Nagare entered the famed establishment with high hopes. He was starving, and hadn't eaten all day. He had finished training yesterday and also had a nice time with Sousetsu, and it was now around 7 PM. The moon hung in the sky as he sat at the small area, and a man greeted him with a large smile. "Hello. What would you like?" Nagare couldn't manage even a forced smile that he usually did, he simply muttered "I'll take your Seafood Ramen, please...and make it a big bowl." The man nodded and retreated to the back room, where the sounds of cooking could be heard.

It certainly smelled worth it. Everyone had been telling Nagare that this little Ramen shop, Ichiraku Ramen, was the epitome of Ramen in the Land of Fire. If they lifted up to the hype and high expectations, he would have even more of a reason to return to Konoha. He was only staying for another week or so, so that he could finish his mission, maybe train some more, and be a bit of a tourist while he could, but he would have to leave back to Kumogakure at the end of the week. Not that he didn't love Kumo, it was his home, just that he hadn't expected Konoha to be this great.

Within minutes, the man returned with a large bowl of steaming ramen, which did something to Nagare. The sight of that bowl made him so happy, he actually had a genuine smile, something that almost never happened to him. He gave the man a quick "thank-you" before grabbing the chopsticks and shoveling a large cluster of noodles into his mouth. Was this what sex felt like? It was like sex. In his mouth. He was a virgin, but not in here. No, he was now having a mouthgasm. The ramen was so delicious, he just couldn't take it, and it almost brought tears to his eyes. "Every meal I've ever eaten was nothing compared to this..." The man gave him a confused look before returning to the back room and washing dishes.

---

Just for reference, Kichirou is wearing civilian clothing.

Another guy walked in, and a woman greeted him with a cheery "Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen!" Nagare ignored the noises around him while he slurped in the noodles hungrily. His ravenous cravings were slowly relenting with every bite, and soon he was satisfied and halfway through the bowl in front of him. He would buy another afterwards, of course, but for now....the sound of the man giggling caught his attention, and turned to find the guy was giggling at him. Not a good idea, Nagare hated being laughed at, even for something as trivial as this...he clenched his fist around his chopsticks as the man spoke. "Sorry for laughing just now. I just never seen anyone say that about ramen. The name is Taigen Kichirou." Ramen wasn't some sort of crappy food, it was amazing when made by the right hands. Nagare took a deep breath to keep himself from yelling or being rude before speaking quietly.

"Ramen in Kumogakure no Sato, where I am from, is bland and disgusting. This is heavenly food...but that's aside from the point. I'm Sōseiji, Nagare. It is..." he forced a smile, but his crimson eyes were burning with annoyance. It was how he was, his temper was just easy to set off. "...*ahem* a pleasure to meet you." He finally gave a sigh and let the anger peter out while he finished off his bowl, and offered it to the man who ran the place. "I'll take one more, please. This is quite good." As he waited for his next bowl to arrive, he looked back at Kichirou, now a bit more relaxed but still carrying a frown. He was never the smiling type. His glasses shimmered in the light of the establishment's bright and ornate lanterns. "So tell me, Kichirou, what are you doing in a Ramen Shop if you don't think ramen is wonderful?"

Kichirou went into a period of thought before responding to Nagare's question with a simple shrug. He then explained himself: “You misunderstood me. While I'm not the biggest fan of ramen, I do like it every now and than. I was just never raised up or introduced to such a food, my mother was a health nut to put it nicely. Seeing how you are from Kumogakure, I can only assume you are a traveling merchant or a shinobi. How are you enjoying the Fire Country?” Truthfully, it was a nice fit for Nagare, and he could easily see himself maybe living there in the future. The Land of Fire...it was only natural that the strongest Katon user in the Land of Lightning found it more fitting here. But no, he wouldn't go ahead and leave Kumogakure with all of the bonds he had made, and the power he had risen to. A Sannin very well couldn't abandon his or her post as one of the three strongest ninja in a village just to go to another village. Nagare would stay, at least until his days as a Sannin were over.

