A tropic break [Kininata, closed].

[kininata]

"Here's your menu" informed the receptionist as she handed them the menu. Marii gave her a small smile before she opened up the menu. Kininata nodded in thanks and looked inside himself, glancing at what was available. There were a few pricey meals there... and for a change, he felt like living it up a little.

"I'll be back in a couple minutes to take your orders" the woman said before heading off to check another customer, leaving the pair alone to decide on a meal. "I'm thinking on some grilled duck with vegetable stew...what about you?" inquired the the raven-haired beauty. He had a quick glance at her selection and nodded. 'It's a nice choice, but I was thinking of the tender beef with vegetables and noodles. Sure it's pricey, but I feel like enjoying the meal. Don't worry about the costs, I'm going to cover this one. We might as well indulge a little while we can.'

Kininata waved for the attention of the receptionist and instead a waiter came over carrying a notebook. 'Yes sir, madam, can I help you?' He asked politely.

'Yeah, can I get the tender beef with vegetable and noodle sides, and a grilled duck with vegetables for the lady please. Oh, and a bottle of warm sake and a pitcher of water please.' The waiter scribbled down the order, waited for another ten seconds or so to double check the list - or take any more information down - then headed off to the kitchen to deliver the order followed by the bar to handle the drinks.

'So... Im thinking about cutting my hair short again, back to something more manageable. Above my shoulders, maybe. What do you think? Long or short?'' He asked Marii, filling in the time while the drinks order was being handled.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

((OOC: Uhm...Marii has brown hair. I'm referring to your 'raven-haired' line))

"It's a nice choice, but I was thinking of the tender beef with vegetables and noodles. Sure it's pricey, but I feel like enjoying the meal. Don't worry about the costs, I'm going to cover this one. We might as well indulge a little while we can" told the male. "Aaaw...thank you" replied the female with a small smile.

He then waved his hand to get one of the staff member's attention. A waiter then came over to them with a notebook in his hand. "Yes sir, madam, can I help you?" inquired the young man.
"Yeah, can I get the tender beef with vegetable and noodle sides and a grilled duck with vegetables for the lady please. Oh, and a bottle of warm sake and a pitcher of water please" replied Kininata.

The waiter wrote down the order before taking an extra check. He then headed off to the kitchen with their orders.
"So... I'm thinking about cutting my hair short again, back to something more manageable. Above my shoulders, maybe. What do you think? Long or short?'' asked the young man.

"Hmmmm" muttered Marii as she tilted her head a little to the right. She had never seen him with short hair before. But it would probably be easier to manage than the hair length he had at the moment.
"I think you should do short if you decide to cut it. I know that having hair that's shorter than chin length but longer than three inches can be quite a pain" replied the young woman.

She used to have short hair in her late Genin days, so she knew how it was like. "Here are your drinks" informed a voice from behind. "Ah. Thank you" told the Jounin with a polite smile.
The male put down the drinks at the table before he opened the sake bottle. "Enjoy your meal...the food should be here soon" said the waiter before he went towards another table.

"I'll take some water for starters. I'm not an expert on alcohol, but you should never drink on an empty stomach. Don't want to ruin our date after all" laughed the young woman.
She poured some water into her glass and put the pitcher down at the table. 'It's going to be a bit weird when we get back to the room...but I think we'll manage' thought the brunette.

[kininata]

[OOC: I think it was the fact that I was tired when I wrote it, and the signature/avatar picture had black hair. Brain wants to sleep more ]

"Hmmmm" muttered Marii as she tilted her head a little to the right. It wasn't the most important thing in the world, but it would make a difference. "I think you should do short if you decide to cut it. I know that having hair that's shorter than chin length but longer than three inches can be quite a pain" replied the young woman. He nodded to her and pushed back a clump of hair from the side of his face. 'True. I'm just thinking that maybe it's time I start looking a little more groomed and professional, rather than some wandering hermit.'

