Ryuto started to sift through his shirts and ties, for the first time he could remember not knowing what he should wear. He had decided that whatever he should wear had to be the best possible thing that he could find, and he wanted to make a better impression than his first, as he clearly wasn't dressed nearly well enough. His outfit needed to be absolutely perfect and as he looked through his wardrobe he was disappointed with this particular canundrum. He looked for something that would compliment well with his eyes, so that everything would match in his ensamble. He looked throughout his drawers, finally finding a tie that would compliment well. He carefully buttoned up his white shirt, taking the emerald green paisley tie with white accents and tying an eldredge knot, the most impressive looking tie knot that he knew. He then pulled out a solid medium grey suit with a sharkskin texture, carefully pulling on the pants so they wouldn't get wrinkles and fastening the buttons on the vest, inserting his pocket watch into its proper pocket. He would pull the jacket on and grab a white pocket silk from his drawer, looking around for a pair of cogniac wingtip brogues and a pair of rose gold cufflinks with emeralds in the middle. Look on fleak.

Why am I so damned nervous about this stupid date? Wait...it's not actually a date, we're just getting together for tea...privately...in a place that we can get to know one another better, so that it might lead to further dates...er no, wait! GOD DAMNIT! NOT A DATE!

He made his way down his stairs and noticed that his father was nearby, walking up to him and addressing the man. "Father, I have a question, or maybe more of an issue." His dad turned to look at him, and Ryuto knew that he should keep speaking. "I'm meeting a...friend...for a cup of tea, which of course totally isn't a date or anything, because that would just be silly...But yeah, we're going to have tea...and I don't know why, but I feel strangely about this person. I don't want to...hurt them. I just want them to be happy, and like...I don't want to use them or anything...they're super cute and kind and...but yeah...it's not a date, because that would just be dumb and silly..." Ryuto's father just laughed at him.

"Getting soft eh boy? That's fine. Bang 'er and let 'er go. That'll solve your little problem. If she tries to stick around, then you can get her to do whatever you want. Women are only good to be used as tools anyway." Ryuto looked down at his shoes, not wanting to tell his father the situation he was in. Misaki wasn't a girl, of course, and the way that his father was speaking about what he should do with him bothered him something fierce. He had been thinking of him all day since they had been on that successful mission together, and he didn't want to upset Misaki, or potentially hurt Misaki, he just wanted the two of them to get to know one another, andwho knows? Maybe they could go on another date.

He left the house feeling a little frustrated with his father, not wanting to deal with him anymore after the words that he had said about Misaki. He made his way towards the cafe that they had planned on meeting at, getting himself a table. The barista approached him and said "Well boy, don't you look sharp? Got a hot date kiddo?" Ryuto smirked slightly, the half smile spreading across his voice.

"Something like that, my friend. I would like an earl gray tea latte please, and make sure it's not too hot or I won't be able to drink it. I would also like a cheese biscuit with butter." He watched as the barista walked away to make his drink and fetch his snack, making Ryuto wonder what kind of tea Misaki liked, or what kind of food Misaki liked, or if Misaki was a good kisser...

WAIT GOD DAMNIT! Why are you thinking about that? Why do you need to know if he's a good kisser? Just because his lips are perfect and they look like it would feel good to kiss them...doesn't mean...ah I can't even fight you anymore, I know what you want...go for it Ryuto!

726

After several hours of sitting at the gate on his own, Misaki was finally able to go home. His house was nothing to look at. It didn't even have a proper room. It was a small studio apartment in the slums, with a very old kitchen and a faulty piping system. It rarely had hot water, which usually wasn't a problem, considering the heat in Sunagakure. He probably would have showered with cold water anyways, considering that the apartment also lacked air conditioning. Opening the windows didn't really do much either, considering the cramped spaces, low altitude and the amount of heat the roads absorbed. Besides, it just made it easier for people to steal what little he had. The slums weren't the safest of places.

Stepping through the front of his door, the very neatly kept space of his home. The futon was rolled to the side and kept in a corner. The low table in the middle was old, but perfectly clean and polished. The tatami floor barely had a spec of dust on it. Most of what he had came from a secondhand shop near the area. He took a quick shower and changed. He didn't really think much of his clothing choice. After all, this was just a casual outing, right? Part of Misaki wanted to put in effort to look handsome, but not knowing where such thoughts came from, he decided to ignore them. He opened his closet and pulled out pretty much the first thing he saw: a very brightly colored Hawaiian shirt with pink flowers on a blue background. He slipped on some cargo pants and a pair of black socks with little kunai on them. He slipped his wallet into one of his pockets. On his way out, he put on a pair of also brightly colored slip-on shoes.

