[Kyuumu Suzaku]

There was definitely a sense of deja vu here, that he'd been in this situation before. The chuunin exams approaching, waiting to see if he'd be allowed to participate. And in that waiting period, while in the hosting city, finding the hammering of the importance of basics by his sensei increasingly maddening. Honestly, if he heard the word "essentials" one more time, he was going to scream. And so he'd snuck out without informing his sensei, trying to get a breath of fresh air. It was almost a word-for-word repeat of the last exams. With several notable exceptions.

First, he wasn't in Tsuchi no Kuni, which was always a plus. This time, the exams were taking place in his own home country, making everything much simpler even if it was still a bit of a trip. Secondly, he wasn't in the night district, where blindjng lights lied at every turn. Instead, he really was getting some fresh air, out with nature. There were no mean girls to make him cry out here. Not like last time. But with new surroundings came new problems, and his were right above him. Ja and Dō, his familiars, his partners, his constant headache, had made friends.

Not even the bird speaking teen could understand them, the flock of birds above him. There were too many voices at once, all screaming something, all talking, crowing and chattering. It was like he was home, listening to his clans birds at their compound. And it was like trying to eavesdrop in a crowded street, too many conversations going on all at once. So, instead the boy tried his best to ignore it, taking out a piece of his Dragons Beard candy instead from it's baggie. And that showed his carelessness, how distracted he was, as as soon as the delectable treats were pulled out they pounced. Swooping down on him and snatching the baggie right out of his hands, tearing apart the plastic barrier and feasting on his snack. HEY! The boy let out a shout, a shout of surprise, a shout of indignation. But it was swallowed by the flocks laughing.

And as the fiery headed boys face turned red as well, he remembered how some of those essentials. Things like tree walking, surrounding hakra on the bottom of ones feet to climb. And so he attempted it, to reach the flock, and get his revenge. And he almost got two steps up the tree before plummeting like a bird with clipped wings, landing on his butt. And the laughing above continued.

[hirana kizumi]

YANKI YUTO
CHUUNIN

Yuto had a nice set-up for himself: a folding chair, a radio, a warm winter jacket to stave off the encroaching cold. Akazaya was freezing this time of year, and the training yards were strictly outdoors, so he’d been warned to bundle up appropriately. Round-the-clock supervision meant ten-hour rotations for medics on standby, even when just about nothing was going on, and a guy needed to keep himself cozy and entertained. He was drawing close to the end of his shift when he spotted a shock of fiery hair pass through his periphery; he jerked around, a grin splitting his features as he saw Suzaku chase a flock of birds right past him. The boy made it a few steps up the trunk of a tree before landing on his ass in the dirt, birds chattering overhead in what sounded like a mad cackle. "Yo, I’m takin’ a break,” he called over to his partner on shift, who waved him off with a roll of her eyes. Shoving his hands into the pockets of his thick leather jacket, Yuto strode up to Suzaku and crouched down beside him. "Got a bunch of dirty-ass thieves out here,” he said, stroking his chin in a display of deep ponderance. He peered up through the boughs of the tree, trying to catch a glimpse of torn plastic or errant candy. "How’re we gonna bring ‘em to justice?”

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[Kyuumu Suzaku]

It was amazing how even in the woods, it was possible for there to be no rocks or sticks in sight to throw at these stupid birds. He was blushing even heavier from the embarrassment that was falling from a tree straight onto his butt, and was quite thankful that most of the proctors and people on watch were far enough away he was pretty sure no one had seen him. At least until a voice spoke up behind him, getting a large yelp and jump out of the boy, having been taken by complete surprise. He'd then turn around in a flash, to see an unexpected yet familiar face. The pompadour wearing boy from the THUNDERDOME. Yanki Yuto.

Yuto... The orange haired boy had a look of surprise, clearly not expecting to see such a familiar face. Especially one couched down behind him, hand stroking his chin in thought. It was such a bizzare scene, like a criminal had managed to find enlightenment with his roughish looks and clothing mixed with his mindful look and pose. It was enough to break the boys concentration, make him forget about his little yelp that he'd made when startled from before. And instead, he broke into a fit of giggles at the sight. You look silly. It wasn't said with any makiciousness, but instead an innocence like when a kid sees their friend doing something funny.