The waiter returned with a tray carrying their drinks. Marii thanked him, and he smiled back at her. "Enjoy your meal...the food should be here soon" said the waiter before he went towards another table. "I'll take some water for starters. I'm not an expert on alcohol, but you should never drink on an empty stomach. Don't want to ruin our date after all" laughed the young woman. 'You have a point. To a water warmup then!'

After she had poured herself a glass of water he did so for himself. He looked at the sake pondering whether or not it had been a good idea to order it or not. It's not like I have a problem. I just like the taste now and again, and it's been almost six months. Besides, I never drink heavy anyway. He took a sip and pondered for a moment that serious look she had earlier. 'How did your Kage react after you came back from patching me up? I know the, er, request for help must not have exactly gone down well in the first place.' They still had a few minutes before the meal arrived, so they had time to have a little chat, and he was curious about how much trouble he might have gotten her into besides the actual trip.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"How did your Kage react after you came back from patching me up? I know the, er, request for help must not have exactly gone down well in the first place" inquired the male. Her eyes flied wide open when she remembered something...she had not told the Raikage about this!
"I kinda skipped that part. That's one of the good things about being at my rank; I just need to inform the office" chuckled the female with a sheepish smile.

"But I'll tell the my boss about that when I get back. And I think my friend would like some compensation" muttered Marii with somewhat shifty eyes. She wanted to keep the shinobi topics a bit harder to decode in case there were spies here.
"Speaking of which...your home needs some SERIOUS training or recruiting in doctors. Especially due to how it is" suggested the young woman with a grave look at her face.

She took a sip of the water while she remembered something she had bought for him. 'I better give it to him when we get back at the hotel. I didn't bring my weapon pouch with me' thought the Jounin.
But she knew that she could defend herself if necessary. Not that she needed to since she had Kininata here with her.

"Do you have any plans for tomorrow? I thought we could go to the beach. I think they have a nice coral reef here if I remember things right" suggested the female.
She was not an avid diver, but coral reefs was a must-see in Tsuki no kuni. Especially since the brunette was capable of holding her breath for several minutes without much effort.

[kininata]

[OOC: Sorry! The first two days of sunshine and I needed to spend them gardening and cleaning, then yesterday was a 12hour roleplaying session that wore me down ]

"I kinda skipped that part. That's one of the good things about being at my rank; I just need to inform the office" chuckled the female with a sheepish smile. He sighed at the fact he hadn't caused her too much trouble other than the obvious and had a sip of water.

"But I'll tell the my boss about that when I get back. And I think my friend would like some compensation" muttered Marii with somewhat shifty eyes. He had a suspicion he knew who the friend was, but understood why she was being cautious about open replies - he used to employ the same tactics. "Speaking of which...your home needs some SERIOUS training or recruiting in doctors. Especially due to how it is" suggested the young woman with a grave look at her face. He winced at that and nodded. 'It is something that has sorely been needed, from what I have seen too. I suppose when so many bad things happen around you, there aren't too many who want to become doctors when others need protecting first. I'll talk to my boss about getting that sorted as soon as possible, trust me on that.'

She seemed to be thinking about something for a moment and then turned her head towards him to speak. "Do you have any plans for tomorrow? I thought we could go to the beach. I think they have a nice coral reef here if I remember things right" suggested the female. 'The only plans I have is to be here with you. I'd love to to explore the beach here, the reefs sounds like a nice place to visit.'

The waiters brought over their meals, placing them before each of them. 'Thank you.' He said to them before topping up his water and taking a bite of his meal. It was warm, full of flavour and melted in his mouth. 'Perfect.'

'How are your animal friends? I didnt see much of them when you visited and I didn't see them here when I arrived. I hope they are okay.''

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

((OOC: Thanks for letting me know. And 12 HOURS!? Whoa, you got quite a bit of stamina!))

