[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Mibōjin Kiho 昆™

Toru wasn't sure what to think of all this. They were done training, and now they were going to eat somewhere. He had never been on a 'date' and frankly he didn't think of this as one. But it seemed Kiho - in her forever flirtatious manner - was going to make this in some manner, sexual or romantic. She was an oddball for sure. He couldn't imagine what it was like being her bijuu, stuck inside of her having to listen to all those... Thoughts. A shudder would ripple through Toru inwardly, how gross.

Heheh, never the flirtatious type?

I can't even imagine a situation in which I do that. I barely understand how it works.

Well when you like someone you make...suggestions.

Ah, and you're an expert in dating, and all such related advice?

Well... No. Not really. There was this one tim-

I don't want to hear it, so... Let's not.

Toru shook his head to himself as they entered the street, feeling sore but better. As if his connection with Isobu had strengthened since they had fought. A strange sensation, certainly. He would look at Kiho.

"Know any places around here?" His voice was a bit bland, but it most always was. In this instance though, the exhaustion in his muscles and the rattling in his head had made him all the more bland, bored and disinterested. He would bounce back, in due time, he had a suspicion that he just needed a good meal to get him going again, but for now he was a bit woozy.

OWL

[Mibōjin Kiho 昆™]

Being with Kame was definitely experience she'd learn to enjoy. By no means was a he a normal person. He was stern, boring, and most of all very traditional. Honestly, she never imagined she'd be able to hang with him for more than a minute without running off, but it was something about his serious demeaner that was actually fun. You got to do all these silly things and say all these crazy things, and he only seemed to pick up on the worst parts of it.

It was hilarious, and just after their first few days training together she already knew this was something she could roll with. Things were going to be even more fun now that they were hanging out on more official terms. They still did not have each others name, but she wasn't worried about that right now. She was sure he still had his reasons, and maybe they were still better off not knowing the other persons name.

Regardless, she looked forward to hanging out with him in a more non Shinobi like situation. When asked if she knew any places around she'd snap out of her thoughts and faced Kame with lazy eyes. "Well.. To be honest, I hadn't even been here long before I was fortunate enough to run into ya." Of course there was having to get over that concussion too after their training session together. It felt like it took her forever to walk her after colliding with his steel frame.

"Why don't we check this out over there."

Kiho pointed out afterward to a sign that had a mapping of the area. "Of course, how could I have forgotten.. They usually have maps for personnel out of town so that they know where to go for certain events n'stuff." The Jounin specialist added while walking over to the map. On there was a list of festivities and area where families could go to have fun and play games and then there was another area designated for food.

There was a ton of stands listed and a few restaurant they could go to. "I say we got to a restaurant.. I'm pretty tired from our fight and cant really think straight.. I would much rather someone serve us and suggest what we should be eating." Kiho figured if he had any objections he would list them, but if he was as banged up as she was then he probably wouldn't have much to say against that.

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Mibōjin Kiho 昆™

Toru nodded in response to Konchu explaining that she had only just arrived, more or less around the same time as when he had arrived. Well, maybe a little less. Which meant neither of them knew where to go for the next hot spot to eat. Neither here nor there, it was a minor setback as they walked through the street. It was likely that they would come across something they both could agree on in no time. Toru, being a boy that lacked any particular pickiness when it came to his taste buds, having grown up so poor that any food was good food regardless of its origin or how it was made. On top of having a stomach of steel at this point, having eaten out of trash cans on more than one occasion.

So, they wandered over to the directory lazily, both of them still recovering from the spar that no doubt had taken out a lot from both of them. Toru didn't complain too much though, despite his soreness, it had been a very good practice. A very good one. He couldn't say that anyone had ever pushed him this far in the past, he hoped that he could have many more practices or trainings just like that one.

He looked over the directory, a few restaurants scattered about before he pointed towards a barbeque one. That sounded good, and just like that set off with directions in mind.

"Barbeque sounds good, no?" They usually had a pretty set menu with only two options - pork or beef - and with that, they could definitely pick and choose quite easily and get exactly what they both wanted. Plus, it being so meaty they could recover their strengths with fats, meats and carbs.

