Blood In The Sand

O, pitiful youth. If you desire otherwise, we shall assist you.

"I… don't know who you are. And I don't need your help!" Rena insisted as another kick flew at her, sweeping her feet out from under her. As she hit the ground, the figure's eyes closed.

It is not enough to be alone. We are your saviour; accept us.

"I said… I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!" She slammed her hands together. "Release!"

You cannot do this alone.

"I don't care! I'm not going to rely on someone to do something I should know how to do!" Again, she made the hand-sign. "RELEASE!"

Accept us, or die.

"I'd…" Her face fell as she thought of Gaara, of how disappointed he'd be. As she was dealt another blow, she landed a few meters away from where she'd been standing. Her fists curled. Death. Was death something to be afraid of?

Another kick and she flew again. There was so much pain. She could feel the cuts and bruises all over her body. She struggled to get up, only to see the feet of someone who was standing over her. Her eyes widened. It was the woman with the mask. She offered her hand, her mask up rather than down showing nothing more than an insidious smile. "You… don't need to trust in a beast."

There were two options before her, both unknown and untrodden. Rena grit her teeth, her rage overflowing. "Didn't… you hear me?" As she struggled to get up, drawing herself off of the ground, she whipped her head around, exchanging glares with the woman and the beast. "I said…" She made the hand-sign once more, summoning all of her possible strength into this. She had never really been good for anything. She got kidnapped, so she couldn't become a shinobi. She got this far, maybe by dumb luck or some pure coincidence, with Gaara at her side. She had so much to live for. Everything she wanted was in her reach, but if she took a step back and let others do her job for her... "I SAID I DON'T NEED YOUR STUPID DAMN HELP! RELEASE!"

The illusion shattered, and Rena's eyes faded back into consciousness. Kana was circling her, assuming she was still under the Genjutsu. As Kana reached out her leg to deal a devastating blow to her chest, Rena caught it, her eyes alight with both anger and inspiration. Kana's eyes narrowed as she ground her teeth, enraged that Rena escaped her Jutsu. "I'm not about… to just lie down and let you hit me, you bitch!" Kana tried to yank her leg away from Rena but was pulled in by her.

Rena backhanded Kana with her other hand, causing her to move only for her to hear the sound of something moving against the wind. She rolled to the side, narrowly dodging a sharp object that came flying out of nowhere. The crowd was a little excited now; this seemed to be unexpected.

"Thirty minutes have passed." She had to have spent at least fifteen in that Genjutsu. Kana wasn't kidding about killing her slowly.

As Kana backed up, Rena did as well, her feet hitting the back of whatever had flown into the arena. Turning, she took in the sight of what seemed to be a double-sided scythe. At this point, she'd take whatever she could to beat Kana on her own power. Placing a hand on the hilt, she pulled it out of the ground, preparing herself for what came next.

"You… you should've just taken your death with some dignity!" Kana screeched, the sound of cracking bones filled the air. "Now… now I'll do whatever I can to END YOU!" White objects burst from her back and with a flap, she was soaring in the air. People were pointing at her, while Rena's eyes widened. "Tsubasa…!" Her wings flapped, keeping her suspended in the air as she began to circle the arena.

Sansa collapsed against the railing. Only the hole in the wall and her memories remained; those not of the Sand had their memories erased.

Consider it… our new high-stakes game.

She avoided Baki's gaze. She knew he wanted to talk about it and everything else he'd seen, but now wasn't the place, nor the time. At least the Genin of the Sand understood that much. Su, on the other hand, had been quietly observing the entire time. She didn't understand what was going on, but the fluctuations and tremors in that woman's voice… she was definitely dangerous… and connected to Rena in some way.

Su outstretched her hands. She was fine, but for Rena to be discarded like her brother discarded her… she'd decided. Perhaps it made sense why Tsukiyomi and Suno followed Rena… from now on, she'd do what she could to stand by Rena's side as both equal and friend, just as Suno and Tsu did. From now on… she was sure that Rena was the family she was born to protect. Coincidences didn't just happen.

Ikari, on the other hand, shook in the corner. He was almost drooling with anticipation. On her way out, the esteemed Blood Empress…

Your family disgraced us. Betrayed us. But you can restore their name, black-blood... No, pure-blood. I name you Kuroi-chi, an assassin of the shadows. Do you want to be an emperor? Do as you have been. I shall only accept one of worthy blood to take the throne beside my child… hopefully, you can prove your mettle, yes? You being a pure-blood means you are worthy of redemption.

