HawtSpring (M)

Akihiro let himself into the warm waters of Konohagakure no Sato's hotsprings. He had missed these perhaps more than anything else in his home village. True the touch of civilization provided by the streets and markets of Konohagakure no Sato were nice, but nicer was the hot touch of the water revitalizing his body to its very core. For the past two years he'd been out on a journey, travelling the lands with Ikomiki and training his student in the ninja arts. Only time would tell if his training had been successful or not but Akihiro was confident in the abilities of the neko girl. It had been a long and exhausting journey during which they had shared many moments together, learned from one another and improved together. They'd seen everything from the deserts of the Land of Wind to the gigantic waterfalls populating the rivers across the Land of Waterfalls. They'd grown together and spent a lot of time together, but this in itself meant Akihiro had rarely ever gotten a moment to himself. Now however, he was alone (or so he thought). His long hair tied in a bun above his head so it wouldn't get unnecessarily wet and his body naked deep in the water up to his neck.

The Uchiha Clan Leader took a deep breathe and closed his eyes. Absolute silence except for the chants of crickets in the distance made for a pleasant night during which the moon bathed the village with its silver light. Memories of the time he spent with his student flooded his mind, preventing him from emptying it and meditating as he'd originally intended to.

Ikomiki was an apex predator. She considered herself as such, being at the peak of the food chain, and it would be hard to find anyone who would dare to disagree. Or at least, that was how her perception of herself was. The master huntress who could slay any beast with her bare hands - She had lots of experience in that, after all. The journey that she had taken together with Akihiro resulted in them hunting and killing a huge variety of exotic beasts - from the most fearsome sandworms of the Land of Wind to clever and sly oni in the Land of Demons. Delicious, delicious conquests. To see the world and eat and kill anything she could find, that had become a goal of hers during that time and it was one she had become more successful than her wildest dreams at. She had become the absolute top of the food chain. Disregarding the expertise and training she had built up over the years, even from a biological standpoint she was the ‘King of the Jungle’. A lofty lioness who should be able to eat and hunt whatever she pleased.

With one exception.

She peered into the steaming waters from a distance, utterly unwilling to approach any closer. Water had always been her enemy. The few times that she had been forced to travel on a boat turned her from a fierce lioness to a frightened kitten. It was embarrassing. She couldn’t help but glare at it now, eyes narrowed. Seeing Akihiro sink into it so readily and easily was just another sign that there was still more she had to learn. She had followed him to this hotspring out of curiosity. That he had gone alone for a reason wasn’t a factor in her mind at all. Of course, even as silent and stealthy as she was, just climbing up the exterior of the outdoor hotspring’s fence would result in her getting noticed sooner or later. She was hanging on, only the top half of her face, and narrowed eyes, over the top of the fence. Her ears would be folded down tight to the top of her head, and her tail swayed back and forth in displeasure behind her. That she was doing something regarded as “peeping” to humans wasn’t something at all on her mind, these sorts of norms being beyond her understanding of human culture.

Just watching him sit around in silence was sort of boring though. She kept her eyes on him for a while, sort of waiting for him to do something. Was this some sort of training? What was he doing in there anyway? Sleeping?

Slowly she would complete her climb over the fence, using her supernatural walking skill and silent killing to transverse it with ease. Approaching through the exterior of the onsen, the still fully clothed Ikomiki would lean in close from behind, still peering curiously at the man.

“What are you doing?”

Her voice would break the silence like a gunshot, spoken only a few inches away from his ears. She had made sure to keep to the edge though, cautious of whatever evil water training method this might be.

Ah finally, some piece and quiet. Akihiro had almost forgotten what it was like to be alone and the many benefits of enjoying that sort of time. At home he felt he could finally relax, take his time to enjoy the hotspring water and consider what his next move would be. Being out there in the hunt had been extremely fun that much he could not deny, but deep within his heart Akihiro knew he was a ninja and not a hunter. and while both roles could certainly get mixed together, a ninja was held to more duties than killing to feed one self.

Being out on a hunt for that long sharpened your senses but mostly because one had to always be on a constant state of alertness. You could never really guess when the next beast would attack, either from the shadows provided by cover of darkness or even in broad daylight. While no animal was a match for Ikomiki, each and every own of them had their own hunting styles, their traps and mechanisms to lure or surprise prey into becoming a meal. And Akihiro certainly never intended on being a meal for anything.

At home however, things were a tad bit different. There were no giant boars, nasty bears, bad tempered birds of prey or even carnivore plants. So armed with this sort of factual knowledge Akihiro concluded he could finally relax his alert senses and rest for a tiny little bit. And oh boi, was he wrong.

The sharp sound of Ikomiki's voice echoing throughout the silence of the night immediately startled Akihiro who proceeded to open his eyes and move away from the voice, splashing water all around him. It took him but a moment to realize it was Ikomiki's voice, but his reflexes kicked in before that. "Wha-how?" Akihiro made sure to keep the water line around his neck. He'd relaxed for sure but he should've been able to sense her approach during such a quiet night. "Oh, Silent Killing. Right... I taught you that." Akihiro was suddenly aware of his very nakedness. "I'm taking a bath in the hotsprings. The male section of the hotpsrings. For how long have you been out there?" He glanced around, trying to see if there were any other people around. Unlikely at this hour, but Ikomiki could get in trouble if she got caught. As for Akihiro, he never thought he'd ever be in the classic position of anime girl with big tiddies being spied on by main character pervs. It was nice to see life could still surprise him despite his wealth of knowledge.

Akihiro’s sudden movements had the effect of splashing a lot of water up and around, something Ikomiki apparently hadn’t seen coming. The perception she had of the Uchiha was one of nearly god-like power and so the idea that she might catch him off guard here wasn’t something she had conceived as a possibility in the first place. Her eyes widened for the split second before impact. The kitty would end up splashed, recoiling back after she had been doused by that initial wave. It got her good in the head and upper body, her hair flattened by the warm liquid, and the long-sleeved sweater she had been wearing made damp and uncomfortable. Having fallen back onto her ass in the process, the disoriented girl would blink a few times before scowling.

Immediately that sweater would be pulled off, strung over her head and tossed to the side. Beneath it she had a lighter t-shirt on as a second layer. A shirt that was now nearly translucent in some parts from the water that had seeped onto. While still wet, it was at least tolerable to have on, unlike the soaked cotton of the sweater she had been wearing previously. Now she could direct her attention back to Akihiro, sitting a few feet away from the springs with a still rather displeased look on her face.

“You got me wet.” She would state simply, the tone of her voice dripping with frustration. It was almost like she was pouting. Had it been anyone else her reaction would have been very different.

“I just got here. I didn’t actually think I had snuck up on you. Your sensory should have been able to pick me up easily.” Akihiro was a master of sensory, and she still lacked the ability to hide her massive chakra signature. Of course, Ikomiki couldn’t comprehend the fact that he might not think to constantly keep a jutsu like that active, even when bathing.

While not exactly glaring anymore, Ikomiki’s expression had retreated towards her natural resting expression, which looked sort of like she was glaring anyway. Her hair and upper torso still being wet, she would just stare at her mentor while sitting. The comment about it being the male action was ignored entirely, and she would just peer.

“This is a stupid way to bathe. You’ll just get all filthy from the pond water. Why don’t you just lick yourself like normal?”

