Okay, so I don't have a set updating schedule, I just update whenever I have a chapter polished up (which is between my other stories and homework). I mean, it takes a little longer on my end since I'm my own beta-reader, but I like correcting my own work, since I usually catch the vast majority of the mistakes anyway (of which there are few to begin with, plus it's good practice for my essays and research papers). And while nice reviews make me want to update, less nice ones make me lose all motivation.

Thank you rycmika for the confidence boost. But...I'm still going to air my own grievances.

Anyway, I hope that you guys liked the glimpse into Ciara's childhood last chapter. I just took advantage of there being the Hyuga match-up to insert a little something there. Though it seems that someone didn't like that last chapter, despite how much extra material there was in it. Funny how some people complain about too much canon stuff (in a story that I've made extremely clear takes place within the established story) in the chapters where there's more extra stuff than canon. One of these days, I'm going to try and figure out how that works. But hey, if anyone wants to miss the flashbacks, dreams, little details, characterization, and development/expression of character relationships, then I won't stop you.

Although...considering that this chapter is between Lee and Gaara...I was thinking of doing something interesting with the ending (since I'm the kind of person who feels the need to set everything up beforehand, before getting to the main point, I think it's the completionist gamer in me). After all, I got good reactions the last time Gaara and Ciara were within fifteen feet of each other.

I just can't seem to please everyone... *sighs dramatically and sarcastically* Oh whatever shall I do...?

Write, I shall write (and maybe finally get to work on that Art paper that's due obscenely soon).

Naruto and I hang out on the far end of the upper floor, closest to the stairs, just in case I need to go down after the next match and heal someone. But my nerves are starting to fray. Right now, the only people left are Lee, Gaara, Chouji, that Sound Village guy, and my two teammates. And I'm hoping with all of my heart and Akito and Hiro won't have to fight each other. I would rather see all of us go to the finals, than have our team split up over one match.

But while the two of us watch the cleaner finish up down on the floor, a voice drifts over from our left. "Hey you two!" Naruto and I glance over at Kankuro, who seems to have decided to switch sides of the viewing deck for some reason. "How come you two are all by yourselves? Why aren't ya hangin' with your buddies?"

"Huh?" Naruto frowns. "What's it to you?" He huffs irritably and turns his nose up and away from Kankuro.

Kankuro looks at me with a raised eyebrow. "What's up with him?"

"He's probably still mad about what you tried to do to Konohamaru." At least, that's my best guess. "Try not to upset him."

Kankuro nods, shrugging a little. "So, tell me something about this guy, Neji. I get the feeling we didn't see the full extent of his powers in the last fight, did we? So what's his story?"

I narrow my eyes at Kankuro. Well, isn't he curious... He must be fishing for information before the final round. It's a good idea...but that doesn't mean that he'll get what he wants.

I open my mouth to tell him to get lost, but Naruto's voice beats me to it. "I'm gonna pulverize him, that's his story!" He punches his fist into the air, obviously imagining exactly how hard he's going to hit Neji during the finals. And I resist the urge to bang my head against the wall. Or his.

"Okay...but that's not quite what I meant." He glances at me instead. "What about you?"

I glance around Naruto and shake my head. "Nice try, but not happening."

Kankuro's mouth twitches slightly. "You know...you two seem nice. I like you."

"Oh yeah...?" Naruto quickly cools off, turning his head to look at Kankuro. "Well don't take this the wrong way, but I don't like you!"

Kankuro's strained smile stretches a bit, and his eye twitches a couple of times. Serves you right for trying to get close to Naruto when he's like this... Honestly, it's a miracle he got even this close. Usually, I'm the only one who can safely get within ten feet of Naruto when he's this pissed off.

A cough comes from the proctor down on the floor, and it looks like the cleaner has finished mopping up the mess. "Now, then, we'll continue the competition." The board whirs again, picking out the next two competitors.

And Gaara must have some kind of sixth sense, because before the board even finishes choosing, he appears down on the floor in the middle of a miniature sandstorm. But his sixth sense is eerily accurate, because the next match is him against Lee. And from the looks and sounds of it, Lee is quite happy to finally be getting his match.

Though that only leaves Chouji and that Sound ninja as opponents... I guess I know who will be fighting my teammates...I'm just glad that it's not Gaara. There's so much about him that gives me the creeps. Then again, there's also something about him that makes me feel...almost sad.

