Saki was taking a stroll through the village. A lot happened recently, moving away from the orphanage, becoming a gennin. She wasn't assigned a team yet but that would happen soon enough. She first went to the shop to get some food to prepare for today, and a few days in advance. She would most likely go training again in her apartment. Not now though she was thirsty so she first went to drink something in some kind of bar. She had nothing with her that could be of note, maybe just a little money to buy supplies at the shop and some to buy something to drink. She went in and ordered some water. It was hot as always in the middle of the day. She choose a place in the back of the tavern, getting some good shade. Not getting some shade would be dangerous, but there wasn't much shade outside the buildings. There was not a cloud in the sky and the entire village was bathing in the sunlight.

Sunlight. Never-ending sunlight. A warm, abundant tingle ran through Kokoro's body as she strode down the streets of Suna with a smile on her face. So far, her day had been perfect. She slept for 10 hours and had a hearty brunch of eggs and fresh fish, not to mention the beautiful, cloudless day outside. She had the inspiration to spin around in the street, to reveal in the afternoon radiance, but she keep her hands in her pockets and kept walking, not wanting to draw any attention to herself. People on the street lingered their gazes on her because she was wearing a black hoodie, thinking she was going to die of heat exhaustion. Kokoro actually welcomed the unrelenting heat of the sun. There was no other way for her to get it.

With her brown backpack, Kokoro headed down the tan brick streets toward the Tsumi Sand Grounds for her daily training regiment. She created a mental list of her pack's contexts: beef jerky, Taijutsu scrolls, bandages, towel... all check. She usually used the water provided at the training grounds so she can save on water back home. But, as she licked her lips, she realized that her tongue was already parched. She halted. The Tsumi Sand Grounds were another twenty minutes away, and already swallowing was like downing sandpaper. She turned to her right and looked up, adjusting her purple cap. There was a brown wooden storefront with a sign that had pink bloated cursive writing: Desert Rose Tavern. She pondered, staring at the sign. Her feet tensed, waiting for the impetus to move toward the door. Kokoro continued to stare, grimacing slightly. She took a deep breath and exhaled. She dragged her feet toward the door of the bar and stared at the ground as she pushed the door open.

The restaurant was booming with people, nearly overflowing. The welcoming sunlight from before was non-existent here. Every patron was cloaked in shadow, most likely to avoid the afternoon sun. Some were solemn, hunched over their drinks and avoiding everyone's gazes. Others were more animated, gesticulating wildly, almost violently, and shouting over the roar of the restaurant clamor. Kokoro felt infinitesimal in the crowd. She inched toward the counter, averting her eyes from the patrons, pressing her shoulders closer together. She eventually made it to the counter, where the bartender stood cleaning a mug with a rag. "Water, please," she mumbled.

"Huh? Speak up, sweetie," the bartender barked.

"Water, please," she projected, barely being audible over the noisy patrons. The bartender nodded, and effortlessly, scooped chunks of ice into a glass and poured water into the glass from a pitcher. He then slide it towards Kokoro, and she clasped it with both hands.

Kokoro perused the tavern for an empty seat. Some men met with her eyes, but she ignored them, shifting her gaze in every other possible direction. Then her gaze froze. In a dark corner in back was a table with only one person, a girl about Kokoro's age, by the looks of it. The girl was clad completely in black with a short dress, boots, and stockings; her long pink hair stood out from her dark attire. Four tails, two in front and two in back, decorated with pink ribbons. A stunning appearance. Kokoro sauntered forward, glass in hand, and locked eyes with the girl's pink eyes. "May I sit here...? Please?" Kokoro asked in a scratchy whisper. If the girl says yes, Kokoro would immediately sit herself down and hunch over her drink, but not before looking up and giving a toothless smile as a sign of thanks.

Saki was enjoying her water. In the shadows not many people were paying attention to her. She didn't like the attention. Always throwing hard words or in bad cases even stuff at her head. Eventually a girl from around her age entered. She didn't knew her. She must have been in a year lower or higher then her. That said she didn't knew everyone in her class. Just the one that often grabbed attention. Which most ninjas left as it was not in the nature of a ninja to draw attention. Sometimes there were exceptions but not in her year, so far she knew. The teacher gave Saki a lot attention who didn't want it. She was happy that nobody payed attention at her and that she could drink her water to cool of in peace.

After the unknown girl had received her order she would and look around the place. Eventually her eye went to Saki 'oh no she isn't coming here is she?' Saki thought by herself. She would most likely bully her again or maybe just yell at her if she was lucky. When the girl came closer she only asked if she could sit here however. Saki was wary of the girl but allowed her. euuh... sure. She said neutrally. Not really angry or sad, but not very happy or enthusiastic either. She really didn't wasn't jumping to interact with the girl. She didn't want to take any chances. Many people would look strangely at the unknown girl like 'who would want to sit with her.'

The pink-haired girl responded to Kokoro's question with purposeful neutrality. Kokoro did not know what to make of it. She was never any good deciphering intent and meaning from other people's everyday speech as it were. A statement without a definable tone was even harder.

