When Rain Falls: Chapter 5 – Let the Fighting Begin Pt. 2
Disclaimer: Everything, other than my own characters, belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
"Ohhh?" Kotone intoned. Her eyes dashed to her opponent across the room who was smiling smugly.
Temari and Kotone stood opposite each other on the, now very damaged, floor.
"Kotone-chan! You can do it!" Naruto cheered with surprising vigor for how upset he was moments ago.
"Well then, Temari, I've already seen your techniques. Do you want to take the first move, or do I get the same warnings your last opponent got?" Kotone's smile never left her face. She respected every opponent she had ever faced and Temari would be no different, but the blonde was too proud.
"You think you'll beat me just because you've seen what I can do? Aren't we cocky?"
"Oh? Then I'll go first." Kotone made the handsigns upder her sleeves and silently activated her eye jutsu, her right eye becoming painfully aware of every motion Temari made. However, Temari could neither see this nor realized her hands had moved from under her long sleeves. Kotone started to run a familiar circle around Temari.
The width was the exact distance Tenten had run and Kotone took the opportunity to throw the same weapons from her stash in her sleeves at Temari at the same timing Tenten would have. Temari had her smug grin still present, but her eyes were started to narrow in suspicion.
"That didn't work the last time!" She reminded and quickly targeted Kotone with a blast of wind. Kotone sped up and easily dodged it before wagging her finger and tsking. She had completed just a single circle with her quick jump back to her starting point.
"So you're faster than you let on," the blonde pointed out, "but don't think your speed will help you here."
"I don't know, it could help!" Kotone dodged another blast of air by ducking to the floor at a pace faster than Temari could see.
"Seems like your worth the third star!" Temari opened the fan entirely and sent a gust similar to the one that caught Tenten towards Kotone. Kotone, however, didn't dodge it. Instead she moved to block it, her arms crossed in front of her as the wind lifted her off the ground. Temari's smile grew and she was prepared to close her fan in conclusion when to her surprise, Kotone didn't fall after the twister dissipated.
Instead she remained in her pose in the air. The white haired girl shifted and went to a standing position, as if there was something beneath her feet to keep her from falling.
"You look a little confused, Temari. With a precise wall of chakra, your wind is rendered less effective, though it was incredibly loud in that vortex."
"What wall of chakra?!"
"Ah, I should explain. When I imitated Tenten, you didn't care enough to notice what I was doing. Every gust of wind that sent my weapons into the walls and across the room allowed me a chance to take over this room. I guess it'd help if you saw what I meant," Kotone shifted her arms so that her sleeves fell to her elbows. The mechanisms on her arms drawing attention, thought not completely explaining anything until the wires around the room lit up as she forced more chakra through them. The wire she was standing on had been the first to light up.
"Wires?" Temari looked around and realized how she had created the opportunity for the setup. "Then I'll just cut them!"
The chakra on the wires dissipated and the blast of wind from Temari did nothing but cause Kotone's hairtie to snap, allowing her hair to fall around her face.
"These are empowered by my chakra, meaning that so long as I maintain an exact amount of chakra through them they can be as tough as I need them to be."
"I'll admit, I didn't think I'd see such a fighting style. I give you credit, you're harder to fight than you look. But I'm not finished yet!"
Kotone narrowed her eyes as she saw Temari's arms twitch before she moved the fan. Kotone wasn't prepared for the knife like blasts of chakra in this particular gust, however, and she felt a number of her wires go slack after being cut. Even her left sleeve was practically sliced off by this gust.
"I had no need to get this serious with my last opponent, but it looks like you're more of a challenge!" Temari sent another gust her way. Kotone dodged the wind, but sacrificed her control over the room to do so.
"I'll be honest, I didn't think you could create such blasts of chakra in the wind. It's impressive," Kotone admitted with a stoic stare at her opponent.
Temari rested of fan on the ground and smiled at her, "Same to you. How will this fight end?"
"Curiously."
Kotone dashed at Temari with her full speed causing the young woman to take a step back in surprise. Temari deflect an attack from Kotone with her fan, but regretted the decision when the snow hair girl ripped the fan away by using her chakra to wrap wires around it quickly.
Temari continued to block Kotone's attacks, but her arms and legs were getting snared in the wires each time Kotone's hands got remotely close to her. It was like a spider wrapping its frenzied prey. Kotone was calm and focused while Temari felt a small surge of panic over losing.
