Daraku yawned with tired eyes as he entered the doorway into the Dragon's Tongue. Ah, yes, he knew the smells well, of curry and soup being made in the back. Not many people inside today, but he could care less. He approached a booth and planted down, rubbing his eyes. He was sore all over, from the fight he had with Shinyo and that other bandit-guy in the Dunes the day before; now was his time to relax, and no better way to do so than to get some grub from his favorite eatery.

Leaning back against the soft cushion of the booth, the blond haired shinobi looked at the ceiling, staring at the designs that covered it. They had painted this place since he had last been here...the waitress that usually saw him approached with a huge smile, and greeted him. "Hello, Daraku! What would you like?" she said with pep in her tone.

"I'll have the spicy yellow curry, and some ginger tea, thanks." he replied as he handed the menu to her. She took it with a blush and scampered off, back to the kitchen. Jeez, that girl was always so skitish around him, he figured she probably had a crush on him. As he went back to staring up at the ceiling, Daraku heard the door of the restaurant open again, and noticed a boy walk in...

Zack stood in front of Sunagakure's famous world reknown restaraunt, "The DrSunagakure The Dragons Tongueagon's Tongue." Zack usually didnt like, spicy foods, but he decided what the hell. Zack was hungry, and the fact that Gaiken was on an overnight mission and Zack himself wasn't the best cook let him to the establishment. Zack opened the door and immediately, the smell of spicy curry was the first scent his nose grasped. The very distinct smell of: Beef, Onion, Pork, Carrots, Chicken, and Potatoes all mixed together invaded his nostrils. Zack instantly was overcome with a feeling of nausea, quickly shook away the feeling and went over to a booth immediately.

Zack noticed he had sat down with a guy already sitting there, apparently waiting for his order. The guy didnt look to much older as him, Zack assumed he was 16 or 17 years old. The guy had a similar hairstyle to his, but the strangers hairstyle was completely blonde. He had rough but slightly gentle features, notably his eyes, and he had an adequate build in his upper body as far as Zack could tell. Zack thought, "This guy must be a regular. Maybe, he'll know what i should order." Zack asked the guy, Sorry to bug ya but, do you eat here often. I've never been here before?"

Daraku groaned as the boy, who looked a bit ill, entered, and sat down directly across from him. Ah, crap... he thought to himself. He was looking for quiet time, and that's definitely not what he was getting. The kid smiled and said, "Sorry to bug ya but, do you eat here often? I've never been here before."

"Then I guess you've got the right guy. I do eat here pretty often, and I suggest any of the red or yellow curries, or their chicken noodle soup, or their minestrone soup. Other than that, the rest of the menu is kind of plain." he said with a blank stare at the boy. Why was he telling him this? He was never nice to strangers. Eh, he still had a chance to be an ass later. "So, who the hell are you, and why are you sitting at my booth?" he said, as he intensified his gaze into a burning glare. That was more like him, much better.

Who knows? Maybe this kid wouldn't be a nuisance. But that didn't make him an exception to Daraku's "I hate everyone" rule. He liked being a ninja, and he loved his life, but he hated just about everyone in it, except for himself.

Zack now staring at the blond-haired guy, wondering if bothering him was the best idea, until he spoke.  "Then I guess you've got the right guy. I do eat here pretty often, and I suggest any of the red or yellow curries, or their chicken noodle soup, or their minestrone soup. Other than that, the rest of the menu is kind of plain."  Zack thought while the guy stared blankly, So he is nice after all...  Then Zack's outlook on the blond-haired completely took a 360.  "So, who the hell are you, and why are you sitting at my booth?"  Zack immediately frowned as the guy asked him this blatant question.

Zack thought to himself, What an asshole...  then added,  “Look I was just asking you a question, no need to be a jerk about it!”  Zack who usually smiled to everyone with his winning attitude now fluxed into rage.  The fires of his soul ignited and if you looked into his eyes you would see the flames.  “And another thing...” Zack abruptly stopped his verbal rampage and saw as the waitress approached the table and asked Zack, “Hello sir, would you like something to drink.”  Zack immediately found the girl attractive and forgot all about the blond-haired boy.  Zack redirected his attention, throwing a suave tone in his voice. “Anything cherry flavored would be fine.  For my order, I'd like to take you out on a date.” Zack said with a smile.