Kokoro's gaze was frozen at her drink in an attempt to fix her gaze away from the girl. Kokoro occasionally took a hefty swallow from the glass, which made her teeth clatter and her body shiver in waves. Just then, her stomach growled, but it was drowned out by the business of the tavern. A few moments later, it growled again even louder. Now? But I already ate breakfast. Kokoro gave a defeatist sigh. She swung her backpack onto her lap and began to rummage through the biggest pocket. In no time, she pulled out a bag of beef jerky with a comical illustration of a cow on the front. Instinctively, she dove her hand in, grabbing a handful, and stuffed the meat into her mouth. Her mouth parted wide open, revealing her sharp, triangular teeth, as she demolished the pieces of beef and swallowed, all of which was very ravenous and audible. She stuffed another handful when she realized that she was scarfing down food like an animal in someone else's company. Again. She froze, embarrassed, absentmindedly staring at the pink-haired girl with bright yellow eyes. She covered her mouth and swallowed hard.

Do I bother her? she thought to herself. Well, if she tells me to go away, I will. In the meantime, Kokoro decided to fill in the silence between them. Looking at the bag of jerky in her hand, she held it across the table: an offering. People do that, right? Share food?

"I'm Kokoro. What's... yours?" she asked. The pitch at the end raised of her sentence, as if unsure if this was actually a valid question.

Kikisu had been walking around the town in search of something to do while waiting for a call from the Chikamatsu builders, he knew that he was to work again soon but thy had such a mixed up schedule and they called him without warning, so he had a good bit of free time in between puppets, and today he was going to look around this village of his. He walked down the streets in his fishnet undershirt and his white robe unzipped so that his chest was in the open and the robe flapped in every breeze, today he was wearing long white silk pants, to combat the heat, his hair was in a nice looking ponytail and his nails painted white for the day, today was not a day for anything black unless someone really wanted to bake themselves. On his back in a large roll of cloth was Tabok rolled up, and in his hip his other two were sealed inside, he always kept them on his back, they made him feel safer, since he lived near the ghetto.

He walked past a bar stand and chose that he had a thrist, he walked up to the barkeep and grabbed a flavored water, he got his flavored with raspberry, making the iced water look a dark red, he sipped and smiled as he handed the money to the barkeep, he was pretty loaded since he had started building puppets for the Family business, it was then he spied something nice, two very pretty looking girls in the dark corner of the bar sipping at water, one was wearing all black and had pink hair done very well, and there was another with long black hair, they were both treasures, he walked over and stood at their table, Hello Ladies, may i have the honor of sitting with you two he finished as he bowed and smiled at them, knowing that he was an okay sight for girls, he had around 2 dates this week already and he wouldnt mind a few more....And what are you twos names if i may be so polite

hmm... was this girl trying to fool her? Was she trying to raise her hopes to smash it back into the ground to inflict greater pain? She clearly ignored the people looking at her. Saki watched as she ate her meat. It was inappropriate but Saki didn't care much about manners if there was a slight chance that she wasn't out to yell or hurt her she could try it. She had nothing to lose anyway. But how do you start talking to people? Saki wondered. She never met anyone with who she could casually talk like that. Then the girl introduced herself as Kokoro. "Sa... She didn't get much further as she was interrupted by a boy who asked that he could sit with them. What was this? A conspiracy? He was polite but she wondered how long that would last. Maybe... they didn't know about the seal on her back? If that was the case it would be luck. A lot of people in her life knew and to meet someone who didn't would make for a nice conversation. She would still be wary of both the girl and the boy though. "Sure." She said emotionless  while gestured to the seats. "As I was saying, my name is Saki." She introduced herself to the duo. Still being Wary that they might be forming a conspiracy or are just individually planning she still didn't show any emotion.

The pink-haired girl did not seem to mind Kokoro's ravenous eating habits. Thank God, she thought, relieved.

The girl was just about to introduce herself when a shadow began to loom over them. Kokoro bolted her gaze upward, almost like a meerkat sensing prey; a handsome boy with tan eyes and long tan hair running down his shoulders stood in by the table. The boy, clad in white robes, bowed and smiled, asking if he would have the honor of sitting with them, and his words were practically dripping with suavity and grace. Kokoro did not really know what to say. So seldom has anyone been polite to her own their own initiative. All she did was blink at the boy in white. The girl intervened and gave him permission to sit. Kokoro, in response, slide down a seat to make way for the boy.

The pink-haired girl finally revealed her name as Saki, rather emotionlessly too. Kokoro was nervous that this was a sign of disinterest, but she was not positive. As she hunched over her drink and looked down at the bobbing ice cubes, Kokoro gave a tiny smile. "Saki..." Kokoro whispered. That's a pretty name. Kokoro admired Saki's beauty on an objective level. Her vibrant hair and eyes created such a stark contrast with her pitch black dress and boots: a captivating explosion of color, and it seemed effortless. Kokoro never really minded not dressing up everyday. She preferred functionality over fashion, and a dress would definitely get in the way of training. Still nervous that Saki did not enjoy her company, Kokoro let a compliment slip out of her mouth. "You kinda remind me of a flower. I can imagine a bright pink flower with black stripes growing on the riverbed... Or something..." Her voice trailed off as she reached the end of her sentence, afraid she was sounding insincere. Kokoro turned to the boy in white. "You do too... a little. Like a lily." She lifted her cap, showing her favorite pin decorated with a white lily. Kokoro then took another gulp of her ice cold water.

