The title is a play off of "hide-and-seek". What I figure the opposite would be.
I played with changing points of view in this, so I hope it's not confusing.
"Hiding and Spying" was drawn in the middle of typing this, so it kinds of relates to it.
Last story: "Scribbles"

Enjoy?

---

I know he's not a "people person", and only interacts with others as much as necessary...

...but I swear Kinsha is avoiding me.

First he was out of the house most of the day, then when he got back, he only came out of hiding long enough to grab some food before he was off again -- I assume to the roof or a tree like I've seen him do.

Even the next day, when I decided to try the Forest -- I thought I heard him mumble about going there to Suiren before he disappeared again -- I still didn't see him around. I felt like I was being watched at times, but never found my watcher.

This was starting to feel like a weird game of hide-and-seek.

And I was getting tired of it.

---

Sigh.

Why am I doing this?

I know I can't keep avoiding him. But I just don't know what to do about this.

Tell him what happened and face whatever happens next?

Or say nothing, keep avoiding him, and hope he gives up trying to find me -- because I know he's been looking! -- so I can pretend nothing happened?

It's like some weird game of hide-and-seek.

And I'm getting tired.

---

There he was.

Sitting on the couch.

Not hiding for once.

Just staring down at his sketchbook, though I was sure he realized I was over here. I don't exactly walk quietly like he does.

Was the "game" finally over?

I wasn't sure I wanted it to be. I could finally ask what happened...but now I'm not really sure I want to. He had to have been avoiding me for a reason. Was it something bad? Maybe I acted like an idiot when I was drunk, or insulted him or something...

Then why would we have been cuddled on the couch after passing out?

Now or never. I had to find out what the big secret was.

I took a breath before revealing myself.

"Kinsha."

He slowly turned his head to look at me, an unreadable expression on his face.

---

Wolf.

Definitely a drawing of a wolf.

I had added to it, just drawing without thinking, watching it take more shape before my eyes.

The ears weren't quite right for a dog. The eye shape. The muzzle.

I'm no expert on animal-drawing, but this was definitely more wolf than a dog.

It didn't look very confident though. It had its head and tail low, like it wasn't sure, looking up the viewer -- which would be me right now -- questioningly. Waiting. Looking for guidance maybe. I don't know.

I could feel someone watching me, and knew it was Tundra. I'd purposely stayed here for awhile in case he was searching. I was sick of hiding.

"Kinsha."

Here we go then.

I finally faced him.

---

It was a stare down.

Both wearing different yet similar expressions. One unreadable but with an edge of tired. The other apprehensive but with an edge of tired.

Finally, the blond sighed, breaking the spell. "You've been looking for me, right?" As if it hasn't been obvious.

The other blinked, nodding. "I...wanted to ask about the other night. When we got drunk."

Another sigh, this time defeated. "I figured," he said while looking away again.

The brunette was silent for a moment, before stepping forward a few steps closer to the couch. "Look, if I was an idiot or something--"

"It's not that," the ninja cut him off.

Tundra blinked, confused. He waited for Kinsha to clarify.

"It's...something we both did. Or maybe I did it. I can't remember it that clearly..." Clearly enough to remember how it felt, his mind supplied, to which he thought, Shut up, before he could start blushing.

Here, the reindeer-turned-human tilted his head curiously.

Kinsha looked at him again, biting back another sigh as he gestured him over. "I don't want to keep talking across the room."

Tundra blinked, moving to sit on the couch to keep listening.

The ninja ignored how familiar this was, almost a mirror image of that night, with he and Tundra sitting in the exact same spots as before and his sketchbook open on the coffee table. The only thing missing was the sake. Not that he wanted any right now.

Tundra was starting to get a feeling of déjà vu too, though he said nothing about it.

"Anyway..." The blond continued. "...I was sitting here, already getting drunk, with--" He paused to flip the page back to the recent drawing from that night, of the bird fading as it flew away from the leopard. "--this in front of me. You looking through my sketches kind of made me a bit...nostalgic..." He tried not to wince. "...and that's about when you walked in..."

This was sounding very familiar now. Tundra could almost perfectly picture everything being described.

"I guess you asked if something was wrong and I started talking about how I draw all my friends as different animals. This one right here..." He pointed at the bird. "...is...was a girl I liked..."

His head was spinning. It was coming back now.

"...you said she disappeared."

Kinsha nodded. "Yea--" He froze, looking at the other in surprise. "You're starting to remember?!" He wasn't sure whether to be excited or terrified. So he went with both.

"Some of it, yea." His brow creased. "Then I started telling you about..." He trailed off as he remembered more.

He'd overheard some of the zoo staff talking a few times. About "how it was the shame the other had been stillborn..." And that "she would've been really pretty..."

Tundra had asked his mother about this of course, but she would just go quiet and not say anything for the rest of the day. He eventually stopped asking her about it...

Tundra frowned, breaking out of his thoughts. "You made a comment about how 'our lives were pretty screwed up'." He snorted. "Had to agree with you there." He frowned again. "And then you..." The words trailed off.

"Screwed up any chances there were of being friends," Kinsha finished for him.

The reindeer blinked at it being put that way. He supposed kissing wasn't something friends did -- though he hadn't hated it -- and if that was what had caused the rift between them...

"We could always start over..."

Kinsha blinked.

Tundra held out a hand. "Hi, I'm Tundra, Toukan's younger brother. Yoroshiku." He hoped he the other knew what that meant.

The ninja stared for a second, but took the brunette's hand, returning the shake. "Kinsha. Toukan's best friend and resident fail-ninja. Dozo yoroshiku." He did.

They shared an amused smirk, the ties of friendship already being formed.

So why did they both feel a thread of disappointment?