Lee jumps down from the balcony, looking quite eager to finally get his match started. Though I'm not sure if I should be glad that it's not my teammates who have to go up against Gaara, or if I should be worried that Lee has to. Maybe it would just have been better for the Sand and Sound to take each other out instead.

He gets to his feet and holds up his hand in a preparation to fight. "I knew that sooner or later we would have to meet, and I'm glad it is sooner." Lee's enthusiasm is met with nothing more than Gaara's blank stare.

"I don't know what kind of moves that guy with the dumb haircut has got, but he'll never take Gaara down. Not in this lifetime." Kankuro looks down at Lee like he already knows how this match is going to end. Obviously, he's greatly underestimating our village's ninja. That could be a fatal mistake.

And Naruto knows it. "Wrong." He sounds almost bored. "Lee's stronger than you think. You have no idea."

The cork from Gaara's big gourd goes flying at Lee, only for the spandex boy to catch it easily. "Why are you in such a hurry?" He drops the cork to the ground, not at all fazed by the sudden aggression.

"Alright, then." The proctor raises his hand for attention. "If you are both ready, begin." He jumps back, giving the two room to begin their fight.

Lee makes the first move, sprinting at Gaara and spinning quickly to kick at his head. "Leaf Hurricane!"

Now, the angle of the kick was great, it would have risked giving Gaara a concussion. If it had connected. But a wall of sand springs up between the two without so much as a flicker of movement from Gaara. It's almost like an automatic reflex, or like the sand has a mind of its own. Then it spits itself all over the place, chasing Lee off in a hurry. Then, it retreats back into the gourd on Gaara's back.

I push down the urge to shiver a bit. That's what he tried to grab me with... Back when we first met up with the Sand team in the tower, Gaara's sand was tugging on my ankles. Now, I know where it came from, though it still doesn't explain why he was doing it. Unless... I bring my hand to rest on my stomach, feeling a little nervous. No...he doesn't know, does he?

But, there's no time to ponder the thought, as my attention is captured by Lee's swift movements as he twirls around Gaara, punching and kicking at him, trying to outrun the sand and land a blow. He even resorts to using a kunai to cut through the sand when it starts to rear up in ochre waves. It chases Lee around, protecting Gaara without even a twitch from the redhead.

"That sand...he's using it as a shield." Naruto's eyes are wide as he watches the chase.

"He's not doing it." Kankuro watches the match with a slight smirk. "The sand is protecting him of its own accord. It's almost like a living thing, it'll come to Gaara's defense without his doing anything. That's why Gaara's never been injured, no one can get at him. No one's ever even been able to touch him." I've never heard of sand that was sentient before, and honestly, it's more than a little creepy.

As my eyes find the floor once more, I can feel the bloodlust radiating off of Gaara. It's so strong that it's almost tangible. And that certainly doesn't help Lee when he gets grabbed by the sand and thrown against the wall. He's been forced on the defensive, but is trying to go on the offensive, despite the fact that his opponent's defensive techniques seem to have no visible weakness.

Though I will give Lee one thing, he's definitely quick on his feet. Even on the defensive, he's able to stay out of range of the sand for the most part. Well, until it slips under his feet and he takes a dive. The sand goes crashing down on top of him, but it leaves him just enough room to slide out of there and flip into the air, all in a split-second.

Lee lands on top of the statue at the far end of the room, and as he looks out into the room, his sensei holds out his hand. "Alright Lee, take em off!"

Lee salutes uncertainly. "Uh, but Gai-Sensei, you said that was only as a last resort, when the lives of very important people were at stake."

"That's right, I did!" Gai grins at his student. "But this is an exception!"

"Really?" Lee relaxes considerably, before shaking with what appears to be excitement and joy. "Really!?" And with a nod from his sensei, he sits himself down and removes his leg warmers, revealing weights attached to his legs.

Naruto's face glows with admiration. "Totally cool!"

"Heh, totally dumb." Kankuro scoffs behind me.

But me, I'm staring at those weights with great suspicion. Exactly what kind of weights are those for those two to believe that it will make such a difference in the match? They don't look particularly special. In fact, they look like any other basic leg weights for endurance and strength training.

Lee holds them out to the sides, sighing in relief. "Ah! That is better, now I will be able to move freely!" He drops the weights, and it feels like it takes forever for them to hit the floor.

