Misaki had never really thought much of his body. It was the standard for any shinobi - toned and defined muscles due to constant training. He had never been proud or self-conscious of it, so he hadn't thought twice when Ryuto proposed to move their outing to the Oasis Springs. They had arrived about half an hour before sundown. The place was relatively empty, since the desert had a tendency to grow cold at night. The water's natural heat made this an ideal time to come here, in Misaki's opinion. Sure, getting out of the water became a pain, but it was worth it. The area was nice to look at and it offered a wonderful view of the stars, farther away from the distracting lights of the village. Misaki hoped they would stay long enough to see them.

There were several small pools scattered across the sand and surrounding a much larger main pool. "Which one do you want? We pretty much have the whole place to ourselves, so you can take your pick, Ryuto-kun," he said to his companion. He called the boy by his first name, with an added honorific. Honestly, he would have been more comfortable calling him by his last name, but now that he thought about it, he didn't know what it was. Ryuto had only ever introduced himself as, well, Ryuto. Maybe there was a reason for that, Misaki thought. Even if there wasn't, it would be a little awkward to ask him about that now. He looked at the other boy, waiting for him to choose which of the springs they would bathe in. Once he did, Misaki would happily head towards it.

The blue haired boy slipped off his shoes and stepped onto the grass once they got there. It was an odd sensation, seeing as he was mostly used to feeling sand between his toes. He proceeded to unbutton his shirt. A shiver ran down his spine as the cooling air made contact with his bare skin. Without thinking too much about it, he removed his pants as well and set his clothes in a neatly folded pile next to his shoes.

The pattern on his boxers was a set of tiny orange scuttling lizards on a navy blue background. His boxers were one of the few things he didn't by at thrift shops and secondhand stores. It was a hygiene thing. Since he spent his savings on them, he always spent a little extra on them. These were his favorite, seeing as they were decorated with his favorite animal. That wasn't what drew most attention, though.

Misaki's pale skin was covered in a multitude of scars. The pattern on his back matched that of his chest - gashes, cuts and whip marks from the torture he received when he misbehaved or when his captor needed some form of entertainment for his guests. There were several ones across his thighs, where his femoral artery was, where he had been bled for days at a time until he was at the brink of death. No one ever asked about them and even if they did, it was unlikely that the boy would tell the story about their true origin. He would make something up, describe several missions or training sessions gone wrong. After all, scars were a normal part of shinobi life. It was why he was only marginally self-conscious of them.

Part of him wanted to look at Ryuto while he undressed. Another chastised it for wanting to interrupt on his privacy while a third tried to ask why he wanted to peek in the first place. Finding no rational answer, Misaki decided against it. Instead, he dipped his foot in the water to test the temperature. It was a little bit hot, but nothing that he couldn't handle. Deciding it was alright, he took a few steps back to get a running start and cannonball into the spring. He laughed after he did. This was nice. He definitely needed the rest and relaxation.

It was at this point that he caught sight of Ryuto's lean and toned body. It was... It was... Misaki couldn't find the right words to describe the strange feeling he now had in the pit of his stomach. He had felt it before when Ryuto put his hand on his, but this was more intense. Misaki felt... drawn to it? That was strange. Why would he be drawn to another guy's body? He looked at his all the time, this shouldn't be anything different, so why was it? A blush spread across his face. He had lost count of how many times that had happened today.

Ryuto very briefly slipped away before they left the cafe, finding one of the people who tended to listen to him and do the things that he would ask him to do. He told them that he needed to have a certain shirt stolen and destroyed, to which the person agreed, and Ryuto told him to follow him and Misaki to the Oasis Springs. The shirt was fairly obvious, and Ryuto would do anything to ensure that it never saw the light of day again. As he walked back over to Misaki he would smile, the two of them heading over to the Oasis Springs as the warmth of the beautiful day made for a pleasant trip. He was enjoying the company of the young shinobi quite a bit, having already realised shortly after meeting the young man that he was infatuated with him. The feelings seemed to be mutual, though Misaki didn't seem to know that was what was happening, which Ryuto kind of thought was cute. He would be the one to guide Misaki through the confusing thing that could be a sexual awakening, and he was going toi enjoy being there for him every second of the way. It was...odd to say the least, that Ryuto cared for someone the way he did Misaki, having never really felt this way before. He generally just wanted to use people, and would take any advantage that he could to ensure that they would do whatever he said, but he didn't want to use this boy, he simply wanted to hold him, to kiss him, whisper sweet nothings in his ears and...

Okay that's some seriously lame shit right there. What's wrong with you? You need to get your head straight god damnit!

