Starring:
Date: None given (log received on August 7, 2011)
Summary:
Yuuka and Maikeru run into each other at the restaurant on a busy afternoon, and couple others filter in after a while.
"An Evening At the Bar"
Namami Restaurant
As the crowd comes in and out of the restaurant as normal for evening time, the Jounin Onryou Maikeru sits in a booth in the back right corner. He sips on a glass of green tea as he looks around at the crowd. A waitress brings him a plate of assorted meat, setting it down in front of him as refilling his glass. "Thanks," he says with a nod to her before she hands him a pair of chopsticks and walks away. He takes a bite of his food, looking around at the crowd again. His dark blue eyes show a bit of amusement at a few certain people staggering out of the restaurant after a few rounds of sake.
Pushing open the door, the kunoichi releases a long breath as she lifts a hand, brushing her slender fingers absently through her silver locks when the door closes smoothly behind her. With a light glance around the restaurant, Yuuka narrows her gaze faintly as she turns her attention towards the bar. As she moves, the short hem of her dark kimono brushes against her thighs. Loosely crossing her arms, the Kaguya leans forward against the countertop. "What are the kitchen's specials for the night, hm?" she murmurs lightly.
Spotting Yuuka as she walks in and moves to the bar, Maikeru smiles slightly, noticing the new kimono, or at least one he's never seen her in before. "This platter is pretty good," he says before taking another bite. He was told it was on the special after asking for it. Then again, his new look seems to be pretty enticing, so maybe the waitress made it for him. "It's kind of surprising to see you here without your boyfriend tagging along. He seems to be around most of the time when I run into you lately."
Yuuka blinks her bright aquamarine eyes a couple of times as she glances up and quickly finds Maikeru sitting casually in a booth nearby. Frowning lightly, she exhales a soft breath as she turns to lean against the countertop with one arm. "Is that what people are thinking now. I should not be surprised." she murmurs, almost to herself. She shakes her snow white head gently before lowering herself into one of the bar stools, crossing one of her legs over the other out of habit.
"It's what it seems," Maikeru says with a smirk. "And I doubt one could tell Nori any different." He takes a few bites of his food before taking a sip of his tea. "You might be interested to know I finally built my house. Seemed like a pipe dream for a while, but I finally went on and got it built." Of course, he's going to have to do a lot missions to make up for the damage building that house did to his pocket book, but he can always scour the Bingo Book for another corpse to deliver. "How have you been?"
Yuuka is merely quiet for several moments, thoughts hidden behind her eyes before she turns her attention to the bartender to order a bottle of sake. "Hardly a pipe dream." she murmurs, "You have been talking about building it for a while, it was only a matter of time before you found your island to make your dream come true." The Kaguya kunoichi shrugs a slender shoulder. "I have been well, I suppose."
"That's good to hear," Maikeru says with a smile, looking back down at his plate for a moment as he takes a couple bites. He drifts off in thought for a moment as he reaches into his coat pocket, pulling out a small picture. "Most dreams one has are possible if reached for." He accents the word 'most' a bit as he looks down at the picture. If Yuuka happens to look over, she might notice the picture of a black-haired girl about Maikeru's age. After a few moments, he puts it back up and shakes his head. "I shouldn't be reminiscing so," he says under his breath before looking back up to Yuuka. "So, do you plan to enter the tournament? It should be quite interesting. I only have a few entrants so far, but then again I only sent out invitations yesterday."
Yuuka gently tucks a pale lock behind her ear as she gently turns her head just enough to glance towards Maikeru out of the corner of her eye. Seeing the small picture when he pulls it out to look at it, she doesn't recognize the raven-haired girl, but her heart still sympatheticly pangs in her chest. Breathing out slowly, Yuuka lowers her chin faintly in a light nod, "I am. I have been practicing with Meruin-chan recently. He is very intelligent for a boy his age, and he has been offering me pointers."
"He seems such," Maikeru says with a faint smile. "He should enter the tournament as well. It'd give you guys some interesting competition." He sits back in his chair a bit, picking up his glass and sipping on it. "I might enter, but I haven't really seen any entrants so far that it would be fair for me to compete against. Maybe if one of the Swordsmen enter or a Jounin from one of our allies."
With a gentle shrug of a slender shoulder, the corner of her lips tugs faintly as Yuuka murmurs, "If he enters, it is up to him." Her deep blue green eyes blink slowly up at him. "Just like it is up to you to decide whether to join or not, but I hope there is some competition for you, if only so that you can properly enjoy yourself." The faint smile grows only slightly. The bottle is set down in front of her and the kunoichi glances to it, offering the bartender a soft nod as she reaches for it and start to pour into her saucer.
