Old Acquaintances (Social)

Riku Tensei · Post by **Riku Tensei** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 10:19 pm

The restaurant was rather quiet this time of day. Not many people were here, most of them at their jobs or on missions. At the bar sat a young boy wearing rather regal attire. His dirty blond hair sat loosely on his shoulders, cat ears of an identical color sitting atop his head. He took a bite of his ramen, dropping the chopsticks and clamping his hand to his mouth as the noodles burned his tongue. The waitress laughed. "I'll get you some water, hun." He looked at her and nodded, still holding his hand to his mouth. She returned with the water a couple seconds later, which he downed quickly, attempting to soothe the burn. His tongue was blistering. "So, no missions today?" The waitress asked, making idle conversation.

"Nope. I have the day off." He smiled at the waitress.

"You look so adorable with your kitten ears." She said, rubbing his head and messing up his hair. He ran a hand through it to fix it, laughing a bit.

less · Post by **less** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 10:45 pm

"I'll catch you guys later!"

Ruo strode into the restaurant as if he owned the place. His family had started it to cater to their dilectory preferences, after all, so in a way, he did. Not that he ever expected special treatment, or asked for it. Really, he strode into just about everywhere like that. He'd just bade a few friends farewell, and seemed to be in good spirits, a big smile in place on that boy-next-door face of his. Like most Enkouten, Teruo was pretty hard to miss, largely due to the fiery red color of his hair.

"Oi, Kami-chan, the usual please but with extra unagi." He'd given his order without really paying attention, moving to an open seat at the bar and flopping onto it, his limbs leaden from exhaustion. If his hair hadn't given him away, his trade-mark jacket probably did- he'd been wearing it in quickly increasing sizes since he entered the academy so many years before. Slouching in a lean against the counter, he glanced over, his equally incardanine eyebrows jutting upwards when he saw the waitress playing with the other guy's hair.

A cocky grin revealed most of his teeth. "I didn't know you had a boyfriend, Kami-cha-"

His voice cut out abruptly when he bothered giving the guy a once over. Something definitely familiar. He couldn't quite place his mental finger on it, though. It wasn't hard to tell he was diverting a considerable portion of his not-so-considerable brain power to figuring out where he recognized him from. He's cute wound up surfacing, derailing his train of thought for a few seconds before he shook his head, brushing his hair away from his eyes thoughtlessly. Such thoughts had been cropping up more and more frequently, lately. He forced his eyes, with their peculiar red arci, to stay on the boy's face even though two shinobi visually dissecting each other wasn't uncommon at all.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" he asked, setting his elbow on the countertop and then resting his cheek in his hand.

Riku Tensei · Post by **Riku Tensei** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 10:51 pm

"Wha?! I...I'm not her boyfriend!" He shouted back, his face bright red. He then turned to the waitress. "No offense." She smiled at him and nodded back.

"You're too young for me anyways."

He returned to his food, preparing his second attempt at enjoying the dish, but stopped when he noticed the boy who entered staring at him, asking if they knew each other. He thought for a moment. He was right, the boy did look familiar to him. "Now that you mention it, I do think I know you from somewhere..." He trailed off, deep in thought. Then, it hit him. "Ruo?" He asked, hoping he wasn't wrong.

less · Post by **less** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 11:01 pm

His grin returned, threatening to swallow his ears entirely at the alarmed reaction. Kami gave his earlobe a pinch, to which he replied with a false gasp of pain, sharing a smile with the woman before she went off to put in his order.

Was he staring? It seemed he was, not even realizing it. "Hai, Ruo," he was quick to agree, sitting up. "And you're..." Well, the guy knew him, that mean he must know the guy. But from where. Ruo knew he wasn't the brightest, but he wasn't losing his memories yet or anything.

You could practically see a dim bulb appearing over his head when it finally it. "Ritsu-kun?" he asked, almost in disbelief, laughing jubilantly. "I haven't seen you since the academy! How are you? And what's with these?" Just like that, he leaned over, giving one of the false cat ears a flick. "There a costume party I don't know about?" That came attached to an almost goofy, conspiratorial grin.