He didn't really care what that voice thought, as it never really stopped him from doing what he had wanted in the past. That was the best thing about voices, you could just choose not to listen to them. As they arrived Misaki would ask which pool they wanted, to which he would respond "Well that one over there seems to get the perfect amount of sun, while giving a bit more privacy, that should be good." He would walk over there with Misaki, smiling softly as he went. He was quite excited for this opportunity to see him without his clothes on, which made him feel a little bit wrong but at the same time he decided that he couldn't allow himself to think such things. They were going for a swim, and that was a perfectly normal thing to do. He would slowly begin undressing himself, briefly looking over towards the you,g man to catch a glimpse as he would begin to undress as well. He would smile a half smile, enjoying the idea of him removing that awful shirt, and honestly thinking that his boxers were adorable, but that wouldn't be what he would end up focusing on, and what he would see would make him quite angry.

Misaki was covered in scars, and while Ryuto didn't know where the boy had gotten them, it was obvious that he had gone through a lot of abuse. These weren't your typical battle scars, which a lot of shinobi had, they were clearly from punishment, many of them looking to be lashes from whips and the like. They covered most of his body, making  a deep set rage awaken inside the young Uchiha. He had never been so repulsed by someone having suffered physical violence, and his brain was racing with thoughts of revenge, thoughts of murder, thoughts of taking the people who had done this to his person (even if he didn't know that was what he was yet) and strangling the life out of them with his bare hands.

You know, for once I completely agree with you. This boy needs you, god damnit! You need to make sure that nothing like this happens to him again.

It was unusual for the voice in his head to agree with his thoughts, and that made his anger more prominent. He fumbled with buttons, trying to calm himself as he realised that the issues were effecting his motor skills. He would get himself to a more respectable level, focusing instead on the thought of being in the pool with him, and it became easier. He would finally work off the buttons of his vest and shirt, removing the tie and putting it into his jacket pocket. He carefully removed his shoes and socks and would begin to remove his pants as well, showing off a fitted pair of boxers. He had only one scar, and it was across his back from when he was a child and his father had injured him. He tried not to think of it, knowing that it wasn't near what Misaki had gone through. Other than that his skin was perfect, and while he was a little bit on the leaner side, he was fairly defined. He kept himself in decent enough shape, though he wasn't really a combatant and never felt the need to train too hard in the physical aspect of things. He would catch Misaki looking in his direction and notice the blush on his face, Ryuto smiling softly and finishing removing and neatly folding his clothing before making his way over to the pool.

He would place a hand on Misaki's shoulder, his smile not fading as he brought his other hand to wipe the blonde hair away from his silver eyes, looking towards the young man's beautiful eyes and speaking softly "Well, we're here, I guess we should test the waters eh?" Misaki seemed to be way ahead of him on that one, cannon balling into the pool and causing a large splash. Ryuto would laugh and slip in himself, not jumping like Misaki did, but enjoying the water no less from it as well. He liked to take things slow for the most part, as he knew that the best things in life were the things you sometimes had to wait for. He was positive that was how it would be with Misaki, and he would wait as long as he had to to have him...

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Private...? Why would they need their bath to be private? Misaki wondered. Well, maybe Ryuto didn't like being surrounded by people? No, that couldn't be it. The boy was charming, likable, sociable. Confidence rolled off of him in waves. Misaki always tried to be that way. He tried very hard to come off that way to the people he met. His natural awkwardness and anxiety often bled through his attempts, however. He could never reach the level of someone like Ryuto. That didn't make him jealous or anything like that, though. Instead, he admired the blonde haired boy, who seemed to always be in control of himself. So if he didn't want to avoid people because he disliked the attention, then why? Did he have some sort of disfigurement that he wanted to hide? Misaki tried to picture something like that - maybe an extra part that wasn't supposed to be there? No, impossible. Ryuto was perfect, too perfect for something like that. Besides, if he was self-conscious about something, why would he be willing to show it to Misaki?

Somewhat nervous now, he still followed Ryuto towards one of the more secluded springs. The water would surely wipe all of his worries away. And there it was again, that tingling sensation in the pit of his stomach when Ryuto placed his hand on the blue haired boy's shoulder. Despite that feeling, it was oddly calming and warm. His mind wandered again, thinking about the simple touch and trying to come to a conclusion as to why or how a such a mundane gesture had this effect on him. He wouldn't be able to come to that conclusion now. He probably needed to be alone and in a far more introspective mood for that. It was better not to overthink things for now.

