The Tsukami Inn (Private, NK, Ask for Invite)

The small Kari stood in front of in front of of Nami's being bumped left and right by the busing crowd. It was packed, brimming with people as the store offered a sale. Family size bowl of beef slices for their new grill addition. It was an opening sale of the sort show off the new dishes available for the BBQ section. Kari's stomach rumbled as the savory smell of expensive meat filled this area of the square. Kari moved her hands over her stomach.

Since that incident with that crazy berserk boy, Kari had been down her luck. Her "premium" ham was already a huge chunk of her budget and the hospital bills from her "training" injury along with repairs to her puppet sapped the rest of that. That left the girl living off white rice, water, and cucumbers. Kari thought about going home, but she beveled her father would look down on her for asking for money. She did not want to appear impoverish to him. She was not scum. She was his daughter, gifted, smart, and resourceful. That was what he always told her at least.

So to offset the rest of her bills, she took a part time job at the temple working as a Miko. They gladly accepted her given her artist eye and ninja standard against dirt. This allowed the other more personable Miko's who already slacked off during cleaning to advertise more and even bring in more customers. It was hard work and the pay was still measly. It was nowhere near enough to try that beef which everyone else raved about. At best she could added some old tea leaves to her diet but in the end, she was still broke. Broken personality wise, broke in finances, she was experiencing adulthood at full tilt while only being 13. The worst part was that Kari was the temple closed early today and would not open for another week due to an upgrade. They wanted to put on a show of sort so they started plans to build a theater like area. This left Kari with a half of days work pay in her pocket as she walked around the square aimlessly in her red long skirt, long socks, and white haori. Her red hair was tied into a long ponytail, which fell down her back like a braid instead of arcing up like a pony's tail. Her face remained as energetic as ever as the girl lacked any signs of being down or stressed aside from the rumbling stomach and more frequent small sighs.

She did not want to go home so early in the day, not without some answer on what to do. She was hungry and really wanted a bento box. So she just stood in front of the building invisible in a sea of people with pockets full of ryo or bellies full of meat or sushi. Then her stomach growled again forcing her to turn around. Standing here any longer was too torturing making the action illogical at best. So with a deep breath she readied herself to accept another defeat.

WC: 522

It had been some time since he actively took part in the village square activities. His usual training seemed to be lacking due to all the commotion in his head, he could not figure out more of the Terumi Clan secrets at this rate. So the excursion out among the villagers was meant to be just a civilian one in nature, thus he did not wear his normal array of clothing. Today he was in a dark grey short-sleeved shirt, black shorts, and his headband tied at his waist. He looked more punk than shinobi with his hair in a mess, he was hungry so he decided to grab a bite to eat, his favorite BBQ joint was open so he dropped by for a pretty healthy plate. It was noisy inside as people ordered and some even cooked food hibachi style, his own thoughts seemed to become lost as he ate.

Looking outside at the scenery he noticed that there was a local shrine/theater that was apparently running some sort of a promotion outside for some big attraction to come in the next few weeks. The people out advertising were mostly just young adults looking to make some extra Ryo, a few women were out in shrine maiden garb to attract more of the attention of men. Miyamoto ate quietly as he observed the scene. The sun began to draw long shades of dark orange across the sky now as it entered early evening. How long had he been there exactly? He eventually paid for his meal with a generous tip for the loitering. His head had finally become quiet, so as he ventured out into the crowded streets of Hoshi he lost himself in thought as he weaved around people without even thinking as he made not a single noise.

The next bit was a surprise as his head filled with thoughts on how to create a strong explosive attack that could serve both as a blinding area for his opponents, and offer some sort of acidic spray to coat his enemies and make them pay for fighting him. As he found himself lost in thought he actually managed to bump into somebody. He was caught off guard as he was about to scold whomever he ran into, but looking at the person he ran into he instead gave a smile. It was Kari.

"Aren't you a bit young to be working for the theater?" He asked as he gave a soft, teasing smirk.

