Nice Ears

[Willoria]

Sakaki had requested some alone time, or at least as close to alone time as she could get, which meant she took Rokuro with her and Souta was left to his own devices for the day. As always he sought out somewhere quiet and was happy to find a small tea-house whose tables were all outside. It reminded him of home, but with a lot more grass and flowers involved. A large willow tree sprouted from the center, so large it created a canopy for the tables, and Souta couldn't resist the beauty of it. He sat down at a table and ordered tea along with a few treats for himself, more than happy to finally let Hana stretch her legs as well.

He had brought the fennec fox with him of course, and even now she was curled up under the table in the grass, clearly enjoying the cool shade.

Souta himself was leaned back in his chair, wearing his usual garb as he enjoyed his tea in his quiet moment, though he wasn't expecting company.

[Kabu]

It was a nice sunny day, Masami having decided to enjoy it by taking some time to herself and simply relaxing, the woman currently on her way through the village, her destination being a local teahouse that she had long frequented.

As expected due to the nice weather, the village was positively bustling with folks running about either shopping, spending time with their families, or even simply relaxing like herself. It was honestly a very nice sight, one that brought an easy smile to her face. In some ways it was almost as if the chaos of years past had been naught but a dream, but it was very real, they had simply banded together as a people, even gaining allies and strengthening bonds along the way, and come out a great deal stronger for it.

She was broken out of her reverie as her destination came into sight... as well as him. She had heard from Takeo that a group of Suna nin would be coming by but she hadn't expected to run into them by chance.. though she had briefly seen a very strange red haired girl in the markets excitedly looking around the different shops and had to wonder if that had been one of their visitors, not that she really had any room to talk about peculiarities.

Still though now she was left wondering what to do. She still wanted payback for what had happened at the festival and during Kiyori's coronation but she had been told to try and be courteous to their guests so it was out of the question for now.

Well regardless... she didn't plan on leaving and it would be impolite to not at least greet a passing acquaintance and so she approached the man.

"Hello, Souta."

[Willoria]

Souta had settled in with a book by time Masami approached him and he was so engrossed he didn't notice her walk up. When she said his name he looked up and couldn't hide the smirk that immediately graced his expression. "Masami, correct?" he asked, motioning to a seat at his table as an invite for her to join him. Hana of course immediately jumped up as she noticed a newcomer and rushed over to start running all over Masami's feet and around her ankles like she did to everyone, earning a heavy sigh from Souta.

"Sorry, Hana has been a little cooped up since we got here... she's a little excitable right now." he told Masami pouring a second cup of tea and setting it before her. "Though I guess you're probably rather angry with me..."

[Kabu]

As she saw the fox running around her, Masami couldn't help the bright smile that crossed her face, forgetting all about her anger as she leaned down to pet the animal for a moment. "She's adorable. And don't worry about it, I've grown up surrounded by excitable animals." she said, soon snapping out of the cheerful trance that had seemed to come over her as he addressed her being angry with him, the woman herself taking a seat and accepting the cup that had been sent her way.

"Well..." she chewed her bottom lip as she thought over her next words, answering just a afew moments later as she put her thoughts together. " I am angry. I'm angry that we don't even really know each other past our first names and yet all you seem to want to do is pick on me!" she said, raising her voice just a bit towards the end, though she just as quickly managed to calm herself, not wanting to cause a scene.

"I don't want to be angry though. Don't get me wrong, I do want payback but... also I very honestly want us to get to know each other better, to try and be friends." she quietly spoke, picking up her teacup and taking a sip, any anger she felt having simmered down for the time being.

[Willoria]

Souta smiled as he watched Masami play with Hana, he always enjoyed the way the small fox seemed to get people to warm up immediately. He wasn't an exception considering the fox was with him at all, and had her own bedroom even. He turned his attention back to Masami herself as she spoke and his devilish smirk returned. "The first time, the festival, was meant more a jab at the Iwa kid who asked to touch your ears... I had to beat him to it." he said, shrugging and chuckling as he shook his head. "I guess the second in Suna was just to let you know I was nearby." he added.