As the boy in white sat down, he offered the same bag of jerky to him as she did to Saki. She paused briefly as she noticed the roll of cloth big enough to fit a person attached to the boy's back. Her curiosity piqued, but she knew it was none of her business to ask. Kokoro just met him, after all. Her curious thoughts, nevertheless, began to buzz in her head like a fly, and she thought if she got to know him more, maybe he would be willing to tell her. Kokoro started with an simple introduction. "Kokoro," she said as she pointed her thumb at herself. "Yours?" she asked, pointing to the boy.

One was Saki and the other was Kokoro, He knew that Saki meant good fourtune and Kokoro meant heart, that boded well and was very nice sounding, right after black haired girl compared both of them to flowers he spoke, Good Fortune and Heart, such pretty names, Well Kokoro and Saki, I am Kikisu Chikamatsu, and its a great pleasure to meet you two beautiful ladies, anything you want to order is on me, my treat as he finished he reached into one of his back pockets and pulled out two roses, he had picked them this morning near the Meeting cactus, one was red and one was white, he handed the red one to thte one with the pink hair with a smile and the other to the black haired one with a wink, he was going to give these to someone at the training grounds to try and impress them but this seemed a better time to use them, he sifted slightly to make room for tabok on his back, the puppet was quite cumbersome but he never left home without it, he had made it himself after all and even named it...

He then got a better look at the girl, seeing her pale skin, and sharp teeth and slitted eyes, it was oddly attracive, he doubted that many had that and the fact that her nails were even sharper looking then his, she was a real treat to look at, he then got a better look at the other, wearing all black, no emotion, for ponytails, she was obviously the recluse, and he loved to talk to them once in a while also, since they were quiet and awkward...

He took a sip of his flavored water and smiled at the taste it was a glorious cup of water, he looked at the one with the Pink hair, noticing that she had little emotion and then to the other who was making up for it by offering him some jerky, to which he took a piece and threw it into his mouth and chewed it with grace, he then started to speak once again, I like when girls arent afraid to eat like you aha he said in a semi kind and non offending manner, these two had now intrigued him, that was something to look in to for sure...

Saki heard Kokoro whispering her name. Did she just remembered now? She wondered what she would do to her. She wasn't really carrying about it anymore. It couldn't be worse then what already happened. She compared her to a flower? Saki blushed a little, she wasn't use to get compliments. She might have understood it as a insult but the tone the girl spoke with didn't fit as that of an insult. Even Saki could hear that. It wasn't like 'I am much better then you' tone. Saki didn't understand this at all. Why were they so nice to her? Nobody ever did that. Why would they now? She wasn't sure what to do now. Still so wary about both the people that were sitting at the same table. "Nice to meet you..." She answered once both the people had spoken their name. She wasn't sure she actually meant that but a little intonation was spoken in this sentence. She was still wary. Well she wouldn't hit off a free drinking water. She really did wonder why he would do that. This entire conversation was one big madness for Saki.

The boy decided to give her a rose? What was she supposed to do with a red rose? "um... It's it's beautiful but... What do I have to do with it? Saki asked carefully. She was a little afraid she sounded ungrateful. She actually was happy with it. It was the first present she actually got. The first thing she didn't have to fight, bargain or work for. She just didn't know why a rose.

(OOC: Sorry this took so long :P)

The boy in white complimented Kokoro and Saki's names by finding the beauty in their literal translations. Kokoro tried to hold back her smile, but a tiny lift of the corner of her mouth gave away her true feelings. The boy graciously introduced himself as Kikisu Chikamatsu and said it was a pleasure to meet such beautiful women. He even offered to pay for anything they want. Kokoro hunched over her drink even further, hiding her flushed red face beneath the visor of her cap. "T-thank you, Kikisu." He thinks I'm beautiful? Kokoro thought. Her mind was filled with rapid, ricochetting thoughts. W...why? What does he want from me? Seldom do people other than her mother tell Kokoro that she is beautiful, and those who have do so to make their insults hurt her even more. Most cannot look past her Kikawa features and see Kokoro's real beauty. Perhaps this boy has.

Kikisu took a piece of jerky from Kokoro, and she gave a half-nervous half-proud smile. "I like when girls aren't afraid to eat like you," the boy chuckled. Kokoro paused for a brief second before chuckling back, albeit more softly than his. Does he really like the way I eat? Huh.

Kikisu reached behind him and slipped his hand into his back pocket; Kokoro curiously leaned to see what he was doing. Without fishing for too long, Kikisu removed two roses, one red and one white. He handed the red one to Saki and smiled. Then, he held out the white one to Kokoro, and he gave her an alluring wink. She looked at the gorgeous white rose and then to Kikisu and then back to the rose. Her stare seemed vacant but only because her mind raced frantically. She held out her hand, which was shaking ever so slightly, and gently wrapped her fingers around the stem, shifting her fingers to avoid the thorns. She looked into Kikisu's tan eyes. "This is... beautiful. Wonderful, even. Thank you so much." Her excitement was practically radiating off her. She fixated her eyes on the silken white petals.

"um... It's it's beautiful but... What do I have to do with it?" asked Saki in a confused tone.

Kokoro, while watching her own rose as she spun it by the stem, responded, "Admire them, I guess. I don't know about you... but to me, flowers are like jewels that glisten... and they dance too... They feel the wind and sway with it. It's... hypnotizing." She perked up her head and looked at Saki. "Or you could start a collection. I know how to make bouquets. If you give some to me, I think I can make you one." For the first time in a while, Kokoro felt like did not have to hold back anything, and a bright smile seemed to erupt from her mouth; she made no effort to subdue it.

