sunshineverse | [closed; team gai picnic on family day]

Tugging back her sleeve, Tenten carefully lifted the fish from the batter, checking to make sure both sides were coated just enough to pick up the bits of breadcrumbs in the next mixture. And then it was a simple motion to slip the piece into the oil for a few minutes to let it fry.

Already, her kitchen smelled like a vending stall, the sharp scent of butter and spices wafting through the apartment as the fish bits sizzled in the pan. The first few had been a bit soft by comparison - not exactly crunchy like she wanted - but by the second batch, the oil had finally turned hot enough to give the right amount of crisp to each bite. And after just a few moments, the bit she had dropped in had already turned a beautiful golden brown.

Smiling at the prospects, the kunoichi fished the bit out from the vat and placed it with the rest of the finished batch. "I should be almost done with these, Lee. Then I can help you with the riceballs."

Edited 2015-02-17 10:18 (UTC)

The rice cooker beeped to announce its job well done. Lee was elbow deep in rice it seemed but he was an expert at handing the grain. A little salt in his hand and a little warm water and he was moulding perfect little rice balls for their picnic. They had several furikake flavors to roll them in and Lee expected to pass that task on to Tenten once she finished so he could work on desserts.

"Thank you," he replied, placing finished rice balls down in a line. He frowned as he scooped up more rice. Already it seemed he was running low... "Should we have two or three each, do you think?"

The oil sizzled to life, a few specks of oil crackling and popping before it came flying up to dot along her skin. For new cooks, the feeling would have been alarming. Even for those versed in the art of culinary mastery, it was a momentary discomfort among many throughout the process. But for someone well accustomed to the blood, sweat, and tears of training - of the harsh aches that came with a hard-fought mission - it was barely anything at all.

And in this instance, at least, that was a good thing.

Flicking a few stray strands of hair from eyes, the kunoichi glanced at her teammate from over her shoulder, playful grin set into place. "Considering how much you and Gai-sensei can put away, I think we should go with at least three."

Lee grinned, wiping his forehead with the back of his arm. "Three each it is then!"

That meant more rice but Lee could get started on that once he had the current rice all rolled up. He could probably get a little more than half done with this... His sight traveled away from his hands for a moment over to their condiment line up. There were several kinds of furikake available; noritamago, shiso fumi, regular tarako (cod roe), and Lee's personal favorite, karashi mentai (spicy mustard and cod roe). It was going to be one hell of a spread but nothing was too much for Team Gai to handle!

They worked in silence for a moment more and then Lee spoke, his voice thoughtful. "I suppose Gai-sensei and Neji will both have plans for later today..."

Idly, the kunoichi poked and prodded at the fish bits in the boiling oil, shifting and rearranging things around in the vat to see if she could nudge in one more piece or not. With some luck and effort, she was able to slip in the last bit, smiling in triumph and satisfaction. And quickly went into the process of cleaning up after herself while the last of the batch cooked and sizzled to perfection. The sooner she finished with the after care, the sooner Tenten could help Lee with his part of the bento.

And the sooner they could move on to working on the deserts.

"I would expect no less of Gai-sensei, at least." He was a man with a lot of love to give, after all. And for as far back as she could remember, the boisterous and exuberant man's heart had only belonged to all of two people (their team, aside). It only made sense. "And with Temari in town, I would hope that a genius like Neji would take advantage of the opportunity."

Lee nodded, finding her words to be nothing short of true. Lee had never seen Kakashi or Obito as true potential love interests for his sensei, but then again, he hadn't been thinking about his sensei's potential before the day Gai has spoken to him about it. And as for Neji, there was little that would likely keep him away from his special someone.

It made him a little lonely to think about that, but he supposed he just needed to give it more time before he found his own special person. Or persons. That was right. You didn't have to limit yourself if your heart told you to dream big! And hey, maybe someday he and Tenten would have those special people in their lives to make the holiday all the more grand.

Lee finished up the last of his rice and moved to make another half-batch. It would take some time but that would at least give him a moment to chop some veggies.

"... I am glad they could agree to have lunch with us. It has been too long since we have all been together at once."

There was a dull ache in her chest at his words, feeling the distance between them even stronger, now, when they were so close to reuniting again. Because it had nearly been a full year since the entire team had been together. Since Neji had been promoted to Jounin and when his duties started taking him away from team practices some time later on. And without him... it was like were a ship sailing without their captain.

For Tenten, at the very least, it had been a difficult few months. Understandable, yes. But hard, all the same, when she would catch herself remembering back on how it used to be. And now to find that Gai and Neji had moved on further without them...

It was a silly train of thought, but it was there all the same.

"It'll be nice to have everyone together, again, yeah." Turning off the stove, she fished out the last of the batch and tossed her apron aside to plop down across the counter from her companion. "So... I am yours to command, now. Where do you want me?"

Too many sad thoughts for such a happy time. Lee shook his head and got back into the swing of things.

