"KUROOOOOO-CHAN!"

Whomp!

Sayuri is confident in the fact he had not noticed her. It was high time for payback, but she did not want to startle him too much. Hence she yelled out his name and launched herself at his side. It would be harder to really push him to the ground without harming him. This was not a fight. It was, ah, vengeance! For tackling her before.

More or less throwing herself at his side, she wrapped her paws around his neck and became dead weight. If he didn't hold her, she'd crash to the ground with both of them tangled. Sayuri made sure he wasn't hunting, because she didn't want to scare the prey away. She was just being playful and wished to play with one of the ones that did not have a stick up the butt.

"Boop!" she giggled, smacking her ebony nose against his pale one before pulling away. Her tail lashed to the side behind her, and she grinned triumphantly "got you!" She cried out.

"Speech"

The sky overhead was a dusty pink as he sat upon Manatee Bay's shore. Water lapped a few feet ahead of him as his paws worked to untangle a net. Beside him, his monkey companion worked with her tiny fingers to help. It would be a lot of work until this portion of the net would be ready to be used, but if he worked late into the night, he hoped to use it tomorrow. Completely engrossed with his task at hand, he was deaf and blind to the world around him. Even as the salty breeze shifted and fluttered his coat, he didn't pay attention to the scent that drifted his way. Wolves came and went from the beach witho-

WHACK!

Did he really not hear the girly squeal of Sayuri as she threw herself at him? Deadweight hanging around his neck as he careened toward the side, he dropped the net to help catch her. With his eyes peeling wide as he landed on the sand beside him, nearly squishing Saru, he stared up at Sayuri. Slightly breathless and very caught off guard, he almost couldn't speak with how furiously his heart was slamming into his chest. Before he could even say a word, her nose was tapping against his as she giggled. Kuroo couldn't help but laugh in response as he gave his head a shake, eyes momentarily closed.

"Is this supposed to be payback, Sayuri-chan?" He teased with a smile as he looked back up at her.

<3

Success! Kuroo-chan caught her, but also crashed to the ground with her. She laughed as he asked if this was payback. Indeed, it was. He could see that clearly enough. Her tail wagged furiously behind her, sending up sand. She grinned still, teeth flashing as her neck craned back to stare triumphantly "down" at him.

"Yes!" she finally said to her friend-slash-crush "Kuroo-chan so rudely knocked this one down before" Her brow furrowed in mock offense "now, Kuroo-chan has to get payback for this payback. An endless circle!" Cycle? She didn't know. Both sounded good to her. If she could play with her friend, all was well in the world. She scooped up some sand and tossed it against his chest.

Going for the eyes would be blinding and also quite rude. Sayuri untangled herself from him and giggled, pivoting on the spot to face him and lowering her front half to the ground. She looked akin to a Shiba Inu wiggling their rump in the air.

"Speech"

Her giggle was more than delightful. A symphony of noise to his ears as he grinned back up at her. Letting out his own laugh as his eyes crinkled at the corners, he gave his head a gentle shake. She knew better than either of them why he had so rudely knocked her over during their last encounter. It wasn't that he was really thinking anyway. Slightly breathless and at a loss of words, he tried to ignore the heat spreading through his body as she wiggled over him. "Payback, huh?" Kuroo chirped but couldn't get another word in before sand was slapped across his chest.

A gasp escaped him as he looked at her with squinting eyes. "Sayuri-chan," he teasingly chastised her as she leaped off of him into a play bow. Quickly rolling over onto his own paws so that she couldn't get the upper hand again, he leaned down into his own play bow. With his tail flipped over his haunches, wagging wildly back and forth, he peeled up his lips in a playful snarl. "I'm going to get you now!" Kuroo shouted with an added yip on the end as he leaped at Sayuri.

As he gained air, he aimed to wrap his legs around her shoulders. If he were successful, he hoped to lean his weight into it and maybe guide them toward the water nearby...

<3

I'm going to get you now!

"Ha!"

The sand added proverbial insult to injury. He bowed himself before launching at her. She felt his limbs wrap around her neck and rest on her shoulders, pulling her toward the waves as they fell sideways. Sayuri let out a playful yip, surprise, and shock, as the cold water collided with one side of her body. She flailed in Kuroo-chan's grasp, placing a paw under his chin and shoving his jaws away from her face.

Playfully, of course! She dove in, nibbling his exposed neck slightly in an "attempted bite" before grabbing his shoulder in her own jaws. If he wanted to wrestle, she'd wrestle. But her bites and holds were still friendly, not enough to even bruise - let alone draw blood. She nom'ed a bit for good measure, her tail slapping against the waves. She couldn't laugh or giggle now, holding his pale fur in her mouth with a wicked little light in her eyes.