She turned her glance over to Kikisu then back to her rose. She then furrowed her brow slightly. So he just happened to have a rose, and he gave it to me? So does he like me...? A cold tingle ran down her spine. But that doesn't makes sense. He gave Saki a rose too. But he winked at me and not to Saki. So what does that mean? Her brow furrowed even more until her forehead felt a pinching pain. She had no idea what Kikisu's motive was and was curious to find out what he would do next.

As he gave the girls his roses, the one who had the reptile like appearance, smiled meekly he even noticed that she almost shone, he noticed that there was some slight blushing on her shy cheeks as she thanked him, her teeth were filed to points, either that or it was naturel that way, he had to know, Now did you do that to your teeth or is that naturel, either way...its beautiful he said the last part as he slightly brushed his hand on her cheek and giggled lightly.

He then looked at the pink haired girl, Now talk some more my love, we are friends here, no need to be shy, someone with hair that color should be happy and show it off, especially with a face like that too he sat back in his chair as the Pink haired girl started to speak, which was differant, because she seemed shy the moment he met her, but her voice was as sweet a summer, as quiet and sullen as it was.

The Pink haired girl didnt know what to do with a flower, she was answered firstly by the other girl, who said that it was for admiring and then mentioned that they were like jewels, and she was very correct in that, they were like jewels, the same colors but more...alive, as she finished speaking and kikisu made sure to smile throughout all of this and listen carefully to her nice sounding voice, he added in, Yes they are like Jewels, though as are both of you, Kokoro you are like a shining a Beautiful Emerald that shines with the beauty of the color green, the color of life, and you Saki, you are like the Jet, sullen and defiant all in Black, The Darkest colors shine just as bright in the light,, these flowers are also Mirrors, they are as Beautiful as the ones holding them he smiled charminly and giggled to himself, he took a sip of his water and smiled widely.

Saki didn't knew what she was talking about. Admiring flowers? Sure they were pretty but was that so special? I mean many flowers were pretty, but that dulled the special feeling about them a little. However, adding many different flowers to a single bouquet could be nice. But she wasn't sure she was willing to let someone else do that for her. How hard could it be? She also liked things more she made herself.

Saki really got the shivers when Kikisu called her love. It really felt strange and wrong. "I see..., but could you please not call me love anymore. It's really creepy. Saki said while trying not to sound ungrateful. She also tried to smile though she still was wary. She would try to keep them friends but she still expected a knife in the back at any moment. Then he started to compare her to a flower. Why did everyone seemed to compare her to a flower today? Not that she hated it, it was better then what she was used to. "gee..., thank you. She said as the boy really seemed to mean it as a compliment. "Why do you go that far for me?" Saki finally dared to ask. Mostly for Kikisu, but Kokoro was nice for her as well. She was really bothered why he did this just for her. He had absolute no reason to be so nice to her. So why would he? She didn't understand. All she ever understood is that everyone hated her.

Kikisu asked about Kokoro's teeth, whether they were filed to a point or naturally like that, and said that they were beautiful as he slowly brushed his hand down her pale cheek. Without thinking, Kokoro grabbed his hand and held tight, placing her thumb on his as if intending to break out of a grip, and tilted her head away. Kokoro closed her eyes shut, but she soon realized, much to her embarrassment, that Kikisu's intent was not to harm her. She quickly let go of his hand and guarded her hands close to her chest. "S-sorry," she stuttered. "I was born with them like this. And t-the eyes... and... everything." She paused momentarily. "They're... a curse. They scare people," she said as her voice lowered to muffle. "I don't think they're... beautiful," Kokoro felt herself becoming smaller and smaller as she hung her head and pulled her arms closer to her body.

Kikisu then turned toward Saki and tried to encourage her to open up, calling her "love." Kokoro blinked at Kikisu, confused. Love? Does he like her then? Either way, Saki said that it was creepy when he called her "love," but she tried to smile to not seem harsh. Kokoro pondered why. Admittedly, she would be creeped out too if someone she knew called her "love," let alone someone she just met.

When Kokoro finished her soliloquy, Kikisu immediately added that the flowers were also mirrors to the beautiful women holding them. He compared Kokoro to a shining, beautiful emerald and Saki to something dark and mysterious but just as gorgeous. Kokoro turned away shyly and tried to hide her reddening skin. This boy was so forward, so polite, so generous. Kokoro was not accustomed to this; she did not know what to say or do. This can't be all towards me, though. He's probably this nice to everyone. Why else would he have roses on standby, right? Kokoro's inquisitive mind demanded answers to be sated. Without looking at him and without carefully crafting her words, Kokoro asked, "Kikisu, are you this sweet to everyone?" What was that? she thought, panicked. Was that flirty? Or prodding? Or... Kokoro's only way of knowing was to wait for his response.

"Why do you go that far for me?" asked Saki, directed toward Kikisu. Still, Kokoro felt that the question was generally implied to Kokoro as well. Kokoro looked down at her drink in thought. She had no idea. Why did I stop here instead of training? Why did I sit with Saki? Because there was no more room? Why am I so comfortable around Saki and Kikisu?

