Bento

[Lunaviume]

Careful, careful… Yes! The onigiri rice turned out perfectly shaped as she placed the last piece in the second bento box she made. She was ready to go see Momo, her friend from Suna. Slender fingers working quickly, she was all packed and ready to go, stopping by the door of the Hyuuga compound to wrap a weapon pouch to her hip. She didn’t know what the day will bring, so, as a safe measure, she went out in her ninja gear.

As she was about to leave, a branch member approached her, informing that, unfortunately, Momo was not able to come to Konoha, and it struck somewhere below her heart, for several reasons, which she didn’t dwell on too much. Overthinking, she went where her legs took her, carrying two bento boxes, held close to her chest.

It was a beautiful spring day, and Tsuki was deep in her thoughts, walking through the streets of Konoha, finding herself in a field. She noticed that some of the trees were marked with kunai, so she assumed it was a more secluded training space. Pale eyes scanned the environment, and she found a single bench, sat down and placed the two boxes in her lap. Her bottom lip was held between her teeth, and her eyebrows were knitted in worry one second, another second her face turned neutral, and then back to worry again. She really was very expressive for a Hyuuga.

Now, she also had to figure out what to do with the second box of food. She couldn’t eat both of them. With a sigh, she leaned her head forward, silky strands hiding her face, as she tried to calm herself and collect her thoughts.

[Niro]

Not far from where Tsuki had sat within the training fields, a dark haired man laid on his back panting after a vigorous training session. Yoshinori had come out early in the morning after packing himself a relatively sparse lunch of karaage, rice, and some broccoli off to the side. Once he had finished catching his breath, Yoshinori sat up to unseal the meal from a storage scroll hidden away in his weapons pouch. He unfurled the scroll with a flick of his wrist, placed it on the ground, and began the seals to releash his precious lunch only for a stray kunai from somewhere else in the training grounds to slice through the paper as it sat on the ground.

"Sorry!" Someone's voice called out in the distance but the blue eyed man was in shock, his mouth agape. After training all morning, he had been looking forward to his prepared lunch as if it was a gift from the gods. For it to be snatched away when he was so close? It was devastating.

"NOOO!!" Yoshinori yelled out, loud enough for those close enough to hear as he picked up the tattered pieces of scroll and desperately tried to fit them together although he already knew it was a futile attempt. His vain efforts finally gave away as he tossed the torn bits of scroll off to the side and lay back down, his arms and legs splayed wide, as a frustrated sadness overtook him at the loss of his precious fried food. A loud rumble of hunger escaped his stomach as the cherry on top of his unfortunate situation leaving Yoshinori to ponder just what he did to piss off the gods.

[Lunaviume]

First, there was the sound of a kunai flying through air, and she calculated (or miscalculated) where it will land. Then, she heard paper slicing and an agonizing scream of a man that just lost something very precious to him. Yikes!

Pale eyes were quick to identify the man in question, and as the sound of a rumbling stomach reached her ears, it was not difficult to put the two and two together. She stood, and took one step forward, her sandal making a crunching sound. She stopped and then looked at the two boxes in her hands. He was clearly a shinobi - would a shinobi take a lunch box from someone they didn’t know? What if it's poisoned… No, no…

Although, meals are very important for the village shinobi’s or any shinobi’s for that matter. Yes. Tsuki nodded. This is a duty for the village! She took two steps forward. But… No. This time, the Hyuuga did not hesitate and walked up to the shinobi who was now laying on the grass and looking… Very sad.

She towered over him, shadowing the sun, as she bent her upper body down, still holding the bento boxes in her arms. ”I’m s-sorry… “ She said, and mustering the courage, continued. ” I couldn’t help but… N-Notice that you were, um… That you were left without a l-lunch.” She said, and was glad the shadow did hide the shade of crimson that was her face. ” I also happened to have an e-extra bento box with me. P-Please accept it!” She extended it with both her arms and closed her eyes. ”Consider i-it a thank you for your hard work!”

[Niro]

Yoshinori's eyes scrunched close in thought as his brain spun around in circles as he pondered about how he could find something to fill his empty stomach. Maybe he could crawl to a food stand and grab something there...except he had left his wallet in his room this morning as he had only intended to leave the house to train. He had thought he would be smart and save money by packing a lunch with the food he had leftover from dinner but his luck had decided otherwise; he would be forced to starve until dinner at this point. Yoshi was really kicking himself in the butt now but he was broken out of his thoughts by the sound of approaching footsteps. They stopped and a quizzical look came over his face as they started back up again.