OWL

[Mibōjin Kiho 昆™]

"Oooooh, Protein! That sounds perfect to be actually."

Meat? Eh.. Whatever makes you happy

Well, what would you have to eat if you were free? Actually, nevermind.. I don't want to know.

"So, want to lead the way Kame?" Kiho asked casually as her usual spark was definitely leaving her. It wasn't often that she got to train to the point of actually not wanting to move. Having Chomei inside of her made her an energy bug, so it seemed like the only way she could ever be tired was if she had a session like this one where she was allowed to push herself past the normal limits of her body.

If Kame decided to lead the way—which she wasn't going to give him much of a choice anyways—then she would follow along behind him at a pace that wouldn't make her body ache. Part of becoming a better Jinchuuriki was acknowledging that most of the additional boost in stamina you got was mostly rooted in the Tailed Beast. Which meant after a long stretch of being in the Chakra Shroud state she would lose the added benefits of Chomei's power.

Of course being the host had natural perks, but they were nothing compared to when she was allowed to use more of Chomei's chakra prowess. In the event Kame was any more or less bang up than she was they would eventually arrived to the barbeque location on the map. "Finally! Food, and then we're taking a long and much needed hot bath." The latter portion was definitely addressed toward Chomei, but in her fatigue she would forget to separate the two so it wouldn't be a surprise is Kame caught on to that.

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Mibōjin Kiho 昆™

Toru would oblige to lead the way, though not any less sluggishly than his companion. He seemed to be just as out of it as she were. But, the energy levels were not quite matching up. At least, in the sense that Toru was known for being very even-keel, and she was quite a bit more hyper. So, of course he was coming off as borderline normal despite his aching pains. Whilst she was far more obviously in a depressed state physically.

Fortunately, the walk was not particularly a long one. So, they got to their location as Toru led them. Walking inside he would put up two fingers to the hostess to indicate that there were only two of them. And once they were seated - with a grill in front of them - Toru relaxed. Feeling as if he might turn into a bit of a puddle in his own seat.

That bad?

It's never been quite this bad, I'll admit.

Heheh... I should have held back, huh?

No, I think it's good practice.

The boy's attention snapped though when the girl mentioned she was going to take a nice long bath... But 'we' was said. Was she wanting to take a bath with him? Toru in his mentally fried state, slowly looked towards Konchu, trying to process what she had said as he broke apart the wooden chopsticks in front of him with a quick snap between two deft fingers.

"What?" Maybe he had heard her wrong?

OWL

[Mibōjin Kiho 昆™]

"Hmm, Oh me and Chomei taking a bath.."

Kiho added without much thought until she saw the look on his face. "Oh, OH! No no no no no! I didn't mean us.. Sorry." A cringe smile stretch across her lips before she quickly covered her mouth. She didn't take into consideration that he could have easily mistook her words for something else. Given how close to the of them had gotten it was hard to acknowledge doing anything by herself without including them first.

You just have to make things weird don't cha.

It was an accident Sassy Wings, I was trying to be inclusive..

"S-sooo, how bout this menu?" Kiho added while trying to clear the air before looking at the menu herself. There were a lot of things here that wasn't made as available to have back home in Kumo. Most of their protein related meals were mostly connected to what was found in the mountains and that didn't leave her with many options. When you included how much it cost to get the imports into the village it made it all the more less desirable.

Here in Nohara there was nothing but wild life to feast so that options here felt limitless. "Hmm, I think I'm going to go with the Full-flavored chicken meatballs smothered in a sweet and salty glaze. That sounds delicious." Afterward she'd wait see what Kame was interested in ordering before trying to start a conversation with them.

"So uh... Did you get anything out of our training? I know I'm pretty beat myself.."

