Like any talented ninja, Yura loved any excuse to practice her skills. And here she was, creating the first line of defense for their headquarters. How exciting! The HQ was a fortress on its own, full of rooms for them all as well as practice grounds and even mysterious catacombs... which, of course, included jailings. It was well away from civilization but you never knew who might find it and you can't expect stone walls to keep ninja out. So it was smart--and very very nice!--of their leader to ask her to do this. She was honored to!

So here she was, weaving a web out of chakra infused hair. It was not her own, but a collection from her victims. She had brushed every strand of it from the heads of corpses with her special red comb... the same one now pinning back the left side of her short, black hair. She was quite proud of it. The actual collection of it was mountainous in size... requiring her to learn some fuuinjutsu. Now her palms were covered in a moving, black, spiral seal with a tendril running down each finger like a vein, ending in a little dot on each finger tip. A single strand of hair sprouted from each finger tip, then stretched taut into the distance.

Now, just after noon, Yura sat on a couple of criss-crossed strands of the web at the top of the tree-line. From below she was just a tiny black speck. Her weight was balanced partially on her butt and partially on one leg which she had drawn up to her chest. Her other, stockinged foot dangled down in front, and her Akatsuki cloak dangled down in back. Her hands were still held out in front of her, fingers wiggling almost like she was playing the piano. It was just one of many positions she'd shifted to after nearly twenty four hours of this work. It was a good thing she was almost done--she was beginning to feel exhausted.

Thanks to the web, no matter where she was she would know if anyone entered. And that would give them an advantage, since from their HQ the edge of the large forest would normally be too far to sense chakra signatures from. So that would be handy! She smiled. And of course, it was also fantastic that anyone who entered would not be leaving again to make any reports. She designed it to close around those who entered and force them further in until they were trapped. She didn't mind at all that being the first obstacle to entry would keep her very busy. Actually, the web didn't require much manipulation once it was set. It was a trap, after all, so she would set it and then revisit as needed. She could even completely leave the area and it would still do its work... the only thing it couldn't do on its own was alert the other Akatsuki that it had trapped something. She pouted. Oh well, the Akatsuki wouldn't be what it was if they actually NEEDED her help to withstand attacks. She was giving their group a further advantage, that was all. She shrugged slightly.

And, ahhh! Her red eyes lit up. Now she was done! Smiling, she tied off the web and turned off the seal. She examined her palm and judged that she still had 1/4th of her collection left to play with. "Goody!" she giggled. Then she shifted onto both feet and hopped up, belying her exhaustion. But she did take a moment to stretch her fingers and work out her shoulders as she tiptoed along the main strand she'd been sitting on. Ahh, that was better! Yura adjusted her super long arm sleeves, wiggled her fingers again, then dropped her arms.

Then she stepped forward and began to slide one hundred feet down a diagonal strand like she was grinding down a rail, a crazy smile on her face. Then she tight-rope walked across a horizontal strand and slid down a shorter section facing the opposite direction. Being a ninja, she was close enough now to simply jump out of the web maze and land safely in a crouch. But that was no fun. Reaching the bottom of this skid, she leapt forward and grabbed another. Then she swung around it a few times and threw herself forward, "yippie!"ing as she free fell. She twisted in the air and finally she landed, rolled, and immediately bounced back onto her feet. She jogged forward a few paces then pivoted, still jogging backward, and looked at her web one last time.

It was a masterpiece! She hoped someone used it soon. Someone with nice hair <3 She chuckled and turned.

It was odd to be around people other than Ran for the first time in five years. She had almost forgotten what it was like to be in the presence of someone that could hold conversations, someone who had thoughts and feelings just like her. For the longest time she had believed that Ran's company was the only thing that she would ever need, but in a matter of moments she began to think that she was wrong. Standing on the opposite end of the room stood a taller woman with light blue hair that was tied into a bun and decorated with a white paper flower. The woman's lower face was covered but Kazu could make out the shade of her eyes and the color of her makeup. It took Kazu a few moments to understand that the woman was talking to her. "Your instructions are to find members that need healing of any kind..." Kazu let her mind wonder and the familiar tug of Ran on her shoulder brought her out of her wanderings. The child-like person on her shoulder was nothing more than a tool at the end of the day. "Kazu..." The soft voice of Ran stirred her even more.

"Do you understand?" The woman asked.