Opening his eyes, Yoshi found himself looking up at a cute Hyuuga girl, based on her milky eyes and hair that reminded him of the night. He blinked a few times both to adjust his eyes to the sudden sunlight after being lost in thought and to make sure he wasn't dreaming up the young woman in front of him. Sure he wasn't, Yoshi smiled at her as she offered the bento and he pulled himself up from the dusty training field floor. He dusted his hands off on his black pants, leaving dusty hand prints smudged all over his thighs, as he bowed his head in thanks to her before accepting the box.

"You must be an angel! Haha, I was really in a pickle there. You really saved me, let's go take a seat!" Yoshinori held the bento in one hand as he pointed back towards the bench he had guessed she had came from based on the other bento being left on it. "It'll be much easier to appreciate it sitting somewhere we're not likely to get hit by a stray kunai!" He began to walk towards the bench where he would take a seat and relax into it before beginning to open the bento she had so graciously shared with him.

"Ah! I forgot, my name's Yoshinori. What's yours?"

[Lunaviume]

Tsuki felt the tips of her lips curl upward as she gladly released the bento box from her grasp, slowly placing her left hand on the middle of her right arm, and about to turn away to go somewhere else herself. "You must be an angel! Haha, I was really in a pickle there. You really saved me, let's go take a seat!" Her eyes widened and lips slightly parted in surprise, when she collected herself, it as too late to hide the blush that lingered like paint on her cheeks for some time. Without much thinking, she blurted: ”You want to eat… With m-me?” She asked and before she knew, the man was already walking towards the bench.

She looked away and then at the back of his head, and with a nod and a smile plastered on her face she followed him to the bench she was just sitting on. She took her bento with both of her hands, and was about to sit down, but, unfortunately, he jinxed the stray kunais. Good thing that Tsuki was a Hyuuga and a ninja, so she quickly placed her box in the air between them, and with a thud, a stray shuriken (not a kunai, afterall) fell to the ground.

”Sorry…” She said with an apologetic expression and sat on the opposite side of the bench, opening her box (which had a small hole on the lid now). Their bentos consisted of onigiri, fried fish, cherry tomatoes and some apple slices for dessert. ”It’s nice to meet you, Yoshinori-san.” She chimed, more cheerfully. ” Tsuki. Um… Tsuki Hyuuga… Were you training? She prompted him gently, and took a piece of fish with her chopsticks, taking a small bite and covering her mouth as she chewed.

[Niro]

As Yoshinori cracked open the lid to his bento box, another stray weapon came hurtling towards the pair of chuunin. He was slow to react with the open lunchbox in his lap and tell her to watch out but thankfully he didn't need to worry; like lightning she whipped her own bento box up as a shield to catch the shuriken which fell from it with a dull thud to the ground. Yoshinori blinked before clapping lightly in applause at the display from the kunoichi besides him on the bench before letting out a small chuckle at the antics of the training ground.

"It's not your fault. These blockheads out here don't know how to aim!" Yoshinori's words climbed in volume ever so slightly near the end, just enough he hoped that those who were training around here would maybe try to keep their weapons on target instead of flying off into the brush and possibly hurting others. He cleared his throat and the smile from before once more spread across his lips. "Tsuki, Tsuki, Tsuki..." Yoshinori repeated the name to himself several times, each time stressing a different syllable before saying it all together once more as if her name was a delicacy in his mouth.

"Yeah, I was trainin' but I was gettin' nowhere today. Figure it better to call it quits for today and get back to it tomorrow! I was just about to get into lunch but some idiots kunai ruined it. You appearing with food like you did really saved me today!" He explained before popping a cherry tomato into his mouth to help refresh him after the sweaty morning he had. "What were you up to today, Tsuki?"

[Lunaviume]

She stared at him for a moment, lost in thought. Yoshinori-san was so effortlessly positive, and… Entertaining! She looked down to her lunch, but her chopsticks paused midway to her mouth as he repeated her name a few times. Well, no one has cared enough to find a way to say her name, at least. Gobsmacked! That’s what she was in that brief moment, and oh thanks Kami he was looking down to this bento box instead of looking at her.

She came back to the world of the living, and took another bite of the fried fish, chuckling at the comment of the training grounds, and at the subtle volume increase for other ninja running around the training ground. Tsuki listened to him musing about his training efforts, and as he addressed her, she was silent for a moment, and then jumped a little, as if understanding that she was, indeed, asked a question. Don’t get it wrong - she heard him, just…

”It was a coincidence… One of the good ones.” She said, and bit into the cherry tomato as well. The butterfly effect was an unreal thing, truly. ”I was to meet Momo-chan, my good friend from Suna. She visits sometimes, but… I g-got a note she couldn’t make it today.” There it was again, a hint of worry in the way her brows knitted together, but soon to vanish as she eyed the onigiri. ”T-That’s why…” She gestured with her eyes to their boxes, explaining why she had two.


