Be Quick About It [Private|Yosuke]

[Senju Shizuka]

When visiting a foreign country one couldn’t simply sit in the confines of their room and wait to head back home eventually. No. One had to explore while there was time to do just that. And Shizuka didn’t plan on having a lost bet keeping her inside of the tavern the Cloud students had been placed in. Especially not because they were actually allowed to go outside and see the world. Tea called with its warm, sweet voice, and she followed the tone of this country’s buzzing street and rustling leaves until she stood at the guys’ room.

Knock, knock

Her knuckles briefly touched the wood, then she leaned back against the wall on the opposite side. While her first plan had been to swing open the door, slowly study the contents of the room, then call them out, she figured that might stress out Oushi too much should he be present. So, in order to safe her friend a panic attack, she waited for someone to open the door.

With her hair in a ponytail, a loose T-shirt in pastel green which gave her a mannequin-like look, a pair of dark shorts that only came to half of her thighs, and white sport shoes, she was dressed to walk and explore. Loosely crossing her arms in front of her (rather flat) chest, Shizuka wondered where they should go first. There were so many options, so many things to do - her head spun just thinking about the possibilities. It seemed that taking everything one step at the time would be the best way to go about it. First thing first. She watched the door open with a creak.

“Has Yuii-san chained you to the bed for that fight?” Green eyes shone brightly with amusement even while they were only half open. She carefully detached herself from the wall. Slowly taking a step forward the young Senju then leaned against the entrance of the room, ignoring the guy on her side.

“Are we going out or what?”

**


[Words: 338 - MFT]

 

[Shimamura Yosuke]

Perfect...just perfect. ​

The first round of the fights were over, the blue haired witch was still cracking down on him, and he was broke. This trip was becoming a bummer. The people were assholes, it was crowded, Yuii had eyes on him almost everywhere he went, and since he was dirt poor there was literally nothing he can do. The last few nights were full of Yosuke hanging out in his room, or attempting to sneak out of the hotel room to hang out with Shizuka and Oushi, only to be stopped by Yuii or her goons. For the fighting that happened on the ship Yosuke was stuck in his room, with nothing but the view at the window to keep him company.

His window was open and the refreshing breeze moved the curtains and refreshed his shirtless body. He was laying on the bed, staring out at the light blue sky with sadness staining his icy hues. His right leg was hanging over the knee of his left leg, and his foot loosely swung in the air. His hair fell over his forehead, and he blew at it only to have it land back in place. Then, suddenly annoyed he sat up and put his elbow at the window, using his hands to cuff the side of his cheek.

“Ughhhhh!” He groaned.

A knock suddenly came from the door catching Yosuke off guard, as he almost jumped out of his skin. Turning around, he was met with two emerald eyes he knew all too well. A smile fell upon his lips, and he rolled out of bed, basically running towards her.

“Boy am I glad to see you! I was bored out of my mind!” He quickly paused, pushed past her to look out into the hallway. In the meantime she snuck in and Yosuke closed the door behind her, “Thank god you’re here.” He walked over to his closet, pulling a loose white shirt on. “Yuii has been on my ass like there’s no tomorrow,I’ll be lucky enough to even get out of here without getting caught.”

He paced around the room for a minute brooding his next action before confidently deciding with a smile. He slammed his fist into the palm of his hand, “But I have a trick up my sleeve, she’ll never know I’m gone!”

“I’ve been practicing this for the last few days so hopefully it’ll work.” He took a deep breath and then formed the proper hand signs. Smoke filled the room for a few seconds, but once it evaporated there were two Yosuke’s.

“Aha!” They were speaking simultaneously, “Elemental clone jutsu! It worked!” Both Yosuke’s high fived one another and the real one ran to the door.

“Well, come on-” He paused for a second, “Wait, where’s Oushi?”

 

[Senju Shizuka]

Grinning slyly as her friend created a clone of himself to leave behind Shizuka pointed toward the window. “You take that route, we wouldn’t want anyone to see you leave the room then, do we?” The thought of him climbing the side of the building elicited a chuckle from her, but she knew from their training with Shieo that he wouldn’t fall. “I’ll go check out if Oushi’s hiding in the canteen, it’s too early for lunch so it must be dead over there.” A perfect spot to find their quiet friend if you asked her.