"It is something that has sorely been needed, from what I have seen too. I suppose when so many bad things happen around you, there aren't too many who want to become doctors when others need protecting first. I'll talk to my boss about getting that sorted as soon as possible, trust me on that" assured the male.
"Good" replied the female with a somewhat relieved smile. A village in shortage of doctors or medic shinobis was not a good thing...it was actually a recipe for disaster.

It did not take long until the food arrived. The waiters placed the meal right in front of them and it looked quite delicious. "Thanks" said Marii when the woman had put the plate with duck on the table.
"Perfect" muttered Kininata after he had taken a bite of his meal. The young woman took some duck meat as well as some vegetables in her mouth.

Her eyes widened with the sensation in her mouth. The vegetables were crisp and had maintained their taste despite being grilled. To make it better, the duck meat was juicy with some light marinade that made it taste better.
"This is GOOD" agreed the Jounin with a grin on her face. She then cut up a few more slices of the meat with her knife afterwards.

"How are your animal friends? I didn't see much of them when you visited and I didn't see them here when I arrived. I hope they are okay" told the young man.
"They're doing quite fine...my cat has undergone some serious shinobi track training" informed the female. Shiori had participated in a course for ANBU animals that would make them able to recognize smells of people or poisons.

The brunette however had taken her own twist at things. She had even made her animal companion able to find herbs!
"My other companion is quite fine as well...but I just remembered something. Isn't your 23rd birthday coming up soon?" inquired the young woman. She was quite sure that his birthday was in the end of this month, which was not far away.

[kininata]

"They're doing quite fine...my cat has undergone some serious shinobi track training" Informed the female, sounding rather proud of the cat as she said it. "My other companion is quite fine as well...but I just remembered something. Isn't your 23rd birthday coming up soon?" inquired the young woman. His eyes held wide open, meat dangling inches from his mouth, as his mind clicked into place. My 23rd, already? Have I been gone that long that I forgot when it was again? He reconnected his mind to the meal, and ate the piece of meat he had started going for. 'You know, I think youre right. I haven't been paying too much attention to it of late. You know, travelling, living a hermit life, getting attacked by reanimated armour-plated crocodiles... you forget these things.'' He tried his hardest to say that last part with a sincere attempt at humour, but the words made his leg ache just enough to wince at it.

'Lets see, what to do about it. I might take a trip somewhere again, a short one this time. Somewhere pretty... somewhere warm... somewhere new... oh! The Land of Hot Springs!'' He said gleefully, thinking about places he hadn't visited yet. 'I need to get around to that place sometime soon.'

He finished the meat on his plate, moving onto the noodles and vegetables next. 'To be able to just bathe in warm waters, even in cold weather, would be amazing. My father used to talk about that kind of thing when he had been there, and he almost never spoke kindly of other places. What do you think?' he asked her, taking a sip of water afterwards then delving back into his meal. He was trying to keep the conversation casual now, more relaxed, hoping that they would ease into alot of other topics as the night moved on.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

The female let out a small snort of laughter when she saw the expression that the male had on his face. He looked pretty much gobsmacked and surprised at the same time. "You know, I think your'e right. I haven't been paying too much attention to it of late. You know, travelling, living a hermit life, getting attacked by reanimated armour-plated crocodiles... you forget these things" told Kininata with a somewhat joking voice.

Marii just gave him a blank stare while she picked up some vegetables with her chopsticks. "Lets see, what to do about it. I might take a trip somewhere again, a short one this time. Somewhere pretty... somewhere warm... somewhere new... oh! The Land of Hot Springs!" exclaimed the young man with a gleeful voice. "I need to get around to that place sometime soon" informed the Chuunin.

"To be able to just bathe in warm waters, even in cold weather, would be amazing. My father used to talk about that kind of thing when he had been there, and he almost never spoke kindly of other places. What do you think?" inquired the male.
"I think it's a nice idea; I have not visited the capital there despite passing through the nation" replied the young woman. She then took a sip of her water while thinking of what to talk about.

