In the Deep Places of the World [Private]

[Okibi]

A lilting tune played out of a little radio she had perched on a small table in the living room; it was peppy, something she could easily dance to. Spread out on the table were multiple instruments and tools, all of which used for nail care, or in her case, claw care. Files, clippers, a small tool for scraping out the bits of dirt that collected there, and even a small array of bottles filled with bright paints. Okibi slowly filed away at the tip of her pointer finger, sharpening the tip. Methodically she worked, taking care to be very precise with what she was doing.

At least, thats how it looked from behind. From the front one could see that she looked very distracted, slowly working, but with her mind wandering elsewhere. Seven lounged behind her on the couch, watching her with half lidded eyes. He knew what was bothering her, and he knew why she didnt do anything about it.

Sousuke had come home from a mission, scared out of his mind and nearly insane with the fear. What it was that frightened him so badly, neither of them knew. They'd yet to go see him.

And thats what was bothering his human, Seven knew. She wanted to go to him, but held herself back because she was unsure. Normally she wouldnt not have given a second thought, but with the state that Sousuke was in . . . well, he didnt blame her for hesitating. She, better than anyone, knew how fragile a mind in such a frightened state could be.

"He'll be fine in time. Just like you." He said, not even bothering to raise his head from his paws. Okibi didnt look up, nor did she stop what she was doing. He was pretty sure she didnt even hear him. Seven sighed.

Humans.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Kitchy with some manner of haste ran into the room, or tried to. The husky shot by the door frame as she put on the breaks. The canine made her way back and entered the room. "We have a slight problem... I think Sousuke is going to start playing cello soon. If he does that he's going to do something experimental and play it not with a bow, but with a knife or something. You two weren't here for it, but back with Kitanai swore at him and actually got him angry, he started doing some really strange and different things ... like playing music that was completely disharmonious on purpose. He's drawing pictures in his room of all sorts of monsters ... and I heard that he was thinking of moving things in his room like hanging his bed upside down with chains or something."<i></i> The Husky looked to Seven and then to Okibi. "He's also become hyper-observant and is talking things about particular humans that I don't want to hear about ... like how Shinji's promiscuous activity will eventually lead him to being cursed, or hexed, or ... zapped by Hakumei, or how Shizune will crush his skull in with a headbutt. Then he's going on about how Yume is subjected to the longing gazes and oogling of many men, and how he thinks he's odd man out."<i></i> The Husky paused for a moment as that was quite a bit to take in. "I think he's seeing things too... he claims that there is a bat or something in his room... what's a bat for that matter anyways?"<i></i>

***

Sousuke was indeed in his room. His left hand was shaking. Always it was shaking. It only stopped shaking after he had drank quite a bit. His eyes narrowed and looked upwards and something dark fly across the room. Something small with leathery wings, it had a rodent's face but its eyes were off as they were red. "Are you toying with me, or are you even afraid of me?"<i></i> Sousuke grumbled as he worked at his desk. He was drawing again. Working on another squid faced humanoid drawing. His room was littered with drawings of this creature. Twenty pictures of said fiend was on the ground, and then another fifteen of the minions that served the fiend. The Steward's eyes narrowed as he turned back to his work. He hadn't slept and his eyes were heavy with sleep. Again the creature flickered across the room. Sousuke slammed his left hand down. "Damnit."<i></i> He swore, "Either become of use, or cease and desist. Go haunt someone else."<i></i> Sousuke's left hand again started to shake. Sousuke with his right hand held down his left hand to stop the shaking. "Fiend wore a crown of flesh and was attended to, the six of them bowed before it and ... "<i></i> He stopped talking. His eyes narrowed and focused on a large bottle of alcohol in the corner of the room. It was a birthday gift from Lord Nobu. The bottle had remained full, until now. In the last twenty-four hours over a quarter of it was gone. The only thing that stopped his left hand from shaking was drinking. That Sousuke found out quickly. Angrily he reached out grabbed the bottle and drank directly from it. He winced slightly and closed his eyes. The fluttering had stopped for a moment. The thing in question retreated to the corner of the room, it hissed at him and tucked itself in.

 

[Okibi]

Okibi was just attempting to paint a coat of peach colored polish on her thumb when Kitchy appeared in the room, barking. The sudden noise made the girl jump, and thus smearing the polish over the back of her hand. She sighed softly as she worked on getting it off with an alcohol soaked cotton ball. She turned to look at Kitchy as she did so, her eyebrows up in her hairline as the dogs worries sank in. It sounded like Sousuke was worse off than either she or Seven thought, and it was starting to worry the Stewards dog.

