Butterflies

"Me? I'm nobody. I'm not skilled like Uchiha-san. I am not passionate like Haruno-san. I am not smart like Nara-san. I'm not as strong as Chouji-san. I'm not as collected as Aburame-san. Or as pretty as Yamanaka-san. I'm not as confident as Inuzuka-san. If anything, I'm like Hyuuga-san, socially awkward. Oh wait, no, she's just shy. The socially awkward one is me." OC! Team 7 remix!

Chapter 65 – You're kidding, right?

8-8

Within ten minutes of arriving at my desk, I realise that my day isn't going to be fun. Why? "Aya, may I speak to you?" Senju-san calls me into her office. I shrug, not caring too much, until I see Jiraiya, Dragon and the ghouls each wearing a serious look.

"… Good morning?" I raise an eyebrow, wordlessly asking what's going on. When I shut the door and Jiraiya casts a privacy jutsu, the forecast of my day starts look bleaker and bleaker. "I have one day off, and you already have a project for me?"

"Yes." Senju-san does bother denying it. "I just got Ibiki's report on the Sand delegate. It would seem that we need to send a team to… deal with the problem in their council."

"… How is this any of my business?" I really don't like where this is going.

"Because you would be part of that team. Along with your father, Jiraiya, Kakashi and Naruto." Senju-san explains seriously. I sigh.

"And you would need me to tag along, because…?"

"Aya, we're sending a sanin, a famous elite jounin, my jounin commander, and the two responsible for the bulk of their losses. Why do you think that is?" She asks.

"… This isn't about negotiations. This is a shakedown. You want me there because I get under people's skin and make them nervous. And considering the company… you want me to be a brat on purpose." I think about that. "You're objective is to freak them out. To make them think twice about trying something that stupid again. Am I right?"

"Yes, you are."

"What's the surface goal?"

"Surface goal?" She asks, curious just what is going through my head.

"Scare tactics are a tactic, not a goal. We need something they need to bend to. An unreasonable, but not impossible demand, to show them who's in charge here. That is, after all the actual goal, isn't it?"

"I really don't care what method you use. So long as they know not to try something like that in the future. Discuss it with the team, come up with something that meets your criterion." Senju-san says.

"… This is going to end up being a total nightmare. You realise that?" I say to Jiraiya. He laughs. "What? I've threatened a lot of people, but never a fricking village!"

"Are you saying you won't do it?" Senju-san asks, her tone neutral.

"Heck no! I'm saying they won't take kindly to what you want. How many people can say they threatened a council in their own village and walked away? They'll sic their Anbu on us and…" Something clicks. She wants a team that could fight their way out if they had to, but a team that doesn't have to. That's why she wants Naruto-nii and me there, but not Asami. "Senju-san… I'm getting a sneaking suspicion I know why you're sending the team you're sending."

"Took you long enough." She's grinning evilly. My kind of evil, to boot! "And the team you're going with is already in the know." Senju-san is REALLY enjoying this too much.

"Out of curiosity. What are you ranking this… mission as?"

"S-rank, of course. And Sand is getting the bill." Her eyes are twinkling with so many (oddly) positive emotions. "You didn't think threatening a village would be a D-rank?"

8-8

"Hold on, let me get this straight. Granny wants us to poke a bees' nest?" Naruto-nii isn't very happy with this. I shrug, sitting down at my desk and motioning for Asami, daddy and 'Kashi-nii to make themselves comfortable.

"Basically. Now will you mark Jiraiya so I can practice on him!?"

"Why me!?" He isn't liking this one bit.

"You're the biggest. If I practice on you, I won't have to worry about being able to summon everyone!"

"… What's your plan exactly?" He asks.

"Well, pushing things through to someone is hard. But summoning them to me is relatively easy. So, the plan is that I figure out if I can summon the biggest, in this case you, to my location. If I can, then I will practice summoning myself to Asami's location with scroll in hand. If I can summon myself to her, and I can summon everyone to me… try guess how easy it'll be to get everyone home after stirring up trouble."

"Why in that order?" Jiraiya really has no clue.

"Easy. If I can summon you to me, but I cannot summon myself to Asami, then you guys can still go, and I can still get you home without a problem. This is just the most efficient route." I explain, a little annoyed I have to explain that to him at all. I mean, daddy gets it!

"… Fine, fine." He gives up. He offers his forearm to Naruto, who draws on the tracking seal with his blood. I open the scroll I need, first checking if I can sense Jiraiya well enough.