”Since Momo’s not here, I have the rest of the day to myself. And training does not sound… L-Like a bad idea.” Tsuki trailed of, and took another bite. There it was, again. That murky, sickening feeling of distrust in her own abilities. What if the food is not good enough, what if he’s only talking with her because of the food, what if another kunai flies and smacks her right in the forehead, what if, what if…

You appearing with food like you did really saved me today! echoed in her head and she nodded, which, could seem a bit strange seeing from the side, but… This nod also vanished the worry from her face and painted a gentle smile instead, as her eyes drifted to see younger ninja practice. ”If you’re not too tired, we could… Er- train?”

[Niro]

Yoshinori moved onto a bit of the fish packed into the bento and he almost closed his eyes in near bliss at the taste. It may have been because he wasn't used to homecooked meals since his mother had been hospitalized when he was young or the fact his own homecooking sucked but Tsuki's bento was heavenly in comparison. And it was much better than any of the convenient store takeout food he would get otherwise. He was knocked out of his stupor as she explained she was only here today because a friend couldn't make it and Yoshinori felt a pang of guilt in his chest at the confession. This had been meant for someone else and here he was chowing down on it in her stead.

"Ah, I'm sorry Momo wasn't able to make it today. I may not be the best replacement but thank you again for the food! I'm sure she would've loved it even more than I am. We could if you'd like to but you'd probably kick my butt all up and down the training field! I can barely feel my legs to be honest haha!" Yoshinori revealed in between bites of food, the chopsticks dipping back into the bento consistently to help alleviate his starving. His brain began to race as he thought of other things they could do besides sit here and potentially get caught in the crossfire between jutsu or projectiles. While the grounds were beautiful, they were also dangerous.

"I think my friend is working at one of the ice cream stalls along main street today. Wanna go grab something to help beat this Konoha heat?" Yoshinori suggested after he swallowed another mouthful. "My treat, it's the least I can do for you saving me today, Tsuki!"

[Lunaviume]

Enjoying her food as well, Tsuki almost missed the expression of bliss on his face. Almost. She stopped for a moment again, and smiled to herself, continuing her meal until it was finished, taking note of what Yoshinori ate, and how much of each he ate. For reference… In the future. She closed her box with a silent click and placed her both palms on the lid, grasping her index finger with the other hand’s thumb and index, fidgeting a little.

”Replacement?...” She tilted her head to the side, silky hair following the gravity. ”You’re not a replacement, Yoshinori-san, I’m glad to have met you.” She added and looked at the children now laying on the grass, catching their breaths, a gentle smile appearing on her lips as well - it was great to see the village so alive. She even made a mental note to share one of her ointments one day, something handy to have while training or on missions… But she had none now, she needed to make another batch.

"You'd probably kick my butt all up and down the training field!" At that, she laughed, forgetting her heiress training and not placing a hand over her mouth. It was a genuine laugh, the one that gets you suddenly, in the spur of the moment. Next time, maybe… Will there be a next time? Get away, mental notes!



”Ice cream? Oh, I haven’t had that in awhile… I-If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to go.” She said, now holding the bento box to her chest again. It seemed that her stutter did vanish, it was more of a come and go thing, one she really wanted to lose sometime VERY soon. She patiently waited for him to finish his food, and only when he did she stood up, and lingered, waiting for Yoshinori to lead the way. Maybe the ice cream flavor he chooses will let her know more about his preferences, and she could base her next bento box on that.

[Niro]

Yoshinori's eyes caught the smiling and laughing image of Tsuki as he finished up his bento and a single thought went through his head and out his lips as if the filter had been yanked away. "Cute." He mumbled after his final gulp, just barely loud enough for himself to hear it and recognize it as something more than a thought. Yoshinori's cheeks and ears flushed a light shade of pink as he coughed and turned his attention back towards the bento which he doubled down on finishing and hoping Tsuki hadn't heard his near-silent confession.

He really wasn't even sure the order of how he had eaten or if he had been too fast after his slip up but he snapped the lid closed. "Thanks again for the meal. Let's head out!" Yoshinori stood up and tucked the bento box into his empty weapons pouch to keep his heads free as they walked. A part of him was hesitant to meet her face after his slip up earlier but he summoned the courage to do so with a smile as he began to walk towards the exit and held the gate signifying the training fields borders open for her.

