A New Way of Ninja, (Naruto)

15: Getting more familiar

[Opener: "Healing Begins"--Tenth Avenue North]

"I can't eat anymore," Shine said. "I don't know how you all eat so much."

"I've never met anyone who eats as little as you do at a time." Dabi shook his head. "And your boyfriend eats like a horse."

"Well, then we're well matched," Shine said. "I never did get that cup of coffee..."

"There's a coffee shop just up the street," Naruto offered.

"I'm so there," Shine said. "Oh...wait, I don't have money." She laughed at herself.

"I'll take care of it," Hinata said.

"But you've already done enough," Momo said. Hinata had paid for their meal.

"If you help Neji, it's a small repayment," Hinata insisted.

"We haven't helped him yet," Shoto said.

"Well, you helped us already..." Hinata said.

She was timid but more stubborn than she looked.

"It's just a cup of coffee, I guess," Shine said. "I'd do as much for anyone, just to be nice. And Momo, you're one to complain--you bought me clothes."

"Speaking of clothes," Momo said, "we should change ours. I think we stand out too much like this."

"They aren't...so different," Shine noted. "I saw someone in regular clothes while we were walking around."

"They seemed more plain than these," Momo said. "At least mine... Dabi's jacket is kind of unusual too."

"The jacket stays," Dabi said. "Not negotiable."

"I would think you'd be too hot in it," Shoto said.

"I'm always cold, actually, you twerp," Dabi said.

"Try not to start any fights while I'm gone." Shine was walking away.

"Says the queen of picking fights!" Dabi hurled after her. Then he sat back. "Oh well, at least the food's decent. It would have sucked if they didn't eat the same stuff as us."

"From here, I almost could believe we're in a small town at home," Momo said.

The Leaf exchanged a look.

"How big are your cities?" Sakura asked.

Momo realized her mistake. "Oh...oh, I just mean this place feels comfortable, that's all. Not that it's small."

Shoto had more on his mind than just small talk.

"Since we're not going to see Neji tonight," he said, "maybe we should learn more about all of you. We've barely had a chance to do more than exchange our names."

"You want us to tell you more about ourselves?" Tenten said warily.

"Why?" Ino said, also warily.

"I think that's taboo," Dabi observed. "Remember, everything is a secret. Everything can kill you? Trust no one. These guys are all a barrel of laughs. I wonder how anyone makes friends here."

"Usually you're friends with people you grow up with," Sakura said.

"Sometimes," Ino said saltily, though they didn't know why.

Sakura glared at her.

"Well," Momo said, "if you won't tell us about you, then maybe we should take the first step. Why don't you ask us about ourselves?"

"And you'd tell us?" Temari said, dubiously.

"As long as it's nothing that would be a problem," Momo said.