Following Your Nose [Open]

[Okibi]

She didnt know if shed ever get used to this; living under ground that is. Back in the hospital she hadnt realized it, had only figured that it was dark because it was night time. Come morning though, had she been sorely mistaken. Sogay had come to pick her and Seven up, as her keeper had said he would, and showed them to their new 'home'.

Though, it was unlike any home Okibi had ever known.

What she was used to was sky, wind, trees and earth. Down here, all she got was the earth. That, and large structures made from said earth. At times, Okibi and Seven had to stay in caves because of monsoons and such, but never had she seen such... immensity. It was really quite inspiring, actually, despite the lack of sunlight and wind.

The day (she thought it was daytime anyway) found Okibi sitting by herself outside the... what had Seven said it was called... the Kazukega tower? Something along those lines. She wasnt quite so interested in the name of the place, just that it was her new abode. It called for exploration, and explore she did, following her nose. It had never failed to find her something interesting to do. Or chew.

Waltzing along beside the walls, Okibi had to grind her teeth and dig her claws into her palms to keep herself from tearing off the... clothes that she was wearing. She hated wearing them, absolutely hated it, even though they didnt impede her movements much. She wore a tight pear of what could have been underwear, for all that they covered. They very well might have been, seeing as how Okibi had no idea what she'd been putting on before she left the tower. On her shoulders sat a light, white tank top, which she had shredded from hem to chest, leaving the material to hang in ribbons. It had just been so constricting before...

A scent hit Okibi's nose just then. It was sweet, and floral, not too hard on her nose. She followed the smell, and found herself on the cusp of a nice little patch of flowers. Floral, flowers, of course. She got on her knees and plucked one of the poseys to get a better whiff. Such a lovely smell...

Just then, something inside her snapped. Wouldnt it be nice to have the smell of these flowers all over her? Shed smell great all day long!

Not needing to think about it any further, Okibi launched herself into the flower patch, rolling around like the dog she thought she was.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke was trying to prepare a crash-course in common studies for Obiki while she played. The Steward sat surrounded by books. Dictionaries, children's stories, pop-up books, simple grammar, advanced grammar, and even a mathematics workbook. He was making notes as he kept an eye every once and a while on Okibi. When Sousuke wasn't looking, the child had tossed herself into his parent's garden.

"Sousuke, where is Okibi?"<i></i> His mother inquired. The senior nin was fair for being just forty-two. She had violet hair, with several grey streaks. She was not a puppeteer like her husband but she was exceptional in ninjutsu like he was. Her specialty was in fire jutsu, which of course was ironic since she was known for her patience. The woman looked left and then right, and then spotted Okibi ... in her rose garden. The woman was well aware of the child's inability to understand common but Sousuke was doing his best to attempt to change that, or at least she hoped he would. "Please teach her not to destroy my garden... especially the roses. I must say she is a cute child. I could never get angry with her... but that dog? Hah. Different story."<i></i> She looked around for the beast known as Number Seven. "Where is the freak?"<i></i>

"Around. I let him do as he pleases so long as no screams are heard. If someone screams he knows to track me by scent. He knows the scent of fire-forged steel, and normal steel."<i></i> He looked up from his notes to his mother. "He does have a name. It is formally Number Seven, or Seven."<i></i> Chiyoko snorted. Unlike Judori she still had yet to accept the beast. Judori still showed hesitancy when dealing with the beast, but Chiyoko was repulsed by him. "Okibi!"<i></i> He called out to her waving his free hand. Sousuke's voice was loud, but it did not denote anger or displeasure. He was merely calling her to his side. "Lessons!"<i></i>

 

[Okibi]

She had been right, rolling around in the followers was indeed making her smell delicious. However... somehow she had failed to notice that these particular flowers had thorns. As lovely as she now smelled, the sting of the many scratches she now sported on her skin made the entire experience just a little bitter. Thats what she got for jumping in without much thought she supposed.

Carefully, Okibi pulled herself out of the shrubs and started to pluck the thorns that had embedded themselves in her skin. Just then, she heard a holler come from the direction of the tower, and saw Sousuke waving at her. She had picked up a few things about the humans language, one of which being the way her name was said. The second word that was yelled at her, she wasnt quite sure about. Frowning slightly, she made her way back towards the tower.

