A New Dawn

Ren would take in a deep breath as he knocked upon the door of a rather nice-looking house within the Hyuga clan district, trying his best to slow his heartbeat down as it was currently going a hundred meters per second. He was more nervous than he had ever been before in his life, why, because he was coming to see Airi. The fiery Redhead that he had met on a mission nearly a week earlier, of course that alone did not explain why he was so nervous. He wasn't completely sure how he felt about her other than an attraction, which he didn't know if it was because she had red hair or if it was because she saved his life on the mission, what he did know was that he found her to be the most beautiful woman in the village that he had ever met. There were a number of factors as to why he was there, the first and most important of which being that Ren was checking on her. Given the way things happened on the mission, he wanted to make sure she was ok, the only reason he had waited so long to come see her was her request to be alone for a few days. There was also the conversation that they had about a date after the mission, but in all honesty that was the furthest thing from his current thoughts. Considering the fact that during their mission was the first time she took a life, and it was done to save his life, Ren couldn't help but feel responsible. Had he been more focused on the mission instead of allowing himself to be distracted, she might not of had to do what she did to save him. Of course there was no real reason to dwell on the past, what is done cannot be undone.

He had not done much the past few days other than think about her, with the exception of training he didn't have anything else on his mind really. While he would love to take her out on a date, he wasn't going to be bringing it up yet. He simply wanted to talk to her and make sure she was doing ok, he would even have a small bouquet of flowers that he had picked up on the way over here in hopes it would help cheer her up if she was upset. While he wore similar clothing to what he had on the mission, there would be one specific thing that was different about Ren compare to every other day, and that was his hair seemed to be less of a mess. It was a rare occurrence for such a thing to happen, but Ren actually combed his hair before heading out this morning. It wasn't as if Airi had not seen him with his hair a mess, but he wanted to look nice when he saw her again. Still trying to get a grip on his breathing he would face away from the house, with the flowers in one hand, if he heard the door open he would turn and smile.

As he heard the door opened, Ren would turn with a smile expecting to see Airi. Instead he was met with an older woman, "Hello, Ma'am. I..." Was about all he was able to get out before the woman stated they didn't need soler panels and slammed the door. As he heard the locks clicking behind the door, pure confusion would be written on his face. Of course, he knew that the two clans did not see eye to eye, but to him he didn't really care about the past. Though considering the actions of his clan in the past, he couldn't blame the older generations for hating them. It was something he aimed to change, but knew it would take time. For half a second he thought that he went to the wrong house, turning to walk away from the house as he heard Airi's muffled voice and stopped. He let out a sigh at the sound of her voice, even muffled it sounded beautiful. He smirked as he realized that the woman was Airi's mother, but he wouldn't listen any further to the conversation taking a few steps away from the door and waiting to see if her mother would let her come out to see him.

As he saw the door open once more to reveal Airi, it would take all of Ren's strength to keep his jaw from dropping at the sight of her. She looked like a completely different person almost and had it not been for her eyes and her voice, Ren might have thought it was. Seeing her red hair flowing behind her as she stepped out, the dress she wore much more revealing than what she had worn on their mission. He could already feel his face turning red, and he had been so stunned by the sight of her that he did not even catch what she said when she first came out about a Hyuga and an Uchiha. His dark blue eyes just silently staring at her as she locked her door, his inner thoughts interrupted as Airi asked where to. "I.. I.. um.." Ren began to stammer and then let out a small nervous laugh before taking in a breath and thrusting out the small bouquet of flowers. "I got these for you," he would hold the flowers out in such a way that they blocked his view of all of Airi except for her face, as he felt it would be easier to speak if he could manage to look her in the eyes. "You look very beautiful, by the way." He would add feeling his face turn red again.

