Frogs are friends NOT food!

[Diatenshi]

It was a beautiful day for once, the sun showering the shrine in its glorious rays and Yōsuke found himself at his favorite place in the shrine. After meeting Roku here he began to make a habit of drifting through the water, fishing in his own way as it were. He'd often go for a swim and feed on the fish that swam through on their way to the spawning pools. With such nice weather instead of the usual rain, not taking advantage would be a crime.

Yōsuke stared at the sky as floated slowly down the river, his well tome body almost completely on display. While it was improper to swim in the nude wearing a fundoshi was. It was all he had on and his large body soaked in the sun's rays. Enjoying their warmth he thought about recent events. Itd only been a few months and so much had changed. He had met so many people lately and even moved to a new city far from the ocean. It was somewhat overwhelming when nothing was familiar. He sighed quietly and closed his eyes letting his senses drift away, just as he drifted through the water. His scaled limbs hung limply as he floated dangling behind him.

After tanning his front he rolled over in the water now looking like a drowned corpse. He allowed his sense of self to vanish only vaguely aware of the coolness of the water or the sun beaming down on his back. Even with his eyes closed, he could still sense the location of fish near by him because of the Lateral Line in his spine. When a fish swam by his face he'd snap at it scarfing it down absent mindedly, not even aware he was eating. He was so out of it he didn't even feel the ever present hunger though that may have been because of the semi frequent snacks. Fresh fish always seemed to sate the beast better than anything cooked.

As he floated, his thoughts turned towards Jinjeku. He wondered how the other children on the island were doing. Itd been a few years since he saw them. He wondered if any were out their making names for themselves amongst the pirate crews. Wondered if he'd ever cross paths on opposing sides now that he'd been recruited. As he thought his head jerked to the side to snap a fish. However, rather than a fish, his face bonked into something significantly larger and softer. Disoriented, he looked up shaking his head his eyes adjusting to the bright sun. The first thing he noticed was bright blue hair, followed by a fair bit of pale skin.

[zory_alechiv]

Reiko was used to spending time in the river alone. There was something to be said about the heat from the sun warming your body while the coolness of the water evaporated upwards. It wouldn't be unusual for people to walk by the river where she was to see her squatted down, not unlike a frog, with her palms brushing the cool water and her feet holding her above it as she pushed chakra into the souls of them. It was obvious she had dipped under the water at some point, or several times as her short kimono clung to her body like a second skin. Her hair was plastered to her back and her pale skin glittered with the water droplets that remained.

Content and sunbathing, Rei emptied her mind. She wasn't worried about being assassinated. If someone was brave enough to come here and manage to kill her, then she would die with a smile. When the sun had dried her skin, she sank back below the water, allowing herself to drift for a moment before coming back up for air. As she pushed herself out of the water, she felt a harsh pinch on the back of her thigh. In the brief moment she had to process it, she felt like a bite and with as how quick it let go, she believed it to be a snake. Snakes were not friends of frogs one bit so the Iyashi girl leapt from the water to the side of the river with a yelp.

She turned on her would be predator with a glare, a hard ball of spit already forming in her mouth. She didn't plan to kill the snake, but she wasn't about to be a pushover either. Yet, as she landed, her eyes fell on something decidedly not a snake but a...shark? No, it was wearing underwear. So a human? No, the webbed feet and toes she saw said otherwise, but he was way too big to be one of her clansmen, even a half-breed. Besides, the scales and fins were a dead give away that he was in fact, not a frog like her.

"Oi! You just randomly go around biting people to say hello? I prefer words." Tilting her head, she grinned widely before her tongue struck out at him, slapping into his cheek before receding back into her mouth. "There' you got a taste, now I got a taste. You taste like fish."

JutsuShow

*[Basic Jutsu • Act of Water Surface Walking]
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
A variation of the Act of Tree Climbing technique, this jutsu requires the user to focus a precise and balanced amount of charka into the soles of his/her feet. By doing so, the user is able to walk on the surface of water as though it were a solid surface. Users with low control 2 or lower are much more likely to fall through the surface of the water, while users with average control 3 or higher will be able to use this technique functionally. It lasts for a number of posts equal to the user's Chakra Pool.

Perfect Crime
D-rank Taijutsu Manuever
By quickly spitting out their tongue and sucking it back in, the clan member can grab hold of small objects up to the size of a small scroll, and hide it within their mouths, able to speak/act normally while it is there without ruining the object.

[Diatenshi]

Yōsuke stood there slack jawed as the the girl yelled at him for biting her. The river continued to flow past his knees and the occasional cicada sang out. His mind still hadn't quite caught up, the situation completely out of his expectations. She was a tiny little beauty that vaguely reminded him of his aunties. It wasn't till he felt the smack of her tongue on his cheek that he was able to speak again. "I'm so sorry! I swear I didn't mean to!"

