a promised dinner p,nk

Jason walked in to the noodle bar while holding koaru in his arms to not let him fall. Jason helped him to a chair and Jason sat next to him. Jason orded a chicken noodle and turned his head to his defeated village brother. " are you sure, you'll be ok? you look like one could sneeze on you and you'd tumble..." Jason was worried over koaru. worried that if he continued like this and not going to the hospital, then something bad would happen. and Jason wasn't gonna like it.

"Oi Oi, I'm fine! Don't forget, this is me we're talking about, after all."

Koaru took a seat next to Jason and looked at the menu after greeting the cook. Koaru had been looking forward to this. After their intense sparring session, both Jason and Koaru were beat, and Jason made a generous offer to cover tonight's expenses. Koaru slipped Jason a glance with a twinkle in his eye. He was definitely up to no good.

"Well, I'll have the usual:
Gomoku Ramen
Spicy Seafood Ramen
Miso Ramen
Chicken Katsu Ramen
Wonton Ramen
Shio Ramen
Sweet & Sour Ramen
Curry Ramen...."

Koaru recited almost half the menu without even barely taking a second glance at the menu.  Koaru's mouth was watering just thinking about his order soon to come. Koaru wiped his lip of salivation when he was struck with a thought, as if he had just remembered something. Koaru got the chef's attention and said,

"Oh yea..and put it on Jason's tab  :twisted: "

"...." Jason just stared at Koaru with a look that said: "are you out of your mind?" Jason sighed as he ruffled his hair in annoyance. "what did i get myself into?" Jason thought as he leaned on the counter. "are you really gonna eat all of that, koaru? if you do, don't blame me if you throw up." Jason said to Koaru, stating facts.

"Order Up!" said the cook.

A chicken noodle soup was layed out in front of Jason while 8 bowls were stacked in front of Koaru, forming a pyramid. A thick layer of steam rose from all the bowls. The smell of the delicious home made ramen dishes was enough to kill over. Koaru clapped his hands together before snapping his chop sticks in two.

"Itadakimasu!"

Koaru inhaled bowl after bowl, making sure to wash each bowl down with the leftover broth. Jason's words of caution were nearly ignored over Koaru's slurping sound. Finally, Koaru took a break after the fifth bowl to talk to Jason.

"Hey...did Kenzo seem strange to you? He doesn't seem too happy these days.."

"eh. that kid is a total mystery. i can't get a read over him. and i'm his teammate...." Jason said while beginning to eat his chicken noodles. Jason paused while in mid-slurp. what if Kenzo planned to leave konoha and become a missing-nin? should Jason report to the hokage and his sensei? Jason's head began to hurt and Jason slurped the noodles in his mouth and took a swig of the water in the glass that was near him. Jason rubbed his hair and head and wondered what he was gonna do... that could wait. for now, Jason is eating. eating comes first.

Koaru watched for Jason’s reaction to the subject of his partner’s recent behavior. ‘Your partner, huh?’ thought Koaru. He took another mouthful of ramen and swallowed hard while he thought. Would Kenzo had said the same if he and Jason had reversed roles? Koaru could tell my Jason’s expression that he shared the same suspicion Koaru had. Koaru could not care less, but he could not help but wonder why Kenzo would do such a thing. And if it were true, how would Jason react. Surely Jason had some kind of emotional connection with Kenzo.


“If he’s planning what I think he’s planning, whatchu gonna do?” he replied with his mouth full. Koaru was now halfway into his sixth bowl.

Jason was silent as he was eating his noodles. when Jason was half-way finished, Jason spoke with clarity and authority. "i'm gonna report to my sensei and to the hokage. if my sensei and the hokage give me the order to kill him. i will." Jason turned his head to look at koaru's reaction. it'd be interesting to see his reaction. "also, i may have to consult my sensei and the hokage to change teams... who knows? maybe i'll join your team..." Jason stated.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, Jason. Have you ever considered the fact that they may find it too convenient that we had all of these actions planned out? We'll need a better reason to have you reassigned to avoid suspicion.."

Koaru's tone grew more serious as he sternly set his now empty sixth bowl of ramen down. He reached for the next bowl and dug in without hesitation, his face wore a smile that almost seemed fake. His long dreads had been tied back to avoid getting caught in the soup. Koaru's cheek and jaw bones could now be seen busy at work dissecting the noodles, meats, and other ingredients in the ramen. Koaru considered all that Jason had said, analyzing his relationship with Kenzo. Unknown to Jason, Koaru did not have an assigned squad because of the conditions of his promotion to Genin rank. Still, Koaru did not think Jason's suggestion was half bad. After savoring a few bites, Koaru continued,

"We should approach the Hokage first. We can appeal to his kind heart and ask him to organize a team including you and I. This will make the most sense. What do you say?"

Jason took another swig of the water and set it down a bit loudly. "it sounds like a good idea. we should probably do it. but we'll wait until kenzo actually leaves konoha. then we'll do it." Jason said as he then finished the water and waited for koaru to finish his food. "by the way. i hope that you plan to finish up the food. my wallet doesn't print out money, you know." said Jason with a grin.

Koaru let out a choking cough. He clapped his chest to clear it of the food stuck in his throat and swallowed hard. With a sigh of relief, Koaru redirected his attention to Jason once more as he eyed the final bowl of his ramen feast. 'Hmm, oh trust me, I will finish it' he thought. They're plan was all good and swell, but it was not Koaru's style to go chasing after A DUDE. He slurped a bit of his soup before saying, 

"Oi listen, Jason. I don't care for the Uchiha runt, but even I believe he should make his own decisions. Do not let him consume your focus. Remember your purpose as a ninja, and together, we will use Kenzo's disloyalty as a tool to climb to the top."

Koaru let the final bowl clang on the counter as gnawed on the ends of his chopsticks. Koaru looked outward beyond the tassels that dangled from the ramen shop and to the Hokage Rock. The faces of the previous Hokage seemed too stare down at Koaru and Jason, as if encouraging them to do their best. Koaru stared at Hokage Navi's bust in particular. He wondered what he would have to say about all of this.