Starring:
Katsurou, Nariko, Hiroyasu, Hiei, Atsuro, Hisoka
Date: September 14, 2013
Summary:
Fireworks sound off at the opening night of Konoha's Festival. Friends gather in celebration of the Chuunin Exams coming to an end.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Opening Night of Konoha's Festival"
Marketplace
Its the first night of the Konoha festival and its being celebrated by various fireworks that blast off into the pitch black sky. Flashes of red, blue, green and yellow fill the area with each blast of the fireworks. The weather was warm which made it bearable for light clothes. Though, that wouldnt matter to Katsurou as he had become accustomed to walking around without a top of any sort. However, that may soon change once his Chuunin vest is presented to him. The Shirayuki was walking casually through a few booths until he heard the first explosion of the fireworks. This would make him pause where he stood to look up at the sight.
Walking the streets as the fireworks explode with delight, is the young Yotsuki female known as Nariko. She felt the best way to end her trip would be by celebrating the Konoha festival. She held a closed umbrella in her hand as she strolls through the streets with Hiro. She smiled as she watched one explode, her umbrella being swung up to her shoulder. She seemed very happy, her stride being one of a relaxed pace, not in any rush to get anywhere. "I'm so glad we came Hiro." She touches his arm. "Even though it was a difficult time, it has shown us many things about ourselves."
Walking next to the most beautiful thing to come over the mountains since the sun is Hiroyasu, "Yeah, I agree. It would have been rude to just run out as soon as possible." he looks down at his full suit "Do you think we are a little over dressed?" he asks looking around at the rest of crowd. He looks up at the fireworks with a little bit of awe "That's awesome.." he says having not seen them on such a scale before.
Most people would think of the Konoha festival as something to go out and take part in with friends, but right now, Atsuro's only got one friend by his side: Taizen. After all, it's a great occasion for eating and drinking, and getting up to stuff with random folks. Atsuro is, in fact, surrounded by friends — it's just that he hasn't met them yet. Atsuro is dressed in something similar to his usual outfit, just without the ninja gear. Which leaves him in an orange-striped dress shirt, dark pants, and some sandals. Taizen is also out of his ninja gear, wearing only a collar rather than the big vest.
Currently, they're just walking around, checking out the stalls and such. Atsuro is currently holding a pack of Takoyaki, and walks along, occasionally popping one into his mouth or giving one to Taizen. As he walks along, he sees a few familiar faces, and shoots smiles to Katsurou, Nariko, and Hiroyasu.
As the sky is lit ablaze and colored with the vibrant explosions of the fireworks Hisoka and Kurokane enjoy the sight from a top one of the buildings overlooking the marketplace. "Wanna get a closer look?" Hisoka turns to as his friend with a smile. Kurokane whimpers at first "I can take a break from training for now. Let's go enjoy the festival." He says before getting up to work his way down to ground level. "You owe me though." he adds. Kurokane barks in a low tone. "What do I look like a charity?" Hisoka answers with a laugh. The two continue to bicker until the hit the streets and are well on the way to the festival.
Upon arrival both he and Kurokane catch the wind and a mouthwatering smell carried with it. "What is that? It's divine. Kurokane let-" And when he looks down Kurokane is gone. The ninken was already on his way towards the source of this appetizing smell. Hisoka chuckles and follows after him, having to pick up his pace just to keep up. Kurokane comes upon Atsuro and Taizen first. The ninken barks happy to see Atsuro and Taizen; it's been a while. Hisoka is not too far behind. "Kurokane! Stop being such a fatclown for a sec." When he is upon the group he greets Atsuro and Taizen. Kurokane grumbles with some attitude but Hisoka ignores it for now. "Didn't peg you for a festival kind of guy." Hisoka says to Atsuro.
