The cry of seagulls echoed as the azure waves lapped gently against the shore. A hundred tiny things lurked in tide pools, darting and weaving before the beak of a seagull or shag came to send them off too another life on the great wheel of Samsara. Were a wandering poet to come across the scene he would doubtless pen verses about the beauty of seclusion and the natural world. Were a gang of children to come upon the scene they would save the minuscule pool inhabitants lives by scaring off the birds with raucous games. Where a young couple to arrive they would not doubt learn the ills of making love on a sandy beach surrounded by malicious birds with a good aim.

But none of these figures were about, the beach for the moment was empty. The hypothetical poet would in his non-existent wisdom state that this was the perfect situation for momentous events as it was written in the Dao Te Ching "Being and non-being give birth to each other." Ask any child of five to ten and they will tell you that momentous events are best when a dragon is involved. Luckily for any adolescent immortals that were watching the scene from on high, this was indeed the case.

Di had left home. This is not something particularly shocking as all young men and women must one day leave their parents.Di's circumstances differed in that most young men and women did not live a palace made of coral at the bottom of the ocean. The young dragon had written a letter to his father and mother detailing his plans and his apologies for any inconvenience that it might cause them. This was in essence a formality as Taizhong Fe Long - Di's father would hardly be beset by something so minor as his seventh son taking a trip to the world of humanity. Even Di's mother Xiaohui Fe Long would barley miss her beloved son on such a small excursion of one or two centuries.

For Di though this was a major step. Many nights he had lain awake, his coils intertwined through silken sheets, thinking about his life in the world of man. The sheer ambition of humanity was breathtaking. Given such short lives but great creativity by the gods, they were a glorious paradox of ambition and ideas that lived on long after their mortal shells had perished. Who would he meet among the children of man? Merchants , mercenaries, madmen ,monks,mountebanks, mages, madames , militiamen and so many more.

And somewhere nestled deep within the tangled web that humans wove about themselves would be mystery. Something to be unraveled and brought kicking and screaming into the light of day for all to see. With those thoughts racing through his mind Di surged upwards through the surf and brine. Glorious, his scales reflected the light of the sun each embodying the sea in miniature. Whiskers now tickling in the spring wind flowed across his sides. Then the coarse feeling of sand as his claws caressed the earth.

Another dragon may well have roared for joy on making such headway into their new life. Di wasn't that sort of dragon. A good detective must remain composed and stately at all times not giving into flights of fancy. So it was that he instead tried to cut a dashing figure silhouetted by the sea.

(568)

For a few heartbeats it was exhilarating to be airborne. Antlers braced against the wind and surf Di surveyed the beach with the pleasure of new beginnings. Detectives are well known for their observational skills and to Di's credit his were sharp enough to notice the two shuriken coming towards him from the shore. Acute whiskers with vibrational  senses to rival that of any cat screamed that he was under attack by an unknown party.

The question as to the identity of this unknown assailant flared across Di's consciousness. Was his presence anticipated by some kind of shadowy entity or organisation? Possibly they had no idea who he was and Di had stumbled onto some manner of wrongdoing which the attacker wished to remain hidden.  Much of the civilized world saw dragons as sacred creatures. Even the most hardened killer among the Yakuza would be wary of raising their hand in anger against a dragon they had just met.

Di had been expecting to get into physical altercations during his time in the human world. He just hadn't expected it to happen so soon nor while he was in his dragon state. Could it be that the person who was attacking him wasn't afraid of blasphemy or whatever curse a dragon might lay on him? Di had read about cults such as the worshipers of the demon god Jashin who murdered travelers on the road welcoming their own pain and suffering as part of the offering. Worse still this man might be a member of the 'Konoha Atheist Association For Logic and Reason and the Disproving of Buddha , Susanoo , Amaterasu , Dragons , Yokai and Other Fairy Tales' abbreviated as KAAFLRDBSADYOFT.

While Di was a quick thinker and had a remarkable talent for monologing inside his own mind during times of crisis , time as was it's way moved forward. A shuriken while not scoring a direct hit at a vital smashed into one of his scales, leaving a nasty crack on the armored plating. Luckily the shuriken's wire failed to entangle his limbs and the shock of the hit focused his attention like a bolt from a clear sky. As the fireball flew towards him trailing sulfurous fumes Di was already diving back beneath the surface of the ocean.

Regularly engaging with his brothers in martial arts practice Di had become something of an expert in avoiding balls of exhaled elemental energy. One who did not pick up such a skill fast would often be very sore. Especially after facing a dojo of skilled dragons ready and willing to let their younger brother have a taste of their flames , chi or even lightning. So it was that while Di felt the water above him bubble and churn with the heat of the flames he avoided the brunt of the attack.

