Pathetic...! You have a long way to go. Do not waste my time ever again.

Those words rang through your head. Those were the first words you heard from your master, Akuma. You had spent months challenging her, daring her to teach you the ways, until one day you pissed her off, almost leading you to your demise. You never stopped, however. More months went by, challenging her...until the moment came when she was about to deal the deadly blow.

Then the two of you made eye contact, eye contact with a look she hasn't seen in ages. Potential. She decided to invest in this opportunity, starting to train you in the ways of the satsui no hado.

It has been gruesome, to say the very least. Intense training, harsh words, and strict guidelines. Talking to Akuma without her starting the conversation first would piss her off, so the two of you would go days without talking. And to think you still have a long way to go.

You snap out of your flashback as you focus on the current scene. The two of you were fishing. For money, for food, and for the "battle of life and death" as Akuma calls it. Though the past few days have been bountiful, today was a bit slower. All that could be heard were the waves, the boat creaking, seagulls, distant ships...

And Akuma is surprisingly talking to you out of nowhere. Minutes of silence between each sentence.

Akuma: "...You've changed. The anger, that passion for revenge leading you down this path, it has changed. The anger is still there and strong... but your purpose isn't primarily revenge anymore, is it? It's just the pure combat, the desire of strength. Good. The true ways of the Satsui no Hado are influencing you."

Thirty minutes of silence now. You didn't bother speaking yet, knowing Akuma wasn't quite finished.

Akuma: "You still are nowhere near ready. Sloppy techniques aside, I sense other emotions still stirring within you. A part of you dreads the outcome of our inevitable fight to the death. That is how I know you are nowhere near ready. Whether it's fearing for your life...or mine. I do not know which one is more pathetic."