[Social] Drunken Mistakes

[Amy]

Her eyes stared back at her through the mirror and she regarded herself with scrutiny. Her eyes were wide and her cheeks flushed and yet the rest of her face was ashen. She caught sight of her hand as she reached up to brush her bangs back and, noting the shaking, quickly clasped onto the sink's edge. Her chest rose heavily with each breath as she gave herself a silent pep talk that failed horribly for as quickly as she convinced herself that everything would be okay she screamed at herself that she was wrong. It wasn't going to be okay. She could kick herself for agreeing to this. She could kick Shikari for it too - she had had a hand in the matter, that much she was sure of. But, how was she supposed to say no when he stared at her with those blue eyes. She had said yes before she had even ha a chance to think about it and now she was regretting every moment of it. She gave herself one last look in the mirror, feeling rather hopeless. Make-up had never been her thing and she had argued with herself to even attempt it. She had decided mostly no, some light eye shadow and mascara lining her eyes and a light sheen of lip gloss but even that felt like too much. Dropping her face to her hands she groaned loudly right as a knock sounded on the bathroom door.

"Rai, honey, do you want some help?" Sullen, the young Shinobi pulled open the bathroom door, instantly catching sight of the amusement in her mother's eyes. "Oh, Mom, it's not funny! I feel ridiculous," she exclaimed, holding her arms out in a "look-at-me" fashion. Despite her protest, she looked beautiful. Her hair was loose, flowing across her shoulders and hooked around her ears. She was wearing a plum colored sun dress with wide straps and a sweetheart neckline. It was form fitting through her hips where it flared out slightly reaching a few inches above her knee. Her shoes were brown with extremely low heels, just enough to raise her up a bit. For as ridiculous as she felt, she looked none of it. "Sweetheart, you look beautiful. Just relax, okay? Why don't you stop fussing and come wait downstairs?" Glancing at the mirror one last time, a forlorn expression on her face, she let her mother lead her down the stairs to the living room where she paced silently, waiting for Nara, Shikuro to come pick her up.

---

---

The young woman hummed lightly to herself as she brushed her hair out over her shoulders. She was in a fantastic mood and the smirk on her face told that she knew exactly why she was in such a good mood. A special certain someone was coming to collect her for dinner and she couldn't have been more excited. Their last date had gone so well and she didn't even bother trying to deny that he was someone special to her. She looked at herself in the mirror, nodding slightly at her appearance, clearly satisfied with the results. Her hair was shining, smooth, and was quickly piled at the base of her neck, two chopsticks holding it in place. Her face was lightly touched up but she felt no need to go overboard. Kawa had seen her in every state one could imagine themselves to be in and she felt comfortable around him no matter how made up she was or wasn't. Her humming turning into a quiet whistle she spun around her room, her dress flowing around her as she went.

One of her favorites, it was a warm yellow color with a white lace pattern dyed into it so you could just barely see it in the right light. It was a halter, the tie of the dress hidden beneath her hair and her back exposed by the draping hem. The hem of the dress reached just below mid-thigh and billowed out when she moved. Her shoes were white and flats, what she felt most comfortable in. Gathering her small bag she made her way to the front of the house, slipping out the front door and settling herself onto her front step, her favorite place to wait for Kawa. She slid her feet out of her shoes and into the grass, sighing as the cool blades tickled her feet. Leaning back on her hands and closing her eyes, she smiled at the sky as she waited for her man to show up.

SpoilerShow

Dress

[Niro]

Kawa straightened out his shirt with a grunt and a growl. The stupid collar refused to stay put and one side kept popping up. It was really annoying seeing as he was running late too about now. Kawa pretty much said 'screw it!' as he tousled his hair up and removed his eye patch, placing it in his pocket. Just in case. You never knew.

Instead of being civilized like most other people who were about to go on a triple date, Kawa took to the roofs of the village like he was a monkey in a forest. Step, jump, flip, land, continue. Insert fancy move here. Oh yeah, triple date.

Meaning Nori and himself.

Meaning Rai and Shikari's brother.

Meaning Shikari and Katashi.

Kawa burst out in a cackle as he realized just how much teasing and embarrassing he could do tonight towards Rai. Not like Shikari wouldn't retaliate and try to do the same to him but well, his woman had heard most of it before. He was finally going to see that jerk Katashi after several months as well. Figured, some stupid village program abducts him and BAM NOW HE'S BACK LIKE MAGIC.

Kawa couldn't complain, really. His friend and team mate was back. And hell, Shikari had made him join the organization. Perfect. It wasn't long before Kawa touched down on the walkway leading up to Nori's front step from his trip across the roofs.

Kawa reached that beautiful girl of his and took in her form with his eyes, a giant grin plastered on his face.

"Y'know, you're gonna make the other girls super jealous." Kawa teased as he swept her up in his arms and planted a nice one right on her lips, trying to keep his grin from destroying the sweet moment before he backed off. "I don't look too bad, right?"

Simple black dress pants and a maroon dress shirt whose sleeves were rolled up adorned Kawa's figure. Simple dress shoes too. It wasn't exactly casual but it wasn't even all that fancy either. Just something nice and easy to move in.

[Yura]

Ughh what should I wear? Shikari thought to herself as she searched through her closet. Though she didn't have a 'huge' selection of dresses to wear, she needed one that was dressy enough to fit the occasion, but casual enough not to be over done. Sifting through her dresses, she decided which ones were too fancy, and which ones weren't fancy enough which left her with three choices of what to wear. This one looks good, she thought as she pulled a simple but elegant royal blue dress from her closet. Though it would be more of a form fitting dress, it wasn't so tight as to make movement uncomfortable for her and it would be just the right amount of dressy as it was casual.

After donning the dress, Shikari made her way over to her desk, attempting to decide on the jewelry that she was going to wear for the night. Looking in the mirror, she decided that she actually liked her white crystal pendant with the dress and decided to keep it on. "How do I look?" Came a voice from over her shoulder. Turning in her seat, Shikari found her brother Shikuro standing in the doorway dressed in full suit in tie. From the pinstriped gray pants to the black dress shirt and red tie, accompanied by scuff-less dress shoes and a suit jacket, Nara, Shikuro knew how to dress, his muscular frame filling out the clothing well. "I'm telling you, you are way over dressed." Shikari said with a little chuckle. "Yeah but you know, the fun of wearing too much is getting to take it off once you've made a statement." He replied with a wink.

