Recovery Cont. [Private]

[Okibi]

Okibi hopped over a large root and landed softly on the balls of her feet. The soft ground surrounding the Starlie Lake squish up between her toes, making an odd squelch noise. She took a moment, just standing there with Maji on her back and the puppies making their way around the roots of the immense tree. She breathed in deep the smells of the forest and the many animals it housed. Insects created a symphony of sounds that were music to her ears. The surface of the serene lake was completely still and so perfectly clear that she could see straight to the bottom. The deepest part of the small lake was littered with glowing crystals, creating the illusion that the night sky was stuck in the ground.

Yes, this indeed was a very serene, and calming scene.

Until Okibi snatched Maji off her back and tossed him into the shallows of the lake, that is.

Before he could come back up and start sputtering confusion at her, Okibi stripped down to her bare essentials (she didnt like swimming with clothes on) and charged into the lakes warm waters, diving in when it became deep enough. She surfaced a few feet away from where she tossed Maji, and waited for his reaction. Hopefully he would notice the soothing affect the water would have on his injuries. The warm temperature of the water alone was soothing enough, but the lake was known to have mystical, healing properties.

 

[Suika]

After quite some journey and a bunch of architectural eye-candy, they duo, followed by a rowdy pack of pups, finally settled in front of some type of lake. Maji's eyes sparkled in wonder as he tried to take in the visuals around him. The lake looked as if a starry sky and appeared as if it was an actual reflection of the night sky itself. Not only was it beautiful, but there was a sense of undisturbed peace in the air. Animals and bugs alike communicated softly and the weather stood still; it was a night without blemish. It seemed as nothing could break the perfection of this night!

Well, that's what Maji thought until he realized he was spiraling mid-air. His eyelids widened as his face was filled with surprise and disbelief; it felt like the world suddenly shifted into slow-motion. What the fruitcake?

SPLASH!

The white-haired boy landed face-first into the shallow parts of the lake. He flailed and tried to lift himself up while, again, confused. As soon as he pulled his head out of the water and before he attempted to retaliate with verbal befuddlement, Okibi stripped down to her bare self and hopped into the lake. Maji clenched his teeth and blushed a bright red; was it right of him to see a woman in this state? He was too young to feel any physical attraction, but some type of inner-cultural standard shaped him into feeling somewhat bashful.

As soon as the girl surfaced near him, he began feeling a weird sensation on the external parts of his body. Every ache he had began to fade, and suddenly his energy felt slightly more rejuvenated. Was this some type of magical lake with supernatural healing properties? It must have been! Maji felt progressively better as the seconds passed by; he loved it.

All of a sudden, too, he didn't mind Okibi's nakedness. In fact, when in Rome, right? Besides, the hospital-like gown that he wore felt too heavy in the water. He wanted to be free like Okibi! Maji stripped himself down as well and swam into the deeper parts of the lake. He backstroked and kicked lightly, enjoying the refreshing effects of the water surrounding them. He even sneaked a splash or two towards Okibi and acted as if it were an accident – inner mischief, woo!

“This is awesome!”<i></i> he announced gleefully as if some kid at an amusement park. His spirit went from a low three to a high eight in the matter of minutes.

 

[Okibi]

Okibi laughed out loud when she saw Maji's embarrassment about her nudity disappear. She'd been expecting his first reaction, but she was not expecting him to get over it so quickly, and then imitate her! What an impressionable darling.

Her laughter died quickly when she felt a small wave splash her in the face, however. She blinked the water from her eyes and turned slowly to look at Maji. He was frolicking in the water like a little fish, and he had no idea what he had just started, did he? Oh hell naw.

As the boy swam around, making exclamations about things being awesome (which she silently agreed to), Okibi sunk herself down into the water and then silently disappeared while Maji wasnt looking. Under the water she swam, holding her breath for as long as she could, hopefully leaving the kid guessing, and wondering where she went.

Back on the surface, the puppies were bouncing around the edge of the lake, pawing at the water. Zen and Peaches didnt look too keen on going very far in, but Seven was more than daring. He charged into the warm water and swam out to Maji, his head bobbing above the water. His slim boder and small paws werent the best for swimming, but he could manage; even if he could only sink like a rock in his previous life.

"Maji." He called, using his broken human language. "We greet proper. Good meet you."

In reality, all Seven was trying to do was distract the boy. He had a feeling he knew what Okibi was planning, and keeping the boys attention away from the lake's depths would be necessary.