Okibi hadnt even seen him yet and she was already worried out of her mind.

Setting her things aside, Okibi stood up and dusted off her backside. "A bat is an animal; like a rat with wings. Stay here with Seven." She instructed quietly before making her way down the hall, walking on her tip toes. When she reached Sousuke's room she eased the door open and peaked inside. She was just in time to see him slam one of his hands on his work table and bark at something over head. Okibi looked up at his ceiling but saw nothing there.

Anyone else would have called the Steward crazy, but Okibi knew better. Fear, and a lack of sleep could make a person see things, terrible things sometimes. When she'd gotten back to the village almost two years ago she could hardly sleep for ten minutes at a time without being awakened by a night terror. She assumed it was much the same for Sousuke. His trembling told her that much at least.

Easing the door open just a little more, Okibi squeezed herself in then shut it behind her. Sousuke reached for a bottle of alcohol and took a swig straight from it, making her raise an eyebrow. The Steward she knew was never one for over indulging; was his fear really so bad?

"Sogay." She called softly, walking over to stand beside him. She reached out and pinched the hem of his shirt with her metal claws, tugging it to get his attention. She wouldnt be surprised if he was so far gone right now that he didnt even notice her. The pictures he was drawing were rather grotesque. They made her worry.

 

[Mikaboshi]

As Okibi came into the Steward's room and advanced towards him through the dim room, she would likely become aware of the second presence which lingered in the room. Mikaboshi stood with his back against the wall and his arms folded across his chest; his eyes shut in thought in a rare moment of exposure for the ANBU Sennin. He wore neither mask nor shadows to veil his features as he had become infamous for doing; he no longer required his mask to contain his subconscious energy and simply did not need to cover his face in the way that he would when he was on duty. His right eye opening lazily as Okibi came into the room, the Sennin took notice of her and then seemed to be lost once more in the pensive expression on his narrow features.

The ANBU Sennin had felt it when Sousuke had experienced the traumatic sight of the creature. He was not psychic and had no memories of his own of the being that Sousuke had seen but he'd felt the shock of it through the empathetic link that they shared. Even now as Sousuke sucked down booze from the mouth of the bottle, Mikaboshi felt the link between them strain. He had a few guesses as to what had happened but Sousuke was in no state to be questioned about his experience. At first Mikaboshi had theorized the Steward had come under catastrophic psychic attack from an assassin which prompted him to come to Sousuke's side at once. But upon finding the Steward alive and physically unharmed, the ancient was perplexed at what was causing the sensation between them. His attention had been drawn swiftly to the drawings which Sousuke churned out and Mikaboshi had a portion of his answer.

The drawings were of a squid-like creature, bloated in it's monstrosity, which wore upon it's twisted visage a crown of human skin. He didn't recognize it but he recognized it's absurdity. He could only truly guess until Sousuke was more lucid but the effects of experiencing it led Mikaboshi to believe that Sousuke had somehow come into contact with an Outsider. Even a being such as Mikaboshi feared outsiders. They were monsters which existed outside of reality; abominations which defied every natural and supernatural law by their very existence. They could tear the veil of reality with their minds alone. What Sousuke was experiencing wasn't the after-effects of fear. No... not it wasn't fear. That wasn't quite the feeling as it went deeper than that. What Sousuke had seen would have killed most men. But where could the Steward-Kazekage have encountered such a monster? And why was it in Sunagakure, of all places? Questions that tore at Mikaboshi's mind. If he'd found an outsider then they could all be in very real danger.

Eyeing Okibi as she came into the room, Mikaboshi made no attempt to stop her. She was no immediate threat to the vulnerable Steward.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke sat there glaring at the bat. He gritted his teeth. He reached for something to throw at it, but then he heard something... or did he. He blinked. He lowered his gaze back to his desk, and returned to his work. Okibi tugged on his shirt, it took him a moment to realize that it was her who was calling him. He very slowly turned his head to his side. "Bioki."<i></i> He spoke in a low tone. It took a moment to realize his error. His voice wasn't slurred or anything. No it was crystal clear. "Okibi."<i></i> He corrected himself. The voice was again low. That was her name right? Yes. Yes it was. The Steward's mind focused upon memories. Memories of their several events. Happy, sad, indifferent. Yes. The memory began to play like an old recording. Okibi back when she had bright red hair. Sousuke teaching her lessons, and then when Okibi opened her mouth to speak, that insane jabbering of a thousand voices came out. It was sheer maddening. Sousuke's mind virtually reeled back, and disconnected itself from the memory. "Damnit. It's befuddled, confused, damaged. It's not what it was. Broken. Discontinued."<i></i> He said before taking another drink from the bottle. "Despised answer to problems."<i></i> He spoke referring to the drink now. Again he focused upon another memory. The engagement party for Kuro. Mikaboshi holding an enemy in a stranglehold. Speaking to them brusquely. The words coming out, and then again. The voice of the thousands.