'Both of us are almost finished with our meals. Perhaps I should mention the promotion when we get back to our rooms. That's a bit safer than here I think' thought the Jounin.
"Maybe we should book a tour to the coral reef tomorrow? If you're interested off course" suggested the female with a casual voice.

[kininata]

"I think it's a nice idea; I have not visited the capital there despite passing through the nation." replied the young woman. She then took a sip of her water while he thought about that. She's probably done as much travelling as I have, more given that she went about different villages too. I'm glad she gets out alot. "Maybe we should book a tour to the coral reef tomorrow? If you're interested off course" suggested the female with a casual voice.

He smiled gleefully at her idea and nodded with enthusiasm. 'That sounds lovely. It'll make a great day out.' He noticed that the pair of them had pretty much finished their meals, and made an attempt to get the attention of a waiter. As one walked over he poured himself a cup of sake and took a sip. It was stronger than he remembered having when he was a little younger, but it had a wonderful sweet aftertaste.

'May I help you sir, madam?' The waiter asked. Kininata started going for his wallet as he responded. 'Yes, Id like to see the bill please.'' The waiter nodded and went back to the desk to grab their bill for the meal. Kininata took another sip of the sake, enjoying its taste once more. I really need to not do that... it doesn't look good. He thought as he glanced back at Marii. He didn't want to look like he would drink this stuff like it was water.

The waiter returned with the bill and he paid in full, adding a generous bonus as a tip for the staff. 'Thanks again.' He said to them as he offered his arm to Marii to escourt her out of the restaurant and back to the hotel to retire for the evening... the first one where they would be in the same room. Together. Alone. Anxiety and fear started trying to creep back into his mind at that flicker of thought, quickly repressed back down from where it came from. []It'll be fine. We're adults, we're mature, and we're professional. We can handle one night in the same room, easy.[/i] 'I hope you enjoyed your meal, Marii.' He said as they started heading back to the hotel.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"May I help you sir, madam?" inquired the waiter. "Yes, I'd like to see the bill please" replied the male as he picked up his wallet. "Wait; I want to pay my meal if I can" offered the female as she opened up her handbag.
She felt a little stupid for being the one who did not pay. It WAS customary that guys paid on the first date, but this was their fourth or fifth dinner date together.

Not to mention that Marii earned a bit more than he did. But Kininata had already paid and it was time for them to return to the hotel. "Thanks again" told the young man.
She then took his hand before they left the restaurant. The sky was darker now with a number of stars shining on it.

Her eyes then saw the crescent moon...it was a little funny. They were in Tsuki no kuni plus that there was a crescent moon on the sky. "I hope you enjoyed your meal Marii" said the Chuunin.
"Yes, I did" replied the young woman after she shook her head slightly. So much for being caught up in her own thoughts about the sky.

"Did you like it? Perhaps we should visit a restaurant like that tomorrow" told the Jounin as they came closer to the hotel. The streets were more busy now compared to earlier.
People going out to party and families with children were heading back to the hotel. Some old couples could be spotted in the crowd as well.

Both of them had now reached the hotel. The female went to the reception to get her key...to their room. It then hit her that she had to sleep in the same room as a guy.
'Good thing we have separate beds' thought the brunette. She had slept in the same room as her father or brothers, but not in the last five or six years.

Not to mention that they were family. The female had never shared a bedroom with her students or male team members. 'Just keep it calm Marii; he won't turn into a monster once you are asleep' thought Marii as they went up to their room.
She unlocked the door and entered the room. It was a bit warm...perhaps they should turn on the air conditioner?

[kininata]

"Yes, I did" replied the young woman after she shook her head slightly. "Did you like it? Perhaps we should visit a restaurant like that tomorrow" told the Jounin as they came closer to the hotel. 'It was a good place. I think we should get a better look at the other restaurants tomorrow, but I would love to come back here again. That meal hit just the spot.' He said then looked out onto the streets. They were bustling with people now, some heading to night clubs, some heading back to their homes or hotels... even the elderly were out and about amongst the youth here.

