Her stomach growling sounded again before she even sat down on one of the stools and her cheeks reddened slightly from embarrassment for the noise it was making. She couldn't explain where this sudden apatite had come from, but she surely wasn't about to start complaining. Her reddish gaze swept over the menu, taking in her several options to choose from. 'Hmm... what to decide on...', she mentally mused, taking note of the fact that she was in the mood for something other than vegetables; another first for a long while.

"I think I'll take some pork ramen," she said when she was asked what she wanted. Pork Ramen; if only Ashi could see her now, surely the Inuzuka was having an affect on her eating habits if she wanted something with actual meat in it.

She took the moment that her food was being prepared to glance around, taking note of any other familiar faces that might be nearby. She took a moment then to reach into her pocket, freeing her book from its confines and placing it on the table, not wanting to damage it before she even had a chance to read it.

Glorious weather accentuated the already stellar day Keiji was having - the bright sun bathed everything in sight with its warmth and a cool breeze was currently picking up around Konoha. Earlier, he had asked Amaya if she would like to meet for ramen and she obliged, but in his own stupidity, he had failed to ask which restaurant. As a result, he was currently jumping from rooftop to rooftop, searching the well-known ramen establishments of Konoha. Keiji jumped from the rooftop, landing in front of the Ichiraku ramen stand, and immediately noticing a slightly skinny figure with long white hair already sitting down and ordering. He dusted himself off before taking a seat next to her as she ordered pork ramen.

"Make that two for her, please." Keiji said, eyes scanning the menu in front of him. "Sorry it took me so long to get here. I forgot to ask where we were going to meet."

He relaxed, allowing himself to remember the dozens of dishes he had tried before. Each dish in itself was quite the treat - Ichiraku ramen never failed to satisfy. Keiji's eyes darted between the miso and the chicken ramen, pondering which one would be most satisfactory. He settled and rapped the bar with his knuckles, drawing the attention of the waitress and giving her his order.

"I would like one miso and one chicken with a glass of water, please." the waitress nodded, shouting the order to the kitchen before going off to take newly arrived customers' orders. Keiji turned to Amaya. "My training is especially rigorous, so you'll need to put on some weight before we start."

She placed her glass of water down, having been in the middle of taking a sip when he arrived. Swallowing she turned her gaze to Keiji and smiled slightly. "Good thing I'm starving today, then." She placed her glass back down, taking a moment to glance around once more, still slightly surprised there were no other familiar faces; Ashi was normally here at this time of day, and usually pestering her into eating. Ah well.

She turned her reddish gaze back to Keiji, watching out of the corner of her eye as the waitress placed her food down on the counter in front of her. "Well, I figured this was the best place and most well known, so I figured it was the best place to pick." She gave a little shrug, picking up her glass again and taking a sip of it before putting it down once more.

"Good thing I'm used to having to push myself harder then most, then, eh?" Turning back toward her food her stomach roared to life once more, though she could hardly care to be embarrassed over it anymore. She took a bite of her pork ramen, face melting into pure bliss for a moment as she chewed and then swallowed the food. "Well, putting on weight won't be too hard as long as I'm eating food that tastes this great."

"Indeed." Keiji replied, two bowls being set in front of him. With a brief thanks for his meal, he broke apart his chopsticks and began indulging his appetite, consuming his miso ramen. Amaya was correct - Ichiraku certainly was popular in Konoha, and for those who had tasted the food, it was no mystery why. The chef at Ichiraku was a master, to say the very least. Each ingredient accentuated the flavor of another is such a marvelous way, even a great cook like Keiji had a difficult time deciphering how it was done. He soon found himself finished with his first bowl, placing it aside for the waitress to come and retrieve. Before continuing, he turned to Amaya and began to speak.

"In all seriousness, I'd like it if you'd start putting on weight, preferably muscle." he said, pausing to take a sip of his water before continuing. "If it takes you eating here everyday to increase your calorie intake, so be it. If it's hyperthyroidism, I'm positive there are certain pills or operations than can fix it."

Keiji began delving into his second bold, enjoying the large chunks of roasted chicken breast that were submerged in the tan broth. His mouth was watering with satisfaction at this point, and he had to take time to wipe his mouth with a napkin every now and again. Ramen was a rare treat, and he forgot how long it had been since he had last had it. After his recent string of missions, close to a year had passed. Keiji wondered how he made it that long without indulging in some, even a little bit. He finished his second bowl with gusto, pushing it aside and facing Amaya once more.

"Your skills in medicine are extraordinary, so that means you have at least some familiarity or understanding of chakra control, which will help out a lot during training." he paused before talking a gulp of water, the warm weather and food dehydrating him slightly. "I think activating your Sharingan should be our first priority, do you agree?"

The second bite she took was even more blissful than the first. 'God, when was the last time I ate something that I didn't nibble on like a rabbit?', she mentally scolded herself. She had started out eating slow, small bites; but by a few bites in were taking rather normal sized bites, and much faster than she normally ate. Though, she did bother to remind herself from time to time to slow down enough not to make herself sick. About halfway through her bowl of ramen she paused, figuring she might as well better explain her small size.

"When I was sick I couldn't handle eating anything, I lived mostly off of fluids. The only person who could honestly make anything to even tempt me was my brother. As weird as this might sound, I guess I just got used to not eating more then a few times a week. It got me by enough then, of course, I know better than to think the same eating habits can apply when training."

With that she continued on with her bowl, finishing the last half rather quickly. 'It's weird I'm still hungry...but I'm not going to question it. Maybe this whole new idea of actually being able to achieve my goal is making my body kick itself into gear or something.' came more mental ramblings as she pushed her empty bowl to the side for the waitress to come take up and started on the second. Chew, chew swallow and a pause. "Chakra flow is actually my other specialty."

Another few bites and then a shrug followed by a sip of water before she glanced to Keiji again. "Whatever you think will work to get this done faster I'm on board for." She grinned. "You'll find I'm one of those book worm types that are more then eager to learn." And back to the ramen she went, though her bites became slower and more far between as her stomach began to feel full.

"Hearing that is... comforting." Keiji said, finishing off the last of his water and reaching for his wallet. He pulled several bills out, enough to pay for both his and Amaya's meals, and placed them underneath his glass on the bar. The man stood up, looking at his newly-made companion one more time. "Well Amaya-san, it was certainly a rare treat to meet someone like yourself today, and I'm certainly glad that I did. I'm prone to training in the Forest of Death as well as the Rolling Hills, and you may approach me to begin your formal training. I'll see you then."

Keiji left the bar, leaping with extraordinary grace onto a rooftop before running to his destination.

-exit-

She nodded at his words before watching him leave. 'I'm definitely looking forward to this.', she thought. She looked down at her almost empty bowl of ramen, pushing it aside after a final bite. She paused long enough to finish the water in her glass before pushing that aside as well. She slipped off of the stool she'd been sitting on, pausing to stretch skyward with a satisfied groan. 'Full and happy... good combo.', she mused before she too took off, an overly excited grin plastered on her face as her excitement was just too much to hide any longer.

-Exit.-