Dawn Of The Second Generation

"Oh Aki,hating people's pretty much never a good thing. It's a weakness I've got myself. But there is a difference between loathing someone, and understanding a problem when you see it." He chose not to go any furhter on his critique on her. A couple softer, implied points would do a lot better than going off on her for little provocation. This was not at all just about himself, and he had to act like it. He was starting to get the picture that she was sharing as honestly as possible and likely had not reached this point with more than a handful of people.

"Seeking to help people is exactly what I want to do with my life to. Don't be ashamed of your Nindo, even if it's come to change over time. I think it's really cool who our Akihana turned out to be." He removed his handkerchief and would delicately try to dry her rears. It was the least he could do for setting him up so well, not to mention just having healed up some nasty bruises. But it was as he performed what was the most intimate thing he'd done with anybody in a long time. Something in the back of his mind discovered a critical detail so obvious he was astounded he'd not discovered it earlier.

For a moment, he looked as if he'd just drank a cup full of drain cleaner. His eyes widened as he examined Aki's complexion. Maby it was because she'd been an angel since the moment they met, or the fact that she worked a relatively low level job for a non-world class eatery in a minor country, or that he'd just now seen her abilities in person. More information flooded her mind, the chakra sensing usually known only by elite ninja. But all the evidence was there, her name, her past, even her looks and for god sakes the mentions of Denkiteki.

He was freaking out significantly inside. His eyes widening, his skin going pale. "Oh my god in heaven. You're the golden haired queen, and Den's, Den's a former Kage." 'No wonder you don't want to hurt anyone anymore, I don't think it was your abilities that made you that way. It was steering a broken system like this.' The confusion and anxiety mounted as he withdrew. Soon shouting. "NnnAHHHHHHHHH!" And tugging on his hair heavily, practically tearing it out. "My life was ruined because of people who sat where you and him did. My home towns a mess, filled with wage slaves who can't escape. I had to kill people, a lot. I'm probably bordering on a hundred between all the bandits feeding off this world."

At the same time, it was clear he currently had no intentions to harm her. His heart was still set on her as one of his closest, only friends. "What do I do now? Just as much as I've dreamed of a flying machine I've wanted democracy, piece, all the ninja villages gone. Can I trust you? Anyone in our group? What do we even want to do Aki?" The thought that he might somhow be involved with an ex Haven cult made him all the more sick. He wanted truth and he wanted understanding immediantly. His hurting was obvious.

Not having expected him to move closer, the kunoichi froze as he dabbed a handkerchief to her cheekbones, vanquishing the rest of her tears. There was a time when the blonde would have given almost anyone a hug but now, now she rarely felt she deserved one. A problem the young engineer clearly did not have as he was always hugging her or initiating some kind of physical contact that reminded her there was still warmth and friendship in the world. This was just another one of those moments, and like all pleasant ones, it did not last long.

Akihana could see the recognition dawning on his physical features as Mar's hands dropped to his side, his eyes for once completely open to her reality. Even as he moved away from her, displaying a reaction that looked to be close to sickness, Akihana only hung her head, not denying any of his accusations because there was no point in doing so even if she could bring herself to tell a lie. Perhaps he detested ehr now, was disgusted by what he aw? And did she really deserve anything better? As painful as it was to imagine him revolted at the sight of her now, it also felt oddly right. She deserved every bit of vilification the young man could muster in himself for her.

"I was no Queen,' she spoke softly, too afraid to look at him as she spoke. "Crowns and jewels and titles don't make leaders. I was simply a fill in for the people's sanity while the real Queen battled with illness and then died. All my medical jutsu, everything I had learned, it wasn't enough to save her and after she died, I didn't know how else to atone but to keep portraying the royal symbol that gave the nation hope of a brighter future." And Akihana had truly tried, she had tried to be the beacon of light Haven looked up to. She had tried to free the people of Kumogakure under a tyrant's rule only to realize that, surrounded by predators, she too had started to feel like one.

"What do I do now?"

"You...live on," she answered, her voice full of a calm conviction. "Against all odds, against all heartbreak, you live on and you achieve your dreams. And if you allow me to... I would like to help." She had done a lot of harm in the world, perhaps Mar would provide the opportunity to do some good.

"Maybe we can start by keeping your promise to your mother. It's time we get her and your sister out of that town."

