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Kyuzaku heard a yell from behind. Apparently, Kaji got his own food, much to Kyu's dismay. He stared at the ocean, and mumbled, "Damn, I missed my chance at that one I think..." Kyu watched the waves flop against the side of the ship, and enjoyed the mist that flowed into his gills. For a fish-guy like him, it was probably the most refreshing feeling you could get. With salt in his nose, and many of his worries behind him, he was beginning to feel confident about the upcoming battle.

Novvus approached from behind, he'd just ordered fish soup form the ship's menu. Apparently, he respected Kyu as a leader now, and commended him for his work as the captain of the ship. With this respect, he wanted to know what battle plan they'd be using against the Orasakai twins and anyone else that may be joining them, like their elven accomplice.

Kyu chucked, and turned around to face the dark-skinned ninja, "Don't worry, I have a battle plan in the works. When the time is right, I'll bring the entire group together to deliberate over the full plan. For now, I just want to keep it under wraps, you know, while it incubates up here." He tapped his temple, "It's not that I don't trust you, but I kind of want to get a feel for the team first. After that little bit down at the dock, I want to know how I can trust to play certain roles in my plan. You know what I mean, bro?"

Takera looked around waiting for others to speak up. After a bit he was just about to call it quits when Rinku had walked up. Noticing him, he turned and made eye contact. "Yes? " with a touch of curiousity in his tone of voice. After hearing the other shinobi's response he let out a light laugh. "Correct... Strong? Maybe. It won't matter if we aren't united when it comes time to fight the twins. We're going to need more than just strength to overcome that hurdle, Rinku." Takera responded with a somewhat serious tone.

Takera had looked around once more waiting for any others to step up. Just then he turned to Rinku. "I'll need some assistance when the food is done. We're going to just eat up here on deck, as everyone is rather scattered and I'm sure they wouldn't mind having their food brought to them. The two above us are excluded less they make haste in getting down within our reach. We're also close to the lightning country, so we need to make haste." Takera exclaimed.

Just then, Takera heard Novvus speak up. Fish? I can work with that. Takera began writing on the pad of paper before he looked up. "No one else? ....Guess not." Takera looked over at Rinku one last time. "If you're willing to help, meet me down below sometime in the next 20 minutes." With that Takera turned and made his way down the stairs to the lower decks where he begun preparations for their meal.

He layed out an assortment of meats and began heating/boiling the water for a broth. He pulled forth lettuce, onions, different spices from the pantries, etc. He proceeded to chop up the onions, lettuce, celery, and carrots, adding them to the boiling water along with a litre of beef stock. Afterwards he pulled out a selection of medium sized fish and began cooking them over low heat being careful not to burn the fish.

Once a few fish finished cooking, he placed them among a few of the plates laid out across the counter. Afterwards he dropped a few more in the pan and began stirring the beef stew. He turned the few fish in the pan over and then began tearing up lettuce and placing it in each individual bowl. placing bits of the extra carrots and onion left over from what he chopped up before.

He pulled out a cucumber and then took the remaining fish from the pan and laid them on the remaining plates, counting 10 plates and 20 bowls. He began slicing the cucumber and spreading out the slices among the bowls of salad. He wrapped up the remaining half of the cucumber and placed it in the cold storage. Afterwards he got out sets of silverware, which he wrapped in napkins and placed next to each set of 2 bowls and a plate. He then cut the heat to the stew and stirred it real well before filling each of the remaining 10 empty bowls with beef stew.

[Just a note: The stew contains both chicken and beef, but beef is a stronger part of the stew. The silverware sets have both a fork and spoon]

"It is time." Takera picked up two bowls and a plate with the silverware and made his way topside to hand out the first meal. Upon arriving on deck he made his way over to Novvus, who was the first and only person to respond when he was out on the deck earlier on. He handed the food over to the dark skinned boy and made his way back down for the next round of food. He brought the food up to each person with or without the assistance of Rinku, making sure everyone including Rinku and the pets were accomodated before sitting down topside with his own portion of food.

He sat down in the spot he had originally sat when he first got on the boat. He blew on a spoonful of beef stew and consumed the spoonful with haste. He hadn't had access to good cooking materials in a long time and now he was finally enjoying the extent of the cooking skills his mother had instilled in him. Looking back he felt maybe she knew or had atleast expected that someday they'd have been parted with their children. His pace slowed and he slowly set the bowl down when he had finished the stew. He took another look around the deck and then began to drift into deep thought.