"Relax, Jiraiya. You aren't the first person I've summoned like this."

"Yuzuki reaches mid-thigh." He counters.

I wave it off. "Purely a chakra quantity difference. She arrived in one piece." I point out. I make the handsigns, and… "Geez… you weight like a ton, you know!" I complain. That was not fun to do. Still, Jiraiya poofed onto my desk all the same.

"… Good. Are we done?" He is so grumpy! Jeez!

"Yeah, yeah. You're a doll. Shoo." I'm in no mood for his crap. "Daddy, Senju-san gave us the freedom to choose what we demand from Sand to make them compensate for the assassination attempt. I would advise something unreasonable but not impossible. You've dealt with them before, so I think you're the best person to come up with something. And no, Jiraiya being the highest ranking on this team does not mean he can demand unrestricted access to the ladies side of public baths, or whatever."

"I'll think of something, princess." Daddy assures me, smirking proudly.

"Alright. Senju-san also said we're leaving the day after tomorrow. She gave me today and tomorrow off, that means I need to focus on this thing. If there's something you guys need to talk to me about, now's the time. Otherwise I'll need to be left alone with Asami-nee so I can train." They look at each other, shrug and wave on their way out. "Good. Asami, seal the door and activate the privacy seal, please."

"… You're not planning on summoning yourself to me. Are you." She intones after the seal is activated.

"No. I plan on telling them that it just won't work tomorrow night. Then summon my wolves so they can reverse summon me home. However… this way I have all the reason in the world to talk to you privately, and we'll have more than enough time for you to calm down afterwards so no one suspects a thing." She nods, sullen and almost having a defeated look in her eyes. She plops onto the couch, I'm quick to join her.

"You're going about this wrong." I say, not pulling my punches. "Forcing Naruto to reveal his heritage before he's ready to deal with the backlash is not going to do you or him any favours."

She looks like she wants to say something, shout it even. I raise my hand to stall her. "Think, Asami. Your parents both had enemies. Your father's reputation in Stone, your mother's in Cloud. Are you two ready to stand up to the best of the best from both villages?"

Shame. That's all she feels right now. "… no."

"No. And there's no shame in that." I say, laying my hand on her arm gently. "Naruto-nii offered you a room in their compound. Why not make arrangements to move in with them? It might not be the same as publicly declaring yourself an Uzumaki, and the village will still call you a Sarutobi, but… isn't that a start?"

"…" She sees the logic in it, but her heart doesn't care. I know the look.

"Look at it this way. You could tell the Uzumakis, if you want. I'm sure they already suspect, and they'd never out you to anyone. You could learn whatever Akari-san is teaching the others, you could bug Naru-nii about those scimitar katas or whatever. You could help teach everyone Sealing. You could… you could be part of their family. Isn't that what your heart wants most?"

She's thinking about it. "And, if you're here all the time, you could maybe spend more time with Yuzuki? I'm sure Sasuke would love regular updates on her. And she might enjoy learning things from you, you know?" Namiki Aya, master manipulator; it has a nice ring to it.

She sighs, finally giving in. "Fine, fine. You win." Of course I win, but this time you're winning more.

"Good. Change of plan. You talked sense into me, told me that sending living tissue through the way I described just won't work. Give it a few hours, brood a bit and pretend to think about it. Talk to Naru-nii after that and no one has to know I brought this up. Deal?"

She points to my desk. I narrow my eyes and turn, finding her pointing at Tsu. Oh right, she's here too. I've seriously gotten too used to having her around all the time. "What? Tsu would never tell a soul." I point out. "Oh, Tsu, we still have to go get your blades. Want us to do that now?"

8-8

With my two usual shadows in tow, we go to the blacksmith's and we get Tsu's new blades. She nearly melts when she touches them for the first time. She especially likes her chokutou, but that's life for you – seeing as she has a preference for tantos.

Whatever.

We don't have anything that needs to be handled just yet, so I decide it's best to head to the Tower to see if everything is going alright without me. And it's a good thing too.

"Oi! I take a few days off and you idiots unlearn respect!?" I bellow, getting everyone's attention immediately. "You, step away from the door! I know you don't have permission to enter! You, if you try one more time to ask for longer lunch breaks, I will start haunting your department just to return the favour! And you! BACK OFF! Haruno-san is obviously unnerved, and you being such a creep isn't doing you any favours!"

