ROOMIES!!! ~Kohana, Izumi, Shinako, ???~

[Tensei Kaori]

Shinako grinned. "If it's food you want," she declared dramatically as she stood up rather suddenly, "you're in the right room!" Izumi simply shook her head and sighed as her roomate dashed over to her bags and began rumaging through them. "Please excuse her," the calmer shinobi said with a smile. "She's rather.... excited."

"Of course I am!" responded Shinako, who had now returned to the table with a small box. "Ta-daaaaaaah!" she sang as she sat down again, setting the table on the box. "May I present to you..." here she paused, winking for a dramatic emphasis. "The Shinako Special!"

With that she yanked the top off the box, revealing all kinds of sweets, pastries, and cookies. "Go ahead!" cheered Shinako as she pulled out a cookie for herself. "Take what you like!"

[Hatake Hiroshi]

Kohana watched curiously as Shinako grinned and shot up from her seat. If it's food you want, you're in the right room!

She tilted her head slightly, her eyes widening as her new roomie scurried over to her belongings and began rummaging through them, then turned her head to look at Izumi who had spoken up. Please excuse her. She's rather...excited.

Shinako replied, Of course I am! as she returned with a box. Ta-daaaaaaah! May I present to you... The Shinako Special!

Kohana lunged forward to have a look as Shinako ripped the lid off the the small box to reveal a wide variety of sweets and pastries and cookes. She looked up at her roommate from her hunched position.

Go ahead! Take what you like?

Drooling, the white-haired genin reached greedily into the assortment of treats and removed a few cookies and a pastry. Leaning back into her seat, she began her nibbling. "Sooo gooood!" she gasped, her mouth full of delicious, sugary goodness. "Thanks so much for sharing, Shinako-chaaan!"

[Tensei Kaori]

Shinako giggled. "You're welcome! Sharing is caring, after all!"

Izumi couldn't help rolling her pink eyes in a lovking kind of way at the two as she reached for a cookie of her own. They might end up being too much alike for her to handle, but she knew that she'd found a new friend. Suddenly a grin crossed her face as she wondered what Tatsuya would do when he met Kohana-san. That would be quite interesting.

[Tensei Kaori]

"So," Izumi said after a minute or two, going over to a side table and picking up a white envelope. "Anyone care to see what Kazekage-sama's message is?"

[Hatake Hiroshi]

So, Izumi said as she strode over to a nearby side table and picked up a white envelope, Anyone care to see what Kazekage-sma's message is?

Kohana stopped shoveling and looked over at her roommate. "We have a message fom Kazekage-sama?! What does it say?"

[Tensei Kaori]

Izumi opened the envelope and scanned its contents. "The second page looks like some sort of schedule of events, starting tomorrow. The first is a welcome letter, and it has something about a...."

"A FESTIVAL!" shrieked Shinako, who had been reading over Izumi's shoulder and now snatched the paper out of her startled teammate's hands. "There's a festival starting tonight!" the excited Tensei continued. "And it'll go every night for the whole visit, except - KYAAAAA!"

"Give me that," snapped Izumi, who took the paper back and continued where her spastic teammate had left off. "The last night is a formal ball for shinobi from both villages. Sounds like fun."

"The festival begins at sundown tonight!" giggled Shinako. "I'm so glad I brought my yukata!"

Izumi just sighed. It *was* one of many unusual things we were told to pack, she thought to herself.

[Hatake Hiroshi]

Kohana quickly gulped down what pastry she had left in her mouth and scrambled over to Shinako and Izumi.

"What?!" she squeaked as she tripped over her feet. "A festival?! A formal ball?! REALLY?!?!"

She could barely contain herself. A festival every night until the end...and then a formal! How exciting! "Oh, wow! This is gonna be sooooo AWESOME!" she squealed as she pranced around the room. "I can't wait!"

[Tensei Kaori]

"Oh, isn't it?" squealed Shinako, joining Kohana's excited dance. "It's gonna be so much fun!"

Izumi just grinned as she watched them. This would be fun. She was about to begin getting ready when Shinako snatched her up and began whirling her around the room.

"Come on, Izumi-chan!" the feisty Kunoichi sang. "Dance with us! Shouldn't she dance with us, Kohana-chan?"

[Hatake Hiroshi]

Kohana let out a loud chirp of excitement as Shinako joined in her gleeful little jig around the room. It was only a matter of moments before Shinako pulled her teammate into it.

Come on, Izumi-chan! Dance with us! Shouldn't she dance with us, Kohana-chan?