Akihiro blatantly and shamelessly took his time to appreciate the sight in front of him. There was a certain touch to Ikomiki. Not just her attitued but to her body and curves as well. Almost as if she were the incarnation of the wilderness itself. It wasn't simply lust he found himself feeling, it was admiration as well. The steam slowly raising from the pond and the water itself were both likely to cover for anything Akihiro didn't wish to be seen. Despite his best efforts he barely paid any notice to her pout expression. The silver lining to Ikomiki's obliviousness to the way regular humans functioned was that it allowed Akihiro to be far less... discrete. Or so he'd hoped.

Nevertheless sooner or later he'd need to give her an answer. And ultimately the simplest of answers proved to work more effectively with Ikomiki. "It seems I did. You surprised me. But then again, you're not supposed to come to the hotsprings wearing clothes. That's why there's a male and female section."

Akihiro blinked twice at her last comment. She did ever find a way to surprise him and momentarily leave him without an answer. Humans were fairly simple to read but Ikomiki seemed to be on a league of her own when it came to interactions. "Hmmm...what if I told you I'm not simply bathing?" an idea occurred to him. As far as he was aware, the reason cats were so affraid of water was because their hair didn't have the ability to protect them from liquids at all, which meant that they'd always feel the full brunt of the cold water upon their skins. But...what if the water was warm instead? There was a theory he'd like to test.

Slowly and with only his head above the line of water Akihiro walked towards Ikomiki until he reached the edge of the pond. "What if I told you there's a secret within these waters? One you in particular would never be inclined to find unless someone guided you there?" Despite whatever may be crossing the mind of the reader, this was not dirty talking. Akihiro would rest his chin upon the edge of the pond and look up at her. Exhaling, he'd expel a tiny cloud of mist which would quickly disperse itself in the air. Slowly he'd raise a single hand out of the water, the line being right around his wrist. "You must be cold."

Her mentor’s gawking would go unnoticed by her. Even if she had seen it, it would have been unlikely she recognized it as what it was. Akihiro was still defied in her eyes, an unusual and unrealistic point of view that persisted even with how far she’s grown. First impressions mattered a lot with Ikomiki, apparently. Her perception of things just wouldn’t change, even as reality moved around the both of them. That Akihiro, the man that she idolized inside her head, could be a shameless pervert - It just didn’t compute.

Of course, one of her eyebrows would be raised questioningly as Akihiro began to explain. Hot Springs weren’t a concept she was familiar with - Any exposure she had to them was ignored or sectioned away as strange human bathing rituals which she didn’t care to learn about. The status of clothing as being something you should take off when bathing wasn’t something she really ever considered, but it made a bit of sense at the same time. Although washing both at the same time was probably more efficient. Clothing was one of those human things she had adapted to the most, despite having spent the majority of her life wearing none in the wilds, and the specific intricacies regarding washing and keeping outfits clean was something she unfortunately found herself regarding as necessary knowledge.

Almost subconsciously, Ikomiki would bring her forearm up to her mouth, licking a bit at herself as Akihiro spoke. She was listening, but it was easy to tell it wasn’t with much interest. This changed the moment he mentioned there being a secret. Stopping mid lick, her eyes would turn back towards her nude mentor in the waters.

“A secret?”

Her mind immediately wandered towards some secret technique. Was it some water ninjutsu? Edging closer to the boundary between the baths and ground, the curious cat would peer down into the steaming waters. Or, was it a treasure? Maybe food? She was familiar with the idea of stews and soups…

Both of them being at the edge of the pool now, they were right beside each other. The cat kneeling down to look at the man as he rested his chin on the edge. As much as she trusted him, there was a strange look in her eyes. They sparkled with anticipation, although a certain amount of anxiety as well. Like she had just been invited to do something dangerous.

“It’s warm here. The steam.”

It didn’t answer his question, but it was the reply she gave. It was about now that she wished she had some sort of jutsu to protect against getting wet. Hesitation would only last a second. Without much thought she would strip the rest of her outfit off - Clothing thrown in a pile to follow that wet sweater from earlier. Despite what Akihiro had said earlier the civilized concept of hiding your nudity wasn’t something Ikomiki was familiar with - Clothing was worn to look pretty or for warmth, and so there wasn’t a hint of shyness in her actions as she removed herself bare. Nudity was the natural state of animals, after all.

Notably, she didn’t seem to wear any undergarments. She had never really seen the point of it.

Her skin pricked up with goosebumps now that it was bare against the steam. A slight shiver followed. Standing at the edge, she would look down into the water with a certain level of instinctual fear that she couldn’t shake.

A half measure was taken. Rather than entering in full, she would sit on the edge so that her legs dipped into the water. The parts that she truly cared about keeping dry - Her tail and hair, would be kept outside the poor. This felt like a decent compromise to her. Of course, sitting as she was, Ikomiki was positioned above her mentor who was deep into the depths of the pool. Positioned as they were it would be impossible for Akihiro to make eye contact with his pupil anymore - Her chest protruded out to such an extent that sitting in the waters below her that would be all he could see when trying to see her face. At least, unless he would move to properly view her.

“Alright.”

There was a slight flick of her tail in annoyance. How troublesome.

“What’s this secret? This is good enough, isn’t it?”

Over the years that they'd known each other and especially during their training journey together Akihiro and Ikomiki had grown quite used to being around each other and the boy in particular was used to Ikomiki's ways and having her around. In his current predicament tho he couldn't help but wonder whether perhaps Ikomiki had become too used to having him around and being lax in front of him. Then again he supposed she'd never had those kinds of restrictions in the first place. Surely it had to be very freeing to be able to live outside the norms imposed by a civilized society. And the only small price ikomiki seemed to pay for it were some odd looks and the occasional whisper in a crow. The boy wondered whether it was too late for him to adopt this kind of life style. Probably. Akihiro was simply too rational, the process of reading people and understanding their second intentions was essential in his line of work and acquiring these skills meant ingraining himself in societal norms further than he could pull himself out of.

"Well I don't know, you tell me if it's enough. Have you learned any secrets yet?" He deliberately looked up despite the fact that he knew well enough he wouldn't be able to see her face. Somehow staring at her breasts felt less awkward than staring at between her legs from such a close distance. For a brief moment he considering taking a page out of Ikomiki's book and do something completely unexpected. Lick. It was so close, and Ikomiki's earlier arm lick had given him the idea. Despite having the thought however, Akihiro didn't proceed to the actual action. Even if she were comfortable with nudity Ikomiki was still at least part human and humans were very protective of their...parts. Speaking of which, Akihiro definitely couldn't get out of water at the moment.

He moved away from the edge of the pool a bit, but not too much. Just enough to be able to see her face again. "It's good to be motivated by curiosity, but I'd hoped me being here would be enough to get you to try the water." He raised both his eye brows a little, feigning a bit of surprise.

There was a clear annoyance in her body language, even if she made an attempt not to show it. She was never good at hiding how she felt. The swish of her tail behind her was enough of a sign alone. She would have to be inched into this, apparently. Although half of her wanted to grumble at her teacher for speaking in riddles. It would be much simpler if he just told her what the secret was instead of trying to get her to learn it on her own. Once Akihiro moved away from the edge, Ikomiki would read the rather obvious cue he was giving her and would force herself to move forward. Inch by inch… until suddenly gravity took it out of her hands, and much too quickly Ikomiki would slide down into the hotspring. Her eyes would shoot open, clearly the pace of her descent surprising her.

