sunshineverse | Do you catch your breath, when I look at you?

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zz old game: naruto

Do you catch your breath, when I look at you?

Who: Neji and Sakura
When: May 24th; Backdated
Where: Konoha Tea Avenue
Notes: Two awkward ninjas attempt the weird thing called 'dating' with some margin of error.

Neji's uncharacteristically nervous and over half an hour early. Having never been on an official date before, he guesses that's probably normal.

Not that it looks like he's half an hour early. But he's chosen a perch that allows him a good view of the bridge he's supposed to meet Sakura at, doesn't need people crossing it to see that he's waiting for someone- or worse ask. Because he's not waiting for one of his teammates or mentors this time, rather a girl he knows little about, but found intriguing enough to ask out on a ridiculous impulse. Or was it impulse, when he'd been partially considering it since the day after their mission? It must've been the rumors getting to him, suggesting that maybe a date might not be so bad.

Maybe it was the heat.

Minutes tick by, and Neji wonders everything from whether or not she'll actually show to what she might be wearing. Will she bother to dress up? Does he want her to? Because he'd gone through a similar dilemma at home, torn between something more formal, or his traditional robes, because the standard shinobi uniform felt like dressing down more than anything. In the end, he decided against formality, because given the mixed signals he was already perceiving from the girl, he didn't want to send the wrong message. And his robes are semi-formal enough when they're clean and pressed.

It's not like they're going anywhere upscale anyway, so he kind of hopes she isn't dressed up, because then he'd feel like more of an idiot than he already does.

He's pretty sure he's not cut out for this dating thing after all. At fifteen minutes til, Neji finally drops to the bridge below to wait just in case she's doing something similar. He has half a mind to search for her through Byakugan, but for now it's likely best to simply wait.

He's usually good at waiting.

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She has some idea of what is expected of a date, but most of that is actually comprised of things she's sure aren't a part of dating. If she'd sought out Ino, she's sure her friend would have known exactly what she was supposed to do both for and during the date, but she was also certain Ino wouldn't leave her alone until every word of the advice was followed, and then quite likely stalk her there to be sure. All of that wasn't remotely worth suffering through just to have some idea of what was expected of her. Not when the whole thing was a misinterpretation.

She arrived only a few minutes early on the presumption that a clan like the Hyuga would prefer to arrive exactly on time rather than early. She wasn't dressed up excessively, because she didn't really own the things she'd need for that. Ultimately she chose to tie her long hair into a half-ponytail rather than the braid she wore in missions or high ponytail she used during off-time, and dug out just about the only dress she owned. When her shoulders felt uncomfortably exposed, she added a similar jacket.

Even though she expected him to walk away from the date disappointed as soon as he realized she wasn't whatever sort of person he thought she was, whatever he was using to determine he ought to try courting her instead of the numerous other items intelligent and competent kunoichi he could have otherwise chosen, it would be disrespectful of him not to at least make a token effort. Otherwise, there was potential for embarrassing him, and reflecting badly on her career simultaneously.

It's only five minutes before one that she arrives. The idea that he might have arrived far in advance of that doesn't even occur to her. Why ever would he?

She's early, and for that, he's incredibly grateful. Mostly because if she hadn't been precisely on time, he would've worried much more about whether or not she'd show up.

But those thoughts go promptly sailing when she nears, and his eyes follow the figure of her dress. A jacket covers her shoulders, and the dress flares at the hems, both articles a similarly deep red that offsets the pink of her hair and her pale skin and emerald eyes.

She dressed up. The fact is both disbelieving and pleasing- mostly because given the enthusiasm with which she accepted, he hadn't expected her to. But at the same time, he's pleasantly surprised to be shown that she does care enough to want to leave an impression.

It's an effort to tone down his smile into something less stupid-looking, and Neji scrambles for words to say. A compliment- something. Pretty is too flat, beautiful too common, and gorgeous overstepping some boundaries. Maybe he can attempt lowering one barrier for now.

