The Wheel Folk Blues

[PureWillPower]

Kenjiro rolled along the streets of Suna with his wheelchair looking a little odd. The arm rest were setting in his lap. The various components that made it a great ninja tool was missing. It seemed like a broken down civilian version. Not the lean mean fighting machine it once was. He was in his normal blue pants black shirt combi. His forehead protector around his forehead. didn't want to loose that today. Even the Pouch, his oh so famous pouch, was in his lap.

Toda, little known to anyone outside the normal circle of the clinic, he was switching his wheelchair for a puppet made in the sma fashion. this would be much easier to control and require less of his chakra. The durability, strength, deftness, and mobility of the puppet was triple what the chair he was in now was at. A nice calm Suna day and no one would know the difference as long as he didn't bump into anyone.

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

Rubi felt a bit at odds as she walked towards the clinic. This feeling of unease was because she carried her prosthetic in a case on her right side. Having usage of a limb and suddenly losing it was always an uncomfortable feeling, even for a shinobi.

She was about to enter the clinic when she saw Kenjiro waiting outside with his wheelchair in a considerably greater state of disrepair than it was usually. Donning her confident smirk, she approached. "Did you come in for an equipment check-up, too, Kenjiro?" she called as she walked up to him.

[PureWillPower]

Kenjiro smiled and hopped his chair up the steps. Clinic with no ramp. Go figure. As he saw Rubi he stopped his hops and gave her a sweet smile. "Actually replacement. Getting a new puppet to replace my wheelchair." He patted the round metal bar where the arm was. "Nice to see you at random though. Maybe we will have the same service tech." He rolled over to the door and held it open for her.

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

Rubi grinned as the door was held open for her. "Thank you, Kenjiro. And it's good to see you too; I'm always on edge when it comes to check-ups like these."

The hospital lobby, unlike the outside, had a light hickory theme going on. Shades of brown and black wood graced the walls of the lobby while the more sterile whites and peaches were in the medical wings. Rubi walked up to the reception desk. "Excuse me, ma'am," she said to the short brunette woman at the desk. "Both Ibara Rubi and Shioya Kenjiro are here for a service appointment."

[PureWillPower]

Ken gave a small wave to the brunette who immediatly folded her hands in her lap. A sort of reflex for the medics who wore skirts when ken was around. Ken rolled over to the waiting area as she nodded and wrote their names down on the paper. "The techs will be out shortly. Please wait in the lobby."

Ken parked himself and put on the brakes using kugutsu. His head leaning back against the wall as he watched over the area.

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

The young nurse's reflex did not go unnoticed by Rubi. Noticing both her defensive position and her fiery red blush, she put two and two together. "Not a single young woman in Suna is safe from your grasp, are they, Kenjiro?" she joked, still wanting to hear him fess up to his habits.

[PureWillPower]

Ken just chuckled slightly and raised his hand. "I have never touched any of them." He shot his hand forward and grabbed a manga off the coffee table. 'Dynamic Warrior Lee: Volume 12 The Fox and the Slug' The book came flying back to his grasp as he offered it to her. "Nothing beat clinical classics."

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

Rubi waved her hand, declining his offer. "That may be true, but in my opinion, a good book will almost always be better than a random manga found in the hospital."

Stretching her legs out in front of her, Rubi let out a small yawn. "Ugh," she grumbled. "Maybe I should have scheduled this appointment later in the day. I'm still kinda tired."

[PureWillPower]

Ken sat the book on his lap and did a few hand seals before touching his hand to the shoulder next to her. "Chakra Pillow. Its a jutsu i devised that creates a comfortable cushion of chakra one can lay their head against. feel free to use it." His kugutsu strings holding the book in front of him, open and in perfect veiw to read.

He would have offered a place for her to sit on his lap and take a nap but his lap was already preoccupide tiwh everything else.

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

Rubi's eyes narrowed in suspicion. 'This is the village flirt we're talking about here,' she reasoned. 'I know him pretty well, but you never know...'

Eventually, she relented. "If you cop a feel or peek, I'll gore your eyes out with a rusty spoon," she threatened as she rest her head upon his shoulder.

[PureWillPower]

Kenjiro just nodded. "Dualy noted." As Rubi rested ehr head on his shoulder he opened the book to see the new adventure. He was going be quiet and let her rest for a while.

