Questions of Morality [Jiro]

[Kyuuji]

At first, it was easy for Riku to lose himself in training. He had grown more accustomed to the motions by now, and he found it the sort of mindless activity that he desperately needed at the moment. As it turned out, though, it wasn’t mindless enough. Thoughts crept into his head and they bothered him immensely. He had tried to continue and concentrate on the task at hand, but in the end he had found himself unable to. The thoughts, they niggled at his brain, persistent and uncomfortable. Finally, he halted the training, calling Isamu to his side. The puppy was growing, slowly but surely. It was definitely more difficult to pick up the dog now, at least for Riku, small as the boy was. While he was eight years old, he could very convincingly pass for two years younger than his actual age with his size.

Leaning against a nearby tree, sliding down to the ground, Riku thought. One of his hands curled in Isamu’s fur, tightening for a moment, before he relaxed. Slowly, he began to pet the dog. “...’Samu? Is it wrong to… to kill?” An odd question for a child to ask, but perhaps not so odd considering that he was a child at the academy, currently training to be a shinobi. Even if he didn’t kill that man, he realized, there would likely come a time when he would have to kill. This was distinctly discomforting knowledge to be aware of. He wasn’t sure if it would be better or worse if he had never come to this conclusion, had only realized in the heat of the moment that killing would be neccessary. His parents had always told him that killing was bad, but his father… his father had simply shipped him off to be a killer. Riku didn’t understand how he could do that.

But that wasn’t what he was thinking over. “When’s ‘n action right and when’s it wrong?” He asked. The dog didn’t understand though, such complex notions currently beyond the young puppy. Still, Isamu sensed his human companion’s mood and licked at his wrist, trying to give what comfort he could. “Can killin’ be the right thing to do…?” He shook his head and sighed, a heavy noise for one so young. It was all so complicated. He didn’t understand, wasn’t sure if he ever would, wasn’t sure if he wanted to understand. Why couldn’t it just be that killing was bad, and that bad things were never necessary? His gaze grew distant, even as he continued to pet the puppy. “Why… why’s it that not good things are nec- nec- necessary?” He stumbled over the longer word a bit, but managed to get it out.

 

[Jiro]

Jiro had gotten bored watching Akkuma teach the class in the training fields. They were all students, going over things that the Chigokai had been doing for years. But he knew why the Revenant was doing the training. It was beneficial for him, for them. So now he was wandering along the grounds, bored. There had to be something to do to break the monotony!

Lately, the blonde had been bored out of his mind. He needed something exciting to spark him again. And as he walked, he felt the blood flow of two creatures a bit away from him. Tilting his head to the side, he moved closer, keeping himself just enough away that whoever was there would not see him before he saw them. He would not reveal himself until he was in charge of the situation. Jiro needed to have the element of surprise.

As he moved closer, he noticed two figures -- a puppy and a child. He smirked a bit as he watched them before making a Crystal Eye. He turned it to blood then sent it out. The red orb hovered just above the pair, out of sight. And Jiro listened as he moved closer, keeping his movements silent. The boy seemed too young to be able to track chakra just yet.

He also seemed a bit young to be worrying about good and evil. But Jiro had learned the difference between good and evil himself at a young age. All thanks to the male he was waiting for. But while he waited, he decided to make a new friend. After all, the kid was lost. He needed direction. And the Chigokai, well, he could provide the insight this student so desperately needed.

"An action's right if you do it for the right reasons," Jiro said. He finally stepped in front of the kid and the pup. He sat down, cross-legged, in front of them. One hand absently ran along the sand. He looked the boy and pup over carefully. For once, he was serious, almost solemn.

"Not-good things're necessary 'cause while they might not be good, they're deserved..." he informed the kid. His red-rimmed eyes focused on the other calmly as he spoke. "I learned when I was young that what most people think's good isn't actually good. And not everything people think's bad's actually bad."

[MFT]
[WC: 397]

 

[Kyuuji]

A voice chimed in, and Riku tensed for a moment, going over his words to make sure that he hadn’t seen anything outright incriminating. It took him a moment, but then relaxed. While most of what he was talking about wasn’t normal conversation material, it wasn’t all too out of place either, considering. The man sitting cross-legged in front of him had a serious expression on his face. His words made a lot of sense, too. Riku had lost sight of what was right after seeing what he had seen, but the reasons were what truly mattered, he’d decided already. This right here was a real answer about morality: right things were things done for the right reasons. For once, something about morality that actually was clear.