"You're stunning, Sakura-san," he manages after a moment, because that's how she looks in that moment. Bright and vibrant where in comparison, he feels distinctly lackluster- what with standard brown hair, pale skin, and colorless eyes.

"I apologize for my lack of formal wear. I wasn't certain it'd be appreciated." But while he looks and feels like an idiot, at least their positions aren't reversed. That would make for a rocky start.

Edited 2014-06-13 09:23 (UTC)

She would have been offended, possibly enough to track him down, had she been only minutes late and he have already left. It would have appeared as if he'd set her up simply to embarrass her, as if she'd been presuming to reach where she shouldn't. As it was, she was moderately concerned about how much longer he'd been waiting. Well, if he were already disappointed then it was his own mistake.

...He didn't look disappointed yet, though.

She hesitated a moment at the term he chose for her. As the one organizing it, the honorific seemed a bit cold for someone currently on a date...but then, she didn't know what was normal for the Hyuga, and perhaps if he were too informal, that would bolster his strange impression of her. She's rather he not. More importantly...what was she supposed to take from his other statement...?

And indication she was dressed wrongly? "Should I switch to something more appropriate? I think there's time..."

If he was too informal, he stood a good chance of ruining whatever chance he does have with her, and his father's impressed on him that it's better to be too respectful than not respectful enough. If she's uncomfortable with the formality, she can politely inform him of her preferences.

Because a good majority of his initial doubts are gone, and he feels rather fortunate she had agreed. There's no time for mildly wounded pride, he has to try to make this work. But her offer to change leaves him a little flustered.

"Ah no, there's no need to go that far," he says quickly. "If anything, I should be the one to do that. I'm not sure you'd rather wait, however.."

She had very little personal experience with Hyuga, but from what she'd seen and heard before she would be very surprised if he were even capable of being so informal he'd make a bad impression. She would assume he was somehow an Inuzuka in disguise if he somehow did try. But...then again, that didn't matter. Her opinion on his behavior or the date wasn't really important. He was the one operating under false assumptions.

She shook her head, dismissive. There was no point to changing to match her. If he picked where they were going then obviously his current outfit would do. If she'd look overdressed, then it was better it be only her, rather than the both of them. "We shouldn't put it off. Otherwise something might come up and interrupt it, don't you think?"

Neji conceded to her point with a mild nod, because missions didn't quite care if shinobi were busy when they came in. And he felt like he should offer her his hand- wanted to, even- but the faux pas that came with it left him hesitating, then dismissing the notion.

He folded his arms up into his sleeves to rid himself of the temptation and turned toward the street below, glancing down over the rails. They'd have to walk with her in that dress, but that was fine, he didn't mind. It gave them a chance to relax, rather than rush everywhere.

"In that case, do you have any particular taste for lunch?" he inquired. "I didn't pick out anywhere specific, as I don't know anything about your likes. There are restaurants that serve everything of course, but since I've proposed this, it might be fair if you're the one to choose the location."

Was there a faux pas related to offering his hand? She didn't know what it might be, but then, it didn't even occur to her that he would. She wasn't unfamiliar with why he might, but those reasons mostly kept to the sorts of fanciful dates this certainly wasn't.

If she'd thought about the need for faster travel, she would have chosen something other than a dress. But rushing wasn't really what a person was meant to do on a date.

She hesitated a moment, blinking and attempting to decide. She knew nothing of his tastes or allergies. Sweets and ramen both seemed like poof choices, though. Neither allowed the presumed privacy of a date. "...Barbecue seems like an appropriate lunch."

He smiled, nodding again, pulled an arm out of his sleeve just enough to mildly gesture their direction to take down to the street below.

"That sounds nice," he agreed, moving over the bridge to a proper pathway he's not sure he's ever really used before now. Barbecue was neutral enough, but he hoped not to run into anyone they knew. Team 10 was known to meet there, and wasn't the Yamanaka one of Sakura's friends?

But with a silence settling between them and no obvious conversation to follow, he grasped for something else to say. Finally, he settled on local talk.

"So are you looking forward to the auctions tomorrow?" The words came out a bit wry, because no one in the auctions were looking forward to them.