The kid immediately grew defensive, his expression becoming one of pure surprise and displeasure. He's temper visibly rose as he outbursted, “Look I was just asking you a question, no need to be a jerk about it!” Yes. He was just asking a question, but it's not like he also asked politely to come and sit in the booth with Daraku, which constituted as an invasion of privacy, and he still hadn't left. The waitress came by and interrupted the boy mid-rant, saying, "Hello, sir. Would you like something to drink?" Suddenly, his demeanor changed as he said softly, “Anything cherry flavored would be fine.  For my order, I'd like to take you out on a date.” Ah, crap. This kid was a nuisance. Daraku considered just leaving, but he wanted his damn curry and his tea, and he wanted his booth to himself.

The swordsman looked over to the flirt and the entirety of both his eyes became pitch black as he activated his kekkei genkai, but only in his eyes, for dramatic effect as he said with his most menacing voice, "You should know that I don't take kindly to being yelled at." his eyes returned to normal as he continued, "I was just asking why you were at my booth and who you are, and you never answered either of those. Let's try this again. I'm Ishido, Daraku. You?"

Zack looked out of the corner of his eyes and noticed the blond hair boy looking at him. The guy now had Zack's attention again as both his eyes became pitch black Zack assumed that he possessed a Doujutsu though Zack was not worried as his clan possessed a Doujutsu as wel, and apparently he used this for dramatic effect to maybe scare Zack.  The blondd spoke and  said with a menacing tone, "You should know that I don't take kindly to being yelled at." his eyes returned to normal as he continued, "I was just asking why you were at my booth and who you are, and you never answered either of those. Let's try this again. I'm Ishido, Daraku. You?"

Zack feeling slightly threatened, frowned then said to Daraku.  “My name is Zack.  Zack Kuraudo.”  Zack decided if he should have told the guy his name but decided he seemed fine, and if the situation arose he could defend himself.  “As for me being at your booth, heh heh, well see my brother is gone on an overnight mission and he usually cooks and I cant cook worth crap, explaining the reason I'm here.”  Zack's facial expression soon turned into a smile before he spoke again to Daraku.  “So what do you do for fun?”

The kid frowned and said to Daraku, “My name is Zack.  Zack Kuraudo.” Daraku nodded slowly. Zack...he'd never heard that name before, but he had heard Kuraudo, they were a clan with a special kekkei genkai, Doujutsu maybe, he was fuzzy on the details. Either way, he could muster a bit more respect for Zack knowing that he had power. He sat back and continued listening as Zack continued, “As for me being at your booth, heh heh, well see my brother is gone on an overnight mission and he usually cooks and I cant cook worth crap, explaining the reason I'm here.” Still, he could've sat at another booth, but that was a decent enough explanation, and Daraku accepted it. He crossed his right leg over his left and took his blade from his hip, leaving it leaning against the wall so that he could sit more comfortably.

Zack's expression lit up as he asked,  “So what do you do for fun?” Huh. Nobody really ever asked Daraku about his personal life. He didn't know how to answer at first, but after a moment of thought, he looked into Zack's eyes and said, "I have lots of hobbies, mostly swordplay and making cash." he left out the part about stealing stuff and killing people, figured Zack wouldn't need to know it anyways. It would only scare him for no reason. He continued waiting on the waitress to return with his curry and tea, so to counter his boredom, he asked the boy a question in response. "What about you? Tell me about yourself."

Zack noticed as Daraku placed an object that was similar in shape to a sword against the wall most likely for him to sit more comfortably. Zack's eyes lit up in excitement, but he didn't want to jump to conclusions so he controlled himself. Shortly after Zack's quick observation Daraku finally replied to his question, "I have lots of hobbies, mostly swordplay and making cash." Aha so he is a swordsman... in addition Daraku also said in response. "What about you? Tell me about yourself." Zack thought to himself for a brief moment collecting info on himself that he shared with everyone, he had a hard time honestly trusting people with his information. ”Well swordplay of course. Ummmm eating anything cherry flavored. I like the piano, and...