WC:415

Yet the only defeat the small girl would suffer was an early meeting with one of her sempais. The tall Terumi appeared out of nowhere and bumped into the girl. Naturally Kari stumbled back but managed to catch her balance before falling. She could not afford to get the outfit dirty or damage, literally. She was counting every ryo she had in hopes to stay above water after all. After surviving his sneak attack, the rest of the crowd seemed like nothing now. With a much taller man in front of her, it was possible they were just able to see and avoid the ninja. Either way, it benefited Kari so maybe it was more of a victory.

Kari looked up though avoiding making eye contacted. Her blank face capturing every single piece of the boy. His dark grey shirt and black shorts contrasted greatly against her bright red and white uniform. Kari wished she could swap her color pallet with his, though it might lead to her getting trampled. She would leave it alone and then lower turn her head away. The last time she seen him, he was warning her about becoming a ninja. In return she left him with the questions she was trying to answer. Between that time and now, she had a near death experience twice with the same person. Death was a easy path for a ninja. It was something she did not want to accept. To die, to never find the piece missing in her, it seemed like hell. She could not tell Temuri that. She would risk losing his praise. He though her to have potential after all. So when the silence became to awkward between the two, she finally said something. He kept her head lowered not wanting to show her expressionless face to the boy.

"Yes, father would think so. They hire me to clean and prep the temple for presentation. It doesn't pay well though," Kari started to lift her head before remembering she did not want to look him in the face. Her voice grew a little more quiet, still keeping her monotone speech pattern, "Did you come from Nami's? I heard they added a BBQ grill to their sushi bar."

It was just some small talk. She seen others use it to dodge and hide things from others. Temuri had a way of breaking into Kari's mind. Besides her mother, he was the only one who could pick apart her words with such accuracy. He was a like a doctor or something. A scary thing if you think about it. With that power, Kari might find herself helpless to any words he might say.

WC: 447

Miyamoto watched her as she began to speak to him in that same monotone manner from before. It was funny, she seemed socially awkward when it came to talking to people yet it was refreshing to be around her at the same time. So when she was done speaking Miyamoto lightly tapped her forehead again like he did before.

“ Yeah, Nani’s place is hard to beat for BBQ. Also the atmosphere is good if you wanna drown some thoughts.” He started off with the answers to her questions before continuing.
“. By the way I can tell that you seem to be lost in thought or in your own head...I know that voice all to well, doesn’t take any special techniques to tell that.” That is when he heard her stomach growl as he looked at her suprised before chuckling and grabbing her hand in a rush.
“Come on let’s go grab a bite. I know a good joint down the street that sells some fast bowls.” He would say while pulling her easily unless she resisted.

If she followed behind him willingly he would lead her to the fast food joint that seemed to be more of a food cart than restaurant and once they got their turn Miyamoto ordered two number one specials; fried rice bed with a chicken breast with vegetables in a fried bamboo bowl that was edible as well. He handed one to Kari as he held his and began walking towards an rock wall. Once they arrived he laid back against it as he ate his bowl.

“So a shrine maiden now huh? I thought you worked at the springs with your family?” Miyamoto asked as he chewed his food in silence as he looked at her. He had a cheerful grin on his face.

WC:300/715

Kari raised her head and slapped her forehead after Terumi poked her forehead again. It was a weird behavior that starting to seem consistent. It did not hurt but it seemed very effective at breaking her will when it came to keeping her head down. She looked up at him with his smile. Why was he smiling so much? Did he have a secret? Maybe he wanted to bully Kari after opening her defensive. However, the boy just answered Kari's second question.