If Airi took the flowers, then Ren would look up to the sky for a moment before looking behind him and then back to Airi as he tried to maintain his focus on her face. "Well I was thinking, we could go for a nice walk in the park and then maybe grab a bite to eat." Ren would finally say in answer to her question, though truthfully he was not the best planner when it came to situations like this. Throw him into a combat situation and he was a fast thinker and could come up with a plan on the fly, but you put him next to a beautiful woman and he simply falls apart. Add to the fact that he had never been on a proper date before, at least not with anyone he found nearly as attractive as Airi. If Airi agreed to the plan, Ren would offer her his arm for while they walked similar to mission before beginning to walk. "I... Um... I mean..." Ren would be mentally kicking himself for starting to stutter again, taking in a slow breath before trying again. "It's good to see you again, you look really good in that dress." Ren would stop and mentally kick himself again, "not that you didn't look good before in the other... What I mean is... You're beautiful no matter what you wear or dont." Ren's head would drop slightly as he mumbled something, about him needing to stop talking, to himself.

Ren would look back at her right as her beautiful eyes peeked through the bouquet, both smiling and laughing at her comment of being handsome. He wasn't really sure how to react, considering the fact that this was the first time someone had said that to him. Her eyes though would distract him from stating his plan for a few seconds longer as his dark blue eyes stared at her, lost in her eyes almost. Finally coming to and telling her about the walk and getting something to eat, the fact that she thought it sounded nice was a step in the right direction in his mind, and as he felt her touch his arm his heart seemed to skip a beat. Feeling his arm pressed against her breast, however, would cause his back to stiffen. Was this normal, he didn't remember it happening when they walked on the mission like this. His heart would start beating faster as she mentioned it being tight and wiggled slightly before laying her head against his shoulder, his mind quickly flashing to the thought of Airi without the dress and his face would turn as bright red as a tomato. He would shake his head slightly, both to shake the thought from his mind and to try to get his face to not be so red. "I wouldn't let you fall, Airi." he said as he looked to her, "I would catch you, if you fell. I would not let something bad happen to you while you are with me." His other hand moving to touch hers within his arm as he spoke, he knew that she did not need his protection or anything like that. Of course, that did not stop him from wanting to, he liked Airi and would do just about anything to see her beautiful smile.

He noticed a few stares as they walked, not sure if it was because a Uchiha and a Hyuga were walking as they were, or if it was because all eyes were on Airi in her dress. He wouldn't mind the stares either way, it just proved they thought the same thing he did. That she was the most beautiful woman in the village, which made him the luckiest man in the village to be able to take her on this date. Rather than draw attention to the fact that they were getting watched as they walked, Ren would turn all of his focus to Airi. As long as she allowed it his hand would rest on hers within his arm, his finger lightly moving across her hand as they walked. He wasn't really sure what to talk about so he would say the first thing that came to his mind, "So, you made that dress, I assume? It's really pretty, and it shows that you have skills in the design." He did not know what passed as small talk, but he was interested in learning about Airi more so anything that pertained to her. The fact that she said she thought she got the measurement wrong lead him to believe that she made the dress herself, though it was possible she meant that she told the tailor the wrong measurements. He could not be sure, but he would happily listen to her talk about anything really. He liked the sound of her voice, he even found it cute when she made the small whimpering noises and her voice got higher earlier.

Ren would feel his embarrassment build as Airi began to laugh and explain, he really should have known what she had been talking about. He would chastise himself within his mind for being so stupid, as he was now thinking that there was no way she would want to go out with him after this when she thinks he's an idiot. Ren did his best to fake a laugh, but inside he was truly kicking himself for saying something so stupid. He didn't even know where he got the idea to say it to a woman from, but it was obviously the wrong thing to say in the situation. He didn't really mind her laughing, due to the fact that it was just as beautiful as her voice was. What he minded was looking like an idiot in front of her, more upset by his words than by her laughing about them. On the outside however, no sign of this would be noticeable as she finished with a jab about his hands being warm when he went to catch her boobs if they fell out of her chest. He thought about making a joke about his hands being warm but decided quickly against it as he was afraid it would just make him sound like more of an idiot. Instead, he would think about it for a second before looking to her, "Well I am not the best representation when it comes to the Uchiha smart genes. If I was, I probably would have been able to come up with something a lot better, like 'I would wrap you in my Haori' or something much more elegant." He would state with a small chuckle, as he hoped that admission of his own fault would somehow make him look less like an idiot. "Which I would do that of course if something unfortunate happened with your dress," he would quickly add referring to the wrapping his Haori around her to cover if her dress malfunctioned. Of course, he had thought to say something similar to this earlier but of course for some stupid reason he said what he said instead and there was no changing it now.

