Chapter 26: Sparks of Tension

<3rd Person Pov>

The sound of laughter filled the air as the group finished unloading the truck. The supplies were stacked in neat piles as everyone gathered around them.

Carl and Sophia were the first to spot the chocolate bars, their eyes lighting up with joy.

Sophia didn't waste a second, bolting for the box, her voice echoing with excitement.

"Carl, look! Chocolate!"

Carl quickly followed, running right after her.

When he got closer to the pile, his face lit up with disbelief.

"There's so many!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement.

The two of them knelt beside the box, staring in awe at the rare treat. They grabbed a bar each, and Sophia looked up at Carol, silently asking for permission.

Carol, who had been watching nearby, glanced around at the others, looking for any objections, and seeing nothing, gave a small nod with a soft smile.

"Alright, you two. Just one each," she said, in a gentle voice.

Carl and Sophia immediately tore open their wrappers, their faces lighting up as they bit into the chocolate.

Daryl, who had been standing to the side, watching the scene unfold, couldn't help but smile a bit. 

Glenn walked over to Dale, who was sitting on the edge of the RV.

"Looks like we might need to ration those chocolate bars," Glenn said, grinning and leaning against the RV.

Dale raised an eyebrow, glancing over at the kids who were happily munching away.

"Oh, really?" he said, his tone dry, "And who's going to be the one to break the news?"

Glenn chuckled, shaking his head.

"I'm not doing it, you can have that honor."

Dale smirked, clearly enjoying the moment.

"Yeah, I think I'll pass," he said, shaking his head. "I'm too old for that battle. I'll leave it to the younger generation."

He paused for a second, glancing towards Itachi and chuckling a bit.

"Besides, I've seen Itachi showing them how to handle sharp objects. I'd rather someone else test how good they are with them."

They both continued joking and chuckling when suddenly, Lori approached them.

Lori glared at them, hands on her hips.

"What do you mean he was teaching them how to handle sharp objects?" she demanded, with a sharp voice.

"What exactly did he teach them?"

Dale and Glenn exchanged quick, uneasy glances, but neither of them immediately answered. 

Dale stepped forward, trying to ease the tension, his voice cautious.

"Lori, it's not like that," his voice becoming more cautious. "He was just showing them how to throw knives. It wasn't anything dangerous, and the kids really enjoyed it."

Lori didn't look convinced. She crossed her arms, clearly upset.

"That's not the problem. How could he just hand sharp weapons to little kids?"

Lori stared at them for a moment, clearly still frustrated.

"I can't believe this..." she muttered, shaking her head, before storming off.

As Lori stormed away, Dale and Glenn exchanged uneasy glances, both of them silent for a moment, unsure of how to proceed.

Dale rubbed the back of his neck, his voice low.

"Well, that went well," his voice tinged with irony.

T-Dog rubbed his hands together, grinning as he picked up a can of beans.

"Man, we won't have to worry about food for a long time with everything we have."

Andrea, who was next to him, smiled.

"We won't be arguing over the last pack of crackers anytime soon."

Jenner walked over with a thoughtful look on his face.

"I will be making a simple diet for everyone to keep you all well nourished and so we get all the necessary vitamins from our food."

T-Dog chuckled, nodding at Jenner.

"Now that's what I'm talking about. A well-nourished diet in an apocalypse, who would've thought."

Jacqui walked up to them, raising an eyebrow as she looked at T-Dog.

"So the food I was making for you wasn't good enough?"

T-Dog quickly waved his hands in front of him, looking flustered.

"No, no, where did you get that from? You know your food's the best, Jacqui. I was just talking about the nutritional value, that's it." He finished with an awkward laugh, trying to play it off.

Jacqui squinted her eyes at him, clearly not buying it.

"I'll let it slide this time," she said in a teasing voice as she walked back to Carol.

T-Dog breathed a sigh of relief, watching Jacqui walk away. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and chuckled nervously.

Jim, who had been standing nearby, looked at him with a smirk.

"You just dodged a bullet there."

T-Dog grimly nodded.

"No kidding..."

Jenner, who had been quietly observing from a distance, walked over, shaking his head with a slight grin.

