It wasn't that he needed a change in scenery. No, the bay and the maze were perfect and serene. Nothing amiss with the place he was slowly beginning to call home. Unfortunately, it was the thoughts in his head that began to make him stir crazy. What better way to clear your mind than a walk in the woods? The large oaks that were as round as a whale loomed over him. Shaded from the mounting heat of a dying winter, Kuroo didn't need to go far to find a place to think.

A gentle breeze rustled leaves upon boughs as his paws made a muffled sound against the ivy. The scent of fresh rain and new growth tickled his nostrils in a pleasant way. There was a constant flutter of wings and whistles of bird tunes that helped keep the thoughts at bay. Twice now, he had met two boys who had seemed like good choices. They both had appeared interested in him, but neither had come back to find him. No matter how hard he had tried to look, they had disappeared like ghosts. Unsure as to why he had gotten his hopes up so high, Kuroo let out a sigh.

Off to the side, a few pebbles lingered along the mossy path. Out of frustration toward himself, the piebald male reached out a paw and kicked one of the larger pebbles. Flinging it up into the air and listening to it whistle through the forest, it made a rather solid thunk against something. Freezing, both of his ears perked. With lips creasing into a frown, he waited to see if he had hit a tree or an animal. Tucking his tail and keeping his pale gaze ahead of him, he started to creep toward where the rock had landed. Was someone there?


SPEECH

"Ouch!"

She cried out in pain, a rock sailing to hit the back of her skull. Sayuri leaned forward, grit her teeth, and attempted to withstand the pain. The rock fell to the ground after landing against her, and she shot it a venomous glare. It took much to get her annoyed, but she was livid someone had thrown it at her. The koi woman stood up from her crouched position, the dik-dik bellowing and taking off further inside. Well. That was unfortunate.

Sayuri rounded on the spot, marching to where the pebble had originated from. She spots a pale-purplish shape in the grass. "Kuroo?" her brows shoot up "w..." why? She wanted to ask if she had truly offended him last time they spoke, so much so that she had been hit by a rock of his doing. But she also knew he didn't mean it. His body language was enough to tell her that "never... mind."

She bit back a light sigh. With her meal gone, her head pounding... She was too tired to argue. "Your aim was true" Sayuri told him, though not bitterly. She was gauging to see if it was an accident, and if he felt bad.

"Speech"

The cry of pain that caused a few birds to scatter made his ears fall back. So he had hit someone and they did not sound pleased... At all. His eyes widen slightly when he hears the sound of paw steps approaching. Taking a step back as the koi girl comes into view with a surprised expression. "Sayuri?" Kuroo whispered, his own brows rising in confusion. He hadn't noticed her scent on his way through the forest, but he supposed it wasn't entirely odd for her to be out here.

By the way, she looked, it appeared that he really had messed up her day. With both ears falling back against his head and a frown curling his lips down, he took a few steps closer to her. "I didn't know you were up there," Kuroo admitted as his tail gave a few apologetic swishes. "Is your head okay?" He asked quietly as he glanced at her forehead. The boy wasn't anywhere close to being a healer, but he still felt bad for the rock hitting her.

SPEECH

She wanted to be coy.

She wished to say if he was that worried, he could kiss it and make it better. However, it died in her thoughts pretty easily. The thought of him kissing her was pleasant, though she wanted it to be on his terms. Not because he was forced or felt terrible about hitting her. "Oh" she mused at last, staring intently at him for a brief moment "I had thought it, ah, payback" Sayuri teased, a slow smirk growing on her lips "for bothering you last time."

She tilted her head, frowning. "I am made of tough things" Sayuri assured him. No, she would not play mind games with him. He was a packmate. She did not want to tease him too much, so he could feel bad and leave her be. She wanted to be social. She wanted to know him better than just teasing him "it shall take more than a rock to fell me." she added with a giggle, raising a paw to her lips.

"Though if you feel bad, I can impose on your company now, yes?" she added, moving closer but not too close "entertain me" the former geisha breathed "what was it you were doing here?"

"Speech"

His eyes flutter a few times as she states she thought it was payback. Meeting her intense gaze, he feels a little queasy. Did she really believe she had bothered him? Ruffled his feathers, sure, but he thought nothing negative of her. If he were being honest with himself currently, his own heart was beating a tad too quick for his liking. Opening his mouth to say something in response, he wasn't sure of what to say.

Thankfully she would continue on to assure him that a simple rock would not fell her. A sigh of relief whooshed from him until her giggle filled the space between them. He nearly froze as he watched her close the gap between them. Close, but not too close. Kuroo swallowed loudly as he felt his throat dry up. Why did this girl make him so nervous? Was it the way she batted her lashes at him? Her breathy voice that made his insides curl?

