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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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.

‘Uh-huh. Dog abuse, that’s you.’ He knew he was just being a brat right now and had no intention of stopping. Besides, they were standing close enough, what with the mill of people about them, that there was no way Sousuke could avoid getting a few bumps every now and then. And while it was a little annoying, it always was a nice reminder he wasn’t here alone. Even if he could obviously handle himself without any help right now. Of course Rin wouldn’t kick dogs; the guy was far too much a kind-hearted romantic for that kind of actions. Still, Sousuke was glad to get out of the crowed and out into a calmer area.

‘Easy for you to say.’ Rin wasn’t the one getting hit in the face with just how good pork smelled times a hundred. Plus the sauce that was on it… and it was grilled too. Thinking about it threatened to swing his feet off to the side and he snorted a little, giving his head a shake to try and clear it and move on. And yes, he “saw” that eye roll up there. Picking up his pace to match Rin’s longer strides, he semi-reluctantly left the scent behind. Ears perked up, however, at the mention of actually getting the reward and a little grin played on his face. ‘You’re on.’ He really wasn’t sure what he was thinking right now, whether to eat the meat in this form or wait for himself to change back to human. It was… a really strange thought though. He was a human, just wearing the form of a dog, right? He shouldn’t be thinking canine thoughts. Or maybe he was simply doing so semi-consciously because why not? It wasn’t like anyone else around them knew the truth.

But all that came to a halt when he indicated the telephone pole and Rin went to take a look. Sousuke followed after his god at the invite, moving to the pole and looking up at the papers attached to it. There were… a number of them. Not enough to make it entirely depressing but… considering the mission they were here on, well, it said something. Of course, not all of them were missing animals (not that he could see from his admittedly lower vantage point). ‘Angel?’ Seriously? How stereotypically ‘girly’ could this poodle get? Small, white, floofy, bows in the hair, probably one of those yappy-yap type dogs too—

And then outright flat faced Rin with the dullest expression imaginable on his face.

‘I don’t think so. What’s a bell sound like?’

Rin was damn lucky he didn’t whack him right here and now for asking such a stupid question ~~admittedly he kind of had a reason BUT STILL~~.

"For your information, I like dogs. Might explain why you can turn into one, now that I think about it." Was that possible? Hm. Made more sense than turning him into some other thing he liked, didn't it? A shark, a pool... a steak? Ngh, probably best to try and not make any sense out of it, as amusing as it was.

Anyway, with the deal set, he had Sousuke's attention again, and... ok, maybe it was kind of an incentive for Rin too, not because he was hungry or anything but because he could look forward to seeing Sousuke revved up, driven, happy. After all, that was how he should be and how he wanted to see him from now on. Not cooped up in the castle doing nothing or even wandering around staring at all the paintings and shadows on the wall for another full day. With luck, they'd be able to pick up more missions soon enough after this one too. Give them some practice and keep them always on the move. Er... and not just with finding dogs. Hopefully.

Rin flattened out the corner of the flyer as he stepped back--

And then returned that flat, dull expression with a slight slump of his shoulders. Oh, come on. He couldn't honestly expect Rin to believe that one. Which was why he reached out with both hands and flicked those pointy ears of his. Once, twice, and a third time just for good measure. Idiot. "Don't act like you don't know."

Sousuke didn’t drop his flat expression even when Rin gave him a similar one of his own. He saw those shoulders slump and merely kept his face pointed right at Rin, waiting to see if he’d actually make the noise for him. It was like seeing Rin’s thoughts scrolling across his face though. Disbelief that Sousuke’d actually expect him to believe that wry comment. At least he tensed up when those hands came towards him, not knowing if he was going to try and swat him or—

‘Ow! Quit it, Rin!’ And jerked his head back at the third time, teeth baring in a scowl. His ears were sensitive, asshole! Okay so it wasn’t all that hard and he wasn’t hurt much, but it still sent some pain and shock down his skull. Sousuke backed up just enough to get out of reach of his arms. Of course, like most dogs, his ears were plenty soft to those flicking fingers (not that Sousuke was “aware” of that). ‘Hmph. Then don’t ask stupid questions.’