Hiei follows a couple of paces behind Hiroyasu and Nariko. Mostly so he won't make them look bad, because he wasn't dressed up at all. He was clad in his normal shinobi gear, complete with his swords, kunai, and shruiken. Just because this was a festival, didn't mean that someone might not come along and attempt to ruin it. Besides, he felt naked without his swords. So for the moment, he follows along behind his cousin and his best friend, keeping an eye on the both of them. He crosses his arms over his chest. "I hope Atsuro and Taizen are here. Give me someone to talk to." He looks at himself and then towards the two in front of him, noting their outfits and shaking his head slowly. He wasn't one to dress up in outfits, unless it was an infiltration mission.
Katsurou was still watching the fireworks, but something different from a human catches his eye. He looks to see that it was Taizen and next to him was Atsuro. He gives a polite smile back to the Inuzuka but because he was looking in Atsuro's direction he spots the Kumo crew.
He strolls over to them and greets them with a slight bow, but not too formal. Once he saw Hiei's attire he was glad to see that he wasnt the only one that wasnt "dressed" for the occasion. "Congratulations again on your promotions." He says to both Hiei and Hiro. He then looks over to Nari and smiles. "Hello Nariko. Is Amani not with you all?" He asks the group as he scans the crowd himself in case maybe she was trailing behind or something.
Nariko nods to Hiro and then notices Atsuro. "Hiro, look, it's Hot Abs-uro." She almost grabs his arm. "And no, I do not. But then again, you're talking the daughter of a diplomat." She shrugs and heads towards Taizen. "Taizen-sama!" She wraps her arms around him, burying him into her chest and smiles. "He's cuter without the vest!" She seems taken by Taizen as normal. "How're you doing this fine festival evening?" She asks before looking up to Atsuro. "Oh, Hi Hot Abs-uro." She then notices another dog. "Oh my goodness! I must..wow..yours is cute too!" She seems very giddy. "I'm Yotsuki Nariko." She bows to the other dog and the unfamiliar face. She looks behind her at Hiei. "Hey, enjoy yourself here, we're at a festival..with dogs, and fireworks, and more importantly with friends." She almost lectures Hiei. "This is a celebration." She looks to Katsurou and waves to him. "Hello again. And no, not this evening. I think she was still resting in the hospital. I didn't wish to disturb her. Would you like me to extend a congratulations to her?"
Hiroyasu pressed his fingers to the side of his nose, when Nariko goes full Yotsuki charge into Taizen and Atsuro "right.. diplomats daughter alright.." he mutters looking over his shoulder at Hiei, cutting his eyes.. how come he didn't have to wear a suit… Before approaching Atsuro, Taizen, and Bear-Hugger-riko "Yo~ Atsuro, And Taizen-sama.. you lucky dog" he says with a wink before before looking to Nariko with a nod "That is actually only half right Yotsuki-san, she decided to volunteer at the hospital to help the less fortunate or something.." she couldn't just sit around.. "How is everyone, this evening?" he asks with a light grin, he was a cat with a mouse all day today.
Sniff, sniff. Now that's a scent Atsuro hasn't smelled in a while. Is that…? Atsuro turns around to see Kurokane. "Hey hey!" he says cheerfully, "Was wondering where you'd gotten to." Taizen woofs in greeting to Kurokane, wagging his tail happily, then woofs another greeting as Hisoka approaches after him. Atsuro gives Hisoka a grin. "Hey man," he says, "It feels like it's been ages. You hiding from me or something?" After giving him a moment to answer, he adds, "Festivals are great. Like a party for a whole village. Actually, I'm kinda surprised to see /you/ here. Glad, though. Nice to see you letting yourself have some fun." He holds out the box of takoyaki to offer some to Hisoka.
He turns as he hears his name from somewhere else, and smiles once more as he sees that it's Hiei. "Hey man," he says, "Just dropped by after training?" He figures Hiei has some reason for wearing all his gear, after all. "Oh hey," he adds, remembering something important, "Congratulations on your promotion." He nods to Hiro and Katsurou, "You guys too." Taizen wags his tail, "Hello, Hiei."
Atsuro gives Nariko a smile too. "Hi," he says, "And sorry, you're not the first person to try the 'pretend to only notice Taizen' joke. Also, I heard you point me out to Hiro." As for Taizen, he obviously has no problem with the hug. He wags his tail, happy for the attention. "Hello, Nariko. I hope you are enjoying the festival."
