Author's Note: Bit of a divergence this time. This chapter is in fact canon but it's not a normal chapter, just a quick little joke that I worked up because a couple of player comments tickled my funnybone. I've left the quoted comments in and you can see the original version for details.

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> MadScientist said:

> Oh and in our plan, we definitely need to ask Kagome his opinion on bringing [Arikada, the crazy bioseal researcher] in alive, given that she might be put in a seal sweatshop, rather than mindscanned.

>

> If Kagome isn't comfortable with it then we're killing her.

Kagome's eyes widened. "Do I care? Do I care if some stinking sealing stinker who experiments on kids and probably turns their brains around or something gets locked in a sealing sweatshop?"

"Yeees?" Hazō asked carefully, leaning back slightly as his very unstable sensei got more excited.

Kagome's eyes were wide and staring, one finger raised like a teacher making a point in class. His fevered gaze held Hazou tight in its grip as he leaned in and hissed, "One question."

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"Yes, sensei?"

"What is she to you? Your aunt, your friend, your second cousin's third roommate?"

"...no? I've never even heard of her. You know that."

The pose fell away and Kagome shrugged. "Meh. She's not on my team, so who cares?" He turned away and wandered over to the campfire, muttering "Ooh, baked apples! Yum!"

> faflec said:

> Also ask Kagome if he would prefer to be killed or put in a seal sweatshop with the chance of escaping (as he did).

"What?! What do you mean?! Why are you putting me in a sweatshop? Why do you want me dead?! I thought we were friends!"

Everyone dove for cover as Kagome dropped a brace of explosive tags to cover his panicked flight into the night woods.

Inoue-sensei sighed. "What did you say now, Hazō?"

"Nothing! I just asked him if he'd rather be dead or in a sealing sweat shop!"

The redheaded jounin glared at him. "I'm going to go collect our wayward explosive-hurling lamb. You're going to sit here and write 'I will consider my word choice more carefully' five thousand times. When I get back we'll have a talk."

Hazō gulped. "Yes, sensei."