Mission Details:

Guard duty was a boring but important. People stationed at the various entrances that lead to the main village were supposed to protect it against bandits, thieves, invaders and - more commonly - undocumented individuals. That was only what was on paper, though. It was Misaki's belief that he had a responsibility to represent the people of Sunagakure no Sato to incoming visitors. A smile on his face could go a long way in terms of the first impressions they had of the village itself - and happy tourists usually spent more money. It was one of the small things he could do to help out. The fact that he got paid in the process was a good incentive as well.

Occasionally, he would get someone who succumbed to the power of his eyes, people who would feel a sudden wave of unadulterated joy just by looking at him. It always caused the young boy a series of strange feelings when that happened. A sense of pride, slight worry and gratification was the usual reaction. His eyes could be addictive, he had been told once. Such was the nature of a Karisuma, especially one as youthful as he was. Maybe that was why he often got assigned missions where he got to interact with people directly - customer service, or something of the sort. The higher ups usually jumped at any chance to assign him to these kinds of tasks, seeing as his talents were a rarity nowadays. The massacre of an entire clan would do that.

Making his way towards the small booth at the eastern entrance of the village, Misaki took a seat behind a wooden desk. It was fortunate that he hadn't been assigned to the western entrance. At this time of day, the glare from the sun would have been quite annoying. Here, Misaki could appreciate the sunlight quite happily and without any of the adverse effects. It was one of the few things that made the mundane mission more tolerable. That, and he always brought a book with him to read during the slower hours of the day. He was told that someone else would be joining him, since they expected slightly higher traffic than normal today. Misaki didn't mind at all. In fact, he would appreciate the company.

What he wasn't expecting was that his perceptions of himself would be turned entirely on their head, but whatever. It was bound to happen sooner or later.

The sun was hot over top of the village as Ryuto took a quick trip into his wardrobe, looking to see what kind of outfit he would wear for the day. He was getting ready to go to do a mission that he had been assigned to, having to work with another individual. The job seemed easy enough, but he was never sure about working with someone else. He would dress impressively, choosing a pair of charcoal gray pants with a large violet window pane check, the shirt he was wearing a solid in the same colour as the check. He wore a matching vest to the pant, which was adorned with three pockets, the top one housing a violet pocket square to match the shirt, and a carefully selected floral tie which was navy, charcoal and violet as well. He wore the pocket watch that his father had given him when he was young, as well as a pair of burgundy oxford shoes, no brogue or anything special to them. He was ready to meet the day.

When he made his way to his posting, most people watched him pass as it was rare to see anyone who dressed like him, especially people his age. He made it to the wall and met the commanding officer who pointed him to where he had to go, one of the gates where he saw another young man standing guard. He smiled a crooked half smile, curious to see what kind of person he would be and if he would be useful to him. As he walked closer to him he noted a few things about the boy. His dark blue hair was quite stunning, as it was a shade that one did not often see, the ribbons flowing from it an intriguing addition to it, which Ryuto quite liked. He seemed to have very handsome facial features, and his eyes were simply enchanting. This boy was quite beautiful and Ryuto didn't know why, but he was looking forward to simply talking to him, not even necessarily getting to know his strengths and weaknesses, but more like what he likes for breakfast or what he does for fun. Odd how the hormonal brain of a teenage male seemed to work.

He walked into the booth where the other boy was sitting and flashed him a smile. He noticed the mark on his face when he got closer, but paid it no heed, as his eyes drew attention from it nicely. He tried not to stare, but was looking into the boy's eyes as he spoke. "Well good day my friend, I am Ryuto, and I'm assuming you're the one who's stuck working with me today." His smile didn't leave his face, and his gaze may have lingered just a little bit too long, though he managed to stop that, brushing hair away from his eyes and moving in to sit down. "I wonder how this will be. I've never done gate duty before."

(508/1000)

As he waited around, Misaki's hands fidgeted restlessly on the table in front of him. He tapped his fingers relentlessly on the wooden top. He didn't really notice. He often moved around like that without even realizing it. It often happened during extended periods of silence such as this one. Fortunately, he saw someone approaching the gate from a distance. He smiled already, ready to do his job. The man approached in a small caravan with what Misaki assumed was his wife and child. He looked at their papers, mentally comparing them to the standard that he had been shown during his orientation. Everything seemed fine. "Alright, you can go ahead and enjoy the village now. If you're in the mood for good food, please stop by the Dragon's Tongue," He said, recommending the restaurant where he also worked part time as a waiter. His eyes seemed to do the trick. The man's wife seemed suddenly elated.

Misaki turned to wave at the small family. His motions were cut short, however. Behind them and walking towards the booth was a boy, roughly his age. Now, he usually wouldn't have thought anything of it, instead just welcomed the boy and explained the dynamics of what they needed to do in case he didn't know. Instead, he was captivated. He was pretty sure that his jaw was hanging slack.  Beautifully kept blonde hair and a perfectly tailored suit - he was flawless. In turn, Misaki was speechless, even as the boy introduced himself and sat next to him.

