The Way Through Stone Village (Naruto)

24: Meeting With The Tsuchikage

[OP: "Eurus"--The Oh Hellos]

"After I told him that, I just went to bed," Shine was telling Wally over their morning coffee. "He's still here, I checked."

"Well, good, I guess he's made up his mind then." Wally sipped his 4th cup.

"Hmm, I just hope I didn't push him too much," Shine said.

"By now he's gotta know it's do or die for this," Wally said. "He can't stay on the fence... Makes me wonder if the other kids who weren't so sure about this will be dipping soon."

"I know Karin and Suigetsu have mentioned it, but Jugo won't, I think," Shine said. "He'll go with us until he can't." Then she sighed. "I'm tense about this meeting with Lord Onoki too. Mei was a delight to talk to, but he seems a little...harder. Pardon the pun."

"Well, it has been a little rocky here," Wally joked. "But I think we've built a solid foundation."

"Babe..." Shine sighed. "Your puns are going to schist." [It's a kind of rock, not a curse word.]

"Hey, watch your language. There's kids around," Wally said. "You're getting boulder with those kinds of jokes."

"I think Dabi is helping to erode my sense of humor," Shine replied dryly.

"I hope Gaara doesn't feel like he's between a rock and hard place," Wally replied.

"Only if they prove to be hard-headed and hearted." Shine winked.

"I'm running out of puns," Wally said. "It's rough."

"I think I can keep going, if you want to gravel and beg."

"This takes me back to wordplay with Yang--that girl could rock hard," Wally grinned.

"This is just a pebble in the pond compared to what she would do."

"That's taking her for granite. I'm sure she could hold herself back."

"That's not really how you use that expression, Honey," Shine pointed out.

"I know, I choked, all right?" Wally sighed.

"On a marble?" Shine replied, quick as a whip.

"Oh, right, marble is a kind of rock..." Wally rubbed his forehead.

"We've barely begun to mine the list of puns we could make from different rocks."

"I'm going to kill both of you," Dabi said loudly, walking past the doorway of the room they were in.

"Don't listen then," Shine said. 

"Hard to help it," he shot back.

"No privacy at all," Wally complained. "It's like we run a full time school and daycare and we can't send them home."

"We could, but that would be a little unfair," Shine said. "At least we don't have to change diapers or clean up playdough and writing off the walls with these kids."

"Unless Sai decides to do a fresco," Wally said. "And I'm proud of myself for knowing that word."

"Maybe I'm overthinking this thing too much." Shine went back to the real topic. "They seem to have taken to what we've done, for the most part."

"What bothers you? Is it that your gut feeling says that it's not a good idea?" Wally asked.

"It's not that clear." Shine gestured widely. "I'm not getting the idea that Gaara shouldn't talk to Onoki, but with Mei I felt so sure (relatively) that she would accept it. Even if she didn't choose to follow it, she wouldn't freak out. Here...well, to use another pun, it's like there's a tipping point. I don't know why I get that idea when they haven't acted that on edge...but somehow this village just feels more fragile."