It was a straightforward enough mission. A boy, about five years old, had wandered off from his family while they were shopping. He'd vanished somewhere while the parents were bickering over a new TV, and now it was Kiku's job to find the kid. Simplest thing in the world. Or at least it would be, if Kiku knew any sensory ninjutsu at all. So Kiku would have to track the kid down by old-fashioned sleuthing, talking to people. For him, that meant this was his most terrifying mission yet.

Kiku started his search at the store where the boy had wandered off from. Unfortunately for him, nobody there had been working when the kid vanished. Kiku was just about to give up on that lead when he noticed the security cameras by the door. He turned back and approached one of the employees, gathering his courage. “C-can I speak to a manager please?” Okay, that was good. He'd managed to make a request and only tripped over his words once. The young man went to find a manager, and Kiku steeled his nerves. He would need all of his confidence for this. He was a shinobi of Soragakure, dammit, and he would have to act like one. Kiku put on his best serious face, which looked a little silly with his boyish appearance but it would have to do. The manager arrived, and Kiku spoke slowly and carefully, partly to sound serious and partly to keep from stuttering again. “I'm here on official village business.” He tapped his forehead protector. “I'll need to review the entrance and TV section security tapes for  this morning.” The manager gave his consent and led Kiku back to the office. The genin kept his composure, but inside he was very proud of himself. He had managed to show some authority, and he had worked! If nothing else, he was improving his bullshitting skills. Those were important for a shinobi.

The next hour was significantly less interesting. The parents had been wrapped up in their arguments for quite a while, and the kid had been right by their side for most of it. Finally, the boy toddled off. Comparing the time with when the parents had said he'd gone missing in the briefing, Kiku couldn't help but notice that they'd been going at it for another twenty minutes before they noticed their son was gone. Kiku could sympathize. He had some experience being ignored by parental figures.

The genin thanked the manager for his cooperation and went on his way. The next part was going to be tough again. He'd have to ask around, probably from street vendors and the like. They could be a lot less accommodating than store employees. The people in stores often were falling all over themselves to make people happy, while street types were more shrewd. Kiku sighed, checking his wallet. He knew he didn't have the authority to force them to answer anything, and he couldn't bluff them like he had in the store. This was going to cost him. Kiku was just resigning himself to spending half his grocery money on information when an idea struck him.

With his forehead protector tucked away in his pocket, Kiku just looked like a frightened little boy. Which wasn't too far from the truth, really. But he wasn't well known as a shinobi, so he could pull this act off. He approached one of the vendors, letting all his nerves and anxiety show. It would only help him here. “Please sir, have you seen my brother? He wandered off around noon, we were in that store over there.” Kiku pointed. “He's only five, and he might be hurt. Did you see where he went? Little boy with brown hair.” The man looked sympathetic, but shook his head. Undeterred, Kiku went on and repeated the trick at every stall until he found the information he wanted.

It took a few more hours of pretending and asking around before Kiku could feel he was getting close. The sightings were getting more recent, and the boy couldn't be far now. Good thing, too. It was getting close to nightfall. He stepped into the alley where he'd been pointed to, and heard crying from further down the alley. He paused for a moment, looking around, but there didn't seem to be anyone else there. The kid must have gotten lost down there and hidden somewhere out of fear. Again, Kiku could relate. Being scared was something he understood.

Kiku took the forehead protector from his pocket, tying it around his head. He had to look like a cool and confident ninja for this. He moved towards the sound of the crying, and found the little boy he had been sent for hiding behind a box. “Hey.” The kid looked up, and Kiku offered a hand to help him up. “I'm a ninja, your parents sent me to see if you're okay.” Kiku pointed at his headband to drive the point home. Wiping his eyes, the kid got up. “Come on, let's get you home.” Kiku picked up the boy and headed off, back towards the family's home.

[Words: 862]

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