Riku Tensei · Post by **Riku Tensei** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 11:07 pm

He smiled as Ruo finally remembered him. Though they hadn't become close, the two of them had hung out a few times back in the academy. "I've been good. You know, lots of training. How've you been?" He politely returned the question, as one always did. His cheeks became flushed red again as Ruo flicked his cat ears, making a 'costume party' remark. He put both of his hands on his head by the ears. "Shut up! I like them." He retorted grumpily.

less · Post by **less** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 11:29 pm

He'd pulled his hand back quickly enough, returning to his lazy position against the counter. "I've been great. Really good. Lots of training too. I love it though. I've gotten pretty good, haha." He shifted a little, for the sake of comfort, seemingly amused by the surliness Ritsuka exhibited. Or maybe it was the blushing.

"Yeah? You like them, huh? I guess that makes sense, since you're wearing them." The obvious was one of Teruo's many talents. "Seems like they work pretty well on the ladies, at least."

It was then that his food arrived. He sat up now. Food was serious business. The dish, some sort of eel stew, was laden with so many spices that it would probably make someone's eyes water if they got too close. Teruo simply lifted the bowl and slurped, smacking his lips as if refreshed. "Perfect like usual," he remarked to the waitress, flashing a big thumbs up before he lifted his chop-sticks to dig in earnestly. He ate like a typical teenaged male, aggressively, as if there were some sort of prize at stake.

Riku Tensei · Post by **Riku Tensei** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 11:34 pm

"Yeah, I suppose..." He trailed off, coming to some sort of realization. Girls had never been on his mind really. He couldn't remember a single time where he had even thought about a girl in any significant way other than being a friend. It never really hit him until now and it struck him as odd. Was something wrong with him. He shook his head, snapping out of the trance he had entered and returning to his ramen. It had cooled enough by now to where it would not burn his tongue, though the warm noodles seemed to reactivate the burn from earlier. He cringed a little as he ate, mentally kicking himself for his own stupidity. "So um...what are you doing after you're done eating?" He asked nervously.

less · Post by **less** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 11:44 pm

Teruo glanced over curiously when Ritsuka fell silent. Clearly thinking. Ruo was intent enough on his food and observing Ritsu that he didn't bother snapping him out of it. This time he let his fiery gaze wander, just a bit. He compared the other shinobi's body to his own, finding differences and similarities, aspects that appealed and... well, no, none that didn't, really. The hint of femininity worked for him, but it wasn't so much that it actually made him appear girly.

Then Ritsuka pulled him out of his reverie, and it was Ruo's turn to blush a bit in light of where his thoughts had wandered, turning his cheeks nearly the same vibrant hue as his hair. "Wha? Oh. Uh, I hadn't really thought about that yet." He slurped up a bit of eel, then passed his tongue over his lips to clear them of broth. "Probably just loaf around some. I had an early start this morning. What about you?"

Riku Tensei · Post by **Riku Tensei** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 11:48 pm

Ruo was blushing? Why? Had he said something embarrassing to him on accident? He shrugged it off as nothing, listening to him speak. "I don't have any plans today." He set down his chopsticks and spun in his stool, turning to face Ruo fully. "Perhaps we could...hang out?" He spoke like a shy child asking out his Elementary School crush, a look on his face and in his eyes to match, the cat ears only adding to the image.

less · Post by **less** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 11:54 pm

He was trying to remember if Ritsuka ha always been so shy. He remembered some trouble. Issues. He remembered feeling bad for the other boy, and then...

And then he'd become a genin, and all-but-forgotten.

He couldn't help but smirk a bit at the trepidation, and tapped his chin thoughtfully with a free finger.

"Wellllll..." he finally said, stretching the word out to add to the supense. "Technically we already are. So we can keep hanging out if you want."

