There must have been an event drawing people away, or some sickness keeping people at home; Roku's mind searched for reasons why the Baazar wasn't packed to the brim with crowds on such a beautiful day as today. This shopping trip didn't include the usual bystanders bumping against him as he maneuvered through the sea of bodies, nor the overwhelming babble of voices from hundreds trying to conduct business or just idly spoke to their companions. The redhead was rather confused by it, almost as much as the downcast merchants who were accustomed to making heaps of ryo from all the customers, but unlike them Rokumaru considered this a great occurrence, one that warranted a little skip ok his step. He could walk from shop to shop without being jostled around like a rag doll, and wouldn't have to practically scream just to speak to who he was buying from.

The Genin gripped his shopping list in one hand, reading it over while his other held the leather pouch he needed to carry his groceries. What, you think everything a shinobi did had to involve their career? Of course not! Shinobi needed bread and meat to make a lunch to pack, needed gauze and bandages for any cuts and scrapes, they even needed toilet paper. Well, Roku didn't need that this time, he preferred to buy in bulk.

But that left him in need of various foodstuffs: bread and meat of course, fresh fruits and vegetables from the farmer's market as they had the best produce, and a big jar of milk. The boy got a good bit of food from the animals he hunted in the deserts outside the walls of the village but that was the beauty of capitalism; anything he wanted would surely be sold by someone at a reasonable price. He could live off snake meat and insects, but why should he when there were crunchy carrots and apples, beef and pork that made his mouth water. Some parts of the village were run down and in decline but the Baazar, and it's commerce, continued to thrive.

Roku made a stop at the butcher's shop for his meat, and as a recreational carnivore he loaded up his pouch with a few pounds of meat. Thank the ancestors for refrigeration or he wouldn't be able to buy so much at a time, or have meats that had to be imported to Suna. Fish was one such luxury that he wasn't very familiar with, and he kind of envied those that lived by lakes and oceans who could have the animals whenever they pleased. Half a pound of salmon cuts went into his back, all the frozen meat cooling the pouch considerably.

Next he went to the farmers market and cursed himself for not going there first and leaving the frozen foods to be gotten last. But he'd be sure to make it quick and hurry off back home before his ryo went to waste, and he was thankful most of the Grand Baazar was empty despite it approaching midday. Whenever he stop at a stand and poked through the produce the merchants were overly friendly and willing to bargain in order to make up all the lost revenue from the lack of customers, saving Roku a pretty penny when it came to each individual sale. Carrots and potatoes, beans and squash, apples and berries all went in the pouch next to the meat like there wasn't anything amiss with cross-contamination. If there was anything wrong with letting the items touch Roku likely wouldn't know; despite his overwhelming fatigue and general lack of energy, the Sabaku had an amazingly strong immune system. Get at him, E. coli.

His pouch filled with groceries was heavy as he swung it over his shoulder, but he hardly noticed as he checked over his list. The teen must have been getting stronger over these past months, but it was much more likely due to him being at the start of puberty. Hmm. Anyway, as he went down the list and mentally checked off each item on it, he came down to the final item: milk.

Nothing like a fresh glass of milk and a bowl of grain cereal to start the day, that's what Roku would say. It sort of bothered him that the milk sold in the Bazaar would be filtered before being homogenized, just to strain out bits of sand that might have gotten in, when after only one or two days of being in his home would have a large amount silted at the bottom of the glass. He loved sand but not all that much when consuming it, as it was very hard to digest and would leave him sick to his stomach. And that's not even mentioning getting a good spoonful of cereal only to bite down on the grains unexpectedly.

A short walk through the deserted market took him to a small one-story wood and stone building on a corner street that specializes in cold beverages, from water to fruit juices to his beloved milk. Stepping through the doors was refreshing as he went from desert heat to air-conditioning, and it brought a smile to his face along with a quick welcome from the smiling man behind the counter. Inside the store were shelves upon shelves of refrigerated coolers lining the walls while things that needn't be cold were lined up in two rows opposite the counter, likely so the cashier could see anyone attempting to shoplift. Rokumaru made his way to the furthest corner from the doors where he knew the dairy products were, but an unwelcome sight graced his eyes.

There was one bottle of milk left in the whole store. Either the shop was low on inventory or hadn't been restocked but the sight of that lonely jar of white creaminess made him a little choked up. This wouldn't last three days, let alone a week! Roku guessed there was about 32 ounces per jar, half a gallon, barely enough for both breakfast and occasional glasses as a beverage. Roku stood there for a few moments as he spaced out, as he often did, thinking about how he would ration out the single glass to last him until next week.