"Y-yes, you can impose," Kuroo said with a slight quiver to his medium baritone. She then asked what he was doing here. That was a difficult question to answer as he really didn't want to share the true purpose. He took a moment to answer. "I was just exploring some of the nearby areas. See if there were any good fishing spots," the boy gave her a nervous smile as he kept his place so close to her. Hopefully, she would believe him.

SPEECH

"Oh, good" she chirped with glee, wishing to clasp her paws together but resisted. What a childish notion to do "I had a thought you did not wish to talk to me" Sayuri confessed "most men do... not like women being so direct" or rather, they did not like direct women. They liked the type to curl up and be complacent. Sit down and stand by their man - be it official or not "I like speaking with you, Kuroo-chan." She purposefully did chan instead of sama despite their rank difference.

Why? Cause it was cute. She wanted to watch him squirm under her gaze again. Why was it so funny to annoy him? Or was it not annoying, but light teasing and flirting? She did not know. If he was truly bothered, she believed he could tell her off. Instead, he put up with it. He put up with her. Sayuri shot him a grin. "Fishing on the brain" she didn't have the knowledge to call him out on his lie "is there anything else there, I should wonder?" she added lightly, asking lightly. She turned to stare at him.

"You and brother, Usagi-sama, are so devoted to Tojo-Kai" she conceded "do not forget to take time for oneself. You cannot hope to be useful to the pack if you are mentally and physically weary" she told him this as a potential friend, and a healer "else I shall strap you down and climb all over you again! Force feed you herbs." She burst into giggles.

"Speech"

His ears flicker back again. Did not wish to speak to her? Confusion furrows his brow as he wonders where she got that idea from. It wasn't as if he had requested her to leave him alone. They were pack mates, friends even. He wasn't that kind of guy to take anything too seriously... Letting out a huff of breath, he smiled gingerly at her quip about him being a chan instead of a sama. Did she enjoy trying to ruffle his feathers? Still stuck on the idea that maybe she had been trying to insult him that time, it was her next comment that caught him off guard. That one had been a tad insulting.

Folding his ears back as he pursed his lips, he let out another frustrated huff. Even as she carried on about how his dedication shouldn't get in the way of his self-care. "Sayuri-chan, I hope you know that my duty is also my hobby. The thing that makes me happy also helps others as I'm sure you might feel the same way about being a healer," Kuroo retorted back as he narrowed his pale gaze at her. While she had moved into a fit of giggles, he couldn't help but sigh. Deep down, he figured she was just trying to be kind.

"I would like to see you try and tie me down," he teased back in the common tongue that he wasn't so frustrated. Somehow, her laughter calmed his attitude. It wasn't like him to get so flustered in an upset way, but insulting his way of life was perhaps crossing a line. Forgiving her anyway, he let a smirk cross his muzzle to show that he indeed was attempting to flirt back with her. While he wasn't a fighter, his daily chores and fishing made him stronger than he appeared.

SPEECH

She rolled her eyes, a sigh escaping her lips. He was quite naïve, yes? "You believe I insult you, but I only worry about your being" Sayuri points out, as cutting as he had been with her "it would hurt me more if you were to fall over in exhaustion, not your assumed words now" Did she really have to spell it out for him? Her ears pressed against her skull, but not out of anger "Kuroo-sama" Her blue eyes focused on him "I did not mean to assume you were weak of will." My, the wolves of Tojo-kai really were afraid to let go of duty and have fun. But she hoped he knew she was just worried about him.

"It is because I know you to be strong and capable that I worry" Sayuri continued, raising a paw and planting in on his chest. Pointing there "those types, they... ah. Do not ask for assistance when they should" She lowered her paw "so I should hope you know; you may ask me when you fish or hunt. I shall be there to assist. Take the 'load' off, yes?" Or at least attempt to try! She was not a very good hunter "and I did tie you down last time" She added mischievously "if I recall, you were too flustered to get up..."

"Speech"

Kuroo could have been a tad more lighthearted. He wasn't typically so moody. There was a lot going on in his life though and being pestered by some girl wasn't helping. The poor boy couldn't tell if he liked her flirting or if he thought it odd. No one, other than Sverre, had ever flirted with him before. Was she flirting with him? How was he supposed to know that? She had said that she was teasing him, but by the way his belly flipped and flopped, he wasn't sure if he enjoyed it. The attention was nice, she was pretty to look at, and she was a kind pack mate; so overall, Kuroo could admit that he liked her. But she didn't quite look at him the way Sverre had... Those fiery eyes seemed to always smolder and linger in his direction.

The cutting edge of her words brought him quickly back to reality. Blinking a few times as his brain registered what Sayuri was saying, he could feel his lips tug down into a slight frown. Had he been too curt with her? Holding her stark blue gaze, he could feel his heart skip a beat. Looking at her was even more difficult. It was then that he lost his breath. Her paw lifted up and pushed at his chest. Lowering his chin to stare at her paw, his mouth fell agape. For a second time now she was breaking his personal bubble. When she lowered it, he raised his pale gaze, still speechless, as his brain tried to muddle through the compliments she was giving him.