Kazu nodded although she scarcely heard a word the woman had spoken. After Kazu was excused to go about her duties as one of the newest members, Ran climbed over her shoulder and settled herself within her arms. Within their clan it had been common for children to be born as twins or sometimes even triplets. One child would be born normal but their twin or triplet would be born with no mind, emotions, and the ability to feel pain or anything that made them human in the minds of others. Of course there was a few that had managed to be born in a half-way state between being normal and being a living doll. Ran was one of these half-way beings. Although she was able to talk and had a small idea of what was going on in the world, she was still a living doll. She behaved more like a toddler; talking in simple sentences or single words. Ran had been born genderless like all of the living dolls although Kazu identified Ran as female. Looking down at the small person in her arms, Kazu sighed softly. Ran's tiny hands clutched tightly to the Akatsuki robes that Kazu wore. The young woman could see the small scars that littered Ran's fingers, they were all injures that Ran had never felt before. She was still a living doll but she was also Kazu's sister.

It was complex trying to explain it to people when they asked but Kazu had learned to ignore them. The duo approached one of the many rooms that they had claimed for themselves and Kazu set Ran down on the bed that was pushed into the corner. "Listen Ran, you must stay here, alright? I will be back in a little while to get you again. I need to get some healing done and perhaps find some herbs to create some more medicine for you."

Ran stared at her sister blankly. She could not understand anything beyond "stay here". There were no tears like one would expect, there was no temper tantrum and demands for Kazu to stay with her. This was where Ran was more doll-like. "You...go?" Ran questioned.

Kazu nodded, "It's only for a little while okay? I'll be back soon so why don't you take a nap?" She said before scooping Ran up into a hug and pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. Ran nodded before settling herself on top of the bed and closing her eyes. Glancing back over her shoulder at Ran, the young woman smiled. Ran was such an innocent being. It pained her to use Ran for medical uses but that was what Ran was there for. It was her duty just as much as it was Kazu's duty to protect her. As she went room to room trying to find members in need of healing or help, Kazu pushed the thoughts of Ran to the back of her mind. She did not need any distractions from her task and sadly that's what Ran was to her.

24 hours of work! The only things that had kept Yura going were vast quantities of both chakra and determination. Without those she wouldn't have been able to complete it nearly so soon. Well, those things plus some talent and experience. She had rested briefly a couple of times and even eaten an apple. But it wasn't enough. Now her body and mind ached, especially her fingers, and she was thoroughly exhausted. However, the mix of achievement (and the adrenaline from her acrobatics at the end) had her running on a false high. She was glistening with sweat, short of breath and she was flushed. But her eyes were glittering with triumph. It was exactly like she'd just completed a good workout, not like she was sick. She sighed heavily and made her way to her room, ready to just crash--despite her "second wind" feeling--the exhaustion was mounting like a tsunami.

On the way she nearly bumped into Kazu, but drew up short. She tried to catch her breath and swiped a hand across her sweaty face, grimacing at the twinge of pain in her fingers. Then she looked toward Kazu. But not at her face. As Yura always did, her attention went first to the woman's hair. She quickly looked it over and her fingers twitched, the seal on her hand even swirling to life again. If her hands didn't ache so badly she might have tried to touch the strands. But then she controlled herself. "Pretty," she stated. Only then did she cut her eyes toward Kazu's face. A smile slowly lifted one side of her mouth, then the other. Her red eyes glittered even more. "If you ever need someone to even out this side for you~... It's kind of my specialty," she offered, lips parting to bare her teeth. Her hand indicted the long side of Kazu's hair, but only hovered over it, not touching, just twitching. Her fingers were stiff though and looked swollen.

Yes, this girl's hair would make a nice addition to her collection... And right now she only had 1/4th of her collection left... It was very tempting. A predatory covetousness seeped over her, bleeding into her aura. It was probably palpable to the other kunoichi. But Yura just continued to smile at her. "So, what do you say? Wanna trim?" Her fingers tickled closer.

Kazu almost didn't see the other female until they had almost bumped into each other. Her mind had been on the fact that she had been instructed to heal people who didn't need it. It ws a waste of her talents as a healer if everyone was fine and dandy! Kazu took personal offence to the way some of the others grumbled that they didn't "need or want a useless, weak female" helping them. Honestly she was just as strong and skilled as they were. Granted everyone had different strengths and weaknesses and they had yet to see what she could do, but that didn't mean they could count her out just yet! The woman noticed the way that the younger looking female directed her attention at her hair. If she remembered correctly there had been talk that the younger woman had a fetish for hair, or something like that.