Riku Tensei · Post by **Riku Tensei** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 11:58 pm

[[ Don't know why I didn't mention this earlier. It slipped my mind. He has a bandage around his right wrist, left forearm, neck, and on his left cheek. ]]

He smiled brightly, looking generally please. "I'd like that." He couldn't remember the last time he had a person to call a friend, if ever at all. He generally disliked getting close to people, as his mother showed him what people close to him were capable of doing. Though, something felt different about Ruo. Something made him want to give Ruo a chance, as if he'd be different than everyone else. He spun again, returning to his ramen to finish off the last bit he had left, downing his water in one gulp immediately after. "Ready when you are." He gave Ruo a cute smile, standing up and clapping his hands together.

less · Post by **less** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 8:17 am

For Ruo's part... well, how often did you run into someone you hadn't seen in years at a place you visited nearly every day? Ritsuka had never really pissed him off or anything that he could remember, so why not? He couldn't help but smirk a bit, knowing full well that his parents already thought that the other shinobi of the village had turned him into a lazy reprobate or something. The fact hat Ritsu was a member of one of the other great clans... well, that would only make matters worse in their eyes. He was just hanging out though, not drawing Ritsuka into his small circle of trust. What was the harm?

The fact that he was easy on the eyes didn't hurt.

He finished up his food quickly and left a few ryo on the counter, standing and patting his stomach before brandishing a grin. "Well then, let's get going." He started out of the restaurant, possibly giving the impression that he was leading the impromptu adventure. In truth, he was just walking without a destination in mind. He wasn't the sort that needed much more than company to be content.

"Looks like you've been training recently, neh? All those cuts." He eased his hands into his jacket pockets as he strolled. "I've gotten pretty good at not burning myself."

Riku Tensei · Post by **Riku Tensei** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 8:46 am

He smiled as the two of them walked out of the restaurant together, Ritsuka quickly turning around at the door to hand the waitress the money he had almost forgotten to pay her. He then returned outside to Ruo, a bright smile on his face. He didn't care where they went or what they did. It just felt nice to be around someone, as he was so used to being alone. Though, what Ruo said next kind of made him wish that he was still alone.

"Looks like you've been training recently, neh? All those cuts."

Ritsuka's eyes widened for a moment, his smile quickly vanishing, his heart skipping a bear. "Um...yeah...I-I've been training a lot." He tried his hardest to hide his emotion, but he was almost sure Ruo could hear it and he didn't know if he was ready to explain everything to him. So, he attempted to change the conversation quickly. "So, what are we going to do today?"

less · Post by **less** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:01 am

Ruo wasn't so self-involved that he didn't notice the way his words stripped away Ritsu's smile, choked his voice with anxiety. He knew that the response was a lie, that there was more to it than mere cuts incurred during training with his clan's glass release. It wasn't the sort of lie that would earn him a one-way ticket to Teruo's shit-list, though; it stemmed from discomfort, or maybe even fear, rather than Ritsuku being some two-faced dick. He nodded, letting it be for now, allowing the rapid segue.

"Hmmmmmmm." He bumped his shoulder against the other boy's, playfully, not enough to displace him. It was meant to lighten the mood, to get him back at ease. Hanging out wasn't going to be fun at all if he was a basket-case the whole time. "Why don't we play a game? My sensei had us play it to get to know each other."

Riku Tensei · Post by **Riku Tensei** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:09 am

He looked at the ground, feeling a bit embarrassed and out of place by the comment he made. He felt Ruo's shoulder bump into his, looking up to see the playful expression on his face. Ritsuka smiled, pushing any thoughts he had about his home life to the back of his head. Today was a day to go out and have fun. Nothing negative would be allowed to cloud his mind. He wouldn't let anything affect him. "Yeah, sure. What kind of game?" He asked curiously as Ruo mentioned a game his sensei had used to get each other acquainted with one another quickly.

less · Post by **less** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:45 pm

Now that he thought about it, it hadn't really been a game, per se. It had seemed like one at first, even struck Ruo as a bit odd given the militant nature of Iwagakure and the fearsome reputation of its jounin. It has really just been grueling exercise with a few whimsical twists and a light dose of intelligence training. He could probably leave out some parts.

