[Plotboard] A Rough Escape

[TyDie]

As the two genin left the altar room, Sakaki had the large staff strapped to her back and a few slabs filling up her ninja pouch. The scroll and other slabs would be delegated to Rika. The fatigue still weighed heavy on Sakaki, but she managed to right herself enough to walk. "Haha, That was amazing Rika! How happy do you think Kiyori-sama is going to be when see sees what we managed to get out of this place? And the experience too, it was amazing! Super draining of course, but still." Sakaki was beaming despite how tired she was, happy to have managed to go through the trial with her ally.

More importantly, she was happy to have gotten through it without Shishire. Shihihihi... You aren't free of this old place yet, child. There is still time, and your chakra reserves are practically non existent. Don't start, alright! I wasn't saying I didn't want your help, I was just trying to prove that I could do it without you. It wasn't personal, Shishire. The genma just laughed some more, leaving Sakaki and Rika to go back down the steps into the hallway where the boulder had chased them. Luckily the chasm was gone and the door was reopened.

"Not long now Rika... Just a few more halls and stairs."

[Kabu]

Rika by now had returned her puppet back to its place on her back, it being accompanied by the slabs while she clutched the scroll close to her chest, practically hugging it. "Kiyori's going to be so proud of us! Maybe as a reward she'll let me be the first to read this scroll." she said with a giddy, giggly tone and a skip to her step, any exhaustion she felt being overwritten by pure joy both at what they had accomplished and the praise that most definitely awaited them when they got home.

"Seems that the traps are all deactivated. We should have a fairly easy time getting out of here with that being the case! She suddenly said, taking note of how peaceful and quiet the tower now was with the puzzles solved and any traps now disarmed. It did seem a bit strange to her but she was simply too excited to care. At this rate she was confident that they were going to be home by dinner, the thought of her mother setting out a meal to celebrate her first mission being a very exciting one.

Her excitement however would only really last until they descended the next set of stairs, a sudden creaking sounding as she walked through the room. It was enough to give her pause even in her current state, a chill running down her spine as if she sensed some form of danger.

"Did anyone else hear that? I'm not imagining that creaking, am I?"

[TyDie]

The young jinchuuriki was just as excited as her friend was, although her exhaustion made it difficult to display as much emotion as she did. She couldn't remember the last time that she felt this tired... No, wait. Yes she could; The night she attempted to call on her mother's soul. Indeed, perhaps a foreshadowing of things to come? The genma spoke within her mind, no mocking laughter this time... Just an ominous silence that followed it's words.

Sakaki tried to shake the fake prophecy from her mind, turning to her friend and smiling in triumph. "It feels so good to have my first mission go off without a hitch. And to think that I only just joined the scribes yesterday... If this is any sign of the future, you and I are going to bring a lot of success to the organization Rika! I wonder what's next for-"

Sakaki was cut off abruptly in her sentence by the sudden sound, which her partner also noticed. No... Could it be? Suddenly the entire hallway began to rumble, and the truth became clear almost immediately; a trap. One they must've missed. "RUN!" was all Sakaki managed to choke out before she would take off down the hallway, her friend hopefully beside her, as they tried to beat whatever was coming. On occasion during their flight, spears would just out of the walls threatening to pierce them, though Sakaki's speed of mind and shear dumb luck were enough to save her. As well, blades would swoop down from above, or jut out from below, easily capable of severing flesh, but again Sakaki was just lucky enough to not be in their way.

By the time they made it to the other end of the hallway, Sakaki was miraculously unscathed. "Haa... okay... i'm officially done here... let's go." Sakaki heaved deep and prepared to set out for the exit... she hadn't yet noticed if her partner was okay.

[Kabu]

"Shit!" Rika uncharacteristically swore under her breath as, just as she had a sneaking suspicion it might, the room suddenly came to life, the girl taking just a moment to make sure she had everything before following behind Sakaki in a mad dash down the hallway. That was right, she should have remembered that in her books the most difficult parts often came after the initial journey. In some ways it was a concept that made sense but in others it was just cruel, setting full force on weary travelers on their way out.

While she was just swift enough to avoid most of the obstacles in her way, the trouble came once she neared the exit, spears and blades would come in a pattern that would conveniently slow her down quite a bit. And it was soon after that it happened, just as soon as her chance came once more she dashed forward, a blade coming down with the same timing. Though she managed to avoid a direct hit, she was too slow to entirely dodge and it cleaved straight through her left arm, the girl in the moment not quite realizing what had happened as she emerged on the other side, one arm missing and the other still tightly holding onto the scroll they had worked so hard to retrieve.

"I think I got nicked a little. Feel woozy, need to rest." she groaned as she fell back against a wall panting and grunting in pain, it still not having quite hit her what had just happened, though she most definitely was beginning to feel the hurt.

[TyDie]

Sakaki turned to look at Rika when she said that she got nicked and needed to rest, figuring she'd use a little Iijutsu and get them rolling again... but as she saw the wound, the clean dismemberment, her mouth fell in shock. "By the light, RIKA!" the genin dashed to her ally's side, taking a look deep into her fluttering eyes before checking the wound. She didnt need the medical diagnosis jutsu to see what was going on, the gaping wound was oozing blood at a steady rate. "No, nonononono not like this, no!"