Then comes the deafening boom of the weights crashing to the floor like a couple of steel beams. They shatter the stone platform in front of the statue and scatter the pieces. And Gei just looks so proud of his student. "Alright! Now go!"

"Yes sir!" Lee grins eagerly, howling happily to the sky, before he disappears in the blink of an eye, seemingly reappearing behind Gaara. And if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would have sworn that it was a body flicker. But no, it was just straight up speed.

He punches right through Gaara's sand shield, the defensive structure unable to keep up with his sheer speed. And every strike of his hands and feet, while not getting quite to Gaara, only proves that Gaara's defense is not as incredible as it seems. Not only that, but Gaara keeps twisting around, trying and failing to keep his eyes on Lee.

Lee literally runs circles around Gaara, before leaping into the air and coming back down on that mop of red hair. He lands the blow right to his head. Naruto gapes at the sight. "Whoa, that's scary! And I thought he was quick on his feet before! He's been that fast all this time!?"

I smile slightly at the sight below us. "I guess...this just proves that it's a bad idea to underestimate our village's genin. Wouldn't you agree?" I turn to Naruto with a grin, and he returns it full force.

"Yes, Lee! Let the power of youth explode!" On the other hand, maybe we should make sure not to overestimate our village's jounin. Because they seem to be more than a little weird.

"Right!" Lee charges back in as red hair falls into Gaara's face.. The green blur races around in circles, striking at every random angle that he can get, throwing Gaara completely off his earlier rhythm. And then, he lands a second hit to Gaara, a punch straight to the left cheek. And with it, he sends Gaara flying.

When Gaara gets back up, shivers race up and down my spine. He's breathing hard, and it's almost guttural, the way the sounds come out of his mouth. And the sand pours out of the gourd on his back like a waterfall. There's something wrong, though, because that bloodthirsty feeling I felt coming from him earlier is only getting stronger.

"Uh-oh." Gaara's teammate seems to be thinking along the same lines.

Naruto, on the other hand, isn't. "Uh-oh is right! Your friend with the eye makeup is getting the stuffing beaten outta him!"

"That isn't what I was talking about, kid." Kankuro glances at me. "But...you're feeling it, aren't ya?"

Naruto turns his head to me, his face showing only confusion. "Feeling what? Whats's he talking about?"

"He...he's out for blood." I grip the railing tightly, because I refuse to let my fear get the better of me. "It's like his bloodlust has a physical form." And not only that, but his skin looks like it's turning to sand.

And it is, it actually is turning to sand. And that layer of sand is falling right off his face, revealing the bloodthirsty expression underneath. His eyes are bloodshot, and there's a hungry look in them, not to mention the grotesque smile that's just waiting to be dripping blood.

"What the heck!?" Naruto rubs his eyes as though not believing what he's seeing. "What's going on with this guy!? His face is falling off!" But as the shell of sand reforms, Naruto frowns. "I don't get it. Is he made of sand, or what? All those blows and kicks Lee hit him with ...did any of them get through?"

"No." Kankuro shakes his head. "It's like he's wearing a suit of armor."

"A what!?" Naruto turns away from the match, looking for answers from the other Sand ninja.

Kankuro looks down to the battlefield. "Ordinarily, those shifting clouds of sand are enough to shield him. But in the event the shield is penetrated, Gaara can also wear the sand like armor as a last line of defense." And I do have to wonder how confident Kankuro is in his teammate's skills to reveal this kind of information to two people moving on to the finals.

"This guy's too much!" Naruto's eyes widen. "He's got armor now!? Does he have any weak spots?" I have to wonder about that armor, though, because it seems a little too good to be true. And when things are too good to be true, they usually are.

Lee seems to be trying to decide what to do, but after a signal from his teacher, he starts to unravel the bandages around his hands. I narrow my eyes. Alright...what's he up to now? First, he took off the weights to give himself freedom of movement. But there's no way he's got more weights on his arms, there's no room for them. So...a technique, maybe? Just how much is he holding back right now?

Moving forward, Lee starts racing around in a circle around Gaara, kicking up so much dust that it almost looks like he's trying to create a tornado. He's nearly too fast to be seen. I can just barely keep track of him as my eyes dart back and forth, and that's just because I'm the type to favor speed as well. It's easier to see something if the basics of it lie within your skill set.