On the inside, Number Seven was coming around from heavens only knew where. He'd been just in time to hear Sousuke's mother call him a freak. It was his understanding that the human women didnt like him very much, not that he could really blame her. Sousukes acceptance, and Judori's tolerance were miracles enough. He could only take the females loathing in stride.

"I'm right here ma'am. Was there something you needed?" He asked Chiyoko politely, coming around from behind her. He didnt sound offended whatsoever, simply inquiring.

When Okibi entered he momentarily turned to her and motioned towards the other side of the room with his head. "You'll be having lessons on speaking like the humans today Okibi. Go sit down."

Although the girl had been frowning when she entered, she perked up with what Seven told her. Believe it or not, she actually wanted to learn. Looking rather excited, Okibi scurried over to take a seat, and waited for the teaching to commence.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

"I'm right here ma'am. Was there something you needed?"<i></i>

"A manicure would be nice, so would a stove... but..."<i></i> Chikoyo's eyes shifted to her left seeing a set of red glowing eyes and dark fur. Number Seven's appearance caused Chiyoko to flip out, quite literally. "Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh." She cried as he simply caught her offguard. The woman jumped, rolled forward, did a somersault, strafed left and right, rolled again and then landed on her feet with her arms stretched out ready to block attacks. After realizing said attacks never came she recomposed herself."Y-y-you! You ought to make yourself known when you come in. "<i></i>

Sousuke looked at Number Seven and this his Mother. "He did though. He asked if you needed something..."<i></i> Sousuke from there received a scolding look from his mother which didn't quite register with him. He stared back and realized that at this rate, nothing was going to occur. Sousuke coughed and turned his attention over to Okibi. He took out a flash card with a very big letter A. "A."<i></i> He spoke clearly. "A. A. Ehhhhhh. Eeeeehhhh. A."<i></i> Next came B. "B. B. Beeeeeeeee. B. "<i></i> He then returned to A. "A."<i></i> He turned then to B again. "B."<i></i> He then swapped the order of the two and pointed to Okibi to try. If anything Sousuke had figured that the alphabet would be the easiest thing to start off with. "Join us Number Seven. If you are illiterate which I doubt you are ... then I too will instruct you."<i></i>

 

[Okibi]

Both Number Seven and Okibi found Chiyokos reaction to his appearance to be rather hilarious. If she wasnt careful, they just might make a habit of scaring the living daylights out of her. The giant dog muffled a snort, whereas Okibi didnt try to hide her mirth at all. Seven cleared his throat and addressed the older woman as he went to sit besides Okibi. "I didnt mean to startle you Miss Chiyoko. Next time I will be sure to approach from the front." Whether he was trying to pick fun at her or not, none could be quite sure.

And then they were diving into Okibi's Common lesson. They were starting simple it seemed, with the alphabet. Number Seven listened with half an ear as Sousuke first showed Okibi cards with large letters on them, and then pronounced them for her. The girl was quite intent, watching the cards like her life depended on it. When Sousuke stopped and switched the cards in his hands, Okibi caught on real quick and pointed to them in order. "A." then "B.". Seven smiled proudly, glad that his human was a quick learner.

When Sousuke asked if he wanted to join, Number Seven grinned and shook his head. "Please dont mind me Takahashi Sousuke. My mind is far more developed than your average canine. I am indeed capable of reading, and even writing... although admittedly I am a bit rusty." He looked back at Okibi, who was beginning to look impatient. "If you'd ever like me to help you with her, however, Im at your disposal."

Indeed, Okibi was beginning to twitch in her seat. She got that the picture that looked like a little mountain was an A and that the one with two sideways humps was a B. It was time to move on!

Just then, something buzzed by the window, catching her attention. Her head snapped up, all thoughts of learning flying from the proverbial window in her mind. "Bee!" She barked, and ran at the window. Without a second thought, she jumped through the opening, trying to catch the bee. Why she would want to catch such an insect was anybody's guess.

What Okibi hadnt realized, however, was that the window was perched right above another of those rose patches. With a shrill shriek, she went plummeting into the thorny clutches.