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Kaji sighed with at least some slight form of relief. "Ok. Just leave the short pointy eared one to me. I'll rip him apart." Kaji said with a smirk. His chakra flared up a little bit and the lightning scorched the deck beneath his feet. There was a flare in his eyes that wasn't human. He wanted to fight, to rip rend and tear his enemies apart. The feral boy didn't know it yet but his inner strength had yet to be shown. When he finally did enter battle again much blood would be spilt.

As the boat docked in lightning country Kaji went down into the hold and called Kurosai. The braided wolf came running happily and knocked Kaji over in a playful tackle. The feral boy quickly flipped the wolf on its back and pinned it there. "I win again pup." Kaji said with a grin. Kurosai tried, as he always did, to get his way by whining and begging. "When are you going to learn pup? That never works on me." He laughed as he let Kurosai up. Soon the two of them would be fighting side by side like it was always meant to be.

Kuro tilted his head curiously as the boy didn't turn towards him. He thought it was general human courtesy to at least make eye contact with a person you were talking to, maybe he misinterpreted something? Either way, his head tilted to the other side as he also noticed the wraps around his eyes, maybe it was like sunglasses? "Vell, I'm from zhe Hidden Meest Village." He pointed to the belt buckle that was also the Kiri headband all of the genin were wearing while on board, completely forgetting that the boy probably couldn't see it anyways. "Hibiki and I have leeved togezer our vhole lives! We train togezer all zhe times too. Zhen, ayfter ve got out of zhe academy, ve vere poot on teem viz Kyu and Rinku, zhen ve are here!" The Vulpes quickly spoke like a little kid, trying his best to not mess up on the second language he was obviously not very good at. Kuro also tried not to tell Zeru that he was Hibiki's ninken either, since it was shown that everyone was mistrusting to each other earlier, why become too trusting of someone now?

"Zhere isn't mooch to say after zhat." Now, the other twin from before, announced that the food was ready, and from the smell, Kuro was going to pass it up. He needed more of a meaty diet than a soup with beef in it, like actual game. Kuro's grin seemed to droop a bit as he looked away from the Chef on deck, and looked back around at the horizon. One could now see the Land of Frost from here, meaning their true mission is about to start soon.

Novvus frowned as Kyu said that he would congregate and discuss the battle plans with the others over dinner because he was thinking about it at the time.
Well, there's no harm in waiting... thought the dark-skinned boy, who turned to gaze at the ocean again.

The shores of Lightning Country were closer now. The harbor and docks were now discernible from the land mass, and waves could be seen breaking on large rocks that protruded from the bottom of the sea.
We are almost there. Our mission will now truly begin... Novvus reached down over the railing and concentrated on the sea water. He was rewarded with the emergence of a water tendril that wormed its way up to his opened hand. The tendril compressed into a ball which floated. "I haven't had a chance to practice bending for a while," Novvus whispered in wonder, "I'm surprised i can still control water on this level." The dark-skinned boy entertained himself by splitting the water ball into smaller orbs and making them dance in mid-air. The sound of foot steps behind him caused Novvus to release his hold on the water and let it fall back into the ocean. It was Takera, who had come to serve him his plate. "Thanks! It smells delicious, Takera." He tasted the broth. The seasonings used went well with the texture of the meat. Novvus drooled while spooning the heavenly stew into his mouth, and about a minute later he was done with his bowl.

Novvus looked around to check if anyone was looking, then propelled himself with astonishing speed into the lower deck. A few seconds later he walked out casually with a new bowl of stew. He walked around the deck and found Takera sitting where he had been when he first came onto the ship. The twin boy was pretty much done with his bowl and was zoned out because he didn't seem to notice Novvus. The dark-skinned boy sat down next to him and took another spoonful of stew.
"This is really delicious. Where did you learn how to cook like that?"

Kyuzaku watched as the crew readied to take port. The anchor dropped, the sails went down, and the boat came to rest. As the walkway was made between ship and port, Kaji made sure he was first to be off. It wasn't long before he was causing trouble, unfortunately. Kaji wasn't off the deck for more than five minutes before he stole meat, and broke the offended vendor's wrist.

