Chapter 5 .3:
.....
Today marked eight years since Kiba had opened his eyes.... figuratively speaking.... in this new world… in this new life.
Exactly eight years since he'd first drawn breath in the village hidden among the dunes, and he was still surprised by how much a person could change without even noticing. From that moment to now, the only constants had been Karura… and, well, his blindness.
And like every year since they could remember, today brought their tradition: shared birthday, obligatory outing, and the questionable practice of exchanging gifts.... face to face, same day, under a strict price cap.
Yeah, it sounded more like a logistics mission than a birthday tradition. But Karura considered it sacred. And Kiba, who was terrible with dates and gifts, had come to accept it as a sort of necessary evil… or maybe, as something that simply became a part of his life.
"Tch, you again?" Pakura grumbled as soon as she heard him come in.
Because of course.... her welcomes were never without sarcasm.
"Don't worry, I'm not here for you," Kiba replied, calm as ever.
Before the usual Pakura-vs-Kiba battle could ignite, a voice called out from inside:
"Kiba, wait a sec, I'm coming!" Karura shouted, then emerged moments later, arm in arm with her father.
Kiba managed a quick bow toward Mr. Kitamura before Karura practically dragged him out the door.
"We'll be back later!" she announced cheerfully.
"Have fun," her father replied in that gentle voice that always seemed to carry a smile behind it.
"They're really inseparable, aren't they?" he commented to his beloved adopted daughter.
"I call it poor taste," Pakura snorted, arms crossed.
"It's just destiny. They were born side by side, same day, same year… in the same hospital. It's their eighth birthday. I'm sure today is a very special day for them," Mr. Kitamura said, never losing that warm smile that seemed immune to his younger daughter's acid tone.
…
The morning passed between shops, distant voices of merchants, and the hot air of Sunagakure smelling of dust, fresh leather, and newly baked bread. Kiba navigated by his mental map, as always.
When he reached the meeting point, Karura was already there.
"You took forever!" she scolded, hands on her hips… glaring as he finally arrived way past the agreed time.... which, to be fair, was pretty typical for him. He was terrible at picking gifts.
"For Kami's sake… sorry. I didn't know what to choose," Kiba admitted, knowing his clumsiness with gifts was almost pitiful by now.
"Well, time to exchange!" she said, instantly shifting to full-blown excitement. Her hands were already out like a child waiting for candy.
"You know… this gets harder every year. Why don't we just stop? Gifting things at the exact same price point makes no sense…"
"Nope," she said firmly. "This is a very important occasion that only happens once a year."
"You said 'once in a lifetime' last year…"
"I say that every year. Now, my gift…"
Kiba sighed in resignation and handed over her present.
"…"
Karura held it for a moment in silence. It was a frog-shaped coin purse. Rough to the touch, grainy texture, stiff zippers... but pretty well made. Inspired by the one Kiba remembered Naruto used in his previous world… something Karura obviously didn't know.
So for her… well, it wasn't exactly stylish. It was a frog.
"Ah… they had other models. A cat, a dog, one that looked like a watermelon… but this one felt cool," he explained, knowing full well he was over-justifying. He'd never admit that he picked it simply because it reminded him of Naruto's.
Karura stayed quiet for a beat.
"If you don't like it, you can return it," Kiba quickly added, noticing her silence.
"No… I guess you almost nailed it," she finally said, accepting it with a smile... sincere, though slightly puzzled.
Kiba wondered what that almost meant. Maybe he should've gone with the cat. Girls always go for the cat… right?
"Now yours," she announced, placing a small box in his hands.
Kiba opened it carefully, feeling for the edges until he found the lid. Inside… an alarm clock.
Another one.
"Are you serious? Another alarm clock!?" he said, incredulous. "It's literally the same gift as last year!"
"Pakura spent the whole year complaining that we're always late because of you. So… if one didn't work, now you have two."
Kiba sighed. And the worst part… was that she probably had a point.
"Thanks. I guess," he murmured, and stored the new clock away.
…
They walked through the market afterward, no real destination. Kiba felt the air shift beneath the cloth canopies, voices blending together like overlapping waves, and the scent of jasmine tea mixing with sweat and tanned leather.
"Did you know the nurses at the hospital used to call us 'the birthday twins'?" Karura said suddenly.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yup. We were born minutes apart, according to my dad. They said I cried louder… but you kicked a nurse when they tried to change your diaper. So I call it a tie."
Kiba laughed. He liked hearing those stories, even if part of him preferred not to remember…
Those were dark, awful days he'd rather forget.
Yeah.... he'd never fully get over the experience of being a damn baby again.
It had been horrible, physically and mentally.
So yeah… he still hated remembering he arrived in this world inside the body of a newborn.
"Do you believe in fate?" she asked.
"Not really. But it's not something I've thought much about. You?"
"Hmmm. Sometimes, yeah. Sometimes I think I just like the way it sounds," she said, nudging him gently. "But if fate put you in my path… I'm not complaining."
He smiled.
"Though that frog purse… yeah, that's still debatable," she added playfully.
"Hey!"
…
That night, sitting on his futon, Kiba touched the frog coin purse in his pocket.
Yep...he'd bought one for himself too after seeing it. Obviously.
Outside, the desert wind tapped softly against the windows, making the frames vibrate with a faint hum. The new alarm clock was already in place. He hadn't activated it yet.
There was still time.
Or so he kept telling himself.
With his fingers still holding the purse, Kiba thought to himself that it hadn't been a bad birthday.
He was never big on celebrating, but with Karura, not celebrating was impossible.... and honestly, he didn't really mind.
Sure, it was a hassle to find a gift. A waste of time, even, when he could've been training instead. But a break was always welcome.
Even for a training maniac like him… life wasn't only about training.