Food Wars! [Private: Kibashi+Suika]

[Hak]

The bustling streets of the The Dawnbringer’s Plaza was filled with various new scents that Akira was unaccustomed to. Humans, animals, and best of all a variety of different food, something that attracted the blue haired boy. He wore his normal clan attire consisting of a black robe with white fur trimming over a blue turtleneck shirt. Dangling from his neck were two well designed necklaces made from various rare metals and materials. The Inugami had much wealth in their nomadic lifestyle, preferring trade and hardly spending their wealth on anything in particular, preferring to keep the shinies for decorative purposes. The top of his face was covered with a horned skull mask, a mask that hid his golden eyes from the public.

At his feels followed a pitch black wolf pup, his large paws covered with gray fur. His sunset colored eyes scoured the streets as his tail wagged happily, following Akira wherever the boy went. His ears were perked, studying the various sounds in the surrounding area with great interest as he looked up to Akira with wanting eyes, expressing that the scent of food in the plaza was making him hungry and that it was time to eat. On the night wolf’s back was a squirrel with puffed up cheeks, having probably stolen food from one of the vendors with its small stealthy hands. It laid lazily on the back, spread out in luxury as it chewed on some unrecognizable piece of food. It seemed entirely comfortable on the wolf pup’s back.

Akira looked down at the duo and knew it was getting close to that time. ”I know guys, let’s gather some supplies and make a feast fit for kings!” he announced excitedly. Aoi, the squirrel, wrinkled her nose displeased at the boy’s comments. ”And queens…” Akira corrected himself. With an approving nod, Aoi resumed her nibbling as they went to a vendor and began examining the products. Various meal ideas passed through the boys mind, he still had to figure out exactly what he wanted to make. Something sweet? Something warm? The possibilities were endless.

Kuro the wolf pup, stood on his hind legs and looked around at the products as well, sniffing at the various produce. Due to all three in the party being gluttons, they all had keen senses when it came to picking out good ingredients to cook with. His fluffy back tail swayed side to side. As if expecting such things, Aoi had maneuvered herself to be resting on the puppy’s tail quite comfortably. She seemed completely oblivious to the world, stuffing her cheeks comically the entire time and waiting for the boys to get started on some meals so she could do what she loved to do, eat.

Word Count: 458

 

[Suika]

“Food...” muttered the girl with a half-lidded expression. She closed the refrigerator door and slumped into her bedroom.

Silence. Her apartment was so quiet now.

Tying loosely her Kumogakure headband around her neck, the ex-gypsy clothed herself in traditional kunoichi attire. Her outfit was mostly black, but was distinguished by a large pink sweater that she wore over her top. The girl stretched, gathered her neko-shaped money pouch, and dragged her feet to the Susukino District. She ran out ingredients and, to her dismay, was now forced to retrieve some in the name of survival. Suika normally frequented the shops in the District, but since her cat, Blackberry, passed by the hands of a demon, she totally became a shut-in. The tragedy hit the girl hard. Her mischievous feline was her best friend, after all. Life felt more dull without his presence. Suika didn't want to see people right now.

...But she had no choice, really. She was starving!

As Suika strolled down Kumogakure's paved roads, she was greeted by friendly, familiar faces. Unlike her usual response, the kunoichi replied with a solemn, expressionless wave. She was usually a master of facades, but she paid no energy to her typical upkeep. What was the point, anyway? A figurative rain cloud followed her every which way. It would be obvious to anyone that the tan-skinned kunoichi was troubled at the moment. It felt as if nothing would break her out of her mournful spell. Suika was on auto-pilot mode, so her soon arrival at the grocery outlets seemed like a hastened time skip. Now surrounded by crowds of both shinobi and civilians alike, the girl floated from shop-to-shop as she hunted down her usual goods. The otherworldly girl truly matched up with her reputation; her presence was almost ghostly. She yearned for a quick get-in and get-out situation. Her goal was to achieve her personal mission unnoticed. Fortunately, fate weaved a different plan for the kunoichi.

As she browsed the meat market, Suika spotted the most peculiar sight from her peripheral vision. It was so odd that she, instinctively, shrugged it off. It was not even a full few seconds after that her eyes darted toward a few feet below her. It was in that moment, too, that her heart-rate doubled. No, rather, it almost tripled. The petite girl instantly blushed as her eyes glimmered with the life that grief robbed from her. She, unknowingly, breathed a bit heavy, too, as she crept subconsciously toward the duo. “Cute...” she thought out loud.