With a loud snort, Shikari turned back to her desk, peering into the mirror once again as she tried to decide on which earrings she wanted to wear for the night. She had large ones that dangled and small ones that would be barely noticed. Each had their own purpose and occasion, she just had to decide which ones best fit the one she was in. "You know, sometimes, girls prefer subtlety as opposed to being presented with everything at once. You really should tone it down, just a bit." She said as she decided on a pair of smaller earrings, "I bet Rai would appreciate it more."

"Hm, maybe you're right." Her brother responded, "Be right back." Moments later, Shikuro emerged in her room once again, this time donning the same shoes and pants but the suit jacket and tie were replaced by a red vest that went over the black dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. "Better?" He asked, seeking his sisters approval. "Much. Now you should get going. Don't want to leave her waiting."

---

Traveling to the Inuzuka compound, Shikuro found himself actually appreciating Shikari's advice. The warm evening air was the perfect temperature to keep him warm. If he had been wearing the suit jacket and tie, he would have been burning up.

The moment that Shikuro had entered the compound, he knew. Walking down the road to his designated location, he passed multiple Inuzuka clan members and their canine familiars taking a walk and enjoying the night air. The majority of the ones he passed gave him odd looks, obviously wondering why a non-clan member was in the compound. Shikuro really didn't pay attention to it though. He was focused on the dogs. He, like his sister, was a animal lover through and through and he had to fight the urge to get on the ground and play with a little golden retriever puppy broke off from it shinobi partner and bounced its way over to him.

Finally arriving at the door, he took a deep breath in before he knocked on the door. Admittedly, this was going to be the first date that he had been on in a while. Due to various different events, he hadn't had the time or the pleasure of taking a young lady, such as the one he was picking up now, out to dinner. Needless to say, he was a little nervous. The fact that he was taking one of his sister's friends out to dinner and was going to be surrounded by Shikari and her other friends AND her boyfriend, didn't help that fact. He wasn't going to let it show, however. Turning to the door, he gave it a light knock, hoping it was loud enough to be heard.

---

Back at the home of the Nara siblings, Shikari was moving around her home, getting last minute stuff prepared before Katashi showed up to take her out. Deciding to keep her hair up in a ponytail, she wove her hair dagger into her hair, wanting, for some reason, to have some sort of weaponry handy if she really needed it. It wouldn't be long before she ran out of things to do and she would find herself taking a seat, waiting for the Hyuuga to show up.

[Arion]

"I feel like I'm overdoing it," Katashi grumbled in front of the mirror. He stood there decked in a suit. Black dress shoes and slacks, a black suit jacket and a red long sleeve shirt inside. His tie and the handkerchief in the left chest pocket were also red in color. It was all plain black, but ironed out and wrinkle free. He wore his hair back in a ponytail and stood there staring at himself with uncertain white eyes.

"Perhaps," His father spoke up as he stood behind him and looked into the mirror from over his right shoulder, "Do you feel comfortable?"

"I feel like that one guy from that movie, the one who wears iron suits..."

"You didn't answer my question," Kouken said with a shake of his head, "Perhaps a vest will work better."

"I feel like I'm going over," Katashi thought, "But at the same time, I don't want to go under. Shikari... I... Well, she deserves the best..."

"Then give it to her," His father wasted few words and even less time, "You should be heading to out now regardless so you're stuck with that look anyways," He gave him a pat on the look and turned to the dresser to their right hand side. Katashi gave himself a nod and looked himself over once again, tiding up the jacket and tie so that they lined up.

"Alright, I'm leaving, thanks for the help," When he turned, he saw his father standing there holding his hand out towards him. On the palm of his hand was ring. It was gold with lines around the band and an emerald set on top.

"To finish making you awesome, go ahead," Kouken nudged the ring towards Katashi whom reluctantly took it up for further inspection. He noticed that the lines were in fact writings but could not read them.

"What does it say?" He questioned as he admired it.

"It says you'd better not be late to pick up your date!" His father yelled at him, "Oh and I still have to meet this lovely girlfriend of yours but we'll handle that another time. Get going!" The final yell prompted the young Hyuuga to nod, slip on the ring on his left index finger and head out the door, waving at his father as he left. The older Hyuuga stood with a smile and muttered something about his mother being proud of him having her ring.

He was thankful that he knew where the Nara lived. Not that it mattered, he would have found them with his eyes, but it saved him the trouble. He was jogging his way over. He wasn't sure if he was late and at the same time he did not want to go into a full sprint. He didn't want to arrive huffing and sweating to her doorsteps, so he kept up an even pace.

Before long, he arrived at the location and stood before the door. Come to think of it, he had never actually been there. He'd likely meet some of her family though if he had been told correctly, they wouldn't be alone tonight. It appeared that they were part of some big social, date night and even her brother and Kawa were going o be present. He wondered how he would be received by him and hoped it wouldn't be too physical. Speaking of physical, he took to knocking on the door. He straightened out his jacket, fixed his collar and tie, and waited for Shikari to arrive.

[Amy]

Rai froze, her eyes widening and a small squeak exiting her lips. Kuro and Tora let out a string of barks, bringing her out of her frozen state of mind. "You got it, honey?" She heard her mom call from the kitchen, sending Rai into a slightly panicked mode. "I've got it, Mom! Just, stay in the kitchen!" Moving to the door, smoothing her light cotton dress once more she nudged her dogs aside, Tora wriggling in excitement and Kuro glaring at first her and then the door. She gulped, reminding herself that there were multiple good reasons to leave Kuro home...she simply knew in her heart that the biggest reason was that she didn't want him glaring at Shikuro all night long. Her hand fell on the doorknob as she closed her eyes for a moment, bracing herself for the person she knew was waiting on her doorstep.