He had finally been recognized, as he'd waited for. The Blood Empress had entrusted him with her child…

As Kana dived for Rena, she was easily able to dodge and weave. Rena could barely hit her. Still, she persisted, waiting for an opening, before getting an idea. She ran forward, sticking the butt of the scythe into the ground and vaulting herself into the air. Kana tried flying backward, having not expected the launch, but Rena managed to grab onto her left wing, tilting the two closer to the ground…

But the battle was in Kana's domain now. As they flew through the air, Kana decided to ascend, straining against the extra weight. Rena did her best to hang onto Kana's wing despite the girl's efforts to shake her off. She stabbed a kunai into her, causing her to cry out and plummet to the ground. Rena was suddenly holding onto her wingtip, with Kana trying to get control back. The two fought on despite the imminent ground, trading blows as Rena did her best to hang on. She embedded the scythe in Kana's other wing, causing her to fully spiral out of control. Just before Kana hit the ground, Rena jumped, hitting the floor at a lesser impact and rolling to a stop in front of a tree.

Rena struggled to get up, breathing heavily, her clothes and flesh nearly torn to shreds. She staggered over to Kana, putting one foot on her wing and yanking out the scythe with her arms. As she turned to walk away, Kana's hand shot out and grabbed her foot, but Rena came down on her head with the blunt side of the scythe. Kana's grip slowly loosened.

The announcer waited a moment before walking in and feeling for a pulse. "By means of knockout, Rena Hikari has won this battle." Cheers filled the arena as Rena staggered, looking around as she had in the beginning, a smile stretching across her face as she held up her weapon. A laugh rang out.

"I did it! Did you see me, Sansa?! I did it!" She bounced around in a childish fashion as a medical stretcher snatched up Kana, leading her out of the arena. Tsukiyomi descended from a higher level to sit next to Suno, her hood rather inconspicuous. Her hair was up as it had been before she shut down and Suno nodded to her. He was smiling and both were content with the fact Rena achieved what she came to do. "Owww!" She held an aching part of her body, tripping over her feet in the process and hitting the ground face first. Suno stifled a laugh. No matter whether she won or lost, of course, she'd be the same Rena they knew.

Sansa, on the other hand, did her best to bring herself to smile. Lady Owari was by no means their ally. She had way too much to explain. The Sand Siblings… Baki… she'd never be trusted again after this. She gripped the railing tightly, her fake smile feeling like it was tearing her face in half. She did see her daughter do it, so the proper respect was due.

"Lady Owari, Lady Owari! That's Rena, isn't it? Big Sister Rena!"

"Lady Owari, can we eat her? Can we?"

The Blood Empress' legs swung over the side of the top of the arena. As long as nobody looked up, they'd be fine. She put her hands up to her lips, making a hand-sign. Her rather inconspicuous cloak disappeared, leaving only an ornate kimono not meant for battle in the first place. Beside her, two small children, one with pink hair and the other with blue- both pastel- excitedly hopped up and down in turn. "Subete," The pink one quieted down, listening attentively, "Nanimonai." The blue followed suit. Both eyed Owari, their smiles the only thing they had to offer. "You are nothing and everything. Show respect to those of a higher rank than you in our clan. If you're going to have a banquet, do so respectfully when she can fight back- not when she's a mere initiate."

"Lady Owari," The pink-haired one tugged on her kimono, "An initiate is barely close to what we are. We're much higher in the ranks."

"Her blood is worth more than gold. Her status as my spawn has not yet been diminished, generals. As our Princess, we'll give her a chance before letting you prepare the banquet." Owari laughed, bringing up her sleeve to her mouth, covering her smile. "Remember; she is part of the royal main branch. Mere side-branch spawn does not have the right to attack blood when it is not yet aged."

Nanimonai, the blue-haired one, walked over to their sibling. "Her Highness didn't say no, Subete! You'll still have the chance to enjoy a delectable dish in the future!"

Subete gave Nanimonai a smile. "Yeah! Surely we can both enjoy our deluxe banquet when the time comes.~"

Owari raised her eyebrows as she shot a glance at the twins. They were one of the few she could save from the wrath of her demented son. Rena would find that her past would be recognizable; when they were perfect, they would be whole once more…

As the Kage sat near each other, an ANBU member body flickered beside the Hokage, providing him with some files to flip through. His eyes widened, grimace stretching across his face as he looked at the girl bouncing around, then back to his papers. "Don't let her leave the Hidden Leaf." He said under his breath. "Make sure this information gets to the others." The ANBU nodded, departing from the area.