The water rippled around him as he moved, floating on his back and using his arms to maneuver around as his feet kicked. He tried not to splash water on Ryuto, though he did think about his reaction. Would he get moody or would he splash him back and start some sort of game? He thought either would be... was endearing the right word? But he didn't want to be too forward. He kept those thoughts to himself for now. With mismatched eyes, he watched the sky, its colors now starting to dim."The sunset looks beautiful from here," he said, not really thinking about what he was saying. "I used to come here more often when I was a kid. Watching the colors change in the sky helped take my mind off things. I guess it still does," his voice was quiet. He had stopped moving around in the water and had opted for just floating instead. "I also guess I'm kind of hoping you'll enjoy it as much as I do," he added.

It was at this point that he realized what he was saying. Now Ryuto would probably think he was weird for suddenly divulging all this information without being asked to. He panicked a little. He flailed a bit until he was standing neck deep in the water, his kicking legs keeping him afloat since he couldn't reach the bottom of the spring. "I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said something like that," he apologized. His face was heating up and this time, he was sure it had nothing to do with the temperature around him. "I'm sorry if you thought that war boring or sappy or something, I'll, uh, I'll just keep quiet from now on?" He hadn't intended for that to sound like a question. It simply came out that way. Oh no. There he went again, making a fool out of himself. He must have seemed so pathetic compared to someone like Ryuto.

Ryuto's silver eyes looked towards the fascinatingly beautiful eyes of Misaki as he looked towards the sunset. He smiled softly as the boy spoke, enjoying the sound of his voice and simply happy that he was able to spend time with him. The sunset was truly beautiful, but not nearly as beautiful as the person he was enjoying it with. He would feel his cheeks turning a tinge of pink, sighing softly and looking up towards the sky. "It really is beautiful, almost as beautiful as..."

Come on you pussy, say it. Tell him you think he's beautiful, that you think he's perfect, that you want to do things to him that you can't even tell him about. Stop beating around the bush god damnit!

He shook his head gently and looked towards the sunset, moving to sit a little closer to Misaki. "I'm glad I'm sharing this with you, I am enjoying it, and you don't need to apologize. I like hearing you talk, and if you were to keep quiet I believe that would simply be a crime, an atrocity even." The water felt lovely, and he felt very calm and at ease. He never really felt like this, it was something very rare for him. He was always plotting who he needed to sweet talk, or who he needed to muscle or send to muscle people, or what his next move should be in order to position himself into a better position in life. He often thought of his mother and his father as well, and how his father would react and wether he would be proud or not, and on the opposite spectrum how his mother would feel if she knew the kind of stuff that he had done to people. That one bothered him quite a bit.

In this moment, when he was looking up at the beautiful colourful sky, he worried about none of those things, and all he had to think of was the fact that he was spending time with someone who he really enjoyed spending time with. He had only met Misaki earlier that day, but he knew in his heart that this was someone who he needed to keep around, needed to protect and keep safe at any cost, and needed to make happy. He would place his hand on Misaki's shoulder, the smile not leaving his face as his silver eyes would meet the young boy's mismatched ones. "I'm really happy you decided to come with me to this place, it really is special..." Nothing could ruin this perfect moment, and there was something else happening at this very second that would make it even more perfect.

He couldn't see it or hear it, but he knew it was happening, as this was exactly when it was supposed to. One of his people had just picked up Misaki's shirt and was taking it far away from the Oasis Springs. He would take it to a place far from where Misaki could ever find it, making sure that he wouldn't even think of it again, and lighting the awful thing on fire, the cleansing flame taking that abomination to hell. Ryuto wasn't sure if that was Misaki's normal fashion, the boxers he was wearing being fun as boxers, though he imagined they would be quite disturbing as a pattern on a shirt. Thinking of them he would glance down at the boxers under the water, before looking away, trying to make it look like he wasn't checking Misaki out, as that wasn't technically his intention. He would watch the reflection of the sunset off of the water, somehow being even more beautiful against the ripples on the spring. He didn't think it possible to be in a perfect moment, but he was pretty damned close to that right now. He wanted to kiss the young boy, but he also didn't want to scare him away, and he imagined that allowing Misaki to get to the point where he was comfortable around Ryuto, and comfortable with himself, would be a better idea. He instead sat beside this perfect boy, and soaked in the radiance of the scene around them...

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Almost as much as what? What was he trying to compare it to? If it was himself, then yes. Or actually, Ryuto was likely even more beautiful. From an objective standpoint, of course. Anyone would probably come to the same conclusion if they were sane. "You're right, it is as beautiful as you are," he blurted out without thinking. He immediately slapped his hands over his mouth. There he went again, running his stupid mouth. He really needed to work on that. Was there some sort of seal out there that would stop him from talking every time he wanted to say something stupid? Hopefully. He would seriously look into that.

