lucetilogs | if you want it you're gonna bleed

[All told, this is a far cry from what Mia expected.

She's been on a handful of medical missions; they are her 'favorite', if one can have such a thing when it comes to war and pain, because it is worse to stand by, able to help, willing to help, and do nothing. When she found out the jungle was their designated destination she swallowed her dislike, letting her true feelings for that loathsome heat and stickiness stay in her stomach where they belonged. People needed help, geography didn't change that. It probably made it worse.

On their way to the fort, or whatever it was - Mia kicks herself, now, for not listening well enough then - their unsubtle caravan or sorts fell to an ambush. Under frighteningly direct attack, soldiers and doctors alike scattered as well as they could into the undergrowth.

Mia remembers, faintly, the rules of lasting in the jungle the last time she did this. With the sun down (one presumes, the canopy blocking out most light no matter the hour) travel is useless and dangerous; the unconscious man sharing her 'space' against the trunk of a less hostile-looking tree keeps her more grounded still.]

[Operation Decoy is a role Shikamaru's been finding himself getting more and more familiar with. It's troublesome, but it's not like he isn't used to it. He's a Nara, after all - this is what the Kage Mane was designed for. Using the so-called 'filial magic' to keep the Cultist duo with the Shift hunter off of his patrol squad is the same principle.

Calling on the lessons Twila has taught him, Shikamaru leaves a trail for them to follow. With each jump along the branches they tug, like a curtain being drawn, then falling back. Unless you jump easily, in the night it's almost imperceptible, but the Baskers will pick up on it. It comes easily - he does it almost without thinking, mind on other things.

This ambush... He leaps. To pull it off to this affect, it had to have been organized on a massive scale. Shikamaru does the mental math, determining what the Cultists would have had to already accomplish to put such a plan through. Certainly they've mapped the area, gathered approximate information for where the MSF and mission volunteers have been running their patrols. If it were just that, they wouldn't bother taking their time. This is all for a bigger strike on the--

The jungle is humid no matter the time of day; it's getting too dark to keep to the trees with it like this. And jumping to the ground, a flash of blue hair has him stop, staring, and a bark in the distance interrupts his thoughts.]

[The bark rouses Mia much more strongly than any mere rustle in the branches ever could. She has to assume that the animal making that sound is dangerous and onto their scent. Among other concerns, Mia knows she hardly blends into her surroundings, green-and-grey clothing or not.

Mindful of the way sound and distance can distort when there's an entire forest between source and ears, Mia tries to rouse her unconscious partner, very quietly. When she holds her breath, attempting to listen to the jungle instead, she hears her own heartbeat picking up intensity in her ears, and she imagines - does she not - the sound of breathing nearby, the rustle of leaves, vibrations of half-real four-legged footsteps.

Of course none of it is true, she tells herself, except of course for her tired, pounding heart. It doesn't show on her face. She is so focused on not leaving anybody behind that all eyes watching her go momentarily unnoticed.]

[There's not a lot of time here. It'll be a minute - tops, he reckons - before the Cultists come this way, fast as they are. Not enough time to curse at himself, which is what he feels like doing. Cover for one group, only to lead the enemy to the other? That's troublesome, if there ever was a more fitting time for the word.

Instead he brings his hands up into a seal, making a shadow clone just like Naruto taught him, over a year ago. The clone appears in a burst of smoke, nods to Shikamaru, then takes off in the opposite direction of the blue-haired person, making as much noise with each step as possible.

With far greater stealth, silent, Shikamaru stalks over to the tree Mia's hiding against. When he's close enough to register that there's two figures, and even recognize who one of them is (and there's surprise in his eyes, flickering in the dark), he's already right on top of them.

No time for a gentler announcement as he rounds from the other side of the trunk. He kneels, reaching out to cover both their mouths, not having yet realized it's unnecessary for one of them.]

It's me. Shikamaru. [His voice is a whisper, barely audible even if it sounds too harsh to his own ears.] Don't move. Stay quiet - the dogs have better hearing than humans. Don't move, just nod if you understand me. Don't move.

Edited 2014-02-08 00:05 (UTC)

[The sudden sounds, so close and all at once and- moving away, away from her and her terrible hiding place, but she turned toward them all the same and she continues to squint into the darkness in their direction.

Then, the softest of noises, one tiny beat like a sigh, and a hand closes around her mouth. Though not even a second passes, it takes all of Mia's composure not to make noise against it, not to even strangle back a cry, and she has to backtrack to the start of his words, to Shikamaru, while trying to follow the rest of them through to the finish. Her head turns a fraction toward him, to try to see, though so little light makes it down to their level in the middle of a jungle night. The faintest shadowy form is there beside her, its - his - real hands extended to silence them. Were there real light, the look she gives him would be striking and cold.