With a surge that would make a greased crocodile proud Di bounded out of the water and hit the sands running. Much to Di's surprise the assailant wasn't some tattooed murder cultist but rather a boy of around thirteen with golden hair and a slim athletic build. It didn't matter though, assault was assault and the was only one way to deal with such matters.

Make a citizens arrest!

Di had devoured volume after volume on Kirigakure law. Starting with the more ancient codices and then moving to the more recent volumes that were instated by the current Kage Ayakashi. The youth by striking at Di , first with a deadly weapon and then a jutsu had just come into conflict with several of these regulations laid out within.  Darting for the young miscreant Di lashed out with his tail for the boys knees. The blow would knock the boy down and likley cause some bruising but did not have enough behind it to permanently maim the lad. Even as the tail sped forward DI was reciting section 89C of Aya's statutory law in a voice loud enough to be heard by the assailant.  

"Under the circumstances in which an individual within the bounds of Kirigakure No Sato makes an attack upon an unarmed civilian person the target of this assault (if not within the presence of an officer of the law or current Anbu member) may respond with adequate force proceeding to make a citizens arrest. Following this the assailant must be escorted to the local authorities after which the matter will be taken into the hands of the state to enact punishment."

(748 words , 1316 total)

As the ninja boy flew above Di's tail the young dragon coiled up waiting for another chance to strike. Kirei was correct in his assumption that Di was intending a pin, as the dragon preferred non lethal methods of detaining felons. But as the boy spoke Di froze letting tension flow from his muscles. What an idiot he had been. Visibility was quite frankly terrible and truth be told there were plenty of monsters that dwelt in the sea. Dragons were one of the few benevolent species to live beneath the tides. Ningyo - the mermaid like creatures of the depths had a great hatred for man as a human that ate their flesh became immune to the ravages of age. This had led the species becoming increasingly rare and consequently bitter towards their land dwelling counterparts.

Di made a decision to forgive the boy for his mistake. The actions bore no malice but rather spoke of a strong instinct to protect others - something which DI could admire. It was clear from Kirei's words that he had come to the conclusion that Di was simply a ninja who had assumed the form of a dragon. Not a lot was known about ninja by the dragons as they were a rather recent development. But Di wasn't going to lie to the youth about his true nature. Untruths tasted bad in Di's mouth at the best of times and as long as the boy could keep his secret there was little need to hold back the information.  

From the way Kirei's animal companion studied Di the aspiring detective summarized that the canine was aware of his true nature. Were he an older dragon he may have bestowed auspicious boons upon the animal but unfortunately he was far from the level of maturity where such blessings could be granted at whim. Looking to Kirei Di did his best to address his bevvy of comments and questions.

"Yes I can talk. Though I'm not a ninja in any sense of the word. But by the same token I'm also not a sea monster. I'm a dragon. Don't get too carried away though. By the standards of my kind I am little more than a child. I certainly am not a god or anything. Though my grandfather Bailong might be considered one as I know that many humans worship him."

Di stopped for a second to catch his breath before continuing.

"I apologize for startling you and to answer your question I think that Kiri does have a plethora of spies. Or at least that's what my reading has taught me. Isn't a ninja considered a kind of spy? Now that I am here it may be best for me to assume a human form. Please don't be startled it will only take a few seconds."

Di concentrated on the well of chakra within him. Drawing from this fount he crafted a cocoon of scales about himself that would engulf his body. Inside a metamorphosis would occur shifting the great reptiles appearance to that of a young human man.

This obscuring layer meant the Di was unable to see the shape that was coming out of the water behind him. Standing just over six feet tall the figure was vaguely humanoid yet postured like an ape. On it's back was a shell and it's head contained a bowl like structure that was filled with seawater. Thick muscle coated each of the beasts limbs and orange and black fur seemed to grow around each of the creatures scales.

One could be forgiven for mistaking the being as an abnormally large kappa. Such an observation was not without merit as the Suiko or water tiger as it was known in some parts was a close relation to the more common yokai. Suiko tended to be more vicious however and unless strictly bound into service by a sorcerer or dragon they posed a danger to everyone around them.

This particular specimen had noticed Di coming up from the depths. While not nearly foolish enough to attack an adult dragon a lone adolescent was fair game. The fact that there was a human nearby added to the deal as not only would it be able to brag to others about killing a dragon but it would also have a delicious snack to enjoy. Claws flexing the Suiko made it's terrible advance along the shore it's eyes showing the great cruelty that would follow should it remain unchecked.

( 749 words 2065 total)

1925 Words - Perception E - D3