in all directions, though they would stain more than puncture. Yes she could still sense what had been taken….
Ko silently noted the drastic change in eye colors. Truthfully, it is that in particular that made her curious about Kiji in the first place, but… she didn't need to know that. Yet. Ko couldn't hide the speculative look in her eyes, nor did she fair much better when it came to masking her shock at the noise, dull though it was. Ko turned to the box, confused at first, then satisfied as the answer came obvious.
"Interesting.. It would seem that we underestimated just how deeply you are connected to your blood. If your circumstances weren't what they were, I would suspect you might have held a higher position among the clan." Ko admits with a smile in her voice. For the first time, the girl seemed more 'human', instead of detached or weird… unlike so many other Shimizu that found themselves attached to the Okumo Clan for one reason or another. The moment does not last for long. "But that is not the case today…" Ko inclines her head for a moment, slipping for a moment into more private thoughts. At one point she murmurs something along the lines of needing to collect more of something. Then, her gaze is back on Kiji.
"What is the nature of your relationship with that man before?" She pauses long enough for answer, then adds. "And what of your mother?"
Kiji watched Ko closely as she looked confused then checked the vials. The surprise was like a shot of satisfaction to Kiji but she didn't show it. She remained stone faced. She did however sigh , almost a growl, definitely annoyed when Ko began talking to her like she was a human. Shaking her head, Kiji looked away again. Staring at the ceiling was getting boring. She wished Ko would just get on with it.
The comment about the clan made Kiji raise both eyebrows. "You are either lying or naive. Besides, I have no interest in your clan." She scoffed at that. The only reason she used her abilities was because Meruin-dono had chosen her to carry them for him. And then.. to protect those she cared about….
"That man? None of your business." She wasn't sharp but bored, annoyed. "I don't need a bystander to be harmed because you want me." Once more she began staring up at the ceiling again. Her eyes shifted once more to white, a neutral expression on her face, perhaps a bit tired, when asked about her mother. "Sorako? I have nothing to do with her. She taught me a few things about controlling blood. That's it."
If Kiji's intent was to try and rile Ko up, she would be unfortunately mistaken. Unlike Nobu, the girl knew how to keep her cool when it came to personal attacks. At least that has been the case so far, and may continue to be. "Is that all really the truth?" She grins and spins her seat about before hoping up out of the chair. "No. Not quite so. What happened in the arena be spoke of so much more… that, and the lengths Sorako-san was willing to go to after that." Ko hints as she made her way over to the wall facing the side of the table. "As for 'that man', I do believe he is my business, or at least for the time being. Your relationship, after all, could be a key factor in sparking the right sort of change to do the impossible."
Ko does a quick about face and cants her head slightly to the side. "Isn't that what all those love stories are about? The impossiblity made possible through acts empowered by an emotion so.. so incomprehensible? Or would you again call me naive or paranoid for thinking along those lines?" She teases.
Kiji did not have the intent to incite as much as it might have seemed. Ko's words made her tense inside but she was pretty good at keeping her cool. She remembered the emotionless days in her past and reverted to that. But Ko wouldn't let the issue of Kiyoshi drop. Yes she had submitted to him in the arena that day…. But she had even told him to do it, to kill her. She sighed. "It doesn't matter. He had nothing to do with what i did to Sorako."
That much was fully the truth. Kiyoshi and Sei had nothing to do with that. "She decided to belittle me so I put her in her place. It's as simple as that. I wanted to humiliate her so I proved I was stronger." She looked at Ko with a cold expression, still her eyes were ringed in orange. "You seem to like my eyes, perhaps you would like a demonstration."
Ko didn't give away much while awaiting an answer. At most she radiated a mild sense of disappointment while attempting to puzzle Kiji out. Obviously from that alone one could assume it had somethign to do with failing miserably. "Hmm… I suppose for now I'll take your word on it." Ko agreed readily, nodding her head briefly near the end. Ko didn't care much for the giant unlike Nobu. He was a curious thing without much of a history, but not nearly as interesting as the one on her table.
