It was a nice, slow morning. Bokuden had no missions assigned and had no particular interest in training that day. Days to himself were a rarity in Bokuden’s life and when he got one he did his best to enjoy it thoroughly. What’s more is that Bokuden had actually gotten a good night’s rest for a change. The number of hours he actually spent sleeping was usually decimated by late night skirt chasing and his own inability to sleep, but this morning was different and everything seemed a bit more peaceful.
It was quite early in the morning. He did not bother to check the time, but no one else was awake and the sun was still rising. Being up early and out of the house before the others were awake was no new scenario for Bokuden, but it usually involved leaving for a mission or training. With no such prior commitments Bokuden decided to sit upon the roof with his coffee and enjoy one of the few peaceful moments he seemed to be able to get.

As he slid open the door to the garden Bokuden paused to take in the moment. As he took a deep breath the scents of his mother’s flower garden and morning dew danced about, mingling with the aroma of his freshly ground coffee. There were no voices to be heard but the songs of the birds and the clangs of steel clashing seemed but a distant memory as the sun painted a mural of ambers, pinks, and purples across the horizon. Moments of serenity like this were few and far between in the life of a shinobi and were very precious to Bokuden. When they did occur Bokuden often found himself amused wondering what people would think if they saw him like this now. It was surely a very different visual than the rigid and cold demeanor he carries himself with during his normal business hours.

“Sorry if I woke you up, I know you don’t get the opportunity to sleep in all that often anymore. I tried to sneak out silently, but I guess it can’t be helped with your ears,” Bokuden said softly, never turning his gaze away from the sunrise.

“It wasn’t you. We’ve been getting up this early every day for so long now that it seems my body has become accustomed to it,” Said a voice down from the ground level.

“You aren’t going to come up Satomi?” Bokuden inquired before taking a sip from his mug.

“Hmmm, I suppose I should,” Satomi replied as she jumped up to the roof and took a seat next to Bokuden to also watch the sun rise, “Although, there is something I want to ask you.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll prepare breakfast for you as soon as this is done,” Bokuden said with a grin.

“It’s not that and you know it,” Satomi replied harshly now seeing the grin on his face fade. He obviously knew what was coming next. “When are you going to allow me to actively participate in combat?”

“You aren’t ready yet,” Bokuden replied bluntly.

“And whose fault is that? Every time I suggest we go through the proper training you make excuses! And you always leave me home when you go to do something dangerous. I’m not some lap dog that is here merely to spectate, you know what I can be capable of,” Satomi argued.

“I have enough women in my life that I need to worry about protecting, Satomi. Throwing you into the front lines would just add to my problems,” Bokuden appealed, but knew full well that his concerns would fall on deaf ears.

“Stop treating me like a child,” Satomi growled, “Don’t let my current form allow you to convince yourself that I need protecting! The only thing I need is you to stop guilting yourself into taking it upon yourself to protect everyone! I was born to be a combat partner, stop denying me my birthright!”

Bokuden brought his mug down from his lips and let out a deep sigh. “So much for my peaceful morning,” Bokuden thought to himself, “Still, I suppose her argument does have some validity.” Although it was the exact opposite of what he wanted to happen, Bokuden realized that he was being selfish by forcing her away from combat situations and decided to appease Satomi. “Fine, you win,” Bokuden said hesitantly, “You’re training starts today. Make any preparations you feel you need, we leave for Sky Point immediately after breakfast.”

“Yes sir,” Satomi replied, trying to mask her excitement. She didn’t want to express too much emotion as Bokuden always said that it is a hindrance to shinobi, but she couldn’t help it. Her tail was wagging a mile a minute.

After the two were done with breakfast, Bokuden kept his promise and the two left for Sky Point. Bokuden was mostly silent during the entire trip, only occasionally glancing over at Satomi and offering a reassuring smile and staring at girls’ asses that walked by. He was usually quiet, but Satomi got the impression that he was purposefully trying to avoid open discussion about what exactly this training entailed. He was also carrying a large bag slung across his back which was HIGHLY unusual for Bokuden. He would sometimes wear a vintage rucksack at most, but on someone as appearance obsessed as Bokuden a large bag like that seemed very out of place. There was also the issue of what was inside it. His katana was still strapped to his waist so it wasn’t a weapon. Satomi pondered the contents of the bag for most of the hike.

As the duo climbed further up the altitude the thin air and frigid temperatures became more and more apparent. As her body acclimated itself to the harsh conditions, Satomi remembered just how long it had been since she had last been to Sky Point. Bokuden often made this trip alone to do his meditations. Satomi never really found peace in meditation the way Bokuden had so she opted to stay behind and allow him his peace. The fact that he chose this spot, seemingly so secluded from the rest of the world only roused her curiosity further.

By the time Bokuden and Satomi reached the peak of Skypoint several hours had passed since leaving their home. The trek was long and tiring and the conditions were harsh and frigid, but Satomi was determined to persevere. Upon reaching the peak Bokuden removed the large bag on his back and stood it up in the snow in front of him. Relieved to have finally reached their destination, Satomi threw herself to the ground to take a break.

“What so you think you are doing, Satomi?” Bokuden asked, “You said you wanted to train, right? Let’s get to it then.” Bokuden then opened the large bag he had carried with him to reveal an enormous scroll that bore markings identical to those that were present on Satomi’s fur. “You’ve waited years for me to open this scroll, are you going to let a little thing like fatigue stop you?”

Satomi raised herself from the snow and glared at Bokuden. She had almost forgotten how draconian he could be when it came to training since he largely removed her from combat duties over the past couple of years. “I suppose not,” Satomi replied, “but that scroll… what is it?”

“It was given to me by my mother the day you were brought to the village,” Bokuden said with a smirk on his face, “it contains the secrets of your pack.”

“The secrets of… my pack?” Satomi repeated, now confused even more than before.

“You didn’t think you were the only one, did you?” Bokuden answered, “You didn’t find it strange that you can speak or that you have never seen any other animal with the same markings or features as you? You are from a special breed of wolves, highly intelligent and incredibly powerful. That breed and the clan of my mother are said to have been partnered together for centuries. Your mother was my mother’s partner. What’s written in this scroll seems to confirm that.”

“So what else is written in this scroll?” Satomi asked now clearly becoming emotional.

“Everything,” Bokuden replied, “but we can’t read it as you are now.”

“What do you mean as I am now?” Satomi asked, obviously flustered by this whole situation.

“The same way that your size and power are connected to my power and the training we go through together, this scroll is connected to you,” Bokuden answered, “The only way to unlock all of the scrolls secrets is to become stronger yourself.”

Satomi knew that Bokuden wasn’t telling her the whole story, but having known him her whole life she knew that he would tell her when he felt she was ready. The first step towards proving that to him would be to become stronger. “Then let’s stop wasting time,” Satomi growled, “I don’t know what this training is, but I’m ready for it. Let’s begin.”

“Hmph, Indeed,” Bokuden replied with a smile. “That look of determination is something I don’t think I’ve ever seen in Satomi before,” he thought to himself, “It looks like she is ready after all.”

“So where do we start?” Satomi asked eagerly.

“With the basics,” Bokuden answered, “Lesson number one, Chakra control.”


Word Count: 1599/1500