Pompeii
Night falls over Konoha. Lights dot the landscape and cover the roads around the dining streets. Chiyo walks between groups of chattering people. Shinobi dip to and fro as well. Some are heavy with the dust of a long mission and many have mild bruises from training. Laughter and ribbing between comrades has him gently close his eyes to the crowd parting around him.
Faces drift in and out of focus. A day grabbing lunch together, a tired slog to turn in a report, or a goodbye before separating for another unpredictable amount of time.
The memories dance across the mind like a faint mist- refreshing with a cold sting. He continues his meandering path, his mind's map almost finished in it's review of the city sections. Chiyo can see many people glance at the fine clothes he wears for travel and the speculation in the back of their minds. Children brush against his legs with shouted apologies. He can only give them a smile as a voice chuckles unheard.
"Just how much did you put in those steal-me pouches?"
His face crinkles further in amusement. Enough for them to have a decent meal or a nice treat. Decided to join me for an evening walk then?
He aimlessly walks past the glare of the dining stalls into the darkened business street. Flower shop - tea stall - specialty cookware. All closed to head home to their families. A stumbling man trips on the edge of the sidewalk. Chiyo catches him before he can hit the ground waving the false thanks away with false modesty.
"I know you brought more than we could realistically need except in the worst possible scenario, but isn't this a bit too generous for even you?" The red maw huffs in fond exasperation.
Chiyo hums as he continues down the starlit road. Fondness and a mild ache sit in the chest. He turns left at the T corner, finishing his route. A small lit building sits at the distant road end to coax the stray evening wanderers in for a drink. He walks a sedate path to the curtain containing what he knows to be a fair amount of noise.
Maybe I missed contributing to the place I thought of as home. Or more likely, I'm still that bleeding heart that remembers how many slept in the streets- even after Jiji pulled me from them. Blue eyes, familiar with what one would look for, starts pointing themselves at corners that would be warmed by the early sun. They catch on the tight shadowed spaces between buildings that many would think impassable to most except a small dog. The sensation of fur runs over his shoulder and head with comfort and acknowledgment.
He raises a hand, gently pushing the bar curtain aside to a wave of defeated groans.
A table towards the far side of room is covered in notes and a body. The body twitches with frustration so he knows they aren't dead at least.The other four people are in similar defeated positions with the obvious exception of the winner. She sits back on the tilted chair with a calmly smug grin around a chewed skewer.
"Pay up ya losers! I'm getting free dango for the next two days with this!" Her boisterous laugh rings over their various sounds of pain. Chiyo gives a wave to the owner and sits at the table nearest to the door. The rowdy bunch of off duty nin are in the corner of his eye while he pulls open a menu.
A dark haired man begins coughing which prompts semi-subtle looks from the table draped companion and the other players. The winner slams the front chair legs down and swipes the cup from in front of him. The owner comes to stand at the table's side for Chiyo's order. He turns his head now only able to direct an ear their way as he absently orders barbeque pork and rice.
"Gods Hayate, try to keep your bad luck from contaminating my best dice!"
"Hkk, at this point I, cuh cuh, don't think luck has much to do with betting against you, hrcmm."
"Tch, rules are rules aren't they? Unless you can prove it, it didn't happen so shut up and pay up."
Her voice barks out a rough laugh, Chiyo let's his body drift just enough to put the group back in his eye's corner. He rests his arms on the table, simply taking in the boisterous woman patting the thinner man's shoulder in consolation as they all start gathering their paper strips and exchanging money.
"So the little Shimahebi always tried to pass as a Cobra,then?" Large paw-like hands settle at his sides. Kurama's chin lowers to rest on one hand with Chiyo's upper body shifting in tandem to match. "How disgustingly cute." Anko grin turns sharp toward the table-man. She grabs his cloth covered head and pulls him into sitting upright and hissing under her breath. He jolts into grabbing his glasses when she lets him go. Sliding the pair onto his face sparks the memory of the man's name from the dusty 'corner of shame' it sat in. Ebisu tries to salvage what remains of his dignity with a fake cough and haughty comment on honorable game playing while his hand reluctantly passes over a sizable chunk of coins.
"You really should eat a more balanced diet Anko." The woman on the booth bench pushes her basket of dried fruits over. Her broad figure contrasts strikingly with the wild haired woman seated between her and Hayate. She pats her own bicep, posing with a lifted arm. The smooth image of her arm barely moves with the pat. "All that sugar and no missions is a recipe for weight gain-"
Anko snorts, trying to snidely interrupt."You would know-"
"Yes," she continues over the interruption. A grin on her 'sweet and motherly' face shows larger than standard-human canine-like teeth. "I should know considering the arguments I've had with my son on his chip habits." Her glare sharpens with Anko ignoring the table to count coins into little piles. "My figure is perfectly healthy muscle covered by perfectly healthy fat. Unlike what you're going to build if you keep depending on your soon-to-be slowing metabolism to keep you in that mesh."
Ouch, so that sore spot might have been inherited. The conversations in their corner quiet for a few minutes. Chiyo allows his eyes to close, picking up the sound of the pork on the grill and the coins clinking. Hayate's breathing steadies from the coughing and he quietly conveys his thanks for a glass of tea being handed to him. Never knew Choji's Mom was a 'healthy eating' activist. Would have loved her help before our trip. Would have even made a few things easier when trying to balance Aiko's meal plans. A pot lid is removed and a scoop of what he presumes will be his rice is pressed into a bowl. The conversation resumes abruptly while sauce is being layered in between rice scoops.
"Two and an half." Anko pats the table next to several coin towers, drawing Chiyo to lazily open his eyes. The others give her an 'are-you-being-dumb' look.
The wild haired woman snorts and gives an intimidating sneer. "Thinking about all that sugar must have dimmed the one lightbulb you have, cause even my kid can tell you've got more than a dozen of those piles and ain't one of them add to what just came out of that disgusting mouth 'o your's."
"Oh Tsume," Anko sticks a long wet tongue out in her direction, causing visible recoil. "I was just correcting my estimate." She pauses for obvious dramatic effect while stealthily tucking the coins in a swiftly hidden bag. Her grin reaches sinister levels as Chiyo's meal is placed in front of him "I have enough winnings for two and a half days of free dango."
...
"Next chance I get, Kuromaru is going to mark your entire coat. Bitch."
"Didn't know you'd sabotage yourself that badly over a game of dice. After all, without this coat every man you chase away would stop just to stare, rather than going back to your disappointing doggy style. Pussy."
...
"I have no part in any of what this is." Ebisu raises his hands and physically attempts to become one with his chair. Tsume and Anko's fire-bright glares lazer in on his shaking form. He looks over his glasses desperately to the only other guy with them.
Hayate sighs in disappointment. "It didn't until you opened your dumbass mouth, Ebisu. Suffer the consequences."
...
"How many women are we allowed to steal from Konoha before they believe you're trying to start a harem, do you think?"