The stiffness from the surprise and disdain for water would slowly fade. The water was pleasantly warm, which she had been able to tell from her legs being dipped in, but the feeling of it against her tail wasn’t altogether unpleasant. Still, even now fully in the pool she would keep her hair and face dry if she could help her. With how long her hair was it of course fell down into the waters, flowing around her and initially sitting atop the water until it began to soak in the water and sink, but the hair closer to her head would remain dry.

“Fine. As much trouble as this is, I’ll trust that the secret you’re talking about is worth it. Although… Hnn. Nevermind.”

Despite the fact that this wasn’t nearly as bad as she had expected, Ikomiki was stubborn about the whole thing. And unfortunately for Akihiro the body that Ikomiki had been shamelessly displaying earlier was now mostly obscured by being submerged. Leaning back against the stone edge of the bath, her eyes would dart around the steamy bath that they were both sharing.

“… Am I supposed to find something in here? I hope you don’t expect me to get on my hands and knees to look.”

If the secret was simply ‘Human bathing isn’t that bad’, Ikomiki would be more than a bit disappointed. Clearly her expectations were warped by her strange nature, already having decided that this was more like a treasure hunt that required her to find an object than a more abstract lesson to learn. The only thing stopping her from a real search was the fact that she might have to submerge her head to do so.

A smile formed on Akihiro's lips as he watched her get in the water. It seemed she wasn't entirely enjoying this but the boy could only hope that would change in due time. As for him he was quite entertained for the moment, it was not every day one would get to see Ikomiki willingly allowing herself to get wet. He was a tiny bit disappointed at her lack of answer to is comment regarding the reasons that led her to slide into the water. It seemed curiosity and curiosity alone had drawn her in. That was alright, he supposed. Perhaps he'd been naive to believe the cat girl could ever see him as more than a teacher.

Akihiro chuckled out loud at his thoughts. He was behaving like a child, like a teenager. Allowing himself to hope and dream about how others may or may not feel about him. It was a rare luxury he couldn't afford often but now here he was, day dreaming inside this steamy pool. The tiny clouds rising from the water made it seem like time itself had stopped around them, allowing them a moment to enjoy each other's company while the rest of the world eagerly awaited the results of their encounter.

"Iko Iko...I don't expect you to do anything, you were the one who followed me here remember?" A coy smile formed on Akihiro's lips. Almost as if she'd fallen into his trap. Curiosity killed the cat they said, but Ikomiki was very much alive. "Secrets are valued differently by different people. I can't be sure you'll consider this secret 'worth it'. For example I'm sure you don't care about this but me I'd love to know what the bakery down on the 2nd market street uses on their croissants. They're delicious. But if you don't like croissants I supposed you wouldn't go to great lengths to find out that secret, huh?"

Perhaps real examples would help her grasp the concept better. Akihiro was a genius at learning but he wasn't entirely sure he had talent for teaching. Nevertheless he closed the distance between the two at a slow but steady pace. When the distance between them allowed so, Akihiro would pick her up. "Let me show you what's so magical about these waters."

He'd submerge himself and get into position, one arm behind her knees and one behind her back. And then he'd come back up lifting Ikomiki's body in the process and keeping it below water but at surface level. Ikomiki herself wasn't heavy but underwater she weighted about as much as a feather. "But first we'll have to wait a bit. In the meantime, you should slowly spread out your arms and legs, like a star." He'd instruct her.

The coy smile and the way he spoke now.. Ikomiki stood at attention. Straightening out a bit, she would watch the movements of her teacher carefully, standing still and listening to the best of her ability. Even though his intelligence often flew over her head, she was at least smart enough to recognize that Akihiro was operating on a completely different playing field than she was. That was part of the glory of their relationship. This was something of a unique situation with her stubbornness regarding the water, but if portrayed in a confident voice Akihiro would likely be able to get Ikomiki to do anything he commanded of her at the end of the day. Even things which went against her nature, like this, were rationalized quickly as ‘Akihiro knows better than I do’, even if it made her a bit frustrated.

“Croissants…” She would whisper out the word now that he had gone on about it, trying to record it down inside her mind as important information. “I’ll make sure to remember that secret The 2nd Market Street Bakery is using something strange in their bread… What an incredible secret. I never should have doubted you.”

If he had stopped there she would have been convinced the bathhouse secret was regarding the bakery and been satisfied, despite that situation making no sense at all. Reading into what he said and getting a completely different meaning than what he intended was a talent of hers. She nodded confidently now, sure of herself, although that melted away as Aki continued on.

“Oh. That wasn’t it?”

That was fine. She didn't know what a croissant was anyway.

She had allowed him to get behind her, and once he so easily picked her up in the waters he would let out a small sound of amazement. An “Ooh!” that the audience would respond to a magic trick, despite her being an audience of one. Looking back at him, her eyes would be sparkling in awe.

“Ouuu…. I see. Underwater you become very strong. Normally you’d have some trouble lifting me up with your thin arms.” She’d speak aloud again, wanting to remember this which seemed obviously useful to know and making some assumptions in the process. Of course, the physical contact wasn’t something she thought twice about.

Without hesitation she would do as he said. Being lifted up like this it made it easy to get into position, spreading her arms and legs in a pretty ridiculous position. All the while she would be watching him for a reaction, curious if she was doing things correctly. The proximity and movements would result in her thigh brushing against something delicate of Akihiro’s under the water - Something Ikomiki either didn’t notice or didn’t think too much about.

“Like this? … You aren’t going to throw me, are you?”

Akihiro smiled at her first comment. Despite having missed the point it was really nice to see that she was indeed paying attention. Very much like a cat Ikomiki could have very short attention spams for lots of things, but whenever Akihiro spoke in a certain manner it was like opening a can of tuna. He'd wondered if with time she'd identify the trick he employed and whether sooner or later it would be rendered ineffective. So far that hadn't happened however, and he found he enjoyed having her attention. The unpredictable factor of Ikomiki made her...interesting. Someone he couldn't predict or read all the time and yet someone who'd listen to every word of his. It was flattering really.

His thoughts dissipated for a moment when he felt something brush against his lower parts. Oh how easy it was to interrupt his chain of thought after all. Upon quickly collecting himself he wondered about all the kunoichi he'd ever fought. If all they had to do was remove their clothing to get him out of focus. "Get yourself together..." he'd keep the thought to himself. Of course not. He knew what the female body was supposed to look like, where every muscle, tissue and bone should be. Not to mention a single glance of the sharingan allowed him to estimate dimensions on even the most clothed foe. The naked body itself wouldn't be enough to throw him out of focus, the issue here was Ikomiki's naked body and the contact it'd made with him.

The sparkling in her eyes was something else however. It made him feel something beyond lust...it was endearing. And so he handled her with the utmost care, touching her delicately as one would touch a priceless yet fragile treasure. "Relax, I'm not going to throw you. My arms are far too thin for something like that. When have you ever seen me throwing anything?" At most Akihiro would throw a few kunai and shuriken every once in a while but even those wouldn't make it too far before they lost the little speed he could impart upon the weapons. "Now steady your breathe and close your eyes, okay?" Glancing around he noticed the water had finally stabilized from Ikomiki's earlier slide into the pool. This would make things a lot easier.

Slowly he relaxed his touch on her, applying less and less pressure to keep her up as time passed. Despite this her body didn't come down sinking, it just...remained afloat. He'd slowly spin her a little until her head was right in front of his chest. At this point he couldn't resist and planted a kiss on her forehead before lightly pushing her shoulders- and her- away for a little bit. "No matter what you see or feel, remember that I'm right here in the pool with you." He'd whisper as she floated away.