The notion about what people deserved was similarly understood. That was why Riku felt he had to take action, he had just never realized it. It was because people deserved things. Some people deserved things like better fates, and other people deserved an end. It was simple like that. That was much easier than the mess of thoughts that he had been moments previous. The guy admitted that he had also learned at a young age that morally, things could be unclear. Riku nodded pensively. “Yeah…” He agreed quietly. It was really great that this guy had come along, otherwise Riku would have been lost, forever confused by what was right and what was wrong.

With that thought in mind, Riku gave the guy a bright smile, unwittingly showing off his Inuzuka fangs. “Thank you!” He chirped. Then he paused, unsure if that was enough. “Much thank you!” He tried again. There! That was better. If he had a tail in this form, it would probably be wagging. He very much wanted to be friends with this guy who had so willingly helped him out. “‘m Riku! Who’re ya, Mister?” He both introduced himself and asked after his rescuer’s identity.

“Minami Rikuto, really, tho. Firs’ of his name, mat- maternal clan of Inuzuka. A- A- Apprentice to Oracle Michi, err, Fuu?” He stumbled over a few words here and there, but he tried his best to get the important stuff out. He wanted to know all he could about his saviour, so it was only fair he tell the guy everything about him. “I like the color blue, dislike snakes, and one day I’ll be th’ best Oracle!” Everything.

Abruptly, he recalled his status as Fang Marked. ...Well, almost everything, then. That he probably wouldn’t be voicing anytime soon. It was a bad idea for anyone to know about that, especially if he wanted to be their friend. No one would want to be friends with someone like him if they knew. It was better if he didn’t say anything, he decided. For the best. Still, like with Michi, he felt bad for not telling him. It was bad to keep secrets like this, he was pretty sure. It certainly felt bad.

 

[Jiro]

The Chigokai watched as the kid tensed as he spoke. He laughed a bit, a slightly unhinged sound, as he sat in front of him. It seemed normal enough. Innocent, even. The kid was just trying to figure things out. Luckily for this kid, he seemed to have it easy. His innocence was not ripped out from him like a torn rug being pulled out from under his feet.

Maybe that was why such grey areas existed for the blonde. It was easier to find a place between good and evil after having unspeakable things done to one, after all. But he forced those thoughts down. He did not want to think about the pain, the agony. Instead, he focused on the kid and the pup in front of him, using them as an anchor.

Jiro smiled back at the kid as he smiled and revealed his fangs. Canine-like teeth. "No problem," he answered with a quick shrug. It was nothing to him. He pushed a strand of hair behind his ear as he listened to the kid, Riku, thank him. Had the kid been a puppy, he probably would have pissed in excitement. Jiro found that to be even more interesting though. There seemed to be such a curious innocence to him.

The introduction made the Chigokai smile again and laugh softly. How innocent. The boy reminded Jiro of himself before he was sold to Akkuma. "Jiro, no clan. Chigokai bloodline. Apprentice of Akkuma-Sama." And then he decided, since it was only fair, to tell the kid about his likes, dislikes, and something about him. "I like the color red, dislike scorpions and one day I'll be more powerful than Akkuma!" His eyes flashed in excitement as he mentioned being more powerful than Akkuma.

"What's an Oracle though?" he asked curiously. That was the first time he had heard of such a thing. Maybe it would be good to know about. Akkuma may need to know about such a thing, if he did not already. What if it held a threat to the Miroku clan? The Chigokai could not allow such a potential threat to go unattended. After all, it was his job to make sure the head of the Miroku clan was safe.

He looked around them then. They were still alone. That benefited Jiro. It gave him time to get information about this Oracle thing, determine if it was a threat and determine if he needed to alert Akkuma about such a thing.

[MFT]
[WC: 417]

 

[Kyuuji]

The man had very different laugh than anything he’d ever heard before. There was a tone to it that the boy could not define. Had he been more worldly, he might have identified it as what it was, madness. As it was, the boy simply dismissed it as nothing but a quirk. It was easy for the boy to believe the best in people when he wanted to. His simple view that Michi was a good person that simply didn’t know how to deal with people proved that well enough.

