That night, the moon was glowing a little to happily in the sky. The blanket of stars must've kept it astronomically warm.
I liked Akira's company. He's funny. Witty. And mostly, a good natured human.
That was pretty rare these days.
He wiped the tears with wet hands and kept nodding at himself as though assuring himself.
"You're right. I AM a cool ninja." He said.
"Samurais, to be specific."
That piqued my interest.
Didn't they all perish in some Japanese dynasty?
"Meiji restoration Era..." he said, although much quietly to himself.
"Westerners turned against the Samurai and stole their traditional rights to carry swords. Or weapons of any sorts. The Feudal system was collapsing rapidly. But the Samurai...? Their culture was abolished by the westerners." He said.
"Its a multi century long story, yet it still freaks me out to this day." I adjusted my seating and leaned on my blade. Akira chuckled at how interested I was. He was a good story teller.
"The Samurai in their desperation tried to produce heirs and keep the tradition alive for centuries following that. My family, in 1997, birthed a legend. His name was...Shin Yamada." That name rang a bell.
"He was the one who crafted this 11 ton beast all by himself, starting when he was 12 years old. His vision, lasted a hundred years old. The gun was finally completed when he was 114 years old. Low and behold," Akira smirked at me, I was waiting for the story eagerly. Way too eagerly.
"At that age, he lift the gun all by himself. A miracle witnessed. And suddenly...he dropped the 11 ton beast on himself which crushed him to death. He was liberated under his own creation."
My eyes widened. I don't feel many emotions, but this was extraordinary. A lore of the past that could inspire a whole generation, I thought.
Or it was because of Akira's amazing narration. I couldn't choose.
"They tried to lift it off of him, they couldn't. He was buried right below it. Until another legend was born in the same kin. His blood granddaughter." Said Akira.
"She was...my mother."
I was taken aback.
"But that would've been at least 800 years ago. How...how is she your mother?" I asked. Humans could only live upto 60 years of age in this Era and conditions.
Akira looked around, as if trying to make it less awkward. Was it that he didn't want to tell me?
But I was so curious...
"The gun...it had scriptures carved onto it. The Ultimate Samurai Secret. Japanese longevity secrets." He said. My eyes widened.
Humans are...extraordinary.
Just then, it clicked to me.
"Akira...
How old are you?"
He looked...uncomfortable.
As if he didn't want to answer.
"I'm...563 years old." He said.
That...blew my mind!
"You've been cheating the system for your entire life." I smirked. This was beyond amusing!
"I just want to continue my legacy.
All the training I underwent, my mom's greater good sacrifices for her kin, I'll never forget that." Akira said.
I scoffed in amused disbelief. This was wicked information.
"So...you can't marry anyone out of your kin either, I assume." He nodded. But...sadly.
My brows furrowed at that.
"Wait...you love someone out of your kin?" I had to ask!
Again, he didn't want to answer.
"Akira. I'm dying to know who it is." I asked immediately.
"I can't tell you that." He said.
Now, I could read his mind and know who it was right away! But I won't do that.
It's about respect. And Akira Yamada has earned it from me after what he did today. That was wicked cool.
I chose to find out who it was...like a human. I wasn't going to use my powers.
Hell! It's so hard to control myself!
Curiosity is wicked than the seven sins!
However, none of us both could have had the faintest idea of someone sneaking up on us.
Her heart broke when she heard our conversation.
Akira loved someone else?
Was her only take from the conversation.
To preserve her dignity, she went back to the campfire and sat down.
Few moments passed. Akira and I headed back to the fire that was left alone.
"Where is she?" Akira looked around to find no one. I raised an eyebrow.
But her scent was laced in the air and I sensed no danger.
Few moments later, Gena returned with small pieces of firewood to fuel the fire.
"Oh, you've come back." She said. He started feeding the fire when suddenly, the ground shook.
My alertness triggered and my senses were picking something up.
I turned around, looking into the Shifter, dead in the eyes.
CLUNK..
My huge sword detached from my back and I stared at the Shifter that was growling at its next pray.
Not on my watch, mister.
Or...miss. Whoever it was in their past human form.
But I never got the opportunity because...
SNIP SNIP!
The Shifter was diced into pieces!!