Open Ramen and Regrets

[Uchiha Takeshi]

Takeshi's robes fluttered in the doorway of the restaurant, it had honestly changed a lot since his time inside of the Academy, and seemed that it continued to flourish inside of the village, he was happy for that, after all, it was his guilt pleasure that he came here every so often, though recently he had pause to show resentment, sorrow almost so he came here to cheer himself up, after speaking with the council he had requested that Keniwa came to this location as well, as he walked inside he smiled to the woman behind the desk.

"Can I get a table please, and can you send any other Shinobi from students to Sennin to the table, tell them this meal is a treat from me to them, as a small gesture of my gratitude for their work."

"Of course Lord Hokage, please this way"

As he was directed to the table he took a seat, removing the hat that was with him and placing it on the table to his side, he waited to see if anyone would join him, just ordering a peach iced tea for now deciding to wait at least, the one that he knew would turn up would be the Main Branch Sennin, and he would make sure that the conversation that was required would be had.

As he sat in silence for a while it was refreshing to get himself out of the office, and at least have some time to just relax and sit back taking time to appreciate the everyday life of the village.

[MFT: 263]
[Topic Joined]
[Keniwa Summoned]
[Open Topic Anyone Join]

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

With everything that had happened this past year, it seemed for Keiyaku there was precious little to celebrate. His whole work lately had been consumed with village security in light of recent events, and trying to co-ordinate scouting missions had been a skill he'd had to learn on the fly. Though he still had a slightly hollow look in his eyes, and on the whole, his complexion remained somewhat peaky and pale, he still managed to hitch a friendly smile onto his face, determined to maintain an outwardly positive mask. It was easy with Keni. He could be vulnerable with the Kyoujouran, and he knew the guy wouldn't think any the less of him; he knew Keni could always see right through his facade, but he never pressed him on it unnecessarily. It was a safe feeling, one that made him smile for real sometimes. Gingerly, he held out his hand a little sheepishly for the other to hold; he was still new to this whole public display of affection thing.

Moru, as always, was stuck to Keiyaku's leg, as though glued to it. Ever since the big calamity, the Shiba had become extremely protective of his big brother, mistrustful of any and all strangers, almost unhealthily so. Of course, he e trusted Keniwa to the hilt, but.... that didn't stop him from sometimes shooting sideways glances at the big guy.

"I don't reckon he mentioned what he wanted to see you for?" Keiyaku asked the Kyoujouran, a little nervously. Never having been personally summoned to see the Hokage himself, and only having met the guy on very few occasions, he was never exactly sure what to expect, "then again, now that you're the big guns around here, it might just be good ol' boiler plate bureaucracy."

Keiyaku said it with a little laugh, still marveling at the amount of paperwork that had come with his own promotion in the ANBU. To an Inuzuka, spending so many hours behind a desk was nothing short of criminal penalty. As they arrived at the ramen shop, Moru, predictably, seemed to be losing himself the allure of the different smells. Hallowed ground, this was. At least, to a dog it was. The waitress directed them to their seat where their boss was seated, hat doffed, as casually as you please.

"Lord Hokage," said Keiyaku, inclining his head respectfully as he took a seat. Meanwhile, Moru was jumping up energetically at the side of the village leader's leg, desperate for the world-class scritches the man always provided.

Keiyaku rolled his eyes. Moru sneezed.

"It's good to see ya out and about, my guy," grinned the Inuzuka.

 

[Ayeka]

Joyous slurps filled the air as Aria hummed around her chopsticks fully enjoying the multitude of flavours from her ramen. It had been such a long time since she had gotten to snack on the delicious noodles and after reattaining a stomach she was quick to beg Ayeka to let her come to one of her favourite restaurants in the village. However the young girl hadn't been expecting a certain surprise in the form of the Hokage sitting down in the booth opposite the girl unintentionally leaving the two sitting opposite each other with two sets of seats. Aria perked up in surprise with noodles hanging from her mouth before she slurped them all up in one go with a loud swallow before looking at the Hokage like someone had just taken a dump in the booth he was sitting in. "Hey you were the asshole from my exam! I just have the right mind......." Before the pure white haired girl could speak further her own hand came up and slammed down across her lips with audible force as her hair began to change, black bleeding into the white until her hair was ebony with purple streaks going through it.

