A/N: Chapter 2 is finally done. Please don't hesitate to read on! And thank you for reading this far.
~Chapter 2~
I followed along behind the team. It seemed like my brothers were having somewhat of a race. But that's just what it looked like. One was ahead, then the other, then back again.
I smiled a little. Gaara seemed to enjoy missions. Even if he didn't want to admit it. It probably was like a whiff of freedom from the judgmental glares of the other kids.
Then again, I was always nervous around him. He seemed to have killing intent whenever I encountered him. It was probably wrong, but I was a little relived to know he though slightly more of me than Kankuro.
~~~ T ~~~
We suddenly stopped. The path to the Leaf village was very pretty. Trees surrounded the village. Something I didn't see much of, as I was always surrounded by mounds and mounds of sand. We were greeted by a few Leaf shinobi that I'd never seen before. "I have something to take care of with the Hokage, so you all stay within the village." Baki Sensei instructed. He followed one of the Leaf shinobi away.
I glanced at my brothers. Knowing them, they would probably split up. Gaara immediately walked off on his own. Kankuro turned to me. "I have something to do too." He explained. I nodded, knowing all too well that he wanted to explore around.
I decided to take the opportunity to explore a bit myself. I noted a ramen shop a little ways, which reminded me of my hunger. Stopping there would be nice.
~~~ T ~~~
I parted the drapery as I walked in. A man turned around and smiled brightly. "Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen!" He announced at my arrival. "Oh, a foreigner, huh?" I nodded, glancing at the sole customer. Was this business lacking? Having only one customer was strange. But it was kind of late. "What will you be having?" A girl was standing behind the counter. She watched as I sat down.
I glanced to my left at the kid that was scarfing down every last bit of his meal. Whatever he had must be good if he was eating it so vigorously. "I'll have what he...had..." I answered her. "Oh, of course." She smiled.
The kid pushed his bowl forward forcefully. "More ramen, please!" He raised his utensils in the air as if to prove that he was serious. I gasped quietly. He already had about five bowls next to him that were recently filled to the brim with ramen. How could this kid eat so much?
~~~ T ~~~
"Comin' right up!" The man answered. The kid looked at me. "I recommend eating here at night. That's when, the ramen taste the best!" He seemed a little too jumpy for me. I looked back ahead. "How so?"
He looked at me in slight confusion. "Because no one's here. So you can order a whole lot." He seemed a little bummed out that I didn't share his enthusiasm. He shrugged and waited impatiently for his next bowl.
"Are you sure you can eat all of that?" I questioned. Not really interested, but it was worth it to have some kind of conversation. He smiled really wide. "I can eat ramen all day! And night too, if you count now. Because it's night now." His useless banter drove me to become bored of him very quickly. I reached for my bowl as my food was being served. It smelled delicious and only made me hungrier.
I stood and bid farewell to the shop owners as I pushed the drapery aside. This village was beautiful at this time of day. It wasn't exactly night yet, just late. I figured that exploring the village a little wouldn't hurt. Baki Sensei hadn't beckoned me yet.
I took a turn down one of the streets. Many people were walking around and conversing as I walked by. A certain one was making more noise than the rest. She was scolding another girl about her actions. On any other visit, I would have promptly walked straight past them. But their conversation was kind of intriguing.
~~~ T ~~~
A/N: That's all for now, please continue to read as part 3 comes out! Also, reviews are greatly appreciated.