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Post by Pikachu on Apr 17, 2009 22:18:37 GMT -5
Dear Akane,
It has come to the attention of the Council that you have recently been subjected to several highly stressful missions right after another. Normally, we would assume the ninja capable of dealing with such job stress, but your young age has led us to believe a temporary rest from your shinobi duties would be good.
Furthermore, your team has recently been assigned a new member, and such a break would give you an excellent excuse to bond with them.
Akane crumbled the note up and threw it away. She didn't enjoy being treated like a little kid, but the idea of a break didn't seem to be a bad idea. They had a point about the missions lately being very high stressed, and the news of a new team member intrigued her. Sadly, her lack of funds meant she couldn't travel anywhere, and so she decided to spend her spare time at the local hot springs. She had heard they were supposed to be a great place to unwind.
She had also invited Mai to join her, even if it was undercover. Toshiro, being placed on the same squad as her, would probably come as well since he was being forced on the break. Besides, she assumed he'd want to meet the new member as well.
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Post by Digital ♥ on Apr 17, 2009 22:28:16 GMT -5
Right after he got Akane`s invitation he quickly made his way to the local hot springs. There was absolutely no way that he was going to miss a decent team bonding experience, and meeting their third team member. Ever since Mai disappeared he was moved from Daisuke`s team to Henjin`s. He of course showed up way to early, Toshiro was already in his black shorts, but he kept a large towel wrapped around his body so nobody could see him. The boy was shy after all. Toshiro paced around the lobby waiting for the others to come.
When Akane invited Mai she had a big smile on her face, she had every intention of dragging Hiroshi along with her so they could catch up. Hiroshi was out at the academy helping out the teachers, but he promised her he would come as soon as he could. The Uchiha was out eating ramen so it was likely that she would show up at an awkward time as she always did.
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Post by Pikachu on Apr 17, 2009 22:40:19 GMT -5
"Arrive early again Toshiro?" Akane asked as she noticed the boy pacing around the lobby. She knew it was him the instant she spotted him as he was the only person in the lobby wrapped with a towel that wasn't wet.
As for herself, Akane was wearing a tan one piece suit (she was surprised she could find one on such short notice) with her towel slung across her shoulder. She was looking around, trying to keep an eye out for Mai. Then again, the girl was always late. Kind of balanced out Toshiro's earlyness.
"So then, anxious to meet this new team member?"
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Post by Digital ♥ on Apr 17, 2009 22:49:37 GMT -5
Toshiro stopped in a very awkward fashion when he heard Akane`s voice. Slowly he turned towards her, baring the straightest and most shocked face. He clutched the towel around his upper body even tighter now that she was there, Toshiro was totally embarrassed.
"Oh, Hey Akane! I-I ummm didnt see you there." He quickly managed a reply, Toshiro looked his team mate over in her tan swimming suit. His pale cheeks turned light pink. The only thing that could top off the awkwardness factor for him was if Mai managed to show up and say something really stupid. Toshiro glanced around the lobby, his eyes scouting for Mai but luckily she wasnt around at all.
"O-Our team mate?" Toshiro stared down at his feet, and kept his gaze fixed on his bare feet, "I nearly forgot about him.... is he here yet?"
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Post by Pikachu on Apr 17, 2009 23:15:00 GMT -5
"Is something wrong Toshiro?" Akane asked, noticing his usually pale cheeks turning a bit red. Then again, in an environment like this it wouldn't be surprising. If he had trouble around people normally, a hot springs probably wouldn't help things much.
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Momiji sighed as he looked up at the hot springs entrance. He had no idea why the first day on this new team ended up being a day here. It was a waste of time in his opinion. He was told it was for 'team bonding' purposes, but that sort of thing could be done on the field. What he thought was the truth was his two teammates just wanted to goof off. Still, he had to work on his social skills if he was to pull this off.
After changing out of his clothing into a pair of black trunks, he headed out into the lobby to find his teammates. There were two kids about his age, a girl in a tan swimsuit and a boy that looked flustered. He recognized their faces from the pictures that he had been given at the reassignment, and assumed these were his partners.
"Excuse me you two. Are you Toshiro and Yokoyama Akane?" He asked.
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Akane turned around when she heard someone call out her name, and noticed the boy. She gave him a quick glance over, noting the look of boredom on his face. He obviously wasn't the social type, something that seemed really common on their team.
"Yes, I'm Yokoyama Akane. I'm assuming then that you are..."
The boy nodded before she could finish.
"I am Michishige Momiji. I am pleased to meet your aquantince." He replied rather laconicly. Akane thought the politeness a bit odd, but the boy could just have been nervous on how to approach them.
