| [Dec. 18th, 2013|11:26 pm] |
"Mushroom rice?" Ryouma snorted. "Some fancy banquet."
"Not just any mushrooms!" Genma looked faintly scandalized. "Matsutake. They're in season for about a week, if you can even find them. And they taste amazing."
Ryouma's experience with mushrooms was mostly grubbing in rainy forests for a protein source and hoping whatever he found wouldn't poison him. He said dubiously, "Sure. I'll take your word for it. But beef's better, right?"
Genma shook his head. "Beef's more nutritious, but matsutake… Matsutake gohan and red tuna sashimi, some umeboshi and a bottle of really good sake — that's what I want for my last meal."
"I'll keep that in mind," Ryouma said. "Just in case I'm around when the time comes. 'Taichou!' you'll say. 'I draw my last breath for Konoha and country.' And Rai— Namiashi-taichou will get all stern-looking but secretly weepy, but I'll say 'Wait, lieutenant! You can't die yet!' And then whip out the picnic basket I've been secretly carrying for years, just waiting for the right moment." He added reflectively, "It'll have to be years. Probably take me a while to save up."
Genma's mouth twitched, straightened, then broke on a laugh. "You should write dramas, Tousaki. The world of fiction lost a shining star when you became a ninja."
"I know," Ryouma said comfortably. He sank his hands into his back pockets and threw a little more swagger into his step. "There's always hope for a second career, though. Or third. I've got to be a rockstar first."
"It's good to have a fallback plan." Genma pushed through the lobby door and turned back, holding it open. One eyebrow lifted under the tawny fall of his hair. "You might also work on not calling the captain by his personal name."
Had Ryouma given himself away that badly?
No, he couldn't have. It was just half a name, no worse than the slip-ups he'd been making with masks all through their mission. Though not even Katsuko used the captain's personal name...
But Genma hadn't seen their chakra-transfer at the foot of the demons' mountain, and Kakashi hadn't guessed until Ryouma told him. Raidou must have told the lieutenant, which certainly made sense for a captain so concerned about boundaries. Of course he'd want another watchful eye. Ryouma gritted his teeth.
Didn't trust me not to throw myself on you after all, taichou?
Or — had Raidou not trusted himself?
"Captain gets antsy about people being too friendly?" he said, half at random. "Thanks, lieutenant. I'll keep it in mind." |
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