Sousuke held his head in both of his hands. Why was everything so tampered? He was distracted again by the shriek of the bat. The bat flew across the room again. Sousuke turned his head and noticed that Mikaboshi was present. When did he get here? "BoshiMika..."<i></i> The name slightly inverted. Why was he inverting the names of those he knew so well. "Mikaboshi."<i></i> He corrected himself like in the case of Okibi a few moments ago. "The MkIII is still intact. Damage was minimal save for a few scrapes. Stomach acid not as potent ... even for a mutated one."<i></i> He spoke of the fused form with the ebon blade. The form was vicious, destructive, and very unlike Sousuke. "I tore myself out of the earth. The fangs. Larger than what they should be."<i></i> He tried describing the mutated sand shark that nearly made a meal out of him. He had yet to mention it was a sand shark who was a big part in fiasco. "My ward, present, precious, ... my anbu sennin, mentor, adviser. Seven once met him five years ago. Briefly at the start of all things. ... ... I clawed myself out at the thought of you two and many more."<i></i> His voice was not monotone. The Steward seemed distracted as he spoke. He was trying to do too many things at once in his current state. Introduce two people, reject the voices of the thousands, properly remember things with untainted thoughts. "Seven is not as sacred a number as we think it is. There were six that attended it. Six. They bent the knee, and it devoured them one by one, and grew in size and power. I grew angry and shouted at it. Idle threats."<i></i> Sousuke crumbled up the picture. He stopped, and then unfolded it. Not sure what to do next.

 

[Okibi]

She wasnt sure why she didnt notice him the moment she opened the door. Perhaps she was too consumed with worry for her surrogate father, but even then, not noticing the guy standing in the corner of Sousuke's room was a very big oversight on her part. What kind of ninja was she, to enter a room that could have had a threat in it? What kind of ninja was she - with a sense of smell better than any others no less - not to have sensed him when she was out in the hallway!?

This man was unfamiliar to her, and although he was making no hostile moves towards Sousuke, that didnt mean there werent any coming. Growling softly in her throat, Okibi stepped in front (or behind, whatever) Sousuke, blocking him from the strangers view. Sousuke wasnt that much larger than she was, so it wasnt too hard of a task to accomplish. Her face twisted into a feral half-snarl as she sized up the stranger; dark hair, pale skin, gold eyes. Nothing out of the ordinary here. "Who are you?" She asked, or rather, demanded. Sousuke talked some sort of jibber jabber behind her about it being damaged and confused. She could only assume that the 'it' he was referring to was himself; Bioki? Really? He was worse off than she thought.

But then she was surprised when Sousuke named the man in the corner, at first getting it messed up like he had with her, only to correct himself a moment later. Okibi's stance relaxed just a little as . . . 'introductions' were made. She had to give Sousuke props for being capable of even that much with the state he was in.

So he was one of the three sennin, leader of his respective branch. She'd heard of them, but had only had the honor of meeting Kuro, the main branch sennin, a few years ago when her hair was still red. One of her snowy eyebrows lifted on her forehead; how had she gone so long living in the village (never mind that she'd lost one full year) without ever meeting the other two? And this one, Sousuke's mentor? Why was she only now learning this?

Questions for another time, right now there were bigger fish to fry.

Turning back around, Okibi glanced at the crumpled paper in Sousuke's hands and then gingerly took it from him. She sat it down on his work table amongst all the others and took one of his hands - the one that was shaking. Cupping it between the cold of her mechanical hand and the warmth of the flesh one, she pulled him towards his bed and urged him to sit down. Once he was seated, she stood directly in front of him and hunkered down in squat. With over exaggerated movements, so he would see what she was doing, she curled her hands around his calves and rubbed them gently. There was a time when she couldnt not have handled such a touch if she wanted to; the fear was too great. Now, she didnt know how she could ever have gone so long without the touch of her loved ones. Being able to feel them, in ever sense of the word, brought her comfort. She wasnt sure who she was trying to comfort right now, herself or her packmate.