There was nothing quite like floating in a pool of hot water at night, in silence. The only sounds to be heard were the distant crickets and the occasional owl in the distance. In these moments Akihiro had found not just peace as one would expect, but all sorts of thoughts both bright and deeply dark ones. One could never tell what would try to take over in this situation, where our minds would wander. Akihiro knew well that either nostalgic feelings of home or his deepest inner demons could arise, but it was always an adventure albeit sometimes a bit scary. Truthfully the pond allowed him to explore his own mind in peace and quiet, that was the biggest secret within these waters. But he didn't always like what he found.

Nevertheless, Akihiro couldn't help but wonder what Ikomiki would be feeling, or thinking, in her very first adventure of this kind.

He made a good point. She couldn’t recall him throwing much of anything in the past. Not many kunai, much less people. Akihiro was definitely the ‘brains’, while she was the ‘brawn’. But Ikomiki didn’t generally throw people either, so perhaps that comparison was a poor one. Of course, the comment was largely in jest. She didn’t actually expect him to throw her in the first place. There was a high level of trust between the two already, to the point where trust fall exercises would be pointless and irrelevant. There was no safer place in the world than beside Akihiro, and no place she’d rather be.

She did exactly as he said now, comfortable in his arms despite the odd position she had been told to get into. Steady breathing, eyes closed. Like this all she could focus on was the sensation of water against her back and the back of her head. Initially she had been trying to keep from her head getting wet, but this wasn’t so bad. Her ears flicked a bit against the water, twitching as the slightest bit of moisture hit their outsides. There was a certain amount of serenity that came to her then. Relaxation in the hot springs apparently wasn’t something you could appreciate until you experienced it yourself like this, and somehow Akihiro had created the conditions necessary for his student to take to the baths. The lack of his touch, slowly relaxed away, wasn’t something that she would notice at first, lost in the haze of the warmth now in her mind.

It was only when she felt that kiss against her forehead did she open her eyes, snapped out of her momentary trance. Fluttering open, amidst the steam the first thing she would see was Akihiro’s face amidst the night sky above. The sensation of floating was alien to her. The closest she could compare was the feeling of being asleep, or amidst a dream you couldn’t quite remember… Or was this what it felt like to lay in a cloud? Her mind wandered as she became aware of what exactly was happening. Beneath her, Ikomiki’s long hair would flow around her like a cape, rippling ever so slightly with each breath she took. The slight rise of her chest, and then fall with the gentle exhale that parted the barely visible steam that formed.

Her vision was kept on him, even as she drifted a short distance away. Glued to his face, her eyes had adopted a certain haze over them. Or maybe it was just from the steam? It was difficult to tell, exactly. In the quiet that followed her attention wouldn’t waver, and the swirling, roiling memories that had suddenly come up from below consumed her every thought.

It ended abruptly. Eyes fluttering back closed, the woman would shift. Normally something that would result in her falling into the bath would instead have her crawl atop it as if it were a solid surface. It was just a full body application of the Water Walking Technique, something that was more complex than it sounded to pull off, but was done so thoughtlessly by the girl. Pulling herself up, she would sit above the waves in a strange manner. Legs crossed, but pulled up so that her knees were against her chest, she would peer down against her mentor below her. With her chin resting down on the tops of her knees, a bit of a sleepy, dreamlike expression would cross over her face, the steam perhaps bringing out a bit of the tiredness in her eyes.

“...”

Remaining like this in silence, it appeared that she didn’t quite know what she wanted to say. Hopefully Akihiro would allow her the opportunity to decide. Emotions that were difficult to express were still swirling around inside her, and her head now felt heavy from how long and close she had spent to the steam.

“Do you mind if I join you in the bath more often?”

Her eyes darted away. Up towards the moon. It was only one of the things she wanted to say.

“... And, can you do that again?”

Akihiro sort of regretted having kissed the woman's forehead. Not that he hadn't enjoyed every single instant of that short moment but given her reaction he couldn't help but wonder if he'd done the right thing. He had expected Ikomiki to slowly drift away into a dreamlike state and have an experience only meditation could provide but instead it felt like she'd opened her eyes far too soon and worse than that they were eyes Akihiro couldn't read. In that short moment when their eyes met while Ikomiki slowly drifted away Akihiro's heart skipped a beat. Had he made a mistake? It was certainly a possibility and with her Akihiro could never be sure.

He anxiously watched her, looking for any sign. A gesture, a motion, a word, a sound. But no sound ever came, not before she rose from the water itself and sat upon its surface. Akihiro wanted to ask if everything was alright but he couldn't know whether that was the right thing to do or not. It was impossible to tell what Ikomiki had seen if anything at all. In his personal experience her time spent afloat had been far too short, but one's experience certainly didn't mean another's would be the same.So instead of speaking, her stood there for a while with his head above the water line, contemplating her.

Then she finally spoke. A wave of relief washed over his body helping him far more than the hotspring water ever could. In a way it as strange having Ikomiki ask him whether he minded her presence or not. In the past few years she'd just...been there, not quite caring whether others approved of her presence or actions. It was true that he felt she cared for what he thought, but never before had she asked him permission to be in the same place as he was. Ever since Akihiro had rescued her from that forest, Ikomiki had just always been by his side. At first it was strange but by now he'd grown used to it and he dared say he enjoyed quite a bit always having a companion. So it felt strange, to hear her asking for permission. Ikomiki being Ikomiki would've just stalked him to the bath whenever she felt like it, just like today. Something was off.

"I never mind your presence." he assured her. Although to be fair, perhaps others would. Akihiro sort of dreaded the drama that would result from someone joining them in the hotsprings right now considering how they were divided by gender. He pushed those thoughts away deciding he'd deal with the situation when and if it ever arrived, which were both unlikely at least this late at night.

Her second question however was far more intriguing and once again Akihiro found himself closing the already short distance between the two until his head was right next to her legs. "Do what?" he poked her leg with a single finger, his turn of demanding her attention and gaze in the common way of the cats. There were a lot of new things Ikomiki had tried tonight and while he'd hoped he knew what she was talking about he'd learned over the years to always double check with her. What seemed obvious to him could easily slip past Ikomiki's awareness and the opposite was also quite often true.

Her eyes drifted away now. Meekness was uncharacteristic of her. Normally she would do as she pleased, no caring what others would think. To assert your own existence was a part of living within nature. It was normal for her to demand what she desired, or take it for herself. Here that wasn’t exactly possible, but even if it was, Ikomiki had been in a way domesticated. The transition from beast to pet was a gradual one, and in a way she had made the same transition that wolves had centuries ago around humans. She had followed Akihiro because he had saved her, because he was strong - But that simple reasoning had grown into something else over the years. She was much stronger now. Maybe close to being as strong as Akihiro. But even if she got stronger than him, something which was unimaginable, Ikomiki likely wouldn’t be able to bear leaving now.

She frowned now, with a childish sort of expression as she looked past him. That he was making her ask was frustrating. The poke to her leg immediately wiped that emotion away, but stubbornness kept her from moving on so fast. She adopted an expression that was a forced frown - Frowning out of frustration even though it would be more natural to smile. Of course, most of that frustration was with herself. Why was it hard to ask? The realization that her nature had changed hit her in a strange way. A different approach would be taken instead now, one more true to Ikomiki, and that meekness would disappear completely.

“Kiss my forehead again. And pet my head. Do it.”

