Stop and Smell the Flowers [Mu/Yuki]

Yuki walked down the streets of the city, taking the shortest route she knew to Mu's place. But Yuki, what are you even going to say when you get there? She pondered how to word things to make it less awkward to suddenly show up without a preplanned time set to spend time with her teammate. Before she knew it, she was right outside Mu's home and hesitated before knocking. Thankfully it wasn't Mu who opened the door, but one of his family members. "Yes? Oh, hello Yuki. Do you need something? Are you looking for Mu?"

"Um... Hello. Is.. Is he home? I-It's not for anything important really..", she said, her voice faltering a little. "I can see if he's home. Sometimes the boy simply vanishes without a word. Come in, come in." Yuki nodded stepped into the house and waited patiently at the entrance. "I'll wait here, if it's okay. I'm not entirely sure what we'll be doing.." She quietly scolded herself for not planning this far, or really anything at all. But all she knew was that she felt really terrible for neglecting Mu over something not exactly in his control and spending time around him and his bugs would help her get over it. His mother gave her a slight nod and went off to find Mu.

Mu was indeed home, he sat at his vanity trying on several new lip paints he had bought at a nearby store. He currently had sported a bubblegum pink one that made him look a pit childish and pale. He quickly took out a little tissue and wiped his lips clean, moving onto the next shade. He was just about to apply the color when he mom entered. He froze with the brush raised to his lips and marveled at the woman. His mother was truly beautiful. She had waist length blonde hair that swept around her with every motion, kind and delicate features that did little to show her true age, and blue eyes as crystal clear as Mu's own. It shocked him sometimes that this seemingly ageless woman had birthed him. It shocked him even more that he resembled her, but then again he was glad he didn't look like his father even though his sister pulled it off well. His mother smiled at him warmly before speaking "Yuki's downstairs to see you, dear." He nodded to her and told her he would be right down. After she closed the door, he had a mini-freak out.

He. Was. Not. Ready.

He needed to do his make up, pick out an outfit and them make sure his make up matched his outfit. The outfit alone would take nearly and hour and his make up would take even longer to perfect. He thought he was going to have a panic attack, but he simply closed his eyes and counted backwards from ten. He could do this. He may not have a lot of time but sometimes understated was the best way to go. He applied eyeliner, and a touch of black shadow to his eyes before moving to his wardrobe. He pulled down a pair of black biking shorts and a sleeveless shirt that left his shoulders exposed but had a high neck. He opened the other side of his wardrobe and pulled down a deep black kimono with a design of golden bees stitched into the silk. He draped it around his shoulders and tied it loosely about his waist. Next came his "sandals" which where modified to look like heeled boots. He picked up his two swords and a quick Transformation Jutsu turned them both into a stylish charm bracelet upon his right wrist. Queen Bee took the form of a golden bee on the bracelet and Lady Temperance was a bladed cross. He looked in the mirror to make sure he looked good. The dark colors made him look pale and regal and he loved it. He pinched his cheeks and worried his lips in order to bring the slightest bit of color to them before smiling at his reflection. Gorgeous as ever. He turned on his heel and made his way from his room, heading down the stairs.

His smile was bright when he saw Yuki, leaping from the bottom step to her in order to sweep her up into a hug. He twirled her around a bit before setting her down, his sunshine-bright smile still in place "Hey there, Snowflake! It's not every day you come to see lil ol' me." He giggled a bit, but searched her face in case something was amiss "What's up?"

Yuki waited for several minutes, starting to wonder if Mu's mother couldn't find him. She heard faint sounds of footsteps growing louder before the classically colourful boy appeared. She was surrpised that he was dressed up, even on days off but didn't think to question it. It was Mu, or at least it was the Mu she's known. Even more surprising to her, she didn't expect to be literally swept off her feet.

She gave Mu a hug back, though she found herself quickly hidden under fabric as she did so and ducked back out. "Hi Mu! I.. I know, and I'm sorry about that. I was thinking, maybe we could just hang out for a bit today? I had nothing planned and.. Well, I hope I wasn't ruining any plans you had or anything."

Mu's eyes lit up at the thought and clapped excitedly "I would love to spend time with you! If I am being completely honest, I was just going to try on make up today before curling up in my bed with a romance novel and a box of cookies. Spending the day with you is much more desirable." He quickly moved to the other room and kissed his mom goodbye before coming back and taking Yuki's arm in his own. He pulled her gently towards the door, his smile still dazzling "We can figure out where we're going on the way there! It'll be fun and spontaneous." He giggled and walked with his teammate away from his home, walking aimlessly with no set place in mind.