"Okay, well, basically, we take turns telling each other three things about ourselves. The catch is, one of them has to be a lie, and the other person has to guess which one. Like, if I said... 'I hate spicy food, I've never broken a bone, and my favorite color is yellow,' and you guessed that hating spicy food was a lie, you'd get a point. And if you get it wrong, I get a point." Of course, when his team had played it, getting it wrong meant sinking another foot deeper into the muddy lake their sensei had created. He didn't see the need to mention that.

"Sounds fun, right?"

Riku Tensei · Post by **Riku Tensei** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 6:53 pm

The game seemed simple enough. It was an interesting way for people to get to know each other. Ruo began with an example, which Ritsuka prepared to answer. The first thing he said; liking spicy food. That seemed like a flat out lie. He was an Enkouten after all and they seemed to like heat. Plus, if he was not mistaken, the dish he had ordered in the restaurant was spicy. He opened his mouth to speak, ready to knock this one out of the park, when Ruo answered it himself, using it as an example. He felt a little disappointed that he wouldn't get to answer such an easy one, but it didn't matter.

"Alright, I guess I'll start." He thought for a long moment, trying to think of two things about himself and then a nice lie. "My favorite color is blue, I'm afraid of heights, and I hate reading." He came up with three very quickly.

less · Post by **less** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 6:59 pm

Well, it had been easy because it was an example. There was a weird strategy involved in the game, one that had actually helped him become a better (though far from superlative) liar. The trick was to make the lie just convincing enough based on whatever information the person had access to.

All Teruo had access to were a few admittedly dim memories of the academy and the present incarnation of Ritsuka. His smoldering gaze raked over the boy as they walked along, and he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I'm gonna go wiiiiiith... you hate reading. You look like the brainy type. Yeah. Final answer. You don't hate reading and are afraid of heights and like blue." Crossing his arms over his chest, he regarded the other teen for confirmation, his expression naturally confident.

Riku Tensei · Post by **Riku Tensei** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 7:06 pm

Dang, he had picked the lie out of the bunch so easily. Well, hopefully he would be able to come up with a better one next round. "Yup, I love reading." He smiled. There were actually two reasons as to why he loved reading so much. The first was because it helped him escape the problems he faced in life, such as his relationship with his mother. The second was because of his lack of friends. He really had nothing else to do but read and traing and training became so bothersome after a while. "Your turn." He smiled, knowing that his first round wouldn't be so easy, as Ruo had clearly played this game before.

less · Post by **less** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 7:21 pm

He lifted a hand from his jacket, lazily raising it skyward in a triumphant fist-pump. "One point for Team Enkouten." Not that the points really meant anything, but... well, Teruo did like to win as much as the next guy. Maybe they should have made a bet or something. Something to do with shucking clothes, his errant mind piped in. White-washing that thought as quickly as it had arisen, he scratched his neck and went about preparing his truths and lie.

"Okay, I've got a good one." He grinned. "I once punched my best friend in the face but not in a spar; if I were a girl, my parents would have named me 'Terua'; I sing in the shower." He waggled his eyebrows, as if daring Ritsuka to even dream of answering correctly.

Riku Tensei · Post by **Riku Tensei** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 7:31 pm

This one was a bit more tough. He definitely was much better at this than Ritsuka. "Hmm..." He trailed off, thinking this one over. Though it didn't really matter if he were right or wrong, it still felt good being right. He thought for a moment about Ruo. Despite not knowing him too well, he had a little bit of information. He supposed he would have to do this through the process of elimination. First of all, his parents naming him 'Terua' if he were a girl seemed highly plausible, as it was a variation of his name, so he crossed that one out. Next was punching his friend in the face. Judging from the way Ruo acted, he seemed very fierce. Not as in he was angry or ready to fight all the time, but something like that just seemed very believable. He had also heard that Enkoutens had hot tempers, though he could have been misinformed. However, is seemed plausible, so he ruled it out. That left singing in the shower. It just didn't seem like something he would do. Plus, by process of elimination, it was the only answer left. "I'm going to have to saaaay...that you don't sing in the shower." He concluded, honestly expecting some surprise twist.

