No One's Night

I don't even know what the dance was for, but a bunch of the Genin and Chunin were there, along with a few Jounin to supervise and some non-Shinobi people. The building was very tall, the same party going on on each floor. I tried in vain to find Shino, but I just couldn't seem to find him. He told me he was going to be coming, but I suppose things pop up, with his father being the leader of the Aburame clan and all.

Everyone was having a great time. I got an ominous feeling, though, so I went up to the top floor, to the balcony. The balcony was at such an angle that not many people could see out, not unless you were positioned at a certain way. In my white dress, it wasn't that hard to notice me, but no one seemed to. I mean, Guy sensei waved when he saw me, but nothing more.

When I went out on the balcony, I saw a girl with dark red hair in a black dress, sitting on the railing. At first I thought Naomi, then I thought Ichigo. But this girl...She just didn't look like either of them.

"What do you want now?!" She hissed quietly. I could tell she'd been crying. "Didn't I tell you to--" When she turned around, she saw me, my straggly hair splayed out in front of my eyes. She gave me a small glare and turned away. "What do you want from me? Can't you see I wanna be left alone?"

A half smile pulled at my lips. "What's your name?"

"Why should you care? Why should anyone care?" The girl sniffed back tears, and I could see her wiping her eyes.

"Why should a plant care so deeply to reach the sun when there's not light in the forest?"

The girl looked confused. "Because the plant needs the sunlight to live."

"And if there is no sunlight?"

"Then the plant will die." She froze. "You don't know me that well."

"My name is Sen," I offered. With a smile, I said, "Of course I don't you that well. I know your expression. I know the fear that you have in your heart."

"How?"

My voice lowered. "I've been there before: To the bottom of Hell and back...I know what it's like. It sucks, don't it?"

The girl nodded, then caught herself. "What do you want?"

"To help."

"I don't need your help! I don't need anyone's help!" She hissed between clenched teeth.

"What about when you're holding on with dear life to that railing right there and hoping that you won't lose your grip? What're you gonna think then? Or what about when you hear the crash of your own bones against the ground? What's gonna be going through your mind? Are you gonna be wishing you didn't do that?" I challenged her.

"I don't care what I'm thinking," she returns after a while, "I just want the pain to be gone."

"And all of it's gonna be gone once you feel the impact of the ground, right? Boom, and all the pain's gone. Is that how it works? Man, if that's how it works, I woulda done it a long time ago." I sighed. "But it just don't work out that way. It's gonna keep right on hurting, until you learn to ignore it. Life never feels good, not unless you're living the cushy life, and I can tell that you aren't."

She remained silent. "My name is Kyuuen."

"Well, Kyuuen. What makes you think that's the right thing to do? What made you wanna do it? A boyfriend break up with you? Parents hit you? Someone close die?" My eyes narrowed. I couldn't blame her for thinking this way: I'd done the same not so long ago, and I wasn't one hundred percent sure that I had rid myself of the feeling completely.

"A few things," she admitted.

"Like what?" I goaded her.

"Well...I found my boyfriend kissing another girl today...and my parents do hit me. My grandma died last week in a tragic house fire."

"I see..."

"What made you feel like that, Sen? You said you'd felt the same...What was your cause?" Kyuuen looked curious, but the tears still shone in her eyes. I stood beside her, looking at the sparkling stars in the sky.

"I'm a Ninja, you see. And...one of my friends, she was very traitorous. My...village," I hesitated on the word, "was in the middle of a war. And my friend actually went to our enemy and told them our location. My village sent me to kill her...I did, and I was devastated afterwards. I still haven't gotten over it completely."

"Whoa..." Kyuuen said quietly. "That takes guts to be able to stay alive like that."

"I attempted suicide twice. The first time, my other friend was smart enough to cut off my Chakra reserves and take my weapons. The second time, my boyfriend found out before things got very far." I sighed and looked at her. "But I'm not here to mourn my own affairs. I'm here to help you."

"Why do you want to help me so badly?"

"Because I don't want anyone feeling the same as I did. Listen, Kyuuen, tonight's just not your night to die." I gave her a sincere look, hoping for her to believe me.

"Then who's night is it?"

"No one's. No one will die tonight, not at this party, not in this village."

She was quiet for a moment, until I heard a faint sniffing noise. "Thank you," she said quietly, "You have no idea how much I owe you."

"You don't owe me anything."