Kininata had become more relaxed about the whole "in the same room" situation now, though he could see a glimmer of anxiety on Marii's face about it. This was a difficult step forwards for both of them, but so long as he didn't do anything that made her uncomfortable it should all be good.

She unlocked the door and entered the room. The weather outside had warmed the room to be uncomfortable, so much that a quick thought made him think of slipping off his jacket and opening his shirt to help stay cooler - a thought that was quickly quashed by fear of making Marii more nervous. 'Ill get the air con.'' He walked over to the panel on the wall and set the unit to maintain a pleasantly warm temperature... at least by Rain standards anyway. It was then he decided to undo his jacket and sit on his bed for a moment. He turned to his pack and was about to reach for a bottle of water when he remembered he only packed enough to get here and that supply was all gone.

'I dont suppose you have anything to drink? Or do you want me to call room service for something?'' His mind wandered for a moment to a cool refreshing orange juice, then a glass of chilled coffee, but anything that was cold and refreshing would have sated his thirst at this point.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"I'll get the air con." offered the male. He then walked over to the panel on the wall and turned on the machine. The cool air filled the room, which soon got down to a rather comfortable temperature.
The female opened the closet in the search of her pyjamas. 'Found it' thought Marii with a grin as she removed the two light brown garnments from the shelf.

"I don't suppose you have anything to drink? Or do you want me to call room service for something?'' inquired Kininata. "I think I may have something left...just give me a second please" replied the young woman.
She opened up the small fridge and pulled out a 0,5 litre bottle of water she had gotten on the cruise ship. "I'm afraid we have to share; it's all I got" said the Jounin with an apologizing voice.

Her hand unscrewed the bottle cap before she poured the clear liquid into the two plastic cups that were at the desk. "I'm going to hog the bathroom for a moment" told the female as she picked up her pyjamas.
She then entered the bedroom and locked the door a few seconds later. The brunette then changed into her light brown shorts plus a matching T-shirt that was one size too big.

A small 'click' could be heard as he exited the bathroom moments later. "How did the water taste like? I got it on the cruise ship that I travelled with" informed the young woman.
She sat down at the bed that was opposite of his. Hopefully, the water was not something that had been pulled out of the sea.

[kininata]

She opened up the small fridge and pulled out a 0,5 litre bottle of water she had gotten on the cruise ship. "I'm afraid we have to share; it's all I got" said the Jounin with an apologizing voice. 'No problem. Tomorrow, we'll get some supplies for the room. Thanks.' She unscrewed the bottle cap and poured the clear liquid into the two plastic cups that were at the desk. "I'm going to hog the bathroom for a moment" told the female as she picked up her pyjamas. 'Be my guest.' She then entered the bedroom and locked the door a few seconds later. He took a sip of the water, finding the taste refreshing if a little more bland than he was used to. It had been purified and treated, taking a certain natural, mineral taste from it that he found himself missing, but water was water almost anywhere you went.

A small 'click' could be heard as she exited the bathroom moments later. "How did the water taste like? I got it on the cruise ship that I travelled with" informed the young woman. She sat down at the bed that was opposite of his. 'Not bad. A little bland even for water, but its pretty drinkable.' He put the cup down and grabbed his rolled up robe from his belongings along with a towel. 'I'm just going to nip into the shower quickly, shouldn't be too long.' He walked over to the bathroom and entered, locking the door behind him. He quickly got undressed and entered the shower.