less · Post by **less** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 7:57 pm

"Bzzzzzzt." He shook his head. This time around, he'd hidden his choice in the obvious, and made one of the facts innocuous enough that it would probably earn extra attention. Ritsuka had fallen right into his trap. "I totally sing in the shower. All the time. I'm not half-bad, either." A wink, before he shoulder-bumped Ritsu again, this time to prompt a change in direction, applying pressure and contact to steer the other boy into a wide right turn down one of the main streets of Hidden Rock.

"My parents were going to name me Hinota. There was this whole big deal about it. Some mystic type had read my mom's palm, sworn she was gonna have a girl. My nursery was all girly and everything I guess, haha, till they finally changed stuff around. That makes two for me." His cocky grin returned. "Shoulda made the points mean something."

Riku Tensei · Post by **Riku Tensei** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 8:11 pm

Though it meant nothing, he felt a bit let down when he had guessed the answer wrong. He supposed that Ruo had made it a bit of a trick question, as the girl name was so obvious that it became believable. He'd have to keep that tactic in mind in the future, as it was clearly quite effective. Ruo bumped him in the shoulder again, causing the pair to change which direction they were headed down the street. As Ruo bumped into him, he looked over at Ruo, eying him for a moment. He seemed like a nice person and pretty interesting to hang out with, at least so far. He had pretty cool hair and a nice face and...wait...what?!

Ritsuka's cheeks turned bright red, his head quickly jerking to the right to look away from him and down at the ground, hoping that he hadn't seen. Why had that thought crossed his mind? He wasn't into males, or at least he thought. Though, if he were, it would explain why he had never thought of a woman in that sense. He shook his head, clearing his mind of the thought for now as well as changing his cheeks back to their original hue.

"Yeah, if they meant something, I'd be shit out of luck." He joked, laughing. "Alright, let's see. I love bugs..." He trailed off, really unable to come up with anything. "um...I prefer to hang out around women more than men, and I failed graduating to a Genin on my first try."

less · Post by **less** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 8:33 pm

Man. Ritsuka would have had him at 'pretty cool hair'. When it came to his appearance, that was his favorite part of himself. It was emblematic of his clan, which was important to him. It was unique outside the clan, which was icing on the cake. And really, it just looked good. Caught the eye.

Yeah. Teruo had awesome hair.

And... wait what? Ritsu was blushing? Why? What had he said that would have resulted in that? His parents thinking he was going to be a girl shouldn't have made anyone blush. The only other thing he'd said...

The shower.

He blinked slowly, on a trail of sorts. How in the world was he going to steer this, coax an admission out of Ritsuka? He knew there was no way in any of the various hells he could imagine that he'd admit thinking of a dude in the shower had made him blush. Not unless he knew it was safe.

Ruo didn't always put things together so quickly. Really, he was probably jumping to conclusions. He had to take a chance, though.

The game interrupted his plotting. Refocusing on Ritsuka's words, he diverted some brain-juice at it. He knew that Ritsuka hadn't graduated with him, so that one was true. Bugs, or girls? He was pretty sure it was bugs. Heck, with some make-up and the right clothes, Ritsuka probably could have passed as a girl.

"The women thing," he answered, wrong on purpose. He wanted to hear a little more about that. Aaaand it gave him reason to say the following: "I mean, c'mon. Who does like hanging around girls? They're crazy."

Riku Tensei · Post by **Riku Tensei** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 8:56 pm

"Wrong!" He chimed in, happy to have stumped him for once, or so he thought. He smiled, holding his hands together behind his back as they walked. "I hate bugs. They're disgusting." He admitted, not wanting to go into detail about his fright of bugs. He was the kind of person who would see a spider on the wall far from him and still freak out. Though, he wasn't like a woman who would sit and freak out. He at least had the decency to get up and get a paper towel to smash the little bastard.

