Betcha Didn't Know Madness Lived Here! [Private]

[Toraono Michino]

Well, the walk there wasn’t exactly a physically trying ordeal, but the looks the two got was enough to keep the crimson color in Tama’s cheeks the entire way there.

Despite taking the quickest back paths he could find, and all the while moving at regular ninja speeds which involved jumping from building to building and shiz, people still saw them as they moved about in a routinely fashion for shinobi. Perhaps had they been anyone but Okibi and Tama no one would of glanced twice at them. However because they were the adopted daughter of the Kazekage and a local mad-scientist who had been known to blow up a few blocks every now and then, there were people that could do nothing more but stop and stare.

Perhaps it was because they were heading for the housing districts and not the hospital.

When finally they did land on street again, and the scientist did this with the utmost gentle fashion, he felt like he was going to have a coronary from the number of looks he got. Unable to even think of a real comment that would explain himself he simply threw up a guarded joke at them that would at least throw them off enough to allow Tama to get to his house without being followed by those awkward stares.
“Don’t lie, you know you're all jealous,” he would state before tossing his head up to turn his nose in the air and strut off down the street with his face as red as ever.
After passing a couple of larger houses and turning down another street to walk half a block they arrived at a relatively small house when compared to the two monster houses that seemed to squash the tiny house between them.

He chuckled a little to himself as he walked up to the door and removed a little crystal from his outer coat pocket, holding the lower half of Okibi with just his right upper arm. Deftly the hand grasped the key and inserted it into the diamond shaped slot that glowed a number of colors before the sound of at least six metal locks clicked. He smirked a little sheepishly at her,
“I’m still a little paranoid,</B><i></i>” He then pushed open the door with his foot.

Walking directly into the house was nothing but a narrow hallway that had a coat closet built into the right side. After that the rest of the house opened up into a living room/dining room/kitchen that was only separated by a bar. The flooring was fully wooden as the very thought of trying to clean a chemical mess out of a carpet was the stuff of nightmares.
The house, despite being small, was surprisingly well furnished with a couch and loveseat with a coffee table to match, a square dining table between the living room and kitchen with three chairs, and a fully furnished kitchen.
What obviously wasn’t surprising was the mess the little house was in. Papers and bits and pieces of machine were laid everywhere. Couch, table, floor, it didn’t matter; there was something there that added to the massive research Tama was almost always head deep into. Even the kitchen counters and bar was covered with a number of beakers filled with fluids whose smells were being contained by cork stoppers.

It was defiantly Tama’s house alright. The smell of papers, metal, and the slight scent of chemicals was immediately present as they stepped into the thick of it. His face was less red now as they were within a private shelter that was the current home to at least one of them. The mess really didn’t embarrass the scientist at all as he knew that the girl in his arms was well aware of his genius fueled liter.

Walking up to the couch Tama lifted his foot and cleared it off via a concord of falling papers and bolts hitting the wooden floor. He then gently laid Okibi out on the brown colored cushions and scooted off to the kitchen to grab two glasses and fill them with water. His returned was accomplished by setting the two glass water filled cups down on the coffee table and flopping on the love seat.

“<B>Behold! …the house. Excuse the mess but my guy who cleans up is on vacation. Something about recovering from massive paper cuts and what-nawt.”

 

[Okibi]

Okibi's face was red the entire 'ride' to Tama's place. People watched them no matter how out of the Tama tried to travel, and while that wouldnt have bothered her once upon a time, she found that now it did. How annoying. She curled her arms tighter around Tama's shoulder and tried to hide her face in his neck, despite his nearness being the major reason for her cheeks red upset. She didnt want to see any of the looks they were getting from passersby.

Tama only barely managed to diffuse some of the awkwardness when they landed by making a joke. She smiled slightly into his coats materiala as he opened the door and ushered them in. She wanted to tell him that he could put her down now; she was pretty sure she could walk on her own from that point, but he was already setting her down on the couch before she could open her mouth. Okibi blinked and looked around the comfortable looking abode; it was much better than the hovel he used to live in. Just as messy, but more comfortable at least.

Okibi siffed the air around her, taking the smells that were so very 'Tama'. The smell of chemicals that only just laced the air. Parchment and metal mixing together to make an interesting odor. Yup, definitely Tama's house. At least it didnt smell like death this time. When her friend returned to the living area with glasses of water, Okibi took one gratefully and sipped on it. She smiled slightly at what he said about his help being away for the moment, recovering from paper cut injuries. Okibi could imagine how one might get such serious injuries dealing with Tama's mess. There was paper everywhere.

She was glad to note that the awkward tension between them had dissipated. At least, she felt like it had before she went and started thinking about it again. Color returned to her cheeks and she tried to hide and remedy it by gulping her water. However, at one point she inhaled some of the liquid down the wrong pipe and ended up spitting a good deal of it out and all over Tama's coffee table. She thumped her chest with her metal fist and practically hacked up one of her lungs.

"Augh, jeez. Dont try to breath water Tami, s'not a good idea." She said with a lame, rough chuckle. She rubbed at her throat as she looked up at Tama and then the mess she made. Now frowning, she set her cup down and regarded the wide spray of water droplets she'd gotten all over the pile of papers and other things he had on the tables surface. "Sorry about that . . ."

 

[Toraono Michino]

Of course he saw the red in her face that she was trying to hide by gulping water and had an idea on what it was about, but decided it would be in his best interest to leave it be. That was until she starting hacking up water and coughing violently that made a look of concern cross his face; though it wasn’t held there for the papers she had splattered fluids on. It wasn’t until she cracked a joke at him that the look slowly dissipated from his face and he eased back onto the cushions.

“A fish would argue with you,” he would reply simply with a smirk before easing her worries, “Don’t worry about it. Everything you see in here are merely sketches and theory work, the papers I actually had a fondness for are tightly bound up in a locked container. Now, I do believe I brought you here for a reason…to help your chakra problem of course,</B><i></i>” he said blushing a little at the thought of why most guys brought girls to their home.

Completely innocent this one.

“Once your finished refreshing yourself, follow me and we’ll get to work on solving your limited chakra problem,<i></i>” he said with a smile as he gulped down the water and stood up to walk towards his square table and place his hands on the edge. He slipped his fingers gently under the edge and felt around a little until there was an audible clicking sound. The wooden table flipped up suddenly to reveal that two of its legs were attached to the floor and built on springs to lift itself upon flipping a switch. Bending over Tama pressed his hand on the wooden floor and pulsed out a bit of his chakra from his palm to enter the wood. Colorful runes would skitter across the wood for a second before another lock clicked open and a portion of the floor that was about the size of the table lowered down from the rest of the wooden planks. He slid the false door under the floor to reveal another room that was hidden below the rest of the house. It was dark and forbidding but without hesitation Tama turned himself around and began to reach out with his foot to find the ladder that he would slowly climb down looking up at Okibi with an ‘ha-ha! Secret door, isn’t that cool’ expression on his face…or at least try as his other foot missed the metal rung all together and he fell down the six-foot deep hole with an “Aaaaaaaah!<i></i>” followed but the meaty ‘thunk’ of his body hitting the floor.

“I’m okay!<i></i>” He called up from the hole.