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Mibōjin Kiho 昆™

The tension in Toru's chest seemed to drop when the girl revealed that she had been talking about herself and her bijuu, and had nothing to do with them taking a bath together. He thought he might have had to puke if she had said otherwise, which was a good thing she did not, because puking in a restaurant wasn't exactly how he wanted to be seen. People did not necessarily fully interest him in this manner, and Konchu certainly did not at all. She was far too... Eccentric. Exuberant. Full of energy. Something he had a hard time interacting with in general.

But, besides the tension he didn't seem to react beyond that. Instead, he would sit up a little bit and glance over the menu, before giving Konchu a judgmental glance. They were supposed to be the ones cooking, and chicken took forever to get to the temperature needed.

"I just want the beef combination for two, I thought we would share it."

The thinly sliced beef brisket, prime steak, and finally the short ribs glazed in some traditionally sweet sauce. It all sounded familiar enough and good enough to eat. Plus, for two, it wasn't horribly expensive if they split the bill between the two of them. Well, more expensive than chicken, but Toru didn't want to eat chicken. It did nothing to fill him, and between fish and chicken he had his fill of it growing up, those two being the cheapest types of meat found in Mizu no Kuni. Chicken probably being the cheapest just about anywhere.

"Have you never been to one of these?"

OWL

[Mibōjin Kiho 昆™]

Kiho glared at Kame when he asked if she had ever been to a spot like this one before. "I actually have not. In Kumogakure I usually give my money to the much smaller local business. their food and material is usually better anyways." That was her way of helping Kumogakure outside of the job she did as a Shinobi. After the plague the village needed a way to band together, and at the forefront of that were the locals.

They were working equally as hard, if not harder to keep everything together in the midst of the worst period of their lives. In the thick of darkness everyone still worked as hard as they could to find the light. "But maybe while we're here you can teach me a thing or two about how all of this works. That way if I have the chance to go out again to a place like this I know what to try." She wasn't sure where he wanted to go when he asked her that, but she was okay with what she said nonetheless.

If he didn't have anything to add afterward she'd try to transition the conversation into something more personal. She figured since they were here she could build something from this, even if they were still on a fake name bases. "Soooo... What do you do on your personal time Kame. Do you have friends? Do you play sports? Do yoooouuu, like going out to listen to music?" The girl asked nervously while looking at the boy nervously.

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Mibōjin Kiho 昆™

Meanie. Don't stare at her like that.

Doesn't she know that chicken takes forever to cook?

So?

So, they usually have a limit on how long you can sit around in these things.

Oh... Weird system you humans have.

Yeah, not any weirder than having an infinite number of tails that you can use as hands.

WOW!

Toru stared at Konchu before shrugging a bit, even when she glared. He didn't seem all that affected by the glaring, perhaps he could have been a bit nicer. But, he wasn't really prone to such things.

"Right, well... Chicken takes forever to cook. Ends up being a bit of a bummer." Since everything was cooked on the grill in front of them. It would majorly suck if they had to watch it, and even then making sure it was cooked through was even more difficult in this situation and Toru wasn't the best cook in the world and whilst he knew he had a stomach of steel, he had no idea of Konchu was used to eating spoiled food that could make her sick as a sort of 'dice roll' situation.

So, once the waitress showed up and gave them a bunch of side dishes Toru would order the beef for two without even confirming with the girl. She would like it. Probably. Unless she hated beef. Which, Toru couldn't imagine why someone could hate beef. For now though, he would pull his knees up to his chest and start picking at the side dishes. Spicy radish, pickled hot peppers, some fish cakes, and of course he would be drinking his tea in between all of this.

"Personal time?" The boy paused, he didn't really do much. Training more or less.

"I train... Mmm..." He looked down at his reflection in his tea. "I sometimes cook at home... That's it though."

Right, training nut.

How else am I supposed to make sure you don't explode out of me on accident?

I mean... You could let me?

Uh-huh, and then I die?

Oh! OH! True true.. Never mind.

OWL

[Mibōjin Kiho 昆™]

Kiho sort of frowned when Kame noted that chicken took much longer to make than most of the other food here. When he mentioned that it was a bummer Kiho couldn't help but feel like she was already ruined their occasion together. Even if this was mostly random and the two of them were just looking to put food into their body after a rough sparring session. "Sorry about that." Kiho softly snuck in before the waitress showed up.

