The First Kill [Private]

It was over. Akemi knew that it was over, hell the moment that the last body had fallen, he’d stopped, blade still firmly in hand, but his legs no longer moving. Now he was just…counting. Seven. He’d downed seven and he was proud of himself, which was not what he’d been expecting. Hell, it probably wouldn’t have been something that his damn PARENTS would’ve been expecting, were he to be honest. His mom told him that he had to harden himself about killing. He wondered if she knew that it would be easy for him to do so, or if she’d known that he could do literally anything he put his mind to. Regardless, this entire experience had been much more important for him than he’d realized. It had opened his eyes, and mind, to the fact that this thing happened, and sometimes had to happen, no matter how one felt.

He’d heard Satori approaching but hadn’t yet fully acknowledged the fact that the world around him existed, still slightly lost in what had just transpired. Then Akemi heard Satori and he looked up with a bit of a smile, though still seemed almost lost then looked down at the blade, still slick with blood. He only gave a blank stare for a second, as the fact that Satori had complimented him and asked if he liked the sword, then nodded with a smile.

“I did, yeah. Thanks for letting me use it. You were right, Satori. It works really well. Also, thank you for letting me come with and help.” And again, the old Akemi smile was back. But this was different. This wasn’t the smile of a boy who wouldn’t kill, this was the smile of one that knew what he could do, that knew what he was capable of, and accepted that. This was the smile of someone fundamentally changed but, arguably, for the better.

Satori nodded once as Akemi clarified the sword had worked well. Perhaps they should see about asking around for a skilled weapon crafter so that he could use something similar. He didn't have claws, so proper arsenal would be good for him to work with early. Kenjutsu was a bit limiting though, perhaps helping him learn Bukijutsu would be a decent idea? His brow arched in thought before he would shrug and instead motion for Akemi to come with him.

"We need to seal the bodies, but since neither of us are great at Fuuinjutsu yet, we'll let the adults do that part. Let's head back ahead so we can wash up and prepare everything else. The dead have to be prepared, and the thanking ritual has to be completed. The living will be sent to the pens so that they can be prepared for the next trial," as he explained this, Satori casually stepped over bodies of the fallen with a bland expression.

Far more concerned with teaching his friend the ways of the clan that he had asked to learn. He still wouldn't force Akemi to participate by any means, that was his decision. He'd already done far more than most ever wished to.

He watched, for a moment, as Satori nodded and cleaned the blade of blood before slowly sheathing the weapon. Now that it was all over, he looked around at the carnage and couldn’t help but admire their work. This had been…practically like a legitimate mission! In a minor way, though Akemi knew that he’d done this to learn about a clan and the way that they worked and lived, he’d ended up doing something real. Satori shrugged and motioned for Akemi to follow with.

Satori talked about how the bodies needed to be sealed, but that the adults would take care of that since neither of them were great at fuuinjutsu yet. Akemi listened and turned as Satori said that they needed to head back as there were still things to do. He was still lost in his own world. He didn’t think that he wouldn’t have felt anything… He thought that he would’ve felt bad, or sick, but no.

Akemi followed quickly behind Satori, with a smile, blade sheathed and a spring in his step. He was quiet, but happy because he knew that he was going to be learning something new, and as far as he was concerned, that was a good day in his book.

Satori grinned as the young boy followed after him, and he simply tucked his hands into his pockets while they walked. It was clear that he was excited, and Satori was glad for that. Akemi's open-mindedness rivaled his own, and was one of the reasons that they matched so well against one another. They both preferred balance, but in different ways. They both preferred control and variety but in different ways.

Placing his hands behind his head he glanced toward Akemi and led the way toward the clans home once more. At the rate he was going, Akemi would be catching up quite a bit faster. That was a good thing. Excited, Satori relaxed and allowed the adults to get to work sealing the dead bodies to bring back with them. The light groans of the handful of survivors easily blocked out by the young man who instead focused on what came next.

After the feast, they'd have to start looking into branching out Akemi's actual combat versatility as well. The more time they dedicated to his training, the better. Once they arrived at the clan's home, Satori quickly made his way toward the kitchen, bringing Akemi along. Next came the new test, though how well he'd do butchering humans, Satori wasn't certain.

// Thread Exit.

In many ways Akemi was excited to tell his parents about what had happened, well most of what happened today anyways. He more than likely wasn’t going to tell them about what happened next, only because they’d get a bit concerned after what happened next. Akemi was, to some degree, concerned but at the same time he was excited. Any opportunity to learn was appreciated and bonding with peers was as well. Satori, though, was different than the rest of his peers. The long maned young man was practically as open-minded as Akemi himself and had an ambition to match.

With his hands in his pockets, Akemi walked beside Satori, back towards the main compound. He couldn’t help the fact that he enjoyed learning things and there was so much to still learn. Now while he’d enjoyed the fight and, more importantly the sword, he couldn’t help but feel like he could’ve been a bit more effective during the fight. Hell he could’ve done so much better… But now wasn’t the time to think about that.

As he walked behind his friend, his mind began to swim with possibilities of things he could learn. Yes, he had the rest of the feast and then after that whatever else was left. He had sworn that he would see this through, not to Satori or even his parents, but to himself. Of everyone he needed this.

//Thread Exit