What was she supposed to do? How was she supposed to help him? Okibi didnt have the first clue. "What do you need?" She asked Sousuke, her words deliberate and enunciated. She didnt know if his messed up mind would mess up what she said too. "Anything. Whatever it is. Tell me."

 

[Mikaboshi]

"I am the Steward's retainer." Explained Mikaboshi as he leaned off of the wall, disappeared from sight briefly and then reappeared drifting near where Sousuke sat, examining him as he rambled. Being so close to him physically, Mikaboshi could feel the stress of the Sousuke's experience weighing down on his mind bleeding through their mental link. It wasn't as strong as before but Sousuke's whole mental presence was like a raw nerve exposed to the air. Each thought that passed through Sousuke's mind as he struggled against the confusion was agony for him.

Sadly there was little that anyone could do the Steward directly. Psychic wounds were not like physical ones. Damage wrought upon a human's body could be mended-- for the most part --with relative ease. Minor wounds could be fixed in minutes if not moments by skilled healers. Even things like broken bones, if not en masse, could be healed quickly enough. But strain forced upon a person's mind was not like that. The only thing that could mend psychic pain was willpower and time. It would be like climbing a jagged wall with his teeth but Sousuke would need to struggle through his own pain.

"Focus on clearing your mind." Mikaboshi advised. Outsiders were creatures that existed outside of the reality that humans and ancients shared. It's very nature was anathema to this world by virtue of the fact that it was never intended to walk upon it. For that reason to look upon an outsider was to suffer the pain of one's mind trying to explain something which could not be rationalized. The pain could be overcome and subsumed with practice but the shock of such an encounter typically meant the end for any man or woman who was unlucky enough to have such an experience. "Your mind is afraid because it cannot explain what it saw. Stop trying to rationalize it; you're only indulging that fear. Fear is the mind killer, Lord Takahashi. You must let go of it."

Mikaboshi's voice was low and quiet but Sousuke would be able to hear it fine regardless. Looking to Okibi, Mikaboshi nodded to get her attention.

"Keep talking to him. Draw his mind away from his thoughts and his fear. His mind reels in irrational fear and confusion which is why he reverses names and is so fixated on the memory of the creature. He must cross the bridge himself but you can encourage him to take those steps."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Both Okibi and Mikaboshi attended to Sousuke. The Steward was ... led to his bed and was forced to sit there. He sat there silently as Okibi spoke to him and Mikaboshi too spoke. Okibi rubbed his calves. Was it at that point now? She asked him what he wanted. Anything. The Steward's shaking continued but now it was his right hand. His eyes widened. "I've been able to explain most things. I adhere to a logic, a worldly singular logic that all must obey. I've always been in control of myself, thoughts, my body. Look at me. My body betrays me."<i></i> The Steward's gaze didn't even match Okibi's. He merely stared at the floor, slowly then his eyes would shift over to her. "Tell me ... ... tell ... t-tell me about your happiest memory. I seem to have d-d-difficulty recollecting mine... for they're all sh-shattered, broken, tampered with. When ... w-when I try to play one in my mind ... the speaker's voice turns. It turns into a nonsensical voice of exactly one thousand others. I-it's unsettling and maddening. Perhaps ... perspective will ... make a difference."<i></i>

When Mikaboshi spoke to him, and told him that fear is the mind killer, the Steward was given pause. "One other has said t-that historically. Takahashi Shiro. H-he was once asked if he was f-fearful of the power he was given when he became Regent Lord. He re-replied that fear was the mindkiller, and that it wasn't fear it was hate that drove him. Hatred of being the ruler, our family motto has always been We're Kings Men. Shiro had to ... he had to endure his time as Regent Ruler, and await Kai to get older so she could become the rightful ruler."<i></i> He paused for a moment. "I'm rambling aren't I? T-that's not good. I do not mean to be long winded. Merely I-I have always w-wished people to come to a full topical understanding of the discussion at hand."<i></i>

 

[Okibi]

Okibi watched with ever darkening eyes as Sousuke's shaking continued, shifting from one hand to the other. Her hands left his calves and reached for the shaking limbs, pulling them to the top of his knees where she cupped them, squeezing them softly. His eyes didnt meet hers, but when they did, she was surprised by the request he made, and for a few moments, she couldnt comply. He wanted to know what her happiest memory was? There were so many, especially after moving into the village; how was she supposed to pick just one?