Standing up, she smiled. "I'm gonna go see if I can't get revenge on my boyfriend. I hope we meet again some time. Have a nice night, Sen."

"You, too," I smiled. Kyuuen went back into the building and left me out on the balcony alone. I sat on the edge of the railing for a while, letting the cold soak into my skin. I heard the calling of birds, and suddenly saw three young birds flying. My heart pounded and my eyes grew wide.

Birds.

Not the birds.

Not the baby birds in the nest.

They wanted to know I was evil. So they made me do an evil deed. The Sound Five, they had made me knock a nest of baby birds off the branch they were perched on, into the water below. The memory still haunted me today, the sound of the baby birds crying, the ache of my heart as Sakon held me back from running to their rescue, the look of three dead birds as they lay still in the water.

I pushed the memory out, pushed against it with all my might. But it pushed me. Right off the edge. The only thing I could muster was a quiet gasp. No scream. I felt myself tumbling, falling, felt the wind rushing past my ears and saw the lights flashing past my eyes. The world around me turned black and slow. I could imagine a pair of invisble hands, pushing me gently to my feet. There would be Amaya and Leri. The dead. Everyone who was dead. I could see them again. But I'd miss several others. It didn't matter now. I was dead. I had to be. The only thought that went through my mind was, Shino, where are you?

I didn't fully register what had happened until I felt the pain surging through my back and heard the frantic voices of the couple below. No -- they weren't below me anymore. They were taller than me. The woman with dark blue hair held my hand. "Dear, come on, dear, wake up. Now's not the time to be sleeping!"

"I'm not s-sleeping..." I moaned.

"Oh, thank goodness," the man said, "she's alive."

The woman said a name, obviously addressing the man, and she told him, "Quickly, get Lady Hokage, before we lose her!" He nodded and took off in the direction of the Leaf Hospital. My vision swam and swayed, making it hard to really make out a whole lot of shapes and colors. She started talking to me. "What's your name?"

"Sen..."

"Are you a Ninja, Sen?"

"Yes..." I cringed as the all-too-familiar sensation of pain thrummed through my veins.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Yes..." Despite my delirium, I knew what she was doing. She was trying to keep my attention so I didn't slip into sleep. If I fell asleep, I may never wake up. Pain thrummed a steady beat in my back, and I didn't know what kind of bones I had broken from the fall. Each time my vision would begin to clear, I would find myself looking up at the balcony I had fallen from. Just looking at it, my vision began to sway again. The height was incredible, and it was a paradox that I had survived it.

"What's his name?" Name...name...name...what was his name...? I was lucky to remember my own name in this delirious state! "Sen?"

"Huh...?"

"What's your boyfriend's name, dear?"

"Oh! Oh...Shino...Shino Aburame..."

"An Aburame, huh? Sounds strong!" She giggled.

"He's the...the heir to the c-clan itself...His f-father is the...the l-leader of the c-clan..." And that's when everyone began filing out of the building. They swarmed around me, and I recognized several voices. Naruto, Kiba, Shikamaru...But the most important voice was almost impossible to hear.

Until he got to my side. He kneeled beside me, and I could feel his hand on mine. "Sen?" He said. "C'mon, babe, are you OK?" I could see something sparkling beneath his glasses. The sparkle of tears. No doubt Shino had been devastated by hearing I had fallen out of a tall building.

I tried to nod, but I cringed in pain. Instead, I settled for a smile. I could hear him sighing his relief. "Who are you," the woman asked, "and what right do you have to be here?"

"I'm her boyfriend," he answered. "Shouldn't that be reason enough?"

"Sh-Shino..." I murmured, vaguely aware I was even speaking.

"Shhh," He said. I tried to sit up. "No, no, don't do that." Gingerly, he pushed me back down again.

"N-no...I-I'm OK."

"No, you're not. Sen, you just fell...from the balcony..."

Then there was a smudge of dark red in my field of vision. A first, I thought my eyes were bleeding. But then, Kyuuen's face was clear as daylight through the other blurs of color. She looked confused and sad. "K-Kyuuen..." I smiled weakly. "I d-didn't think I would s-see you ag-gain tonight..."

No other emotions crossed her face. "I guess you were right, Sen...Tonight is no one's night to die." She disappeared into the throng of loud people. She was completely invisible to me.

I moaned. "Shino...It hurts...really bad..."

"I know, babe," he said sweetly. "Lady Hokage's on her way. She can fix it."

