thenearshore | [closed] When Lassie Goes Missing

Entry tags:

[closed] When Lassie Goes Missing

Who: Rin Matsuoka

sharkmaid and Sousuke Yamazaki

takenwithhim
What: The God of Love has heard his first prayer request. The Dog of Water has his first job.
Where: Various locations in the Near Shore
When: May 1st, throughout the day
Warnings: None to be had, save for awkward and amusing moments.

This would be day five of his new life as a shinki. Sousuke knew at some point he’d stop counting the days. They would blur into the “normal” and what he had previously been completely hostile towards would defuse into something acceptable. Odd that on his first day here he’d been completely against subjugating himself to the role of some god’s personal shinki. To willingly give someone the ability to control and change him, much less to admit to himself he needed to rely on someone else for his own success, failure, well-being even, made him feel irritated inside and scoff at the notion. While he still had that streak of rebellion and his desire for personal freedom, Sousuke couldn’t bring himself to say his partnership with the God of Love, Eros, had been a detriment.

Rin wasn’t the kind of person who wanted to control him or make use of him like a weapon or a tool. He was always fast to remind Sousuke that he was a human (even if he was, albeit, both shinki and dead), and never once tried to force him into something he didn’t want to do. Of course, it’d only been four complete days. Though Rin had already professed a desire for the two of them to be truthful and open to each other, Sousuke still wasn’t sure just how “open” he wanted to be with Rin. Embarrassingly enough, though, it was a little hard to be worried about how “open” to be with someone when that said someone had barged in on him stark naked in the shower. (Rin had a good reason at least, but Sousuke wasn’t about to let him live it down. Yet.)

Routine days they’d been. Sousuke stubbornly refused to sleep in a separate room from Rin (be that meaning he spent the nights on floors, couches, cots, or whatever else, just not in the same bed, thank you), so they ended up waking together. Morning practices, washing and talking, breakfast, and then, joy of joys, getting lost in the castle again. Rin said he knew where they were going and always had an excuse, but Sousuke professed his god didn’t have everything mapped out yet. Getting lost became “exploring” and off they went again, Rin flying ahead and Sousuke following behind. Some arguments here and there…

Beyond that, Sousuke was starting to become a little more adjusted to the idea of turning into a canine. A little more adjusted to the fact he could make some kind of strange barrier with his hand (which is definitely didn’t use to get back at Rin a few times for teasing him, of course not). A little more adjusted to the idea that Rin was a god, and not just a god, but his god.

Now, as he stood by the fountain, gazing at the water swirling within the basin, Sousuke wondered just what sort of things gods were supposed to be doing anyways. They had four nice, peaceful days here… but even he could tell the two of them were getting a little antsy. The idea and urge of getting out and doing something wouldn’t leave Sousuke alone.

Che, where was Rin now?

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Quiet. That's how the past few days had been. Quiet, still, uneventful. Save for the casual talk and running around he and Sousuke did--"bonding exercises" he liked to call them--life here continued to be so far from his expectations of heaven. Because despite all that quiet, his mind was far from at peace, and he spent many of his waking moments expecting something to pop up and startle him all over again. All that talk of ayakashi, the dread he felt when he learned more and more about a shinki's fate and purpose... He knew he told himself and Sousuke that he wanted their relationship to be as open as they could make it, but for the past couple days he continued to keep this information buried and out of sight. He hated it. Hiding things. Staying still, staying quiet.

Not surprisingly, having Sousuke so close to him lately did little to ease his nerves. He didn't trust himself not to crack if given the opportunity. Even lying in bed watching the peaceful, sleeping figure below him became less of a relaxing routine and more... unnerving. He wished he could look at his best friend again and be nothing but comfortable and confident. Happy as he had been learning and discovering all these little facets to the castle and themselves, his heart wouldn't sit still, running around and around, becoming more and more tangled and lost than himself.

He took some time to himself today, that being said, sitting outside on the front steps in thought while Sousuke stayed in the foyer doing who-knew what. He told him he could wander if he wanted and that he'd come find him if he ended up lost (which he would), but, as if he had eyes at the back of his head, Rin saw the other boy standing behind those double doors practically as he left him. Honestly... and he couldn't bring himself to wander far even if he tried. So much for "time to himself." Although... he did notice something beginning to shake free in his head, disturbing the quiet, and in response he focused a little harder at the blossoming trees in the distance. What was that? A thought and a voice that wasn't his own--

--help me find him.

Moments later, the front doors slowly pushed open and Rin stepped through. Hopefully they wouldn't be sitting around for much longer. "Hey," he started, one hand on the door, the other tucked away in his pocket. Had to keep it casual... especially for something like this. "I've got something for us to do."

Sousuke let his gaze linger on the water in the fountain. Ever since finding the pool in the castle, he’d found out that it was a pretty bad idea for him to be hanging around water. Mostly because it drew him into it and that always brought those nauseating feelings into his mind and body. Alluring and revolting at the same time, to the point where it threatened to drive him to frustration. A shower was fine, a bath was fine, getting a drink out of the sink, that was all fine. But bodies of water like the pool and fountain ended up holding his gaze no matter how many times he walked past them. It felt like something was there he wanted, like something was there he enjoyed and couldn’t remember how to feel it again. Most of the time, Sousuke was able to quickly shove the feelings away before he was sick.

But other times…

He pulled himself away from the fountain and went to go wander around the elegant foyer again. Ultimately began to do “laps” up and down the twin stairs, taking the left one first and going down the right one. Something to distract his mind… since he wasn’t leaving the fountain area. What else was Rin not telling him? As much as he hated it, Sousuke had quietly accepted that his god couldn’t tell him things. He knew he couldn’t tell him things about himself, about Sousuke. Whether that was about him being a shinki or him… somewhere else. He thought he would feel better around Rin, and truthfully he did. But that was the surface and Sousuke didn’t know how far that went down.

Yet regardless of his distrust and frustration, Sousuke never left him. He slept beside his bed or in the same room as him every night, often times without a second thought. Only twice since meeting Rin had he found himself sitting in his bedding, looking at the other boy as he slept. What was he even looking for? Some kind of truth? To make sure Rin was sleeping peacefully? Or maybe to see some flicker of frustration or doubt on his face? He didn’t know. But each time he looked at Rin, something inside him felt… all right. Because despite the unknown and the irritation between them, Sousuke found himself slowly beginning to enjoy his time here.

The dark-haired teenager was halfway ascended on the staircase when he heard the front door click. Twisting a little, he looked over his shoulder, arching a brow when Rin pushed open the doors. Slowly. As if he might have been worried he’d hit Sousuke on the in swing. Hmph, he’d know him so well… Turning around, he headed up the steps, determined to finish his “lap” instead. The casual tone immediately piqued him and he stepped off the stairs and onto the second floor.