"Yeah Kotone-chan!" Naruto cheered.
Temari freed one leg by forcing her chakra to break the wires, though a few cut into her skin in the process. Kotone dodged the kick by suddenly flipping away from her opponent. She lifted her right arm and tugged on the wires that clearly lead to Temari. All her threads tightened and various cuts appeared in the girl's dress and along her arms.
"Any tighter and you might get seriously injured," Kotone gently warned, "I wouldn't struggle anymore."
"If you think I'm going to surrender, you're wrong."
"I'd rather not knock you out, but if need be I can."
"Can you? Seems like you're too hesitant to actually strike someone down."
Kotone sighed before disappearing in front of Temari and appearing behind her. She struck the back of her neck, forcing the blonde to slump over into Kotone's arms. Kotone grabbed a kunai from a sleeve.
"Kotone, the match is over!" The proctor called out, Kotone just smiled at him gently.
She cut the wires from Temari before she picked her up and returned the blonde to where her team was.
"She should be fine, I only hit hard enough to knock her out."
"Y-yes," Temari's instructor nodded to Kotone.
She gave a curt and polite bow before returning to her own team on the other side of the room. Takumi tossed her a jar with a salve in it which she squinted her eyes at.
"Is this going to do something strange to me or does this one actually work?" Kotone teased, her usual happy expression returning to her face.
He flicked her arm where Temari's wind had left a cut.
"Ow! Rude!" Kotone went to smack him, but stopped when the screen displayed the next pairing.
Yuzuki Kaori vs Hyuga Neji
"Kaori," Kotone voiced with a hint worry.
"I'll be fine, Kotone-chan! I'll do my best!"
Kaori jumped down while Takumi and Kotone gave each other worried looks.
"An injury? Are you sure you wish to proceed?" The proctor asked politely.
Kaori nodded and took a deep breath. Meanwhile, Kotone traveled to where Naruto was out of nervousness.
"Kotone-chan! Your fight was amazing! I couldn't even see those wires!" Naruto's voice pour with excitement.
"Ah! Well they're thinner than normal. What makes them strong is my chakra. My dad invented them," she explained as simply as possible.
"Whoa! He invented them?! How cool is that!"
Naruto's instructor was staring at Kotone, aware of the Ueno clan bloodline limit. He chimed in, "It was an impressive fight. I imagine it requires a lot of practice."
"Well, my mom is a puppet master so I've always been playing with chakra control in thread like methods. I just had more talent for wire manipulation than puppetry."
Kakashi nodded and turned his gaze to the fight that was starting. If Kotone was an example of the Ame team's strength, then the remaing two fights could be interesting as well.
"That's right, Kotone I know I asked earlier, but seeing it happen with that Suna team too..."
"Yes, Sakura?"
"Is it common for age gaps between teammates?"
Kotone saw even Kakashi flinch at the question. Clearly he knew a few reasons why it would happen.
Taking a deep breath, Kotone replied, "Not too common that I know of. It does happen for a few reason though; some folks retire early, get injured, such is the way of the shinobi. Kaori's done a great job and keeping up with us though!"
"So, Kaori can keep up with you guys despite the extra years of training?" Naruto asked, "She seems so nice and friendly!"
"She is! But she's strong when she does it right. Her issue is control."
"Control?" Sakura raised and eyebrow.
"Ah, you'll see," Kotone started to apply the salve Takumi gave her to her small cuts and bruises.
Kaori bowed to Neji before taking a stance. Despite her right arm being injured and in a sling, her stance was near perfect. Neji let out a light scoff – not enough to be insulting but enough to merit a twitch from Kaori – before taking his stance and activating his Byakugan.
Neji waited for Kaori to make a move, but the girl knew better than to get closer. If he wanted to get her in range he needed to take the offensive. She could wait.
Neji let out a tsk before moving forward only to be greeted by a dodge and powerful kick that sent him a few feet away, though minimal harm was done.
Kaori remained in the pose after the kick, her leg slowly returning to its stable position on the ground. If should could outlast the Hyuga boy, then she might be able to win this.
However, beating Neji was going to be toughed than that. He saw the chakra in her leg right after the kick landed and was quick to realize her attack style. It became his goal to shut down the flow of chakra in her legs and remaining arm.
"Wait a minute, how'd she land that on Neji!" Naruto questioned.
