Nope, Not Ramen

A gurgling and a groan was heard down one street, as Sunari walked down it.

'I forgot it was such a long way back from my vacation...next time I'll just stay home and relax, much easier.'

For whatever reason she'd had the crazy notion to use returning home as 'training' time, not eating untih she arrived back in Kumogakure. Yeah, real stupid idea, who the hell did she think she was: Gai or Rock Lee? Well...she'd heard about them before...she wasn't that bad. It had probably been hunger that caused that stupidity before anyways.

A nearby stand caught her eyes and they glinted as she rushed on over, immediately taking a stool. The little stand sold many things, but there was just one thing on the menu that she truly wanted: pork buns!

"Please Dan! Gimme a couple orders of pork buns please!"

The cook chuckled, as at least once a week, save for long missions, the girl would stop by to treat herself to her favorite food. It was some amusing ritual she'd started since she was little, as a treat for doing 'well' at the academy, then for doing well on missions, and even for achieving chunin rank.

Finally the order came up and she happily engulfed the first, before she began to eat the other ones at a much slower pace...

"Careful there..."

Eki Gisou took a seat beside his teammate, ever curious. Silently, he watched her eat for a few moments, amazed how some people never tired of the same food over and over. At the same time, he had spent enough time with Sunari these past few months to understand the meaning behind what appeared to be simple gluttony.

"The mission went well I take it?"

His attention shifted. As he asked the question he began folding a napkin on the counter, staring down at it, eyes partially closed. From what it would appear, it seemed as if he wasn't listening for the answer. Those who knew him better, would simply say he has a mono-tasking problem.

"Careful? I've seen worse."

Sunari smiled at Gisou, mildly amused. After the first one she'd simply been eating them slowly, savoring the taste. She still only treated herself to them once a week.

"And it wasn't a mission, it was a lousy vacation. A mission easily would've gone better...and next time will be preferred."

Never take a vacation outside of your village, that was about to become one of hew new mottoes. Though...watching him from the corner of her eye, she did wonder if he was listening or more interested in the napkin. The idea of being so...entranced by folding a napkin amused her and she couldn't help but giggle at the thought, nearly choking on a bite of pork bun.

Still staring at the napkin, Eki replied quite factually amused with her antics as she was with his, "You reward yourself for doing missions, and you reward yourself for not doing missions? You see, this is why OTHER people always balance the treat on the dog's nose. Imagine if he could only do it himself..." He paused, the napkin hanging from his fingertips and his eyes staring off into space, pondering. He then shrugged, picking the conversation back up, along with his napkin.

"Besides, things were slow while you were gone anyways. I think I've discovered Akugo can't read... either that or he's mistaking the mission board for the menu here." He chuckled to himself, still carefully watching the napkin. At one point, he had glanced over, noting he was in a restaurant. Like a lightbulb clicking on his eyes opened, and he turned to wave down Dan. Unfortunately, the gentleman had already taken off to the kitchen. Sighing, Eki turned back to Sunari, bumping his fist on the counter top lightly.

"No, this isn't a reward, this is a pick-me-up. Plus...I was desperate for food...reasons of which I refuse to go into." By now her stomach felt much better, though there were still a few pork buns, and she decided she could spare a few. Gisou was a teammate after all.

"You can have some of the pork buns if you wish until you can catch Dan and get in an order."

What he said took a moment to register and she burst into giggles. Maybe...."Maybe someone swapped the mission scroll for a menu in scroll form? Though if he can't read he should fix that quickly..." another giggle escaped.

Eki raised an eyebrow... food desperation beyond the need to eat were beyond him. In his head he clicked through multiple situations that would require a stomach pump, finally deciding it was best not to ask.

He came back to earth as soon as she offered him some food. "Well if you're... I mean uh... Maybe one?" He reached over and plucked one of the dumplings from her tray, nearly swallowing it whole. Taking some time to breath after the dumplings incarceration, he resumed his napkin folding.

"Anyways, I just saw you take a seat, so I figured I'd stop in. And like I said, we've been bone dry for missions, so be prepared to jump back into it anytime now."

Sunari smiled as he seemed to devour it quickly. Either he was nearly as hungry as she had been, or most men seemed to eat them whole.

"All right, missions are fine..."

From time to time she was still unsure about missions...it wasn't too long ago that she'd been a genin, and since the death of her teammate she had yet to take up any of the family weapons. That enemy had deserved every ounce of what happened to him, but she still didn't feel right with some of them.

'I'll just have to train with those later. For now its strictly hand-to-hand, minor weapons, and jutsu I suppose.'

"Has it really been that bad though? I guess that's why I was even able to take a vacation then, if there's not much to be done."

Eki shrugged, "Personally, I can only hope some of the bad guys followed you home. Last important thing I had to do was clean my room." He yawned once, both hands still occupied with the napkin. He then grinned, and placed the small flattened napkin in front of her.

