[log] Belated Birthdays [Asuka, Kureno]
The ingredients for the fried rice went into a plastic grocery bag which he held in his right hand. Tucked into the crook of his left arm was a brown paper bag that contained the marinating meat and butter rolls he'd made earlier that day, stopping only once to ask himself if he was getting carried away before choosing to waive the question. Even if he was going an extra mile, it was a birthday present; Asuka's birthday present no less. Besides, he wanted to redeem himself a little after the curry (which he would still not admit wounded his pride a bit).
...Kureno would also never admit that there were times when even he thought of a homemaker-crack against himself now and then.
It was one of those rare instances where even Kureno would agree that there was no need to be in uniform. Although for a guy who was hardly seen out of uniform, he still sure had a fairly stylish variety to chose from. (He only owned two honest-to-goodness t-shirts. One was long, plain white that served more as a pajama top for cold nights. The other was yellow with black lettering that said "Free Lip Service" and was actually Aki's, who had left it at his place so long ago without reclaiming it; it eventually fell into the bottom of his drawer to be forgotten and possibly burned at a later date.) He approached Asuka's door "dressed down" in a clean, solid dark red sweater, black jacket, and gasp jeans that were purposely faded grey-black. (Of course they had to be purposely faded...)
He knocked first out of courtesy, listening for any sounds of approach from within. When none answered him, Kureno thought perhaps she wasn't home and tried the door. (If she hadn't been here, the plan was to just have everything ready for whenever she returned from where ever she went.) Finding it locked didn't discourage him in the least and he fished around for the spare key she had given him after dragging her home drunk often enough and telling her to either keep her key in the same pocket so he wouldn't have to frisk her every time, or provide him with a spare. He hadn't expected her to actually provide him with one, but it had come in handy over the years and was so much more refined than breaking in.
The lock slid back with a click and Kureno let himself in. The shuffling sound that came from the back in her room immediately caught his attention since he'd believed she wasn't home.
"...Asuka?"
It was patently unfair that today, of all days, she had to be bothered. Oh yes. Very unfair. When a girl wanted to be left alone, couldn't the world be nice and acquiesce?
Ooooh, of course not. No, instead the world had to send team ten to drag her out of bed at an ungodly hour after an ungodly night that involved a sleepover (nine in the morning was not an ungodly hour, Inosuke had protested, but at least Shikako had agreed) to go out for that food she'd promised as a belated birthday gift. Not that she'd eaten much. Somehow, despite the fact that she was hungry, it had just kinda... morphed into a low level of nausea that she'd rather ignore. Was it possible to be too tired to be hungry? She'd have to check with Shikako on that one.
And then Inosuke had decided on what he wanted his belated gift to be: earrings. No, not for him, for her. Everyone else in team ten had matching hoops or studs; why didn't she? What, her ears weren't pierced? Obviously something had to be done about that! And at this point she was too tired to argue or do anything that would keep her from getting home sooner; she gave in, got her ears pierced (they still kinda hurt, too...), and parted ways with the chuunin was quickly as possible. She was back home by noonish time and the day was officially declared over. A change of clothing and bed followed.
So if the day was over, why was there someone at the door?
No, she decided. No, she was not answering that door. She promptly rolled over and buried her face back in the pillow.
Her decision to ignore life didn't last for long when there was the distinct schnick of her lock turning and the front door opening. Following that sound came a brief moment of not-panic in which she kicked off the covers and lurched darted for the bedroom door. While she didn't particularly care to greet anyone in just a pair of black boxers and the old jounin shirt she'd worn for the day, she also was very tempted to kick the world in the face for intruding on her nap.
... oh. It was Kureno. No kicking, then.
Asuka leaned against the doorjam of her bedroom, half-peeking out, and sighed heavily at her guest. "What's up with the groceries?"
"This would be dinner, not groceries," he explained and then shrugged. "You said to surprise you."
The door was gently kicked shut behind him as his hands were fairly full. Kureno looked her over with a raised eyebrow, taking into consideration now that perhaps there was a good reason she hadn't answered when he knocked. "Bad time? ...Again?"
Perhaps he should have warned her after all, but they'd just postponed the dinner without actually rescheduling a time. It had been half a month now, but maybe she still needed time to recover. That really must've been some fever. "You're not still sick are you?"
Dinner?
It took her a moment to process the words, not connecting why he was bringing food over for a dinner he hadn't told her about. Until the memory popped up and reminded her - oh. Dinner for her birthday. The one she'd tried to pass off and had eventually given in by letting him decide. She'd already forgotten about it. How scatterbrained was she lately?
"No..." she replied, somewhat hesitantly, an answer to all of the above questions. It wasn't a bad time, it was just... not a time she'd expected. And she wasn't still sick, or well, not totally. She didn't have a fever anymore... or at least she didn't think she did. The antibiotics the hospital had put her on were almost gone now, and must have done something to kick that fever out, right? At the very least she didn't have a sore throat anymore, though sometimes she still woke up and wondered if it was really gone or not.
She was just... tired. Too tired for walking around town even for a few hours - that had totally wiped her out. Too tired for life, too tired for company. But considering the kind of effort Kureno usually put into things when he decided he wanted to do something... hell. She was too tired to kick him out.
... but she should probably put some pants before going to see what he'd gotten. Asuka glanced down at her bare legs before withdrawing further into her bedroom. "I'll be out in a sec."
"Take your time. I still need to actually cook it," he called after her, moving into the kitchen and setting things down on her counter tops. The oven was set to reheat before he began pulling out prepared ingredients.
It vaguely occurred to Kureno that the standard Leaf uniforms made it a lot harder to tell some of the nutritioned states of their comrades. If Kakami didn't fall over on occasion, he'd never be able to tell she wasn't eating enough. She and Asuka tended to wear loose clothing regardless, so it was still something of a task. Kureno had more confidence in Asuka being taken care of however; after all, she had an Akimichi on her team. But seeing her in the doorway just now, boxer shorts hanging loosely from her hips, it became a lot more apparent that her week-long mission (no, even before that; since she joined ANBU again) had her losing weight. It was just another arguement in his favor against her joining the Black Ops force again, one that he pushed to the back of his mind, because he didn't care to spend the evening fighting with her again.
.......And if that's the first and only thing he thought and concerned himself with after seeing Asuka's boxer shorts practically falling off, then Kakami and Jimaiya were right and he needed help.
"...You planning anything besides dinner tomorrow night? ... Think maybe you should?"
Damn Kakami. What the hell did she know? She had enough of her own problems without having to butt into his. No matter how good (or even vengeful) her intentions were. ...Which he still wasn't sure he understood by the end of the evening.
Rolling up his sleeves, Kureno decided to forget about it and started washing the rice.
'Take her time?' Pfft. All she needed to do was pull on a pair of jeans. Like he thought she needed the time to primp. She could get ready faster than him for any mission, and that was kinda sad.
Pushing the door slightly closed, the jounin located the jeans she'd discarded after the days events, dragged them up over the boxers, and after a quick zip and tuck wandered back into the living room. She had to wonder why Kureno had picked today, of all days, to drop in on her... not that it was exactly a bad day, just that... she wasn't feeling friendly. And it was damn hard being personable when all one wanted to do was curl up on a couch, smoke a pack at a shot, and hope the world go away on a permanent basis. Surely her patience for acting friendly (or at least not terribly grouchy) for the day had already been exhausted by the kids... but it wasn't cool to take out her temper on Kureno, either. Not that she never did, just that... hell.
She was going to need a cigarette for this. A lot of cigarettes.
Making a brief detour to the coffee table, where she'd left her elements of de-stressing, Asuka retrieved her cigarettes and ashtray and move into the kitchen where she could pretend to be social at the small card table. She didn't say anything as she settled in, though, content to remain silent; they didn't have to talk all the time.
Besides which, it was often entertaining enough just watching Kureno work with such concentration on a mundane task. Rice secured away in the cooker, he took out her cutting board (which she wasn't entirely aware she even had) and set it aside, taking out some carrots, green onion, and celery, washing them and peeling the carrots in the sink before setting them aside to be chopped. Before that began however, he took out a large deep dish (proving he knew her kitchen better than she did apparently) and set it on the counter.
From the brown back came a plate wrapped with tin foil, followed by a large tupperware bowl that looked to have some sort of soup in it. When the lid was opened, the tangy smell of teriyaki wafted out, somehow smelling much sweeter than the sauce normally smelled with a slight bite to it. Kureno had obviously added something to the concoction that wasn't just teriyaki sauce but it was difficult to decipher. Dipping hands into the syrupy liquid, out came four pieces of meat that could only be steaks of some kind, completely saturated through with their marination. Kueno rinsed his hands off after they'd been arranged in the pan and used a towel (as there was a striking absence of oven-mitts) to slide it into the warmed oven. He didn't even start a timer after closing it, instead just setting the towel aside and turning back around to take-down the vegetables.
He finally looked up at her for the first time since she'd come into the kitchen after pausing in his chopping to ask her a question. It ended up not even being about her either, but rather the point that, "...I forgot to bring something to drink." And he sounded a little disappointed at himself for it. "Do you have anything?"
All the kitchney goodness was surprisingly hypnotic to watch. She'd watched Chouko bustle about the kitchen on more than one occasion, but those times always also involved the other two of the team - and where Inosuke was there was also noise. And noise was distracting from anything possibly soothing.
