Summer festival [Open. No fighting].

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"Well then, shall we go and eat my dear?" asked the male in a polite tone and offered his arm. "Yes, let's go" said the female before she grabbed his hand and walked with him into the dining room.
There were a bit more people in there now and the air smelt like lots of different food. Foods like okonomiyaki, donburi (<- rice with different toppings), different soba and noodle dishes, sashimi and some traditional desserts were on display. As for drinking, various cool drinks stood in cool buckets right next to the buffet table.

Marii smiled and decided to get some food for herself. She lined up right behind some children that seemed to be 8-9 years old or so. The young woman took some katsudon, noodle soup with soba and some sushi.
As for drink, she took a bottle of Qoo (<- non-carbonated, sweet drink) with orange taste before she saw a bar. "Hey Kininata, perhaps you can get some sake over there" said the Jounin and nodded her head towards the bar.

She found a small table in a corner of the dining hall and sat down with her food. The female could get her dessert later; it was allowed to take second servings here after all. She broke up the chopsticks and started to eat her noodle soup.
The taste was great and the brunette could now feel how hungry she really was. She did not have to worry about spilling some food on the kimono either.

[kininata]

The dining area was starting to get busy as it closed towards the evening, and the variety of scents in the room brought hunger to Kininata - and certainly more so for his girlfriend since she was already famished. The selection of food itself was quite varied, and he couldn't wait to try something more unusual to what he had been eating the last couple of days.

As Marii choose what she wanted, Kininata grabbed a Oyakodon - a Donburi of chicken and egg - along with a bowl of noodle soup and a fair sized portion of Inarizushi. "Hey Kininata, perhaps you can get some sake over there" said the Jounin and nodded her head towards the bar. He turned, nodded, and kissed her on the cheek before she headed to a table. 'I'll meet you in a minute.'

He moved off to the bar, and ordered a small bottle of warm sake with two cups - while Marii would probably want to have her own drink, it was polite for him to offer some if she wanted to have a little. They were both adults after all. Once the bottle was placed onto his tray, he turned around and headed to join her at the table.

By the time he had sat down Marii was just breaking her chopsticks. He started by pouring himself a little sake, and then matched her actions - grabbing the chopsticks and starting on his soup. This particular bowl had been spiced with mild peppers it seemed, and the taste tingled his tongue slightly. 'Wow, this is pretty good.' He said, taking a few more bites of the soup before sipping his sake. It was then that he decided to pour a little into the other cup, and slid it towards her. 'You can have some as well if you like.' The taste of the sake was quite nice, a sort of floral hint in the flavor - reminded him of the bottle that Ayame got for him when he first returned home from his journey.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"Wow, this is pretty good" said the male after he had eaten some of his soup. "Mhm, it's quite tasty" said the female and nodded in agreement, her eyes a little wide. He then poured some sake in his own cup and then into another one.
Marii only drunk sake at special occasions and she did not drink much; alcohol made her more nauseatic than drunk. But it was only a cup, she could handle that.

"You can have some as well if you like" said Kininata and slid the cup towards her. The young woman took it and placed it next to her plate with food.
"I'll drink it a little later, it's not smart for a small person like me to drink on an empty stomach" said the Jounin and gave him a half-smile. After she had finished the soup and had aten the few pieces of sushi, she decided to try out the sake.

"For discoveries in relations" said the female and raised her cup a little before she drunk some. Had it not been for him, she would have felt more sad and more insecure about herself in different ways.
In return, he had found out a way to make the scars disappear and got to celebrate his 20th birthday with someone he liked. She sipped some sake; it was a little odd in flavor, it tasted a little like flowers. "Not that bad, but I'm not so used to floral flavor...no offense" said the brunette and swallowed some of her katsudon.

After her dinner was over, she decided to get a very light dessert; they still had the candy upstairs. The young woman took some anko at the buffet and ate them at the table.
When both of them were finished, she took his hand in a gentle manner and walked up to her room.
"So, what do you want to do Kininata?" asked Marii and looked at him. Although their plan was to eat up some of the snacks and talk a bit, she was open for suggestions.

