Slowly Sabishi would awaken to a seemingly distant sound. His head was shoved between two pillows but that didn't seem to do anything more than hush it a little. His grey eyes would slowly focus as he would move the pillow off his head and the sound seemed to go from muffled buzzing to a loud screeching. Nearly unbearable was the noise. With a groan Sabishi would shift his hand as a green string of energy would snap out of his finger tip and latch onto the alarm clock before dragging it to himself. With a sigh he would hit the snooze button before settling his face back into the pillow and snoozing himself. Of course ten minutes later that screeching returned in force. This time he would sit up before grabbing the alarm clock and turning it to look at the back. He had modified this one himself and in order to turn off that god awful noise one had to rotate the locking mechanism to the correct combination. It took him a couple of tries frustratingly enough but he managed to finally turn it off. With a sigh he would set it back down and rub his face. It was time to wake up.

With that thought, he would swing his feet over the edge of the bed. Sitting there in a pair of pajama pants and shirtless. He would rub the crust out of his eyes with his palm before moving to the bathroom for his daily requirements. Showering, peeing, brushing his teeth and his hair before stretching as the first of the sunlight filtered in through his window. Quietly so as not to wake his mother he mad himself some toast before dressing into a pair of black work pants and steel toe boots with a grease stained T shirt that looked that way no matter how many times he washed it. He would finish his toast and yawn as he fetched the keys and moved to throw his pajama pants in the hamper. He would stop there in the hallway looking inside it for a moment. His mothers garb had blood from where she had coughed on it again. Even with medicine her condition wasn't getting better. He would close the hamper and move down the hall to see her sleeping in her room again. With a sigh he would put on his brown train conductors hat and move out of the house. Locking the door behind him.

He would move quietly down the steps as the sun rose and rub his arms for warmth. Even in the desert it got cold at night. Still that young man had mentioned he would be coming by early to help open the shop. Really though, what good was it owning your own business if you couldn't set your own hours? Either way he didn't want to leave the poor guy out in the cold so he had opened up shop now instead of later. At the ass crack of dawn. He would move down the stairs next to his house to the basement where the shop was. Mechanized emporium was the words on the sign above the door as before. With a twist of the key he was inside and closing the door behind him but not locking it. Flipping the open sign as he moved to the back of the shop. Keen on turning on the furnace early so as to warm up the stone room. The whole place felt so cold underground. He would be back there for a moment. After all a furnace takes time and attention to heat up right.

611

Misaki usually had no trouble getting up early. He only slept for a few hours a night. Usually it was intentional - a preventative measure of sorts. It helped him avoid unwanted dreams of the past. In the beginning, it had left him tired throughout the day. Now, though, he had become used to the odd habit. Realizing that he hadn't asked Sabishi at what time he should get to the shop yesterday, he figured he might as well get there as early as he could. He had left in a bit of a hurry, much to excited to ask about the fine details of his new apprenticeship. Misaki had simply rushed to the Dragon's Tongue to quit the part time job and had then gone to look for scrap metal in the junkyard outskirts of the village. It wasn't until he got home later that night that he had realized he should have asked several more questions - like what his hours would be like, how many times a week he would be tending to the shop and such. He cursed himself a little bit for getting carried away.

That was what had brought him to where he was now, however. He had woken up about an hour before dawn. It had taken him about ten minutes to eat breakfast and get ready for the day and another ten to get the the shop. He was thankful that it was close to his apartment in the slums. It was a modest place, but one filled with all kinds of wonderful contraptions. Misaki had really been captivated by all of the creations inside and more so by the fact that someone about his age was responsible for them all. He only wished that he could eventually have at least some semblance of that skill.

The young Karisuma sat outside of the shop, next to the stairs that led down to the basement it was located in. He had brought with him a small bag full of scrap metal. He didn't know how to judge their value, but he hoped it would be enough to get him started. Strapped to his back was also his naginata. The main reason he wanted to learn from Sabishi was to improve the spear's quality. He had dabbled a bit in forging weapons, but knew he was no good at it. The end result of several weeks of effort had been a sub-par weapon. As the sun started to rise, he witnessed the number of people going up and down the street slowly increase. People were getting ready for the day and making their way up and down the narrow streets of the slums.  

"Sabishi-san!" he would call to the other boy when he saw him. He wasn't sure whether he should call him sensei or something along those lines, so he had settled for the more common of the formal suffixes. He bowed, greeting his new teacher. He would wait to follow the other boy's lead before entering the shop. "Where do you want me to start?" He would ask once they were inside. He would set the scrap metal down on the counter and motion for Sabishi to look at it. "This is all I managed to find yesterday, but I hope it's good enough for something - even if it's just basic."