____________________________________________
[Comic]

As we last left our hero, Dynamic Warrior Lee, he was staring down the powerful Six Magi of Pain. Each only knew one spell, but they have mastered it to the utmost extremes. Dynamic Warrior Lee had only three poeple standing with him against this monsterous threat. The Orange Fox of the Forest, The Sand Sorceror of the Desert, and the Lecherous Slug Priest.

Lee obviously did not yet trust the Slug Priest. The Sand Sorceror has both saved his life and nearly taken his life before. The Orange Fox was an old friend who had power he didn't know about. It was four on Six. If only his sidekick Neji wasn't so weak and useless in battle. But the Baron Gai was entrusting his entire region's safety to the warrior and he had to fight until his last breath.

Safely behind him was the Baron Kakashi's Daughter Sakura and her Maids in waiting, Ino and Hinata. The six were planning on taking the girls to a far off location to where the Dynamic Warrior could not tred. No He must stand tall in front of them. He still must protect the beautiful Sakura and see no evil step foot on the land.

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

Despite her suspicions, Rubi slowly began dozing off as she rested her head on Kenjiro's shoulder. 'I hate to say this but... his shoulder is kinda... comfy,' she admitted as sleep began to claim her.

Seeking to make herself more comfortable, Rubi slipped her arm around Kenjiro's, hugging it as she rested her head on his shoulder.

---

Almost as if controlled by one mind, three of the Magi jumped into action. The one with long hair slammed his palm to the ground, leaping up and landing upon a giant bird with plumes of feather the color of a blazing inferno. Flapping its wings, the bird took to the sky. The Magi wearing the clay mask dashed forward, several missiles sprouting from his back and rushing towards our heroes. The bulky Magi followed the clay masked Magi, seemingly guarding him as they rushed the party. The other three remained immobile at the moment, though one did seem to be making some seals...

[PureWillPower]

As Ken flipped the page. The technician silently walked up to them and smiled. It was an older male in his late 30's. Seemingly half of his body was prostetic. Behind him was a stoic but beautiful girl with a pale complexion. She was wearing a cosplay nurse's outfit. A slightly closer inspection would have revealed her as a puppet.

Ken noticed him and held up a finger that placed the book quietly on the table next to him. It had been a few minutes but he felt sorry he had to wake Rubi up. Especailly since she embraced his arm to fall asleep. He flexed that muscle first to see about getting her attention then tapped her shoulder gently. There was other ways of waking her up if this didn't work, but he did not know whether she had rusty spoons available or not.

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

A light rap on her shoulder roused Rubi from her slumber to find Kenjiro looking down at her. Part of her sought to rise up and regain her composure... but another part of her wanted to stay like this. "I never realized how nice your eyes are..." she mumbled to him, still a bit groggy from waking up.

Standing up, she stretched and yawned before greeting the technician with a handshake. "Thanks for taking the time to see us," she told him, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

[PureWillPower]

Kenjiro smiled inwardly knowing she probably wouldn't have said that on a clear head. Looking back to teh doc he nodded. "I would stand up as well but...ya know" He reached out a hand to shake his as well. The Nurse Puppet walked forward and picked up the breifcase carrying Rubi's arm and then over to Ken's chair grabbing the handles. Sighing, he made his hand seal and using gentle finger movements moved his feet from the rest and planted them on the floor. with a smooth practiced motion he stood up and stepped away from the chair. All the components left on the seat.

Jutsu UsedShow

*Tatsujin Kugutsu no Jutsu [Master Puppetry Technique]
B-Ranked Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: Chuukan Kugutsu no Jutsu [Intermediate Puppetry Technique]
Tatsujin Kugutsu no Jutsu is the mastered form of Kugutsu no Jutsu. The puppeteer uses special chakra strings, which are completely invisible and are relatively agile, to attach them to the enemy limbs and body and is able to control all their movements like a real puppet, but may only catch them if they remain still in one post. Those who are caught become wide open for any attacks. The puppeteer can also use them as an actual puppet to attack others as well. Puppeteers are limited to control up to one caught opponent at a time. In order to release oneself from the puppeteer's hold, one needs to have a Strength stat of at least 5 or higher other than that they must rely on an ally to help them cut the invisible chakra strings until they are severed.

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

Rubi's eyes widened curiously as she saw kugutsu strings essentially hoist Kenjiro up. "Wow," she complimented. "I knew kugutsu was versatile, but I have to admit that I never expected this kind of stuff."

They made their way to the examination room. It was larger than most; this man was one of the main technicians for the hospital, which afforded him a more spacious workspace. Motioning for the two to sit (each on separate examination beds), he pulled the glazed clear curtain between the two. The technician excused himself to retrieve their medical files.

