What Are Best Friends For? [Osuteno]

[Tanuki Rinko]

Kirei Zoro & FuwaFuwa-sama​

Zoro happily hummed to himself as he finished folding the last of his clothes. Today was the day his new best friend was going to drop by for a visit. The boy put the clothes away in the dresser and looked to FuwaFuwa-sama. "You still aren't done with your sweaters?" *bark* "Oh, don't give me the whole, 'no opposable thumbs' excuse. You don't need them for folding." *grrr* "Alright, alright. I'll help. Geez." Zoro sat beside his canine companion and helped the dog fold the rest of his sweaters. Once they were done, Zoro placed them in the lowest drawer of his dresser. "There. Let's do one final check." The boy scanned his room, looking over his pristine bed, his dustless dresser, the pure white refrigerator, and the small wooden table in the center of the room. The nightstand beside Zoro's bed was the only thing that had something on it, the book the blonde boy had borrowed from Osuteno. Zoro smiled and made a mental note to thank his friend. The book had taught Zoro two new water jutsu, the Water Whip and Rinse Off. Obviously Zoro liked the latter jutsu the best.

The boy looked out of his window towards the midday sun. Osuteno would be here soon. Opening the fridge, Zoro pulled out some rice balls and sushi he had made for the occasion. He felt a little bad that his culinary skills only amounted to 'roll random things into rice with seaweed', but he figured it was better than nothing. Also, he had no desire to actually learn how to make anything else. Once the dishes were neatly placed on the table, Zoro patiently waited in room K3 of the academy dorms for his super best friend to arrive.

[Topic Started with NPC]

 

[Osuteno]

Osuteno was getting ready to visit Zoro-senpai's and FuwaFuwa-sama's home today. He finished arranging the cleaning supplies in the gift bag he was bringing and made sure his combat boots were polished. He was taking the extra mile to accomodate his immaculate friends. It wasn't that Osu wasn't pretty clean to begin with, but it was mostly because he didn't have that many things besides books and his ninja equipment. He never really felt the need for toys or knicknacks as long as he could study or train. That meant Osu did have to make sure his clothes didn't have any stains on them that might bother his friends. Many of his pants and tanktops did from mud, grass, blood or... some weird purple stuff. He threw the one outfit away and finally found a nice clean one in the back. He was lucky that all his clothes were black with the exception of his white and grey poncho so he didn't have that many stains to worry about. He put his poncho on and headed out without really considering why he owned 30+ of the same outfit and just kept replacing them. He did wonder why people thought he was a girl when he wore a very masculine all black combat outfit.

He was careful on his way over to the dorms not to get dirty, mostly sticking to the rooftops. He took his time because he was worried about getting sweaty and arrived only 5 minutes before the agreed upon time to meet. He waited on a nearby roof for a minute before finding his friends' room. He stopped and stared at his watch until right as the agreed upon meeting time arrived, closed his eyes, nodded twice and gave a nice clear knock.

As he entered the room he tried to hid his surprise at just how neat a room could be, which he did better than he could ever give himself credit for because to the naked eye his usual polite smile was the same as always. He gave his friends a polite bow each before neatly removing his shoes at the entrance and presenting his gift for their home. "Greetings Zoro-Senpai and FuwaFuwa-Sama, thank you for letting me visit your home today. I brought some items I thought you might like." Among the supplies was some industrial strength weapon polish and a new grooming comb for FuwaFuwa.

He had never really thought about it but Osu spent most of his money on personalized gifts for others. Shop owners in his district often gave him things for free and the old tea shop couple had been forced to accept rent money from the child. This meant that the monthly allowance he was given as an orphan went unspent as he only ever bought books and equipment (which half of was provided by the village to begin with). This also meant that the ever charitable Osu sometimes took gift giving to extremes. Luckily this time was pretty tame for him.

[MFT]

 

[Tanuki Rinko]

Zoro grinned as his friend entered. Tidy friends his age were so hard to come by, so Zoro had to make sure to leave a good impression...while still being himself of course. The boy took the bag and rummaged through it right away. "Awesome! This stuff is sweet!" The blonde boy pulled out the polish and walked to his closest. His trident was leaning against the back wall next to his hung shirts, and Zoro placed the weapon cleaner next to it. He stepped back and placed a finger to his chin, analyzing the new placement. While he did this, FuwaFuwa-sama took his new brush in his mouth and approached his sweater drawer. With a surprising amount of skill for a dog, the shih tzu pulled open the drawer with is paw and neatly placed the comb within. The canine closed the drawer with his rump. *bark* Zoro turned on his heels to face Osuteno. "Oh, yeah! Thanks! This is why we're best friends. Super best friends even."