That ear flicking definitely didn’t support Rin’s earlier comment about liking dogs, now did it. Che, Rin liking dogs being the reason Sousuke’s shinki vessel was a dog. What were the chances of that? ‘I’m glad you don’t like girls then.’ Sousuke said that before he even thought about the insinuations of it, but the second he did, he swore his entire face glowed hot under his fur and he quickly turned his head to the side as if something got his attention, regardless of whether Rin could see his face or not. Look, he was insinuating the idea that he was glad Rin didn’t turn him into a girl as his shinki! He swore it!

Part of him wanted to make the noise, you know, just to keep the humor going, but they didn't have time to waste today... and anyway, Sousuke made it hard to be funny with an attitude like that. So, ear flicking it was, which he was nice enough to stop after the first three hits. How was he supposed to know that dog ears were sensitive? He might have liked dogs, but he'd never been one. And yes, he did like them, no matter what Sousuke told himself. It just so happened that this particular pooch needed training. Lots of it.

He huffed and with hands in his pockets he was ready to turn and resume their walk. Well. He would have. And he should have. If only someone actually behaved.

Shoulders hiked, brows knitted together, Rin made a choked noise in the back of his throat. He knew what Sousuke was getting at, but it sure as hell didn't sound right. In any case, without looking back over his shoulder, he started to walk. "Don't say stupid stuff like that." ... He might have been red. He might not. Who could say?

Even if he got nothing for it, there was plenty of egg on his face for the comment. He definitely had meant it an entirely different way, but whoops! Faux paus. Turning with a curve of his body, Sousuke headed after Rin and soon fell in step beside him. ‘Osu.’ He wasn’t going to question or bring it up even in agreement, wanting to put that quietly under the rug. While he knew Rin a little more than their first meeting, he definitely didn’t know the other boy enough to be making those kinds of comments. Even Sousuke had his own limits on that stuff.

After walking for a few minutes in silence, he finally risked breaking it. ‘Did the poster give you any idea on how to find this dog?’ They had a name, they had an image of her, but wandering around and looking still didn’t seem to him to be the fastest, most efficient way. Of course, Sousuke had better hearing than Rin, but never having heard the other dog before… well, that was a problem. ‘What about an address?’ Looks, he's trying to be helpful.

A god of love clearly loved everyone, Sousuke. Let's just leave it at that.

"Where do you think I'm going?" He wasn't stupid, ok? Listening and looking aimlessly could only get them so far. So after a few minutes of walking–and maybe taking in the city sights a bit longer than he should have–Rin finally spotted the right numbers coming up on their right side and strode on up to where the sidewalk met a flight of stairs. An apartment complex. Small, compact, city living at its finest. When it came to dogs though, at least the loyal ones, it didn't matter where their owners lived. In Rin's experience, they liked to stick close by. Or if they wandered too far away, they'd manage to find their way back. So. Here they had Point A.

He looked down at Sousuke beside him. "They live on the second floor." Pointing at the door on the far left. "That one, if the poster was right. Angel's gotta be around here somewhere." She had a name Sousuke, gosh! "Or at least her scent should be, right?"

~~So not leaving it at that.~~

‘I don’t know; you never told me.’ Sousuke’s retort carried the underlying reminder of his lack of mind reading in it. But he had a general idea: some place Rin thought the dog would be. So he followed alongside him, grateful that people didn’t really “see” them. Because he’d probably end up completely mortified if people started complimenting Rin on what a handsome pet he had by his side. And knowing his god, there’d be red faces and cheeky grins and sheepish awkwardness that would follow them home like a cloud over the sun. He glanced up at the sidewalk and stairs as they came to a half. Apartments…

‘I see.’ This was probably the owner’s address. And thus the dog’s neighborhood. Rin pointing it out confirmed that. And he sounded so confident too—

Urk.

Sousuke blinked once. Wait a second… He had these misgivings the moment Rin mentioned the prayer request back there by the front door of the castle. Sousuke had guessed it, but gave Rin the benefit of the doubt, thought it was going to be something else, stuck his heels in and dug down with all stubbornness. And now…!

‘Don’t you even.’