Zack paused as he heard a loud scream coming from the back of the restaurants kitchen, he was sure Daraku heard it as well. Suddenly the lights began to flicker, on and off. Zack thought to himself as he stood up clenching his fists. What the hell is going on... Zack heard a uproar of what he thought was a crowd looking, he began to peer outside of the window first, then he took a look towards the kitchen area. A massive fireball headed straight for the two of them.

”Well swordplay of course. Ummmm eating anything cherry flavored. I like the piano, and..." his sentence was interrupted by the clamor of people around them. Daraku looked around in curiosity as he grabbed his sword, a defensive habit of his. A shriek broke through the kitchen doors to their right, and Daraku sighed with annoyance. Why the hell do I always get caught at the worst times... And, much to his dismay, a massive fireball blasted through the kitchen, headed on a crash course for them. He had little time to worry about Zack, as he cared more about saving his own ass, anyways. Why the fuck does this happen to me? I only wanted curry and tea. This kid cursed me or something. he thought to himself, before activating his kekkei genkai and phasing through the booth, appearing on the other side as a pitch-black shadow. He watched as the fireball slammed into the table and exploded into flames.

Daraku then unsheathed his Uchigatana, its black tint casting a dark glare as the sunlight hit its blade. "Someone is going to freaking die today, and it's not going to be me!" he yelled in anger, as he stepped forward to the kitchen. He stopped before passing through the door, and turned to see if Zack was alright. Not that he cared, but it would be nice to have back-up, in case whatever had shot the fireball was really powerful. The smoke from the fire was blanketing the area, so he couldn't really see anything through it. At this point, people from all over the restaurant were running in fear out of the door, and silence reigned, aside from the sound of the fire burning. "Crap. Zack! Are you dead or what?" he yelled.

---

230/250:

Zack stared at Daraku as it looked as if he vanished into thin air.  Zack upon Daraku's disappearance lunged to the right just as the fireball was within feet of hitting him.  The table and everything around it was charred and destroyed as the fireball caused a small but powerful explosion.  Zack sitting up against a broken table held his left ear because their was a high tone pitch ringing in his ear from the explosion.  Zack still staggered stood to his feet recollecting his focus.  Zack could hear Daraku shouting he sounded incredibly pissed off.  "Someone is going to freaking die today, and it's not going to be me!"  People were scrambling all about the restaurant bumping shoving, he saw the waitress from earlier bleeding but she seemed fine.  Zack stood up his head banging but he was still able to focus on the task at hand.

First thing was first where the hell was Daraku.  "Crap. Zack! Are you dead or what?"  Zack ignoring the question stood and rushed to the Daraku.  Where he quickly saw several rough looking men who appeared bloodthirsty and had a strange feeling they wanted Daraku;s and Zack's the most.  One of the men called out to Daraku.  ”Well well.  Look here boys, its our old friend Daraku.”  Zack now standing next to Daraku thought, What the hell, old friend?  Who are these guys?  Zack thought his question would be answered after they took care of the thugs until a hoard of  more men appeared behind them all with the same blood thirsty look in their eyes.  Zack unsheathed his sword ready to fight the thugs.

A quick survey of the area, and Daraku noticed the waitress injured, as well as a few patrons who were in there. Most of the ones still in the restaurant were unconscious. Daraku knew he could heal them, but he'd have to take care of the damn fireball throwing asswipes. Zack ran out from the flames, looking around frantically. Least he wasn't dead. Suddenly, a few loud footsteps and a crash later, a group of bandits, around 10 of them, burst from the kitchen. How the hell had they gotten back there without anyone noticing...? Their leader, who stood in front of them with a menacing glare, cracked his neck loudly. ”Well well.  Look here boys, it's our old friend Daraku.” With a pained glance, Daraku knew who it was, and immediately regretted ever working with that guy.