The boy pulled one of the four wooden chairs from the middle table and offered it to Osuteno. "Take a seato, Piito." Walking to the other side of the table, Zoro pulled up his own chair. Since these were the academy dorms, the furniture was more suited to the pre-teen's size. Zoro held a hand out to the dishes of sushi and rice balls. "Eat what you'd like. Oh, do you have any food allergies? If so, I may have to ban you from eating something. Don't want you dying on me." Zoro pushed a pair of chopsticks over to Osuteno for the sushi. He stared at his friend for a few moments, taking in his appearance. "You know, you're really girly-looking. It's probably that baby face you've got." Zoro didn't have much room to talk, since he still had his baby face too, but at least he'd never been mistaken for a girl. "It's probably your purple hair. And that weird shawl thingy you wear." Zoro perked up. "Oh! I know! You just need to change your clothes up a bit! All that black you wear makes you look even scrawnier than you already are."

Zoro hopped out of his chair and returned to his closet, which he'd forgotten to shut earlier. Pulling out a pair of clothes identical to his, he grinned at Osuteno. "You'll like the way you look, I guarantee it!" Making sure the purple-haired boy had nothing in hand, Zoro grabbed Osuteno's arm and dragged him out of his chair. In a scene that would have been a bit more risqué had the two been older, Zoro forced his friend to strip and dress in the blonde's western-style clothes. Once finished, Zoro pulled Osuteno before the body-sized mirror hanging on his door. "See?! You look awesome! We could be twins! Well...if it wasn't for your hair color...and eye color...and that weird, almost blank expression you usually wear. But other than that, we're totally twins!"

 

[Osuteno]

Osuteno gave his best attempt to return their thankfulness with a smile. It wasn't all that impressive. Osu pulled back his own chair and climbed up into in when offered and enjoyed the sushi Zoro-Senpai had made. Before he got to answer the food allergy question Zoro-Senpai began remarking on Osu's feminine appearance. Osu's eyebrow twitched a little with each comment about his appearance, not that it was enough for even Osu to notice. There was that unusual feeling again, but it passed too quickly for Osu to name it. Then suddenly Osu found himself being pulled along.

He found himself being forced to strip and put on a new set of clothes that matched Zoro-Senpai's. He stared at himself in the mirror for a little while before closing his eyes and shaking his head twice. "My hair really does make me look feminine." Even though he and Zoro-Senpai were dressed the same, he could not help but acknowledge he did not look as masculine as Zoro. Letting out a slight sigh Osu began turning and looking at himself in the mirror thinking about just how different he looked. "I can still tell it is me but it is a bit shocking to see nonetheless." He slowly began moving through combat stances while still looking at himself in the mirror.

"I must admit though while I do look more like a guy than usual it just doesn't seem to fit me." Osu had known for a while that he might eventually need a wardrobe change but he was pretty attached to his current outfit. It was easy to move around in and he was attached to his poncho. He had decided before he would stick with it until he became a full fledged mednin. Osu shared these sentiments with his friends, though he was still entertaining himself by posing around in the mirror with his blank face. Suddenly becoming embarrassed with what he was doing he stopped and cleared his throat turning to look at the ninja hound. "What do you think FuwaFuwa-sama, do I look like Zoro-Senpai?" Osu was going to take a chance with this next statement, he was going to attempt... a joke. "How about I put on one of your bows? Maybe we can be twins then." With his blank expression it really didn't come off feeling as if he were joking but he was trying.

 

[Tanuki Rinko]

Zoro frowned at Osuteno claimed the clothes didn't fit him. "Nonsense! They look great on you! But whatever floats your boat." The blonde shrugged. Zoro wasn't one to shove his ideas on other. Maybe tell them their ideas were dumb, but he wouldn't force someone to see things the way he does. Unless it came to dirt maybe. At least Osu looked to be enjoying himself as he posed in front of the mirror. Zoro nodded to himself. "You'll choose this style soon enough. Once you go west, you realizes it's the best." It was a ridiculous phrase someone once shared with the boy, but he liked it.