Her eyes widened and her mouth popped open slightly as her eyes slid over Shikuro. From his polished shoes all the way up to his blue eyes, she looked him over suddenly very glad that she had taken the extra ten minutes to get ready for her date. As her eyes began to travel from the best to his arms she heard her mother coming around the corner, shocking her into action. "Bye, Mom! We have to run, we're going to be late we'll say hi later, bye!" Without realizing it she put her hands on Shikuro's chest, pushing him out of the door frame and giving her the room to shut the door behind her. Her face flushed, she pulled her hands away quickly, pulling at the hem of her dress. "Hi," she said, shyly. "You look really handsome..." She smiled, trying to bite it back but failing miserably.

Even more sure now that she wasn't prepared for this she kept her eyes low, finding it difficult to look directly at him. She was intimidated and shy all at the same time and it was something she wasn't used to. No matter how she tried she couldn't force the blush on her face to disappear as she waited for Shikuro to speak and to lead the way towards the restaurant. It seemed that with all of her nervousness she had forgotten where they were meeting the others for dinner. And at that thought her eyes widened even further. Kawa. Crap.

---

---

Nori's eyes opened slowly when she heard Kawa getting close to her. His very presence caused her heart beat to quicken slightly, a smile overtaking her face. She squealed when Kawa lifted her up though it was quickly smothered by Kawa's lips against hers. Melting into him had become second nature as her arms wrapped around his neck. When he kissed her, it transported her to another place and she wanted to stay there forever, it being too soon when Kawa pulled away. She giggled, hugging him tightly. "I'm sure the other girls look just fine," she mumbled, eyeing him appreciatively. He was so...Kawa. The shirt, the hair, and, she realized that he had even taken off his eye patch and that made her smile even more.

She placed her hands on his chest, stepping closer to him. "You look absolutely perfect," she sighed, stepping up on her tip toes to kiss him again, her hands winding their way through his already messy hair. She smirked, pulling away from Kawa, hanging off of his neck so that she was looking up at him slightly, her dress flaring out behind her. "You know, we could always play hooky and skip dinner...stay here for the night..." she said quietly, biting at her lip slightly. She pulled herself up to him again, rubbing her nose up against his, looking him directly in the eyes. "Whaddya think?" Undoubtedly, Kawa would insist on going to dinner and she would follow along willingly, her hand wrapped in his, though a small pout would adorn her face.

[Niro]

Kawa's grin seemed to explode as Nori suggested staying in for the night and leaving the other two couples to their own devices. Kawa entertained the thought for a moment,encircling his arms around Nori's waist and he leaned his head onto her shoulder. "Now now, if you really wanna, we can..." Kawa breathed into Nori's ear and chuckling softly before pulling back.

"Buuut, you can't be that greedy with me. I mean, unless you wanna just lock the bedroom door. But, Shikari'd probably think something is wrong. We should get going." Kawa finished as he pulled back from Nori and entwined his hand in hers. "Let's go."

And with that, the couple had started their walk to the restaurant. The two made small talk, Kawa unable to not look at Nori every few second with a small smile breaking onto his face before shooing it away and then it coming back as he continued his small talk with this amazing girl.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the restaurant, a quaint but nice little place. They had made a reservation before hand and were seated quickly, ordering drinks as they waited for the remaining couples to enter the place.

[Yura]

The moment Katashi began knocking on the door, Shikari was up out of her seat, moving to greet him. Some would say that she seemed a bit eager. And why shouldn't she? What awaited her was a fun night with some fun people, one a bit more special to her than the others. Taking one last final look in the mirror, Shikari opened the door to greet Katashi. Only, no words of greeting actually escaped from her mouth. Her jaw was too busy hanging open in a dumbfounded look as she took in the pleasant sight of her well-dressed boyfriend. From the suit to the tie to the shoes, he may have been a bit overdressed but damn did he look good. Oops, she thought with a little smile as she thought about what she had said to her brother only about a hour ago, There's always exceptions. "You look...wow…" She finally let out as she gave him one final look over. Without really thinking about it, she slowly approached him, reaching up to hook her hand around the back of his head before pulling him in for a gentle kiss. "I would invite you in for a few moments," she said afterward, letting him go, "But we don't want to be late." With that, she closed to the door to the home and grabbed his hand, her fingers interlocking with his as she pulled him along the path to restaurant.

---

At the sound of the dogs barking from the other side of the door, Shikuro prepared himself for whatever kind of greeting he could think of, half expecting to be jumped on by an Inuzuka canine. When the door opened, he had mere moments to notice Rai gawking at him before she was shoving him off the doorstep. The unexpected contact from Rai caused Shikuro to stumble back a few feet before regaining his footing and keeping himself from falling over. Well that's one type of greeting that I wasn't expecting, Shikuro thought to himself with a little chuckle. "Thanks," he said in response to Rai's compliment. He couldn't hope but smile himself as he noticed her trying to keep herself from smiling. "You are looking beautiful tonight," he said, giving Rai a quick once over, not having the chance to beforehand.

As the pair walked down the path towards the restaurant, conversation between the two of them soon ceased, creating a sense of awkwardness between the two. Looking over to Rai, Shikuro could tell that she was nervous about the whole situation, just as he was. The inability to look at him, the pulling at her dress, all classic signs. He could understand why she was, however. They didn't really know anything about each other except that they were each from specific village clans and had a relationship with Shikari. Add that to the fact that there was a fair age difference between the two of them, there was plenty to be nervous about. "So were those your canines back there?" Shikuro asked, trying to create some sort of small talk that Rai would be comfortable talking about, "I only saw what seemed to be corgi pup but there was definitely another one in there."

As the pair made whatever amount of small talk that they made, they would eventually arrive at the restaurant where the others were meeting them. "After you." he would say, letting Rai take the lead since she would know more of the people that they were meeting than he would.

---

Eventually, sometime before Rai and Shikuro but after Kawa and Nori, Shikari and Katashi would arrive at the restaurant. "This is the place." she would say, pulling him towards the door. When they entered, they would find Kawa and Nori sitting at a table big enough for them all. "Hey guys!" she would say, greeting the pair. It was in that moment that she remembered that it wsa Kawa and Katashi's first time seeing each other since Katashi had come back. Hopefully, for their sake and for hers, they would behave themselves. "Nori, this is my boyfriend Hyuuga, Katashi. Katashi this is Oshima, Noriko. " After introductions were done, Shikari would sit down next to Nori and order herself a drink as she waited for the other two to arrive, assuming Katashi would do the same.

