The Island

Man, it was getting hot. The neko thought as he wiped at his sweat-covered forehead. Glancing around at the volcano, he couldn't help but sigh and remove his hoodie revealing a gray t-shirt under his black jacket. Mori readjusted the katana across his back and looked around, his nose finding a strange scent lingering in the air. He tilted his head and looked back, recognizing that scent almost instantly but the call for his name broke his attention and he raised an eyebrow as people's eyes turned to him pointedly. Whispers started about and he couldn't help but sweatdrop as he started to look for Sakuda.
"Lassie! Here, girl!"
He said as he walked around the volcano's edge in search for the werewolf.

Sakuda glanced around, blinking as she became lost. The volcano's edge wasn't that wide or lengthy, but there were certainly allot of people. Sakuda stopped looking for Mori, and instead knelt down, holding her head as she looked around for the demon. She wondered why the hell they let a demon on board. She began rocking on her heels, then sighed as she stood again. Her fingers still gripped her head as she paced where she had stopped, biting her lip. "A damn demon! Are you for real? A demon!" She moved her hands to her mouth as she looked around again. She heard the name 'Lassie' come from Mori's voice, which made her blink. "Morrrriii," she replied to his call, her voice not as panicked as before due to the fact a familiar voice was within her hearing rang.

Mori pushed through the crowds earning glares and many rude glances as he did so. Not many people appreciated his rush to get to the young werewolf but some did let him go through without trying to get back at him. Hearing the girl's cry again, less panicked, he calmed a bit and headed towards where he heard her last. He found Sakuda on the ground of the volcano edge, her hands on her head. Smelling a bit of a demon's scent around her made him cringe for a moment before approaching her. He put a hand on her head and patted it.
"Sakuda-chan, are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?"
Though he didn't let anything passed in his facial features, his tone voiced a small bit of concern for the werewolf, a tiny bit worried about her being hurt or not.

Sakuda glanced at Mori, her hands reaching forward and grabbing his arm, hugging it close to her. "There's a demon here, Mori!" She sounded genuinely freaked, and her eyes had long now since changed from her normal sea blue to a creamy yellow. She made a face that resimbled a girl seeing a mouse. "I don't get along with demons, Moriii! They're bad," she complained, feeling the heat from the volcano. She kept Mori's arm in her grasp.
"C-can we see something else? Please?" She titled her head to him, eyes switching around to look for the demon she had saw earlier.

Mori stiffened as she grabbed onto his arm and watched her plead and whine about the demon he had scented around here. With a simple twitch of his ears, he sighed to the side before patting her head with his free hand and nodded. He had seen enough of this volcano and there was still alot to see. Mori walked off, keeping her with him since she had a vice-like grip on his arm. He wondered about the village since most of the tourists seemed to travel here now, maybe now the busy village would be less crowded.
"Let's go to the village then. See what kind of things they are selling and the area around there."

Sakuda followed closely behind Mori, her hands loosening a bit to give Mori more space. She glanced here and there for the demon, but otherwise stayed silent. She smiled softly when she heard Mori say something about the shops. She liked browsing through stuff, so this made her less worried about the demon. She blinked, then turned her head slightly to look at Mori, her eyes melting from the yellow to a blue. "Urm . . . Thank you, Mori," she mummbled, looking away as she pulled some hair from her eyes. She didn't think she would ever say 'thank you' to the cat species, just because it wasn't done. She seemed a bit embarrassed by the gester.

Mori relaxed as Sakuda gave him some space but he put his free hand on hers as he linked their arms properly so she wouldn't get frightened by the demon again. The neko could smell its presense but it was growing less as he led them away swiftly. He grew relieved when he felt her calm and even smile at the thought of going to the shops though Mori dreaded it since he hated shopping but whatever to make Sakuda at ease. Having a scaredpup would tend to be a little hazardous and troublesome...He blinked at her words and glanced to her before giving a polite though quick smile then it was gone in a flash.
"Think nothing of it. I heard the village was famous for its charms and jewlry. I believe you'll like it. We might even find a proper stick or two."