Slowly he gathered his feet under him and stumbled forward a bit with his back aching now from the sudden earth punch. Without any need for light the scientist shuffled over to where a large pillar was and placed his hand against it to do the same thing he had done with his secret door but this time caused a light to appear from the top of the pillar that illuminated a fourth of the room. He walked around to each corner of the large underground room until it was all completely lit.
The light revealed the contents of the large room to be two book shelves that reached the amazingly high ceiling that had every bit of research he considered finished cataloged by alphabet on it. Between the two shelves was a large table filled neatly with a few books, an odd looking dagger and a sleeping cat that didn’t seem to be alive. The main attraction of the room, though, was the gigantic circle with all sorts of runes and ancient scribble written into the dirt packed floor via the ingenious use of a cement pen; another of his little nifty inventions. There were three separate circles inside the larger one where people or things would be placed. If Okibi knew anything about sealing ninjutsu she would recognize that the runes around the circles were placed to draw energy into whatever was placed there.
Normally this circle was used for his deeper workings into the chakra coil and manipulating nature energy into his bio-engineered creations, such as the semi-dead cat that raised his head upon hearing its master return.

The creature was more metal than it was biogenetic as a lot of its fur was missing and replaced with sheets of protective metal. Half of the thing’s head was robotic and a red reticule opened up to scan Tama as he entered. The thing opened its mouth ever so slightly to speak in human tongue,
“Welcome home, master. I trust you will be continuing your research of Nature Bending?<i></i>”
“<B>No, no, Felix,” Tama replied to the cyborg cat, “I want you to fetch me my writings on Nature Energy and Chakra Energy Flux, volumes two through five.”
“Right away,” it replied.

The cat stood up with the sound of mechanical gears whirling before crouching down and leaping high, higher than most cats its size could muster, and landed on the shelves that were extended out a little just for this purpose. Walking past a few books the cat reached up with a normal paw and pulled down three books that fell down to be caught by the waiting scientist below. The cat then curled up where it was to lay back down to await any more orders.
Despite having an advanced form of mechanical engineering that gave it the ability to speak in their tongue and think with the same capacity as human the feline still loved its naps.
Placing the books down on the table before him he opened each on at certain pages and began to flip through them as he awaited for Okibi to join him, praying she didn’t fall like he did.

 

[Okibi]

Okibi quickly finished off the rest of her water as Tama got up and walked to a table on the other side of the room. She set her empty glass down, stood up, and watched as Tama manipulated something under the table to make it rise up, revealing a wooden door underneath it. He then did something that made pretty little lights dance across the wood, unlocking it. He slid it aside and started to descend. It all seemed like an awful lot of trouble to go through just to get to an underground room. Wouldnt a normal door hidden under a rug locked by a key sufficed? Apparently not in Tama's world. It was nothing new though, Sousuke was pretty much the same way. Okibi was dragged from her musings when Tama suddenly vanished from her sight with a startled yell. Her eyes widened and she kneeled on the floor to look into the hole.

"Tami!?" She called, searching the darkness for any sign of the blond haired male who made an audible 'thump' when he hit the ground. He answered her with an affirmative; he was fine. Okibi breathed a sigh of relief, and then regarded the ladder with skepticism. Would she suffer the same fate as Tama? Shouldnt he have been a pro at climbing down those things? It was his hole in the ground after all. Biting her lip softly, Okibi turned herself around and eased herself into the hole, finding the metal rungs of the ladder with her feet. Slowly, ever so slowly, she made her way down into the darkness.

By the time she finally got to the bottom the room was lit up. By some miracle, she made it down without slipping and falling to her death (or bruised backside, whatever). She let go of the ladder and turned, surveying the underground cave; because thats basically what it was, even if it had all the makings of a normal room. Anything without windows was a cave.

"Theres stuff on your floor Tami." Okibi remarked, pointing to the markings that were scribbled all over the ground. Okibi didnt know anything about sealing ninjutsu, so the markings were foreign to her.

A scent tickled Okibi's nose and she snapped her head up. Her eyes trained in on a cat that was dozing on the other side of the room. It had a strange smell . . . not exactly dead, but not living either. It smelled like one of Sousuke's machines actually, but it didnt look completely mechanical. It seemed to have some parts made of flesh. How curious.

"And you have a mechanical cat . . . have you been spending time with Sogay?" She asked as she made her way to his side, never taking her eyes off the feline. The question came to her only because Sousuke had a thing for making metal creatures. Kitchenzilla was a prime example of his . . . creativity.

 

[Toraono Michino]

“Not as much as you’d think,<i></i>” he replied to Okibi’s question as he began flipping through the third book until he found the page he was looking for.

This was due entirely based on the way Tama wrote his studies. Placing the information mixed up between five different books made it that much harder to decode the scientist’s research. Some of the information he had locked away in the layers of code was harmful not only to himself, but humanity in general if it was to ever fall into the wrong hands. His applied research into destructive ninjutsu energy had the potential to create a ninjutsu capable of blowing a hole into the Wind Country.
Once he had found the pages he was looking for and the four books lined up together created a single page full of the method for using Nature Chakra on a healing level, the blonde turned to beckon Okibi to sit down in one of the three circles within the circle. Tama read up on the entire process in a matter of seconds before walking over to the middle of the circle.
Reaching into his coat he drew out a little calligraphy pen set and popped open the lock to open it up and remove the Blood Quill. The box was set gently on the floor before the same hand reached up to remove the glove from Tama’s right hand. His thumb gently slid over the top of the quill before pushing down to cause a small hypodermic needle to sink into his flesh and draw blood from him. The red fluid soaked the brownish colored quill in a deep red color that the scientist then used as an ink to scribble down the second part of the jutsu on the floor to attune it towards a calming, healing nature.

“So…what I plan to do to help regain a portion of your strength involves this circle on my floor. It is a written jutsu than when used focuses a force known as ‘Nature Energy’ inside the body. Nature Energy itself is the power that the entire world radiates – we just can’t see it. By slipping this energy inside of your chakra coil I can then teach you how to balance it and your normal chakra until the two begin to become one. Via this method we can begin to restore chunks of your power in leaps and bounds rather than the thirty-odd years it would take to do it slowly.<i></i>”

Walking back over to one of the other circles Tama flopped down into the packed dirt, crossed his legs, and began to focus his own chakra into the circle.
“Give me a second to activate it,<i></i>”
A bland looking white chakra began to emit from the pores of the scientist’s body until his entire body looked like an ivory statue. The energy then suddenly shot into the seal beneath him to further light up the entire room with his chakra. The arrows and runes he had drawn with his blood in the middle began to move in a spinning motion that would draw in the energy of the deep earth that was around them on all sides. The energy light in the circle transformed from a white glow into a green one that returned towards the circles that Tama and Okibi would be sitting in.
Peaceful energy would slowly began to enter their bodies until they started to become overly relaxed, as if their minds were in a haze.
“The trick…to controlling Nature Energy inside of your body…is, to try and focus your mind on a single point so that the energy can be absorbed into your body without knocking you unconscious. Once this is done properly we’ll move on, and don’t worry about,<i></i>” he yawned suddenly before shaking his head and focusing his mind on his single point – learning – to finish his statement properly, “…passing out. I have the energy in a perfect control so that only a little is being entered into your body a bit at a time. At most you should just have a warm, fuzzy feeling right now.<i></i>”

[MFT]

 

[Okibi]

When Tama motioned for Okibi to sit down in one of the circles drawn on his floor, she did so quickly - and almost tripped on her own feet for her trouble. She settled into one of the circles and watched Tama do his thing, although whatever that was she had no idea; he'd yet to explain to her what they were going to do. Her nose twitched as Tama pricked his thumb with what looked like a feather. The metallic tang of his blood tickled her sense of smell. He then started to scribble something onto the floor, and she was about to ask why, when he started to explain.

It was quite a lot of words to take in at once, and unsurprisingly the same thing that happened when she tried to listen to Sousuke jabber started happening just then too; her mind started to wander. She heard something about nature and energy and chakra, but beyond that she really did register a thing. It all kind of went in one ear and out the other. When he was finished talked got up and moved himself into one of the other circles, sat himself down like she was, and stated that he was about to activate 'it'. Wait, activate what now?

