Reunion

He looked at her and smiled a bit, showing that he felt a little better that it wasn't his fault she was so upset. "Thanks Kurai. I don't know what I'd do if I hurt you in some way" he said in a softer tone of voice and by the tone of voice of his voice alone, Kurai could see that he felt a little better. Minoru always took it very hard when he somehow hurt someone he cares for.

"Yeah, me too. This is ridiculous. The attraction between them is so thick you can cut off a slice and eat it" he said with a roll of his eye. It was incredibly obvious to everyone but Minoru and Kurai that they had feelings to each other and it was beyond ridiculous how everyone but them could see it.

She managed a weak smile and nodded, glancing at the door when she heard the scuffling of claws on the wooden floor. Shia, no doubt. "Minoru, trust me, you've never hurt me. Things just aren't easy for me.." She kissed him on the forehead, lingering there for a moment before sitting back again. She got SO close then. She just couldn't make that final push. She smiled again, brushing a lock of hair out of her face and placing it behind her ear.

"Hollllld on, this sounds promising," Shia's tail wagged slightly as she mentally started rooting for the two, urging them to just get it over with. "I swear if it doesn't click with them after this then I lose all hope for humanity,"

Minoru's facial features stayed impassive and calm but a light pink dusted his cheeks, indicating he was blushing. "I see. Perhaps your just stressed out Kurai. Maybe you should just take some time off to relax" he said with a smile as he leaned in and kissed her on her forehead softly for a moment before breaking away. He glanced at the door when he heard the scuffle and shook his head. His hearing was very good but Hoshoku and Shia were much better at whispering since he couldn't make out much of what they were saying, though it was obvious that they are spying on him and Kurai.

Kurai in turn blushed as well, although hers was a bit more noticable as a light pink stain appeared on her cheeks. She nodded, fiddling with the sleeves on her kimono. "Yeah...Maybe a break is what I need..." She glanced at the door again and shook her head with a smile before looking back at Minoru. "You do know why they're there, right?"

"C'monnn, you're so nearly there," Shia silently urged, resisting the temptation to start pacing. She wanted Kurai to be happy and she was so close to getting what she wanted. To give up now would be next to insanity.

"Yes I do and quite frankly, it's annoying" he said with a roll of his eyes as he crossed his arms and grunted a bit, keeping his face locked in an expression of blank indifference though he almost let out an exasperated sigh but he didn't thanks to a lot of self-control. He wondered why Hoshoku and Shia were so concerned with their love lives when they were the ones who needed some help since they weren't even the same species of animal.

"Come on, relax Shia. I'm sure their doing fine" said Hoshoku as he nudged her a bit on the side of her neck. He was just as concerned as she was but if she didn't relax, they were gonna get out found out, since Minoru's hearing is as good as theirs.

"They're just looking out for us...Albeit in a very strange way, but thats all they're doing," Kurai replied as she shrugged, getting up to stoke the fire. She was basically doing all that she could to keep her mind OFF the subject. "I don't blame you for not wanting to be seen in that way with me," She chuckled dryly as she sat herself back down, averting her gaze yet again to look out the window.

Shia whined, nodding her head as she calmed herself, standing stock still as she padded over to the side of the corridor silently, sitting herself down so she wasn't in anybody's way. "I wouldn't count on it,"

"What are you talking about Kurai? I would love to be seen in that way with you. I....I like you Kurai....a lot. I care about you in more then a friendly way. I care about you in a romantic way" he said nervously as he shifted from side to side on the couch. *Why am I so nervous?* he thought to himself as he pulled on the collar of his white cloak. He can't even remember the last time he was nervous and he was pretty sure he couldn't get nervous yet here he was actually feeling nervous. It was a foreign feeling and for him, an uncomfortable feeling.

"You underestimate them Shia. I'm sure by the time we go back in, they will have finally admitted it. Just relax and spend a bit of down time with the Wild One" the white-furred panther said with a predatory grin on his face as he laid down next to her. He had no idea how right that statement was.

Kurai paused, her heart accelerating at an alarming rate as she cleared her throat, fiddling with the sleeves of her kimono again. "I...I see," She replied, turning back around so she could face him, a shy grin working its way across her lips. "Prove it..." She told him, basically trying to get him to show SOME sort of romantic gesture towards her. She wouldn't be surprised if he didn't, since it WAS Minoru after all.

Shia rolled her eyes and grinned, licking the tip of his muzzle. "Oh well, if you insist. I'm quite glad how it was so easy for us to just get it over with, unlike humans who tend to do everything they can to avoid this sort of confrontation,"

Minoru looked at her with a raised eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders. "If you insist" was his response as he leaned in and captured Kurai's lips in a kiss. The kiss was featherlight and nervous but this was Minoru's very first kiss after all so it was to be expected. Now Minoru just needed to see if his feelings were returned.