She lit a cigarette and then just watched, chin in hand and elbow braced on the table top. To be honest she wasn't thinking of anything - zoning out and savoring the curl of nicotine in her bloodstream and the presence of someone who wasn't (at the moment) going out of his way to be annoying. She could be irritated that her kitchen was a traitor and worked for anyone that was not her, but who cared; irritation was for people with more energy than her. Her stomach did appear to be waking up a bit more at the smell of that marinade, though.
Asuka visible roused herself when he addressed her, refocusing on him and straightening slightly. Her cigarette had burned out in the time she'd spent watching, both from smoking it and too much time left alone; she discarded the filter in the ashtray and withdrew another from her pack.
"There's vodka on the top of the fridge," she offered. "Beer inside it. And water." And that... was about it.
The vodka was tempting, just because Kureno was a personal fan of it. But unless it could be blended with other flavors--fruits or juices which he doubted she had--then for a dish like this, the best choice was honestly...
He walked over and opened the fridge, one last hope for finding something blendable before agreeing with the brand. "Beer will do." He picked one out and held it up. "Want one now?"
She shook her head while in the middle of lighting the new cigarette; better to wait until she had food in her stomach before she put alcohol down there, too. "I'll have one later."
Setting aside the lighter, Asuka resumed her previous pose, settling her chin back in hand. She had to wonder just what it was that she'd gotten into when giving permission to 'surprise her.' These things weren't always good things, as experience with children - and more than a few adults - had taught her. It did smell good, and she hadn't seen anything potentially life-threatening among the ingredients yet, but there was still that foil-wrapped plate with its unidentified contents...
"What did you bring?" She crossed her ankles under the chair and gestured with her cigarette at the various paraphernalia strewn about. "Smells good."
For his part, Kureno popped open one of the bottles, taking a swig before setting down beside him at the counter and going back to work. (He was thankful she did buy her beer in bottles. It tended to not only taste better that way, but it was fine by him to drink straight from a bottle. A can required him pouring it into a cup first, just as yet another one of his little idiosyncrasies.)
"It's a surprise, Asuka, remember?" he said with a small grin. Sparing a glance back he assured, "Don't worry. It's at least definitely dead."
At that she finally smiled, broad enough to crinkle her eyes at the edges but not enough to show teeth. "That's good to know," she replied. "You won't have to worry about your hair, then."
Though the probability was that she wouldn't throw anything at him, anyway, even if it wasn't. The threat alone was enough to get him hopping, not whether or not she'd actually follow through.
"You know me. Anything to save the hair." It was said with a joking tone, but there was a truth behind that both of them were aware of. Kureno was entirely too self-conscious when it came to his hair. (Kakami said he had a sixth sense for it, and could immediately tell when it was out of place.)
There was another round of silence that wasn't really silent due to the sound of steel against produce against plastic, but it was quiet between them at least. The sliced ingredients were placed in piles one the cutting board and placed by the stove, where Kureno pulled out a large frying pan, pouring in a little oil before setting the heat to a medium. The vegetables began getting stirred in, Kureno pausing now and again to take a thoughtful drink from his beer.
"Are you still losing weight?" he suddenly asked. It was one of the few ways he could think of asking about her health without starting off nagging.
That definitely roused her out of the second phase of zoning out. Asuka blinked and flit her gaze from the burning cherry of her cigarette to the man on the other end of her kitchen. What did her weight have to do with anything?
... though the answer to that was yes. Sorta. Not that she checked her weight regularly, but it was down (again) as her last trip to the hospital had shown. Not a horrible amount of weight, but... considering she didn't really have the fat to cover it, the hospital staff had accordingly scolded her for it. 'Put those fifteen pounds back on one way or another,' they'd said. Pff. Whatever. She'd get there when she wasn't so tired all the time.
Not that she'd exactly tried to put on weight since leaving the hospital, either... they were going to bitch more at them when they pulled her back in for another check-up.
"I dropped more weight over the mission, yes," she replied honestly. Really, it was easier to tell the truth than to lie; he'd find out eventually, anyway. And it wasn't like he couldn't tell just by looking.
Kureno had already known the answer, but having her admittedly aware of it made it a little easier to converse about. "You know, I tease you about dieting but that doesn't mean you should actually be losing the pounds..." he half pointed out, half confessed. To this point, he hadn't really come so close to reproaching himself on the issue.
This was the part where he went from being quiet to being annoying, apparently. Asuka sighed and ashed her cigarette, trying a tired smile on for size. "If you think I'm dieting for you, you've got another think coming."
Hardly. If anything, it was natural for her to fight a war in the face of her rabid metabolism, though normally she didn't lose this badly. It was just the mission, she was sure; that had taken out the biggest chunk of her weight. The rest of it was just not eating enough to make up for what she was burning off. It wasn't that hard to fix. Why did people have to make such a fuss about it?
There was a quiet scoff and grin. "Well it's not just you, really. Kakami's also been losing weight although she doesn't have the excuse of mission to excuse it. ...Although she has had her own set of worries, I suppose," he said a little softer. Sakurai's capture had put the white-haired jounin in an awful state. He still remembered the episode she went through; the one that first had him really wishing Rin was back in the village to take care of her.
Kureno cleared his thoughts and reached for his beer again. "Ran into her the other day, rummaging in the market. She smelled a lot like cigarette smoke..." He cast a significant look at Asuka. "Said she dropped by here." She'd said that and perked his curiosity by mentioning he'd become a topic of their conversation without specifying in what way. It had him irked and curious all night; now was another opportunity to figure out.
"You guys talk?"
"Mmm." She nodded. On to better topics, thank goodness. "Yeah, she did. Said she was just dropping by to see how I was doing. Kakami didn't say anything about losing weight. Though she did look skinnier..." Not that Kakami didn't always look skinny, but there was skinny, and then there was bony, and the younger jounin was rapidly approaching the latter.
And then, of course, there was the odd way that Kureno's name had come up in the conversation. Something Asuka still wasn't sure she had completely wrapped her mind around. She glanced away from him to take one last drag off her cigarette and then put it out in the ashtray. "Talked about you some."
Bingo.
"Oh?" he asked, as though not having heard this information before. Then, because that casual response had been too easy for Kakami to dance around, added, "What about me?"
Kureno tried not to look like he was listening as intensely as he was and instead added some salt to the pan.
She paused in the middle of pulling yet another cigarette from the half-empty pack, lifting her gaze to stare at the opposite wall thoughtfully. Really, what had the conversation been about, anyway? It was still somewhat confusing to her, even after having all this time to digest it; she tried looking underneath Kakami's precious underneath, but she wasn't sure if there was anything under there to begin with. The other woman's nervousness contributed to her confusion.
But she didn't really want to talk about that. About Kakami's nervousness or about whether or not Kureno was a good guy or just what the hell anyone was doing anymore. So she settled for the least revealing part of the conversation.
"That you can be really obnoxious." She finished withdrawing the cigarette and looked back over at him. "And sometimes we just want to hit you."
.......Of course. In hindsight, Kureno didn't know what else he'd been expecting to hear. That maybe they'd been talking about how cute he was? That he was cool? Ha. Kakami and Asuka may have been of the female species, but they just didn't do Girl Talk. Now that he thought about it, he'd have been quite disturbed to find out if they had.
"Naturally," he responded, careful not to betray his thought process. "For what good am I if not to be your personal punching bags?" He took another drink before adding in soy sauce (and for a moment, that thankfully Asuka didn't catch, had to be careful he didn't mix up those two bottles).
"Well, Kakami and I talked about you some too."
That, as well, prompted another pause. After all... why would they talk about her? Other than a few possibly obvious things, like the mission she'd gotten back from. Or maybe to laugh over Hanato. That was possible, too.
The kunoichi frowned, putting the cigarette to her lips and flicking on the lighter Chouko had gotten for her birthday. "If she was complaining about my smoking, she was smoking, too." Jeez, no need to get defensive, Asuka. There were a million things they could have talked about, and none of it was probably important anyway. Get a grip.
Well. Kakami had neglected to mention that.
"She was smoking?" Kureno asked rather sharply, staring at Asuka in a way that was caught between accusing her of spreading that habit and wondering if she was serious. He shook his head and quickly looked away, not wanting to spark any tension; not yet anyway, if he could help it. "Guess that would've explained the smell..." he muttered more to himself than her. Kakami had been exceptionally saturated with the smell of tobacco the other night in a way that seemed to exceed just hanging around Asuka.
"That's your third cigarette," he pointed out without looking up.
Yes, here was the annoying, just like she'd expected. Her quota for patience was up for the day, but she could probably squeeze out a little more if it he didn't push it too much. He'd brought over food for her, no point in getting into a fight before it was even finished, right?
"I know," she muttered, and lit the cigarette anyway. It was, in fact, far closer to her twentieth, or maybe her twenty-third, but there was no point in mentioning that she'd finished off another pack long before he'd showed up. "What did you and Kakami talk about?"
He let the smoking subject drop; he'd actually been expecting he'd have to. Kureno allowed himself to chastise her on her habits near any time it felt appropriate, but he had a personal rule that a person's home was their own to do as they pleased whatever that may be (short of killing themselves or doing other such immediate/extreme harm). Asuka wasn't an exception to that rule. This was her home, he let it go.