“That’s sudden,” he said, looking over the grand railing of the banister, his body caught in the glittering sparkles of sunlight bouncing off the crystal chandelier crowning the foyer. It rang a lot different than the “let’s explore the castle” or “I’ve got an idea” he’d heard before.

The moment they stumbled upon the castle basement, Rin could already sense something was off, not only in the way the air smelled but also in the way Sousuke reacted. Subtle as it was, it was there, and Rin felt uncomfortable just seeing it. A fully equipped gym with all the amenities, changing rooms, a little locker room... not one, but two large swimming pools tucked away and far too quiet for his liking. He should have been happier to see it. Just one more thing to tie him back to their home and their normal life. But as he stared out over the vast blue water, Rin was speechless, stunned, and his heart wanted to sink. He should have been happier... it should have been a comforting, beautiful sight.

In the end, they didn't stay for long, and Rin turned to lead them back out towards the stairs without a second glance. He couldn't bare it, not today. Seeing Sousuke stand before all those empty lanes and not even know what they were for, what they represented and meant... Some other time they could come back. But for now, maybe staying above ground would be for the best.

Thankfully he had other things on his mind right now, more productive things at that, and he knew the sooner they started, the sooner they could-- Ah. He wasn't at the fountain anymore? Tilting his head up, Rin spotted Sousuke halfway up the left banister, then as he went back on the move he sighed and leaned against the door frame to watch. He didn't need to ask to know what he was up to. Sousuke might have been quieter than Rin, but without direction or goal he could be no less antsy or restless. Clearly it was time to switch up their routine... if they could even call it that.

"Well, it came to me pretty suddenly." He sincerely hoped something like that wouldn't happen again while he was asleep. ... Best to break it to him gently to start. "Someone needs our help. They lost something and we need to bring it back." Ok. That was the easy part out of the way. As for the rest of the explanation, well... he hadn't quite figured out how to suggest it just yet.

Not that he’d asked because he’d ended up zoning out and then trying not to get sick while he’d been down there, but multiple times since then, Sousuke’d been struck by a question: Who put a pool underground in the basement? Water evaporated, right? So wouldn’t it get moldy or clammy down there? But this was Rin’s castle and Sousuke hadn’t bothered to think about it enough to question him again. He had noticed the gym down there, stacked with its weight machines and locker rooms. It was fairly obvious that Rin was athletic, and simply looking at himself told Sousuke he was too. Part of him wanted to give the machines a try the longer he looked at them or thought about them. But running around the castle and exploring the sakura grove outside had taken up plenty of exercise time over the past several days.

They hadn’t gone back down there since that time, but even still, Sousuke found himself thinking about it. The nausea he’d first felt had evolved into that clashing sensation and it was less curiosity and more allure that had him wondering how long it’d be before he ended up surrendering to one side of that feeling and returning to the pool. What was so bad about swimming? He knew how to swim… right? (He should hope he did. That’d be embarrassing.)

But all that was for another time. Right now, his curiosity was arrested by this sudden change in their routine. I have something for us to do, definitely wasn’t the same as trying to figure out something to pass the time. The restless feeling inside him calmed a little and something intrigued glittered in his eyes as he looked at the young god below him. He liked exploring the castle and… well… hanging out with Rin wasn’t the worst way he could think to spend his time. (Even if his god did get annoying at times.)

“Oh.” What does that mean? But he bit his tongue and let Rin talk, shoving the question to the side. His arched brow furrowed with the other in concentration at the answer. “Okay…” The last syllable dragged out in speculation. Did someone just meet with Rin outside or some—Oh wait. He blinked and a surprised expression gently covered his face. “Is this one of those prayer requests the gods get or something?” Sousuke had talked to a number of people on his first day here and those conversations, even if they didn’t make a lot of sense, still gave him a basic understanding of this weirdness. Shinki were supposed to help their gods protect the living people and fulfill prayers. Right?

It felt like his body was going through withdrawal the longer he stayed away from that place, so much so that he couldn't fall asleep straight away for a couple nights now and had to tire himself out by either jogging down one of the hallways or doing a couple pull ups in the bedroom doorway. It probably seemed incredibly strange to Sousuke at first, but as he already suspected, Rin kept himself fit, and he couldn't afford to skip a day unless he wanted his body to grow weak. Professional swimmer or not, immortal god or not, he wouldn't be giving up his routine any time soon... even if he had to do it the hard way.

At least he did promise they'd go back once they adjusted to this life better. Call it a rewards of sorts for a job well done. Well... "well done" remained to be seen. Guess they'd figure that out today then. Assuming he could even get Sousuke to leave the castle after this.

"Ah-- Yeah. I think so. It was almost like someone was talking to me even though I couldn't see them." Not to sound unconfident or anything, but give him a break. This was the first time anything like this happened! Rubbing the back of his neck, Rin glanced at the polished floor before turning his attention back to his shinki, noticing he interest and surprise flicker across his face. At least he seemed to know the basics, so there was no need to try and explain it further. Ahh, but that just meant he had to confess his idea sooner, didn't it? Tsk. Come on, Rin, this was no time to be nervous. They both needed to get their butts in gear and he most certainly didn't want to be responsible for either of them falling behind, or worse, getting hurt because of being too inexperienced.

So with a sigh, he pocketed his hand and offered up the most calm and casual smile he could manage. "Anyway..." Ahem. "Some kid's dog wandered away." AHEM. "Sooo... I figured this would be the perfect job for us."

He noticed. How could he not? While he wasn’t always around Rin, there were plenty of times he was and some of those contained what Sousuke’d definitely call impromptu workouts. Jogging up and down the halls and stairs until he was panting. Doing pullups on the doorway (what even was that?). Though he gave Rin a weird look once or twice about it, he came to accept it easily enough. The only real curiosity was why Rin wore himself out to the point he was passing out the second his head hit the pillow. There was keeping fit… and then there was trying to overdo it. Even if it was a routine. He said nothing about it… yet. Mostly because during some of his own alone time, he found himself doing pushups or sit ups until he was sweating.

He’d sat around once one day and it ended up feeling so… empty, annoyed, bothered, he had to get up and do something. (Which ended up in him going for a jog and two hours later, Rin had to come find him. He’d not been happy to see that grin all over his face.)

