"I don't need to be numbed up," she says, more out of stubbornness than anything. She didn't want to admit that she'd like a reprieve from the pain, because that made her feel weak. If Sensei were here, he'd knock me ass over teakettle, she thought, amused. He'd never been one to indulge her habit of pushing herself harder than she could handle.

"Hey, at least this won't be my first time having stitches."