Kangae hissed at the shuriken that sliced thinly into her side and left a fine line of red trailing across her skin. Leaping further into the foliage she dove under bushes and around trees until she was sure he didn't have a clear shot.

Settling with her back against the sturdy oak, Kangae rapidly adjusted her plan of action. She didn't need to keep him here to stall him especially when she could easily lead him back towards where the rest of the clans. Sasuke would presumably be back at the party so there was no harm in moving.

Infact there was less risk in doing that than in attempting to keep such a volatile person in check by herself. She was talented but she was still only a child, there wasn't much she could do against someone with training beyond her comprehension. As it stood Kangae was currently only being cut up a bit but in the long run that could and would end up being her downfall.

With a firm nod she partially withdrew from the sphere in the enemy ninja's mind space and zeroed in on Ino.

Focusing - but not touching her frantic and blinding thoughts as to alarm her - Kangae dashed as quickly as she could out of her hiding spot, allowed her knives to slip into the spaces of her fingers and flung them with as much accuracy as her flustered mind could muster up.

Not stopping her dead sprint even as the tiny sharp stilettos left her grip, she kicked off of a tree and flung herself onto it's trunk.

Pausing to reach out with angry mental fingers she clawed with as much strength as she could spare at his mind and was pleased when she heard his brief exclaim of pain.

Huffing at the strain on her own psyche that her little trick put her under - especially after using said trick multiple times - she only barely managed to leap to the other branch across from her but she ended up entirely missing the one that came after.

Teeth grinding harshly together Kangae broke her fall with a roll and winced at the faint pain in her shoulder. Giving it a tiny flex and rotation she gave a half sigh in relief, it was only a bruise and one that wouldn't hold her up much.

Reaching back towards her sister she noted that she was a ways away and she cursed herself for going so deep into the forest.

Moving quickly she made her way in the direction of her sister and tried her hardest to ignore the swishing of leaves behind her.

She perhaps made it several more feet before a duo of kunai embedded themselves into the ground before her and a figure not too far behind, jerking her frantic sprint to a stop she stared with wide eyes at her pursuer.

In his dark eyes and thoughts were a hate so strong it felt it was suffocating her.

Breathing slowly out she clenched her hands and tipped her chin upwards, squaring her shoulders she attempted to project only the utmost confidence.

"You're an intruder," She called out, pupil-less blue eyes frigid like ice. "And you're after one of my guests. Why?"

For a second all the boy did was stare before a sneer curled his lip, and a kunai knife spun around his finger.

"I don't think you're in a position to question me little girl," He said, angry gaze boring a hole into hers and she instantly knew he had been playing with her this entire time. "one flick of my wrist and you're dead where you stand."

Resisting the urge to swallow - she couldn't show fear - Kangae instead flexed her fingers and felt the smooth metal of Hinata's gift fall into her grip. With a grimace she realized she was running low and that she desperately needed make sure these counted.

"I'm a pretty good shot myself," She said, twirling them through her digits with expert precision. "I'm sure I can repay you in kind."

And for a moment she thought she had said the wrong thing for his face twisted and lurched and she involuntarily took a step back, but then it was gone and all that was left was rage.

"So there's another one of you little holier than thou shits walking the streets of Konoha huh?" He questioned, the knife attached to his hand spinning faster and faster until it was a blur and she spared it a glance and forced herself not to track its path in fear that he would make a move in her distraction.

"Another of you clan bastards who get to bend the system to surpass the Shinobi who have actually worked to get where they are. Who ignore those who crawled and killed their way into their positions, and pretend to be oh so fucking perfect?!" His teeth snapped together and in the blink of an eye the weapon in his hand was cutting through the air and flying towards her.

Feeling as if she couldn't raise her arm up fast enough she launched off a single stiletto and managed to hit the hilt of his kunai, knocking it off course.

Issuing a high pitched sound of surprise when a barrage of shuriken went zooming towards her, Kangae back flipped away. She had managed to dodge the projectiles but had put herself in the prime position to receive a jab to the stomach as she was mid way through her flip and belly up.

Letting out a half choked cry of pain she hit the ground and rolled to her knees.

