A bark from behind told Kiba that Akamaru had found the cabin. If he had known Karui had brought four bags of luggage he would have gladly accepted the porter's offer of assistance. It was not so much a matter of weight, but it was cumbersome. Karui went ahead and opened the door to the suite and wrestled a bag from Kiba's hand before going in. The shift in balance forced Kiba to concentrate his chakra in his feet to keep from falling over.

'Why couldn't you have just sealed your luggage in a scroll?' Kiba debated with himself whether he should actually ask her, but he decided it was a point he did not care to debate.

The main room looked similar to the brochure, it had different furniture and a summer color scheme but it was nothing to object over. To the left was one of the bedrooms and the bathroom, and to the right was the other bedroom and a small dining room for eating in. Akamaru picked up a cushion from the couch with his mouth and dropped it down in a far corner before lying down while growling something about the movement making him sleepy.

"The ship hasn't even left port and you're complaining about the movement?" Kiba placed the luggage down on the floor and finally closed the door behind him. As he did his foot made contact with Karui's long pack and heard a distinct clinking sound. Knowing it could be nothing else, "You brought your sword along?"

Casually coming out of the room to the left, Karui picked up her bags and slung them across her back. A slight smile curved her lips as she said, "Of course, a girl should always bring along a little… protection." Kiba was not lost on the innuendo, but felt too flustered to respond. "I'm just joking with you Kiba. I had to bring my sword because I'm still working out the balance in the blade and I have a mission scheduled a few days after I get back so I want to make sure I have it right before then."

Leaving their bags in their rooms, and Akamaru on the floor, they decided to go up and be on deck for when the Soyokaze left port. There was no grand send off, but it didn't lessen the excitement as the boat started moving. The ship slowly lurched as it turned around, but once the bow was facing south-east and the engines revved to full power, Kiba felt exhilarated.

"First time on a boat?" Karui asked as she brushed wind-tossed hair away from her ear.

"First time on a motorboat. I've been on several sailboats before, Akamaru didn't like those either."

They conversed for hours like that each day. Voices drown out by the waves and the ocean, lost in the wind for any too far away to hear. As the ship reached the tropical waters it attracted a retinue of a pod of dolphin.

After a few days Kiba began noticing strange markings on the ship in places others would not normally see. There were three symbols he found. An "X" an "O" and a "V". They were just marks made with paint, that were typically gone the next day, but the fact that the symbols reappeared on other parts of the ship meant something he could not quite put his finger on.

While exploring the ship they discovered that it was not strictly a passenger cruise, but that it also had a large cargo area to help supplement the costs of the voyage. Curiosity, and a streak of mischievousness, compelled them to sneak into the lower decks one night to find out the contents of the cargo, but they were let down upon finding nothing more than medium quality lumber and construction-grade steel.

On their way back to their room Kiba detected a scent in the air. Whispering to Karui, "There are four people sneaking around tonight. They are doing their best to not be seen."

"I heard them. I can barely make out one of them, but the other three have clumsy footing."

There was no incident on the way back to their cabin, but that didn't stop Kiba from telling Akamaru to keep watch that night. When morning came, Akamaru woke Kiba by jumping on his bed and exclaiming that he was no longer seasick. But staying up all night had tuckered him out, so he went back to his mattress and fell asleep.

"Silly dog." Kiba chided as he scratched his friend's ears as he went to sleep.

Karui exited the bathroom wrapped in her towel and her eyes met with Kiba's. She clutched the towel around herself tighter and went into her room to change. Kiba did not often think of his past experience with Karui, it was not proper. He could not help but feel a rising heat when he thought of her flawless skin…

"No," Kiba regained control of his thoughts, "it's not right to think about that."

In her room Karui was struggling to slow her breath. Shaking her head she began drying her hair with a second towel and tried not to think about how frustrated she felt. It was the day before they were to land on the island, but it had felt like months instead of just a week.

"Why did I agree to come on this trip alone?"