“SO CUTE!!!” she squealed as she dropped her basket of ingredients and dashed toward the black-coated canine and his chubby squirrel friend. Was this real? Was her mind so far gone now that she was fabricating her ultimate weakness, cute furballs, as a form of coping? It didn't matter. She reveled in the moment. The kunoichi knelt down with metaphoric hearts streaming from her eyes. She was in love. “You two are utterly adorable!!! Let's be friends forever, mmkay?!” She gushed. It was unlike her to lose her cool and exude any type of mushiness, but the presence of her achilles, furry animals, changed all that. In fact, she was so caught up that she failed to notice their owner's presence. Her sole fixation was on the tiny pair of precious critters before her.

“Oh, where are my manners? I'm Suika!” Did she have treats? What could she offer her new companions?! Suika scrambled around her coat pocket. It wasn't too long until she pulled out a bag of mixed nuts. “I got nothing that you might like, Inu-kun, but Squirrely-chan might enjoy them. Here, a token of our newfound friendship!” She opened the snack bag and held out a handful of almonds, peanuts, and cashews. She attempted to pet the young wolf on his side with the other. "Don't worry, Inu-kun! I'll spoil you with anything you want right now! Onee-chan has your back!" she cooed.

The rain cloud that hovered over her now subsided. The sun finally shone its rays as the morning star, itself, was Squirrely-san's face. What was sorrow? Why was she so down in the first place? For that brief moment, Suika had forgotten all that weighed down on her.

Well, that was easy enough.

 

[Nagasuro Kibashi]

A yawn escaped Kibashi’s mouth as he made his way through the markets. There were many people around him as the young shinobi navigated his way through the bustling crowds full of energetic people. Shinobi and civilians alike roamed the streets on this particular day as he opened his rather plain but well-maintained pouch and counted his Yen. Today was his normal day to shop for supplies and ingredients to support him for the week, the young shinobi loved to cook and he was planning to experiment with recipes today to see if he could make anything new and tasty in his ever-growing recipe book. In fact, Kibashi was generally an emotionless child and the only time he exhibited any fascination or excitement was when he was creating meals, thinking that such feats of creation rather than destruction were therapeutic to him. He sported black trousers and a dark navy blue sleeveless shirt today as he normally wore these kinds of clothing when he was going to cook. At his side was his trusty sword, one thing he never went anywhere without.

Through the bustling streets he made his way over to the vendors and began examining the food. His experienced amber eyes allowed him to easily pick up the best of each ingredient as he picked them up and studied them carefully for any imperfects. He looked towards his left as somebody else seemed to pick up one of the best ingredients in the selection as he looked over and saw a fairly short boy with…a skull mask? Why would a boy be wearing such a strange mask out in public? He stood out in a strange sort of way as he then looked further down and noticed a pitch-black puppy who seemed to be sniffing the products with a strange little squirrel on it’s back. Were they with the boy he pondered though said nothing as he returned back to the items in the selection. Perhaps it was coincidence he picked such a fine ingredient to inspect he thought though another look at the younger skull boys hands told him that wasn’t the case. The way he held the ingredients, he could tell, the boy was experienced in cooking.

He was curious about the boy and was going to say something before noticing a young girl seemingly rushing the wolf and squirrel as he nearly fell over to avoid being toppled over by the energetic girls arrival. He was an animal lover himself but incapable of showing such energetic emotions most of the time as he studied the young female carefully. She was hardly taller than the younger boy with a large pink sweater covering her upper body. She seemed to be intently fascinated with the wolf and little squirrel, ignoring the horned masked boy and nearly knocking Kibashi himself down into the ground. He couldn’t help but wonder if most in Kumogakure were this way? After his class with Kyo however, perhaps there were many different personalities here.

Kibashi looked over at the two and straightened his shirt out, he was a stickler for those kinds of details. With a polite bow he spoke to both of them “Pardon my intrusion. Are you both students at the Academy as well? I am fairly new here and am unfamiliar with the people here so far.” He seemed far more polite than was necessary but his face was rather blank, his polite way of speaking a complete contrast to his rather emotionless expression.