"Never talk bad about a woman's cooking. The best option is you sleep on the couch, or she might poison you next."

Jim and T-Dog both grimly nodded in agreement, understanding the unspoken rule.

Rick walked up to Itachi, who was coming back after just cleaning up and changing his clothes.

Rick asked Itachi.

"Did you run into any problems while you were there?"

Itachi shook his head slightly.

"Nothing serious. And I'll be making some round trips to the prison a couple times a week."

Rick raised an eyebrow.

"There are more supplies left? If you want, Shane and I can go. Just tell me where everything is, you know, you and Daryl don't have to do everything alone."

Itachi shook his head.

"It's not about the supplies. I want to make that place into something we could call home."

Rick sighed, rubbing his face with his hand before looking back at the group.

"Look, I really appreciate you looking out for us. I really do. But no one will want to move into a prison, especially not now." He glanced back at the group, who were happily sorting through food and chatting.

"We're safe here; there hasn't even been one walker in sight. The farm has wells for water and a lot of farm animals for food. It has everything we need. No one will want to leave the farm to go to a prison and live in some cells."

Itachi turned slightly to face Rick, his gaze unwavering.

"And how long will this peace last? All it takes is some people with bad intentions or a horde, and this place will fall."

Rick sat down next to Itachi, his body sinking slightly with the weight of his thoughts. He glanced at the others, his face troubled.

"Maybe you're right, I don't even know anymore what's the best thing for us, in here, everything feels almost normal, just a life on the farm. Last night, I even forgot the world had become a hellhole. And I just want my family to live a normal life, I want Carl to have a normal childhood." He looked over at Carl, who was happily talking to Sophia, still having some chocolate smeared on his cheek.

"And for some reason, everyone seems to be treating me like some type of leader of this group, when I'm just as lost as they are."

Rick looked back at Itachi, his voice softening a bit but still firm.

"Look, I'll help you with your plans for the prison, but I can't promise we'll move there."

Itachi glanced back at Rick, his gaze steady, his expression calm.

"Helping me is all I can ask for. I'm not asking for a decision now, Rick. But if we don't start preparing for the future, we might not have one."

Rick placed a hand on Itachi's shoulder and smiled a bit.

"We'll talk about it later. For now, rest a bit and join us tonight. We'll be eating at Hershel's house. Lori and Carol will be preparing dinner."

Itachi nodded.

"I'll be there."

As Rick walked away, Itachi lingered for a moment longer, before he slowly made his way towards a quiet spot to gather his thoughts.

A couple of hours later...

The group was scattered around and getting ready for the evening. 

Carl and Sophia ran up to Itachi, who had been sitting off to the side, sharpening and cleaning his weapons.

"Hey, Itachi!" Carl said excitedly.

"Can you show us again how to throw knives? We've been practicing with rocks, but we want to try the real thing!"

Sophia bounced on her feet, eager.

"Please, Itachi! We promise we'll be careful."

Itachi glanced up at them, as he was about to respond, Lori approached quickly, her eyes immediately going to Carl and then to Itachi.

Lori walked up to them, her tone sharp.

"That's enough, Carl. I don't want you throwing knives around, you could get hurt."

Carl looked up at her, disappointment flickering in his eyes.

"But, Mom—"

Lori cut him.

"You're still a kid, Carl, and knives aren't toys. You might think it's fun now, but you could get hurt."

She turned to Itachi, her gaze hardening.

"And you should know better than to encourage him to do something dangerous like this."

Itachi stood up slowly, his expression still calm, but his eyes seemed a little colder than usual, the usual indifference replaced by a quiet anger.

"If you want to keep Carl safe, it's better to teach him these things now, so he knows how to handle himself when it matters."

Lori's expression hardened, and she grabbed Carl's hand and began pulling him away.

"Let's go help Carol prepare dinner."

Carl looked up at her, his voice quiet but determined.

"But Mom, I want to get stronger and help Dad."

Lori paused, looking down at Carl.

"Maybe when you're older."

Carl's shoulders slumped, his disappointment clear on his face. He nodded without saying another word and followed closely behind his mom.