[Arion]

"I look wow?" He said with a smirk and a small shake of his head, "You look pretty wow too, in fact more so..." Before he could continue he was pulled in for a kiss. As they pulled away, she mentioned something about inviting him in to which he grinned to.

"Yes, you are right," He said as his hand interlocked with hers, "Another time," He stated, leaving the idea up in the air. Along the way to the restaurant, he couldn't help but look over at her every so often. He had seen her in ninja gear, in casual clothing, but not like this, at least not that he remembered. This time though, he would remember. His hand tightened just slightly in her hers, the excitement for the evening real and his desire not to ever let her go.

They had finally arrived at the location as she led them to the door. He quickly took one step forward and grabbed the door open for her and entered behind her. He had been told they were meeting others and it seemed that one couple had already arrived. He was relieved to know they weren't dead last thanks to his slow getting ready. He followed Shikari to the table as he had no clue who they were meeting. When they reached it, she started the introductions. First was the young girl as Katashi stepped in front of her. The young man at her side caught his eye and though they had not seen each other in a long time, he could tell it had to be him. Memories suppressed were trying to resurface and he could see the image of him, albeit foggy. It had to be Kawa.

"Pleasure to meet you," He offered his hand with a smile. If this introduction went well, he wouldn't follow his girlfriend for a seat and drink so quickly, not yet. No, he would stay up and stand before Kawa next. He wasn't sure what would happen and he certainly did not want to ruin the night, but this he felt was something that needed to be done. He would extend his hand to him as well but there was no smile on his face this time. He was determined and serious. He would try to be friends... again.

[Amy]

Rai could feel herself herself blushing more and more as they walked. She was being so awkward, she knew that she was and she couldn't figure out why. She never felt awkward around Kawa and Shikari in the least bit...well, maybe Kawa a little bit when they first met but he was so overwhelming. Shikuru wasn't, and yet, she felt extremely hesitant to speak lest something incredibly stupid come out. Walking to the restaurant though, it was as if all of her nerves were on high alert, every time their hands brushed against each other she could feel it throughout her whole body. She wondered if he noticed it too, if she had any affect on him at all. Then again, she panicked, maybe it was all in her imagination and he had only agreed to go out with her because he didn't want to hurt her feelings and get crap from Shikari. She was worrying herself so much that she barely heard him when he asked her about her companions, a stunned "What?" escaping her mouth before she even had time to register his question.

A smile made its way over her face. This was something she could handle. Her head tilted up to look at him, glad that she had chosen short heels, making her small stature slightly less apparent. "Yes! That was Tora, the corgi puppy. Well, not so much a puppy any more but she still acts like one! She's amazing and tiring all at the same time," she gushed, animated for the first time that night. Her footsteps quickened as her hands moved around as she spoke, accentuating her words. "I rescued her mom when she was just born and as a thank you her owners presented her with me when she was old enough. She's been by my side ever since. She relies on me." It was clear that Rai carried the weight of a great love for Tora by the way she spoke, the inclination of her voice. Kuro, he was a little more complicated and the thought caused her grin to transform into a smirk as she glanced sideways at her date.

"The other was Kuro, my first companion. He's a big one, older, more....solemn. I got him when I was fresh out of the academy and he was a little older so whereas I took care of Tora, he took care of me. Well, he still takes care of me," she said and as she spoke her voice was filled with the type of love and respect that one would speak of a best friend with. "He's actually the reason I left them at home tonight - ordinarily I don't go anywhere without them. But, he's awfully protective and he already gets grumpy whenever Kawa is around...I can't imagine how he'd react with me being with a-...well, I mean being with yo-, ah, I mean..." she had been doing so well that it was almost painful when she tripped over her words, finding herself reluctant to refer to him as a date. Her face was colored bright red again just in time for them to show up at the restaurant and for a moment, she thanked the heavens for it.

Until, he held the door open for her and she looked in and saw that everyone else was already there. She begged the blood in her face to move, anything to take the blush out of her cheeks. Glancing up at Shikuro again, she offered him a small smile. "I hope you don't mind being fashionably late," she murmured before taking in the situation at hand. Kawa seemed to be having some sort of standoff with whom she could only imagine was Shikari's boyfriend. Katashi, she thought it was. Shikari herself seemed to be comfortably chatting with Nori. It was then that her eyes widened and she silently swore to herself. She had forgotten, somehow, that she had talked to Nori before. Under false pretense. Lied to her, though it was for her own good. Oh, it was going to be awkward, and she had no more time to come up with an excuse because they were at the table.

---

---

Taking a sip from her water, Nori's free hand played with Kawa's her fingers dancing around his, turning his palm over and under, being quite a little silly. She couldn't help it - she was in a great mood. It was so nice to do something normal for once, to just be out with her boyfriend, with his friends, and her friends too. It would have been nice to stay home but she could have a good time with Kawa anywhere, that much she knew very well. A grin plastered on her face she looked up when she saw Shikari approach the table. A bit much for the Shinobi, Nori wrapped her arms around Shikari, embracing her warmly. "Oh, my, gosh, Shikari, you look amazing! I mean, look at you!" Nori grinned at the girl, knowing she was likely embarrassing her and not caring. Everyone deserved to be embarrassed sometimes.

She turned, a bit more conservatively to say the least and she took his hand in a warm greeting, covering his hand with her other. "Oh, gosh, no, Shikari. Please, Katashi, call me Nori. You are a very lucky man if I do say so myself - Shikari is an amazing woman, and a capable one at that. If you haven't heard of any of her recent escapades with me I'm sure you will soon enough," her eyes sparkled as she spoke and it was clear that she was a good sport about what had happened to her, for the most part. There were certain things she didn't want to or still couldn't remember but she knew that those would be ignored. As she sat back down, Shikari to her left, she noticed Katashi go over to Kawa and stand there, watching Kawa stand to meet him. Her eyes met Shikari's, a question in them, but she had no chance to speak when the other couple appeared. A subtle look of shock crossed over her face when she caught sight of Rai. She knew this girl, she had met her in the bathroom on her last big date with Kawa. The look of shock quickly turned into one of suspicion, one that only grew when the girl's face flushed red.