"Ah um I...m...sooo so...so..sorry Hokage-s..s.s.sama. I sometimes c...control those stupid ob..obstrusive thoughts." Laughing awkwardly Ayeka sank down into her chair and disappeared below the table leaving nothing but harsh whispers to escape from her hiding place. "What do you think your doing that's the freaking Hokage?!" "I know who he is! He is the jerk who kept twatting me with Genjutsu!" "I don't care! you know I want to become Hokage so play nice with the man!" After a moment the whispers faded away as Ayeka retook her seat and just gave a timid smile to the Hokage before going back to her food, too nervous to notice Keiyaku and Keniwa's entrance.

 

[Kimari Bōmu]

A bright baby pink was the colour of his face today, he'd kind of just been getting on with his daily duties and several examinations here and there, despite all the chaos at the start everything seemed to be somewhat flourishing all in a timely matter. It was a great feeling! Truly, he couldn't be happier to see the academy students running around and enjoying the snow is this festive season. Although everything changed in a flash when this one fateful cosy morning he arrived in his office with a letter right slap dab centre on his desk, not any old regular letter, but one to meet the Hokage at a given time and given spot. Crap. Clearly something must have gone wrong, he'd finally thought he was getting the hang of things now things were in order right? Well he knew not what Takeshi wanted but it seemed to be an... open invite? Perhaps it wasn't going to be as formal as a matter as he once feared.

Well there was only one person that he felt he could really bring to quell his nerves which would assure the least amount of things that could go wrong. Turning up at a certain inuzuka's house with... with.... WELL WITH WHAT HE DIDN'T KNOW. He wanted to get him something, it was a very eventful afternoon scrawling around the market trying to find the right thing. The first place his mind went to was flowers... it was traditionally romantic right? But what the hell did he know about being romantic, he wasn't even sure what type of flowers that Keiyaku would like, and right although right as he purchased the bouquet of orchids... something felt wrong. As if it wasn't enough right? Thinking about the Inuzuka and just his embrace made him just feel like this was inadequate. Moving swiftly on to the next most obviously romantic gift... chocolate? Although he didn't even get as far as making it to the shop before realising that he is in fact in looo...? Was that too soon? That was a whole other problem that he didn't need to think about. He remembered that the one he had feelings for was an Inuzuka! And dogs and chocolate don't tend to mix well.

A horrible image of keiyaku biting in to one and then being rushed in to the medical byoin flashed through his mind. This really wasn't going as well as he hoped. A while would pass by as he finally got his hand on a card and pen and paper, the orchids now completely ruined by how reckless he was being rushing around, binning them was now the only option. Arriving at Keiyaku's house he would practically beg him to accompany him, whether the Inuzuka saw it as a similar way was up to him but Keniwa felt like a tool. He didn't even know when to give this hand written letter to the guy but that was future Keni's problem.

Walking hand in hand with his... well, yeah, with Keiyaku in to the venue he would be just as confused as he was about the whole situation. "I really wish I knew, I have been so stressed just thinking about it, I am starting to think I messed something up." Although he was a Sennin in all honesty he did not really know Takeshi all to well, he still found him quite... intimidating to say the least, yet in his mind Keiji was even scarier, they both had a certain air around them that made him shiver, but he was always one to get nerves when talking to superiors. Although he certainly made the right choice with who he decided to bring, awkwardly giggling after Keiyaku's joke he would look down at their clenched hands and blush before looking down as they continued to make their way. "This is... nice. Thank you, I mean it." He'd take a moment to look in to his eyes with genuine sincerity despite how shy he was, this took place moments before they were led towards where the Hokage sat.

Letting go of Keiyaku's hand despite how much he was enjoying it he wasn't really sure what to do other than bow in front of the Hokage like usual, it was like second nature for him "Lord Hokage, thank you sincerely for the invitation." Trying to be as professional as possible he would calmly sit down cross legged next to Keiyaku and to his horror see Ayeka emerge from underneath the table. "Huh?!" Keniwa would audibly sat out loud in reaction to his sister's surprise entry, fear and filling his face and lingering in his soul thinking about the impression this would display.