Ren would continue to run his finger along her hand cupped within his arm as he listened to her talk about her crafting, a smile forming on his face as he listened to her. She had a very lovely voice in his opinion, and he could listen to her talk for hours. Though he would be slightly disappointed that her head was no longer resting on him, and the spot where her breasts had been resting on his arm was already starting to grow cold, he would continue to smile. There would be a slight twitch in his smile at her mention of Hanabi, though he would not say anything about it to Airi, hoping that she would not notice it. Ren's eyes would remain on Airi, using his peripherals to see out of the corner of his eyes as the continued to walk. He would be completely engrossed with what she was saying that he did not mind how long she talked in the least as he would gladly listen to her talk longer. As she apologized, Ren would stop walking and even his finger would stop momentarily while he looked at her. "You have no reason to be sorry Airi, you have a passion for crafting the same as I have a passion for training techniques. I admire that about you, and if I am being completely honest with you, I could listen to you talk all day and it would be a wonderful day in my opinion. The fact that you would make your teammates the armor whether you won or lost just goes to show what a kind person you are, and your comrades are lucky to have you." With that said, he would resume walking and so long as Airi's hand was still within his arm his finger would resume lightly running across it. "I actually did a mission with Taco not long ago; I was less than impressed, I am so sorry you got placed on a team with him. Though it must be something to have the Hokage as a Sensei, so that might counterbalance his obnoxiousness." Ren would stop and looked down to the ground, he knew he shouldn't talk about her teammate like that and instantly felt bad about it. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to sound so rude. I am not what most would call a people person, which is why I think I was placed solo under my sensei, Satomi. Although technically I guess you could say I have two sensei, considering the fact that Satomi is rarely ever seen without Sendo. So, the only interaction I really have with others, is either on missions or at the training facility considering that is where I spend most of my freetime." Ren would take a breath trying to slow down his speech as he realized he was beginning to talk fast as he tried to backtrack on what he had said about Taco before getting sidetracked. "Anyways, I was on a mission in the market with Taco and I will just leave it at the fact that his recklessness almost cost us the mission. It left a sour taste in my mouth as far as my opinion of him, though I am sure he is a great person, his inability to think before he jumps into a fight can one day cause problems for both him and those he is on a mission with. I don't think badly of him truly, but it is something he definitely needs to improve on. I am not however trying to speak ill of him or upset you in any way."

Ren would begin feeling as though he said the wrong thing yet again, when Airi stated she had worked hard on the dress. Even with her nervous laugh that followed her words, he could tell that she would really hate for something to happen to her dress. Though her smile and her words after, told him that maybe he didn't say the wrong thing. Despite the fact that he found her snort laugh rather cute, Ren would make a mental note to himself never to get on Airi's bad side. If she would kill someone for messing with her dress, he could only imagine what she would do to someone that actually upset her. He felt his heart skip a beat at her words and he could feel the heat once more returning to his face, that is if it ever actually left. He seemed to have a red face since she had come outside, and it didn't look like it would stop anytime soon in his eyes. "Yes, warm." Would be all he managed to mutter out in a small voice, Ren wasn't sure what else to say to that. He liked the idea of her in his Haori, but he would push those thoughts out of his mind and focus on the reality of her there with him now.