"I think she was back to her usual teasing form," he said instead of pressing. He broke a couple of eggs into the pan, waiting for the initial hiss of conflicting temperatures to settle before continuing. "The usual ribbing about our 'torrid love affair' that everyone in the village except for us knows exists and all that." He paused, stirring thoughtfully. "...She's never teased a whole night about it before though."
She snorted, exhaling smoke through her nose. Well, at least that end of the conversation was normal. Didn't explain why she'd been so nervous when she'd dropped by to see Asuka, but... well, Kakami was odd, there was no denying that. Asuka certainly wouldn't try sorting out that mass of complexes. She'd only give herself a complex in doing so (and really, after hanging around Kakami for so long, who was to say one or two hadn't rubbed off anyway?).
Some things would always stay the same, after all - Tsurude would always be in debt, team ten would keep the yakiniku joint afloat by their patronage alone, and she and Kureno would have a secret affair so secret that even they didn't know about it. Yes, the important facts of life; if any of those things changed, Konoha risked utter destruction.
Right.
Though... the rest of what he said did beg the question -
"A whole night?" Asuka pointedly raised an eyebrow at him, face straight and devoid of the innuendo she was loading in her question. "Should I ask why you spent the whole night together?"
After all, if Kakami really did have a crush on Kureno...
Catching her look, Kureno rolled his eyes. "Not a whole night. I just went with her back to her place to make sure she ate is all. Rin needs to get things rolling again so I can stop worrying about her all the time." He stepped over and opened the rice cooker which had been done for some minutes now, scooping out the white grains and sending them into the pan. "And by 'the whole night' I just meant to imply she kept it up for a while," he clarified. "Longer than she usually does, like she really wanted to know or something. ...It was kind of strange."
He gazed back over at Asuka. "You sure that's all you guys talked about?"
Dang. So much for getting a reaction out of him. That was pretty much what she'd assumed anyway, which was good.
... because she would have felt bad for Rin otherwise. Of course.
But her continuing to tease more than normal - yeah, that was a good way to describe their own conversation. Asuka nursed her cigarette and contemplated how to answer his question. What else had they talked about? Or more realistically, what had they talked about that she was willing to impart?
"... she wanted to know why the teasing irritated me," she replied. "Kept bugging me for details. When I asked her why it was so important, she dropped the topic like I'd burned her." The jounin ashed her cigarette, and then added, "She was very nervous."
Nervous?
Kureno tried to think back to the other night and when he was talking with Kakami. She hadn't been nervous then and she hadn't dropped the topic when he'd asked her why it was so important. She'd just... bumbled a little, unable to explain herself in words. And for Kakami not to be able to put a point, argument or tease into words was odd indeed. ...But he was still sure she hadn't faltered because she was nervous; just because it was one of those things she wasn't good at expressing. ...Which was also odd because she'd never had much trouble expressing herself on the subject of Asuka and him before--and that expression was to be a general nuisance on the matter. Last night however she'd almost been trying to be... 'Guiding' for the lack of a better word.
...And the more he thought about this, the stranger it was getting. Damn. He blamed himself for the times he may have accidentally implied to Kakami that Asuka meant more to him than just a good friend. ...Which he tended to do often.
Which was one of the few things in his life he just didn't think about afterward.
"..." Without realizing, Kureno had retreated into silence, mixing the fried rice in focused contemplation that didn't really attempt to contemplate anything.
The silence was catching; as he retreated into it, she made no attempt to disturb it, content not to distract him from whatever he was thinking and bring about more conversation.
But as Kureno continued to cook, the smell of fried rice and teriyaki permeating her kitchen, the silence also prompted her to think more about the situation as well. Kakami was a tease, no doubt about it. She liked it - she'd tease about the stupidest things, and was capable of turning even the most innocent of things into one hell of an innuendo. (Not that Asuka couldn't, too, but she preferred to keep her perversions to herself; the younger woman was not so private in that matter.) Naturally, then, she and Kureno would end up a frequent topic of Kakami's teasing. That was fine; it was another one of the important facts of life that kept Konoha from utter destruction.
And maybe that was what made it so strange when Kakami had suddenly turned so serious on the matter. It no longer felt like teasing - and Asuka couldn't put her finger on what it did feel like. The best she could say was that the younger ninja had been very nervous; experience proved that Kakami was really only nervous when it came to personal matters; therefore, the question was - what was it about her and Kureno that was making Kakami nervous? Why did Kakami need to know if there really was anything more between them than friendship? It wouldn't matter unless, for some reason, Kakami felt she had a personal investment somewhere involving this.
The only reasonable thing that made any sense to Asuka was that her friend, walking mass of complexes that she was, had a crush. Either on Kureno or (to be fair, though she doubted it) on herself. Of course that put Rin out in the cold, but...
... good grief but it made her head hurt. Why couldn't people just be normal for a change?
"She said you were a good guy." Hmm. Hadn't exactly meant to break the silence with more of the conversation, but. It was something. Asuka planted her chin back in hand and stared at the opposite wall. "A really good guy."
Kureno's reaction was a rare one considering he actually smiled. But there was a slight difference in it from his usual dry, sarcastic half-grins; this one still held all those qualities too, but there was a strong hint of... fondness was perhaps the word. He made a chortling sound that was between a disbelieving scoff and the laugh you make when accepting a flattering compliment.
Kakami's reasons for giving him such credentials were limited to teasing, gratitude, or possibly an attempt to 'sell him' to Asuka. He'd normally have thought only the first, but after the other day day... Her behavior night and the way Asuka described her as 'nervous'... Somehow the other options didn't seem to unlikely.
What is she up to? Even if by some chance this is her idea of good intentions... Jeez, that idiot... Kureno couldn't tell if he wanted to maybe thank her or just give her a good thwack upside the head.
He was still smiling faintly to himself, attempting to keep it under his usual standards of minimal amusement. "Really." His voice didn't come out quite as flat as it normally would have. "Well... She's a good person herself," he finished. Because it was polite to return a compliment (even if indirectly), and because with that said, Kureno got rid of any obligations he felt to thank Kakami for it.
That was... interesting.
It was a compliment, so it wasn't that strange that Kureno might preen a little at it. And it wasn't that strange to see him smile, as she had seen him smile quite a bit over the years (less than the average person, but often enough to prove those muscles hadn't atrophied from lack of use). But... it was the way he smiled, and that quiet response. It was just as odd as Kakami's nervousness.
Asuka shifted her gaze to watch him side-long, remaining facing the wall. Things were just so screwed up right now. Really, she shouldn't even be worrying about what was going on here, because what they did wasn't her business. It wouldn't even directly impact her, right? Who cared?
It just didn't make sense. But nothing else did, either. And Asuka hated that.
Kureno didn't say much after that either. A part of him wanted to ask what else Kakami might have said and get an idea of whether or not she'd really been trying to "boost his standing" in Asuka's interests, but... If that's really what she had been doing, then there was a possibility of bringing up the actual subject of relationships in mind.
And he just wasn't ready for that. ...Not yet.
Instead he went back to bustling around the kitchen, measuring out a small measure of the marinara sauce and adding it into the fried rice, flipping and dicing it around in the pan for a while longer before turning down the heat.
Plates and silverware were pulled out and placed on the card table even as he cleared things away. Asuka nimbly kept her cigarettes from his reach but he managed to snatch the lighter (which was quite the interesting design), giving her a brief look that communicated his appreciation if she at least didn't smoke during dinner. (He did know she knew him better than to do that, but there was a slight edge to her tone today.) The lighter was placed on the counter closest to her, kept within reach but completing his message.
He was in the middle of pulling out another plate for serving when he paused, blinked, and looked back at her. "...Are you wearing earrings?"
The third cigarette was finished and a fourth one lit while she watched him finish the rice, still sidelong and still thoughtful. It was good that things lapsed back into silence, though. She didn't really feel like talking, anyway, and more talking would require more thinking. Thinking she didn't really want to do, either, because obviously she was stuck on one topic - Kakami and Kureno. It only lead her in frustrated circles right now, and she really ought to have more information before she went making decisions. So it was better to stop talking and stop thinking and just space out in her own form of meditation. The kind that required copious amounts of nicotine.
She might have even gone for a fifth one during the meal if he hadn't filtched her lighter, although she normally didn't smoke while eating anyway (particularly not around Kureno). But whatever, it didn't matter; the cigarettes weren't going anywhere, and even if he managed to filtch her pack later (disregarding the fact that he'd have to get it from her jean's back pocket to do so), she had four more where that came from in the cabinet by the fridge. And another in her bedroom. Yes, she was well prepared.
But as he set down the plates she obligingly put out her half-smoked cigarette, doing so carefully so she could relight it and finish it later, and leaned back in her chair to watch him pull out the serving plate.
Earrings? Oh yeah. Asuka reached up to lightly touch the lobe of her left ear, still tender from being pierced earlier in the day. "Inosuke talked me into getting them pierced."
"Inosuke managed to talk you into getting earrings?" he asked, a little surprised to hear it. Not really because Inosuke couldn't make people do things he wanted them to do, but more out of the fact that Asuka just wasn't one for accessories (bracelets aside). And if anyone was able to corner her into doing so, Inosuke just didn't seem at the top of the list of people who could; not for Asuka anyway. Maybe he underestimated that kid too much.