Ok, just be cool Kini. It's not complicated. Just have a pleasant chat, maybe watch some TV or play a game, then relax in bed. Nothing to it. Ran through his mind as he cleaned himself. He was starting to over think the stay in the hotel again, putting doubt back into the forefront of his head. He dried himself down and started pulling on the black pyjamas, followed by the light blue robes afterwards. He arranged his hair into a simple pony tail that he could easily take down when they finally went to sleep, unlocked the door and went back into the main room. 'See, nice and quick.' He said with a smile.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

((OOC: I just realized that I wrote 'bedroom' instead of 'bathroom' in my previous post. But I'll move on so we can continue the RP ))

While the male was in the shower, the female decided to turn on the TV. 'I wonder if there are any good movies tonight' wondered Marii. The duo had already watched two movies with Jeishin at their previous dates.
'Maybe there's a moving starring him tonight' mused the young woman as she flicked through the channels. She then found a TV show that looked somewhat interesting.

It appeared to be a gameshow with two teams. One had the Kirigakure symbol while the other had the Iwagakure symbol. Their first competition seemed to involve a suiton jutsu where they had to get a fake gemstone out of a deep water tank.
But the rule was that they could not place more than their hand into the tank. 'This could be interesting' thought the Jounin with a smile.

"Hey Kini! Look at this, it's a ninja game show" told the female as she waved her hand a little bit. She currently sat on her bed with her back leaned up against the wall.
A part of her regretted that they did not have any snacks or at least some fruit they could eat. But her boyfriend was here at the least...there was no reason to complain.

[kininata]

"Hey Kini! Look at this, it's a ninja game show" told the female as she waved her hand a little bit. She currently sat on her bed with her back leaned up against the wall. He moved over next to her and started watching the show for a moment, with surprise on his face. 'Huh, who knew this kind of stuff was still around? Looks good.'

He carefully climbed onto the bed beside her, wrapping his arm around her as he tried to get comfortable. It's fine, she'll like it. It's not like the two of us haven't done this kind of thing before. Just don't go for anything else, not unless she makes a move. Play it like a gentleman, Kini. All proper and polite. As long as Marii didn't prevent it, the pair would sit there and watch the game show as it ran on.

The suiton challenge looked different. Forced to think creatively about getting the gem out, both teams had to make a good plan. For the Hidden Mist team, who manipulate water as part of their regimen, it was bound to be relatively easy. The Hidden Stone team, though, were going to struggle a little here as there were very few water-orientated ninjas from there. After only fifteen seconds the Kirigakure team got the gem out with a couple of fancy low-level techniques, just as the the Iwagakure team were reaching their gem. 'Well, that was a little cruel of the show. Stone ninja on a water challenge is a little harsh.' He said quietly as the next challenge was announced.

The show moved to an outdoor shot showing a sixty foot cliff with very few hand or foot holds and some pretty precarious angles to climb up. Both teams needed to climb to the top, get a flag, then climb down, but they had be at the top to take the flag and all at the bottom to claim victory. It sounded easy when the presenter said it, but to get a team to cooperate that completely on a climb up and climb down in a race... not as easy. 'This should be fairer and definitely more entertaining.'

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

The male sat down next to her on the bed and put his arm around her shoulders. A smile formed at her face since she appreciated this.
"Well, that was a little cruel of the show. Stone ninja on a water challenge is a little harsh" told Kininata. "I'm sure it gets evened out later" replied the female.

Her wish got granted when they saw the next challenge. It turned out to be outdoors where the competing teams had to climb up a sixty feet tall cliff. Some of the angles looked to be a bit dangerous, even for shinobis.
"This should be fairer and definitely more entertaining" stated the young man. "I agree; I wonder how the Kirigakure shinobi team will fare this time" agreed Marii.

A small 'biiiip' was heard when the teams were allowed to start. The Iwagakure shinobis were using a jutsu that turned the soil on the ground into mud. One of the females at the group then made a ramp that reached nearly halfway up the wall.
"THAT is almost borderline cheating" stated the Jounin when the Iwagakure team ran up the ramp as fast as they could. The ramp then collapsed after about 25 seconds.

