Benikage Fumi Yumeoji/Bond Story

*Benikage, a member of the Mikage Ninja, carries out the missions she receives from above. She slowly gains more and more trust from Onikage waiting for a chance to execute her secret orders.*

* Chapter 1
* Chapter 2
* Bond Level 15 Talk
* Bond Level 30 Talk

The Stage, in Fumi's Words

 **Fumi:**(Huh, so you can use honey as a bonding agent to up the calorie count...)

 **Fumi:**Oh, are you here for research, too?

 **Fumi:**I'm reading up on historical accounts of ninjas.

 **Fumi:**The book was a great resource. It's got detailed accounts of their daily lives.

 **Fumi:**I was just reading a passage about their diets. It's even got a recipe for "hyorogan."

 **Fumi:**Never heard of it? It's the type of portable ration they ate back in the Warring States period.

 **Fumi:**As with most rations, it was all about cramming as many calories in as possible to fill you up.

 **Fumi:**Huh? No, there aren't any scenes that call for food props...

 **Fumi:**But we're staging a period piece, and I'm playing a specialized profession.

 **Fumi:**Besides just the character's personality, I want to understand what I would wear, what I would eat, and my place in society. I want my portrayal of a ninja to have depth.

 **Fumi:**With people who are experts in their field, even without hearing them talk, you just get this sense from them. You can feel their experience.

 **Fumi:**I want to really focus on those intangibles as I pull together the role of Benikage.

 **Fumi:**You think that sounds amazing? It would be, if I could pull it off at will.

 **Fumi:**But it's hard. When portraying someone else, there's no way to know how much is good enough.

 **Fumi:**But there is one thing I know for sure.

 **Fumi:**Just my personal theory, but I believe the world on stage is built brick by brick from tiny nuances in performance.

 **Fumi:**The angle of the lights, the placement of the props...and even more important, every little motion of the actors can make or break that immersion.

 **Fumi:**So I want to take the form of the shadows that lived in that era, as closely as possible.

 **Fumi:**...Sorry, that turned into a whole speech.

 **Fumi:**But I guess I'm saying I need more than just academic knowledge of these rations.

 **Fumi:**I plan on making some, to help me express the ninja's experience on the stage.

 **Fumi:**Heh heh, thanks for the candid encouragement.

 **Fumi:**Just between us, when I mentioned to Ichie I was making hyorogan, she suggested I make a batch with ponzu with them.

 **Fumi:**I told her the whole point was to use ingredients they had available back then and in that region, and she got that...

 **Fumi:**But then she said if all the hidden details were so important, I need to become a ninja myself. Next thing I knew, she had me throwing origami shuriken.

 **Fumi:**I don't even know what to make of that girl sometimes...

 **Fumi:**Augh, even when she's not around, she manages to derail my conversations!

 **Fumi:**Anyway, one Ichie is more than enough. You hang on to that candor of yours, yeah?

 **Fumi:**Good. All right, I've got a bit more reading up to do--

 **Fumi:**Hm? You want to help?

 **Fumi:**Don't get me wrong, it's a welcome offer. But didn't you come here to do your own research?

 **Fumi:**...You were "moved by my commitment to the stage"? If you say so.

 **Fumi:**I can't very well turn you down after hearing that. Thanks for the help.

 **Fumi:**I guess start with this book, then. If anything looks useful, jot down the page number.

 **Fumi:**If you run into any questions, just ask.

 **Fumi:**Right, then. Let's get started.

 **Fumi:**(After that rant, I can't quite bring myself to confess I'm super curious about ponzu hyorogan now...)

 **Fumi:**(A little side experiment couldn't hurt...Right?)

Hyorogan Taste Test!

 **Ichie:**Ahh, I'm starving here! Let's eat!

 **Ichie:**\*om nom\* ... Mmm! I live for lunchtime!

 **Fumi:**You always exaggerate.

 **Ichie:**It's the truth!

 **Tamao:**You eat every meal like it's some lavish feast. Watching you always gives me an appetite.

 **Ichie:**Mmm, I love spreading those tasty feels! That might be my superpower, actually.

 **Ichie:**Fumi, did I move you like I moved Tamao? Is your tummy grumbling now?

 **Fumi:**Oh, yes. The grumbliest. Now, did you come here to talk or to eat?

 **Ichie:**Sign me up for team eat! So, can I have one of your hyorogan?

 **Tamao:**A hyorogan...?

 **Ichie:**You promised, Fumi! You said I could try one of your lovingly homemade hyorogan, didn't you?

 **Fumi:**...Yeah. I did.

 **Tamao:**Fumi?

 **Ichie:**Wait, did you forget!? Do you even forget stuff!?

 **Fumi:**I didn't forgot. It's just...

 **Ichie:**You messed them up!?

 **Fumi:**Th-They came out fine! But the taste is kinda...eh?

 **Ichie:**But you brought them, right? As promised?

 **Fumi:**That WAS the promise.

 **Ichie:**Then I wanna try one! It's not like they're poison!

 **Tamao:**Knowing you, I'm sure they're got a perfectly authentic taste and texture. It'll be an educational experience.

 **Fumi:**If you're that set on it, fine. But I won't hear any complaints after.

(\*rustle rustle\*)

 **Ichie:**Hmm, they look like bite-sized dumplings.

 **Tamao:**Are they black from black sesame?

 **Fumi:**That's right. And flavored with honey and plum pulp.

 **Ichie:**Wait, honey and plum...?

 **Tamao:**\*sniff\* ...It does smell a bit sweet.

 **Ichie:**Well, let's try it! Down the hatch... \*homph\*

 **Tamao:**Bon appetit... \*nom\*

Grk...

 **Fumi:**It tastes weird, right? Considering how much effort they are to make.

 **Ichie:**This is your typical Sengoku-era ninja lunchbox... Those poor ninjas.

 **Tamao:**Especially when it looks like a normal, tasty dumpling.

 **Fumi:**Sooo, I also have a batch I made with ponzu. Any interest?

 **Ichie:**Whaaat!? When I suggested that you shot me down in the next breath!

 **Fumi:**I figured there was no harm in making an experimental side batch.

 **Fumi:**So, do you want one or not? 'Cause if not, I'll put them away.

 **Ichie:**Well OBVIOUSLY I want one! Adding ponzu to your cooking's like strapping jet engines on an eagle!

 **Ichie:**Add a dash of that miracle sauce and ANYTHING tastes amazing! Here goes!

 **Fumi:**Hey, wai--!

 **Ichie:**\*homph\*

 **Ichie:**Hrk...nnnnnrgh...

 **Tamao:**Maybe I'll...pass.

 **Fumi:**That seems wise.

 **Ichie:**Mmf...NNNNMGHF!

 **Fumi:**Even the miracle sauce has its limits...

 **Fumi:**Ninjas' athletic abilities were amazing. I've got a lot of training to do!

 **Fumi:**Rui's right scenes are incredible. Not that I'm any slouch in that department either.

 **Fumi:**"Someone's certainly confident"? Well, obviously. If you think I'll just sit here and whine you're crazy.

 **Fumi:**The goal I gave in mind isn't something a gal with a negative outlook can achieve. My eyes are glued to the future.