"H-hi! I'm Misaki!" He said, stiffening almost instantly. His back straightened and a light pink rash started making its way from the base of his neck to his cheeks. His fists clenched on his thighs, where his eyes were also fixed. If he kept looking at the blonde boy next to him, he felt like his heart would burst out of his chest and run across the desert sands. Why was he even feeling like that? It was strange. Misaki didn't quite know what to make of it. Maybe it had something to do with the glaring heat. Yeah, that was probably it. He likely hadn't had enough water all day. "I, uh, it's, ugh... pretty simple," he began, trying to regain his composure. "The passports and papers and visas look different depending on the country. Um... People from Kiri, Konoha and Kumo need visas while people from Iwa need special permits. Then there's, um, the stuff you need to check if they're bringing merchandise and also, sometimes we have to check the luggage. Oh! And the merchandise too." He was rambling. He knew he was rambling. He couldn't seem to stop himself, though. Word vomit was probably better than actually vomiting from his nerves, so at least there was that. Silver linings.

For some reason Ryuto didn't even notice that the boy, who had introduced himself as Misaki, seemed to be stammering and ranting. His voice was like smooth jazz to his ears, relaxing and making him feel absolutely amazing. He imagined the two of them together sitting at a table enjoying a candle lit dinner as a lovely band played just for them. They sat under the stars and the full moon seemed to shine just for them. He then snapped back to reality and realized that he had a job to do, blushing furiously as he realized that he was clearly infatuated with this young man, something that he hadn't had to deal with as of yet in his life. Damnit puberty, why are you such a cruel bitch? He looked towards the people walking through the gates, trying not to think about the boy that he was currently stationed with. 'Oh, thank you for the advice..." His voice was a tad weaker than before, but he tried to simply shake it off, watching as a couple of people walked up. They bore the headband of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, which meant he only needed their visa.

"Hello sir and madam, what brings you to Suna today?" They looked at him, a small amount of sweat forming on their brows, though the two of them similarly were sweating so it didn't seem that out of place. "Oh dear, we are here to visit my sister, she's lived here for years." The man spoke. Ryuto took the visas, not actually caring in the slightest why these people were coming to Suna. He was more looking to impress the young man in the booth with him with how well he dealt with people. He of course would never normally worry about such a thing, knowing that his natural charisma generally got him through such interactions. He looked over the visa, confirming that it was in fact real and he handed it back to the couple, telling them "Alright guys, stay out of trouble while you're in suna. Try not to get heat stroke and consume copious amounts of dihydrogen monoxide." They looked at him like he was crazy, but he was hoping that his impressive vocabulary would do its job of being impressive.

Why do I even care about this person? I don't even know him, nor should I even care. I want him to hold me and never let go, when generally I want a hold over people's minds and emotions. I'm getting pretty soft apparently, even father doesn't care about mother in such a way...or maybe he did once? I wonder how he handled it...I'll have to ask him.

His hands were trembling slightly as he turned towards the other shinobi, not looking him in the eyes but looking down slightly at his shirt as he spoke. "So, what kind of...uh...things do you like? Like food or stuff? Maybe we could grab some of that after we're done here?"

Damnit! That came out completely wrong...or did it? I mean, what if he says no? Or what if he says yes?!? I don't even know what I'd do...what would I wear? I can't wear these rags, I need to look my best, my absolute best! God damnit!

1080/1000 mission complete!

The boy in front of him - Ryuto, he reminded himself - was also turning a light shade of red. Yes, that had to mean that this odd and queasy feeling was due to the heat. The other boy was suffering the consequences of the awful weather as well. Yes, it was just that and nothing else. Misaki nodded to himself absently. Fortunately for him, he didn't have time to keep going down that line of thought. A couple approached the gate with passports in hand. It was time to keep doing their job.

Visitors from Konoha were a common thing, seeing as the Land of Fire was rather close to the Land of Wind, with only a few small countries separating the two. The neutral relationship between the two countries also helped, of course. There would have been more visitors from Iwagakure for the same reason if the two villages got along. Seeing as they didn't, tourists from there were a rarity. Misaki looked over Ryuto's shoulder, making sure that the papers that had been handed to him were all in order. It was the other boy's first day on the job, after all. He felt it was his responsibility to make sure that everything went alright. The closeness made his heart accelerate somewhat. Again, he attributed that to the added heat of being close to someone else. "...Dihydrogen monoxide? What was that?" Misaki thought to himself. He didn't ask out loud, though, out of fear that he would make a fool out of himself.

He smiled when Ryuto handed the couple back their visas. He had done just fine and worked with far more confidence than Misaki had had the first time he worked as a guard. "I, uh, I guess I wouldn't mind going for tea?" Misaki tried, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. The statement came out more like a question. He knew of a small place close to where they were. It was nothing impressive, but it had a cozy atmosphere, good for conversation. Misaki supposed the boy just wanted to get a free meal or drink from him. That was alright. Misaki got company in exchange, so he didn't mind being used. He smiled tentatively.