…

Ah, the sweet sound of silence in a usually busy environment.

"Anyone else want to try being an idiot now?" I ask sweetly. The sound of dozens of people swallowing painfully at the same time is music to my ears. "I didn't think so. Keep in mind, I just have time off. That means, I'll be back. That means, I'm going to hear all about what you've done. Do you really think Haruno-san would dare lie to me?"

Without being asked, the people crowding Haruno-san line up. The idiot near the door backs off and goes to the back of the line, and a sense of order returns. "Thank you." I sing sweetly. "Haruno-san, is Senju-san available? I would like to speak with her."

"… Well, her meeting should be done in a few minutes. I-if you're w-willing to w-wait?" Haruno-san tries being stern, and fails horribly.

"Alright. We can wait. Did you already filter through the crap paperwork? I have the time to lend a hand if you want." I offer. She smiles nervously, but nods anyway. She nods again, this time to an impressive stack I know will be at least ninety percent junk.

Snap!

The pile hovers over to me, thanks to a thin Sound Barrier under it. "Junk, junk. Hey! What'd I tell you about the toilet paper bill!?" That one is tossed right at the woman in the line, hitting her in the face. "Junk. Junk… Hmm, this one's interesting."

8-8

"You just don't know what a day off means, do you." Senju-san teases, grinning. Luckily the privacy jutsu was already cast.

"I just saved your new apprentice's sanity. Does that count?" I grin right back. "I figured you'd take her, by the way."

"You recommended her. Given your history, that says something."

I shrug. "I can't stand her, I won't lie. But she's smart and passionate. If she applies those two things to her medical training, she'll be a force to be reckoned with." I say, my tone serious. "Anyway. We have a solid plan for extraction. It went quicker than expected. Daddy is going over my proposal, he'll have something figured out before we get there." I update her.

"… You're bored. Aren't you." She sounds amused.

"Some people can't sit still, I just happen to be one of them. I plan on kidnapping Sakiko later for training and I've got plans for Hitomi too." I shrug. No point in lying about it, I'm a shameless busybody.

"What about the 'Asami issue'?"

"Handled."

"Oh?"

"How much do you know?"

"Why don't you give me a summary and I'll pretend you're educating me."

"Whatever. Asami was feeling put out because she doesn't feel she belongs with anyone. She's an Uzumaki by birth, but she didn't feel she belongs with them either. She'll come around in… I'd say two hours. She'll move in with the Uzumakis. And she'll probably start acting more like them, if still a bit more reserved like her father."

"I see… When you see her, tell her to report to my office. I'd like her nearby so I can get regular updates should I need them."

I shrug. "If that's what you want. It makes more sense to have her at home though, because she'd need to tell my wolves to summon me. And I doubt the others would enjoy crabby wolves because they don't like being around too many unfamiliar scents. Especially pups. They bite without warning most times." The fact that I already have plans for her that will help her become an integral part of both the Uzumaki and Uchiha clans has absolutely nothing to do with it.

"… No, that sounds like a bad idea. Hmm… very well, ask her to set up a communications seal that I can keep in my drawer so I can contact her when I need to. I'll expect it on my desk before your team leaves." I smirk. I'm glad we understand each other. "And, Aya. When this mission's over… I'm going to come up with something to get back at you for trying to manipulate me."

"'Trying' means I failed." I smirk. "And my being able to present facts in the most beneficial way for my plans should be something you appreciate. Surely you don't want me to be… soft?"

"… Tell me the plans, and I'll consider."

"I want Asami to be near the Uzumakis, to help her grow closer to them. I also might have hinted that Yuzuki could use her guidance and love." I bite my lip, smiling. "Anyway. I think it's a good idea to have Haruno-san hanging around here. If you want I can work her in properly when we get back. But I'm not teaching her sound release or anything medical! She's your problem, I just don't need her becoming mine."

"I didn't ask you to." She smiles. "Alright. Shoo. I'm sure I have other people trying to sneak into my office. And please hurry back if you can. Sakura deals with the paperwork just as ruthlessly as you would, but she just doesn't have your… crowd control skills. Yet."

The privacy jutsu drops and I open the door. No chaos to be heard. "Maybe she doesn't. But I may have warned your shinobi that I'll be back soon enough. Ta ta." I wave, seeing myself out. Just in time to see someone trying to sneak up in the line. "I don't care what you have to say about it! Back of the line! NOW!" I love my job.