Somehow, he managed to brighten further as the man smiled back at him. When the man simply shrugged his thanks off, stating that it was no problem at all, Riku decided that he was very nice person indeed, as if he had not already decided such. He wanted to be able to trust the man that had so willingly helped him out of his struggle with morals, and so he did. If there was something off about the man that made his instincts take notice, like there was something off about Michi, he disregarded it.

Riku wasn’t quite sure how he’d managed to get a laugh out of the man, but he was absolutely delighted by it. If he could get the man to laugh so easily, surely he would want to be Riku’s friend, he thought. The man introduced himself as Jiro, listing off the things about him as Riku listened, doing his best to commit such details to memory. It was important to remember things that friends told you, he’d heard before. He didn’t want to forget a single detail. He would be a good friend, the best!

Briefly, he wondered about the mentioned Akkuma. He must be pretty special, for Jiro to refer to him as he did. He tried to picture what Akkuma would be like, but he was only able to imagine a Michi-like figure, though he knew such was probably not the case. Michi was the smartest, but it sounded like this Akkuma was pretty strong, if it was Jiro’s goal to surpass him.

He blinked at the question, having not expected it. It made sense, though, on consideration. Even he hadn’t known what an Oracle was before Michi told him. “Oracles know stuff,” He informed Jiro. “S’their job to spread kn- kn- knowledge,” He stumbled a bit over longer the word, as he always did with longer words. He tried to remember what words Michi had used. “They’re scholars,” He added, word weird in his mouth. He much preferred his shorter words. “They teach and are taught,” He explained. That was the simplest way he could think to describe Oracles, and though Michi had used a lot more words when she’d explained to him, he thought his explanation got the gist of it.

The fluffy white puppy beside him was no longer lying down, and the dog had made his way over to Jiro while Riku was talking. “Oh!” He realized, suddenly, that he had forgotten something, something very important. “‘at’s Isamu,” He introduced the dog. The puppy seemed somewhat uncertain, sniffing at the Chigokai, but he had approached him, something that he didn’t do with so many people, especially recently. The puppy still got all weird around Michi. But he seemed willing to give Jiro a chance.

“Y’can pet him,” He offered. “He won’t mind,” The boy reassured him. “Right, ‘Samu?” He asked, and the dog gave a bark in response, as if answering the question. “See?” He continued. “S’alright.” Hopeful eyes regarded Jiro, as if by petting his dog, the tentative thing between the two of them that could become friendship would solidify.

 

[Jiro]

Most people would have fled from the male with a name like that, but this boy seemed very sheltered. Or maybe he just was not smart. Jiro was unsure about the kid because he had a reaction unlike any other. He put it to being sheltered though, as the boy seemed to be intelligent, at least by the way he was sounding out such complicated words and seemed to know what they meant. And the Chigokai knew better than to underestimate anyone based on whether they seemed smart or not. After all, he may not seem smart, but he was smarter than anyone thought -- even Akkuma.

Riku seemed to think that he was a nice person. Definitely naive, perhaps sheltered like the blonde thought. But the boy seemed young as well, so maybe that had to do with it -- the age. At least, he had remembered being that innocent at that age. Before it was all shattered and his mother sold him like a lamb to the slaughter. But it was too late for him now. It was not late for Riku, at least not yet.

As he told him things about himself, he noticed the kid did not take his eyes off him. It was as if he was trying to memorize everything that was being told to him. But soon, the topic changed to Oracles. They knew things and spread knowledge. A small smirk crossed his lips as he listened, making sure to remember all the details. But not because they were friends. No, he was making mental notes to remember in case he decided to tell Akkuma.

So, these Oracles were some type of scholar group. Jiro was still unsure of what they were, exactly, but the explanation helped. Historians, perhaps. Maybe they kept records of the village or all the villages. He had more questions with the answer he had been given, but he was not sure if Riku would be able to answer them. He was intrigued though. Maybe he would ask Akkuma after all.

"Do you like being taught, Riku-Kun?" Jiro asked. He tilted his head to the side as he spoke, watching the other curiously.