Moments later, something swam up and latched onto Maji's ankle, yanking him under the water. If he opened his eyes, he would see that it had in fact been Okibi, who was grinning into his face with her cloud of white hair billowing around her. She darted away like a fish (or an otter, because that's how she'd learned to swim) and swam back down the lakes deepest part. She motioned Maji to follow her as she approached the glowing crystals inlaid in the lakes mud. She stopped just above a small nest of them, and held her hand over them. If Maji followed and copied her, he would feel a warm, pulsing heat emanating from the crystals. It was a gentle sort of feeling. THe source of the lakes healing power? She then made a motion with her hands, wiggling her fingers just a half inch above the crystals surface, then she made a large X with her arms, and a cutting motion across her neck. Translation? Look, but dont touch. It's not allowed.

 

[Suika]

As Maji floated and paddled, he was slow to notice the disappearance of a particular girl. “Oki-chan...?”<i></i> he thought out loud with slight concern. Did she sink or something? Oh no, what if her metal arm rusted?! The white-haired boy pushed himself forward and began to tread the water and scan the area. Hopefully she was okay...

Before he could get too concerned, a certain pup swam up to him in the lake. Seven, was it? He was the white dog that had made him feel like he or Okibi were slightly crazy due to his ability to speak human tongue. Maji was finally coming to the conclusion, though, that they probably weren't insane – no, Sunagakure was just a weird place.

He smiled warmly as the pup formally introduced himself. Aww, how friendly. Was every creature this kind in this underground city? It was like a Utopia of some sorts. Unfortunately, though, that was partially the case. Maji was unaware of Seven's true mischievous motive. “The pleasure is mine, Seve-”<i></i> he answered kindly before being taken under water by a strong, metallic object. He felt like a plushie in a machine that was being taken by 'the claw'.

Maji freaked out only for a second or two until he realized who the metal grip belonged to. He opened his pink eyes and saw a grinning Okibi darting away like an experienced and slightly awkward sea mammal. With curiosity, he responded to her gesture and followed her to the depths of the lake. They stopped, and there he saw a plethora of lighted crystals that radiated a bright glow. Maji's expression filled with wonder at that moment; he even made a 'o' with his mouth which caused a burst of little bubbles to escape upward.

Okibi motioned her hands right above the crystals and, like an impressionable cub, Maji did the same. The pulsating heat hit against his palms and sent a type of electrical warmth throughout his entire body. Were these rocks what made the lake magical? The white-haired woman started to make an 'X' over the crystals and made some weird type of motion with her hands. X' marks the spot... funky dance move. Got it!” He nodded his head as if he was sure of what she was communicating.

With that, he reached for the crystals and placed his hands on top of them. Maji let out a muffled underwater laugh as the warmth intensified. He grabbed a couple and started swimming upward for air. The treasure was theirs – 'X' marked the spot!

 

[Okibi]

Okibi watched with shock as Maji did the exact opposite of what she tried to pantomime. He actually took one of the lakes crystals. For a few moments, Okibi could only float there dumbly. How did... why did... wha?

Then the need for air started to become prevalent - that burning sensation in her lungs was highly unpleasant. She made a beeline for the surface, popping out of the water right next to Maji, and a circling Seven. The pup was looking at Maji like he was nuts, and then at her with accusation for letting Maji make off with the crystal.

Okibi rolled her eyes and grabbed Maji by the arm. She hauled him in front of her, and frowning, gave his wrists a firm smack, trying to get him to let go. Unfortunately, she didnt moderate her strength as much as she should have, and probably hit him harder than necessary.

"I was trying to tell you NOT to touch them Kid. It's against the law." She chastised, sounding an awful lot like a certain person she knew, but less refined. Turning away from him, she swam for the shore and started getting out, shaking her entire body like a dog to get the water off. She then approached a sign that was hammered into the mud nearby, and pointed at it. The words were a little worn, but it clearly said Do Not Touch the Crystals! It's the LAW! in big bold letters.

Okibi then made her way to her discarded clothes and worked them onto her damp form. She looked back at Maji once she was dressed again, still looking rather stern. "How are you feeling? Better?"

[MFT]

 

[Suika]

Maji swam up to the surface and gasped for air with a huge smile on his face. He was delighted that he and Okibi had completed their mission! He glanced at Seven and was slightly surprised to see the pup thrown off and somewhat unimpressed. Did he do something wrong?

Oh boy.

Okibi erupted out of the water looking annoyed. What did he do? The white-haired teen grabbed his arm with brute strength and pulled him close to her. She slapped his wrist that held the crystals with enough force to make him wince a little. Although her smack hurt a lot, it was her fueled frown that sent chills down his spine.