But after a moment his playful demeanor diminished, it had been a rare glimpse of what Souta had been like when he was younger, something that for some reason seemed to come out whenever he was around Masami. "I'm sorry if I upset you with it, wasn't my intent." he said, pausing to sip his tea. "Why don't you tell me about yourself then? As you said, I know very little about you."

[Kabu]

Masami silently sipped on her tea as she listened to Souta's response, blinking at what he had said. What did he mean by that? He had to beat the Iwa kid to the punch? He had to let her know he was nearby? What did that even mean? She wasn't sure but she was sure that it left her a bit flustered... And there was also that look on his face "I..." Between that devilish demeanor and his afterwards solemn apology in addition to being flustered as she was, she could have sworn she felt her heart skip a beat.

"I... ah jeez, I forgive you, though vengeance will one day be mine. You caught me by surprise and that much I can't forgive until I even the score." she said, for just a moment her lips slightly turned up into a light smirk. It wasn't entirely water under the bridge as the score hadn't yet been evened but she could feel her built up tension begin to melt away to the point where she could fully relax.

"As for stuff about myself... well, I'm a member of the Inuzuka clan, and if you don't know we all have a specially bred dog as our constant companion, though mine is being lazy at home. And umm... I'm currently a Jounin. I have a deep seated love for nature and all kinds of animals, though dogs are my favorite." As she spoke could tell she was falling further into rambling territory but some part of her was nervous about doing this, plus she had never really been good at talking about herself.

"Sorry, I'm not very good at this and never really been. So um... what about you?"

[Willoria]

Souta couldn't help feeling like his ego was being stroked a bit here from Masami's reaction to what he was saying. 'Maybe she's just inexperienced with men and flirting, or I still have my old touch... I prefer to believe the latter.' It wasn't the first time he'd flustered a woman Masami's age, and he hoped not the last. Though he hardly pursued anyone much anymore, it didn't hurt to feel like he could flirt when he wanted to. He didn't point any of it out though, instead sipping on his tea as he listened to what Masami had to say.

"Well, you know I'm from Suna." he started to reply. "I'm a Bannin, spend most of my time working with with Jinches and spirit hosts. Today though she wanted a guard who isn't her father and known for his stoic silence so she could at least feel like she was alone." He laughed a bit, realizing that by admitting Sakaki was his daughter he aged himself a bit, but tried not to dwell on it. He gently pushed the tray of various snacks towards Masami. "Help yourself. You on a day off then yourself?"

[Kabu]

"Yeah, and it was nice out so I decided to take some personal time. This place is a personal favorite of mine. I usually come with my best friend but I had wanted some time to myself today." she said, moving to take a sip of tea but instead simply lowering her cup as she processed something that Souta had just said. "Wait.. you have a daughter? And she's a Jinchuuriki? If it's who I'm thinking of, I may have met her actually when I was in suna some time ago for a diplomatic visit. She's really a very sweet girl, not surprised though that she would want some independence considering who her father is." Masami said with a chuckle and a bit of a smirk. Despite any misgivings she may have still had, she was really beginning to grow more comfortable and it was beginning to show.

"By the way... on my way here I saw this really strange red haired girl in the markets dashing from shop to shop looking very excited to just be browsing through random junk... Is she one of yours as well?" she asked, the question having really been buzzing at the back of her mind this entire time.

[Willoria]

Souta sighed heavily as Masami caught on to what he said about having a daughter, and who she was. He reached up a hand and ran his fingers through his hair as he nodded. "Yeah... actually we didn't realize our connection until recently. Technically I got fired as one of her handlers, but now that its known I'm her father I have certain legal rights and I dared the Kazekage to keep me away from her..." He chuckled in an embarrassed fashion and shook his head, almost immediately glad when the subject took a turn.