Once again, he was calmed down by Ryuto's words. He... he liked to hear Misaki talk? The thought made the blue haired boy smile. His eyes glimmered. He couldn't remember the last time someone had been so nice to him without expecting something in return. He wanted to believe that was the case, that Ryuto wanted to be here with him just for the sake of enjoying each other's company. "A-alright, I'll keep talking then," Misaki stuttered. He didn't really know what else to say. He wanted to ask Ryuto why he even bothered with someone as pathetic as himself, but he was scared of the answer. He bit his tongue and kept the thought to himself, at least for now. He was already picturing what their second or even third outings would be like. He didn't want to get his hopes crushed by Ryuto pointing out that this was a one time thing.

He was drawn to Ryuto, who swam closer to him. It elicited almost the same reaction as his touch. Misaki was beyond questioning it at this point. He had already concluded that he would try to find his answers later. Right now, he just wanted to enjoy this moment. The orange and yellow hues dancing together across the sky reflected off of the water's surface. He swam closer to Ryuto, his body moving unconsciously, drawn to the other boy like a moth to flame. They were facing each other, only inches apart. On impulse, Misaki leaned his forehead against Ryuto's before he even realized what he was doing. The touch sent something like an electric current throughout his body, shocking him awake. It was... thrilling? Wonderful? He didn't know what words to use.

A moment later, he realized what he had just done. He bolted away from Ryuto, scuttling back a few meters. The expression on his face was alarmed, panicked and embarrassed. If he had been blushing before, it was nothing compared to how he was now, a crimson shade of red spreading across his face, chest and neck. He turned around, got out of the water and headed towards where he had left his clothes. "I-I'm really sorry, I have no idea what came over me, I just- I really don't know and I wasn't thinking or anything, so I just-" he wasn't making any sense, was he? He needed to take a deep breath. He had been so enthralled by the moment that he failed to see that someone had stolen his shirt. He had picked up his pants and shoes several times and looked underneath them as if it would magically reappear. He cursed under his breath.

Misaki slipped on his pants and dug his hands into his pockets. There was... nothing there. Oh no. Oh shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. Whoever had taken his shirt had probably taken his wallet. He searched every single pocket several times. He was almost sweating nervously, he looked at his fingers several times, trying to make a list. "Ok so it's 1000 ryo for rent this month and I guess I could go without utilities until my next paycheck. Maybe I could ask for some sort of loan from Fujisaki-san? No, that won't work. Maybe if I pick up a few extra shifts and ask to be assigned to more missions I might be able to pay the full rent about a week late," he thought. His back turned to Ryuto, he tried to keep his panic to himself.

Ah, the Freudian slip. Ryuto smiled softly as Misaki said he was beautiful, taking a second to say; "No, I was thinking not as beautiful as you are, but thank you." He wondered what the boy's reaction would be, but he was sure that he would at least be happy with the confession. It felt good to get that off of his chest, honestly, and he blushed softly at that. He watched as Misaki would swim closer to him, not having expected it when he had pressed his forehead to Ryuto's. A blush would cross his face as he couldn't help but wonder if Misaki was going to accept his feelings and kiss him. He really wanted him too, and he knew that if he made that move he might scare Misaki off for good, but he really wished that he could. He pictured holding Misaki in his arms and pressing his soft warm lips to Misaki's, comforting him and telling him that nothing would harm him again. He was...a little bit put off by how stupidly fast he had fallen for this guy, but that was hormones for you.

When Misaki realised what he had done he got away from Ryuto as quickly as he could, the young Uchiha a little bit sad about that but also understanding that he likely wasn't ready to face what he was going through. Ryuto probably wasn't the person to help him with that, but he wanted to be that person. He was sure that Misaki would figure it out, but talking to Ryuto wouldn't help him with that. Ryuto could only tell him what he knew, that he liked Misaki in more than a like way, and that Misaki clearly returned those feelings. He also knew that if he were to say that to misaki, it could push him away. He was conflicted, because he wanted to show that he was there for him, but he wasn't sure how to do so.

When he got out of the pool, Ryuto watched him going to look through his stuff, noticing that the shirt was missing. He would grin gently, but then he noticed that Ryuto looked panicked, seeming to be searching for something. He would get out of the pool and hear him talking about the money he seemed to be missing. Ryuto wasn't sure what had happened, if the boy's wallet was in the shirt or if whoever he had sent to take the shirt had also stolen his wallet, but he could feel himself becoming flush with rage, balling his hands in fists before taking a second to relax once more. He couldn't help the boy if he looked like he was angry when he approached him, and so he sighed, moved towards their stuff, and looked towards Misaki as he turned to face him. It was clear he wasn't trying to look panicked, but Ryuto knew he was, his increased heart rate, heavy breathing and the sweat on his brow obviously showing that he was stressed.