Sakuda listened to Mori, blinking her eyes. She looked at him head on, then grinned and shook her head. She relaxed further as she felt the heat leaving her body from the volcano. "There may be some sticks, but I bet I can find a couple of yarn balls for you as well," she said, teasing him as well. She thought of colours Mori would most like, and she'd have to admit that something neon would probably get his attention more then anything. At this thoug she couldn't help but snicker.

Mori twitched his ears at her grin sensing something devious about to come out of her mouth and hearing her comment about the yarn, he raised a questioning eyebrow before flicking her forehead with his free hand.
"Oh ha ha. Very funny. Do you take that kind of comedy to the stage?"
He seemed to frown even more at hearing her snicker about whatever was going on in her that strange little head of hers and he sighed before dragging her into the village. Stands were set out in front of the houses or cottages that were scattered about the village. The neko spotted things like clothes, sewed dolls, strange decorations and all the things you would see at a market.

Sakuda flintched when he flicked her forehead, but smiled nevertheless. "I actually don't like to tell jokes in-front of people," she admitted, gazing around the village's merchandise. She smiled larger then before when she spotted music boxes and antiques of all sorts. She pulled Mori over gently with her so she sould get a closer look. Her eyes easily scanned over the jewelery, since she wasn't into all that stuff. Sakuda instead kept looking at a pretty music box made of glass. She tilted her head, blinking at the other items. "Pretty," she said.

Mori chuckled to her flinch, most people would find that rude but the neko had grown up with a very sadistic father so he couldn't help but learn a thing or two. Hearing what she said with a small smile, the neko twitched his ears and looked to her as he laughed.
"How cute. The pup's shy in front of crowds."
He blinked in surprise when she pulled him over to the antiques and glanced to the jewels and watched Sakuda's expression but it would seem that she wasn't so interested in those kind of things. Taken aback, he allowed himself obediently to be dragged around by her. Mori took note though that she seemed to have great interest in the glass music box. He watched it curiously as well, his curiousity driving him to reach out and open the box. A soft tune filled the air and Mori stopped to listen with jaded black eyes, the music having him in a spell as it played. Not moving a muscle the neko stood still till the lovely lullaby came to an end and he blinked, taking notice of his surroundings once again.

Sakuda shook her head. "Shy in-front of crowds. Depends," she says, watching Mori as she noticed he also took interest in the music box. She giggled softly, before she found Mori opening the box. When the soft tune spilled out, Sakuda thought it quite pretty, and laughed lightly as Mori became entranced by the beautiful sound. When it ended, Sakuda reached over and gently closed the box, turning her head to see Mori snapped back to reality. "Welcome back, Mori-Kun. Have a nice nap," she asked, raising her brows and smiling. She then turned to the woman who was standing behind the counter. "Doushite ooini mune kono kakaku?" Sakuda tilted her head, listening to the woman's reply. Then then smiled and took out some yen from her pocket, counting it out before handing the yen to the woman, who thanked her and wrapped the glass music box into some safe, protective bubble wrap, then she put it into a bag, handing it to Sakuda, who took it with a large smile. "Arigato," she chimed, gently grabbing Mori's arm once more, leading him to another stall. "This is fun," she said, looking comfortable with her new surroundings.

Mori blinked as he looked to Sakuda with a small pout adorning his lips on her comment and otherwise ignored her for it while she spoke with the lady. The melody had been calming, something that sounded familar but the neko couldn't place where exactly he had heard it. His eyes became distant for a while as he wondered if he heard the same song during his childhood. Sakuda thankfully began to drag him around again and he broke out of his thoughts, looking around at the shops.
"Which one next?"

