Despite Tsume's warning, neither Hizashi nor Shota kept their distance from the Tora; though Shota was much more vigilant with some things than Hizashi…or most things… Still, it had reached a point where Hizashi no longer needed to drag him along with him to get Shota to hang around. After Christmas, Shota would approach them on his own, albeit a little bashfully at times, but for the most part it was Michiru that approached him. The four of them spent a lot of time together, even outside of school, and often went over to the Tora's property to use the forest for training. Sometimes though, Hizashi would whisk Jaz away for fun and to leave the other two alone.

One time, Hizashi and Jaz returned with Tsume to the spot they had left them in just in time to see the big white tigress plop down onto her belly, using all of her weight to pin Shota down to the grass on his front. They were not entirely sure what had happened, but Michiru was smiling in a similar fashion to how Pan always did as her tail twitched with amusement. Shota himself did not look particularly amused, but he seemed to just lay there and accept his fate without much complaint. Both Hizashi and Tsume had burst with laughter upon witnessing this while Jaz was just trying to figure out what had happened.

"I had Shota try and sneak up on me," Michiru explained. "It's important to be stealthy sometimes." She sighed. "Ah, but this is the fourth time I ended up being the one to catch him."

"It's not exactly fair," Shota muttered from the ground. "Your Aura Power lets you sense me getting nearer."

She smiled and tilted her head. "Hm. Guess you'll just have to be faster. You never know what kind of Quirk the enemy will have." She let out a strange sound, almost like a huff and a purr mixed together, then climbed off of him to let him up. "Maybe we should swap. I could try to sneak up on you."

He brushed a bit of grass from his shirt. "Not sure I like the idea of being stalked by a giant tiger…"

"That's okay," she told him. She suddenly crouched low and locked her amethyst eyes on Hizashi. "I found fresh prey."

"Huh?" Before Hizashi could really react, or even process what was happening, he was tackled to the ground by the tigress and pinned on his back with a loud 'oof'.

Jaz was startled, not having realized what had happened either, while Tsume laughed even heartier than before.

Hizashi looked startled for a minute; his sunglasses had been knocked askew. He stared up at the tigress leaning in so close that their noses were almost touching and was surprised when she suddenly returned to her human form. He grinned. "Heh. You know, I'd probably be turned on right now if I was into you like that."

"Ha!" She pushed herself up off of him and walked back over to Shota. He blushed a little as she started picking grass out of his hair and running her fingers through it to loosen knots. "Your hair's a mess, Shota."

"His hair's always like that," Hizashi said as he stood up. "Just without the grass."

Shota grunted.

"Hey, Shota," Tsume pulled his attention over. "I've noticed that you like to use the trees here for practice with that capture cloth of yours. How quickly do you think you can use it to move through the forest?"

"Pretty quickly, if I travel above the trees."

He smiled. "I said through not over!"

"But why do that when I can go over them?"

"You never know what kind of situation will crop up. You should start trying to move as fast as you can through the trees without getting caught up or hitting something. Maybe we could even make it a game."

"A game?" He looked skeptical. Michiru was still picking forest litter from his hair.

"Sure! Training is serious, but it can be fun too." Tsume thought for a moment. "Hm… We could make it like a game of tag. Try getting used to moving swiftly and safely through this forest and then we can put you to the test."

"…All right."

…

After school one day, as they were walking, Hizashi suddenly remembered something. He linked his arm in Jaz's and pulled him away, twisting himself to wave with his other hand at Shota and Michiru.

"See ya!" He called. "Have fun!"

They watched curiously for a moment before Shota turned and continued walking; Michiru followed. "Those two run off a lot," she said. "Or, maybe it would be more accurate to say that Hizashi drags Jaz away a lot…"

"That is more accurate," Shota replied. "Tsume didn't come to meet you today. Is he working?"

She hummed. "Yes. He said he'd be back tomorrow. Are you coming over anyway?"

"If it's all right…"

"Of course!" she smiled. "I like having you around." He looked at her and she quickly added, "Uh, and I think Pan does too!"

"Hizashi," Jaz said. "Where are we going?"

