Prosthetic Presents [Private]

[Okibi]

It was almost pleasant sitting on the rouka, the wooden walkway that surrounded the Takahashi house. If it werent for the fact that her mind, body and soul were so tattered and tired, she would have greatly enjoyed the serene sight of the dimmed crystals in the vast cavern ceiling. They looked very much like stars.

Okibi was sitting on a large, stuffed cushion, similar to the bean bag chair she'd destroyed years ago, but flatter and less... beany. She leaned against a cushioned armrest that was situated on her left side - the side with the her only remaining arm.

Okibi sighed softly as she leaned more of her tired weight against the armrest. She'd just gotten her last cast off after weeks of recovering from having her bones rebroken and set properly. The worst had been the bones in her right leg; theyd taken the longest to heal. As soon as the cast had come off she'd been put through a mild physical therapy session which consisted of just walking along a course made up of railed walkways. She'd only made it through about a third of the course before she'd collapsed from exhaustion - primarily in her legs. The muscles there were so weak and atrophied that it was going to take some time before she could walk without a cruth or some other aid for a while.

Currently, her crutch was leaning against the sliding doors behind her almost like a sentinel. Okibi could hardly see it in such a light though; she hated the thing. It was difficult to walk around with it when she only had one arm, and getting up and down any stairs would have been a task alone without the blasted thing. Urgh, she hated being so weak.

Okibi let out another weary sigh and placed her chin in her left hand. She'd put on some weight since she'd made it back to the village, but her limbs were still painfully thin, even to her eyes. She could only imagine how other people felt looking at her. The thought inspired just the tiniest bit of upset. A year ago she wouldnt have given a flying rats tail what people felt when they looked at her, but here she was, worrying about whether people pitied her or found her repulsive. What kind of Okibi gave a crap?

The broken kind, thats what.

The girls gaunt and pale face screwed up with emotion and she covered herself with her hand, lowering her head. She hated what she'd become, and she hated the men who'd done it to her. Curses upon all of them, she thought; may their man parts decay, rot and shrivel up before falling off to be eaten by rodents. If she ever got better, and sometimes she greatly doubted that she would, she was going to pay those men a surprise visit. But this time, she wouldnt be weak and alone.

With that thought, Okibi rose her head back up, and this time there just the slightest look of resolution in her eye.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

The household was once again lively. Well as ... lively as one could expect given some minor deficiencies. Maybe minor wasn't the best word, but for Takahashi Sousuke he saw it as a minor deficiency. Okibi would in time return to her normal self. It would just take time, and the Steward was a patient man. This was a slight surprise whereas his mother had little patience given that she was a member of the Masashi which was a branch of the Uchiha.

Okibi was out and about. The faint sounds of movements throughout the household was music enough for the Steward's ears. It was evidence that Okibi was in the area, given that his parents were out for the day. The Steward sat kneeling before his ancestor's shrine. He had prayed, and wished that he would one day be capable of carrying out the greatest vengeance to come. The Steward may not seem like a religious man but he did at times pray to his ancestors and the One King for guidance. The Steward reached forward and snuffed out the two candles on the shrine. That was it for today. In the back of the room there was a gift box. It was wrapped with exact measurements. Too perfect one could say, but this was child's play for the Steward.

The Steward would leave the room and go into the kitchen with the gift box in tow. A little over a year ago now, they had a minor battle over a cake. The Steward snorted as he remembered how angry his father was along with Number Seven. People liked their food.

Once placing down the gift box where Okibi would sit the Steward would work on a soup. It was a vegetable soup he learned from working with Yume. He had come a little way. At the very least his food wasn't spontaneously combusting now. That was if anything the pinnacle of advancement. "Okibi."<i></i> Sousuke would call out, "Come for lunch. I made us soup."<i></i> Given the fact that his ward did not respond instantly, the Steward would put the pot of soup in the middle of the table, and he would go out to collect his ward. "Ah there you are."<i></i> The Steward spoke as he found Okibi who was as per her usual current moods making various faces. "I made soup. It is tasty in the extreme, or so I believe. Come now, let us dine together ... we never did that before as before ... as I couldn't cook but now I can."<i></i> There was the slightest hint of enthusiasm in his voice.

Awaiting at Okibi's seat she would find a pink gift wrapped box and a hot bowl of soup. The Steward hoped his ward may find enjoyment of some sort. Times before she tried to get him to laugh, and once she did get him to smile. Now it was his turn to do the same for her.