"Ouch ouch ouch!" She yelped. Number Seven, whom hadnt moved a muscle to stop the girl, sighed and shook his head. The girl was going to have to learn one day to look before she leaped. Literally.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Chiyoko's face turned into a frown. "Even if you had come up personally in view ... I don't think that would be good enough for me." She thought that Number Seven was probably planning some sort of devious plot of some sort. He looked like the type to do so anyways, it was only a matter of time before the family household was infested with fleas, or maybe there was an unpleasant surprise in the backyard or something. Chiyoko stared at Number Seven trying to decode and pierce the enigma that he was.

Sousuke almost smiled when Okibi said A and B. "Well done."<i></i> He commended her. Sousuke then watched as the child heard a bee, and then threw herself outside the window and into the remains of his parent's rose garden. Chiyoko face palmed and shook her head. She almost looked to be in pain. Sousuke himself did the same thing a moment later. "I have heard that pain is a ... good teacher too, however, within the realm of infinite logic and quintessential pratickalizationisticalism one should not use the experience method to find out what is and what should not be because of ... "<i></i> Sousuke's eyes narrowed. His mother was giving him that look, which meant that he was no longer comprehendible due to his theories and practices being outside of the realm of natural understanding.

Sousuke went out to collect Okibi and then they returned to studies. He went through the alphabet entirely making special emphasis on R, W, V, and X. "Double U. Vee. EX.<i></i> Sousuke went over the alphabet three titles total and then went onto numbers. He held up one finger, then two, then three and explained them to her, and even wrote them out for her. When he goes to Seven he pointed to the canine, but made a very important note that seven meant five fingers, and an additional two. After single digits, then slightly became complicated. "Ten. Eleven. Twelve."<i></i> Sousuke took to pen and paper to make Okibi understand these numbers as he thought showing them with his hands would be exceptionally difficulty.

 

[Okibi]

Number Seven ignored Chiyokos scathing words, and watched as Sousuke brought back in a wincing Okibi. She was carefully plucking thorns out of her arms and legs. He grinned, and couldnt help making a jab at her. "Maybe now you'll look before leaping, hm?" The girl looked up and growled as she pulled out the last thorn and returned to her seat.

And back into the studies they dove. Seven put his head down on his paws and listened as the humans went over the alphabet, and then some numbers. He hated to think it, but he felt that Sousuke was going just a little slow. When he peered towards Okibi, he saw that his suspicions were correct, as impatience was beginning to set in on her features. She was learning, yes, but so quickly that she was becoming impatient with the slow progress. She wanted to be able to talk like the rest of them, soon!

It didnt help that what they were going over was rather boring too.

Letting out a deep sigh, Okibi continued to repeat the things that Sousuke said, while filing them away in her mind along with the beast speech equivalents. Matching what she learned with what she already knew made the learning just that much easier. Her attention started to veer off course and she turned her head slightly to look at the books that were stacked up around them. A picture on the cover of one caught her interest, and she reached over to snatch up the leather bound book.

Okibi studied the picture on the cover, that of a large animal that resembled the worms she sometimes found in the ground after a heavy rainfall. The one on the cover of the book, however, did not look nearly as harmless as those dirt dwellers.

Becoming rather excited, she turned the book to Sousuke and pointed at the large worm on the cover. "What is this?" She growled, not knowing how to ask in human. Number Seven rose an eyebrow, and translated for her.

"She wishes to know what that on the cover is."

(Maybe they can go on a field trip now or something. 8D)

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke exchanged glances with the growling Okibi and Number Seven. They were speaking in that canine language again. Apparently Okibi was interested in the fairytale of the slaying of Barnyx. Sousuke scratched his head. He took the book and skimmed it for a moment. Again he traded looks between Number Seven and Okibi. "Sandworm."<i></i> He began trying to show the immense size of the creature with his hands but he was limited in this. At best he was conveying that the creature was bigger than he was.