Suddenly, he started to glow a dull white color, and the effect it gave off along with his utterly still body was rather breathtaking. He looked like something that belonged in a garden. Just as suddenly, the light left his body and seeped into the floor, lighting up the entire room. Okibi winced and shut her eyes for a moment before opening them again to watch the rest of the event unfold. The blood Tama drew in the center of the circle began to light up as well, and the markings actually started to move. Okibi watched with intense curiosity, even leaning forward on her hands and knees as she sensed some sort of energy being sucked into the little whirlpool that the markings had created.

She started slightly when Tama spoke up again. Okibi glanced at him and saw that he still seemed to be concentrating, though he had no problems talking at the same time. He didnt use as many words to explain this time, and Okibi found that she could pay attention much easier; it also helped that the sudden light show had piqued her curiosity. She sat back on her behind and crossed her legs in a meditative position. As Tama spoke, Okibi didnt feel anything happen to her, but as soon as the last words came out of his mouth she felt a warm and gentle sensation overtake her body, just like he said. Okibi blinked owlishly with surprise, and then relaxed. Her eyes drooped and her mouth hung open just slightly, turning upwards at the corner in a small smile.

"That feels nice . . ." She murmured as her eyes slid shut completely and her head fell back. She put her hands on her knees and took slow, easy breaths, feeling the energy fill her up. "But what do you mean by focus on a single point? Like a point on my body? Or a point in the room?"

 

[Toraono Michino]

Tama closed his eyes and increased his control on the energy, slowly sending it into a special flow so that it could regenerate itself by moving through the center where the source of the power was contained.

“You think about something in your mind. The more precious it is to you, the stronger the focal point will be. Nature Energy has a peaceful nature, so you too must think about what puts you at ease. For me all I have to think about is learning stuff and I’m instantly relaxed.<i></i>”

What was at first just a process to help restore Okibi’s strength was now turning into something far deeper. Tama’s main concern was never really her chakra reserves as he knew with her stubborn attitude she would eventually make them come back; it had been done before. What he wanted to help her with was the constant fear and horrors that plagued her sub-conscious. Those little flinches at certain actions, the distrust for males, the blank look she got on her face when they were in each other’s company and the conversation died for a few minutes…all those little haunting that were keeping Okibi from being Okibi, that was what he wanted to help bring back.

Though the energy was really helping out with the kick start of waking back up her chakra coil into full gear so that it could naturally begin absorbing energy, he was more trying to teach her how to get her thoughts away from everything that was bad by giving her something to counter those thoughts. The peaceful energy that ran through Okibi would enhance the joy of that thought so that it would be imbued in her mind as such a happy and glorious thing that the evils of her past would have to shy away. Of course it was still up to her to find her ‘happy thought’ and use it against the evils that still plagued her mind; Tama was just giving her the key to that gate.

He muttered something under his breath and the glowing light returned to his body before focusing around his eyes. His flesh around that area became crystallized slightly as he absorbed the earth energies into his body to mingle with the chakra he was sending to his eyes. When they opened again they had both turned into the color of an emerald green and the normally slit irises were turned sideways with the ends curved up and down on either side. He could see the extreme abundance of nature energy that flowed through the room that was colored a beautiful mix of browns and blues. He could see the energy entering into Okibi’s body and slowly filling her as he had controlled it to do so that she didn’t pass out before finding the focal point. He raised his hands up with his fingers curled a little and palms facing the Wild Child. Slowly he turned both of his palms outwards and then began to move his arms in slow circular motions. This would cause the energy inside of her to actually focus around the chakra coil that he could perfectly imagine in his mind without having the need to see it with special eyes. This action would start to kick start the coil back into naturally absorbing energy so that it could repair itself with the mild help from the nature energy.

He couldn’t force the energy to repair her coil faster, she would have to figure out how to work with nature energy to heal herself. It was an impossible concept to explain and he doubt he could find a way to explain it where she didn’t get distracted half way through.

 

[Okibi]

At first, Tama's words made Okibi grin with humor. "Think about it in my mind? As opposed to in my feet, Tami?" She chuckled into one of her hands and then slowly closed her eyes. He said she had to think about something precious to her, something that soothed her mind and body. Okibi raced through the images stored in her brain, trying to sift out what relaxed her the most.

There was her family of course. Their love and concern for her made her feel warm, cared for, like not much else could. They strengthened her with their encouragement, and soothed her with soft words when the nightmares and day terrors became too much for her to handle. They were one of the few anchors she had left in the world, and they were certainly precious to her.

But were they the most precious?

Then there were her friends, the closest of which being the young man sitting in front of her, helping to heal her body. He was precious to her, that was for certain; if not so much before, definitely after what he'd done for her not an hour earlier. That he'd so readily accompanied her on such a heart wrenching endeavor meant the world to her. His very presence was enough to soothe her, and his scent put her mind at ease so easily. She loved him dearly, in her way.

But was he what she loved most?

Okibi continued to think with her eyes closed, her lids fluttering and her eyebrows pinching together now and then. She flew through image after image, trying to find that something that eased her soul, but she could not find it. There were many things she loved, many people she cared deeply for, but none of them put her completely at rest.

And then the memory hit her like a ton of bricks. She'd been somewhere around nine years old, still a Wild Child by every definition, living in the outback of Wind Country. She'd found a fairly large river running between the dry desert plains and some grasslands, and had decided she wanted to play in the water. Back then she'd done pretty much anything she wanted without regards to what might happen as a consequence, and had rushed for the river full tilt. She'd hit the water with a large splash, and dove into the shallows, savoring the coolness sapping away the heat of midday.

She'd played in that river for hours under a protective and watchful pair of eyes. A family of river otters had happened upon her, and joined her in her frolicking, playing games of hide and seek, tag, and who could hold their breath longest. They'd taught her how to swim properly and how to manage herself in the currents of the river so she didnt get swept away. They'd quickly become her friends, those otters.

And then they just disappeared, fleeing into the waters of the river as though they sensed danger approaching. Okibi had been too busy practicing her swimming to notice until some heavy and scaley wrapped around her ankle and dragged her deeper into the river. Any air she'd been holding in her lungs escaped her when she'd gasped involuntarily in surprise and she quickly started to choke on water. Black dots danced in her vision when she was suddenly thrust up and out of the water, held tightly in the winding grasp of a young River Basilisk. Her eyes became wide with an unknown emotion and she began to shake, for even young those creatures were enormous and terrifying. It loomed above her threateningly, and opened its immense jaws slowly, hissing at her as it went in for the kill! Okibi could only squeal and shut her eyes, hoping for a miracle.

And a miracle did happen, coming in the shape of a large, dark shadow that leaped across the surface of the water and lunged at the large serpent, roaring with rage and sinking its large fangs into the Basilisks head. She was instantly released and Okibi made a mad dash for the shore, not looking back until she was safely on land. Her wet, raggedy red hair had clung to her face as she watched the two dark creatures, both immense in size and strength, fight to the death. They were both impressive, both incredibly strong, but in the end only one would come out the victor.

And that victor won the battle by sinking his fangs into one of the snakes eyes, latching on with his paws and thrashing his head abruptly to the right, snapping the Basilisks sinewy neck, nearly takings its head clean off. The long and languid body of the serpent slowly stilled and sank into the river with the splash, disappearing beneath its surface to be swept away. The winner of the bout made his way out of the river with a limp, panting heavily as he surveyed her for injuries. Okibi didnt realize it, but her limbs had begun to shake. Water dribbled from her eyes that didnt belong to the river and she'd been dumbfounded; what was happening to her?