But that turn made him outright laugh. "That would be Rika." he said, still laughing. "She's Sakaki's best friend and has been having the time of her life here. She's not my kid but her and Sakaki are close enough sometimes it feels like it." He didn't mean it as anything negative of course, he was rather fond of Rika and had spent time here and there training her in addition to the time she spent around Sakaki.

[Kabu]

"It's a good thing they each have someone she can keep close like that, especially as they both seem so lively and unique. My own best friend is rather unique as well and I can attest it certainly makes things a great deal more fun, especially when it's someone who can so easily accept peculiarities like mine. It's really thanks to her that I was able to move past the incident that had granted me these extra features. Who knows where I would be otherwise." Masami said with a smile, twitching her ears and thumping her tail against the back of her chair as if to show her point, not quite realizing what she had just alluded to.

"You know, Souta. For the longest time now, ever since our first encounter, I had thought you were just an ass but now that we've had this time together.. Well.. I'm sorry for judging you so harshly. It feels like we're making a proper connection now and that makes me really happy." she nonchalantly continued, truly speaking from the heart all the while.

[Willoria]

Souta nodded, a sad smile crossing his face briefly before he managed to wrangle it away. As Masami spoke of her best friend, he remembered his growing up, who happened to be the woman he wanted to start a family with and instead she died in his arms. But when the conversation ended with her ears and tail he paused and looked at her for a moment, clearly confused. "Honestly I assumed it was either a choice or something you were born with... I didn't realize there was something bad tied to it." he remarked, shaking his head as he readjusted how he was sitting and sat up better. "I'm sorry, I never would have done what I did and teased you if I had known that." He knew he could be a bit of an ass at times, but it'd been awhile since he had put his foot in it like this.

He looked at her as she expressed her happiness at finally talking to him and he paused, thinking for a moment. "You know what... come with me." he said suddenly, standing and pulling out enough money to cover his bill and some tip, leaving it on the table before reaching over and taking Masami by the hand to lead her along with him. Hana of course trotted along after.

He didn't drag her of course, and released her hand when they were away from the teahouse. "Uh... got a training area we can go to? I want to show you something and it might freak out civilians a bit..."

[Kabu]

"It's okay... really. You had no way of knowing." Masami said with a sad smile, it slowly dawning on her that while she hadn't outright stated it, she had more or less alluded to the incident that had resulted in her more animalistic features. She hadn't even realized... she had been so caught up in the moment. But now that she had said it should she actually explain what had happened? Normally she had no problems with it but for once... she wasn't so sure. Usually it didn't come up so abruptly and nonchalantly...

Luckily before she could think too hard about it, she felt Souta grab her hand and she let him lead her away from the teahouse, the man saying something very strange once they were a fair distance away.

She blinked and looked at him a moment, visible confusion very much present on her face, but nonetheless nodded. "I don't really understand but yeah... we have a training ground that should be safe from prying eyes. I'll lead the way." she said, head slightly tilted to the side as she tried to piece together the situation. Well.. hopefully everything would soon make sense.

And with that she led the way to the training ground, the area actually being more of a clearing, though it was luckily surrounded by trees on all sides. "Alright... so what's up? Does this have anything to do with... what I said?"

[Willoria]

Souta followed Masami and as she asked her question, he simply nodded at first. "It does, sorta. You're right, you still owe a bit of revenge, and I think you just accidentally shared one of your biggest secrets with me." Souta took a deep breath and looked at the girl for a moment, chuckling though the smile didn't reach his eyes. "I don't know what happened to you, and I won't ask, but you're not the only one in this world who has had a change forced on them so I wanted to just show you that. Maybe it's a step towards me making up for teasing you about something so sensitive."

Souta first untied his haori and tossed it aside before following it with his shirt. Standing before Masami bare chested he took a few steps back but motioned for her to stay where she was at. At first the only thing obvious other than the man's physique was the dark scar across his chest, but moments later it was as if it expanded and that darkness spread over the man completely. A moment later he stood before her, looking like a human sized version of a dragon. His wings were slightly open at his back and he stood up straight, waiting for Masami's reaction as his own tail swiched back and forth very slowly.