"Ooooo! Yeah! Join us, Izumi-chan!" the snowy-haired genin chimed as she frolicked over and joined in with the whirling.

[Tensei Kaori]

Izumi couldn't help but laugh. It was just too infectious. "All right, all right!" she managed to get out, joining hands with her friends. "I'll dance!"

"Hooray!" Shinako chimed, leading the group in a whirling circle as she began to sing an impromptu chant. "Round and round and round we dance! 'Gainst us, no boy will stand a chance!"

[Hatake Hiroshi]

Kohana giggled almost uncontrollably as the three new friends danced around the room, hand in hand.

Hooray! squealed Shinako, continuing to twirl around in circles. Round and round and round we dance! 'Gainst us, no boy will stand a chance! she sang.

Kohana let out a loud "Woo-hoo!" as she broke apart from the group and toppled backward onto her rear end. "Wheeeeee!" she cooed, falling back onto a cushion, her chest heaving. "That was fuuuuunnnn!"

[Tensei Kaori]

"Kyaaaaaa!" Shinako shrieked, flying backwards and skidding across the table, landing in a heap on the other side. Izumi flew back too, managing to stay on her feet - that is, until she overcorrected, lost her balance, and toppled over onto her side.

"Nice landing," Shinako laughed as she began the the complicated task of getting all her limbs back where they were supposed to be.

Izumi couldn't help but grin mischievously as she spoke, her pink eyes glinting. "You too," she shot back, "Zataku-chan."*

Shinako, who had almost finished righting herself, collapsed again from the laughter that, no matter how she tried, she couldn't suppress. Seeing this, Izumi's own laughter began anew. There was nothing for it; they were all completely gone by now.


*Zataku-chan - "Table-chan" (Izumi poking fun at Shinako for her glorious tabletop landing)

[Hatake Hiroshi]

Kohana rolled onto her side, just in time to see Shinako slide across the table and land with a thud on the floor at the opposite end. Izumi staggered backward and seemed to keep her balance, but then toppled backward.

The snowy-haired kunoichi burst out laughing, hunching over and holding onto her stomach. She couldn't remember the last time she laughed so hard! No matter! She was having way too much fun.

After several moments, she caught her breath and sprawled out once again on the floor. "Wow!" she began. "What time is it? Should we start getting ready for the festival?"

[Tensei Kaori]

"We really should," Izumi replied when she finally had enough control over herself to speak. She had been laughing so hard, she needed to wipe a tear from her eye as she stood up. "I haven't laughed this hard in ages!" she exclaimed as she made her way to her still-tangled teammate.

"My stomach hurts," a still-giggling Shinako wailed between fits of laughter. "Izumi-chan..." she began, and then was taken by laughter again.

Giving Kohana a confused glance, Izumi made her way to Shinako and nudged her with a toe. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"No..." Shinako began, trying to calm herself. When she could finally speak again, it was in a tone of voice that reminded Izumi of a little lost puppy.

"I'm stuck."

"Oh, for crying out loud," Izumi said with a small laugh, shaking her head. "A Kunoichi of Konoha, and you're stuck?" A simple tug on Shinako's arm was enough to free her tangled teammate, or so Izumi thought. But the woman barely budged. "You have to do some of the work yourself, you know," Izumi remarked pointedly as she used her toe to nudge her fallen teammate again.

"Kohana-chan," Izumi continued with a mischievous wink for her new friend, "I believe our friend Shinako-chan has been taken with a case of The Lazies. Should we help her up, or should we just let her sit here while we go to the festival?"

[Hatake Hiroshi]

We really should Izumi answered as she got up. I haven't laughed this hard in ages!

Kohana slowly pulled herself up off the floor and stretched her arms high above her head as she watched Izumi approach her jumbled up teammate. Closing her eyes she stretched some more, bending to the left and then the right, then forward and back until she felt relaxed again. Looking back at her two roommates, she focused on what was going on once again.

Oh, for crying out loud Izumi laughed as she shook her head. A Kunoichi of Konoha, and you're stuck? She reached down and tugged at Shinako's arm, but to no avail. The perky young Chuunin didn't move. You have to do some of the work yourself, you know.

She turned to Kohana now. Kohana-chan... she winked mischievously. I believe our friend Shinako-chan has been taken with a case of The Lazies. Should we help her up, or should we just let her sit here while we go to the festival?

Kohana grinned. "Huh... I dunno, Izumi-chan..." she began, crossing her arms and slightly raising her voice. "I think maybe we should just go on ahead to the festival. I mean, why keep the cute boys and fresh cotton candy waiting?"