He didn't look at himself in the mirror or notice the terrible fashion choices he had just made. In his opinion, Misaki dressed perfectly fine. Misaki arrived at the cafe a few minutes later. Part of him was expecting to be stood up. He would be fine with that. He wasn't great company, so he wasn't offended when people blew him off to do something else. If that was the case, he would get himself a cup of lavender green tea and call it a day. To his surprise, Ryuto was actually there, sitting at the bar. Misaki felt... relieved. "Hi," he waved awkwardly, taking a seat next to the boy. He smiled at the barista. "Can I get the usual, Meiko-san?" he asked kindly. She gave him an odd smile, one that tried to say that she knew what he was up to. It confused the boy, but he would get his drink nonetheless. That was what mattered.

[476]

Ryuto saw the other young man enter into the cafe, his eyes instantly drawn to the absolutely gaudy and offensive shirt that he was wearing. He tried to control the look on his face, attempting to not look too disgusted by the absolutely awful shirt that was walking into the cafe attached to the attractive young man. He kind of wanted to rip the shirt right off of Misaki, but he wasn't sure if it was because he found misaki attractive and wanted to see him without clothes, or because he really hated that shirt. If he could take it off and light it on fire, that would be a great thing right now. He kind of wished that he was one of the Uchiha in the Amaterasu path, so that he could light it on fire with his eyes, but sadly that wasn't the case. He settled into a somewhat forced smile, his eyes finally being able to move back up to Misaki's face, which was just as gorgeous as ever.

You should rip his shirt off and tear it into little strips and just throw them out the door so you never have to see it again...And then touch his chest...because...WAIT? WHY AM I THINKING OF THIS? GOD DAMNIT! But he's just...he's like...GAH!\

He managed an actual smile once his eyes were able to tear themselves away from the assaulting colours that had declared war on him. He settled his eyes into a place where they could lock with Misaki's gorgeous orbs, making him blush slightly as he did so. He wasn't going to move his gaze down though, due to obvious reasons, and instead would deal with the fact that he was blushing like a fucking school girl chasing sempai. "Oh, hello again!" His voice was a little quicker than he would normally talk, a little bit nervous obviously. "I'm glad you came, I was worried it would just be me here..." His eyes started to move back down to the boys chest, but he stopped them. If Misaki was a girl, Ryuto was pretty sure he would be pretty offended, but since he wasn't he was fairly positive he had nothing to fear. He had to stop his hands from moving to tear the shirt off, however. He did really want to do that though, if not just to get rid of the shirt, to also get a peek at what was underneath.

WHY ARE YOU BEING SUCH A PERVERT? GOD DAMNIT RYUTO, YOU NEED TO STOP THINKING SUCH LEWD THOUGHTS! I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING OF, AND IT NEEDS TO STOP!

1181

Misaki noticed Ryuto's forced smile. He assumed it was because of something Misaki had done or said, however. Maybe he had greeted the other boy the wrong way. Never would he have come to the conlcusion that it was because of his less than fashionable outfit. He had a tendency to always asusme that people disliked him or only ever wanted something from him. After all, why would anyone ever want him for who he was? He was worthless and ugly. He was weak and not particularly talented at anything. He was fine with it, though. He was used to being called out and belittled by those around him. His own family did it all the time.

"I kind of thought the same, too," Misaki said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. His own blush was spreading across his features, tinting them a light shade of pink. Why anyone would ever decide to stand Ryuto up was beyond him. The boy was the type of person that practically bled confidence and charm. He was also very handsome, in a completely objective way, of course. Anyone that saw this boy, with his perfectly sculpted features, expensive tailored suits and hair like the finest of silk would think the same, regardless of sexual orientation. Misaki was sure of that. The way the barista kept eyeing the two of them was just confirmation of that.

"Here's your drink, Misaki, dear," she said. She placed the cup of steaming liquid in front of him. The sweet smell of green tea and lavender wafted off of it in waves. It made Misaki smile. "Let me know if you and your... friend, need anything else," she said and left them with a wink.

Misaki was confused for a moment. The wink had made it clear, though. The light tint on his cheeks became a deep red. "N-no! I-it's not like that! Not like that at all!" he exclaimed to the barista, who seemed unconvinced. "I-I'm not- I don't- I don't like guys!" He almost yelled. He got a few odd looks from the people around him. He was flushed so red he looked like he was about to pass out. He wondered if Ryuto would be annoyed by the misunderstanding. Maybe he would want to leave. The thought almost made Misaki panic. He fidgeted uncomfortably. His hands played ceaselessly with the hem of his shirt. He would take a sip of his tea, but he would likely spill it over. His hands were shaking a little too much. "I-I'm really sorry about that," he said to Ryuto, almost in a whisper.