The purple-haired youth asked FuwaFuwa-sama if he looked like Zoro, and the dog barked in agreement. "Yeah, though I'm a bit taller. You've got a ways to go to catch up shrimpy." *bark bark* "Hey! I'm the proper height for a kid my age. All those other academy students are freaks." Their mini tiff was cut short as Osuteno attempted a joke. Human and dog stared at the blank face before them, trying to read what his intention was. Finally Zoro broke out into laughter, and FuwaFuwa-sama began to wag his tail. Not being able to resist, Zoro walked to the dresser and pulled out a bright turquoise bow with a ruby gem. The blonde grabbed Osuteno's purple bangs and flipped them into a loop, creating a mini bun. He secured the ribbon and stepped back to observe his handiwork. Again, the boy burst into laughter at the sight. "Hahahaha! You look ridiculous!" Zoro continued to laugh, tears welling up in his eyes. Finally his laughter died down, and he placed a hand on Osuteno's shoulder to steady himself. "You're too much best friend. I can't remember the last time I laughed this much."

Realizing that he hadn't thought of any activities to do, Zoro frowned. "Huh, what other clean fun can we have?" He pondered for a moment before perking up. "Oh! I have cards. Would you like to play?" Zoro opened his nightstand and produced a deck of cards. "Let's see...I know Go Contract Summoning, Crazy Demons, Ninja War, and Old Masao." The blonde returned to his spot at the table, waiting to see if his playmate wished to do.

 

[Osuteno]

Osuteno stood there with his ridiculous hairdo basking in the reaction to his successful joke. He had made someone laugh! He was very excited to get such a reaction. After Zoro had calmed down and suggested a card game Osu grew nervous. He closed his eyes and began to nod twice. He had only played Hachiashi Solitaire before. Mostly because it was something a person was able to play alone. He had heard of these games but had never gone about playing them.

"Just play it cool Osuteno, no need to get nervous" he thought to himself. Everyone kept assuming he spent a lot of time with people based on how many knew him. In all honesty he had mostly met people while training or studying and had never really met up with someone expressly to hang out before. He knew this was weird. Heck he knew he was weird. There was no need to highlight this fact. "Think Osu think!"

Alright consider the choices laid out and what was known about them. He knew absolutely nothing about Crazy Demons or Ninja War so those would be unsafe. "Think faster! You are almost done with the first nod, they will learn just how much of an unsocial weirdo you are!"

He knew Old Masao had some sort of strategy involved and Go Contract Summoning had something to do with guessing do to references to it he had seen in novels. Why didn't he buy that book on being social? His entire future of this friendship was reliant on him not failing here. Now was the time to shine. The best course of action would to be to go with the guessing game and have Zoro-senpai go first so he could follow his example. "You are almost done with the second nod prepare for action and remember to smile."

Osu opened his eyes after nodding twice. He looked at the older boy and said with his absolute best if miserably stoic attempt at a smile, "How about we play Go Contract Summoning Zoro-Senpai? You can go first." He was going to study every card game he could after today.

 

[Tanuki Rinko]

Zoro smiled happily and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Go Contract Summoning is fun. It's FuwaFuwa-sama's favorite game." *bark bark* "Stop bragging and put your dog treats where you mouth is." The blonde motioned for Osu to take his seat across the table. FuwaFuwa-sama trotted to the nightstand and pulled out a plastic tray to hold his cards before taking the seat to the right of Osuteno. "Well, I have to deal, so going clockwise means FuwaFuwa-sama will go first." The blonde shuffled the cards and dealt them out, with his starting hand being two Bears, a Bat, a Bird, and a Snake. FuwaFuwa-sama started the game with two Bats, a Spider, a Snake, and a Youkai. The stage was set, and the battle began. The shih tzu's cards were lined neatly in their holder, and he placed his pair down. *bark bark* Zoro scrunched his nose. "You always start the game saying that. There. Are. No. Canines." *grr* "Well we can't play the game properly if we had an all canine deck, so just play the game." *woof* "Ha! Go Contract Summoning!" FuwaFuwa-sama let out a huff as Zoro denied him a Youkai. He drew from the pile and looked to Osuteno. The purple-haired boy was the one who happened to have the Youkai, and asked the dog for it. FuwaFuwa-sama growled in response, but handed the card over. Meanwhile, Zoro was laughing. "Looks like you met your match FuwaFuwa-sama!"