It was then another teaching concept struck Sousuke. He took Number Seven by the paw and Okibi by the hand. He led them outside and directly to the sandbox. The Steward stood there for a moment and went away only to return with a box. He took out some toy soldiers and placed them in the box. He then placed the box bottom up in the sandbox and left it there for a moment. The sounds of digging occurred as he awaited and once the noise stopped he removed the box. "Translate, if you'd be so kind Number Seven. Right so... this is going to be a recreation of the events of that book. Okibi needs to understand that this sandbox is the world above, and that these toy soldiers represent you and me. Not literally you and me as in Takakhashi Sousuke and the Number Seven, but humans in particular."<i></i> The toy soldiers sprung to life and began trying to create a sand castle. They were almost done when a creature from underground emerged. This creature was a toy sandworm which destroyed the castle and caused the toy soldiers to run around like maniacs. Eventually they all stopped moving around in circles and tried attacking the sandworms. Most of them failed in doing so. The sandworm toy trashed about and toy parts were sent flying everywhere. "They are dangerous. Very dangerous ... but humans eventually won out."<i></i> After several attempts at trying to slay the beast the toy soldiers did indeed win out, except they had constructs better weapons to do so. They then proceeded to tear the toy sandworm apart and began making houses out of it. Sousuke raised an eyebrow. "We live in the maw of a dead sandworm, but I hope you two get the point. They are massive. Massive and dangerous."<i></i>

 

[Okibi]

"Sandywarm." Okibi attempted pronouncing the word Sousuke said. It came out wrong, of course, as most of her words did. There was no time to correct her as Sousuke was suddenly pulling the girl and Number Seven by their hand/paws out the door. Seven stumbled and nearly fell on his face, having only the one other front paw to walk on. Hopping along, he was about to ask where they were going when the Steward brought them to a sandbox... Why was there a sandbox there?

Okibi crawled forward on her arms and legs and sniffed at the sandbox. She watched with interest as Sousuke, who had left, returned with a box. Out of the box he pulled what looked to her like little human men. Curious, she leaned forward over the sandbox as the real human put the fake humans on the sand, and then placed the box over them.

After being asked to, Number Seven translated what Sousuke said to them, telling Okibi that what they were about to see would be a reenactment of what happened in the book that Okibi was interested in. She watched with wide green eyes as the mini humans came to life, and started to build a large structure out of the sand. Cocking her head, she reached in and tried to pick up some of the sand, but failed as it fell easily through her fingers. How were the fake humans making it stay like that?

She didnt have time to ask as suddenly there was a rumble beneath the toy soldiers, and a toy sized worm, like the one on the book, tore through the sand and humans. Her interest was peaked, and she only half heard Seven as he continued to translated for Sousuke. Dangerous, massive blah blah blah. The little show in front of her was so much more interesting than what they were saying. Especially the big worm that was destroying everything around it.

Okibi was almost sad when the fake humans eventually won.

Looking at the remains of the battle, and the 'dead' sandworm, Okibi quietly growled something at Seven. The giant dog narrowed his gaze questioningly at the human girls back, but when she didnt turn around, he looked at Sousuke. "She want's to know if there are any sandworms near here. Live ones." Why that was, he was afraid of the answer. Knowing his human, her reasons couldnt possibly be good.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke nodded his head, Okibi didn't quite get the word out properly, but it was at least good progression. He patted her on the head slowly and calmly. Usually this is how one rewarded another for doing well, or at this was how it went for children. Then of course came the question from Number Seven. Although he didn't say anything at first, he spent several seconds wondering why she would ask that question. "Sandworms haven't been seen in ages. I think Judori saw one when he was maybe six or seven?"<i></i> Chiyoko piped up. "I think he was only telling me that to impress me."<i></i> Sousuke raised an eyebrow and his mother simply waved her hand at him. "This was back when we were dating. You weren't even thought of yet."<i></i>

Sousuke said nothing. He stared at his mother trying to figure out where she was going with this. After deciding she was going nowhere with this, he finally spoke. "Riiiiight."<i></i> He began, "That is to say... I don't know. Why are we even asking this question? You're not thinking of trying to domesticate them are you?"<i></i> Sousuke looked to Number Seven hoping that he could be able to dissuade the child from trying to do anything dangerous. "I think she would have an easier time domesticating a pony."<i></i>

Sousuke paused for a moment as he was now trying to think of how to return the realm of teaching. While this diversion was if anything resourceful ... the concept of teaching Okibi the basics was derailed. At the very least he could teach her how to spell the word. "Sandworm. S-A-N-D W-O-R-M."<i></i> Sousuke then motioned to Okibi to repeat after him, letter by letter. "S. A. N. D. W. O. R. M."<i></i>

 

[Okibi]

The pat on the head surprised Okibi. No one had ever done that before, not surprising since she had only ever been with Number Seven until recently. He wasnt human, so couldnt have really ever done that act. It took a hand to pat a person so nicely. Okibi found that she liked the sensation that came about very much.