The Sannin turned his attention to the new bowl in front of him, steaming with the smell of fresh fishcakes and smooth noodles. He at a bite and then faced Kichirou. "You're correct, I am a shinobi. I came on mission business from Kumogakure, but as soon as I got here, that attack happened...so I got caught up helping in the battle. Other than the fact that missing ninja seem to target this village a lot, I've got to say, it's quite nice. The scenery is breathtaking." Now that Kichirou was ordering as well (using a voucher that Nagare coveted), Nagare figured he may as well strike up a conversation. They'd be sitting together at this little ramen shop, and as nice as silence was to the Sōseiji, most people found it awkward and tense. The conversation wouldn't be much, probably just small talk that he would half-listen to as he ate.

"So, tell me about yourself, Kichirou. Are you a shinobi? I'm guessing yes, because you don't seem very shaken up by the earlier happenings of this week, more specifically the missing ninja's invasion...unless you didn't know about it?"

Kichirou explained what he liked and didn't like about Konoha, and talked about the invasion for a bit. Soon, he turned his focus to Nagare and asked, "How's Kumogakure?" How was Kumogakure? Nagare wasn't entirely too sure on how to respond. He started slowly, contemplating his answer inbetween short slurps and bites of noodle and fishcake. "Kumogakure is wonderful. It's high altitude and cold temperatures can make some people feel uncomfortable there, but I don't mind it. The weather is nice, sun behind the clouds for the most part. More recently, things there have been changing...Reika appointed Midnight, the former Raikage, as a Sannin, as well as myself. With us and the recent influx of Genin, the village is becoming quite powerful."

Nagare slurped in another cluster of noodles and played with a mussel that floated in the broth. He poked it a few times with a chopstick before turning back to Kichirou. "Have you ever been to Kumogakure? If you haven't, I highly recommend you do, it's a good experience. Come visit me sometime."

"Yeah, I been to Kumogakure. . ." Kichirou said in a low tone. It was a bit cryptic, as if there was some sort of sad back-story to it. Nagare didn't care much to hear the back-story, and he continued to eat as the words came to his ears. "I was born and raised there. Spent the first sixteen years of my life within the village as a civilian, before I started traveling." Ah, there it was. So Kichirou wasn't oblivious to what Kumogakure was like, he knew it just as well as Nagare did. Or maybe not, it seemed like he was far older than sixteen now. He probably hadn't kept up with the happenings there since he had left. Nagare finished off the last bowl and handed it to the man behind the bar, before thumbing through his wallet for Ryo. Kichirou continued his tale as Nagare handed the payment due to the owner.

“I planned on visiting once I get the chance. Have to know if she is alright.” She? Personal pronoun, but there was no mention of a female earlier in the conversation. This guy probably did that on purpose, but Nagare's curiosity was piqued. He urged to ask who the she was, but was also restraining himself, because he was getting tired as a byproduct of the full stomach. The words were on the tip of his tongue, and even if he opened his mouth a little...

"Who is 'she'?" DAMN IT. Why did he ask!? He knew that he didn't want to sit around talking about it. This ramen was messing with him, it was doing something to his brain. He sat back in his stool, as he knew that he would be there longer than he had anticipated.

"My mother. Well, technically my adopted mother. My biological mother was a prostitute who lost me in a game of poker to my adopted mother." Silence. Nagare didn't really know how to respond to that, but one thing could be decided from that statement; Kichirou certainly was different than the rest of those that Nagare had met in Konoha. The shinobi gave a turn and yawned while facing away, and Nagare realized that he must have been tired as well. Either that, or he was hinting that he wanted to leave soon. Nagare knew that he himself did, and that was all that mattered in the end.

Nagare stood up and fixed his collar and jacket, brushing off his pants. "I see. Well, Kichirou, I must go now, but make sure that you keep in touch with me. I live in the northwestern area of Kumogakure, feel free to ask around for me if you ever visit. Good bye." he turned and walked away. He may not ever see Kichirou again after that moment, but he had a hunch that even if that was the case, it wouldn't matter. The moment they had just shared, though short-lived and quiet for the most part, was still another friendship made. His feet kicked up dust and leaves with every step down the road, off into the night.

(Exit Thread)

OOC: I'll be leaving back to Kumo soon, so I've gotta start tying up my threads here