The look on Misaki's face told Ryuto everything he needed to know. He did look a little bit upset, and Ryuto imagined it was probably because he had noticed the look on his face when he had walked in, which was very unfortunate. He didn't want him to think that he was upset with him or anything like that, since it was really quite the opposite. He was really just upset with his shirt, if it wasn't for that everything would be fine. He smiled softly as Misaki spoke, enjoying the sound of his voice as though it was a beautiful symphony being played just for him. Ryuto couldn't believe the way he had fallen face first for this boy, as though he was a preening boy from a yaoi fanfiction like the ones he occasionally read when his father wasn't paying attention to him, which to be fair was quite often. He liked to read about love at first sight, and people who got into these fantastic relationships, that of course would end in steamy scenes that weren't for the eyes of people in his age group, but he had never thought of any of that stuff as being a realistic expectation.

"I don't know why you'd think I would stand you up...I think you're-" The barista would cut him off before he could finish his sentence, which was probably good because he was not sure which word his brain was going to allow to slip past his lips. He could think of a few, such as 'gorgeous,' 'enchanting,' 'lovely,' 'perfect' and any list of other descriptors. He was glad that the barista had stepped in honestly, because he didn't want his mouth to get him into trouble. When she winked at them, Ryuto blushed again, until Misaki's outburst. It was cute seeing his face as red as it was. It wasn't anger, Ryuto was sure of that. Maybe Misaki hadn't figured it out yet, but that was something that happened quite often in the stories that he liked to read. He would chuckle slightly as Misaki would nearly yell out, moving to put his hands on Misaki's briefly before saying, "Are you cold? You're shaking like a leaf, and spilling tea everywhere." He would then move to take the cup from his hands and offer to lift it to the young boys mouth, whether he chose to drink it or not was up to him. Whatever his decision he would put it back on the table when he was done and continue speaking.

"Look you don't have to apologize to me, I'm just enjoying getting to know you." He smiled softly once more, taking a quick glance down at the shirt once more. If only there was something that he could suggest that would give him a good reason to get Misaki to get rid of it. He could get him to take it off and have it 'get lost' perhaps by having one of the other genin who followed him around and listened to him steal it and ideally burn it. Yeah that sounded like it was a pretty good idea. Plus then he could see Misaki without his shirt on...

You know, I'm not even going to bother fighting you anymore. Go ahead and imagine his body, I'm sure it's great. You know what why don't you invite him swimming? Then you could get him all wet and get a really nice view?

That was actually a pretty good idea. Ryuto thought that he should probably actually pose that question to Misaki.

WAIT! GOD DAMNIT! I WAS KIDDING! YOU CAN'T GO SWIMMING WITH HIM, YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HIM! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO...you know what. I want to see him without clothes on too...damnit...

"Hey Misaki, do you like Swimming? We could maybe go to the Oasis after this and go for a nice swim. It's a great way to cool off on a hot day like today." His question was said softly, having regained most of his composure by now. He would await the boys answer and then pipe in with a "I'm glad we got to work together today, I was glad I got a chance to meet you." Totally not a date...not even remotely.

1927

Ryuto's reaction - or lack thereof - to his sudden outburst was confirmation enough for Misaki. This was by no means a romantic outing. They were just two people getting to know each other. He had been expecting the blonde haired boy to get angry with him for causing such a scene, for embarrassing him. He wouldn't have been surprised at all if he left and never wanted to talk to him again. He felt his chest tighten at that thought. Instead, he was surprised when Ryuto placed his hands over his. He felt the breath escape his lungs and his words catch in his throat.

Why did his heart skip a beat?

The blue haired boy regained his composure a few seconds later. Ryuto's touch was... warm, more so than he expected. It was gentle and sweet. His hands were oddly smooth. Misaki had always assumed that all shinobi had calloused hands due to the nature of their work. His own had grown rough over the year, mostly due to his constant use of weapons and tools. But Ryuto's were soft, so soft. If his heart had skipped a beat before, it was now threatening to burst out of his chest. Absorbed in how his body was reacting to a simple touch, Misaki didn't quite hear what the other boy said. He merely nodded slowly, somewhat dumbfounded. Realizing that their hands were still touching, Misaki withdrew his.

At least he had stopped shaking. He could drink his tea in peace now. Sort of. While his mind was almost blank now, he knew that once he was alone, it would be running a mile a minute, trying to make sense of today. He had to take advantage of its relative calm for now. And of course, he had to try and have fun while he was out with Ryuto. He wanted to become the boy's friend. He wanted an excuse to see him again. Such things wouldn't happen if Misaki continued to act awkwardly. He needed to relax. The boy took a deep breath.