[kininata]

"For discoveries in relations" said the female and raised her cup a little before she drunk some - as she did, he raised his own to make his own toast; 'To happier days ahead'. He took another sip of the sake, the floral flavor starting to feel a little strong for his taste, and he could see that Marii was having a similar reaction to it. "Not that bad, but I'm not so used to floral flavor...no offense" said the brunette and swallowed some of her katsudon. 'None taken - to be honest, the taste is a little strong for me too.'

After her dinner was over, Marii went to fetch herself a small dessert, but Kininata decided to skip on it tonight - there was all the candy up stairs after all. Once she had finished, Marii took his hand gently and together they walked up to her room. "So, what do you want to do Kininata?" asked Marii and looked at him. He stopped for a moment, and pulled out his own keys.

'I need to head back to my room for a moment, so if you could wait here for me for a couple of minutes? I'll bring you that gift I promised.' He said, and then a moment later he started heading down the hallway to his room. Once the door was unlocked he was quickly inside, moving straight to the scroll case inside his backpack. 'Lets see... Ah, there it is!' He said as he pulled out one of the three copies from his case, and then sealed up the bag. Before he left, however, he decided to change into a more comfortable set of clothes - he wore his traveling gi trousers, and a white t-shirt with the artwork of a water dragon on the back. Once done, he left his room and locked the door.

He wandered back to where he had asked Marii to wait for him. 'Found it. Lets go inside and I'll give it to you there.' He said, and would follow her to her room and inside of it.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"'I need to head back to my room for a moment, so if you could wait here for me for a couple of minutes? I'll bring you that gift I promised" said the male and exited the room.
The female shrugged and saw him enter his own room. She leaned against the wall and whistled on some random melody while she waited on him to return. After two minutes, Kininata came out, now in his red gi and a white T-shirt.

Marii straightened up and found the keys to his room; it seemed like he hold some scrolls in his hands. "Found it. Lets go inside and I'll give it to you there" said the young man before she unlocked the door and walked inside.
Some cool air blowed into her face; it seemed like the maid had placed a small, electric fan in her room. "OK, I'll pour up some lemonade for us" said the young woman and found two cups and the bag that contained what she looked for.

Her bony fingers removed the cap and she poured some lemonade into two light blue cups with some white flowers on them. "Here you go" said the Jounin and looked a little closer on what he hold in his hands; it looked like scrolls.
She opened the pack that contained the biscuits; they had some orange jelly covered with dark chocolate. The female handed the pack to the Genin and then tilted her head a little bit. "So...what's my present?" asked the brunette and gave him a curious look before her eyes moved to the scrolls.

[kininata]

"OK, I'll pour up some lemonade for us" said the young woman and found two cups and the bag that contained what she looked for. She removed the cap and poured both of them a drink into two blue cups decorated with flowers. "Here you go" she said and showed some signs of curiosity about the scroll he carried - as he expected she would.

She opened the pack that contained the biscuits, then handed the pack to the Genin and then tilted her head a little bit. "So...what's my present?" asked the brunette and gave him a curious look before her eyes moved to the scrolls. He smiled, and took a single biscuit, taking a small bite from it - the orange texture was quite different, and enjoyable.

'Ah, yes, the gift.' He lifted the scroll up and took a hold of it with both hands. 'I mentioned earlier that I had something for you that would help ensure you could remain safe, to put myself at ease as it were. This is the gift... my first, and possibly most powerful Jutsu I ever created while I was the Amekage. Kouu Bunshin no Jutsu.' he held out the scroll to her.

'This is not an ordinary technique, Marii. A Suiton user of skill could perform a variety of combination attacks and defenses that would baffle and confuse an enemy, or even an small squad. The clones created can perform any Suiton technique you can perform, can act independently - the true power, though, lies in their ability to reconstruct themselves; they can recover from a direct hit that would normally break clones apart, attacking in a blind or unexpected direction immediately afterwards.'

He looked down at the scroll and smiled. 'I train with this technique every day for my taijutsu practice, and I say this with no jest - I can, at best, only take on two of the five clones this technique allows me to create; any more, and I lose. Considering your skills, and your job, a technique like this would be invaluable to you - and now, its yours.'

