Tales of a Ninja Magician: Of What Defines Us

Desperate Time, Desperate Measures

In the morning no one felt really well. Mana and Kiyomi had slept about as peachy as someone switching in for someone to stand guard could've, despite their supernatural ninja metabolisms allowing for more leisure and skipping some nights of sleep altogether, that didn't mean they felt all that great about it.

Meiko may have been the only one of the trio feeling just fine, initially at least. Some coloring returned to her cheeks and she was looking plenty cheerful, if a little floaty. She didn't stand up or jig around or anything but she looked a lot less like a dying person compared to last night which was probably the best scenario imaginable.

This, obviously, was a very quick and short term improvement. It was very much a postponing of the worst of the troubles – her inner infection which may have only been made worse by her eating something to give her body the energy to fuel her metabolism. It was a gamble at best – if Meiko's metabolism treated her injuries by itself she'd be set for combat in a pair of days, if not and the fueled infection managed to overcome the out of combat healing factor of a functional kunoichi she's looking at significant trouble. Maybe even lethal...

"What are the odds of someone finding us here?" Kiyomi wondered as she sat around Meiko, a little melancholic since the blacksmith refused her suggestion to warm up her still a little paled skin through close skin contact.

"Fairly in our favor. We're so close to the northern exit that most teams will stay as far away from here as possible. Most of them will likely wish to take down their targets before coming here, no one in their fair mind will look for their target in that one place every team, including the teams after them, will be gathering in. Still, it'd be foolish to rule it out completely, after all – we're here, aren't we?" Mana replied bitterly.

The promise she made for Meiko pressed heavily against her fragile shoulders. The day went on with no activity, waiting this thing out until the injured got better and the active ninja beat each other up was a smart option. If anything, it was a very ninja thing to do. If Tanshu-sensei ever saw Mana in this situation he'd likely love her mindset. Then again, knowing that made the magician wonder if she was supposed to feel glad about it or not.

The further the day went on the worse Meiko got. Her gut wound was now nothing but messy soft scar tissue having completely closed up, its coloring was petrifying to observe. A man may have made a fortune if they got a ryo every time the girl's scar tissue changed color, from red to blue to greenish pale back to black and red.

What was worse was that Meiko's attitude started to change with it. She started getting sleepy, lazy and once Mana picked some mushrooms she could somewhat identify and made a stew out of them in a sealed clay jar heated underground by scorching hot stones she refused to eat it. That was a signal of the worst things yet to come. That "I don't feel very hungry" sounded like a drummer of the Apocalypse raiders kicking a very passionate solo.

Kiyomi dragged Mana away by her elbow. The aggression of the blonde visibly troubled Meiko but she was too weak to do anything about it. Unlike last evening when she argued somewhat passionately, current Meiko looked better visually but was apathetic and very sleepy.

"We have to give her up. This is getting scary..." Kiyomi whispered in a pretty aggressive tone. Almost like she knew what Mana would say and had played this argument out in her mind multiple times.

"No. I promised her I wouldn't do it." Mana refused.

"Which would you rather be, a liar or someone who let her friend die in front of her?" Kiyomi tapped her feet, her smart looking face revealed that she knew this phrase would cut deep, especially so for Mana. "Haven't both of us lost enough people already? We can give her up and still salvage our standing, move on to the other round."