As she looked closer at the girl she could see signs of exhaustion and pain, ones that would be missed by any ordinary person. As a healer, Kazu was trained to recognize when someone needed help but didn't ask for it. Usually pride was the main cause of so many injuries flying under the radar and getting worse. People, especially a skilled shinobi, didn't want to be seen as weak for asking to be healed. "If I ever decide to cut my hair I'll let you know," Kazu said, "I quite like my hair like this."

The woman gently grabbed Yura's wrist and examined her hand. "You over worked yourself." Kazu gently bent each of her fingers to gauge just how affected they were. Stiff and swollen fingers were quite difficult to manage without the proper healing techniques. They didn't seem to be a hassle but when you use your hands a lot and move them, and then their healing doesn't go as smoothly as you'd hope. As Kazu examined Yura's hands her eyes lingered in the black tattoo like seal on her palm. Kazu knew enough of fuinjustu to be able to glance at it and know it was a seal. "Well, well, well...We need to fix your hands and everything else or else you won't be able to use your justu let alone be able to walk to your room~" Kazu noted the worn expression on the girl's face. Through a simple touch Kazu could heal almost anything save for organs but that's where Ran came into the picture. The Rinha had been sought after for their healing techniques and for their uncanny knack for saving those with half a body already past death's door There were no comparisons between the Rinha and the medic-nin of today. The medic-nin of today only gained fame for 'discovering' techniques that had once been employed by the Rinha. Kazu was resentful towards many of the medic-nin in the world due to their habit of riding on the coat tails of the Rinha's success and demise.

Kazu was able to heal the girl's body beyond what could be done at a hospital. Healing everything from her swollen hands to the littlest aches and pains to the dehydration and exhaustion within the girl, Kazu was able to call her work satisfactory when she moved Yura's fingers again and found that the swelling was gone. It was a nasty habit really; she just couldn't help herself when it came to sampling the chakra of others. Kazu absorbed small amounts of the girl's chakra through their joined hands and a small smile came to her face. It was how she learned about others. Kazu never let anyone live long enough to know them beyond their skills and abilities....But she doubted the leader would enjoy her taking advantage over how many unique chakras and abilities were in the Akatsuki.

"What a lovely ability you have," she almost couldn't stop herself from taking more chakra, " I'd love to add it to my collection too!" If it wasn't for the sickly sweet smile that didn't reach her dead eyes, one could look over the shadows that lurked behind her words. For a moment her thoughts drifted to who her partner would be. She wondered if it was Yura, she wanted to observe her abilities first hand.

The price for Kazu healing someone extensively was the sudden wave of tiredness that swept through her like a cold wind. "You will still need to rest. I may have healed your body but your mind is something else."

This was why, aside from her collection, she was chosen for the Akatsuki. The Rinha were few in numbers today and those that still practiced medical ninjutsu could be counted on a single hand. With a yawn, Kazu allowed Yura's hands to drop from hers. Quietly she turned away from the younger female without a word, as if nothing had transpired between them. She needed to get back to Ran.

Yura's eager expression morphed into a pout. She supposed she wasn't in any position to argue the point and she shouldn't attack "comrades" anyway, no matter how tempting. "O-ohhh, too bad~" she sighed. Then her wrist was gently seized. Yura's eyebrows rose and her chakra stirred, but she just waited as her fingers and seal were examined. She didn't feel too threatened. She was weakened but not helpless and she didn't think the other kunoichi actually meant any harm yet. She was just examining Yura. Then she remembered hearing about an usual healer that had been recruited and put it together.

Her extrapolation was confirmed moments later with Kazu's next words. Yura nodded tiredly in agreement, sensing the tsunami again. But it wasn't a tidal wave of exhaustion that washed over her, it was a rush of chakra flooding her veins. Yura reflexively tensed and nearly snatched her hand back. But she stopped herself in time and relaxed instead. Her eyes fluttered closed. "That feels won~derful..." She sighed again, with pleasure this time.