"Demonstration?" She pressed her index finger agaianst her bottom lip and closed her eyes in thought. "As in… How they change so quickly? Or… did you mean doing what you did to Sorako-san?" She asks curiously. "I'm fine with the former, but.. I don't think it would be such a good idea to break one of the cardinal rules of being a scientist."
Kiji watched Ko as she waved Kiyoshi off. Good. It was best that she wasn't interested in him or there would be a real problem. She was glad that she'd managed to get Ko's attention on her instead, no matter the implications of that. She took a breath and focused her chakra, her eyes shifting to a red like blood, still ringed in that orange circle. She stared there for a long moment, a feral look on her face, the vines on her arms swelled, putting pressure on the cuffs. She sprouted more vines from her ankles which wound their way up her legs and pressed against those shackles as well.
"Well? Do you want me to keep going?" Kiji had gone from emotionless to a dark expression, one that spoke of seeking out blood, other's blood…. She was definitely dangerous…. And confident.
Without waiting for a response, she let herself consider what they would have done to Kiyoshi if they had figured out he was something special.. It was simple then to sink into a blood lust for the Shimizu before her…. Her eyes went beyond the usual black , every bt of her eyes were black, soulless and vines sprouted from her back and shoulders snapping at the lid holding her. Kiji laughed then. "You wanted to see, here you go!"
Among the things Ko prided herself the most on, it is being very difficult to shake in spirit. So, it came as shock to her when those limits are tested for a second time by Kiji, starting from the moment the feral look came over her. Idly did she wondered if the woman intended to escape once blood vines began to began to make themselves known. As strong as the cuffs were, they stood little chance of holding up to any assault the Shimizu could manage using her Kekkei Genkai alone. The thought sends a shiver down Ko's spine that left a small but noticeably pleased smile on the girl's face. Then, Kiji spoke, drawing her gaze away from the blood and onto her eyes again. She hadn't even realized her eyes had drifted so far until just afterwards…
"…yes." Ko can only murmur absently in response to the question. By then of course, Kiji was already diving headlong into blood lust, sapping the air heat around Ko by simply glaring at Ko with dark, unforgiving eyes. Fear is never reflected in Ko's eyes, but the next best thing, worry, does so on the other hand. It made her sluggish by a half-second to act, but when she does, the walls, ceiling, and floor begin to ripple until ink black seals. Out of the technically three set of seals that reveal themselves, it is those along the floor that are touched and given chakra, causing them to light glow red. Kiji would find it difficult just to stay conscious, let alone maintain the integrity of her blood tentacles. Her strength and chakra is rapidly drained into the seal, only to in part be absorbed into Ko.
The process is painless.
Until assured that Kiji truly danced on the border between consciousness and wakefulness, an unsmiling Ko would maintain the technique for however long it took.
Kiji's show of power was already working on those cuffs. She was far from amused by Ko's little experiment. When she felt the chakra shift into a separate set of seals she narrowed those eyes and fought. Her tentacles and whips snapped and bulged, cracking and then prising open one of the shackles around her wrist. Unfortunately the seal was faster and she felt herself being drawn back down, away from the rage and the urge to kill. Her eyes slowly faded until they whereas white as though she were blind. The blood fell aparta nd spilled to the ground and pooled about Kiji on the table. Plenty for samples now. It was hard for Kiji to be drained into unconsciousness, it took quite a while, but her last words as her eyes faded was a promise she would kill Ko one day…. And then her head slipped to the side, eyes closed, face pale. She had lost quite a bit of blood as seh had not been able to retrieve it back into her body…
Ko chided herself mentally. In her haste to prevent Kiji breaking containment — consequences be punctured — the girl had gone a step to far. Now Kiji lay unconscious and if the seals were not deactivated soon, the elder Shimizu would quite possibly die of blood loss. An almost manic sounding giggle slipped out at the possible irony. Immediately after, her attention is diverted to the mess created by Kiji's… demonstration. Even if she acted quickly, the samples were perhaps more than likely tainted by now, or drained to severely thanks to the seals. Nevertheless, Ko took out a knife and stabbed at her hand. Though she lacked Kiji's ingenuity when it came to blood manipulation to a degree, once the blood was freed up, manipulating them into several clones came easily.