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Post by Digital ♥ on Apr 17, 2009 23:30:44 GMT -5
Toshiro quickly looked up and gawked at Akane awkwardly. His eyes were widened with worry, and embarrassment. His hands shot up in defense, and he dropped his towel, showing the world his skinny yet somewhat muscular frame. It was nothing a normal guy would hide, but he didnt want to make a bad impression on either of them.
"N-Nnnnnoooo, what made you think that?" He squeaked. Toshiro heard someone elses voice and let out a sigh, glad that somebody could break. The other boy on their team was just about as anti-social as the rest of them, they should have been called that too. The only person that they were missing from their team was their sensei Henjin.
"Im T-Toshiro... its umm... nice to meet you."
Unknown to them, Yuuto was sneaking about the hot springs unwanted. He crept around the womens springs like the sly toad he was, spying through the tiny holes and cracks in the walls. He had several toad stationed around the springs, playing as his eyes too.
"Hehehehehehehehhe." Yuuto had a little scope that he had in a hole, watching all of the women splash around in the water. At the first sign of a noise, he would quickly turn around and hide himself in the water so only his eyes and the towel on his head could be seen above the surface.
Henjin was also there, he finally had a day off and had no intentions of sitting around at home. And what better place was there to be other than the hot springs, he could smell Yuuto`s sent. But the smell of the spring water did confuse his nose though. The wolf ninja was relaxing in a mixed gender spring, spread out. He wore some dark green trunks.
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Post by Pikachu on Apr 18, 2009 7:53:41 GMT -5
Momiji didn't really respond to Toshiro's introduction, instead just glancing over him. Looking at the kid's body, he obviously wasn't that big on taijutsu. That would mean he probably used ninjutsu. He would have to ask about that later. As for the girl, it looked like the same deal.
"So then, how long are we going to be required to stay here?" He asked, wondering how long this 'team bonding' was going to last.
"Just a day or two. The Council is making me do it, believing I've had too many high-stress missions in too short a time. I personally think that is ridiculous, but I don't mind the free day off. Besides, gives us a chance to know you better."
Momiji didn't respond to that either, giving off the impression he wasn't that interested in that part. Still, seeing as he was here, he might as well attempt to relax a bit. In the silence that followed Akane began feeling a bit awkward, and looked toward the door hoping Mai or Hiroshi would pop in and break the silence. When it looked as if that wasn't going to happen, she made a suggestion.
"So then, should we go to the mixed gender area or go to the separate ones?"
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Post by Digital ♥ on Apr 18, 2009 13:24:35 GMT -5
Toshiro stopped talking and thought about Akane`s question for a moment, normally he would have said separate incase she wasnt comfortable with guys being around her, but if they were supposed to be bonding as a team then the more time they spent together the better.
"Well, i`d say mixed if we want to hang out together." Toshiro said with a shrug, "But what ever you guys want to do is fine with me..."
Yuuto adjusted the spyglass so he could zoom in on them better. But when their chattering stopped, and turned into whispering he got a little concerned. They began to point at the hole, then they screamed. He quickly put the little spyglass away and made a run for it. He ran through the lobby and past them with a mob of extremely angry women in towels running after him.
Toshiro stared at the blonde haired man, he had nothing but respect for the man since he was the previous hokages apprentice, but after seeing this.... well he lost a little bit of that respect.
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Post by Pikachu on Apr 18, 2009 14:32:07 GMT -5
Momiji had a similar idea about how to proceed as Toshiro. Whatever got the day over with faster was fine with him. He replied with his usual silence, leaving Akane to make up her mind. Before she could do that, however, the lobby was filled with a mob of women chasing after some blonde-haired man she fadely remembered as Yuuto. She placed her hand on her forehead and sighed. Some men could be real perverts, and she truly hoped none of them would be around today.
"You know, I think it's best we not go into whatever room they just came from, and considering the large amount of women I think they were from the seperate facilities. So then, I guess we'll go co-ed."
((Soo, is Mai going to show up soon?))
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Post by Digital ♥ on Apr 18, 2009 17:03:49 GMT -5
(Yes yes, soon enough :] )
Toshiro nodded his head as he watched the mob fade away into the distance. He remembered Lord Yuuto as an odd man, always asking strange questions about Mai to Daisuke. He over all seemed like a nice guy, but any person could see that he was a pervert. Toshiro looked back at Akane then at Momiji. The other boy on his team didnt seem like he wanted to be there at all, so he wanted to make this as painless as possible for them.