The fact that she was an adult did little to ease her. Something about the newness of this experience made her feel like a child again. A part of her wished for the company of Samui. Too often had she received reprimands from the older girl, no woman; but she felt like she would accept council from anyone at the moment.

She finished drying and changing to the sound of Kiba in the shower. Putting on a light purple sundress, she grabbed her key and left by herself to the dining hall. Meals were becoming rather odd as they approached the tropics, probably to get them ready for the native food on the island. Often it was just an introduction with a single local ingredient. This morning it was a bagel with a slice of tomato and another slice of an odd fruit called avocado. It was more colorful than she liked, but the flavor and texture were heavenly.

As she sat down she could not help but recognize the sounds of four people entering the room. An adult was with three young teenagers. He had the dress of an official on the ship-line, but the three kids with their junior sized uniforms were just too out of place.

Picking up her knife she threw it towards the back of one of the teen's heads. The man caught it without even turning in Karui's direction or raising a fuss. When they collected their breakfasts he led them over to sit by Karui. Casually he set the knife back on Karui's napkin and began eating.

"I believe you dropped your knife miss."

"Why thank you…" Karui politely answered, not even looking at the knife.

"Ah yes, my name is Moji."

"Sensei, I thought we weren't supposed to use our real names." One of the teens spoke up, a young girl.

"I won't say our cover is blown, but we have been found out by this kunoichi from, let me guess… Kumo?"

"And you four… from Kiri?"

"Ha ha, what rotten luck we have. Still, it's better than our first attempt to travel under cover." Moji playfully sighed.

"Yeah, we were found out by a janitor who found one of Ori's kunai lying on a table." One of the two boys spoke flatly.

"I told you that wasn't my fault Itamu!" Ori angrily glared at the other boy.

"Taking your genin out on a mission? This seems pretty far out of the way for Kiri."

"Not really." The girl enthusiastically answered. "Kiri get a lot of jobs from all sorts of islands out in the ocean. Our place on the islands lets us answer most jobs rather quickly. I'm Sasa by the way."

Karui took a moment to memorize their features, more of a habit than anything else. Moji was a thin man, not yet in his prime, shaved bald except for a topknot. She vaguely recalled seeing him after the war; he was in the medium-range group so they had never really met.

Ori was an odd boy. He wore earrings (he probably kept special seal earrings as were popular in Kiri with his equipment). Something about the way he maintained an indignant silence betrayed him as a loudmouth. His jet black hair was combed neatly, but it was obvious the one thing he really wanted to do was muss it up.

The girl was an odd one. She seemed overly content to just sit there and breathe, as though it was the most interesting thing in the world. Her rich brown eyes matched her hair that she had styled in a neat braid that came over her left shoulder.

Lastly Itamu was the strangest boy she had ever seen. He looked uncomfortable in his own skin. Pale skin, freckled, with reddish hair. Karui felt sorry for him, between his complexion and the destination he had "sunburn" written all over him.

"You won't mind me asking why you are out here. You owe me that much of an answer for the knife." A serious tone from Moji indicated that the formalities were over, a silent threat.

"I am on vacation."

"With a Konoha nin?"

"What is more likely? That I'm on vacation with a friend from another village, or that our two villages sent us on a mission to keep our eyes on you and your mission?"

Finishing their breakfasts Moji nodded his head and signaled his team to leave. "We'll be arriving at Shinsei Island before long. I hope you enjoy your vacation miss?"

"Karui."

Nodding to his team, Moji led them out of the dining hall and down to the lower decks. Letting out a deep breath, Karui finally finished her breakfast and went out on the sea deck. A slight chill in the air sent a shiver down her spine, but she knew it was not the temperature she was reacting to. A jacket rested across her shoulders and Kiba took a place beside her. His presence felt so natural, so comforting. They sat down on a bench and Karui rested her head on his shoulder and he places his arm around her. It wasn't until the Soyokaze's steam whistle blew that she realized it was late afternoon and that the island was already in sight.