The Chigokai turned his gaze to the puppy who was prancing over to him. His smirk turned into something warmer, something more gentle and less insane. "Isamu," he repeated, sounding the name out. "That's a good name for a dog." He held his hand out for the pup to sniff as they spoke. He could feel the Isamu's pulse speeding up, uncertain and excited.

Jiro looked back at the boy then back at the pup. He moved his hand and ran it through the white, fluffy fur. The same, calm smile on his face as he did so. "He's so soft," he said, almost in awe of the softness. It was softer than Akkuma's old tails!

 

[Kyuuji]

Riku blinked at the question, turning it over in his head to try and think of the best answer that he could. “Learning’s good,” He stated, and then he paused. “S’hard sometimes, bu’ kn- knowledge ‘s power,” He explained a bit more fully. “Power’s good,” He added. “Can protect.” He nodded. Then he frowned. “Power’s good s’long as y’get it the righ’ way,” He amended, a dark look in his gaze. He still remembered the scream. And even worse, he remembered when the scream ceased. Thoughtlessly, his hand went up to fiddle with the single earring he wore.

The boy brightened up significantly as the conversation changed to his canine companion. “Named ‘im myself,” He proudly boasted. He liked the smile Jiro wore now, this gentle, calm smile. It was different, though Riku still couldn’t pin down the difference. But he could tell there was a change.

The fluffy puppy gave the Chigokai a sniff, and then a tentative tail wag. That tail wag became far more enthusiastic as the man petted the dog. Jiro commented on how soft the dog was, prompting a wide smile from the boy. Ever since he got Isamu, he had made sure to brush the dog often, since it was his responsibility to take care of the puppy, and it had certainly paid off. ”’Samu’s the best,” He agreed happily.

All of a sudden, the puppy flopped over, displaying his belly. Riku blinked, startled. “Oh wow, ‘e really likes you,” He commented. “‘e never does that t’anyone ‘cept me,” Riku informed Jiro.

 

[Jiro]

Jiro nodded in agreement when Riku said that learning was good. "If it's done the right way." But he did not elaborate on that. He did not want to scare the kid off or anything. And he was right, knowledge was power. And "power's very good," he agreed with a small nod of understanding.

Soon, however, he noticed the change in his face -- the dark look that came over the kid. So, he has seen things. Curiosity flooded the blonde, but he decided not to press the question too much. "Depends on what you think's right." The words he spoke were enigmatic, but he spoke from experience. "What's right to you could be wrong to others."

As quickly as the dark look had come, it was gone. But Jiro did not seem to mind or notice. He merely smiled the gentler smile. "Named him yourself? Do ya take care of him yourself too?" he asked, glancing back up, red eyes meeting Riku's until he got an answer.

Once the question was answered, the blonde went back to focusing on the dog. He watched the tail wag as he pet him until the dog rolled over onto its back. Jiro ran a gentle hand over the pup's belly. He could feel the heart beat there, the faint pulse of blood flowing through the pup's veins. It was a soothing sound, so unlike humans. But he did not manipulate the flow, merely enjoyed the feel of it under his hand.

"They say dogs can sense when people're good," he explained to the boy. "If a dog acts weird or growls and barks at a person, it means the person's not to be trusted."

 

[Kyuuji]

The voiced idea of what being right to him being wrong to others wasn’t an unfamiliar notion, but he had been used to thinking of it as what was right to others could be wrong to him. After all, so many people had just accepted what had happened that day. No one had given the man a second glance except him and Michi. It made him think of the action they had considered taking, and whether that would be wrong to others. He wasn’t sure how that made him feel. But he remembered what Jiro had said. Even if an actions not good, it may be deserved. And if the man had done what he had done for the wrong reasons, then it was deserved.

He shivered, despite it not being cold. He didn’t have to think about this. Michi had said the right answer was to learn more, anyway. If that was the right answer, there was no use thinking about it until Michi learned more, if she did. She would tell him if that happened. Only then would he have to consider taking action in more detail. She hadn’t brought it up so far, so maybe she just wouldn’t. It could come to nothing. He wanted it to come to nothing.

Riku much preferred talking about Isamu. He happily nodded at the question. “Uhuh, all by myself,” He informed Jiro proudly. Jiro’s eyes were an interesting color, he idly noted. They were all red and stuff. He wondered if that was why Jiro liked red. He had never seen eyes like Jiro’s before, but that just made Jiro special.