And now, just as Sousuke swore he was getting to some kind of breaking point, this happened. He wasn’t sure if he was relieved or annoyed. He crossed his arms atop the railing and leaned forward, bracing himself against it. “Like some kind of telepathy?” He lifted his upper arm to point at his head, then set it back down. No, he wasn’t judging Rin; this had to be strange for him too. But he knew this was bound to happen some day; they couldn’t sit around the castle and do nothing forever. They’d both go stir crazy. Almost everyone he talked to that first day had something to say about this part of being god and shinki and honestly, Sousuke had been waiting for it to happen.

As Rin’s hands went into his pockets, Sousuke caught onto that calm gaze and casual smile… Oy. Did he seriously think he couldn’t see that? Both of them seemed forced. Anyway… Wait, why did he suddenly have a bad feeling about this? The throat clearing didn’t help at all—

… oy.

Sousuke’s arms tensed despite the way they slid and it looked like his entire body melted down towards the banister, as if it were some kind of table and he was leaning across it to glare something deathly at the other boy. A brow arched and the flattest expression crawled over his face.

“Go on…”

If you dare. He seriously looked like the most unimpressed, might-be-pissed off wolf up there, glowering down over the banister.

Ah, yeah, hadn't that been fun? As his god, Rin could find Sousuke easily if he focused hard enough--something he may or may not wished he had when they were back home--so that definitely came in handy when he didn't come back within the hour. Yeah, so he never expected him to memorize this place top to bottom and inside out by now, but was it really that hard to get the gist of the rooms and halls he practically saw on a daily basis? Some things never did change, did they.

Anyway, he was sure this would be a welcome change for both of them, and if everything went well and according to plan, there would be no need to worry about getting themselves lost in the process, right? ... Eugh, was it even possible for him to pray to himself?

With a soft sigh, Rin took in the sight before him with the best poker face he could muster. All right, he was probably catching on here, and something told him he needed to get his legs ready just in case someone decided to make a run for it. "Annnd..." Casual. Calm. This was no big deal, after all. "Given your talent and all that, it only makes sense why we should give it a shot."

Yes. I dare. Even if he wasn't outright saying what he had in mind. Sousuke pretty much understood the implications enough, didn't he?

"Come on! It'll go by super quick."

No. It had not been fun, thank you very much. It only took two or so times for Sousuke to start suspecting that Rin’s position as his god enabled the other boy to find him whenever he wanted to. On the one hand, that was irritating; he couldn’t ever be “alone” or private. On the other hand, he was grateful for it, because who knew what this place really was and as a shinki, a wandering tool, he’d rather Rin be able to find him no matter where he was or what his pride said. Stubborn, he was, but stupid, not so much. Didn’t mean he Sousuke wasn’t glaring and pouting at Rin when he found him among the hallways. Look, the place was huge and all the hallways start to look the same after a while! Give him a break.

And now he had this to deal with. Sousuke’s expression didn’t change a lick as he watched Rin from above. Some kid lost their dog. And Rin’d been asked to help locate said dog. Now why would Rin think he’d be able to find some random dog? Teal eyes narrowed a little. Why indeed…

That poker face wasn’t cutting it at all. Fingers curled a little and Sousuke regretted he wasn’t somewhere he could easily reach something with. --talent Hurk! He said it, didn’t he?! “Oy!” Sousuke shoved his hands down and pushed away from the banister. “You’re really serious, aren’t you!” Eyes wider, mouth half agape, staring at him in shock and budding embarrassed incense. Admittedly, he wasn’t so proud he was going to abandon the kid’s dog…

BUT LOOK! It’s not like Rin was asking him to throw some water around or make those weird barriers, right?!

“Quick for who?” Point point point.

Rin didn't find it any less irritating than Sousuke, this strange ability to know where he was at any given moment, because he knew that if the tables were switched, he wouldn't appreciate the total lack of privacy. It was why he tried his best not to tap into it as much as he could, although most of the time it turned out to be rather intuitive. Still, Rin wasn't stupid either. If it would benefit them in a pinch, then he knew they both needed to get used to it sooner rather than later. That's what this whole world was all about, wasn't it? Getting over it, dealing with it.

Now... this was just one more thing to take into consideration, that was all!

He didn't flinch when that first reaction came, didn't even budge when Sousuke pushed away and blurted out in disbelief. Right, ok so this wasn't exactly the most heroic or daring mission they could do, but they weren't ready for anything like that yet! They only just discovered Sousuke even had powers in the first place! No, they had to start off gentle, and as far as he was concerned, this was the best option for that.

"For both of us, obviously." Still nonchalant as he pushed away from the door frame. "But more than anyone, this will benefit the kid. ... I don't wanna let them down." And I know you don't want to either, so don't try to kid yourself.

Getting used to things and dealing with them… Guess that was the main point of their work right now. Learning how to deal with meeting a new person and living with them. Learning how to deal with being dead and being a god respectively. Learning how to deal with a new castle and new powers. Learning a new relationship. All of it was learning one thing after another, getting used to and adjusting to those differences. Sousuke ultimately had to trust Rin’s statements on the things he had no control over himself, which didn’t make him feel better about his lot. But knowing his god was as irked about it as well… that helped. Somewhat.

For both of us. “Obviously,” he muttered under his breath as Rin moved. No, he knew he turned into a dog as a shinki, and obviously Rin planned on using a dog to find a dog. It was embarrassing! It wasn’t like he suddenly had canine senses to scope out where the other dog was! Sousuke was just now figuring out how to even use his powers, that weird barrier thing and what control of water he could lend to Rin in his shinki form.

But despite his protests, irritatingly, Rin was right. He knew well enough neither of them were used to this world enough to think of tackling something bigger than the simplest of prayers. And then he had to go down that route.

Sousuke frowned at the words. Losing a pet must really be sad… If they could help, and they refused… if he refused. A soft sigh and Sousuke pushed away from the railing. Then headed down the stairs. Che. Rin said a lot of things he didn’t like, but so far, he’d never been wrong. So…

“Fine. Let’s go.”

Even Rin couldn't trust everything he said 100% and he hated that that was the case. He needed to be someone not only Sousuke could depend on, but other people as well. Having this prayer in the first place meant that there were others out there just waiting for him to find and answer. It all seemed too farfetched to be true, too ridiculous to believe and trust. But... better to be safe than sorry, right? With luck, the more of these tasks they accomplished, the more confident he'd feel in himself. Couldn't lead if he couldn't have that.

Still, the young god waited, not wanting to be too pushy. Sousuke had just as many, if not more concerns than Rin did anyway. Regarding powers, regarding memories and trust-- He had every reason to question and hesitate and truthfully Rin felt guilty for being the catalyst. Maybe exploring beyond the castle would have been a better a suggestion. Or if he was so keen on those big bodies of water, he could have tried to introduce him to the pool little by little to start. I just want to do right by you. That's what I promised.