"She's...She's only human, Shino...She can't...She can't fix everything. What if she can't...can't fix this?" My eyes still swam. Whispers and screams and shouts rang in my ears, the stench of human panic filled my lungs.

"Don't talk like that. She can fix it. She fixed Lee's spine, didn't she?"

"This is different...I'm not...not..."

"Shut her up, now. I don't want her saying a word," came a demanding female voice. I diverted my wavering eyes from Shino to the women standing over me. Alongside the woman that had kept me awake and interrogated Shino stood two figures. Somehow, I was able to tell they were Lady Tsunade and Shizune.

"Can you help her?" Shino asked.

"I'll have to assess the damage, calculate the recovery time, and lay out the right herbs. I can tell you then." Lady Tsunade had a glaring look of urgency in her eyes. Shizune -- as always -- looked frightened but calm. TonTon was sniffing at my hair and nuzzling my face, trying to make sure that I was still alive. The cute little pig. If only I could've seen her clearly then. But her lamenting squeals told me what she would look like had I been able to see her.

My consciousness faded away as I was carried to the Leaf Hospital. The last image I remember was Shino staring as I was whisked away, tears glimmering beneath his glasses.

--

"You really do love this girl, don't you, Shino?"

"Yes...I would do anything for her."

"Humph. That's cute. She seems like a nice enough girl..."

"Mom!"

"What? It's true."

"Dear, do you mind if I talk to him for a moment?"

"Be my guest, Shibi. Maybe you can make some sense of his insane infatuation..."

Footsteps. Silence.

"Shino?"

"Yes?"

"This girl..."

"I know, Dad. She's from a different village. Things aren't going to work out. We won't be together long. You've told me all of your 'prophecies.'"

"They're not prophecies, Shino. It's the way I think. She's going to have to go back to her own village sooner or later and with the way you've become smitten with her...You're just going to end up hurting yourself..." Silence. A sigh. "But I can see that you love her very much...It's tragic that this happened. I'm...sorry..."

"If you're trying to make me feel good, it's not going to work, Dad."

"I don't know what you see in her, Shino."

Concealed anger. "Sen's an amazing person, Dad. You just haven't listened to me enough to know about her. She's...she's awesome. She's nice when you talk to her, strong when you meet her, reliant when you know her...and hopeless when you love her."

"What do you mean 'hopeless,' Shino?"

"She needs me, Dad. She wouldn't be alive if it weren't for me."

"She's a dangerous influence. Just don't say those three words that will bind you fore--"

"I love her." Time froze.

"What did you...?"

"I love her. I said it. I love Sen. We can't live without each other. And we're going to live. With or without you, I'm staying with her."

Silence. Footsteps. A cough. Another cough. Cough, cough, cough...Pain. Incredible pain. Running from my spine to my throat. Thud, thud, thud...The tune of my heartbeat. The tune of my scream. Wait--scream? I was screaming? I was coughing? I was alive?!

Raspy and pained, my voice strained to leave my throat. "Sh-Shino..." Silence. "Shino...?" Pain rushed through my veins. It passed my Cursed Mark, and it reacted violently, triggering a scream to escape my mouth. I tried to calm down, but my scream formed into a word, a name. "Shino!" My breath came out in short, sobbing gasps for air. Alone, he rushed into the room. He seemed stunned I was awake. His parents came in slowly afterwards.

"Sen," he whispered as he came closer, "Thank goodness you're alive..."

"Sh-Shino...I love you..."

I could tell he was smiling, because I could hear the joy in his voice. "I love you, too." He gingerly pushed my hair behind my ear and kissed my forehead. I closed my eyes, savoring the moment, despite the fact I was in pain. He stood up straight and turned to his father. "Since you never actually had a formal meeting...Dad, this is Sen. Sen, this is my dad, Shibi."

I smiled, not risking myself the pain of waving at him. The man looked almost exactly like Shino, except he was taller, had mustache, a gourd on his back, and a brown jacket instead of bluish-grey. He nodded in acknowledgement, but said nothing. That didn't seem to make Shino too happy.

"Out, out, all of you out!" Came that same demanding female voice that had ordered me silent. Shibi and and Shino's mother scuttled out of the room. Shino refused to leave. Lady Tsunade didn't seem to have a problem with him in the room. "Glad to see you're awake, Sen."

I smiled. Shizune said, "How're you feeling?"

