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For: random fic practice

Series: Naruto

 

Last Revised: 2005.05.23

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The shop is too busy for conversation, not even for the short choppy talk-between-mouthfuls kind, but that doesn't stop Naruto. He eats and talks, eats and talks. He tells her about how lucky he was that he had an extra Ichiraku coupon with him when he found her dawdling outside the school gates. Ichiraku ramen's the best, yeah. Hey, are you sure you're fine with that? That's an awfully small bowl.

 

She immediately shakes her head, takes a quick sip of broth to prove her point. It is a bit too salty for her taste. (Maybe she shouldn't have gotten the shoyu kind.) Naruto is saying something about the ramen again, then something about Uchiha Sasuke, maybe, judging from the quick scowl he pulls over his bowl. She strains to listen, but with all the chairs scraping against the floor, the sipping and slurping and the cook banging his ladle against pan and bowl, hollering welcome everyone! at the people filing in the shop and jostling for seats at the counter, she can only make out a few words. Mission...difficult...Kakashi-sensei...us. I...Hokage...dream, you know? Never...my...give up. Thank you, Hinata-chan.

 

She blinks. Not quite a spell, not quite silence; more like hands gently closing over her ears, shutting out everything save for

 

Thank you, he says again, smiling.

 

Then he turns back to his ramen and the hands fall away and the sounds come rushing back so suddenly that she sits stunned, for a moment, before remembering to pick up her chopsticks and follow suit.

 

 

[ more? ]

 

 

She eats and eats until all that's left of her ramen is a thin film of brown broth lining the bottom of her bowl. She holds it out for his inspection. I'm sorry I took so long.

 

Don't worry. Great job! Next time we'll work with a bigger bowl, okay?

 

She wraps her heart giddily around this 'next time', places her chopsticks on top of the bowl with the edges aligned perfectly, bows her head in gratitude.

 

 

[ snip ]

 

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