Tears formed in her eyes, but her brain was in full doctor mode, and while her chakra reserves were low she was smart enough to know how to make a tourniquet. She quickly undid the ribbon keeping her Kimono together and looped it under Rika's armpit, tying it around the stump of her former arm as tight as she could, so much so it'd probably hurt like hell. "Come on Rika, stay with me! It's just a nick, like you said!" if Rika hadn't noticed it by now, she'd lost a ton of blood already, and would likely already be feeling light headed and cold. Sakaki tried to form a series of seals... but to no avail. Her reserves were so low, even the act of numbing the wound was too much for her.

No... I... I can't do it... the tears came steady as she watched her friend continue to lose blood, knowing she could do little but watch. You see, child? This is what happens when you deny me. You are nothing without me... and now your friend will die, because of your shortcomings. Shihihihihihi The genma mocked and chided her, pointing out her faults even as Sakaki sobbed into her sleeve... but as sadness subsided, rage took its place. Her body was suddenly engulfed by an aura of black chakra, as Shishire's powwr began to well within her in reaction to her fury.

"Shut up... Shut up." she grabbed the back of her head like before, falling to her knees and shaking back and forth as overwhelming chakra grew within her, all as a result of the absolute anger that consumed her... anger directed towards Shishire.

"ShutupshutupshutUPSHUTUPSHUTUPPPPPP!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Her voice mixing with the deep and ominous tone of Shishire, and the aura around her darkened and thickened, the light around her seeming to be sucked away despite her torch's flame still flickering. Two horns began to form from the hinge of hee jaw, jutting out to both sides of her head, while her legs seemed to crack and shatter, almost like glass. The genma within her laughed aloud, knowing that Sakaki was almost in it's clutches... Would it's power be too much this time?

[Kabu]

By now it was taking everything she had for Rika to stay conscious, much less pay any amount of attention to her surroundings, but she did notice Sakaki's screaming, the sound of it being enough to somewhat bring her some degree of awareness. "Sakaki, whas' wrong? How is it?" she groaned, blinking at the sight in front of her, Sakaki on her knees surrounded by black chakra. "Wha? I musta got hit harder than I thought." she said, reaching out her hand with the little energy that she had, her hand brushing her friend's own. Surely the black chakra was just her imagination, but it was apparent even in her delirious state that something was causing Sakaki some amount of distress.

"Whatever's wrong, it'll be 'kay. 'Kay?" It hurt to move, thinking was frankly tiring, and it even hurt to talk or do anything at all really, and she could tell she was on the verge of passing out but she didn't care. In this moment what mattered was that her friend was in distress and she needed to do what she could to help her out, hopefully calming her down before she lost consciousness.

[TyDie]

Sakaki was on the verge of losing her mind to Shishire, the white hot fury that festered in her belly the conduit through which Shishire manipulated her. Reality faded to black around her, and she wasnt sure if it was the torch going out or her losing consciousness. Darkness, unending darkness, spread out all around her, and for a moment she thought it was over... she had lost i'm... sorry... Miss Miama... Rika... Souta... I'm so sorry.

But then she felt it; a light touch of skin on skin, against her shoulder. In a flash her eyes darted open again, realizing that somehow Rika had found the energy to try and calm her down. Even with the immense wound she had suffered, she was still trying so hard... for Sakaki's sake. The tears in her eyes dried, her soul being filled with fiery passion and determination. Shishire would not claim her, not today, not ever! A grunt of frustration sounded through her mind as Shishire's influence over her was pushed away, yet she remained enshrouded by the aura of the genma.

And she felt it too; chakra. More than she had before, enough to help her friend. With this evil creatures power, she would save her friend's life. "You're right Rika, we can do this! It's all going to be okay, just stay awake for me! Can you do that? Just keep your eyes open, focus on me!" her distorted voice rang out as she formed a series of seals, more black chakra coalescing around her hands before turning green with healing properties. The most important thing to do was to clot that bleeding, and that would take time given the shear size of her wound.

She had no time to lose, placing her hands against the open wound and releasing chakra into her friend. Rika's blood covered her hands, but as long as she focused on this, on saving Rika's life... perhaps both of them would escape this day alive.

JutsuShow

*[Iijutsu • Blood Clot Technique]
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
This highly useful field technique is applied to bleeding wounds to help encourage the coagulation of the blood. After focusing chakra into his/her hands, the user will hover them over the bleeding wound and begin to channel chakra through it. The chakra will began to thicken the blood, causing it to clot. Wounds must be dealt with one at a time, and the number of wounds that can be tended to within the three (3) posts that this technique lasts depends on their size. Small wounds take very little time to clot, while moderate wounds take one (1) post of concentration to clot, and large wounds take two (2) posts to clot. Although this technique stops the bleeding, the wound remains vulnerable and will require further care after this has been performed.