Ren would smile as he heard her whimpering noises and reply to his statement about his view of her, he found it absolutely adorable. As she stated she didn't want him to carry her the rest of the time, the only thought that crossed his mind actually ended up being said aloud. "I wouldn't mind that at all," his entire face would seemingly burn from embarrassment when he realized he spoke that rather than thought it. Though he did mean it, because he wouldn't mind her being in his arms like that, he did not mean for her to know yet. It was not something you said so soon, or at least he didn't think it was. He was stunned to silence for a moment until he felt her hand grip his arm tighter as she leaned up and whispered into his ear, telling him he didn't need to pillow-talk her while they walked. A smile would form on his face. "Oh, my lovely Airi. I was merely stating the facts that are plain to see about you, anyone with half a brain can see it if they look at you." He would say with a smile. As a thought crossed his mind however that smile turned ever so slightly devilish, and he would lean down to her ear and whisper. "My pillow talk can be much sweeter than this," he would then stand back up straight as they continued walking. He of course had no idea what he was talking about, but he could only assume that if he was to one day manage to get her into his bed, he would have plenty of other nice things to say to her.

Listening to Airi talk about her training with the Hokage, Ren couldn't help but laugh at her voice impression. When Airi returned her head to his arm as well as her breast, his only thought was that he never wanted her to leave his side. Luckily, he did not say this out loud this time. He did not want her to think him weird considering they barely knew each other, but her walking next to him, her head resting on him as they walked. It was something that he never had before, and yet he felt like it was what he had been missing. As if she was placed in his path for a reason, and something about her caused a difference within him, a change. It would be minuet, but it would be a spark that ignited something within Ren that he didn't even know existed. Whatever it was that was happening between him and Airi, he wanted to continue so that he could find out what this all meant. As he listened to her talk about future missions, he didn't even smirk as she said Hanabi would be the brains. As much as he would have disagreed with anyone else that said that to him, when Airi said it, he would not object. Of course, he was not a fan of Hanabi, but if it meant that he could be with Airi. He would be willing to do just about anything including, as much as it pained him, getting over his dislike of Hanabi. He wouldn't be her friend or anything, but he would tolerate her for Airi. He would silently listen to her talk as they made it to the park and began to stroll down a path near the pond. He would chuckle at her mention of it being weird if she was as strong as both her teammates combined, "well based on what I have seen. I would say you might already be as strong as them both." He would say this because of the simple fact that no matter how much the other two trained, against the hyuga's abilities they would have to reach jounin level just to stand a chance against her. He also knew Taco wasn't much for thinking so he wouldn't be hard for her to overcome, and as far as Hanabi he would just keep his mouth shut about what he thought about her for now. "I have no doubt that you would be victorious in such an endeavor, though I understand you not wanting to outshine your teammates. Sometimes though it happens, you cannot blame yourself for taking what the Hokage said about your spar with them serious and they do not." He would say with a smile, as their path led them along the pond of the park. Ren would look away from Airi for the first time since they had begun walking and look to his other side where the pond sat, it was a rather beautiful view. Though in his mind it paled compared to Airi, he would not say that, as she had requested him not say sweet things while they were walking. He would look back to Airi, he was happy to listen to her talk about anything she wanted. He wouldn't say a word and just listen if he could, but he would ask about something just so she didn't feel like she was the only one talking. "So, I am curious. What is you plan with Taco?" Having hit the man himself with some powerful fire, he was curious as to Airi's plan for getting past the man's natural healing.

Hearing Airi make more of her whimpering noises as she buried her face in his arm would cause Ren to let out a soft laugh, slightly impressed with himself for managing to say the right thing. Of course, he was getting ahead of himself. After all he liked Airi, and this was only their first date. There was still plenty of time for them to get to know each other, and talk before that happened, so he shouldn't try to rush it. He wouldn't notice any difference in her appearance when she lifted her head back from his arm, obliviously for now the smear she left on his sleeve, not that he would mind it. He was simply to enamored by Airi to take notice that there was a minor difference in her makeup, considering the fact that she still looked absolutely beautiful. Even though he kept telling himself to keep his mouth shut about the view, when Airi stated it was pretty words would slip out of Ren's mouth before he could stop them. "Yes, very pretty" Ren would be looking at Airi as he said this rather than the pond, though she might not have noticed him looking at her with her own focus on the pond. If she happened to look towards him when he said this he would quickly and obviously look away and towards the pond, but until then his eyes would simply be taking the sight of her in.