"Hey Hiro," says Atsuro, "I'm glad you're enjoying the festival, but you look a little overdressed. This isn't a black tie affair." He glances between Katsuro, Nariko, and then Hiro, then recalls. "Ah, your little girlfriend got promoted too," he says, "Tell her congratulations for me." Once he's relatively undistracted by Nariko, Taizen greets Hiro too, "Hello, Hiroyasu."
Kurokane barks and wags his tail looking pleased as Nariko giddily compliments him. Hisoka rolls his eyes "Yeah his name is Kurokane. And you're making him think himself even more incorrigible, just so ya know." The chuunin looks to the other Kumogakure shinobi. Sure was a lot of them he thought they'd all be gone after the exams ended. Kurokane looks back to Hisoka, a look Hisoka can feel as well as interpret. "Eh either way he appreciates it. I'm Hisoka. Nice meet you guys. And congrats to any of you who got promoted." He says for Nariko as well as the others. He was in his typical attire. The festival was a last minute decision and he wasn't one who concerned himself too much for formalities.
Hisoka blinks at Atsuro and chuckles "Well Kurokane likes these things. You know he's still a fatty." Kurokane barks in objection to Hisoka's claim. "Anyway, I'm pretty sure I don't have to tell you what I've been doing. Take a guess." Hisoka says with a smirk. He looks back to Kurokane "Weren't you following that smell from earlier?" Kurokane seems to have forgotten about it now though and just enjoys the company of others. Hisoka sighs and just lets Kurokane be happy. "Taizen has gotten better at the human tongue. Kurokane won't stop bugging me about teaching him to speak." Hisoka scratches his cheek with a sly smile "As if I'm ready for that hell on earth."
Hiei actually smiles when he sees Atsuro and Taizen, easily two of his favorite people in Konoha. Next to Nori, that is. He bumps fists with Atsuro and shakes his head when he asks if he dropped by after training. "Nah. I was at the hotsprings before this soaking some bruises I got while fighting Ato." As to why he's in full gear, he doesn't really go into it. Perhaps because he was more comfortable in it than he would be in a suit…that and Nariko couldn't make him wear one. He eyes Nariko for a minute. "His name is Atsuro. Not Ab-suro. I swear you're worse than Misaki." What Nariko might not know, is that for months Misaki teased him about Atsuro's abs, which is why he started using Atsuro's training regiment and got rock hard abs of his own out of jealousy. He leans down to pet Taizen and slips the dog a treat from his pouch, as was his custom when meeting him. He carried those things around just for that purpose. But upon seeing Kurokane and Hisoka, Hiei couldn't let the other dog not get a treat, so he gave him one too and pets him as well as he looks up at Hisoka. "I remember you. I think we met a few times on our first trip here." He turns to Katsurou next and inclines his head. "Congratulations to you, too. Seems you've found a real home here in Konoha. I wish you well as you continue your career here."
Katsurou watches as Nariko plays with the dogs and listens as the others greet each other. The festival was a nice change of pace considering how rough this cycle's exams were. "Yes, please pass on my congratulations if I do not get a chance to see her once more before your departure." He says in response to Nariko.
Katsurou couldn't lie to himself, living alone in the mountains of the Land of Snow through almost all of his teenage years has made him a bit uncomfortable in large crowds. It may even be noticeable that he feels a little out of place at the moment as he scans the rest of the festival and seems to fade into the background until he is pulled back into conversation with a congratulation. "Thank you. I am just glad it is over now." He says with a slight chuckle.
The Shirayuki turns to Hiei and gives a nod. "Thank you too. Konoha is a nice village. I will do what i can to protect it. I even plan on putting my package in to become an instructor at the shinobi academy monday. Though…" His brows furrow. "I am beginning to hear rumors that my presence in Konoha is unsettling to some. It is giving the Hokage and the village a bad image. I fear that perhaps my time in Konoha could be short lived for the sake of avoid future conflict."