She looked down at the hands she had clasped in her own, zoning out a little as Mikaboshi started to 'coach' Sousuke. The Stewards answering rambles were only half heard as Okibi's metal hand left Sousukes and reached into her shirt to pull out a medium length silver chain. At the end of it was the amulet Sousuke gifted to her on her eighteenth birthday, engraved with the entwined faces of a wolf and a horse, the symbols of his house and . . . well, whatever it was she had. It wasnt hanging from the same chain that had first come with it; Okibi tended to take part in some fairly extreme activities, and more than one chain had broken her. She'd developed a habit of clasping and fingering the piece of jewelry whenever she was thinking. It was like the genius of the man who made it was channeled through the thing - or so she liked to think, anyway.

When she finally picked a memory to tell Sousuke, Okibi made a small admission to herself that it probably wasnt the most happy memory she had, but it did lead to many, many more. She looked up from her thinking, smiling at Sousuke as she returned her metal hand to his. "It was before Seven brought me to the village." She started. "It was a full moon night, and even though it was cloudy, the light of the moon still shined bright. Seven and I came across a small pack of Sand Wolves, and together we all played in the moonlight, all night long." She paused for a moment, her eyes getting distant as she was swept up by the memory. "We chased each other, played hide and seek, and howled at the moon until it was almost dawn. Just before the pack was going to settle down for the night, the clouds broke and a misty rain fell from the sky. The moon was bright enough, despite the clouds, that it created a lunar rainbow. I'd never seen anything like it before." Her eyes focused back in and her smile grew self-mocking. "We couldnt help ourselves. The sight was so new and exciting that we played some more, well into the morning. And I came down with a pretty bad case of pneumonia."

Okibi shook her head at the memory, but she was still smiling. "Seven didnt know what to do with himself. I'd never gotten so sick before, and he thought the only thing he could do was . . . take me to a human village for treatment." Her smile softened and she craned her neck downwards, leaning towards his knees. She removed her hands from around his and moved them down to his wrists. Closing her eyes, she rubbed her cheek against the backs of his hands, her chest rumbling with a purr-like growl. "And we met this strange human male at the gates; well, Seven did, anyway. He took us in, had me treated and gave us a home. And I showed him my gratitude by tearing apart the teddy bear he gave me." Her eyes popped back open, her smile becoming teasing. If anyone went to look in her room, they would find said teddy bear sitting on a small table beside her bed, horribly stitched up and nearly exploding with stuffing, but whole. "He was the first human other than myself that I'd ever met. And he'll always be one of the most important."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While it seemed like Okibi had completely forgotten about the other presence in the room, a new presence was well aware of it. Hakumei lurked near the door of the room, leaning against the door jam with her arms crossed and her brow furrowed. She'd just let herself into the home, as was her custom by now, and had immediately cringed at the 'feeling' she'd gotten. Seven didnt even have to direct her in the way of Sousuke's room for her to know that's where the feeling was coming from. She'd whisked by the dog, down the hallway, stopping just outside the door right in the middle of Okibi's story. Inching the door open, she paused on the threshold, taking stock of what was inside.

What her gray left eye saw gave her pause; Sousuke's spirit was in great turmoil, and his mind was suffering greatly. She couldnt read his mind or anything, but she had a feeling that if she were to touch his spirit with her own, she would not like what she found there. Even from a distance she could see the taint of something foul and . . . unnatural clinging to him. Perhaps it was just a memory manifesting iself in such a way, but even then . . . she wanted nothing to do with it.

Still, she could not leave the Steward, with whom a budding friendship was growing, to suffer thusly.

"Talking to him will only do so much." She said quietly from the doorway, moreso to Mikaboshi than to either Sousuke or Okibi, as they were still having their moment going down memory lane. She moved away from the door jam and stepped into the room, gliding across the floor to stand beside the shadow man. "You're looking normal today." She said in lieu of a greeting. "You know what did this to him?" One hand perched on her hip while the other fluttered in Sousuke's direction, gesturing.