Ren would smile as he watched Airi's reaction to his question about Taco, it was as if his question had caught her by surprise or something. Ren also thought it was possible that Airi liked Taco, based on how she reacted when he brought the Senju up. Of course, he was talking about the fight originally, he was now also curious if Taco was going to be his competition for Airi's heart. It would be hard for him to compete against Taco, considering the two of them were on the same team and therefore easily able to spend time with each other. It was a variable that Ren had not considered whenever he had asked Airi out, did she have a boyfriend already, did she have feelings for the annoying Senju, or was he reading too much into it. Either way, he would let out a small chuckle at Airi's mention of kicking him in the balls, now that he would love to see. "Well, yes I was talking about in the fight. While I have all the confidence in your abilities, I have hit Taco with some pretty intense Katon techniques before and he just healed from it. It was as if the fire did nothing to him at all, of course I haven't tried punching him before so I don't know how well that would work or not considering I am not a physical fighter like the two of you are." Despite his own thoughts now causing the man to second guess himself, there would be no sign of his inner turmoil within his voice as it remained the same as it had been. "It's one of the reasons I respect him a little more than I did when we first met, and probably the only reason I didn't accidentally send him to the hospital that day." Ren would start to chuckle, but then stop as he didn't want to upset Airi considering he wasn't sure her feelings towards the other man.

Ren would let out a playful "ow" as Airi pinched his arm, it wasn't that she hurt him just caught him off guard. As she told him not to hurt her teammates, he was going to say that he had not meant to nor was trying to hurt Taco, but the Senju had gotten in the way of the attack. However, instead he would nod his head, "Of course, Airi. I will not try to harm your teammates anymore and as far as the missions, there will always be missions to do. I am sure soon you will be doing all sorts of missions with them." He stated after Airi had finished. He wouldn't tell her that the only reason Taco got in the way of the attack was to protect Hanabi from the fire blast that would have sent a normal person to the hospital, after how she reacted to him telling her that he used his Katon on Taco, he could only imagine what she would do if she found out he was intentionally trying to hurt Hanabi. Though he would mean what he said in telling her that he would not try to harm her teammates from this point on, even Hanabi, despite his hatred of the woman who was his clan but denied its name. It was something he never thought he would think, but if it meant he got to spend more time with Airi it was something he was willing to do, as long as Hanabi didn't insult his clan further by continuing her claim of being an Uchiha but refusal to truly claim the Uchiha name.

Ren probably wouldn't have even noticed the swans if Airi had not said something about them, as she released his arm and walked closer to the pond to observe them, Ren would simply be watching her. She seemed to enjoy watching the swans for a moment, and while Ren himself did not see the swans as that special, he would not interrupt her watching of them. Though as the sunlight would hit her dress just right and his eyes made out her form under the dress, Ren's face turn red, and he would look towards the swans momentarily as he collected his thoughts watching the swans as they finished off what he assumed was a fish. Airi's mention of eating would snap his attention back to Airi. He had been so distracted by his time with Airi he had completely forgotten about them getting food, though her remark would quickly remind him. "Oh, yes. Of course." Ren replied as he waited for Airi to rejoin him so that they could walk together. "I know just the place," he would add as they would begin walking. Leading them out of the park, Ren would guide Airi not far down the street from the park to Yakiniku Q. It was a small Gyu-Kaku-style restaurant that while he had never been to it himself, he had heard that the food was good, so he hoped it was the right call for the date and hoped that Airi would like the food. "Have you ever eaten at Yakiniku Q before?" Ren would ask as they got closer to the restaurant, "I haven't, but I heard that the food was good," he added with a small nervous chuckle.

As they arrived at the restaurant the wide windows would allow them to see that it was not terribly busy, with only a few other customers inside. Entering in they would be greeted by a hostess that would lead them to a table and hand them menus, the table holding a charcoal brazier built in the center with a pair of tongs nearby. A quick look around the room showed that every table seemed to have this fixture though Ren wasn't entirely sure why, until he saw another customer receiving his food that was not cooked and the man through it on his own brazier.  He didn't know that they had to cook their own food when he had brought them to this place, as the person that told him about it did not mention that part. Re would look towards Airi as they sat, to make sure that she was not put off by this restaurant, hoping that he didn't make a mistake by coming here.