It must have been nice to be able to afford to eat at Nami's. Genin do not make a lot of money. Chunin however had a wide variety of missions to complete, all with a much higher ryo reward. Also, he probably was strong enough to do even more dangerous missions. Grown adults seek his help despite him being around Kari's age. Still, she did not agree with everything he said about the place. Nami's was good food wise, but crowded places were too much for Kari. She already struggled with extended interactions in a 1 on 1 conversation. Adding the random variables from random people only raised the problem exponentially. Kari kept her words to herself. Her father told her that customers like to hear happy thoughts. They do not care for the problems of the employee. It only tainted the brand. Maybe it had practically in real life. Little did she know, it opened her up to Terumi's special mind reading abilities.

Her eyes grew wide only to quickly return to their normal aloof size after Terumi pointed out her quietness was due to her internal thinking. It was an obvious observation that even a child could point out but Kari's mind was in shambles at this point. When he said he could relate, it only added more power to his words. He has proven before to understand Kari's thoughts to some level. She would be force to believe him for now. She shifted her eyes to the left hopping it would help hide her mind from him.
"I... My thoughts... keep... like," Her voice was quiet and broken.
She was not sure what she wanted to say. She felt open, like a dairy whose lock was picked. Terumi surely would be able to pick out the contents if he wanted to.
"They are my thoughts Sempai. Don't take them," her voice grew a little stronger but kept its same quietness.

Her stomach decided to join in and complain rumbling in the most unladylike way. Kari quickly moved her hands down to silence it but the boy looked as if he was going to take action. Before she knew what was happening, the boy grabbed her hand. Then brain shut down. His actions were so quick, so unexpected, Kari did not know how to react. She did not have any money to waste on fast food bowls. She definitely could not afford to pay for his meal. Worst of all, after suffering the embarrassment of being revealed to be poor, she could not thank him. A bow would not be good enough.

Her body however knew what it wanted clearly. The sound of potentially being fed, allow her to follow the boy without resisting. It would not question anything except how much longer it had to wait. Her stomach calmed down after the two arrived in front of the place. It was more of a food cart or stand sort to speak. They served a edible bowl, something Kari has seen on special occasions at the inn. It was a great dish for kids but could be refine into a delicacy should the demand call for it.

As Kari feared, the boy paid for it, furthering Kari's debt to the boy. Still she accepted the bowl. Debt was better than starving after running so far on a empty stomach. Still, she hesitated to eat and opted to watch the boy first. He moved to a wall and started to dig in. She followed him and inspected the wall. It was probably dirty so she just stood a inch or two off and took a nibble of the bowl. It was not bad, but everything was tasty on a empty stomach. She turned back to Terumi only for him to hit her with another question. This time it was more of a follow up to her answer about the theater with the bonus of asking about her family inn. The later was a subject Kari was much more comfortable talking about. Also, she was in debt so she felt obligated to cooperate.

"My family owns a Inn, not a spring, though we do have a hot springs. It is far out of town, a day's walk though my mom manages to make the trip in a couple of hours. When I graduated, I could make the trip in 8 hours though now I am a lot faster," She turned to him and saw the smile only to remember he had a actual question, "Oh... right. Your question."
Kari lowered her head, "It is too far to work, and my Father won't pay me. Mother might give me money, but then she will use it against me later to do her chores."

She really hoped that answer his questions because she wanted to ask one of her own.

"So is being a shrine maiden bad? I know I do not follow the religion but the temple owner said he did not mind," she asked in her ever changing dreary tone before taking starting with the rice.

WC:928

Miyamoto listened to her answers as he ate quietly, her response to him saying how long it took to get to her home was something that he raised an eyebrow at. He only assumed that her family's Inn was near the borders, but to do that each day was something that Miyamoto thought would be good training. He was trying to figure about how long it would take him to get there, if he was going full speed it should not take long. Oh well, a question for another day. When she answered his question finally he responded in kind, with a soft voice as he looked at her.