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"Ah, yes, the gift" said the male before he lifted up the scroll with both of his hands. 'A scroll? Has he sealed something in it?' wondered the female and looked at it.
"I mentioned earlier that I had something for you that would help ensure you could remain safe, to put myself at ease as it were. This is the gift... my first, and possibly most powerful Jutsu I ever created while I was the Amekage. Kouu Bunshin no Jutsu" said Kininata and hold out the scroll to her.

Marii's eyes became as large as dinner plates, but she took the scroll with both of her hands and hold it close to her body. "This is not an ordinary technique, Marii. A Suiton user of skill could perform a variety of combination attacks and defenses that would baffle and confuse an enemy, or even an small squad.
The clones created can perform any Suiton technique you can perform, can act independently - the true power, though, lies in their ability to reconstruct themselves; they can recover from a direct hit that would normally break clones apart, attacking in a blind or unexpected direction immediately afterwards" said the young man.

Jade eyes looked down at the scroll and a smile formed on the Genin's face. "I train with this technique every day for my taijutsu practice, and I say this with no jest - I can, at best, only take on two of the five clones this technique allows me to create; any more, and I lose. Considering your skills, and your job, a technique like this would be invaluable to you - and now, its yours" said the male.
The young woman was speechless and opened the scroll. The descriptions of the jutsu stood right there and her ice blue eyes read the text throughly.

"Kininata....I don't know what to say, really. I'm afraid the jutsu I created will be impossible for you to learn for genetical reasons. But I think I have something to give you, just give me a little time to think" said the Jounin and closed her eyes for a few seconds.
'Perhaps I can get rid of those 5 scars I saw he had on his back. They were all pretty thin and not that deep, so perhaps I can remove those' thought the female. She laid the scroll in one of the pockets on her shorts.

Both of her eyes opened again and she looked at the redhead in front of her, now with a tiny smile on her face. "I was thinking...perhaps I can try to remove the scars that are on your back. They're not that deep or large, so maybe I can give it a try" said the brunette and stepped closer to him.
She reached up and kissed him again, now a tad bit more eager than last time. Her hands wrapped themselves around his back and stroke it; the contact was not direct, but it was better than nothing.

Then, the young woman's lungs started to ache and she broke the kiss. She moved her hands and rested them on his shoulders, her face a little pink. "Sorry...I needed some oxygen" said Marii and gave him a small grin.
To be honest, she did not minded the least to be this physically close to him. It calmed her down for some reason; perhaps this theory about physical contact calming you down had some truth in it.

[kininata]

"Kininata....I don't know what to say, really. I'm afraid the jutsu I created will be impossible for you to learn for genetical reasons. But I think I have something to give you, just give me a little time to think" said the Jounin and closed her eyes for a few seconds. She laid the scroll in one of the pockets on her shorts, then both of her eyes opened again, a tiny smile on her face. "I was thinking...perhaps I can try to remove the scars that are on your back. They're not that deep or large, so maybe I can give it a try" said the brunette and stepped closer to him.

Before he could react to her statement she reached up and kissed him, though it seemed to be more eager and natural than earlier somehow. He raised is hands to hold her there gently, moving into the kiss - he could feel her hands move onto his back and feel what was almost like a light-touch massage there - it was quite pleasant, and whether or not it was working the was she wished it too it was making him feel better.

Then, the young woman away from broke the kiss, and caught her breath; she moved her hands and rested them on his shoulders, her face a little pink. "Sorry...I needed some oxygen" said Marii and gave him a small grin. He kissed the brow of her head and embraced her into a hug, smiling. 'Don't apologise, Marii. In truth, while I do like the gift,' he said, turning his head enough that he could catch the scent of her hair, 'just having you in my arms, knowing how you feel for me, is medicine enough for my soul.' He held the embrace for a moment longer, and then - perhaps feeling that she might want a little space - loosened his grip and let her make herself comfortable again.