"Good," I paused to cough, "but it hurts."

Shino's voice had a sense of fear to it. "Lady Hokage, can you...help her?"

Lady Tsunade smiled warmly and reassuringly to Shino. She chuckled. "Of course I can. It's not that difficult. Just a few weeks of recovery and some intensive care with medical Ninjutsu, and she'll be good as new." She paused to laugh and joked, "Of course, Sen, you'll have to figure out how to live without training for a couple of weeks. That may be the one thing that will kill you." I smiled, not daring to laugh. But actually, Lady Tsunade was right. That was going to be the hardest thing for me. But right now...All I wanted to do...was sleep. I was so tired.

I yawned. "Well, your monitor seems to be going just fine. I see no risk of flatlining for you, so I think you'll be good. Have a nice rest." Lady Tsunade walked out the door, TonTon squealing in protest. Shino was silent. I closed my eyes, hoping for sleep to come quickly.

"Sen...?" I hear Shino whisper.

I opened my eyes slightly. "Oh," he said, "I'm sorry. Were you asleep?" I smiled and said no. "Oh...I wanted to know...What actually caused you to fall off the balcony?"

"Memories...Bad memories..."

"Otogakure...?"

My eyes grew wide. I kept my voice at a low whisper. "How do you know I was in Otogakure before?"

"I know about your Cursed Mark, too. You're forgetting, Sen: I'm the one who found you after you collapsed from your battle with Amaya, when you used your Cursed Mark. You were still in your Second State, Mature Stage."

"Don't tell anyone, please..."

"Why would I tell anyone? Do you think I want to lose you to interrogaters? Kiba, Hinata, and Kurenai sensei didn't even see you. Only my mother and I. Actually, I was the only one who saw you in your Second State. You'd gone down to your Premature Stage by time my mother saw you."

I felt relieved for a moment, until I realized something. "How do you know about my Mature and Premature Stages?"

"Kakashi sensei. He knows things about Cursed Marks, but he says that yours looks nothing like Sasuke's." I kept my eyes closed, trying to ignore the beep...beep...beep...of the electric heart monitor.

"Shino..." I whispered softly. I felt his hands pressing temporary holes into the side of the hospital bed as he leaned over me.

"Yes?"

"Can you...promise me...one thing?"

"I'd promise you the world, Sen. I've already promised you my heart."

An amused smile crossed my lips. "Promise me...that you'll never leave me. I don't want to be alone...I can't trust darkness any more. There are too many people who would do anything to get me, for one reason or another..."

I felt him gingerly take my hand, and I opened my eyes. He didn't have his glasses on and he was smiling. "I promise, Sen. I promise."

"Thank you...Thank you." He kissed me on the forehead before I fell asleep again.

Shichi?!

"Come here, Shichi!" I called.

"Shiiiiiii!" She cried, running to me. Shino cringed when she leaped into my arms.

"See?" I pointed out, holding Shichi as she licked excitedly at my face. "All better."

"Just be careful. I don't want you hurting yourself again. Bones are sensitive things," he warned.

"Oh, it'll be fine, I promise." I kissed him on the cheek, feeling Shichi automatically tense in my arms.

"What's up with her?" Shino asked, noticing it, too.

"I don't know..." My room was very cold. Even sitting on the bed as we were was cold. I held Shichi up in front of my face like some kind of an odd puppy. "Are you cold, Shichi?" She seemed to be smiling at me, her long tail waging back and forth, her pink tongue lolling out of her mouth. "I don't think she's cold," I said, putting her back in my lap.

Shino yawned. "Well, it's getting kind of late. I have to be going. Goodnight," he said.

"Goodnight." He kissed me, and as he did so, I heard a wildly angry screeching noise. I pulled away immediately to see Shichi's eyes burning with hate at Shino. "Shichi!" I scolded, knowing very well what she could've done to him had I not pulled away. She turned to look at me, happiness in her eyes, and then hate when she looked at Shino.

"That thing hates me," he murmured, amusement in his voice.

"I'm sorry," I apologized.

"It's OK. Goodnight."

"Goodnight..." He left, closing the door quietly behind him. "Shichi," I said, turning to the small white creature as she sat happily on my bed, "what's gotten into you?" Her tongue drooped out of her mouth, lolling back and forth as her tail flew from side to side. I frowned. "Do you not like Shino or something, Shichi?" She froze at his name, a deep, growling noise coming from her throat. "I get it!" I said, crossing my arms. Torayuki moaned in her sleep. "I'll make sure to keep you and Shino far away from each other. As for you, Torayuki," I said, pulling lightly on her ear.