It would take little over an half an hour to get the lab back into remotely pristine condition. During that time, Ko relaxed the effects of the seal so that Kiji's body could properly replenish itself. If more turned out to be necessary to prevent her subject from shaking off its mortal coil, then grudgingly, Ko would see to it. If at some point Kiji reawakened again, beyond ensuring that the seal remained relatively active, Ko paid Kiji no further mind at first. She busied herself instead with note taking. The clones in the meantime spent their time collecting samples, reorganizing the lab, and eventually one is sent out to find Nobu.
Once the samples are collected, Ko is much more mindful of their containment; thus, they are taken elsewhere and secured under a similar seal like the one surrounding the lab. "What to do, what to do, what. to. do?" Ko sang quietly, eyes intently on the pad in one hand while the other nervously twiddled a pen in the air. She would glance up a few times to see if Kiji regained or remained unconscious, and occasionally shoot glances at the new restraints; metal this time with salvaged soft in-lining. The metal was thin enough that chakra enhanced blood blades could still cut through it, though to do so would take considerably more time then mere leather cuffs.
Kiji remained in a state of regeneration as Ko and her clones cleaned up the laba nd took samples. She had underestimated Kiji once, perhaps she would do it agian… Still… She was aware faintly of what was going on around her but seemed still inert. When she did finally open her white eyes she blinked a few times. Oh, she was still here. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she turned to look at Ko, watching her with a kind of dazed bored expression.
It was clear the girl wasn't sure what to do next… She couldn't kill Kiji without it coming back down on her head… Once Kiji was free, though she planned to beat the living tar out of the other Shimizu… That made her eyes hint at gold, though pale and unfocused. But when Ko finally would see her awake Kiji just let out an annoyed sound. "Are you quite done yet? I have things to do…"
"Well aren't we in a rush after having such a good nap." Ko replies sarcastically, eyes narrowed and turned upon the still dazed Shimizu. Her gaze immediately returns to the board in hand, after a full minute of silence on her part, Ko sets both board and pen aside before folding her hands behind her back. "No, 'we' are not quite done yet. There is still at least… ohhh, two tests yet? Yes, two. After that, we'll see about you getting out of bed." She says seriously, tactfully avoiding mention of what would come after the cuffs being removed.
That peculiar look to her gaze returns as she stared back at Kiji's faintly gold eyes for a lengthy moment. It seems the girl hadn't quite learned her lesson yet in that regard. She licks her lips and seems to struggle with something internally before finally spinning on her heels and making a bee line for the wall at the foot of the bed. Kiji would've noted something strange about it before. A similar disconnected feeling her current room provided (among other things). With a simple one-handed seal, a window framed by small, black symbols seems to materialize.
"As I'm sure you are no doubt truly aware, your mother greatly dislikes you. Why? She… never did get around to fully explain despite all of our efforts to appease her better nature.. or plainly bribe her. We assumed it was out of fear or even jealousy for awhile. We even thought at one point that…." Ko frowns subtly. "Well, that is not important. What is that her feelings for you ran deep. Deep enough for her to assist us, for a time. Vengeance for a shaming on top of many other things is a powerful motivator, even though one may greatly fear the source of that humiliation." Ko sighs and shakes her head in exasperation.
"Unfortunately, Sorako-san had her personal limits, leaving us with little choice except to.. help remove some of them." It is on that note that a light comes on from beyond the window, revealing a scene Kiji had been expecting to involve herself more personally. The room in question is in many ways a mirror of the one Kiji found herself. The few exceptions however suggested a far more sinister purpose to it all. At the center of it all sat a likeness of Kiji. Sorako. She was slumped and strapped in a dentist chair, clothing torn in places without a care for the woman's decency, and enough cuts and bruises that even a combat orientated Shimizu would have a pin of a time recovering from within a few months. Nobu stood by her side slightly bowed at the waist and adorned in the full medical gear. The excess were perhaps a size too big from the looks of things, invoking the image of a child playing doctor.
Ko unerringly kept her eyes on Kiji, and stayed alert for any signs of change. Aside from what the window suggested, there was little to no way to tell just how bad Sorako's condition was via abnormal means.