"I don't know!"

"Huh? Seriously?"

"Just kidding. I just suddenly remembered something about you."

"About me?" He felt a tiny rush of concern. "W-What is it?"

He leaned over and shushed him.

Jaz flinched. "…You're telling me to be quiet?"

Hizashi laughed.

At a short glance from a random passerby, Jaz suddenly became aware of the fact that they were walking along the street with their arms locked together and were very close to each other. With a rush of panic, he stopped and tried to pull his arm free only for Hizashi to stop and pull him closer.

"Hey, are you trying to run off?"

"What? No, I just, um…" He looked away, embarrassed. "I-I…"

He released him and smiled. "Good. We're almost there."

"Huh? Where?" Jaz followed after him.

They rounded a corner and passed a little tea shop that Jaz recognized then stopped at the ice cream parlor beside it. Hizashi pointed at it and looked at him. "This is that place you like, right?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Cool! Winter's nearly done and over with. It's been getting warmer. That's what I was thinking when I remembered you like this place."

"Your thoughts are so erratic…"

He shrugged. "You want something? Let's get something."

"Ah, I didn't bring any –"

"I'll pay!"

Jaz flinched, but not from his volume this time. "What? N-No, you don't have to do that! I don't need anything!"

"It's fine. Why are you acting so startled?"

"Er, no…no reason. I just don't want you to spend money on me."

"Heh." He scratched his cheek. "Don't worry about it. Really." He led Jaz inside. "Get whatever you want."

Jaz was reluctant at first but at Hizashi's insistence he ended up ordering a strawberry shake; his typical choice when he came here. Hizashi ordered a shake as well, though Jaz was just a tad surprised that it was only vanilla. After paying and receiving their orders, they went to sit at one of the umbrella tables outside. For a while, Jaz was distracted watching the people and cars pass as he sipped the milkshake, and when he finally turned back, he noticed Hizashi watching him.

"Er, is something wrong?"

"Hm?" Hizashi finished off his drink and placed the glass on the table. "No. Why?"

Jaz felt awkward now. "Uh, no – no reason. It's just… What were you looking at?"

"You," he said simply.

Jaz flinched, feeling even more awkward. "Oh! Uh, why?"

"You and Mi-chan have the same eyes."

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, I guess we do…"

"Sorry," Hizashi grinned. "Was I making you uncomfortable? I kind of got lost in thought, so I guess I was staring for too long."

"Right. I-I mean! It's fine…"

He chuckled. "Hey, Jaz. Do you have any pets?"

"Pets? No."

"Really?"

"My father doesn't like pets. Why?"

He shrugged. "Just curious."

"Wow. Your thoughts really are erratic." Jaz finished his drink. "You have parakeets, right? How many?"

"Mm-hm. Two! Barney and Pochi."

Jaz laughed a little. "Those are funny names for birds."

"They're funny birds," Hizashi replied.

"What kind are they?"

"Budgies. Hey! Why don't you come to my house and meet them?"

"Right now?"

"Why not?"

"Er, sure!"

Hizashi jumped up to his feet. "Okay, let's goooo!"

"H-Hizashi! Stop yelling in the streets like that!"

…

Jaz stared up at the house. It was a nice-looking, white, modern two-story home. There was even a balcony on the second floor. "This place is…very nice," he remarked aloud.

"I live with my parents," Hizashi told him. "This is their house." He pointed at a red car parked along the side. "Looks like they're home."

Jaz wondered if that was a bad thing or not then reminded himself that not everyone's parents were like his father. This was most certainly true too, as Hizashi's parents ended up being very friendly and kind, though Jaz found it humorous how much more energetic Hizashi was compared to them.

"Hizashi," his mother said as they entered the house, "who is this?"

"This is Jaz!"

"Er, hello…" Jaz said timidly.

"Oh," she smiled. "You're the boy Hizashi talks about. It's so nice to meet you!"

"Oh, uh, y-yeah." They knew about him?

His father peered over the rim of his glasses at them from his seat at the table. "Ah, good to meet you, Jaz." He was writing something. "I hope our son hasn't damaged your overall hearing too much." He smirked.

