31 July 2012

miso ramen
: theSincerities

(development): 1. the act or process of developing; growth; progress / 2. a developed state or form

Three things treaded Sasuke's mind the moment a jittery hand reached out to place his order before him, steaming, cheap, and starchy; three things circled faintly among his low-volume thoughts until they successfully devoured their way in, until nothing more remained.

Snap.

He sunk his chopsticks into the coiled rice noodles peeking and floating from their broth, pinching, dipping, and pulling at them while momentarily tracing the rim of their embarrassingly chipped and faded bowl. It was no lie; you indeed received what you paid for. He glanced up at the beat down cranny surrounding him; at the grimy, peeled, rotting walls; at the old man struggling to keep himself balanced as he stirred at a bubbling pot of what one could only call goop.

Sasuke looked back at his bowl of ramen and took his first bite, immediately noting the overcooked texture of the noodles, and the overly seasoned taste of miso. He let out a thick exhale, presumably from his nose, and chewed. Gradually, he felt his thoughts successfully blur into the now recognizable, well developed and outlined Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi.

Swallow, bite; repeat.

.

The first time Sasuke remembered trying ramen was after a begrudging D-ranked mission the newly promoted, genin-ranked Team Seven "celebrated." Naruto persisted; he kicked and screamed—insisted on ramen.

It's around the corner! — he reasoned. It's the best thing you'll ever introduce your taste buds to! — he swore.

Sakura had shifted uncomfortably, commenting that she'd only go if they'd all come to a mutual agreement; ramen was something she'd pass on otherwise. Evidentially, both heads turned to the indifferent Sasuke, who merely listened (unwillingly) to Naruto's buzzing encouragement.

What d'ya say, Sasuke? Ramen? How 'bout it? See, even Sakura said she'll go! Trust me, you'll like it; it'll put a smile even on your face, no lie! It's that good!

After much streamlining, verbal manipulation—(Sasuke, just please say yes so he'll shut up already!)—he scoffed and began walking ahead in the direction of the Ichiraku Ramen Bar, leaving Naruto to throw himself into the air with a Ya-hoo! and Sakura to breathe a sigh of relief before following.

That afternoon he ordered a classic bowl of miso ramen, inwardly mumbling to mostly himself (despite having Naruto breathing down his neck and Sakura's curious glance from her seat as they waited for him to take his first bite) that it was okay, he'd had better foods in his lifetime; it's nothing special.

Naruto harrumphed, crossing his arms (tasteless jerk!), and Sakura only giggled.

The other nth times Sasuke remembered eating ramen were special, pestering conditions where Naruto pulled similar auditory manipulation against his teammates and the slippery, always-full-of-excuses Kakashi. Miso ramen was all he ever ordered, and no one bothered to convince him otherwise (except Naruto on occasion when he'd whine that as delicious as miso ramen was, he should consider maybe trying the seafood variation, or Sakura's favorite spiced and grilled chicken special, or Kakashi's veggie-lover supreme).

The day Sasuke was convinced to try something other than miso was the week before he'd fled Konohagakure. He'd ordered the chef's specialty, specifically emphasizing the idea of "surprising" him. Teuchi indeed surprised him the moment he placed in front of him a glittering bowl of miso ramen topped with spiraling naruto slices and an unasked-for side of hardboiled eggs drizzled in sesame seeds.

That evening as Sasuke ate alone, thoughtfully, he heard a chuckling Teuchi mention that the chef's special was in reality just Naruto's personal order from when he first became a regular. It's on the house, Teuchi later said with a wink upon spotting Sasuke shuffle idly.

On his way home, Sasuke concluded with a smirk that only an idiot like Naruto could earn himself his own personal dish.

.

Sasuke rose from his seat, ignoring the creak from the wood and instead leaving a sweep of yen, tip included. The old man, now dragging a trembling rag over the empty bar counter, stuttered a toothless thank you, to which Sasuke nodded as he ducked past the entrance.

"Karin," he spat, capturing the attention of the redhead leaning restlessly against an abandoned stack of barrels. "We're leaving."

Karin glanced behind them as they distanced from the small noodle joint and shivered. "Ugh, I hate ramen."

Sasuke didn't bother looking anywhere except forward. He said nothing.

.

Sakura, he remembered, mentioned disliking ramen during a forced session of, thanks to Kakashi, friendly, Team Seven "bonding." She pouted, arms crossed, as she went on about disliking soups in general, though that ramen in specific not only involved a form of broth, but also very unhealthy ingredients.

Naruto knowingly went into a passionate debate with her afterwards.

Two weeks prior to this debate, which Sasuke thoroughly had to endure for the rest of the day, (—all right, let's ask Sasuke then!—Sasuke, isn't it true that—), he recalls catching Sakura poke mindlessly at her ramen after, quote, "mutually" deciding with her team on ramen. Interestingly enough, her disinterested actions (poking, leaving her bowl unfinished, openly insisting that she was full and that yes, Naruto could have her leftovers) minimized with each visit, so much, in fact, that their last visit as a team resulted in, to Naruto's delight and Kakashi's surprise, an enthusiastic Sakura ordering a second bowl.

I dunno, she had said, smiling as she dragged at her share of noodles, I guess I've just gotten kind of used it; another bowl actually sounds inviting.

Naruto preached for the rest of the evening about how much respect Sakura had earned from him.

.

"It's okay," Sasuke said midway into minute-long silence, much to Karin's interest.

"What?" she questioned. She hadn't said anything …

"Ramen's okay," he said, and she realized that he was replying to her comment from nearly an hour ago.

Karin stared at him, baffled. "Oh. Well, okay, I guess."

They continued skidding past bare grounds, and Sasuke finally felt his three objects of thought fading away.

.

Once, Naruto, again choosing to speak his thoughts aloud, mentioned an otherwise heartwarming idea that made Sakura smile a bittersweet smile and Kakashi's uncovered eye soften its stare.

They'd all been, of course, sitting in their usual spots at Ichiraku, bowls cleaned generously of their contents. Naruto had been staring longingly at the warm, noodle-less broth before him while Kakashi and Sakura ended their quiet chat about what Kakashi called "life's wonders." The four sat with satisfied stomachs when Naruto suddenly piped up, despite seeming to still be caught midway in his thoughts.

You know, he murmured quietly, smiling, ramen's good no matter what to me; each time it always tastes better than the last. He paused and turned toward his team, all of which who were layered to his right, … but there's something about each bite that you just can't compare to anything else when you eat with those who matter to you the most—when you eat with your friends. It's just so much better.

Everyone, including a very silent Sasuke, left the ramen bar with a feeling of spiritual fulfillment that day.

.

"You thinkin' 'bout something, Sasuke?" Suigetsu stared curiously at Sasuke, who wore an usually distant, though still emotionless expression. He received no answer, and instead glanced over at Karin, who shrugged.

He didn't bother asking again.

.

Much to his unheard of interest, Sasuke, who lay isolated from the slumbering Karin, Suigetsu, and Jugo, found himself both with a stomachache, (again, you often got what you paid for), and the faint but lingering desire to have a nightly bowl of miso ramen alongside his former, forgotten Team Seven.

"Tch."

Dedicated to CorruptAngel920.

Disclaimer: Credit for Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.