It was only early afternoon. Shichiroji had, however, only gotten two hours of sleep last night. Heihachi had kept him up, as they talked and traded stories. In a way, Heihachi felt guilty that she was taking advantage of it. When the exhausted Shichiroji had yawned and blinked his eyes to keep awake, she had urged him to nap. Initially, he declined, but when Heihachi continued to insist, promising she would keep an eye on things with Gorobei, he finally gave in.

Shichiroji asked, "But what about you?"

"Oh, I'm fine." Heihachi flashed him a cheerful smile, appearing as energetic as she could, stretching her arms enthusiastically over her head for emphasis. "A person like me who doesn't do much anyway doesn't need as much sleep."

"You do work a lot." Shichiroji smiled warmly, but she paid no mind to his gaze, waving a hand dismissively and staring out at the grass, bending beneath a sweep of wind.

"Don't worry. Go ahead."

So he had accepted the offer, under the condition that she wake him in an hour, and he'd return the favor. With a defeated shrug and another lighthearted smile, Heihachi had to concede.

Shichiroji, Heihachi felt, had overstepped his boundaries a little too much for him to simply slip away from; without punishment, at least. Which she was here to deliver.

Amiably, she usually let others do as they please without taking offense or holding a grudge. However...Shichiroji had made the common mistake of thinking she was helpless.

Suspecting that Shichrioji had a very impressive tolerance for alcohol(while she became intoxicated at the mere smell), she decided that sake would fail as a plan. Instead, she needed for Shichiroji to fall asleep. This was an opportunity she couldn't pass up.

Once assured he had at least dozed off, she quietly crept in. She lit some incense in the corner, which she had asked Kirara for. It was an herbal mixture that had a relaxing effect, lulling people into states of calm and entice sleep. As the priestess told Heihachi, it was especially used for people who suffered from pain or illness, to soothe them.

Perfect, Heihachi thought, gently fanning the sweet smoke in the sleeping man's direction. The threads of vapor curled into the air, and she nearly yawned herself. Although not sure exactly how effective it was, she had always trusted farmers with this sort of thing. And it seemed to be working; Shichiroji's breathing slowed, and soon, she could see the movement under his eyelids. As promised, it had led to deep sleep.

Now was the time to begin. Cautiously, Heihachi crawled over to his side. Waving a hand in front of his face, then poking him, she dared to whisper, "Shichiroji-dono..."

When there was no answer, she risked calling him louder; she had to make sure. No response.

Feeling confident, Heihachi very carefully began to disrobe him. Assured he would stay asleep as long as she was careful, Heihachi cautiously slipped off Shichiroji's jacket, easing his arm out and allowing the empty sleeve to drop to the floor.

A strangely wicked smile came across Heihachi's normally cheerful lips as she pulled open his shirt, slipping one shoulder off to reveal the mechanized joint.

After all....you shouldn't mess with a mechanic when you have a machine arm.

In a good mood, Heihachi resisted humming to herself, a habit while working. He may be asleep, but she didn't need to risk waking him.

First, with deft work of a screwdriver, Heihachi removed the outer plate which covered the inner workings. She then began working on unscrewing wires, which had been conveniently connected with bolts. With a smile, she noted that it was designed to be removed easily for repairs; not a surprise. Heihachi had seen many warriors with these types of replacement limbs. Hell, she had built a few herself! So it was a relatively simply task for her. Still, one needed to be well versed in mechanics. The woman knew what she was doing. No amateurs could handle it properly.

Suddenly, Shichiroji stirred, and Heihachi paused, keeping very still. Anxiously, she watched his face.

Please don't wake up, please don't wake up, please don't wake up...

Biting her lip, Heihachi then let out a relieved sigh when he relaxed again, still comfortably in sleep.

And anyway, Heihachi figured, what was a joke 'between men'?

However, she felt as she yawned widely, it did backfire a slight. She was herself tired, and there was that incense that she had asked for, to induce sleep.

With a vigorous shake of the head, Heihachi mused that at least she could tell Kirara it worked.

Concentrating again on her work, Heihachi finally snapped the connections to the wires, the ones that connected the nerves. With that done, it meant he wouldn't even feel any pressure on his arm, and that he couldn't move it, either. He would never be aware anything was happening.

But, Shichiroji's mechanized arm was a custom. It wasn't some standard model she knew inside and out. And, unexpectedly, to Heihachi's dismay, a loud 'snap' cracked the air like a gunshot.

While this particular surprise was enough to shake any thoughts of sleep from Heihachi, what concerned her was the sound awakening Shichiroji.

Suddenly very stressed, Heihachi's eyes adhered to the man's face.

She was safe, she was safe, she was safe, she was-

"Mm...eh?"

Oh, darn.

Frantic, Heihachi looked back and fourth between Shichiroji and his arm.

Quickly, she held the screwdriver behind her back as Shichiroji's eyes opened. As good as the incense was, it would have to be a drug(and a dangerous one) to keep a light sleeper like Shichiroji asleep.

Desperate, Heihachi dove down, her face very close to the man's, their foreheads pressed together.

"....Hei-san? What are you doing?"

Awkwardly, they stared at each other. Heihachi suddenly smiled.

"One eye."