He immediately dropped to his knees in the water with a splash. His forehead slamming down through the waters surface to smack down on the muddy river bed. He kowtowed a total of three times before standing back up. Blood trickled from his forehead as he kept his head down out of embarrassment. Not only had he bit her, but her attire left little to the imagination, her soaked kimono clinging to her body.

"I taste like fish?" Due to his nervousness and embarrassment her words confused him. Yōsuke looked at her, his eyes focusing on her face never looking at her body. Then he realized she'd wacked him with her tongue. That added more confusion as he tried to process how her tongue could possibly reach so far. He blushed bright red and tried to change the direction of his thoughts.

"Are you okay? I didn't mean to bite you. He finally glanced at her body trying to see where he he had nipped. Wasnt long till he saw a shallow bite on her thigh, blood dripping down diluted by river water. A pained look crossed his face as the guilt slammed into him like a rock.

[zory_alechiv]

Rei watched with intrigue as the oversized boy flailed like a fish out of water. Her wide mouth twitched into a soft smile as he flailed, looked at her, blushed, and flailed again. This would happen several more times between bouts of apologies that continued to convince her he really was a giant child where as she was the opposite.

"Hey, calm down, it's okay," she waved her hands in a placating gesture. There was no way he wasn't being genuine and she felt like she could trust him, at least for now. "No harm, no foul," she shrugged but as he pointed out her thigh, she looked down and grimaced before shrugging. "Honestly, I've had worse and it'll heal. And now I can tell people I was bit by a shark. I'll be amazing," she grinned brightly, dabbing at the tiny pinpricks before she moved to twist her kimono to try to get some excess water out.

She watches how he keeps his head down and finds it rather adorable that the boy is so shy. Now that it's settled and she's not being purposefully attacked, she was a lot better. "Come on over here and let me look at your head. Did you hit it that hard?"

Cute kid. Haven't seen anyone like him before, she thinks and attempts to appear as friendly as possible. She crouches down, squatting so her knees are up by her shoulders and her hands are stretched towards him, palm up. "You from around here?"

[Diatenshi]

Yōsuke was filled with guilt though he started to feel better as the small woman assured him she was fine. Her joke about being bit by shark caused a weak smile to grace his face though it stung slightly. Regardless of how she was taking it he still hurt her.

When she reached up to check his head he blushed and pulled his head back a bit before finally letting her examine the small wound. He wasn't accustomed to being fussed over growing up around pirates. The only women who'd been this nice to him had been his aunties. His mother always had the attitude of rub some dirt on it and it'll be okay. On his forehead there was a small scratch and some damaged scales. He'd clearly gone a bit overboard when apologizing. "It's fine. It'll heal and have new scales in like a day. I'm always losing teeth and scales."

He smiled and relaxed, sensing he waa truly forgiven. He went to stand up and then realized doing so would make him tower over her with a height difference of over 2ft. Instead, he sat down on his ass to stay down at her level. "Nah I was born in Shark County before the war. Grew up on an Island out in the sea. My name's Yōsuke, what's yours?"

Glancing down at her feet Yōsuke noticed she too had webbed toes. Thinking back to how she walloped him with her tongue he determined she was decidedly frog like. Especially with her posture squatting. I'm never eating frog legs again. Focusing on her face, he listened to her reply. His upper body leaned forward slightly to show he was engaged in the conversation like his aunties taught him. He didn't want to come off as rude after she'd just forgiven him for biting her.

---

Edit: broken color tag

[zory_alechiv]

"It's fine. It'll heal and have new scales in like a day. I'm always losing teeth and scales."

"Really? Your scales grow back?' The teal-haired woman said, her excitement palpable as she bounced on the balls of her feet. She couldn't resist poking at the scales gently and watched as the shimmered in the sunlight, reflecting the glare from the water with sparkling intensity. "That's so cool. Eventually, I'm going to be able to change my skin color, like frogs do, but it's only temporary and I have to work up to it. But to be born like a shark? That is awesome. I'm a little jealous," she grins, fingers finally raising to dab at the blood on his forehead.

"Nice to meet you Yōsuke. I'm Reiko and I'm from River Country. You're really tall, you know that? And that's saying a lot coming from someone as short as me because everyone is tall. But you are tall. And you have very sharp teeth." As if sensing his discomfort and guilt, she quickly waved her hands. "Not that that is bad. I mean, I do this tongue thing. You saw it, right? I don't usually eat bugs, but you eat fish, right? Only raw fish or do you like cooked fish too? Are you hungry? I know a place."

[Diatenshi]

A genuine toothy grin formed upon Yōsuke's lips as the girl suddenly had a case of word vomit. Her words came out so fast he barely had time to process what she was saying. She seemed interested in his scales and shark like features. He did his best not to wince as she dabbed at his damaged scales.