'Anyway, I wanted to ask you something... it's been on my mind for a little while now...' he said, looking away for a moment, his face showing contortions of agonising over the question itself. 'I was thinking... if I should cut my hair? I mean, I like the length, I like how it looks, but its just so annoying to handle on a bad weather day, and well, maybe its time I started to look like a man now that I am "officially" one.' He left that in the air for her to answer - there was other, probably more important topics they could have discussed, but he felt something nice, light, and personal would be a better starter.

[ooc: Sorry for the long wait, been rel busy these last couple of days.]

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

((OOC: That's OK, I have been a bit busy as well))

The male kissed her brow and pulled her into an embrace; he probably smiled by now. "Don't apologise, Marii.
In truth, while I do like the gift, just having you in my arms, knowing how you feel for me, is medicine enough for my soul" said Kininata. Halfway, he had turned his head a little. The female smiled and leaned into the hug; it felt good that she had not wasted the attempt.

But she had to admit that it felt quite good to kiss him though...his lips were neither too dry or moist. He let her go and Marii felt a small warmth go through her body. "Anyway, I wanted to ask you something... it's been on my mind for a little while now..."said the young man while he looked away for a moment and made some small grimaces. "I was thinking... if I should cut my hair? I mean, I like the length, I like how it looks, but its just so annoying to handle on a bad weather day, and well, maybe its time I started to look like a man now that I am "officially" one" said the Genin.

The young woman narrowed her eyes a little and tilted her head a little; she had always seen him with long hair and short hair would not quite suit him. But his hair was quite long now and she did remember how much care her hair needed when it was long. And hers only reached the mid-back or something like that.
"Well...I don't think you should cut it shorter than mine, it will not suit you" said the Jounin and let her eyes return to normal.

"However, I do remember how much care my hair required when it was long. I had to use conditioner, put it up in a braid or a ponytail while training and it became really annoying when it felt out of the elastic.
Not to mention that it took longer time to wash, comb and dry it when I had a bath or a shower. I do think you should cut it, but keep it in shoulderlenght or so. In that way, it takes less time to look after it but you can still put it up" said the female.

"I normally prefer short hair on guys...all of my male relatives have hair that is not longer than 3 inches. Save Kenshi, but his is not longer than mine" said the brunette and let out a small laugh.
Come to think of it, the male in front of her did look like her cousin; both of them had red hair and weared it in a ponytail. But there was a lot of differences as well. Kenshi was at least 3 inches taller and a bit stronger than the redhead in front of her, had blue eyes instead of green and was 5 years older.

"Mind if I look on the scars on your back?" asked the young woman. If he agreed, she would position herself behind him and lift his T-shirt so she could see his back.
Her eyebrows raised: all five of them had disappeared like someone had used a giant eraser on her boyfriends back. "Your back and shoulders are officially scar-free" said Marii and dropped the T-shirt. But there was something else she had noticed too; despite his healthy bodybuild, he looked a bit skinny...had he been ill or something?

[kininata]

"Well...I don't think you should cut it shorter than mine, it will not suit you" said the Jounin. "However, I do remember how much care my hair required when it was long. I had to use conditioner, put it up in a braid or a ponytail while training and it became really annoying when it felt out of the elastic.
Not to mention that it took longer time to wash, comb and dry it when I had a bath or a shower. I do think you should cut it, but keep it in shoulder-length or so. In that way, it takes less time to look after it but you can still put it up" said the female. 'Yeah, I was thinking about that short - it used to be around my shoulders when I first met you... no, when we met again at the Chuunin exam.'

"I normally prefer short hair on guys...all of my male relatives have hair that is not longer than 3 inches. Save Kenshi, but his is not longer than mine" said the brunette and let out a small laugh, and Kininata giving a gracious smile to her.

"Mind if I look on the scars on your back?" asked the young woman. 'Go ahead, Marii.' He waited patiently to see what she would say. "Your back and shoulders are officially scar-free" said Marii and dropped the T-shirt. He sighed in positive relief, and coughed a little. 'You know... I really haven't taken care of myself all that well since... well, since I got rid of that thing inside of me. But, sitting here with you, I realise I really need to get myself back on course if I want to stand a chance at the exams - can't have me collapsing like a twig in the first round, eh?' He said jokingly, but his eyes showed his sincerity about his health - she understood what he had gone through, and could hopefully relate.