Something in him stirred as she offered to help if he ever wanted it. When she moved on to joking about how flustered he had gotten last time, how could he say that he was even more flustered now? "I, uh, hm," Kuroo cleared his throat as his face contorted slightly. Words were hard when she was pointing out the obvious. "It's not that I couldn't..." he stopped there as he looked away, staring hard at the bark of a tree. Kuroo couldn't explain it, the way his insides were banging their fists against his brain to just go for it.

Without another word leaving him, Kuroo turned to look at Sayuri. Now or never, right? He wasn't ever going to know if he didn't just do it. His body moved against his will as he lunged forward toward her. Tackling her as gently, but not as gently as he had expected, to the ground until he was standing over her. Digging his paws into the dirt on either side of her shoulders, his jaws clenched together as he hovered his muzzle mere centimeters over hers. "Why do you tease me so?" His tone dropped deeper than he had ever heard it go before as a quiet growl rumbled in his throat. Never letting his gaze leave hers as he stood over her, he pushed his face forward. Connecting their muzzles together in what would be his first kiss ever, he felt his whole body light up on fire.

pp approved by daisy <3

She huffed quietly, looking away to give him some time to compose himself. She knew she was edging close to harassment, but the young man was too precious to not bother. Sayuri just couldn't help herself. A wry smirk tugged her mouth, claiming victory over the situation. He fell silent, stumbling and stuttering. She didn't expect him to do anything else, but he surprised her now.

She caught him looking back, but before she could react Kuroo knocked her to the ground and stood over her. She let out a startled little titter before he leaned close and asked why she teased him. Sayuri looked into his pale eyes, about to reply. Her lips moved but he planted a kiss on her before she could. Surprise flickered across her features briefly before she pressed back. Against him.

Her own body lit up. It felt as if someone had dropped her in a heated sauna. The tingling sensation was felt all the way to her toes. She wiggled a bit inside, wanting more. Desiring more. But knew she couldn't have it. She really shouldn't push him. Maybe he did it to shut her up. Goodness, I talk too much she thought briefly, fleetingly. Why did she care so suddenly? She always talked too much.

When they parted from each other, she laughed. Breathlessly but still did it. Not at him, but more about the situation. "Why?" she repeated, laughing still as she raised a paw to her brow "because I like you, Kuroo-chan." Why else would she put in the effort to tease him and watch him squirm? It would be easier to knock him off his paws a few times in a fight, and stand triumphantly over him. Proclaim victory. But she kept going back for more.

"Speech"

The moment he realized what he had done, he pulled away. Sucking in a deep breath as his face flung back from their embrace, his eyes grew wide. Still standing over her, quite breathless, Kuroo listened. He felt stuck. Frozen in place as his body hovered over hers. Even as she giggled, seemingly having enjoyed what he had done, his brow furrowed. She liked him? His eyes narrowed, unsure of how his body felt. Electricity crackled through him as he slowly moved to not be standing over Sayuri anymore. Trying to catch his breath, trying to make sense of the last five seconds, he closed his eyes as he sat his butt on the forest floor.

"I..," he gave his head a shake as his ears flattened. But what about Sverre? What did she mean she liked him? Confusion pounded into his brain. "I apologize for what I just did," Kuroo's voice is hoarse as his jaw clenches together. "I don't know. I need time," was he really saying what he was saying? He was turning her down? The first wolf to ever confess more than platonic feelings for him and he was just not going to return it? He wasn't even sure if he did or not! He had to confess the truth.

"See," Kuroo started as he finally willed himself to open his eyes and look at her. Boy, it was hard. "There's this other wolf and I-I'm not sure if I also have feelings for them. But I also... you, Sayuri," okay so words were difficult. Blinking quickly, it was the only way he could force himself to not look away. "I don't want to hurt you, but I also don't want to hurt him. This is my first time ever really liking anyone, let alone two different wolves. I've only ever cared about my job and my family and the pack and now this... It's a lot, you know? Oi, what did I get myself into?" He brought a paw up to his forehead and smacked it a few times with a disappointed sigh. "I do feel something for you, but I don't want to ruin anything if I also have feelings for this other wolf," admitting this was so hard...

oh

"Kuro-chan..." She remained on the ground even if he removed himself from her. She blinked once before rising, listening to his words before she huffed. Amused. Sayuri smacked him lightly upside the head with a fluid motion of her paw. She closed her eyes, huffing quietly again with a playful smirk. Her paw lowered back to her side, more or less having flicked him coyly over the skull instead of rightly smacking him. It was a teasing motion and not insulting or hurting.