 

[Okibi]

Okibi was so lost in her thoughts that at first she didnt hear Sousuke calling for her. When he was suddenly at her side, beckoning her to eat lunch with him, she jumped slightly in surprise. Boy, but she really was rusty if she could be snuck up on so easily. Sousuke wasnt even wearing his armor either. Patting down her rapidly beating heart with her hand, Okibi braced herself against the large armrest and slowly got herself up. She put most of her weight on her left leg as her right one was still tender; too much weight could break it again. Carefully, she hobbled over to her crutch and slipped it under her arm. Then she followed Sousuke back into the house and towards the kitched where . . . she couldnt really smell anything. "You . . . said you made lunch? I- I dont smell anything Sogay." Was something wrong with her nose?

She was almost about to start fretting about her sense of smell when something else tickled her nostrils. Okay, so her sense of smell was fine; she could smell the slight scents of metal and grease coming from a wrapped box sitting on the table at her place. Okibi tilted her head curiously and crutched her way over to it.

"What's this?" She asked Sousuke without looking away from the precise, pretty wrapping. The paper was a simple, off white color that gleamed slightly in the light, but it was the bow that really caught her attention. It was large, fluffy and very, very pink. Okibi blinked a couple times as her eyes adjusted to the garish color. Why was it that people kept associating such a color with her? First Chiyoko at that Christmas party and now Sousuke . . . what was going on?

And the fact that she was getting a gift at all . . . it was a little strange. She'd already received welcome home presents; mountains of clothes from Chiyoko, which she actually put to use now. Prayer beads from Judori, which she held against her chest every night in hopes that it would help ward off the nightmares. Granted, she hadnt received anything from Sousuke, but at the time the thought hadnt even occurred to her. She was just relieved to be home and amongst her pack again.

Was this Sousuke's gift to her then? The wrapping, so precise and immaculate in its execution told her that might just be so.

Sitting down in her chair, Okibi pulled the box close and lifted it for a slight shake. Her eyes gleamed with a hint of . . . excitement? Was she actually feeling excited? Or was the fluttering in her chest something else? She wasnt sure. The box rattled slightly, and didnt feel too heavy. She set it back down and slowly worked on untying the bow; she didnt want to ruin its fluffy contours. It proved to be a rather difficult endeavor since she only had one hand to work with, but eventually she was able to maneuver the hot pink confection off the box. She slowly tore into the paper with her claws, not caring as much for it, and then rested her hands on the box top.

Okibi opened the gift box and looked at what was inside.

She blinked. And blinked.

And she blinked just a little bit more.

"It . . . it's very pink Sogay . . ." Was the first thing she said when her eyes finished roving over the prosthetic arm that was nestled artistically in the light pink tissue paper lining the box. It was beautifully crafted, made up of lines and engineering beauty that told her Sousuke had put his everything into making it for her. She touched it softly with the tip of her pointer finger. The metal was cool to the touch.

"This is for me?" She asked quietly without looking up. There was a catch in her voice, and Okibi realized she was about to cry. She tried to hold it back, but it seemed as of late that crying came much easier to her than anything else. Two little streams of red tinted tears trailed down her pale cheeks. Oh, but she did love her pack so much. If she didnt have them, she didnt know what she would do with herself. Most likely, she would not have been there at that moment, admiring the work of art being gifted to her.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

When Okibi had questioned if he made lunch, Sousuke would merely nod his head. "Why yes. I did make us lunch."<i></i> There was a slight pause. Yes. The smell. The Steward sniffed the air. "I don't smell anything either. How extraordinary. The exact same thing happened when I made this soup at Yume's house."<i></i> The Steward's eyes shifted to the pot. There was steam coming out of it. Why was there no smell? He prepared the soup in accordance with the recipe. There was a pause. The Steward merely approached the pot and looked inward. Yes. There were vegetables in there. "I put carrots, celery, tomatoes, and lots of healthy items in this soup. What is going on here... "<i></i> The Steward frowned for a moment.

When Okibi began to rattle the package, the Steward swapped subjects. When she spoke of how pink it was he nodded his head. "Yes... you do like pink do you not? My mother advised me to paint the arm that shade of pink... actually I should have inquired before painting it... but that sort of ruins the surprise doesn't it?"<i></i> The Steward hung his head in shame.