Suddenly her knees gave out and she crashed to the ground, heaving with sounds she didnt know she could make. Instinctively her hands came up to cover and rub at her eyes as she wailed. Later, she would learn that she'd been frightened for the first time in her life. But, the large, wet body of her champion curled around her protectively and nuzzled her head with his snout. He'd pushed her hands away so he could lick away the salty tears that didnt belong on her face. He pulled her close and held her small shaking form against his much larger one, humming a soothing sound deep in his chest.

'There, there Little One. You're safe. You will always be safe with me.'

In the present, Okibi suddenly jolted, hearing the words ring in her ears as truly as they had that day. With her eyes still shut, Okibi reached for that memory desperately and clung to it as though her life depended on it. And perhaps it did, for he had meant the world to her, more than anyone else ever did and ever would. With just a few words and a lick to her face he'd calmed her fearful heart and quieted her shaky sobs.

Now he was just a memory, but a precious, and important memory.

Clear, sparkling tears leaked from Okibi's eyes as the memory of Number Seven as he had been - big, beautiful, perfectly flawed and so very alive - ran through her mind. She imagine his memory to be the energy that was slowly seeping into her body, and she grasped it with both hands and held it close. When she did that, she felt the energy flow into her like the river she'd nearly died in that day, filling her up to the top of her head. She felt something inside of her start to heal, although she didnt know how to explain it. It felt like something had once been broken into pieces but was now being put back together.

When Okibi opened her eyes again, they were watery and not smeared by blood like usual. Her arms had somehow wrapped around herself, holding her shoulders tightly. She wiped at her eyes with her flesh and blood hand, marveling at the clear liquid. She hadnt cried normal tears in . . . she didnt know how long.

She then looked at Tama, her face wet with the evidence of her discovery and she smiled a real, one hundred percent Okibi smile that reached her eyes and lit her face up like a Christmas tree. She didnt say anything to him, but she didnt feel like she needed to.

(W00t! Yay for bittersweet memories! 8D)

 

[Toraono Michino]

The scientist’s hands slowly stopped moving in circles as he watched her grow silent and focus in on herself. A sly smirk played up around his lips.

There was once a time that he couldn’t even begin to figure her out and she was really nothing more than just a walking mystery that he wanted to solve. She was hyper, rash, uncontrollable, and just the kind of all around crazy that was terrible for a scientist to work around.
It was because of her that Tama remembered that he had a human side. When his mother died he drove himself deep down into a depression that he couldn’t even begin to explain. It was like an ocean of black literally swallowed his mind. He gave into vengeance, devoured other human souls, and killed a massive amount of people with his master Mikaboshi at such a young age. It had not been enough for him to destroy the people who murdered her and he began to slowly shuffle down the dark path that had been placed before him; despite his master’s warnings.

Then she kicked down his door.

To find him in that kind of state not but a few months after their Genin exam must have been heart wrenching for her. To worry so much about a foolish boy who was rapidly aging due to his own hubris. Yet she sent Seven out to go get food, made him sit down, and forced him to speak of his woes to her. It was the first time he had ever spoken to anyone about his actual life, the first time he had ever been allowed to vent.
His studies always came first. It was regrettably the only thing his mother departed to him when she died. She was always on his case about making sure that he absorbed every bit of knowledge that he could for fear that one day he would find them again; and should he manage it, he needed to be ready to kill the man.
Tengokai was always that thing that use to haunt his every footstep when he turned the page of his books. That constant worry that he wouldn’t be able to compete with the genius that was his father…a worry that Okibi single handedly put an end to just by letting him vent that one time.

Even after she disappeared and Tama was forced to use darker methods to keep himself from aging relentlessly he still clung onto that small bit of his heart that belonged solely to the white hair girl who was unnervingly still; it was that small bit that kept him from turning into his master.

The fears and worries he had were things of a time past. It’s only been recently that Tama was able to return to his studies with a clear mind. The worries of his father getting past the maelstrom again to attack them was next to nil, and even if he did he would have to contend not only his son who was on the way to becoming the first Earth Sage the clan has seen in millennia, but the rest of his ‘family’ as well. He had no delusions that the people of Sunagakure would rise up and bring down Tengokai to protect one of their own, no matter how disastrous his power may be.

Tama lowered his hands back into his lap and released the technique which caused all of the glowing lights to simply fade into the air. The room dropped back to its normal lighting slowly and Felix raised his head from his paws to look down at the two shinobi.
Okibi had perfectly captured the thought that would keep the nature energy inside of her balanced with the chakra that would soon refill itself as soon as she grasped at it. When she grinned at him with that smile Tama couldn’t help but feel the bubbly girth of pure joy raise up from his gut. A bit of liquid filled the corner of his eyes but he raised his arm to wipe them away before announcing happily,

“Good to have you back, Wild Child.”

 

[Okibi]

Okibi wiped the remaining tears from her face as she sniffed up the moisture that wanted to escape her nose. When she looked back up, she was still smiling; the curves just didnt seem to want to leave her face. It was such a novel feeling, or perhaps a familiar feeling, to be unable to not smile. So many months had passed where she couldnt have forced an upturn of her lips if she wanted to, and many times she wanted to, but now it was coming so easily. Sands bless her friend for helping her get to this point.

Suddenly, and without any warning, Okibi bounced up onto all fours and launched herself at Tama, taking him down onto his back should the move catch him by surprise. Okibi wound her arms around his neck tightly, hugging him for all she was worth. With a smile in her voice she rubbed her cheek against his affectionately. "It's good to be back Tami. So good."

And it seemed that she was back, the Old Okibi, for the timid and flighty girl from that very early morning would not have been able to show such physical affection. Now, only a few hours later, she was able to throw herself at her best friend and lie on top of him like it was the most natural thing in the world. Just then, it felt like the most natural thing to do. She was so very grateful, and so happy to have such a good friend, how better to show it than to give him a great big Okibi hug? That required the entire body of course; anything less would be a farce!

She wasnt as small as she used to be, sure, but Tama was much larger than her now. Where she might have smooshed him a year and a half to two years ago, he now dwarfed her and there was no fear of causing him any harm. He was much healthier too, which Okibi was always thankful for. That starved, unkempt boy she'd found in his cave he called a home that one time was long gone, replaced by a strong and healthy young man.

After a good minute or two of friendly nuzzling, Okibi sat up on Tama and grinned down at him. "I have the sudden desire to cook Tami. Come! Let's whip something up together to celebrate the success of your . . . help." With that, she jumped to her feet - obviously full of energy now - and grabbed at his hands so she could pull him to he's feet. She dragged him towards the ladder in a very Old Okibi fashion - she never asked, she just did - and started up the rungs with haste. She waited for him at the top, peering into the hole in the floor expectantly. "I assume you have something to cook in this pigsty you call a home anyway. Surely you don't live off hazardous chemicals and paper . . . right, Tami?"

She sounded just the slightest bit doubtful at the end of that sentence.

 

[Toraono Michino]

Their smiles and eyes connected for a second and there was just a mutual feeling of joy that lingered in the air for the briefest of moments. Despite being a guy who was known for radiating light like a lighthouse on a foggy cove Okibi’s smile made everything else in comparison look like dim headlights.

The mood finally caused her to burst with emotion in a way he had not seen since she returned to her home. He watched in almost slow motion as her legs began together beneath her and her hands were placed against the packed dirt of the floor.
Oh no, no, no, no…surely she’s not actually going to…
Before he could even finish his thought sentence the girl bounded across the room with a hyperactive speed that reminded him of the whirling storm of terror she was and for a split second wondered just what he had unleashed back into Suna.