She felt Kazu rinsing away all her complaints. The soreness of lactic acid build up, the muscle cramps, the swelling, the fatigue, and more. All her little twinges of pain. She even began to feel quenched and sated. It made her realize just what bad shape she'd truly been in. Maybe next time she wouldn't push herself so far.

Then it was over all too soon. Yura felt the foreign chakra recede... taking a tiny bit of her own with it. She blinked her eyes open and focused on Kazu--her face this time. The healer was smiling creepily. Not that that was out of the ordinary for an Akatsuki. And her hands were still being held.

It took Yura a few seconds to absorb what she said. Then she smiled creepily back and called out after the healer as she walked away, "We should make a trade then!" Though she wondered if it was as ill-advisable to offer some of her ability to Kazu as it would be for Kazu to offer some of her hair. Because if Yura took it in the manner she usually added new hair to her collection... it might not ever grow back.

In any case, she let the healer go without catching her name or offering her thanks. She was thankful... though she still felt mentally tired, as she'd been warned. She had been on her way to her room as well so she continued now.

Once inside she checked the seals around the door and window to make sure she would be undisturbed for a while. Then she stripped and laid flat on her bed beneath the covers so that she would be entirely comfortable. She closed her eyes and began to meditate.

The best thing of a living doll was that they were a constant source of companionship. For the longest time it had only been Kazu and Ran living together in seclusion within the Land of Earth. They would only venture from their home high up in the mountains to gather new pieces for Kazu's collection. Her collection had given her the brand of a criminal and although she never truly left her village, and ran a blade through her head band, she was by all accounts listed as a missing nin. While her puppet only held ten internal seals she carried another scroll that contained all of the other pieces in her collection. Kazu's activities had resulted in many of the clans within the Land of Earth to tighten their security and raise alarm when someone from outside of the clan got too close. Ran had been there for her; through running away and finding a suitable place to call home and even when she was contacted by the Akatsuki.

Back within the room she shared with Ran, Kazu reflected back on the day not too long ago that she was asked to join. It had been odd that someone who was not part of the Akatsuki, well formally, but that would change soon, as he stated, had come to persuade her to join them. He had an odd way of acting - child-like and quite loud but he was a breath of fresh air for the two of them. Kazu hadn't seen the man at all since arriving nor had she heard anything about him.

Ran lay beside her on the bed with her small hand tucked within Kazu's slightly larger one. It was common for the two to share the same bed out of habit; they were twins after all and had spent almost every waking minute together. Back before their parents had died the two slept in separate rooms. Living dolls were treated as members of the family, which they were. Born from the wombs of the Rinha women, they had every right to be a member of the clan. Kazu and her mother had cared for Ran; giving her baths, feeding her and teaching her how to talk. Kazu still did those things, only in private as not many understood that Ran was her sister and more than just a tool. Yes she still used her sister for her medical needs but Kazu always thought more of her than that. Somewhere during her ramblings within her mind, Kazu fell asleep with Ran curled at her side.

Eventually Yura opened her eyes and got out of bed, feeling refreshed. She hadn't been meditating on a particular subject nor sleeping, just letting her mind wander and rest. She got dressed and brushed out her black, bobbed, straight hair with a small red comb. Then she used the comb to pin back a section of hair on the right side. She did it without needing to look.

Then before leaving she turned around and examined the room. It was completely undecorated. There was a dresser, bed, and desk, period. No curtains or rug or other decorations. Not even a mirror. She looked down at her palm seals and sighed. When she was a young child and first began her collection her room had been artistically decorated with shrunken heads, skulls, and various combs, hair clips and ribbons, with all of the hair arranged and displayed by color and texture. She missed that room. But once her collection grew to an unmanageable size and she began to specialize in manipulating it, she developed the seals and began to use them instead. And currently she had too little of her collection left to spare any for decorating. Thus the sigh.

Shaking her head, she left the room, sealing it behind her out of habit. Then she went searching for Konan or Nagato to make a report. She went first to the room where she'd been given her assignment but it was empty. The room itself held no interest though so she gave up and left. Surely if they really wanted a report they would find her. Besides, she'd really only tried because she wanted to tell someone about her awesome maze/trap. Not because she'd wanted to be a dutiful lackey. Shrugging, she made her way to the kitchen. Whatever fancy healing technique that kunoichi had used on her was awesome but now she was hungry all over again. And she was going to eat. Even if she had to fix it herself...

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