And when the pompadour wearing teen questioned just what was to be done about these foul fowl criminals, still holding his same pose, he let out another few light laughs, enjoying this unexpected show before turning to the felons in the treetop. I'm not sure. I was just gonna throw something heavy at em.

[hirana kizumi]

YANKI YUTO
CHUUNIN

"Me? Silly?” Yuto stroked his chin faster, a direct analogue to how quickly the cogs of his mind were turning—at lightspeed. "Hell naw. I’m a distinguished gentleman with a big fuckin’ brain and we’re gonna catch these louts, y’hear me?” Suzaku’s laugh was bright and sweet; Yuto’s grin turned crooked, just absolutely pleased with himself for transforming that frustrated, embarrassed blush into something… lighter. More joyful. They’d run into each other a few times at this point, mostly at the Thunderdome, and Suzaku always seemed to have that same pinched expression on—like he was constantly worried about something, upset or stressed in some way. "Could do that,” he said thoughtfully. "But hey, you dunno tree-climbing yet, right? Don’t you need it for the exams? I can show you, if you want. ‘s not too hard once you get the hang of it.” Yuto stood up straight, hooking his thumbs into his pockets. His posture was slouchy, but comfortable—this was a boy perpetually comfortable in his own skin. If he’d ever suffered from a lack of confidence, he’d either long gotten over it or learned how to hide it well, with careful stylization and a slick-smooth attitude. "We can go get some more’a that candy after. Birds are gonna fuck it right up and you don’t wanna eat after those guys.”

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[Kyuumu Suzaku]

The giggling continued as the pompadoured boy stroked his chin as if considering the rules of the universe, which might not seem strange to most but for those that knew Suzaku, this would probably create some shock. Anyone who knew him would know that he wasn't a giggler, not when he was around other people at least. Other people except Yuto. Really the teen boy even having a friend might come as a surprise to some, and it would be hard to blame them for being surprised. Suzaku was a loner for the most part, and it was something he never really seemed interested in changing. He just didn't usually hang out with non-Kyuumu, not out of discrimination but simply due to how he was. Yuto being one of the few exceptions.

And his expression lightened even further at the offer of being taught the very jutsu he needed. Though he'd blush a bit as well as he realized that probably meant his falling on his butt had had an audience, even if Yuto had seen his butt before. Oh...So you saw that, huh?... It was in direct conflict with his confidant friends demeanor, the obvious embarrassment of how he'd failed. Yet, it was a blessing in disguise, and he did look back up with a grateful smile. Y-Yeah...That would be really nice actually. And as the topic of food came up, Yuto would see the boys bird-like eyes light up. He wasn't wearing sunglasses, seeing no need to hide his clans eyes from another Kumogakure resident. And a friend. Oh! Could we get some other stuff too? It seemed food was an easy way to get him excited.

[hirana kizumi]

Yuto shrugged, utterly unconcerned with his eyewitness account of Suzaku falling on his ass; everyone fucked up all the time, himself included. Something so small wasn’t worth worrying about, to his mind. Not if it was his own failure, and definitely not if it was his friend’s. And they were friends, weren’t they? He felt warm at the thought—he had family, yeah, no Yanki was ever without their family, but it was hard to make friends. People always thought he was too loud, too aggro, too much. But Suzaku… he made Suzaku laugh. And that giggle was worth Yuto’s weight in gold, as far as he was concerned. "Hell yeah,” Yuto said. "There’s a bomb-ass yakisoba stand by the uh—you know where the blacksmith is towards the center of town? It’s right around the corner from there, and right next to that there’s a lady sellin’ hot chocolate that’s so fuckin’ good, man, you don’t even know—” He clapped his hands together, cutting himself off. "But we got work to do first! C’mon, you were close enough, you almost had it. If you’re losing your footing like that you just need to put more chakra into it. Like, uh—glue. Or magnets. Gotta hit the sweet spot between slipping and throwing yourself off.”

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LAIKA OF THQ