The rice was piled out into one of her better bowls and a few extra choppings that'd been kept aside were arranged on the surface. An extra, small tupperware bowl was pulled out containing more of the sweetened teriyaki sauce which was sent to heat in the still-hot pan used for the rice. Kureno really wasn't wasting anything.
"Well... it was sort of a belated birthday gift. They've all got matching earrings, and he's been bothering me about getting a set too for a while, and - " to be completely honest? " - he was kind of guilt tripping me into it. I did it just to shut him up, mostly."
Asuka almost winced at how that came out, but managed to smooth the expression over. That was a rather harsh way of putting things, but it was the truth. And why should she be bothered by saying the truth, anyway? Or even be bothered by his attempt to guilt trip? Or maybe it was more that she'd been bothered by the fact that his attempt to guilt trip didn't bother her. She didn't feel guilty for only leaving a note. She didn't feel guilty for not telling him about rejoining ANBU. And she didn't feel guilty for doing her job.
She needed to do something about the kids. After the fight they'd had on her birthday (happy damn birthday, indeed), she'd begun wondering just what the hell was going on. How they'd managed to get under her skin so easily, and most importantly, why they had such a strong attachment to her. But it was hard to make any decisions when all she wanted to do was sleep, and even harder to tell them to screw off when they'd dragged her out earlier this morning. It especially didn't help that she just didn't want to think about it.
Asuka fingered the stud for a moment longer before dropping her hand back into her lap. "I'll have to wear these for a while until the holes heal, but I've got the hoops in my bathroom for later."
At an earlier time, Kureno might have frowned or even scolded Asuka for her motivations. (Heck, he still nagged now and then, but only ever really chastised her for a lack of professionalism.) But the matter slid off his back because sometimes Asuka was just... like that. It didn't make her a bad person, just difficult to get close to.
Kureno hadn't been looking to get close to anybody for a long time. He'd just gotten... settled is all. And in the end, his response to her just came down to an almost absent, "Hm."
The rice and a serving spoon was taken over to the table along with the plate that had thus far remained concealed by tin foil. On the table it was removed, and nearly a dozen round and glazed rolls sat underneath. Kureno set the tin foil aside to preserve any leftovers and readied another plate before taking out the main course.
The smell had just been leaking through the kitchen before, but with the opening of the oven came a push of released pressure that sent a short, hot wave of the juicy aroma into the air. The steaks were relocated from pan to plate, garnished with more sliced vegetables and the sauce that had been heating on the stove, then brought over to the table, being set down next to the other dishes that were arranged in a manner of true showmanship.
Which just went to show that Kureno was a man of presentation in every aspect of the word.
That was a particularly nonchalant response that didn't prompt her into wanting to say more, so she fell silent once again, just watching as he pulled out more and more food.
The card table was little, too small to be considered a real table, and the surface quickly was filled; Asuka removed her ashtray and set it down on the floor, out of the way, to make room. Rice, rolls, veggies, steak - a lot more than what she'd expected, and smelling good enough to wake even the dead. Her stomach, too tired to even be properly hungry for most of the day (or the last few days, to be realistic), took one whiff of that and demanded satisfaction. And this time she didn't have a sore throat to worry about.
"Wow." Her expression was one of someone definitely marveling at the haul that had landed in front of her. "You definitely went all out, huh?"
There was a natural temptation to answer her with a modest shrug and say something like, "What this? Nah, this was nothing," or "Well if I was really on the ball I would've brought an appropriate centerpiece or wine..." But knowing himself, it'd come out sounding too smug--especially considering how proud he was feeling now. The look on her face was priceless and he had to turn his head to hide the grin that was growing to large proportions on his face.
Down Ego. Sit. Staaaaaaay...
Instead of answering, Kureno turned back, dropping the cooking ware into the sink before opening the fridge and fishing out two fresh beers. He sat down adjacent to her, popping them open and handing her hers before holding his bottle up in a casual toast.
"Happy birthday, Asuka."
Taking the bottle, she touched it to his in a light toast before putting it aside. Really, this was an awful lot of effort to go to - or at least it was to her, considering the microwave and the rice cooker were the only kitchen implements she could work without destroying something. (She could work the blender damn well too, but that had to do with alcoholic drinks and not food, and therefore was not considered.)
It was... nice. Very nice. She couldn't help but feel a tad embarrassed for it, especially considering she'd initially tried waving him off and hadn't wanted him to come over...
".... thanks." Even if it was rather late. But that was her own fault, not his. She gave him a small smile that could almost be considered shy, and pushed up the sleeves of her jounin shirt. "Feel bad for not doing anything for your birthday, though. Hospital or not."
It was suddenly easy to admit he'd been waiting for her smile as soon as she did so, even if he hadn't allowed himself to realize that a moment ago. No matter its size, so long as it was of a genuine nature. If he could get just that out of her, then the work he'd put into selecting, preparing, baking, cooking, and every other detail that came along with pulling this off...
It was worth it. Everything had been worth it just for that.
...Dear gods he needed to... put that aside and think about later. Just... later. (Stupid Kakami. Stupid Jimaiya.)
Kureno turned his eyes down to the spread, afraid perhaps he might've been staring at her too long without realizing. He laughed weakly. "Don't feel bad. I probably wouldn't have remembered anything you did anyway." Gaining back some composure and confidence, he shot her a side-long smirk while unfolding a napkin into his lap. "Besides, if you're still feeling bad you can make it up to me on Christmas."
No, he probably wouldn't have remembered it - but then, there was also a limited amount you could do for a person when they were in a hospital and doped to the gills on painkillers. And she had been busy keeping her ear to ground for any word on that -
- well, that wasn't something to worry about now. There'd been no sign of the attacker since she and Kakami had lost her at the border, but Asuka knew from experience that these people would show up again. And since she was in ANBU again, she had a direct line to information for anything she might want to know... so it would only be a matter of time before she picked up the trail again. Third time was the charm, after all, and right now there was food to worry about, not grudges.
The kunoichi snagged her napkin and unfolded it onto her lap as well (you couldn't spend time with Kureno without picking up which manners he'd give you dirty looks for and which he was willing to ignore). "What do you want, then?" she asked. Asuka's attempts at gift-giving were usually simple in nature, because she was more for doing things than giving things, so a little help or a few hints wouldn't hurt.
As Asuka dealt with her napkin, Kureno had already reached over and begun serving the meat, choosing which steak seemed to have turned out the best and putting it on her plate before selecting his own. "Hmm... I'll have to think about it," he said at length. "Don't worry, I'll give you enough notice beforehand so it's nothing you have to scramble for."
And that would be good enough. After all, it was still only October, and two months to go until Christmas. She could come up with something by then, even if he couldn't come up with a hint. He couldn't be that hard to pick a gift out for, right?
... she'd think about answering that question later.
As he dealt with his steak, she served herself a portion of rice and a roll, enjoying the scent and (for a change) the fact that she was hungry (which wasn't so bad when said hunger could be assuaged). And the first bite was heaven to a hungry stomach - teriyaki, but somewhat sweeter, with something extra that bit in the back of the throat.
"You should be an honorary Akimichi," Asuka said decisively after that first bite. Sometimes it was easy to forget just how much better real food was than food that was cheap and easy to prepare... but the reminder was always very pleasant.
The compliment worked in flattering him, and this time there was no excuse to turn around or the other way to hide the wide grin that threatened to break across his chin. Only his composure and reserve were available to fight back against it, and currently they were doing a poor job. Heck, he even blushed. (Just a little.)
"I'm not that confident about it," he replied humbly, although his ego was still poking through. It was obviously said from just being the polite thing to say, although he looked like he wanted to be sincere about it. "It's one of my favorites though, and you seem to enjoy your barbecue and steak houses, so..."
"It's good," she insisted, after yet another bite. "Really good." Awesome was the word she wanted to use, but somehow that didn't quite seem to fit. Descriptive words weren't her forte, anyway, so she'd just have to settle on eating as much as she could and hope to keep at least some of the leftovers. She could definitely see why it was his favorite.
Leaving Kureno to preen on his side of the table, Asuka dug in with gusto, content to leave conversation alone in favor for good eats and good friends in the kind of silence that didn't require filling. It wasn't often that they could spend a prolonged period of time together in relative peace, after all; eventually one or the other would make a crack or bring up a topic that irritated the other, and annoyance would commence. Kind of a normal state of being, but sometimes it was nice to actually try to not to piss the other person off. Proof that they could get along if they bothered trying.
And... it sort of cheered her up, honestly speaking. Things were just off lately in a way she couldn't explain, or didn't want to try and figure out - to put that aside and just enjoy the moment was relaxing. At least for this long she could ignore that urge for nicotine itching in her fingertips and not worry about the world intruding. Just for a little while.
But even her appetite had its limits, and at some point she had to give up her quest to demolish any leftovers and call it quits. Like the domestic housewife weirdo he was, Kureno insisted on doing the dishes, but she wasn't about to let him do that after all the effort he'd put into the meal. Luckily no water fights broke out, though she contemplated it - the only thing really stopping her being the fact that she didn't want to clean that up, too. And luckily the rest of the evening passed like the dinner: no fights, no snide comments and dry comebacks, just civil conversation.
