[Action Thread][Illusions of Truth][Closed to Kabumi and Kureno]

[yuuhi_kureno]

It was early morning when two anbu guards escorted Yakushi Kabumi from her cell. Of course, in the Torture & Interrogation cells, there's no clock or daylight to tell you what time of day it is. Here, it was as though time did not exist, but rather the imprisonment and torment stretched into a slow, unchecked eternity. But it was early morning

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[yakushi_kabumi]

There was a fine line between pride and physical ability, and physical ability won out over pride, Kabumi more than happy to allow the her escort to half-drag her to wherever it was they were taking her. It enabled her to focus most of her attention on carefully supporting her mangled left hand. They weren't careful with her, but it was better to be in control of her hand than to let them be in control of it.

She only looked up from her hand when they stopped moving her. Kabumi watched them open the double doors, and what she saw did not please her. Lips pressed into a thin line as they shoved her forward, but when she saw Kureno against the far wall she smiled a little at him.

"Hello, Kureno-san," she said, her voice leaking amusement. Her eyes lingered on the flowers in his hand. "For me?"

[yuuhi_kureno]

If he was effected at all by her voice or presence, it never showed. Stepping away from the wall he approached her but stopped again about five feet away. The flowers remained at his side in his hand, and at this distance could have become more recognizable--or at least recognizable to anyone who was well-researched in herbs, drugs, or poisons. Someone perhaps backgrounded in medical science, like Kabumi.

"I thought they would suit you," he simply answered, a thumb idly running along one of the stems of the hallucinogen. With his other hand, he made a clear gesture to the circle surrounded by five kanji. "Please have a seat."

It was a polite tone, but also one that allowed no room for arguements. The unspoken "or else" hung like a poised scorpion in the air.

[yakushi_kabumi]

Every step Kureno took brought the flowers closer, and those flowers made it difficult for her to keep the smile on her face. The shape and color of the petals, the way the leaves were bunched on the stems, indicated a plant she had every reason to be weary of. Kabumi had used it before, and she knew what it could do

[yuuhi_kureno]

The mention of Orochimayu's name caused his eyes to narrow a fraction, but thinking upon her words, he also recognized the hidden meaning. Suiting indeed. And here he'd just been seeing the irony in drugging up a medic

[yakushi_kabumi]

She refused to watch the match he fiddled with, not wanting to let that distract her. Kabumi knew she had to be absolutely prepared--a moment's inattention could cost her dearly. She had confidence in her ability to discern reality from illusion, but in the state she was in now, coupled with the preparations he had taken, she had to be completely focused.

A difficult task, considering how much pain her body was in at the moment. The tie between the body and mind was something that was exploited by skilled genjutsu users.

"Of course I am," she said, smiling fondly at him. "Hinaji would be useful that much for you, wouldn't he?" If she could distract him, even a little, it would improve her odds. "But I have no more desire to cooperate than he had, Kureno-san."

[yuuhi_kureno]

The past few days had specifically been used in perparing Kureno for this jutsu; physically, mentally, and emotionally. He'd caught up on his missed sleep, checked and rechecked and triple-checked his work, focused on his peace of mind, recognized his points of impatience and how they could be (and had been) exploited, and just previous to Kabumi's arrival, had spent the past hour meditating

[yakushi_kabumi]

She could stop her breathing and her heart, but there was only so long she could do that without risking permanant damage. Kabumi knew that even if she did that now, it would buy her only a little time, and Kureno would bring her here again and again until he got her to breathe in the hallucinogine and worked his genjutsu.

Her best chance was to allow him to get her inside the illusion and to fight it from there.

"So confrontational," Kabumi said and breathed the smoke in.

[yuuhi_kureno]

She was confident, or at least acting so. Kureno was actually glad for it. He probably would've been a little disappointed otherwise.

My, he was thinking darkly today wasn't he? It wasn't often Kureno had to be like this--a keen, sadistic mind that would have been able to identify with Ibiki's on many points--but he certainly hadn't forgotten how.

He stood watching her without a word until he was certain she was actually breathing it in and not trying to play a trick. When he was satisfied, he silently turned and walked the few paces to the other clean circle. He sat in the midst of the kanji for Body, Mind, and Spirit and stared again up at Kabumi with pure focus and intent.

And then began a seemingly ridiculously long series of seals...

[yakushi_kabumi]

The smoke flid like oil through her mouth and nose, sliding warm down her throat and pooling in her lungs. But instead of suffocating her, it seeped through the lining of her lungs and spread through her chest, dulling the ache of her ribs.

Kabumi tried to focus inward, but the movement of Kureno's hands caught her eyes and she had only a brief thought that she needed to look away, but his hands were there and the drug was in her she was in the drug and the lines in the room swirled and bled together until it was just his hands and then there

and then

and