"Maybe..." Kokoro began softly, "because I'd like to..." Kokoro sat in silence for a few seconds, confused by her own words, then she continued in an attempt to elaborate. "I mean... friends do nice things for each other and are nice to each other. Friends: Kokoro's favorite word. She wanted friends more than all the riches in the world. Something about Saki reminded Kokoro of her. She seemed like a recluse, quiet and emotionless, and deep in Kokoro's mind, memories stirred from her own past in the Academy: her classmates laughing at her, shunning her, whispering behind her back. All that time, Kokoro wanted someone to go up to her and offer to be her friend. Maybe she could be that person to Saki. And Kikisu too. He is nice enough to be her friend, so why not? Kokoro looked at Saki with her bright yellow eyes. "We're friends... right?" Kokoro smiled, closing her eyes joyfully.

Kikisus hand was put in a crushing grip as he touched the girls cheek, he felt his scars the lined his fingers tighten, she was nervous, he giggled and told her, im not trying to hurt you Kokoro, aha he put his hand on his glass as she let him, as he listened to the girls answer his talking.

Kikisu noticed that when he referred to the girl as My love that she took offense, it was Kikisus turn to blush, his cheeks reddened somewhat, he quickly explained, its just something i say ahah, sorry if it offended, i say my love as i would say my dear or my friend, sorry he rubbed his hand on the top of his head, tousling his hair somewhat and giggling to himself, then the one with the cute sharp teeth had asked him if he was this nice to all girls that he met, he said in a suave voice, Im only this nice to pretty girls, and you two fit that very well belive me hehe, and your teeth and eyes are not a curse, they are unique, there are not many like you, which makes most think that its ugly or scary, i see past this things, unique to me is pretty and normal is silly and boring he smiled at her, showing his pearly white teeth in a pretty smile, he took a sip at his drink, tapping his sharpened black painted nails against the glass making a little tink sound, Kikisu then gestured to the girl named Kokoro with his index finger to come closer, if she came closer to him he would lean forward and whisper in her ear, Would you mind going on a date sometime with just me and you, how about later this week he would then lean back and tell the two of them, So would you two be open to train with me or something sometime...ooh i forgot, i noticed you look before, do you want to see the thing on my back, his name his Tabok he would grab the wrapped mound and put it beside the bench in case they said yes...

What was wrong with these people. Saki really didn't understand why the behaved so different from the rest of the village. This entirely shattered Saki's view on the entire human race. Why was this happening? What was this strange, but gentle feeling in her belly? It wasn't like she really loved these people but they were so nice. She... liked it, maybe? She didn't knew. Nobody was so nice to her before. Was it all a trap to get her hopes up? She really was ready to fall in this trap, because she really, really hoped to finally end these days of loneliness. Then both of them used this strange word. Friends? What was it. She looked at Kokoro shocked. Did they really mean it? She once met that word in a dictionary. It said: a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard. Was that appropriate for their relationship? They just met, so she was certainly wondering."Friends? For real? Saki asked. It didn't sound offending, but it most sounded like she could barely believe that.

She could see Kikisu coming signing Kokoro to come closer. If she did he would whisper something in her ear. She wondered what he asked her. He then went back and asked if they could train together. "training together? Yea, I think I can do that. Saki answered. She knew how to fight, and it was clear that the Kikisu was a ninja as well. He also showed something on their back to them. She wondered what was inside. "uum.. sure, show us. She answered. It was most likely a weapon. But she wondered what kind of weapon would be in that shape.

Kikisu brushed off Kokoro's frightened hand grab and assured her that he was not trying to hurt her with a giggle. Kokoro, regardless, kept her hands together and shied away.

Kokoro noticed Kikisu blushing and ruffling his hair a bit in response to Saki's comment about calling her "love." The boy in white explained himself, saying that he uses "love" as an endearing term of friendship and apologizing to the pink-haired girl. Kokoro eyes wandered away from Kikisu for a contemplative moment. Love had always been a strong word to her, a scary word, too, implicative of passion and ultimately heartbreak. To use it so casually was something Kokoro never heard before.
Saki asked if Kokoro was serious about being friends, stunned. Kokoro looked up towards the pink-haired girl, and a warm, genuine smile grew on her face. "Of course. I'd like to hang out with you more. I think we could have fun together." Kokoro enjoyed this relaxed, free sensation. She did not try to restrict herself or choose her words carefully. She thought if this is what having friends is like, she wanted them badly.

Kokoro grasped her glass tight, her fingers like a vice. She kept her eye on it, careful not to break it with her strength. Tapping her foot on the ground rapidly and occasionally glancing towards the boy in white robes, she anxiously waited for Kikisu's answer. Then he spoke with the utmost suavity.

"Im only this nice to pretty girls, and you two fit that very well belive me hehe, and your teeth and eyes are not a curse, they are unique, there are not many like you, which makes most think that its ugly or scary, i see past this things, unique to me is pretty and normal is silly and boring"

The corner of Kokoro's mouth involuntarily raised, and her eyes brightened. She felt cloaked in a sudden warmth around her body. He thinks I'm... unique? Unique to Kokoro was always an empty word used by people who were afraid of her and did not want to call her frightening. But Kikisu's sincerity made this time different. He seemed to see the beauty in her individuality and thought normal as boring. Kokoro's smile widened even more. "Thank you... Thank you so much, Kikisu..." she murmured softly. Kikisu then motioned toward Kokoro with her finger. Kokoro blinked and pointed her chest and after a moment slide down a seat towards Kikisu, dragging her drink across the table. The boy then leaned into Kokoro's ear. She flinched ever so slightly then tilted her head closer.