~~... Asshole.~~

"Didn't I?" Teasing him, because he knew he didn't, but maybe he just didn't feel like it. Time is money, Sousuke! Though speaking of which, for as strange as it was being "invisible," with the task at hand, it proved to be pretty handy. No need to worry about people getting in the way or trying to stop them on the side of the street. Not very often a dog as big as Sousuke wandered through Tokyo's crowded neighborhoods and roads after all. They'd be stopped every block. ... Might've been an exaggeration, but still.

But, oh, here they go. And he thought he was pretty clear back at the castle too! Well, sort of. Kind of.

"What?" he asked, brow raised. Ohhhh, no he didn't. "Hey, you can't go giving me that look when you already agreed to do this with me!" Now get sniffing!

~~Dick.~~

‘No.’ And Rin knew it. He also knew what he was asking of him and Sousuke remained straight up flat faced at him. Listening, fine. Running around, fine. Asking the dog’s—Angel’s—owner, fine. But deliberately making use of his dog nose?! Look, Sousuke was rather proud with his shinki form, especially compared to what he’d heard other shinki changed into. The freedom to move on his own and utilize his powers being the most important and enjoyable part. But he was still a human under all that fur and the idea of going nose to the ground?

Ugh, awkward. Yeah it was ‘clear’ at the castle. Sousuke simply hoped Rin didn’t realize it. But apparently… And now came that look. The arched brow and all. His eyebrow twitched in annoyance, ears flattening on his head at “getting caught” by that reminder. He’d agreed. Hadn’t he. Shooting Rin a look that could kill, Sousuke delayed for a few more seconds.

Then turned around and lowered his head. And, honestly, he’d known his sense of smell was a lot better since the moment he walked out the front door the first time. Actively using it though? A bit of a head rush, considering he suddenly was conscious of a host of scents assaulting his nose, mind, and lungs. But since he didn’t know what Angel smelled like, well… He turned again and brushed past Rin (making sure to whack him on the shins with his tail—oops—as he walked by). Up the steps to the front door and got to work there. Food, definitely. Ice cream probably. Perfume. Definitely not dog scent. Leather. Fabric. Dirt. The doorma—There it was. The only scent that didn’t remind him of anything.

‘Got it.’

~~Butt.~~

Look, this felt pretty weird for Rin too, ok? Talking to a dog telepathically, a dog that just happened to be his best friend who didn't even remember being his best friend-- Couldn't they both just accept this was weird and get it over with? Sousuke was just lucky the powers that be were merciful enough to give him this form in the first place, as far as Rin was concerned. Awkward, yes. Different, absolutely. But helpful, and, most importantly, sentient.

... Hn. Though part of him did have to wonder how this would have played out if he could just carry Sousuke around and avoid having to look at those flat expressions of his. Oh, and avoid being thumped in the legs too, which Sousuke clearly felt no guilt towards.

"Oy," he grumbled once Sousuke passed by, tail in the air, ears pricked and alert. Should've flicked his ear again for that one. Oh, up the stairs he went, huh. He stayed at the bottom in the meantime, not wanting to interfere. Had to give Mr. Grumpy some space to work and all that. At least until he heard him speak again and perked up in interest, climbing the first couple steps to give himself a better look. Wow. He did it. He actually did it!

"Heh. That's the way you gotta do it, Sousuke!" His little plan worked! "Now can you figure out which direction she went?"

~~Prick.~~

Oh he wasn’t denying that. But he’d still argue that he had the shorter end of that stick (if he was going to be bothered to argue something stupid like that). Without knowing the truth of Rin’s burden, he had to rely on what was happening now and the short while he’d been committing things to memory. Still, they’re both holding up well despite the weirdness, right? Talking to Rin in his mind was strange at first, but now, he didn’t really think much of it. It’d only taken two times of trying to talk with his mouth and ending up making a strange whine sound the first time and a bark the second time to get him to accept the mental chat.

But no matter how odd it was, Sousuke was always going to be grateful for this form. Having the freedom to move and act on his own meant he wouldn’t go stir crazy when they went out on missions. It also meant he could whack Rin in the legs when he wanted to and otherwise show him his feelings without having to talk to him. It wasn’t ‘human’ obviously, but he wasn’t an inanimate object either.