"Ladies first." Yoshinori waited for her to exit before following behind her and closing the gate behind them before once more falling into step besides her. "Here, take a left so we hit main street and then we just need to find the stall somewhere along it. Shouldn't be too hard!" He explained as he kept his pace in line with Tsuki's as they began to mingle with the midday crowd that was usually perusing the vendors this time of day. Slowly but surely though, the foot traffic began to increase to a point where Yoshinori was having to almost push people. "Hold tight or I might lose you!" Yoshinori's hand reached out to Tsuki's through the crowd as he continued to muscle through it in search of the ice cream stall, oblivious to naught but his goal.

[Lunaviume]

She, indeed, didn’t hear the word. She heard a murmur of sorts, but she did see the blush dusting his features. She looked away, a little embarrassed herself. Has she said something out of place? Or maybe the bento was not as good as she thought? She was about to open her mouth to apologize, for whatever reason, but he thanked for the meal and all she could do is nod, and follow a little behind him, looking at the ground as they were nearing the gate.

She was about to ask, but he turned to her, smiling, and opening the gate. She felt those words stuck in her throat, and all she could do was slide through his side, still clutching her box to her chest, and feeling the worry slip away from her shoulders. ”Thank you…” Tsuki added silently, walking alongside him. She wondered, who was his friend, maybe it was someone mutual, but she couldn’t help but notice her bento box carefully tucked away in his weapon pouch. It was secured, placed carefully, and she almost felt like she wanted to thank him for taking such care, but soon levander eyes moved in panic as she understood that the crowd was hitting them as a wave and she lost sight of his dark blue pants.

"Hold tight or I might lose you!"
Her eyes widened, lips slightly parted, as she raised her head with surprise spelled on her face. It seemed that for a split second time slowed, and she extended her hand, ready to grab his sleeve, but she felt being pushed back by a crowd of loud jounin, who were full of motivation to take the world into their hands. Tsuki tried to “sorry” her way through them, but they didn’t hear her voice. She activated her doujutsu, searching for a now familiar chakra signature, and ducked, slid, turned, and got through the crowd without touching anyone, until she saw his hand, and grabbed it, a little harder that she would’ve liked.

She felt everything - the warmth from the Konoha heat, the calloused dots, portraying his hard work training, the slight tingle of chakra on his fingertips. She said nothing, but held the hand like an anchor. It was hard for her to see the ice cream stand for a few reasons: 1) she didn’t see it through the people, and 2) her face was a shade of crimson, her eyes locked on her standard issue ninja sandals. So, to be at least helpful, she activated her byakuugan again, and thankfully, they were pretty near the stall.

”To our right, Yoshinori… Kun.”

[Niro]

Yoshinori, oblivious to her quick footed recovery, felt Tsuki's fingers intertwine with his forcefully and a slightly deeper blush crept its way up his neck compared to the one in the training ground. He hoped, for a moment, the crowd hid the color of his face as his fingers secured themselves in hers as she pointed out where the ice cream stall was. Thankful for the intervention, Yoshinori breathed a sigh of relief as he nonchalantly felt his palm settle against hers in the crowd. "Good eye!" He said with a smile as he parted the crowd for them to make their way to the stand.

The stand itself wasn't nearly as crowded as the street. Whatever had the attention of the crowd was elsewhere and they were lucky they didn't get swept away in its flow to somewhere else. Yoshinori began to sense around his person and his eyes widened as he remembered, he had forgotten his wallet this morning. Luck was on his side, however, because his friend Haruto was on duty and owed him a favor. Yoshinori walked up with Tsuki at his side to the sandy haired eighteen year old manning the ice cream stand.

"Yoshi! What's up man?" The teen asked, his voice cracking at the beginning as he waved his hands over the selection of flavors the cart carried and then his eyes landed on their intertwined hands. A smile came across the youths face as he opened his mouth to talk once more. "What can I get for you and your girlfriend?" He teased with a toothy grin.

"Hey, Haruto," Yoshinori turned about as red as one could imagine at the mention of 'girlfriend', not because he wouldn't kill for someone as pretty as Tsuki to be it but because the pair had just met, and slowly let go of Tsuki's hand as he pulled the boy close enough for only the two to hear. "Remember that time you had to ditch the police for graffiti and I hid you in my place? I'm callin' in the favor! Two ice creams on the house."

Haruto pulled back from the huddle with a groan and shot Yoshinori a look throwing his hands up in defeat. "Fine! Pick your flavors."

"I'll just take the vanilla, what about you, Tsuki?" Yoshinori said before, still red from the 'girlfriend' comment, turned back to Tsuki and found it hard to meet her eyes due to the embarrassment.