Of course Yosuke was free to tag along and risk getting caught, Shizuka wouldn’t mind. She also wouldn’t stay inside of this crowded building full of nosy students about who she mostly didn’t care. So, quietly, she left the room figuring out that her friend would either follow or take the quicker way to the sunlit outside world.

“Dude,” announcing her presence to make sure that Oushi wouldn’t freak out by the time she was next to him, Shizuka nodded. “Morning, wanna go out? Yosuke’s coming too.” Offering a vague gesture toward the direction she had come from, she then put a single finger in front of her sealed lips and shhhh’d quietly. Amusement burned brightly in her green eyes.

Quick steps led her outside and into the warmth of Tea. After having checked their location on the map it had become clear to her that they had gone quite a bit South. The passing of Moon Island had peaked her interest, and she found it a shame that they hadn’t stopped there. It would have been a real adventure! But adults were mostly quite dull.

She hid a yawn by turning away, eyes narrowing until she could barely see. The sight blurred a bit, she rubbed away the sleepiness. It was time to go. She moved out of sight, into the street, and away from their sleeping spot. “I think I have an idea on how to get back some of that money we’ve lost..Interested?”


**

 

[Tsuyo Oushi]

The canteen was where she looked and the canteen was where she would find the quiet, purple haired boy. It wasn’t even noon yet, and here he was, sitting at a table all by himself, in the near empty room. The room was spacious enough that he didn’t have to worry about being crowded even if others started to make their way in, and he didn’t have to seclude himself in his room either. For the most part, the open atmosphere let him read away through his text book. Just because they were in Tea for the tournament, didn’t mean that he could put a stop to his studies. He still had much to learn about being a shinobi after all, both in skill and pride.

After Kaji’s fight, the trio had left the stadium, both Shizuka and Yosuke obviously a little more miffed about the Cloud’s champion losing. Oushi wasn’t sure what to feel. Sure, a little disappointed that their village had lost their match in the tournament, but nothing more, nothing less. Still, he was able to at least grasp at strings as to what it was to be a shinobi of the Cloud. That’s where the studying came into play though. He was a farm boy turned ninja, and there from where he stood, they had very few things in common with each other.

Oushi flicked his oxen tail of bound purple hair over his shoulder, only for it to fall back down to where it initially rested, the hair gathered at the end tickling his forearm. Perhaps he was due for a haircut? He shook his head, disagreeing with the thought. ‘Naw, no way.’ With a sigh, the boy leaned back in his chair in order to give his eyes a break. What time was it even? Would other students be making their way to the canteen soon? Drifting in his thoughts for once, the boy was half startled to hear a girl call out, “Dude.”

Recognizing the voice, his caramel brown eyes looked to her direction to see that it was in fact the Senju girl who had shoved her bag a upon him...who led him around Tea as they met up with Yosuke. This girl was Shizuka. The three of them could be called friends at this point, Oushi somehow finding his time spent with the other two. The fact that he had actually been hanging around with a girl was...weird. For the most part, he usually liked to keep his distance from them. Not because he disliked them or anything, but because he just...couldn’t. His fear wouldn’t let him. Maybe one day he would have the courage to bypass it, but till then, there was no way he could even get physically get close to them. Fighting, on the other hand, was a different ball game. Back on the farm, he wouldn’t even dare, but here...or rather, having been taken to the Cloud to be whipped into fighting condition, he couldn’t just not show the other students, female or male, the respect they were due in combat. That much he had figured out.

Removing himself from his daze, Oushi raised a hand in greeting toward the green eyed girl as she approached him, wary of the distance. He was appreciative of the warning though. Go out? Oushi glanced over his text book, his head tilted. Going outside would probably do him some good. It wasn’t like it would be just Shizuka and him either, Yosuke would be tagging along as well. Closing his text book quietly, Oushi rose from his seat with a smile, tucking the book under his arm. “Sure.”