"Are you going to stay for dinner?" his mother asked. "I'm cooking right now."

"Uh, I, um, sure?"

"Wow," she smiled, "you really are timid, aren't you? Such a contrast to Hizashi." She giggled.

Hizashi gave Jaz a sympathetic smile and a shrug. "Yeah, yeah, Mom. We're going upstairs. Call us down for dinner. Come on, Jaz."

"That boy…" his father muttered after they had left the kitchen, "never stays still. He's always doing something."

"Like you?" Hizashi's mother said, watching her husband continue to write.

Jaz found the inside of the house to be nice, too; it was very modern. He followed Hizashi up the stairs and into his room. Everything was relatively neat but there were a lot of different types of old and new things relating to music, radio, cassettes, records, CDs, DVDs, and so on. Off to one side, standing atop a table, was a big birdcage with two little parakeets chirping inside. They were very random, considering everything else in the room. Upon noticing Hizashi, the birds flew down onto a wooden perch in front of the cage door and began hopping and whistling excitedly.

"Hello," he greeted the birds, sticking his finger through the bars to scratch their heads. "The blue one is Barney and the green one is Pochi."

Jaz joined at his side to examine the animals and carefully touched his index finger to the bars. While Barney was hogging their owner's attention, Pochi scooted over along the perch and stretched his little neck out to nip softly at Jaz's finger.

"They're cute," Jaz said. "Do you let them out?"

"Of course! Uh, you're not afraid of tiny birds, are you?"

"I don't think so."

He laughed at that response then opened the cage. Barney immediately flew out to land over on a decoration hanging on the wall while Pochi fluttered up to Hizashi's shoulder. "You better not poop on me, Pochi…" The little bird opened its mouth and leaned towards his face, acting as if it was going to bite him, then fluttered over onto Jaz's shoulder instead.

Jaz watched Hizashi grab a bag of some kind before sitting cross-legged on the floor; Jaz joined him. When Hizashi opened the bag, Barney suddenly flew over and landed on the floor in front of them; Pochi was soon to follow.

"Here." He handed Jaz some kind of cluster of birdseed. "It's a honey snack. They love it."

He carefully held it out to them and they both hopped over and started picking at it ravenously. Jaz wondered if he should be worried about them accidentally biting him, but they were too cute and entertaining to let him be worried for long. After a while, Jaz said, "Your parents seem nice."

"Yeah, they're cool. You just have your dad, right?"

"Mm. My mother passed away when I was little. My dad was never really that nice of a person, but after my mom died… I don't know. He just…changed."

"Changed how?" He thought about it for a bit as Jaz did not respond. "You mean he's, like, mean to you or something?"

"…Or something."

He remembered the scars he had seen on Jaz's arms once and wondered if it was related. He wanted to ask, but maybe it was too much? It might not be okay for him to bring that up. That seemed a sensitive topic and Jaz was a sensitive person. Then again, maybe he should ask, in case it was related to something else… Before he could work up the nerve to bring it up though, his mother's voice could be heard from downstairs calling them for dinner.

"Coming!" He yelled, causing Jaz and both birds to jump. "Sorry."

…

Shota was standing in the forest, silently listening to everything around him. He could hear a couple of birds chirping up in the trees but nothing other than that. There was no wind, either, so everything was very still, but he knew she was there…somewhere. It might have been a tinge of paranoia, but he felt like he was being watched. She must be able to see him. He slowly scanned the area with his eyes, looking for any little sign of movement but did not see or hear anything. It was concerning. How could an almost six-foot-tall tiger move so silently through this dense forest? Not to mention she was as white as snow. She should stand out, and yet he had no idea where she was.

The more time that passed, the more his concern went up. She was enjoying this; he just knew it… He was right; he hated being stalked by a giant tiger in the woods. She could be so close right now and he would not even realize –

He spun around, thinking he heard something, but saw nothing. Suddenly, something heavy knocked him over from behind and roughly pinned him to the ground. He could feel the weight from her paws on his arm and shoulder.

"Ha!" She declared, "Pinned you!"