He was some what surprised by Ryuto's proposal. The other boy had only wanted to meet him for a free drink, right? Why would he want to extend their outing by going to the oasis? Maybe he was feeling sorry for Misaki. He had to be taking pity on the blue haired boy for his current state. Yeah, that was probably it. Regardless of that, the idea excited Misaki. He nodded enthusiastically. "That sounds great, actually!" He said. The pure joy was tangible in his voice. Misaki enjoyed the beauty of nature and anywhere he could openly stare at the sun and sky were places that he liked to visit as much as he could. The oasis in the outskirts of Suna fit that description. The water wasn't exactly what one would need to cool off considering its temperature, but in the late afternoon it was usually perfect for a swim.

Misaki's face fell for a moment when he realized something, though. He didn't really have the right clothes to go swimming. He pursed his lips for a moment, considering their options. "I guess, I mean, I don't really have a bathing suit with me but I've seen a few people just go to the oiasis in their boxers," Misaki shrugged. He had been there on his own a couple of times. Despite being a lovely place, not many people frequented it because of the hot water. After all, Sunagakure already rose up to searing temperatures on the best of days. Bathing in hot water did very little to help. At this time of die, it should be fine. The sun would start going down in about an hour and with it would come the cooler nights of the desert. Swimming in what was essentially a giant hot tub sounded ideal.

"I-I'm glad we met, too," Misaki said as a genuine smile made its way onto his face. He would find out the real reason for this feeling of pure joy in a little over a week.

Misaki seemed to be quite happy, but also quite clueless as to why. Ryuto's heart skipped a beat itself when he said that he would join him for swimming. He knew what water did to boxers and the thought made his cheeks turn a shade more pink than usual. His mind was wandering to places that he didn't want it to go in public because decency, but he couldn't help it. Call it teenage hormones or infatuation or being a bit perverted, though Ryuto would hold tight to the fact that he wasn't perverted. He had never had feelings like this before, or at least not this strongly and he had never even thought of things that were more than just holding hands with someone or maybe kissing them. He had managed to jump past that, but he didn't want too. He had to figure out how to stop himself from exploding in the cafe, and then it hit him. He looked down once more, the awful and painful assortment of colours combining to assault his eyes once more and drive his thoughts away from dirtier thoughts. He was thinking again of how to get rid of that stupid shirt, and he had figured out a way to do so. He would get someone to steal it when they were swimming, someone with Katon alligned chakra, and that person would burn it so that Ryuto would never have to think of it again. He smiled at the thought, bringing his eyes back up to the face of Misaki. He really was great, wasn't he?

I'm not fighting anymore, I totally agree with you. You should just go for it, god Damnit!

He would slowly drink his tea, enjoying the time he was spending with Misaki and waiting for him to be ready to go. He was looking forward to the next part of what might have been a date, maybe. Misaki might not have realised it, but as far as Ryuto was concerned that was exactly what this was. He would engage in idle conversation, asking Misaki about himself, what kind of music or reading he likes, if he had ever dated anyone before, and just enjoyed his time with the boy. This was already turning out to be a pretty great day...

2319
{Exit Thread}

Speed E1-D 675
Strength E1-D 675
Endurance E3-D 300
Perception D-D1 325
Reaction Time D-D1 325

19 words discarded

Misaki was still nervous. Maybe if he concentrated on Ryuto instead of the people around him in the shop - the bartender eyeing him every once in a while, the customers shooting sideways glances at him for having caused such a ruckus. If he blocked them out and paid attention only to Ryuto, maybe he would be able to calm down. He tried to take a few deep breaths as discretely as possible. A few seconds later, his hands stopped shaking. He felt more calm. Good. He could now appreciate his tea properly. He wrapped his palms around the cup. He inhaled the sweet scent coming from it. He hadn't really been able to before. He took a few sips before setting it back down again. Yes, blocking everyone out except for Ryuto seemed to work for him.

Misaki waved his hand to try to get the bartender's attention. "Be there in a sec," she called back to him as she finished wiping a mug clean. The blue haired boy wanted to ask for the check so that they could get going. Quite frankly, he was getting excited. He reached for his wallet - a worn out little thing that carried almost all of his ryo in it, his payout from missions, his salary from his part time job and all of that. The bartender set the check in front of him. It didn't amount to much, which was a bit of a relief. He had expected Ryuto to order a full meal. He set a few bills on top of the counter, enough to cover the tip as well. "Should we get going?" He asked Ryuto, smiling kindly and trying not to seem too eager.

He did want to leave soon, however. He wanted to get to the Oasis Springs before it got dark. The view of the sunset from there was breathtakingly beautiful. He had only seen it once or twice, but it had left a lasting impression on him. And maybe sharing that with Ryuto... Why did his thoughts lead him there? Why did he want to show this to this guy he had just met a few hours before? It was odd. He had never really thought of anyone that way. Then again, though, he had never really let anyone get too close to him. He had never had the time to do so. Maybe this would signal a change of pace, a change for the better. He really would like someone he could call a friend, someone that would care for him just as he cared for them. That would certainly be new.