WC: 1068

What a nice today it was, oh boy! Barely anyone out, meaning the little Genin could finally go shopping without any trouble, or getting slight bruises just from being pushed around, due to the fragility of his body. Good thing too, for there was barely anything left at the house to eat anymore, since he ended up eating a lot more than usual after getting to work in the village, with both his squad, and the missions he had undergone, not to mention his training. It was time to set a better quantity of foods to buy so he didn't run out of everything so quickly, and to start this he'd make a run to the farmer's market.

The quality of the produce was rather incredible, considering they lived in the middle of a freaking desert. Of course, there's nothing to say that it wasn't just traded, like most were in markets, but considering it said "home-grown" right beside it, assuming such a thing was questionable, and he didn't want to believe his village couldn't be self sufficient. He'd pick up a variety of ingredients; bean sprouts, carrots, scallions, pumpkin seeds, zucchini, tomatoes, potatoes, rice...god, so many things to get! He also got a few seed packets of everything he got, so that he could try to start his own garden and wouldn't have to go to the store anymore often than he already was, and with a payment of his Ryo, it was off to get his meat.

There were many choices in this section of the Bazaar as well, from beef, chicken, even duck; but one specific thing called his name, and that was some nice, juicy sirloin steaks, and chicken breasts. Those would immediately go into his bag, along with a selection of spices to go along with it, and a jar of olive oil. With that done, he now made it to his final destination; the dairy aisle.

And to his surprise...it was nearly stripped bare! It was like a storm or something was going to happen soon, but no one took bread, just the milk! The one thing he held dear to his heart, pretty much all gone! He would have been devastated, if it weren't for the fact that a single bottle stood right in the middle of the whole thing...he had tapped the metal of where they held it to listen for the satisfying jingle of glass, and he could confirm that there was only one. But he wasn't the only one eyeing it. He could feel the tremor of footsteps a least twenty meters in front of him, and only a dumb person would believe they weren't there for the milk too. Determined to keep it all for himself, he began fast-walking it, his green ponytail flowing a bit behind him and his womanly figure allowing for a bit of an agile trek. That milk was his, and damn anyone that would try to take it from him. This was war to him now.

-Word Count: 519-

He could always come back tomorrow, even though Roku truly doubted the marketplace would be as deserted as it was today and it would be a bit of a waste of time just to come shopping just for milk. But how could anyone expect a growing young shinobi to get his proper nutrition without the lovely beverage known as milk, with all the protein needed to reinforce his, admittedly, rather weak bones. Some people could get by on eating worthless things like ramen, with all the nutrition of warm cardboard, but the pale redhead understood the need for a balanced diet in order to achieve max growth potential. And how could he achieve such a balanced diet without milk!? The most important component to the most important meal of the day!

Roku figured it could have been worse, there could have been no milk in the entire store, so the boy shrugged his shoulders and snatched up the bottle while he thanked his partially-good luck. He heard a ringing sound that he recognized as the shop's front door being opened and another customer entering, which he put out of his mind as he inspected the glass bottle in his hands for any floating scum in the liquid or any cracks in the bottle. But neither could be found; this was a premium piece of merchandise from one of the farms dotting the wastes close to Suna, supplying the rather desolate village with a bit of food that didn't need to be imported from a more agrarian nation.

There were many benefits from operating a shinobi village in the dangerous and practically endless deserts of Kaze no Kuni: it was a great deterrent for others looking to invade, a natural buffer from its neighbors that did not require much in the way of reinforcement, and instilled a tenacity in it's citizens as they worked hard just to survive everyday life. But for all the benefits of being desert-dwelling there were just as many drawbacks. It was a constant drain on resources to keep the village afloat, and while water could be drained from underground springs food like grains and crops could not be grown in significant amounts to lead to a surplus. The sands were somewhat fertile and could foster hardy vegetables, and livestock could be kept with a bit of effort, but some veggies and practically every fruit not grown on a cactus was a luxury only imported from the more temperate regions.

Ah, but there was no need to dwell on that gloomy subject, for the spirits were smiling on Roku today! He would not return home devoid of dairy, and that was a victory to him. You could only take life one day at a time and not concern yourself with the future and for today at least, the boy was triumphant in his shopping adventure.

With his pack of groceries slung over his left shoulder and the milk in his right hand Roku began heading to the front to pay, but noticed a quick-moving customer who was practically booking it to the dairy section. If the other customer, a slim boy with strange green hair tied up in a ponytail, was looking for a beverage of the dairy variety, he would be out of luck.

Roku held up his bottle amicably and gestured at the now empty shelf. "If you're here for any milk," he warned the stranger, "they just ran out. Maybe they'll stock up again if you stick around and wait." A nice guy would offer up the bottle to the customer, assuming he even did want it, but Roku was not nice when it came to his groceries.

WC: 1068+622=1690