[Kabu]

"Huh? At first Masami simply blinked as Souta took off his shirt. Why was he doing this? She wasn't the only one who had had a change forced on her? What was he talking about and why did it require him taking off his shirt? Wait... he took off his shirt... She was seeing a man without his shirt on, the realization causing her face to briefly turn red, though she just as quickly shook it off. No, now wasn't the time for getting embarrassed. She had to admit though that he was pretty rugged... and she very much wondered what was up with the scar on his chest. No, now wasn't the time. She had to stay focused.

And stay focused she did... her eyes growing wide at the sight of the man transforming into a dragon, she taking a moment to comprehend before letting out a girlish squeal. "That's so cool!" she excitedly said, stepping closer to more closely examine the man's dragon form. "Well, can you breathe fire? And can you fly?" For a moment it was as if she had entirely forgotten the reason they were there, though she soon snapped back to reality, blushing in embarrassment. "I uh... sorry about that. I should know better than to act that way over something like this, with my own circumstances and all." she said, taking a moment to fully process her thoughts before speaking once more.

"Since you won't ask about me, It's only right that I don't ask how you ended up this way but I really do think it's super cool. And I'm glad that I got to see it. Thank you so much for showing me something so deeply personal. And you know what? You are just a little bit closer to full forgiveness. Maybe you'll eventually get there fully if you keep working at it." she said, showing perhaps one of the first most truly genuine smiles she had shown so far this day.

[Willoria]

Souta didn't immediately answer, but he did laugh as Masami got excited over his form change. He couldn't help it, though in this form any words or even his laugh were accompanied by an odd sound like a growl. "Just a bit closer huh?" he asked, chuckling again as he thought about her rush of questions. "You know... Let me answer one of your questions at least..." he said.

And suddenly he rushed towards her and wrapped his arms around her, holding her against him as he kicked off the ground with his feet and his wings flapped hard enough to stir up the dirt around them as he shot off into the air, still holding Masami. He was grinning as he flew, and silently hoping she was enjoying it just as much. "You know, according to the legends, villages used to sacrifice virgins to dragons to protect their crops." he said suddenly, laughing as they still flew.

Jutsu UsedShow

Soaring
A-Ranked Maneuver Taijutsu
Requirements: Magic Carpet
Building on experience and prior jutsu, Souta is able to use his wings now for true flight, up to a height of 30 meters, using his physical stats.

[Kabu]

"Huh? What are you..." Once again Masami was visibly confused by what was going on but her questioning was interrupted by a squeal as he picked scooped her up and with a flap of his wings took off into the sky.

For a moment she was too stunned to really process the fact that he was flying while carrying her, though soon enough it hit her and... she found herself being absolutely thrilled.

"This is absolutely amazing! So this is what it feels like to fly. No wonder birds seem so happy all the time." she said, smiling in absolute bliss as she settled into his arms, content to enjoy the ride. At least until he spoke... his words causing her face to turn absolutely red with a heavy blush. Did he know she hadn't had anyone? Or was he just teasing her again? No... he was absolutely teasing her again but that didn't mean he knew.

"I... well... you bully." she pouted, finding herself unable to come up with a counter. She had to admit though... the thought... did seem kind of nice.

Bah... what am I thinking? There's absolutely no way I would ever or that he would ever. Nuh uh no way never. I think...[/color

[Willoria]

Souta laughed as she stammered at him and he circled around over the trees. "Hey don't worry, I'm pretty sure most women aren't eligible after sixteen these days." he said, completely oblivious to Masami's actual status in such a regard. Once he circled over the trees he came back down into the training area and landed carefully, setting Masami down and releasing her when he was certain she wouldn't fall from dizziness or something of the sort. Once he was on his feet once more the transformation faded away and moments later he looked like himself again, gathering up his things from the ground as he pulled his shirt back on and then his haori.