She looked past him still, not making eye contact. The serenity from before was gone, with a certain sharpness in her eyes. Really, she was saying a very ridiculous thing in a serious voice, with a serious expression, and the contrast made it all the more ridiculous. The way she said it made it clear she intended it as a demand. It was that strange, wavering attitude of hers, between her usual self and something she only exposed around Akihiro.

Akihiro couldn't help but smile. The idea that something was wrong was now completely past him. something was different for sure, or perhaps it had been this way for a while now and he'd only now realized it, but it certainly wasn't something wrong. That she was asking him to kiss her forehead and pat her head was something that pleased him immensely. He felt he was breaking new ground with her, going through a path they'd never before explored despite it seeming so obvious. It was natural for shinobi close of age who'd worked together for years to develop some sort of deep bond, some even a romantic one. but somehow he'd just never quite gotten there, or even considered it with Ikomiki. Up until this point Ikomiki had been...Ikomiki. And little by little she had sneaked her way into his heart without him quite noticing it, or perhaps he'd had noticed just pretended he hadn't. Things were far simpler in a master-student relationship, but theirs hadn't been a normal master-student relationship for quite some time now and perhaps it was time to admit this.

"Okay, I will." He simply stated. There was no point in resisting or denying her request, although... "But you're all the way up there, and here I am still in the water." With his nose he nudged her leg. "It would seem I must take what I can get." He whispered playfully, planting a kiss on her thigh. And then another, and another, slowly making his way up to her waist. Her skin was incredibly soft for someone as strong as she was, one would have never guessed she'd lived in the wild for so many years just by looking at her. Her scent brought him comfort and joy, a sense of belonging in a home he didn't know he'd found.

Eventually he'd look up back at her and slowly raise his arm out of the water, but instead of patting her head and adding more water on top of her, Akihiro would run his fingers over her arm and neck until he could use his thumb to gently press her cheek, slowly sliding it down across her skin until he eventually reached her jawline taking his time to take in the shape of her face. She really was pretty.

For some reason, she hadn’t actually expected that to work. Her frustration with her own meekness earlier led to that demanding tone she just took with him, but it had been something to satisfy herself rather than what she thought would actually have the best chance of success. The surprise was evident on her face for a moment before she would revert back to a proud, almost haughty satisfaction. Of course he agreed. There’s no way he would refuse a request like that - She felt powerful and confident in a way that that wasn’t entirely sure how to explain, but it felt good all the same. That smug grin on her face would last for maybe a second, her swirling thoughts distracting her from the events taking place right in front of her. The kiss to her thigh came, from Ikomiki’s point of view, out of nowhere. Once his lips hit her skin again it was as if a wave of electricity coursed through her, a slight shiver capturing her that she could only barely suppress.

“Whhh -...” A half formed sound came out, incoherent. She didn’t know what she was going to say, or what she could even say here. Paralysis hit her. The color in her face now could no longer be excused by just the heat of the bath. The cat was malfunctioning, unsure of what to do to such an extent that she couldn’t act all. Nudity had never been a problem for her, nor was physical contact. At least they never had been before. This new dynamic that Akihiro was exploring was beginning to change things, though. If he had come to her one day and asked to touch her thighs without any warning or explanation she likely would accept without much thought or reaction, but now the suddenness of it was surprising in a dangerous way.

“If you wanted to touch me there you could have just asked. Stupid. That’s not even close to my head.”

That same frustration from before was returning to her voice in a whisper now that the flustered and shocked reaction was fading. ‘At least give me time to prepare’ was the unspoken part. Her legs tightened together a bit.The thumb pressing against her cheek would provoke a small pout, again childish beyond anything else. He was messing with her, clearly, beating around the bush after she had asked him for something specific. The chakra she was using to sit on top of the water would be slowly released, allowing Ikomiki to sink down back to a standing position within the pool. Beside him like this she would be noticeably shorter, a contrast from all the points earlier when she had been sitting above him. Of course, she would stand on her toes to even out the height difference after a second.

"This is better then, right?"

Akihiro could almost feel the electricity running through her body as he planted the kisses on her. It was both endearing and exciting how she'd react to his touch giving off a vibe and energy that he'd never felt before. He could only wonder how far they'd be able to take this and what they'd discover together. Truth to be told he was also having quite some fun enjoying her reactions. Soon enough they'd be playing a game which only lovers could relate to, the adventure of exploring your partner and yourself in intimacy. For now tho, the simplest changes in tone and her body language were enough to make him smile. The fact that she was getting flustered was only contributing to his enjoyment in doing this, as this was yet another side of Ikomiki he had never seen before. The woman who was always so sure of herself,confident in her every action even if they seemed ridiculous to everyone else around her. That woman's mask now fell apart, little by little, kiss by kiss, until an exposed Ikomiki could be seen through. Perhaps now she'd feel truly naked, who could tell? But to Akihiro it didn't matter, he'd rather like it if she could be naked more often around him, in more ways than one in fact.

"Hmmm, I could've asked. But..." He made a small pause, feigning wonder. "It wouldn't have been quite the same, would it?" Her reaction would have likely been something completely different different if she'd seen it coming, he believed. Or perhaps he was wrong and her reaction would've been more or less the same. It didn't matter tho,he had decided he liked to surprise her. Pleasantly he watched as she descended back into the water, to his level. This time she'd made less of a fuss about it, perhaps because she was wet or perhaps because her mind wandered in other issues. What issues could be so important that a kitty would prioritize them over avoiding getting wet tho?

"Ah yes, perfect. There you go solving all my problems again. Truly, what would I do without you?" He'd pat her on the head. He didn't want to get too close tho, so he leaned in a bit. There were certain...parts of him he didn't want brushing off on her. Not like this, at least. This was a moment he'd rather not ruin with unexpected pokes.

He leaned in a bit more to kiss her forehead, but instead of stopping there he'd go a tad bit lower until his lips were closer to her nose. And then a bit more, and a bit more. And he'd kiss her. A light, gentle but decided kiss. It was true she'd asked him to kiss her on her forehead.

But he'd decided he liked to surprise her.

The feigned wonder prompted another frown from the girl, exaggerated for effect. It was completely true, but the fact that Aki was teasing her, and seemed intent on doing it again was enough to make her want to bite him. Or maybe she didn’t mind. It was hard to decide. Next time he surprised her like that she would think about whether to bite him or not. Of course, the implicit thought within that was that Ikimoki had already decided that there would be a next time. Surely this would be the first of many times they would consort together like this. Likely she would be biting him often in the future too.

“Don’t tease me. This isn't a game. Headpats are serious business.” Completely serious, demanding Ikomiki, apparently wanting professionalism. Maybe it was a little bit of a game, but she wouldn’t admit it right now. It was more a reaction to the assertion that Akihiro was making now by taking the lead, which required her to play along in her own way. He would seemingly get to the point after that though, so for a moment she was beginning to think that her concerns were for nothing. The head pat was something that she desired immensely for a long time - Akihiro had never given enough to her. Part of her expected to be rewarded like that for a job well done, and of course the greedy cat would desire that sort of affection even when she wasn’t doing anything to deserve it. Her eyes would close as his hand came down to her still mostly dry head. The smile that graced her face after was warm, a complete switch from her earlier exaggerated frown. It was a very simple sort of pleasure.