‘I hate you.’ Mar wanted to reply immediately, having no intentions of moving past his own personal goals and vision of what a better tomorrow looked like. But he was fully aware that these thoughts were not coming from his better half. ‘You love Akihana and everyone, that love is not a bad thing. Whatever you do now to move onto the future you want has to include them. Or it’ll destroy you.’ He reasoned, though it was not a comfortable place to be. In embarrassment for his words and actions, he was wet behind his own eyes now. Covering them with a sleeve. “I’m sorry, I’m figuring out where I’m going right now. You’re right, enough me enough. I’m going to get my mother out of steel valley. And I need your help.” He offered his hand, hoping to lead her to his workshop.

“It’s super late, but I put up some soundproofing along the walls for the old man’s sanity. Just stay real quiet until we’re in my room.” He asked, using the quiet footsteps himself to move softer. Only barely creaking the floorboards. His tiny sanctum was a sprawling workshop in the cellar. Just hosts drinks and cleaning supplies still stowed in the corner. The rest of room was a mess of heavy industrial tools and ninja gear. Only hidden by a small curtain. There were scroll like tunes etched deap into bronze colored metal plates. He had his own small forge, an electric auto hammer, and several life sized diagrams of the human body. Including his own X ray’s and various tests. There were prescription meds in an open lockbox exactly right for somone in the aftermath of a major surgery.  Finally there were numerous maps of his home town with highlights around the train lines as the only way in or out.

“This is the second generation Byrd armor, 90% complete. It’s just missing parts, well uh. Parts from me that is.” He lifted up a sheet to reveal a towering suit of armor 7 1/2 feet tall. Broken down into many pieces. He held up the back compartment which looked like a extremely, almost alien in advancement form of a steam machine. “If I put this on I’ll be able to endure the harshest jutsu that mankind has ever devised. But it’s a very demanding process.”

“There are openings around the orafaces which can be locked from the inside. I recon there will be enough space on the face mask for Nectar to sit in too. But at several points of my skeleton it needs to be drilled into to become a part of my body. As far as any jutsu is concerned I will be made of steel. Even my own, with these ligaments removed from my spine and inserted here, here and here. With all the fibers still connected. It’ll have an incredible amount of chakra running through it at all times. I’ll be able to activate the gates for moderate bursts without enduring any negative effects. The suit will take it. And someday. When I’m done being a ninja. I’ll be counting on somone like you to take it all off. Until then, it’s time to be a hero.”

“I’m sorry, I’m figuring out where I’m going right now. You’re right, enough me enough. I’m going to get my mother out of steel valley. And I need your help.”

Akihana could feel his sorrow and betrayal, magnified tenfold in her own self. The unique ability granted to her by the slugs made sure that she felt all negativity in the world at a deeper level, that she lived the harrowing truths of those around her in order to understand them better. His pain echoed through her own heart as he wept, stating his confusion and grief and finally, the resilient decision he made.

"You will always get the help you need,' she reassured him, getting to her feet and following his lead as he showed her towards his workshop not too far away.

Never having properly visited his workplace before, Akihana found herself both surprised and mystified at the young engineer's organization system. The place was not a mess by any measure of the word but it also had a distinct air of belonging to a male who's priorities were not in tidying. Here and there, medical journals and tomes caught her attention, bringing back memories of her own practices in surgery as a Chunin and then Jounin of Kumogakure. Her own mentors had always said that chakra was a medical ninja's finest tool, and before using it, they had to learn to expertly handle external ones. Akihana had not read into the joke until much too late, and by then it had long since ceased being funny.

As he showed her the suit, listing its features and demonstrating the various compartment that would help make his body more durable, the blonde turned even paler than her usual complexion. His suggestion, or rather the design of his suit, would require multiple surgeries to attach it to his spinal column, a feat that first and foremost would come with unbearable pain on his part.

"I.. I don't know if I can do this..." she stammered, her lips trembling as she took in the suit. There was no guarantee of the surgery's success, she had never melded something so inorganic and artificial to a human body and chakra system. The closest she had seen with this kind of application was the armor that Youka had worn and even then, she knew it had cost him. "Even a surgeon like Den would need hours... and still there's every chance the procedure will go wrong... I'm not skilled enough..." The kunoichi shook her head, golden hair spilling all over her face with the motion. The terror she felt at potentially hurting Mar through the botched up surgery was clear in her shuddering frame.

"Y-you should ask Den... I don't want to hurt you..." And there it was, the admission of how little faith she had in her own abilities now. Where others regarded her a pinnacle of medical prowess, Akihana saw herself as little more than able to heal minor cuts and bruises. Despite the faith others hand in her, the kunoichi couldn't muster it in herself.

