Clearing my head...trying to think

"Thanks" Ich says blushing as well, and wiped the snow off of Kani's arm, noticing that she doesn't have a heart-beat, so he says, "You don't have a heartbeat... if you have something, please tell me... you can always trust me"

Kani shivered.

"It's...nothing...I want..."

She shivered again.

"It's nothing..."

"Do you want me to use my mind reader jutsu?" Ich says in a joking tone

Kani turned her head and glared at him.

"Don't you dare."

She stared up at the sky.

I want to tell you but I don't want to put you in danger.

Ich secretly used his mind reader jutsu, but it had a limit, so he says/admits, "I can only hear what people are thinking at the moment, and I don't care if you put me in danger, because I care for you"

"I'm a puppet," she whispered quietly.

There! It's out! And I've just put someone else in danger from Malenko!!

Gaiya gasped, and heard what Kani thought and says, "Did you say Malenko!?"

Kani cringed as she felt the aftereffect from his jutsu and nodded. She stood up quickly and moved to the far edge of the ledge where she crossed her arms over her chest and closed her eyes, leaning against the side of the mountain for support.

I knew this was going to happen. I just knew it!

"That same bastard... who turned my mom into a puppet" Gaiya says as a tear crawled down his face

Kani's head whipped up.

"What?" she whispered.

She spun around.

"He did what?"

She stopped for a second.

"Did you mom submit herself or was she changed by force?" she asked, trying to think rationaly.

"She submitted herself... she was dying and she instantly gave birth to me and my sister... my sister died... I think, but I was still alive and she didn't want me to get raised by someone else, because she loved me, so she found Malenko and made my mom into a puppet... but when I was at age 16, Malenko forced my mom to kill me for the fuck of it... I had to run for 2 whole years until Malenko stopped" Gaiya says as he had another tear crawl down his face

Kani bit the inside of her cheeks. Malenko didn't seem that cruel to her...and yet...here were stories saying that he was. She shook her head, confused. She turned and leaned against the side of the moutain.

"Those... were one of the top things... in my life... that I... wanted to kill myself... but I didn't..." Ich says as another tear came down his face

Kani slid down to the ground, trying to block out the world of a minute.

Why! Why did I have to bring it up! Why oh why!

Kani's eyes flashed open, although she didn't nessesarily see anything.

I'm weak...I can fight sure but...when it comes to people and mentaly...I'm weak.

Ich forgot to release his jutsu, so he releases it and says, "It's ok Kani... can you tell me your story with Malenko?"

She didnt see anything, becasue her vision was obscured by her memories.

"I was fighting Ryu...he tried telling me that Gaara was alive but i didn't believe him...he pushed me to much and I snapped...I went to hit him again and he killed me...Malenko reincarnated me...and that's that..."

She perposly left out a certin detail.

"Well... I feel sorry for you... and also, we aren't in these hard times alone" Gaiya says smiling, while looking at Kani

Kani clentched her hands into fists.

"Don't feel sorry for me. How do you know that I'm happy?"

She stood up and faced him.

"Because of Malenko, I'm alive. Becausr of Malenko, I feel as though I actualy belong on this planet. Because of Malenko I dont feel like a usuless human being. Dont-feel-sorry-for-me. My life is perfect because of him."

"But... let me ask you this... if you're a puppet, and Malenko's the puppet master, what are you acheiving... I'll tell you, just what Malenko wants..." Gaiya says tells her truthfully, while looking in her eyes with his royal blue eyes, "I've lived the life... I was in a body deactivation coma once in my life, but I saw everything around me... Malenko used me as a puppet to do evil, and I really wanted to stop, but I couldn't... I was a motionless puppet that is doing what the puppet master wants" and another tear went down his face

"Malenko hasn't forced me to do anything, and I doubt that he ever would," she said, glaring at him. "Malenko and I are more a like then anyone I have ever met and he understands what it's like. I don't care that I'm a puppet Ich, I really don't. So what if I tecnecly belong to someone, everyone belongs to someone one way or another."

She continued to glare at him.

~/like how my heart belongs to you\~ Ich thought to himself

Kani stared at him, wondering why he hadn't said anything.

"I don't care that I'm a puppet, really," she said, her glare softening. "I don't get why people automaticly think that it's a bad thing..."

"You should see it from another perspective, but if you are ok with it, I'm ok with it" Ich says with a smile

Kani sighed and closed her eyes, her hands relaxing.

"Sorry...I just...over defensive."


She sat down again and started to make another snow ball.

"I'm glad that I could tell you...I've only told one other person but it's good that people know, so that they can choose whether they still want to be my friend or not."

"You think I would not be your friend even though you're a puppet, well people think for others by who they are... on the inside..." Ich says truthfully