"What...?" She mumbled, sitting up. Her dark green eyes shone with irritation.

"You sleep too much." She sighed and laid back down.

Goodbye, Akamaru

"Come on, Shichi," I said, picking her up. She licked my face excitedly. "It's time to go see Lady Hane." She didn't flinch at the name of the veteranarian's name. Why should she? Hana Inuzuka was Kiba's sister, and Shichi knew who Kiba and Akamaru were. She loved playing with Akamaru.

The Leaf Village seemed incredibly bustling today. I held Shichi like a little kid might hold a kitten, an almost smiling expression on her face. Kiba and Akamaru were nowhere to be found, but I figured that they would be getting Akamaru's check-up today, too.

As I came near Lady Hane's office, I heard a familiar voice hissing quietly at me. "Sen?! What're you doing here?!"

"Huh...?" Shichi sniffed lightly at the air. The owner of the voice stared at me through the bushes, wide-eyed. I frowned. "I should be asking you the same thing, Naruto san." He grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "Why are you hiding in the bushes?"

He frozen suddenly, and blushed. "Well...I...uh...I..." He chuckled nervously.

"Naruto san..." I said sternly.

"I-I...I ripped my pants and I was hoping Lady Hana could fix it..." He stepped shamefully out into the light, and, at the sight of his ripped pants, I snickered, trying not to embarass him, although his face was already red with embarassment. I smiled at him, hoping the look on my face to be reassuring.

"I'm sure Lady Hana will help you."

--

"What?!" I asked.

"Yeah...I'm really gonna miss him..." Kiba looked down shamefully, tears pooling in the corners of his eyes. I put one hand on his shoulder, hoping to comfort him.

"Kiba," Lady Hana demanded, "Don't you dare talk like that. I will fix him before they get their hands on him."

Kiba managed a weak smile. I asked, "Who in their right mind would do something to poor little Akamaru? He's innocent."

His eyes got a glow of hate to them. "I'll bet it was something that stupid Sakon-Sound-guy," I jumped slightly at the name of he who was so masochistic toward me, "did when we fought. Some things lie in waiting like that, and they don't take effect for a long time. Do you think that's what he did?"

"Only Orochimaru could have that kind of evil weaponry," Naruto snarled, anger in his eyes.

I hissed, "That certainly sounds like something that that sick, masochistic monster, Sakon,might do. I hated him." My eyes narrowed as I stared at the lines on the smooth bamboo table. The boys stared at me curiously. They both knew that I had been in Otogakure, that I knew each one of the Sound Five, each of those who had tried to hinder our path to Sasuke, and succeeded.

"What do you mean that Sakon-guy was masochistic?" Kiba asked.

"That's not for you to ask!" I spat, glaring at him. Realizing their even more curious looks now that I had been protective of my horrible memories, I softened my tone. "What is for you to ask, however, is how we're gonna get Akamaru back to normal. The Kikaichu attacking him...That just can't be normal."

"Shino hates me," Kiba murmured.

"But he wouldn't dare sic the Kikaichu on anyone but a battling opponent, and from what I hear, from both you and Shino, you were only --"

Kiba finished, "Waiting for Kurenai sensei, yeah. We weren't fighting at all. Hinata was training."

"Exactly."

"So Lady Tsunade's right," he said, turning his eyes down. "Akamaru is the target of biological warfare."

"It'll be OK, Kiba," I said, smiling. "We can get him all back to normal before Lady Tsunade has to take control." He smiled faintly, looking up at me.

"Thanks," he murmured.

"Naruto," Lady Hana said, "Here are your pants." She handed the botched repair of a sewing job back to Naruto.

"Sis," Kiba frowned, "You're too used to sewing up animals."

"What can I say? I'm a vet."

--

"Kiba, stop," I mumured, grabbing his sleeve. He looked at me strangely, then smiled, tears in his eyes. Shichi squeaked with fear, curling against my feet. "Kiba!" I said as he tried to pull away. "He's going to kill you!"

I heard snarling and slobbering noises from the mutated Akamaru. Fear rose high in my heart. The only thing that came from Kiba was a smile, and streams of tears running down the red marks on his face. "I have to, Sen." Naruto's eyes were huge. "I'm the only one who can stop Akamaru now, and if I have to, I'll sacrifice my own life to save him."