"If there is no competition, I will be just as happy to oversee some of the matches," Maikeru says with a smile. "I might jerk you guys around in training to make you work harder, but I wouldn't want to enter just to take away any chance of a lower ranked person winning when there are no Jounin entering for me to have some fun thrashing." With that, he takes a few more bites, finishing off his food. "I'm sure Nori will join. An ego like that would never pass up a chance to show off."
"If there is no competition, I will be just as happy to oversee some of the matches," Maikeru says with a smile. "I might jerk you guys around in training to make you work harder, but I wouldn't want to enter just to take away any chance of a lower ranked person winning when there are no Jounin entering for me to have some fun thrashing." With that, he takes a few more bites, finishing off his food. "I'm sure Nori will join. An ego like that would never pass up a chance to show off." (repose)
Setting the bottle on the counter once more, Yuuka narrows her dark teal gaze just slightly at Maikeru for a long moment, "I could not help but notice the word 'jerk' in that sentence…" she murmurs. Exhaling a light breath, she shakes her pale head before she lifts her free hand, absently brushing silver white locks from her face to fall across her shoulders. "Maikeru-san, that was crossing a line, before. And you did not even think about it. That is the part that concerns me." Reaching her other hand to her glass, the slender fingers curl beneath the filled saucer. "But that is considerate of you. I still hope that you have some decent competition if you do decide to join the tournament."
Manami sweeps into the restuarant, dressed- oddly fashionably-in a kimono, its light blue attire fitting over her form. "Ahh.. Daishiro-dono…" she says to Maikeru with a small smile. She hangs back a moment. "I didn't mean to interupt—." she swallows, and simply stands there a little ways away. She simples to be listening.
Smirking slightly at Yuuka's comment, Maikeru turns his eyes back to her. "Crossing a line? Please, I didn't even put a scratch on you, just gave you a little scare to motivate you to fight hard. I even let Nori hit me one good time." With that, he brings up his glass, taking another sip out of it. "The last time you saw me really fight was when we fought Kaede and Uma together, and much has changed since then. There is simply no comparison between that first fight and when I went after him on my own." Noticing Manami, the Jounin lifts a hand, gesturing to a seat across from him in the booth. "The name is Onryou now, not Daeshiro, but you are more than welcome to join."
Taking a small sip of her sake, Yuuka lifts her gaze again to narrow on Maikeru for a quiet moment, "Whether or not a hit landed is beside the point, Maikeru-san." she murmurs quietly, "It is about the fact that you purposefully hid yourself in the shadows. You can make all the excuses you want, but you were toying with me… making me feel helpless." The Kaguya kunoichi exhales a slow breath and lowers her eyes to her sake, simply staring at it. "But when was the last time that you felt like that. Especially recently." Yuuka quietly shakes her head once as the smile tugs at her lips and she leans back, shifting her weight to recross her long legs just as Manami walks up to his booth. Quirking a pale brow, the smile grows on her soft lips, "Konnichiwa. Forgiving Maikeru-san of his ill manners, I will introduce myself. I am Kaguya Yuuka-san, and welcome to Kirigakure."
Manami turns to look at Yuuka, and bobsh erh ead politely. Turning to Maikeru with a moment to organize her thoughts it seems. She finds the set after a moment and settles across from Maikeru.. "Onryou-dono.. then." she says in almost sheepish tone. "I've been thinking about what you said— I think perhaps joining a Villiage may be the thing I need you were right. But perhaps you should give me reason to join, Kirigakure?" she asks. She removes the ribbon from her eyes and looks at Maikeru firmly, her dazzling blue eyes still as water. She settled in the booth and with her legs cross at the ankles. She smiles. "Kusabana Manami." she says softly. "Thank you."
Listening to Yuuka as she speaks for a moment, Maikeru quirks an eyebrow. After a moment's pause, he asks, "How 'bout the time I was alone in Sunagakure, laying in a hospital bed, unable to move with no memory? All I had to guide me was a bloody poem and visions that made no sense whatsoever. Any evidence of who I was washed away with the desert winds. Despite how helpless I felt, I fought through. That is how I became what I am now… Yes, I purposely hid myself from you. It was a test that I THOUGHT you had passed." Shaking his head, the Jounin looks back to Manami, saying, "Apologies if I was rude. I meant to be polite by inviting you to sit. Introduction slipped my mind… And what more reason than I have given you do you need?"