"Why did you come looking for me, Zoku? I stole what I needed and left, done deal. I told you we were done working together, you know that I don't like to stick with the same crowd for a long time..." Daraku replied as he pointed his blade at the guy. "You dumbass, picking a fight with us. You and your little friend are gonna die!" Daraku gave Zoku a crooked smirk and then charged chakra into his sword. The blade lit aflame, burning wildly, and he swung it horizontally, throwing a tornado of flames at the group. It hit one of them, knocking them to the ground and burning them up. Daraku followed through with an overhead slash on a bandit that tried to catch him from the side, and then he turned to Zack. "Take care of some of these guys, but don't kill Zoku. He's mine."

---

210/250:

Zack still processing in his mind what the hell was goin on he heard Daraku speak to the man who referred to him as, “Old friend.”  "Why did you come looking for me, Zoku? I stole what I needed and left, done deal. I told you we were done working together, you know that I don't like to stick with the same crowd for a long time..."  Zack then thought whatever Daraku stole it sure must have pissed them off.  Daraku now pointing his blade at the one named Zoku. "You dumbass, picking a fight with us. You and your little friend are gonna die!"  Zack grew annoyed being told he was going to die.  Zack looked at Daraku using his peripheral vision who was giving Zoku a crooked smirk. Daraku's sword lit ablaze, burning furiously, as he swung it horizontally, throwing a tornado of flames at the group. One of them took the technique hard on knocking him to the ground and burning him up.   Zack saw someone  charging at Daraku Zack was in motion of retrieving his sword.  Daraku then delivered an overhead slash on the bandit. "Take care of some of these guys, but don't kill Zoku. He's mine."

Zack nodded in response to Daraku's request and unsheated his sword holding it with one hand he channeled his chakra as a small group of men, roughly 5 rushed at Zack.  Kirin's Roar!!!  Zack shouted followed by  a quick vertical slash creating a violent wave of lightning that tore up the tile of the kitchen as his sword clanged against the ground,  The wave blasted through the men knocking them away.  Zack then charged towards another bundle of men and slashed horizontally.  Zack thought to himself for a brief moment,  Wonder how Daraku is doing....

Chakra:

Battle Theme:

Daraku, now faced with around half of the enemies, spun his uchigatana by its hilt. "So, which one of you punks will attack me first?" the flames danced around the sword as it spun, casting a red glow on his surroundings. A masked woman approached, making a few hand seals before using a Doton technique, creating a series of wolves from mud. Daraku made a 180 degree turn, slashing the first wolf, followed by an uppercut that dispatched the second and a kick that got rid of the third. They all reformed within seconds, swarming him hungrily. He swung his sword, and another tornado of flames came out, hitting the woman. On impact, all of the wolves fell, reverting to mere puddles of mud. He smiled and stepped over the girl, slashing left and right, until all of Zoku's little "henchmen" were either dead or fallen down. He turned and saw Zack use some sort of jutsu to split the others' numbers in two; he seemed to be holding up fine against them.

Daraku pointed his sword at Zoku's chest, pushing the tip in and creating a small cut. "You ready to die?" Zoku didn't respond, but let out a low laugh that sounded like nails on a chalkboard. A ninjutsu of sorts? It didn't matter, it disoriented Daraku just long enough so that Zoku could move out of the blade's path. He appeared behind Daraku and punched him in the back at full force, and Daraku was thrown back, crashing into the wall with a loud crack. Daraku reached up and felt blood dripping from his head...he also felt extremely dizzy, not good. He stood back up slowly and held his blade in front of him. "I'm not the one who's dying today, I've already told you this!..." he yelled, as he coughed up a bit of blood.

Zack leaped and did a full somersault, and while in midair slashed digonally causing a deep fatal cut that caused blood gush violently from his body. Zack slashed his sword horizontally and another large electric wave disintegrated the thugs body and sailed side ways to the other gang members who were knocked away shaking. Zack continued fighting off the hoards of men. One man performed a Fuuton technique that hit Zack in his right arm. Zack stepped back as he saw his arm had a pretty deep cut but continued fighting. Another thug used a Katon technique that sent a stream of flames at Zack. Zack lunged to the left avoiding the flamethrower and responded with a quick thrust of his sword through the side of the mans stomach. Zack sweep kicked 4 men who were trying to rush him and was able to knock them out after hitting their heads on the ground.