8-8

"Tsu, I don't mind if you want to hog the dojo to practice with your new blades, you know. My office is good enough for what I want to teach Sakiko." I offer. She thinks about it. "Really, Tsu. I'm fine. And Hitomi will be here too. You'll be down the hall, and we'll be sure to let you know if someone happens to break in and tries to kill me."

There's a knock at the door. Naru-nii, Asami and Jiraiya enter. "Hey, sis. We might have figured out something for Hitomi."

"See, Tsu. I'll have them here as well. Nothing to worry about." Tsu nods, seeing herself out. "Do you guys need extra space or something?"

"Nope. Hitomi just needs to sit down. This might hurt, a lot, so Sasa-nee and me are here to keep you from falling and hurting yourself. Or beating on Jiraiya while he's busy." Naru-nee explains, sorrow in his tone. Hitomi nods, unafraid. Pain isn't something new to her, after all.

"Is it smart to have Sakiko in here while you're busy then?" I ask, concerned. I know Hitomi won't make a sound if she can help it. It's the 'if' that worries me.

"It won't be that bad. She's just going to have a second degree burn when I'm done." Jiraiya says.

"That's bad enough. Sakiko, baby, when they're done we'll start on your training, okay? Could you wait outside for a bit?" She nods, grateful. Once she's outside, I seal the door and activate the privacy jutsu. Hitomi deserves the privacy, in case she really does scream, or whatever.

"Take off your headband." Jiraiya demands, the twins sitting on either side of a slightly nervous Hyuuga. She does, revealing her slave brand. Ever since she told me about that thing, I can't think of it as anything but a collar meant to keep her on a short leash.

Thinking ahead, seeing as Jiraiya mentioned a burn, I unseal the things I'll need the second he's done. He sees what I'm doing, nodding approvingly. He grabs a calligraphy brush out of nowhere, make some scribbles here and there. He nods to the twins, who brace Hitomi. He makes the seal of confrontation.

The green ink of her brand glows. The red ink of his scribbles burns angrily. The whole room is filled with the scent of burnt flesh and flaming ink. It's almost enough to make me gag.

The second her mute scream dies down, I shove Jiraiya out of the way and activate the Mystic Palm jutsu for damage control. In less than thirty seconds I ease the worst of it, but I don't stop until I've undone all the damage.

I stare at the smooth, unmarked forehead of the former Hyuuga slave in front of me. Tears in my eyes. I sniffle, overwhelmed. She's free. Hitomi is free. Before I start blubbering uncontrollably, I take the salve and gently massage it on her now bright pink forehead. I wrap her head with gauze, and tie her headband over it to hide that anything at all changed.

Our eyes meet. She's stoic as ever. I'm microseconds away from bawling. "'Tomi…"

"… it worked?" Tears start to well up in her eyes as well. I nod. The first tear falls; hers, not mine. I'm quick to join her though.

We hug, overwhelmed with gratitude and relief. The biggest nightmare of her life… is over.

"Jiraiya… I will never forget what you've done for us." I say, sincere.

8-8

The rest of the morning passes quite peacefully. Hitomi has a bounce in her step that wasn't there before. Sakiko is doing the singing exercises I showed her – I want her to learn the true form of Siren's call, and singing is needed for that. I also want her to be able to use something other than her shinobue or a snap, or whatever. You never know if she'll need to.

Another interesting thing that happens… is Chouji. "Hey, doc. You got a minute?" He asks, standing in my doorway.

"Sure. Come in." I narrow my eyes, tilting my head slightly in confusion. "Did you need this to be a private conversation?"

"Nah, it's alright." He closes the door and makes himself at home, sitting on the couch. I go to join him. "I…'ve been reading up on a few things, coming up with a plan, and I wanted to check with you before doing anything about it."

"Okay. Vague. Can I know details?" I halfway demand.

"…" He seems nervous, unsure where to begin.

"Chouji…?"

"Well, uh… where to begin? Umm, it's like this… I've been thinking about the invasion, how things might have been different if I'd known some defensive jutsus?" He seems unsure of himself, like he's worried about something bigger than just the words he's trying to find.

"Alright. So what have you come up with?" I ask smiling a little. I have no idea what to make of him.

"Well, I talked to mom and auntie Yoshino about it. And Naruto kinda helped me out too. I'm earth, it turns out. And everyone knows earth release has the best defensive capabilities. So I've been bugging dad about some scrolls to research unlocking and honing earth release chakra." He's not talking, so much as he's just blabbing what's on his mind. He's getting more and more nervous as he goes.