"Oh, if you would not mind, please roll the rice balls into the furikake. You can choose whatever flavors you want." He expected she would make sure there was plenty of variety. But before she reached for anything Lee stopped and gave a soft 'oh.'

"Actually!" Changing gears, Lee glanced around and spotted the kitchen knives. "Would you prefer to chop some vegetables first? Your hands would not be so messy then."

And they needed to add some veggies to the meal or else they would be missing out on vital vitamins and minerals. Just some cucumber, carrots and celery would do it.

Grabbing a knife with an expert spin of the blade, she made her way over to the chopping board.

And while she was very much prepared and willing to do whatever was necessary of her, Tenten could not help but grin at the irony. Sure, leave the weapon specialist in charge of the chopping. That was a great plan, Lee. "Sure, I can chop the vegetables. Probably a lot quicker than you~"

It was a dangerous game, challenging Lee on anything, even if it was in jest. But she had a lot of long months to make up for. And the kunoiochi hoped that his desire to orchestrate a perfect reunion for their team would outweigh his nature of engaging in competitive activities.

"Probably, considering you are more adept with knives than I," Lee responded, though a smile quirked at the corner of his lips. He knew she was just playing. Had they actually considered having a contest with knives in her kitchen... the kitchen likely wouldn't make it.

They still had to wait on the rice cooker to finish for the last of the rice balls to be made. But there was still quite a bit of prep to be done; oranges had to be peeled and separated, bananas had to be peeled and cut, strawberries needed to be rinsed. Perhaps that could be the challenge.

"... Want to see if you can peel and cut all the veggies before I can prepare the fruit for dipping?"

And it was with a simple glance that she caught that familiar glimmer in his eyes. The one that said that he was ready for the unspoken challenge she had set into motion with those words. But then, Tenten should have expected - did expect - for him to turn her simple teasing into something more than it was. Truth be told, there was a part of her that was asking for it, if only to feel that thrill in her blood once more.

All it took was one word - one look - of confirmation to set it into motion, she knew. It was just a matter of deciding if it was appropriate to make a game of this or not. "Careful, Lee. Challenge is a dangerous word to be throwing around in this team."

And with that same quirk of her lips she had found in his grin, Tenten met Lee's gaze. And subsequently lit the fuse.

Edited 2015-02-22 08:41 (UTC)

"You are the one who was spoiling for a challenge," Lee responded, but when his eyes caught Tenten's he realized she was not joking. He slapped the last riceball together then rushed to wash his hands, intent on taking out those fruits with vigor.

When he got to a fresh cutting board Lee had to slow down. As much as he wanted to be done first he had to consider what they were doing. It was food so presentation was just as important as taste and texture. He didn't want to wind up with a pile of mashed bananas and crushed strawberries.

He glanced back at Tenten then got to work, knowing he had to catch up. At least peeling was something he could do quickly without too much fear.

He was not wrong, in the least. As his teammate of several years, Tenten should have known better than to tease and set the idea in his head to prove the remark wrong. But there was a part of her that wanted to prod at his pride in hopes of possibly engaging in a game of sorts. Because it had been months, and a little friendly competition was healthy, wasn't it?

"Maybe because I know you can't resist accepting one." And with an artful spin of the knife in her hand, she set about chopping her way through the vegetables, fingers and hands moving at almost lightning speeds just as Lee had finihsed setting up his station.

It would be quite the competition, indeed.

"Ulterior motives, hmm?" Except not nearly so secret or unexpected. Still, Lee felt it deserved a little teasing.

At the ready, they begun. And then it was a flurry of movement in the kitchen, broken by the sounds of perhaps unnecessary grunts and cries of triumph. The trick of the competition was to be fast but also accurate; again, no one wanted a mush of banana or cucumber so thin it lost its texture.

With a last chop of his blade, Lee held back from stabbing the knife down into the chopping board with triumph. Then he turned to see Tenten's progress, wondering if he had won after being caught up in the flurry of the competition.

Doing nothing to hide the sinister smirk tugging at her lips, the kunoichi did her best to feign innocence on the matter. "I don't know what you're talking about~"

And she might have done a good job of it, if only it were someone who did not know her quite so well.

There was only a moment's pause - a single space of a breath - before they both began at almost the exact same time. There was only a split second of time in which Lee was the first to jump out of the gate. Understandable. He was the fastest of the team, rivaled only by the original Green Beast, himself.

But where she was weaker in speed, the kunoichi excelled in precision and efficiency. Weapons were her specialty, after all. No one could ever best her in knife-work. And that was her advantage. Because while Lee would need to moderate his speed while he prepared the fruit, Tenten could fully trust in her skill and abilities to dice and chop and peel expertly with little conscious thought. All the while pushing to work faster and harder to make up for those milliseconds lost from the start of the race.

And what a race it was, with blurs of motion and flashes of knives in the late morning light.

The downside to both parties being so focused on their own work was in determining who finished first. Especially when both seemed to finish at relatively the same time. Because when Tenten had finished with her own work and eagerly lifted her head to see where the competition stood, she was met with an equally anxious teammate looking over to do the same.