So when the opportunity came to possibly receive another one - because she realized it was a reward of sorts - she jumped into the mini lesson. Sousuke was spelling out the word Sandworm for her, and Okibi listened intently. When he finished, she picked up a small stick and started to write in the sand of the sandbox. The letters were crooked and shaky, because she had never attempted writing before, but nonetheless there they were. It wasnt so hard remembering the letters and their shapes.

Pulling back, Okibi smiled widely and looked up at Sousuke. "Sandworm!" She declared, over pronouncing the 'o' just a bit. Getting impatient, she nabbed Sousuke's hand and poised it over the top of her head, waiting for a pat.

All the while Number Seven considered what the humans said about the sandworms, including his human. Why did she want to know if any live ones existed today? Perhaps he was going to have to have a talk with her later. He didnt like the way she had been so quiet when she asked about them. His human was never so quiet... His gaze turned to Chiyoko.

"You're sure that none have been seen recently?" He asked her. He at least wanted to make sure that the girl wasnt going to find anything, should she desire to go looking, as he suspected.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

"You're sure that none have been seen recently?"

Just as Number Seven had said this something else was stirring from the sandbox. At first it seemed like a sink hole but something massive erupted from the sandbox totally obliterating it. Sand was sent flying everywhere and Number Seven's worst fear had manifested being a live sandworm. It seemed a bit small and coloured differently from the one in the book. Its colouring was grey and it looked a bit too shiny. The creature raised at least three meters towering all that were there. Considering the size of Barnyx, wasn't this sandworm a bit small?

The creature made its way over to Okibi, and rose itself to its maximum height. The creature opened its mouth revealing something slightly strange, and inside working of gears... which seemed slightly off. The sandworm still continued to open its mouth until a loud humming was heard followed by red beam of fire and lightning chakra was fired cutting off part of the jaw. The jaw fell to the floor revealing more mechanical workings. Something was certainly off in this display.

If Number Seven and Okibi were to turn around they would see a slightly taller Sousuke incased in a metallic frame. He still wore his white coat and pants, but his hands were metallic as was his face. His eyes could be seen beneath yellow glass lenses in the face plate. Sousuke held in one hand a black sword, and his free hand was pointing to the jaw of said sandworm. In the centre of his hand was a smoking hole. One would think that the beam that was fired off earlier originated from Sousuke's hand. "Father... I am displeased. Punking us with the sandworm puppet isn't advisable."<i></i> Sousuke then did one handed seals and continued to blast the jaws off of the puppet sandworm. "You've probably terrified mother. You've perhaps got Number Seven mentally stressed. The sand has caused a bigger mess than Okibi jumping into the rose bush."<i></i>

Judori popped his head out from the hole that the puppet sandworm had come from. "You're a real kill joy sometimes." The bald headed man hopped out of the hole and looked around. Chiyoko could be found behind Number Seven with her hands grabbing his fur. Once she remembered where she was she let go of Number Seven and proceeded to very speedily put a great deal of distance between herself and the giant canine. "I see your mother has grown used to Number Seven... at any rate I hope I truly didn't scare any of you?"

 

[Okibi]

You would think that the appearance of the large gray sandworm would surprise Okibi, perhaps excite her. Completely to the contrary, the worms sudden presence greatly annoyed the girl. Not only did it steal the attention of everyone around her, thus keeping anyone from seeing that she had SPELLED OUT sandworm in the sand, but it had also DECIMATED her hard work! When the thing loomed over her, mouth gaping and gizmos wirring, she showed no fear; only anger. She was, after all, a predator and predators did not show fear. Only caution.