Kiji tilted her head as Ko began speaking, her eyes turning a faint purple shade, curiosity outweighing her irritation at this point. Plus she was quite exhausted…. That seal had taken quite a toll and physically he rbody was rushing to reproduce the blood she had lost. But mention of Sorako helping them made her blink a few times. She wasn't surprised, really. Needle, she had thought Sorako was the ring leader for a while. But apparently not. Ko's suppositions were so far off Kiji almost laughed. Almost.
"Sorako…. You won't get an answer from her either." Kiji shook her head. Between Ko's team and Meruin, it was obvious who to fear the most. But then Ko said something that made Kiji's eyes narrow. They.. removed limits? What had these sick lances done this time? She was quite used to labs, but Kiji was honestly surprised by the image being shown through that window. They had gone that far to figure her out? Even to the point of harming one of their own? She shook her head slowly. But on her face where most would have fear, disgust or anger, Kiji just looked at Ko piteously.
"You think this is going to upset me?" She shook her head and shifted in her bonds, not fighting them… what was she doing? It took a moment but it finally became clear Kiji was scratching her back like a bear on the table…. "I suppose you want a thank you from me? I already got my revenge for what she did. I don't really care what you do with her…."
.
Ko's eyes narrowed a fraction further at Kiji's response, but beyond that, she did not appear surprised or annoyed by it. If anything, she seemed momentarily relieved as she turned about to regard Sorako for herself, ignoring Kiji's apparent attempt at scratching some itch. "A thank you would be nice bonus, buuuut unnecessary! What we desire is another demonstration. Something we can monitor in a more controlled environment. Now, I do realize we may be skipping a few important steps just to reach our supposedly impossible goal. There is, however, a method to our madness."
Ko turns about smiling a thin, unfeeling smile. "Succeed, and I'll keep to my promise earlier. Fail, and we'll.. have to go with Plan B. Are we clear, Kiji-san?" She asks while forming one-handed seals before her chest. As soon as the seventh seal is made, the symbols surrounding the window shift, wriggle, and even peel off the surface all together, rearranging themselves into a new configuration. Kiji would at last be given access to a world beyond her current one. Granted, looking into the other room may not turn out to be such a good idea, and to look deeper even more so. There wouldn't seem to be any inch of Sorako that wasn't damaged or altered in some fashion. While there some noteable lingering energy marking attempts to keep her alive, the whole reason the woman continued to breathe relied largely on her own stunted regenerative abilities.
As far as whether or not Sorako was conscious, she was… after a fashion. Even if prodded for more firmer answer, the woman would not personally act in response to it.
Kiji furrowed her brow as Ko spoke. The woman was seriously on the edge of annoying Kiji again, but for reasons other than Sorako. Well Sorako belonged to Kirigakure as well so what gave Ko and Nobu the right to harm her like that? She sat up as much as the bed would allow then dropped back down with a thump and a few heavy breaths. She was still quite weak herself.
Kiji sighed softly and looked at Ko. "I'm not that good yet, Ko-san." It was a simple statement but bordered on insubordination. Kiji went on, however. "First of allI can't do that level of jutsu without my hands for seals. Another point is that she is too weak to survive it. I don't know if I'll be able to with how much blood I lost thanks to you." She looked at Sorako again, her mind reaching out to feel just how damaged the woman freally was… "You still have that seal so let my hands free and let me sit up. Heal her at least some. Neither of us wants to make Meruin-dono angry for killing one of his assets do we?" Her eyes were a pale blue, weak but serious. She waited to see what Ko would choose next.
Nobu perked up near the end, and kept look back and forth between the two. It seemed the window had more going for it then just providing a view. "Ko, You—" Ko sharply raised up a hand, cutting off her fellow conspirator abruptly. Silently, she began pacing in front of the mirror and idly stroked her chin, genuinely seeming to weigh the pros and cons of Kiji's request. And there were a lot more pros than cons.