“... Yes - That’s right. What would you do without me? You should pat my head and praise me more often.” She would almost nod with that dumb grin still, responding to his comment about her solving all of his problem as if it was serious and not simply more teasing. The desire here was strangely pure amidst a rather un-pure situation. Despite all the heat flowing around she kept true to her desires, which seemed to be rather specific. Ikomiki was apparently a girl who knew what she wanted. The kiss that came down to her forehead elicited a bubbly warmth inside her again now. While she wasn’t a particularly bubbly girl, the closed eyed smug, dopey smile that she was sporting now was a particularly satisfied side of the girl that only came out in situations like this.

The kisses drew lower. Despite what the Uchiha wanted, Ikomiki was able to see where this was going. When the kiss came down to her lips it was something that she melted into naturally, her lips against his. Kissing like this was a foreign concept. Something only humans did, but she had observed enough to know what it looked like. Of course, seeing something and doing it are completely different things. There was more complexity to it than she had first thought, both in dexterity and the associated emotions.

She drew closer on her own. Akihiro had, for some reason unknown to her, decided to be especially troublesome by keeping his distance and leaning in. Her arms wrapped around him, latching onto his back in a way that would ensure he wouldn’t be able to escape. The issue that he had kept his distance for had erupted again too, those thighs of hers that he had been intent on kissing earlier making contact and being poked by something of his. She didn’t make any sign of noticing, her head resting down on his chest once she was released from that light little kiss he had given her.

“Stupid. You could have asked.” She repeated, the same song and dance seeming to continue from just moments before. “I would have said yes. If you keep on trying to surprise me, I’ll have to get revenge on you.”

Had she always been blushing? Even if she had sort of seen it coming, it was hard to prepare your heart. It was why she was hiding her face down, down against his chest.

Headpats were serious business. Akihiro would make sure to remember that. What else could be serious business? And why were pats on the head considered more important than pats on any other part of her body? These were all important questions that crossed his mind and had him curious, but also important questions which were completely forgotten by the time his lips touched hers. Over the course of his career as a shinobi Akihiro had had a lot of success and had always received nice rewards for his efforts either in form of items, money or other compensations such as a high rise in his influence. But those all paled in comparison to what he was receiving now. Driven by the chemical reactions he knew so well Akihiro abandoned all kinds of reasoning and intent to hide his now erect organ, meeting her halfway as she drew closer to him. Of course she'd be able to tell exactly how he was feeling now but somehow that felt less important at this point. She'd exposed herself to him in more ways than simple nudity so why would he make an attempt to hide his own body, his own nudity or the consequences of being this close to her?

As her arms wrapped around his back and her chest made contact with him Akihiro felt a wave a lust rushing over his body and for the first time he'd see Ikomiki's body as more than a beautiful piece of art to contemplate and dream about. He found himself wanting her, a deep desire burning within him and his every instinct telling him to lay with her. More often than not Akihiro ignored his primal instincts. He was a man driven by reason after all, considering himself above those driven by passions and fears during the early years of his career. The years spent with Ikomiki had taught him other lessons however, and he found himself giving in to his instincts more and more.

"I'm certain you'll find a way to exact terrible revenge upon me. You're likely to be right next to me while it happens however, so I don't think I'll mind it much." The words were spoken softly, almost whispered as Akihiro lowered his head and kissed her neck. "I'll take what I can get" he'd promised, and he made good on that promise. While his lips passionately worked on her skin, his hands touched her back and slowly but steadily made their way downwards. Her smooth skin would make the perfect road to drag his fingers along and as he took in her scent and realized he finally did have her in his arms without any sort of constraint whatsoever, the lust within him multiplied and he found himself even harder than he'd originally thought. Despite how he was feeling however the lover's game was a game played in pairs. How he was feeling was just as important as she was feeling. Should one choose to pay attention to their instinct alone seeking to satisfy it above all else then this would make for a very poor game. If the, however, were smart and above all caring for each other they'd be able to draw pleasure not from one another but from the deep connection the two of them formed. Sometimes it could be hard to see this amongst the cloudy scene erupted from lust and not even the Sharingan would help one see through it. But Akihiro knew better. He knew well to push his lust aside to make sure they were on the same page, both comfortable. And he knew this not because he was a genius, but rather because he was in love.

As his hands reached her lower back they made a small pause, with him using them to hold her hips for a moment. Then they'd keep going on their journey, reaching her butt cheeks and here they'd make yet another paus. Extending his fingers to their limit he would make sure to get her within his full grasp. A light squeeze, a "claim" so to speak, before he pulled her even closer to him.

"Are you alright?" He would ask. Inexperienced as he was he wasn't entirely sure this was the right moment to ask. Should it have been anyone else he would have probably been afraid to feel embarassed for making what he wasn't sure was a mistake. But this was Ikomiki. And Ikomiki he'd realized, was precious to him. His potential embarrassment was nothing compared to the potential of hurting Ikomiki by making advances she wasn't prepared to match.

Things became so complicated. Ikomiki had always preferred simplicity. She followed her instinct, wherever it led her. And it was always blunt. The back of an axe, swung into whatever situation she might face. Delicacy wasn’t one of her strong suits, a long trend that had grown out of her association with nature and the animal world. Things were so simple there, where everything was ruled by base desired, where thinking and understanding weren’t necessary or relevant. As she had been introduced to this new world of humanity, and gradually domesticated, things had shifted away from that simple nature. Maybe this was the fate of all animals who associated too long with humanity, to be warped away from what they once had been. Part of her, in this moment, thought about the girl she once had been. Filthy, angry, hungry. Without the human taint of clothing, satisfying her hunger whenever she wished. A simple life with her brother, where she would have remained a simple beast. That Ikomiki, still on the outskirts of civilization, what would she have thought of the Ikomiki of right now? Would she have been disgusted? Angry? Would she even have been able to understand what she was looking at?

The way his hands trailed down her skin… She shivered. Even though it was so warm here. It didn’t make any sense. It was like every little touch of his lips left an imprint where she could feel the skin tingle. The cloudy haze of heat had seeped into her mind from the bath scene.

When had she become like this?

Ikomiki knew what was going on. Lust was a base instinct. She had been familiar with it, even back before she had any conceptualization of humanity. Masturbation. It came naturally to her as she grew to that age, during those times when heat clouded over her mind… That was completely different from this. This was more than just pure lust driven by the evolutionary desire to breed and pass on your genetics. It was purposeful. Intimidate. Even though there were some of the same base desires involved, she would have been satisfied just being like this. In his arms.

The blushing just wouldn’t go away. She could feel the heat all over her face, enough that she could clearly visualize that pale skin flushed up with red and pink. It was a completely alien experience. That, plus all this indecisiveness. Being paralyzed by surprise. All this shyness. It was foreign to the girl who would smack away her problems with legendary bluntness, who believed in the mandatory suffering of the natural world, who hunted and killed for fun. It was this dainty feeling, like she had become so fragile she might just crack into fragments of porcelain on the spot.

It made her so mad. She had been wavering. But really, she didn’t know what to do. At least, in the sense where she only had educated guesses, and that was a far cry from her usual clear instinct based approach. Having to think about what to do and weird things like emotions wasn’t something she was used to. Ikomiki had been a part of human society for a long time now. She had watched… Mating rituals. She vaguely knew the dance, as unspecific and improvised as it was. What else would you call this other than ritualistic?

Against her butt now… That little squeeze of his elicited a soft sound from her. A sound she had never made before, breathy and gentle against the place in Akihiro’s neck she had been hiding her face. Confusion followed, as she had been unable to understand at first that she had actually been the source of that little moan.