"....What?"

"You know how when you're really close and you do that thing where it looks like the other person only has one eye?"

"...." He looked like he wasn't sure whether to laugh or shrug it off.

"Um...well...that's all..." Heihachi blinked.

Keeping her hands busy all the while, Heihachi continued to babble as she secretly finished separating the arm. Oblivious, Shichiroji had to focus on keeping up with her talking, albeit puzzled by it. He had no idea Heihachi was brushing her fingers over the space between his arm and the metal limb to be sure it was fully removed.

"You know, today is awfully cold for spring, don't you think? Some how tea and warm rice would be great. Hey, did you know that Katsushiro hasn't even kissed a girl yet? It's true, and he's eighteen! Well, everyone has their own pace, and he acts otherwise, but he's awfully embarrassed by it."

"What do I care?" Shichiroji asked. He wanted to sit up, but for reasons he didn't know, Heihachi was leaning so close. She kept her face inches away, and he observed that she was gradually moving closer, leaning over him. He then lifted his brow. "Is that incense?"

"Uh-huh. Absolutely...said to be very relaxing...I asked Kirara-dono for it..."

She seemed very flustered, Shichiroji noted. Then, his eyebrow quirked for a completely different reason. Was Heihachi....?

Experimentally, he raised his right hand. He was used to favoring it since it was the one with sensation. Bringing it upwards, he was about to hold the back of Heihachi's head, his fingers just brushing the stray auburn locks. Suddenly, however, she pulled away, both hands behind her back, muttering stuttered phrases and apologies. Not turning her back to him once, she was out the door before he realized what had happened.

With a sigh, he lay there, feeling rested, but somehow defeated. Heihachi was so odd sometimes. Even though Shichiroji would consider them quite friendly with each other, she took him off guard sometimes with her eccentricites. Charming as they were, he still couldn't quite decode her.

Meanwhile, Heihachi made a run for it. Through the village's main path, she hoped to escape to the forest, where she could hide for a while. She would admit to anyone she was not the athlete the others were. Not that she wasn't an able runner; most people would have a hard time keeping pace. But she wanted as much of a head start as she could get before-

"Heihachi-dono!!"

Uh-oh. No 'Hei-san'? Shichiroji usually only reverted to 'Heihachi-dono' when he was upset. Well, it wasn't unjustified, but as she stole a glance over her shoulder, Heihachi gulped. Oh yes. Shichiroji looked quite upset indeed. Not that she could really pretend to be innocent with his arm clutched in her hand.

"Waaaaaaaaaah!!"

Panicked, Heihachi ran faster. No forest now. To the river? No, dead end. Bridge? No, oh not at all...she was fairly sure encountering an angry Shichiroji on a bridge high above a canyon floor was foolish.

Her imagination conjured the image of Shichiroji kicking her off the edge, and she shuddered. He wasn't such a volatile man but...you never really know a person.

Risking a leap over the ridge down onto the fields, Heihachi yelped as a rock snapped off under her foot, and she tumbled, falling head over heels. She rolled forward, completing an entire flip before landing in a heap. She groaned, dragging herself to her feet and rubbing her head.

That jump was a fatal mistake; Shichiroji was now significantly closer. She began to run again, and he ordered after her, "Get back here! Give me my arm!"

"Not just yet! I'm not giving up right now!" Heihachi passed a cunning smile back at him.

"You trickster! I'll make chipmunk soup out of you!"

"....Did you just call me a chipmunk!?"

"You have the cheeks for it!"

"That's not funny!"

"You have the butt for it, too!"

"....That's even less funny!"

Desperate, Heihachi scrambled up a nearby tree, and just barely pulled her leg up in time to avoid Shichiroji's hand, which swiped at her and nearly caught her ankle.

Panting, Heihachi sat herself on a branch nearly 12 feet up, and beheld a very frustrated Shichiroji standing below.

"Do you really think I can't climb a tree!?"

"Not with one arm." Heihachi pointed out.

"..." Silent at first, annoyed with his own disability now, he then demanded, "What did you do that for, anyway?"

"You deserved some payback, you pervy old man!" Heihachi stuck her tongue out at him.

"What!? So a few comments justifies stealing my arm!?"

"The slap on my butt and the grabbing of my hips, too. Gotta nip these things in the bud." Heihachi dangled her legs over the branch, the arm in her lap. Glancing down at him, she threw him a smile. "Who knows what you'd do if I let it go on?"

Narrowing his eyes, Shichiroji commented, "Bet you can't wait to find out."

Heihachi's eyes widened. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just wait until I get my hands on you, Heihachi!"

"'Hand'." Heihachi corrected.

"You'll have to come down sometime." Shichiroji told her, and sat down at the base of the trunk.

Oh. That was true. Heihachi suddenly became nervous as he added, "I'll be waiting."

"...."

Well, Heihachi is in a bit of trouble here, isn't she?
By the way, back there, Shichiroji thought Heihachi was getting a little frisky XD That's why he was like, "*eyebrow raise* Well, well, well, what's going on here...?"
Sorry, Shichi, she was just stealing your arm.

This chapter brought to life by me and Citizen Cobalt 1's realization that Heihachi = mechanic and Shichiroji = mechanical arm.