Rai ignored the boys for the moment, waiting to let them finish whatever business they were taking care of. She lifted her hand to Shikari as she spoke, trying to avoid looking Nori in the eye. "Hi, Shikari! Boy, you look beautiful. Sorry, we're a little late but it looks like we didn't miss anything..." Her face felt like it was on fire when her eyes turned to Nori, the manners ingrained her by her parents preventing her from being rude. "Nori, right? It's a pleasure to officially meet you...ah, this is Shikuro, Shikari's brother... she coughed slightly, knowing she had to say something. "Well, ah, I bet you recognize me from...well...you know...it was his idea!" she exclaimed suddenly, pointing to Kawa. After all, if he wanted credit for the date he had to take the blame too. "Oh, I'm Rai!" she added as an afterthought, hoping that Shikuro didn't think her a complete idiot. She watched anxiously as Nori smiled, a laughter underlining her words. "It's quite alright, Rai. It was a really nice surprise and it was sweet of you to help. You two must be close," Nori said without even a hint of jealousy in her voice.

Nodding eagerly, Rai moved to sit down, noting that being the last to arrive had its downsides. Either she or Shikuro was going to have to sit by Kawa and the look on her face as she realized this was almost comical. Sighing, she decided that sitting next to Kawa herself would be the lesser of two evils and settled herself into her chair, ordering a water, looking at first Shikuro and then Shikari and Nori, then up at Kawa and Katashi. She spoke quietly, hoping not to interrupt the two boys. "Do any of you have any idea what's going on here? And should I be worried...?" Nori shrugged, looking as lost as Rai did, turning to Shikari for answers while Rai glanced over at Shikuro again, wishing that she had had a chance to warn him about Kawa. Maybe, she thought, if Nori was there he would behave himself.

[Niro]

Kawa and Nori were laughing and goofing around, playing handsies it seemed as they waited for the others to arrive. Honestly, just being with her made his entire being better and make him want to be more. Then, Shikari and Katashi arrived. She looked good and what the hell, he was wearing a shade of red as well? Not cool, man. Oh, then he approached Kawa with some weird face and held his hand up.

Kawa stood up as Katashi reached out a hand, staring the Hyuuga straight in the face with a blank look that turned into a quizzical one. He reached out and shook Katashi's hand with no issue being gesturing to a seat for the other man and chuckled for a moment. Did they really think he'd care so much about something that could've happened to anyone, hell even him?

"Y'know, it's no issue. Shit happens all the time, we're ninja. It's in job description for a situation to go to hell and back. Really, it's fine. We were friends and still are. All of us have had something happen recently within our lives that are either good or bad and well, it really doesn't change your core person. So," Kawa grinned. "Remove the stick from your ass and enjoy yourself tonight. Don't be bringing that uppity attitude in here or else someone is gonna have to bind us both. And I really don't wanna know what your guys private life is like if you two do that often." Kawa finished with a joke before sitting back down and looking around, probably to surprised, embarrassed, and maybe even mad faces. His small grin bloomed into something much more as he started to giggle before turning to Shikari and laughing even more.

"Oh, I crack myself up. Oh, and is that you Rai? What the hell? Makeup? Is this a genjutsu?" Kawa continued. "And really? What's with the shades of red tonight? Are we forming a karaoke group or something after dinner?"

[Yura]

Shikuro actually found himself smiling a bit as he listened to Rai talk about her dogs. Unlike the Rai that he had been talking to moments before, this Rai was animated as she described her canine companions to him and he could tell that she truly cared for her pets, just as any Inuzuka, or any real pet owner, should. It's kind of cute, he thought to himself with a smirk.

As he and Rai walked through the door of the restaurant, he too noticed the group of people sitting at the table. In all actuality, the only person there that he recognized was Shikari. The rest were strangers to him. "Eh, I'm sure they won't mind." he said in response to Rai's statement. Following her over to the group, Shikuro stood in the background for a moment as Rai greeted the members of the group. "It's nice to meet you." Shikuro said while extending his when Rai introduced him to Nori. He could sense a bit of awkwardness between the two females at first and his question as to why was partially answered as he listened to the two talk a bit more. More awkwardness could be sensed, however, coming from the situation between Katashi and Kawa. He knew neither individual, only figuring out which one was Katashi because Hyuuga were sort of easy to pick out, but he could tell that there was something weird going on.

---

"Oh please Nori stop. You're going to make me blush." Shikari said in response to Nori's praise. It seemed that she and Katashi had only arrived just before Rai and Shikuro as the pair entered the restaurant just as she and Katashi were finishing with greetings. Well sort of. Shikari noticed that Katashi was still standing in front of Kawa, a quizzical expression on his face. Before she had a moment to say anything, Rai was already coming over to greet her. "Hey you look just as good, if not better." Shikari said to Rai. Shikari decided to keep quiet about her involvement with Kawa and Nori's date. Since Nori hadn't seen her that day, there was no reason for her to bring up the fact that she was there. Or the fact that it had been her and Rai's idea, especially when they were letting Kawa take all the credit.

"It's the first time that Katashi and Kawa have seen each other since Katashi came back." Shikari whispered to Rai. She was about to introduce Katashi to her brother when she heard it. She heard her name coming from the mouth of her ever so wonderful teammate with an added assortment of words that made her desire to strike him as hard as she could increase tenfold. For a moment, she didn't move, her eyes staring straight ahead. Slowly her head turned to look at Kawa, fighting to not show just how much she wanted to kill him.

"Oh..god. Please refrain from making comments like that about my sister." Shikuro said upon hearing what Kawa had said, "I don't need to hear about the kinkiness of her personal life." He couldn't help it. As much as he really didn't want to hear about the details of his sister's personal life, she was his sister. He was going to take any chance that he had to poke fun at her. It's what siblings do. In that instant, Shikari's expression shifted from Kawa to him. Ahhh I know that look, he thought to himself. In an attempt to make it up to his sister, Shikuro walked over to Katashi and patted him on the shoulder. "Katashi right?" He asked rhetorically, "Nara, Shikuro, Shikari's brother. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." he said, extending his hand towards Katashi.

