This was decidedly one of the most awkward moments of Kimimaro's life.

Kimimaro knew that he wasn't the most social person around. Far from it - he was probably one of the most reclusive of all the Sound shinobi, choosing to stay by himself and train or simply do whatever, as long as it wasn't against Lord Orochimaru's will. He wasn't ashamed of this, either - Kimimaro thought himself that socializing with unnecessary and weak people was a waste.

So he was very aware of being a complete hypocrite as they sat across from each other at a small table in a very, very small ramen booth. The only source of food in the sound village besides the market, it was on the very edge of the town where the small stream of tourists could go to chow. Of course, they usually came out with food poisoning if they tried to eat the uzumaki, but that was beside the point.

The point was that they were sitting here, stirring their ramen, and Kimimaro honestly did not know what to do.

Kidoumaru cleared his throat. "So, uh," he began, fingers fidgeting with the table cloth. "The ramen's good."

Actually, Kimimaro hadn't even tasted the ramen yet, but he nodded despite that. "Yes."

For some reason, this seemed to make Kidoumaru fidget even more. This time, with two hands instead of just one. A third hand rubbed the chopsticks together slowly; Kimimaro stared, mesmerized. He could hear a faint buzzing in his ears, his heart slowly pounding into a gallop.

He detested this disease. Dearly.

"I can stop, if you want me to."

Kimimaro looked up, startled. Kidoumaru was now staring at him with a strange look on his face, and though he was smiling, it seemed very tentative. "Well, it seemed like it was bothering you, so…" he trailed off, instead choosing to look towards the small streams of people outside.

Now, it wasn't that Kidoumaru wasn't an unattractive man. Even Kimimaro had enough sense to tell who was or wasn't good-looking - it was just that he had never really cared before. But now it seemed as though he did. Looking at Kidoumaru now, it was almost like looking at a battle - analyzing every move, every detail before making another move.

Well, he had analyzed - but he was at loss as to what move he should make.

"It's fine," he said laconically, choosing to pick up his chopsticks and carefully pick up some noodles from the bowl, placing them into his mouth and chewing. "I was not bothered."

Silence permeated the air. Kimimaro himself was aware of it - almost hyperaware, you could say. Kidoumaru had stopped tapping his fingers, and now they lay on the table, thumbing the wood. They weren't just dark, Kimimaro determined - they were dusty brown with a tinge of gray rimming his light pinkish-white nails. How strange.

Make effort for conversation, he remembered Kabuto saying, smiling that quiet, mysterious smile of his. Don't simply sit there in silence. Ask him questions about himself. Such as:

"How - are you?" Kimimaro cleared his throat, the silence breaking neatly in two as Kidoumaru started, turning to stare at the Kaguya. "Have you been well?"

At first, all Kidoumaru did was stare. After thirty seconds or so, Kimimaro had made a quick check to confront Kabuto about his fake questions when -

"I'm fine." Kidoumaru smiled that tentative smile again. It was decidedly uncomfortable. "And yeah, I guess so."

"Do they still hurt?"

A blink. "What?"

Kimimaro could not determine what was so confusing about the question. Was it not obvious what he was asking? "Your arms. Do they still hurt?"

There was a pause. Kimimaro was beginning to have his doubts about the younger's intelligence. "Oh. Yeah - I mean, no. No, they don't." Another pause. "Thanks."

Now it was Kimimaro who blinked. "For what?"

"For asking." This time when he smiled, it wasn't so uncomfortable. "That was nice."

Kimimaro heard the humming in his ears again, loud and furious. The back of his neck felt abnormally warm - the Crush in its works, he determined. He had to look away. "It's only proper," he finally said, casting his eyes at the floor.

"Still, you didn't have to ask," Kidoumaru said offhandedly, picking up the bowl and beginning to down its contents. "'S not like after every battle we have to send a fruit basket and a 'get well soon' card to our opponents, you know?"

"I suppose." Another moment's pause, and then Kimimaro picked up his chopsticks again. "That would, of course, depend on if they were still alive."

When Kidoumaru grinned, he could feel his heart almost stop from pounding so hard. "I guess so, huh?"

This time, though there was silence, Kimimaro could feel the tension had dropped considerably.

It almost - almost - felt comfortable.

Perhaps this socializing wasn't as idiotic as he had thought.

Though this Crush was still very irritating. If only it would stop heating up his skin and making his heart pound, then maybe he would be able to live through it.

Considerably shorter chapter this time. Sorry about that.

Thank you to everyone who's reviewed, and thank you for being so patient. I know it's been a really long time since I updated. :D But hey, this was their (very awkward) first date. Please tell me if I'm doing something weird with Kimimaro's characterization. I'm seriously uncomfortable with it.