"Kaori's fighting style is strictly defensive unless necessary. In a real situation where her life was at stake she'd be more aggressive, but otherwise she's content to let the challenge come to her. The more patient and calm she is, the more control over her attacks she has. And getting close to Neji is out of the question with the Hyuga fighting style."
"So she's going to keep hitting him away from her before he lands a blow?" Sakura asked.
Kotone nodded and smiled. "Kaori has a unique ability of releasing chakra in large bursts from her arms, legs, and feet just as she comes into contact with her opponent. It's an explosive skill if done well, but her last hit wasn't very strong. Just enough to keep him away from her. She's gotten into a lot of trouble because of it though."
"That's why her arm is in a sling," Kakashi deduced.
"We got in a small fight with another team from Ame in the last challenge. Unfortunately Kaori had to risk back flow of chakra in order to not destroy Takumi's ribcage when our plan went awry."
"Back flow of chakra?" Naruto's face painting a dumb confusion but Kotone just looked back to her teammate who was maintaining her strategy.
"If Kaori's target changes or becomes unsafe to get near it's hard for her to stop herself. The chakra is already built up to a large level in her fist, for example. Well if her target were to suddenly move out of the way and come at her from behind, Kaori would be in a tight spot because all her force was already going forward. To change directions, she has to physically stop going one way, as well as try to change her focus of chakra to another part of her body. This usually causes her own bones to crack or even break when she releases the chakra improperly."
"So, her arm is broken because of her own abilities?" Naruto shivered.
"Mhmm. Kaori's fighting style is amazing, but she's injured herself more than anyone else. Part of it is that she doesn't want to seriously hurt anyone and a powerful strike that like to the chest could shatter a ribcage or sternum, or anywhere else for that matter, and handicap a person for life. Kaori isn't that cruel," Kotone finished with a light sigh.
Kaori gasped in pain when Neji dodged a punch from her left hand only to land a strike to her broken arm. She collapsed to the ground and clutched at her arm as the pain radiated in waves that made her nauseous.
Kotone frowned at the tactic, but Kaori did choose to fight with a bad injury. Sure the medics had started to heal it, but a shattered bone required a few treatments to ensure it was set right. Neji's strike likely undid a bit of their progress.
Kaori waited for another blow, but Neji remained in his spot, even relaxing from his stance. He turned his head to look at Kotone and then scanned down the railing to Takumi and Toko before sighing.
"Surrender this match. You're not in a position to fight at your strongest and I can see the damage to your arm. If you don't get it re-set it won't heal properly."
"I can keep going –!" Kaori started to reply before she shifted her shoulder just a little causing her to collapse to the ground in pain. "W-what did you do?"
"I hit some of the chakra points in your arm to prevent chakra from flowing to your injury. Without your chakra, the pain will feel escalated. You cannot win this fight."
"I'm not weak!" Kaori cried out, panting as she stood up with her right arm braced to her body. The less motion the better.
"Kaori!" Kotone called from the stands. The young girl looked up to her with a pleading that she be allowed to finish, but Kotone shook her head. "Kaori, there's no shame in quitting here and getting better first. You can kick his ass another day!"
With a head tilt and a smile, Kotone persuaded her teammate. Kaori sighed and nodded, wincing as she turned her head to the proctor. "I surrender."
"Wait a minute, shouldn't she have continued? Isn't telling her to quit a bit harsh, Kotone-chan?" Naruto's brows furrowed, uncertain of Kotone's suggestion that Kaori surrender.
"She shattered the bone in her right forearm. What Neji did when he hit her arm means that she's constantly feeling the pain from her injury. Usually chakra can dull some pain we experience with the abuse of being shinobi, but when you cut that flow off and leave your nerves to themselves an injury will feel as bad as it should. Kaori is especially sensitive to chakra flow and can sense chakra over long distances with a frightening accuracy, so it probably affects her worse than we would notice."
"But won't she feel like you didn't think she could win?"
"Kaori isn't the type to do that. For today she'll be a bit down over losing, but she'll turn it into a desire to win the next time. Plus I did say she'd win against him another day. It was actually very merciful of Neji to allow her the chance to surrender. He could have done permanent damage to her arm if he wanted to."
Naruto nodded as the understanding set in. Kotone didn't want Kaori to lose either, but for today this was safer. There was no need to risk her right arm for this part of the test when Kaori could train more and improve for the next fight she'd get into.