"That sounds like a good place to start." I admit. "So why are you so nervous?"

"Well… you know how auntie Yoshino is. She suggested I don't only look into earth release."

"Yeah, mom hates one trick ponies." I roll my eyes playfully. He nods, his eyes showing fear and uncertainty. "Are you going to tell me?"

"… I've… been bugging pretty much everyone about little things to… train within my limits." He says hesitantly.

"Such as?" I'm not giving anything away, but I'm worried. I hope he hasn't been doing anything to strain his body! He's still recovering from his injuries for heaven's sake!

"Well… Naruto gave me some calligraphy exercises to work on." That's not too much for him. I motion for him to continue. "I've also been practising with a shinobue Hinata gave me?"

"Aww!" I coo. "You're thinking of taking up sound release?"

"Well… maybe? I dunno. It couldn't hurt, and it's something I can do now, you know?" He rubs the back of his neck, still worried. "I've… also been doing some light meditation exercises for… earth release chakra conversion?"

"None of that is bad for your condition." I assure him. "I would have preferred if you asked before, but… it's not a big deal. If… that's all you've been doing?"

"It is!" He assures me, a little too quickly.

"Chouji…"

"… I… may have done a light stretching exercise." He admits, looking away.

"Which exercise?"

"… Lying on my back, legs straight up and slowly stretching both legs to the side to work on flexibility?"

Not a bad place to start, and he isn't risking a fall. "… Alright. Not something to curse you out over. But… please don't overdo it. I'm going to be out on a mission for a few days, and I really don't want to have to worry about you."

He doesn't look too happy with that. "… Another mission?"

"Yeah." I get the impression that telling him we'll be (technically) threatening a village isn't a good idea. "It shouldn't take more than four days." Technically true. Three days to get there, one day to do the mission. "Tsuren and her pups will be here, so I don't have to worry about you guys too much."

Also technically true. "… Aya…"

"I'm going with daddy and Naruto-nii. They'll keep me safe." I say, trying to ignore the stupid butterflies trying to take over.

He doesn't look reassured. "Please, Aya. Be careful." He begs, an odd emotion playing out in his eyes. "I… don't like not knowing if you're alright."

"Asami will still be here. She can contact me, and I'll be sure to keep her updated." The look in his eyes isn't going anywhere. "Come on, it's a good excuse to hang out in my office with my wolves and do some research."

"… You mind if I read some of your books then?" He still isn't happy, but he doesn't seem to be fighting me either.

"Sure. What are you into?" I ask, teasing him a little.

"Well… another thing Hinata has me studying is… medical textbooks." He seems a little nervous about that for some reason.

"That's always a plus. Hmm. Sounds to me like you're trying to broaden your skillset. Good on you. I'll see if I can help you when I get back."

8-8

"Yes, like that! Keep it up, Hina-nee!" I praise. She's really pushing herself with her sound release training! I mean, she almost has the Divine Hand jutsu down! And her Sound Ball jutsu isn't exploding on contact anymore either! She's… amazing. She really is.

She focuses as best she can, sweat collecting on her forehead, trying to… the jutsu fizzles.

"You've almost got it. Just remember that this is about control, about finesse. Brute force isn't going to get you anywhere." I chide gently. "Try to relax, to approach this like a new song on your shinobue."

The doorbell rings. "That's probably Senju-san." I roll my eyes. You'd almost think she lives here, with how often she comes over these days. "Keep at it. And please don't get discouraged. You are doing amazing, Hina-nee!"

I hug her briefly, before heading out to open the gate. With both of my usual shadows in tow –for some reason– I approach the gate, finding Senju-san, Katou-san, and three Anbu shadows. Them I fully expected. However… Haruno-san is with them?

"… Okay. Slightly caught off guard. Something I need to know?" I ask, eyeing Haruno-san closely.

"Nothing bad, if that's what you mean. I just thought it would be nice for Sakura to have dinner with us, if that's alright with you?" Senju-san asks diplomatically. She knows better than to demand – I'd simply leave all of them out in the street if she tries it.

I raise an eyebrow. "You do realise that practically everyone in this house knows what she's done?" I might be able to stomach her in a professional situation, but our den is not included in that.

"… Namiki-san, I know how badly I messed up. Please. I just want a chance to make things right." Haruno-san tries. No, you want to stop feeling guilty because I helped you get your current apprenticeship and position as Senju-san's aide.