You need to do something for him, you can't let him be afraid or sad, you need to make him happy and realize that you will be here for him, build that trust God Damnit!

Ryuto walked over to his stuff, picked up his jacket, and put if over the boy's shoulders before wrapping his arms around Misaki and pulling him close to him. "Misaki, you don't need to worry. I don't know who did this to you, but I will do everything in my power to find them, and I will ensure that you get your property back. I won't rest until I have done that for you. I don't want to see you upset or worrying, especially when I am around. Let me take care of it..." He would reach into the jacket pocket that he had put on the boy and pulled out his own wallet, giving the boy the ryo that he had inside of it. He didn't mind giving some of it up, his father being fairly wealthy himself, so he could always get it back from him. He would hold Misaki for as long as he allowed him to, and once Misaki was calmed down a little bit, he would make his way over to his stuff, dry off, and quickly dress himself. He was going to track his man down, and it wasn't going to be pretty when he found him...

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Misaki was much too absorbed with his current dilemma to notice that Ryuto was approaching him. He was still trying to figure out how he would make ends meet for the month. He remembered someone from the slums suggesting something. Sweetheart, with a face and body like that you'd be making about 400 a night. His face instantly flushed and turned into a grimace at the thought. No, that was definitely out of the question. Besides, he was sure that the person who suggested that had just been joking. Maybe he could use his Stunning Eye on people and charge them for it...? No, stupid. He knew it could be addictive, doing something like that would just be irresponsible. He shook his head.

He was startled out of his thoughts by Ryuto, placing his jacket over him and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. There it was again - the sudden wave of calmness and that nagging feeling in the back of his head. It was the hope that he was genuinely cared for and the fear that he was not. He still didn't know how to interpret the feeling. Tentatively, he leaned into Ryuto and heard the other boy speak. "Thank you," he said quietly. It was all that he could manage before Ryuto offered to give him some money.

Misaki shook his head. "I-I'm sorry, I can't accept that," he said. He gently pushed Ryuto's hands away, his own lingering there for a moment. It wasn't some sort of prideful thing. Misaki really couldn't care less about something as superficial as that. He didn't care if people felt sorry for him. How could he if he often felt the same way about himself? No, the problem lay elsewhere. He couldn't quite put his finger on why, but accepting money from Ryuto would make him feel awful. He didn't want to inconvenience the other boy, nor did he want to take advantage of his kindness. This was his problem and he would deal with it in one way or another. For now, it was time to go home.

He stood up and waited for Ryuto to do the same. "I guess it's time for me to go home now," he began and wrapped the jacket around himself. He could tell that it would be a small fit around his shoulders, so he didn't bother slipping his arms through the sleeves. "I can... walk you back home? If you want?" He asked, his tone more hopeful than he had wanted it to come across. He couldn't make eye contact, he stared at his feet while he waited for an answer. When he got one, they would both set off together.

Ryuto was almost a little bit disappointed that Misaki would turn down his money, feeling more than a little guilty about what had happened. To be fair, he had told his subbordinate that he was only supposed to take the shirt, he had no idea that he would go against Ryuto's orders and take the boy's wallet as well. He was hoping he would take some of his money, but instead he put it into the back pocket on his pants and sighed softly. Their evening had been lovely before this had happened, and he was a little bit upset that he knew he was the cause of this issue. He only wanted to have a good time with Misaki, though this seemed to put a bit of a damper on that. When Misaki offered to walk Ryuto home, however, it did make him smile. At least he would get a chance to finish his evening with Misaki on a high note. He walked up to Misaki and put a hand on his shoulder, smiling at him as he did. "I would love for you to walk me home, I think that would be lovely."

The moon was crawling up above them, and Ryuto was enjoying the idea of having a moonlit walk with the beautiful boy who he was with. It was honestly a perfect ending to an evening, something that he had thought of several times in the past, though he never imagined that he would meet someone who would make it special for him. He was a tad bit of a sap, so he liked the thought of romantic things like this. He would have a chance after he got home to go out and find the man who had taken Misaki's wallet, teaching him a lesson in the process. He would destroy him, and make it so that he would never hurt anyone ever again, his last mistake having been hurting the person of Ryuto's affection. It might have not been overly fair, but he certainly didn't care about that, all he cared about was righting this horrendous wrong, and maybe he would bring Misaki a flower too.

I wonder if he likes roses?

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{Exit Thread}

Endurance D-D3 1175
Perception D1-D3 850
Reaction Time D1-D3 850
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