"Would you mind going on a date sometime with just me and you, how about later this week?"

Kokoro's grip on the glass turned into a stranglehold. The glass shattered in her hands, spraying water and half-melted ice all over the table and broken bits of glass crumbled down her palms. Kokoro lept, her eyes fully contracted. "Oh jeez! I'm so sorry! I'm so so sorry! I'll... I'll clean it up! I'm such an idiot. I'm sorry!" As she hurried toward the counter for some napkins, her mind was abuzz in turbulent chaos. A date?! No. I can't. I can't believe I led him on like that, or maybe...? She quickly yanked about a dozen napkins from the bar counter and hurried back. She tried to take actual deep breaths. Her heart stopped pounding violently. I mean, he's really nice. And I think date would be fun. I mean, you don't know anything about what he's planning, Kokoro. A date is just a date. Something fun, right? She plopped the napkins onto the table in a messy pile, took one, and began to carefully wipe down the table. She leaned forward in a huge swipe across the table, and her eyes peered towards Kikisu. Couldn't hurt...? As she leaned forward again, she hesitantly whispered into his ear "S-sure," and a smile
crept between Kokoro's mouth.

After wiping down the table and placing the sloppy napkins and bits of glass in a pile on the corner of the table, she sat down back in her seat with a bounce. Kikisu offered to show the thing on his back, and Kokoro practically jumped in her seat with excitement. "Yes! Yes, please!" Her curiosity had been plaguing her this entire time and now he can finally see... him? There's a he, a person, in their?! Kokoro watched with bated breath to see what is hidden in the brown cloth.

Saki had agreed to train with him sometime, that would be fun, he had no doubt that since she was a ninja that she would no problem, though he was pretty sure that he could take her and win, most had trouble with puppets and fighting the puppet and the master, it was like a 2 on 1 when he fought people, he had earned his scars becoming this skilled in Puppets as well, his finger scars twitched and tightened slightly as he remembered when his entire store of puppets were destroyed and his parents killed, all he had left from his childhood was tabok, the puppet he kept on his back, he answered the girl, Wonderful! I cant wait, itll be loads of fun, if you fighting is equal to your beauty im in a load of trouble, that goes for both of you ahaha he then finished off his flavored water in a last drink, it had been good.
His compliment to the girl named Kokoro went well, and they seemed to take his reasoning for the word love that he took less seriously then most, he smiled also as the girl moved over to his side for his message, though the moment that he had asked her to go on a date with him, she squeezed her glass and shattered it all over the table, saying sorry and that she would clean it up, he giggled quietly to himself, he watched as she cleaned, looking at her as she cleaned the mess, taking in her beauty, once she finished she would say that would go on a date with him, he smiled widely and blushed a little bit on his cheeks, he was ecstatic that she agreed to, he giggled again and noticed the smile breach her face, showing her teeth, she looked so much better that way, she should do it more often, Kikisu would try and do just that, but now she also said she would see his thing on his back, she was hopping with excitement, and the other girl was solelm in her answer, saying yes also though, so he activated his jutsu, using each finger to create chakra strings, though he also made them invisible also, a thing that his clan specialized in, he attached these strings to the puppets limbs, also making one string pull one of the cloths, making the whole bundle spin off and fall to the ground and suddenly the puppet took life, stepping to the side and standing beside their table, he made it bow to both girls and then he spun it around, completly lifelike, and made it walk over to the bartender, grabbing and paying for two Cherry flavored waters, and bringing them over and handing them each to the girls, he then used a skill that he had learned himself, without moving his lips he started to speak, but he made the mouth of the puppet move as if it were talking, Ladies, your drinks, , the puppet itself was human looking, with white teak wood, matching the skin color of Kikisus, and a mane of white blonde hair, with two green eyes, and a long white robe with Kikisus symbol on the back, a hand clucthing strings, after that he stood and waited to see the girls reactions...
Chakra 140/150
*Used Invisible Chakra Strings

This entire conversation was getting stranger by the minute. Whatever the boy said in the girls ear seemed to make her emotionally unstable as it was shocking enough to break her own glass for. Saki finished her own glass of water. Before he would say something strange to her too and he would make her destroy her own glass. Still Kikisu said normal was boring. Saki bet he had no idea. She wasn't about to tell him she was special but her mark really made her life different then normal. Saki really was in thought but she eventually decided not to tell. Everyone till now who knew of her cursed mark hated her for some reason. To bad that Saki would have to go to Konoha to find out why. When the male ninja showed the large package on his back it seemed to contain... a doll? Sure a large doll but still a doll. Saki suspected it was for more then just playing with children. It might have some weapons hidden in it. Though it looked pretty human. It really made a nice toy, weapon... or whatever it was. But it would be hard to use when Saki already preferred spear like weapons. Which till now only meant a stick with a knife taped on or something.

When the puppet went to get some Drinks for them it really seemed good. Saki didn't saw any puppet strings or anything. Maybe he used some kind of jutsu to move the puppet. Saki was impressed, you don't see that every week. People were eyeing at the trick but she wondered how many were actually knowing how it worked. "Nice! Saki said while clapping hands. She smiled too. She didn't knew why. Why was she so happy now? She took the drink and tasted it. It was good. it was so sweet despite only looking like colored water. "hmm... it's good, thank you. She answered politely to the puppet user.