"I actually prefer to hang out with girls. I never seemed to fit in with any of the guys." He looked a bit saddened by this statement, realizing that he wasn't the 'manliest' boy around. Far from it, actually. He looked over at Teruo with a smile. "You're different though. I like you." His cheeks turned red again as he realized what he had just said, quickly faking a cough so he'd have an excuse to bury his face in his arm. He just really hoped that Teruo had took that as a statement of friendship and not anything else. The thoughts running through Ritsuka's mind were confusing the living hell out of him. He had never been so unsure of himself until meeting Teruo. What was this boy doing with his mind?

less · Post by **less** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:07 pm

"Finally scored," he put in quickly with a waggle of his very red brows. Yeah. That had been in his pocket for a while.

His smugness and planning sort of plunged into the abyss with those three simple words, though. I like you. Why?! Why?! It wasn't that Teruo didn't consider himself likable, or want Ritsuka to like him. Quite the opposite on both counts. It was that like was so loaded. All he could think of was back in the academy, when a rumor would come up about a boy liking a girl or vise versa. The question inevitably followed: well, do you like him, or -like- him like him?

He couldn't possibly ask that question now. Not directly. Ugh. All this thinking was starting to hurt his brain.

"You're pretty cool too," he replied with a smile, after what might have been a little too long. Before comment could be given, he launched ahead with his plan.

"Alright. I think those cat ears look stupid; I feel really alone a lot of the time, even though I have plenty of friends; I've never kissed a girl, you know, for real." BAM.

Riku Tensei · Post by **Riku Tensei** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:34 pm

"You're pretty cool too," The words reverberated through him. He smiled madly, his cheeks turning almost as red as Terou's hair. He looked down at the ground, knowing he'd be unable to hide it this time. He just hoped he wouldn't be questioned, as he didn't even really have an answer. He had no idea why it was happening to him. A part of him felt as if he liked Terou. Not just liked him, but liked him. It was the strangest most confusing feeling ever, yet he had never felt more sure about anything in his life...

"Thanks..." He mumbled, unable to bring his voice out fully. The conversation moved on as Terou came up with the next three 'facts' about him. Though, right away, he felt he knew the answer. He looked a bit sad, his tone sounding disappointed. "You hate my cat ears." He stared at the ground. Why did he find himself caring so much about what Terou thought? He had never cared so much about what anyone thought about him, not even his own bother. He slowly reached a hand up, grabbing the ears and preparing to take them off.

less · Post by **less** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 10:18 pm

"Man, Ritsu-kun... you suck at this game." He laughed, and reached over and up, ruffling the other boy's hair... and then snatching the cat ears off and hiding them behind his back. He burst forward and turned, moving to walk in front of Ritsu, but facing him, utterly unable to see where he was going. It was the sort of impulsive stupidity that Teruo was known for. He was either so utterly invested in his training that people worried for his health, or so brazenly dumb that people worried for his poor parents at having to raise such a...

"Moron!" shouted a day-laborer, whom Teruo had nearly walked into backward. Teruo just laughed, and turned those eyes of his on Ritsuka, studying him.

"Honestly, I do like you better without them, but, they're still pretty cute." He thrust his arm out, offering the headband back.

"It was the one about feeling alone. I'm actually a pretty happy guy most of the time." Why was he still walking backwards? Who knew? He didn't stop though, and even brought his hands up behind his skull, lacing his fingers at the back of his neck with his elbows cocked out to either side.

Riku Tensei · Post by **Riku Tensei** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 10:28 pm

He reached out to grab the headband as Terou stole them, jogging forward and running backwards. He went to angrily shout at him, but he stopped as Teruo said that they looked cute on him. He blushed again and his face froze, unable to really think straight. "C...Cute?" He was shocked to hear it. He got that exact comment from girls all of the time, but never once from a male. Yet, he had never cared about the comment more, never actually feeling happy about the compliment until now. He took them back from Teruo, placing them back on his head and fussing with his hair for a moment to hide the headband, making them look almost real once again.