Jiro commented on a dog’s natural instincts to trust people, and Riku gave a nod. “‘Samu’s pretty picky,” He admitted. “‘e gets pretty shy ‘round shinobi ‘specially, bu’ he’s not one to do this with jus' anyone,” He informed the man. “Guess you’re really good!” He decided brightly.

 

[Jiro]

The moral ambiguity was familar to the Chigokai. He understood that things such as murder, theft, blackmail, and espionage were needed and, if done for the right purposes, were good. Even if others thought they were bad. At least, that was what Jiro thought. He lived his life by that twisted code of honor due to a systematic perversion of his moral compass at the hands of a manipulative being.

It was too hot, but he noticed the boy shivering. Probably going through what Jiro had gone through. He understood the confusion, the being unsure of how he was supposed to cope with the knowledge of what had happened. Truth be told, the first time Jiro had seen someone murdered, it had traumatized him. But now he knew it was for the greater good. He knew people had to die for him, and Akkuma, to remain alive. 147

But soon, the conversation was changed to something much less philosophic and more tuned for a child of Riku's age. It was almost like a breath of fresh air to talk about something so innocent, so pure. But it also made the Chigokai feel a bit sad. As if he was mourning the childhood that got so painfully ripped away from him at such a tender age. He moved his gaze from Riku to Isamu, hiding the momentary sadness by pretending to examine the puppy's wriggling form as he pet him.

"I like it," Jiro finally stated, moving to push a strand of blonde hair back behind his ear once more. He had opted to wear his hair down that day and it was getting in his eyes, but he did not seem to mind.

And then the topic switched once again. It moved to dogs and their natural instincts of trusting people. "Probably 'cause shinobi're in that grey area I told ya about," Jiro said. He continued to pet the pup, enjoying its fur against his fingers and hand. He missed Akkuma's tails.

However, being told he was good was a new one, even for him. The only person who had ever called him good before then was Akkuma, and that was usually during immoral things of which he was not allowed to speak of, especially to a child. But being told he was good made him smile. "I try to be," he answered. "It makes Akkuma-Sama happy."

[WC: 396]

 

[Kyuuji]

Jiro was quiet for a long moment, simply paying attention to the puppy. It was a kind of quiet that Riku didn’t mind, a good sort of quiet. By the time the man spoke, Riku had almost forgotten what they had been talking about. Belatedly, he recalled they had been speaking of Isamu’s name. At that, his smile brightened even further.

They kept going back to it, that grey area. His smile faded some, expression becoming more serious. “A lotta bad things fo’ the righ’ reasons,” He murmured thoughtfully. This is what his dad had thrown him into. Surely he had to have known what he was doing when he had convinced Riku to go off to the academy. The thought left him even more downcast.

“If a perso’...” He started to ask a question, then cut himself off. “Nevermin’.” He quietly voiced. He knew the answer. If a person did what his dad had done after having a bad reaction to something, it was probably abandonment. “...I’m startin’ t’think tha’ my da’ sent me ‘ere t’get rid of me,” He admitted, voice hushed. It was only fair to explain why he’d just acted weird to Jiro, but it was not a pleasant thought to voice. It was even worse to hear out loud than it was in his own head.

All he wanted he had ever wanted to be was a good person, and now even that might be an impossible goal. But then again, Michi and Jiro were of the same career choice that he was planning to go into, and he thought they were good people. It gave him some small amount of hope.

Jiro smiled and it made Riku unable to do anything but smile right back. He nodded thoughtfully as Jiro said that he tried to be good. The second mention of this Akkuma person made Riku even more curious about him. Jiro seemed to view him very highly. If Jiro viewed him that highly, he must be pretty special. “What’s 'e like? Your Akkuma-Sama?” The child wondered aloud.

 

[Jiro]

The silence between them was soothing in a way. There seemed to be no words needed between them in the moment. Just two people enjoying the day and petting a puppy together. The comfortable silence lingered until Riku broke it by speaking about that grey area once more. But the Chigokai understood the confusion. He knew that the boy would find his way just like he had. But hopefully not as violent as he had. Jiro did not wish such a thing on anyone.