 

[Mikaboshi]

Mikaboshi moved backwards, disappearing again from sight and re-appearing near the door as Okibi spoke to Sousuke. He was forming full sentences now. Stuttering but that was understandable. He was no longer attempting to consciously rationalize what he'd seen and with that his condition was already noticeably improving. Turning his head as Hakumei shuffled into the room, Mikaboshi said nothing at first. He wasn't aware that she was still in the village but there was a piece of him that was glad she was. He had not forgotten the night at the bar with Sousuke and Hakumei. It was strange to say but he had actually enjoyed himself a small amount that night. Recreation was not... a strong point on his priority list.

"I've undergone some changes, it is true." Mikaboshi's spirit was still in recovery from his experience at the hands of the Silence of Voices. In some ways he'd been scorched into a different being. In others... he was stronger than ever. "I see my countenance no longer causes you to reel in pain."

That might be the closest he'd ever come yet to giving Hakumei a compliment.

"Perhaps. It will not be possible to truly know that until he is more lucid." Mikaboshi explained. Leaning back against the wall near the door, Mikaboshi crossed his eyes. "But... I think Sousuke may have somehow caught the attention of an outsider. Do you know what that is?"

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke intently listened to the memory that Okibi spoke of. His mental picture at first was of a bleak dark space. A vast darkness, but then what Okibi spoke of came into existence. A cloudy night. Then the sands came to be. Tiny grains of sand filling in the world. It was the ground upon which they walked on. Then a small pack of sand wolf pups, and a few older ones too. Children and grand children of the Wolf Queen Masanko. He could picture the pups and their details. Then emerging from the shadows a great black doberman with red glowing eyes. The Doberman larger than what he should be, weathered he was and with additional parts. Approaching the pups was a red head child. Red hair that was like fire.

Child and wolf pups played and played in the darkness. Then the moon would emerge from the clouds and something unique would happen. Mists from the beyond came and had an effect creating a lunar rainbow. The image was something Sousuke only saw in books. Would he ever get to see such a thing? The playing continued, and ultimately as Okibi said she became ill. Then he watched as Number Seven collected her and journeyed west and approached the Maw.

From there ... well the rest was history. A long and ongoing history. Sousuke's eyes would close for a moment. He listened to Okibi explain how they had met him next. A very strange male. Tears would roll down Sousuke's face, "I was anxious and nervous. I had never seen a creature like Number Seven before. My father was greatly concerned, but I thought ... looks can be deceiving at times, and they indeed were. I was ... ... most surprised, but greatly honoured when he entrusted with me for a time what was most precious to him in this world. In time ... what was most precious to him, became precious to me..."<i></i> He would pause for a moment to open his eyes. His eyes would be very different, normal in the sense that the scalera had turned white and his irises had turned blue. For Hakumei and Mikaboshi they would see the age old wounds on his soul begin to close up. It was something to see considering Sousuke's soul had been torn asunder even before he entered the world. Even more was that then wounds to his soul were regenerating slowly, until Sousuke blinked. His scalera had turned back to black, but his eyes were now blue. Sousuke looked down to seeing his hand rub against Okibi's cheek. "Thank-you Okibi. My memory of the event is starting to play out properly now. Yes. The memories are not so distorted now."<i></i> He leaned forward and ultimately hugged her. He pulled his hands away slowly so he could embrace her, tears still rolling down his face.

 

[Okibi]

The sight of tears shocked Okibi right into silence. She'd never seen Sousuke cry before; he was always so held together, so in control . . . was he really so off his rocker? Somewhere in her memory she could recall the smell of salt water coming from Sousuke before, but she couldnt recall exactly when and where that was. Surely Sousuke had never cried before this day. It just wasnt possible.

Cringing - because the sight of the water leaking from his eyes bothered her - Okibi reached up and swiped some of the tears away with her hand, so gently that Sousuke might not have felt it at all. It didnt help much; more tears rolled down to replace the ones she erased. When he opened his eyes and looked at her, she gasped softly. His eyes changed! The parts of his eyes that were usually black, like hers were red, has turned a very normal, human white and his irises had one blue. How in the- Suddenly, she was wrapped up in Sousuke's arms, receiving a hug that shocked her as much as the tears and the eye changing did. Sousuke was not prone to random acts of affection - that was her job - so to be on the receiving end of such a rarity was . . . a treat. She whined in a happy, dog-like way as she scrambled up onto Sousuke's lap, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his shoulder.