It was nice. Real nice. Nice enough that she went to sleep that night without having finished that half-smoked cigarette she'd put aside for later, and didn't think once about the problems that had been not-plaguing her after Kureno left. Not a bad night at all.
... though she could have gone without the cursing and the mess when she tripped over the forgotten ashtray the next morning, but eh. You give a little, you get a little.
...Kureno would also never admit that there were times when even he thought of a homemaker-crack against himself now and then.
It was one of those rare instances where even Kureno would agree that there was no need to be in uniform. Although for a guy who was hardly seen out of uniform, he still sure had a fairly stylish variety to chose from. (He only owned two honest-to-goodness t-shirts. One was long, plain white that served more as a pajama top for cold nights. The other was yellow with black lettering that said "Free Lip Service" and was actually Aki's, who had left it at his place so long ago without reclaiming it; it eventually fell into the bottom of his drawer to be forgotten and possibly burned at a later date.) He approached Asuka's door "dressed down" in a clean, solid dark red sweater, black jacket, and gasp jeans that were purposely faded grey-black. (Of course they had to be purposely faded...)
He knocked first out of courtesy, listening for any sounds of approach from within. When none answered him, Kureno thought perhaps she wasn't home and tried the door. (If she hadn't been here, the plan was to just have everything ready for whenever she returned from where ever she went.) Finding it locked didn't discourage him in the least and he fished around for the spare key she had given him after dragging her home drunk often enough and telling her to either keep her key in the same pocket so he wouldn't have to frisk her every time, or provide him with a spare. He hadn't expected her to actually provide him with one, but it had come in handy over the years and was so much more refined than breaking in.
The lock slid back with a click and Kureno let himself in. The shuffling sound that came from the back in her room immediately caught his attention since he'd believed she wasn't home.
"...Asuka?"
It was patently unfair that today, of all days, she had to be bothered. Oh yes. Very unfair. When a girl wanted to be left alone, couldn't the world be nice and acquiesce?
Ooooh, of course not. No, instead the world had to send team ten to drag her out of bed at an ungodly hour after an ungodly night that involved a sleepover (nine in the morning was not an ungodly hour, Inosuke had protested, but at least Shikako had agreed) to go out for that food she'd promised as a belated birthday gift. Not that she'd eaten much. Somehow, despite the fact that she was hungry, it had just kinda... morphed into a low level of nausea that she'd rather ignore. Was it possible to be too tired to be hungry? She'd have to check with Shikako on that one.
And then Inosuke had decided on what he wanted his belated gift to be: earrings. No, not for him, for her. Everyone else in team ten had matching hoops or studs; why didn't she? What, her ears weren't pierced? Obviously something had to be done about that! And at this point she was too tired to argue or do anything that would keep her from getting home sooner; she gave in, got her ears pierced (they still kinda hurt, too...), and parted ways with the chuunin was quickly as possible. She was back home by noonish time and the day was officially declared over. A change of clothing and bed followed.
So if the day was over, why was there someone at the door?
No, she decided. No, she was not answering that door. She promptly rolled over and buried her face back in the pillow.
Her decision to ignore life didn't last for long when there was the distinct schnick of her lock turning and the front door opening. Following that sound came a brief moment of not-panic in which she kicked off the covers and lurched darted for the bedroom door. While she didn't particularly care to greet anyone in just a pair of black boxers and the old jounin shirt she'd worn for the day, she also was very tempted to kick the world in the face for intruding on her nap.
... oh. It was Kureno. No kicking, then.
Asuka leaned against the doorjam of her bedroom, half-peeking out, and sighed heavily at her guest. "What's up with the groceries?"
"This would be dinner, not groceries," he explained and then shrugged. "You said to surprise you."
The door was gently kicked shut behind him as his hands were fairly full. Kureno looked her over with a raised eyebrow, taking into consideration now that perhaps there was a good reason she hadn't answered when he knocked. "Bad time? ...Again?"
Perhaps he should have warned her after all, but they'd just postponed the dinner without actually rescheduling a time. It had been half a month now, but maybe she still needed time to recover. That really must've been some fever. "You're not still sick are you?"
Dinner?
It took her a moment to process the words, not connecting why he was bringing food over for a dinner he hadn't told her about. Until the memory popped up and reminded her - oh. Dinner for her birthday. The one she'd tried to pass off and had eventually given in by letting him decide. She'd already forgotten about it. How scatterbrained was she lately?
"No..." she replied, somewhat hesitantly, an answer to all of the above questions. It wasn't a bad time, it was just... not a time she'd expected. And she wasn't still sick, or well, not totally. She didn't have a fever anymore... or at least she didn't think she did. The antibiotics the hospital had put her on were almost gone now, and must have done something to kick that fever out, right? At the very least she didn't have a sore throat anymore, though sometimes she still woke up and wondered if it was really gone or not.
She was just... tired. Too tired for walking around town even for a few hours - that had totally wiped her out. Too tired for life, too tired for company. But considering the kind of effort Kureno usually put into things when he decided he wanted to do something... hell. She was too tired to kick him out.
... but she should probably put some pants before going to see what he'd gotten. Asuka glanced down at her bare legs before withdrawing further into her bedroom. "I'll be out in a sec."
"Take your time. I still need to actually cook it," he called after her, moving into the kitchen and setting things down on her counter tops. The oven was set to reheat before he began pulling out prepared ingredients.
It vaguely occurred to Kureno that the standard Leaf uniforms made it a lot harder to tell some of the nutritioned states of their comrades. If Kakami didn't fall over on occasion, he'd never be able to tell she wasn't eating enough. She and Asuka tended to wear loose clothing regardless, so it was still something of a task. Kureno had more confidence in Asuka being taken care of however; after all, she had an Akimichi on her team. But seeing her in the doorway just now, boxer shorts hanging loosely from her hips, it became a lot more apparent that her week-long mission (no, even before that; since she joined ANBU again) had her losing weight. It was just another arguement in his favor against her joining the Black Ops force again, one that he pushed to the back of his mind, because he didn't care to spend the evening fighting with her again.
.......And if that's the first and only thing he thought and concerned himself with after seeing Asuka's boxer shorts practically falling off, then Kakami and Jimaiya were right and he needed help.
"...You planning anything besides dinner tomorrow night? ... Think maybe you should?"
Damn Kakami. What the hell did she know? She had enough of her own problems without having to butt into his. No matter how good (or even vengeful) her intentions were. ...Which he still wasn't sure he understood by the end of the evening.
Rolling up his sleeves, Kureno decided to forget about it and started washing the rice.
'Take her time?' Pfft. All she needed to do was pull on a pair of jeans. Like he thought she needed the time to primp. She could get ready faster than him for any mission, and that was kinda sad.
Pushing the door slightly closed, the jounin located the jeans she'd discarded after the days events, dragged them up over the boxers, and after a quick zip and tuck wandered back into the living room. She had to wonder why Kureno had picked today, of all days, to drop in on her... not that it was exactly a bad day, just that... she wasn't feeling friendly. And it was damn hard being personable when all one wanted to do was curl up on a couch, smoke a pack at a shot, and hope the world go away on a permanent basis. Surely her patience for acting friendly (or at least not terribly grouchy) for the day had already been exhausted by the kids... but it wasn't cool to take out her temper on Kureno, either. Not that she never did, just that... hell.
She was going to need a cigarette for this. A lot of cigarettes.
Making a brief detour to the coffee table, where she'd left her elements of de-stressing, Asuka retrieved her cigarettes and ashtray and move into the kitchen where she could pretend to be social at the small card table. She didn't say anything as she settled in, though, content to remain silent; they didn't have to talk all the time.
Besides which, it was often entertaining enough just watching Kureno work with such concentration on a mundane task. Rice secured away in the cooker, he took out her cutting board (which she wasn't entirely aware she even had) and set it aside, taking out some carrots, green onion, and celery, washing them and peeling the carrots in the sink before setting them aside to be chopped. Before that began however, he took out a large deep dish (proving he knew her kitchen better than she did apparently) and set it on the counter.
From the brown back came a plate wrapped with tin foil, followed by a large tupperware bowl that looked to have some sort of soup in it. When the lid was opened, the tangy smell of teriyaki wafted out, somehow smelling much sweeter than the sauce normally smelled with a slight bite to it. Kureno had obviously added something to the concoction that wasn't just teriyaki sauce but it was difficult to decipher. Dipping hands into the syrupy liquid, out came four pieces of meat that could only be steaks of some kind, completely saturated through with their marination. Kueno rinsed his hands off after they'd been arranged in the pan and used a towel (as there was a striking absence of oven-mitts) to slide it into the warmed oven. He didn't even start a timer after closing it, instead just setting the towel aside and turning back around to take-down the vegetables.
He finally looked up at her for the first time since she'd come into the kitchen after pausing in his chopping to ask her a question. It ended up not even being about her either, but rather the point that, "...I forgot to bring something to drink." And he sounded a little disappointed at himself for it. "Do you have anything?"
All the kitchney goodness was surprisingly hypnotic to watch. She'd watched Chouko bustle about the kitchen on more than one occasion, but those times always also involved the other two of the team - and where Inosuke was there was also noise. And noise was distracting from anything possibly soothing.