In the end, with Sousuke pushing away from the railing and making his way back down to the foyer, Rin let out a sigh of relief. All right. It was yet another start.

"Thank you." He knew it was hard to consider and respond to at all. Another 'fine' another 'ok', made begrudgingly as if he had no other choice. It never failed to eat at him and before Sousuke reached the last step, the smile on Rin's face already vanished. He'd figure out a way to make it up to him. For all of this, for everything to come-- He'd do whatever it took to see Sousuke happy.

Rin held the door open and with his body turned halfway toward it he nudged his chin towards the outside world. "Then let's go... Yumeki."

This was the first of many; Sousuke saw that fast enough. Rin was a god, hard as that was to believe. And people prayed to gods. What other kinds of requests would they get? Where would they end up going? And would the two of them be able to handle all of them together? He didn’t know those answers, but as he headed down the stairs, eyes moving to Rin again, he knew there was only one thing he could depend on right now. The relationship between himself and his god. Even if he had his pride and reluctance, kept his distance and still closed off, he had agreed to be Rin’s shinki. And that agreement had been no lie.

So why not have their first outing be looking for a missing pooch? Logically, it was better than taking on those monsters he’d heard others talk about. Unless the dog turned out to be taken by one of them… Best to push that idea out of his head until they saw the results. Good to be prepared, but to randomly worry about what “might” happen was a waste of time.

Sousuke stepped off the stairs and passed the fountain crowning the center of the foyer. He could see it in Rin’s eyes. The flicker of guilt. “Stop it,” he murmured after Rin thanked him for his cooperation. That’s what he assumed he was thanking him for anyways. Yes, it was reluctant, yes it was begrudging, yes it was more than a little annoyed. But in the end, Rin never forced him to do something. Sousuke walked forward of his own volition and made his own choice. As his god did. “Feeling guilty.” To clarify what that “stop it” earlier was for.

“I made my choice too.” The smile on Rin’s face had fallen away into the frown Sousuke had figured was there since he opened the door. That fake, forced smile never could’ve covered it up. “I’m your shinki. Because I chose to be. You didn’t force any of this on me.” And Rin didn’t have to make this up to him; Sousuke was basically alive because of him. In reality, it was Sousuke who should be making things up to Rin.

And being a butt right now wasn’t quite making things up to him, was it…

The sound of his name was enough and the now-somewhat-familiar sensation of the change spilled out once more. Water and sakura pouring from the name on his shoulder, spiraling around him and lifting from the ground with splashes of pure water. Until the entire orb burst and the shinki alighted on his paws again, walking beside Rin.

You’re a kind guy, aren’t you. Helping a little girl find her missing dog, he said. Talking like this was weird, but after the first time, it’d gotten better.

Rin heard other prayers before he finally settled on this one, many of them ranging from simple to the more complex and dangerous, which thankfully gave him more insight into what the two of them could expect in the future. Strange to think about, and really, it didn't do much to soothe his nerves, but knowing was better than staying in the dark as far as he was concerned and this was a start. For both of them.

He was somewhat distracted by these thoughts as he stood waiting by the doorway, eyes downcast and staring off at the vague outline of his reflection in the polished floor, but at the sound of those approaching footsteps he blinked and looked up again to see Sousuke passing the fountain and heading his way. Well, it was easy for him to say, wasn't it? Telling him not to feel guilty or sorry for this, for any of this. Rin wanted to argue it, but chose instead to hold his tongue as he continued to listen. A choice... He did give him choices any chance he had. Still, even if he wasn't responsible for bringing Sousuke here in the first place or even stripping him of his memories, he couldn't help but feel awkward and disgusting for giving in to whoever was.

He only needed to remind himself that this wasn't for anyone else but the two of them and the people they were going to help in the living world outside these walls.

So, turned towards the world ahead, Rin listened to the familiar sound of splashing as it formed and grew beside him, and once water and light burst forth he tilted his head and raised a hand out when footsteps paused at his side. He wasn't used to it yet, all this magic and mystery he only ever dreamed of as a child, but Sousuke was still Sousuke in spite of all that and that alone was enough comfort to make this a little less strange. His outreached hand gently rested on top of his shinki's head, fingers absently ruffling the fur between his ears, and with a sigh Rin let his eyes fall shut. 'Weird' couldn't begin to describe this. It was like hearing voices in a dream.

"So are you." After all, he agreed, didn't he? And with that he lowered his hand and walked on, heading down the stone steps and towards the cobblestone path between the sakura trees.

It was strange to be in this form. Particularly because he’d spent a week with Rin and had slowly gotten used to being taller than him (taller than almost everyone he’d spoken to in the past week). And now… Now he could turn his head and end up staring a little over Rin’s hips. Being lower to the ground was just as odd. Looking down, Sousuke found whatever he was walking on far closer to his face than normal. The first few times, he’d instinctively avoided looking because he always ended up tensing or jumping in surprise. It’d gotten better, but not to the point he was used to it yet.

There were other experiences as well. Moving faster and more flowing, four legs instead of two. Movement had, thankfully, never been a problem; his mind seemed to rewire without issue when he transformed. But thinking about it always weirded him out for the first few times he’d transformed. His senses picked up even further, sound and scent being the most obvious. Sousuke could tell exactly what scent of shampoo Rin had used that morning, could tell if he’d even came close to breaking a sweat during his morning routine. For example, of course. The moment he was outside, he could hear things he couldn’t have as a human, smaller sounds running through the petals or the far-off noise of people beyond the castle gates. However, for better or for worse, Sousuke had found he retained his human sight rather than a canine’s, bar the ability to see better in dimmer light and track movement quicker (that’d been fun to explain to Rin the first time).

Hopefully they’d be fine during this. Neither of them had spent a lot of time training their respective abilities and while this request seemed fairly innocuous enough, the chance of them running into one of those monsters (‘ayakashi’ was it?) sat in the back of his mind.

Sousuke broke from his thoughts when a hand settled atop his head and his ears instinctively lowered slightly to make room for the touch. Fingers ruffled through his fur, reminiscing of a hand running through his hair, and he looked forward towards the sakura-strewn path before them. A little embarrassing to be head-rubbed like this, but at the same time… it felt nice. He didn’t shy from the touch; it actually brought a tinge of pride, though he didn’t admit to it. The fact Rin had his hand out and waiting before he even got to his side spoke a lot to both his expectation and his trust. Sousuke had no intention of letting him down… depending on what he asked him to do that was.

’Oy.’ But it was hard to deny that. He had agreed to it, hadn’t he. As Rin walked forward, Sousuke followed, keeping beside him as the cobblestones beneath his paws pressed against his pads. ’Do you know what you’re doing? Shrines and the Near and Far Shores. People and ayakashi?’