[PureWillPower]

Ken just smiled to her. She was about eight inches taller then him. But considering he didn't get much room for growth sitting 98% of his life. "Master Puppetry allows one to manipulate people as if they were puppets." As they sat on their individual beds Ken released his kugutsu and stretched his arms. He could see the siloutte form as the doctor closed the curtain. He then started making shadow puppets for her to help her bide the time.

After a couple minutes he moved his arms out to the side and waved them. Using kage bushin he formed three clones standing perfectly behind hi. the smoke leaving no shadow on the screen. As he waved his arms each clone behind them waited a moment before moving thier arms in a similar motion.

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

Rubi was getting ready for the rather painful examination she awaited. She turned to Kenjiro and started giggling at his antics. Despite her usually brisque demeanor, there was something about Kenjiro's goofiness that always got her to laugh.

Eventually, the technician returned with a small cart and Kenjiro's replacement puppet chair. "I do hope you'll wait a bit longer while I complete your friend's maintenance," he requested, motioning towards Rubi. He exited the room for a moment and returned, wheeling what could only be described as a car battery hooked up to several plugs, cables, and an output monitor with a high-speed printer.

"Miss Ibara?" he asked, motioning as he put on a pair of cloth gloves. Blushing a bit, Rubi took off her top and her bra, covering her breasts with her free arm. With that, the technician began; he flipped a small switch on the machine, bringing it to life with a surprisingly low amount of noise. Taking the band of cables and plugs, the technician began hooking them up to the metal socket embedded where Rubi's own shoulder socket was.

"Are you ready, Miss Ibara?" with a deep breath, Rubi sighed and nodded. With a quick flip of the switch the machine's gears span a bit faster. A pulse of electricity shot through the cable, making Rubi inhale sharply as several amps violently coursed through her nervous system. Though she tried to remain quiet, she couldn't help but let out a whimper as the test continued; the pain was on a completely different scale, even for a shinobi.

[PureWillPower]

Ken just laid back on the bed while the docotr did what he needed to with Rubi. He did see her silohette remove her top and what he guessed was her bra. They the doctor seemed to hook up some wires. After a little bit of time he heard a whimper coming from over there. She must have been in some terrible pain. Just for a tune up on an arm? Must have been some heavy duty arm.

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

The testing was five minutes of her hairs standing on end, her synapses being forced to attention, and every inch of her body screaming bloody murder. Her breathing was heavy and ragged; just when she thought she was in the clear, a renewed surge of electricity brought fresh waves of agony.

The puppet came in with Rubi's arm, all shined up and new. The puppet joined the two behind the curtain as the technician finally flipped off the machine. Taking the arm, the technician popped his head out from behind the curtain. "Mr. Kenjiro... you'll probably want to cover your ears for this," he warned, a look of sympathy and remorse on his face. With that he ducked back behind the curtain.

Lifting the arm up, he lined the arm's connectors up with their matching ones in the socket as Rubi let loose ragged gasps. She no longer made any attempt to cover herself; supporting her torso had taken first priority as traces of the electricity still raced through her body, her arm braced against her lap. "Are you ready, Miss Ibara?" Taking a few moments to regather her fortitude, she nodded.

For a moment there was silence as the puppet quickly closed the door and locked it. Returning behind the curtains, the tense silence continued for a little while longer. Then the whirring of metal gears could be heard and then a pronounced snap of wood an metal was heard... followed by a painfully intense shriek as the arm's relays reattached themselves to her nerves, sending a massive feedback to her nervous system.

Rubi flopped over on her side while the doctor quickly injected her with an anesthetic. She chewed on the pillow right next to her... so that she wouldn't sob as tears streaked down her face.

The puppet left the room, wheeling the machine with her as the technician mentioned he'd bring the rest of the paperwork to them. As he left the room, Kenjiro would hear the technician say this much:

"I knew we should have done more research. The maintenance is just too damn painful."

[PureWillPower]

Kenjiro sat up as the doctor and puppet nurse left. Seeing a bed sheet over on the side, he extended his invisible kugutsu strings to it and carried it over draping it gently over Rubi's body. Once it was settled in place he used another set on the chair. Being made from puppetry parts it was much easier to get a hold of and manipulate then his old chair was. Everything was right in place so he was able to move it over and move into it.

He then rolled over the few feet and rested his hand on her head comfortingly. Stroking her hair lightly, he didn't say anything but hoped she knew what he was trying to say with it. He wanted to show he was there for her.