Jiro nodded in agreement but turned to face the other again. His crimson eyes met Riku's for a moment before the other cut off the question. "If a person what?" he asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

Jiro softened his expression. He knew what it was like to be abandoned all too well. He closed his eyes, pushing back his rage, before opening them again and looking at Riku once more. Although his hand never stopped petting Isamu. "When I was 8, the woman who gave birth to me sold me..." He rolled up the sleeves to his jacket, showing the boy the tattoo-like markings he had.

"Akkuma-Sama saved me..." Of course, he left out the part about Akkuma being the one to have inflicted such pain and agony on him. And when he was asked what Akkuma was like, Jiro laughed humorlessly.

"Akkuma-Sama's..." He searched for the words to tell this kid. "He's one of those people that other people who don't know him think is bad." The hell Jiro had gone through at his hands should have put Akkuma in the category of bad, but the Chigokai -- whether through brainwashing or love -- saw it as something else. "He pushes people to their full potential. He takes in those who aren't wanted and accepts them as his own." A smile crossed his face as he spoke about the older male. "He's the one who made me what I am today."

 

[Kyuuji]

The man’s expression softened at his admittance, easing some of the nervousness that had spread through the boy at speaking those words. The man briefly closed his eyes, as if gathering internal strength, and then he opened his eyes and spoke. And the boy listened. At first, he was startled. The idea of a parent selling their child should be inconceivable to the boy, and at first it was, but when he thought further on it, it wasn’t that different than what had happened to him. The two of them had even been the same age when it happened. It was still horrible, though, and he hated that it had happened to the man who had been so kind to him.

Riku wondered what was worse, being sold or being abandoned. Being sold at least implied a worth to the merchandise, he thought darkly to himself. It meant that the one doing the selling thought that even if they didn’t value the merchandise, someone else would. Being abandoned, though… He thought on what that implied. Perhaps his father had seen him as something with no worth at all, a deeply painful thought. Riku had thought that both his parents loved him, but for his father to throw him away as he had… It really hurt to think about.

He didn’t say any of this, remaining quiet until Jiro finished speaking. “‘m glad someone saved ya,” Riku quietly but sincerely said. He was so very glad that Jiro had found someone that cared. “...Was lost alone in Suna m’first day ‘ere. ...In Gran’ Palais,” He knew the reputation of the area by now, and it wasn’t anything good. “Was gettin’ dark. If Michi hadn’ found me…” He trailed off, shrugging, gaze going distant for a moment. Bad things would’ve happened, he was sure.

When Jiro laughed at his question about his Akkuma, it was a very different laugh than the boy had heard from him so far. Unlike Jiro’s other laughs, there was some empty quality to it, and Riku didn’t quite understand. Jiro seemed to struggle to find words, but Riku waited patiently. When Jiro finally spoke, he felt as if he might understood. It got difficult when other people kept insisting a person was bad when you knew better. Like with Michi. Everyone treated her as if she was bad, but she wasn’t.

He gave a nod of understanding, listening intently as Jiro continued. The man smiled as he spoke, and it was a different smile than anything the boy had seen from him before. He gave another nod at the end, this one more decisive. “If y’like ‘im, then ‘m sure ‘e’s good,” Riku offered gently with a little smile. “‘m glad y’have ‘im,” He told the man. It was good the man had someone that made him happy like that.

 

[Jiro]

Jiro knew what it was like to be abandoned. He remembered it as if it was yesterday. His mother's attitude towards him had changed completely when she realized what bloodline he was from. He saw it in how she looked at him and then eventually, by how she had stopped coming home, leaving him alone for hours upon hours. Until that one night when he had woken up in the midst of his own kidnapping by the man who had taken him in -- Akkuma-Sama.

At the comment, Riku saying he was glad someone had saved him, the Chigokai's hand stopped petting Isamu. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, steadying himself. And then he shook his head. "My mother's dead," he told Riku, not meeting his eyes when he spoke this time. "She died in a fire recently." A fire that he, himself, had started. Of course, that part would be left out.

But then he looked back at Riku. Grand Palais, his and Akkuma's favorite hunting ground. Jiro put a hand on the boy's shoulder when he saw the gaze getting distant. "I'm in Grand Palais a lot," he admitted. It was a place where he could kill and do whatever he wanted and nothing would happen. How could it when that was so common. Not to mention Akkuma's casino that he often frequented -- mostly on the Revenant's tab, much to the other male's displeasure. But that was the game they played. "I wouldn't have let anything happen to you."