She lit a cigarette and then just watched, chin in hand and elbow braced on the table top. To be honest she wasn't thinking of anything - zoning out and savoring the curl of nicotine in her bloodstream and the presence of someone who wasn't (at the moment) going out of his way to be annoying. She could be irritated that her kitchen was a traitor and worked for anyone that was not her, but who cared; irritation was for people with more energy than her. Her stomach did appear to be waking up a bit more at the smell of that marinade, though.
Asuka visible roused herself when he addressed her, refocusing on him and straightening slightly. Her cigarette had burned out in the time she'd spent watching, both from smoking it and too much time left alone; she discarded the filter in the ashtray and withdrew another from her pack.
"There's vodka on the top of the fridge," she offered. "Beer inside it. And water." And that... was about it.
The vodka was tempting, just because Kureno was a personal fan of it. But unless it could be blended with other flavors--fruits or juices which he doubted she had--then for a dish like this, the best choice was honestly...
He walked over and opened the fridge, one last hope for finding something blendable before agreeing with the brand. "Beer will do." He picked one out and held it up. "Want one now?"
She shook her head while in the middle of lighting the new cigarette; better to wait until she had food in her stomach before she put alcohol down there, too. "I'll have one later."
Setting aside the lighter, Asuka resumed her previous pose, settling her chin back in hand. She had to wonder just what it was that she'd gotten into when giving permission to 'surprise her.' These things weren't always good things, as experience with children - and more than a few adults - had taught her. It did smell good, and she hadn't seen anything potentially life-threatening among the ingredients yet, but there was still that foil-wrapped plate with its unidentified contents...
"What did you bring?" She crossed her ankles under the chair and gestured with her cigarette at the various paraphernalia strewn about. "Smells good."
For his part, Kureno popped open one of the bottles, taking a swig before setting down beside him at the counter and going back to work. (He was thankful she did buy her beer in bottles. It tended to not only taste better that way, but it was fine by him to drink straight from a bottle. A can required him pouring it into a cup first, just as yet another one of his little idiosyncrasies.)
"It's a surprise, Asuka, remember?" he said with a small grin. Sparing a glance back he assured, "Don't worry. It's at least definitely dead."
At that she finally smiled, broad enough to crinkle her eyes at the edges but not enough to show teeth. "That's good to know," she replied. "You won't have to worry about your hair, then."
Though the probability was that she wouldn't throw anything at him, anyway, even if it wasn't. The threat alone was enough to get him hopping, not whether or not she'd actually follow through.
"You know me. Anything to save the hair." It was said with a joking tone, but there was a truth behind that both of them were aware of. Kureno was entirely too self-conscious when it came to his hair. (Kakami said he had a sixth sense for it, and could immediately tell when it was out of place.)
There was another round of silence that wasn't really silent due to the sound of steel against produce against plastic, but it was quiet between them at least. The sliced ingredients were placed in piles one the cutting board and placed by the stove, where Kureno pulled out a large frying pan, pouring in a little oil before setting the heat to a medium. The vegetables began getting stirred in, Kureno pausing now and again to take a thoughtful drink from his beer.
"Are you still losing weight?" he suddenly asked. It was one of the few ways he could think of asking about her health without starting off nagging.
That definitely roused her out of the second phase of zoning out. Asuka blinked and flit her gaze from the burning cherry of her cigarette to the man on the other end of her kitchen. What did her weight have to do with anything?
... though the answer to that was yes. Sorta. Not that she checked her weight regularly, but it was down (again) as her last trip to the hospital had shown. Not a horrible amount of weight, but... considering she didn't really have the fat to cover it, the hospital staff had accordingly scolded her for it. 'Put those fifteen pounds back on one way or another,' they'd said. Pff. Whatever. She'd get there when she wasn't so tired all the time.
Not that she'd exactly tried to put on weight since leaving the hospital, either... they were going to bitch more at them when they pulled her back in for another check-up.
"I dropped more weight over the mission, yes," she replied honestly. Really, it was easier to tell the truth than to lie; he'd find out eventually, anyway. And it wasn't like he couldn't tell just by looking.
Kureno had already known the answer, but having her admittedly aware of it made it a little easier to converse about. "You know, I tease you about dieting but that doesn't mean you should actually be losing the pounds..." he half pointed out, half confessed. To this point, he hadn't really come so close to reproaching himself on the issue.
This was the part where he went from being quiet to being annoying, apparently. Asuka sighed and ashed her cigarette, trying a tired smile on for size. "If you think I'm dieting for you, you've got another think coming."
Hardly. If anything, it was natural for her to fight a war in the face of her rabid metabolism, though normally she didn't lose this badly. It was just the mission, she was sure; that had taken out the biggest chunk of her weight. The rest of it was just not eating enough to make up for what she was burning off. It wasn't that hard to fix. Why did people have to make such a fuss about it?
There was a quiet scoff and grin. "Well it's not just you, really. Kakami's also been losing weight although she doesn't have the excuse of mission to excuse it. ...Although she has had her own set of worries, I suppose," he said a little softer. Sakurai's capture had put the white-haired jounin in an awful state. He still remembered the episode she went through; the one that first had him really wishing Rin was back in the village to take care of her.
Kureno cleared his thoughts and reached for his beer again. "Ran into her the other day, rummaging in the market. She smelled a lot like cigarette smoke..." He cast a significant look at Asuka. "Said she dropped by here." She'd said that and perked his curiosity by mentioning he'd become a topic of their conversation without specifying in what way. It had him irked and curious all night; now was another opportunity to figure out.
"You guys talk?"
"Mmm." She nodded. On to better topics, thank goodness. "Yeah, she did. Said she was just dropping by to see how I was doing. Kakami didn't say anything about losing weight. Though she did look skinnier..." Not that Kakami didn't always look skinny, but there was skinny, and then there was bony, and the younger jounin was rapidly approaching the latter.
And then, of course, there was the odd way that Kureno's name had come up in the conversation. Something Asuka still wasn't sure she had completely wrapped her mind around. She glanced away from him to take one last drag off her cigarette and then put it out in the ashtray. "Talked about you some."
Bingo.
"Oh?" he asked, as though not having heard this information before. Then, because that casual response had been too easy for Kakami to dance around, added, "What about me?"
Kureno tried not to look like he was listening as intensely as he was and instead added some salt to the pan.
She paused in the middle of pulling yet another cigarette from the half-empty pack, lifting her gaze to stare at the opposite wall thoughtfully. Really, what had the conversation been about, anyway? It was still somewhat confusing to her, even after having all this time to digest it; she tried looking underneath Kakami's precious underneath, but she wasn't sure if there was anything under there to begin with. The other woman's nervousness contributed to her confusion.
But she didn't really want to talk about that. About Kakami's nervousness or about whether or not Kureno was a good guy or just what the hell anyone was doing anymore. So she settled for the least revealing part of the conversation.
"That you can be really obnoxious." She finished withdrawing the cigarette and looked back over at him. "And sometimes we just want to hit you."
.......Of course. In hindsight, Kureno didn't know what else he'd been expecting to hear. That maybe they'd been talking about how cute he was? That he was cool? Ha. Kakami and Asuka may have been of the female species, but they just didn't do Girl Talk. Now that he thought about it, he'd have been quite disturbed to find out if they had.
"Naturally," he responded, careful not to betray his thought process. "For what good am I if not to be your personal punching bags?" He took another drink before adding in soy sauce (and for a moment, that thankfully Asuka didn't catch, had to be careful he didn't mix up those two bottles).
"Well, Kakami and I talked about you some too."
That, as well, prompted another pause. After all... why would they talk about her? Other than a few possibly obvious things, like the mission she'd gotten back from. Or maybe to laugh over Hanato. That was possible, too.
The kunoichi frowned, putting the cigarette to her lips and flicking on the lighter Chouko had gotten for her birthday. "If she was complaining about my smoking, she was smoking, too." Jeez, no need to get defensive, Asuka. There were a million things they could have talked about, and none of it was probably important anyway. Get a grip.
Well. Kakami had neglected to mention that.
"She was smoking?" Kureno asked rather sharply, staring at Asuka in a way that was caught between accusing her of spreading that habit and wondering if she was serious. He shook his head and quickly looked away, not wanting to spark any tension; not yet anyway, if he could help it. "Guess that would've explained the smell..." he muttered more to himself than her. Kakami had been exceptionally saturated with the smell of tobacco the other night in a way that seemed to exceed just hanging around Asuka.
"That's your third cigarette," he pointed out without looking up.
Yes, here was the annoying, just like she'd expected. Her quota for patience was up for the day, but she could probably squeeze out a little more if it he didn't push it too much. He'd brought over food for her, no point in getting into a fight before it was even finished, right?
"I know," she muttered, and lit the cigarette anyway. It was, in fact, far closer to her twentieth, or maybe her twenty-third, but there was no point in mentioning that she'd finished off another pack long before he'd showed up. "What did you and Kakami talk about?"
He let the smoking subject drop; he'd actually been expecting he'd have to. Kureno allowed himself to chastise her on her habits near any time it felt appropriate, but he had a personal rule that a person's home was their own to do as they pleased whatever that may be (short of killing themselves or doing other such immediate/extreme harm). Asuka wasn't an exception to that rule. This was her home, he let it go.
"I think she was back to her usual teasing form," he said instead of pressing. He broke a couple of eggs into the pan, waiting for the initial hiss of conflicting temperatures to settle before continuing. "The usual ribbing about our 'torrid love affair' that everyone in the village except for us knows exists and all that." He paused, stirring thoughtfully. "...She's never teased a whole night about it before though."