"It is not that being a shrine maiden is bad, just not really your style...unless you were trying to find a new angle to draw something, but I do not see your sketchbook on you, and I highly doubt that dress would be able to hide a sketchbook..." He answered back and continued to eat before he looked up into the sky for a moment before speaking again.
"So have you found out any answers to the questions you asked me before while hurrying off? I know you still want to be a shinobi, and after hearing about that spar with Cole the other day, I see you don't show signs of stopping. I won't lecture you on it any longer, but I won't let you go out to your death either. So if you insist on following out your dream out and being a shinobi helps you better yourself, then I will teach you all that I can and train with you so that you do not find yourself on the receiving end of a blade." Miyamoto said as his voice grew a little monotone as well before he shook his head of whatever thought he had and continued to eat.
"The meal is my treat, you should not work or train on an empty stomach." He said as he flashed a small grin her way.

After finishing his bowl he quickly wiped his hands by smacking them together, doing the best he could. He was easily seen now as the thirteen-year-old that he was as he stood there and looked a little anxious. It was a long awkward pause that if went uninterrupted would last a good two minutes as Miyamoto watched the sun disappear behind some buildings that were a bit taller. It was a weird thing for him to just have a girl with him, he was unsure of what to do in this situation, so he swallowed hard as he confusingly looked to Kari.

"How often do you come to the village to find work anyway if it is such a long walk?" He asked in honest speculation.

WC:470/1,185

"Not my style," Kari repeated slowly. Her dreary voice held out each word carefully drawing out every meaning the combination could produce. Kari did not understand why the boy said such a thing. Sure Kari did not do any of the personable stuff but she was really good at cleaning the temple. They would praise her all the time. Also they were really nice. They never bothered her nor did they call her names. However when the boy mentioned drawing and not being able to hold her sketchbook, Kari hesitated to respond. Working at the temple did slow down her research on the ever elusive smile. She had no way to carry her notebook and pencils inside of the uniform. Also, all the hard work did take up much of her time, way more then working at the inn. Kari pondered about the idea. Why she did not understand this style, she did see how it hurt her goals. However, it did provide her with some money. Maybe if she could do harder missions... no, she was not ready. She shook her head and took a bite of the chicken.
"I need money. I can't afford to eat and maintain my equipment with e rank missions alone."

She then continued, finishing off the rice and leaving a few pieces of chicken left. The area grew more quiet as more and more people left turning it into a great atmosphere. Kari turned to the great mind reader only for him to break out another word bank. With free food, she could deal with it. Except she couldn't. He asked the status of her quest. There was no easy way to answer in a way that showed progress when she had none. She could always lie, but she did not want to be her mother. She remained quiet, luckily the conversation turned into a continuation of the shinobi lecture again. The boy was resourceful to already know about her fight with Cole. She lowered her head, expecting him to dismiss her plan, but instead he offered to help.

She turned her head back to him but something else caught her eye. His speech pattern for a moment changed. He stopped glowing, just like her mom did. It was only for a moment but she was sure of it. This boy was broken too. Before she could respond, he tried to hide the moment with a grin and promise that she did not have to pay him back, though not worded exactly in that way. Then he put up a smile one with the glow of a firefly. However it was different, like a picture with no color.
"I guess we broken people have to stick together," Kari sighed knowing he would not change his mind.

Then she gave him a bow. After that the two finished their dishes. Terumi regressed into what could only be described as a child like state, clapping his hands to brush off the food particles. Kari, was much more careful not to dirty her hands too much but a napkin from the Kart would be enough to cleanse her from the fast food grim. Terumi however had a little bit on his chin.
"Hold still sempai."
Kari grabbed a clean napkin and raised herself toes so she could wipe the food off his face, if he would let her. Cleaning was her specialty, something she could do right. It was important for her hobbies, craft, family, and job. Her face remained blank despite how Terumi would act and then she wasted the rest of the time to looking at the glowing orange sky. The sun would be setting soon and Kari did not want to miss the scene. Her only regret was not having her sketch book.

Then out of nowhere, Terumi asked the million dollar question. It was an interesting question and not one Kari was not expecting. She did not know many people who could make that long walk in order to work. It was why most of the staff lived nearby or in the inn. Kari did not turn her head from the sky. It was a simple answer.
"I don't make the trip often. Since becoming a ninja, I only went back once. I currently live in the village now. Maybe I should go back and visit. It has been years since I seen my father."

