[takeda sadako]

KILLING YOUR IDOLS IS A CHORE

Everything went black. She was only out for like a minute; Junichi had been relatively gentle, whacking her hard enough to knock her out but not enough to cause any real damage. She was being carted away by medics, and tried to protest, but the Iwa mednin wouldn’t hear it. Something about a concussion, potential brain damage, mandatory twenty-four hour observation period. Whatever. Despite herself, she fell asleep on the stretcher. It had been a long day, her chakra reserves were nearly depleted, and her muscles, comically, felt more relaxed than they had in years. Sleep came quickly and quietly, pulling her under between one breath and the next like a swelling wave. She woke up in a hospital room. She very nearly got up and left, but when she tried to move she found that she was hooked up to some machines, and she felt very certain that something would start angrily beeping at her if she tried to yank any of the cords or needles out. And, belatedly: she noticed two people in the room with her. Junichi, Squeakers. Sadako scowled. "Get out of here,” she said to Junichi, waving a hand in his direction. "You have better shit to be doing. Go get ready for the next round, dumbass.” She wasn’t actually angry, which was.. surprising. She thought she should be, all things considered, but she sat there with wires in her arms and a blanket across her legs and mostly? She just felt empty. To Squeakers she said, equally dismissive, "And shouldn’t you be helping Tsuri? She’s probably gonna kill someone next round, you know. Almost did in the last one, and cried the whole time about it.”

Mikazuki Aikawa Shodo Tsuri -- 282

LAIKA OF THQ

[Yuie Junichi]

When he finally dropped Sadako, he did his best to catch her. A clumsy act, considering he couldn't see well and she was taller and heavier than he was. Still, he followed her all the way to the floor so she wouldn't hit her head again.

The medical shinobi quickly came and carried her off. Junichi tried to tag along, but he had to clean off his glasses to have any chance of keeping up, and then was made to stand outside and wait while they assessed her. It wasn't very long, but it still felt like forever before he was allowed in. She still wasn't conscious, but he could at least sit and wait until he was called off when the last battles concluded...

While he waited, Squeakers arrived. Junichi hadn't seen him in a while, but he would recognize the man anywhere. He bowed slightly in greeting, not very talkative, minding the silence of the room while Sadako was out.

Then Sadako woke up. She sat up, bleary, and seemed to be contemplating the tubes in her arms. Junichi sat perched, half-standing, ready to spring up and stop her in case she tried to pull them out. He sunk back into his seat when her eyes turned towards him, feeling chided.

"I- I needed to be here to be sure you were alright," Junichi insisted, trying to find his confidence again. "I wouldn't be able to focus on the next round if I wasn't sure my teammate was okay, and... resting is preparing for the next round anyways. Are you okay?"

[Mikazuki Aikawa]

[googlefont="Playfair Display"][googlefont="Alice"]