He looked at the time, and stretched his arms. 'Well, as much as I do want to stay here, I unfortunately have to start heading back home tonight - I have an appointment at my doctor in the village tomorrow in the late afternoon, and after being here he is certainly going to want to talk to me about what I've been up to.' The former Amekage said, and turned to face her. 'I am going to be eagerly waiting for the end of this year, Marii, because it will bring us back together again.' He leaned forwards, caressing her cheek, and kissed her on the lips.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"You know... I really haven't taken care of myself all that well since... well, since I got rid of that thing inside of me. But, sitting here with you, I realise I really need to get myself back on course if I want to stand a chance at the exams - can't have me collapsing like a twig in the first round, eh?" said the male in a joking voice.
"No, you need a proper diet if you want to stand a chance" said the female and gave him a half smile.

He looked at the watch on his wrist and stretched his arms. "'Well, as much as I do want to stay here, I unfortunately have to start heading back home tonight - I have an appointment at my doctor in the village tomorrow in the late afternoon, and after being here he is certainly going to want to talk to me about what I've been up to" said Kininata.
Marii's face felt a little, but this was no time to be selfish; his health had to be taken care of. "I'll leave tomorrow morning" said the young woman and rubbed her neck a little bit before he turned to face her.

"I am going to be eagerly waiting for the end of this year, Marii, because it will bring us back together again" said the young man. He leaned forwards and caressed her cheek; it made her smile.
Then, the Genin kissed her and the Jounin felt a small warmth spread in her body. "See you in Enrai then and have a safe journey" said the female and gave him a small hug. She let him go and closed the door as soon as he had left her room.

Her right had turned the key and locked the door. She then washed her hair, brushed her teeth and put on her pajamas. 'This is the best break I have had in a while, I cannot wait for Christmas to arrive.
And now, I actually have a boyfriend to celebrate it with' thought the brunette and smiled before she closed her eyes and felt asleep. She heard some birds sing outside and she drifted off to dreamland.

[kininata]

"See you in Enrai then and have a safe journey" said the female and gave him a small hug. She let him go and moved to close the door as soon as he had left her room - he turned his head for a moment, and smiled. 'Take care of yourself too, Marii' and then she closed the door. He took a moment for himself as he stood outside her room, gathering his composure... and then stopped. I don't have to be like that right now. Hell, this has been the best day of my life, why do I want to be composed like that anyway? He thought, and started a cheery walk back to his room. He had something to celebrate now, and for the rest of the year - he had someone he loved, who loved him, and he had a future; things he thought were out of his reach only a year ago.

He reached his room, and immediately stared to change into his Genin travelling garb, packing away his suit, relaxation clothes, and the gift Marii had given him - the yellow sash. He treated it with absolute care, even taking a brief moment to absorb her gentle scent from it. Within fifteen minutes he had finished his packing, and was all ready to head out. 'Well, I guess I'll be having no more nightmares for a while.' He said confidently to himself, leaving the room behind, locking its door, and making his way towards the reception area.

He placed his key on the desk before the staff member, and thanked the staff fr the enjoyable stay and excellent room, leaving a generous tip on behalf of the staff, and then stepped outside the hotel. He turned around, smiling at the memories he had here, and carried them in his heart and soul as he made his way out the the area towards his homeland of Ame no Kuni.

[Exit]

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

The female woke up and packed her things; she decided to travel in her purple T-shirt and jeans since it was a little colder outside today. After a nice breakfast, she left some ryo in her room for the maids to take and exited the hotel.
'Perhaps I can go to the capital first before I go home to Kaminari. I have never been there after all' thought Marii and exited the room. She felt really happy since she now knew what Kininata felt for her and that they had found out a way to get rid of his scars.

Not to mention that she looked forward to Christmas that year. And this time, the young woman did not have to leave her own country to do that. 'But next time, we should meet in Yokoburi' thought the Jounin and went to the dining room.
After she had finished a proper breakfast, she exited the hotel with a smile on her face. Now, it was time to go home and see her teammates, friends and family again.

[Exit]