[Kabu]

Okay, she was definitely delirious, very much so in fact. For a second Rika for sure thought that Sakaki almost sounded like someone else... while still seeming somewhat like herself. She did very briefly consider the possibility that Sakaki was sharing her body with someone or something else, but she just as quickly dismissed it as a ridiculous notion brought on by her current state. "Aight, can't argue with the doc so I'll try. Gotta say though, can't wait to get home and fall in my bed. I'm more tired than I thought I would be." she said, focusing her eyes on Sakaki as she worked, head tilted as she wondered what had the girl so worked up. She herself hadn't quite realized yet that she was missing one of her limbs, only knowing that she was in a great deal of pain and that she felt very light headed and tired. She did however feel that something wasn't quite right, even if she wasn't sure what it was or even if it was a real feeling and not simply brought on by delirium.

[TyDie]

It was all Sakaki could do to keep her concentration on the Blood Clot jutsu, coursing Shishire's chakra through her ally's arm to keel her from bleeding out. And after a prolonged period of exposure to the jutsu, finally Sakaki could see some progress as her blood began to scab over the site of the wound. The flow of blood was slowing, but it required more time before she would be okay. "I'm sure it hurts Rika, I can help with the pain as soon as this is dealt with okay? Just hang in there... and we'll both be out of here in just a few minutes..."

Sakaki would be lying if she tried to tell herself she wasn't exhausted herself. The chakra gained from Shishire helped, but the fact was it was all she coupe manage to clot Rika's blood and maybe take away some of the pain. Come on Rika... Just a few more moments... So, does this count as using my assistance, child? Shihihihi... Sakaki's brow furrowed at the genma's words... yet she couldn't deny him. Go ahead and bask in your victory, Shishire. As long as Rika makes it, I don't care. The genma merely laughed again, content with at least the fact that, as far as Shishire could see, Sakaki could do nothing without it. It may not have eacaped, but that little fact was an acceptable consolation prize...

"Talk to me Rika, let me know you're still in there. As soon as this is done, we can get out of here..."

[Kabu]

"You know, you should become a doctor, you're quite good at this. And I guess you had a little bit of chakra left in you after all. Good thing, huh?" Rika said with the best smile she could muster through the pain and exhaustion. It did seem a bit odd that Sakaki was able to put this much effort into healing her when she had most definitely been nearly tapped out but perhaps her supply had actually begun to restore itself on the way back.That kind of thing happened all the time right? Right, it most definitely did.

With that, she simply sighed and leaned her head back against the wall, looking down at the scroll in her hands, well.. hand. "I was really hoping to get to read this when we got home but looks like it'll have to wait until tomorrow. I'm in no shape to be doing any kind of work right now. Such a shame, especially after we went through so much to get it too." she said, tilting her head to look over towards her companion.

"And I'm glad that I chose you to come with me. It feels good to be working with someone of the same rank and around the same age."

[TyDie]

Sakaki chuckled, surprised that Rika was still capable of full sentences, although her voice was getting weaker by the second. "Heh, my teacher said I took a shine to healing jutsu. Told me i'd be the most valuable squad member if I could perfect it. Looks likr he was right... i think you're safe." 'safe' was relative of course, as her arm was gone at this point, minced apart by the still ongoing trapped hallway. But at least she wasnt going to bleed out; the clot had formed, and barring any jarring movements it would hold.

Now to fulfill her promise; another set of hand seals and Sakaki's hands would funnel more chakra into the girl's wound, first sanitizing it so it would remain uninfected and prevent septic shock. Then, with fluttering eyes she'd perform one last set of seals and put the last bit of chakra she could spare into the wound, a wave of numbness washing over it and dulling her pain significantly. It still hurt of course, but it'd be good enough that she could hopefully stand and walk with Sakaki's assistance.

""Alright Rika, I've done all I can... can you stand? I'll help you out of here, I just need you on your feet. Come on, stay awake." Sakaki would try and lift the girl up, slinging her good arm over Sakaki's neck and shoulder before standing up, coaxing her to stand as well. If she managed to get on her feet, Sakaki would grab the golden scroll and lead the way down the steps and into the original hallway, were light could be seen coming out of the first door

"We're almost there, Rika. Almost... The aura of Shishire's chakra flickered for a moment, her voice beginning to return to normal as the fear of death left her. "...There." By the time sunlight touched the duo, Sakaki was back to normal, and the excavation crew took immediate notice of them. "Oh shit, Daisuke get help!" one of the men, presumably Daisuke, disappeared over a small sand dune while some other men came to Rika and Sakaki's side.

"What happened?!" The man said to Sakaki, eyeing Rika's wound in panic. "...Trap. Help..." was all Sakaki could muster before falling over, unconscious. Rika would be caught by one of the other men, and before long a woman with two camels would cross over the small dune of sand Daisuke had disappeared over. She wore a shinobi headband; a suna shinobi. "By the Light! Daisuke, Take that camel with the other girl! Ill take the black haired one!"

With that, Rika would be carried and placed on a camel, and Sakaki's unconscious body on another, before the duo began the ride to Suna...

Mission - Complete??