Next Okibi inquired if it was for her. The Steward would rise his head up. "Well technically you are my heir. Should the worst occur everything will go to you. But ... yes this particular item is directly for you and will be yours for as long as you need or want it. It is a gift, one that I felt you needed... and will need to fulfill future undertakings, and to aid in accordance therein. ... ... Ah I'm saying too much as usual. Essentially yes, this is for you, from me."<i></i> It was a grim concept, but one that Okibi had to grasp sometime sooner rather than later. "When I wasn't visiting you in the hospital I was working on this for you. It's fashioned from reinforced Takahashi fire-forged steel with the exoskeleton joints made from fragments of a meteor I had ... acquired some time ago."<i></i> He explained. "It may take some time to adjust to how it handles. I've worked out the thought-chakra mechanisms. Basically... you have a strap, and a chord that attached to the back of the neck. Once you get used to it you can take away the chord and the strap because it should be able to maintain a permanent positioning due to the phase-shifting syncs. The problem was attuning it to your advanced element type. Gravity power-cores are ... very temperamental. A few times I had dropped the core and it went down the floor ... well a few floors actually."<i></i> Sousuke explained. The Steward looked at the hand. He then looked at Okibi. "You know what? I am fairly certain we can proceed to the gravaton lock in phase without much training. I learned fairly recently sometimes you need to run before you can walk... but first we should have soup."<i></i> Sousuke would motion to the pot of soup. He would take out a laddle and serve himself and Okibi two bowls of soup. For Okibi he served a very large and hearty bowl.

 

[Okibi]

Okibi wiped the tears from her face and lifted the metal arm from the box. She pushed the box away and set the arm down on the table to get a better look at it. It indeed was very pink . . . but she couldnt bring herself to tell Soususke she actually found the color to be painful to look at. She cleared her throat slightly. "Yeah, I l-love pink . . ." She lied slightly. While she didnt mind the color pink, she couldnt say she cared for the color he painted the arm.

Thankfully, Sousuke didnt hear the lie in her voice as he spun off into a full on explanation of what the arm was made of and whatnot. Typical Sousuke behavior of course. Okibi couldnt help looking away with a deadpanned expression. He was never going to learn that she just couldnt listen to him talk for so long. But, she didnt say anything about it this time and just tried to tune in every now and then to catch something. She almost found the bit about his dropping one of the cores through a few floors funny, but no laughter bubbled out of her. Something else had caught her attention.

As Sousuke brought a heaping bowl of soup over for her, Okibi put the arm back in the box and picked up a spoon. She gave the large bowl a look, and then glanced at Soususke, then back at the bowl again. Did he really think she was going to be able to eat so much? It had only been a few weeks since she was released from the hospital. She could barely hold down a few cups of broth . . . With an unnoticeable sigh, Okibi shook her head and dipped her spoon into the scentless mixture, swirling it around for a moment before lifting up a spoonful with a vegetable on it. She wasnt a fan of vegetables, but they were good for her system she was told, so she tried her best to get used to them. So far, she was alright with cooked carrots and some other bits, but she didnt think she could handle everything in the bowl.

She scooped the soup into her mouth and thoughtfully chewed on the piece of carrot she spooned out. Okibi made a confused face as she swallowed the spoonful and set her spoon back in the bowl. There was absolutely no taste . . . in fact, Okibi was certain that she had never taste something so bland before, and that included the stuff the mednins at the hospital had called 'broth' which had been more like slightly salted water. But this . . . it tasted like nothing.

Okibi looked up at Sousuke and schooled her features so that her surprise and confusion didnt show. "This is delicious Sogay." She lied, again. Boy, she was really working her way into a pickle. She needed to stop with the lying! Old Okibi never lied!

Going for a change of subject, Okibi set her spoon down and gave Sousuke a curious look. "So what did you mean about me being your heir?" she asked.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Before Sousuke could explain the concept of the heir, he heard the door open and shut with a loud slam. "THAT MORON. GOOD LORD. IT'S A MIRCALE HIS BLOODY HEAD FITS THROUGH THE DOOR. Thinks he has the power to make a match for my son, what a bloody fool he is. Hah! Hah!" A violent Chiyoko would scream as she stomped up the stairs.