Sophia awkwardly shifted, her gaze drifting from Carl to Itachi.

"Umm, is it okay if you just teach me?"

Itachi looked at her, his expression thoughtful.

"Does Carol know?"

Sophia nodded quickly, meeting his eyes.

"She said it's okay as long as you're nearby."

Itachi smiled slightly, turning around, giving a small nod.

"Let's go. You need to catch up to Carl."

Sophia smiled brightly, her face lighting up with excitement. She skipped towards Itachi, following him closely behind.

They stopped by a large rock near the woods.

He turned towards Sophia, noticing her eager yet slightly nervous expression.

"Are you ready?"

Sophia nodded enthusiastically, her hands fidgeting with excitement.

"Yes"

Itachi gave a small nod, his eyes softening just a bit as he saw the spark of determination in her eyes.

"Today, we're going to focus on movement." He looked at her with a serious expression.

"Being able to throw a knife is important, but what's more important is being able to move quietly, undetected. It's a skill that could save your life."

Sophia looked at Itachi, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"Move quietly? What do you mean?"

Itachi nodded, his expression thoughtful.

"Moving without making noise is important. In a real situation, you won't always have time to stand still and throw your knives. Not to mention, knowing how to move undetected will help you in case no one is around to protect you, and it might just save your life."

Sophia felt a bit of disappointment settle in her chest. She had been looking forward to throwing knives again all this time, and the idea of moving quietly didn't seem as exciting.

She glanced down at the ground, her voice quieter.

"I thought we were going to practice throwing them again..."

Itachi noticed the shift in her expression and paused for a moment before responding.

"I know it's not what you expected, but you need to understand that moving quietly, staying unnoticed, those are skills that will keep you safe. Throwing knives is important, yes, but it's just one part of what you need to know to survive out here."

He took a step closer, his tone soft but firm.

"I know it's not as fun as throwing them. But it's important. If you do well with this, I'll teach you something fun next time."

Sophia's eyes brightened a little at that promise, and a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Something fun?"

Itachi gave a small nod."Yes, but you have to learn the basics first."

Sophia stood a little straighter, the excitement beginning to return.

"Alright. I'll try."

Itachi smiled faintly.

"Good. Now let's start with the basics. Move slowly, focus on your steps, and try not to make any noise.

Sophia looked down at her feet, trying to place each one carefully on the ground. She was moving slowly, but it felt awkward. She could hear every twig she stepped on and the leaves crunching.

Itachi observed her for a moment before speaking again.

"Don't just look at the ground. Focus on where the weight is in your body. Your feet should land as softly as possible, like you're barely touching the ground. You're not walking; you're gliding."

Sophia furrowed her brows, trying to understand.

She took a step, then another, but her foot caught a small rock, and it scraped across the ground.

"It's okay," Itachi said, encouraging.

"It happens. Try to pay attention to your surroundings. You're not just trying to move quietly; you're also trying to blend in with the environment. Listen for the sounds around you."

Sophia nodded and tried again. And the hours passed quietly as they continued practicing.

Itachi was patient, offering occasional advice but mostly allowing her to work through her mistakes on her own.

The sound of her steps slowly became softer, more controlled. It was far from perfect, but it was progress. 

Sophia would occasionally glance up at him, and Itachi would meet her gaze, offering a small nod when she got it right. There was no need for many words, she was learning, and Itachi was letting her find her own rhythm.

As the sun began to set, Sophia took a final step, moving without making a sound. She paused and looked up at Itachi, waiting for his approval.

Itachi gave a small nod.

"Good. That's enough for today."

Sophia smiled, her body relaxing.

"Thanks, I think I'm getting it!"

He gave her a slight smile.

"You're doing well. Keep practicing, and it will get easier in no time."

Sophia nodded eagerly.

"I will."

Itachi glanced over at the camp, where the others were gathering around Hershel's house.

"It's time for dinner, let's go, don't want to keep your Mom waiting."

Sophia's stomach growled slightly at the mention of food. She smiled, looking back at him and back towards the house.

"Race you there!" she said, darting off towards the house.

Itachi watched her run ahead, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips, before sighing and running right after her.

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