 

[Hak]

The sound of a basket crashing into the crowded streets were picked up by the horned child and his trusty canine companion. Akira, who had the blood of Inugami running through his veins had a bestial bloodline ability in his young body had animal like senses akin to his own beloved Kuro. The two were synchronous in their motions, turning their heads to the direction of the crash. If Akira hadn’t been wearing his mask, he would have shown a slightly confused expression at what seemed to be a young girl bolting towards their direction screaming “So Cute”. A slight blush appeared underneath his mask, his father had told him of such things. Perhaps he was secreting pheromones, he thought. Even here in the bustling streets he stood out, his masculinity, his status as a bestial male full of vigor and vitality. He proudly stood there, watching in fascination as he imagined the beauty running towards his arms and confessing her love for him. ”Father, be proud of me. I will gain the first, of many confessions. Your boy has become a man!”<i></i>. Or so the boy thought, until the young female ignored his presence completely and dropped down to his furry companion. That was all it took, he imagined himself a broken statue, crumbling into dust and being blown away into the horizon as if never existing at all. If he didn’t know any better, he could feel the shattering of his essence, oh what it meant to be youthful his father would laugh.

Kuro startled back at the young female who seemed to be talking to him. Sensing Akira’s mistake, he seemed to mock the boy by proudly strutting himself in front of the young girl. The stance he took was one that spoke only one thing, shower me with love and affection . Perhaps hard for a normal human to understand, Kuro was enjoying the attention while also loving rubbing it into Akira’s face that HE would reign supreme for all affection and attention, as if to tell him know your place foolish boy. After mocking Akira a moment, the black bundle of fur seemed to sniff the new human, learning her scent, his shaggy tail wagging repeatedly in an excited and curious nature. Whether accidentally or purposely, his tail repeatedly slapped Akira’s own legs as if to remind him of the situation.

Aoi seemed to wake up from her half lazy state at the sign of another purpose. Her large black eyes were full of joy and happiness, her puffed out adorable cheeks, blushed with a hint of happiness as if to tell the young girl that everything would be all right, Aoi was here. She fearlessly jumped up on the young girls legs and would climb up, making herself completely at home upon the new stranger. When female offered her food, her eyes sparkled as if an aura of light surrounded her, seeming to be glowing with happiness and emotion as she launched herself into the nuts, stuffing as many pieces as possible into her tiny mouth and only trying more before throwing herself into the back as if to tell the human she wanted it all.

The furry companions seemed far too busy with the girl to pay attention to the formal boy before them. Akira looked over to him and saw his amber colored eyes. He tilted his head slightly, his own yellow eyes hidden behind the skull mask as he lifted his hand up, removing the mask and letting it rest upon his cyan short hair. His skin seemed almost translucent, the color of moonlight seeming to have taken shape upon his complexion. His yellow canine like eyes looked just like a wolf, deep, kind, and wild all at once. Two red streaks would be on his cheeks, signifying he was one of the Inugami Clan. He seemed beautiful, in a strange fairy tale sort of way, often he was told that his looks seemed surreal, and his eyes were one to get lost in.

Akira studied the boy before him as he introduced himself in a rather formal manner, something Akira himself lacked as he was a nomad growing up fairly free in the wild. Did he just say pudding my intrusion? Why would he talk about food items as an introduction? So strange . He wore primarily monochromatic clothing, his eyes and facial scars were the most noticeable things about the boy, though he seemed particularly tall as well. Returning his gaze upon the young female spoiling his already spoiled companions, he studied the girl’s attire this time. Also black though a large pink colored sweater seemed to make her seem quite feminine for a kunoichi. ”She’s adorable."<i></i> he thought to himself, looking back at the boy once again. ”And he looks pretty cool..."<i></i>. He let out a sheepish grin, exposing his canine like teeth as he pointed at his chest with his thumb ”Nice to meet you Suika-chan and Scarred Boy-kun! I am Inugami Akira, new shinobi student in Kumogakure, just as you guessed.”

Word Count: 845

 

[Suika]

And just when she thought it couldn't get any more adorable.