"Oh.. Well, I mean we can go and finish with the makeup stuff first. I know you have a wonderful assortment and you love to show it off whenever you can.", she said before she realised Mu was already taking her outside the house. Or we could.. do something else... That works too I suppose As they walked around, it seemed like they were heading down to the central area of the city. The idea of maybe stopping by a cafe to chat a little came to her mind. "Have you eaten today?"

Mu thought that the make up thing sounded like an amazing idea, especially since he hand wanted to get her opinion on which suited him best for ages. But he was already out of the door and dragging her down the street, caught up in his rush of spontaneity "We can go shopping for some new make up for me while we're out, then we can go back to my house and peruse my collection!" At the mention of food his stomach seemed to give a small groan, calling attention to the fact that he actually hadn't eaten since last night. He placed a hand on his abdomen and looked at her a bit sheepishly, as if embarrassed by the sound "I haven't eaten, actually. Wanna go grab a bite? You can choose the place."

"Hmm... Well... There was a cafe I wanted to try...", Yuki said, trying to remember where the place was. She seemed to remember and tugged Mu's hand a direction, leading towards the eatery called the Hivernal Cafe. It was a simplistic looking place with elegant accenting around to make it appear a bit more than plain. "I've heard they've got really good things here, and I've been meaning to go and try. But I'd rather have someone along with me too." She paused for a moment, realising the differences in how much Mu ate compared to her. "W-we don't have to go here i-if you're really hungry though! Maybe another place that serves more? I'm so sorry, I completely forgot you actually eat more than I do.", she stammered, a soft blush flushing colour into her face as she spoke.

Mu didn't mind being tugged at all, in fact he had been meaning to try the place as well. It sounded fabulous and the reviews on it were nothing but good, so he gave Yuki a reassuring smile and began idly tracing little designs on the back of her hand "We can go there. I tend to forget to eat when I'm busy or sometimes I just ignore my hunger. When I eat, I don't need to eat a whole bunch. Just enough to settle my stomach. Plus that place sound perfect!" He gave a small giggle and handed the lead to Yuki, allowing her to guide their direction without any resistance.

"That's... not really healthy Mu. Do... Do your bees need to eat too or do you have a symbiosis with them?", she asked as they stepped into the cafe. The interior was just as simple and beautifully decorated as the exterior, black walls with golden accents and velvet red curtains held back by goldenrod ropes around the windows. "I can find us a place to sit. You can get something first."

Yuki went over to a table next to a window, a few plants on the other side of the pane casting vibrant colours from their petals. She took her mirror out and placed it on the table before taking a seat and noticed a faint ripple before what looked like a miniature scroll stuck out. Did I forget something..? She pulled the scroll out and read it: Ten seconds, take the mirror out in the open. Love Kori (Audra's here too). The mirror rippled again and Yuki pulled out three pastries Audra and Kori made and had sent over as well as another small scroll. Either to be a little miss piggy, or if Occam's there too :P "Kori....", she sighed, rubbing her temples slightly at the last message. She put one roll back into the mirror for storage along with the two scrolls and decided to stop by Occam's place later to give him the pastry.

Mu shook his head at the question about his bees "Shinto bugs aren't...normal. They don't eat normal things. Some consume blood and others flesh. I find those ones a bit creepy, if I'm being completely honest. Ninhachi consume minuscule amounts of chakra from their host. Not enough to drain constantly, but enough to keep them happy." He hummed and tried to sound casual. He was aware that Yuki didn't favor his bugs, so he wanted to talk about them in a way that wouldn't creep her out too much. He nodded to his teammate and moved to the counter to talk to the barista. He ordered a chocolate muffin and a hot chocolate for himself, and a Jasmine tea for Yuki. It was her favorite. He paid for the stuff and took the muffin, the woman telling him their drinks would be done shortly. He gave her a smile and moved to the table Yuki had found, eyeing the rolls that had appeared with a quirked brow "Where did those come from? The Sweet Roll Fairy?" He asked her playfully as he sat, breaking off a piece of the muffin top and popping it into his mouth.

Yuki was staring out the window blankly, trying not too think too hard about how Mu's bugs fed themselves. She turned to see Mu at the table already. "Oh these, um... Kori and Audra apparently made these and sent us some. There's another one, but I'm saving that for Occam." She turned the mirror so its reflective side faced the table. "So, what did you get?", she asked, giving him her full attention.