After getting over the initial shock of what Kawa had said and letting the anger within her die down, Shikari found herslf to actually be a bit thankful for what Kawa had said to Katashi. Not necessarily all of it, but most of it. She knew that for the longest time, Katashi had been worried about how Kawa would react to him. In fact she herself had been worried how Kawa would react to seeing him again. For Kawa to decide to let everything go and not hold it against Katashi alleviated some of the tension that Shikari had felt building prior to their arrival at the restaurant and she was sure that it would relieve Katashi a bit as well.

---

Once introductions were over, Shikuro took a seat next to Rai and, presumably, next to Katashi. He felt a bit like the odd man out. All of these people, for the most part, had met each other before and/or were friends with each other to some extent. They had inside jokes, they had prior relationships, and they were all comfortable around each other. That wasn't to say that he felt uncomfortable as he sat at the table but in all reality the only ones that he knew at the table were his sister and Rai, whom he had really only just met. This is going to be an interesting night.

[Arion]

To say that there was tension was an understatement. The whole party probably felt like he did, as if the world had stopped. He had always wondered how Kawa would take his return. Most of his visions involved fighting, which was likely why he had postponed it so much. Today the moment came and he opted for heading right to him to get things over with and it was totally not how he had imagined it.

In short, the man had let bygones be bygones and not hold anything against him. The two shook hands and Kawa even managed to make the Hyuuga go red when he mentioned something about a private life with Shikari. To avoid further redness, he refrained from looking back at her, but could tell she was likely burning a hole through Kawa with her eyes. Brushing past the embarrassment, the words Kawa spoke were true and with a nod he gave him his thanks before he was approached by someone else.

"Oh? Yes, that is me," Katashi said as he shook Shikuro's hand, "It is nice to finally meet you as well." It appeared that the party had gathered in its entirety. With his highly anticipated encounter complete and an introduction to Shikari's brother, he took his seat between the two Nara. He felt a bit odd as the only people he actually knew were Shikari and Kawa. Well, at least he was supposed to know them, but the memories of Kawa were still coming in and not everything was there yet. He had never met any of the others before today, but hey, that was what would make tonight interesting. He ordered a drink, it was time to get the party started for the night was long and full of terrors still young.

[Amy]

Swinging her foot out in front of her so that her toes almost hit the underside of the table, Rai swung her foot back down forcefully, the heel of her shoe slamming into Kawa's shin while she glared at him from underneath her eyelids. "Shut up, Kawa," she grumbled at him underneath her breath before smiling sweetly at him and turning away in time for Nori to lean in and whispered to Kawa, "Be nice! Poor girl is nervous as anything," Nori said and though she was lecturing Kawa there was definitely a hint of amusement to her voice. Next time, Rai promised herself, she would arrive early. She sighed, holding the menu in front of her face, taking a moment to compose herself. It was a group larger than she was used to and she would be lying if she tried to say that she wasn't a bit overwhelmed. At least, she told herself, the tension between Kawa and Katashi had seemed to die down. Oh, she startled her head popping up from her menu. She hadn't even introduced herself to Shikari's boyfriend. Grinning across the table at him she offered a short wave. "I'm Rai, by the way! Shikari speaks very highly of you," she said, shooting a look at Shikari. To be fair, she didn't know a lot about Katashi besides that he had been a Genma host for a short while but that it hadn't taken and that he had come back rather abruptly after having been thought dead. It was a terrible story but it seemed to have a happy ending, she decided, watching them interact with each other. Raising her eyebrows at herself she went back to reading her menu, shooting Shikuro glances every so often. She couldn't quite figure him out...

While Rai was trying to figure out what to order and how to act Nori was busy watching everyone. It was certainly an interesting mix and as much as Shikuro might have felt left out she was the only one at the table that had no ninja training. There was a slight grin on her face that was caused by the thought that was was undoubtedly the safest she could possibly be. Then again, she considered as she slipped her hand into Kawa's, she was always the safest she could be when he was around. Her thumb brushed over the back of his hand as her eyes skimmed the menu. "I've never been here before - does anyone have any suggestions?" Rai glanced up from her menu, reaching across Kawa, and running her finger down Nori's menu, taking note of the hand holding. "My parents brought me here once and I had this, the seafood platter. It was really good from what I remember!" Pulling herself back into her seat she glanced up at Kawa, a broad grin on her face as she looked pointedly at the held hands. Sticking her tongue out at him quickly she turned herself to Shikuro, her eyes still dancing in amusement. "Do you know what you want? I think I'm gonna get some pasta, but I'm not sure..."

Her eyes clouded for a moment while she considered her options, turning her head back around when Nori spoke again, her voice decisive. "Alright, I'm going with what Rai suggested. Does everyone else know what they're getting?" Rai felt a flash of jealousy pass through her at how sure Nori was, quickly deciding for herself what she wanted. Settling her menu down, Nori looked around the table, deciding to help herself out as well as Shikuro and Rai who didn't know everyone either. "Alright, so I'm curious as to how everyone knows everyone else. I met Kawa and Shikari when they took a job to escort me around for the day..." She had to stop speaking for a moment, a smile taking over her features as she remembered that day. Laughing slightly she looked around the table, not at all bothered by being the center of things for a moment. "They're the only ones I know here at the moment though." Nodding, Rai picked it up next, figuring it wasn't a bad idea to lay it all out while they waited for their food to be ready.

"I met Kawa a...while ago, years now, outside the Inuzuka compound. I sort of knocked him over..." Rai chuckled, remembering the display all too well. "He introduced me to Shikari a couple years ago one night..." Her voice trailed off again, a light blush coming over her face as she remembered the drunken escapades of the first night she met Shikari. She turned to Shikuro, a "I'll tell you later" look in her eyes as she continued speaking. "I met Shikuro through Shikari and...yeah! That's how I know everyone." Neither of the girl's stories were very interesting...well, except for the night Rai and Shikari met but Rai wasn't sure that was something she wanted to talk about in front of Shikuro. Looking to the side, she realized that he didn't have anything to say because the only one he knew was Shikari and that relationship was obvious. Reaching out, she placed her hand on his forearm, smiling at him, whispering, "Thank you, for coming with me."