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

Rubi felt the kugutsu threads rub against her body as they slipped past her towards the blanket. At first, Rubi's paranoia concluded that Kenjiro was making use of her moment of weakness, but as she felt the thin white fabric cover her, she realized his true intentions. She let go of the pillow, breathing slowly and closing her eyes. Rubi felt Kenjiro's hand stroking her hair, drawing his fingertips lightly over the skin on her cheek and she gazed at him with her emerald eyes, her mouth offering nothing but silence while her eyes spoke of the torture she had just experienced.

Bringing her hand up, she placed it over his, not moving her gaze from his eyes for a single moment. "You stayed... when no one else I know would even come up here for me," she whispered, finally calm enough to speak.

[PureWillPower]

Kenjiro just smiled to her and cradled her cheek in his hand lightly. "Our kind gotta stick together. We aren't exactly your typical shinobi are we?" His smile was there and just as gentle as before. It wasn't like the lecherous one he showed the nurse, or the joking one he gave her at the cafe. Picking up her blouse and bar with the kugutsu string he laid them on the bed next to her and brushed his thumb along her cheek. "Once your dressed how about I give you a ride to someplace you can rest and not be bothered."

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

Rubi rose from her side, holding the bed sheet over her breasts with her newly attatched prosthetic. "A ride? Is your new wheelchair that big?" she asked, a confused look on her face. Turning around so Kenjiro couldn't see, Rubi started hooking her black single strap bra back on. On her shoulder and at the bottom of her smooth back each were a rose tattoo.

'I've never been near a man with so little clothing on before,' Rubi realized, blushing a bit at the fact.

[PureWillPower]

By the time Rubi started to turn around. Ken was already up out of his chair and turned around also. But he was heading to the back of his chair. He knew she was slightly embarassed by this. So giving her a little laughter to help her ease down would be beneficial. Propping on foot on the back of his chair, he held onto the handles and grinned to her. "Doesn't need to be big if there is only one person riding in it." His eyes just caught the roses before he looked back away. He was ecchi and used to seeing the undergarments of women. However it was usually followed by loud shouts of surprise and following thrown implements, kunai, shurikens, or hapless bystanders.

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

After slipping on her blouse, Rubi turned to find Kenjiro standing behind the chair. Her eyes widened as she realized what he meant. Her blush deepened; even if kugutsu itself wasn't a very chakra intensive technique, using it over a long period of time still took its toll. "K-kenjiro, I couldn't... I mean, I..." she stammered, desperately trying to find a reason to decline his offer though secretly she wanted to accept.

[PureWillPower]

Ken shook his head and pointed to the chair. "You need to rest and relax after that much adjustment. So you are sitting and riding. I have other techniques that my Chakra Pillow and Kugutsu." Fact of the matter was kugutsu was not his primary tool in life. just to reach and grab things. It was the primary reason he learned it. He was a shape manipulator Second. A Gentleman first. "Now we will be going some place close by so you cna take a nap without alot of noise and disturbance."

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

(OOC: Just as an FYI, the apostrophes around speech represent interior monologue.)

Wanting to assure Kenjiro of her stability but being unable to do so, Rubi relented. She slowly slipped into the chair, still blushing deeply. She had her hands crossed in front of her defensively, completely unsure of what to do or how to act in this kind of situation.

Her heart began to beat a little more quickly. 'What is this?' she asked herself, utterly confused at this influx of emotion. 'Why am I feeling like this?'

[PureWillPower]

With some weight in the seat now, he stepped his other foot up and secured the cuffs around his thighs. this little addition was for escort missions. Closing his eyes he moved chakra into the wheels and formed small yellow spheres of chakra that began to spin the wheels in the direction his mind imagined. The left wheel rolled forward while the right wheel rolled backwards. The chair spinned in place until it pointed to the door. His kugutsu string opened the door and the two rolled slowly to the opening. "Let say we meet the Doctor at the front deck." Before she could answer, his wheels spun out and the two began racing down the hall, skidding to a stop before the desk.

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

Rubi was completely unprepared for the acceleration. She was whipped back in the chair as her hair flew in the wind. Eventually the came to a halt at the front desk, Rubi's hair in complete disarray, just like her current perception of reality.

The doctor approached cautiously. "Are you here for the discharge papers, Mr. Shioya?" he asked timidly, not entirely sure of what to expect from the new daredevil on wheels.