Though, a question came through his head due to the compliment. Was Teruo...gay? "Hey, Ruo. Are you..." He felt embarrassed to ask, feeling he would offend Teruo deeply if he wasn't. He definitely didn't want to scare off his new friend. Wait, why did he care if Ruo were gay? This brought about a new question in his head: Was he gay himself?

less · Post by **less** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 10:22 am

Finally, the bluster faded.

Well, at least he'd managed to get his point across. That counted for something. He couldn't help but wonder if this would wind up like the last time he'd answered that question, or something like it.

His grin fizzled, and he lost a bit of his backward momentum. He slipped back to walk beside Ritsuka, glancing over here and there. What was the cause of the other boy's hesitation in asking? It could just be fear, but it could also be budding resentment. For all he knew, Ritsuka wasn't, but then again if he went off and told everyone in the world that Ruo had admitted that, well... Teruo was well-liked. It wouldn't be hard to bounce back from with a denial campaign.

But then, maybe he could just let it ride if the worst happened. It was who he was. He'd known that for a while now, even if he'd never acted on it.

"Yep," he finally answered, simply, as if Ritsuka had asked him if he wanted to go get something to drink. He watched him out of the corner of his eye for a reaction though, feeling his gut clench up, as if someone had managed to get a fist in there and grab at his innards.

Riku Tensei · Post by **Riku Tensei** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 5:57 pm

Good thing that his assumption had been correct, so now he didn't have to worry about offending him for asking. He wasn't really sure how to react, especially because of the feelings he had been experiencing since meeting Teruo only about an hour ago. "Oh." He replied, sounding rather, well, pleased. But, he needed a few of his feelings answered. "How did you know you were?" He asked, hoping that he would be able to figure out why he was feeling this way.

less · Post by **less** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 6:09 pm

The answer Ruo had been looking for was 'Me too'. The moment other words were spoken...

His features hardened just a little. It was ridiculous to be mad at Ritsuka for not being... like him... but Teruo's temper had gotten him in trouble plenty of times before.

Instead, Ritsuka wanted to ask him crap. Like he was some kind of freak that needed to be explained. "How do you think?" he shot back testily, looking at the ground just in front of his feet. "Forget it, okay? I just thought maybe, you..."

He felt like a total fool. His cheeks began a steady color-change, redder and redder with each passing second. "Don't tell anyone." It was really more of a threat than a request, spoken hollowly.

Riku Tensei · Post by **Riku Tensei** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 6:24 pm

Ruo didn't answer the question. Instead, he became rather angered, answering back rather angrily. Ritsuka's face became red, his expression turning rather depressed. He looked at the ground, unable to look Teruo in the eyes. He felt bad for asking the question, for being so rude. "I...I'm sorry." He replied, sounding like he was on the verge of crying. "I thought...I just..." He tried to look up at Ruo, but adverted his gaze right away, feeling rather ashamed for asking. "I think I might be..."

less · Post by **less** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 6:37 pm

Mood swing, much? Ruo went from smoldering to blinking in about two seconds flat.

"Well why didn't you just say so?" And then he was laughing, the exaggerated, that-was-close sort. Embarassed by his overreaction, he kneaded the back of his neck, glancing around. "Maybe we should... go somewhere else? Somewhere we can, you know, um, talk?"

He found himself looking at Ritsuka again, this time a little more intently. He caught himself at it and quickly put on an easy-albeit-flustered smile. He'd imagined, many times, what it would be like to finally have someone he could at least talk to about this sort of stuff, never mind...

Well, never mind!

Riku Tensei · Post by **Riku Tensei** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 6:43 pm

Why hadn't he just said so? Because he had no idea what was going on. He had no idea how to react to it, how to deal with it, or even what was happening. He kept staring at the ground, feeling too embarrassed to look up. "I'm...confused." Though, he was not confused on his sexual orientation. No, the part that confused him was how sure he was of this. He had never felt this way up until now, but it all made sense to him. It felt right, despite how wrong one might see the whole situation.