The Chigokai knew Akkuma was not good. Hell, he had tried to escape him, only to be dragged back to him and no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to get away from him. Not that that meant anything after a while. Jiro also knew he could not leave because of his own feelings for the older male. However, Riku was too young to know of such things. Ten years of grooming and torture followed by the affection he craved.

"I am too, Riku-Kun..." he said, voice almost a whisper. "But, let's talk about something else. Have you trained or anything yet?" His voice was back to normal now. "How do you like the Academy?" he asked him curiously, tilting his head to the side as he resumed petting the white pup again.

 

[Kyuuji]

Riku wasn’t sure what it was that he had said, but something visibly upset Jiro, making him pause. Then he spoke, and Riku wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t quite know the correct sentiment to express when someone’s mother that sold them died. Clearly, it bothered Jiro, for some reason. Riku wasn’t sure he could imagine his father dying by something as awful as fire, but he had mixed feelings on it. “...Does tha’ upset ya?” He asked with more than a little uncertainty in his voice.

The hand on his shoulder was reassuring. It felt like a while since he had physical contact with another human being. Michi wasn’t the most touchy of people. His gaze focused back on the Chigokai, and he listened to what Jiro had to say. At the reassurance that Jiro would not have let anything happen to him, a bright smile lit up the young boy’s face. He couldn’t help but believe the words that Jiro said. He wondered what it would have been like if Jiro had found him instead of Michi. Riku liked Michi, of course, but Jiro was Jiro.

A hushed voice uttered words that Riku could hardly hear, an agreement. He had said something wrong, he was pretty sure, but he didn’t know what. He noticed as Jiro changed the subject, but he didn’t mind. He would happily talk about whatever Jiro wanted to talk about. He gave an enthusiastic nod. “Train every day!” He exclaimed.

“‘m the best a’ taijutsu!” He proclaimed, then paused. “Unarmed and slashin’, at leas’.” He raised his hands, showing off the Inuzuka characteristic claws that he possessed. He mimed a slashing attack with a serious expression, but his expression quickly went back to a bright little smile immediately afterwards. “Academy’s… s’okay,” He considered with a thoughtful expression, shrugging a little. “‘m better at learnin’ from doin’ than listenin’,” He admitted.

The little canine, who had begun to look somewhat sad when Jiro had stopped petting him for a bit, became a happy wriggling mass of fluffy puppy once more when Jiro resumed the pets.

 

[Jiro]

Jiro did not know how to tell the kid that it was nothing he had said at all. Instead, it was the memories of what he had been through. And the moment he had killed his mother. He remembered it because it had only been a few months prior. He had fought that boy, Michino, after trying to kill his aunt and uncle to find the location of the woman who had birthed and then sold him like he was cattle. Once he finished that battle, he had found out where his mother was and had killed her. The death had sent him spiraling and also back into captivity.

"No, I don't feel bad about it," he said. His only regret was that he had not killed her sooner. Oh, he wished he had killed her sooner. But he could tell the boy was uneasy now, almost as if he thought the Chigokai's weird mood was because of him. And soon the conversation turned back to something else -- a lighter topic.

Training was something he was familiar with and liked to talk about. Not to mention Riku sounded so happy and proud about it, which in turn made Jiro happy. "So do I," Jiro said. And then he listened to the young boy go on and on about Taijutsu. He nodded in understanding when the boy said he was better at learning via doing. "I've never been good at learning by listening," he admitted. Hell, Akkuma's training had been very hands-on, but that was to be expected.

"I prefer piercing and projectile," Jiro told the boy as he looked at his claws. He smirked a bit. "I can make claws too. Not like yours but similar..." He then shrugged a bit at the mention of the Academy. "I only spent a year at the Academy before Akkuma-Sama took me in." He then looked at Riku once more as he petted Isamu. "What about Ninjutsu? Have you found what elements you have yet?" he asked.