 

[Uchiha Takeshi]

Takeshi watched the arrival of a few people, it seemed that even with the open invitation a few people had been allowed to come and had managed to get a seat in this talk, at least today he was going to be able to speak with people and see how everyone was feeling, even with the other news that was being passed across. Takeshi looked down at Moru and allowed his hand to come down scratching the back of the dog's head, as well as behind the ears as he allowed a smile to come to his face and gestured for him to grab a seat.

"Welcome Keiyaku, it's been a while since I have seen you, I presume the branch is doing well for you, reports seem to be promising at least."

Leaving out any question or reference to what branch he even served in, Takeshi was still subtle when he wanted to be and this situation was no different. He saw an unfamiliar face come in as he looked down he smiled politely and nodded in reply to the word spoken and nodded respectfully.

"Ayeka isn't it, I don't think we have ever been formally introduced nice to meet you, please both of you feel free to grab whatever you want from the menu, its on me today no need to chat, and have an empty stomach, it never sets a good scene in my opinion"

Turning his final attention back to Keniwa it seemed that he was the last to enter for now, as he smiled towards his Sennin, this was a different setting, gone from the paperwork, and outside of the village, there was no part darkening the mood with that thoughts no for now he would make sure that he didn't dwell on that part.

"Ah Keniwa, please come grab a seat, grab some food, so how are we all doing, I hope life is treating you well and you are adjusting to your lives inside of the village?"

 

[Haku Yuki]

The district streets pulsed with hustle and bustle, an uncommon sight that clashed with her preference for the tranquil evenings when the Red District embraced solitude. As she navigated through the bustling crowd, she acknowledged the respectful bows from those who recognized her. While a part of her yearned for the anonymity of her former life, deep down, Yuki wouldn't have traded her current existence for anything in the world. Her marriage to the Hokage had been undeniably interesting, filled with highs, lows, and everything in between. A smile naturally crept onto her face as thoughts of him occupied her mind.

Before long, Yuki arrived at her cherished spot. Despite the ever-shifting tides in her life and the transformations within the Leaf Village, this place remained an unwavering constant. As she gently parted the small curtains in the doorway, the familiar sight of her fellow shinobi filled the space. Her eyes locked onto a well-known figure, and with a confident stride, she approached, her hands finding their place on the man's shoulders before she bestowed a sweet kiss upon his cheek.

"I see great minds think alike," she remarked, a playful smile gracing her lips. She turned to the others, vaguely recognizing some faces, while others were completely strangers to her. "Do you mind if I join you?" she asked, gesturing to an empty seat.

[Topic Entered]

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

Even as they sat down, face-to-face with the village leader, Keiyaku couldn't stop sneaking glances to his left, almost as though reality hadn't quite set in that he was sitting so close to Keni, and that he had to periodically check to make sure he wasn't having some fanciful daydream. His face still bore the evidence of a deep blush, despite his slightly sickly, pale visage. Takeshi quickly pulled him out of his reverie. Moru, meanwhile, seemed to be very much enjoying the attention being lavished upon him, looking up at the guy with flat ears and squinted eyes, like he was grinning.

"Uh y-yeah, it sure has been a while, huh? Y-Yeah, no, things are... going okay," he said stiffly, looking as though he'd just been recalled to a particularly painful memory that he wasn't comfortable sharing. He tried to force his face back into something more neutral, and as he did, he felt his hand moving to hold Keni's under the table, trembling slightly. The moment their hands made contact, the Inuzuka calmed down, "the new job is... well... there's a lot more deskwork now than in my cadet days; I guess I'm still getting used to that. I miss spending all my assignments out in the field, y'know?"