She hit his chest hard which caused him to flip and roll a little bit until he was pinned on his back with her warmth hugging against his chest as if the embarrassment of this morning had been nothing more than a trivial thing of the past; as if her flinches and worries were something of a Yesteryear Okibi. Blood rushed to Tama’s face as he awkwardly returned the hug while he tried to adjust his mind and body to the idea that the girl on top of him meant him no harm. Slowly but surely, the scientists hug became more affectionate as he finally attempted to embrace the idea that not all women were blood-sucking succubi who were out to kill him.
Of course that didn’t mean he didn’t still have an attraction for men, because he still totally did, but he had always had that thought in the back of his mind that if there was one girl he’d honestly try to woo and make a real relationship with it would be Okibi. The two had just too much history and now even more so for it not to happen.

Still, a part of Tama wished she was a guy.

When she set back up and looked down at Tama his cheeks were less red than they had been post tackle but his face still reflected the silly grin that affected the white-haired girl on top of him. It still amazed him to realize how small she was in comparison to his masculine frame. If she had returned back home just six months earlier she would have found him looking the same way he had when she left – amazing how quickly one’s appearance can change just by adding different training regimens. Which reminded him that now that she had her energy back she could start working out again. He had a few ideas that would help return her old strength and beyond but before his crazy mind could start racing with ways to further better his friend she reminded him that he hadn’t eaten all day.
Tama fasted this morning in honor of Seven.

“Cooking eh? Well I’m sure there is somet- gah!</B><i></i>” Tama cried out suddenly as he was dragged to his feet and then to the ladder by the small girl with her returned energy. Slightly dumbfounded that he had been dragged from the circle to the exit he just stood there for a moment while she scurried up with record speeds. It was her comment that broke his momentary lull in his head to cause him to start laughing; a lot. It was comical really how this entire day just flipped around,
“Of course I do!<i></i>” He replied after he had calmed his laughter down, “I can’t just live on reading books all day like I used to, takes a lot to keep these muscles, yah know?”

Climbing back up the ladder the scientist began to close up the tunnel when Felix came flying up out of the whole in all his cyborg-cat glory.
“I heard food,<i></i>” the creature spoke with a metallic accent. He was still very much a cat in his ways despite having a modified brain and voice box. Tama simply chuckled before sealing the secret room back up.

Walking into the kitchen with Okibi he went about clearing off the counters of the beakers and papers and moving them to the coffee table within the living room before cracking open his fridge to peer inside.
Hidden behind the white door and within the cold space of his fridge was meat. Lots and lots of meat. A full rack of ham that he usually used to cut bacon from, a couple of brown packages of ground beef, a few more of the same packages filled with lamb chops, pork chops, chicken breasts, and of course his all time favorite – fresh premade corned beef.

He was weird like that.

“<B>Well…I have a lot to choose from. Kind of lacking on the vegetable department except for what I have in can goods but those are within cabinets that are rarely opened. You might have to fight a spider or something for a can of green beans.<i></i>”

 

[Okibi]

Okibi watched the mechanical cat scurry by as she and Tama made their way into his kitchen. She was going to have to ask about that creature . . . obviously it wasnt a normal kitty cat. Once inside the kitchen, Okibi stood back and waited as Tama cleared things, and even helped moved a few beakers to hurry things along. She was starving after all. When all the spaces were clean and clear, they went over to the fridge to see what they had to work with. Okibi was pleasantly surprised that Tama was well stocked up on meats; although it was a little sad that he didnt have much else besides that. The white haired girl couched down beside Tama in front of the open fridge and sniffed around, letting her sense of smell lead the way.

In all honesty, Okibi didnt actually know how to cook. But, she figured if she was hungry enough, and if she let her instincts guide her, things couldnt possibly turn out too bad right? Right.

Waddling closer, Okibi's nose zeroed in on something that smelled particularly delicious, and also different. She'd never smelled it's like before. She reached for the package of corned beef and pulled it out, weighing it in her hand. Grinning she turned to Tama. "I think I have an idea of what to do with this." She then handed it to him and pushed him towards a counter. "Cut it up into itty bitty pieces while I look for something to go with it."

With that, she turned away from him and rose her nose into the air, scenting for something. She couldnt smell what she wanted within the confines of Tama's house. Not surprising; he did say he didnt have much in the way of vegetables. But, that didnt mean Okibi was without resources. Following her nose, Okibi was lead to a hallway with a window that looked out on the backyard of one of Tama's neighbor. One of the occupants of the home next door must have had a soft spot for gardening, because neary the entire expanse of the yard was covered with leafy shoots and sprouts and bushes and trees. And she smelled it, what she needed was in that yard. Looking over her shoulder, Okibi decided that Tama didnt need to know. She was just going to borrow . . . she would send the home owner a gift basket or something later!

With that thought, she leaped from the window.

---A few minutes later---

Okibi returned to the kitchen, covered in dirt. She held in her arms a few grime covered lumps - potatoes? - and fresh warm eggs. She scurried over to a counter and dumped her goods onto it, wiping the sweat from her brow with a dirty hand. She looked at the offending limb with a glower when she realized what shed done; smeared more dirt on her face. Hurrying to the sink, Okibi threw on the tap and worked on washing the evidence of her . . . crime . . . off, hopefully before Tama noticed.

 

[Toraono Michino]

Before he could say two words she was out a window.

Tama had turned to grab a knife from the draw by the sink and ask Okibi how she wanted the meat cut when he realized that she wasn’t there anymore and an open window was left in her wake. He walked over to it with knife in hand to watch the girl jump out and sneak into the neighbor’s yard. With a shrug he walked back over to what he was told to work on and went about unwrapping the brown package.

The prepared corn beef sat before him smelling as delicious as the meat market it was made in. It was something he had bought just short of walking up to the Maw with Okibi since he was going to fast that morning and wanted something epic when he came back home. Little did he realize he was going to be sharing but there was more than enough meat for the both of them.
Spinning the paper with the meat on it for a second he finally decided to turn it diagonally with a lean to the left before he started to cut the bottom end in long slices going the opposite direction before switching and cutting parallel with the meat. This turned it into cubes that would be used for frying as it was the way he normally cooked things.

When the female reappeared covered in dirt and carrying potatoes and eggs with her he couldn't help but smile. It seemed she tried to sneak into the house without Tama noticing the dirt she smeared on her forehead but it was all for naught. The scientist took one look at her when the water started and began to laugh; hard.
“Now that’s the Okibi I know,” Tama said between laughter as the knife free hand went to hold his gut. Once he regained control of himself he cleared his throat with a smile still on his face,
“Also, I wouldn’t worry too much about the neighbor if you feel a little guilty. The guy is literally never in his house and he has an entire staff that takes care of the garden for him. It was supposed to be a hobby for him set up by his wife…but you can imagine how that went,<i></i>” he walked over next to the oven which was on the directly across from the sink and opened up the cabinet above it to flip out three glass containers with metal screw on lids. Each one was filled with a different kind of herb and filled to the brim,
“But he does have an absolutely lovely selection of herbs, yah know?<i></i>”

Tama flipped his containers of garlic, parsley, and chopped onion onto the counter next to the stove and pulled down a frying pan from the hook. He then reached into the cabinet on the left of his spice storage and pulled down a clay jug filled with vegetable oil and poured a little into the pan before clicking on the stove knob that would activate the fire chakra crystal. Heat, not flames, appeared beneath pan and began to heat the oil inside as he then walked over next to Okibi, picked up a potato, and began to clean it as she cleaned herself.

He had a stupid happy grin on his face.