"You're not going to have to do it alone." Mar says with a plan, knowing full well her lack of faith in herself. Though assuming it was a result of being made to learn medicine without her input involved at all rather than any more recent event. "I've studied basic medical ninjutsu in preparation for this, and I know the effects of all the higher end jutsu. Though I can't perform them myself." His hands go to the clone symbol as two duplicates appear next to him.

"We're gonna handle the engineering side, we'll answer any questions you've got. And make sure every mechanical part works with every mechanical part." A clone would confirm, their creator nodding. "I know the chakra anesthetic technique, one of my clones could perform it several times back to back to keep my from feeling anything through the whole procedure. Once everything in. If you heal up any remaining injuries. I shouldn't even be in pain by the time we finish." He remarked. Wanting to make sure she felt as though she had help, there was a plan, and most importantly. That the consequences for failure were not as extreme as she imagined.

Flipping through more diagrams, she could see work in progress designs for artificial organs, artificial-pressurized blood, artificial limbs, even copying the brain down onto scrolls. "If the worst happens, I'm certain with you or Den's regenerative ability paralysis could be removed. Or that I could make a replacement spine. But I need to go back home, and do it soon. Seiichi and Eli would only get in the way of a battle on this level. And Maku and Den either can't get here in time or have their own responsibilities." He closes the book. 

"I'd only trust you to do it Aki, you've never let me down before. And I know you'll rise to the occasion." He puts a hand on her shoulder, a vulnerable look creeping into his eyes. This was the biggest leap of faith he ever intended on taking with someone else on the helm. He was certain that when it came to one of her friends, momma Akihana would be able to move past the pain. A part of him hoped that this would be best for her in the long run as well. He sat down on a long table as his clones began spraying everything with disinfectant. Revealing a number of tools for the task from scalpels to drills, even orthopedic tools for applying aspects to the bone. They were high end, Mar's skin was tougher than steel and they expected that the clones would have to use their strength to help her make some key incisions. "If it's healed in time, the chance for infection should be negligible. But we made sure every part that goes even close to inside me is as clean as it gets.

The young woman stood frozen in her place as Mar explained his plan, his shadow clones supplementing the words with more information. Akihana had no doubt his research was thorough. He had learned all the theory in the world yet the application was far more different. His plan to let his shadow clones assist her through the procedure was exactly something a person with no prior experience of high level medical ninjutsu would think of. The first sign of extreme duress on his actual body however and the clones would disappear in an instant, nullifying the chakra anesthetics and causing so much pain, the engineer would pass out from sheer agony within seconds.

As she looked through the scrolls detailing the attachment of the suit to his skeletal structure, it was abundantly clear to the medic that no localized anesthetics could do the job. This would require Mar going fully under, and that would not maintain his shadow clones. Telling him that however, was not an option. Not only would it dampen his optimism and faith but it might also make him even more afraid. She would have to approach this the same way she used to give Arata his medicines, hidden carefully in the taste of chocolate.

The blonde's first instinct was to still refuse. The procedure was dangerous and had very little guarantee of success no matter what her young companion believed. And failing that, she wanted to go to Den who, even if he possessed the same skill as her, was at least more sure handed than she. Body alterations were Den's forte while Akihana had always only raised her hands to heal. Though looking at his desperate eyes and the metal monstrosity he wanted attached to himself, it wasn't hard to see that for Mar, this was a form of healing.

At the very least, he would never be able to be easily hurt again.

He would never take a bating like he ah done earlier, returning with bruises on his body and a near broken spirit. He needed this to rescue what he held dear most.

So there really was no way she could refuse. Not now, not ever.

"Okay, but it won't be easy," she finally spoke, moving to what she assumed was the operating table. His clones followed, taking their place beside her and silently, Akihana bid them both good bye. They would disappear soon enough. "But I'll have to put you under for this.. you being conscious would complicate the procedure more. And... we can't afford any complications. The surgery will be done in parts because the human body - even a shinobi's - can only take so much." In truth, it might take up to two days for the suit to fully attach itself to the engineer. Akihana made a mental note to send words at the restaurant that she would not be returning for a bit. One of her own clones would also lock up the workshop while she operated.

Noiseless, her simple dress morphed around her slender frame, reappearing as surgical scrubs and gloves, the Akatsuki robes functioning as they had always intended to. "Please lie down and close your eyes. It helps if you count back from a hundred." Should he do so, the Akari would lift her palm towards him once more, the familiar green chakra dancing at the edge of her fingertips.