"Indeed but what do you expect? Humans are complex creatures, their anomalies. One minute they could be confident and sure of themselves and the next they could be all jumpy, shy and nervous. It is very strange" Hoshoku commented as he made a movement to make it look like he was shrugging. He was correct in his comments, humans could be rather confusing.

Kurai was surprised that Minoru even DID it, let alone that it was as gentle as it was. Trying to calm him slightly, she placed a hand on his arm, kissing him back as she did so. She was just as gentle, since she'd had next to no contact with people. It was a massive relief for her. To finally have Minoru just take that extra step meant that she didn't have to keep hiding things anymore.

"Indeed. It makes me very thankful to be the canine that I am," Shia grinned as she stretched out, lying down on her side so her legs were splayed out to the side of her, facing away from Hoshoku.

Seeing Kurai return his actions and his affections calmed Minoru slightly, his body relaxing as he deepened the kiss a bit, pulling Kurai close to his body. It was refreshing that Kurai returned his affections and it helped put his mind at ease.

"Just as it makes me thankful to be the feline that I am. Speaking of which, what a pair we make, huh? A feline and a canine...together. I'm surprised the apocalypse that the humans keep worrying about hasn't come into fruition yet" the Wild One commented with a smirk as he chuckled a bit. It was a rather strange pairing when someone thought about it. A wolf and a panther getting together was a rather strange mix.

Kurai happily obliged as Minoru pulled her in closer, taking her arms and resting them lightly around his neck. Her eyes, as opposed to being half closed before, shut themselves completely as she relaxed into him, trying her best to push her nerves to the back of her mind.

Shia laughed, nodding as she playfully nipped at the scruff on his neck. "Yeah, I know! But hey, at least life is never dull with us, right? After allll~ I wouldn't have it any other way," She grinned, her sharp ivory fangs making themselves known.

Minoru's heart soared when he felt Kurai's arms wrap around his neck. After having their lips locked in a kiss for a bit, he had to pull away for air. He inhaled and exhaled deeply as he held a hand to his chest. "Well...that was a nice first kiss" he commented with a grin on his face.

"You got that right. If we weren't around, things would be too boring for Minoru and Kurai cause we wouldn't be able to annoy them" he said as he chuckled for a few seconds. He was right, since he and Shia kept things fun for their companions and they helped keep Minoru and Kurai on their toes.

Kurai chuckled and nodded, taking a couple of breaths as she felt her heart slowly return to its regular pattern. "You got that right..." She replied, loosening her grip on him slightly. "I think it's safe to say that you DID indeed prove yourself," She grinned, resting her head on his shoulder, against the crook of his neck.

"You got that right~! I mean c'mon, those 2 would just get lazy without us," Shia nodded and laughed, her ear twitching as she heard voices from inside the room. "Alright..So I heard voices, then silence, then heavy breathing and voices again...You think they did it?"

Minoru looked at her and gave her a grin as he rubbed the back of his neck in a sheepish manner. He didn't really have any people to practice on so he was a little afraid that he wouldn't be able to give Kurai a nice first kiss. "Well, you're worth it Kurai. For you, I would go to the moon and destroy it if you only asked me to" he said with a soft smile on his face as rubbed the knuckles of his left hand with the fingers of his right hand in circular motions, as if he were massaging them to make any pain he had in them go away.

The albino-furred panther moved his ear up to the door and listened to the heavy breathing and voices. After thinking it over, the Wild One turned to Shia and nodded his head excitedly. "Hell yeah. Let's go in there and congratulate them on finally getting it over with and start sucking each other's faces" Hoshoku said with a grin, accidentally saying it loud enough for Minoru and Kurai to hear from inside, as he slapped Shia on her furred butt for a quick moment with his tail before moving it to the handle on the door in an attempt to get it open.

Kurai glanced up at him, a strand of her hair falling forwards over her eye as she gave him a reassuring smile. "And the feeling's mutual, Minoru, don't you worry about that," She glanced down at his knuckles, a small frown crossing her lips as she tried to resist the urge to touch the knuckles herself to see if they were indeed causing him pain. "Are...You alright?" She asked quietly, raising an eyebrow.

Shia huffed and laughed at the panthers antics, rolling her yellow eyes. "If we catch them in the middle of something, I blame you," She padded over next to him, her canines nibbling at one of his ears. "Lead the way, Wild One," She teased, nudging the door open with the bulk of her body.