"This is bad idea." I tell them plainly. "And I'm not stopping anyone that tries to smack her."

8-8

In the family sitting room, in the midst of our pack, our usual chaos. Haruno-san is fidgeting under the collective glares. Sakiko's is the most resentful of the bunch.

"I still can't believe you let her in, ya know!" Sakiko isn't keeping it down in the least.

"Hnn! I still can't believe billboard brow had the nerve to come in!" Ino isn't exactly all that much better. "I swear, she'd never be let into my home!"

I shrug, not getting involved. Everyone takes a turn belittling the pinkette. Nothing physical yet though. Still not getting involved.

"Please. I know what I did was stupid and childish." Haruno-san tries.

"You're lucky Aya's so forgiving! You do know that she's the one that recommended you? That she suggested you take the secretary position to begin with!?"

"Ino-chan, I'm professional. Not the same thing." I point out, smiling a little too sweetly. "Anyway, Senju-san, did you want some sake? I'm sure Momochi-san and the Yukis will be here soon."

More insults get pelted at Haruno-san, until, "That's it! You and me! Dojo! Right now, ya know!" Sakiko demands.

"That's hardly a fair fight, Saki-chan." I pet her hair, but don't get involved. She could take Haruno-san with ease.

"Life isn't fair, ya know! Come on, pinky! What's the matter, scared of a little girl?" Saki baits her.

8-8

The dojo ends up being too cramped, seeing as everyone wants to see Haruno-san get smacked around. So the match is set outside instead. On the pond. Oh yeah, Sakiko demands that they spar on the pond.

Saki walks onto the wet surface like there's nothing more natural in the world. I beam, proud of my brat.

"Oi, Haruno! I don't got all day, ya know!" I really need to work on Saki's grammar and language usage. I don't mind the verbal tic too much, but 'don't got all day'? No. Just, no.

As if on cue, the Uzumakis and the Yukis pile into the backyard to see what we're up to. Minori and Moegi start cheering Sakiko on, telling her to knock Haruno-san's teeth in. I wince. "I'm not putting her back together if that happens." The out of uniform Anbu and all patients –other than Tokara, because he's still bedridden, and Yua, because it's her turn to help him with dinner– join us. Ino starts explaining, without being asked, why Sakiko wants to smack Haruno-san around. No one seems to like the explanation.

None of this is doing Haruno-san's nerves any good. She hesitantly steps onto the pond, assuming the Konoha Academy style stance. Sakiko smirks, getting into the standard Muay Thai stance. Haruno-san looks even less sure now.

I smile.

"Oi, oi. No sparring without a referee." 'Kashi-nii appears out of nowhere. "Now. Combatants ready? Begin!"

Sakiko is on her opponent before the girl can blink. Though shorter, she's as timid as a wolf pup facing a wounded rabbit – not timid, in other words. Saki kicks out her opponent(/victim)'s knee, and punches her right in the eye. Ouch. Before Haruno even registers what just happened, Saki ambles around to her flank and unleashes a hail of blows on her unprotected back and neck. Haruno hasn't done anything to improve her taijutsu at all since our academy days.

"Alright, little firecracker." 'Kashi-nii grabs Saki by her shirt collar, lifting her up like a bad puppy. "You've won."

Saki growls and snarls and wriggles as she tries to free herself, itching to tear into her downed opponent lying in the grass. Katou-san is quick to assess the damage, already trying to heal her patient. I said it was a bad idea. No one seems to listen when I warn them about things like that.

There's a low whistle, so I turn to find Inuzuka-san shaking the bad memories off him. "It's like Aya-chan all over again." He says, frowning thoughtfully.

"Well, she is a Namiki." 'Kashi-nii says, a smile in his tone. "Now, Saki-chan. You've already done enough damage. Can you let it go for now?"

Saki crosses her arms, turning her nose up. "Hnn! She deserves a lot worse, ya know!"

8-8

End Chapter 65

8-8

A/N: Don't worry, Sakura isn't getting any more bashing than what Sakiko already dished out. When it comes to bad blood, sometimes you need to open the wound and let it bleed a bit, you know?

Well. I'm sure you can tell the next chapter is going to be a bit intense. Sand isn't going to like what Aya and the team are there to do. So let's see what happens, shall we?

I won't update again until the 27th, at least. Sorry, but I have plans. Shocking, I know, but I have a life ;)