Maji's eyes began to water.

Apparently, the boy completely misread Okibi and her signals. She was actually trying to tell him NOT to grab the glowy rocks... made sense. Maji felt like a major idiot.

“I'm s-s-sorry...” he spat out with a stutter and a cracked voice. Regret haunted his tone and tears started streaming from his face. Maji didn't whimper or anything – tears just flowed outward from sheer guilt, regret, and fear. “I j-just thought...”<i></i> he cleared his throat weakly and continued, “...'X' marks the spot.”<i></i> Not that his excuses or apology would do anything significant; he'd soon realize that you live and you learn.

Maji sheepishly followed her to the shore and glanced at the faded sign that warned him of such an activity. This land and Okibi were so hospitable to him, and here he was breaking the law and bringing dishonor to her. He mimic'd Okibi and got dressed as she did. Maji sniffled and wiped his nose; he looked so ashamed.

“Yeah...”<i></i> he muttered with a half-way smile as he tried to compose himself, “...my body feels a lot better, Oki-chan. Thank you for this! And sorry again, I didn't mean to disrespect you, your people, and your land. You've been so kind... and I like it here.”<i></i> Maji bit his tongue before he continued on. He was talking too much and realized he sounded kinda needy. He didn't want to burden the kind Okibi with such talk.

...But sadly he lacked self-control. He continued anyway. “I'm in debt you you, Oki-chan. You have my full gratitude!”<i></i> He wasn't sure what to do next, so he awkwardly bowed and remained in that position. He had nothing to give her to compensate for all her good doings; as pathetic as it was, all he had to offer her was his measly thanks. Maji knew it wasn't enough, but he kept bowing anyways.

As he bowed, his head pulsated in pain and started to feel full. He clenched his teeth and stayed in position, but his mind wandered elsewhere. Suddenly, he witnessed a caravan being engulfed by a fiery inferno and heard the mortified screams of women and children. Charred bodies surrounded him everywhere, and a dark-skinned hand reached out to him. What was going on?

Suddenly, he phased out of the flashback and fell forward flat onto his face. He didn't pass out, luckily, but stared off into the distance and blinked in confusion.

What was that about?

 

[Okibi]

Seeing the tears on Maji's face made Okibi feel like a great, big jerk. Covered in doody. With a cherry pit on top. He was such a cute kid . . . and she'd made him cry. On one hand, she felt like taking back everything she'd just said and let him take as many rocks from the bottom of the lake as he wanted and hide it from the rest of the village.

On the other, she wanted to shake him and tell him to man the hell up.

When he got to the shore and started dressing, Okibi watched him with a small frown. He was so meek and . . . almost frail, he inspired all sorts of protective instincts in her. And it wasnt just because he was healing from injuries either; she sensed a deeper sort of weakness, an ingrained fragility that called out to her. She'd been just like that not long ago - worse even - and she didnt want anyone to feel even remotely similar to the way she had.

The boy needed a strong hand to guide him and build him up, and until they found out what happened to his family, she would be damned if she let anyone else at him.

His bow bothered her; no one had ever bowed to her like that before. It seemed like such a strange movement to do when supplicating oneself. Then again, supplicating oneself seemed strange to her period. He'd said he was sorry already, why did he feel the need to lower his head to such a degree? Smiling and shaking her head, Okibi was about to reached out and lift his head back up when Maji suddenly and unceremoniously feel face first in the mud of the lake. Blinking, she crouched down and pulled him up by the shoulders.

Looking into his now muddy face, Okibi couldnt help laughing - though you had to give it to her, she did try to stifle it, though it just came out sounding like a snort. She bunched the end of her shirt up in her fist and used it to wipe his face. "Jeez Kid, I get it already, youre sorry and thankful. No need to throw yourself in the mud." She never realized that his sudden face plant was a result of something else. Standing up, Okibi hoisted Maji to his feet and started to dust more mud off him as best she could. Eventually, she just sneered down at her hands and glanced at the lake. "Maybe you should jump back in there one more time." She said. Then she bent down and rinsed her now dirty hands in the clear water.

As she got back up and turned around, she waited for Maji to finish cleaning himself as she looked around. It was at that time that the pups returned from their playtime, covered in mud. Okibi looked at them and rose an eyebrow. "You two should do the same." She said, nodding towards the lake. Zen and Peaches looked at the water and lowered their ears. Apparently they feared going in. Seven was just exiting the lake himself, and gave his small body a thorough shake, getting the warm lake water on his puppy pals.