He grinned back at her in what could be recognized as relief when he heard her say the she felt the same way about him. He noticed her gaze moved down to his knuckles, his ears twitching as his improved hearing picked up on her quiet question. He frowned slightly that she was worried about him but shook his head yes. "Yeah, I'm fine Kurai. The blades still hurt whenever they tear through my skin like that, despite the pain having lessened. I don't regret it though Kurai, as these things make it much easier to shred through my targets" he said with a reassuring smile on his face as the throbbing started to go away finally.

"Yeah but it'll be worth the mental scars and you know it" he said with a grin as he strutted into the room when the door opened. He looked at Kurai and Minoru and noticed they were panting a bit, their faces flushed with a bit of red. "So lovebirds, how was your first session of face suckage?" he asked them with a wide, predatory grin on his face.

Kurai nodded but she didn't seem totally convinced. "Hm, as long as you're alright," She replied with a gentle smile before she sat bolt upright, her body tensing like an electric current had been passed through it when the two predators entered the room. An amused smirk settled on her lips as she flicked up her nose. "Better than your first mating season. From what I heard it was pretty dry,"

Shia snorted, unimpressed by the exchange between the pair. Trotting over to Minoru, she raised a muzzle upwards and muttered to him. "It's about damn time, she's been hinting for months,"

Minoru looked over at the door when he noticed that it opened up. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion when he saw the two predators enter the room. He scowled in an irritated manner as he hit Hoshoku on the top of his head with his fist. "Shut up you annoying fleabag" he snapped at the albino panther. He watched Shia trod up to him with a raised eyebrow, his enhanced hearing picking up on her comment. He gave her an annoyed scowl as he shook his fist at her but didn't hit her, since she wasn't trying to purposely irritate him like Hoshoku often did.

Hoshoku did his best at giving Kurai a raspberry in response to her comment before he let out a whiny whimper as Minoru's fist hit him on the top of the head. "OK, I admit I deserved that one" he said with a whine as he rubbed the top of his head with his upper right paw.

Kurai reached over and gently pet Shia on the head, earning a content growl and a wag of the shewolfs tail, before rising from her place beside Minoru to shut the door that the two animals had opened but not been curteous enough to shut. Before she did so, however, she stooped to give Minoru a chaste kiss on the forehead before walking past his companion and giving him a victorious grin.

Shia yawned and stuck out her tongue at Minoru, not appreciating the none too friendly gesture, before she too moved away and sat down by the currently displeased Hoshoku.

A light pink blush made it's way to Minoru's face as Kurai kissed him softly on the forehead, coughing into his fist as he attempted to force the blush down. He was very new to all this touching and so it constantly flustered him.

Hoshoku snickered at Minoru when he saw the blush appear on his face, blowing a raspberry at his partner as he nuzzled against Shia. It never ceased to amuse the white-furred panther when his partner got all flustered because it just gave him a whole lot of teasing material.

Just as Kurai reached to shut the door, a messenger flitted in and whispered something in her ear. She smiled and nodded, patting them jovially on the shoulder before they left. She turned back to Shia and grinned. "The event's all planned and they're expecting me to show,"

"Haha~ You have to dress uuuuup!"

"And you have to have a baaaath!"

"...."

Minoru looked at Kurai and Shia with a raised eyebrow, wondering what was going on. He was out on a mission for a while and as such, he was unaware of this event Kurai had planned out. "Would you two ladies mind telling us what is going on?" Minoru asked the two as he crossed his arms.

Hoshoku stared at Shia as he imagined her covered in soap and water. He started laughing at the image and Shia could tell what he was laughing about, even though he didn't say anything. The very moment he stared at her for that small amount of time was more then enough indication as to what he was laughing about.

Kurai chuckled and made her way back, rubbing the back of her neck. "It's getting close to a local festival. It's to celebrate the first battle we won. The women dress up in their best clothes and the men come to call for them. It's really just an excuse for a night out but I'm expected to show and light the torches,"

Shia growled and moodily turned her back to Hoshoku, flicking her head in an indignant manner to let him know she would be ignoring him from this point onwards.

Minoru let out a small 'ah' as he nodded his head to show he understood. Celebrating the victory of your first battle wasn't really all that important. To him, you should celebrate the victory of your biggest battle because that was more important. "Let me guess, you want me to come with you?" he asked her with a slightly uncomfortable look on his face. It was known very well to Kurai that Minoru avoided being in large crowds, due to him not being much of a people person.

Hoshoku saw her turn away from him and immediately recognized that was ignoring him. "Aw come on, don't ignore me Shia. You know I'm far too annoying to ignore for long" he whined out as he attempted to get her to look at him.