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.
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.