She...has used the pathways plenty. Just not recently. In her early genin days and before she wouldn't have been able to use anything else even if she tried. Which she probably would have if she'd thought of it when walking along the streets meant potentially encountering other children she didn't want to.

...She hadn't been thinking of the fact that the barbecue was a place the rest of Team 10 often went: usually there had to be some sort of an event to drag Ino there, after all. If she thought of it, though, she'd immediately change course to something else. Ino would give her nothing but grief if she knew she'd avoided telling the girl about a date. Preferably, she never would, and even if Chouji and Shikamaru were there, they wouldn't bother to tell her.

If it were possible for her thoughts to drift to that problem, though, they were derailed before they could when he spoke again. Her expression darkened somewhat in disdain immediately upon being reminded of the upcoming event.

"That is a waste of time. I won't have anything to do with it." Shirakumo had not been among the senseis who'd pressured their students or ex-students into signing up, and so she hadn't...but she was still keeping far away from it when the day came, so that someone like Ino (or possibly even Hana, if Kiba told her) couldn't drag her into participating in it in any form.

It was a bit of a harsh assessment, but he could agree with the basic point. Still, that was one thread of conversation shut down.

"There are better ways to fund the exams," he agreed mildly, electing to refrain from mentioning that Obito had talked him into bearing through the event a few weeks ago.

Stepping onto the street, Neji glanced over at her with a smile. "Looks like the team we met in Uzushio will be present this time."

She felt strongly on the subject. They'd found other ways to fund the exam up until this point, she strongly opposed the concept of using that this time. But ranting about that or speaking derisively about a Hokage she should probably be respectful toward is probably not a thing to do on a date. Negativity in general should be avoided, that much she was aware.

Thus, she only gave a small hum of agreement at his statement about funding the exams, and let silence return. This time, though, it was broken much more quickly than before. She glanced over at Neji with a mildly curious expression. "The ones with the tour?" She paused a moment, considering them in her memory, before continuing on. "The oldest one should make Chuunin this time." At least, she was fairly certain that one was still a genin, thus as late a chuunin applicant as she'd been.

Neji nodded, fell into step with her as they moved down the street, and felt almost strangely content despite the few looks he'd caught in his peripheral. Maybe this date thing wasn't so bad. So long as he could keep up a thread of conversation, they might avoid falling into painfully awkward silence.

The only problem with that though, was that he only ever spoke at length about mission details or training methods. He's been told he's very good at briefings, but that wasn't exactly date material. He felt fortunate that the Chuunin exams were around to discuss.

"I'd agree, but it looks like it'll be her first exam." And the success rate for first-time test takers was naturally lower. "Still, I'll hope her team at least makes it through without incident, if nothing else. Not to mention, Amegakure is participating for the first time in several years."

Edited 2014-06-14 04:41 (UTC)

Had they been getting strange looks from villagers as they walked? She'd learned long ago how to tune out and ignore the looks of villagers who disapproved of her. She'd been surrounded in children who didn't think she was worthy of being a shinobi, even if she'd avoided direct opportunities for them to mock her, they'd done their best to indicate their disapproval in other ways as well. For the most part, when not in a dangerous situation, avoiding those looks was automatic to her now.

If he wanted to find indications of where and what he should talk about by looking to her, he'd find...nothing. Other than perhaps three people and her parents, Sakura didn't really discuss anything at length that wasn't at least tangentially related to shinobi life and work. Speaking about the Chuunin exams seemed more natural to her than...whatever else she should have been expected to discuss with him.

"She's old enough to make it through on her first attempt. I became Chuunin on my first attempt at about her age, as well. As long as her sensei is good, she shouldn't find it difficult to succeed." After all, Chuunin exams didn't usually hide anything that would trip up first timers, unless they were genin that weren't yet prepared to be Chuunin. That was her belief, anyway. "I have faith in her ability to keep her fellow genin intact during the first phases of the exam." The other two she doubted were ready to pass the final phase of the exam, but a person properly ready to be Chuunin could pass the exam even with two supporting teammates who weren't. "Amegakure has genin ready for the exams?"