Bringing her head back, she would finally look at him for the first time after they shared that kiss. It was an angry face, scowling with embarrassment and flushed over as if she was fevering. Bewildered at herself and the way she was acting, she had half a mind to lash out. Really she wanted to bite Akihiro right now, just sink her teeth into his shoulder and squeeze him until he exploded. Somewhere along the line she had gotten overwhelmed by the introspection that set in. The simple pleasures of head pats and demanding affection were natural, but somewhere along the line this had become humane. Romantic, although that wasn’t a word she would understand. Like her heart was ready to burst. Another solution that she briefly considered, one that wouldn’t involve Akihiro exploding, was just to push him down and go at him like her instinct told her was correct, even though she wasn’t in heat. It would have involved a lot of biting and scratching, but at the very least she would have been in her home territory there.

“I don’t understand… I don’t understand these stupid human mating rituals.” Her voice came out in a whisper. It felt like a frog was stuck in her throat. “Can’t you just…Please…” She didn’t even know how she wanted to finish that sentence. Maybe Akihro would be able to fill in the blanks.

Akihiro smiled when he saw her expression. Anger? Not quite. Less experienced people might have looked at her expression right now and believed her to be truly angry, to be about to shove him off to the side and stab him in the gut for even daring to go that far. But Akihiro had been by her side for a long enough time now to be able to tell the difference between anger and confusion, frustration and perhaps even a hint of desperation. Perhaps he was being unfair in expecting her to know what to do or expecting her to conform to usual human "rituals" as she'd called them every so often. Ikomiki wasn't exactly human and in every other aspect of their lives together she'd had to either adapt or skip entirely the interactions with the human world she was forced to go through just for being at Akihiro's side. Truly he hadn't thought much of it up until this point. Sure it must've been weird for the cat girl, but Ikomiki was tough he knew and assumed she'd just be able to handle it. And for the most part she did in one way or another overcome these obstacles. But at every step of her journey and with every step into the human world she was drafting further away from the wild, from life in the forest, from the life she knew well. It was an adventure and like in every other adventure one's stamina and ability to withstand constant change and adaptation eventually ran thin. The longer the adventure, the harder it was to keep going while staying true to one's former ideals. Adventures changed people often, and often as well did this process tire out its participants. A ninja mission could impart a very important lesson. One's first mission, one's first kill, one's first...loss. All new and foreign concepts to young ninjas, concepts they would have time to let sink in before departing on a new journey.

But Ikomiki had been in this journey alongside Akihiro for years now. Constantly pressured to "behave", to adapt, to do her best to blend in a world which wasn't hers to begin with. Had he given her enough time to rest? To let every lesson learned sink in and allow her an opportunity to recover strengths shielded by his influence? Perhaps not. He'd wrongly assumed that her outer toughness implied she was strong within as well. A critical mistake it seemed, but one he'd attempt to correct in the future.

His right made its way to her waist again, fingers trailing up her body again but this time on her front. He trailed across her belly, across her torso and let his hand rest in her breast right next to her heart. "Iko..." he made a pause, initially unsure of what to say. It broke his heart to see her this confused and staggering around him, this effect made worse by the knowledge that he was at least partially to blame for her slow breakdown. He did what he knew could help, and kissed her forehead again.

Then he looked her in the eyes again. "It's..it's not a ritual, Iko." He'd say, still softly. Right here and right now there was no one else in the world but the two of them. "There are no instructions to follow. You don't need to be someone you're not. Not when it's just the two of us." Her desire to meet his expectations seemed to be getting in the way of her revealing her true, ultimate self. Akihiro could only hope she could still remember who she was despite having been forced to play a part for so long.

His right hand trailed from her breast to the her back again, while he slowly reached between her legs with his left hand. Gently, softly and with care he'd touch her there. Lightly, he'd start exploring her body and begin the dance of touching her and reading how she reacted to his every touch. The lover's game was a powerful thing, a nig adventure especially for those who were new at it. But they were together, and no adventure had stopped them thus far. Wild journeys, strange beasts, backstabbing humans and deadly creatures...they'd overcome all of that. And now they were playing together again, except a different kind of game. A powerful, emotional game.

"I do love you for what you are, not what you pretended to be for my sake."

It was, at least partially, a matter of control. Control and power. She had always done so much, trying to feel strong. Powerful. It was part of why she had originally followed Akihiro. She was a greedy kitty who wanted to be the King of the Jungle. Strong enough that nobody would be able to hunt her, and she would do all the hunting. And she had thought she had nearly reached that point, up until now where her entire facade was collapsing around her. Feeling like you didn’t understand, weren’t in control of your actions, like you were fragile - It was scary.

The beat of her heart was still fast. A rapid staccato rhythm that betrayed how nervous she actually was, if the signs clearly visible on her face weren’t enough. Even though he was saying what she didn’t want to hear right now, those little things calmed her down. She didn’t want to be told that there weren’t any instructions to follow - In fact, what she wanted more than anything was a guidebook. A list of instructions. At least have him tell her what to do. But his lips against her forehead, pressed between her somehow still dry bangs was for some reason enough.

“That’s not fair.” She would instantly protest. “I want instructions to follow. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, and you do. At first it was easy, but… You’re supposed to be my teacher. Can’t you teach me how to...” His hands drifted down her body again, shutting her up rather quickly. She just lost focus on what she was saying. Instead of her mind returning to that fear from before, the subtle pleasures of lovers would capture her.

It was when he confessed his love to her that she finally gave into her instinct. Leaning in once again, she would press her face to his shoulder… Only to open up her jaw and clench down on him. Biting into that space between his shoulder and his neck… It wasn’t nearly as hard as she could have. She was definitely the stronger of the two, but right now she was just sort of frustratedly gnawing at him, imprinting the skin with her teeth but not drawing any blood, and that was the only thing that stopped her from looking like a vampire right now. Maybe it was that she wanted to ‘mark’ him, in the same way that he had thought to earlier? She wasn’t even really sure anymore. Her arms seized around him in the same way, with a tight and needy strength. The urge to rake her nails against his back right now was powerful, but she resisted. Maybe next time.

That clam released, and eventually that gnawing would become something more akin to kissing the already saliva soaked skin. Gentle little pecks, mimicked from what he had been doing to her moments ago. Luckily for him Ikomiki’s tongue was soft, unlike the rogue sandpaper that a cat’s would be.

“If you look me in the eyes so strongly and say things like that, I can’t be blamed for what I might end up doing to you. Now… Just… Keep on going. If you don’t take the lead, I will, and you’ll regret that.”

It was very good to note that his touch had such an effect on her that she immediately shut down any protests. not because Akihiro wasn't willing ti listen to her protests but rather because if his touch actually silenced her that meant he was doing something well. And that in itself was a huge relief, so he kept touching her, running his fingers softly up and down the area, occasionally moving to her inner thighs only to return moments later. Was he teasing her? Probably yes, but not intentionally. In fact he was intent on exploring every little part of her, every little detail, and on taking his time to do so. Eventually he positioned his hand so that his palm rested between her legs and his fingers ran across her line. Slowly he dared curling a single finger a bit.

While this happened, Akihiro tensed up a little as soon as he felt her bite. Deep down he knew this was her way of marking him as well, he supposed. But he wasn't used to taking hits, so feeling pain was likely more uncomfortable for him than for most others. This is why he tensed up, he expected to have to suffer a little bit. But oddly, he didn't. She'd definitely bit him, he'd felt that much. But perhaps charged with the adrenaline of the situation he wasn't entirely capable of giving importance to minor feelings such as the pain of a minor bite. She'd asked him to take the lead, and Akihiro was quick to give in to her request. He wasn't entirely sure of what she meant by saying he'd regret it if she was the one to take the lead and in fact he doubted he would, but it didn't matter.