How she loved this human; not in the same way she loved Tama, her mate, but in the way she imagined she would have loved an older brother, or even a father (as that was more or less what he was) if she'd had any. She'd never known such people, and Sousuke always would be the closest she would probably ever get. Was this how real family's were? Okibi contemplated the situation, and past ones she'd had with her Takahashi pack. The memories made her want to laugh, growl, and cry all at the same time. If what she had with her pack wasnt how a real human family behaved . . . well, she didnt want any part of a 'real' human family.

Turning her face to the side, Okibi hugged Sousuke tighter. "I love you Sogay." She said softly. At that moment, if she'd had dog ears and a tail, the lower appendage would have been wagging up a storm.

~~~~~~~~~

"I can see that." Hakumei said in reference to Mikaboshi's 'changes'. She crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall with him, looking at him out the side of her eye. "Your . . . essence is greatly diminished. It makes me curious."

Looking back at the tender moment happening between Sousuke and Okibi, she studied Sousuke's spirit, watching with some fondness as it calmed a small bit. Mikaboshi made mention of an 'outsider' and his belief that it was a run in with one that caused Sousuke to fall into such a state of mindlessness. When asked if she knew what one was, her lips quirked up into a smirk. "An outsider? You mean . . . someone who doesnt belong? Like me?" She chuckled softly.

The teasing was cut short when she saw a sudden change happening to Sousuke's soul. The part of him that had been torn and gaping was . . . closing up. Healing? "Are you seeing what Im seeing?" she asked Mikaboshi quietly, not taking her eyes off the phenomenon.

 

[Mikaboshi]

"Not diminished. Focused." Grunted the ancient with a glower towards Hakumei. "I can illustrate the difference for you later, if you like."

It was a halfhearted threat but Mikaboshi wouldn't have been Mikaboshi if he accepted such a casual remark about his essence in stride.

"Yes, like someone that does not belong. But rather than a person coming to a new city or nation, this is a creature which is not native to our reality. It is difficult to explain without a lesson on how cosmotology works but suffice to say that it is bad." Explained Mikaboshi, similarly watching Okibi and Sousuke as Hakumei was. "It does not belong to our reality and it's very existence is anathema to thought and rationality. Demons, devils, spirits... an outsider is worse than any of them. Even one of them would rival the strength of an ancient lord with ease."

It seemed as if Sousuke was beginning to recover from his experience but remarkably his regeneration did not stop at simply returning to the broken state he'd been at before. It seemed as if the brush with the mind of the outsider had knocked the pieces of his mind and soul apart so far that they were beginning now to fit back together in the way that they were originally intended to. For a moment Mikaboshi reflected on the irony of the outsider harming Sousuke and him recovering to a state stronger than before but he doubted that the outsider had even intended to actually harm Sousuke. If it had the sennin very much doubted that the Steward-Kazekage would have survived the encounter alone.

"If your kind is anything, it is resilient." Observed Mikaboshi in response to Hakumei's question.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

As per usual Sousuke was offset by the noises that came out of Okibi, the whine he first thought of something as uncomfortable coming from Okibi, but she returned his hug with a hug of her own. The hug tightened as Okibi spoke of how she loved him. Sousuke always referred to Okibi as his ward. She was not a blood relation. She was not even a cousin of sorts. She once was a young teenage girl taken in by the Steward. He was her legal guardian, but now she was old enough to make her own choices. Still though she chose to remain in the household of the Takahashi. The Steward thought long and hard about giving Okibi the Takahashi name. Ultimately he decided he would do just that.

"I love you too Okibi."<i></i> He would say in return. There was strength in his tone. It would seem that he was on the mend. "Don't ever change. I mean ... just be yourself."<i></i> Times like these were always difficult for Sousuke. He was a master of metal. He was a politician. Yet words of endearment were difficult for him. "Just be Okibi."<i></i> He would simply say. When Okibi first returned home, things were different. She was a shell of her former self, but she did come around. Time. It took time. Sousuke had time on his side of course as he was a patient man. "Erg... my head hurts."<i></i> Sousuke would release part of his arm from his hug to rub his head. His free arm would lessen in his hug around Okibi. While his mental damage was undone, what next came was the physical exhaustion. Whether it was the lack of sleep, or the about of drink he had, Sousuke could not tell. His head though was hurting. The pain though would not be anything extraordinary, with respect to his condition. It was very normal. "I'm kind of hungry. Do you think you could make some of that purple taffy you made from way back? That delicious concoction of whatever it was you threw in the oven?"<i></i>