[Niro]

Kawa's eyes watered for a moment as Rai kicked him in the shin. That little...Kawa was definitely going to get her back earlier. He had some embarrassing stories to tell about her and this was the perfect opportunity to tell them. Especially when Shikuro was here. That might make the mood even lighter and hell, who knows where it would go from there. Kawa was eager to find out. Kawa kept silent as Rai and Nori discussed food and just kinda shrugged. Whatever was fine to him, he didn't particularly care what he ate. If we didn't like it, he'd swallow the first morsel and politely decline the rest. Simple as that.

"Yeah, I'll just get a seafood platter myself." Kawa replied with a grin. "I'll take whatever Nori doesn't finish either." He continued on with a laugh, squeezing her hand a bit and tossing a glance at the Inuzuka who was trying to make a deal out of him holding her hand. Yeah, well, they had been dating for a while now. It wasn't anything new. "Honestly, I've never been to this place or any of the food places around here. This is a bit too fancy and stuffy for me usually. I'm too brash and loud spoken to be welcome here more than once in a while. However, someone else might visit this area, maybe not here, a bit more frequently. Especially a while ago for coffee of all things." Kawa teased, looking at Nori before giggling a bit.

"Well, Shikari and Katashi and I are a fun story. We were all genin that had had some trouble finding a permanent squad. We had a jounin or two line up to teach up, especially with two clan kids on a team. Both of the jounin flaked on us constantly and we pretty much said 'fuck you.' We continued training with each other and doing missions so we formed a quick bond. Took our chuunin exams and aced it. Poor guy had no chance from the getgo." Kawa stopped to laugh and take a sip of his drink. "From there well, I rocketed. I had people to find, people to protect. We kinda had a pact to join the Guardians but they're a relic at this point. It's where Mamorinuku comes in. From there, I'm hopi-no, definitely going to become Hokage." Kawa grinned wide. "I got some amazing people along for the ride too, huh?" His eyes found Nori's for a moment before shifting back to the group. "I can only hope to improve this entire village in the end, Hokage or no."

[Yura]

(OOC: Sorry for the late reply.)

---

A sly grin overtook Shikari's face when Rai kicked Kawa in the shin. Though she didn't know exactly what Rai had done to him, the slight movement under the table and Kawa's reaction to said movement told her all that she needed to know. Is it wrong for me to take pleasure from his occasional pain? She wondered to herself. Then again, he occasionally takes pleasure in mine so it's only fair. Content with her decision, Shikari gave Kawa a quick, mocking glance before leaning back in her chair to look over her menu.

As Shikari skimmed through her menu, Shikuro too was looking through his. Though, he was only looking. Not reading. Though his eyes glanced over every word on the pages, his mind was comprehending none of it. It was too busy taking in all of the people around him and how they were interacting with eachother. They were certainly an odd bunch. They were all so rough with each other, so informal, so...fun. They all seemed like the type of friends that had known each other for a while and really knew how to have fun together. Even his sister was acting in a way that he wasn't used to. He was used to the completely professional Shikari with the occasional roughness yet tonight she was acting both girly with Katashi and aggressive with Kawa. It all reminded him a little bit of his childhood with his friends and his teammates. And it made him feel more like an outsider to them.

"Hm?" Shikuro responded to Rai initially, her question bringing him out of his daze, "Oh, heh, I'm sorry. I guess I zoned out a little." He replied, giving the girl a smile to cover the formerly distant expression. Looking down at the page he was on, he quickly flipped it over before pointing to one of the selections. "I'm going to get the steak." He said to her, pointing it out, "I've actually been craving one lately and now seems like the perfect opportunity." He explained as he placed his menu on the table, not really needing it anymore. "If you really aren't sure what to get, think of your top two and then pick the one that makes you hungrier just thinking about it." he suggested with a little chuckle.

Over on the other side of Katashi, Shikari herself was trying to decide what to order. There were fish dishes, beef dishes, chicken dishes, pasta dishes, basically anything that most people would want. Which made the selection difficult since, you know, there were so many options. "You know, I would join in on the 'seafood platter' craze, but I think I am going to go with this grilled chicken meal." She announced as she placed her menu on the table. "You all set?" Shikari asked softly to Katashi, "And I don't just mean with what you are going to get." She said even softer so that no one else would hear her. Though she was sure that he was fine, Shikari couldn't help but wonder if any of this was a bit overwhelming for him, being back and surrounded by a bunch of people like this. Though he hadn't met half of them before, he did just reacquaint himself with Kawa. And that in and of itself can be a lot to take in.

Soon enough, everyone began talking about how they knew each other and what had brought them all together. Everyone except for Shikuro, that is, which was understandable considering that the only other person that he had known there besides his sister was Rai. And they had only had a brief meeting before. Brief as it may have been, however, it was enough for Shikuro to want to know more about her. The day that they had met, Shikuro had watched as Rai and Shikari fought each other in a gloves off taijutsu only training match that at first he couldn't tell whether it was a real fight or just a friendly spar. On that day, he had watched Rai as she held her own against his sister, confident in every move and countermove that she had made. And yet, earlier in the evening when the he and Rai were walking to the restaurant she seemed so shy and introverted. Maybe it had just been the nerves but if he had not seen it for himself, he never would have guessed that the girl would have such a battle presence about her, especially with taijutsu. That was what interested him. Once again lost in his own thoughts, Shikuro felt something touch his forearm and soon discovered that it was Rai's hand. "Oh trust me, the pleasure is all mine." He whispered back to her with a smile.

As Shikuro listened to everyone explain how they had met, he became particularly intrigued by Kawa. Not necessarily by the stories that he had told to explain his relationship to everyone else, but by the notion that he wanted to be Hokage some day. In the first five minutes of meeting him, Shikuro had pegged the kid as 'the troublemaker' of the group. The one who likes to 'spice things up' and not necessarily follow procedure. And, you know, the prankster. But when he talked about what he wanted to do and how he wanted to protect the village and make a difference, his tone changed. It showed a different side of him that actually made it seem plausible that the kid could have the drive to become Hokage.