Mu nodded, not surprised at all the Yuki's sister had gifted her with little treats. Kori was doting in a very adorable way. At least when she wasn't threatening him and Occam with bodily harm "That was sweet of her. I ordered a chocolate muffin and a hot chocolate for myself. I also ordered Jasmine tea for you, since it is your favorite. I didn't order anything for you to eat because I didn't know if you were hungry. I can go back up though, if you want." He pulled one of the rolls onto a napkin and slid it to his side of the table. The way she had said 'there is another one' made him assume she didn't want the extra and he wasn't one to let food go to waste.

"Oh! You didn't have to buy anything for me Mu!" She bowed her head in thanks, also potentially hiding a small blush of embarrassment. "Thank you though. It was really nice of you." She sat up straight again and leaned on the table. "We Toketsu don't really eat all that much... My parents hardly ever eat anything compared to Kori and I. I think the sweet rolls Kori sent would be more than enough." A waitress came over with a steaming mug in each hand. One was hot chocolate, decorated with whipped cream on top in a clean spiral and sprinkled with little bits of peppermint. The other had jasmine tea leaves set inside a metal infuser that was still spreading in the hot water.

Mu took the cups from the woman, giving her a warm smile and a nod of thanks. He set Yuki's in front of her and sniffed his own drink, loving the rich scent of chocolate that was accented by the faint hint of peppermint. He took the sip and shivered at the pleasure brought by the small burning pain he felt as the thick liquid flooded his mouth. He swallowed with a small moan that was only partly brought on by the taste of the drink. He closed his eyes at the warmness that flooded his chest and stomach and gave a little smile. He opened his eyes and gave Yuki a giggle "If you couldn't tell, I really love hot chocolate."

Yuki simply wrapped her fingers around her cup, feeling a slight tingle in her hands from the clash of the tea's warmth and her practically frozen fingers. She gave Mu a slightly awkward smile. "I... I'll keep that in mind.", she said before taking a sip. Her tea was already cooling. She could feel a mixture of hot and cold swirling in the liquid as she drank it. She let out a little sigh after, knowing full well that was going to happen. "Mu, what's your favourite kind of hot chocolate? There's so many types."

Mu thought about that for a minute before answering "My mom makes the best hot chocolate ever. She uses milk and mixes it with cocoa power, then adds in a little bit of dark chocolate. Then she puts this thick whip cream on top and drizzles chocolate over it." He sighed and took another sip of his hot chocolate, a small smile playing at his lips "My mom is the best. What about you? There are like a bazillion other kinds of tea in the world. Why is Jasmine your favorite out of all of them?" He put emphasis on the 'bazillion' in order to make it a bit more childish. He was trying to coax a laugh out of his icy teammate, laughter would ease her if she felt nervous.

Yuki looked down at her tea, noticing the lack of steam flowing from it. Cold again... "Well... It smells really nice and tastes really good. It's also...one of the few that actually taste good when cold too..." She sighed, silently cursing how easily she could cool warm drinks. "Black tea with lemon zest is good hot or cold too.. But sometimes it's too sweet. Jasmine's not too bitter, and has some sweetness to it. Everything else loses its flavour and can taste pretty bad when cold..." She took another sip, where she felt the last remaining bits of heat leave before the tea itself was cooled completely.

Mu nodded, realizing how awful it must be to have to consume hot things quickly before they cooled. He looked down at his hot chocolate thoughtfully for a minute before setting it down with a little smile "Have you ever had hot chocolate? If not you should absolutely try mine. It is truly an experience." He scooted his cup towards the white haired female with a look of excitement on his face, obviously wanting to see her reaction to the drink.

Yuki looked up at Mu and thought about it. She's always had the opportunity to have hot chocolate before but always went with tea or water. Why though? Her gaze shifted down to his drink and bounced back up to his face. "Um... Mu.. you've got a little....something on your face..", she said, smiling a little. There were small bits of whipped cream on his face paired with the glint of excitement in his eyes made him look so lively and childish. Yuki's gaze went back to his hot chocolate and she sighed, hoping she wouldn't cool it immediately like she had with her tea. She'd hate to ruin his drink after all.

Yuki picked up the cup, a similar feeling of warmth from his drink matching what hers initially had and took a small sip quickly before setting the cup down and letting go, so it wouldn't cool any more than it did. She covered her mouth, wiping off whipped cream that stuck onto her lips with a napkin. The whole thing was extremely sweet. Of course it was. But that didn't mean it was delicious. Peppermint blended in beautifully with the drink and gave it a refreshing taste along with the whipped cream making the hot chocolate much richer. "That... That's really good!", she squeaked. She had a feeling Mu was going to make her addicted to the stuff, and that he would more than likely happily accept the blame for it.