The medics ran out to Kaori to take her for treatment, but Kotone was by her side quickly and tilted her head forward so that Kaori's bangs hung over her eyes. "You did well."
Kaori nodded and smiled weakly at Kotone. She didn't want to quit like that, but Neji used her weakness against her as any enemy would have. She should have protected that side of her body more, but instead she left it exposed to try and strike him rather than sticking to her defensive strategy. Kaori knew her mistake, but it didn't make her feel any better to know what she did.
"Tell Takumi he better win!" Kaori shouted as she was escorted to the medical facilities.
Kotone returned to her team where she smacked Takumi on the back hard. "Your turn!"
They watched the screens as the names cycled through a final time. The result almost made Kotone laugh.
Hamada Takumi vs Nara Shikamaru
"Tell me this is a joke," Shikamaru groaned from his spot.
Takumi let out a sigh before he cast a glare to Kotone who was shaking with chuckles. Either the match would be entertaining to watch, or as fun as watching a game of chess. Regardless, she was curious who would outsmart who.
"This is such a drag. Why do I have to go twice in one day?" Shikamaru complained on the floor.
Takumi shrugged. "I guess I should count my luck at getting someone I could actually fight against."
Shikamaru's eyebrow twitched at the light prodding Takumi dealt. Both stood there and waited for a moment after the start of the match, waiting for one to make a move to predict the rest of the fight.
"This is fun, Takumi, but if you could just start with anything, that'd be great!" Kotone called down from her spot next to Toko-sensei. The dark hair teacher landed a light whack to her head again, causing her to rub at the blow with a pout.
"You already know what I can do. I'm surprised you're not moving first," Shikamaru finally spoke.
"I know what you can do, but what you start with changes what might happen next. But if you really want me to go first," Takumi stated as he reached into his supply bag, "Then I'll go first."
With his statement finished, Takumi threw threw small bombs at Shikamaru. The lazy boy didn't get away in enough time for the first of the explosions and the smoke that appeared caused him to cough and flee to the side. He got out of the smoke, but found that his vision was twisting and he placed an unsteady hand to his head.
"Sorry, but I'd rather end this quickly so I used my strongest mixture," Takumi admitted with a shrug.
"M-mixture? You made this?" Shikamaru collapsed to one knee.
"My strong suit lies in genjutsu, but sometimes it's hard to lure people into illusions. My scented bombs provide a much better starting point," Takumi explained as he did a few handsigns. He activated the jutsu, trapping Shikamaru rather effectively.
"Hmm, is it that easy for him?" Kotone pondered out loud. Her and Kaori were often the guinea pigs for Takumi's inventions and mixtures, but when one worked it was a pain to get out of. Inflicting pain to youself wasn't always an option since pain wouldn't do much against your sense of smell. However, the strongest of Takumi's perfumes had the shortest lifespans and sometimes only lasted a few seconds before you could pull yourself free from the dream. Though it also depended on the dream and how well it pulled you in.
However, it didn't surprise Kotone when Shikamaru's shadow started to crawl across the room while Takumi looked away for a moment, waiting for the usual collapse that happened when he exposed someone to his perfume bombs. He was suddenly caught and his eyes darted back to Shikamaru who was panting from his position.
"Man, what a troublesome fighting style. If I hadn't gotten a hold on a kunai before I went under I would've lost."
"So now what? I'm not really in the same position as your last opponent. Where are you going to go from here?" Takumi wasn't really angry, he could have knocked Shikamaru out instead of waiting but he hadn't expected him to actually break it after the scent dissipated. He underestimated his opponent.
"I give," Shikamaru threw his hand up in defeat. "I didn't really have anything planned after that point and I'd rather not go through another set of your inventions."
Takumi blinked a few times before sighing, "I guess I'll take it."
The two nodded at each other before Shikamaru retreated back to his team where Ino berated him for give up so quickly when he barely put up a fight.
Kotone chuckled at the result, not expecting much more than that. They wanted to feel the other one out in terms of intelligence and fighting style, and that's exactly what they did. No more effort required at this point in the Exams.
Hayate coughed before announcing the completion of the preliminaries. He was rejoined by the proctors of the other two stages as well as the Hokage. They had the victors line up and offered their congratulations at getting this far. Temari had even rejoined the group having woken up after her loss to Kotone.