He groaned into the dirt and took a moment to bother getting up after she got off of him. He looked down at the grass stains on his clothes. Maybe he should not have decided to do this in his school uniform…

"Sorry I was so rough with you," Michiru told him. "But I had to take the chance as soon as it happened. I thought you would never turn around!"

"You were in front of me the whole time?"

"Yep! For a moment, I was worried you saw me."

"I didn't see anything…" he muttered. "How do you do that?"

"Tsume taught me. It's about finding cover and being as still as possible for as long as possible. Can't take your eyes off of the prey."

"Prey? That's mildly disturbing."

She chuckled. "It's just a figure of speech." She walked back over to where she had apparently been hiding before she pounced on him. "See?" She stepped around a tree and lowered herself behind a cluster of bushes. "I hide in the shade of the plants, like this, and crouch as low as possible without scraping the ground… And I. Don't. Move."

How did he not see her earlier? Then again, she was very well hidden there and the shade darkened her colors. He was too busy looking for something white; maybe he should have just been looking for something that wasn't a plant?

Before he could say anything, she suddenly sprung out from the cover and tackled him again, this time directly from the front. He really should have seen that coming… He huffed as his back hit the ground and stared up at her in shock for a moment before narrowing his eyes. "Seriously?"

She smiled and laughed at him. "I like how much you let your guard down around me," she teased. He grunted, causing her to laugh again.

"I'm starting to think that time I took you down at school was a fluke…"

"You did surprise me back then," she admitted. "Ah, but that was skill! And strength, too. Not many people can survive a game of tug-o-war with a giant tiger. Hehe! But you did what you should have done, right? You used your opponent's strength against them."

"Yeah…" He suddenly had a thought. "…I see."

"Hm? See what?"

"Michi, let me up. I want to try again."

"Sure. I'll wait here and give you another three-minute head start." She climbed off of him and sat down to wait.

He hurried away through the trees, leaving her behind. He had come to train in this forest so often now that he knew the general layout pretty well by now. He knew the major landmarks within it and how to get to them, and he knew where the larger groups of animals liked to hang around.

Shota quickly made his way towards the jagged lands and followed along the edge of the forest until he found the fallen tree that stuck out over the grassless ground. He turned left at the tree, reentering the forest and heading in a straight line until he reached a clearing with a natural pond that the river branched off into. The pond was swarming with geese and a few pheasants were hanging around in the tall grass; there were quite a lot of birds there.

Michiru counted in her head up to three minutes before she stood up and began her hunt. She did not bother heading in the direction she had seen him leave, for her Aura Power told her exactly where he was. It was easy to focus on him when he was the only other human in the whole forest. Humans had different auras from plants and animals, though animals could be pretty close sometimes.

She stopped in the clearing and stared out at the geese in and around the pond. They must have come to roost for the evening; there were so many. She knew Shota was nearby. He could probably see her right now standing in the clearing. She made to turn and head back into cover with the intention of sneaking around him, but before she could, something splashed into the water loudly and startled a few birds. The frightened geese honked and flapped their wings, lifting from the water in a panic and causing all of the other birds in the clearing to panic and fly too. It was a blur of feathers and loud wingbeats, surprising Michiru and distracting her. She crouched and folded her ears flat to block out the noise, and then suddenly something wrapped around her paws. Startled, she tried to leap away, but it tightened and pulled two of her paws out from under her and she crashed to the ground on her shoulder. Before she knew what was happening, all four of her paws were bound with leafy vines and Shota had her neck pinned under his knee and was clutching one of her ears in his hand.

"Ack! What?!"

"Pinned you," he said as the birds cleared out and the noise died.

"Shota?!"

He smirked a little and stood up, moving to cut the vines with a pocket knife.

Once she was free, Michiru got to her paws, shook herself, reverted into a human, then turned to stare at him for a moment before a grin crossed her face. "Okay, okay… That was good."

He let out a quiet little huff of amusement.

"Tsume's never going to let me live this one down," she laughed.

To be continued…

I don't know what I find funnier: Jaz's awkwardness, or Hizashi's ADHDness.