One of the Kirigakure shinobis however was creating a number of mizu bunshins. There were six all together that soon formed a sort of pyramid that the shinobis could climb on.
"Not that bad...I just hope they don't collapse. Mizu bunshins are not as solid as kage bunshins" muttered the female. She then leaned a little towards the Chuunin while she looked at the TV screen.

[kininata]

[OOC: Sorry I've not been around. I've been in a bad depression for the last couple of days. My last grandfather died... but I'm back now.]

"I agree; I wonder how the Kirigakure shinobi team will fare this time"

The buzzer went and the started started. The Stone nin started forming a ramp for climbing upwards easier, which was kind of expected. It was Marii's reaction to it that was amusing. "THAT is almost borderline cheating." The ramp didn't last long, fortunately, and it did mean the rest of their climb would be a little trickier.

One of the Mist ninja's took a page from Kininata's own book... mizu bunshins. There were six all together that soon formed a sort of pyramid that the shinobi's could climb on. "Not that bad...I just hope they don't collapse. Mizu bunshins are not as solid as kage bunshins" muttered the female. 'True, but with them it's all about having a mental plan set on on their creation. If they know what they are supposed to be doing, then they can react almost as well as a kage bunshin...' He said to her as she leaned a little towards the Chuunin.

The Mist ninj'as started their speedy ascent up the cliff... and their first disaster struck. One of the climbers slipped up their positioning and caught a clone in the neck... popping it into water and smoke. The pyramid collapsed and the ninja started falling. A pair of the Mist nin react by shooting out strings of water and wrapping them around their fallen comrade, keeping him from hitting the ground, but they had lost alot of time to the accident. 'Water Strings. Damned good technique when used right like that.'

The Stone nin were busy using their basic earth style techniques to carve climbing holes into the rock face to finish their ascent upwards. Within minutes they had reached the top to claim the flag and were already starting their descent while the Mist ninja's were still making the climb upwards. 'Pretty much their event, really. If it hadn't been, then they are some sorry ninja's.'' He said in part sincerity, part amusement. Kininat tilted his head to gently rest on hers.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

Disaster struck the Kiri shinobi team as one of the climbers slipped. The affected clone collapsed, which lead to a dissolve of the pyramid. "Aiiiii" muttered the female as she saw the shinobi fall towards the ground.
But one of the team mates then did a jutsu that created water threads of some sort that saved him from hitting the ground. What kind of a jutsu was that?

"Water strings. Damned good technique when used right like that" told the male. "Ooooh...so it's called water strings" replied Marii while she made an 'aha' face.
The Iwagakure team however were still in the lead. It looked like they used kind of jutsu that carved out holes in the cliff.

All of the team members reached the top minutes later and had becomed victorious. "Pretty much their event, really. If it hadn't been, then they are some sorry ninja's" told Kininata.
"I agree" replied the young woman as he rested his head gently on his. A smile formed on her face as she felt her somewhat frayed nerves relax.

The next competition appeared to be inside the studio again. A snort of laughter escaped her mouth when she saw a male shinobi from each team dressed up as geishas. The Kiri representative was a bit on the slim side and did not look that awful.
But the Iwa shinobi on the other hand was a bit stocky plus that he had stubbles. "Kami...that's the worst case of cross dressing I've seen!" laughed the Jounin as she pointed at the Iwagakure representative.

The competition was however more serious than the costumes. Competition number three was a sort of balancing contest where they had to balance on a small platform while wearing getas. But the downside was that the little platform was elevated on a 3 feet tall wooden pole that stood in a small pool of some sort. "Hm...that platform cannot be bigger than 2 feet square at the most" muttered the female.

"I don't want to know what the blue stuff in the pool is either" added the brunette as she narrowed her eyebrows. A small 'hooo!' was heard as the small alarm went off. The Kiri shinobi tried to stand in a sort of slightly bent stance that was as wide as his shoulders.
It looked like the Iwa shinobi went for the same strategy, but he crouched down his back a bit more. 'This is going to be interesting, despite that they don't look good in pink' decided the young woman.