Shikari, on the otherhand, was not so much intrigued by it as much as she understood it. It wasn't the first time that she had heard Kawa mention his desire to become Hokage, nor was it the first time that either one of them had ever talked about making a difference in the village. Hell, that's how Mamorinuku got started. "I guess you can say that we've come a long way from our genin years." Shikari said in reply to Kawa's statements. "To be honest though, I don't fully remember the first time that I ever met Kawa. I think we met at a restaurant or café when one of our Jounin sensei brought the team together. You know, right before he bailed." She confessed, not sure if Kawa would be offended or not if she were wrong. "I do, however, remember the first time I met Katashi." And they must all be thinking 'Of course you do' she thought to herself with a little chuckle. "I believe we were in one of the fields around the village and he happened to find himself in the path of one of my shadow creations. " She explained, looking over at Katashi. "Poor guy took a shadow bird right to the face." She said as she reached her hand out and placed it over his. "And a few years and a few bumps and bruises later, here we are."

[Arion]

With his drink in hand coke and rum, and seated between the Nara siblings, it appeared like everyone was mingling while making their orders. He took a look at the menu and was surprised at the variety of it. If he had been at the restaurant before, he had recollection of it. The young lady whom was with Shikuro waved at him and introduced herself, breaking his train of thought.

"Hi!" He replied with a wave of his own and a smile, at least until he heard her completely. His face went slightly red for a moment as he chuckled, "Gee, I hope they were good things."

Once the nervous laugh was done, he listened to them tell how they met each other. In his absence, they were all meeting and getting to know each other. He truly had missed out and at the same time he was grateful. Thankful he had already met Kawa and Shikari and to be meeting all the others here on this day. It showed him that he wasn't too late just yet.

Then came the story of himself, Kawa, and Shikari. How they met up, formed a team, and got to where they are today. All told by Kawa as the Hyuuga listened. It was good to hear it since he remembered little of it. The story for some reason made sense in his mind and as he heard more, some memory returned. He actually did recall the talk he and Kawa had to join the now extinct Guardians. When he said he would become Hokage, that took a whirl in Katashi's mind. This brash, loud mouthed, young man to become Hokage? He couldn't see it happening, not by himself. The people along for the ride as he said, they would be key and once again he was glad to be there. He gave a slight nod in his direction, he'd help how he can.

His mind was brought back from memory lane by Shikari at his side. She asked him if he was set and before he could reply she made certain she meant it in more ways than one. He gave her a nod before setting his menu down on the table.

"I'm all set," He gave her a wink to tell her he was fine, "I think I'll go with some chicken parmesan. Really feeling for the pasta and chicken." He wanted to chip in on the team meeting discussion, but he had no clue how they had first met. Of course he remembered Shikari and she actually brought it up. He couldn't help but chuckle at the timing and soon the chuckle turned into laughter.

"Yeah! The bird! I thought it was going to poop on me," Her hand atop of his, he turned his over so that they were now clasping hands, "Yes, here we are indeed."

[Amy]

"Oh God! Don't even bring that up, Kawa. He still won't tell me what exactly I did but every time he sees me he laughs. I've apologized but he won't have any of it!" Nori exclaimed, referring to the last mission Kawa and Shikari had taken where she had blown up on the owner of her favorite coffee shop. She had been drugged and held little recollection from the day, only enough to know when and where she should feel embarrassed. Dropping her head into her hands in mock horror, Rai laughed. It wasn't the back story that made her laugh, she hadn't been involved. It was Nori herself that made Rai chuckle. The woman was not only friendly but she had a personality that drew you in and made one unable to resist. "I get the feeling you three could keep us entertained all night with stories," she said before turning back to Shikuro who was trying to help her choose what to have for dinner. She nodded quickly at his suggestion and soon enough her menu was folded on top of the others, her mind made up.

Their orders were soon in and the group was left to fend for themselves. Some around the table still held reservations whether it be intimidation at the large group or a slight feeling of isolation due to a lack of knowledge of those around them but with such outgoing personalities it wouldn't take long for the conversation to get going again. Nori was the first to break the silence, restarting the conversation about Kawa becoming Hokage. "I know you can get to Hokage. Even from the first day we met, I knew you were capable of so many great things," it was true though her voice certainly held the tone of loving girlfriend. "I never knew you would take it so seriously but now? It's amazing where you've gotten in such a short period of time. You really do have a great group surrounding you," she continued, squeezing his hand tightly and looking around the table.

"Well yeah! I mean, you used to be a bit of a doofus but even then you were always so determined. I know I wouldn't be where I am without you. I mean, well, yeah. Just don't screw it up," Rai laughed, shaking her head. She would never have thought it years ago but looking back she could see that he had, in a way, always been destined for higher things. Shikari had played a huge part in his advancement though and she hoped that she had as well. No one had had as much of an effect on the boy as Nori had had though. The change in him since meeting her was not only apparent but startling. He hadn't lost himself but had found a way to become more focused and serious and because of that he was closer to his dreams than ever, especially with the new organization.

While Nori turned towards Shikari and Katashi, the others who knew Kawa previously, Rai leaned in towards Shikuro, her voice quiet. "You should have known him before he met Nori, years ago. He was an awful tease and I would have sworn he didn't have a serious bone in his body. The first time we met he made a spectacle in front of my entire compound," she whispered to him as though they were cohorts while conversation carried on around them. "Our relationship has only grown more interesting with age but he has pushed me and pushed me and it's worth it to put up with him the rest of the time. Plus," she added as she turned back to the group, a small smile taking over her face, "He's one of the best friends you could ever ask for." She eyed the boy out of the corner of her eye for a moment. She had never thought they would be anything more than acquaintances, or annoyances and yet they had said it more than once. They were family, Rai, Kawa, and Shikari too, that was all there was to it.

Nori interrupted her train of thought as she leaned over Kawa. "Rai! Did you hear me? My friend, the one who's getting married? She said I could invite anyone I wanted. Do you and Shikuro want to come?" Rai's eyes widened slightly in panic as she looked at Nori's smiling face. That was a big date and maybe a little out of line but she felt the panic drain away quickly and she laughed glancing back at Shikuro. "I'd love to, but I'm not sure about Shikuro here. Think you could handle a wedding?" She stuck her tongue out at him playfully as she turned towards Shikari and Katashi. "I assume that means that you guys are coming? If nothing else, we'll at least be able to keep Nori safe!" Her palm smacked the table then, the dishes clattering lightly. Both girls began laughing in time to look up and see several waiters with full arms heading towards them. Eyebrows raised, Nori wondered to Kawa, "Oh! You think that's ours already?"