Makoto sharply inhaled the crisp morning air, "Another day..." She stretched her defined back muscles, "Another dollar, eh sleepy head?"

Ibuki pinched her eyelids shut in an attempt to ward off the sleep that sapped her energy like a tick. She would need to suffer a little while longer until the morning coffee kicked in. Until then, she's stuck at the stand counter watching Makoto stretch and practice her karate moves. Ibuki's eyebrow curled, "You just never turn it off, do you?"

Makoto swirled her arms around in the air, "fraid not."

If she wasn't working the counter, she'd still have her old job of keeping the produce stocked. But that changed when she decided to intervene on a business deal some weeks ago.

"What are you just standing there for? Are ya goin' to buy something or not?!" Makoto's sudden aggression frightened the customer. The martial artist looked as though she'd leap over the counter at any minute and strike the indecisive man. Luckily, Ibuki was there to defuse the situation. She placed a gentle hand on Makoto's shoulder, "Allow me."

Ibuki took her spot at the counter with a warm smile to greet the customer, "Good morning, sir, how may I help you?" His mouth trembled, "I-I would just like to buy four turnips. That's it. Four and nothing more."

Ibuki put the turnips into a plastic bag, "It's safe now. She's out of the picture." The middle aged man looked back at the stand, still shaking, "I don't like t-that beastly woman." The ninja snorted, "Try living with her. Some days I just wanna lock her in a cage and throw away the key."

Whether it was her friendliness or sex appeal, Ibuki easily provided much better customer service than Makoto could provided.

Ibuki fanned herself with the money she just received, "Is it getting hot in here or is it just me?" Makoto snatched the bills and slipped them into her overalls, "Since yer so good at selling, ya can deal with those boneheaded customers from now on." With those words, Makoto unceremoniously passed the torch onto Ibuki. Subsequently, the forcefield keeping customers at bay disappeared. Foot traffic around the stand increased due to Ibuki's ability to attract male customers' attention with her good looks.

Back in the present, Ibuki tended to another customer using her ever developing skills, "I just can't get enough of guys who have that earthly aroma. Kinda like Tarzan who eats nothin', but fruit all day." The affectionate man before her then bought several pounds of blueberries.

Next came two adolescent boys who looked at Ibuki wide eyed. They shoved each other upon approaching, "Back off! I saw her first!"

"No! Me! I saw her first!" The other hollered.

Seeing the two tussle brought a chuckle out of Ibuki, "Boys. Boys. There's enough of me to go around. But..." Ibuki went silent. The two boys pressed on with curiosity, "But what?" She checked her surroundings and leaned closer, "Haven't you heard? Only good boys who eat their fruit and vegetables can attract beautiful girls like me?"

Their eyes widened further, "Really?"

Ibuki nodded her ponytailed head, "Really. Why don't you buy some apples? They're nice and cheap." They pooled their money together to buy six apples in total. In unison, they both took a bite and nodded positively towards the reception of the taste. The boy with the bowl haircut stuck his chest out, "So, s-sweetheart. Can we get your number?" Ibuki folded the bills into her pocket, "When you're older, suckas." The boys carried off, still fighting with one another.

Just then, someone caught Ibuki's attention right out of her peripheral vision. He seemed to be lost almost uncertain of where he was going. Ibuki couldn't take her eyes off of him. Something seemed familiar. Ibuki snatched a small pebble from the ground and whipped it at him.

"Ow! Who-?"

Ibuki squinted her eyes further. She put two fingers in front of her mouth vertically. The man of interest quickly did the same. Ibuki gestured towards the farmer's tent then held up an open palm indicating five minutes of time. He nodded.

Ibuki went behind the stand to find Makoto sleeping in her chair with the Karate Weekly loosely laying on her face. She shook her awake, "Hey, I'm going to the bathroom. Cover for me will ya?"

Makoto grumbled in confirmation.

At the tail end of the farmers market is a tent exclusive to the vendors. It provided shelter from the harsh weather conditions and acted as a break room. Ibuki walked through the entrance and found the person of interest helping themselves to cookies and juice.

He set the snacks down and pressed his palms together, "For ol' times sake?" Ibuki matched his gesture. Suddenly, the pair begin firing off ninjutsu hand motions. Their fingers blurred amongst one another changing the form and alignment of their digits. This game concluded with a firm handshake between them, "Ibuki! It is you!" Tears welled into a stream rolling down his cheeks. Yuta hugged Ibuki.

She backed away then sized him up, "You didn't get all that much taller." His cheeks reddened, "Five foot nine is perfectly respectable for male height!" His sudden mood swing made Ibuki laugh. She always did find entertainment in making light of his height when they were young. Yuta narrows his eyes at the woman, "And you...got a lot more tan."

Working under the sun darkened Ibuki's skin by a few shades almost to the point where she matched Makoto's skin tone.

Yuta tapped his chin, "What have you been up to all these years?"

Ibuki sighed, rubbing the nape of her neck, "It's a long story. We can talk about that later. For now, do you know how many of us are still around?"

"I only remember seeing you, me, and a few others escape. No telling where they are now," he replied.

Ibuki threw her head back, "Ah, man. This is going to be impossible!" Yuta lifted his chin, "Funny thing is," he pointed a finger towards himself then Ibuki, "The world is smaller than you think."

From outside the tent, a familiar voice roared, "Oi! This isn't an art gallery! Either buy somethin' or scram!" Ibuki hung her head, "Ugh, that girl!" With a nearby piece of paper she scribbled down her phone number and handed it to Yuta, "We'll have to catch up later. I gotta get back to work."