[mft]

 

[Okibi]

(Sorry for the wait! I was on something of a break too ^^; Reading reading reading I love reading! @_@)

Okibi's flinched the moment Tama noticed her. Guess she wasnt so lucky after all. He tried to placate her by telling her that the owner of the home next door was never home to appreciate his garden anyway, and then proceeded to show her some herbs he apparently pilfered. Okibi flashed him a slightly uncomfortable grin - looking like she had to go to the bathroom - and looked away so she could wash a potato or two. "Be that as it may Tami, I'd still like to send him a gift basket or something . . ." She was not a proponent for stealing after all. She hated being stolen from, actually.

Okibi quickly scrubbed up to of the smaller potatoes and then shuffled over to the cutting board that Tama used for the meat. She fished a bowl out of one of his cupboards and swiped the chopped up bits into it, then rinsed the board before setting her potatoes on it. She eyed the knife Tama used for a minute and then slowly looked at her claws . . . Bah! She was more precise with her hands anyway! Who needed a knife!?

With that thought, Okibi hopped up on to the kitchen counter, balancing herself on just her toes at the edge so she didnt get anything dirty. She reared her claws up, a slightly sadistic smile inching its way across her face. Without a word she threw a series of slashes at the potatos with blinding speed, first masterfully peeling off the skin - it came off without breaking apart! She then sliced and diced the skinless chunks into small and slender bits, like the kind used for hash browns. When she was finished, she hopped back off the counter, looking just a little cocky. "What'dya think Tami? Pretty good with my hands huh?" She said, giving him a salacious grin and a wink. She then burst into raucous laughter as she picked up her potatoes and shuffled over to the range.

She didnt really know what was getting into her honestly. Jumping out of windows, digging through a strangers garden, and now throwing dirty jokes at Tama? Something strange happened to her in that underground room . . . and Okibi couldnt honestly say she didnt like it. It felt so good to be more like herself again.

Still grinning, Okibi pulled another pan out of the same place Tama did and quickly made a search for some butter. She found half a stick stuffed into the back of his fridge, and thanked the sands. He at least had enough sense to keep some of that stuff. Okibi sliced a piece of the stick off, tossed it into her pan, and put it back before she went about figuring out hot to light the stove top. Unfortunately, she hadnt been paying attention when Tama lit his.

But, eventually she figured it out, and although she didnt see any flames she did feel the heat coming from what had to be a crystal; the people of sand used them for just about everything. Almost instantly her butter started to melt and sizzle, telling Okibi she had to work fast. she grabbed another bowl, some eggs and dumped her potatoes into it before cracking the little white treasure chests over it. She then returned to the bowl with the corned beef in it and fished out a good handful of the pieces before tossing it into her new bowl. With a look of concentration Okibi mixed it all together gently, her hands kneading the mixture with care. When she was satisfied with the way it looked, she dug out a fistful and plopped it onto the slightly browned butter. Within minutes the smell of frying meat and potatoes filled her nostrils, making her mouth water.

Setting the bowl aside, Okibi gave herself an imaginary pat on the back. She hated to say it, but history proved that she wasnt the best of cooks. The last time she'd tried making something complex - a cake for the family - she very nearly blew the kitchen right out of the Kazekage tower. Somehow, Sousuke had still liked the purple goop she'd gotten all over the walls and floor though . . . but that didnt matter! The point was that she made an absolute mess that time, and did not this time. It was quite an accomplishment if she did say so herself.

As Okibi watched her concoction cook, smashing it down with a spatula she found, something in one of the ajar cupboards caught her eye. It was a small jar of something a greenish sort of jelly looking substance. Okibi reached for it and set her spatula aside. With a firm twist she uncovered the jar and brought it to her nose for a sniff. She couldnt place the scent, but it didnt smell bad. In fact, it smelled interesting . . . she wondered what it would taste like on her hash. Making sure Tama wasnt looking, she glanced from the jar to the pan and then back again. Surely it wouldnt hurt if she just tossed some of it on there . . . what was life without trying new things right!?

Okibi nodded resolutely to herself and dug some of the jelly out with her fingers. She felt a curious sort of tingle race through her finger tips where the jelly touched them, but didnt pay it any mind. Quickly, she tossed the jelly onto her hash and then flipped it over so it could fry. She then grabbed a lid and slapped it over the pan so that the trapped heat would cook the meat and potatoes through faster.

She stepped back and looked quite pleased with herself. No doubts about it, this was going to turn out delicious. She could smell it already!

But then the pan started to shiver, as though something unseen were shaking it. Okibi rose an eyebrow, but didnt move to lift the lid to see what was happening underneath. Then, the lid started to jump around. Okibi's brow furrowed as she took a step back, placing a hand on the edge of the island in the middle of the kitchen. It couldnt be . . . please spirits, it couldnt be happening again! Then the smell hit her nostrils, making Okibi falter, her hand slippe from the edge. It didnt smell bad, but it did smell dangerous! A hissing, rumbling sound made it obvious to her then what was about to happen, and dammit, why did she have to be so damn curious about mystery substances in jars!?

"Take cover!" Okibi shouted as she grabbed Tama by the scruff of his shirt and dragged/tossed him behind the island. She threw herself over him just as the substance under the lid exploded with a potent BOOM! The pan flew off somewhere, hitting things and smashing others with a metallic ping, ping, ponk as green colored hash and meat rained down around them.

[MFT]

 

[Toraono Michino]

Why? Why was his life so full of escalation?!

Everything had been going so swimmingly too, what with the creation of the meal that they were preparing. Even the off-color joke that Okibi sent his way made Tama crack up for a second; of course he stopped suddenly as his vivid imagination went left with the joke and he shuddered a little in fear. It was quickly shaken off though as he finished washing another potato and tossed it onto the cutting board with the rest of them.

Stretching a little the scientist could feel his mouth beginning to salivate as the smell of his favorite food reached his nostrils. He was anxious for it to be done already and was about to turn and help with finishing the meal up when he saw the red-eye girl grabbing his shirt and dragging him behind the kitchen island. His surprised was two-fold when he heard the explosion go off and shake the entire little house. Felix yowled in shock and hauled ass down the small corridor that lead to his bedroom to go hide under something heavy.
On his back with the skinny girl hold him down, again, Tama opened his blue eye and looked around to make sure everything hadn't been blown apart - mostly them. He was already getting so used to Okibi-contact again that the larger man just simply lifted the girl and placed her back down beside him before very slowly raising his head up until his eyes were just above the edge of the island.
The oven was done for with the explosion having destroyed the entire top half and taking two of the cabinets with it. Black soot covered the rest along with the food which had been so quickly heated from the explosion that it was nothing but ash now. He slowly lowered himself back down as the new smell of what had caused the explosion assaulted him.

It was a strange creation of his that was used to dissolve metal, such as the kind used in doorknobs, back when he was a bit of a serial killer. He had completely forgotten about it but he didn't remember it being explosive...of course then again he hadn't messed with the stuff in over a year either. No doubt old chemicals left to fester would turn into something far more...deadly.

"Well," Tama said as he leaned his back against the island, "You want to order a meat pie and watch a movie?<i></i>"

Explosions were such an everyday occurrence for those two that Tama was just able to skip past the whole "oh shit my kitchen just exploded" and simply move on to the next topic. Which was still food, obviously, as the scientist's stomach grumbled again.

 

[Okibi]

Okibi observed the greenish meat/hash/ash that fell around her like a poisoned snow as Tama sat up and put her to the side. She stayed seated on the floor, holding out her left hand, letting the sprinkling food failure fall into her palm. She sniffed at some of it and then flicked out her tongue for a taste. She smacked her lips as she considered the going-ons in her mouth. Savory, with a slightly smoky bouquet, and a tingling after sensation. Interesting, and not bad either.