Much to her surprised the boy went on to order beef for the both of them without asking. She couldn't tell whether he was just being rude, or if he was simply just being a man. Regardless, she'd let it all play out before asking what he did in his own time. As she expected he was rather bothering. All he did was train, but on the other hand he did say he liked to cook. She never imagined him as someone who would enjoy doing that, but he did seem to have a rather old soul for such a young person.

Kiho was still at that place in her life where she preferred all of her meals to be made by either her mother, or the locals she visited so often in the village. "Man.. Your life is really just a straight line, but I guess that isn't too uncommon with Shinobi these days." Most Shinobi tended to be weird like that, but only the ones who strived to be the best lived like him. She could deny that she trained a lot too, but she still liked to use whatever free time she had to do other things.

"Me on the other hand? I like to go dancing.. Alone... Out for drinks... Alone... Aaaaand, going for walks, oooor flies? I don't know what to call it, but you know what I mean... Alone."

Kiho added again before getting a weird feeling in her stomach out of nowhere. Excuse me Seven? Is there a reason why you're giving me all these weird vibes.

So, you do all these things alone? Glad to see we've managed to separate without harming anyone, or death.. Which would be your reality.

Calm down Sassy Wings, I just messed up. You know I was thinking about you as well, I was just trying to sound normal.

Well, you're not so start acting like it miss.

"Okay, So I'm obviously not doing these things alone, but you get the point. I still make personal time for myself. Those were things I didn't know I would enjoy doing until I became a... You know what.. Maybe the next time we meet we can actually go out and have fun. You might find more happiness within if you actually do something outside of what you're use to."

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Mibōjin Kiho 昆™

"My life is not a straight line," Toru responded a touch too quickly as if he were trying to speak over Kiho for a moment. But, he did not believe that his life was all that precise. Perhaps it seemed like it on the outside now, but he had a lifetime of trauma and strange happenings enough to truly argue for the fact that he was far from the 'straight and narrow' having even been a tiny little criminal at some point. If it were not for the academy and his eventual becoming a genin he would have likely never been where he was now.

And you wouldn't have me.

I suppose not.

Wouldn't that be awful?

It would be a lot lonelier.

The girl would begin to list things, she really seemed bothered by the idea of being 'alone' was this some sort of hint? Or a flirtatious girl thing? He couldn't tell. Why did she have to emphasize her lack of being with someone? Doing things alone was quite pleasant in Toru's opinion. But, perhaps not for Kiho.

"Alone in the physical sense," He murmured showing that he understood what she was talking about. Sure, they had entities speaking in their heads, but that didn't make things feel any less lonely.

"I find happiness in being alone, as you said."

OWL

[Mibōjin Kiho 昆™]

Kiho scoffed as he noted that he found happiness in being alone. Being alone obviously wasn't the part that bothered her as she found peace in doing that as well. With there only being so few people she could truly reveal the details of her life to it only made sense, but the difference between herself and Kame was that she actually partook in activities while doing things alone. Kiho thought about giving him some lip, but ultimately she just accepted that he was who he was.

"That wasn't the point I was trying to make... But I guess, if you want to be an old man teenager have at it. At least you know how to pick a food place to eat."

The Jounin Specialist rolled her eyes while looking off to the side as she tried processing where she could go with starting another conversation. If Kame was even just a little bit normal this would have been easy for her, but everything with him seemed to be filled with so much emptiness. So long as there wasn't food involved, then he was suddenly human and an expert, but even that trait was traditional in nature.

Sigh, what did you expect? He's a turtle boy. All they do is sit and do nothing, its probably why they chose him.

Kiho tried to hold a straight face while keeping her frustration intact, but even she could help but crack a smile again. That's so not fair, I'm sure Kame is the boring one. Something tells me the Turtle is probably more fun than he is.