Sakuda glanced over to Mori, noticing that he seemed a bit more loose then he was before. She smiled happily and let the bag of the music box hang around her wrist as pointed towards some crafts that the locals made. "That look interesting. Don't you think?" She stepped in-front of the stuff, her hand still touching Mori's arm to keep him within sight. She glanced over the handmade crafts, listening to the sale's pitch that she didn't find interesting. She did, however, liked the shells and flowers and how they were used to make items of entertainment.

Mori twitched his ears and glanced to the shop she was pointing out, noticing the old fashioned lanterns hanging from the shop's cieling entrance caught his attention the most. Each had a symbol representing the meaning, kanji in other words. He smirked a little and allowed himself to be taken to this shop too. Looking around for the owners who seemed to be busy with the other customers, he reached up with a hand into the lantern. When he pulled his hand away, the lantern was lit. Mori looked to the other lantern's and lit them all up as well, his element being that of fire, it was a easy task.
"Very."
Tearing his attention away from the lantern's he chuckled to Sakuda and gazed curiously around at the market, wondering if there were any more antique shops since that seemed to be more intruiging.

Sakuda blinked, noticing a light had been lit above her. She raised her head, starring at the lantern. Her big, blue eyes kept focus at the light, and the pretty design of the paper with the kajis on them. She looked to Mori. "You like light, Mori," she asked, raising her brows with a smile on her face. She was happy that Mori seemed to be enjoying the market, despite the fact that he showed distain earlier. She giggled lightly, then gazed over more stands. "Why don't you pick where we look next? I'm sure you've got a better eye then me when it comes to spotting interesting things," she said, looking up at Mori.

Mori looked to her as he heard her comment and looking away with ears twitching nervously, he ran his free hand through his hair as he gave a light carefree shrug. That was a different way of putting it. Usually people thought of fire as dangerous and a touchy element but Sakuda seemed to think differently from most people...
"Yeah.."
He looked around the shops and beganning dragging her away for the first time, his nose twitching this time instead of his ears. A small smirk forming on his lips again. The neko seemed to have found something amusing and he lead Sakuda to the food stands.
"Sure, and it usually depends on what mood I'm in."
He snickers and steps up to a shop that sold chicken wings, small pieces of steak, and other interesting varieties of meat. He was offered a plate full of small steak bites with toothpicks stuck through them and he eagerly took one. After a while, he motioned for Sakuda to do the same.
"Try it. It's good."

Sakuda blinked, laughing lightly as Mori got a change to lead her around. She smiled eagerly as he led her to a food stand. She smelted all sorts of spices, and found it entertaining. She looked at Mori as he tried a steakbite, then nodded when he motioned for her to try. She reached over and took one, starring at it for a moment before slowly raising it to her lips, biting off a bit. She chewed, looking awefully thoughtful before she swallowed, smiling brightly. "It is good~" She took another small bit, savoring the taste as she closed her eyes, a smile on her face. Sakuda enjoyed trying foods, and steak was something that came in different spices and flavors. "Guess you're in a good mood, huh Mori," she asked, blinking her eyes at the neko.

Mori ate the last of the steak on his toothpick and threw it away in a nearby trash bin by the food stand. His ears twitched to Sakuda's comment and nodded. Of course, Mori had had to do the cooking for his family every day for the past years he had been adopted by his father. Always having to cook strange dishes, Mori had developed a good taste for these kinds of foods and he especially appreciated spicy foods.
"Yes. And no, I'm in a hungry mood."
He looked to the man and asked for a small carton of the steak pieces and paid for it. Taking the food, he dragged Sakuda along to a bench and sat down.
"We'll continue looking around once I get some more food in my stomach. If I don't, I fear I'll pass out."
He smirked up at her and held out a pair of chop sticks.
"Want some? I guess I'll share."

