There was an excitement in the air; it was so tangible Kiba felt like he could touch it. Waking an hour before sunset was always a habit of his, and his body seemed to automatically adjust to the change in time zones. Wanting a moment to himself, he sought the morning air on the roof of the hotel. A few doors were supposed to be locked and accessible to employees only, but a simple lock pick proved to be a good substitute to a key.
The view was incredible; a southerly wind brought the salty sea air to the island. Dark waters softly blew onto the white sand beach below. Sensing the weather was easy for Inuzuka, a keen sense of smell could pick up air moisture and enhanced hearing acted much like a barometer. Today was going to be clear skies, warm air, and fresh fish. A din from the docks showed boats of fishermen docking after a night of work. They were likely returning to their shops to put out their fresh catches.
Turning around Kiba looked out onto the town and island. Still cloaked in night, the silhouette of the great mountain was strangely visible despite the haze of distance.
"I'll have to look into that later." Kiba made the mental note before continuing to overlook the town. In a small farm outside of the city a rooster was crowing, and light began to emerge on the horizon. Rays of the sun began to peek over the eastern hills, but that was not the sight that drew Kiba's eyes. The ocean was transformed before his eyes. As though the inky darkness of night were a residue being burnt up by the coming dawn. For a few short instants the water looked on fire as the sunlight reflected in just the right way.
Barely able to find his breath, Kiba whispered, "I am so waking Karui up to see this tomorrow." Dawn's embrace took the town and Kiba made his way back to his bedroom and got ready for the new day. If that experience was any indication of what the day were like, today was going to be one to remember.
Just as Kiba walked in the apartment he was startled by shouting coming from the bedroom. "Ah, get off me you silly pooch!" Karui was yelling at Akamaru, but sounded more surprised than angry. Akamaru barked his morning greetings to her; he seemed much chattier since learning Karui had been learning how to understand ninken, even if the dogs from Kumogakure have strange accents.
Finally ready to go out, Kauri led them downstairs to the dining room. A sweet and somehow spicy aroma had filled Kiba's nostrils for the past ten minutes and Kiba finally placed it. Each table had an open grill, but grilled fish was not the only thing on the menu. Trays of sliced fruit were lined in a buffet fashion; most of them exotic fruits from the tropic islands further south. The scents in this room were almost too much for his sense of smell, but for some reason he felt like he was breathing deeper than he had on the roof that morning.
"I've always wanted to try the grilled fruit here." Karui was loading up a plate of the fruits, and spearing them with the wooden skewers. "My sensei may have been a singing goofball, but he can cook like nobody's business. He used to always buy these food journals, but none of the fruit native to Kumo are good for grilling so we never tried it."
Kiba tried as many as his plate could hold, but that wasn't even one fifth of the varieties that were available. The fish selection was weaker, only a choice of a dozen different kinds of fish. Smiling, Kiba remembered planning how much this vacation would cost, but seeing Karui beaming as she got up to get another plateful he knew it was well worth it.
When they were all three full Karui pulled out a travel pamphlet and led the way as though she were a local. Their first stop was an old coastal fort that hadn't been used for hundreds of years. The ruined light tower was as tall as the one currently in use, but it stood a ruin of its former self.
"This says the light tower was two hundred meters tall in its prime." Karui said, trying to appraise the rock and mortar structure.
"It must have helped in the days of sea raiders to know when an attack was coming."
Oddly enough they found themselves wandering through the old sections of town. The places not specifically tailored to tourists. An old sweet shop sold traditional seaweed flavored hard candy; Karui tried one and wound up buying three bags. The blacksmith made blades, claiming that his grandfather had come out to sea from Kirigakure after making one of the Seven Swords of the Mist. A wild claim, but despite the condition of his shop and the holes in his story, the daggers he made were beyond artisan quality. The dagger the blacksmith was finishing was around twenty centimeters in length, though slightly curved it was sharp on both edges. The dark silver metal seemed to also have a faint red shine to it.
Looking over his shoulder, Kiba found that Karui had disappeared into the tailors across the street. An incomplete dagger caught Kiba's eye, but more than that a large white hilt piece that the blacksmith's assistant was busy carving.
"What material is that?" Kiba asked.
"Dire-lion's tooth." The assistant answered. "We can carve three handles from a good sized tooth."
An uncut tooth lay on the piece of cloth on the floor. Nearly the size of Kiba's forearm, he was inclined to believe that it did come from a dire-lion. Taking his leave from the shop, Kiba found Karui having her measurements taken.