Zack now breathing heavily after defeating the band of thugs. Zack looked in the direction of Daraku and saw him push his sword into Zoku's chest slowly and say, "You ready to die?" Zoku didn't respond, but Daraku seemed to have been disoriented by Zoku's Ninjutsu. Zoku appeared behind Daraku and punched him in the back at full force, and Daraku was sent flying and crashed into the wall. Blood was dripping from his Daraku's head but he stood back up and yelled as he coughed up blood, "I'm not the one who's dying today, I've already told you this!..."

Zack ran towards the man, leaped and did another somersault in midair attempting to hit Zoku with a fatal blow...CLANG the sound of two swords clashing filled the room, but it wasn't Daraku's nor was it Zoku's because he did not have one, but a girl. The girl was thin, with short red hair and wore a crescent shaped mask that covered the left side of her face. She had blue eyes, and glossy lips, and a petite nose and she appeared not much older than Zack, she had the perfect body and her red skin tight stealth suit complemented her curves. Zack flipped back slightly lowering his guard as the girl pointed her sword at him. Zack was stunned as the girl began to charge at him as the tip of her Katana dragged along the ground creating sparks. Zack raised his sword and both of them collided.

Zack killed a few more of the henchmen before he noticed Zomu approaching Daraku. He ran ahead, performing a front flip and a slash down, but he was intercepted by the masked woman. She held her own blade against his, and they held that position for a moment before intiating a battle of their own. This left Daraku alone to face Zoku; the two stared down at each other with hatred within.

Daraku wasn't just going to let himself stay hurt if he needed to be in battle; at this point, the flames on his sword had worn off, so he needed to think fast. Even with his kekkei genkai active, Zoku's strike had done significant damage, meaning that if he got hit without it, he would definitely be reduced to red pulp and guts. Zoku sprinted forward, his weight making the ground crack with every step. Daraku got the opportunity he needed and sidestepped out of his path, following up with a diagonal slash across Zoku's shin. The muscle was shut down immediately, and Zoku feel to the ground.

Ah, the benefits of Medical Ninjutsu. Daraku thought to himself as he activated a jutsu. A blue glow covered his body, and he slowly began to heal while Zoku was down. He turned his head to see how Zack was holding up against the masked woman.

---

180/250:

The Zack and the masked girl, clashed multiple times with their blades, neither side giving up an edge.  Zack was now growing tiresome as he did a back flip with one hand as the girl trusted her sword straight at him.  Zack fell to one knee looking at the girl with a filled with frustration.  The girl spoke in a loud tone that demonstrated how pissed off she was, ”So Zack Kuraudo, do you not remember me, Old Friend.  Well I'll just slash away at you till you do!  

The girl began charging at Zack and their swords collided once more.  The girl kicked Zacked into a stack of empty boxes and stood their.  Zack was slightly dazed trying to recuperate as a box fell over his head.  Zack then climbed out of the jumble of boxes confronted the girl with a charge of his own.  First he slid forward sweep kicking the girl, but apparently she matched Zack with her superior flexibility and delivered a kick to Zack's face that sent him flying in the direction of Daraku.

Daraku watched as Zack and the woman fought fiercely. The woman yelled, ”So Zack Kuraudo, do you not remember me, Old Friend.  Well I'll just slash away at you till you do!" and managed to knock him back into a pile of boxes. He responded by charged forward and attempting to sweep her off her feet, but she jumped and kick him hard, sending him flying toward Daraku. The Basic Recovery Method wore off, and his wound was healed, so he held out his arms and caught Zack, although the force of catching him made him fall to the ground. He pushed Zack off of him and stood back on his feet, looking at the woman, then at Zoku, who had gotten back up as well. He finally helped Zack up with one hand and then turned to face their challengers. It seemed like Zoku and the mysterious woman were the only two people left fighting against them, and everyone else had either run away or was dead.

Daraku held his uchigatana out in front of him once again. "Zack, you keep fighting that chick. I'll handle Zoku. If you need healing, just tell me, I've got you covered." He gave Zack one last nod before charging at Zoku. Zoku merely held out a hand and blocked the sword, then followed through with a roundhouse kick. Daraku ducked under his leg and broke through with a fast rising slice, which cut Zoku's chest and shoulder. Blood dripped from the wound, and Zoku stared at him with eyes full of hate. You're gonna pay for that....!

