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Devonte just stood there with an 'Oooooohhh bloody hell!' expression. At this point there was not much he could do. He was already feeling dizzy from blood-loss, and chasing after Rakutsu like that probably wasn't his best idea in his situation. Why?....WHY?...WHY HAD HE LET GO OF HER HANDS???? He turned his head up to the sky. "What ever gods there may be.......... please don't let Shouta kill me!" he pleaded. His body swayed and he fell to the ground as the massive Tengu cried out. "The ********> he looked up at the massive beast as he lay in the snow. But everything was too blurry for him to make out. He stood and used his axe as a make-shift cane and staggered his way over to Shouta and the Mizukage.

Shouta turned as he heard someone panting behind him. He saw Devonte hobbling over to them. "DEVONTE!" he ran over, took his brother's axe and put his good arm over his shoulder. "What the hell happened to you this time?" he looked around. "Where are Rakutsu and Keichii?"

"They took off."

"What?" Shouta and Suijin said together.

"They. Took. Off."

"For where???" Shouta said as he laid his brother down in the cot near Suijin. He just pointed up at the central front....where the massive Tengu stood, bellowing. "YOU LET THE ONLY SURVIVERS FROM SNOW RUN RIGHT OVER TO THAT THING???" he shouted.

"I didn't let them! Rakutsu took off to go find their sister and she dragged Mr. Yukikage along with her!" he yelled back. He strated to sit up, but was his by a wave of dizzyness and nausea and fell back, groaning. "I have no idea where they are at this point...." Shouta had the look of Kiri-worry: which was once again, a furious scowl.

"Just..perfect.." Suijin hissed under her breath.

"Lady Mizukage." Maori had returned. He had a small smile on his lips.

"Yes?" All three Mist nin looked up, praying for a bit of good news. He held out a sheet of paper. On it was the number of Mist shinobi that were alive, injured and dead.....the Mizukage grinned. Less than half were dead/dying.

"There are a good nunber of shinobi who need to be hospitalized soon-"

"How many?" she spoke with her 'war general' voice now.

"Approximately one boat load."

"Then get them on that boat with two medic squads and head back to Kiri. Immediately." she ordered, poiting to the arnada of Kirigakure ships anchored at the beach.

Maori bowed. "Yes, Lady Mizukage." Then dissapeared to carry out his Lady's commands.

"So, 'ow many'd we lose?" Dev asked. He tried sitting up again, but Shouta -without even looking back at his brother- absent mindedly pushed him back down. As if he knew Dev would do that.

"..........Not even half." She sounded as if she didn't quite believe it herself.

The massive Tengu had disappeared. Suijin, Devonte and Shouta stared up at the airspace where it once had been. They hoped that Rakutsu and Keichii were alive, wherever the hell they were at this point. The Mizukage sat with her legs over the edge of the cot, boots planted frimly in the snow. The boat carrying the wounded Mist nin back to the village was just leaving, and the medic teams on board were vigorously trying to keep those in critical condition alive. Dev looked over where they had been sitting before. Nyirei was awake again, and already cleaning up their mess. That made him laugh. His guitar was still over there, but he'd get it later. "Ya think it's over?"

"...Yeah...I think so." She grinned. "Can't wait ta see what happens next."

"What the..." Erkamina said as she saw the massive Tengu was gone, just 'poof' in a ball of nothing. She raised an eyebrow before sighing and sitting on the snow. "Damn, I couldn't even help with the giant thing. What use am I anyway? I..." Tears failed her but anger swirled into depression and anguish. Of all things she blaimed herself for failing to take down more of the beasts or falling like a true shinobi instead of running as she had. She growled, mainly at herself, and let out a yell of anger. All things passed with the yell, including what little energy the thought of battle had brought into her body. But she did not collapse, her pride would never allow that again. Instead she stared blankly at the white abiss of snow and ice on the ground, losing herself among the flakes. Something told her this was far from over but whatever it was soon faded into the nothingness, just like the Tengu from before. She pushed herself to a standing position, swaying with exhaustion but staying upright. She trudged forward one step only to sway again, nearly falling back into the snow. Then her foot moved again, this time being caught into flesh and bone. "What in..." The blood made her woozy and she felt her body attempt to fall again, this time out of shear fear for whatever she stepped on. She looked down only to see a body of one of the Tengu, not a ninja. "Well, at least it isn't one of us. But I fear the ninja lost a few too." She said indirectly before shaking the blood off her shoe. Movement told her that someone else was still alive somewhere out there but where they were was unclear. In this snow feet looked like miles and miles seemed to drift together to make endless expanses of space- of nothingness. She sighed and shuffled forward, careful not to step on anything else. The scent of the air had changed, if anyone were trained in the tracking arts they would sense this. But she was not so well versed. She sighed and wished she had some form of fire jutsu just to warm the air that surrounded her but being raised in the Land of Wind made that a rarity. She turned toward the east, the trail of another looking fresh beneath her feet. The Eastern Front seemed to call her...
((I can't decide on another theme. I'm thinking...))