Squirrely-san, although plump and content in her spot, reacted well to the girl's presence and embraced her fully. The tiny creature launched herself up from Suika's legs and dove into her handful of nuts. Suika felt her spirit, like a manifested ghoul, escape from her body as her eyes almost x'd out from the sheer cuteness of this pleasantly outlandish occurrence. As the rodent succumbed to its gluttonous desires, the black wolf pup appeared to revel in the kunoichi's affectionate attention. This reinforced her further to scratch under his chin and coo. “I can't take how adorable you both are! Be miiiiiine!”

And then, like a record being abruptly brought to a stop, was the interjection of a teen boy's greeting. As if under some spell, Suika's mind snapped back into the reality around her. The hustle and bustle of the streets grew louder as she was reminded of where and why she was. With a subtle hesitance, her magenta eyes slowly shifted toward the dark-haired student. Although he lacked physical expression, his approach was friendly. Another kid responded. What? Her quiet gaze trailed toward the source of the youthful tone. Surprisingly, the other boy stood over and besides her new animal friends. It was also, in that moment, that she pieced together this seemingly straightforward puzzle. “He's their master...” With that realization, the girl sprang up to her feet, smiled embarrassingly, and rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand. Squirrely-san remained in her palm during her ascent.

“Oh, uh, hey!” muttered the kunoichi as she caught better sight of the two boys. The one that initially approached the two possessed deep amber eyes and boasted a few battle scars on his face. He appeared a bit older than Suika, obvious to her from his tone and height. Contrary to this, the other kid looked much younger than both her and the formal stranger. Not only was he shorter than Suika, but his features, although exotic, were even more youthful than the pair. Suika almost marveled at his almost foreign décor. The kid, now identified as Inugami Akira, wore a mask that seemed momentarily shifted to the side of his head. Ironically, his skin and hair were ghostly compared to the Ghostwalker before him. His eyes were a piercing yellow as he wore the subtle intensity of an animal's gaze. Under them, which stood out most, were the crimson marks on his skin. This triggered the young kunoichi's memory about the various clans she studied inside and surrounding Kumogakure.

“Inugami, right, I vaguely remember who they are! Wolf clan with red marks... makes sense.” Being a foreigner with nomadic roots herself, Suika wasn't super familiar with every single clan around the village, but she was assiduous in her studies to bring her up to date.

After Akira's friendly introduction, the now much more composed gypsy joined along in the greetings. “Nice to meet you, Akira-san, Scar-san, I'm Suika.” she added simply. She went along with her own variation of the white-haired boy's nickname for the other. Suika continued. “Nah, my student days are well over. I am a Genin.” She pointed to the shining headband that rested loosely around her collar. Shifting her stance toward the young wolf boy, the girl blushed slightly. “My apologies, Akira-san, I got carried away with your pup and squirrel friend. They're really cute.” As she turned her head away, she noticed her assortment of ingredients scattered about behind her. "Crap..." Man, she really did get carried away. The girl hopped to her goods and started placing the escaped remains back into her bag. Once finished, she focused herself attention back at the group.

“How's training coming along? Visiting the District to get away for a bit?” she questioned with a soft, friendly grin. Although she appeared more confident and collected now, she also used this opportunity to detract from her previous eccentric display. Suika wasn't one to get bashful, but she recognized she lost herself earlier for a bit. Regardless, she still peeked an admiring eye at the tiny animals throughout the conversation. Part of her was still overwhelmed by how small, fluffy, and precious they were.

 

[Hak]

Aoi the squirrel made herself quite comfortable in the kunoichi’s palm. She seemed content at eating the gifts given to her as her fluffy tail happily wrapped itself as much as it could around Suika’s wrist. Once she finishing her gluttonous behavior, she lumped herself back, scurrying back up to her feet in a comedic half roll, all while maintaining a rather impressive balance on the girl’s palm. As the young girl turned to pick up her fallen ingredients, Aoi launched herself from the young girl and into the bag with an impressive display of acrobatics. She stole a few random ingredients, stuffing them into her puffy cheeks with no remorse of the stolen food, the sheer speed made it impossible to tell what exactly she stole. Scurrying her furry little self-up the girl’s arms, she rested comfortable on the strangers head, perhaps a bit too comfortable. Aoi after all, had no sense of shame. She began mimicking the kunoichi’s movements and body language, a sign of acceptance that would be understood by Akira and Kuro.