"They scared." He said simply, grinning at the two. Zen growled at Seven, and Peaches just blinked. Okibi chuckled and shrugged. Oh well, they would just have to deal with being muddy for a little while then, until they could get home and have proper baths.

"I'm sorry about hitting you earlier." Okibi said over her shoulder, sounding just the smallest bit strained. She wasnt used to apologizing after all. "I didnt mean to hit you that hard. But you know Kid," She turned around to look at him, crossing her arms. "You really need to stop crying about every little thing. One thing you need to understand about me right now: I have a very short temper, and when I lose it, I cant be held responsible for what I do. Geddit?" Then she turned around again, raising her nose into the air. "If you're going to be staying with me and my pack for the time being, until we figure out where your family is, you're going to have to get used to being roughed up."

Then she looked over her shoulder again, grinning. "Oki-chan doesnt tolerate sissies."

 

[Suika]

After Maji's mini-episode and his fall into the mud, he heard a snort from above. Okibi, whose tone was a lot more pleasant-sounding and her expression calmed, bunched her shirt, cleaned the dirt off his face, and then hoisted him up. She then proceeded to dust more mud off and made what sounded like a joke of some sort. Maji grinned slightly, but it was apparent by the look in his eyes that his mind had wandered elsewhere. The boy was still trying to figure out what just happened. Was he a seer of some sort and saw the future? Or was that a vision of his forgotten past? It didn't really make sense; however, despite its origin, it was a horrific sight. It sent him the chills thinking about it.

Okibi suggested that he to go take another dip to clean himself off. He nodded and jumped back into the lake without much hesitation. He didn't mind, really; the lake felt awesome. With some more directionless pondering and a few underwater dives, he went back onto the shore and clothed himself. Okibi was chatting with her pups, and although he thought it originally to be weird, he started getting used to it. Maji still couldn't determine whether that was a good thing or not.

“Hm?” he thought as the white-haired woman called out and apologized to him. Wait, she was the one apologizing? Sure, she did hit him kind of hard, but he deserved it. Or at least he felt like he did. She then went on and warned him to stop crying because she had a short temper. While he didn't think her temper was as limited as she said it was, he did agree with her. Maji wanted to stop crying; it was hard, but for Okibi, he'd try!

Wait, her pack? Maji was in her pack?

“Pack...?”</B><i></i> he muttered softly as he stared at her with a look of disbelief. This woman, who already burdened herself enough with him, wanted to adopt him into her crew? Well, it was only until he found out about his family's whereabouts and his own past, but still! That was an amazing offer that made his face light up brighter than the sun.

“No more sissy Maji! I promise!”<i></i> he exclaimed as his eyes watered. He felt so happy that he could cry. Maji almost did, too, but then remembered his promise. He bit his quivering lip and held in the flood of emotion in order to honor the word he had just gave to Okibi. “Thank you, Oki-chan! I'll become strong and make you proud. I won't burden you forever – I swear it upon my name.”<i></i> He ran up to her and latched onto her scarred stomach. Maji held on tightly, smiled, and looked up at her with child-like innocence coating his pupils. <B>“I love you, Oki-chan.”

Yeah, despite his efforts, he still had a bunch of sissy tendencies. His sensitivity right now was at its peak; the boy couldn't help but express his overflow of feelings. Oh well!

 

[Okibi]

The hug wasnt all that surprising; Okbi was beginning to realize that Maji was a rather... mushy kind of kid. A little odd, since he was at that age where most boys stopped being so sweet and cute. Nonetheless, she wasnt so thrown off by the sudden assault on her midsection.

His declaration of juvenile love, however, nearly knocked her flat on her back. Okibi actually had to step back a little to brace herself. The pups started dancing around her feet, barking like little mad men, and nearly tripping her up. Okibi growled softly at them as she patted Maji on the head, just a smidge awkwardly.

"Love me? You just met me Kid." She said with a laugh. Really, when was the brat going to stop throwing her for a loop?

Suddenly, Zen barreled into the side of her legs, slipping on some mud as he went zipping by. Okibi gasped as she was thrown off her balance and started falling to the ground with Maji in tow. She held the boy close, so that she would be the one to take the brunt of the impact, and not him.

However, she was surprised when she didnt feel the thud of her back against the wet ground. No, instead she was remarkably surprised when the ground opened up under them - literally! - and swallowed them and the puppies whole. They fell into a dark, narrow hole . . . and just kept falling.

[To be Continued in a new Topic!]

 

[Suika]

[Topic Left w/ Okibi]