"Sorry to shock you like that, seemed more fun to demonstrate it than to explain it." he said, grinning as he watched her a moment, and Hana came trotting over from wherever she'd hidden off to when he transformed.

[Kabu]

"Well, you gained points for the wonderful demonstration but then you lost some for teasing me again." Masami said once she had gained her bearings and Souta had set her down, crossing her arms and looking away with a huff, though just for a brief moment as she found she couldn't really keep it up for long.

"Oh, who am I kidding. I can't be mad after an experience like that." she said with a quiet sigh and a smile. That had certainly been a great experience and she had loved every moment of it even despite the teasing, though she had to admit she was still feeling some amount of embarrassment from it.

"So um, what are your plans from here?" she suddenly found herself asking without even a moment's thought, part of her wanting to spend more time with this man whom she had spent so much time hating, until now when he had apologized and done all he could to show he was truly sorry for what he had done.. and honestly, after all that had happened in such a short time she couldn't be mad at him any longer, not that she was actually ready to admit that.

"Weellll?"

[Willoria]

Souta finished pulling on his haori and gathering his things as Masami asked what his plans were and he simply shrugged. Before he could answer verbally he felt something on his leg and looked down to see Hana pawing at him. Picking her up he laughed as the fennec fox crawled into one of his pouches for a nap and seemed to virtually disappear. At Masami's second attempt to ask he finally looked up from his pet and shrugged at the girl. "Not a clue honestly." he said, stepping within a couple strides of her.

"I'm free of my usual responsibilities right now, maybe you could show me around? Know any other good spots other than the tea-house?" he asked, grinning happily as he waited for her response.

[Kabu]

Masami had to resist squealing again at the sight of Hana crawling into one of Souta's pouches. It was a really cute sight, one that she had really missed seeing as Shiro wasn't a puppy anymore and was far too big for such things. In some ways she missed it, the thought almost making her want to adopt another puppy so she could have that kind of closeness once more.

She was so distracted by her thoughts that it barely registered as Souta answered her question, the woman simply blinking at first as she came back to reality, head tilted to the side as she thought over the layout of the village. "Well... there are honestly a lot of places in the village I've never really taken a lot of time to experience firsthand but there are a few places I know very well. Sure, I can absolutely show you around to the best of my limited ability. Though it might not really be the most interesting tour." she said with a smile, hands laced together as she looked at him.

"So, are there any specific kinds of places you might want to see?"

[Willoria]

Souta shrugged, legitimately not sure what there was to see in Konoha, and so unsure of what he should ask to see. "Well, I'm new here. I have no idea what makes for a good sight to see around here. So why not just show me a couple of your favorite places?" he asked, thrusting his hands into his pockets as he looked down at Masami a moment.

"I've always believed the best part of a village is its people, and, well, you're one of the only ones I know so maybe that makes you the best person to show me around, or at least show me what makes this place tick." He smiled at her, resisting the urge for a moment of flirtation. Though he had acted as if he hadn't seen it, he had noticed the way she had been acting whenever he said something off-color or suggestive. Given her reactions he was trying to tone it down a bit, not wanting to embarrass her too much.

[Kabu]

"Well, alright. As I said, it may not be the most exciting of tours but I'll do as I can." Masami said, admittedly feeling a bit apprehensive about the prospect of being a tour guide. There were only so many places they could really visit but even so she had no idea where to really start.

"Well.. I guess we could start with the market district." she muttered to herself, her face lighting up as she remembered something her mom had told her before she left.

"Oh right, while we're at it, we're gonna go shopping. Mom asked me to pick up a few things and I bet we have much different grocers than you do back home in Suna." she said, suddenly with a whole new level of enthusiasm as she figured out at least some way she might be able to make this tour a little bit more interesting than it may have been otherwise.

"Alright, so off we go." she said, turning and leading the way back towards the village proper, though she did have one more thing to say.