But at the moment she wasnt even feeling that. She was about to launch herself at the creature when a sudden bolt of light and fire took of part of it. Okibi jumped back, not expecting the intrusion. She whipped around, and saw that Sousuke was wearing his weird metal suit. Okibi's eyes fell and her shoulders slumped. Apparently he was going to get to have all the fun.

As the Steward made quick work of the sandworm, Okibi plopped back down on the ground and crossed her arms, pouting. Now she was without recognition for her language achievement, AND vengeance on the worm that took it.

From where he stood, Number Seven watched calmly. At first, the appearance of the worm had nearly propelled him into action. The protection of his human came first over anything else. But then, he had smelled Judori's scent emanating from the hole whence the worm came. Deciding that the metalic creature must have been a construct, he left things to play out as they would. What he hadnt quite been expecting was for Sousuke to practically blast the worm to smithereens. That man and his armor... His eyes roamed over to Okibi, whom was still pouting rather childishly.

"Whats the matter? Did you want a go at the worm?" He asked with a low rumble, teasing the girl. Okibi just growled and refused to look at him. It was then that Seven noticed the weight of someones hands on his fur, and seeing as how Okibi was in front of him, and Sousuke was still over there with his yellow eyes and Judori was in the hole... that left one person. Number Seven turned his head just in time to see Chiyoko scurry away, but laughed all the same. "Ma'am, I am honored that you trusted me to protect you."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

"Ma'am, I am honored that you trusted me to protect you."

Chiyoko coughed. "Yes well uhm..."</B><i></i> Chiyoko faltered. She ran her hands through her violet hair trying to form a pony tail. "Well you know... I was trying to protect you really. Except you're kinda heavy. I can't quite lift you up. Drag maybe but ... yeah. I knew Sousuke would have protected Okibi. That's a natural, but you, you're old and fragile." She stated. Again she coughed weakly. "I'm full of surprises you know. I'm hot stuff."<i></i> She formed hand seals and summoned a fire bird that simply spun around her.

"Oh yes. This I know, more than most." Judori piped up. The puppeteer had a great big smile on his face. "You're a real blaze you know! And that's why nothing is ever boring with you Blazey!"

Sousuke shot Number Seven a look. It would not be a surprise to say that beneath his faceplate he had a very bored look on his face as his parents made lovey-dovey. The Steward was slightly embarrassed when they got this way, especially in front of others. Sousuke's metallic palm met his metallic face creating a clank noise. The Steward made away from his playful parents over to Okibi who seemed very upset. They were making good progress, and Okibi was learning very quickly. The Steward lowered himself down to her level and formed some hand seals. He opened his palm with the same fiery lightning beam which he created a heart symbol. He made a fist and stuck out his thumb, he motioned back to his parents who were huggling each other. "Love. L. O.V.E. I'm not sure how to fully describe the word. It's complicated..." The Steward then did what Okibi had wanted before the situation with his father's puppet and patted her on the head again for what she had done earlier. She earned two pats on the head this time. She spoke the word and even spelt it out. Sousuke then pointed to his metallic frame. "Armour. A.R.M.O.U.R." Sousuke formed more hand seals and with his beam technique drew a picture of himself in the ground, then he drew a picture of himself as he was now which was slightly larger. He then drew a picture of a monster attacking him without armour and drew a picture of himself with a missing arm that was in the mount of said monster. Then he drew a picture of how the armour enabled him to defeat said creature. Then Sousuke drew a picture of Number Seven. Then he drew an armoured picture of Number Seven with cannons sticking out of his back with kunai for teeth. <B>"I had once thought about mounting kunai cannons onto Kitchenzilla's back ... but the design would make her too heavy. Her back supports aren't strong enough, but I think... yours would be."<i></i>

 

[Okibi]

Number Seven blinked, disrupting the glow of his eyes for a second. Old and fragile? Him? He snorted as he started walking towards Okibi. "I am neither old nor fragile. I'm in my prime and my bones are made of steel." Quite literally, they were. Nobody knew, even Okibi, about the experiment that made him the enormous monster he is today. Sadly, whatever the good doctor had done to him hadnt affected his bones. They couldnt produce more mass fast enough; they stretched too thin and became brittle. Thus, his bones had been replaced with steel replicas. Suffice it to say, the huge dog couldnt ever go swimming in deep water now.