With all the questions, Kari wanted to ask her own. One thing she wondered was does he live alone. She heard that a lot of ninjas do but everyone was different.
"Do you live with your family? What are they like?"

WC: 774

Miyamoto could hear that monotoned voice as she spoke, though this time it seemed to be more refined, she was most likely trying to decipher a message in his words.  It really was almost funny to watch, as she hung on to every word, but when she said her next sentence he had the urge to speak up, but for now, he would keep quiet.  It was weird that he had to comprehend a kid his age having to work to make sure that their quality of life is upheld.

When she did not answer him concerning how she was doing on her quest Miyamoto dismissed the talk further as he gave a small sigh.  Then as he spoke about his past and then the eventual breakdown in his own mind caused him to reveal to Kari a side of him he did not think he would show to anyone.  Her response to it was even more puzzling but genuine in the fact that Miyamoto knew exactly what she was saying.  A simple nod was all that he gave in response, and as she bowed Miyamoto in his childlike glee went to bow as well as he enjoyed her company.  When she told him to stay still he remained like a board as she grabbed a napkin and wiped his face of any food that was left as he grew to beat red with embarrassment.  He wanted to apologize but did not know how so a solemn gulp as he swallowed his own saliva and words were enough for the tension to break as she answered his final question in turn.  He was shocked when she revealed that she had not seen her father in years and now he understood what she meant by her first answer.  He wanted to facepalm, he was incredibly bruised as he did not catch her meaning.  Then he became still as if lightning had struck him as she asked about his family.  

"I live with my mother, though I think lately she is growing close to another man...which is fine, I want her happy.  I know she worries about me but she understood what I was trying to do by becoming a shinobi after my family arrived here as refugees we quickly had to adapt or fall into obscurity.  My brothers are simple blacksmiths with their own families, and my grandfather that made the journey with us died this year as well.  I don't really have an answer as to what they are like since I am gone most of the time myself.  I have a path of my own you know..."  Miyamoto started as he let out a sigh, thinking back to the long journey to get to Hoshi.
"My mother is an extrovert that in her day, she was the life of the party back in my home village.  Since we arrived here, she worked hard with multiple jobs to pay for a better house as well as help with my grandfathers failing health.  Since I brought in some earnings and became known around the village she has been taken care of in the fact that she receives better jobs and pay for my hard work.  I just want her happy..."  He says as he neglected to mention any word of his father.


WC: 550

Kari felt relieved that Terumi did not push for an answer to his question about her finding her answer to the question she asked him. Ultimately it made the experience more tranquil and calm. Her heart was not the thing she wanted on her mind, neither was the boy's smile. All she wanted to do was take in the peaceful air brushing her skin and the glowing sky and its dying light. The only thing more interesting than that was Terumi's family history.

Off the back Kari picked out a interesting fact. Terumi's parents were not together. Also, the boy was living with his mother. If that woman was anything like Kari's mom, than Kari would have questioned the logic behind the decision. The boy also mentioned that he wanted the woman to be happy. Kari thought about this. in the short pause in his story. As much as Kari spoke ill of her mother, it was out of a desire to have the woman be better. At least, that is what Kari told herself. In the end, she wanted to relate to the boy but a small quirk in her personality stopped her. Happiness was the same thing as a smile which Kari has yet to grasped. Her mother on the other hand was a master. So did that mean she was always happy? Kari decided that she did not need to make the woman happy. She probably already was given how much she plays around like a child. It made Kari feel like the mom.

Kari could understand parents caring about the well being of their children. Despite her mom suggesting the path of being a ninja, her mom did also try to guide her off the path to become an artist. It was something Kari never understood. Her drawings, paintings, and even sketches were constantly praised. No matter what she drew her parents were happy, making the praise seemingly empty. Also she never understood why people enjoyed such things. It was just lines on paper after all. His next statement would clip off Kari's thoughts.