The Kazekage turned his head to the Hokage. "Is there a problem with my Genin, Hokage?"

"No, Lord Kazekage. We simply want to ask her a few questions." The Kazekage's fingers tapped against his chair as he simply hmm-hmm'd and nodded approvingly. Little did the Hokage know, that was a green-light for Kabuto.

It hadn't been more than four rooftops later that Kabuto had chased down the ANBU and tackled them to the ground, quickly ending their life with a flick of his kunai. He reached down, picking up the documents. As he prepared to leave, he looked down. Whoever these were for, they could hold answers to some of his questions… some things Orochimaru didn't tell him. As he rolled open the scroll, his eyes widened as he read on and on. His fingers trembled as the scroll slipped from his grasp and he stepped away from it. "Something like that… exists?!"

He didn't want to pick it up again, but he supposed it was possible… given the time and techniques used. The details in the scroll itself were gruesome at best. And to think that purple-haired girl was something like that… No wonder the Hokage would want her at the very least detained. What was Orochimaru playing at…? No, it was scarier that this thing had basically been in the same living space as him and he didn't know about it. He picked up the scroll, rolling it back up and taking the leaf ANBU's body with him as he flickered away. He'd have to speak to Orochimaru about this.

As Rena walked up the stairs, she stopped at the top, observing that most of her friends & family were extremely sullen. They seemed to avoid looking at her, their faces lacking smiles. "What's wrong?" Gaara's eyes moved to the scythe in her hand. So… she truly knew nothing. Everything he thought she was keeping from him was being kept from her as well. For some reason, he didn't want to tell her. He wanted everything to remain as it was. He didn't… want her to be any different from what she was now. So.. he'd protect her secrets. For now.

The first to step up to her, however, despite Kankuro and Ikari trying, was Su. She gave the biggest smile she could. "Master; congratulations." Although it was rather out of character for her to say something like that, it was Tsukiyomi's speech pattern. If she was gonna play the part, she had to commit to the role. At first, Rena was surprised, but then she gave a smile in return and nodded, embracing Su, who almost fell back for a moment, but wrapped her arms around the girl. Was this… what it was like to have a sister?

"Our first fight has concluded!" The announcer said, grandstanding. "Our next one will start momentarily. Ikarinochi Hikari versus Tsukiyomi Akagari!"

As Ikari passed Su, his eyes connected with [what he assumed] were hers. Rena waved as he passed by, but his mood was more serious than not. This fight… he had to show his worth to the Blood Empress. He couldn't go easy on Su as he'd originally planned. It was difficult to process everything, to really, truly… but he had suspected it, honestly. With the tales that his parents told him, there's no way that someone had the luck he did to escape the Hikari and the man who had them all slaughtered.

Not to mention, his black blood…

He looked at his palms and the scars that littered his arms as he walked down the stairwell. His black blood wasn't prevalent in the Hikari. In fact, he was told that most Hikari born without it could only make a certain amount to store in their body. Those born with it were considered elite warriors, the gifted and those worthy of being assassins and royal guards, the heroes leading the armies. Only a black-blood was worthy enough for the throne. Yet Rena's mother… Ikari wondered about the circumstances behind her. She seemed to have purple blood.

He sighed. In the end, black-blood was the strongest of the colours. He didn't have anything to worry about. Even if his blood didn't have any special properties like the other colours, he was the alternate to yellow-bloods. The Hikari could develop personal releases based on their blood. From what he knew, the Empress' release was the Palace Of Blood Release. He might be wrong on that, though. His Rage Blood Release wasn't quite unique, it had been used before, but it was the technique he was most familiar with. He smiled to himself as he wondered what kind of Blood Release Rena would have. There were more possibilities for purple-bloods, as they were ridiculously common.

Su pried herself out of Rena's hug, giving her another smile. "Good luck! I believe in you!" Su's face flushed. She began to rush down the stairs, almost tripping due to her lack of sight, but she managed to hold onto the railing and find her way down relatively fast.

Ikari had reached the arena ground before Su had, examining closely the remains of Rena's fight with Kana. Even without Blood Style, she had prevailed. If that didn't mean she was of royal blood, what did? He could hear Su's footsteps behind him and he turned, what looked like a sincere smile covering his face, but his eyes didn't reflect his emotions. "Su, who do you think is going to win this match?"

