"Scary isn't it Ariha?"
She rarely let anyone see her intimidated. She sure as hell wasn't' going to let anyone, especially a stranger see just how bad he'd shaken her even though the sight of Misha and Taykoe swinging over a pool of eels was tearing her apart. She was fast. Not fast enough and she could only save one. That was the simple fact even if her leg wasn't injured and bleeding.
"Which one?" Sinatro inquired.
How had a drug dealer gotten access to eels anyway?
"Just standing there won't save them," he taunted.
"Ariha! Save Misha!" Taykoe yelled.
How she wished it was that easy. To just choose. How she wished she'd brought Karasu or even Tatsu. No, she'd chosen to ignore advice from Gai-sensei and set out.
"Well, which one is it?" Sinatro yelled.
He was enjoying himself, the bastard. Ariha brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. If she saved Misha, Taykoe would die. If she saved Taykoe, Misha would die. And if she kept standing there, Sinatro would grow bored and kill them both. If she even moved towards the lever that would close the pool cover, Sinatro would let them both go. No matter what she did, she'd lose. She closed her eyes.
"Clock's ticking," Sinatro yelled.
Ariha turned her face to him.
"I will make you pay ten times over!" she hissed.
Sinatro laughed.
"Oh kid, I doubt that. Your mama and your namesake, her best friend, faced this same test. Your mama, tried to save both teammates. In the end, she did but one came after me and died."
He snapped his fingers to indicate how fast Masako had met her end.
"And then your namesake died from injuries that were way past healin."
He smiled.
"Now if your mama and some anbu couldn't beat me, what makes you think you can?"
Ariha reached to brush her hair behind her ear, feeling the pen that nestled there. She gripped it.
"Because," Ariha said. "They're my reason for living."
With that, she yanked the pen out, throwing it with Tsunade like strength at the lever. Even before it hit, she was already running with wolf speed. Sinatro released Misha and Taykoe and they began their fall.
"Get Taykoe!" Misha yelled, revealing she had an arm free.
Ariha nodded and sped towards Taykoe.
"Mutt!" Sinatro yelled, leaping down.
He met Ariha in the air as she leapt for Taykoe. Ariha threw her hands up to shield her face but that did not cushion the blow. Sinatro sent her flying back into the ground where she left an indent. Blood spilled from her nose and for only a second, she was paralyzed by her lack of oxygen. Sinatro took advantage of this and lifted her up by the front of her shirt.
"You just can't stand the fact that… I won," Ariha taunted.
Sinatro drew back his fist.
"I'm gonna enjoy this," he growled.
"Of course you will. You're a murderer after all. My only regret is that I let it get this far," Ariha said.
Sinatro brought his fist down but Ariha ignored the pain, seizing a memory of her days in the academy. Of her final chunin exam where Misha and Karin's cheering had encouraged her to win. Of Taykoe's jumpiness over being the first one to approach any door or stairway after her encounter with Bloodlines. Her memories helped her ignore the pain each of Sinatro's blows sent through her body. She didn't even register her broken ribs, bleeding mouth or black eye. In fact, she was growing accustomed to it. None of it mattered after all so long as Misha and Taykoe were safe. That was all that mattered.

"She's waking up!"
Ariha shied away from the bright light at first until she was sunlight. Something she thought she'd never see again. She stared into the faces of Taykoe and Misha.
"Welcome back," Taykoe said.
Her left arm was in a sling but other than that she looked fine. Misha's right cheek was a bit swollen but it was hardly noticeable.
"What happened?" Ariha asked.
God she hurt.
"You saved us from Sinatro, beat his game and seriously pissed him off," Taykoe said matter of factly.
"And then he beat the crap outta you," Misha added.
"But Misha ran up behind him and shocked the lights out of him," Taykoe went on.
"But that didn't work and he punched me, so Taykoe went at him, and bit him with lion jaws but he broke her arm but it was then the recon team showed up and saved us all. Your mom was part of it and she totally laid into Sinatro. While all that was goin' down, Shizune and Ino healed us and Kakuzu handled you," Misha said.
"You were in really bad shape," Taykoe said.
Ariha smiled.
"We're alive, aren't we?" she asked. "And that's all that matters."
Misha and Taykoe smiled at each other.
"Too true," they agreed as one.
Ariha sank back on her pillows.
'Never," she begged to whatever god or goddess there was, 'Never make me choose between them again.'
Because, in the end, despite which one she lost, she'd never be able to go on.