Kuro sniffed excitedly as if entranced by the foreign girls scent as he sniffed at her feet, propping himself up on his small hind legs and continuing to sniff the strangers clothes with very little care in the world. He looked up at Akira with his large dusk colored eyes and wagged his tail, the boy being likely the only one to understand his furry friend, Akira translating it in his mind as ”Check her out man, she smells different than us!”. Almost as if not understanding social normality, Akira went rather uncomfortable close to the young female and sniffed her hair, though likely since he knew of her clan, she knew they were rather bestial in nature, not that Akira even thought it could be considered rude or odd. A large grin appeared on the boy’s face, his sharp canine like teeth visible as he did, “You were right Kuro…she does! I like it. She is pretty and smells soooo good!”. He seemed oblivious to stating such embracing things out loud, as if it was completely normal to be so honest with a stranger.

The boy stood back up and looked up at Aoi, she seemed to accept the stranger as did Kuro, Akira himself would as well. Looking down at the wolf pup he pointed at the beast ”This is Kuro, he’s my partner and like a brother.” he stated matter-of-factly, not realizing that many would consider a wolf being treated like a brother a tad bit strange. ”The princess on your head is Aoi, she’s a good friend of ours, though we spoil her a bit too much!” he chuckled adorably to himself. Upon closer inspection, the boy possessed quite a few animal traits himself and seemed more akin to a playful puppy rather than a human child in his demeanor, body language, and general appearance.

He looked down at her banner as he pulled in once again, sniffing the headband. Genin, the next rank? Or was it a demotion? The poor child had a horrible time remembering things he considered trivial. He looked down at the bag in the girls hand and then at his own ingredients. He let out a large smile, his pearly white teeth showing once again as Kuro seemed to nod up at Akira as if they had the same idea, the former’s tail wagging happily as he looked up at Suika with puppy dog eyes, the same eyes appearing across Akira’s ”Dinner? Was just gonna make some!” He tapped his forehead with his index finger and Kuro began tugging at the girls shoes with his little teeth as Akira twirled happily “In celebration of my new friend, I will make you a dinner fit for Inugami! You even know about us, it’s only fair.” he stated. He came off extremely friendly, his “pack” had accepted Suika, he had no reservations whatsoever towards her. A truly free spirited boy himself as if a friendly stray dog.

Word Count:<i></i> 670

 

[Suika]

As Suika went to gather her dropped goods, Aoi made haste with jumping into her bag and gluttonously scavenging its contents. Surely the kunoichi noticed, but the squirrel was just so darn cute. What was a few missing ingredients? As soon as she neared the white-haired boy and his dark-coated wolf, Aoi scurried up her arm and planted her plump self onto Suika’s head.

She almost died. Was this creature a mind reader? An empath? She played the girl like a stringed instrument.

Taking a deep breath to compose herself, she readied to stir further conversation, but was instantly embraced by the boy’s inquisitive sniffing. Suika’s expression reflected the boy’s curiosity as she instinctively leaned back. Her large, gleaming eyes widened further as to reveal her initial shock. The Inugami was getting awfully close. Normally, Suika would punt anyone who invaded her space in such a way, but, like usual, she was attuned to assessing situations with logic. Inugami, from what she read and now observed, carried the Inuzuka bloodline in their genes. It was no figure that the young student was animal-like in his approach. She couldn’t help to wonder, though. If he was like this, how was the rest of his clan? She shuddered at the thought.

With a slight coping grin, she waved her hands at Akira and uttered a half-sarcastic sentiment. “Glad I was able to provide you a nice scent.” As the boy returned to his previous spot and her personal space was now recovered, she glanced upward as the Inugami introduced his furry friends. Suika smiled cheerily. “Nice to meet ya, Aoi-chan!” She shifted her soft gaze at the pup below her, leaned over, and lightly ruffled the top of his crown. “And you, too, Kuro-kun.” She then stood with the same gleeful look on her face. Suika rubbed the back of her head and offered an introduction for her own familiar. “You have some cool companions, Akira-san. They’ll get along perfectly with Blackberr-” The girl tightened her lips. Her glimmering eyes dulled for a brief second as her expression fell somber. Looking away, she shook her head. How could she forget? It seemed the excitement of this fresh encounter allowed her to forget about her cat’s passing for a moment. It was shameful, really, but more painful than anything else. Ignoring the dagger that struck her heart once more, she pushed to smile through it.