Ren would let out a small chuckle when Airi starts to say something and then turns bright red before saying never mind, this of course made him curious as to what she wanted to suggest. Considering the fact that he had nothing planned beyond the food, he was more than open to suggestions. "Well now you can color me curious," Ren said playfully. "We can do whatever you like after we eat Airi, I am pretty open." He would add with a small smile, which was true. He was open to things because he didn't have the first clue what else to do after they ate other than walk around the village more and then taking her home, though he would prefer to spend more time than that with her. Though he would be looking down towards her face, even with his eyes focusing on hers, he would be able to see her cleavage in his peripherals. It was hard for him not to notice considering the angle and their height difference, and the smile on her face was simply beautiful. Even if he wasn't now curious as to what Airi had been thinking about, he would have found it hard to look away from her.

Through the restaurant had not been as he expected it would be, Airi would ask the question that was on his mind as well to which the answer from the hostess was a small answer "of course, that's our unique factor" before she walked away having left the menus on the table. Ren was going to suggest that they might go somewhere else to eat, but it would look as though Airi didn't seem to mind, based on her pleading look she gave him. "Well as long as you do not mind that we have to cook it ourselves I suppose we can continue, I am sorry though. I should have looked into the place myself before bringing you here." Ren stated apologetically as he pulled out Airi's seat from the table for her before taking his own seat across from her. "So, what are you in the mood for?" Ren asked as he began looking over the menu, there didn't seem to be that many options. Most of them were meat, so he had to hope she wasn't a vegetarian. Either way they would have a few moments to talk and look over the menu before the waiter arrived to take their order.

Ren would watch her as she denied him an answer, thinking to himself how cute she looked as she scrunched up her face. The way she innocently twirled her hair with her finger as she looked at him before ending the thought with next time, would cause a smile to form on his face. There very fact that she would suggest that there would be a next time, held great promise for him, it meant that he had not messed things up. He was in no rush for things to go too fast with her, she was worth the wait in his opinion and so he would wait until she decided she was ready to tell him and not press the issue. Shortly after she suggested that he ordered for them, she caught him looking at her and his face would turn red at her question of him liking the view. The way she leaned forward however only increased his view so to speak, and her follow up remark of him seeing them after dinner caused him to glow red. "I... I... Uh... I mean..." Ren would begin to stutter, not quite sure what to say in response to her comment. He had only been to the hot springs once before, and that was with Peragus. He usually avoided it due to his dislike of crowds and there always seemed to be one there. He had never considered a co-ed hot spring before, of course he didn't even know that they existed to consider in the first place. His thought process would be stopped when he heard the next thing she said, the thought of which would make his face burn more than it already was to the point that he felt as though he was going to blow up. She straightens up her dress and stated they could eat whatever he thought would be tasty just as the waiter arrived to take their order, had he not arrived when he had it was quite possible Ren would have ended up a puddle in the floor.

Looking to the waiter and feeling the heat leave his face, Ren would smile to the man before looking back over the menu quickly. "I think we will just take an order of the Karubi, some Misuji and rice. Oh, and some water please." Ren stated as he handed the waiter the menu, looking to Airi to see if she had a problem with the order, or wanting to add anything else before the man left. Once they were alone again Ren would look back to Airi with a nervous smile before clearing his throat, "Listen Airi, I don't want you to think you have to do anything you don't want to. I am in no rush, honestly. I like you, and I can wait if you want to. I don't want you to feel pressured into doing anything you are uncomfortable with, we can take our time if you would prefer." He would say softly finally finding his voice to be able to respond to what she had said before the waiter arrived. There was nothing he would like more than to see more of her and possibly even more than that, but he did not want to ruin anything by rushing things between them. It would be up to Airi what happened and when as far as he was concerned, and if she decided to tease him and make him wait, then he would wait through the agony of it for the reward at the end if that was what he needed to do.