[PureWillPower]

Ken titled to the side and let the left wheel spin at the full speed. "Yeah the puppet was designed flawlessly. Rubi here needs a small break from this area so I though I would show her some place silent. And apparently she needs it quickly. She looks a little mussed up."

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

The doctor looked at Rubi, then at the chair, then at Kenjiro, and finally to his nurses, who simply shrugged. He shrugged in return. "Well, you guys are actually free to go. The discharge papers are a triviality, really," he said, waving to them as he rounded the desk and continued down an adjacent hallway.

Rubi still sat in the chair, regathering her sense. "Kenjiro... how in blazes does this thing go so fast?" she asked him, completely stumped.

[PureWillPower]

Ken smiled as he started out slow as they moved to the door. "Itoguruma. Using a little bit of spirlaing chakra I can move the wheels at the speed of the average Special jounin." When they got to the doors, they opened through the use of the kugutsu and they gently rode down the steps to the street beneath them. "May want to hold on."

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

Rubi listened intently as Kenjiro explained. She had to admit, the concept of using a spiraling motion to increase one's own speed was a smart idea. She had already witnessed firsthand its results.

At Kenjiro's warning, Rubi, slinked back in the chair, her hands gripping the arm rests. "Should I be worried?" she asked him, already telling herself the answer.

[PureWillPower]

As the wheels started spinning underneath them, He leaned forward slightly. "Only if the sand beetles are flying." As if on cue, the wheels finally gripped and the chair shot forward like a rocket. Flying over the steps he sailed through the air a good twenty feet and buzzed the ramen shop. As they made contact with the ground. The Sand Twins were seen a short distance away. They were playing "Eat the other as hard as you can with a Sand ball." As the one from the left flew just inches in front of Rubi's face the one from the right zoomed right behind Ken's butt. As they passed right on by the balls hit each twin in the face sending them to the ground. After a few minutes at this blistering speed straight forward, the wheels stopped and they slowly rolled to a stop before a modest two level house. The chair turned toward the door as it opened on it's own. It rolled to a stop at the entrance.

Inside was a modest house. A living room with a couch, recliner, and a normal chair. A Kitchen area with an island countertop. To the left, was a stair case upstairs and a door to the toilet. The chair was stopped right in front of the Step up to the wooden floor so they can trade in thier shoes for the slippers.

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

The sound of spinning wheels could be heard as Kenjiro offered his response. Rubi gulped, dreading what might happen once the wheels touched the ground. Like a rocket, the two whizzed through the streets of Sunagakure, a surprised scream escaping from Rubi's lips as the zoomed past the ramen shop and weaved in between two large orbs of sand.

After the initial shock, however, Rubi started laughing gleefully. She couldn't recall a time where she had been having more fun than this moment. Everything about this moment was exhilarating: the wind catching her hair in its grasp like a cape, the sun shining down on her face, watching everything pass by in a glance.

"That was incredible!" she gasped, still tingling with excitement and with a playfully silly smile on her face. "You should've gotten this thing ages ago!"

[PureWillPower]

Kenjiro rested his arms on the back of the chair and grinned. "Yeah not being able to use your legs has some perks."

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

The kunoichi got up from the chair and slipped her shoes off before stepping on the lacquered floor. She let out a complimentary whistle as she looked around, her hands on her hips. "Wow, Kenjiro. You've got a nice place here," she applauded.

Though her hand was on her hip, her right arm was still shaking a bit from fatigue. Rubi hadn't gotten much sleep, and that examination had taken its toll...

[PureWillPower]

Ken smiled as he pushed himself back up and hopped the chair up onto the step. He never had to worry about switching shoes. The dirst was always knocked off the wheels. Slinking over the front of the chair, he nestled into the seat as he went towards his guest. "The couch is plenty comfortable from what I understand. I can attest for the restful nature of the bed upstairs though."

Rolling into the kitchen he took out two goards. Each small enough to hold like a bottle. Both emblazened with the Sandsea Logo. Placing them in his lap he rolled over and handed one to the vision of tired loveliness.

[Yasashikaze Seiken]

Nodding in thanks, Rubi accepted Kenjiro's gift. Rubi had to admit: the bed sounded like a pretty good idea, but she decided to finish her drink first. She made her way to the couch, sitting as she sipped from the gourd. Stretching her arms out and curling her legs up on the couch, she looked around before returning her gaze to Kenjiro. "Do you live alone, Kenjiro?" she asked, taking another sip from the gourd.