Author's note: Watching the anime was a hoot, but playing the game was even better. Writing Ryou had been fun.

Wolf's Hunger

Ryou stopped short when he found himself staring at the temple's statue. Even in this moonlit darkness, he could make out its intimidating eyes and snarl.

He remembered the first time he snuck into this place. Scoping out for danger and potential advantages was his style. It worked during that Onikirimaru fiasco, keeping tabs on the guardians of the Tamayorihime or that slinky bastard Ashiya.

He gritted his teeth at the thought of the bespectacled idiot. Deception had been that guy's middle name.

His eyes closed and Ryou and took in a calming breath. Grousing was not his primary reason for coming here. Meeting Tamaki again was.

Taking in one more steadying breath before heading to the real front door of her place, he then caught it. Carried in the slight breeze was a trace of Tamaki's scent.

Ryou frowned at that. Wasn't it late evening? Shouldn't she be inside?

His eyes scanned the dark gardens and side paths but he saw nothing suspicious.

The bright moon illuminated the temple. Figuring saying hello at the entrance of her home was the polite thing to do compared to skulking, Ryou made his way there.

Another cool breeze passed. The crisp fall would soon to chill to winter. The nights were getting colder.

The fenced, manicured gardens soon greeted him. Tamaki's air grew stronger as he neared.

He stopped just before walking up the straight path to knock on her door. Crouched in front of the fence was the princess herself, her arms outstretched to rummage for something past it.

The hell was that woman doing? Ryou's silent question needed an answer, so he stayed where he was as observer.

Tamaki, clearly unaware of him, pawed through the shrubbery. The lights on inside her house lit her profile and she looked intent, if not a little frustrated. She must have been doing this digging for a while.

She sighed and stood, eying in the dirt for a new spot to focus her search. Tamaki balanced herself on the waist-high railing as she leaned forward to squint.

Ryou's hungry eyes trailed up the bare skin of her legs; she was still in uniform so late into the day. Now he was even more curious what was happening with Tamaki.

He mashed his lips together, suppressing a laugh as he began creeping. If this were Atori or hell, Inukai, they'd already be turning around at his presence. But it wasn't, so Ryou savored the pounce.

Standing directly behind her, Ryou mutely counted down from three. He slid a quick arm around her waist and his other hand clamped over her mouth.

Tamaki instantly struggled, thrashing against his hold. Almost right away, she subsided and Ryou felt her body sink comfortably against his in recognition. A thrill shot through him, being surrounded with her familiar scent and emanating warmth.

"What, no punch to my face?" Ryou smiled when Tamaki knew he wasn't some random guy accosting her.

When his hand moved off her mouth, Tamaki sighed in relief. "Ryou, you're crazy. Don't scare me like that!" She batted him, and then contradicted herself by turning in his arms and affectionately hugging him.

Ryou finally let out his chuckle. "Mmm, but I like making your blood pump."

Tamaki giggled. "Whenever you sneak up on me that sure happens. What are you doing here?"

Ryou blinked. He thought the reason was obvious enough with him on her doorstep. "Baking bread?"

"Ok, silly question. I mean, it's late."

"I can't go out at night? You know demons do this, yes?"

Shaking her head ruefully, Tamaki grinned. "Never mind. I like surprises." She dropped one of her own on Ryou as she kissed him.

The gesture cut painfully short as Tamaki was already pulling away and diverting her gaze at the gardens. Ryou wanted more.

He tugged her against his chest and captured her lips again.

Tamaki kept trying to stop which seemed unbelievable as she was a girl. Half-hearted objecting came between kisses. Ryou liked it.

"Hrm… wait. Ryou, hold on. I'm in the middle of-" -Tamaki groaned when Ryou nipped at her neck—"I'm trying to concentrate, here, mph…" Ryou returned back to playing with her mouth with his own.

Tamaki was especially persistent. "I have to… find it or I'll lose the game."

"What?" Confusion made Ryou cease his mouth-manhandling, but his hands were not abandoning the curve of her waist.

"I'm looking for a marble."

Ryou rolled his eyes. "Start from the beginning."

"It's a hide-and-seek game with O-chan. A marble gets hidden outside and I find it. I would've done this with Mitsuru, but she's out."

Ryou let Tamaki loose to do her thing as he processed her activity. Hiding and fetching past dinner time? Wasn't watching TV or reading something normally done in these late hours?

"How long have you been out here?"

Pushing aside a shrub, Tamaki responded absently, "I don't know. Half an hour?"

"Without a jacket? You're insane." Irk rising, Ryou frowned.

"This is important and- ha! Found it." Tamaki stood, a tiny glass marble held between her forefinger and thumb. Inside was a shard of colored glass.

Ryou hardly looked at it. Too preoccupied with fuming at her idiocy over her lack of regard for her health, instead he glared at the welcoming yellow light through the shoji doors spilling onto them.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" Tamaki peered through the crystal as they walked towards the warmth of the indoors.

Ryou didn't say anything, just stuck his hands in his pockets and followed.

He winced at the bright light when he stepped in. He was slipping off his jacket when Tamaki rubbed her arms. "Ooh, I'm happy to be inside. It was colder than I thought. Hey, do you want- ah!"

Ryou didn't let her finish when he yanked her against him again. Enveloping her completely with his arms, shivers pricked her skin.

Feeling this, Ryou's ire boiled over. "Why the hell were you out there?"

"It was a game."

"Screw that. You had to go? It could've rained. Maybe you'd be crazy enough to keep playing if it did! You might have gotten sick-"

Ryou cut off at hearing Tamaki gasp in pain. He immediately released her. He took in a shuddering breath at hearing his diatribe. This wasn't how he wanted his words to come out.

"Sorry." His head hung. Ryou couldn't have felt the bigger moron as he did now.

Heat spread on his cheek and he looked at Tamaki. Her fingers rested on the side of his face and she was gently smiling.

"You're so sweet, Ryou." Tamaki's touch sent wild shivers of the non-cold kind through him. His face began reddening.

"I didn't mean to make you worry. I was fine outside, really." Hooking his fingers in her own, Tamaki led him to the living room. "Just burning off excess energy. Hide-and-seek helped."

"Hmm…" Ryou shot her a sidelong glance, a wolfish grin on his lips.

"W-What?" Cue her turn to redden.

With their hands still entwined, Ryou tickled her palm with the lightest stroke of his thumb. Tamaki tried to hide her reaction by biting her lip, but she drew towards him, anyway.

"I could think of a few ways to solve your problem. Unless… you have some ideas you'd like to share."

"Maybe." A sudden craftiness glinted in her eyes.

Ryou leaned closer to her ear and whispered, "Tell me how so I can do it over and over."

-THE END-