"Speech"

His aim to grab ahold of her shoulders had been successful! The feel of her fur was warm against his touch until suddenly his trajectory sent them crashing into the shallows of the bay. Before he could continue to roll them farther into the water, he felt Sayuri's paw reach up to shove his jaw away. Nearly biting his tongue, the boy felt her begin to flail around in his grip. "Why're you squirming?!" Kuroo rasped between laughter and gasps from the chilly water splashing up against them.

As he moved to try and roll her again into the water, he felt her teeth pluck at the fur along his neck. A startling sensation zipped through his body as he stared at her wide eyed. Not because it hurt but because it was making his belly do flip flops. Trying to keep his wits about him, he sidestepped once more so that their legs were half-submerged in the shallows. Even when Sayuri grabbed ahold of his shoulder, he reached over and tugged playfully at her cheek. His own tail slapped happily at the water's surface as they continued to wrestle.

<3

Wiggling and squirming were part of the fun! She did not like to be stiff legs and sit for hours. She had done her time as a geisha, preferring her freedom over boorish clients. Running around and playing was more her style. She could not answer Kuroo-chan with his fur in her mouth, but she did bite down a bit harder in response to him, narrowing her eyes mischievously. Ignorant of his emotions, she continued to nom like a child biting down on something hard.

Kuroo-chan returned the gesture by tugging on her cheek fluff, also wagging his tail. He was having fun, good! She did not want to hear his excuses, his stumbles (though it was adorable), and backpedaling in his words. For once, she just wanted to see a Toj-Kai wolf giving into natural urges - which was playful wrestling! All wolves played in a sense. Even grumpy Hanzo Hattori could if he pulled a stick from his arse! Being a leader was one thing, but cracking open walls around others... Not build them.

Especially if those others were your subordinates!

Which is always what she felt like around their leader. Not on equal footing, closed off. Refusing comradery... Upon a time, she would have eyed men like Hanzo Hattori. Solemn, anti-social men were fine and good when she was younger. But she needed a bit of light in her life. Letting go of his scruff, Sayuri reared back and away from his cheek-hold. A few strands of white-pale orange probably flickered to the ground in protest. She lashed forward like a serpent, depositing a gentle kiss upon his cheek before reeling back.

She stuck her tongue out at him, giving a wink.

"Speech"

Admittedly, it had been a while since Kuroo had let go and played like he was a puppy again. Since he and Usagi had arrived in Boreas, most of their time had been spent on skill-building and searching for their father. Too caught up in the worries and strife of their current affairs, the brothers had been all business and no fun. It was relieving to take a moment to have fun and play in the water with a friend. Or maybe... no, he wasn't going to think about that right now.

With their jaws on each other's scruffs, laughing and playing, Kuroo forgot all about anything else. Water splashed up on his face as his tail whipped across the surface ferociously. Before he could really notice what was going on as he let go of her cheek, strands of hair scattering around them, he noticed Sayuri lunge back in. Eyes wide as he tried to turn and catch her off guard, he felt the peck of her playful kiss upon his muzzle. Still wrapped around her like two pups play fighting, he was rendered speechless as she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Sayuri-chan!" Roo squealed before leaning back in and wrapping his arms tighter around her shoulders. Aiming to toss her back into the water to tumble around some more, he couldn't help but laugh. It was the only thing he could do to not overwhelm the sensations flaring up hot and noisy inside his body.

<3

He squealed at her. Far from being offended, she grinned wickedly at him. Her tail slapped against the earth as he tossed her like a doll back into the water. "What?" she breathed against her friend, mock hurt as she narrowed her blue eyes "you do not like it?" She dared to ask, feeling her heart beating a bit with anticipation. Sayuri laughed triumphantly if he balked at her bold question, aiming to shock him. If it worked, she rolled onto him, pinning the young man beneath her weight.

"Got you - again" she pointed out, smirking. Sayuri reveled in her victory over the fisherboy again. If he had been a fighter, he could easily subdue her. He was larger than her smaller body, after all. The koi woman always tried to step away from a hold, refuse and counterattack in some way. But this was just playing! She had thought if he ever had a fighting bone in his body. Would he fight, if push came to shove? Yes. She believed he would to that. To protect his brother, his family... The pack.

Oh, he was a good one. Too good for her.