She snorted, exhaling smoke through her nose. Well, at least that end of the conversation was normal. Didn't explain why she'd been so nervous when she'd dropped by to see Asuka, but... well, Kakami was odd, there was no denying that. Asuka certainly wouldn't try sorting out that mass of complexes. She'd only give herself a complex in doing so (and really, after hanging around Kakami for so long, who was to say one or two hadn't rubbed off anyway?).
Some things would always stay the same, after all - Tsurude would always be in debt, team ten would keep the yakiniku joint afloat by their patronage alone, and she and Kureno would have a secret affair so secret that even they didn't know about it. Yes, the important facts of life; if any of those things changed, Konoha risked utter destruction.
Right.
Though... the rest of what he said did beg the question -
"A whole night?" Asuka pointedly raised an eyebrow at him, face straight and devoid of the innuendo she was loading in her question. "Should I ask why you spent the whole night together?"
After all, if Kakami really did have a crush on Kureno...
Catching her look, Kureno rolled his eyes. "Not a whole night. I just went with her back to her place to make sure she ate is all. Rin needs to get things rolling again so I can stop worrying about her all the time." He stepped over and opened the rice cooker which had been done for some minutes now, scooping out the white grains and sending them into the pan. "And by 'the whole night' I just meant to imply she kept it up for a while," he clarified. "Longer than she usually does, like she really wanted to know or something. ...It was kind of strange."
He gazed back over at Asuka. "You sure that's all you guys talked about?"
Dang. So much for getting a reaction out of him. That was pretty much what she'd assumed anyway, which was good.
... because she would have felt bad for Rin otherwise. Of course.
But her continuing to tease more than normal - yeah, that was a good way to describe their own conversation. Asuka nursed her cigarette and contemplated how to answer his question. What else had they talked about? Or more realistically, what had they talked about that she was willing to impart?
"... she wanted to know why the teasing irritated me," she replied. "Kept bugging me for details. When I asked her why it was so important, she dropped the topic like I'd burned her." The jounin ashed her cigarette, and then added, "She was very nervous."
Nervous?
Kureno tried to think back to the other night and when he was talking with Kakami. She hadn't been nervous then and she hadn't dropped the topic when he'd asked her why it was so important. She'd just... bumbled a little, unable to explain herself in words. And for Kakami not to be able to put a point, argument or tease into words was odd indeed. ...But he was still sure she hadn't faltered because she was nervous; just because it was one of those things she wasn't good at expressing. ...Which was also odd because she'd never had much trouble expressing herself on the subject of Asuka and him before--and that expression was to be a general nuisance on the matter. Last night however she'd almost been trying to be... 'Guiding' for the lack of a better word.
...And the more he thought about this, the stranger it was getting. Damn. He blamed himself for the times he may have accidentally implied to Kakami that Asuka meant more to him than just a good friend. ...Which he tended to do often.
Which was one of the few things in his life he just didn't think about afterward.
"..." Without realizing, Kureno had retreated into silence, mixing the fried rice in focused contemplation that didn't really attempt to contemplate anything.
The silence was catching; as he retreated into it, she made no attempt to disturb it, content not to distract him from whatever he was thinking and bring about more conversation.
But as Kureno continued to cook, the smell of fried rice and teriyaki permeating her kitchen, the silence also prompted her to think more about the situation as well. Kakami was a tease, no doubt about it. She liked it - she'd tease about the stupidest things, and was capable of turning even the most innocent of things into one hell of an innuendo. (Not that Asuka couldn't, too, but she preferred to keep her perversions to herself; the younger woman was not so private in that matter.) Naturally, then, she and Kureno would end up a frequent topic of Kakami's teasing. That was fine; it was another one of the important facts of life that kept Konoha from utter destruction.
And maybe that was what made it so strange when Kakami had suddenly turned so serious on the matter. It no longer felt like teasing - and Asuka couldn't put her finger on what it did feel like. The best she could say was that the younger ninja had been very nervous; experience proved that Kakami was really only nervous when it came to personal matters; therefore, the question was - what was it about her and Kureno that was making Kakami nervous? Why did Kakami need to know if there really was anything more between them than friendship? It wouldn't matter unless, for some reason, Kakami felt she had a personal investment somewhere involving this.
The only reasonable thing that made any sense to Asuka was that her friend, walking mass of complexes that she was, had a crush. Either on Kureno or (to be fair, though she doubted it) on herself. Of course that put Rin out in the cold, but...
... good grief but it made her head hurt. Why couldn't people just be normal for a change?
"She said you were a good guy." Hmm. Hadn't exactly meant to break the silence with more of the conversation, but. It was something. Asuka planted her chin back in hand and stared at the opposite wall. "A really good guy."
Kureno's reaction was a rare one considering he actually smiled. But there was a slight difference in it from his usual dry, sarcastic half-grins; this one still held all those qualities too, but there was a strong hint of... fondness was perhaps the word. He made a chortling sound that was between a disbelieving scoff and the laugh you make when accepting a flattering compliment.
Kakami's reasons for giving him such credentials were limited to teasing, gratitude, or possibly an attempt to 'sell him' to Asuka. He'd normally have thought only the first, but after the other day day... Her behavior night and the way Asuka described her as 'nervous'... Somehow the other options didn't seem to unlikely.
What is she up to? Even if by some chance this is her idea of good intentions... Jeez, that idiot... Kureno couldn't tell if he wanted to maybe thank her or just give her a good thwack upside the head.
He was still smiling faintly to himself, attempting to keep it under his usual standards of minimal amusement. "Really." His voice didn't come out quite as flat as it normally would have. "Well... She's a good person herself," he finished. Because it was polite to return a compliment (even if indirectly), and because with that said, Kureno got rid of any obligations he felt to thank Kakami for it.
That was... interesting.
It was a compliment, so it wasn't that strange that Kureno might preen a little at it. And it wasn't that strange to see him smile, as she had seen him smile quite a bit over the years (less than the average person, but often enough to prove those muscles hadn't atrophied from lack of use). But... it was the way he smiled, and that quiet response. It was just as odd as Kakami's nervousness.
Asuka shifted her gaze to watch him side-long, remaining facing the wall. Things were just so screwed up right now. Really, she shouldn't even be worrying about what was going on here, because what they did wasn't her business. It wouldn't even directly impact her, right? Who cared?
It just didn't make sense. But nothing else did, either. And Asuka hated that.
Kureno didn't say much after that either. A part of him wanted to ask what else Kakami might have said and get an idea of whether or not she'd really been trying to "boost his standing" in Asuka's interests, but... If that's really what she had been doing, then there was a possibility of bringing up the actual subject of relationships in mind.
And he just wasn't ready for that. ...Not yet.
Instead he went back to bustling around the kitchen, measuring out a small measure of the marinara sauce and adding it into the fried rice, flipping and dicing it around in the pan for a while longer before turning down the heat.
Plates and silverware were pulled out and placed on the card table even as he cleared things away. Asuka nimbly kept her cigarettes from his reach but he managed to snatch the lighter (which was quite the interesting design), giving her a brief look that communicated his appreciation if she at least didn't smoke during dinner. (He did know she knew him better than to do that, but there was a slight edge to her tone today.) The lighter was placed on the counter closest to her, kept within reach but completing his message.
He was in the middle of pulling out another plate for serving when he paused, blinked, and looked back at her. "...Are you wearing earrings?"
The third cigarette was finished and a fourth one lit while she watched him finish the rice, still sidelong and still thoughtful. It was good that things lapsed back into silence, though. She didn't really feel like talking, anyway, and more talking would require more thinking. Thinking she didn't really want to do, either, because obviously she was stuck on one topic - Kakami and Kureno. It only lead her in frustrated circles right now, and she really ought to have more information before she went making decisions. So it was better to stop talking and stop thinking and just space out in her own form of meditation. The kind that required copious amounts of nicotine.
She might have even gone for a fifth one during the meal if he hadn't filtched her lighter, although she normally didn't smoke while eating anyway (particularly not around Kureno). But whatever, it didn't matter; the cigarettes weren't going anywhere, and even if he managed to filtch her pack later (disregarding the fact that he'd have to get it from her jean's back pocket to do so), she had four more where that came from in the cabinet by the fridge. And another in her bedroom. Yes, she was well prepared.
But as he set down the plates she obligingly put out her half-smoked cigarette, doing so carefully so she could relight it and finish it later, and leaned back in her chair to watch him pull out the serving plate.
Earrings? Oh yeah. Asuka reached up to lightly touch the lobe of her left ear, still tender from being pierced earlier in the day. "Inosuke talked me into getting them pierced."
"Inosuke managed to talk you into getting earrings?" he asked, a little surprised to hear it. Not really because Inosuke couldn't make people do things he wanted them to do, but more out of the fact that Asuka just wasn't one for accessories (bracelets aside). And if anyone was able to corner her into doing so, Inosuke just didn't seem at the top of the list of people who could; not for Asuka anyway. Maybe he underestimated that kid too much.
The rice was piled out into one of her better bowls and a few extra choppings that'd been kept aside were arranged on the surface. An extra, small tupperware bowl was pulled out containing more of the sweetened teriyaki sauce which was sent to heat in the still-hot pan used for the rice. Kureno really wasn't wasting anything.