Ignoring that little grumble—because no, he’s not sorry—Sousuke glanced up when Rin walked up the steps, one brow arching clearly even in his canine face. What was he coming up here for? He couldn’t see anything; it was a scent. But instead, Rin did something different. Teal eyes stared at Rin for a few seconds, that glowing praise sticking in his mind warm and making his chest swell some with pride. He shook it off before he ended up looking like a dork.

‘You couldn’t do better.’ And lazily stuck his tongue out at him (kinda harder to do in canine form). Then looked to the side, breathing in several times to keep the scent in his mind. Air currents, dirt, grass, pavement from the rain, food… dogs… dog… and there it was. ‘This way. The trail’s faint so you better keep up.’ And broke into a trot down the steps.

Oh but it was tempting to run… really show him up.

~~.. Bae.~~

Of course he wasn't sorry. But he'd let it go just this once and leave his scrawny little dog legs nudge-free, because aside from having some serious work to do, well, Rin knew he kind of sort of deserved that one. Dragging Sousuke into this with no warning, plopping him into this unknown city with all its overwhelming sights and sounds alike. It was a wonder why his shinki hadn't fallen over yet and buried his face in the ground with stress.

Not like that would have been very Sousuke-like, would it? No, he would have trudged along anyway, grumpy and unimpressed but tolerant to a degree, though with that positive reaction (don't try to hide it) Rin started to think he was finally having some fun. Rolling his eyes, he turned away from that gesture--not like Sousuke was very successful with it anyway--and made his way back down the steps, only to pause once fur brushed at his side and passed him by at a quicker pace. Yeah. Definitely having some fun.

"Please. I can keep up with my eyes closed," he boasted, chin raised ever-so slightly. "Someone's gotta make sure you don't end up getting yourself lost."

He’d better let it go; they’re busy right now and they don’t have the time to go quibbling over something stupid. (And excuse you, but his dog legs are far from scrawny or little, dumb human.) Even if he’d been pulled into this without knowing everything, Sousuke had agreed to it, of his own volition. And truth be told, he wanted to find the girl’s dog. How would it feel to have someone you cared about go missing? As overwhelming as the city was, Sousuke determined to conquer it and finish this prayer request. For his god. For the girl. For himself. (Please, he’s too tough to face plant in embarrassment.)

Sousuke glanced over his shoulder at the sound of footsteps beside him and a little doggy grin played around the sides of his muzzle. Wasn’t about to let his tongue loll out of his mouth at the moment though… ‘Really. So you’d keep up even if I broke into a full run, hm?’ And just to prove that point, he increased his speed, a trot turning into a faster almost-gallop, four legs moving in synchronization, paw pads cushioning the shock. He’d practiced with this body too, finding how to move and run, how to sense and keep his mind going despite the differences. ‘Oy, I’m following her scent; I’m not going to get lost.’

Unlike a certain someone else who only had his eyes and maybe his ears to help him out in locating their missing Angel. Who’s leading who now, huh?--Whoops! The scent went right and Sousuke followed it without a word, breaking from Rin's side almost instantly.

Did you see that one coming? 'Keep up, Rin.'

Oh she definitely went down... this alley!

They were certainly scrawnier and smaller than his legs, that was for sure! He didn't see a reason why he wouldn't be able to keep up with him, especially with his athletic physique. But, all that competitive stuff aside, Rin did feel the same way about this request in that he wanted to do it not only because it would benefit the two of them as a pair, but also because, well... he genuinely wanted to help this little girl out. Losing something important was never easy or fun, he knew that for sure, and being a dog lover himself he knew firsthand how much it would hurt to lose one. Like a friend, like a family member. This could have been the one chance in his life he'd be able to do anything like this again.

So with a laugh at that dopey doggy grin, Rin anticipated Sousuke's movements and sped up alongside him, legs stretching out and arms pumping at his sides as he broke into a jog down the sidewalk. Good. He was getting into it! And, ok, he had to admit it was impressive how easily he was able to move by now, even if he'd only been in this form a couple times before. Always such a fast learner, huh.

"Says you," he snickered before suddenly Sousuke changed direction and bolted off down a nearby alleyway. "Wh-- Oy!" So quick! He fell behind by a couple steps because of that one, but managed to catch up soon enough, smiling wider once he did. "Hah! Too easy!"

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