Lee's gaze met with Tenten's just as he turned to look at her, and from the rustle of her hair he could tell she had just turned around as well. There was a pause, and then Lee began to laugh, unable to help himself. Carefully, he set the knife down and allowed himself to indulge in a full body chuckle.

"I suppose we both tie this time around," he said, wiping some tears away from his cheeks with the back of his hand. He was okay with a tie in this instance. Nothing to get torn up about.

"I guess we should pack up the veggies since they are ready. The rice should be done by then..." So they could make more rice balls while he started on getting the chocolate melting.

"This time," she agreed, sliding all of the diced into a container, "But I won't go so easy on you, next time."

There was amusement to be found in the end results. And though it was not quite as full and boisterous as her teammate's reaction, the kunoichi gave a soft chuckle of her own, nonetheless. Because while both Lee and Tenten had their strengths and weaknesses, there could be no mistaking just who had been their instructor. The variant mixture of determination, speed, and a healthy dose of competition was an equation that would always result in Maito Gai. And she, at the very least, could not be more proud of that fact.

As if on cue, the cooker beeped and chimed to signal the completion of the rice, steam pouring out of the vent with that fresh rice smell she had grown fond of. It was the mark of a well-prepared meal. The sign of a home-cooked show of affection that had been missing from her life for quite some time. "...This was a good idea, Lee."

"Then I will need to step up my game for our next match!" Who knew when that would happen, but it still needed to be said. No student of Maito Gai left a challenge without a strong conviction in their own abilities.

Lee was glad his timing had been on; if not, they would have had to stay idle for the rice and waiting for a rice cooker was the same as trying to watch water boil. Never fun.

But he looked up as he popped open the cooker, his eyes blinking curiously. "Good idea?"

"A picnic. With everyone." And whether or not Lee picked up on it, the words were said with a soft sort of sentiment - a rare thing to behold coming from the normally hard-edged kunoichi. But it would be a lie to say that the thought of her team didn't manage to bring out a softer side in Tenten, from time to time. Especially when their gatherings were few and far in between, these days. "It was a good idea. Even despite the freaky weather."

She flashed him an equally soft smile at that. "I'd forgotten how much fun we used to have together."

Edited 2015-04-09 09:28 (UTC)

"Oh. Yes, I am glad things seemed to work out..." They had to work around Gai-sensei's schedule a bit, but at least everyone had the day off for the holiday, basically. Still, it was a drag they had to use a holiday as an excuse to get together.

When did they start growing apart?

He smiled back, chuckling. "Hopefully today will be a good start for us to have more team time together."

And so they started working on the final rice balls, the two of them making quick work of the rice at a speed they never would have accomplished alone.

If there was one thing Tenten was particularly good at, it was time management and organization. Because she had goals and ambitions in mind, as well as a stubborn streak just as wide and long as either one of her boys. Team Gai had been a squad built on dreamers and overachievers, after all. And not a single one of its members were ever left wanting for anything better than their very best.

So it was only natural and expected for things to come together as they did for this one, precious day. Even if she would have to threaten maiming and injury to get it. Because it had been too long, and she had grown to miss them far too much to accept any more excuses.

"Hopefully. Even if it's only for a few hours in the dead of snow." She chuckled at that. Because only they would have a picnic during one of the worse winters Konoha had seen in years.

Only Team Gai.

The riceballs completed and set aside in their bento, Lee moved to the stove and started on getting the chocolate melting. They had white, dark and milk chocolate, and for dippers they had strawberries, bananas, vanilla cookies, and a few other goodies. They were going to make the best dessert as well as be the perfect gift for their sensei's special people.

Three pots simmered and settled on the stove, lined up side by side for ease of comfort and convenience. Each contained a different variance of chocolate to speed up the process, adding a little spontaneity to the dipping choices. it would take far too long to heat up and dip the chocolates separately. And this also allowed them to experiment with different mixtures and layers.

Humming softly, she snatched up a piece of banana, slowly snacking on the various fruits while waiting for the chocolates to melt.

Lee glanced over at Tenten as he stirred the chocolates to help with the melting process. A smile quirked on the corner of his lips.

"If you eat too much there won't be anything for the picnic. And you won't be able to eat anything when we get there."

He was right, of course. And after all the time and effort they had put into making the bentos and loading them with a variety of delicious foods, filling herself up on sweets would be a complete shame.

Still, regardless of knowing his words to be true, there was no helping the more mischievous side of her from having the last word on the matter. And so, with a bite of strawberry still wedged into one side of her cheek, the kunoichi feigned a pathetic pout and played the part of disappointed child.

"But the chocolate is the best part..."

[closed; team gai picnic on family day]

The way to a man's heart is through his...

... ribcage?

...close enough.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

omg, Tenten, what are you doing challenging Lee?

Re: omg, Tenten, what are you doing challenging Lee?

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)