"You are not of Haven?" Kari asked with her dreary voice which was a little louder than normal. The only other person she knew who was a foreigner was her mother and was miles apart from everyone else in the country.
"You fit in so well," she added why barely speaking above a whisper.
His family was more interesting than she would have imagined. His brothers being blacksmiths of different families? She did not understand what that mean but her curiously did not ward another question. She would simply nod until she heard about the death of the grandfather followed by an inability to answer all of her question. Kari watched as the boy sighed. It was confusing since so many things could trigger that effect. A deep breath, something he said, boredom. Kari hoped she was not boring, though she knew she was. Still, she wondered if she should have done something.

A death in the family was suppose to trigger some sort of emotion. Other people reacted with deep changes in their expressions. Kari knew cause she would watch from the backgrounds. However Kari did not feel anything triggering a reaction. Her heart did not beep, her body did not grow warmer or colder, and there where no tingling feelings in her head. She felt the same. She wanted to feel something. She wanted to be sad, angry, something that could make her appear normal. But no matter how hard she wanted, her body would not respond. This left her silent with a blank face. She could not say something. Worry of appearing mean, hateful, cruel, or weird took hold of her voice and sealed her lips. At the very least she turned away while moving her hands into her sleeves. Not staring at his reaction was the only thing action she was capable of.

After a long pause the boy returned to talking about his mother. Despite his claims to not be able to speak on their behavior patterns, he listed some satisfactory answers. Enough for her to review when she was alone. She turned back to him but his expression did not improve. The thing triggering this behavior which was not glowing smile was still present. She lowered her eyes to the ground and thought about it. This was the longest conversation she has had with anyone other than her family. She got to see many different reactions from a glowing red face when she wiped food off, to his broken side, to a smile. She did not know which was best for him, but she liked smiles. It was what she wanted to implement herself so she focused on that. Then it hit her.
"I am no expert, but you have to end with a question," Kari walked in front of the boy, "I... you can... I can share my thoughts sempai. If... I could see..."

Her words would not come out. She closed her eyes, and she questioned why her lips would not say the word smile. At any other time, she would be able to bluntly say what she wanted. It was a flaw. She tried to open her mouth but all she could manage to do was lower her head. Well, at he very least, she knew he would be able to pick out something.

"Just... You can ask me questions too..."

WC: 908

Her voice rang out in his head as he heard her question, he felt the inevitable slide of his demeanor as his personalities clashed inside of him like waves of water against the rocks.
How could he be that stupid as to tell someone about his family?
Why is he so attached to this girl?
Why doesn't he speak already?
What the holy hell...
They all rang out inside of him, but yet he still looked at her as she stated that he fit in so well. He scratched the back of his head as he wrestled with his voices, finally, he spoke.

"I am from Amegakure...a once great village in its own right. My family narrowly escaped when things went to shit. It is not a big deal..." He said as he nervously smiled as he hid the fact his father was the dead Kage of the village.

She offered her words then to fill his head and ears as she spoke that she could share her thoughts as well, even calling him Sempai. It was actually kind of funny as he smiled genuinely again, and then she said he could ask her questions he decided to finally speak again.

"Would you like to go and visit your family again, or find an easier alternative to living alone in the village?" He started as continued with another question. "Perhaps a roommate? It is tough out here alone." He finished as he looked down to see a lizard having difficulty climbing out of a drain. A swift and precise movement allowed the lizard to escape the drain and whatever inhabited it and up Miyamoto's arm, it went. It crawled on him until it felt it was high enough then it leaped onto the wall behind him and squeezed through the cracks.

It was a small and simple gesture for Miyamoto, but he looked peaceful as he helped the animal. It was yet another side of him showing the world that he was broken, but his morality and childish nature to help those that cannot help themselves remained.

WC:350/2,085