"I like you" she added, repeating her words "it does not mean you must like me back" Just because she 'confessed' to him... She didn't expect anything from him. No! "do not apologize, and do not run yourself down" Sayuri tittered like an old hen "it does not suit you" She lifted a brow at him "you assume I demand anything of you now...? I do not. You asked a question, and I answered you." She would not force him to pick her, whatever he thought he had to do...

Sayuri smiled almost sadly. She was used to men 'liking' her but giving up or moving on. To more concrete things. To things that were not tainted, to pure women who could bow and worship a man. Traditional women. "I am" used to men not picking me she wanted to say, but felt it cruel to him "still wishing to be friends."

"Speech"

He was still reeling in the fire-hot feelings of their kiss when her paw swiped him upside the head. Kuroo blinked a few more times as it finally brought him back down to earth. Maybe the word vomit of an apology had been too much... As he looked, really looked at her, he could see it. The hurt she was trying to hide. Still slightly confused as she spoke, he let his head tilt back the other way. She wasn't expecting anything of him? But wasn't that what was supposed to happen when someone confessed their feelings?

Narrowing his brow as a frown formed on his lips, he gave his head a small shake. "I still would like to be friends as well, but Sayuri," Kuroo's voice trailed off as he tried to really understand what she was saying. "You would be okay if I went with this someone else?" It hurt him to ask because he had a feeling she wasn't being entirely honest. If he were being honest with himself, she would be the safer choice. Already deemed trustworthy by Hanzo and a member of the pack he was faithful to. Plus he could have pups with her. With Sverre that would be impossible even though he wasn't sure he even cared for that yet.

"We can still get to know each other. I have never felt this way about anyone before and I don't want to lose you," his voice is quiet as he looks at her. Secretly hoping that she would agree. That they could still be friends and learn more about each other. He couldn't just decide right then and there if his feelings were truly serious or if they were just passion from whatever hormones raged inside of him.

feels

"You are silly." Could he see it would hurt her? But to her, it was important - more than her own feelings - that he was happy. Even if she was left behind... She would dislike seeing Kuroo unhappy. Pining and wanting someone, even if it was not her. Perhaps she felt strongly about him and hadn't realized it. Before, she had acted out and tried to 'correct' her suitors. Kuroo was too soft. No, that wasn't it. She cared about him. More than the others. He was different. He treated her differently. Kindly.

"If this other one makes Kuroo-chan happy, then I am happy" she tried to dodge the question, not really understanding it herself "forcing one to accept feelings, and commit to another they do not want... That is not love" Sayuri begins again "that is a delusion. Fake. Why would I be happy if another is not happy with me?" She spoke quietly as if trying to make herself agree with her own words. That she didn't believe them - not entirely. It was an adjustment. To let someone go free if they did not want her... It was hard. She always assumed she was selfish.

She looked up, staring off briefly before glancing at Kuroo. "No, you will not lose me. Tojo-kai is home. Kuroo-chan is in Tojo-kai. We shall see more of each other, yes?" But that wasn't what he meant, was it? Perhaps she knew she had already lost. Or Sayuri just anticipated it once more happening to her...

"Speech"

Kuroo wasn't sure if he should believe her or not. From what he could see on her expression, she was hiding her real feelings. Did she actually like him? Like... like him like him? Or was he being fooled by the erratic thumping of his heart? Confused, flustered, and worried all in one bundle of messed up feelings, he cast his gaze to the side. Even though he listened to her, he couldn't stand to look at her. Her voice is quiet and it breaks his heart even more. How could he do this to someone? He really needed to get to the core of his feelings for these two different wolves.

A sigh escapes his lips as he hears her confirm that they will still be friends. Or at least pack mates. But did he want more than just two wolves passing in the breeze? His lips opened partly once more before they clamped shut again. Flicking his ears back, he gave his head a slow nod. "You are right," he agreed finally after a few beats of silence. "I would like it if nothing changed between us," Kuroo comments. For now... Feeling torn between two wolves, stuck in an impossible decision, he knew then that he needed some advice. "I think I need to head back to the maze. I forgot I was supposed to meet Raijin," he looked at Sayuri with a kind smile.

"I will see you later?" The boy asks with a few swishes of his tail before turning to head back home.

/exit

Rejection, even subtle, was a thing. She had been rejected before, and true Kuroo-chan had not rejected her. He was fighting and figuring out things on his end. She smiled, forcing it to be warm and turning to look at him. She meant what she said; if he was happy, she was happy. Even if it was not with her. "Have a good day!" she chirped in her past geisha action, tail wagging.

Old habits died hard. "Yes, you shall" she also vowed, giving the man a nod "Kuroo-chan" she hooked a paw around his own front before adding "you did nothing wrong" Sayuri said seriously, clearly before removing her paw "do not feel bad." She disliked his quietness. Rising herself, she would go to herb gathering.

Winking at him, she disappeared into the folds of foliage. /end

"Speech"