Chapter Six: Malpractice

Akatsuki had only moved about fifteen steps from his original position, yet he was already reduced to tears.

Of course, Akatsuki knew this was due to the raging cocktail of hormones that ran through his body, but he couldn't help but grimace at his lack of discipline. If his younger self could see him now, or worse, his trainer. The thought sent a shiver down Akatsuki's spine.

Tears ran down Akatsuki's face as he lost concentration and, in turn, balance. Akatsuki slipped, falling face-first into the packed dirt of the training yard. The fall's pain was honestly minuscule compared to his aching muscles, yet the so public act of failure sent a wave of embarrassment and sadness into his mind. Akatsuki sobbed.

"Are you sure we should push her this hard, Vincent?" The man, now known as Akatsuki's father, spoke up, concern lacing his voice.

Akatsuki's father was a lithe man, narrow even. He wore what looked like a modified suit a nobleman of old might wear. The bottommost layer, clinging tightly to his chest, was a silk button-up dyed in black. Its collar poked out of a v-necked gray vest, and both were tucked into black puffy pants that reached down into finely made leather boots.

The pants matched the deep black of the man's shirt, and a light gray, almost oriental pattern was sewed into the fabric. A golden thread could be seen on everything from the boots to the shirt, accenting well with the dark color scheme. Draping over it all was a charcoaled purple jacket that fit tightly around the chest but fanned out at the waist like a robe or cape.

The only splash of color on the man was the two weapons on either side of his waist. The two wands were set in place by a thick leather belt. Dark wooden handles etched with various runes curved upwards from their sheathes. At the end of each blade was a shaped and polished green crystal similar to the chandeliers in Akatsuki's room. Akatsuki only knew they were wands since his father had told him so when Akatsuki expressed interest in them.

He had taken the two weapons out and explained how they were used. The wands, in their essence, were daggers of sickly green crystal. The crystals were as strong as any steel and kept sharp due to the magic his father embued them with. The blades would act as protection if anyone got close but were primarily used to channel large magical spells faster. The entire thing interested Akatsuki immensely.

For a few moments, Akatsuki simply sat in the dirt, tears running down his cheeks as he took in his father's form. Luckily the pain subsided quickly as spring-like energy revitalized Akatsuki. He was now slowly coming to know the energy as magic. Sitting there, he wondered just how wealthy his family was since purple dye had been reserved for only royalty and the most affluent of nobles in his old world. He started to ask, but it seemed less important when Akatsuki realized he was still lying face-first on the ground.

"This much is to be expected." Her voice was detached as if she was in another world.

Akatsuki's mother reminded him of his original trainer within the organization. Before he had been a businessman who saved lives, he had run 'counter-intelligence missions,' or at least that's what they did on the books. The entire organization had been sour from the core and ran black ops since its inception.

Akatsuki's reminiscing was cut off as his mother's eyes filled with a sadness that he couldn't even fathom. Clearly, his lack of memory hit her far harder than his impromptu father. Akatsuki wanted, almost needed to comfort her. More than the pain, more than his own worries, the emotions of his mother were what got to him the most. They affected him in a way Akatsuki could never describe. It was as if seeing the sadness in her eyes attacked his very soul.

Akatsuki tried his best to confine the emotions, but for every push, Akatsuki gave his feelings returned twofold. So instead of burying his sadness, Akatsuki changed it, morphing it into something useful. Despair morphed into fiery anger and grit as he pushed himself off the packed dirt. Akatsuki pulled himself up from nothing once already. What was a bit of malpractice in the face of that?

Days flitted by like this as Akatsuki slowly got used to his newfound life. Each day he'd wake to see Vincent, the doctor ready to examine him. His morning consisted of reading various books, a habit both his parents were happy to indulge in. The estate's staff were delighted to bring him any book Akatsuki asked for, although most were below the level he could comprehend. Since he couldn't get to the library alone, it couldn't be helped. After all, he was supposed to only be reading at the level of a twelve-year-old girl.

His studies had confirmed he was, in fact, on, at the very least, a differnt world. Whether that world was still in the same universe as earth, Akatsuki honestly didn't know. The planet was massive if the maps within the various books he read were accurate. The magical kingdom he lived in, Astellia, had mapped almost ten times the distance of the earth's surface, and from what Akatsuki understood, that was only what they had mapped.

Various wonders decorated the world, and many books spoke of beasts that could single-handily topple empires, let alone the kingdom Akatsuki found himself in. Honestly, the world was an adventure's wet dream. Unfortunately, Akatsuki was not in the mood for adventuring and planned to have a quiet life of luxury and peace. After all, he was due a retirement. Perhaps if the busty redhead gave him a third life, he'd adventure, but for now, his goal was to solidify enough power to simply rot away in lavish luxury.

Akatsuki made significant progress during therapy; by the timee the first month of his life passed, he could make it to the dining hall without taking a break. Which was a relief since each time he ate in his bed, he'd find crumbs no matter how careful he was. That he could move so freely within such a short time was honestly mind-boggling.

Vincent's magic was the single most effective recovery tool Akatsuki had ever seen. The man had an assortment of tools within his preverbal belt. His buffs would allow Akatsuki to push past his breaking point, often allowing far more strenuous exercise. If Akatsuki ever pushed so far, the man would simply heal the injury with little to no lasting effects. It was simply incredible.

Of course, Akatsuki knew he had a long way to go if he ever wanted to be as fit as Akatsuki was in his first life, but he was making significant progress. Akatsuki knew that given enough time, though, he'd far outstrip the restraints of his old world. To his surprise, after only a month, Akatsuki was looking forward to his future as Ashley Von Blanc.