"I agree, but what about Henjin-sensei? He is our squad leader after all, shouldnt he be bonding with us as well?"
Hiroshi came into the lobby, still fully dressed in his regular clothing. He waved to the group.
"Wheres Mai?" Toshiro asked the bright haired ninja.
Hiroshi tilted his head and glanced around. He then said, "I dont know, I thought she was with you guys."
Mai was still at Ichiraku ramen, but she had fallen asleep while waiting for her third bowel of ramen. She snored softly as some civilians shot strange looks at her.
(THis is my third time typing this D: < It keeps signing me out )
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Post by Pikachu on Apr 18, 2009 17:13:39 GMT -5
"I think Henjin is already here somewhere, but for now I think it would be better if we all work on getting to know each other. No offense to Henjin sensei, but it's kind of hard to be open with a sensei around."
Turning around, Akane looked over Hiroshi's outfit.
"You know, that really isn't appropriate clothing for a hot springs. Don't own a swimsuit or something?"
Upon hearing that Mai wasn't with her, Akane started thinking about where she could be. And then, just like upon witnessing the mob, Akane placed her hand on her head and sighed.
"Knowing Mai, she's probably eating ramen or something at that Ichiraku place. If you don't mind Hiroshi, do you mind getting her? If you need us we'll be heading over to the co-ed area."
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Post by Digital ♥ on Apr 18, 2009 17:27:21 GMT -5
"Thats the reason I didnt put on my trunks yet, I wanted to make sure she was here before hand." Hiroshi told Akane, "I`ll be back once I find her."
He headed off, Toshiro shrugged when his idea was rejected. She was probably right, but it was worth a shot. He hardly knew Henjin, since he was switched to his team fairly recently, but there would be time for that later.
"So... ummm... lead the way I guess." Toshiro looked to Akane, he had never been to the hotsprings before so he hoped that she would know her way around.
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Post by Pikachu on Apr 18, 2009 17:37:30 GMT -5
Momiji hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings before, but the mention of the name Mai brough him back into the loop. He knew the girl. Everyone knew her. She was chosen by Naruto to house the Kyuubi when he died, and that she had died at the Sand Village Chuunin Exams. So why were they talking about her as if she was alive?
"Excuse me, but is this Mai you are talking about Mai Uchiha?" He asked.
Akane realized what had just occured, and what it must have sounded like to the new team member. But since Mai wanted to stay under cover a little bit longer, she had to cover it up.
"Uh, no. It's another girl with a similar name. She's a friend of Hiroshi, and he had wanted to bring her along."
Momiji bought it for now, but he'd keep an eye on the situation. Something strange was going on, and he wanted to know.
"Anyway Toshiro, the co-ed area should be nearby. Just keep your hands off of any other ladies in there, unless you want to end up like Yuuto," she said with a bit of a grin, trying to joke while at the same time giving him some friendly advice.
She headed over to the area and opened the door to the outside. They were greeted by a giant pool of water, steam filling up the area. There was a lion's head fountain on the opposite side that had the water pouring out to keep the water fresh. Apparently Yuuto's actions from earlier had emptied the place out, but there were still some people in it.
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Post by Digital ♥ on Apr 18, 2009 17:46:36 GMT -5
Henjin heard his students familiar voices, he groaned. The jounin had wanted a few moments of peace, he glanced up to see them walk by to the next spring. Just his luck. Henjin sat back and enjoyed his freedom from the genin.
Toshiro laughed quietly at her comment, he didnt want to have the same fate as the pervert jounin. He followed after her to the spring area and finally took his towel off and threw it over his shoulder. Toshiro turned back around and smiled at her.
"I hope this goes well." He whispered to Akane, "Momiji doesnt really seem like hes that interested in being here. Although the mention of Mai seemed to spark some interest."
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Post by Pikachu on Apr 18, 2009 18:17:19 GMT -5
"Yeah, well, Mai wants to lay low so we can't let him know that Mai is Mai Uchiha." Akane replied, whispering to keep Momiji out of the loop. He noticed there going ons, but didn't think they were anything important. Instead, he simply headed right past them and entered the water. He flinched a little at the hotness of the water, but eventually he sank in the water up to his chest. He laid back against the wall a little, and even looked a bit more loosened up.
"Well, Momiji seems to have the right idea Toshiro. So let's finally get into the springs."
With that Akane followed Momiji's example and headed in. She sat on the opposite side of the guy, but her pleasure was a bit more noticeable.
"I have to say they didn't lie about these springs being really good. I could stay here all day, except I'd probably look like a steamed lobster by then."
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