Sousuke would look over to Okibi. Yes. His mother from time to time would get mad at the politics of the Uchiha clan. Yet Okibi had not seen anger like this for a long time. Sousuke would let out a sigh. "Looks like mother and father are home early from the meeting with the clans."<i></i> Sousuke would say as he helped himself to the soup. He paused for a moment. "She's not angry at us, you know this. She's just angry because the elder is ... well ... he's an old fashioned man who thinks lowly of me due to my age."<i></i> Sousuke would relax into the back of his chair. The Steward was silent for a time. He had to take into consideration to explain in few words what an heir was. "An heir is a person who you leave things to when you die. I have no children, but I have you as my ward. Upon my death you are to gain ownership of a number of my possessions... except the Stewardship. That is blood inheritance."<i></i> Was that few enough words? He hoped so. "I plan on living for quite a few years, but should I pass away early, you currently stand to receive everything that is mine."<i></i>

There was loud stomps coming from upstairs as it seemed that Chiyoko was still angry. Judori ultimately would enter the room. The former steward looked tired. "I guess you heard that. Someone thought it was a great idea to have a marriage arranged for you. Your mother wouldn't have it of course." Judori would smile weakily as he turned to face Okibi. "How are we today little Bee? Putting up a good fight?" The Steward past would say as he approached the table. He eyes the soup suspiciously. He helps himself to a bowl and sits down. Without a spoon, Judori would tip the bowl so as to drink from the dish. What would have been a rude manner, came off as a very graceful motion as the older man did not spill one drop of soup. Judori's lips would smack together. "Still no taste. Heh."

"Father, I do try... and you know this."<i></i> Sousuke would look at his father blankly. Judori would merely shake his head. "Okibi says she likes it. There must be an improvement."<i></i> Sousuke wouldn't catch it, but Judori would slightly turn his head to face Okibi. The older Steward would wink at her. "Returning to the concept of an heir Okibi, I am my father's heir, and my mother's heir... but if they had another child, then my brother or sister would be an heir too."<i></i>

"Legacy." Judori would begin, "It's what you leave your children, and your children's children. My father passed away at an early age, and my eldest sister left me too early in life too... and she left me with great responsibility. Maybe that's why I lost all my hair when I was a boy."

(Marked for Training)

 

[Okibi]

At the sound of a door slamming, Okibi jumped in her seat and lost her grip on the spoon. It fell with a small splash into her bowl, sending droplets of the tasteless soup all over her house robes. Okibi grimaced slightly and tried to wipe it off as she glanced in the direction of Chiyoko's angry footsteps. Thankfully, the irate woman didnt enter the kitchen; Okibi didnt fear her pseudo grandmother, but she didnt think she could handle all that hostility either. Not right now.

Okibi was still wiping her robes when Sousuke explained to her that his mother was angry about a meeting she had with a clan elder. The thought of anyone thinking lowly of her packmate inspired a faintly glowing ember of anger in her stomach, and Okibi could understand how Chiyoko was feeling, if only a little. Young or not, Sousuke was a fantastic leader.

Then came the explanation of an heir. Sousuke didnt use nearly as many words as normal so Okibi found it easy to follow. If ever he passed away, everything that he owned would become hers simply because he'd been the one to take her in. Judori then entered the kitchen, looking rather beat. He smiled at Okibi and asked her how she was doing, and oh but Okibi wanted to smile back, honestly so. But the muscles in her face just wouldnt listen to her. So, she simply nodded at him and watched as he made himself a bowl and took a seat at the table.

The blunt way that the former Steward told his son that his soup had no taste made Okibi's eyes widened slightly. She looked down so Sousuke wouldnt see her face and figure out that she'd been lying to him. Her eyes caught Judori's wink from the side, and she swear she felt her cheeks heat up just a little. The room temperature must have been too high or something. The conversation about heirs quickly too precedence again and Okibi breathed a small sigh of relief. Sousuke didnt realize she'd fibbed when she said she liked his soup. Good.

As she listened to the two men talk, Okibi pulled the mechanical arms towards her again, ignoring her soup for the moment. She lifted it out of the box and weighed it in her hands, pondering. Finally she looked up at Sousuke and Judori, holding the arm aloft. "In a way, this is your legacy too Sogay. The things you make."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

It took Sousuke a moment to respond to Okibi's comment. "Yes, yes it is. That Takahashi Fire-Forged steel and meteor lining should last you three life times. Three hundred years by my estimates... I don't think I'll be around to make any changes or upgrades. You may need a mechanic in three hundred years."</B><i></i> What would have seemed like a joke came out quite seriously by Sousuke. "The gravity power-core may need fixing every fifteen years, until I find a suitable upgrade or replacement for that technology. I could teach you how to make the cores since they're condensed chakra into crystalline form to be used to overpower techniques, or to provide someone who lacks the innate ability to use such an element."<i></i> Sousuke paused, "Meaning... some day Okibi if you wanted you may be capable of using my plasma techniques if you so desired."<i></i>

