On the Job Training: Satomi Needs a Bath [p/solo]

(Re-posted with some fixes)

It was so incredibly loud! Satomi could barely hear his father over the clamoring of patrons spilling into the kitchen, an area already rife with its own turbulent chorus. It was a modest start for Satomi's father's restaurant: Takatoshi Teppanyaki, but resent it has become quite the trendy place to grab a bite to eat. An issue only compounded by the limited seating of the humble establishment, but despite it all, Satomi's father was all laughs and smiles as he scampered around his kitchen. While he may have inherited his mothers look, there was no doubt that Satomi received his dad's outlook at life.

In the midst of all this commotion was a lone server, a young woman who was clearly in over her head and drowning quickly as she tried desperately rushed back and forth between the kitchen and tables. “Mr. Furukawa!” She panted, her face beet red as she patted the sweat off her brow. “I-I don't know how much longer I can do this.”

“Ah! I told you, you can call me Takatoshi!” Satomi's father was aloof as ever. “And how about a break?”

“A break!? But who will get the food to the table?” She countered with a very valid point.

“Satomi of course!” Takatoshi chimed.

“M-Me!? There's so... so many!” Satomi's eyes were as wide as the plates they offered their delectable delicacies on.

“That's right, but I know you can do it.” Takatoshi beamed, giving his son an encouraging pat atop the head. “Be my little shinobi chef.” He offered a lidded smile before suddenly growing very alarmed by something, the kooky man turning his nose to the air for a sniff. “Oh no!”

Before Satomi could say anything more his father frantically bolted for the grill, leaving him and the young woman to share an apprehensive sigh while cracking just the slightest smile. “Shinobi chef?” Satomi nibbled on his lower lip anxiously as he cast his gaze out over the crowded dinning area. Then I'll just practice what I've been taught at the academy!

Just like that he was gone from the kitchen with several orders. The small child never stood a chance in the crowd however, finding himself bumped and knocked around by the constant flow of patrons, he'd certainly have to move like a shinobi if he wanted to actually get the food to the tables. If there's two things he learned at the academy it was how to be fast and nimble, and unparalleled balance. He used both to duck and weave through the crowd, under swinging arms of oblivious men sharing tales of machismo and over seating that had been tipped over by the careless.

It wasn't only food that Satomi had to deliver either. After all, service wasn't free! The tab would be delivered expressed airmail as he ran back and forth, tied to the end of a half a pair of metal saibashi from the kitchen. While he couldn't claim to be the best in his class, he seemed to be talented enough not to accidentally stick any patrons with the piece of cookware. Each oversized chopstick finding it's mark, embedding itself by a few millimeters. Sure he may have startled a few as he struck the table top with an unexpected bill delivery, but who could be upset with a smile as adorable as Satomi's? Offering his gap-toothed smile with each glare, it never seemed to fail to placate an offended party.

The evening trudged on much of the same, business slowly dwindling as night cast itself across the land. “Have a gooood night~” Satomi sung as the last customer left. Despite all the work, he seemed to be ready to do it all again. At least on the outside; on the inside he ached and was exhausted. As much as he loved to work at the restaurant, his father really needed to hire more help. Besides, his place was in the kitchen next to his father!

After cleaning and closing the restaurant for the night, Satomi slumped against the door frame as he inspected himself. Wrinkling his nose in disgust, he was filthy! Covered top to bottom in all manner of food and drink, not to mention sweat, he was going to need a nice long bath. “Come Satomi! Time to go home!” His father called for him, beckoning him to follow with a motion from his hand. Fortunately the pair didn't live too far away and they were able to shuffle through the front door without too much effort. From there they would exchange good nights and Satomi would slump off to his room where he would stand before his bed, it called to him. It taunted him with the promise of comfort and sleep, but he still needed to bathe.

No body had time for that.

Silence crept through the house as Satomi nearly nodded while wracking his brain for a minimal effort way to shed the gross particles splattering his body like an abstract masterpiece. Then a stroke of genius dawned on him, the kind of genius only inspired by the desire to to expend the least effort possible. Lazily lifting his hands he formed them into the tiger seal. Tigers were cats and cats are clean freaks, right? At least that was the reason he could cobble together as his eyes drooped again, the exhausted boy trying to summon his chakra. He stood there for a solid moment before he could feel the energy finally well within him, building as he let out a mighty yawn—very cat-like. Nothing seemed to be happening though as he just stood there growing more and more tired. So he just tried harder.

Certainly by now it would have less effort to just take a bath, but his body was stubborn and preferred to move as little as possible. Even holding the hand seal was becoming a daunting task as he nearly nodded off again; it was making it extra hard for the young shinobi in training to channel his chakra. He would night go into that good night covered head to toe in crud however as he pulled on more and more chakra—something was going to give. Clenching his hands tightly together with a frustrated grunt, a soft glow breaking the surface of his body as he could feel his chakra building over his skin It's worrrking~ He cheered on the inside, because on the outside he could barely be bothered to even stand by this point. It was almost a tingly sensation as his chakra rippled over him, though he couldn't help but notice that his plan was not in fact working. The food, the drink, the oil, the grime, the sweat, all of it was still very much there.

As Satomi's frustration and determination grew, so did his chakra. The child just piling it on now, only adding to the grossly mismanaged use of his natural energy. His eyes cast a sideways glance at the alarm clock next to his bed, it was already well past when he should have been asleep. No one was going to like this princess come morning if he didn't get his beauty sleep. By this point he was numb and dead to the world, only awake by sheer will to be clean. He needed to be clean, he craved cleanliness. His chakra glowed brighter, more like a small fire across his skin than a subtle morning glow on the horizon. “Now. Lets. Do. This!” Satomi demanded as he threw in the kitchen sink, setting off a radiant explosion of chakra outward in all direction. It wasn't particularly big and fortunately the release wasn't itself damaging, but with it, all the filth and grime he had been covered in was hastily ejected from him along with it. He may have been sparkling, but his room was a different story save for his bed. He took one apathetic look around at the mess and before eyeing his bed with just the biggest grin as he stumbled over to it and planted himself face-first into the mattress, drooling into it as he muttered. “Tomorrow...”

Approved, nice signature.