One tiny nod and both hands in fists in her lap are the only other moves she makes.]

[He waits a beat, even after feeling the nod, wanting to give her time to adjust and determine he is who he says he is. She's not going to like what he has to do next, either - it's for this reason his hand stays where it is, though he releases the mouth of the other man. It's slack, the breathing against his palm too shallow to imply the guy will be a problem.

Hand free, he brings it up to his chest in a one-handed seal, breathing deeply. Preparing himself. If he combines his jutsu with Twila's magic... It might be enough to both hide them in the shadows, and dilute whatever it is the Shift Hunters smell when they track that. His clone will be amping up his own use of the shifting powers; if all goes well, they'll follow the stronger scent.

It's the best plan he's got. Nodding to himself, he breathes out slow and lets his chakra mix with the shadows at their feet, drawing them inside the dark to hide. They'll be out of sight - the Cultists could stand next to them now and not see a thing. But if they're too loud they'll still be heard.]

[She wants to question him, to let What do you think you're doing? escape through the icy hand around her throat and her gritted teeth. Mia can feel it, almost, it's like an itch she doesn't know how to reach. Somehow, it's both darker and easier to see him all at once. The background darkness, the static that gave her only hints at his outline, is gone; a starker look at his still-featureless silhouette remains.

When he finally pulls his hand away, Mia doesn't trust her voice, reaching for his wrist before he can get so far removed from her sense of herself that she'll miss it.

It isn't worth trying to tell him anything while they're still in danger. Mia's grip on him isn't even that tight, though it is firm. Off in the distance, she hears another, fainter bark, harsh and ragged, and the sounds of moving branches.]

[She holds his wrist, and he doesn't pull away from it. He opens one eye to watch her, with a glance and without turning. In contrast to Mia, his awareness is pitch perfect here, in the dark. He can feel every motion from the outline of her shadow.

If he thought she could see it, he'd give her a thumbs up to let her know she's doing fine. He's pretty sure she's gotten the message anyways to stay quiet - she's smart like that. She'll know.

The barking gets louder; the footsteps crunching against twigs more audible. After another moment, you can begin to hear the rusted metal of the armor the Cultists wear dragging against the ends, when they bend at the joints. They're very close. Close enough to touch if they came out. Through the connection Shikamaru has with his shadow, he can feel the wet breath of the basker as it noses around the tree they were leaning against moments before.

C'mon... Move on already.]

[Mia can't recall holding her breath so very much in such a short span before, ever.

They're here. Feet, then inches away, staring right at their veiled location. Sniffing. Mia is too frozen to think about holding on any tighter or letting go, to think about anything other than listening and praying they aren't found. That the ninja on one side of her and the unconscious man on the other don't give them away, that she doesn't give them away, that a shift hunter's jaws don't reach through whatever it is Shikamaru did and tear them all to shreds.

The hand still in her lap is shaking.]

[It can't get through, at least. Shikamaru's confident of that much. If it realizes they're here though, it wouldn't be hard to wait them out. Shikamaru's chakra will run out eventually, even if he's using less of it. If that were to happen, the jutsu would come undone and reveal their hiding spot.

The way the Shift Hunter is whining confused, it can sense them, but doesn't have enough to go off of to believe someone's there. It paws at the tree, sniffing around the base, before stopping abruptly. Shikamaru can imagine the way its ears prick, as if listening for something. Subconsciously he holds his own breath, listening for anything that might give them away.

A clap of thunder sounds off, distant, but not so far away.]

[The Hunter gives one final sniff; it turns, faster and more agile than Mia ever expects, toward the thunder. A storm, she has spare seconds to wonder, before the creature half-howls and moves with purpose away from their shadowed protection at last.

Awareness of her still-caught breath comes as even the shadows start to grey. Mia leans back, against the tree as much as she can, dropping Shikamaru's wrist silently and trying to be equally calm about breathing again, eyes closed. It's gone, or at least going. She doesn't need to see the nothingness around her.

As he has more awareness than she of their situation, Mia decides to wait on Shikamaru to take the lead again. The ice gathering in her chest is gone, replaced by a more settled chill in the bottom of her stomach. So they were momentarily safe from their attackers; that did nothing to push back the very real dangers of the jungle.]

[He holds the jutsu a little longer, waiting until he at least can't hear their pursuers any longer. It'd do no good to drop their protection only for the Cultists to round back. If Mia were still holding his wrist, eventually she'd feel it shake with tiny tremors of exertion from keeping the technique up. It's secondary on his mind, his awareness stretched in confirming if they really are alone.