As Teruo suggested that they should go somewhere to talk, Ritsuka finally found the courage to look at him. He looked up, giving a faint smile and nodding. He stood, his left arm dangling, his right crossed over with his hand wrapped around his left upper arm. He needed someone to talk to right now, to figure out what was going on. Who better than someone who was gay as well? Hopefully, Teruo would be able to help him make sense of it all.

less · Post by **less** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 6:59 pm

Adding to the list of misinterpretations an assumptions Teruo had already made today, he took Ritsuka's confusion for the obvious brand. "Ohhhhh... well, I can think of a few things that might get you un-confused," he intoned with a sly wink, probably leading Ritsuka to believe that Teruo had experience in these matters.

He did, as a matter of fact. All of it imaginary. He had a pretty vivid imagination, though. He was having a pretty hard time keeping it in check as it was.

"So when did you start, you know, feeling confused?" he asked in a conspiratorial whisper, stressing their chosen code word. "Was it back in the academy? Oh! Is that why you wound up messing up your genin test?"

As far as the walking went, he started them toward a quieter part of the village. From there maybe they could find some real privacy.

Riku Tensei · Post by **Riku Tensei** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 7:03 pm

"So when did you start, you know, feeling confused?"

Why was the question so hard to answer? Was it because Ritsuka was so shy? He opened his mouth to speak, but the words caught in his throat, tugging at his adams apple to get out, but to no avail. "I..." He began, though was unable to complete the sentence. He paused, clearing his throat before attempting to speak. His head lifted and turned towards Ruo, looking at him shyly. "Earlier today." He paused for a minute, looking into Teruo's eyes. "When I met you." Yes, Ruo admitted to being 'like him' but he hoped that he wasn't scaring Ruo by coming on so strong.

less · Post by **less** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 7:12 pm

He hadn't been expecting that answer. At all. It didn't surprise him so much, since he was pretty awesome and good-looking, but... he'd never imagined he was awesome or good-looking enough to make someone doubt their sexuality.

There would be time for fist-pumps later. For now, he had to tone down the ego.

"I guess I've sort of... just always known," he confided with a bit of a shrug. Yeah. Play it cool. "When the other guys started noticing girls, well... I was noticing them instead."

He led Ritsuka down an empty alleyway and finally came to a stop, leaning against a building casually. "I gotta say, haha, it's like... I don't know, I feel lighter or something. I've only ever told one other person before, and that didn't go so good."

Riku Tensei · Post by **Riku Tensei** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 7:20 pm

He followed Ruo into the alley, laughing a bit on the inside. It was always in places like this where people were raped in stories. Though, he knew that wouldn't happen, or at least he hoped. Teruo seemed to nice to try and do that to him. He stood across from, his arms crossed, still deep in thought. "I've never thought of girls that way, nor boys. It never hit me that I wasn't thinking that way until today." He looked up at Teruo. "But you changed everything." He stared for a moment, almost wanting to lean in to kiss him, but he couldn't even move his feet from his spot. His legs were shaking, his heart was pounding.

less · Post by **less** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 7:31 pm

"Never?" Those firey brows lifted as he regarded the other boy. "I mean, you've never, you know..?" He started to make a gesture that involved closing one's fist and moving it up and down, but caught himself, and laughed. "Never mind, that's embarassing. Um."

He really wasn't sure where to go with this. Teruo talked a good game, but when it came down to it, he was just as much a novice as Ritsuka. Shifting his weight a bit, sort of rocking on his heels, he stalled for time by fixing his hair.

He frowned a little, noticing the way that the other boy was shaking. "Are you okay Ritsu-kun?" The concern in his voice was genuine, if confused. "It's not like just because we're both... you know... that we've gotta tear our clothes off right here." Mustering his best and most encouraging grin, he clapped a hand on the other boy's bony shoulder. "There'll be plenty of time for the rest. We can take it easy, if that's what you're nervous about."