"All you fucking child geniuses, thinking you're hot shit," He growled eyes flashing as he loomed over her. "But at the end of the day the only thing you are is a spoiled. Little. Brat."

She didn't need to be a mind reader to know who he was talking about and with that dark look on his face, Kangae knew she needed to act and she needed to act now. Feeling her chakra spark in her core and her blood flood with adrenaline, she felt her mind stretch out and grip his with tight fingers and she dug them in.

Hearing the choked scream erupt from both of their throats, Kangae held fast and used all of her concentration to bring her hands together in the most basic of hand signs taught to her by her father and funneled her meager energy as best as she could into her technique.

Feeling his sharp thoughts shudder and freeze as every muscle in his body tensed and released simultaneously, Kangae would have cried in victory if she had been able.

Kokoro Dorei-ka* Technique complete.

Holding her flimsy, barely a jutsu over this boy was one of the hardest things she had ever done and she was surprised she had managed to be successful in launching it. But even though she had gotten a foot hold into his mind and the link had fallen through, she could still feel him straining against her grip.

Sweat rolled down the nape of her neck as she delved deeper into herself and she slid her eyes closed.

If she wanted to keep him here until help arrived she would need to keep herself on the task.

One moment of hesitation and everything would would go to the dogs.

So naturally in those very crucial seconds someone burst through the foliage with her name on their lips and it wasn't who she had been waiting for.

Kangae knew her hold on the situation had gone down hill the moment she saw Sasuke burst through the foliage.

Eyes widening in horror she saw everything go in slow motion, the tensing of the intruders thoughts, the kunai, the look of absolute fear on his face - that idiotic boy's face! - and she reacted.

Kangae was moving even before she could fully read what was going through his mind. Screams of warning burst from the lungs of the people around her as she threw herself at Sasuke, taking him to the ground but they were nothing but white noise.

Breathing harshly she stared for one dazed moment at the green of the ground before she pushed herself up with trembling arms and stared downwards at the tear stained face of the youngest Uchiha.

Kangae gave a shaky grin as drops of red dripped down from the knives protruding from her abdomen and onto his chest. Duly she noted that it blended perfectly in with the black of his shirt, it was such look he wouldn't have to worry about it staining. It was a bitch to get out.

Pressing her violently shaking hands to the wound - she couldn't seem to control the tremors oh god - she managed to let out a pained half sob before everything spun red and black.

Kangae had perhaps a single moment of pure silence before a roar of noise erupted inside her head.

Issuing a shout she bolted up right and her forehead collided with another and she would have rolled over onto her side if it wasn't aching worse than the spot she was currently cupping with two hands.

"Kami, Ino, what? We're you trying to become one with me while I was unconscious?" She moaned as she rubbed the flare of pain away. "You know I don't mind you sleeping with me but there have to be boundaries okay?"

Lowering her arms she looked Ino in the eye, gave her a smile and wasn't all that shocked when all she got in return was a flurry of tears and sobs.

Giving a sad grin Kangae held her arms open and watched as her little sister slowly and softly crawled into the circle of her hug.

There was nothing to be said because she understood everything from the moment she connected with the melancholy psyche of the silently crying girl. She thought she had lost her sister and that was that.

There was nothing she could tell her but she could show her that she was still here.

Wrapping herself around Ino as her sister did the same Kangae, allowed her own tears to fall as she remembered everything and everyone she would have missed when she, in those scant moments, thought that her time in this life was over. It had been terrifying and she could fully admit that.

"I'm sorry I left you alone for so long." She murmured, accepting the accusations of being gone for weeks that were echoing childishly in Ino's mind, hearing the talks about poisons she overheard from her parents, and seeing the ever remorseful face of Sasuke plain as day. "It was all just stupid, it should have never happened."

Feeling her nod against her neck she knew she wasn't going to move anytime soon, she looked up at the sound of the door opening.

Meeting the tired eyes of her father and mother, Kangae felt her eyes well up again at the grief she could see toiling there and the moment their arms fell around her she brawled as hard as she could.

She didn't want to put anyone through that ever again.

*Mind enslavement Jutsu.

Edit: 11/25/15