Neji nodded, agreeing with that, but he had no measure of the girl's ability or experience, either. Age didn't necessitate capability after all, and that was true on both ends of the spectrum. But the reminder that Sakura was a recent Chuunin made him briefly recall that particular exam. It was difficult not to notice her, and he recalled she displayed excellent chakra control, if nothing else.

"Apparently," he continued, catching sight of the restaurant. "I overheard some Jounin discussing whether or not they'd be the favorites this year." Mostly in terms of betting and the likelihood of making cash off said team.

"Amegakure is like Kirigakure in some ways: a small country, but with a solid fighting force that consistently throws outstanding shinobi. Makes me wonder about their training methods."

It was true that age didn't necessitate capability, which was why most of her class became Chuunin long before her, but the unique circumstances of the current Uzushio made her suspect that many of the shinobi who'd made their way to that village were more capable than the average shinobi of their age.

...She really wouldn't know how to react if she knew he'd noticed and remembered her from the Chuunin exams. Shisui had, of course, but for someone who her specialties didn't really relate to, she would have expected Kiba or Shino to outshine her so loudly no one would remember her.

"The Jounin always bet on exams...don't they?" The last part was added as an after thought, when the thought occurred that this was a Jounin she spoke to, not a Chuunin. It was easy to forget, when he was about her age, when most were still her rank at her age. It probably helped to make her forget it that he seemed determined to show interest in her. There were far more capable Jounin women in Konoha than lowly Chuunin like her.

She bit the inside of her lip for a moment, as the thought occurred to her that perhaps he'd mistaken her rank along with whatever else he was misinformed of, but she wasn't given the chance to voice that. Perhaps fortunate, that.

"It must be tightly controlled or highly efficient and minimalistic. There isn't the room in Amegakure to conduct the sorts of training that Konoha would." She blinked, thoughtful. "Perhaps they're genjutsu oriented?"

Neji glanced at her, obviously amused.

"Those that don't have anything better to do with their time or ryo," he answered. "But once you've been out of the exams so long and overseen so many others, it's about the most excitement to be found, seems like."

He wasn't old enough to relate, but that's the way he perceived it and it made sense enough.

As for the training methods Kiri or Ame might employ, he hummed a thoughtful note, attempting to envision that.

"Perhaps both. Konoha likely does teach a broader range, whereas Kiri or Ame might focus on building up a certain set of skills and focusing heavily on those skills to a higher degree than the larger countries might. In regards to genjutsu, I suppose it's possible, though my knowledge of such advanced applications is limited."

He was first and foremost a taijutsu specialist, after all.

"...I suppose that would be true." It was something of a novelty to her this time around, because it would be the first time she'd seen a Chuunin exam after getting her promotion...but after a while, there wouldn't be much reason to watch it anymore, particularly if there was no one in them with any relation to her.

So maybe it was better to say 'the older jounin always did it'.

She tried not to find it odd that a jounin like him didn't have at least advanced knowledge of things like genjutsu even if he preferred taijutsu as a Hyuga. After all, even Shirakumo had his limitations that he never made any attempt to deny or hide from his students. If a jounin had to be a perfect shinobi, then there wouldn't have been any chance of her becoming jounin one day.

"Whatever those skills might be...they're probably more precise and less destructive skills. Wide-range jutsus would be difficult to effectively practice on a large scale in a country so small, wouldn't they?" She wondered idly how many Ame shinobi worked in the near-constant rain in their country to improve their jutsus on their own home territory (or when it rained anywhere else they happened to be). "It might make it difficult for them in the Chuunin exams...general expertise is more important than specialized expertise in those."

Neji shrugged, reminded of Kushina's own large-scale technique that had effectively washed away much of one of Konoha's training fields in a demonstration. A technique he was supposed to be learning.

"Probably, in most cases. Though both countries do have an advantage when it comes to water type ninjutsu." And it was true that the Chuunin exams tested a broad range of skills, and they were never exactly the same. "I imagine they might have an advantage in direct combat, and that you're likely correct in thinking that they might experience a number of pitfalls when it comes to broader field applications."