Ren chuckle nervously at her comment about the co-ed side of the hot springs and not wearing anything, his heart had to be beating a hundred times faster than normal. It was all he could hear in his head as he placed the order and Airi told the waiter to make it double, and her answer to his comment about feeling pressure would bring a smile back to his face and he would let out a small laugh at her mention of him seducing her with genjutsu. "Even if I knew how to do that, I don't think I could ever bring myself to control someone like that." he replied looking down at the grill in the center of their table, the thought of controlling someone else's mind the way his father did was not something Ren ever looked forward to doing to someone. Of course, there was bound to come the day that he would ultimately have to, he would put that day off for as long as he possibly could. He was not the Uchiha his father wanted him to be, and that was fine with him, he had his own path to power, one he would forge himself.

His internal thoughts would be interrupted by Airi as she stated that she would rather have a boyfriend and wanting to see if they were compatible, his mind shutting out the thoughts about his father and turning back to her. Watching her twirl her hair as talked, thinking about how cute she was as she did it. He hadn't even considered the hot springs let alone going all the way with her, at least not this early in their relationship. That is if this was part of their relationship, did they have a relationship yet. His thoughts were becoming scattered, but he would collect them as Airi finished speaking. "Well, I'd rather have a girlfriend then not." Ren replied with a soft smile, "and I would love to go to the hot springs after we eat, if you want to. I have only been once, a while back with Peragus. It wasn't the best experience for me, but I'm willing to give it another shot." Ren would add stammering on some of the words as he tried not to look too eager at the thought of seeing her naked even though the thought of it had been on his mind since she came out of her house in that dress she was wearing.

It wouldn't be too long before the waiter would return with a tray with their order on it, he would sit their glasses of water in front of them before setting down two empty plates and then a smaller tray which held the raw meat and a set of tongs to use to handle it and two small ceramic bowls of water and a bowl of uncooked rice. It would seem that he might have been better off taking her to his house and just cooking the meal for her himself, considering that they were having to cook everything themselves anyways. Honestly, why do people pay for this, what is even the point of the restaurant if the guests have to do all the work. Ren would grab the tongs and begin placing some of the meat on one side of the grill to begin cooking, knowing the meat would take longer than the rice he wanted to get it on there first, but he would leave an area for the ceramic bowls to sit without touching the meat. The waiter would ask if they needed anything else and Ren would say no, inside he was thinking he needed a restaurant that actually cooked the meal that he came there to eat, but for now he would keep that too himself. Once the waiter left, Ren would look to Airi with a smile. "Service with a smile," he chuckled lightly as he placed another piece of Karubi on the grill, trying to make light on the fact that they were having to cook their food as well as get his mind off the thought of the hot springs.

Ren chuckled slightly to Airi's comment about having to cook their own rice as he placed the ceramic bowls onto the grill to begin heating the water to cook the rice, he didn't mind cooking, but had he known he was going to be cooking he would have just taken her to his place to cook for her. Now however was no time for him to worry about what he could have done, or probably should have done though, his focus was on enjoying his time with Airi despite the minor setbacks. "Yes, it does smell quite good." Ren would reply as the smell of the cooking meat hitting his nose much stronger than before now that it was right in front of him, rather than simply on another table that was not that far off from where they were. "So how do you like it cooked?" Ren would ask as he flipped the thinly sliced pieces of meat that were cooking, the Misuji and the Karubi were both rather thin so it wouldn't take long for them to cook even if she wanted them near jerky level cooked. Of course, this was the first time Ren had cooked either of them, he was going based off of how he cooked steaks despite the fact that the steaks were much thicker. The rice would not take long after that too finish as well, allowing them to begin enjoying their meal. They could cook more as they wanted so it was always freshly cooked without the worry of it getting cold while they ate the ones that they had already.

