First Awakening

-Re:Life recovery, topic 1/3-

Himiko slept for days after the bijuu incident. She might come to hear of it as a victory, but... no matter how anybody looked at things Himiko had lost her life. Kikuri simply returned her to the world for some other task. The whole time she slept soundly, basically in a coma whilst she recovered. Much of the physical scars were healed, her legs still tender and broken from the escape at the end, but she was severaly drained of energy. A dreamless sleep.

Until the 3rd morning, when she awoke suddenly with a loud cry, mistakenly activating her dojutsu at it's most advanced stage. Something she would have to get used to. "Shit Himi!" Even more startled she turned and generated a water weapon from her bare hands. Little more than a shield through which she looked at the face of Cecelia. The woman who'd saved her life just by being in it. "J-Just... hang on," The midnight haired woman rushed out of the room, apparently alerting medical staff of the Zakiyoshi priestess waking up.

Left in silence Himiko slumped back in the bed, eyes closing as she deactivated the dojutsu. "... Goddess Kikuri. Thank you. You brought me back to Cecelia. But please... please watch over the one burdened." She opened her eyes again as Cecelia walked back in. She looked more exhausted than Himiko, sitting by her side and clasping her hand. "Do you mind if I...?" She trailed off and her partner only smiled and nodded. Eyes closed again, she continued. "Kikuri. I thank you for your blessing that day. Whilst I may have given my body to protect those I pledged my life to, you granted me your love, and to know the love of another." She absently squeezed Cecelia's hand at that. "I pray you continue to look over me as I recover, and return to my duties." She cleared her throat again, feeling Cecelia shifting to sitting on the bed with her. "Goddess Kikuri, watch over this daughter as she rises from the depths. As the spirits of those who came before return to their peaceful rest, with relief that this daughter remains amongst those she loves."

Its been four days since the terrifying creature made its way towards Hakagakure. The confrontation lasted thirty minutes and within that half hour an unbelievable amount of destruction came with it. Five brave shinobi and the leader of the Bachiatari himself came forth and fought valiantly. In conclusions thousands of lives were spared and the Gobi has been sealed, but at a cost. More than half of the team hospitalized and one in critical condition. Still a small price to pay for the safety of an entire civilization. This will bring forth an era of maturity for the participants and the ASN faction as a whole. Maturity to all even for Rikigaku's new celebrity hero, Armenezra.

He fought valiantly for a faction that was no longer his own, and in the end fell unconscious  due to mental damage. His pains were not enough to render him brain dead, but he would still need medical attention. Unfortunately they will not tend to his mental pains because he was not a member of the faction. Armen couldn't help but feel some resentment towards the higher ups who set this notion. It seemed unfair for a man to lay down his life and not be repaid in treatment; its the least they can do. There was even talk about waking him up to discharge him from their hospital, but Armen played that off by remaining asleep and pretending to be sleep talking vicious threats against those who touch him. This bought him a bit of time to hear Himiko's voice and her beloved's reaction to her wakening.  It was time for him to move about much like he did during the two days that hes actually been awake to check up on the others. He'd  get fully dressed and geared up with the bag of his belongings placed at his bed side. Once ready he'd slip past the nurses and allow Himiko's guards to identify him before entering her room.

The moment Armen laid eyes on her, his heart fell. Being overwhelmed by a sense of failure his eyes watered up and his metallic fists clinched. He remained silent as she prayed. Himiko's voice was enough to bring all their memories flooding back to him. Her audible voice that Armen cherished , personifying her gentle yet fierce nature almost gone to him and Armen would have been capable of preventing none of it. He has failed her, he has failed his sensei,he has failed her students,  Decimus, Enzo, and Himself. How could he speak to her? What could he possibly say to her? He's a leader now and he can not show weakness so he must not cry. Silence is his only plan to prevent himself from breaking down in tears. He stands at the door, Frozen.

As he would walk in, Cecelia withdrew her hand quickly from Himiko's grasp, turning and scrambling in to her bag set down by the bed for a second. Himiko meanwhile opened her eyes and gave a wide delighted smile, "Armen!" She shouted, causing the other woman to stop a moment, "Hey Cece it's fine, this is Armen, you're safe." She comforted the other woman who turned back and gave a slightly more cautious smile, not hiding the zenraigan dojutsu that she possessed with her usual contacts as she had been sleeping there and sleeping with contacts was never fun. Once that was dealt with Himiko began trying to push herself up before the strain on her body caused her just to collapse back.

"Himi c'mon, you've been awake not ten minutes. You really shouldn't try and stand,"

"Oh fine. Armen, get over here and give me a hug already," Despite everything they had been through together, despite how exhausted she looked, despite the red splotches up one of her arms, and more areas hidden under the hospital bed sheets, she still greeting her friend with as warm and welcoming a smile as ever.

"Please be careful. She might have got some good treatment and everything, but she still has last burns on her body," Cecelia spoke sternly, sitting back in the chair by the bed side and taking hold of the blue haired woman taking up the space.