When she agreed to go on a date with him, he blushed and smiled. Kokoro's face lit up slightly, happy that she made him happy. As Kokoro was wiping down the table, she heard Kikisu jovially commenting that he would be in trouble if Saki's fighting was equal to her beauty. Kokoro perked up in attention, and her eyes glowed with eagerness. She must have been invited to spar with him. As she gave one final swipe, Kokoro looked up to Kikisu and said, "I'd like to spar to, if that's okay."

Kokoro sat and watched as Kikisu extended his fingers toward the large clothed object. His fingertips twitched with the tiniest motions, and suddenly the object inside seemed to unravel itself. Kokoro leaned back and watched as the brown cloth slid down onto the floor, revealing a person made out of white wood with a messy head of blonde hair. His eyes stared blankly, unblinking, and a chill went down Kokoro's spine. She tried to avoid eye contact. With a quick bend of Kikisu's fingers, Tabok bowed with the energy and flexibility of a real life person. Kokoro finally understood. Oh, a puppet. She gave a courtesy smile to Tabok, a silent thank you for the bow. The puppet then spun around, and Kikisu directed it through the bustling restaurant, up to the counter where he paid the bartender. The man behind the counter gave Tabok two waters and dripped a drop of red liquid in each. Tabok then hurried back with a glass in each hand. The puppet lurched forward, offering the drinks to both Saki and Kokoro, and spoke. "Ladies, your drinks."

Kokoro jumped a little, unprepared to hear a voice come from the puppet. She smiled politely and took her drink. "Thank you, Tabok." She immediately took a tiny sip, and her eyes widened. The fruity sweetness of cherry filled her mouth. "Mmm. Thank you," she said to Kikisu. "So, you're a puppeteer?" she asked. Kokoro only knew so much about puppetry. The Suna Academy taught her how to make Chakra strings, but she never found a use for it, and Kikisu did not seem to use strings at all, or none that she could see at least. She also heard that there were a lot of puppeteers in Suna, but she never met one until now. Since Kikisu gave a hint about his speciality, Kokoro saw it only fair that she hints at hers. That's the polite thing to do, right? "I uh..." Kokoro then brought her fists up in front of her face and jabbed her right arms in the open a couple of times before finishing with, "punch." Kokoro then turned to Saki, staring at her with curious eyes. "How about you, Saki? What do you do?"

He had got the quiet girl to smile even with this jutsu, he was quite happy with that, due to the fact that she was barely smiling when he met her, and now he got her to enjoy herself, and the other girl, Kokoro agreed to spar as well, as he did his puppet show, he noticed at start the slight fear in the girls eyes, though it was soon replaced with a smile again as she recognized the puppet master technique, and after he gave the girls the drinks, Kokoro said something a well, "So, you're a puppeteer?" , he was one after all, he was taught the general strings from the academy, but he learned the invisible strings technique from his mom and dad, who were both members of the chikamatsu, and he had refined the art over his years, Yes i am a Puppet user, i learned to do this when i was 4 years old i think , she then said that she prefers to punch things, the notion made him laugh softly, he then added in, Oooh Taijutsu, i also do things like this Kikisu reached into his pocket and pulled a few candy wrappers out and threw them into the air, around 3 of them, and suddenly made the hand of taboks pop off and release three kunai from a compartment in his wrist, sticking the three papers to the wall with kunais sticking out of the papers, He also does things like that, Tabok isw filled with things like this, i put and made them all myself, actually you girls probably didnt know this, but i am one of the makers of the Chikamatsu brand puppets, the one in the stores he wasnt a fan of gloating but he felt that he could mention how he made puppets for the store, he then heard the girl ask the other what she did, he was quite interested in this as well, so he sat quietly and waited for her response...
Chakra 134

Saki really had to hand it to Kikisu. She never figured what those chakra strings the academy thought here were for. She had almost already forgotten about them. Still she needed her hands to use spears and she wasn't about to carry large puppets like that one around. People might think they were moving bodies. If they saw Saki with one they would really think she murdered someone. Then again, they might say that with her spear too. The girl said punch, which most likely meant she was good at punching people. Let's see, you're good at puppetry and you're good at Taijutsu. She said pointing to the boy first and the other girl second. The other two did ask for what she was good at. Well she couldn't say Ninjutsu as it literately meant ninja techniques so they both also should have known some of it. "Spear" She eventually said. "Do you guys already belong to a team?" She asked the other two. "I haven't been introduced to mine yet, how about you? She asked the beautiful girl next to her.

Kokoro interested Kikisu with her response. evident by his chuckle. He confirmed that he was a puppeteer, learning the craft since he was four. Kokoro's eyes widened in disbelief. She had been training her Taijutsu for about three years, and this boy had been honing his abilities since he was too young to enter into the Academy. Kokoro felt the sickly inkling of envy creep in her gut. Sparring with him may be harder than I thought. Then Kikisu took three candy wrappers from his pocket and threw them up into the air and flicked his wrist, commanding the human-like puppet to pull back and detach his hand. From a hidden compartment in its wrist, three kunai shot out and in the blink of an eye impaled all three wrappers on the wooden wall. Kokoro smiled at the spectacle and clapped.

Saki tersely replied to Kokoro's question with, "Spear."