Nariko looks up to Atsuro and looks as if she's about to cry. "I've never been the same since you spurned my advances. I'll never learn to love again!And I I wasn't pretending to have not noticed you. I was was building up the courage to look at you. You know your abs always catch my attention." She busts out laughing at the end. She looks to Taizen, trying to calm the chuckles. "I am enjoying the festival, much more now that I know you're here." She rises up and pets Taizen on the head. "It's always great to see you both though." She smiles and then looks to Hisoka. "Well, he is cute. Whats wrong with being cute? And it's a pleasure to meet the both of you." She looks to Hiei and looks at him with ~dumbfounded eyes~. "Thats what I said. Abs-uro. You're just pronouncing it wrong." She meets with his eyes in an unnatural gaze for a moment. "How do you pronounce it mister smarty pants?" She then looks to Katsurou and nods. "I shall do that. And congratulations to you as well."
Hiroyasu rubs the back of his head with his cheeks matching his suit in shade "Thank you all for the kind words.." before then turning his attention to Atsuro, "I think I look about right, when your escorting a ~diplomat's daughter~ around, you have to fit the part" the term diplomats daughter he emphasizes and even air quotes when Nariko is looking at him.. Before chuckling at her typical antics, If mischief needed a diplomat, it could have one in that Kunoichi. "Yeah I have been seeing weird notes everywhere.. but have not seen a single person putting them up.." he shrugs saying to Katsurou before looking to Hiei, who is experiencing the Witchy Ways of the Siren Nariko, then to Hisoka and Kurokane "Katayama, Hiroyasu. a Pleasure to make your acquaintance, although like Yotsuki-san said, I believe we met during our last tour here.. but it was quite some time ago" he says before waiting for Hiei's response.
"He'll work it off, I'm sure," Atsuro says, shooting Kurokane a grin. He knows that Hisoka and his nin-dog have a somewhat complicated relationship, but they seem to be getting on well right now. "Definitely plenty of things a dog would like around here. But maybe I shouldn't tell you, Kuro, if what Hisoka's telling me is true." He nods to Hisoka. "I figured," he says, "Still thought I'd see you, though. Hopefully we'll run into each other again sometime." He reaches over and pats Taizen on the head. "Yep, he's gotten pretty good. You don't think you can handle Kurokane and human talk?"
He raises an eyebrow at Hiei. "Ato?" he repeats, "Boy, I thought anyone fighting him would have more than just bruises. More like broken bones." He has to hide a smirk as Hiei admonishes Nariko. He knows about that history, but at the same time, it does sorta seem like Hiei's sticking up for him too. "How's your kenjutsu going?" he asks. Taizen happily gobbles up the treat, wagging his tail all the while. "Thank you," he says.
He glances over to Katsurou. "Those letters?" he asks. "Honestly, I have trouble believing anyone from Konoha wrote them. Even if I were trying to stir something up, that's not how I'd write about the whole situationm as a concerned Konoha citizen or whatever." He shrugs, "But who knows? I assume the truth'll come out sooner or later."
He raises an eyebrow at Nariko as she does her little routine. "Well," he says, "I'm sorry for the many reasons we can't be together. Not the least of which is just that I'd rather just be friends." He grins a litle, "And it's pronounced Atsuro. With a t and without that weird break in the middle."
He gives Hiro a cheeky look. "Should you be musclebound and tattooed? To scare off anyone who might attack the ~diplomat's daughter~." He shrugs, "Although I can't imagine why they'd want to do such a thing."
Kurokane mocks Hisoka by repeating what Nariko said in pretty much the same tone. Hisoka groans and decides to just leave it at that. "Honestly…" when both Hiei and Hiroyasu claim to have met him before Hisoka is forced to dig deep and retrieve the memory. "Hiei and Hiryoasu?" Hisoka scratches his chin. "Satomi did drag me to Kumo one time to escort some guys back on some kind of diplomat thing…" Hisoka eyes Hiei then Hiroyasu. "They smell familiar to you Kurokane?" He looks to his partner who gives Hiei and Hiroyasu a good sniff. Kurokane barks confirming it. "OH those lucky guys who got to carry bolders the entire trip!? Man that Ogo guy really knows what he's doing. Hardly recognize you guys. You look good. The training's paid off." Hisoka looks to Kurokane after Atsuro mentions working it off. "You're gonna have to do that if you eat too much. Kinda looking forward to it now." Hisoka chuckles and Kurokane just whimpers not finding the humor in that.