It was cute the first few times (and maybe a few more after that to be honest) to watch Sousuke try to adjust to his new form on his own. For a dog, his actions and expressions were still very human-like, and left Rin chuckling to himself from his watchful perch, chin in hand, eyes glimmering with boyish curiosity and awe. He took to walking well enough, but every so often he still caught him jumping back a bit and huffing in annoyance after spotting his own shadow. After that, they quickly discovered more and more. The enhanced senses for one thing, which Rin had to admit he might have been envious of as Sousuke explained how they worked on their walk back to the castle doors, tail wagging gently, paws quiet in the warm grass...

In a strange way, he was thankful for the change, because something told him they would be in for some real problems down the road if Sousuke happened to turn into something a little less mobile and manageable. Not only that, but at least this form still gave Sousuke freedom to move and act as he wanted.

Out in the open air, Rin breathed deeply and for a moment let himself become more in tune with the world around them. Before anything else, he needed to find his center, right? Clearing his head, building up some confidence to make this worth their while... He was every bit a leader now as he was before they arrived in this world, and whether or not this was a particularly "big" mission, he didn't want to slack off or take it lightly. That being said, Sousuke's question gave him pause and with hands in his pockets he gazed down at the pink petals as they fluttered beneath his feet. He should have known. That's what he'd been telling himself for several days, what only made sense for someone as important as a god.

But Rin couldn't lie to himself anymore than he could to Sousuke and with a sigh he offered a small shake of his head. "Not exactly," he said as he lifted his eyes up again to the pathway before them. "Like I told you, I'm still learning as I go along. ... But, if nothing else--" He lifted one hand up to glance down into his palm. Ordinary. Normal. Just as it should have been. And yet... "--whatever powers I have seem to work on instinct. I don't have to concentrate too hard to put them to use." Rin hadn't discovered everything about his new self just yet, but like Sousuke these past few days, he couldn't sit idly by and wait for something to happen. He experimented. Discovered what he could and couldn't move and which emotions would drive his body to respond in kind. Normally, Rin thrived best when he had a plan of action, but in this case he needed to learn how to adapt to expecting the unexpected. He knew but he didn't and vague and confusing as that was, it was the best they had to go on for now.

"I'm hoping we won't have to do anything drastic for something this simple. With luck, we'll be sharp enough to avoid running into any ayakashi while we work." Halfway across the path, Rin switched directions, turning left to walk towards the small grove of sakura trees standing tall in the midday sun. For being such a newbie to this, he seemed to have a keen sense of direction to start. "First thing's first. We need to get to the Near Shore." A shrine, right. That's how it was supposed to work. Don't ask him how he knew or how it was supposed to work in the first place. That was just asking for another headache. All he knew was that they were close... and the particular sakura tree he eventually decided to stop in front of was just what they were looking for.

A bit taller than the rest, with branches that stretched farther and wider into the sky. Good. This was the one... he assumed.

Rin turned to Sousuke first with a tilt of his head. "Are you asking 'cause you're scared?"

Of course Rin’d find it cute; he didn’t have to get used to all the changes. But even with his grumpy attitude about it, Sousuke found himself doing… some dog things. Like running around between the trees and testing his reflexes by snapping at the ever-present sakura petals drifting around. Only to realize he had a big smile on his face (maybe with his tongue hanging out a little) when he turned to look at Rin over his shoulder. And saw him sitting there looking like a little kid who just found his best friend again or something stupid like that. And went back to being stoic again. At least until he found the ground too close and huffed at it when he jumped. But at the end of the day, more often than not, he found himself walking back to the castle alongside Rin, steps quiet and tail swaying in a happy beat as he talked about his experiences.

Regardless, he was grateful for the form. From what he’d heard on his first day, shinki didn’t get the chance to be this mobile more often than not, turning into inanimate objects and things. He would’ve hated to be stuck in a form he couldn’t move in. This worked out a lot better for him.

The world open around him again was once more hitting in so many different ways. The scent of the sakura was always there, mingling with Rin’s scent and the grass all around them. Sounds of the breeze and other unknown things far away from them that he could hear by Rin couldn’t. And the strange sense of being so low to the ground (obviously). Sousuke kept his head up and glanced towards Rin again. It was different being a shinki, but… what was the difference when Rin was a god? He heard prayers, of course, but what else? It wasn’t like Rin could “practice” being a god as much as Sousuke could practice getting used to being a shinki. Then again, it wasn’t like either of them had trained to go look for a lost dog.

The sigh and shake of his head, however, earned a flat look from the canine at his waist. He kept his mouth shut; what’d he expect? Rin was less than a week into this thing and he trained as much as Sousuke (which, in their case, was far less than the time they spent wandering around the castle, getting into fights, and generally getting used to each other’s company). ‘Aa. We both are.’ Proud as he was, like hell could Sousuke say he was already perfect at this thing. He was still having a hard time keeping a steady stream of water going in this form. He lowered his head and focused on the path again. ‘At least you hit the target last time.’ Not that the sakura tree cared about such a little ‘paff’ of love energy. And NO, Sousuke had NOT snorted when he saw that (he totally did). They might not have spent a lot of time training, but it was rapidly apparent neither of them liked to sit around and simply wait for something to happen.

‘We’re catching a dog. How hard can that be?’ Something drastic in this case would be Rin getting bit on the butt or something. But the mention of the ayakashi had him flatten his ears. Those things. He’d heard little about them, but that little made him not want to encounter them at all. They were dangerous and he didn’t want to put Rin in any real danger. ‘They plague humans, not dogs.’ So he was assuming. Hoping. He turned as Rin did, glancing towards the golden gate that glistened at the far end of the cherry blossom path. He Sousuke remembered those gates, meeting Rin for the first time so close to them… And back to the walk again until they came to the shrine tree. ‘Aa.’ Sousuke kept his mouth shut beyond that, not wanting Rin to get a headache like the had last time.

Until he said that. Sousuke’s ears flattened again and he rolled wry eyes up towards Rin. ‘I don’t get scared.’

Those "dog things" were more amusing than they probably should have been really, and he couldn't lie and tell himself he wasn't tempted to find a stick in the grass and toss it Sousuke's way just to see what he'd do with it. But... he wasn't going to go so far as to tease him that hard yet. After all, he knew his shinki was adjusting much more than he was, so not only did he want to be fair, he wanted to be nice, even if he knew Sousuke could handle the exact opposite. Give him another week or too maybe. Then he could start to get a little more comfortable... he hoped.