Sakuda laughed when Mori said he was in a hungry mood, that she hadn't heard before. She smiled and finished her steak on a toothpick, then threw it away. Her lips released a surprised gasp when Mori tugged her away, carrying his food and some chopsticks. She then smiled as they sat down, tilting ehr head as she gazed at his face. She then looked down to the chopsticks. "I guess I'l have a few," she said, taking the chopsticks and thanking Mori. She then giggled. "Pass out from lack of food? Poor Neko," she said in a baby-voice, laughing lightly afterwards. She then held the chopsticks in a certain way before spinning them around her fingers, trying to entertain herself for a moment before looking at Mori, smiling sheepishly.

Mori stuck his tongue out at her for her baby talk comment and picked out a piece of steak from the flat bento and tossed it in the air, catching it in his mouth easily after leanign his head back a bit. He smirked at her after chewing and swallowing then watched curiously as she twirled the chop sticks around her fingers. Seeing her sheepish smile, he mocked her by scoffing softly.
"Show-off."
He held out the bento box for her to take one since he had offered before and she did have the only chopsticks that were given to him.
"And besides, I hardly ever eat. Don't call me anorexic or anything but sometimes, I get my priorities messed up and I end up not eating for a couple of days."

Sakuda laughed once more at him sticking his tongue out, then clapping shortly after he caught the steak in his mouth. Her eyes starred at him as he called her a show off. "Oh hush, you were amused by it," she pouted, looking as he offered her some steak pieces. She used the chop sticks to take a piece, putting it into her mouth and chewing thoughtfully before swallowing and looking at Mori, her eyes a bit sad. "Oh, Mori-Kun, you need to eat on a regular basis. I was wondering why you were bone-thin," she said, using her free hand to poke his stomach, tsking lightly. "Shame shame. Tummy's abused."

Mori chuckled at her when she pouted after claiming that he was amused by her little performance. Sure, it was interesting but he wouldn't openly admit it so he gave a light shrug and looked away as if distracted by something, seeing a pity flash in her eyes for a moment. Again, he shrugged and ate another piece of steak but just popped it into his mouth instead of tossing it.
"Hn. I'm used to it. I usually don't notice or remember till I smell food or happen to be passing a taco stand."
He gave her a lazy smirk and raised an eyebrow as she poked him and called his stomach 'Tummy'.
"Yes yes, poor 'Tummy'. Did you really just call my stomach Tummy?"
He asked, laughing at the end as he shook his head at her. Mori was aware that she was silly sometimes but this was really ridiculous and he gently poked her forehead.

Sakuda blinked as he poked her forehead, and a bit surprised was shown on her face. She thought he'd flick it like earlier, but then again, he was acting slightly different from earlier. Sakuda took another piece of meat, chewing and swallowing. "Ohh, you poor taco-loving-victom," she teased, then smiled brightly as she was question if she called his stomach a 'tummy'. "I believe I did call your stomach a tummy. You can't deney the fact it's a good substitute," she insisted, looking at him with an honest face.

The neko laughed at her tease and couldn't help but smile in amusement before taking another steak piece, chewing it slowly as he watched the people walk by. It would seem that they were done with gazing at the dull volcano and instead were trying to raid the shops for every food, antique and toy they had. Mori raised an eyebrow questioningly thinking that merchandise selling would be one heck of a job.
"Heh, well it makes for an interestign subsitute and I'd admit that it was amusing but don't you think it's a tad bit childish? How old are you, Sakuda-chan? Or rather, how old you think you are? Haha."

Sakuda looked happy as she made Mori laugh and smile in amusement. She then glanced around, noticing the more people that were bustling about, but it didn't bother her that much, so she turned back to Mori, sticking her tongue out, but smiling nevertheless. "I'm sixteen turning seventeen in April," she admitted, brushing her hair bangs away from her face. "But actually, I think I'm my age, just act different from it sometimes," she mused aloud, glancing to Mori. She then took one more steak piece, putting it into her mouth and gazing at the lanterns Mori lit not too long ago. The only reason I act so childish is because I hadn't had that rough of a life. She looked to Mori. He's had some rough times according to some hints he gave me.