Then, the running stops, and he appears in the center of the whirlwind, driving his foot straight up into Gaara's chin, reminiscent of what Sasuke did in his match. So that's where he got it from... But Gaara doesn't go very high, probably because he's got that gourd, plus the sand armor weighing him down. So Lee kicks him again, and again, driving him higher into the air with every strike. Though from the looks of it, Lee is putting a lot of strain on his body, and I can just see the pain in his expression as he gets Gaara out of range of the sand.

Then, he wraps Gaara up in the bandages, grabbing hold of the Sand ninja once he is good and tied up. He uses the momentum he's already built up to set the both of them spinning, him taking a higher position than Gaara as the two of them plummet towards the ground. Is he planning on slamming Gaara headfirst into the ground!? That would definitely end the match, but the kind of pressure that would put on the body, plus the risk of breaking bones...that's not a safe technique to use.

Then, the two of them smash into the ground, and dust and sand go flying, obscuring most of the battlefield. Then, Lee leaps out of the cloud of debris and watches as the dust begins to settle. But, in the crater is not Gaara. It may look like Gaara, but I know for certain that it's not him. I can't...feel anything from that one. But I can definitely still feel his bloodlust coming from somewhere.

"Amazing...he did it." Naruto looks on in awe, totally unaware of the bigger problem.

Then, the figure in the crater starts to crumble, revealing nothing but an empty shell made of sand. And as my eyes search the battlefield, I discover the source of the bloodlust. A pile of sand, not far from the crater. Rising out of it is a sinister figure, radiating powerful waves of bloodlust. Gaara, looking rather the worse for wear after all of the fighting.

And the worst part has to be the laughing, I've never heard such a bone-chilling laugh.

Lee, however, is in even worse shape than Gaara. Obviously, that move was a trump card, a last resort. But Gaara is still standing, and still strong enough to smash a wave of sand into Lee, knocking him back several feet. Lee looks like he can barely move, let alone defend himself. Especially from the huge wave of sand now towering above him.

He's swept away by the mass of sand and hurled against a wall. And despite his efforts to block the next attack, there is a crater left in the wall behind him. And it's all he can do to get out of the way of the next strike. It hurts to watch this match, because right now, it's so incredibly one-sided. Not to mention the fact that I don't like watching people feel pain.

Now, he's up and running, despite his obvious injuries. Even Kankuro looks worried for Lee. "He should quit while he can. It was just bad luck that he got Gaara as an opponent."

Naruto grits his teeth and clenches the railing. "Come on, Bushy Brow."

"Bushy Brow, huh...?" I smile faintly and elbow Naruto. "You're going to have to tell me how that nickname happened when this is all over."

"Yeah..." He nods his head, but he looks very distracted.

"I pity the kid." Kankuro's voice draws both my attention and Naruto's. "Gaara will just toy with him until he begs for mercy."

"Well, then..." It seems that Gai was eavesdropping on us from down the balcony. "Gaara's in for a long match, because that will never happen." That sounds more than a little strange. "Lee doesn't know how to give up." And judging by the beating he's still taking without raising his hand for a forfeit, there is clearly some merit to those words. Because no matter what he gets hit with, he just keeps getting back up. He's as tenacious as Naruto.

Naruto's hands start to tremble, so I lace my fingers through his and grip tightly to him. There's not much that will truly reassure Naruto, but maybe I can do something for him like this. On the other hand, Lee's smile might be the prelude to something unexpected.

And it is, it most certainly is. Because when Gaara's sand attacks again, Lee disappears, proving that his earlier speed is not gone. Naruto's eyes widen, and his fingers tighten their grip on mine. We watch as Lee dodges Gaara's sand over and over with a smile on his face. There's something going on that we don't know about, and whatever it is, Lee seems to believe that it will help him win.

But my instincts are screaming at me that whatever it is...it's a very bad idea.

My intincts are right, because the pressure around Lee increases exponentially. There's chakra flowing all around him, and it's almost as potent as what I've felt on those rare occasions that Suzaku has lent me access to a tiny amount of his own vast power.

As the chakra continues to intensify, Lee's skin turns red and his blood vessels bulge under that crimson skin. He almost looks like he's been badly sunburnt. But I know better, because there's no sunlight here, and no one burns that quickly. And his bowl-cut black hair stands straight up because of the updraft of his chakra.