I really can't remember if I'm insane or insomniac

Squeakers didn't always keep tabs on his students. Even with the help of clones, it seemed too daunting a task to try looking after every genin or academy student he helped out, and there were many times when children had to rely on themselves for things. For the past few years, Squeakers hadn't even attended the Chūnin Exams at all--so it hadn't really been possible for him to even watch his students perform in the tests, let alone be able to give them praise, encouragement, or scorn based on how they fared.
    This time around, though, Squeakers was present. And, thankfully, it didn't seem that any of Amegakure's kids had faced any lethal damage.
    Though, still, it seemed he should probably check in on the kid who had found herself hospitalized after her battle with another of the students. Since he was around, after all.
    Plus he had a sort of soft spot for Sadako.
    She was an asshole and a punk. But that was entertaining! Squeakers loved a challenge.
    When he arrived to the hospital, Squeakers was pleasantly surprised--though less surprised, when he put some thought to it--to see Junichi also had intentions of seeing the girl. The masked man wouldn't have much conversation to offer, but he'd give a small wave of the hand in greeting nonetheless.
    Eventually the two would be allowed entry to Sadako's room, and to little surprise, she met the two with aggression and a general sense of annoyance.
    The Chūnin leaned against a wall and shrugged loosely before crossing his arms. Should I be helping Tsuri? He wondered. There was so many things to do, and so many people to meet. If she'd needed last-minute training from him, she probably would have approached him on her own--there was no need for him to hover. "Eh, why is that any of my concern?" Squeakers wondered aloud, genuine. "Killing is part of the job, and it's something every shinobi ought to be acquainted with if they hope to rise through the ranks. While it's not ideal to eliminate an opponent in the Chūnin Exams with lethal force... it's happened, before, and I won't scold a student for doing what's necessary."
    If Tsuri had to choose between herself and somebody else, he much preferred she choose herself.
    And if she had such low self-control that she couldn't hold back and accidentally killed people that she had no intention to, then she wasn't ready to be a Chūnin, either.
    Either way. The Chūnin Exams were deadly--this shouldn't be news to anyone. Some genin were truly bloodthirsty and had no self-control, and every student who entered acknowledged the risks. Even if his students were the "good" ones, they still had to be prepared to protect themselves in dangerous situations, should someone else decide not to hold back.
    Regardless. "And I get you don't know everything, but just so you do know, I can be in multiple places at once. I'm good at multi-tasking when I need to," Squeakers said. He rubbed the base of his neck with one hand. "And do you even know what today is? March Third. I assure you I know there's other things I could be doing, today." Then, carefully, he added, "but I wanted to check in on you."

OUTFIT

takeda sadako Yuie Junichi

551

NOTES: notes here

ⒶⓀⒾ of Adoxography and of GS

[takeda sadako]

KILLING YOUR IDOLS IS A CHORE

Sadako’s scowl only deepened, fists balling up the scratchy fabric of the blanket laying over her legs. Her head throbbed. be sure you were alright but i wanted to check in on you koko i heard about your mom and dad i killing is part of the job if i wasn’t sure my teammate was okay sa-chan i’m so sorry, if there’s anything you need just are you okay? are you alright? how are you feeling? are you okay? are you okay? Her head throbbed. "I’m fine,” she said, teeth gritted. "I don’t even need to be here. It’s stupid. I get whacked in the head all the time.” She rubbed at her eyes as if that would help will the headache away, snapping her wrist in frustration when her tubes and cords tugged awkwardly with the movement. "You need to focus on the next round,” Sadako said to Junichi, more emphatically this time. She tried to cover it up, but no matter how much irritation and annoyance and anger she mustered, beneath it all was the nasty core: fear. "If you get matched up with that psycho he’s gonna kill you, you know. You can’t waste any time.” She was halfway resolved to just ignore Squeakers entirely, if he was just going to be vague and hover, but in the end she couldn’t resist, and took the bait. "What’s March Third?” she asked, inherently suspicious. "Go do whatever that is. You don’t need to fuckin’ check on me.”

Mikazuki Aikawa Yuie Junichi -- 249

LAIKA OF THQ

[Yuie Junichi]

Killing was part of the job, this was the simple truth, but Junichi didn't like hearing it from Squeakers anyways. He could still remember so clearly the day he'd had to kill an enemy bandit for the first time. On the subway. All the blood and the racing of his heart and everything.

He thought about Hotarubi tearing off Atagi's arms and it made him sick. Had the bandits been afraid like that, when they went? Was he like Hotarubi? But Atagi wasn't even trying to kill Hotarubi. He'd done it just to do it. If Tsuri accidentally killed or maimed someone who wasn't a real threat to her... Even if it was an accident, would it be the same as that?

Squeakers spoke about it so casually, but it all seemed so much more complex and overwhelming than that to Junichi. Was their job really just to kill people, or was it to protect the village? Was there a distinction?

"I..." Sadako had touched on the Hotarubi situation. He didn't quite have the will to tell her that match was already set. Right after the participants who needed medical attention had been dragged away, the first rounds were announced. Thinking about it made him want to shake apart at the seams. It was all he would be thinking about until that day. He needed to talk to Atagi. He was still mostly planning on quitting at the start of the round.

He curled his fists, looking down at the ground in grim acknowledgement of Sadako's claim, but luckily he was given an out to avoid discussing it. He looked to Squeakers - what was March 3rd?