A Dash of Chili Powder

7

Amaya nodded to him and the others before waving her hand at everyone, signaling that it was time to go and she disappeared.

Yuki curled into Vell's arms, her clawed fingers gripping his shirt tightly. He smelled like Kakashi... It was odd, because he wasn't Kakashi. But he smelled so much like him... She weakly lifted her head to look up at his face. Same hair, same face covering. She was confused. Unfortunately, her mind raced back to her brother and Kiba.

And then...she started to cry again. More soft and muffled. She didn't want this guy to see or even notice that she was crying. The thoughts of Kiba and Yasuo were so painful... What if Kiba was dead too? That small little sentence broke her. There was no being quiet and hiding her tears.

She sobbed loudly into Vell's shirt, holding onto him for dear life. Even her physical pain couldn't outweigh or distract her from the pain and the possibility that Kiba could be dead. 

Not even the small alien sting that flashed across her skin could-- Fuck that. She was burning. Her skin was crackling and breaking and she hurt so much from just this feeling alone. She opened her watering eyes, not remembering when she'd closed them and glanced at her arms and exposed legs. 

Her breath caught in her throat. 

There was a soft black glow dancing around her body and where these black tendrils of light touched, her skin was dyed its shape and color. All over her body this strange light touched and the sheer burning and shock of the truth of her brother's words made we sob all the more.

Gracie

The girl was crying again. Vell gritted his teeth and looked at the forest, the leaves, the trees, the sky - anything but Yuki as she sobbed in his arms.

His trek was slower than Rage's and Awaji's. Rage was a big fellow and was quite used to carrying the injured in such a way that they'd feel the minimum amount of pain, even if he ran. Vell had no such talent. So, he was reduced to a solid walk. But perhaps he had other reasons as well.

Kakashi adopted this kid. Why the hell did he adopt this kid? Better question: Why the hell didn't he mention her the last time? When we met up again? Wow. Not a pleasant memory, that. No way he was going to stir up that reverie. He shoved it to the far corner of his mind, ears twitching uncomfortably. It was making his skin pinch just thinking about the idea.

Ow. Ow? Something really painful had replaced the girl in his arms and that burning pain finally made him look down at Yuki. His visible eye rounded in alarm.

She was glowing. Yuki was glowing with chakra. And on the normal kind - this brand happened to be a shimmering, mirage-like energy that just so happened to be the startling color black. It was licking Yuki's skin, leaving traces all over her body. The tendrils were even starting to lap at Vell's exposed neck and arms with that same agonizing burn.

If Vell didn't have that chunk of humanity hidden behind all his anger issues, he'd have dropped the brat.

"Fuck...!" The silver haired teen had no idea what was happening to Yuki. Was she dying? Was it a strange poison of some kind? Genjutsu? What the hell was this stuff? The more he tried to claw for an answer them more frustrated he got when all it received was more pain. Either overwrought imagination or - well, that's the only thing it could be - painted the same blackness on his own arms before his eyes.

Vell stopped and crouched down, hugging Yuki closer, grimacing at the new wave of pain that bloomed in result. "Onii-san, you're a bastard," he told no one through gritted teeth. Then he forced a knot of his chakra into the source of the blackness, to stun it, if temporarily... It worked, and the chakra faded, but... Why the hell was it coming frominside of her?

Nothing for it now. Vell checked his arms. The imaginary marks were gone. Those on Yuki weren't, but something told Vell that there would be more if that black energy had run rampant, devouring her childish body. Vell shook his head.

"I take that back. Onii-san, you're a fucking dick." He re-situated Yuki into his arms and walked as quickly as possible to the hospital. After he dropped her off, he'd go get Kakashi...

Fun.