Naruto gasps. "He's turning red!"

"What's it mean!?" Kankuro's shock nearly comes to a breaking point. "What's happening!?"

"He's...forcing out so much chakra..." I can't describe it any other way. "But...if he does that...he's going to tear his body apart!" And judging by the speed he exhibits when he tears up the floor and starts glowing green, my assessment is right. There's no way that a thirteen year-old's body can hold up for long under this kind of pressure.

Then, the two of them disappear, and Naruto grips my hand even tighter. "Where'd they go!?"

I look straight up, since that's where Lee decided to put Gaara last time. "Up."

And Gaara is up there, alone. That is, until Lee appears right above him, right between his sand and what its meant to protect. He kicks Gaara around with a force and speed I've never seen before. This is truly impressive taijutsu, and only makes me realize that my own is terribly childish in comparison. Then again, judging by how much damage his body appears to be taking as he comes down on Gaara, I'm actually okay with not having his high taijutsu skills, because I would never want to do something like that to my body.

Lee punches Gaara hard, driving him back towards the ground, before grabbing the cloth around his waist and pulling the Sand ninja back up to meet a mighty punch and kick combination that drives Gaara right down into the ground. And the shockwave and dust that come off the impact are tremendous, obscuring almost everything.

Everything except Gaara just barely saving himself with a cushion of sand made of his gourd, and Lee tumbling out of whatever technique he was using and rolling across the floor. Both boys are lying on their backs, but as Lee gets up, Gaara seems unwilling to lose. He raises a hand, and the sand chases after Lee, who can barely move, let alone dodge.

The sand wraps itself around Lee's left arm and leg, and the sand compresses itself, forcing crushing pressure onto the already damaged and fragile limbs. And just to add insult to injury, even with Lee down and not able to move anymore, Gaara forces his sand to chase the taijutsu expert, obviously planning to crush Lee's whole body into dust.

But before the attack can go through, Gai leaps down to the field and beats away the sand with one hand. Gaara, on the other hand, seemingly at seeing Gai, holds his head in his hands. "But why? He failed. Why save him?"

"Because he's...he's my student. And also because he is precious to me." There is only hesitation in his words, because it would seem that there are truly no words to describe what he feels for his student. I wonder...if all good teachers feel this way for their students...

Gaara starts walking away, his gourd reforming from the sand on the ruined floor. His voice is flat as he heads back towards his team. "I quit."

The proctor raises his hand slowly. "The winner is-"

But he stops, because what shocks the whole room is Lee stumbling to his feet. No way...how can he still be- Then, I get a good look at his eyes. No...he's not even conscious right now. How can he possibly still be standing if he's not even conscious anymore? And his teacher is weeping at the sight, though whether he is sad or proud, I cannot say.

Since Gai's interference officially ended the match, and the proctor has basically called it, I find myself once again hurtling towards the floor. My instincts are already driving me to tend to the wounded. And in this case, that is very clearly Lee. I learned quickly from Hinata's match that the medics take a few minutes to get here, which means that by helping a severely injured fighter, I'm increasing their odds dramatically. And it looks like Lee is going to need exactly that, because while I don't know how much pressure that sand was putting on him, I do know that if it's bad enough to have blood gushing from two of his limbs, then he at least needs the bleeding stopped.

Though I fear that the damage is far worse than that.

Stubbornly staying on his feet, even though he's clearly unconscious, Lee's heartfelt determination is admirable, to say the least. Despite that, I put my hand on his good shoulder, easing him out of his teacher's grips, and press down on it until he begins to fall towards the floor. Catching him carefully, I lower him to the ground as quickly as I safely can, and straighten him out so that I can get a better look at him.

The proctor raises his hand once more. "The winner...is Gaara."

Gaara's light blue eyes narrow at Lee, as though unsatisfied that his opponent is still alive. Then, they find me, and I return his gaze without any fear. After this match, any and all fear I had of his bloodlust is gone. Now, I'm only angry. His sand twitches slightly, and I have a feeling that I know what it is that he wants.

I keep my voice to a low growl. "If your sand slithers over here...I will put you in the ground, no matter what the rules say."