"Well, since you OBVIOUSLY don't know how to have fun, lets get a liittle personal." Kiho added while holding her right hand up and slowly closing the gap between her index finger and pinky finger. "What was your life like before you becoming.. Y'know? I know outside of not being fun that I'm sure there is more to your life than being alone. Maybe something happened that made you this way?" She knew she was probably prying, but it wasn't like she was asking for everything.

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Mibōjin Kiho 昆™

"Food is something I value," He commented, just in time for the waitress to show up with several trays of meat and she would dump the thinly sliced brisket on the grill first. Immediately it would begin to sizzle and smoke, the pieces of meat were so thin that they were bubble and shrivel from the heat but not too much. Just enough to indicate that they were done in a few minutes after hitting the heat. Alongside all of this, the woman laid out several traditional side dishes. Pickled this and that, some daikon radish, glazed potatoes, and some dipping sauces. Toru had an affinity for the spicy-sweet one that was bright red, and the sesame oil that had a bit of salt in it.

The white-haired youth reached out to break his chopsticks in half staring idly at the meat and picking up the pieces that would begin to cook fully so that he could dip them and eat them. Growing even more silent now that food was present unless prompted with a question. Which, fortunately for the girl, she had asked a question so red eyes would wander back over to her instead of the food.

"My home faced a civil war, I watched people get sliced and diced as a child. Including my parents," He would pick at some of the radishes that were cut into thin long pieces and slurp it like a noodle into his mouth. "Well, just my mom. My dad just never came home. I was put into an orphanage and given the scholarship to enter the academy. Then..." He paused and poked at his chest.

"He burst out of a vessel he was in, and destroyed a huge part of the village, the orphanage needed repairs. My studies were delayed... I didn't know how to read or write, so I was held back in the academy for a lot longer than normal." She wanted his life story so he was giving it to her, of course, it was a not-so-detailed version, but it recounted the major points.

"Once I graduated, the orphanage could no longer keep me. So I had to find a place to live without government assistance. So I did, but I could not afford to eat. This went on for quite some time until the Mizukage found me passed out in a training yard. Well, I'm assuming she found me because I woke up in her home. She insisted on adopting me to prevent me from meeting an early grave. I went to the chunin exams some months later and was among the most top-ranked genin. When I returned home, that is when things began to change... And now I'm here."

Sheesh. Long story Toru-chan.

Did you like your participation in it?

Hardly, but I do remember doing that. Frankly I was just trying to get away.

Too bad you apparently are immobile on land.

I am NOT.

Hunk of metal.

Toru-chaaan. Isobu was pouting it seemed.

It's a joke. I think.

OWL

[Mibōjin Kiho 昆™]

To be honest Kiho didn't think she was going to get anything out of Kame. He seemed to be hellbent on being as invisible as any person could ever want to be. Normally she'd shrug it off and say it was fine, but honestly it kind of wasn't. Now that she knew what village he was apart of she knew the likelihood that the two of them would be able to see each other was probably even more slim. Oh well, she would just stick to whatever he provided.

Despite her negative thoughts she'd be in for a surprise. His initial response was rather bland as he noted Food was something he valued, but shortly after she understood why. He added that as a child that his home in Kiri was involved in a civil war. She only heard rumors of it, but never cared to see if the village had more to offer than just that. Kiho couldn't have imagined a childhood where she watched people die one after another in such a ruthless manner.

The expression on her face definitely reflected the surprise she felt upon hearing it. Seeing things like that now came natural, but she got to slowly build her way into that life. He was born into a world where he had to face it head on before he was even ready. Almost immediately his personality begin to make sense to him and now she kind of felt bad for all the things she thought about him. His life practically was built on trauma and hardship.

Fortunately after losing his mom and being abandoned by his father he managed to find an orphanage, but more so the part where he was able to get a scholarship to the Academy. Without that she couldn't imagine the orphanage being much help. Nevertheless, just when she thought the worst of the story was over he indirectly hinted to his Tailed Beast breaking and causing havok on the village. Her hands immediately slapped across her cheeks in shock at losing what appeared to be almost everything.