“Nevermind it.” she dismissed. As Akira transitioned into his invitation and his proclamation of friendship, Suika nodded simply. “Well, I have to be some…” Her stomach growled. Today was meant to be a quick in-and-out mission, but the wolf boy and his pack ensured the opposite. Maybe some company was wise in such grieving times? “Dinner sounds lovely, Akira-san and friends. Where will this dinner be hosted?” Although pretty much strangers, the girl sensed the trio’s intentions were pure. Her stomach also roared profusely, so that acted as another strong motivator. Suika would abide by Akira’s recommendation for the dinner’s location and follow him there.

 

[Hak]

The young wolf boy seemed completely ignorant to the young kunoichi’s uncomfortableness at having her space so abruptly violated. Her sarcastic comment went equally unnoticed as he smiled innocently at her statement of her scent, his sharp pearly white teeth showing once more and stated in response ”We thought so too!”. He remained quiet for a moment as he continued going through recipes in his head, he needed to find something good to impress his new friend he thought. He was also fairly skilled at using ingredients that would not harm his animal companions or himself, he always wondered if perhaps things toxic to dogs would be toxic to himself? That was one thing he would never experiment on out of fear.

Aoi was a rather empathic little creature as she instantly noticed a shift in Suika’s demeanor as she seemed to fail at her words and change her demeanor. Akira was a dense boy, too happy go lucky to pay attention to such Human things which was perhaps a good thing. He’d likely worsen the situation by acting like the wild boy he is in an attempt to cheer up the young girl. Kuro down below tilted his head sensing sadness but simply rubbed himself on her legs as he didn’t fully understand what was going on. Aoi however was the most sensible of the trio as she climbed on to the young girl’s right shoulder and pressed her head against the girl’s cheek playfully, her tail attempting yet failing to wrap itself around her neck. Her eyes grew wide and even those unfamiliar with the beast tongue as Akira and Kuro were keen on could tell what she was trying to say. Don’t be sad. We are here now.<i></i>

The wildling of a boy looked back over at the three as he tilted his head in confusion. It was as if a metaphorical gloomy cloud suddenly surrounded the girl. Was she sad he thought? He tried to figure out what it could mean as the girl continued her conversation as he suddenly had a lightbulb of a realization. She was hungry he thought confidently and only half erroneously. The growl of her stomach was loud to his sensitive ears as he grinned sheepishly, it was almost as if the boy was1 a beacon of light with his never-ending optimism. Food was the answer! Suika was truly in for the dish of a lifetime as he was an excellent cook as well.

”This way Suika-chan! We will take good care of you!” he stated cheerfully as he began marching, literally marching with his groceries towards his home. Strangely enough, Kuro was right beside him marching right along with him as if in synch once more, the boys having quite a bit in common with their way of walking. Aoi even started marching on Suika’s shoulder, mirroring the duo quite skillfully. The three were quite a pair after all and thrived on their sense of adventure and freedom.

Arriving to his residence, he scratched his head slightly as he looked up at his place ”Not sure if all places look like this but I hope it’s homie enough! I much rather sleep in the grass but I guess this will do while we go through the Academy.” he stated rather nonchalantly. However, the boys sense of value was greatly off. The Inugami clan was incredibly wealthy despite their nomadic statue and the home in front of them wasn’t just a small apartment, it was a luxurious estate full of beauty and marvel, only one of incredible wealth could afford to live in such a home, far too large for the trio with too many rooms and space for the three. Then again, perhaps three wild animals constantly playing and running could use such space? Upon entering the building, it was decorated with all sorts of things. Akira didn’t decorate it, but apparently the one who gave him the home nearly had a heart attack when given priceless heirlooms as payments and went out of her way to make sure it was as homely as possible for the trio, even offering maid services as she prayed to be more helpful to him in the future.

Making his way oblivious to his surroundings to the kitchen he looked around and grinned as Kuro jumped up on the countertop waiting for instructions as Akira began separating all the ingredients. ”It’s not much in this place and feels a bit suffocating but make yourself at home. Would you have any requests my dear friend?" he grinned once more.