Su hadn't been far behind him as she flexed her hands, feeling the lay of the land around herself before the fight started. She turned her head to the sound of Ikari's voice, her expression pensive as she thought over it briefly. "If you're having to ask that, then I'm obviously lacking the advantage, aren't I?" It was certainly an odd answer, one that made Ikari almost laugh. Perhaps she was smarter than he thought, but that didn't matter. In the end, he would be sure not to treat her disrespectfully. He couldn't treat her as just anyone- it seemed like she may become a permanent thing around him, after all.

"I wouldn't say that," Respect where respect was due, after all, considering she got to the finals in the first place. "You're clearly a worthy match, but I'm simply wondering if you have the confidence to start… and finish… this particular fight." Ikari stepped forward, splaying out his limbs in a crouching fighting stance, placing one palm on the ground below him. He grabbed a kunai from a pouch strapped to his leg, ready to take offensive measures. He was prepared to do anything to prove his worth. Originally, he'd intended on going easy on Su, but circumstances had changed.

"Of course I do…" Su had something to prove as well. She had someone to prove it to. She'd reassure Rena she hadn't made a mistake in trusting her… she would win. She crouched herself, pulling out a handful of throwing stars as she readied herself. She'd already seen what he was capable of, so harming him wouldn't be to her advantage. Her thoughts raced around in her head as she slightly stretched out her other hand, thinking of a possible strategy to take him on. They were evenly matched, she was sure of it. Her expression changed from thoughtful to blank and she could see nothing in her mind's eye other than the goal; winning.

"Alright, well...GO!" The announcer called. The instant he did, Ikari was already moving, much to Su's surprise- a rather bold move, flying across the field directly at her. A frontal assault? There was no blood yet- he made no move to activate his Rage Blood Release. She had expected he would pull a trick like that, but she'd just have to gain the advantage. The young Genin went on the defensive as she sank into the ground, the earth shifting and swallowing her up, leaving no marker or indication she'd disrupted it, to begin with.

Ikari came to a halt, running his fingers through his short hair before sighing, giving a shrug. "Seems like you want to get serious from the start, hmm?" Like he hadn't come at her first, Su would've rolled her eyes at that statement. On the surface, Ikari pressed the kunai to his wrist, making a quick slashing motion as he held out his open palm. "Rage Blood Release…" Blood burst from his arm, flowing and circling around him in a hypnotic pattern, fast and jagged. However, it didn't seem like he was done there. "Rage Blood Release: Rage Whip." The blood shifted and changed into a lash, which he held in one of his hands, staining his palms black. It didn't seem like a solitary technique that was active on its own, but he began splaying out his fingers, splashing blood from his open wound all over the ground around him and in front of him where Su had been. His wrist dripped as he walked around, spreading the blood throughout a smaller area in the arena. This would be enough for the start of the technique.

Ikari wasn't the only proactive one, however, as Su began to weave her hand-signs together, the ground shifting around her as if it was as light as air. She was only a mere few feet below the surface, but she could tell where she was in correlation to the arena floor.

Ikari watched as Su resurfaced, still holding her shuriken. She drew back her arm, releasing one towards the boy, the strings glinting in the sunlight as she curved it around Ikari. He tch'd, his eyes rolling as he made a hand-sign with his free hand, his voice menacing. "Blood Spike." His blood spiked upwards, spearing Su through multiple times as he used his other hand to crack the whip on her visible strings, slicing them clean in half and cancelling out whatever she was going to do with her shuriken. The shuriken, now off course with a snapped string, embedded itself in the wall behind him.

Su clearly hadn't been paying much attention at the preliminaries. This battlefield was his; as both a minefield and fully dominated by his own techniques. He continued his whip's assault, sending it barreling towards Su, slashing her in half…

"Hey!" Rena screamed as she was pulled back by Sansa. "What does he think he's doing, is he trying to kill her?"

But the mind games were just beginning. Su had made that go exactly as she was hoping; as she was speared and whipped, her body melted away into the earth, slipping back into the ground. What remained speared appeared to be a bundle of tightly woven white thread, thicker than the one she had used in her match against Eiji. As the clone dissolved, the bundle burst, sticky strands of webbing being propelled around the area randomly. The real Su, most likely, was still underground. Where, though, was anyone's guess at this point.

Ikari rose his wrist as a web flew directly at him, a wave of black blood bursting from it and catching the web. It sunk deeper into it, but was still visible… "So, your play is to stay underground." He made a hand-sign with both of his hands this time, gathering his chakra and letting it boil upwards. "Rage Blood Mutation; Boiling Point."