Even so, she finally paused after minute or so, and narrowed her eyes at Kiji. It was for good reason that she didn't trust the Shimizu to try and take advantage of her curiosity. And yet, her eyes grew bright from excitement. "Yes… I did get a little over excited while seeking answers. And poor Nobu tried so hard…" She shook her head lightly, feigning remorse for her actions. If Kiji were to look beyond Ko, she would see the truth in Nobu's downcast expression. At one point, however, he glanced to Ko with a look that cannot be mistaken as anything other than a mix of revulsion and fear. "And it may be too late to consider her a worthwhile asset… not that she wasn't already close to her expiration day before we got our hands on her." She shrugs before turning about again to regard Sorako fully, hands folded behind her back. "Unfortunately Kiji-san, I cannot grant your request. I have to at least try to show some measure of self-control, for the others sake…. You understand, don't you?" She turns her head just enough to regard Kiji from older her shoulders.
Kiji had expected the rejection, honestly. But she shrugged and laid back, eyes closing as if she were bored and asleep as a result. She refused to answer or move or respond even if Ko poked or stabbed her. She seemed unconscious again. Except for one thing….. slowly her jaw clenched, her brows furrowed… She looked to be in a little pain, but remained silent. From there it would take several moments before one of them might notice the bruises fading on Sorako's skin, the more serious damage was inside and thus hard to tell it was there.
Kiji had caught that look of disgust on his face. He wasn't as interested in all of this as she had been so perhaps he would let this little healing go unnoticed for the moment. However, it was a strain on Kiji as well and she was panting after five minutes of healing her 'mother'. It was enough though. Her eyes opened and they were a faint golden shade. Ko be popped, she wasn't going to kill another kiri asset….
Distance and other distractions kept Ko from noticing. The same cannot be said of Nobu. He was, however, as tactful as Kiji had hoped, and so little to nothing he expressed betrayed him. Yet. The one moment in which his eyes lit up in shock at Sorako's recover had been Ko's only chance to catch a hint of something going on without relying on her seal network. But again, luck had been on the side of her enemy. She did take note of Kiji's increased fatigue however, and moved to hover over the young woman.
"It really is so very unfortunate that things have to be this way… That so many risks have to be taken." She smiles faintly, and if not lashed out at immediately casually brushed aside Kiji's bangs. Her actions and even the glimmer in her eyes are not unlike a lust driven lover. "But that is the way of things… I just hope he'll let me keep those as a reminder." And just like that, all the heated, if albeit twisted, passion in her eyes die down completely. Ko would yank her hand away if given the chance, then take a few calm steps back before forming a single hand sign.
This was it. Within the next few seconds, Kiji would either be drained of all her chakra and physical strength through the seals until rendered unconscious again, or possibly escape. Though for something of the sort to happen in the latters case, it would be through her own power and determination.
Kiji had been concentrating so hard she didn't notice Ko coming close to her so the gentle touch to her face made her blink open her eyes and peer up at Ko… The heat in those eyes… it seemed Kiji had become a bit of an obsession for the woman. But Kiji didn't pull away or glower… She leaned into the touch like a kitten, eyes half lidded. She had done what she could for Sorako's condition…. Now she had to get Ko's attention again. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Those seals…. Ko was going to drain her again… She sat up a little and eyed Sorako a moment. "Look, I can't do anything with my hands this way… If you're that afraid of your seals failing you… you couldn't handle this technique."
Ko raises her brows at Kiji's words, but continued to maintain the seal. "You have more than proven capable of doing much without the use of your hands alone, Kiji-san… and you are wrong. It is not that I am afraid of my seals failing me. If they were to do so, I could only blame myself for having become too overconfident… What I am afraid of is… overestimating you." She offers a grin that quickly falters as her gaze becomes averted towards Kiji's lower half. "Once was enough for me." She murmurs quietly to herself. After a pregnant pause, Ko's dark eyes cut back towards Kiji's ever changing orbs.
"Besides! I'm not the only one invested in this, and would be unfair to the others if my personal feelings got in the way of things again. Nor am I so…" She shudders, and then shakes her head lightly. "Now, seeing as how you failed to meet expectations, it is time we moved on to Plan B.. Don't worry, it may not be nearly as bad as what you've had to suffer up to now… Maybe." With that said, the jutsu begins again. Only a split second decision may spare Kiji from oblivion. Or perhaps not. Either way, Ko is not as keen as to given more chances to speak. Whatever Kiji wanted to say or do would have to wait until later, or be uttered to death ears…