"By the way, before you even ask, my home is not one of the stops on this tour."

[Willoria]

Souta kept his hands in his pockets, nodding as Masami spoke and he even chuckled. "Shopping sounds good." he said. "I'd love to see what's different... it's hard being a man who makes damn good sushi but lives in the middle of a desert. I have to keep my own pond and everything to raise my fish." he remarked, looking around briefly before his eyes returned to Masami and her final comment. The man laughed and shook his head as he followed her. "I never would have asked." he said, grinning at her.

Of course, then he did nudge her with an elbow. "A gentleman would be more discreet and ask a lady if she wanted to join him at his place rather than presume himself upon her home." he added, still smiling at her. "But don't worry, I'm assuming nothing about your interest or lack of interest." he said, raising both hands up briefly as if surrendering somehow.

[Kabu]

"With you, I can never be too careful. Gotta keep on my toes." Masami responded, glancing towards Souta out of the corner of her eye, unable to help a smile of her own, chuckling at his act. Really she wasn't entirely sure why the thought of her bringing him home specifically had floated to the forefront of her mind and frankly it bothered her a little bit, but she wasn't about to show her feelings towards the matter.

By this point the pair had re-entered the village proper and were on their way towards the markets, masami all the while racking her brain thinking of conversation topics, eventually settling on something regarding something he had just said moments ago.

"So you make sushi, even going so far as to raise your own fish? That's a pretty incredible skill to have, especially in a place like Suna." she said, feeling genuinely impressed more and more by the man and his talents as she learned more about him.

She would definitely have to think of a way to apologize for the way she had misjudged him up to now but for now they had shopping to do.

"Alright, so where to first? Maybe groceries first to get my errands done and then we can drop by the other shops with whatever money's left." she muttered to herself, looking around at all the buildings and stalls surrounding them as they entered the marketplace.

"What do you think, Souta?"

[Willoria]

Souta laughed but fell quiet after a moment as the pair walked along. He waited for Masami to speak again, smiling as she made clear she had picked up on his comments about sushi and he nodded. "Yeah its a lot of work, I've had a lot of help, but its worth it. I've always wanted to open a restaurant after I retire, a sushi restaurant. I'd have to make it a much bigger operation to support that, but it's doable. I just have to choose to retire." He ended his statements with a laugh, as if he'd made a joke which in truth he had. "But retirement has yet to appeal to me. I prefer to remain a shinobi. I can do some good still." Of course he'd never admit it aloud, not yet, but fact was he was trained and brought up as a samurai first. He sought an honorable death in combat if he could, but given his age and rank he knew such a thing would be difficult to attain without simply giving up. And giving up wasn't in his nature.

But as he was asked for his input about where to go next the large man paused. There was a tension in his chest since his transformation, but it was a feeling that wasn't uncommon lately when he did it. He ignored it as always, but unlike in the past that tension didn't seem to be fading. Instead he felt a burning sensation in his lungs that prompted a cough. The man covered his mouth and turned away as he coughed with a quick "My apologies." When he pulled his hand away, out of Masami's view, he noticed the blood on his hand immediately but buried any reaction to it in his expression and quickly put his hands in his pockets and clearing his throat before looking back to Masami. "Groceries is probably your best bet, besides you have me to help carry." he teased, though in the back of his mind he was desperately trying to think of a way to excuse himself without being obvious. 'I should have Kaede take a look at me... or sleep this off, I'm sure I'll be fine but...'

[Kabu]

Masami curiously tilted her head as she listened to Souta speak, nodding once he had finished. "Retirement, huh? Honestly, I'm not sure I could ever bring myself to retire unless I had no other choice. I want to continue on as a shinobi for as long as I'm possibly able." Though she didn't say it, had never actually mentioned it to anyone in fact, some part of her very much feared that retirement simply wasn't in the cards for her. That if at any point she chose to retire or was unable to continue as a shinobi that the village would simply pull Aturasu from her. It was likely a groundless fear but it was a fear she very much felt nonetheless.