Word Count: 764

 

[Suika]

As the harp of subtle sorrow played in the background, the small ray of sunshine, Aoi, worked her gleeful magic again as Suika was instantly cheered by her nuzzled embrace. Kuro, too, rubbed his small, furry head on the kunoichi’s leg. Taking a moment, the girl was momentarily swept by sentiment as she sighed. “Man, this is why animals are so much better than people….” Nodding her head and replacing her sullen expression with a warm smile, she non-verbally communicated her acceptance of the squirrel’s soothing gesture. Suika was now snapped back to reality.

Akira, who was ever-so-cheery, prompted the group toward his home. Like an organized, onward march, the trio made their way as Suika followed behind (well, Aoi was still on her shoulder). It was a bit cheesy, but, if anything, it positively added to the sheer cuteness of her new friends. Following them, it was almost surreal. Her original plan was just to grab ingredients and head home alone, but the kunoichi was trailing a go-lucky Inugami and his adorable familiars instead. It felt like a kid’s movie of some sort; the events that had occurred felt contrary to the usual brutalities shinobi faced daily. Surprisingly, it was just the breath of fresh air Suika needed.

As they approached Akira’s stomping grounds, Suika’s eyes widened slightly in fascination. Not sure if all places look like this? That was an understatement. The blue-haired student appeared unaware of how lavish and grand his family’s estate was. Coming from a nomadic background, the girl had never even dreamed in dwelling in such a place. She wasn’t one to care too much for earthly luxuries anyway, but she was definitely open for this experience. “Beautiful castle, Princess Aoi-chan.” she joked as she tilted her head with a close-lidded grin. The group then entered the adorned structure. Every square-inch of his home was architecturally perfect. The details and intricacy of the designs were refined; it was apparent that the Inugami had quite the funds. Although not clumsy, Suika subconsciously kept even more light-footed than usual as to avoid any incidents. Anything in here was probably at least a few hundred missions’ worth in pay.

“Wow!” she thought aloud as they transitioned into the kitchen. Trailing her fingers on the smooth counter top, she shifted her attention toward Akira. “You have a beautiful home, Akira-kun.” As for his question, Suika glanced upward as she cupped a few of her fingers on her chin. “I’m not too picky…” her eyes tilted toward her shoulder, “What are you craving, Aoi-chan? I’m down for anything.” She didn’t have the best palette, but she wasn’t selective by any means. She was grateful for anything that the boy and his furry friends would make.

 

[Hak]

Aoi made her way on to the table as she began performing a series of bizarre movements and dances as Kuro and Akira watched the young lady squirrel intently. It looked as if she was playing but the dog and boy studied the creature intently, as if understanding the bizarre form of communication. Kuro tilted his head and barked as Aoi seemed to perform a rather animated victory pose, as if the two somehow communicated and agreed in that strange series of movements. Akira nodded, an occasional ”Hmm, I see.” escaping his lips as he wholeheartedly slammed his fist into his open palm as the three seemed to finally come to a conclusion. “You are right Aoi-chan! Kuro, ingredients!”. The black wolf pup began rummaging through the ingredients, spacing them out across the island space as Akira began gathering the necessary tools ready for the task at hand.

Akira grabbed what seemed to be a bandana from his inner jacket pocket as he placed the bandana on, the atmosphere around him instantly changing as if the concentration took a figurative form of cloud around his very being. Kuro was no slouch, he went to the stove, carefully grabbing the pots and places them on the stove as Akira began turning them on, letting the pots warm up. The pup would jump on and off the counter, obviously being very accustomed to being a helper in the kitchen. Aoi simply nibbled on ingredients, she was far too ladylike to dirty here little squirrel hands with effort. She was a princess, she was here to be spoiled by the men after all.

In a skillful blur, Akira hacked and slashed the ingredients one after the other with precision and ungodly speed. He most definitely knew his way around the kitchen and made it evident in his skillful yet graceful way of handling the ingredients and the tools in the kitchen. First came the apples, diced in a perfect centimeter cubes, followed by the onions being minced rather evenly and beautiful if one could ever dream of onions minced being beautiful. Almost impossibly, Kuro seemed to perfectly measure the rice as he began helping with whatever he could. If not for Akira’s amazing skill in preparing the dishes, one would be utterly confused at how a puppy such as Kuro could be accurate as a four legged creature in helping out so admirably in the kitchen. Or perhaps Kuro possibly really does steal the spotlight with his rather helpful nature as most are bewildered at seeing a canine cook anything at all?