[kininata]

The next competition appeared to be inside the studio again. One ninja from each team - dressed in geisha outfits with the makeup - came out onto the cameras. Neither he nor Marii could hold back a little laughter at the scene. "Kami...that's the worst case of cross dressing I've seen!" laughed the Jounin as she pointed at the Iwagakure representative. 'I feel sorry for the guy. I mean, having to wear that... I couldn't do that.'

Their challenge was a balance based one, on small platforms balancing on a pole wearing getas. "Hm...that platform cannot be bigger than 2 feet square at the most" muttered the female. He nodded in agreement. "I don't want to know what the blue stuff in the pool is either" added the brunette as she narrowed her eyebrows. 'Probably some kind of slime or viscous stuff thats sticky as all hell... and helps make the fall less painful too.' A small 'hooo!' was heard as the small alarm went off.

The Kiri shinobi tried to stand in a sort of slightly bent stance that was as wide as his shoulders. It looked like the Iwa shinobi went for the same strategy, but he crouched down his back a bit more. He stopped paying too much attention to it for a moment and briefly glanced down at Marii, seemingly engrossed in the show for the moment. He took a quiet moment to enjoy her presence, her light scent, her gentle touch against his body... it felt comfortable. Then there was a gasp from the show - Kininata turned to see that the Iwa ninja was starting to show signs of wobbling on his platform. 'Somehow it seems like this isnt going to be all that-'' he never got to finish that sentence as the pole's started slowly rotating at the sound of a buzzer and the appearance of the words "Spin The Geishas!" on the bottom of the screen. 'Oh, thats just cruel now.''

It wasn't long until the Iwa ninja fell into the gel like liquid beneath and was covered in bluish slime that clung to his clothes. It then declared that the Kiri ninja's were the victor of the challenge and the winners of the show - it looked like the pair of them had caught the game show in the last half of the program time. 'That was different. I feel sad for the Iwa's but it was good to watch. I think though that I'm gonna call it a night there. We've both had a long trip, after all.' He slowly, carefully pulled away from Marii to stand back on his feet to head towards his own bed.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"Somehow it seems like this isn't going to be all that-" started the male as the competition started. Both of the pole's started slowly rotating at the sound of a buzzer. The words "Spin The Geishas!" appeared on the bottom of the screen.
"Oh, thats just cruel now." stated Kininata.
"I agree. Even a somewhat skilled Chuunin would have some trouble at that task" commented the female with a more serious look at her face.

She let out a small breath of air as she snuggled a little closer to the young man. A part of her liked to be hold like this, even if the room was quite warm. Marii then saw the Iwa shinobi felt into the goo and the Kiri shinobis came out as the winners.
Her eyes glanced on the watch that was strapped to her wrist. It said that it was 10:38 PM...it was getting late.

"That was different. I feel sad for the Iwa's but it was good to watch. I think though that I'm gonna call it a night there. We've both had a long trip, after all" told the Chuunin as he got up on his feet.
She nodded while she stretched out a little bit. It had been a long journey for the duo since Zokuji was so far south.

"I'll just brush my teeth before I go to bed. Not to mention that my hair needs to get brushed. The air here isn't kind to my silky strands" laughed the young woman.
She walked into the bathroom if the male did not have to use it first and locked the door. The Jounin then started to brush her teeth.

Her heart was beating a bit faster since she had just understood what was going to happen. She was going to sleep in the same room as her boyfriend at a holiday resort.
'Just be calm Marii...you've shared room with your brothers. He's the same gender as they are' thought the female. She spat out the toothpaste-spit mixture and removed the hair elastic from her hair.

Her hand then brushed out the knots before she unlocked the door. "I'm finished Kininata" called the brunette as she exited. The young woman then laid down at her bed while she thought about what they were going to do tomorrow.
'We're definitely going to see the coral reef. Maybe we will go to the beach afterwards' thought Marii as she looked up at the ceiling.