Reiko. He heard her say her name just before lauding over how tall he was. He did his best not to laugh as she seemed to try avoiding talking about his teeth. She was trying to avoid reminding him of his transgressions to keep him from feeling bad. It was a touching gesture that warmed the young man's heart. She was so animated it was hard not to be drawn in.

"Reiko please slow down haha. Yes I eat fish. No it doesn't have to be raw, I'll eat it cooked. As for hunger... I'm always down to eat." He stood up to his full height stretching then looked down at her. "Before we go get food I should probably put proper clothes on." He started walking along the shore trying to figure out where he'd entered the river.

[zory_alechiv]

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment even as she chuckled softly. "Sorry, Yosuke-kun. I tend to get excited and can ramble." She ran her hand through her damp hair before grabbing it with both hands to twist it and ring out the excess water. When she was satisfied it wasn't going to drip all over her clothes, she wound it upwards into a messy top-knot to keep it off of her neck.

When he mentioned getting clothes on, she smirked. "You probably should or they might try to serve you up instead," she teased as she looked around for her own bag. "You go on ahead. I'll catch up. Going to change myself." She'd seen how embarassed he had been at her own wet attire and decided that if they were going to be friends, she should not tease him. Despite him being much bigger than her, she knew size didn't matter. He seemed young, almost innocent and she guessed he was younger than her.

She waited until he disappeared from view before going through her bag. Her mesh armor would dry quickly, so it was just a matter of changing her haori. She traded the white one with the thick black belt out for a rose colored one with a blue belt. On the back of this one was her clan symbol which to most would look like a blue water drop. Satisfied that she was dry, she went out in search for him. Taking her time so she didn't catch him in any compromising stage of dress and smiled when she saw him again.

"C'mon, I know the perfect place," she says with an incline of her head. "It serves sushi and soup, something for both of us."

[Diatenshi]

It didn't take Yōsuke long to find his clothes. Hiding behind a bush he wrung out his fundoshi before putting it back on. He then got dressed in a simple plain set of robes that Battosai had provided him as recruit. The dark navy color didn't really suit his taste as he preferred bright flashy colors or shark skins. He had implemented his own adjustments however tearing off the sleeves and tying a rope around his waist instead of the provided sash. Much more manly.

Regrouping he was less bashful about looking at her and their height difference really settled in his head. She was so short. He wondered quietly to himself if she ever just hopped around to keep up with people instead of walking normally. When she mentioned the menu his eyes lit up with excitement. "Sounds great! I can't wait to try it." A bit of drool leaked out the corner of his mouth before he remembered his manners. He quickly wiped it clean and chuckled. "Sorry, I tend to get worked up when ever food is mentioned. Mama says its cause I'm a growin boy. Makes me wonder if I'll grow to be as tall as Pops..." His voice trailed off and a heavy air quickly surrounded him as his mood soured. It hadn't been that long ago that his old man was executed right here in this very city. The thought weighed heavily on him and he zoned out as they left the shrine.

[zory_alechiv]

Upon reaching him, she recognized his robes immediately, even if he had modified them to his own liking. "You're with the Battosai?' She asked, allowing her delight shine through as wonder. Not many knew she was outside of Ako Cell aside from maybe Nobuhide and Genbu. She wore a haori with her clan's symbol on the back, and her uniform was very different than the other cells. "I had no idea."

While she sometimes had to resort to leaping to keep stride with fast walkers, this time, Rei managed to keep up, occasionally skipping to remain by his side. She glanced at Yosuke out of the side of her eyes as she spoke of the food, giggling when he drooled a little at the thought. "That's okay. The place we're going loves enthusiastic eaters. You'll fit right in." The restaurant she took him too was near the shrine. It was a small building with no way in. Instead, Rei lead him towards a window. Jumping up, she rested her elbows on the window sill so she could be seen better.

"Yukio-San!" She yelled, grinning when a balding man looked up from the stove.

"Reiko-chan, is that you? Where ya been?" He asked as he walked to the window and patted at her head.

"I went home for a few years, but now I'm back. And I brought a friend! This is Yosuke and he has a bigger appetite than any Kisama! I think you'll like him!" She said, her tone full of joy and amusement as Yukio looked Yosuke over.

"You make some of the biggest friends! Can you not find any your size?" He teased even as he held out a hand towards the shark-boy, treating him as normal as Reiko had despite his color, scales and sharp teeth.

"Hey! My friends have big appetites which you seem to enjoy Yukio-san. Besides, no one comes in a fun little package like me. I'm one of a kind!"

"That you are, Rei-chan. That you are. So, Eggplant Miso soup for you as usual? What would Mr. Yosuke, like? First order's on the house for being a friend of my best customer."

Rei turned and moved so Yosuke could look over the paper menu posted at the window. She had heard the heavy air around him, had sensed the dampening of his spirit and hoped someone as joyous as Yokio would brighten is spirits.