Surprisingly, the sand stops twitching, and he turns his back on me, returning to the upper level to stand with his team. And with him finally off the battlefield, I can turn my full attention to his opponent, the one who fought so bravely against such terrible odds. He has definitely proven his strength today, though it wasn't without cost.

It takes only a few moments of examination to know that what I'm dealing with is far beyond my skill level. Dealing with cuts and bruises is easy, and even performing a restoration of the heart beat is simple enough, since it mostly involves physical forces, rather than chakra. But for a condition like this, a professional surgeon is needed. And that is something I most certainly am not.

I pass my hands over his left arm and leg, before I start noting my findings. The bones of his forearm, the radius and ulna are shattered, along with the tibia and fibula in the leg. I move my hands higher. The tendons, ligaments, as well as the larger muscles are all suffering from tears. His hamstrings in particular have suffered a lot of damage. And the calf muscles of his left leg are completely shot. My hands roam higher, brushing over his chest. The muscles tears continue throughout his body, and there are bits of shattered bone spread through him like shrapnel. At least most of his organs are functioning sufficiently. There's a lot of damage, but at least he won't go into cardiac arrest like Hinata.

Gai approaches me, then crouches down over Lee. "Is he...going to be alright?"

I bite my lip. right now, I'm being left with a daunting choice. I can either lie and reassure Lee's teacher, or I can tell the truth and wind up causing him a lot of pain. Or... "He...will live." It's probably best to keep the details to myself. "But we need a medical team to take care of him. His condition is far beyond my ability to heal. He's going to need a specialist...someone with a lot more experience than I could hope to have now." I hate to admit it, but there is nothing I can do for him now, nothing but stopping the bleeding. "But I'll do what I can to make this easier for him."

My hands glow brightly, and I focus one on each of his bleeding limbs. While Gai goes to call for a medical team, the bleeding slows to a stop, and the skin begins to knit itself back together, scabs forming from the dried blood. There will probably be scars, but judging from the number of scars already littering Lee's hands, I doubt that he'll mind all that much. In fact, he probably takes pride in them, since they're a symbol of his hard work in acquiring skills that no one else could. He truly is a taijutsu master.

But will he ever be able to fight again?

Naruto races over, along with the arriving medical team. And as my best friend looks down at the fallen ninja, his blue eyes fill with anger, sadness, concern, and a million other emotions. "Bushy Brow..."

I pull my hands away from him and get to my feet, my willpower all going towards making sure that my hands don't shake. Is this what these exams are supposed to be? Weeding out the weak by any means necessary? No matter how strong they might actually be...?

Naruto grabs my hand and pulls me away as the medics pick Lee up and move him to a stretcher. I swallow painfully and squeeze his hand. "Naruto..." My voice is barely a whisper. "Lee...I don't think he can fight anymore..."

He freezes, staring down at me with wide blue eyes. "What do you mean?"

I watch as the medics disappear with Lee, while the last of them talks with Lee's teacher. "His injuries...they're serious, really serious. And I don't know if there's any medical ninja in the world who can heal him. At least, not completely."

Naruto's grip tightens, and he pulls me over towards the wall. "What do you mean they can't heal him!?"

I resist his shaking, only to shake my own head. "His arm and leg were crushed by the sand, his muscles are all torn up, and he's just so damaged...I don't know if he'll ever recover enough to spar, let alone go back to doing what we do." Being a ninja is hard, and having a weak body is an easy way to get yourself killed. "Even if he recovers from most of his injuries...he'll be crippled, unless we can find a doctor who can heal him properly. And I don't know if there is one..."

Naruto's big blue eyes widen with pure fear. "No...no way..." He starts to shake all on his own.

But before he can open his mouth, I wrap my arms around his neck and hold on tight. "I know that you're angry, and I'm sorry that I can't help him any more than I already have. But shouting isn't going to do anything. I know that you want to shout, to scream, but it's not going to help." I take a deep breath and my fingers clench on his jacket. "All we can do now is avenge him. When we go to the finals, we can take out Neji, we can take out Gaara, and we'll get to do it in front of everyone, okay?" I look right into those big blue eyes. "We'll take them both down, got it?" Then I wink shakily at him. "And maybe you'll get the chance to take down Sasuke as well, I know that Lee had an interest in fighting him too, right?"

Naruto stares at me, his eyes still a little downcast. Then, they brighten with a fierce determination. "Yeah!"