For now, he had to accept they were still stuck in the learning stages of all this, and as much as he wanted to focus on their relationship first, other responsibilities and duties had to interrupt eventually. Not like training had been boring or worthless in the least. Actually, coming from an otherwise normal human teenager, this was even a little fun. Ok, maybe the first time Sousuke discovered he could manipulate a stream of water to chase Rin around the gardens wasn't exactly fun, but everything else was! Like figuring out how to hit a target correctly. That was fun! F-for a small hit, that was, if they could even call it that at all. Point was, yes, they were making progress, and... Rin was proud of that, even a little excited. It meant something was working, if nothing else.

"Tsk. Shut up," he grumbled, kicking his foot out to nudge Sousuke in the... side, since he wasn't so sure it would feel right nudging him in the foot or leg while he was a dog. Look, if he was going to kick him, he had to kick him where he'd really feel it, ok? That was how it worked! "I did super well that time and you know it." Never mind that Sousuke did snort at him, and there was no sense in trying to deny it! He heard it loud and clear, so there.

Anyway, they could save that training again for later, assuming they would tire themselves out with this task first. But really, how hard could it be? If the dog went missing only yesterday, then there was a good chance it was still hanging around the same city, maybe even the same street, right? Stopping in front of the large sakura tree, Rin glanced up at the branches in thought. Well. It was easy to think that way, wasn't it? To be hopeful and positive. As much as he wanted to avoid danger, he had to be realistic. Who knew what those ayakashi were truly capable of? "That's the assumption though, isn't it? We won't really know what they're like until we meet one." asked as he turned back to Sousuke who soon had those ears of his flat against his head. Heh. What, did he upset him now? Whether it was reflexive at this point or not, Rin pet his shinki between the ears again, ruffling up the fur to set it out of place just like he would do to his hair. Come on. Don't look at him like that.

"Yeah? Then prove it to me." And with that he took a deep breath, stepped forward, and phased through the base of the large tree to the other side. At first glance it looked like the same grove, but beyond the trees and hedges he could clearly make out moving outlines of cars and people in the streets ahead. A quick peek at his shoes and legs proved he was still in one piece... All right. Check this one off the to-do list.

Being a dog wasn’t all that bad though. He found reactions different, reflexes changed, and his motions obviously not the same as walking and moving as a human. Changing back and forth between forms gave him a good advantage he couldn’t deny either. Even if it was Rin who controlled those changes (something he wasn’t all that happy about, despite his begrudging acceptance). Couldn’t change it, so whatever. Rin had his own things to deal with; Sousuke wasn’t sure if he could handle having people talking in his head. Besides, there was that other aspect of information and giving it to his shinki Rin had to tend to.

At least Sousuke admitted Rin was doing as well as he could. They were both learning this new world. And he wasn’t doing it alone. That part surprised Sousuke the most, considering he’d been adamantly against becoming a god’s shinki during his first day here. Being someone else’s thing wasn’t being responsible for himself, and he didn’t want to rely on anyone else for anything either. And yet for all that intent, he’d met Rin, the very first time, and accepted to be his shinki. Why? So he’d stop crying. At least, that’s what Sousuke told himself. But like the hot sauce in the omelet, he couldn’t find a solid reason for it, no matter how much he thought about it. Now, chasing Rin around with water, watching him try to charm the sakura petals off a tree, wandering around the castle, arguing over whether to jog in the morning or evening, all those things had happened. That… definitely didn’t sound like what he’d originally planned.

Nudge. Sousuke started out of his thoughts, jumping a little and paws scratching at the grass. ‘Oy!’ Did he seriously just… ‘kick’ him?! Well no, and it hadn’t hurt or anything, but still! ‘I bite.’ Give him something to think about next time he wanted to stick that food out and nudge him again. Hmph. ‘You did mediocre and you know it.’ But it’d be a lie to say he didn’t notice Rin improving in later training. Not that he’d tell him that.

Anyways, they had something else to focus on. This was the first time Sousuke had gone outside of this… god realm? The Far Shore as he’d heard it referred to. First time he’d been outside of Rin’s castle area in several days too. That was his choice though, of course. He looked up to the sakura tree, just in time to have a sakura petal land right on his nose. He snorted and shook his head quickly, backing up a step in the process before glaring down at the offending item. Which was so happily dancing down to the grass. Looking away, he walked closer to the tree and stopped beside Rin’s legs. ‘We can save meeting one for later. Let’s find the dog first.’ Like they had a choice, but whatever—

Hand. Sousuke blinked as Rin rubbed at his head again, right between his ears. And not just rubbing, but ruffling his fur to make it stand up. His expression went flat and wry again, but he only made a silent huff in his mind. Really, this happened plenty of tines now, he wondered if Rin even knew he was doing it. Fine. It wasn’t like it felt bad… Still looking at you like that.

‘Aa.’ He’d prove it all right. The moment Rin stepped forward, Sousuke followed suit, walking straight towards the tree trunk. Logic yelled at him to stop—he was literally going to smash his face into bark!—but he ignored it and… ended up with the tree behind him. He turned his head and looked up at the trunk. Then back in front of him. ‘This is Tokyo?’ The Near Shore? It was livelier than he’d seen for the past couple of days. Cars and people, the scents of a lot more than Rin and sakura hitting him all at once. He took in a few breaths, head moving back and forth a little to test the air unconsciously.

To be honest, Rin would have liked to figure out how to make a few changes to that if possible, mostly regarding giving Sousuke freedom to choose when he wanted to switch in and out of his shinki form whenever he wanted. He'd have to find the time to bring that question up with some of the other, more experienced gods the next time he had the chance. Anything to make this more bearable for both of them really.

Just like the cooking, the exploring, and, yes, even the occasional teasing exactly like this. Rin rolled his eyes, tempted to land another kick but held himself back before he ended up having either a nasty bite or another runaway dog to deal with. "Oh, whatever. Like you could handle your powers without getting yourself wet the first hundred times." Might have been an exaggeration, but Sousuke couldn't expect Rin to let him get away with comments like that so easily! ... E-even if he ended up getting easily flustered and huffy over a tiny sakura petals tapping him on the nose. Ok, now that made it almost impossible to be frustrated with him over anything. Almost.

But what could Rin say? He always did have a soft spot for animals, dogs especially.

Once Sousuke stepped through the trunk himself, he'd find his god standing on the other side just as expected, but with eyes wide open and curious, it seemed he was less focused on the task at hand and more on the sights and sounds surrounding them this very second. He was always drawn to large cities. Having grown up in a small seaside town far away from crowds and loud noises, Rin didn't have much experience with this kind of setting. Naturally, anyone who knew him as a child had to wonder what was going through his mind when he ultimately decided to pack up and move all the way out to Sydney for school and training. A new environment with new people and a new language-- Tokyo wasn't Sydney, that was for sure, but he didn't see why he couldn't approach it in more or less the same way. Scary... but exciting, right?