Aki seemed to full apreciate his situation and after his plea quickly changed her tone. His plan wasn't the direction they were going however. Which both calmed and made him uneasy at the same time. On the one hand, she did not apparently need the help. On the other hand that took much of the situation out of his hands. He was used to being completly in control and this would be the largest act of trust he’d performed in his life. A cold sweat ran down his neck but his conviction was absolute. “You’re right, but give me five minutes. I know you’ve got it covered with putting me together. But there’s only one manual for the suit and it’s in my brain.”

He went on to spend ten minutes explaining how the most sophisticated parts of the mechanisms were assembled. How she’d need to call on a trace fire chakra to start the engine or else he’d be paralyzed from the chakra network and waist down. “The tirso’s the hardest part, but I’d reccomend you do it first. If the alignment is wrong, the helmet won’t open and it’ll be a huge pain to do it all over again so I can eat. Might even be impossible. Obviously, make whatever decisions you see fit. If there’s some complication that looks like I might not make it if you continue. Pull back.... Well, that’s all. I’m in your hands Aki.”

He got ready to lie back and follow her orders, but had one last thing to do before hand. Holding his arms open. “Come on, I’m gunna be less cuddly for a long while after this.” He offers, wanting to hold onto the moment for a long while in what would be a drastically changed body. Finally, he settled down.”100, 99, 98...” a while passed, with his robust constitution he lasted a lot longer than most but Ali’s method would steadily ware him down. “78, 76.... 7... Uhhh.” He thoughts drifted. “Ma, I need some wings... gunna come home real soon. Just like you wanted. Forgive me, please, please forgive me for, need wings for, sorry....” he drifted away. Life in her hands.


Hours later the ninja awoke from the chair. A humming along his back churning softer and softer until it fell at an even rythm to his heart beat. “I feel great.” He mused to himself, drinking it all in before slowely. He tried to bring himself up to a seating position. Groaning softly, with a chuckle. His humor was still in tact. “It never felt so good to hurt so bad.” Though his body was free of wounds. His entire system had just endured the massive shock of transferring to a partly mechanical nature. He wanted to test it immediantly. ‘Pain is in the flesh, trust in what you’ve made’. Black smoke chugged from the pipes along the back as he opened the gate of healing. He took a deap breath, unlocking the resivoliore of stamina within. “It’s working, there’s no strain on my body. As long as I don’t push it...”

With two heavy foot steps he rose from the bed and stretched, joints popping now with a metalic twang. Fingertips brushing the cieling. He was much taller and felt like a caterpillar fresh from it’s cocoon. “I’m going to rest now and on the train ride over. Would you like to come?” He offers, knowing already that Aki had done so much outside of her comfort zone and not wanting to push her so hard. Besides, he could finish this on his own if need be. “You’ve already done enough.” He reminds her.

Uncertainty, guilt, fear, releif, Akihana watched the emotions flit across the young engineer's face one by one, commuting them all to memory because if the surgery was successful, there was little chance of her seeing his face this exposed again. And the surgery would succeed, she promised herself as the man readied for the toughest procedure of his young life. There wasn't always a clear indication of right and wrong in this world, but Mar was willing to give up part of his own humanity to help those in need. She would make sure his sacrifice didn't go to waste.

“Come on, I’m gunna be less cuddly for a long while after this.”

The kunoichi smiled ruefully at his joke, opening her arms to the man and embracing him warmly, holding on to him like she would have to Yaju or Arashi so long ago. Out of all of the group, Mar was the most receptive of warm hugs, something Akihana had always appreciated. She held him perhaps a moment or two longer than necessary, her warm chakra enveloping his and naturally slowing his heartbeats, relaxing his muscles and dulling his senses. It wasn't a jutsu the blonde used, it was simply her own essence that made people feel calm around her. A lifetime of believing in people more than power, in emotions more than chakra, in living more than existing had taught her the difference.

By the time he was laid down and prepped for anesthetics, the job was already half done. Akihana waited until his eyes flustered closed, and then another five minutes before ensuring that he was as deeply unconscious as it was possible to be. And then, the work began.



It took nearly two days, though it would likely feel as if it had only been a few hours to Mar. She had made sure of that. The body and mind worked with mysterious synergy and and the idea of pain compressed over a shorter period of time always helped patients heal better. In her lifelong career as a medic, Akihana had learned that it wasn't always the pain that needed targeting but the perception of said pain.

And there had been too much to begin with, hopefully Mar wouldn't remember any of it though if the anesthesia had done its job.