Ryuto's life had gone for quite the spin in recent times. First he had watched as his father brutally murdered his mother with a cast iron skillet, smashing her face in until it resembled uncooked hamburger, and then forcing Ryuto to assist him in disposing the body by chopping it into tiny pieces and putting it into the fireplace. He had never cried so many tears or vomited the contents of his stomach so violently in his entire life. He then confessed his love to Misaki the next day, completely turning the pain and suffering that he had endured on its head, and also on Misaki's head.

Ryuto, you dirty dog, that's inappropriate and you shouldn't think like that. Your puns are awful, god damnit!

The voice in his head was kind of right, as the two of them had spent the night doing somewhat inappropriate things, followed by lots of cuddling and sleep. It was quite lovely, and when he woke up in the morning, for a brief period of time, he felt completely carefree. Misaki had woken up before him and prepared breakfast, which was, in Ryuto's humble opinion, the best breakfast he had ever had. After leaving his house, however, reality came crashing back down upon him like a great tidal wave, completely reminding him of the horrors he had endured from his father's hands. It was impossible not to think of it while living under the same roof as him, and he felt nervous at all times.

When he woke up that morning, he did so in a cold sweat. His dreams had been awful, the vivid memory of his mother's death haunting him once more. It was difficult for him to sleep at his father's house, and he needed to get the hell out of there. He awoke in the morning, looking at the card that the young Sabishi had given him, and decided that perhaps he would try to get the boy to follow him once more. He looked into his wardrobe, the massive walk in closet housing his insane amount of clothes, and found the perfect outfit for the day. He found a white shirt with a crisp collar, three brown buttons at the neck and going all the way down as well. Over the shirt he would wear a full three piece suit, which was an iridescent suit that depending on the angle would look either navy or burgundy. The vest he wore was high collared and had a peak lapel collar to it, matching that of the suit jacket. He wore no tie, though the neck of the shirt was done up all the way. The pocket watch that his father had given was in its regular place on his vest, the chain hanging freely, though for once it did not give him the comfort it normally would. He wore a pair of cognac oxford shoes with the suit, no brogue to them, and topped the look off by spiking his hair up and wearing a pair of wide rimmed gold sunglasses. His appearance mattered greatly to him, and taking pride in that wasn't something he was going to give up simply because his father was a bastard of a man.

As he made his way out of the house he was careful to avoid his father, not wanting to interact with him at all, as it would only lead to pain. He quickly made his way to Sabishi's shop, keeping an eye out to see if he was there. He had left quite early to escape being around his father, and had hoped to run into Sabishi before the shop got busy, therefore deciding he would show up slightly before opening time. Upon arriving at the place, he noticed something that made him both happy, and slightly confused and possibly frustrated at the same time. Sabishi led Misaki, Ryuto's lover, into his shop. His brows would furrow, angrily staring Sabishi down. He didn't like the idea of other boys getting too close to Misaki, and as this was someone whom he thought would make a good pawn, he didn't want the two of them interacting. If Sabishi were to fall in battle due to Ryuto's direction, and Misaki were to get upset, that would cause issue, and therefore it was necessary to ensure that his lover avoided those whom he had marked as pawns. He would wait a couple of minutes before climbing down the stairs that led into the shop, checking his pocket watch as he got to the bottom and then speaking out. "Sabishi? Are you here? It's Ryuto, I've come to speak with you."

795

Sabishi would hear his name called out as he was unlocking the door and his shoulders would almost slump. It was just simply too early in the morning for that much energy. He would turn his head as the key sat in his hand just in front of the padlock it was meant for. He was simply too tired still and had hoped for ten minutes to just adjust to the day in his shop but that wasn't what fate had set out for him. He would take a deep breath and put on a smile before turning entirely and bowing his head in return. He knew to be respectful even if he was still waking up. "Good morning Misaki" He didn't bother at all with a suffix because honestly it just took too much energy and effort. Simply communicating with names was so much more simple. Still he would turn back and turn the lock before removing it and opening the door with a jingle. His hand would reach out to turn on the light with one switch and with another flick would turn on the open sign. Quietly he would enter the store and hold the door for Misaki before letting it swing closed. Completely failing to even sense Ryuto or the hostility towards him. After all he was a third rate genin at best.