He then reached over, "And...wait for it..." Taking a small corner of the napkin, he pulled it up slowly. With all the weight at the bottom of the napkin, it began to tear. Even then though, it was tearing very specifically, following Eki's folds. When he was finished, he held a small paper shrub by the tip of a branch.

"Ahehe, a little moisture..." Licking the tip of his finger, he then placed it at the base of the origami plant, and as he did, his chakra set to work, sprouting small green buds from the branches of the paper, in size, they resembled leaves.

"There, now cleaning my rooms been the second most important thing I've done... It took me your entire absence to perfect that. Heh."

A snort sounded from her, cleaning his room? Yep, things were reeeaaally slow apparently. However the napkin caught her attention as she watched it ripping until it became the shrub. Her eyes widened, impressed, but that wasnt' all and she became excited as she watched him create little leaves on it.

"Wow, that's amazing!...though too bad you haven't had much to do..." she was surprised by the trick, though apparently he must have been quite bored as of late. Her whole absence huh? That had been...almost a full week...

Soon Dan reappeared, having finally noticed Gisou's arrival.

"May I get you something sir?" he said with a polite smile.

Eki put on a polite consumer face.

"Always Dan! Hmmm..." Taking a few moments Eki made up his mind.

"I hear the Botamochi dumplings are good this week. Three to start? Yeah... that should do it."

Handing him the menu, Eki let him go on his way, before turning back to Sunari.

"I'm kind of surprised the plant stuff still intrigues you so much... Mind it did take awhile to figure out how to grow them without soil..." He paused, as was his way of speaking, then continued.

"So what did you do with all that time to yourself? Sunbathe?" He was being sarcastic, naturally, but in all honesty, Eki ahd never taken a vacation in his life. Breaks... sure, everyone need a couple days off here and there. But anything too extended and the Kumo Chuunin started to drive himself insane.

Dan smiled and rushed off, coming back with Gisou's order and then left again to attend to other customers.

"Yeah well...as I have no talent in combined elements, they still amaze me, can't be helped I guess. Remember I was a genin not long ago to begin with, so combined elements were majorly beyond my comprehension...now they're just beyond my comprehension."

She'd been about to answer Gisou's question when Senki appeared, looking...quite joyous, or so she guessed. Though she did wonder...

"Senki-san...you know they don't serve ramen here...right?" Then it struck her and she burst out laughing as she realized what he'd really eaten, "Those weren't noodle in that, it was jellyfish tentacles. Just so you know, tasty though aren't they? And Gisou-san, I wasn't sunbathing. At one point I tried a hot springs, but had to boil a peeping tom alive (nearly), then tried to enjoy a walk until a nearby bar fight nearly took me out thanks to flying beer mugs. Thank the gods for ninja-reflexs. Then I even tried to simply relax in the room I was staying in...but then the patrons in a nearby room began fist fighting and crashed through my wall...Whoever said vacations are peaceful and stress free lied."

The smile though...had her curious, and she couldn't help herself but ask him, "Senki-san, what has you so joyous today? Or did the jellyfish tentacles have some slight poison in them?" The last part was a joke, but one never knew...

Eki shrugged, "You can't go around ignoring the circle of life Akugo... Respecting it, sure. However most restaurants purchase off of respectable fisherman who don't overfish and only provide what people need. If you didn't eat it, somebody else would have."

Digging into his own food now, Eki stopped for a moment thinking about what Akugo had said. The grin was definitely off. Akugo did smirk alot, perhaps the odd smile here or there, but a full out grin was saved for special occasions.

"When you say, Gots me a women. Did you have to tie her up like the other ones?" Eki was joking clearly, the tone of his voice clearly giving away the gag. At the same time, he just wanted more details, and was prompting Akugo to share.

Eki put his plate down, having finished his dumplings. Taking a glance over at Sunari, then turning his head back to Akugo, he himself grinned. The three were together again, and together, they made a perfect team. At least Eki thought so.

"If you're talking about a mission or two, I'm game... If you're talking about women though... You need to get your head checked out. " Taking a shot of water from the glass placed before him, he turned to Sunari again, both he and Akugo waiting on her answer.

"Sunari, you up for it?"

"Mmmm...if it is a mission then all right, I am game too. If it IS women...I shall pass as...I don't swing that way."

Senki amused her in these moments, and she only seemed to learn even funnier things about him the more she saw the two interact. Sunari...had an interesting team.

"So then...what is this 'action' you have planned? What are we to do or is it a 'brief on the way' deal?"

Eki nodded, trying to remember details about Akugo's father before nodding his head in agreement. As Akugo disappeared he turned to Sunari.

"Sounds good to me, see you there?"

Without waiting for an answer, he too vanished.

"Yep...see you guys," though by this point Sunari was only talking to herself. Leaving some money for her own bill, she too ran off, hoping she didn't fail miserably in this.

'Revenge huh?'