Number Seven laid down next to the mulish Okibi, nudging her with his flank when Sousuke restarted her lesson. He rather liked this technique; introducing her to a word and then spelling it out. Learning vocabulary was one of the fundamentals, after all. He looked up at the cooing pair of humans when Sousuke tried to teach Okibi the world 'love'. Indeed, that was a hard one to explain... "Love is a feeling you have for someone that is dear to you. It's also an action. When you love someone, you want to protect them, provide for them. Love is what I have for you Okibi." He looked down at the girl when he said the last part. Smiling, he repeated it in human. "Seven loves Okibi."

Okibi looked away from Sousuke's light show and his failed attempt at explaining to her, and slowly smiled at Number Seven. If there was any way to get her out of a bad mood, that was definitely one. She thought about what he said, and carefully tried to reply. "Okibi love Seven."

A thought occurred to the girl, and she turned to look back at Sousuke. "Sogay love?" Does Sousuke love someone? Was what she was trying to ask. She'd never seen him interact with anyone the way he parents did with each other after all.

Her question was ignored when Sousuke started explaining his armor to her. Put out, and annoyed once more, Okibi hardly paid attention as he started to draw things out in the dirt. Her curiosity got the better of her though, and by the end she was watching with rapt attention. The last picture looked like Number Seven, but different. Okibi couldnt help laughing. Number Seven looked a little confused, and a bit wary. He looked at Sousuke with that wariness in his fake glass eyes.

"I do not wish to have canons implanted in my back Takahashi Sousuke. I have had my fill of experimentation for this lifetime."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

To Sousuke's surprise Number Seven's bone were steel. The Steward's mind proceeded to run laps around itself as he imagined a weaponized Number Seven. That of course came to a sudden stop when Number seven said no to the cannons. The Steward paused as his mind simply raced back a few moments. Okibi seemed to understand love. This was good. She also grasped the concept that love was a physical and emotional thing. This was also good. It also seemed that Number Seven and Okibi loved each other.

"Sogay love?"<i></i>

"No."<i></i> The word came out before he could even realize he had said it. The spoken word was cold and harsh. It gave him pause. "Not romantically at least. Not that I am consistently consciously aware of."<i></i> He clarified. Once again there was a word that Okibi would not be aware of. "Number Seven please explain the concept of romantic love to her. I do not think I am capable of explaining it ... only through it being a scientific matter which is an imbalance of a chemical sort in one's mind. I do love my parents but that is a bond that is natural and most sacred. The both of you are gradually progressing into a sort of family bond too."<i></i> The Steward went silent for a moment as he considered the concept of love. Romantic love to be more precise. He created a picture of his parents, himself, Okibi and Number Seven. A sort of family unit. From left to right it went Judori, Chiyoko, Okibi, Number Seven, then himself. The Steward wondered who would have filled the spot next time him. Tia? She was abusive in both a physical and emotional nature, brash, flirtatious, and at the very least questionable. A teenage friend, but romantic love interest? Sousuke was not sure. He didn't feel anything much for her, but she did make him feel warm.

After a long silence, the Steward exhaled. The yellow lenses were glowing brightly as to show his frustration. He charged up and blasted the remains of a block of wood from the broken sandbox. The block of wood was simply evaporated. The ground was slightly darkened and was sizzling. The concept of Tia's nature and his own nature baffled him. "I don't know. Romantic love is something I simply lack the capacity to comprehend in its fullest form. The chemical imbalance, the mental imbalance, it ... it ... it is something I am not ... accustomed to."<i></i> Sousuke knew that Okibi didn't understand, and he doubted Number Seven understood it either, but at least the canine would understand the concept of romantic love. "I think ... it is time to take the lesson elsewhere. Love is a concept I lack the ability to discuss with at length. I apologize for the lesson getting taken off track."<i></i>

 

[Okibi]

Okibi watched Sousuke with a dull expression as he started to prattle about things that she couldnt understand. She was only just learning this stuff, or did he forget? The human came to his senses when he asked Seven to explain to her just what he was trying to talk about. For a moment, the dog just sat and watched with an amused expression as Sousuke not only seemed to be getting frustrated, but then released that frustration by obliterating a harmless piece of wood. Neither Okibi nor he were moved by the spectacle, though they did share a couple of grins.