"Oh I can take a little hurt. Armen's my best friend," She reassured her and turned back to Armen, "By the way, this is Cecelia. She's my... erm..." she trailed off as she didn't quite know exactly what the two of them were, and the blush on Cecelia confirmed it seemed it was like that both ways. And so her arms came up, clear she wasn't letting him off without at least one hug easily from her oldest friend.

He watched in sadness as she struggled to pull herself up and offer a hug. Armen would not make her spend anymore of her strength on kind gestures towards him, so he made his way on over and hugged her with his metallic arms. He was carefully and pulled her close to his skin to feel her, but still he remained silent towards her not knowing the right thing to say. After a few more moments he'd turn his attention to the one referred to as Cece and give a gentle smile to mask the sadness that filled his heart. He wanted to turn on the charm, say nice to meet you and something that can be considered funny. Once he opened his mouth, in a crackling voice he could only express his regret and sadness. " I've failed ya... im sorreh!" His head dropped and so did his facade that he so poorly held.

" i wus da capt'n i wus in charge of da unit she wus in. She put er faith in me n mah abiliteh to lead. But i culdnt do da damn thang. Da creatcha wus too damn strong , too damn fas, n too damn powaful." Armen then shoot his eyes snapping out of the moment he's in allowing only a couple of tears to fall. He'd clench his teeth and shout just enough for the people in the room to hear. " Gah damnit! Have u no decency! Dis is a serious moment!" those in the room would notice Armen shouting at a corner with nothing there. Armen on the otherhand would see a man similar in complexion with dark black hair, a full beard, military shinobi pants and no shirt to hide his muscular physique. Armen's being completely distracted by this man's aggressive air humping which has now made itself to ground humping.

In attempt to ignore the man Armen looks both at Cece and Himiko. " I wont fail u again, i wont fail either of ya. I'll be mo powaful than anyone has eva seen; ill do it even if it take mah las breath."

Himiko hurt herself some as she reached out to grab his arm as he was shouting at the corner. For the first time since he came in the room she actually looked sad, and cared little for hurting herself to pull him back in again. "Hey, hey. You didn't do anything wrong. Everybody got hit hard. I... I've slacked more than I realised." She was hugging him tightly, she still remember the funeral and she promised herself to never see him like that again. "So listen, we're gonna chat like the old days. Me, you and my girlfriend, and then I'm gonna get some rest, and you're gonna head back to your group. And most importantly, you're gonna first off get your head checked out. I saw that genjutsu and you must have been hit hard by whatever it did to you." She finally began to let him back up, and she was smiling yet again. He always either made it easy to smile, or made her want to smile for him. "Then, you're gonna give Enzo a hug from me. And finally, you're gonna set up a spare room for me."

"Himi, you're not to get involve in-"

"Cece I'll be fine, I'm not gonna go until I'm all better." She rather liked how Cecelia was doting on her like this so soon. "I don't wanna go so long without seeing you again, and I'd like to see how Enzo is settling in, and I'd like to meet this protegee you told me about. So I can warn her off following your example too much if she likes her arms," She winked at him then, never letting him forget the teasing.

As she pulled him close and spoke of what he ought to do for her, he'd laugh a bit. His attention ever slightly being pulled over to the corner by the same man, now mouthing the words "I fucked yo Mama". Himiko mentioning that he needed to get his head checked was one Armen obviously agreed with since no one seems to have noticed the man who has been following him around for days now. As she mentioned Enzo, and Kris his mind began to shift remembering that he owes it to her and them to be strong. Once she let go of him to allow him back up, he smiled and forced his mood to shift for her sake. Before he could speak a word, hed wipe the tears from his eyes and put on a smile once more.

He'd look towards Cece ," Ey.. tell me how wen Deci n I were gits dis one use to always be gett'n us in trouble. Deci n I were da top of r class but Himi ova hur wus all bout dem streets. Ya gotta real thug fo a girl friend." He'd chuckle a bit at the thought of that being even remotely true.

Himiko still blushed a little at his insistance on that, certainly remembering earning that brief nickname of Blue Siren due to Armen's antics especially. "Oh really now?" Cecelia spoke up first though, still a little nervous around someone new, but she saw how close he and Himiko were and it was enough to drop her guard some as she sat down on the edge of the bed again. "And here I was thinking that she was so incredibly innocent that she happened to pay so much for what she thought was a extremely expensive and sensual massage when she bought a slave," She was leaving out certain parts of their story of course, but she was quick to notice how the two were with each other and was actually rather keen to involve herself.

"Oh Kikuri, Cecelia please don't," Now she was horrible embarassed.

"Yes. This one came to the bathroom I was working under, and bought my contract. But if she is really as thus as you say, I'm starting to question whether this one went there purposely just to buy herself a bridge," Himiko was burying her head in the hospital blankets at that point. She really never knew she could feel so embarassed.