Anyways, the pair continued on and Souta suddenly paused, Masami pausing in kind, looking confusedly at the man as he turned away. "Is uh... Are you okay?" she asked, noting that something seemed to be very much off once the man had turned back towards and responded to her earlier question. "If you want... we can put the tour on hold until a later date. We'll have plenty of other chances." she said, very visibly worried even as he tried to be nonchalant about it all. She could sense something was wrong... in a sense she could smell it in the air.

"Please, just be honest with me."

[Willoria]

Souta cleared his throat again and looked at Masami as she grew concerned for him and suddenly he remembered what little he'd been told about the Inuzuka clan. "Guess that's an easy scent to pick up huh?" he asked quietly, sighing heavily and shaking his head, almost as if embarrassed. "I don't use that curse very often. If I can help it, I never do. It has its uses but it... well it makes me look like a monster to most people. But the last few times I get a pain in my chest when I use it. Honestly I figured it was either age or overuse of it, after all this wasn't something I got on purpose. I was cursed with it."

He sighed again and pulled his hands out of his pockets, showing his left one to her that was stained with blood. "This was a first though." he said quietly. "Hopefully it's just something I can sleep off but... we have a medic traveling with us. Part of my daughter's squad, part of my squad. I was just gonna have her check me after I got back." He looked at Masami a moment and rubbed the back of his head with his other hand. "Didn't want to worry you or cut things short but I guess that's gonna happen anyway, eh?"

[Kabu]

Masami softly smiled as she looked towards Souta, nodding in response to his remarks. "Yeah, you need to get back to wherever you're staying and see a medic. We can do this again sometime. And next time I'll make sure I actually have some kind of plan." she quietly said, a deep pang of guilt echoing in her chest. She couldn't help but feel it was largely her fault that he had activated that form and was now not only in pain but coughing up blood as well.

"I'll at least make sure you get back safely. I can't do a whole lot past that but I really feel I should at least do that much." she said after a several moments' pause, looking straight up at him while doing her best to not avert her gaze.

"Please... just let me do at least that much."

[Willoria]

Souta looked at Masami for a few moments before he finally nodded. "Yeah, I should get back... but I'm gonna hold you to that promise." he said, smiling almost gently at her offer to give him a tour another time. As she offered, and even asked, to walk him back the man nodded. "I won't turn down an offer like that from a woman like you." he said, teasing once more as he winked at her and turned back towards the direction of the home he and his team was renting for their time in the village.

"Honestly I'm sure its nothing." he said as he walked. "To be fair I did get stabbed in the chest maybe a couple months ago. Perhaps I'm still mending." he added, chuckling as he thought it over.

He certainly wasn't going to admit that stab came from his daughter after all.

[Kabu]

"I can't believe you're still healthy enough to be joking around. And here I was prepared to look after you myself if it came down to it. Good thing that that won't be necessary." Masami spoke in return, a small smirk having formed on her face, some part of her feeling a bit triumphant for having successfully navigated past his teasing.

He then mentioned getting stabbed in the chest, Masami tilting her head as the vision of his bare chest floated to the forefront of her mind. Well.. that certainly explained the scarring she had caught a brief glimpse of earlier... "That certainly looked like it could hurt for a good long while even after it healed." she quietly said to herself, unaware that she was blushing just a little bit as she envisioned the momentary glimpse she had gotten at Souta's bare chest back at the training ground.

And with that she took a look around at their surroundings, frowning as she noticed that they had just entered the residential district. "Looks like we're gonna be parting ways soon..."

[Willoria]

Souta considered teasing her again, looking down at her with a raised eyebrow after he mentioned the stabbing and he noticed a blush starting to grace her cheeks again. But he didn't say a word, he simply chuckled to himself and returned his gaze straight ahead as they walked and she remarked on how close they were getting. He sighed, his mind going over something for a moment before a thought occurred to him. "You know, if I'm going to be laid up a day or two with a medic watching over me, I'm not going to have time to keep an eye on Hana. And she's extremely energetic.... I hear your clan is well known to have plenty of canines around."