Kokoro's brow raised. "You use spears? Cool!" she chirped with an underlying rasp. Kokoro's mind then ventured back to her earlier training. Some of the Bokator techniques contained in scrolls that she studied from included staff combat, but Kokoro was the most comfortable with her own two hands. There was a feeling of control, a certain versatility that only her hands could produce, and the Kikawa blood that ran through her veins gave her a frightening surplus of power.

Saki asked if they belonged to a team already and mentioned she had not met her squadmates yet. The pink-haired girl shifted her gaze toward Kokoro, and Kokoro was momentarily stunned by her beauty. Snapping back to reality, Kokoro said, "Yeah. Squad Two. With Toraika-sensei. Her methods are... different. Our first test was braiding her hair." She gave a muted chuckle. "Different" was quite the understatement. Toraika-sensei had the facade of a bubbly girl and was wildly unpredictable, launching a massive gust of wind at her squad to see how they reacted. She was aggravating at times, but there was something about her that reminded Kokoro of her mother. "You in a squad?" she asked Kikisu as she reached into her bag of jerky again and helped herself.

Spears...So Saki is a Bukijutsu user, and Kokoro is a Taijutsu user, i would have a distinct edge against both of them, they are both close range, i am long range, that would be a fun spar indeed He answered back to the girl with the pink hair, My puppet uses a sword, a Dao i believe, though i couldnt wield one if my life depended on it aha, and you are the first spear user i have met, most train in swords or shuriken, that's cool she then asked what squad Kokoro was in, she answered with squad two, that was Toriakas squad, he had met her and the Kazekage before she was even the kage, they had visited the Wax Museum, she was a nice person indeed, though he had not talked to her much at all since then, he was the same rank as her then, she had gotten raised pretty fast, and the fact that he didn't do many missions so his ranking didnt really change that much.

The other girl didn't know what squad she was in, either that or she just didn't know the members of her squad yet, Kikisu was never assigned a squad, he didn't know why, they must have missed him when they were making the squads or something like that , he actually had no idea, he maybe someday would actually ask them why this happened, but he needed not a squad, squads made him have to do things to someone else schedule, so, so far he stayed solo.

He told both of them, Im not in a squad, being in one takes away my puppet making time, being solo lets me go on the missions i want to, hehe, and i know your sensei Kokoro, she is almost as pretty as you are, what a Coincidence eh? aha he giggled again to himself just as the girl was reaching into her bag for more jerky, he then attached a chakra string to the brown cloth that held hi puppet and wrapped it around the puppet swiftly, making it back into the bundle it used to be, and leaned it to the side of the bench.

Kokoro mentioned a Toraika-sensei. She never heard of the woman but it must be nice to have someone that you can train with outside your clan, which for Saki was nobody. So she had to practice alone all the time. Braiding hair? Was Kokoro sure she was training them to be a ninja instead of a barber or something? The other guy didn't belong to a squad. Strange, to work alone as a gennin. His parents maybe thought him to fight? It wouldn't be easy to learn to fight alone, Especially such a complicated art as puppetry. Saki was able to learn spear fighting alone because the spear was a practical and easy to use weapon. Puppetry however seemed to her to require a lot of practice and time. Maybe building them helped as well, as you knew then how they were made, and thus had an easier time to handle them. She looked at Kokoro again. If Toraika-sensei was nearly as pretty as Kokoro she really wouldn't have minded to be in Toraika's squad. Of course her real specialization was ninjutsu, but she was about just as good with a spear. "So, how do you train you're skills then? This question was generally asked at both the girl and the boy.

A sword? Where? Kokoro tilted her head, trying to pinpoint the angle where she could see the Dao that Tabok supposedly used. Nothing. She squinted, inspecting the puppets body for creases where hidden compartments would be. None that she could find. Kokoro leaned back with her brow raised in a puzzled look. She then brought her cherry water to her lips and took a sip, reveling in the burst of sweetness in her mouth.

Kikisu answered that he was not in a squad as he was too busy making puppets and doing solo missions. He continued that he knew Toraika-sensei and hand-waved Kokoro another compliment, saying that she was more beautiful than her sensei. Kokoro pulled down her cap over her face as she blushed uncontrollably. Almost as pretty as... me?! In Kokoro's mind, Toraika was not just beautiful but radiant. Her long pink-hair, blue-green eyes, and constant sunny disposition was unlike nothing Kokoro ever saw before, and it shocked Kokoro to her core to think that someone thinks she is more beautiful than her sensei. Kokoro held back her smile, although a tiny hint of it snuck out. "Thank you. You're very sweet, but I'm not that beautiful." Her voice reduced to a hoarse whisper. "I scare people, and I hide myself so I won't. I've been doing it for years." He looked up at Kikisu and flashed him a smile. "Thank you for being so kind to me, though."

Saki later asked how Kikisu and Kokoro trained their skills. Kokoro propped up and gladly answered. "I train at the Tsumi Sand Grounds everyday. I was actually heading there now. But then I got thirsty and came in here. I study Taijutsu alone from a collection of scrolls and spar with the straw dummies. They don't really punch back, though..." Kokoro paused to collect her thoughts. "I mediate too. At the bottom of a river. It's relaxing." Kokoro only realized how bizarre that sounded after the words escaped her mouth. "I can hold my breath for a very long time. Comes with this." She smiled awkwardly as she motioned to her eyes and teeth. After Kikisu answered Saki, Kokoro rose from her seat and asked, "Do you guys want to do the sparring match later today?"