Sigh... I'm not surprised. Not everyone can be civil like myself.

SEVEN! HUSH! Now is not the time for all your jokes. Can't you relate to what they were probably feeling?!

Pfft! I guess a little.. I don't know, I guess I just accepted that you people would always would always be a pain in my wings... Plus the last guy was pretty cool.. I don't know, Maybe I just gave up.

Kiho never imagined this would bring about so many situations to think about. Again this left her processing her relationship with Chomei again, but even more so how all of this affected both Kame and his Tailed Beast. For Kame, he lost everything because of his Bijuu. It's not like he had much, but that definitely had to make repairing what little life he had left next to impossible, and now he was supposed to bond with them.

Of course there was also how all of that probably affected his Tailed beast. Kiho imagine that all of them probably weren't just mean assholes like Shukaku. Surely they didn't mean to do all of that, but technically that have been under the abuse of his respective village for probably longer than either of them have been alive. So many sad emotions were floating around as she looked at them now, and somehow they managed to work together.

Of course there was the matter of how little educated he was while all of this was happening, so that had to make for an even scarier position. If there was one thing she gained an appreciation for it was that she didn't have to experience all of this hardship as a Kid. Well, they had ONE big thing, but even then it didn't leave the kind of damage and trauma he experienced, or maybe her parents just sheltered her from it all.

Kiho waited patiently for their to be a light at the end of the tunnel, but there wasn't. After his time in the academy had ended that was it. A Shinobi now, but homeless and nowhere to eat. Pretty much a dead person walking, unless you're a miracle like him and you're found in the training grounds by the Kage. A huge breath of relief escaped from Kiho as if she didn't know he was okay and sitting right across from him.

"Thank goodness.. I was going to lose my mind."

She expressed dramatically while placing her hands over her face. "Your life Kame, is exhausting.. I've had some pretty shitty things happened, but your story? Sounds like your the lead character in a manga. I can't believe you're even sitting across from me right now." Kiho replied after taking in a deep breath. "I guess I owe you a fat apology for some of the mean things I've said since I met you.. I had no idea you went through so much."

Sigh.. Nope, I'm not gonna let him reel me in.. I've been in captivity so woe is the me.

Hush Sassy wings... I know this all made you feel something.

Humph.. I guess..

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Mibōjin Kiho 昆™

Toru did not understand the dramatics, it had been his life, and to him whilst it was certainly something worth sitting down to and listening to, it certainly was not so awe-inspiring that it required what Kiho was doing. Did she not realize he had survived thus far, had she forgotten that he was in fact telling the story about himself and not someone, somewhere else not present to their conversation? A mystery.

Insect brain. It does that to a person.

Yes, in before someone calls me turtle brains.

He would pick off the meat from the grill then notice that it was done. Silently splitting it between the two of them so they both had a decent amount piled up. Toru would begin to eat again, swallowing after a long muted chew, and looking towards Kiho with that piercingly bored expression.

"You don't have to apologize, you're not the first. And you won't be the last."

Toru had gotten all too used to being made of, jabbed at, and to be entirely misunderstood. Nothing bound him to reality, at least as far as all the shinobi around him acted. Their emotions are seemingly at a normal level for their profession, none of them affected by the world around them. Only romance was what truly tore people up on the inside around these parts Toru had noticed and he wondered if love was truly so powerful that it could make you go willingly hungry when there were others begging for food.

Selfish.

Toru took a few more bites, he remained silent. He had no more story to tell, and even if he did, he didn't want to talk as he ate. Enjoying instead the neutral flavor of the beef paired with the salty sesame oil sauce and the bowl of rice that he had peeled the top open to let the steam rise.

He inhaled in clear enjoyment of his meal. Meanwhile, Kiho's food seemed to slowly cool.

Soon the waitress would arrive again, and begin to cook a more tender steak and finger ribs, though not without changing the grill first for another type of grill. Toru just watched the smoke rise from all the sweet marinade once it hit the heat. Kept eating though, silently occasionally looking at the girl across from him.

OWL