Zack flew into Daraku's arms as he caught him but still fell to the ground. Daraku threw Zack off of him to the side and stood to his feet. Zack turning over raising himself from one knee stopped in mid motion as he spit blood from his mouth and blood still ran down the right side of his mouth. Daraku was holding out his free hand to assist Zack, and bring him to his feet. Zack nodded to Daraku for his assistance and faced the two oppressors. Zack held his sword in both hands raising it sideways so that the blade was at eye level while Daraku held out his sword. Daraku gave Zack a quick heads-up before they went into the second around against the two.

"Zack, you keep fighting that chick. I'll handle Zoku. If you need healing, just tell me, I've got you covered." Zack nodded and Daraku did the same before he charged at Zoku. Zack rushed towards the girl and exclaimed, "I have no idea who you are but I don't take kindly to women who assault me like that." Zack now withing a few inches of the girl ducked as she attempted to hit Zack with a spin kick. Zack while behind the girl delivered a blow to her back with his elbow as she landed. The girl fell forward but was able to tumble forward a safe disance from him, then charged at Zack.

Daraku ran circles around Zoku, slashing every so often as he had opportunities to do so. The battle was intensifying, and Zoku was growing angry as he began to take damage. Cuts were scattered all over his body, and they all bled fiercely. He finally managed to grip Daraku's blade, holding him in place so that he couldn't move. His hand suddenly burst into flames, and he threw the blade out of the way, and punched Daraku. Daraku dodged the punch carefully, and it grazed him doing near no damage as he retrieved the blade and swung at Zoku's neck. The throat was slit, and he fell to his knees, grabbing at the oozing wound desperately. Blood filled his lungs and he couldn't speak more than a mere Fuck you... before he fell to the ground, dead. Daraku now turned to Zack, who was still fighting that woman.

The masked girl and Zack continued to fight slashing at each other until he was able to gain an edge.  The girl was just as persistent as Zack as the two collided for the final time.  Zack flipped back as she tried to kick him in his face.  The girl jumped over Zack while he still was on his hands and was no able to deliver the final blow.  Zack found an opening and decided to follow over in the push-up position.  Zack turned over on his side and kicked the girl sweeping her off her feet.  Zack then leaped to his feet and held his sword to the girls neck as he wedged her mask off, cutting her face a little.  

"MAI!!!  Mai what the hell is wrong with you!"  Zack looked at the girl and extended his hand out to the girl as she grabbed it and was lefted up and hugged Zack.  Zack immediately thought she was crazy as hell, she sheathed her sword as she held Zack's hand.  "Where did you come from and how did you get here???"  Zack waited for her response while he sheathed his own sword.  "Well I came from Kumo to come see you and I kinda walked...  Zack interrupted the girl immediately at the word walked, "YOU WALKED HERE!?!?"

Zack decided to continue his conversation with Mai later, he turned to find Daraku leaning against the wall a few feet from Zoku's dead body.  Zack nodded to Daraku and said to him, "So Daraku you wanna get a bite to eat..."

Zack and the girl were fighting when suddenly they just stopped and were talking to each other. Daraku sighed, this shit was so weird. This whole day was just so weird. "So Daraku you wanna get a bite to eat..." Daraku looked back at Zack with wide eyes. Was this kid fucking serious? He'd just gotten the shit beat out of him and the restaurant was destroyed. And hell no, he wasn't going to another restaurant, fuck that. With a fake smile, he looked back at Zack. "No, definitely not. I'm going home. See ya around, kid." He turned around, walking through the doorway of the now-destroyed Dragon's Tongue.

Well, he had gone to get curry, and instead, he got attacked. At least he killed Zoku, but it was a terrible way to waste the day. He figured he'd stop by the grocery store and buy some curry before going home. I go to a restaurant, kid sits next to me, suddenly I get attacked. I swear, that kid is a curse. he thought to himself as he walked off into the sand.

(Exit Thread)