He looked over at Masami a moment before reaching into one of his pouches once more and pulled out the little fennec fox, Hana, and using both hands he held her out to Masami. "Think you could keep an eye on her for me for a couple of days?" he asked. "Not forever, but this girl hasn't been without some kind of guardian since I first found her. She needs someone to help her run off her energy and there's no way Kaede is gonna let me."

[Kabu]

"Oh, absolutely. I would very much love to. And you heard right, we do have plenty of canines around, some of whom really need the exercise. Masami responded with perhaps a bit too much excitement, unable to help the big smile that crossed her features as she took the little fox in her arms. "I'll make sure to take really good care of her." she said, momentarily turning her gaze down towards the little creature in her arms. Having a little one with a bunch of energy around would do some good for her moods and hopefully would encourage Shiro to start getting a bit more active again as he had been getting a little bit lazy in his adult years.

"Really, thank you for entrusting me with this. It means a lot to me." she said, looking back up from Hana and towards Souta. "And you make sure to get plenty of rest and to obey the medic." she said, a stern frown crossing her face as she stood on her toes, attempting to get a bit closer to his face as she repeated herself, albeit in different words.

"On your best behavior. Got it?"

[Willoria]

Souta watched as Masami took Hana from him and the small fox grumbled and pulled herself into a tighter ball of fur to continue sleeping, causing the man to laugh. "Good, just don't let her act fool you right now. She can go from passed out to a speeding arrow in less than a second." he added, still smiling as he watched Masami handle the small fox. She was clearly well versed in animals of the canine variety, being both gentle and firm with the animal.

As they arrived at the home he and his squad were renting for their stay, he couldn't help a playful smirk still on his lips as Masami gave him a set of orders to mind his medic. He had to resist another laugh, as Kaede was typically under his orders but also knew she wouldn't take his shit for a second if she found out he had coughed up blood. "Best behavior, got it." he said, mentally reminding himself that he was probably going to try and sleep it off first. 'I can always talk to Kaede in the morning.' he told himself as he looked down at the young Inuzuka and her unique features.

Reaching up a hand he gently touched at ear, looking at her as he wondered if she was going to get mad at him for it. But this time he didn't flick or grab her ear, just gently touched the fur on the back of it before leaning forward and kissing her on the forehead gently. 'Can't assume too much after all... she may just be dazzled by a foreign shinobi.' he told himself as his lips touched her forehead. "I can't wait for the next tour." he said aloud.

[Kabu]

"Trust me, I've grown up around enough animals to know how that is." Masami said in response to Souta's comment, smiling as it reminded her of the days when Ao and Shiro had been puppies, always running around excitedly and in the case of the former always looking to get into a fight while the latter had simply wanted to play. And she very much hoped that having Hana around for a short time would help Shiro to rediscover his youthful energy.

In response to Souta agreeing to her instructions she nodded, taking a moment to mentally prepare herself for turning around to finish up her errands and then head home. And that was when he gently touched one of her ears, the woman blinking a moment in surprise before leaning into the touch, satisfied that he had done it properly.

However she had to actively resist the urge to pull away as she felt him kiss her on the forehead, the most intense blush of the day crossing her face as her thoughts even became a bit scrambled.

"I.. I.. I can't wait for it either." she quietly said, somehow managing to calm herself even despite the harsh blush and softly smiling as she gently pulled away from his touch. "I'll see you later then. And remember, best behavior. If I find out otherwise I'll be mad at you again." she said, turning and running a couple feet down the street before pausing to turn back towards the house and wave. "I very honestly had a lot of fun today. And next time will be even better, I promise." she said before turning and heading down the street once more, this time at a much slower pace, both as she needed some time to contemplate what had just happened, and well... she had a little bundle of fur in her arms that she didn't want to wake.