Keiyaku cast a sideways glance over to the adjacent table, where a familiar-looking girl was crawling out from underneath it, seemingly in a riveting conversation with herself. Last he'd seen her, he'd welcomed her into his home, watched her pass out the moment she saw a dog, then, when she came to, she'd just hauled ass out of there. He couldn't help having felt slightly offended by the lack of reciprocation of his hospitality, but maybe that wasn't fair to hold against her... Still, he was a little uneasy around her, privately thinking she'd benefit from a stay in a psychiatric ward.

"Oh! Yeah, come join us! It's Yuki, right?"

The Inuzuka smiled blithely as the woman approached, kissing the Hokage on the cheek. Moru's attention seemed to be diverted from Takeshi to this woman, jumping up at her leg, his tongue flopping out like the complete goober he was.

"Moru, dude, c'mon, you're being a little needy."

Moru shot Keiyaku a filthy look, sneezed, and then went back to jumping up at Yuki's leg.

"Sorry about him... You can clearly see he's the victim of neglect at my hands!"

 

[Ayeka]

Ayeka just chuckled nervously as she slowly slid lower into her seat as the Hokage offered to buy her some more food causing the girl to grimace slightly as she was already full from her previous meal but was too worried she would upset the village leader by declining his offer. "Oh ugh Th...thank you L..lord Hokage." Ayeka weakly raised her hand and ordered another bowl of ramen while other people began to enter the restaurant, The first was her brother who seemed shocked and worried at what she might be up to but failed to actually greet Ayeka causing the girl simply to look away and completely ignore her brother not really caring enough about him to greet the Sennin. Alongside her brother was Keiyaku whom her relationship was strained to say the least, The Inuzuka has originally tried to help her with her new powers but her fear of dogs has caused the girl to run away and since Aria had moved into her head she had been assailed by memories of him constantly chastising her so it was easy to say that Ayeka didn't like Kei very much and instead of speaking to him decided to give him a polite nod in greeting and leave it at that. Finally the group was joined by a beautiful blue haired woman who greeted the Hokage with a kiss causing Ayeka to blush as she stared at the confident women and couldn't help but wish she was more like her.

 

[Kimari Bōmu]

A little too nervous to eat Keniwa would simply nod kindly to the Hokage's act of good will, Keiyaku seemed to be a lot better at conversation than he was, he sounded so casual and down to earth whilst still pertaining a formality one should have whilst talking to their superior. Feeling his hand whilst hesitant move on to his own, the Kyoujouran would look down at the pair and smile as his anxiousness began to simmer just with his touch alone. He couldn't help but silently treasure the moment as the Inuzuka spoke a warm blush on his face. After he finished speaking without realising he would continued to look at their layered hands as he softly spoke, "Life has been hard if I am being honest with your Lord 4th." Despite the sorrowful words though his tone would sound sincere and change to more hopeful as he looked up at the Hokage. "However I am just glad I have good people around me." His hand slightly clenches Keiyaku's. " I don't know where I'd be without them."

Despite his sister's antics he could see that she was particularly quiet now, and he didn't want to make her feel as she was unwelcome in any manner. He'd just gotten quite the shock initally and he would try to engage in some conversation with her. "Ayeka have you tried their spicy beef bowl? I've gotten the deluxe size a few times but I find myself so bloated afterwards I can hardly make it back home. Will you carry me if I can not walk?" Surrounded by his sister and Keiyaku he did seem to be getting more in to the festive season and could crack a joke or two as he giggled to himself, even if they were a little subpar borderline cringey.

Although it seemed that someone he'd met before briefly had joined the table, to his surprise his exam proctor all the way back when, was in a relationship with the hokage? He'd never have known, she seemed to be quite elusive yet nonchalant when it came to the trial they faced. With a murderous hunk of armour that he hadn't formed the greatest relationship with chasing him and his two teammates down. Yet with a smile he would greet her politely, he had no resentment towards her or anything just wasn't really sure how to act alongside her in a casual setting such as this. "Of course you may." He'd stop thinking about why he was here so much and just decided to live in the moment as with his free hand he picked up a menu and tried to hold it inbetween both him and Keiyaku so they could look together. Although he was unsure about actually getting what he usually would, perhaps Keiyaku might judge him for getting such a large portion. The thought of having to scoff down a salad sadly flickered through his mind as he continued to gaze.