"I'm having a dress altered. Mind if we come back here after lunch?" Karui turned her head towards Kiba, only to have the shopkeeper move it back into place for her convenience.
"Of course." Kiba picked up the travel pamphlet where Karui had set it down. Looking at the map of the island Kiba remembered his vision that morning. The map showed that the mountain was nearly sixty kilometers from the city. 'It should not have been that visible. It's too far away to be that clear.' Stepping outside Kiba jumped up to the roof and found that the mountain was lost in the haze of the day. 'Must have been a trick of the eye.' He concluded.
Waiting for the dress to be finished, they made a trek up a small hill to the town's old shrine. A small staff of monks kept the buildings in good shape, but one stood out among the others. A two story hexagonal pagoda with bronze dragon roof tiles. The first floor was open; the second story was closed to the public. A mural of men standing in three concentric circles of six each was prominent on the northern wall.
They got lunch in a small workers house. The workers would go back out to the fields after eating and resting through the heat of the day. The fried fish and mashed fruit the waitress called plantains made for a filling meal. After one drink too many, one of the workers came up and stared at Akamaru, laughing softly to himself.
"I wonder if you're scared of cats. Ha ha…" He walked away, not wanting an answer. Akamaru rolled his eyes and finished his lunch.
Returning to the tailor's shop to get Karui's dress, the blacksmith's assistant came from across the street. Holding the dagger he was working on that morning, he held it out to Kiba. "Compliments of my master. No charge. He says it will protect you."
Kiba began to object when the blacksmith emerged from his shop. "I can't accept this as a gift. I didn't even ask for a dagger."
"And yet it is yours. Look at the hilt." The blacksmith lowered his eyes to the knife.
The hilt was carved with designs that felt like hair and fangs. The carving was as masterful as the making of the blade. Implied shadows gave the impression of dogs running through tall grass. Feeling the other side, Kiba found the kanji of his last name featured prominently.
"What is this?"
"No weapon leaves this shop without a name. The dagger is named Inuzuka. Take it with my blessing." A matching bone sheath was given to Kiba, as ornate as the hilt. On one side the heads of dogs much like Akamaru were carved, and on the other side the same dogs were baring their fangs.
Bowing lightly to the master craftsman, Kiba crossed the street to the tailor's shop. He had questioned the gift, but it was not Inuzuka tradition to reject a gift. Concern was swept away as Karui came out of the dressing room in her new dress. The deep purple halter was fitted perfectly across her waist. The pleated design of the straps that crossed her chest and tied around her neck were layered with a lighter color of purple and made for a dazzling effect. The dress ended just below her knees and looked to be loose and comfortable.
"From your open mouth I take it you approve of my evening wear."
Akamaru laughed when Kiba finally realized that his mouth was indeed open. Before he could close it, Karui threw one of the seaweed candies onto his tongue. Akamaru stood up and she and the dog shared a high-paw at Kiba's expense.
Finishing shopping, they returned to the hotel and changed. It was late in the afternoon but still too early for dinner. While Karui changed for the beach Kiba requested a basket of food they could take to the beach with them. Changing into his shorts, Kiba was pleased to hear a change in Karui's breathing when he came out of the bathroom. Catching her reaction, she popped a candy in her mouth and tried to play it off.
The beach was starting to empty, and this was the time they chose to go down to the waters. Now a warm northerly wind swept out to sea from the island, but not strong enough to blow away their dinner or the beach ball they had brought. They arranged themselves into a triangle with Akamaru and tossed it back and forth to each other.
Sitting down to enjoy their dinner, a light meal of spiced rice with vegetables, they sat and enjoyed the beginnings of the sunset. Putting away the plates and sitting back, Kiba felt Karui's hand rest on his own. Slightly shocked, Kiba reacted by tightening his hand around hers. She squeezed back but did not stop looking outward to the sea. The sun was setting to their right, its rays catching the high altitude clouds white made streaks of bright color in the slowly darkening sky.
Akamaru's ears perked up at a sudden change in air pressure. A quiet whistle grew increasingly louder, and the concussive blast of an explosion shook the air. Several more blasts followed, shredding the docks and the cruise ship. Focusing his eyes, Kiba scanned the sea horizon; the light of the setting sun made them hard to make out but he could clearly see a fleet of battleships firing another volley on the town.