For someone who claimed to be more lifeless than the toys he made, he could certainly get angry couldnt he?

As the human continued to rant and think out loud, Seven turned to Okibi and tried his hand at explaining romantic love. Quietly he began to talk as Sousuke drew pictures of their 'family' in the dirt. "You see Judori and Chiyoko over there? What they have for each other is what's known as a romantic love. It's different from what I feel for you, or what you feel for me. We protect each other because we are kin, brought together by nature itself. But those two." He looked up and over at the pair. "They are... mates." At this, Okibi's eyes widened. Indeed, she knew what it meant to be mates. In the wild, there were few animals that mated for life; those that became life partners. They lived for each other, protected each other. "With human's it's a bit different. There's a different sort of feeling that's hard to explain... I'm not human, even if I do have the brain of one."

Seven looked back down at Okibi and smiled warmly, though there was a hint of hesitation in the set of his brow. "One day... you will find out for yourself what that feels like. When you do, you will understand." His words sounded just a bit grim, making Okibi raise an eyebrow. It sounded like he didnt fully like the idea. Consolingly she patted him on one of his large paws.

"Dont worry Seven. If you dont want me to find a mate, then I wont." Simple as that. Number Seven laughed at her naivety.

"You know, Takahashi Souske, you can become quite spectacularly angry, for someone with 'less life than a toy'." Seven jested as he rose to all fours, referring to that conversation they'd had in the hospital not long ago. Okibi caught a few words in that sentence, and chuckled, pointing at Sousuke's metal face. "Sogay angry!" She declared. Seven continued to grin. "I think that is great progress for you, even if you dont quite understand love. But I digress. Yes, let us move on with Okibi's lesson."

(I dont really know where else we can go with this, so unless you have something up your sleeve, feel free to end this with your next post.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

When confronted with the concept that he was angry, Sousuke answered accordingly. "I assure you Number Seven, my facial muscles have not moved in any way to formulate a frown, smile, or anything that would indicate a proper facial expression. My facial expression has not changed, just like my face plate. Given our limited time in the presence of each other I think this is the first outburst you have ever seen of me. It does not occur often."<i></i> The Seward sighed. "The day you meet Toraono Tia, is the day you understand my frustrations. How do you properly interpret a flirt who constantly calls you lover? I do not expect you to advise me in the matter of love, merely to understand my plight."<i></i>

One last word for today, Sousuke thought. He spelt it out for Okibki in the ground. That word would be today's challenge. No prior pronunciation, merely the word itself. That word was the feeling that Sousuke felt at this moment in time. Frustration. A complex word, to end the day. Not nearly as complex as the concept of love or romantic love for that matter, but a challenge enough for Okibi to end the day on. Sousuke made a gesture at the words in order for her to have a try.

 

[Okibi]

"Just because your face didnt change doesnt mean you didnt get angry." Number Seven said simply as Souske wrote a word in the dirt. The humans silence indicated that he wanted Okibi to figure the word out for herself, with only the knowledge she already had of the alphabet, and how the letters sounded. They would see just how she did.

Okibi stared at the word, long and hard, trying to sound it out. She crossed her arms and wrinkled her brow as she tried. "F-roo-s-t-ray-t-eye-on." That didnt sound right to her... Somehow Okibi just knew she was getting it wrong.

Without even knowing the meaning of the word, the definition of it started to well within the young red head. Her frustration was mounting, and eventually, she threw her hands up and barked into the... underground.

"I give up!" And with that, she went racing off to find something, perhaps some vegetation, that she could take her anger out on.

Seven watched her go with a dumbfounded look. She had been on the right track, but for some reason, lost her marbles. That temper of hers was certainly going to get the better of her one day. Sighing, Seven looked at Sousuke. "I will go get her and try to calm her down." He said apologetically before calmly walking in Okibi's direction.

It looked like the days lesson was over.

[Topic Concluded]