Still he would move into the shop as he placed his right hand on the side of his neck before cracking it left then right. Loud popping filling the shop before he would take a relieved breath and let it out slowly. It was a sweet relief for him for the moment. Still his grey eyes would shift to a clanking noise as Misaki would set the raw materials he found on the counter. He would tilt his head before moving over and picking up each piece individually. Misaki had managed to select metal with no rust from somewhere which meant they didn't need to sand it down. No paint on it either which was even better. He would scoop it all up and set it behind the counter before speaking in return. "It's all in decent condition and quality Iron. Normally we would sand down any rust or paint. Really anything besides the Iron itself. However seeing as there is none of that I suppose we will skip that. For now you need to select what type of fuel you intend to use for the fire. If you want a darker metal and for it to heat quickly I suggest coal. It will burn hotter but burn out faster. The metal will be stronger too. However the other option is wood. You get a lighter metal and though it will be weaker you can work on it longer. Bringing out better shape and structure. So dark and durable or light and intricate?"

He would stand with his arms crossing as he leaned back against the counter and finished speaking. However before Misaki would have a chance to reply Sabishi would hear the bell ding as the door open and his eye brows would rise in surprise. A customer this early was something he figured never happened. Of course that may be because he was always asleep this early. Perhaps he should start opening the shop at the crack of dawn. Still that thought made him exhausted just considering it. Oh good god that whole idea could just suck eggs. Still the sound of his name being called out surprised him. Most people just referred to him as shop keep. To actually be called by his name was odd. Still his grey eyes took in Ryuto as he smiled at the mans entrance. Perhaps they would have a starting point for Misaki's education "Good morning Sir. Finally decided to up your combat level to something beyond the common ninja? Whats your weapon preference?"

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Misaki was glad to hear that the scraps he had found had been worth the time he had invested in looking for them. He examined them more closely, so that he could learn what it was that made them of decent quality. Like Sabishi had said, there were no visible signs of rust or leftover paint anywhere. While those were relatively obvious signs, the young teenager committed them to memory. They hadn't been things he had initially looked for. Maybe next time he went to the junkyard he would know what he was doing. At the very least, he would have a better grasp on the basics of forging metals. Now the question became which kind he wanted to work with.

The idea of being able to build more intricate things appealed to him, but working with more durable metals was more practical. He only knew how to use spears, which didn't require any complicated mechanisms. Dark metals matched his fighting style more closely for now. "I think I'd rather work with steel and iron for now," he said. Maybe once he got better, he'd start working with lighter metals as a side project. If he could somehow get his hands on some gold or silver, maybe he could make something for Ryuto... No, that would be getting ahead of himself. They had only been dating for a short time. He didn't want to rush the other boy into something he wasn't ready for. They had declared their love for each other, but Misaki still found it hard to believe that someone would devote themselves to him so selflessly - especially not someone as perfect as Ryuto.

As if summoned by the power of thought, the boy in question came through the door, the small bell ringing as it closed. "Ryuto-kun!" He said. The surprise and joy at seeing his boyfriend were palpable. He rushed towards the silver haired boy with a smile on his face and drew him into a tight embrace. Without thinking about it, Misaki pressed his lips to Ryuto's. It was a chaste sort of kiss, a short but sweet greeting. Still, he blushed when he realized he had done that in front of his new teacher. Misaki let go of the silver haired boy and scratched the back of his head sheepishly, his gaze cast downward.

"Sorry about that, Sabishi-san," he began. "I, um, realize that that was sort of unprofessional of me," he stammered his apology. Despite his embarrassment, he was glad to see Ryuto acting like himself again, even if just a little bit. At the very least, he was dressing like himself. The suit looked fantastic on him, perfectly complimenting his slender frame. It was the first time he had seen Ryuto's locks of silver hair styled that way. It - along with the sunglasses he wore - suited him. Misaki knew that his mother's recent passing had upset him greatly. He didn't know the exact circumstances behind her death. He assumed it had been due to some sort of natural cause or some sort of accident. The fact that Ryuto was back to his usual style of fashion as a sign of a slow recovery.


Much too excited to see the other boy, Misaki had missed the fact that he had called Sabishi by name. Therefore, he felt it was his responsibility to introduce them to each other. "Sabishi-san, this is my boyfriend, Ryuto-kun," he stated. He still blushed when he said the word boyfriend out loud. "And Ryuto-kun, this is Sabishi-san. He's teaching me how to forge a decent weapon," Misaki explained. If Ryuto was at all angry or jealous, it went completely over Misaki's head.