"The Final Round will commence in one month," The Hokage explained.
Naruto squited in confusion over the period of time between now and then, a question others probably had curiosities about. However, it was explained that one month preparation was needed to gather the audience they had intended as well as to allow the examinees to ready themselves.
As they each drew the slips of paper, Kotone glanced around to the rest of the genin. Depending on who she got she might have to surrender, her biggest concern being Gaara and his defensive sand.
Kotone and Takumi stood next to each other and, against the odds, pulled ten and eleven in order. When Ibiki showed the board of fights, it became apparent that the two would end up dueling each other due to the strange number of fights. Temari was set a second round combatant for the winner of the Shikamaru vs Dosu match.
"This has to be a joke," Kotone mumbled with a sideways glance to Takumi who slumped him shoulders at the realization.
"Oh? Looks like to two Amegakure finalists are paired?" the Hokage asked when he saw their reactions.
"Ah, yes! It will be interesting to see how well people enjoy seeing us spar, but we will give it our all," Kotone replied with a polite bow.
The Hokage let out a laugh at her polite behavior despite the personality she had already shown up to this point but nodded in response before Shikamaru asked about the finer details of the tournament. As everyone turned to leave, the Hokage called out to Kotone and Takumi, as well as Toko for an extra moment.
"I'm sorry to inform you that while you've been here, Amegakure has been in a state of unrest," the Hokage started to explain.
The two students shared a worried look, fearing their families were caught up in the foolish civil war they had left back at home, but the leader of Konoha was quick to calm their fears.
"It is actually thanks to a letter from your parents, Kotone, that brought this to my attention. They also informed me that Takumi's mother is doing well. However, they had a request that I wanted to run by your team before I make my decision."
"A request? It's unusual for my parents to ask for anything," Kotone furrowed her brows. Her parents were very reclusive in Amegakure, but many folks in that village weren't trustworthy to begin with.
The Hokage nodded before taking a deep breath and releasing a puff of smoke. "They requested a move to Konoha. With the nomadic nature of the Ueno clan, it would be hard to deny them for reasons of allegiance, but Takumi's mother opposes the idea. If I approve of the move for Kotone's family, Takumi's mother won't come with, I'm told."
Takumi sighed and ran his hand up to his ponytail. "She was born in Ame and will die in Ame. That's what she's always said."
"Why are they suddenly keen on leaving?" Kotone was trying to wrap her head around her parent's decision, but she was struggling to see the point. They had no love for Hanzo, the current leader of Ame, nor did they get involved in the civil war. They even went as far as to refuse to sell their ninja tools to idiots who were involved.
"They fear for you, Kotone. They don't want you exposed to the chaos in Amegakure anymore than you need to be, and evidently their ability to refuse distasteful customers is getting harder. They want you to live in a country that will value your life and that of your teammates'. Takumi, could you persuade your mother?"
He shook his head, "My mother is no shinobi, but she detests the larger countries. She was born in poverty in Ame. Our house is far out of the way of the war and she is too poor to be a target for anything other than bad luck. If Kotone is going to move to Konoha, and I suspect Kaori will follow her, I will also join them. Though, any income I earn can be portioned and sent to my mother, right?"
The Hokage nodded, surprised at Takumi's quick decision in the matter, but he had brought another point to his attention. "About Kaori, I haven't heard anything from her family."
Toko sighed before speaking up, "She has no family. Technically speaking, I'm her guardian though she was living with the Ueno family."
Konoha's leader and the subsequent proctors of the exams seemed surprised by this statement before Kotone took the opportunity to explain it more thoroughly: "Kaori's parents died just a few months before she graduated from the academy there. They were KIA. Kaori has been staying with my family while Takumi has been living with Toko-sensei in order to avoid the poverty streets of Ame. We are more than a team, Hokage-sama. If I move, they have to come with me."
A quick glance to Toko and the woman shrugged, "I don't have anything holding me to Ame other than my schooling having been there and you three. I would follow you here."
He smiled sincerely at the young girl and he team as he nodded in agreement. "Your team shows a strength that is unique. Though, you know you and your parents might be met with suspicion, Kotone? The Ueno clan is known for different reasons due to their divided status."
"Yes, but my father has a way of winning people over and his inventions will likely sell better here where he can trust the buyers. My mother is actually the problematic one."
"That's an understatement," Takumi mumbled.