Owari almost giggled behind her sleeve; this bastard child was full of tricks. To think he would have access to a Blood Mutation this early in his life. Usually, only Chuunin-level Hikari could mutate their blood. Truly, he was a gifted member of their clan. She was right to stay and observe; perhaps this child was what they were looking for.

His blood, both speckled across the ground and floating in the air surrounding Su's web, began to bubble and boil violently. The webs touching his blood slowly dissolved and became worthless in the heat of it all, his whip following suit as he cracked it at several webs on the ground as he walked by it. He could feel his blood burning his outer skin, as it wasn't nearly as well trained as his internal temperature, but that didn't matter. The pain kept his mind clear and focused on his goal. He locked his hands together in another hand-sign. If Su wanted to play with clones, he'd just have to match her. More boiling blood flowed from his wrist. "Blood Clone." As it formed to make Ikari, Owari was curious when he lurched forward, slicing it open with his whip.

The clone inflated and then burst into a rain of blood, covering most, if not all, of the ground. His own blood rained down, rolling down his skin and sizzling as it hit. Still, Owari could recognize the look in his eyes; it was after generations of breeding that such emotion existed. There was nothing but the battlefield for a true warrior of the Hikari when they were on it; nothing else mattered but to die brilliantly. Even if it meant bleeding out, the Hikari way was simple.

"Show them your strength, even if it kills you. Deter their plans, even if you must suffer. Destroy their hope, even if you must lose your own in the process." Owari's voice rang out on top of the arena as she looked into the sky, her normal expression becoming one of understanding as her pink-haired general looked up at her.

"Lady Owari...?"

"It's nothing. Observe him further. See the value of his worth for your own eyes."

"Su, if you give up, nobody needs to get hurt." As the ground began to heat up, Su considered her options. Surfacing was just as bad as staying underground. She didn't know how far his spikes could extend, but she doubted it only went one way. She had gotten lucky in her fight against Eiji, but this was at a whole new level, definitely beyond that of a Chuunin, especially with the way he'd speared her clone. Maybe… even beyond her…? No! She couldn't think like that! She couldn't disappoint the person who she considered special to her, not like this… it was as if a small flame was set alight within her. She had the desire to win. She wouldn't just give up!

Killing an innocent wasn't really in his repertoire and he wasn't exactly being paid for this, so he saw no need for her to be a casualty. He watched as a web was incinerated within the heat of his blood, moving around and stomping on the ground as he did to let her know where he was. It would make this at least a little more even if he acted more like a bull in a china shop than an actual shinobi, so being reckless as possible with his position was definitely the way to go.

Su shifted her position underground, moving around closer to the wall, using it as her guide to navigating. This was no longer just a game, but a life or deathmatch. She used another clone; it surfaced underneath the middle viewing platform, mapping out where the blood was above ground. She didn't fancy being speared to death as a way to go. By now, her webs were all burnt to nothingness and the refuse from them discarded from his blood. "Waiting out the timer and getting a tie isn't any better than losing, you know," Ikari prodded, attempting to draw her out. He didn't trust this new Su, as she'd used a clone before. He had no need for another him.

"Says you after spearing me," Su said, in response to him saying that nobody needed to get hurt. She was clearly displeased from her tone. She could feel his stomps vibrate the ground… was it some sort of technique to locate her underground? Her biggest problem was that there was currently no safe option. She needed to think more, she just didn't have the time. But still… But still! "I'm not giving up!" The clone announced as it tried to advance. Ikari focused his attention on it, using his whip to slice it in half, but it simply reformed. Su wove her hand-signs, pressing her fingertips to her lips, hoping that she was far enough underground that she could buy herself a few moments.

As Ikari separated his whip into two halves, he sliced it into four quarters. It staggered for a moment before becoming one, but by then it was already much too late as he rose his fist, squeezing it shut. Su's clone could no longer move; his black blood coated its insides and was viciously ripping it apart from within, over and over, giving no space for it to move a single step.

"Wheel of the Spider." The clone stopped trying to reform, dissolving into the earth again as the ground seemed to shift behind Ikari. He could feel the tremors, but still calmly took his time in turning to look at her as she burst from the ground. It was extremely draining and Su despised it, but it was too late to look back now. She was in the middle of a violently rotating ball of webbing, thick strands woven over each other and infused with her chakra to reach a level of hardness that would in all hopes compete with Ikari's minefield. She had her hands locked in a consistent sign, a strong current of wind the cause of her rotations. As it surfaced, Su ripped the ball of webbing toward Ikari, him being her only target- where the tremors had last been. There was a barrier of air and web between her and immediate death.