While the food was cooking as well as throughout the meal Ren would continue their conversation from their walk as they continued to feel one another out, Ren asking questions about herself eager to learn more about her as well as answering any question she had for him. It would be towards the end of their meal when Ren would as the question that had been on his mind for the entire meal, of course he wasn't sure how to ask it and felt like an idiot but would eventually blurt out. "Airi, I really like you a lot. Would you consider being my girlfriend?" Ren would feel his face turn red as he looked down at the table, the embarrassment building as he awaited what he could only assume would be rejection if not being laughed at for such a question. He wasn't the best at these situations, especially with someone as pretty as Airi.

A wave of emotion seemed to wash over Ren when he heard Airi say the answer was yes, he felt that if he jumped into the air at this very moment, he was likely to travel to the moon. He felt the apprehension of rejection wash away, as it was replaced by joy and excitement. Though a slight nervousness would also rise within him, Airi would be his first girlfriend and he didn't have a clue what would come next. He wondered if he could ask someone for advice about it, but for now he would just have to continue to do what he had been doing and wing it. He would be lost in his own thoughts and would not hear her whispered comment about Peragus, but his thoughts would be drowned out by Airi's voice, with her question of what they did now. Her question would ring in his ear and his mind would draw a blank, he would look out the window of the restaurant for a moment as he tried to think before turning back to look at Airi. "Well, I guess that is up to you. If you still wanted to go to the hot springs now that we are done eating, we can. We could always go for a walk around the village if you prefer, or I can walk you home and we could go out another time. If there is something you want to go do or something we could do that, I am really just interested in spending time with you, Airi. I don't really care what we do while we are together, hell we could even train together if you wanted. Though I don't know if that would actually count as a date or not."

Ren was finding himself rambling and unable to stop himself, no matter how hard he tried words just would continue to come, finally stopping after his comment about training. His nervousness of not having a plan for after eating was already showing in the fact that he was talking so fast, as if he was trying to think of something for them to do now that they were done with their meal. No matter what her choice was, Ren would pay for their meal as they left the restaurant, offering his arm once again to Airi as they would take their leave for their new destination. From the moment Airi had said the word yes, a smile had formed on Ren's face that simply would not go away. This was by far the happiest moment in his life so far, even ranking above when he first unlocked his Sharingan which despite the circumstances that lead to it had been in the top spot for a long time.

"Yes of course," Ren answered Airi's question of them leaving, a small smile at the fact that she seemed so embarrassed by the looks that they seemed to be getting. When the waiter returned Ren was about to ask for the check, but Airi beat him to it. A small chuckle at her elevated volume, Ren would look at Airi and no one else. Not noticing the wink from the waiter before he went to get the check, "Don't worry about eyes on us, Airi. They stare because their lives are boring, with nothing interesting to do for themselves." When the waiter returned Ren would take a look at it before setting the ryo down on the table, enough to cover the meal and a small tip, before standing up and waiting for Airi before heading out of the restaurant.

The cool air from outside was mildly refreshing compared to the heat that the restaurant had from the many grills that the tables possessed, Ren would look to Airi with a small smile as they began walking away from the restaurant. She left the decision of what they did next to him, and in his mind, Ren would mull over the choices before finally making a decision of what they were going to do. Though a part of him wanted to go to the hot spring with Airi, the thought of it being too soon would also cross his mind, leading him against that decision and instead to simply enjoy her company until it was time for him to take her home. They could always go to the hot spring another time, as it seemed there had been enough excitement for the pair of them today. "Well, unless you have any objection to it, I think we can save the trip to the hot spring for another time. There is no need to rush anything, we can always enjoy the hot spring together next time." Ren stated softly as they walked down the street, he wouldn't be leading them anywhere in particular simply walking to enjoy the company of Airi.

The sun would be setting as they left the restaurant, the glow of it already beginning to make way for the stars of the night sky to begin to appear above the village. Ren would look up to the sky for a moment as they walked before looking to Airi, "I promise I will take you home before it gets too late, we can just walk around for now. I was hoping that maybe we could talk about another date?" The sun had not set yet, so as long as Airi did not object, Ren would lead them to the west wall of the village. Using the supernatural walking practice to climb to the top of the wall where they could sit and watch the sun set before he took her home.