ARE YOU OKAY? [Makoto, Shishiyuki]

She was delighted to be off medical leave, the weeks of having to sit down and avoid the matters of work had really begun to weigh on her. Trying to unwind for her was like trying to swim up a waterfall, it pushed her down into the current then she felt like she was drowning in her own negativity. It was easier to stay positive when you were distracted by how much work you had on your plate among everything else, ignore whether that was healthy to do or not.

Makoto waited idly in the room that she had gotten used to as the place where she always saw Shishiyuki, this room and that woman were intrinsically connected in her mind. Outside of this room she didn't expect to see Shishiyuki, she didn't even know if she wanted to see her beyond these confines. Probably because of the uncomfortable feeling she got around her, that'd be it.

Taking a quick look at her hands and doing another quick set of the flow manipulation exercises to pass her waiting time. It was nice having something to do and just make it feel like a productive use of her time.

Naturally, Shishiyuki had kept track of Makoto's medical leave, and she had known that today's lesson would be the first since it had ended. That was good. It let her consider a far greater array of options, and as such, today she had brought no texts with her for study. It would be a more hands-on experience.

As she entered into the classroom, Shishiyuki gave her a small smile and a nod of greeting, a genuine nature to it beyond the typical cordiality that came with their teacher-student relationship. Her voice carried with it the faintest degree more energy, as if she were quite glad for today's lesson.

"Good day, Makoto. I do hope you are prepared for a more elaborate lesson, today. Seeing as you are off of your medical leave, I have arranged for something of a field trip for the day. You have not seen more advanced hakuda in use, correct?"

When Shishiyuki entered she went through the standard process, a nice and formal greeting for her teacher while trying to get herself ready for her lesson. If her teacher was showing more genuine feelings for their relationship then Makoto seemed to convey the exact same. Just teacher and student, though she did have a habit of struggling to show someone if they meant more than other people to her.

"Of course, Lady Shishiyuki. I have not, besides what you have described to me."

The hands that were behind her back pushed her away from the wall when she heard that she was leaving this room. It was a little uncomfortable, this room was a world where only the two of them existed and that lesson. She wondered just how this field trip would develop. It must be something practical.

"May I know the specifics or is it intended to be a surprise?"

Shishiyuki always found Makoto's demeanor rather refreshing. There was a politeness to her that she found quite pleasant, though of course she understood to some degree the nature of what lay beneath the surface. That was, then again, part of its appeal.

"No, no, I am not one to simply surprise you for educational purposes. Given that you are affiliated with the First Division, may I assume that you are not particularly familiar with the current status of the Earth's Middle East?"

It was, in truth, somewhere that Shishiyuki was exceptionally familiar with. The wastes were filled with fools who were wholly willing to face death for the sake of a thrill, and she was willing to take advantage of this fact. Was that poor of her, ethically? Perhaps, but she was willing to accept that, if only for the sake of others she interacted with more regularly.

What a strange choice of topic, Makoto hadn't exactly done anything in regards to handling living realm matters since the advent and conclusion of World War 4. Enough so was Shishiyuki's peculiar subject that she tilted her head with debate. Did she remember anything about the Middle East? North America, Europe, Japan even South America. No, the Middle East did not come up once during the discussions around the war. Should she have been?

"I'm afraid not, the living realm is not something I have handled since the last war. I administrate handlings of the Rukongai modernisation projects and missions."

There wasn't any harm in telling her what her work consisted of, even if Shishiyuki did happen to have a hidden hoity toity noble side there were very few nobles that truly cared about the state of the Rukongai. Not that she assumed such a side from her teacher.

"What is the status of the Middle East?"

"The Middle East is, by and large, abandoned by the societies of the Earth. It is still wasteland, untouched even since the days of the Third World War. Because of this, those who live away from the scope of the law, and pursue lives of brutal violence, often make their home there."

Shishiyuki assumed, just from this description of the area, that Makoto would understand their purpose for visiting. Even so, she would elaborate further, if only so that there was no possible misunderstanding with regard to their intentions in this trip.

"Those who eke out lives of violence in those lands are not those who will be missed. They are, invariably, the sort of people who wish for nothing more than violence. As such, it is among them that one is best suited to perfect these techniques I have taught you."

Makoto remained stoic as she heard the description, she understood what Shishiyuki was getting at. Slaughter, right? Did she leap with joy? Her own sadistic desires a chance to run wild and be free but that would be no different than accepting them? She didn't like that she took enjoyment and satisfaction out of it. The situation given to her just troubled her and felt like she was the rope in a tug of war, each part of her wanted to be the one to pull her over the line.

"I understand, Lady Shishiyuki."

There wasn't much hint of the way it troubled her, she responded as she always did except that her eyes were focused elsewhere. On one hand her heart was beating much quicker and she didn't know whether it was out of distress or out of excitement, it wasn't like she'd pass out over it but it sure felt like a burden.

"I'm ready to set out whenever you are."

This time she tried to give a smile with it, regardless of her inner strife she should be showing her appreciation to this woman's willingless to put so much effort into her.

Of course, Shishiyuki studied her student very carefully, very curious how she would respond to this sort of thing. She knew, naturally, that Makoto shared desires not dissimilar to her own, and that she did not relish in them. That, however, only made this all the more appropriate as a method of training. The reality of those who pursued martial training was that they would, by necessity, need to fight. To have control over oneself was the most important thing.

"Very good. You will not be engaging in any combat today, as this is merely for demonstrative purposes. I do not wish to put you into such an unfortunate situation in your first lesson about, and beyond that, I do not think that your mastery of hakuda is sufficient to be applied in a life or death scenario."

That was not intended to be insulting, but was rather just a matter of reminding Makoto that she did not expect any sort of mastery in such a short amount of time. Even she had not become a master in mere weeks, and she had often been seen as something of a prodigy among her family. Whether or not she considered that true was another matter, but she digressed.

"Remember, of course, that to kill is not something to be relished. I would not take you to this place if those who coalesced there were not of the lowest possible character. However, even their lives are lives still."

Gesturing for Makoto to follow, Shishiyuki made her way out of the classroom then, walking slowly but with purpose. It wouldn't take long, of course, but she was not in a tremendous hurry, either. It required a bit of mental preparation, these sorts of outings.

"I see, I understand."

Even if she did not engage in it herself, she still felt solemn that she'd probably get twisted satisfaction just from watching. How unfortunate it was, but she'd go through it regardless.

Makoto followed along while mulling on her thoughts, she'd killed before. She enjoyed it, she put enemies to death that were begging for mercy and clearly defeated during the war. Never once did she take pride in what she did but she did take enjoyment out of it. It didn't matter that they were demons, they still had self-awareness. They still had the same traits you'd put on a human in the sense of brain.

"I know. There is a very heavy weight in taking life."

"So long as you understand that, and remind yourself of it, then you are on the correct path."

Walking toward the Senkaimon, Shishiyuki led the way through, offering paperwork to those members of the Kido Corps currently manning it. It was opened in a matter of moments, and the two were allowed through in rather short order. Uneventful, direct, just as Shishiyuki preferred her dealings.

The two arrived in the wastes, seemingly not another soul anywhere in sight. It was, quite decidedly, a horrible place, wreckage of a war long past still scattered about here and there, though much of it was near impossible to generally recognize anymore. Plant life had, generally speaking, recovered, though of course this was not some sort of lush paradise even before the world's ravaging.

"Well, shall we journey forth? I am quite sure we will find some violent ruffian or another in short order."