At Tama's offhand suggestion that they order a 'meat pie' - whatever that was - Okibi sprung to her feet and gave herself a full body shake. In much the way a dog would, she rid herself of the green debris littering her hair and clothes, sending the little bits flying. Once finished, she lifted her arm and gave herself a sniff, making a face at the way she now smelled like food. Maybe it was just her, but she didnt want to be tempted to nom her own shoulder later.

She made a beeline for the hallway, waving her hand over her shoulder flippantly. "I'm not sure what you mean by a meat pie Tami, but you go ahead and order whatever you want and Ill pay for it." She stopped for a moment and put her metal hand on the kitchens doorway. She looked over her shoulder, seeming just a bit contrite. "It's the least I could do after turning your kitchen into a disaster area." Her red and pink eyes roamed the room then, scowling at the mess she'd made. Perhaps in any other situation she wouldnt have cared, but this was Tama's home after all. Who goes to their best friends house and turns it into a health hazard? Rude people thats who!

Sighing, Okibi let her head and hand drop before continuing on her way towards the bathroom. "I'm gonna take a quick shower. You go ahead and order that whatchamacallit." She called back. But then, an idea struck her and she stopped and whirled back around, peeking around the doorway with a coy, teasing smile on her face.

"Unless you wanna join me. Either way, I wont complain." Then she winked, and whizzed down the hallway, her laughter tinkling behind her.

(This seems like a good enough place to end this topic. If you want to make one more post then that can be the conclusion, but if not, we can leave this as is. :3 OR, if you want to continue, Im cool with that too. I just thought it'd make sense to end it here, if anywhere. Whatever you want Doc! Your call. : )

 

[Toraono Michino]

It was amazing how unphased Tama could be until you mentioned female nudity. I mean, he was slowly breaking out of his shell when it came to women but so far ‘cuddling on the couch’ was as much contact as he was willing to put up with; and that involved clothes.
The very thought of this girl naked ran two different kind of conflicting emotions through the scientist. The man inside of him that was fed by testosterone was kicking and screaming, telling him to ‘get in that shower, do it now”; his brain told him it was a trap, she was up to something. His face was red as a fresh apple within seconds of her mentioning him joining her and when he went to stand up all his eyes could to was stare at her which caused him to slip a few times on the green ash as he tried to grab at the island to help himself up completely.

“I..I…I…umm, well…meat pie! And cleaning! Yeah! No, no you go ahead and get yourself cleaned up and I’ll work on getting the food ordered! Also I went through a phase were I was making my own soap for awhile so I have a lot of different fragrances. I mean, there’s only like, six, to choose from and most of them are flower based but I think one of them was the smell of ‘morning dew’. You know that scent in the morning when the water beads up on grass? Yeah that.<i></i>”

Tama then forced himself to look away from Okibi with his heart pounding so hard that he thought for a second that it might be trying to kill him. With a shaky hand he reached down into a counter under the sink and pulled out some cleaning supplies, created two clones, and went to work quickly while he waited for Okibi to leave…then sighed deeply as the original of the three look-a-likes leaned heavy on the fridge.
“What the hell are you going to do with yourself Tama? You can’t stay afraid like this forever,<i></i>” he said quietly to himself as his clones went to work on cleaning up the collective mess. The scientist placed a hand on his face to cover his eyes as he tried to think of something that would help break that fear of the white-haired girl. He didn’t want to be afraid any more, he didn’t want to flinch even a little from her touch…in all honesty he wanted to be more like her. The young man couldn’t help but be a little jealous at how quickly she was able to recover back to her old self around him, wishing that he could become a better person she could truly be with.

He honestly wanted to be at her side in that affectionate way, as a ‘mate’ she would call it he was sure. He just had no idea how he was going to do that with all his fears bunching up in the way of a serious relationship…

----​

About an hour later the ‘meat pie guy’ was knocking on the door. Tama jumped up from the couch he was brooding on with the television on as background noise to go answer it. The tv was something he rarely ever used and was hidden under the floor behind the coffee table; he raised it up so he had something to distract his silly fears while he thought heavier on his problems. The Ryuu opened the door to find a young pimply teenager holding a small square box. He asked for a certain amount of yen to be paid and the scientist gladly paid for it plus tip; he knew he’d get it back later. Walking back into the living room he placed the meat pie on the coffee table, got the dishes needed to feed with, and proceeded to look at his small collection of movies.
Very rarely did the scientist find the time to zone out even for a second to actually pay attention to any of these films, but, tonight he was sure that he was going to need something to distract his mind away from what he didn’t want it to be on.
After a second of carefully deciding between the stories of three different holo-crystals he finally decided on the one called “Assassin’s Misery;” as story of a killer who was betrayed by his master when he falls in love with that man’s wife whom he was supposed to be protecting. It was probably the only story that could really hold the scientist’s attention as it played on that romantic that was buried under all that serious science stuff.

“Hey! Food is here!<i></i>” Tama called down the hall for Okibi as he went and flopped on the couch after inserting the crystal into the back of the television set.

[Yeah, we can go ahead and finish this here if you want. Unless you want to try to break Tama a little more. XD]

 

[Okibi]

Okibi had nearly finished cleaning herself - it'd taken way longer than she thought it would - and all that was left to do now was wash out her clothes. She supposed she could have done it when she got home, but Tama's soaps (all of them!) smelled so nice she just couldnt help herself. Part of her wanted to stay in his bathtub longer just because the scents were so soothing. She particularly liked the Apple Blossom soap; it was very sweet and easy on the nose.

So she sat, submersed in water up to her chest as she worked on getting the muck out of her clothes. As she did so, she thought about all of Tama's reactions to her since that morning. When she fell on him outside above the gate, he'd very well been as red as any tomato she'd ever seen. Of course, she'd been just as bad at the time so she couldnt say much about that moment. But then there were other moments, like the one where she threw herself at him with a hug. He probably didnt realize but she'd noticed the way he tensed up underneath her, as though for a moment he was afraid. When she thought about it, the same thing had happened when she first fell on him after saying goodbye to Seven.

Why would he be afraid of her though? They both knew he was a good deal stronger than her; if they got into a fight she had no doubts that he could easily trample her, though he probably wouldnt because he was that good a friend to her. And they were right? Good friends that is . . . Tama knew how much he meant to her, and she was pretty sure that she was important to him too . . . so why did he freeze up with fear when she touched him?

Okibi's brow furrowed asher hands worked her clothes gently in a small lather that smelled like almonds and ginger. You'd think it should have been the other way around - her afraid of his touch because of all the bad shit she was put through over that horrible horrible year. In fact, it had been that way for many months after her return, but now, suddenly she found that she had no problems whatsoever enduring a hug; from Tama at least, so far as she knew. She was even able to make untoward jokes with him, something she didnt even do before her ordeal. When she thought about it, it rather befuddled her, how far she'd come in just a day.

She knew why she used to react to touching the way she did. The question was, why did Tama react the way he did?

With a decisive nod Okibi rose from the water and rung out her clothes before draping them on a towel bar to dry. She heard Tama's muffled call come through the door and quickly toweled her body and hair dry before wrapping herself in the sinfully short thing. Her long hair hang limpy down her back and over her shoulders, dripping just a little from the ends as she opened the door and waltzed out in a cloud of steam.

She came up short when she reached the living area, holding the towel up with her metal hand while she ran her flesh one through her hair like a comb. Her eyes zeroed in on the box with the smell of food coming from it, and the distinct lack of delivery person for her to pay. Okibi threw a look at Tama. "I was supposed to pay for it Tami. It doesnt have the same effect if I dont get to pay the guy." She flicked her hair over her shoulder before to the box, her hips swaying purposefully. She had a ploy you see, and it was fully in effect. She popped the box open and looked over the 'meat pie' and decided that it looked pretty damn good. Her mouth was watering just looking at it.