"Huh? Oh." Glancing back down at Sousuke, Rin nodded. Really. Hearing that question coming from his best friend made this seem like a dream all over again. If anything, Sousuke was supposed to know Tokyo better than Rin. Goodness knew that knowledge could have helped them tremendously, poor sense of direction aside. "Yeah, this is Tokyo. I'm actually seeing it for the first time myself." He propped a hand on his hip while his eyes scanned the busy landscape before them. Honestly, there seemed to be more people than cars on the road at this hour, which did make the task seem more and more daunting by the second. Any one of these alleyways and streets could have a dog on it... though speaking of which, did they even know what kind of dog they were looking for?

Hm. Now let's see. If he could hear people's voices in his head, then maybe-- He gave himself a moment to concentrate and think back to the moment that prayer began to wander in his mind. Images, colors, hell, even a name would give them a better lead than nothing at all. It took him a while to relay the words over, and when it finally became clear, the image filtered through. ... Ah.

Ok, he couldn't help but snort a little at that one. "Sousuke," he piped up, making sure to keep his shinki's attention. "We're looking for a small white dog. A poodle, to be exact." And to make matters even better? "It has pink bows in its fur."

He felt, rather than saw, that eye roll. For a second, he thought about taking a nip just to be a jerk about it. But… luckily for Rin, they were transitioning to the new world and Sousuke forgot about it for the time being. (Now, if that second kick happened, all bets would’ve been off.) ‘Oy. I aimed at you most of the time.’ Didn’t help that Sousuke was standing next to Rin the majority of those times. Without a good deal of “targets” to make use of, since those sakura trees weren’t the mobile sort, they had pitched the idea of using each other as moving targets every now and then. It worked… mostly. Even if it had left them a mixture of soaked from water and dazed from getting hit by bursts of… love (Sousuke still had no idea how that was even possible, but whatever).

They were here now and that was that. Mission started. You know, if they weren’t distracted by the whole world opening up around them. This was a big city… After spending several days inside the castle and the peaceful sakura grove, the sudden immersion to a world of sights and sounds and people was a little shocking. The rising buildings towered overhead and Sousuke was suddenly very much feeling the effect of being less than half his normal height right now. But it was interesting nevertheless. The grass was different, the trees, even the scents. Something seemed… like a very distant, very fleeting brush of familiarity against his mind. Only to vanish a moment later as if it’d never been there in the first place.

Getting his obvious question answered helped and Sousuke dropped his gaze back to the city again. So this was Tokyo. The number of people wandering the sidewalks and the cars pressing down the roads were rather intense and he unconsciously shifted to the side unit his ribs bumped against Rin’s leg. So he thought earlier, how hard could it be to find a lost dog? Now that he was standing here staring at this huge, bustling city, that flippant question was more or less slapping him right in the face. It was a lot more daunting than he thought. Finding one back at the castle, in the Far Shore, would’ve been so much easier.

‘Hm?’ His ears swiveled to the side at the call of his name and he turned to look up at Rin again. Details. Well good. Small, white, a poodle (seriously?)… what was he pausing for—pink bows. Teal eyes went flat again and he frowned at his god. ‘Stop grinning.’ Even if Rin somehow managed not to do it on the outside, Sousuke definitely heard that snort earlier and knew the other boy was probably snickering something good on the inside. Idiot. He swung his head back towards the city. ‘Okay, we have a description. Now what’s the plan? I doubt you can hear animal thoughts.’

"Tch. Some aim you have." Again, teasing. Call it another way of giving each other some motivation to do better, right? Anyway, it wasn't like it wasn't working to some effect. At least they could do something other than accidentally trigger their powers without even thinking about it. What's more, it was probably for the best that they couldn't exactly hit each other with their full blown attacks either. Rin didn't know about Sousuke, but he wasn't looking forward to finding out what a little more love and water would do to their sanity.

Baby steps, baby steps. They'd get there eventually.

Feeling that slight bump against his leg, Rin looked down to his canine companion with the faintest of smirks on his lips. Oh, so he was getting nervous, was he? He might have pointed it out if, well... he wasn't already nervous himself.

"I'm not," he said, innocent, before mirroring that head turn then taking his first step towards the park exit. Underneath the rest of these trees, at least he had enough quiet time to think of a viable strategy. "No, I can't. Aside from yours and all." Did Sousuke even count as an animal right now? Ngh. That was a road he didn't want to head down today. "But I do know who the owner is... and I do know that she doesn't live too far from here." Who ever thought that someone in this day and age would think to send prayers to Eros out of all the gods in the heavens? And to have a shrine for him too... One of these days he had to wake up from all this and realize he ate something funny before bed.

Finally, stepping out onto the sidewalk, Rin and Sousuke would find themselves in the fray, standing beneath tall skyscrapers, blinding neon lights, and a sea of people from all sides. All right... the whole 'get bumped into without being noticed' thing would take some serious getting used to. "The dog couldn't have wandered too far from home." Might as well start here... Right?

‘I’m getting better.’ And yes, that was a threat right there. Sousuke knew it was motivation and he appreciated that. Even if they’d only been together a short time, the idea of Rin being better than him at something never sat ‘well’ with Sousuke. But in a positive sense. He wanted to one up him almost as much as he wanted to see just how much Rin improved. Which bothered him whenever he stepped back and looked at it without the heat of excitement wrapping up the moment. But it was different between them. Controlling water versus controlling love was… well… Sometimes it was best not to think about it and just dive in without asking. They didn’t need to go hitting each other in the head with their respective powers over and over.

Sousuke was still having issues building barriers as it was. But he was going to get better. No matter how much he had to work for it.

And he was not standing against Rin’s leg because he was nervous, thank you so very much! He was standing there because he didn’t feel like dealing with the hassle of someone walking between him and his god; that was all. There were a lot of people around and even if they couldn’t see them, it didn’t mean (he assumed) they could simply walk through people like ghosts. Besides… being close to Rin calmed him.

‘Uh-huh.; Sousuke stepped forwards as Rin did, paws nigh-silent on the pavement as they moved. So Rin couldn’t sense any animals, location-wise, but him. But that was probably because he was Rin’s shinki, not because he was a dog. ‘Should we meet her then?’ Just a suggestion. Maybe she could give them some more hints as to where she’d last been with her dog? Or offer some kind of idea about what the city’s rules were on stray animals. Did the dog have a collar? Should they check the pound? Why was he thinking so much about this? He turned his head and focused on the park entrance as he walked past it. Better, something solid to deal with rather than running his brain on what if’s and such.