"She retired too early is what my father always says."
Anko took the chance to laugh at the image of this mysterious woman who clearly had scarred her own daughter with her antics. Though the description was really the best explanation for Kotone's enthusiastic mother. Both of her parents retired when she was born as to prevent the risk of leaving her alone in the world much like Kaori's parents had. Takumi's description of Ame was always accurate, it cared about results, not risks. A gamble that Kotone's parents could afford to avoid with their business sales. Kaori's parents didn't have that option.
"After the exams are done will be the official transfer, but I believe your parents would prefer to move sooner rather than later. I'll try to arrange it quickly for them, but you will still fight as Amegakure genin in the final tournament. After that you'll be given Konoha symbols to replace the ones you have."
"Ah, Hokage-sama!" Kotone called as the man and the others turned to leave. "Thank you, for allowing my family and friends this opportunity. Even allowing Toko-sensei to join us. Most villages would not be so relaxed with a whole team of shinobi entering their village suddenly."
"If there wasn't a good reason and I hadn't gotten to understand your team as much, I likely wouldn't have allowed it. However, you three have something that tends to be missing in other villages, especially ones like Ame where progress is more important than anything else."
"What is that?"
With a mischievous laugh, Sarutobi turned his head to look away from them, "You have a sense of mercy. You weren't desperate enough to step on the teams in your way, instead you were respectful and acted with concerns to injury over success. That is why I'm allowing this. Clearly your teacher and your families taught you three about being considerate, a trait that is painfully absent in this world of shinobi."
Kotone bowed again in thanks, actually dipping her head low as the Konoha leader and shinobi left the room. Takumi gave a more curt bow, still feeling the frustration at his mother's decision trying to build, but for now he refrained from letting it show.
Toko pat his shoulder and sighed. "I wondered when they were going to tell you, but that was rather sudden."
"You knew?" Kotone asked as they started to trek back to the main village.
Toko nodded before she continued, "The war back home only impacts your parents because they sell some unique ninja tools, but they can avoid trouble in that. What they worry about is if something happens and there is a change in power, what the risk is to the younger generations. The shinobi who become the easiest to sacrifice or destroy on the path to progress. It could transform you bitterly or kill you. That is what they don't want for you. They had actually sent a missive when we first departed for the exams."
"T-that long ago?!"
"Mhmm. They thought they could convince Takumi's mother to join them if it was approved, but it loos like they never did. That stubbornness must be genetic."
Takumi scowled at the teasing remark, but finally let out a sigh at the thought of leaving his mother on the poor side of Ame.
"It'll be okay, Takumi. I'm sure she'll be fine, she's smart about avoiding trouble!"
Toko covered her eyes when the light breached through some trees. "The weather will take some getting used to. Takumi, when this transfer goes through, you can continue to live with me if you want."
He nodded in agreement while Kotone thought about how Kaori would take the news. Toko, suspecting her question beat her to it, "I will tell Kaori. She will also be staying with me. Your parents will have a busier lifestyle here and I've already shirked my responsibilities as her guardian for the last year."
Kotone and Takumi stared at Toko in confusion. She was rarely so nice or polite about issues, but they both realized it was likely due to the sensitive nature of the topic. Kaori would have to her parent's memorials brought over. She had already scattered their ashes, but the pictures of them were more valuable to Kaori than anything else in the world.
"Oh, about that," Toko started with a gentle tone, "I'll ask the you parents in a letter. In the meantime, we should have...a nice dinner."
Kotone smiled at the change in Toko's personality when the matter came up. They never talked about it specifically, it was still taboo in most situations. It remained a topic to dance around tactfully, but never say outright. However, anytime it was brought up, Toko either became a gentle individual or seemed sad. Kotone was happy this time it was the former.
"Yeah, let's get some dinner. Should we invite Kaori or is she still in the hospital?"
"We can see if they'll release her, but I think they'll want her limited to bed rest for a week since the Hyuga boy reinjured her arm."
The trio continued to chat until they reached the hotel again to change and clean up. They were going to enjoy a night without worry in honor of the other original teammate; Jin.
AN: So, this and the last chapter were originally one really long one, but I realized it got a bit tiring to read everything all at once. I know it's been a while but I am happy to report that as of recently I am completely healthy, all my tests came back okay! I'm hoping now that I have more time I can write more often! Hope to see another chapter here soon!