[MFT]
[Word Count: 334]

 

[Kyuuji]

Jiro said that he didn’t feel bad about it, and Riku trusted that Jiro meant it. Still, Riku could tell something was off, even if he wasn’t certain what it was. If it wasn’t that Jiro was upset over his mother’s death, it had to be something else. He must have asked the wrong question. If only Riku knew what the right question to ask was, but he didn’t have a clue. So he let the conversation go, accepting the change. The enthusiasm to his voice came naturally. He loved training, and he genuinely desired to get stronger. Getting stronger could only be a good thing, so long as he did it the right way, and training was the right way.

The agreements from Jiro made the boy delighted, as well as the understanding that Jiro offered. Most of the kids in the class had no trouble sitting still and listening, but it took a lot of effort to make himself pay attention for long periods of time, especially since most of the Academy teachers didn’t have the same air to them that Michi did.

Piercing and projectile were the man’s choice of taijutsu, and Riku gave an interested nod of comprehension. “Projectile and throwin’ ain’t m’best,” Riku admitted. “...Worst, really,” He continued, a tad embarrassed. “Piercin’ s’okay though,” He offered up. It wasn’t his best, but he could do okay with it.

His eyes grew wide as Jiro said that he could make claws. “That’s so cool!” He proclaimed. A bright smile lit up his face. He was curious at the idea of only spending a year at the academy. “...Some teachers say I could gr- graduate soon, if I wanted,” He shrugged. “...Dunno if 'm ready…” He trailed off. Jiro asked about ninjutsu and his elements, and Riku could only shrug. “I dunno…”

“I know a coupla non-ele- elemental ninjutsu,” His voice was slower with the longer words, though he still stuttered once. “No elemental, not yet.” His face gave way to consideration. “Dunno what I’d hope fer, either,” The small boy gave another shrug. “What I get, I get, y’know?” Consideration gave way to curiosity. “What abou’ you? What’s yer elements?” As a shinobi, he had no doubt that Jiro knew them.

Another thought occurred to him, alone the similiar lines. Jiro was shinobi, so… “...What’s s’it like, in a real fight?” He blurted out the question thoughtlessly, then looked somewhat mortified. “Sorry! Y’don’t hafta answer,” Riku assured the man, though his eyes were still deeply curious.

 

[Jiro]

Jiro could see himself in this kid. It was something that startled him but he hid that well, but he made a promise to himself to protect the boy no matter what. Even if he had to fight Akkuma to keep the boy safe if it came down to it. Jiro changed the subject quickly, not wanting Riku to pick up on his mood change. The Chigokai did not want him to know the truth of what he really went through, at least not now. Maybe when he was older and understood more.

The subject he chose then was training. Riku seemed to love fighting and training just as much as he did. And there was no bad memories of training, so that was always a nice topic. Plus, it made him stronger, more powerful. The blonde was who he was today because of his training -- both with Akkuma and by himself.

He despised sitting and being taught. Thankfully, he never had that. His trainings were more hands-on than anything he had ever done in his year at the academy. Jiro ran his free hand through his hair as he listened to Riku. His other hand running continuously through the pure white fur of Isamu. "I can teach you sometime," he said with a small smile.

"Thanks!" Jiro smiled back at the boy, a wide beaming smile. He then saw the boy struggle with his own self-doubts. He shrugged a bit. "I'm sure you'll do fine. I'll help you out if I have to." He nodded, a fierce look of determination in his red eyes as he watched Riku then, still absently petting the dog.

"Non-elemental's good. I have quite a bit myself. And I'm sure you'll get something good to start."

But then they began to talk about him again. Jiro did not mind this line of questioning, but he was unsure of how Riku would treat him when he knew what his main element was. "As a Chigokai, my natural affinity is blood." He knew the stigma behind blood element, and beyond his own bloodline. He learned that from Akkuma's explanation of why that bitch had sold him. "But I also have water, fire, wind, poison, vapor, mirror and ice."

And then the mention of fighting was brought up. What was it like? A gleam flickered briefly in Jiro's eye before he composed himself. "A real fight's....indescribable..." he admitted. "I can show you if you want later. Get more jutsu and we can spar."

The blonde stood up then, stretching slightly. His back popped audibly and he groaned. "Fuuuck..." he whispered in pleasure before he looked at Riku. "Wanna see my claws?" he asked Riku, a playfully mischievous look in his eyes. "Or maybe even a few of my jutsus?"