Round one ended in Zoro's favor, and the cocky boy grinned from ear to ear. "Looks like I'll be the victor this time!" Underestimating his new friend, Zoro focused on asking FuwaFuwa-sama for cards. In turn, FuwaFuwa-sama's attention was honed on Zoro. By round two, everyone was tied in pairs. The heart of the cards wasn't with anyone in round three, as everyone suffered an immediate Go Contract Summoning with no luck on the draw. FuwaFuwa-sama fell behind in round four, and Zoro held out his hand to Osuteno for a high five. "Yeah! Super best friends will totally beat the fur off you!" Zoro didn't defeat his canine companion often, so he was enjoying his chance to brag. Hoping to catch up to the pack, FuwaFuwa-sama focused on asking for a Snake, only to fail to ask the one time someone had one. Zoro took the Snake right out from FuwaFuwa-sama's nose, and he laughed giddily.

With round six complete, Zoro was again in the lead, and he wiggled with joy. "I told you! I hope you guys don't cry when I win!" Karma hit the blonde hard as he fell to last place in round seven. *bwoo* "You be quiet! I just didn't want to win by too much. It would make Osu feel bad. I spent this round placing down my trap card! Just you wait when you activate it." Zoro's reference was a stretch, as was his chance of winning once round eight came. Some Egyptian god of card games must have taken control of Osu, as he began to receive pair upon pair from Zoro, FuwaFuwa-sama, and even the pile itself. His turn continued seven times, and Zoro began to fume. Osuteno had stolen four of Zoro's cards, leaving him with only a measly Bat, which FuwaFuwa-sama didn't have when Zoro asked. The game ended in round nine, with FuwaFuwa-sama sweeping in the rest of the pairs. The blonde boy pouted in his chair at his pathetic six points. FuwaFuwa-sama wagged his tail happily, as he had put up a good fight with thirteen points. However, as if by Magic, Osuteno had swooped in with a whopping twenty points. Zoro crossed his arms and kicked the leg of the table. "I let you win." *bark* "I did too!" The boy's lip pouted and he abruptly rose from his chair. "Come on." Grabbing Osuteno by the back of his collar, Zoro began to drag the slender youth out of the door. "I bet I can make a better snow angel than you." FuwaFuwa-sama shook his head before following the boys out of the room. Osuteno's day wasn't going to end until Zoro won something.

[Topic Left Unless Osu Grows a Backbone]

 

[Osuteno]

Osuteno nodded and sat at the table with them and picked up his hand. Youkai, Kami, Turtle, Fox, and Lizard... He was not quite sure how the game was played. He heard FuwaFuwa bark something at Zoro and Zoro told him to Go Contract Summon and saw FuwaFuwa get a card. Maybe... "Do you have any Youkai FuwaFuwa-Sama?"

The first few rounds were rather close each picking up a pair about when the others did. He played alongas if he knew what he was doing exchanging high-fives and such. Around round six he was falling behind but finally felt like he had a hold of what he needed to do. during round seven FuwaFuwa took Osu's shark and completed the set which was disappointing to Osu. They were his favorites. He did manage to complete the youkai set though which helped him catch back up but that was all he could manage. But when his turn came around in turn 8 he felt something odd.

"Zoro I will take your spider card. FuwaFuwa do you have a lizard?" When he was told to go contract summon he closed his eyes and nodded twice. "Heart of the cards, guide me! And there it was, the lizard card. He laid down the pair. "Zoro do you have the kami card?" He did, another pair and he had emptied his hand. He drew a lizard. He doubted either of them had it and asked Zoro for one, he went summoning and drew the final lizard, he had completed the set and prolonged his turn. He continued his turn grabbing a pair of monkeys and completing both the turtle and the kami sets, throwing him far into the lead. Zoro didn't have much luck and FuwaFuwa cleared the rest of the cards. Osu had won his very first game with other people.

Osu was so surprised with his win that he nearly left his skin when Zoro kicked the table. Pulled by his collar Osu followed Zoro outside to make snow angels. This was turning out to be a very fun day.

[Topic Left OOC Good game lol]