I let my arm swing down to my side and smiled at him weakly. "I understand...But, we'll miss you, OK?"

He nodded. Looking toward the slobbering beast that was once Akamaru, he whispered, "Hey, Akamaru. You remember me still, right, boy? Somewhere inside...I know you still remember me."

"Be careful," Naruto and I whispered at the same time.

Kiba advanced slowly toward the giant dog, the night air blowing his hood off his head. It ruffled Akamaru's fur, almost in a last goodbye that would never be said. "C'mon, boy," Kiba said, arms outstretched, "I'm ready for you."

Akamaru snarled. I pressed my face into Naruto's shoulder, scared. "I can't watch them anymore," I said quietly. He seemed to understand, putting one had on my head for comfort. I missed Shino at that moment. I heard a wildly barking, and incredible gush of wind, and Naruto and I were pushed to the ground. Seconds ticked by, and I pressed my face farther into the cold ground. I felt Shichi beside me.

"Sen," came Naruto's voice quietly.

"I don't want to see it..." I moaned, upset.

"He's not dead," he said simply. I jolted upright. A distance away, there was a large hole in the ground. Stumbling, I stood up and ran to the edge of the hole. Inside lay Kiba, unconscious, Akamaru -- all back to normal -- cradled in his arms. Naruto san stood behind me. A smile spread across my lips, and Shichi sat, pleased, beside me.

"Thank you, kids," came a familiar voice. I took a defensive stance when I saw the black-clad figure. Then she removed her mask.

"Lady Hana?" I asked, shocked at the sight of Kiba's sister. "B-but why are you here? Why did you thank us?"

"Lady Tsunade sent me to put Akamaru to sleep," she stared thoughtfully at her brother and his dog. I must say, he looked much younger than he was without his hood up. Then I realized what she had said, and looked up at her. "I thanked you, because I didn't want to have to do it. Kiba's had Akamaru ever since they were both puppy-age. They've been best friends since...I couldn't possibly bear to see them separated permanately like that. So I thank you. You two helped him so he wasn't scared to save Akamaru. And he saved him. I can't thank you two enough."

"You're welcome!" Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head, proud.

I smiled, picking Shichi up and holding her like a kitten once more. She squealed happily, making Lady Hana smile. "You're welcome, Lady Hana...But we should get him to the hospital, and Akamaru checked out, shouldn't we?"

"Yeah...Come on," she said, picking up her brother and carrying him on her back as though he were as light as a feather. "Sen, you get Akamaru."

"Yes, ma'am!" I said, nodding. I shoved Shichi into Naruto's chest, forcing him to take her. "She's your job for now, Naruto san." Shichi squealed again, and nipped playfully at his nose.

"Hey!" Naruto said, thoroughly offended. The two of them went back and forth in a pathetic conversation that no one but I understood. I scooped up Akamaru's limp and snoring body lightly, clutching his tightly but gently to my chest. I could feel his small body getting larger and smaller as he breathed.

Throughout the entire journey to the hospital, I don't think Lady Hana stopped smiling once.

Nunchaku Training!

"Are you ready, Sen?" Lee kun asked, pulling out his weapon.

"It's up to you. This training is for you, after all. Just...um...try not to hit me, OK? Those things look kinda old..." I warily eyed the nunchaku that he held so tightly.

"They are not that old. Guy sensei gave them to me," he murmured, looking at them himself.

"Yeah, but who knows how long Guy sensei's had them?"

"That is a good point..." Lee kun frowned. Nonetheless, we began our training. I stepped backwards, carefully timing each step as Lee kun spun and flicked the nunchaku in front of my face every which way, careful not to hit me. But then I heard a strange noise and tripped, falling on a pile of leaves. I felt something hard hit me in the head, in a direct spot that stung after it hit its mark and ricocheted to Lee kun. He managed to dodge it.

"Lee kun!" I said, rubbing my head and frowning at him and his broken nunchaku. "I told you not to hit me!"

He grinned pathetically. "I am sorry," he said as he picked up the left half of the nunchaku. "I will have to buy some new ones before our upcoming mission." Lee kun laughed, amused. "Just think about it, Sen! We will be protecting a prince and his son, in the Crescent Moon Kingdom! Does it not sounds thrilling?"

I smiled, forgetting my injury. "Sounds awesome."