"Speech"

There was a moment of hesitation. Just one millisecond of palpitation between the two of them as her eyes narrowed at her. Even with water sloshing against their water-logged bodies and gulls squawking overhead, all he could do was look back at her. He would have questioned what she meant, but her question was indeed bold. It would leave him speechless even as she laughed in his face. While it was all in good fun, Kuroo could feel his face blush. Before he could respond on whether he did like it or not, he felt her putting pressure against his shoulders.

Slipping and unbalanced, Kuroo fell back against the sand as salty water splashed onto his face. With Sayuri looming over him, smirking in his face, he had to laugh. "Yes, yes, you win," he cooed back with a smile. Indeed, Kuroo was stronger than her. If he had wanted to overpower her and take her down, he could have by now. There was strength hidden beneath his coat that he often didn't show off. That wasn't the point though. The point was that he was having fun wrestling around on the beach and not having to worry about one-upping her. He'd rather let her think she was the stronger one if it meant continuing their fun.

<3

While she was indeed a vain woman, Sayuri was not ignorant. She knew Kuroo could easily get up. She knew he could fight back. The fact is, he didn't want to - or he was letting her win. While her ego appreciated the assist, she would have liked to see him get upset... About anything, really. It would both amuse her and shock her. Make her believe he was capable of other emotions. It would be sort of reassuring her that he could be serious. Ah, of course... He had gotten upset with her once. But that was before they were truly friends.

"You make it too easy" Sayuri puffed out her chest, grinning into the wind like a majestic being - she was, after all, a majestic specimen! "I have to wonder if those muscles are for show only" she bent her neck, tapping one of his legs with her nose. Teasing him as she did. As she always did "yet it is enough to shock and awe the fish, I suppose" she tittered, getting off Kuroo-chan and standing nearby "is that how one does it? You flash muscles and they jump in net?" She tilted her head innocently at him.

"Secret Iga Technique" she grinned.

"Speech"

Sayuri began to speak again and he couldn't help but laugh at her statements. Muscles for show? Had she never seen him in action at the shore? In the early mornings, before anyone would wake, Kuroo was here, reeling nets in and casting them. Maybe jumping into nets really was his secret technique. Shooting her wink as she stepped off and moved over, Kuroo rolled onto his side. Leaning up so that he rested on an elbow, he shot her a curious look. "You would like to know, wouldn't you?" He said with a smirk as his tail slapped against the water a few times. "Is that not how your beauty works? You flash your smile and get all the men to fall for you?" Kuroo teased as his lips pulled into a pursing expression as if he were going to tsk at her. If she wanted, two could play at that game.

<3

Her grin fell.

Her ears were pinned against her skull as she appeared momentarily pained. "Other men" she repeated, shaking her head as she reeled her body backward "have fleeting emotions" Sayuri tried to hide her emotions but realized she would have to speak to Kuroo-chan about it eventually "they used me because I am pretty to them. That I have the look of regality - it is like... being with a princess." She frowned now, eyes watering somewhat.

"They all move on when they realize I am not princess. Just a common woman. I give them nothing by being with them" Sayuri raised a paw sharply, covering her eyes with a limb "being in Tojo-kai reminds this one I am not special" All the wolves here were splotched in some way, after all. Being outside of Tojo-kai was also a reminder she was not special. A fleeting treasure, whose looks would age with time "oh..." she huffed gently, refusing to lower her limb.

"I am sorry" Sayuri began "Kuroo-chan was just playing... I made it all serious."

"Speech"

His own ears fell back as her expression changed. Oh, he had definitely said something wrong. While he had simply been joking around with her, he realized now that it struck a chord in her. Quickly changing his own expression to a frown, Kuroo stared down at the dark sand beneath him. Clenching his teeth together as he listened to her strained words speak pained words, he wished he had not made the joke.

When he lifted his pale gaze to see her cover her own, he wasn't sure what to do to fix it. Even as she put distance between them and mentioned that she was at fault, he shook his head. "Sayuri-chan," Kuroo's voice was quiet as he let out a sigh. Unsure if he should comfort her or give her space, he closed his eyes for a moment. "Everyone is special in their own way," he added on, his own voice straining as he tried to decide what the best thing to do here was.

Getting to his paws, he closed the few steps between them. "You have nothing to worry about here. No one in Tojo is going to take advantage of you ever again," he murmured, his voice quiet and husky as he moved to sit beside her. Leaning closer, Kuroo pressed his cheek against her and closed his eyes. "You will realize one day that common wolves are better than rare ones," a smile played on his lips before he leaned away to get a better look at her.

<3