His reply was simple, but just what could you expect from a simple farm boy. Following Shizuka out into the outside world, his eyes adjusted to sun in the sky, outside being much brighter than the canteen. He rubbed the back of his head, not fully understanding how they were going to be getting money back. Should they have been gambling in the first place? “Just...what are you planning?” The boy asked cautiously.

 

[Shimamura Yosuke]

Scaling the wall on the outside on the hotel was a scary experience. Not so much so because of how high up he was, or because of how strong the winds felt from so high up, but rather from the fear of being caught. The fear didn’t take long to convert into a rush that satisfied his thrill seeking ways. He also enjoyed the scent of Honeysuckle that danced in the air, coming directly from the neighboring marketplace. Since the start of the tournament the market place was full of Academy Students and Ninjas from all over the world, each enjoying interactions with Shinobi from other parts of the world, and trying all the tasty delicacies that couldn’t be found in their villages back at home.

Suddenly Yosuke’s stomach started to twist and churn, groaning loudly for some food. His mouth watered, and momentarily halting in his descent he began thinking about all the tasty food in the market. The signature oolong tea, salmon on a stick, honey glazed grasshoppers in little baggies-oooo popcorn with honeysuckle syrup glazed over it! Just thinking about it made his mouth water. He snapped out of the transe when he slowly started losing the grip of chakra on the soles of his feet, and he readjusted putting a hand on his chest to keep his heart from shooting out of it.

“That was a close one,” His stomach churned again and he looked down, holding it like it was a time bomb set to explode, “Ughh I can’t wait to buy-wait,” He groaned loudly, finally reaching the bottom and digging into his pockets.

He pulled out two little silver coins, a paper clip, and a some lint and frowned, “I’m broke…” Just as he said that, two familiar voice came out through the front double doors and he gave them a weak smile. Overhearing Oushi’s question he nodded, “Yeah Shizu, what are we going to do, we’re dirt poor after the that tournament match.”

 

[Senju Shizuka]

Now that they were all present and the ears of both the instructors and the less fun kids were far away, now she could reveal them her ‘plan’. Knowing that she would have to start out carefully as not to scare them off Shizuka allowed them to simmer in their own curiosity for a little bit longer while trying to come up with the best way of voicing her slightly unconventional means of earning money.

“I’ll go step by step about it,” she started out nodding. The walk through the streets continued. The further away the trio would be from the hotel the less chance there was to run into someone they knew, so, the better it was for anyone involved.

“We won’t be here for a lot longer, and well, unless we want to simply wander through the streets or sit in the hotel it might seem handy to have some cash. I mean, more than the bits left after that bet we did.” Thoughtfully chewing on her lip, she pretended to be in deep thoughts. This should give the guys plenty of time to agree on the matter. She knew they didn’t have too much extra coin left. Yosuke had already asked Oushi for some money to get snacks during the match. She still didn’t feel sorry for throwing the food at the Sandies, even if it had been a bit wrong and slightly childish. Her thoughts briefly digressed. The refreshing breeze against her skin helped her to concentrate once more.

“Last night the girls were talking about a spot in the city meant for players. People with and without money go there to gamble, like we have, and to get drunk.” Letting them imagine the bars filled with intoxicated men and women, the various games being played, the exotic and common food being served, and the darker corners that gave cover when the sun started to sink behind the horizon, she grinned. There would be plenty of people with quick hands running around there, but they weren’t just people, they were shinobi in training. This meant that they were agile, had an eye for details, and could rely on some minor tricks should it become necessary.

“At the moment it’s too early to actually act, but we can check out the place and make plans. When we move, we’ll have to pay attention as not to cause too much of a fuss.” She put her finger to her chin, humming. “I assume that little groups are already working the area, getting into a fight with them would be unfortunate.”

Nodding to herself she looked from left to right and back. Now was the time to see whether Oushi and Yosuke had gotten the implicit meaning she had tried to convey. The word ‘steal’ sounded so odd, it’s why she didn’t want to use it when describing her plan. ‘Take’ sounded a little bit mean, hmm, ‘share’ might work, if they saw the humor in it.

“The ‘gifts’ we receive will high likely go back into their economy anyway.” Better to buy food with it than to gamble it away, right?


**
[523 MFT]