Akira seemed to be intently concentrating on the task at hand. Bacon was placed in a pan, crisped perfectly as Kuro stared at the bacon, as if waiting for the sound to be perfect with his enhanced hearing. There it was, the sound of perfect crisp as the pup grabbed the handle and somehow threw the bacon off the plan, the bacon landing on a plate as the remaining fat almost impossibly remained in the pan. Next would be the onions, sautéed to perfection, rice added and cooked until a transparency that seemed heavenly took form in what was the rice. Akira added white win, cooking it until the alcohol seemed to burn off the dish. In the corner, apple juice water and consommé was being mixed once again by Kuro, somehow the creature being able to pour exact quantities necessary into a cup. Pushing it over to Akira by his snout, the boy grabbed the mixed substance and added some of the substance, simmering the rest on low head as he then shifted gears and checked once again on the apple dices. After awaiting the allotted time, seemingly using his ears to recognize the sound of the low simmering, he added the apple dices, followed by Kuro adding lemon juice and Akira tossing salt and pepper on the dish. With a little cheese, and placing servings on each dish, Akira and Kuro served four dishes, seemingly for themselves, Aoi, and their guest Suika.

Taking off the bandanna the boy and the wolf grinned and took a small bow, with Kuro barking, apparently in a way stating ”Enjoy!”. Though unfortunately, Aoi was already digging into her dish. She waited on no one!

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Word Count:<i></i> 711

 

[Suika]

As the blue-haired Inugami and his pup began to prepare the dish, Suika couldn’t really do much than just spectate. While she gave the duo their space, she couldn’t help but to share an admiring “ooo” or a pleased “aahh” as they created today’s meal. It was quite clear that Akira and Kuro were no strangers to the kitchen. In fact, they almost appeared as master chefs. Although she found the show both fascinating and entertaining, the kunoichi couldn’t help expressing some humor in the situation. She stifled a small laugh. After all, there was literally a little boy and his wolf-puppy cooking what looked and smelled like a gourmet meal; this was by no mean typical! As the smell of delectable ingredients simmered into the air, the gypsy’s stomach growled wildly as her eyes twinkled in anticipation. She couldn’t wait to try their dish!

Suika positioned herself near the cutesy, plump squirrel as the men continued their work. Leaning next to the squirrel, Suika subtly grinned as she shifted her eyes toward her. “They really do spoil you, don’t they, Aoi? Fitting for a queen, I suppose.” The kunoichi winked. Although she didn’t expect a sliver of this whole occurrence, she was utterly delighted that it did. This was exactly the pick-me-up she needed! She was grateful for the company even though she previously felt that she didn’t need it. Perhaps this meeting was some divine intervention? Was Blackberry watching over her from above?

Akira and Kuro soon completed their expertly crafted meal. Presenting what looked like the tastiest four dishes ever, Aoi the squirrel wasted no time and began to chow down. Following suit, Suika clenched her utensils as she gave both the boy and his pup a bow. “Thank you for this meal, Akira-kun and Kuro-kun!” Reverting her eyes back to the entrée, a bead of sweat fell from her brow as she gulped. She couldn’t lie… this was the best dish she’d seen in a long time. Everything from its presentation, to its overwhelming aroma, and to its fine-looking texture - it boasted it all. She knew this was going to be great. It had to be. Scooping a bit of dish onto her spoon, she took one generous bite.

SENSATION!!!

Blushing instantly, Suika was swept by a wave of flavors as she lost grip of her senses. Sweet… savory… this dish had it all! Suddenly, she had a visualization of a giant apple. This apple was fine as it sweated particular juices. The kunoichi neared it, stuck out her tongue, and tasted it. Bacon fat?! How could this marvelous apple sweat such a distinct bacon flavoring? She flashed back to reality. Shaking her head, she composed herself as she let out an audible “So great!”

She scarfed down her food. She paid no mind to manners, sort of revealing her nomadic nature by devouring her dish and wiping herself with her wrists. Perhaps Suika really did fit in to this pack? As she near finished, she complimented the chefs again. “Thanks, Akira-kun and Kuro-kun. Are you sure you want to be shinobi? You may have a different calling…” Suika meant it. Almost inhaling the rest of her food, she yearned for seconds… not that she’d share that out loud. They have done plenty enough for her as it is!

[OOC: Sorry again for the wait, Akira, and thank you for your patience! ^^]