He leaned closer into her as he moved his fingers, slowly pushing her towards the edge of the pool. The idea here was that she'd be too distracted by his motions to really notice what was going on. Whether the plan worked or not remained to be seen but he had a feeling she'd go along with it even if she had known exactly what he was up to.

By the time they reached the edge of the pool once again, Akihiro would stop. And his hands would both make their way to her butt again. "As you wish." Was his only reply before kissing her passionately. Truly it wasn't a difficult request to fulfill given his current condition and perhaps the time for words was over anyway. The full length of his body pushed against hers, keeping her between himself and the wall of the pool, naturally meant his hardened penis was also touching her but this time far closer to where he knew he wanted it to go. He wouldn't thrust himself inside her however, not yet. He'd touch her there for certain, doing something similar to what his fingers had done before. But before she could guide him inside her, Akihiro would lift Ikomiki up.

Inside the water she was light as a feather and while he wasn't particularly strong, lifting her body by pulling her up from where he grabbing her and seating her on the edge of the pool wasn't a difficult task to accomplish. At this point he was in a position they had previously found themselves in. But the mood was entirely different from before. his right hand would trail across her belly and chest, gently pushing her to lie down on the grass. In the meantime Akihiro's head was between her legs, and her legs over his shoulders. The water would still be touching her up to her knees but he would make sure she'd be thinking about something else other than the water.

His left hand held her right left, having put his arm underneath it and his palm well placed on her waist to hold her in place. His right arm had also gone underneath her right leg, but that hand had instead trailed across her body and was now busy playing with her left breast slightly poking her nipple before cupping the entire breast and motioning his fingers squeezing and releasing at his will but always in an effort to remain unpredictable on what he'd do next with it.

And finally, he kissed her. He'd kissed her lips before, but this time he kissed the ones right in front of him. Passionately so as well, all restraint which lad left him had only made space for more lust and he was finally giving in to it. A motion of tongue swirls, a collection of kisses, the nudges at every second and her every scent and flavour. He took it all in. Akihiro very much had wanted to taste her, and so he did.

That she would be assaulted with these dual sensations of having his hand and finger where it was while also being pushed and lifted brought a certain dizziness to the back of her mind. A light huff of air came out from her, and she almost certainly would have made more little sounds like that had she not been shut up by his lips against hers. A new, overwhelming, messy experience that was completely unlike the earlier peck despite the seeming similarity, she attempted to return his affection with the level of ferocity that only an unskilled amatuer could. The art of kissing was lost on her, or that there even was an art other than pushing lips together. So she was messy, uncoordinated with her mouth, but she was trying. If it hadn’t been for the lust of the situation she might have been a bit self conscious here. Definitely she would have to ask him to teach her this later in more detail. A mental note would be made and then immediately lost to the wind of her fogged mind.

Of course, there was also that. She could feel it clearly now, and knowing what it was and what this was made that a much more savory situation than those accidental brushes and bumps earlier that she either hadn’t noticed or thought nothing about. Before she could properly attempt to address the situation, or at least open herself up to his desires, she would be pressed up on the edge of the pool again. Being lifted and carried like this was an extremely pleasant experience, but it was clear that the separation brought a bit of confusion back out. Her head tilted, clouded eyes looking down at him expectantly for a moment. Even so, when guided to lay down she did as directly, and accepted it with trust even if confused.

She was rather ignorant of human sexual acts and positions. With a lack of imagination, ‘bent over’ was her only conception of sexual acts. So the position that she was being guided into, with her legs over his shoulders, was utterly strange to her at first. This ignorance probably wouldn’t last very long.

Her hand would rest down atop his wrist as it danced up at her chest. Just to touch him. She couldn’t help but feel the roughness of his joints and the size of his hand as it kneaded into her, appreciating the masculinity he displayed even though that tiny, otherwise unnoticeable detail.

“Your hands are big.” She’d say, thoughts leaking out into the air. “... Do you like my … my chest?” It was a strange thing to think about. The desirability of her body. More foreign thoughts. Just, right now she knew that she liked being squeezed by him like this. That, and she wanted to hold his hands, but that was a silly thing to think about, silly and childish-

He kissed her, and finally she understood. Other thoughts were shoved aside. The fact that he had been basically staring inches away from her genitalia in this position had somehow been lost on her. Immediately a sound would get stuck in her throat. Maybe the remnant of that frog from earlier? She almost coughed from the surprise of his lips and tongue against her like this, but suppressed it to the best of her ability as that would be a rather unsexy sound to make right now.

Her hand gripped into the grass, and the other now tightly to the wrist that she had been stroking moments before, and a short game of musical chairs would follow as she struggled to think. Finally she settled, taking a hold of that hand of his that had been touching her chest. This was hers right now, and she would squeeze his hand as he took his fill of her lower half. If it wasn’t for that hand of his on her waist holding in her place she probably would have bucked her hips right into his face hard. Instead the involenary force was much softer, suppressed, and it only resulted in a somewhat cheeky-looking press of her lower lips right into his. He was too smart, and obviously knew what he was doing.

“Oh -- What is this…” The swirl of his tongue around, nudges and kisses - Her breathing became heavy for a moment. “You… You’re crazy. How did you think of this? It feels so...”

It seemed she thought that Akihiro had spontaneously invented the idea of oral sex.

Reaching out with her hand to touch his wrist was one of the best things Ikomiki could have done in that situation. It was hard for someone inexperienced to tell whether or not they were doing a good job some times. Sure there were body reactions to his tongue movements and whirls of tongue, but were they what they were supposed to be? By having her hand wrap around his wrist and eventually intertwine her fingers with his he felt she was giving him more clear signals. Perhaps it was childish but it felt good to hold her hand in that moment. In the same way two people would hold hands going together for a walk, they were holding hands together in this process of discovery together.

Akihiro couldn't quite tell how much time he'd spent in there. Too much? Too little? The passage of time suddenly seemed much less important when compared to his task at hand. Has she not asked a question, he might've continued for a while yet. But her voice threw him back into the real world. Lifting his eyes he'd glance at her, trying to remember what it was she'd said. "Yes." He'd kiss her again, quickly. "I...Like...Your...Entire...Body...Very...Very...Very...Much..." Between each word he'd kiss her again. A peck here, a lick there, a nudge afterwards. At this point he had a wicked smile on him which she'd be able to see if she looked down. "And...your..personality...is...great...too..." He was obviously extending the number of words he was using just to keep playing this game. Eventually however, he gave her one final passionate kiss and started making his way up.

Slowly making his way out of the pool, Akihiro's lips would trail up her body. Kissing her waist, her belly...by the time he reached her breasts he was out of the water entirely, almost fully on top of her. He'd nibble on her right nipple for a little bit before finally moving on to her actual lips. "Mhm..." he'd start by saying. Their faces would be separated by inches now, and by inches too would their respective organs be separated until Akihiro's touched hers. His hands placed on the ground below her arms, supporting the weight of his body."Ikomiki. My brightest student, most loyal traveling companion, truest friend, and my lover. Yes, I am very much crazy." His tone was slightly different than usual. Not exactly teasing her, but rather announcing it to the world. He raised his eyebrows a little bit "Would you care to be crazy together?"