While this took place, Kyu could only look down and put his hand over his eyes. His middle finger and thumb massaged his temples. With a barely-audible groan, Kyu mumbled, "For the love of- Didn't he just eat a dolphin or something? How can he already be looking for more..."

Kyu stood tall, and barked down, "Kaji! We do NOT want to start an international situation here! Stand down at once!" He looked around behind him, "Where is Aburame. He's a medic. Someone get him down below to help that man, stat."

Kuro nodded as Zeru as the boy told a short story about how his twin brother and him were born between borders, but were loyal to mist. But his eyebrows went sky high as he declared them friends. Kuro now wore a genuine smile upon his face, although it was still creepy. "Vell, zhat is nice." Was all that he could say to his new friend before gingerly taking a hand off the branch and shook his hand.

Hibiki heard the call for food from the hold, and his stomach answered the call with an audible growl. I suspect Kuro would be hungry too, we haven't eaten in a while. He slowly meandered topside, and was given two bowls of soup, and a plate of salad it looks like. Slightly disappointed that there wasn't more beef, he whistled to his Ninsune, as he sat down and was given another set of bowls and a plate.

Kuro faced the sound of the whistling from above as he withdrew his hand. "I moost leave, my..." He paused as his he looked around for a certain word or phrase. In truth, he didn't want the blind shinobi to figure out he wasn't human. Hibiki wouldn't mind Kuro having a friend, but would the boy still want to be a friend to a fox? "...tvin brozer is calling!" Kuro lied as he did a slight wave, "Poka!" As he said bye in his native tongue, he jumped off the branch and neatly landed next to the Inuzuka and took a seat next to him. With the widest grin he could muster, Kuro began to tell Hibiki of his encounter. "I mayde a fraynd!" He spoke quickly. Hibiki chuckled slightly, "Aww, how cute, you made your first friend without me." He joked slightly, ruffling Kuro's hair before giving him his food. The fox made a handseal and deactivated the Human-Beast Clone jutsu and began to devour the two bowls of soup that was given to him.

Shortly after they finished eating, they had made port. Kaji was the first off the boat, which was of no surprise to Hibiki. Then, Kaji already started trouble with the new country, which was, again, of no surprise to Hibiki. The Inuzuka and the Vulpes slowly made their way onto the dock and had the urge to mock the other Wild Inuzuka. Obviously not thinking straight, someone had given him some alcohol, which worried Hibiki, "Yes, let's give the short-fused shinobi a drink. Let's hope he isn't an angry drunk, eh?" He snickered as he looked back at the boat, waiting for the others.

Zeru smirked as the boy shook his hand and then said his twin called him. Zeru saw the boy, that Kuro called his twin they did indeed look alike. Zeru nodded and the boy took off to eat, Zeru wouldn't mind some food he grinned as he made the hand seals quickly and then hovered off the board he was sitting on and slowly floated down to Takera. "You had better have saved me some." Zeru said knowing full well his brother would have saved him at least a little soup. It was going to be a long journey he wanted to eat before they docked. But as Zeru got his bowl, they had pulled up and one of the Genin leaped off the boat and broke a man's wrist. Zeru wanted to help but he hadn't developed many healing techniques yet so he decided to stay quiet and eat his soup, he also did his best not to move his head around as he looked at the land in front of them he needed everyone to think he was blind. He still feared people hating him for his bloodline, like the members of the leaf village did.

Zeru finished his soup it was actually rather good, but then again anything would have tasted good, because of how hungry he was. He smiled a little looking out over the land, trying to ignore the fact that the Genin who had snapped a man's wrist was now drinking. This was his first time in this land and he couldn't wait to fel the earth they had here in the land of clouds, Mist Village's earth was always damp and soggy he wondered what it would be like here. He smiled and watched others depart the ship he noticed one of the twin's(Hibiki) leaving the boat with a fox "I don't remember seeing a fox on the boat, odd." He thought to himself but said nothing as he grabbed his brother's sleeve. "Fist time in a new place Takera, come on i want to feel the earth here." He said tugging for his brother to follow a little. Even though Zeru didn't mind the ocean he loved the feel of land, being surrounded by land was what made him truly feel at peace.

[95 lines]