Armen's jaw dropped at Cecelia exposing Himiko's wild side. After a few moment's Armen lets out a hardy laugh. He always had a bet going on with Decimus about Himiko being an undercover freak. She always carried herself around them like a respectable woman with no perversion or unrighteous desires. Finally years later, the proof of Armen's suspicions have come to light.  Armen would place his hand on his head then pull on his braids that had detangled during the fight." Ya kno! i wus jus fool'n wit da whole thug thang, but guess der wus some truth to dat , huh cece?" Armen's heart loosened up a bit because he is now seeing what is in front of him. His best friend alive and well, but even more than that; She's truly happy. Maybe someday soon, she should retire from this troublesome life. She should go off with Cecelia and maybe raise a child; be happy.

Armen knew better not to speak of such a thing just yet, their might be a time soon when he'd need her help once more.  But surely he'd remember to tell her, someday. " Aye himi... wats gud wit sensei? Did she eva name da kid afta me, like we all wanted?"

"I went for a bathhouse massage!" Himiko shouted out, holding a pillow to her chest as the two of them were embarassing her even more. Cecelia just laughed and gently stroked her partner's arm. "I just... I went to relax. I didn't know what I was getting myself in to." She continued just to whine. For as embarassing as it was, it felt so good to just hang out and joke around with her best friend. She dropped this approach when their sensei was brought up, "Oh, erm... goodness it's been a while since I saw her too. I've just... I got so busy making my plans and perfecting my techniques. But for the record, nobody wanted that but you," She turned right back to teasing, giving him a light shove, which was about all she could do really. "So not to bring up the bad times, but no physical injuries? You definitely look better than me. All... broken legs and burned splotches," She wasn't sure if he had seen, and so she pulled back the covers and showed a patch of her side a pale red. "But... didn't burn the face at least. Can't ruin this gorgeous mug eh," She gave Cecelia the nudge that time, the midnight haired woman blushing too and looking away, not even dignifying it with a responce.

Armen watches as the color on Himiko's face shifts to a pinkish shade to signify her embarrassment. This was truly priceless and raised a lot of questions. How'd she even find the time to go on such a extravagant vacation. Cecelia and Armen shared a couple more laughs before Himiko mentioned that the baby wasn't named after him. This shocked Armen, how could one pass up the opportunity to gift their kid with such an amazing name.

After a few moments the topic would shift back to injuries. Armen can definitely count himself fortunate that none of his injuries were physical, or else he'd have to walk home with them. He'd look at her burns and flinch at the sight of it. " Damn fam, is dat gunna heal? or nah?"

"Nah," Himiko repeated back with his own tone. She stopped her dumb old attempts to copy his speech patterns but she could at least mimic his accent or a small few words like he did. "Y'know when I... err... died?" Cecelia flinched rather hard at just the mention of that and looked away, a sore subject for her. It was for Himiko too, but she had to come to terms with the fact that she did indeed die on that battlefield. "Well I was in my Hydriform when the beast's steam afterimages charged quite literally through me. I didn't know what would happen at the time, but I thought... leaving the form was the best idea. I didn't get to fully solidify before it hit, so... basically what you're seeing is boiled away Himiko," For such an injury, she was still smiling and joking about it. "I lost the bits that didn't turn solid in time. I still don't know how I came back," Then the jokes and smiles were fading in to a more solemn approach. "Kikuri and my ancestors rejected my spirit, sent me back, repaired my body to fighting shape. I have to think there's a reason but... it's still disconcerting to come back."

Armen smirked as she once again attempted to speak in what he believes is "Propa". He listened to the power of her god and how the entity brought her back to life, essentially rejecting her spirit so she can serve a greater purpose. Had it not been for that , she would've been gone to him. All that resonated with Armen was his failure and lack of power to keep her from ever dying. If it wasn't for him the team would've never been formed, but then again Hakagakure wouldn't have stood a chance. They would've been taken off guard by the beast and without a team being formed to intercept it, the five tails would've been at the gates of Hakagakure, taking more lives and causing insurmountable destruction. Either way things happened the way they were supposed to, and if Himiko's god brought her back for a greater purpose, then maybe this doubled up as a second chance for Armen as well. A chance to not fail her again.

Armen's smirk becomes a bright smile as he gestures for another huge from both Himiko and Cecelia. " I kno tis sudden n we havin such a gud time, but I'ves gotta get ma head checked soon dis headache funna drop ya boi. Feelin a bit dizzy ya kno n Bachiatari still needs der Captain." After receiving or not receiving a hug, He'd head towards the window and look back on last time. " Ya'll always gotta home in Bachiatari, Do visit soon , yea?" With having said that, he'd take off leaving Himiko and Cecelia to be along and awake together alas.

[/exit]

"I'll send you the heads up when I'm on my way," Himiko told her oldest friend as he was leaving. Through the window. Why was he leaving through the window? She just shook it off as Armen being his same old peculiar self. She closed her eyes and settled back in to her hospital bed. Once he was gone, she felt all that weight fall down upon her. She'd perked herself up for him as she could see, and even hear, how upset he felt over how things turned out. Now he was gone she turned inwards, letting herself feel a little grief over how she had hurt her friend and the struggle with her temporary death. It didn't last long, but it did wear her out that much more, and she drifted back in to an exhausted slumber.