"I can handle Kurokane. But if everyone else could understand him well I'd be tempted to get him a muzzle." Kurokane whimpers again failing to find the humor Hisoka's comment. "You'll see me around more. I gotta start acting more like a chuunin now since all these new ones are popping up. I swear those exams just keep getting easier." Hisoka shakes his head. The name Ato rings a bell and considering Hisoka just met him today it didn't take long for him to match a face to that name. "Ato…I was giving him some pointers in the training grounds today. Guy looks like he can do some damage. Gonna have to find out first hand when I get a chance." Hisoka says looking back just to see the passing faces.
Hiei smirks at Atsuro. "I break boulders with my fists for strength training. Ato is very strong, freakishly so. But I'm more durable than I look. I do have an advantage on him when it comes to speed, though the big moves much faster than people may think. He's going to be a tough one. We're having another match the next time I come to town. I love battling that guy." He grins. "My kenjutsu is coming along well. Sensei made me display everything I've learned so far and he was impressed. We trained for a bit afterwards." He looks at Nariko again and his pupils dilate slightly, though he's not aware of it. He's not expecting her to use genjutsu on him. "Abs-uro, Nariko. His name is Abs-uro. That's what I told you before." He lets loose an exasperated sigh, unaware that he is mispronouncing the name himself. He grins at Taizen. "You're welcome." Then he looks at Katsurou. "I wouldn't worry about it. It's probably those Kiri guys. I mean, seriously, anyone that would kill a genin because he didn't win a fight is someone who would do anything to cause some trouble. At least that's what I think." He nods at Hisoka. "Hai, that's right. Sensei made us carry those things all the way back to Kumo, too. And I was wearing leg and arm weights at the time on top of that. I hated it, but you're right, it did pay off in the end."
Katsurou nods as everyone does their part in calming his worries. "I do hope you all are right and hope that it is nothing to worry about. To be honest, if I am kicked out of Konoha I really do not have anywhere else to turn to." His mood does seem to lighten as Hiei "corrects" Nariko though he stays silent about it and instead allows a smirk to form on his face. "Wait, did you say Ato? Yea, do not let him get a hit in on you. I was doing well keeping him afar in our match. I got sloppy /one/ time and he knocked me into next week with just one hit. My ribs havent been the same since." He says while idly rubbing his midsection.
Nariko looks at Atsuro and pouts. "Fine, ~Atsuro~." She moves to Hiro and wraps herself around him. "I've found a better man to suit my needs!" She holds Hiro in a typical beariko embrace. "You reminded me of Yotsuki Kenshin anyways." She chuckles and then looks to Hiei and busts up laughing as he mispronounces Atsuro's name wrong. "Told ya I pronounced it right." She looks to Hiro and smirks. "You like escorting me places, besides, you keep me out of trouble..sometimes." She adds an emphasis on the end, she was always causing trouble somewhere. She looks to Katsurou and nods. "Honestly the people who are putting up these flyers probably don't know everything and are making assumptions. If they are from Konoha, assuming they're even natives, sometimes the more ignorant a person the more outrageous their antics are." She shrugs and gives a reassuring smile.
Hiroyasu shakes his head at Atsuro "That just draws unwanted attention, looking like you have something to protect does anyways.." about then he finds himself in the clawed paws of the beariko in one of her schemes… her mischief knew no bounds.. he muffles from her grip.. "too tight.. need air.. eventually.." before slipping from her grip when she starts laughing at Hiei falling under her spell."Yeah, /sometimes/" he responds to her adjusting his suit, before going into the more serious topic "I agree that it doesn't really seem the style of Konohagakure, I was arguing with someone it seems more like a counter intelligence move, an anonymous sumatarian fearing backlash, yet goes on about how ~he's~ country is this paragon of humanitarian virtues.. It just smacks of a smear campaign.. It could be Kiri, maybe Suna, they did get shamed pretty hard with the whole Assassin fiasco.. might be them trying to save face with the whole well we aren't perfect but look your worse than we are." he says trying to add to what both Hiei and nariko have added to the mix about the flyer's. "I refuse to spar him.. he would break me" is his last word of sparring ato.
