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Kagetsuna bowed low over his hands in front of Lord Date Terumune, forehead nearly to the floor as he awaited his Lord's judgment. He had presented his idea to his Lord after Bontenmaru had decided he was certain he wanted to really go through with it. His heart raced in his chest as he sat still as a statue in the silence. Silence that pressed down upon him with the full weight of Terumune's gaze.
There were so many things that could go wrong with this procedure. Infection, a disfiguring scar, there was even a possibility of death due to the shock of losing an eye. And Bontenmaru had requested it be Kagetsuna who removed his eye. His Lord's wife was also against this whole thing, and that pressed far more weight down upon his shoulders.
And yet when Terumune spoke, Kagetsuna could hear the smile in his voice.
"If that is what Bontenmaru has decided, I trust in his belief in you."
Kagetsuna could hardly breathe as the words echoed in his head. Even as he bowed lower still, thanked his Lord and took his leave. It was not until he stepped outside to where Bontenmaru waited for him that he finally remembered to breathe. By that point his young lord was looking at him rather intently.
Kagetsuna took a breath. "Your father, Date Terumune-sama has accepted your decision, Bontenmaru-sama."
With just those words, the small boy's face lit up considerably. Kagetsuna found a smile lifting his own lips in response, even when in the back of his mind he could not fight away the concern that something would go terribly wrong. And it would all be his fault.
With permission from the head of the Date clan, it was incredibly simple to obtain the items that he would need in order to remove the eye as Bontenmaru wished. And Kagetsuna wasted no time in doing so. Though the concern never fully faded, he would do anything his lord asked of him. And so it was that he found himself seated in a quiet, private area outdoors, Bontenmaru the only other presence in the area. Kagetsuna had been uncomfortable at first, having no others around in case something were to go wrong, but had not protested to his young lord's request. After all, had it been him, he wouldn't want more people than absolutely necessary.
His left hand shook with the stress of every 'what if' he could think of. That is, until he picked up the small, delicate blade. He could show no sign of his own nerves, not with a knife in hand, not with how Bontenmaru's hands trembled in his lap. He watched the boy for a moment, the boy whose gaze was fixed upon the sharp blade that Kagetsuna held. Bontenmaru had a brave expression on his face, even though he seemed to understand that this would be incredibly painful, that it would be dangerous. That read when it struck Kagetsuna like a fist. Bontenmaru trusted him to do this, and only him. Trusted him to keep him safe through it all from any complications.
He released the breath that he was unaware he held slowly as he shifted his position, raised his right hand to brush back Bontenmaru's hair from his face. Their eyes met and held, it felt like ages before Kagetsuna spoke.
"Are you sure you're ready, Bontenmaru-sama?" He almost couldn't believe the confidence, the reassurance his voice held. But he was glad for it as he watched his lord's jaw set in determination.
"I'm ready."
Kagetsuna was proud of the courage held in that small voice, the way those hands stopped shaking when his own fingers reached Bontenmaru's right eye.
"Trust me, all right Bontenmaru-sama...?" The way the boy's eyes looked when they met his own was answer enough, and though slowly at first, Kagetsuna applied pressure around the eye. Not yet... Not yet... And then at the first ghost of a whimper from his lord, he began.
Almost immediately there were tears, Bontenmaru's hands clenched tightly to his hakama as the blood began to flow freely. Kagetsuna clenched his teeth tightly as he continued his precise motions.
The first sobs escaped Bontenmaru's lips as the eye was finally freed. But there was still more to be done, and through his tears the boy remained still while Kagetsuna cleaned the newly opened cavity. He waited until there were bandages securely in place before he finally sobbed freely, body flung forward against an almost startled Kagetsuna.
The teenager snapped out of the temporary shock, bandages and other things dropped as he wrapped his arms around the pained and sobbing boy. He only now allowed himself to release himself from the control he managed up to that point, arms trembling nearly as much as his lord. He could hardly believe what he had done. Not only done, but done successfully.
Slowly, gently and ignoring for the moment the blood on his hands he comfortingly stroked Bontenmaru's hair, listening for a moment as his lord sobbed his name into his kimono. Bontenmaru had been incredibly brave. Was still brave, even in tears.
"I'm proud of you, Bontenmaru-sama."