Before he could say anything else, a large man approached the gate. Instead of handing them his papers, however, he slammed a fistful of ryo onto the table. Misaki was startled and a little confused. He tilted his head to the side, looking at the man. "Excuse me, sir, we need to see your papers before we let you into the village,"

"Just let me through the goddamn gate!" The man insisted. It wasn't hard to tell that he was drunk. The smell of him alone was enough to clue anyone in on that. Maybe that explained his reluctance to hand over his papers.

"I'm sorry, I can't let you-"

"Like hell you'll fucking let me!" He tried clumsily to rip past the booth, but as he did, Misaki made sure to lock eyes with him. His irises shone and sparkled brightly when he did.

"Sir, could I please see your papers?" This time, the man nodded absently, like part of him wasn't even there. He reached into his pocket and presented his passport. Apparently, he was from a nearby village. Misaki nodded and let him pass, while making a note in the registry for the local guards to keep an eye on him.

The strain on his eyes was annoying. Misaki closed them tightly while he let himself slump down in his chair. He wished he had brought his eye drops with him. The blue haired boy hadn't expected to have to use his Doujutsu today. He should know better than to leave the house unprepared by now. He let out a sigh.

Ryuto could have chosen to notice the fact that the angry man who had sworn at two children all of a sudden seemed to be much calmer after locking eyes with Misaki, but instead he was too busy planning his outfit for their tea date. He couldn't stop smiling, and it wasn't his regular shit eating grin that he had after getting someone to do something that they probably shouldn't have done. His heart was a flutter, and he couldn't help but imagine the potential situations that they could get into, including for some odd reason the tuxedos that they would wear in the event of a wedding, which of course would be shawl collared extremely formal black tuxedos with wing-tipped pleated shirts and black bowties. They would wear matching black and gold button covers and cuff-links, and their shoes would be a perfect patent leather...

What the fuck is wrong with me? I need to not be thinking of this, I have no interest in such things, like getting married or even dating anyone...that said I'm pretty excited about tea. I love tea...and Misaki...wait what was that? NO I love tea and that's it...also his eyes are so pretty...GOD DAMNIT! WHY?!?

His face was even more red now, hoping that Misaki wouldn't notice, though his face seemed to be matching Ryuto's own in hue. He couldn't beleive how red in the face he was, looking away from the other boy and trying not to look to embarassed, but it was impossible for him. He was angry for himself for falling for such a stupid thing, hormones were so dumb and they were messing with his master plan. He couldn't believe how far the mighty had fallen, but he was hoping that it would pass. In the meantime he had a tea to get ready for. He smiled and spoke, "Awesome, well I'm excited for that tea! I'll see you later, since I'm pretty sure that we've got relief here in a few seconds anyway. I need to get changed quickly so that I"ll be ready!" With that he rush out of the gatehouse, not allowing himself to lose himself in that gaze again and making sure that he went directly home so that he could plan his outfit.

{Exit Thread}

1480/1000

If Ryuto noticed what had jsut happened, he didn't comment on it. Ugh, they still had half a day left at this and Misaki's eyes were already stinging. They would probably remain that way for a while. Part of him wished that he knew medical ninjutsu just so that he could circumvent the side effects of using the Stunning Eye. He was still untrained when it came to his Doujutsu and there really wasn't anyone that could teach him how to use it properly. He would have to learn through trial and error, which was inefficient to say the least. In the meantime, the blonde haired boy seemed excited about their outing later in the day. So much so that he began to leave to get ready for it. Misaki froze, unable to say anything. The words were caught in his throat. What was he trying to say, you might ask? Well, it was simple.

"W-wait," he began, but it was already too late. Ryuto was already out of ear range. "We... Still have three hours left," Misaki whispered to himself now. He let his forehead collapse onto the wooden desk. There was a strange sense of relief flooding over him. Sure, he would have to do the rest of the job on his own for the following few hours, but he couldn't help but feel his nerves dissipating and his face cooling. It had to be because there was more air to breathe now and it was easier for the wind to circulate through the cramped booth. Damned heat. It was definitely getting to his head. Why didn't the higher ups equip these places with at least a fan? The blue haired boy would be left wondering that for a few minutes.

Once he managed to regain his composure, the young boy pulled out his book. It was a copy of an old tome that he had managed to buy for a very good price at a secondhand store. It described the early history and founding of Sunagakure - a subject that most people would consider, well, boring. He was entertained by it, though. He liked learning things about the world around him and how they came to be. It was better than any fantasy story, in his opinion.

The rest of the afternoon went by quietly. There were several groups of people that approached the gate, most of them tourists and a few locals returning from their own travels. Looking at them, Misaki hoped that he would be able to wander around the world someday. Before that, though, he had to get stronger so that he could hold his own. Part of him was scared of leaving the village and his newfound safety. He felt as if doing so would put him at risk of being captured again, of being kept in the darkness for the rest of his life. So he had to train, had to improve, if he ever wanted to see the real world for what it really was.