The surgeries themselves has been decided into four major ones, operating on his spinal chord, lungs, cranium and bone tissue. She had began with the spinal chord, reasoning that it would align better for the following procedures. It had taken a grueling six hours just to attach that portion of the suit to him and several sections of his spine had shattered on the way, making Akihana reconstruct them anew, this time with the suit's material embedded in the make up to lessen the risk of infection.

Sheen she had moved on to his cranium after monitoring his recovery for a few hours. Here, the procedure had gone as well as could be expected, the film of chakra protecting his brain holding up as she worked to attach the helmet to his skull. He had not prepared for the surgery appearance wise, his hair needed to be shaved out of the way first. Akihana completed the task gently before operating, attaching the mechanics where he'd denoted on the notes. The first breath he'd taken through the helmet - rasping and  a little labored for having to work its way through the steel mask - had fallen like music on her ears.

The days passed between surgeries and recovering periods with Akihana constantly monitoring Mar's vitals to make sure his body could still withstand the process they had embarked on. At two points, it seemed as though she would lose him. When she had been working on his lungs, his heart had almost given out, going deadly still and making her utilize her lightning shock paddles to start it again. She hand's even noticed the tears on her face until he was safely out of danger.

And through it all, Akihana kept talking to the man, just in case he could somehow sense a comofrting presence by his side even in his unconscious state. She started with generic things like narrating what she was doing, how the procedure would go and what it would result in. Then as the hours stretched on she told him stories from her own childhood. Stories the girls used to be told at bedtime, stories of her sister and her grandfather, Akashingo the Red Light. She even told him about the boy at some point, her tone growing wistful and then the stories changed. Of Haven, of Kumo, of how a part of her would always flee incomplete without Youka because a part of him had always been incomplete without her.

in the end, it wasn't the stories that mattered, it was more so that someone was there by his side, seeing him through.



“I feel great.”

Akihana lifted her head blearily from the table where she had laid it down, curled up in another, more uncomfortable chair because she had given Mar the comfortable one. Sleep would never come, she had already known that. But after all of the surgeries had been done and the young ninja was out of danger, Akihana had allowed herself to simply rest until he woke up. She had been siting at the table with her head buried in her arms for about an hour now. "You do," seh called out thickly, reaching to stretch her arms out over ehr head. According to her calculations, he would feel some discomfort for a few days but perhaps... perhaps she had done a better job than expected?

The blonde breathed a sigh of relief when Mar admitted that he still felt the residual pain and exhaustion. It meant his receptors hadn't been completely fried in the process. What little humanity could be preserved had been preserved. Now the battle would be more of getting a sense of his new dimensions.

“I’m going to rest now and on the train ride over. Would you like to come?”

The Akari wasn't surprised, Mar had what he thought was his ultimate weapon. There was no point delaying the cause now. The sooner they had his mother and sister out, the better. Akihana had promised him as much and she intended to keep that promise. Whether they succeeded or not was a different matter entirely but both of them owed it each other to try. His sleepy mumblings from earlier of his family had not escaped her, and the medic would make sure he never had such regrets again if she could help it. It was time to find out just how fruitful their efforts were going to be.

"Of course," she nodded, patting down the golden spikes that her hair had become over the past few days. "But can we please stop by the chunin first so I can take a shower? You can pack some food for the road too."

(Exit Akihana)

Total words: 6,111

Claiming: 17 stats to health, reached maxed stats (3,400/3,400)
Claiming: 26 trained AP (2,600/2,600)
Claiming: http://naruto-role-play-rpg.forumotion.com/t41949-replication-of-the-light-lord (2,500/2,500)
clamming: http://naruto-role-play-rpg.forumotion.com/t40578-hikarition-radiant-showers (900/2,750) Rest completed here; http://naruto-role-play-rpg.forumotion.com/t42114p10-the-dealer-of-the-cards-akihanaio?highlight=cards#338512
Claiming:  http://naruto-role-play-rpg.forumotion.com/t40578-hikarition-radiant-showers  (62/2,750 - completed due to max discount)
Claiming: http://naruto-role-play-rpg.forumotion.com/t41042-chakra-shroud A Rank (1875/2,500 using max discount)
Claiming: http://naruto-role-play-rpg.forumotion.com/t40352-impact-fluids C Rank (750/1,000 using max discount)
Claiming: Next Generation Byrd Suit attached to Mar via Mystical Palm
Claiming: 24 words to charity

Approved of claims @aki