Looking between Kurokane and Hisoka, Atsuro grins, "You say that. But I can tell you guys both like it a little bit." If Kuro will allow, Atsuro scratches him under the chin. He nods, "And I wouldn't mind seeing you guys. I was kinda starting to worry about you, actually. Thought you'd decided to take your training to the limit and — actually, maybe I shouldn't give you any ideas. Anyway, I should move along." He reaches over to pat Hisoka on the shoulder, "We should talk sometime, though. Didn't you mention wanting to ask me something the last time we met? Anyway, see you. And see you, Kuro."
He gives Hiei a weird look, noticing the apparent slip up. "Well," he says, thanks for defending me. See you later. Keep practicing your kenjutsu."
He nods to Katsuro, "I doubt you have much to worry about. From what I hear, it sounds like you're stuck with us."
He shakes his head at Nariko. "I don't mind," he teases. "Although I have no clue who that is."
He nods to Hiei, "Probably something like that. But we'll get to the bottom of it, I'm sure." He waves to everyone, "Anyway, we're off. Later, guys." Taizen wags his tail and woofs goodbye, then they head off into the crowds.
"I'd rather not entertain the thought." Hisoka says with a groan. "Well we can't spend the entire festival here." Hisoka notes as Kurokane enjoys Atsuro's scratching hand. "The source of that smell is that way? You ready?" Kurokane looks back to Hisoka and starts off without Hisoka. Hisoka blinks abruptly before looking back to Atsuro. "Oh. Yeah. When you have time. Catch ya around." Hisoka waves to him. He looks back to the others "Nice meet you guys….again. Enjoy yourselves." Hisoka says before passing them by. He stops by to pat Katsurou on the shoulder. "You'll be fine. We take care of our own." and with that he follows Kurokane off deeper into the festival.
Hiei frowns when everyone looks at him and makes a face towards Hiroyasu. And then Nariko was laughing at him, and he remembers the warning Hiro gave him in the hot spring. His gaze slides over at Nariko and if looks could kill, he'd vaporize Nariko where she stood. He was going to have the conversation with her about genjutsu. How dangerous it could be for her to use it like she did with him. He waves goodbye to both Atsuro and Hisoka before stating. "I'm going to go check out some of the booths." He continues to stare at Nariko, that vein in his forehead begins to pulse. He was carnied, but instead of lashing out like he normally would, he lets it go. He offers Katsurou a strained smile. "Seriously, don't sweat it. These guys will look out for you." He then turns and abruptly walks away.
Katsurou watches as people were beginning to dispurse from the gathered group. That's when a booth with flashing lights and crazy sounds catches his attention. As everyone was busy giving their farewells, Katsurou was not where he once was. Instead, he was standing in front of the booth with his head tilted at the sign. "Ski-ball?" He mutters outloud as he reads the sign.
"Hey there, Chum. 3 balls for 2 Ryo or 5 balls for 4!" Says the booth worker.
A small kid grabs Katsu's attention as he hears the roaring noise of the ball traveling up a ramp and into one of the various holes at the end. The second ball that travels up manages to make the hole in the middle which causes the booth to light up with flashing lights. Another booth worker pulls down a stuffed polar bear from the roof and hands it to the kid. Katsurou then couldnt get his money out quick enough as he gave the booth worker 4 ryo.
Nariko giggles as Hiei gives her a look. "what? You said it correctly." She smiles and then looks to Hiro. A firework goes off above them and she looks up. "You know, I think these will look even better from the balcony." She smiles and looks to Katsurou as he disappears to a ski-ball booth. "I think I'm going back to the hotel and watch the fireworks off the balcony." She smiles. "Come and have some tea with me as we watch them." She brushes his arm and starts to head off to the hotel.