And then the quiet of the park vanished and Sousuke was left standing next to Rin in the middle of a big, busy city. He tilted his head back, looking up at the towering skyscrapers, the neon lights glowing strange colors in his vision. And of course, the people, Walking all over, sending scents and sounds he never would’ve picked up as a human flooding into his head. For a moment, the sheer amount was staggering; he wasn’t used to it, and he Sousuke leaned against Rin’s leg again, bracing himself via the support. Head rush…

‘Depends on how long the dog’s been missing, and whether it’s a friendly dog. I guess a poodle shouldn’t be hard to spot though.’ White with pink bows and all.

He grinned a little at that one and with another gentle nudge to Sousuke's side replied, "Yeah. You are." Considering he could barely move any water at all just a short while ago, this was still an improvement. They weren't enemies, never were, and he planned on keeping it that way. Friendly competition, a healthy rivalry. They could still keep that between them, couldn't they? Without it, well, none of this would have felt remotely the same.

At any rate, something told him they wouldn't be needing their powers for now, and once they stood in the middle of the busy sidewalk he glanced around in silence to take in the unfamiliar atmosphere of such a big city. No way to sense animals, no way to communicate with them either... Shaking his head, he crossed his arms.

"No. It's best if we don't bring attention to ourselves, even to her." As helpful as it could have been, he didn't want to risk causing any sort of commotion. What if her parents happened to be around and they saw her talking to no one? Or what if they flat out scared her off? They didn't exactly look like two heavenly figures, now did they? Hn. Ok, so maybe this would be trickier than he thought. As he thought it, Rin noticed Sousuke moving beside him before bracing himself up against his leg, probably overwhelmed with the rush of new sights and sounds. He could only imagine how all this seemed to a dog, especially one that wasn't even a dog to start with.

Hoping to provide some comfort, he stroked between his ears again and even rubbed this thumb a bit between his brows. Pure habit really. It worked for regular dogs, maybe it could still work for Sousuke. "We can walk around here to start. Maybe a few blocks just to familiarize ourselves with everything." He began walking forward then, swerving his way through the crowd but never straying more than an arm's length away. "Keep your eyes and ears peeled though. You can hear and see more than I can." With luck, maybe he'd lock on to something.

Sousuke glared up at Rin for that one. ‘Do you like kicking dogs?’ Well, of course that wasn’t a kick or anything remotely close to it. But that was the—what—third or fourth time he’d gotten nudged like that. Then again, Sousuke was standing with his side flush to Rin’s leg so… Still going to be a grump about it. They really had improved even if they’d spent the majority of their time on not training. Fast learners, he figured. It was nice to have someone who could push him like that.

As the people bustled around them, Sousuke kept close to Rin despite the grouchy question earlier. Obviously he wasn’t on a leash (and glad for it) but since people couldn’t see them unless they really brought attention to themselves, that left them a little more at risk of getting separated. Sousuke didn’t want to have to search for Rin too; they were already looking for a who-knows-where dog. When Rin shook his head, the shinki sighed. ‘Great.’

But he agreed with the decision. She’d probably ask a lot of questions or something and explaining whatever answer they came up with wouldn’t be fun. So they had to rely on other things. He shifted a little as people milled around him and then glanced over his shoulder towards the side of the walkway. Maybe they should move out of the middle here? Get to a place where everyone and their families weren’t walking. Someone walked by and he abruptly jerked his head to the side, tilting it upward a little and breathing in instantly. ‘She has pork. Fried.’ Why that was important, he didn’t know, but his stomach clenched because of it and he couldn’t stop breathing in the heavenly scent.

And then that hand again. Sousuke didn’t flinch from it, almost like he was eternally expecting it in the back of his mind somehow. His ears swiveled a bit and flattened to make room for Rin’s hand, head nudging a little as the god’s thumb wandered between his brows. Hmph… cheater. Felt good though and he leaned against Rin’s leg more. ‘Walking sounds fine.’ Stepping forward, he followed Rin’s motions, finally breaking the connection to put some distance between them. Mostly so they weren’t stepping on each other. ‘I can, but I don’t know what we’re listening for.’ Looking, yes, but listening? He didn’t know what the poodle sounded like.

‘Oy.’ And tilted his head to the side once Rin looked at him. There not too far off was a concrete telephone pole. Complete with lines up atop it and a piece of paper (more than one actually) about a missing pet.

"I'm not kicking you." So, no, he didn't like kicking dogs. And anyway, Sousuke wasn't even a dog, right? Don't be so grumpy.

Anyway, with how they were walking with all these people now, it almost seemed impossible that he wouldn't accidentally kick Sousuke once or twice, or that Sousuke wouldn't knock into him now that he thought about it, so after some shifting and shimmying Rin guided both of them over towards the right where they could skirt the edge of the sidewalk together. There. Maybe now they wouldn't risk getting barrelled over.

"Huh?" Glancing over, he wondered if maybe Sousuke caught onto something... but once he heard him he let out a soft sigh and rolled his eyes, later walking on ahead with longer strides. "Oy, don't get distracted. We're not looking for pork." Although-- "If we get this done quick enough, then we can grab some for ourselves. How's that sound?" There. Incentive. The promise of food usually worked for Sousuke before, so why not use it to his advantage now? Heh. Funny that it would be pork though, out of all things. Seemed like some things just weren't meant to change at all. Smiling in spite of himself, Rin tucked his hands into his pockets, his demeanor relaxing little by little with every step. Man, this was obscure, wasn't it? Hearing his own best friend's voice in his head, said best friend turned into a dog and trudging along through these streets he should have known better than Rin if only he knew... but no matter how out of place it felt, somehow it felt... familiar. The conversation, the nudging and even the way they walked at the same pace.

Rin didn't have to think twice to know who he was beside today and that alone brought him comfort.

He looked up when Sousuke did, turned towards a nearby telephone pole, and after taking a moment to scan the articles and flyers attached to the surface he spotted one that stood out among the others. Probably newer, couldn't have been older than a day or two. "Come on," he said as he walked over to inspect it closer. Well, that was their missing dog all right. Small white poodle, bows in her fur... Taking hold of one corner of the flyer, he took note of what bits of information they didn't have yet. Phone number, an address, even a name. "Let's see. It says her name's Angel. And from the look of this photo--" Oh, was that a bell attached to her collar? Talk about luck! He looked back to Sousuke with a confident nod. "If she's still wearing this collar, then we should have more luck in finding her. You do know what a bell sounds like, right?" Couldn't imagine why he wouldn't.

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