Moving.

Hardness.

None of it mattered in the end. He began to weave his hand-signs yet again. "Blood Spike." The blood spiked in her direction, the aim to slow down or at the very least stop the wheel. It looked as if things weren't looking so good for Su when her webs suddenly attached to the walls, pulling the ball up and letting her run in circles around the arena walls. She could feel the webbing burning away, but this ball, too, had the capability to burst. She discarded the shell, leaving it to the blood as she moved with a much smaller ball than before. Although her goal was not to touch the ground, it didn't mean the walls were safe, either. He hadn't severed her chakra threads yet, so she still had some protection.

Ikari's insidious smile stretched across his face as he watched her move. Finally, she had been baited into a position where she was easily taken care of… and in view of Owari, should she be watching. He slapped his hands together, speeding up his production as much as he could manage. This was the final blow. His blood-flecks rose midair, forcing Su to ascend more, but she was reaching her limit. Blood began pumping out of his arms and collecting into one massive wave, which split in two and went for Su from either side of her- leaving her only up and down unless she was insane enough to take on those blood-waves head-on.

Su was quick to react, pulling her webbing tighter and obscuring her form. Ikari wondered if she truly thought she could survive taking the waves on, but the ball suddenly plummeted downward. He was already on top of it. "Blood...Spike!" His spikes burst through the webbing, his blood converging on it and consuming it whole. It was much too late by the time he turned around, feeling teeth graze against his skin, biting into his flesh. The anger in his eyes was unmistakable as Su- who had used the ball as a distraction- had, in reality, body flickered to the obscured side of it and snuck up behind him.

It looked as if it were a moment suspended in time as all of the blood stopped mid-air and dropped to the ground, coating it black. She clearly intended on doing something else by the way she was holding him, but he wouldn't give her the chance. She made a mistake. His face flushed black as his blush spread across his cheeks. She was too close… way too close to him! Like this, he… his shameful behavior would be exposed. The wound she had inflicted tore open as blood flowed into her mouth and around her neck, squeezing tightly. His confusion and his rising emotions and sins were enough to drive him to injure her; "Blood Spike." A single spike made a small hole in her throat. He didn't intend to kill or injure her forever, simply make it impossible for her to speak for a while. She deserved it for making him react like that.

Su's yelp was cut off as her air was restricted, the poor Genin struggling against Ikari's tendril of blood. The pain of the small spike that punctured her throat caused her to struggle more, panic and fear coursing through her as she tried to communicate with her expression what she couldn't with words. It was a pleading one, begging Ikari as she struggled to breathe.

Ikari backed up as he pulled his blood back, having choked Su to near-collapse. It began to flow back into his wound, but he wasn't done. He flicked his wrists up, the majority of the blood on the ground raising and filtering out the dirt mixed with it. What he couldn't get back inside his body, he raised his hand and dumped over Su. Screw respect, she clearly did that to set him off. Still, he could feel Owari's eyes on him and he turned around to see her. She gave him a smile and a nod, before turning around and disappearing. She had stayed for his entire fight, despite the danger of perhaps being found… he felt humbled that someone in such a high, respected position would have such great plans for him. Surely, she could see he was the prime candidate for her daughter?

Not Kankuro.

Not Gaara…

And sure as hell, not the one lying on the ground covered in his blood behind him. He knelt down by her, his words sharp and jagged, "You wouldn't have won in the first place. Leave the protecting to someone who can actually protect. Next time, give up when I tell you to." Owari had left him new-found confidence. He turned around, raising his voice. "Medic! We need a medic!"

Su was on the verge of unconsciousness, fading in and out of it. Her head swam as his words pierced the looming haze. She couldn't do anything, save trying to stay awake, but after he called for a medic she gave in to the pull of the haze and the muted anger rising up as she went under. The last thing she heard being… "Ikarinochi Hikari wins this match!"

As Ikari stepped up, Rena stepped in front of him. Her glare was beyond what he felt he could deal with. "What do you think you were doing!?" He simply looked away, brushing past her. He'd explain himself later… when she was herself again. "Don't ignore me, Ikari!" She snapped, turning around. The only thing that stopped her from hitting him was Gaara's hand on her arm. She looked back. His eyes didn't hold much of anything, but she knew he was telling her not to. Rena pulled away her arm haughtily, before sighing. "Fine. I'll let him be."