Yuuka smiles gently as Manami introduces herself, bending in a slight bow of respect to the other kunoichi before straightening her back. Though the moment that Maikeru begins to answer her, the Kaguya shifts her vivid aquamarine eyes back to him, narrowing as she sets her drink on the counter. "Baka, that is not the point." she utters, "It was nothing of the kind." Her sharp gaze narrows hard on Maikeru for a full moment before Yuuka uncrosses her legs, rising smoothly to her feet as she approaches his side of the booth and reaches forward, her fingers light as they grip his chin to turn his eyes towards her. "Every day that you were missing, every day we did not know if you were alive or dead, my heart broke." she murmurs, "And when you returned without your memories, how much more do you think my soul was crushed? You are one of my closest friends and you had no memory of me."
Lightly pressing her lips together, Yuuka pulls her hand away and straightens herself. "But how is it that you can not sympathize with me? How is it that when you hid yourself in the marshes, you can not see that most of my life was controlled by people in the shadows. People that toyed with me because I was a thing, an object. Without any choices of my own. How can I not be hurt when you suddenly emerged, then just simply left with a smile… I still feel like I was used…" Silent for a longer moment, she eventually pulls her gaze away from the table. "I apologize if I spoke out of turn." The kunoichi turns back to return to her seat once more, exhaling a slow breath and curling her slender fingers to simply hold her sake at the moment, her demeanor showing in her shoulders.
Theres a stirring of clothes and napkins as a breeze heralds the arrival of another patron. A head taller than most, and shoulders as broad as the doorway, the huge Kaguya seems to fill the entryway as he steps inside. A sharp tooth grin is offered the host as Nori steps passed him and walks over to the bar. "I've gone a week without a drink," he rumbles in a deep baritone, "and I feel parched as gator in a drout." He leans against the counter, muscles rippling beneath scarred flesh as he braces on his elbows. "Oi, oi. Sake, the whole jug," he says to the bartender, placing the money on the counter. For the moment, he seems inclined to ignore the other patrons, for reasons of his own.
Listening to Yuuka's words, Maikeru waits as she speaks, listening intently. "Yuuka, you are one of my dearest friends. For a good while, you were my only friend. Yes, I sympathize with you, but, as a Jounin and a friend that cares much for you, there is a lesson that I am trying to teach you." He glances to Nori as he storms in demanding booze, quirking an eyebrow. This guy really needs an intervention or something. "I'm not trying to get you to forget your pain," he says as he looks back to Yuuka. "I'm trying to get you to stop being the victim. It's okay to be afraid, but you can't allow it to control you."
For the moment, Nori goes ignored, her attention focused on the current topic of conversation as Yuuka sighs heavier and lifts a hand to brush her fingertips against her temple. "I can understand your reasoning in a sense, but that does not mean the way you approached the situation was for the best. You are my friend, not my sensei." Her hand falls away as she looks up to meet Maikeru's gaze, narrowing, "It does not happen all at once, but I am working myself up to that point. Just /trust/ me to do it, okay? I am not as soft as you think I am." Shifting her gaze to the quiet Manami, Yuuka frowns gently with quiet thought before sighing and taking her nearly full bottle of sake, sliding it on the counter to Nori. "Here. Take this. I will not be needing it."
Nori frowns slightly, accepting the sake and retracting his money from the counter. "Thanks," he murmurs, producing a bone saucer from somewhere, and pouring some sake into it. He takes a sip, and sighs contentedly. "Mmm. They don't let you drink sake in the hospital," he rumbles, minding his own business and not getting in the middle of the others' discussion.
Listening to Yuuka's words, Maikeru pauses. Her words about being a friend and not a sensei bring a faint smirk. He allows the smirk to quickly fade as he stands. If she doesn't want to be helped, no sense trying. "You know my ears are open as always if you need to talk some time," he says before glancing to Manami. "Hey, you. We've got preparing to do. You're going on a mission tomorrow, bright and early." His eyes drift back to Yuuka for a moment, obviously wanting to say something. "Yuuka… There's something I need to tell you about so you'll be prepared, but we'll talk about it another time." A brief glance is given to Nori, smirk returning to his face. "Don't get too wasted, bud. You might need your liver some day." With that, he turns and walks out of the restaurant, Manami presumably behind him.