Judori chuckled a little when Okibi spoke of the arm being part of Sousuke's legacy. "Yes, that's true Okibi. That arm is one of the many things Sousuke made." The sounds of stomping were heard from above. Judori's eyes shifted skyward for a moment. "Your mother is quite angry. I think it may take her quite a bit of time to calm down. Tasguro suggested that you marry one of his grand children or great grand children. You mother said you were fine at the moment. Tasurgo then questioned if you were..." Judori's face turned sour. He himself seemed quite upset, "Well... by that time your mother was shouting at him saying he doesn't appreciate the concept of love as natural instead of it being some sort of political tool." Judori paused and turned to Okibi, "Basically Okibi, a very old, very opinionated man wanted Sousuke to have a pack mate without him ... finding one on his own." The former Steward spoke in layman's terms. The former Steward had dealings with sentient canines in the past. Judori's eyes shifted from his son to Okibi's arm. "So. Not that this is related in any way ... did you still intend to ask Yume to go with you to that lecture at the grand observatory?" Judori's brow furrowed. "I think you wanted to go Tuesday yes? Your mother and I are out, and I don't think it wise to leave Okibi by her lonesome. You should take her too."

Sousuke's eyes shifted from his father, back to Okibi, then back to his father. "...Ahh..."<i></i> He hesitated. His father had a point, but Okibi would get quite bored, real fast. Not only that but... <B>"Ahh... Okibi. Boredom. Bad"

"Is it a date? Is that what you're trying to say? Come on." Judori's brows furrowed once more. He turned to Okibi. "You're friends with Yume right? Obviously the cat has got Sousuke's tongue. Is there something he's not telling me that you can?"

 

[Okibi]

Blah blah blah, chakra, blah blah blah, plasma. Thats what Okibi heard. As much as Sousuke seemed to like learning and whatnot, he certainly seemed absolutely oblivious to and incapable of learning that Okibi could not physically pay attention to more than a few sentences at a time.

However, when Judori broke down why Chiyoko was angry, Okibi perked up. So the clan elder had tried to set Sousuke up had he? Why, that was rather insulting. Her pack mate was more than capable of finding a life mate on his own! He was handsome, smart, funny . . . sometimes, in an unorthodox way . . .

Like just then when Judori mentioned some lecture, and taking her along with Yume. Yume? Was Sousuke spending so much time alone with her these days? That hug she'd given him hadnt seemed any more friendly than a hug she would have given Sousuke . . . but you never could judge a book by its cover. Okibi's eyes fell to half mast and her lips curled at the corners just slightly; she turned this coy look on Sousuke.

"I dunno Juju, it's a dog that has his tongue by the sounds of it . . . or should I say fox?"

Even though Okibi did find this entire situation, teasing Sousuke alongside his father, she found that she didnt find as much humor in it as she might have. That thought alone sobered her up and she rose from her seat to put her bowl in the sink. She returned to the table and looked at her new arm for a few moments.

"Sogay . . ." She said after a small while. "I'd like to go put this on now." She said. She didnt ask, she said. Okibi had a feeling that having two arms again would bring her one step closer to returning to her old self, and at that moment, she wanted nothing more than that.

Picking up the gift box, Okibi hobbled out of the room without her crutch and towards Sousuke's workshop.

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[Takahashi Aki]

The Steward became very silent as he was being teased by both his father and Okibi. What took the metaphorical cake was when Okibi changed the saying to something most ironic being that the fox had caught his tongue. Sousuke's mind traced to various concepts and saying, and right now he very much felt like he was on the hot seat. Sousuke let a cough, and nodded his head as Okibi headed out to put her new arm to good use. The Steward was tempted to intervene, but ... Okibi was clever enough to figure these things out. He did notice that she did not take her crutch with her. "I'm going to drop this off in her room, and then I'm going to go to work."<i></i> Sousuke spoke as he picked up the crutch.

"She's getting better you know. I miss the old days you know? Those adventures we had with Number Seven." Judori's mood had sobered up. More thunderous stomps came from above. "I guess I should ... give your mother the news." Sousuke turned around to question his father on what news, but before he could do so he was gone. With that Sousuke shook his head, and cleaned up the mess on the table.

Things were starting to look better.

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