Clearing her throat, Okibi straightened up and looked back at Tama, smiling sweetly. "You got anything I can borrow? My clothes were all yucky so I gave them a wash too." Then her smile lost its sweetness, becoming something Tama might have found just a little scary if her thoughts were correct, and she sashayed over to stand well within his personal bubble. "But I can stay like this if you'd prefer." She teased, her voice coming out like a purr.

Then, suddenly, she whipped around on her heels, smacking Tama with her wet hair. "Could you braid this for me? I hate how it sticks everywhere when its wet." She was assuming, of course, that Tama knew how to braid hair. Nevertheless, he was a smart guy, he could figure it out if he didnt.

And, should he take up on her request, he would quickly notice something that would prove to be just a bit disturbing. Amongst the many scars that stood out in stark detail all across her body from the neck down, nestled into her upper back just between her shoulder blades, was an alarming tattoo. It depicted a horse head - the symbol of the Takahashi family - flipped over and bleeding from its mouth and eyes. It was covered in macabre wounds that looked as though they were rotting. The entire thing was etched so thoroughly into her back that it puffed up with painful looking scars. Obviously whoever had done it had not been to kind about it.

For the moment, Okibi completely forgot about to hideous thing, and waited patiently for Tama to work with her hair. She was rather looking forward to it actually; she'd loved being pet pre-ordeal, and having someone play with her hair was very close to it. They were marvelous sensations for someone who was so closely related to canines.

 

[Toraono Michino]

The blonde had already started to cut into the meat pie when Okibi walked out of the bathroom. The steam billowed out around her legs as she stepped out of the room and his eyes did a quick double take. Smells from all of the soaps he had slowly crept in behind her and assaulted all of his senses as they had become mingled with her own. His eyes slowly looked down at her feet and ran up the legs that showed way more than he would normally be comfortable with to stop just short of where it would be considered obscene by normal standards.

Suddenly he was reminded of a song that was playing on the radio the other night.

His eyes kept moving up her body until they came into contact, eye-to-eye. His heart was racing for some reason and his mind felt like it was melting. She said something about clothes, a reason for the lack there of, and then moved into his personal space. He didn’t even hear the ridiculous question she purred at him, as he felt so much blood rushing to his face. A little bit of it escaped via his nose so he didn’t die of an aneurism.
Hang in there old boy! You got to fight it! Don’t. Pass. Out!

He couldn’t thank Kami enough when her hair slapped him.

The wet cold with the mild shock of something whip like slapping him in the face was enough to snap the genius’ mind back on track. He jumped a little and gasped before shaking his head to try to get the damn song in his head to stop.
The music of the movie’s opening began to play and fill his senses. The sound of orchestrated strings brought him back into the reality that he had a movie going, there was dinner on the table, and that there was a half naked girl sitting in front of him, basically asking him to play with her hair. Of course he knew how to braid hair. Tama’s hair had once been at the length to do such a thing with and he had mastered quite a few braiding techniques, just so he could say he knew; but to braid a girl’s hair? To actually touch the opposite sex in a semi-intimate way?

Hoo boy.

“Y-yeah, I, hold on a tick,” was that an accent? When did he have an accent?
He moved his hands with a shake up and put them together to slowly roll through three jutsu seals that sent his chakra up from his body and into the air to manipulate it. A small gust of air rolled through the house, throwing his papers everywhere since the clones only cleaned the kitchen. It returned shortly dragging along a box that flipped around continuously, popping the scientist in the knuckle as he timidly reached to grab it. He got it down on his second try before canceling the little gust of wind by severing the link of chakra in the air and his body.
Placing the box on the cushion beside him the youth tried to calm his heart as he opened up the box to reveal a completely gilded comb and brush set. It was something he almost pawned off a week ago before his most recent check came in, and despite how much he loved his combs he now wish he had anyways.

Oh vanity is so cruel.

Carefully he lifted the brush out from the box and lifted her hair up with shaky hands to begin brushing as the movie entered its opening scene which was the main character in the middle of an important assignment from his master. Tama’s breath caught a little as he caught the tattoo that had been so terribly marred into her back and it reminded him suddenly of the terrible things she had gone through in the year she was away. The slight shake in his hands stopped and his heart calmed itself a bit as he began to run the brush through her white hair to get out the larger tangles. He didn’t say a word as he felt like he was going to burst, but the memory of what she had to endure compared to his silly fears kept him from spazzing out as he switched from brush to comb to begin a finer comb through her hair.
His fingers then separated the finely combed hair into two separate strands that he would use to create a double braid – since one just seemed to be too little for her personality, he thought.
It didn’t take him long to finish either once he got control over his hands. Putting the brush set away he took a deep breath and continued to cut the pie up to serve up supper as the movie got into a good action scene.

Tama decided to not mention the tattoo on her back that was so scarred up or the idea of clothes, since he technically hadn’t heard her when she asked for some. He just assumed that she was enjoying herself by tormenting him a little, and he wondered if she had began to notice his little fear of females…

He hoped not, for many different reasons. The priority was of course that she would so use it to mess with him since she seemed to just enjoy teasing him in the first place.

[mft]

 

[Okibi]

The sounds of a movie played in the background as Tama retrieved a box via some nift air manipulating. She had to smile just a little; was it just her or could he hardly do anything without turning it into a spectacle? Not that she minded; she found his antics entertaining. When he pulled a brush out of the box and took it to her hair, Okibi nearly melted into a puddle. Though she had a good few snarls in it that had to be tugged unmercifully to be combed out, the feel of the brush running through her hair, tugging at her sensitive follicles was just so good.

But the shaking in his hands didnt go unnoticed by her, nor did the change in his scent. It wasnt a bad sort of smell that creeped into the fragrance that normally was Tama, but it was . . . odd. On one hand it smelled sort of heady, and made her think of things that should not have scent little thrills rushing up and down her spine, but on the other hand it made her want to turn around, and reassure him that she would never, ever hurt him. Willingly . . . too much, anyway.

Yeah, he was afraid, wasnt he? But, she could also tell that there was a part of him that was intrigued by her state of near nakedness - his scent told her so. That little nose bleed he had a few moments prior was rather telling as well. He was a red blooded male, but he was also afraid on a strange, and mysterious level. Why?

Okibi just had to know.

However, upon moving more of her hair to the side and off her back, Okibi was surprised when the shaking stopped. The fear that had been cloyingly thick in his scent slowly abated and he quickly and efficiently finished off braiding her hair into identical pigtails. Now how did that happen? When he pulled away and bent over their . . . - breakfast? Brunch? - whatever it was, she turned around slowly and watched him with a studious eye. She pulled one of the braids over her shoulder and raise the end to her lips, brushing it over her mouth as she thought.

What was it that made him afraid, she wondered. Was he like this with everyone? Or just her? Humming quietly to herself, Okibi let go of her towel, but made sure it was tucked in securely. She then knelt down next to Tama, settling herself down closely next to him, and ran the end of her braid around the shell of his ear. "So Tami, do your hands shake like that when you touch anybody's hair? Or is it just me?" She asked in an innocent voice. One look at her face - though she tried to make it look just as innocent - would tell anyone that there was nothing casual about it. She was dying to know.

Deciding to take things up just a notch, she dropped her braid and ran one of her metal claws over his ear instead. The coolness from her still wet hair made the metal alarmingly cool. Inching just a little closer to him, she whispered. "Do I scare you . . Tama?" she said, using his actual name for the very first time. It felt odd on her tongue, but not bad.

By now the movie they were supposed to be watching had moved well into it's plot, and Okibi had no idea what was going on. She really couldnt care less though. Solving the mystery that was Tama was much more entertaining.