"Well... it was sort of a belated birthday gift. They've all got matching earrings, and he's been bothering me about getting a set too for a while, and - " to be completely honest? " - he was kind of guilt tripping me into it. I did it just to shut him up, mostly."
Asuka almost winced at how that came out, but managed to smooth the expression over. That was a rather harsh way of putting things, but it was the truth. And why should she be bothered by saying the truth, anyway? Or even be bothered by his attempt to guilt trip? Or maybe it was more that she'd been bothered by the fact that his attempt to guilt trip didn't bother her. She didn't feel guilty for only leaving a note. She didn't feel guilty for not telling him about rejoining ANBU. And she didn't feel guilty for doing her job.
She needed to do something about the kids. After the fight they'd had on her birthday (happy damn birthday, indeed), she'd begun wondering just what the hell was going on. How they'd managed to get under her skin so easily, and most importantly, why they had such a strong attachment to her. But it was hard to make any decisions when all she wanted to do was sleep, and even harder to tell them to screw off when they'd dragged her out earlier this morning. It especially didn't help that she just didn't want to think about it.
Asuka fingered the stud for a moment longer before dropping her hand back into her lap. "I'll have to wear these for a while until the holes heal, but I've got the hoops in my bathroom for later."
At an earlier time, Kureno might have frowned or even scolded Asuka for her motivations. (Heck, he still nagged now and then, but only ever really chastised her for a lack of professionalism.) But the matter slid off his back because sometimes Asuka was just... like that. It didn't make her a bad person, just difficult to get close to.
Kureno hadn't been looking to get close to anybody for a long time. He'd just gotten... settled is all. And in the end, his response to her just came down to an almost absent, "Hm."
The rice and a serving spoon was taken over to the table along with the plate that had thus far remained concealed by tin foil. On the table it was removed, and nearly a dozen round and glazed rolls sat underneath. Kureno set the tin foil aside to preserve any leftovers and readied another plate before taking out the main course.
The smell had just been leaking through the kitchen before, but with the opening of the oven came a push of released pressure that sent a short, hot wave of the juicy aroma into the air. The steaks were relocated from pan to plate, garnished with more sliced vegetables and the sauce that had been heating on the stove, then brought over to the table, being set down next to the other dishes that were arranged in a manner of true showmanship.
Which just went to show that Kureno was a man of presentation in every aspect of the word.
That was a particularly nonchalant response that didn't prompt her into wanting to say more, so she fell silent once again, just watching as he pulled out more and more food.
The card table was little, too small to be considered a real table, and the surface quickly was filled; Asuka removed her ashtray and set it down on the floor, out of the way, to make room. Rice, rolls, veggies, steak - a lot more than what she'd expected, and smelling good enough to wake even the dead. Her stomach, too tired to even be properly hungry for most of the day (or the last few days, to be realistic), took one whiff of that and demanded satisfaction. And this time she didn't have a sore throat to worry about.
"Wow." Her expression was one of someone definitely marveling at the haul that had landed in front of her. "You definitely went all out, huh?"
There was a natural temptation to answer her with a modest shrug and say something like, "What this? Nah, this was nothing," or "Well if I was really on the ball I would've brought an appropriate centerpiece or wine..." But knowing himself, it'd come out sounding too smug--especially considering how proud he was feeling now. The look on her face was priceless and he had to turn his head to hide the grin that was growing to large proportions on his face.
Down Ego. Sit. Staaaaaaay...
Instead of answering, Kureno turned back, dropping the cooking ware into the sink before opening the fridge and fishing out two fresh beers. He sat down adjacent to her, popping them open and handing her hers before holding his bottle up in a casual toast.
"Happy birthday, Asuka."
Taking the bottle, she touched it to his in a light toast before putting it aside. Really, this was an awful lot of effort to go to - or at least it was to her, considering the microwave and the rice cooker were the only kitchen implements she could work without destroying something. (She could work the blender damn well too, but that had to do with alcoholic drinks and not food, and therefore was not considered.)
It was... nice. Very nice. She couldn't help but feel a tad embarrassed for it, especially considering she'd initially tried waving him off and hadn't wanted him to come over...
".... thanks." Even if it was rather late. But that was her own fault, not his. She gave him a small smile that could almost be considered shy, and pushed up the sleeves of her jounin shirt. "Feel bad for not doing anything for your birthday, though. Hospital or not."
It was suddenly easy to admit he'd been waiting for her smile as soon as she did so, even if he hadn't allowed himself to realize that a moment ago. No matter its size, so long as it was of a genuine nature. If he could get just that out of her, then the work he'd put into selecting, preparing, baking, cooking, and every other detail that came along with pulling this off...
It was worth it. Everything had been worth it just for that.
...Dear gods he needed to... put that aside and think about later. Just... later. (Stupid Kakami. Stupid Jimaiya.)
Kureno turned his eyes down to the spread, afraid perhaps he might've been staring at her too long without realizing. He laughed weakly. "Don't feel bad. I probably wouldn't have remembered anything you did anyway." Gaining back some composure and confidence, he shot her a side-long smirk while unfolding a napkin into his lap. "Besides, if you're still feeling bad you can make it up to me on Christmas."
No, he probably wouldn't have remembered it - but then, there was also a limited amount you could do for a person when they were in a hospital and doped to the gills on painkillers. And she had been busy keeping her ear to ground for any word on that -
- well, that wasn't something to worry about now. There'd been no sign of the attacker since she and Kakami had lost her at the border, but Asuka knew from experience that these people would show up again. And since she was in ANBU again, she had a direct line to information for anything she might want to know... so it would only be a matter of time before she picked up the trail again. Third time was the charm, after all, and right now there was food to worry about, not grudges.
The kunoichi snagged her napkin and unfolded it onto her lap as well (you couldn't spend time with Kureno without picking up which manners he'd give you dirty looks for and which he was willing to ignore). "What do you want, then?" she asked. Asuka's attempts at gift-giving were usually simple in nature, because she was more for doing things than giving things, so a little help or a few hints wouldn't hurt.
As Asuka dealt with her napkin, Kureno had already reached over and begun serving the meat, choosing which steak seemed to have turned out the best and putting it on her plate before selecting his own. "Hmm... I'll have to think about it," he said at length. "Don't worry, I'll give you enough notice beforehand so it's nothing you have to scramble for."
And that would be good enough. After all, it was still only October, and two months to go until Christmas. She could come up with something by then, even if he couldn't come up with a hint. He couldn't be that hard to pick a gift out for, right?
... she'd think about answering that question later.
As he dealt with his steak, she served herself a portion of rice and a roll, enjoying the scent and (for a change) the fact that she was hungry (which wasn't so bad when said hunger could be assuaged). And the first bite was heaven to a hungry stomach - teriyaki, but somewhat sweeter, with something extra that bit in the back of the throat.
"You should be an honorary Akimichi," Asuka said decisively after that first bite. Sometimes it was easy to forget just how much better real food was than food that was cheap and easy to prepare... but the reminder was always very pleasant.
The compliment worked in flattering him, and this time there was no excuse to turn around or the other way to hide the wide grin that threatened to break across his chin. Only his composure and reserve were available to fight back against it, and currently they were doing a poor job. Heck, he even blushed. (Just a little.)
"I'm not that confident about it," he replied humbly, although his ego was still poking through. It was obviously said from just being the polite thing to say, although he looked like he wanted to be sincere about it. "It's one of my favorites though, and you seem to enjoy your barbecue and steak houses, so..."
"It's good," she insisted, after yet another bite. "Really good." Awesome was the word she wanted to use, but somehow that didn't quite seem to fit. Descriptive words weren't her forte, anyway, so she'd just have to settle on eating as much as she could and hope to keep at least some of the leftovers. She could definitely see why it was his favorite.
Leaving Kureno to preen on his side of the table, Asuka dug in with gusto, content to leave conversation alone in favor for good eats and good friends in the kind of silence that didn't require filling. It wasn't often that they could spend a prolonged period of time together in relative peace, after all; eventually one or the other would make a crack or bring up a topic that irritated the other, and annoyance would commence. Kind of a normal state of being, but sometimes it was nice to actually try to not to piss the other person off. Proof that they could get along if they bothered trying.
And... it sort of cheered her up, honestly speaking. Things were just off lately in a way she couldn't explain, or didn't want to try and figure out - to put that aside and just enjoy the moment was relaxing. At least for this long she could ignore that urge for nicotine itching in her fingertips and not worry about the world intruding. Just for a little while.
But even her appetite had its limits, and at some point she had to give up her quest to demolish any leftovers and call it quits. Like the domestic housewife weirdo he was, Kureno insisted on doing the dishes, but she wasn't about to let him do that after all the effort he'd put into the meal. Luckily no water fights broke out, though she contemplated it - the only thing really stopping her being the fact that she didn't want to clean that up, too. And luckily the rest of the evening passed like the dinner: no fights, no snide comments and dry comebacks, just civil conversation.
It was nice. Real nice. Nice enough that she went to sleep that night without having finished that half-smoked cigarette she'd put aside for later, and didn't think once about the problems that had been not-plaguing her after Kureno left. Not a bad night at all.
... though she could have gone without the cursing and the mess when she tripped over the forgotten ashtray the next morning, but eh. You give a little, you get a little.