After a few minutes, he deems it safe enough. With a shaky sigh, the shadows come undone.]

Looks like my clone successfully distracted them. We need to move, though, in case they round back. [As dark as the jungle is in the night, the shadows were blacker. Mia should have more visibility here, at least enough to see Shikamaru lean over their unconscious companion, as if he means to pick him up. He doesn't just yet, waiting for an assessment of his injuries.] We can go along the path I came from. They won't think to follow the trail they already searched.

[The shadows recede and the heavy thick heat of the jungle comes rushing back again. Mia moves automatically when Shikamaru bends over the third member of their unfortunate party.]

Is there somewhere along that path we can stop - safely? [As much safety as could be found in their predicament would have to do. Mia can hear the tightness in her words, a strained breathlessness that holds stubborn against her desire to sound sure.] I'll help you carry him if necessary, but we shouldn't move him very far if we can avoid it.

[She's worried about him, too, not to mention herself.]

I would rather not spend the night exposed.

[He gives her a blank look. Mia, you're a girl. NOT THAT THAT'S A SLIGHT OR ANYTHING, but what kind of man would he be if he made a girl do that?

Then again maybe his injuries won't allow it. One thing at a time.]

I'll find some place. I wasn't looking before, but jungles like this are riddled with such spaces.

[Mostly because animals like to make their homes in them. He makes an unhappy face. There's not a thing to like about this situation - the safest path right now just drives them deeper into the jungle. Animals won't be the only thing to worry about if they stay too long.]

The closest spot was a tree with exposed roots. The only way to know if it's safe is to explore it, so we need to get on our way.

[It's dark enough to ignore his look without fear of repercussion. The idea that she couldn't help because she's "a girl" isn't foreign to her, but in a crisis you work with everything you have and it wouldn't seem like Shikamaru's style.

It might not matter. Their friend - a "soldier" from another enclosure, on the mission as part of a small force of protection for the doctors and healers while they traveled - is younger than both of them, with a body type to match, although Mia can say firsthand that he's much stronger than he looks. Assessing her own exhaustion with herself, Mia nods to Shikamaru once more, stepping back and out of his way.]

Be careful with his left leg. [It's too murky to be able to guide him by watching, either.]

Got it.

[If he doesn't have to worry about ribs, he'll carry the kid on his back. It takes some adjusting - getting him on there is something he doesn't mind asking Mia for help from. Once he's settled, they get moving. Shikamaru takes the lead, but despite his pressing for urgency earlier, his pace is slow.]

Sorry about before.

[Of course she'll help. Mia has no trouble keeping pace, although she expected to at first. At his words, she raises both eyebrows and looks at him quickly.]

Never apologize for saving us again, all right?

[That's all she'll say (or hear, though he's welcome to talk) on the matter. Sometimes the unorthodox is necessary.]

And thank you.

[After that, she can't spare her visual attention from the ground, lest they wander into a sneaky plant or creature that manages to thrive on little sunlight.]

[He smirks. It wasn't the saving her he was apologizing for, but he can call a losing argument when he sees one. Even if he clarifies his intention, she'll loop it back to that, so he drops it.]

Don't thank me for it again, and we'll call it even.

I might be too polite to agree to that. Apologize as you choose.

[She ought to have learned long ago about telling him, of all people, not to say something. At least she's half-grinning now, into the darkness at her feet.]

[He snorts - maybe a little too loudly, as he covers it. She's as blunt as ever.]

I'll take you up on that when we have shelter. Damn, I need a nap...

Are you hurt? I should have asked before this.

[All while she doesn't stop walking, and she doesn't expect that he will, either. They may be walking into a trap, but stopping in an exposed area is as good as resigning themselves to the unknown - or that's how it feels. Mia's dislike of the jungle keeps growing, even when it's softened by having a real ally nearby.]

Nah.

[In light of recent discoveries, he's been taking extra well care of himself. He'd never live it down if he bled to death from a papercut.

He is exhausted though. Chakra fatigue, woot, which would be why he's moving slow. But he's had a lot worse.]

[Small things can add up in an unfriendly environment. With some of her stress fading, Mia's picking up something of a strange limp herself, a list to the left that has her pressing her lips together.]

How far- [And she stops, one hand reaching for him but head turning away. Was there a noise? Was there a noise, or is she inventing them now, new phantoms to replace the ones Shikamaru diverted?]

[He's alert instantly, stopping in his tracks and listening for any sign of movement. His eyes slide to Mia after a moment, looking for tells in her demeanor to tell him what's wrong.]

[There's nothing. Seconds tick by with nothing out of the ordinary, and Mia ends up slowly shaking her head.]

I thought I heard something. Sorry for alarming you.

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