Akito's smile becomes a little strained at his betrothed comment and he murmurs honestly, “Both.” He doesn't go into depth about what exactly made his fellow soldier fear him, but it's clear from his tone that he means it. He blushes slightly at the idea of the prince being impressed with him, especially given how clear the man has made it that the young soldier's life is not something he approves of. That cools, soft hand slides into his own sword roughened grasp and he holds it as delicately as he can, not wanting to abrade the smooth skin beneath his fingers.

The prince gives his hand a little squeeze and the gesture threatens to spook the bashful soldier once more but instead of focusing on the rather supporting action he instead focuses on doing exactly what he came out of the tent to do. [i]'I'll just show him the places I used to hang around. I was always away from camp, and there's less military stuff outside of camp so maybe he won't be as critical of it as he is of my way of life. . . .'[/i] Letting out a long breath he begins walking, making sure to keep his eyes off his feet, trying desperately to display some of that courage that helped him live through the war.

As they approach the edge of camp however Aki comes to a halt and looks over his shoulder. He doesn't look to his partner at the question, instead doing his best to answer it without that immediate fear that always seems to come to him when he looks at his betrothed. His eyes scan the area, the various people going about their daily routines; Sharpening blades, finding food, training, treating their armor. The sights, sounds, and smells are all from his childhood. Even the earth beneath his feet makes him feel at home - the wooden floors of the palace a bit off-putting and somehow rather cold compared to the dirt of his “home” - but as he actually looks out at the actual faces of the people around him, the people he grew up with mixed with new recruits and people he's only known a short while, he doesn't really feel like they are family.

[i]'This is my home, and these are my people, and I will defend each and every one of them with my life, but. . .Only Father feels like real family, and these others. . . .They are my comrades. . . .Not even friends, though many of them see me as a nephew or little brother, I've never felt myself returning such sentiments. . . .'[/i] His hand tightens ever so slightly for an instant around Hiro's as he looks over at the young man but loosens immediately as a faint flush comes to his cheeks at the gesture. [i]'Yeah, he will be technically family soon, but, he's even more of a stranger than these people. He will be bound to me, and I will have to get to know him, but I wonder if I will ever trust him as I trust them. . . .'[/i]

Tilting his head towards them he lets out a light cough and speaks softly, but with a strong note of calm in his voice. “This is my home, and these are those I would call my people, but I have lived a mostly solitary life, even surrounded by people I trust my life to every single day, I can only claim them as comrades.” he looks back towards them and adds a little more softly, “Don't get me wrong, I care for them all dearly, but. . . .I have only one person I consider family among them, and that man worked long and hard to earn that position. . .”

Turning he gives the prince's hand a little tug to urge him to continue walking and together they make their way past the edge of camp. The long grass making up the field around the site is soft, swaying beneath the gentle breeze and making a quiet rustling noise. Glancing back at his companion he does his best to stay calm as he leads the man forward, murmuring, “I thought you. . . .Might like to see where I spent a lot of my time whenever we were camped here. . .” In the distance there is a small stand of trees, some thick, some thin, but all thick with greenery that looks nearly impassable. However, as they draw close, Akito pulls back a couple branches to reveal a very lightly worn path leading into the foliage.

Holding the branches out of the way he gestures for Hironori to go first. Once the prince is through he follows close behind, placing a hand gently on his back and advising him to stay bent over for a while. It's clear when it's time to stand up and as they break through the thick branches into the open area in the middle of the stand Akito simply stands there for a long moment, letting the memories come back to him. The general himself had shown the young soldier where to find this place, the small pond in the middle the perfect place for him to learn to swim. The little frogs and fish were always fun to chase, and it was actually through this play that the general first realized that the youth may make a good assassin one day. He could never understand just how the shy, unobtrusive boy could turn into such a predator when hunting the small beasts.

[i]'I was one of the best protein providers for the camp, and it all started with frogs and fish as a little boy. . .'[/i] He smiles, the still rising sun lighting the area with a dusky, morning glow and making the scene quite picturesque. He'd tried several times in his teenage years to paint this beauty, camping out all night so he could catch the area at just the right time of day, but as always his pictures never turned out quite right. The long grass lays across the ground in this area, far more green and plush than the stuff growing outside the stand, and as Akito makes his way forward his normally near silent footsteps go completely unheard. He slips past the prince and takes a seat beside the pond, letting the calm, familiar surroundings relax him as he waits to see what the prince thinks of his little hideaway. Hoko smells all the fresh grass and without hesitation slips out and begins hunting for small critters that tend to gather around the pond.