Mu's tongue snaked out quickly from his mouth to swipe away any whipped cream that found its way onto his lip, his smile never fading. He squealed at Yuki's statement and clapped with excitement, bouncing in his seat just a bit "I knew you would love it! They make iced hot chocolate, too. It tastes just as good, so you can get that and you won't have to worry about it getting cold when you hold it." He was starting to talk faster, so he needed to take a few deep breathes to calm himself. No need to get worked up for no reason, right? He took his cup back and smiled down at it, taking another sip. It hadn't cooled that much, due to his teammate not holding it for that long. He had a funny idea and pressed his upper lip fully into the whipped cream. When he pulled away, he sported a foamy white moustache and a bright smile.

"How do I look, darling? Sophisticated?" He pursed his lips and tilted his head to the side, bringing his hand up to rest his chin upon his knuckles "Dignified?" His faced changed so that he looked down his nose at the table, his expression as if he had smelled something rather rancid in the air. He burst into a fit of giggles that nearly had him doubled over clutching his stomach. When his laughter had calmed a bit he picked up his napkin and wiped the whipped cream from his lip, resting his head against the back of his chair "If this Shinobi thing doesn't work out, I swear I can be a comedian. Or a professional Masochist...Do they have those? I'm sure they do..." His brows scrunched a bit as he thought about that, his eyes flickering to Yuki "What do you think? Comedian or professional Maso?"

Yuki raised her brow in question, but there was a smile on her face to show she wasn't all that serious. "Iced hot chocolate? Wouldn't it just be cold chocolate instead?" She laughed and shook her head. Yuki looked up and saw the faces Mu made while acting as though whipped cream were facial hair and she looked away and laughed some more, bringing her hand up over her mouth. She brushed away what was likely a tear from her eye and looked back up to Mu before crumpling again into another giggle. When she had calmed down, she answered Mu's question. "You could probably do both, but I think a comedian is much better for public things. You're really funny!"

He smiled and brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes "Comedian in the streets and Sub in the sheets." He chuckled a bit before glancing outside a nearby window, looking up into the sky "You know, sometimes it slips my mind how strange Haka is. We live underground, but we can still see the sky all because some absolutely awesome person made the ground like a one-way mirror. We can see up but others can't see down..." His eyes glittered ever so slightly and one could tell that he was thinking about something and coming to conclusions in his head "We are one hell of a Hidden Village. Or do you think there are other villages like this? It would be cool to see one in the sky or even under the sea. I want to visit all of the villages at least once, to see what they're like. Do you?"

Yuki followed Mu's gaze and stared into the ceiling of the cavern. "They're all villages hidden in something. But I wonder how well they're hidden. But I also wonder.. How someone manages to make the ceiling of the cavern like it is here." She looked back to her cup and took a sip of the now cold tea, pondering the thought. "Maybe we should go and visit all of them together as a team. It'd be a fun adventure to have. But... We should still be careful. Some villages might have something against our clans or outsiders overall..." Her voice trailed off to wonder about the whereabouts of her clan, and if they'd run into them should they pursue trying to see all the villages.

Mu thought for a moment and shook his head "My clan doesn't have any enemies in other clans. We are fairly neutral. However we do have lineage ties to the Yaju, so that's cool." He smiled at the thought of them travelling as a team, visiting all of the villages together, having fun and making memories "You know, when we hit Chunin or Special Jonin, we are able to change our village. I might go to a different one to see what it's like. You can come visit and drag Occam along. Just so long as it isn't pancake time." His teammate really loved his pancakes. It sometimes seemed like Occam loved pancakes as much or even more than Mu loved him. He always wonder if his dark skinned teammate ever noticed the huge crush he had on him. The whimsical way he said his name. Probably, though it was always ignored. Mu didn't even notice his small sigh as his thoughts trailed to the other male and he fell silent.

"I don't really know too much of my clan... We're good with ice and.... Occam's not so fond of missing nins..." She shook her head. "I know I sound lazy saying this, but if we lived in separate villages, it'd take longer to travel just to visit or hang out. We'd probably end up becoming pen pals." She noticed Mu's soft sighing and smiled a little. "You're not thinking of your future children with Occam already are you?", she teased. "You haven't even taken him out to dinner yet!"