Neji drew his hands out of his sleeves and reached for the door to the restaurant, pulled it open and gestured her through with a slight bow and a smile.

Did Lady Kushina's jutsus accurately represent Uzu's style or training methods, though? Wasn't she a Konoha nin as a child? It would make sense to Sakura that a Konoha nin would have destructive techniques, after all. In contrast, she couldn't imagine effectively training her earth jutsu in Uzu's small village.

"I wonder if it's true many of them are predisposed toward water nature, or if many are only trained in water jutsu to use the element around them..." If in fact that rumor happened to be true, but the belief was probably based in some form of truth even if Ame (and Uzu) shinobi weren't natively born water-based. "Direct combat will only help them if they can first make it to the final phase. An inferior shinobi could overwhelm a better fighter in a place like the Chuunin exams if they use their surroundings and strengths better..."

She was...almost surprised to note that they'd already crossed the distance from the bridge to the barbecue restaurant, but then again one reason the food must have occurred to her in the first place was its proximity to where they'd met up. It would have been highly inconvenient to pick some place on the other end of the village.

After only a moment's hesitation, processing their location, she wandered into the building at his gesture, scanning the area for an appropriate place to sit and mulling over the smell of the food she'd chosen. This wasn't really the kind of food she should have chosen if she were trying to impress him on the date, so she wasn't...really certain about what the etiquette was for eating it in front of him.

Ah, well. She'd eat as she always did, pretending she did otherwise would only perpetuate his misconceptions about her.

"The booth in the corner there?" It was the most strategically sound open seat. No exits or windows behind them, a good view of the restaurant around them, and the window next to the seat was mostly obscured, so passing...people...wouldn't necessarily see or recognize them sitting in it.

Neji let the door fall closed behind him, glancing around briefly for anyone they might know. No one of note, though that could easily change before they finished eating. He looked to the booth Sakura indicated and nodded, relieved that she didn't want to be bothered by anyone else either.

"Seems ideal," he agreed, with a glance to the staff. Led to their booth, Neji settled in across from Sakura with a hum.

"Looks like some foreign shinobi have arrived early already."

Edited 2014-06-16 01:04 (UTC)

It was more important to plan for how to avoid detection and escape when they inevitably came across someone familiar than attempt to avoid them entirely. That wasn't really possible without finding some place only they or he knew of to spend their time...and that would be rather restrictive and potentially claustrophobic to attempt. Worth it, should it be Ino who caught them, but not ideal.

She glanced up at the surrounding restaurant with a mild curiosity, just to be certain whether or not his comment was prompted by the presence of one in the building or if he'd simply observed it earlier. "They might be anticipating the day of the event will be like a chuunin exam, with the delay at the gate for all of the visitors who waited until that morning to arrive."

Seeing her look, Neji subtly tipped his head in the direction of the small group of Iwagakure shinobi settled at a booth on the far side of the restaurant.

"Probably," he agreed mildly, accepting a menu. "Though I'll hope the event isn't nearly so popular." That would mean an influx of foreign shinobi about a week ahead of schedule.

"At any rate, feel free to order type of meat you'd like." And he'd pay for even the more expensive cuts. He just hoped she couldn't rival an Akimichi's appetite.

Ah...those. They'd been slightly out of sight from where she was sitting, but at least not so far that she couldn't glance in their direction subtly.

She frowned slightly as she lifted her own menu to examine it. If the auction were as successful as the Chuunin Exams, then the village would have reason to repeat it. If the village started making it a tradition...

"Maybe they're simply using the exam as an opportunity to get familiar with Konoha prior to the exams? Familiarity with the village hosting the exams can sometimes be an advantage for participating genin." And if any village were to stoop to something like that over genin, Iwagakure would probably be the one.

She glanced up at him when he spoke again, as her lips twitched up into a faintly amused smile. "Including plates of this one?" She gestured toward the menu where (if their menus were identical, as they should be) the most unreasonably expensive meat was listed.

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Do you catch your breath, when I look at you?

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